Hi there, my name is Robert Born and I’m here to tell you all I’ve learned about fitness. This, hopefully, will be your ultimate guide to getting fitter, losing weight, and build muscle.
The idea of this guide is to give you the straight answer to most of the questions you might have regarding anything fitness. This is a great guide for beginners, but if you’ve been on the game for a long time, you might also learn a thing or two here.
I’ll let you know about the best exercises you can do, how to organize them, what you must do to get a lower body fat percentage, the best tips for diets to get you the results you want and have a healthier and stronger body at the end.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Table of Contents
Who the Hell Am I?
Before we get into the details, you might wonder who the hell am I. Well, I’m not a physical therapist, a fitness coach, an influencer or a sports scientist. I am simply a journalist that goes deep on pretty much anything I set my mind to. And yes, that photo at the top of the article is the before and after I did 100 burpees a day for 30 days.
I have always been into sports, usually group sports like soccer and basketball, but on the side I have also always done strength training and tried a few weird and exotic diets.
But, most importantly, I have been doing this job for BOXROX for over 3 years now and I have seen my fair share, from different people of all specters, talk about fitness and health. So I guess I have learned a thing or two and that is what I want to share with you today. So no more beating around the bush.
What is The MOST Important Thing for Any Fitness/Health Advice
You might think I’m joking, but every single person will agree with me. Regardless if you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, get stronger, get leaner, run faster, jump higher or lift heavier weights. One thing is the most important to achieve any of those objectives: consistency.
Consistency is what will get your results. And I’m sorry, you cannot transform your body from one day to the next without being consistent at what you’re doing.
If you want to lose weight, eating less will help you tremendously, but you have to do it every day until you get the result you want to achieve. If you want to bench press 100 kilos, you have to keep training that chest muscle until you finally achieve that.
Simple as that. Without consistency, you won’t get anywhere.
And, as a bonus, I would add that enjoyment is the second most important factor for any goals you might have on your fitness and health journey. If you enjoy doing something, you are likely going to do it for longer, so you will be more consistent with it and get the results you are trying to achieve.
Nutrition
Followed by consistency, nutrition is also an incredibly important aspect of the game. Regardless if you want to get healthier, lose more weight, gain weight, not get too tired during a workout – nutrition plays a vital role.
Like a well-oiled machine, your body needs the proper ingredients to perform at peak performance and if you give the wrong type of fuel to your body, it will fail you (or not perform as well as it could).
Is There a Macro More Important than the Other?
There are 3 macronutrients that makes our body function properly (carbs, protein, and fat). If you lack one of them, your body might be suffering and could try to compensate with another, which is not ideal.
With that being said, I am a huge advocate for protein. Protein, in my humble opinion, is what most people are missing from eating on their daily caloric intake. That is why I always try to get whey protein into my cereal or on a drink.
Protein is the macronutrient responsible for growing your muscles and repairing them. With more muscle, your body naturally needs more energy to keep functioning and, voila, lower body fat percentage. It’s called increasing your metabolism.
My go-to protein sources are always whey protein, chicken, eggs, or lentils.
Lose Weight
Most people want to lose weight. That’s just reality. And there are a lot of things I’ve learned through the years about losing weight – and sadly, gaining it back again, but that’s just life.
In fact, that should be the first thing you should know about losing weight – life will occur and throw you off your path, but that should be expected, just get back on track, be consistent and you will get there.
I have had my fair share of diets to try and lose weight – the craziest was to eat nothing but broccoli and blueberries for a full week. I have also done the warrior diet, where you fast for 20 hours and have a 4-hour window period to eat, I have done the volumetrics diet too, as well as many others.
That is just to let you know that I have tried different approaches. But now, for practical tips on how to lose weight through nutrition.
Which Diet is Best to Lose Weight?
When it comes to the word diet, you should have some concerns. Diet means it is something with an end date and that shouldn’t be what you are looking after. I know, it sounds corny, but you should think about eating habits instead of diets – to transform a diet that works well to lose weight into something that becomes the new normal.
The problem with diets is that it is usually restrictive in many ways. If your diet has forbidden you from eating a certain type of food or ingredient, it likely won’t last long and you could gain weight as soon as you go back to “normal habits” of eating.
While you were hoping to get a straight answer of the one diet that will help you lose weight. I can offer two nuggets of information.
First and foremost, calories in versus calories out is what determines if you lose weight or not.
Now, do what you want with that information above, but it is the foundational truth. You only get to lose weight, or better lose fat, if you are burning more calories than you are consuming. And if you hit a plateau, you can always be more aggressive with your cut for a while, have a cheat meal, or simply drink more water.
Many diets that claim to help you lose weight by eliminating carbs, or fats, or not eating sugar or drinking alcohol – all of these claims are possible because underneath it all the person is going to be ingesting fewer calories than they were used to.
Is the low-carb diet good for fat loss? Yes it is, but because you will be eating less calories in the end without even noticing. The same can be said for the high-protein diet, or paleo or keto.
Now, if you really want to know a step-by-step diet that can really help you achieve fat loss, I recommend the volumetrics diet. Yes, you probably never heard of it, which makes it also exciting in a way.
I did it in 2021 for one month and saw a big difference in the mirror and on the scale.
On the 31st day after I started my volumetrics diet journey, I stepped on the scale to see the results. Better than I expected.
| Before | After | ||
| Weight | 90.8kg (200lbs) | Weight | 86.8kg (191lbs) |
| Body Fat | 14.6% | Body Fat | 13.7% |
| Waist Size | 104cm (41 inches) | Waist Size | 100cm (39.7 inches) |
If you are a BOXROX Premium user, you can click here to see the entire transformation. If you are not, you can click here to get an idea of the diet.
But I promised to give you all the info necessary, after all, this is the ultimate guide to getting fitter, losing weight and build muscle.
What you need to know about the volumetrics diet is that it focuses on a person “eating water.” But wait, no, you won’t be drinking water all the time and nothing else. Your eating habits are centred around eating foods that are high in water, high in volume – since water has no calories, you will be feeling full without the additional calories; simple and ingenious.
The diet is not restrictive, but most of the food you will be eating are eggs, cauliflower, watermelon, chicken, sweet potato, and mostly any other vegetable and soups. The other good thing about this diet is that it advocates for people to move more (yes, this diet is not only about nutrition). It asks people to walk at least 8 kilometres a day (around 5 miles). In the end, you will be consuming less calories and burning much more, hence the fat loss.
Become Stronger through Nutrition
If you want to get stronger, your nutrition is probably going to be very different from those who are trying to lose weight. People who want to lose fat need to restrict the amount of calories they consume, but if you want to get stronger you need to do the opposite – consume a lot of calories.
And when that happens, when that is your goal, you will get bigger and, probably, look a bit more fat in the process. That is why the strongest man looks like someone in this video below (good old Eddie Hall) and not someone like Zac Effron.
So, yes, if you want to get stronger, you need to realise you will also get a bit bigger in the process. But that’s okay, you just do a cut later and try to maintain as much muscle as possible when leaning down.
Research Explains How to Build Muscle Whilst Losing Fat
Now, when it comes to nutrition to get stronger, your biggest allies are: caloric surplus and protein intake.
Building muscle requires a caloric surplus because the body needs extra energy to fuel the growth and repair of muscle tissues. When you consume more calories than your body burns, the excess energy is directed towards anabolic processes, which include muscle hypertrophy (growth).
Without a caloric surplus, the body might not have the necessary resources to build new muscle tissue, as it prioritizes maintaining essential bodily functions over muscle growth. Additionally, a caloric surplus ensures that you have sufficient glycogen stores, which are crucial for high-intensity workouts and sustained energy levels, enabling you to train harder and stimulate more muscle growth.
Protein intake is equally critical because protein provides the essential building blocks, known as amino acids, required for muscle repair and growth. During resistance training, muscle fibers undergo microscopic damage, and protein is necessary to repair and rebuild these fibers, making them larger and stronger over time.
Consuming adequate protein ensures that your body has a constant supply of amino acids to support muscle protein synthesis, which is the process of creating new muscle proteins. Without sufficient protein, the body cannot effectively repair and grow muscle tissue, regardless of the caloric surplus. Thus, both a caloric surplus and adequate protein intake are fundamental for anyone looking to maximize muscle growth and strength gains.
10 Diet Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Muscle Gains
Which Diet is Best to Get Healthier?
Nutrition is a huge contributing aspect to health and eating healthily can prevent many forms of disease.
Eating for health – and pursuing health in all other aspects of your life – should follow these principles; your diet should consist of fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, high-quality, unprocessed foods.
“Using potatoes and vegetables, bananas and apples and stuff like that, you’ll feel more satiated, have a higher quality diet, less inflammation,” Dr Molloy told BOXROX, as well as give you the energy to work a full-time job and work out on the side.
Technically speaking, the mediterranean diet is the healthiest option with a varied choice of nutrient-dense food, rich on good fats, protein and a healthy amount of carbs.
How to Eat for Performance Vs Health Vs Looks?
Training
Nutrition might be the foundation to everything, but working out also plays a vital role in shaping your health, your muscles, and your body fat composition. Below you get to understand fundamental tips to achieve your goals through training.
Which Workout is Best to Lose Weight
One of the most researched questions online. Sadly, the answer is typically “it depends,” unless you are one of those snobs who says “nutrition,” which technically is true, but we want to know about workouts that help with fat loss.
If you want to lose weight, you want to burn more calories than you are consuming. So the best workout would be the one that burns the most calories possible.
That is the basis of the argument you need to have in your head. Now the most pressing question is: which workout burns the most calories? And that is when the answer “it depends” comes to bite you back in the ass.
Each body is different. Each person is capable of something different. For example, walking could be a terrible exercise to lose weight if you are quite thin, but the best exercise if you are overweight.
One thing I find that works for everyone, and that most bodybuilders reject because they don’t want to get lean, but rather bigger, is to incorporate full-body training to their weekly plan.
Another thing you need to have in mind is consistency and enjoyment. If you enjoy the workout, you will do more often. If you can do it consistently, you will reach your fat loss goals.
BOXROX recently wrote an article comparing 50 exercises and how many calories they burn according to the results of two different individuals. The top 5 exercises that burn the most calories were:
- Sprinting
- Boxing
- Devil Press
- Single-Leg Burpee
- Lateral Jump
These exercises were ranked according to the average calories burned per minute.
However, and this is a huge one, you should take into account how long you can perform such activity. Sprint is great for burning calories, but can you do it for more than an hour? Not really, otherwise it won’t be sprinting any longer, but just running or a speedy jog.
If you want to lose weight, you should aim to have a couple of exercises that are high-intensity, some that are low-intensity, some pure strength training, and some that are simply for leisure. For example:
High-intensity:
- Burpees
- Sprint
Low-intensity:
- Jogging
- Cycling on a flat surface
Strength training:
- Devil press
- Deadlifts
- Back squats
Leisure:
- Walking outside
- Playing sports such as football, soccer, basketball
Or you can also try Jeff Cavaliere’s perfect workout to lose weight in this link. It has been divided into three typical workouts per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) with push, pull, legs routine, and then on Saturday or Sunday you do an abs workout circuit.
As a general rule though, I would suggest doing compound movements in the gym (they recruit the most muscles so you burn more calories in the process) and practising daily walks or on-and-off runs outside.
Ultimate Guide on How to Get Shredded
Which Workout is Best to Get Stronger
You are probably not a beginner if you want to get stronger and not actually just look thinner. The gym becomes your second home because you need to get there to push iron and feel the pump.
Just know that there is a difference between training for size and training for strength.
Anyway, as you continue going to the gym, you might feel like you’re not gaining as much muscle as you used to. This is when people tell you about the different styles of training, or how to split your workouts:
They are all valid and, frankly, they all work quite well. Regardless of which type of training you want to do, there are a few techniques you can implement to get even stronger – something we here at BOXROX call “force muscle growth.”
Increase load:
Simply add more weight to your barbell or hold a heavier dumbbell when doing your sets. If it is too difficult, you can experiment with only one set with a heavier weight.
Go to failure:
Another important aspect of getting stronger is to make sure you are training as hard as possible. And you can only guarantee that when you train to failure – this is when you can no longer perform a single rep with proper form.
Add reps:
Adding reps to your sets, without increasing the weight, is another great form to force muscle growth. You don’t need to do in every set, but you can experiment and see how your body feels and reacts when you do 12 reps instead of 10 with dumbbell curls, for example.
Add sets:
You typically should rest around 60 seconds between sets (90 seconds if you are doing heavy compound lifts). And you could be surprised at how your body can take another set of exercise even though you barely made it the last one. So add one set, with the same amount of reps and weight and see how it goes.
Change tempo:
Finally, one way to force muscle growth that most people neglect is changing the tempo in which you perform the exercise. Muscle growth happens depending on how long your muscle is under tension.
This means that if you perform 10 reps in 10 seconds, you actually spend 1 second per rep. What if you did 5 reps, but took 3 seconds on each rep? Although there are fewer reps, your muscle, theoretically, does more work and grows more as there is more stimulus for hypertrophy.
Experiment with those to see what could work best for you.
If you want something already made and explained exactly how to perform, and which exercises you should be doing, then I suggest clicking on the link below.
Top 5 Training Programs to Gain Size and Muscle Mass
Which Workout is Best to Get Healthier
Time and time again, BOXROX have written about longevity. And this is what you are looking for, after all. You want to be healthy so that you can live longer without complications.
At least in this case, most fitness coaches and biologists agree on what is the best workout to get healthier: high-intensity exercises.
That’s right. The more you force your heart to work, the better your body will function in the long run.
Here are three examples of HIIT exercises to elevate your heart rate:
- Sprint Intervals:
- Find a flat, open area like a track or a clear path.
- Sprint as fast as you can for 20-30 seconds.
- Follow the sprint with a 30-40 second walking or slow jogging recovery period.
- Repeat the cycle for 8-10 rounds.
- Burpees:
- Start by standing upright.
- Drop into a squat position and place your hands on the ground.
- Kick your feet back, landing in a plank position.
- Perform a push-up.
- Jump your feet back to the squat position.
- Explode up into a jump, reaching your arms overhead.
- Land softly and immediately go into the next repetition.
- Perform as many burpees as you can in 20-30 seconds, followed by a 20-30 second rest.
- Repeat for 8-10 rounds.
- Mountain Climbers:
- Start in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders.
- Quickly alternate bringing your knees toward your chest, as if you’re running in place while in a plank.
- Keep your core engaged and your back flat.
- Perform mountain climbers at a high pace for 20-30 seconds.
- Rest for 20-30 seconds.
- Repeat for 8-10 rounds.
You may also opt for different exercises that bulletproof your body for the future. Adam Sinicki, the Bioneer, have come up with 10 exercises you should be doing now that will pay off in the future:
- Hindu squats
- Gamma cast
- Kettlebell ballistic row
- Bodyweight good morning
- Tibia raise
- Bodyweight row
- Sumo squat with leg lift
- Camel pose
- Dead hang
- Wrist curls
Read Also: This Workout Makes Your Heart 20 Years Younger
More Tips that Gets You Closer to Your Objectives
Below are some relatively general tips about other factors that also influence in whether or not you will reach your goals, regardless if it is to get healthier, stronger, or lose weight.
Sleep
Aim to sleep a minimum of 7 hours, ideally at least 8 hours every night. It is while sleeping that your body recovers, builds back stronger, and helps you prepare for the upcoming day of workouts.
Without proper sleep, you will get irritate more easily, get hungrier more often, and worse of all, put in jeopardy the hard work you did that day.
8 Sleeping Habits KILLING Your Gains
Morning Routine
A good morning routine can also help you stay in shape and get stronger and healthier.
Personally, following Andrew Huberman’s tips, I wake up and do not go straight to the phone. I go outside to get sunshine and natural light into my skin to tell my body the day is starting.
Drink water and keep it in a fasted state for at least 45 minutes. Delaying your first meal enhances the effectiveness of the fat-burning process, tapping into stored fat for energy, a concept inspired by the ancient practice of earning your meal.
If you can, go for a walk before starting your job or school. You get the sunlight needed, and also already begin recruiting your muscles in a low-impact activity – plus it is enjoyable and you will feel energized for the rest of the day.
Who Should You Follow Online?
There is so much information online to follow through. Some influencers are full of crap, while others know exactly what they’re talking about.
Personally, I have a few people that I follow “blindly” because I trust their judgement and have tried and tested what they’ve said before and it worked for me. They are:
- Mike Israetel – fitness coach and exercise scientist who knows everything about building muscle and hypertrophy training
- Adam Sinicki – the Bioneer talks about different workouts, often different from the typical bodybuilding technique, always looking for athletic performance rather than looks
- Hampton Liu – he is the man behind Hybrid Calisthenics YouTube channel, the person I turn to when it comes to doing bodyweight exercises that challenge my body in different ways
- Andrew Huberman – a neuroscientist who interviews many people and gives a well-rounded response to so many questions about workouts, health and fitness
- Jeff Nippard – a natural bodybuilder who uses a lot of scientific research, and tried and tested training to show how you can always make your workout more effective
Hydration
Last, but not least, hydration is extremely important to stay healthy, lose weight and build muscle due to its role in maintaining bodily functions and optimizing physical performance. Water is essential for regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients, and removing waste products, all of which are vital for maintaining health. Proper hydration ensures that your cells function efficiently, supports digestion, and helps maintain healthy skin and organs. Dehydration, even in mild forms, can impair cognitive function, reduce energy levels, and negatively impact mood, making it harder to stay motivated and active throughout the day.
When it comes to building muscle, staying hydrated is key because water plays a significant role in muscle function and recovery. Muscle cells are composed largely of water, and proper hydration ensures that they remain full and function effectively during workouts. Water also aids in the transportation of nutrients to muscle tissues, enhancing the muscle repair and growth process. For weight loss, hydration is equally important as it can help control hunger, improve metabolic function, and support the body’s ability to burn fat. Drinking water before meals can help reduce calorie intake by promoting a feeling of fullness. Additionally, staying hydrated boosts your metabolism, enabling more efficient calorie burning, which is essential for weight loss. Therefore, maintaining proper hydration is fundamental for achieving and sustaining health, muscle growth, and weight management goals.
Hope you learned something today. That is it from me. Now go after your goals and be proud of yourself.
image sources
- Volumetrics Diet: Robert Born
- Flexitarian diet: RitaE / Pixabay
- robert born crosstrainer: Robert Born
- Mountain climbers: Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels
