Using Winter Wisely Can Make It Your Season Of Gains

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Resist the urge to 'bulk up' in the colder months and stellar physique improvements will be yours for the taking, promises leading fitness model and dietitian Mark Robinson.

MAGIC MOVE

For exercises that change the way you look, it’s hard to go past the dumbbell lateral raise. It makes your shoulders look broader and your waist narrower. Performance tip: go light and slow, prolonging time under tension by stopping short of bringing the weights together at the bottom of the move.

LESS IS MORE

I’m not a fan of the bulk-and-cut approach. I’m lean all year round. Do you really need to be bigger for the sake of it? Do you really need more muscle – and the extra fat that generally comes with it? Or would you look better leaner, with visible abs and separation between your muscles that makes you look bigger anyway?

Bicep Hammer Curls for thicker arms 💪💪💪 Go till exhaustion and then do five more reps to shock the muscles and create greater gains as the muscle fibres tear and damage making them most ready for nutrient absorption like @ehplabs_ausnz Beyond BCAA intra workout for fast absorbing amino acids into your working muscles and Isopept Zero WPI post training for replenishment, recovery and lean growth 👊

SOURCE OF POWER

Use the winter to relax a little on how you get your carbs. As long as you keep them to 35 per cent of total kilojoules, you can afford to get them from a variety of foods and not just brown rice. Include various wholegrain cereals like Weet-Bix and the better crackers like Ryvita. If it’s not sugary then it’s okay.

GIVE ME A 'T'

As a dietitian I understand how important nutrition is to your aesthetic goals but I also know it can be kept simple.
Diet comes down to the three Ts:

1. TOTAL (kilojoules): with my dimensions I shoot for 8,800 kJ per day.

2. TYPE: For abs that pop aim for a macronutrient breakdown of 40 per cent protein, 35 per cent carbs and 25 per cent fats.

3. TIMING: Five or six small-to-medium meals spread through the day.

TRAIN FOR PERFORMANCE

Guys say they don’t need to be cut in winter when they’re covered up. Fair enough, I guess, but still stay away from outdated terminology like “bulking”. Relax your diet a little while focusing your training on a goal like increasing strength. Lift heavier. Try to hit some PBs.

I live by my 3T's Nutrition Formula...🤔 Now days so much of the population want to give nutrition some kind of 'sexy' name, or only follow a diet that is labelled something catchy...like: Keto / Paleo / Gluten Free, If it fits your macro's / 5&2 etc etc the list goes on! What happened to just following a Healthy Eating Plan? Sorry it doesn't sound very 'catchy' or 'exciting' but it's actually sustainable, safe, realistic and it provides RESULTS! . The first T stands for TOTAL (Appropriate Amount of Daily Calories / Energy). The second T stands for TYPE (Correct Ratio of Macronutrients). The third T stands for TIMING (Eating at the correct times throughout the day). . The Fitness Industry's Leading Dietitian 🥇 Email me for Customised Eating Plans mark@healthmanmark.com

LEAN MACHINE

If you really do need more muscle, the best time to build it is when your body-fat percentage is relatively low – 12 per cent or lower, say. Your body copes much better with extra food when it’s trim because your metabolism’s working better and is more likely to shunt the kilojoule surplus to your muscles rather than store it as fat.