Supplements+Strength=Success

I must admit, I am not a fan of super muscular bodies. Whether it be men or women the whole body builder look makes me think "That has to be like hugging a brick wall..." Odd I know...BUT I do have to say i am one HUGE fan of toned. Nothing makes me more excited than seeing a defined cut muscle on my body without it bulging and looking masculine. For years I swore by cardio, I mean it burns fat so it will make me look like all the fitness models right? Sike. Don't get me wrong cardio and fat burn are huge contributors to losing weight and getting to the body you desire, but there is so much more to it than your usual cardio.

First and foremost let me start by saying strength training is not always about throwing weight up. One of the best equipment you can use to build lean toned muscle is...your own self! Core work and resistance training can work wonders with no weights involved. I am a huge fan of a few basic old school moves. Squats, Lunges, Planks, and Push ups are some of the best exercises you can do. the tightening of the muscle groups will signal the muscle to start working to maintain  the tension and that's the same signal the brain gets while doing cardio, the difference is going to be between the impact and the intensity. A few work outs have swept the fitness scene by storm over the past few years, and while I have experimented with Insanity, P90X, and Crossfit to name a few there is one premise in all of them that I live by. Go to your absolute breaking point, push yourself to YOUR limit BUT stop once you start losing form and drive. By this I mean once your body is too exhausted to carry out each move in correct form and with max intensity you are no longer doing your body any good. It is kind of the same premise we were all taught in school " Go all in or Go home" You may not be able to work out for lengthier times because if you are using your muscles full blast for say 20-30 minutes versus working at 50-75% of your intensity level for an hour you are not getting as exhausted as quickly nor will you see the results as quickly.

Though I despised math as I previously mentioned, I do want to show a little bit of an equation. Protein builds muscle, Strength training builds muscle, Muscle burns Fat, SO Protein plus strength training= Fat Burn NOT bulky muscle.

Let's  discuss supplements...are they really worth it? In my personal opinion yes. It is like your extra burst to get you where you want to be. I am going to share some pictures and testimonials of the few products I swear by....

Pre supplements come in many different brands and I have tried my fair share; this is the one I use most recently and it has a thermogenic in it which is also known as a fat burner. With this and a combination of different energy sources including a kick of caffeine, this really gives you the extra "umph" to power through your work out.

While I take many vitamins including prenatal, biotin, and green tea extract to name a few, THIS is my favorite go to vitamin for energy. It does exactly what it says and converts your food into an excellent energy source.

Protein can be especially confusing. While I take a soy based one after my work outs I am also a huge fan of this CASEIN protein. Casein takes longer to break down in your system causing your cells and metabolism to work harder and longer to break it down. I along with many others take this before bed as an extra kick to keep your metabolism pumping while you sleep.

I guess that is all I have for tonight for one I am exhausted, and two I am hungry again writing about all this :) Remember always that your health is above all else most important so while you want to push yourself to the next level, its never worth risking an injury or worse over working your heart. Stay safe, STRONG, and blessed until next time- Amanda