Q: I’m an 18-year-old male. I have a little bit of belly fat. I can see my top two abs when I tense. My question is, how can I get a six pack by spring break? What do I need to do? – Will

A: A six pack by spring break? Doable! Get ready to shed excess fat and build muscle—the two keys to a “fast track” six pack.

P.S. You probably already have a six pack underneath that “little bit of belly fat.” Especially if you can see definition in the top abs. Ready to bring it forth?

Attack the Flab Around Your Midsection

1. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Interval cardio will burn more fat than steady state cardio (like running or cycling at a steady pace). And, you’ll build more muscle. Interval cardio consists of short bursts of high intensity exertion, followed by brief periods of “active” rest. This keeps the body off balance so it can’t adjust and hoard calories, and it also works multiple muscle groups. Best of all, not only will you burn more fat during a HIIT workout,  you’ll get EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. What does that mean? More calorie burn post-workout! Get the full scoop in our metabolic circuit post.

2. Eat Healthier. Skip the refined sugar (what’s that?), the fries and other junk food, and focus on maintaining a healthy, well-rounded diet. It’s important to incorporate lots of variety into your meals to make sure you get ample nutrients. We recommend eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, instead of 2-3. This will enhance your metabolism, reduce unhealthy cravings, and deliver plenty of energy for your workouts. You’ll want to steer clear of carbonation, as well—soda and beer are the enemies of a washboard stomach!

3. Drink Green Tea. It’s a metabolism-booster and antioxidant with proven stomach fat-blasting benefits. Don’t like the taste? You can take Green Tea in extract form, on its own or as a compound supplement (get it at any grocery store). Read more about the benefits of green tea.

While you’re losing that little bit of excess fat, you can jump right into your ab muscle workouts! Lean muscle mass burns more calories, so your strength training will fuel your fat burn.

4 Moves for a Rock-Solid Stomach

1. Keep Your Abs Engaged. Your core region (lower back, abs and glutes) make up your “stabilizer” muscle group. This powerhouse is constantly at work when you’re doing ANY kind of workout, so take advantage of this! When you’re lifting weights, or doing anything that uses your stabilizer muscles, consciously tap into that strength—keep your abs tight and posture solid, and you’ll see big results.

2. Use Compound Movements.  When targeting your abs, compound exercises are better than isolated ones. Why not work multiple muscle groups at once? Some compound movements that work the whole ab region include Planks and the Bicycle Maneuver:

• For Planks, lie face down, forearms and toes pressed into the floor, and lift your hips up off the floor. Engage your abs, straighten your back and hold this position for as long as you can. Trust us, you’ll feel your entire ab region engaged! When you progress, you can also try a plank variation using an exercise ball.
  

• For Bicycle Maneuver, lie with your back on the floor, hands behind your head and elbows spread wide. Keeping your lower back pressed into the floor and abs contracted, crunch across the body—one elbow to the opposite knee. Alternate continuously. This will work more muscles than a standard crunch.

3. Eat Protein.  Protein will allow your body to rebuild muscle after your workouts. Great sources include lean meat, nuts, eggs, cheese and legumes. Another excellent source of protein is a protein shake, which can be one of your 5-6 daily meals. A whey or soy protein powder, when mixed with soy or skim milk, can give you roughly 20 grams of protein. Drink your protein shake at the right time for maximum results.

4. Get Plenty of Rest.  “Fast-track” doesn’t mean you need to work out every single day. If you work the same muscle group two days in a row, you’ll make it hard for your body to recover—which is when the actual muscle development takes place. If you are committed to working out every day, do cardio or active stretching on the days in between your strength training workouts. And make sure you get the right amount of sleep, too, because it’s prime muscle recovery time.

You’ve got a big goal, but it should be easy to get a six pack quickly if you follow these steps diligently. (It will require the same determination to keep that six pack when you return to school, of course!)

Get a six-pack your own way with a little push from 4-Hour Body.

More good reads:

• Are you training your core or your abs?
• Ab-blasting got you sore? How to prevent second-day soreness
• Is Final Phase Fat Loss the ticket to your six-pack?

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Want to burn fat faster, especially in those trouble spots? Then stop zoning out to the wheeze of the treadmill. It’s time to switch up your routine with metabolic circuits!

“Metabolic circuits are a lot of fun and can really benefit your health and fitness,” says Lori Incledon in her book Strength Training for Women. The fitness world is abuzz over metabolic training because it delivers a super-effective workout for muscle gain AND fat loss. Did we mention you can do a circuit in 30 minutes or less?

“Metabolic conditioning” or “metabolic training” refers to exercise designed to replicate the types of exertion used in sports—high energy, high engagement, total body movements. The “circuit” is simply the cycle of exercises you set up in your routine.

So why does metabolic training lead to increased muscle mass and fat burn?

Reason #1 – Metabolic Circuits Use Resistance Training

“Study after study show health benefits from resistance training,” Craig Ballantyne told The Nate Green Experience. “After all, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that a good superset lifting session works your muscles and cardio-vascular system a lot better than a 30-minute walk in the park.”

As in sports, you’ll be doing some serious muscle multitasking in your circuit. By using compound instead of isolated movements, you work multiple muscle groups for a balanced, full-body workout.

And with brief rest periods, active rest, or simply resting one muscle group while you work the other, you’re able to do even more strength training in a short amount of time.

Increasing your lean muscle mass will accelerate your calorie burn, but to get the full effects, “you need to lift heavy,” says Jade Teta, ND, CSCS. “Your muscles should be burning.” The idea of a metabolic circuit is to get close to muscle exhaustion fairly quickly, so you shouldn’t be able to do 12+ reps in a set. If you can only lift 2-3 reps of a heavy weight while maintaining control and flawless form, that’s fine.

Reason #2 – Metabolic Circuits Get Your Heart Rate High

By incorporating intense bursts of exertion at intervals—2 minutes of jumping jacks, say, or spinning on a bike as fast as you can—you’re getting your heart rate up for great cardiovascular benefits. Alternating between high intensity and low intensity (active rest) keeps your heart rate up, while allowing your body to rest between exercises.

As with the resistance component of your circuit, the goal is to emulate sports training, so focus on intensity over quantity. It’s not as important how long you jump rope, but that you do it as hard as you can. “You shouldn’t be able to talk,” Teta explains. So if you’re chatting with a pal or humming a tune, you aren’t making the most of your circuit.

Reason #3 – Metabolic Circuits Generate Afterburn

Varied, high intensity exercise is proven to create EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption), also known as “afterburn.” For one, you’re exerting energy at full capacity, which creates an oxygen debt. And two, the varied movements prevent your body from adjusting to your level of exertion and conserving oxygen (as it would in steady state exercise). So, metabolic circuits increase your energy expenditure during and after training, burning up calories to do so.

Are You Getting Full Metabolic Effects?

“There are four reliable ways to stimulate the maximum caloric burn both during and after the exercise session,” says Teta. “We call these the ‘Bs’ and the ‘Hs’, breathless, burning, heavy and heat. Each workout should work to generate all four of these components.”

In other words, when you finish your circuit you should be wobbly, sweating, striving to catch your breath, and clawing for your water bottle. Your muscles should be fatigued, and if you’re just starting out, you can probably expect a few days of soreness.

You should not be dizzy, faint, precariously wheezing, or on the verge of pulling a muscle. It’s especially important when doing metabolic training to eat right and stay hydrated. You should also prevent soreness with stretching and foam rolling, both before and after your circuit.

Keep Your Circuits Short and Sweet

In your eagerness to get started, be careful not to over-train. If you’re a beginner, ease your way in slowly. Diving into an intense workout could easily cause injury, which is NOT going to get you any closer to your fitness goals. Nor are extended soreness, pain, or an inability to walk for two weeks.

The beauty of metabolic circuits is that they’re designed to be short and sweet, so you don’t need to overdo it. The goal of lifting in your circuit is to expend maximum strength with control and correct form. You’re not going to be able to do that for very long.

To get the most from your metabolic circuits, don’t push yourself beyond your capacity, and always allow adequate rest between heavy workout days. 30 minutes, 2-3 (non-consecutive) days a week should be plenty. And, to start out, 10-20 minutes is just fine.

It only takes a short period of high energy, high effort, total-focus activity to get exceptional fitness results. So set up your metabolic circuit and start reaping the rewards!

Have you tried metabolic circuits? Can they replace cardio in your workout regimen, or do you do both?

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Protect Your Muscle Quality for Better Gain

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Strength training is a broad term often used to describe power, strength, and endurance training using resistance. There are many different ways to create resistance in a strength and conditioning program that will develop muscle. Strength training should be done in a methodical way with young athletes because of its impact not only on muscle but many other parts of the body. The following list includes other parts in the body that benefit from strength training:

· Bones- Bones need to be stressed to gain density. There is an old law that has been around since the beginning of time… “We lose what we don’t use.” Simply put, if young athletes aren’t stressing their bones they are not growing stronger and the potential of fractures will increase.

* Tendons/ Ligaments- Tendons are what connect the muscle to the bones, ligaments connect bone to bone. Tendon and ligament injuries are the most common injuries that occur during athletics events.
* Brain- As your athlete’s strength increases through strength training their performance in their sport will improve. Young athletes become more confident success will follow. It will also give the parent, a peace of mind knowing that their young athletes can perform better with less of a chance of being injured.

Young athletes can begin participating in a strength and conditioning program as young as seven or eight years old or coachable. If your child is old enough to participate in sports such as football, basketball, baseball, and gymnastics, then they are ready to begin strength training as long as they are coachable. In fact if your child is involved in these kinds of sports, a strength and conditioning program should be participated in for at least 6-12 weeks a year.

If you feel your child is ready for the challenge and teachable then get them involved in a strength and conditioning program. Keep it safe, keep it fun and these athletes continue strength training throughout their lives and reap the benefits that follow.

Let’s get something clear right up front.  Doing any form of exercise incorrectly can cause injury. Doing exercises you aren’t in good enough condition to do can cause injury. And running is one activity that people are prone to injure themselves doing.

Why do people run?

Everybody is doing it.  At least every fit person in the neighborhood or at work. On a whim you can open your door and be on your way. It doesn’t take any coaching to be up and going. Running is instinctive. You have been doing it since you were a kid.

Why do people get hurt running?

People get hurt because they choose to run as their only form of exercise. Or because their technique is bad. Or because running puts high amounts of stress on your joints.

Taking a run as your only form of exercise can put your body in a vulnerable position. Even though it’s instinctive, it isn’t always natural, especially if you’re just starting to get back in shape. Injury generally happens when an incorrect movement pattern is performed repetitively, which is common among beginning runners.

Running with correct form is difficult and requires a certain level of strength and fitness. The stress put on your joints from each stride can be overwhelming and can eventually cause breakdown. The more you weigh, the more pressure there is on your joints when you run.

If you choose to run, how can you prepare?

To start, give yourself some time to prepare physically for the demands of running. One good way is to pick another cardio exercise to build up your cardiovascular fitness without the stress it puts on your joints. If you are overweight or obese, losing some of the extra weight will help as well.

It is very important to work on  increasing your muscle quality, flexibility and strength, which will improve the health of your joints. There are several ways you can do this. To improve the quality of the muscle, use a foam roller twice a day until you work out all of the problem areas in the muscle. It will be just as important to continue rolling out before and after your running workouts to keep the muscle healthy.

Active stretching will help increase flexibility and reinforce proper movement patterns. The active stretching will also make you stronger through all ranges of motion. Some form of a strength training routine will help you get stronger so your body can handle the stress of running, and it improves your aesthetic appeal.

Let your voice be heard. Do you think running is worth the chance of injury? Do you have tips for injury prevention?

In search of the fountain of youth, many of you have turned to exercise to add as many healthy years to your life as possible. But is what you’re doing at the gym really making you feel younger and more productive? Is just getting your blood flowing enough to make you look  50-going-on-30?

There is no question that exercise is an effective anti-aging tool — but only if used correctly. It should improve your flexibility, posture, cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone. Does your program effectively address all these areas of fitness?

For example, do you do enough strength training to decrease the muscle loss associated with aging? On average, individuals lose up to one pound of muscle every year starting in their early 30′s. Strength training your entire body is essential to maintaining that muscle and keeping  it burning calories.

Anti-aging exercises are designed to increase flexibility and improve posture and strength. In a recent e-newsletter from one of my favorite trainers, Mike Boyle, he criticized the average gym-goer for doing too many bench presses, bicep curls and bike rides. He said these exercises reinforce poor posture that is typical of the elderly: shoulders rolled forward, neck out, bent over at the waist.

To bench press without at least the equivalent number of sets of back exercises will cause your shoulders to roll forward (from those tight pecs) and neck to stick out. If you really want to look young and spry, you might even want to do more sets of back than chest, like John Romaniello recommends in his program Final Phase Fat Loss.

Sometimes the best approach is to get your body in balance and keep that way from the beginning. Mark Verstegan in his book Core Performance coined the phrase pre-habilitation, meaning doing rehabilitation exercise before injury to make sure that all of the joints in the body are functioning correctly.  These exercises focus on stretching and strengthening muscles around the joint to get the joint in balance. The primary areas of focus are the core, shoulders and knees — areas that are commonly injured. Reducing injuries allows you to work out harder and more consistently.

Back to getting your blood pumping: It can have a tremendous effect on your overall fitness if done correctly. The challenge is that too many gym-goers jump on exercise bikes, watch the TV and forget they are even exercising. Not only is the bike hard on your hip flexors, but it puts you back into a seated position — which you spend too much time in anyway! The shortening of your hip flexors can be detrimental to the health of your lower back. Mike recommends cardiovascular exercise that keeps you upright, like walking or running.

You can’t stay young forever, but why not feel like you are for as long as possible? Focus on doing anti-aging-friendly exercises at the gym.

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You’d think your new go-go-go lifestyle would be enough exercise to lose the baby weight. If it isn’t, here’s some extra pound-shedding help from the pros and the mamas who’ve been there.

Mood Foods for Postpartum Blues

Take a breather for some “you time.” New moms struggling to stay sane after their world has been turned upside-down love this advice. If putting aside the baby/husband/housework/cooking/job were an option, they would’ve done it long ago. So how can you de-stress when a midday snooze or bubble bath isn’t an option? Try including some good mood foods in your meals.

For a little serenity, hike your serotonin levels with complex carbs: pasta, couscous, brown rice and potatoes. Nutritionist Jane Harrison, R.D. says the postpartum diet should also include plenty of healthy fats like nuts and olive oil. Sounds like the Mediterranean Diet could be a great place to start.

Another key to the post-baby diet is antioxidants, Harrison says. Not only will they lift your spirits and help you think better, they’ll help burn fat, too. But since she advises against alcohol and caffeine, skip the green tea and wine and get your antioxidants from fruits, veggies, supplements and other sources.

How to Start Exercising Again (Even If You Feel Like a Beached Whale)

It’s not easy to get moving again after childbirth. Even the most solid fitness regimen can be thwarted by a hiatus, and when your body has taken abeating during that hiatus — even harder. Many new moms feel like they’re starting from scratch even if they were active through pregnancy.

If it’s OK with your doctor or midwife, start with the basics and take it slow (see How to Restart Your Fitness Regimen After a Break). Even walking is good stress- and endorphin-releasing exercise, so taking baby out in the stroller is a great start.

When you’re ready to progress, start strength training and try some hardcore workouts… until baby starts crawling, when keeping up may be all the exercise you need!

Too Soon for a Core Workout?

According to BabyCenter says it takes 4-8 weeks after childbirth for the gap that forms in your abdominal muscles (to accommodate baby) to fully close. Working that region too soon can cause injury. If you’re wondering whether the abdominal muscle gap has closed, here’s a test.

If you had a Cesarean section like VS “Angel” Alessandra Ambrosio, you’re likely to be banned from ab exercises for much longer.

If you are ready to strengthen and tone your midsection, your best bet is with exercises that work the whole core region — abs, obliques, lower back, glutes and hip flexors.

Back Away from the Fridge Slowly

If you’re stuck in a raid-the-fridge-at-1-a.m. habit, back out of it slowly or you’re likely to rebound (see The Truth About Cravings). Better to cut back a few items at a time and give yourself a weekly cheat day.

Get your cravings in check by making yourself working for treats: keep healthy foods and water handy and junk food out of reach. One of my favorite food rules is to only eat French fries, cookies, pizza, etc. if you make it yourself. It works because you’ll only make ‘em if you really want ‘em — and it’ll be the healthier version, too.

More Fat Burn, Less Gym Time

For tangible results and a motivation boost, track your exercise and nutrition program. Set up your tracking plan and then read The Well Mom’s tips for weighing yourself smartly.

Also, think twice before reading a book while on the stationary bike: multitasking could have you pedaling backward. Read these instructions for bringing focus to your workout.

Finally, add some high-intensity interval cardio to the mix. Metabolic training (Heidi Klum’s post-baby M.O.) will keep you burning energy long after you’ve left the gym.

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Over the last ten years there has been a monumental shift in the way we train our abs or core (or whatever people are calling the area that contains your belly button).

The motivations remain the same: we want a flat and smooth stomach or six small packs of bulging muscle minus the fat that usually lays over them. But as with most things fitness, the industry has come to understand the global impact of exercise and how working out one muscle affects another.

Thus, you can’t properly train your rectus abdominis (Six Pack) without training your transverse abdominis (Stomach Girdle), obliques (Love Handles), lower back, and pelvis attachments (Glutes and Hip Flexors). For future reference when we talk about the core on this site we will be referring to all of these muscles. So if you want those great looking abs without throwing your body out of balance you are going to have to train your entire core.

Why Train the Entire Core:

- Improved muscle tone

- Improved balance, stability, and posture

- Reduced risk of injury

- Increase of functional strength

- Increased activation of stabilizing muscles

Dangers of Only Training Abs:

- Tight hip flexors

- Back pain

- Lack of results

Here is a great beginner core workout that will challenge you if you are just starting out:

Beginner’s Guide to Toned, Sculpted and Stacked

Can too much cardio take away from your strength training?

Hey, hardgainers, you CAN build muscle!

Apparently the body bar has been around since 1987, so where has it been all my life? I just discovered it a few years ago. I’d never seen one in any Utah gym but when I moved to California they were everywhere. I first used one in a Pilates class and then began hoarding them for all my workouts.

Used for resistance and balance exercises, this weight—sometimes called a “sculpting bar” or “sculpting stick”—is a slender 4-ft pole that ranges from 3-24 lbs. Your gym will probably have 9, 12, 15 and 18 lbs, an ideal range for most of your toning exercises.

Working Out with a Big Stick

These bars are made of steel and come with a rubber, plastic or padded covering (I especially like the cushioned grip option). The bar’s real perk is its ultimate flexibility. From presses, rows and curls to dead-lifts and leg lifts, you can work it into just about everything. In addition to the classic model, there are bendable, long, mini, sectional bars to suit any occasion.

I’ll admit the body bar does sound (and look and feel) a bit strange at first. But once you trade your dumbbell for this amazing product, you will understand its appeal. How often do you get to work your core, back, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and inner and outer thighs… with one single piece of equipment?

Raising the Bar: Arm-Sculpting Exercises

Mine is 12 lbs and breaks into three 4-lb pieces. It twists and locks in place so it’s completely stable as a full bar, but being able to separate it adds tons of options for an uninterrupted workout. The full bar can be used for unilateral movements like overhead extensions, rowing (like you would row a canoe with a paddle), and balance activities. From there, break it apart for bilateral movements like bicep curls.

Another plus with the segmented bar: you can adjust resistance without heading back to the rack for a different weight. Start with one segment and gradually add on as you condition your body.

If you already have a one, you’ll love these four fundamental body bar moves from Women’s Health.

The Secret to Victoria’s Secret-Worthy Legs

Another reason the body bar beats dumbbells: you can use it to tone your legs. Most women want long, lean legs, which is where the body bar comes in handy. Adding resistance with the bar lets you build and define the leg muscles without adding the bulk that often comes from using your full body weight (i.e., squats and lunges).

If you’re a beginner, you can use the bar for balance while performing standing inner and outer leg lifts—or get the full resistance with a floor leg lift. The inner thigh lift with bar is great for toning the impossibly-stubborn inner thigh area. The bar is easy to control from this angle once you get the hang of it. Add resistance by extending the bar further off your leg.

Body Bar-Hopping

Is a body bar the ideal free weight for women? I’ve heard many people say so. I’m not sure if it’s because the weighted-bar works better with our body contour or because it better suits our goals. Maybe we just think it’s more svelte than clunky, ice-cold dumbbells?

Of course, it isn’t just about style: using it can add new dimensions to your workout, like balance, coordination and variety. It’s also a handy prop for poses that require standing on one leg!

The body bar is ideal for a home gym where space and equipment are limited. The Firm and The Body Bar sell them for about $25-$75 online, but I bought my Gaiam body bar on sale for 20 bucks (and it came with a DVD!).

Think the body bar is just for girls? Men’s Health will prove you wrong! Try these serious six-pack-sculpting body bar exercises.

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How to Gain Muscle Faster

My question is, should I increase speed or tension or duration of the workout?”

A: Good for you for creating a program that includes both strength training and cardio. Here’s why it’s a smart move:

Resistance training builds muscle mass to keep us strong as we age. Muscle mass also keeps our metabolism high and prevents obesity. “It can slow the muscle loss that comes with age, build the strength of your muscles and connective tissues, increase bone density, cut your risk of injury, and help ease arthritis pain,” says WebMD’s Barbara Russi Sarnataro.

Cardiovascular exercise improves the heart’s ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles efficiently. It reduces our risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. Older adults who get regular cardiovascular exercise are less likely to fall. It also keeps your brain working youthfully and helps you sleep soundly at night.

In addition to cardio and strength training, balance and flexibility exercises will help you preserve your quality of life well into old age.

Longer, Stronger or Faster?

Assuming your primary goal is general health and not fat loss, you will benefit from stepping up your cardio in any of these areas:

• Going Faster: “More vigorous aerobic activities, such as brisk walking, running, swimming, bicycling, roller skating and jumping rope are best for improving the fitness of the heart and lungs,” the American Heart Association says.
• Adding Tension: Adding tension and using your body weight will strengthen your legs and core, which will in turn make it easier to exercise more on the elliptical.
• Keep Going: While it won’t prevent weight gain as efficiently as increasing speed and tension, long cardio does have a place in your conditioning. “It gets the blood flowing and helps in the recovery of the muscle tissue after performing strenuous exercise,” says Skyler Meine, CPT. Read more

Switch It Up

Interval cardio (going as hard as you can, resting with low-level activity, and repeating) is more beneficial than steady state cardio (long bouts of cardio at the same intensity). Your elliptical may have an interval setting that varies tension and speed to give you a great interval workout.

For those over 65 or with physical limitations, the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association offer these guidelines.

To prevent soreness and injury, always do a warm-up and active stretching before you exercise.

How Many Days of Cardio Do You Need?

According to the American Heart Association, healthy adults between the ages of 18–65 need at least five days of 30-minute activity each week. With that in mind, your best bet might be to focus on getting up to a 30-minute cardio routine. Once you’re there, shift gears: gradually go faster or add tension.

Are you doing strength training on the same day as cardio? If you’re getting exhausted quickly during cardio, you might prefer to alternate strength training and cardio days. By using your “rest” days to do long cardio, you’ll have more energy when you hit the elliptical machine.

When combining cardio and strength training in the same workout session, which should you do first? Find out.

Avoid the Sedentary Trap

They say that all physical activity adds up to a healthier heart, so don’t stop when you leave the gym. Climbing stairs, yard work and taking the long way into the grocery store will all benefit your health.

Finally, create a plan and track your results. This will be the best way to determine what works for you and it’s a great way to stay motivated!

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What to Eat After Your Workout

Get Fit at the Office

A: It’s hard to imagine working out for two hours a day and going back for more. You rock!

For those who don’t know, Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a combat sport and self-defense system using grappling and ground fighting (Wikipedia). In other words, it’s a serious workout. Many smaller guys and girls can use jiu-jitsu to pack a serious punch… or chokehold.

Jiu-jitsu puts the body in a catabolic state, which is the opposite of an anabolic – or muscle-building – state.

“As a general consensus in the strength training industry, medium to high intensity cardio with a duration OVER the 1 hour mark is seen as an instigator for the body shifting into a muscle burning state,” trainer Reuben Bajada explains.

To keep from burning up all your muscle through a mega-cardio workout like jiu-jitsu, you need to do three things in your strength training program:

1. Eat more
2. Lift more
3. Rest more

Pile Up Your Plate

To up your caloric intake, ready your fork… you’re going to be eating at least 5-6 meals a day. You should already be doing this anyway, in order to supply your body with ample energy for your jiu-jitsu sessions. To build, you can even ramp it up to 7 or 8 a day, like followers of John Berardi’s Massive Eating Plan do.

Of course you need to consume plenty of protein to build up those muscles. But in order to send that protein straight to your muscles instead of letting your body tap it for energy, try to get the bulk of your calories from carbs.

Further increase your carb and protein intake before and after your workouts. If you’re exercising for over 1.5 hours, drink carbs during your session, too. Certified Professional Trainer Skyler Meine also suggests having a power-packed protein shake before you strength train.

Lift Heavy

To get progressively stronger, lift big and make those numbers climb, says Jason Ferruggia in an interview with Craig Ballantyne. “The numbers have to go up on the squats, the deads, the cleans, the chin ups,” he says. “Keep pushing those up and keep pushing the calories up.”

Ferruggia recommends full body workouts for beginners, and split routines (upper and lower) for advanced. If you’re looking for direction on what to do, read his “Best Exercises for Body Parts.”

You might want to squeeze your lifting in before jiu-jitsu, in order to get the most power out of your muscles.

Rest Abundantly

The primary muscle repair time is when you’re resting, so pencil it in. Overtraining will get you nowhere fast. Allow at least a day between strength training sessions (or refrain from working the same muscle group two days in a row).

Many builders swear by active stretching and foam rolling, which preserve muscle quality and make for a better workout. In addition to conditioning your muscles, stretching and “rolling out” your muscles can help you achieve focus and get in synch with your body before you start lifting. That will save you from overtraining, or pushing your muscles too hard and getting injured.

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep every night, and squeeze in a little extra rest with the fine art of napping. I also recommend Nate Green’s instructions for perfect sleep (see, guys can wear eye masks too!).

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