Although the summer may seem like a long way off, before you know it, the weather will be turning warmer once again, and “bathing suit season” will once again be upon us. Ok, it’s safe to say that our summers can be, shall we say, temperamental, so whilst clear blue skies and soaring heat wave temperatures aren’t guaranteed, what is guaranteed is that it’ll be a darn sight warmer than it is now.
During the warmer months, we can no longer hide behind loose-fitting, baggy clothing, which means that if we’ve let our diets and our training regimes slip, we need to be held accountable for our actions. When it comes to the warmer summer months, rather than sporting a pasty and flabby physique, it’s probably pretty safe to say that the majority of you would much rather be as lean and defined as possible, which will mean putting in the hard work sooner rather than later. Getting lean and ripped is by no means a simple process, but with that being said, it needn’t be all too difficult either. If you want to be shredded for the summer, take a look at these four foolproof suggestions.
Clean up your diet
During the colder and darker months of the year, you can get away with eating junk food several times per week, because your physique will, for the most part at least, be covered up by loose clothing. During the summer however, that just ain’t gonna’ fly. Rather than greasy takeaways and fast food several times per week, your diet should instead consist predominantly of fresh, clean, natural, and nutritious foods and drinks. Get plenty of protein from clean sources, make sure your carbs are primarily complex, and don’t forget to include enough healthy fats from healthy sources. On top of that, ensure that you’re getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables inside of you, as the nutrients they contain will benefit the body in countless ways. By all means enjoy the odd cheat meal now and then, but for the most part, make sure your diet is rich in fresh, healthy, nutritious, and natural produce.
Focus on the negative portion of your reps in the gym
When it comes to training in the gym, experts have found that a great way of helping to not only stimulate lean muscle growth, but to also help fire up the metabolism and help your body eliminate excess body fat, is to greatly reduce the negative portion of the lift on various compound exercises. Say for example, that you’re bench pressing. In this instance, you would fire the barbell up into the air off of your chest, and then rather than bringing it down quickly to your chest again, you should instead fight it and slow the negative right down, lowering it much slower than usual. This helps stimulate new muscle growth because it puts the muscles under more strain and creates more trauma. The more damage the muscles endure, the bigger and stronger they will be when repaired, and the more energy the body will expend on simply repairing the muscles.
Make sure you’re getting enough cardio
As boring as some of you may find cardio to be, unfortunately, when it comes to your body fat, cardio and fat loss go hand in hand with one another, metaphorically speaking, of course. Now, any form of cardio is going to be more beneficial than none, though experts have found that optimally, it is most efficient to perform cardio for fat loss purposes directly after a weight session. This is because your glycogen stores will be depleted as a result of the workout, so the body will have no energy left over. To compensate, the body will tap into your body fat stores, so you will actually be fuelling your cardio workout by burning fat. The thing to remember is to postpone your post-workout TPW 100% Whey Extreme shake by 30 minutes or so, otherwise your body will simply use your shake for energy instead, which will then defeat the purpose. Don’t worry, your post-workout “anabolic window” remains open for around 60 minutes after you finish training, so a simple 30 minute cardio session and then a post-workout shake will still give your muscles the nutrients needed to initiate the post-workout recovery process.
Increase your protein consumption
Remember, protein is a vital macronutrient when it comes to the growth and repair of muscle tissue, and as you’ll want to burn fat but maintain and build lean muscle, you’ll need to ensure you’re getting enough protein on a regular basis. Aim for around 1.5 – 2g of protein per pound of bodyweight. This means that a 200lb individual would need to consume between 300g and 400g of protein per day. Place an emphasis on clean, wholesome, whole foods that are rich in protein, although to make life easier, 2 – 3 protein shakes per day will also work extremely well. Protein will help you to get lean and ripped as not only will it help promote muscle growth, which requires more calories for maintenance than fat, but it will also help to keep you feeling full for longer as it takes longer to digest and breakdown. Protein before bed is also important, as you want to prevent your body from entering a catabolic state, in which it eats away at your muscle tissue whilst you sleep. To prevent this from happening and to assist with the growth and repair of new muscle tissue, TPW Bedtime Fuel protein blend is ideal as it will provide you with a slow and steady stream of protein and nutrients as you sleep, which in turn helps keep your metabolism stoked so you burn more calories, even in a rested state.
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