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Hey everybody! Are you ready for summer? Have you been idle through the winter and looking to tone up? Fudged a little on your New Years' resolution? No worries, we all do it and have our reasons. The awesome thing about the human body is that you can truly change it and get the look you want with hard work, patience, diet, and a detailed supplementation program.

Before we go any further I just want to thank ProSource for providing the very best in proteins and supplementation that works 24/7 silently in the background helping me grow and improve year over year. This August will be 9 years since I started my fitness journey, all 9 of them I have used ProSource supplements. Diet and training has been all over the map but supplementation has remained the same, ProSource.
 
Hard Work is The Foundation of a Better Body
 
I was asked about core training a while back and we will get back to that in a minute but I want to expand on a couple of things that I mentioned in the intro. To see the changes you want, it's going to require hard work.

What do I mean by hard work? The best way I can describe it is always give 100% of your capacity on that specific day. Some days are going to be more explosive than others and other days are going to be less than stellar. You might just be getting it done, but the key is to walk out of the gym knowing you gave everything you had. The key to change is to make your body just uncomfortable enough to force it to change. So this one is up to you.

Diet is also up to you. For whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, you will need to experiment with your total calorie count based on progress. In my case it is about building muscle, so where did I start? Well, the recommended amount of protein for building muscle is about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. So if you are 200 pounds, you should be taking in 300 grams of protein per day which equals 1200 calories spread out evenly throughout the day, in my case 8 small meals.

I’m one of those guys that has a hard time eating a lot so I have to do 8 times per day. Next I grabbed a total caloric intake number, just took a stab at it. The number I picked was 3000 calories per day. All I wanted was a starting point and then I would do minor adjustments depending on which direction the muscle to fat ratio was going, not just the scale. The scale is an indicator that says check what kind of weight you are putting on or losing but not the entire answer.

I like to run relatively lean year-round so its important me. I’ve been in such a dialed-in spot over the past couple of years that I can cut or add 100 calories daily and see changes. Another bonus is knowing that you can have a cheat day regularly and no after affects. Sure I probably sacrifice some gains but I always feel good about myself at the pool or beach anytime of the year. Cool thing about building your body, its yours to do it how you like!

Find the Nutrition Supplements That Work Best For You

Supplementation? ProSource has everything that you need for an extremely detailed program. I make my own blends for morning, pre-workout, and night. I can tell you what to take but do the research, look at all of the descriptions and try them individually so you can see and feel what works for you and what doesn’t. That’s what I did and now I have my daily staples that I don’t go away from.

Top supplements that work for me are: NytroWhey Ultra Elite, MyoZene, AndroTest, Creatine, Acetyl L Carnitine, Leucine, Taurine, AKG, Beta Alanine, BCAAs, Extreme Caffeine, and Arginine to name most of them. Last summer I tested out BetaStax Elite 3.0 and was very happy with the results so I will probably run that again soon for increased fat loss.

Patience? That is up to you as well. If you put the work in consistently, get and keep your diet dialed in, and follow a detailed supplement program, you will see results, over time. Your body doesn’t change overnight. Once you start to see results then the fire is lit and you have your routine. Don’t be afraid to change things up, a little at a time, and see how your body responds. I’m at a point to where I can make a diet, workout, or supplement change and see the changes within a couple of weeks. If I’m happy I stay the course, if not then I go back and try something else. And keep written records of all changes and the effects.

 

Long winded lead in to the main question, don’t ya think? Core training. I’ll be honest with you guys, I only do core training in the summer months for appearance. I lift as heavy as I can under as strict control as I can, most of the time.

When performing heavy work, you core is going to be flexed to keep you stable. Think about your lifts. Squats – every muscle in the body for the most part. Shoulders – side raises will get your obliques, front raise will get your abs, bar military press will get all. Biceps and triceps – same as shoulders, individual arm movements will work obliques and bar work will hit abs.

Standing weight training exercises will hit your core well enough, in my opinion, to where I don’t have a need to focus on core movements. When I do want to tone up the abs a little more than they already are, I do various crunches but not a bunch. The biggest key to seeing those core muscles is getting rid of that layer of insulation which is primarily fat but can also be excess water.

To remove fat, we’ve already explained what to do above. To remove excess water, drink more water, like a lot. I target 2 gallons per day minimum. Get out there and make some changes that only you can do!
 
Thanks and you can always find me on Instagram @darrinjhills

 

Endorsers used products in conjunction with diet and exercise and may have been compensated for their appearance. Endorser's results are not typical. The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.