Rob - Fit For Life - Stronger Every Decade

Adding more weight when you haven't got the form right will delay your progress, not speed it up.

Are you following me on Instagram?

If not, you're missing out:

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I help dads with no time go from out of shape to lean and strong with short workouts and easy to follow nutrition plans. DM for coaching.

Rob - Nothing Barred Fitness

You're a 45 year-old dad with a job in corporate finance and 2 kids at home.

Why are you trying to make fitness progress with the routine of a professional bodybuilder?

Need some super simple workout programs that are easy for anyone to pick up and run with?

Get 7 of them here (options to fit your situation) 👇

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90% of people could cut their workouts by at least 50% and still get the same or better results.

I'm serious.

Want 21 free high protein recipes?

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Sometimes, I train inside a gym. https://t.co/WOjX7jvtzg

Gaining fat is like taking on debt.

You'll have to pay it back some day, or live with the consequences.

Building muscle is like investing.

The older you get, the more you'll wish you started earlier.

P.S. I’m looking for 3 men who want to lose at least 20 lbs of fat in the next 3-4 months.

You'll work closely with me, one to one, and I'll get you results.

Apply on my website:

(Not cheap but results are guaranteed)

https://t.co/bXsqgWpE6i

9 unsettling facts about low testosterone and 7 ways to fix it without drugs.

If you're a man over 30, read this👇 https://t.co/ofS6CQvP2w

9 consequences of low testosterone:

1. Smaller testicles & penis.
2. Harder to get an erection.
3. Worse memory and cognitive function.
4. Worse mood and mental capacity.
5. Higher body fat.
6. Reduced muscle mass.
7. Hair loss. 
8. Reduced bone mass.
9. Affects 40% of men >45

Testosterone is the male sex hormone. It affects your appearance, sex drive, mental & physical performance, motivation, mood and more.

Low testosterone will seriously impact on your health and quality of life.

Here's 7 ways to improve it without using drugs 👇

1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep.

Studies found that one week of moderate sleep restriction led to a 15% drop in testosterone.

If you're not getting 7 hours of sleep, this is the first thing you should focus on.

7 ways to improve your sleep:

1. Get blackout blinds
2. Phone in another room
3. Supplement with magnesium
4. Sleep in a colder room (65º F)
5. No screens within an hour of bed
6. Read fiction before going to sleep
7. Eat dinner earlier, at least 4 hours before bed

2. Drop the excess body fat.

Obese men have 30% lower testosterone levels than lean men.

If you're over 20% body fat, you need to get leaner.

This thread will help you:
https://t.co/5QCZKOWNWS

7 steps to reliably lose excess body fat:

1. Track macros.
2. Be in a calorie deficit .
3. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
4. Eat 1g protein per lb of lean mass.
5. Lift weights and build muscle
6. Drink more water.
7. Eliminate ultra processed foods.

3. Don't be TOO lean.

Constantly dieting when you're already lean lowers testosterone levels.

The sweet spot is 10-18% body fat.

If you're in a calorie deficit for months trying maintain single digit body fat or get "stage lean" you're going to tank your testosterone levels.

4. Avoid compounds that lower testosterone.

You'd be shocked by how many everday items & products can lower testosterone levels.

Even our water isn't safe due to hormones from birth control that don't get fully removed from the system.

Here's how you can minimise the impact 👇

5 ways to prevent the environment from tanking your T-levels:

1. Don't reheat food in plastic tupperware
2. Replace plastic tupperware with glass
3. Get a glass kettle
4. Install a water filter
5. Avoid personal care products containing parabens and phthalates (most of them)

5. Get enough zinc in your diet.

Having a zinc deficiency can lead to low testosterone.

An estimated 17.3% of the global population is at risk of inadequate zinc intake.

One study researched the effects of a magnesium and zinc supplement. It found that men who received 30 milligrams of zinc per day showed increased levels of free testosterone in their bodies.

Zinc is found in red meat, poultry, seafood, nuts and seeds.

Eat more of these foods.

Supplement with zinc if needed.

6. Cut out alcohol.

Studies have found that testosterone can drop in as little as 30 minutes after alcohol consumption.

Men who drink heavily are more likely to experience:

- Low testosterone levels
- Erectile dysfunction
- Low libido

7. Exercise and build muscle

A 2012 study found that exercising regularly was linked to higher T levels than men who were sedentary.

A 2016 study of men with obesity found that regular exercise did more to increase T levels than even losing weight.

Lifting weights is the best form of exercise to boost testosterone.

A 2007 study found that men who strength trained 3 days a week for 4 weeks saw increases in T levels immediately after working out and over time.

I built muscle on dreadful sleep when my son was newborn with just 4x20 minute workouts per week.

I've put the whole plan into an online course and program you can grab here:

(66% off for 24 hours only)
https://t.co/jAlDkEfE9B

7 tips to boost testosterone without taking drugs:

1. Sleep 7 hours per night
2. Drop excess body fat
3. Don't be TOO lean
4. Avoid T-lowering compounds
5. Get more zinc.
6. Cut out alcohol
7. Lift weights & build muscle

That's the end of this thread!

If you found it useful, use the link below to jump to the first tweet and give it a like & retweet so others can benefit.

Follow me @Rob_NBF if you want to transform into the lean and muscular version of yourself. 
https://t.co/P3VRKifRar

Do you want 7 free workout programs?

That's what you'll get when you join my email list (and you'll also get a week of free tips sent to your inbox!)

Sign up here 👇

https://t.co/k0LSc0S3VJ

P.S. I’m looking for 3 men who want to lose at least 20 lbs of fat in the next 3-4 months.

You'll work closely with me, one to one, and I'll get you results.

Apply on my website:

(Not cheap but results are guaranteed)

https://t.co/bXsqgWp6gK

How to lose 20 lbs of fat in the next 90 days.

- Look better
- Have more energy
- Feel more confident
- Reduce your risk of disease

Thread 👇

These are the only things you need to worry about for fat loss:

- Calorie deficit.
- Protein intake.
- Resistance training.
- Recovery.
- Micronutrients.
- Movement.

Everything else is either a scam or will only move the needle a tiny amount.

✅ Calorie Deficit✅

If you're not in one, nothing's going to happen.

You can avoid all the fad diets that make you feel like crap and just focus on foods that:

✅ Are filling
✅ Are lower calorie
✅ You enjoy eating
✅ Are high in protein (more on that later)

I like to track my calories accurately when losing fat.

It's a must for me as I want to occasionally eat things like a  bar of chocolate or have an ice cream with my kids.

Why unnecessarily eliminate these things when you can keep them in and still lose fat?

You want a MANAGEABLE calorie deficit. 

If you try to push too hard you'll be low on energy and you're increasing the risk of losing muscle and having binges.

Without doubt, the best approach is to use macrofactor for your initial food targets, then use it to log your food and weight.

It'll adjust your targets based on your progress to have you losing weight at the right rate and on track for your goal.

https://t.co/YxtU15vUQy

It's WAY better than other calorie tracking apps.

You can get it free for 14 days with my code (ROBNBF).

✅ Protein intake ✅

You want a high protein intake.

This has several benefits:

- Maintain muscle
- Be satiated (feel full)
- Burn more calories through digestion

1.6g per KG of your bodyweight is my recommended intake that will be enough to maintain muscle (0.73g per lb)

There's no need to eat 1g per lb of your body weight, especially if you're overweight.

No one needs to eat 350g of protein. You'll probably eat more calories than necessary if you do this.

Most studies on the subject find there's no benefit beyond an intake of 1.6g per KG/0.73g per lb.

So just shoot for that.

But if you eat more, that's fine too.

Protein requires about 30% more calories to digest than other foods so it will help for fat loss.

✅ Resistance Training ✅

You need to be resistance training if you want to maintain muscle as you lose fat.

You SHOULD want to maintain (or build) muscle while you lose fat.

Improving your lean body mass as a % of your overall weight will totally transform the way you look.

I've had periods in my life when I squeezed workouts into my lunch hour & got it done in 20-30 minutes.

Sometimes doing just ONE set per workout.

One set per muscle group per week is fine if you work hard enough (very close to failure).

But if you have time, pick 2 compound exercises per session, and do 3 sets of each RPT(reverse pyramid training) style.

Good compound exercises to focus on are:

- Incline bench
- T-bar row
- Seated dumbbell press
- Dumbbell one arm row
- Incline DB press
- Seated Row
- Barbell back squat
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Reverse luges
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Hip thrusts

First set heavy, 4-6 or 6-8 reps (depending on nature of the exercise), go 1 rep from absolute failure.

Drop weight 10% for next 2 sets and go to almost failure again.

No isolation work whatsoever.

You could spread this across 4-5 sessions per week of no more than 30 minutes each.

You could also do it across 2 or 3 longer sessions and it wouldn't make much difference.

✅ Recovery ✅

When you're in a calorie deficit, recovery is already harder - so keep workouts short.

Sleep 7+ hours a night, quality unbroken sleep if possible. 

If your sleep is of poor quality you will find it harder to stick to your diet and recover from your workouts.

✅ Micronutrients ✅

At least 80% of your diet should be from quality food that contains a lot of vitamins and minerals.

Eat eggs, beef, fish, lamb, vegetables (most veg - not root veg - is ideal for loading onto your plate as it is very filling for basically no calories).

Recovery and training is going to be worse if you eat crap food.

You also won't get to eat as much food or burn as many calories through digestion.

Highly processed food is usually more calorie dense, so it provides more energy for how much it fills you up.

Whole foods have a higher thermic effect than processed foods. 

Meaning you burn more calories through digestion from eating whole foods than you would from the same calories from processed foods.

Lastly on micronutrients, I would say it's worth supplementing some:

- Magnesium
- Omega 3
- Vitamin D (if you don't see much sun)

These won't affect fat loss but they will have other benefits for health.

✅ Movement ✅

Forget traditional cardio. 

It works to burn calories but it's unnecessary.

Just get out and walk. If you don't do 10,000 steps a day, start. Anyone can do this.

If you already do 10,000 steps a day, try and do more.

Remember, it's not about single days. 
It's about averages.

Sometimes during a fat loss phase I have days where I eat too much junk and days where I skip workouts.

Don't look at these days in isolation. Look at your average across lots of days.

If you average 80-90% on track over a long period like 3 months then you'll see results

✅ Bonus - Diet Breaks!  ✅

Don't spend too long in a calorie deficit.

Toughing it out in a calorie deficit for several months in a row will take its toll (both mentally and physically).

You'll also move less and expend less energy subconsciously.

You'll get lazier and expend less energy through unconscious movement (like tapping your foot, or waving your arms when you speak)

To combat all of this, take a diet break AT LEAST every 3 months.

A good guide is to take a one week diet break for each month you've been in a calorie deficit, and ideally this is at least every 3 months.

Just up calories to maintenance for a week.

If you want my full blueprint of how I get shredded through diet with the minimum effect dose of lifting, check the contents of my program 20 minute muscle here:

https://t.co/jAlDkEfE9B (66% off through this link!)

That's the end of this thread!

If you found it useful, retweet the first tweet to help someone else out!

Follow me @Rob_NBF for more threads on fitness, health and fat loss.

HOW TO SAVE A HELL OF A LOT OF TIME IN THE GYM (seriously, a HELL of a lot) and get BETTER results for building muscle. 

Backed up by science. 

Thread 👇 https://t.co/5NG0olHR4m

First mistake:

Doing too many exercises.

All you need is:

- A squat or similar movement
- A hip hinge
- Vertical push
- Vertical pull
- Horizontal push
- Horizontal pull

Add in some calf work and ab work.

You don't need multiple exercises for each muscle group.

Some people do 3 or 4 different exercises for each of the above, e.g. a flat bench press, a decline bench press, a pushup, an incline dumbbell press... this is a waste of time.

All of those are using the same muscles and fall into the "horizontal pull" category.

All you need to do is pick ONE for each category and lift to failure with good form.

Reaching failure (or close) creates the stimulus for adaptation.

Adding more work does not increase this stimulus, it just adds more muscle damage that you've got to recover from.

The other mistake is that people do too many sets.

You've all seen the bros in the gym on chest day...

HAMMERING the chest with 5 sets of flat bench press, 5 sets of incline, 3 sets of decline, 5 sets of flyes...

This is just cutting into recovery and making results worse.

This meta-analysis found that 2-3 sets adds about 40% more than a single set, but 4-6 sets does not add anything significant over 2-3 sets.

Pick 1 exercise per muscle group, do 2-3 hard sets with good form & get out.
https://t.co/lOR3j5gvp8

Just focusing on 6 movements (plus some calves and abs if you wish) for 2-3 sets each is going to DRASTICALLY reduce your gym time.

"but what about working in different rep ranges?"

It makes no difference 👇

This study found no difference in strength or size gains for resistance trained men, based on the load used, as long as they worked to failure:
https://t.co/2RcUEUUh1P

Many other studies have found the same.

This meta-analysis analysed 21 studies and found that hypertrophy gains were similar across a huge range of rep ranges.
https://t.co/0wWmtdWzNr

That's already going to save you a ton of time.

The other big one is the number of workouts.

Most people are doing too many.

It generally requires AT LEAST 48 hours for muscles to be recovered - and for many people this could actually be more.

The science supports that 3x full body workouts on non consecutive days is enough, possibly leaving 72 hours between workouts, like this:

Day 1: Full body
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Rest:
Day 4: Full body
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Full body

This study found that only 20% of people had fully recovered after 48 hours:

https://t.co/PaHoAgt5aF

Even after 72 hours 63% of the subjects (trained men) were not recovered but the test had involved 12 sets to failure (strengthening the point about lots of sets being overkill)

In this study, 40% of the subjects (trained men between 18-30) were recovered after 48 hours and 80% after 72 hours.

https://t.co/gCLPu591eh

When the test was increased from 3 sets to 7 sets, recovery was increased to 96 hours.

The above study also tested older men (50-65) and even after 96 hours 70% of these men were not fully recovered. If you're older, recovery becomes even more important.

Here's another study where 40% were recovered after 48 hours and 80% after 72 hours:
https://t.co/ooZ1RCtLPa

An upper lower split may be preferable if you want to work out on consecutive days:

Day 1: Upper
Day 2: Lower
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Upper
Day 5: Lower
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Upper (or rest to make a 7 day cycle)

So the movements you need are:

Vertical pull
Vertical push
Horizontal pull
Horizontal push
Squat
Hip hinge

This will train pretty much everything.

2-3 sets of 1 exercise to failure, every 72 hours.

There's no need for isolation exercises for muscles already worked to failure by compound exercises - e.g. direct biceps exercises after chinups.

Here's a study showing that adding this isolation work after compounds made NO DIFFERENCE.
https://t.co/FRjuwclGdb

Caveats:

If your goal is simply hypertrophy and health benefits, this thread is all relevant.

If your goal is to move as much weight as possible in specific lifts, you need to train those lifts with a high load.

Lifting heavy weights is a skill. You need to practise that skill

I know people will be VERY adamant that they need 5 sets of 5 exercises 5 days a week or whatever... after all "that's what Jay Cutler/Kai Greene/whoever did, and they're beasts!"

Well SOME people are outliers, others are extreme outliers...

In all the studies looking at recovery time, there were a couple of people who recovered much quicker, and a couple who took much longer.

Also, just because something works, doesn't mean it's the BEST approach...

I know you made progress with lots of sets, but how do you know 2-3 sets wouldn't have worked just as well, or better?

Most people have only ever done multiple exercises for multiple sets. They learned it from X person, who learned it from Y person, who copied Arnold's routine.

Give this approach a try, then let me know how it feels.

Make sure you control the weight and use good form.

At least 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down on every rep (don't dismiss this).

USE LESS WEIGHT.

Guarantee you'll find these 2-3 sets harder than your usual 20!

My n=1 experience is that all of this works.

When my son was born and my job was busy, I was determined not to give up on working out.

I did the minimum, thinking I'd just slow the rate of my DEtraining....

What actually happened was my results got better!

At first I maintained my muscle while getting lean. This took around 6 months. https://t.co/ZIf2Z7tvsg

And then I continued to gain muscle once I started eating more food.

My training routine didn't change for a year. I was doing 3 or 4 workouts per week of 20-30 minutes each.

This has totally transformed my approach to training.

I now don't stress about missing workouts and I generally tend to work out for 60-80 minutes per week (instead of 4-5x that amount!)

This has given me far more time to spend with my family and focus on my business.

You can get my program with the full blueprint of what I did to get lean & build muscle with 20 minute workouts!

Options for your desired frequency, gym+home, nutrition +more! 

Was $150, now just $47 (for 24 hours only!)

See the contents here 👇
https://t.co/jAlDkEfE9B

That's the end of this thread!

If you found this thread useful, please use this link to jump back to the top and give it a RT!

Follow me @Rob_NBF if you want to get in shape with less time.
https://t.co/gIPFy3RSmE

P.S.

Want an ebook that will show you all of my non-negotiable principles for muscle gain and the simple framework you need to follow? (with lots of different programs and nutrition)

This is for you.

50% off (next 50 orders only)

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30 of my best tips from 9 years in the gym

1. You're doing too many workouts, exercises and sets. https://t.co/VKhSbHb01J

2. More and more sets doesn't =  better results. 

You need to stimulate a response, not destroy a muscle.

3. If you want to give muscles the best stimulus, use less weight.

4. Slow down your reps and use textbook form if you want the best results.

5. Simpler lifting plans are nearly always better.

6. The older you get, the more recovery you should allow between sessions.

7. The most important thing you're missing isn't the perfect plan or diet. It's consistency with ANY decent plan or diet (and there are tons).

8. You will never look as muscular as you want without getting to a low bodyfat percentage.

9. There is no need to lift below 5 reps unless you want to compete in a strength sport.

10. Sets over 20 reps and up to 30 are worthwhile for building muscle (as long as they're taken close to failure)

11. If the last rep in your set doesn't take twice as long as the first rep, you're probably not training hard enough.

12. You don't need 1g of protein per lb. 0.7g per lb of LEAN MASS is enough.

13. Carbs increase workout performance, eat them before your workouts.

14. Cardio is not a requirement for fat loss.

15. If you're not losing fat, you're not in a calorie deficit.

16. You eat more than you think. Track your calories. 

17. "Starvation mode" is not a thing. You're eating more than you think.

18. Aiming to do your workouts in the evening or at night is a good way to ensure they don't happen. 

19. You haven't got to lose weight every week. Diet breaks at maintenance calories are a GREAT strategy. Think long term.

20. Significant muscle takes a long time to build. Fat loss is quick by comparison. 

21. There's no such thing as "fat burning workouts"

22. When you want to lose fat, your training should look the same as when you want to build muscle, with less overall work.

23. If it fits your macros you can eat it... but shit food will eventually = shit performance and feeling like shit. Be sensible.

24. The people who get the best results can tolerate eating the same things often and sticking to basic, progressive training plan long term.

25. Bodyweight, dumbbells, barbells and machines are ALL good options.

26. Competitive lifting form has little relevance to someone who is lifting for health and longevity.

27. If you want the best results, lift through a full range of motion. No half reps.

28. Your genetics are good enough.

29. Most supplements aren't needed/do nothing.

30. There are no quick fixes. The hard way is the shortcut.

Most people tell themselves they have no time.

My minimal program will show you that's not true.

See the contents here 👇 (66% off today)

https://t.co/jAlDkEfE9B

If you enjoyed this thread, give the first tweet a retweet so someone else can benefit!

Follow me @Rob_NBF for more threads on fat loss, lifting and health.
https://t.co/KdFX67pieH

There is no need to change your lifting program more often than every 6 weeks.

I usually run with the same exercises for 3 months unless there's a good reason to change something.

You need to get stronger at the same things. That will only happen with consistency.

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