Tag Archives: Bulking Up

Getting Lean And Ripped Without The Bulky Fat Look

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Bruno_Ripped

The days of trying to bulk up as much as possible and look like a bodybuilder are out. Now the body image most men are looking for and most women find attractive is that of professional sprinters and swimmers. They are lean and toned with just the right amount of muscle and body fat to turn heads wherever they go. This is not a simple look to achieve, though. You must follow the right training protocols and make sure your diet is in check.

Top 4 things you should do

1. Cardio sprint training

When it comes to cardio, the preferred method is interval training. This allows you to push your body for a short period of time, and then take a period to rest and recover before going once again. It is preferable because it will also help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers and will kick your metabolism into high gear.

Any form of exercise that is very intense will help with your fat-burning process as the body will expend a great deal of calories repairing the damaged muscle tissue once you are finished your workout. Try to incorporate at least two sessions of interval training into your week — one focusing on longer intervals of one minute with two minutes of rest, and the other focusing on shorter intervals of 20 to 30 seconds with one to one and a half minutes of rest. Note: The shorter the interval, the more intense it should be.

2.Plyometric training

Plyometric training uses exercises that require you to move very quickly using only your body weight. They are great for developing explosive power and strength. Since you are not acting against a heavy weight load, you will not get the same hypertrophy effects that result in the bulky muscle look. Typical plyometric exercises are:

Box jumps: Jump onto as high of a box as you can, and then back down again. For added difficulty, try doing this off one leg.

Squat jumps: Begin by moving from a standing position down into a full squat, then rapidly push off the ground using your thigh muscles to propel yourself as high as possible. Land once again in a full squat position and repeat 10 to 15 times.

Clap push-ups: Perform the normal push-up action, but use your muscles to propel your body off the ground in the up phase. While in the air, clap your hands together and then land back into the push-up position to complete the downward portion of the exercise.

3. Circuit speed training

Circuit training is another good option for those looking to get lean and toned. It works in a similar way to supersets, but instead of working opposing muscle groups, you complete an entire circuit of exercises for your whole body. Perform one set of each exercise before moving onto the next one with little or no rest in-between. Once you finish one whole circuit, take a few minutes to rest, and then complete it again one to three more times.

Additionally, you may want to focus on increasing the velocity in which you perform the concentric (working portion) of your exercise, as this will help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers more.

4. Supersets

Supersets are an exercise technique in which you perform one set of an exercise for one muscle group, and then another set for an antagonistic group. For example, complete one set of bicep curls followed by one set of overhead tricep presses. Since these muscles oppose one another, while one is working, the other can rest. This both cuts down on your total workout time and increases the overall amount of calories burned during your training session.

Getting lean and toned is dependent on burning more calories than you take in to remove excess body fat, so anything that helps you accomplish this is a step in the right direction. Try to incorporate these types of exercises into your workout as much as possible. Good examples are chest presses supersetted with bent-over rows and leg extensions supersetted with hamstring curls.

Top 3 things to avoid

1. Taking long rest periods during sets

The general guideline for building a great deal of mass states that you should allow ample rest time between sets to let your muscles recover. This enables you to lift maximally on your next set. While this principle still holds true for putting getting big, reducing this rest time will increase your metabolism, helping you get leaner.

Since your goal is not to achieve your maximum size, the shortened rest breaks will not hinder you in getting good muscle definition. You still need to rest enough so that you can challenge yourself, but there is no need for two-minute rest periods anymore.

2. Neglecting all forms of cardio

If you want to get that lean look, you have to do some cardio training. Former methods enforced the principle of boycotting all cardio as it burned precious calories that could potentially go toward muscle growth. This is fine if you don’t wish to control your body-fat levels, but in order to see your hard-earned muscles, cardio is essential.

3. Eating everything in sight

Doing this will add mass, but a greater portion of it will be body fat, bringing you further away from the toned physique you’re looking for.

*Also note
If you are looking to develop a defined yet muscular body, put some of these principles into effect. You do not have to be huge to be strong, and most people these days prefer a more toned appearance over a bulky look. Don’t forget to stretch, make sure your diet is free from all junk and processed foods, and make sure you are eating five to six times a day to keep your metabolism up. Once you have mastered both the workout and the diet, your physique will get noticed.

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10 Tips to Put on Weight

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Best Of Bruno

1- Eat Meat
It’s simple; if you plan to grow, you need to eat meat. Meat is extremely high in protein, is a good natural source of creatine, and has loads of calories.

2- Post-workout nutrition
After a grueling workout, your body’s macronutrient levels are depleted and your muscle fibers will be screaming for nourishment. This is why a good post-workout meal is the most important meal of the day for anyone who’s aiming to put on some weight.

Always try to eat within one hour following each workout, for optimal results. Your body has the capacity to absorb more protein at that stage than at any other time of the day. Generally, you should try to consume 25-30 grams of protein and up to 1.5 times that amount of carbohydrates after each workout.

3- Calorie-dense food
Always try to eat more calorie-dense food. See it as being more efficient. The more calories you get per gram of food you ingest, the better, because you’ll have to eat less of it. They’ll also satiate you faster.

For example, try to reduce your vegetable consumption because they’re low on calories and 80% of each veggie is water. Instead, try eating red meat, eggs and tuna. Weight gainers are also a very cost effective source of calorie-dense nutrients that will help increase your overall caloric intake.

4- Increase your caloric intake gradually
Slowly get your body accustomed to the increased caloric intake. Try increasing your daily caloric intake by 125 to 250 calories until you reach the desired level.

5- Drink plenty of liquids
Water, juice and milk. Hydration is key in increasing body mass, since 60% of your body consists of water. You lose water through perspiration and urination, and will increase your loss drastically with severe physical exhaustion.

Make sure to replenish yourself with fluids often. Drinking water will help improve your digestion, while milk is filled with quality proteins and juice will provide all the essential sugars your body needs.

6- Sleep on a full stomach
The second most important meal of the day is the one you eat before going to bed. The average male burns 67 calories/hour while sleeping. So if you expect to sleep eight hours, try to get in roughly 536 calories before going to bed.

Growth hormone levels peak during sleep since the body does a large part of its recovering at night. There’s a popular belief that everything you eat before going to bed will turn to fat. It’s partly false. Obviously, if you munch on a Big Mac right before bedtime, it will likely be stored as fat. Instead, ingest a quality protein shake — they’re low on fat and simple carbohydrates.

7- Take Multivitamins
Calorie-dense food generally lacks micronutrients such as vitamins, water and certain minerals. To avoid the pitfalls of micronutrient deficiency, I strongly recommend taking a multivitamin every day.

Vitamins are needed to maintain optimal levels of micronutrients. Try to take them between meals for faster digestion.

8- Eat More Often
Eating more often goes hand in hand with eating more since, logically speaking, the more meals you eat, the more calories you’ll ingest. Eating more often will also help with digestion. It’s obviously easier to eat eight smaller meals of 500 calories each than four huge meals containing 1000 calories each.

Also, when it comes to bigger portions, some food doesn’t get processed correctly due to a lack of hormones in your metabolism. That excess food can potentially turn to fat down the road. Keep in mind, however, that by eating more, you’ll automatically gain some mass from fat.

Don’t forget that when you eat less often, you allow for a longer lapse of time between each meal, causing your insulin and concentration of nutrients to peak and drop, resulting in mayhem when it comes to your metabolism.

9- Get all the right proportions
Protein is the main building block of muscle tissue and unquestionably the most important nutrient to gain weight and build mass. But keep in mind that you should always ensure that you’re getting the right amounts of carbohydrates and fats.

The recommended proportion of carbohydrates, protein and fat for a bulking diet is 50/35/15, respectively. This proportion applies to all diets regardless of the total caloric intake. Again, expect to gain some fat from this sort of diet.

10- Eat More Food
Chances are, if you’re training and not growing, it’s because you aren’t eating enough. How can you expect to gain weight if you don’t consume enough calories to cover your daily calorie burn rate?

As an average male, you should consume roughly ten calories per pound of bodyweight just to maintain your current bodyweight. Now to gain weight, you should consume at least 500 calories more than your normal caloric intake.

The more you eat, the more growth potential you create. You should obviously be selective with your choice of food in order to gain quality mass without gaining excess fat.

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Client Interaction With My Online Training

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M3Habib

Question:
What is your take on cheat meals ?

Answer:
After the cardio session day, I will allow you to have something sweet to go with your meal.
Sort of like a cheat day but not, I don’t believe in them either. You should be eating good
everyday, all year round. But one treat a week wont hurt, especially after a good cardio session your body willlove those sugars. Its also the only time where its sort of exceptable, because your body will
break it down straight away and wont store all of it as fat. But if you had a cheat day and did no exercise, its
all going to get stored as fat straight away. Also I don’t believe in teasing your body one day a week is good.
Its like if you had a brand new Holden HSV, and one day you decided you want to fill it up with diesel instead of premium. Need to run your body on good foods always, your body works more efficient that way.

Question:
Are you looking at me to put on weight or cut with this diet ?

Answer:
Thats an easy answer: Both

Question:
Should I feel hungry or satisfied on this meal plan ?

Answer:
Satisfied, there alot of low gi foods in this diet,
Your body will digest these foods slowly leaving you feeling full for longer and allowing you to eat less calories without feeling hungry.

Question:
Do you eat like this all year or do you have breaks from the diet. From your pics your physique looks great all year round.

Answer:
All year round, and I encourage it in all my clients.

From my website:
My physique never changes Why have a physique that changes? My body stays the same all year round, wouldn’t you like your body looking great all year round? Why go threw those ridiculous cutting and bulking diets? Its very taxing and unhealthy on your body, also majority of body builders are on steroids. Also a study was done saying symmetrical bodies attract the opposite sex. Makes sense, seeing as there was another study done saying symmetrical facial features attract the opposite sex. So why wouldn’t you want to look and stay symmetrical to your own body type?

Question:
What macronutrient breakdown do you recommend for me – am I right in saying about 150 gr protein and rest make up in carbs and good fats ?

Answer:
Exactly, the next 6 weeks we will see how your body reacts to it. I can give you my diet and workouts, but that wont work on you. This is all specifc to what you want, abs and more muscle tone.
You have your own cron o meter, so that is really good. But I was surprised you didnt see or question the fact that you lacking in vitamins and minerals? With my diet your at 100%, your last diet was at 50%
Anyways we live and learn, I have been down that paths too. I have tried this and tried that, I have an open mind to it all. But alot of things you can tell are just not right. But know I have the knowledge in explaining why.

Dont worry about the questions, its all good.

The more you ask the better, you need your body and mind working together.
If I tell you to jump a bridge you wont do it, but if I tell you why, you will do it.
haha, not such a good analogy, but you know what I mean. 🙂

Have a good day at work,

Anymore questions feel free to ask,

Your Mate, and Online Trainer,

Bruno

www.brunosfitness.com

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