You work hard in the gym, you watch what you eat, you go running every morning, but you’re still not as lean as you want to be. What gives? It could be one of many things according to strength and conditioning coach Nick Mitchell, who was recently named London’s Best Personal Trainer 2010 in Time Out magazine.
The founder of Ultimate Performance Personal Training says: “With all the good will in the world, your training may not be enough to get yourself into shape. If you’re committing any one of these sins, you’ll never be as lean as you want to be.”
Here are the top 10 suggestions as to why you may not be as lean as you’d hope to be.
You Eat Too Much Fruit
“Fruit is healthy,” I hear you cry! Sure it is, but that doesn’t mean it does diddly squat for your fat loss efforts. In a nutshell, the sugar from fruit (fructose) does a very bad job at raising insulin levels. Insulin is required to shove fructose into the muscle as stored energy (glycogen).
Instead, it just lingers around reaping metabolic havoc via a process known as glycation, whereby the fructose binds to amino acids leading to such lovely things as fat gain and metabolic aging. Renowned clinical nutritionist Robert Crayhon has said that “Fructose is the guest that won’t go home once the party is over.”
You Are Lazy
You have been sold the story that a few easy jogs and some low-calorie meals are all you need to be lean. Get real.
If you are aspiring to become a Men’s Health cover model, then you need to graft and work at it — every single day. Three-times-a-week sessions in the gym just won’t cut it, and some of you may even need twice-a-day training. To look extreme, you have to train extreme.
You Obsess Too Much
There is a fine line between dedication and obsession. The former is necessary to transform your physique; the latter will ultimately lead to burn out, elevated cortisol levels and poorer overall condition.
Take a leaf out of the book of men who maybe knew a thing or two about getting in ridiculous shape, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman. Two totally different characters united by their ability to focus completely on the task at hand, and then switch off and relax outside of the gym.
You Don’t Lift Heavy Enough Weights
Heavy weights build muscular physiques. Yes, I know that Olympic gymnasts look great but they are genetically elite midgets who are in fact capable of astounding feats of strength. Don’t pump out sets of 25 reps in the gym…
