You’re here because you want to calculate your protein requirements! Well my friend, you’ve arrived at the right place. We built a protein calculator to help our Online Coaching clients and I’m excited to share it with you today too! Here’s what we’ll cover:
You look like you’re in a hurry, so let’s jump right in! The Nerd Fitness Protein CalculatorOn the Metric System? Click here. Boom! You now have a range for the amount of protein you need in a day! I know…we just threw a lot at you. Let’s explain some of these numbers and equations in case you want to nerd out on the details. How Much Protein Should I Eat in a Day?As we cover in our guide How Much Protein Do I Need to Eat, you’re going to find all sorts of different recommendations for how much protein you should be consuming. For example, the current international Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.4g per pound of bodyweight (0.8 g per kg of body weight).[1] Case closed? Nope. In our opinion, and as pointed out by this study[2] the RDA for protein is too low and should be higher regardless of your body composition. Our calculator actually starts you off at 0.54–0.82g per pound of bodyweight (1.2–1.8 g/kg), which tops out at over twice the level of the RDA.[3] Another criticism of the RDA recommendation: the amount of protein you should eat is really going to be dependent on you and your goals. That’s why we had so many variables in our calculator above. The RDA’s blanket recommendation for protein intake is oversimplified. We’ll dive into this more with our next two sections. One last piece of general advice: we gave you protein intake ranges from low to high. That’s because you as an individual may react to certain levels of protein differently. So don’t take our protein recommendation as gospel! Consider your results here as a starting point. Try one range, see how you feel, and take it up or down from there. If you seem to do better on a certain amount of protein, don’t worry if it’s not within our range. The protein recommendations here come from studies, and studies are based on averages. You may be an outlier, which 100% happens. Use the results of our protein calculator as a starting point and see how you feel. This is advice we give every coaching client when we discuss protein with them. How Much Protein Should I Eat to Build Muscle?If you’re trying to build muscle, you’re going to want to eat enough protein to induce muscle repair and growth. After all, protein is the building blocks of muscle tissue, so you’ll need plenty if you’re looking to bulk up or just build muscle. How much? If you’re of healthy weight, active, and wish to build muscle, aim for 0.64–1.09 g/lb (1.4–2.4 g/kg).[4] There is some evidence that a higher range might be beneficial. Not so much in gaining more muscle, but to minimize fat gain during a bulking phase.[5] As we mention in our guide, 12 Tips to Gain Weight Quickly, you might put on a little fat when eating in a caloric surplus to grow muscle. More protein may counteract this a little.[6] If you’re an experienced lifter on a bulk, intakes up to 1.50 g/lb (3.3 g/kg) may help you minimize fat gain. Now of course, if you want to grow muscle, you can’t just eat protein…you also need to strength train! Luckily, you’re in the right place for that. Here are some resources to begin your training:
Another option is to check out our Online Coaches Program, where a trained expert can build you a customized workout, then adjust it each month based on your progress: How Much Protein Should I Eat to Lose Weight?If you’re looking to lose weight, eating plenty of protein will be an important part of the equation. Why is protein important for weight loss? Think of it this way: protein is the only macronutrient you don’t store.[7] Carbs are stored as muscle glycogen and blood glucose. Fat is stored as body fat. If your body needs either because it’s in a caloric deficit, it can look to its held reserves for resources. Not so for protein. Meaning most of the protein in your body is currently doing a job: building muscle tissue, making enzymes, strengthening bones, etc. If you don’t eat enough protein, your body will turn towards your muscles for its needs. So if you’re not careful when you’re losing weight, you could lose muscle AND fat. Obviously, from a health and physique standpoint, this is not good. That’s why you need to eat plenty of protein and strength train during periods of weight loss, so most of the weight you’ll lose will be fat while retaining the muscle you have. This is something we cover extensively in Can I Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time? (Spoiler alert: you can with the right plan.) The other important point about protein and fat loss: protein will help you stay full.[8] If you’re trying to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight, keeping your hunger at bay will be really important. Luckily, studies have found that those on a high-protein diet tend to eat fewer calories overall.[9] If you can’t seem to lose weight, eating plenty of protein needs to be part of your plan. Are you currently on a weight-loss mission? We can help! Here are some resources to get you going:
You can also download a Free 10 Level Diet Guide too when you join the Rebellion and sign up in the box below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Can I Eat Too Much Protein?Now that I’ve drilled into your head that should be consuming plenty of protein, a natural question will arise: How much protein is too much protein? The good news here is that as long as you have healthy kidneys, you can eat a lot of protein with no ill effects. As Examine points out in its research on protein:[10] “Higher protein intakes seem to have no negative effects in healthy people,”** **Of course, if you have specific kidney or medical issues with regards to protein intake, PLEASE go with your doctor’s recommendation for required protein consumption! Go ahead and aim for the high end from our protein calculator. One thing: if our current recommendation for protein is a lot higher than what you normally do, ease into it. Don’t go from minimal protein intake to woofing down steak and eggs while chugging a protein shake.[11] Studies have found that immediately doubling protein intake can be harsh on the body.[12] Make it a gradual process (a little more daily, week after week) and you’ll be fine. How to Get Enough Protein (Next Steps)Now that you have an estimate of the amount of protein you need, the last question to answer is: how do I eat all this protein? Our number #1 recommendation is to get protein from whole foods. This will have most of the nutrients intake. A serving of protein is about the size and thickness of your palm: Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
Not a meat-eater? Read our massive plant-based guide! However, if you’re aiming for the higher ranges of protein intake (or you’re on a serious bulk,) you might need to supplement. Personally, I drink a protein shake daily to help me reach my goals. Some protein supplements to consider:
Check out The Ultimate Protein Shake Guide for more protein powder recommendations and recipes on how to make delicious smoothies. Whether through whole foods or supplements, protein should be a main part of every meal you eat. It’s one of our top recommendations for being a healthy nerd. Calculate your protein needs, determine the proper portion sizes to reach your target, and see how you feel! You can always adjust up or down based on your results. If you need any help along the way, we got you. Here are three ways to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness. #1) Our Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. As I said before, we teach portion control to our clients who struggle with overeating, so we’ll provide a non-judgmental expert to help you reach your goals. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you: #2) If you want an exact blueprint leveling up your nutrition, check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). If you follow our Nutrition missions, you’ll learn to eat more protein while earning XP! Sah-weeeet. Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Alright, I want to hear from you: Did you calculate your protein requirements? Do you generally consume around this target? Have any tips or tricks for getting enough protein? Let us know in the comments! -Steve PS: Check out the rest of our protein series: ### Photo source: When Dinosaurs ruled the Earth, Bruce “green” Banner, Who wants a hot dog?, Morning run with the Fitbit, Sneaky Raptor, This one’s for you, Robert E. Lee!,
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/protein-calculator/
0 Comments
There’s an argument in the fitness world that you can either choose to lose fat OR gain muscle. That they just can’t be done simultaneously. To this, I say, “Hogwash!” We have tons of success stories from our online coaching clients who have been able to do both simultaneously: And that’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide! We’ll do so by discussing:
Plus, I have tons of sweet LEGO photos and silly gifs on their way, which is always a good time.
What’s Body Recomposition?As Coach Matt mentions in the video above, gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously is called “body recomposition.” So yes, the process is indeed possible, as long as you follow the right plan. …but you don’t have to take my word for it. Just ask our friend Aksel here (who achieved an impressive body recomp with the help of a NF Coach): Read more about his incredible story! However, as I mentioned in the intro, you’ll often hear that losing fat while gaining muscle is impossible. The argument goes that you should just focus on one or the other, because doing both at once is destined to fail. Let’s explore this claim. LosING Fat and GainING Muscle at the Same Time (The Controversy)To understand why losing fat while gaining muscle can be problematic, we need to explore both processes. Let’s consider the following points:
Given this, losing fat (caloric deficit) at the same time one is gaining muscle (caloric surplus) seems impossible. However, if we go a few steps deeper into the science, it IS possible! To appreciate the nuance here, let’s get into some specifics on losing fat and gaining muscle separately, and then we’ll combine them. HOW DO YOU LOSE FAT?There is a simple answer and a slightly less simple answer when it comes to losing body fat. The simple answer: “consume fewer calories than you expend or burn.”[1] Eight words, and one or two of those could probably be thrown out. When your body needs more calories than the amount you are eating, you are in a “caloric deficit.” Your body doesn’t have the calories it needs as fuel, so it’ll start breaking down parts of itself for its energy requirements. (If you’re curious, you can calculate your daily caloric needs here). The hope is that your body will mostly pull from fat stores, though depending on how you are training it will also break down muscle too.[2] Said again: when you are eating a caloric deficit, your body will pull from both its fat stores AND existing muscle for energy. From a physique and health standpoint, obviously we’d prefer that your body doesn’t break down muscle when in a caloric deficit, and instead really focuses on using fat stores instead.[3] I make this point for a reason: your goal in fitness shouldn’t only be “weight loss,” despite the common vernacular used. Who cares what the scale says, right? The goal instead is to reduce body fat while also keeping the muscle you have (or even building more muscle). That leads to a better physique and a healthier body. This is why there is a big market for devices that supposedly assess your body fat percentage. By reducing your total fat on your body, OR increasing muscle mass, you’ll end up with a lower body fat percentage (it’s just a simple ratio of fat to everything else). And lower body fat percentages are where “toned arms” and “6-pack abs” hang out. We’ll discuss tips on keeping and growing your muscle while in a calorie deficit later in this guide. For now, remember you need fewer calories “in” compared to calories “out” for weight loss to occur, from either fat stores or muscle. You may be asking, “Steve, what’s easier to do? Burn more calories or consume less?” Good question. Numbers will help tell the story: though this is a gross oversimplification – let’s use the ‘widely accepted’ starting point of “3,500 calories equals roughly one pound of fat.”[4] If you want to lose one pound – or half a kilogram – of body fat in a week (a worthy, sustainable goal for some), you need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day. Your options to create this caloric deficit include:
Which is easier? Here are both halves of that equation. 500 calories equals:
Yep. When it comes to maintaining a caloric deficit, it really comes down to diet. It’s significantly more effective and time-efficient to consume 500 fewer calories than it is to burn 500 additional calories. As Time magazine controversially pointed out – with tons of cited studies – “exercise alone won’t make you thin.” It’s too easy to add more calories in, and requires too much work to effectively influence “calories out.” We dig into this in our guide to The CICO Diet. This brings us to our slightly less simple answer on getting in shape:
Here at Nerd Fitness, we are firm believers that 80-90% of the fat-loss equation comes down to diet (check out Rule # 4). Here’s another idea we focus on: EAT MOSTLY UNPROCESSED FOOD.[5] Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples. These foods are very nutrient-dense and often low in calories compared to their processed counterparts. Which means you get filled up without overeating. Win-win-win. Have you ever seen the difference between 200 calories of broccoli and 200 calories of a bagel? WiseGEEK does a great job of displaying this, so we’ll borrow a couple of their photos. 200 calories of broccoli: 200 calories of a bagel: That’s why REAL food is the answer to creating a sustainable caloric deficit. Most people can eat an entire bagel, no problem. Plates of broccoli, with all of the fiber, are much tougher to overeat. We lay it all out in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating. It’ll provide tips on how to gradually create habits that get you to a “REAL food” way of eating, including proper portion sizes, tips on batch cooking, and a cameo from Winnie the Pooh. With all of this, we advise you to take it slow, so new habits of healthy eating become permanent. Something you can do for the rest of your life. It’s a strategy we work closely with our coaching clients on: small nutritional adjustments they feel comfortable making. It’s how some of them have been able to lose 50-100 pounds! Let me explain again: what you eat will be 80%-90% of the equation to lose body fat. The other 10-20%? Exercise. Of course it’s exercise. That’s a pretty good segue into… HOW DO YOU GAIN MUSCLE?If you want to build muscle, you’ll have to lift heavy things and ensure that your body has enough calories and protein to adapt by building more muscle. In our Beginner’s Guide to Building Muscle and Strength, I summarize it as follows:
Let’s chat about each one quickly. 1) Lift heavy things. I will always be on Team Strength Training. If you’re looking to build muscle, you’re gonna need to lift heavy things. When you lift an object (or your own bodyweight) enough times, your muscles reach the point of failure. This causes your muscles to tear and breakdown. When your muscle rebuilds itself following the workout, it’ll be bigger and stronger than before. Then you do it again. And again. And again. As long as you are eating enough to rebuild your muscle, you’ll get stronger! Not sure where to start on a Strength Training practice? No problem! You can download our free guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know when you join the Rebellion (our free community) below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
2) Eat a diet based on your goals. Because your muscle needs to be rebuilt after exercise, the calories are gonna need to come from somewhere. I’ll talk a lot about proper diet in the next section (with a Harry Potter analogy), so I won’t spend too much time on it here. Just know that eating the right quantity of foods will be a big part of gaining muscle. 3) Rest. Your body rebuilds itself while you sleep, so make sure you get plenty of rest each night. I’m talking 7-8+ hours. This will help ensure your body has the time it needs to grow stronger. If you’re strength training and only getting 6 hours of sleep a night or less, you’re really doing yourself a disservice. Go to bed! That’s the short gist of how to build strength: challenge your muscles, eat well, and get some rest. Let’s narrow in on our second point, “Eat a diet based on your goals.” It’ll become very important when balancing both losing body fat and gaining muscle. To do that properly, grab your owl, and let’s chat about Hogwarts. How to Lose Fat WHILE Gaining Muscle (The Science)To answer the question of losing body fat and gaining muscle at the same time, I’d like to introduce an analogy from the world of Harry Potter. Recall the “Sorting Hat:” The Sorting Hat’s job was to determine which of the four houses kids will call their home. It’s almost like a traffic director: “Harry, you will go to Gryffindor! Draco, you will go to Slytherin!” Your body operates on a VERY similar operation: every day it receives new calories (when you eat), and it needs to decide what to do with them! For example: You eat a chicken parm sub with fries and a 20-ounce soda. Your body then has to know where to route all those calories. To keep things simple, it has three choices. It’ll sort those calories into one of three houses:[6] A. Burn for Fuel. B. Rebuild Muscle. C. Store as Fat. Right now, when you eat food, your body sorts most of those calories into “Burn for Fuel.” There’s a number of calories your body needs each day just existing: to keep your liver functioning, your heart pumping, your brain operating, to regulate your body temperature, and so on – it burns a good chunk of calories just keeping the lights on. This is your “Basal Metabolic Rate” which you can calculate for yourself in our TDEE calculator. There’s also “B. Rebuild as Muscle” and “C. Store as Fat,” which I devoted entire sections to above. This is where the problems arise: When you overeat calories and your body doesn’t need anymore to fuel itself, it takes those extra calories and stores them as fat. However, our goal is the OPPOSITE of this. We want to keep the muscle we have (or grow it) while getting rid of the fat! So let’s imagine a scenario where we pull all this together by strength training heavy AND reducing our caloric intake:
Does your body just shut down? NOPE!
This means your body can pull from “Store as Fat” to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human and rebuilding the muscle you tore apart. Said another way:
There is also evidence that muscle can even be grown while in a caloric deficit.[7] Meaning bigger muscles with a lower belt size.[8] However, if you want to skip all the experimentation and trial and error, you can have a Nerd Fitness Coach do all the heavy lifting for you (not really, you’ll still need to work out). TIPS TO LOSE BODY FAT WHILE GAINING MUSCLELet’s bring this all together and create some actionable steps to losing body fat and building muscle at the same time. 1) Sustain a caloric deficit while eating enough protein. You need your body to burn more calories than you consume, and also provide your body with enough protein to rebuild its muscle. You can only lose fat if you’re in a calorie deficit. Remember the Sorting Hat analogy:
We want to pull from this house instead. So eat less than you burn consistently. To help here, I have 3 resources for you:
You don’t have to follow some predetermined blueprint like “low-carb.” You can create your own diet (which is what I do). Learn all about it right here. 2) Strength train. If you could sell a pill that could be prescribed to every single person on Earth to make them healthier, it would look something like a strength training routine in a bottle. It is one of the best things you can do for your body.[9] And really, if you want to build muscle, you’re gonna need to lift something! Either weights or your own bodyweight. You need to challenge your muscles in order for them to get stronger. Now, as we discuss in our article on the correct number of reps and sets, there are multiple ways to do so.
The important thing: pick a strategy and get started. Here are 3 paths forward:
To recap: if you train heavy and eat a caloric deficit, your body will pull from its fat stores to both fuel itself and potentially also build muscle. This is a double whammy of AWESOME. 3) Prioritize protein. Outside of being in a caloric deficit and lifting weights (or yourself), eating enough protein is one of the key components of both losing body fat and building muscle. Protein is the number one nutrient for creating new tissue.[10] So when you cut out calories to create a caloric deficit, don’t cut them from protein sources. Studies have shown that participants can gain muscle, even while in a caloric deficit, as long as they eat enough protein.[11] It’s important enough that I’ll say it again:
How much protein? As we point out in our Guide to Protein, roughly 1 gram for every pound of your weight, with an upper limit of 250 grams.[13] Or two grams for every kilogram if you are on the metric system. This means:
The gist: don’t skip out on protein. It should be on your plate for every meal (we’ll show you exactly how much in the next section). If these generalized recommendations stress you out, and you want to know exactly what to do, we can help! I’ll remind you of Nerd Fitness Coaching, where we help clients lose body fat, gain muscle, and level up their lives. We provide tailored and specific recommendations based on your body and lifestyle, plus accountability and mindset changes to help ensure your new habits stick. WHAT SHOULD I EAT TO LOSE FAT AND GAIN MUSCLE?Remember, your eating strategy needs to include two points to lose fat while gaining muscle:
You may be thinking, “That’s all well and good Steve, but what’s that actually look like?” It looks like this! Taken from our Guide to Start Eating Healthy, which I really want you to read. The plate is composed of the following:
By sticking to our Healthy Plate strategy above, you’ll focus on “REAL food,” which will help you maintain a caloric deficit over time. Let’s hone in on protein for a moment, because it’s the critical piece for “building muscle.” Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
Not a meat-eater? Read our massive plant-based guide! A serving of protein is about the size and thickness of your palm. *The 4 oz serving is for an uncooked piece of meat. Cooking reduces about 25% of the weight, bringing it down to about 3 oz. If you’re curious, here’s how much protein is in a serving of food:
While all of the Healthy Plate above is important, I want you to pay extra attention to your protein intake since we are trying to build muscle. If you’re having trouble making your protein intake goals, check out our Guide on Protein Supplements for some tips and tricks to up your intake, including some awesome smoothie recipes. This is the exact strategy I followed to lose 22 pounds and get to single-digit bodyfat percentage WHILE building muscle:
If you are NOT losing weight, it means you are still eating too many calories. Keep your protein intake high, and reduce your fat and carbohydrate intake. I cover this in greater detail in our “why can’t I lose weight?” guide. Eventually, you’ll reach a status where there just isn’t enough fat on you to help with “Rebuild Muscle.” At this stage, you can no longer stay with a caloric deficit. You’ll need to flip to a slight “caloric surplus” to build more muscle. Which means you’ll have to eat more. It’s debatable when this will actually occur, and we are all different. Reaching 8% body fat for men and 16% body fat for women is a good place to start. I talk about this extensively in our guide “How to Build Muscle.” It covers ways to increase your calories for muscle gain, from eating plentiful amounts of Paleo foods to drinking enough milk to make Santa Clause jealous. Go check it out if you’ve been having trouble putting on muscle. I want to stress that if you are lifting heavy, and not gaining muscle, diet is likely the culprit. It was my problem for years, and I’ve seen it amongst countless readers of Nerd Fitness who have trouble gaining muscle. If you want an expert who will tell you exactly when to eat more or less, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. HOW TO TELL IF IT’S ALL WORKING (Continuing to Lose Fat While Gaining Muscle)If you’re trying to improve something, it’s important to track it. This also holds true of body composition. Most people do this by jumping on the scale. This can be “okay,” but it’s only going to tell part of the story. If you’re building muscle while losing fat, the scale might not go down. You might even weigh more! Despite weighing more, you could potentially have a better physique. That’s why in addition to jumping on the scale, I would also encourage you to take progress photos. Take front and side photos in your mirror, wearing underwear or a bathing suit. Each week, take new photos, and record the number on the scale under the same scenario. Two forms of tracking here allow us to get the full picture. The scale sometimes lies! If you eat for a caloric deficit, strength train, and prioritize protein, see what happens. You may find yourself losing some fat and gaining muscle. If not, track each category:
Data can help tell the story. …I was thinking of detailed notes. But an android would be helpful too. Oftentimes if you’re not seeing desired results, notes and record-keeping can help point us in the direction to make adjustments. Test your assumptions if things don’t appear to be on track. Here’s our Guide on Tracking Fitness Progress for you to learn more. The tips outlined above will get you started losing fat while building muscle, but if you’re looking to go a bit further… #1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and get stronger, check out our killer 1-on-1 coaching program: #2) If you want an exact blueprint for getting in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: #3) Enlist in the Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Alright, I think that about does it for this guide. Did I miss anything? Do you have any tips and tricks when it comes to shedding body fat and building muscle? Share it with us! -Steve, PS: Make sure you read the rest of the articles in our “How to Lose Weight 101” Series!
### All photo sources are right here: Venting Off, Ekaterina Minaeva © 123RF.com, czgur © 123RF.com, morethanl8ve © 123RF.com, Константин Колосов © 123RF.com, Maxim Maksutov © 123RF.com, Julianna Funk © 123RF.com, jump
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/lose-weight-and-build-muscle-or-do-one-then-the-other/ So you wanna start drinking protein shakes, but don’t know where to begin? You’re in luck, because I’ve been drinking protein shakes for years and today I’m sharing with you all my secrets (ah…most of them). With Part 2 of our Ultimate Guide to Protein, I’ll teach you:
Make sure you also check out Part 1: “How Much Protein Do I Need to Eat Every Day?“ With this knowledge and an awesome blender (which we talk about right here), you can make protein shakes part of your everyday routine. Alright, let’s get ready to shake things up!
Protein 101: Are Protein Shakes Good For You?Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps our body rebuild muscle and is an important part of daily nutrition (“duh, Steve,” you say). You can get protein from any number of real food sources, and you should prioritize real food in your diet (also, “duh Steve”). Here are some examples of protein-rich food:
However, there are PLENTY of instances where you might want to also supplement your food with a protein shake or protein powder (here we go):
In these instances, protein supplements or protein shakes can be awesome! But don’t just take my word for it. A systematic review of studies revealed:[1]
Another study showed that among endurance athletes:[2]
What this means in regular people terms: If you are strength training correctly and eating the right way, consuming enough protein will help you build muscle and perform better! “Enough protein” in this context can include protein supplements and protein powders. Just remember that protein shakes are not a panacea for all of your ailments:
You still need to:
If you’re not sure HOW to strength train, don’t worry – I got you covered. You can download our Strength Training 101 guide when you join the Rebellion (it’s free) and sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
How Much Protein Do I Need Every Day?This section is taken from our guide “How Much Protein Do I Need to Eat Every Day?“ Despite what advertisements for protein supplements will tell you, you do not need to be eating 500 grams of protein every day. They like to tell you this so that you use their supplement faster and need to buy more. Here’s the real deal: claims for the amount of protein the human body needs vary wildly from source to source (and athlete to athlete, and nerd to nerd). You are a unique snowflake and your protein goals should be aligned with your goals. You want specific numbers, right? Don’t worry, I got you. Although the current international Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.4g per pound of bodyweight (0.8 g per kg of body weight),[3] this study[4] shows that this number is too low and should be higher regardless of your body composition. You just want me to tell you how much to eat, right? I figured. Well, you’re in luck, because we have a protein calculator you can play with! THE NERD FITNESS PROTEIN CALCULATOROn the Metric System? Click here. Let’s explain some of this a little. As Examine.com points out in their heavily researched summary on protein:[5]
These are starter numbers that you can start to experiment around as you see your body transforms. As Examine points out in its research on protein:[6]
So feel free to aim for the higher end of the spectrum, depending on your goals, and adjust from there. Long story short: Consuming protein is an important part of life for everybody, both the sedentary and the athlete:
I personally consumed a significant amount of protein (240g of protein at a bodyweight of 190 pounds) during a recent “lean out” phase, and it allowed me to cut body fat while getting stronger and without feeling hungry. In summary, a major portion of your plate each day should be a source of protein. If you are struggling to hit your target protein goal for the day through real food sources, then consider adding a protein supplement. However, you still need to have: THEN a protein shake might help you reach your goals a bit faster. To help busy people like you not waste their time in the gym, and help them actually get results, we created our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. Your NF Coach will build you a custom workout program and provide nutritional guidance for your specific situation. Find out if we’re a good fit for each other by clicking on the image below: What’s the Best Protein Supplement to Buy?
1) Whey protein is the most popular, readily available, and cheapest protein supplementation out there. Whey contains all the essential amino acids, and is one of the byproducts of milk that has been curdled and strained. It comes in both “concentrate” and “isolate” forms. Whey is more quickly absorbed by the body compared to its counterpart casein(next), which makes it a great solution right before/after a strength training workout.[7] 2) Casein protein is the other byproduct of milk and also contains all essential amino acids. Because it’s more slowly absorbed by the body than whey, many people consume casein before bed assuming it’ll result in improved muscle growth during sleep! However, this study[8] shows that total consumption of protein during a day is more important than protein timing! 3) Egg protein powders are made from, you guessed it, the protein in eggs – which means they may be a great alternative if you can’t use whey or casein for whatever reason. Quick recap: whey and casein proteins both come from milk, and both can help rebuild muscle. Whey is more readily absorbed by your body and is usually less expensive than casein, which makes it our preferred form of protein for cost and ease of consumption. Personally, I prefer whey. I find casein protein less palatable, and it doesn’t mix as well. Also, don’t worry about timing whey for post-workout and casein for sleep. In my opinion, you’re just overcomplicating things. Pick the one you enjoy and focus on getting enough protein in a day – that will get you 99.% of the way there to building muscle in the right places! IF YOU ARE PLANT BASED: these are our recommendations for plant protein powders (from our guide to eating a Plant-Based Diet):
What about Soy Protein? Soy is a complicated beast, though in our opinion the fears around soy are overblown. As Examine points out in its review of soy protein supplementation:[11]
In other words, you do you, boo. If you consume soy and are struggling to hit your protein goals, consuming a soy supplement can help. If you are unsure on soy, consider getting your protein supplementation from any of the other sources above! Now, regardless of what protein you pick what you need to know about protein shakes based on the collective wisdom of the 15 full-time coaches on Team Nerd Fitness:
Steve’s Protein Brand RecommendationsOver the past 15 years of training, I’ve tried dozens of protein powders, and I keep coming back to 2 brands that fit my style and budget:
How to use Protein Powder (How Do You Make Protein Shakes Taste Better?)The back of every protein powder jug will tell you “mixes great with 8 oz of water!” For some protein powders, this is true. For others, it’ll taste like you’re choking down recently mixed concrete. Note: do not consume readily mixed concrete. You’re welcome. So Step #1 with your newly purchased protein powder is to mix it with water and see how it tastes. By mixing just the protein and water, you’re adding minimal calories to your daily intake while also increasing your protein intake for the day. Win. NOW, depending on your caloric goals or if you’re looking to make a meal replacement shake, you can start to experiment and make your own protein shakes by doing the following:
Just pretend like you’re a scientist and you’re creating a different concoction each time. Write down your ingredients and amounts until you find the perfect blend (heyo) of macros and taste that fits your goal! HUGE CAVEAT: your body still obeys the laws of thermodynamics. Just because you call it a “healthy smoothie” doesn’t mean the 1,000 calories in it don’t count! If you can’t lose weight, you’re eating too many calories, which means you should be aware of how many calories are going into your quickly-consumed protein shake. Now, if your goal is bulking up or building muscle – then creating your own high-calorie protein shake is a great way to get extra calories into your day. I am currently bulking up, so here is my patented post-workout shake that I consume daily (okay it’s not really patented). STEVE’S POWERBOMB SHAKE
And because we like to have fun around here, we turned the recipe into a fun graphic. Here’s an infographic for the protein smoothie recipe: The macronutrient and caloric breakdown of that shake: 795 calories, 68g of protein, 106g of carbs, 13g of fat: For over a decade, I simply used a cheap blender like this on Amazon! Depending on your budget, you can also go to your local Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Sam’s Club, Stop & Shop, etc., and buy a blender for 20 bucks. I will say that as I’ve gotten older and had more disposable income I have become a Vitamix fanboy. They are expensive, but you get what you pay for. I’ve probably burned the motors out of 10+ cheap blenders, and since switching to a Vitamix it’s been crushing my powerbomb shake ingredients twice a day in seconds. If you have the money, it’s worth the investment. Your other option is to buy a cheap shaker bottle Personally, I’ve found that these things don’t mix nearly as well as a blender, but if you’re traveling with no blender option available, a shaker bottle can be really helpful. Note: if you are using a shaker bottle, pour the water in first, THEN add the protein shake! Here’s my “stay healthy while traveling” strategy for protein:
If you put the protein in first, I can guarantee no amount of shaking will get all of that protein mixed into the liquid! Should I Drink My Protein Shake before or after my workout?Conventional wisdom tells us that we need to be consuming our protein shake IMMEDIATELY after our workout for maximum gains. It also tells us that we need to be consuming protein every few hours for maximum protein synthesis by our muscles too. But what does the science actually say? According to this abstract:[13]
And in this study:[14]
WHAT THIS MEANS: The amount of protein you consume in a day is more important than the timing of your protein when it comes to muscle building. Consuming a protein shake before OR after a workout will result in increased physical performance and muscle hypertrophy – provided you’re training the right way! If you need to train and then head to work and you can’t eat your protein until later in the day, do what works best for you! Some people might hate training on an empty stomach, so consuming the protein shake before the workout is beneficial. I personally train in a fasted state (which we cover in our Guide on Intermittent Fasting), so I don’t consume my protein shake until after my workout. So, stop worrying about protein timing and instead put your focus on training, total calories, and getting enough protein in the day itself. Not sure if you’re training right? Consider working with a Nerd Fitness Coach who can build you a training program and help guide you on your nutrition! Getting Started Drinking Protein ShakesLet’s recap some of the key points of drinking protein shakes for you:
Hopefully, this should get you started! Feel free to try out different flavors and combinations of ingredients in your smoothies to make them something you actually look forward to! Do you have any favorite protein shake recipes? Any more questions about protein powders and supplements? Share them with us in the comments! -Steve PS: Check out the rest of our protein series: PPS: Still overwhelmed? Still not sure you’re training right or eating correctly? Want to know which supplements are worth it and which ones are a waste of money? I hear ya. These questions and people like you are why we launched our 1-on-1 Coaching Program: to help busy people cut through the noise and just start building muscle, getting leaner, and feeling better. Click below to schedule a call to learn more: ### All photo sources are right here[15]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/protein-shakes-for-newbies-what-to-buy-when-to-drink/ “Do you even lift?” After today’s guide, not only will you be able to say “YUP,” but you’ll also know exactly how MUCH you should be lifting! We’ll help you get big and strong so you can fight back against your older brother when he tackles you in the hallway. As part of our Strength 101 series, we’re going to tell you exactly what you need to know about lifting weights and strength training:
If you find yourself with a billion other strength training questions as you build your own workout, or you’re overwhelmed at all of this and not sure how to get stronger…you’re in good company! It can be scary enough to keep MOST people from starting, which is actually why we created our Coaching Program. Your NF Coach will do an initial assessment to calculate exactly how much weight you should start lifting. They’ll then design a program that they’ll adjust regularly based on your progress and schedule. Plus, with our app, your coach can do regular video form checks to make sure you safely make consistent progress. With that out of the way, let’s jump into the nitty-gritty of “How much weight should I lift?“
Why You Should Lift Your Own Bodyweight FirstStop! (Wait a minute…) Before trying to figure out how much weight you can lift, let’s make sure you know how to do the movement, as flawlessly as possible, without any weight at all. Why? Because if you can’t do a movement correctly without weight, how can you expect to do it right WITH weight? Think about it – if you can’t walk up a flight of stairs normally, would you expect to be able to walk up the flight of stairs carrying a sack of hammers? No – you would only hurt yourself.[1] Also, what are you even doing with a sack of hammers? STEP ONE: learn each movement without any bars, dumbbells, or added weight. Which might make you say: “Staci, how on earth do I do a deadlift or an overhead press without any weight? And I know I can do a bodyweight squat, but isn’t it completely different doing a barbell back squat?” Easy – grab either a broomstick (be careful for splinters!), mop handle, or PVC pipe (I use a 1.25” PVC cut in half) and pretend it’s a barbell. If you’re trying to mimic a dumbbell movement, either grab a short dowel, PVC, or just hold your hands in a fist as if you were holding on to something. While it’s not the exact same as holding actual weight, it will allow you to practice getting into the correct positions. Practice the movements in your own home without other people around you (so you’ll be less nervous). Also, you can videotape yourself pretty easily. I use my computer’s webcam, or my phone camera and a little tripod. Here’s a video of me doing this back when I started lifting in 2011, when I was trying to figure out how to deadlift, to get an idea of what I’m talking about: Now, I can deadlift 455 pounds and I’m a Senior Coach for our Online Coaching Program: If you want a beginner strength training workout to follow:
If you are interested in nerding out about proper form for each barbell movement, start here:
We also HIGHLY recommend you pick up Starting Strength, widely considered to be the Bible of barbell training. Once you feel good about your form, you can see if you can “pass the bar.” (Guaranteed to be the nicest lawyer joke you’ll ever read on Nerd Fitness, by the way). Now, if want a full Bodyweight Workout Program that you can follow along with at home that will help get you prepped to start strength training? You can download the worksheet to follow along here when you sign up in the box below:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
How to Start Barbell Training with Lifting the BarOnce you’re comfortable with each movement with a broomstick or PVC, then you can move to the bar. Your first gym workout shouldn’t go any heavier than “just” the bar, which means the bar without any added weight. How much does a barbell weigh?
Now, don’t be discouraged if this seems really heavy – especially on upper body movements. When I started out, I could not bench press or overhead press an empty barbell. If the bar seems too heavy to start:
Now, on opposite ends of the spectrum, if the bar seems really light, I would STILL encourage you to complete your first workout with just the bar. Why? According to Mike Rebold from Hiram College, when you start lifting the barbell or dumbbells for the first time you will notice muscle deficiencies (i.e., one side that is weaker than the other). It can often come down to motor units, or the nuerons that help muscle fibers.[2] Rebold explains:
That means focus on getting each rep correct, and worry about adding weight next time. Check your ego at the door! I would rather see somebody in the gym lifting the bar with proper form than watch somebody with awful form lift 400 lbs. That makes me… Note: If you finish your first workout with the bar and still aren’t comfortable with the movements, it’s never a bad thing to do your next workout with just the bar again. If you’re not comfortable with the movement and you start adding weight, not only will you be more likely to injure yourself because your body isn’t ready, but you’ll be more likely to hurt yourself because you won’t be confident under the bar. Confidence is something that is very important as you start lifting heavier and heavier. Mike Rebold supports this idea:
This is why we also recommend starting with the barbell or light dumbbells. Because as you master these simple exercises, that will result in your self-esteem being improved and then you will have more confidence to try new exercises and to lift heavier weights. Speaking of, if you’re planning on using dumbbells as your main lift (and not a barbell): Start with 5-10 lb dumbbells to get a feel for things. Whether you’re starting with dumbbells or ready to move onto a barbell, it’s important to do it properly! We check the form of EVERY online coaching client on their workouts so they have the confidence that they’re doing these moves correctly! We’ve also created a specific sequence of workout routines you can follow along with for free in our guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab yours free when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
How To Start Adding Weight to the BarbellIf you’re looking to start on a beginner program, such as the workouts in our Beginner Strength Training Workouts or our 6 Beginner Gym Workouts, you need to start light! A few common rep ranges for beginner programs are:[4]
Let’s do an example: your program has you doing 3 sets of 8 on a particular lift. 1) After a proper warm-up routine, start with the empty bar again, and complete the prescribed number of reps (for this, it would be 8). “But I thought you said we could add weight this time?” you might be thinking. You can – but no matter how heavy you are going, always start with just the bar to warm up for EACH exercise. If you watch the best lifters in your gym, you will notice they all warm up with “just the bar” to start, often for multiple sets! This helps get your body warm, primes your nervous systems and all of your muscles for that movement, and gets you ready to lift heavier weight.[5] As a beginner to strength training, this is especially important to ingrain proper technique. 2) Add a small amount of weight to the bar. Depending on how heavy the bar felt, start by adding:
When in doubt, add the lower amount.[6] You can always add more! Do another set of 8-12 reps at this weight. (Note: If you’re doing dumbbell training, instead of adding weight to the bar, increase the weight of the dumbbell. Start with 5 lb. dumbbells, then 10 lb. dumbbells, for example) 3) If you were able to complete those reps both without losing form and without the speed of the bar slowing, add more weight to the bar. Base the amount of new weight off how it felt – if the last set felt really light, add 5’s, if it felt heavy, add 2.5’s’s. Here’s a good guideline from NSCA :[7]
4) Continue to do this until your form starts to break down or the speed of the lift gets slower on any of your reps.[8] The weight you used right before your form started to break down is your starting weight on which you will base all future workouts! 5) If it is a lower number than you expect, that’s great actually! Don’t try to be a hero your first workout, it is better to start out too light than too heavy.[9] Remember – we’re trying to get solid, productive sets in, not find our max, so we want all of the reps to be fast and with as perfect form as our body allows. Since you’re testing out heavier weights for the first time, never be afraid to have a spotter, or to use pins to ensure your safety! If you don’t want to figure ANY of this out on your own, and you just want somebody to tell you exactly how much to lift, how many sets, reps, etc., I hear you. I’ve had a lifting coach for years and it’s the best investment I make each month! How do I know when to add more weight?Once you’ve found your starting weight, you’ll want to start using something called “progressive overload.” This sounds a lot fancier than it really is. As Coach Jim explains above, progressive overload means gradually increasing the stress put on your body during training.[10] In other words, we need to increase something, regularly. Usually, this means the amount of weight we lift. And for beginners, that can often happen after every workout. During every workout, our muscles are torn and broken down. Then after every workout – for the next 24-48+ hours, our body repairs itself. If you’re getting proper sleep[11] and nutrition,[12] it heals back stronger than it was before. Conversely, if you do 5 sets of 5 squats at 100 lbs every single workout for months, are you getting stronger? Most likely not. Your body is actually just getting more efficient at lifting 5×5 at 100 lbs, burning fewer calories, and using less energy to make that movement happen. So, how much weight do you add when you’re ready to increase your workouts? That depends on how difficult the set was last time. This is where great note-taking comes in (I’m a huge fan of a simple notebook, or Evernote docs on my phone). Be sure to document each workout with:
Did you go to failure on your last set? Did your form break down on any of the reps? You’ll end up in one of two positions: PATH A: You failed to complete any of your reps or your form started to break down. Do the same weight again next workout, and focus on boosting your form and technique of each rep. Remember, if you are doing the same workout as last time, but each rep is more solid and with better form than before, you’re still doing better than you were the last workout. In other words, you’re still leveling up. You don’t necessarily have to go up in weight every workout to see gains. You could also focus on:
All of which means you are getting stronger. PATH B: You were able to get through all of your sets with great form, and without the bar slowing down. Congrats! Consider adding more next week. It’s not unheard of for beginners to add 10-20lbs a week to some lifts (especially squats and deadlifts), though don’t get discouraged if you’re only adding 2.5 or 5![13] The BEST THING YOU CAN DO: slowly add the smallest amount of weight possible, and progress consistently. This is much preferred to progressing quickly then hit a plateau. Each week, as you add a little bit of weight, you are building strength, confidence, and momentum. Note: For some lifts, especially the overhead press or bench press, adding just 5 lbs may be too much to go up per workout. I personally have a set of 1.25lb plates that I bring with me to the gym so that I can still progress regularly. Remember: You’re going to have shitty days at the gym. There will be days when you can’t add any weight, or you feel like you have to take a step backward. So many things affect how your lifts are going to feel:
It’s important to listen to your body over listening to some number telling you what you should be lifting. You want to make progress every time you walk into the gym, and that means having a specific plan to follow. Don’t have a workout to follow? Tired of not getting results despite all the effort? This is what we do for a living! Help people like you get out of ruts and finally get them the results they want. After doing my own workout programming for 5 years, I hired a coach and it changed my life. Let us help you hit your goals too. How Do I Calculate My 1 Rep MAx? I want to know how much I can lift!It’s really fun to find the maximum amount of weight you can do for one repetition (one rep max) every once in a while. However, as a beginner who is just starting strength training, it’s better that you start with getting the movement right and adding weight slowly before trying to find a one-rep max. I would suggest you follow a program for at least six weeks before even attempting “a heavy single”. Why? Even if your form is as good as you can get it now, you will get far better, learning how to make tweaks and corrections as you go. When you first start out, you’re still getting everything down, so your one-rep max won’t be a “true” one-rep max. Plus, when you train, you’re training everything in your body. Some things, like muscles and bones, get stronger, while others, like your nervous system, get more efficient. The more you do something, the better you get at it. And in the beginning you’ll get better very quickly. It’s unwise to attempt a 1 repetition maximum when you’re learning the movement. This is one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is “never get involved in a land war in Asia.” But only slightly less well-known is this: “Never attempt a 1-rep max as a beginner.” Even if you can do it with proper form with lighter weights, as soon as the weight gets close to your 1 rep max your form will start to break down, and you are more likely to hurt yourself. Some words of caution here from Mike Rebold, an expert in exercise physiology:
When your form starts to break down, you need to have the experience behind you to finish (or bail out of) the lift safely. If you watch any weightlifting or powerlifting competition, sometimes the lifts are not the prettiest lifts you’ve ever seen. However, the lifters are experienced enough to handle this, and know how to bail if something goes wrong. As a beginner, you are not. Team NF’s Steve worked with a coach for 4+ years to finally get his 420 lb. deadlift: If you want to work with a coach that can help you perfect your form and train to hit 1-rep maxes too, we’re here for ya! We’re slightly biased, but having a coach in your corner is an absolute game-changer. what is a respectable amount to be lifting?The simple answer? The weight that’s right for you. You are not competing against the guy next to you; you’re competing against the YOU from last week (like racing your ghost in Mario Kart). As far as what you can strive for, there’s no easy calculation or formula. While some people have put out strength standards, it’s truly up to your body, your body type, your background as an athlete, your genetics, and many other factors.[15] You should be lifting the amount that’s right for you today. In your next workout, you should be trying to lift more (even if you can’t do more weight, try doing one more rep, or with less rest between sets) than you did last time. That’s it. As a part of this journey, I want you to completely forget about strength standards and forget about everyone around you. I don’t care if the guy (or girl) next to you is squatting 500 lbs for sets of 10. If you’re squatting 50 lbs, and that’s the weight that is challenging for you, then that’s the weight you should be lifting. These are the BIG mistakes you need to avoid: Never EVER try to outlift the person next to you. Never EVER adjust the weight to impress someone. No one’s judging you based on the weight on the bar, and if they are, they aren’t worth your time or energy. To recap “How much should I lift?”:
So remember – start slow, add weight slowly, and stay conservative. It’s amazing how much even adding just 5 lbs (2kg) a week adds up to! It’s far better to play it safe in the beginning than to find yourself injured and frustrated before you have a chance to progress. Do you Even Lift?Hopefully, this article EXCITED you about strength training, and you now know exactly how much to lift. For people looking for the next step, we’ve got 3 options you want to check out: 1) If you want to follow a strength training program that’s specific to your goals, check out our popular Online Coaching Program. You’ll work with a certified NF instructor who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and create a workout strategy that will evolve alongside you. 2) If you want a daily prompt for doing workouts at the gym (or at home), check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: 3) Join the Rebellion! Join hundreds of thousands of people like you. It’s free to join, and we have a dozen free guides for you when you sign up in the yellow box below.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Let’s get these questions answered so you can get back to getting stronger! What are your other big questions about lifting weight and how much you should be lifting? -Staci PS: Be sure to check out the rest of Strength Training 101 series:
### photo source: Strongman, Four Bricks Tall: Scenes from an empty lot in Brooklyn, vol 1., hxdbzxy © 123RF.com, Lego Lifting.
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-how-much-weight-should-i-be-lifting/ One of the best exercises for you, whether you’re trying to build muscle or lose weight (or both) HAS to be the squat. However, it’s also an exercise I see nearly EVERYBODY do incorrectly. We do video form checks with every Online Coaching Client to make sure they’re squatting correctly, and we use a LOT of the same cues and instruction we cover in this guide! So have no fear… After reading this big ass squat guide (pun intended, I suppose?) – part of our Strength 101 series – you can start performing this compound exercise safely and effectively. Click any link below or scroll down to read the whole guide:
What Are the Benefits of Squats?Squats are one of the most foundational functional movements in our lives. Let’s talk about the benefits and why you should be squatting all the time. #1) We’re designed to squat: We’ve been squatting since we were babies, but as we get older and sit in unnatural positions all day, our squat form goes from perfect to terrible. Crap. In many countries, people often sit in a full squat for hours at a time. From an evolutionary standpoint – it makes sense that we are genetically designed to, and can be really good at – squatting. Before modern-day furniture and technology, you didn’t stop sitting in a full squat once you got older like we do today…you continued squatting your entire life. That’s why squatting is one of the key moves for functional fitness. #2) Squats are a compound movement that recruits most of our muscles – this means it’s a movement that uses multiple muscle groups and joints (your hip and knee joints) to complete. A simple bodyweight squat – which I’m demonstrating above – uses almost every muscle in the core and lower body. If you add a dumbbell or barbell into the equation, I would even argue that they use every single major muscle group to complete. In addition to every muscle in your “legs,” you need your:
Nothing is left out with this monster movement. Because of the utilization of a large amount of muscle groups, squats cause your body to increase our anabolic hormone production, helping us lose fat and build muscle.[1] #3) Squats will help strengthen your bones and your muscles (and your knees!), and can also increase flexibility. Increasing the strength in your knees and hips (and entire body) reduces your chance of injury while doing both athletic movements and everyday life things (such as shoveling the driveway or standing up and sitting down). And by learning to squat deeply, safely, you’re improving your range of motion and helping make you antifragile and protecting yourself against future injury. Bazinga! If your goals are to:
In short, squats are amazing. (See what I did there?) My name is Staci Ardison, I’m a Senior Coach at Nerd Fitness, and my life has been absolutely transformed by barbell training, which is why I’m so excited to share this guide with you. Back in 2011, I could barely pick up a pink dumbbell, and now I regularly compete in powerlifting competitions. Here I am squatting 253lbs for 3 sets of 5 at a bodyweight of 150 pounds: I am so excited to teach you how to squat today, as I’ve taught tons of coaching clients how to get started too. Let’s start off by taking a look at the bodyweight squat – the first move you should master before you add weight. How to Do a Bodyweight Squat With Proper FormThe setup for the squat exercise is incredibly simple.
I go over the setup and the full movement in this video: 1) Put your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground. Keep your chest up and proud, and your spine in a neutral position. 2) Your weight is on your feet – it should be on the heels and the balls of your feet, as if they were pasted to the ground. You should be able to wiggle your toes the entire movement (though that’s not a part of squatting!). 3) Keep your entire body tight the entire time, your core flexed like you’re bracing to be punched in the gut! 4) Breathe deeply into your stomach, break at your hip and push your butt back. Keep sending your hips backwards as your knees begin to bend. It’s important to start with your hips back, and not by bending your knees. 5) As you squat down, focus on keeping your knees in line with your feet. Many new lifters need to focus on pushing their knees out so they track with their feet. When your knees start to come inside the toes, push them out (but not wider than your feet).[2] Make sure your knees aren’t moving inward toward each other through the movement – this is very common. 6) Squat down until your hip joint is lower than your knees (what we call “parallel” in the squat game). Note: if you THINK you might not be squatting deep enough, you probably aren’t! Once at the bottom, it’s time to stand back up from your squat: 7) Keeping everything tight, breathe out and drive through your heels (keep the balls of your feet on the ground as well). 8) Drive your knees outward (away from each other) the same way you did on the way down, and squeeze your butt at the top to make sure you’re using your glutes. Here is a video from us nerds at Team Nerd Fitness (with instructions from Jim, lead trainer at our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program) that will teach you good form on a bodyweight squat, including all the mistakes NOT to make: Once you can do multiple sets of 15+ deep bodyweight squats with proper form, it’s time to move onto barbell squats! If you are confident in doing bodyweight squats and want to work up to a barbell squat, follow our Gym Workout Level 4 Program, which includes dumbbell goblet squats, a good stepping stone to barbell squats: The majority of the population has some sort of mobility issue (including myself!) that they are working on fixing. We have LOTS of 1-on-1 coaching clients who are new to squatting, and it often comes down to ankle flexibility and hip mobility. If you spend all day, every day, sitting in a desk chair, this might be you. If you want us to help you fix your squat depth and start getting stronger, that’s what we’re here for! How to Set Up Properly For The Barbell Back Squat#1) Find your squat rack! It’ll look something like this, with an unattached barbell: A. Squat Stand: B. Power Cage/Squat Rack: C. Half Rack (Least favorite*): *I don’t like Half-racks without adjustable safety bars – if you want to squat deep the barbell might hit the immovable bars! Not cool. Aim for the A or B options if you have the choice! Note: a squat rack is NOT the same thing as a Smith Machine, where the barbell is attached to the machine, and slides up and down two bars: You do NOT want a Smith Machine. You need a completely unattached barbell in order to do a barbell squat properly and safely. Don’t squat in a Smith Machine. #2) Set the height of the bar to be about the same height as your collarbone. Not sure how to set the height of the bar? I got you: If your options are either too high or too low, it’s always best to set the pins slightly lower than you need them. You don’t want to have to get up on your toes to rack/unrack the bar, especially as the weight gets heavier. #3) Decide if you are going to do a high bar squat, or a low bar squat. Either is fine, but there IS a difference: The “Low Bar Back Squat” is the most common form done by beginners, general lifters, and powerlifters. It’s also the form taught in Starting Strength, one of the best books for beginners on the market. So we’ll be focusing on that version for the rest of this section: #4) Always squat with just the bar to start – as we discuss in “How much weight should I be lifting,” even if you’re planning on squatting 500 lbs, always start with just the bar! How to Do a Proper Barbell Back Squat, Step By Step1) Facing the bar, step under it, and put your hands around it on either side of you. For this type of squat in our example, we are going to want a thumbless grip, so that our wrists are properly aligned with our forearms. The width of your grip will be dependent on flexibility, but generally, a narrower (hands closer to your shoulers) grip will help create a meaty shelf for you to place the bar on the muscles in your upper back. If you lack the flexibility for the narrower grip (which is super common), start out wider, then slowly bring it in as you get more flexible. See the difference here between a “high bar, wrapped grip” (Left) and “low bar, thumbless grip” (right): And now time to DO A BARBELL BACK SQUAT! Definitely watch the video above and listen to the instructions, and then read this description when you need to restart:
Not sure if you squatted deep enough? Record yourself! 95% of the people I see doing squats in a gym don’t go deep enough! Nervous about squatting correctly? Yes, I am a mind reader, and yes we can help you! If you want an expert to check your squat form check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program. Our coaching app lets you record and send a video of your movement directly to your coach, who will provide specific feedback and build a custom program just for you. Interested? Click below to jump on a free call with our team to see how our online coaching program will get you the results you’re after: How To Bail Out of a Squat SafelyIf you are going to squat, you have to know how to “fail” at squatting safely! After all, there’s nothing scarier than being stuck in the bottom of a squat movement and not knowing how to get out of there! A squat is very different from a barbell deadlift in that aspect: if you fail on a deadlift, you just don’t pick up the weight. If you fail on a squat, you’re trapped under a bar…with potentially a lot of weight on it. This can lead to SERIOUS injury. So please, learn how to bail out of a squat safely before you start attempting to do heavy barbell squats. This will help give you the confidence to push yourself and get stronger! 7 Common Mistakes When Doing SquatsThe squat is a basic movement, but those new to lifting often fall victim to a handful of common mistakes. Let’s take a look at some of the big problems and how to fix it! #1) Coming up on your toes with your knees forward during your squat It’s important to keep your heels on the ground the entire time you’re squatting. You should be driving down through your heels, and in order to do that, they need to be on the ground! While some of your weight will be on the balls of your feet, you never want all of your weight to be on the balls of your feet or your toes. You should be able to lift your toes up off the ground and wiggle them at any point and it shouldn’t change anything about your squat. #2) Not going deep enough on your squats Your squat should hit at least parallel (middle image above) – where your hip joint goes below the knee. Depending on what you’re training for, you can go lower, but in order to maximize the muscles worked in the squat, it needs to be done to at least parallel or lower (you can see lower in the upper right image). If you squat above parallel (a partial squat) you’re leaving the hamstrings out of the movement. This puts more pressure on the knee – the force put on your knee is actually reduced as you drop below parallel. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misunderstanding about squats and knee issues. The deeper the squat, the more glutes that are activated as well.[3] This will result in more muscle being created from the squat, as shown by this infographic: Now, a deeper squat is typically harder, both strength and flexibility wise. However, depending on your goals, squatting to parallel may make more sense. If you’re struggling hitting depth there could be many causes – you could have poor ankle mobility, tight hip flexors and/or hamstrings, weak glutes, or poor pelvic alignment (among many other things). This is something we work closely with our coaching clients on, and often prescribe ankle and hip mobility drills to help clients reach proper depth on squats! #3) Knee Positioning When you squat, you want your knees to track along with your toes. This means if you are looking down at your knees and feet, your knees should be aligned at the same angle as your feet throughout the movement. This infographic shows you the correct knee position for a squat: Everyone’s exact positioning is going to be slightly different, but they should not be on the outside or the inside of the foot. #4) Back Positioning Your chest should be up and your shoulders should be back, like you’re King Kong about to pound your chest proudly. Your body should stay in this position the entire time. You don’t want your shoulders to round forward, but you also don’t want to hyperextend your back either. Keeping your spine in a neutral position will help your spine safe and build a strong foundation throughout the heavy squat movement. #5) Head Positioning Many coaches will tell their lifters to look up, as that is the direction in which you want to be moving, but this is actually the last thing you want to do. Take a second quick and look at the ceiling (I’ll wait! ? ). Now, see that position your neck vertebrae are in? That is a very unsafe position for your spine to be in, especially when more weight starts getting included in the equation. You also don’t want to be looking directly at the floor. Look straight out in front of you the entire time, with your head in a “neutral” position. Your chin should be in a position where you could hold a tennis ball between your chest and your chin. #6) Attempting to keep your shins vertical. Unless there is a current underlying knee issue that would cause additional pain – the shin can and should go past vertical in the squat. This will often allow a deeper squat which will build more strength and stability in the knee. A forward lean in the shins is also present when we engage in any number of daily activities such as walking up steps or standing up from a chair. Squat as deep as you are able, but do not focus on holding a vertical shin.” #7) Too much weight on the heels/on the outside or inside of feet during your squat When trying to fix coming up on your toes, or your knee positioning, it is common for people to focus so much on keeping their weight on their heels that they forget to keep the balls of their feet on the ground! Some of your weight will still be on the ball of your foot – if you are truly only having weight on your heels, it’s pretty hard to balance. To the same effect, if the inside of your foot or the outside of your foot comes up off the floor, this is also not a good thing! How do you know if you’re making these mistakes? Simple! Record yourself doing squats. I do. And so does anybody else who is serious about improving their squats. Often we look VERY different than we think we look when doing an exercise, so having a video of the movement is often the only way we can improve. If you can’t self-diagnose your squat challenges, let us help! Squat Variations for Beginners (Box Squat):In this section, we’re going to go over some squat variations to help you improve your form and build confidence before hitting the free weights section of the gym. If you’re struggling to do a squat correctly, don’t fret! I’m going to teach you about… BOX SQUATS! Squatting to a box will help teach you to sit back and keep your weight on your entire foot, instead of squatting with your knees forward and up on your toes. Squatting back to a box is also great for people who have bad knees and can’t do bodyweight squats anymore. You can do box squats with a barbell as well, but for this explanation, we’re just going to keep it simple with bodyweight box squats. In order to do this, find a box or a chair that is the right height so when you sit on it, you are at parallel with your squat. Your options include things like step stools, milk crates, or the smallest box at the gym (there’s usually a set of plyo boxes, and the shortest is around 10″.) The lower the box, the more it will help you develop stronger hips and low back – the box at exactly parallel will help you more with quad strength. Set up exactly as if you were going to do a regular bodyweight squat, only standing about a foot in front of the box. 1) Breathe in deeply, brace your core, move butt back, and keep your knees in line tracking in the same direction as your toes and squat back until you sit completely on the box. Don’t plop back on the box, make it slow and deliberate while keeping your entire body tight. 2) Now, don’t move! Think about your positioning:
Great, now stand up by driving your hips upward, don’t let your weight shift forward and onto your toes (drive through your heels!), shoulders and chest up, knees out keeping them lined up with your toes. For your first few, feel free to sit on the box while you evaluate your positioning, but as you get better at them, sit back and then quickly stand up again. You know you’re doing a good squat when you can stand back up from the bottom of a squat position without having to lean forward and use momentum to get up. You can squat, touch your butt to the box, and then stand back up without having to shift your weight around! KEEP THAT BUTT BACK! How to Perform a Front SquatIf you’re up for a similar-but-different squat, try… The barbell front squat! A front squat moves the weight from behind you to in front of you, which requires different muscles and mobility in different places. I personally alternate front squats and back squats on my leg days. Make sure you read our full guide on how to do a proper front squat. I know all of this can be overwhelming, so the important thing is that you START! I realize I sound like a broken record at this point, but I really want you to begin strength training today. We created our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, just for that purpose. I’d love to send it to you, because I know it’ll help you overcome any fears and confusion and have you getting stronger TODAY Get it when you sign up in this box below – I’m excited to hear what you think of it!
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
How to Perform a One-Legged Squat (The Pistol Squat)In the video above, Coach Jim shows you how to perform the one-legged squat, also known as the pistol squat. To perform a one-legged squat:
It’ll look something like this: If this is too much, work on performing an assisted one-legged squat. Perform an assisted one-legged squat by holding onto a doorframe, squat rack, rings or another stable object, then squat down on one leg as low as you can go. How to Start Squatting Like A ProSquats are awesome. How awesome? Look at that woman above owning her squat before owning her putt! Once you’ve mastered the Back Squat, give Front Squats a try! And if you want to learn more about squats, or you’re looking to build more confidence before you get started, we have a few options for you: 1) If you are somebody that wants to follow a tailor-made program designed around their life and goals, check out our popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself, check your form, and program your workouts and nutrition for you. 2) If you want a snazzy app to teach you exactly how to start crushing squats, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: 3) Download our free Strength 101 Guide, which you can get when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
And I’d love to hear from you! PLEASE leave your questions, squat or fitness or otherwise below so we can answer them and become best friends: What struggles do you have when trying to squat? What questions do you have? If you haven’t squatted before, what else do you need us to tell you to give you the confidence to start squatting TODAY!? -Staci PS: Be sure to check out the rest of the Strength Training 101 series:
PPS: I typed this whole article while sitting in a squat. Okay, no I didn’t, but that would have been cool. ### photo source: Barbell Squat, spotpoint74 © 123RF.com, power rack, squat stand, squat rack, Otmar Winterleitner © 123RF.com
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/strength-training-101-how-to-squat-properly/ “Why can’t I lose weight, Steve?” This question breaks my heart every time I hear it. And I hear it multiple times per day from frustrated people like yourself. Some of those people are our 1-on-1 coaching clients, who we work closely with to uncover the truth. And that’s what we’re after: the truth on why weight loss is so tough to achieve. Why “eat less and move more” sounds nice in theory, but is insulting to those who KNOW this, try their best, and still can’t lose weight. We’ll tackle today’s topic with statistics, science, and plenty of Harry Potter analogies. This is Nerd Fitness after all. We’ll go over:
Let’s jump in, Scuba Steve style, so you can start seeing results! If you’re somebody that wants a Yoda in your corner to coach you through the ups and downs of your fitness journey, we’re here for you with our Online Coaching Program! No shame or judgments – just a supportive person who works hard to help you succeed ?
WHY THE NUTRITION INDUSTRY MAKES ME SO ANGRYI took this picture walking around Manhattan last week: There is some SERIOUS psychological warfare going on here, and it hurts my soul. For starters, they advertise as “THE” flat belly tea. This means there are many other companies selling similar products, which would ALSO lead me to believe this is a lucrative product to sell! They list every fitness buzzword and term every marketer uses when it comes to selling health and fitness: gluten-free, “removes waste,” organic, “burn fat.” Including some real head-scratchers. “Strengthen your colon?” How the hell do you strengthen your colon?! This reminds me of the brilliant Saturday Night Live skit about “Colon Blow” cereal: But I People are buying this stuff, even if they know it probably won’t work. Like buying a lottery ticket even when we know the odds of winning are 0% – what we’re really buying is “hope”:
Don’t get me wrong. “Hope is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies.” I just HATE when hope gets weaponized to sell you expensive snake oil and pretty-packaged fluff. This is what we are rebelling against here in the NF Rebellion: marketers and companies who are crappy enough to prey on our hopes and fears and sell snake-oil in a bottle. We’re also rebelling against that voice in our head that talks down to us, calls us failures for not getting in shape yet, and berates us every time we break down and eat a cookie. I say no more. Let’s fight fire with How much exercise do I need to do to lose weight?There are a few generally accepted truths when it comes to weight loss. All of these come with baggage attached, and your results will vary depending on your
Setting all of that aside, I’m going to try and keep things simple just to prove my point. Let’s go with an (understandably) oversimplified look at weight loss: a pound of fat equals around 3,500 calories.[1] This would mean you’ll need to either eat 3,500 fewer calories, or burn an extra 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat. So…how long does it take to burn 3,500 additional calories per week? Let me answer a question with another question: …How many hours do you have? Studies show you’ll burn an extra 100 calories (approximately) when walking or running a mile.[2] So, you would need to be running/walking an additional 5 miles per day, 7 days a week, to lose one pound of fat per week. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to run an extra 5 miles a day. Nor do I want to! Not only that, but as you’ll see below – this idea of just burning an extra 500 calories per day to lose a pound a week only works early on. You’ll quickly run into speed bumps and roadblocks – figurative ones, try to avoid the real ones on your run – that slow down your progress significantly. Simply put, exercising your way thin has been proven time and time again not to work. Here are three such reports: #1) Many people develop increased appetites as a result of exercise, which leads to no weight loss.[3] Time Magazine got in trouble for pointing this out – even though they were right! #2) A 2011 systematic review and meta-analysis came to the conclusion:[4]
#3) Another study compared people who dieted vs people who only exercised:[5]
What I’m trying to say, and a lesson we try to deeply understand at Nerd Fitness: “you can’t outrun your fork” …and the bad news isn’t done. How our metabolism responds to a caloric deficit (our bodies ruin everything!)When you start to lose weight, your resting metabolism slows down.[6] You might think this is some sort of evil sorcery worthy of “He Who Must Not Be Named,” but unfortunately – it’s just 2nd-grade math. When you start to lose weight, there is less of you that needs fuel. In other words: your metabolism doesn’t have to work as hard to fuel all of your bodily functions, has less weight to carry, and thus it will burn significantly fewer calories compared to when you were much bigger. Here is the estimated daily resting calorie burn (“sit on your ass all day”) of a 35-year old male nerd at 3 very different weights – as determined by our free Calorie Calculator:
WHAT THIS MEANS: Unless you adjust your calorie intake as you lose weight, your calorie intake will become less and less effective for weight loss, until you hit equilibrium. Put a different way: this person could eat 2,300 calories per day and over time, lose 50 pounds (from 300 pounds to 250 pounds), but that’s where he’ll hit equilibrium: calories burned equals calories consumed. In order for him to lose the next 50 pounds, he’ll need to decrease his caloric intake even more, and then STAY at that calorie consumption to keep the weight off. And then it gets even worse! There is a solid body of evidence on a bodily feature called “adaptive thermogenesis.”[7] Which has nothing to do with the band Genesis – though feel free to listen to “Invisible Touch” right now. It might soften the blow while you learn about “adaptive thermogenesis.” “Adaptive thermogenesis” refers to the process in which our bodies will adjust based on how many calories we burn – and do whatever it can to preserve the body fat we have.[8] Our bodies WANT to maintain the extra body fat we have (“I don’t know when I’ll need this, better save”), and are actively working in unison to preserve it – so even after a few pounds are lost from running, it’s going to be a persistent challenge to keep the weight off. As pointed out in this article above:
This is why so many people can LOSE weight, but can’t seem to keep the weight off.[9] This doesn’t even factor in all of the other challenges surrounding weight loss: an “obesogenic” environment (you can smell Cinnabon minutes before seeing it), psychological challenges like depression and anxiety, menopause, medications, and hormones. These factors cause us to crave high-calorie foods, increase our odds of fat gain, and make it tough to keep our calorie intake in-check, because chocolate cake. To Recap:
This is all terrible, horrible, no good, very bad news. And the toughest truth of all: Due to those factors above, it might not be your fault that you’re overweight…but it IS your responsibility to navigate! I know, I know. However, there is HOPE! And here at Nerd Fitness – and in the Star Wars universe – rebellions are built on hope. We have thousands of success stories from people who thought they couldn’t lose weight…until they did. People HAVE lost weight, and kept it off. People who are older, bigger, have more children, less money, more illnesses, and bigger hardships than you. It’s a constant battle, but one that’s absolutely worth fighting. And this means that you are not broken. You don’t have metabolic damage. You are not doomed. Sure, you’re flawed. You might be playing life on “Legendary” difficulty, but people like you have succeeded. It starts by using all of the tools at our disposal, because the forces working against us are doing the same. Let’s get nerdy. The Science of Fat LossYES, it would be awesome if you could drink tea or wrap yourself in plastic to magically lose fat. YES, it would be amazing if a 30-minute bootcamp class allowed you to eat junk food all day, every day, and not gain an ounce. YES, it would be amazing if you could take a magic pill that gave you the body you had 10 years ago. It would also be cool if superheroes were real and I could fly. Well, not like that. Come on, Aquaman. People can see you. We live in a world of science, physics, and thermodynamics. This means we should ALWAYS look at life through the following lenses:
Let’s apply this to our waistlines: If we are overweight… It’s not because we have “toxins” in our bodies that need to be flushed out. It’s not because we didn’t spend enough time in the “fat-burning” zone during our “muscle confusion” bootcamp. It’s not because we need fat-burning tea. These are all pseudoscience buzz terms to sell products, and have no truth to their claims. Occam’s Razor dictates the simplest solution is PROBABLY the right one. So what’s the simple explanation to why we’re overweight? Every day, we consume food that gets transformed into energy. This food has three options once it enters our body:
If we are overweight, we are consuming more ‘energy’ than our bodies need every day. Because our body doesn’t need all of it, too much is being stored as fat. This brings us to the main point of our nutritional focus:
By doing so, our body has no choice but to dip into that “rainy day” fund of fat stores to still get all of its bodily tasks done each day. Do this consistently, and that’s how we end up with a lower number on the scale and a smaller pants size. “Steve I know I should eat less. It’s doing it consistently that’s the tough part. Have you tried CAKE?!” Great point. And yes, cake is awesome. But we have to start somewhere! And it starts here: we need to eat fewer calories, but it ALSO has to be sustainable and enjoyable, otherwise we’ll never stick with it. And temporary changes produce temporary results. We want permanent weight loss! Just saying “eat less” doesn’t factor the crazy biological, physiological, and/or emotional challenges we face every day: We might eat when we’re stressed, depressed, or bored. We might be on medication that is causing us to overeat without us realizing it. We can’t eat just one potato chip without eating an entire bag. We absentmindedly grab a handful of Peanut M&M’s when visiting Kevin in Accounting. Not only that, but even when we pay attention to what we eat, studies show that we often underestimate our calorie consumption by 15+%.[10] Crap. This just keeps getting worse! If we KNOW we overeat without realizing it, and we KNOW restricting calories is tough to stick with long term, then the only path forward is to attack the problem differently. Not with fit tea. Nor with body wraps. Not with “muscle confusion.” But with science, math, and psychology. What to Eat For Weight LossIf weight loss is the goal, we need to shift our food choices to foods that give us more “bang for our buck” – healthy, filling, nutritious foods that fill us up and makes us less likely to overeat calorie-bomb foods. These foods allow us to feel full, but still keep us under our calorie goal for the day:
These are foods that take up a lot of space in our stomach and make us feel full. If we do this consistently, without feeling miserable, we have a really good chance of not only losing weight, but keeping the weight off. In contrast, here are some foods that are loaded with calories which DON’T fill us up – thus making it easy for us to overeat:
To really HAMMER this point home… As we point out in “Can You Burn Fat and Build Muscle at the Same Time?” here’s what 200 calories look like, thanks to WiseGEEK. Which ones do you think will make you feel full, and which ones will make you eat more than you realize?
Can you get yourself to stop after 2/3rds of a bagel or a small handful of pasta? Of course not! One more example – here’s 200 calories of broccoli: “Steve, that is an absurd amount of broccoli.” Yup. It’s also the SAME number of calories as 2/3rds of a bagel (which doesn’t even include the calories from the cream cheese or butter). Now, it’s insulting to say “You should eat more broccoli and less bagels. There’s yer problem.” I’m merely pointing this out to emphasize the difference between energy (calories) and volume. (Hate broccoli and vegetables? Read how to make vegetables taste good!) Depending on what you eat, you could feel “OH SO FULL” after your meal or “Why am I already hungry again? NOM NOM NOM.” Which means… If you can start to make even SMALL changes, focusing on nutrient-dense, calorically-light foods like protein, fruit, and veggies, to replace some junk food – even occasionally, it’s going to shift the energy balance back in the right direction. You’ll become more likely than not to eat fewer calories than you burn, moving you beneath your daily equilibrium. Do that consistently, and you start to pull from those fat stores. And we find ourselves at the holy grail: Sustainable, non-miserable weight loss. This is actually the secret sauce for ALL popular diets these days. As we point out in our “What is the Perfect Diet” article, all the popular diets get you to eat more REAL food and less junk food. They just all have their own unique marketing spin to sell cookbooks and courses and subscriptions. Let’s look at each of these diets in a nutshell:
ANY of the diets above will result in temporary weight loss if you strictly follow the rules, but not for the reason you’d think. It’s not because we’re designed to eat like cave people (though we are), or that our bodies function differently on a Ketogenic Diet (it does), or even that fasting has plenty of health benefits (it does!). Those things are like 2% of the reason why they work for weight loss. [2% is a statistic I made up to emphasize the smaller importance of any ancillary benefit compared to the bigger picture] The other 98%: they make us more likely than not to consume fewer calories on average than we usually eat, which will lead to weight loss in the long term… if you can stick with it. And each diet has rules and guidelines that speak to the specifics of individual people. If you’re freaking out about how to eat and which diet to pick and you’re worried if you’ll even be able to stick with it, you’re not alone. It’s why we created our 1-on-1 Coaching Program! To help people like you change their habits around food to start seeing permanent weight loss results without being miserable! WHICH DIET SHOULD I PICK To Lose Weight?Nearly EVERY diet will work in the short term, because they all lead to temporary calorie restriction. Every diet above will fail you too in the long term, because you need to do the diet permanently to get the results permanently! So in my opinion, you should only follow a strict diet like those above IF you can see yourself sticking with it consistently for the next 10 years. “Steve, that’s melodramatic. Come on.” That’s what I was going for. If a diet sounds too restrictive to stick with permanently, then it’s too restrictive for you to devote weeks or months of your life to! After all, temporary changes equal temporary results. You’re better off picking a diet that you confidently feel like you can stick with permanently. You should be thinking in terms of “days and years,” not “weeks and months!” Here’s the end goal we’re working towards: Sustainable weight loss, weight maintenance, and actually enjoying life. Looking in the mirror and being happy with what you see, knowing that the weight will stay off. And most importantly, habits that allow us to enjoy life, have great meals with friends and family, while still reaching our goals Not temporary changes, but rather permanent small adjustments that adjust over time as we start to see results and build momentum. Sound good? Let’s get back to basics and start learning about the food we’re putting into our bodies. Cool? Cool. A PRIMER ON STRENGTH TRAININGConservatively speaking, strength training is the greatest thing ever invented in the history of the galaxy. Okay, so maybe it’s third after electricity and Nintendo. But I say this to make a point. There’s a huge difference between “exercise” and strength training when it comes to body composition. Coach Matt explains exactly why in this video on gaining muscle while losing fat: We also cover this in a very in-depth manner in our “Can I Lose Weight and Build Muscle?” guide – which is one giant Harry Potter allegory that you’ll love – but I’ll share the basics right here. If your goal is consistent, permanent, healthy weight loss and weight management, 80-90% of the battle will be nutrition, When it comes to exercise, you really only have TWO things to focus on:
I’ll touch on the first one quickly. When you do exercise you love, you’re giving your heart and body a good workout. You’re reminding yourself “I am living healthy” and THUS you should be more likely than not to stick with your healthy eating strategy. Notice I said “exercise you love.” If you hate running, never run a mile again. Hate going to the gym? Never set foot in one. Hate bootcamps? Me too. Don’t do them. Instead, go rock climbing, or hiking, or do yoga, or swing dancing, or LARPing. Really, anything that gets you off your ass and moving. Cool? Cool. How Strength Training Assists Weight LossYour body functions differently when you strength train, in all of the right ways. We have a whole Strength Training 101 sequence that can you get you started, but I’ll whet your appetite with the nerdiest metaphor ever below. You can find study[11] after study[12] after study[13] that shows you the benefits of strength training for weight management. Let me explain it here quickly, borrowing from Harry Potter: The hat acts almost like a traffic director: “Harry, you will go to Gryffindor! Draco, you will go to Slytherin!” Your body operates in a VERY similar fashion: every day, it receives new calories (when you eat), and it needs to decide what to do with them! For example: You eat a large Hawaiian pizza and 20 ounces of Mountain Dew. Your body has to do SOMETHING with all those calories. To keep things simple, let’s look at the 3 most common results. It’ll sort those calories into one of three Houses: A: Burn for Fuel. Your body sorts most of those calories into “Burn for Fuel.” There’s a number of calories your body burns each day just existing: to keep your liver functioning, your heart pumping, your brain operating, and so on – it burns a good chunk of calories just keeping the lights on. Here are two quick examples (from our TDEE calculator!):
Now, if you don’t do any exercise, and you consume MORE calories than the rate you burn each day, the “Sorting Hat” in your body needs to put those calories somewhere! Where do you think it’ll sort them? “C: Store as Fat.” However, your body’s sorting behavior changes when you strength train.
When you strength train – by picking up something heavy – your muscles are “broken down” during the exercise itself, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the next 24-48 hours. It also diverts additional calories to “Burn as Fuel” to handle this increased “muscle rebuilding” activity.[14] This means two amazing things:
There are significantly fewer calories available for “Store as Fat.” AND IT GETS BETTER.
NOPE! Your body has been preparing for this, by storing any excess calories over the years in the “Store as Fat” house. This is the moment your body has been saving up for. This means your body can pull from “Store as Fat” to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human, and rebuilding the muscle.
This would be a “win-win-win” according to Michael Scott, Regional Manager, Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Want help learning how to strength train? You can absolutely build your own workout, or you can work with one of our coaches who can create a custom program that’s specific to your goals and lifestyle. We’ll even make sure you’re doing the movements correctly via video, because we’re nice like that ? BACK TO BASICS: How To Guarantee Successful Weight LossIf you’re still reading, then there is hope for you yet. You can do this – but you have to be smart and diligent about it! Stop trying to exercise your way thin, and stop trying to find ‘get fit quick’ solutions. Instead, take this one day at a time. We’re here for you! We talk about proper nutrition in our big “Healthy Eaters” guide, and we go more in-depth into the specific foods that we recommend, but it starts here:
Understand you’re overeating, and forgive yourself for doing so – most foods have been designed for you to overeat! YOUR MISSIONS, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THEM: #1) Pledge to stop buying snake oil. If you’re not sure, ask yourself “Does this sound too good to be true?” and “What would Steve do?” In addition: stop doing exercises you hate just to lose weight. Pick exercises you enjoy, and put all of your focus on slowly adjusting your nutrition instead! Shun the Dark Side and come back to the Light! #2) Be deliberate in your decisions. Every calorie counts. Every decision counts. So make ONE different decision as a result of you being more aware of what you put in your body. Drinking water instead of soda or juice. Swapping out a salad for fries once per week. It all counts, but make your decision deliberate. You’re a smart person. You know what foods should be daily staples, and what foods should be occasional treats. It all counts. So make ONE decision differently to prove to yourself that you can change. #3) Educate yourself on the serving size of ONE food that you eat regularly. Google it. Find out if what you THINK is a serving and what’s actually in a serving is anywhere close to accurate. You might be surprised to find out:
I don’t want you to change the food or the portions yet. I just want you to educate yourself on what you’re eating, and compare it to how much you thought you were eating. NEXT STEPS IF YOU WANT TO GO FARTHER! If you are looking for more hands-on guidance, we have three options for ya! 1) 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! If that sounds like you, and you’re looking for nutritional guidance, custom strength training routines just for your situation, and expert accountability, we’d love to hear your story! 2) If you want a roadmap for sustainable weight loss, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: 3) Join the Rebellion! Join our free email list and community – I send out two fun emails a week – and I’ll send you our free 10-level Nutrition Guide along with a bunch of other free bonuses. Get them when you sign up in the box below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
#4) Do a strength training routine! We have so many awesome free options for you here on Nerd Fitness. Pick the ones that jump out at you!
“What is the biggest question you have around nutrition, strength training, and weight loss?” Oh and please, go eat a vegetable ? -Steve PS: I know this HOPEFULLY goes without saying, but this is the internet: I totally get that this issue is very complicated to begin with. If you have a hormonal imbalance, PCOS, are on medication for any number of reasons, it could also be affecting your weight. PLEASE speak with your doctor about your weight and any changes you are looking to make! ### Photo source: A good Sunday to you, Can I have your bicycle, Speed!, Swimming pool, Pizza lab, Dinner is set, Happy monday!, Speed.
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/why-cant-i-lose-weight-heres-the-truth/ So you want to start eating healthy, eh? Amazing! We’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people like you transform into actual superheroes, and we focus on proper nutrition to do so. These are the exact strategies we teach our Online Coaching clients, and we’ve used these tips to help them lose weight and get in great shape without being miserable. Plus, we use fun LEGO photos and gifs to keep you entertained. In this Ultimate Guide, we’ll cover everything you need to start eating healthy today:
The Truth About Healthy EatingIt’s really easy to tell people the following advice: “To lose weight, just eat more REAL food.” “Just eat less fast food and junk food.” “Try to eat more organic vegetables watered by unicorn tears, farm-to-table meals served by centaurs, and kale omletes made with eggs from chickens that you raised since birth.” Okay so maybe people don’t say the last one. But it’s not far from what healthy people say to people who can’t seem to get healthy. In my opinion, these positions are completely out of touch with reality and it makes me plum dog mad. For starters, fast food is crazy delicious and dirt cheap, and often the only way that many busy parents can feed themselves and their kids.[1] Next, applying morality and guilt to food consumption (“I’m being ‘so bad’ by eating this cookie”) creates an emotional rollercoaster – my least favorite kind of roller coaster. I mean come on, we don’t need to be told that freshly grown fruits and veggies are better for us than junk food. We don’t need to be told that organic grilled chicken and kale salad is healthier than a Double Whopper with Cheese. We all know this! So rather than “trying harder” to eat healthier we’re going to use things like “science” and “human psychology” and “excessive quotation marks.” Cool? Here’s what you need to know: If you’re just trying to be healthier and maybe lose some weight, there’s no need to start funneling kale smoothies, mainlining chicken and broccoli, and abandoning your loyalty to the Burger King. You can lose weight and be healthy while still eating these foods occasionally. Heck, people have lost weight by eating Twinkies[2] and drinking soda and eating at McDonald’s 3 times per day[3]. I share this info not to promote those foods, but rather to make a big point: If you are terrified of giving up all “junk food”… You do not need to give up fast food if it brings you joy. You do not need to feel shame for eating ice cream. You do not need to use terms like “cheat meal” or “guilty pleasure” when talking about a chocolate chip cookie. Food isn’t good or evil, my dear friend! It’s just food! Let’s bring it all together: If we have certain health goals, we can give ourselves the best chance of success by getting strategic about what foods we say “YES” to, and what foods we say “SOMETIMES” to. These YES foods give us more energy and have fewer calories on average than “junk food,” which means we’re likely to eat fewer total calories without realizing it. And thus, we end up with the Triforce of Awesome: So what are these magical foods we’re talking about? I thought you’d never ask. What is Healthy Eating?Removing all the morality and science of food, let’s talk about a realistic definition of “healthy food”: “Foods I can eat frequently that give me enough fuel to get through the day AND don’t make me miserable.” Most doctors, websites, and books have generally the same list of “healthy foods”:
(A more complete list of healthy foods is below). Why is it that these are the foods that happen to end up on every list on every website when it comes to “healthy eating?” Simple. They are full of vitamins and minerals while also being lower in calories than ultra-processed foods that are easily overconsumed.[6]. They also fill us up, making us feel satiated, and keep us under our calorie allotment for the day[7]. Now you’re starting to get it: If we can prioritize these foods on our plate even occasionally, we’ll feel full more often while eating fewer calories… Which leads to sustainable weight loss and maintenance! Let me drive this point about into your brain (not literally). Each of the following foods contains 200 calories in the quantities shown (courtesy of wiseGEEK): And here’s a huge plate of broccoli, also 200 calories: In this context, the realization that we might overeat certain foods compared to others starts to become more clear:
Which brings me to the next point:[9]
Like, really really bad at it. I bet the proportions of the above foods surprised you. We consistently eat much more than we realize, by as much as 47%+.[10] To make matters worse, we also OVERestimate how many calories we burn through exercise. One study showed that Fitness trackers like AppleWatch or Fitbit do not estimate energy burned through exercise accurately, some by as much as 90%![11]. That’s why we made this fun infographic: So when we “can’t lose weight,” it’s not because we have a broken metabolism. It’s not because we have bad genetics[12]. Or that we’re not eating for our blood type. It’s because we consistently eat too much food without realizing it. Because we always have a ready supply of new energy from recently eaten food, more than we need, our body NEVER has to dip into our stored fat to burn for fuel. And when we think we’ve out-exercised our bad diet, we really haven’t. So it’s time to stop “trying harder” and instead “try differently”: In order for us to get healthy, we need to find ways to include more foods that fill us up AND taste good. Luckily, I have that list riiiiight here! How to Start Eating Healthy (Healthy Food List)There are three big macronutrients that we’re going to focus on as we build our plate like the image above:
#1) PROTEIN: Priority Numero Uno. Protein is amazing. Your body uses protein to rebuild your muscles and keep you strong, especially if you are exercising or strength training regularly. Protein is both good for you AND highly satiating.[13] Protein can come from any number of sources, including:
Not a meat-eater? Read our massive plant-based guide! A serving of protein is about the size and thickness of your palm. *The 4 oz serving is for an uncooked piece of meat. Cooking reduces about 25% of the weight, bringing it down to about 3 oz. When building a plate, aim for the following amount of protein:
If you’re curious, here’s how much protein is in a serving of food:
As we cover in our “how much protein should I eat per day?” you can target anywhere from 80% to 100% of your bodyweight in pounds per gram of protein, with an upper limit of 250g[15]:
#2: VEGETABLES: The difference-maker when it comes to healthy eating and weight management. They are nutrient-dense: full of all the good nutrients that your body can use to function at optimal performance. Next, they are voluminous but calorie-light, which means you can eat lots of them, you’ll feel full, but you’re unlikely to over-consume calories. A serving of veggies is about the size of your fist. Remember this is what just 200 calories of broccoli looks like (holy crap). This is at least 5 full servings: Here’s a quick, non-complete list of veggies that can fill your plate:
Target 2 servings of vegetables on your plate – it should take up ½ the plate! “But Steve, I don’t like vegetables…yet!” That’s cool, I didn’t eat vegetables until I was 22. Now, they’re a main staple of every meal I eat. If this is you, read our guide on “how to make vegetables taste good.” To recap portion sizes of protein and vegetables: #3) HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES: Fuel and fiber! These are the foods that can be an important part of a diet, provided you eat them in the right quantities for your goals. These foods are also great to consume right after a strenuous strength training workout to help your muscles and liver refill their glycogen stores (their energy tanks[17], essentially). Examples of healthy carbohydrates:
This is a list of REAL food, minimally processed, that also have plenty of fiber[18]. If you’re wondering how fruit factors into this equation, that’s the next section. Back to healthy carbs: when consumed in appropriate amounts, these are great foods that can help you feel full and give you energy and all that jazz. Just make sure you know what an actual portion of these foods are! A LOT of people accidentally overeats carbohydrate-heavy foods, even healthy ones, and then wonders why they aren’t losing weight. To help you get better at eyeballing serving sizes: 1 serving of a starchy carbohydrate is 1 cupped hand (uncooked), or your two hands forming a cup (cooked). Here are some images to help you learn proper portion sizes (thanks to SafeFood): #4) HEALTHY FATS: No longer the enemy! Fat had a bad rep in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but now things are swinging wayyyyy back in the other direction. In some circles, dietary fat is considered a superfood – the healthiest thing on the planet that also does your taxes for you. Let’s get to the truth: Fat is neither a superfood nor evil. It’s just a macronutrient that you can eat that can help you reach your goals in the right quantity, or keep you from your goals if it’s overconsumed. When your doctor tells you to eat more healthy fats, she’s referring to polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats[19]. Healthy fat can be found in foods like:
Now, science has recently come around on saturated fat too[20] – once completely vilified, but now cautiously considered okay for moderate consumption. Saturated fats can come from things like:
Fat can be good for you provided you’re eating the right quantity for your goals. However, like carbs, fats can be overconsumed accidentally too. To help you gauge: a serving size of fat is roughly the size of your thumb! THIS is a single serving of almonds (162 calories): THIS is a serving of olive oil (119 calories, taken from Runtastic): As you can see, if you’re not careful – you can accidentally eat an extra 500 calories of “healthy fats” by absentmindedly eating too many “heart-healthy” fats. Many folks in our Coaching Program had us analyze why they weren’t losing weight, even though they “only ate grilled chicken and veggies.” When we dug into it, they had been preparing all of their food in an extra 500-600 calories worth of olive oil they weren’t accounting for. To recap carbs and fats: feel free to include a starchy carb on your plate in the form of rice, potatoes, pasta, or legumes. Healthy fats can spice up a meal, provided you’re using an appropriate portion size I realize that was a CRAZY amount of info, so let’s put it all on the same Healthy Plate:
I know that not all of your meals are going to be perfectly segmented like a bento box. For example:
This plate and serving size stuff above is just to help you get started thinking about healthy food differently and in proper portion sizes:
Remember, all calories count. I can already predict your next series of questions:
What’s the Deal with Fruit? Is Fruit Healthy?As we lay out in our “Is Fruit Healthy?” Guide, fruit is absolutely healthy and can help you reach your goals – in the right quantities. Fruits are full of nutrients, packed with fiber, and can make for a great snack or part of a protein-focused breakfast! Personally, I blend up frozen mixed berries in my post-workout smoothie. Just remember that fruit, like every other food, obeys the laws of thermodynamics. So, simply be aware of the calories (and carb and fiber content if you’re following a lower-carb diet). Here’s a list of the calorie, carbohydrate, and fiber content of some common fruit:
Fruit is a better, healthier alternative to nutrient-empty food from a vending machine. Where fruit can get you in trouble is if you start to move in the direction of “fruit-like”: #1) Fruit juices (cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice): these are high calorie, sugar-filled beverages. For example, here are the calories in one 8 oz (or 1 cup)[21] serving of: #2) Dried fruit: notoriously easy to overeat because they are so small. Since the water has been taken out, all that’s left is the sugar and fiber. Here’s 1 serving of raisins, which is 108 calories and 21 g of sugar: If you are saying “oh man, I eat 5x that many raisins when I eat them…” then multiply those calorie and sugar numbers by 5! 3) Fruit Smoothies: Just because it’s a fruit smoothie doesn’t mean it won’t make you fat! Have you seen the calorie count and sugar content of smoothies and ‘green drinks’? Yikes.
**If you prepare your smoothie at home with a blender, it can actually be healthy since the fiber is intact. Here’s my personal recipe.** To recap: fruit is healthy, provided you stick to fresh or frozen and not fruit-like food, dried fruit, or canned fruit packed in syrup. If you enjoy a small glass of orange juice occasionally, or you pack a serving of raisins in your lunch and it makes life worth living, by all means! Just don’t chug OJ by the gallon, drink a 64 oz “real fruit smoothie,” and eat raisins by the handful and then wonder why you’re not losing weight. Are Cheese and Dairy healthy?We get questions about these two types of food frequently. Let me start by saying I’m assuming you’re not doing Paleo (which says “NO dairy and NO cheese”), or plant-based (which says NO to all animal products). I’ll also assume you’re not doing Keto, which almost requires you to load up on dairy and cheese to eat enough fat every day! Let’s pretend you’re just curious if cheese and/or dairy can be consumed on a “healthy diet:”: YES, you can still eat cheese and be healthy. YES, you can still eat dairy and be healthy. And there was much rejoicing: Like the healthy carbs and fats listed above, it all comes down to your calories consumed in a day, and if these foods fit into your daily calorie goals:
This is true for higher-fat cheeses or full-fat dairy too – the food just needs to fit into your goals! Luckily, all dairy comes labeled, and most cheese will come with a nutrition label on it too. Just ensure that you’re choosing appropriate portion sizes. For reference, here are four different servings of cheddar cheese (about 113 calories a serving): And here’s a serving of greek yogurt (120 calories in 142 grams):[25] And although nobody in the history of the world has ever eaten just one serving…here is a serving of ice cream: (A scoop of ice cream the size of a tennis ball is about 127 calories, cleverly shown above.) So, dairy and cheese are both perfectly acceptable healthy food options! Just make sure they fit into your goals. If you are NOT losing weight, and you consume a lot of dairy and/or cheese, consider measuring your intake and see if it’s in line with your expectations! What’s the best diet for me? Keto vs Paleo vs Plant-based.“Low fat diets? Low carb diets? No carb diets? I don’t know which one is the BEST diet!” “Help me, Steve Kamb, you’re my only hope.” Okay, you’re probably not saying that, but it’s an excuse to pay homage to Star Wars so I can use the great photo above. You probably do have questions though about what’s healthier, a low fat diet or a low carb diet. Low carb diets are all the rage right now, but are they healthy and will they help you lose weight? Maybe. It may depend on how your body regulates glucose (blood sugar)[26]: Some who don’t regulate glucose well may do better on a lower-carb diet. Others who do regulate glucose well might do better on a lower-fat diet. Studies show that people who follow EITHER a low fat OR a low carb diet will still lose weight, as long as they are in caloric restriction and can adhere to the diet for at least a year.[27] So, it comes down to: “which diet are you more likely to stick with for a year or longer?” I personally lost 22 pounds over 6 months on a lower-fat diet (and eating plenty of carbs), but everybody is different. This means you’ll need to experiment and see which is better for your lifestyle, and your day-to-day well-being. But I bet you have questions about the big popular diets too. I’ve written a huge guide that covers all popular weight-loss diets together, but we’ve also written individual ultimate guides that cover:
Let’s look at each of these diets and explain why they will help you lose weight, at least temporarily: Truth #1: Every diet works in the short term. Truth #2: Nearly every diet fails in the long term. Let’s address these two truths individually: Why does every diet work in the short term? All the diets above have a clever way of restricting calories without you needing to count calories, which leads to weight loss:
Of course, there are plenty of benefits from following certain diets for certain groups of people. For example, Larry went Keto and it helped him reduce inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis. However, 99% of the reason why these diets result in short-term weight loss is that they get us to eat fewer calories! The problems arise when we get to Truth 2: “Nearly every diet fails in the long term.” Put another way: Temporary changes create temporary results. If somebody “goes Keto” for 60 days, they’ll most likely lose weight, and might even feel better! This is cool. BUT! (There’s always a but…) If they spend those 60 days in misery, dreaming of carbs, counting down the meals until they can “go back to eating like normal,” they will put all of the weight back. In order for restrictive diets to create permanent results for somebody, they need to be adopted PERMANENTLY! For most of us mere mortals, we can’t stick with a restrictive diet for 30 days, let alone a year or a decade. For these reasons, I strongly advise you to change how you think about dieting. You need to determine how likely you are to stick with a restrictive diet permanently:
Like playing a video game, you need to determine what level of difficulty you are willing to attempt. Playing on “Ultra Hard Difficulty” (like Keto) gives you less room for error, but it can also produce impressive results quickly – if you don’t rage quit. And 99% of people rage quit restrictive diets like Keto. So what’s the best diet for you? I’ll give you the same answer that I give people when they ask me, “What’s the best workout plan?”: The best diet is the one that helps you reach your goals, that you ENJOY, and that you’ll actually stick with permanently! Personally, I don’t follow any sort of restrictive diet. I’m a big fan of small changes that eventually produce big results, like my boy Optimus Prime: This is why I’ve SLOWWWWLY adjusted my diet over the past decade, so that no change was too drastic and I could stick with it permanently. It’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle change. Permanently. And that’s what I would recommend for you: Small, non-scary, permanent changes over a long time period! You need to start thinking in terms of “days and years,” not “weeks and months:” How to Grocery Shop, Cook and Meal Prep!Okay! Now that you’ve determined your healthy eating strategy, it’s time to take action. There are three big steps you’ll want to master if this is your path: Step #1: Grocery Shopping! You can read our full guide on “How to grocery shop”, and we even have a video that keeps things fun too: Here’s how to grocery shop like a pro:
Step #2: Learn to cook! In the next section, we share recipes for basic healthy meals that you can cook at home. Here’s why cooking at home is amazing:
Now, if you’re somebody who only ever uses your kitchen to heat up microwave meals, that’s no problem. Here are the guides you should check out:
Step #3 (BONUS): Meal Prep and Batch Cooking! This step isn’t necessary, but if your goal is to make healthy eating a habit for you and your family, batch cooking can be the difference maker! By “batch cooking,” I simply mean setting aside time to prepare larger quantities of food at the start of the week, so that throughout the week you already have meals to eat! Personally, batch cooking changed my life. And every single success story we’ve featured on Nerd Fitness (like this one) involved some sort of batch cooking (planning your meals for the week ahead).
Follow these rules, and you will crush it in the Healthy Eating Department[29]! 19 Healthy Eating Meals You Can Cook Today“Okay Steve, you have me convinced I should be eating more healthy foods. But I am a nerd and I need specific instructions to follow!” I got you. As a kid raised on LEGO and K’nex, I am the exact same way! Here are options to get the ball rolling on healthy breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners. Use these as inspiration or starting points for your meal planning! 3 BREAKFASTS (Unless you do Intermittent fasting!) Breakfast 1: Prosciutto-Wrapped Mini Frittata Muffins (4 muffins)
Breakfast 2: Kale Breakfast Salad (1/4 of recipe)
Breakfast 3: Breakfast Meal Prep Bowls (1 bowl)
3 LUNCHES Lunch 1: Spicy Tuna Cakes (4 cakes)
Lunch 2: Chicken Zucchini Enchilada (1 enchilada )
Lunch 3: Lettuce Wrap Sandwich (1 sandwich)
3 SNACKS (Unless you’re on “Team No Snack”) Snack 1: Green Protein Snack Pack (2)
Snack 2: Avocado Egg Salad (1/4 recipe)
Snack 3: Baked Chicken Wings (1/5 of batch)
3 DINNERS Dinner 1: Big-o Bacon Burgers (2 burgers)
Dinner 2: Vegan Portobello Pizzas (1 pizza)
Dinner 3: Ground Beef Veggie Skillet (1/4 of dish)
All of these meals are nutrient-dense and low in calories, so they’ll give you the best chance at weight management without feeling miserable Does all that seem like too much? Watch this video from Nerd Fitness Prime where Coach Justin shows you how to make 7 “No-Cook” meals. Meals covered in this video:
Want some more ideas? Check out 26 Easy Meals You Can Cook. Just remember, quantity counts:
Not sure how to make these meals work or how to adjust them for your goals? This is exactly what we do with our Online Coaching Program! Will You Commit to Healthy Eating?As we start to wrap up this guide, I have one BIG final question for you: “Why the hell are you reading this?” Sorry to be so blunt, but your answer matters! If you are trying to eat better because somebody told you to, or because you think you should, you’re setting yourself up to fail. You might be excited and motivated to eat healthy today, and that’s great! But next week, Oscar in Accounting will put cake in front of you at work, and ask you to “live a little” and eat some cake “just this once.” And then you’ll discover apps are half-priced at Chatchki’s during happy hour, and you figure “well I already had cake, might as well split some shrimp poppers and extreme fajitas with Meredith.” This is how it always happens: Motivation abandons us when we need it most. And then one “ehh” choice becomes three bad choices which becomes “crap, I failed at my diet! I’m a loser. Okay I’ll just try harder next month…” If you are committed to this goal of eating healthier, you need a DAMN good reason to start eating healthier in the first place! Here are some examples you can build off of:
There are many tough days ahead, many happy hours, and sabotaging coworkers. Having a great reason WHY can be the light in the darkness that helps you navigate the maze of temptation. In our Nerd Fitness Coaching program, we call this “The Big Why,” and having a reason can be the difference between success and failure: It’s our Big Why that stops us from living emotionally and chasing instant gratification from a donut or six slices of pizza when we’re sad or stressed. It’s our Big Why that allows us to say “Yes, I can have a slice of pizza, because I planned for it in my ‘calorie budget’ today. I’m not gonna feel bad about it either, because my breakfast tomorrow is gonna be great.” It’s our Big Why that allows us to get back on track after a vacation or after just one day of poor eating, instead of letting things slide for a week or a month. Have your Big Why, and remind yourself of it constantly! Write it down, put it on a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, staple it to your forehead. But have a REASON you’re committing to change. It will be crucial when life starts to get busy next week and you want to give up. So let’s talk about next week (and beyond!) Healthy Eating: Next Steps!This guide has provided you with all of the tools you need to start making healthier choices, but if you are looking to go a bit further… #1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want an exact blueprint leveling up your nutrition, check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). If you follow our Nutrition missions, you’ll learn to eat healthier while earning XP! Sah-weeeet. Try your free trial right here: #3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Healthy eating will change your life. But it needs to fit INTO your life too. Small changes, not dramatic shifts! You don’t have to give up the foods you love, you just need to PLAN for them. Learn how to make a plate like we lay out in this guide. Prioritize protein, and always put a fruit or vegetable on your plate before filling the rest of it up! This will get you 90% of the way towards a great healthy eating strategy. And when in doubt, whenever you’re not sure if you should eat a particular food, ask yourself “What would Batman do?” Seriously, this has been studied with children, and it helped them make healthier food choices by giving the decision-making over to somebody they looked up to [22]. It’s called “self-distancing,” and there’s no reason it can’t work for you too. Oh, and when you eat a bad meal – who cares?! “Never two in a row,” right? Make the next meal healthy. YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT: Start eating healthy today with literally one change:
I don’t care what the change is, just as long as you make one! Okay enough about me, let’s talk about you: What’s the ONE change you’re going to make today? For the Rebellion! -Steve PS: Make sure you read the rest of the articles in our “How to Lose Weight 101” Series! ### All photo sources can be found right here: Leia eating breakfast, stuffed veggies, stormtroopers and egg, fruit ninja, Caution: Cheese Hazard, Fish soup, Yoda and R2, Happy Monday, almond serving size, olive oil, raisins, serving of cheddar, yogurt, Shopping, dinner on the beach.
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/healthy-eating/ This High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) guide is probably the best interval training guide in the galaxy. My justification for such a bold claim? We’re really good at this stuff, AND we have dinosaurs and Muppets. Plus, lots of great gifs: We build custom interval training programs just like the ones in this guide for our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Clients, including workouts for at home, the gym, or even while traveling. In this Ultimate Guide to Interval Training, we’ll cover:
If you’re interested in starting a HIIT practice (which you are, ’cause you’re here), you may want to try our new app! It contains a fun adventure that will take you from sitting on your couch to a full HIIT workout – with plenty of benchmarks in between for you to find your groove. No guesswork needed, just jump into the app and follow it’s next steps. You can sign-up for a free trial right here:
What is Interval Training? What is HIIT?In 2018, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) was ranked the number one fitness trend by American College of Sports Medicine.[1] They wrote:
Essentially, HIIT is just following a specific regimen where you vary your speeds and intensity throughout a shorter run, swim, bike, or row. Any exercise can be a form of HIIT, but here’s a common routine:
Because everybody is busy and overwhelmed, fast results in the least amount of time is why most people discover HIIT. Plus, you can do HIIT with just about anything, including a jump rope: You may be asking, “Steve, just how short and intense are we talking about here? Also, your new haircut looks spiffy.” Thank you, you’re very kind. So let’s explore the pros and cons of intervals. What are the Benefits of HIIT? Why Should You Do Interval Training?The 1996 landmark Tabata study demonstrated the benefits of extreme HIIT.[2] Dr. Izumi Tabata, from Japan’s National Institute of Fitness and Sports, was obsessed with interval training. The doctor sought to see exactly what kind of gains were obtained from short, intense, periods of exercise. He conducted an experiment with Olympic athletes on stationary bikes and put them through intense bouts of exercise followed by short periods of rest. The results were fascinating. Tabata found:
Let’s translate that: compared to regular cardio, HIIT had a greater impact on improving BOTH:
Even crazier? Tabata was able to demonstrate improvements in his athletes with just FOUR-MINUTE bursts. So what’s happening here? Simple: your heart is a muscle. If you keep your heart beating at a constant rate, never expanding it outside of its comfort zone, it will never grow stronger. By introducing chaos and pushing your muscles outside of their comfort zone, they must adapt and grow more resilient in order to survive. Intense interval training challenges your heart by constantly forcing it outside of its comfort zone. In other words: progressive overload – the same concept behind building strength. Coach Jim explains 7 different ways to achieve progressive overload in this video: Since Tabata’s 1996 study, many other trials have shown the positive impact of interval training. Here are some of the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training: #1) HIIT for Weight loss. A study in the Journal of Obesity found participants were able to lose more body fat following a HIIT program compared to regular cardio.[3] The Journal concluded:
This makes sense, because other studies suggest high-intensity interval training burns more calories than a “steady state” workout.[4] Revving up your effort requires more out of you, including calories. Plus, interval training can take less time than steady-state cardio. The average interval training workout is 20 minutes or less. However, to confuse the matter, I should note that a meta-study (a review of multiple studies) found no real difference in fat loss between HIIT and steady-state cardio.[5] We’ll talk about this, and the impact of diet for weight loss, later. #2) HIIT for lowering blood sugar. Managing blood sugar is really important for health, not just for diabetics. Those trying to lose fat should be aware of their blood sugar and corresponding insulin levels. The good news for our current discussion? HIIT has been shown to help lower and manage blood sugar levels.[6] #3) HIIT for heart health. Touching on the “antifragile” topic again, HIIT has been shown to help with overall cardiovascular health. It does so in the same way traditional endurance training does, but at a fraction of the time (almost half).[7] Alright, let’s chat about how to actually do some interval training. What’s an example of Interval Training? How to do interval runningThe key to HIIT is being able to go from “easy” to “difficult.” All sorts of different exercises can get you there:
HIIT is generally associated with running (aerobic), so we’ll devote this section to just that. The easiest way to experiment with HIIT would be to run. Here’s how to start with a basic HIIT running workout. Go to a park in your neighborhood. Warm-up with some light jogging, high knees, and mobility – leg swings, arm swings, etc, And then begin your workout!
And BAM! You just did HIIT. Don’t get disheartened if you find yourself stopping a lot during your first week of HIIT training. You’ll be surprised how quickly you get better at this! Also, “running” or “jogging” is subjective. Whatever walking fast means to you is great. Do that for your periods of intensity. It should be noted, that the entire “Couch to 5K” concept rests on interval training through running. It’s all broken down into “walking,” “jogging” and “running.” If you’re curious, check out our in-depth Couch to 5k review. If you want to start interval training, “Couch to 5K” could be a good way to do it. More of an indoor person? Consider a treadmill, where it actually sets intervals for you based on your desired difficulty. Just be careful on it… We’ll be talking about machines a lot more in the next section, but a treadmill is all you need to do a HIIT workout. Experiment with the speed and incline to find a setting that you would consider “intense.” Many machines can be programmed to flip between this and an “easy” setting. And you know what that means… boom! It’s built for HIIT. When we designed NF Journey (our awesome new app), we used an “intense” and “easy” interval switch for most of the workouts. If you want, you can sign-up for a free trial right here to see what I mean: How do HIIT Workouts Work? (More HIIT cardio to choose from)There are a lot of different aerobic exercises for HIIT cardio. For example, you could jump on a bike, which is like HIIT running but with wheels (duh): Every spin class is based on HIIT cycling (SoulCycle, Flywheel, or even your local gym now has spin classes). They’re popular for a reason, and you can make a friend or two! Here are some more examples of interval training:
So far we’ve just been talking about aerobic exercises. Let’s cover our other categories, of bodyweight and resistance. What Are the Best HIIT Exercises? (Two Other Forms of Interval Training)“Steve, this all sounds great. But I hate running!” Confession: So do I. So I get my cardio in other forms! Here are some bodyweight exercises to get going on HIIT:
Let’s now chat about some Weight Training Examples for HIIT:
To answer your next question: yes, you can also do circuit training as a form of HIIT. Circuit training is going through a sequence of exercises, or stations, back to back. Coach Lauren explains the ins and outs of circuit training in this video: So in a circuit you could go from push-ups to pull-ups, back to push-ups, only resting briefly from one exercise to another. Circuit training would be perfect to mix into a HIIT workout, since you can design your circuit to be very intense. Check out our post for 15 Circuit Training Routines to choose from. Plus, there’s a Batman workout hidden in there. You’re welcome. We create custom HIIT programs for busy people like you that are ACTUALLY fun. If you’re looking for a supportive coach to guide you and tell you exactly what to do each day, we got you covered! If you just want a beginner circuit to get started with, you can try out our Beginner Bodyweight Workout Routine. Plus you can download a free worksheet to track your progress with this circuit when you join the Rebellion below:
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Oh, what’s that? You want to have even MORE fun while getting the benefits of HIIT? Sure. Let’s think outside the box: Basketball, tennis, soccer, and Ultimate (frisbee) are AMAZING styles of exercise that use interval training (it’s all start and stop!). Run here, catch this, and wait for the next round to start. That’s what we’re looking for in a HIIT workout. So pick a form of FUN exercise that gets your heart racing faster and slower throughout the activity (yes, I suppose even THAT activity would count). Is HIIT Good for Losing Weight? Is Interval Training Good for Losing Weight?My guess is that you’re reading this article because you’re trying to get the most efficient “bang for your buck” when it comes to getting in shape. And HIIT is a great form of exercise and COULD help with weight loss. I will, however, lower some of these outlandish claims that exist in the media. For example, Time magazine calls HIIT “miraculous” in one article.[8] That’s a little much, even for me, who writes for a living on why you should work out and likes using hyperbole for effect. Seriously, I’m better at it than ANYBODY ON THE PLANET. Ahem. Cardio, strength training, and HIIT all have many benefits. But as I said earlier, a meta-study reviewed HIIT compared to steady-state cardio. The results? They found no real difference.[9] As researchers noted:
What’s that mean? As long as your energy expenditure is the same (and you’re in a caloric deficit), steady-state cardio is equivalent to HIIT for fat loss. In other words, if you want to lose body fat, how you eat will be responsible for 80% of your success or failure. It doesn’t matter how many intervals you do, it’s not gonna help you lose weight if you don’t also fix your nutrition. You can read our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating if you want more information, which will help you build a plate like this: And if you want to download our free 10-level Nutrition Guide to help you fix your diet starting today, you can do so by signing up in the box below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Getting Started with Interval TrainingWhen it’s time to advance your high-intensity interval training, think about the following:
Maybe you start out doing 3 intervals of intense running. Once it becomes routine, bring it up to 4. Maybe you crank the resistance on your stationary bike to “8” during your intense interval. When it becomes normal, bring it up to “10.” Maybe you do pull-ups for 20 seconds. When you’ve got a good handle on that, aim for 30 seconds. This mindset will keep you advancing in interval training. Consistency is the name of the game here. Even just doing a HIIT workout once a week will help you progress in all three categories. Mistakes to Avoid When Doing High-Intensity Interval TrainingThere’s a lot to consider when embarking on a HIIT practice. No matter which routine you end up starting with, make sure you follow these words of wisdom:
Take it easy, focus on your form, and make sure to prioritize rest. HIIT Timer RecommendationsHIIT centers on doing intervals. One moment it’s intense, the next you’re onto a short rest break. A good way to know when it’s time to go from one sequence to the next is a timer. A loud “beep” can tell you when it’s okay to catch your breath or when you have to kick it in gear. Here are 5 HIIT timers you can try out:
Also, we need to talk about interval timers. Most of the apps referenced are completely customizable. For example, you can change the intense interval from 120 seconds to 90 seconds. This is critical because it’s up to you to decide how long you can do intense vs. rest. Generally, folks recommend one minute of intensity and then two for rest when doing HIIT. However, this all depends on the individual, and exercises performed. For example, burpees are tougher to do than jumping over a rope: So feel free to make changes like 30 seconds of intensity and three minutes of rest. Make it your own. Whatever way you chose to do HIIT, is fine, as long as you actually do it. The benefits of HIIT kick in when going HARD for you. In other words, you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to get the benefits of HIIT.[10] A light jog totally works. Just don’t do it in a mascot costume. As we discussed, if you’re consistent, you’ll improve. So don’t stress about where you have to start. For now, download an app and get going. Ours will help you train with HIIT too: I hate multiple choice. Pick a HIIT workout for me!Let’s power walk as our form of HIIT. This is an example of a beginner HIIT workout we might prescribe for our Coaching Clients who are starting to train for their first 5K. Let’s do seven intervals, two minutes each:
Total time: 20 minutes. I want to stress, that you can do just about any exercise in exchange for this routine. Just minus “power walk” and add “push-ups and bodyweight squats” It’ll still be a great HIIT workout. “But Steve, that’s still multiple choice!” Right, right… sorry. Stick to power walking! Done! How to Start Interval Training nowDo our power walking routine above. It’s a great place to start. Remember, our goal at this stage is to “build the habit.” We can work on “whoa, that was intense” later. If you’re looking for EVEN MORE stuff to do, we have a few options for ya: 1) Check out our popular 1-on-1 coaching program. You’ll work with our certified NF instructors who will get to know you better than you know yourself and program your workouts and nutrition for you. 2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Check out Nerd Fitness Journey! Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Try your free trial right here: 3) Enlist in the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll help you start incorporating interval training into your workouts.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
There are a zillion ways to do HIIT, so don’t let the options paralyze you. Pick one. Anyone. And get to it. Interval training, in any form, is a solid fitness choice and a great practice to have in the workout arsenal. Any questions? Which HIIT workout style is your favorite? Leave it in the comments below! -Steve PS: Make sure you check out the rest of our content on interval training: ### All photo credits can be found in this footnote.[11]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/3-hiit-workouts-for-beginners-how-to-start-interval-training/ Today I’m going to help you achieve your first push-up! Yep, I know that sounds super confident. But it’s because I have a push-up progression plan that’s helped loads of clients in our Online Coaching Program crush their first push-up. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Follow our guide and you’ll be doing “Earth Downs” in no time: Let’s get started.
What’s the Best Push-up Progression Plan?As I discuss in the video above, the most important part of your push-up progression plan: consistency. Yeah, I know, there’s nothing too earth-shattering there. But no matter what your current strength level is, the best way to work towards a push-up is to train your push muscles consistently. No matter where you’re starting today. This is how our friend Mason went from wall push-ups to regular push-ups, then all the way to diamond push-ups. Oh, and he lost like 70 pounds along the way too! I’ll discuss push-up variations you should start with in the next section. Plus, we’ll wrap up today’s guide by discussing just how often you should train your push muscles. Just remember, if you want your first push-up (and you should, cause push-ups are awesome), then you’ll need to be consistent with our push-up progression plan. Cool? Cool. Our first stop on the Push-up Progression Plan: finding a push-up variation for you to become comfortable with. Something you can do about 8-10 reps with, for about 3-4 sets. To start, you’ll probably train with an elevated push-up variation: These will be easier than a regular push-up, since the higher the elevation, the less of your body’s weight you’ll be lifting during the movement. Conversely, if you were to elevate your feet, you’d actually be lifting more than a regular push-up: Here’s a rough breakdown of the percentage of your bodyweight lifted for different elevations of push-ups:[1]
The strategy behind our push-up progression plan is to slowly move you down to the ground, lifting more and more of your own weight as you go. Think of it like gaining XP in a video game, so one day you’ll be able to tackle the final boss: the floor. It might help to pretend there’s a witch below it. Alright, let’s show you exactly how to do some of these push-up variations. 5 Push-up Variations (to Progress to a Full Push-Up)The push-up variations below can be thought of as benchmarks. If you can’t complete 8-10 reps, nbd. We’ll have you train at the level below and you’ll move up before you know it. Here are 5 variations for our Push-up Progression Plan: Push-up Progression Level 1: Wall Push-ups
Place your hands on a wall about chest weight (roughly 4′, 48″, or 122 cm). Bend your arms and get as close to the wall before pushing back up. Push-up Progression Level 2: Waist-High Push-ups
Place your hands on a surface about waist high (roughly 3′, 36″, or 92 cm). Bend your arms and touch your chest to the surface before pushing back up. Push-up Progression Level 3: Knee-High Push-ups
Place your hands on a surface about knee high (roughly 1.5′, 18″, or 46 cm). Bend your arms and touch your chest to the surface before pushing back up. Push-up Progression Level 4: Knee Push-ups
Hold yourself up on your hands and knees, with the body in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Lower down to the ground before pushing back up. Push-up Progression Level 5 (Final Boss): Push-ups!
You made it to a push-up! Are you doing them correctly? Our next section will dive into the correct form, since this is a guide on getting your first proper push-up (I wouldn’t hold out on you). But first, you may be asking yourself a question: when do I progress up to the next level? For that, I’d recommend downloading our new app (it’s free to try out). Nerd Fitness Journey will guide you through a workout routine specifically designed to help you get your first push-up, with benchmarks and signals on when to move up. Plus, you get to earn actual XP so you level up your very own superhero! You can give it a free test drive right here: What Is the Proper Form for a Push-Up?The video above walks you through the correct way to do a proper push-up, and also includes a few well-placed jokes from yours truly. Here’s how to complete one perfect push-up:
Here are 4 common mistakes I see with push-ups: #1) Make sure you keep your elbows in. Often, beginners will flare out their elbows when doing a push-up. A good way to think of this, is you want your body to appear more like an ARROW from the top, not a T. This infographic on the proper push-up form shows you want I mean: #2) Keep your head in line with your body. We don’t want your head shifting forward, which could put unnecessary stress on your neck and prevent a full range of motion. #3) Keep your hips in line with your body (no sagging). We want you in one straight line as you push your body up and down: #4) Attempt to do a full range of motion with your push-up (as long as it’s pain-free). Shoot to come all the way down, so your chest is touching the ground or the object you’re doing push-ups against. If you want more help here, we have a full guide on how to do proper push-ups, (including advanced variations to try). Exercises For Achieving a Full Push-UpThere are two exercises that will go a long way towards achieving your first push-up:
First, let’s talk about push-up negatives. “Negative” in exercise terminology generally means only doing half of a traditional rep, normally lowering the movement. To do a Push-up Negative:
Next, let’s talk about Front Planks or Holding at the Top of a Push-up. This is important for a few reasons:
Holding a plank might be tough for you, so let’s talk about a few variations you can experiment with. Hold Level 1: Knee Planks
Hold yourself up on your forearms and knees, with the body in a straight line from shoulders to knees. Hold Level 2: Front Planks
Lie on the floor with your forearms flat, making sure that your elbows are aligned directly under your shoulders. Engage your core and raise your body off the floor in a straight line from head to feet, keeping your forearms planted. Try not to let your hips rise or drop. Hold Level 3: Push-up Hold
Hold yourself up at the top of a push-up position, with the body in a straight line from shoulders to feet. If you follow the Push-up Challenge in NF Journey, you’ll notice that pretty much every workout ends with a type of one of these holds, since core strength is so critical for push-ups. Oh, and if you want to just try Nerd Fitness Journey to see what I mean, you can do so right here: The Push-up Workout PlanRemember earlier when I said the name of the game with push-up progression is consistency? To show you what I mean, it’s time to build a workout for conquering push-ups. I’d recommend three workouts a week for a Push-up Progression Plan, with a rest day between. Could be Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday. As long as there’s a day off between workouts, it’s fine. Oh, and if you can only do two workouts a week, that’s okay too. Just do the best you can (even once a week). The “Get Your First Push-up” Workout is:
Let’s dive into each of these a bit more. Step #1) Warm-up
Arm circles for push-ups will look like this: Wrist stretches for push-ups will look like so: You can always do a more formal warm-up routine, but just make sure you include some variation of these two moves. Step #2) Train with a Push-up Variation
Earlier, we went through 5 variations that will help you get your first push-up. After your warm-up, you should train with one of them. For our Push-up Progression Plan, I want you to alternate between two variations:
For example:
Step #3) Do a Negative
After you train with your push-up variation, I want you to attempt 2-3 reps of a negative push-up. If these are too tough, simply do an easier variation, like knee push-up negatives: Any of the 5 variations we discussed earlier can be done as a “negative.” These negatives will be important, as they’ll go a long way towards building strength for a regular push-up. Step #4) Plank/Hold for 60 seconds
We’re going to end our “Get Your First Push-up” Workout with a hold:
Choose whichever variation you like, but attempt to hold the position for a full minute, with as few sets as possible. If you need to break up the 60-second hold, you could:
Just aim to go longer and longer as you go. If you can’t make it to a full minute, don’t stress. Just work on holding a knee or elevated plank. These holds will help strengthen your core, which will be critical for doing push-ups with proper form. Oh, and if you want someone to modify this workout for you (let’s say you also want to do some HIIT for fat loss) our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program can do just that. Plus, your coach can review your movements through our app so you’ll know your training correctly and safely. How to Achieve Your First Push-up (Next Steps)That should give you everything you need to get started with the push-up progression plan. Remember, your “Get Your First Push-up” Workout is:
Do this three times a week, with a day of rest between workouts, and you’ll be good to go. As you continue on the Push-up Progression Plan, remember to keep pushing harder. We want you slowly but surely increasing the challenge of the workout (known in the biz as “progressive overload.”) This could be:
Oh, and if you need any help along the way, I gotcha boo. Here’s how to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness. #1) Our Online Coaching Program: perfect for someone who wants an expert (like me!) to design the right path for conquering push-ups. We’re all different, so why not have a coach guide you through a program that’s custom-made for you? You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program would be a good fit. Just click on the image below for more details: #2) If you want an exact blueprint for crushing push-ups, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). Plus, our 6-week Push-up Challenge has helped quite a few Rebels achieve their first push-up! Try your free trial right here: #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. You’ll meet individuals from all different walks of life, all of whom are trying to level up their lives. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our “Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know” guide, which will teach you exactly how to grow strong enough to rock push-ups:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Alright, I want to hear from you now: Can you do a proper push-up? If not, what level are you on? Are we missing any helpful suggestions for a beginner? Let me know in the comments! -Jim PS: Check out the rest of our guides on doing push-ups:
### Photo source: Gecko push-up; Figure push-up; 102, 103, 104…; doll push-up, push-up sunset;
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/push-up-progression-plan/ So you’ve decided to build a home gym? That’s great! We’ve been helping people train from home for the past 12 years, and today we’ll share with you our top 16 ideas for building a gym in your garage (or apartment). We’ve already covered how to stay in shape while staying inside, so today we’re tackling how to create your own home-gym space! Oh, and if you’re wondering what to do with all this home gym equipment, we have guides that will show you step by step. Here’s what we’ll cover in our guide, How to Build a Home Gym:
As you might be able to tell, we’re going to start with things you might have around your house. We’ll level up all the way to a legit home gym setup that you could charge a membership fee for.
Home Gym Level 1: Household ObjectsIf you’re without a single free weight in your house or apartment, all is not lost. All sorts of household objects can be used for your home gym! Imagine you’re like MacGyver – except instead of building a bomb out of Drain-o, a crazy straw, and bubble gum… You’re building a home gym! Here are some ideas for fitness equipment using everyday stuff: #1) Jugs (Milk, Laundry) If it has a handle and can store water, it can be used as a free weight. In our Beginner Bodyweight Workout, I recommend using a milk jug for “dumbbell rows”: What if you’re only drinking oat milk or almond milk these days, and don’t have a milk jug? No problem. An empty bottle of laundry detergent, refilled with water, will fulfill the same purpose. To make it lighter, just fill it with less water. Want to make it even heavier? Use sand instead of water. Even heavier? Fill it with the weight of your feelings during quarantine. #2) Buckets! Do you know what’s specifically designed to hold water and be lifted and carried? A bucket! Duh. Though, I suppose I gave it away above. A sturdy bucket can be a great tool for doing single-leg Romanian deadlifts, as demonstrated above by Coach Pat from our online coaching program. Much like a jug, fill it with enough water (or sand) to match your strength level. #3) Luggage. At the time of writing this guide, most people aren’t really traveling anywhere due to COVID-19. This means your luggage and suitcases are probably just collecting dust. So why not turn them into weights! Just about any workout you can do with a sandbag, you could do with a suitcase full of weight. What kind of weight, you ask? How about:
Take a lap around your house, I bet you find a dozen things to increase the weight of your luggage. In one of our home workouts found in Nerd Fitness Prime, Coach Pat got his luggage to weigh about 60 pounds using books and cans he had lying around his home. If it’s heavy and fits in your bag, it’ll work just fine. #4) Towels If you haven’t forgotten your towel, you’ll have yourself a versatile tool to use in your workouts. Don’t believe me? Well, have you ever seen anyone use a towel for a deadlift? The trick is to get your setup right, by getting your hips back and chest out. Then you perform the same upward motion as you would in a normal deadlift. I apologize if you rip your towel in half doing this because you’re so strong (but like, worth it). Also, if you don’t have a pull-up bar (more on buying one next section), a couple of towels can help you do chin-ups off a sturdy door. Note – I said STURDY. Be careful! Coach Jim shows you exactly how to do it right here: #5) Doorways Another way to train your “pull” muscles, without using a jug or bucket, would be to use a doorway! We can use the doorframe itself to support us, as we lean back and pull forward to complete the row. Another option for performing rows would be… #6) Tables In our Beginner Bodyweight Workout referenced earlier, I show you how to perform inverted bodyweight rows using a dining room table: Lie underneath your table so your head and shoulder are sticking out above it. Grab the table edge with an overhand grip, and pull yourself up (just like it’s explained above). Home Gym Level 2: A Pull-Up Bar and KettlebellAt this level, we are going to start actually making some purchases. There are a few items that should you choose to buy, you’ll be able to perform a ton of different exercises. #7) A Door Frame Pull-Up Bar[1] With this one piece of equipment, you’ll have all you need to build a complete bodyweight workout. Working your “pull” muscles can be tricky using just your bodyweight without access to a pull-up bar, so If you are going to buy a single piece of equipment for your home gym, start here. If you’re serious about fitness, and you’re trying to get your first pull-up, a pull-up bar is a must. #8) Doorway Fingerboard Climber Want to level up your pull-up bar? Consider a fingerboard climber or hangboard! You’ll still train your pull muscles, plus you’ll get some amazing grip strength too in the process. #9) A Kettlebell[2] While you don’t need any equipment to grow strong (check out our guide for bodyweight exercises for proof), if you were going to buy anything, a kettlebell would offer you a lot of versatility. If you do end up picking one up, make sure you check out our 20-minute beginner kettlebell workout, which can be done with one single bell in your living room. #10) Resistance Bands. Exercise bands don’t take up a lot of room and can be a great way to increase the difficulty of normal bodyweight moves. For example, you could start doing band squats: You have a few different options on bands to purchase, so check out our guide to exercise bands for tips on what to secure. #11) Yoga Mat If you have lots of comfy carpet or fluffy towels in your house, you don’t need a mat to do yoga. But if you have hardwood floors or tile, you’re gonna want a mat to protect your knees and elbows. (By the way, here’s a 20-minute yoga routine you can do at home) Let’s give you three different options on what to buy:
Note: if you’re new to Yoga, check out NF Prime – we have a ton of Yoga videos designed for beginners who don’t do Yoga! Home Gym Level 3: Dumbbells and Gymnastic RingsAt this point, we’re going to start equipping you with stuff that will make your garage/living room look like a gym. Note: dumbbells. and rings are the ONLY pieces of equipment that Jimmy used to get in shape with our online coaching program: So you can get in shape with minimal equipment – it just comes down to having a great program to follow! #12) Dumbbells Dumbbells don’t take up a lot of space and offer you a great way to up the difficulty of your workout. For example, instead of doing bodyweight squats, you can do goblet squats: You can also use them for your chest press: Or with a full-body movement like a snatch: The cool thing about dumbbells is once a particular move gets easy, just grab a heavier dumbbell to increase the difficulty. You have two options on how to handle progressive overload: either buy a bunch of different weighted dumbbells or get an adjustable set:
#13) Gymnastic Rings With a pair of gymnastic rings, you can do all kinds of awesome exercises. Like chin-ups: Or push-ups: Or dips: Or the big daddy of them all, the muscle-up: And lots of other stuff in between. Gymnastic rings are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment out there, which is why we LOVE them and have full resources to train with them. Here are some things to consider when making your ring purchases:
If you’re interested in becoming the lord of rings, make sure you read our full guide on using gymnastic rings. It’ll walk you through how to set them up, exercises to perform, and building a full ring workout. Home Gym Level 4: Squat Racks, Barbells, and BenchesAt this level, you’ll have a gym that you can start charging others to use (once it’s safe to let people in your home). #14) Squat Rack Any proper gym is going to have a squat rack. It’s needed to do a barbell back squats: Or a front squat: There are a couple of different options on what to buy:
This is a good option to buy, since it also has a pull-up bar attached (nice).
Here’s an awesome cage/rack to buy. NOTE: THESE ARE DIFFERENT THAN A SMITH MACHINE! Unless you have no other choice, we want to focus on free moving barbells and stand-alone squat racks for their versatility, and we’d want to avoid Smith Machines.[3] To learn how to use a squat rack (performing exercises properly, setting it up, etc), check out our full guide on How to Squat Properly. #15) Barbells To actually use a squat rack, you’re going to need a barbell (and some weights). Otherwise, you’ll just start hanging clothes on it. You’ll have two options:
You can also consider just going to home depot and buying a thin PVC pipe to start practicing the barbell movements! Once you get used to lifting a barbell around, you’re gonna want to put some weight on it to grow strong. #16) Weights It’s now time to add weight to your barbell. I’d recommend bumper plates, since they are coated in rubber and will keep you from damaging your floor and pissing off your landlord. CAP currently has a few bumper plates that are good quality. Also, you can go with some plain metal weights. #17) A Bench Outside of a squat rack, a bench will be useful for flushing out your home gym. Otherwise, how are you going to perform a bench press? You have two options here:
Building a Home Gym Workout (Putting It All Together)Now that you have all this sweet home gym equipment, it’s time to put it to use. Let’s build a workout routine! You want a workout routine that has at least one exercise for your:
Before jumping into this sequence, make sure you warm-up! It’ll help you prevent injuries. Here’s a sequence you can follow along with: “How often should I work out, Steve?” I generally recommend newbies complete a full-body routine (hitting every major muscle group above) two to three times a week. On your “rest days,” you can look into doing some active recovery, yoga, or fun movement. Now, if you’re doing a bunch of micro-workouts throughout the day, then you can get away with training every day – providing you’re giving each muscle group a chance to recover! If you’d like to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness, I have three great options for you. Pick the path that most aligns with your goals. Option #1) Our online coaching program. If you want a professional coach in your pocket who will check your form, give you nutrition guidance, and adjust your workouts based on the equipment you have available, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program! I’ve had an online coach since 2015 and it’s changed my life. You can learn more by clicking on the box below: Option #2) If you want a roadmap for getting in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app will help you exercise and eat better, plus show you exactly how to train from home (with equipment or without)! Interested? Try your free trial right here: Option #3) Join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community. And it’s free. Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. It’ll help you start incorporating all the exercises referenced in today’s guide.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Alright, enough from me. Your turn: Do you have a home or garage gym? Any “must-have” equipment that I’m missing? What’s your strategy for hunting down “sold out” goods? Let me know in the comments! -Steve PS: If you are trying to stay in shape while your gym is closed, check out:
### Photo Source: Hotel gym, Deck workout, LEGO bench press, Breakfast time,
Footnotes ( returns to text)
The post Blog first appeared on Nerd Fitness. via https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-to-build-a-home-gym-the-ultimate-guide-for-garage-gym-ideas/ |
About UsFitness News For All is dedicated to share latest fitness news and tips. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |