Subscribe to the NWA Newsletter Here
Damn it feels good to be a lifter,
A real gangsta-a** lifter gets his form right,
A real gangsta-a** lifter doesn’t need to run his mouth,
‘Cuz real gangsta-a** lifters don’t start fights.
– Scarface (probably)
Happy Friday, Coach J here from Anyman Fitness – and welcome to the latest edition of The N.W.A. Newsletter.
Each Friday’s N.W.A. Newsletter will have 3 parts:
- A Nutritional Tip to help make your diet healthier and easier to stick to.
- A Workout Tip to help make your training sessions more effective and fun.
- An Attitude/Mindset tip to help you strengthen your greatest asset – your mental toughness.
An FYI for you:
If you’re struggling to get lean and stay lean, stay tuned – No Cardio Fat Shredding: The Holiday Shred opens for enrollment next Wednesday, October 26th.
There will be a sizeable discount this round as well.
In today’s issue, we will be talking all about Pareto’s Principle.
Pareto’s Principle states you always get 80% of the benefit from 20% of what you’re doing.
No Cardio Fat Shredding is a beautiful example of this principle in action.
Today, we’ll discuss how to apply Pareto’s Principle to fitness – and how to eliminate the 80% that DOESN’T matter, and focus entirely on the 20% that does.
I will also give you my single favorite piece of social media content from AF over the past week and link to it on either Instagram or Twitter.
Without any further ado… let’s get started, shall we?
|
|
N.W.A. Nutrition Tip Of The Week:
There’s a LOT of noise in the world of nutrition.
Everyone thinks they’re an expert.
Since everyone eats, and most people have attempted to lose fat at some point in their lives, we all have our ideas on how fat loss truly works.
Once upon a time, before I started coaching others, I was a HUGE “carb-o-phobe”.
I had become entrenched in the low-carb camp, and I was certain carbs were the source of obesity.
I (wrongly) believed in the “insulin hypothesis”, which (incorrectly) says “when you eat carbs, your body secretes insulin, and since insulin is a storage hormone, you can’t lose fat while it’s elevated”.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this was pure hogwash.
There was zero scientific basis in my beliefs.
But that’s the funny thing about beliefs – you believe they’re real even if they’re irrational.
It wasn’t until I started experimenting with higher carb diets and got over my carb fear that I realized how wrong I was.
At one point, I went about 5 months eating zero carb.
“Keto” wasn’t even a thing at the time, but in essence, I was using a ketogenic diet.
At first, it was GREAT.
I lost gobs of fat and I was rarely hungry.
But about month 4, I started noticing some bad side effects of going that low in carbs for that long.
My strength levels started to plummet.
My sex drive disappeared.
I was always sluggish and lethargic.
My immune system was SHOT – at one point, I got a cold and it didn’t go away for a full 8 weeks…
Shortly after realizing my mistake, I started to “cycle” my macronutrients.
Meaning, I started eating TONS of carbs on the days I trained, and less carbs on the days I didn’t train (and more fats).
This was a HUGE lightbulb moment for me.
All of a sudden, BOOM, my energy was back and my strength in the gym shot through the roof.
I was watching my lifts go up 5 pounds every session, methodically, like magic, and they just kept going… and going… and going…
That was the moment nutrition really “clicked” for me mentally.
Here’s the 20% of nutrition that REALLY matters for you:
- Eat the right number of calories for your metabolism
- Eat the right amount of protein for your metabolism
- Your carbs and fats can vary, but it makes sense to eat more starchy carbs around your training sessions to ensure proper fuel and recovery
If you can do *just those 3 things*, you can make sustained progress week over week for a LONG time.
It was this exact discovery that led me to the No Cardio Fat Shredding protocol.
I LOVED this set up, and thousands of NCFS Graduates can vouch for its effectiveness.
I was eating loads of carbs 3 days per week.
On those days, I got to chow down on rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, and even the occasional low fat ice cream/sorbet.
On the other 4 days per week, I was eating lots of fatty treats.
On those days, I was enjoying nut butters, cheese, creamy dressings, and fattier cuts of meat like ribeyes and salmon.
I was losing 1.5 – 2 pounds of pure body fat, every week.
I was SHOCKED at how well it worked – I got all the way down to 7% body fat, and I had LOADS of energy from the carbs.
It felt like magic… how was it possible I could eat such amazing food, barely work out (more on that in a minute), and STILL make such rapid progress?
My diet was varied enough that I could fit ANY foods I wanted into my diet, which was excellent for my adherence and consistency.
This sort of flexible dieting pattern works wonders – especially for people who love food.
If a diet is too restrictive and doesn’t allow your favorite foods, it won’t be sustainable or enjoyable.
With just a little bit of planning, you actually CAN have your cake, and eat it, too…
N.W.A. Training Tip Of The Week:
Walk into any commercial gym and you’ll see the same thing.
You’ll see “bandana bro” who spends 45 minutes doing cable crossovers.
You’ll see “stair-stepper lady” who does those strange, glute kickbacks on the stair-stepper over and over again.
You’ll see “superset guy” who hogs 15 sets of dumbbells to do his crazy circuit 4 times per week.
And you’ll see “5 pound dumbbell girl” who does a bazillion reps using light weight, trying to get “toned” and not get “bulky”…
So, what SHOULD you do in the gym?
Are bandana bro and stair stepper lady misguided?
Or are they on point with their workouts?
Since we’re talking Pareto’s Principle today, we’re going to talk about the 20% of things you should ALWAYS be doing in the gym.
First, you should be strength training.
That much is certain.
But you need to keep a few things in mind when you’re strength training…
The entire point of strength training is to get STRONGER.
5 pound dumbbell girl is woefully misguided… she’s not using progressive overload, and as such, she’s not building strength or muscle.
She’s just going through the motions every workout.
She’s equating “soreness” and “sweat” with “a good workout”, and often times, that’s just not the case.
Once upon a time, I was “bandana bro”…
Well, I didn’t actually wear a bandana to the gym, but I would take “chest day” to the extreme.
In fact, pretty much every day was “chest day”…
When you’re strength training, you should be primarily using compound, full body movements if you want to make strength gains and change yourself physically.
There are 4, main body movements you should ALWAYS focus on in the gym:
- Pushes like bench press, incline bench press, and shoulder presses
- Pulls like pulldowns, rows, and pull ups
- Squats like barbell squats, goblet squats, lunges, and leg presses
- Hip hinges like deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and hip thrusts
EVERY workout you do should have at least 2 – 4 of these compound movements to focus on.
And your goal should be to get stronger in EVERY compound movement every time you step foot in the gym.
AFTER you do your “hard work”, THAT’S when you do some isolation moves if you wish.
Things like curls, tricep extensions, chest flys, calf raises, and lateral raises are the icing on the cake.
But they’re NOT the whole cake…
In 2012, my second daughter, Ava was born.
She was child #2, and all of a sudden, my life was a blur.
Bottles, midnight feedings, and trying to raise both a toddler and a newborn was the craziest time of my life, by far.
But I was determined to get into proper shape…
I had my diet on point – I was cycling my macronutrients and loving the set up.
But I needed to figure out a way to get stronger, and leaner, without spending a ton of time in the gym.
I carved out about 30 minutes, 3 times per week, and I structured my workout to reflect Pareto’s Principle.
I only did 3-4 exercises per session.
I only did 2-3 sets per exercise.
My entire workout took about 30 – 40 minutes or so.
I was literally done with my workout before some people had finished warming up…
And my strength took off like a ROCKETSHIP.
I just couldn’t believe it… I felt like I was barely training!
My lifting stats went from:
- 225 deadlift => 445 deadlift
- 205 squat => 315 squat
- 185 bench => 300 bench
All from barely even breaking a sweat while I was in the gym…
And I didn’t get “bulky” at all!
On the contrary.
I got lean, toned, and athletic – leaner and more athletic than I had ever been in my life.
I was 32 years old at the time, and teaching middle school.
We had a middle school assembly during that time, and the teachers played against the students.
They were all shocked when 32 year old me took a few dribbles and promptly threw down a double pump, reverse dunk during the game.
Maaaaan, I wish I had a video of that… it was one of my proudest moments!
When in doubt in the gym, strip away the frills.
Focus on the basics, and hammer them relentlessly.
Get rid of the fluff.
Stop the stair-stepper kickbacks and do some squats, and get out of the gym and go live your life.
Focus on what truly matters, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.
This sort of a format is exactly what we’ll be doing in No Cardio Fat Shredding.
Simple.
Quick.
And brutally effective.
N.W.A. Attitude/Mindset Tip Of The Week:
Perhaps my biggest personal discovery when using the No Cardio Fat Shredding protocol is just how powerful true commitment is.
Committing, and seeing your goals through to the very end is a BIG part of the 20% you need to focus on.
You will never reap true fitness benefits without a true commitment.
Fitness is every day.
It doesn’t take days off.
In 2012, I was hovering around 240 pounds.
And the scale just wouldn’t go down any further.
I was healthier, sure – I had lost about 50 pounds already.
But I wasn’t “lean”.
I had this itch I felt like I needed to scratch…
I didn’t want to be “healthy”, I wanted to be SHREDDED.
I wanted visible abs and ab veins.
And I was frustrated that I wasn’t losing fat more quickly.
When I took a close look at my consistency, I realized I was lying to myself.
I wasn’t going “all in”.
I was doing “pretty good” on the weekdays, and pretty bad on the weekends.
I often eyeballed my meals, I wasn’t tracking closely enough, and I often snacked when I knew I shouldn’t.
And I won’t lie – this realization pissed me off something fierce.
I get angry with myself and committed – HARD – for the next 4 months.
I vowed to hit my macros EVERY day, no matter what.
No ifs, ands, or buts.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a weekend, a weekday, or a holiday – I was going to be on POINT.
In the next 4 months, I lost an additional 24 pounds of body fat and ended up at 206 pounds and 7% body fat.
That process taught me a lot about myself.
It showed me that with enough determination and grit, I could do it.
I just needed to believe it, deep down inside.
What limitations are holding YOU back?
What stories are YOU telling yourself about why you’re struggling to get lean?
If you’re ready to leave the ‘old you’ in the dust and get started with the protocol that changed my life, and hundreds of others, No Cardio Fat Shredding: The Holiday Shred opens for enrollment next Wednesday, 10/26, at 7 am, Eastern Time.
I can’t wait to show you how simple fitness truly is.
One Favorite Social Media Post Of The Week:
The Top 7 Tips to losing your gut:
- Eat more protein
- Lift more weights
- Walk more
- Cook your own meals
- Eat real food
- Don’t drink calories
- Stop snacking
Follow these 7 rules for 3 months and you’ll love what you see in the mirror.
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
Read the N.W.A. Newsletter Archives
Since Halloween is around the corner, and I started this issue off with the Geto Boys, here’s a classic for you (NSFW – lyrics)