Just as your days in the gym are carefully mapped out, your diet outside of it is equally important to your training. A well-thought-out nutrition programme helps you recover more quickly from workouts and build muscle faster. So to achieve your goal of getting in the best shape of your life, you need to be just as dedicated in the kitchen as you are in the weight room. If you can do this, the sky's the limit. Protein is key to getting lean while maximising muscle growth because it supplies critical amino acids that are used as the building blocks of muscle. So when you drop your calories to lose fat, you must maintain dietary protein levels at all costs. That's why your protein intake holds steady throughout this 3-month programme at 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight per day, which helps preserve your muscle mass. If you follow a lower-fat diet (as you do here, especially in Month 1), that means the only source from which you can significantly drop calories is carbohydrates.
For the full story see this month's issue.
FLYING SOLO
They say that men think about sex every 15 seconds. They don't tell us, of course, what fills the time between one lascivious moment and the next. For most guys, it's probably sports. For the serious gym rat, though, it's the thought of taking his muscles to the point of failure and beyond in an effort to build ridiculous
amounts of mass. Sexy it ain't, but you've got that covered already. Everyone knows that to build big muscles, they need to be pushed workout after workout. By exhausting your muscles, you help them
undergo mechanical and chemical changes that induce growth.
Personable and powerful, MMA fistress and American Gladiators star Gina Carano is the nicest girl who'll ever kick your ass.
Let's be clear about one thing right up front: Gina Carano is the baddest woman on the planet. We realise that the demure, dimple-framed smile and girl-next-door looks seen on the previous page may seem to contradict that billing, but it's true. Doubt at your own discretion._A delightful blend of femininity and ferocity, Carano can definitely throw mad hands (and feet and knees). But it hasn't always been bright lights and big crowds for the wildly popular MMA star and American Gladiators cast member. It used to be that Carano's fistic fury was showcased only when solicited.
GINA CARANO KNOWS THAT IN A FIGHT, GOOD CONDITIONING AND SOLID NUTRITION CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VICTORY AND A SET OF BUTTERFLY STITCHES ON THE BROW.
On the difference between Muay Thai and mixed martial arts: "Muay Thai is a lot of stand-up and a lot of striking. So in MMA, the groundwork requires a completely different kind of conditioning. I've had to implement my old-school conditioning with the new. Striking someone is completely different from rolling around on the ground with them."
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