Monday, November 9, 2009

The Truth About Fat Burning Supplements

Be careful of "Fat Burners" flooding the market...

To check out Your Six Pack Quest, click HERE

I’ll admit, this next video is a little long winded but this is a topic I take very seriously and that you should be well informed so that you can maximize your fat loss results and to protect your health and wallet.

If you’ve ever had an experience with the latest fat burning supplement then you’ll know they are notorious for over promising and under delivering.

There’s far more at stake here then the latest bodybuilding supplement stealing your money and laughing behind your back - today I will pull back the curtain in far greater detail.

Most fat burning products are sold under the counter with a variety of names like fat burners, thermo formulas, metabolic boosters, reducing agents and many more.

The fat burning supplements that do work contain drugs such as ephedrine and caffeine which are both very powerful stimulants and yes, they are drugs.

However, what supplement companies commonly do is take the herbal forms of those, for example, caffeine comes from a plant called guarana and ephedrine comes from a plant called ma haung, and they put it in their product so they can market it as “natural” or “herbal.”

My biggest issue is that fat burners will work in the short-term but they will not sustain you for the long-term which is why many people fall victim of roller-coaster fitness success.

Fat burners will increase your metabolism up to 10% a day which can be very effective when you’ve progressed down to a very low calorie diet and have progressed up to to the greatest energy expenditure. To summarize, when you can’t take in any less and you can’t put out any more - this is the one and only time I would endorse a fat burning supplement because it will help melt that final few pounds of fat.

Typically, the only people who reach this state are bodybuilders and fitness models on the final few weeks of contest preparation and those on the final few weeks of a transformation contest.

Fat burners also have a diuretic effect which leads to water loss and suppresses your appetite by manipulating your brain neuro-transmitters. They’ll also increase your heart rate which is why you’ll notice that you begin sweating earlier in your workout and they can also cause headaches and tremors on the intermediate side of things. On the extreme side, they can result in a stroke or death.

The extreme cases rarely happen but if occurs more often if you have high blood pressure or heart problems and you should always consult with your doctor before using them period.

So why are fat burners so effective?

Fast forward to about 4 and 1/2 minutes into the video to find out.

As you can see I compiled a massive amount of research into this video to bring you just the nuts and bolts of this subject of fat burning supplements so that you will be very well informed on this serious matter.

When you’re done watching, don’t forget to share your comments and your own opinions on this matter. I would love to hear them.

Train hard and train even smarter,

Vince DelMonte

Posted via email from losefatandgainmuscle's posterous

Build Muscle & Lose Fat At The Same Time?

Great post from Vince Del Monte...
http://losefatandgainmuscleblog.blogspot.com

To check out Your Six Pack Quest, click HERE

Today is going to be different - you’re going to help my girlfriend, Flavia, and I.

Flavia is in a wedding taking place in the Dominican Republic in two weeks and I’ll be accompanying her as her bodyguard, I mean boyfriend.

If you’ve ever been invited to a pool party, beach or hot vacation then you naturally do a quick mental assessment:

Is my body beach worthy?florida-flav-085

Even though I think my girlfriend is a knock out, she would tell you that she would like to be tighter and more ripped.

I’m not complaining.

I would tell her I want to be bigger and more shredded.

She’s not complaining.

Whatever beach physique you’re visualizing, we all want THAT body that drops jaws and is a walking symbol of hard work, dedication and will power.

If you’re like me, you take pride being one of the few people on vacation who is in shape - it makes standing in line at the buffet with all the out-of-shape people all the more satisfying.

For sure, eh?

So we’re looking for some advice today.

Should we have focused on building muscle for a few months then burn the fat?

Or burn all the fat first and then try to gain some muscle afterward?

Maybe we could have done both at the same time?

My belief and strategy has always been:

Chase one goal at once. If your goal is to build muscle and you lose some fat in the process, consider it a bonus. If your goal is to lose fat and you build muscle in the process, consider it a bonus.

I like to chase one goal at once for three reasons:

  1. It’s easier to follow one specific diet dedicated to one specific goal.
  2. It’s easier to dedicate one specific training plan dedicated to one specific goal.
  3. It’s easier to stay focused.

Is it possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?

Absolutely.

Just look at my transformations and the the dozens of success stories on my website who continue to prove this over and over. Since building muscle and losing fat happens by manipulating hormones, not only calories, many clients experience the best of both worlds.

However, 95% of the time, the majority of clients that achieve both achieve this goal unintentionally.

Meaning, they have no idea how this phenomenal experience occurred. They did lots of goods things and good things happened. Some fitness experts would say in all seriousness, “You got lucky!”

There are a lot of factors that go into building muscle and losing fat at the same time:

  • Detailed nutrient timing
  • Unique weight training protocols
  • Advanced supplementation techniques
  • Very strategic dieting
  • Specific cardio sessions

Plus more.

I wish it was as easy as following a bodybuilding style training program and a fat loss style diet but it’s not as you may be able to testify to.

So Flavia and I want to hear from you today. What do you think is the best approach to building muscle and losing fat at the same time?

Is it even possible?

What has worked for you, training and diet wise, and what methods were ineffective for you?

The past 10 weeks Flavia and I have been experimenting with loads of brand new dieting and training techniques I’ve never released in any of my programs and going to start sharing them if you can start sharing your own knowledge.

At least 75 comments on my blog and I’ll be back tomorrow to set you up with a free report on how you can eat your favorite foods - including doughnuts, pizza and brownies - to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

No joke.

I have pictures and video to prove it so lets’ get those comments going and this is going to be your healthiest holiday season ever.

Vince

P.S. This picture is of Flavia and I in Siesta Key, Florida while doing some fitness/business stuff. I’m 203 pounds and 9% fat in that picture. Three weeks away from the Dominican Republic!

florida-flav-097

Posted via email from losefatandgainmuscle's posterous

Friday, November 6, 2009

Dietary fiber

Interesting tidbit on fiber...


Dietary fiber increases the roughage mass of the non-digested part of the food you eat, keeping it soft and moist. Foods that are high in fiber also keep you feeling fuller for longer, staving off hunger pangs and decreasing the amount of food you want to eat.

Posted via email from losefatandgainmuscle's posterous

Obesity Linked to Many Cancer Cases in U.S.

via WebMD Health on 11/5/09

As many as 100,000 cases of cancer could be prevented in the U.S. each year if Americans get rid of their excess body fat, a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests.

Posted via email from losefatandgainmuscle's posterous

Thursday, November 5, 2009

90 Day Transformation - Day 36 - Workout & Diet


Hey guys,


So this morning I woke up and did not want to get up at all because I slept really late because of the World Series (Yankees won... as you already know!). But I mustered enough energy to get my butt to the gym. I guess I wasn't the only one watching the game because the gym was EMPTY (LOL)...


Today was my "PUSH" Workout which consists of exercises that require me to push (duh!): Chest, Shoulders & Triceps were on the agenda. Here's my workout I did:


Chest:

Incline Bench Press: 4 Sets X 15 Reps

Flat Bench Press: 4 Sets X 15 Reps

Pec Deck Flyes: 4 Sets X 15 Reps

Cable Crossovers: 4 Sets X 15 Reps


Shoulders:

Military Press: 4 Sets X 12 Reps

Lateral Raises: 4 Sets X 12 Reps

Rear Delt Machine : 4 Sets X 12 Reps


Triceps:

Dips: 4 Sets X 12 Reps

(Since my triceps were being used in most of the other exercise, I didn't have to do too much to work them out)


When I got home, I ate immediately... Here's a tip: Try to eat within 45 minutes after you workout so you can feed your muscles and start the recovery process.


My 1st Meal:

Pile Of Turkey

3 Slices of Whole Wheat Toast

Coffee & Water


My 2nd Meal:

Protein Shake


My 3rd Meal:

Pile Of Turkey

2 Slices of Whole Wheat Toast

Coffee & Water


My 4th Meal:

Protein Shake


My 5th Meal (which I'll be having later):

Lettuce Wraps (probably have 4 or 5)

- Ground Turkey

- Romaine Lettuce

More Water


My 6th Meal (an hour or 2 before bed):

Protein Shake


Tomorrow is PULL day... Back and Biceps

Learn How To Build Muscle In 4 Simple Steps

Are you sick and tired of everyone telling you a different way to build muscle? Are you unhappy with how you look in the mirror? Are you frusturated with your slow progress in the gym? Are you ready to learn five simple steps that will teach you how to build muscle safely and effectively?

There is a good chance that you are not maximizing one of these four steps. Your problem and solution lies in correcting these essential steps before you have any chance of building a muscular and lean physique.

Get read to learn how to build muscle in four simple steps, in less time, without any drugs and without bogus supplements.

Step #1

Committ to lifting weights at least three to four times per week. Your goal is to stimulate your muscles with resistance (stress) which results in your muscles growing bigger to avoid the stress from occuring again. Once you go home, let the muscle heal through nutrition and rest, it will grow bigger and you will repeat this process again. Ideally you should hit your muscles once every 72 hours so you could perform 2 upper body workouts per week and 2 lower body workouts per week.

Step #2

Focus on eating at least 5-7x a day with balanced meals from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. If your goal is to build muscle than you should be eating at least 15-18 x your current body weight. Your carbohydrates should equate about 45% of your intake, your proteins should equate about 35% of your intake and your fat should be the remaining 20% of your intake. You should focus on over half of those meals being solid whole food meals and the remainder can be liquid meal replacment shakes.

Step #3

You should focus on stretching at least half the amount that you lift weights. One of the biggest mistkakes I see is people training, training and training with out any stretching. Stretching helps restore normal length to the tissue and if you are constantly training, your muscle tissues will shorten and big to perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injuries. So if you are lifting weights 4 hours in the week, at least an additional 2 hours should be dedicated to stretching. You must counteract the shortening of the muscle tissues that occurs with weights or else you are a injury screaming to happen.

Step #4

Avoid supplements that have not been around for longer than 3 years. I learned this phisophy from an Australian strength coach who recommended not trying any supplement until it has been around at least 3 years to pass the test of time. This will make your life much easier and help you avoid all the marketing hoopla in the latest fitness and bodybuilding magazine. If you follow this rule, you will discover only a small handful of supplements still standing. Here are the ones you should not go with out: a high quality multi-vitamin, fish oil capsules, powdered creatine and a protein powder. These products will cover your nutritional basis for health, healthy body composition, strength and muscle mass.

 

----------------------------------
About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at No Nonsense Muscel Gains
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

Posted via email from losefatandgainmuscle's posterous

Why Weight Lifting Is An Exercise That Delivers Top Health Benefits

While some individuals are strictly interested in obtaining muscle for aesthetics, for most people, this isn’t an interest. Instead, you’re more interested in knowing what health benefits weight lifting will have for you…

Far too many people overlook the many health and fitness benefits that weight training has to offer, and because of this, experience problems down the road with their body such as decreased bone density, a slowed metabolic rate, increased stress levels and other negative consequences that are associated with constant stress.

Increased Bone Density

Weight lifting, being one of the best weight bearing exercises you can do, will increase your bone density and help ward off osteoporosis or stress fractures in the future.

Many people think running is the best exercise for increasing bone density, but this isn’t necessarily true. If the truth is told, running actually promotes muscle breakdown in the body, while weight lifting, being an anabolic process, helps to promote the building of tissues.

Therefore, weight lifting is going to be much better at preserving your bone mass, not to mention it’s far less impact than going for an hour run.

Decreased Frequency of Injuries

When you strength train, not only are your muscles going to get stronger, but you’ll also work the ligaments and tendons that are connecting bones, muscles, and other tissues, thus reducing the chance they become injured when participating in other physical activities.

If you’ve ever been injured, you know just how frustrating this can be. In about 80% of all injury cases, the injury is a direct result of a tendon, ligament, or muscle not being strong enough when a stressful force is applied.

Since weight training will really hit all those deep tendons and ligaments, it’s the best injury prevention out there.

Reduction of Health Related Risks

Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular weight training can have a positive effect on health by showing reductions in the rate of insulin resistance, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

If you couple a solid weight training program then with a well-thought out diet, you’ll be putting your best foot forward at warding off these chronic problems

Prevention of Fat Gain

The more you weight lift, the higher your metabolism will be, thus the more food you can eat while maintaining your weight.  If that isn’t good news for your future and the fight against body fat, I’m not sure what is.

Now,  with all of this said, one big problem many people run into is the thinking pattern that using a muscle building program will make you big and bulky.

This is most certainly not the case.

Let’s look at an analogy to gain an understanding of this.

Pretend you have two teams and each are going to try and build a house using the exact same building technique.

One team is given 10,000 bricks to construct this house, and the second team is given only 1,000 bricks.

Who’s going to build the bigger house?

The choice should be obvious – team one since they have more bricks to build it with.
Now, think of those bricks as being the calories you put into your body.  Unless you’re supplying enough calories, you aren’t going to build really big muscles.  This is precisely what makes bodybuilders look like bodybuilders.

It’s not just about the way they train, but more about the way they eat (if you’ve ever had a teenage son in the growing process in your house, you likely know just how much food must be consumed when growing at rapid rates).

Whether it’s growing in height during puberty or trying to build bigger muscles later on, calories must be supplied for this growth process to take place.

You can’t build a house out of nothing.  Likewise, you can workout all you want, but if those building blocks – in the form of amino acids, carbohydrates, and dietary fats are not there, you aren’t going to see too much muscle growth.

So, don’t get caught thinking that just because you add weight lifting to your workouts, you’re going to develop large bulky muscles.  If you control your diet, this simply will not happen.
So, hopefully it is clear now that just because you’re weight lifting, it does not mean you will end up with bulky muscles as a result.  Many people make this incorrect assumption – but it really is the diet that makes all the difference in how this weight lifting will shape your body.
When you make the decision to work with me using my 6-Pack Ab Quest program, I’ll take you through the weight lifting and ab techniques that will provide maximum results with minimal effort on your part (why spend more time in the gym than you have to?), as well as provide you with meal plans that are custom designed to ensure you get the best results from your training without the muscle bulk – in fact, the plans are formulated to help you shed the fat so you look leaner and more defined.

Not choosing to include weight training as part of your current workout program is without-a-doubt the biggest mistake you could make as far as your long-term health and fitness level is concerned.  Don’t let this exercise pass you by any longer.  


----------------------------------
About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at NoNonsenseMuscleGains.com
 
He also specializes in teaching skinny guys how to get a six-pack and build muscle, without drugs, supplements and training less than before with his program found at YourSixPackQuest.com

Posted via email from losefatandgainmuscle's posterous