Flexible dieting is becoming more popular due to its flexible nature and its ability to help people achieve their desired results without feeling restricted. Benefits of Flexible Dieting Increased Adherence One of the most significant benefits of flexible dieting is increased adherence. When people are given a strict meal plan to follow, they often feel restricted and deprived, which can lead to cravings and overeating.

Flexible dieting allows individuals to choose the foods they love and enjoy, making it easier for them to stick to their diet long-term. I love it!

This increased adherence leads to better results and a healthier lifestyle change. Improved Mental Health Flexible dieting also has a positive impact on mental health. By not feeling restricted, individuals are less likely to experience guilt or shame when eating certain foods. This allows you to enjoy your meals and not stress about your diet, which can lead to a better relationship with food.

Better Understanding of Nutrition Flexible dieting helps individuals better understand nutrition. When counting macronutrients, individuals are forced to pay attention to the nutritional information of the foods they eat. This can lead to a better understanding of the impact of certain foods on your body and how you can make healthier food choices.

Better Body Composition Flexible dieting is also beneficial for those looking to improve their body composition. By focusing on hitting macronutrient goals, individuals are able to build muscle and lose fat more effectively. This is because they are able to tailor their diet to meet their specific needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. Better Ability to Eat Out and Travel Flexible dieting makes it easier for individuals to eat out and travel.

Rather than being limited to specific foods, individuals can choose from a variety of options and still hit their macronutrient goals. This allows them to maintain their diet, even when they are not at home. How to Start Flexible Dieting Determine Your Macros The first step in starting flexible dieting is determining your macronutrient goals. It is essential to keep in mind that macronutrient needs can change over time, so it is important to regularly reassess your goals.

Start Tracking Your Macros Once you have determined your macronutrient goals. It is important to start tracking your food intake. There are a variety of apps and websites that can help you with this, such as MyFitnessPal or Cronometer.

By following your food intake, you can ensure you are hitting your macronutrient goals and make adjustments as needed. Focus on Whole Foods While flexible dieting allows individuals to eat a variety of foods, it is still essential to focus on eating whole, nutrient-dense foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. These foods will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function correctly, even as you are hitting your macronutrient goals. It is important to find Balance when starting flexible dieting so you can enjoy a variety of the foods you enjoy!

The post What Is Flexible Dieting? appeared first on Matt Fox.

For all my years of training and in the fitness industry at a high level (17 years) I’ve played a professional sport, worked with some of the best fitness coaches in the world and spent more hours studying than I can remember.

I’ve used myself as a guinea pig with every style of diet and types of training. So when I get asked the best way to train, I have an opinion of-course. Now for the vast vast majority of us who aren’t trying to be a professional body builder and have every element of their muscle fibres critiqued, the answer is quite simple- Full body workouts!

Why train full body instead of splitting and isolating muscle groups. Well for one, most people don’t have hours a day, every day to spend working out and if you want to isolate and split muscle groups, that’s what you’ll need to see some improvement. Think about it, if you focus on biceps for your session, and you don’t train them again until 4 or 5 days later once they roll around again in your “training program” its quite a low frequency.

But if you incorporate bicep workout in 3 or 4 of your sessions per week while training other parts, these muscles are getting worked more often and will be provided with a greater stimulus, thus, greater growth.

Not only will each muscle group get worked more frequently but because you are training multiple muscle groups in the same session your body and you are working harder= more calories burned.

So not only are you providing more of a chance for muscle growth but you are burning more energy and if fat loss if a goal, then this is a major plus. Now, what if you don’t want to lose fat and you want to gain more muscle? That’s fine. Full body workouts are still the way unless of course you are a pro bodybuilder and have hours each day to split your sessions and still get the volume in! Then it just comes down to replacing those burned calories with good quality fuel to help you gain!

I’ve tried both methods, and by far the most beneficial is a workout which involves multiple muscle groups rather than isolating. That’s not to say I don’t put an extra focus on a muscle group sometimes during a session, but it just won’t be the only thing I focus on. An example of this, using biceps again- would be training chin-ups, which is also hitting the back, core, and shoulders, mixing up the grip on these so biceps become a focus, but in between these sets- I might do sprints, push-ups or squats too.

So, my advice to everyone who doesn’t want to be a body builder for a living? Focus on multiple muscle group workouts, workouts where cardio and strength are combined.

I post a lot of these workouts on my INSTAGRAM and YOUTUBE so you can check it out and give them a try at home!

Go crush it!

Matt

The post Should You Do Full Body Workouts? appeared first on Matt Fox.

So when I say I have done the World’s hardest workout, I feel like it has to be up there. Of course I’m open to more suggestions and challenges but in terms of something done under 1 hour, well, I guess you’ll have to try it yourself and find out.

THE MENTAL BATTLE

The reason why this workout is so tough is not only the physical component but the mental fight you have with yourself. There are no designated rest breaks- get to the finish in the best time possible. You decide your rest breaks (if you need them) and this becomes a battle in itself. The guilt of resting, not resting too long, not resting long enough.

THE PHYSICAL BATTLE

Now the physcial side of things. I used the exercises I did fo this workout because it covers everything. Its a complete full body, strength, power, agility, speed and cardio based workout. Using my calisthenics expertise with the mix of my new found love for mixing in kettlebells this workout is NEXT LEVEL!

This workout format is not new, I’m not trying to claim that. But the exercises I added to it put my spin on things.

It goes like the song- 12 days of Christmas. if you don’t know the words and how it plays out- google that. Basically, we have 12 exercises, the number (day)next to each exercises represents the reps for that given exercise.

In my Bodyweight Built version of this workout my exercises are;

1- RUN

2- MUSCLE UPS

3-ROWS EACH SIDE

4- CLEAN+ PRESS EACH SIDE

5- REVERSE BURPEES

6- BALL SLAMS

7- BURPEES

8- THRUSTERS

9-PUSH UPS

10-CHIN UPS

11- KICK SITS EACH SIDE

12- SHOULDER TAPS EACH SIDE

You can watch the video here:

So, I want you to watch the video on my YouTube channel and let me know your time! It was hard, HOT and HUMID when i did this, you’ll see my time in the video. Yes, it also depends on how far you make the run component of things too. Have fun with it and let me know your time in the comment section of this video!

Matt

The post WORLD’S HARDEST WORKOUT appeared first on Matt Fox.

Let me start by saying I’m not 100% vegan, but for the past 5 or so months I have been at about 85%. I’ve gone from being a huge consumer of meats (4-5 times a day) to maybe eating it once or twice a week. I make a conscious decision to try to eat more vegan and for me, this process is all about learning more about eating vegan and seeing how my body reacts. This is an experiment, to learn more about my body and the human body in general, more specifically when it comes to fitness and how (if any) impact it could have.  I want to continue to improve on that 85% as I know it is not only a healthier option for my body but also the impact of the environment.

This post is not about trying to cram vegan life down your throat (food analogy) but more share my experience, my research and my continued learning process, heck I still do eat animal products- be that a lot less. I’m not one to tell you how you should or shouldn’t live your life, but being open to learning about new things is always good for the mind, body and soul.

Vegan food has long copped the stigma of being boring and bland. In the fitness world where “PROTEIN” is king, it’s often considered detrimental to be vegan. I mean, how do you get protein without meat? I’m speaking from experience because for so long I thought that I couldn’t hit my daily protein intake without eating animal proteins, and if I could I would have to eat a huge amount of fats alongside it (nuts etc) which I just didn’t want to do. I also worried about the accessibility and the ease to which I could get vegan protein from, I mean I could just throw a stack of chicken breasts in the oven and have days worth of meals ready… I can’t be bothered prepping and making every meal. But as I learnt more, opened my mind to different methods (as I did with my training, ditching weights for bodyweight), spoke to friends, researched products, it became more and more obvious that it wasn’t so hard to hit protein numbers and even more importantly eat fun, delicious foods.

Veganism is definitely becoming more mainstream, companies we know and trust are now putting out vegan ranges. From ice cream and candy to ‘meat” alternatives there really is a wide range of foods to eat that won’t hinder your variety.

I wanted to share a recent comparison photo showing two meal options;

1: Plant-based vegan protein meal

2: Animal-based protein meal

As you can see the calories and macros are pretty much both the same, no lack of protein on the plant-based side either. The difference here is the amount of food and also the extra greens and vegetable-based foods which would also provide more vitamins, minerals and generally good stuff. Me, being a hungry person who loves food and ALWAYS wants to eat, plant-based food gives me just that opportunity without the food coma/sickness/bloating you normally get after eating a huge meal. There is no denying that our body brakes down plant-based based food easier than meats, that’s a scientific fact! If that’s the case then it also means that our body has more time for other important functions rather than using huge amounts of energy to simply digest a single meal, let alone meal upon meal.

It’s also a scientific fact that red meat does increase inflammation in the body and on top of that fact, both red and white meat (poultry) has a very murky past (and present) of adding harmful chemicals to the food the animals eat which in turn, get passed on to us, think crazy animal steroids, antibiotics, and other cancer-causing nasty stuff. Again, let me remind you that I’m not 100% vegan and I still eat meat, just be it less and less as I keep experimenting, it purely comes down to convenience for me as I am learning.

I will choose vegan options over non-vegan options and that is based on the above facts, they cannot be denied. Animal products do contain dangerous chemicals that directly impact us, and even if you’re confident they haven’t been juiced up- there is also undeniable facts of how long the body takes to process this type of food, it’s just common sense which option stresses your body more. Throw dairy into the mix and the fact humans are the only mammals who drink another animals milk and still drink milk after infant development is a little gross. So regardless of where you stand on harmful additives, you cannot deny that it stresses our bodies more, we are already so stressed, run down and tired in today’s go-go-go lifestyle, why would we want to add to that if we had the option otherwise?

The prevalence of diseases in humans that are becoming more and more common, specifically stomach and digestive diseases. Cancers of the colon and stomach, skin diseases, all which are becoming more and more obvious to what can contribute to these and in turn, what can help heal, cure and prevent these. DIET. More specifically, higher amounts of plant-based foods, less of animal-based foods!

Another positive in my mind that comes from veganism is the impact it has on the environment. A good friend of mine has to be a major player in helping me learn more about this side of things too and something I may not have selfishly cared about if it wasn’t for my 2-year-old son, Harley. What type of world do I want him to grow up in, climate change, pollution and the total demise of the plant and eco-system as we know it today- are all directly impacted by our farming of animals for food. We aren’t that far off from a world where oceans become fishless, just ask millions of fisherman worldwide who are coming home with less and less and that is a scary thought.

Humans have directly caused extinction to countless animals species while destroying forests worldwide which actually help us live (think air pollution), which again if you think about it, is just insane. We destroy forests and huge amounts of nature which help clean the air we breathe, to farm animals for us to eat, which have a negative impact on our health so who are we really looking after?

Of course, there is the argument of the farmers, what will they do? How will they be able to provide a living for themselves, communities, families? This debate along with the environment could go on and on, but when it comes down to it, industries adapt and change. Video shops got wiped out when DVD’s came along, DVD’s became almost extinct when Netflix came about and still industries move along, Think electric car industry in only the past 3 years, think companies who have switched to manufacturing plant-based milk (coconut, almond etc) who are now making 10 times as much as they were from selling cows milk. There is always the ability to evolve.

I hope this blog post has given you some more insight, even just adding more vegan options as replacements to your current diet will make a world of difference to your body. Do it for selfish reasons such as your own personal health if you don’t care about the environment, because, just like me, the difference felt is real, and that too can’t be argued!

PS. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE and Follow me on Instagram HERE

Matt

The post The Vegan Comparison appeared first on Matt Fox.

Fasted cardio is exactly as it seems, getting up and doing a cardio workout without eating prior to in the hope of burning more fat because you haven’t eaten for a period of time prior (usually overnight)so it will burn more fat. While this isn’t entirely false, that’s not to say that eating before cardio will make you burn any less!

I recently made a post on my Instagram account discussing this, which generated a lot of interest (not for the first time) 

Above is the post I’m talking about… Spot the difference? If you can’t, that’s because there is none! I’m doing this to highlight my point. See many people are under the impression that they MUST do fasted cardio to lose fat, once that’s done, then they are free to go on about there day and the magic of fasted cardio will have them with a six-pack in no time, that’s not exactly the case! See, while any exercises will burn calories, regardless of if you’ve eaten or not, fat loss will also come down to your total daily/weekly/monthly intake of calories.

If you do a fasted cardio session and then eat in a calorie surplus over that period of time, there is a good chance you won’t lose body fat! When I say “eat in a surplus” I am referring to consuming more calories in a day/week/month than you burn in a day/week/month. To lose fat you need to be consuming fewer calories than what you use, it’s simple maths! Calories in VS calories out will ultimately have a greater impact on your fat loss journey rather than whether you happened to eat breakfast before your morning walk or not!

Another aspect of Fasted VS Fueled is that some people work better and can perform better if they have something in their stomach prior to a workout and hence, can push harder and go for longer which will ultimately burn more calories and then, granted they are in a deficit- LOSE FAT!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on fasted cardio or fasted workouts, I do them too, BUT, I don’t do them for fat loss purposes, I do them sometimes for convenience or for preference. If I’m training at 530am, I don’t necessarily want to get up a fair bit earlier to make breakfast, eat it, then wait for it to digest so I don’t feel sick. Or if I am doing quite a hard, intense session- sometimes I prefer to be fasted because I don’t want to feel heavy and bloated…. not for any other reason, and you shouldn’t too! If you wanted to eat before your sessions then eat! As long as you monitor your calorie intake and know you are in a deficit you will lose fat, no doubt about it!

I hope you can take away a clearer perspective on what it takes to lose fat! If you enjoy your food before training and you will perform better, eat! If you perform better fasted and can remain in a deficit for a period of time- Awesome, both methods will achieve fat loss!

If you would like my guidance, 1 on 1 coaching which covers personal workouts, calorie guides and meal plans all customised to your goals and lifestyle, visit my coaching website- https://www.bodyweightbuilt.com which you can transform your body without needing a gym or equipment!

Matt

The post Fat loss, Whats the best way? appeared first on Matt Fox.

What is over training? Does it exist?

Can you train too much? If you want to continue to build muscle, burn fat and sculpt the body you desire with the fitness level to match, then please read on.

Overtraining put quite simply is when you have pushed your body too hard, too often without giving it adequate rest to repair and recover. This doesn’t just go for your muscles but also your CNS (Central Nervous System) and your overall mental wellbeing.

Overtraining is relatively easy to spot, we just need to be aware of the signs and actually doing something about it. If you’re like me, I’m sure you feel guilty for taking time off from training, but I have recently been reminded of how important rest and time off actually is. I am back into my first week of training after taking 2 weeks off, I was suffering from overtraining. I got run down, tired, unmotivated, felt weak and to top it off, got a shocking virus- obviously due to the fact I had battered my body and not let it recover. Did I want to take 2 weeks off? Not really, but I knew I had too. There was no chance of me training while I had the virus which lasted 4 days, but on either side of that, I was still tired and rundown. I knew rest and some time away from training was the answer.

So, unlike previous times when I took a few days off, I was partially forced (illness) into taking longer, and I’m glad I did.

So how do you know if you’ve overtrained?? What are the signs?

A plateau in performance. Not seeing progress as you normally have in the past.
A decrease in overall performance.
An Elevated Resting Heart Rate.
An Elevated Training HR.
Feeling lethargic and heavy in your body.
Ongoing muscle soreness that doesn’t seem to go away.
Lack of motivation to train and start your workouts.
Tiredness. Finding yourself getting tired earlier than usual.
Changes in appetite. Either not as hungry as usual or craving food constantly.
Weight loss (when not trying).

Overtraining is, as I have found out, quite simple to cure. Some time away from training and other factors stressing your body will make a huge difference. How much time is up to you listening to your body but I recommend at least a week, potentially 2 (as I did). Despite what you might believe you won’t lose muscle mass and fitness in 2 weeks- science has proven that but I’ll save that for another time. You may come back feeling slightly “weaker” in your first few sessions, I did, while some will come back feeling stronger. Don’t panic if you feel what I felt, the strength comes back after a few sessions, I have found it to be your body getting used to firing up again, not as mentioned above- from muscle loss.

So to sum it all up, if you’ve found yourself express a combination of the above, take some time off. Rest, repair, both mentally and physically and come back firing to start making some gains again!

PS. If you want to take your health, fitness, and body to the next level- check out Bodyweight Built, my coaching platform, where I will give you the blueprint to success without needing a gym or fancy equipment to completely transform your body!

The post How to avoid over training appeared first on Matt Fox.

I’m continuing on from last week regarding Ab workouts and the best way to help train them. In this weeks post, I want to show you FOUR SURPRISE EXERCISES to help develop your abs!

I say these exercises are “surprising” because I don’t think many people either 1.Know these exercises or 2.Thought about them as an Ab workout- or both! These 4 exercises are some of my favorite for not only working my entire core but getting my heart rate up and in turn, burning calories! This is the combination you want if you are looking to reveal a shredded looking sixpack! This ab workout is a completely equipment free workout, you’ll see in the video below how I did it in my living room! That’s the best thing about Bodyweight Built workouts and the freedom they give the user. It’s the reason my body has changed so dramatically in the past 2 years since leaving the gym and weights behind. Training at home, or outdoors gives me a greater sense of motivation and I know it can do the same for you! Body weight training or calisthenics as it’s also known is perfect for people of any fitness levels, whether just beginning or experienced elite athletes, if you have tried it, I highly recommend doing so and seeing what it can do for your body, not only in how you look, but how your body feels!

So, What are these 4 surprising exercises I’m telling you, you’ve never heard of?? (I’m sure some of you have) You would have seen me incorporate some of these exercises into previous training videos or workout routines, but not necessarily directly focusing on Abs. I like to do these exercises on time rather than reps, in bursts of 45 seconds on 15 seconds off. Of course, you can mix up the times to suit your fitness levels or you can even play around with reps and sets- I’m simply telling you my preference of how I combine these exercises to get the most out of the ab sculpting, fat burning benefits!

The Ab exercises you need to start doing:

1. Kick Sits
2. Mountain climbers
3. High Knees
4. Side to Side Plank Jump-ins

Now if you’ve looked at those exercises and have never heard of them, don’t worry, or if you have, but need a refresher, well- Look below! You’ll see my video on how to perform the exercises and me putting them into action! If you have any questions, feel free to write in the comments section of the video and I’ll respond. If you want help in improving your health and fitness, check out the online Bodyweight

The post Four surprise exercises for Abs appeared first on Matt Fox.

That is, how to really get specific and target those lower Abs without using the equipment. Making it a workout you can do anywhere. Another great part of this workout I’m about to share with you? It only takes 5 minutes! If you want to go for longer, sure- go nuts, but 5 minutes will have you feeling the burn.

This lower Abdominal workout is one if often do in my living room. While still working your overall core and all the ab muscles involved, these exercises to focus on the lower region, often seen as the hardest region to bring out- definition wise. While we know that a lower body fat percentage is needed to reveal your abs, these exercises can definitely help bring them out. With a combination of a healthy, consistent diet and the right training, you will be able to have that six-pack you’ve always wanted.

I wanted to share these exercises with you after getting a heap of comments and message on a recent Instagram post I did. (Check out my Insta here) 

I shared this workout via my YouTube channel where I post weekly videos of new workouts and fitness advice/tips that you can apply to your current program or get right into bodyweight training (as I did!).You can see all 5 exercises of this 10-minute workout in the below video.

I’ll explain the process of the workout and you’ll see me doing each exercise. As this is only a short workout, get involved and follow along as you watch- prepare to sweat and feel your core on fire! You’ll see from my facial expressions that this lower Ab workout really does burn and it’s a workout I like to use a few times a week as its super convenient. As you will see, I’m doing the workout in my living room, so nothing fancy is needed here!

If you want to TRANSFORM YOUR BODY with a proven step-by-step plan to achieving the body you want. I offer online coaching with a wide range of programs to suit any body of any fitness level check out BODYWEIGHT BUILT and see how you can have the body you want without needing a gym or equipment!

The post Lower Ab Home Workout appeared first on Matt Fox.

I often get asked these questions and it’s a hard one, to sum up in one simple answer. Sure exercising helps speed up the calorie burning process but if you’re replacing those calories with more calories than you burn on a daily basis you’ll struggle to lose the fat you want. In saying that, the most effective exercises or workouts for fat loss for me has been HIIT style training.

DID YOU KNOW?

Studies have found that HIIT style training can boost your metabolism and continue to burn calories for hours after finish your workout!

HIIT– High Intensity Interval Training. This is basically done by working at a high level of intensity for a period of time followed by a short rest break and then repeating the process for a given number of rounds or set time. I have personally found this to be the most effective fat burning method as well as the most enjoyable. Why? Well firstly because it’s so time efficient, you can get a super effective workout in 20 mins which comprises both cardio and strength based training, instead of splitting them up and spending time doing both separately, why not combine them? Makes sense to me… Secondly, I find HIIT training so much more fun because the exercise variety can be anything you want, and you’re not stuck on one exercise until your bored to death with it, do your reps or time and then BANG, straight onto the next exercise and then the next- you can always change it and keep it interesting. When something is fun and interesting, I find that you’re more likely to do it, no one wants to do things they don’t really like- even though that’s part of life, but when we have an option, why not choose what we enjoy?!

I’ve also found HIIT type sessions to greatly improve my strength, speed, power, and endurance. To me, HIIT training really is a clear winner. This type of training can be extremely tiring for the body so I don’t recommend jumping into HIIT training every day, especially if you’re just getting used to it. I would aim for 2 HIIT sessions per week along with other training and then as you get more accustomed to it and your body adapts, increase the amount/duration of your HIIT sessions

WHO CAN HIIT?

Anyone! That’s another great thing about this training. You can set the exercises, reps, sets and exercise time to suit your level. As your fitness level improves you can mix up the exercises and duration of your sessions, cut down recovery period or all of the above, it never ends! There is always room for improvement. On tops of all that, as with all of my training, you don’t need a gym to get your HIIT sessions in. No equipment even has to be used. As the name suggests, its High Intensity Interval Training and whatever gets your heart rate up in short bursts for periods of intervals, then you are set- that doesn’t need to be lifting weights. As with all my BODYWEIGHT BUILT training, I do all my workouts with my own body weight, HIIT sessions included, I can assure you, it will get the job done and you’ll be in a pool of sweat after.

With that being said if you want to try body weight training and know exactly what you need to be doing to SMASH your health, body and fitness goals, I offer online coaching worldwide including custom training and food plans to suit your level and goals then check out my website by CLICKING HERE

If you want to try 3 different HIIT routines I have put together then click the below link to gain access to the routines that include the PDF and video link to each exercise.

https://www.bodyweightbuilt.com/3-killer-hiit-routines/

There are 3 different routines in this PDF, let me know which one is your favourite and why? It would be great to hear back from you.

Happy sweating.

Matt

The post Best workout for Fat Loss appeared first on Matt Fox.