Unorthodox

Unorthodox
Showing posts with label The Unorthodox eating plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Unorthodox eating plan. Show all posts

Thursday, 28 May 2020

Blog Re launch

                                      Unorthodox Nutrition - Home

Hi all,

I realise its been a bit of a while since I've put out any content here but a couple of people have told me it was a good read (especially the supplement and other reviews). 

With that in mind I'm going to bring it back. Nothing crazy, just 1-2 times a month to start to see if anyone actually reads the thing...

To start with I'm going to be re posting some of the popular reviews along with some of the new content we have happening over at Unorthodox Performance

If you would like to see any content in particular just let me know.

Thanks for reading, 

Mike 

Monday, 16 February 2015

A Thank You and a Freebie :)

Hey Guys,

Today I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who took advantage of getting The Unorthodox Fat Loss eBook for free on Kindle over the last 5 days! The book did amazingly well and climbed to 3rd worldwide in the nutrition category!

Don't worry if you missed out, you can still get the book for free on PDF HERE or you can gran it on Kindle for 99p (the lowest Amazon let me do it for) HERE.

As a massive thank you for all the help everyone gave me with Reviews, social media shares and by actually getting the book, I want to do another free giveaway! The next one will be on my other eBook, 50 Diet Tips for MMA and Combat Sports and it will be a 5 day giveaway on Amazon from the 26th of February till Tuesday the 3rd of March!



You can save the address for that one HERE.

Thanks again!

Stay Healthy,

Mike

Sunday, 4 January 2015

Goals and staying on track in 2015


Hey Guys,

Today I thought that I would share with you one of my more popular articles from last year (you can find more of the same HERE).

The article was first published on YourMMA and is about goals, which I thought was pretty appropriate for this time of year :)

Let me know what you think below!

Right its that time of the year, its been a few months and the numbers are starting to thin out a bit in your gym, diets are starting to loosen and enthusiasm is dropping.
I see this in my gym all the time. the best intentions start to wain and dedication starts to take a bit of a hit. Its not all doom and gloom though, there are still a few who have ‘the look’.
You know ‘the look’.  Its not reserved for anyone, everyone can have it. It’s something thats past their eyes, something that is past determined. It’s a person that has had enough. Whether they have had enough of being in bad shape, enough of a shitty job, a toxic partner or someone who has taken one to many beatings either on the mat or at the hands of someone else.
This person WILL succeed. Its not a matter of ‘if’ its when. Nothing will deter this person. Not bad weather, social events, unsupportive people, injuries, a meteor striking the earth. This person will be in the gym rain or shine. This trait isn’t reserved for anyone. Everyone can gain or get back this level of determinism. All it takes is realising how much you really want it, because thats all it is really, how  much YOU want it.
This article is for those people. A quick set of tips to help them stay on the path that will give them more than any TV show, computer game or drink or drugs. Ask anyone who achieves something with their body and the will tell you that you cant stop that drive spilling over into other parts of your life. Whether its being better at your job, a better parent or partner to making your dreams a reality. Yes, it is that powerful.
Ok, so tips;
1) Make small changes. Trying to do everything at once is just a recipe for failure. Make one change a week and stick with it. Whether its small changes to your diet or adding in some stretching and mobility work, small changes turn into habits.
2) Try new things. Whether its a new food or a new exercise, variety is the spice of life and keeps things interesting.
3) Learn stuff. I highly recommend blagging peoples heads who know more than you. You will find bits of real world information that you will not find off an internet forum guru. Also, read stuff.  
4) Music. Find tracks that motivate you and use them. Trying to break a squat PR or doing magic 50′s to steps or any X factor stuff just isn’t going to cut it. Get angry, psyched or whatever emotion works for you. Music focuses people. be a focused person.
5) Enjoy it. You remember enjoying training right? There is no point training if you aren’t loving it. Even if your mate has recommended the best programme since someone hit a bag or picked up a weight, if you don’t like it you’re not going to do it.
6) Eat to support your goals, don’t train to support your eating habits.
7) While we are on the subject, learn how to cook. Making interesting, good quality food that tastes nice will make a massive difference to your training and results.
Those are some basic quick tips that may help you get back on track. If not, well, only you can do it at the end of the day.
As always, comments appreciated
Stay healthy,
Mike


Saturday, 27 December 2014

Unorthodox fat Loss (Free Ebook) and Discounts!

Hey Guys,

Firstly a MASSIVE thank you to all of those who have downloaded the new ebook! The response has been amazing and it's been great talking to you all!



Don't forget that as well as getting a free plan within the eBook, you also get money off my other eBook, 50 Diet Tips for MMA and Combat Sports, plus further discount off Nutrition Plans on the Websitediscounts on supplements plus Discounts from amazing retailers such as Scramble and Roll Supreme!

If you haven't got the eBook and all this other cool shit, just click here to grab one ASAP! Remember it is completely free!

Stay Healthy,

Mike

Monday, 22 December 2014

Savings, Discounts and deals on just about everything!!

Hey Guys,

Firstly a MASSIVE thank you to all of those who have downloaded the new ebook! The response has been amazing and it's been great talking to you all!



Don't forget that as well as getting a free plan within the eBook, you also get money off my other eBook, 50 Diet Tips for MMA and Combat Sports, plus further discount off Nutrition Plans on the Websitediscounts on supplements plus Discounts from amazing retailers such as Scramble and Roll Supreme!

If you haven't got the eBook and all this other cool shit, just click here to grab one ASAP! Remember it is completely free!

Stay Healthy,

Mike

Monday, 15 December 2014

FREE EBOOK IS STILL AVAILABLE!

Hey Guys,

Firstly a MASSIVE thank you to all of those who have downloaded the new ebook! The response has been amazing and it's been great talking to you all!



Don't forget that as well as getting a free plan within the eBook, you also get money off my other eBook, 50 Diet Tips for MMA and Combat Sports, plus further discount off Nutrition Plans on the Website, discounts on supplements plus Discounts from amazing retailers such as Scramble and Roll Supreme!

If you haven't got the eBook and all this other cool shit, just click here to grab one ASAP! Remember it is completely free!

Stay Healthy,

Mike


Monday, 8 December 2014

Great Video on Branding from Mark Lobliner

Hey Guys,

As I know a fair few of you who read this blog are either self employed or are looking to move into the fitness industry, I thought that I would share this great seminar from Mark Lobliner.

In the video Mark talks about the importance of branding and how it relates to being self employed and how your own personal brand can have a direct effect not only on your own career but also on your potential earnings.

In this age of the internet it is highly important to be personable with not only clients but also colleagues within your own industry. With hat in mind this is a great free video for people looking to improve themselves and keep learning.



Stay Healthy,

Mike

PS don't for get that the FREE EBOOK IS NOW LIVE on the website! Just click this link for your free download!!


Sunday, 9 November 2014

Q&A

Hey Guys,

Here is the best of this months Q&A!



How long should my diet be for my fight camp?

Your diet should be as long in weeks as it takes to lose 1 pound per week to your fight weight. So if you need to lose 12 pounds, your diet is 12 weeks. This enables a nice slow rate of fat loss that will enable you to have a great camp and stay strong all the way up to the big day!

I really enjoyed your latest article in BJJ Style on Off Season Weight. I'm looking to move up a weight class, how much and how fast should I gain weight?

Firstly we must differentiate between weight gain and muscle gain. We want to add good quality muscle and the strength to go with it! I like clients to add no more than 2-3 pounds per month (especially if they are natural). Any more than this leads to fat gain which is no good for any combat sport (except maybe sumo). Weigh yourself on the same day every week, after you have been to the toilet and before you eat or drink anything. This will give you the best indicator of where your weight gain is at.

What supplements should I always be taking?

As always supplements are just that, supplements. They aren't going to do anything unless you're training hard, getting your nutrition on point and recovering properly. that being said, I like all clients to be taking a multi vitamin, fish oil and vitamin D. For women I also sometimes include an iron supplement.

What exercises do you think are the best for athletes?

In no particular order;
  • Deadlift
  • Squat
  • Overhead press
  • Jumps
  • Sprints
  • Loaded carries
  • Good mornings
  • Loaded twists
  • LOADS of lower back and Ab work
  • Pull ups
  • Dips
  • Rows

What's your favourite colour?

Blue as the wife likes it when I wear it (happy wife, happy me).

Thanks for everyone who contacted me! I really enjoy talking with you all and I'm always happy to help! If you wanted to talk to me about anything, feel free to use the free Q&A on the website!

Stay healthy,

Mike


Monday, 3 November 2014

The Eat as much as you want Diet

Hey Guys,

Recently I've been getting quite a few messages and E mails about a post the other week on T Nation called 'The Eat as much as you want Diet' and my thoughts on it.



Well I've got to say that I do agree with quite a lot of it. It makes some great points on eating for the general population.

I thought I would do a quick post on it rather than sending the same thing to people every couple of days (all for being efficient).

Here are my thoughts in no particular order;
  • Eating whole, nutrient dense food is a fantastic idea for everyone, no exceptions.
  • Knowing exactly what foods are dense in nutrients is also another great idea.
  • Yes I have no problem with bacon, however I prefer to put the calories elsewhere for most clients.
  • Do calories matter? Yes. Yes they absolutely do. To see a reduction in weight or fat you need to lessen the amount of calories you eat.
  • This isn't always just a case of taking calories out. Everyone responds differently to macros, timing, food types etc.
  • If you are trying to get in the best shape possible or perform at your very best then you better be including calorie counting into the equation (if you are stuck on how to do this, drop me  a line HERE or see HERE).
  • Will focusing on highly nutrient dense food allow 'regular' people (non athletes) to stay in shape. Absolutely.
  • That being said for it to work it means that you need to remove all 'cheat' foods. This means no treats, alcohol or other indulgence that will make you over eat.
All people would do very well to have a closer look at the foods that they eat and make sure that they have the most nutrients in as possible, however looking for a magic diet that allows them to have zero self control simply isn't going to happen. 

To get the most out of your nutrition you need a smart, sensible plan that allows some flexibility and can be applied in the real world.

You can find the original article HERE.

Stay Healthy,

Mike


Sunday, 2 November 2014

Video with Roll Supreme and yours truly...

Hey Guys,

Incisor you missed it, here is a video with your truly and Jack from Roll Supreme.

This video series is to accompany the article series that we are doing together on Nutrition Plans for BJJ.

We will be covering a lot of topics in the upcoming series and will be doing videos to match so make sure you keep checking back to see what's going on and how this can help your own nutrition!


If you have any questions about your own nutrition, please take a look at the site or ask a question in the free Q&A

Stay Healthy,

Mike

Friday, 31 October 2014

What's happening with me.

Hey Guys,

Recently I realise that I have been posting a lot of content about what has been going on at the business end of Unorthodox Nutrition but not about what has been happening with myself (people want to know for some unknown reason). So today I thought I would post an update with what I have been working on.



This year I set myself the goal of improving my athletic performance. That meant I needed to get stronger, faster and more explosive. I also wanted to do some long term metabolism maintenance (or reverse dieting as some people call it).

As regular readers will know that I am a big fan of Jim Wendlers 5/3/1. This is because while it focuses on strength it can be adapted to fit any goal. With BJJ in mind I focus on the main lifts but add in sports specific movements and a ton of work for the lower back, abs and hamstrings plus a load of shoulder mobility as I'm a broken old man. Another big component of the plan is dynamic work such as a variety of jumps and throws to help improve explosiveness.

With this programme I have been able to improve the following lifts at a body weight of 72KG,


  • Deadlift from 165 - 200kg
  • Squat from 100 - 150KG
  • Overhead press from 60 - 90KG
While these numbers aren't going to light the world on fire, it is quite a good improvement. I only test my PRs once every 6 months and will continue to run the same programme for at least the next 6 months. After that I will be adding a lot more volume and isolation work as my wedding and honeymoon are just right round the corner :) 

The workout currently takes me about 30-45 mins depending on how much accessory work I do. Some days I'm pushed for time so I just hit the main lift and get out of there, other days when I have the time I do a lot more accessory movements.

As far as diet goes I am trying to increase my metabolic threshold while staying under 75KG. This involves using a mixture of weight, performance, the tape measure and mirror to know when to increase things. I only increase my calories at about 5% a time with the marcos of choice being fat or carbs. I will keep doing this till about March when I will start to cut back a bit of the wedding etc. I will probably do a mini diet for around 4 weeks just before Christmas just to lean out a tad.

I will keep posting updates here or if you have any direct questions, comment below or use the Q&A

Stay Healthy,

Mike




Monday, 27 October 2014

Is your diet missing these important points? Quick checks for brides and Grooms!

They say the devil is in the details.

When it comes to diet and nutrition plans this mostly isn’t the case. If you have the major parts sorted out (calories, marco nutrients) then you most certainly will lose weight for a good period of time.



The problem comes when you stop losing weight. What do you do then? What advice do you trust?

If you where to ask any form of diet question on your Facebook you would be overwhelmed by advice. Some would be sound advice (try tracking what you are actually eating, try dropping a few calories etc) and some would be silly and even dangerous (try this shake based diet, try the egg/cabbage/raw food diet).

Before you go running off to try the latest diet craze and possibly kill all your progress, make sure that you are doing the following things consistently.

1.     Make sure you are drinking enough water. While drinking 2 litres per day is recommended, the magic happens at about 3-4 litres per day. This will keep you hydrated, make you fuller for longer, improve your health and make your hair, skin and nails look much better.
2.     Are you exercising? While a lot of people focus on the latest fad diet, they often forget to make sure that they are exercising 3-4 times per week. This will burn calories, tone your muscles and give you that perfect body shape for the honeymoon.
3.     Make sure that if you are exercising, you are working hard enough. Simply sitting on a bike while reading a magazine or walking on a treadmill while watching TV simply isn’t going to get the job done. You should be sweating, breathing hard and feeling like you have actually accomplished something when you have finished.
4.     Are you focused on your health? Having a diet that is ridiculously low in calories, vitamins and nutrients will not only make you ill, but will make it ten times harder to lose weight. Make sure what you are doing is sensible and healthy!
5.     Are you undoing all your hard work at the weekends? Any diet plan, no matter how intelligent and well thought out can be undone with a weekend of binge eating and drinking. It’s fine to have a treat (all my clients do), just make sure that you go about it in a smart way. A nice meal and a few drinks is a lot different to a couple of bottles of wine and endless takeaways and chocolate!


The truth of the matter is that almost everyone can get in shape for their wedding and honey moon as long as they use a sensible plan and give themselves enough time to get the job done. To give you an idea of how long you will need, a healthy, smart weight loss rate is one pound per week. Use this to get an idea for how long you will need to get the look you want.

Remember, if anyone is trying to convince you to do a diet and it involves taking a large amount of a product (shakes, pill, potions etc) or focuses on one type of food or starves you, it is a bad idea! Good nutrition is healthy, filling and flexible!

Stay Healthy,

Mike.

Mike Leng is the owner of Unorthodox Nutrition. He helps Brides, Grooms, athletes and gym goers get into the best shape of their lives through smart, healthy, whole food plans. You can find him HERE


Saturday, 25 October 2014

Video on Nutrition series from Unorthodox Nutrition and Roll Supreme

Hey Guys,

 Today I thought I would share with you a video with your truly and Jack from Roll Supreme.

This video series is to accompany the article series that we are doing together on Nutrition Plans for BJJ.

We will be covering a lot of topics in the upcoming series and will be doing videos to match so make sure you keep checking back to see what's going on and how this can help your own nutrition!


If you have any questions about your own nutrition, please take a look at the site or ask a question in the free Q&A

Stay Healthy,

Mike


Monday, 20 October 2014

Nutrition Plan for Roll Supreme

Hey Guys,

In case you missed it last week, I am now doing an article series with Roll Supreme on setting up and adjusting a Nutrition Plan for fat loss, health and BJJ.





Here is the article incase you missed it!

I was hanging out with Mike from Unorthodox Nutrition a few weeks ago. I ended up picking his brain about different strategies plans for the average person who trains jiu jitsu. I wanted to know what the average guy who trains could be doing to improve their nutrition. Any overall their “jiu jitsu diet”
Just as a jumping off point I was particularly curious about finding that idea weight to walk around at.
I’m around the 74kg mark with my weight going up or down 2kg depending mostly on how much I’m training. My diet isn’t terrible. It goes through stages of either being somewhat ‘clean’ and probably not taking enough calories. Or the other side of the coin is burgers milkshakes and far too much sugar. Currently I’m out of shape and at the bottom of the weight bracket. 
jiu jitsu weight devisions kg
Sustaining an ideal weight or even a diet is something I’ve never managed to stick to. So, Mike and me decided for the next couple of blog posts to track my diet, adjust it, and then see if I can sustain that 70kg weight. 
We’re also going to be looking at things like food prep, recovery, performance, and sleep. As well as things tied in more to BJJ like joint health and supplementation.
bjj food prep
We sat down and went over my diet for the last few days. I’d documented everything… including the packet of Haribo I’d eaten while waiting in the post office… 
20141014_100641
“When I sat down with Jack to talk about his diet it became apparent that he (like most BJJ athletes) wanted to be in a bit better shape with a focus on performance and recovery.
Jacks eating habits are very similar too most people who are self employed. They eat only when they are very hungry, often have a mid afternoon crash and snack on sweet things as their body is desperate for the energy. Jack is also under eating by a LARGE amount considering all the training and rushing around he does (have you ever tried to carry 20 Gi’s and 30 hoodies to the post office…).”
That was followed up by going over our goals for the next few weeks. I decided to break them down into primary and secondary goals.
My Goals:
Primary:
Sustain weight at 70kg
Stick to a sustainable diet plan
Secondary:
Increased Energy Levels
Improved focus
Better rolling performance
Deeper Sleep 
Mikes Goals:
The main goals that we are going to set out to achieve are the following,
• Improve performance and metabolism.
• Improve recovery with a focus on joints and reducing inflammation.
• Fat loss and muscle gain.
• Implementing a plan that is flexible and that Jack can follow.
• Educate Jack (and you reading) on certain aspects of nutrition with hints and tips to make things work in the real world
We will follow on in the next post about the specific diet and the changes we have made (most importantly WHY we have made them).
This diet plan is obviously tailored to my specific goals laid but we’re hoping it’ll provide you with a basic guide on how to tailor your diet to help improve your performance and overall health. 
I’m going to be bringing out some videos with Mike to coincide with the weekly blog posts were we break everything down from both of our points of view. 

If you want more info about diet plans or some nutritional advice head over to www.unorthodox-nutrition.com
More to come soon!
Stay Healthy,
Mike