SO, PLEASE EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THE LADIES, STOP BEING SO CONCERNED ABOUT BODY WEIGHT - BE CONCERNED ABOUT BODY COMPOSITION. A firmer toner and leaner (ladies) or ripped shredded (men and lady BB's) body depends on BF% levels not poundage!
To preserve LBM we all know we use glutamine. What preserves glutamine in the body? Aminos! They are vital for protein synthesis and repair.
You can get aminos from increased protein intake and or supplement with high quality aminos at mealtime and or during the W/O (3-5 grams at meals or 15-30 during W/O). BCAA's are even more specialized as they convince the body to spare glycogen (tells the body that muscle has already broken down-so shift energy sources) and burn fat. A recent study showed a decreased amount of Visceral Abdominal Fat (VAT) (belly fat) in subjects with higher BCAA intake. (use 10-15 grams 10 minutes pre W/O).
CLA is still a fresh topic. It blocks fat storage (the lipoprotein lipase enzyme) and keeps fat from returning post cut. (3 grams a day).
I also believe in high quality liver tabs. The iron and B-12 seems to enhance the appetite and metabolism. More red blood cells greatly enhance oxygen transport, facilitating endurance, growth, and recovery (4-6 grams with each meal).
Lastly, a word about thermogenics. While I firmly believe in thermogenics, especially their ability to target adipose tissue, I've done enough of these to be at negative body fat levels. Currently, I just use them for the amps on leg or shoulder day. While they do enhance your metabolism, (even a one degree increase in body temperature will result in burning 7 percent more calories) after your period of 110% metabolism, the body tends to compensate with a period of 90% metabolism. The net effect is not all that great in some people. For the hardgainer, I believe that they are detrimental, not allowing the maximum nutrition from food and supps to reach the muscle (remember glucose conversion from fat and protein to fuel the metabolism- gluconeogenesis). Stated another way, increase the body?s speed- you need more and more fuel to maintain, this makes it harder to gain!
So now you?re there and the next question is."How do I maintain low levels of body fat?" You will find that, as you get more cut, your body will change every four to six hours in the mirror. You may lose a cut here or a vein there, only for it to return later with friends. Sometimes it goes away for days before returning. This can cause quite a lot of psychosis, especially in women (I'm not sexist!). Many that I know will eat a cookie and then do an hour of cardio to compensate. So here are tips to maintain low levels of body fat until your next bulk:
1. Drink plenty of water. The more you drink, the dryer you become...hence more cuts, the less you retain. Why store it, the body thinks you will give it more, your lips crack, your cuts stand out etc. (there is a scientific explanation with diuretic and anti diuretic hormones involved, but that is not my specialty).
2. Make lifestyle changes. Try to avoid sugars and use slow-burning carbs (possibly cycled),and good nutritional practices for the duration of the "looking good" period. Slow burners are carbs that enter the bloodstream very slow, keeping glucose and insulin low so that you can burn more fat!
3. Avoid excessive cardio.
4. Take CLA, not only will this help you get lean, but studies indicate post diet, it will limit the redeposition of body fat (3 grams daily). CLA is an EFA that animals use to produce more, now it comes from sunflowers, but occurs naturally in meat and dairy in small quantities. It has some great antioxidant qualities, but we take it to block lipo-protein lipase, an enzyme that causes fat storage. It can help reduce your BF and keep it from coming back after a cut!
5. Limit bars. There is more in a bar than appears on the label (until recently). Most of the low carb bars have about 40-70 unexplained calories of glycerine (glycerol), This is a sugar alcohol and does not have to appear in the carb count, it both moistens and sweetens the bar at 4.3 calories per gram. The trouble is, when you store fat, the body converts triglycerides to glycerol to fat. Could this be why glycerol doesn't raise insulin levels? So why give your body something that is one metabolite away from fat? Everyone I know gets immediately leaner when they give up bars! Additionally, usually the second ingredient is hydrolyzed gelatin, this is garbage protein!
As you can see, there?s no real secrets- just persistence and consistency!
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