Just getting started?

Ok, so you have decided to start getting yourself in shape. Awesome choice! You will not regret it I promise you. If you don't know where to start I would like to offer some basic information to get you well on your way. This post will give you the basics, enough to get well on your way to a healthier you! Lets get started ok?

The most important part is Nutrition! Trust me, without a proper diet, you simply will NOT make good gains. Nutrition is the first thing many people overlook. Most people think they can make impressive gains by taking the newest supplements alone. Well, supplement companies do a good job of hyping up their products and I believe most work but not alone. When push comes to shove, your diet is number 1.

How much Protein, Carbs and fat do I need?

You need at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight
2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight
0.3-0.4 grams fat per pound of body weight

Here is an example for someone weighing 130 pounds.
Protein: 130 grams
Carbs: 260 grams
Fat: 52 grams
Total calories: 2028

That is the minimum I suggest in taking. If you need to eat more, meaning you are not gaining weight, increase you protein and carbs. Of course drink plenty of water. Try to get a gallon a day. In order for your muscles to grow you need to increase your protein intake. As you build more muscle you will burn more fat and that is a fact.

What types of Protein can I eat?

Tuna
Chicken.. breast is best.
Cottage cheese
Fish
Beef..lean of course
Eggs

What types of Carbs can I eat?

Fruits
Vegetables
Oatmeal
Milk (Also a very good source of protein)
Whole Wheat Bread

What types of Fat can I eat?

Olive Oil
Natural Peanut Butter
Eggs

Ok, so we got the diet down now lets talk supplementation. Supplements are used to give your nutrition a boost but not to replace real food. If your diet isn't good, then using the latest supplements is not going to produce impressive gains. Here are the supplement I suggest you start with.

1. Whey Protein...Whey protein comes from milk. Whey protein has a very fast absorption rate of around ten minutes. It also provides the much needed branch-chain amino acids. This makes it a perfect protein to take after your workout. I recommend products like Muscle Milk, Optimum Nutrition and Magnum. These by far are the best tasting Whey Proteins in my opinion.

2. Multi Vitamin...I order for your body to function properly, we need a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It would be nearly impossible to get everything your body needs just from food. Therefore, you should take a multi-vitamin. Take your multi-vitamin in the morning, with your breakfast.

3. Fish oil...Fish oils are derived from the fat of deep-sea, cold water fish and are a natural source of Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). Omega-3 is an important nutrient for maintaining a healthy brain and nervous system. Fish Oils themselves are said to contribute to healthy heart function and joint flexibility as well as supporting brain, nerve, and visual function.

Now lets talk about weight training. Yes you gotta hit the weights. Without resistance the muscle will not grow and in turn you will not burn more fat. I suggest a Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine. This is just to get started. You can split the body up and do upper half Monday, lower half on Wednesday and then upper again on Friday. The next week do the same but do lower, upper, lower. Get it? This routine has helped allot of people build a basic foundation. For the ladies, please do not think that if you lift weights that you will look like a man. This is impossible. Men and women can train the exact same way but we men have an advantage.. Testosterone. The only way a woman can grow muscular like a man is if she takes a testosterone boosting agent or anabolic steroids. So you can get that fear out of your mind.

Lastly, lets talk about cardio. We have a great diet, we are weight training 3 days a week, we have the supplementation we need now for the last key.. CARDIO! There are many opinions on how to use cardio to burn more calories. My personal favorite way is to burn the body fat off slowly. Yes, you read right... slowly. Whats the rush? You didn't gain that fat overnight and you will not lose it overnight. If you drop weight to fast you will end up with loose skin and that just doesn't sound sexy to me at all. The way I have my clients do cardio is the get on a treadmill, set the speed at 3.2mph and walk for 45min... that's it! You should be able to have a conversation with someone without gasping for breath but yet still break a small sweat.
That's the basics, if you have any questions or comments please post them! I am here to help anyone and everyone that wants or needs it. Follow the basics and build from there. I know I had to and i have made awesome gains from it. Good luck to you!
Here's to a new you!
Matthew Eubanks

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Product Review: Infinite Labs Juggernaut

I recently tried a sample of Infinite Labs Juggernaut. Juggernaut is an explosive pre-workout supplement engineered for any athlete, especially the bodybuilder, striving to build muscle. With a state of the art plasma expander found only in Juggernaut, this supplement stimulates muscle fiber growth, provides for explosive power, and reduces fatigue, all while providing intense mental focus to the user. This unstoppable formula provides the highest yielding glycerol load for the most insane muscle pumps, explosive energy, and greater endurance.

Juggernaut is equipped with the one-of-akind Glyco-Core Plasma Expander. This plasma expander prevents dehydration, increases endurance, prevents fatigue, and is the perfect compliment to the Hypertrophic Myovascular Expansion Complex, or H.M.E.C. Glyco-Core supplies the highest yielding glycerol load available on the market today. You can be confident that you are fueling your body with a superior supplement designed to deliver the nutrients necessary for infinite strength and endurance. Maximize the effectiveness of your supplementation and your training with Juggernaut the inexorable force in pre-workout nutrition!

Juggernaut is scientifically engineered to:

•Increase Lean Mass*
•Stimulate Muscle Fiber Growth*
•Provide Explosive Power
•Prolong Endurance
•Enhance Mental Focus
•Significantly Reduce Fatigue




I tried this product and really liked the results it gave me. My workout was easier than before. I had very little fatigue and felt like I could train harder, longer and with more intensity! The flavor, Raspberry Lemonade, was pretty darn good! It mixed easily and I could feel it start to work fairly quickly. No jitters, no crazy energy rush but just a steady flow of get up and go power!

I rate this product:

Energy: 9/10
Taste: 9/10
Mixability: 10/10
Overall: 9/10

Here's to a new you!
Matthew Eubanks

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BB2K'S SOUTH OF THE BORDER BREAKFAST BURRITO

- Four 8-inch fat free flour tortillas
- 3 Tbsp chopped green peppers
- 1/8 Tbsp salt, touch of pepper and cummin
- 1 cup Egg Whites
- 3 Tbsp diced tomato
- 1/4 cup shredded jalapeno cheese or cheddar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup of lean ground turkey or lean meat (I use Jimmy Deans Lean Turkey Sausage)

1. Place 1 Tbsp oil in nonstick frying pan.
2. Season and cook green peppers for 2 min. (add meat if desired)
3. Add Egg Whites and scramble until fully cooked. (I use Egg Whites International)
4. Stir in tomato.
5. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese.
6. Spoon and roll in a tortilla.



Here's to a new you!
Matthew Eubanks

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Protein: How Much Do You Need?

I found this article By Laura Dolson online and had wanted to post it here on my blog. It is full of very good information.

What is protein? How much protein do we need? Is it possible to eat too much protein? These are important questions for people following a low carb way of eating, who usually are replacing part of their carbohydrate intake with protein.

What is protein?
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body, being about 16 percent of our total body weight. Muscle, hair, skin, and connective tissue are mainly made up of protein. However, protein plays a major role in all of the cells and most of the fluids in our bodies. In addition, many of our bodies' important chemicals -- enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and even our DNA -- are at least partially made up of protein. Although our bodies are good at “recycling” protein, we use up protein constantly, so it is important to continually replace it.

Proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. Our bodies cannot manufacture nine amino acids, so it is important to include all these amino acids in our diets. Animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and dairy products have all the amino acids, and many plants have some of them.

How much protein do we need?
Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams, and a 250-pound person, 92 grams.


Do people who exercise need more protein?
Although it is controversial, there is evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or heavy resistive exercise (such as body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. One prominent researcher in the field recommends 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7 to 1.8 grams per kg per day for heavy strength training.

But shouldn’t protein intake be a percentage of total calories?
Quite a few programs and nutritionists quote percentage of calories, usually in the range of 10 percent to 20 percent, as a way to figure out how much protein a person needs to consume daily. This is a rough estimate of a person's minimum protein needs. It works because usually larger and more active people need more calories, so the more calories they need, the more protein they will get.

Where this falls down is when people are eating diets which are lower in calories for any reason, conscious or not. People who are ill or losing weight, for example, do not need less protein just because they are eating fewer calories.

What happens if we don’t eat enough protein?
Unlike fat and glucose, our body has little capacity to store protein. If we were to stop eating protein, our body would start to break down muscle for its needs within a day or so.

Is it OK to eat a lot more protein than the minimum recommendations?
This is the crucial question for people on diets which are higher in protein than usual, as low-carb diets tend to be. In a review of the research, the National Academy of Sciences reported that the only known danger from high protein diets is for individuals with kidney disease. After careful study, they recommend that 10 percent to 35 percent of daily calories come from protein. They point out that increased protein could be helpful in treating obesity. There is also accumulating evidence that extra protein in may prevent osteoporosis .

Extra protein can be broken down into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. On low carb diets, this happens continually. One benefit of obtaining glucose from protein is that it is absorbed into the bloodstream very slowly, so it doesn’t cause a rapid blood sugar increase.

What foods have the most protein?
Meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and nuts all have substantial amounts of protein. Helpful information:

Beef
Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams
Most cuts of beef – 7 grams of protein per ounce

Chicken
Chicken breast, 3.5 oz - 30 grams protein
Chicken thigh – 10 grams (for average size)
Drumstick – 11 grams
Wing – 6 grams
Chicken meat, cooked, 4 oz – 35 grams

Fish
Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce
Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein

Pork
Pork chop, average - 22 grams protein
Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams
Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams
Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams

Eggs and Dairy
Egg, large - 6 grams protein
Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams
Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams
Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz
Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz
Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz
Beans (including soy)
Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein
Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams
Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans
Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams

Nuts and Seeds
Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein
Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams


Here's to a new you!
Matthew Eubanks

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