Fat Loss Muscle Building and Exercise

Turbulence Training And Craig Ballantyne In Depth Review

2010-08-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

Turbulence Training And Craig Ballantyne In Depth Review

Diets Just Eat Less? IsThat Really All There Is To It?

2010-05-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Studies Show 4 Proven Tricks to Eat Less Food

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

Author - The Truth About Six Pack Abs

I found these 4 tricks (that are proven to help people eat less food and overall calories) while reading a fascinating book recently called 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman. I think you'll find these very helpful if you're looking to control your caloric intake and reduce your body fat.

These tricks were tested in scientific studies and are quick and easy to implement. I thought these were VERY interesting...

Trick #1 to Eat Less -- Several studies prove that the size of the bowl, plate, or spoon that you use can directly influence how much food and calories you consume.

Richard Wiseman, in the book 59 Seconds, talks about one study conducted where party guests were randomly given either 17 or 34-ounce bowls and 2 or 3 ounce spoons, and allowed to help themselves to ice cream. It was found that the party guests given the large spoons and large bowls had eaten 14% and 31% more ice cream respectively, than the people using the smaller spoons or smaller bowls. Interesting huh!

Another study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania used a bowl of M&Ms that were left in the hallway of an apartment building. A sign next to the bowl told people to help themselves to the M&Ms. Some days a tablespoon sized scoop was used in the M&Ms and on other days, a larger scoop was used in the bowl. The researchers found that the larger scoop caused people to take TWICE the amount of M&Ms on average compared to the people that had used the smaller scoop.

I've also seen studies referenced in the past that showed that people who used larger plates consumed more calories than those using smaller plates.

The lesson -- Use smaller plates, bowls, and silverware and you may inadvertently reduce your calorie intake. This also means saying NO to seconds and thirds!

Trick #2 to Eat Less -- You've probably heard before that eating slower can help you to eat less because it gives time for the fullness signal to reach your brain and thereby shut off your appetite before you've eaten too much.

However, this study below found a twist on this!

According to Mr. Wiseman in the book 59 Seconds, a study at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center had overweight participants eat a meal at 3 different speeds:

a) their normal rate

b) half their normal rate

c) their normal rate at first, followed by half their normal rate (normal-slow combo)

The results were interesting... Eating at the slower rate caused the men to eat less, but not the women (that's weird!). However, the 3rd group that combined the normal pace at first with the slower rate after that caused both the men and women to have a large reduction in their appetite and eat less. The normal-slow combo was found to be more effective than just the slow-only group. Why? I have no idea, but those are interesting results!

Mr Wiseman stated that the lesson here to eat less is "to start at your normal speed but then savor each and every mouthful".

Trick #3 to Eat Less -- According to the book 59 Seconds, a series of experiments conducted in offices compared putting chocolates right on people's desks vs placing the chocolates six feet away. In another experiment, the chocolates were put inside either transparent or opaque jars. When the chocolates were placed on the person's desk instead of 6 feet away, people ate on average 6 more chocolates per day per person. Also, the chocolates in the transparent jars were eaten 46% more quickly than the opaque jars.

Just shows... out of sight, out of mind! As you may already know, I recommend never even having junk food around your house at all...that way, you're never tempted by it and you're forced to only eat healthy foods... but then you can use your weekly cheat meals to eat junk food out at a restaurant. That way the junk food is never in your house to begin with!

Trick #4 to Eat Less -- Studies have found that people eat significantly more when they are distracted by TV, movies, games, or other distractions. In one experiment mentioned in the book 59 Seconds, people who were more absorbed by a movie ate significantly larger amounts of popcorn compared to those that were paying less attention to the movie.

In another experiment, people who actively listened to a detective story during lunch (being distracted by the story), ate 15% more food than those who sat in silence during their lunch.

The lesson -- ditch the TV and other distractions and focus on your food! Enjoy every bite of your food and you will naturally consume less calories while enjoying your food more.

Diet And Exercise For Fast Fat Loss

2010-05-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Diet & Exercise Synergy for RIDICULOUSLY Fast Fat Loss
By Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT
Author Xtreme Fat Loss

Most people treat their eating and exercise programs as two separate entities -- Totally WRONG if you're looking to lose fat at the fastest possible rate.

You see, if you can learn how to use the most effective exercise strategies to "mirror" the goals of your eating each day (while mixing up eating approaches to yield specific hormonal and metabolic benefits in the most effective manner possible) you can literally take your results from "okay" to OUT OF THIS WORLD.

That's what I call SYNERGY. Eating and exercise working *together* in a very smart, strategic way to yield the fastest fat loss results possible.

Now, my above explanation may have sounded a bit complicated, so I’ll give you a quick example. Let’s take, for instance, the day after a Cheat Day—you know, those days where you get to eat WHATEVER you want on the Xtreme Fat Loss plan (which just so happen to occur every 5th day).

[By the way, if you’re not incorporating Cheat Days into your current eating plan, a quick update: they can save your metabolism and actually allow you to lose phat faster by increasing levels of important phat burning hormones within the body. Not to mention, they’re a heck of a lot of fun].

So, the day after a Cheat Day, the overall goals are as follows:

1.Create a large caloric deficit (to burn as many calories as possible and take advantage of the fact that our bodies are now "primed" to burn fat as a result of the Cheat Day)

2. Deplete maxed-out glycogen stores (carbohydrate energy stores within the body) caused by the high carb and fat content of the Cheat Day

3.Exhaust ALL energy systems to satisfy #1 and #2 while burning additional phat calories to boot

To accomplish these three goals, we’ll use a series of eating and supplemental strategies to do exactly that while using *exercise* strategies that accomplish the SAME goals, for example:

1.Strategic lactic acid based workouts to burn massive calories and glycogen while stimulating the release of important phat burning hormones that further increase lipolysis (phat burning)

2.Strategic energy systems work that contain both anaerobic "carbohydrate-burning" and aerobic "fat-burning" components.

Combining those types of exercise with eating strategies that accomplish the same goals leads to a ridiculous fat burning effect.

Essentially, when you set up things this way, you’re tackling your goals via both eating AND exercise. That’s like going after your financial goals via landing a job with a kick-butt income coupled with smart investing. One feeds the other for synergistic results.

And you know what? The above is just ONE example. Within the Xtreme Fat Loss guide we have FIVE different "types" of eating days (all with slightly different goals) and a very specific exercise strategy to use on each that has led to some of the fastest fat loss results we’ve ever recorded to date with our clients.

Make no mistake, working WITH your eating plan, hand in hand, through exercise that *mirrors* the goals of each eating strategy can literally DOUBLE your results beyond just “working hard” on each day.

The synergy of strategy never ceases to amaze me, and we reveal it all in the Xtreme Fat Loss Guide. In fact, it's the ONLY reason people have consistently lost up to 25 pounds in just 25 days using the full-on 25 day system.

Bottom line, if you want to lose fat FAST, you've got to be SMART in your approach. Enjoy!

Joel Marion CISSN, NSCA-CPT Author Xtreme Fat Loss

Maximize Your Muscle Growth 12 Keys To Gain Muscle

2010-03-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

Just recently I was hanging out with my good friend and fitness model (from Canada) Vince Del Monte. I met Vince a few years ago and we’ve remained very good friends and when it comes to building muscle Vince is one smart guy.

I don’t know if you if you’ve ever met him, seen his videos or his pictures but he’s pretty much the “go to guy” for muscle building advice in our circle of friends and online fitness community.

You may know Vince as the guy who was once called “Wimpy Skinny Vinny” and gained 41-lbs of muscle in 6-months then went on to become a National Fitness Model Champion and author.

What you may not know is that Vince couldn’t crack 190-lbs and hit a crazy rut after – probably very similar to your own rut. 190-lbs became his “limit” and according to the experts – a plateau he should have accepted as “normal” and not
questioned.

But over the last 2-years, Vince has made a DISCOVERY!

That discovery helped him gain an ADDITIONAL 20-lbs of lean muscle the past 2-years. He contributes busting through his plateau to his discovery of the “The 12 Anabolic Targets” (which works for beginners, intermediate and advanced lifters alike).

The BEST NEWS: he wants to hook you up with all twelve of them absolutely free in his brand new 36-page report: The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains.

No catch except that the report is coming down in 72-hours.

You can get it here: The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains

And this is not a sales pitch for something new and shiny… it’s a KILLER content that reveals 12 untapped targets you must hit if you want to ignite new muscle on your body.

You’ll love this! You’ll be able to unlock the target of your choice later today when you hit the gym.

Provide him your BEST email address to make sure this makes it into your hands:

I’ve been using Target #10 Focused body part specialization. And it’s been keeping my workouts fresh and stimulating. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, male or female,

I’m absolutely certain that you will learn some new information that will help you blow beyond your genetic potential. The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains ⇐ FREE DOWNLOAD

To your new muscle,
Jag252

Six Pack Abs And Permanent Fat Loss Online Workouts

2010-03-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,

I wanted to let you know about an email I got from Mike Geary of The Truth About Abs program. Mike now has a special package of his fat burning abs program on video. Online video instruction as opposed to just reading a manual takes the guess work out of whether you are doing the fat burning exercises correctly.

Step-by-step EXACTLY how to do each exercise. One of the MOST important aspects of your fat burning success will be making sure that you do every fat burning exercise with correct form.

This is what The Truth About Abs video package will give you.

Inside the Truth About Abs Online Video VIP Access Area you'll also find:

•How to burn body fat and get lean lower abs faster by learning all of the unknown tricks on how to maximize your results from these extrememly effective fat burning exercises

•View every single exercise and example workout program via the online VIP Video Access.

•You also have the option to download any and all of the fat burning exercises and workout videos to your iPod!

•Every warm-up routine

•Every abdominal routine

•Every full-body fat burning workout routine

•The "Secret Weapon Fat Burning Exercises"

•Reduce your risk of injury by having one of the top Personal Trainers (and Physical Therapist) in the industry take you through perfect form on each exercise.

The Truth About Abs program is one of the best fat burning programs available today. If you are not familiar with it it isn't about doing endless ab exercises. What it is is about doing total body Fat Burning exercises in total body fat burning workouts.

Don't be fooled hopefully you know you can't spot reduce fat. You will never see you rabs by doing ab specific exercises. By doing total body fat burning exercises will you finally see your abs.

Now let me end with this Mike is offering a 70% discount on the fat burning video training with 2 different packages to chose from so go right now and check it out.

The Truth About Abs Fat Burning Online Video Workouts

To Build Muscle Get The Correct Mindset

2010-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

You have been hitting the weights trying to build those muscles so hows it going? Are you seeing the results you had hoped for? No but your doing all the exercises and taking all the supplements "they" reccommend so whats wrong.

Let me ask you this what do you think about when your lifting? I can probably guess the weight right? Most beginners and even more experienced lifters doyou want to push that weight up for 1 more rep yeah we have all been there.

Any experienced bodybuilder will tell you one of the main keys if not the most importent when working out is feeling the muscle work. The Mind Muscle Connection visualising the muscle stretch and contract.

First of all when you are doing say bicep curls are you feeling the muscle work or are you focused on moving the weight? If it's the weight you're probably lifting to heavy. If the amount of weight you are lifting doesn't allow you to totally focus on the action of the muscle being worked you are not getting the most growth potential.

Feeling the muscle work is key to building hardcore muscle. Your focus on any given exercise should be 100% on how that muscle is working.

The Mind Muscle Connection for Hardcore Muscle Building is more importent than the amount of weight. Yes you want to lift as heavy as you can but not so heavy as to be working like a powerlifter. If your goal is to build Hardcore Muscle learn to concentrate on each muscle that you are working.

If you need to lower your weights some thats fine learn to use the mind muscle connection and the amount of weight you can use will go up even quicker. As well as your muscle growth.

Lose The Belly Fat With This Workout

2010-01-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me the other day which workouts should she choose to do. She was a little confused because in my articles I talk about weight training, kettlebells, interval training and bodyweight exercises. So I could see how she was a little confused.

My answer to her and all of you is use them all. You know the whole variety is the spice of life thing. When it comes to fat loss, gaining lean muscle, losing belly fat and improving your fitness and health vatiety is your best path. Now I mentioned 4 different ways to exercise above do you know the combination and workouts you could put together?

Using variety will keep you motivated and focused on getting to your fitness and fat burning goals. I don’t know about you but I tend to get bored easily and let’s face it exercise isn’t always the most exciting thing in your life. If you keep challenging yourself with new and different workouts you will start to look forward to them. Especially once you start seeing the rewards in the mirror.

The one small problem with using exercise variety like I do is you have to really plan ahead. Back in the old day’s of doing the basic bodybuilding splits you went to your garage or gym or wherever you worked out and were going to do the same workout over and over.

I tend to go by feel sometimes just for whatever reason I might feel like doing a particular exercise or exercises so I do it. I don't want it to sound like I just jump into a workout not knowing what I'll do that day. I do have it planned ahead of time but I will deviate from the plan also.

What I want to give you here is how to incorporate a variety of fat burning and muscle building exercise programs to use. You do need to plan this ahead on at least a weekly basis.

Committ to Weight training Monday and Thursday use total body exercises. As an example:

#1 Deadlifts
#2 Pushups
#3 Clean and Press

Again these exercises aren't written in stone maybe for whatever reason I don't have the feel to do pushups I'll do Incline dumbbell presses instead.

Use heavy weights, keep your reps in the 4-8 range, 4-5 sets each (best for lean muscle gains and losing fat). Yes it is only 3 exercises but with these 3 exercises you have also worked virtually every muscle group, Workout with intensity, haphazard workouts give haphazard results. You workout for a purpose, burn fat, gain lean muscle, losing belly fat and improved fitness and health.

Tuesday and Friday do some Kettlebell exercises - Use timed sets

Set a timer for lets say 5 minutes (this will depend on your fitness level adjust time up or down)

#1 Kettlebell Swings - do as many reps as you can in your time frame
#2 Kettlebell Snatch - same as above

With timed sets every workout try to do more reps than the workout before. You don't need to do 10 more reps if you can't even 1 more than your last workout is progression.

Wednesday and Saturday could be Interval Training.

Do some bodyweight circuits, Jump Rope, go outside and do some sprint intervals.

This is just an example of how you could set up your exercise week. No you don't have to workout 6 days a week this is just an example. You should set up your workout to your conditioning level. Keep your workouts short 45 minutes(for weight training) 20 minutes and under(for kettlebells and Intervals).

Like I said sometimes I feel like doing something in particular so I do it.

I guess in a round about way what I’m saying is if you say to yourself I am weight training today but I really feel like doing Intervals than do Intervals that day. You are motivated to do intervals not weight train that day. Chances are if you say I have to (intead of I want to) weight train you probably won’t even make it through your workout.

Lose Stomach Fat A Fat Burning Workout

2009-12-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

A Fast Track Fat Burning Workout To Lose Stomach Fat

Imagine looking in the mirror in a few short weeks and you have not only lost__?__lbs of fat(fill in the blank) but you now have that six pack abs look!

Here is a fast track fat burning workout(no marathon aerobic workouts here). What you will need is 1 kettlebell and your bodyweight that's it.

Most of us tend to store fat, at least partially, in our abdominal area. This is one of the most stubborn places to lose fat from. But in trying to flatten your abs have you taken the best and fastest approach?

Are you using total body exercises in your fat burning workouts? Yeah I didn't think so.

Rule#1 If you want to flatten your abs, firm your butt, gain lean muscle, whatever, the most effective and efficient way is with total body fat burning exercises! Hands down.

What I am going to share with you here is not only the fast track approach to fat burning and to flatten your abs, but how to shape and tone your entire body.

Here are 3 total body fat burning exercises you can easily do at home to help flatten your abs and burn fat fast.

1) Mountain Climbers

Start in push-up position. Brace your abs bring on knee towards your chest. Return the knee to the starting position and repeat for the other knee. Do this in a swift tempo as though you are running.

2) Burpees

Stand up in a normal position. squat down. Put your hands on the floor and throw your feet back so you are in the push-up position. Do a push-up(if your conditioning allows) return to starting position. Yeah you got it the old squat thrust from high school.

3) Kettlebell Swing (No kettlebell? Get one or use a dumbbell)

Stand up straight with your feet just slightly wider than your shoulders while holding one kettlebell(we are doing a two handed kettlebell swing). Flex at the hips as you swing the kettlebell between your legs. Then quickly and explosively flex your butt and swing the kettlebell up to chest level. Perform the kettlebell swing for about 10 reps.

After you have finished with the kettlebell Swing, rest for about 20 to 30 seconds(adjust your rest times to your conditioning level). Then start again and do the whole fat burning circuit as many times as you can in 15 minutes.

Do this circuit of total body fat burning exercises 2-3 times a week. On off days from your weight training workouts. You are weight training aren't you? No! Start!

Make this a regular workout and in a short amount of time(along with a healthy eating plan) and that six pack abs look will be yours.

Remember total body fat burning exercises like I have just showed you are the fast track to lose stomach fat and get that six pack abs look.

Fat Burning And 6 Pack Abs Tips

2009-10-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

The "REAL" Real Truth About ABS...

Ok, I know what you're thinking...

You're expecting me to say that the real "truth" to getting lean,
sexy 6-pack abs is to "Fat Burning", right?

You want to tell me that you "already HAVE 6-pack abs" but it's just
covered with an extra layer of body fat, eh?

Sure, that's what EVERYONE says, and it's TRUE...

...SORT OF!

You see, too many people have put in all the "hard work" to get to
single digit body fat levels only to find that when the fat is
gone...

...their abs are still FLAT AS A PANCAKE!

================================

So here's the REAL "truth" about 6 Pack ABS...

================================

You actually have to HAVE "muscle" on your abs in order to achieve
that lean, "ripped" look!

Plus, here's one more little "unknown" that will make getting
6-pack abs EASIER...

You see, the amount of muscle you have on your abs will determine
whether you start seeing your "pack" poke through at 10% body fat
or 6% body fat.

And TRUST ME...there's a WORLD of difference in that 4% gap, as
anyone who's ever tried to "diet down" to single digit body fat
levels will tell you!

As far as I'm concerned, if I can look great at 10% body fat
because my abs have more muscle and are more defined, then all the
better...easier abs!

So you see, the key is to TRAIN your abs hard in the gym, just
like ANY other muscle...with RESISTANCE!

Sure, there are a lot of machines you can find at your local gym
that will target your midsection, but...

================================

Here's a "Quick Bodyweight Tip" For Training ABS...

================================

Most people are especially challenged with hitting their LOWER ABS.

This'll do the trick...

Find yourself a DECLINE BENCH and a bath-sized TOWEL.

Roll the towel up into about a cylinder, about 6 inches high.

Lay on the decline bench with your head toward the top and your
legs straight with feet on the floor.

Place the towel from left to right under your lower back and grab
the bench behind your head with both hands to gain leverage.

The towel increases the range of motion in your abs and ALSO gives
you incredible lower ab activation.

Now, keeping your legs STRAIGHT, raise them in the air until you're
in the shape of a "V" and breathe out forcefully at the peak
contraction point.

Lower your legs SLOWLY but don't give them a break at the bottom.

Raise them back up in the air and continue back and forth until
exhaustion.

When you're abs are toast, finish them off by bending your legs
at the knees and doing "reverse crunches" in the same fashion,
bringing your knees up toward your chest.

================================

Want even MORE " 6 pack abs and Fat Burning advice" +
advanced training tips for EVERY MUSCLE?

Check this out:

==> Fat Burning And 6 Pack Abs Tips

================================

Jag252

5 Fat Burning And Carb Burning Tips

2009-10-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

5 Fat Burning And Carb Burning Tips

There is alot of misinformation out there today about what are the best ways to workout for fat burning and get permanent fat loss results. Anyone can lose weight for the short term (see any of the fad diets on the market today). The question and solution is how to go about fat burning to get permanent results.

If you are serious about getting off the dieting yo-yo keep reading and learn the right way to lose that body fat (permanently) gain some lean muscle and live a healthy lifestyle.

Secret #1 - The Death Of The " Fat Burning Zone Workouts "

Your fat loss workouts should be burning carbohydrates, forget about the fat burning zone!

What? I know that's not what most of the so called experts say. My point exactly. Focus your training on resistance training and interval training. Both of these use carbohydrates as the main source of energy. So it's obvious the workout is designed to burn carbohydrates during the training session.

Forget the idea of training in your "target heart rate zone" for fat burning (aka - the fat burning zone). The whole idea of a fat-burning zone is an over-simplified idea of how the body works during exercise.

Leave the inefficient fat burning zone to the mis-educated trainers in the commercial gyms (that not surprisingly, also want to sell you a heart rate monitor so you can stay in your "fat burning heart rate zone").

If you want to get the most fat burning results in the least amount of time, focus on burning carbohydrates, not fat.

Why should your fat loss workouts focus on burning carbohydrates rather than fat? In order to burn more calories after the workout, that's why. When you exercise with intervals and heavy resistance training, your body uses more calories in the hours after exercise than it would if you did traditional cardio and lifted lighter weights.

What are the results? maximum change in your body composition (helping you lose fat while gaining lean muscle).

Secret #2 - Vary Your Rep Ranges in your strength Training.

In order to train more muscle fibers and burn more carbohydrates, use a range of repetitions within the same workout. My workouts now use 6, 8, and 12 reps per set in order to work the muscle the most effectively.

This will burn more carbohydrates and promote as much muscle growth and fat loss as possible when you are keeping the calories low.

Secret #3 - Your Interval Training Use Variety

One of my favorite ways of doing my Intervals? Believe it or not a Jump Rope that's right! Jumping rope get's your whole body involved get your form down and quick intervals on the rope are great for fat burning.

Also try doing Burpees (you know the old squat thrust from school) Burpees will not only kick your butt but for another simple exercise the fat loss results can't be beat.

Secret #4 - Eat More Often

Okay, so this isn't really a secret to anyone that has read about fat loss. But a 2005 study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that eating 6 times per day was associated with eating fewer calories per day, lowering cholesterol levels, and lowering post-meal insulin levels.

Combine an increased meal frequency with an increased protein and fiber intake, and you'll see your body composition improve rapidly.

Secret #5 - Ditch The Marathon Aerobic Workouts

Are you looking for maximum results in less time? Of course you are, so why spend hour after hour on a treadmill when you can get faster and more permanent results in less time.

The strength training-interval training fat burning, fat loss workouts are efficient and effective - getting you in and out of the gym in under an hour.

But always stick to the best fat loss nutrition plan possible.

Fat Loss doesn't need to be rocket sceince. Eat right use strength training and interval training burn those carbs for fat burning, gain lean muscle, fat free head turning body.

Fat Loss Circuit Training For Extreme Fat Burning

2009-10-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

All the abdominal training in the world won't help if you have a thick layer of fat covering them up! This fat-loss training technique will put your metabolism into high-gear...

If you're looking to burn fat as fast as humanly possible, Fat-Loss Circuit Training is the BEST place to start.

Fat-Loss Circuit Training is a training technique designed around the concept of circuit training...moving from one exercise to another with very little rest between exercises. But Fat-Loss Circuit Training has a couple of very unique twists that will help really peel the fat off your body FAST.

Fat-Loss Circuit Training is very simple once you get the hang of it, but it can be one of the most demanding styles of training you can do.

This is a training technique that you can not only feel working WHILE you're training but very strongly AFTER your training session is done...many people report actually FEELING their metabolism increasing for hours afterwards (like their internal thermostat has been kicked up several degrees).

Now, if you're familiar with normal circuit training (with timed, light-weight intervals), please put aside any notions you might have of how this program works. You will not only be harnessing the muscle-building and metabolism-stimulating power of intense, full-set weight training (NOT the typical light-weight, timed intervals of normal circuit training), you will also be incorporating the great calorie-burning effects of cardiovascular training at the same time.

"This unique combination of weights and cardio into one workout is, quite simply, phenomenal for fat burning".

To continue reading this article go to How To Get That Six Pack Abs Look

Build Muscle In 7 Minutes

2009-09-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

"Just wasting time..."

I received a shocking email from someone I respect the other day that I want to share with you.

My friend just came right out and told me the brutal truth:

"You're wasting months of your life for nothing."

Pretty scary. I had no idea what he meant so I kept reading...

"Look, just figure out how many hours you're spending in the gym and doing cardio every week. Multiply that number by 52. Then email me back."

So I did the math. It freaked me out! It was a lot more time than I thought. I was spending literally YEARS of my life in the gym. Let's not even talk about cooking food and eating 5-7 times a day.

It feels like my workout routine is like a second job sometimes. Can you relate?

Anyway, I emailed him back and here's what he said:

"Okay, take that number down to less than an HOUR a week...tops. How much time have you just added to your life?"

The obvious answer: A lot!

By now I was wanting him to give me the answer. If there was a workout program where I could see results in minutes a day versus hours I was all ears.

He said, "Check out my latest book and video series."

Here's the website so you can see it too --

7 Minute Muscle

The guy I'm talking about is bestselling fitness author Jon Benson. His latest book "7 Minute Muscle" is an absolute jaw-dropper. You owe it to yourself to at least visit his homepage and discover what this is all about.

Jon spent three years researching one simple question: "How can you get the MOST results in the LEAST amount of time?"

Seems like common sense, right? Well it's not. Most people are spending FAR more time than necessary to get results.

And get this --

--- > I learned that all that time in the gym
--- > was keeping me from the body I wanted.

Of course there is more to the story than just "working out less." This is not some gimmick that involves pills or gadgets either. Honestly, it's hard work. But only 7 minutes of it.

7 minutes. No joke.

After that 7 minutes you feel like your muscles will explode from the pump. You get leaner, stronger, and you do it faster than any other workout I've ever seen. Your energy shoots through the roof to boot.

See for yourself --

At 7 Minute Muscle < --- click.here

I'm sure you'll love "7 Minute Muscle" as much as I do. Even more, you love the months of life you'll get back by train smarter, not longer.

Enjoy those extra hours of life!

Sincerely,

Joseph Gagliano

P.S. Jon has some limited-time offers going on right now so it's a good time to check out his homepage. Go see what others are saying about this revolutionary new way to train in just 7 minutes a day --

7 Minute Muscle < --- click.here

Restricting Calories And Extending Your Life

2009-09-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Calorie Restriction (CR) is getting a great deal of media attention due to studies that find animals raised on restricted calories live longer and suffer from fewer diseases. That advice may seem counter to the “bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle” we all follow.

Sure, we all know excess calories—minus any exercise to counter those additional calories—represent a negative for general health and longevity, but should people be severely limiting their calories?

As many of you know, studies have suggested that lower calorie intake translates into longer life spans in animals and—perhaps—people. However, this conclusion is controversial and far from conclusive in my view. For example, a recent study suggests that fat mass, not calorie intake, is what is responsible for longer life spans, at least in mice. (1)

And what does the bodybuilding lifestyle strive for? More muscle and less body fat! Remember, as one would expect, caloric intake and low body fat (leanness) are directly interrelated, which makes it difficult to determine the relative importance of each (CR vs. bodyfat levels) and their contributions to longevity. Thus, researchers are now trying to separate the two issues.

Recently, a Dr. Kahn and colleagues from Harvard Medical School created a strain of mice that lack insulin receptors in their fat cells. As insulin is a primary hormonal mediator of body fat levels in response to caloric intakes, this lack of insulin receptors in the animals’ fat cells caused the mice to have reduced fat mass (less body fat)—and also protected them from age-related problems, such as obesity. However, their calorie intake remained normal and no restriction was required to get the effect that would normally be seen with CR!

The researchers found that the experimental mice lacking insulin receptors in their fat cells had an approximately 18% increase in mean lifespan over their non-modified red eyed squeaky counterparts.

Studies like this one are helping to sort out the effects of leanness (body fat levels) and CR, and their respective effects on longevity and—perhaps—disease prevention. As we can’t all have our insulin receptors removed from our fat cells, researchers are looking to develop drugs to reduce—or block—insulin action in fat cells in humans.

Although such drugs could potentially have side effects, they may also be able to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases related to body fat and excess calories, without having to use strict CR. Hey, we might even live longer!

Bottom line here is, I would not leap onto the CR bandwagon just yet, but would attempt to keep my body fat level low and under control via good nutrition and the bodybuilding lifestyle.

People who allow themselves to get fat (“Dude, I am off season!”) may not be optimizing their longevity, but heck, the guy who actually invented the theory of CR and longevity—Dr. Roy Walford—who practiced CR, died at the very average age of 79, so take that for what it’s worth…

I would like to thank Will Brink for this article. Will is the author of Fat Loss Revealed and Bodybuilding Revealed two of the most successful and complete fat loss and muscle building programs available today.

Obesity and The Swine Flu

2009-08-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it is happening:

Swine flu is beginning to really take hold.

Not just in the United States, but all over the world.

But that's not the scary part...

... the scary part is the fact that being obese OR overweight has now been directly linked to DYING from the swine flu.

My friend Jon Benson put together a 5-minute video that documents these findings.

This is freee for you to view -- and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Go here --

Obesity and The Swine Flu click.to.watch

Folks, we have to get a grip on this.

And believe it or not, it starts in your kitchen.

Watch the video to find out what to do.

Thanks.

Fat Loss Muscle Building And Exercise: Get That Six Pack Abs Look

2009-08-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Get That Six Pack Abs Look - Interval Fat Loss Training And Weight Training

Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the
commercials did NOT get their perfect body and six pack abs by using that Carb
contraption they got their perfect bodies and six pack abs through REAL interval fat loss training, weight training and REAL nutrition strategies.

Forget What The Infomercials And Celebrity Diet Gurus Tell You They Don't Work.

Interval Fat Loss Training And Weight Training Work.
.
You should know by now that spot reduction is a myth. You don't get six pack abs or lose body fat by doing 1000's of crunches No amount of ab exercises or using the ab gadjets will get you six pack abs or serious loss of body fat

Only by interval fat loss training, weight training and healthy eating will you burn off that unwanted body fat that will then allow your abs to show.

Interval Fat Loss Training and Weight Training Workouts Efficient and Effective for losing body fat to get that six pack abs look.

Six pack abs and permanent body fat loss are obtained with the use of interval fat loss training with the use of compound exercises.

What are compound exercises? They are exercises that use multiple muscle groups for Interval Fat Loss Training and Weight Training.

*Squats
*Deadlifts
*Bench Presses
*Cleans
*Clean and Presses
*Pull-ups
*Dips
*Mountain Climbers
*Burpees

For the ultimate in lean muscle gain and to lose body fat for that six pack abs look these are the exercises you should be using. You could put together a workout of 3-5 of these exercises 3 times a week and you would have an excellant weight training and interval fat loss training workout.

Oh and by the way these workouts shouldn't take you more than 40-45 minutes for weight training and 20 minutes for your Interval fat Loss Training. Doing them on seperate days.

By focusing more on interval fat loss training, weight training and using multi-joint compound exercise as opposed to single-joint muscle isolation, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout which increases your loss of body fat, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of more fat burning and muscle building hormones like growth hormone and testosterone

Using compound exercises when doing weight training and interval fat loss training is proven to increase your metabolism which in turn is causing you to lose body fat long after your workout is over. Having lean muscle as opposed to higher levels of body fat causes body fat loss at a higher and faster rate.

Interval Fat Loss Training and Weight Training Lose Body Fat Get Six Pack Abs

Over the last 10 years, scientific research has indicated a couple of very important
things to us about weight training for body fat loss and the six pack abs look. First of all, lifting heavier weights while exercising leads to a higher caloric consumption by the body in the period for about 1-2 days following the workout when compared to lifting light weights with high repetitions.

So thats why 6-8 repetitions per set is better than 12-15 reps per set when it comes to stimulating the metabolism for losing body fat permanently.

Have you noticed in our talk about losing body fat and getting six pack abs I haven't even mentioned any abs specific exercises? That's because with weight training and interval fat loss training workouts of compound exercises you are indirectly working your abs.

Stop thinking doing hundreds of crunches and other ab specific exercises stick to interval fat loss training and weight training workouts just doing ab specific exercises are not going to create enough of a metabolic response in your body for you to lose belly fat.

I often get asked what the best types of exercises and workouts are for losing body fat in order to get six pack abs. The problem is that most people who need to lose body fat looking to try to uncover their six pack abs are searching for some miracle six pack abs workout that is going to slash the fat off their abs in no time. The Six pack abs miracle workout? Interval Fat Loss Training.and Weight Training.

To Get That Six Pack Abs Look Forget The Hype And Gimmicks Use Interval Fat Loss Training and Weight Training. For Losing Body Fat

Busy Women Fat Loss - Total Body Workouts

2009-08-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Busy Women Fat Loss - Total Body Workouts

Total body workouts forget any thoughts or information you read about spot reducing. Spot reducing doesn't work end of story. The only way to get a firm butt, slender thighs, tight abs and get rid of that saggy arm fat is by training your whole body each workout.

Weight training, kettlebell training, interval training, bodyweight exercises and eating healthy are your keys. In this article I am going to concentrate on the training and workouts for total body conditioning. In other articles we will look at healthy eating for lean muscle gain, fat loss and increasing your energy.

By using total body workouts you will not only get faster and much better results (inlean muscle gains and fat loss) but your workouts will be much shorter. At home or at the gym wherever you workout your workouts should take you at most 40 minutes.

If you are spending more than 40 minutes you are probably not working out at the proper intensity level. Your weight training workouts will probably be the longest in terms of time. But this can also be shortened by cutting down your rest time in-between sets.

I am a big believer in variety in workouts. By variety I mean using all the training systems I mentioned above.

Let me give you a rundown on the 4 training sytems for total body workouts.

There’s different ways to build strength, add lean muscle and lose fat:

Today a begginner bodyweight only total body workouts.

• Bodyweight Exercises. Master your own bodyweight first. Pushups, pullups, situps,
squats, etc are the best place to start. Bodyweight workouts are what I would advise to anyone who is just starting an exercise program.

Here is a begginning Bodyweight program for total body workouts:
1) Prisoner Squats
2) Push-ups
3) Burpees

Stay with this 3-4 days a week for 1-2 weeks. I want you to just get your body and conditioning level ready to take on more diffucult workouts. Work up to 3-4 sets for 8-10 reps. As a beginner if you think 2 weeks isn't enough stay on it longer you will know when its time to move on.

Coming in future articles I'll be covering the following and more.

* Weight Training. Using free weights, barbell training specifically. You can build a
massive amount of strength,lean muscle and achieve great fat loss results with just a simple set of weights.

When doing Weight training Compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Presses, etc build the most strength, lean muscle and is still the best method for fat loss.
most strength the fastest.

* Kettlebell Training You can train at home, or go outside and get some fresh air. Kettlebell training is a form of training that will not only improve the appearance of your physique, it will give you strength and mental toughness that you did not know was even possible.

* Interval Training What most people don’t know is that intervals are the best cardio method for fat loss. An interval is a short period of exercise performed at a given intensity for a specific length of time. Each interval is separated from the next interval by a short rest or lighter activity. Intervals continue to burn calories and fat after the training session, and that’s something you won’t get from slower, longer sessions of cardio.

Fat Loss Muscle Building And Exercise: Build Muscle And Burn Fat At The Same Time

2009-08-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Can You Gain Muscle and Burn Fat at the Same Time?

-- By Jon Benson, Author of "7 Minute Muscle"
 
Many fitness pros just plain don't believe that you can burn fat while building muscle at the same time. Every time I read an article by some doctor or expert claiming it's "biologically impossible" to gain muscle on a hypocaloric diet (a diet low in calories) I just laugh.  I do more than make claims - I have proved this to be true many times. I've had my body fat hydrostatically measured during several peaks. In all but one I showed an increase of muscle mass and a decrease of body fat during a 12-16 week period. The one time I didn't show an increase in muscle mass when was I was training the most in the gym. That may not make sense right now, but it will in a moment.

Read the full article here: Gain Muscle And Burn fat at the same time

Fat Loss Muscle Building And Exercise: Why You Don't Workout

2009-08-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

So here's the million-dollar question:

"What's the number one reason people don't work out?"

Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?

Nope. It's TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.

"We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn't [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time." This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised "traditionally" --90 to 120 minutes per day -- with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.

That's a whopping one hour per week folks. My 7 Minute Muscle plan calls for five workouts withresistance five days per week plus 9 minutes ofa specific cardio protocol two-three days per week.

If you do the math, that's about an hour per week as well.

This is the "Level 1" workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.

Find out more here --

7 minute muscle<--- brief is best!

Back to Gibala's study:

In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake.(Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.) The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement.

Why?

Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity -- exactly how I suggest you train. This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.

However, there is a catch:

Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace. Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It cantrigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, "I'm being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!"

The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity. You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.

Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time.

I devote an entire chapter to that in "7 Minute Muscle." You can read more here -- 7 minute muscle<--- brief is best!

* Just remember these three key points *

1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.

2. Workouts can be short and very effective.

3. The body goes where the mind directs.

Train Smart

Sincerely, Jon Benson Author,

7 Minute Muscle
Best-selling author of "Fit Over 40" and
"The Every Other Day Diet"

How To Tighten, Shape And Firm Your Butt

2009-08-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Metabolic Surge For Rapid Fat Loss: How To Get A Firm Butt

Do your thighs get more work than your glutes when you’re doing
glute exercises?

This information is going to change the way
you train your glutes forever!

It’s a common problem that many people run into when they’re trying to build and work the glutes: the thighs take over the exercises and the glutes get left out in the cold!

One of the major reasons this happens is that some of the most effective glute-building exercises are also among the most effective thigh-building exercises, e.g. squats, lunges, leg press, etc.

And, quite often, a person who has smaller glutes and whose goal is to build their glutes already has muscle attachments and leverage issues that favor thigh development over glute development. This can set them back right from the start.

If this sounds like you, read on, because the information you get today is going to change the way you approach your glute training forever!

Let me put it this way…if your glutes already have a hard time getting involved in exercises, performing more exercises won’t solve the problem! You’ve got to properly target your training to make sure the glutes get worked more than the thighs or you simply WILL NOT be able to maximize your glute development.

Today, you’re going to learn a number of training techniques that can help build those large, round firm glutes you’ve been looking for! They will help you to overcome any physical and anatomical limitations your glutes may have.

[Please note: there will be a link to photo demonstrations of several of these exercises, positions and techniques below.]

Techniques:

1. Consciously squeeze your glutes HARD while doing your exercises

Are you sitting in a chair? Clench your glutes as hard as you can. Feel the squeeze? This is what you need to strive for while doing glute exercises.

When you do a lunge, squeeze the glute hard while you’re pushing up. This will help to activate the glute muscle. It’s all about getting your mind into the muscle and forcing it to contract rather than just going through the motions of an exercise. By concentrating on squeezing the glutes hard during your sets (of whatever exercise you’re doing), you’ll be activating the muscle fibers of the glutes and increasing the amount of work they do.

If you don’t believe this technique can work, try this: go for a walk up and down some hills squeezing your glutes hard as you push yourself forward with each step you take. The following day, sitting down will take on a whole new challenge!

2. Push with your heels

The transmission of force and tension from your foot through your leg and glute can be altered by where you put the tension on your foot. If you push with the balls of your feet (the forefoot area), more tension will be placed on the frontal thigh (the quadriceps). If you focus on pushing more with your heels, more tension will go through the back of the thighs and to your glutes.

By pushing with your heels, you can take FULL advantage of this force/tension relationship. For example, when you’re doing lunges, try to raise the toes of your front foot off the ground. This removes tension from the front and focuses more on the heel. This will, in turn, send more tension to the glutes, making them work harder.

There are several practical techniques you can use to really force the heel push. For example, on lunges, do them with your heel on the edge of a stair or Step platform. Place ONLY your heel on the surface and do the lunge from there (be careful of your balance on this, however, as your base of support is decreased with this technique).

If you’re doing the leg press, you can focus on the glutes by placing your heels on the top edge of the foot plate (the rest of your feet surface will be off the top and not pushing on anything). When doing squats, simply raise your toes up in your shoes to achieve a similar effect.

To view these techniques in action, please click this link:

3. Visualize “sitting back” when you’re doing your glute exercises

This idea is similar to the concept of pushing with your heels above. When you “sit back,” more tension will be sent through the back of the thighs and the glutes. If you lean forward (the opposite of the “sitting back”), you will tend to throw more tension on the quadriceps (the front of the thighs).

We can use both the squat and the lunge as examples of this. When doing the lunge, don’t let your torso angle forward while you’re performing the movement. This will throw more tension on the quads. Visualize yourself “sitting back” into the movement. Your body won’t let you lean back far enough to fall over but this “lean-back” will put more tension on the glutes immediately. This is something you can try at home right now and feel the difference right away.

If, when you’re doing squats, you don’t normally feel the glutes working very strongly, you could very well be leaning too far forward as you squat. This throws more tension onto the quads and lower back. This problem is often caused by a lack of flexibility in the calves. To fix this, stretch the calves for at least 5 minutes before doing any squat exercise. You will soon find you’re able to sit back more and maintain a better body position (more upright torso). This will turn the squat into a great glute-builder for you!

IMPORTANT! If you do Smith Machine squats, specifically with the feet placed a little forward of the bar while you sit backwards into the bar as you do the movement, beware! This variation of the squat places a TREMENDOUS shearing force on your knees.

Unfortunately, the knee joint simply wasn’t designed to push backwards against resistance in this fashion and long-term use of this squat variation can lead to knee injury (basically, every time you do this exercise, you’re grinding the connective tissue down a little more – not a good situation). Don’t worry, though! Squats themselves, when done properly, are an excellent exercise!

To view these techniques in action, please click this link:

4. Pre-Exhaust Training

Pre-Exhaust Training is one of the single most effective techniques for FORCING reluctant muscles to respond to training. The idea behind this technique is simple: first, use an exercise that works ONLY the target muscle. Then, immediately follow that with an exercise that works the target muscle AND several other muscles in addition. You essentially exhaust the target muscle first (with an isolation exercise that works only that single muscle) then use an exercise that utilizes other muscles (a compound exercise) to help push that already pre-exhausted target muscle harder.

The two isolation (single-muscle) exercises that I recommend for the glutes are low pulley glute extensions and glute push-ups. Low pulley glute extensions are done by attaching an ankle harness to your leg, standing facing the pulley machine and extending your leg straight back behind you. Glute push-ups are done by laying flat on your back with your knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. From this position, push your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes hard. This exercise can also be done one leg at a time (just cross the non-working leg over the other).

Do as many reps of this exercise as it takes to reach muscular fatigue (it could be 8, 15 or even more, depending on the resistance and your strength). The real muscle-building work gets done on the second exercise.

To view these two exercises in action, please click this link:

Glute Extension and Glute Push-up

When you’ve completed your set, immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY – no rest periods here) move into the compound exercise for the glutes. Compound exercises for the glutes include squats, lunges, leg press, and (my personal favorite glute-builder) the one-legged bench step squat.

Use a fairly heavy resistance for the compound exercise…as I mentioned above, this is where the muscle-building work gets done. Use a resistance that will allow you get about 8 to 12 reps per set. This is the most effective rep range for muscle building.

Squats:

Lunges:

One-Legged Bench Step Squats (demo video available for this one):

In my experience, the best pre-exhaust approach is to focus on one leg at a time rather than doing both. It may take a little longer but the glutes get worked more thoroughly and your results will most likely be better. For example, do One-Legged Glute Push-Ups with your left leg then immediately do Bench Step One-Legged Squats on your left leg. Take a rest then do a set for your right leg.

—

Conclusion:

Regularly using the four training techniques I’ve described above can have a HUGE impact on your glute-building progress. It’s all about properly targeting your training to FORCE the glutes to take the lead in the exercise. With these tips, you will build larger, firmer, rounder glutes. Guaranteed!

Interested in a complete glute-building training manual to take ALL the guesswork out of building those larger, rounder, firmer glutes? You need “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!”

In it you’ll find exercises, training programs, workouts, nutrition and supplement information, stretches, and much more…all targeted towards one single goal: building a bigger butt FAST!

Click this link right now to learn more!

How to get a firm butt

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at FitStep.com. He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

Gain Muscle And Burn Body Fat At The Same Time

2009-08-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

I just received this article from Jon Benson and HAD to share it with you.

It really opened my eyes to what is possible.

Let me know what you think, okay?

Joseph

---------------------------------------------

How To Gain Muscle And Burn
Bodyfat At The Same Time

by Jon Benson

What is your "big dream?"

I have two:

-- To make an impact on the lives of over 10M people before I die;

-- To have a family that's mobile so I can live in many places.

Not bad, right?

Want to know a "third" dream of mine? One that I saw become a reality a few years ago?

To gain muscle AND burn bodyfat all at the same time.

It's like a pipe-dream that somehow worked its way through the pipes and into my gym.

It is not easy, granted, but you can do it.

Almost anyone can do it.

You just have to train and eat in a very specific way.

Listen: You do NOT want to just "burn bodyfat" or god-forbid "lose-weight"... that will not give you the body you want.

You absolutely MUST shape your muscles, tighten and tone, and burn bodyfat.

And you can do it at the same time.

Most pros disagree with me. They think it is metabolically impossible to gain muscle while in a state of low-calorie dieting.

They are wrong.

Here's an article I wrote on this topic. I hope you enjoy it.

To save you time, I put a link to the online complete version of the article below...

- - - - -

I remember a friendly argument with my co-author of Fit Over 40 Tom Venuto. It all started when I told Tom how I was eating and training for my last peak. A peak is where you lower your bodyfat and try to maintain as much muscle mass as possible.

"There's just no way I could ever get in shape eating and training like that," says Tom. "Sure you could man...what are you, a mutant?" Tom fires back, then me, then Tom....and so it goes. (I really didn't call Tom a mutant. That was creative liberty.)

So why are so many fitness pros like Tom freaked out about my training and nutrition plan? Simple: I claim it burns fat while building muscle at the same time. Every time I read an article by some doctor or expert claiming it's "biologically impossible" to gain lean muscle mass on a hypocaloric diet (a diet low in calories) I just laugh.

I do more than make claims--I have proved this to be true many times. I've had my bodyfat hydrostatically measured during several peaks. In all but one I showed an increase of muscle mass and a decrease of bodyfat during a 12-16 week period. The one time I didn't show an increase in muscle mass when was I was training the most in the gym. That may not make sense right now, but it will in a moment.

Article Continued Here --

Gain Muscle And Burn Fat

How To Get That Six Pack Abs Look - Functional Strength Training

2007-07-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today let's look at creating a workout for developing strength and fat loss with a variety of functional strength moves. When looking to add some muscle and strength while losing some fat the best is still the old standby weight training.

I want to show you a workout I've been playing around with that combines weight training, bodyweight training, Interval and Tabata training. If you have been following some of my posts and articles you know I like to mix things up.

For years I stuck with the common bodybuilding split routine four days a week upper body two days lower body the other two days. I normally would do 3-4 exercises per body part. Now there is nothing wrong with this type of workout but I tend to get bored easily (take my job please). I was then introduced to Mike Geary the creator of the Truth About Abs Program. Mike teaches total body workouts for fat loss and muscle building in order to see your abs.

This just made total sense to me. You can't spot reduce you need to burn off your total body fat.

So anyway this is a workout I used recently and loved it. This is just one I am working on others and will report back to you as I go along.

I am doing 4-5 sets reps 6-10 keeping my rest to 60 seconds between sets

1) Barbell Cleans a total body exercise works your legs, back, delts, forearms and grip. Also will tax your cardio vascular system big time.

2) Hindu Pushups This is not your old PE pushups. Chest, Triceps and delts are worked.

3) Barbell SquatsThe King of all exercises. Quads, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Abs and Cardio vascular.

4) Incline Dumbbell Presses Upper chest, Triceps and Delts.

5) Jump Rope Tabata Training Style Jumping Rope is another great Total body exercise. Jump as fast as you can for 20 seconds rest for 10. Repeat.

I loved this workout I hit every major muscle group gave my metabolism a kick in the butt and was beat when it was done. You know the good kind of beat when you know you accomplished something good for yourself.

The other thing I like about this workout is it's only five exercises gets done quick and they are all good functional exercises.This is a good workout for busy people short on time.

Well that's it for now. Give it a try.

Jag252 You Fit And Healthy

You Fit and Healthy - 1000's of Crunches A Day And Still No Abs

2007-07-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

After writing about the no crunches ab workout in my last post I wanted to share this Q & A from Tom Venuto. Tom for those of you who don't know is the creator of the highly successful Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program.

So for the many people whose first question is how to I get to see my abs check out this Q&A and check out my other post.

QUESTION: Dear Tom: I have been working out for around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of shape. Despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100 sit-ups four days a week, along with running and my regular workout on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I do?

ANSWER: "What should I do to get abs?" is still one of the most frequently asked questions I receive out of the 7,000+ emails that come into my office every week. Although the question is often phrased differently, my answer is always the same:

Seeing your abs, or any other muscle group, for that matter - is almost entirely the result of having low body fat levels. You get low body fat from proper diet (as well as cardio and strength training), not from doing hundreds of ab exercises every day.

You didn't mention whether you knew your body fat level or not. My guess is that it may seem like your lower ab muscles are "hard to develop," but it's not really an issue of "muscle development" at all, you simply have too much body fat and are storing it in your lower abdominal region more readily than other parts of your body and you can't see the muscles through the fat.

Most people don't have their fat distributed evenly throughout their bodies. Each of us inherits a genetically determined and hormonally-influenced pattern of fat storage just as we inherit our eye or hair color. In other words, the fat seems to "stick" to certain areas more than others.

Men often tend to store fat more readily in the lower abdominal region (the "pot belly", "spare tire", "beer gut", or "love handles"). In women, the "stubborn" areas are usually the hips, thighs ("saddlebags") and the triceps ("grandmother arms").

You could focus on more "lower ab" exercises like hanging leg raises, reverse crunches and hip lifts ("toes to sky"), but even these won't help as long as you still have body fat covering the muscles. You can't "spot reduce" with abdominal exercise.

The lower abs is often the first place the fat goes when you gain it, and the last place it comes off when you're losing it. Think of ab fat like the deep end of the swimming pool. No matter how much you protest, there is no way you can drain the deep end before the shallow end.

I would suggest cutting back the volume on your ab training and spending that time on more cardio work instead. Personally, I only do about 15 minutes of ab work two times per week. (About two to four exercises with reps usually ranging from 10-25 reps).

Here is a recent ab routine that I used (for bodybuilding/ ab-development purposes). I do this routine only twice a week and I change the exercises approximately every month so my body doesn't adapt. I prefer slightly higher rep range than other muscle groups, but as you can see, it is far from doing a thousand reps a day. (if you want to see what my abs look like, just checkout my picture below

A1 Hanging leg raises 3 sets, 15-20 reps

Superset to:

A2 Hanging knee ups (bent-knee leg raises) 3 sets, 15-20 reps (no rest between supersetted exercises A1 & A2, 60sec between supersets)

B1 Incline Revere Crunches 3 sets, 15-20 reps

Superset to:

B2 Elbow to knee twisting crunches 3 sets, 15-20 reps

For maximum fat loss, you should do cardio 4-7 days per week for 30-60 minutes (the amount is variable depending on your results). You could continue running or mix up the type of cardio you do (stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, and other continuous aerobic activities are all excellent fat burners without the high impact and joint stress of frequent running).

If time efficiency is an issue for you, you could perform high intensity interval cardio training and achieve very efficient results with even briefer workouts (20-30 min per sessions, or less, if the intensity is high enough)

Once you are satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition, you can cut back to 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes for maintenance.

As far as nutrition goes, here are a few fat-burning nutrition guidelines in a nutshell:

Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit of 25-30%, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-15% 1-2 days per week.
Spread your calories into 5-6 smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Be very conscious of portion size. eat too much of anything and you can say goodbye to your abs. Period.
Eat a source of complete, high quality lean protein with each meal (egg whites, lean meat, fish, protein powder, etc)
Choose natural, complex carbs such as vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, beans, brown rice and whole grains. Start with aprox. 50% of your calories from natural carbs and reduce carbs slightly (esp. late in the day) if you are not losing fat.
Avoid refined, simple carbs that contain white flour or white sugar
Keep total fats low and saturated fats low. Aim for 20% of your total calories from fat (and no more than 30%). A little bit of "good fat" like flax oil, fish fat, nuts & seeds, etc is better than a no fat diet.
Drink plenty of water - a gallon is a good ballpark to shoot for if you are physically active.
1000+ reps of ab work four days a week is an amazing feat of endurance, but thats not how you get visble, rock hard, 6-pack abs!

You probably have outstanding development in your abdominal muscles. (you certainly have great muscular endurance). Unfortunately, if your abs are covered up with a layer of fat, you wont be able to see them even if you do 10,000 reps a day!

You "get abs" from reducing your body fat and you reduce body fat mostly through diet and cardio.

If you'd like to learn more about how to decrease your body fat level and improve your level of abdominal definition, then visit: My Review of Burn The Fat
About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and a certified personal trainer (CPT). Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using methods of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism.

Jag252 You Fit And Healthy

You Fit and Healthy - The No Crunches Ab Workout

2007-07-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Six pack Abs, slim and toned midsection we all want it but most of us stuggle to get it. The truth of the matter is to get a slim trim aesthetic midsection crunches and many other ab exercises wont get it done.

The basics behind getting a slim waistline starts with your nutrition. To get that waistline you need to cut down your bodyfat levels and go to a Total Body Training program. That's not to say that crunches and the others aren't somewhat beneficial.

My feeling is that when you are eating and working out properly isolation exercises like crunches really aren't that necessary. I will be honest with you I like to workout. Except for doing ab work. I always hated crunches, sit ups etc.

I believe in a solid weight training and interval training for losing fat, gaining muscle and strength and overall health and fitness. My workouts consist mostly of compound exercises hitting the big muscle groups.

The more I began studying weight training and all forms of exercise I learned the thinking behind doing these exercises was in my view pointless.I thank Mike Geary the author of The Truth About Abs for this. Mike teaches Total Body Training by training the whole body your burning more fat and building a more fit and healthy body.

Well I promised you and Ab workout so lets get to it!

1) Knee Tucks done with your feet on an exercise ball is a very effective exercise.

2) Wood Chops done with a dumbell or a medicine ball

3) Mountain Climbers another great move to get your whole body going.

I aim for a rep range of 8-15 for each exercise. I do them in giant set fashion each exercise done one right after the other. I usually will do 3-5 sets. Now I know your probably thinking this doesn't look like an Ab workout and your right.

In the traditional sense of bodybuilding it is not a conventional Ab workout. You will stimulate your ab muscles as well as having a more total training workout. I do this workout with total concentration on my Abs that's the area I'm looking to work on.

As I said earlier I hate doing crunches and most Ab isolation moves so for me this works my Abs as well as raising my metabolism to burn that fat off. Remember there is no such thing as spot reduction. Your Abs are there you need to burn off that fat layer hiding them.

If I were aiming to be a pro bodybuilder then crunches and other ab moves warrent more consideration. I am looking more for the slim trim look.

So give this workout a try see what you think use it once or twice a week to give your Abs some direct work. Don't forget that nutrition!

Jag252 You Fit And Healthy

You Fit and Healthy - 5 Compound Exercises for Muscle Growth & Fat Loss

2007-07-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for big muscles? Or fat Loss? Or both? Whatever your goal is then you have to stick with the basics. Compound exercises are the best not only for muscle growth but also for fat loss.

By using compound exercises you are bringing more muscle groups into play. The more muscle groups you work the bigger jolt to your metabolism( for fat loss) and with compound exercises you can use heavier weights( for muscle growth).

So what compound moves should you always be doing? Well truth be told there are more than five but I'm going to just give you my 5.

Squats (barbell) want to get big you gotta squat. Squats work your quads, hamstrings, lower back and abs. That's alot of muscle working at one time. Not to mention what it does to your cardiovascular system. If your more the fat loss and toning and shaping type don't be afraid of squats. You just need to go a little lighter in weight and higher in reps 8-12.

For the person looking to pack on alot of muscle and get freaky strong heavy weights and lower reps 4-8.

Deadlifts (barbell) I love to deadlift. I get a real charge out of being able to pull that barbell off the floor. Deadlifts will work your whole back top to bottom. Along with your back your legs, abs, delts, traps and forearms will get plenty of work. As with squats adjust your weights and reps to whatever your goals are.

Barbell Bench Presses The king of upper body exercises. Flat Benches get a bad rap sometimes but the fact is if you want that upper body to grow heavy flat benches is key. Middle and lower chest, front delts and triceps are all working during the bench press. Begginers and the hardcore lifters particullarly should concentrate on heavy flat benches. For the toning and shaping crowd I would probably use barbell incline presses more.

Barbell Bent Over Rows Another exercise I love to do. Rows to me are on par with Bench presses as an upper body move. I like to use an underhand grip. This way your hitting your middle and lower back, biceps, forearms and rear delts. This is another exercise both groups muscle builders and toners can make great use of. Adjust your weights and reps for your goal.

Clean and Press Well what do you know another personnal favorite. The Clean and press gets every muscle(almost)in your body working. If you've never done them proper form(as with any exercise) is critical. The only problem with doing the press partof it is it cuts down on the amount of weight you can use. If your a hard core lifter only press every third rep. The press will become more of a push press but that's okay. More power baby! For the toners a great shot to your metabolism.The Clean and Press or just the Clean is a great total body exercise.

There it is 5 of my must do exercises for muscle building and fat loss.

Jag252 You Fit And Healthy

You Fit and Healthy - Exercise Tips For Busy Parents And Professionals

2007-07-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

How often have you said I really need to start working out but I don't have the time? The modern age excuse I'm just to busy. Well then you have never heard of Interval Training.

The article below is by Craig Ballantyne who is pretty much the expert when it comes to Interval Training. Intervals can be done with weights or bodyweight only exercises or any other exercise you can think of.

Short intense to the point fat burning workouts to get you fit and healthy( along with proper nutrition of course).

So if your not toooooo busy check out Craigs article it might be just what you need.

Fat Burning Exercise Tips for Busy Parents & Professionals

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Turbulence Training for Fat Loss

The great thing about strength training and intervals for fat burning is "efficiency". Because you are working harder, the signal to your body to change is stronger. You cut time when you increase intensity and you burn fat faster.

Now don't worry, I won't be asking you to do hill sprints tomorrow if you aren't exercising today. For a beginner, we just do some slightly faster than normal walking intervals. For intermediate fitness levels, we'll pick up the pace about 20% compared to their normal cardio levels, but again, the work periods are much shorter.

The key is, you must shift to a slightly higher intensity in order to cut time from your workout. But the workout also goes faster, and much more importantly, you will get more results and better fitness from these methods.

It's easy to do these workouts first thing in the AM, at lunch, or after the kids go to bed. Plus, you can get a great workout at home with only a bench, dumbells, and an exercise ball. You don't need fancy machines or an expensive gym membership.

And another bonus, you only need three hard fat burning workouts per week. You don't have to be in the gym six days per week.

On your off days, it's important to stay active for at least 30 minutes, but these days should be unstructured and revolve around being active with your family or hobbies. Don't think of them as workout days, think of them as fat burning, stress reducing activity days.

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week.

Jag252 You Fit And Healthy

You Fit and Healthy - Pt 2 Bodybuilding Myths That Must Die

2007-07-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Every culture has its myths and bodybuilding is no exception. Like most myths, most are nine parts fantasy and one part truth, though of course, some myths have no truth to them at all. I have spent much of my career attempting to expose myths surrounding bodybuilding and topics that relate to it, such as drugs, nutrition and supplementation etc.

For example, one of my more popular articles that was published “back in the day” in Muscle Media was entitled “Nutritional myths that won’t die” which focused on myths surrounding protein and athletes. Classics such as “athletes don’t need additional protein” and “high protein diets are bad for you” as well as others were covered and debunked.

This article, however, is not about one topic or myth, but random myths that float around and never seem to die. It’s intended to be tongue-in-cheek to be sure, but it’s still a serious attempt to combat various myths that have little or no truth behind them. Some of these myths are generated inside the bodybuilding community and some are generated outside the community, by the general public and or medical community. These are in no particular order, so let’s start with a classic:

Myth #6: "Anyone can look like a pro bodybuilder if they take enough drugs"

If this were true, people in gyms all over the world would look like pro bodybuilders. The major difference between a high level bodybuilder and everyone else is their genetics, the one thing they have no control over. Yes, drug use is a fact of life in bodybuilding and many other sports, and yes, nutrition and training play a role; but if you don’t have the genes for it, all the steroids in the world won’t get you anywhere near to looking like the people you see in the magazines. Unfortunately, every gym has those people using doses of drugs higher than many pros and still look like crap. Make no mistake: drugs work and clearly add an advantage to athletes who use them, but the difference between them and you is that they chose the right parents!

Myth #7: "Bodybuilders are all Narcissistic"

Well OK, this one has a ring of truth to it. Truth be known, bodybuilders can be some of the most narcissistic people you will ever meet, but they are not all that way. Some are humble, down-to-Earth people, but let’s be honest, some narcissism is par for the course in bodybuilding. Nuff said there…

Myth #8: “Bodybuilders have small penises and they try to make up for that with big muscles”

How many times have we heard this dumb myth? Clearly, this one is directed at the male bodybuilders. Truth be known, I have not seen that many bodybuilders’ manly muscle missiles, but it’s been my impression they tend to be like every other man in that dept. Some are big, some small, while most are in the middle or “normal.” One caveat, however, is that a big guy with a normal-sized member will look smaller then a skinny guy with a normal sized member. It’s all in the proportions.

Myth #9: "Steroids don’t work"

If you believe that one you are dumber then dirt. No response to this myth required from me! There’s a bunch of steroid-related myths I could list, but this is not a steroid article, so I won’t bother.

Myth #10: “I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want to get huge”

This one tends to be uttered by women, but I have heard men say it also on occasion. It’s a pitiful excuse for not exercising. As discussed above, very few people have the genetics to achieve even above normal levels of muscle mass, much less get “huge.” 99.9% of you reading this will be lucky to put on some muscle, and even that will take years of hard work. It’s not like anyone ever woke up one day bulging with muscles they didn’t expect. And if you are one of those rare people who put on muscle relatively easily? Lucky you!

Well there you have it; the major myths in bodybuilding (hopefully) debunked. Those were the ones I’ve seen/heard most frequently. If you think I missed one, feel free to let me know and perhaps I can add it to this article at some point. I don’t want to see anyone turned off to the great endeavor that is bodybuilding. Like all sports or life styles, bodybuilding has its dark side. However, bodybuilding can be a very healthy, productive, and fun way of life that pays major dividends, so don’t avoid it ‘cause of myths and disinformation.

See you in the gym!

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About the Author - William D. Brink

Will Brink is a columnist, contributing consultant, and writer for various health/fitness, medical, and bodybuilding publications. His articles relating to nutrition, supplements, weight loss, exercise and medicine can be found in such publications as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.

He is the author of Priming The Anabolic Environment , Body Building Revealed & Fat Loss Revealed He is the Consulting Sports Nutrition Editor and a monthly columnist for Physical magazine, Musclemag and an Editor at Large for Power magazine. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.

He has been co author of several studies relating to sports nutrition and health found in peer reviewed academic journals, as well as having commentary published in JAMA. He runs the highly popular web site BrinkZone.com which is strategically positioned to fulfill the needs and interests of people with diverse backgrounds and knowledge. The BrinkZone site has a following with many sports nutrition enthusiasts, athletes, fitness professionals, scientists, medical doctors, nutritionists, and interested lay people. William has been invited to lecture on the benefits of weight training and nutrition at conventions and symposiums around the U.S. and Canada, and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs.

You Fit and Healthy - Bodybuilding and Workout Myths

2007-06-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Body Building Myths That Must Die!
By Will Brink
Author of :

Brink's BodyBuilding Revealed and Fat Loss Revealed

"Bodybuilding Revealed is a complete blue print to muscle building success. Everything you need to know about diet & muscle building nutrition, over 50 bodybuilding supplements reviewed, weight training routines, high intensity cardio, the mental edge, pre made muscle building diets and an online private members forum, diet planner, meal planner and much more. It's all in Will Brink's ultimate guide to gaining muscle mass."

Fat Loss Revealed

"Fat Loss Revealed is the ultimate fat loss manual. A complete online and offline system used by anybody looking to attain a fantastic lean physique. A complete fat loss diet plan, with pre made diets, over 40+ fat loss supplement reviews, resistance workouts, and cardio , along with motivation and goal setting and a huge online private members area and forum form Will Brink's Ultimate Fat loss Program.

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Body Building Myths That Must Die!

Every culture has its myths and bodybuilding is no exception. Like most myths, most are nine parts fantasy and one part truth, though of course, some myths have no truth to them at all. I have spent much of my career attempting to expose myths surrounding bodybuilding and topics that relate to it, such as drugs, nutrition and supplementation etc.

For example, one of my more popular articles that was published “back in the day” in Muscle Media was entitled “Nutritional myths that won’t die” which focused on myths surrounding protein and athletes. Classics such as “athletes don’t need additional protein” and “high protein diets are bad for you” as well as others were covered and debunked.

This article, however, is not about one topic or myth, but random myths that float around and never seem to die. It’s intended to be tongue-in-cheek to be sure, but it’s still a serious attempt to combat various myths that have little or no truth behind them. Some of these myths are generated inside the bodybuilding community and some are generated outside the community, by the general public and or medical community. These are in no particular order, so let’s start with a classic:

Myth #1: “Your muscles will turn to fat the soon as you stop working out - Tissue Alchemy BS”

This is a classic used by those looking for excuses for why they have not started an exercise program and resent those that have. My own mother used to say that to me as a kid when I joined a gym at 14. There is no physiological mechanism by which muscles magically convert to fat when one stops working out for some reason. What happens, however, is that many of the gains in muscle mass will be lost from the lack of stimulation. It’s not exactly earth-shattering news that people who don’t exercise and eat above maintenance calories get fat. So what you have is often a loss of muscle and an increase in body fat due to lack of exercise coupled with excess calories. The next time you see someone who used to be buffed but is now fat, it’s not because his or her muscles some how converted to fat. They are fat for the same reason millions of others are fat: too many calories, not enough activity.

Regardless, what if it were true? That is, is the fear of this mysterious muscles to fat conversion a reason to not start a weight training program? If you stop brushing your teeth, the result is (drum roll) cavities, but that’s not a legitimate reason to never start brushing your teeth! I have gained and lost many pounds of muscle over my life time, and have worked with countless people in all phases of their life, and I have yet to see any muscles convert to fat, this myth of tissue alchemy needs to die now. I have however seen plenty of people who stopped working out and got fat.

Myth #2: "Pros eat 'clean' all year round"

This myth can be blamed squarely on the bodybuilding publications who want the readers to think their heroes eat low fat healthy “clean” foods year round. This has often led to newbie types attempting to get all the calories they require for growth from baked chicken, rice, and vegetables. Of course getting - say - 4000 plus calories (or more) from such foods is virtually impossible. This reality often leaves the newbie confused and depressed because he’s not making any appreciable gains attempting to stuff himself to death with foods that are low in calories. It’s very difficult to get 4000, 5000, or even 6000 calories a day from chicken and rice. Now for the reality: off-season I have sat across the table from many a pro eating cheeseburgers, pizza, and apple pie. I know one pro who used to pull over anytime he saw a Taco Bell. Big people require plenty of calories and calorie-dense foods are the only way to get them. As the late, great Dan Duchaine once said regarding off-season eating for growth: “don’t feel bad you ate a cheeseburger, feel bad you didn’t eat three!”

Now I can’t comment on every pro’s diet as I don’t know them all, and I am sure some of them have cleaner diets then others off-season. However, make no mistake: the articles you read about what pros eat off-season and what they really eat are often two different things.

As sort of an ancillary myth, most pros will carry more body fat than they claim off-season when trying to gain new muscle mass. Telling people they eat at Taco Bell and are above single-digit body fat levels does not sell magazines or supplements, so it pays to perpetuate the myth that they are hard as nails all year (with a few exceptions) and always eat “clean”.

Myth #3: "Bodybuilders are not strong"

Only people who have never stepped into a gym make such stupid statements. Strength varies greatly person to person of course, but some bodybuilders are very strong with 800lb squats and 500lb bench presses not uncommon. I have seen people using weight that had to be seen to be believed: 600lb front squats for reps, incline bench presses with 500lbs for reps, and seated presses with 400lbs for reps, etc. No, not all bodybuilders are nearly that strong, but any bodybuilder worth his salt is still considerably stronger then the average person. Some bodybuilders compete in both power lifting and bodybuilding and often do well in both. Yes, some bodybuilders are not as strong as they look, but some are much stronger then they look, and some are crazy strong.

Myth #4: “Bodybuilders can’t fight”

I’m not going to give much space to this myth other then to say bodybuilders are like everyone else: some are tough SOB's and some are cream puffs with most somewhere in the middle. No different then the general public. I have seen a few of the tough SOB variety in action. Conversely, I was at a gym-sponsored cookout some years ago where this huge bodybuilder decided to hassle this guy half his size. Problem was, the guy happened to be the state kick boxing champion and proceeded to beat the snot out of the bodybuilder in front of a few hundred people. The lesson here is: don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t get into fights!

Myth #5: "Bodybuilders are all gay"

As with the last myth, this one does not warrant much space. It’s my experience the bodybuilding community is gay as often as the general public. No more, no less, and how much muscle a person has does not seem to affect the rate one way or another. It’s a stupid myth that should be put to rest for good.

Stay tuned for Body Building Myths That Must Die! 6-10 in my next blog.

Many thanks to Will Brink one of the most sought after and world renowned fitness author and trainer.

Jag252 to You Fit And Healthy

You Fit and Healthy - The $5 Total Body Workout

2007-06-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Do You want to do a total body workout at home? Can you spend $5 to buy the equipment you will need?

Does fat loss and getting fit and healthy appeal to you in 30 minutes or less in the privacy of your own home? Then read on.

Buy a jump rope! That's right a jump rope take your health and fitness to a new level. Jumping rope will work your entire body while elevating your metabolism to speed up your fat loss.

If you haven't jumped rope in a long time or ever it will take a little getting used to. Start off slow to get the rythem and coordination down. Start off following a pattern similar to interval training.

As a beginner start with a count of ten jumps(one-one thousand, two one thousand etc)depending on your fitness level. Then drop to the floor and do ten pushups( or whatever your health and fitness level will allow).

By adding in the pushups you have now added an anaerobic movement.

As your health and fitness levels increase jump for longer periods and add more pushups. You can also add in other bodyweight exercises such as dips(done in between 2 chairs), reverse crunches,bodyweight squats etc.

You can also do light weight medium 8-10 rep barbell and/or dumbell exercises to truly get that fat burning metabolism going.

Remember to truly get that body of yours fit and healthy, lose that fat and build some muscle takes more than just your workouts.

There is a saying amongst fitness pro's "You Can't Out Train A Lousy Diet"

Proper attention must be paid to Nutrition

Okay so there you are short and sweet a great way to get a total body workout at home. Give it a try! and don't forget that nutrition.

You Fit and Healthy-The $5 Total Body Workout

Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training

2007-03-05T06:14:00.000-08:00

Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Trainingby Mike Geary - CPT, Founder - Truth About Abs .com

Working as a fitness professional, there is one type of question I get all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:

“What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice – abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?”

It doesn’t matter which muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to ‘isolate’ it. My first response to this question is always – “Why in the world would you want to isolate it?”

The first thing I try to teach my clients is that the body does not work well in muscle isolation. Rather, it works better in movements along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body assist other portions of the body in completing a complex movement. In fact, there really is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There is almost always a nearby muscle group that will assist in some way with whatever movement you are doing. However, this article compares attempting to ‘isolate’ body parts via single-joint exercises to the much more effective strategy of performing multi-joint complex movements.

When you attempt to ‘isolate’ muscles by performing single-joint exercises, you are actually creating a body that is non-functional and will be more prone to injury. Essentially, you are creating a body that is a compilation of body parts, instead of a powerful, functional unit that works together.

Now if you really want to end up hobbling around in a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excess body fat, then by all means, continue trying to ‘isolate’ body parts. On the other hand, if you would rather have a lean, muscular, injury-free, functional body that works as a complete powerful unit to perform complex movements (in athletics or even everyday tasks), then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation.

Believe me, focusing on how well your body functions will give you the side effect of a body that looks even better than it would have if you focused on muscle isolation. For example, take a look at the physiques of any NFL running backs, wide receivers, or even world class sprinters. Trust me when I say that these guys pretty much NEVER train for muscle isolation (their strength coaches wouldn’t be crazy enough to let them), yet they are absolutely ripped to shreds! Just look at guys like Maurice Green or Terrell Owens and tell me who wouldn’t want a physique like those guys.

Another benefit to moving away from the ‘muscle isolation’ mindset to a more ‘complex movement’ mindset is that you will find it much easier to lose body fat. The reason is that by focusing more on multi-joint complex movements as opposed to single-joint muscle isolation, you not only burn a lot more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of more fat burning and muscle building hormones like growth hormone and testosterone.

Let’s look at an example. The machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mainly the quadriceps, can potentially cause knee joint instability in the long run, and doesn’t even burn that many calories. On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all multi-joint complex movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body (including the quadriceps) as a functional unit, create more stable and strong joints in the long run (when done properly), and also burn massive quantities of calories compared to the single-joint exercises.

If you’re interested in discovering more ways to create a body that looks as good as it functions, pick up a copy of my innovative book The Truth About Six Pack Abs

Fat Loser and Muscle Builder: Can You be a Fat Loser and Muscle Builder?Part 1 Nutrition

2007-02-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

Losing fat and building muscle thousands of searches are done online everyday looking for the magic formula. Is it in the newest diet pill that will magically melt off the fat? Or is it in the newest diet that Oprah or some other name is pushing?

Low fat no fat. Low Carbs no Carbs. High Protein. All the nonsense out there just can make your head spin. So what's the answer? Is there one and who do you believe?

If you want to be a fat loser and muscle builder according to Will Brink the author of Fat Loss Revealed and Bodybuilding Revealed it comes down to 3 essentials:

What to Eat
What to do
What to take

What to Eat

Regularly eating the right foods often is a large part of gaining lean body mass or losing fat weight. The fact is that in the gym we are there to stimulate body composition change. Outside the gym is when that change actually takes effect: through proper nutrition and sufficient rest.

The hardest part for most people is eating properly. Keep this fact in mind.

To be a successful and permanent Fat Loser and Muscle Builder What you eat is 70% of the battle. That's right it breaks down to 70% Nutrition 30% Training

Without proper nutrition you can do all the workouts you want but you will never get the look and health benefits your after.

The 3 basic food essentials are:

Carbohydrates- Carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function. Low carb diets will give you very short term weight loss but not permanent fat loss while robbing your body of its energy source.

Carbs come in two forms: simple and complex-Complex carbs are used for timed-released and sustained energy. Starch, cereals or vegetables are good sources of complex carbs and are your ideal source. Complex carbs make you feel satisfied or full after a meal.

Refined sugar (a simple carbohydrate) should be avoided it gives you a quick burst of energy that fades fast leaving your body wanting more.

1 gram of Carbs = 4 calories

Protein- is the main component of muscles, organs, and glands. Every living cell and all body fluids, except bile and urine, contain protein. The cells of muscles, tendons, and ligaments are maintained with protein.

Protein is known as the building block for adding muscle.

1 gram 0f protein = 4 calories

All meat and other animal products are sources of complete proteins. These include beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, and milk products. Keep in mind that there can be a higher fat content in some of these. Stick to the leaner cuts of meat and non-fat milk products.

Fat- Yes there are essential fats that your body needs. The major kinds of fats in the foods we eat are saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fatty acids. Saturated fats and trans fats raise blood cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol also raises blood cholesterol. A high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack, and also increases the risk of stroke.

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

When looking at a food label, pay very close attention to the percentage of saturated fat and avoid or limit any foods that are high. Saturated fat should be limited to 10% of calories. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, and fatty meats. They are also found in some vegetable oils -- coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. Most other vegetable oils contain unsaturated fat and are healthy.

Excess calories contribute to fat gain and so does excess fat consumption. If you're a calorie counter then count fat calories.

Permanent Fat Loss and Muscle Building is not easy. It takes discipline and work. But it can be done. Nutrition is your first step (and your most important)

Lose Fat Faster with Interval Training

2007-02-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

The days of the long boring cardio workouts are over. To get that fat burned off you don't need to spend hour after hour on a treadmill (talk about boring). Interval Training has been proven to work much faster in losing fat.

So what is Interval Training?

Put simply Interval Training consists of short bursts of intense exercise. As an example:
Sprinting- you sprint as fast as you can for 50-100 yards(your condition will dictate the distance) rest for 1-2 minutes and repeat 8-10 times.

This can be done in 10-20 minutes 2-3 times a week combined with some strength training 3-4 times a week will have you well on your way.

Can Intervals be done with Weights

Yes actually this is my preferred method for burning fat. Try this on for size.

Using only dumbells
1- Hold a dumbell in each hand at shoulder height Squat then stand up and press the bells overhead. Do eight reps. Without resting go right into the next exercise.

2- One arm snatch. Place one bell between your legs squat down and in one motion snatch the bell overhead. Do 4 reps per arm. Then go right to exercise number 3.

3- Two arm high Pull. Place both bells between your legs widen your stance grab the bells palms facing each other stand up pulling the bells up to your chin level your palms will now be facing you. Do eight reps.

4- Rest 1 minute and repeat for 8-10 sets.

Do this 3 times a week and you will burn off that fat fast.

Want to get more routines like this? Fat Loss and Muscle Building guides

8 Metabolism Boosters for Weight Loss

2007-02-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

8 Metabolism Boosters for Weight Loss
By line: By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Your metabolism is your fat loss foundation.

It keeps burning and burning fat 24 hours a day...the only problem is, do you have a fast metabolism? And if not, what can you do about it to boost your metabolism and burn fat to lose weight?

Your metabolism is basically how many calories you burn each day. Children have faster metabolic rates than adults, and we all know about the legendary metabolism's of teenage boys. That's the metabolism you wish you had.

And while it is inevitable that your metabolism decreases with age, it doesn't doom you to gaining weight. It might even decrease 30% over your life, but really, is that any reason to become overweight? No way. Not when you can turn it around with a couple of simple, proven techniques listed below...

Here are 8 possible metabolic boosters and the truth about whether each works.

1) Strength training

Claim: Boosts metabolism up to 10% after a training program

True!

In fact, despite what many men and women think, harder exercise is better for your metabolism. However, please note that 1 pound of muscle does not burn 50 calories per day.

In one study, women received a greater metabolic boost from using 8 repetitions per set rather than traditional high-rep (12 reps) sets. So stick to harder exercises (pushups and more advanced bodyweight exercises) or dumbbell exercises.

2) Breakfast

Claim: Because it stops your "fasting", it can boost metabolism

True? Maybe yes, maybe no. Your metabolism won't go into
"starvation mode" without breakfast, but it is associated with
successful weight loss. So make it a habit to consume some protein, fiber, & fruit (& even veggies if you can fit them in) at this time. This will keep your appetite in check till your next break or even lunch.

3) Green Tea

Claim: Burns an extra 80 calories per day

True? Not really. It has been shown to burn 80 calories per day in young men on the first day of supplementation, but will this affect last once your body gets used to it? I don't think.

After all, take a look at caffeine. You can find studies that show
it increases metabolism as well. But really, is anyone losing fat
with caffeine? The revolving doors at Starbucks say "No!".

Coffee is okay in moderate doses, and I recommend Green Tea to everyone, but for health reasons, not for fat loss. The only way you will lose fat with Green Tea is if you replace a 300+-calorie Frappucino with an iced, unsweetened Green Tea. Otherwise, don't count on it for much in terms of metabolism.

4) Fat Burners

Claim: Boost your metabolism big time!

See above. Fat burners are simply caffeine pills with a few other
ingredients thrown in. You'll get an increase in mental energy, but that doesn't mean it will significantly boost metabolism or burn fat.

5) Ice Cold Water with Lemon Juice Squeed into it

Claim: The body will burn calories warming up the water and the lemon juice also burns more fat.

Truth? Nice in theory, short in practice. Nobody is losing fat with ice cold water. If it sounds too good to be true - you know the rest of the story.

6) Eating 6 small meals per day

Claim: Boosts metabolism and can help control cholesterol.

True! Simple and effective, and true! Try and split your meals up into smaller meals that can be eaten over the course of the day. This might be part of the breakfast magic...

7) Protein

Claim: Burns more calories (uses more calories in digestion than
carbohydrates or fat).

True!

Now I'm not sure if this is significant, but protein also helps
fill you up longer. And that's where the real benefit comes in -
preventing overeating. And if you want details, another study
showed that animal protein results in more energy burned than
vegetable protein.

8- Interval training

Claim: Interval training causes a greater increase in post-exercise metabolism than regular cardio.

I certainly believe it.

And I do know this. A recent study from Australia found that a
shorter interval program led to more weight loss than a
twice-as-long aerobic training program. This confirms the original interval training study from as far back as 1994 that showed greater results from a shorter interval program when compared to a traditional cardio program.

Bottom line: Intervals work!

So we see that hard work and diligent eating burn more calories and that magic pills and potions don't work.

But that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. My advice? Add
strength, intervals, mini-meals, and protein to your weight loss
plan and you'll be leaner and warmer thanks to your faster
metabolism.

Turbulence Training was built to boost your metabolism,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Fast Fitness Training For a Fast Lifestyle

2007-01-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

No time to work out? The biggest excuse in the world I'm just so busy I don't have time to go to the gym. You do have plenty of time to eat those Ring Dings apparantely though.

Fitness Training need not be hour after hour in the gym. You can in fact get a great fat loss muscle building workout at home. My last post was an article by Craig Ballantyne on Circuit training. Circuit training is made up of anywhere from 3-10 exercises done one right after the other.

Circuit training not only gets your workout done faster but also gets your metabolism going hours after your workout is done. Circuits can be done with weights or bodyweight only.

Here is a sample Barbell Circuit I like to do when really pressed for time

Remember circuits are light weight and done for higher reps(12-20)

1) Squats

2) Bench Press

3) Bent-Over-Rows

Simple direct and to the point. Oh and it will kick your Ass. With these 3 exercises you are hitting virtually every bodypart Legs, Chest, Shoulders, Back and Arms. I normally will do 3-4 sets 12-20 reps. If your just starting out do 1 set and work up to more. Also if need be dependant on your fitness level take 30 seconds in between exercises. I can get this done in 15-20 minutes.

To busy to workout just an excuse where there's a will there's a way.

7-minute Weight Loss Circuit

2007-01-22T04:43:00.000-08:00

7-Minute Weight Loss Circuit

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
http://www.Turbulence Training.com

One thing we have to lose from our workout mindsets is the idea of this "60-minute workout". Forget about spending that much time in the gym. Instead, choose better exercises that are more efficient. This will allow you to get your workout done faster, eliminating the "no time" workout excuse.

To do so, you need to eliminate irrelevant exercises. I know you want to do an exercise for shoulders, and one for arms, and one for abs, and one for this and that. But before you do, ask yourself, will these really get me to my goal, or have I just been convinced by bodybuilding magazines that I need 40 sets per workout to get results?

Now, taking those lessons, we can then create some pretty incredible bodyweight workouts as well. And these bodyweight workouts can get finished fast!

In fact, here is a 7-minute bodyweight circuit that can help you lose weight, burn calories, and blast your metabolism. You don't need machines or weights. You can do this anywhere!

Bodyweight squat (10-20 reps)
Pushup (10-20 reps) - do it on your knees if you must
Reverse Lunge (10 reps per leg)
Plank (30 second hold)
Close-grip Pushup (10-20 reps)
Side Plank (20 second hold per side)
Mountain Climber (10 reps per side)

Do this with no rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute at the end of the 7-minute circuit and repeat up to 3 times.

If you are a beginner, do fewer reps and take longer rests.

It's a tough, tough bodyweight circuit, especially the combination of two exercises late in the circuit. This combo literally exhausted me to my knees...twice...before I was able to finish the circuit.You can do the circuit up to 3 times.

Another weapon in your fat loss arsenal. Now you'll know how to train efficiently and eat effectively for fat loss.

Don't wait any longer to get started! Get all of these bodyweight exercises, and more, in the Turbulence Training workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home. No more annoying drives to the gym, waiting in line for machines in an uncomfortable environment, or being intimidated by the super-buff gym bunnies. Lose fat, get fit, and workout your way - at home with only a bench, a ball, and dumbbells.

Sincerely,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.Turbulence Training .com