FITNESS HACKS

By

One more Step towards a healthy lifestyle

 Disclaimer
The FITNESS HACKS is solely written and described as my own experience and knowledge. It
contains information that is intended to help the readers be better informed of Physical Fitness
and shared for informational purposes only. It is presented as general advice and not a medical
advice on Fitness and in no ways claims that the information provided is 100% verified. Always
consult your doctor for your individual needs. You may discover there are other methods to
accomplish your fitness goals. Any use of this information is at your own risk.

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If you are reading this FITNESS HACKS, it means that you care for your
body and wants to transform into better self than you were yesterday. So
Congratulations to all who has begun the journey of fitness!

Health is Wealth, You have to earn it!!!

FAISAL KHAN
 TABLE OF CONTENT

Part No. Content Page No.

1 THE BASICS
Terms you should know 2
Energy System 4
What is the preferred source of body fuel? 5
Bodyweight Regulation 6
2 NUTRITION (Macro and Micro)
Carbohydrates 8
Protein 10
Fat 11
Water 12
Vitamins 14
Minerals 14
3 SUPPLEMENTS
Whey 17
Creatine 17
Omega-3 18
BCAA 18
Glutamine 18
L-Carnitine 19
Vitamins 19
Minerals 20
4 DIET PLAN
BMR Calculation 24
GM Diet 26
Zone Diet 26
Low Carb Diet 27
Ketogenic Diet 28
PSMF 32
5 FITNESS TRAINING
Components of Fitness 34
Body Types (Somatotypes) 35
Muscle Fibers 37
Types of Movements 38
Workout Schedule 39
Cardio 43
6 ARTICLE
What is better for FAT LOSS? 45
Should WOMEN weight train? 47
The Basic

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Hey Guys! I am writing this FITNESS HACKS document assuming that whoever is reading this is
a beginner (hold on before you start saying that you are not one of them but many are and they
need to start with the basics to have a better understanding). Well lets start then with some
basic definitions

Terms you should know

Metabolism: It refers to all the processes that the body needs to function. Some of
those processes are breathing, blood circulation, digestion, homeostasis (controlling
body temperature), brain and nerve function, muscle contraction, etc. In a very simple
language, it refers to the working of all the organs and system in the body. It includes
catabolism and anabolism.

Catabolism: It means breaking down of cells.

Anabolism: It means repair of broken cells and growth of new cells.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): Rate at which our body burn calories at rest (relative rest),
e.g. energy used while sleeping or resting in few processes like breathing, circulation of
blood, etc.

TEF (Thermic Effect of Food): Energy used to digest the food and transport the nutrients
of digested food from gut to the blood, so that it gets distributed throughout the body.
All food differs in their digestion process, like Carbohydrate (sugar) is digested easily as
compared to that of Protein (Meat).

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure): Total energy that a person burn (spend) in
whole day in various activities. It is a sum-total of BMR+TEF+ other activities including
exercise. So if you
eat more than your TDEE- you will gain weight
eat equal to your TDEE- you will maintain weight
eat less than your TDEE- you will lose weight

Nutrition: It is the branch of science that deals with all the nutrients to provide or obtain
the food necessary for health and growth.

Nutrients: It refers to the substances in the food which gives energy and provides
nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and for growth e.g. Carbohydrates,
Fats and Proteins. Nutrients can be divided into 2 categories, e.g. Macronutrients and
Micronutrients

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 Essential Nutrients: There nutrients which our body cant produce on its own and thus
can be taken from outside as food (or supplements).

Non-essential Nutrients: These are called so as our body can produce them on its own
and not because they are not required or important. Since our body can produce them,
it is non-essential to take them from outside.

Macronutrients: These are those nutrients which our body needs in larger quantities
per day (more than 10gms a day). Example; Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat and Water
(Though water doesnt provide us any energy but are needed in large quantity, 3-7
liters). The main role of macronutrients is to provide energy and repairing of muscles
and tissues.

Micronutrients: These are those nutrients which our body requires in smaller quantities
per day [less than 10gms, usually in mg (milligram) or mcg (microgram)], e.g. Vitamins
and Mineral. Though they do not provide any energy but our body cant work without
them. If macronutrients are the diesel/petrol for the car then the micronutrients are the
engine oil/ coolant need by the car to run smoothly.

Aerobic: In the presence of Oxygen

Anaerobic: In the absence of Oxygen

Lysis: Breaking down

Genesis: Formation

Lipolysis: Breaking down of fat.

Lipogenesis: Formation of fat.

Glucogenisis: Formation of glucose from carbohydrates.

Gluconeogenisis: Formation of glucose from non-carbohydrates.

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 ENERGY SYSTEM
Our body cells require a constant and regular supply of energy to function and this energy
comes from the food we eat (hope you remember that macronutrients are the one which
provides energy). The food is not directly converted into energy but is required in the form a
chemical compound knows as ATP aka Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (Trust me its better not to go
in details as how the food gets converted into ATP chemically through various pathways)
Now the food we eat is made up of

FOOD

CARBOHYDRATE PROTEIN FAT

Converted Converted Converted

GLUCOSE AMINO ACID (A.A.) FREE FATTY ACID (FFA)

Stored as Produce Growth & Tissue Produce Stored as

Glycogen ATP by Metabolic Repair ATP by Metabolic Adipose Tissue
Pathway Pathway

There are 3 energy systems which can produce ATP (dont worry, not covering in detail)

Phosphagen System (ATP-CP): CP stands for Creatine Phosphate aka Phosphocreatine,

gives a short burst of energy (ATP) which last for not more than 10 seconds. Mostly
occurs in Sprints e.g 100m

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 Anaerobic System (Anaerobic Glycolysis): Gives energy for shorter durations which last
from 1min to 3mins, as there is no regular supply of oxygen to produce more ATP.
Mostly occurs in strength training.

Aerobic System: This system is used in energy production in the case of prolonged
sustained activity. For this a regular supply of oxygen is must. This process takes place
inside the MITOCHONDRIA (known as power house of the cell). Occurs in walking or
other low intensity exercises.

What is the preferred Source of BODY FUEL to get Energy?

Now you all know that we derive energy from Carbohydrates, Fats and sometimes from
Protein. Well the first the preferred source of energy is Carbohydrates. Our body breaks
(metabolize) carbohydrates to convert it into glucose to provide energy to the body. But in the
absence of Carbohydrate for longer period (for few days) our body starts breaking protein to
get energy (by producing glucose through gluconeogenisis) for some period before moving to
fat to break it into free fatty acid and produce energy (from ketone, ketosis). One you get
adapted to ketosis, your body get energy from the stored fat, if you stop feeding with fat too.

A.A to
Glucose Free Fatty Acids to
Carb Glucose Protein through Fat Ketone
Gluco-
neogenis

Deriving energy

Understand the above process with an analogy of Money (Energy) in your Wallet (Carbs),
ATM/Bank Account (Protein) and Fixed Deposit (Stored Body Fat). Now when you have to
spend money, your first choice is always money from wallet but when you dont have any
wallet money left with you and you stop filling your wallet with money then you move to your
ATM for money which you do for few days and realizing that you are not getting your wallet
filled anytime soon then you have to break your Fixed deposit on which you can spend for quite
a few days. I hope I have succeeded to make you understand the preferred source of energy
with this analogy.

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 How does our body REGULATE WEIGHT (and hunger too)?
To explain this, I am going to use the rough analogy of an Air Conditioner (A.C-thermostat or
temperature regulator) which acts to regulate the temperature of your room. So you set the
temperature at 20 degrees. Now, it has a meter in it that tells it what the actual temperature of
the room is; if the temperature goes above 20, the A.C compressor starts on its own, if
temperature falls below 20, the air conditioning goes off. The human body acts similarly but, in
this case, the regulator is the hypothalamus (a structure in your brain) and things such as
metabolic rate, hunger, activity levels and hormones are what change when you gain and lose
weight. So the hypothalamus is keeping track of your bodyweight and manages to track how
much youre eating. For the most part, your body wants to keep you where you are at
bodyweight/body fat wise. So when you start dieting, eating less and losing bodyweight, your
hypothalamus senses it and your body slows metabolism, increases your hunger/appetite
levels, and alters hormone levels in a generally negative fashion. To a much lesser degree, when
you overeat and start gaining weight, your hypothalamus increases metabolic rate, decreases
your hunger/appetite, and ramps up certain hormones (Leptin and Ghrelin).

Leptin: This is a Satiety Hormone which keeps you full (not only this function but one should
know it).

Ghrelin: This is a Hunger Hormone which makes you feel hungry and gives your body a signal
to eat more. More the ghrelin level more you will hungry. FYI Glucose and Fructose (Sugar in
fruits) increase the ghrelin level there by you crave for more and more food.

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7
I assume that by now you have a little knowledge of nutrition as in Macros and Micros, so lets
discuss them in little detail. Before I start with nutrition and diet part, just remember one thing
that EXCESS OF ANYTHING IS BAD FOR HEALTH

Nutrition and nutrients as per definition given in basics part mainly consist of macro and
micro-nutrients, so we will learn in little detail here.

MACRONUTRIENTS

CARBOHYDRATES (Carb)
It is made up of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen and is the primary source of fuel for energy to
the body. Energy production is the only function of Carbohydrates. It gives 4 CALORIES/gm
(kcal or Kilocalories). The carb is stored as Glycogen in the body (e.g. first it is stored in Liver as
Liver Glycogen and then Muscles as muscle Glycogen). There are three supplies of carb in the
body namely Blood Glucose, Liver Glycogen and Muscle Glycogen.

According to the Size Carbohydrates can be divided into

Simple Carbohydrates: These are called as mono-saccharides (mono is single , saccharide is

sugar and Di-saccharides (Di is 2) and are small in size called as SUGAR (Glucose, fructose,
sucrose, lactose, etc.)

Glucose: Gives instant energy as it doesnt require any digestion. Some Sources are
Banana, Grapes, Chiku, Mango, watermelon, etc.
Fructose: Absorbs very slowly, example are apple, orange, papaya, etc.
Lactose: Again absorbs very slowly, example sugar present in Milk.
Maltose: Produced by breakdown of starch in foods such as Cereals.

Complex Carbohydrates: These are called as Poly-Saccharides (poly means many) and can be
divided into 2 e.g. Starch and Fiber

Starch: Found in the inner part of plant food. Examples are cereals (wheat, gram, etc)
and some vegetables (Carrot, Peas, Corn, potatoes, etc.). These can be broken down or
digested easily by our body.
Fiber: Found only as the outer part of the food (plant) and cannot be digested by our
body {# Sometimes fiber are counted as separate macros but its part of carbs only and

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 fiber probably contributes about 1.5 to 2.5 calories per gram [Institute of Medicine
(IOM), 2005]}.

So, whenever we eat any carb (end product is glucose), it increases our blood glucose level
(120/80mm hg is normal blood glucose level) and in response to this increase in the level of
glucose, the pancreas (a gland in the body)releases a hormone called Insulin whose function is
to control the blood glucose level . Insulin sends the extra glucose level from the blood to
normalize the level and store it for future use as Glycogen in the Liver (has limited store of
about 60-120gms) and after that to the Muscles (can store approximately 400gms of glucose as
Glycogen) but when these to stores are full then the insulin send all the extra glycogen
(glucose) to fat cells (Adipose tissues or adipocytes) which has unlimited storage capacity (This
process is not as easy as I explained but a complex process).

-When slow absorbed carb is eaten

Glucose Enters Blood Rise in Insulin Level Sends glucose as Glycogen Liver & then to
Muscles

Then to
(Its a Complex process, not as simple as shown here) Adipose
Tissue
(Stored as
Glycogen)

-When fast absorbed Carb is eaten

Send to
Glucose Enters Blood Rapid Rise in Insulin level which is quite high

The absorption rate of Carbohydrates can be measured with the GLYCEMIC INDEX (G.I) ranging
from 1-100 on the index scale. Higher the G.I, faster is the absorption rate of carbohydrate,
therefore rapid increase in Blood glucose and Insulin Level and vice-versa.

Low G.I <55 Moderate G.I <55-70> High G.I >70

Fig. Glycemic Index

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 PROTEIN
It is made up of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen (Nitrogen helps in growth and repair).
It also gives 4 CALORIES/gm (kcal or Kilocalories). Protein is the most important macronutrient
as its the only macronutrient which helps in growth and repair of muscles and other tissues
thus building muscles (of course not only just by eating) and this is the main function of Protein
apart from some other functions. This is the reason protein are also called as Building Block of
Life.

Amino Acid (A.A): There are 20 amino acids which can be divided into three groups: essential,
semi-essential and non-essential.

Essential A.A: These are those A.A which our body cannot synthesize/ Produce on its
own thus it become necessary (essential) to take/consume them from food sources.
There are 9 essential acids (Just to let you guys know Leucine, isoleucine, Valine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and histidine). Leucine, Isolucine and
Valine are collectively known as Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
Semi-Essential A.A: Also called as conditional A.A. These are not required for a
sedentary people but become compulsory when you start lifting weights. So you need to
take eat by food or through supplementation. These are Glutamine and Arginine.
Non- Essential A.A: Non essential here doesnt mean that these are not required by the
body but they are not to be taken from outside, since our body is capable of producing
these on its own.

Protein can be classified as:

First class protein (Complete Protein): This class of protein contains all the 20 A.A in
required quantity which can repair the muscles. These can be obtained from animal
protein e.g. all meat, fish, eggs, milk, paneer, curd and supplements like whey and
casein.
Second Class Protein (Incomplete Protein): These are all plant source of protein. They
are classified as second class protein just because of the fact that they lack one or more
essential amino acid for repair and growth. SOY is the best source of plant protein but it
still lacks methionine of required quantity.

The quality ranking of protein is measured with its Biological Value (B.V) ranking system (most
commonly used method) on the scale of 100.

B.V Less than 70 (2nd Class Protein) 70 & Above B.V (1st Class Protein)

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 FAT

Fat is the second preferred source of fuel by the body (only if your body has less carb supply
e.g. less than 25gms net carb..dont worry you will get to know this as we proceed with diet).
Fat gives 2.25times more energy than of carb or protein; it gives 9 CALORIES/gm (kcal or
Kilocalories). Fat (to be precise Cholesterol) is responsible for the production of sex hormones
like Testosterone (male dominant) and Oestorgen (Female dominant) and metabolization of
vitamins (A, D, E, K) apart from many other functions.

Fat can be of 2 TYPES:

Essential Fat: Firstly these are essential as they cant be produced by body (e.g. Omega-
3 and Omega-6). Secondly they are part of all body cells as cell wall and are needed for
their daily functioning. Essential fat for male are 4-6% and for female it is 10-12% (less
than that can cause problem).
Non-Essential Fat (Adipose Tissue/ Adipocytes/ Lipids): These are the stored body fat as
excess and are present as subcutaneous fat (e.g. under the skin) or Visceral fat (e.g.
surrounding the internal organs, ex. Fatty liver). Non-essential fat is the reservoir of
energy fuel (when you limit carb). Omega-9 is non-essential fatty acids.

So how this extra fat is stored in your body??? By eating FAT or from some other source?

Well this is partially true, your body store fat in adipose tissue as triglycerides only when you
are eating extra fat than required and are stored for future use but only if your primary source
of energy is carbohydrate. The main culprit here is Carbohydrate (explained above just for
understanding. I repeat again that its a complex process and trust me you really dont wanna
know this).

Lets move to the categories of fat, which is divided into 3 categories;

Trans-Fatty Acids: These are manmade fat by bubbling hydrogen through vegetable oil
(partially hydrogenated oil) to make it semi solid for longer shelf. These are found in
almost every processed food like chips, cakes, etc. They have the worst effect on blood
lipid and our overall health.
Saturated Fatty Acids: These are found in almost exclusively in animal product except
coconut oil and palm kernel oil and are solid at room temperature. Earlier they were
believed to be monster behind all cardio-vascular diseases and major health issues
related to fat but as the industry is evolving and the research and development is
improving, it is found that the problem causing agent is Sugar than that of saturated fat.
Some sources of saturated fat are butter, ghee, etc.

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 Unsaturated Fatty Acid: These are sub divided into Mono- Unsaturated Fatty Acid
(MUFA) and Poly- Unsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) and found in almost all food and are
liquid at room temperature. These have a neutral effect on our health, example of
MUFA (omega-9 fatty acids) is Olive Oil, fat in nuts and that of PUFA (omega-3) fish oil,
flax seed oil (and Omega-6). The ratio of Omega-3 should be higher to that of omega-6
in the diet.

Another type of fat is CHOLESTROL which is regarded as the roots of all heart diseases but this
is not true. Dietary fat and cholesterol has been the whipping boy of the nutritional world
(though carbohydrates are taking that role now); fat makes you fat, fat causes heart disease,
cancer, etc. you name it and the problem has probably been blamed on dietary fat and
cholesterol ~ Lyle McDonald You will be surprised to know that dietary cholesterol has almost
no impact on blood cholesterol and our body (Liver to be prcised) produces majority (75-85%)
of cholesterol produces on its own, so even if you wont eat or eat less cholesterol, your body
will produce the required quantity.

WATER
Though water doesnt gives any energy but are taken in large amount and thus added in
macronutrients. Water is the largest constituents of the body, depending on the body
composition it varies from 60-70% of the total body weight. Our muscles have 70-75% water
whereas fat contain around 10% of water. Our body uses water in all its cells, organs, and
tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because your
body loses water through breathing, sweating, digestion and excretion, it's important to
rehydrate by drinking a lot of fluids.

Human body is made up largely of water. It serves vital functions:

Cell life: Water is essential for all cells to function properly: it enters into the
composition of the cells.
Chemical and metabolic reactions: water participates in the biochemical breakdown of
what we eat (proteins, fat and carbohydrates).
Transport of nutrients and removal of waste: Water as a main constituent of blood
contributes to the transport of nutrients to the cells. Indeed the nutrients are
transported by the blood. Water, as a carrier, also helps removing waste products
through urines.
Body temperature regulation: Water has a large heat capacity which helps limit
changes in body temperature in a warm or a cold environment. Water enables the body

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 to act as regulator of temperature thus we begin to sweat, and the evaporation of water
from the skin surface cools the body very efficiently.

But if the body lacks water (DEHYDRATION), it can lead to;

Muscles breakdown and loss.

Drop in BMR and thus fat burning.
Faster ageing due to faster breakdown of tissues.
Cramp during physical activity.
Drop in immunity and energy level.

So as to avoid dehydration, a person should drink from 3-8 liters of water depending on their
level of daily activity. The higher the activity level, the more will be the water loss thus need
more water to drink.

Water is at the heart of life. This is why a human being can survive no longer than few days
without water!

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MICRONUTRIENTS

Micronutrients, by definition, are only needed in small amounts (e.g. less than 10gms a day,
usually in milligrams or micrograms). The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to these
nutrients as the magic wands that enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones, and
other substances that are essential for proper growth and development (WHO, 2010).
Micronutrient consists of Vitamins and Minerals.

Vitamins
These are non-caloric nutrients but are needed for smooth functioning of many vital organs of
the body. Since our body cannot produce them (except vitamin D, K and Biotin), so that they
are to be taken through food.

We humans need 13 different vitamins, which are divided into two categories:

Water-soluble vitamins: Vitamin B (B1, B2, B4, etc.) and Vitamin C are water soluble. It
means that they need water for their absorption. Since these are water soluble, the
extra of these vitamins than required is not stored (exceptions are B6, B12) in the body
and are excreted out as waste! So there is no risk of over dosage but if not taken there
are high chances of deficiency.

Fat-soluble vitamins: These include vitamins A, D, E, and K and are often found in food
containing fats. These vitamins require fat for their absorption and unlike water-soluble
vitamins they are stored in body (Liver or adipose tissues) until needed and therefore
increases the risk of toxicity from overconsumption, but also decreases the risk of
deficiency!

Minerals
With roles ranging from regulating enzyme activity and maintaining acidbase balance to
assisting with strength and growth, minerals are critical for human life. Unlike vitamins, many
minerals are found in the body as well as in food. The bodys ability to use the minerals is
dependent upon their bioavailability or the degree to which the mineral can be absorbed by the
body.

Minerals can be divided into 3 categories based on their requirement by the body

Macro-minerals: As the name suggests, these are required in larger quantities as

compared to other, e.g. Calcium, Sodium and Potassium.

Trace-Minerals: These are required in small quantities, e.g. Zinc and Iron.

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 Ultra Trace-Minerals: These are required in very small quantity, probably in micrograms
e.g. Selenium and Chromium.

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Supplements

(For Gods Sake its not DRUGS)

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Before we start with Supplements, let me tell you (advisable too) that firstly you try to get all
the required nutrients from eating food, then again try getting the rest of nutrients from food
and then for the remaining macros/micros try to get from other sources e.g. supplementation.

Supplements as by bro-scientists commonly called as DABBA, POWDER and MEDICINES but hey
thats not what supplement is. Supplement means supplementary e.g. a thing added to
something else in order to complete or enhance it (remember taking supplementary sheets in
school/college exams?? They werent dabba or drugs). So when a person cant complete his/her macros
or micros by food, so in order to complete them, one should take help of supplements.

Here is a list of few required (as well as famous) supplements:

WHEY

Whey is a by-product of milk e.g. the watery part of milk that remains after the formation of
curds (that watery part is made in powder from through various processes). Whey protein is
one of the two proteins found in milk, with the other being Casein Protein. When coagulant
(usually renin) is added to milk, the curds (casein) and whey separates.

Whey is used as a protein supplement. It is very useful for hitting targeted daily protein goals.
Whey is absorbed faster than other forms of protein, which means it also increases muscle
protein synthesis used to break a fasted state.

Whey comes in 3 forms

Concentrate: It has up to 80% of protein content, has some carbs and fat, take a little
time to digested (of course less than food protein). Relatively economical than the other
2 forms. Whey Concentrate is considered good if a scoop (30-35gm size) of whey has 20-
25gm protein and carbohydrates less than 4gms a scoop.
Isolate: Has up to 95% of protein, has almost no carb, readily digestible but is costlier
than concentrate form.
Hydrolysed: Predigested form of whey, can be absorbed by body instantly but are very
costly than other 2 forms.

CREATINE
If there is one supplement that you should be taking after whey, is Creatine. The 2 main
function of creatine are:

a) It helps in production of ATP (ATP-CP cycle.creatine helps in converting ADP to

ATPnot going to write that process), therefore helps you with pushing 2-3 extra reps in
strength training.

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 b) It helps in holding water inside muscles (intramuscular) there by maintaining the pump
in the muscles. This water holding (water retention) is different from that of fat as fat
retain water subcutaneously (under the skin) which is defense mechanism of the body
to avoid dehydration, also glycogen has the capacity to bind with water and hold it.

The best available creatine form is creatine monohydrate (micronized) which can be taken 5-
8gms a day post workout in water. It does not require carbs (glucose or anything to spike
insulin) to function properly, nor you have to load it for it to work. #Note that some people
may be non-responders.

OMEGA-3 (Fish Oil)

It is essential fat and at least 10% of our daily fat intake should come from Poly unsaturated fat
e.g. Fish oil, which provides a variety of benefits when supplemented; particularly when the
ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the body that is one is to one. Our average diet like
eggs or red-meat are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which is why fish oil is recommended (to
balance the ratio. Omega-3 helps in maintaining the viscosity (lower) of our cells there by
protecting it from early ageing. Flax seed is an option for our vegetarian friends

BCAA (BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACID)

These are three amino acids with similar structures e.g. Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine (Leucine
is more important and their ration should be 2:1:1 e.g 50% leucine as Leucine plays an
important role in muscle protein synthesis, while isoleucine induces glucose uptake into cells.
Further research is needed to determine valines role in a BCAA supplement ). They can be
found in any food containing protein; such as eggs (almost 2gm BCAA), meat or whey (has
around 4-6gms of BCAA). BCAA supplementation, for people with low dietary protein intake,
can promote muscle protein synthesis and increase muscle growth over time. It can also be
used to prevent fatigue in novice athletes. Supplementation is unnecessary for people with a
sufficiently high protein intake (1-1.5g/kg a day or more). We suggest you focus on whole
protein sources instead of supplementing.

GLUTAMINE
Glutamine is one of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids in dietary protein, specifically it is a
conditionally essential amino acid (being elevated to essential during periods of disease and
muscle wasting typical of physical trauma). It is generally touted as a Muscle Builder, but has
not been proven to enhance muscle building in healthy individuals; only those suffering from
physical trauma such as burns or muscular wounds (knife wounds) or in disease states in which
muscle wasting occurs, such as AIDS.

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 L-CARNITINE

L-Carnitine is involved in energy metabolism and mitochondrial protection. It is made in the

body, but can also be consumed through food. Supplementation of L-carnitine does not
burn fat unless the individual is deficient in L-Carnitine. There are two variations of L-
Carnitine: Tartrate (usually referred just as L-Carnitine) and Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALCAR). L-
Carnitine Tartrate helps the body convert fat into energy, so its typically used by people
who are exercising and/or trying to lose weight. The Acetyl L-Carnitine is essentially a
processed form of L-Carnitine that can pass the blood-brain barrier to help energize the
brain.

VITAMINS Supplements

For Vitamin, some of the best Supplements are:

B-complex: Becasule
C- Celin 500mg
D- Supracal 1000 (Has calcium and Magnesium too)
E- Evion (400 for female and 600 for males)
Biotin

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 Also take Liv-52 (by Himalaya) for healthy functioning of Liver
MINERALS

Calcium: Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and serves various
functions, including mineralization of the bones and teeth, muscle contraction, blood
clotting, blood-pressure control, immunity, and possibly colon-cancer prevention.
Significant sources of calcium include milk products, small fish with bones (kaanta),
green leafy vegetables (Spinach has highest calcium e.g. 138mg/100gms), and legumes.

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 Magnesium: Magnesium, which is present primarily in bone, muscle, soft tissue, and
body fluids, is important for bone mineralization, protein production, muscle
contraction, nerve conduction, enzyme function, and healthy teeth. Lack of magnesium
will raise blood pressure and reduce insulin sensitivity. Magnesium is commonly
deficient in modern diets, including low-carb diets. You should be aware of your intake,
especially if you are an active individual. However, if you are suffering from magnesium
deficiency, you may experience muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue. Of course, severe
magnesium deficiency can result in more serious problems. Best source of magnesium is
spinach. # Note: Who those with kidney disease or taking diuretics may consult their
doctors/physician for its intake.(magnesium citrate has a diuretic effect).

Electrolytes: Sodium, Potassium, and Chloride known as electrolytes, these minerals are
extremely important for normal cellular function. All three electrolytes play at least four
essential roles in the body:

Water balance and distribution,

Osmotic equilibrium [i.e., assuring that the negative ions (anions) balance with
positive ions (cations) when electrolytes move in and out of cells],
Acidbase balance, and
Intracellular/extracellular differentials (i.e., assuring that the sodium and chloride
stay mostly outside of the cell while potassium stays mostly inside the cell).

When electrolytes are out of balance, such as in a state of dehydration (leading to a high
concentration of electrolytes) or hyponatremia (leading to a low concentration of
electrolytes, namely sodium, resulting from over-hydration), serious consequences may
occur. Symptoms of dehydration include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, disorientation,
weakness, irritability, headache, cramps, chills, and decreased performance.

Sodium- the best source is common salt.

Potassium a mineral found in varying amounts in almost all foods. Vegetables,
especially green leafy varieties and avocados are generally our richest sources of
potassium.
Chloride: Sea salt, lettuce.

Iron: It plays a very important role in normal human function. It is essential for the
production of hemoglobin, the protein that carries inhaled oxygen from the lungs to the
tissues, and myo-globin, the protein responsible for making oxygen available for muscle
contraction. It also regulates cell growth and differentiation. Iron can be stored in the
body for future use. Liver, oysters, seafood, kidney, heart, lean meat, poultry, and fish
are excellent food sources. The best is SPINACH.

Zinc: It is an essential mineral involved in regulating many enzymes. It is an antioxidant

and immune-boosting supplement. Zinc is most commonly supplemented to reduce the

21
 frequency of illness and to support optimal levels of testosterone. Foods rich in zinc
include meat, fish, poultry, milk products, and seafood such as oysters and other
shellfish.

Selenium: It is an important antioxidant found mostly in plant foods grown in selenium-

rich soil, is needed only in small amounts for optimal function. A lack of this mineral may
lead to heart disease, hypothyroidism, and a weakened immune system. Too much
selenium can lead to a condition called selonosis, which is manifested as gastrointestinal
distress, hair loss, white blotchy nails, garlic breath odor, and fatigue.

ZMA (Zinc Magnesium Aspartate): ZMA is a patented formulation, which contains zinc,
magnesium and vitamin B6. It is claimed to increase testosterone levels, but there is no
evidence to suggest that this occurs in healthy men. Though men with zinc deficiencies
can supplement zinc to fix their deficiency and increase their testosterone levels.
Aspartate has also been claimed to increase testosterone, but it is in too low of a dose in
ZMA to have any effect on testosterone. Despite ZMAs lack of effect on testosterone
levels, it can be a useful supplement for people that lack zinc and magnesium.

Please do not fall in for cheap and fake supplements. Do buy from authenticated and trusted
source only!

22
23
No matter how hard you workout in the gym, if your diet (nutrition) is not up to the mark then
you wont get the desired result any time sooner. To have a proper diet and effective results,
your ratio of macros should vary as per your goal. We have already discussed about BMR and
TDEE and the fact that, if you

Eat more than your TDEE- you will GAIN WEIGHT

Eat equal to your TDEE- you will MAINTAIN WEIGHT
Eat less than your TDEE- you will LOSE WEIGHT

So let know how to calculate your BMR and TDEE first then will more to different types of and
their macros break-ups.

BMR CALCULATION
Actually the easiest and recommended way to know your BMR is through getting your BCA
(BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS) done from any of the good gym/hospital or any centre having
BCA machine. By this you will not only get to know your BMR but also would be able to know
your Lean Muscle Mass (Fat Free Mass), your FAT%, your body protein and other such details
which will help you in tracking your progress, in terms of what you actually losing or gaining
(confused???).

Most of us do the diet to either lose or gain the weight, rest of us do to maintain the
weightam I right?

When I say WEIGHT, it includes your muscle weight, you fat weight and your water weight. So
losing or gaining weight can mean you lost or gain all three (e.g. Muscles, Fat or Water) but our
target is to lose fat not the muscles and to gain muscles not the fat. This is what the BCA will
help you track.

FYI, YOUR BODY FAT CAN NEVER TURN INTO MUSCLES.

There are formulas by which you calculate your BMR, if you dont have access to BCA machines

BMR Formula (This is take from http://www.freebmrcalculator.com/bmr-formula/ )

BMR Men: [88.3 + (13.4 x weight in kgs) + (4.8 x (height in cm) - (5.7 x age in years)]

BMR Women: [447.6 + (9.2 x weight in kgs) + (3.1 x (height in cm) - (4.3 x age in years)]

24
 The Mifflin & St Jeor Formula

BMR only represent resting energy expenditure, and adjustment must be made to calculate
your total calorie intake required to maintain your current weight.

So lets see an example (my details) for the calculation of BMR and TDEE

BMR Men = [88.3 + (13.4 x 80 kgs) + (4.8 x 175 in cm) - (5.7 x 30)]

So my BMR comes to 1829.3 kcal a day

My activity level is Moderate, thats means my activity factor is BMR X 1.55

So my TDEE comes to 2,835.4 kcals.

If my goal is to lose weight I have to go deficit of TDEE

If my goal is to maintain weight I have to go equal to TDEE
If my goal is to gain weight I have to go surplus of TDEE

You can also calculate your BMR using HarrisBenedict equation.

25
Now is the time to discuss few of the diets along with their macros break-up. Just Remember
nothing is going to happen overnight, its a diet not genie!!! SO KEEP PATIENCE.. Also if you
getting results from any routine/way (healthy of course), please carry on with that. What may
work me, not necessarily would work for you too or vice-versa.

GM DIET
This is the worst diet I would say but few people must have tried and lost few kgs of weight
(mostly muscle weight) and they would have regained all that very quickly after leaving the
diet. The reason I personally dont like this diet is because it doesnt count the calories intake
and is unstructured. Either you are eating high carbs with no limit or some protein. Muscle loss,
dizziness, weakness are some common traits of this diet. (I have mentioned this diet purposely
and have put it as the first, so that you people dont miss the opportunity to know what this
diet is in reality.)

ZONE DIET
This diet is a balance of the foods you eat (mainly, adding protein to balance the carbs at every
meal or snack) will help you lose fat, gain muscle mass, reset your metabolism, and ward off
chronic health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. The focus is also on controlling insulin
levels, which result in more successful weight loss and body weight control. The Zone Diet
encourages the consumption of good quality carbohydrates - unrefined carbohydrates, and
fats, such as ghee, butter, olive oil, avocado, and nuts.

Macro Break up Zone Diet

Fat Protein Carbs

30% 30% 40%

26
 LOW CARB DIET
Through this diet you can lose fat and at the same time gain lean muscle mass. The fat loss
would be little slow but is surely effective

Macros Break up Low Carb

Fat Protein Carbs

30-35% 35-45% 20-30%

The macros can be adjusted seeing the results and the goal of a person.

In Zone diet and Low carb diet you can complex carbs like brown rice, oats, sweet potato, etc. It
is advisable to have carbs around the workout (pre and post) and at night (through a technique
called as CARB-BACKLOADING e.g. to have carbs around 1-1.5hrs pre-workout and then at least
30-45mins post-workout. Rest of the carb is advisable to have as last meal of the day.

27
 THE KETOGENIC DIET (KETO)
This diet is my favorite diet and is a blessing for all those who want to shed that extra fat they
have been carrying unnecessarily all this time. This diet helps in losing maximum fat and inch
loss as compared to many diets and help is very healthy too. This diet have cured and reversed
many chronic conditions including Diabetes and Epilepsy.

Please understand this diet before jumping into it without knowing what actually a ketogenic
diet is! I have already explained the preferred energy source in the BASIC CHAPTER (you can
refer again).

What Is Ketosis?

The KETO in a ketogenic diet comes from the fact that it makes the body produce small fuel
molecules called ketones. This is an alternative fuel for the body, used when blood sugar
(glucose) is in short supply. Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs (under 25gms of net
carb e.g. Carb minus roughage) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also
be converted to glucose through Gluconeogenesis). Ketones are produced in the liver, from fat.
They are then used as fuel throughout the body, including the brain. The brain is a hungry organ
that consumes lots of energy every day (400 kcals aprox) and it cant run on fat directly. It can
only run on glucose or ketones.

On a ketogenic diet your entire body switches its fuel supply to run almost entirely on fat.
Insulin levels become very low and fat burning increases dramatically. It becomes easy to
access your fat stores to burn them off. This is obviously great if youre trying to lose weight,
but there are also other less obvious benefits, like for example less hunger and a steady supply
of energy.

28
Ketosis (SKD- Standard Ketogenic Diet) has 2 variant
CKD- Cyclic Ketogenic Diet and
TKD- Targeted Ketogenic Diet
Sorry but I am not going to explain those 2, as you need to learn SKD first then you can move to
the variants.

KETO-FLU

When starting a ketogenic diet and reaching ketosis its common to get some side effects
during the first week (2-3 days). Possibilities include headache, lethargy, irritability, leg cramps,
constipation and heart palpitations. These side effects are usually relatively minor and
transient, and most of them can be avoided by getting enough fluid (water) and Electrolytes
(Salt and Potassium).

29
 How do you know youre in ketosis?

Its possible to measure it by testing urine, blood or breathe samples. But there are also other
indicating signs that require no testing:

Dry mouth and increased thirst: Unless you drink enough and get enough electrolytes,
like salt, you may feel a dry mouth. Try a cup of bouillon (soup) or two daily, plus as
much water as you need.

Increased urination: another ketone body, acetoacetate, can end up in the urine. This
makes it possible to test for ketosis using urine strips. It also at least when starting out
can result in having to go to the bathroom more often. This is the main cause of the
increased thirst.

Keto breath this is due to a ketone body called acetone escaping via our breath. It can
make a persons breath smell fruity, or similar to nail polish remover. This smell can
sometimes also be felt from sweat, when working out. Its often temporary.

Ketosis vs. Keto-acidosis

There are many misconceptions about ketosis. The most common is mixing it up with
ketoacidosis a rare and dangerous medical condition that mostly happen to people with type
1 diabetes if they dont take insulin. Even some health care professionals tend to mix up these
two situations somewhat, perhaps due to the similar names and a lack of knowledge about the
distinct differences. Ketosis and ketoacidosis is not the same thing.

Ketosis is a 100% natural state, under full control by the body. It can be caused by a low-carb
diet or by a brief period of fasting whereas Keto-acidosis is a severe malfunction of the body,
with excessive and unregulated production of ketones. This leads to symptoms like nausea,
vomiting and stomach pain followed by confusion and finally coma. It requires urgent medical
treatment, as it can potentially be fatal.

This graph shows the vast difference in amount of ketones in the blood between ketosis and
keto-acidosis:

30
Most people who eat a strict low-carb ketogenic diet never reach levels higher than 3 mili-
molars or so, in fact many people struggle to get it above 0.5. Long-term starvation meaning a
week or more with zero food might bring the number up to 6 or 7. But keto-acidosis occurs at
levels of 10+, most commonly 15+. Its like the difference between drinking a glass of water vs.
drowning in an ocean. Both situations are about water but they are not the same thing.
Drinking a glass of water will not make you drown. Nor does ketosis result in keto-acidosis.

If you have a functioning pancreas that can produce insulin i.e. you dont have type 1 diabetes
it would be extremely hard or, most likely, impossible to get ketoa-cidosis even if you tried.
Thats because high ketone levels result in release of insulin that shuts down further ketone
production. In other words, the body has a safety net that normally makes it impossible for
healthy people to get keto-acidosis.

How to achieve ketosis?

There are many things that increase your level of ketosis. Here they are, from most to least
important:

Restrict carbohydrates (net) to 20 grams per day or less a strict low-carb diet. Fiber
does not have to be restricted, it might even be beneficial.

Restrict protein to moderate levels. If possible stay at or below 1 gram of protein per
day, per kg of body weight. So about 80gms of protein per day if your weight is 80 kgs. It
might be beneficial to lower protein intake even more, especially when overweight, and
then aim for 1 gram of protein per kg of desired weight. The most common mistake that
stops people from reaching optimal ketosis is too much protein.

Eat enough fat to feel satisfied. This is the big difference between a ketogenic diet and
starvation that also results in ketosis. A ketogenic diet is sustainable, starvation is not.

Avoid snacking when not hungry. Unnecessary snacking slows weight loss and reduces
ketosis.

If necessary add Intermittent Fasting (aka I.F is another technique like carb-
backloading), like 16:8 e.g. 16 hours of fasting window and 8 hours of eating window.
This is very effective at boosting ketone levels, as well as accelerating weight loss and
type 2 diabetes reversals. You can use other ratios such as 22:2, 20:4,etc.

Usually not necessary: Supplement MCT Oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides, ex Coconut
oil) and/or bulletproof coffee.

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Macros Break up for KETO

Fat Protein Carbs

60% 30% 5%

PROTEIN SPARING MODIFIED FAST (PSMF)

This is the safest crash diet I have came across, hasnt tried yet but has seen good results on
people who have tried. I wont recommend this diet to anyone to do on their own but only in
the guidance of an expert. Basically this diet is very similar to that of keto but here the total
daily calorie intake is almost 50% of the BMR (usually 600-800kcals a day). The macros break
would be like 20gms of net carb, 20-30gms of Fat of which at least 6gms from Fish Oil or Flax
Seed Oil (Omega-3 and 6) and rest of the calories from lean protein sources. The micro-
nutrients is a must specially the vitamins. The recovery rate is slow, so it is advisable not to do
heavy workouts if anyone is following this diet.

There are many other diets but I think these were worth sharing than others.

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33
 Components of fitness
In order to be physically fit, you need to have right nutrition (we have already discussed
nutrition and diet), right exercise and proper rest. So here we are going to discuss fitness
training and schedule to gain overall fitness. When I say overall fitness, it doesnt only means
increasing the size of muscles (Hypertrophy) but improving other components of fitness as
well, which are:

Cardio-Vascular Endurance: Ability of heart and lungs to sustain any activity for longer
period of time without getting fatigue (or delayed fatigue). Cardio means heart and
Vascular means vessels that carry bloods. Cardio exercise aims to improve the heart and
lungs and cause some fat loss too but YOU SHOULD SEE CARDIO AS MEANS OF
IMPROVING YOUR HEART AND LUNGS (this is one mean/way to improve you cardio
system). Ex Aerobic exercises e.g. walking, cycling, running (I prefer High Intensity
Interval Training HIIT)

Muscular Endurance: You should train yourself in cross- training manner to achieve
muscular endurance, meaning that you should choose physical activity where you can
train the whole body to endure your muscles. Example Swimming or Elliptical (Cross
Trainer) and even zumba.

Musculo-Skeletal Strength (aka Muscular Strength/Weight Training): This involves lifting

weights to gain muscle size (Hypertrophy) by progressive overload. Progressive
overload means either you need to increase weight in the subsequent sets or you need
to increase the number of repetition from the previous set to cause greater micro-
trauma (wear and tear of muscles). I would prefer to lift light weight with correct form
and techniques and get mocked than to lift heavy weight with poor form and techniques
and get injured, just to impress someone on the gym floor. The important thing here is
to learn the correct form and technique with lighter weight and once you master the
technique then start lifting as much as you can!

Flexibility and Agility: These can be achieved by proper stretching (static passive
stretches) and through various on field games. To be physically fit, these 2 are also very
important. Your muscles are of no use, if you arent flexible enough to do your chores.
This is the most ignored component of fitness.

Ideal Body Composition: This is a ratio of body fat to lean body mass or fat free mass
(e.g. total body weight minus fat weight). For a male the essential fat required is 4-6%
and to maintain ideal body his fat percentage should be 15% of less where as for
females the essential body fat is 10-12% of total body weight and the ideal body fat

34
 should be under 20% or less. This can be achieved with proper nutrition, exercise and
proper rest.

BODY TYPES (SOMATOTYPES)

There are three types of people you may normally see in real life or on gym floor e.g. either
thin/skinny, good built/macho guys or fat/rounded people. Well these body types are called as
Somatotypes. People are born with an inherited body type, based on skeletal frame and body
composition. Most people are unique combinations of the three body types: Ectomorph,
Mesomorph and Endomorph.

Ectomorph: They are long (sometimes short too) and lean, with little body fat, and little
muscle. They have a hard time gaining weight. While most of us love to hate these
genetically-blessed individuals, some male ectomorphs may not be thrilled with their
narrow-chested frames, and some female ectomorphs long for more womanly curves .

Narrow shoulders and hips

A narrow chest and abdomen
Thin arms and legs
Little muscle and fat
They have high BMR generally.

Mesomorph: They are athletic, solid, and strong. They're neither overweight nor
underweight, and they can eat what they want without worrying too much about it.
They both gain and lose weight without too much effort (for me they are the one
blessed with good genetics and BMR).
Wide broad shoulders
Muscled arms and legs
Narrow hips
Narrow from front to back rather than side to side.
A minimum amount of fat

Endomorph: They on the other hand, have lots of body fat, lots of muscle, and gain
weight easily. Theyre heavier and rounder individuals and they don't have to
necessarily be overweight.
A pear shaped body
Wide hips and shoulders
Wider front to back rather than side to side.
A lot of fat on the body, upper arms and thighs
They have low BMR generally.

35
Classic combination somatotypes include pear-shaped ecto-endomorphs with thin, delicate
upper bodies and high fat storage in the hips and thighs, and apple-shaped endo-ectomorphs,
with high fat storage in the mid-section and thin lower bodies (these are worst of all
aesthetically and can be corrected with effort and dedication).

36
 Muscle Fibers
In a normal human being, majority of weight consists of muscles. Almost all body parts and
organs have muscles and they have 2 types of muscle fibers in it e.g. Slow Twitch (Type-1) and
Fast Twitch (Type-2a and Type-2b). Each fiber types have different qualities in the way they
perform and how quickly they fatigue.

Type 1 (Slow Twitch Muscle Fiber)

Type I fibers are also known as slow twitch fibers. They are red in color due to the presence of
large volumes of myoglobin and so have high oxygen and high numbers of Mitochondria. Due
to this fact they are very resistant to fatigue (slow to Fatigue) and are capable of producing
repeated low-level contractions. For this reason the muscles containing mainly type 1 fibers are
often postural muscles such as those in the neck and spine due to their endurance capabilities.
Also, athletes such as marathon runners have a high number of this type of fiber, partly through
genetics, partly through training. Normally they consist of 45% of total muscles.

Type 2a (Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber)

Type 2a fibers are also sometimes known as fast oxidative fibers and are a hybrid of type 1 and
2 fibers. These fibers contain a large number of mitochondria and Myoglobin, hence their red
color. They produce fast, strong muscle contractions, although they are more prone to fatigue
than type I fibers.

Type 2b (Fast Twitch Muscle Fiber)

Often known as fast glycolytic fibers they are white in color due to a low level of myoglobin and
also contain few mitochondria. They produce ATP at a slow rate and break it down very quickly.
This result in short, fast bursts of power and rapid fatigue. This type of fiber can be turned into
type 2a fibers by resistance training. This is a positive change due to the increased fatigue
resistance of type 2a fibers.

37
 Types of Movement
Our muscles generally have only 2 types of movements e.g. either they contract or they relax.
Before we should move to selection of exercises and schedule, we should know these terms
which can be useful.

Concentric Contraction: It occurs when the muscles gets shorten in size and the
weight/resistance/load is push or pulled against the gravity (e.g. opposite to the
ground).

Eccentric Contraction: It occurs when the muscles gets lengthen in size and the
weight/resistance/load is move towards the gravity (e.g. towards the ground).

Isometric Contraction: This occurs when there is no movement or there is no change in

the length of muscles (e.g. no increase or decrease in the size of the muscle). In this
movement the length remains constant but the tension in muscles keep increasing.

Compound Movements: These are those movements which occur at more than one
joint (e.g. which involves at least 2 joints when doing the exercise). This can be either
unsupported compound where the body is standing without any support (example
Squats, involves hip joint and knee joint) or supported compound where the body has
some support (example bench press, involves shoulder and elbow joints).

Isolation Movement: This type of movement occurs at a single joint. This can be done
only if you dont have compound movement or in case of medical issues. Example all
biceps exercise which occurs only at elbow joints.

Uni-lateral Movement: Those movement where only one limb (either leg or hand) move
at a time. Example Lunges or step-ups.

38
 Iso-lateral Movement: Those movements where either upper limb (arms) or lower limb
(legs) move together but are independent of each other. Example, Bench press with
dumb bell. This has an advantage that both the limb put equal forces and has equal
participation.

Bilateral Movement: those movements where either upper limb or the lower limb
moves together and are dependent on each other. Example Squats. This has a slight
disadvantage, as here the stronger leg/arm gets stronger by giving support to the
weaker leg/arm and the weaker gets weaker.

So while choosing/selecting the exercises, one should always keep in mind the above
movements. Start with Unsupported Compound > Supported Compound > Isolation and its
always better to choose Isolateral/Unilateral over bilateral exercises whenever possible.

Workout Schedule
Before starting any of the exercise at any level, keep in mind that you do the warm-up first and
then do stretching after completing your workout. Just to tell you all, that warm-ups involve
continuous movements whereas stretching involves holding. It will help you prepare for the
exercise by raising your body temperature, by improving the blood and oxygen supply to the
muscles and most importantly will help you avoid injuries. Warm can be done by various
mobility drills (I personally prefer this as by this I can target my whole body warm-up) or by
walking/running on treadmill and at the end of the workout do static passive stretches.

For Beginners Level (0-2months)

1) 5X5: This is the best way to gain strength and learn the movements. Squats and dead-
lifts are the daddies of all exercises, so the beginner must do these movements and
mostly with barbells (BB) and sometimes with Dumb-bell (DB). Repeat Day-A and Day-B
and can incorporate Cardio exercises in between the Day A and B, only if you want
depending on your goal.

EXERCISE Day-A EXERCISE Day-B NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

SQUATS-BB SQUATS 5 5
DEAD-LIFT BB BENT-OVER ROW 5 5
BENCH PRESS BENCH PRESS 5 5
BB DB
OVER-HEAD PRESS OVER-HEAD PRESS WITH DB 3 5
BB
CHIN UPS LAT-PULL DOWN 3 5

39
 2) The second choice for beginner can be:

EXERCISE Day-A EXERCISE Day-B NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

SQUATS SQUATS 2 15-20
STANDING CALF RAISE STATIC LUNGES 3 15-20
LEG CURL LEG CURL 2 15-20
LAT PULL DOWN BENT OVER ROW 2 15-20
SHRUGS SHRUGS 3 15-20
BENCH PRESS BENCH PRESS 3 15-20
OVER HEAD PRESS LATERAL RAISE 2 15-20
LEG RAISES LEG RAISES 2 15-20
SIT UPS SIT UPS 2 15-20

PLANKS PLANKS 2 15-20

Repeat Day-A and Day-B and can incorporate Cardio exercises in between the Day A and B,
Only if you want depending on your goal.

For Intermediate Level (3-6months)

1) 5X5: Intermediate level can also do this with heavier weight than that of beginner level.

EXERCISE Day-A EXERCISE Day-B NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

SQUATS-BB SQUATS 5 5
DEAD-LIFT BB BENT-OVER ROW 5 5
BENCH PRESS BENCH PRESS 5 5
BB DB

OVER-HEAD PRESS OVER-HEAD PRESS WITH DB 3 5

BB

CHIN UPS LAT-PULL DOWN 3 5

40
 2) The second choice can be

Day-A Upper Body Day-B Lowe Body NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS
Dead lift / Bent over SQUATS 3 12-15
Lat Pull Down Dynamic LUNGES 2 12-15
Low cable rows Step-ups 2 12-15
Shrugs Leg Press 3/1 12-15
Decline Db press Standing Calf Raise 2 12-15
Inclined Db Press Leg Curls 2 12-15
Over Head Db press Toe Raises 2 12-15
Lateral Raise 2 12-15
Parallel bar push ups 1 12-15

Crunch Sit Ups 3 12-15

Trunk Lateral Flexion (aka Side bends) 2 12-15

Repeat Day-A and Day-B and can incorporate Cardio exercises in between the Day A and B, only
if you want depending on your goal.

For Advance Level (6months and above)

I personally like the triple split of PULL, PUSH and LEGS as this routine has ZERO OVER-LAP
of the muscles involved.

PULL-COMPLEX

EXERCISE- DAY1 NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

DEAD LIFT /BENT OVER ROW 3 8-10
SHRUGS 3 8-10
Wide Grip LAT-PULL DOWN / Chin-ups 3 8-10
Narrow Grip LAT-PULL DOWN / Chin-ups 3 8-10
Low cable/ Supported rows (on dead lift day) 3 8-10
Prone High Rows 3 8-10
Back Extension (on bent over row day) 3 8-10

41
 PUSH-COMPLEX

EXERCISE- DAY2 NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

Decline DB press 3 8-10
Incline DB press 3 8-10
Overhead DB Press 3 8-10
Lateral Raise 3 8-10
Decline close grip bench press 3 8-10
Parallel bar dips (push-ups) 3 8-10
Cable Pushdown 3 8-10

LEG-DAY (You cant spell LEGEND without LEG)

EXERCISE- DAY3 NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

BACK SQUATS 3 8-10

FRONT SQUATS 3 8-10
DYNAMIC LUNGES 3 8-10
STEP-UPS 3 8-10

STANDING CALF RAISE 3 8-10

SEATED CALF RAISE 2 8-10
LEG CURL 4 8-10
TOES RAISES 2 8-10

ABS and Cardio (HIIT)

EXERCISE- DAY3 NO. OF SETS NO. OF REPS

Twisting Crunches Sit ups 3 8-10
Crunch Sit ups 2 8-10
Reverse Crunch 2 8-10
Trunk Lateral Flexion (aka Side bends) 3 8-10
Planks 2 30 sec holds
Side Planks 2 30 sec holds

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 CARDIO
I again repeat that if you are doing cardio; consider it a mean for improving your heart and lung
capacity rather than of fat loss. Like weight training cardio too have options and there are 3
types of cardio that you can perform. But I personally prefer and recommend doing cardio in
HIIT manner.

Types of Cardio What Happens??? Cardio Exercises

Weight Bearing Impact
Your foot bears the weight of Jogging , Running,
your body and while performing jumping, dancing, field
the exercise you make an impact games, etc.
with the ground due to
gravitational pull.

Your foot bears the weight of Elliptical, stair step-ups,

your body but while performing etc.
Weight Bearing Non-Impact the exercise your body doesnt
make any impact with the
ground.

Your foot does not bear the Cycling, Swimming, etc.

Non- Weight Bearing Non-Impact
weight of your body while
performing the exercise
therefore your body doesnt
make any impact with the
ground.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training): This is a way of doing cardio exercises in a way where
your perform the activity (mostly running) in a manner where you run faster for a 45 second to
60 seconds (high intensity) and then for next 2-3 minutes you walk normally (interval) and then
repeat again. This training lasts for 20-30mins or till you fatigued (depending on your goal). Just
remember one thing that never go above 80% of MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) unless you are a
professional athlete and are doing your drills under someones guidance.

Calculate your MHR, MHR=220 Your Age

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44
 Now the Million Dollar question everyone wants to know about..

What is better for FAT LOSS, Cardio or Weight Training?

Both Cardio and Weight Training cause FAT LOSS but weight training is better and is a king
when it comes to FAT LOSS.

Now lets understand how??

I hope everyone knows what CARDIO is and what Weight Training is, so rather than wasting
time and effort we shall move directly to the point:-

CARDIO: When we do cardiovascular activities we burn calories only during the exercise and
have no impact on burning the calories through the day.

WEIGHT TRAINING: When we do weight training we burn calories

During the work out, as well as
After the work out by 2 process namely LONG TERM HYPERTROPHY and AFTER BURN
EFFECT OR EPOC (Excess Post-Workout Oxygen Consumption)

Now we shall know the 2 processes which make Weight Training the KING OF FAT LOSS

a) Hypertrophy: In a simple language, its the increase in the SIZE of the muscle.

When we do any weight training there is wear and tear of our muscles and in order to repair
those wear and tear caused by the weight training, we give our body proper nutrition and
proper rest, which results in increase of the size of the muscle in long run. As the size of our
Muscle increase, everyone knows that increase in muscle size leads to increase in BMR (Basal
Metabolic Rate: Rate at which our body burns calories at relative rest) which in turn leads to
burning of calories at higher rate than earlier.

There is a distinct and clear inverse relationship between muscle and fat.

b) After Burn Effect or EPOC: Again in a very simple language, after the workout has finished it
has an immediate effect on fat loss. The very repair work of muscles needed increased calorific
requirement and our body keep on burning calories in order to restore the body to the normal
or pre-exercise stage at accelerated rate. To restore the body to the normal stage, body
requires more of oxygen for such process and energy (calorie) is burned.
The After Burn Effect is dependent on 2 factors

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 Intensity of workload: A 6-8 rep max set will definitely cause more wear
and tear at cellular level than a 15 rep max set, thus needing more repair work
and therefore more calories are required in the after burn.
Surface area of damage: Bigger muscle groups like Legs and Back will cause
more wear and tear over a larger surface area than the smaller muscle groups
like arms and shoulders, thus require more calories to repair that.

During EPOC the body is restoring itself to normal stage and thus consumes Oxygen at higher
rate which mean energy is also expended at an elevated rate.

The following occurs during EPOC:-

Body Temperature Increase: So as to bring the body temperature back to

normal our body needs to burn more calories.

Heart Rate Increases: Again to bring back the heart rate to normal, the
body has to burn calories.

Respiratory Rate Increases: Need to burn more calories to get back to the
normal.

There are many more such processes like Replenishment of Energy resources, Restoration of
Circulatory Hormones, etc. which needs to get back to the normal stage. These all are the task
which body has to do after the cessation of the exercise other than the repairing of wear and
tear.

Thus one can say or conclude that WEIGHT TRAINING IS THE BEST TOOL OF FAT LOSS.

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 Should WOMEN WEIGHT TRAIN and if so then what are the Benefits they are getting
out of it?

Yes, Of course women should weight train! Undoubtedly, most of us have heard many stories:
that lifting heavy weights makes women bulky, it's dangerous, it's bad for their joints, etc. If
anyone thinks that weight training makes a woman look masculine then the same person
should also agree on, that if a man who doesnt weight train should look feminine????

There is a common myth or misconception that if a woman weight trains, she will end up
looking masculine and will lose her feminine looks. The hormonal system of women is little
different that of men. The anabolic hormone which are responsible for the muscles building is
known as TESTOSTERONE and are predominant in males, that why they built big muscles.
Women has lower level of testosterone in their body as compared to males, instead they have
Oestrogen hormone which is predominant in females and are not anabolic in nature. So unless
a woman doesnt inject herself with anabolic hormones or steroids, she wont lose her beautiful
feminine look. Generally women engage themselves into cardio thinking its the only thing
which can help them lose fat and get them into shape.

So what Benefits women are getting out of Weight Training?

Women get almost the same benefits of weightlifting as those of men.

1) More Effective Fat Loss: Weight training is the king when it comes to fat loss (as discussed in
the Topic What is better for fat loss)

Through EPOC- Excess Post Exercise Oxygen consumptions e.g. body need
excess of oxygen to for repair and growth of muscles which underwent wear

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 and tear during weight training, this goes on post exercise for about 48 hours
and
Through Hypertrophy- Increased in the size of the muscle in long term. The
bigger the size of our muscle leads to higher BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate- The
rate at which the body burn calories at relative rest) and higher the BMR, more
will be the fat loss.

2) Strength: Women can develop their strength at the same rate as that of men. As women
weight trains they develop strength slowly by continuous lifting of weights. By progressing on
lifting weight, their muscle size increase and hence they develop more strength than earlier.
Moderate weight training increases as much as by 30 to 50 percent of women strength.

3) Functionality: Lifting weight through power lifts or unsupported compound movements

women develops more strength and functionality which helps them performing the day to day
activities without any discomfort or with minimum risk involved.

4) Stress Management: Exercise in general is a great way to manage or overcome stress.

Researchers have consistently found that those who regularly strength train tend to manage
stress in a better way and experience lesser or fewer adverse effect to stressful situations as
compared to those who doesnt weight lifts.

5) Bone density/ Osteoporosis: As you age, you are at risk of losing both bone and muscle mass.
Postmenopausal women are at a greater risk for osteoporosis because the body no longer
secretes Oestrogen. Weight training is an excellent way to combat loss of bone mass, and it
decreases the risk of osteoporosis. Research has found that weight training can increase spinal
bone mineral density by 13% in 6 months.

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6) Back Pain during Pregnancies: During pregnancy the developing foetus put pressure on the
lumbar region and neutral curvature of the back of the women changes. This increase the risk
of back pain. Weight training increase the strength of the core muscles by doing various
abdominal exercises or by power lifts, which help them in tackling the back pain or reduce the
risk of back pain.

7) Anti-Ageing: By weight training women increases their muscle mass which leads to more fat
loss through increase in their BMR. Lifting weight also improves the overall fitness of the
women, so a healthy woman will always look younger than their age.
There are many other such benefits that a woman gets from weight training such as:
Improvement in their flexibility.
Reduce risk of injury.
Aesthetics advantages- more curvy.
Self confidence.
Improves posture.
Healthy heart and lungs.
Healthy lifestyle.
Stronger mentally, etc.

THE FITNESS PLAN encourages women to Weight train which can benefit in all aspects of your
life. Put it in your fitness plan and feel stronger, healthier, and more confident!

For now, this is it friends, till then.

Stay fit and healthy! And stay tuned with THE FITNESS PLAN

Cheers!!!
Faisal Khan

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