I’ve been working in gyms now for almost 15 years. I’ve lived through the Atkins Diet, I’ve suffered through the CrossFit Craze and I have battled the supplement industry’s “Fat Burning / Muscle Building” propaganda for what seems like an eternity. As a Personal Trainer I’ve worked with hundreds of clients starting at all different fitness levels and all with whom have had many different training goals. As a fitness competitor I’ve tested just about every single weight loss/muscle gaining theory out there, from the ever so important “Post-Workout Shake” to the “Fasted Cardio is Best” test, and I’m ashamed to admit that I even once tried the whole “No Carbs After 6pm” rule for a few weeks.
So even though I don’t claim to be an expert on any level I think I do know a thing or two about the fads and gimmicks that have come and gone (and in some cases have come back) within the fitness industry. There is so much information out there now with the internet, the “Diet Gurus” and from the “Bros” at the gym that sometimes it can get a little bit overwhelming. I mean if the guy at the gym with the shredded abs and 24 inch arms tells you to eat 800 grams of protein a day, surely he must be right, right? Or what about that chick who just won the local fitness show who does 3 hours of cardio a day and eats nothing but egg whites and tilapia? She must definitely know what she’s talking about, I mean look at her! She looks incredible!
Well, maybe they do know what they are talking about. Or maybe they actually don’t…..
Now I’m not one to sit here and start trash talking the jacked guy at the gym or the ripped woman with the killer ass (that’s what twitter is for). Obviously they are dedicated to their bodies and have the results to show for it. However what works for them may not necessarily work for you. And in fact what works for them might actually work worse for you and set your progress back a few months or even worse, endanger your health.
When it comes to getting results in the gym there really is no simple clear cut answer in my opinion. Yes, we know that you have to be a in calorie deficit to lose weight. And yes your protein should be on the higher side if you are looking to add on some quality muscle. And sure, studies show that if you lower your carbs you can lose body fat. All I’m suggesting is that perhaps you do not have to take these “facts” to the extreme measures that some health and fitness professionals would have you believe.
Believe it or not I’ve actually never done fasted cardio. I also now eat the majority of my carbohydrates in the evening. And I can’t even remember the last time I had a Post-Workout Shake. Now before you go report me to the BCRPA and have my licensed revoked let me explain to you my reasoning.
You see once upon a time I did follow all the “Bodybuilding Rules”. I ate my 6 meals a day, I did my 2 hours of cardio religiously, I slept my 8 hours a night, I made sure I consumed my Post-Workout Shake within 5 minutes of finishing my final set of each workout. The result – I won my 1st bodybuilding show! So I figured that this must be the right and the ONLY way to get your body into shape. I continued to follow the “rules” as I prepped for my second show. I did everything the exact same, I was probably even more strict with my diet and training this time around. The result – 5th place in my second bodybuilding show!
What?!?!?! What the hell happened? It didn’t make any sense. I mean I followed the rules so why didn’t I win? Then I saw the photos from the contest. I looked good but I didn’t look as good as I did during my first show. Frustrated with myself and my placing I got even more strict with my training and diet for my third show. I counted my macros, I weighed every single ounce of protein that went into my body, I did exactly 2 hours of cardio every single day, not a minute less. The result – 8th Place!!!!!!!!
Okay so by now I was pissed. I mean I had literally turned by body into a machine. I was peeing around the clock, I could literally go number two on demand and I knew exactly what foods made my body look great and what foods made me look bloated. Obsessed much?…..
Three shows into my career and I was burnt out. I decide the hell with this and just went back to my clean eating ways. I still weighed my food for portion control and ate fairly clean but for the most part I ate as many carbs and calories as I felt my body needed. I decided to never let my body go hungry again. If I wanted a slice of pizza I ate it. As for those 2 hours of cardio? I slashed the time down to 20 minutes a day post-workout.
A year later for some reason, I decide I wanted to compete again and to do my fourth and what I thought at the time would be my final show. I really liked the way I was feeling though and didn’t want to go back to the miserable days of contest prep with zero carbs and endless hours of cardio. I knew it was time for a change. So I invented my own “Rules”.
Instead of giving myself the standard 16 weeks to prep for my show like most other competitors were doing, I gave myself 6 weeks. Instead of going no carbs to lose body fat, I just lowered my carbs slightly. Rather then increase my cardio back up to 2 hours I actually took it out all together as I wanted to conserve my energy for the weights. The result – Back to 1st Place!!!!!!
Now as happy and ecstatic as I was, I was also really confused. I trained less and ate more then I ever had before and actually looked my best on stage then I ever had in my previous 3 shows. Steroids? Nope, I’ve never done them. Was I just a freak with super crazy genetics? Hardly. I actually don’t even have that great of genetics in my opinion. So what was it?
I decided to take the “Work Smarter and Not Harder” approach to my diet and training that year and it worked. I listened to my body. I ignored the so-called “Experts” and “Contest-Prep Gurus” and really got in tune with my own body. If my body told me it was hungry, I fed it. If my body was tired, I let it sleep. If my body felt it needed two days off from the gym instead of just one, I gave it the rest it needed. The result – A relaxed, fit, ripped and at the same time fairly healthy body that look pretty damn good on stage if I do say so myself.
I’m not telling you that you should listen to me and do all the things that I did if you want to get your body into it’s best shape. This is what worked for ME. Again your body is different then mine. You have to find what works for YOUR BODY. For this to happen you need to LISTEN to YOUR BODY. You need to really LISTEN.
Good advice is extremely valuable and should never be ignored or taken for granted. But as I always say to all of our own clients – “You know your body better then anybody else does, including me”. Trust your extincts. If you feel something is off, fix it. If your energy is low, increase your complex carbohydrates. If your brain feels zapped, feed it some healthy fats. If you don’t feel like you can train properly on a certain day, then rest.
I promise you that if you start to really listen to your body and eat relatively clean while training smart, the results WILL COME. And that is the only guarantee that I or any health and fitness professional will and should ever give you.
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
President
Forever Fit