Success in life doesn’t just “happen”.

You make choices and you perform certain actions, which in turn, give you various outcomes based on those choices and actions.

You choose to eat healthier. You choose to go to the gym. You choose to stay faithful to your partner. You choose happiness. You choose success – and YOU choose failure.

It's all YOU baby.

I don’t really believe in destiny, or in any sort of secret force that makes some people successful if they “discover it within them”.

That sort of stuff may sell books and fill auditoriums for seminars, but life is all about action and choice.

Action and choice are two critical components in your "secret" success formula.

YOU are responsible for your success and YOU are responsible for your failures. You choose where you want to go in life, and YOU choose what you want to get out of life.

Allow me to make a simple math analogy to put things into perspective: You need to become the constant – and factors like circumstances, genetics, social conditioning, and influencers should be the variables. When you become the constant in the equation you don’t let the external environment affect you, you’re happy regardless. Haters don’t bother you; you’re going to keep doing your thing regardless. Setbacks and heartbreaks don’t break you; you simply overcome and find a way to make shit happen.

You refuse to use words like "It’s too hard” or “I’m not smart enough” or “I can’t” or “If only” because you’re focused on figuring it out…focused on solving problems…focused on things that matter…focused on winning…and focused on kicking ass.

Here are seven habits that will help get you on the right track (this is my version of Dr Stephen R. Covey's original 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Bind them to your mind, let them soak into your soul, but always remember – this post is only designed to give you a small boost to your motivation and drive. It’s not a permanent solution. You need to continue reaching for motivation and absorbing positivity daily in order to become a highly effective asskicker permanently.

1. Overcome Adversity

One of the basic characteristics of a winner is that they never quit. They have a never say die attitude. They are harder to kill.

On the opposite end of the winner’s spectrum are losers. These are the people you usually hear whining and complaining about how life isn’t fair or how 'person X did them wrong' or how if they ‘coulda shoulda woulda’ done _________(fill in the blank), they would be rich, famous, successful, and happy. If you don’t believe me, or if you don't know any of these people personally, just open a Twitter or Facebook account and read away. Yawn.

I recently read an article in Fast Company about "Overnight Success". It talked about how nearly every success story is filled with countless setbacks, crushing defeats, and near-death experiences. It also touched upon the fact that attractive excuses always seem to be waiting for you when things get tough…just hoping you’ll take the easy way out…but that the most successful people forge ahead through the adversity while the "unsuccessful" people give up too early.

Here are a few historical examples of how battling through adversity can pay off in BIG WAYS:

1. WD-40: The world famous WD-40 lubricant was named WD-40 ONLY because the first 39 experiments failed. WD-40 literally stands for “Water Displacement–40th Attempt.” These days, there are well over 2,000 different ways to use WD-40. 

2. Angry Birds: The game we all know and love, wasn’t an overnight hit. Software developer Rovio didn’t finally get it right until their 52^nd attempt, which took nearly eight years. They almost went bankrupt in the process.

3. Soichiro Honda: This auto tycoon was rejected by Toyota after interviewing for an engineering job – and he started making scooters at home after being encouraged by friends to stick with it. The rest is history.

4. Harland David Sanders: Yes we all know Colonel Sanders from KFC as a restaurant legend. However, his super secret and now internationally famous chicken recipe was rejected 1,009 times before it was finally accepted and put into restaurants.

5. Orville and Wilbur Wright: The Wright brothers battled family illness, depression, haters, and had a ton of failed prototypes before they finally created a plane that can fly. Now we have planes flying at Mach 20 speed, firing missiles, and dropping bombs.

6. Steven Spielberg: Movie guru Spielberg was rejected from the USC School of Theater Film and Television three times. He was finally accepted at a smaller school…but then dropped out, and well, you know the rest.

7. Stan Smith: One of my mentors back in the day, Stan was turned down when he applied to be a ball boy at a Davis Cup event because the organizers felt he was too uncoordinated, clumsy, and slow. He "clumsily" went on to win Wimbledon, The U. S. Open and eight Davis Cup titles.

8. Michael Jordan: Yep, the greatest basketball player of all time (and perhaps even the greatest athlete of all time) was actually cut from his high school basketball team.

Regardless of what you do, you’ll make mistakes, face rejection, and have to endure some failures along the way. Don’t run from mistakes, embrace them. Don’t be afraid of rejection, embrace it. Don't fear failure, learn from it. Mistakes can be the portals to discovery. Rejection can be your motivation to try again harder and better next time. Failure is never the end of the road.

2. Put In Work

Nothing worth getting in life is ever easy, you’ve got to earn it – and usually you'll have to earn it the hard way. You've got to pay the price. You've got to put in work.

Winning is all about sacrifice. You suffer now in order to reap the rewards later. You play hard, but practice harder. One of the great examples of this is the famous Michael Jordan quote “I'm not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.”

3. Believe when no one else does

The late Vince Lombardi said it best “Winning is a habit. Unfortunately so is losing.”

There is a lot of hype and bs out there about winning, from the countless books and articles, to the seminars from ‘gurus’. They all make it sound so easy. But let’s face it, winning is hard. There are a ton more ‘losers’ out there than there are ‘winners’. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

Winning usually starts with belief…and although books, articles, and seminars are good starting points, they usually aren’t enough to get you over the hump. You’ve got to believe. And you can’t just believe a little bit…the belief has to be deep. And it can't only deep…it has to be strong. Then it has to be consistent.

Think of a winning attitude like you would showering. You’ve got to do it every day or your results are going to stink.

You can’t just read a book once and hope for a miracle. You can’t just read a few articles online and forget everything you read. You can’t just go to a seminar and hope that you stay fired up. You’ve got to buy into it. You've go to live it, breathe it, and feel it. Bottom line, you’ve got to want it deeply and truly believe in it.

Let’s face it, positive thinking on its own is not going to directly put money in your bank account. But indirectly it can. You see, every goal all starts out as an idea, and for that idea to grow you must water it every day with belief.

Every goal starts with a dream, a vision, and a first step. It starts with a vivid imagination of the scenario you wish to happen in reality – this is where you envision in your mind what is not physically possible to be seen with your own eyes. For anyone who has experienced this first hand, you’ll know that it feels so real you can practically taste it.

Once you've sincerely bought into your dream, next you’ve got to make the commitment to yourself that you are going to continue to believe in your vision for what you want in life regardless of what your “haters” say or what the non-believers say.

Don’t let the critics and naysayers discourage you. Don’t empower them by being mentally unfaithful to your own dream. Visualize your goal, then put it down on paper, then believe in your dream so much that every day and every step you make is a step towards that goal.

4. Shift paradigms to reach the next level

A Paradigm shift (the original context), as described by Thomas Kuhn in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962), is a fundamental change in the basic assumptions, approach, or paradigms, within the ruling theory of science. It’s basically the theoretical explanation or model of the way things are.

Today, the term “paradigm shift” has adopted a new meaning as it has found uses in other contexts. I’ve come to believe it to be a radical change in personal beliefs, thought patterns, perception, reality, views, and/or theory, which, in turn, results in a corresponding change in behavior.

For example, if your paradigm is formed based on input from friends and family, you will probably only see yourself the way they see you. This can often be the opposite of the truth. It may be their truth, or their paradigm of you. Sometimes it takes a radical shift in paradigm, a radical change in belief or theory, or a sudden change in perception to get you on the right path toward success.

For example, if you are constantly told throughout your life that 'your grandmother failed algebra, your mother failed algebra, and you too will probably also fail algebra'…you may walk into algebra class believing failing algebra is your destiny. However, if you are told the exact opposite throughout your childhood…your paradigm, or your perception of your algebra skills may be much different.

Kuhn used the duck/rabbit illusion to illustrate differences in perception:

My college coach used to often tell our team after losses, “You can’t see yourself, you can only feel yourself. You may feel like a loser right now but all of you guys in this locker room look like winners to me. Change your paradigm.”

Theory holds that all behavior is based upon understanding. Change that understanding and the behavior will change. Change your behavior and your outcomes will change. As I stated earlier in this post: "you make choices and you perform certain actions, which in turn, give you various outcomes based on those choices and actions".

To quote the great Albert Einstein, "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

5. Have balance

In today’s fast paced, hyper-competitive lifestyle there is continual pressure to do more, to achieve more, and to work harder. Sometimes it even seems as if you aren’t busting your ass to the point of exhaustion that you just “aren’t working hard enough” or that “you’re a slacker”.

On a personal note, I often struggle closing my computer and unplugging from work. At least three or four nights per week I find myself up at 2 or 3am writing articles, doing research, or "working hard". In fact, it's 2:14am on the dot as I type this right now! So this is me coming clean and admitting that I am working on improving this habit just as much as the next person.

With that being said, I do think that restraint, moderation, and fullness of life are far more important than money and status. I’m not saying that money and status aren’t important, because they are.

However, there is a cost associated with money and status – and that cost is usually extra work. Extra work usually means extra stress and less time doing things you enjoy (I know this to be true personally). So I truly believe that finding balance between money, work, and time is where true happiness lies.

When you focus all of your energy on one aspect of your life, you can’t pay enough attention to other important areas of your life and you can find yourself out of balance. An out of balance life is not sustainable for long periods of time and your family, friends, effectiveness, and health can suffer as a result.

It is very important to be motivated and driven to success, but when you take it too far it only leads to increased stress, failed relationships, and bad health. On another personal note, I had to see the doctor last year for what he said was 'stress induced chest pain'. Following his advice, I eliminated all of those 'stressors' and haven't had any issues since.

Every day is a new opportunity to work on unplugging and taking time to appreciate life and find balance. This will allow you to recharge yourself and rest up for the next conquest. As mentioned earlier in this article, it’s your choice to make.

6. Invest in self

This is my version of Steven Covey’s ‘sharpen the saw’ theory, which basically means you preserve, enhance, and improve yourself because you are your own greatest asset.

Dr Covey explains that there are four areas of life that you must invest in to create growth and positive change. These are: Physical, Social/Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual.

Invest in your physical self: eat healthy, train consistently, and be sure to get enough sleep.

Invest in relationships: be sure to make time for friends, family, and have fun doing it.

Invest in your mind: take a night class, learn a new skill, read a book, teach someone what you have learned, etc.

Invest in your spiritual self: meditate, travel, go to your place of worship on more days than just holidays or days before the world is supposed to end.

As you continue to invest in yourself you’ll feel much more mentally refreshed and able to take on more of life’s challenges. This concept ties in well with habit #5 and will help you grow and create positive change in your life.

7. Evolve

One of my favorite animals is the Japanese koi fish, or nishikigoi (also known as carp), not only because they look cool but because they’re little badasses.

The Japanese associate the fish with perseverance in adversity, strength, determination, courage, strength of purpose, and the ability to reach seemingly impossible goals.

According to Japanese legend, the koi bravely swims upstream and fights the falls – and if it is successful in its quest to climb the falls and reach the Dragon Gate on the Yellow River, it will be transformed into a dragon.

The legend holds that the koi bravely fights the falls, and if it happens to get caught by fishermen, it lies on the butchers cutting board without flinching, similar to the legendary samurai warriors when they would face death by beheading. Based on this legend, the koi fish is now a symbol of strength, courage, and aspiration.

The legend of the koi is pretty awesome, but I think that the hidden message is even more powerful. The koi always sets lofty goals – it’s small, yet it swims upstream to achieve its goal regardless of how difficult or seemingly impossible that goal may be. Popular opinion does not matter to the koi. Paralysis of analysis is not happening. The koi is the perfect example of shifting paradigms and constantly evolving, improving, and reaching the next level.

Always work on evolving and continuously improving, reinventing, and remaking yourself. Be like the koi – swim upstream, over a falls, against all odds, and become a 'dragon'. Then why not one up yourself and turn into a fire breathing dragon? Never stop improving. Evolve. Win. Kick Ass.

Thanks for reading. Please leave your questions and comments below. (Don't forget to click the Like button and share!)

Rewind 20 years and I was a young kid with crazy dreams and aspirations. (Check me out, I'm on the right)

One day I wanted to be a professional wrestler, the next day an astronaut, and the next day a dinosaur.

I honestly think that I wanted to be everything cool as a kid from a superhero to an insect to a garbage man back then.

Funny thing is, out of all of the "you can be whatever you want" choices, I decided I wanted to become a garbage man.

Yes, I said garbage man.

The logic all made sense to me: (1) I would get to ride on the back of the garbage truck (aka superhero status); (2) I would be able to hop off and hurl trash bags into the back (again this requires super human strength); (3) watch everything get crushed (with my super power lever).

I would have done ANYTHING to be a trash man back then…

And of course, every time the garbage truck came down our street I’d run over to my parents and tell them how bad I wanted to be a garbage man when i grew up. All they would do was say "you can be whatever you want to be" and would keep encouraging me to "dream big".

They both would say, "Jamin, you can do anything you put your mind to; you can be anything you want to me."

Now, I wasn’t your average kid…and whenever anyone told me anything I questioned it every time. I analyzed it. I broke it down. (Well I broke it down as best an 8 year old could anyway).

I was really lucky in a way because from an early age I was surrounded by wonderful people (parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, relatives, etc) who loved me and cared about my success.

They all had good intentions when they gave me advice, and despite my hesitation to believe everything they told me about how easy it was to be whatever I wanted…I eventually started believing I could do it.

Perhaps I CAN ACTUALLY be anything I want to be, I used to tell myself.

I think this is the same logic that convinced me to tell my little bro that if he put on Superman underwear and wore a red towel as a cape he would be able to fly out of our 2nd floor bedroom window with no problem. “You can do it bro, all you gotta do is believe. Just like mom said”.

He was in full costume, Superman dralls, eye goggles plus towel, when dad busted into the room and ruined my entire experiment.

I’ll never forget that day…

Today, I see things a bit more clear – and I like to refer to my parents “you can be anything you want to be” speech as Life's Biggest Lie.

The cold hard truth is: NO, you can’t be anything you want to be. (watch the video below for proof, and a good laugh)

Now before you furiously scroll to the bottom of this post to leave me an angry comment about how I am a dream crusher or anything like that allow me to explain…

We’ve all heard it since we were kids. "You can be anything you want to be" or “If you believe it, you can achieve it” or “Set your mind to do it, work hard, never quit, and you will become successful.” It sounds magical I know. Almost too good to be true in a weird round-a-bout way.

And I’m sure our parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors wanted to do nothing but inspire us to dream big and to go after our dreams with reckless abandon. They wanted us to achieve more than they did. They wanted us to become successful. We can't blame them for that.

There is just one minor problem. Their logic was flawed. You cannot do whatever you want. We cannot become anything we want to be.

If that was even remotely true, every guy out there would be a hall of fame millionaire athlete and every female would be a princess who fell in love and lived happily ever after (please correct me if I'm wrong on that one ladies).

I know I'll probably take some heat for saying you can’t be anything you want to be but I don’t care. If you're an adult who still believes this is true, perhaps you still believe in the Tooth Fairy or maybe you live in Narnia, who knows.

I don’t always write to make you feel good (you'd have to pay me to do that), I write to help you grow and develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. Besides, I’m sure none of the people who will hate on this post are astronauts, NBA all-stars, the president of the United States, or a princess in a far away land anyway!

Look, I know saying you can’t be anything you want to be may go against everything anyone has ever told you in life, but trying to become something you’re not designed to become does nothing but set you up for failure, sadness, and heartbreak. I see this happen all the time. If you don't believe me, just look around you and listen.

To make things worse, it seems like everyone is now a self-help "guru" or "motivational speaker" all of a sudden.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of hearing and seeing people spread false hope and hype all over the internet. Quite frankly, I hate most quotes. Sure, many quotes sound great…and I’m not trying to disrespect any of the people who post quotes or get inspired by quotes. All I’m saying is that quotes are grossly overrated and many of them as just downright impractical.

HERE'S MY STORY

Let me just say that I never reached my original childhood dream of becoming the neighborhood trash collector.

In fact, my career path took a complete 180 when I was 8 years old.

You see, my mom always wanted to be able to play tennis, but in her day, black people weren’t allowed at most tennis courts, much less country clubs. She never had a lesson in her life, but she had a true passion for the game.

So one day she took my brother and I to the local YMCA and had us hit some balls around. I had never played tennis before but for some weird reason I was pretty good at it the first time. I could keep a rally and had decent form. So she found me a coach.

Several years later I was the #1 ranked tennis player in the United States in the 12 and under age group.

Fast forward two years and I was a sponsored athlete with Reebok and Wilson Sporting Goods and was traveling the world playing tennis.

It was pretty friggen awesome.

Long story short I had a pretty decent tennis career. I was ranked top 10 in the United States throughout high school. I played Division 1 tennis on a full scholarship at the University of Miami (and later Clemson). I got to travel the world and see some really cool places, meet some really cool people, and achieved a world ranking the ATP tour.

I never reached my ultimate goal of winning a bunch of grand slams and becoming the greatest tennis player of all time, but I had an amazing run and it was a great experience.

I guess you could say that whole trash guy thing didn’t really work out…

The weird thing about tennis was…it came so easy to me. It just seemed so natural. In fact, there were quite a few other kids who were my age who had the same coaches I did…who practiced the same amount of hours I did…who lifted the same amount of weights…ran the same amount of sprints…who never achieved the same success.

It just seemed as if the amount of time they spent practicing and training just didn't really matter – even though they were doing the exact same things I was.

I'm not trying to pump sunshine up my own ass by saying 'how great i was' or anything. These are just observations I've made over the years as an athlete. Some people have it and some people don't and I think the same success principles apply to just about every profession.

The idea that we are all born with an unlimited list of career possibilities that if pursued diligently will translate into success if you “work hard” or “believe in yourself” is a set-up for adults…and one of the biggest lies you can tell a young kid.

HERE'S MY THEORY

We are all born with different strengths, weaknesses, competencies and talents. I like to call this combo your success “toolbox”.

I believe that every single one of us is given a unique set of “tools” at birth. Unique motivations, unique gifts, and several other unique intangibles. The chances of you making it to the top of any profession with the wrong set of tools in your success toolbox is almost impossible.

You see, not everyone is cut out to be an NBA star, a doctor, a movie star, a fitness model, a scientist, etc. Some people just SUCK at basketball…other people just SUCK at math or science…etc…and some people are really GOOD at basketball (or tall as hell)…or GOOD at math or science. For example, I could study hard for 100 hours for a biology test in college and still get a C, but in economics or law I was a straight A student with minimal effort. Could I have been a nobel prize winning scientist if I studied extra hard for hours on end? Perhaps…but I wouldn't put money on that EVER happening…

You can’t climb Mount Everest with the wrong tools in your tool belt. You'll fail every time.

You get the point.

Quite honestly I would have SUCKED as a trash man because it turns out I’m a huge germ-o-phobe. I'd probably jump off the smelly garbage truck, be too scared to touch any of the bags (much less throw them in the truck), and get fired for missing work all the time.

But I digress…

The entire point of my message today is: I truly believe you can be anything you have the talents and gifts to be…or perhaps even what a higher power equips you to be if you’re the spiritual type. You just can’t necessarily be anything you want to be. None of us can.

How can any of us expect to reach even one simple goal if we are constantly seeking thousands of other goals? The idea that we can be anything we want to be suggests a lack of focus, a lack of discipline, and pretty much ensures failure.

I prefer to think of it in a different context…

Instead of asking “What do you want to be” ask yourself this instead “What do you think you were created or designed you to be?”

The goal is not to try and figure out what you should desire to become, but to discover what you were created/designed to do since birth. Why were you placed on this earth? What is your PURPOSE.

Pause and let that sink in for a moment.

Oscar Pistorius makes history as the first amputee to compete in the world championships.

I think that in order to fulfill your purpose in life you need five things: Passion, Desire, Ability, Faith, and Patience.

As I’ve said in previous posts, successful people usually have (1) the passion to do; and (2) the patience to wait for the fruits of their labor. Then when you throw Faith, Desire, and Ability into the mix and you have an award winning recipe that will allow you to pursue your unique calling and live a life of PURPOSE and SUCCESS.

Trust me when I tell you this: If you apply this simple formula to your own life you will be much more productive, you'll be much happier, you’ll get much more satisfaction out of life, and this will all translate into massive success.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The U.S. Army hit a homerun with their “Be All You Can Be” campaign back in the day.

This slogan can mean many different things to each one of us but I think it means taking what you have and making the most of it. I think it means defining who you are and then realizing your potential. I think it means taking your gifts, your competencies, your desires, your education, your unique “toolset” and using them to fulfill your life’s purpose.

If you go out and shoot 1000 jump shots every day, take 1000 free throws, and hire a coach, will you get better at basketball? Maybe.

If you also go out an buy a new tennis racket, hit 1000 serves every day, take lessons, and practice for 5 hours per day, will you get better at tennis? Probably.

Will you become an NBA star or a legend on the ATP tour? Who knows, there are no guarantees…but the odds are definitely not in your favor. Especially if you don't have the tools in your success toolbox to help you get the job done.

Honestly, you can believe as much as you want that you’ll beat the current UFC World Champion in a fight…but unless you are equipped with the skills to win you’re just going to get your face pounded in. No quote, book, or motivational guru will be there to save you either…

Look, success is not a direct result of desire. You cannot really be “anything you want to be”, at least you can't accomplish this in the context most of us grew up believing it to be…

Instead go become the best at what you CAN be. Go pursue the things that you have the talent and gifts to do – what you are equipped and designed to do.

Life’s greatest reward is the satisfaction of success when pursuing your true purpose, your true calling. Whatever that is, who knows. I can't tell you the answer to that. You’ll have to be the one who figures that out. But whatever it is, go DO IT and then make it your goal to become incrementally better at it each and every day.

Go forth and conquer your life's purpose. Be all you can be.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post feel free to share it with a friend and click 'Like'. I look forward to reading your comments below.

In case you've never heard of Powertec (aka the world's best plate loaded home gyms), they are, in my humble opinion, one of the top fitness companies out there.

I'm not just saying that because I'm associated with the company – I'm saying it because I truly believe it.

From the ownership to management, to the creative & media team, to the office staff, to the equipment…it's rare to find their level of integrity, honesty, and quality anywhere else.

This goes without saying but it's a true honor for me to have the opportunity to represent them as a Powertec Athlete.

Here is a video from my shoot with them a few months back. It's a short clip, filmed right outside Powertec Headquarters in Long Beach, CA.

Note: kids don't try this at home. Videotaping yourself playing in traffic can get you seriously injured, or even worse, featured on Tosh.0.

We are doing a bunch of cool stuff over at Powertec so if you haven't been over to the online mag and checked out any of the workout videos or swiped any of the free meal plans you need to hit that up right now!

The Powertec Athletes are some of the top fitness models and trainers in the business so you'll definitely be getting some great free content and tips from them that you can use TODAY to get leaner, healthier, and stronger.

Anyways, I'm outta here. I hope you enjoyed the vid, but if not, watch it again haha!

Laidz!

It’s no secret, many of the ingredients and additives found in our food supply can be extremely controversial, even downright scary.

In fact, sometimes it almost seems as if making sense of a food label requires a degree in food science or environmental chemistry…

For example, some commonly used food additives include: Sulfated butyl oleate, Diethylenetriamine, Methacrylic acid-divinyl benzene copolymer, Succinic acid, and 2,2-dimethylhydrazide to name a few…

(Do you know which one of the previously listed ingredients is commonly used in nutritional supplements? Here's a clue.)

Also, a few commonly used color additives include: FD&C Blue #1, Beta-Apo-8'-carotenal, Carmine, Guaiazulene (Azulene), and many many more…

Have you seen any of these ingredients before? Do you know what their functions are? Do you automatically assume all food additives with big words that are impossible to spell all bad for you? Do you believe everything you read and assume food additives that are labeled safe, are actually safe?

Here are a few more commonly used food additives that may sound weird, but have been deemed safe to eat:

Ammoniated Beef: Many fast food chains have been known to use the method of 'gassing the meat with ammonia' to kill pathogens. Although many fast food chains have stopped using this method to kill the germs in meat, the practice is still believed to be used by quite a few other big chains.

Bacteriophages: A food preservative that is sprayed on various meat and poultry products to kill the bacteria responsible for the deadly listeriosis infection.

Castoreum: A secretion from the anal glands of beavers, used mostly in perfumes, but sometimes also used to enhance raspberry flavor in candies, gum, baked goods, alcohol, and fillings.

L-cystine: An amino acid that is typically synthetically produced for commercial use and often derived from bird feathers or human hair.

Rennet: An enzyme taken from veal calves at the time of slaughter and is typically added to milk to make cheese. A non-animal version is microbial enzyme. It’s also used as a thickening agent for making custards. You can often find it listed as “vegetable rennet” on cheese labels.

Shellac: The secretions from the lac beetle found in India and Thailand are used to give confections such as Skittles and candy sprinkles a shiny coating. It can also be used to coat pills used for medicine. This is the same shellac that’s used to finish wood.

Transglutaminase: An enzyme used to “stick” pieces of meat together to form one whole cut. These new cuts of meat are often listed on food labels as “reformed and shaped chicken breast” or “formed turkey thigh roast.”

My Opinion: Just because the FDA deems an ingredient "safe to use" does not necessarily mean it's "healthy or "good for you". Also, just because you may not know what the ingredient is, or it's function, does not necessarily mean it's "bad for you".

I have a few simple rules: (1) if you can’t spell it, the probability is fairly high that it's not 100% healthy or good for you (although it may be labeled as 'safe to eat') – and/or (2) if it's man made or didn’t come from the ground it’s also probably not the healthiest choice out there.

Also, considering all of the crap you see posted on Twitter, Facebook, and news blogs these days about health and nutrition it can be easy to get caught up in "nutrition research sensationalism", but I'm here to tell you – JUST RELAX. Don't get caught up in the hype.

Not all foods hyped up to be healthy are healthy – and not all foods hyped up to be toxic are toxic. When you do your research, you'll find that many food additives are unusual and weird…even gross…but that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to kill you or make you unhealthy. Especially when consumed in small quantities.

For example, in previous posts we have discussed how the “color added” ingredient in some pink, purple, and red foods (ie: strawberry yogurt, ice cream, fruit juice sprinkles on your doughnut, skittles, etc.) is carmine, which is the dried and crushed bodies of the female cochineal insect.

Gross right? Allow me to explain…

Cochineal and its close cousin carmine (also known as carminic acid) are derived from the crushed dead bodies of a particular South and Central American beetle (the female Dactylopius Coccus). From the crushed insect carcasses, a red substance called carminic (aka kermesic) acid is extracted and is used to impart a deep red shade to shampoos, candy, fruit juices, and more.

Food manufacturers used to replace "cochineal extract" and "carmine" (which you now know stands for the female cochineal insect) with the phrase “color added” on your labels, but the FDA recently cracked down and now requires them to list it in a non-deceptive manner.

I know the idea of eating bugs sounds gross, but as I pointed out earlier…it's easy to be a sensationalist and start screaming "foul on the play"…and then label the dye as being a dangerous, disgusting bug poison without even looking at the research.

Fact is, even though this dye is derived from bugs, it hasn't been proven to be toxic or carcionogenic like many commercial synthetic red dyes have in the past…so food manufacturers have no reason not to use it. Plus, the stuff has been used for over 500 years with an almost flawless track record.

My point here is, don't jump on sensationalistic bandwagons and media hype without looking at the research first. I don't believe there is an "evil food empire" that is out to get us or poison us with weird ingredients. That's just silly – although ideas like this do generate a lot of social media buzz and get the idea creator a lot of blog post shares, retweets, and likes on Facebook.

But I digress…

As a consumer, it is imperative that you do your own research and use discretion when reading labels. (The following lists may help: Food Additive List | Color Additive List but they are only a starting point)

Here is a consumer report I read recently that I found interesting. It discusses some surprising facts about food additives you may want to be aware of. CLICK HERE to download (opens in new window).

(Disclosure: I have no associations, affiliations, or contracts of any kind with any consumer report companies or related informational websites)

Before reading the PDF here are a few important considerations to keep in mind:

1) When it comes to nutrition research and reporting we must form conclusions based on the best information we have available at the time. Use this report to increase your knowledge and then use that gained knowledge to help you make better informed decisions when you are reading labels while grocery shopping.

2) Consumer Reports publications are usually well-intentioned, but sometimes it can be difficult to know if there are any existing underlying biases or false assumptions. Use discretion when interpreting the information.

3) Beware of miracles. Not all proclaimed “health foods” or “healthy ingredients” are actually healthy – and not all weird sounding or hard to pronounce ingredients are "un-healthy". For example, asbestos was once hailed as a 'healthy miracle mineral', but today we all know it as the silent killer that causes the deadly cancer, Mesothelioma.

4) When doing your own health and nutrition research at home, try not to rely on Google. Try to read results that are published in peer reviewed journals where the tests performed are reviewed with intense scientific scrutiny. It is always wise to get scientific based evidence that is compliant with current safety standards and based on fact. Try not to form opinions based on a single source until you research the science for yourself. Then, after you've done your research, question and analyze the facts a second time, and sometimes even a third time.

5) Try to eat food that is whole, fresh, pure, and non-processed as often as you can. Man made food is known to typically contain impurities (such as food additives), which can be deemed safe one day, and then unsafe the next (and vice versa).

Here are a few basic questions I usually ask myself when reading and interpreting studies and reports:

-Who is the lab that performed the test?
-What are the labs accreditation qualifications?
-Is the lab qualified to conduct lab tests for the product(s) being studied?
-What was the sample size…the detection limit…what test methods were used…where is the quality control?
-What sort of analytics did they run?
-What is the statistical significance of the results?
-What instrumentation was used?
-What was the basis for their risk assessment?
-Could there be any underlying bias, number skewing, or false assumptions?

Always try to view controversial topics from both sides. That way you’ll be able to form an objective opinion based on the research and evidence you have to work with without letting preconceived biases or sensationalistic ideas get in the way. This way you’ll be able to look at all of the evidence and decide for yourself what is best for you – not what a journalist says is best for you.

Sometimes you just have to take studies and “research” with a grain of salt. As I stated earrlier, just because a product is “approved” does not necessarily mean it is safe; also, just because a product has a big name that is hard to spell does not necessarily mean it is toxic.

Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy the downloadable PDF report.

If you liked this post, feel free to click ‘Like’ below or share this page with your friends. Please leave your questions and comments below.

I've said it before and I'll say it again – all diseases start in the gut.

If you have poor gut health (which usually begins with poor digestion) you will constantly feel run down and sick, your body will function at less efficient levels, and your risk of chronic disease increases significantly.

As discussed in previous posts, good digestion is critically important, not only your overall health but for your fat loss and muscle building efforts as well.

This goes without saying but it’s not what you eat that counts, but what you digest and absorb.

If you don’t absorb the nutrients from your food you’ll most likely end up with deficiencies and illness – plus it's almost impossible to build muscle or burn fat if you aren't absorbing the nutrients you eat.

Everything begins with digestion; from the second you put the food into your mouth, until the minute you poop it out at the end of the digestive process.

This is just my opinion but I believe gut health is arguably the most underrated yet single most important factor to your overall health and wellbeing.

I was sick for 3 years with what many doctors believed to be Crohn’s Disease. I had severe stomach inflammation as well as inflammation of the small intestine.

I had extreme nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramps, and pooped like a fire hose every single day. I made countless trips to the emergency room for "extreme gastrointestinal distress" and all of the staff in that ER knew me on a first name basis. I really don't know how to describe my symptoms but it was sort of like having food poisoning that never ever goes away…

The time I was sick was a very difficult period of my life. I suffered the effects of malabsorption, anorexia, and paranoia. I felt weak, helpless, and hopeless. I even had suicidal thoughts…

There are no other words to describe it other than "it sucked".

The good news is that now I’m healthy and have an entirely new perspective on health and disease. Especially gut health and disease. I’ve seen and felt some of the worst kind of pain and suffering out there but that experience taught me a lot. I’ve learned from it and grown stronger.

Hopefully you will never have to get sick and learn the hard way (like I did) before you finally start doing the things you need to do to promote and enhance your own health and wellbeing. I used to think I was invincible, but nature showed me otherwise. That wake up call was a humbling experience. I don't wish it upon anyone.

The tips I'm about to share with you played an integral part in my healing and recovery. I learned most of them when I was sick, and I still use them on a regular basis because they help keep me healthy – and my doctors hi fiving me at my annual checkup!

Note: some of the research that supports these tips isn't 100% "scientifically proven", so if you're looking for a pharmacology report this is not it. Frankly, you will probably see mixed results when using these tips depending on your illness type, age, genetics, as well as other factors. These are just some basic digestion tips I used when I was extremely ill to help facilitate the healing process. They worked for me and I believe they can work for you as well (especially if you aren't even sick).

Here are my ten simple tips that will help improve your digestion:

1. Chew your food well. Chewing is the first step of digestion and salivary amylase (an enzyme secreted in saliva), begins the process as you chew. Your food should be liquefied by chewing and thoroughly mixed with saliva before swallowing so that you give your food the best possible chance to be digested properly. A good rule of thumb is to “drink your food”.

2. Avoid drinking liquids with meals. Experts have argued that drinking liquids during meals can interfere with hydrochloric acid (HCl) levels and impede the digestion process. I prefer to avoid drinking liquids with meals, but if you must drink when you eat try to limit the quantity of liquids to 4 ounces or less of room temperature or warm liquids.

I recommend using warm water instead of cold water because cold water has been shown to slow digestion, reduce the concentration of stomach acid, and also cause cramps in sensitive individuals. So try to wait 45 minutes to an hour after eating before drinking large quantities of liquid or cold liquids.

The goal here is to allow your digestive juices and stomach acids to remain concentrated enough to digest your food completely and efficiently.

3. Avoid eating fruit with other foods. I know fruits are healthy but they should be eaten alone and not combined with any other food (unless you are hypoglycemic, in which case you should combine fruit with other food – balancing your blood sugar should be your primary focus).

Also, do not eat fruit immediately after a meal. I know fruit makes for a delicious healthy dessert but wait about an hour after your meal before you eat it. The reason is because the sugar in many fruits may start a fermentation process in the stomach and cause gas, bloating, and indigestion. If you have ever felt ‘fruit bloat’ or ‘fruit cramps’ you’ll know exactly what I mean.

4. Do not eat when stressed. Stress can wreak havoc on the digestive process…so try to always avoid eating when you are upset or angry…or even after a hard workout. Wait until you are calm, and at least 45 minutes to an hour after you workout before eating.

5. Use digestive enzymes. There are many different digestive enzymes that all perform specific tasks at various stages of the digestive process. From mouth enzymes (amylase), to the stomach enzymes (most notably, gastric amylase and pepsin), to the pancreatic enzymes (pancreatic amylase, protease, and lipase; which digest starches/carbohydrates, proteins, and fats respectively); these enzymes provide great aid to the digestive process and prepare the nutrients for absorption.

Unfortunately, many people suffer from ‘enzyme deficiency’ these days so I am a big proponent of digestive enzyme supplementation. My brand of choice is Digest Gold. It’s the best digestive enzyme supplement I’ve ever used and I’ve found it to help a great deal with the metabolism of carbohydrates, as well as fiber. Also, if you compare it to various other brands, you’ll notice it is slightly higher in active units of amylase, protease, lipase, as well as several other key ingredients.

Note: Digest Gold also includes cellulose, which the body does not make on its own. This enzyme is necessary for the proper digestion of fiber.

6. Use probiotics. Probiotics are the friendly bacteria that reside within the gastrointestinal tract. These little guys make the conditions inside the bowel extremely inhospitable for bad bacteria, inhibits their growth, and makes it easier for good bacteria to grow.

I like to think of them as the gut police – they monitor and control all potential harmful microorganisms within the body. As an added bonus, they have also been known to combat the effects of environmental pollutants and various other toxins.

There are three primary types of probiotics: Lactobacillus acidophilus (the most well known out of the group), which protects the colon; Lactobacillus bifidus, which protects the small intestine; and last but not least, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which travels through the entire digestive system and supports the efforts of the other two.

I like to take probiotics in supplemental form (you can also find Lactobacillus bulgaricus in yogurt made from live cultures), and use them on a regular basis because I believe they provide numerous health benefits.

Note: when using Lactobacillus acidophilus, make sure the supplement contains at least 200 million organisms per cubic centimeter. Clinical evidence shows that this probiotic needs to be taken in large doses in order to be effective.

Note: It usually requires approximately one month of proper probiotic supplementation in order for natural gut floral to return to optimal levels.

Note: It may be helpful to supplement with probiotics following a cycle of antibiotics as antibiotics destroy bad AND good bacteria which can leave you vulnerable for proliferation by other microorganisms at the end of your cycle.

Note: Various over-the-counter medications (pain killers, antacids, etc) have been shown to have negative effects on the friendly Lactobacillus bacteria in the gut.

7. Maintain a healthy gut flora balance. I have been researching and studying gut health for over ten years now and I’ve come to the conclusion that an optimal floral balance level is roughly 85% friendly bacteria and 15% unfriendly bacteria. Some experts and doctors may agree or disagree, this is just my opinion based on (1) my own experience with IBD (2) my own research (3) basic scientific logic.

There are quite a few tests you can do to test various gastrointestinal functions and levels and I had several of them done when I was sick. These tests typically cost several hundred bucks or so and unless you are really sick, you probably don’t need to go that route. Plus, many of the labs you’ll find online that do testing are less than reputable, so if you decide to go the testing route always do it under a doctor’s supervision and be sure to triple check sources.

Here are a few sample lab reports: (Sample Report 1  | Sample Report 2) *these are just examples, I'm not endorsing these companies*

Here's a free method of 'testing' your gut flora health at home: If you’re chronically sick, have allergies, rashes, frequent headaches, are chronically fatigued, experience chronic constipation/diarrhea or a mix of both, regularly take antacids or are on antibiotics, or have any other weird chronic aliment, there is a good chance you may have a gut flora imbalance and need to begin probiotic supplementation.

Note: It is extremely difficult to restore gut flora using diet alone. Studies have shown that it takes approximately one year on a new diet to produce any type of noticeable change in flora.

8. Keep bowel transit time on point. We have all experienced constipation at some point and it is typically considered to be a ‘minor medical event’. However, I have witnessed the effects of severe constipation first hand and trust me…it wasn’t pretty. I was lying in my hospital bed receiving anti-nausea medicine and a woman in the bed next to me was howling with blood curdling screams. I asked the nurse what the woman was suffering from and she said “she is severely constipated”. I’ll never forget that.

I honestly believe the long term effects of chronic constipation can be deadly – and I do remember one of my Gastroenterologists referring to it as the “modern plague”.

The negative effects of slow transit time and constipation are numerous: autointoxication, increased workload of excretory organs, slowed cellular metabolism, functional decline in cellular activity, increased acute and chronic illness predisposition, pain, fatigue, and even some cancers.

Having seen countless GI specialists in my day, I’ve found that many physicians believe normal bowel elimination/transit time to be anywhere from two to fourteen times per week (roughly 36-72 hours after each meal). I disagree. I believe optimal transit times should be around 20-24 hours – and if you are eating 5-6 meals per day you should shoot for around 18 hours.

If you only poop once a day, for example, the colon can contain the residue from those six full meals. On the other hand, if you poop less than once per day, the colon can hold up to 9 meals or more and you’ll begin suffering the effects of chronic constipation.

The longer food resides in the bowel, the higher probability intestinal flora will be altered, toxic substances will form, and intestinal toxemia will result. I like to keep my transition time on point by eating lots of natural organic fruits and veggies, and using a fiber supplement. My daily fiber goal is between 25-30 grams and I use this supplement to help support my efforts.

9. Use bitter herbs. Research has shown that ‘bitters’ can help increase the gastric secretions of the stomach and produce digestive enzymes – this is believed to help break down and digest food. I’ve found that bitters are also a fairly effective digestive aid when consumed before eating large meals.

Examples of bitters are: angelica, chamomile, cinnamon, dandelion, fennel, gentian, ginger, goldenseal, milk thistle, peppermint, and rue.

Note: Although certain herbs are thought to have stomachic effects, the therapeutic value based on modern pharmacology isn’t quite clear. I’ve seen great results personally from using these herbs, but since this isn’t actual medicine your results will vary.

10. Practice intermittent fasting. The digestion process requires a ton of energy and is quite stressful on the body. The more meals you eat each day the more stress you place upon your digestive system each day – so sometimes it is a good idea to just give your system a rest and fast.

I know many people are afraid to fast because popular bodybuilding and fitness culture has conditioned everyone to think that “if you miss meals, you’ll enter starvation mode and lose all your muscle”. There is strong scientific evidence out there that refutes this notion, and some studies have even shown that metabolic rate can remain constant for up to 90 hours during a fast before declining.

When I was sick, my doctors advised me to spread my meals out 4-5 hours because (1) an increased meal frequency would place additional stress on my digestive system and not allow it to heal; and (2) the human digestive system is not designed to efficiently digest and assimilate food at that rate of consumption. Don’t get me wrong…the human body is definitely CAPABLE of eating that often, it just isn’t healthy, necessary, or in your best interest.

Fasting will give your digestive system a much needed break, allow the liver to detox, and help the body heal itself.

Note: I do not recommend fasting for extended periods of time without your doctor’s supervision. I also do not recommend or endorse any sort of extreme ‘detox’ diets or radical fasts. Instead, simply fast for 4-8 hours or so daily (as taught strategically in The Renegade Diet) to give your body a chance to recover and replenish its enzyme pool.

Thanks for reading – I really hope these tips work as well for you as they have worked for me over the years. All of them played an important role in helping me regain my health after being critically ill for over two years. Use them, share them, and live by them.

If you liked this post, please help me out and click ‘Like’ and share this page with your friends. Please leave your questions and comments below.

These days it seems all everyone wants are compliments, puppies, hugs, smiles, and quick fixes.

Nobody wants to get down n’ dirty and work hard to get what they want anymore.

People now want instant gratification and overnight results.

They want to enjoy the sweetness of the fruit without suffering through the pain of any labor.

It’s become an epidemic of grand proportions.

It’s out of control, and it must stop NOW.

When I was an athlete at Clemson University, our coach used to pound the ill effects of instant gratification into our heads on a daily basis.

He would say “gentlemen, if you seek instant gratification, you’ll never become champions. You must have a passion to do, and a patience to wait. Trust in the work you’re putting in – it will pay off in the long run”.

The sad fact is that 99% of the population will probably never become champions…only a select few. The 1%. It’s not because the 99% doesn’t WANT to become champions…they just may not want it BAD ENOUGH to do what it takes to achieve it. I’m not trying to get political here; I’m just making a point. Numbers don’t lie.

You don’t really have to do any complex statistical modeling to figure out that there are more failures than successes in society these days. You literally see it everywhere. People failing in the gym, failing at work, failing in their relationships, and failing at life.

You don’t have to look far to find them…just check your Facebook mini-feed or Twitter timeline right now and I’ll bet you’ll see tons of people complaining about their “situations” or how “person X did them wrong” or how “it’s everyone’s fault but theirs”…

I hate preaching, I really do…but whatever happened to planting a seed and then working hard to see the fruits of your labor? Since when did getting cut n’ jacked become easy? Since when did making millions of dollars become easy? Since when did making relationships work become easy? Since when did LIFE become easy??

Most of the things you see people bitching about now days all require patience and hard work. Getting cut n’ jacked is HARD. Making millions of dollars is HARD. Making relationships work is HARD. Life isn’t fair, it’s HARD. Nothing worth achieving is ever easy…it’s always HARD.

There is an intellectual attribute called deferred gratification (also known as impulse control, self-control, will power, or low time preference in economics). This attribute is considered a positive trait in sociology and it denotes a person’s ability to wait in order to attain something that he or she wants.

Many psychologists agree that this attribute is an important component in a person’s emotional intelligence level. In fact, good impulse control has been noted by several studies as being psychologically important for success in life/school/work; and people who lack the trait (people who need instant gratification) usually fail to reach goals and aren’t as successful in their lives as those who exhibit such traits.

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment shows compelling evidence that backs this up.

There is a saying: "all that glitters is not gold". To a certain extent this is true. Flashy supplements, fad diets, designer tv workouts, and dangerous drugs are prime examples of glittering fake gold. Instant gratification is a deadly virus that will kill your goals, dreams, and aspirations faster than you could ever imagine. Avoid it at all costs.

When it comes to getting results in the gym or in life, the formula remains quite simple.

In fact, here is a formula to follow that will put you on the path to success instantly…

Got all that?

Relax, I'm totally joking. The formula for success isn't complex or difficult…it's actually quite simple. It's so simple n' easy, an average idiot like me can even figure it out!

Here is my simple success formula that's been proven to work inside as well as outside the gym: Belief + Strategy + Effort = Winning

Got all that? Good!

Of course there are other variables that go into this equation such as patience, perseverance, determination, focus, etc but the basic 3 fundamental components will always remain the same.

Here's a simple outline of each three major components:

A) Believe In Yourself – Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a premise or proposition to be true. Before you can achieve anything, you’ve got to believe that what is inside you is greater than any obstacle in your way.

If you’ve read this blog for a while you’ll know that I HATE cliché, super cheesy quotes so I’m not going to sit here and tell you that “if you believe it, you can achieve it” or “what the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve” because these types of sayings just aren’t practical. You will never be able to shoot fire out of your eyes, fly, toss city busses with one hand, or do anything else ridiculous like that…

What I’m saying is that you should just have 100% confidence in yourself that you can achieve any ATTAINABLE goal that you set for yourself.

Sure, there will be people who will say you can’t do it and others who may hate, put you down, and try to discourage you…but a strong belief in yourself will force others to eventually believe in you as well. Start a movement.

B) Have a Strategy – Complex strategies and formulas usually just create frustration and confusion (see the formula above if you’re not sure what I mean). However, even the most simple strategy will screw you up if you don’t follow it correctly. For example, you don’t ‘ready, fire, aim’ you ‘ready, aim, fire’.

It’s quite simple, your strategy must give you a basic outline that will help you get to your desired outcome. There are usually several components that go into your fitness and health strategy: a nutrition plan, a workout plan, and a supplementation plan. Each one should work hand in hand to help you reach your desired goal.

Note: For the purpose of this post, I'm going to outline my entire workout and nutrition plan from last week. Feel free to swipe them and use for yourself. They are quite simple and should be easy to follow.

Workout Plan: Here is my entire workout schedule from last week. I also posted this on Facebook last week in case it looks familiar. Feel free to try it if you need something new.

A few things to keep in mind:

1) I’ve been trying to do the bulk of my heavy lifting on the weekends when I’m fresh. Saturday is day one of my split.

2) I’ve been trying to train legs every 3rd day. Legs are the foundation of any strength training program and should be trained as such.

3) I’ve been trying to train back at least twice per week.

4) I try to keep most of the movements basic but use variations in tempo, rest periods, and weight amounts to keep things interesting.

5) My training style has become a hybrid combo of old-school bodybuilding, football style strength training, powerlifting, mma, and self-testing of ‘nonsense’ I make up on my own.

Note: Tempo example: For a tempo of (4/0/2) you would take 4 seconds to lower the weight, have no pause at the bottom, and lift the weight with a 2 count.

Saturday (Back/Biceps)
Pullups 100 (usually 10 sets of 10)
Barbell bent over row 15,12,10,8,6,3 (with 185,225,275,295,315,335 lbs)
Bent over two-arm long bar row 3X10 superset with lying t-bar row 3XFailure
Elevated cable row (sitting on dumbbell) 3X10
Close grip front lat pulldown 3X10
Tri-set – chin-ups + barbell curls + inverted row 3X10 each
Hypers 3X15 (tempo 3/0/2)

Sunday (Legs)
Front squats (2 second pause) 4X8 w/ 275lbs
Leg Press 12,10, 8,8,6,6,6 (start with 4 plates/side, end with 8/side)
Reverse hack squat 10X3 superset with jumping barbell squats 10X3 w/ 135lbs
Leg extensions (1 and a half's) 20X5 w/130lbs
Plate pushes w/45 pound plate 3X

Monday (Shoulders/Triceps)
100 regular pushups
100 dips
Barbell military press 5X8 with 135lbs
Power cleans 5X8 with 155lbs superset with dumbbell front raise with 30lbs
Lat raise 3X10 with 15lbs
Tricep complex (cables with two second pause)
Spiderman pushups 3XFailure
Handstand holds 3X:30-:60 seconds superset with hindu pushups to failure

Tuesday (Rest)

Wednesday (Hamstrings/Calves)
Lying hamstring curl 6X10 (tempo 4/0/2)
Seated hamstring curl 6X10 (tempo 3/0/1)
Seated calf raise 10X10 (2 second pause/squeeze at top)
Sumo Deadlift (barbell) 5X10 with 225lbs
RDL (barbell) 4X10 with 135lbs
Hypers 3X10 with 45lb plate
Donkey calf raises 4X15 (3 second pause/squeeze at top)

Thursday (Chest/Abs/Smash)
Scorpions 3X8/side
Windshield Wipers superset with Ab wheel 3X20
Hanging leg raises superset with Ab wheel 3X20
Rope crunches superset with Ab wheel 3X20
Incline dumbbell bench press 6X8
Incline barbell bench press 3X10
Cable Crossover 3X12 superset with Pushups 3X15
Jumping dive bomber pushups 3X10 superset with jumping bosu pushups 3XFailure
Handstand holds (3X:60 seconds)
Heavy bag 50 kicks/side
Shadow boxing/heavy bag 3X2:00 rounds

Friday (Rest)

Nutrition Plan: This is the most critical aspect of your entire strategic plan.

I've been doing a ton of research lately and have found many of the applications and methods taught in The Renegade Diet to be very beneficial so I've been experimenting with this style of eating for the past 3 weeks.

The basic premise of the diet is to have a period of fasting that typically lasts from 14-16 hours where you eat nothing from dinner the night before until sometime the following late morning or afternoon. This allows the liver to detox, replenishes your body's enzyme pool, and reduces much of the stress digestion places upon the human body.

After the fast is up the overfeeding phase begins and it typically lasts for roughly 4-8 hours. This strategy of fasting/under eating during the day and overfeeding at night allows leptin levels to remain in check while boosting glycogen stores at the same time. This has been shown to improve the fat burning and muscle building response. I've been testing this method out for almost three weeks now and I like the results I see so far.

Everything taught in the book goes against what you have been conditioned to believe when it comes to nutrition, but if you’ve been spinning your wheels and are looking to evolve, grow, and improve, I highly recommend you check the book out. ( You can download it at www.TheRenegadeDietBook.com )

Here's one of my sample renegade diet style daily meal plans:

Meal 1 12pm – 30g protein shake, 1tbsp Athletic Greens, 6g Omega 3 Fish Oil
Meal 2 2pm – 25g egg whites, 1 cup spinach, 1 serving raw cashews
Meal 3 4:30pm – 8oz bison steak, 2 cups jasmine rice, 2 cups steamed kale
Meal 4 7pm – 8oz grilled chicken breast, 1 sweet potato, unlimited green veggies, apple cider vinegar
Meal 5 8pm – 1 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup sliced strawberries

After meal 5 there is a 16 hour fast until around noon the next day. Then there is the 4-8 hour overfeeding period.

Here are a few things worth noting: 

1) Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day. I don’t think there is one single “most important meal of the day” actually. They all should work together synergistically to help you achieve your goals.

2) You don’t need to eat 6 meals per day to get cut and jacked. You also don't need to pound a bunch of protein all day either. The research doesn’t lie – people selling you expensive diet programs and supplements do. I’ve been eating less frequently and allowing my digestive system to rest & recover. I feel much less tired during the day and stronger in the gym as well.

3) Eating and drinking raw is great, but there are shortcuts you can use that save you a ton of time and energy. Using a greens supplement can help the cause and save you a bunch of time and effort. Juicing is awesome but it can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

4) Focus on optimizing health first (especially digestive health) and physique second. If your health sucks, you’ll never see results. I’ve been obsessed with digestive health ever since I first got sick with intestinal inflammation ("Crohn's Disease") over ten years ago – it should be the foundation of every nutrition program.

5) Supplements are great, but they should only be used to back up what your nutrition plan is already doing. Right now I am using a greens supplement, omega 3 fish oil, bcaa, and whey protein.

6) There is more than one way to ‘skin a cat’ so experiment and see what works best for you. Then switch it up again. You must constantly evolve and not get stuck in certain “popular” ways of thinking for long periods of time. Learn, evolve, grow, and optimize upon what you’re currently doing. If you continue doing the same thing day in and day out you'll probably get the same results.

C) Put Forth Effort – This part is completely up to you. You get out what you put in. If you work hard, you'll see better results. If you slack off, your results will probably suck. If you don’t already know this, you’re probably reading this post from your high chair or playpen. Perhaps even a nursery.

I posted the picture below on Facebook yesterday and it received a tremendous response. Over 1000 likes in less than an hour. It's proof that whatever your situation, whatever your excuse, there is always someone else that has it much worse than you who is kicking serious ass and not making excuses.

Click to view full image

This picture tells us that:

1) These guys may not have much but that doesn't stop them from working hard and pursuing their goals.

2) If you really want it you'll find a way. Do what you can with what you have. You can always make good out of a bad situation.

3) Anyone can gather whatever resources they have and pursue fitness and health.

4) You don't need to use expensive supplements, eat six meals per day, workout at the finest gym, jump on fad workouts, or follow expensive nutrition programs to become a monster in the gym – but that a couple of plates, a barbell, and a strong will can take you a long way.

5) The next time you complain about anything at your plush air conditioned gym you should feel like a true asshole.

Remember, always keep it simple. Belief + Strategy + Effort = Winning. Go forth and conquer.

Do you have a success formula that has helped you in the past? Feel free to share it in a comment below. Thanks for reading!

So I'm sitting here in my birthday suit making funny faces in the mirror. Ok that sounded creepy. I'm totally kidding. 

I'm sitting here in my birthday suit making funny faces in the mirror while wearing a birthday hat.

Birthday hats make everything better!

Without making this any more weird, I'm actually going to make this even more weird… [Shamwow guy voice...]

I'm feeling quite ballsy today (no pun intended) and I know it's weird to ask you for a birthday gift, but I'm going to do it anyway. Like I said, I'm feeling quite ballsy…

Will you share one specific thing PerfectBodyRx (or my Book, The 6 Pack Secret) has helped you accomplish this in the past year? This can be anything health and fitness related: lost body fat, built muscle, improved health, overcame a psychological barrier, gained confidence, competed in a fitness or bodybuilding show, etc.

Maybe it has nothing to do with health and fitness at all. It could be anything really. Maybe you got ripped and dumped your annoying girlfriend (or boyfriend) for a hotter one, perhaps you built up some confidence and finally slapped your idiot boss…who knows!

All jokes aside, PerfectBodyRx isn't only about health and fitness, it's about lifestyle and mindset. It's about changing thought processes, challenging the ordinary, and crushing barriers.

As I have stated many times before, when I started this site my goal was to give my readers interesting stuff to read about nutrition, health, fitness, lifestyle, motivation, life, etc that was rich, relevant, informative, uncensored, free of BS, and sometimes even funny. And the last two years have been an incredible ride…from starting this blog in February 2010 when I was a blogging nobody, to growing this site into what it is today.

Seriously though, the main reason I write is to help you figure out how to be more awesome, and more badass in every way. To show you that you CAN live large, and that there ARE better ways to look at things than the conventional way…but most of all to show you that information alone is NOT ENOUGH – you've got to PUT IN WORK.

Honestly, I can't think of a better birthday present than hearing how my material has helped you. (other than getting a cheetah cub as a present that is…).

So unless you're going to buy me a cheetah cub and drop it off at my house, just drop a comment on this post instead, or upload a video to YouTube, tag it "PerfectBodyRx", and then post the video link below as a comment. Your choice.

Try to be as specific as you can in your comment and/or video. Share your story, I'd love to hear it. It would really make my day.

I really appreciate your readership.

Stay awesome.

It seems like everywhere you turn these days for legitimate health & fitness information you see the same lame, rehashed BS everywhere.

There are the fitness models telling you to do “exactly what I do” and you’ll look awesome with your clothes off…

There are the bodybuilders telling you to do “exactly what I do” and you'll get jacked like a superhero…

And last but not least there are the skinny dudes in the white lab coats telling you “according to the latest research, 13 rats were given..bla bla”…gtfoh wit dat yo…

In the dark and ancient days of outrageous claims, bad nutritional advice, toxic protein farts, and 6 meals per day of boiled, sodium-less/flavorless chicken & asparagus, a loud cry rang out over the mountains — a cry for honesty, integrity, clarity, and modesty.

Then, one day, a small band of internet warriors came forth to light the torch of truth and deliver the lost people out of the darkness and into the promised land of leanness, strength, optimal health, and longevity.

This warrior tribe is slave to no supplement company, nor do they use performance enhancing drugs to get cut, jacked, and celebrated under the false pretext of being an "inspiration" on Facebook…yet is more unhealthy than an obese person on the inside…

They never bow down to the false gods of vanity, ego, lies, and deception.

The people of this warrior tribe may be seen as outcasts, even renegades, but they are simply seekers of the truth who come in peace, and until now, have been greatly misunderstood.

Their mission: To rescue the people from the clutches of false supplement marketing, bs claims from trainers, bad nutritional advice, rinky dinky research studies, and shitty results in the gym.

This tribe lives by a creed, a creed of 10 simple rules that you too shall learn today.

These are 10 Commandments of Real Nutrition…

Tape them to your shaker cup, chant them while using the foam roller, share them with a backslidden friend…

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt place no other gods beofre me, for I am nutrition and I am divinely important.

My children, heed my wisdom, for if you bow to any god that is not me, or serve them, thou shalt surely be driven to lamentation and face eternal suffering; thine efforts shall be fruitless and thy belly fat will surely multiply. And now behold, even as I have just said; as you looketh down upon your abs, it has come to pass.

2. Thou shalt not worship false gods.

Thou shalt not worship the false gods that are supplement powders, performance enhancing drugs, miracle pills, magic lotions, fad diets, and quick fixes. If thou worship these false gods and thy primary focus is looking awesome; and thy motivations based upon the pretext of vanity; such blasphemies shall bear no fruit.

Let not your mouth be heard exalting the so-called benefits of miracle supplements and nutrition pyramid schemes for these are the creations of false Messiahs and prophets of lies. They will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive my people, but such blasphemies will not go unpunished. For I am vexed by these vile and corrupt calamities; and I will strike down my fury upon them for all their abominations.

Neither shalt thou bow down thyself to any other god, nor serve them; for I am real nutrition, and I shalt punish thy children unto the third, fourth, and fifth generations of those that rise up against me to avenge the nutritional myths that were passed down through their forefathers; and show mercy unto the chosen few that love me and keep my commandments.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of real nutrition in vain.

Thou shalt not take the name of real nutrition in vain. Do not be deceived, real nutrition is not mocked; but your flabby abs and thighs will be mocked if you do not heed my counsel.

And for all men that walk the earth, if you try to deceive my children by using lies and deceit to make one think that a false health food is a real health food, that it may appear you have eaten what you have not, or obtained a higher power and you have not, this wickedness will not go unpunished.

Neither shalt thou litter thy Twitter and Facebook pages with false pretext nor deceitful claims about nutrition, supplements, or diet plans that art created in my image but are not me; for these actions are neither righteous nor just. Speak not and tweet not, lest you be cast into the fiery hell of facing the wall in quiet time.

For whatever you sow, so shall you reap; and I will punish thee for all thy false endorsements and abominations.

4. Remember the principles of nature, to keep it holy.

At least six days per week shalt thou eat as healthy as possible, and on the seventh day, you may rest and have a cookie.

Thou shalt buy groceries locally at farmers markets, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes, and only purchase foods that are of the highest quality, for they are pure.

For if it comes from the earth, I declare it to be clean, pure, and fit for consumption; but if the food comes in a box with a cartoon character on the front, or a cleverly designed bag with a cute twisty or staple, it is manmade and is an abomination.

Of the beasts of the field hoofed and cloven-hoofed, and the fowls of the heaven, and all things that creep upon the earth, and of all these creatures thou shalt purchase hormone and antibiotic free; this is acceptable in my sight and you may eat it freely.

Of the fishes of the sea, and the fishes of the rivers & lakes, and all things that swim in water, and of all these creatures thou shalt purchase wild caught and avoid the abomination that is farm raised fish; this is acceptable in my sight and you may eat it freely.

Of the fruits, vegetables, and other produce that grows upon the earth, and all things that can be picked from a tree or plucked from a bush, thou shalt purchase pesticide free. For pesticide consumption is truly toxic and all my children that forsake this law shall surely perish.

Remember the principles of nature, to keep it holy. Wherefore these principles are blessed, hallowed, and pure. For the beasts, fowls, fish, fruits and veggies are existing perfectly in nature as they should be; without impurities and toxins; behold, I eat of them myself, yet I do not die.

5. Honor thy digestive health.

Honor thy digestive health, that thy days shall be long upon the earth.

Heed my words; all diseases start in the gut, and forsaking gut health is the way of the wicked; for it is the single most important factor in your heath and physical development.

Hear my instruction, be wise, and refuse it not. A healthy gut will cause thee to lose fat and build muscle at a rate liken to the gods; for it shall boost your immune function, improve your skin, and put you on the path of righteousness.

Do not forsake the use of probiotics and digestive enzymes even though they cost over 500 shekels at Whole Foods. For thou saveth several shekels for nought, as this cost is less than the cost in medical bills in the future.

Do not constantly abuse your digestive system using prehistoric nutrition practices such as eating six meals per day, for such actions place a huge burden on the human body as it was not designed to digest food every two or three hours. Such inequities against your insides shall not be unpunished. For whose God is their belly, their farts shall be noxious, their constipation brutal, and a voice of crying shall be heard across the lands for their pain and sorrow on the toilet shall be mighty.

Let not your daily protein intake be more than a Lions, for this shalt surely cause an increase of toxic gas in the colon. When such gas is spewed forth from thee, all humans within range shall flee for the noise and the smell shall be strong, and thy friends shall surely forsake thee and you shall be ashamed.

Let not your daily bowel movements be less than one, and keep daily fiber intake high, that thou may reach optimal bowel movement frequency to keep your gut health high and healthy gut flora abundant.  

Let not your daily bowel movement activity be a taboo topic, but discuss it amongst the bretheren, for it is a natural human function and we all know thou doeth it. So don’t fake it. But let not thy time on the toilet linger, for thou hath not thirty minutes to waste grunting and pushing out thy rock hard poop. So if thy poop does not come forth quickly, thou shalt heed the implications of your sluggish bowel.

For there is no more important component to your longevity and overall well being than digestive health, and if thou faileth to maintain it your health & physique levels shalt suck constantly.

6. Thou shalt not kill yourself using a crash diet.

Hear me, O my children, for the crash diets they kill thee. Yet you try again and again, even to the twelfth time in a year, and yet your body fat always returns to the same level it was before.

Thou shalt not follow the nutrition principles nor the ideology of online celebrities and false prophets who make millions of dollars by preying on your insecurities, fears, and lust for outward glory; that your days may be long on the earth.

Lest not thee spend eight hundred and thirty talents twelve times in a year buying quick fix nutrition and weight loss plans that focus only on outward appearance; for thy rebound shall be strong and thou shalt swell out like a creme filled puff.

Thy nutrition plan shalt have but one primary goal: to promote optimal health; and secondary goals such as getting ripped, building muscle, and looking awesome can only come to pass when thou focuseth on the primary goal first.

Thy diet shalt not be boring and lame, nor shall it consist of only saltless, boiled, chicken breast and asparagus, for such shall surely create vitamin & mineral deficiencies, allergies, gastrointestinal issues, and hormonal imbalances; and thou shalt inexplicably post annoying diet rants on Facebook & Twitter constantly.

If thy nutrition plan hath zero goals, and thou eateth stuff just because thou thinkest it to be healthy, you have failed; and such calamities shall bear no fruit.

Take heed in the plague of hype, and become wise. For the false prophets who cause my children to stumble using hyped up claims based on misleading research, clever marketing tricks, fake fitness model endorsements, and flashy online videos know not at what rage is in my mind, for surely they cannot know.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery against thyself.

Thou shalt not commit adultery against thyself by purchasing food that is not organic just to save three or four shekels per month. For thine hard earned shekels should not be spent in vain.

Thou shall eat raw foods and green vegetables with a great frequency, and avoid cooking them using high heat & toxic oils to enhance the taste. For the taste is as it should be, and thou shall not cheat by using preparation methods that are not pure; for by eating the fruits of the field raw, ye shall not surely die.

Thou shalt not excessively consume grains, nor become a slave and submit yourself to the master that is processed grains, nor the various other hybrids of grains, or their genetically modified mutant descendants. For in doing this, you shall only play thyself.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

Thou shalt not steal thy coworkers cupcakes, chips, candy, or snacks at work regardless of how crazy your diet maketh thee or how strong thy cravings may be; But you shall remain steadfast in thy healthy eating plan and only have a cheat meal at the appropriate time.

Thou shalt not grab bakery items at the grocery store and hide in dark corners of the store to quickly eat them like some sort of crack fiend, for the disgrace and shame in this is mighty.

Thou shalt not for any reason, commit weird acts to steal and sneak junk food, for even though you may not be seen, thou art seen by me.

For such sins are the ways of the wicked and thou shalt not engage in them.

9. Thou shalt not develop hormonal disorders.

In all things, naturally keep thy testosterone levels moderately high, estrogen levels reasonably low, and cortisol levels balanced. For thy success is dependent upon maintaining normal hormonal ranges.

Honor thy hormones and use a nutrition plan that is designed to optimally manipulate your body’s hormonal output; so that thy old problems of eating 2 grams of carbs and blowing up like a balloon right after; having low testosterone and losing all strength, power, and virility; holding onto stubborn fat like a crazy ex holds onto your phone number; and being tired all the time will flee from thee.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s savings on food.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s food budget, nor his savings gained upon purchasing foods that are bad for his health; not his inexpensive yet delicious processed breakfast cereals, nor his meat that only cost 2 shekels per pound, nor his cheap lunches from the drive through joint, nor his ten pounds for 3 shekels cheap protein sack from Costco, nor anything unhealthy that is thy neighbor's.

Final word

O my children, go ye forth now and take heed of these Commandments.

Honor them in all that you do, for I will reward thee with good health, long life, increased energy, much strength, and a killer physique.

And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, you shall be plagued with extreme fatigue, excessive body fat, minimal muscle gains, joint pain, chronic disease, and extreme frustration; for the rod will not be spared until you heed my words.

For when thou art struck down and become ill, thou shall remember that I am that I am: the most important aspect to thy health and longevity. Hear me now, and avoid me in my wrath, O children of me.

Fellow meatheads, hast thou a commandment that was left off this cyber tablet? Speak thou also unto the children within the comment box below, and we shall listen.

This is Part 8 in the 'I Want To Be A Fitness Model' Series. In this episode, The Chaz' ex girlfriend is having a conversation about being a bikini competitor with her friend.

This is Part 7 in the 'I Want To Be A Fitness Model' Series. In this episode, The Chaz gives his acceptance speech at the Supplement Awards.