Here we are: MenScience Boot Camp Week 6. You’ve made it. All your hard work the past five weeks has led up to this final week of positive changes. Like we touched upon next week, these steps won’t do you any good if you don’t continue to follow them long-term. Just because the boot camp is over doesn’t mean you can disregard everything you’ve learned – the changes you’ve made and the results you’ve seen should motivate you to continue on the path to be healthy and look great.
– Boot Camp Home Page
– Week 6: Nutrition
– Week 6: Fitness
– Week 6: Skin Care
Men’s Nutrition Checklist for Week 6
1. If you’ve been cutting calories at the rate we recommended, you can add around 500 daily calories back to your diet. Even though you’re adding calories, you should still be at a 300-calorie daily deficit and keeping your metabolism confused; to continue losing weight, you can’t let it adapt. There are only so many calories you can cut from a diet before you start feeling hungry and start to notice muscle loss in addition to fat loss. Adding more calories is a simple way to avoid such issues.
2. For long-term weight loss and maintenance, continue to follow this cycle of cutting calories and then adding them back in. Feel free to play around with the numbers. Maybe you want to cut 200 daily calories one week and maybe 100 the next – find the numbers that work for you and that can be easily sustained long-term. By now you should be able to adapt to your ideal long-term calorie goal, which should be around 2,000 to 2,800 calories a day depending on your metabolism and activity level.
3. To keep bulking, add 200 more calories to your daily diet. At this point, your daily calorie surplus should be at 1000. Continue to get these extra calories from high-protein foods such as lean meats, protein powders, nuts and cottage cheese. With this much of a surplus, you should be on pace to gain 2 pounds of lean muscle per week. If you’re actually gaining fat, then consider adjusting your calories down, or better still redouble your workout goals and intensity.
4. If you want to continue bulking after Week 6, stick to an 800-1000 calorie daily surplus. Just like healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week, healthy bulking should be gradual too. And once you reach your goal, eat at maintenance level to avoid any more weight gain as well as weight loss. Refer back to Week 1 to find the formula for measuring your daily calorie needs.
5. Keep taking your supplements. Your supplements play a crucial role in filling in nutritional gaps that diet alone can’t. Your men’s multivitamin, antioxidant supplement and omega 3 formula should be taken daily, while Thermogenic Formula and Advanced CLA Supplement Formula should be used according to your diet and fitness goals.
6. Once you reach your goal, take an “after” photo. In week 1, we told you to take a “before” photo. Once you reach your goal, take another picture of yourself. Seeing how far you’ve come serves as an additional motivator. If you ever feel yourself sliding, look at your photos to remind yourself you have the power to transform your life.
Men’s Fitness Checklist for Week 6
1. Make this a recovery week. Your body needs an occasional break from your regular gym routine. Take it easy this week by using lighter weights or lowering the intensity of your cardio workout. By giving your body an easy time this week, you’ll allow your muscles to recover properly. Next week, you’ll return to your usual intensity.
2. From now on, change your workout every 4-6 weeks. The past few weeks we’ve encouraged you to constantly switch up your workout. Now that you’ve gotten into the habit of exercising regularly, change your routine every 4-6 weeks. This way, you’ll have an easier time to tracking your strength gains as well as more time to perfect your form before moving on to other exercises. Remember that pushing to exhaustion and diversity of exercises are the keys to muscle gains, so focus on those exercises that you feel make you gain more muscle, but also mix it in with variations.
3. Continue to write in your fitness journal. We all have responsibilities – family, work, school, etc. Because we’re juggling so many things, it’s easy to lose track of our workout. Keep writing down your sets, reps and other details in your journal. That way, you can measure your progress and make workout adjustments accordingly. If after a few weeks you see that your efforts have flat lined, look for ways to increase your workouts or include some variety, such as practicing a new sport.
4. Invest in some workout gear. The right workout gear should make you feel and look great. Opt for fabrics that wick away moisture – this helps keeps you dry and minimizes body odor. Also, avoid wearing clothes that are too tight since that can also encourage body odor and acne breakouts. The last thing you want during a workout is itchy, irritated skin. Read “How Exercise Affects Men’s Skin” to learn more about exercise’s role in men’s skin care.
Men’s Skincare Checklist for Week 6
1. Always use a face wash and body wash daily. These two products are the foundation to any men’s skincare routine. While other men’s skincare products can be used as needed, these should be a part of your daily routine – no ifs, ands or buts. Soap and water just don’t cut it anymore in men’s skin care.
2. Experiment, but remember that each person’s skin is different and remember to treat yours with care. You should have followed all the steps from the previous weeks, but we know some of you out there have your reservations. Maybe you don’t think a men’s eye cream is for you. Maybe a tinted moisturizer just isn’t your thing. Just try it out. If it works for you, great. If not, no harm done.
3. Be consistent. If you use a product for a few days and don’t notice any results, don’t get frustrated. Men’s skin care is a long-term deal. If you make all these skincare tips a permanent habit, you will see results. Just like most anything else, it just takes time.
4. Keep good skincare habits for life. Use a dermatological-grade men’s anti-aging skincare cream daily, putting this first on your skin before any other skincare product. Remember to exfoliate face and body at least 2-3 times per week to maintain skin. Moisturize your body with a high-quality body moisturizer for men. Always use a sunscreen if you’re going to be spending time in the sun.
5. Look for balance. Having great skin is simply part of an overall healthy appearance, so if you’re eating right, exercising and taking care of your skin, the results will be more than the sum of its parts; do all three and you will look and feel great.
