You will fail more often than win. Accept that. Dare to fail. When I look back at any tough times I've had, I see that's where I've learned the most. 

Why you should never give up - 1 Minute Motivation

> “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” –Friedrich Nietzsche


Everybody wants to live the perfect life. Everybody wants to always be 100%
happy, have a great job or successful business. Everybody wants to be able to
have all the material things life has to offer and that our problems just
disappear.

That's not gonna happen. Sometimes life sucks. And here's the thing: The times
that suck the most, help you to grow the most. Remember this, success has been
and continues to be defined as getting up one more time, then you've been
knocked down. So if something knocks you down, get the fuck up! Again and again.

If experience has taught me anything, it's that nothing is free, and life ain't
easy. But it's fun and if you do it right, you can grow beyond your limits.

You will fail more often than you win. Accept that. Dare to fail. Aim to fail. I
can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.

Sometimes it had to get bad to make me uncomfortable enough to want the change I
needed. Times of great difficulty are times of great opportunity. These times
may not seem ideal at first, but they usually provide keen insight into the idea
of great value. When times are good and comfortable, it's easy to become
complacent and forget how skillful and resourceful you are capable of being.
When I look back at any tough times I've had, I see that's where I've learned
the most. That's where I proved how strong I really am.

All things happen for a reason. We have to go through the challenges to gain
wisdom, confidence and experience. So, never be afraid to hit the bottom. There
is nowhere else to go but up.

Life is about change. You and I are changing every minute of the day. Fashioned
by every experience and every exchange we have with others. Embrace that.

If life has treated you like trash and you still make an effort to be a good
person, I appreciate you. Cheers to everyone who's unhappy with a part of their
life and is actually making an effort to change it. This is huge and underrated
and so important.

Keep going because no one sees progress in a day or even a week, and quite
honestly, sometimes it takes years. Just remember that wanting to change is the
first and most important step and you're already there.

One last advice: No matter the situation, never let your emotions overpower your
intelligence.

Never give up because beautiful things can be born from misery!

Let me clear things up: You don't need any fancy stuff to get a proper workout in. However, small changes can make a big impact.


The best workout equipment you actually need! 

There is so much talking out there about what you need and don't need for a
proper workout. Let me clear things up: You don't need any fancy stuff to get a
proper workout in.

However, small changes can make a big impact. There are some pieces, which are
nice to have and amplify the effectiveness of exercises.

Over the years I've tried a ton of products and I know what works and what
doesn't. So let me share with you my recommendations, which will save you money,
time and injuries.

Think twice about
Before I get into my favourites, let me explain why you should think twice about
buying a waist trainer or lifting belt.

Waist trainer
There is not a single piece of evidence to support the idea that your body can
be moulded into the desired shape using a waist trainer.

The most common marketing statement from companies looks something like this:
"Waist trainers will help you to lose fat from your waist, metabolise fat,
release toxins, compress your core and reduce food intake throughout the day."

NONSENSE! You'll only lose water weight. NOT fat!

Do you think you get slimmer legs by wearing super tight pants? No. Same with
waist trainers. You will definitely not lose fat or lose fat faster by wearing
them.

You might lose some weight (but sure as hell no body fat), but the reason behind
that isn't magical:

Wearing a waist trainer makes you sweat more. Hence, you lose water weight.

You can save the money and achieve real fat loss in a cheaper way: proper
dieting and a good workout routine.

Lifting Belts
If you can answer one of the following questions with "yes", you could think
about buying/using a lifting belt:

 * do you have a back/spine/core injury?
 * do you bench press at least 1.5x your body weight?
 * do you squat at least 2x your body weight?
 * do you deadlift at least 2x your body weight?

None of the above? Then you most likely don't need a belt!

A lifting belt can increase strength and reduce risk of injury by increasing
intraabdominal pressure. Basically, because you're able to push your abs against
the belt, you have more pressure and therefore more stability in your core
section. Which then, in turn, can improve performance and decrease injury risk.

And that's where most people get a belt wrong: they either use it to compensate
a bad form or don't use it correctly, because they wear it way too lightly. A
lifting belt has to sit very tightly around your midsection. If you can walk
around with it after your set, you're doing it wrong. You have to be able to
push your core against the belt. If you wear it like a fanny bag, it's useless.

But why the specific questions above? If you have an injury, a belt can be a
good idea to take load off your back, spine and core. And it can also help with
strength if you're already very strong and you're reaching your body's limit. In
that case, you can go beyond your limit by using a belt.

If you're not even remotely close to your limit, which is the case for 99.9% of
gym rats out there, you're not doing yourself a favour. You use your core less
during workouts and therefore build less muscle mass in that area.

Essentials what you should have in your gym bag
1. Blender Bottle [http://amzn.to/2iXOo44] - The best water bottle


Good hydration is the most important thing during a workout. Skip on sugary,
calorie-loaded sports beverages and go for plain or fruit-infused water.

It's best to get a refillable, resealable water bottle, which is good to carry
around and easy to clean.

I personally love the BlenderBottle, because you can use it for lots of
different drink and shakes, such as fruit drinks, smoothies, yoghurt, etc. You
can also mix thick textures such as peanut butter or ice cream without a
problem.

Sometimes I use it in the kitchen when creating gravy, omelette or pudding
mixtures. It really is an "all-in-one" solution bottle.

If you're looking for a bottle, the BlenderBottle is a must-have. Trust me, I
tried out all kinds of different bottles.

2. Good quality fitness apparel


If you’re looking for affordable gym clothes with superb quality, look no
further!

Echt Apparel it is [https://echt.com.au/]. No, I’m not sponsored by them (I
would love to ;)), I'm just in love with their quality and price.

I tried them all: Nike, Gymshark, Adidas, Myprotein, Primark, H&M... but nothing
was as good as Echt-clothes. If you follow me on Instagram, you always see me
wearing Echt leggings and tops. They're simply amazing.

Don’t be put off by their location. They offer a worldwide flat rate shipping.
Thank me later!

3. Mpow Cheetah [http://amzn.to/2AemSH9] - Good quality Bluetooth headphones


I don't know about you, but for me, good music makes the difference between a
good workout and a fantastic workout.

Some people might feel it distracting, but I feel more in the zone as I can tune
out what's happening in the gym.

I tried out a few brands, such as Sony and Bose. But the MPow Cheetah's are the
absolute best.

They are absolutely affordable and super handy. You're getting the quality of a
£100 pair of headphones for a fraction of the cost.

4. Converse [http://amzn.to/2iXT7mk] - A good workout shoe


Some people wear running shoes when lifting weights. I mean, come on! They are
called running shoes for a reason. Wearing the wrong shoes makes the whole thing
much more difficult than it needs to be.

How? It creates an inherently unstable structure for a lift. Instead, wear shoes
with a harder, flat sole (I love to squat in Chucks) with a little arch and
ankle support.

5. Habinger workout gloves for Men [http://amzn.to/2iZwvlk] and Women
[http://amzn.to/2iZw62i]


No, gloves are not just for girls. Maybe you're just like me and tired of open
calluses while deadlifting.

Habinger's are simply the best. They are extremely durable and comfortable at
the same time. My husband lifts very heavy and it took quite some time before we
started to see some signs of wear.

Furthermore, what I experienced is they give you a good wrist stability, which
is pretty nice for heavy exercises such as bench press, dumbbell press or
military press.

6. Lifting straps [http://amzn.to/2k1E0F3]


I agree that it's important to build your grip strength than only rely on
straps. However, for me as a woman, it's nice to see how heavy you can go, but
my grip is not strong enough to hold a 100kg deadlift.

If you have trouble going heavy on certain exercises due to grip failure, too,
you should give straps a go.

Mind, let your grip break down before you strap. This way you'll build your grip
strength while being able to lift heavier. Also, look for straps which don't get
loose while lifting or are overly tricky to wrap tightly.

9. Myprotein Muscle Foam Roller [http://amzn.to/2AXdwyN]


If you never tried out a foam roller, you're missing out on one of the best
tools for recovering and injury prevention.

Rollers are the most popular mechanism for self-myofascial release. Rolling
yourself out on a foam roller is an affordable alternative to massage therapy.

You don't even need to work out regularly to get the benefits of foam rolling.
Simply use the roller during a commercial break to release some tense muscle.

What do you think about my gym essentials? If you have anything to add to the
list, please let me know in the comments below!

BTW, this blog post is not sponsored

The best workout equipment you actually need! - 9 things to always keep in your gym bag

Let's talk squats! Let me go through some of the most common mistakes, that I see daily in the gym and give you some tips. Practice is key!


9 most common and worst squat mistakes

Let's talk squats! If you ask me, the squat is the king of all exercises. When
I
started weightlifting [/how-weightlifting-changed-my-attitude/], I wasn't even
able to perform a proper bodyweight squat. But I worked hard to improve my
technique [/benefits-of-weightlifting/].

However, the squat is one of the most commonly screwed-up exercises.

Let me go through some of the most common mistakes, that I see daily in the gym
and give you some tips. I know the squat can be quite tricky to master, but it's
not impossible. Practice is key.

Wrong bar placement


This one's not too obvious, but many people place the bar asymmetrically on
their back, which makes it more difficult to balance the weight.

Make sure to focus on the right placement when you grab the bar and orientate
yourself on the markers on the bar. You can also ask a gym mate to spot you and
correct the placement if necessary. Try to have a mirror in front of you, to
check, if possible.

Heels coming off the floor
If you perform a squat and your heels are coming off the floor, put the bar back
into the rack! Your heels are one of the key pressure points during a squat.
Therefore, it's crucial to transfer the force effectively from the ground,
through the body and to the bar.

Keeping your feet on the ground is essential for optimal balance and strength.
Try to push through your heels, because that's where most of the power for a
squat comes from. If you can't squat without lifting your heels, try to stretch
first, to improve your mobility.

Short range of motion
For maximal thigh development, you want to squat as low as you can. Aim to squat
at least to the point where your thighs are parallel to the floor (90-degree
knee bend).

Basically, the deeper you squat, the more your glutes and hamstrings get to
work.

However, if it's painful for you or you're just not flexible enough to squat
below parallel, don't force an ass-to-grass squat.

Looking up


When squatting, you want to maintain a neutral arch in you cervical spine,
meaning you want to look directly forward.

Turning your head up, curves the cervical portion of the spine, which could be a
risk factor for disc injuries. Always keep your spine in a straight line!

You drop way too fast
Always go down in a controlled way. You don't want to bounce. Bouncing into and
out of a squat is cheating. If you can't do a controlled squat with a certain
weight, you shouldn't be squatting that weight at all. You'll also contract your
muscles less, which means less results!

"Falling" into a squat might also lead to serious knee injuries. The perfect
squat is a combination of speed, control and contraction.

You're rounding your lower back
Let me get this straight: A round back during any exercise is never good. 
Rounding your lower back puts huge amounts of stress on your lower spine. 
Especially if you lift very heavy weights [/full-body-workout/], the risk of
injuries increases.

Focus on a neutral lower back - neither round or hyper-extend it.

You lean too far forward


This one happens a lot, too. When squatting, many people end up leaning too far
forward, at the bottom of the movement. When they then go back up, they
straighten their legs and their entire torso is almost horizontal to the floor.

By doing so, you put a lot of stress on the lower back and you take your quads
out of the game.

The right angle depends on your leg-to-torso ratio and whether you perform a
low-bar or high-bar squat. If you perform a low-bar squat (bar below the traps)
you will automatically lean more forward than with a high-bar squat.

To fix this problem, keep your upper back tight and your chest out.

Your elbows flare out
When you perform a high-bar squat, you want to have your elbows in the right
position for the best support.

Make sure that your elbows are pointing towards the floor, as you tighten your
shoulder blades and lift the bar off the rack. Lock in at the beginning of your
squat and it will be much easier to maintain for the whole movement.

Handy tips to improve your performance
Think twice about using a squat pad
Nearly every gym has a soft neck pad next to the squat rack, to help cushion the
weight across your traps. However, think twice about actually using it, because
it makes it really difficult to balance the bar on your back.

Check your shoes


Some people wear running shoes when lifting weights. I mean, come on! They are
called running shoes for a reason. Wearing the wrong shoes, makes the whole
thing much more difficult, than it needs to be.

How? It creates an inherently unstable structure for the squat. Instead, wear
shoes with a harder, flat sole (I love to squat in Chucks), slightly raised
heels (powerlifting shoes) or squat barefoot.

A good form is more important than adding more weight
Leave your ego at the door! Loading up the bar with weight, but squatting down
only a few inches is something I see far too often. Learn to perform with proper
form first and then add the weight.

Improve your breath technique


A squat can be a really heavy exercise, which requires a lot of energy. Take the
time to breath deeply and properly in between reps.

Furthermore, many people breathe out, as they lift the weight. But, actually you
want to hold your breath until you reach the top (end of the movement). By
holding your breath, you'll increase the intra-abdominal pressure, keeping your
core tight and strong [/why-your-abs-arent-showing/].

Think twice about using a belt
In some gyms it's almost like a fashion statement to wear a lifting belt. People
who barely squat or deadlift their own body weight, wrap belts around their
core. Even for warm up sets.

If you can answer one of the following questions with "yes", you could think
about buying/using a lifting belt:

 * do you have a back/spine/core injury?
 * do you bench press at least 1.5x your body weight?
 * do you squat at least 2x your body weight?
 * do you deadlift at least 2x your body weight?

None of the above? Then you most likely don't need a belt!

Wrap up
There you go. Now you have everything you need, to perform a perfect squat. I
know squats aren't easy, but they're so worth doing!

Protein is by far the most expensive macro nutrient and some people just don't have much money. Here's a list of cheap protein sources everyone can effort!

What are the cheapest, high quality protein sources out there?

It should be common knowledge by now, that protein is an essential macro
nutrient and very important for both muscle growth and fat loss. And not just
for bodybuilders!

There's a problem with protein though. It's by far the most expensive macro
nutrient. And a lot of people simply don't have the money to buy several pounds
of high price beef every week.

So I set out to present you with cheap ways to get your protein in. Let's have a
look at the list first and afterwards, I'll add my 2 cents.

Note that all prices are based on what I could find in the UK and no offers were
included, except for whey protein, which is basically always on offer. For whey
I used the average price I paid for my last couple of orders.

Obviously prices will vary from country to country, but the general trend will
mostly be the same.

THE list
Protein sourcePrice per 100g of proteinLentils (dry)£0,58Whey protein powder
£0,96Eggs (whole)£1,15Chicken breast (frozen)£1,52Plain yogurt£1,76Cottage
cheese 0% fat£2,15Egg whites (from eggs)£2,34Chicken breast£2,41Tuna (drained
weight)£3,07Beef mince 5% fat£3,21Tofu£3,31Low fat greek yoghurt£3,64Salmon£6,49
Alright, there you have it. I included meat, dairy and some vegan options, so
there should be something in here for everyone. Of course, there are a lot of
other protein sources out there, but these are the most common ones.

A few things to add here:

 1. Lentils are by far the cheapest source, but also have the smallest amount of
    leucine, which is the most important amino acid for muscle protein
    synthesis. Hence you'll need to consume more protein (and therefore
    calories) from lentils, to get the same effect. Note that other legumes have
    similar protein levels and are also low in leucine. So swap them as you
    please. Canned legumes are always a bit more expensive than dried ones. And
    they can lead to more gas issues, if not rinsed properly...
    
    
 2. Whey might be more expensive in your country. However, always buy online
    directly from the source, if possible. Never in a supplement shop. They will
    always have higher prices, because they have to pay staff and rent.
    MyProtein is widely available and has a good track record from several lab
    tests. But use whatever you like of course. I personally never pay more than
    £9/10€/$11 per kg.
    
    
 3. While protein is super important, as mentioned earlier, don't be dumb and
    consume insane amounts of it. 1g per pound or 2g per kg is enough for most
    people. There's no scientific evidence that suggests you'd need more in any
    circumstance! Plus, less protein is easier on your kidneys and wallet.
    
    

On a fat loss diet
When it comes to a fat loss diet, a caloric deficit is key. There's no way
around that. And in order to make our lives a bit easier, it's usually better to
use low calorie foods, rather than dense, high calorie ones.

The following table lists the exact same protein sources as above, but this time
with the amount of protein per 100kcal. By using both lists, you should have a
nice starting point to plan your next grocery shop.

Protein sourceGrams of protein per 100kcalLentils (dry)7gWhey protein powder20g
Eggs (whole)9gChicken breast (frozen)21gPlain yogurt8gCottage cheese 0% fat16g
Egg whites (from eggs)22gChicken breast22gTuna (drained weight)25gBeef mince 5%
fat17gTofu11gLow fat greek yoghurt7gSalmon8gOne thing to keep in mind here: some
sources increase weight when you prepare them, due to added water, while some
lose weight.

For instance: 100g of lentils will end up being 250-300g on your plate, while
100g of chicken breast will be roughly 60-70g.

Some people feel better on meat, because it's digested very slowly, some feel
better on legumes, because they have more mass and a ton of fiber.

So if you're a good eater and struggle with satiety, try different protein
sources and see if you feel a difference in satiety.

Conclusion
As you can tell from the first list, it can be rather cheap to get your protein
in, if you commit to legumes and protein powder for the majority of your protein
intake. If you combine the two, you'll also get enough leucine in, without
thinking too much about it.

And while it's certainly a bit harder for vegans to hit their protein goals,
especially on a calorie restricted diet, it's possible, if you know what you're
doing.

I hope this helps some people with their food shopping and if you know a cheap
protein source that I missed, let me know in the comments down below!

Maybe you have one that is only available/cheap in your country? I'm curious to
know!

Cheapest protein sources

Should you use a weight lifting belt and if so, how do you properly use it, to improve performance in the gym?

Do you need a lifting belt?

Ah, supplements and workout gear. The two areas where gym rats like to spend
huge amounts of money without seeing any results.

But before I drift off and rant about testosterone booster, fat burner, BCAAs
and others, let's focus on lifting belts.

In some gyms it's almost like a fashion statement to wear a lifting belt. People
who barely squat or deadlift their own body weight wrap belts around their core.
Even for warm up sets.

And just by the way they wear the belt (or even the type of belt itself), you
can tell they don't even know what the belt is good for and how it works.

So before I go through each of these points separately, let me give you a quick
decision shortcut:

Short version
If you can answer one of the following questions with "yes", you could think
about buying/using a lifting belt:

 * do you have a back/spine/core injury?
 * do you bench press at least 1.5x your body weight?
 * do you squat at least 2x your body weight?
 * do you deadlift at least 2x your body weight?

None of the above? Then you most likely don't need a belt!

Long version


What a lifting belt is used for and how
A lifting belt can increase strength and reduce risk of injury by increasing
intraabdominal pressure. Basically, because you're able to push your abs against
the belt, you have more pressure and therefore more stability in your core
section. Which then in turn can improve performance and decrease injury risk.

And that's where most people get a belt wrong: they either use it to compensate
a bad form or don't use it correctly, because they wear it way too lightly. A
lifting belt has to sit very tightly around your midsection. If you can walk
around with it after your set, you're doing it wrong. You have to be able to
push your core against the belt. If you wear it like a fanny bag, it's useless.

But why the specific questions above? If you have an injury, a belt can be a
good idea to take load off your back, spine and core. And it can also help with
strength, if you're already very strong and you're reaching your body's limit.
In that case, you can go beyond your limit by using a belt.

If you're not even remotely close to your limit, which is the case for 99.9% of
gym rats out there, you're not doing yourself a favour. You use your core less
during workouts and therefore build less muscle mass in that area.

And guess what, the reason you have abs, is to stabilise your body, so use them
for that! They are not there, so you have a visible six pack
[/why-your-abs-arent-showing/]. That's just a side effect.

If you prematurely use a belt, you'll limit yourself in terms of muscle growth
and you'll always need a belt, even for light weights, because your core is
underdeveloped. And then I even see people doing crunches, because they want
more abdominal muscle. Just don't use a belt for squats and deadlifts, mate!

But how do you get it tight? The most common way is to pull in your stomach in a
bit and close the belt rather tightly. When you release your stomach, the belt
will fit very tight. Don't overdo it though. You still have to be able to breath
and bend enough to perform the actual exercise.

In the beginning leather belts are a little bit harder and might feel
uncomfortable. Use it for a few workouts and it will get better!

Which belt should you buy?
Alright, so now that you know if you really need one and you still think it
would be a good idea, which one should you buy?

Fairly simple actually. You want a high quality belt that is rather thick and
sturdy. The flexible ones are plain nonsense. You might as well just wrap a
piece of foil around your core and save some money.

A decent belt should be roughly 9mm thick, have a very strong buckle, around
4"/10cm wide and made out of leather.

A good starting point is any belt that looks like this:



Or if you prefer a different buckle, like this:



The weight lifting belts from RDX [http://amzn.to/2uI5T9M] bring a great value
for the price, if you want a specific recommendation.

Conclusion
Most people don't need a weight lifting belt and would be better off, and have
better results, by spending their money on good, solid food
[https://slickcoach.teachable.com/].

So unless you're in one of the aforementioned groups, don't even think about a
belt, even when you see tons of weak people in the gym running around with one.

If they'd know what they are doing, they wouldn't be as weak as they are!

Learn from the guys/gals that look like they know a thing or two AND can explain
it. If they can't explain it, run, because they most likely only look this way
because of their genetics or pure luck. Keep that in mind.

And hey, if you're not strong enough yet, but still want a belt - just get
stronger and you can legitimately use one ;)

Happy lifting!

Somehow the six-pack is the holy grail of the fitness industry. You put in a ton of effort to get a well-defined mid-section. But nothing seems to work.

Why can’t I get a six pack ? - 5 Reasons why your abs aren't showing

Somehow the six-pack is the holy grail of the fitness industry. You put in a ton
of effort to get a well-defined mid-section. But you can do whatever you want
and nothing seems to work? When will all these crunches and leg raises finally
pay off?

You don't need an overly complicated training program, "magic-six-pack-foods" or
25 different exercises to train your core.

Let me clarify, why you might fail to see any results.

Abs are a body fat percentage game


You can work your ass off in the gym, but that alone won't give you visible
abs. Know the saying "abs are made in the kitchen"? That's actually true.

When it comes to visible abs, it matters less how strong your core is. First,
you need a very low body-fat percentage
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-to-determine-your-body-fat-percentage/].
However, it varies from person to person at which body fat percentage abs will
show. Some will see their abs earlier, and some later. I know it's unfair, but
that's how it works.

The best advice I can give you is to stop eating crap
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/top-15-reasons-why-you-are-not-losing-weight/] and
stop saying nonsense like "they probably have better genetics... I was born to
have no abs". Bah, put away your Oreos and your so-called healthy sandwiches.
Start cleaning up your diet
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/simple-ways-to-reduce-calories/] and stay in a
caloric deficit
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/]
!

Keep in mind, that nobody's core is naturally developed enough to have the deep
cuts everybody is aiming for. You have to stimulate your core muscles with the
right exercises as well.

Furthermore, I want to point out that crash-diets
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/targeted-fat-loss/] are not a good way to reach
your goals faster. Please, stay away from them. You'll have to stick to an
unhealthy, restrictive diet for weeks and afterwards you'll most likely gain
all
the weight you've lost back [https://blog.slickcoach.com/reverse-dieting/].
Instead, create a meal plan
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/create-your-own-meal-plan/] that you can
incorporate into your daily life and stick to. Make it a lifestyle, not a
3-week-bikini-program.

Crunches aren't the most effective abdominal exercise


It's - without any doubt - one of the biggest misconceptions
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/biggest-fitness-myths-debunked/]: doing thousands
of crunches to build a stronger core and visible abs. There is no such thing as 
targeted fat loss [https://blog.slickcoach.com/targeted-fat-loss/]! It's
impossible to control where body fat comes off of your body. You have to burn
the fat gradually from your entire body. Sadly, abdominal fat is often times the
last bit to come off - and the first to come back.

But on top of that, crunches aren't even the best exercise to build abdominal
muscles!

Here are some of the best exercises to target your core:

 * cable crunches
 * hanging leg raises / captain's chair leg raises
 * ab wheel roll out
 * decline bench crunches

Here are the best heavy compound exercises to strengthen your core:

 * deadlifts
 * squats
 * military press / overhead press

Heavy compound lifts [https://blog.slickcoach.com/full-body-workout/] should be
your main focus, while isolated ab exercises are the icing on the cake. Plus,
abs require a lifestyle change and a ton of discipline. There is no shortcut to
this.

It's enough to have 1 or 2 ab exercises per week in your program. 3-4 if you
have genetically bad abs.

Heavy squats and deadlifts are the main building blocks though. Think about it.
Naturally, your core is not there to make you roll yourself up. It's there to
stabilise your body while performing having lifts and holding heavy things.

Don't work your biceps and abs for 1 hour straight in the gym. You'll not see
any difference AND you'll stay weak, because you only train the smallest muscles
in your body. Bad idea. And yet, a ton of people train this way... But you can
tell by the way they look...

Increase the intensity


If you want muscles to grow, you have to force them to. Muscle growth is based
on the simple principle of progressive resistance, which means that you need to
increase the amount of resistance if you want any growth or progress. "Just
training" will NOT lead to results. If your body feels like the workout was hard
but doable, it will not see any reason to increase muscle mass.

Furthermore, doing 500 reps will not do you any favour. Aim for a rep range of
8–12 reps and increase the weight you're working with gradually. Very good are
hanging leg raises while holding a dumb bell with your feet and weighted cable
crunches.

Adding more weight or trying a more difficult angle makes basic exercises 
significantly more difficult and you will feel the burn.

But focus on the muscle! Most people will simply move the weight with their
lower back rather than their core. Useless. If you don't have a huge burn in
your core towards the end of every set, you're not contracting your core. Try to
focus more on the core or try another exercise instead.

Conclusion
Basically, it comes down to just these three things:

 * reduce body fat percentage
 * do a lot of heavy compound weightlifting
 * do the right core exercises

Stick to these 3 rules and you will see results. But give yourself time. People
often times underestimate the amount of body fat they carry. Even a "lean"
person might need to lose another 4kg/8lbs to have visible abs.

But don't make the mistake of "dieting for abs" if you're a beginner. If you're
very weak and have very little muscle mass, you can diet all you want, you
simply don't have enough core muscle mass to have abs. You can't cut a piece of
wood until it fits, if it's already too short!

In that case, rather bulk up, add several kg/lbs of muscle mass and then start
another short cut. The results will be a whole lot better! Men specifically tend
to get this wrong.

What are your favourite core exercises? Let me know in the comment section down
below!

I snooped around the internet for another episode of my beloved "Exposed & Solved"-Series. This time it's all about fitness myths. 

Exposed And Solved: 15 biggest fitness myths debunked!

I snooped around the internet for another episode of my beloved "Exposed &
Solved"-Series
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/exposed-solved-biggest-lies-and-myths-about-weight-loss/]
. This time it's all about fitness myths. And - heck - did I find some
ridiculous myths to clarify! You might heard some of them, but I'm sure that
most of them are new to you. Have fun!

1. Do crunches to lose belly fat


Let's get right into it with one of the most common myths out there: do
thousands of crunches to get a flatter and more toned mid-section. Nope, not
true - sadly. Doing crunches won't burn a lot of calories, so they don't help
you to reduce body fat. And having visible abs is a body-fat-percentage-game.

The most effective way to get a toned tummy, is to do compound exercises (such
as squats, deadlifts, military press and bench press), which burn a lot more
calories throughout the day than crunches. Generally speaking, the more muscles
are being used, the more calories are burned.

However, you can work your ass off in the gym, but that alone won't show your
abs. You might know the saying "Abs are made in the kitchen". It's true, in
order to get rid of that belly fat you have to be in a caloric deficit
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/] 
and reduce your body fat percentage
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-to-determine-your-body-fat-percentage/].
Period.

2. Sweat is fat crying
Sweating is not an accurate indicator of the calories you've burned. Sorry to
disappoint you, but sweating more doesn't mean you burned more calories than
usual, it could just mean that your gym is warm.

We sweat to cool down our skin and regulate internal body temperature.
Furthermore, it's possible that you burn a lot of calories without breaking a
sweat. When I was doing cardio, back when I was in competition prep
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/bikini-competition-journal-1-day-out/], I used to
don't sweat at all. Especially at the end of the prep.

3. Endless cardio sessions are the best way to lose body fat


People are cardio-centric. So many people spend literally hours on the treadmill
to shed inches.

Weight training is a much more effective way to drop those pounds than spending
hours on doing cardio.

Of course, if you want to be able to run 10 miles without the need for a break,
then go ahead. If your goal is fat los, toning and muscle gain, running mile
after mile will not help you.

In fact, the more you run, the more efficient your body becomes - and our bodies
adapt very fast. Meaning you'll burn fewer calories. When you do weight lifting
you always put your body in a new situation, by adding more and more weights.

However, keep in mind while you can burn quite some calories in the gym, no
amount of time at the gym can compensate for a bad diet
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/create-your-own-meal-plan/].

4. Light weights are good for toning


Oh please, try to think logically: there are two things, which are necessary for
'toning' your body: decreasing body fat percentage and increase muscle mass.

Only using light weights won't help you with either. You have to challenge your
body to get the benefits of weight lifting. Don't be afraid of putting more
plates on the bar [https://blog.slickcoach.com/full-body-workout/]! I promise
you, you will feel amazing afterwards and you'll see results!

In fact, you have to lift very heavy when you're trying to lose weight, in order
to force the body to keep as much muscle mass as possible. Cardio combined with
light weights will literally burn muscle mass, since you'll be in a catabolic
state. So stay away!

5. Heavy weight training will make women look bulky
Girls, don't believe that! How, on earth, should this be possible? Take a look
around in your gym. Most of the guys there, who do weight lifting, don't even
look bulky. Or athletic for that matter.

So, how should it be possible that you, with only a very small amount of
testosterone and less muscle tissue than men have to begin with, will look bulky
when you lift weights?

Let's put this myth finally to bed. The truth is, the hormonal conditions
necessary for bulking up aren't present in most of us. Of course, you will gain
some muscle [https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-to-bulk-and-build-muscle/], but
that's actually a very positive thing: Your posture will improve, a trimmer
silhouette, structural balance, less injuries, increased fat loss and a better
overall immune system.

Any woman that looks very muscular is simply using drugs. Heck, even most male
"fitness youtubers" use drugs, even though they say they don't (but it's very
obvious). So don't compare yourself to them.

If you can add 10kg/20lbs of muscle mass in 4 years of perfect training +
dieting, that's a lot. Most women will only add a few pounds, which will make
them look athletic and give them a strong bum.

You get it, go heavy
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/bodybuilding-myths-in-the-media/]!

6. Targeted fat loss is possible


You can't pick and choose areas where you want to burn fat.

Fat cells are located all across your entire body. Hence, if you want a flatter
tummy, you have to lose overall body fat. If spot-reduction was a thing, don't
you think you'd seldom see women with lower-body fat or men with "love handles"?

To get rid of excess weight, you'll need to burn more calories than you eat 
through a good diet. There's no other way. No gadgets, supplements or foil
around your hips will change that. Don't let them fool you.

7. If you aren't sore, you didn't work out properly
Of course, you can expect to feel some kind of soreness one or two days after
your workout, but you should never aim to feel pain while you're working out.

Furthermore, feeling sore isn't always a proper indicator of a good workout.
Most of the time, I had a great workout without being sore the next day. A good
recovery is key to prevent achy muscles.

The longer you train, to less often you'll be sore. In the beginning you should
feel soreness of course, but it will wear off over time.

So repeat after me: soreness is not equal to muscle growth!

8. Walk 10.000 steps a day and you don't need any other exercise


Puh, tricky one. The 10.000 steps guideline is oriented on disease prevention
for those who don't exercise at all. If this is your goal, then this myth is
true. Although some research suggests only 8.000 steps is enough and there's no
benefit after that. Walking more is not a problem of course, but the benefits of
walking will end there.

In order to improve your fitness-level however, you should aim to add
high-intensity-sessions (HIIT), strength training and some flexibility work to
your routine. With each type of exercise you get specific benefits.

A good fitness routine combined with a healthy diet is key to keeping your body
vital.

Nobody ever got strong from walking around ;)

9. Weight lifting turns fat into muscle
Oh my... this was even new to me. How should this even be a thing? Fat and
muscle are two different kinds of tissues. Fatty tissue is found under the
skin,
sandwiched between muscles or around internal organs
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/what-kind-of-body-fat-do-you-carry-and-why-its-important/]
. Muscle tissue on the other hand, is found throughout the body.

The real benefit you get from weight lifting is building up the muscle tissue in
and around fat tissue. Again, body fat reduction only works when being in a
caloric deficit. You can lose body fat and build muscle at the same time
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/build-muscle-mass-and-lose-body-fat/], but not
because you turn your body fat into muscles.

It's also claimed that muscle will turn to fat as soon as you stop with regular
exercising. Bullshit! Those two different types of tissues never turn into each
other. You'll simply lose your muscle mass, because the body breaks your muscles
down into amino acids and uses them for cell repair/creation.

10. Don't squat your ass to the grass


Another myth, which was new to me, and as I read it, I was like "whuuuuut the
f***..".

Squatting deep, so that your knees are over your toes, your butt to the floor,
hamstrings covering calves, chest up is the most effective way of squatting.
Plus, it's safe (if you are flexible enough to perform the full movement),
because it's an everyday-movement.

Don't believe this rubbish. Aim to squat as deep as possible. Keep in mind, a
proper form is more important than adding more weight to the bar! If you have
flexibility issues or injuries, don't go as deep of course. Use common sense.

11. You need to get your post-workout meal in the minute you finished your
workout
Absolutely not true! There's no single study out there, that has proven the
myth
of the "window of opportunity"
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/post-workout-nutrition/]. But there actually quite
a few, which prove it to be wrong.

This study [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9252485] - for example - shows,
that you have up to 3 hours after working out that your body is in a state where
it builds muscle rather than breaking it down.

And this study shows [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8563679], that protein
synthesis is elevated for 25 hours after your workout.

The most common and easy way is to have your PWO meal/shake around 1h after your
workout. Don't rush it. If you have it 30m earlier/later, no big deal.

It's more important that your PWO meal has enough protein to trigger muscle
protein synthesis. Examples would be:

 * 30g whey protein
 * 145g fish
 * 130g beef
 * 135g chicken
 * 159g lentils (dry weight, uncooked) or ~455g cooked weight

12. You can't build muscle on a plant-based diet


Why? I mean, where is the logic behind it?

You can't build muscle mass on a plant-based diet, because you can't get enough
protein in? You can! There are a lot of plant-based protein sources out there,
such as tofu, lentils, nuts, quinoa, beans, broccoli and others.

There are also quite a lot vegan protein powders out there, like rice protein,
hemp protein and pea protein. See, you have plenty of options, you just have to
be open-minded.

Of course it's a little bit harder to get enough leucine in, so you have to
"know more about nutrition" than the average meat eater, but if you know what
you're doing, you can get the exact same protein amounts and amino acid profiles
in, as a meat head.

13. You can't build muscle after the age of 30
You can build muscle at any age! You just have to constantly challenge your body
and muscles and follow a protein-rich diet. It doesn't matter if you're in your
20's or late 40's: If you don't work out and eat unhealthy food, you'll get out
of shape.

However, the older we get, the more challenging is gets to build muscles, but if
you put in the work you'll see results.

By the way: the current Mr. Olympia (the most muscular person on the planet) is
37 and has no intention of giving up.

14. You can outrun a bad diet


No, no, no, no! We see it a lot: People, who work their asses off for hours on
the treadmill, go home and eat like crap. Exercise will help you burn more
calories, and doing the right exercise will boost your metabolism
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/metabolism-explained-and-5-natural-ways-to-boost-it/]
. But all this running is needles, if you're eating more calories than you burn.
In this case, you'll gain body fat.

It's always 90% diet and 10% training. If the diet is wrong, you can't expect
to
see results, just because you're working out
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/correlation-between-exercise-and-weight-loss/].

15. Women need different exercises than men
The type of exercises have nothing to do with gender.

If you want to lift heavy, do it! If you want to do boxing, go ahead. If running
a marathon is your goal, no problem. The only difference between men and women,
when it comes to exercises, is how we build muscle.

There are a few specific exercises that men/women tend to do more often than the
other gender, like hip thrusts for women (men generally don't want to train
their asses) and bench presses for men (women have very small pecs and don't get
the same nice "plate-look" men get). But that's very specific. 98% of the
exercises are for both genders.

Conclucion
There are so many conflicting ideas out there, about how to get in the best
shape, it's really difficult to sort out which one is true and which one is not.
I really hope, this little compilation helped you to sort things out.

In the end, you can always apply common sense and think this through. There are
not secrets out there. If somebody is selling a "secret", they are just click
bating you. Training and diet is 99.9% the same as it was in Arnold's days,
because nothing has changed.

Hard work is all there is my friend.

Are there any other fitness myths you want to share with us? Please, let us know
in the comment section below. Can't wait for some stupidity :)

Many people think, the traditional bulking means to eat thousands of calories in form of all the naughty foods you're dreaming of during 'cut'-season. Nope!

How to 'bulk' clean and build muscle the right way

It's been two months now, since my first bikini competition
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/bikini-competition-journal-1-day-out/] and I'll
finally start my 'bulk' - or as I like to call it - 'improvement'-season.

Many people think traditional bulking means to eat thousands of calories per day
in form of all the naughty foods you're dreaming of during 'cutting'-season.
That's the reason why many bodybuilders end up looking like a balloon in the
off-season.

I don't want that and you're probably in the same boat! So let's go through this
together, so we both don't end up as a balloon.

What is a 'bulk'?


Bulking is nothing more than adding more calories to your diet than your body
burns. The main goal is to stay fairly lean while adding muscle mass and getting
stronger.

How clean bulking works
Usually, you start a bulk after a cutting season, or if you just started lifting
and you are a skinny individual
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-to-gain-weight-healthy/].

Never transition from a cut into a bulk straightaway. It's better to reverse
diet [https://blog.slickcoach.com/reverse-dieting/]. First, increase your daily
caloric intake for 100-150 calories every week. Once you reached your
maintenance level stay there for about 2 weeks, then slowly increase your
calories from there.

Don't go overboard with your calories right away
Eating too much right away [https://blog.slickcoach.com/15-low-calorie-foods/] 
is one of the most common mistakes and I get it - it's tempting! However, you
will not gain more muscle mass, by eating way more than you need.

There is no difference between increasing your calories by 120% or 150%, when it
comes to muscle gain. You'll only gain more body fat.

Calculate your caloric intake


To make it super simple for you we created a calculator
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/]
. You can use it to estimate your base line and then increase your calories 
every other week by another 100-200 calories or so.

Macro distribution


Let's start with the protein calculation
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/8-simple-protein-powder-recipes-you-need-to-try-now/] 
first, since it's the building block for muscles. Aim for 1g per pound
bodyweight (2g per kg bodyweight) of protein. More protein will not lead to more
muscle gain! Don't get fooled by articles that say you have to eat 500g per day.
Nonsense.

Next, calculate your fat intake
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/the-basics-what-is-dietary-fat/]. Keep the fats
constant at 25% of your total daily calories. Protein and fat stays the same
during your whole bulking phase - you only adjust carbs as needed.

Fill the remaining calories with carbohydrates. Carbs are very important
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/the-basics-what-are-carbohydrates/] during a bulk,
because they are the fuel for your heavy workouts. We need the energy we get
from carbs to peak our performance in the gym and spike insulin after the
workout.

Here's an example macronutrient breakdown for me, a 125 lbs (57kg) female.
 * Calculated calories for a surplus: 2200 kcal per day
 * Protein: 1 x 125 = 125g/500 kcal
 * Fat: 0.25 x 2200 kcal = 550 kcal/61g
 * Carbs: 2200 - 500 - 550 = 1150 kcal/288g

In case you're wondering: 1g of carbs and protein equals 4 kcal, 1g of fat is 9
kcal.

With your calculated caloric intake and your macro-distribution you should now
be able to create your own meal plan
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/create-your-own-meal-plan/].

Skip on junk


Of course, our bodies can't differentiate a calorie coming from junk food versus
a calorie coming from whole foods. However, eating too much highly processed
food will lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Vitamins and minerals are not "only healthy". Your body needs them to function
properly. And building muscle is one of those functions. Skipping on veggies and
whole foods will leave you with less progress!

So take care of your hormone levels, digestion, immune system and your skin
appearance by eating mostly whole foods
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/14-simple-food-swaps/].

I like to follow the 80/20-approach. 80% of the diet comes from fresh, whole
food and 20% from clean-ish or 'not-so-clean'-foods.

'Cheat' wisely


I'm a fan of occasionally treating myself
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/7-cheat-meal-mistakes/], especially while cutting.
But let's face the truth. During a bulk there is simply no physiological or
psychological benefit from having a cheat meal or even a whole day. It'll just
make you gain body fat faster.

This doesn't mean you can't enjoy a treat every once in a while. But do it
wisely [https://blog.slickcoach.com/healthy-sugar-alternatives/] by saving up
some calories for your treat or lift extra heavy the day after.

Listen to your body and adjust food intake if necessary
If you're a man, you're aiming to gain around 0.5 kg/1 lbs per week. As a woman
it's slightly less - aim for 0.25 kg/0.5 lbs per week.

If you're gaining less than that - or worse, nothing - then you have to eat more
. Add another 100 to 150 calories in form of carbs to your daily calories and
see how your body responds over the next week.

Take the time
Quick fixes don't help anyone. Sustainable changes take time and don't happen
over night. Be aware of that.

If you're new to weightlifting [https://blog.slickcoach.com/full-body-workout/],
you'll probably see faster results, especially in the beginning. But at some
point you will stall and you need to be patient at this point and keep going
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/you-are-your-biggest-enemy/].

Get out of your comfort zone in the gym


You're now in a caloric surplus, so your body has much more energy. Use it and
go hard in the gym. Put on more plates, do some new exercises, try a new
training split, squeeze your muscles - get out of your comfort zone! You have to
progress every week. If you don't, you're not lifting hard enough or you're not
eating enough. Or both.

Without proper training, all those extra calories are worthless! Your goal is to
get stronger. Therefore, you have to move those weights!

How to measure your progress


It's very important to measure your progress, so you can decide whether you're
on the right way or you have to adjust a few things to reach your target.

That's the point where three tools come into play: the scale, the calliper and
the mirror.

The scale
If you're a lean bean, you should see an increase here. If the number doesn't
increase, you either don't eat enough calories or don't work out hard enough.

The skin calliper
The calliper is used to measure your body fat percentage via your skin folds.
Used together with the scale, you will get an idea of how much of your weight
gain is actually body fat and how much is muscle mass.

The mirror
My favourite measuring tool. Nowadays, we're relying too much on numbers and
forget about how we actually look.

The number on the scale won't tell you, if you get to see a new line on your
leg, if your biceps got bigger or if you're actually starting to look better at
all.

In the end, that should be your main goal. Because you don't diet and train to
have a certain number on the scale. You do it because you want to look a certain
way!

Good luck adding some size.

How to structure a (s)low carb/medium fat diet, who should follow it and what types of foods should you eat? Explained in this compact article!

Diets explained part 3: (S)low carb/medium fat

This is the third and last blog post in a series of posts about the 3 most
important diets: high carb/low fat [/diets-explained-part-1-high-carb-low-fat/],
(s)low carb/medium fat and low carb/high fat (keto)
[/diets-explained-part-2-low-carb-high-fat-keto/].

These diets are the main building blocks for everyone who wants to lose body fat
and/or gain muscle mass. There are no other "secret" diets out there. Everything
else is just a subset of one the above.

Because in the end, calorie balance
[/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/] and macro
nutrient distribution [/the-basics-what-are-macros-and-micros/] is what matters
the most!

Every one of these posts has the same structure, to make it easy for you to
compare. They contain the necessary information to start your diet right now.
Because you don't have to spend hours to understand the fundamentals of fat
loss, it's quite simple. So I kept all posts as short as possible.

Now, let's dive right in! This post explains the (s)low carb/medium fat diet or
short: (s)low carb.

Macro nutrient distribution
 * Roughly 2g per kg body weight of protein
 * At least 0.5g per kg body weight of fat, more if you like
 * Remaining calories from slow releasing carbs

Simple as that. Most people will opt for a high-ish amount of carbs and low to
medium fat. The main point of this diet is the fact that it's a little higher in
fat than high carb/low fat [/diets-explained-part-1-high-carb-low-fat/], which
covers the bare minimum for hormonal needs and (s)low carb only allows slow
releasing carb sources.

Through a little bit more fat and slow releasing carbs, your insulin levels rise
slower and the spike is not as high, which prevents insulin crashes and
therefore hunger attacks. It's also a lot higher in fiber than a standard high
carb diet, which keeps you satiated.

This diet is basically a middle ground between the other two.

Focus on
Slow releasing carb sources with a lot of fiber like vegetables and legumes. No
high carb foods like fruit, potatoes, rice, bread, pasta or sugar
[/the-basics-what-are-carbohydrates/].

High quality protein [/the-basics-what-is-protein/] from lean meat, eggs and
dairy or legumes and soy products, if you're vegan.

Healthy fat sources [/the-basics-what-is-dietary-fat/] like fatty fish (or fish
oil), nuts, eggs and avocado. No trans fats! All other fats are fine, including
saturated fats. Just make sure to get a good mix of all fats.

No or very little alcohol [/correlation-between-alcohol-and-fat-loss/].

Sample meal plan structure
Subject: 80kg | 16% body fat | male

Keep in mind:

 * Carbs: 4kcal per g
 * Protein: 4kcal per g as well
 * Fat: 9kcal per g

Since fat and carbs are not fixed and we have to start somewhere, I used 60g of
fat rather than 40g, which would be the minimum, because the subject enjoys a
little bit more fat in his diet. The remaining calories come from carbs:

If muscle gain is the main goal

 * Caloric needs to gain muscle mass: 2.900kcal
 * Macro breakdown * 60g fat = 540kcal
    * 160g protein = 640kcal
    * 2.900kcal - 540kcal - 640kcal = 1.720kcal remaining = 430g
      carbs
   
   

If fat loss is the main goal

 * Caloric needs to be in a caloric deficit: 2.100kcal
 * Macro breakdown * 60g fat = 540kcal
    * 160g protein = 640kcal
    * 2.100kcal - 540kcal - 640kcal = 920kcal remaining = 230g
      carbs
   
   

Done. Hit these macros and you're good to go. Job done! Seriously. That's it.
You don't have to hit them religiously of course. But if you shift your macros,
try to shift fat to carbs or the other way around. Protein stays the same.
Experiment a little bit, if you feel better on more carbs or more fat.

But make sure to only consume aforementioned carb sources.

You don't have to do any exercise to lose body fat
[/correlation-between-exercise-and-weight-loss/], but you will get quicker
results, if you add some.

Who should do low carb/high fat
People who:

 * Need some (explosive) power, like strength athletes and construction workers.
   Basically people who need a decent amount of strength all week
 * Have bad insulin sensitivity (do you feel sluggish after a high carb meal?
   then you have bad sensitivity!)
 * Can't control themselves when eating fast releasing carbs like bread but
   don't enjoy fatty meals
 * Struggle with satiety on a normal high carb diet
 * Want to increase muscle mass
 * Want/Need more mass in their meals to sustain a (weight loss) diet

What to do next
Calculate your caloric needs with the nifty calculator below and then apply the
rules above to determine your macro nutrient distribution.

Then get yourself some nice food to fill those macros by tracking your food
[/how-to-track-your-food/] and reach your goals!

If you have further questions, go right ahead and let me know in the comment
section down below, I'm happy to help!

How to structure a low carb/high fat (ketogenic) diet, who should follow it and what types of foods should you eat? Explained in this compact article!

Diets explained part 2: Low carb/high fat (keto)

This is the second blog post in a series of posts about the 3 most important
diets: high carb/low fat [/diets-explained-part-1-high-carb-low-fat/], (s)low
carb/medium fat [/diets-explained-part-3-s-low-carb-medium-fat/] and low
carb/high fat (keto).

These diets are the main building blocks for everyone who wants to lose body fat
and/or gain muscle mass. There are no other "secret" diets out there. Everything
else is just a subset of one the above.

Because in the end, calorie balance
[/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/] and macro
nutrient distribution [/the-basics-what-are-macros-and-micros/] is what matters
the most!

Every one of these posts has the same structure, to make it easy for you to
compare. They contain the necessary information to start your diet right now.
Because you don't have to spend hours to understand the fundamentals of fat
loss, it's quite simple. So I kept all posts as short as possible.

Now, let's dive right in! This post explains the low carb/high fat diet, also
known as ketogenic diet or short: keto.

Macro nutrient distribution
 * Less than 50g of net carbs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ecPHPbzLAY]
 * Roughly 2g per kg body weight of protein (you could potentially go a bit
   lower)
 * Remaining calories from fat

Simple as that. No, fat does not make you fat, that's nonsense! Too many
calories make you fat. Period.

Don't be afraid of dietary fat! In this diet, it's your primary fuel and you
need it. If you follow the plan outlined below, you'll be fine. Don't
under-consume!

Focus on
Very low carb fruits like berries and vegetables, like broccoli or spinach. No
high carb foods like potatoes, rice, banana, bread, pasta etc. or even legumes.
50g of net carbs are not much.

High quality protein [/the-basics-what-is-protein/] from fatty meat and dairy or
soy products, if you're vegan. Don't be scared of the fatty cuts. Enjoy some
bacon!

Healthy fat sources [/the-basics-what-is-dietary-fat/] like fatty meat, fatty
fish (or fish oil), nuts, cheese, butter, eggs and avocado. No trans fats! All
other fats are fine, including saturated fats. Just make sure to get a good mix
of all fats.

No or very little alcohol [/correlation-between-alcohol-and-fat-loss/].

Sample meal plan structure
Subject: 80kg | 16% body fat | male

Keep in mind:

 * Carbs: 4kcal per g
 * Protein: 4kcal per g as well
 * Fat: 9kcal per g

If muscle gain is the main goal

 * Caloric needs to gain muscle mass: 2.900kcal
 * Macro breakdown * 50g carbs = 200kcal
    * 160g protein = 640kcal
    * 2.900kcal - 200kcal - 640kcal = 2.060kcal remaining = 229g
      fat
   
   

Keep in mind that high fat diets can be used for muscle gain, but are not
optimal!

If fat loss is the main goal

 * Caloric needs to be in a caloric deficit: 2.100kcal
 * Macro breakdown * 50g carbs = 200kcal
    * 160g protein = 640kcal
    * 2.100kcal - 200kcal - 640kcal = 1260kcal remaining = 140g
      fat
   
   

Done. Hit these macros and you're good to go. Job done! Seriously. That's it.
You don't have to hit them religiously of course. But if you shift your macros,
try to rather eat more fat and protein and less carbs, in order to stay in a
state of ketosis. Don't eat more than 50g of net carbs. Not relevant to fat
loss, but you'll most likely feel better.

You don't have to do any exercise to lose body fat
[/correlation-between-exercise-and-weight-loss/], but you will get quicker
results, if you add some.

Who should do low carb/high fat
People who:

 * Are mostly sedentary
 * Have bad insulin sensitivity (do you feel sluggish after a high carb meal?
   then you have bad sensitivity!)
 * Are (pre-)diabetic
 * Struggle with satiety with a weight loss diet based on carbs
 * Enjoy fattier meals, rather than starchy ones (eggs, bacon, butter and the
   like)
 * Find it simple to follow a diet that strips away carbs (easy to manage, just
   eat stuff that has no carbs)

What to do next
Calculate your caloric needs with the nifty calculator below and then apply the
rules above to determine your macro nutrient distribution.

Then get yourself some nice food to fill those macros by tracking your food
[/how-to-track-your-food/] and reach your goals!

If you have further questions, go right ahead and let me know in the comment
section down below, I'm happy to help!

I couldn't be prouder of myself at this point of the prep. I didn't cheat on my diet for the last 12+ weeks. I sticked to it from the beginning. 

Bikini competition journal 5 weeks out-We're hitting the home stretch!

Hey, peeps!

Thank you for sticking with me through my first bikini competition prep. All
your support and engagement really pushes me and I'm so thankful for all your
kind words! We're hitting the home stretch! The contest is just 5 weeks away
now.

5 weeks is nothing, right? I already dieted for over 12 weeks, so 5 weeks should
pass in no time.

I couldn't be prouder of myself at this point of the prep. I didn't cheat on my
diet for the last 12+ weeks. I sticked to it from the beginning. And I will
stick to it till the end.

Even when I do planned refeeds (which I do about every 2-3 weeks, but only if I
really need them), I count every calorie and every macro. Macros count,
especially on refeed days!

On those refeed days I eat around 2500 calories, mainly consisting of carbs. My
favourite food choices are crumpets, white bread, gummy bears, jam, honey, rice
and oats.

It gets more and more important to me to never lose control and to keep
everything in check. That way I won't feel bad afterwards and can fully enjoy my
carb high.

Big thanks to my husband. He's the only one who got to know my weak moments and
fight with me through them (for example when I saw that they now have Oreo
peanut butter sandwich ice creme - what a terrible moment for me).

Once you can control your mind everything gets much easier. But it's hard to get
there. When I feel that my mind leads me in a direction I don't want to, it's
now much easier for me to be strong and remind myself what really matters and
what my goals are.

So, what happened the last 3 weeks? Routine. Don't get me wrong, I've always
loved routine. Now it's not just that I like a certain routine, but I need it. I
eat the same foods at the same time of the day. I do work tasks in the exact
same order every day. Sounds boring, doesn't it. I'm not as spontaneous as I
used to be. But it really helps!

Furthermore, I finally bought my bikini. It'll arrive in the first week of
April. Stay tuned on Instagram as well [https://www.instagram.com/slick_coach/],
I will show you when it arrives.

Now to the most important question: Did I lose weight? Yes, I lost weight
consistently the last couple of weeks. I'm now close to 55kg (btw, I started
with 61kg).

All in all, dieting for me is pretty easy. Once you get the mindset you just
don't want to cheat and don't need to. But working out gets harder. It's more
difficult to stay focused and motivated, when you don't get stronger anymore.
Often times I don't feel like training at all. But those are the days where you
have to push yourself harder and do one extra set.

Diet consists of
 * 1500 kcal
 * 130g protein
 * about 120g carbs
 * 37g fat

Typical meal plan
As I told you: I need a certain routine. Even in my meals. That's something I
never thought I would do, because I used to be such a foodie. But now I'm eating
the same meal every day. Only a few little variations here and there.

Meal #1 (Pre workout): 185kcal; 27.4gC/7.6gF/1.6gP

 * 40g "Crazy caramel bar" (Tesco); 185 kcal

Meal #2 (Post workout): 172 kcal; 6gC/2.2gF/31.6gP

 * 25g whey protein powder vanilla; 104 kcal
 * 100g quark; 68 kcal

Meal #3 (12pm): 357 kcal; 34gC/3gF/38gP

 * 130g mushrooms; 21 kcal
 * 75g tomato; 13 kcal
 * 50g basmati rice; 164 kcal
 * 2 skinless salmon fillets, each about 70g; 144 kcal
 * 50g fresh leaf spinach; 15 kcal

Meal #4 (3pm): 466 kcal; 60gC/9gF/38gP

 * 32g whey protein powder vanilla; 128 kcal
 * 2 egg whites; 34 kcal
 * 1 whole egg; 83 kcal
 * 5g raw cocoa; 20 kcal
 * 90g banana; 83 kcal
 * optional: 170g nectarine; 102 kcal
 * optional: 135g strawberries; 45 kcal

Meal #5 (6pm): 256 kcal; 10gC/2gF/46gP

 * 150g mushrooms; 24 kcal
 * 180g tomatoes; 31 kcal
 * 100g quark; 68 kcal
 * 50g fresh leaf spinach; 15 kcal
 * 1 can tuna chunks in brine; 119 kcal

Training split
Training split remains the same. I'm doing 5 cardio sessions per week (including
LISS as active recovery on Monday). Depending on how the weightlifting went that
day, I'm doing steady state or HIIT.

 * Monday: Active recovery/LISS cardio
 * Tuesday: Back (high volume) + 30min cardio
 * Wednesday: Legs (high volume)
 * Thursday: Arms/Shoulders (high volume); Abs + 30min cardio
 * Friday: Back (high weight)+ 30min cardio
 * Saturday: Legs (high weight)
 * Sunday: Arms/Chest (high weight); Abs + 30min cardio

Supplementation
Supplementation stays the same, too:

 * Vitamin C (twice a day)
 * Vitamin D3 (5000 IUs per day)
 * Creatine (5g per day)
 * Whey protein powder as needed
 * Magnesium (1g per day)
 * Fish oil capsules (2g per day)

Pics




More bikini prep posts
If you missed some of my bikini prep posts, you can get caught up here:

17 weeks out [https://blog.slickcoach.com/competition-journal-17-weeks-out/]

15 weeks out
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/competition-prep-journal-15-weeks-out/]

13 weeks out
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/competition-journal-13-weeks-out-valuable-things-i-learned/]

8 weeks out
[https://blog.slickcoach.com/competition-journal-8-weeks-out-valuable-things-i-learned/]

Support me by using the Hashtag #SupportSarah2017 on Instagram and Twitter.
Thanks!

See you next time.

Until then, train hard and eat right!

Cheers, Sarah

Bikini competition journal 5 weeks out - We're hitting the home stretch!

The best guide to determine your own body fat percentage and what to look out for, when doing so

How to determine your body fat percentage

Short story
If you are a male, compare yourself to the following pictures:



If you are a female, use these:



Long story
Determining your body fat percentage is relevant for several things. Not only is
it necessary in order [to figure out how many calories you should
eat](/how-many-calories-do-you-really-have-to-eat-free-calculator/"
target="_blank), it's also a very good indicator of how fit you are - way better
than the useless BMI, which some old school doctors still use.

There are several ways to come up with an estimate however, but most of them are
rather useless. Let's check them out.

Scale


Newer scales have a feature to determine your body fat percentage. Don't use it!
It's not just inaccurate in general, but also changes within it's inaccuracy,
which means you can't even use it to see a trend.

Scales use a electric impulse that is send through your body. Based on the time
it takes to get back to the scale, your BF is calculated. But not only body fat
and muscles change the outcome, also simple stuff like the amount of water you
drank.

On top of that, the measurement in itself is usually wrong and off by at least
5%-10%. SKIP!

Pictures
The reason we used pictures as the recommended way is: it works and is good
enough. If you are honest to yourself, you'll get close to your real percentage
range. Plus it's free, quick and you don't need any equipment.

Everyone is different, so 15% on a male can look quite different on another
male, but it's close enough. There's no way you look like 15% in the picture
above but actually have 25%. Which could be the case with other methods!

Keep it simple. Use pictures and the mirror.

Caliper


Calipers are a cheap way to measure your body fat. But, the cheap ones are not
very accurate and the "real" ones cost north of 200 bucks.

Furthermore, the formulas used to calculate the body fat percentage, based on
the measurements taken, are flawed. For instance, regardless which formula I
use, they say I'm at 5% BF all year around. Some even said 3%, which is
basically almost dead.

Even with a huge amount of margin, I could never get above 10%, even though I
clearly was at least at 15% at the time.

Not to mention the fact, that most calipers don't have a decent way to determine
if you pushed too much or not enough. So even the measurements taken can be off
by several millimeters, even when done by the same person!

Save your money!

DEXA (DXA) scan


Now this one is interesting. A DEXA scan can be done for roughly 50-75 bucks and
is very accurate. It literally scans your body for bones, muscles and fat. You
even get a picture of your body, showing you where you have your fat.

But it's obviously not super cheap and you need to find a place who administers
such a procedure. Smaller towns, especially in Europe won't offer a DEXA scan.

And even with this, you can get wrong-ish results, because every machine is
different, every procedure is administered differently and so on.

However, if you have the money, the time and the option, go ahead, it's
certainly the best way to measure your body fat with current technology and the
body image is funny too.

Check out this video, if you want to see the difference in body fat percentages,
in relation to fat distribution, measured by DEXA scans:

Healthy ranges
To look athletic, men should be between 6 and 15%, women between 10 and 20%. But
, the lower ends are only sustainable for a few days and should not be
considered a goal unless you want to compete on a bodybuilding stage.

A healthy range year around is 10-20% for men and 15-25% for women.

This changes of course from person to person. Naturally lean people can get a
bit lower without having side effects, but not much.

If you go below the healthy thresholds for too long, you'll experience side
effects. Apart from non-visible issues (hormones mainly), noticeable problems
are:

 * Men have basically no sex drive
 * Women don't get their period anymore
 * Both genders: depression, no energy, prone to heart problems, feeling cold,
   bad skin

To wrap this up: essential body fat percentages for men are 3% and 8% for women.
Below that you could literally die!

It doesn't matter
Lastly, your body fat percentage doesn't really matter. Again, to figure out
your calories, it's necessary, but a picture-comparison works for that. Nobody
cares about 100 calories more or less, especially because food labels can be 10%
off (by law). So not even that is accurate.

Other than that, nobody cares if you have 15, 20 or 25% body fat. If you look
great naked or at the beach, people will be like "nicely done" rather than "oh
boy, that's 12.421% right there!"

Worry less about body fat and more about your diet, consistency and health!

Everyone who has at least some very basic knowledge of nutrition and weight
lifting knows, that the media is often times misleading, poorly researched (if
at all) or sometimes just downright lying when it comes to those topics. Hunting
for views and reads rather than educating their audience.

The German ‘newspaper’ Zeit lately published such an article. You can find a
Google-translated version here
[https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2F2016%2F49%2Fmuskelaufbau-praeparate-gefahren-internet-werbung-social-media&edit-text=]
. In this post I want to address a few of their claims and straighten things
out, so you know the whole picture. This is relevant beyond the Zeit article of
course and suits as a general guidance.

Whey is garbage
Well, of course whey protein is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing. Which makes
it, on a protein-per-dollar-basis, one of the cheapest proteins to buy while
also being very high in important amino acids like Leucine. Only legumes are
cheaper, but have a worse amino acid profile on their own.

So in my opinion it’s nice that we have a very good protein source that is cheap
because it’s a byproduct, rather than relying on more expensive options — after
all protein is by far the most expensive macro nutrient
[/the-basics-what-are-macros-and-micros].

Plus, if you don’t like whey or you are lactose intolerant, there are plenty of
vegan options available as well, mainly rice, pea and soy protein powder.

Lastly to wrap this point up: of course you don’t need whey or any other protein
powder to be healthy and grow muscle. But it tastes nice and is cheap, so why
not. And by the way: whey is actually considered a food, rather than a
supplement. Or would you say cheese is a supplement as well?

Whey is for bodybuilder
To make this one short: as explained in the above paragraph, whey is cheap and
therefore even more interesting for ‘normal’ people who just want to consume
more protein and generally don’t spend a lot of money on food (e.g. students).

Most people eat not enough protein to be even healthy, especially on weight loss
diets. Latest studies show that the current daily recommendation for protein
might be as much as half of what is actually healthy. Unfortunately, laws take a
long time to be changed.

So no, everyone can benefit from whey.

Boosters are evil
First things first: if you are not training very serious, but rather just to be
a bit more healthy and fit: you do not need a booster, period.

However, if you think you need one: it’s true, there are some shady ones out
there, unless you live in Europe where supplements are quite regulated.

Caffeine being the main ingredient, the Zeit says 3g have the same amount of
caffeine as 14 cups of coffee. Obviously stupid.

But let’s put the Zeit’s claims to the test:

One cup of coffee has on average 80mg caffeine. Most people will actually have
more in there because the ‘real average coffee’ is stronger than that. Who brews
a weak coffee on purpose, right?!

But let’s cut them some slack. This means 3g of booster would have to have 1.1g
of pure caffeine per 3g in order to contain 14 cups’ worth. Which would not be
allowed in any regulated market, not even the States. Plus the manufacturer
would have a time hard to squeeze more ingredients in there, if more than a
third is taken by caffeine already…

The booster they target in particular (Tunnelblick) does have a lot of caffeine
indeed. Pretty much every booster has less, often just half. But again, let’s
give them the benefit of the doubt and check the facts:

Tunnelblick is produced in Germany which means it’s super regulated and the
label is very likely correct. The label states 400mg of caffeine per 18g! Yes
that’s 5 ‘cups’ of coffee per shot, a lot, but not even close to 14.

Furthermore, 18g is the maximum dose. Most people should take half of it (which
is one scoop or 2.5 cups of coffee/200mg caffeine). Guess what else has 200mg of
caffeine? Starbuck’s cold brew. Just saying…

Now I get the point, it’s dangerous if a 16 years old spaghetti boy takes 4
scoops. But he might as well drink 10 cups of coffee and 10 cans of Red Bull and
would be worse off. Are those not as bad? Plus, since there’s a label, you
actually know how much caffeine is in there. Not so with coffee!

Booster was illegal and taken down
True, Tunnelblick was taken off the market because of a certain ingredient. So
were other products. But the ingredient was made illegal after the product was
already on the market. That’s a huge difference. Plus in most other countries,
this ingredient is still fine to include. And it’s not like you’d actually
become ill from it. But the media likes to exaggerate, doesn’t it.

The industry can just ‘put together’ powders as they wish
Nope, not really. The market is quite regulated in Europe. Remember that time
your local supermarket had to throw away food products because the manufacturer
found out that a particular batch of something had pieces of metal or other
potentially deadly things in there?

Happens all the time. But nobody writes about it much, because it’s not a sub
culture and the big food corps don’t like it, when papers write about them. Not
to mention your local kebab shop with rats in the kitchen :)

Some products have dangerous ingredients
Again, in Europe not a problem. If you live in the US and really want to buy
something like a booster, just go with the highly rated products and buy them
directly from the manufacturer’s websites if possible. If you buy a supplement
or protein powder from a local store or GNC, it will be much more expensive or
have the same price with less useful ingredients.

Creatine is bad for your kidneys
Jesus fucking christ. Creatine is by far the most researched supplement of the
last 20 years. It’s freaking safe! People are taking it for decades without
issues.

Yes, too much creatine in your blood means you very likely have a kidney issue.
But what people miss is the concentration. The difference between taking
creatine and having a real kidney problem is literally 10x!

By the way, guess what, red meat has creatine in it as well! Just 2 pounds of
steak or fish have the same amount of creatine as a supplement would have (BBQ
anyone?). Didn’t say anything about that, did they?

And for the people who want to build muscle: yes, creatine helps you build
muscle faster, but just very little. It’s not like taking steroids! You might
notice a very small difference. But maybe not. Furthermore, some people are
non-responders and creatine just does nothing for them. Keep that in mind. Don’t
expect to grow like Arnold. And don’t even consider it unless your goal is
strength and muscle growth and you want to spend money on supplements.

Conclusion
As mentioned in the beginning of the article — don’t listen to mainstream media
when it comes to diet, nutrition and weight training. As one would assume, given
the current ‘level’ of journalism. But this article was so bad that I had to
jump in.

If you really want to dig into those kind of things, start to read real studies
and books based on those, not some random bullshit somebody came up between 10
and lunch, just to get the article out the door and hit their quota.

If you have questions about supplements, nutrition and training, let us know in
the comments!