There is so much mis and dis information circulating thru the general public about”losing weight”. Even the basic concept of “weight loss” is a misnomer in and of itself.  The terminology is useless and a great cause of confusion.  Western Society in the 21st century is at a crossroads because most people through the aid of technology are basically sedentary.  In the same regard, people usually eat the simplest most available food stuffs ie what’s on grocery and convenience store shelves.  Most of them are highly refined, processed and laden with trans-fats. When you combine these two basic concepts, you can visualize the impending disaster facing the health care industry for the next 50 years.

The issue is not something concerning the Bodybuilding/Life Extending/and Fitness communities. What they are looking for is the quickest and most effective way to get lean/shredded. The general goal of this series of articles is to offer a an informed perspective using 20 years of empirical application which have yielded such results.

Bio-Chemistry and Thermodynamics

There is no “cookie-cutter” approach to altering ones body composition. Notice we didn’t say weight loss because what we are after is adiposity reduction/elimination.
The Human body’s weight can fluctuate in multiple ways rarely linearly with a persons individual response either positive or negative.  In the simplest of terms, the Human Body can alter its physical composition by reducing or increasing kcal intake. It doesn’t matter the types of energy used for such a purpose. Regardless of what the many and various diet guru’s say about the composition of the nutrients and macro-nutrient ratio %’s— The LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS prevails 99.9% of the time.

If you take in less kcals than you need for maintaining “BASAL METABOLIC RATE“(BMR), you will lose weight(Skeletal Mass(Muscle) and Adipose Tissue(Body fat). The inverse is also true.

Accepting this as a universal truism, how do we establish a *Normal Persons BMR*?

How does a Normal person differ from a person reading this site? (We need to establish guidelines here…we’ll address and augment this answer in a future installment covering the diverese population groups reading TMC and looking for help)

General Guidelines

Determining BMR is multi-factoral and often confusing because of our favorite term in the world of molecular biology and food and nutrition. “Biochemical Individuality“. No single person burns kcals the same.  Humanity is so different in this regard. (And if you knew how Reptilian shape shifters burned wow..:) Understanding the diversity of caloric burn, self experimentation and accurate record keeping is of paramount importance to understand how individuals **process nutrients**(more on this in a future article)

To illustrate “How to diet”, it’s easiest to create a fictitious 200 pound recreational bodybuilder as a mean.  First we need to determine body composition before we investigate anything else.  We must have a basic starting point. Goals are formed after a thorough assessment of a persons condition.  This is the crucial step because most people who fail on their diets(even performance athletes/bodybuilders)do so because they lack a starting point of accuracy. (Much More on this topic in future installments of this Series).

Anthropomorphic Measurements are Essential and the only governing scientific process for a productive diet.  Read that line 100x and memorize it.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  We must figure out a person’s Body Fat Percentage(Adipose Tissue) and his Lean Body Weight(Skeletal Muscle and Bone Mass) taking into effect bone/hip structure(more on understanding this later) before we can formulate an intelligently designed diet.

Once you’ve gathered this data you can do some basic math.

200 pound Average Bodybuilder

We will assume is 15% body fat. This means he is somewhere in the range of 155-170 pounds of Skeletal Muscle Mass including bone weight.  Knowing these things you can begin to measure the factors that affect his BMR.

In TMC’s opinion these are the most important factors effecting BMR.

• Sleeping Patterns
• Mental Outlook
• Activity Levels in Day to Day living
• Consistency of Diet
• Genetics

It usually takes a competent exercise professional to understand and account for all of those factors. Once these are understood it’s safe to assume you can come up with a rough approximation of Daily Caloric Requirement to maintain BMR. Let’s say (hypothetical only) 15 kcals per pound of total bodyweight would mean he needs 3500 kcals per day to maintain his present condition. If 15 kcals per pound of bodyweight is the mean to maintain homeostasis(current body weight) we can now calculate the method of attaining the “crucial element” of any body fat reduction plan.

*Losing Body fat while avoiding/minimizing Muscle Loss*

How is this best achieved?(Initially and you can augment further depending on a persons condition-to be discussed further soon)

***15% Kcal reduction +***10% increase in Movement Patterns =’s Net 25% Energy Deficit.

There are many factors to discuss from here and rest assured they will be addressed in the articles to come.  Topics such as, the TYPES OF DIETS to employ, MAINTAINING AN ANABOLIC METABOLISM, CRUCIAL ERGOGENS ACCELERATING FAT LOSS, OPTIMAL DIET FOR WOMEN etc.

As always with everything TMC relates, formulating a strategy when dieting is only specific to the goals of the individual and his/her present state related to attaining such.

In our professional experience its safest to lose body fat gradually in order to not throw off the body’s equilibrium in maintaining its augmentation long term.

We hope you found some of this helpful and encourage you to respond by leaving a comment on the blog or on Facebook fan page.

Off to the LA Fit Expo!

MIHWCS

Gym Technik works for both iPhones and Android smart phone platforms.  TMC has been using it since 2009 when we were on Blackberry.

Here are some highlights from the announcement.

By getting personalized attention from our certified trainers, Gym Technik members with a Premium Plus plan can benefit in the following ways:

•  Customized workout plans with streaming video, accessible from their iPhone or Android.
•  Direct messaging access to the trainer to ask any health related questions
•  An affordable and convenient way to get access to a personal trainer
•  Workout plans continuosly updated based on actual progress
•  Online and Mobile features tied in with social media, to motivate and help members reach their goals faster.

If you haven’t already done so, you should check out his site today.

Staying on track with your fitness program, while traveling during the holiday season can seem difficult to some; but it does not have to according to fitness expert and author, Jeff Behar of Muscle Mag Fitness.com.

“Whether you’re at home for the holidays or traveling to see your friends or family, it can be easy to stay in shape, while partaking in holiday fare, if you have fitness plan. Maintaining your workout routine will not only give you that extra energy to partake in all the activities that may be on your agenda, but it will also help you resist overindulging at holiday meals and parties too!” according to Behar, CEO of www.MuscleMagFitness.com.

Here are a few helpful health and fitness tips for keeping fit during your holiday travels:

1. If you have a gym membership to a national chain, check to see if there is a local gym at your holiday destination
2. When packing, consider bringing resistance tubing so you can perform your favorite strength-training exercises when not at the gym.
3. Consider purchasing a fitness DVD for your trip. If you are normally a weight room junkie, trying something new can really help you make great gains.
4. Upon waking, go for a nice walk or run. Starting the day exercising will burn calories, burn fat and help you set the tone for the rest of the day.
5. Pack healthy snacks such as low-fat protein items, and fruit for your trip, and avoid airport food at all costs. This will not only save you calories, but money as well.
6. If staying at a hotel, choose a hotel that has a fitness center.
7. If traveling by car, plan for frequent stops to walk and stretch. Not only will this help you burn calories, but it will also help you stay more awake when driving and help you feel better once you reach your destination.
8. Eating a high protein, low glycemic carb meal before going to a holiday party. This will help increase your satiety levels (feeling of fullness), and reduce your temptation to eat empty calories and high fat snacks.
9. Enjoy small portions of high-calorie and high-fat holiday fare, if you can not control your urge to eat.
10. Eat slowly during holiday dinners. This will not only reduce your chances of feeling a “food coma”, but it will also help keep you from overeating, and putting on extra holiday pounds.
11. Always east some protein with your carbohydrate rich snacks. This will lower the glycemic index and load of the meal, and reduce the impact the meal will have on your blood sugar levels. It will also increase your satiety levels.
12. Limit alcoholic beverages over the holidays and separate drinks with glasses of water.

“You can still enjoy the holidays without wrecking your diet and your workout routine. It just stakes a little forethought, and sometimes some creativity and control. So have a plan, and you can not only enjoy your holidays, but you can look good while doing so too!” said Behar.

Please go to this link, register and vote.

You have the option to vote for Anh up to 5x per 24 hour period. 

We would be greatly appreciative if you could vote couple of times in the month of November.  Every vote counts.

MIHWCS

But somebody, somewhere, out there, is working even harder for the sheer love of competing.

Once you share that love, you wont need to understand why we do what we do!

Model America is 3 weeks away from tomorrow and TMC is coming.  Look out Golden Nugget.

MIHWCS

We’ve chosen BigTom O’Connor and Lucky Luca, of the Costume Consultants to do us up right.  We won’t let the cat out of the bag yet, but think “super heroes” and you’ll be heading in the right direction.

These guys are true masters of the body painting realm.  You can check out some of their creations on this video:

The Costume Consultants

And here are some sick images from their body painting magic.

If there’s are any other Vegas locals interested in getting painted this year, BigTom is your man.

Please email him directly:  bigtomlasvegas@gmail.com or hit him up through his Facebook pages already linked here.

Tell them The Muscle Couple sent you for a super star deal!  We guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

We are super pumped to let these masters paint our physiques in a couple of weeks.

Two weeks until Halloween Weekend, and 5 Weekends until Model America.

Great stuff happening in the world of TMC!

MIHWCS

Friday Update

Date  Navel   Beltline    Bicep Chest
9/2/11       39.5       37.25      NA    NA
9/9/11       39.0       37.25      NA    NA
9/16/11     38.5       37.25       15     42
9/23/11     37.75     37.00      15     42
9/29/11     37.5       37.00      15     42
10/7/11     37.5       36.75       15     41.75
10/14/11   37.5       36.75       15     42.25

Not a lot of hard number improvement yet again this week, but a couple of positive developments.  Even though the belly measurement has stagnated a bit, the skinfold measurement there has dropped a couple of mm’s.  I’m also noticing a decrease in the subcutaneous fat in other places; ie cheekbones, neck, arms, chest, etc.  I know the belly fat is going to be the most stubborn, so I’m not discouraged.  The diet and workout plan has been kept stable at Jay’s suggestion until I meet again with my Docs on Tuesday, after which an updated plan of attack will surely follow.

Strength continues to improve, with a couple of interesting developments on that front; I’ve had to begin “strapping myself in” to several of the Hammer machines now as the weight I’m using is surpassing my body weight.  Also, as of last week, the weight has increased substantially enough that I’ve had to start using gloves again due to the pain in my palms that the heavier weight is causing.  (I’ve also ordered a pair of “Gripads”to replace the gloves, which are just a nuisance to put on.)

Some examples of the weight increases since 8/29/2011:

Incline Bench, up 20 lbs.
Pulldown, up 40 lbs.
Preacher curl, up 20 lbs.
Cable Presdown, up 20 lbs.
Decline Bench, up 50 lbs.
Row, up 20 lbs.
Dips, up 70 lbs. (!)

Last but not least, I broke down and jumped on the scale this morning (my wife has taken custody of it…but old habits die hard!).  198.  That’s a loss of about 4 1/2 lbs. since 8/29 while experiencing some major composition/measurement changes.  Oh, and I’ve still only missed 2 days of morning fasted cardio!

More to come next week…..stay tuned!

<TMC Commentary>

Keep on keepin on Steve.  Progress is never linear unfortunately.  It’s always an ebb and flow kind of storyline.

Once you’re “good to go” with your Dr’s recommendation, we’ll begin to tweak and adjust around it.

We continue to be excited for you and look forward to seeing you reach your ultimate goal!

MIHWCS

Thanks to all the contestants Gina Navarro and Jamie Spenner for coming out and working on your contest prep.

A huge TMC special shout out to Josephine Dalton aka Trainer JO for her expertise in helping me(Anhski) finally figure out a model walk that works for my long legs. lol!!

We are looking forward to our next Strutting session.

If there are any newbies in Vegas competing in a fitness show needing help with your stage presence, stage walk or have any other questions,  I highly recommend you contact Trainer JO and take one of her Strutting workshops.

She really is “Awesome” and a fountain of knowledge for even the most seasoned competitor!

More to come!

MIHWCS

Day 2

• BACK
• Wide Pullups (1 Rest Pause Bodyweight Set Shooting for 30-50 Reps)
• T-Bar Standing Rows (1 Rest Pause Set of 3 10′ Breath Rotations)
• Close Grip Pulldowns (Same)
• Standing Cable Stiff Arm Pullovers (Same)

• BICEPS
• Standing Barbell Curl (1 Rest Pause Set at 75% 1RM 3 10″ Breath rotations)
• Hammer Curls(DBs or Rope Cable-Same)

• QUADS
• Flex Squat Machine (75% of 1RM for 3 excruciating full ass to the floor 10′ Breath Rotations-If you work this hard enough, make sure you have somebody to catch you at the end)
• Leg Extensions with Double Contraction and Hold (60% of 1RM and Same)

<TMC Notes>

***These rest pause training days take a lot of focus and concentration.  Try to limit your distractions.

***Always focus on the contraction and squeeze maximally for 1-2 seconds (this has to be learned and nothing teaches this better than HIT Master practioners

***We train back to back on the rest pause days and then take a minimum of two days off before our final two days of the 4 Day a Week Program.

***Stretch after every Rest Pause Set.  Depending on how advanced your training level, you can stretch dynamically or just enough to work the Fascia a bit.

***Eventually we are going to link exercise videos to each one of these movements so all of our readers from the newbie to advanced can understand how these are performed optimally.

There is lots going on in TMC’s life that is incredibly positive.

We are only 7 weeks away from Muscle Mania and Model America and both Anh and I are competing in the same class this year.

We also received our photos back from our photo shoot with world class fitness photographer Natalie Minh and we’re pretty proud of how they turned out.  Hope to reveal some of them soon.

Let’s just say “a few of them” we can’t reveal just yet. 

Here is a peak-a boo shot of Anh to give you an idea how amazing they are:

We’ll try and reveal Day’s 5 & 6 of this program before the end of the week.

Stay tuned!

MIHWCS

Our commentary below his report.

Day 32 Progress Report/Photos

With a full month under my belt, here is my Friday Update

Date Navel Beltline   Bicep Chest
9/2/11   39.5       37.25           NA    NA
9/9/11   39.0       37.25           NA    NA
9/16/11  38.5       37.25           15     42
9/23/11  37.75     37.00          15     42
9/29/11  37.5       37.00         15     42

Well folks, the numbers speak for themselves.  Considering I’ve likely only lost 2-3 lbs., I consider this great progress for my first 30 days.

Certainly solid lifestyle changes have taken hold and are becoming habit.  Took my first and only day off from morning cardio thus far about two days ago.  I’ve also been taking a skinfold measurement from the suggested Accu-Measure site of just right of my navel, and it has gone from about 30 mm down to 21 mm.  (I take three measurements and average them.)

All of this being said, I’d like to see more obvious results from my photos, but I believe I/you can see some progress.  I apologize for the poor quality pics; they are always taken in the morning, after cardio and certainly not “pumped”:

8/22/11

9/29/11

8/22/11

<TMC Commentary>

Wow.  Steve is definitely selling himself short.  There is very noticeable progress to the “trained physique watching eye”.

From side view (last photo above) it’s obvious he is losing trunk adipose and his skin/muscle mass appears to be tightening in all areas.

Clearly, there is no loss in mass/size but the “sagging/loose” areas are no more or barely visible.  We’re really proud of Steve as his family and friends.

TMC is now cooking up some changes to accelerate his progress and to fine tune his program.  Hopefully more on that next week.

For all who are following Steve’s posts and progress, send him a note thru his site here or leave a comment on the site.

Congrats Steve!  LET’S GO!

MIHWCS