Shane Miller is Your Strength and Fat Loss Coach

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 5-8

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:56:00 +0000

Well I was hoping to get progress reports from Greg all the way through, but Greg's been focused on more important things like his training and diet. And trust me, he's been nailing it!

Greg's the ideal client. He does exactly what you say.. to a T. Can't ask for more. When you see him onstage on Saturday, you'll see what all his hard work has produced!

Gonna be sick!

So in lieu of his reports, here's more progress pics we took each week.

Week 5

Week 5

The flash on my camera still severely washes out the definition in these pics... ahhh.. to have the right lighting!

Week 6

Week 6

Only a little bit of water left in the lower back... pretty tight otherwise!

Week 7

Week 7

No week 8 pic... sorry guys..

You'll have to come to the show to see the final result!

It's pretty freaking dramatic!

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Here's the week 4 progress report on Greg's pre-contest diet for this Sat, Nov 6 bodybuilding show.

If you don't have tickets yet, you can get them here:

http://ottawachampionships.typepad.com/tickets/

Week 4

Hey Shane!

This week I'm starting to look really lean. I am definitely dropping the last bit of fat. I have my eating down and training. My cardio is finally figured out. Morning cardio bike, nice and easy. And this week I have been doing cardio post workout, treadmill. No fat left on stomach and back fat going quick. Come Friday should be shredded, depleted but shredded. Feeling good still.

Week 4

I will say though, the low carb days are starting to get me a little loopy! All good though! I'll make it!

Gonna hit my peak perfectly!

- Greg

** As you can see, as the weeks go on and the calories and carbs get a little lower, the comments start to get less and less as "thinking" becomes something you want to spare for the really important stuff! LOL

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:22:00 +0000

Here's Greg Charron's report on his third week of dieting for the Ottawa Bodybuilding Contest which takes place on Sat Nov 6th.

Week 3 - Pre-Contest Diet

A bit of a different spin this week. Since I only decided to compete 8 weeks out from the show, things have really had to move quickly. This week has been no exception. Because I was eating so little in the beginning, the first two weeks of high calories as Shane explained were to boost my metabolism. I guess I knew lower calories would have to come, and this week it has.

Week 3

The low carb days definitely affect my energy, but I only do the low carb days for two or three days and even then the carbs climb, and the fats drop, keeping my calories low, but helping to stimulate leptin (the master fat burning hormone as Shane calls it!)

Week 3

Aside from what Shane is doing diet-wise, I'm finally getting the hang of taking the fluctuating numbers he gives me and organizing them into my 7 daily meals. One thing that I've been surprised at is the variety of foods I'm allowed to eat. I'd spoken to a few other people about contest diets and pretty much everything I heard was about chicken and broccoli, but with Shane's diet, I'm eating gourmet everything. I'm allowed all veggies, all fruit, all meat, butter, natural peanut butter.. pretty much everything I used to eat. The difference is how foods are combined, and when during the day I eat things.

Since I love to cook, it's great I'm eating like a King, and getting into the best shape of my life at the same time! Still with 5 weeks to go, I'm sure some of this will change at some point.

We met again on Friday morning and took more photos of my mandatory poses. We reviewed them, and Shane gave me his feedback. We were both impressed with the changes that have happened in just 3 weeks. My shoulders are starting to show striations my chest had grown, and my arms are showing an improved peak and detail. My right quadriceps had almost reached the left leg in size. I'll admit, I have decent genetics, but never thought my body could change like this. Clearly, having the right coach is a huge deal when it comes to making this kind of progress!

At this point I'm starting to feel like I may actually be a true contender at the show.

- Greg

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report - Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:20:00 +0000

Here's week 2 of Greg Charron's Pre-contest diet for the Ottawa Bodybuilding Contest on Sat Nov 6th.

Second Week of Diet

The first week out of the way, I feel much more confident with how the diet works. Not to mention the obvious of working really hard in the gym and being strict. The way Shane has explained it to me, I know if I follow his instructions to a T, I will be in the best shape in my life come show day!

Week 2

This week I'm noticing my muscles are getting bigger, and I'm getting leaner at the same time. I always thought that wasn't possible, but it's exactly what's happening. My mood is also much better, but I guess that's due to the dramatic increase in calories. Another benefit to this increased calorie intake is my energy for training is way up there now.

It's really been great, I've often got questions about how or why my diet and training are set a certain way, and Shane always has an answer that actually makes sense to me. Even when it's pretty technical, he makes it seem simple to understand, which definitely increases my confidence with what I'm doing!

Week 2

I met with Shane on Friday morning and he took progress pics again. I was so happy with my quick results and so was Shane... It's a good thing when your coach is pleased!

Shane's eye for shape and symmetry must come in part from his 17 years of judging bodybuilding shows. I was shocked to learn that.. but to be honest, it was also one of the reasons I hired him. On top of knowing his stuff when it comes to training and diet, he's got an almost unfair advantage by knowing exactly what the judges are looking for. So when we work on posing, he's got amazing tips on how to present my body in the best possible way!

I also bug Shane quite a bit on ideas for areas that I don't find respond well to my training, and he's always got tips that not only sound good, but seem to really work! I think you'll see what I mean come the day of the show!

Shane and I have a really good working relationship. It's like a race car driver. He's not much good to the pit crew manager if he does not know how to talk about his car and the issues at hand. He gives me new instructions for the next week, and I follow them verbatim, and presto.. results!

Can't wait for each week!

- Greg

Ottawa Bodybuilding Precontest Diet Progress Report

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 19:48:00 +0000

We're back today with Greg Charron's Ottawa bodybuilding precontest diet progress report. Here's his week 1 comments and progress pics.


Front - Week 1

Back - Week 1

Monday Sept 13th, 2010

Week 1

I received my diet instructions Monday evening. At first it was overwhelming, but at the same time exciting. I studied the pages printed over and over and anything I was unsure of, I responded with a list of questions. Shane was always prompt and detailed with his responses.

Because I had been eating like a bird (around 2000 calories per day), by the second day of eating well over 3,000 calories, I could already see significant changes. I had more energy, my muscles appeared more full, and they certainly felt harder. I was also sweating like crazy! My internal furnace was revving up!

With all this extra energy, my workouts also really improved. I was happy, and only after 2 days! I looked forward to how things would shape up in the days and weeks to come.

On Friday when we met for the second assessment, I was really impressed with the changes, and more importantly, so was Shane! I could tell I was on the right track with plenty of time to go until the show.

- Greg

I'll be back tomorrow with Greg's week 2 progress report.

Please post your comments below.

Ottawa Bodybuilding Coach and Trainer Discusses Pre- Contest Diet Methods

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:07:00 +0000

Recently, an old old friend contacted me about getting my help in preparation for the upcoming Ottawa Bodybuilding Championships on November 6th.

I wanted to document his transformation so you can see what I do, and I asked Greg if he would give me a brief week by week synopsis of his experience working with me from the initial assessment we did right up to how he feels after he won. Ooops.. I mean right up until after the show. (hehehe)

Here's Greg's email to me with his feelings on the initial assessment.

Initial assessment Sept 8th 2010

Sept 9th, 2010

Initial Assessment

I decided to do a Bodybuilding show for the first time in my life this fall with only 8 weeks to the show date.

I was referred to Shane Miller from a good friend that had consulted with Shane in his hay day of bodybuilding competitions, Jake Guay. I had admired Jake and his commitment to the sport due to his level of conditioning that he came into every show with. He credits much of his success to Shane Miller.

This was enough for me, I was now confident with my decision to go with Shane.

In my initial meeting with Shane he assessed my physique and where I was at 8 weeks out. There was some issues that he had addressed. And these needed to be heard if I wanted to improve.

First, I lacked in certain body parts such as Chest and Biceps/Triceps. Beyond merely which bodyparts needed improvement, he went on to address issues with posture as well, which is very important when it comes to presenting your body on stage.

For starters my right shoulder dropped and both rolled forward. Second, my left Quad was noticeably bigger than my right. Shane took photos and showed me so I could see for myself what needed to be worked on.

I couldn't believe it! But I knew right then and there that Shane was a guy that was all about detail -- an obviously important thing in bodybuilding.

I also provided him with a breakdown of my current diet. And although I pride myself in learning as much as I can about nutrition, clearly, I still had so much to learn. I wasn't eating nearly enough for 200 lb guy. I was eating like a bird!

After assessing my body we had discussions about what to expect and what not to. He provided me with a set of instructions to follow until he came up with his game plan that would be give me 5 days later. I was to be assessed and pictures to be taken every Friday.

- Greg

I'll be back tomorrow with week 1 of Greg's progress report, as well as some pics documenting his progress.

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

Aylmer Personal Trainer Reveals How to Build Muscle Build an Awesome Back

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Awesome Muscle Building for Your Back!

Undoubtedly, a well developed back is the hallmark differentiator between those who train the "show" muscles, and those who train the "go" muscles.

Arnold's flawless back development!

A well developed back is unmistakable. Starting with the upper traps, the mid and lower traps and the rhomboids, as well as the lats and even , when bent forwards, the lumbar (erector group) musculature pops out as to thick ridges that run beside the spine.

Additionally, for athletes, strong and balanced back development helps to prevent injuries and keeps you in the game and in the gym so your training can continue uninterrupted by injuries.

Guaranteed, if you think you can forgo the important stuff, just to work on the show muscles, you'll be hit up with an injury that can keep you out of the game for years!

Don't Risk Injury... Train Serious, But Train Smart! (TSTS)

Considerations for Awesome Muscle Building Training For Your Back

1. Exercise Selection

Deadlifts

If you could only do one exercise for back, I would say Deadlifts would be your best choice, but thankfully we can do more than one exercise. Deadlifts are the exercise that will best allow you to express your strength and develop top end strength, but they take a toll on your recovery, so while you need to do them, they shouldn't be your main focus. Do them once a week, or even once every two weeks cycled in in place of a squat exercise.

Safe and effective deadlift technique:

Ensure back is in neutral arch, brace abdominals forcefully. Begin movement by "pushing" the floor away from you. Maintain the same upper body to floor angle until your legs are nearly straight, then using glutes and hamstrings, pull your hips inwards, squeezing your butt as your upper body pulls up into the finish position. Be sure to lock your knees out and continue to brace your abdominals hard as you squeeze your glutes to pull you into the finish. If you don't keep your abdominal brace and lock your knees out, and you pull your glutes in hard, you increase the risk of injury to your back!

Remember: SAFETY ALWAYS FIRST!

Overload with chains, bands, partials

Here's a short video I put together that shows you the exact description above in action.

How to Deadlift for a Massive Back!

Pull-ups and Chin-ups

Pull-ups and chin-ups are the most important exercise for you to do on a regular basis. They are heavily reliant on the CNS, and thus contribute to significant strength gains that have massive carry-over to many other exercises.

Band-assisted Pull-ups (start)

Because of the stretch position at the bottom, they are also excellent for adding mass to your back. Repeated studies have shown that muscles grow best when loads are applied to muscles in a stretched position.

And if those reasons aren't enough, pull-ups and chin-ups will teach you to leave your ego at the door. I can't tell you how many times when I used to work at silly commercial gyms I would see big muscular guys doing partial range of motion cable pulldowns with 200+ pounds on the rack, yet they could barely do 5 chin-ups. This is just not acceptable, and if you're an athlete, you'll just plain suck if this is your situation!

Don't be that guy! (Or girl!!)

Band-assisted Pull-ups (finish)

Pull-ups and their variations are the meat and potatoes of your back
training program.

Because there are so many variations, you can get even up to three good pull-up workouts into a single week. At that volume (3x per week), they'll all have to be different, but that's the beauty of it! You get way more benefit.

Here's an example:

Monday: Parallel-grip pull-ups 5x8 (strength with strength capacity)
Wednesday: Weighted Chin-ups 6x3 (strength)
Friday: Wide-grip band-assisted pull-ups 3x20 (conditioning)

Overload with: bands, chains, plates, etc...

Bent-over rows/Seated rows

All forms of rows rely on lower back strength to hold your body in position (except for chest-supported varieties), which makes your ultimate strength in the movement reliant on your current low back condition. If you've already done deadlifts in your workout, chances are you wont' be setting any strength records in your rows training.

Rows are great for adding additional training volume, and to ensure you have good scapular retraction and depression strength, which is ultimately important for helping with your bench.

Warning: Don't do deadlifts and then a bent-over variation of rows. It's just too much for the back. A good combination is some form of pull-up first, followed by rows. If hitting rows is a must after deadlifts then use one of the chest-supported variety.

Keep a variety of rowing movements in your program including from the bottom up: seated rows, bent-over dumbbell or barbell rows, wide-grip elbows out barbell, dumbbell, or seated rows, rope face pulls with elbows below shoulder height, rope face pulls with elbows above shoulder height (very important to help encourage mid- and low-trap recruitment patterns - helps to overcome rhomboid dominance patterns), dumbbell or barbell shrugs, and overhead shrugs with dumbbells or barbells. Variety helps prevent boredom too!

Overload with rest/pause, pre-fatigue, giant sets, etc...

Lower Back
The lower back may be small compared to the upper back, but the importance of it's development in size, strength, and conditioning cannot be overstated!

Reverse Hypers (controlled movement)

You can Deadlift, Chin, and Row all day long, but if you don't develop your lower back properly, you'll pay the price with either slow progress in the rest of your back and leg development or worse become injured!

To keep your lower back strong and well conditioned include back extensions, 45 degree back extensions, and reverse hypers in your training. For all three, brace the abdominals, maintain a neutral arch, and move from your hips. These exercises also target the hams and glutes but with much lower loads than main lifts like deadlifts.

Overload with dumbbells / kettlebells / plates / bands / medballs / barbell

2. Exercise Intensity

Yes you need volume for adding mass, but you're not going to add any mass or get any stronger if you're always lifting puny weights. Don't be gun-shy here!

Exercise intensity is inversely related to how many reps you can manage per set. Depending on whether your goal for the training phase is more strength or hypertrophy, each exercise group has a repetition range you can choose from.

Main lifts (like deadlifts) 1-5 reps
Pull-ups and chins 3-20 reps
Bent-over/seated rows 6-15
1-arm rows 6-12
Back extensions/45 degree back xt/reverse hypers 10-20 reps

Point is, even if you are going for size, make sure you've got blocks of training where you go heavy, choosing weights that put you in the low end repetition ranges. Without some heavy training, you just aren't going to get bigger or stronger PERIOD!

3. Training Volume

The body's limited ability to recover from intense training necessitates a lower overall training volume as training intensity increases.

If you've been doing a higher volume (3-4 exercises, 3-4 sets, 8-15 reps) to build some size, and you're moving into a strength phase, your volume might look more like 3-4 exercises, 1-5 sets, 3-8 reps.

Getting stronger is not a function of trying to beat your max every time you hit the gym, and continually adding more exercises to your program. Getting stronger relies on recovery. So train with 70-85% of your max on a regular basis, staying away from failure on most of your sets. Periodically you can push out some RM (repetition max) sets (where you train to failure) or push up into the 90-93% range for just a few sets of just a few reps, and finally every so often (4 weeks to 4 months) you can go for a new max.

If you've been training longer than 6 months, a deload week every 3-5 weeks will help tremendously with managing your overall volume.

A Deload week is not a NO-LOAD week.. it's NOT a week where you don't go to the gym. It's not a vacation from training although it should feel like one in the sense that your body gets a rest. But a proper deload week involves going in and hitting your lifts with significantly lighter weights (60-65% 1RM) for a much reduced volume (50%).

The goal for your deload week is to practice your technique, work on weak points (i.e. rotator cuff strength, hip strength, flexibility, mobility, soft-tissue work, etc...). At the end of your deload week your body should feel rested and your mind should feel ready to hit the gym with ferocity come Monday!

4. Balanced Training

The worst cause for lack of progress is injuries. Other than using safe exercise technique and using deload weeks to help with recovery, the best way to prevent injuries and ensure continued training progress is to use a balanced training program.

The only saving grace when you see meatheads at the gym who walk around like they're king shit, only training their chest and arms, is that they're likely just a short time away from suffering a good injury that'll keep them out of the gym and out of your way so you can get your training done and not have to see them!

Here's a few balance pointers:
1. Horizontal press vs. horizontal pull (row)
2. Vertical presses vs vertical pull
3. Anterior shoulder vs. posterior shoulder
4. Horizontal row with elbows down (seated row) vs. horizontal row with elbows up (face pulls)
5. Always hitting some external rotator cuff work at least once a week.

Band pull-aparts to chest

Finally, make sure you do the small stuff... external rotator cuff, band pull-aparts, face pulls... and do your soft tissue with the roller and/or lacrosse ball... this is the stuff that keeps the shoulders able to handle the heavy stuff.

Soft-tissue work removes adhesions and scar tissue, helps mobilize tissue around the joints, and helps mobilize the thoracic spinal segments and ribs too!

Here's a couple sample back workouts for massive size and strength:

Workout 1
Deadlifts 5x5
Pull-ups 7x3 (weighted)
Face Pulls 3x15

Workout 2
Deadlifts 3x3
Chin-ups 5x10
Chest-supported rows 4x12
DB Shrugs 3x15
Band external rotator cuff 3x20

Give these a try and let me know how it goes!

Top Five Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight and How To Fix It

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:17:00 +0000

Top Five Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight, How To Fix It

I'll Give You A Hint!

Losing weight, or more importantly, losing body fat is an obsession in North America. Doesn't matter where you turn, weight loss and fat loss ads are everywhere. Today, almost everyone is more educated about nutrition and health than ever before, yet our population continues to punch yet another hole in their belt to encompass their growing bellies. Kind of ironic... like the more we try to learn about it, the worse the problem becomes... strange... or is it?

Selling You The Solution

So yes, there's a problem that in my opinion was partly created by the food industry, but now, as if selling you 2L Super Big Gulps with over a thousand calories of pure sugar wasn't bad enough, the same people who got you fat (the food industry) are trying to sell you the solution.

HUGE RED FLAG!

It's crazy! I was renting a movie not too long ago and when I got to the cash, you know how they have chocolate bars and chips and all that set up as impulse buys, well there was this chocolate bar and when I saw it I almost lost it!

Here's this damn thing, with huge letters all across it advertising the fact that it only has 80 calories per bar. But the killer is that its price... wait for it... $3.99

Four fricken dollars for 80 calories? I can head down to McDonalds and get at least 500 calories for a measly 4 bux!

What a rip off!

Yet people buy this crap all the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting 500 cal at McFatties is any better... but I'm just trying to say that big industry is ripping you off and making you fatter in the process.

They can give you 1/5th of the calories and charge triple the amount. Huh? Who the hell ever agreed to that?

Well you do every time you buy this garbage.

If you're eating properly, you can eat a REGULAR old chocolate bar from time to time (remember the 90/10 rule) and it won't end up as stored fat at all.

The problem is that when you're wired to eat more calories, spending $4 on an 80 calorie chocolate bar does NOTHING to solve the problem. Want to solve the problem? Stop buying crap,eat good, natural foods, and exercise more!

Now that I've vented a little, I feel better. Here's the Top Five Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight and How to Fix it!

Starting with number 5.

5. Nutritional Knowledge - Paralysis by Analysis!

You do NOT have to know much about nutrition to lose weight. Our grandparents knew virtually nothing about nutrition and when it was necessary, they could lose weight. How? They moved more and ate less!

One of the main reasons for our society's growing obesity issue is that people who need to lose weight hide behind searching for the HOLY GRAIL diet that will guarantee them the most healthy and effective way to lose weight.

So instead of grabbing an apple and heading out for a bike ride, they get on the internet and spend hours trying to "learn" as much as they can about how to lose weight and get in shape.

Then, hours later, they're famished, and they raid their fridge and plow back a "low fat" bagel with "zero sugar added" jam... because that's what they happened to read on the latest diet-guru website. Of course they also vow to get back to the gym on Monday.

Folks.. acquiring information does NOT produce RESULTS! Only ACTION produces RESULTS!

Of course I'm not telling you to stop reading my newsletters as a trusted source of information is important to have when you really need it! ;)

4. Cooking Ability

Before I met my wife, I basically ate everything just boiled or baked with not much else than salt and pepper for flavour. I ate what I was supposed to, because I WANTED the results you get from eating the right stuff.

Of course, now, food tastes much better and I don't think I could ever go back to eating tuna straight out of the can... or worse.. mixed with my oats as I would often do.

But if you're spoiled and food has to taste good or you won't eat it, then learn how to cook nutritious meals. Prepping and cooking your foods, and then preparing meals doesn't have to take as long as you might think.

I've set up a Kitchen Bootcamp at the Urban Element, and if you haven't booked your spot yet, please email me ASAP to reserve your spot! We'll be covering meal planning, groceries, preparing, storing, and finally meal preparing along with many different spice combinations for different types of dishes.

While cooking ability isn't a MUST for losing weight, it definitely has to be in my Top 5!

3. Not Being Honest With Yourself!

As a coach, I hear excuses all the time. And the only thing worse than hearing other people's excuses is having to hear your own.

"I only drink zero-sugar juice"

"I'm starting to workout again next week so eating (whatever junk) this won't matter"

"I'm big boned"

"My metabolism is slow"

These are just a few examples of excuses people make all the time.

You can justify them all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an excuse. In this life you can either have excuses or you can have results, but understand, they're on opposite sides of a balance.

So if there's even just a tiny part of you deep inside that actually wants results... you have to STOP MAKING EXCUSES!

2. Fear of Hard Work!

This one has to trump them all... well, all except for the number one reason that is. If you head over to the recumbent bicycle at the gym, and "very carefully" set yourself at 60% of your maximum heart rate to ensure that you don't "accidentally" get out of the fat burning zone, then I'm sorry, but you'll probably always be battling your weight.

Yes, it will work for some people, and hey, good for you if you can get what you want with the bare minimum effort, and if you are able to lose weight like this, the only thing you'll lack is any real fitness and conditioning levels. But I don't imagine you'd care anyway.

If you are serious about developing a powerful, well conditioned, and LEAN MEAN FAT-LESS MACHINE, then stop worrying about whether you leave the fat burning zone, and see how hard you can work for a change.

If you look like this after you finish training, you can bet your sweet tooth that you'll get the body you want!

Nothing, and I repeat, Nothing Beats Hard Work!

1. You CANNOT Out-Train A Bad Diet!

The 90/10 rule is a beautiful thing. It allows us to eat anything we want in reasonable quantities and still lose weight. Gone are the days when you must be ultra strict to ever lose any weight.

The truth is, there never was a time when you actually had to be ultra strict to lose any weight. We know now more than anything the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT part of losing weight is consistency of your actions.

That said, if you are consistently eating badly, or you're actually following the 70/30 rule, or worse yet the 60/40 or any other combination... YOU WONT GET WHAT YOU WANT!

It is IMPOSSIBLE to train enough to make up for a bad diet. So if you've been having dessert every night, or eating crap cafeteria food every day at lunch, or eating well Monday-Thursday, then binging from Friday-Sunday... you just won't get the results you're after!

Time to be brutally honest with yourself. Use a food journal and keep track of what you eat for a while and it will stare you back in the face, as plain as day. Once you can admit that you're eating the wrong stuff too much, the 90/10 rule is just NOT that hard to switch to. You still get some goods on a regular basis, and you'll get the body you want!

Is that too much to ask?

BONUS REASON

Of course no top 5 list of why you aren't losing weight would be complete without mention of exercise. The type of exercise you do can make a huge difference in whether you lose weight or not.

If you're using the latest fitness equipment gimmick, you'll likely fall off as fast as you hopped on. And while treadmills, lifecycles, and elliptical machines can help you burn off stored body fat, you'll spend more than twice as much time on them to burn just half the body fat you would if you performed high-intensity intervals with full body exercises.

If you've been hearing about this high-intensity interval training stuff for a while now but aren't really sure what the fuss is all about, I run a bootcamp that is easily the toughest thing you'll ever do, but NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will strip the fat off you as quickly!

Don't believe me? I'll give you three completely free sessions to try it and see for yourself. Even after that, once you join, I'll give you a full 30 days in case you change your mind.

If you want to try it, head over to www.YourBeachBodyBootCamp.com and sign-up for your free trial. If you've already entered your name and email at the bootcamp website but have not activated your trial, go to www.shanmillerfitness.com/bootcamp/trial.php and get started today!

Massive Arms Crazy Biceps Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:02:00 +0000

Massive Arms, Crazy Biceps Part 1

BUILD HUGE ARMS BY TRAINING SMARTER

Developing a crazy set of arms requires intelligent development of both the biceps and the triceps. This article is devoted to the biceps, and we'll discuss building the triceps in part 2 next week.

In general the lack of well developed biceps is usually not for lack of effort, but rather for lack of intelligent training principles.

Here's the typical gym rat's biceps routine:

Barbell biceps curls 3x8

Seated dumbbell curls 3x10

Concentration curls 3x12

This routine isn't without merit as it does train through three different repetition ranges from lower to higher. This increases glycogen depletion and overall muscle fatigue--both of which are indicators for increased muscle growth, but the angles of arm flexion and therefore range of motion of the first two exercises are the same. Only the third exercise gives us some additional benefit by training into a position of peak contraction. But this routine misses a huge part of overall biceps development... the brachialis.

To understand how to make biceps training more effective, a little anatomy lesson is required.

As you can see the Brachialis is a thick muscle that lies in behind the Biceps Brachii. When most people train their biceps, they focus on the biceps brachii and completely neglect the Brachialis.

As you can see in the above diagram, the Brachialis is quite thick, and its development often makes all the difference between a good arm and a great arm.

Because of it's position in behind the Biceps Brachii, developing it not only physically adds bulk to the arm, but if you organize the training properly, you can elicit even greater growth of the Biceps Brachii by first training the Brachialis.

If you'll recall, the MOST important thing you can ever do to create muscle growth is to apply tension to a muscle while it is in a stretched position. Nothing else creates the same level of stimulus for growth.

So how might we optimize biceps training to achieve this?

Here's how:

Exercise 1: Barbell Curls 3x6

This exercise is heavy, to produce overload to all the structures.

Exercise 2: Prone Incline DB Hammer Curls 3x12

Because of the line of pull, this exercise really hammers the Brachialis without significantly fatiguing the Biceps Brachii. This exercise will also help with development of the Brachioradialis of the forearm. We keep the reps higher on this one to ensure the Brachialis is heavily pumped by the end of all your sets.

Exercise 3: Incline Dumbbell Curls 3x10

Due to the attachment of the long head of the Biceps Brachii at the back of the shoulder, the incline bench position puts the Biceps Brachii is in a very stretched position as the elbow reaches full extension.

Inclined Dumbbell Curls

Arnold Knew The Secrets

Compound the already stretched muscle with a heavily pumped Brachialis, which if you'll recall lies directly beneath the Biceps Brachii, and you've got an unmatched situation for loading the Biceps Brachii in a stretched position.

WARNING:

Due to the incredible stretch at the bottom of the incline dumbbell curl (especially after hammering the Brachialis), the biceps tendon attachments are more susceptible to injury from abuse.

For this reason, be sure to start with a weight that is light enough that you could do 20 reps with it normally, and just do your 10. Trust me your arms will be destroyed after this. And if not, go a little heavier on the next set. The point is, it's always better to be on the safe side than injure yourself.

And as always, please leave any egos at the door.

Give this routine a try and let me know what you think!

Build Freakish Leg Size And Strength

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:34:00 +0000

How to Build Freakish Leg Size And Strength, Exercise Selection

Building freakish leg size and strength more than anything else requires a lot of suffering. Even the most genetically elite (and assisted) strength athletes and bodybuilders like Tom Platz (shown below alongside Lou Ferrigno aka The Incredible Hulk), put themselves through absolute torture to build their insane legs.

Tom Platz & Lou Ferrigno aka The Incredible Hulk

But take note of the difference in the leg size between Tom Platz a popular bodybuilder back in the 1980's and Lou Ferrigno who is best known for his non-speaking role in The 1980's TV series The Incredible Hulk.

What makes legs grow so differently? Genetics definitely play a role, but the willingness to suffer is the number one requirement for big freaky legs. (Apparently the Incredible Hulk wasn't very masochistic). After that, exercise selection is the next most important thing for developing freakish leg size and strength.

Deconstruction of The Squat

It has been proven repeatedly that muscles undergo the most growth and increases in strength when the load is applied to a muscle in a stretched position.

And while the Back Squat is hailed as the king of all leg exercises, squats are not the best

exercise for placing a stretch on the quads and glutes. However, in defense of squats, as this article isn't here to bash them, rarely do you see a set of incredibly strong and huge legs where full, deep squats were not part of the equation.

But ultimately when you squat, your legs generally aren't the weak link. The lower back usually gives out before the legs do, which is usually why most people move on to do another leg exercise after squats.

Exercise Selection

Most people follow up their squats with leg extensions, and while they may be the icing on the cake for the elite level bodybuilder, 99% of you need far more hamstring and glute development before you worry about whatever little extra leg extensions might give you.

The Split-Leg Squat is in my opinion the best leg exercise ever.

Types of Split-Leg Squats

Usually we refer to split-leg squats just as split squats.

1. Barbell or dumbbell split squats

2. Barbell held in racked (front squat) position

3. Front foot elevated split squats

4. Rear foot elevated split squats aka Bulgarian split squats (shown in video below)

5. Front and rear foot elevated split squats

6. Lateral split squats

7. Jumping split squats

8. Feet switching jumping split squats

Good Exercise Selection Here

He's doing it right!

Ways to increase overload

1. Increase the load

2. Increase the time-under-tension (TUT)

3. Increase the range of motion (with foot-elevated variations)

4. Increase the speed of the concentric action

5. Decrease the speed of the eccentric action

6. Include isometric segments

7. Include ballistic or plyometric components (jumping)

8. Use of chains with barbell

9. Use of asymmetric loads (with dumbbells)

Darwin's Theory of Evolution Hard at Work!

NOPE!

If your coach or trainer has you doing this... fire them fast!

Benefits of Bulgarian Split Squats

1. Extra stretch in rectus femoris of trailing leg

2. Greater range of motion for front-leg glute

3. Increased recruitment of hip stabilizers

4. Increased recruitment of core musculature

5. Builds muscles faster because of stretch

6. Can train muscles more deeply into fatigue

7. Producing higher growth hormone elevation

8. Which reduces body fat

One of the beautiful things about Bulgarian split squats is that muscle growth occurs more quickly than with any other leg exercise.

Think about this for a minute. If you're currently squatting 300 lbs for 3 reps. And your legs measure 26 inches around, how much will you need to be squatting and how long will it take before your legs are 30 inches?

If you're squatting 300 lbs for 3 reps, and you aren't doing Bulgarian or other types of split squats, you may find you get brutally sore when you first start, so go easy until you're used to them.

But I'd guess you might be able to do 3-4 sets of 15 reps with 35-40 lb dumbbells within a few weeks of starting. But you'll quickly be able to move up in weight and volume and you'll notice a huge difference in the size of your legs.

If you only keep doing squats it might take you 2 more years to be doing 400 lbs for 3 reps, but in that two years if you make your way up to 4-5 sets of 15 reps with 65-85 lb dumbbells, your quads will have exploded much more than if you just focused on squats and leg extensions for example.

Watch this video to learn proper form:

Notes:

- erect torso (no forward lean)

- deep descent (knee to floor)

- front leg weight even across foot

- knee does not extend significantly past toe

So how would you include Bugarian split squats in a training program?

Just like this:

Sample Workout 1

Foam Rolling

T-Spine

Quads

Lats

Hams

Dynamic Stretching

Quads

Hip Flexors

Hamstrings

Glutes

Static Stretching

Pecs

Lats

Activation

Glute bridges

Clams

Mobility

Squat to stand

Cossack squats

Striders

Strength Work

Exercise / Purpose

Squats 5x3 / For overall strength

Bulgarian split squat* 3x12 / Glute and quad activation and hypertrophy

*(with front foot elevated)

Romanian deadlifts 5x8 / Hamstring hypertrophy

Side-lying hip abduction 3x20 / Hip strength

Side-lying shoulder external rotations / External rotation strength

Sample Workout 2

Foam Rolling

Quads

T-Spine

IT Bands

Pecs

Lacrosse Ball

Glutes

Rectus Femoris (top)

Piriformis

Calves

Dynamic Stretching

Quads

Hams

Hip Flexors

Pecs

Static Stretching

Lats

Activation

Glute bridges

Band X-walking

Band pull-aparts to chest

Scarecrows

Mobility

Squat to stand

Band dislocates

Strength Work

Exercise / Purpose

Front Squats 4x5 / For quad strength

Rack Pull Partial Deadlifts 5x6 / For hip extension strength

Suspended Pushups / Shoulder conditioning

Bulgarian Split Squats 5x15 / Quad, glute, and ham hypertrophy

Bent-over barbell rows 4x12 / Upper back strength and size

Farmer's walk 3x50 steps / Core strength / conditioning

There you have it!

Now get to the gym right away and do one of these workouts and let me know how you liked them Bulgarian split squats.

I'll bet they kill your legs more than everything else!

Kitchen Boot Camp Fat-Loss Friendly Food Preparation and Cooking Class

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:44:00 +0000

If you've been reading my newsletters for any time you already know that nutrition is the number one thing you have to nail for fat loss to occur.

So what's the big deal and why isn't everyone losing weight?

Most people will say they are too busy to plan, purchase groceries, prepare foods in advance, and cook.

But in reality, nobody is too busy to do it, most people just don't know exactly what they need to do, and HOW to do it efficiently, so they end up grabbing whatever is fast and easy (= processed junk) and their health and body is ruined in the process.

So to help you guys really figure this stuff out once and for all, I've teamed up with Carley Schelck, owner of The Urban Element, to to provide a 3 hour hands on food preparation and cooking class.

We're going to call it Kitchen Boot Camp!

The Urban Element (on Parkdale)

Carley is going to provide us with her Master Chef who is also a registered dietician to teach us the most efficient ways to prepare our foods in bulk, and will show us how to prepare 5 and 15 minute meals based on the nutrition principles I teach in my 7 Day Fat Loss Guide.

The course will cover:

1. How to plan your meals for the week in advance

2. How to 'safely' navigate the grocery store

3. How to prepare your foods in advance

4. Food storage and safety.

5. How to combine your prepared foods to create quick 5 minute and 15 minute meals.

6. How to spice foods for fat-loss friendly flavour.

You will leave with printed copies of all the recipes we cook in the class as well as a few extras.

The reason that this class is going to be so effective at helping you with your fat-loss goals is that it is not just a course where you sit and watch. Yes, you will sit and watch at first, but then you will DO!

And true learning only occurs when you DO things!

You will actually clean, cut, and prepare all your veggies and meats, put them into storage containers as though you were going to stock your own fridge. Then you'll actually choose from your containers and put together quick and easy yet nutritious meals. You'll make some meals that take only 5 minutes for when you're really under the gun, and you'll also make some others that take 15 minutes for when you still need quick, but not mad quick! ;)

The class will be 3 hours long, and will be on either a Thursday or Sunday evening from 6pm-9pm.

Included will also be two glasses of wine expertly paired to the meals we cook and eat.

If you aren't familiar with the Urban Element, it is that gorgeous new place in the old fire station on Parkdale Avenue.

Please visit their website to check it out: www.theurbanelement.ca

Spaces are limited to between 20-30 and will fill up very fast. Availability is on a first come first serve basis.

The cost for the entire event is $100 plus tax. Spots can be reserved with a deposit of $50.

I don't try to sell you guys on very much, because I don't buy into most of the B.S. that is out there, but this is different. This is huge value! The skills you will learn in this class are essential to keeping fat-loss friendly eating habits for the rest of your life.

So now I AM trying to sell you on this! And I'm not making a penny on it! I just really believe in this and I want you to do it!

For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact:

Carley or Oliver at 613.722.0885 x101/102

carley@theurbanelement.ca or oliver@theurbanelement.ca

Supercompensation and the Progressive Overload Dilemma

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:05:00 +0000

So what exactly is Supercompensation and the Progressive Overload Dilemma? Well if you've been training consistently for more than a few years you've already faced it, although you may not have been familiar with its name.

As a beginner, almost any training program will produce results. A body that hasn't adapted yet to training will adapt quickly. It may seem as though you're able to add weight to the bar almost every workout.

Each workout stimulates an adaptation to allow the body to handle more the next time. The period of time in which the body is sufficiently prepared to handle a greater load than before is called the Supercompensation phase.

But eventually progress slows and further increases in strength and muscular size are only possible when the program is altered to produce more overload. At this point, weight can no longer generally be added at every workout, but often weight can be added weekly.

At this point progressive overload requires manipulation of sets, reps, load, rest intervals and time-under-tension (TUT).

But what happens when you’ve manipulated all of the variables as much as possible and you still can’t make progress?

This is called the Progressive Overload Dilemma.

The solution or at least the attempt to provide progressive overload is through the manipulation of volume and intensity over longer periods of time.

With a couple years of training behind you, the loads you can lift are far more taxing to both your structures as well as your recovery ability. For this reason, cycling of loads and volumes must be carefully planned or progress is halted.

The longer you train, the more complex the planning of your training must be to elicit further progress.

Here’s a breakdown of how volumes and loads are cycled to give progressive overload at the different stages of your training career.

Beginner

Week/Workout Volume/Load

1/1 Moderate/High (PR)

1/2 Moderate/High (PR)

1/3 Moderate/High (PR)

2/1 Moderate/High (PR)

2/2 Moderate/High (PR)

2/3 High/High (PR)

3/1 Moderate/High (PR)

3/2 Moderate/High (PR)

3/3 Moderate/High (PR)

This can often continue for 3-6 months. Moderate volume is generally 2-3 working sets and High load means that you’re lifting more than before.

Intermediate

Week/Workout Volume/Load

1/1 High/Moderate

1/2 Moderate/Low

1/3 Low/High (PR)

2/1 High/Moderate

2/2 Moderate/Low

2/3 Low/High (PR)

3/1 High/Moderate

3/2 Moderate/Low

3/3 Low/High (PR)

This type of progress will eventually stop as the PR numbers get higher and higher. When they stop, periodization must be introduced as follows to allow for further progress.

Advanced

Week/Workout Volume/Load

1/1 Mod-High/High

1/2 Mod/Low

1/3 High/High

2/1 Mod-High/Mod

2/2 Mod/Low

2/3 Mod-High/Mod

3/1 Mod-High/High

3/2 Mod/Mod

3/3 Low/High (PR)

4/1 Low/Low

4/2 Low/Low

4/3 Low/Low

As before, when hitting a new PR is not possible after successive 3-5 week blocks, and with all other lifestyle factors in check, programming must be planned for PR attempts to be at 5-6 month intervals.

Elite

Week Volume/Load

1-4: Mod/High

5-8: Mod/Mod

9-13: High/High

14-17: Mod/Mod

18-21: High/High

22-25: Mod/Mod

26-29: Low/Very High (PR)

In the end, continued progress is the result of carefully planning the alternating sequences of volume and load manipulations to provide progressive overload over time which results in supercompensation which allows for the new PR.

If you have any questions about how you can incorporate this into your training, please leave your comments in the comments box below.

The Skinny Fat Bastard Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:48:00 +0000

After the article I wrote last week entitled The Skinny Bastard Solution, I received a few emails from a bunch of guys who were inspired and wanted some additional help with their training and diet.

But after a couple emails back and forth, and after looking at some pics they sent, I noticed something that I think it's important to clarify.

If you USED to be a skinny guy, and you USED to have a hard time building muscle, and no matter what you ate you USED to never gain bodyfat, but now, in your late twenties or early thirties, you find yourself STILL having a tough time building muscle but you NOW have a little belly and some love handles... then you're now a Skinny Fat Bastard.

And the Skinny Fat Bastard Solution is different from The Skinny Bastard Solution.

The training program doesn't need much changing, but the diet definitely needs to be different.
Once you've gained a belly and love handles, your insulin sensitivity is reduced, forcing your body to secrete more insulin to handle sharp rises in blood sugar than the Skinny Bastards.

As a Skinny Bastard, you can pretty much eat anything and not gain any weight, but once you've gained some body fat, you can't just plow back the calories in effort to gain muscle without also increasing your body fat.

If you're a Skinny Fat Bastard, you'll have to target your calories more closely to the meals before and after your weight training, and you'll have to avoid eating until you're stuffed, as well as making sure you limit your starches to mornings, and meals before and after your weights.

As a Skinny Fat Bastard, if you decide to follow the Skinny Bastard Solution, while you'll definitely build some muscle, you're also likely to gain as much or more body fat as muscle.

If you're unsure of which category you fit into, fire me off an email with a short description of how you find your metabolism, a little about your training history, and a pic of yourself wearing shorts and no shirt, or for you girls with sports bra and tight-ish shorts and I'll respond to each of you individually and help you know where you are.

Please leave any other comments below.

Watch 2 Pounds Of Fat Get Torched Before Your Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Every wonder what 2 lbs of fat being torched before your very eyes looks like?

Well wonder no more...

Check this out:

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that combining that kind of a workout with a diet that supports fat loss, and your body will have no choice but to shed that extra body fat.

And if that appeals to you, head on over to http://www.YourBeachBodyBootCamp.com and take advantage of the completely free 1-week trial I'm offering.

And if you've already entered your name and email address at my bootcamp website, please use this link to activate your free 1-week trial instead.

http://www.shanemillerfitness.com/bootcamp/trial.php

If you like the video and want to see more like it, just let me know down below in the comments section.

The Skinny Bastard Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:36:00 +0000

I don't have good genetics to grow...

My metabolism is too fast...

I can't eat enough food...

I burn calories faster than I can get them in...

Sound familiar?

Well it's a load of crap!

Well, not entirely, but for the most part they're just excuses to explain why you don't get the results you're after.

Yes, some people do have more potential than others, but it's rare that "potential" limits muscular growth until years of training and significant muscle has already been added.

So what limits muscle growth and what can we do about it?

It all comes down to desire, and that I'm sorry, is not something I can help you with.

As a 15 year old kid trying to become the next Mr. Olympia, I knew all about desire. I ate tons and trained tons. But I was eating lots of fruits and veggies, and not enough meat and potatoes. I was interested in nutrition as it pertained to building muscle, and low fat was all the rage, so I ate as little fat as possible... Big Mistake!

I also had severe exercise A.D.D.

I blindly went from one training program to the next, never sticking to any one program long enough to see any results.

Each huge guy that came into the gym must have had some secret, so I'd stop whatever program I was on and try to follow the next guy.

I pretty much stayed the same weight for the first three years, until I finally found a training partner who I trained with consistently for the next three years (thanks Jason!) and I gained quickly moved from 18 years old and 145 lbs to 21 years old and 165 lbs.

Next, a new training partner (thanks Dan!) and I went from 21 years old and 165 lbs to 24 years old and 185lbs.

My success in gaining muscle always lay in finding the right program and sticking to it, as well as eating more than ever before.

With that, here's the best diet and training program for skinny bastards to pack on serious muscle size and strength!

Diet Solution For Skinny Bastards

If your goal is to build tons of muscle and you're a hardgainer, the solution is not very technical, but I'll give you a quick breakdown of what you should be eating.

Breakfast (pick any 6)

Oats, Eggs, Waffles, Protein Shakes, Omelettes, Fruit, etc... and that's just for breakfast.

Mid-Morning Snack

Your mid-morning snack should be something that will really get you hungry for a huge lunch, so we're looking for something that's going to spike the hell out of your insulin. So... let's go for a large Dairy Queen Blizzard.

If you're a kid in school, your snacks can be chocolate bars, chocolate milk, and PB&Anything sandwiches!

Lunch

Lunch should include hamburgers, leftover pizza, PB&A sandwiches, leftover steak, leftover chicken, salad is good for nutrition, but you'll need to completely soak it in dressing to get enough calories from it!

If you're a kid in school, the school cafeteria will have Lasagna and Pizza... go back for seconds, thirds, and when nobody's looking, sneak around behind the counter and steal whatever's left on the tray!

In fact, eat as much as you can get your hands on without getting expelled from school!

Wait a minute... screw that.. if you get expelled, you can eat straight through from the time you wake until you go to bed! Hit it!

Mid-Afternoon Snack

Your mid-afternoon snack should be your highest calorie meal of the day.. since you can sneak off without anyone noticing you and gorge yourself without grossing out anyone you know seeing you. A 12" meatballs Subway sub should do it! Oh, and I always asked for 2-4 extra meatballs and they would just charge me an extra buck or two.

(Your mid-afternoon snack might also be your pre-workout meal or your post-workout meal.)

Dinner

Dinner should involve a full plate of meat (steak, fish, chicken, etc...), a full plate of starch (rice, potatoes, pasta, etc...) and of course you do need veggies... although if building massive amounts of muscle is most important to you, if you fill up on too much veggies, you won't grow.

Just make sure you find a full fat salad dressing you can drench your salad and veggies in so that you'll like the taste enough to force them down, and make sure you eat them last so if you do fill up too soon on the other stuff.. then oh well!

Dessert

All skinny bastards should eat dessert every night after dinner. But don't eat it immediately following dinner as you should not have enough room for dessert if you ate enough at dinner.

Go sit your butt down on the couch, conserve as much energy as possible, watch a few TV shows, then head back to the fridge and eat absolutely everything that you can possibly eat, be it ice cream, yogurt, left-over anything, PB&Anything sandwiches... just anything and everything!

Got a brother or sister who steals food off your plate? Or who eats more than their share of food during the day, leaving you with little choice for dessert... EAT THEM TOO!! That way you get back the food they stole from your plate and then some!

The takeaway point about your diet if you're a skinny bastard hardgainer who thinks they can't gain weight is this...

And I'm not exactly sure about the best way to convey this... but think of every opportunity to eat as your last for a very long time. As you eat, keep thinking that your next meal might not be for weeks or months... and you'll probably get enough food down to finally start building muscle.

The Skinny Bastard Training Solution

If you're a classic hardgainer who has a difficult time gaining mass, your workout needs to be simple.

Week 1

Day 1

Squats 5 sets of 5, increase weight every set.

Dips 5 sets of AMRAP

Wide Grip Pull-ups 5 sets of AMRAP

Farmer's Walk 4 sets of 100 steps, increase weight every set.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 2

Deadlifts 8 x 3 reps , increase weight every set.

Split Squats 5 x 12, 10, 8, 8, 8, increase weight every set.

Bench Press 4 x 10, 8, 6, 6, increase weight every set.

Bent-Over Barbell Rows 5 x 12, 10, 8, 8, 8, increase weight every set.

Barbell Curls 3 x 8, increase weight every set.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 3

Squats: 5 x 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, increase weight on every set.

Military Press 4 x 12, 10, 8, 8, increase on every set.

Pushups 3 x AMRAP

Chin-ups 5 x AMRAP

Weighted Plank 3 x ALAP

Rest 1-2 days

Week 2

Day 1

Deadlifts 5 x 5, increase weight every set.

Weighted Pushups 5 x 10, increase weight every set.

Weighted Chin-ups AMSAP x 3 reps, increase weight every set.

Barbell Curls 3 x 10, increase weight on each set.

Hands-to-Forearms 3 x 20 each direction.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 2

Squats 6 x 3, increase weight every set.

Step-ups 4 x 12, increase weight every set.

Incline Bench Press 6 x 10, 8, 8, 6, 6, 6 increase weight every set.

Bent-Over Barbell Rows 5 x 12, increase weight every set.

1-DB Farmer's walk 4 x 100', increase weight every set.

Rest 1-2 days

Day 3

Barbell Clean and Press 4 x 8, increase weight every set.

Deadlifts 4 x 10, increase weight every set.

Dips AMSAP x 5 reps, increase weight every set.

Inverted Rows 4 x AMRAP

Mountain Climbers 4 x 30

Notes:

1. AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible

2. AMSAP = As Many Sets As Possible, which means continue doing more sets until you can't complete another set with increased weight with good form.

3. Always increase weight on each set if possible with good form.

4. Do not train to failure on any exercises except those with AMRAP.

Conclusion

Use the "SeeFood" diet, meaning eat absolutely everything you see, and put this program to work for the next 6-12 months, and you should expect maximum muscle mass and a huge increase in strength.

If you have any comments, please leave them below.

Ottawa Boot Camp Member Loses 4 lbs In Just 3 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:10:00 +0000

Here's an email I received from one of my bootcamp members yesterday.

Hi Shane,

I won't be able to make it to tomorrow's class, and while I know I don't have to inform you of sessions that I can't make, I wanted you to know because I am taking this program very seriously, and I actually feel BAD and am very disappointed that I am forced to miss my workout tomorrow!

I wanted you to know that you are having a very positive impact on me and I am feeling very motivated by your Ottawa Bootcamp program. Although I am very tired after an early morning rise and a long day at work, I feel I have more energy than ever to tackle all the things (and more) that I need do.

In addition, as I am working so hard physically, its motivating me to make a bigger effort to improve my eating habits - still, I am not perfect, but I feel the small changes I've made to date have definitely made an impact.

I jumped on the scale today and I am down 4lbs from when we started!

Talk about motivating!

This is just what I needed to see - and so soon in the program is so awesome... and I wanted you to know!

Having said all this, I know that the road ahead will be challenging - it's easy to see results fast if you work hard in the beginning but the real challenge is in maintaining the hard work to keep progressing towards the goal!

In the past, I might have given up when it gets tough, but with your help, Shane, I'm confident I'll reach my goal and finally get in the best shape of my life!

- Name Withheld

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

Well thank you very much for your email, and I promise to keep my end and do everything in my power to help you get there!

Shane

WOW - Lower Body Workout Of the Week - Jun 16 - 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:39:00 +0000

This week's WOW is a lower body strength workout with a lot of core emphasis.

As you progress through the workout, make sure to keep your focus on bracing your abdominals throughout each movement.

Top to bottom time 75 minutes including all warm-ups.

Foam Roller: Quads, Hams, ITB, T-Spine, Lats

Tennis Ball: Piriformis

Dynamic Stretching: Quads, Hams, Hip Flexors, Pecs, Lats

Activation: Glute bridges, band x-walking, band pull-aparts behind neck

Skipping 5 minutes

Mobility: Cossack squats, Kneeling kip-ups

Strength Training:

1 ) Safety Squat Bar High Box (1-2" above parallel) Squats 4x5

2) Trap Bar Deadlifts 3x7

3) Reverse Lunges from 6" box 3x9

4)Glute & Ham Raises 5x8

5A) Grappler Barbell Twists 3x15

5B) Band X-Walking 3x12

Foam Roller: Quads, Hams

Tennis Ball: Piriformis, Glute Medius

Give this workout a try and let me know how it goes in the comments section below!

Top Five Reasons Slow Cardio Sucks

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:29:00 +0000

The debate over the effectiveness of traditional cardio continues, even though a mountain of evidence unequivocably proves the superiority of high intensity conditioning training for fat loss.

If you're at all unconvinced, here's my top 5 reasons that high-intensity interval training is superior to traditional (boring as hell) slow cardio.

1. Laws of Physics always prevail!

When you're giving it your all, it takes more fuel. It's like stepping hard on the gas pedal in your car! If you burn more fuel, your body mass decreases. That means you burn more fat. Simple!

2. Increased Metabolic Rate = More Fat Burning 24 hours a day!

High-intensity interval training has a significant effect on 24 hour energy expenditure. This means you continue to burn fat day and night!

Are you going to tell me you'd prefer to limit it to JUST the time you spend on the exercise bike watching reruns of Dr. Phil?

Please, allow me to hammer my head against the wall... I think it would be less painful!

Which brings me to the next point...

3. High-intensity interval training is ANYTHING but boring!

High-Intensity interval training can involve hundreds of different exercises, and when you have to give it 100% at all times, boredom does not even enter your mind!

Trust me on this one... my bootcampers are ANYTHING but bored!

Isn't that right guys?

4. Develop Strong Powerful Muscles!

High-Intensity interval training exercises impose significant loads and high rate-of-force development, creating much stronger, and far more powerful (expression of strength) muscles which improves overall athleticism.

5. Prevent Overuse Injuries

Traditional, slow, boring, low intensity cardio trains your body to economize fuel. Not burn through it like crazy. And while economizing fuel, your body also tends to get "movement" lazy, and repetitive stress injuries are common.

Whether it's the arches of the feet, the ankles, knees, hips, low back, or even shoulders, slow cardio makes it easy to practice poor posture, and lazy movements which can result in all sorts of overuse injuries.

Does all this mean slow cardio has zero benefit?

Not at all!

And slow cardio can be used to supplement high intensity work. It can even help with recovery between high-intensity workouts.

But reliance or over-reliance upon slow cardio for fat-burning... is the big mistake!

Four Year Old Boy Does 1500 Pushups Sets Record

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:41:00 +0000

I'm not sure about you, but I feel like there's something wrong here with this picture.

In the video you're about to watch, a 4 year old kid is exercising under the wise (or maybe not so wise) guidance of his grandmother, and mother I presume.

Click here to watch the video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6581900n&tag=mg;mostpopvideo

Now don't get me wrong, I think it's great that kids get lots of physical exercise, but having such a defined exercise "goal" as strength training at such a young age is undoubtedly going to rob this youngster of socializing and unstructured play that will further his athletic development down the road more than his current narrowly focused routine.

I'll admit though, he's doing the best stuff for a kid if you're to do strength work... all bodyweight exercises, no actual weight lifting. But...

The problem I see is that those instructing him, seem not to be leading by example in any way, but rather to be simply enabling his young obsession.

If his exercise routine were only 15-20 minutes per day, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but by 4 years old, managing 1,500 pushups in just 40 minutes... I imagine he's spending at least 40 minutes if not more each day training for such a feat... and of course it's all under the (*ahem*) wise guidance of his expert "in-the-trenches" family members.

As a coach, and as a father, as much as I hope that my kids grow up to embrace strength training as a means to develop a strong and healthy body, I will only encourage it as a means to improve performance in another physical activity (sport)at first.

I will strive to encourage my kids to try many different sports, and become a team player, and at the right age, introduce appropriate strength and conditioning workouts to facilitate improved performance in their sport, and not just for the sake of setting records at young ages.

Coming from India, and judging by the apparent state of dis-repair of the gym they're in, probably a poor part of India, I wonder if this is the parents way of trying to get publicity, in hopes of somehow garnering financial support from what their child is doing.

My thoughts are that if the parents hadn't pushed the kid to keep at it so much, he might have gotten bored with it and just wanted to go play with the other kids. Although he does seem to be enjoying himself in the video.

I don't agree with this kind of thing... but maybe I'm off base.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear your comments on this topic. Please leave them in the comments section below.

Avoid Bad Fats But Still Enjoy Your Food (Recipe)

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Tuna Salad Without Mayo That You Can Still Enjoy? Get Out of Here! No Really!

If you're like me, there's nothing worse than a tuna salad without mayo. And if you never have bad fats in your diet, you can probably get away with having a bit of mayo in your tuna salad once in a while.

But as I'm always trying to use tuna since it's so fast and easy, not having mayo all the time might seem tough. Of course you could always use plain yogurt, but still there's something missing.

So it dawned on my a few months ago to try a ripe avocado. Again, if you're like me, the idea of eating avocado by itself is not that appealing... but knowing how healthy they are for you, I decided to take the plunge and just do it.

Here's the recipe I came up with and it's soooo yummy!

1 can skipjack flaked light tuna (always use skipjack "light" tuna as it has the lowest mercury content of any commercially available tuna)

1/2 ripe avocado

1/2 - 1 medium diced tomato

1 spring onion finely chopped

5-6 stalks (with leaves) fresh coriander finely chopped

1/4 lime squeezed

pepper to taste

Spike to taste (Spike is a spice)

Note: Spike contains yeast and autolyzed vegetable protein. There have been claims that autolyzed vegetable protein breaks down into MSG, but personally after a dinner out at a local Chinese food favourite of mine, if I forget to ask for no MSG added, I feel like crap afterwards, but I can put a decent amount of Spike on my foods a few times a week and I always feel great. So I'm not sure these claims are founded.

If you have an MSG issue, you know by how you feel afterwards. As with all foods, I suggest you pay attention to how you feel afterwards and let it govern your choice to consume.

Of course this shouldn't be taken literally... as I feel great after an entire container of ice cream, but I won't do this anymore.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or any recipes that you'd like to share, please leave them in the comments section below.

Develop Powerful Shoulders Without Pain

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:42:00 +0000

Develop Powerful Shoulders Without Pain

Want crazy shoulders like Arnold? Don't get injured!

One of the best exercises for shoulder strength and size development is the Barbell Press Behind The Neck. But grabbing a loaded bar and trying to press it behind your neck without sufficiently warming your shoulders up is asking for trouble. So here's an awesome shoulder saver exercise.

Band Pull-Aparts Behind The Neck

This exercise takes all the muscles involved in the barbell press behind the neck and provides them with tension that helps activate them so they'll all contribute properly to the pressing movement.

As always, before any heavy lifing, make sure muscles that might oppose achieving the full range of motion are well stretched out first.

Stretch: Pecs, Lats, External Rotation

Warm-up:

Side-lying dumbbell external rotations

Serratus push-ups

Band pull-aparts behind the neck (as shown above) 1-3 sets

Rest sufficiently between sets to prevent accumulation of fatigue. Do only as many reps as you feel you need to fully activate the muscle. But make sure to stop your set before you feel fatigue or burning in the targeted muscles.

Pushing your warm-up and activation sets into fatigue will hinder performance of your heavy pressing movement to come.

Use this warm up and then do this balanced upper body workout to build awesome muscle size and strength.

1) Barbell Press Behind The Neck 3 x 8

2a) Mixed Grip Pull-ups 3 x 8-12

2b) TRX, Blast Strap, or chain suspended push-ups

3a) Barbell Shrugs 3x15

3b) Posterior Flyes 3x12

Let me know how it went in the comments section below.

WOW - Workout Of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:05:00 +0000

Trying to get the final touches on the new bootcamp website last week, I didn't have time to post last week's WOW for you guys... so here it is!

Workout Of the Week:

Foam Rolling: T-Spine, Pecs, Lats

Dynamic Stretching: Pecs/Lats/Shoulders

Activation: Serratus pushups, Band Pull-Aparts (behind neck), DB

retractions

Warm-up:

Barbell High Pulls & Muscle-Snatch

2 sets of 6+6 reps (just the bar, or for stronger guys, keep this still relatively light... should be easy... focus is on the mechanics)

Strength Work:

KB Snatch

Work up progressively to heavy 3x6

KB Push Press

3x6

Seated Cable Rows

Work up to heavy 4x8

Suspended Pushups

4x15

Superset:

Dumbbell Curls 3x10

Side-Lying Triceps Extensions 3x10

Mountainclimbers

3x40

Hanging Leg Raises

2x12

So get to the gym and hit up this WOW and let me know how it goes!

As always, I'd love to hear your comments or suggestions, so please leave them in the comments section below!

Strength Training On Limited Time

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Tue, 25 May 2010 09:11:00 +0000

For whatever reason if you've got limited time to get your workouts in, don't despair, there's still ways to get stronger and build more muscle.

Key Points

1. Limit the number of exercises

2. Every other day training with upper/lower split

3. Ensure you get soft tissue work for a couple areas as well as some dynamic stretching and activation prior to your strength work

4. Pick one main exercise, one supplemental, and one accessory.

Example:

Monday - Day 1 - Lower Body

Foam Roller: Quads/IT Bands/ T-Spine

Dynamic stretching: Quads, Hip Flexors

Activation: Glute Bridges

Squats 5x5

RDL 4x8

Weighted Plank 3x60 sec

Wednesday - Day 2 - Upper Body

Foam Roller: T-Spine/Pecs/Lats

Dynamic Stretching: Pecs/Lats

Activation: Band Pull-aparts behind neck, Band Pull-aparts to chest

Bench Press 5x5

Chin - ups 4xmax

Barbell Curls 3x10

Friday - Day 3 - Lower Body

Foam Roller: T-Spine/Quads/IT Bands/Hams

Dynamic Stretching: Hamstrings/Squat-to-stand

Activation: Glute Bridge variations

Deadlifts 5x3

Split Squats 4x12

Hanging Leg Raises 3x15

Monday - Day 4 - Upper Body

Foam Roller: Pecs/Lats/T-Spine

Dynamic Stretching: PNF Patterns for shoulders

Activation: Wall Slides, Scapular retractions

1- DB Push Press 5x6

Seated Cable Rows 4x10

EZ-Bar Skull Crushers 3x10

Volume Considerations

Progressive volume manipulations will also keep you from plateauing.

Using squats as an example:

Starting week 1 with an 80% 1RM load (225 lbs), volume progressions might map out as follows. Weeks 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16 use the same manipulations as weeks 1-4.

Week 1: 5x5x225 Moderate volume moderate load

Week 2: 4x5x225 Reduced volume, moderate load

Week 3: 8x3x245 Increased volume, increased load

Week 4: 3x6x205 Significant volume and load reduction (deload week)

Week 5: 5x5x230

Week 6: 4x5x230

Week 7: 7x3x255

Week 8: 3x6x215

Week 9: 5x5x235

Week 10: 4x5x235

Week 11: 6x2x260

Week 12: 3x6x220

Week 13: 5x5x240

Week 14: 3x5x240

Week 15: 5x2x265

Week 16: 2x6x225

Such volume manipulations allow increased for strength increases that you wouldn't otherwise get from simple linear progression.

The same types of variations can be done with all main exercises, and some supplemental exercises such as chin-ups, and weighted pushups.

If you're a beginner, you can probably keep the same main exercises throughout the 16 week period, intermediate and advanced lifters need to switch out the main exercises after each 4 week block.

Example substitutions include but are not limited to:

Main Upper Body

Bench Press

Board Presses

Floor Press

Military Press

Fat Bar Press

Swiss Bar Press

Weighted Pushups

Dynamic Effort work with bands/chains

Main Lower Body

Squats

Box Squats

Giant Cambered Bar Squats

Safety Squat Bar Squats

Zercher Squats

Front Squats

Deadlifts

Trap Bar Deadlifts

BTR (Beyond The Range) Deadlifts

Sumo Deadlifts

Rack Pull (Partials) Deadlifts

Dynamic effort work with bands/chains

Exercise ADD

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:42:00 +0000

I just received an email from an old client yesterday. He wants to come back and train with me. It's been more than a few years since I last trained him, but he said he's eager to put on some size.

I turned him down. I told him I was too busy, that I had no room in my schedule.

The part about being busy is pretty much true, but I would never turn someone down who was eager to train and was ready to sacrifice at the alter... er.. in the rack, under the bar.

So why did I turn him down?

Because I couldn't get him to focus 100% of his energies on his training. It's not entirely his fault anyway, let's just say he's got an incurable case of exercise ADD.

The exercise ADD industry, yes.. it's an industry, has got the internet and bookstores and magazine racks and supermarket checkout aisles flooded with so much contradictory information that many people feel like it's impossible to change their bodies.

While they're feeling helpless they're buying into every new exercise fad, gimmick, or magazine with some crazy promise of overnight abs, or nutritional supplement with a cure for their plumbers' crack, instead of buckling down and committing to sacrifice... in the rack... under the bar!

When I used to train this old client of mine, and please understand, this guy was 28 years old, 6'2" tall, and he barely weighed 140 lbs, he was always emailing me ads he would find on the internet for the latest nutritional supplement, and while I would be putting him through his workout, he would see a piece of equipment at the gym or in my studio that he hadn't used and ask me if he should buy one for his home gym.

And every week he would ask me if we were going to do this exercise, or that exercise, or some other exercise instead of just sacrificing... in the rack... under the bar.

If You See This Man On TV...Turn it off quickly or you might end up with one of his ridiculous exercise gimmicks!

I would tell him we were going to be deadlifting today, and he would respond with, "Deadlifts? again? Didn't we do them last week?".

Can you see how frustrating this was for me?

Folks... I've been training for more than 20 years, and I would say that there hasn't been a month go by in those 20 years that I haven't trained deadlifts. Now it doesn't have to be deadlifts, it could be anything. But deadlifts are one of the moneymaker exercises. You just always deadlift.

So getting these kinds of responses just bores down on you over time.

I just can't take it anymore!

And I made a decision afterwards that I won't take any more clients who don't have the right attitude. Because guess what? If you don't want to deadlift... you ain't gonna get strong! And you're definitely not going to reach your goals.

Back in the day when nutritional supplements didn't exist, and fancy-schmancy equipment didn't exist, there were Men!

Very Strong men!

The Great Eugene Sandow

Men who couldn't care less about whether they were lifting a bar, a stone, or the back of a car.

They didn't care about silly spandex outfits!

They just wanted to get STRONG!

And they knew if they just persevered through the torn and sweat stained shirts, that they would become Powerful Beasts!

They lifted kettlebells, heavy sandbags, they pulled cars, trucks, boats, and even airplanes using thick ropes. They flipped massive tires, and did thousands of bodyweight exercises.

The Great Goerner...

Deadlifting With Only TWO Fingers!

They'd even resort to lifting other people when no other tools were at their disposal... or.. if it might get them laid!

The Great Paul Anderson

They'd never seen an exercise bike, a treadmill, an elliptical machine, or a stairmaster, and even had they seen them they would have probably tried to lift them not ride them.

The Great Paul Anderson Bench Pressing A Plate Loaded Power Rack!

Lionel Strongfort with 105 lb Kettlebell

These men were ripped to the bone and not one of them did any cardio!

Why?

Because they knew without knowing, that aerobic metabolism continues in the background throughout their tortuous workouts of lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling!

While spandex wearing fufu men would do traditional cardio, which is fueled by aerobic metabolism, these men would allow their aerobic energy system recover them from their lifting.

These men were committed...

These men came prepared...

These men sacrificed...

In the rack...

Under the bar...

Where do you stand?

Overtime Can Kill You

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Miller...) — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:47:00 +0000

You gotta watch your back!

Overtime is out there!

And if you haven't seen it... YOU WILL!

Gotta get that project finished in a hurry? Working lots of overtime? If so, you've got a 1.6 fold increased chance of a heart attack! That's right, all that overtime can kill you!

At least that's what a recent study published in the European Heart Journal says. Six thousand and fourteen British civil servants (4262 men and 1752 women), aged 39–61 years who were free from CHD and worked full time at baseline (1991–1994), were followed until 2002–2004, an average of 11 years.

The study, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics showed that 3–4 h overtime work per day was associated with 1.60-fold (95% CI 1.15–2.23) increased risk of incident CHD compared with employees with no overtime work.

There are 21 independent risk factors for heart disease, and even once these risk factors were adjusted for, the results were largely unchanged.

The study concluded that overtime work is related to increased risk of incident CHD independently of conventional risk factors, and that overtime work adversely affects coronary health.

It seems pretty clear to me from this study, and it also makes a lot of sense, as stress is one of the leading causes of heart disease, and most people who work significant overtime are highly stressed.

Take home points:

1. Try to plan ahead more to avoid running into last minute crises that force you to work overtime.

2. If your boss won't pay you (at LEAST your regular rate... if not time and a half) for your overtime work, now you can at least tell him that you won't do it because it's bad for your health.

3. Always remember that next to not creating the stress in the first place, exercise and a healthy diet is your best way to combat stress.

4. Always pack a cooler to take with you to work each day, and make sure you always have a bit extra in the pack in case you have to stay and work late. Don't worry, if you're packing healthy foods, you'll auto-regulate how much you should eat each day.

Hope you're heading home early today!

If you have any questions or comments about this post, please leave them below in the comments section!