You’ve probably heard it before, but crushing your workouts will only get you so far. It’s your eating habits that will help get you the long-term results you’re after.

Unfortunately, nutrition is also the most difficult part of fitness for most people to understand and put into action! That’s why we created the V Shred Custom Coaching program: to help eliminate the guess work and have the experts do the heavy lifting of figuring out what and how much to eat — so you don’t have to!

If you’ve received your a V Shred Custom Diet Plan or are just considering buying one, here’s what to expect — and a step-by-step guide of how to turn that plan into actual meals!

What to Expect When You Get Your Plan

When you open up your meal plan, the first thing you will see is your meals for the entire week.

Most days will look like this:

• Breakfast
• Snack
• Lunch
• Snack
• Dinner

There might be another snack before bed, depending your goals. In addition to everything you need to eat at each meal, you will find the calorie/macro breakdown for each meal and your total daily calories/macros for the entire day at the bottom of the page.

Before we dig deep into the plan, let’s address the one question we almost always get right out of the gate. Why is my plan just one week? 

Here’s why: Unless you see something that you don’t like, or we determine the plan isn’t working for you and your goals, our plans are written to repeat the same meals for several weeks, — normally, right about a month.

That may sound weird, but there is a reason. You get better at your diet the same way you do with your workouts — by repeating them more than once. Sticking to the same meals for a few weeks helps you learn crucial meal preparation and portion control skills!

Once you are confident and seeing results, we’ll start mixing things up. But if you need more variety, reach out to Be it day one or day 90; your coach is always happy to make adjustments!

Now let’s dig into how to put your plan into action, in 5 steps.

Step 1: Look Over All Seven Days Of Your Plan 

Start with page one and go through each meal. Don’t just skim! Do a deep dive. Look for anything you may see as a problem; a food you hate, something you are allergic to, or a meal that just doesn’t feel right.

If something looks off, speak up! Let your coach know, and they will keep changing it until you are happy! Your plan is never set in stone.

That’s a big difference between our meal plans and ones from other online services. Our plans are meant to be truly customized. We keep making adjustments until you’re confident you can follow it without feeling overly restricted or overwhelmed.

Step 2: Make a Shopping List & Head to the Grocery Store 

After the meal schedule, you will find recipes and instructions. Skip past this section for now and go to the back of the meal plan and look at the shopping list! It is about three pages long and includes everything you need to follow our recipe suggestions and make your meals.

Because your meals come from recipes, this section may look a little weird. Like, who buys .38 cups of salsa, right? Or just one tablespoon of peanut butter?

But remember, you will be repeating this meal plan for four weeks, so you will be buying almost everything you need for an entire month of meals.

That’s another perk of meal planning: It is very budget-friendly! It may seem expensive during that first shopping trip, but once you get good at shopping, you can easily save enough money each month to pay for your meal plan.

We suggest printing this section and taking it to the store with you so you can buy everything you need to set yourself up for most of the month in a single trip. In some cases, you’ll only have to buy some of these things once every few months.

You will also see specific brand names called out on these shopping lists. You don’t need to buy the exact brands listed. Buy the brand you want or that you can afford.

Step 3: Practice Measuring Your Food

Our meal plans contain a range of pretty normal food: measurements: tablespoons, ounces, cups, etc. If you go to the last page of the meal plan, there’s a simple portion guide that helps you put those into some terms. For example, a cup of salad greens is about the size of a baseball.

However, we recommend investing in a food scale and tools like measuring cups and spoons for optimal accuracy. You can pick one up at most department/grocery chains or find them really cheap online. 

That may seem like overkill, but here’s why it’s so important. Compare these two servings of nuts. They’re both a size that would be easy to scoop out of a bag with your hand, but one contains an extra 235 calories.

That number of extra calories one time won’t make or break your results. But repeated on a regular basis for weeks or months, the calories will definitely add up!

The moral of the story: It’s hard to “eyeball” portions, especially when you’re not used to it. Use a food scale as often as you can, at least for a couple of months. Over time you can get pretty good at eyeballing, but it takes plenty of practice.

Step 4: Learn Your Swaps

Our V Shred coaches share a short guide with every meal plan that lists easy protein, carb, fat, and vegetable substitutions. These are interchangeable foods based on your wants, needs, and cravings, and will help keep you from getting bored with your plan.

For example, let’s say you see chicken on your plan a few times. If you already know that you are going to get sick of chicken after a couple of days, when you are out grocery shopping, pick up some items on the substitute list! You could have an equal portion of lean turkey, white fish, 3/4 of a cup of cottage cheese, or plenty of other options.

If you aren’t sure if you are substituting with the right foods or don’t see any substitutions you like, you can always reach out to your coach to ask. Our Facebook Group for Women or Facebook Group for Men are also packed with thousands of people who have had success in custom coaching, and they have tons of great ideas to keep you satisfied.

Step 5: Pick Your Meals

Now that you’ve looked at your plan and understand the shopping and substitutes list, it’s time to make your shopping list, and start prepping a few meals! If you need some ideas on making meal-prepping easier, Vince filmed a great video on meal-prep tips that can help you get started.

Hopefully you are feeling confident and ready to start eating and feeling better!

But if you are still confused after looking everything over, it’s normal. Please don’t hesitate to talk to your coach! You are never bothering them, and there is no such thing as a “dumb” question.

Each week, look for a “check-in” emails from your V Shred coach. If you have any questions or feel like you’re struggling, this is the best way to get help from experts who know how to give it.

Now, time to go start taking control of your nutrition. We know you can do it!

The post Getting Started With Your V Shred Custom Meal Plan appeared first on V Shred.

For many athletes and lifters, taking a pre-workout supplement is a crucial part of their training ritual. But if you look around the gym or watch training videos online, you’ll see people taking them at different times: everything from “at home before I get in the car to drive to the gym” to “right before I pick up the weights and do my first warm-up set.”

If you’re like Vince Sant and you like to slam a pre right before you start training, there’s nothing wrong with that. But for most people, it’s not the ideal way to see the real benefits across the entire workout — which are things like controlling fatigue, helping you stay focused, and allowing you to pump out more reps than you would without it.

Here’s why: Science has shown that the caffeine in a pre-workout takes 15-45 minutes to kick in, and up to an hour to reach peak levels in your bloodstream.

In other words, if you wait until you’re at the gym to take it, you might be several exercises into your workout before the caffeine is doing much. So it might help you with the last round of a tough circuit, or the last couple of exercises in a strength or muscle-building workout, but that’s about it.

If you’re afraid that taking a pre-workout an hour before training will leave you short on energy halfway through your workout, well, think again. Depending on your tolerance, you probably have more like 3-4 hours before the caffeine level in your blood goes down by half — and possibly as much as 6-8 hours.

How to Take a Pre-Workout: If you can remember to, take your pre-workout at least 15 minutes before training, and even better, more like 30-45 minutes before training. And if you can’t remember until your workout starts, that’s OK — it’ll still help boost your energy for hours afterward.

Should I take a Pre-Workout Every Day? 

You don’t have to take a pre-workout every day to see benefits from it. Unlike some supplements like creatine, whose benefits are systemic and build up over time, a pre-workout offers acute benefits. This means it enters your system, and is gone a few hours later.

If you have a decent caffeine tolerance and don’t see negative impacts on your sleep, there’s no reason you can’t take a pre-workout every time you train. Alternately, you could also save it for your most intense workouts of the week, like a brutal leg day, or a pump-focused arm workout or shoulder workout.

Why Should I Take a Pre-Workout? 

The ingredients in pre-workouts — and caffeine in particular — have been shown in study after study to increase strength and endurance, and even to make workouts more effective at burning body fat.

But if you’re wondering why anyone would bother to take a pre-workout supplement, maybe it’s because your workouts aren’t challenging enough to deserve one — yet!

If you’re following one of V Shred’s most popular programs like Fat-Loss Extreme, Toned in 90 Days, or the legendary Ripped in 90 Days, a pre-workout can help you get the most out of every workout. But if you’re looking for a personalized solution, we can help you there, too.

You can get your customized meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com to get a healthy menu that will fit with your schedule and push your fitness where it’s never been before!

The post When Should I Take a Pre-Workout? appeared first on V Shred.

It’s great to set ambitious goals about how much weight you want to lose, how much muscle you are going to gain, and when you hope to achieve those goals.

It’s also normal for your body to not get on board with those expectations.

The key to not driving yourself crazy is NOT putting too much stock into the number you see on the scale; otherwise, you will be far more likely to get discouraged, and far more likely to give up.

Here’s how to set appropriate expectations about your weight, and how to make sure you get the most accurate reading when you do weigh yourself!

What Causes Weight Fluctuations

Weight fluctuations are completely normal, and everybody experiences them. Not just you! In facts, your weight can fluctuate or not change at all, even when you’re doing everything right — like working out, eating right, eating enough protein, and getting enough sleep.

This can be particularly true If you’ve got a lot of weight to lose. You might experience numerous fluctuations or plateaus in your journey.

It’s hard to say what causes weight fluctuations. There could be MANY reasons. Sure, the way you eat or train could play factors, but so could a range of factors like:

• Digestion
• Food Volume
• How often or intensely you’re working out
• Stress levels
• Sleep quality or quantity
• Sodium intake

Daily weight fluctuations of 5 or more pounds are completely normal. The good news is that even when the scale isn’t going down, that doesn’t mean you’re not making progress! Important, valuable things are still happening in your body when you eat better and follow a well-structured weight-loss workout plan.

Remember: Building and rebuilding your body is the project of a lifetime! The more workouts you keep nailing and the more quality meals you keep eating, the more you’re setting yourself up for success, no matter what the scale says.

When To Step On The Scale

It’s a good idea to weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before consuming any food or liquids, without clothes on, and if possible, right after using the restroom. This is the most commonly recommended technique to get an accurate reading.

Here’s what not to do: Weigh yourself in the middle or at the end of the day, and freak out if the number looks high. The number on the scale will always be higher compared to the first thing in the morning!

And we don’t recommend mixing the two approaches. If you weigh in as soon as you wake up on Monday and then 2 pm Tuesday, you will most likely get very different and misleading numbers.

But here’s the thing: Even if you consistently weigh at the same time of day and under the exact same circumstances — your weight will likely still fluctuate day-to-day.

This is also why many coaches, including V Shred’s team of custom nutrition and workout coaches will have you weigh in multiple times a week or even daily. This allows you to get a weekly weight average, which is more telling than any particular day.

The Scale Is Only One Way To Measure Progress

When used correctly, weighing yourself does have some value. But there are other things you can do to measure your progress. At V Shred, we talk a lot about these “non-scale victories” or NSVs. These are things like:

• Having more energy
• Your clothes fitting better
• Your workouts feeling better or easier
• Getting better sleep
• Having an improved mood

These NSVs are every bit as important (if not more) than what the scale says.

If seeing the number go up and down still stresses you out — we suggest stepping away from the scale for a while! Many of our clients have TOTALLY ditched the scale and ONLY rely on NSVs to measure progress! One example is Iolee, who relied on weekly progress pictures and measurements, not scale weight, and still lost 44 pounds in a year.

If the scale gives you anxiety — it’s perfectly OK to avoid it until you feel more comfortable.

Need More Support?

If you need someone to vent to about the scale or remind you about non-scale victories, our Facebook group for women or men is an excellent place to visit.  

And if you need an expert to guide you through the journey to your ultimate goal, consider a V Shred custom diet plan created by one of our team of certified personal trainers and nutritionists.

Reach out by clicking HERE or emailing us at coaching@vshred.com to learn more.

The post Why Does My Weight Fluctuate? appeared first on V Shred.

Fat Loss Extreme is V Shred’s most popular program, and for good reason! We’ve seen this 90-day journey completely transform tens of thousands of bodies and lives, with new success stories happening pretty much every day. 

It’s that powerful! So we want to make sure you have everything you need to dive into the program feeling ready and confident. 

This guide is designed to make Day 1 as smooth and seamless as possible, so you can knock it out and move on to Day 2… and 3 and 4, all the way to the end!

It All Starts With The V Shred App

First things first: The easiest way to follow this program and enjoy all of its benefits is by downloading the V Shred App in either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

Next, you’ll want to log in to the app using your email address as the username, and the temporary password you receive in your confirmation email. 

The first time you log in, we’ll ask you a few simple questions about your height, weight, and activity level to customize your calorie and macronutrient calculator in the app. Don’t worry, it only takes a minute, and you can update your answers any time! 

After you answer your questions, you can access your program and anything else you’ve purchased, like ebooks or recipe guides, or a subscription to V Shred University, in a section in the bottom left labeled “My Stuff.” 

If you purchased a custom diet plan or other custom coaching along with your program, you’ll also find that in My Stuff. 

Click on the program, you’ll go to the main program menu. This is where the fun really starts. 

Step 1: Join Our Private Facebook Group

Step one is to join our FREE V Shred private Facebook Group. You’ll also get an email invitation, but you can do this right from the app! We have a group for women and a group for men. 

V Shred trainers hang out in these groups answering questions daily, and on occasion, even leading live workouts. We’ve found the people who stay active in these groups almost always see the best results. It’s a great place to get a quick answer to your question, learn a game-changing recipe, or just know you’re part of a community all chasing the same goals. 

Step 2: Dial In Your Nutrition to Match Your Workouts

Our workouts and nutrition plans go hand-in-hand. If you want serious results, you need both! You can build your nutrition approach this by clicking Create Your 90-Day Diet Plan. 

Go through it step by step, and you’ll get a daily calorie range for your specific body, as well as easy recipes to help fuel your workouts, and set you up for success. 

Now, at the bottom of the app you can see there’s also a macro calculator. This is great for AFTER you finish the 90-day plan, when you’re ready for carb cycling or to track your macros. But at first, we recommend you get confident at following the nutrition plan in your workout program. 

Scroll down a bit further, and it’s time to choose your workouts!

Step 3: Choose Your Workouts

So our most popular programs all come in two variations. You can do them as follow-along video workouts, or as gym-based workouts. You can also switch back and forth, or–here’s a great option–do two gym workouts early in the week, and two at-home workouts later in the week. 

Which one should you choose? If you want to do bodyweight workouts with Vince as your trainer, for about 20 minutes, 3-4 times a week, definitely go with follow-along. If you’re uncomfortable going to the gym or are traveling, this is also a great choice.

Whichever choice you make, you’ll find the workouts on the calendar of that workout style, along with some basic guidelines about warming up and rest times. 

Just click on a day, and there’s your workout! 

If you’re doing gym workouts, you’ll get the sets and reps. If you’re doing home workouts, there’s your video, complete with Vince’s smiling face. 

Now, in both programs, you’ll find certain days the calendar tells you to either rest, or do an optional HIIT or “high intensity interval training” workout. 

If you’re up for doing this workout — which wehighly recommend doing 1-2 times per week — you’ll find over 30 DIFFERENT OPTIONS to choose from in the HIIT guide on the program menu. 

Just pick one, based on the equipment you have, and give it everything you’ve got! And yes, if you have no equipment at all, we have options there, too. 

Now you’re hopefully feeling confident and ready to get to work! But if you’d prefer to let the experts do the heavy lifting, that’s understandable, too!

This is why our V Shred coaching team creates custom meal plans and even custom WORKOUTS for thousands of people every day. And they can create one for you, too — at any point in your program. 

You can purchase this service on V Shred.com, on the V Shred app, or reach out at coaching@vshred.com for more information. 

Now go start nailing your workout and meals. And don’t forget to tag us on social media with @vshred to share your after picture!

The post Getting Started with Fat Loss Extreme appeared first on V Shred.

How heavy you lift has a lot to do with your goals and experience level. It will vary for every person, every exercise, and every workout. 

But there are still some common sense guidelines you can follow to help you figure out how to maximize both the safety and the effectiveness of your workouts! 

The short answer is: Muscle growth does not necessarily depend on the amount of weight you lift.  As long as you lift heavy enough to challenge yourself and use proper form, you should build muscle and strength. 

And no, ladies, lifting heavy enough to feel challenging will not make you “bulky.” On the contrary, lifting too light is a surefire way to make your workouts less effective for all goals! 

Think effort and form, not numbers

Before you even think about how much weight you should lift —  you need to focus on PROPER FORM! 

Male or female, you should work hard enough to send your body a loud and clear message to change while not pushing yourself beyond where you can recover from—or hurting yourself. Not every rep should be easy. But not every rep should be hard, either! 

The key to finding this balance is slowing down, being patient, and not letting your ego decide how much weight to lift. 

Keep in mind that “heavy” is individual. Heavy for one person could be 5lbs, and for another, it could be 100lbs. Don’t focus on that. 

All you need to do is use proper form and lift heavy enough to challenge yourself on some of your reps. Then ever so often (every week or even every couple of weeks), increase the weight, number of reps, or number of sets. You could also push just a little closer to “muscle failure,” or the point where you can’t do another rep.

These are all forms of what is known as progressive overload. 

Let Your Workout Rep Range Guide You

A good rule to help you pick weights is to aim to perform all the reps and sets prescribed with proper form, but make each set progressively more challenging. 

Here is what this could look like…

Say you’re in the gym, and the workout says to do four sets of 8-12 reps, like most of the gym workouts in our program Fat Loss Extreme For Men or Fat Loss Extreme For Women. 

 Aim to make the first set kinda easy— like you feel you probably have a solid 4-5 reps left in the tank. Wait 60-90 seconds, and then add a little weight, so you have about 3 reps left in the tank. 

Now you’re warmed up and breathing a little harder. 

Rest another 60-90 seconds, and do a third set. This time, only leave a couple reps in the tank. Rest again On that final set, keep repping until you’re pretty sure you don’t have another rep in you. 

If you only managed 5, you probably went a bit too heavy. Got 12-15 or more? You went too light. No problem; just write it in your workout log and remember it for next week.

Trial and error, paying attention to your body, and keeping a workout log are the essential techniques to help you pick your ideal weight range when lifting weights. Because if you’re doing things right, that weight range will change over time!

And yes… you can build muscle using nothing like your body weight.

Thousands of V Shred customers have totally transformed their bodies by pushing the intensity of bodyweight movements like you can find in our at-home program MOVE.

Even if you never pick up a single weight, you can learn a lot about how to find that “this feels heavy, but I can handle it” sweet spot. As a bonus, each workout is 20 minutes or less!

Keep Growing and Transforming

As your fitness level progresses, so should your workouts! Remember the key to building muscle is to challenge them over and over again. Fitness results happen over the course of weeks and months, not a single workout–no matter how good that workout is! 

If you are struggling to make it to the gym, need an extra push to get in those reps you know you have in you somewhere, and lift heavier, you have options beyond simply “dig deep and tough it out.” Take a quality pre-workout like PRE by Sculpt Nation about 15-30 minutes before hitting the weight room, and don’t be surprised if “heavy” feels just a little lighter. 

If you’re someone who looks at a workout chart and sees a foreign language, please don’t give up. We have a team of certified personal trainers who can build a custom workout plan that works for your experience level and the equipment you have— even if it’s no equipment!

If you are interested in one-on-one coaching, click the link above or email coaching@vshred.com and let us know you’re interested.

Are you ready to push yourself in the weight room and build muscle? Then try Vince’s legendary Clean Bulk program! This 90-day gym-based program is engineered to add maximum lean tissue with as little fat as possible, and come with a targeted meal plan to match. Warning: You will need a new wardrobe! 

The post How Heavy Should I Lift? appeared first on V Shred.

How much protein to eat is a debate that people take almost as seriously as what workout to do. And with good reason! Having a protein guideline in mind for your diet is crucial for your results, no matter if you want to know how much protein to eat to lose weight, or how much to gain muscle. 

Lucky for you, the answer is pretty simple, and the right amount of protein for those two goals is a lot closer than you think! 

Let’s dig into how much protein you should eat! 

Most people are well aware that protein is an essential micronutrient and a post-workout protein shake is often the first thing that comes to mind when people think of muscle building. But the role of protein goes far beyond its post-workout benefits. 

Studies have found that higher-protein diets can help you reach your fitness goals — whether you want to lose body fat or pack on tons of muscle. But another key finding is proteins’ effect on satiety. Studies show eating more protein leads to greater feelings of fullness. 

Is protein “free calories?”

Here is an excellent example of the effects sufficient protein can have on reaching your weight loss goals.

Researchers at The University of South Florida found that for women who are resistance training, consuming extra calories above maintenance in the form of protein were… basically free calories. 

Free calories? Sounds crazy, right? Here’s what we mean…

The women in the study were given 500 calories above their maintenance level in the form of protein. Typically when you go over your maintenance calories for an extended time, you would start gaining a little fat, but not the ladies in this study. 

Even though the women were eating 500 extra calories from protein per day, they got leaner, gained muscle, and did not gain extra body fat.  

Now, this isn’t to say you can eat as much protein as you want and never gain weight. Protein still has calories, so you can no doubt eat too much. It means that while you can store protein as fat, it’s pretty unlikely. Especially if you’re controlling your overall caloric intake and exercising regularly. 

The biggest takeaway — don’t skimp on protein! And that’s especially true if you’re resistance training or exercising regularly. 

How much protein do I need in a day? 

If you aren’t sure how much protein your body needs, we recommend using the macro calculator in the V Shred app for iOS or Android. 

Use the “balanced diet” setting, and you’ll get a recommendation somewhere around 1 gram per pound of body weight per day — give or take 10-20 percent based on your goal. So it might be .8 per gram of bodyweight for one person, or 1.1-1.2 for another. 

Regardless of your ideal protein number, once you know it, make it a priority to hit that goal every day. Not just every once in a while. Not just on workout days. Every single day! 

This can be hard for some people. You can only choke down so many chicken breasts and egg whites — right? 

That’s where protein shakes, or even high protein treats using a quality protein like Sculpt Nation PROTEIN can be a life-saver! Along with around three solid meals a day and a snack or two, having a protein shake each day can be more than sufficient to get most people to their perfect protein daily goal. 

If planning all that eating out is a struggle for you, then maybe you need to let the experts help! Consider a custom diet plan created by our team of V Shred certified nutrition experts. They create plans for thousands of people every day, and we hear all the time that this is the thing that worked when nothing else would. 

Going custom takes out the guesswork! Our team will tell you how much protein, carbs, and fat you need to reach your goals AND even create a custom meal plan that works with your food preferences and lifestyle! 

Click HERE or email us at coaching@vshred.com to learn more!

Need more ideas of how to reach your daily protein goals? Make sure to join our Facebook Group For Women or Facebook Group For Men! Our trainer team and community members are always posting creative recipes and nutrition tips!  

The post HOW MUCH PROTEIN SHOULD I EAT? appeared first on V Shred.

If you have always been described as lanky, skinny, petite, or you find it hard to put on muscle or gain weight, even though you feel like you’re eating a ton, then chances are you have what is known as an ectomorph body type. 

Ectomorph is one of the three common body types:

• Ectomorph
• Endomorph
• Mesomorph

It’s not uncommon for people to have characteristics of two or even all three body types, but most people generally fall into one body type more than the others. And you can definitely change some aspects of your body type!

This guide will explain traits of an ectomorph body type, the best ectomorph diet, and how this body type should train to achieve their health and fitness goals. 

WHAT IS AN ECTOMORPH BODY TYPE?

Ectomorphs are typically long, lean, and thin with small joints. They also tend to have a hard time gaining weight and putting on muscle – hence the nickname “hard-gainer.”

Many ectomorphs have low levels of body fat, but some do not. These people are often described as “skinny fat” because they appear thin but have more body fat than muscle.

Here are a few other tell-tale signs that you have an ectomorph body type:

• Slender waist
• Narrow hips and shoulders
• Small joints
• Long, thin legs and arms
• Generally not very strong 
• Fast metabolism

To give you a visual example of what this body type looks like, many fashion models, distance runners, and even some basketball players fall into this body type category. 

Being an ectomorph has more to do with your bone structures and proportions, which you can’t change. But you can still pack on muscle and change the shape of your body with a strategic diet and exercise plan that will work with your body type instead of against it!!

What type of diet is best for an ectomorph? 

Since they typically have a fast metabolism, it’s often assumed that ectomorphs can eat whatever they want and not gain weight. To an extent, this is true, but ectomorphs should still be cautious as to what and how they eat.

Ectomorphs often need a higher calorie diet and tend to respond well to carbs. Don’t skip out on them if you’re looking to gain weight! A few to keep in mind include: 

• White or sweet potatoes
• Quinoa
• White or brown rice
• Beans
• Oats
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Fruits

High-calorie nut butters can also be an easy way for ectomorphs to add calories to their diet. They also need plenty of muscle-building protein, and should almost always have a post-workout protein shake. In short, they need quality calories – and plenty of them! . 

A balanced diet, on the higher end of carbs, is probably your best dieting approach if you’re an ectomorph. You can see the best macros for an ectomorph to gain weight by using the macro calculator in the V Shred app for iOS or Android. 

But this doesn’t mean ectomorphs can get away with only eating processed, high-sugar, junk carbs! They still need to primarily choose healthy sources, such as fiber-rich fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

In addition to protein, some of tried-and-true supplements for ectomorphs include: 

• Creatine for muscle and strength gains
• A pre-workout to help bring intensity to workouts
• A test booster to help optimize your muscle building hormone testosterone 
• Digestive enzymes to help process all that food you’re cramming in

THE BEST TYPE OF EXERCISE FOR AN ECTOMORPH BODY TYPE

Ectomorphs often face a difficult time building muscle and strength. A strategic weight-training routine using heavy weights is critical for the ectomorph.

One of the best styles of training to achieve this is by doing hypertrophy training. The V Shred program Clean Bulk is a great example of this style of training. 

“Hypertrophy” is just the scientific name for muscle growth. There are numerous methods you can use to start making it happen in your body, but these are the big ones: 

• Work out with weights on a regular basis
• Take at least one set of each exercise close to the point of muscle failure
• Train each muscle group at least twice a week 
• Do the majority of your lifting in moderate rep ranges like 6-12 reps per set
• Use a mixture of compound and isolation exercises
• Focus on progressive overload: gradually increase the weight, frequency, or number of reps. 

When it comes to cardio, ectomorphs still need to include some low-intensity sessions each week for cardiovascular health. They just need to be careful to not overdo it, or they risk burning calories that could be better used to build muscle! 

Ectomorphs should perform 20-30 minute cardio sessions 2-3 times a week and try not to let their heart rate get too high — somewhere between 50 – 70% is ideal. 

ARE YOU AN ECTOMORPH, MESOMORPH, OR ENDOMORPH?

Even if you carry some excess body fat, if you have always been on the thin side and have a hard time putting on muscle — you are most likely an ectomorph.

If ectomorphs aren’t prioritizing healthy foods and staying active, many can still have excess body fat (mainly belly fat) -which can make it confusing to figure out if this is really your body type. 

That is why we created a FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ that anyone can take that will help you determine what body type you have.

It’s only a few questions; you get your results instantly and will even be given free tips for the ideal workout style and diet for your lifestyle and goals!

After taking the quiz, if you discover that you are an Endomorph or Mesomorph, check out the blogs we did on those body types.

• Mesomorph
• Endomorph

If you are still confused about what your body type may be and the best way to eat and train to see the best results, reach out to our team at coaching@vshred.com. We would be happy to help you create a custom workout and meal plan! 

The post Ectomorph Body Type: Diet and Workouts for Weight Gain appeared first on V Shred.

It doesn’t matter why you missed a workout. Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes you just aren’t motivated. Whatever the reason…

Missed workouts happen to EVERYONE! Yes, even fitness pros and top-level athletes. Even Vince Sant. 

Whether you decided to skip the gym for an unexpected night out, or for a not-so-fun reason like a chaotic day at work or illness, missed workouts are part of the journey.  Expect that it will happen (more than once), plan for it, and move on!

Here’s your action plan for what to do next. 

DO NOT: Double up your workouts
Could you do a morning and evening workout the next day in an attempt to “make up” for your missed session? You could, but we don’t recommend it.

Two-a-day workouts are taxing on the body, and chances are that “round two” will just be a suffer-fest. You will be exhausted and not recovered, and the quality of your work won’t be worth the trouble it takes to do it.  

A better way: Consider the day you missed a rest day! Then hit your next workout with your energy level high! 

DO: Take a look at your workout program and schedule

If your workout schedule is so complicated that you find yourself having a hard time fitting your workouts into your schedule, you are frequently missing workouts, etc., you may need to reconsider your program or workout schedule.

Busy lifestyles and unexpected days off are exactly why we created most of our V Shred workout programs to be short and focus on working more muscles at once. That way, if you miss one, no worries! You will be hitting those muscle groups again soon.

V Shred trainers also host free live workouts several days each week in our Facebook group for women! The members of our women’s and men’s group are also some of the most supportive you’ll find anywhere, and can help you stay motivated through the ups and downs of building your fit life.

If you find yourself still struggling with regular missed workouts, it may not be your fault. It might be your workout! This is when it’s a good idea to consider hiring one of our expert coaches to build a workout plan you can actually follow.

Our team specializes in making specialized programs that work around your lifestyle and schedule so that missed workouts are less likely to happen! 

You can click here or email us at coaching@vshred.com to learn more.

DO NOT: Stress out or beat yourself up

Believe it or not, a missed workout, or even a few, will not totally derail your progress. Your progress happens in the big picture, not the small one! But stressing out over your workouts can do more damage than you think!  

For one, stress can cause your stress hormone cortisol to spike. This can lead to a host of issues over the long term, including poor sleep, fatigue, poor mood, irritability, difficulty recovering from workouts, and even weight gain. 

But just as importantly, stressing out over your workouts can cause the positive momentum with all those successful workouts to come to a crashing halt. This can definitely cause your overall motivation to take a nose-dive. See what a vicious cycle it can be? 

DO NOT: Skip meals or limit food as punishment

You should never “punish” yourself for missing a workout by cutting calories or skipping meals. Your body still needs nutrients, whether you are hitting the weights hard or not! Stick to your nutrition plan, and keep moving forward. 

In fact, you are still in “recovery mode” for up to 48 hours after a hard training session! Not giving your body the nutrients it needs does nothing positive, and can hinder your strength and make your future workouts more difficult! 

If you’ve missed a workout or two, you can help ensure you keep progressing toward your goals by prioritizing protein in your diet.  The easiest way to do that? Have a Sculpt Nation PROTEIN shake or fit a protein-rich treat into your day. Protein pancakes for breakfast? Yes, please!

If you need assistance setting up your calories or macros, you can find tools to help you do that in the V Shred app for iOS or Android. 

You aren’t lazy. You’re just human! 

Repeat after us: It’s not the end of the world. In fact, a missed workout is an opportunity for you to make the kind of mental progress that powers the most dramatic V Shred before-and-after success stories. 

Make up for it in a healthy way by getting back on track, forgiving yourself for being human, and reminding yourself of your “why.”

If you are struggling, let us help you! Reach out today about getting started with one of our expert trainers and nutrition coaches! They will put together a totally custom workout and meal plan that will help you succeed for the long term!

Need more “break glass in case of emergency” workouts in your life? Our popular program Move can give them to you! These fast, sweaty routines can stand alone when you need a quick fix or fit together as a full 30-day progression. It’s up to you!

The post What If I Miss A Workout? appeared first on V Shred.

If you are dealing with pain in your hips, this quick read and video may be all you need to find some relief without having to make costly trips to a doctor or therapist. 

Many associate hip pain with age or an injury. But just like your back, hip pain doesn’t discriminate. 

Hip discomfort is something that anyone can experience — from a young high school athlete, a stay-at-home mom, someone that sits at a desk all day, and certainly a gym-goer!

If you don’t have any hip pain now, you probably will at some point, so you may want to bookmark this page for later! 

The exact cause of ANY body pain can often be difficult to pinpoint, but when it comes to the hips, the general location of your discomfort can usually be very telling about the underlying cause.  Important …. because knowing what is causing your pain is essential if you want to find relief! 

Our in-house expert physical therapist Dr. Zaki Afzal says when people are more active, they usually experience pain in the front of the hips. Whereas pain felt in the back or sides of the hips is generally seen more in the elderly or sedentary. 

Since we are focused on helping relieve hip issues that tend to come from being more active, this article and video will focus mainly on reasons you could have pain in the FRONT of the hips and some simple ways to find relief .. fast!!!

No matter where you feel hip pain, if it is due to an injury or accompanied by anything more serious such as (but not limited to) …. 

• A joint that appears deformed
• The inability to move your leg or hip
• Intense pain
• Sudden swelling
• Numbness/tingling
• The inability to put weight on the affected leg

DO NOT try any of these corrective exercises!! See a professional for a one on one assessment! 

If you missed our other FIX YOUR BODY articles and videos, this is actually part four of a six-part series we are doing on how you can fix your body at home!

We have already discussed the neck, shoulders, and lower back. After we talk about the hips today, we will wrap up the series discussing knee and ankle pain!

All previous episodes will be linked at the end of this article if you are interested! To make sure you don’t miss any future episodes – just hit the subscribe button HERE! 

Now, let’s dive into all things HIPS!

FIX YOUR BODY AT HOME: HIP PAIN 

STEP ONE: Perform A Self Assessment

The first thing you need to do if you are certain that your hip discomfort is movement-related is assess what motions you are most limited in. 

Here are two assessments to quickly perform that will tell you if restrictions could be causing your pain. 

Check Internal/External Hip Rotation 

Hip rotation happens when your knee is not moving, and your foot is moving instead. External rotation of the hip occurs when your foot moves inwards, and your hip turns out. When your foot moves out, and your hip turns in, that is internal rotation. 

You want to check both, and it’s really simple to do! 

• Get in front of a mirror, or put your phone in selfie mode so you can better see how you are moving.
• Take a seat with your feet off the ground.
• Hold the quad/knee of the hip you want to check.
• Take your other hand and help yourself rotate that foot in and out.
• Switch sides and repeat.

You should be able to rotate about 45-degrees for external rotation and at least 35-degrees for internal rotation.

If you can’t, we have some exercises below that will help give you better hip rotation range of motion! 

First, perform one more quick assessment!

Check Hip Flexion

Hip flexion is just a fancy phrase for how far towards your chest you can bring your knee. You want to make sure you have a pretty good range of motion here because this motion comes up a lot in your life. Getting out of a chair, out of your car, sitting on the toilet, squatting, lunging, leg press, etc. 

It is really simple to check your hip flexion! 

• Lie on your back
• Pick up one knee, let it bend, bring it toward your chest.
• See how closed you can make the angle between your torso and thigh.
• Check the other side.
• You want this to generally be 100-degrees or higher.
• If you have a limitation, you may notice your hip going “outwards” — this is very telling of how your pelvic is moving.

But wait, aren’t we talking about the hips? Why is the pelvis important?

Dr. Afzal says to look at it this way —  “The pelvis is the train tracks, and the hip is the train. The train is only going to go where the tracks allow.” 

If following your self-assessment, you discover that you are restricted in either of these movements; this could be why your hips hurt! We have some corrective exercises below that should help! 

STEP TWO: PERFORM CORRECTIVE EXERCISES

You can do some fast and easy fixes at home if either of the above movement restrictions is where your hip pain originates. Some of them only take 30 seconds and can often bring instant relief and changes in mobility! 

But don’t forget what we said earlier. If your hip pain is due to an injury or accompanied by anything more serious, do not attempt any of these assessments or corrective exercises.

3 THINGS THAT CAN QUICKLY HELP EASE HIP PAIN 

1: OPEN UP YOUR LOWER GLUTE

If limited hip flexion is your issue, you may need to work to “open up” a particular area of the lower glute just below your hip bone.

Yes, the glutes! Remember that everything is connected! To do this, all you need is a small hard ball (like a lacrosse ball) and the floor!

Ball To Lower Glute Soft Tissue Release 

This exact spot of soft tissue that needs to be worked on can be a little tricky to locate, but you will know when you find it because it will be pretty tender!

You must target the right spot for this corrective exercise to work, so you may want to check out this video for a visual of exactly where it is located and some tips to help you find it! 

Once you locate the “sweet spot,” now you just need to open it up! Here is how to do that in about 30 seconds! 

• Grab a lacrosse ball, tennis ball, or mobility tool that is designed for bodywork. Anything small and firm.
  
• Lie on the ground, flip over onto your back, and put the ball directly on the tender spot. You can also sit up and prop yourself up on your side. How you position your body depends on how much pressure you want to apply to the tender spot and what feels most comfortable for you.
  
• When you hit this tender spot, stop and “sink” into it and do tiny shearing movements. This is NOT going to feel good in the moment, but you only need to spend about 30-60 seconds stimulating the area.
  
• If needed, switch sides and perform on the other glute. 
• Reassess your hip flexion. You should notice a huge improvement in how much closer you can get your knee to your torso! 

Once this area is no longer restricted, you should have more range of motion to squat, lunge, deadlift, or do anything that requires your knee to go to your chest.

This type of compression/shearing is very different from merely foam rolling the glutes. But just like ANY soft tissue work, it’s not a permanent fix. We suggest throwing this into your current mobility work/stretching routine and/or on lower body days! 

2: GET YOUR PELVIS MOVING 

Remember what we said earlier. Your pelvis plays a major role in hip movement. 

If your pelvis isn’t moving how you want, your hips won’t either.

In the previous exercise, you applied steady pressure to the affected tissue. This next corrective exercise is more of an “active” exercise that helps get your pelvis moving. 

It can not only help increase your range of motion — it can also help build strength and muscle!

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat

You will be in a lunge stance and performing a split squat but NOT in the way you would typically perform them.

You will be working through a split squat type movement to see how much you can move your pelvis while your foot is on a platform. 

With this variation, there is one slight (but significant) “shift” of your hips that makes all the difference in whether this is a corrective exercise or not.  

• Place your right front foot on a stable elevated surface of about 4-6 inches and step back with your left foot a little bit. You will sort of be in a split squat/lunge position.
• Shift about 75% of your weight to your front foot and 25% to your back foot.
• You should feel the inside edge of your foot. Be careful not to roll to the outside part of your foot.
• While in that split stance, rotate your pelvis inward toward your front leg. You should automatically feel a slight stretch in your glutes and feel your groin muscle turn on. If you don’t feel it, stay in this position until you do.
• Once you feel it, slowly rotate your hip out and back for several repetitions.
• When you have mastered this back/forth movement and feel the muscles mentioned above are activated, you can move on to the next step and add the actual squat movement. Do not proceed until you FEEL those muscles working.
• Perform a slow and controlled split squat. Ensure your pelvis is rotated toward that front leg and stays there throughout the entire movement. With your hips shifted inward, it should feel totally different and more difficult than a regular split squat.

Dr. Afzal suggests doing 2 sets of 5-6 reps daily. You can do them to start your morning, before any activity you enjoy, or as a warm-up on your lower body days.

Once you have completed the exercise, lie on your back again and check your hip flexion. You should be able to bring your knee much closer to your chest!

You should notice less pinching in the front of the hip, but also, during squatting motions, you should notice your hips are doing most of the work instead of your back getting involved too soon.  

3: MAKE CHANGES IN THE GYM 

We’ve gone over things you can do at home or even as a warm-up before your lift, but what about when you feel pain during the lift itself? 

If you only have pain when squatting, or you have tried the corrective exercises above and still have a pinching feeling when you squat — you probably need to adjust your squat stance.

We touched on this in our back pain episode, but how you begin your squat could also be the source of your hip pain, and there is an EASY fix! 

Adjust Your Squat Stance 

Before you squat down, the “set up” will determine how much motion you have in your hips. 

If you start in an over-extended position (too much back arch), you will automatically shut down the room in the front of the hip. As you squat down, you will run out of room much sooner.

But if you start in a stacked position with your pelvis tucked under, you give the front of your hips more room so you can go deeper without feeling a pinch! 

To show you what we mean, try this. It’s a great visualization!

• Lie down on the floor.
• Go into an arched back position. If you aren’t sure what we mean by that, you can see Vince demo it at the end of the video above.
• Try to bring your knee to your chest. With your back arched like this, you won’t be able to get very far.
• Now, leave your leg up, but put your spine in a stacked position. That will instantly unlock motion that you already had!
  

If you are arching your back and not starting your squat in a stacked position, the pain you feel likely isn’t because of a range of motion restriction. You probably have the range of motion needed, and it’s just your squat set-up that is holding you back and causing pinching pain! Take 5 seconds to fix this, and the pinching should be gone instantly! 

WE HOPE THIS ARTICLE AND VIDEO HELPED YOU 

FIGURE OUT WHY YOUR HIPS HURT AND HOW TO FIX THEM!! 

You need to consider the root of your pain! You should not attempt any of these exercises if your pain is extreme or not related to joints and muscles.

Please talk to your doctor, or if you are in the Las Vegas area, feel free to click here to contact Dr. Afzal. He would love to help you! 

Next week we are moving down the body. Make sure you check back; we will be talking about knee pain! 

In the meantime, if you have any questions about this hip pain article and video, you can leave them in the comment section below.

The post Fix Your Body At Home Episode 4: Hip Pain appeared first on V Shred.

We get many customers hit us up wanting to know if there are any “secrets” or “insider tips” for getting in THE BEST shape possible. 

Of course, getting in shape comes down to eating for your goals and consistent exercise; those will always be the two key factors. 

But there is more to it than that.

If you want results that last .. getting in shape is a process .. that extends beyond hitting the gym and your macros!

The hard part is actually getting your mind right and figuring out how to implement these methods into your daily life. 

We have a few tips to give you today that should help you with this process.

Don’t worry, we aren’t suggesting you over-complicate things. These are just a few simple tips that will help you develop healthy habits that will make dieting and exercising much easier. 

Some will require a little time and effort on the front end, but they are needed if you want results that last!

These FIVE KEY TIPS can be used whether you want to lose fat, put on muscle, or even if you are just looking to develop a healthy daily routine!

5 BEST TIPS FOR GETTING IN SHAPE

TIP #1: Determine Your Reason (AKA: Find your why)
Dieting and getting motivated to exercise will never always be easy. But it does get easier when you know exactly WHY you want to get fit in the first place! 

Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds…. you can’t just stop there. You have to ask yourself WHY you want to lose 20 pounds.

Now, let’s say your “why” is because you aren’t happy with how you look. That’s a good start … but it’s not specific enough. You need to ask why again.

Keep this “why cycle” going until you get as specific as you possibly can! 

Always remember … the deeper rooted your reason, the more success you will have in achieving your goals!!

This will be something you need to WRITE DOWN! 

So open your digital notes or break out some pen and paper and before doing  anything else — start digging deep and discover your WHY! 

TIP #2: Determine Your Plan Of Action
After you have a clear why you need a clear plan of action!  

Once again, you will need to get as specific and clear as possible and WRITE IT ALL DOWN!

Without a clear plan of HOW you will reach your goals, you will be more tempted to skip the gym and opt for those easier (unhealthier) food options. 

A good place to start is with your specific goal. 

For example, if you want to shed fat fast, following a muscle-building plan probably isn’t the first step. You would want to focus on a plan that burns more calories and probably a diet that puts you in a calorie deficit. 

To help you get started, here are some things to consider when coming up with a plan to reach your goals …

• What are my short-term and long term-goals? Get specific! 
• What will I need to eat to reach them? 
• How many meals do I want to eat a day, and when will I be eating them?
• How do I need to meal prep and plan for this to happen?
• What type of exercise do I need to do to reach my goal? 
• How often will I realistically be able to exercise? 
• Where do I want to exercise?
• If it’s at home, what equipment do I need to purchase? If it’s at a gym, which gym would be best for me to join?

Coming up with a solid game plan will look a little different for everyone, but no matter your goal and how you plan to get there, the number one thing to keep in mind is that your approach must be SUSTAINABLE!!

You will never be able to keep up with doing an hour of cardio every day, going to the gym for an hour 6 days a week, eating low calories, and giving up carbs, etc.

You may be able to do these things for a few weeks (at best), but you will burn out, give up, and just gain the weight back again.

Focus on coming up with a clear-cut plan that helps eliminate excuses and gets you there in a sustainable and healthy way.

What you choose to do to reach your goals should always come down to what is best for your lifestyle.

For example…

• If you work two jobs, have kids, and/or can barely make time to take a shower, then you probably don’t need to commit to going to the gym for an hour 5+ times a week.

Instead, you may want to plan on doing short full-body HIIT workouts like those in our home workout program MOVE. 

• If you can’t imagine giving up carbs, something like keto will never be sustainable. You may prefer to try something like carb cycling. 
• If you have to eat out a lot, travel often, or don’t like the idea of eating the same meals every single day, a macro tracking approach may work best for you. 

There are dozens of ways to reach your goals! You have to figure out what works best FOR YOU!!

After determining what fits your lifestyle, the only other tip to reaching your goals faster and easier would be to make sure that what you are doing is best suited for your genetics. 

Eating and training for your body type will help ensure that you see the best results in the quickest time possible. 

We have a free body type quiz that will help you figure this part out. It’s only 6 questions, you get your results in seconds and are provided with suggestions to get started immediately!

If you are interested, you can take the free quiz HERE. 

TIP #3: Establish A Routine
What is it they say .. if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. 

This is SO TRUE! You need structure to have success! If you want to reach your goals, you have to take a little time to map out a daily game plan. 

This will take a little bit of time upfront, but establishing a set routine will not only keep you on course, it will actually SAVE you time in the long run!

Before you go to bed, or at some point during your day, make sure the following day is planned out, so you know what you are doing every hour on the hour. 

Yes, you need to be THAT specific! At least one day in advance, you need to figure out things like … 

• What time you are going to wake up.
• How many meals you are going to eat. 
• What time will you eat your meals. 
• What time will you workout. 
• What are you going to do once you get to the gym.

Once you have your hour-by-hour daily breakdown written out, next, you need to take action steps to make those things easier — like meal prepping, laying out your clothes the night before, pre-packing your gym bag, etc. 

We don’t want you to be so set in your “plan” that you freak out if something comes up. You always need to have a “Plan B” and be flexible when life throws you curveballs.

But at the same time, you never want to go into your day blindly. Establish a daily routine and stick to it the best you can! 

TIP #4:  Get Supplements That Help With Your Weak Points
We are throwing this one in the mix because while supplements alone WILL NOT get you results, they can help with your weak points.  Of course, this is assuming you are giving it 100% with your diet and workouts. 

Don’t even think about implementing this tip until AFTER your diet and training are both on point, and you’ve identified what you’re still struggling with.

Once you have figured out your weaknesses, then it’s time to look at how supplements may further help you reach your goals. 

Let’s take supplementing with protein powder as an example.  It is suggested that you consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. This can be really difficult for many. A protein supplement like Sculpt Nation PROTEIN can be an easy and delicious way to get in your daily protein requirements!

Or how about trying to get in NUMEROUS servings of fresh vegetables a day. Many people struggle with this one. If you don’t like veggies or hate prepping them, then a greens powder like SCULPT NATION GREENS is an excellent way to fill the gaps. 

Another example would be if you find yourself mentally and physically struggling to get in your workouts. You may benefit from a pre-workout like Sculpt Nation PRE. 

The perks of a pre-workout powder like this one is that it offers way more than a little jolt of energy from caffeine. PRE has ingredients that can help get to the source of your fatigue, which is your brain! It also has ingredients that can help you push harder and recover faster!

Taking THIS PRE is probably our favorite supplement suggestion. Many people even use it on their rest-days because they love the focus it gives them to tackle everything else on their busy to-do list! Check it out HERE!

Again, we want to be clear that supplements can not replace a healthy diet or regular exercise. But strategically adding in the RIGHT supplements can help make the dieting and muscle-gaining process faster and easier! 

TIP #5:  Create Your Environment
Just like it’s important to create a plan and establish a daily routine, you need to be just as strategic about the environment you create to reach your goals. 

By environment, we mean everything from the people you surround yourself with, the gym you go to, the clothes you wear, and even the music you listen to!

First, you want to remove anything that will keep you from going to the gym or cause you to go get fast food instead of eating a healthy meal. 

For example, if you hate your gym environment or getting there is out of your way, then you need to find a new gym to go to or start working out at home. 

If you find yourself tempted to order in or go through the drive-thru, prep ALL of your meals and have them on hand, ready to go! 

Next, try to think of ways to enjoy the process…… 

• Buy and wear workout clothes that you feel good wearing!
• Invest in gym shoes that compliment the type of workout you are doing!
• Fill a gym bag with everything you need to crush your workouts – like wraps, grips, a lifting belt, bands, headphones, etc.
• Create workout playlists in advance. Music is a great motivator to push you to run faster and lift more weight! 
• Search for different macro-friendly ways to prepare your food, so you don’t get bored.
• Come up with creative recipes instead of eating the same bland grilled chicken and rice. 
• Get a TRIBE of like-minded people to meet you at the gym, be able to text when you need support, etc. 

THAT’S IT …
Those are our 5 BEST TIPS FOR GETTING IN SHAPE!!

We hope you better understand how getting in shape truly is a process that goes beyond what you eat and how much weight you push in the gym.

You’ve gotta get your mind right!! 

The post Stay in Shape with these 5 Tips that Actually Work  appeared first on V Shred.