If it fits your macros!?!?!

Yo bro whats your macros look like!?
Excuse me?
Your macros bro Protein Carbs and Fats...
So you think if you take in the same macro nutrients that I do you will have the same results as I do?
Yea bro its all about If It fits your Macros...IIFYM
My mind just exploded!!!!

I've seen thousands of people go on discussion boards and ask these same questions over and over and over again.  Not only is this one of the stupidest new fads in fitness but its straight out wrong.  For years the world of sports science has been studying nutrition and the best formulas for getting athletes to perform their best, and then all of a sudden you have this new cult of IIFYM.  This is absolute broscience simplified to the point of stupidity.

Now here is where it gets really stupid.  These bro's actually believe that if they eat something like the mcdonalds meal above and it doesn't surpass their macro nutrient requirement for the day they will continue to be successful in their fitness goals. WHAT!?!?!  Not only this but they have a complete disregard for micronutrients such as vitamins minerals amino acids antioxidants...This is nutrition simplified to the point of stupidity.
What I believe and have seen improve my physique beyond anything I have ever done is proper nutritional timing, taking in the proper amounts of macro and micro-nutrients at the time my body needs them. Now this is going to vary by each person and the goal they are trying to achieve.  I have my athletes on diets richer in complex carbohydrates then my physique and bodybuilder clients.  All the diets I create are centered around activity levels for the day.  When creating a diet we need to know that the energy we are putting into the body in forms of carbohydrates proteins and fats are going to be used most effectively.  For example if I have a client that performs a heavy exercise program at 10am I am centering his higher glycemic carbs prior to his workout and post workout.  The one thing I insist from every person regardless of who they are is the importance of proper nutrition at breakfast.  When you wake up your body is in an extremely stressful state regulating its hormones and recovering from around 8 hours of inactivity and fasting.  Without exception I insist that everyone takes in a quick digesting protein, either whey or egg and some carbohydrates in the form of fruits and berries.

 We all know the importance of taking in whey protein for building muscle because of its quick absorption time and the ease of digestion.  Not all whey proteins are created equal, read the labels and look for protein isolates not concentrates.  Although there is nothing truly wrong with a concentrate you will be getting a less pure product and usually a lot of by products that go along with it.
 BCAA's are the building blocks of our muscles and essential to the proper function growth and creation of an anabolic environment. Any good BCAA supplement will be sold in a 2:1:1 ratio. Leucine:Isoleucine:Valine this is the most effective ratio for your bodies absorption.  I suggest to my clients to use this both as an intra workout supplement for those who have longer workouts and as something to take in throughout the day. For endurance athletes I often add bcaas to their sugar free electrolytes sports drink during their long training periods. By doing this the get all the benefits of replenishing their electrolytes along with the anabolic response from the BCAA powder. The results are better longer harder workouts.

There is something truely magical about the numbers 2:1:! and thats what makes this post workout drink so amazing.  We have discussed the importance of whey and bcaas and to some extent carbs.   This product from ON takes all the thinking out of post workout nutrition.  It is geared specifically towards athletes who need the proper post workout nutrition.  It combines both quick and slow digesting proteins from multiple sources.  Two we discussed EGG and WHEY and a third CASEIN...casein is a anticatabolic protein that will actually slow the body from going into a catabolic state. It also contains both fast and slow digesting carbs to replenish glycogen levels and spike insulin levels post workout.  This creates an anabolic environment to create muscle growth recovery and deliver the proper micronutrients to the muscle cells.

Beta-Alanine is one of the most overlooked supplements on the market and its possibilities for athletes is tremendous.  It offers the body away to buffer ammonia created from lactic acid build up.  If you dont know what lactic acid is, its that buring feeling that leads to nausea and an inability to continue going during a run or sporting event.  Some people get a slight feeling of tingling or numbness from taking the powder, most will get used to it, some enjoy it and some people cant stand it.  I recommend it to anyone who is interested in increasing performance.

My night time recommendation for nutrient timing that is hugely overlooked is Casein protein.  This protein is not anabolic so it will not build muscle but what it does do is prevent a catabolic state.  It will actually prevent the breakdown of cellular structure due to nutrient deficiencies while you sleep.  This is tremendously important as we have already spoken about the stresses put on the body during waking.  This will help alleviate a lot of those stresses.




If you still think that IIFYM has any validity what so ever, your costing yourself dearly.  Its a fad diet plan come up with by those who want you to believe everything is really just that simple.  The truth is simple, create a calorie deficit and you will lose weight but the point here is not to lose weight it is to perform optimally.  You will never feel, look or perform your best by following a simple plan, after all if it was that simple everyone would do it.