Following a plan like this is often touted as ‘healthy’, but there are many problems lurking below the surface. “Eating so few calories can have a massive impact,” says Impey, “especially with how we respond to training, how our hormones are regulated and how our gut microbiome functions. From a training perspective, being in a large calorie deficit for an extended period can have a big impact on our testosterone concentrations, reducing them significantly. This means that our bodies take longer to recover and potentially don’t adapt as well to training.”
Add in a lowered sex drive and increased cortisol levels and abs suddenly don’t sound as attractive. “Higher cortisol levels can also cause inflammation that negatively impacts our gut microbiome, and when our gut is unhappy it sends signals to all areas of the body that impact our mood and metabolism,” adds Impey.
To support a training regime of around three sessions a week, Impey suggests the average male in his 30’s hit 1.6 to 2.0g of protein for every kilogram of body weight. For example, an 80kg male would have between 130 and 160g of protein per day.
“It’s a good idea to have a mixture of different types of protein to make sure you’re getting all the different amino acids that are available,” he says.
As for carbs, Impey says it’s a good idea to increase or decrease your intake relative to the amount of exercise you’re doing each day. “If you’re doing weight training, you would probably want to have somewhere in the region of four grammes of carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight on that day, whereas if you are doing cardio you would probably want to have somewhere in the region of five or six grammes of carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight on that day,” he says. “The idea is you ‘fuel for the work required.’”
As for supplements, Impey recommends vitamin D to boost our immune systems and bone health, and caffeine to boost motivation before training if we’re tired.
“Some of the latest research indicates that keeping our gut microbiomes healthy and happy can really help improve not only our mood state but also how we adapt to training and our bodies health in general,” Impey adds. Daily fibre from fruit and veg as well as fermented foods like kimchi, live yoghurt, kombucha and miso can help.
Finally, when it comes to nutrition, Impey says that taking a more balanced approach has greater benefits in the long run. “I like to use the 80:20 rule, where eight times out of ten, I’ll try and make good choices. The rest of the time I eat what makes me feel good,” he says.
The best workout to get an all-year-round body
Instead of getting ripped for one short period, why not think of fitness as building your stand by body? I.e., a fairly fit and active, yet not ground-breaking, physique that you can upgrade with a small period of more intense effort, if and when you need to.
Here are two suggestions from our PTs. Each is taxing but each can be tailored to your fitness levels, goals, and just how hard you want to go on a particular day. What could be better than that?
For Antoni, a great weekly but not overly exhausting gym workout looks like this:
- 10-15 minutes cardio of choice treadmill, skipping, cross trainer or bike.
- Barbell Squats
- Barbell Bent over rows.
- Deadlift
- Pull ups
- Dips
- Chest press
- Bicep Curls
Beginners aim for 2×15-20 reps each exercise
Intermediate aim for 3×10-12 reps each exercise
Advanced aim for 4×8-12 reps each exercise
For Algieri, a great at home workout is as follows:
- Squats x 15
- Alternating lunges x 20
- Pushups/Box pushups x 10-15
- Chin ups / pull ups / x 10 or simply hanging from a bar for as long as possible.
- V-Sit Crunches x 15
- Chest to floor Burpees x 10
- 3-5 rounds depending on your level