Cutting phase— Low fat, low carb, high protein, filling meal replacement

Here is an easy recipe for a low carb, low fat, high protein to keep you full when you are on restricted calories / in a fat loss phase.

Ingredients—

—300g celery sticks

—3 (115g) tubs of Hartley’s sugar free jelly

—Whey protein (0.5 or 1-scoop)

—Ground cinnamon (optional)

—Low calorie sweetener

Chop celery and add to the blender with the sugar free jelly, mix in the whey protein and other desired ingredients.

* 3g Carbs / 1g Fat / 25-35g Protein *

How to progress through "Progressive Overload"

The surest way to make progress and be certain that you your muscles get bigger/stronger lies in the methodology of (Progressive Overload).

What is it?

Progressively overloading is the ‘gradual increase’ of stress placed upon the muscle.

Why?

In order to continually make gains in muscle size, strength: Give the muscle a motive to grow. If you squat 100kg for 10reps then the 6 weeks following you are lifting the same weight for the same number of reps/sets, why would the muscle need to grow or get stronger?

How to apply it?

Increase the weight — Lift a slightly heavier weight. A good way to apply this is to use very small increments (e.g. 1.25kg per side).

1/

Shorter rest time between sets — Set your phone timer so you know exactly how long you are resting and when its time for the next set.

2/

Add volume or/and increase exercises — Increase the amount of sets and exercises preformed for that specific muscle group.

3/

Intensity — Increase the effort you put into every set. This principal has worked best for me for creating progressive overload. Do whatever you have to do to get yourself mentally ready to go 100% all out on each given set.

4/

Increase Frequency — This is a last resort. If all other fundamentals to reaching progressive overload of the muscle fail, increase how often you work that body part. Be sure to cut the volume on both days (initially), so the muscle doesn’t become over trained.

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Evidently it would be impossible to make progress on every workout, this would result in every gym rat lifting unadulterated amounts of weight if they applied any of these essentials. But in saying that, you should be trying week on week to beat the prior workouts. For each individual it will happen at a diverse rate but making sure it happens is critical whilst aiming for prime results.

Daily Motivation Particle—No.01/10

Accomplishing your definitive goal typically requires your mind to be set on reaching it. In my sport it is common practice to diet for 20-30 weeks at a time, waking at very unsociable hours to do cardio, prepping meals for extended periods, weight training at a enormously high intensity and doing all of this on a calorie delimited, mundane nutrition program.

There are many different ways in which people help motivate themselves; watching videos on the internet, listening to motivational speakers, smashing Cannibal Corpse out of their IPod after necking a doubly strong pre-workout stimulant drink etc. There is one thing that dominates all of these other extrinsic motivators. It comes from basic biological instinct. It will push you far past what you thought your boundaries were and it is simply the notion of “Failing”.

For me this is my greatest motivator. So the next time you push that last repetition on a high-rep-set of squats, just stop for a second and think about the aspect of failing; getting beat and outworked by someone else, and you just might get that one more rep!

Crushing it, even on a bad day!

Some days that you hit the gym you will feel 100% on. Mentally ready, full of energy, chatty, enthusiastic, motivated, strong, get pumped up quickly etc. Other days you feel like shit. It is just preordained that these days come now and again. You know the feeling… No energy/motivation, tired and lethargic. Most people choose to take the easy way out and finish up early or take it easy on themselves but this is precisely what separates the men from the boys. Just picture your competition training the next time you feel like this and keep a positive mindset. Give that day the 100% that you have to give, even if you fall a rep short or need slightly more rest between sets. Finish what you came there to do. You will feel a great deal of satisfaction and accomplishment when you crush it, even on a bad day!

Beetroot for improved performance?

BEETROOT: For superior running performance? That’s what researchers from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are saying. The boys looked at test results from 11 recreationally fit men and women that were put through two 5km treadmill time trials, once with beetroot (200g), and once with a placebo (cranberry relish).

The results? The beetroot trail was 5% faster during the last 1.8km of the run, and 1.8km into the run the perceived exertion was less. That’s not bad for a vegetable that gives you a red surprise. 

FYI - The compound that causes the red color is betanin and is completely harmless, the body just can’t break it down.