2 Asses 1 Horse

I apologize but this will come across as a bit ranty but stick with me as I will actually have some helpful advice regarding this pitfall by the end. Anyone who has ever been out of shape and anyone who has ever been a trainer will be able to relate to this. Joe is fat, out of shape, and weak. He reaches out to the Googles and searches for ways to not only lose weight it also get super jacked at the same time. All the supplement websites he is pointed to say "WE CAN HELP!" Tiny disclaimer: results vary. You need to eat right and exercise while on this supplement. Etc. So as a reasonably not dumb person Joe reaches out to fitness experts and hears options from: he needs to focus on one first and get the other secondly all the way over to both can happen at the same time....at least at first. (Yay Beginner GAINZ!)

Here's the problem you have 1 ass and are trying to ride two horses. The bigger issue is they aren't going in the same direction! It doesn't work and for ideal results you need to focus on one. "Joe!" I say as I smack him across the face. "You took 20 years to become a fat slob! Is it too much to ask to take 6 months to lean out and then 6 months to focus on building?" 

"Yes." Joe says rubbing his reddening cheek.

I try to shake the thick-headedness out of him but it doesn't work. 

If you are like Joe this next part is for you. Here are some rules and facts that can help guide you on your double horse one assness thing. First let's at least get the horses going the same direction. Realize that this will be less efficient in general than focusing on one goal. Also understand that if you are new to training or it's been years since you were in good shape everything will work amazingly well for both goals but after a while you will find it harder to do both. That's where this framework comes in.

Rule 1: you need a slight calorie deficit to lose fat. If you want to keep muscle though, try not to reduce intake by much. Maybe only a 250-500 calorie reduction per day. Focus on eating your protein first then eat your carbs. This will ensure you are getting enough to keep muscle mass. I know it's sad to not eat all of your bread but hey you wanted to ride this pony so own it.

Rule 2: Lift weights. Got to build those muscles. What do you think toning is? You can't tone a muscle that's non existent. Stick to 12 or less reps so you can build muscle and strength.

Rule 3: focus on food intake not cardio. If you feel like you need to do cardio to appease your lack of understanding go for it but do short intervals with relatively long rest periods. Stuff like 1 minute on and 2 minutes off work well and don't go longer than 20-30 minutes. Long jogs for an hour and a half every day will make you crazy hungry and possibly eat away at that muscle you've been trying to build, but mainly the food splurge is the derailer here.

There you go. So do this for a year and get worse results than if you focused on one for 6 months then the other.

"But hey, what do I know Joe? You are definitely the expert here right?"

At least with these rules you will have some kind of progress and not waste as much time as most people do.

Talk Soon,

Dan Mason

Strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He is also an Elite level lifter in the USPA/IPA. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004. For other fun stuff check his Instagram @RoninStr

New Years Resolutioners

So I'm going to throw everyone off here. This isn't a blog about my distain for the people who buy a gym membership and quit after a month or two. I know lots of people get frustrated with all the crowds in the first quarter. Take a second to not be a total douche bag though. At some point you were likely one of these people. I'm sure you felt the glare of the regulars as you sat on a machine backwards not realizing it until it's too late. Lots of people have been there. Realize these people are trying. That's way more than the rest of the world that's just given up and made peace with their physical shortcomings even though those very things are fully under their control to change. That chubby 44 year old guy just wants to be able to keep up with his teenager. That older lady wants to be around to see her grand kids get married. That out of shape soccer mom has shown more courage than the vast majority of my female clients by even walking in those doors full of judgement (at least that's how they perceive it). So if someone is doing something totally weird or wrong and they are a new face then there's a great chance that they legitimately don't know any better. Instead of sneering go talk to them. Maybe you will make a friend. At the very least you will help them realize that not every regular gym-goer is a tool. Maybe by doing that you will be the reason they don't quit after 3 weeks. This year be a positive presence at the gym in January. Don't be a dick. Unless they are curling in the squat rack with less than 135lbs. Then get all passive aggressive like this:

There. That'll teach 'em

Happy New Year!

Talk Soon,

Dan Mason

Strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He is also an Elite level lifter in the USPA/IPA. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

Why Supplements Suck

 

So let's get this out of the way right off the bat. You are not fat because you haven't found the best fat burner. And you...skinny guy over there! You are not skinny because you don't buy enough mass gainer. The secret sauce? The magic trick? Food.

There are so many reasons why food is awesome compared to supps and here's just a few.

-Food is cheaper! Tuna and rice with ranch and Buffalo sauce is less than 2 bucks for 50g of protein and 70g of carbs. And if you are going dirty, a large Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza is 150g of protein and 250g of carbs for $5.00. Whole milk is dirt cheap too. Stack that up to your mass gainer and see what's a bigger bang for your buck and what actually tastes better.

-The second big bonus to food is that it has a more complete hormone profile. Now I am just a dirty meathead so I don't know the specifics of why that's a good thing but I heard a smart sciencey guy say it once so we will just go with that. Feel free to Google if you really care to find out specifics. I am a cheap bastard so the cost effectiveness is all I needed to hear.

This isn't to say that supplements don't help, but for crying out loud. They are called "SUPPLEMENTS" not "MAINS!" The real issue isn't supplements it's lazy people who spent 100% of their efforts unintentionally trying to get fat or unintentionally trying to stay skinny, in the hard gainer's case, for the past 20 years wanting a quick fix that takes as close to zero effort as possible. You may have to put that kind of dedication toward your goals on purpose to change your body. But time and time again I will see people piss and moan about changing 10% or 20% of their habits. 20% of eating poorly and being lazy didn't make you 5'4" and 300lbs. It was 110% (which is impossible. I hate that term.) dedication to not moving much and eating doughnut holes by the handful while you empty a bag of Doritos down your gullet as a chaser which had that effect.

So the  title was kind of appropriate, but really it should have been "No Magic Bullet" or "Why are People so Dumb?" All harshness aside. If you want to change your body, career, or anything else you are going to need to put some serious work in. The magic doesn't happen by accident or over night. Change is a series of choices made every moment of every day for months or years that result in where you are at now or where you will be the future.

Don't be a slacker. Get to work.


-Dan

Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb

and 275lb classes and a powerlifter in the 275lb class. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He as been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr
For training and diet plans email roninstr@gmail.com