The key to fat burning is using interval workouts

"Getting Up to Speed

They say that slow and steady wins the race. But the cardiovascular key to fat burning is using interval workouts - workouts that alternate high-intensity levels with lower-intensity effort. As I mentioned earlier, that formula keeps your body burning calories long after you've stopped working out.

Interval workouts mimic sports - start-and-stop motions with periods of sprinting or close-to-sprinting speeds followed by light jogging or rest. You can use interval workouts any way you want - running, cycling, swimming, on elliptical trainers, even walking if you alternate a speed walk and slow walk.

You can also vary the intensity levels in different combinations. To start, here are three options for setting your workout. (If you use exercise machines, don't choose the interval workout; choose the manual one, and create your own intensities by adjusting it yourself. It'll give you greater control over the speeds and will help you burn fat faster.) You'll derive benefits in as little as a 20-minute interval workout. As you build up endurance and strength, you can add time to your workout.

Interval Variation I: Standard

The following is a typical interval workout. You alternate the same period of low intensity with the same period of higher intensity.

1. 3 - 5 minutes warmup (light jog, low intensity, gradually increasing at the end of the warmup period)
2. 1 minute moderate or high intensity followed by 1 minute low intensity (repeat 6 - 8 times)
3. 3 - 5 minutes cooldown (light jog, low intensity, gradually decreasing by the end of the cooldown period)

Interval Variation II: Pyramid

This pyramid structure allows you to start with short bursts of speed, and then you'll peak at the longest surge of energy in the middle of your workout before coming back down.

1. 3 - 5 minutes warmup
2. 30 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
3. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
4. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
5. 90 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
6. 60 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
7. 45 seconds high intensity, 1 minute low intensity
8. 30 seconds high intensity
9. 3-5 minutes cooldown

Interval Variation III: Sports Conditioning

Sports are unpredictable. This interval simulates some of that unpredictability by having you doing different times and different intensities. You can mix and match the orders and repetitions as much as you want. Rest longer after the periods in which you use the most energy.

1. 3 - 5 minutes warmup
2. 2 minutes moderate or high intensity followed by 2 minutes low intensity (repeat once
3. 30 seconds high intensity followed by 30 seconds low intensity (repeat four times)
4. 60-yard sprints (or 10 seconds if not running) followed by 90 seconds rest (repeat 6 - 10 times)
5. 3 - 5 minutes cooldown"

This article has a few interesting HIIT cardio routines. Give them a try.

I will continue posting on this subject because my feeling is today's athletes still don't know enough about HIIT and don't realize all the advantages it has for fat loss, cardiovascular and physical conditioning. Reed more about it here.

Sample (simple) diet plan

This is my last installment on the series “Nutrition: How to Build Your Own Customized Diet Plan” started in March. I tried to cover pretty much all you will need to know in order to be able to prepare a sound diet plan for yourself and not pay somebody a hefty price without even knowing if he has the required knowledge to do it correctly. I wanted you to also take the guesswork out of the whole process if you decided to do it yourself.

I will finish the series by giving you a simple lay out of a diet plan that I give to my clients so it’s easier for them to carry in their wallets and pull out every time they need it be it in restaurants or at home.

It’s based on the exchange plan from the “Meal Exchanges and Macronutrient Groups” article (don’t forget to download my e-book “Macro and Micronutrients Reference Guide” by clicking on the banner in the top right corner, it’s free).

The total calories are 2,000. It’s also based on 5 meals per day (post workout shake being one of them).

185 grams protein / 7 grams per exchange ~ 27 protein exchanges

195 grams carbohydrates / 15 grams per exchange = 13 carbohydrate exchanges

50 grams fats / 5 grams per exchange = 10 fat exchanges

Meal Carbohydrates Proteins Fats

1 2.5 (40gr.) 6 (40gr.) 4 (20gr.)

2 5.5 (80gr.) 5 (35gr.) 2 (10gr.)

3 2.5 (40gr.) 6 (40gr.) 4 (20gr.)

4 2.5 (25gr.) 6 (40gr.) ---------------(Post w/o shake)

5 0.5 (10gr.) 5 (35gr.) -------------

That was just for your information. And this is the actual plan:

1 meal: Prolab’s Naturally Lean Complex (2 packs)+ 1 tsp Natural peanut or almond butter
or: ~ 3 items from green list + 5 items from red list + 4 items from yellow list

2 meal: ~ 5 items from the green list + 5 items from red list + 2 items from yellow list

3 meal: Prolab’s Naturally Lean Complex (2 packs)+ 1 tsp Natural peanut or almond butter
or: ~ 3 items from green list + 5 items from red list + 4 item from yellow list

4 meal: 2 scoops CFM whey protein + 1 medium banana (shake)

5 meal: ~ 0.5 item from the green list + 5 items from red list

You remember if it says 5 items from the green list you can pick 5 exchanges from the same thing or 3 from one and 2 from another, or 1 from one and 4 from another and so forth. Same with the red and the yellow lists.

And now to make things even easier along with the above table all you need to remember is approximately 3 green exchanges look like your fist if it’s cooked grains; approximately 4 red exchanges are the size and the thickness of you palm (fingers not included;-) if it’s cooked meat; and finally 2 yellow exchanges are an almost full table spoon of oil (flax, olive, etc.) or 6-8 almonds. Don’t forget there is some fat in the meat regardless of how lean it is.

Also I’m giving you a choice to use a meal replacement pack in meals 1 and 3 if for any reason you can’t find or don’t carry solid food with you. Don’t overdo those, though. It’s just for convenience but it should be done as an exception only and not more that in once a day.

That’s it. If you have any questions, comment here and I will answer.

Good luck;-)

-Ivan

Calories cycling

We aren’t done with the topic “How to Build Your Own Customized Diet Plan”. What else do you need to know? Calorie cycling! This is something without which natural bodybuilders have problems staying in good shape. Why? Because we still have to eat a little bit more (when in a positive calorie balance) in an off-season and we want to gain lean muscle mass. We also cycle when dieting down to keep the metabolism from plunging.

What can happen to you if you don’t cycle the calories? One of two things:

1. If in an off-season you have pretty good chance to gain a good layer of fat along with the new muscle tissue if not only fat. Or:
2. You won’t eat enough calories to initiate any growth at all. Or:
3. If dieting down your metabolism will adjust to the lesser amount of calories and the increased calorie expenditure by switching to a slow burning mode. At that point you can further increase the expenditure to keep shedding fat but you will be losing twice as much muscle tissue. And at the end you will still have some fat left, no energy left at all and not too much muscle left either.

I was sure you don’t like any of these scenarios, so keep reading.

But why is this Important especially in the sport of natural bodybuilding? Good question.

Because we, natural bodybuilders don’t rely on any chemical substances to build our bodies even on a lower calorie diet and a lot of cardio in an off-season the way non-natural athletes do (which is not actually a real muscle growth. It’s rather pure water retention). We have to hard earn our muscles based only on food and proper exercise.

How do you cycle? Simple. There aren’t a set number of days that you have to go high on Cals and then low. But there is a rule that you have to conform to. The sum of the calories in all days from a given cycle divided by the number of days in the cycle should equal what you’ve got as a result from following the previous steps.

I’ll explain. Let’s say you’ve decided to go 1 higher day and 3 lower. In your results from the previous steps you’ve arrived at the number of 2,500, which means you need that much Calories in order to continue to move successfully towards your goal.

1 + 3 = 4 (I know you are not an idiot, but I have to lay it this way so others!;-) will know what I’m doing and where these numbers come from)

2,500 x 4 = 10,000 Cal for the 4 days total

Day one you will have 2,800 Cal, and days 2, 3 and 4 you will have 2400.

2,800 + (3 x 2,400) = 10,000

It’s not hard, right. It’s actually really easy once you get over that fear of seeing so many numbers and doing so many calculations…

What other schemes for cycling? Here:

You can do 1 high + 2 low + 1 even lower.

Or:

2 high + 5 low… and so forth.

I always like to keep the difference in calories between high and low days at least 300 – 400 Cal. You can do 500 very successfully.

Oh, one more thing. I almost forgot… Start with the high calorie days so that before your next high calorie day you will have started to get calorie depleted.

And one last thing. I promise after this one I will let you go. I’ll hate to keep you here forever.

You can cycle pretty much everything – carbs, proteins, fats. But you MUST at least cycle the carbs. That’s absolute must!!!

There is one more post that I have to make before I can say “I’ve finished this topic”.

Soon;-)

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation during resistance training on body composition, bone density, strength...

Entrez PubMed: "Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) are essential fatty acids that have been reported in animal studies to decrease catabolism, promote fat loss, increase bone density, enhance immunity, and serve as an antiatherogenic and anticarcinogenic agent. For this reason, CLA has been marketed as a supplement to promote weight loss and general health. CLA has also been heavily marketed to resistance-trained athletes as a supplement that may help lessen catabolism, decrease body fat, and promote greater gains in strength and muscle mass during training. Although basic research is promising, few studies have examined whether CLA supplementation during training enhances training adaptations and/or affects markers of health. This study evaluated whether CLA supplementation during resistance training affects body composition, strength, and/or general markers of catabolism and immunity. In a double-blind and randomized manner, 23 experienced, resistance-trained subjects were matched according to body mass and training volume and randomly assigned to supplement their diet with 9 g;pdd(-1) of an olive oil placebo or 6 g;pdd(-1) of CLA with 3 g;pdd(-1) of fatty acids for 28 days. Prior to and following supplementation, fasting blood samples, total body mass, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) determined body composition, and isotonic bench press and leg press 1 repetition maximums (1RMs) were determined. Results revealed that although some statistical trends were observed with moderate to large effect sizes, CLA supplementation did not significantly affect (p > 0.05) changes in total body mass, fat-free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, bone mass, strength, serum substrates, or general markers of catabolism and immunity during training. These findings indicate that CLA does not appear to possess significant ergogenic value for experienced resistance-trained athletes."

There are quite a few studies and articles on the benefits of CLA on fat loss and muscle catabolism prevention out there, many of them done on laboratory animals and some on humans. Although there is no doubt that there is an advantage of supplementing with CLA, being an essential substance for the body, it is my personal opinion that most of the above mentioned studies are paid for from the very companies that manufacture this supplement. I'm waiting to see more independent studies like this one to see where the truth lies.

The Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation during Resistance Training.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise - Abstract: Volume 38(2) February 2006 p 339-348 The Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation during Resistance Training.: "Abstract:
Purpose: We determined the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation during resistance training.

Methods: Seventy-six subjects were randomized to receive CLA (5 g[middle dot]d-1) or placebo (PLA) for 7 wk while resistance training 3 d[middle dot]wk-1. Seventeen subjects crossed over to the opposite group for an additional 7 wk. Measurements at baseline, 7 wk, and 14 wk (for subjects in the crossover study) included body composition, muscle thickness of the elbow flexors and knee extensors, resting metabolic rate (RMR), bench and leg press strength, knee extension torque, and urinary markers of myofibrillar degradation (3-methylhistidine (3MH) and bone resorption (cross-linked N-telopeptides (Ntx)).

Results: After 7 wk the CLA group had greater increases in lean tissue mass (LTM) (+1.4 vs +0.2 kg; P <>Conclusions: Supplementation with CLA during resistance training results in relatively small changes in body composition accompanied by a lessening of the catabolic effect of training on muscle protein."

Divide the Total Grams from Each Macronutrient into 6-meal plan

Okay. You know how much carbs, protein and fats in grams you should consume a day in order to meet your goal. You also know what macronutrient foods, how to eat, and how much of a particular item from the list makes one exchange. But you don’t know how many exchanges from what type of food to eat during what part of the day.

Here is an example. This is a common way for macronutrient breakdown during the day but don’t consider this the only possible way to do that. Feel free to change things around to suit better your particular needs. This is just an example to provide you with a starting point for your experiments.

The following examples are created under assumption that you eat six meals a day. If that’s not the case you know what to do. Change it.

Workout days:

Breakfast: x carbohydr. Exch. (30%), x protein Exch. (15%), x fat Exch. (20%)
Morning snack: x carbohydr. Exch. (10%), x protein Exch. (15%), x fat Exch. (25%)
Lunch: x carbohydr. Exch. (25%), x protein Exch. (15%), x fat Exch. (20%)
Afternoon snack: x carbohydr. Exch. (10%), x protein Exch. (15%), x fat Exch. (25%)
Dinner: (post w/o) x carbohydr. Exch. (25%), x protein Exch. (25%), 0 fats
Evening snack: x carbohydr. Exch. (0%), x protein Exch. (15%), x fat Exch. (10%)

Days off:

Breakfast: x carbohydr. Exch. (30%), x protein Exch. (17%), x fat Exch. (20%)
Morning snack: x carbohydr. Exch. (10%), x protein Exch. (17%), x fat Exch. (20%)
Lunch: x carbohydr. Exch. (25%), x protein Exch. (17%), x fat Exch. (20%)
Afternoon snack: x carbohydr. Exch. (10%), x protein Exch. (17%), x fat Exch. (20%)
Dinner: x carbohydr. Exch. (25%), x protein Exch. (17%), x fat Exch. (10%)
Evening snack: x carbohydr. Exch. (0%), x protein Exch. (17%), x fat Exch. (10%)

* To determine the exchanges divide each result for the carbs in grams by 15, proteins by 7 and fats by 5.

* How to round the numbers for the exchanges:

Example: If the result for the carbs is 2.6 round to the bigger number (3) in meals 1, 3 and 5, and to the smaller number (2) in meals 2, 4 and 6.

For the proteins vice versa: round to the smaller number in meals 1, 3 and 5, and to the bigger number in meals 2, 4 and 6.

For the fats: same as with the ptroteins if it’s not an even number.

This calorie breakdown is in case that you want to know it in grams.

Workout days:

Breakfast: x carbohydrates (30%), x proteins (15%), x fats (20%)
Morning snack: x carbohydrates (10%), x proteins (15%), x fats (25%)
Lunch: x carbohydrates (25%), x proteins (15%), x fats (20%)
Afternoon snack: x carbohydrates (10%), x proteins (15%), x fats (25%)
Dinner: (post w/o) x carbohydrates (25%), x proteins (25%), 0 fats
Evening snack: x carbohydrates (0%), x proteins (15%), x fats (10%)

Days off:

Breakfast: x carbohydrates (30%), x proteins (17%), x fats (20%)
Morning snack: x carbohydrates (15%), x proteins (17%), x fats (20%)
Lunch: x carbohydrates (25%), x proteins (17%), x fats (20%)
Afternoon snack: x carbohydrates (15%), x proteins (17%), x fats (20%)
Dinner: x carbohydrates (15%), x proteins (17%), x fats (10%)
Evening snack: x carbohydrates (0%), x proteins (17%), x fats (10%)

There we go. We are almost done with this topic. I will be clarifying things in the next several days and every time someone posts a question.

The time course of the human growth hormone response to a 6 s and a 30 s cycle ergometer sprint.

Entrez PubMed: "The time course of the human growth hormone response to a 6 s and a 30 s cycle ergometer sprint.

Stokes KA, Nevill ME, Hall GM, Lakomy HK.

Department of Physical Education, Sports Science and Recreation Management, Loughborough University, UK.

Exercise is a potent stimulus for the release of human growth hormone (hGH), but the time course of the hGH response to sprint exercise has not been studied. The aim of the present study was to determine the time course of the hGH response to a 6 s and a 30 s maximal sprint on a cycle ergometer. Nine males completed two trials, on one occasion performing a single 6 s sprint and on another a single 30 s sprint. They then rested on a couch for 4 h while blood samples were obtained. Three of the participants completed a further control trial involving no exercise. Metabolic responses were greater after the 30 s sprint than after the 6 s sprint. The highest measured mean serum hGH concentrations after the 30 s sprint were more than 450% greater than after the 6 s sprint (18.5 +/- 3.1 vs 4.0 +/- 1.5 microg l(-1), P < 0.05). Serum hGH also remained elevated for 90-120 min after the 30 s sprint compared with approximately 60 min after the 6 s sprint. There was a large inter-individual variation in the hGH response to the 30 s sprint. In the control trial, serum hGH concentrations were not elevated above baseline at any time. It would appear that the duration of a bout of maximal sprint exercise determines the magnitude of the hGH response, although the mechanism for this is still unclear."

Meal Exchanges and macronutrient groups

We arrived at the point where knowing the grams and the percentages of your macronutrients you are ready to break them down in to meals. I like to use two ways for that. One way is straight in grams for each meal and the other is in exchanges.

Exchanges are serving sizes, which are exchangeable for any other item from the same macronutrient group. For example one exchange of brown rice will be interchangeable with one exchange of oatmeal in the group of the carbohydrates.

All you need to remember about the exchanges (if you are going to use them instead of grams) is the approximate serving size. Example: 15 grams of carbohydrates = 1 carbohydrate exchange, 7 grams of protein = 1 protein exchange, 5 grams of fat = 1 fat exchange. You should also try to remember the serving size of some of your favorite items.

Did I mention that exchanges are easier to use compared to grams…
Here is a list of the most common items in each macronutrient category:

Carbohydrate Group (roughly 15 grams)

Starches (15 grams of carbohydrates, 80 calories)

1 slice whole wheat bread

1 small whole-wheat tortilla

Cereals and Grains (15 grams carbohydrates, 80 calories)

a. ½ cup bran, wheat, and oat cereals

b. ¼ cup muesli

c. 1/3 cup cooked long grain rice

Milk (12 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein (counts as a protein also)

1. 1 cup skim milk
2. 3/4 cup plain non fat yogurt
3. 1 cup fruit flavored yogurt with nonnutritive sweetener

Vegetables (15 grams carbohydrates, 80 calories)

1. 1/3 cup baked beans
2. ½ cup corn, peas, and various other beans
3. 1 small, 3 oz. Baked sweet potato

Fruits (15 grams carbohydrates, 80 calories)

a. 1 small apple, orange, nectarine, or pear (4-6 oz.)

b. ½ grapefruit

c. 1 ¼ cup strawberries

Protein Group (roughly 7 grams of protein)

Very Lean Meat (7 grams protein, <1>

1. 1 oz. white meat turkey or chicken no skin
2. 1 oz. Cod, flounder, or haddock fresh or canned
3. 1 oz. Shellfish
4. ¼ cup nonfat cottage cheese
5. 2 egg whites
6. 1 whole egg

Lean Meat (7 grams protein, 3 grams fat, 55 calories)

1. 1 oz. Trimmed beef sirloin
2. 1 oz. Dark meat turkey or chicken no skin
3. 1 oz. Herring, sardines, or tuna (drained)

Fat Group

Monounsaturated Fats (5 grams, 45 calories)

1. 1/8 avocado
2. 1 tsp. Olive oil
3. 6 almonds, cashews, or pecans
4. 1 tsp. Natural peanut butter

Polyunsaturated Fats (5 grams, 45 calories)

a. 1 tsp. Flaxseed oil

b. 1 tsp. regular mayonnaise

c. 1 tsp. regular salad dressing

Saturated Fats [not recommented] (5 grams, 45 calories)

1. 1 tsp. Butter
2. 2 tsp. whipped butter

Next time I will show you how to break that down in to 6 meals using the exchanges list. I will give you the breakdown in grams as well for those of you who don’t mind doing it the harder but more precise way.

Calorie Breakdown (part four)

Continues..

ENDOMORPH

If you are an endomorph keep this in mind. You will have to drink a lot of water to help speed up your metabolism and remove byproducts and waste toxins efficiently. Your diet should consist of foods high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Also eat lean proteins and avoid dairy products as much as possible.

Back to our example:

I’m going to start with the proteins as usual. The lean body mass was about 130LB. I would again recommend more protein then 1g per LB based on the fact that protein foods are those that elevate the number of calories, burned during digestion (Thermal Effect), and I know you’d agree with me that endomorphs are in the diet and exercise in an attempt to get rid of some extra weight. 1.2g per LB should be enough.

Same like in the previous example:

130 LB lean muscle mass x 1.2g protein = 156g

156 x 4 = 624 Cal

1926 / 100 = 19.26; 624 / 19.26 = 32%

That’s for the proteins. For the carbohydrates and fats I’d choose a ratio of 50/50 from what’s left:

1926 – 624 = 1302 Cal

Carbs:

1302 / 2 = 651Cal [this is 50% of 1302]

651 / 4 = 163g carbohydrates per day [651 / 19.26 = 34%]

Fat:

651 / 9 = 72g and again [651 / 19.26 = 34%]

We arrived to the following results:

Protein: 156g (32%)

Carbohydrates: 163g (34%)

Fat: 72g (34%)

Calorie Breakdown (part three)

Continues from previous article..

MESOMORPH

If our athlete in the example were a mesomorph, we’d think like that: Mesomorphs generally need somewhat higher protein and moderate carbohydrate intake. We start with the protein again:

130 LB lean muscle mass x 1.2g protein = 156g

156 x 4 = 624 Cal

1926 / 100 = 19.26; 624 / 19.26 = 32%

We have the proteins. Let’s see what’s left for the carbs and the fats:

1926 – 624 = 1302 Cal

I would recommend a carb/fat ratio of 60/40

The carbs:

1302 x 0.6 = 781 Cal

781 / 4 = 195g and 781 / 19.26 = 41% [of 1926 Cal]

The fats:

1302 x 0.4 = 521 Cal

521 / 9 = 58g and 521 / 19.26 = 27%

We have:

Protein – 156g (32%)
Carbohydrates – 195g (41%)
Fat – 58g (27%)

Stick around for the ENDOMORPH example..

Calorie Breakdown (part two)

We'll discuss the second option (at least part of it) - calorie breakdown according to the body type (my suggestions;-)

ECTOMORPH

Let’s suppose just for this example that our athlete is an ectomorph and not endomorph. The calories were 1926. The lean body mass was aprox. 130LB. Start with the protein again. Do 1g per LB for the example:

Same like in the previous example: 130 g --> 520 Cal, which is 27% of the total 1926 Cal
(1926 / 100 = 19.26; 520 / 19.26 = 26.99 --> 27%)

Since ectomorphs can handle a lot more of their calories to come from carbohydrates I recommend a ratio of about 70/30 between cabs and fats of what is left from the total calories after we subtract the protein calories:

1926 – 520 = 1406 Cal (1406 Cal is the 100% now and we work with this number since we already determined the protein quantity)

We have: 1406 / 100 = 14.06

14.06 x 70 = 984 Cal

984 / 4 = 246g carbohydrates

and

14.06 x 30 = 421 Cal

422 / 9 = 47g fat

Voila:

Protein – 130g

Carbohydrates – 246g

Fat – 47g

Next: my suggestion for mesomorphs..

Calorie breakdown (part one)

You have at leas two ways to go here:

1. Calorie breakdown according to your own preference for macronutrient distribution.

2. Calorie breakdown according to your body type.

In the first case you have to feel comfortable with what you know about macronutrients (a free e-book is coming soon on my web site;-) - carbohydrates, proteins, fats.

In the second case you can use my suggestions for macronutrient distribution. It might be easier for those, who don't have any knowledge in nutrition and just want to follow my recommendations. It will give you a starting point, so you can experiment further with that.

Let's take number 1 today and see how it works. In our example from the previous posts we have an endomorph type athlete, appr. 130 lb lean body mass, TEE final result - 1926 Cal a day.

According to one of the steps below he/she ingests 1 g of protein per lb lean body mass.

130 g protein have 520 Cal and represent 27% of the total 1926 Cal
(1926 / 100 = 19.26; 520 / 19.26 = 26.99 -> 27%)

100 - 27 = 73 % - that's how many per cent we have to work with for the carbohydrates and fats

Our person as an endomorph, so he/she will be moderate on the carbs - 37 % - 178 g
(19.26 x 37) / 4 = 178

And the remaining 35% goes for the fat - 75 g
(19.26 x 35) / 9 = 75

We have:
protein - 130 g
carbohydrates - 178 g
fats - 75 g

Stick around for more on this topic..

Determining the Thermal Effect of Food (TEE)

TEF is the amount of calories that your body needs to digest, absorb, and metabolize the ingested food.

To determine the TEF, multiply the original REE value by 0.05 for a moderate protein diet or 0.10 for a high protein diet. So this is what the formula looks like:

TEF = REE x 0.05 if you intake up to1g per LB of bodyweight (2.2g per kg)
TEF = REE x 0.10 if you intake more than 1 gram per LB of bodyweight (more that 2.2 per kg)

For the purpose of the example let’s assume our athlete is taking my advice and will eat 1g per LB (2.2g per kg). So, in our case TEF = 1515 x 0.05 = 76 Cal

We got to the point where we can finalize this task by adding everything up and finding the Total Energy Expenditure (TEE)

TEE = [[(REE x AF) + EEPA] – CAG] + TEF = [1850] + 76 = 1926

TEE = 1926 Cal a day

In the following post I will show you how to break this down into carbohydrates, proteins and fats.