Who doesn’t want to BURN FAT & GET JACKED (i.e. build muscle)?
In truth, a lifestyle choice needs to be made and self-discipline needs to be your top priority. When and only when you make the decision to discipline yourself, will you be successful. However, let’s assume you are dialed in with your workouts, nutrition and lifestyle. So, where do you go from here?
From this point forward, I want you to understand that the topics I suggest are supplemental to a bad ass lifestyle of discipline and hard work. These are “supplements” in every aspect of the word. The purpose is to enhance, compliment, what you are doing training wise already. To truly get Jacked & Burn Fat you need to be prioritizing lifting weights as your main form of cardio. With that being said, let’s get in to it!
Carnitine… 98% of the carnitine in our body is stored in the muscles. Its job is to take fatty acid that has been mobilized in the blood stream and transport it to the mitochondria in order for it to be burned. Basically, carnitine combines with fatty acids floating in the blood stream and makes it possible to get in to the mitochondria to be used. Carnitine is created is created from lysine and methionine (amino acids). (1)
When might you need carnitine? There is not a lot of research that shows low levels of carnitine but it has been theorized that there is potential. First, if you are a vegan and do not eat a lot of protein. Second, if you have a low level of protein per day.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine (2) discussed the importance of Carnitine and its role in fat transportation:
· Abstract: Carnitine is essential for the transfer of long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane for subsequent β-oxidation. It can be synthesized by the body or assumed with the diet from meat and dairy products.
· Conclusion: Carnitine is essential for mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and can be synthesized endogenously or taken with the diet. The OCTN2 carnitine transporter is essential for retaining carnitine in the body and allowing adequate supplies to the heart and the skeletal muscle, which derive most of their energy from fat.
A boost in carnitine could be very helpful in your fat loss journey because if you are deficient, well then you might certainly be struggling to get rid of that brown fat.
A Coach’s Suggestion…
1. Consume healthy grass-fed beef. The cholesterol scare tactic by mainstream medicine is wrong, the benefits of eating high quality beef is amazing. The essential Amino Acids (EAA), zinc, magnesium and other healthy macro and micronutrients make beef amazing. Additionally, the fat from the animals promote a sustainable energy with a boost in brain health.
2. Don’t overdue High Amounts of Max VO2 Workouts… engaging in too much of this can elevate cortisol to unhealthy levels, particularly with individuals who have high amounts of visceral (belly) fat.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)… this is not something that will provide you with mind-blowing rapid results, but it is successful at promoting fat loss on a continuous basis. CLA puts more carnitine into the brown fat tissue thus increasing your body’s ability to take fat that has been mobilized in the blood stream and use it as energy (4).
· CLA-treated rats exhibited increased insulin sensitivity in the adipose (P < 0.01), a higher release of fatty acids (P < 0.001), and increased adiponectin secretion (P < 0.01).In the skeletal muscle, CLA supplementation was associated with increased glucose oxidation (P < 0.01) and an elevated anti-inflammatory index (P < 0.05), according to phospholipid fatty acid composition. In the liver, CLA reduced the oxidized form of glutathione and elevated the activity of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes.
Probiotics… can work because of short-chained fatty acids (3). A good diverse healthy gut microbiome means that when gut bacteria breaks down food it will create short-chained fatty acids as a result (by-product). These fatty acids are a signaling device and can therefore can improve better glucose utilization in the body as well. Efficiency in burning fat, in theory, should be a great way to burn fat!
Published in the Journal of Lipid Research (3) in 2013 was research explains some of the issues we face in western society and why the microbiome is essential for fat utilization:
The decrease in physical exercise and increase in energy intake, especially seen in the Western world, disrupts the energy balance in humans and can lead to a complex of symptoms collectively denoted as the metabolic syndrome.
Humans lack the enzymes to degrade the bulk of dietary fibers. Therefore, these non-digestible carbohydrates pass the upper gastrointestinal tract unaffected and are fermented in the cecum and the large intestine by the anaerobic cecal and colonic microbiota.
The Gut Microbes are essential for the health and cognitive function of the whole body. In fact, the gut is even being referred to as the first brain of the body. Probiotics promote gut health by increasing the diversity of the microbiome. Rather than supplementation you can enhance your guts diversity through fermented and other foods, here are a couple popular ones…
Yogurts… choose Organic Greek Whole Milk, grass-fed if available
Pickles… choose wisely, avoid mainstream big brands… choose ones that need to be refrigerated
Kefir… this is another dairy based product but is great for enhancing the gut
Sauerkraut… again, read the label on this one, check out the ingredients, it should be very simple… add this delightfully tangy item on burgers, chicken and more!
Metabolic Flexibility… your body’s ability to use food sources as energy when needed. I am including this in this topic for lifestyle purposes. However, I am going to refer you to the Blog on Metabolic Flexibility that I just wrote. Read the BLOG here!!
My Final Thoughts
Everyone reaches a point in their fitness journey where they hit a plateau. That plateau can come in the way of motivation, lack of results and anything in between. First, it is vital that you remain vigilant with your training consistency and intensity. You need to fall back on your discipline in order to push through plateaus and slow growth periods. Consistency with training will keep you moving forward. Second, you have to place a heavy emphasis on nutrition, particularly on keeping your protein levels adequate to your goals. The most common error, from my experience, has been watching people fall excessively short on their protein requirements. This has led to flat and flabby bodies while the person questions the training. Third, Supplementation can be added in to pick up for areas that your body may be lacking but it is not going to replace hard work and consistency!
If you are looking for online training email me at FMFMark@gmail.com or checkout our website at www.FunctionalMuscleFitness.com/online-training
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Happy in Health while Getting Jacked!
DEFINTIONS
Glutathione is an antioxidant found naturally in your body. Also known as GSH, it is produced by the liver and nerve cells in the central nervous system and is made from three amino acids: glycine, L-cysteine, and L-glutamate. Glutathione can help metabolize toxins, break down free radicals, support immune function, and more. (8)
Adiponectin is a hormone and an adipokine protein that affects several metabolic processes and is mainly known for its insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory effects. Your adipose tissue (body fat) is mainly responsible for producing adiponectin, though other tissues in your body produce it as well. (6)
Glucose oxidation is a chemical process that provides energy for an organism to carry out all of its required activities. During this process, glucose, a simple sugar molecule obtained from food, is broken down into carbon dioxide and water. This reaction releases energy and stores it in a chemical form for the cell to use. There are three separate stages of glucose oxidation: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport system. (7)
SOURCES
1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/essential-amino-acids
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0098299704000512?via%3Dihub
3. https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/3735932
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900715001586
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/glutathione
6. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22439-adiponectin
7. https://www.allthescience.org/what-is-glucose-oxidation.htm
8. https://www.verywellhealth.com/benefits-of-glutathione-89457
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21190973/
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23047988/