His forehead’s sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy,
He’s almost done with his workout but he’s gassed already.
– Eminem (probably)
If you wish, you can grab the N.W.A. Newsletter Playlist on Spotify here, all of the songs that have been featured in the newsletter are on the playlist.
Happy Friday, Coach J here from Anyman Fitness – and welcome to the latest edition of The N.W.A. Newsletter.
Each week with the N.W.A. Newsletter, I give you the best Nutrition, Weightlifting, and/or Attitude advice for you to start to use in your life today.
Tens of thousands of people have used this exact newsletter to gain muscle, lose fat, and become a better version of themselves…
Without any further ado, let’s get started..
N.W.A. Tip Of The Week
Intermittent fasting changed everything for me.
I attribute IF to being the #1 tool I used to get into great shape for the first time in my life.
If you’re a fitness junkie like me, you might remember a blog from the early 2010’s called “Leangains”.
It was a blog written by Swedish coach Martin Berkhan.
And it changed the game – Martin is credited for putting fasting on the map in the fitness landscape.
Back then, everyone was talking about how you needed to eat 6 meals per day, evenly spaced, in order to keep your metabolism high.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “stoke the metabolic fire” – this sort of a thought process was prevalent back then.
If you didn’t eat regularly, your metabolism would tank, and you would lose all your hard earned muscle.
Back then, most health oriented people believed this to be gospel.
We all started eating 4, 5, or even 6 meals per day, thinking this would help us get lean and healthy.
Martin Berkhan was the first coach who said “Wait… that’s nonsense” and he started preaching the powers of intermittent fasting.
Martin’s protocol was the infamous “16/8” protocol where you don’t eat for 16 hours out of the day, and you eat in an 8 hour window.
If you wanted to simplify this, you could think of it as skipping breakfast and only eating lunch and dinner.
I had never been much of a morning eater; I’m just not very hungry in the morning.
So, after reading his blog, I set up my macros, and started focusing on just 2 meals per day.
I would skip breakfast, opting for black coffee instead.
It worked.
Big time.
I was able to eat bigger dinners.
I was able to control my appetite in the morning.
I lost 85 pounds in 2 years’ time.
But a funny thing started to happen after awhile…
I started feeling lethargic in the morning, borderline anemic.
I started feeling ravenous in the evenings, and found it tough to stick to my diet.
I started feeling too amped up from the lack of food in the morning combined with the coffee.
My workouts suffered as well.
So, I quit using intermittent fasting.
I had used it exclusively from 2011 – 2015.
But in 2015, I started eating a modest breakfast each morning, and all the negative side effects went away.
I had more energy in my workouts.
I recovered better.
Ironically, I wasn’t as hungry later in the day, either.
I talk to a lot of people about their fitness goals.
I probably average 5-6 chats per week or so with prospective clients.
Many of these clients are men in their 40’s and 50’s.
I’ve noticed something after talking with all these people… the majority of them use fasting in their regular routines.
When I pry a bit, they tell me that they heard about how great it was online, and they are convinced it will work for them.
Which is ironic… since they’re talking to me about why they can’t seem to reach their goals…
You know what the first thing I say to them is?
Stop the fasting and move to a standard 3 meal per day format.
This always surprises them.
But it universally makes a big difference in how they feel, and ultimately, their results.
There’s a few reasons for this.
The first is training related.
Most people have a primary goal of losing body fat.
But most people also have a secondary goal of gaining muscle.
Fasting and muscle gain are not friends.
They do not mesh well together.
Especially if you’re in a calorie deficit, and you are fasting, and you are trying to gain muscle.
You want to have your muscle protein synthesis (MPS) as high as possible throughout the day, if you wish to gain muscle.
This means you want amino acids and nutrients flowing through your bloodstream at all times to rebuild your muscle and strength after your workouts.
Eating frequently allows this to happen.
Fasting does not.
Perhaps the biggest reason you want to avoid fasting is that fasting is inherently a stressor on the body.
Everything we do is a stressor.
Our workouts.
Our jobs/careers.
Our families/responsibilities.
If we’re trying to lose fat, your calorie deficit is a stressor as well.
If we add fasting into the mix, we’re adding yet another stressor our bodies have to deal with.
Eating a healthy breakfast is a much better way to go about things.
I’m not telling you fasting doesn’t work, or there are no benefits to it.
It’s a fine practice and it’s not evil or anything.
But just realize that fasting is not a magical pill by any means.
It can make it easier to stick to a calorie deficit – if it works well for you.
It can help you develop dietary discipline – if it works well for you.
It can help make planning easier for your meals – if it works well for you.
But notice what I bolded above. “If it works well for you.”
Fasting doesn’t cure cancer.
Does it increase “autophagy”? (The clearing out of cancerous cells in the body.)
Yes, it does.
But our bodies are always in an autophagic state.
We ALL have cancer cells in our body (a scary thought) and our bodies are in a constant state of clearing them out.
Also, while fasting may increase the rate of this process, it’s not the “fasting” that does this, it’s the presence of a calorie deficit.
Just be sure you keep that in mind.
So, if you’ve been fasting for awhile, and it’s working well for you, AND you love it… then fast away.
But all else equal, if it’s a “take it or leave it” thing, or if you’re fasting and getting frustrated by your lack of results, drop it.
Use a meal frequency that more aligns with your body’s natural, circadian rhythms.
You just might find it’s a huge difference maker for you.
It sure was for me.
I currently have a few spots open on my personal, 1:1 roster for coaching.
I team up closely with my 1:1 clients and we work together on an individualized approach for success.
Here’s an example from a recent 1:1 client who lost 68 pounds in my program:
To learn more about this unique, “All In” experience, tap here and fill out this quick form – it will go directly to my email inbox.
Looking forward to speaking with you.
More AF Content From Around the Web:
Sometimes I’ll make a post on social and someone in the comments will be saying “but Gary Brecka said” or “Bryan Johnson said”…
Look, it’s great that you’re following fitness accounts. Seriously, that’s a better option than most of the crap on social media you could be following.
But big, influencer accounts are often doing outlandish, unnecessary things, citing dubious studies and making unsubstantiated claims.
Why? Because they get shared a ton. And a huge following can be monetized via book deals, affiliates, supplement sales, etc.
If you’re going to follow fitness people on social media make sure they are actual COACHES – the people whose career involves working with human beings and getting them results.
The claims they make won’t be as crazy or sensational. But the advice will always be more applicable and helpful for you in the long run.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Anyman Fitness N.W.A. Newsletter.
I’ll be back next week.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Best, Coach J
Anyman Fitness
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If you’re from the Detroit area, I’m pretty sure it’s a requirement that this is your favorite rap song of all time… (NSFW – lyrics)