Myth Busting

Myths abound in gyms. Every gym or almost every person you talk to about training has his own theory and opinion on how to get a good physique! The fact is, that a lot of information out there on the subject of body building is baseless. A lot of people don’t know what they’re talking about – either through not being able to communicate the idea or through not understanding it properly themselves.

At Ripfast, we believe knowledge is power – knowing the right stuff makes the difference between “ the good” and “the best”. By the same token, misinformation or unsound theories can be negative and downright destructive.

In our quest to give you maximum quality information, we present the following section which blasts many of the common misconceptions and myths that abound in the gym world.

Read and avoid!

1. Myth – Cut fat to avoid getting fat.

The fact is that you can put on fat even if there is no fat in your diet. Excess carbohydrates are stored as body fat once glycogen levels are full. Protein not used for muscle creation can also be stored as fat.

It is still important to avoid excess dietary fat though. Also, if you wish to encourage body fat loss. Follow a diet that contains only 15-18% of total daily calorie intake from fat, and ingest slightly lesser calories than you burn each day.

2. Myth – All fat is bad

This is not true. There are certain essential fatty acids (EFAs) that the body cannot manufacture itself and need to be eaten.

EFAs support several bodily functions and are essential to support normal fat metabolism – yes, it’s true – you need fat to burn fat.

See FAT SHOTS ™ from Ripfast.

3. Myth - Eating Regular Good Food 3 times a day is enough to build muscle.

Three large meals are harder to digest, neither are they likely to supply all the nutrients your intensely trained muscles need to get in shape. Large meals stimulate fat storage.

5-6 smaller meals, including protein / meal replacement supplements are ideal, for growth, nutrient absorption and less storage of fat.

4. Myth - All red meat is high in fat.

No it is not, especially when grilled or broiled.

5. Myth – Carbohydrates build muscle.

No, carbohydrates supply the energy to fuel training sessions that will yield muscle growth.

Only protein actually forms and actual part of new muscle tissue. Ideally, consume 1 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight to top up depleted muscle glycogen stores and supply energy requirements.

6. Myth – If you just want moderate muscle definition, even lower levels of protein will do.

Never make a mistake on this one. To create an environment for even moderate muscle tone, it is essential that you consume 1 gram daily per pound of lean body weight.

Low protein intake combined with intense training is crazy. It causes the body to cannibalise its own tissue to obtain the amino acids it requires to support bodily function. The result is an increase in body fat to muscle ratio, the reverse of what you want as a weight training athlete. Never skimp on your protein. Ever.

7. Myth – You can only build a serious physique with steroids.

Now way! Steroids do build a certain amount of muscle, but the negative side effects completely outweigh an short term gains.

The amount of muscle gained via steroid use is minimal compared with the maount of water bloating associated with percentage size increase. Once a steroid user goest off steroids, the few pounds of muscle mass gained goes with them. These drugs are not only illegal, but they can also cause decreased sex drive, reduced sexual performance, reduced testicle size and the possibility of growing a breast-like chest.

This is because steroid use suppresses your own levels of testosterone production, the natural hormone that makes a male a male.

This is because steroid used suppresses your own levels of testosterone production, the natural hormone done to the system, the body can forget how to secrete the hormone naturally.

This is what can lead to the feminine type developments mentioned above and problems with increased body fat.

With the advent of modern advances in natural bodybuilding nutrition, using steroids makes no sense at all.

There are only bad drugs and idiots who sell them.

8. Myth – Your muscle will turn into fat if you don’t keep up your training.

This is impossible – muscle and fat are two completely different substances.

To maintain your muscle development you must keep in training, along with maintaining the necessary diet and rest required.

If you stop you will lose some muscle mass, and due to the lack of intense activity probably increase body fat levels. But this doesn’t mean that your muscle has turned to fat. Rather, that actually your body composition has changed.

9. Myth - “Because I’m fat, I’d better lose weight first, then start to weight train, because then my muscles will show properly”.

No! Overweight people should engage in an aerobic and dietary program along with an intense weight training program, like Ripfast.

Only the calorie intake figures change.

This is because people with a high percentage of body fat don’t have enough lean tissue to be able to support the calories that they eat, so that when they do eat, it is all contributing to the fat, even if they don’t eat much.

When they engage in weight training program, initially, this weight (due to new muscle mass forming) will increase. But gradually the weight will drop revealing more increased muscle tone. As muscle tissue is a lot denser that fat, it weighs more and its existence used up more calories.

A progressive weight training / aerobic programme can lead to a massive change in body composition that can, within 6-12 months. Transform an overweight body into a much more defined and muscular one.

10. Myth – “I’am really busy. I’d love to train, but my hectic schedule won’t allow it”.

There are many pockets in the day, where, when properly manged, time will allow everything you wish to do to be slotted in.

Training is an investment in life, for life. Sit down, work it out. By spending a few hours a week you could be adding years to your life and in the meantime, looking and feeling fantastic.

Loot at training not as a chore, but a deposit in your health bank.

Balance a healthy lifestyle against the time you’d lose in future fighting illnesses that a healthy lifestyle would have helped you avoid.

Training is a win-win proposition.

Do it and stick to it!

B M R

First you must establish your Basal Metabolic Rate, the number of calories required to sustain vital functions – your body at rest – without gaining or losing weight. The easiest way to calculate BMR is :

BMR = 1 Calories / kg x Body Weight (kg) x 24 hours.

Kilograms of bodyweight are calculated by dividing the weight in pounds by 2.2.

e.g.: The following examples show how to calculate the BMR of a 170lb male :

BMR = 1 x (170 y2.2) x 24

BMR = 1,855 cal. /24 hours

Thus, the BMR for the 170lb man is approx. 1,855 calories per day.

Note :

The aforementioned formula gives and estimated value of your BMR.

BMR : Overweight people

By using the above technique and subtracting your total amount of body fat from the total bodyweight, this lean body weight number will give a better estimate of your true BMR.

More sophisticated BMR testing can be done by nutritional and clinical professionals. It can be beneficial to get at least one other method of BMR calculation done, to better judge if your result after applying the above formula was an accurate, high or low estimate.

Daily Physical Activity

Your total amount of physical activity during the day must also be considered when calculating your DCN (daily caloric needs). Next to your body’s BMR requirements physical activity greatly affects an individual’s energy needs.

e.g. A person performing heavy duty work may need up to 5,000 calories daily in order to maintain body weight and energy levels, while a person of equal age and body composition’s calorie requirements (e.g. of an office worker) may be half that (2,500 calories).

Total energy needs depend upon the intensity and duration of strenuous physical activity.

Actual Caloric Needs

On this plan, your average caloric intake on training days must be

2 x BMR

Thus in the previous 170 lb man’s example his DCN (daily caloric intake) on training days would be 1855 cal x 2 = 3710 calories DCN.

This figure should on RESTDAYS be 1.5 x BMR .

This is because you are not performing strenuous activity on these rest days.

Additional Physical Activity

ONLY REFER TO THIS SECTION IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING OVER 2 HOURS STRENUOUS ACTIVITY ON YOUR TRAINING DAYS (EXTRA TO YOUR ACTUAL TRAINING SESSION - Please note, for maximum muscle growth this is not recommended, as your body needs recovery time).

For every hour of additional strenuous physical activity over 2 hours a day :

Add 600 cal, To the (2 x BMR) figure for each extra hour of strenuous physical activity.

e.g. If the 170 lb man weight trained for 2 hours in the morning and had 2 hours of rugby practice in the afternoon, his extra caloric needs would be approx. 2 x 600 (because the diet plan already allows for 2 hours of strenuous activity, which covers upto 2 hours training) = 1,200 extra calories.

Thus total daily caloric needs would then be approx.

(1855 x 2 ) + 1200 = 4910 calories (on training days)

It must be noted that daily caloric needs can vary between people of the same weight because of varying body types and metabolism.

Another reason is age – generally teenagers to young adults have higher metabolic rates than older individuals (26 and over).

Body Types

Gauge your progress by monitoring bodyfat levels.

Some persons with low bodyfat and low muscle tissue levels will find that they can keep their DCN figure constantly high.

Others with reasonable amounts of muscle mass, and average bodyfat will find that a fluctuating figure is more appropriate.

Overweight or obese persons are another category.

If you fir in this category, your DCN may be high, but if you wish to considerable reduce body fat while increasing muscle mass, it is best to try out your estimated DCN figure. If you aren’t losing fat mass at the rate you desire then decrease calorie intake by increments of 10% weekly until the desired rate of fat loss is attained. Reducing your calorie intake should involve cutting intake of fats and carbohydrates. But when doing this medical supervision is essential – particularly if your daily calorie intake ends up less than your BMR. As you will want to increase muscle mass while reducing body fat, it is best to add some extra activity: walking, running, etc. and continuing at a level that you are comfortable with, with which your physician is also happy. Keep nutrition, training, weight gain / loss notes to help chart and assess your personal development and to see what works best for you.

Also refer to the section on overweight persons in the ‘Mythbusting’ section of this manual.

FAT REDUCTION :

Bear the importance of correct calorie intake in mind on each individual day, as unneeded excess calories will just be stored as fat, masking the true shape of your muscles.

The simplest and most visibly direct way to monitor body fat is to monitor increases in fat around your waist line. If there is an increase of 2 inches in your waist measurement, put the measures below into practice.

Thus if, whilst gaining muscle mass, you start to grain fat:

Cut down on your DCN by weekly increments of 10% until steady gains in muscle mass are achieved without corresponding increases in body far.

Also increase aerobic activity.

Thus you adjust your DCN and aerobic activities to meet your individual body type needs and body goals.

It is best, initially, to try decreasing / increasing DCN increments of 10% of DCN.

e.g. If the 170 lb man is overweight and wants to lose body fat, while increasing muscle mass and has not been successful in the first 14 days using the previously mentioned estimates, he should try reducing his calculated DCN estimates by 10%.

For 2 hour training days; 3710 – 10% = 3339 cal. Per day.

For rest days, reduce calorie intake by the same percentage too.

Try this for another 14 days.

If there is still no fat loss, try reducing DCN by another 10%.

DO NOT REDUCE YOUR DCN TO BELOW YOUR BMR WITHOUT THE SUPERVISION OF A PHYSICIAN.

All weight loss programmes should be monitored by a physician.

Fat control

As soon as your bodyfat is back within acceptable levels, increase your calorie intake again.

This will lead to further muscle mass increases. Once fat levels go up again, drop your calories as before. This diet cycling, which is already happening on one level when you alter caloric intake on rest days, will keep your metabolism from getting used to one type of calorie intake, and adapting to its effects.

Another good tip to follow is to alternate this dietary plan with the one outlined earlier in the manual. Again this keeps the metabolism constantly subject to differing food intake levels, not allowing it to get used to or adapting to a certain system.

If you are eating as directed, and not increasing bodyfat, to further increase muscle potential, you can do the opposite of the fat reduction action, and increase calorie intake by increments of 10% of DCN until bodyfat increases do become apparent.

Nutrient Proportions

Daily Meal Proportion of Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats

Breakdown your daily calories per meal as follows :

Carbohydrates 60 % or more

Protein 30%

Fat 10%

Example : In practice, this means that based on a 3,710 calorie per day diet, the breakdown is as follows:

Carbohydrates : 60% x 3,710 calories

= 2,226 calories from carbohydrates

Therefore as there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate

= 557 grams of carbohydrates.

Proteins 30% x 3,710 cal = 1.113 calories from protein

Therefore as there are 4 calories per gram of protein

= 278 grams of protein

Fats: 10% x 3,710 cal = 371 calories from fat

Therefore as there are 9 calories per gram of fat

= 41 grams of fat

Note : To keep lower fat levels, try to eat smaller, more easily digestible meals in the evening. Keep these meals higher in protein, lower in carbohydrates.

Once you understand how to calculate your own ratios – you will see great gains in your personal physical development – so get calculating !

Please Note

With protein, carbohydrates and fat, the weight that needs to be consumed is different. Basically, as fat has a higher amount of calories per gram, the weight required is less.

You will find that after calculating your personal level of daily caloric intake, that achieving such high levels of protein / carbohydrate in meals is just not practical.

Boost your daily quality food intake using high quality training supplements.

EXTRA NUTRITION TIPS :

Even though the above caloric system counts on a training session of 2 hours, if your session is less than 2 hours in length, don’t worry. Only amend the calorie figures if you start gaining fat.

To complete one’s healthy, balanced diet, it is necessary to have it consist of several servings of complete proteins, e.g. lean meat, particularly : chicken, turkey & fish.

Also : eggs, dairy produce, and of course quality supplements.

BWEARE OF : Incomplete Proteins (these are proteins that don’t contain all 9 essential amino acids), such as pasta, some vegetables, corn, rice, peanuts etc. As stated in the nutrition section earlier, these can be combined with other incomplete proteins to form a complete protein (one that contains ALL the essential amino acids). But this mixing and matching can become tedious, and is still unreliable. There’s nothing wrong with eating incomplete protein foods, some are actually great carbohydrate sources, but don’t count them in your daily protein intake levels.

Stick with complete the quality protein sources, as listed above, and of course quality Ripfast Training Supplements. These products guarantee quality fuel for building muscle mass.

Remember : Hitting calorie levels alone is not enough. They must be quality calories, from quality foods.

3. You probably know by now (at least we hope you do!) of the vital importance of protein in muscle growth and repair. But whilst ensuring good protein supplies, don’t neglect your carbohydrates. These supply essential energy for daily activity, and intense workouts. If they’re not there in the right amounts, the body will use protein for energy. You don’t want

this ! Sufficient carbohydrate supplies ensure that your protein supply is left to do what it does best, that is repair and create new muscle!

For the most efficient use of your food intake, that is so that the body uses it all, rather than storing the excess as fat, it is best to spread one’s daily caloric intake over 5/6 meals per day.

5. It’s easy to forget. Drink plenty of water.

Nutritional Value of Foods