I applaud Dash's discipline and his results definitely show.
I know genetics has a factor in it as well as lifestyle. I personally have 3 kids and a family so I do what works for me in my lifestyle and time that I have. I also like food a lot(live to eat rather than eat to live...) so having a six pack is all but a mirage to me and something I don't aspire to achieve. I also think sustainability in the long run is very important(treating it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet or regimen). I'm 48(despite what my profile says) so I have age working against me so the types and frequencies of the excercise is targeted for me to reduce any chances of injury. Lasty, I'm just a lazy @ss mofo and try to get the max for the min where I can. LOL
So my alternate guide is for people like me which I'll share here. It may or may not work for some but it doesn't hurt to try if you aren't in a position to follow Dash's. It's pretty simple to follow and isn't an exact recipe. More of a guideline...
I truly believe staying healthy(not built necessarily) requires
75% nutrition and 25% workouts expecially the older you get.
75% (2% supplements) - geared towards keeping your testosterone as high as possible through natural means.
Biggest things:
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Little to no alcohol - everyone thinks the heart is the most important and it is to survive but the liver is what determines how you live, regulating over 500 body functions.
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Little to no processed foods - the fewer and the least artificial ingredients, the better(think more like a paleo diet style)
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Natural sugars only, no High Fructose Corn syrup - Just cutting out soda's can definitely trim you down. Natural sugars can be processed more efficiently and get out of your system. Say no to Diet drinks which are even worse regardless of the marketing term "diet".
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Minimize carbs - processed carbs like chips, cakes, pastry, breads will do more damage than others. Best carbs are natural like Rice and Potatoes. You can eat pizza, pastas sparingly like once a week. Some amount of carbs are needed though as your body needs it to regulate insulin levels and that's the reason why I don't think a full strict Keto diet is natural or sustainable.
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No fast food places - I think this one is self explanatory but if you find yourself at one always get the grilled option or anything that isn't fried.
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No fried foods
- No eating late nights
- Eat on a regular schedule consistently
- Sleep consistently and try to get 7 hours
- Supplements - I've tried to minimize the amount of supplements as it can not only be costly but a huge upkeep if you have to keep up with a lot of them and I haven't found a huge difference to justify it. A good multi-vitamin(I personally like Rainbow brand), Vitamin D on cloudy days or over winter, D-aspartic acid(I use 2-3 weeks on and 1-2 weeksk off). This last one may or may not work for everyone.
- Do eat: Egg Yolks(good cholesterol), Red meat(healthy fats), Macadamia and Brazil nuts, Olive and coconut oils, fish(omega 3 oils), vegetables(green mainly), oatmeal, fruits, beans, dark chocolate, rice, potatoes, etc. All these will help maintain testosterone levels.
- Don't eat: Any soy products, test out Vitamin D milk to see if you notice weight gains
I pretty much follow these and don't really have any kind of regiment or diet. It's a sustainable lifestyle change for me and easy.
25% Workouts
The older you get the smarter you have to workout as you're no longer built like a 20yo. This focuses on minimizing workout injury due to age and more worn out joints. This means less weight but more reps. I've been just doing at home workouts for the past 2 years on a simple inclineable weight bench and Bowflex dumbells. My goal is to just maintain what I've got. If you're goal is to get really built, then you'll need a lot heavier weights.
Since I'm lazy but also have kids, I try to be efficient where I can. My workout consists of working out every other day for only 30-45min max. I take little time in between my sets so that I treat it more as a HIIT or circuit training style to keep my heart rate up. I also do excercises that target multiple muscle groups at once(the time and lazy side) such as bench press and squats. Also technique is very important, more so than the amount of weights IMO.
My typical workout(all with 15-18 reps):
3 sets of bench press
3 sets of shoulder press
3 sets of rows
3 sets of butterflies
3 sets of bicep curls
3 sets of squats
3 sets of bicycle crunches
3 sets of leg lifts
I briskly walk 1-2 miles per day
I'll do a series of sprints 1-2 times per week.
I don't do tread mill or long distance running(it has been shown to raise cortisol levels) but simply I just don't like it.
I think Dash's workout is great for those that can. For those that can't, there are always alternatives. Most importantly, do trial and error and see what works for your body/genetics/lifestyle.
