Fat In Fat Out

The very word Fat invokes a vision of scariness when it comes to food intake, largely down to the press and in part by some nutritional companies pushing there fat busting supplements, however fat alone isn't a bad thing, in actual fact it should form an essential portion of anyone's diet especially if it involves any type of training.
Body builders can actually get leaner using the right fats, Vince Gironda, also known as the iron guru, pioneered fat diets in the early 70's to get his body builders and athletes super lean, so all of the current so called Guru's claiming your right to the fat insurgence, sorry to knock you off your perches but good old Vince was decades ahead of you.
Let me tell you when fats become bad for you, when you combine them with sugars and carbohydrates, why? because sugars reduce fat oxidation and this reduction leads fat to be stored,so certain fats don't make you fat sugars make you fat!

But we need carbohydrates and sugars for energy I hear you shout! fair shout I guess, yes you do need them but your body synthesises about 200g of carbs per day anyway, so why not use fat as an energy source, I do and I feel great on it. Here's a list of fats I use daily to provide me with all the energy I need.

• Salmon
• Flaxseed
• Coconut oil
• Macadamia nut oil
• Almonds
• Peanut Butter
• Olive Oil
• Avocados
• Fish Oils
• Unrefined Animal Fats

In any case, carbs provide energy but that's really it, they don't really have many benefits after that! On the other hand fats have numerous health benefits and some very important roles within the body like

• Hormone Production
• Improved Metabolism
• Neurological Health benefits
• bigger muscles
• Stronger Bones
• Stronger Immune system
• Circulatory health
• and much much more.

So next time don't be afraid of fats, embrace them and get the best out of them for you! good luck and remember "Train With Purpose"

6 Days and Counting

The 2nd of January seems such a long long away, the day I started my prep for my return to Body Building after 22 years. My training has been so hard that occasionally I suffer from exhaustion and it's only my mental strength that allows me to continue onto the next and toughest challenge to date, the NABBA British finals in 6 days.
The over 50's is usually fiercely contended with around 15 Finalists, champions from each region of the UK, so this is not only a tough call for each competitor but also for the Judges, so to do well one has to stand out in many ways, like muscularity, definition, symmetry, skin tone and presentation. I work on all these aspects daily, knowing that many of my fellow competitors miss at least one of those criteria I have mentioned and that's what I'm hoping will give me the edge.
I won't be the biggest guy in the line up but my symmetry and presentation does stand out, at least it has in the previous 2 shows I have won. It's all about getting noticed!
I going into the NABBA britain around 4lbs heavier and in better condition, 4lbs doesn't sound like a lot, but for a short old man like me it's quite significant, I think these improvements have slowly ascended since the the start 2nd January. My carbohydrate intake has increased too, I always kept to low carbs in the past in the fear that I would spill over and loose some of my definition but this simply hasn't happened this time, in fact at 54 years of age I believe I'm leaner and more vascular than ever.
3 more comps and I'm done, NABBA Britain 31st of May, one week later The NABBA World in Belfast and finally one week after that the WABBA Worlds in Athens. I have never ever done 3 shows consecutively so I really don't know how my body is going to react, on a positive slant I have the Chance of winning at least one of those!
The support and kindness that has been shown to me by friends, family, colleagues and sponsors has simply been overwhelming and fuels the fire within me to do well, I hope I make all my supporters proud and bring home the spoils.
I'll blog again on Thursday just to let you know how my week has gone, thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and make comment, it's always inspiring. Visit www.therenzoeffect.com to read my blogs taking me through the whole Journey