You wouldn’t start building a house by shingling the roof; you would be smart to start with the foundation and progress from there.
The same goes for looking good naked…
“I look so good I’m gonna throw this disc around, naked.”
Don’t lose sight of the pillars of body composition.
It can be easy to get caught up in the nuances of nutrition and training and forget that in the big picture the fundamentals are what drives ones results through time. So what’s important to keep in mind?
1. Total caloric intake
Calorie intake through time (weeks, months, years) will determine the weight you find yourself at.
The concept is simple. The challenge in day-to-day life is to be mindful of this and build habits that support your goals.
*This post is not about specific tactics or strategies to manage caloric intake (see the links below for follow-up reading).
The long and the short of it is that you ultimately need to find a diet that works for you / your lifestyle / your goals.
“You may not be able to see it, but there is a one-pound steak under this fruit”
An interesting note from the research:
“The only consistent finding among fat loss trials on both ends of the low vs. high carb spectrum, is that adherence – the degree to which participants continued in the program or met program goals for diet and physical activity – was most strongly associated with weight loss.” (Pagato. 2013)
2. Total volume of training
The total cumulative weight you lift through the weeks, months and years will determine how your body looks.
Generally speaking, lifting more (volume) is better (so long as you recover from it).
Admittedly, there is a lot of nuance here left out with respect to training, as in there are certainly approaches that are more intelligent than others for reaching ones goals, but when you zoom out to the big picture (think years) the overall work that you do will determine your physique.
Train as hard as possible, as often as possible, while staying as fresh as possible.” –Zatsiorsky
Please don’t take this as saying that you need to exert yourself like crazy every-time you are in the gym – if you are reading this and thinking you need to go absolutely destroy yourself at your next workout so that you puke and can’t walk then you missed the point.
So again, more is better with the giant qualification that you need to be able to recover from it.
If you are reading this article and pondering what program you should do – remember, a shitty program followed is better than a perfect program untouched. This is of course not optimal, but, go out and do something is the point.
That’s it for the pillars. What else though? …
Do I have to lift weights?
“Training carves the canal through which the river of calories shall flow” -Amir Siddiqui
Resistance training sits firmly at the top of the pile with respect to what will effect body composition most potently. Ultimately one does not have to lift weights but it is certainly the most efficient and effective way to change how you look.
You can be an ultra-marathoner (expending tons of energy) and still look subjectively weak.
You can do yoga, running, swimming, and anything else under the sun but without some form of resistance training you will still likely be coming short of your potential.
This is not to say that any of these types of working out are “bad” or should be avoided (I am talking purely about body composition / how one looks). There are a multitude of benefits to be had (tons of health improvements), standalone or synergistically, but with respect to lean muscle mass and overall looks – lifting takes the crown.
More reading…
Okay, so after reading this are you going to go back to your facebook feed and mindlessly scroll through it or do something of equal unimportance? Hehe, I’m thinking you will. How about you check out some of these these links to supplement what you’ve just read:
Alan Aragon – The Dirt on Clean Eating
Alan’s article expands on the themes of my post AND gives strategies and tips on how to achieve your goals.
Brian Wansink – Mindless Eating
Brian’s book can help you become a more mindful eater.
Chad Landers – Top 5 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working
Similar to Alan’s post (and mine here) – a simple overview of what to pay attention to.
Looking for a coach to help you take care of this part of your life and help you establish healthy long term habits? I would recommend this organization. I am not an affiliate and do not get a commission from recommending them, I simply believe they are great at what they do.
Okay, your turn…
What can you do today to move towards your goals? Go do that!
Body By Mitch 