Quick Tips

Gung fu is based on simplicity; all techniques are stripped down to their essential purpose without wastage or ornamentation, and everything becomes the straightest, most logical simplicity of common sense.  Being wise in gung fu does not mean adding more but being able to remove sophistication and ornamentation and be simply simple — like a sculptor building a statue not by adding, but by hacking away the unessential so that the truth will be revealed unobstructed.  True refinement seeks simplicity. — Bruce Lee

If we had 10 minutes, and we knew we would never see you again the rest of our lives, here is what we would tell you about losing body fat and building a beach-ready body.  Keep in mind, there are many different effective methods, this is just what we believe to be the most efficient.  If you feel strongly otherwise, “it’s no sweat off my sac”, or Kalai’s ???  We wish you the best in your journey either way.

I. NUTRITION GUIDEPOSTS

Dropping fat is more about what you DON’T eat (sugar, transfats, refined foods, etc.) than about what you DO.  There is a definite fat loss hierarchy, and food choices stand atop the list.  All else — total calories, macronutrient ratios, meal frequency, food distribution — is important, but secondary.  The modern diet is full of crap.  90% of the foods available to us aren’t good for health or physique enhancement.  Just because we like certain foods doesn’t mean we were meant to eat certain foods, and by continuing to do so we are paying the consequences.  Sorry Cupcake Wars, you gotta’ ruthlessly cut the crap (except on cheat days, then all is fair game, hide your small children please).  If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way.

OVERVIEW

• Cut out most modern, man-made, refined, processed, and packaged foods.
• Cut out PROCESSED “health” foods — whole grain breads and cereals, fruit juice, refined oils.
• Think “Caveman Nutrition” as the basis of any diet geared towards improving health and/or fitness — if it was around in caveman times, you can eat it.  If man made it, don’t eat it.
• For essential nutrients and micronutrients, emphasize real, whole, natural foods — lean animal proteins, vegetables, and whole fruit.
• For energy nutrients, eat whole food fats (for low carb, healthy fat-based diets): nuts, avocado, coconut, OR low fructose, no gluten, natural starch foods (for lower fat, carb-based diets): yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, rice.
• A lower carbohydrate, Paleo-style Diet is a good template for sedentary, obese, insulin resistant/type II diabetic populations.
• A carb-based, traditional Japanese-style diet is a good template for active strength trainers/anaerobic athletes.

DETAILS

• Cut out concentrated sources of fructose — high fructose corn syrup, sugar, fruit juice, honey, agave nectar, and molasses.
• Cut out trans fats/hydrogenated oil — processed snack foods, margarine.
• Cut out refined vegetable oils.
• Cut out fried foods.
• Cut out refined fats in general — butter, cream, most salad dressings, and oils (even “healthy” oils).
• Cut out gluten — wheat, rye, and barley.
• Cut out sources of lectins — soy, wheat, beans, lentils, corn, and peanuts.
• Cut out sources of phytates — “whole grain” cereals and breads, seeds.
• Cut out refined flour — bread, pasta, and pastries.
• Cut out dairy products — milk, cream, cheese, and yogurt.
• Cut out artificial sweeteners, preservatives, chemical food additives, etc.
• Eat lean animal proteins — fish, poultry, game meats, leaner red meats, and eggs.
• Eat unlimited non-starchy vegetables — spinach, broccoli, mixed greens, lettuce, etc.
• Limit fructose consumption to 1-2 pieces of whole fruit a day — berries, orange, apple, etc.
• Get the majority of your dietary fat as by-product of your lean animal proteins.
• Obese, sedentary, and insulin resistant populations may respond best to low carbohydrate diets, with healthy fats as the primary energy source.
• If your diet calls for “added” fats, emphasize whole food fats in their natural state and that come along with protein and/or fiber — nuts, avocado, coconut.  Don’t eat refined oils.
• Strength trainers/anaerobic athletes may respond better to lower fat (fat as by-product of protein sources), moderate-to-higher carbohydrate diets with primary energy coming from starch foods.  Unlike the sedentary person, these athletes run through cycles of depleting and replenishing liver/muscle glycogen stores.
• If your diet calls for concentrated sources of carbohydrates, stick to low fructose, low “anti-nutrient” (gluten, phytates, lectins) starches — yams, sweet potatoes, rice.
• If you have high calorie demands, you may need to spread food intake out over 5-6 meals a day.
• But for most people, eating 3 meals a day is the most convenient, realistic, and sustainable approach.
• And, we believe the most functional and sustainable plans are the ones in which the majority of calories and starchy carbs are eaten at night.  This is our natural, evolutionary tendency.
• Drink NO calorie beverages only — water, green tea, and black coffee.
• Be realistic.  Work your way down the list as best you can, at your own pace.
• For sustainability and sanity, eat a cheat meal of whatever you want once a week for both psychological and physiological benefits.

II. TRAINING GUIDEPOSTS

While there is overlap, training to improve sport performance is DIFFERENT than training to improve physical appearance.  This is the core of our philosophy.  Most training programs these days are geared towards neural overload (functional training/balance training) or cardiovascular overload (boot camps/cross training).  As such, most trainees are improving performance parameters like strength and endurance, but are not changing their physical appearance.  In other words,  people are getting better at “doing” these activities, but their bodies aren’t changing that much.  That’s fine if that is your goal.  But if you want to change how you “look”, muscular overload (hypertrophy training) is the scientifically researched, and anecdotally proven, most efficient method to shaping your body and, along with diet, dropping fat.  It may not be as cool, but it works.  And  I don’t know about you, but I am more interested in getting a six-pack than in performing a certain number of convulsion-like pull-ups, doing a one arm – twisting- squat thrust – curl or some other complicated exercise, or improving my crawling skills or sprinting speed.  But that’s just me, I’m a vain piece of sH#t.

• If you are severely overweight, sedentary and/or de-conditioned, eat a lower carbohydrate, Paleo-style diet and walk daily.  Most people can reach a natural, healthy bodyweight with proper nutrition and walking alone, no gym or formal exercise sessions necessary.  Trainers stop cursing our names, you know its true.
• But, you won’t build a beach-ready physique that way.  Reaching a healthy weight is different than getting ripped.  All else below is for the non-lazy who are willing to work for higher-level physique development.
• Cut out (or at least limit) long distance, low-intensity endurance training (jogging, stairmaster, eliptical).  While “traditional cardio” is necessary when trying to improve sport performance, it is totally inefficient and highly overrated for fat loss.  Fat loss will be the result of your clean diet and appropriate caloric intake.  Building lean muscle through strength training will provide your body with its definition, shape, and tone.  You can’t make up for a poor diet with more time in the hamster wheel.
• However, non-formal, outdoor walking is cool.  Walking is what we are meant to do evolutionary-wise, and gives us many of the benefits of traditional cardio activity (extra calorie burning, improved cardiovascular functioning, etc.) without the drawbacks (joint wear and tear, increased cortisol, impaired hormone functioning, muscle loss).  Take a walk on your off days for general health, or daily during peaking phases.
• Make anaerobic activity — strength training — the foundation of your exercise program.
• Strength train 2 days a week (full body split),  or 3-5 days a week (body-part splits).
• Give yourself 2-3 days off from training a week to prevent burnout and to optimize recovery (although outdoor walking is cool).
• Keep workouts to about 30-60 minutes.  Intensity (how hard you work) is more important than duration (how long you work).
• With body-part splits, train 1-3 muscle groups per session.
• Frequency — Train each body part once every 5-7 days, allow at least 72 hours between training the same muscle groups.
• Perform 2-4 exercises for large muscle groups, 2-3 exercises for small muscle groups.
• Perform 2-4 sets per exercise.
• Perform 5-15 reps per set most of the time.
• Rest 30-120 seconds per set.
• Focus on basic exercises – lunge and squat movments, dumbbell and barbell rowing and pressing motions, pull-up/dip movements, etc.  The human body is a simple lever system and does not need “complicated” or “innovative” exercises to produce results.
• Focus mostly on free weights as your foundation, use machines to supplement.
• Train from a stable base.  DON’T train on unstable surfaces (balls, wobble boards, standing on one foot, etc.).  Wobble boards build balance, NOT muscle.
• Don’t get sucked into fitness trends, and cool-looking “innovative” stuff you see in the gym or TV.  Much of the fitness industry is geared towards what sells, not what works.  The basics are the basics for a reason — THEY WORK.  This is why they have stood the test of time, while the fluff comes and goes. To put it another way, do you want to be “cutting edge” or do you want to be “cut”?
• Keep the rep tempos (speed at which you lift/move the weights) around 2-0-2-0 (2 seconds up, 2 seconds down) or 3-0-1-0 (3 seconds down, 1 second up). Lower weight under control, lift under control or with a controlled, but forceful contraction, and don’t pause or lockout to rest in between reps.  Don’t cheat by swinging or using rebound/momentum.  Keep CONSTANT TENSION on the muscle.  Sports are explosive, and training for sport performance should reflect accordingly.  However, training for development is different, and should be centered around tension and overload.
• So focus on stimulating and overloading the muscle, not just how much weight you lift.  This is better for the muscles, better for the joints, and better for overall safety.
•  Focus on feeling the muscle work during the set, not just on moving a weight from point A to point B.  Think of this as bodybuilding or body shaping as opposed to power lifting.  Check your macho (or diva) ego at the door.
• Switch training variables — within the confines of the overall parameters — regularly (exercises, order of exercises, reps, interest rest, etc.) in order to vary the training stimulus and prevent boredom/training plateaus.

III. MOTIVATION GUIDEPOSTS

Changing the world, saving a life, influencing a generation, building a business, or establishing a legacy all require unique skills, incredible courage, and an extraordinary spirit.  Getting a six-pack just requires the right knowledge, some daily practical application, and a little bit of discipline.  Don’t make it out to be more (or harder) than it truly is.

• Other than a few special circumstances, genetics is not an excuse, so stop whining about them.  We have skinny-fat dude and fat chic genetics.  Learning, and then applying consistently, makes up for a lot of shortcomings in life.  You may not become a world champion, but we believe anyone can improve from where they are at and build a decent physique.  In other words, if we can do it, you can do it too.
• Set a short-term goal with a concrete time frame for motivation.  This will prevent procrastination, and the ol’ “stopping and starting over” again and again.
• START NOW, there never will be a better time.  Something left undone today will remain so for an eternity.
• Tell at least one other person about your goals or intentions so someone else is holding you accountable to their pursuit.  Its harder to give up when you know someone else is going to bust your figurative balls if you quit.
• There are no REAL excuses.  If something means enough to you RIGHT NOW, at this moment in time, you will find the willpower and the way.
• Getting in shape is a PROCESS you must go through, not a PRODUCT you can buy.  There are no shortcuts or magic pills, so stop looking for them.  The answers to all of your problems has, and always will, reside in you, not in some outside entity.  Accurate knowledge and consistent application is what you need.
• Know your kryptonite, know the situations that throw you off track and pull you further away from your goals. Avoid or reduce your exposure to them.  We both have Irish blood, so we stay away from the bars when its time to reach peak shape.
• Overcome negative inertia.  The greatest amount of leverage and effort are necessary in the beginning to break bad habits and make tough changes.
• Harness the power of momentum.  The hardest part is getting started. Once you get going, it does get easier.
• Make it automatic.  We believe success (or failure) all comes down to establishing good (or bad) habits.  Discipline is finite.  The more healthy training and eating habits become automatic, the less you have to think or struggle with it, and the easier they are to maintain.

It is not how much you have learned, but how much you have absorbed in what you have learned — the best techniques are the simple ones executed right. — Bruce Lee.

That’s pretty much the overview of what we know, believe, and apply every day (except for cheat days), about building a beach-ready physique.  Sure, there are more details and individualization with personalized program design, etc., which we’ll cover in articles and posts, but that’s the bulk of it.

Notice, we say it is simple, NOT easy.  The “what to do” is simple.  As my friend and colleague Shawn always likes to say, “Its all right there on a damn sheet of paper.”  Actually doing it is the hard part.  We’ve presented what we feel is the ideal scenario, its up to you to find your own comfort level and compromises.  Deep down, I think most of us KNOW what we need to be doing.

So why is there so much information overload in the fitness industry, why are there so many bogus fitness scams, why are there so many coaches and trainees alike trying to make the process much more complicated than it is?

• Cutting edge, innovative, new, and complicated all sell well.  It distracts us from the tasks at hand that we are all trying to avoid.
• People are lazy, and don’t want to change their negative habits.  I am too with most things in life, but being in shape means enough to me to buckle down and do what is necessary.
• People are always looking for the magic pill or an easier way.  Again, effective programs are usually simple (in theory), NOT easy (in execution).  You can’t make up for hard work with complicated program design.

We hope these quick tips help you see the truth, and help you reach your physique goals.  Maybe you’ll want to join us down at Da Beach some day.  I’ll be the one prancing around in my Euoropean Man-Thong like an idiot (gosh, I hope you know that is a joke).  Take care.