Eating Junk Food While Losing Weight

If you are planning to lose weight and still want to eat all the junk food you like, well you can, in moderation. The key is to decide when you want to add your junk food into your eating schedule. I'm not going to say diet here because a diet implies that it will eventually stop and this is not what you want. You want to make a lifestyle change, specifically a change in your eating habits. 

If you are going to add junk food into your eating schedule, moderation is important. Timing can also be important. You can choose to eat your junk food as one meal once or twice a week. These would be your cheat meals. This could be done once or twice every two weeks or a month, it really doesn't matter. These cheat meals would also be part of your daily calories which are a good idea to track on a daily basis. Another thing you can do is have a cheat day where you eat however you want for one day. Be careful with this though. It can be easy to binge and eat way too much thus  interfering with your weight loss. This could also be done once a week, every two weeks, a month, etc. It depends on your preference. When adding a cheat day, it can also be useful to track your weekly calories for the week or weeks of your cheat day. If you eat too many calories on your cheat day you can compensate by eating less than normal on a different day of the same week. This will ensure your weekly calories are the same as every other week for losing weight.

From my experience cheat meals work best when I'm trying to lose weight becuase I tend to eat way too much on a cheat day. I will have a cheat meal 2 or three times a week and it doesn't interfere with my weight loss. When I have a cheat day I eat too much junk food on that one day which usually slows my progress. I also don't feel great on that day like I do eating properly the rest of the week.

I think cheat days or cheat meals can actually be helpful when you are trying to change your weight or even keep it the same. They allow you a healthy eating schedule with a few of your favorite foods thrown in to help you keep that lifestyle.

What Rep Range To Use

When it comes to choosing a workout program, it's important to know what your goals are. Do you want to build muscle, build strength or build endurance? This is important because your goal will determine the rep range that you will work in for your exercises. 

I've found that the best rep range for building strength is between 3 and 6 reps per set. When I workout in this rep range I usually do more sets to keep the volume of the workout high. I usually do about 5 sets with this range and I use this technique only on big compound movements such as the squat, dead lift and bench press. When working in this rep range more weight is being used and max effort is also needed to move the heavy weight. This affects the central nervous system more than the muscles due to the power required which  is produced from the central nervous system. Training in this rep range will increase the density of the muscle by increasing the number of muscle fibers.

For building muscle or increasing muscle size I've found the best range to be between 8 and 12 reps. I have found however that an increase in muscle size can be achieved when working in the rep range for building strength. This however only works to increase the muscle size to a certain point so a higher rep range is needed to further increase muscle size. Working in this rep range increases the muscle size by increasing the size of the muscle fibers.

When I exercise for endurance I will go for time and also work with reps of 15 and over. To build my muscular endurance I like to use exercises for max reps such as chin ups and push ups and also body weight squats. To build my cardiovascular endurance I will run or row and use exercises like mountain climbers and burpees.

Squats

From my experience, doing squats is great for increasing the strength in your quads and hamstrings and also your knees. It is also a great exercise if you are looking to build some mass. The important thing to know about squats is they can be dangerous and harmful to your body WHEN YOU DO THEM WRONG. They are easy to do wrong if you haven't done them before but most exercises are. Another important point about squats is they are one of the best exercises you can do to improve your body when done correctly.

When I first started doing squats I didn't know what I was doing so I started off fine but I increased the weight too fast and my form suffered. I kept increasing the weight did not go low enough in the squat to compensate for too much weight. I also had poor flexibility in my hips and ankles. In order to properly squat the weight I needed to go down at least low enough that the tops of my thighs were parallel to the floor. As a result of not squatting properly, my knees began to ache. This ache was increasingly noticeable walking up and down stairs.

After this I decided to stop squatting, at least for a while which I now wish I hadn't have done. It would have been more beneficial for me to start over with light weight and make sure I had proper form. I did eventually do that but it was almost a year later. My knees still felt weak so I took it easy at first just using the bar and I didn't have any problems. I slowly increased the weight by 5 pounds each squatting session. I was following a 5 by 5 program where i was squatting 3 times a week. I then began working out with a friend of mine who had been   squatting a lot longer than me so he was able to squat quite a bit more than me. This prompted me to start squatting more weight to make the switching of weight when he would do his set easier. I realized that I was able to squat quite a bit more weight with proper form than I was used to working with. After squatting regularly for a few months my legs grew stronger and I was putting on more muscle and gaining weight. My knees also felt stronger than they ever had.

From this I learned just how important it is to use proper form while squatting. It is not like most other exercises due to the fact that a lot more muscles and weight are being used. Another thing I learned was that you can't blame an exercise for your injury if you didn't do it correctly. After all, exercises are meant to improve your body not make it worse. Another thing I learned from my squatting experience was that you're stronger than you think you are it's just a matter of breaking through that mental barrier and also having the motivation to see what you can do.

I incorporate both back squats and front squats when I workout. I find back squats are better for building more strength and mass. This is because the bar is on your back and you have a much wider grip on the bar than for front squats. This means you have better control of the bar and can handle more weight. Front squats are better for improving posture and strength in the upper back. They also put more emphasis on the quads than hamstrings as you can't bend down as far because the weight is in front of your body. Front squats can also improve flexibility in the elbows and wrists depending on how you choose to do them.

When I do back squats, I place my hands on the grips on each end of the bar. To make sure the bar is even, I place my pinky finger at the end of each grip with the rest of my hand on the grip. I then begin to dive under the bar, putting my left foot out first then bringing my right foot parallel with my left. I place the bar on the top of my shoulder blades. Then I take a few steps back, placing my feet about shoulder width apart and firmly on the ground.I then stick my butt, out behind me and bend at my knees at 90 degree angle, the same way I would do so when sitting down. This is important to remember when squatting. I keep my upper body straight so that my back is strong and flat. (Note: When bending, your knees will naturally come over you feet. Also, bend your hips when sticking your butt out.)

When I do front squats I do them with my elbows bent back towards my body and the bar resting on the palm side of my fingers. I first set up by placing my fingers on the bar where I want them to be when I move my elbows up under the bar. I then bring my elbows up so they are under the bar and pointing at the wall so my upper arm is parallel to the floor. At the same time I move my feet under the bar to unrack it. This is all done while keeping my fingers at the same spot on the bar. I keep the bar and most of the weight resting on the front of my shoulders with my fingers just outside of shoulder width to help stabilize the bar. I then sit down and back into the squat the same way as with a back squat only keeping my center of balance closer to the front where the weight is. This means by knees will be farther over my feet and my upper body will be closer to an upright position. I try to keep my elbows parallel with the floor the whole time to ensure the bar stays resting on the shoulders.

From the results I have gotten from doing squats I would recommend trying them, both front and back squats, to anyone looking to improve any area of their fitness. If you have never done squats before, I suggest giving them a try. I would also strongly recommend doing them with another person, specifically someone who knows how to do them properly. This is important because they can watch you do your squats and help you do them properly.