Hey what's up guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of BodyTransformationTruth.com, and this is the
second installment of my Q&A series where I be give you quick to-the-point, no B.S answers
to your training, nutrition and your supplementation questions.
I’ll post links to all of the other Q&A’s that are available in the description box
below if you want to check those out, but let’s jump into today’s 5 questions.
So, question #1, are squats really necessary in order to build big legs?
Now I know that a lot of “hardcore” bodybuilders out there will usually treat squats as being
the be-all-end-all of effective leg training, but the simple truth is that it actually IS
perfectly possible to build impressively muscular legs without them.
Yes squats are a great exercise, and yes, I do recommend that you perform them as part
of your overall leg routine if you’re physically able to, a barbell squat is probably the single
most productive lower body movement out there, however, that doesn’t mean that there’s
anything “magical” about squats, and it also doesn’t mean that they’re mandatory
or that you can’t build big legs without them.
So if you have an existing injury that prevents you from squatting, or certain equipment limitations,
or just some other reason why you just can’t or don’t want to perform them, it’s really
not the end of the world as far as your leg training goes.
ANY exercise that places your quads under tension and that allows for progressive overload
over time is still going to be an effective way of stimulating size gains, and there are
a ton of other lifts besides squats that can do that for you.
That includes leg presses (so either 45 degree or horizontal, and done either both legs at
a time or one-legged), you have barbell and dumbbell lunges, barbell and dumbbell step-ups,
even leg extensions, these are all perfectly acceptable ways of training your quads for
increased size and strength and they will produce very significant gains as long as
enough total intensity, volume and frequency are in place.
Again, I’m not saying that squats aren’t a really great leg exercise, because obviously
they are.
However, to say that you can’t train your lower body effectively without squats, that's
just not correct.
Question #2, what is the best way to approach cheat meals as part of a complete bulking
or cutting diet?
Well, given that proper muscle building and proper fat burning nutrition is really all
about the big picture, and given that a small amount of high fat or high sugar food is NOT
going to negatively affect your progress in any noticeable way in the first place, I really
don’t like the term “cheat meal” or “cheat food” because it implies that you’re
doing something wrong or something that is outside of the rules.
So my suggestion is to stop telling yourself that “this particular food is good” and
“that particular food is bad”, because your body doesn’t see it like that anyway,
and instead that you just view your diet as one complete overall package.
Your favorite what you might call “cheat foods” should just be looked at as one piece
of your complete approach to eating, and as long as you eat them in moderation it’s
not going to affect your bottom line muscle building or fat burning results at the end
of the day.
If you want an actual concrete figure to go by, then the “10-20%/80-90%” approach
is a good guideline which just means that if 80-90% of your diet is based around things
like high quality proteins, minimally refined carbs and healthy fats (and that you’re
getting in a couple servings of fruit and vegetables each day as well), then the other
10-20% can come from whatever foods you’d like as long as it reasonably fits into your
daily macronutrient totals.
Following a “flexible” approach to nutrition like this is going to make your life far more
enjoyable day to day, and in my opinion, it promotes a much healthier relationship with
food as well.
Question #3, do testosterone boosters really work, and if so, what is the best test boosting
supplement available?
So the simple answer is this.
If you currently have below average testosterone levels that have been brought on by a specific
vitamin or mineral deficiency, then it is possible to use supplementation to bring yourself
back up into the normal range.
Now the 3 main compounds to pay attention to here are going to be zinc, magnesium and
vitamin D3.
Zinc and magnesium are both depleted from your body through sweat, and vitamin D3 is
something that nearly everybody doesn’t get enough of.
And I’ll provide a link in the description box below if you want more info on the specific
dosages for those supplements.
However, if you’re like most of the population and your testosterone levels are already somewhere
within the normal range, then using natural supplements to try and boost those levels
into an above normal range that's also high enough to actually measurably increase muscle
growth or fat loss in a significant way, that's likely going to be a complete waste of money
for you.
There’s really no evidence at all to show that traditional “test boosters” (so things
like tribulus or d-aspartic acid or longjack) there's no evidence to show that they are
of any real use for bodybuilding specific purposes, especially considering that testosterone
levels have to be elevated by several hundred percent to actually provide a real increase
in muscle growth.
Now if you feel that the increase in libido that some of those supplements might produce,
if you find that that improves your mood or your motivation or your energy levels in a
way that positively impacts your training or other areas of your life, then that’s
totally fine and it might some real application, however, if you’re using them purely for
their “testosterone boosting” properties, then you'd much better off to save your money
and to spend it elsewhere.
Question #4, what types of foods and meals should be eaten before and after cardio in
order to maximize fat loss?
So cardio should really just be viewed as an overall calorie-burning tool, and trying
to basically manipulate the type of fuel that your body uses during the session (whether
it be carbs or fat) using special pre and post cardio nutrition guidelines, that's really
just going to be a waste of time and effort.
The body’s energy systems are extremely complicated and dynamic, and since fat loss
ultimately just comes down to maintaining an ongoing calorie deficit in the big picture,
there’s really no need to pre-occupy yourself with what happens within small like 30-45
minute windows a few times a week.
So just base this one on personal preference and go with whatever specific food combination,
in whatever specific amount, and at whatever specific time before your session helps you
to perform at your best and makes you feel the most comfortable during your actual cardio
workout.
So whether that’s a small shake, a medium sized snack or even a large meal, it’s completely
up to you, and as far as post cardio nutrition is concerned, the same basic thing applies.
Just finish your cardio workout, and resume your regular eating plan by getting in any
basic protein and carbohydrate combination that fits into your overall diet as a whole
within a couple hours after finishing the session.
And question #5, I’m having trouble eating enough throughout the day in order to meet
my calorie needs for muscle growth.
Any tips?
So first off, if hitting your overall calorie needs for muscle growth is really posing that
much of a challenge for you, then I’d first recommend that you make sure that you aren’t
going overboard on total food intake in the first place.
Remember that your body can only build so much muscle over any given time period, and
a moderate calorie surplus of anywhere around 300-400 calories above maintenance is really
all that’s needed to max out your muscle building potential anyway, not to mention
that it's also going to help you keep fat gains minimized.
However, assuming that your daily calories are in the proper range for yourself and you’re
still having issues with feeling full all the time, I’ll give you 3 quick tips.
The first tip is to experiment with different daily meal frequencies and meal layouts to
find the one that maximizes your individual appetite, everybody isdifferent here so try
out a few approaches like 3 large meals, or 5 medium sized meals or 7 small meals, because
this alone can help out quite a bit.
Secondly, add in some homemade high calorie smoothies into your diet.
Smoothies are a really easy way to consume a large number of healthy calories very quickly,
and using these in combination with your regular whole food meals is going to make it far easier
to hit your overall calorie requirements.
And the third one is to make sure that you're including some more calorie-dense food items
in your plan to go along with the typical “chicken, rice, and veggie” bodybuilding-style
meals that you’re probably already eating.
There are a lot of possible options here, such as things like nuts, dried fruit, fruit
juice, chocolate, healthy oils, just find some high calorie foods that fit into your
overall macronutrient needs for the day, and combine those with the other regular meals
that you’re already eating, and hitting your calorie goals for the day really shouldn’t
be too difficult.
And to make this even easier for you, don’t forget to employ the “10-20/80-90” rule
that I mentioned earlier by also including a small amount of your favorite “cheat foods”,
just to bump up your calorie totals even higher.
So thanks for watching this video lesson, I hope you found this Q&A useful here today
and Part 3 will be on the way soon.
If you want to learn a ton of other no B.S, science based tipsto help you build muscle
and lose fat as quickly and efficiently as possible, along with concrete step by step
plans that you can follow, make sure to head over to BodyTransformationTruth.com and grab
my complete “Body Transformation Blueprint” System by clicking the icon at the top of
the video or using the link in the description box below.
If you did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the LIKE button, leave a
comment and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future videos.
And make sure to check out my official blog over at SeanNal.com for all of my latest articles,
tips and other updates.
Talk to you again soon.