Fitness at a glance
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If you want to level up your physique, you need protein, it’s that simple. Protein isn’t the only thing you need. But, most people tend to fall short on getting the adequate amount of protein to build a great physique. Before I dig too deep into the how I want to first explain the why. We need protein for one main reason: repairing and building new muscle mass. The big difference between muscle and fat is that muscle is “expensive” tissue. What that means is it COSTS our body energy to keep muscle around. Fat on the other hand is stored energy. Because muscle is expensive tissue our body, if given the chance, will break it down if there is an energy shortage. It also requires a certain amount of stimulation and nutrients to keep around. This is where protein and weight training enters the picture. Weight training creates a stimulus that forces our bodies to adapt and grow new muscle. Then, the protein provides the building blocks with which to do it. Without this vital cycle of stimulus and repair new muscle cannot be built and that means our physique won’t change. Studies have shown that eating somewhere between .8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean mass is ideal for building muscle for most average people. Talking about how to find the ideal number for you is outside the scope of this article, but for most people this will be a significant increase in the current daily norm for protein intake. So, if changing your physique is important to you I HIGHLY recommend using either some of all of these tactics to level up your protein intake.
Step 1: Get some form of protein in every meal/snack The lowest hanging fruit for most people is simply making protein at each meal/snack a non- negotiable. Making sure you have a piece of lean meat with every meal is a great place to start. Or if you are vegan even a nice piece of tofu or seitan is a viable option. These days there are even a plethora of high protein snack options. Greek yogurt, beef jerky, protein bars, shakes, etc. Even for the pickiest of eaters there are ways to keep protein intake high even if you are an avid snacker. But, this has to become a non- negotiable. Unfortunately, most high protein foods require some form of prep work so this element of your diet should be planned out. Step 2: Supplements In my opinion there is zero excuse for not hitting a protein goal. Here’s why: if you don’t have any cooked high protein food in the house you can always substitute a shake or bar. There are THOUSANDS of protein powders and bars out there. They also come from a variety of places: whey protein, egg protein, meat protein, pea protein, etc. This means they can fit a variety of dietary restrictions. When in a bind slamming down a shake or protein bar is an easy way to get an extra 30-50 grams of protein in a single serving. Even if you were having the WORST day every all you would need to do is drink 3 shakes over the course of a day to either hit or get close to your protein goal. Step 3: Meal Prep Just like I mentioned before most protein heavy foods require a form of preparation. Making foods in bulk ahead of time is an easy way to ensure that you have high protein foods ready to go when you need them. Like to sleep late? No problem make breakfast ahead of time. Starving when you get home from work and don’t feel like cooking? No problem because you already made chicken on Sunday. The one piece of push back I get a Lot from people is the time commitment to meal prepping. Yes it does require time, but it doesn’t have to require a lot of time. Crock pot, insta pot, air fryer, baking in the oven are all pretty quick and easy ways to make high protein food that can also be done while doing other chores. Watching a movie? Cool throw the chicken in the crock pot and set a timer, easy peasy. Step 4: Keep grab and go options around I get it, you’re busy. But, if you know you’re busy and building a physique is important to you then you have to plan around your lifestyle. Keeping things around like greek yogurt, beef jerky, and protein bars are all great options for traveling. Things like sandwiches and deli meat can also be a great options for to- go meals. Lastly, if you are really in a bind stop at your local grocery store and grab a pre- prepared rotisserie chicken or cut of meat that is pre cooked. A rotisserie chicken can last an individual 2-3 meals depending on how much protein they need. Always having grab and go options around is a great way to ensure that you hit your protein targets even on the busiest days. Step 5: Persistence and back up plans It’s important to remember that sometimes in life shit is going to hit the fan. You won’t feel well, you will get busy, you will feel unmotivated at times. During these times it is important to have a back up plan and keep being persistent. As I said before muscle is expensive tissue and it requires upkeep and maintenance. Always try to have a back up plan in case things go awry. Ran out of prepped chicken for dinner, run to the store for a rotisserie chicken or have a shake. Woke up late and no time to make breakfast, grab a yogurt and head out the door. If you have a goal of changing your physique you have to be persistent about it regardless of your situation. I know some of these tips fell into different categories. While some were more concrete lifestyle tips. Others fell into the category of more philosophical and mindset related actions. However, I believe all of these tips carry equal weight when it comes to consistently hitting a protein target from day to day. Use them, follow them, and watch your physique change.
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Have you ever sat down and asked yourself, “why do I do what I do?”. Or “Why do I make the choices I do?” About a year and a half ago I read a book called The Power Of Habit. Not only did the book change my life, but it also changed the way that I approached coaching others. It is my firm belief that if I can get someone to make one positive change it has the ability to change their entire life.
About a year ago I was sitting on my couch flossing my teeth. Mid way through pulverizing my already bleeding gums I asked myself “why can I not make this a habit”. My entire life my hygienist would say “you have to floss your teeth or you’ll lose them”. Every time I got out of that chair I would leave with a sense of “I’m going to do this once and for all”. Then I would leave, do my part for a few days, and fall right back into the slump of not prioritizing my oral health. Now, at this point I’m sure you thinking where the fuck is this dude going with this meaningless teeth post. I’m getting there I promise. Us coaches are really not that different from the person screaming profanities at us while we show them how to exercise. We may not have been exactly in your shoes, but like everyone else we have bad habits, future goals, and people we look to to help us better ourselves. The thing is, most good coaches, and those that make their health a priority have SYSTEMS in place that set them up for success. Since I made flossing a nightly habit a little over a year ago I really sat down and asked myself, “How can I replicate this?”. How can I use this system to help other people, and also change my own life for the better. After all, we all have bad habits, kind of like staring at this computer screen at 9:15pm when I should be resting for my early start tomorrow (I know, I know, shoot me). So, getting back to the book. In The Power Of Habit there is a phenomenon discussed called a habit loop. Basically, the brain gets what’s called a craving which sparks a chain of events that eventually leads to a habit. The reason why our brain does this is it frees up space for our brain to focus on more challenging tasks. For example, let’s say you wake up and you feel a bit tired. Well the nearest Starbucks is 10 feet away. So instead of dealing with the tiredness you pop on over for your Veinti Iced Frappuchino Mocha Chai Latte with extra whipped cream and happiness. Boom, you have just taken the first step to creating a habit loop. Because in this situation you have given your brain a positive response to its craving. Now, this habit can be fine, but we all know that friend that survives on Monsters and black coffee. Many times it gets to the point where you start grabbing a coffee even on the days you wake rested just because it’s part of your daily routine. That’s kinda how it is with poor health habits. Do you know how easy our society makes it to get what you want when you want it at all times? You can literally walk out your door and be surrounded by a smorgasbord of your favorite treats and delights all within walking distance. Heck these days with the tip of your fingers some weird guy will deliver your favorite food right to your door, right after he eats a few of your fries that is. Or skipping the gym. Not only do you have the most hectic of days, but now you have to find an extra 60 minutes to get to the gym not including drive time. This shits hard man, help me. The truth is, the more these decisions are made the deeper and deeper we dig that habit loop. Can’t cook, no problem let’s just hit Uber Eats. No gym, no problem I’ll fill my time with TV at the end of the day that really de-stresses me. The thing most people miss when they walk through my doors is we have to now undo several years of the same choices and habit loops all without having any extra time in the day. It can be a bit much for well everyone. That is why I believe in tackling just one thing at a time. Cue the flossing story. After about a month of flossing on the reg (oh yes this is how I speak) staring in my bathroom mirror at my pearly whites I thought “I’m onto something here”. So next I thought why not start doing the dishes every night. Boom 6 months later now it’s a rarity to see dishes in my sink overnight. Was it perfect? Nope I missed some days. Was it easy? Definitely not, and as I said I didn’t win every day, but every day I focused on that one habit. Over and over and over until it just became the new normal. Now I know what you’re thinking, “I have so many things to change, making just one change won’t be enough to see progress”. Let me tell you why you are wrong. Sure maybe eating an extra serving of vegetables might not get rid of the extra holiday fluff you’ve been working on since Christmas. But, you know what it will do? It will give you momentum, and it will show you that you have the ability to grab your life by the balls and show it who’s the boss. Because one serving of vegetables a day plants a seed (literally according to my siblings when I was young) of bettering your health. One serving of veggies becomes two, then 5, then before you know it your plate has more veggies on it than pasta. Then you start taking a loop around the neighborhood because you have extra energy from those veggies you just crushed. Rome wasn’t built in a day. And you know what it’s not sexy to sell this stuff. Everyone want’s to talk to you about their new diet pill or magic vitamin. But, how often does someone ask you how happy you are with your habits? Now, usually when I sit down with a client I walk them through a step by step process of how to change different things and when, but for the sake of making a blanket system I think there are a few steps you should take when forging a new habit. 1) Start small Whatever the easiest thing is for you to change, start there. Most people get. Discouraged easily especially when it has to do with health and weight loss. The more positive wins you can create for yourself the better. 2) Be realistic If you aren’t working out at all right now and you make the goal of lifting 2 hours a day 5 days per week odds are you are setting yourself up for failure. Not everyone, but for most that’s a bit too big of a bite. If you aren’t doing any activity even taking a 10 minute walk 3x per week will do wonders for your health and wellness. 3) Ask yourself why you do what you do Recently I started cutting our caffeine in my diet. My caffeine came in the form of a delicious Bang almost every day, even when I wasn’t tired. When working on cutting it out I really thought about why I drank them. Yes they give me energy, but in reality they just taste amazing and that was the main reason why I drank them. So I picked up some flavor drops and started replacing my bang with flavored water. If you can figure out what exactly the habit you have now is doing for you it becomes much easier to change it. 4) Create a system When I started flossing my system was to make sure the picks were in sight every night when I went to brush my teeth. If I saw them it was a constant reminder of this is what I have to do every day. Your system could be removing easily consumable food from your work station, that way when the boss loses their shit it won’t send you down the sour patch hole. 5) Expect to fail a little and be ok with it It’s not going to be perfect and most days it isn’t going to be pretty. But, that’s why we start small and work our way up. It’s much less discouraging to have one loss after you’ve had 10 wins rather than to start your journey out losing. Some days life will get in the way. You’ll miss the gym, you’ll gorge out on that popcorn, whatever, shit happens move on. Remember you got this. “And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them” - Charles Duhigg People say to me all the time, wait you have a coach? But, aren’t you a coach? Why yes, yes I am. However, as a coach I see the importance of having a coach to have someone to support you, to learn from, and to just make things more simple overall. So I have had 2 coaches over my fitness career. I had one right before I became a personal trainer and I hired a little over a year ago. My first coach prepped me for a physique show and my second coach is prepping me for hopefully a solid career in powerlifting. Now, obviously I could go the road alone. I mean after all I am a coach and I do a lot of research and try to learn new things every week. But, I believe that everyone should have a coach, down to my core. And I will explain my reasoning behind this.
1) Coaches make things simple Before I hired my coach I had outlined goals, but I would second guess them all the time. I would work towards getting stronger, but then I would look at myself in the mirror and say “Oh this muscle needs work, or that muscle needs work”. Then I would change up my routine here and there and that would mess with my progress. A coach really helps in this situation because they keep you focused. When you know you need to check in with someone weekly, bi- weekly, or monthly it gives you a sense of tangibility with your goals because you have someone pointing you in the right directions. And, if you are in the right hands you will see progress in the right direction if you listen to what they say. 2) Coaches keep you accountable I know every week when I check in with my coach that I have to tell him what I did for the week. Accountability has never been an issue but sleep, mobility work, and other odds and ends have. When you’re checking in with a coach every week it can be kind of demoralizing if you aren’t putting in the work on all fronts and not seeing the progress your coach knows you are capable of. This is also true for all the people I work with. When they come in we have conversations about how their week went and what they can improve upon moving forward. 3) Coaches Build You Up Lifting weights, losing weight, building muscle are all very challenging processes. It can be very demeaning not seeing results. Especially if it is something you have been trying to work at for a long time. A coach can help you through this process. I know there has been many a week where I’ve checked in with my coach and things have not gone the way I wanted and he is there to reassure me we are moving along and making great progress and that sometimes one small change can make a massive difference. I work with so many people that have had a hard time building up momentum, but after they have a few weeks of positivity and perspective it sparks small changes which lead to big results. A coach will be there with you when you have the hard days, and fall off the wagon. A coach will be there for your wins as well. The whole process is done with another human being by your side helping you traverse the uncertain path that is fitness. 4) Coaches Will Teach You Something While working with my coach the past year not only has my strength and overall athleticism increased, but my career has also blossomed. Even if you are not in the industry if you are working with the right person you will build a wealth of good information that will keep your training career going years after you stop working with your coach. I know when I have a session with my clients I say to them every week “I want you to learn this for yourself so there comes a time when you don’t need me”. Don’t get me wrong I would prefer to train all my clients for life, but I know hard times can come, they could move, I could move and at the end of the day you need a good knowledge base to stay safe and see results when you are working out without your coach. 5) Above All Coaches Will Keep It Real With You I know with a lot of the clients I train they can fall into the bad habit of lying to themselves. They have a check in where they don’t lose any weight and they say “but I’ve been eating so well and working out regularly”. Then we break it down together. Did you track your calorie intake? Did you miss any scheduled workouts? Did you overconsume at all? The hustle and bustle of life can cause many people to forget what they actually did. And in most cases people give themselves the benefit of the doubt. A coach will make sure that you are being real and honest with yourself as well as helping you find avenues to fix these issues. Coaches make a huge difference in the fitness world. And, in many cases having one is the push many people need to actually achieve the goals that they set for themselves. So, if you have never worked with a coach before I highly recommend trying it out. You will be amazed at the benefits. That’s why most of our people stay with us far longer than they originally planned because they see how beneficial it is to their overall progress. I will be putting up a post within the next few weeks of how to find a coach that will align with your goals. But, until then if you need a good one, send us a message. And as always, stay strong. |
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