Fitness Black Book

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) - Breaking Down a Few Scientific Studies

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:57:34 +0000

Increasing natural Human Growth Hormone (HGH) levels in your body is a major key in staying lean year round. It is also a plays a big role in preserving muscle mass when losing those last few pounds of body fat. I'm convinced that anyone can lose weight up to a certain point, but it is that last little bit of fat that takes skill. In my opinion the two biggest fat loss skills to master are to eat in a way that produces a calorie deficit over time & workout in a way that boosts up your levels of HGH and increases that calorie deficit. Another great skill to master is to keep your insulin levels stable, but that is a topic for another post.

[Here is a picture from 1959 of a group of surfers. Surfers are almost always lean because many of them fast all day out in the surf. Their sport also mixes in short bursts of activity followed by slower steady activity. Does any of this sound familiar? It should because this interval-exercise-and-fasting-combo is a potent way to release HGH! It has been exactly 50 years since this photo was taken and most of these people are in better shape than 90% of gym go'ers today. Has the fitness industry gone backwards?]

You Asked for Scientific Studies and I Found Them
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Tags: Main, calorie deficit, fat cells, growth hormone, HGH, human growth hormone, insulin, laird hamilton, lose weight, metabolism, steady state cardio, surfer

Increase Natural HGH Without Injections, Sprays, or Pills

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:49:50 +0000

Time to talk about your body's potent fat burning hormone: HGH. I wanted to let you guys know up front that this post isn't a grand scheme to sell some sort of HGH supplement. There are some pills and supplements that can make a little difference, but this article will be dedicated to increasing your Human Growth Hormone (HGH) with just a solid diet and exercise routine. I've talked in passing about HGH in the past, but felt the need for a post that goes a bit more in depth.

[The science behind HGH is as simple or as complex as you want to make it. I will touch on how HGH works in your body, but mainly focus on actions you can take to increase this natural fat burning hormone in your body. Oh yeah, this picture is suppose to be a mad scientist.]

The Basics: What is HGH (Human Growth Hormone)?
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Tags: Main, body fat, body fat percentage, body weight circuits, burn fat, calorie deficit, circuit training, circuit training routine, fat cells, fat loss, growth hormone, HGH, HGH flush, IF, insulin, Intermittent Fasting, lose body fat, low body fat, steady state cardio, treadmill, working out, workout program

Why Most Celebrity Workout Routines Are Overrated

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:02:46 +0000

I have to come clean and admit something before I begin this post. I use celebrity workout routines and various celebrity names to pull in additional visits to my site. For some reason, celebrities get more searches than any other subject matter online. I'm not impressed by an actor or actress who spends 3 hours per day for 2-3 months getting in shape for a role. It just shows me that they haven't adopted a lifestyle of health and fitness. Getting in shape isn't an impressive feat if it takes too much time. What is more impressive; someone with a lean and slim body who spends 10-12 per week training, or someone who is slim and only spends 3-5 hours per week training? Easy answer!

[Things aren't always as they appear in Hollywood. Celebrities have several tools at their disposal to make themselves appear better on camera than they do in their day-to-day lives.]

"Can You Tell Me [name of star]'s Workout Routine?"
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Tags: Workout Routines, body fat, celebrity workout routines, fat loss, getting in shape, growth hormone, HGH, hollywood physique, low intensity cardio

Muscle Tone VS Muscle Mass Workout Routines

"Positive Action" Gets Results - Not Positive Thinking

admin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:14:06 +0000

I am naturally a pretty positive and upbeat person, but don't buy into the whole positive thinking movement. The way I look at achieving goals like getting in great shape or building a successful business is that it is positive actions that matter most. Simply do the actions necessary to reaching your goals, and forget how you feel. What I found is that the proper actions always lead me to feeling better anyway. My advice about getting in shape is that sometimes you will feel like exercising and sometimes you won't. Make sure and exercise either way!

[Thinking about getting fit and doing what it takes to get fit are two very different things. It is great to learn and to discuss fitness, but make sure you become a person of action as well. You need to take consistent action to get great results.]

I Like to Keep it Simple - Do the Actions it Takes to Succeed
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Tags: Main, leo babauta, personal development, positive action, positive thinking, steve pavlina, the positivity blog, zen habits

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Creative Circuit Training - Experimenting With Fat Loss Workouts

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:18:29 +0000

There are dozens, if not hundreds of circuit training routines that are effective at helping you drop body fat. I was doing my daily cruising of the Internet and found an outline of a routine by Nick Nilsson, author of "Metabolic Surge", that reminded me of the large variety of effective circuit training routines. I'll give you an outline of the routine he recommends as well as a few others that I've recommended in the past. Use these as a reference when constructing your own ideal fat burning circuit.

[I couldn't find a good circuit training photo that I liked. When in doubt, I just default to sharp-looking photos that have nothing to do with the topic.]

No Such Thing As an Ideal Circuit Training Routine
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Tags: Workout Routines, barbell, bench press, body fat percentage, body weight circuits, burn fat, cardio, cardio workout, circuit training, circuit training routine, dumbbell, ese, fat loss, HGH, HIIT, jump rope, low body fat, muscle mass, steady state cardio, workout program

"Mindless Eating" - Why Do We Continue to Eat When We Are Full?

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:21:49 +0000

I was doing some research online today and stumbled across a description of a book that made good sense to me: Mindless Eating. I haven't ordered the book yet, but I liked the parts that I've read so far. Food psychologist, Dr. Brian Wansink examines why we eat more than we should even when full. I'm the sort of person who can eat a full bag of chips, a bowl of candy, and basically anything placed in front of me. If it isn't near me I'm good, but if food is within reach for extended periods of time I will eat it all! Dr. Wansink has my eating-style nailed down to a "t"!

[If you put this plate of nachos in front of me, I will continue to devour it until the plate is empty! I don't care how big the plate is. My hand will continue to grab chips on autopilot until nothing is left. "My name is Rusty and yes, I am a mindless eater". The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.]

Having Symptoms of Mindless Eating Without Realizing It
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Tags: Diet Tips, calories per day, dieting, fat loss, mindless eating, walking, wansink

Why Walking is Necessary for Good Health - Even If You Are Extremely Fit and Lean

admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:29:22 +0000

I use to think that walking was just for people who weren't fit enough to do any "real" exercise. I figured that any activity that 99% of the population can easily do, just can't be tough enough to make a real difference in health. Walking just doesn't seem to challenge the body like "true" exercise (intervals, circuits, HIIT). I am first to admit that I have been wrong when it comes to this line of thinking. Not only do I admit my thinking has been wrong, I'm immediately going to do my best to walk daily. Some recent studies have proven how valuable walking is to long-term health.

[A picture of a young couple walking down a path near the River Thames in London. Walking can be a blast if you are in a scenic place with lots to see. I need to get to London and walk around to look for great pubs. Kind of a walking and beer sampling tour.]

Intense Fat Burning Workouts Aren't Enough!
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Tags: Aerobic Exercise, body fat, body weight circuits, cardio, circuits, HGH, high intensity interval training, HIIT, inflammation, interval training, metabolism, walking, working out

Interval Training Improves Your Endurance, Better Than Endurance Exercise!

admin — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:50:28 +0000

I've been a fan of HIIT and interval training for well over a decade. It jacks up the metabolism, increases your natural fat burning hormone (HGH) and simply helps you lose a lot more body fat than diet alone. None of this is news to those familiar with interval training. What many people don't realize is that interval training also increases your ability to do endurance exercise. The crazy thing is that intervals may be more effective at increasing endurance than endurance exercise itself!

[I was looking for a good exercise photo, but nothing wow'd me. Instead, I just put up a photo I liked with great use of color.]

The Interval Training Study With Surprising Results
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Tags: Aerobic Exercise, body fat, endurance training, HGH, high intensity interval training, HIIT, interval training, metabolism, steady state cardio

"Cardio Compensation" - Certain Cardio Workouts Cause Intense Food Cravings

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:55:21 +0000

I used to be shocked at the number of people I saw in the gym who put so much time into cardio workouts without seeing any results. Many of these people are putting forth much more effort than me, but don't have the results to show for it. I feel bad, because I know their challenge comes down to diet. Did you know that the type of cardio you do, can play a big role in your craving for food? It is possible that many people are sabotaging their ability to lose body fat, by choosing a type of cardio that makes them desperately crave food.

[Have you ever been so hungry that you ate everything in sight? I have had problems with hunger in the past, but adjusting my cardio has helped a ton in this regards. The wrong type of cardio can make dieting a tough deal!]

Cardio Compensation - Eating More Calories Than You Burned
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Tags: Dieting for Fat Loss, body fat, body weight circuits, cardio, cardio workout, diet, fat loss, Interval Training, lose body fat, lose fat, lose weight, low calorie diet, maintain muscle, metabolism, steady state cardio

Fitness Black Book Turns 2 Next Week - A Big "Thanks"

admin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:42:50 +0000

I can't believe I've been blogging for close to two years now! Back on June 8, 2007 I made the first post on this site and was just hoping that someone would eventually find it. I waited 4 days and got my first comment and immediately responded back. This was exciting, because the goal was to create a community of people sharing fitness ideas. I didn't want this to be about me giving lessons. I can't thank everyone enough for making this a positive and entertaining environment to talk about fitness.

[The amount of sites online is staggering. It almost seems like there is too much competition to ever become successful. If you are considering starting a site, don't think like this. We are in desperate need for helpful sites written by people who want to make a difference.]

Just Checked the Stats - Over 9,400 Comments!
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Tags: Main, blogging, fitness blog, fitness sites, fitness tips

The Evolution of Weight Loss - Guest Post by Brad Pilon

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:08:14 +0000

I can't thank Brad Pilon enough for taking time out of his busy schedule to do a guest post for my site. Any of you who are fans of "Eat Stop Eat" or have been following Brad on Twitter know that his wife just gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Ro Wilder Pilon (cool name). I asked Brad to do a guest post on calorie deficit and I think his son was born the following day! This is an outstanding article, well worth your time, and will challenge much of what you have heard when it comes to dieting and weight loss. Love it!

[Brad Pilon's ideas challenge much of the mainstream fitness info you see published in magazines, books, and online. Slowly, but surely, his ideas are going to go mainstream. Right now, anyone who studies his materials will be WAY "ahead of the curve".]

The Evolution of Weight Loss - By Brad Pilon
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Tags: Dieting for Fat Loss, brad pilon, burn fat, calorie deficit, diet plan, eat stop eat, evolution, fasting, fat loss, lose weight, metabolism, supplement industry, weight loss

Personal Training - Good for Brainstorming, But Not Ideal for Long-Term Success

admin — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:43:56 +0000

I don't have anything against personal training or personal trainers. Having said that, I think ultimately you are the one who will eventually find your own ideal routine. Even the goal of my site is to give out guidelines and "tweaks", so that you can find the routine that works best for you. I am always hesitant to give out exact routines, because copying something that works for me 100% isn't something that will be best for any other person.

[Overdue for a good black and white picture. This one reminds me of "The Haunting", a 1963 black and white horror film where an evil mansion traps all of its guests. For some reason, I find old black and white horror movies scarier than modern day films.]

Personal Training Has Its Place In the Short Term
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Tags: Workout Routines, fitness, getting in shape, getting older, HGH, HIIT, personal trainer, working out, workout

7 Common Strength Training Mistakes. Is Your Workout Making You Weak?

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:50:23 +0000

I wanted to make a post outlining the most common strength training mistakes I see in the gym on a regular basis. I know that all of us reach sticking points in strength gains, but you could be doing a few things in your workout that are sabotaging your own progress. In my rush to getting stronger in my early days of lifting, I made these same mistakes. Use this post as a checklist next time you get stuck. Strength training is safe and easy when done properly, but can make you weak and sore if done wrong.

[I was overdue for an odd photo, so this should do the job. As usual, only about 1/2 of the photos on my site have anything to do with the article. This weekend I am going with a few friends to a beach house that has a nice hot tub overlooking the water. I guess this photo relates to that, but hopefully we won't be attacking each other!]

Why I Recommend Strength Training Over Bodybuilding
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Tags: Strength Training, body fat percentage, bodybuilding, forced reps, gain strength, gaining strength, get stronger, getting stronger, low body fat, muscle fatigue, muscle tension, nervous system, sets and reps, sticking points, strength gain, stretching, the pump, workout

Is It Okay to Eat Right Before Going to Bed? "Yes" and "No"

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:37:52 +0000

"Is it okay to eat right before going to bed?" This is a question I have been asked quite a bit recently. The problem is that it really depends upon how much you eat before going to bed and what your goals are. The crazy thing about this question is that everyone will give you a slightly different answer. The problem is that there hasn't been any study (that I know of) that talks about eating right before bed when it comes to getting really lean. I am going to speak purely from my experiences and observations of what I do in regards to eating right before going to bed.

[I enjoy sleeping in a room with either huge windows or a door out to a deck. It is much easier to sleep with a lot of fresh air circulating around the room. The ultimate situation is being by the ocean in a room like this and going to sleep with the fresh ocean air coming in and hearing the sound of the crashing waves.]

How Much Can You Eat Immediately Before Going to Bed?
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Tags: Diet Tips, 3 meals per day, burn body fat, eat stop eat, ese, fitness goals, IF, insulin, Intermittent Fasting, maintenance mode, protein shake, rapid fat loss, Warrior Diet, weight loss, whey protein

Red Wine & Resveratrol. Why a Beer Guy is "Changing His Tune" on Wine.

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:38:14 +0000

I'm more of a beer guy than a wine guy. I know it is supposedly sophisticated to love wine, but I do prefer a cold beer. That being said, I'm slowly introducing wine into my diet. I've realized that it doesn't have to be an "either or" situation. I can enjoy a moderate amount of both beer and wine. It seems that each year scientists are finding an increasing amount of health benefits in red wine. This year all the excitement is about a substance in wine called "resveratrol".

[I plan on visiting Greece, Italy, France, Croatia, Spain, Portugal and many other countries where drinking wine is a way of life. It would be a shame to be exposed to great wine and not really appreciate what I am drinking. Because of this, I have decided to learn more about wine in my spare time.]

Luke Warm Beverages…My Biggest Obstacle With Wine
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Tags: Disease Prevention, antioxidant, beer, gary vaynerchuk, red wine, resveratrol

I'm Shocked That Bodybuilding is Still Popular

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:24:28 +0000

I believe that people should do what they enjoy and if they like to follow bodybuilding, that is cool. That being said, it still boggles my mind that such a large amount of people watch bodybuilding contests, idolize professional bodybuilders, etc. I figured bodybuilding would die out back in the early 90's at the end of Arnold's popularity on the big screen, but it is still going strong.

[The guy on the left, Ric Arango, was a Calvin Klein Obsession model in the 90's. This is a recent picture of him and he still looks great. The guy on the right, Ronnie Coleman, is an eight time winner of Mr Olympia. To me Ric has a much better physique than Ronnie Coleman. Coleman's muscles are so big that they look droopy, not angular and masculine. What is up with his abs?]

"I Do It for Myself Not for the Approval of Women!"
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Tags: Main, body fat, bodybuilders, bodybuilding, build muscle mass, GQ, great shape, mr olympia, roids, spandex, working out

Constructing an Effective Diet Plan to Get Lean Before Summer

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:17:42 +0000

So both me and my girlfriend are going to "lean out" a bit right before summer. Neither of us has much body fat to lose, but getting extra lean allows us to still look sharp even if we gain 5 pounds over the course of the summer. I figured I would outline the plan we will follow over the next 6 weeks, to maybe give you some ideas. Hopefully analyzing my diet plan will allow you to come up with your own perfect approach.

[I can't wait for summer BBQ's and dinner parties! Nothing better than coming home from the beach or boating, taking a shower, putting on clean clothes and heading over to a friend's house to be greeted by the smell of bbq and a cooler full of ice cold beer.]

Getting Lean Before Summer - How I Used to Do It
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Tags: Dieting for Fat Loss, body fat, diet plan, eat stop eat, fasting, feel good eating, Intermittent Fasting, lyle mcdonald, protein shake, protein shakes, rapid fat loss, rice vinegar, Warrior Diet

Get in Shape for Summer - My Detailed Spring Workout Routine

admin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:04:14 +0000

I typically recommend that people stay in shape year round, so they don't ever have to worry about getting in shape for summer. That being said, the reality is that it is easy to slide when you are bundled up for part of the year. This blog has been around for 2 years and I don't think I've ever done a detailed post on any of my workouts. For those who are interested, here is the exact routine I'm doing this spring. Hopefully it will you guys a few ideas.

[Almost time to wear sandals for those of us who are going into summer. I love the smell of summer just as much as the weather: BBQ's, freshly cut grass, sun block, the ocean, etc. Bring it on!]

My Workout Will Not Be Ideal for Everyone
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Tags: Workout Routines, barbell, bench press, bench pressing, body weight circuits, brad pilon, cardio, chinups, dumbbell curl, dumbbell rows, eat stop eat, gain strength, hammer strength, HIIT, military press, muscle groups, nervous system, planks, sticking points, workout routine

Marathon Cardio - Can Do More Damage Than Good

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:02:54 +0000

I live a few miles away from a beautiful lake in Seattle called Green Lake. Every spring when the weather becomes nice and the sun comes out, people flock to this lake. Around the perimeter of the lake is a jogging path. I drive by this lake daily and get to observe dozen of joggers running around the lake.

[I couldn't find a nice photo of Green Lake, so I put up a photo of a marina that is about 3 minutes from my place. I've lived on the water most of my life and wouldn't have it any other way.]

Were We Meant to Jog for Long Periods of Time?
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Tags: Aerobic Exercise, art de vany, beer, burn body fat, burning body fat, marathon cardio, mark sisson, metabolism, steady state cardio, treadmill

"Exercise Addiction Inventory" - A 6 Question Test May Indicate Addiction

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:55:18 +0000

Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. Exercise is great, exercise addiction is not. Looking back, I know there were times when I was a bit obsessed with exercise. These days, I like to get it done in a short period of time and then move on to the "important things" in life. Today, while doing research for my site I came across a pretty helpful study. The study is called "The Exercise Addiction Inventory: A Quick and Easy Screening Tool for Health Practitioners."

[Exercising should be fun and feel good. There are times when you will push hard and test your body, but it should be energizing and a positive experience.]

Skip Your Workout When Something Fun Comes Along!
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Tags: Life Outside of the Gym, brad pilon, eat stop eat, ese, exercise addiction, fitness, getting in shape, Hugh Jackman, IF, working out

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