Do you want to build muscle or just lose weight on nutrition expert Brad Pilon’s program? Both are possible and both may appear similar. The reason is when people workout to boost muscle mass, they are also looking to reduce the fat on their body and create lean muscle.
For weight loss, your goal is simple. You need to routinely exercise to cause a calorie deficient over the course of the week. When you burn 3,500 more calories than you’ve consumed, you will lose a pound. To achieve this, you must remove approximately 500 calories each day while you’re on the program. If your diet has been terrible and you haven’t exercised before starting the Eat Stop Eat diet, you’ll experience a considerable amount of weight melt off right away. However, if you only make minor changes, this weight loss won’t continue and you’ll hit a plateau.
So what should your exercise program look like if your goal is to lose weight? It’s fairly simple.
- 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week.
- 300 minutes moderate exercise.
- At a minimum 30 minutes of physical activity during the course of a day.
- Add stretching to help make the body more limber and reduce injury risk.
If you do this, you’ll begin to lose weight and your body will begin to tone up naturally. While that’s fine for those who want to lose weight, it isn’t enough to begin to bulk up your muscles. That does require a person to take a different approach. Exercise is still required but there is a science to this.
First, you need to bulk up your cardio exercise. You’ll want to strengthen your heart with the other muscles of your body. This is as simple as spending 45 minutes at least 3 – 6 days a week walking at a brisk pace on a treadmill. This improves your overall health and will allow you to begin achieving the results you’re looking for. You can cut this time if you choose to jog at a moderate pace for 20 minutes.
Next, you need to incorporate weights into your plan. Without them, it doesn’t matter what you do, you won’t bulk up the muscle you have. Follow the Eat Stop Eat diet for your nutrition and then begin to add weight training exercises into your program. This can include targeted exercises like:
- Barebell Rows
- Butt Lifts
- Chin Ups
- Clean Lifts
- Curls
- Deadlifts
- Dips
- Dumbbell Press
- Inclined Bench Presses
- Push Press
- Shrugs
- Snatch Lifts
- Split Squats
- Traditional Squats
When you’re doing these exercises, it is critical you avoid overdoing the same group of muscles. Rotate between exercises 3 days a week for building muscle mass. This should be along the lines of Monday, Wednesday and Friday. With Friday being your intense workout activities that require more time for the body to heal, rather than just a day in between.
As you are exercising, it is also very important to remember that protein is vital to your overall health. You’ll need to consume plenty of protein pre and post workout to keep your muscles growing and to add complex carbohydrates as part of the process. In the diet Eat Stop Eat, you’ll be provided some insight on a great set of meals that will contribute to building muscle mass.
Supplements will also be important. When you’re building muscle, you’ll need to nourish the body to keep it strong and healthy. To do this, you’ll want to incorporate supplements that will help to boost natural hormone levels and provide you with the extra vitamins and minerals you need to grow your muscles.
Finally, sleep is an important part of the process. Too often, those who workout vigorously attempt to sleep 6 – 8 hours of sleep at night. Whenever possible, you should increase the amount of time you are sleeping. The reason the exercise routines you’re doing break down the tissue and it repairs while you are asleep. You should strive to get at least 10 hours of sleep every night to maximize your efforts and to build healthy, lean muscle.
When you follow the diet plan and incorporate these elements of exercise into your daily routine, you should have the chance to achieve incredible results. The Eat Sleep Eat program is designed to be highly effective if you follow it closely, you can find out exactly how it works here. Take the time to review the text and then begin adding exercise into your daily routine. If you aren’t sure where to begin consult with your healthcare provider who will have a unique understanding of where you are physically. They can make a recommendation on what the best approach is for you.
