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

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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.

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