Are Food Cravings Normal?

Usually, the more aggressive your diet and the lower your body fat, the more these food fantasies seem to pop up. Look at it this way: Your body’s main responsibility is survival, so when it’s not receiving the nutrients it needs, it will do everything in its power to fix that. By conjuring images of the tastiest kinds of foods, your brain is desperately trying to compel you to eat.

Meanwhile, your body is reacting to your dieting by “upregulating” or increasing the amount of leptin in your system. Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells to help your body monitor both new and stored calories. When you’re not consuming enough calories, leptin signals your body to consume more.[1] This signaling helps increase your appetite and boost your metabolic rate.

Eat Your Way To A Slimmer You. What?!
The best way to stop the craving? Eat up! That’s right. Indulging in some of the foods you crave tells your body to release less leptin. And that’s the purpose of refeed days: to boost those leptin levels so you no longer feel hungry. You onboard a whole lot of calories, causing your leptin levels to drop precipitously, which suppresses your appetite and reduces those images of sugar plums dancing in your head. It’s just the thing you need to get your body back on track for success.

How To Maximize Your Refeed Day

A Cheat Day Or A Refeed Day?
To realize maximum results, however, you’ll want to do a refeed rather than a cheat day. Some people may think these are the same thing, but they’re not:

Cheat day: This is a day of relaxed eating designed to help you deal with the psychological feelings of deprivation that can arise when dieting. You typically don’t count your calories on cheat days, and you eat pretty much any kind of food you want.

Refeed day: This day is for deliberately overeating a specific macronutrient: carbohydrates. The immediate effect is to reduce the leptin that’s sending signals telling your body to consume more calories in the days ahead. Eating a lot of carbs literally “refeeds” your body with energy and muscle glycogen it can dip into as you resume your diet.

While both cheat days and refeed days can help you deal with your cravings, the refeed day addresses physiological issues, rather than psychological ones. To keep your body functioning well as you diet, on refeed day you should:

Maintain your normal protein intake
Double or even triple your normal carb intake (minimum: 200 grams)
Reduce your normal fat intake, unless you are already using a low-fat approach, in which case, maintain your level of fat intake
Why Less Fat During A Refeed?

Your body will draw energy from the extra carbs you’re consuming. If you keep eating a lot of fatty foods, your body will convert those calories directly into body fat. This is the last thing you want to happen when you’re on a diet. Research shows that the body does a better job burning calories when you increase carbs instead of fats. The average person stores 75-85 percent of the calories from excess carbs, while it stores almost 100 percent of excess calories it gets from fat.[2]

In a nutshell, your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to go high carb, low fat. Here are some great ways to fulfill that mission.

Sushi

Sushi is a terrific refeed choice, although you need to be careful about the type you choose. Avoid sushi made with fatty ingredients such as salmon, avocado, or with deep fried meats, fish, or vegetables. Nigiri is sushi that includes a slice of raw or cooked fish layered on top of carb-rich rice. Nigiri with shrimp or white fish will give you the high carb/low fat meal you’re after, as will cucumber rolls, California rolls, and tuna rolls.

If you like to dip your sushi in soy sauce, you’ll be receiving an extra hit of sodium. Since sodium makes your body retain more water, don’t be alarmed if your weight increases by a few extra pounds the day after you eat sushi. It’s likely just water weight, which the body can shed much faster than weight from body fat.

Pasta
A hearty bowl of pasta is the next item on the menu. Whether you choose white, whole wheat, or spinach pasta, this dietary staple can be an excellent refeed choice.

The main thing to watch out for is your choice of sauce. Stick to tomato-based sauces instead of cream or pesto sauces, which usually pack in too many calories from fat to be considered refeed-friendly. You do want to consume some protein in with this meal, so add a side of grilled chicken breast or shrimp pan fried in a little olive oil.

Cereal

Cereal is one of the most popular refeed foods. The astounding news for cereal fans is that you can go well beyond bran flakes or granola and let your childhood imagination run wild. If you reminisce about those cereals full of marshmallows, cocoa, brownie chunks, and cookie dough, today’s the day to indulge your inner toddler and dig in!

Sugary kid cereals can be beneficial on refeed days, as the simple sugars and carbs are what you’re after, nutritionally speaking. Add milk, which provides protein along with more sugars in the form of lactose, and you have a good high-carb, low-fat option.

Bagels (With The Right Toppings!)

If you don’t have much appetite or don’t like eating bulky foods, bagels can be a terrific choice. Don’t pile on the full-fat cream cheese or peanut butter, though. Instead, top the bagels with fat-free cream cheese, jelly, or protein-filled low-fat deli meat.

Bagels are more calorie dense than bread and are a smart choice if you crave that chewy, doughy texture. They’re also a much better choice than donuts or muffins which have higher fat content. Bagels contain just a gram or two of fat, depending on the variety.

Fat-Free Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt
If you struggle to control your sweet tooth, there are plenty of great options in the frozen-foods section, including low-fat or fat-free ice cream, sherbet, or frozen yogurt.

Be sure to pair your frozen dessert with some kind of protein, eaten either right before or afterwaryourSushi and ice cream might not sound too appetizing, so maybe go for a protein shake.

Your number of refeed days will vary based on how aggressively you diet, how lean you currently are, and whether your diet is filling your mind with fancy dessert images. Most people will benefit by scheduling their refeed days anywhere from 1-4 weeks apart.

But all of this is just advise.

You can do whatever the f**k you wanna do!!

Your friend and coach,

Crystal aka Barbell_Barbie.NY on IG

N.A.S.M P.T.
N.A.S.M Nutrition
N.A.S.M M.M.A
N.A.S.M Golf

References
Jenkins, A. B., Markovic, T. P., Fleury, A., & Campbell, L. V. (1997). Carbohydrate intake and short-term regulation of leptin in humans. Diabetologia, 40(3), 348-351.
Horton, T. J., Drougas, H., Brachey, A., Reed, G. W., Peters, J. C., & Hill, J. O. (1995). Fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in humans: different effects on energy storage. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 62(1), 19-29.

The post Refeed day or a Cheat day appeared first on .

That’s true whether you’re a hardgainer, a guy with good genetics or a guy who carries excess body fat. Here are the basic nutritional principles you need to support your training to maximize your chances for muscle growth right out of the gate.

1. Make sure you consume adequate calories every day

The bottom line is you can’t add weight if you aren’t taking in more calories than you’re burning. If you’re trying to pack on muscle, you have to consume enough surplus calories to support that growth.

If you’re heftier to begin with, this task is a little trickier. You need to get enough calories to add muscle mass, but you also want to avoid an excessive increase in bodyfat. While you’re adding muscle mass, you should regard maintaining or just slightly increasing your bodyweight as progress.

2. Split your total calories fairly evenly over 5–6 meals per day

This recommendation is a bodybuilding standard. The more frequently you feed your body, the better the contribution you’re making to build muscle mass while at the same time avoiding the addition of bodyfat. If you consume 3,000–4,000 calories over six meals versus just three meals, your metabolism will stay elevated and you’ll gain more muscle and much less bodyfat.

Those who consume the same number of total calories, but in fewer, larger meals, however, send their bodies the signal to store bodyfat.

3. Take in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day

When you want to build muscle tissue, you have to provide your body with the amino acids it needs. These aminos (there are 22 in total, essential, nonessential and conditionally essential) come from protein foods and protein supplements. Eating a variety of different protein sources is the best way to make sure you get a broad range of aminos.

By targeting at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, split fairly evenly over your six meals, you’ll keep a steady flow of aminos in your bloodstream to fuel growth.

4. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Many beginners focus too much on protein or calories at the expense of other types of foods that are dense in nutrients per calorie. Make sure you get in at least six servings of vegetables and fruit each day. They’re low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals to support gains and overall health.

At larger meals, you should consume more than one serving (and you can do your body an even bigger favor by having a few different fruit or veggie items on your plate).

5. Emphasize workout-window nutrition

Around the time of your workouts before and after your body needs protein and fast-digesting carbs (sugar) to drive the recovery process. Consuming sugar before and after your workouts helps reload glycogen burned during exercise, and it delivers amino acids to your muscles so that they recover and grow more quickly.

Take in about 25–40 grams of protein before and after your workouts, depending on your bodyweight. Hardgainers should match their sugar intake to their protein consumption, gram per gram, pre- and post-workout. If you’re a bigger guy starting out, you can cut the sugar before workouts and just take it after.

Training for strength doesn’t mean diet goes out the window. You can absolutely maximize your results with what you eat and the supps you take.

But all of this is just advise.

You can do whatever the f**k you wanna do!

Your friend and coach,

Crystal aka Barbell_Barbie.NY IG

N.A.S.M Trainer
N.A.S.M Nutrition
N.A.S.M M.M.A
N.A.S.M Golf

References:

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/10-commandments-muscle-building-nutrition.html

https://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/gain-mass/10-nutrition-rules-follow-if-you-want-build-muscle

The post 5 Key Nutrition Rules For Greater Muscle Gains appeared first on .

But if you’re on this site and taking caffeine, you’re probably less interested in health benefits and more interested in performance benefits. I’m here to cover the four reasons why caffeine makes workouts better.

Reason 1: More Energy

Caffeine works in the brain as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, so when I say energy, I mean alertness. Caffeine blocks certain receptors in the brain that increase levels of epinephrine, adrenaline, and dopamine.

Caffeine works in the brain as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, so when I say energy, I mean alertness.
Blocking these receptors in the brain gives you that drive you feel—and a bit of euphoria—when you consume caffeine before a workout. This is how caffeine supplementation can make the difference between a great workout, and an OK workout.

Reason 2: Increased Strength

The research on caffeine shows that one dose can increase muscle strength, assuming the dose is high enough.[1] Three hundred milligrams (or more) of caffeine—the equivalent of about three cups of coffee—delivered in a single dose stimulates the nervous system.

Increased energy
Here’s where the increase in strength comes in: The nerves that activate muscle fibers, once stimulated by caffeine, activate those muscle fibers with greater force. More force equals more strength, which is why caffeine can increase your strength during a workout.

Reason 3: More Endurance

Caffeine increases endurance in several ways. The first is by increasing fat burning during workouts. When you train with caffeine, you burn more fat. This spares muscle glycogen, which means you have more energy later in the workout, when you need it most.[2]

Another way caffeine can improve endurance is by boosting nitric oxide levels. That’s right, research shows that caffeine can enhance vasodilation, the term for the widening of blood vessels. This allows more blood to flow to the muscles, which in turn delivers more oxygen and more nutrients, resulting in greater overall endurance.

Caffeine increases endurance in several ways.

Reason 4: Less Muscle Soreness

Believe it or not, research shows that caffeine works great for helping ease muscle soreness by altering your perceived exertion during your workouts.[3]

With less muscle soreness, you can go harder, perhaps banging out a few extra reps you probably wouldn’t have gotten if that muscle soreness was too much. More reps equals more work done by your muscles, and that equals better results.

But all of this is just advise.

You can do whatever the F**K you wanna do!

Your friend and coach,

Crystal a.k.a Barbell_Barbie.NY on IG

N.A.S.M C.P.T.
N.A.S.M Nutriton
N.A.S.M M.M.A

References

Beck, T. W., Housh, T. J., Schmidt, R. J., Johnson, G. O., Housh, D. J., Coburn, J. W., & Malek, M. H. (2006). The acute effects of a caffeine-containing supplement on strength, muscular endurance, and anaerobic capabilities. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 20(3), 506-510.
Tarnopolsky, M. A., Atkinson, S. A., Macdougall, J. D., Sale, D. G., & Sutton, J. R. (1989). Physiological responses to caffeine during endurance running in habitual caffeine users. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 21(4), 418-424.
Doherty, M., & Smith, P. M. (2005). Effects of caffeine ingestion on rating of perceived exertion during and after exercise: a meta‐analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 15(2), 69-78.

The post Caffeine and the Effects on the Human Body appeared first on .

For massive strength and size gains, you’ll have to use a combination of compound and targeted assistance exercises. Regardless of how you train, you’ll feel an awesome pump and get jacked in no time with these 30 arms exercises.

So I picked the best 30 Arm Exercises to get you jacked! Comment

Beth Bischoff 1 / 30
1. Hammer Curl

Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your sides and arms extended straight down. Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl both weights at the same time, minimizing momentum used during the curl.

2 / 30
2. Dip

Use dip bars, if available, or place your palms on a bench, chair, or on the floor as you extend your legs in front of you. Lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, but no lower. Extend your elbows to come up.

3 / 30
3. Close-Grip Curl

Curl with your hands inside shoulder width, in the middle of the bar.

Chinup
4 / 30
4. Chinup

Grab the bar at (or slightly inside) shoulder width, with a supinated grip. While keeping core tight, pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Try not to use momentum to get your chin over the bar.

5 / 30
5. Suspension Trainer Triceps Extension

Lengthen the straps and stand underneath the suspension trainer’s anchor point. Lean your weight forward and bend your elbows so you feel a stretch in your triceps. Your palms should face each other behind your head. Keeping your body straight and abs braced, extend elbows, rotating palms so they face down while extended.

Get into pushup position but place your hands close together so your thumbs and index fingers touch. Keeping your body in a straight line with abs braced, lower your torso until your chest is just above the floor, then press back up.

7 / 30
7. Neutral-Grip Triceps Extension

Lie back on a bench or the floor holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other. Press the weights over your chest, then bend your elbows to lower the weights toward your face until you feel a stretch in your triceps. Extend your elbows. Keep your elbows facing the ceiling the entire set.

8 / 30
8. Poundstone Curl

Grasp the barbell at shoulder width. Keeping your upper arms at your sides, curl the bar.

9 / 30
9. Suspension Trainer Rotational Inverted Row

Hold the handles and lean back with arms extended so that your body is supported by the suspension trainer and only your feet are on the floor. Brace your core and hold your body in a straight line. (The lower you set the handles, the harder the exercise; you can elevate your feet to make it even more difficult.) Start with your palms facing your feet, and as you row your body up, twist your wrists out so your palms face up in the top position.

10 / 30
10. Suspension Trainer Biceps Curl

Face the trainer’s attachment point and grasp the handles with palms facing up. Lean back with your abs braced, body straight, and arms extended in front of you. Curl your body up to the handles.

11 / 30
11. Close-Grip Pushup

Place your hands inside shoulder width and lower your body until your chest is about an inch above the floor. To increase the difficulty, elevate your feet on a bench or box.

12 / 30
12. Behind-the-Back Cable Curl

Attach a D-handle to the low pulley of a cable machine, grasp the handle in your left hand, and step forward (away from the machine) until there’s tension on the cable and your arm is drawn slightly behind your body. Stagger your feet so your right leg is in front. Curl the handle but do not allow your elbow to point forward.

EZ Bar Preacher Curl
Beth Bischoff 13 / 30
13. EZ-Bar Preacher Curl

Sit at a preacher bench and adjust the height so that your armpits touch the top of the bench. Grasp an EZ-curl bar at shoulder width with arms extended (but allow a slight bend at the elbows). Curl the bar, keeping the backs of your arms against the bench. Take three seconds to lower the bar back down.

Reverse Curl
14 / 30
14. Reverse Curl

Grasp the bar overhand at whatever width is comfortable. Keeping your upper arms against your sides, curl the bar.

15 / 30
15. Wide-Grip Curl

Grasp the bar with hands wider than shoulder width—if you’re using an Olympic bar, your pinkies should be on the outside knurling. Perform curls.

16 / 30
16. Overhead Press

Set the bar up in a squat rack or cage, and grasp it just outside shoulder width. Take the bar off the rack and hold it at shoulder level with your forearms vertical. Squeeze the bar and brace your abs. Press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward and shrugging your traps at the top of the movement.
17. Pullover/Triceps Extension

Hold the bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip while lying on a flat bench. Press the bar toward the ceiling and then reach it back over your head while bending your elbows until you feel a stretch in your lats. Then pull the bar back over your chest and extend your elbows. That’s one rep.

18 / 30
18. Conventional Curl

Grasp bar with a closed supinated grip at slightly wider than shoulder width with feet shoulder-width apart. The bar should be in front of thighs with elbows extended down. Flex elbows to move bar toward shoulders. Keep upper arms stationary and knees slightly bent. When bar is close to shoulders, let elbows move back to the starting position.

19 / 30
19. Side Curl with Band

Attach two bands to sturdy objects at shoulder height that face each other. Stand between them and hold an end in each hand. Raise your arms out 90 degrees with elbows extended—you should still feel some tension on the band in this starting position. Curl the bands toward your ears and hold the contracted position for two seconds.

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Decline Triceps Extension
20 / 30
20. Decline Triceps Extension

Set an adjustable bench to a slight decline (around 30 degrees) and lie on it with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold the weights over your chest, palms facing each other. Bend your elbows and lower the weights to the sides of your head. Choose a weight you can do 12 reps with on the first set, and use it for every set.

21 / 30
21. Close-Grip Bench Press

Grasp the bar with your index fingers on the inside edge of the knurling (the rough part of the bar). Arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench. Pull the bar off the rack and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor, then press the bar back up. On your last set, use half the weight and perform as many reps as possible.

22 / 30
22. Lying Triceps Extension

From the end position of your last rep of the neutral-grip press, allow your arms to drift back until the weights are over your face. Keeping your upper arms at that angle, bend your elbows and lower the weights behind your head. Extend your elbows, keeping the same angle with your upper arms.

23 / 30
23. Face Pull

Attach a rope handle to the top pulley of a cable station. Grasp an end in each hand with palms facing each other. Step back to place tension on the cable. Pull the handles to your forehead so your palms face your ears and your upper back is fully contracted.

24 / 30
24. Underhand Kickback

Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand and bend your hips back, lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor. Turn your palms to face in front of you and, keeping your upper arms against your sides, extend your elbows until your arms are parallel to your torso.

25 / 30
25. Tate Press

Lie back on a bench or surface with dumbbells in each hand, arms extended over your chest and palms facing your feet. Point your elbows out and bend them to lower the weights almost to your chest, so they make L shapes. Extend your elbows.

26 / 30
26. High Pull

Grasp the bar with hands about double shoulder width and hold it in front of your thighs. Bend your knees and hips so the bar hangs just above your knees. Explosively extend hips as if jumping and pull the bar up to shoulder level with elbows wide apart, as in an upright row.

27 / 30
27. Band Lateral Raise

Step on the free end of each band with the opposite foot so the bands form an X in front of your body. Raise your arms 90 degrees out to the sides until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

28 / 30
28. Hindu Pushup

Get into pushup position. Push your hands into the floor to drive your weight back so your hips rise into the air. Your back should be straight and your head behind your hands. Lower your body in an arcing motion so that your chest scoops downward and nearly scrapes the floor. Continue moving forward as you press your body up so your torso is vertical and your legs are straight and nearly on the floor. That’s one rep.

29/30
29. Seated Dumbbell Clean

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and sit on the edge of a bench. Keeping your lower back flat, lean forward. Explosively straighten your body and shrug the weights so your arms rise. Allow the momentum to flip your wrists so you catch the weights at shoulder level.

BACK TO TOP

30 / 30
30. Standing Dumbbell Flye

Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your sides. Without shrugging, use your upper body to swing the weights up a few inches. Your arms and torso will form an upside down V shape. Think of it as a lateral raise with momentum but without full range of motion.

Anything you want you can have! so claim it! There are 97 days till 2019. Lets go out and get the body that you want.

Your friend and coach,

Crystal aka Barbell_Barbie.NY on IG

References:

1.NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). 2018. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
McCormick BT, Hannon JC, Newton M, Shultz B, Detling N, Young WB. The Effects of Frontal- and Sagittal-Plane Plyometrics on Change-of-Direction Speed and Power in Adolescent Female Basketball Players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2016; 11(1), 102-107.

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