OPA Show in Cobourg, 12 Weeks Out!

12 Weeks Out, July 30th.

Body Composition:

Weight: 239.2lb

Body Fat: 8.3%

Diet: the same as in 14 weeks out

Supplements: the same as 14 weeks out, but added creatine monohydrate, greens and liquid chlorophyll.

I have lost another .7% body fat this week, which is about 1.7lb of fat. I really think that I am progressing a little too fast (damn ectomorph in me), however I am able to keep the muscle so far. My weights during the training sessions keep going up, but VERY slowly and not on all exercises. This is probably due to the calorie restricted diet. Since I have lost a little bit of mass I should start thinking about cutting the calories that would be suitable for my new weight. However, since I am still seeing pretty good results I will keep everything the same for now. I am definetly see that I have gotten a little bit leaner, as my lowest portion of abs has started to protrude (8 pack should come out soon!!!). I have become more vascular and the side of my chest is leaning out as well. All in all so far my progress has been pretty good, meaning I am doing everything right.

(Love my sandals, I don't care what you have to say about 'em)

More next week!

www.ivankfitness.com

Dirty "Clean" Diets

I am a big proponent of self education and encourage everyone to read as much material as possible to get knowledge in our exiting world of fitness. I occasionally read magazines and have found some great ideas and tips. However, I have also found some "tips" that completely contradict to any common sense and that is why I am writing this article. Recently, I bumped in to an article that suggested to clean up the diet to maximize results in the gym. The article provided a week of a "clean" diet that was supposed to provide a sound eating schedule, which in my humble opinion failed miserably. For example, for breakfast it suggested to have oatmeal with almond milk and a glass of orange juice. I have never heard about a clean diet that suggested eating a bunch of carbs without protein for breakfast. Think about it, you need protein to rebuild your muscle tissue from your workouts in the gym. Then why wouldn't you have it when you most need it: after not eating for 6-8 hours that you sleep at night? It gets better with the next item on the menu: a protein bar for snack. Protein bars should not be in the category of clean food, due to their concentration and preservatives. Protein bars are also perhaps the worst thing to eat as a snack between brekfast and lunch, as the simple carbs obtained from sugar are not going to burnt right away and will just be stored by your body as a reserve energy in the form of adipose tissue (body fat). It gets better when they suggest to eat a protein bar as a last meal of one of the days with a tablespoon of flaxseed oil (are you supposed to pour it on the protein bar or just down it from the flaxseed oil by itself?). The article contained more jaw dropping nutritional errors such as tuna melts, protein puddings and protein free meals that were did not possess any properties of a clean diet. In other words, please be careful and filter the information described in these articles. If you do not possess the knowledge of how a clean and sound diet should look like, hire an experienced nutritionist or a personal trainer who can provide you with a diet plan that would be suitable to you.

Have a great day everyone!

Starting prep for the OPA show in Coubourg, ON, October 20, 2012. 14 weeks out!

Hey everyone, so I have decided to post my prep schedule for the OPA Special Invite & Open Provincial show. I'll be posting updates every week up until the show:
14 Weeks Out, July 15:
Body Composition:
Weight: 242lb
Body Fat: 9.9%
Diet:
3577calories: 109g fat, 314 carbs, 366 protein
Supplements: Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Multi Vitamin, Magnesium, Veggie Greens, Liquid Chlorophyll, Fiber, BCAAs, Protein Powder, Potassium, Melatonin, Creatine Monohydrate, Ephedrine and Caffeine.
Training:
Monday: Chest and Triceps
Tuesday: Back and Biceps
Wednesday: Cardio and Calves
Thursday: Shoulders and Abs
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Cardio and Abs
Sunday: Chest and Triceps
Monday: Back and Biceps
Repeat same routine.
I will be carb loading the day before leg training to give me the energy I need. For now everything is to be performed as single sets (except shoulders and abs) and within 8-10 rep range.

Right now I am feeling great, although breakfast was really hard to down (1cup steel oats with 2 scoops of protein powder). Therefore, I decided to blend it in the Magic Bullet (which is a life saver by the way, highly recommend) and just drank the concoction with some added water.
The reason I am carb loading the day before legs, is that I have found that I could not get through the leg workout without feeling nauseaus and hypoglycemic (I even threw up a couple of times during the workouts...). The carb load helps me get through it and although I am still feeling beat after the workout I manage to complete it, without breaking it in two gym visits a day.
This is what I look like right now:






ivankfitness.com

Vitamin D

Supplementation with vitamin D has been known for years to improve the calcium homeostasis and bone mineral metabolism in the body, which is rather beneficial for bone health. However, later research had discovered that vitamin D has additional benefits such as:

• Strengthening of immune system.
• Preventing cancer.
• Regulation of blood pressure.
• Autoimmune disease management, preventing such diseases as osteoporosis and diabetes.

A good daily dose of vitamin D is 10,000iu. This can come from supplementation, food and sun (as we automatically produce 10,000iu of vitamin D if the whole body is exposed to UV light). Foods that are rich in vitamin D are fish, dairy and grains. Therefore, I suggest taking 5,000-7,000iu of vitamin as a supplement (partially from your multivitamin and partially from the separate vitamin D supplement) and get the rest from your diet and being in the sun.

ivankfitness.com

Baked Chicked Balls

I'm not a gourmet chef, but sometimes I manage to surprise myself with my own cooking. This recipe will provide you with 2-3 days' supply of lean and nutritious chicken balls that taste amazing!

What you need:

5-6 tomatoes

1 large onion

4lb of ground chicken

fresh cilantro

black pepper

salt

How you do it:

1. Preheat the oven for 400 celcius

2. Dice the tomatoes (you can buy canned ones, but I'd stay away from them, due to the
   preservatives)

3. Mince the onion

4. Throw the onions and the tomatoes in a baking dish
5. Chop up the cilantro
6. Put the ground chicken into a bowl
7. Throw in and mix the cilantro, black pepper and salt.
8. Out of the chicken mix, make balls the size of your fist
9. Put them in the baking dish and cook it for an hour

Healthy, tasty and easy to make. Goes well with pretty much any side of your favourite carbs.

Enjoy.

ivankfitness.com

Stock up on lemons and burn fat!

Whether or not you are a competitive bodybuilder or someone who wants to lead a healthy lifestyle, lemons are a superb food that rids your body of toxins and supplies it with very important nutrients and here is why:

• Lemons are far more rich in vitamin C than oranges (4 times more!). Vitamin C is important in cleansing your body from the free radicals and thus preventing your body from becoming acidic. Keep your body alkaline is important expecially for those who exercise regularly and follow a diet rich in protein, as both raise acidity blood levels.
• Limonene is an oil contained in lemons, which was proved to shrink cancerous tumors, detoxify carcinogens, as well as stimulate healthy flow of lymph fluids (that can reduce cellulite).
• Lemons provide enzymes necessary for a breakdown of protein, invigorating the gall bladder and liver.
• Lemons assist in liquefying fat, so it is flushed out of your system more efficiently.
• Lemons are diuretic and thermogenic. They help ridding your body from excess water and toxins.
• They provide a small portions of vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, magnesium and folate.
• Recommended dose: juice of at least one lemon a day.
• Recommended use: do not use lemons with sugar as it negates many benefits of the lemon. Squeez a couple of lemons and pour it in the ice-cube tray and put them in your water, it is a great way to keep hydrated during the hot summer days. You can also make a tasty and nutritiuos salad dressing combining lemon juice with olive and flaxseed oils, crushed garlic and cayenne pepper. Also, you can "lemonize" any of your foods by sprinkling lemon juice over it, making it taste fresh and delicious.

Lemons are a staple food in the diet of any fitness enthusiast, so stock up on these amazing fruits to help you with your fitness goals! Enjoy!

www.ivankfitness.com

Stay In Shape While on Vacation

Everyone of us likes lying on the beach by the sea or an ocean getting a nice tan and taking a break from our chaotic lives back home. However, most of us feel out of shape and carry some extra pounds by the end of our week or two in paradise. Read on to learn how to maintain your routine and the hard earned body while on vacation.

1. Stay Active! Most people on vacation limit their activities to lying on the beach and indulging in sugary and high calorie alcoholic drinks. These high-in-empty-calories drinks not only going to slap on extra weight to your physique, but also will limit the experience from your vacation as there is so much more to do! Try going on trips from your hotel, enjoy some water activities such as jet skiing, kayaking or parasailing and going out to the city. These and other activities will not only keep you active and your metabolism ticking but also will enrich your stay abroad!
2. Eat Right! It is true that on vacation it is hard not to indulge in the guilty culinary pleasures such as pastries and junk food that you like. Unfortunately, our bodies tend to disagree with us on our food preferences. In other words, make sure to eat clean while on vacation. There are many great choices of fresh vegetables, lean meats, fish and sea food out there. Cut back on carbs as you likely will not burn them as effectively as if you'd do it while working with weights back home.
3. Cardio! Most of the hotel gyms have a gym where you can workout and do cardio. However, who wants to hit the dreadful treadmill while you are away from home? You can make your cardio much more fun by fiddling with the types of cardio you are doing. For example, go for a run on the beach. It's not only going to give you a nice tan, but also burn a significant amount of calories. Running on the sand makes it harder to run and therefore incorporates more muscle. As well, you can try to do a 20 minute HIIT cardio where you run as fast as you can for 30 seconds and lightly jog for 90 seconds.
4. Workout! It would be perfect to lift some weights, but if you lack a gym in your hotel or the mere motivation to visit it, you can still get a decent workout in your hotel room or on the beach. Due to the lack of gym equipment in the hotel rooms, you can perform the workout described below that will make you burn tons of calories without weights.

Hotel Workout:

Jumping Jacks 4x20

Jumping Squats 4x20

Jumping Lunge 4x20

Push ups 4x20

Dips (off the bench) 4x20

Perform the exercises in a circuit manner (no break in between the exercises) with 2 minutes break between the circuits.

With this regimen your vacation will get fun and you are guaranteed to stay in shape and feel great by the time you come back.

Enjoy!

IvanKFitness.com