Highly Effective (Common sense) Tips For Getting Ripped

By Lawrence Hosannah

Losing body fat is simple and can be achieved once you understand and apply certain principles. We all respond to the influence of nutrition and exercise in varying degrees as a result some people will achieve faster and greater progress than others; this same principle applies to most adaptations in life, for example some humans tan darker than others, and some no matter what won't tan as well. Despite this observation we all must encounter ultra violet rays if we wish to get darker the rule is the same for everyone. The point to the above explanation is that your genetic inheritance will to some extent determine the rate at which you will burn body fat. Of course other factors come into play such as the type of exercise that you do, how intensely you do it, what you eat, how much you rest, etc.

Here are some tips to help you optimize your genetic ability to burn body fat

1. to burn fat your body must be in a caloric deficit. A pound of body fat contains about 3500 calories, so creating a deficit of 500 calories a day will lead to a pound lost a week (3500 divided by 7 = 500) at least until your body reaches a level that it needs another lowering in caloric intake to continue losing weight. For most people a pound a week of fat loss is a good number to aim for, it will allow steady fat loss with little or no loss in muscle mass, of course those who are drastically overweight may lose weight more expediently (providing that they have no metabolic issues) when beginning a fitness program but results will slow down as they get closer to their ideal weight. If you reach a plateau in fat loss reduce your calories by another 100 to 500 calories which will allow your body to continue to burn more fat (don't reduce below 1100-1200 total calories per day)

2. Lifting weight builds muscle (obviously) which in turn speeds the rate at which you can burn body fat (not so obvious). Muscle requires energy to maintain itself; a typical person burns an additional 50 calories a day for every pound of muscle they gain. If you build 5lbs of muscle you will burn approximately 250 additional calories a day that is why the most effective fat loss plans include weight training. Similar to weight training cardiovascular exercise burns calories during activity, and also allow the body to burn stored calories (fat) while you rest, although not to the same extent as weightlifting will. All being said exercise combined with proper nutrition is a potent blend for burning body fat.

3. Caloric deficit can be achieved in various ways
These are:
a. Reducing your caloric intake or the amount of food you eat in a day
b. Exercise more (build muscle and burn calories)
c. Reduce calories and Exercise (a highly effective combo for speeding up fat loss)
d. Other methods such as shivering, drinking cold water, taking certain herbs and drugs also speed up metabolism but some of these can be dangerous.

4. The most effective long term method for fat loss is a holistic approach of a lowered caloric intake, sufficient water intake, intense weight training, cardiovascular exercise and sufficient rest An interesting note is that some studies have shown fat burning hormone leptin declines in people who get insufficient sleep, in other words your ability to burn fat optimally declines.

5. To develop a body that burns fat Increase your lean muscle mass. The best way to build new muscle mass is to train with progress resistance, train intensely, after training allow for full recovery to and super-compensation (muscle growth to occur). When it comes to properly performed weight training more is not better, less is not better, What is best is the amount that you can get a bit stronger on a week-to-week basis.

6. Cardiovascular activity supports weight loss and can be done more often than weight training, The reason being that it is less taxing on the physiology than weight training. An hour of hard Jogging burns about 400-500 calories; an hour of walking will burn less. With cardiovascular activity it is necessary to periodically increase your intensity slightly. 30 minutes done moderately intensely is better than 1 hour done easily for burning up fat stores. Intense cardio (intervals) takes longer to recover than less moderate to low intensity cardio and thus must be used sparingly. The answer is to alternate high intensity cardio with easier cardio from session to session, this should prevent burnout.

7. When exercise is carried on for too long (high volume) your body's ability to burn body fat will decline. This is where you must listen to your body if you feel tired, lethargic, and angry, depressed, have aches and pains, and don't want to train suspect over training. If this occurs simply reduce your intensity and volume until your vigor returns.

8. Eat a balanced eating plan of unprocessed foods in the general ratio of 30 percent protein, 20 percent fat, and 50 percent carbohydrates works very well for optimizing fat loss. If you wish to reduce your water retention reduce your carbohydrate percentage to approximately 40% and increase your protein to 40%. Protein has a slight diuretic effect and carbohydrates make your body hold onto water.

9. You should be eating enough food each meal so that when the next one comes around you are slightly hungry. When your next meal or snack comes around you should be hungry, If you are not then you probably are not burning all your calories between meals, and if this is not occurring your body has no reason to start burning stored body fat. Be careful though, if you eat too little your body will store fat, the trick is to supply slightly less than what it needs. Once again you must be slightly hungry when you go to eat your next meal

10. All meals should contain fiber and water in some form or another. These substances cause you to feel full without eating a lot of calories. Foods such as tomatoes, celery, carrots, lettuce, asparagus, spinach, apples, etc. are high in water and fiber. Fiber helps stabilize insulin levels in the body by preventing the rapid breakdown of food, this prevents high insulin surges which has can lead to fat storage.

11. To reduce hunger and add flavor to foods add a little bit (a little bit) of fat to your meals. Good fat sources are olives, vegetable oils, and natural nut butter, nuts. A serving of 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil or a 1/4 handful of nuts is more than enough. Certain foods contain fat, such as whole grains, meats and dairy products in these cases do not add additional fat to your meal.

12. Protein helps build and rebuild muscle mass. People who train intensely require more than your average couch potato. I recommend 1 gram of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.

13. Don't weight yourself every day you will go insane. Pick one day a week preferably a day that you eat the least and weight yourself, after that put the scale away for a week.

14. A great way to determine if you are losing body fat is to purchase a pair of jeans or trousers that barely fit. Once every 3 weeks (no more) put them on, and see if they are starting to become looser.

15. The scale is inaccurate in determining fat loss. For example if a person was to gain 10lbs of muscle and loss 10lbs of fat that person's body will be leaner, tighter, stronger, fitter, healthier, and more attractive. In the above case the persons bodyweight would have remained the same but that persons body would look and feel very different. If you choose to use the scale combine it with other measurement takers such as body fat testing, tape measurements and the mirror.

16. In order to increase metabolism it is necessary to get sufficient rest. This means you should feel fully rested when you wake up, most people will need 7-9 hours a night. Lack of sleep can lead to sub par surges in growth hormone, optimal growth hormone levels greatly speed up your body's ability to burn body fat and build muscle mass.

By applying these basic principles you will see great progress in your quest to build a leaner and stronger physique.

Do you want more tips and information of how to get ripped, building larger muscles, getting stronger or building better overall fitness then visit my website at www.hosannahdiesel.com.

Lawrence Hosannah is a natural drug free athlete who has been involved in health, fitness and athletics since an early age. He is a student of physique display thus his work and participation with various photographers, artists, and bodybuilding competition. Lawrence is an educator on various aspects of optimal fitness and health, and teaches via articles, books, my website, and spoken word.

This article may be freely reprinted in it's entirety as long as the entire article and byline are included.


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