BEAUTY & FITNESS
FITNESS 9 WAYS TO GET YOUR SUMMER BODY By Maik Wiedenbach Photo credit Gaul Porat Are you ready for the summer? We sure are, so we have put together some of our best tips from trainer and fitness enthusiast Maik Weidenbach. So get going and get ready for the new you! 1. NO MORE CARDIO FOR A WEEK Yes, you heard me. I know that goes against everything you have ever heard but stay with me. Here is what usually happens when most people start to diet: they cut calories, start doing excessive amounts of cardio, and take some form of fat burning supplements. The result? Unfortunately, these types of diets always lead to a flabby, over-trained physique that is lighter in weight but not visually pleasing (also sometimes called “skinny fat”). Sounds familiar? Read on! Stopping cardio for 5-7 days will give your body a chance to recover, lower your cortisol level, as well as drop some water weight so you can judge for yourself what is fat and what is not. Plus, it will save you some muscle mass in the process. Slowly reintroduce yourself to cardio by doing <strong>20</strong> minutes two days a week after your week of rest. 2. DOUBLE YOUR CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE FOR 3-5 DAYS As I pointed out in Myth Buster #1, you are most likely over trained so doubling your carbohydrate intake for 3-5 days will create an anabolic reaction, up-regulating your HGH, T3, insulin, and IGF1 levels. In simpler terms, the body will turn anabolic and you’ll stop losing muscle mass. With this reaction, chances are you’ll still lose more body fat wile still being able to enjoy your Cap’n Crunch because you just saved your metabolism from going into hibernation! After 3-5 days of eating, cut the carbohydrates again. If strength drops by more than <strong>20</strong>%, add another 1-2 carbohydrate days. 3. ADD GREEN POWDERS AND LEMON WATER It may be a bit difficult to constantly pay attention to little details such as keeping your body alkaline, but the fact is that it is much harder to make progress if your body is in an acidic state. My weakness? Eating my 6 servings of vegetables every day. If you share the same weakness, green powders are an easy and tasty option to get your recommended servings in. It also makes for a great post workout shake if mixed with whey protein, as the concoction blunts the body’s cortisol response very effectively. Another great addition? Lemon water in the morning. One of the main jobs of the liver is to pump fat out of the body, however if it is constantly busy with getting rid of toxins, it simply becomes much less effective. Lemon water a day will detoxify your liver so that it can do its job and get you looking leaner! A functioning liver is a must have for fat loss and overall happiness. 4. DROP THE CAFFEINE One of the side effects of over training is elevated cortisol level, which visually translates to a watery physique. Don’t want flabby arms? Drop the caffeine! Yes, we all love our pre-workout supplements, shots of espressos, and energy drinks, but adrenal fatigue is the #1 killer when it comes to progress at the gym. When caffeine is introduced to your body, your CNS gets over stimulated, and in turn, your cortisol levels stays constantly elevated. Which brings us back to that watery physique! My suggestion: take a weekend where you don’t have too much on your plate and go cold turkey (plan to sleep a lot). After one week without caffeine and other stimulants, you can reintroduce them twice a week into your system. You’ll be shocked how much your body will harden up once the cortisol gets flushed out! If you absolutely need the caffeine to focus, adding some choline can be very helpful (think 3-5 grams daily). 5. DIGEST WHAT YOU ARE EATING Most bodybuilders and fitness fanatics are eating the same foods over and over again that their bodies, over time, become less effective in taking the nutrients from what they are fed. As a result, a majority of the consumed protein is not properly broken down and causes digestive issues. The remedy? Digestive enzymes are a great and cost effective way to keep your intestinal flora up and running. Being able to properly break down your foods is the first step to getting leaner! 6. CHANGE GYMS A new environment can work wonders, so if you are able, change it up! Take the bus into the scary part of town and get a day pass, see what happens. You will have to re-instate your type A personality status, which will require you to work that much harder. Also, there might be potential dates to impress! And lastly, the machines will be different which means new angles for your muscles to work against. 7. START ADDING MAGNESIUM Magnesium is responsible for 400+ different processes in the body and unfortunately, the majority of westerners are deficient. Some of the benefits include: 1. Better sleep, which leads to a higher output of primary fat burner, HGH, 2. Higher testosterone levels, …enough said, 3. Lower inflammation, which allows your body to heal faster from workouts, stress, etc., and 4. Lower cortisol levels, which lessens the amount of muscle break down and fat storage, especially in the abdominal region. 400-600 mg of magnesium a day should do the trick. ZMA, which includes magnesium, can also work wonders for sleep and recovery after a long day at work. 8. TRY THIS WORKOUT INSTEAD Tired of your current workout? Try my workouts instead. Workouts A and B are timed, 35 minutes max (that means a hard stop after 35 minutes!). The first two workouts are intended to increase your work capacity. Workouts C and D are focused solely on strength and power, the primary goal being to keep as much muscle mass during the diet (so yes, each rep matters!). The golden rule for workouts C and D is 1 second going up (positive), 3 seconds coming down (negative). Add as many warm up sets as you see fit; just keep in mind, for workouts A and B, warm up sets do not count towards the 35 minute time frame. WORKOUT A CHEST/BACK/SHOULDERS 2x10 Pull Overs @ Nautilus (or with dumbbells) 3x10 One Arm Cable Rows 3x10 Cable Flyes (high) 3x10 Incline Dumbbell Bench 3x10 Overhanded Lat Pull Downs 2x10 Floor Flyes 2x10 Dumbbell Arnold Presses 2x10 Seated Side Raises 2x10 Cable Uncrossovers 2x10 Stiff Arm Pull Downs WORKOUT B LEGS/ARMS 2x10 Cable Pull Throughs 2x10 Step Ups 2x10 Siff Lunges 2x6 Stiff Legged Dead Lifts 2x10 Leg Presses 2x8 Standing Sled Calf Raises 2x10 Face Pulls 3x10 Incline Curls 3x10 Mushroom Press Downs 2x10 Side Raises (hold on top) 2x10 Cable Concentration Curls 2x10 Rear Delt Flyes WORKOUT C 2x10 Bent Over Rows 3x8 Arnold Presses 2x<strong>20</strong> Squats, superset with Dumbbell Pull Overs 3x10 Incline Bench 3x25 Calf Raises WORKOUT D 2x10 Face Pulls 3x8 Dips 3x8 Drag Curls 5x5 Dead Lifts 3x8 Seated Rows 3x8 Poliquin Raises 9. LASTLY COMMIT Pick an event or a goal date for your big reveal. This can be a bodybuilding show, a pool party, a photo shoot... you name it. Mail in your application, put down your deposit, and announce your very presence to everyone. Make a promise with yourself. Once you are committed, you will be less likely to back out! <strong>RAINE</strong> <strong>MAGAZINE</strong> - VOLUME <strong>20</strong> 65