Tagged with 'nutrition'

When people think of getting in shape, the first thing they consider is the work in the gym. And while this for very good reason, they often completely neglect nutrition. Structuring your diet with your current goals in mind is absolutely essential to make any progress. It's the driving force behind your gains. Renee Jewett highlights some key points on the matter in her latest article.

Protein powder has always been popular, but EAAs and BCAAs have been on the rise more recently. When should we use each? Should we use one or the other? Or all together? John Jewett tells us how and why in his latest article.

Injuries happen, but there are ways you can work around it by adjusting your nutrition and training. IFBB Pro and Dietitian Chris Tuttle gives us some insight.

We often crave bad food because it's tasty, and even when we restrict that, we may still want it. Chris Tuttle shares some tips on how to avoid temptation.

Bodybuilding is as much internal as it is external. Yes, it is the goal to look as big and ripped as possible but the idea of health is also a factor. The types of food you choose to put in your body can have a positive or negative effect on how the inner workings operate. It comes down to what you choose to fork into your mouth. Chris Tuttle, Registered Dietitian, dives deeper on the subject.

In the fitness world, people rely heavily on calorie free foods and products. They want to enjoy all the yummy sweet and savory foods but limit all the calories. Zero calorie foods are also a go-to for many in order to satisfy cravings. I hate to break the myth here, but zero calories on a food label does not mean it truly is zero calories. Although the amounts consumed for some foods might not add up to be significant, that is not always the case. The biggest issue is that it is easy to abuse zero calorie food items when food focus is so high on test prep. If you are dieting on 1500 calories, you can easily rack up an extra 150 calories for the food items you thought were zero calorie. Now you just bumped your calorie intake up 10%; that can be the difference between getting that last bit of body fat off or not. Let’s look over some common zero calorie foods.

The recent food shortages over the last few weeks have left many people struggling to maintain their habitual diet. Although there is no question that we are not truly experiencing a food shortage as seen in the past, I’d like to address our current situation and provide some tips on what you can do if you are a strength athlete or on a strict diet.

Most of us were contemplating our strategies for 2020 not too long ago. Whether you were thinking about your next competition or how you were going to add ten pounds of muscle or finally get your ass in shape or improve your squat, you had plans this year. I don’t think that any of our plans included being quarantined on account of a highly contagious and potentially lethal virus sweeping the globe. But, hey, shit happens. And shit has most certainly happened. Aside from the immediate health threat posed by the COVID-19 virus, many of us have to deal with new difficult circumstances such as businesses shutting down, massive layoffs, food and product scarcity, and social distancing. So what does all of this mean for the average bodybuilder/powerlifter/fitness enthusiast like you and me? It means that we’ve all had to make some adjustments in the name of keeping things moving.

Fried food rarely crosses the path of a bodybuilder. A delicious fried chicken sandwich is something they might only have in their dreams. However, this week I'll show you how to use an air fryer to make a low fat, crispy fried chicken sandwich that a bodybuilder doesn’t have to feel guilty about enjoying.

There is often a great deal of confusion surrounding how to approach the process of getting in shape. Whether you’re starting preparations for a contest or want to get yourself in shape, the most challenging part is simply getting started. An evolving approach is best. Just as you wouldn’t go from being single to completely changing your life by moving in with someone you don’t know, I think it’s foolish to make grandiose plans to commit to a diet that is a huge departure from what you currently follow. What if that diet is just not right for you? To go from a diet that you have been following for a significant period of time, regardless of how good or bad it may seem, to one that is radically different is usually a mistake.

Maintaining a routine while traveling is probably one of our most challenging obstacles. We as humans are very into a set routine when we are at home in a controlled environment but are easily thrown off. Things can fall apart rather quickly. One reason is that it’s difficult to create a new routine within 24 hours, especially since most routines are developed and perfected over a much longer period of time. Another reason is that it takes a great deal of discipline. Staying on a routine or starting a new modified one when traveling takes more effort than usual. Lastly, fatigue from travel can weigh heavily on us making it more difficult to stay motivated.

Bodybuilders are arguably one the most rigid athletes around. The attention to detail needed to become successful results in a monotonous and repetitive life. But what happens over the holidays? Are they supposed to forget what they're doing and go off the rails, or do they just completely avoid social gatherings? We got the Animals together to discuss what they do and do not do when it comes to holiday eating.