Hey TEAM,
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Hope you’re all enjoying your week so far. I was having a conversation with an online client just last night which is what has sparked this BLOG post. 
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We were discussing different strategies and methods we use to get lean. Now what is MOST important when wanting to lose weight and decrease your body fat is the simple equation below:
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“CALORIES IN VS CALORIES OUT”.
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Often weight loss is as simple as that. We aim to burn more calories than what our body is used to and then we also aim to consume a little less calories than what our body is used to and we will lose weight as this will put our body into a negative energy balance which is what’s required to lose weight. 
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When wanting to build lean muscle, change your body composition and get that overall lean, sculpted look a few more variables and things do need to be considered though. 
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For example, timing of your carbs. When we are eating in a negative energy balance doing this over time results in your energy stores becoming depleted. If you aim to consume around 35% of your daily carb intake BEFORE your workout this will give you the energy you need to train the house. What happens when we can train harder? We of course then get better results. So, this one is a no brainer. I also aim to eat around 35% of my daily carb intake after my workout as this ensures the muscle is given a good amount of food and energy to help recover which again the better we recover the harder can we train which of course as mentioned = better RESULTS!
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Now, carb timing is important when wanting to change what you look like but so too is carb cycling. What I mean by this is not consuming the same number of carbs each day as the body becomes accustomed to this which is not what we want in the fat loss world. OK so let’s say your carb intake is around 250g a day for example. What I do when I am shredding is, I cycle these carbs around each day, so it shocks the body into burning more fat. 
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An example of how I might structure my carbs across the week when wanting to utilise carb cycling to get lean is below:
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Monday and Friday = High Carb Days.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday = Medium Carb Days.
Thursday and Sunday = Low Carb Days.
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I then align the above days with specific training days. For example, my high carb days will be aligned with larger body parts like legs and back and the medium carb days will be aligned with smaller muscle groups like chest and arms and then the low carb days will be aligned to my rest days. Cycling your carbs like this shocks the body into burning fat and keeps your metabolism guessing. A perfect win/win in the fat loss world. 
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Another strategy I use to torch fat for Summer is Intermittent Fasting. “IF” works it’s that simple. 
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How I do it and what I found works best based on my own personal experience is two days a week I will fast and not anything at all for 18 hours. For example, I will eat my last meal at 7pm on the Wednesday night and then I won’t eat again until 1pm on the Thursday and I’ll do this twice a week. I will then consume my allocated calories for that day in the 6-hour window that I have allocated. This ladies and gentlemen is Intermittent Fasting. There are many benefits of doing this. It gives your body and digestive system a break, it puts the body into a fat burning state and has you torching fat for 18 hours straight. This is something I highly recommend. 
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Remember what’s most important in the fat loss game is you burning more calories than what you consume over a consistent time period however the above strategies and methods that I use definitely help in leaning you out further and changing your body composition.
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I hope this helps TEAM. 
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If you would like some further help in looking and feeling your ALL time best let me do all the thinking for you. I have 15+ years experience in this game and I am now taking enrollments for the next round of my 6 Week Shred Program which kicks off on Monday 14th Jan. Book in your spot nice and early then you can go and relax and enjoy the festive season ready to kick start your goals in 2019. 
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The link to join is BELOW:
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Join The SQ FITNESS 6 Week Shred Program!
 
Chat more soon legends!
 
Yours in Health and Fitness,