Monday, July 2, 2012

Lessons from The Book of Beast

As I've mentioned, when Body Beast was released, I was in a mass building mode with P90x.  Since the focus of Body Beast is hypertrophy, or getting bigger muscles, why not take advantage of the program and dive in.  I'm a big fan of change, and Body Beast is something new and I'm psyched about it.

Like all Beachbody programs, Body Beast came with a guide book that talks about the program, the workouts, the diet, etc.  I found The Book of Beast to be a great read beyond just the specifics of what Body Beast was about and I wanted to share some of that with you all.


What it Takes To Be a Beast

Becoming a beast takes dedication and detrmination.  You have to give it your all for the hour of your workout, but the other 23 hours of the day are just as important.  From nutrition, to rest, to supplements, you need to dedicate yourself completely.  You have to get your diet right.  You have to eat the right amount of calories and the right kids of calories with a proper balance of all the macronutrients.  You also need to try to stay away from the junk that can pollute our bodies; processed foods, fried foods, sugary snacks, etc.  You need to give your body the fuel to grow and the help it along with supplementation.

The History of Body Building

Body building came to the forefront of public consciousness in the 1970s with the file Pumping Iron.  Arnold Schwarzenegger was the face of body building and helped transform it into a competitive sport.  Body building trainers figured out that with a good program and a science, anyone can gain mass.  5-10 reps was the norm.  You had to keep adding weights.  You need to train large muscles to get the best response.  More is always better.

The 2000s was the next iteration of body bulding advancement.  Science taught us to work smarter.  Time under tension, not reps, is now the key.  Rest should be shorter, less than a minute.  Full body stimulation can trigger better results than single muscle movements

Testosterone

Testosterone is the main hormone that your body uses to build muscle mass.  The more testosterone your body makes, the quicker you can get bigger.  Old school body building methods were designed around what they knew to work to build up your testosterone.  Slow movements and heavy weights were the key.  Current mehtods show that you can utilize fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers to recruit more testosterone.  Science has also shown that 30-60 minutes is the proper amount of time for testosterone production.  If you do more, you can start to diminish your results.  You also need to recover.  If your body doesn't get a chance to heal, and you don't eat right, your results aren't going to get the best results.

Eating Like a Beast

A huge portion of the book is dedicated to the nutrition plan.  People tend to start working out to lose weight.  Body Beast is about gaining size and to grow your body, you need to eat alot.  I was scared at first about how much I would have to eat.  The requirements are laid out very clearly and it turns out I will only need about 400 more calories/day than my current maintenance level.  No problem.  The Body Beast nutrition plan uses the same portion plan that is very prevalent in P90x2 and is in there in P90x too, so it's not radically different.

Sagi wants you to eat a regular intervals, every 2 - 3 hours with a mix of macronutrients at each meal.  So, eat regularly and get carbs, protein, and fat at each meal whenever possible.  The plan also recommends eating 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat.  That will be a difference from where I have been at 40/30/30, but not too significant.  The idea is that your body will burn up the carbs and quick fuel sources and leave the protein for muscle building.

If you want the kind of results you're capable of, you have to push yourself...hard.  You have to be willing to do whatever it takes.
-Sagi Kalev

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