Hey guys, Nate here. I'm proud to announce that I'm now the Program Director of Scrawny To Brawny. From now on all of my blogs and articles will be posted on the brand-new Scrawny To Brawny Blog. So if you enjoyed what you read here, please go check it out. (It's awesome, if I say so myself.) I'm keeping the NGE website alive for resource reasons, but will no longer be actively updating it. The best way to get in touch with me is through leaving a comment on the Scrawny To Brawny blog or by posting on the S2B Facebook page. See you guys over at the new blog!
Build the Ultimate Body - 4 and 5
Here's Step 1 or Steps 2 and 3 if you missed them.
Step 4 - Pick up the fork (or put it down), get some sleep, and recover
Eating the right foods at the right time is really the deciding factor on whether or not you'll reach your goals. All the workouts in the world won't do you damn bit of good if you're not tracking what you put into your mouth. Want to gain muscle? Here's a good rule of thumb:
Eat one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
Consume around 80-90 grams of fat
Don't be afraid of carbs
Maximize your peri-workout window by consuming a ton of fast-acting carbs and high-quality protein right before your training session.
Want to lose fat? Try this:
Front-load your carbs by eating most of them in the morning
Switch to mostly fat, protein, and fibrous veggies in the afternoon and evening
Burn more total calories by adding in intervals, steady-state cardio, barbell complexes, long walks, or marathon sex sessions
Keep the protein at one gram per pound of bodyweight and the fat at 80-90 grams
Eating big and eating well is really not as hard as people make it out to be. Get yourself a good plan and jump right in.
And do I really have to mention sleep and recovery? I mean, really? Everyone knows you don't grow inside of the gym. Get your 7-9 hours, relax, don't stress out over stupid shit, take a hot Epsom salt bath, get a massage (with a happy ending), eat a big snack, and breathe deeper from you belly like a big boy.
Step 5 - Incorporate your new lifestyle into your old lifestyle
When I first started my transformation, I nearly alienated all of my friends. I didn't have time for a girlfriend, rarely went out and partied, never missed a workout, and passed on many dinners just so I could be nearly 100 percent compliant on my eating and training plan.
I believe it was necessary, but I also remember it being rather hellish.
It takes dedication and time to revamp your goals and your lifestyle. You will have to give up things you've always done and focus. But if you do it right, you emerge a better, more confident, bigger, leaner person with a new sense of direction and satisfaction.
Work on yourself first. Understand why you do what you do. And then, once you've torn yourself apart and built yourself back together, assimilate yourself back into your favorite parts of your old lifestyle while retaining all of your new lifestyle.
Go out and have a beer. Start dating more and caring less about the outcomes. Have some fun. Eat some dessert.
Get in. Hit it hard. Get out. Live your life.
What steps did I miss? Post yours below and share your thoughts!
Comments for This Entry
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"Eating big and eating well is really not as hard as people make it out to be. Get yourself a good plan and jump right in. "
Absolutely, it's just like we talked about earlier today!
Nothin' to it but to do it -- right?
I think one stepped you missed is "TAKE MAGIC SUPPLEMENT XYZ FOR 30% MORE MUSCLE MASS!!!"
...
kidding :).
Great post, I know this series is going to speak to a lot of people. -
Amen. Perfect.
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Good stuff Nate. Always looking forward to your next blog.
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Nate,
I think you nailed it on the sleeping part, no pun intended :)
I also think #5 is right on. most people who I find want to make a change, can't because they are unwilling or unable to give up the shit that causes them problems.
That's when I tell them one of my favorite quotes;
"if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got"
I also enjoyed this little ending: "Live your life" ! -
Nate,
I think number 5 is something that a lot of people forget. I hear far too many guys in real life or online who brag about being in the gym 24/7.
While I think dedication is important, hysterical dedication is destructive. -
Yeah, the alienation is hard for me. Now six months and halfway through my quest to get healthy and lose 100 lbs., it's difficult to be around a lot of the folks I got fat with. The thought of eating out and not being able to count my carbs, protein and fat is a huge stressor. I live in fear that having that order of fries or slice of cake will cause me to balloon right back to 300. I'm definitely not yet to that stage where I've found some balance. Right now it's all goal, all the time. Even though I'm a little older than your target demo, I enjoy your posts and information. Thanks, Nate.
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Number 5 is the big one. Took me a while to figure it out. But once you get the balance right life is bliss.
Great site man. Keep it up.
Chris -
Gooood stuff! :-) You made a very good point with step 5! I'm pretty sure that we only go around once. So we better do not forget to live our lives... With big arms and a great sixpack, of course, but with an occasional dessert, some glasses of wine and a nice cigar, too. Yaaeh and some obscenity... ;-)
Cheers from Switzerland, Andy -
Nate, I really can't believe you just gave away "the secret" for free in this series. Now what are people like me going to do for a living?? Damn yoooouuuu!!!!!
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Steve Reeves always said he's only a bodybuilder for the hour he's in the gym.nice post.
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I'm working on Step 5 when I got serious into weightlifting and sports I didn't even know that I was alienating most people it just kind of sneaked up on me all of I sudden I relaised that I was neglecting my friends and just kind of indirectly being a prick to people because I had to workout and didn't have time for them. Sometime you need to step back and relax a bit
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Nice steps, always nice to become aware of what your doing.
What I am really glad of, is that you didnt throw supps into the discussion. This has a high value for me.
Seems everyone nowadays are trying to push in supps here and there, and it is ridiculess. -
i like 5. especially the "Beer" part haha
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Great post Nate!
I always like to say it comes down to eat, lift, recover! Its simple, but simple doesnt mean easy.
- Vic
http://www.gymjunkies.com/ -
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Matt S 9:54am Jun 9, 2009