We have all heard the saying, “turn fat into muscle”.  Which never made much sense to me.  Even as a beginning workout enthusiast cutting my teeth at the local meat head parlor where I would spend hours a day working out and asking questions to just about anyone that I thought may know a little something about fitness, or should I say gaining muscle mass (I sure do miss those days).  I think the one thing that was unanimous was that you didn’t want to do cardio if you wanted to build muscle because you would burn up your muscle.  I shortly learned that not to be true, a moderate amount of cardiovascular activity is very beneficial in building muscle.

I gained a friend recently that reminded me a lot of myself back in those days of my thirst for fitness knowledge.  Everyday Josh would ask me questions about fitness.  Like most people, Josh would ask questions but was hesitant to ask to much probably in fear that he was bugging me.  I know this to be true, one day Josh says to me “you can go ahead and charge me for a session if you want”.  Of coarse I charged him, I believe I charged him double…Just Kidding.   It has been about a year now that I have known Josh, and he is the reason that I have my website, and in particular writing this blog.   After a year, Josh never questioned anything that I threw at him.  Even when it came to his wife Claudia, they both took my guidance. Helped get her set in the right direction and she ran with and has had much success, as well as Josh…Both put in very hard work to reach their goals.  That’s all I can do is help guide, it takes all of you to put in the hard work, dedication, and commitment that makes me good at what I do.  So thank you to all of the people that I have merely set in the right direction.  With out you I don’t do what I do, thank you!

With that said, the one think that seems inconceivable to not only Josh, but millions of other people in this world, is that you can not decrease body fat and gain muscle simultaneously.  I have been preaching, teaching, that ever since I became a trainer going back almost 8 years now! 

So I set out to prove that I have been wrong for all of these years, and Josh along with millions of others are correct…

I first seek-ed input from many trainers that I have worked with and whom I have a great deal of respect.  Here are a few of the responses that I got, Clenbuterol and Test, I think I got you, Hmmmm, a reference to a suplement website,Looking for Muscle-Building Supplements but a bit confused? Make it easy and SAVE$$! Order a MUSCLE-BUILDING STACK at Bodybuilding.com. and a yes, however you would do a poor job of both with both nominal fat loss and nominal muscle gain.  That was actually the best answer that I got from my colleagues.

I found some online article’s that would support the theory, however none credible.  Those that support the fact that you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time have absolutely no credible sources or scientific proof that supports their claims.  Their are many supplements claiming to help lose fat, gain muscle….However, supplements are not regulated by the FDA.  I highly recommend doing your homework before diving head first into a supplement, most feed off emotion.  The dream of being physically fit, and healthy is very powerful, especially to an individual that has battled weight problems for so many years.  The mere thought of not having that burden drive billions of dollars into supplement companies each and every year.

Facts are facts, and the facts are so overwhelmingly one sided in this debate.  It is not possible for one to gain muscle while losing fat!  Period!  This is the primary reason the success rate for getting into shape is so low, accompanied with the fact that people have difficulty eating healthy, and making healthy choices for many different reasons.  With that said and out of the way, lets look at some things that are true and we can all agree on and move forward in a positive fashion. 

1a.  You can build muscle, and you can lose body fat… Just not SIMULTANEOUSLY!   By the way supplements are not the devil, they can be very helpful in reaching your goal regardless of what that may be, just chose the right combination.Looking for Muscle-Building Supplements but a bit confused? Make it easy and SAVE$$! Order a MUSCLE-BUILDING STACK at Bodybuilding.com.

1b.  Almost everyone (99%) have muscle mass….For the majority of us they are just covered up by fat cells, or what I like to call stored energy.

2.  Lose the fat, you will look and feel like you have gained quite a bit of muscle.

3.  Once at you have reached your desired fat loss, then work on gaining lean mass.  You will look and feel like a million bucks, as you fine tune your physique.

4.  Remember, everyone has a six pack!  We just need to uncover them!

I more than welcome anyone with research that refutes what I have written in this blog, I would love to read it, please post in comments!

Preparation
1. Begin in a push-up position with legs fully extended
and back flat.
2. Hands should be at chest level, slightly narrower than
shoulder-width apart.
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Perform a regular push-up, lowering body to ground.
Do not allow back to arch.
5. Push-up to original position.
6. Rotate entire body, so that it is turned 90 degrees
from the ground.
7. Both arms should be fully extended, one in the air
and one stabilizing on the ground.
8. Bring the arm in the air back to its original position.
9. Repeat, alternating the direction of rotation.
10. Regression
a. On knees
b. Hands on bench, feet on floor
11. Progression
a. Legs stacked on one another during the rotation

Preparation
1. Begin with both feet shoulder-width apart, with
toes pointing forward and knees bent at a
five-degree angle.
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Grab the barbell with both hands (grip slightly
wider than shoulder-width).
5. Maintaining a drawn-in position, contract the
glutes and lift the barbell until in a fully upright
position.
6. Retract shoulder blades and shrug shoulders up
toward ears.
7. Hold the shrug
8. Return to original position by reversing the
order of the exercise.

Preparation
1. Lie on the floor on one side with the arm closest to
the floor outstretched and thumb facing upward.
2. Place the foam roll in the axillary area under the
armpit.
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Slowly move back and forth to find the most tender
spot.
5. Once identified, hold tender spot until the discomfort
is reduced by at least 75 percent.
6. Progress to the next tender spot and hold again.
7. Repeat on opposite side.

Preparation
1. Sit on the floor with foam roll placed behind the back.
2. Cross arms to the opposite shoulder to clear the
shoulder blades across the mid-back. Lie back on top
of the foam roll so that it is positioned under the
upper back.
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. While maintaining abdominal stability, raise hips until
unsupported.
5. Slowly move back and forth to find the most tender
spot.
6. Once identified, hold tender spot until the discomfort
is reduced by at least 75 percent.
7. Progress to the next tender spot and hold again.

Preparation
1. Place foam roll under mid-calf.
2. Cross left leg over right leg to increase pressure
(optional).
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Slowly roll calf area to find the most tender spot.
5. Once identified, hold tender spot until the discomfort
is reduced by at least 75 percent.
6. Progress to the next tender spot and hold again.
7. Repeat on opposite leg.

Preparation
1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and pointed
straight ahead, and knees slightly flexed over second
and third toes.
2. Hold a barbell in both hands (palms facing up) with
arms extended in front of body.
3. Keep hips level.
Movement
4. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
5. Perform a barbell curl, by flexing both elbows, while
keeping the shoulder blades retracted.
6. Curl bar up to chest level.
7. Slowly lower the bar back to original position, by
extending the elbows.

Preparation
1. Sit on a bench with feet shoulder-width apart and
pointed straight ahead, and knees over second
and third toes.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended
at sides.
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Perform a curl by flexing elbows, while keeping
shoulder blades retracted. Do not allow head to
jut forward.
5. Keep shoulder blades retracted throughout the
exercise.
6. Slowly return dumbbells to their original position,
by extending at the elbow.

Preparation
1. Kneel on the side of a stability ball with one arm
supported on the ground.
2. Place one arm in a 90/90 position on ball.
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Slowly rotate trunk forward around support arm until
a slight stretch is felt in the anterior shoulder region.
5. Hold for 20-30 seconds.
6. Switch sides and repeat.
7. This stretch can also be performed standing in a
doorway or against a stable object.

Preparation
1. Kneel in front of stability ball.
2. Place arm on ball with thumb straight up in air
Movement
3. Draw abs in and activate glutes.
4. Maintaining core control, roll ball out until a
comfortable stretch is felt. As ball is rolled out,
posteriorly rotate pelvis.
5. Hold for 2-4 seconds for 5-10 repetitions.
6. Switch sides and repeat