Lean for Life

You see a lot of bodybuilders bulk up in the off-season. You may have wondered if that’s a good way to show more muscle when you diet down again. Maybe, although you’ll probably diet off any additional muscle you put on. Also, the fat you add will be harder to lose the second time around. Here’s a quote that hits home from Clarence “Ripped” Bass’ book Lean for Life:

“In a study with laboratory rats, Kelly Brownell, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, observed that after the animals regained the weight they had lost when they were placed on a diet, it took [them] more than twice as long to lose it the second time around, even though they were fed the same number of calories. The problem at the other end is that it took less than one-third the time to gain all the weight back compared to the first up-and-down cycle.”

It’s best to stay fairly lean year-round so that you don’t have a lot of fat to lose. The dieting yo-yo is a no-no.

—Becky Holman
www.X-tremeLean.com