If you’ve a profile on any social media platform, you’ve certainly seen some of the “informative” pics that get shared a million times with 250,000 likes.
You know the ones that detail a muscle-building or fat-burning workout with absolutely NO explanation or scientific reasoning behind it.
Or possibly worst of all, the ones that list…FAT BURNING FOODS!
They look something like this =>
No explanation. No facts.
The pic looks good, so therefore they don’t have to offer any explanation as the how bananas or grapefruit actually go to work to burn fat off your belly.
So be sure to get some “tart cherries” down your throat, and you’ll have a lean midsection in no time.
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Here’s the facts: If you think there are certain foods that you eat and they actually work to burn fat off your belly (or elsewhere) you’re outta your mind!
Don’t believe the hype. There are no fat-burning foods.
The truth is that there are 2 steps to burning maximum fat:
(1) Creating a caloric deficit
(2) Eating a diet (not a specific food) that puts your body in “fat burning” mode and out of “fat storing mode”.
STORAGE VS BURNING
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Creating a caloric deficit forces your body to tap into its fat reserves for the extra energy it needs.
But if you create a caloric deficit and your body is in storage mode, you’re going to have a hard (maybe even impossible) time reaching your goals.
Ensuring that you create an environment inside the body that encourages fat burning is about controlling levels of the hormones insulin and leptin.
Controlled levels of insulin are like the gates to your fat cells being opened. The fat can then freely come out and be burned for energy.
Optimal leptin sensitivity allows your brain to signal that it’s ok to lose fat and that your body doesn’t need to start storing the energy that’s coming in (food intake).
All of this is achieved by lowering carbohydrate intake, and especially your sugar intake. It doesn’t need to be very low in carbs. And for us lifters, there should also be periods of high carbs to replace lost glycogen in our muscles.
Jeff Volek has done some great research on this very topic.
This approach simply produces more fat loss AND improves overall body composition (many people gain lean mass as well).
The absolute IDEAL scenario is coupling this nutritional strategy with resistance training. It simply is the superior approach to fat loss and body composition – period!
My program Total Six Pack Abs details this approach step by step with the science to back it up. There’s no room for gray areas or doubt, just solid results!
If you don’t need to lose fat right now and just want to pack on muscle like these guys did? Download the free THT workout for free here…
Whatever you do, DO NOT pay attention to all the garbage floating around facebook. Muscle Hackers know better. (like MuscleHack on facebook here, twitter here).
Have you seen these pics? Have you ever commented and tried to set people straight? Let me know below.
And if you need any help, let me know below. If I can help, I will.
Your Buddy,
Mark
P.S. If you missed my recent post on facebook and you live anywhere in Europe, I had a word with the good people at MyProtein and managed to get you guys some awesome DISCOUNTS! Creatine, Peanut butter, and all orders over £30.
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Hi Mark,
Great website and article. I’ve done the THT 3 day program for 11 weeks now in combination with a low carb (paleo+ I call it) diet. Dropped significantly in weight and muscles have grown (biceps +4cm) really well. My current bodyfat is~14%. Two questions:
1. Switching to THT 5 days will be difficult for me to combine with work and family. Do you recommend continuing on the THT 3 day programm? Do I need to make changes to the type of exercises?
2. I would like to trim of the last body fat to lets say 9% to reveal my abs. When would be a good time to go on TSPA? Can I achieve this also on THT?
Appreciate your view as I am in doubt how to continue.
Thanks!
Rens
Dear Mark
Thank you for your valuable information and the time you put in to improve our lives,
I am following your recipe book and I am on the low carb diet, what I found about it, that I must follow what is inside and do not add or cut down ingredients unless I verify they have the same values,
I still have one problem please, I can not tolerate the taste of Bacon on breakfast, if not at all, please advice on the alternative.
Thank you again Mark
Hey Mark 🙂 Thanks for the great tips and advice.
I used to have very long training sessions, with heavy weights in the past. Without any specific results. But I have the last half year followed your advice, and a copy of THT, mixed with my training program. 2×15 set provides good results.
But I wonder if you have any advice, about the effect of weight training. On for example chest hair and shoulder hair. I do not have much hair on the chest and shoulders. But have recently noticed, that the hair on the chest, has begun to grow unnaturally long. And it has grown out some hair on the shoulders. I feel that it is a result of lifting heavy weights, with 2×15 set advice. And I have eaten milk proteiener with BCAA, much turkey meat, pumpkin, spinach, milk.
Have read earlier somewhere that overdose of BCAA supplementation, with proteiener can increase body hair. I wonder if the metabolism with natural increase in testerone. Also leads to increased hair growth. Some people on the internet, also say that it may happen. That the proteins you eat, goes to the hair instead of getting to the muscles. Do you have any advice, if I should stop exercising weight training, since the training effects my body hair. My doctor had no answer to this, without that I must stop exercising and eating protein. If I get that kind of side effects.
Another great article. Thank you.
@Rens. No you don’t need to change necessarily. I’ve done 3day cycles back to back. Yes, to get down to 9% body fat, go on to TSPA now. The best thing is, there are 3-day, 5-day, and 6-day training options with TSPA. So you can still train 3 times a week (although you’ll be in the gym a little longer than if you trained 5 times a week).
@Firas. Try an omelet. Or eggs and sausage. Low carb pancake?
@Ochen. No your training and/or protein intake will not make you grow extra hair. There’s 2 probable causes in my opinion:
1. Steroid use
2. You’re just getting older.
So if you’ve not taken steroids, it just means you’re getting older. It happens (to all of us). You’ll notice a hair on your shoulder one day. Then some extra nose hair that wasn’t there before lol. No big deal, bud. Might as well get used to it. Pluck it out and get on with your life 😉
@Samantha. Thank you 😀
Loving THT! great post.
I do believe Tumeric should be on this page as a useful spice.
what about Hypertrichosis on men, and polycystic ovary syndrome in women? When you lift heavy weights causes the body to produce more androgens and adrinalen.
Androgen biology and sources
Androgens are steroids and hydrophobic compounds. They are gene rally protein-bound in the plasma. In women, the ovaries and adrenal glands produce androgens. They Contain steroidogenic enzymes, wooden trigger production of androgens from cholesterol. The peripheral layer of the skin is also a major source of androgen. However, peripheral skin can not produce androgens from cholesterol rather it can convert weak androgens two more potent androgens two trigger off fast activity.
Androgen action on hair
Testosterone is the main circulating androgen That deterministic mines hair growth. 5a-reductase converts testosterone two dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the hair follicle. The more powerful dihydrotestosterone then run the dermal papilla two create a terminal medullated hair out of vellus hair. Other less potential androgens like androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can also be transformed in the skin testosterone and dihydrotestosterone two two induces more hair growth.
The variations in the androgen receptor and 5a-reductase factor of the skin of a Particular body part, deter mines its androgen-triggered hair growth pattern.