OPA Show in Cobourg, 8 Weeks Out!

8 weeks out August 26^th.

Body Composition:

Weight: 236 pounds

Body Fat: 5.8%

Diet: I have started to do 2 refeed days a week (Thursday and Sunday). Both are loaded with carbs of a high GI type. I will walk you through my refeed day in my video that I am planning to post soon, but here's pretty much my Sunday's carb up:

Refeed Day:

Meal 1: 2cups oatmeal, 1tbsp honey and handful of raisins, 1scoop protein powder

Meal 2: 18 spicy tuna pieces (no mayo), 1 spicy tuna handroll, sea weed salad and extra rice (white)

Meal 3: 2 blueberry bagels w/fat free cream cheese and reduced sugar jam, 150g basa

Meal 4: Home made low fat pizza (doesn't really taste like pizza, but still very good), pretzels

Meal 5: Second half of that pizza and pretzels

Meal 6: 2 blueberry bagels w/fat free cream cheese and reduced sugar jam, protein shake (1scoop).

Calories: 3887 (maybe 4000)

Fat: 38g

Carbs: 641g

Protein: 185g

My regular non refeed days are:

Calories: 2373 (lets make it 2400)

Fat: 30g

Carbs: 110g

Protein: 405g

It sounds like I have lost my mind and am giving in to cravings when I eat all this carby food on my refeeds, but it's working! I store some water the next day, but am much fuller, stronger and getting leaner each week. In other words, I can keep up with the intensity of the workouts, keep my metabolism high and therefore burn more fat.

Supplements: Ephedrine and Caffeine are now up to 24mg ephedrine and 200mg caffeine 3 times a day. Finally, the jitters are gone completely and I feel very peaceful :)

I dropped another .3% of fat last week, but my weight stayed the same this time. Looks like the refeeds are working wonders! I make sure that the days I don't refeed, I keep my protein high, and carbs very moderate (only 3 times a day to a total of around 135g). I try to limit my fat intake only to the one I get from chicken, Pam frying spray and seal oil. Very low calorie high protein diet, otherwise there would not be a need in refeeding. I will expand more on the importance of refeed in an article I am writing, but basically it is necessary to have them once or twice a week in order to pull your body from a catabolic state induced by heavy training, cardio and low calories. Otherwise, the body will start clinging on to every bit of fat. Anyway, I feel great and can't wait to get up on stage already!

Until next week!

www.ivankfitness.com

Burning Fat With Caffeine and Ephedrine

Caffeine and Ephedrine stack has been around forever in the bodybuilding world. This two compounds are believed by most fitness enthusiasts to have great fat burning and weight loss properties. I myself see great results on this duo and prefer it over any fat burner out there, because it is cheaper and works just as good, if not better. Let's take a look what do the two have to offer to someone who is trying to lose weight.

1. Both caffeine and ephedrine are stimulants that will accelerate you resting heart rate. With a faster pulse your body will be burning more calories even while you are not doing anything.
2. In combination, caffeine and ephedrine promote what is called thermogenesis. Simply put, they elevate your core temperature allowing for your body to burn more calories. Combined with cardio or even weight training, it is a great tool to heat up your body to make your workouts more efficient in burning fat. Just don't forget to drink a lot of water so you don't overheat!
3. While promoting fat loss, ephedrine-caffeine stack has the ability to preserve muscle at the same time. This is a great news, considering that you need muscle to burn more calories and look good.
4. There were many studies done that have proved that caffeine-ephedrine combination has the ability to suppress appetite.
5. Caffeine and ephedrine stack prevents good cholesterol (HDL) to drop during the fat loss.
6. Provided that both are taken together, they increase insulin sensitivity which is another factor in fat loss. In a nutshell, insulin sensitivity is your body's ability to process carbohydrates with a minimum amount of secreted insulin (a storage hormone). When insulin levels are kept low, your body will release fatty acids (burn more fat), as opposed to when the insulin levels are high and the fat loss comes to a halt.

Caffeine-ephedrine stack is a great tool to help you burn fat, but it is not a magic pill. You still need to monitor your diet and exercise. There is a protocol on how to take caffeine and ephedrine that everyone should follow to the T in order to avoid any unwanted effects. If the protocol is fulfilled you will be amazed by results you see. Here it is:

Day 1: take half ephedrine pill (4mg) to test its effects. You may get jittery, like after drinking a lot of coffee. It is expected, and jitters usually go away by week 4.

Day 2-3: take 3 doses of 8mg of ephedrine (full pill) and 100mg caffeine, 3-4 hours apart. I'd suggest not to take it 6 hours before bed, as you may not be able to fall asleep (although, it is only in the beggining).

Day 4-6: Dosing is: 2ephedrine 1caffeine, 1ephedrine 0.5caffeine, 1ephedrine 0.5caffeine.

Day 7-9: Dosing: 2ephedrine 1caffeine, 2ephedrine 1caffeine, 1ephedrine 0.5caffeine.

Day 9-11: Dosing: 2ephedrine 1caffeine x3.

Day 12-14: 3ephedrine 1caffeine, 3ephedrine 1caffeine, 2ephedrine 1caffeine.

Day 15 and onward: 3ephedrine 1caffeine x3.

This will ensure that you build up your body's tolerance towards the stack without shocking your system. The appetite suppression and jitters wshould go away by around week 4, but fat burning effects will still remain. You can continue taking it for as long as 8 weeks and then cycle off for 2 weeks. Make sure not to drink any caffeinated drinks such as coffees, teas and colas (although you can still drink 1-2 decaffeinated drinks). Try not to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) like sprinting, 1-2 hours after you take your EC serving. If you absolutely need to to do it, skip your dose and take it after. If you use an inhaler, EC stack is not for you, as inhalers have similar effects.

I you are looking to try the EC stack, you can buy it here.

 

www.ivankfitness.com

OPA Show in Cobourg, 9 Weeks Out!

9 weeks out August 19^th.

Body Composition:

Weight: 235 pounds

Body Fat: 6.1%

Diet: I am going to introduce another refeed on Thursday to replenish the glycogen and leptin. It is supposed to help me to keep the cravings at bay and perform better during the workouts on the second half of the week. The refeed will only consist of increasing the amount of carbs in each meal and adding 2 extra meals with carbs (so instead of 3 carb meals I will have 5). I am not going to make it a cheat meal, where I eat junk, but carb up only on clean carbohydrates (sweet potato, brown rice and oatmeal).

Supplements: I am increasing the Ephedrine-Caffeine dose gradually from 200mg of caffeine and 24mg ephedrine twice a day, to three times a day. I am not as jittery anymore compared to when I just started, which is a great news!

I am starting to feel depleted by Thursday (4 days after the cheat day) up to the point where I cannot even get a pump at the gym and have no desire to workout. As well, I started to get mad cravings and feel light headed during training. My Saturday Workout (hamstrings and calves) was not good at all, as I had to take longer rests and felt like I could have pushed myself more, but had no energy. This is why I am introducing an extra refeed on Thursday. Nevertheless, I feel that my body continues to change and I am getting a harder look compared to 5 weeks ago. I have dropped a 0.7% body fat. I am holding a little bit of water still, which affects my definition, but I find that it slowly starting to flush away.

At this point I am very motivated and can't wait until the day of the show. Too bad that it is 9 weeks away. On the other side, it gives me a lot of time to get better results.

Until next week!

www.ivankfitness.com

Easy, Healthy and Delicious Scrambled Eggs!

       This easy to make omelette will fuel you up with protein and vitamins and it tastes, as if it were a cheat meal! Here is how to make:

What you need:
16 eggwhites
1 medium tomato
1 medium yellow onion
1 cup spinach
Himalayan salt
garlic powder

What you do:
1. Dice the tomato, onion and spinach.
2. Spray some Pam on a cooking pan and put it on high.
3. Put the vegetables and fry them until tender.
4. Pour the eggwhites into the pan
5. Add spices and cook until the eggs are ready, stirring occasionally.

This recipe yields:
62g protein
19g carbs (5g fiber)
2g fat
508% of RDA vit C
102% vit A
1700mg potassium.

Enjoy this recipe with adding some chilli garlic sauce or some salsa!

ivankfitness.com

Alcohol Diet, or How to Successfully Stall Your Fitness Progress.

As a legal drug, alcohol allows us to enjoy its intoxifying effects without the fear of getting arrested and thrown in jail! In addition, many studies have conlcuded that moderate amount of alcohol can assist relaxation and enhance heart function. So why is alcohol such a taboo in the fitness circles? Is it just because that alcohol is packed with "empty" calories or is there other reasons for not consuming it, while working towards your fitness goal? Let's take a look at the facts below and see for ourselves:

1. Calories: calorie is a calorie is a calorie, right? Not really. While the calories contained in the macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and protein are used by the body for homeostasis purposes, calories contained in alcohol have absolutely no use for bodily functions. Basically, when you have alcohol in your body, it will burn through the alcohol first and THEN it will start burning the macronutrients you have consumed prior. Considering that 1 gram of alcohol has 7 calories, after a night of drinking you may not even be able to burn through all the alcohol you have consumed, meaning that carbs and fats that you have eaten beforehand will be stored by your body as fat. Not the best outcome for someone who desires to get in shape.
2. Hydration: Alcohol is very hard on your kidneys. After drinking alcohol your body water will be drawn into the kidneys, in order to assist in the alcohol breakdown. Dehydration impairs your body's energy-creating reactions, which are detrimental during the weightlifitng and aerobic sessions.
3. Protein Synthesis: Alcohol impairs the body's ability to absorb and process protein (and other substances). As you do not absorb the protein properly you will not recover the muscle tissue that has been compromised during intense training at the gym, which eventually can lead to overtraining and injury.
4. Strength Levels: Due to the aforementioned effects of alcohol your strength performance will be compromised as well, making your workouts less intense. Due to the alcohol's negative effect on the carbohydrate metabolism your energy levels will also drop and the fatigue will set off much earlier. In the long run, it will affect your fitness progress, as you will not perform to the fullest during the training sessions.

You can say that a couple of drinks will be no problem to burn off, but take in an account that even if you burn those calories from alcohol, its effects will still remain and will diminish your performance potential at the gym. My suggestion, lay off the drinks at least until you reach your goals and then enjoy them in moderation. Meanwhile, enjoy your gains at the gym and get used to feeling great, it is much more fun to be healthy!

ivankfitness.com

OPA Show in Cobourg, 10 Weeks Out!

10 weeks out August 12^th.

Body Composition:

Weight: 236.5 pounds

Body Fat: 6.8

Diet: I am eating less fats starting this week, and keeping the carbs the same, in order to cut back on calories. Feel great after a cheat day yesterday, but had pretty bad cravings for doughnuts before that. It probably means I am eating less calories than I burn, because I don't even like doughnuts...

Supplements: Replaced Fish oil to Seal oil, it is much higher in omega 3.

I have cut another 0.5% of fat last week, the additional cardio seems to work. This week I am adding another cardio session, so it will be 5 cardio sessions a week. I am also going to start doing the cardio on its own, meaning I won't be doing it after the weights but later at night. I chose to do cardio at night for two reasons, first it will keep the weight sessions a bit shorter and second is I don't eat carbs at night, which should use fat as energy.

My workout regimen is changing this week and is more intense now. It will be a 5 day split and

I will be doing supersets for the most part.:

Monday: Quads and shoulders

Tuesday: Back, triceps and abs + cardio in the evening

Wednesday: Chest and Biceps + cardio in the evening

Thursday: Cardio and abs

Friday: Hamstrings and calves

Sunday: Cardio + abs

I am doing back and shoulders because these are the areas I think I need to bring up. With regards to the visible progress I can see now veins popping out from everywhere. I also am getting striations on my chest and can see my obliques better. I am still holding a little bit of water though, but it should go away closer to the show.

Until next week!

Amazing and Healthy Stuffed Peppers!

Here is an amazing recipe for tasty and nutrious stuffed peppers!

What you need:

5 large red or yellow bell peppers

2 medium onions

1.5 pounds of ground turkey

1 Can of diced tomatoes

1 can of tomato paste

Black pepper

Himalyan salt

Paprika

Oregano

Dry parsley

A tub of sour cream

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the bell peppers in half vertically and discard all the contents.
3. Cut onions into tiny pieces.
4. Mix the onions, diced tomatoes, black pepper, Himlayan salt, paprika, oregano and the parsley in a pan with the ground turkey and brown the meat.
5. Put tomato paste at the bottom of the pepper.
6. Stuff the peppers with turkey mix (make sure to put a lot). Put some more tomato paste on top of the meat.
7. Put the peppers in the oven and bake them for an hour.
8. Take the peppers out and serve with some sour cream on top.

1 Stuffed pepper will yield approximately:

Calories: 330

Protein: 40g

Carbs: 14g

Fat: 15g

Vitamin C: 103% of RDD

Vitamin A: 22% of RDD

Iron: 29% of RDD

Enjoy!

ivankfitness.com

Creatine!

Creatine is an amazing compound that increases strength, power and speed. If taken properly, it can boost your performance in the gym and in sports.

• Creatine is an amino acid (a building bloc of your muscles) that you already have in your body. Don't worry Creatine supplements are not derived from people, it is also found in fish and meat. When your body requires energy, during an intense workout, Creatine is used to provide it in an anaerobic (without oxygen) way.
• A human body has a potential to store up to 40% extra Creatine. And this is when the Creatine supplements come into place. By storing more Creatine in your muscles, you are capable to push heavier weights for more reps, making your workouts more intense and in turn burn more fat, build more lean tissue and recover faster.
• Due to Creatine's function to draw water into muscles, people sometimes gain some weight. However, this weight gain should not be mistaken with a FAT gain. It is simply water that has been drawn into your muscles by Creatine. This is not a bad thing, it only means that your muscles gained volume, and if anything you may appear more toned while on it.
• It is important to take Creatine properly, otherwise some mild side effects may occur.

1. In order to prevent bloating, Creatine must be FULLY mixed with water. Basically, you don't want any clumps of creatine in your drink.
2. You may want to cycle Creatine on and off, as it breaks into a compound called creatinine, which is said to affect kidney function. From my own experience, I have been taking Creatine non stop for about 2 years now, and my creatinine levels are low every time everytime I check.
3. There was much debate about Creatine loading, where individuals would increase their Creatine intake to 20g/day for a week. This is not necessary, as most of it will be excreted by your body anyway.
4. A dose of 3-5 grams of Creatine a day should be sufficient to experience all the benefits of this amazing supplement, without any side effects.
5. The most appropriate time to take Creatine is post workout with your carb and protein shake. This will start the recovery faster.

• Creatine comes in many forms: Creatine Monohydrate, Creatine Ethyl-Ester, Creatine Alpha-Keto-Glutarate and more. Creatine Monohydrate is the cheapest of all and has been around for much longer than all the other types. However, there is very little difference between the efficiency of each type and therefore Creatine Monohydrate is my choice, as it is cheap and it works just as well as the rest!

Creatine is a great tool to increase your performance in the gym and boost your body's recovery abilities. When taken properly, it has virtually no side effects and is great in aiding you to achieve results. If you are already using it, then you are aware of its benefits. If you have never tried it before, then don't wait, get it and see the difference for yourself!

11 Weeks Out, July 30th.

Body Composition:

Weight: 238lb
Body Fat: 7.4%

Diet: the same as in 14 weeks out + starting to cut carbs from my preworkout meal. So, I will only eat them in the morning, in the postworkout shake (gatorade/dextrose) and the meal that follows the workout.

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

I am down .9% body fat which is great. However, I must admit I do not see much difference this week, perhaps the reading was wrong this time. Nevertheless, I feel like I got a little bit more vascular (started getting veins on the sides of my stomach, spider webs on my shoulders when I am pumped and the intercostals protrude a little more). Still, I am to cut carbs from my preworkout meal, so I will eat them 2-3 times a day, instead of 3-4 times a day.

As well, I threw in another cardio session bringing it up to 3 times a week last week and I am going to add another cardio this week too, so I will be doing 4 cardios for 30 minutes.

As for the training, it is still pretty good, however I still cannot do deadlifts, back squats or any kind of bent over rows. I injured my back and was suspecting it to be a herniated disc, but the chiropractor told me it was just some injured ligaments in the lower back, which is not as serious. Hopefully, it will heal up fairly quick.

Anyway, I am starting to step it up, so hopefully I see better results next week!

www.ivankfitness.com

The Benefits of Chia Seeds

Every fitness junkie knows tons of supplements that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, essentials fatty acids, healthy carbs and fiber and so on. However, what we usually overlook is that there are foods out there with the properties similar to these supplements and are far more natural for our bodies to absorb. Chia seeds is one of those foods. Below are the reasons why chia seeds should be a staple in every person's diet.

1. Chia seeds are packed with omega 3. In fact, they contain more omega 3 than salmon when compared by weight. Omega 3 are important for maintaining a healthy heart and blood cholesterol levels. It also has been proved to significantly aid with the body's ability to burn fat.
2. Chia seeds are also one of the few plant based sources of complete protein. It is not a big amount (4g per 2 tablespoons), but it definetly can add some extra protein to your diet.
3. Chia seeds are also loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants play a significant role in reduction of blood acidity, which is common in people who workout with weights and have a high protein diet.
4. Chia seeds have an astounding amount of fiber, 10g per ounce!
5. By weight, chia seeds has more calcium than whole milk, making it a great subsitute source of calcium, if you don't drink milk.
6. Another pleasant benefit of chia seeds is that they are an aphrodisiac. Yes, on top of the other health benefits it will also benefit you between the sheets!

Here is a great way to start your morning:

1 cup of Organic Rolled Oats

1tsp of cinnamon

2tbsp of chia seeds

Few drops of stevia

2 cups of almond milk

1 scoop whey protein

1. Boil/micorwave the oatmeal with almond milk
2. Add all the remaining ingredients
3. Enjoy!

This recipe will give you so much energy, you won't need coffee!

(You can buy chia seeds at any healh food store.)

Every fitness junkie knows tons of supplements that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, essentials fatty acids, healthy carbs and fiber and so on. However, what we usually overlook is that there are foods out there with the properties similar to these supplements and are far more natural for our bodies to absorb. Chia seeds is one of those foods. Below are the reasons why chia seeds should be a staple in every person's diet.

1. Chia seeds are packed with omega 3. In fact, they contain more omega 3 than salmon when compared by weight. Omega 3 are important for maintaining a healthy heart and blood cholesterol levels. It also has been proved to significantly aid with the body's ability to burn fat.
2. Chia seeds are also one of the few plant based sources of complete protein. It is not a big amount (4g per 2 tablespoons), but it definetly can add some extra protein to your diet.
3. Chia seeds are also loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants play a significant role in reduction of blood acidity, which is common in people who workout with weights and have a high protein diet.
4. Chia seeds have an astounding amount of fiber, 10g per ounce!
5. By weight, chia seeds has more calcium than whole milk, making it a great subsitute source of calcium, if you don't drink milk.
6. Another pleasant benefit of chia seeds is that they are an aphrodisiac. Yes, on top of the other health benefits it will also benefit you between the sheets!

Here is a great way to start your morning:

1 cup of Organic Rolled Oats

1tsp of cinnamon

2tbsp of chia seeds

Few drops of stevia

2 cups of almond milk

1 scoop whey protein

1. Boil/micorwave the oatmeal with almond milk
2. Add all the remaining ingredients
3. Enjoy!

This recipe will give you so much energy, you won't need coffee!

(You can buy chia seeds at any healh food store.)

Every fitness junkie knows tons of supplements that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, essentials fatty acids, healthy carbs and fiber and so on. However, what we usually overlook is that there are foods out there with the properties similar to these supplements and are far more natural for our bodies to absorb. Chia seeds is one of those foods. Below are the reasons why chia seeds should be a staple in every person's diet.

1. Chia seeds are packed with omega 3. In fact, they contain more omega 3 than salmon when compared by weight. Omega 3 are important for maintaining a healthy heart and blood cholesterol levels. It also has been proved to significantly aid with the body's ability to burn fat.
2. Chia seeds are also one of the few plant based sources of complete protein. It is not a big amount (4g per 2 tablespoons), but it definetly can add some extra protein to your diet.
3. Chia seeds are also loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants play a significant role in reduction of blood acidity, which is common in people who workout with weights and have a high protein diet.
4. Chia seeds have an astounding amount of fiber, 10g per ounce!
5. By weight, chia seeds has more calcium than whole milk, making it a great subsitute source of calcium, if you don't drink milk.
6. Another pleasant benefit of chia seeds is that they are an aphrodisiac. Yes, on top of the other health benefits it will also benefit you between the sheets!

Here is a great way to start your morning:

1 cup of Organic Rolled Oats

1tsp of cinnamon

2tbsp of chia seeds

Few drops of stevia

2 cups of almond milk

1 scoop whey protein

1. Boil/micorwave the oatmeal with almond milk
2. Add all the remaining ingredients
3. Enjoy!

This recipe will give you so much energy, you won't need coffee!

(You can buy chia seeds at any healh food store.)

www.ivankfitness.com