The Smarter Sculpted Physique: Training | Nutrition | Muscle Gain | Fat Loss

Scott wanted to talk briefly about an interview with Tom Brady, where he felt there were important lessons about making training progress in the real world. ♦ Calibrating Training Intensity ♦ In the interview, Brady mentions there’s a difference between working hard, and then “working hard at the right things” and then “working hard at the right things consistently.” He says too many athletes work hard at the wrong stuff and then see no benefit, so they double down and get hurt or burned out (or as Scott adds: overtrained). This is one reason why, as we’ll see below, it’s not one thing, it’s everything. Various elements of training influence one another. For example, doing the “wrong stuff” is already wrong, but on top of that, it also tends to cause some athletes to double down and hurt themselves. Whereas if someone is doing a program that works, they’re more likely to ride the wave of progress it’s giving them, without panicking and driving themselves into the ground. Key quote from Brady: “It’s not one thing, it’s everything.” This is because various elements tend to feed into and mutually reinforce one another. Getting a good sleep helps you train better, and training better helps with sleep. Having good nutrition helps with training, and training helps with hunger, cravings and motivation. Aside from the obvious benefits of doing so, sticking to a program for a reasonable period of time allows you to learn to feel what the “mastery phase” of a program should feel like, and this gives you (the trainee) insight into the cumulative realms of time with respect to training effects — something “program hoppers” will miss out on —. All these things, taken together, add up. Doing “just one thing” won’t have the same effect as doing all these things together. Progress is not always measurable. If you’re training for physique development, strength is not the only indicator of progress, and yes, it is FINE for your weights not to go up for months. Often, your 1-RM won’t go up, but what Scott calls your “strength density” will improve. This means maybe your 5 X 5 of squat doesn’t improve, but the intensity with which you’re able to hit isolation work later on in the workout is slowly improving over time. Scott thinks the phrase “All it takes is all you’ve got” is downright misleading. What is “optimal” is not always what is “maximal.” Optimal is optimal! Yes, you can nudge or edge your way into the “red zone,” just to be sure you’re not being lazy, but be careful and be aware of what you’re doing. This is just about being realistic and honest. There’s no secret. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- Link to Tom Brady’s Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBwf6vB1hyc The Innervation Primer: https://scottabelfitness.com/primer Program Design Masterclass: http://programdesignmasterclass.com/ Hardgainer Solution: http://hardgainersolution.com/

♦ Social Media, Lifestyle and Balance in the Modern World ♦ The key theme was balance and lifestyle in an increasingly frenzied modern world. Changes in work/life balance, social media, lifestyle, and certain other trends, and – frankly – real life problems make these things more difficult. This is something coaches and trainers need to be aware of because it is something real people need to deal with in their real-world, busy lives. ------------------------------------------------------------ ♦ Social Media, Lifestyle and Balance in the Modern World ♦ ------------------------------------------------------------ ♦ Key Quote from JC: “Sleeping is food for your Central Nervous System.” This was in the context of talking about athletes who starve themselves of food and then wonder why they have no energy. Well, athletes also “starve” themselves of sleep (and then wonder why they’re so lacking in energy…) ♦Social Media offers consumers a way to find information, but also lures them into believing things that aren’t necessarily true. For JC, personal trainers that constantly publish ‘selfies’ of their physical state is just a showoff without providing valuable content. Scott points this issue to a form of attracting consumers – and personal trainers as well – into a baseless ‘black and white’ answer system that fails to address real problems that needs more indebt analysis. ♦ Can great athletes be great coaches? According to JC, it’s not common. Despite the similar focus they might seem to have, the difference relies not only on their physical capacities and performance (even genetics), but on how they approach their chosen field. This distinction can be seen during a combine (a test for performance and endurance). Unfortunately, combines do not illustrate specific field tests (grind, vision on the field, etc), and because of this some of the best athletes are dismissed early on. ♦ Technology has the power to measure the finest detail of the body’s movement and give precise data, but having this objective information for most situations can be unnecessary or even misleading (over-quantification of data) when a subjective view can easily and logically dictate that the training is working the proper way. ♦ JC: “You don’t need to go to failure”. Scott agreed. ♦ Some of the negative side effects that Social Media presents to the North-American and western culture are focused on the acquisition of stuff, not just material stuff but ‘doing’ more, ‘showing’ more, all as a way to display success. In a diet context, Scott says, “We think the more we’re circling the exhausted state, the more we deserve weight loss when it’s actually the opposite“. ♦ Finding a balanced lifestyle is becoming increasingly more difficult as time and resources are being cut shorter, thus creating a necessity to consume or mass-consume mind numbing substances like drugs, liquids or food –as a chemical- to try to keep up with the demands and rhythm of modern life. Being able to not abuse and instead moderate these and other damaging factors will physically, spiritually and mentally help to keep a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Creating small strategies to day by day combat hunger, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise can change a person instantly. ♦ According to eastern philosophy, balance as an external goal creates imbalance. In Scott’s point-of-view, “Balance is something that is experience-based and never thought-based” and “the engagement produces the reality”. In JC’s view, “Balance is a state of mind, it’s not an action or a lifestyle” were both working and relaxation states have to coexist within each other. ♦ Generally, a generation tends to blame their current problems on previous generations, but what makes a generation thrive is learning to be resilient and take responsib...

----------------------------------- ♦ OPTIMIZING METABOLISM ♦ ------------------------------------ We discussed optimizing metabolism and what that means in the real world. There’s more to it than just having a "faster" metabolism. ♦ WAYS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR METABOLISM ♦ In terms of optimizing your metabolism, think of it as a puzzle: the more pieces you put together, the more clear the picture becomes. No system of the body acts by itself; they all influence each other. One way to optimize metabolism is to within a relative caloric deficit. If you’re eating just short of daily needs, you create a more efficient machine to burn those calories. You function better. This is different from an absolute caloric deficit. If you want to build muscle, you can increase the frequency of cheat days and refeeds. One should always focus on metabolic optimization in the longer term. A lot of positive changes that take place tend to happen in what Scott often calls the "residual" and "cumulative" realms of time. (Similarly, a lot of the things that are damaging to a metabolism might look good in the "immediate" realm of time, so they go unnoticed.) One of the most underrated methods of optimizing metabolism is the 5X5 reps scheme. Aerobic cardio has been proven to not have a great effect on metabolism. Scott's written about this in many of his books. (See the Intro to MET in the Starter Set at scottabelfitness.com/starter). If you go on a long run, you can feel your body trying to be more efficient and use as little energy as it can to maintain the rhythm, which is the opposite of what you want. To burn fat with cardio, you have to cycle the cardio - 8 weeks on, 6 weeks off (depending). You get a way better fat burning effect, than if you just do it all the time. If you do something where you binge a weekend, and don’t train the next week, you won’t make much progress. You need to figure out what lifestyle changes need to happen. A lot of the times "over analyzing" and questioning whether something is working kills the potential benefit of what you're doing.  Maintaining regular sleep and wake times, as well as meal times as much as possible helps to train and optimize your metabolism. When sugar isn’t a part of your normal diet, it can have a narcotizing effect once you do finally have some (e.g., like on a refeed). This can be a benefit if you think of it as a way to get a really good sleep, and plan your days/weeks accordingly. Low-carb diets can get in the way of reading your body’s signals: hunger, lack of energy, etc. Scott always advocates a diet with plenty of carbs. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- Dr. Diana Schwarzbein Lecture - https://youtu.be/6qUSvzUj6jo Understanding Metabolism - https://scottabelfitness.com/ebooks/understanding-metabolism/ Beyond Metabolism - https://scottabelfitness.com/ebooks/beyond-metabolism/ The Cycle Diet book - https://scottabelfitness.com/ebooks/cycle-diet/ The Cycle Diet course= http://thecycle.diet/ Journal Writing Superpower Secret - thehabit.space/books

We adapt Buddha's eight steps to end suffering and suggest specific journaling prompts as a way to deal with food issues and weight loss. ----------------------------------- ♦ BUDDHA'S 4 NOBLE TRUTHS ♦ ----------------------------------- • First Noble Truth • Life contains suffering. (This is sometimes better translated as “Life is stressful, or unsatisfying, or unreliable.”) • Second Noble Truth • Suffering has a cause and the cause can be known. (The desire and want for “more” is a common one.) • Third Noble Truth • Suffering can be brought to an end. • Fourth Noble Truth • The path to end suffering has eight parts. ----------------- ♦ THE 8 STEPS ♦ ----------------- 1) RIGHT VIEW, RIGHT PERSPECTIVE AND INTENTION How do you look at your weight as a reflection of your lifestyle and the sum total of the choices you have made up to now? 2) RIGHT INTENTION What is your "why" behind what you're doing? Are you losing weight for solid, self-nurturing reasons, or is it driven by self-punishment? 3) RIGHT SPEECH This is not just what you say to others, but also the words you use to talk to yourself. How do you *frame* your questions or ideas? 4) RIGHT ACTIONS & BEHAVIORS These are more often the direct result of the thinking and feelings that precede them. See above. 5) RIGHT LIVELIHOOD Are you living in a way that supports your goals to lose weight with self-nurturing? 6) RIGHT EFFORT Are your efforts the result of positive, self- directed thought and intention, or the result of self-rejection, self-judgment, self-measurement, and unstable emotional wants and desires? 7) RIGHT MINDFULNESS Are you examining your thoughts with calm and patient energy, or are you letting them run wild? Are you thinking about what you are thinking about? 8) YOUR CONCENTRATION What is your focus, and what kind of energy is influencing that focus? ----------------- ♦ EXERCISES ♦ ----------------- THE 8 STEPS "MINI SPRINT" Using Mike's mini-sprint framework (free how-to here: https://thehabit.space/journalwriting), create a 4-day mini sprint in which you address two of the eight steps each day. First prompt yourself with what areas of your life have WRONG view, intention, or whatever, and then address how you might turn that into RIGHT view, intention, and so on. JOURNALING PROMPTS • (From Marcus Aurelius) Identify one change that you want to make in your life: • All the that this change will benefit me... • All the negative consequences of *not* making this change... • What if I don't make the change? Where will I be in one year? • Anything stopping me from making this change: • How true are these things? Are there things I can do? » Now go back and re-read and add to all the above. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- Mike's book, The Journal Writing Superpower Secret https://thehabit.space/journalwriting Scott's book, Permanent Weight Loss https://scottabelfitness.com/ebooks/permanent-weight-loss/

If you're trying to lose fat (or gain muscle) when should you pay attention to the number on the weight scale? ----------------------- ♦ The Weight Scale ♦ ----------------------- Scott wanted to begin by emphasizing again how absurd some marketing has gotten. Scott also wanted to think of the weight scale as a bank account. With a bank account, you don't check it every day, and you don't freak out about every withdrawal or think you screwed up because of a withdrawal. You accept that there are withdrawals and deposits, and what matters is whether or not you're headed in the right direction in the long-term. Sometimes no weight loss at all is a good sign. Things are going on under the surface. Mike actually doesn't like the advice to "only weigh in once a week," because weighing in every day is "too much." This is because, paradoxically, when you weigh in every day, it very quickly becomes clear how all-over-the-place these numbers are, so you learn it doesn't really matter. By contrast, if you weigh in once a week, every week, you end up focusing way too much on that number and thinking it means something. In Scott's own business accounts, he sees a big huge ~scary~ withdrawal every quarter, for taxes, but he knows that he needs to look at the whole picture. To Mike, this is equivalent to just figuring out what certain ups and downs on the scale mean. You can still pay attention to it, but you need to not over-think what you're seeing. Things that can seem to add pounds to the scale: the later in the day, the heavier you weigh! Also, eating, stress hormones, lack of sleep, eating extra salt, slight changes in diet. Mike also points out that in the National Weight Loss Registry, there *are* big, big correlations between self-monitoring and long-term weight loss. People who lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off *do* tend to keep an eye on it. One danger are low-carb diets that promise quick weight loss. If you don't realize it's just water weight, you're setting yourself up for rebound and disappointment. Almost always, if you're on a decent weight loss diet or fat loss diet, if you plateau, you need to be patient and wait things out. Also, some people need to be real: there is no magic formula to get past this plateau that's sustainable. Yes, there are things that *will* help you lose weight, but these things won't actually make you look that much better, and/or they won't be sustainable. Another option is cheat days or refeeds. The answer to this is "it depends." A good coach has to read the context. Is the client hypersensitive to cravings, or are they genuinely experiencing never-ending "intolerable" hunger? When it comes to gaining weight, it's the reverse side of the same idea. If you start eating at a surplus right after a fat loss diet, you're not putting on "10 lbs. of muscle in two weeks." You're storing glycogen and water. ----------------------------------------- ♦ Fancy Tricks to Lose (Water) Weight ♦ ----------------------------------------- How to add pounds and inches to your legs! Diet for a bodybuilding show, then measure your leg when you're at your most strung out, before doing any final fat loading or carb loading or whatever. After the show, eat a pizza and two liters of Coke. Boom, your legs have an extra inch or more! How add inches to your arms! Go on a low-carb diet for two weeks and don't train at all. Measure your arms and take photos. Now go out for 3-4 days fat-loading and sugar-loading, and do 5 supersets of barbell curls and tricep curls. Immediately measure your arms. Voila! How to lose inches from your waist! Cut carbs and water. Also,

Traveling and social events can be tricky situations to navigate for dieters. We discuss how to do it sanely, and how to tell the difference between dedication and obsession, or between being flexible and just "making excuses." ----------------------------------------- ♦ Sticking to Your Diet While Travelling ♦ ----------------------------------------- The episode began because while Andy was travelling in Vegas for a photoshoot, he stuck to his diet the entire time. So even though Andy regularly practices huge refeeds and cheat days with The Cycle Diet, in this case he chose not to partake in some of the huge buffets and smorgasbords of foods that Vegas had to offer. Why? Similarly, Mike, while traveling to Kingston with his fiancé, chose to pretty much stick to his diet without going out to any fancy restaurants. He brought some food along, then stopped at a Loblaws grocery store to get the remainder of what he’d need for the rest of the trip. In both cases, there was a decision based on practicality, desire, and goals. Mike had his dog with him the entire time, so eating options were already limited, and it was just easier for him to stick to the diet than to try to make decisions about how to “make it work.” In Andy’s case, first, he was at a photoshoot, so until that section was over, of course he needed to stay pretty strict. And beyond that, he too found some of his options limited by time and responsibilities, so he just kept off until he returned home, and had a real cheat day the Sunday he was back. Key Concept: Mike likes the idea of “satisficing,” especially when traveling. That is, you don’t need to be perfect… you just need to get things good enough. The challenge is that our brains really like being perfect, and just being good enough makes us question ourselves. The solution, for Mike, is to use personal weirdo rules. These are personal rules that will keep you satisficing your diet over the long term. They work by balancing real life with psychological bright lines; they give your brain something to latch onto, something that says, “Yes, I followed the rule. This is definitely a win!” (As opposed to: “Uh… that was probably good enough… but oh geez… what if… what if… what if…” etc.) ------------------------ ♦ Recurring Themes: ♦ ------------------------ » “Choose the behavior, choose the consequences.” Don’t be a diet martyr. You don’t “have” to diet. It might be a bummer that you need to diet “more” or “harder” than that other person over there with a six-pack, but focusing on this doesn’t help. All there is, at the end of the day, are your decisions, and the consequences of those decisions for you. That’s it. » “Mindset determines behavior.” Two people engaging in the “same” behavior (e.g. eating a lot of food for a “cheat” day vs. an uncontrollable binge) can be engaging in what looks like the same thing, but the mindset behind the behavior is totally different. There’s a difference between being a diet martyr who “has” to stick to their diet, and who makes everyone around them miserable, versus being someone who simply, politely and firmly says, “No, thank you. Not this time, but thank you for the offer.” -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- Andy's website: realandysinclairfitness.com Awesome Abs: http://absbyandy.com/

Lou Schuler shared his wisdom with respect to communicating, being real, and aging healthily while also developing empathy, humility, and seeing things from your client’s eyes. ------------------------------ ♦ Writing & Communication ♦ ------------------------------ Writing is communication, and the key there is the other person. If you’re trying to engage someone, tell a story. People remember stories. They’ll stick more. A story that emotionally engages the reader (or the person you’re talking to) is far more useful than just chest-pounding. People talking themselves up are a dime a dozen. It’s hard to separate yourself out from the crowd if you’re just another one of them. Lou really likes focusing on humility and using a bit of self-deprecating humor; in the long-term, if you have a lot of good information to give, couched in good stories, these will work much better incessant chest pounding. Mike pointed out a quote from Jay Abraham: “If you can articulate your audience’s pains better than they can, they will assume you have the solution.” This is difficult, however. Getting outside your own head, and into the heads of your market, or your clients, or your readers — or whoever it may be — is really hard and takes focused effort. You can’t assume you already know what they’re thinking. Scott pointed out the tension, or difficulty, in trying to communicate important ideas that are couched in “entertaining” stories. For Lou, part of the answer is just that sometimes a bit of entertainment is okay. That’s a service too. ----------------- ♦ Active Aging ♦ ----------------- One of the tough things about aging is that there are elements to it you only learn through experience. And the moment you turn 40 you don’t suddenly understand all aspects of “training over 40.” You just got there! You’re barely over 40! For Scott, this is even harder because although the industry likes to lump together everyone over 40, the changes that take place after 50 are often more drastic, so a 45-year-old trainer assuming that he or she is in the same camp as a 55 or 60-year old can often be very mistaken. Lou also points out that people age very differently, and this is true emotionally as well as physically. Yes, that grandmother over there just deadlifted 900 lbs. That might be inspiring to you, but what you’re looking at is a freak of genetics. For many people, things like this are just not within the realm of the possible. This ties into the earlier discussion about getting outside your own head. Just because X, Y, and Z worked for you doesn’t mean it’ll work for everyone. Part of empathy (somewhat paradoxically) involves realizing no, you don’t know what’s going on with that guy, and finally accepting that there are experiences that exist outside your own. Another takeaway here is that you can’t just say EVERYONE NOW MUST STOP DOING X AFTER AGE Y. Trainees are different. The guy who’s been in the gym hanging and banging for 30 years is not the same trainee as the one who’s 80 lbs. overweight and finally wants to do something about it because their doctor has told them if they don’t do something they’ll be dead in 3 years. As Scott points out, one of the difficulties there is not just the recovery abilities of these trainees, but the work capacity changes. The experienced trainee can hammer himself into the ground in ways the other one can’t, even if it would take far less to drive the overweight untrained person into the ground. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- • LouSchuler.com - Lou’s homepage. Find links to his books, social media.

We had JC Santana on again to talk functional training, as well as what he’s learned over the decades in industry. JC’s an expert on program design, functional training, and coaching, and Scott was excited to have JC on to share more of his wisdom, expertise and knowledge. ------------------------- ♦ JC’s Travel Lessons ♦ ------------------------- Scott began by asking what JC noticed or learned on his recent travels, pretty much around the world (Middle East, China, South America). JC noticed the similarities between our culture and others. Parents loved their children and wanted them to grow up safe in a better world. Families expressed affection. JC emphasized the importance of not just playing well with others, but coming from a spirit of giving. Scott likes to say “having something to offer.” (Mike thinks it needs to stay from a frame of giving.) Both JC and Scott talked about the importance of always growing. Mike thought this is true, and that often the economic side of things (read: how much you earn) matches how much you serve/give and/or grow so that you can serve/give even more…. yet this is also — obviously — not always true. Scott also pointed out that you don’t necessarily have to begin or start from a healthy, positive mindset. You should, but you can also start something for the “wrong” reasons, but then learn and grow and transition and keep doing that same thing, but for better reasons. In China JC also noticed the huge surge of economic growth going on, leading to an increase in disposable income, and a demand for trainers who know what they’re doing. ------------- ♦ Training ♦ ------------- The difference between stability versus balance? Stability is a pyramid, wide at the bottom, small at the top. Balance is a pyramid turned upside down, resting on its tip but still remaining stable. When you don’t have stability, you don’t have a fixed point, and it’s hard to generate power. For example: try running across a tight rope. You can’d do it, and you can’t generate power. Now try it on a flat track. Suddenly you can. There are some rare times to use more balance training. In particular, when there’s a need for a lot of proprioception work without concern for the quality of the proprioception. JC likes 7-frame training (single-leg stuff) for people who need to be fast, since it’s involved so heavily in loco-motion. One of the over-arching themes in what JC talked about was knowing why you were doing what you were doing: what does my trainee need to do, and what is the easiest, fastest way to train for this need/demand? This is very different from “well balance stuff is always good, right?” It’s about using tools for specific reasons. ----------------------- ♦ Links & Resources ♦ ----------------------- Functional Training by JC Santana (Get it from Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ojEomH)

Are there alternatives to traditional cardio for fat-burning and metabolic optimization? In this episode we discuss Scott’s use of metabolic circuits of various kinds: when, why, and how, plus the history of their development. ------------------------------------ ♦ HOUSEKEEPING / NEW STUFF ♦ ------------------------------------ Mike’s new book is out! The Journal Writing Superpower Secret is available at Amazon now. The book presents a variety of frameworks, structures, a ton of journaling prompts to help you set and achieve goals, stay focused, and deal with self-sabotage. As well, you can pick up both Scott’s new Great Glutes “At Home” Metabolic Circuits (scottabelfitness.com/greatglutes), as well as Awesome Abs by Andy (absbyandy.com) ----------- ♦ HABITS ♦ ----------- Technically speaking, habits never go away. You can’t “unwrite” them. In Mike’s words, you can add links to the chain, but you can’t get rid of that chain. It’s also worth remembering that a lot of habits are tied to very specific triggers. You might not be able to remove the habit, but with a bit of strategy, you can remove the trigger (or remove yourself from the trigger). This also means that automatic neural reflexes are just that: automatic. If you have a certain habitual pattern of thinking, it doesn’t make you a bad person. That’s not you. That’s just a habit. It’s fine. The trick is to go through it, and then not worry about it, or not entertain or believe those thoughts. Let them come up, then let them go away. -------------------------------------------------- ♦ USING METABOLIC CIRCUITS FOR FAT LOSS ♦ ------------------------------------------------- One of the most common questions we get has to do with cardio and fat loss, since Scott is very wary of cardio, but he does assign it. One way to partially address this is to discuss the metabolic circuit protocols he often adds “on top” of an existing program, almost just like cardio, but with bodypart-specific emphasis: abs in the case of Awesome Abs, and glutes in the case of Great Glutes. Scott says he was influenced by changes in the industry from about 10-15 years ago, especially those brough about by JC Santana’s work on functional training. This influenced Scott’s 5-Day MET, Whole Body Hypertrophy, and the Ultimate Figure Program. Mike pointed out that (good) programs have a kind of underlying internal logic to them. Once you understand the logic, you immediately get heuristics that you can use: would this exercise work here? Yes, it fits the logic, or, No, it doesn’t fit the logic. (Example: the second exercise of this a biplex calls for some kind of pushing movement in such-and-such plane of motion, but this exercise is pulling. Or, it is a pushing motion, but it is a big compound movement with too many work capacity demands, and the bi-plexes towards the end of the workout on this program should always be mostly isolation movements.) When Scott first started getting feedback on his more metabolic programs, he found that the circuits and such were hard to do at big-chain, busy gyms. There are always grey areas here where the trainee has some responsibility to try to make things work, but at the same time, “I can’t do these circuits” can be totally legitimate feedback. Although a complete train-at-home program is harder, it’s much easier to make this sort of thing work in a short metabolic circuit that’s just done one to three times per week in addition to the rest of that person’s training (which can be more traditional). This kind of issue is becoming more of an issue, with traffic and increasing work hours, etc. The idea for the currently released programs is to get a little something extra,

Many new fat loss coaching clients that Scott tend to make the same sorts of mistakes when it comes to staying consistent. These are the thoughts and thinking patterns that hold you back, and what to do instead! ---------------- ♦ MISTAKE 1. ♦ » Focusing too much on what you’re trying to get rid of instead of focusing on what you DO want. ---------------- What you focus on expands: focus on small wins, and make ’em expand! Don’t use thoughts that emphasize weaknesses. If you focus on what you can do about ____, if your brain needs to address weaknesses, it will. Scott likes the Einstein quote about problems never being solved at the level of thinking that created them. Focusing on the problem is staying at the same level of thinking that created the problem, instead of rising above it. ---------------- ♦ MISTAKE 2. ♦ » Catastrophizing, monkey mind, and scattered thinking ---------------- Scott likes that old Henry Ford quote: Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right! A problem, though, is people “think they can” but their focus is totally scattered. Catastrophizing is thinking a small slip up is the end of the world. “Oh, I missed a meal” is not the same as “I blew my diet! It’s all over!” Mike notes that our brains tend to catastrophize. You’re not abnormal because you think that way. It’s totally normal. The trick is to overcome it as a challenge. Mike likes working with your beliefs. You can’t lie to yourself. If you have a limiting belief you can’t just replace it with the opposite belief – your brain will say, “Uh… no? I don’t believe you.” But what you can do is work with those beliefs by using words like “but” or “however,” where what follows the “but” gets you moving forward. (E.g., “I might have bad genetics, but I have truly given it an honest shot of seeing what my genetic potential really is.”) ---------------- ♦ MISTAKE 3. ♦ » Exposing yourself to things that disempower you, like social media, instead of exposing yourself to things you like and relate to more. ---------------- A trick here is being honest. Social media doesn’t seem seem like it’s disempowering to you, and figuring out whether it is, or how, or when and why — all of this requires being honest. Mike likes “pre-frames” for this. So if you need to dig in and do an honest self-check in some kind of journaling exercise, do a “pre” exercise that digs into how honest you are, or asks you to think about how good at self-checks you are, or anything that will put you into the right state of mind to do that self check. ---------------- ♦ MISTAKE 4. ♦ » Not using thought boundaries and/or challenging your own thinking (constructive vs. positive) ---------------- Scott emphasizes that “positive thinking by itself won’t necessarily help. You need to be constructive in your thinking. Mike emphasized that “challenging” your own thinking always requires a bit of discomfort and getting outside your comfort zone. This is true by definition! ---------------- ♦ MISTAKE 5. ♦ » Not letting go of specific outcomes. ---------------- Specific outcomes include things like a number on the scale, or a deadline, or things like that. These are tempting because they can make abstract goals feel concrete, as well as create bright lines in your own head (Which, yes, can be useful, but there is a huge danger if you’re feeling awful because you’re not losing “weight” and now you’re going to blow your diet… even though you’ve been doing awesome and lots of good things are happening if you’d just let those processes keep going.

You have a big, long-term goal that will take time. You can’t do it all at once. You can only do what you can do right now. So, how do you do that? Since Mike recently finished a long process of completing his PhD, we figured we’d talk about deferred gratification and task-oriented thinking in the face of those long-term goals that can seem overwhelming if you try to think about the whole thing. ---------------------------- ♦ Task-Oriented Thinking ♦ ---------------------------- “Ready, Fire, Aim!” - There’s a degree to which not knowing exactly what will be involved is a good thing, because if you could/can really imagine what it will take, you’d feel overwhelmed. But hey, once you’re 40% in, might as well dig your heels in and keep going! There’s a lot of ebb and flow to your energy levels on an absolute level, but this is ALSO true to the various domains in your life. Brain is fried from X? You may not need to take an absolute break because you might be able to work on something else that uses your brain or body in a totally different way (physical vs. mental, logical vs. creative, etc.) There’s a danger in fitness because they’ll lie to you. If you want to do a PhD and you walk in and say “I want to do it in two years!” you’ll just be told to get lost. Do that in fitness? Even if it is something that will take multiple years, there will be plenty of snake oil salesmen promising you, yeah, sure, you wanna do it in two months? No problemo! Deferred Gratification: “The ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward in order to wait for a later reward. Generally, delayed gratification is associated with resisting a smaller more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later.” The Stanford Marshmellow Stud(ies) (LINK – it has its own wikipedia page!). These were done by professor Walter Mischel on children who had to resist instant gratification to get a higher-value reward. The wiki page has a lot of links to the actual studies, as well as to some of the follow-up studies years later. A good complement to a wikipedia page on them is Roy Baumeister and John Tierney’s Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength Scott told a story of just being overwhelmed in his first year at university. The idea of doing all these things: worrying about this year, next year, the eventual thesis he’s supposed to do, etc.. Finally, a prof took him out for lunch and explained what boils down task-oriented thinking. At the same time, of course, you still should see the forest for the trees: if you don’t look ahead at all you’ll end up on a path to nowhere. Mike like’s Stephen Covey’s habit “begin with the end in mind,” (from his 7 Habits book) where you literally think about your funeral, which almost instantly answers: are you doing things right now that will lead to that? Both Scott and Mike mentioned instances of profs or figures they respected giving them some kind of challenge or reinforcement at pivotal times. But what about if you haven’t had that yet? What do you do? It can seem hard if you don’t know if/when such help will enter your life. For Scott, the answer is the application of task-oriented and useful thinking to the PAST. See small wins AS wins. When you overcome an obstacle, even if it’s small, acknowledge it, and BUILD on it. ----------------------- ♦ Links & Resources ♦ ----------------------- • The Stanford Marshmellow Studies • Scott’s free book, The Mindset of Achievement

Scott reminisces about some lessons learns from his time at Muscle Camp in 1989. -------------- ♦ LESSONS ♦ -------------- One of the first lessons is that if you have a goal, sometimes the path won't be what you expect. For example, Scott wanted to "make it" to the mecca of bodybuilding, but in the end, it wasn't his physique that got him there, but rather his academic background, which he never would have expected. One of the big things Scott notice was how big an impact environment makes. Being surrounded by thought leaders allowed him to see past some of the "small thinking" he felt he'd been surrounded by back home, where guys were focused only on the next show, or getting caught in the same small dreams, again and again. Put yourself out there. Scott constantly put himself out there by talking to people, meeting new people, etc. Even something as simple as being on CBC at a hockey game was enough to get him half a dozen clients the very next day. Real knowledge comes from experience. There were a lot of eggheads at the camp, but they weren't accomplishing much. The guys who were in the trenches did. A good balance of the two sides was Fred Hatfield. Lee Haney's training was a huge revelation for Scott in terms of what training should be. It was hard, absolutely, but it was also like a dance, almost. Guys like Lee Haney also handled themselves differently than everyone else. As in, their success in one domain was clearly indicative of how they handled themselves in everything they did. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- • http://thecycle.diet/ • The Innervation primer • The Hardgainer Solution

This episode touched on a number of topics, beginning with a question about loose skin, and from there delving into the power of better sleep, solid routines, and using journaling to help with these things. *** The episode began on a somber note, with remembering the passing of the great Fred Hatfield. Dr. Hatfield, or "Dr. Squat," was a giant, and one of the few people who could understand the science, explain that science simply, and then apply it really, really effectively. *** ------------------ ♦ LOOSE SKIN ♦ ------------------ If you've lost a lot of weight, there's a good chance the "last 10 lbs." are at least partly loose skin. This depends on age, genetics, and other things like how long you were overweight for, how overweight you were, and so on. If it's true loose skin, the only thing you can do is get it removed surgically, BUT.... ...Mike pointed out that for many people, no one but you will notice. He's in this position, with some loose skin on his lower belly. No one cares. ...Also, you can still "push" things a bit, as long as you coax the body, and don't force it. You don't know until you try, really, and if you do it safely, you'll almost certainly end up with a physique to be darn proud of, regardless of genetics. ----------- ♦ SLEEP ♦ ----------- One of the BEST things you can do for weight loss is improve your sleep. The only way to do it is to make it a priority. A vitamin D pill in the morning, a melatonin pill in the evening (or whatever) won't replace that. There are many, many good reasons people have for losing sleep (kids, job, etc.). But you should be very, VERY careful in accepting that you "can't" do anything. It should be the very very last resort, and you have to be brutally honest with yourself to make sure whether or not there REALLY isn't anything you can do. For Scott, sleep is one of the unsung heroes of weight loss. Recommendations for better sleep: make it a routine and *stick* to it (!), stay away from electronic devices for a little while before bed, keep the lights as dark as you can, do things that ease your mind. It doesn't need to be complicated! ------------------ ♦ JOURNALING ♦ ------------------ Both Scott and Mike really like journaling, for a variety of reasons, especially gratitude journals. Mike likes the 5-minute journal, as well as a few others. Mike also likes using a journal to help control your focus. It doesn't *just* have to be a tool for self-discovery, but can also be a tool to control what you're thinking about throughout the day, and *HOW* you're thinking about those things. It can keep you focused on being proactive, keeping positive thought patterns, and that sort of thing. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- • The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron • The 5-Minute Journal

We talk to fitness cover model Andy Sinclair about the real work behind his insane metabolism and ability to stay lean year-round.We talk to fitness cover model Andy Sinclair about the real work behind his insane metabolism and ability to stay lean year-round. ALSO: Awesome Abs at absbyandy.com is now available! (Check it out, folks.) --------------- ♦ THE BULK ♦ --------------- Andy's bulk took about 6-8 months, and from there he stayed at that weight (~300 lbs.) for basically a year, to get his body used to that weight. Keep in mind, though, that he was coaxed to that weight. EVEN at his highest, his hunger was still up there. He was NOT force-feeding himself. Andy was young, with long limbs. Scott advised him NOT to compete, because it would ruin his physique. Part of Andy's success stems from his willingness to work *with* his physique, instead of myopically trying to just accomplish one single thing that wouldn't serve him all that well in the longterm (i.e. competing). Interestingly, Andy's diet was basically a normal diet, with one cheat meal a day to get in lots and lots of calories. Small, frequent feedings throughout the day. Even in a bulk up, you don't want to create a sluggish metabolism. Mike pointed out that you look at a lot of "before and after" pictures, but you don't see the work that actually went into the before pic. That is, if you look at Andy's before pics, you don't see the fact that he's not just 300 lbs., he's 300 lbs. with a coaxed metabolism. That "before" pic is really an "in-progress" pic. -------------------- ♦ DIETING DOWN ♦ -------------------- Andy lost probably about 85 lbs., and maintains about 215 lbs year round. Because of the work Andy's done for the past decade and a bit, there are photoshoots where he won't even cut out a cheat day. Andy's meals are simple, but he enjoys experimenting with recipes, different ways of cooking, different condiments, etc. He doesn't count calories for this at all. As a side note, when Mike asked for what would be "pushing it" in terms of condiments or add ons, the big thing Scott mentioned were lots and lots of fake sweeteners -- sugar alcohol-based "foods" that aren't really foods. Scott recommends being very very careful with stuff like Walden Farms. (Side note: Splenda's fine.) Andy eats six meals a day, with a protein and a protein-sparing nutrient (carb or fat) at each meal. He eats healthy whole foods. There is no magic to it, but there is consistency over time. It was there for the bulk. It was there when he dieted down. It's been there for eleven years of Cycle Dieting. Andy's diet is what you'd expect: egg whites and oatmeal, tuna or fish and crispy minis, chickpeas or some other legumes or beans, chicken or turkey and potatoes and veggies, a meal he refers to as "the Big Salad," and then fruit and nut butters before bed. "Consistency" is one of the best ways to keep a robust an optimized metabolism. Want to screw up a metabolism? Jump from diet to diet, one weird trick to one weird trick. Mike pointed out that, when push comes to shove, a lot of people will understand this, but it's also really hard to do it right. But you have to focus on it. *That's* where it matters. The grass isn't greener on the other side. -------------------------- ♦ LINKS & RESOURCES ♦ -------------------------- • Andy's Website: http://realandysinclairfitness.com/ • Andy's Instagram: https://instagram.com/realandysinclair/ • Awesome Abs: http://absbyandy.com/ • The Cycle Diet: http://thecycle.diet/

Today our topic is the best diet and fat loss strategies or habits for when you want to lose a LOT of weight, like 40 lbs., 50 lbs., or more. You’re starting at square one, it can feel a bit daunting. Experts might say stuff like “start small, focus on the longterm,” but even though that’s good advice, it’s hard to follow. If you want to lose the weight you want it gone–yesterday. but rushing things just leads to unhealthy behaviors. ALSO: Awesome Abs at absbyandy.com is now available! (Check it out, folks.) --------------------- ♦ QUESTION ONE ♦ --------------------- ------- I have a few questions. 1) How do you approach substantial weight loss (50 lbs or more). 2) When approaching substantial weight loss, what are some common mistakes? 3) Are multivitamins useful? 4) is fish oil useful? 5) is Splenda okay and or is stevia better? The big thing is getting away from a focus on numbers. Scott especially doesn’t like group weigh-ins. Re-frame things as a challenge. Lifestyle isn’t a goal, it’s a forever thing. Mike recommends focusing on one key big win — for him, that’d be a meal plan with healthy whole foods that puts you in a slight relative caloric deficit. ------- For Mike, common mistakes include trying to do way too much, way too quick. Focus on the one big win (e.g. a meal plan) and get that right. Many people try to do it all, and crash and burn, either because they quit after trying to create a total lifestyle change in a day, or because they actually do manage to do a million things all at once, but then when they run out of energy and they’re sick and tired… there’s no where for them to go. They want to know what to do to get past the plateau, but at this point there’s not much any coach can recommend except focusing on metabolism. The one key that we kept coming back to was focusing on staying in a state of good energy, and tolerable hunger, and then accepting that there is an ebb and flow to energy and weight loss. This means you need time off, and you need to not see that as “one step back to take two steps forward” (because then your mind will play tricks on you and focus way, way too much on that one step back) but rather as a step forward in itself. This only happens when you reframe things, and stop seeing the goal as the weight loss per se, and seeing the goal as vigilantly coaxing your body to get leaner. Be vigilant about staying in the sweet spot of hunger, not about losing weight ASAP. Don’t panic about a plateau. Stuff is happening under the surface. We repeat: stuff is happening under the surface. Don’t cut calories and up the cardio. You’ll drive yourself into the ground, and that is NOT sustainable. Speaking of lifestyle, what seems like “subtle” differences actually add up, BIG TIME. So for example, Scott goes to Aruba and walks on the beach because… he’s on vacation, at the beach. But this is far different than someone feeling deprived, and in the AC on the elliptical. Scott’s getting sun, he’s in the heat, etc., and this has positive effects on metabolism. It will also help him sleep better at night, which will give him more energy for exercise and such tomorrow. And since he’s not feeling deprived, he’ll feel better tomorrow too, which will also lend itself to more positive metabolic effects tomorrow. Over time, this is a huge difference. Now — how can you apply it to your life, and your habits? What positive feedback loops can YOU find? Quick’n Dirty Answers to the Final Questions: Multivitamins? Meh. Fish oil? Meh. Splenda or Stevia? Splenda! --------------------- ♦ QUESTION TWO ♦ --------------------- ------- For a client that has a lot of body fat to lose (40 or 50+ pounds), in which they are placed on a training and eating regimen by Scott, and for which losing said amount of fat may take a year o...