The low hassle way to get ripped
Intermittent fasting is a super cool strategy for getting in the best shape of your life. As some of you may know, this is a strategy that I have used for years in order to stay lean and maintain muscle mass. The reason that I love intermittent fasting so much is because it’s a simple method with massive returns.
The reason that intermittent fasting works so well to get you ripped is because it:
- Spares your muscle
- Positively affects hormones like leptin, insulin, and ghrelin, which are directly involved with you shredding fat.
- Boosts hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone for better muscle recovery and repair.
- Spikes human growth hormone (HGH) levels, a powerful anti-aging hormone that supports a lean physique
- Allows your body to rest and heal
- Downregulates cellular inflammation, which is linked to obesity, diabetes, and weight loss resistance.
Is this just for Hollywood and Celebrities?
Celebrities such as Miranda Kerr, Liv Tyler, Christy Turlington, Ben Affleck, Beyonce, Terry Crews and Hugh Jackman have all been reported to use forms of intermittent fasting. Terry Crews told business insider that the secret to maintaining an outstanding physique at his age is intermittent fasting. When Hugh Jackman had to get ripped for his role as Wolverine by putting on 25 pounds of muscle in six months, he consulted Dwayne Johnson and utilized intermittent fasting to achieve this result. You can be ripped liked these celebrities by just matching and mirroring their strategies. The best part is that it costs you nothing!
Now who doesn’t want that?
Intermittent fasting is not for everyone though, only for those who are following a healthy diet, like the one outlined in Heal Yourself Cookbook. Attempting intermittent fasting with a garbage diet will can lead to nutrient depletion and hormonal imbalances in your body. However, if you maintain a proper diet, you can use intermittent fasting to get ripped.
Can I do intermittent fasting to get ripped?
Intermittent fasting isn’t just for the pro athletes, the body builders or the extremist. It’s for anyone who wants to have better physique, lose weight, or just be healthier altogether. So I don’t want this to be complicated for you like it was for me when I first started. Some people try to make this topic so complicated with all these rules and it’s just not necessary.
“To rise at six, dine at ten, sup at six and go to bed at ten, makes a man live ten times ten.” – 16th century proverb
Here is what I do….
First of all, I eat and maintain a healthy diet, following the Heal Yourself Guidelines. From there, I simply eat all my meals within a eight hour period. That means I am in a fasted state for 16 hours a day. I usually pack my meals in between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. Those numbers may fluctuate a little. If I go out to dinner with friends and eat until 8 at night, I will either push my first meal back 2 hours the next day or just pick up at 11 again the next day and jump back on my normal routine. We’re not shooting for perfection; that just equals failure.
The research states:
For the highest boost in testosterone and growth hormone (which will support a lean physique), you should work out in a fasted state in the morning. For many, this seems a little daunting, but after you get your body in the routine, you may actually find yourself getting a better, more intense workout in. Many times I will still drink some coffee and get a good dose of water to give me a boost. Coffee and tea does not interfere with your fast, so this is completely ok.
Intermittent Fasting Boosts Muscle Growth, Repair & Healing
As an athlete, healing and repair are always at the forefront of my thought process because we can’t progress to the next level with injuries. So it is always my goal to heal like Wolverine from X-Men so that I can continue to perform at a higher level. Intermittent fasting certainly allows for this, especially to get ripped.
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute found that men who utilized fasting had a 2000% increase in circulating HGH. Imagine the huge effect this has on muscle recovery, repair and healing altogether. The benefits are not just for men though. Women who were tested had a 1300% increase in HGH. The researchers found that the fasting individuals had significantly reduced their triglycerides, boosted their HDL cholesterol and stabilized their blood sugar.
The reason for this is because HGH and insulin are opposites in function. HGH is focused on tissue repair, efficient fuel usage and anti-inflammatory immune activity. Insulin is designed for energy storage, cellular division and pro-inflammatory immune activity. Insulin is the dominant player in this game. When conditions demand an insulin release through a high sugar diet or carbohydrate consumption, HGH is inhibited. Insulin is silenced in a fasted state, another reason why intermittent fasting works.
Intermittent Fasting Will Boost Power and Energy
It is estimated that 15 percent or more of your energy expenditure is spent on digesting food. Imagine how much energy is being robbed from those who graze all day or eat multiple small meals a day because their trainer told them to. Their bodies are working overtime on digestion instead of healing and repairing muscle. Not to mention their HGH levels are going to be much lower, which also slows down repair and recovery. If you are utilizing intermittent fasting your bodies will have much more of an energy resource for raw power during the workouts and recovery of tissue post workout.
One last thing that I need to clear up…
Intermittent fasting is not about calorie restriction; you are still consuming the same amount of calories, just in a 8 hour window. Most people naturally find themselves consuming less calories which can be very positive for some, but let’s make sure we are not calorie restricting.
What you will experience
Because I have done intermittent fasting for a long time and with many patients, I imagine that you will notice your gut functioning much better. You will have less bloating and will notice that your waistline appears smaller just from a healthy functioning gut. You will begin to lose weight because there is less inflammation in your body and your hormones are functioning at a higher level. You will recover faster from your workouts and have more intense workouts do to a higher testosterone and growth hormone levels. You will also find that you have more energy because you are allowing your gut, essentially your body, to rest for 16 hours a day.
Let me know how it goes and ask me any questions below. 🙂
