Hitting Your Peak

Written by Ashley Conrad

As a celebrity trainer I learned early in my career that Hollywood doesn’t have ‘body seasons’. The phone rings for a movie role and you simply need to be ready.
It was on account of this that I found success early on in my career as a top Hollywood transformation expert. While most programmes take eight to 12 weeks to garner results, the entire methodology of my Clutch Programme is about quick and lasting transformation.
‘How?’ you may ask. Well, it’s one part crazy workouts that ramp up testosterone and growth hormone (GH), helping the body burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. Plus, it’s one part fat-burning and muscle-building nutrition that removes items from the diet that slow the body down. The magic is really in this principle.
Think about a Ferrari for a moment. If you filled it with high-powered fuel but also placed a few pebbles of sand in the tank, what would happen? It would break the Ferrari. I equate this to people that load up on stimulants, dairy and tonnes of gluten-based carbohydrates.
Stimulants can fluctuate cortisol, dairy can be filled with all sorts of disgusting by-products such as hormones due to our modern farming practices. And gluten, whether you are intolerant or not, causes inflammation in the body, which leads to slower recovery times.
So let’s address the question burning a hole in your mind right now: ‘How can people who are shredded claim to eat all of these foods?’
Well, in the spirit of total honesty, the answer is either great genetics or drugs. ‘Wait, fitness models take drugs to look like that? But they said they were all-natural.’
Unfortunately, it’s true. There is rampant use of steroids and GH in the fitness industry. I for one would like to see mandatory drug-testing of all models and competitors so people know who’s natural and who isn’t, so they can choose whose diet and workout plan they want to follow.
The truth is, when the body is on these sorts of drugs it can process just about anything, which means that if you’re drug-free then you must take things like dairy, gluten and excessive stimulants into account.
So having said all of that, what’s the fastest way to get shredded for summer? Two words. Clutch. Cut. Three more words: Free on Bodybuilding.com. Clutch Cut is a three-week circuit-training programme designed to help you lose 10–15lb fat and define lean muscle.
But if you’re not looking to start an entirely new programme, here are my five top tips for shredding fat.

FASTED CARDIO IN THE AM
Twenty-five minutes fasted cardio in the morning will help your body incinerate fat. Do this five days a week for two weeks. If you are going to lift directly following, make sure you have a protein shake containing at least 25g carbohydrates before starting resistance training. Also, take BCAAs before and after your cardio.

WORK OUT IN THE MORNING
This allows you to structure the most optimal meal plan, which is to front load the majority of calories and carbohydrates before 3pm. This ensures your body burns through its glycogen prior to bedtime.

DRINK COCONUT WATER POST-WORKOUT
The fast-digesting carbs in coconut water will ensure you are replacing the glycogen you just burned, helping to spare muscle and trigger insulin to spike.

NO COMPLEX CARBS AFTER 3PM
Same idea as above. After 3pm, all carbs should come only from vegetables, but not from the root variety.

GAME-CHANGER FOOD CHANGES:
• Replace gluten with whole-grain carbohydrates like rolled oats, quinoa and sweet potato
• Replace dairy with unsweetened almond milk
• Eat only organic chicken.
• Limit red meat to twice a month and make sure it’s organic and grass-fed.
• Stick to fast-digesting proteins, such as white fish or organic egg whites, at dinner.