Full Body Workouts

Vitamin D and Calcium and Fat Loss

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

Vitamin D and Calcium and Fat Loss: "Vitamin D And Calcium. POTENT Fat Fighters.

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES

Are you fat, tired and unhappy with your appearance?

When you look in the mirror, do you see a protruding belly and NO SIX pack abs?

Have you tried everything from exercise to eating right- all to no avail?

What may be happening is this: you may be lacking essential nutrients in your diet which may INCREASE your fat burning potential.

But more importantly if you find yourself overweight, you may some deadly tissue growing inside your body.

And it may be wrapping itself around your organs"...READ MORE

'via Blog this'

Change = Chaos

2012-01-03T00:32:00.000-05:00

I changed jobs recently and I thought being it would be steady days for the 1^st few months I’d have more time to work out and write----wrong!

I’ve had a lot less time to do both, but sadly tried to continue my workouts, which led to overtraining. This of course lead to weakened immune system, burnout, bad sleep patterns, etc. So I’ve backed off the training, somewhat forced due to the flue. As fate would happen I received an email about a book “5-3-1” by Jim Wendler, which was so appropriate for my situation. It is a minimalist approach to making strength gains, doing 4 lifts, squat, deadlift, bench, and press. Of course as I am feeling better I will be making it my own 5-3-1 +KB sport+ fullbody strength conditioning, but this time mindful of overtraining. {There are several options with 5-3-1 program that include fullbody, cross training, etc, in the Ebook version}

So far my rough version of a workout looks like this:

- 5-3-1

- (2) 1 minute sets either of Kettlebell Jerks or snatches. I will alternate doing snatches on upper body days, and jerks on lower body days, this right here giving me a fullbody workout.

- Strength conditioning

The strength condition will vary at first, but I will settle on 4 workouts so I have a way of marking my progress, either timing how long it takes me to complete a workout or density sets, or distance.

I’ll post my final, if it can ever be called final, version of this workout as I fix it up.

Being it is a new year, some of my fitness goals this year to do an obstacle run, signed up for a Spartan Sprint in June, enter a Kettlebell competition this year, possibly another ½ marathon or 2,even though after my last one I said I was finished. Notice I didn’t say lose weight. I did gain some being sick and want to lose it, but I’ve learned if you do something like the items I mentioned above, the training for them will force you to get in shape and lose weight. It is sometimes [ some will say always]better to do it this way. Find an event and train for it. Buy new clothes and train to make them fit. Always tell supportive people about your plans, someone that will guide you on your journey.

FREE Prograde “Workout” shake drink click here!!

Until next time ….soon…

BTW I am now taking on Health Coaching clients contact me via facebook [and like my pageplease ] for more info for more information

Bored and a bit over trained

2011-10-31T12:43:00.000-04:00

Making Changes

I have been following the workout I posted in my last blog, as with anything, I’ve learned I need to make a few adjustments.

One thing I’ll be able to do is back off “some” of my running, my ½ marathon in Savannah is this weekend [11/5/11], so I wont have to run as much. I’ll be running with my brother, Misfit Runner, and his family so it should be fun, I’m also raising money for Cancer - Team DetermiNation.

What I’m going to do is as follows:

I will keep the 10 minute EDT block in the beginning followed by the 2 minute cardio divide.

My kettlebell training will change, instead of [not sure if this was listed] doing 5 – one minute sets with one minute breaks then decreasing the breaks until I am at 30 seconds rest, and raising the weight. I will now raise the work time start with 4 sets at one minute and when I get to 1:40, raising:10 a week, raise the weight and go back to 1 minute. Eventually I will work to 32kg then stay there until 3 set of 2 minutes…then see what happens from there. [This is for both the “jerk” & the ‘snatch”

I will also add 2 sets each of :30/:30 of the next weight that I am working at ex. If I am using 24kg on the 1 minute sets, I’ll use 28kg on the :30, just to get a feel for the weight.

I will then combine GPP [general physical preparedness] & Cardio [ie.Cardio Strength]

An example is what I’ll do today, 30 seconds each of pull-ups, push-ups, swings, and medicine ball triple crush slams, rest 1minute -3-4 times.

What are “medicine ball triple crush slams” you ask. Hold the ball with a neutral grip “crushing it”, curl it, then press it, then tricep extension, then slam, repeat. I’ll see if I can do a video of it

Until then feel free to ask question

Health coaching and training available – contact me!!!

Now that I am Certified…

2011-09-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

I recently earned my IKFF CKT certification, during which I got the Kettlebell Sport Bug. So now I want to add that element into my training without sacrificing other types of working out that I’ve been doing. Granted when I do enter a contest the Sport lifting ratio will increase. In case you do not know what KB Sport consists of it is timed events, either a biathalon which is 10 minutes of Jerks a rest the 10 minutes of Snatches [1 hand change]], or the long cycle which is 10 minutes of clean and jerks. Now during these ten minutes you can rest in the rack or overhead {snatch only in the overhead. of course} position you can not put the bell down or your time is finished. There are different Kettlebell weight requirements, and you are using a competition style bell.
Right now I still have to get the lifts down so I have added them to my workout as follows, note the changes

Each workout will start with 1 of 4 10 minute EDT sessions
1. Turkish Get-up

25lb club & 48kg Bell

2. Deadlift
3. Long Cycle
4. Squat

These will be followed by a 2 minute “Cardio Divide”

Then practice of the Jerk and Snatch
Mondays, I will do ladders [timed] with a lighter bell
Wednesdays, interval – start with 30/30 a heavy bell
Fridays a timed session

On days in which the EDT is the “Long Cycle” I will add an extended pause at the top and rack positions [of jerk & press] to practice “resting”

2 minute “Cardio Divide”

GPP & Cardio [or combined]

What do you think? All suggestions are welcome!

The Best Workout?

2011-07-28T09:39:00.001-04:00

The Best Workout…

First I’ll start out by discussing another “slight” change to my previously mentioned workout. Maybe when I finally finish fine tuning it I’ll publish it as an “e-book”. I changed the “Cardio Divide”, sort of; I now mainly do hand to hand kettlebell swings for 2 minutes. Also on days I workout post work [I work 12 hour shifts] my finisher is jumping rope for as long as I am able, this is only 3x a month.

Ok I just finished reading an article on misleading research regarding high intensity interval training [HIIT]. The article was very well researched and written but my reaction to it probably was not the author’s intent. It got me thinking, does it really matter? The main thing for the majority of people is to get up and do SOMETHING. Steady state cardio, HIIT, tabatas, the “As seen on TV” flavor of the week, it doesn’t matter do something. Sure the “shake weight” looks stupid and I wouldn’t buy it, but if it gets one person off the couch doing something, great. Maybe it will become a “Gateway” tool for the person.

For anyone interested there will be an IKFF CKT Level 1Course - Hoboken, NJ - August 20 - 21, 2011 – spots are almost filled act quickly!

Getting Results?

2011-06-13T09:57:00.000-04:00

Looking for results?

My last post was about a new program I designed and was doing, I made a few changes to it and have made some excellent results!

The main change I made was the between the “Density” strength training block and the “Circuit/supersets” block I added a 2 minute “cardio divide” in which I will do some cardio [duh], for example when I workout in my yard or garage I like to jump rope at this time. I find this gets more blood pumping throughout the body for the “circuit/supersets” block.

Also I changed the reps on squats and deadlifts for the “Density” blocks, I find I am getting better results by doing this. I increased squats to 5 reps and deadlifts to 4.

I may increase all this next time around – bench and presses to 5 reps, squats to 8, deadlift stay at 4.

The “finishers” have been fun changing everyday, form running intervals to tabatas, to anything I find posted like this today from Josh Henkin of Sandbag fame:

I know the one thing that make this workout or any workout work is journaling your progress, especially in the density block.

Safety note, those who like working outdoors remember it is getting hotter [in the northern hemisphere] so hydrate! Also do not get disappointed if your workouts drop off the 1^st few times your are in the heat, you are working harder when you add the heat factor!

New workout

2011-04-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

Ok so it has been a while since my last post…again

No real excuse, been to a few real good seminars with Troy Anderson/Josh Henkin and James Smith [of Diesel]/Steve Maxwell. Both seminars were tremendous, learned a lot and will be sharing the info soon. Right now I just want to post my latest workout. It is sort of a mixed bag as far as what muscle fibers are being hit.

It starts off with strength/power in an EDT {escalating density training} type format, 10 minutes with a weight you can do 4-6 reps with, but you do 3 reps and get as many as you can do in 10 minutes. If after a while you can not get 3 reps, do not lower the weight, either rest longer or get only 1 or 2 reps. Using a training log is very important here, record the total reps so you know if the next time you hit say dead-lift for example, you what you need to do to improve on last workout. I will stay with a weight until I can get over 21 reps in 10 minutes. This part of the workout is for strength/power.

Next part is circuit/ supersets, 8-12 reps 3 set. I put circuit/ superset because if I go to the gym and can not set up a circuit I know I can at least do superseted format. Going for size pump here and I do the same exercise the following workout as I did in the previous workouts EDT session. Example Bench for chest back to back workouts but different rep range. You can change up the other exercises for body parts and I recommend that you do and use various training objects. {notice no arm exercises – not needed]

Final part is the finishers!

If at the gym I will do a “pace“ style treadmill workout – sprint for @45 seconds, walk/jog until heart rate drops @20% then repeat 4x. In my garage/yard I will mix it up, intervals with various “tools” [sledge hammer, kettlebells, sandbags, etc] Maybe do another EDT type session like my new favorite, which I will have videoed soon, using an 80lb d-ball, picking it up tossing it running to it, burpee then repeat for 10 minutes, pretty good workout! [give that one a try if you can]. Well here is the workout, let me know what you think…..

Apr-June workout

1^st exercise 10 minutes EDT Start with 3 reps with 5-6 rep weight

Day 1

Bench

Circuit or superset

Incline dumbbell press

Dead-lift

High Pulls

Goblet/bear-hug Squat

Day 2

Squat

C or S

RDL

OH Press

Bench

Day 3

OH Press

C or S

Upright Row

Decline Bench/Dip

Squat

DL/Atlas Stone [or finish with stone]

Day 4

Deadlift

C or S

Bent-over row

Inc Flies

Squat

OH Press

Finish each wo with 10 minute finisher or Pace Treadmill

Finisher

New Complex/Chain

2011-02-11T18:35:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy reading and learning from other trainers online and in person I almost forgot about my own blog.

I need to remember 1 important thing I learned a while back and that is when you share something you’ve learned, you increase you rate of retention and you help others.

1 thing I have learned is that there is A LOT of information out there, some are almost mirror images of others, where as some contradict each other. Like what is the best way to workout? If you “google” “best workout” you will see how vague that question is and all the various search results.

To find the “best” workout you first will need some information. First and foremost is what is your goal or your “why”. Then some more items to consider, in no particular order; what kind of equipment is available; how much time; what is your experience level; is there anything holding you back [injuries for example]. I’ve read so much lately looking for my next workout [on the last phase of “kettlebell burn 2.0” ~~~AWESOME!!!] my head is going to explode! I have decided I am going to take the best parts, the ones I like, of various workouts and create my own workout for @ 8 weeks. I already know it will be 3 phases strength/power, “metabolic” [I’ll explain that next post, it may or may not be, a good name for it], and finishing/conditioning . I should have it ready in @ 1 week or so and will post it when it is complete.

Another note on all the new information out there. There are not only a lot of great info but great authors, but there are some ….well not so great. What I mean is there are some that will sell you a product, and when they come out with a new and improved version offer you the “upgrade” at no cost. Then there are a few, who have a great product, repackage it, re-hype it, then re-SELL it to you. Not cool! So be wary….

How is this for a Kettlebell [ or dumbbell] complex or chain which ever you prefer

Snatch- down to starting position-clean- squat –press- swing switch hands do other side repeat as often as you can ..

The Top 10 Fat Burning Weight Loss Foods

2011-01-14T06:29:00.001-05:00

The Top 10 Fat Burning Weight Loss Foods

By Tom Venuto, Fat Loss Coach,
author of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle

Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest.
It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs.
Of course, I can't tell you what YOU should eat because I don't know your likes and dislikes, not to mention whether you have any intolerances, allergies or foods you don't eat for ethical reasons, etc.
What I CAN do is show you what I eat, which has helped me keep my body fat under 10% all year round and peak in the low single digits when I want to get cut for competitions or photo shoots.
I put together 4 separate "top 10" lists of healthy foods to feed your muscle and burn fat.
Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.
I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.
Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look. I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats ("LEAN, GREEN and MARINE!).
This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research - in studying ALL types of diets - has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.
It’s not so much about the high carb - low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.
I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).
Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

· How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?

· How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories automatically?

· How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.
Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”
These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.
My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains
1. Oatmeal (old fashioned)
2. Yams
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice)
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes
7. 100% whole wheat bread
8. 100% whole wheat pasta
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal
My Top 10 top vegetables
1. Broccoli
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini
My top 10 lean proteins
1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo (lean game meats)
10. Trout
My top 10 fruits
1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple
Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement - not to cook with), avocado and a few others.
Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).
How strict should you be with following these food lists?
I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want - stuff that is NOT on these lists - like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc. (contrary to the persistent rumors, I'm not some cyborg that never enjoys a good restaurant meal... believe me - I DO!)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods YOU enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term.
If you'd like to learn more about fat burning nutrition and what to eat for maximum fat loss, then be sure to take a look at the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle nutrition program. Thousands of men and women call this their "fat loss bible." For all the details, visit: BURN THE FAT
- Tom Venuto

About Bodybuilding & Fat Loss Coach, Tom Venuto

Tom Venuto is the author of the #1 best seller, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom is a lifetime natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert who achieved an astonishing ripped 3.7% body fat level without drugs or supplements. Discover how to increase your metabolism and burn stubborn body fat, find out which foods burn fat and which foods turn to fat, plus get a free fat loss report and mini course by visiting the home page at BURN THE FAT

Goal Setting For The New Decade: Beyond The New Year's Resolution

2010-12-30T09:01:00.000-05:00

Goal Setting For The New Decade: Beyond The New Year's Resolution
By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com

When you pause and reflect on the past decade as you look ahead to a new one, it makes you appreciate how short life is, how valuable time is and how quickly the time can pass you by - with nothing to show for it, if you don’t plan otherwise.

That’s why the passing of another decade can feel like a wakeup call as much as a fresh start: Looking at the technological wonders that surround us in 2010, I can’t help thinking it feels like science fiction.

In fact, modern technology is one of the reasons why some people have succeeded at body transformation while others have failed.

I’m still in awe of the web. The satellite navigation system in my car amazes me every time I drive. I can store a library of books in a device that fits in my pocket. It blows my mind that we can speak to each other face to face through the internet live on video. That’s straight from Star Trek! And those are just the everyday little things.

It’s the greatest time to be alive in all of human history! Unfortunately, today’s modern conveniences have brought a dark side upon us.

Rising obesity has paralleled the march of technology. The chair-bound, desk-job, computer, car, elevator, television based society of today is helping to make millions of people fat and lazy.

Our current way of life is less than a century old, yet our biology hasn’t changed in tens of thousands of years. Our bodies were designed to move and work, not sit and click.

We’ve become spoiled. Complacent. Dependent. And we are paying a price for it. We are fatter than ever before in all of human history. More than two thirds of Americans are now overweight. One third are obese.

People are dying because they‘re too fat.

Ironically, none of our new technology can solve our body fat problems. There’s no easy way. No pill. No machine. No drug. More knowledge isn’t going to help. We already have most of the answers. We know more about the human body than ever before. But it’s all academic.

The problem lies in the doing. You have to do the work – in the gym and in the kitchen. Hard work.

We are a quick fix society. It’s partly human nature, but technology is making us more impatient. We can have products delivered to us with one click and even do it from our cell phones. We have instant downloads, movies on demand, and drive through coffee shops. We get our food made and delivered in just minutes while we are sitting in our cars, and it’s still not quick enough. The internet is blazingly fast, but most people will abandon a web page in seconds if it hasn’t loaded. It’s no different with fat loss. We want six pack abs yesterday.

Simultaneously fighting the pull of human nature and the convenience of new technology is no easy task. But there is a solution: Future Orientation.

The most successful people in the world today are those who have a long term perspective. They plan 5-10 years in advance and beyond. They know how to enjoy and live in the present moment, but they take action and make decisions based on their future vision.

The passing of another decade makes you take stock of yourself and your achievements, or lack thereof. “What did I accomplish in the last 10 years? Am I a better person today than I was in 2000?”

If you don’t like the answers, then it’s time to finally get serious about your future because the next 10 years are going to fly by even faster than the last 10 as the pace of life and society gets even faster.

To succeed in the new decade, think beyond new year’s resolutions. Think beyond the 12 week fitness goal. As you write your goals this year, don’t stop with 3 month or even 1 year goals.

Project yourself into the future: 3, 5 and 10 years from now. For each point, dream, fantasize, visualize: if your body, your health your physical performance were perfect in every way, what would that look like? Describe it in vivid detail.

With our ingrained penchant for quick fixes, we often overestimate what we can achieve in the short term and set unrealistic deadlines on our short term goals. But the flipside is that we often underestimate what we can achieve in the long term, so we set our long term goals too low. Do you realize that people have gone from broke to billionaire in 10 years? In this internet age, some have done it even faster.

My challenge for you this year is to start thinking about your body and your life with the same type of creativity that has led to our greatest technological advances:

Not the same thoughts as yesterday. Not just positive thoughts. just bigger thoughts. NEW THOUGHTS! Creative thoughts! Inventive thoughts! From new thoughts will spring new goals, new actions and new achievements.

Fitness goals should not take over your life, they should enhance every other part of it. So take this opportunity to achieve balance by setting long term goals for every area of your life – health, fitness, finances, career, relationships, experiences, travel, possessions and spiritual growth.

Most people didn’t set any goals 10 years ago. They’re among the masses who are in the same place today as they were a decade ago.

Some people only set short term goals, so they accomplished a few little things, but then stopped, as if a goal were a final destination rather than a stepping stone along a path. Other people set goals but didn’t follow through on them. They forgot that goal setting and goal achieving are two different things.

Don’t fall into these traps.

If you need coaching in the goal setting process – from the daily and weekly baby steps to the long term goals and dreams that span a decade – read chapter one of Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle. If you already have it. Now is the time to revisit it.

If you don’t own a copy yet, you can get the program at:

Burn The Fat

Most people make resolutions. Some people set well-formed goals. But long term goals are the goals that almost everyone forgets to set.

If you didn’t do this exercise 10 years ago, do it now. If you do, I guarantee that in 2013, 2015, 2020, you’ll not only find yourself living at a whole new level, you’ll find yourself living in another world - one of your own creation.

Happy New Year!

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

PS. Remember, goal setting is just the start. Goal ACHIEVING requires a nutrition and training plan. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is the most comprehensive fat loss program of its kind because it teaches you every element necessary to succeed: nutrition, cardio training, weight training and "mental training" (goal setting and mindset).

Learn more about the Burn The Fat program at:
Burn The Fat

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

Get up, get up, get down...

2010-12-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

Being this is the “Fullbody Workouts” blog I figured I do a piece on one of the best but least used exercises that incorporate the whole body. I am talking about the “Turkish Get up” [tgu]. I learned how to do them a while ago, liked doing them but let them fall along the wayside, until I started doing “Kettlbell Burn 2.0”. Now I wonder why I stopped.

Doing TGU’s is difficult, but not impossible, at first. I was going to go into great detail, but, I happened to be emailed a link to a video which will greatly explain how to safely do the TGU. Before trying this exercise what the video

To begin you start lying on the ground with the kettlebell on your side [ left side for this discussion], @ ½ between your elbow and shoulder. Roll over to your left side in a sort of fetal position, grab the bell with both hands and roll on to your back, the bell should be in a position to press it perpendicular to the floor, use both hands, especially in the beginning to avoid injury. Bend your left leg, like you were going to do a crunch. Right leg straight [un-bent] to the side slightly. Your right arm should be flat on the ground almost parallel to your right leg. Pack your left shoulder. You will come up onto your right elbow, then hand, firing your left lat and right glute. All while keeping the bell going upward. {Pause at each step for control} Push down onto the ground with your right hand, thrust your hips into a bridge. Swing your right leg back on to your knee, sort of wiper blade your food straight behind you, into a bottom portion of a lunge then lunge upward, remember the bell is over head {Pause at each step for control}….reverse all this on the way down.

If this isn’t clear, beleave me the video will clear it all up..

I hope that clears it up.

Bottom line it is a tremendous exercise and should be added safely to your repetouir [spelling??].

Remember it is also great if you are short on time, try and do as many as you can in 20 minutes, log it and do more next time!!!

How to Develop and Issue Bone- Jarring Power

2010-11-29T13:17:00.000-05:00

How to Develop and Issue Bone-
Jarring Power—Without Shattering
Your Own Body in the Process

Kettlebells From the Center – Dynami

With Gray Cook, RKC and Brett Jones, Master RKC

Special introductory offer: order by Tuesday, December 14 and save $12.95 on your investment!

2-DVD set Running time 1 hour 56 minutes
with 102 page, fully-illustrated, spiral-bound manual

"A seamless marriage of corrective and performance exercise, Dynami digs deep into the RKC kettlebell fundamentals with sophisticated FMS tools. A serious program for a serious practitioner."—Pavel Tsatsouline, author of Enter the Kettlebell!

No one but a certified lunatic or a suicidal fool would punch up a Bugatti Veyron to its full 253 mph—while rigged with four different-sized wheels, paper-thin brakes—and a dodgy steering wheel…

Yet, athletes of every ilk take this risk with their own bodies on a serial basis. Every time he thinks he's up-grading himself, chances are the average athlete is simultaneouslyde-grading himself… And the more skilled the athlete, the more savage the likely damage.

Why?

Disregard for balance, folks…disregard for balance…

In our hunger to express ever-more power, most of us fail to create the foundational structure to safely express that power. It's Pavel's analogy of firing a cannon out of a row boat. Disaster waiting to happen.

And correct foundational structure implies perfect balance, perfect proportion… Anything less and you're on the slippery slide of dysfunctional, ugly movement—the inevitable precursor to activity-crippling injury.

No team has done more this century to offer a working solution to this athletic dilemma than Gray Cook and Brett Jones….

Beginning with his trailblazing Athletic Body and Balance, his creation of the FMS system, and now with his magisterial new Movement, Gray Cook has established himself as without peer in the realm of functional movement, screening, assessment and corrective strategies.

Then, thanks to the rock-star combo with Brett Jones, we saw the creation of the CK-FMS, the Secrets Of series,Kettlebells from the Ground Up and now the latest masterly program, Kettlebells from the Center—Dynami.

As any good martial artist or football player will tell you, issuing power without a solid structure is just begging for injury.

Dynami offers a blueprint to ensure not only you possess the power but you possess the structure and foundation to handle your power safely.

For what you'd pay for one average sports massage,Dynami gives you a lifetime of strategies to ensure you continue to deal out your punishment in the right direction: your opponent, not your own self.

To quote Brett and Gray:

"Do not build your house on a foundation of sand—this is time honored and excellent advice. A rock-solid foundation means a house that will last. Power training should follow the same mind set.

Kettlebells from the Center—Dynami lays out a systematic approach to develop the proper pattern or foundation for the two best power moves – the Kettlebell Swing and Kettlebell Push-Press. Once a pattern has been formed the program continues to cement the proper pattern with strength moves like the Kettlebell Squat and Kettlebell Tall Kneeling Press. Then the program takes a unique approach to symmetry. Symmetry of strength is checked using Single Leg and Bottom Up kettlebell drills.

Then everything comes together to form the Dynami or Power."

Special introductory offer: order by Tuesday, December 14 and save $12.95

Burn the Fat Holiday Challenge is about to begin!

2010-11-18T08:10:00.000-05:00

The 2nd annual Burn the Fat holiday Challenge 49-day body
transformation contest is about to begin:

BURN THE FAT HOLIDAY CHALLENGE

Tom Venuto is sending the overall winners on an all inclusive
6-night hawaiian dream vacation to Maui.

Best part: You could be in the best shape of your life
when you go, if you are chosen as the winner.

Thousands of men and women have entered the last two
Burn the Fat challenges, and this year may be the biggest
burn the fat contest ever.

Some folks might be thinking "that's too much competition." But
listen, This contest is unique. This is not like a bodybuilding or
figure competition where the best physique - in absolute terms -
on that stage wins.

In this contest its about SELF IMPROVEMENT. that means
relative improvement - how much YOU improve, not how
you compare to the next guy or gal...

ANYBODY who makes BIG improvements could win - regardless of
what you weigh or what your body fat is today.

And you will be SHOCKED when you see how much you can improve
in just 49 short days.

The person in this fitness challenge contest who shows the
most personal improvement from before to after both visually via
photos and based on the numbers, in 49 days, is the person who
will win. A fitness expert judging panel will vote.

What's more, we have sub categories with winners for:

* Most ripped
* Best body recomposition (fat to muscle)
* Most inspirational
* Most supportive
* Top Team

Tom is giving away a whole slew of IPODS, IPADS, kindles autographed
books and more for these winners. IN fact we are giving away more
free membership time than ever before.

The grand prize winners get to spend 7 days and 6 nights in pure
luxury at the 5-star Four Seasons resort on Wailea beach in Maui Hawaii!

But you see, everyone is truly a winner in this contest because if you
go through the holidays, ENJOYING THEM TO THE FULLEST, while
transforming your body at the same time, and if you are in better
shape on New Year's Eve than you are today, that makes you a winner
whether you get awarded a prize or not.

Tom doesn't believe there are any "losers" in this challenge.

The official contest page is now open and the challenge official starts
just hours from now at 12:01 am, Thursday, November 18th, 2010

If you're already a member of the inner circle, then you're already eligible
to enter, no entry fee and no additional purchase required. Just log
into the site and go straight to the holiday challenge forums

If you're not a member of the inner circle family yet, then go get
contest rules, regulations and registration details here
BURN THE FAT HOLIDAY CHALLANGE

The contest entry deadline is Wednesday, November 24th at 11:59 pm EST
and some restrictions DO apply - read the info page for details:

BURN THE FAT HOLIDAY CHALLENGE

To your success,

Thomas

PS * some restrictions apply. International, federal, state and local
laws may apply. Void where prohibited. Void for new customers
in Vermont, North Dakota and Maryland due to state laws. Must
be 18 to enter

Complete rules and regulations at:

BURN THE FAT HOLIDAY CHALLENGE

WHY??????

2010-11-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

Previously I spoke about your “WHY” so now I’ll explain what I mean about it.

"YOUR "WHY" THE STARTING POINT OF SUCCESS
The 1st thing that'll contribute to reaching your goal is that you want to reach it badly enough!"

Above is a quote from my previous post.

When you start out to do something, we will use strength training as an example, typically you attack it with a goal in mind, let’s say a 400lb bench press. Normally a person will go out get a program, like Critical Bench, start the program but what happens after a few weeks depends on “WHY” that person started on that path in the 1st place. If the reason, [WHY], for a 400 bench was not strong enough the person then gets distracted and stops their pursuit. Where as if say the “WHY” he felt it would make him a better lineman for his football team which will help get a scholarship, that person will have a much better chance of reaching their goal.

Another way of achieving your goal is to sort of twist it into something that happens as a result of achieving another goal. You still need a strong why. This time let’s say a person wants to loose weight, but just dieting hasn’t worked in the past, one way to attack this would be to set another goal that will bring upon the weight loss. An example would be if a person has a goal to swing a 24kg kettlebell for 10 minutes straight to improve their cardio a side effect will be weight and fat loss. I know there are more factors but I think the point is made.

Sometimes the journey is better then the destination.

It is easy to gain muscles, lose fat!?

2010-11-01T07:40:00.001-04:00

This post is an answer to a comment I received on a previous post, "It is easy to gain muscles lose fat!?"

That actually is a good question is it easy?

I will say the simple yes/ no answer is no. Why "no", because most people are looking for an "easy program" -"5 minute abs", "30 days to a new you", "lose fat fast while you sleep"...etc. Truth is you did not lose your abs in 5 minutes, become the person in the mirror in 30 days, or get fat last night. So why would a person expect to make the changes in a easy fast manner? See my point? You can make changes in a short time, but normally if you have quick easy results most do fall right back into the habits that brought them into the condition that you wanted to change. Change takes time, it has been shown that it takes 21-30 days to change a habit, 1 day to revert back!

"YOUR "WHY" THE STARTING POINT OF SUCCESS
The 1st thing that'll contribute to reaching your goal is that you want to reach it badly enough!"

There are a lot of very good programs that will help a person achieve, "HOLY GRAIL", "BURN THE FAT FEED THE MUSCLE", "KETTLEBELL BURN", "TURBULENCE TRAINING"...to name a few, but if your "why" isn't strong enough you will just fall back into the habits, life style, that will cause you to seek answers AGAIN! So find your "why", work it, live it, and you will have success and it will be easy!

More on "WHY" next post...

5 Cool Fat Burning Workout Tips

2010-10-29T08:25:00.000-04:00

5 Cool Fat Burning Workout Tips

By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

If you want to squeeze even more fat burning results out of the
already amazing Turbulence Training workouts, here are 5 cool workout
tips that will super-charge your fat burning success.

1) Use the TRIPLE set method

Try the triple shoulder set (rear-delt, side raise, and front
raise), or db incline curls, standing curls, and hammer curls, or
db 1-arm tricep extension, db lying 2-arm ext, close grip pushup.

2) Do the Superset Switch-up

If you are doing supersets, switch to doing all the exercises in a
circuit. you'll use lighter weights (slightly), but possibly get
your workout done faster. A great change of pace without
sacrificing results.

3) Use the Russian secret of "Iso pauses"

Great for increasing the difficulty of many exercises, from pushups
to squats to pullups. So you could stop halfway down the pushup and
hold for 3-5 seconds to make it harder. Or hold the top of the
pullup for 2 seconds. That can make a huge difference in response
from exercises you are using regularly.

4) Add beach-body sculpting shoulder and arm exercises to the end of
your TT Workouts

A lot of tt readers who have a little extra time for more workouts
want to add in a bit more arm or shoulder training. Here's an awesome
tri-set to top off your beach body:

A) 1-Arm DB Shoulder Presses - 8 reps
B) DB Lying Triceps Extensions - 10 reps
C) DB Incline Curls - 12 reps
Rest 1 minute and repeat two more times for maximum results.

5) Before the workout, do KB swings or intervals

I don't like to do this a lot, but here's a little trick we can use
to make our workouts seem harder in terms of conditioning. Instead
of leaving all of the intervals to the end, we'll do half of the
interval training or kettlebell swings at the start of the workout
to increase breathing and heart rate. This will make the rest of
the workout feel harder, but you might have to drop your strength
levels. So use sparingly.

For more fat burning workout supersets, circuits, and intervals, try
the Turbulence Training program for 21 days here:

=> Turbulance Training Free Trial

********************************************************************

More videos and articles coming soon.

I'll be sending a unique Bench Press Workout Tips article on Sunday
to help you promote the TT Meatheads Package.

Please email me and let me know what specific videos, exercises,
and workouts covered in the new content.

Is it bootcamp workouts?
Is it bodyweight exercise videos?
Is it beginner advice?
Or is it advanced secrets?

Just let me know, because I have info that covers EVERYTHING about
fat burning workouts.

Talk soon,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Creator, Turbulence Training

>>>>>FREE TRIAL<<<<<

Do Cardio, Gain Muscle???

2010-10-27T18:13:00.000-04:00

Do Cardio, Gain Muscle???

By Tom Venuto On October 5, 2010 Under Holy Grail Body Transformation Content “Cardio bashing” has become rampant in the fitness industry in the last few years. Have you noticed? I sure have.

Both practitioners and experts alike have been blogging away, posting on forums and writing books based on the notion that:

* Cardio is a waste of time (“just lift weights and eat right”)

* Cardio will chew up your muscle

* Cardio will sap your strength

Even degreed and certified strength and conditioning coaches have been known to tell their clients to avoid cardio completely and just focus on weight training

For More...

Yes I am still here…

2010-10-20T13:20:00.003-04:00

No excuses just haven’t posted in a long while.

A lot of new releases I was checking out on the workout and diet front and I’ will give a few quick reviews here today. Also I will describe a “compound” “Chain” exercise, which ever one you feel comfortable calling it. I like multi joint full body, but I’ll get to that later.

Diet arena – After doing HCG I wanted to continue losing fat maintaining, even gaining muscle. Well Tom Venuto has a program that will do just that --- “The Holy Grail” appropriate name. It is not hard to follow and in a strange way sort of has cheat days built in [see previous post for more info] Click here to check The Holy Grail out

If you have a lot of fat to lose 1^st, then try Tom’s “Burn the Fat”, which is more geared to those people, pluse you will keep your hard earned muscle! “Click Here for Burn The Fat”

On the workout side there are 2 that I found very exciting.

One was Nick Nilsson’s “Mad Scientist Muscle” which I also discussed in detail on a previous post. It is a scientific based, zero guess work, time efficient program, that comes withs months of workouts!

The second one is “Tacfit Kettlebell Spetsnaz” by Scott Sonnon. If you are bored with your current kettlebell routine and want some variety this is for you. The plan has several new exercises and progressively works you on escalating levels to mastering them. You can not only use the workouts provided but once you have reached the highest rank, you can implement these exercises anyway you chose, another great program.

Believe me I get a lot of these, I don’t write about the bad ones only the ones I use or will use!

There are a few in the future I cant wait for, one being Gregg Gillies “Awesome Abs”…keep your eye out here for its release date.

Recently I was asked what my guilty pleasure is at the moment, or what exercise out of the normal am I doing. “Out of the normal” I guess depends on the crowd, but what I have been doing is this, sandbag clean, zercher squat [or lunge], then press, repeat. I like the sandbag, for several reasons, two of which are it sits, cradles, in my arms for the squat nicely and every time you pick it up the weight seems to shift changing the exercise ever so slightly. This is a great exercise for someone with time constraints. Set up a 15 minutes block, set the bag at a weight in which you can normally do @ 6 – 8 reps, start your timer do 3 reps, rest 10 seconds. Keep the rest interval at 10 seconds until you start to feel you can not get 3 reps, then up it to 20 seconds, then 30 seconds, then 40….and so on. Remember to log this in your journal, because I know we all use a journal, and next time perform 10% more reps next session!

Lose Fat Gain Muscle??? Impossible they say...

2010-09-23T10:46:00.004-04:00

One of the most common concerns people who have been working out have about losing weight is…

While losing fat they will also lose their hard earned muscle. You will become a smaller

weaker version of your self. We have always been told you can either lose fat or gain muscle, not both.

Muscle gives shape, so this concerns women as well as men.

Well a change has come.

Tom Venuto, author of “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle”, has come up with a new program which will blow away these myths ~~~ “The Holy Grail”

I received any early copy and I have to tell you it blew me away. The detailed explanations and information are tremendous. It even comes with a 4 day a week workout designed to facilitate the muscle growth even further. I’m on my 2^nd week and can already see and feel the changes.

Here is an article by Tom Venuto about this:

“How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?” That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time. The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers – even from experts who are supposed to know these things. So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously?

Short answer: Yes it’s possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Long answer: It’s difficult and it’s complicated, unless you really know what you’re doing. Allow me to explain….

First we have the issue of whether you really lose fat and gain muscle at the “same time.”

Well, yes, if your definition of the “same time” is say, a month or 12 weeks. But in that case, you’re probably not gaining muscle at the “same time” literally speaking, as in, right now this very moment you are reading this, or 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for months in a row.

The best explanation for what’s really happening is that you alternate between periods of caloric surplus (anabolism) and caloric deficit (catabolism) and the net result is a gain in muscle and a loss in body fat.

You see, if you stay in a calorie surplus, it’s the body’s natural tendency for body fat and lean body mass to go up together. And if you stay in a calorie deficit, it’s your body’s natural tendency for body fat and lean body mass to go down together.

There may be exceptions, but the general rule is that it is usually very difficult to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time – the mechanisms are mostly antagonistic to one another. When big increases in muscle and big decreases in fat are seen at the same time, it’s almost always the result of “unusual conditions” – I call them X factors.

The 4 X-Factors

The first X-factor is “training age” . Ever hear of “newbie gains?” The less trained your body is and the further you are from your genetic potential, the easier it is to gain muscle. The reverse is also true – an advanced bodybuilder with 20 years experience would be thrilled just to gain a few pounds of solid dry muscle in a year!

The second x factor is muscle memory. It’s easier to regain muscle you’ve lost than it is to gain new muscle in the first place (ergo, the fat out of shape semi retired bodybuilder who starts training again and blows up and gets ripped “overnight”).

The third X factor is genetics (or somatotype). Ever heard of the “genetic freak?” That’s the dude who sprouts muscle like weeds even when he’s on the “50-50 diet” (50% McDonald’s and 50% pizza)… and he never gets fat. (That dude chose the right parents!)

The fourth X factor is drugs. It would stun (or sadden) you if you knew how many people take performance and physique-enhancing drugs. I’m not just talking about pro bodybuilders, I’m talking about “Joe six pack” in the gym – not to mention those fitness models you idolize in the magazines. How did some of them get large muscle gains with concurrent fat loss? Chemicals.

I’m not a gambling man, but I’ll place a wager on this any day: I’ll bet that in 99% of the cases of large muscle gains with concurrent large fat losses, one or more of these x factors were present.

That’s not all! There are actually 5 more X factors related to your body composition and diet status (the X2 factors). I talk about those in my new program, the Holy Grail Body Transformation System. More on that later.

So you’re not a beginner, you don’t take roids, you’re not a genetic freak and you have no muscle memory to take advantage of. Are you S.O.L? Well, I do want you to be realistic about your goals, but…

There IS a way for the average person to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

The Secret: You have to change your “temporal perspective!”

Traditionally nutritionists and fitness pros have only looked at calorie balance in terms of 24 hour periods. At midnight, you could tally up the calories like a shopkeeper closing out his register, and if the balance were positive, you’d say you were in a surplus for the day. If the balance were negative, you’d say you were in a deficit for the day.

But it’s entirely possible that you might pass through periods of “within-day” surplus where you were in a highly anabolic state (for example, you eat the biggest, highest carb meal of the day after your workout), and you were in a deficit the rest of the day.

Furthermore, exercise changes everything. certain types of training will alter your hormones and physiological response to how you handle calories and nutrients.

If you did intense weight training, and you timed your nutrient intake just right,isn’t it possible that you could gain a small amount of muscle during those anabolic hours, while losing fat the rest of the day? Granted it might only be grams or ounces – but what if you kept that up for a week? A month? Three months?

As you pan out and look at the bigger picture, what if most days of the week you were in a deficit for the entire day, and on some days of the week you were in a surplus? If so, then isn’t it possible that over the course of the week, you’d have a small net gain of muscle and loss of body fat as a result of the caloric fluctuation?

These within-day and within-week phases are what I refer to in my new body transformation program as nutritional microcycles and mesocycles. If you also had a primary goal with a longer term focus of several months, say 12 weeks or 16 weeks, that would be a nutritional macrocycle.

What I’ve just described is nutritional periodization. Some people call it cyclical dieting. It’s where you manipulate your calories (primarily by fluctuating carbohydrate intake, hence “carb cycling”) in order to intentionally zig zag your way through periods of surplus and deficit.

The end result: muscle gain and fat loss during the same time period!

I know that someone out there is having a hissy fit because I’ve only talked about calories: deficits and surpluses. Rightfully so. Calories matter but there’s more to it than calories – most importantly, hormones and “nutrient partitioning.”

If you’re in a calorie deficit you are going to pull energy from your body. The question is: From WHERE? If your hormones are out of whack because you’re eating crap and you’re living an unhealthy lifestyle, you could lose more muscle than fat in a deficit and gain almost pure fat, not muscle, in a surplus!

But WHAT IF you could manipulate within day energy balance, use nutritional periodization AND control your hormones with food and lifestyle strategies?

NOW we are seeing how concurrent muscle gain and fat loss are starting to look possible!

Make no mistake – concurrent muscle gain and fat loss is a difficult goal to achieve. It’s the “Holy Grail of Fitness Goals.” The good news: difficult does not mean impossible. Or as George Santayana said, “The difficult is that which can be done immediately, the impossible, that which takes a little longer.”

If you’d like to learn more about losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, I just recorded a fantastic introduction to the subject in a one hour interview and you can get it for free as a gift from my new website because I want to get the word out about my brand new Holy Grail Body Transformation System.

In my new program, you’ll hear all the details about nutritional periodization, cyclical dieting, hormonal manipulation, within day energy balance, nutrient partitioning, AND the all the X factors, including the 5 “X2-Factors” – which are the keys to gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

You’ll also get my new “TNB” training system, which was originally published as a workout in Men’s Fitness magazine. Then I expanded it into a total program that has never been seen before except in my member’s only inner circle.

My new free report that you can download now in MP3 and PDF (transcript) is available for a limited time this week over at The Holy Grail website . It’s a great introduction to the program and you’ll pick up some great tips just from this free report alone.

Gaining Muscle and Losing Fat At The Same Time: Is It Possible

I’ve continued my weight loss from the HCG diet, decreasing body fat, and building strength/muscle, all as a result of “Holy Grail”!

You can sign up for a FREE MP3 and Reports here!

What the heck is In-Set Supersetting????

2010-09-15T08:03:00.003-04:00

I've got something VERY cool to share with you today...this is a great superset technique by the "mad scientist" himself Nick Nilsson (author of that Mad Scientist Muscle book I told you about yesterday). I tried it with a couple of bodyparts the other day and WOW, does it work.

Basically, you're going to take two exercises that work a single bodypart and combine them into ONE set, alternating reps of each. It hits your muscles from two different angles during the same set, kicking off an emergency reaction in your muscles.

Finish a set of these and the muscles you worked will swell up like balloons.

This link below will take you to a page that gives you full details on it so you can exactly what I'm talking about. It's very cool stuff.

Nick has also posted VIDEOS of this technique for every bodypart and a sample workout that you can take to the gym with you to try this technique out.

==> Mad Scientist Muscle (click here to see this in action)

I have to say, if you've not worked with some Nick's unique training techniques and exercises before, you're going to be in for a huge SHOCK. This training may look different than what you're used to but it's INCREDIBLY effective.

Nick is all about developing new exercises, techniques and programs not just for the sake of being different but because it just works BETTER. This is the kind of stuff that can build muscle on just about anybody...hardgainers included. And if you're not a hardgainer, even BETTER!

The "Mad Scientist Muscle" book is based on proven, scientific training principles sprinkled with BIG doses of unique (and yes, sometimes insane!) training concepts. Definitely worth picking up.

==> Mad Scientist Muscle (click here to see this in action)

Just so you know up front, "Mad Scientist Muscle" is on sale this week for a special "launch" price of 43% off. This is going to be on until Friday, Sept 17th at midnight, then it goes up to the normal price, so read this technique and try it out in the gym ASAP so you can experience the kind of information you'll be getting.

Then take action and grab it while it's cheap!

==> Mad Scientist Muscle (click here to see this in action)

How To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time

2010-09-04T06:44:00.003-04:00

How To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time
by Tom Venuto, author of the Holy Grail Transformation

“How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?” That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time. The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers - even from experts who are supposed to know these things. So what’s the deal? Is it really possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously?

Short answer: Yes, you can gain muscle and lose fat at the “same time.”

Long answer: It’s difficult and it’s complicated. Allow me to explain….
First we have the issue of whether you really lose fat and gain muscle at the “same time.”

Well, yes, if your definition of the “same time” is say, a month or 12 weeks. But in that case, you’re probably not gaining muscle at the “same time” literally speaking, as in, right now this very moment you are reading this, or 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for months in a row.

The best explanation for what’s really happening is that you alternate between periods of caloric surplus (anabolism) and caloric deficit (catabolism) and the net result is a gain in muscle and a loss in body fat.

You see, if you stay in a calorie surplus, it’s the body’s natural tendency for body fat and lean body mass to go up together. And if you stay in a calorie deficit, it’s your body’s natural tendency for body fat and lean body mass to go down together.
There may be exceptions, but the general rule is that it is very difficult to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time - the mechanisms are mostly antagonistic to one another. When it does happen, it’s almost always the result of “unusual conditions” - I call them X factors.

The 4 X-Factors

The first X-factor is “training age” . Ever hear of “newbie gains?” The less trained your body is and the further you are from your genetic potential, the easier it is to gain muscle. The reverse is also true - an advanced bodybuilder with 20 years experience would be thrilled just to gain a few pounds of solid dry muscle in a year!

The second x factor is muscle memory. It’s easier to regain muscle you’ve lost than it is to gain new muscle in the first place (ergo, the fat out of shape semi retired bodybuilder who starts training again and blows up and gets ripped “overnight”).

The third X factor is genetics (or somatotype). Ever heard of the “genetic freak?” That’s the dude who sprouts muscle like weeds even when he’s on the “50-50 diet” (50% McDonald’s and 50% pizza)… and he never gets fat. (That dude chose the right parents!)

The fourth X factor is drugs. It would stun (or sadden) you if you knew how many people take performance and physique-enhancing drugs. I’m not just talking about pro bodybuilders, I’m talking about “Joe six pack” in the gym - not to mention those fitness models you idolize in the magazines. How did they get large muscle gains with concurrent fat loss? Chemicals.

I’m not a gambling man, but I’ll place a wager on this any day: I’ll bet that in 99% of the cases of large muscle gains with concurrent large fat losses, one or more of these x factors were present.

That’s not all! There are actually 5 more X factors related to your body composition and diet status (the X2 factors). But I’ll have to talk about those later.
So you’re not a beginner, you don’t take roids, you’re not a genetic freak and you have no muscle memory to take advantage of. Are you S.O.L? Well, I do want you to be realistic about your goals, but…

There IS a way for the average person to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.
The Secret: You have to change your “temporal perspective!”

Traditionally nutritionists and fitness pros have only looked at calorie balance in terms of 24 hour periods. At midnight, you could tally up the calories like a shopkeeper closing out his register, and if the balance were positive, you’d say you were in a surplus for the day. If the balance were negative, you’d say you were in a deficit for the day.

But it’s entirely possible that you might pass through periods of “within-day” surplus where you were in a highly anabolic state (for example, you eat the biggest, highest carb meal of the day after your workout), and you were in a deficit the rest of the day.

If you did intense weight training, and you timed your nutrient intake appropriately, Isn’t it possible that you could gain a small amount of muscle during those anabolic hours, while losing fat the rest of the day? Granted it might only be grams or ounces - but what if you kept that up for a week? A month? Three months?

As you pan out and look at the bigger picture, what if most days of the week you were in a deficit for the entire day, and on some days you were in a surplus? If so, then isn’t it possible that over the course of the week, you’d have a small net gain of muscle and loss of body fat a a result of the caloric fluctuation?

These within-day and within-week phases are called microcycles and mesocycles. If you also had a primary goal with a longer term focus of several months, say 12 weeks or 16 weeks, that would be a macrocycle.

What I’ve just described is nutritional periodization. Some people call it cyclical dieting. it’s where you manipulate your calories (primarily by fluctuating carbohydrate intake, hence “carb cycling”) in order to intentionally zig zag your way through periods of surplus and deficit and create specific hormonal responses.

The end result: muscle gain and fat loss during the same time period!
I know that someone out there is having a hissy fit because I’ve only talked about calories: deficits and surpluses. Rightfully so. Calories matter but there’s more to it than calories - most importantly, hormones and “nutrient partitioning.”

If you’re in a calorie deficit you are going to pull energy from your body.The question is: From WHERE? If your hormones are out of whack and you’re eating crap, you could lose more muscle than fat in a deficit and gain almost pure fat, not muscle, in a surplus!

But WHAT IF you could manipulate within day energy balance, use nutritional periodization AND control your hormones with food and lifestyle strategies?
AHA! NOW you can see how concurrent muscle gain and fat loss are starting to look possible!

Make no mistake - concurrent muscle gain and fat loss is a difficult goal to achieve. The good news: difficult does not mean impossible. Or as George Santayana said, “The difficult is that which can be done immediately, the impossible, that which takes a little longer.”

The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program: How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat at The Same Time

You can learn more about gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time in Tom Venuto's new e-book called, "The Holy Grail Body Transformation System."
You’ll learn all about nutritional periodization, cyclical dieting, hormonal manipulation, within day energy balance, nutrient partitioning, AND the all the X factors, including the 5 “X2-Factors” - which are the keys to gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.
You’ll also get Tom's new “TNB” training system, as seen in Men’s Fitness magazine (the complete, expanded version that Men’s Fitness didn’t have room to print).

To learn more about the Holy Grail Body Transformation Program Click Here {SALE PRICE!!!!! ---LIMITED TIME}

HCG Experience

2010-08-11T09:21:00.001-04:00

Has this happened to you?

Had a drop in energy, will power to workout like you were used to doing, even if it was only a few months or weeks ago? You would go to the gym/garage/where ever and put in a great intense workout and feel great then something happened and it felt like life was sucked from you?

This happened to me, I slipped and fell off my back porch and landed right on my tailbone. Turns out that broke and I slightly fractured one vertabrea. Needless to say I was not able to do anything [workout wise] for a while. Getting back into it was hard. I gained weight, energy was low, and nothing I was doing, that I had done in the past, was working.

I was trying to find a solution to my problem, researching diets, workouts, motivational/hypnosis cds etc. when one day I received an email from Troy Anderson of Kettlebell Meltdown, with a link to a MP3 about the HCG diet protocol, one of the diets I was looking into. I am sure if you signup at http://kbfatloss.ning.com/ you can find the MP3 there, add me if you join. Most of what I was looking at was “drops” that you would take, this interview was about the injection and this interview got me hooked.
First of all, what is HCG? It is is a glycoprotein hormone produced in pregnancy that is made by the developing embryo after conception and later by part of the placenta. .. go here for more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin

The diet was created by British endocrinologist A.T.W. Simeons, and then made popular by informercial guru Kevin Trudeau and his book about The Weight Loss Cure They Don't Want You to Know About…

Well enough about the history.

The diet consists of 3 phases
1. Loading
2. Diet
3. Maintenance

1&2 can last 40 or 21 days [think it is 21], both phases include daily shots
Phase 1 is 2 days of eating, getting your last meals so to say.
Phase 2 is @500 cals a day!!!! 2 meals of 3.5 oz of lean meat or most fish and 3.5 -7 oz of greens and 2 snacks – apples, ½ a grapefruit…there are more details all over the web about the restrictions
Weekly visits are made to your doctor, which include a B-12 shot
Weight yourself daily and keep a log
Hunger is tough in the beginning, but the HCG helps control that by feeding on your stored fat, yes fat!
Working out is not required and in some circles frowned on, I did. When I did workout I learned to just “grease the groove” so to say, not really push it. I did barely push it once and recovery was almost non- existent.

My results [ I still have a few days left and will post final statistics] in weight los so far {34 day in} 43lbs!!! Was this hard, yes, but it is ONLY 40 days long. Will I keep it off? That is the plan.

Will this help with getting back to better workout, I believe the answer is yes!!!
I can’t wait to find out! {and eat something}

Feel free to contact me with any questions [if you want a specific response leave email]

NOTE: MBODY Strength is having a kettlebell sale!! Cheap shipping plus 10% off thru August!

Looking for a Multi Edged Workout?

2010-08-07T07:30:00.002-04:00

In my last post, I think it was in my last post, I asked if anyone has heeard of the HCG diet. I am in the home stretch of it right now, @27 days into the actual diet and down 39 lbs, almost all is fatloss [@98%]! I will post more soon so if you have questions please ask now, so I can answer them in my post.

I came up with a workout I believe will continue the fatloss while building muscle and conditioning. I built in almost automatic improvement factors, I say almost because you need to keep a journal, if not,well it really is just guessing. Here it is, I believe it is self explanitory but feel free to comment or ask questions!

Monday

Cleans
• 3 step progression
• Then 3 sets of 6

Squats
• Work up to 3 sets of 8-12
• 1 finisher of 20 reps & pull overs

EDT –Back & Chest
• 10 minutes
• Hammer incline
• Hammer row

Cardio – at gym

Tuesday
Strength conditioning

Wednesday

Jumps
• Some kind of platform
• Start with 50 reps then either increase reps or decrease time

Bench
• Work up to 5x5
• Finish with a set of high rep flies

EDT Dips & Pull-ups
• 10 minutes

Cardio
• Sledge Hammer Swings

Thursday –off

Friday

KB –double snatch
• 50 timed reps
• Decrease time or increase weight

Deadlift
• Work up to 5x5
• This will either be full deadlift using barbell or trap bar, or heavy partials depending on how back feels.

Small EDT DB Side raises & KB High Pulls
• 5 minutes

Atlas Stone
• Increase PR [reps] as often as possible

Saturday
Strength conditioning
Arm work if needed

Work Grip, Abs and Calves daily

Does Eating Healthy Cost More???

2010-08-01T07:33:00.003-04:00

One of the biggest myths out there is the myth that eating healthy costs too much.

Just the opposite... and I'll prove it to you in three ways.

#1: Cash

Here's some sample figures courtesy of Scott Tousignant's fitness blog...

: 2 medium size sweet potatoes $1 or... small fries from a fast food joint

: 2 red peppers $1 or... a can of pop

: Bowl of oatmeal with fruit & protein powder $2 or... large bag of chips

: 6 Chicken Breasts $10 or... a sub combo from a fast food joint

: 18 eggs $3.50 or... a burger from a fast food joint

: 2 salmon fillets $15 or... large pizza

: Loaded chicken salad (homemade) $3 or... bag of cookies

: Large bag of oatmeal $3.50 or... 4 chocolate bars

Not much of a comparison, it is?

Yet the foods on the left would feed a family of two or more for 4-7 days... the foods on the right? 2-3 days if you live through it.

Tips to make the most expensive part of eating healthy -- the cost of quality meats -- go further include...

1. Use tofu fillers in chicken and beef recipes. Even if you hate tofu, you can barely taste the difference when combined properly.

2. Buy your meats in bulk online. You can find less expensive grass-fed beef and naturally-raised chicken and have it delivered to you if you live near a large city. If not, check the local farmers.

3. Eat meat only 3-4 times per week and use black beans with rice or inexpensive tuna for your other days. I eat tuna cooked in a skillet with lots of veggies and some olive oil almost every night and I LOVE the taste!

Jon Benson's book The Every Other Day Dietplan has over 40 pages of recipes in it to help you eat healthy and cheap... and you can still eat out and consume your favorite foods several times per week.

#2: Your Health

Do we 'really' need to talk about buy new (usually larger) clothes every year or two? Or about the health care costs associated with being even 20 pounds over your ideal weight, let alone more? How about the time you miss from work with excessive colds?

Eating healthy and taking care of your body adds years to your life... and for the record, the years eating poorly takes away from your life, on average, costs each American over 80,000 in medical expenses.

Want to add that to your food budget?

#3: The Big Picture

Anyone who has been fit knows the joy it brings... the freedom you feel from wearing whatever you want... the productivity you see from increased energy... the pace at which you move during the day.

Not only are these gifts priceless, but they are also massive cash-savers. Your productivity alone can add thousands to your bottom line each year, well off-setting any costs associated with eating quality food.

The Bottom Line...

Like any good accountant would suggest, you need to look at your ROI (return on in.vest.ment) if nothing else.

What does in.vest.ing in a better body, greater health, and vibrant energy do for your life? How can that actually translate into more in.come AND less expense?

You will be surprised.

P.S. If you want some tips on getting started with shedding that excess weight... go here for a short video... and prepare to take some notes! ...

it's freee....

Free Video <--- click.here

Book review plus something new

2010-07-14T09:31:00.004-04:00

Did you purchase and read "Kettlebell Muscle" from my last post???

It is an excellent no B.S. training and inf manual that provides an exact workout to use to gain muscle using kettlebells. The workout is based on using 2 kettlebells and is a 12 week workout which is grueling if you've never used double kettlebells, but I really liked it. It is fast and furious. If you havent read it gat it now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has anyone heard of the HCG Diet??? What have you heard?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Google "Chad Waterbury" and you'll come up
with a bunch of results about his articles in big
magazines like Men's Health... even his career
training athletes and Hollywood celebrities...

... but you won't find this:

=>>> Body of F.I.R.E.

These fatloss secrets are not in any book!

Go to your local "big box" bookstore and browse
the "weight loss" section. Quite a selection, huh?
Better yet, go on Amazon -- because you'll find...

Over 500 different books on how to lose fat!

How much time do you think it would take to
try to just *skim* all those books? You'd have
to quit your job to even try....

Good news is, you don't have to. In fact, don't
bother cracking open even one -- because
you're about to discover why none of them *really*
seem to work...

=>>> Body of F.I.R.E.

... and why Chad Waterbury,
one of America's most expensive
(and exclusive) trainers...

...is opening the vault on the unique weight loss
info he's never shared before except with his
$500 an hour clients (the ones who even make it to
the top of the huge waiting list):

This is LIMITED (and this short FREE video has
more useful stuff than most of those 500
books put together) so check it out now!