The benefits of strength training for women are so powerful! Strength training has been overlooked as a viable weight loss method for way too long. Women are beginning to realize just how important a proper strength training routine is for their overall health.
Below are my top 10 benefits of weight training for women. Soak each one of them up and start your routine today!
1) Increased Metabolic Rate – Here is one of the most important benefits of strength training for women. We always want to discover the secrets to weight loss… well here is the first secret! Strength training increases your metabolic rate by increasing the calories you burn on a daily basis. The more calories you burn, the more chance you have to drop body fat.
2) Increasing and Restoring Bone Density – Strength training prevents and fights osteoporosis.
3) Increased Lean Muscle Mass – Note: You will not get big and bulky by strength training! You simply do not have enough testosterone in your body. Yes, if you train for hours and hours and dedicate your life to becoming a bodybuilder you can bulk up. But simply lifting weights as part of a regular strength training routine will not cause women to bulk up.
With that said, for every pound of lean muscle mass that you have, you burn 35-50 calories per day! If you have 10 pounds of lean muscle mass then you burn between 350-500 calories. If you have 20 pounds you burn between 700 and 1000 calories per day! This is one of the biggest benefits of strength training for women.
4) Injury Prevention – Strength training strengthens our muscles and tendons. The stronger we are the less chance of an injury. This is especially important as we grow older. The benefits of strength training for women and men are highly touted for injury prevention.
5) Improved Balance – Especially important as we grow older. Strength training builds a strong foundation. Strengthening our legs and core section means an increase in overall balance and coordination.
6) Decreased Risk of Coronary Disease – Strength training can reduce your blood pressure. It can also decrease your cholesterol levels. These benefits of strength training for women alone are a great reason to begin your program today. Heart disease is one of the highest (if not the highest) killer of women in America every year.
7) Aids in Rehabilitation and Recovery – Strengthening the muscles around our joints is one of the best ways to prevent and recover from an injury. For example, the best way to recover from a knee injury is to strengthen the quads and calves.
Enhanced Performance in Sports, Exercise and Life In General – The benefits of strength training for women all boil down to one point- a better overall quality of life. We can perform our favorite activities with more ease and less pain. We are able to increase our health and mental state from a regular strength training routine.
9) Aging Gracefully – With less falls and less injuries we are able to age gracefully. Our lean and toned bodies create a warm and strong persona. Strength training is a major factor in aging well. Enhancing our muscles and reducing body fat are prime ways to prevent sagging body parts too
10) Feeling Better and Looking Better – I don’t think it is much of a secret that we all want to look great. We are all searching for ways to look young. Strength training is a vital part of a fitness routine. Strength training has been shown to increase our muscle tone, decrease body fat, and so much more. A toned body is but one factor to looking great. The other is purely mental. There are so many positive mental benefits of strength training for women. We feel accomplished, secure, and strong after a strength session.
Tired of the Old 3 Sets of 10-12? Well, So is Your Body! Break Through Your Plateau by Training Drastically Different… a Look at Training Variables.
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Everyone will inadvertently hit a frustrating plateau in their training at one time or another. You’re cruising along for a while, gaining strength, losing fat, looking better, and then all of the sudden it hits. Suddenly, you find yourself even weaker than before on your lifts, or you find that you’ve gained back a couple of pounds. It happens to everyone.
Most of the time, these plateaus occur because people rarely change their training variables over time. Many people stick to the same types of exercises for the same basic sets and reps and rest periods with the same boring cardio routine. Well, I hope to open your mind and bring some creativity to your workouts with this article!
There are many ways that you can strategically modify your training variables to assure that you maximize your fat loss and/or muscle building response to exercise. Most people only think about changing their sets and reps performed, if they even think about changing their routine at all.
However, other variables that can dramatically affect your results are changing the order of exercises (sequence), exercise grouping (super-setting, circuit training, tri-sets, etc.), exercise type (multi-joint or single joint, free-weight or machine based), the number of exercises per workout, the amount of resistance, the base of stability (standing, seated, on stability ball, one-legged, etc.), the volume of work (sets x reps x distance moved), rest periods between sets, repetition speed, range of motion, exercise angle (inclined, flat, declined, bent over, upright, etc), training duration per workout, and training frequency per week.
Sounds like a lot of different training aspects to consider in order to get the best results from your workouts, doesn’t it? Well, that’s where a knowledgeable personal trainer can make sense of all of this for you to make sure that your training doesn’t get stale. Below are a few examples to get your mind working to come up with more creative and result producing workouts.
Most people stick to workouts where they do something along the lines of 3 sets of 10-12 reps per exercise, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. Booooorrrrring!!!! Here are a few examples of different methods to spice up your routine.
Try 10 sets of 3 with a medium weight, resting only 20 seconds between sets.
Try using a heavier weight and complete 6 sets of 6 reps, doing a 3 minute treadmill sprint between each weight lifting set.
Try using a near maximum weight and do 10 sets of 1 rep, with 30 seconds rest between sets.
Try using a lighter than normal weight and do 1 set of 50 reps for each exercise
Try a workout based on only one full body exercise, such as barbell clean & presses or dumbbell squat & presses, and do nothing but that exercise for an intense 20 minutes.
Try a circuit of 12 different exercises covering the entire body without any rest between exercises.
Try that same 12 exercise circuit on your subsequent workout, but do the entire circuit in the reverse order.
Try your usual exercises at a faster repetition speed on one workout and then at a super-slow speed on your next workout.
Try completing five 30 minute workouts one week, followed by three 1-hr workouts the next week.
Try doing drop sets of all of your exercises, where you drop the weight between each set and keep doing repetitions without any rest until complete muscular fatigue (usually about 5-6 sets in a row).
Want more ideas? There are many more ways to continue to change your training variables. This was just a taste of your possibilities. In order to see how to incorporate various strategies into effective routines, give the programs in my internationally best-selling ebook The Truth about Six Pack Abs a try.
Stop Wasting Your Time with Worthless Treadmill and Elliptical Machine Workouts!
Have you ever considered if treadmill or elliptical workouts are actually that effective… or are there more fun and more effective exercise methods?
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Now that I pissed off all of the treadmill and elliptical machine worshipers… let me say that if you truly enjoy mindlessly pumping away on a treadmill or elliptical (or exercise bike for that matter too), then by all means, keep doing what you enjoy, because enjoying your exercise is one of the most important aspects to sticking with any exercise program…
However, don’t say that I didn’t warn you that you were wasting your time with all that mindless cardio machine boredom.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, I don’t believe in cardio machines, and to be quite honest, I don’t think I’ve personally used a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike for at least the last 7-8 years or so.
As a matter of fact, I don’t even use cardio machines anymore for warmups before a workout (did before occasionally)… Nowadays, I prefer to do dumbbell or kettlebell snatches and swings mixed with bodyweight exercises as the perfect full body warmup at the beginning of my workouts.
So why do I have such hatred for cardio machines? Well, here goes:
1) Treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes are mind-blowingly BOOOORING!
2) Mindless steady state cardio exercise while watching tv or reading creates a mind / body disconnect resulting in poor results from your exercise routine
3) I’ve seen studies that indicated that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, etc.
(although I never recommend just “jogging” anyway… variable intensity walks / runs or sprints are so much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of just the same pace during the entire workout).
4) Treadmills and ellipticals are ridiculously expensive and a waste of money for people that workout at home… there’s so many better options for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.
The perfect home gym setup is MUCH cheaper… there’s no reason you need anything other than a jump rope, bodyweight exercises, a few dumbbells, stability ball, maybe a few kettlebells (if you want to get fancy), and perhaps high tension bands for some more variety. And of course… the great outdoors has some of the best workout options of all… hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, sports, and more!
5) Treadmills and elliptical machines are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to other options. Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent.
So what are the alternatives to treadmills and elliptical trainers? Here are some of my favorite types of alternative exercises:
jumping rope – great mind / body connection (try speed jumping, crosses, double jumps once you get skilled at it)
bodyweight training – bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, jumps, bear crawls, mountain climbers and jumpers, planks, and the list goes on and on
kettlebell training- nothing will get your heart pounding like high repetition KB swings and snatches or clean & presses (can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer KBs)
outdoor wind sprinting (the ultimate for a rock hard ripped body… just look at the chiseled powerful bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the weakling withered physique of a typical marathoner… nuff said!)
hill sprinting (yet another classic for a rock hard powerful body)
rowing machine (ok, I don’t really lump this in as a “cardio” machine like treadmills and ellipticals… I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that actually uses resistance)
sprint style swimming workouts (a more muscular workout than steady state distance swimming… I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint style swimming) – this is the same concept as sprinting vs jogging but in a pool instead
heavy bag punching / kicking workout, speed bag, rebound bag… all great forms of training and much more interesting than boring cardio machines (requires an intense mind / body connection)
shadow boxing… awesome workout, but if you’re shy, this is best done at home since you’ll get some crazy stares doing this at a typical gym from people who think they’re “too cool” for stuff like that.
Well, I hope that helps give you ideas on how you can get away from all of these mindless and ineffective treadmill and elliptical trainer machines (and exercise bike) workouts that are just wasting your time and energy that could be better spent on more effective workouts.
Many people think about building muscle as having nolife outside the gym and devoting hours in the gym like a monk in a monastery. Perhaps the only way to lose unwanted body fat, chisel your body into a hot muscular physique is by spending hour after hour over the rusty iron day in, day out and year in, year out.
Total Body Workouts:
This is the most effective way to workout whether your looking to lose fat or gain muscle. Although hard work is required, extreme fitness demands one to do intense maximum effort workouts. Total body workouts can make you progress faster and it easily fits in your schedule. This is very convenient if you are looking forward to achieving extreme fitness but find it hard to hold on to a single workout routine.
Genuine total body workouts are done by athletes with the goal of developing maximum muscle contraction using heavy weights, makes room for full recovery so one can actually grow and continue to train hard plus it also prevents burnout which is inevitable due to excess training.
So if you are is ready for extreme fitness, here is all there is to know about total body workouts:
total body workouts are a time saver. The biggest plus about having the whole body trained all at once is probably having to go to the gym less frequently; perhaps around two to three times for every seven days would be enough.
Another advantage of total body workouts is that you don’t need to spend two or more hours of strenuous exercise in the gym for every session; you should only spend forty-five minutes to one hour in the gym for every session. So that’s just three to four hours per week in the gym right? With total body workouts, it is all about the quality of exercise you do per session and not the quantity, nor even the amount of time you allot per session.
Total body workouts boost the cardiovascular system for extreme fitness. One must allot two to four sets for every body part into the one hour session. Jam packed with exercising, each one hour session then gets the heart and the rest of the cardiovasular system pumping and up to speed in a flash.
Now feeling pumped up, next find out what rules does one have to follow when engaging in total body workouts.
Total body workouts should be done three times per week. This is so easy isn’t it? What is great about this is that there is time spared during rest days so that you could also do some cardio exercise sessions instead of depending on cardio execises one normally does at the end of each work out session which after all, are not at all very effective.
Heavy lifting is strongly advised. Contrary to popular belief, especially among athletes. It is not true that it is good to get trapped on training lightly than one actually could so as to conserve energy for the other body parts that will come later in the routine. What is true is that one cannot achieve optimal progress if one is not training heavy, no matter which program that person is doing.
One exercise only per muscle group. This is very easy to follow and is also important. Doing basic exercises which are also intense means you do not have to do another different exercise for that body part.
Keep work out short. Resistance training affects the natural homones of the body connected to muscle building. Intense exercising boosts the testosterone levels and long work outs increase those of catabolic cortisol. Sixty minutes of work out allows you to get the best of both worlds.
Now with this convenient and powerful total body workout regimen, you can now experience extreme fitness.
Why Do You Miss Workouts? Stop the Procrastination and Excuses and Start Working Out!
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
I wanted to talk in today’s Lean-Body Secrets Ezine about excuses for why many people don’t workout or miss workouts frequently.
Here’s a common theme I see all the time at the gym…
Somebody that was doing well working out and finally starting to get results at the gym all of the sudden stops coming in for several months.
When they eventually come back and start working out again a couple months later, they’re usually back in horrible shape, have gained back all the weight or more, and lost most of their strength gains that they worked so hard for.
So while talking to them, I’ll ask where they have been the last couple months, and that’s when the excuses start…
•Perhaps it was that they had a special assignment at work and have been “too busy” to work out lately
•Or perhaps it was that they had a shoulder or arm injury so they thought that they couldn’t work out during this time
•Or perhaps they had a knee, ankle, or leg injury so they thought they couldn’t work out.
•Or perhaps they were busy with house renovations, or family issues, or too busy with the kids, etc, etc, etc… excuse, excuse, excuse
You can see where I’m going with this… if your health & fitness and how you look and feel is important to you, then there is no such thing as an excuse. Either you want it, or you don’t, and it’s either going to be a priority in your life, or it’s not!
After all, your health and fitness determines not only how good you’re going look and feel every day that you’re on this planet, but also how long you’ll exist on this earth to enjoy the time you have with your friends and family… So with all of that said, why wouldn’t you make your fitness a priority in your life!
Here’s my opinion on the example excuses above…
<b>Excuse #1 – Too busy at work: </b>
Ok, so why don’t you squeeze in really brief but really intense 5 minute workouts before and after work each day… after all, that’s only 10 minutes of your time, and despite popular belief you CAN stay in excellent shape working out as little as 5 or 10 minutes a day (as long as your time is well spent with the right exercises and right intensity).
Actually, our 4-minute high intensity dumbbell & bodyweight workout DVDs detail high intensity short duration workout plans that you can do in as little as 4 minutes a day and still stay in great shape despite your busy schedule and perceived lack of time.
“Too busy at work” excuse busted!
<b>Excuse #2 – Shoulder or arm injury so haven’t worked out:</b>
Bum shoulder… so what… are you saying your legs and abs don’t work all of the sudden just because your arm or shoulder is hurt? After all, most of your fat loss and metabolism-boosting results come from lower body based exercises anyway, as they burn more calories due to the larger muscle groups involved.
Your upper body injury just gives you a good reason to focus even more intensely on your lower body, abs, and interval training during this period when you won’t be able to do upper body exercises.
Shoulder injury excuse busted!
<b>Excuse #3 – Knee, ankle, or leg injury so haven’t worked out:</b>
Ok, so now you’re saying that just because you have a leg injury, that somehow your upper body no longer works? Even if you need to walk in there on crutches, and then do nothing but seated upper body exercises, that’s a lot better than doing nothing and letting your entire body get weak and soft during while your leg heals.
Knee or leg injury excuse busted!
Now don’t get mad at me about these injury excuses… Believe me, I DO understand that there are some serious injuries and disorders that do prevent some people from doing any exercise at all. However, for most minor injuries, there’s no excuse not to at least continue doing some form of exercise.
<b>Excuse #4 – Too busy with the house, family, kids, etc:</b>
Once again we need to get back to priorities. If your house and kids are priorities, why wouldn’t your health and fitness be top priorities also, so that you can enjoy your life and everything and everyone in it!
Remember, you don’t need to work out for hours every day to be in great shape. It’s all about maximizing the intensity and amount of full body musculature you work in a given time period, even if that time period is just a brief 4 minute daily workout.
Again, the high intensity 4-minute full-body workouts in our BusyManFitness DVDs are a perfect example of how to do this while maximizing your brief workout times, saving you more of your precious time for everything else in your life.
<b>Excuse #4 busted!</b>
I know I take a hard-nosed approach with this stuff, but if finally getting into shape is important to you, nothing less will do, than to adopt a true fitness lifestyle and mindset.
I hope today’s article helps trigger some new motivation if you’ve struggled in the past with excuses or procrastination to getting in shape.
If you liked todays article, feel free to email this page on to any of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
Til next time, don’t be lazy… be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author – world-wide best seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs
Hi, just wanted to give you a quick reminder about the Done For You Fat Loss Meal Plan. The price will be going up so if you think it will work for you get in before the increase.
Here is some info I took of Vince’s site.
Nutrition Reality #1 You Can’t Out Train A Bad Diet
You could run two marathons a day and still get fat.
Even if you resorted to a bodybuilders diet of chicken, broccoli and brown rice six-times a day, you can still get fat.
How?
Eat too much of it. The excess has to get stored somewhere and unfortunately that is known as your belly-bulge.
It doesn’t matter how many hours a day you workout, what kind of supplements you take or how “healthy” you eat if you consumed too much of it.
You probably learned that back in high school science class.
It’s amazing how marketing geniuses can get us to underestimate this simple nutrition fact.
Nutrition Reality #2 Diet Is 90% of the Equation
Think about it.
It takes about 3-minutes to consume a delicious muffin or donut and wash it down with a glass of juice or your favorite mocha drink. 3-minutes later you’ve consumed almost 1000 calories, 50 grams of fat and 120 grams of sugar.
Bam! So much for that flat stomach…
You just cancelled out 2 days worth of working out! That’s called one step forward, two steps back. I don’t’ have to tell you how hard you have to work your butt off to burn those 1000 calories, right?
You got to bust your ass sprinting up some stairs for an hour just to cancel out the damage you inflicted on your belly.
So it takes 3-minutes of mouth-watering delight to lose your six pack and it takes 60-minutes of heart-pounding, muscle-screaming workouts to get your six-pack.
Now you see why all the cover-models and bodybuilders say, “It’s all diet, diet, diet…”
Nutrition Reality #3 “Eating healthy” Without a Plan Is Guaranteed Failure
My clients protested, “But I eat healthy…” or “I don’t eat bad though…” while I confronted them with this truth.
“Eating healthy” is a relative phrase. You may be in fact eating “the top super foods” every day or a “variety” of proteins and fats or avoiding the “bad carbs” but still crippling your success.
Why?
How do you know if you’ve eaten too much or too little?
What do you modify at the end of the week when you jump on the scale and nothing has changed? What do you do?
Just like you, I agree that nutrition advice has become overwhelmingly confusing. One best-selling book says no carbs, another book says no fat. This expert says to skip the protein and the other expert says to ignore that advice.
Maybe I should eat according to my ancestors or my blood type? Maybe I should go with the instinct diet? That one sounds interesting…
It’s at the point now that every single food is on some guru’s “bad list.”
If I followed all of their advice, my plate would be empty every meal!
Bottom line, it’s impossible to escape the confusion, especially since every diet promises to be better than the last.
Aren’t you dreaming of the day you can stroll into a grocery store and not be terrified or torture yourself with guilt, no matter what you eat? #2 Diets are CHALLENGING
Just like you, I can’t possibly keep up with all the “breakthrough” diets that rain in from the sky each-and-every-day.
It doesn’t help when at least 10 of these diets get national publicity and make the best-sellers list. What if the next one is actually the real thing?
You would be making a horrible mistake passing up this new diet opportunity even though the diet will force you to shell-out more money, make you feel miserable, overanalyze, is outrageously unpractical, and impossible to follow long term.
Bottom line, the diet mafia is seducing you, again, to abandon your better judgment and eat like you’ve never eaten before.
#3 Diets are CONSUMING
Did you ever realize that the countries (a.k.a. United States and Canada) that are most obsessed about nutrition, dieting and diet foods are the fattest and most out of shape?
Go figure.
Being consumed with food is affecting your mood and self-worth!
It’s one thing to be a little upset because you over ate in a meal, it’s another thing to be downright depressed because you ate some garlic toast for lunch!
Our society has never been so consumed with diet and nutrition as it has in the past 50 years and yet our physiques and health are going right down the tubes.
If food is consuming your life and leaving you emotionally drained, guilt-stricken, literally afraid of eating and straining your personal relationships, then keep reading to discover a simple-fix that defies common sense!
It’s the exact simple-fix that will help you lose the last 10 pounds or the first 100 pounds like a bad habit and obliterate even the most stubborn fat from any body part.
Fact: More than ANYTHING else, you’re diet is holding you back and here is what you can do to fix it, once and for all…
Why do I say that? Because this is your absolute LAST chance to get the program that is going to put your results over the edge, while being
maintainable and livable, and DOABLE, before the price DOUBLES Friday night.
You want to talk about why people fail? It’s because 99% of the diet programs out there aren’t realistic. They aren’t practical, and believe me, I feel your pain.
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Not only that, but you get to EAT NORMALLY to get you the head-turning physique you’ve always wanted–FASTER.
And I have to say, it IS an excellent product. The meal plans
have been created by people who know EXACTLY what they’re
doing when it comes to food prep and nutrition. I have no
hesitation recommending this product for people who are
looking for meal plans and a way systematize their nutrition
for optimum results.
Learning by doing is, quite honestly, one of the best ways to
learn good nutrition.
So if you’ve ever found yourself confused about what to eat
for best results, THIS is a program you should get, especially
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Heck, you don’t even have to follow the meal plans exactly -
it’s a great to way to just grab some random, healthy meals,
too (with all the nutritional info all laid out, as well as
proper portion sizes).
I definitely don’t mean to come across like I’m down on meal
plans…I think they absolutely have their place in training
programs.
It’s the same deal with actual workout schedules…I tell
people to follow a pre-written program from an expert so you
learn how to train properly before you starting mucking around
with things yourself…chances are, if you don’t know how to
put together a program properly, you’re not going to get the
best results.
Same thing with nutrition…if you don’t know how to put
together a nutrition plan (even if your plan is a very general
one), you’ll benefit tremendously by learning exactly how to
do it from an expert.
Okay, off that soapbox and onto another one…
So ARE meal plans necessary for fat loss?
And without further ado, the answer is yes…and no!
Allow me to explain…
Following meal plans is one of those things that you either
love or hate. You either feel like you HAVE to do it in order
to get results or you feel like there’s NO WAY you’ll ever be
caught dead doing it. It’s rare you find somebody who sits on
the middle ground in this one.
As most people know, in order to lose fat, you’ve got to have
a caloric deficit, taking in fewer calories than you burn on
a daily basis. No surprises there.
Now here’s the thing…in order to consistently achieve that
caloric deficit and lose fat, you must be AWARE of your calorie
intake.
I believe the REAL question we should be asking here should not
be “Is meal planning necessary?” but “Is calorie-AWARENESS
necessary?”
So if, in order to be aware of how many calories you’re taking
in, you need to specifically PLAN and COUNT them (by weighing
food and referencing food charts), then THAT will be what you
have to do to get results.
And that is totally fine!
But if you’ve already GOT a good awareness of how many calories
you’re eating in a day and you know what you need to eat (or
not eat) in order to achieve that caloric deficit, then meal
planning is NOT necessary for you.
The key here, again, is awareness.
You see, the big problem with not following meal plans arises
when a person THINKS they’re aware of their caloric intake but
they really are NOT.
It’s a fact that most people dramatically under-report their
caloric intake when they are asked to estimate how much they
eat in a day. When they keep a food diary and have to write
down every little thing that goes in their mouth, in some
cases their TRUE caloric intake nearly DOUBLES.
So even if you don’t want to follow a meal plan, it may be
time for a quick compromise. It’s a temporary calorie count/reality
check!
If you’re not losing fat right now and you feel like you’re
not really eating much, here’s something you can try in order
to test your “caloric awareness”:
First, write down how many calories you THINK you’re eating
every day.
Now for the next full week, write down everything you eat.
And I do mean EVERYTHING. Every little taste and every little
snack. EVERYTHING. Just write down foods and portion sizes -
don’t try and look up how many calories each thing has and
don’t suddenly change your diet because you want to make
yourself look good – just keep doing what you’ve been doing.
At the end of the week, go to a food chart and research
everything you ate. Add it up and divide by 7. This will
give you your average daily caloric intake.
If you’re within a few hundred calories of your original
estimation, congratulations! You’ve got good “calorie awareness!”
But if you’re off by a significant margin, this will give you
some VERY useful feedback on what you need to do to get fat
loss rolling again.
So there’s a vote FOR meal plans…let’s look at the other
side of the coin.
And I’ll be blunt here…the calorie counts in meal plans,
no matter how careful you are, are simply NOT 100% accurate.
Think of it this way…no two pieces of food are alike. When
you buy a steak at the grocery store, they don’t charge you
per steak, they charge by the pound. And even when they charge
by the pound, two steaks of the same cut can have DRAMATICALLY
different composition – one could be lean and one could be fatty!
But if you look at a calorie chart, you’ll see “3 oz sirloin
steak – 100 calories”…or something to that effect.
So even if you weigh and chart every single piece of food you
put in your mouth, you’re STILL going to be off by a fair
margin. That’s just a fact.
And while how MUCH you eat has an impact on fat loss, WHEN
you eat it and what foods you eat together makes a HUGE impact
on your results. “Calories are calories” is true only up to
a point.
For example, if you eat a big meal after a workout, most of
that will get used for recovery purposes. But if you eat that
same big meal late at night, nowhere near a workout, a good
portion of that will just be stored as fat.
Another example is eating sugary carbs with fatty foods – the
insulin response you get from sugary foods will jam that fat
right into your fat cells with very little trouble!
So now that you have absolutely no idea WHAT the heck to do
now, here’s my step-by-step solution…
1. If you like to follow meal plans and it gets you results…
keep it up!
2. If you like to follow meal plans but you’re NOT getting
results, either eat less or make sure you’re writing down
EVERYTHING you’re eating AND are being as accurate as possible
with your charting (and get some good meal plans, for crying
out loud).
3. If you DON’T like to follow meal plans and you ARE getting
results…keep it up! Meal plans are NOT necessary if you’re
aware of how many calories you’re taking in AND you’re
getting results.
4. If you DON’T like to follow meal plans and you’re NOT getting
results, it’s time to take one week to count your calories
and improve your caloric awareness. It’s only a week and
it’ll give you a MUCH better idea of what you’re actually
taking in. This will pay off BIG in the long run because
once you get a feel for your TRUE intake, you can very easily
keep yourself honest and ADJUST on the fly.
To my mind, the bottom line is results. If you’re NOT losing
fat, then you’re not getting the results you want…simple as
that. Your approach should be focused on doing what you need
to do to get those results.
Developing your caloric awareness is the key to long-term
success with fat loss. And if you have to follow meal plans
to do it, then that’s what you’ve gotta do!
If that’s the case for you, then go grab the meal plans right
now, because they’re excellent and their relatively cheap
right now (especially considering the amount of work that’s
gone into putting these together).
Thanks Again to Nick for this look at meal plans and will they work for you. If you are still on the fence here is the link to Done for You Fat Loss Meal Plans and some more info.
Hope this helps. I do endorse the Done for you meal plan system very highly. But this is something you have to decide for yourself - Will I Follow It And Get The Full Benefit. Talk to you soon Joe
There is this really funny you tube video up with two of my fellow fitness experts that had a “Pizza VS Cardio Contest!”
They wanted to put the famous saying: “You Can’t Out-Train A Bad Diet”
to the ultimate test.
The video hammers home an invaluable nutrition lesson…
So one fitness expert jumps on the treadmill and cranks it up to the absolute maximum speed with a slight incline (without falling off) and starts sprinting.
While he’s busting his butt at 11.0 MPH, killing himself to lose fat, the other fitness expert is standing beside him consuming a box of pizza.
After about 3 minutes, the guy eating has consumed 800 calories (half a pizza) and the guy sprinting has burned 42 calories!
Moral of the story – you CAN NOT out train a bad diet.
Compare any other diet book or diet method to simply following a “designed-for-you” meal plan that eliminates 100% of the guess work and you’ll come out on top 100% of the time – GUARANTEED.
How do I know this?
Because the best meal plan is based on BALANCE and VARIETY which is exactly catered to your physiological make up. You can’t get more personalized than that!
And the best part is, all you do is plug in a few basic measurements to determine which plan to follow and you begin your VERY NEXT MEAL today.
It’s critical that you put your meal plan into action TODAY – not tomorrow, not next week or next month.
I love these plans because they are SO EASY to implement your very next meal and continue until you have developed the habits necessary to see results so that you stay motivated and finally perfect your body and health.
There are no rules to follow, complex formulas, expensive supplements, ridiculous macronutrient ratios that you need to concern yourself with.
Everything is already DONE-FOR-YOU and designed-for-you.
I promise these will give you everything you need to eat right so you can implement them immediately.
P.S. Eliminate all the nutrition nonsense and stop thinking you need a “special diet” which is a complete LIE, massive nutrition conspiracy and scam.
You need to start with a simple nutritional template that is CONSTANT and COMPLETE with the CORRECT foundational nutritional principles.
Yesterday we discussed that you need a nutritional template if you’re truly committed to having the healthiest and most attractive body possible.
A nutritional template just means, a meal plan.
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they need a SPECIAL PLAN designed to meet their individual needs and that is a MISTAKE, at first.
Eventually you can incorporate some more advanced nutrition techniques but if you’re not flaunting a ripped six-pack, right now, or exuberating all-day energy, you are probably swimming in water too deep.
===================
You’ve Been Lied To
===================
We’ve both been conditioned to believe that you need a nutrition plan different than everyone else. You’re right, partly!
You’ve been told to worry about calories, macronutrient rations and other advanced details in the beginning, which in my opinion is wasted energy.
Focusing on these details is like working on your finishing sprint in the marathon when you’re not even in shape to run 1 mile yet.
The best meal plan is based on BALANCE and VARIETY which is exactly catered to your physiological make up. You can’t get more personalized than that!
==========
The TRUTH:
==========
At the start, EVERYONE’S nutritional quest should begin at the SAME starting line.
Plainly put: You Need A SIMPLE Nutritional Plan You
Can Implement IMMEDIATELY, COMPLETE With The CORRECT,
Foundational Nutritional Principles.
That’s why I want you to download Vince DelMonte’s “Done-For-You” Fat Loss Meal Plans available at
It’s critical that you put your meal plan into action TODAY – not tomorrow, not next week or next month.
I love these plans because they are SO EASY to implement your very next meal and continue until you have developed the habits necessary to see results so that you stay motivated and finally perfect your body and health.
===================================
The Best Part Of Your Own Meal Plan
===================================
There are no rules to follow, complex formulas, expensive supplements, ridiculous macronutrient ratios that you need to concern yourself with.
Everything is already DONE-FOR-YOU.
I prefer to say “DESIGNED-For-You!”
Don’t get me wrong, once you get to being a few percent away from “camera-ready” and “contest-ready” shape, you’re going to have to incorporate some more advanced tricks but for now, it’s best you accept the 3-phase meal plans as the best place to start.
P.S. Hurry! The half-price launch sale ends Friday July 3rd at Midnight PST.
Click here to join the thousands of other users who have already PROVEN these plans work –> Done For You Fat Loss Meal Plans
What could buying a wedding suit have to do with losing body fat?
A lot more than you think.
Especially when it comes to *Fat Loss Nutrition.*
I was just chatting with muscle and six-pack author, Vince DelMonte and he discovered some interesting similarities to help you BLAST YOUR FAT FASTER while he was shopping for a wedding suit.
Here’s what Vince had to share:
“I always believed that creating a custom tailored wedding suit was an extremely complex, ultra expensive and required an overly experienced and skilled tailor. Yet, I found a tailor who made the process SIMPLE.
I discovered that every custom suit begins with a SINGLE TEMPLATE. Over time the and multiple fitting and modifications, eventually the suit becomes exquisitely tailored.
=============================
My revelation can be plainly put,
the perfect suit begins as NOTHING
MORE than a one-size-fits all template.
==============================
Nutritional perfection (fat loss and muscle building), requires the same.
You need to begin with a simple, basic nutritional template and test it out; tweaking it according to the results you experience, and only you.
Only by beginning here can you arrive at the final destination – a perfect nutrition and eventually a perfect body.
=====================
There is NO magic diet plan
=====================
As you have learned the past 2-weeks, there is no magic diet book or test or “eat right for your blood type” kind of solution.
In our combined 20-years of experience in the nutrition field, the best way you can get your best body ever is to follow a meal plan that is based on concrete nutritional principles plus your own informed trial-and-error.
In other words, you begin with a BASIC NUTRITIONAL PLAN, based on the best nutrition information available, test it and modify the nutritional plan based on if you’re gaining muscle or losing fat.
The problem is that the 90% of the nutrition info available is CONFUSING, CONTRADICTING and CONSUMING.
Which is completely unnecessary and ridiculous.
============================
Getting the perfect body and perfect
meal plan must begin with an ORIGIN
============================
If you’re not prepared to put in some time, effort, discipline and pay attention to a few details, then getting and keeping a rock hard body (forever) may NOT be in the cards for you.
Sorry.
But if you agree that you need a BASIC TEMPLATE that you can begin with from which to depart, a simple “done-for-you” template that start, test and modify (if even necessary).
Today I want to DIRECT YOU to the best FAT LOSS MEAL PLANS I’ve ever seen. Vince DelMonte and Empowered Nutrition want to give you a complete 3-phase system called, “Done-For-You” Fat Loss Meal Plans.
Every caloric amount is included. 84-days of variety for each plan. Grocery lists, delicious recipes and more.
Today is the first day of a 72-hour HALF-PRICE special because these plans just went LIVE today. I highly recommend you pick up your 84-day meal plans if you’re ready to lose your gut and love handles and get ripped!
Talk soon,
Jag252
P.S. Hurry! The half-price sale ends Friday night, July 3rd, at midnight and I know Vince, John and Pat have some cool fast-action bonuses to nail down your fat loss nutrition and perfect your body even faster.
Last article we discussed a number of common fallacies about ab training, including belt use, diet, and force production.
This week I’ll continue with more little-known facts about your elusive six-pack.
Enjoy!
4. Training Your Abs Correctly Helps Your Back. Training Them Incorrectly Hurts Your Back
The average fitness wannabe will gravitate toward doing dozens, maybe hundreds of crunches per day. After all it worked for Brittney, right? There are at least two problems with this not so innocent approach to ab traning:
1) The reason you can’t see your abs is- you’re too fat. Why then, would you focus your training on one small muscle group that will not result in significant caloric expenditure? It’s a waste of time.
2) Actually, it’s worse than a waste of time- it could increase your chance of spinal injury. Here’s how: Over weeks, months, and years of sit-ups and crunches, your rectus abdominus is likely to chronically shorten as an adaptation to said training. Stand up right now and contract your abs, like you’re doing a standing crunch. Notice how it takes the curvature out of your lower back?
That’s what can happen when you do too many crunches and sit-ups. And when you can’t maintain a neutral spine, you’re much more likely to injure yourself the next time you lift something heavy.
A better approach is to focus more on static training for your rectus abdominus, as well as rotational ab drills, which don’t have the same potential to shorten your abs. Here are a few examples from our You Tube Channel (these links will open in new windows).
5. You May Be Training Your Abs More Than You Think
Most people under-estimate how much work their abs receive through their regular training schedule. Squats, cleans, deadlifts, snatches, farmer’s walks, kettelebell work, and even heavy dumbbell upper-body exercises result in very high levels of abdominal activation. And honestly, probably as much as you really need.
6. Your Abs Don’t Need High Reps
If and when you do decide to do direct ab training, just use normal loading scenarios, just like you would with any other exercise. Where did the high-rep myth come from? Hard to say, but I suspect is has something to do with the (also) mistaken notion that you can “melt” fat off of your midsection through lots of reps- I guess people think that since high reps make them sweat, that heat helps to burn their fat off.
This myth may also stem from the idea that the abdominal muscles are composed mostly of slow-twitch fibers, and therefore benefit most from high-repetition training. While this is at least a plausible premise, I’d also suggest that muscles should be trained based on what they need to do, as opposed to what they’re composed of. If you should happen to slip on some ice, your abs need to explosively contract to keep your spine in neutral. If you’re a discus thrower, a golfer, a tennis player, or any other rotational athlete, you need explosive abdominal functionality.
7. There Is No Direct Metabolic Pathway Between Your Abs And The Fat That Covers Them
Or to use more conventional language, there’s no such thing as isolating a muscle or sport reduction. I covered this in an earlier point, but it bears repeating: Your pattern of bodyfat deposition is genetically pre-determined. Guys tend to carry fat on their midsections (android fat deposition) and women tend to carry it on their hips and thighs (gynoid deposition). You’ll always have this pattern, no matter how lean or fat you become. So just train the large muscle groups using “big” exercise and heavy weights, and maybe add some heavy cardio (if you’re in the mood), and you should create the caloric deficit you’ll need to get leaner.
8. The Best Way To Train Abs Is With A Stability Ball
Obviously you already know part of my argument against this idea from my earlier comments, but given the popularity of stability balls lately, I thought I’d add a few remarks on the topic here. First, I actually like the ball for certain exercises, because it 1) increases the range of motion you can employ, and 2) because it’s more comfortable than the floor.
Also, the ball allows for some creative exercises, such as the ball scissors that I provided a video of earlier. With that said however, stability balls are a tool, and like all tools, they provide benefits as well as drawbacks, depending on how you use them. If, for example, you labor under the mistaken impression that you need to do thousands of crunches per week, and that the ball is better because it provides greater range of motion, all you’ll do is end up shortening your trunk flexors and lose your lordodic curvature. SO the ball’s OK, as long as you keep things in context.
9. The Best Ab Exercises Are The Ones You Can Really FEEEELLL…
Uhh, wrong. Muscles respond to the training stress they experience, not how that stress feels. Just like any other muscle. Whether or not you feel a particular exercise is inconsequential. Perhaps one of the most productive ab exercises is heavy squats while wearing a belt, but I doubt that you consciously feel your abs while doing those squats.
10. Your Abs Can Get Too Big If You Train Them Too Much
Unlikely. Actually, let’s just go with nearly impossible. The structure and function of the abdominal musculature makes this scenario highly unlikely. If you happen to subscribe to this myth based on seeing lean bodybuilders with big guts, relax: you’re looking at enlarged livers from GH and other drug use. Unless you use these substances, you won’t suffer the same fate.
About The Author
Charles Staley…world-class strength/performance coach…his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
Let’s face it… building muscle is not the easiest thing to accomplish even despite regular hard workout schedules and trying every type of workout and supplement.
I struggled for years to gain any significant muscle mass, but over the years in my personal training business and with my own experimentation have found some important things that have helped make significant muscle gains possible even for hardgainers.
So, I’m going to give 3 important tips here so you can start building lean muscle mass faster and easier.
1. Make sure that 95% of the exercises you perform regularly in the gym are big multi-joint compound exercises. It doesn’t matter if your goal is fat loss or building muscle… big multi-joint exercises should comprise 95% of the exercises you do in your workouts if you want to get lean, ripped, and powerful.
It’s easiest to think of it in terms of the major movement patterns such as these (focus 95% of your workouts on these):
upper body horizontal press (bench press, pushups, dips),
upper body horizontal rows (1-arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, bent over barbell rows),
upper body vertical pull (lat pulldowns, pullups, chinups),
upper body vertical press (overhead dumbbell and barbell presses, barbell or kettlebell clean & presses)
lower body squatting movements (front squats, back squats, overhead squats, bodyweight squats, etc)
lower body deadlifting movements (regular deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts)
lower body single leg movements (lunges, step-ups, jump lunges, etc)
abdominal and core exercises (these are important, but still are 2nd priority after all of the major upper body and lower body multi-joint movements… your abs and core will be worked from most major multi-joint exercises anyway)
The other 5% of your exercises can focus on single joint exercises (isolation exercises) such as bicep curls, tricep presses, calf presses, shoulder shrugs, shoulder lateral raises, pec flyes, etc, etc. However, these exercises are only accessory exercises to do after the main focus has been the multi-joint drills.
2. Train hard and intensely 3-4 days/week for 45-60 minutes per weight training workout. Keep your workouts to no longer than 60 minutes as training too much beyond this point can trigger excess catabolism. You want to stay anabolic, but you still need to train your body hard and intensely enough to trigger muscle growth.
Try a super-set style of workout program to maximize the intensity that you can train. My favorite combinations are opposing upper and lower body movement patterns that don’t interfere with each other, such as squats coupled with pullups as a superset, or bench press coupled with deadlifts as a superset.
Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of these types of upper/lower body supersets done with heavy weights and a high intensity. The first time in my life that I experienced significant muscle mass gains were when I started doing these types of workout combos regularly (although still mixing up my training variables).
These are mainstays of almost any effective workout program — caloric intake can simply be adjusted whether your goal is fat burning or gaining muscle mass.
3. Eat clean with quality whole foods… REAL foods instead of highly processed over-hyped supplement powders and bars.
The quality of protein (and additional nutrition from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) are best assimilated by the body from real whole food such as eggs, meats, dairy (preferably raw), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. instead of from processed protein powders, chemical-laden bars, and meal replacements.
Forget about the hyped up workouts in the muscle mags that only work for pro bodybuilders or people on steroids. Forget about the over-hyped supplement “stacks” that pay the bills for almost every muscle mag… Instead, make these tips in this article part of your lifestyle, and you’ll see muscle gains and a leaner, ripped body like you’ve never seen before!
If you want to get a lean chiseled body, check out these tips to Get That Six Pack Abs Look the right way.
Get That Six Pack Abs Look How to build some muscle to get that six pack abs look.
Even if your goal isn’t to get six pack abs you more than likely are going for at least the flat, fat free toned abs. For too many of us it’s a dream that seems to be a never ending quest.
Keeping with our total body conditioning workouts here are 3 exercises you can easily do at home to help with that six pack abs look.
1) Mountain Climbers:
Mountain Climbers should be performed in 30 seconds. How you can go about this is to lie on the floor with top push-up position. In this way, only your hands and feet are touching the floor. Then, brace your abs by flexing one of your knees and bringing it towards your chest. Return the knee to the starting position and repeat the same routine for the other knee.
Do this in a swift tempo as though you are running or as though you are climbing a mountain for about 30 seconds.
2) Burpees
Stand up in a normal position as straight possible. Then slowly progress into a normal bodyweight squat. Once you reach the bottom, 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
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 gluteus maximus (your largest muscles on your bottom) and swing the kettlebell up to chest level. Perform the kettlebell swing for about 10 reps or 20-30 seconds doing as many reps as you can..
For a more detailed explanation and video of how to do the kettlebell swing check out Kbells The kettlebell Training Page
After you have finished with the kettlebell Swing rest for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then start with the circuit of Mountain Climbers again and perform the whole circuit as many times as you can in 4 minutes.
You can perform this circuit of these 3 exercises 2-3 times a week on top of your regular workout. Make this a regular workout and in a short amount of time(along with a healthy eating plan) and soon that six pack abs look will be yours.
I wanted to share this article with you by Charles Staley one of the smartest people we have in the health and fitness field today. When Mr. Staley talks training I listen.
Here are 10 of the most overlooked and misunderstood facts about abdominal training – some of these may fly in the face of what you THINK you know to be facts! Keep an open mind and read the explanations.
You may still not agree but it might just change your ideas on how your abs should be trained.
This is Part 1 – keep your eyes peeled for Part 2, coming soon!
1. Using A Belt Makes Your Abs Stronger, Not Weaker.
This is perhaps on of the most pervasive myths that people hold about abdominal training, and about training in general. Let’s apply some simple common sense to the issue: if you can lift more weight with a belt than without (and virtually all people can), are your abs “asleep” as many people who have you believe? Or, are they working harder than they would be without a belt?
The reason you’re stronger with a belt is that it gives your abs something to contract against. Imagine you want to train your legs and all you have is two primitive options:
1) You can “leg press” a heavy box by pushing against it with your feet while sitting on a slick floor. Or…
2) You “leg press” a heavy box by pushing it with your feet while sitting on the floor with your back against a solid wall.
Which option do you think will result in more tension for your leg muscles? Obviously the second option is far preferable, because by wedging yourself between an immovable object and a heavy moveable object, you can create a high level of tension on the muscle’s you’re trying to train.
Using a belt during heavy squats, deadlifts, or Olympic lifts works the same way- by giving your abs something to push against, they can create greater intra-abdominal pressure, allowing you to 1) lift more and 2) lift more with less chance of spinal injury.
Just having a belt however, doesn’t ensure success- you’ve gotta use it properly. The three key things to remember are:
1) Wear the belt high enough so your abs can exert pressure against it- many people wear a belt too low and rob themselves of the potential benefit
2) Don’t wear the belt too tight- a looser fit allows your abs to get better leverage against the belt. And finally…
3) Get a high quality belt- some nylon/Velcro belts won’t stand up to heavy use. Case in point: I recently purchased such a belt from my local Sports Authority and broke the buckle the first time I used it (must be my weakened abs from excessive belt use). Thinking it was a fluke, I returned the belt for a new one, and once again, broke it the first time I used it. 2. Having A 6-Pack Is About Diet, Not Training
You can train abs, all abs, nothing but abs, all the time, and still not have a six pack UNLESS- and here’s the kicker- unless you’re below 10% bodyfat. And probably you’ll need to be below 8% bodyfat. The truth is you already have abs- you just can’t see them. Since this isn’t a nutrition article, I won’t elaborate on how you should eat, so if you need help in that area, you might consider an expert nutrition consultation.
Now of course, you can drop bodyfat through training as well, but not “ab training per se:” instead, focus your efforts on challenging the largest possible muscle groups. My favorites include heavy weight circuits including a mix of Olympic lifts, power lifts, and strongman lifts.
3. The Main Function Of Your Abs Is Not Force Production
Although the abdominal muscles can and do function to flex and rotate the trunk, I’d argue that their primary function is to prevent unwanted motion. Specifically, strong abs help to protect the spine in two ways:
1) They create intra-abdominal pressure which helps to counteract compressive forces resulting from axial loading (e.g., squats, deadlifts)
2) They help to prevent forces that take the spine out of its preferred neutral position. More on this in the second installment next time….
Some very key points here for getting that six pack abs look.
I will be posting part 2 of this article for you real soon so check back.
Stay Tuned For Part 2!
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 “ab contraption”… they got their perfect body through REAL total body conditioning workouts and REAL nutrition strategies.
You should know by now that spot reduction is a myth. No amount of ab exercises or using the ab gadjets will get you six pack abs or serious loss of body fat. Only by total body conditioning and healthy eating will you burn off that unwanted body fat that will then allow your abs to show.
Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks… they’re all a complete waste of your time and money and won’t get you six pack abs. Those marathon treadmill sessions forget them they are of some use but there is a much less time consuming way.
Six pack abs and permanent body fat loss are obtained with the use of total body conditioning with the use of compound exercises.
What are compound exercises? They are exercises that use multiple muscle groups.
*Squats
*Deadlifts
*Bench Presses
*Cleans
*Clean and Presses
*Pull-ups
*Dips
For the ultimate in lean muscle gain and to lose body fat these are the exercises you should be using. You could put together a workout of 3-5 of theses exercises 3 times a week and you would have an excellant total body conditioning workout. Oh and by the way theses workouts shouldn’t take you more than 40-45 minutes.
By focusing more on multi-joint compound exercise 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.
Using compound exercises 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.
Losing That Unwanted Body Fat means you finally having that Six Pack Abs look
Over the last 10 years, scientific research has indicated a couple of very important things to us about exercising for body fat loss. 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 that’s 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.
Ab Truth today we have a healthy chili recipe from Mike Geary.
I was surprised to find that many people don’t realize that chili can be a very healthy meal. If you follow my recipe, you’ll get a satisfying and tasty meal with a good macro-nutrient balance (prot-carb-fat ratio) that is also full of a diverse array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Enjoy!
Geary’s Hard-Body Chili Recipe:
1.5 lbs lean ground meat (I like to use ground buffalo, ostrich, or grass-fed beef, but lean ground turkey can work also)
1 large red pepper diced
5-6 jalapeno peppers diced (adjust based on your desired “hotness”)
2 onions diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans or black beans (good source of antioxidants and fiber)
half a bag of frozen corn
2 tbsp molasses (this is a good source of antioxidants, adds great flavor, and only adds minimal sugar)
1 or 2 tbsp of chili powder
1 or 2 tsp of cumin
1 or 2 tbsp of crushed garlic
1/2 cup oat bran (adds fiber and also helps soak up some of the extra moisture)
I also like to add some fresh chopped cilantro while it’s cooking
1 ripe avocado (for use as a topping after chili is cooked)
1 bag of reduced fat cheddar cheese (topping after cooked)
Use a large pot and start with the olive oil and ground meat cooking. Just start adding all of the diced vegetables and other ingredients as you get them ready. Once it’s all together and cooking in the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Top each bowl with freshly diced ripe avocado (more satisfying healthy fats) and sprinkle with some low-fat cheddar cheese. You’ve got an awesome hot delicious meal! This recipe makes about 6 servings. Save the leftovers and bring healthy lunches or midmeals with you to work each day.
Approximate macro-nutrient breakdown per serving:
35 g. protein, 45 g. carbs, 8 g. fiber, 14 g. fat (all healthy fat), 430 calories
Also from Mike A Non Traditional Ab Workout
Kettlebell Training – You’ve probably heard me praise kettlebell training many times before, but I will have to reiterate that it has been one of the best training methods that I’ve ever tried and has taken my physical capabilities to a whole new level. Kettlebells are an alternative type of free-weight training instead of barbells and dumbbells. Their unique construction and weight distribution (basically a cannonball with a handle) allows for a whole different realm of exercises that’s available compared to dumbbells and barbells.
Kettlebells have been typically used for training hard-core athletes, military units, martial arts competitors, and other tough individuals, but there is no reason that anybody looking to get stronger, bigger, or more cut can’t learn the exercises and benefit from them. It’s been a little over a year now since I’ve incorporated kettlebell training into my routines, and I’ll admit that I’m hooked for life! At between $100-$150 per kettlebell, they are definitely not cheap, but they are well worth the money. Just one or two kettlebells and you’ve literally got yourself an entire home gym that you can use for the rest of your life…worth every penny in my opinion! Check out some more info about body-hardening kettlebellshere.
Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks… they’re all a complete waste of your time and money and won’t get you six pack abs. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that “ab contraption”… they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies.
You should know by now that spot reduction is a myth. No amount of ab exercises or using the ab gadjets will show your abs. Only by total body conditioning and healthy eating will you burn off that unwanted body fat that will then allow your abs to show.
Mike … What is one thing I might be doing, unknowningly, steering my quest for six pack abs in the wrong direction?
MG: I’ll give 2 things that may be steering you in the wrong direction…
a. Too much cardio
Some people, in their efforts to try to get lean, focus way too much on hours and hours of cardio exercise. The problem is that this can backfire on you by making you lose lean muscle mass over time, which decreases your resting metabolic rate.
Once this happens, it becomes easier to pack on body fat than ever before. I’ve even seen many people that do too much cardio and end up getting that “skinny fat” appearance, where they have very little muscle tone, yet they have excess stomach fat (even a “gut” possibly).
Instead of excess cardio, focus more on high intensity weight training (yes, even during a “cutting” cycle). This will help maintain your lean muscle mass throughout your body, so that you don’t experience the metabolic rate decrease.
Maintaining as much lean muscle mass on your body at all times is one of the most important things for staying super-lean for life.
b. Not eating enough healthy fats
This is another area where I see people go in the wrong direction. They are trying to lose body fat and they end up going WAY too low on their fat intake.
When you decrease your fat intake too much, you are basically messing up your fat burning and muscle building hormones. It’s not uncommon to see people decrease their fat intake too low and end up reducing their testosterone levels significantly.
Try to get some sources of healthy fats with every meal to make sure you don’t go too low… This could be avocados, any and all nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc), seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), nut butters (almond butter, natural peanut butter, etc), virgin coconut oil (good source of medium chain triglycerides), extra virgin olive oil, grass fed beef (good source of conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3s), whole eggs (yes, whole eggs…not egg whites), etc.
What is one unique way of boosting your metabolism, to finally burn fat, that I might be overlooking?
MG: Incorporate any form of clean & presses into your routines twice per week. This could be barbell clean & presses or using kettlebells or dumbbells.
If I had to choose one exercise that burns the most calories and has the biggest impact on increasing your metabolic rate, I’d have to choose high intensity clean & presses (with squats and deadlifts being at the top of the pack also). I like alternating the use of barbells for C&P’s one workout and kettlebells for another.
Thanks Mike for your time and expert advice.
I wanted to let you in on a special offer for the Truth About Abs.
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The answer to the age-old question of “How Does A Busy Women Lose Belly Fat?” is…
1 – Stop thinking doing hundreds of crunches and other ab specific exercises 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 belly fat in order to get six pack abs. The problem is that most people who need to lose belly fat looking to try to uncover their abs are searching for some “miracle six pack ab workout that is going to slash the fat off their abs in no time.
The thing is… they are going about the problem entirely the wrong way! The truth is that you don’t lose belly fat by doing ab workouts.
The problem is that focusing most of your time and effort on abdominal exercises and abs workouts to try to flatten your stomach, lose belly fat and bring out 6-pack abs is simply wasting your time from doing the correct workout programs that will acutally reduce your belly fat and total body fat for good.
If I were to choose an answer as to what the best exercises are for losing belly fat, my answer would include full body exercises such as the following:
2 – Various forms of squats, lunges, deadlifts, clean & presses, snatches, swings, presses and pulls, mountain climbers, sprinting, etc.
These types of full body exercises would encompass a much higher percentage of the workouts I would design instead of abs exercises directly targeting the midsection. The way you combine those full body exercises into a strategic workout that maximizes your metabolism is also very important.
Don’t get me wrong… I do recommend a certain amount of exercises that directly target the abs and core, but these are only a small fraction of the programs I design for my clients as your time is better spent focusing on the full body exercises that stimulate the greatest hormonal and metabolic changes within the body. In addition, a side-effect of working out using mostly full body multi-joint combo exercises are that you indirectly work your entire midsection even though you are not specifically targeting the abs.
Keep in mind that the most important factor for losing belly fat to see your abs is actually in the nutrition arena. No matter how hard you workout, if your diet is full of junk, then your abdominals will be covered with ugly fat. Nutrition is without a doubt the “king of getting a six pack”.
So let’s clear this up for good…
Stop wasting so much of your time focusing on situps, crunches, leg raises, and all those silly worthless “ab contraptions” in your efforts to try to develop 6-pack abs. Instead focus on high intensity full body lifts using combination multi-joint exercises all strategically combined into highly effective fat loss workouts. Couple that with a healthy diet full of natural unprocessed whole foods as close to their natural state as possible, and those elusive six-pack abdominals will yours in no time!
Check out below for more of my key strategies for getting flat sexy 6-pack abs for life.
Learn more about my secret strategies for losing stubborn stomach fat at the internet’s authority for Getting Flat Six Pack Abs Ab Truth
Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training
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.
See Also
Ab Truth for effective and efficient ab exercises and workouts
I co-wrote this target heart rate article with Craig Ballantyne because we want to get the message out to everyone who keeps struggling with this outdated mentality that they must be in some sort of “fat burning zone” if they want to stand any chance of losing body fat with their workouts. We’ll show you why targeting a specific heart rate to be in this so-called fat burning zone is actually the opposite of what you should be focusing on in your workouts if you truly want to get lasting fat loss results.
One of the worst myths in the fitness industry is that you need to maintain a specific heart rate range in the fat burning zone in order to lose fat. But this is simply not true. Unfortunately, this false belief leads people to choose low intensity steady state cardio routines that are ineffective and cause most people a major lack of results from their workouts.
The quicker you get rid of the “target fat burning heart rate = the best workout” mentality, the faster you will actually start to get real results with fat loss and changing the shape of your body for good.
In the Turbulence Training workouts, you actually burn more fat and more total calories when you are OUT of the gym due to the high-intensity and variable intensity nature of the training methods in these programs. This phenomenon is not due to the elevated heart rate you experience during the workout (even though your heart rate will be increased from the supersets and intervals), but rather from the metabolic and hormonal response you achieve from the more effective workout compared to your ineffective “fat burning zone” workout.
Over the last 10 years, scientific research has indicated a couple of very important things to us about exercising for body fat loss. 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 that’s why 6-8 repetitions per set is better than 12-15 reps per set when it comes to stimulating the metabolism for losing fat permanently. That’s one of the cornerstones of the types of training routines in programs that actually get results, like Turbulence Training.
Another important aspect we have learned from scientific research in recent years is that highly variable interval-type training is far superior to slow, steady-pace cardio exercise for fat loss and post-exercise induced calorie burning. In the long run, if you focus on the internal metabolic response your body is getting from your workout routines, instead of how many calories you burn during some sort of magical “target fat burning heart rate zone”, you will achieve MUCH better fat loss results. So not only is it more result-producing, but it is also more time-efficient to use short high-intensity interval training workouts instead of slow, long, steady-pace cardio sessions.
The only time you might need to know your specific heart rate is during the recovery period of the interval training. It is important to take enough time during your recovery intervals in order for your heart rate to drop back down significantly (allow it drop to approximately less than 60% of your max heart rate).
That way you are able to get more quality work done when it counts. You do not want to start your next high-intensity interval too soon, nor do you want to exercise too hard during your recovery intervals.
All of these details are provided in the interval training guidelines within the Turbulence Training program. And we’ll show you how to properly structure your intervals so that you allow enough recovery time between each. With these guidelines, you do not have to worry about monitoring your target heart rate or anything fancy like that. It’s just not necessary. Just follow the TT instructions, and you will do great.
So here’s the bottom line:
If you want to start actually getting the fat loss results you’ve been wanting for so long, do not worry so much about your target fat buring heart rate zone during exercise. Instead, make sure that you are working at a high-intensity and a variable intensity (according to your individual capabilities of course) during each weight lifting and interval training session.
The TT workout guidelines will give you all of the details you need on the specific rest periods to use between supersets and intervals. With these guidelines, you will start to see vastly improved results from your workouts within weeks of implementing the changes.
In today’s issue of Lean-Body Fitness Secrets Ezine, I’m going to answer a question I get quite often. Many people find that they can stick to a reasonably healthy diet during the week, but think that they’re totally blowing everything on the weekends.
Below is a question I just received recently from a customer and some ideas I came up with for him. I think you’ll get some good ideas from this on how to deal with the issue of not letting the weekend wreck your whole program.
Q: “Hi Mike, I haven’t emailed in a while, so I wanted to update you. I haven’t missed a workout yet and I just finished the third week on your program. I am feeling pretty good, and can already see a bit of a difference in the mirror. I’m still far from a 6 pack, but I’m making progress and I’ll definitely get there.
I would give myself a grade of B-, because during the week I do very well with my routine and diet, but on the weekends I drink too much beer (empty calories) and my diet suffers a bit with eating out and weekend activities. But all in all it is going well, and I think I’ll be a great success story for your testimonials. If you have any nuggets of wisdom or just any suggestions on how to deal with the weekends, I’m all ears.”
-Brandon, Saint Louis, MO
A: Good to hear from you Brandon, and it sounds like you’re on your way. I can fully relate to your issue of doing well on the weekdays and then drinking a lot of beer and eating late night junk on the weekends. Here’s what I’ve done over the years that helps to keep the lbs off while still enjoying the weekend social scene that involves alcohol and eating out.
If you’re gonna drink, try and keep it to light beers or hard alcohol mixed with something non-caloric like club soda. *By the way, tonic water is NOT calorie-free like club soda… it actually has just as much sugar as regular soda.
Anyway, those are the options that would do the least caloric damage, but realize that you’re going to take in a TON of extra empty calories any time you drink more than a couple alcoholic drinks.
Also, you’re probably going to end up at restaurants and bar situations where everyone is getting deep fried bar food. In this case, whatever you can do, ALWAYS avoid anything deep fried. My best option is I get a burger or grilled chicken sandwich and replace the fries (I call them devil sticks) or potato chips (which are also deep fried) with some sort of steamed veggies or a side salad. That way you eliminate the most evil portion of the meal (the fries) but you still enjoy your burger (which isn’t really all that bad) or your chicken sandwich.
Also, if you’re doing things right 5-6 days/week, don’t stress too much over a bad day or two on the weekends, as long as you keep your calories reasonable and always avoid anything deep fried and any sodas as well. As I’ve said before, anything loaded with trans fats (like deep fried food) or high fructose corn syrup (in sodas) are the absolute worst things you can put in your body.
If you’re serious about your body and health, these should never be consumed, not even occasionally. Trans fats and HFCS are the only two items that I’m a stickler on personally. I’ll eat as much of anything and everything else, at least occasionally, like pizza, burgers, ice cream…you name it! But I’ll never even touch a HFCS-laden soda or something deep fried in trans fats. They are pure poison in my mind.
As for working out, just follow the general guidelines in my book and the routine I set up for you, and make changes as described in the book when you start to plateau. Also, enjoy the good weather and get outside a couple times a week to do wind sprints. This is one of the easiest ways to get rid of the fat. It doesn’t matter if you can’t handle all out sprints just yet, but just run as hard and as fast as you can for 50-100 yard dashes, rest 1-2 minutes, and repeat 5-10 times. It’s one of the best workouts you can get in only about 10-20 minutes total. Mix those a couple days/week with your normal strength training routines on other days and you’ll be kicking a** in no time flat!
Alright, that’s all for today. Brandon (from above) is just one of my great customers who is now motivated like crazy after reading through my Truth about Six Pack Abs Program. Because of the fact that he’s armed himself with the knowledge and motivation to do it, he’s well on his way to enjoying a lean, rock hard body for life!
In this article, I’ve posted the “diet tips for six pack abs” portion of an interview done recently with Mike Geary . Enjoy! Here it is…
CB: And finally Mike, 1 or 2 of your top secret nutrition tips for carving out those six pack abs. Open your vault of info!
MG: Well Craig, I think you’d agree that there has never been a more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every so called “expert” out there seems to disagree and contradict each other on what’s the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good health.
One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn’t need to conform to any of the fad diets… you don’t need to go “low carb” or “low fat”, or high or low anything for that matter to be successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able to see your abs. I like to try to simplify things for my readers. I think that balance is the key to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible).
In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always exceptions… a salad of poison ivy leaves is “natural and unprocessed” but certainly would not be good for us!
I’ll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects of nutrition and diet that help to get you lean for life (and have any chance of getting those abs to show)…
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet – not only does it have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger is satisfied longer. Plus it’s a building block for maintaining and building lean muscle… And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don’t eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits, but I am a bit of a fan of sprouted grains. I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting lean.
3. Don’t be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake in their diet and this can negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily. Good sources are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but are actually beneficial (but that’s way beyond the scope of this article).
4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS:
*artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods
*high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened products on the market
Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these two worst offenders in our food supply.
I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total control over how lean you want to get. Gain control of this part of your life, and those abs may be showing in no time!
I know that all of the elliptical and treadmill worshipers are probably fuming at me now after that article headline, but the fact is, ellipticals and treadmills are one of the least effective methods of working out in existence. With this article, I’ll show you how to get a much more effective fat-burning workout without wasting time mindlessly exercising on a boring elliptical machine or treadmill.
Now first let me state that if you really honestly enjoy your elliptical machine workouts and treadmill exercise routines, then I give you my blessing to keep doing what you love. The reason is that even though ellipticals and treadmills are relatively ineffective compared to other types of exercises, whatever you actually enjoy doing the most is going to benefit you most in the long run because you will be more likely to stick with it more consistently.
However, don’t say that I didn’t warn you that you might be wasting your time with all these boring mindless cardio machine workouts.
I’ve talked about this previously with my ezine subscribers… I actually do not believe in cardio machines as a good form of working out at all. This might surprise you coming from a fitness nut such as myself, but I don’t think I’ve personally used an exercise bike, treadmill, elliptical, or any other cardio machine for at least 8 years or more.
In fact, I don’t even use cardio machines anymore for warm-ups before my workouts. I actually think it’s a much more effective warm-up to do dumbbell and/or kettlebell swings, snatches, clean & presses, etc, mixed with bodyweight exercises as a great full-body warm-up before working out.
Why do I think cardio machines are so awful? Well, here’s 5 reasons:
1) Treadmills and ellipticals are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to other options. Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent.
2) Elliptical machines and treadmills are insanely expensive and a waste of money for people that work out at home… there are so many better things for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on an elliptical machine, treadmill, or exercise bike.
You’ll see plenty of ideas below for better home workouts if you don’t like going to a gym to work out.
3) I have seen several studies that indicated results that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, and so on.
(although I never recommend just “jogging” anyway… variable intensity walking/running or sprinting are much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of the same heart rate range the whole time).
4) Steady state exercise (that doesn’t require concentration on what you’re doing) while watching tv or reading a newspaper or magazine creates a mind/body disconnect resulting in extremely poor results compared to exercise that requires focused attention.
5) Elliptical and treadmill workouts are just mind-numbingly boring!
So what are some good alternatives to elliptical machine and treadmill workouts? Some of my favorites are:
Outdoor wind sprint workouts – This is the ultimate workout for a rock hard lean body… just look at the powerful yet super-lean and ripped bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the withering weakling physiques of typical marathoners… what would you rather look like?
Jumping rope – incredible mind/body connection and actually fun (you can try speed jumping, crossover jumps, and double jumps once you get good at it)
Kettlebell workouts – nothing will get your heart pounding and sweat pouring like high rep kettlebell swings and/or snatches (or clean & presses)! These can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer kettlebells as they have a better “feel” to them and the unbalanced nature of KBs makes you work harder)
Bodyweight exercises – mountain climbers, bodyweight squats, push-ups, jumping drills, lunges, bear crawls, plank holds, and so on.
The good old fashioned rowing machine – I don’t really lump this in as a “cardio” machine per se like elliptical machines and treadmills… Rather, I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that actually uses real resistance)
Hill sprinting – running as hard up a hill as possible, followed by walking down and repeating as many times as you can for a full workout (yet another classic drill for a rock hard lean body)
Shadow boxing… a killer workout, but if you are shy, this is best done at home since you will get some crazy looks doing this at a typical gym!
Swimming sprints – a more muscle toning workout compared with steady pace distance swimming… I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint swimming (instead of swimming slow and steady, with sprint swimming, you swim as fast as you can exerting as much force as you can for 1 lap. Then rest for 15-20 seconds before doing another swim sprint).
Heavy bag punching/kicking workouts, speed bag, rebounding bag… all are tremendous workouts and much more fun than boring cardio machines (requires an very intense mind/body connection which increases results).
I hope this article gives you lots of ideas you can use to go out right away and bring some more variety into your workouts instead of relying on the same old dull elliptical machine and treadmill workout routines. Have fun!
For more effective and efficient fat burning workouts and exercises go to Ab Truth to continue reading.
Think about this… if what you’ve been doing all these years hasn’t been getting you the results you want, doing more of that same thing won’t get you any further! If doing 4 hours of cardio a week hasn’t worked for you, why do you believe that doing 7 hours of cardio will?
If doing 100 crunches a day hasn’t gotten you the results you want, why do you think that doing 200 crunches a day will? Of course you remember that doing the same things over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity!
The truth is that all of these techniques are WRONG and ineffective ways to workout. In fact, doing excessive cardio is actually working against your results because you are stimulating excessive cortisol production in your body and breaking down lean muscle tissue… all of which leads to the slowing down of your metabolic rate over time and deposition of even more belly fat on top of what you already have.
Also, wasting most of your workout time with ineffective abs exercises such as crunches, situps, and torso twists actually goes directly against your fat loss efforts as well. You see, the time you waste with doing all of these fairly ineffective abs exercises, is really just keeping you from doing the truly effective full body exercise combinations that actually stimulate your fat burning hormones and increase your metabolic rate for as much as 24-48 hours after each workout. You don’t get that with “ab workouts” or “cardio”!
When you get these types of full body metabolic-surge workouts right, the excess belly fat starts to melt off quicker than you ever could have imagined. Yes, it IS going to take a little work though. You’re not going to be able to just be lazy and sit on the couch every day hoping for your dream body to come true. Don’t worry though, it’s a system that can be applied by anyone, regardless of your age or current conditioning.
I bet you’re thinking that you’ve tried every technique in the world to try to lose your stubborn belly fat, but it just never seems to budge… right? I’m sure you see TONS of commercials and ads making all kinds of miracle claims that you can lose your belly fat overnight with their magic pill or wildly-hyped snake-oil supplement. How about all of the bogus infomercial gadgets out there claiming you can reduce your belly fat in a matter of days just by strapping some worthless “ab-belt” around your waist, or sizzle away the stomach fat by using their patented “ab-roller-rocker” do-hicky.
Come on now! I hope you’ve been insulted by all of these fraudulent marketers and the gimmicks and scams that they are pushing down your throat by trying to get you to believe that a belly-fat reduction miracle is possible overnight.
So let’s get past all of the scams and gimmicks and get right down to the hard science and reality behind what techniques and strategies really do help you to lose your stubborn belly fat and keep it off for life!
1) The first important principle we’ll discuss is how you structure your workouts. In order to stimulate fat-loss from your stomach, you need to stop wasting so much of your time doing all kinds of abdominal exercises and hundreds of reps of crunches, leg lifts, and torso twists in the hopes of “spot-reducing” your belly and love handles.
I’m sure you know by now if you’ve read any reputable fitness publications over the last decade that spot-reduction DOES NOT occur. It’s a myth that just won’t seem to go away. The truth is, you don’t lose belly fat by doing exercises that target the stomach area. Unfortunately, even though most people by now do understand this (or at least they should), they still spend WAY too much of their training time trying to target the stomach with tons of abs exercises.
Now don’t get me wrong, a certain amount of abdominals exercises are great and they do help to strengthen your core and help you maintain a healthy back. But the fact is that direct abs exercises should only be a small portion of your workout routines. The majority of your time should be spent focusing on multi-joint exercises that work the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, chest, and back.
Now that is one of the REAL secrets for ridding yourself of that sloppy belly fat for good. Focusing on big multi-joint exercises for the largest portions of your body greatly increases your metabolic rate both during the workout, and for 24-48 hours after the workout. In addition, this also stimulates an increase in fat-burning hormones within your body. You simply don’t get this type of metabolic and hormonal response by wasting most of your time with “abs-pumping” exercises.
Want to lose belly fat… Well, get your butt under a barbell and do some squats, do some deadlifts, some lunges, step-ups, some back and chest work. It doesn’t matter per se if it’s barbells, dumbbells, or even bodyweight exercises… the focus needs to be on big multi-joint exercises at a high intensity. That means no 5-minute rest periods between sets while you flap your gums with half of the people at the gym. Losing your belly fat for good requires some focus and intensity in your workouts! Anybody who tells you that you can do it while sitting on your couch watching TV with some “ab-belt” strapped to you, or doing only 2-minutes of crunching with your “ab-rocker-roller” is flat out lying to you!
2) The second important principle to rid yourself of that flabby belly revolves around your nutrition. The first thing you need to realize is that “diets” only work against your body in your effort to lose the stomach fat. You see, if you follow any of these fad diets like low-carb, or low-fat, or the grapefruit diet, the soup diet, or anything else that restricts 1 or more of the macro-nutrients (protein, carbs, and fat), most of the time you will actually lose lean muscle and lower your metabolic rate. This only makes you fatter in the long run, when you start to eat normal again!
I could go into all kinds of details, but essentially you are messing up processes related to your hormonal balance in your body, the muscle glycogen process, insulin, blood sugar, etc., and this stops your fat loss dead in its tracks!
It’s important to stop falling for the fad diet gimmicks, and understand that as humans, we are meant to eat a balanced diet full of a diverse array of foods from healthy natural sources of carbohydrates, proteins, AND fats. This gives your body all of the macro-nutrients as well as all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that your body needs to run as a well-oiled fat-burning machine!
I could go on and on with dozens more strategies for losing your belly fat fast, the natural way, but this article can only be so long, so see below to download a free report detailing some of my best fat-loss strategies for helping you to flatten that belly and uncover those hidden abdominals of yours.
Thanks to Mike Geary for this article. To learn more about how to lose belly fat, total body conditioning and six pack abs click here Abtruth
Other than physical appearance weight affects a person in many ways. This could be the overall quality of life, self-esteem, depression, health risks, and physical incapabilities. There are a lot of positive changes once a person experience weight loss. It is for this reason why a lot of people are searching for a weight loss technique that will surely trim down those fats and get a super slim head turner body.
The first thing that an over-weight should do is seek a doctor to recommend the best weight loss regimen. This will be done after a full physical examination, which leads to the determination of proper weight loss technique. And to lose weight fast and effectively four aspects of life should be changed: what to eat, how to eat, behavior and activity level.
Here are fast tips that can change an over-weight’s life:
First: Fast weight loss composes of a multi-faceted technique that consists mindset, exercise, and diet. Begin by learning a diet food plan that can easily be accustomed with. Incorporate an exercise plan that allows even at least fifteen minutes a day like brisk walking, running, swimming, and dancing.
Second: Set realistic approaches. The ability to focus and have proper mindset enables someone on a diet to quickly lose those extra pounds. With discipline and proper mind set, a dieter will never be discouraged and lose focus.
Third: Listen as the body speaks. Each and everyone’s body metabolism reacts differently to different fast weight loss programs and plans. Try substituting one program for another to compensate the body’s reaction. Exercise program must be suitable to one’s body, as others are not able to exercise as rigorously as others can. If walking is all that can be done, then walk for this is proven the best exercise. Muscles burn more calories than fats so it’s also best to put on a little muscle and looking good too.
Fourth: Eat more fibers for it makes a person full sooner and stays in the tummy longer, slowing down the rate of digestion. A single serving of whole grain bread moves fat through the digestive system faster. Grains turn into blood sugar that spikes the body’s insulin level. Thus, making the body more energized and ready to tell the body when it should stop burning fats or start storing.
Fifth: Keep away from fried foods especially deep-fried as this contains a great amount of fat. Although fish and chicken appear leaner than beef, this white meat can contain more fat than when a beef is fried. It is recommended for those on strict diet to opt for grilled food as this does not have or contain less amount of fat after the food is cooked.
Sixth: Takes lots of fluid. Drinking at least six to eight glasses of water a day keeps the body refreshed. Since weight loss depends on how the body eliminates body wastes, the body must stay hydrated.
All in all, discipline and consistency is still the best practice and the key to a rapid weight loss success. Light dieting, workout, and right amount of supplementation applied in a regular way everyday will result in faster weight loss than having a massive action only to be followed a return to old habits as this would only lead to gaining more weight than when the weight loss plan has started.
Weight loss is no secret, we all know how to do it we just don’t feel like it and or we are impatient.
Everyone, guy and girl, has dreamed of having sexy flat abs, toned and well defined. It is not about mere vanity at all because it is about feeling sexy and confident all from having great abs!
So everyone dreams about this but guess what, very few people actually have them! Really, only about 3 in 10 people have toned abs that will show through. If you want to be one of those 3 people, read on to learn how to get those sexy abs!
Despite what everyone tries to make everyone else think, it is really not that difficult to get a great six pack. It is actually more likely that people do this because they feel it is difficult or even impossible for themselves to get sexy abs. But realize this, if you know the best and easiest methods to getting toned abs, then all you have to do is stick with it and follow through.
Like all things, if you have the right knowledge and apply it patiently, you will have results – sexy flat abs. And ‘The Truth About Six Pack Abs’ highlights many of the things you must do and avoid to get flat abs fast.
For certain – spending hours and hours at the gym with weights and cardio is not the best way to lose body fat.
In contrast, the proportion of ab exercises recommended in The Truth About Six Pack Abs, as compared to other fitness resources is much lower!
Honestly, after reading the book, 117 pages, I realized the reasons why The Truth About Six Pack Abs is rated the # 1 Best Seller on the internet on this subject. It is an honest source of the best total body workouts and fat loss.
Everything that I have been doing were wrong, like the crunches, the cardio machines, and not focusing on my diet were hurting my efforts.
After understanding about the types of fat we have around our abdominal area, my workout and eating habits have improved greatly – And the results are showing.
Here are the KEY benefits of the eBook -
- Learn over 15 little-known secrets for revving up your metabolism so that you can more easily scorch away stubborn belly fat on a 24/7 basis!
- Discover more than 13 specific nutritional secrets that will have fat melting and muscle tone popping out like you’ve never seen before.
- Simple detailed descriptions and photos of more than 50 of the most effective exercises to get six pack muscle fast.
- The most effective full-body training PROGRAMS (not just lists of exercises) that will help you carve out a body of stone and leave people asking what your secret is!
- How to blast through your plateau and continue to make progress by working through all 8 levels of abdominal training progressions
- How to enjoy endless varieties of delicious foods, while simultaneously turning yourself into a fat-burning machine!
This is the general idea of The Truth About Six Pack Abs - showing you how to get a flat stomach with proper nutrition and the best way to train the abs.
The major focus of the guide is – diet and nutrition — it is the major piece of the six pack and fat loss puzzle.
You will learn that nutrition will influence more than 70% of a person’s success with their body transformation. And for a six pack, it’s more like 80%.
In other words, focus on your diet first to get a six pack.
A large proportion of the eBook is focused on a solid nutrition plan that will speed up the fat burning process.
And you even learn about foods that claim to be “healthy” are actually cleverly disguised junk foods … yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
Now this is a great eye opener and it’ll catch you off guard…
Mike goes into great detail about it in the nutritional section and provides a full 7 day menu broken down into:
- Breakfast;
- Mid morning meal;
- Lunch;
- Mid afternoon meal;
- Dinner; And
- Late night meal.
Each meal is broken down by calories, protein, carbs, and fat. Withe meals, you’ll actually feel like you’re eating constantly all day long! This is the key.
In fact there are more than 13 specific nutritional secrets that will have a positive impact on your body’s transformation…and better yet, you won’t feel like you’re restricting you food intake.
Also with this section you will get-
A) The meal frequency and thermic effect of food section
B) Two hidden evils in our food supply, and
C) Meal plans.
Get this right, and you’re well onto your goals to getting a six pack.
“Hi Mike!
I started your workouts last week, and surprisingly, I can already see some positive changes to my body! I definitely feel these working me better than anything else I’ve tried. I really like the interesting way that you turn a weights workout into a cardio workout as well. I can see already that if I keep on doing this progressively, I’ll surely have my old body shape back in no time
Ok catch you soon. Thanks again Mike, you’re superb!”
Six pack abs the neverending quest for the lean fat free waistline. Your training style, nutrition, and mindset are all extremely important if you want to stand a chance at getting six pack abs… However, if I had to choose 1 component that is most important, it would probably have to be nutrition. Maybe you’ve heard the saying before that “abs are made in the kitchen”.
It really is true, and that’s where the majority of people go wrong in the goal to get super lean. Of course, this also ties into mindset, because you really have to get your mind in the right place in order to have the discipline to be able to eat consistently clean enough to get six pack abs.
Too much cardio
Some people, in their efforts to try to get lean, focus way too much on hours and hours of cardio exercise. The problem is that this can backfire on you by making you lose lean muscle mass over time, which decreases your resting metabolic rate. Once this happens, it becomes easier to pack on body fat than ever before. I’ve even seen many people that do too much cardio and end up getting that “skinny fat” appearance, where they have very little muscle tone, yet they have excess stomach fat (even a “gut” possibly).
Instead of excess cardio, focus more on high intensity weight training (yes, even during a “cutting” cycle). This will help maintain your lean muscle mass throughout your body so you can see those 6 pack abs, and you don’t experience the metabolic rate decrease. Maintaining as much lean muscle mass on your body at all times is one of the most important things for staying super-lean for life.
Not eating enough healthy fats
This is another area where I see people go in the wrong direction. They are trying to lose body fat and they end up going WAY too low on their fat intake. When you decrease your fat intake too much, you are basically messing up your fat burning and muscle building hormones. It’s not uncommon to see people decrease their fat intake too low and end up reducing their testosterone levels significantly.
Try to get some sources of healthy fats with every meal to make sure you don’t go too low..
Incorporate any form of clean & presses into your routines twice per week. This could be barbell clean & presses or using kettlebells or dumbbells. If I had to choose one exercise that burns the most calories and has the biggest impact on increasing your metabolic rate, I’d have to choose high intensity clean & presses (with squats and deadlifts being at the top of the pack also). I like alternating the use of barbells for C&P’s one workout and kettlebells for another.
The Clean and Press is a great total body exercise. If you want six pack abs you must do total body training. Training this way causes fat loss throughtout your body which in turn is what gives you those 6 pack abs.
The answer to the age-old question of “What is the best ab workout for losing stomach fat?” is…
None! Ab workouts alone don’t create enough of a metabolic response in your body to create fat loss.
As a trainer, nutrition specialist, and fitness professional, I often get asked what the best types of exercises and workouts are for losing stubborn stomach fat in order to bring out visible six pack abs. The problem is that most people with excess stomach fat looking to try to uncover their abs are searching for some “miracle abdominal workout” that is going to slash the fat off their abs in no time.
The thing is… they are going about the problem entirely the wrong way! The truth is that you don’t lose stomach fat by doing ab workouts.
The problem is that focusing most of your time and effort on abdominal exercises and abs workouts to try to flatten your stomach and bring out 6-pack abs is simply wasting your time from doing the correct workout programs that will acutally reduce your body fat for good.
If I were to choose an answer as to what the best exercises are for losing belly fat, my answer would include full body exercises such as the following:
Various forms of squats, lunges, deadlifts, clean & presses, snatches, swings, presses and pulls, mountain climbers, sprinting, etc.
These types of full body exercises would encompass a much higher percentage of the workouts I would design instead of abs exercises directly targeting the midsection. The way you combine those full body exercises into a strategic workout that maximizes your metabolism is also very important.
Don’t get me wrong… I do recommend a certain amount of exercises that directly target the abs and core, but these are only a small fraction of the programs I design for my clients as your time is better spent focusing on the full body exercises that stimulate the greatest hormonal and metabolic changes within the body. In addition, a side-effect of working out using mostly full body multi-joint combo exercises are that you indirectly work your entire midsection even though you are not specifically targeting the abs.
Keep in mind that the most important factor for losing belly fat to see your abs is actually in the nutrition arena. No matter how hard you workout, if your diet is full of junk, then your abdominals will be covered with ugly fat. Nutrition is without a doubt the “king of getting a six pack”.
So let’s clear this up for good…
Stop wasting so much of your time focusing on situps, crunches, leg raises, and all those silly worthless “ab contraptions” in your efforts to try to develop 6-pack abs. Instead focus on high intensity full body lifts using combination multi-joint exercises all strategically combined into highly effective fat loss workouts. Couple that with a healthy diet full of natural unprocessed whole foods as close to their natural state as possible, and those elusive six-pack abdominals will yours in no time!
Everyone will inadvertently hit a frustrating plateau in their training at one time or another. You’re cruising along for a while, gaining strength, losing fat, looking better, and then all of the sudden it hits. Suddenly, you find yourself even weaker than before on your lifts, or you find that you’ve gained back a couple of pounds. It happens to everyone. Most of the time, these plateaus occur because people rarely change their training variables over time. Many people stick to the same types of exercises for the same basic sets and reps and rest periods with the same boring cardio routine. Well, I hope to open your mind and bring some creativity to your workouts with this article!
There are many ways that you can strategically modify your training variables to assure that you maximize your
fat loss and/or muscle building response to exercise. Most people only think about changing their sets and reps performed, if they even think about changing their routine at all. However, other variables that can dramatically affect your results are changing the order of exercises (sequence), exercise grouping (super-setting, circuit training, tri-sets, etc.), exercise type (multi-joint or single joint, free-weight or machine based), the number of exercises per workout, the amount of resistance, the time under tension, the base of stability (standing, seated, on stability ball, one-legged, etc.), the volume of work (sets x reps x distance moved), rest periods between sets, repetition speed, range of motion, exercise angle (inclined, flat, declined, bent over, upright, etc), training duration per workout, and training frequency per week.
Sounds like a lot of different training aspects to consider in order to obtain the best results from your workouts, doesn’t it? Well, that’s where a knowledgeable personal trainer can make sense of all of this for you to make sure that your training doesn’t get stale. Below are a few examples to get your mind working to come up with more creative and result producing workouts.
Most people stick to workouts where they do something along the lines of 3 sets of 10-12 reps per exercise, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. Booooorrrrring! Here are a few examples of different methods to spice up your routine.
•Try 10 sets of 3, with only 20 seconds rest between sets.
•Try using a heavier weight and complete 6 sets of 6 reps, doing a 3 minute treadmill sprint between each weight lifting set.
•Try using a near maximum weight and do 10 sets of 1 rep, with 30 seconds rest between sets.
•Try using a lighter than normal weight and do 1 set of 50 reps for each exercise
•Try a workout based on only one full body exercise, such as barbell clean & presses or dumbbell squat & presses, and do nothing but that exercise for an intense 20 minutes.
•Try a workout based on all bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc.
•Try a circuit of 12 different exercises covering the entire body without any rest between exercises.
•Try that same 12 exercise circuit on your subsequent workout, but do the entire circuit in the reverse order.
•Try your usual exercises at a faster repetition speed on one workout and then at a super-slow speed on your next workout.
•Try completing five 30 minute workouts one week, followed by three 1-hr workouts the next week.
•Try doing drop sets of all of your exercises, where you drop the weight between each set and keep doing repetitions without any rest until complete muscular fatigue (usually about 5-6 sets in a row).
There are many more ways to continue to change your training variables. I hope this article gave you some ideas on methods for you to take your body to the next level.
Thanks to Mike Geary for this article:
Mike Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer (NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT) here in the US. He is the owner of Truthaboutabs.com and has authored the internationally selling book
The Truth about Six Pack Abs, with customers in over 50 countries world-wide. I’m also contributing writer for Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, a recognized “Platinum Expert Author” by Ezinearticles.com, and have had my fitness articles published on over 1000 fitness related websites around the world.
Six pack abs you want them but sometimes you get lazy (hey we all do) and don’t feel like working out. You know all the excuses we use to justify not to do something.
I found this and wanted to share it with you. Next time your feeling lazy look down at your abs then watch this.
6 Pack Abs Workout – Lose Body Fat Let’s Get Some Abs
High intensity workouts with some work for abs, core, and full body to take you to a new level of fitness in your quest for six pack abs and overall health and fitness.
Keep in mind that this workout I gave him uses bodyweight-only exercises, however, it is VERY intense and for people looking for advanced fitness levels.
With that said, keep in mind that if you’re not yet at an advanced level, you can still use this by simply using the basic format of the workout, and just do less of whatever exercises you struggle with, or choose an easier alternate exercise that’s similar.
Here goes…
To get to that next level in your workouts, we’re going to keep the intensity super high here and use the whole body. Keep rest periods short, and use full-body multijoint movements as much as possible.
I’ll give you a killer workout idea below that not only incorporates abs and entire core, but the entire body as well in an intense fashion. Not sure what (if any) equip you have available, so I’ll give you a great workout that’s bodyweight based. Here’s an example
Start with a 2-3 min warmup of light jogging, jumping jacks, or jump rope.
Then, move through these exercises in circuit fashion, one right after the other with only 10 seconds rest between each (repeat the circuit 3-5 times for a killer total body workout):
1. bodyweight squats – 12 reps
2. plyo pushups (clapping) – 10 reps
3. walking lunges up 6 steps and back 6 steps
4. floor mountain climbers for 30 seconds
5. lunge jumps – 6 reps to each side
6. lying leg thrusts (abs) on floor – 12 reps
7. squat jumps – 8 reps
8. side plank hold 30 seconds one side, then 30 sec opposite side
Rest 2 min after each circuit; repeat circuit 3-5x
Keep in mind this is a high intensity workout. Tone it down as I mention earlier and work up to the full load. Lose body fat and you are well on your way to those six pack abs.
I ask you to have an open mind and accept some ideas I’m going to throw at you today. If you can take full grasp of these ideas, take my word that this will be the most powerful secret you’ve ever discovered for attaining the exact body that you desire.
I’m basically going to take the concepts from the hit movie “The Secret” and show you how to apply it towards your fitness goals.
Keep in mind that this “ultimate secret” has nothing to do with our normal discussions of reps and sets. It has nothing to do with calories or fat or protein. It has nothing to do with cardio training or abs exercises. But once you discover the “Secret”, you will be on your way to the body of your dreams, or any other goals that you have in your life, for that matter.
Elite athletes have practiced the “Secret”. Champion bodybuilders have practiced the “Secret”. Virtually all of the most influential, powerful, wealthiest, and happiest people throughout history have either knowingly or not, practiced the “Secret”. Some didn’t even realize that they knew the “Secret”, but applying its power is the sole reason for their success. In today’s discussion, I’m simply putting a little twist on this “Secret” and applying it to your fitness goals. But in reality, it works for any of your goals and desires in life.
Before I reveal the “Secret”, I want to ask you a few questions today and I want you to answer the questions that are appropriate to your goals. I want you to be honest with yourself. If you discover that you have not accomplished your goals related to these questions, pay close attention, because I’m going to reveal to you how you can change this immediately and be on the path to achieving whatever it is that you want in life.
Do you currently have the body that you want?
Do you feel full of energy every single day?
Do you feel strong, confident, and proud of your body?
Do you feel that you have no physical limitation to be able to do whatever you want to do in life?
Do you want to be thinner?
Do you want more muscle?
Do you want sexy flat abs or a tighter butt?
You Can Have The Body You Have Always Wanted
The answers to these questions will be vastly different for everyone. Not everyone wants the same things. Not everyone has the same goals.
But the most important thing to realize, is that ANY of your goals can be achieved, no matter who you are, if you understand and APPLY the “Secret”. Alright, enough of the build-up. What exactly is the “Secret”? Drum roll please…..
The “Secret” lies within your mind and revolves around the powerful Law of Attraction. What you focus on becomes your reality. To put this another way, “What you resist, persists. Whatever you are feeling and thinking is a perfect reflection of what you will become”.
In other words, if all you ever focus on is how frustrated you are that you can never lose weight or get rid of that belly fat, then you are doomed to a flabby body forever, because you are actually creating that reality. On the other hand, if you focus on your successes with every ounce of your being, every single day, and continually feel in your mind what your dream body is going to be like, you will create that reality. The key point is that your thoughts and feelings must revolve around already having the body that you want. You must actually imagine daily that you are already living in your new body.
If you’re closed-minded, at this point in reading this article, you will probably say something like, “what is all of this gobbly-gook crap this idiot is talking about”. And then you will click away to another site, go back to your daily life, and continue to be frustrated by failing to achieve the body you want for the rest of your life.
On the other hand, if you’re open minded, and truly want to succeed, you will continue to read, absorb, and start to apply the “Secret”, and watch your body slowly become exactly what you want it to become.
I’ve discovered the “Secret” a couple years ago and how to apply this towards my other goals in life aside from fitness.
However, I also realized that the reason I’ve been successful with my fitness goals is that I’ve been unknowingly applying the “Secret” towards my fitness goals for many, many years now. I have always visualized exactly how I wanted my body to look, how energized I wanted to feel day in and day out, how strong and confident I wanted to feel. These visualizations led me on a constant mission to take massive daily ACTION towards exactly what I wanted.
So how do you get the exact body you want? Well, the first thing I want you to realize is that how you feel today and the body that you see in the mirror today is actually a combined result of how you have lived your life in the past… the habits, thoughts, and actions that you have taken throughout every single day that has preceded today. If your past has not given you the body you want today, the energy you want, the powerful feeling of health that you want, then you need to change your mindset and start taking immediate and massive action towards exactly what you want.
You need to visualize yourself living in that desired lean, strong body… feel the energy, vitality, and strength running through every inch of you. Imagine the confidence you feel. If you want it bad enough, you WILL achieve it, but it takes a BURNING DESIRE to succeed.
You need to keep running through this imagining process, and actually capture this “feeling” every single day, until the day comes that you realize that you have achieved your goals. If you practice this enough, you will attract into your life exactly what you want. Again, if all you focus on is your failures, and continue to think negatively, you will only attract more failures and negativity into your life.
Amazing things and amazing people have been coming into my life ever since I discovered the “Secret”. If you have an open mind and focus your entire being on what you want, it WILL come into your life. It starts with the mindset, and your journey towards your goals continues from there with massive action taken on a daily basis toward your goals. Once you get this process right, you CAN’T fail.
I will leave you with one more powerful quote that has totally transformed the way I think about what I can achieve in life:
“Whether you THINK that you can or can’t do something, either way, you are right”.
Read that one again, and believe it! It is a powerful shift in mindset that will change your life.
I want you to do me a favor and read this entire article over again and really start thinking about how you can apply it towards your goals. They don’t even have to be fitness goals. It can really be anything that you want to achieve.
Once you’ve got your mind in the right place, you are now ready to take massive action towards your goals starting now! Getting back to your fitness goals… If your goals revolve at all around losing body fat, tightening up your entire body, and creating an energy filled lifestyle, then a great place to get all of the information you need to achieve this and start taking action is in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book.
By the way, this book does not simply revolve around abs exercises. To be honest, the abs exercises are the LEAST important part of the book. The most important parts of the book are carrying out the nutritional program and compiling all of the training information into a full body training program to stimulate your metabolism and create the right hormonal environment in your body that removes body fat consistently.
Combining a fool-proof training and nutrition program such as this with the proper mindset and application of the “Secret”, will give you a very powerful solution to the lean-body that you desire.
All that stands now between you and your goals is getting your mindset right, and taking action!
I hope this article has given you some things to think about. I urge you to have an open mind and allow yourself to attract what you want into your life.
training has been overlooked as a viable weight loss method for way too long. Women are beginning to realize just how important a proper strength training routine is for their overall health.
Enhanced Performance in Sports, Exercise and Life In General – The benefits of strength training for women all boil down to one point- a better overall quality of life. We can perform our favorite activities with more ease and less pain. We are able to increase our health and mental state from a regular strength training routine.
Like all things, if you have the right knowledge and apply it patiently, you will have results – sexy flat abs. And ‘The Truth About Six Pack Abs’ highlights many of the things you must do and avoid to get flat abs fast.
