Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Sugar and fat...friend or foe?

Understanding the food you eat and when to eat it is the key to the perfect body.  Alot of people feel they have to avoid sugary food and food high in fat in order to achieve that lean body....not true!!!! 
In fact it the opposite, by utalizing sugars and fats you can actually maximise muscle gains and fat loss!!!

Here are the facts
  • Sugary foods in the morning or after training helps replenish glycogen levels stopping muscle wastage and heightens your metabolism to aid fat loss.
  • Healthly fats in between meals and later at night help slow digestion, keep you feeling full and help aid fat loss.
  • Fats should be avoided around training as they slow digestion of protein and carbs when you need them in your body the quickest.
Sugary food examples
white bagel with jam or honey
low fat chocolate milk
sports drinks - e.g. Gatorade
jelly beans

Healthy fats
Mixed nuts (plain)
Avocados
Fatty fish

Remember if these are taken in at the right time they can aid fat loss and increase muscle gains - taken at the wrong time it will work the other way.


The Ibiza wedding diet

I recently got married to my beautiful Wife Samantha on the Island of Ibiza.  All of our friends and family came out and everyone was looking great so I had to devise a diet to take my body to the next level. 

I needed to maintain the extra muscle I had put on the through the year while lowering my bodyfat.  The result was under 5% bodyfat and minimal loss to muscle size.

I used a method called carb cycling which has many variants however the one that worked for me was 6 low carb days and 1 high carb day,

The low carb days puts your body in a state of ketosis and begins burning bodyfat as you are in a calorie deficit.
The high carb day replaces glycogen, shocks your metabolism and boosts muscle growth and anabolism (it also allows you to enjoy some of your favorite sugary foods)

Depending on how your body reacts to this you may want to try 2 high, 5 low.

High carb days I aimed for 3g of fast digesting carbs per pound of bodyweight = 540g
Low carb training days - 1g per pound of bodyweight = 90 -100g (carbs to be consumed in the morning and around training only)
Low carb rest day - 0.5g per pound of bodyweight = 40 - 50g

An example low carb training day for me as follows.

Meal 1
50g porridge oats (dry weight)
2 scoops whey protein (mixed into porridge with water)
1 tsp of honey (fast digesting carbs to restore glycogen after sleep and put body in an anabolic state)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 shot of espresso mixed in (caffeine boosts metabolism and aids fat loss)

Meal 2
handful of mixed nuts (healthy fats help to shift unwanted bodyfat and keep you feeling full between meals)

Meal 3 and 4
200g of lean meat e.g. Chicken breast/turkey breat/Talapia
Mixed green veg

Pre workout
Superpump extreme pre workout shake (keeps energy up, increases muscle pump and help fight bodyfat)
1 scoop of whey protein

Post workout
400ml Low fat chocolate milk and 1 scoop of whey protein (low fat choc milk is great after training as it is full of fast digesting carbs, milk protein, antioxidants, salts and water, it replaces everything you need and tastes great!!!)

Meal 5
200g fish either baked or dry fried e.g. salmon/seabass (both full of healthy fats which slow protein digestion and aid fat loss)
Mixed green veg

Meal 6
0% fat Greek yogurt
1 scoop of whey protein mixed in (tastes amazing and acts as a source of slow digesting protein to aid recovery and growth as you sleep)
handful of mixed nuts (when carbs are extremely low healthy fats and protein must be kept high to maintain muscle mass)

I also used several supplements to aid fat loss and keep testosterone high to hold on to my hard earned muscle, however I will go onto this in my next post.

I've missed you guys

Hey everyone i'm back and a married man.

I had been so busy planning my wedding that I had neglected my blog, but here I am again with more tips, pics, vids and advice..........so watch this space!!!!


Monday, 5 December 2011

Im back!!!

Hello all.  I am now back online and will be reporting my new advice over the Christmas period!!!  I will be uploading regular pics showing my transformation to hopefully the best shape of my life. 

Friday, 8 July 2011

The infamous V

At the top of the list of attributes that are wanted in an all rounded well developed body is the V taper.  This is achieved by developing full flared lats (back width) and large rounded shoulders while keeping a tight small waist.  The plus side is the bigger your shoulders are the smaller your waist will look and vice versa.  To achieve this look work on your pull ups and lat pull downs, side delt raises and lots of ab work but avoid too much weighted ab work as this can thicken your waist and make it look bulky! 

Thursday, 7 July 2011

The peeled to the bone diet!!!

Here is a sample diet to get you ripped for summer! You will need to start weighing your food so invest in some food weighing scales.  Remember this is based on my current weight so amounts can change based on your personal weight.  We are aiming for CARBS 1g per pound of bodyweight, PROTEIN 1.5-2g per pound of bodyweight and FAT 0.5-0.75g per pound of bodyweight. This is for a training day!

Breakfast
Black coffee
50g porridge made with water, honey, Cinnamon and raisins
2 scoops of whey protein mixed in
1 tbsp natural peanut butter

=60g carbs, 50g protein and 20g Fat

Mid morning snack
2 scoops of whey protein
Handful of nuts

=50g protein and 15g fat
Pre workout 30 mins before training
1 scoop of whey with an apple and pre workout supplement of black coffee

Post workout straight after!!!
1 plain bagel with jam and 2 scoops of whey protein

Lunch split into 2 meals leave at least 3 hours between
2x 200g chicken breast fillets (skinless) grilled or oven roasted
2x 50g (uncooked measure) brown rice boiled
Mixed veg with half an avocado

=100g protein, 70g carbs and 20g Fat

Dinner
200g salmon fillet with mixed veg

=50g Protein and 25g Fat

Before bed
250g Fat free cottage cheese
Handful of mixed nuts

=35g protein and 15g Fat

Drink lots of water around 2 litres a day around training and take multivitamins everyday.  Mix it up if you don't feel like chicken go for other lean meats tuna, turkey etc. Enjoy!!!

Dan Helligso PT

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

A cup of the black stuff please!

Coffee before training can increase strength, stamina and help you burn fat!  Caffeine taken about 30 mins before training will have you ripped to shreds and lifting more in no time....Its a no brainer...Go for sugar and milk free options instead grab a double espresso or an americano next time you hit the gym...if you cant handle it completely black sweeten it up with sugar free sweeteners.