This is your body on caffeine

from an email by Shawn Hadsall


THIS is YOUR body on caffeine:

Within Seconds: Caffeine is both water and fat soluble so it’s
quickly absorbed in the stomach lining, small intestine, and
shows up later in all sorts of bodily fluids.

10 Minutes In: The caffeine “buzz” kicks in when it attaches itself
to adenosine receptors, which allows natural stimulants and other
endorphins to work their magic without interruption.

30 Minutes In: Caffeine reaches is “peak” as it slows down your
body’s ability to absorb dopamine—a neurotransmitter that helps
you feel motivated, energized, and focuses.

1 to 5 Hours Later: Your body realizes it has been drugged, forcing
it to release adrenaline in self defense.

This elevates your heart rate, causes blood vessels to constrict,
and can even increase blood pressure.

5-6 Hours Later: The buzz subsides as your liver breaks down the
caffeine and withdrawal kicks in.

Your blood vessels relax and you may feel a wave of fatigue—
or the onset of a nasty headache.

Is HIIT Better Than Steady State Cardio

Though some trainers argue that steady-state cardiovascular training is inefficient, others counter that this traditional approach to cardio exercise delivers indispensable benefits you can’t get from pushing the envelope every time you work out. And although plenty of researchers have recently trumpeted the value of fast, über-intense cardio (also known as high-intensity interval training, or HIIT), in practice, many fitness professionals have found that the system has drawbacks, particularly when practiced regularly over long periods.

“The truth is that both high-intensity interval training and steady-state cardio are effective in their own ways,” says exercise physiologist Jonathan Mike, MS, CSCS, from Albuquerque.

"The best system of cardiovascular training is a blend of HIIT and steady-state."

The best system of cardiovascular training, say Mike, probably isn’t the all-or-nothing approach. Rather, it’s a blend of both higher and lower-intensity cardiovascular training that’s tailored to your body and your goals.

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/whats-more-beneficial-steady-state-or-high-intensity-cardio/

Three Daily Habits for Health

I wanted to call this post, 3 Habits I Do Every Day for Better Health, but it's not true.  Yet.

The following are 3 SIMPLE practices that I have done at various times.  I've noticed a pretty consistent pattern, maybe you've experienced it too.  I develop a good habit.  I stick with it pretty easily for 3 or 4 months, then something changes externally - a schedule change, a new pressure - something that causes me to make an adjustment, and then all of my good habits fall to the ground like plates I was spinning in the air.

I consider these 3 things to be the bare minimum of leading a healthy lifestyle.  These 3 things don't make me healthy by themselves, but it would be hard to consider myself healthy if I wasn't doing them.  These 3 things certainly won't make me fit.

As I start to rebuild my healthy lifestyle, these 3 habits are the foundation.

1.  Drink 3+ liters of water.
2.  Walk 10,000+ steps.
3.  Fast 16+ hours.

"Standing Cable Pullovers" For Increased Lat Width & Thickness

"Standing Cable Pullovers" For Increased Lat Width & Thickness

Why Losing Weight Doesn't Always Look Great

Trevor didn't feel good.  At 5' 10" and 200 pounds, he was overweight.  It was affecting his performance at work, his self-confidence, and his love life.

Trevor went on a diet.  He stuck with it and lost 30 pounds.  Good for him, that's not easy to do!  He was happy with the number on the scale but the way he looked in the mirror wasn't quite what he was expecting.  He lacked definition and had a bit of a muffin top, definitely better but not the lean, toned, beast he was hoping for.

Unfortunately 10 of the pounds Trevor lost came from muscle.

If Trevor had followed a program that burns fat while protecting muscle, he would have achieved his goal faster and been happier with the results.  After losing 20 pounds of fat and 10 pounds of muscle, his body fat was still at 18%.  If he had lost 30 pounds of fat, his body fat percentage would be an impressive 12%.  Now that's what he was looking for!

I didn't make progress for years because I didn't understand muscle gain and fat loss require completely different approaches.

Losing fat is a catabolic process while muscle building is an anabolic process.

The following is an oversimplification, but building muscle requires eating more calories than you burn while lifting heavier and heavier weights.  Fat loss requires you to eat less calories than you burn and does not necessarily require you to progress the weight you are lifting.

Professional bodybuilders and fitness models don't attempt to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.  Instead, these people go on a muscle gain cycle of around 3-6 months, and then go on a fat loss cycle of 2-3 months.

If you're reading this report, then your body fat is probably around 15% or above.  If this is the case, I strongly encourage you to focus 100% on losing fat (without losing muscle of course).

Once you get your body fat percentage down into the low double-digits (or reach your first plateau), then you can shift to muscle building.  Either way, you'll be happy with your results!

Trevor should be proud.  Losing 30 pounds is an accomplishment.  If you want to lose weight AND look great, then don't ignore maintenance level exercising.

The First Thing You Need to Know About Losing Fat

Never Try to Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time

by Marc Perry

The following is a chapter found in the Get Lean Guide by Marc Perry.

I rewrote the article for practice.  You can find the original and a ton of other useful info at BuiltLean.com

Mike did not feel good.  He was overweight at 5' 10", 200 pounds and 25% body fat.  The weight was affecting his performance at work, not to mention his self-confidence, and his love life.  

Mike went on a strict diet and lost 30 pounds.  That's great!  He was happy with his results but the way he looked in the mirror wasn't quite what he was expecting.  He lacked definition and had a bit of a muffin top, definitely better but not the lean, toned, beast he was hoping for.  

Unfortunately 10 of the pounds Mike lost came from muscle.

If Mike had followed a program that burns fat while protecting muscle, he would have achieved his goal faster and been happier with the results.  After losing 20 pounds of fat and 10 pounds of muscle, his body fat was still 18%.  If he had lost 30 pounds of fat, his body fat percentage would be an impressive 12%.  Now that's lean!

I have to admit I spun my wheels for years because I didn't understand that muscle gain and fat loss require completely different approaches.

Losing fat is a catabolic process while muscle building is an anabolic process.

The following is an oversimplification, but building muscle requires eating more calories than you burn while lifting heavier and heavier weights.  Fat loss requires you to eat less calories than you burn and does not necessarily require you to progress the weight you are lifting.

Professional bodybuilders and fitness models do not attempt to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.  Instead, these people go on a muscle gain cycle of around 3-6 months, and then go on a fat loss cycle of 2-3 months.

If you're reading this report, then your body fat is probably around 15% or above.  If this is the case, I strongly encourage you to focus 100% on losing fat (without losing muscle of course).

Once you get your body fat percentage down into the low double-digits (or reach your first plateau), then you can shift to muscle building.  Either way, you'll be happy with the results!

Mike should be proud.  Losing 30 pounds is an accomplishment.  If you want to lose weight AND look great, then don't ignore maintenance level exercising.

You can find all the help you need to develop a program to get the lean, toned, athletic body you want at BuiltLean.com

How much protein should I be eating?

Base your protein intake on your lean body weight.

This is the best advice I've read (so far) about how to calculate daily protein requirements to preserve muscle while reducing body fat. +DailyProteinRequirements +PreserveMuscle +ReduceBodyFat

It comes from Christian Finn.  You should read the whole muscle preserving article on Muscle EVO, but I summed it up below:  +ChristianFinn +MuscleEVO

Your weapon of mass preservation

Most protein recommendations are given in percentages 30% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat.

The problem with using percentages is the numbers are affected by your total calorie intake.

30% protein on a 1500 calorie diet is very different than 30% protein on a 2500 calorie diet - 113g vs. 188g.

There is a better way.

If you're concerned about preserving muscle mass while lowering body fat percentage, base your protein intake on your weight.

One gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.  A 180 pound person would consume 180g of protein.

Protein intake stays the same no matter how many calories you're consuming.

There's an EVEN BETTER way.

For people who are over weight, there's a problem with basing protein intake on body weight.  A 300 pound man should NOT be eating 300g of protein. 

A better way is to base your protein intake on your lean body weight.  A 190 pound man with 15% body fat would eat 162g of protein.  A 190 pound man with 25% body fat would consume 143g.

Base your protein intake on your LEAN body weight.

The closer you are to your genetic limit in terms of muscle growth, the slower the gains will come.

And the slower your rate of growth, the less protein you need to support that growth.

In short, if you want to hold on to the muscle you currently have while you drop fat, 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass will be enough for most people, most of the time.

You can eat more if you like.

But it's not going to make a great deal of difference to your results.

How do you calculate body fat percentage?

The easiest, most consistent, and most cost-effective way to estimate body fat percentage is to use pictures.  Less expensive than water tanks, more consistent than calipers. +BodyFatPercentage

Marc Perry has body fat percentage picture examples and descriptions on his blog BuiltLean. +MarcPerry +BuiltLean

If you aren't subscribing to these two blogs, - Muscle EVO and BuiltLean - check 'em out.  These blogs are well-written and have a lot of useful info.