John Fit

(Whoa! Whoa!… Crazy Huh… Whoa!)

My arms don’t fit into my sleeves of my shirt anymore! My big back won’t let my arms relax at my side! My neck is busting out of my dress shirt like the Incredible Hulk! Are these symptoms the reality your physique has created? Or maybe you’re not quite too big now, but you see the Fit Bus heading down the road to bulkiness.. As I’ve mentioned before, I went through a phase of getting “jacked” and trying to look as big as possible, but now other goals have influenced my focus and I’m no longer looking to grow my traps up to my ears.. Do you think people REALLY want to look like Ronnie Coleman? Does Jay Cutler have a physique that looks attractive in normal, casual clothes?? Just last weekend I had the luxury of spending some quality time with 3 beautiful ladies at a Sarasota Nightly “Hot Spot”.. This classy restaurant/bar attracts an entourage of Sarasota’s Premier Young Professionals, Ex-Big Business Owners who are retiring in the sun, & some of the most beautiful & intelligent women in Florida. While we’re carousing and exchanging stories of past laughs and good times, I notice an “Incredible Hulk-Like” figure walking by us with these traps busting out of his dress shirt, neck marinated in veins, & kind of a pissed off look on his face.. (Beefy Guys sometimes have a look that says “Don’t mess with me, or deal with my muscles!”) So, I asked my lady friends, “What do you girls think of that?” One girl comments, ”Scarrry! That guy looks like he’s coming to eat me..” Another girl notes, “He’s so cheesy-looking.. He’s gotta be on steriods..” Big, swollen muscles are cheesy-looking! This guy didn’t even look comfortable in his own skin (which is the worst part).. He had very nice clothes that spoke highly for his clean cut effort, but his body looked “stuffed” in his nice clothes! Even if you’re not on steriods, people assume you are, when you’re too thick with muscle.. Is that the presentation you want to deliver? Is that the type of attention you want brought to yourself?? Not only does having a nice lean, toned, & trim body get you more positive attention from the opposite sex, but this is more of a sustainable look & a healthier functionality for your body.. Let’s dig into the overdeveloped muscle plan, & see if we can unravel a few things to get your body away from the bulk, & saying goodbye to the Hulk!

Some Guys/Gals Need to Put on Muscle..
First of all, I don’t mean to bash bodybuilding.. Anytime a person is committed to making progress in anything & they are dominating their goals (Even if it is to grow your arms to 23 inches like The Terminator) I respect the dedication & work ethic.. I personally choose to channel my energy into a different place than making my body as big and swollen as possible; none-the-less, it’s impressive to see these athletes stick to their plan.. Now, if you are skinny, bony, & heavily ectomorphic, with a low BMI, adding a little muscle to your frame is a good thing.. Gaining weight can actually support a healthier immune system, create lean muscle tissue for bone support, & can add spice to your sex life.. Adding muscle is fine, but bulking in excess to get it is a red flat for lack of patience.. My experience & research shows, if you’re gaining more than 1 pound a week, you’re probably putting on excess fat in an effort to grow muscle too quickly.. Fat cells never disappear, or go away, when you’re trying to lose weight.. Those cells just shrink, so its important to not take them on in the first place.. This is bad news for bulkers.. Taking on more fat cells to gain muscle, leaves your body an outlet to get fat again & swell up later on when you slouch on your discipline eating habits.. The key is to get lean, and stay lean.. Put on muscle patiently, & don’t rush the growth process..

Calories, Calories, Calories + Lack of Cardio = Overdevelopment.
Again, if you’re over-muscled with mass, I commend your commitment to hard work, but have to question your eating habits.. In my opinion, A Discliplined, Clean Eater is more respectable than a Good Weight Lifter.. Weight lifting and working out is a 1 hour committment/day thing, where as sticking to eating right is an all day everyday thing.. Bodybuilders & “Big-Bodies” over-consume foods in the off season loaded with sugars and saturated fats to swell up their bodies and stage more room for muscle and expansion.. If that bodybuilder would lighten up on the calories & become less sedentary by jumping on a treadmill, their bodies would stop expanding & tighten up. You look the way you eat.. If you are big, thick, & bulky, you are simply overeating & under-active. If you don’t over-feed the muscle, it won’t overdevelop.. If you balance out your “Energy In vs. Energy Out” your body will lose its puffiness.. If you’re muscles are too big, then stop feeding them so much & reframe your focus to getting as lean & cut as possible.. When I’m performing 30 minutes of cardio 4-5 days a week (& Strength Training for 3 days), I typically only need about 13 calories per pound to keep my muscle.. If you have a genetically slower metabolism, and more endomorphic-shaped, get that number down to 11-12 CLEAN calories/pound.. To go from bulky to lean, like the guys you see in GQ, Mens Health, & other “good looking” Men’s periodicals, you have 2 options.. Stop over-consuming calories & feeding your body into expansion, (I would suggest a good maintenance level is 11-13 CLEAN calories/pound if your moderately active & performing aerobics at least 3 days a week) &/or crank up the cardio.. Both of these options will reduce “puffiness” in your shape, and shred your bulk into a lean & cut physique..

(Wow.. The Crazy Bodybuilder Markus Ruhl Pic Get’s ”Whoa”, while the Ladies here get a “Wow!” Big Difference Look how Lean and Toned Sports Illustrated’s pin-up girl Marissa Miller is.. (She’s the blonde-haired gal on the right).. Marissa couldn’t have that Lean, Firm, Tone without Strength Training.. Have lifting weights made her bulky at all?? No.. Strength training and a Sexy Fit body go hand-in-hand.. Her diet is obviously very clean & she looks great because of it..)

Strength Training Isn’t the Reason You’re Bulky..
How many times have we all heard, “I don’t want to lift heavy weights because I don’t want to get bulky”.. Bulkiness and over-developement is a by-product of overeating, not your weight training routine.. If you were eating overeating calories, and NOT lifting weights, you would still swell up without the influence of weights.. Muscle comes in two forms.. Hard or soft..  To be lean and toned, you need that muscle to be firm & hard.. Heavy weights gets you there.. I’ve seen female runway models lifting weights in a heavy rep range to add firmness to their bodies & these women are the epitome of slim physiques.. Victoria Secret Models are asked to be firm and lean, not plump & soft.. The firmness only comes from heavy weights, and “leanness”/low body fat, comes from cardio and diet.. High reps will leave your muscles soft & spungy.. If lean and toned is your goal, you are not doing yourself any favors by lifting light weights that can be lifted over 15 reps.. This is only aerobic work, and if you’re choosing this routine to lose weight, you’d be better off going straight to the treadmill.. Bulky, Overweight, Skinny, Skinny-Fat (The Worst Combination), or whatever your shape, heavy weights speeds metabolism, adds lean tissue, upgrades intensity in your workout, & tightens muscle fibers for better bone structure support.. Strength training isn’t why you’re bulky and overdeveloped, so this doesn’t have to be eliminated (Great News for Big Bulky Bodies.. Bulky Guys are typically obsessed with pressing iron, so trying to keep them away from this would be Torture.. The Strength Training Can Continue!) You will tone up & slim down, in the kitchen & on the cardio equipment..

A Lasting Note on Trimming Up..
There’s a community of bodybuilders that are dedicated to & only focused on “getting huge”.. I commend the work ethic and discipline from these guys.. But, you may notice these huge bodybuilders look awkward in professional attractive clothes, more girls are turned OFF by their bulky muscles and turned ON by the lean, trim, sexy abercombie-style body-type, & these bodybuilders aren’t popular on the big screen.. Why doesn’t Hollywood endorse Bulky, Heavy-Muscled Bodies? Maybe its because the look doesn’t sell.. Most people aren’t attracted to thick, heavy bodies weighed down with muscle.. Arnold Shwartzeneggar, Steve Reeves, & Louie Ferrigno are rare bodybuilding exceptions that broke into Hollywood, but none of the three swelled up and bulked intensly like bodybuilders today.. (They had abbreviated bulking cycles, but stayed fit & lean most of the year) Arnold weighed between 220-240lbs for his big hit movies (Slim for his genetics.. A bodybuilder of his genetics and frame today could easily bulk to 300lbs. but Arnold never did.. He even kept cardio in his regimen in the off season). Steve Reeves is my favorite bodybuilder & aggressively speaks out against today’s “bulking for muscle” mentality.. And Louie.. Louie was the Incredible Hulk (The biggest of the 3, and got stuck with the scary monster roles.. Lou Ferrigno’s a great guy though and I do respect him).. This summer, step into more of a lean and cut physique by getting away from your bulking/bodybuilder mentality by picking up the consistent cardio & clean eating habits.. You’ll look and feel more like an efficient, healthy, attractive athlete that wants to live forever!

John Fit.. (Enjoy Your Workout Today! Have Fun.. Summer’s here & the Sun’s Out! Life is Good..)

(Ahhh.. 4th of July! The beach.. The Smell of Barbeque.. The taste of Corona.. The Sound of Fireworks.. The Tan Lean Bodies Walking Through the Sand.. The Birds Chirping.. The Warmth of the Sun.. Making Plans for Fun with Friends and Family.. I Love the 4th of July.. Its a Great Day to Show off Your Hot Body!)

July 4th is exactly 28 days away, and for all my Non-US readers, this is a US “Independance Day” & sunshine date when our crazy Americans get to “let it all hang out” and have some fun! Since it does fall in the middle of the summertime, there will be more people in bathing suits & shirtless than any other date on the calendar.. My July 4th plans just got a face lift, as I’ve found out that I will be playing host to a number of college friends (To the Tune of about 10-15 East Coast Ft. Lauderale/Miami girls that will be rockin hot bodies when they get here! There will be some guys too, but ONLY because they didn’t listen when I told them to stay home! ) I can’t wait! I’m also going to have some family in from out of town that I haven’t seen in a while.. July 4th is a day when I want to look great! Here’s a synopsis of where my bodies at now.. I weighed in this morning at 173 lbs. & I estimate my body fat is around 7.5-8%.. My stomach is really cut and looks great, but my body does look and feel really dry right now because I’ve been maintaining for about 2 months now.. I haven’t been trying to put on muscle, but I haven’t been cutting hard either.. Just trying to keep my leanness and maintain my size.. But, as I signed off of my last post, this week was the beginning of my “Add 5-7 Pounds of muscle to my frame” phase that should only take me about 4 weeks.. My new focus and date for this short term goal is July 4th.. I want to step out on the beach on the 4th of July @ 180 lbs, & at most 8% body fat.. That will leave me full in my “beach muscles” (Chest & Back), but still show off my cut abs and lean stomach.. Here’s my “Sexy-Time! For July 4th” routine and diet..

My Diet is the Most Important Piece..
I need to eat to grow.. Since my body is so pretty dry now from eating clean, & doing lots of cardio, the excess calories and carbs I take in for weight gain should go mostly to fueling new muscle.. This is where fitness models like Gregg Plitt, Gregg Avedon, & Eric Carlson get away with eating tons of calories and not putting body fat.. It’s a “metabolism thing”.. When you have a fast metabolism, most weight gain will go straight to fueling lean muscle.. (I will be posting on how to speed your metabolism to create this soon).. So, I will be raising my “energy in”, and & taking in more calories through clean carbs to fuel this new muscle I want.. Here’s a layout of my new diet that I will stick to for the next 17 days..

8 am-  1 Scoop of Isopure
1 Banana
5 Fresh Strawberries
2 Cups of Oats

11 am- 1 ½ Cuts of Oats
4 Egg Whites or Lean Turkey Slices

2-3 pm- 2 Cups of Rice
2 Cans of Tuna

6-7 pm- Avocado (Good Fats with Some Protein)

9-10 pm Salmon or Chicken Breast (3/4 of a Pound)
1 Sweet Potato or 1 ½ Cups of Rice
Some Form of Veggie (Probably Broccoli.. My Favorite!)

I used to count calories so closely, but that drives me crazy now.. Today, I just look at my meal and try to portion out how much protein, carbs, and fat I’m eating.. I’m taking in lots of carbs on this gain muscle plan (Probably 350+g of grams throughout my day here) but they are clean carbs and my sugar intake is low (with the exception of the high glycemic fruits in my shake in the morning.. When I start cutting about 7 days prior to the 4th, I will eliminate the banana and strawberries..) This is roughly about 2700-3000 calories, and emphasizes clean carbs for energy, with some protein & good fats, coming from the Oats & Avocado.. Plenty of Nutrition here to add good muscle without a lot of fat to my frame.. The late night eating is a killer I know, but I need to eat to grow, so I’m willing to take in those calories at night to make sure my muscles are receiving the fuel to grow and get denser..

(Lee Kholafai Shows How Good “Lean” Can Look When You Lay that Foundation of Muscle First.. Lee’s look totally changed from the bigger/heavier pic on the left (180 lbs. & 10% BodyFat), to the Lean, Toned (165 lb. 6% Body Fat) Pic on the Right.. Not only does his stomach look better, but look how his chest is better shaped & looks bigger.. When you’re cut, you deceivingly look bigger, even though you weigh less.. Looking Good “Lean”, requires that you first lay that foundation of muscle as he was doing in the bulkier/heavier pic on the Left.. These Underwear Ads are Ridiculous for Me to be Splattering on my site because I Really Don’t Want to highlight this guys “package”.. So don’t get the wrong idea.. I just think visuals are great support tools for me to show you how to achieve an athletic, attractive physique. We wish the visuals were from the waist up huh.. ha (I had to get that little disclaimer out there.. I feel better now))

To Get Cut & Lean, 10 Days Prior to July 4th, I will Make a Few Small Changes to My Diet..
To hold on to muscle and only cut body fat, I will tweak this diet very finely.. I will eliminate the banana and strawberries in the morning shake, & eat the rice/sweet potato at 6-7pm, instead of 9-10pm.. The only elimination in calories will come from cutting out the high glycemic fruit in the morning.. I want to keep my calories up to maintain this muscle because if I cut them to low, my hard-earned muscle will crash.. I will rely on my “Energy Out” levels (As I spoke about in a recent post.. I will raise my activity by adding in lots of cardio) to do the cutting for me.. So, my calories stay high enough to nourish muscle, so the muscle is on my body by the 4th.. Cardio will define my body & lean me out, along with the clean foods I will be eating.. I’ve never liked cutting calories, as you know.. If I’m super lean, its because I’ve been doing a lot of cardio.. If I’m looking bulky, then I need to hit the treadmill.. I always eat and lift to fuel lean muscle to keep my muscles hard & tight..

My Workout to Look Great on the 4th!
My workout rarely changes unless I’m looking for a new challenge, or my muscles need a “shock” to get over a plateau. I mix exercises around sometimes, & may change the volume, or amount of work I put on a particular muscle, but for the most part, I lift heavy weights with low volume.. I think this is the best formula for lean muscle because it blends heavy resistance to tear down fast twitch fibers for strong, hard muscle, but the volume is low enough that I’m getting enough rest to benefit from the training & no overdevelopment takes place.. (For me, if I perform more than 8 INTENSE sets of work on any given muscle in a workout, the muscle will shut down and stop responding, and this actually does more harm than good..) So, here’s the workout I will follow..

Monday- Upper Body (Chest 6 Sets, Back 6 Sets, Shoulders 3 Sets, Arms 3 Sets)
Tuesday- Abs/Stretching
Wed. – Lower Body (Legs 8 Sets)
Thr. – Abs/Stretching
Friday – Upper Body (Same as Mon. with Different Exercises)
Sat.- Abs/Stretching
Sunday- Off

Monday – Lower Body (Legs, 8 Sets.. Different Exercises Than Last Wed.)
Tues. – Off
Wed. Upper Body (Same as Last Monday & Friday but Different Excercises than Last Friday).
& So on.. & So “Forth”.. (Forth, not to be confused with the 4th.. The Unveiling Party Day!)

Miscellaneous Notes For the Formula..

• Rep Range- 6-10 Reps
• I will not repeat any exercise in back-to-back to workouts..
• I will start doing 30-45 Min of HIIT Cardio in the AM on Friday the 20th every day & Even on the morning of the 4th.. (Depending on how I feel &  Look will depend on the duration of the cardio workout..)
• I will be Resting 1-1 ½ Minutes between sets
• I won’t focus too much on my arms & shoulders because when I’m eating excess calories, these muscles grow really easily on my body and could lead to disproportion’s. Keeping those muscles tamed at 3 sets will be enough to keep blood in the muscle & pumped, but not enough to stimulate growth.. Plus, intensely working Chest & Back gives the arms a bit of a workout anyway..
• I’ll drink water only and no soft drinks.. (Red Wine in Moderation @ Night if I’m out with Friends)
• I will get at least 8 hours/night of sleep..

My workout usually last about an hour in the gym if I go at it intensely.. I’m more focused on staying true to my diet because that will shape my look.. If I eat at a restaurant, I will eat only lean meats on salad or wraps.. I don’t trust too many of the carb choices our restaurants offer as they are mostly loaded with sodium, cooked in bad fatty oils, & contain sugars to make them taste better.. Chicken salads, Salmon wraps, & those types of foods are a better fit for my goals to gain only lean muscle and keep body fat off my body.. Even though I only have 4 weeks to achieve this 5-7 more pounds of muscle, I expect this plan to cover the bases in the get fit formula.. I have enough food energy to grow new lean tissue, I am lifting heavy weights to spark that lean growth, but I’m doing it at low volume so I’m resting enough to let the process take shape & no overdeveloping or overtraining will result.. I love having something to look forward to, and the 4th will be a great day! Does anyone else have a plan to get in shape for the 4th?? Let me know what it is.. It’s a big day to show off a great body, so I’m hoping I can get some of you to set some goals with me.. I’m @ 173 now and 7.5-8% Body Fat.. I want to be 180lbs & 7% on July 4th, 2008! Who wants in??

John Fit.. (Summer’s Here & Looks Like it Brought the Heat.. 93 Degrees in Sunny Sarasota Today..)

(Muscle Chow, written by Men’s Health Gregg Avedon, is one of my favorite “Eat for Lean Muscle” books that endorses Avocados & Oatmeal as a Paramount Addition to Building a Lean Physique.. Gregg is noted as having his own children already hooked on unsweetened Oatmeal..)

In my opinion, the BIGGEST piece of any fitness regimen is your diet.. You can work out all day & know all the tricks to lifting weights for muscle, but if you’re not eating correctly, you will never “lean-up”.. However, I’ve actually seen many people who never touch the weights, but eat very clean, and they have great bodies.. As I’ve mentioned before, you look the way you eat.. If you eat a lot of sugars & junk food, your body will operate lethargically and look sloppy like melting ice cream on a hot day (Melting Ice Cream is Pretty sloppy, right?? Ok.. Good.. Thanks!) 90% of the bodies in my gym lack a foundation of muscle.. Don’t confuse a big body with a muscular one.. Many big bodies are so swollen & inflamed with body fat that you actually get the idea that they are carrying some muscle underneath that fat.. But, if you touch their arms, shoulders, or back, your finger will penetrate the soft tissue and go straight the bone.. We need to build that foundation of muscle to create the “hardness” piece of the get lean puzzle.. You won’t find a lean body that doesn’t come with rock solid, hard lean tissue.. No matter if we’re overweight and trying to lose body fat, or skinny and trying to put on muscle, we need to lay a foundation of muscle to have a “toned” look.. In this post I’m going to talk about my 2 All-Star

(Gabrielle Reese & Laird Hamilton are 2 athletes with Lean Bodies that aren’t advocates of Low-Carb, Calorie-Cutting Diets.. They Fuel Lean Muscle with Quality, Rich Food Energy, While Expending Lots of Energy To Keep Fat off Their Body and Metabolism Flying.. Great Bodies are Great Eaters!)

For years, I’ve researched & played with different formulas and programs to get me the most pleasing looking, & feeling body I can possible carve out of my genetics.. I am a “formula type of person” that loves structure in anything I’m doing.. I feel like the most successful people in any environment have some form of structure to how they operate their craft, that gives them vision and purpose.. Most tasks become really tough when you have no idea where you are going.. I’ve seen big businesses crumble because the leader stopped communicating vision to his subordinates and this totally unravels structure.. I want you to maintain structure in your fitness regmine & never lose sight of what it takes to have a great physique.. This concept of “Energy In vs. Energy Out” will dictate what direction you are aiming for with your fitness goals.. I see most people looking to get in shape and the first thing they do is cut calories.. I personally think this is an unhealthy way to get lean.. I actually want you to consider taking in MORE calories (The right kind of calories) while increasing the intensity of your cardio & strength training workouts.. Doing this will create more of a lean, toned look, instead of a skinny, flat, & deflated body.. The concept we’ll analyze to acheive this is “Energy In vs. Energy Out”.. Let’s dig in!

What Do You Mean by, “Energy In Vs. Energy Out”??
When I refer to “Energy in”, I’m referring to the consumption of food eaten throughout the day.. “Energy out” would be the amount exercise, or calories burned throughout the day.. Any food you eat will serve as energy & nutrition for your body in the form of calories (“Energy In”).. Any type of activity you perform that will burn calories, & build lean muscle (“Energy Out”).. Your body will get leaner, more toned, and be dressed with more lean muscle as both of these numbers rise higher! The Key is balance among Energy In Vs. Energy Out.. Let’s see what happens when these numbers become imbalanced..

(Top Clothing Manufacturers Like Calvin Klein Want Their Models To Have Low Body Fat With ONLY Athletic Muscle..)

I’m constantly throwing out “How To’s” on getting in shape with your diet & the “ins & outs” of great workout routines, but none of this matters if you aren’t willing to be discipline and show signs of commitment.. I want to take some time in this post to talk about goal setting for your new physique and get you a little pumped up to keep up your hard work.. I’ll be honest.. I’ve been on such a roll lately with my personal progress.. I noticed my bodyfat creeping up a bit and my body feeling a tad bit sluggish about a month ago.. But since I’ve started this blog, it’s been the best thing in the world for my personal fit strategy.. Writing for you guys on my ideas of getting that great lean beach body is something that I really love doing, but I’ve also become quite the reader of my own work and its flipped my focus into overdrive.. Staying motivated is something that doesn’t come to tough to me.. As I’ve mentioned in past articles, I’m a bit of an OCD personality, so when I want something I become pretty obsessed with getting it (Not dangerously obsessed, but it’s a healthy quality, I would like think).. I want to address here how I set my goals and create an obsession with taking care of my body, and the rewards that come with a great feeling/looking body..

(Again.. Eye Candy For the Ladies.. But Motivation For The Guys! Nick Auger’s Really Lean, Balanced & Symmetrical, & Has a Great Beach Shape with Low Bodyfat..Attainable for Anyone w/ the Right Plan & Patience)

When I was in college, I went through the bodybuilding phase of trying to put on as much size as possible, seeing if I could grow my arms bigger than my head (tough task but I tried).. Attending Florida State University without a nice body wasn’t an option for me.. I mean, when you’re surrounded by 20,000 tan, beautiful, Florida women everyday, there’s a premium put on guys with ripped stomachs, and “stud-like” bodies.. Even though I have different goals now than “beefy muscles”, I’m glad I layed that foundation of muscle because my body will always have that density I talk so much about. Now, I can just focus on staying lean and being as organic as possible to create longevity in my health.. One of the Best Tools I use now to stay lean, by maintaining muscle even on a busy schedule, is an Upper/Lower Body Split Training Regimen. This plan breaks down enough fibrous tissue to stimulate lean muscle & symmetry on a time budget, but doesn’t carry the intensity of a bodybuilding split inducing over-training, &/or over-development of any one muscle.

Bodybuilding Routines/Splits Lead to Unbalanced Physiques..
Have you ever seen someone with huge arms, but no chest? Or oversized shoulders that hunch forward because of the lack of back support? I see this more times than not in the gym. This is from NOT giving certain areas the quality of workout that you’re giving other areas, and the result is a sloppy looking physique. Your lifting routine should bring out the harmonious development of all muscles at the same time creating balance & symmetry in your physique. I would personally rather have all little muscles, than one big and one small, which is bad on your posture & looks worse. The upper/lower body split keeps you from undertraining or overtraining any one body part, resulting in a balanced physique. A bodybuilding routine often calls for 15+ sets of chest on Monday.. I say, let’s spread all those sets out.. Do 6-8 sets on Monday, then 6-8 sets again Friday.. Approach your workout like your diet.. Is it more beneficial to fill up on one meal, or spread the meals out during the course of the day?? Same principle. “Graze” in the weight room to keep your muscles tight & harmoniously flowing through the workout week.. This will keep lean tissue forming, but won’t be enough stress on the muscle to induce overtraining or overdevelopment.

As I’ve mentioned in a number of recent posts, diet is 70% (maybe even 80%) of the success of your fitness program.. A bad diet in a fitness strategy, is like a painter with a bristleless brush. (I love a great metaphor!).. Much like the painter and his brush, your body’s canvas is dressed in the foods you eat.. I referred to an important concept in the last paragraph in “Rep Range for Building lean Muscle” post.. The Way You “look” is a reflection of what you eat.. Bulky Bodies aren’t eating clean. I’ve taken weeks at a time away from weight lifting and kept my diet clean and lean, and my body actually toned up even more.. The weights will be something you need time away from to recharge your body, but the way you feed your body is an everyday thing that has to be mastered to look lean, tight, and toned..

Carbohydrates are on the forefront of many discussions/debates in the fitness world, so I will focus only on that nutrient in this post.. I feel protein is overrated, fat is underrated, and carbohydrates are.. hmm.. undervalued we’ll call it.. Carbohydrates fuel your mind, they fuel your muscles, they personally keep me smiling.. I’ve gone on low carb diet stretches in the past and turned into a total, depressed, jerk overnight.. I can’t even think straight without this nutrient, plus my muscles become extremely flat & I actually look worse.. Have you ever seen celebrities that look a little too thin in the face and their skin seems to be hanging on their skinny weak frame?? This is due to lack of carbohydrates.. I can look at someone’s face & instantly tell if they are, or aren’t getting enough carbs (and also tell if they’ve eaten too many of the wrong kind of carbs).. I’m not asking you to eat pounds of spaghetti everyday because that isn’t the solution, but neither is cutting out this essential nutrient.. No matter if you are obese & trying to only lose weight, or if you are skinny trying to add muscle, Your Body Will Tighten Up With a Lean Toned Look from Carb Consumption. The key is to eat the right KIND of carbohydrate at the right time.

How a Carbohydrate Can Make or Break Your Shape..
You eat a piece of bread.. Your digestive system triggers the pancreas to release the hormone insulin into the bloodstream, converting the carbohydrate to glycogen. Glycogen is absorbed into the muscles making them feel full, tight, and, coupled with low body fat, will make you look more ripped & lean when consumed properly.. If you eat too many carbs in one sitting, or the wrong kind of carbs (aka.. Sugar) then the muscles will absorb the maximum amount of glycogen & then store the rest as body fat (Useless Food energy = Fat).. The key is understanding your sensitivity.. If you have stronger, denser muscles, your body can absorb more carbs in the correct way to build a lean, toned frame, and store less as body fat (another benefit of strength training..) You are lowering your carb sensitivity when you add lean muscle to your frame.. Bodies with no muscle tend to “bloat” up quickly when they eat carbs because there’s no “sponge” (muscle) to soak up the glycogen. This is as technical as I’ll get into your bodies reaction to carbs.. Just know that, carbs make your muscles feel full and tight, but eat the wrong kind of carb or too much of a carb, & your body will store access glycogen as fat.. Eat too little amount of carbs and your body will look and feel tired, skin sags, metabolism slows, muscles go flat, and your mind starts going wacky..

Any workout plan is typically devised of 3 segments that have to performed congruently to get a lean and toned body.. Cardio, Diet, and Lifting Weights.. I feel diet is probably the most important of the 3, but  not one of the 3 facets can be left out, or you won’t reach your goal in the most efficient time. One of the most discussed debates in the fitness world is, how many reps do I perform to get lean & toned muscle. I’ve heard a number of different answers to this question, but I’ve thought, studied, and “felt” my way through to a solution that makes sense to me and has taken my body from soft, to lean & hard..

A Quick Lesson on the Biology of A Muscle..
Muscle has one of the two ways it can change as you continue your walk through life.. It can grow & get stronger, or it can get smaller & weaker.. In every muscle laying on your skeletal system, there are two dominant types of fibers that make up its physicality.. There are slow twitch fibers.. These fibers push your muscles through long durations of aerobic workouts (such as a marathon running & high rep weight lifting) and are genius at providing your muscles with oxygen.. This fiber represents about 1/3 of the size of your muscle.. Then there are fast twitch fibers.. These fibers only respond to explosive athletic moves (such as sprinting & heavy weight lifting) as they are an “anaerobic” fuel for metabolism and strength.. These fibers become completely exhausted quickly (This is why you get fatigued quickly from heavy weight lifting), but they represent 2/3 the size of your muscle. If we want hardness to our muscles (lean only comes with hard, dense muscle & low body fat), we want to work these fibers out!

(This is actually 2 separate pics.. The little guy on the right read my blog, decided to slim down & touched up his trend with some new shorts. Now look how tall & trendy he looks as he stands on the left!! .. I don’t know if this is a Biker/Male Dominatrix Rally or what’s going on here, but I gotta get tickets to the event..)

This concept of looking taller from weight loss & toning is not a miracle, but only an illusion.. But, it is an illusion that  plays to your advantage if getting lean and losing weight is on your agenda.. I hear many people complaining about their height & wishing God would’ve granted them JUST 2 MORE INCHES.. By the way, what do you think about shorter girls that walk around in those crazy “clunker” clod-hopping shoes with platform heels? I would rather see them in a regular, normal-heeled shoe, in good beach shape, with a big smile on her face, feeling great about herself, & smelling like flowers.. The 5-inch heel should stay in the closet.. But, that’s just me.. Anyway, by getting in shape, dropping pounds, and tightening up your body, you will appear taller.. Here’s why..

Posture Plays A Huge Role in Your Appearence & Shape..
Your back is the predominant support system for your frame.. If you’re not lean, toned with low body fat levels, you’re probably, naturally, slouching and that’s not doing your height any favors.. If you’re carrying too much muscle or fat in your chest and shoulders, your back is probably slouching from the stress of supporting that mass.. Look at a models posture.. The shoulders are back, chest is exposed outward, and neck is straight with the chin slightly up.. Too much muscle in your chest & shoulders creates imbalance with your back muscles, and that “frontal heaviness” creates a slouch due to lack of back support (This the same principle behind women having breast reductions to reduce pain in their back).. Practice pinching your shoulders blades behind you, popping your chest out, and keeping your chin up.. This will not only improve the length of your upper torso/back, but will also save you from future back & neck pain. Improving your posture is Rule #1 in the modeling industry, & can prop your height up a few notches..

Ahhh.. Life is good.. Myself along with a few friends, just returned last night to Sarasota from a relaxing weekend escape to the Bahamas.. We checked out the surf, enjoyed Bahamian night life, & met some great people.. For the past 6 weeks, I’ve pressed very hard to meet a number of my business & fitness goals, & its really paid off.. My body is lean & beach ready, & a couple of my business ventures have exploded with production. So, I rewarded myself with this little “no worries, “mon” vacation treat, and I’m looking forward to the next one.. While I was gone, I got a chance to think about you & your fitness.. I got really creative while laying on their beaches, so I’m really looking forward to a number of the upcoming posts I’m gonna deliver.

I noticed some lean attractive bodies while out of the country, but its interesting how many unique body types there are in need of different sculpting strategies.. Its important for you not to “work against your genetics” because that could lead to body fat retention or underdevelopment of dense muscle.. I want to lay out the different genetic shapes & give you areas of focus to give you a Lean and Toned Beach Body worthy of Hollywood sex appeal.. The goal is to move away from being a “black & white” body type, & create more of a blend giving you what your genetics are missing..

Ectomorph
The Movie “Fight Club” was swarmed with Ectomorph bodies.. Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, Ed Norton all have  fragile & delicate frames that appear to be lightly muscled with definition.. Usually you’ll see narrow shoulders, small bones, thin wrists, skinny legs, and a hyper-fast metabolism here with this group.. Ectomorphs look great in Hollywood films because the camera adds roughly 10lbs (& 2 inches of height), & lean with a little muscle tone is a great look that fits well in clothes and shows off definition.. However, just because your ecto, doesn’t necessarily mean your lean..

Fit Tips for Ectomorphs..
An ectomorph wants to focus on forming that “V” from Shoulders to Waist.. Put emphasis on developing  the Shoulders, Back, Upper legs, & Butt to give you added shape for sex appeal. You want to use heavy  weights to create density & size, while keeping cardio to a minimum.. Add a little muscle to your frame because the tendency is for your body to resort to skinny, dissolving muscle tissue. You also need a little more good fat in your diet.. Try making 30% of your calories based from fitness fats..

What to Look Forward To With Hard Work..
When an ectomorph adds nice lean muscle to their frame, you’ll see a Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby shape), Brad Pitt (Troy) & Ed Norton (American History X) type result.. These ectomorphs blended their lean genetics with the muscle-building traits of a mesomorph, and the result turned out great for their Leading “Hero” Roles! Notice in those films, Pitt and Ed Norton added muscle without adding body fat.. This is the beauty of an ectomorphic shape.. You can add a little size without taking on lots of body fat, with the correct diet & workout routine.. A little “Meso” in your “Ecto” is a good thing..

Mesomorph
The Mesomorph has the best foundation for building muscle, as seen with Sly above.. Don’t go overboard though, because you will swell up quickly from little work in the weight room.. Mesomorphs are typically athletically built with hard bodies, bigger boned than an ectomorph, but have to work harder to trim the waistline. Most fat on this body type is stored around the midsection.. Women want to accentuate their genetic hour glass shape here, and men should focus on trimming the waist line creating a Tapered Look..

Fit Tips for Mesomorphs..
Focusing on shape and definition to your muscles will be the primary goal.. Cardio here is really important and should be performed regularly.. Alternate between heavy and light days to keep muscle tissue tight and dense, while burning calories to lean up.. Your body will quickly react to anything, so choose carefully what you focus on.. Cardio is where I focus most of my attention as a mesomorph because I grow really quick & don’t want to be overdone with obnoxious bulky muscle..

What To Look Forward Too..
Don’t go overboard in the gym with the weights.. I love Rocky and when “Eye of the Tiger” is blasting in my IPOD, I feel like I could even whip Evan Drago’s butt.. But, Stallone was pretty thick there from the weights and his frame was overbuilt with muscle in my opinion.. Slender with tight lean muscle from a lot of cardio and focused dieting strategies will swing a mesomorph into many Ecto features showing off definition, slim waist, & a long & lean appearance.. This is a very attractive shape that most models have acheived.. Jennifer Garner is the protypical lean mesomorph (making her look more like an ectomorph)

Endomorph
(Did You Even Realize There’s Another Picture Besides Kim Kardashian? I’ll Bet Not..) The Endomorph is what you see on the front line of any NFL team.. However, I do see more women than men having this body type.. Most men that appear to be Endomorphs, are typically just overweight Mesomorphs.. This body contains highly densed-bone and is round in shape.. This body type will probably never see the day it has a 30inch waist (For Men), or a size 4 (For Women), but that’s ok.. You’re curvy and sexy when toned appropriately.. Hollywood and professional athletics, reward these types of bodies with highly paid roles, when you can tone and use this body efficiently..

Fit Tips for Endomorphs
The goal for this body type is to create shape, and get away from looking the pear shape.. Light Weights with as much cardio as you can take will tighten and shape this physique. The thought behind the light weight lifting is, even when you’re lifting weights outside of cardio, you need to be burning calories and make the workout as aerobic as possible. Diet, Diet, Diet, Diet.. 99% of your carbs need to be fiber-rich.. (If I were built like an Endomorph, I would probably eat so many  vegetables that I would turn into a rabbit..) When your body tones up and bodyfat drops you, you will appear more mesomorph and your curves and density will then give you a sexy powerful look (Endomorphs have a strong presence that garners respect when they enter a room.. Great genetic to have).. The best way to create this is cardio everyday, eat high fiber carbs only, and do more cardio..

What to Look Forward to
Jennifer Lopez & Kim Kardashian! (Enough said huh..) These two endomorphic bodies will never shrink to 110lbs, (& if they did they’d look sickly ill), but their shape is so attractive, healthy and toned, men can’t stop starring.. An endomorph can get toned! A good example of a male endomorph, would be any NFL Lineman.. I’ve seen a number of these guys lose weight, lean up, and actually get moved to Defensive Ends and Middle Linebackers.. Their bodies become more functional and adaptable to uses in genetic strength when they train to become more mesmorphic.. Plus, their bodies are more attractive looking and aesthetically pleasing..

You’ve probably heard this info time and time again if you research fitness and body types.. But I see so many people looking to tighten their bodies up, and their working out against their own genetics.. I see skinny ectomorphs pounding the treadmill, and thick endomorphs power lifting & resting 4 minutes between sets.. If you can work to blend your body type with the closest “leanest” type, you will sculpt your body into a more attractive shape..

I’ve had an overwhelming response to all of you, and I love the interactions we’re having.. I’m going to start posting some of the pics and stories of the guys and gals, working hard, staying discipline, & showing progress from my programs.. So keep me in the loop with your progress.. In the meantime, get to know your body type before designing your program, so you can use your genetics to your advantage and shape up the lagging features..

John Fit (Stop Looking at the picture of Kim, and Start Thinking About Your New Program.. )