I recently finished reading the book, “Weight Lifting is a Waste of Time: So Is Cardio, and There’s a Better Way to Have the Body You Want” by John Jaquish and Henry Alkire. I found the title to be controversial but I would be lying if it didn’t grab my interest. I was curious to see what made the author give his book that title. Here is what I found interesting in the book

Optimizing Nutrition

The author states that carbohydrates are not need for human survival. The only two macronutrients that matter are protein and fat. He quotes from the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board 2005 textbook which states that “The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life apparently is zero”. Like sugar, carbohydrates keep you hungry all the time

The author continues to say that when performing a given exercise, muscle can only be created if all essential amino acids are available in sufficient quantities for growth. If just one is missing, this anabolic process cannot be completed. If one is in short supply, then the less lean mass can be created.

He proceeds to state that not all protein is created the same and the eggs have been found to be among the best protein sources followed by meat, cheese and lastly vegetable sources. Eggs have being shown to have an anabolism of 48% which means that 48% of the amino acids in eggs is utilized in muscle repair and building. Meat has being shown to have 38% anabolism.

The author states that it has been proven in multiple studies that a calorie surplus is not what enables muscle growth. Instead, the appropriate level of higher quality protein does. Stated differently, a person can be at a caloric deficit and trigger body fat loss while at the same time growing muscle, given the proper level of protein.

The bottom line: if you’re looking to increase your body fat, eat carbohydrates. If you’re looking for optimal health, focus on fats and proteins

Fasting

It usually takes around 24 or even 72 hours for individuals to go into a ketogenic state.

Within 24 hours, the body will begin the process of autophagy which is where old cells are recycled and replaced and used in making new cell. At the 48 hour mark, the growth hormone is 5 times the baseline level hence why you preserve during a fast and not lose it. Also, the body produces ketones which are the primary fuel source in the fast.

The ketones come from the fat in the body so essentially your body is eating itself. This is in my opinion, the fastest and most optimal way of fat loss as you’re losing fat the way your body is supposed to and not through caloric restriction. Insulin, which is a fat storing hormone, is at its lowest during fasting and this further leads to fat loss. You cannot lose fat when you’re eating all the time as insulin levels will always remain high.

At the 72 hour mark, the insulin go their minimum levels.

Breakfast

Breakfast in the morning is not the most important meal. Actually, Breakfast means Break a fast which is when you break the fast. It was popularized by cereal companies in order to convince the masses that eating cereal in the morning was the most ideal way to start the day.

The author states that perhaps the most egregious nutritional recommendation most of us will remember is “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” This idea was invented in the nineteenth century by Seventh Day Adventists’ James Caleb Jackson and John Harvey Kellogg to sell their newly invented breakfast cereal. He then goes on to say there is not a single study that supports this idea. Absolutely none.

Everytime you’re eating, you are diminishing cognitive function. It is actually recommended that you work or exercise in a fasted state. Getting lean and having lower levels of body fat has being shown to lead to a longer life span.

Excess consumption of dietary fats and carbs leads to fat gain but excess consumption of protein only triggers thermogenesis which is essentially when the body increases its body temperature and enables you to use the energy while digesting.

Falsehoods of Fitness

The author went ahead to dispel the various myths in the Fitness industry. Here are some that I found very interesting.

1. Cardio is better than strength training

All exercises are actually cardiovascular in nature and “cardio” i.e running,walking is not the only one for representing that term. It’s a misused term. Strength training provides more benefits than standard running, walking as it not only preserves muscles but enhances it. Also, the cardiovascular functions of the body are improved.

Cardio only workouts especially the long ones, have being to actually lead to weight gain to triggering the cortisol hormone which is a stress hormone. This hormone signals the body to preserve fat as it perceives the body is going through crazy amount of stress and kicks it into survival mode. This also leads to muscle tissue breakdown. Strength training on the other hands down regulates cortisol, increases growth hormone and leads to fat loss and preservation of lean muscle tissue.

Cardio shouldn’t be more than 20 mins and it should be HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) based. This is why 100 metres runners are very muscular and lean as compared to long distance runners. Also, your cardiovascular endurance declines 7 days after you stop doing cardio. I always hated this part as it means you can’t take a break from and you must continue doing it to preserve the “endurance”

2. Muscle confusion theory is nonsense

Soreness is not a good sign that you worked out well. It actually means that there is significant muscle damage. Mixing up your workout will actually do more damage than good in the long run. Consistent workouts have proven to be more efficient and leads to better results. Mixing for the sake of preventing boredom is a bad approach to working out. Just like the same way you don’t mix up brushing your teeth is the same approach you should take to exercise. It may be boring but it leads to great results in the long run and prevents injury as you’re not jumping up and down from one exercise to the next..

3. Caloric Restriction is the best way to lose body fat

Caloric restriction forces our body to reach homeostasis i.e a balance within the body. So no matter how high the deficit is, the body will eventually reach homeostasis. This homeostasis is reached by sacrificing muscle and other lean tissue in order to be on par with the body fat. This also leads to a lower metabolism as they less muscle mass on the body. In short, it’s just a very BAD way to lose fat.

But the fitness industry likes this approach as most of their products are lined with caloric restriction. If we were to do away with caloric restriction, it would do away with most things like suppliments, gyms, diets. Time restricted eating is far superior, protein is the most important macronutrient and exercise is overrated as most of your fat loss and muscle comes from your diet.

Go Heavy or Go Home

There is no way of going around it but if you want to build muscle as fast and as much as possible, you have to go heavy. Light weights serve no purpose unless its a warm up set. The muscles adapt very quickly so if you aren’t doing progressive overload every week or every time you’re lifting, you’re not challenging your muscles enough.