5 reasons to weight train

Much research has been done on the benefits of weight training and why EVERYBODY should do it regardless of age, gender or goals!

Increase muscle: 

This may seem like a ridiculously obvious reason but you just can’t get past the benefit it provides. Increased muscle means that you will be stronger allowing you to do activities that you love whether that be carrying grandkids or playing pickup basketball at the gym! 

Prevent future injuries / improve longevity:

When we lift weights it will stretch and strengthen your muscles and the ligaments associated with them. This in turn will stabilize joints such as the knee, shoulder and hip preventing undue damage.  It will also increase bone density which can prevent and reduce damage from falls and other traumas. This is especially important as we age. 

Improves insulin and heart health:

Studies have shown that an increase in muscle mass improves insulin sensitivity and reduces blood glucose levels. Lower Cholesterol and blood pressure have also been noted and studied in individuals that regularly weight train. 

Improves mood and brain health: 

Decreased depression, improved self-esteem, improved cognitive speed and memory have all been associated with weight training versus those who do not train. Lifting weights will make you sharper mentally as well as just plain make you feel better! 

Look better!:

Of course it wouldn’t be a list of benefits without saying that you will look better. Improving your lean mass to fat ratio will increase metabolism. This increased metabolism with burn more fat and give you a leaner appearance. In addition increased muscle tone will help you achieve those biceps or that booty you’ve always wanted! 

No matter how you look at it there is always an upside to lifting weights! This doesn’t mean that you have to go crazy and become a powerlifting champion but taking up weight training 2-4 times a week will have a positive effect in your life! 

If you’re new to lifting contact me for a free sample of my strength and conditioning program! No matter how old you are or how out of shape you are its never too late to start picking ups some weights! 

Happy Lifting y’all! 

Ben 

Interval Weight Training

7 Deadlift at 60-65% 

1 min burpee box jumpover (burpees)

1 min Rest 

5 Rounds 

Deadlift 

Physique

Pendlay Rows 4×12 

4×12 Lat Pulldowns 

4×12 barbell strict press 

3xTricep triple set (10 skull crushers, 10 lat pullovers, 10 Bench Press) 

Do you need Carbs???

Carbs or no Carbs?!?!  A debate that is as old as the internet! Some people eat them all, some people treat them like the kin of Satan. What is the truth and science behind Carbs and whether we should be eating them or not? Let’s take a look at a few facts ! 

The place I think we should begin is with the body…. Are we Herbivores or are we Carnivores? Well, we are a little bit of both, humans are Omnivores and are pretty well adapted  to both protein (meat/animal stuff) and carbohydrate (fruits and grains) consumption for optimal function and wellbeing. Some people might argue this point with me and say that some obscure tribe in Alaska thrives only off of seal blubber. My response to this is that this is an exception and not the rule, also we are talking about OPTIMAL performance not survival. 

Why then do we need both of these nutrients?

Protein is the building block for muscle in the body, while carbohydrate is like the gas to the engine that makes the machine move. Simply put, if you have all carbs and no protein you will have a hard time recovering, not maintain muscle mass and likely have some other serious health issues. On the other hand if you have protein and fat and no carbohydrates you will have very little energy, recover poorly, decrease testosterone if you’re a man among other things. 

So, what should we do? 

Simply put, we need both nutrients in the correct proportions. Everybody is a little different so this is not a hard set rule but it is a good starting point. 

If you’re an athlete or somebody who stays pretty active or really just a human it is recommended that you have a 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat (based on your total calorie intake for a day). This will provide energy for physical activity as well as the building blocks for muscle recovery and hormonal balance. 

In comparison you have the Ketogenic diet which is 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbohydrate. This was originally developed to control epilepsy and never was intended to be a weight loss diet. In the keto macro breakdown there is little fuel for energy and recovery, and relatively low protein for muscle gain. This ends with people having no energy and losing muscle typically. This in turn slows down their metabolism because they don’t have as much muscle burning calories anymore. The carnivore diet is really just a rebranding of the Keto diet with a more manly name and promotes pretty much the same percentages. 

Ultimately when wanting to loose weight it’s most important to find yourself in a caloric deficit, the percentages will really be secondary. THAT BEING SAID, you will have more energy to stay active and be happier eating more carbohydrate. You can eat too many calories in fat just as well as in carbs, and honestly it’s easier to eat more calories in fat than carbs. 

At the end of the day I recommend that you get a bead on how many calories your taking in day to day and then balance out your macronutrients and quit keto or carnivore unless you have epilepsy (I joke of course). Stop, drinking sugary drinks, watch the sauces and butter/oil content of your food and eat an apple because it will make you happy and has a few vitamins in it that you need as well! 

If you guys need more information. Contact me at my email or on brofittraining.com. 

I hope this was helpful and as always remember we still live in America and you can eat whatever you want. 

Stay Strong Y’all! 

Ben 

You ever just scroll through instagram or google search how to shed unwanted body fat? I think we’ve all had that moment of pure frustration when you’ve searched everything and just can’t get a simple answer! Or maybe you’ve tried all the diets that are floating around the internet and they just haven’t panned out how you wanted. Well, hang in there! There are 3 simple things you can do to start your journey to loosing body Fat!

1. Reduce Calorie intake! This seems like a no brainer but it seems to get lost in all the “Keto”, “carnivore”, “whole 30” talk. I hate to burst anyones bubble you can do all of these and it may not be a bad thing but you MUST have a caloric deficit and in my opinion you MUST have all of the macronutrients to function optimally! So, regardless of how you eat and what you eat you have to get those calories down to get sustainable weight loss. My recommendation to anyone on the street is this: Stop drinking your calories, Only eat one plate of food and try to eat at regular intervals to keep from overeating. 
2. Add Lean Mass – The best way to start burning more calories while you’re not exercising is to add more muscle to your body. This does NOT mean you have to get huge rather it means that whatever you weigh you want to tip the percentage of your mass toward muscle rather than fat! Its like upgrading from a Prius to a Corvette, the corvette is plain and simple going to burn more gas and in this situation that’s a good thing! 
3. Drink more WATER – The rule is that for every pound of body weight a person needs to drink half an oz of water. Why you might ask will this help you lose weight? There are a few reasons. First, its an appetite suppressant and you’ll just eat less. Second, your body requires water to metabolize carbohydrates and fat which is ultimately how you burn the fat. Thirdly, it’s been shown that drinking cold water will actually speed UP your metabolism by 1-2 percent for a few hours after drinking it. Lastly, its detoxifying and is going to help your kidneys function well and just keep your body running cleaner. 

Now this is a super general and super simple explanation of a few of the ways we can lose body fat and it should get you thinking about what you can do in your day to day. I will write a detailed nutrition breakdown another day!  If you have any questions or want help getting your nutrition contact me or check out our website brofittraining.com

Stay Classy Y’all

Ben 

I’ve spoken to many clients over the years and there seems to always be a common thought when it comes to loosing weight. Do more cardio!

This has to be one of the biggest mistakes people go into trying lose weight! Rolling into a gym and proceeding to do an hour on the treadmill and hating every minute of it! 

Did you know that for 1 hour on a treadmill at 3.5-5mph you will only burn 300-600cal. You would have to do that 7 times a week to even burn a single pound of fat! 

So if cardio isn’t the answer then what is?? 

The surprising answer is weight training. 

In a study by American journal of physiology weight training proved to be much more effective than aerobic exercise! 

How can this be you ask? 

Well, when you break muscles down with weight training they have to rebuild and this takes calories. And once you have more muscles you burn more calories just sitting at your desk or when you’re resting! Where do these calories come from? They come from your bodies fat stores! Therefore you will be burning more fat more consistently if your strength train over doing cardio! 

And let’s be honest running or bike won’t develop tone and muscles to get a rocking bod the way weight lifting does! Once all that hard work to shed fat is done it would be nice to have toned muscles, am I right?! 

This is not to say that aerobic training doesn’t have its benefits for overall health and cardiovascular health. BUT it is not going to be as effective at reducing body fat and getting you to your goals! 

Contact me or check out BroFit for a strength method that will get you the body you want!

Keep Crushing it! 

Ben 

Today is the first day of taking on BroFit full time! We are launching an online program with options for personal training! We will be posting weekly workouts and informative posts about diet, nutrition and strength and conditioning! If you’re interested in signing up or want more information poke around our website or contact me directly at benlanz86@gmail.com.

Workout of the week:

5 Power Cleans at 70%
2 min Box Jumps or Step Ups
2 min Rest
3 Rounds 

Rest 5:00

5 Strict Press at 7-8 Difficulty 
2 min Burpees 
2 min Rest 
3 Rounds 

Or

*Warmup with 3-4 sets for each lift 
Power Cleans 
3×5 at 70%
– 
Strict Press 
3×5 at 70%
3×15 Dips 
3×15 Barbell Curls 
3×15 Tricep Skull Crushers 
3×15 Wide DB Curls 

Check out our whole program at bro-fitness.com – here’s todays strength section!

Back Squat 5×12@ 50%

–

4×15

Lateral shoulder raises

Front Plate Raises

–

5×20 Ring dips

5×10 Hanging Knee raises

100 BB Bicep Curls

100 Skull Crushers

Every time you stop one immediately switch to the other. Don’t go too light, if you get above 25 reps on the first set start over heavier.

Check out bro-fitness.com for full programming!

BroFit Strength

See bro-fitness.com for full programming!