Huzzah my fellow readership, and congregation of strength, and excellence.
Skullduggery is afoot. Yes, the beautiful cacophony of Christmas is both deadly and beautiful at the same time. The Melodious merriment is accompanied by the mythical sirens of lore. These sirens seductively serenade you and before you know it, like a well made burglary, you awaken out of the trance with extra fat, laziness and a derailment of your goal. The only thing that’ll get a workout will be your ironically leaner wallet, and your liver, as your lack of the Bobby Boucher preferred beverage is substituted for the libations of the Bachannal arts.
Fortunately, there are weapons to aid you in your Winter Warfare. I periodically, pen strategies that are tantamount to the prayers and concerns you may have with weight gain.
Before we go over any extra strategies, know that I have a few other articles on this very subject.
Let’s get into strategies we may not have covered.
Volume – Do more work.
Extra volume means extra work. Extra work means more calories burned. An extra Rep. An Extra Set. Extra weight. Yes, this is essentially Progressive Overload or Gradual Progressive Overload, the number one key to muscle gain and strength.
Are you doing three sets? Try four? Try five? Add five or ten more pounds. If you’re at an actual strength gym like, I don’t know let’s say…..Balance Gym (Hint hint, I’m a trainer and boot camp instructor there), you have access to what’s called micro plates. If you ever watch a competition or any other athlete on YouTube or social media and wonder why you might seen an odd number of lbs, it’s because, there are plates that consist of 1lb, 3/4 lb, 1/2 lb, and so. Add a couple pounds and an extra set of two to your lifts. The extra volume can potentially add some muscle if you’re in a caloric surplus (a caloric surplus is eating more than your maintenance calories while a deficit is less than your maintenance. Again a caloric deficit is needed for weight loss. Not those wack ass teas on IG, not your miracle food scam, not your stomach lotion, but a caloric deficit). Let’s say your not eating at a surplus. Well the extra work will burn more calories by virtue of you just doing more than normal.
Lift Heavier
I’ve said this in the other how to not get fat articles, but I’m saying it again. Heavier weights = greater strength. A stronger muscle is often a bigger muscle.
More training sessions
Acquiring more training sessions will also yield a greater potential to burn calories by the fact that your trainer will undoubtedly work you harder than you work yourself. In addition, see your training sessions as a gift to yourself. You’re investmenting in your health, and wellness that’ll pay huge dividends in the future. See them as a chance to get better at your squat or deadlift. If you work with me, you WILL learn how to lift, a lot, a whole lot. Again, not only will you be stronger, but you’ll look even better next warm weather season. Again…summer is coming. You can also hit up groupon or whatever for deals on boot camps. Don’t ask me where they are though. I’m only referring deals that my friends have, which brings me to…
FREE WORKOUT EVENTS. LOCAL IN THE DC AREA
Aside from groupon, there’s always something going on. A lot of these are the hopes that you’ll become a member but it’s a great way to get some extra work in. Every last Tuesday of the month, Balance Gym has an open house. You can come in, tour the gym and work out for free. It’s a great time to attend a boot camp. I do a boot camp at the Thomas Circle location of Balance Gym every Tuesday at 6:15-7pm. If it’s open house Tuesday then lo an behold, you have gain an addition to your arsenal on the war on weight gain.
My good bro Rashad Mitchell, had a free event recently and does some free consultations. Rashad is one of the dopest athletes ever. I’m not just saying that because I believe in cising (y’all weirdos say “sice”) my friends. If his name sounds, familiar to you, it’s because I talk about him on here periodically. He’s the one largely responsible for me being awesome and jacked.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpFha4oAopT/
You can visit Shad’s via IG @mr.get_you_tight and get in touch with him. Tell him I sent you.
My dude Gym Jonez always always had some fitness events going on. If you’ve seen Gym on IG, you know you’re in for a dope live atmosphere. I actually went to his Post Thanksgiving event last year. It was dope. You can follow and holla at Gym via IG at @gymjonez
My dude Will Butler – @sovltron – teaches dope classes at Sweat DC. Will is a phenomneal athlete and possess a wealth of knowledge. Great brother.
Challenges and Epic Tales
Sort of inspired from a brother I follow on IG @blackvikingslondon. Very dope page. Klaus has epic sagas, he’ll pick a grueling exercise, get a group and hammer it. They’re extremely cool. I don’t think you understand the epicness of such a task. You are crafting your own legend. You can say, “from December 8th until MLK Day, I’m going to run x amount of miles, do x amount of Burpees, do amount of Barbell Squats at x weight cumulatively for such amount of time IN ADDITION to what you’re already doing. Yes, it means you have to continue not being a cur and squatting deep like you’re supposed to.
Go Play Intramurals brother.
Join a league or stay active with your friends such as basketball, running groups and the like. There are many leagues in DC and that’s a great way to stay active and make friends.
Walk to Greatness
If you take the subway, get off a stop or so earlier and walk to your destination. An extra half a mile one way multiplied by a few trips a week = more calories burned.
Caloric Counter Punches.
Disclaimer: I know you’re not going to eat perfectly. I don’t expect you to. However, many will go overboard and splurge past the point of reason and head to the realm of binging. To quote the wise words of my dude Shad, “Splurge don’t Binge.” The strategies below are great period as I believe in the moderation and balance. I’m a proponent of flexible dieting. The goal is hitting my macros and micros with 80-90% being fresh unprocessed foods, whole the remaining 10-20% is up to you to enjoy and have fun. Listen, no one cares if you lose weight “eating salad.”
Like young, I. really. don’t. care.
Let’s stop pretending we really care how clean you. Can you live a fun life, adhere to solid dietary discipline and hit your aesthetic goals is the question.
Save up on Calories.
Say you have an event you want to attend. Remember, the rule is calories in/ calories out. Weight loss/gain/management is simply just math. You can eat small low cal meals in the day, and enjoy your fun meal for the event. This doesn’t mean another cornucopia of caloric consumption. It means you just enjoy the meal/snacks and move on. I still suggest you ask for the sauce of said prepared food item to be prepared or put away to the side so you have control over it.
Alcohol.
EASE UP ON THE DRINKS. They’re loaded with calories. If you must drink, drink straight and avoid mixed drinks. If you’re a dude, be a dude and drink like a man without all those frills. Drink it straight or with ice. Save those cals. Also LESS is MORE, you don’t need five or ten shots, have one or two for the sake of being social and fun and chill. Despite the relaxed protocols you STILL HAVE TO USE A LEVEL OF DISCIPLINE. To quote my dude Kratos, “We win because we are determined, Disciplined. Not because we feel ourselves superior.”
Sacrifice for victory.
If you go to a function of any kind, know that you don’t have to and shouldn’t feel expected to eat everything like a gluttonous troll. It’s best to pick one thing and stick with it. I personally don’t eat Mac & Cheese unless my brother makes it. I will however eat cake or pie if it’s good. And I will limit my indulgences to reasonable portions.
Don’t be reckless. Random, and reckless snacking is not beneficial. Too many of these and you’ve hit a proverbial landmine of calories. You don’t have to eat office candy because it’s there and you don’t have to indulge every shiny thing in the store that gets your attention. Keep your consumption to a minimum or reserve it for the food items you don’t get to enjoy as much. Learn to say no. Just because it’s offered, doesn’t mean you should take it.
STOP BEING A CUR!
Aside from all these things, you should actually start working out. Don’t use the winter as an excuse to get fat and lazy. Like I say, “no one wants to hear how fat you are in January.” START LIFITNG…NOW! START SQUATTING DEEP…NOW….DEADLIFT NOW. DO A BURPEE NOW. DO SOMETHING. IF YOU DON’T DO ANYTHING, YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO GET FAT OR BE AT AN IMPASSE. TAKE ACTION. FALL FORWARD. None of this will work if you don’t put it into practice.
“The thing can be done, if the desire be coupled with courage.” – Conan of Cimmeria
END.
Bill Walker is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. One of the most top notch CPT recognitions in the country. He’s a boot camp instructor at Balance gym, Trainer at Balance Gym, Strength and Fitness Coach for DCPS, Trainer with Black Girls Lift and writer for the greatest site known to man, woman and child, CITLR. Bill also writes programs (for sale), and does dope things on IG. If you want to contact him, and you know you do, follow him on IG @billiusmaximus929 or by email at [email protected]
