M. Dillard - StrongLifts Tips and Techniques

Strength Training. You need physical activity to be healthy & normal. You need to exercise. Running, soccer, tennis, rock climbing, boxing, etc. Anything is better than sitting in your couch.

The benefit of strength training is that it builds muscle fast. The stronger you become, the more muscles you'll have. The more muscles you have, the more calories you'll burn. Couple that with healthy nutrition & you can achieve a year-round body fat of 10% naturally (15% for women).

It takes time. You'll spend your first weeks learning exercise technique. Then you'll start using heavier weights. Heavy weight stresses your body, pushing it to adapt by building muscle. Your strength is directly linked to your muscle mass & thus your body fat.

Lifestyle. Your biggest challenge is building a healthy lifestyle. Career, business, relationships, family & social life will get in your way. Learn to deal with it. Decide which days you'll workout & stick to it. No matter what.

Morning Workouts . Get up earlier, have breakfast, workout 1 hour later, eat, shower & go to work. Go to sleep on time.

Evening Workouts . Take your gym bag with you to work/school. Go directly to the gym after work/when school ends.

Say No . If you have planned to workout on Wednesday at 7pm & your friend / girlfriend / family / colleague / the Pope asks you to go have a drink, tell them you have to workout. Tell them you'll be there 2 hours later or that you have time on Thursday. People will call you a freak, but they will respect the rules you set for yourself. Learn to say no to people.

Attitude . Lack of sleep, illness, night out drinking or any other excuse: go to the gym. Sometimes these workouts turn out into your best ones. Sometimes they don't. Bad workouts are better than no workouts. They train you mentally & reinforce the exercise habit. Don't rationalize.

The secret to long-term success is building the habit of eating healthy & lifting weights 3x/week. The only way to build these habits is by doing these actions a lot. You are what you repeatedly do. Make a plan & stick to it. No matter what.

Nutrition . Provide your body with the food it needs to build muscle by eating healthy. More muscle is more calories burned. More calories burned means a lower body fat. I recommend Fitday to keep track of your protein & calorie intake. Here's what your diet should consist of:

Protein . 1g/lbs daily to build muscle. Meat, poultry, turkey, fish, whey , quark, cottage cheese, milk, dairy, eggs, etc.

Carbs . Necessary for energy. Whole carbs are healthier & have fiber which helps digestion. Oats, rice, breads, pasta, potatoes, yams, beans, etc

Veggies . Fill your stomach but are low in calories. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, salad, kale, asparagus, cabbage, chicory, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, zucchini, etc.

Fruits . Full of vitamins, minerals & fiber. Apples, peers, banana, oranges, pineapple, peaches, etc.

Fats . Flax seeds, fish oil, olive oil & some saturated fat. Saturated fat is good for your testosterone levels. You won't get fat/overweight as long as you keep the rest of your diet healthy. Keep in mind that you are exercising & eating veggies, fruits, whole grain carbs.

Water . 1L per 1000kcal you expend. 1 US gallon for men, gallon for women per day is a good rule of thumb.

Hacks . Make sure the majority of your diet is healthy. Try the 90/10 or 80/20 rule: eat healthy from Monday to Saturday. Eat 2-3 junk meals on Sunday. Here are some habits I've built through the years to stay away from junk food:

Take Food With You . Avoid situations where you end up eating junk food because you're hungry. Take food with you to work/school. Take leftovers with you. Take protein shakes with you. Take peanuts when you go the movies.

Prepare Your Food. Prepare double rations. Prepare your food for the day in the morning or evening while having breakfast/diner. This way you only need to warm-up your meals when it's time to eat. Do the same thing if you work from home.

Eat in Advance . Going shopping for a few hours? Eat a whole meal before leaving the door. Again: don't end up hungry.

Have Food Ready. Make a grocery list that includes everything you need for the next 7 days (or even 14 days). Buy somewhat more just in case. You don't want to end up without healthy food in the middle of the week.

Make it Taste Good . Learn to cook so the food tastes good. If you've been eating junk food for years, your taste will need to adapt at first.

Cooking takes me about 30-45mins daily. The rest of the day I just need to warm up the food in the microwave for 2-3mins. Canned & frozen food like tuna & frozen veggies will simplify your life.

Skinny. Eat more & you'll gain weight. Eat less & you'll lose weight. You're skinny because you're not eating enough. I know you think you do, but you're not. Proof: you're skinny.