If you missed Part I, check it HERE

17) After freshman wrestling season ended I joined Apollon Gym, which is the gym I share a parking lot with today! I trained 6 – 7 days a week, for  a minimum of 2 hrs a day. Often times on weekends, my parents would drop me off in the morning to train while they went food shopping, ran errands, went to the mall, etc. It wasn’t odd for me to be at the gym 4 – 6 hrs on weekends. I just kept on training till they picked me up

18) My subscription to FLEX magazine was what I lived for. I would hound the mail man as I began to dial in the exact day of the month in which FLEX magazine would arrive. I would read the magazine cover to cover on the very first day and as the years went on, my book shelf was bending and on the brink of breaking with the hundreds of bodybuilding magazines that overstuffed every inch of my book shelf.

19) In the summer of 1990 we were going to Israel for 3 weeks and feared I would be unable to train. The day before flying I did over 50 sets of squats with over 225 lbs with hopes of the extra work maintaining through my time away from weights.

20) While in Israel during the summer of 1990, I did 20 sets of pull ups every other day. Every other day I walked to the local school and began every workout with a 20 rep set. The first 10 sets were performed with an overhand grip. The last 10 sets were ALL mixed grip pull ups. I came back to the gym after vacation and was banging out multiple 20 + rep sets of pull ups weighing approximately 150 lbs at age 14 (I was YOUNG for my class, I turned 14 in December of my Freshman Year!).

21) Sophomore year of high school I returned 20 lbs heavier than freshman year. My Wrestling Coach was impressed, my friends were impressed and girls LOVED it! ha ha Muscle DO help

22) The summer of 1990 I attended The John Smith Intensive Wrestling Camp where there were about 13 or 14 wrestlers, ALL of whom were state qualifiers and all state wrestlers. There I was, a kid who NEVER won a wrestling match and got my ass kicked so bad I didn’t even know my zip code.

It was hellish. Every morning was 3 – 5 mile run followed by 3 wrestling sessions, 4 workouts a day in total. I got injured and tore rib cartilage which was NOT fun.

23) I FINALLY won my first wrestling match during my first match of the season, my 2nd year wrestling, it was December 1990. I ALMOST lost…. I had worked hard all off season and nailed my low single which I had drilled thousands of times. Somehow, someway my opponent had me on my back and I remember a whirlwind of feelings going through my head at a mile a milisecond.

I thought it was over… getting pinned… AGAIN… I felt like death crept into my body for a few seconds as the ref was counting back points. Somehow, someway, deep inside I remember shouting to myself.. “FUUUUUCK YOU!!!!”

I got off my back, escaped, and starting getting takedowns and back points, racking up points, gaining the lead, more and more. The match was a whirlwind experience, and I still remember my Head Coach, Mr. Pagach, telling me to remain calm, there was 22 seconds left on the clock…..

Getting my arm raised after SOOOO much emotional pain through the past year was one of the best feelings I ever experienced.

24) To pay for my gym membership I began mowing lawns on a regular basis after wrestling season ended. My dad would drop me off with a lawn mower, trimmer, weed wacker and gas. I was making regular money and I could pay for my gym membership, my protein powders and endless bodybuilding magazines and books.

I didn’t care much for fancy clothes or the typical things other high school kids did. All I cared about was lifting. Every book I had for school had a muscle magazine stuffed in the middle of it and I could barely focus on school work, all I could think about was training.

25) In October of my senior year in high school I was walking into a Quick Check. While walking in 2 thugs were staring at me. 15 minutes later, I walked out, and now there was close to 15 thugs, most of them drunk or high. The guy who was staring at me earlier was now shouting at me and calling me out with his back up crew. He started calling me and I turned around and he pushed me.

I didn’t even know how to fight, so I shot a double leg takedown on him and pinned him against the wall. He started shouting to his friends, ‘Help, Help, get him off of me!”. I thought they would watch us duke it out, mano e mano, but I was wrong. In a milisecond my entire body was getting kicked from head to toe.

I scrambled my way to my feet while a few kids held me and another was punching me. I escaped by hitting another double leg takedown and never threw one single punch.

The cops arrived and I was lost as to what just happened and embarrassed at the fact that i had NO clue how to fight, all I could do was wrestle. I learned a VALUABLE lesson that night regarding wrestling, street fighting and rules of engagement. I was 16 at the time, it was 1992, I remember that fight as if it happened last night.

26) Guidance Counselor told me, “Maybe college isn’t for you….” after I scored 840 on my SAT 2 times in a row. That very same day Marine recruits were in my school and they told me I could join the Marines and wrestle. At the moment, it sounded pretty cool but the idea never REALLY took over my mind so I never followed through. Third time I took the SAT I scored 970 and this helped me get accepted into college.

27) The Fall of 1993 began my freshman year at Kean College and I also became part of the first graduating class of Kean University. Freshman year was brutal for me, I was failing Algebra and had NO clue how to study. After being an honors student in high school for 3 years in Level 2 classes, I realized the “system” was bull shit. I wasn’t smart enough to be in Level 1, but they needed nice kids who do their homework in Level 2.

You think you’re doing good, till you show up in college and can’t read more than 5 pages without day dreaming.

Being 17 in college doesn’t make you the most mature person either.

28) In December of 1993 I fell in love with a girl. You know, the stupid kind of love that only a 17 year old knows. That girl cheated on me and it f**ed my world up REALLY good. I went into a downward spiral for a solid 6 months and felt like the walking dead. I was having a brutal time in college and I didn’t pack on 1 ounce of muscle during this 6 month stint of depression.

29) In the summer of 1994 we went to Israel again. I was STILL depressed and wanted to go home. My older bro was in the military at the time and he brought me to the new gym in town. I remember training shoulders and arms HIT style on my first night there. Drop sets, partials, forced reps….

The owner saw me and showed me a poster of the upcoming Mr. Israel Bodybuilding contest that was 2 weeks away. He insisted I enter the “Young Mr. Israel” contest. Being the depressed idiot that I was, I said “No.” I trained at his gym every day, and every day, Avner, the gym owner, asked me to compete. Every day, I said “No.”

30) My friend in Israel noticed I was walking around like a bag of shit. He told me I need to start waking up every morning excited for life. I need to wake up and say to myself, “Today is gonna be a beautiful day!”

That next morning I woke up and tweaked that speech a little bit, it went like this: “F**k this! I am done being a depressed piece of sh*t! Today is gonna be a Beautiful day! What beautiful things will today bring me? ONLY beautiful things!!”

I know, it sounds kinda crazy, BUT, I AM Crazy

That moment changed my life forever. I drew a line in the sand and NEVER looked back.

31) That very same day I went to the gym and Avner, the gym owner, said to me, “I will ask you one last time….will you compete in The Mr Israel?”

I said “Yes!”….. we had 7 days to get ready and I remember doing EVERYTHING at once. I met Joe during that first workout. Joe was trying to get into the Israeli SEAL Team, called Shayetet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We trained 2 x a day every day, with a third “workout” being me practicing my posing.

My Grandmother cooked chicken and rice for me to eat during EVERY meal except for breakfast which was 8 eggs every morning, half whites, half yokes.

I was scared when I showed up to compete. There were kids from Russia and all over Israel, but they were dressed in baggy bodybuilder clothes and looked HUGE. I thought they were HUGE. The competition was held in a HUGE amphitheater with the clear night sky above us.

But…. prejudging was held in the basement! It reminded me of Arnold talking about his first bodybuilding show in America, unable to speak english. He pumped up his chest by doing feet elevated push ups with his hands on chairs for the extra stretch. I did the SAME thing, along with curls, rows, presses and calf raises.

I stayed away from the competitors and Joe helped me warm up and would not let anyone near me or allow anyone to talk with me. The other teenagers were accusing of me being on steroids because I was from America and was much bigger than they were. I was offended and tried to explain to them how hard I worked but they still accused me of being on steroids provided by Joe Weider (NOT kidding!).

There were close to 20 teenagers in the competition and after the strange pre-judging was over the night show was ON. The music was blasting and I performed my posing routine to a Metallica song…..It’s the same song I always listened to on cold winter nights during wrestling season, when I would go out and run like a madman for 3, 4 and sometimes 5 miles every other night in the freezing air…… Dedication…. Comitment…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

The amphitheater was PACKED and people were screaming like crazy. I NEVER saw such a thing in my life, let alone experienced this. I believe there were well over 1,000 people…..

When the dust settled I was announced as “Young Mr. Israel”. My family was there and my friends along with the thousand plus attendees screaming. It was very surreal to go from a half a year of depression to the best week of my life. When I was finished with the competition younger kids were waiting outside for me to get my autograph, asking me questions on how to build bigger biceps, chest……

32) When I returned home from Israel, I went from 185 lbs to 198 lbs in about 2 weeks. The depression I was going through stopped ALL physical and mental progress from occurring. As soon as I drew that line in the sand my body responded like a mad man and I gained 12 lbs in 2 weeks.

It was THEN that I learned the power of the mind and controlling emotions.

I also NEVER again let a girlfriend ever again have an emotional effect on me. I became cold and heartless to anything anyone could possibly do to hurt me.

33) Sophomore Year in college began and with my new outlook on life and greater confidence I began kicking ass in school and learned how to study. Everything in life was starting to go GREAT and I became consumed with learning about the power of the mind.

This was the fall of 1994 and I didn’t even have e mail or internet.

34) While training at one of the last hardcore gyms in NJ, Dynamic Fitness, I ran into my friend who was a former wrestler and a top level bodybuilder. He was impressed by the gains I had made and asked me to train with him to get read for the 1995 Mr. NJ Bodybuilding Contest.

I told him I’ll ask if my Mom can handle cooking all the necessary food so I can eat 6 meals a days. If she would agree, I would call him and commit to the training and we would train for 6 months together, at Diamond Gym. At that time, FLEX magazine ranked Diamond Gym as the most hardcore gym in the world. And for GOOD reason.

This gym had hours from 5 AM – 10 PM. I once showed up at 5 AM on the dot thinking I’d be first and most committed. I was WRONG. I walked in at 5 AM and when I opened the door a gust of heat and sweat hit me like a ton of bricks while loud house music was blaring through the speakers and shaking the walls. There was around 30 guys in there drenched in sweat, lifting heavy and what seemed to be at least mid way through their workouts!

It was common to see bodybuilders benching 315 for reps, squatting 405 and 495 for reps, deadlifting 495 + for reps. The dumbbells went up to 180 lbs and MANY guys used them!

Weights were dropped ALL the time and NO one ever batted an eye lash about it. The gym had an electric energy that I have never experienced anywhere else… ever.

These bodybuilders were built VERY differently than the bodybuilders of today. NONE of these guys were pump up artists, they trained heavy and hard and that’s what the owner, John Kemper, encouraged everyone to do and he led by example.

After our workouts we all hung out in front of the gym, eating our food (we ALL packed meals with us everywhere we went), trading workout tips, old school workout stories and more. I was always in my glory when training there and being part of the bodybuilding culture. I loved it ALL, not just the training, but the camaraderie involved which is so rare nowadays.

I guess it’s tough to bond nowadays when you don’t have a hardcore gym to train at and you feel like an outcast trying to lift hard and heavy amongst other people on cell phones and lifting baby weights.

I stopped by a while ago during lunch which is a bit of a quit time but you get the idea…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

35) In April 1995, after training like a madman for 6 months, it was finally time to compete. The goal was to compete in the Teen Mr. NJ but then I saw a poster hanging up in the gym for The Mid Atlantic Natural Bodybuiding Show. It was to be held a week before The Mr. NJ.

I wanted to do it, especially after so many people accused me of being steroids. People were saying things like, “There’s NO way he’s natural. No one can train that hard and recover from those workouts and still be natural.

I wanted to prove them WRONG.

My attitude was TOTALLY different as was my confidence compared to my high school days. I had matured mentally, BIG time, and I had an animal instinct and a desire to win with an even greater desire to NEVER lose again unless you killed me.

I trained so damn hard and committed to the lifestyle of winning to the T.

Every night, lights out at 11 PM NO Matter what! I remember escorting a HOT girl out of my house at 10:45 PM and she had NO clue what the heck was going on! ha ha

Every morning I woke up at 7 AM, even if I didn’t have an early morning class, I still woke up to have my first meal of each day, a Met-RX meal replacement. I then went back to bed and woke up at 9 AM and had the classic bodybuilder breakfast.

8 egg white + 1 yolk

bowl of oatmeal

TONS of water

Multi Vitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E

2 Bananas

As soon as I committed to competing as a bodybuilder, the ritual was ON! I wrote down EVERYTHING I ate and drank for 6 months. For 6 months, I went to sleep at 11 PM and woke up at 7 AM. My life was bodybuilding and school. I would pack food to school and eat in my car…. turkey, potatoes, turkey….. chicken….. more turkey, broccoli…. I still HATE Turkey to this day.

That’s me 4 weeks out from my bodybuilding show, below.

The results from my bodybuilding competitions went like this:

Mid Atlantic Natural Teen: 1st Place & Overall

Mid Atlantic Men’s Novice Light Heavy Division: 2nd Place

I weighed 178 lbs at The Mid Atlantic and the Light Heavy division ranges from 176 to 198.

The next week I took 2nd place at The Teen Mr. NJ, the 1st place trophy went to the kid who went on to win the Teen Nationals that summer. I was natural…. he was not

Well, that’s 35 life & lifting lessons but I’ve got MUCH more to share and tell….. so, without a doubt….

I’ll continue with a Part III Soon Enough!

If you enjoyed this, please do me a huge favor and share with your friends by using our facebook, twitter and stumble upon share buttons.

Any questions or comments, please drop a line below, I LOVE getting comments and answering questions

Peace!

–Z–

After training for 21 + years, there is one thing about me that will simply NEVER die.

I’m ALL about the iron.

It doesn’t matter what shape or size the weights are, I don’t discriminate, I just love to lift. I get better with age, and the reason being is because I ALWAYS Lift and I ALWAYS Learn.

Here’s a few lessons that have stuck with me for a loooong time, you’ll see who influenced me and who I learned them from as well. More to come in Part II.

1) Deep Squats: Ya gotta respect the photo above, DEEP squatting. Reminds me of when I was training for bodybuilding at age 19. I used to squat super close but didn’t go down all the way. I was at Diamond Gym and a trainer there named Tony called me out. He made me widen up my stance as shown in the photo above and wouldn’t let me go heavier than 135 until I sank down, ass to the grass.

He told me this is how power lifters and olympic lifters train, allowing them to pack on thick, dense muscle to their quads, hams and glutes. He was right.

2) Lift Heavy in the 1 – 5 Rep Range: We hear so much confusion about how to pack on muscle and gets strong it gets confusing. Granted, there are MANY ways to get stronger, bigger, faster, leaner and meaner….

At Joe DeFranco’s house, we were going through his book shelf and looking at the training books and old DVDs he had. Joe had been heavily influenced from some old VHS tapes that his Dad, George, bought for him. They were olympic lifting tapes, with the lifters being extremely strong and powerful, doing lots of sets in the 1 – 3 rep range.

3) Heal Your Body: It’s actually not as hard to become stronger and bigger as it is to heal yourself when injured. Injuries affect you mentally AND physically. Jonny Hinds has influenced me BIG time in learning Eischens Yoga to heal injuries. When you compete as an athlete, lift heavy or perform explosive movements you are bound to get injured someday, some how. We’ve been using Eischens Yoga to heal our wrestlers and football players as well as myself. Check it out HERE.

Below, you’ll see a quick warm up, some heavy Kettlebell Snatches. Part II to come soon.

This is minimalist training at it’s best. I attack 2 heavy lifts in a workout and anything after that is icing on the cake. Weekends get short, hard runs to keep the cardio going as well as quick bursts of calisthenics.

Check the videos….

Thanks to the power of video editing the top of my lifts got cut off, check the 88lb snatches below. Time to get 10 reps, 5 reps ain’t gonna cut it. 5 reps = average.

Part II coming soon.

Question for You: How have you changed your workouts lately and what is the latest thing you’ve learned with regards to lifting.

Drop a comment below, looking forward!

Peace!

–Z–

Recommended Resources:

Underground Inner Circle 30 Day Trial

Underground Strength Coach Cert – Last Chance for 2010!

Underground Kettlebells

It’s been a while, but what a breath of fresh air to see a REAL gym surviving and killing it.

Check it out…

I’m keeping my gym serious, DEAD SERIOUS!

Cry babies, whiners, annoying parents, quitters, no shows – I hate that shit.

Who’s with me?!?!?! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

–Coach Z–

P.S. – I want DEAD SERIOUS applicants for my upcoming Underground Strength Coach Certification on November 1st and 2nd. If you’re not 1,000,000 % serious, don’t even try. If you are ready to kill it, click the “Get Certified” Button at the top of the site!

How ironic, that just after I began my stint in bodybuilding at the once famous Diamond Gym, Johnny Alvino was heading out.

John Alvino was a member of Diamond Gym when it was at an entirely different level of insanity with regards to hard core bodybuilding. From there, John went on to become a specialist in transforming the physiques of athletes as well as hard core lifters.

John knows a thing or two about nutrition so I got hold of this fellow Jersey boy and forced to dish it out for YOU!

Enjoy!

ZE:  John, thanks for doing this interview. You and I have a lot in common and come from similar backgrounds….old school bodybuilding from what was once known as the most hard core gym in the country! Nutrition is definitely an area in which you are an expert. Let’s get right to the point here. What is the reason so many people train their asses off, yet have so little to show for it.  And why does barely anyone have ripped abs anymore?

JA: Thank you for having me, Zach.  I am happy to contribute to your newsletter.  Yeah, we definitely did share a lot of blood, sweat and tears back in the day.  Those days were priceless and I’m honored to have shared them with you.  Alright, let’s get into it.

I know many people who train intensely while following a sound training program and never achieve that “carved out of stone” look.  The first thing that I address with these trainees is their nutrition.  If their nutrition is not dialed in properly, their results will never be optimal.  I’m not going to list the obvious mistakes (don’t eat Big Macs and Fries all day long, no ice cream after 11:00 p.m., etc.)  Instead I will list some of the lesser known, yet extremely common nutritional blunders that make fat loss progress come to a screeching halt.

1) Creating too much of a caloric deficit through diet- Oftentimes, when guys get motivated to get ripped, they drop their calories too low.  Initially, they will lose some body fat rather quickly, but within a few short weeks, their metabolism will slow down and they will hit a fat loss plateau.  Even worse than this, muscle loss is inevitable when your calories drop too low.  This just compounds the problem, because it makes future fat loss progress even more difficult.

I have found that the caloric deficit created though your diet should be relatively small.  In fact, I rarely recommend that clients reduce their calories by more than 15% below their maintenance levels.  This modest reduction actually yields better results, since it doesn’t wreck havoc on your metabolic rate.

It’s also important to understand that there are more ways to create a caloric deficit then by simply eating less.  I prefer to employ techniques that create a caloric deficit while simultaneously increasing your metabolic rate.  And the best way to accomplish this is through proper training. 

 By increasing calorie expenditure through proper training, you will lose body fat while simultaneously increasing your metabolic rate.  This is in stark contrast to the popular but ineffective dietary reduction option.  So be sure to follow my 15% rule and create most of your caloric deficit through a well designed training program.  

2) Staying in a caloric deficit for too long- This all too common mistake will without fail cause your metabolism to slow down significantly.  In addition it will leave you with less glycogen (stored carbohydrates in your muscles that are crucial to fuel intense training sessions), and losses in lean muscle mass.  The good news is that this is easily avoided by “eating up” occasionally to replenish your glycogen stores and give your metabolic rate a much needed boost.

3) The use of a post-workout shake- For those readers who haven’t heard the “experts” pound the table about the importance of the post workout shake, let me fill you in.  Most experts tout that in order to enhance your recovery from your workout, you must drink a shake within 30 minutes of completing your workout. 

They also say that this shake should contain A LOT of simple sugars (usually dextrose or glucose) to spike up your insulin levels (insulin is anabolic) and quickly replenish glycogen (stored carbohydrates in your muscles) stores.  In the defense of the “experts”, there is a lot of research to back up this recommendation. 

But do you really think that it is a good idea to chug a high-sugar shake every time you train if you want to lose body fat?  How can a sugary shake really help to enhance your fat burning efforts?  The truth is that it doesn’t.  In fact, I believe that this practice is counter productive for trainees whose main goal is fat loss.   

 After reading the research, I did experiment with these shakes on clients who wanted to get lean.  Unfortunately, their rate of fat loss slowed significantly when they drank these ridiculous shakes.  I’ve got heaps of real world results to prove my assertion that in order to maximize fat burning, you need to ditch those high-sugar post workout shakes!   Now I will admit that post workout nutrition is very important.  So you’re probably asking, “What should I do?”  I suggest that you should just eat a solid meal after your workout!  This meal will be structured just like any of your daily meals.  Just be sure to consume this meal within one hour following your training session.  ZE: A lot of talk is said about magic foods and foods you must eat. Tell me about foods and liquids that are absolute must NOTS in anyone’s diet who wants to improve overall appearance and performance? 

JA: There are many foods that can interfere with one’s goals to improve appearance and increase performance.  Instead of listing each food individually, I’m going to list two ingredients that are always on my list of “Must Nots”.  You can be certain that if a food contains either one of these ingredients, it is to be avoided at all costs.

1) Trans fats- With the exception of the small amount of trans fats that are found naturally in some animal-based foods, trans fats are a manmade product.  They are formed when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation.  Hydrogenation increases the shelf life and flavor stability of foods containing these fats. 

Trans fats are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils.

Not only does this type of fat contribute greatly to increased fat storage, it also wrecks havoc on your health.  This is the MOST harmful fat to our bodies.  Trans fats cause significant lowering of HDL (good) cholesterol and a significant increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol, causes major clogging of arteries and insulin resistance.  In addition to causing heart disease, these side effects cause fat gains, and greatly inhibit your efforts to get lean.   The bottom line is that these fats must be avoided.  The best way to avoid them is to consume a diet consisting of natural foods.  If you do consume any processed foods at all, just read the food labels carefully, and don’t eat anything that contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or shortening. 2) High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – As the name implies, HFCS is extracted from cornstarch.  HFCS has become the number one sweetener used in most processed food products today.  It is used in soda, ketchup, salad dressing, cereals, donuts, cakes, cookies and sauces to name a few.  HFCS has literally made its way into almost every processed food for no other reason other than it is cheaper than sugar.  This is unfortunate because HFCS is converted to fatty acids by the liver at a greater rate than pure table sugar.  In fact, HFCS converts to fat more than any other sugar.  This may be one of the reasons Americans continue to get fatter.  As is the case with trans fats, the best way to avoid HFCS is to consume a diet consisting of foods in their natural state.   ZE:  I saw a photo of a guy on your web site who was ripped to the bone; it freaked me out, because he is 48 years old! He looks like he is carved out of stone. 20 something year olds are having problems seeing their abs and here’s a guy almost 50 and he is ripped to shreds! Is there a certain way one must eat according to age or are you able to have the same results regardless of age?  

JA: Yes, many people cannot believe that he is 48!  He follows my protocol to the letter, and it really shows.  To answer your question, I generally believe that both young and old should eat very similarly to each other.  There are, however, a couple of important things that someone over the age of 40 should be sure to emphasize.  They are:

1) The intake of essential fatty acids (EFA’s) – After the age of 40, testosterone levels start to plummet.  Is this just a side effect of aging?  To some degree it may be, but there are several things that you can do to ward off this middle age catastrophe.  The most important nutritional strategy you can employ is to intake an adequate amount of EFA’s.  EFA’s are essential for normal testosterone production.  Where should you get your EFA’s from?  That will bring us to our next point.

2) Emphasize fish oil over flax oil- Both fish and flax oil are great sources of EFA’s.  Anyone under the age of 35 can choose to use either one and get all of the EFA benefits.  But as we get older, fish oil proves to be superior.  The fatty acids found in flax have to be converted in the body to be in their usable form.  The enzyme (delta-6-desaturase) responsible for this conversion lessons as we age.  Therefore our ability to make this conversion gets compromised.  Fish oil, on the other hand, is already in a usable state, making this enzyme conversion less critical.

3) Go easy on the carbs- Testosterone is not the only hormone that declines with age.  Another important hormone than takes a cliff dive is growth hormone.  To best combat this natural part of aging, you should eat a diet that contains a low to moderate amount of carbs.  Let me briefly explain why.  When you eat carbohydrates, your insulin levels rise.  And when your insulin levels are chronically high, your growth hormone production will be low.  This is true for anyone at any age.  But as you get older, your body becomes less sensitive to insulin.  When your receptors are less sensitive to insulin, your body will produce more, which can drive growth hormone down even further.  Thus, limiting your carbohydrate intake will help control those insulin spikes that can have an adverse effect on your growth hormone levels.

4) Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables- Another unwelcome side effect of aging is the increase of the activity of aromatase.  Aromatase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen in the body.  Needless to say, we want this conversion to take place as little as possible. 

 Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage contain a substance called indole-3-carbinol (I3C).  This substance has been shown to positively effect estrogen metabolism.  In other words, they block the estrogen receptors in your body.  This reduces the negative effects of the testosterone to estrogen conversion that occurs as we age.  ZE: OK, all this nutrition talk is great, but what about the training? Are there any details one must utilize to get lean and mean? 

Resistance training is of the utmost importance in any fat loss protocol.  However, there are many misconceptions about how to train properly for fat loss.  In particular, be very careful not to use a “high rep” approach exclusively.  This is very popular among some well known fat loss gurus, and it is the kiss of death for anyone who truly wants to achieve permanent fat loss.  Using high reps exclusively can actually cause you to lose muscle mass during a fat loss phase.  In addition, this type of training will cause you to lose strength and power.

As I’ve already said, a resistance training program is crucial to fat loss, but it must be designed very cleverly.  A specific balance between higher rep exercises and lower rep exercises must be utilized if optimal results are to be seen. 

And as for cardio, you must focus on force output during your cardio workouts. 

It is important not to exclusively focus on the amount of fat that is burned during the cardio workout itself.  This is foolish, because when a cardio session is performed at the proper intensity, the majority of the fat loss from that cardio will occur AFTER the workout has ended.  Contrary to popular belief, the amount of post-workout energy expenditure that follows a very intense cardio workout burns MORE fat than during a long, boring low intensity cardio session ever could.

Based on this fact, I strongly advise you to ditch the low intensity cardio workouts and start incorporating cardio activities that require a significant amount of power output. 

  ZE: Johnny, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I look forward to chatting again and reminiscing about our old bodybuilding days! How can my readers learn more about you and what you do? 

JA: Zach, it’s been a pleasure.  I look forward to catching up.I hope your readers enjoyed my info.

I have a new  e book out called ‘Complete Fat Loss’ which they can check out HERE.

Also, feel free to visit my main web site at http://JohnAlvino.com

********

From Zach….

I hope you guys have enjoyed this interrogation as I have gotten many e mails in this area. John is the expert here. I certainly know a thing or two about nutrition but if I can get someone else to help deliver ass kicking information to help YOU, then I’ll do it!

I have Johnny’s latest e book and it is kick ass, highly reccomended from me!

Click HERE to access The Complete Fat Loss E Book.