RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 20 | Innovate

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 20 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 20%, 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
2x20 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!
RAINE MAGAZINE - VOLUME 20 65