With New Year’s but 2 weeks away, I hope you are taking some time to relish the emptiness of your gym (if your gym is less crowded).  Once those resolutions are made… look out!  It will be crowded for a couple of weeks until people realize… hey you have to do this all the time?

Enjoy it while it lasts!

Send me a photo link to your gym and I’ll post it here.

Marc David – CPT
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding

Not Everybody Can Afford Carb Back Loading

So you say you can’t afford to buy the Carb Backloading ebook?  In most cases, it is not because you cannot “afford” it, it is because your priorities are askew.  I’ve often said, you get what you pay for when it comes to information.

For a moment, I will stop being so damn judgmental and dish out the basics of a protocol that is rocking the fitness world.  It’s called Carb Backloading.

(more…)

Carb Back Loading Meal Plan: Simple, Healthy and above all … FUN!

While the book does contain a general carb back loading meal plan, they may or may not suit your needs and likes.  Assuming are you somewhat experienced in the creation of a meal plan, it’s not really difficult but it might go against the mainstream nutrition advice you’ve read before.  Some might even call it extreme!  If you want my carb back loading review.  Now let’s talk food!  Here’s how it works.

The Carb Backloading ebook by John Kiefer goes thru some very simple formulas.  No math, just charts.  You figure out the total number of grams of protein you want pre-training and post-training, the amount of fat and then the magic number of carbs for your backloads.

This could be your carb back loading meal plan

A Prep Phase is suggested before you start carb backloading.  It’s quite simple.  You go ULC for 10 days.  You weight yourself before and after and the number of pounds lost is your target carbs for backloading.  At the time, mine came out to be 409g per day for density bulking.  As weeks went by, I adjusted that to 350g as 200g was too low and 409g was too high.  Nevertheless, it proved to be an excellent starting point.  While it’s not required to do this prep phase, it’s highly recommended so that you can figure out your own personal numbers.  It would have been helpful to include a carb back loading meal plan for the ultra-low carb phase, but Kiefer assumes you aren’t the average person and you will already know this or use the forums to design your own for this short phase.

What do you eat on carb back-loading?  Let me show you.

(more…)

Is obesity a national problem?

Will it become a global problem?

Here’s the Center for Disease Control (CDC) obesity trends among adults from 1986 to 2010.

The video shows shows the history of United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2010.

(more…)

This is a guest post by Mishka Thomas, a food and beverage blogger

The tragic death of an infant is among the many cases that shed light on the consequences of vegetarianism/veganism, among which are fatal vitamin deficiencies. Sergine and Joel Le Moaligou of France fed their 11-month-old daughter Louise breast milk alone– one day in March 2008 the baby became listless and the couple called emergency services. The baby died of a vitamin deficiency.

(more…)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Carb Backloading Question from Facebook:

I’m in great shape right now, thanks to your advice and all your info, but notice your talking about this carb back-loading thing. You don’t think that actually works do you? I went to the site and it sounds like another “fad diet” to me. - Scott

Does Carb Backloading Work?

Scott, define “what actually works?”

If you simply mean… does this crazy sounding program carb backloading by John Kiefer that I’ve been following almost to the letter for 2 month, that has all these typical before and after shots plus the marketing pitch of eating junk food on the sales page really build muscle or burn fat like they claim?  In a minute, I will talk about some carb backloading results from my own experience if that would help.

Then Yes but there’s more to the discussion.  Here is my personal Carb Backloading Review.

(more…)

Put an end to some Bodybuilding Myths

This is a guest post by Galen Hass is a seasoned bodybuilder and consultant to Trim Nutrition (a weight loss company)

Many bodybuilding newbies turn to the most ripped guys in the gym to get their bodybuilding advice.  If that newbie stumbles upon someone who just happened to find success amidst total bodybuilding ignorance, that false information will be passed on.  And on.  And on.

It is time to put an end to bodybuilding myths.  Perhaps you have been under the delusion of one of these mistruths.  Or, maybe you are just getting started and want to do things right.  No matter where you are in your weight lifting journey, here are some common myths you should be aware of and avoid.

(more…)

#vote in the poll

Click Here to Cast Your Vote

Marc David – CPT
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding

Just the other day, I got off the phone with a friend I’ve know for years.  He told me how many times per week he’s doing cardio (spin, zumba, etc) and does some weight training but not much.  He’s frustrated that his fat loss seems to have come to a complete halt.

In fact, in the last month, he’s fluctuated about two pounds!

I tried to explain cardio as a tool that he could use to put himself further into a calorie deficit but that his main goal should be to focus on weight training and building muscle.  As usual, the advice I willingly gave was met with endless debates about the necessity of cardio.  After which he told me he thinks he’s been in a 50% deficit! (that’s 50% below what he needs to maintain his current level of activity).

My advice was simple.. reduce the cardio, start eating more and focus on the weights.  Maybe even consider eating at his maintenance level for a bit or even go into a surplus!  He wouldn’t hear of it.  He was willing to consider less of a deficit but there wasn’t a chance he’s ever think of eating too much more as it might put on fat.

To give you some perspective, he’s a 201 lb male eating about 1600 calories a day.

To give you some perspective, I’m 190 lb male eating about 4000 calories a day and I do one “cardio” session on Sunday for about 30 minutes.  It’s nothing more than a warm up for 5 minutes, followed by 6 all out sprints and a cool down.  Not much but it keeps me as lean as I need to be right now.

Why do I dislike cardio!

I don’t.  Not at all.  In fact Tom Venuto of the Burn the Fat Inner Circle says it best.

“Fat Loss is not a function of cardio. It is a function of a calorie deficit.”

(more…)

Do you ever ask yourself the question, “Am I fat?”

Then you dig around for that missing body fat caliper you bought for $10 off bodybuilding.com or search the web for the best body fat calculator?  Maybe you pay $70 every few months to get dunked underwater in some hydrostatic body weight van?  If this sounds like you keep reading.

What you are about to learn is the most honest, no formulas necessary method to quickly and easily determine if you are fat.  You won’t need any complicated formulas, no charts to memorize and it works on males and females alike!  Nobody else will tell you this because they all want to look super smart and they think a body fat number means something (it does to some extent but once you see the method below, you’ll know why it doesn’t matter).

This secret formula came to me thru a middle-aged wife who let me in on the secret while we were standing in line for some overpriced coffee.  Even I didn’t realize just how simple it is to tell if you are fat or not.

Put away the calipers.

Toss out the electronic body fat scales.

No need for dunking yourself underwater.  This method can be done anywhere, at anytime in the privacy of your own home (or in public if you are so bold).

(more…)