Top 5 Most Popular Posts

(My Original Blog Post: http://nakednutritionnetwork.com/top-5-most-popular-posts/)
I recently went back and looked at all the past Naked Nutrition past posts to see what has been the most popular. I was surprised to see certain posts there (namely that the most popular post has nothing to do with nutrition) and certain posts NOT there. Here are the top 5 most popular posts of all time with some key nutrition (or exercise) nuggets from each of them

1. Tabata Protocol – Complete Exercise Guide

[caption id="attachment_2724" align="alignleft" width="446" caption="The Tabata Protocol was originally tested on Speed Skaters"][/caption]

It was surprising that my most popular post has been exercise related but understandable as the Tabata Protocol has reached such mainstream appeal that distance runners are even using it to improve their fitness levels. Here are 3 Key excerpts:

"A Tabata workout is a timed workout that is only 4 minutes long. It consists of 20 seconds of hard (intense) exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, and then you repeat this 8 times. Seems simple but it is really tough."

"...in order complete a full Tabata, really complete it like in the study, you need to be in decent shape. Fortunately, you can work your way up to the full 20 seconds on/10 seconds off protocol by using different time variations.

• 10 seconds on, 20 seconds off x 8


• 15 seconds on, 15 seconds off x 8


• 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off x 8"

"Coach Robert Dos Remedios a.k.a. The Tabata Master also emphasizes the importance of intensity when completing a Tabata session. He jokes that if you can do 2 Tabatas after your workout then your training session isn’t tough enough or you aren’t hitting your first Tabata hard enough. He recommends adding a Tabata to the end of your workout as a great way of ‘finishing your body off.’"

You can read the rest of this post here.

2. Fast Safe Weight Loss – How To Lose 3-6 Pounds of Fat Per Week

With the popularity of the Warp Speed Fat Loss program it is no surprise that one of this site's most popular post centered around the the concept that it IS possible to safely lose more than 2lbs per week. Here are a couple key points about metabolic exercise.

"Since you aren’t on the Biggest Loser and probably can’t workout 5-7 hrs/day tweaking your metabolism so that you burn calories when you aren’t exercising is key."

"Go for time. Metabolic circuits are ’self regulating’ in that you do as much work as you can. Do as many sets as you can within a give time frame. 10 minutes is a good place to start."

"Do better each time. While there isn’t a target number of a sets that you should do, strive to do more sets/reps each workout. Push yourself to burn more calories each workout and you will be greatly rewarded by burning more calories after each workout."

You can read the rest of this post here.

3. Whey Protein Isolate vs. Whey Protein Concentrate

The popularity of this post really speaks to the lack of educational information there is surrounding protein powders. The Concentrate vs. Isolate question is evergreen and I"m glad that I could clarify it here for people. The difference between concentrates and isolates is really important for people from a digestive perspective. I recently helped a friend relief a good deal of digestive discomfort from switching protein powders.

"Protein concentrates. Protein concentrates are created by pushing the protein source (milk, whey, etc.) through a very small filter that allows water, minerals, and other organic materials to pass though. The proteins, which are too big to pass through the filter, are collected, resulting in protein powder. When this process is used to make whey protein concentrate, it yields a protein powder that is 70-80% protein and up to 5% lactose. People with lactose intolerance will have trouble consuming large amounts of whey protein concentrate."

"Protein isolates. This is the next step up in purification; the protein is purified again using more filtration or a technique called ion-exchange or cross-flow microfiltration. Protein isolates have very low levels of carbohydrates and fat and are almost exclusively pure protein. People with lactose intolerance usually don’t have trouble with whey protein isolates. Many companies that make whey protein isolates will certify that their product is lactose free or they add lactase (the enzyme that breaks down lactose) to the protein powder to help with digestion."

You can read the rest of this post here.

4. Female Body Breakthrough – Rachel Cosgrove’s New Book

I was not surprised to see that out of all the different books and resources that I have written about, Rachel Cosgrove's book 'The Female Body Breakthrough' is in the top 5. Why? Because it is easily the best training book for women written to date. Rachel is a great advocate for the proper way to women to develop the bodies that they desire. Her book is very comprehensive and she doesn't pull any punches about the hard work that is required to get the body you desire. My favorite quote beings "In order to look like a fox you need to sweat like a pig." Here is an excerpt from the post in which Rachel outlines what weight loss program for women SHOULD DO (weight loss programs for men should also do these things"

• "Metabolically demanding full body strength training program lifting challenging weights. This should be their priority workouts 2-4 days a week.


• Boost their intensity and drop the duration on their cardio sessions performing interval style workouts for no more than 30 minutes at a time.


• Fuel their body with healthy food every couple hours getting their metabolism revving.


• Focus on how her clothes fit and how she looks and feels and not on a number on the scale. Focus on Fat Loss, not Weight Loss"

You can read the rest of this post here.

5. How To Lose Body Fat Without Losing Muscle

When dieting the number concern that people have, aside from 'how fast can I lose weight' usually centers on preventing muscle loss. To do this you really need to reconcile the the differences between your body's objectives/problems and yours when your calories are low.

"First let’s look at why your body would breakdown muscle to use as fuel when dieting. There are three main reason.

• Body’s Problem: Needs energy.


• Body’s Problem: Needs enough amino acids to maintain important bodily functions.


• Body’s Problem: Energy is low thus needs to only keep around essential parts that require calories.

You have your own set of problems in regards to how your body acts when it comes to functioning on low calories.

• Your Problem: You want it to specifically use store fat to fill the energy void.


• Your Problem: You want the body to get amino acids from places other than hard earned muscle.


• Your Problem: Need to convince your body that lean muscle is essential."

You can read the rest of this post here.

Is there a post that isn't is the top 5 but it is your favorite? Let me know and I'll put together a 'reader' favorites list.