Healthy Living

Big and Ripped Cycles

Recently I upgraded my workout and eating routines. Most of my research I pulled from websites of people who were very health conscious, and in great shape. Here is what I learned:

To get big, and ripped, (not too big, or dangerously ripped, I mean healthy) is a goal of a lot of people I know. But it isn't possible to get big and ripped at the same time, they need to be broken into cycles. To get big a muscle needs ample amounts of water, carbs, and protein surrounding it all the time. This means that during a big cycle one would be carrying a little bit extra on them, and eating and drinking a little bit extra. On the reverse, in order to get ripped, a muscle needs just less then enough so that it starts pulling from the bodies reserves, but not so little that it starts breaking down other muscles as fuel.

It isn't possible to have more than enough, and less than enough at the same time. Getting big and ripped is like walking: you take one step to get big, and one step to get ripped.

BIG CYCLE

TIME: 2-3 weeks

WORKOUT: Warm up your muscles by lifting some light weights. Lift the heaviest thing that you can lift four to six times. Take a little break. Now go back and do it again as much as you can. Take another break and then top off the workout by lifting what ever makes you feel good.

RECOVER: Only lift that muscle group once a week. It takes about a week for a muscle to fully recover. In the mean time eat a lot of healthy food and get about 8 hours of sleep a day. On the other days of the week work different muscle groups.

EAT: Eat enough that you feel like you have ample energy. You can eat whatever you want as long as it is in the right proportion. Cake? Sure, you can eat cake, but you will only eat about one slice of it per week to keep it in the correct proportion. Here are the foods that should take up most of your diet:

-Whole grain, Oats, Brown Rice, and Vegetables | Balanced with a little bit of meat or milk

-A fruit when you want some extra energy

Everything else should only be occasional, cakes and things are great for special occasions, but they do not build your body. BE CAREFUL: A lot of food companies sell foods and advertise them as everyday staples, but they aren't. White bread is a snack, not a staple. Fast foods, pizzas, these things are snack material.

Drink lots of water. For everything you eat, imagine that that food is broken up and needs to float somewhere. How much water are you going to have to drink to move that food around? Now drink that.

Ripped Cycle

TIME: 2-3 weeks

WORKOUT: Warm up your muscles by lifting some light weights. Take your heaviest weight that you can lift and cut it in half. Now lift that as many times as you can. Take a little break. Now go back and lift that same weight as fast as you can as many times as you can.

RECOVER: The same as before: Only lift that muscle group once a week. It takes about a week for a muscle to fully recover. In the mean time eat a lot of healthy food and get about 8 hours of sleep a day. On the other days of the week work different muscle groups.

EAT: Eat the same things as mentioned above, but slightly less food, and a little bit more water. Cold water burns calories because it cools your body down so your body has to work harder to maintain state. It also makes it easier for your body to break down its fat stores.

I encourage you to experiment with healthy living and this information, see what it can do for you!