So today is the first post I'm putting up in a few days... My Internet Explorer got corrupted and I was having trouble getting on the Internet. Needless to say, if you have Internet Explorer, I would recommend you get rid of it! Firefox is so much better and faster.... But enough of my venting...
Today was my "PULL" workout day... which I actually love doing :-)
I got to the gym and dove right into my workout...
I hit my back with 4 exercises... each with 4 sets and about 12-15 reps per set...
The four exercises were:
- Lat Pulldowns
- Seated Rows
- Lat Pullovers
- Chinups
Then I hit my biceps... which I always do right after my back workout since my biceps are usually pretty pumped from the back exercises. I hit them with 3 exercises... 4 sets each and 15 reps per set...
The four exercises were:
- Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curls
- EZ Curls with bar
- Preacher Curls
Then I hit cardio. Today I hit it a little differently. I jumped on the treadmill and did intervals every 1 minute (as opposed to every 3 minutes which I usually do). This was a lot more intense but it was exactly what I needed to shock my system!
Stay tuned and check back for my next post...
If you haven't seen my latest Before & After pics, check out my last blog entry post... you might have to look in the archive in the right side...
If you haven't checked out Vince Del Monte's system for losing fat and gaining muscle, click the links on the side...
See ya on the next post! :-)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Really inspiring - everyone has got to check this out
Here's the motivating story of the day :-) Time to get inspired!
via Lose Stubborn Fat! by joosh on 11/8/07
Mark "Rif" Reifkind is a Senior Russian Kettleble Challenge Instructor has a really cool blog about his training. Today he posted pictures of his wife Tracy, the post is called "A Year of KB Training". After one year of kettlebell training, his wife has lost over 100lbs. She went from 245lbs to 138lbs and looks amazing. You have got to check it out -
Rif's Blog - "A Year of KB Training"
for the full story - an the before pictures - check out the first article in this issue of Vitalics Magazine -
http://giryastrength.com/pdf/Vitalics.pdf
I know that most people who have over 100lbs that they would like to lose see it as nearly impossible, unless you're on "The Biggest Loser" TV show and have two workouts a day and meals prepared for you. It's totally amazing to see someone lose that much fat, and reveal a lean toned hot body underneath.
The article in Vitalics is titled "How To Lose 100lbs WIth No Drugs or Surgery In Less Than One Year". And the thing that's so cool is if someone used drugs or surgery to lose 100lbs, they wouldn't look that good, they wouldn't feel that good. They wouldn't be in that amazing of shape and feel that strong and be able to move that well. And they wouldn't feel nearly as proud or inspired about their body. That is why it's so cool to see a transformation like that from diet and exercise - it leaves you with an amazingly strong fit powerful body. You get a body that inspires you.
In the article Tracy talks about how it's not just about looks, it's about her health and being there to take care of her family. She's taking care of herself, so they she can continue to take care of her family. Super, super cool.
It's amazing because it shows you what's possible. I'm so totally pumped. It's a really cool story, the before and after pics are totally inspiring. I love to read stories like that.
I hope Rif and Tracy don't mind me borrowing this picture, but a picture is worth 1000 words:
Can you imagine that Tracy was 245lbs a year ago? It's amazing - now she's healthy, lean, toned, fit, strong, balanced, flexible, and mobile.
I just found Tracy's Training/Diet Blog. I think keeping a blog is a really cool way to manage your training log and food journal, and it takes real guts to make it public. I strongly recommend keeping a training log/food journal, and making it a public blog is a great form of accountability.
Also check out Girya Kettlebell Training, their gym. I think it's somewhere in the Palo Alto area. If you are anywhere around there, I definately recommend training with them.
Quote from Tracy: "I often say that dieting changed the size of my body and KB training changed the composition. Not only am I 130lbs., but around 20% bodyfat!"
How Many Exercises Do You Need to Do To Per Workout?
via Lose Stubborn Fat! by Josh Hillis on 4/3/09
So I was talking to a friend of mine who is a trainer.
He told me that he used to have his clients do 16 exercises per body part.
But now he's having his clients do full body workouts, and they are doing 16 exercises per workout, all different body parts and his clients are getting much better results!
I'm like, ok... sure...
My clients do four exercises every workout.
And four only.
Trainers are often shocked by that. I had one trainer ask me if my clients get mad because there are only four exercises per workout! WTF? Are you serious?
People love it because it's simple, and it actually makes sense. Oh yeah, and it works really, really well.
The Four Big Bang Movements
1.) Push (chest and triceps)
2.) Pull (back and biceps)
3.) Squat (quads, butt, hamstrings)
3.) Deadlift or Kettlebell Swing (your butt, and most athletic power)
We put it all together and we've hit your whole body.
But the sum is more than the parts. Bigger movements produce faster results.
These are the four biggest movements.
Simplicity Illustrated
Unlike the mainstream fitness world which really does just focus on "doing more things", the kettlebell world focuses on doing fewer things, and doing them better.
Case in point - in the kettlebell world everything centers around two movements:
1.) The Kettlebell Swing
The swing of course fits into the deadlift/swing category of movements.
2.) The Get Up
Believe it or not, the Get Up actually falls into the push category. In the process of getting up, your pushing muscles have to do a ridiculous amount of stabilizing. The get up is a crazy, full body, static push.
Narrow Your Focus. Get Better. Watch Your Body Transform
If you talk to a Senior RKC or Master RKC (really badass kettlebell instructor), you'll find they base everything around these two movements, the swing and the get up.
Or even look at Pavel, the RKC Head Instructor, the guy who brought kettlebells to the US - I've never seen him create a workout program that focused on more than two exercises.
*Note: When you move from the RKC Curriculum (get ups and swings) to the RKC2 Curriculum, they add Pistols and Pullups... hmmm, doesn't that sound like push, pull, squat and deadlift?
You Already Have the Tools
If you don't have a kettlebell, no problem.
I often have my clients do Swings with a gripper plate.
And there is no reason you couldn't do Get Ups with a dumbbell.
Cut Out the Distraction and Just Cause A Result
Lots of people are too distracted in their workouts to even know if they are making progress.
The biggest benefit of such a focused routine is that you either get stronger and fitter, or you don't.
Check out this workout we did in my kettlebell bootcamp class last night:
Get Ups x 5 left + 5 right
Kettlebell Swings x 50
Get Ups x 4 left + 4 right
Kettlebell Swings x 40
Get Ups x 3 left + 3 right
Kettlebell Swings x 30
Get Ups x 2 left + 2 right
Kettlebell Swings x 20
Get Ups x 1 left + 1 right
Kettlebell Swings x 10
Simple, ultra powerful workout.
Dave "The Irontamer" Whitley, Sr. RKC, says "Spend time finding depth in the things you think you know."
In other words, instead of looking for the next thing, get better at the things you're already doing.
It doesn't have to be complicated to give you results.
Often times a program being overly complicated can be what is holding you back.
Simplify and kick ass.
********************************
News: "Project X" is coming.
Project X is going to stay top secret for another couple weeks, because I'm making some final revisions.
(And no, Project X doesn't have anything to do with the new Wolverine Movie coming out!)
I'm just calling it that right now because I can't tell you what it is yet.
But it's going to change everything.
For the last few years, I've helped so many people lose fat and transformed their body with The Stubborn Seven Pounds or Fighter Workouts for Fat Loss. I still get emails every week from people who's fitness has been changed forever.
Project X is something completely different. It will make the books work even better.
I know everyone reading this blog want every edge they can get to lose stubborn fat.
For a year now I've been working on what could take S7 and FW4FL to the next level.
It's ultra simple. And it's just what you need.
Keep an eye out.
By Josh Hillis
Josh is the author of the ever-popular fat loss e-book: The Stubborn Seven Pounds
If you've already completed The Stubborn Seven Pounds, take it to the next level with one of these two programs:
"I've seen more results in 6 weeks training with Josh than I saw in the previous two years working out on my own" -Stephanie Weis
Josh has been featured in USA Today and The Denver Post.
A Simple Plan for Changing Hard to Change Habits (from Z-Health)
via Lose Stubborn Fat! by Josh Hillis on 9/9/09
After reading this in this month's Z-Health newsletter, I totally had to ask them if I could share this with you. It's an awesome article on the smarter, faster, easier ways to change habits. Enjoy! -Josh
Making a Change
Last month we challenged you to make just one change as relates to your eating. This month, we're going to talk about how our brains and bodies respond to change.
If you regularly read this newsletter, you are likely familiar with the concept of the SAID Principle — the body always gets better at exactly what it does. While we generally talk about this idea in relation to movement and performance, the brain works the same way with regards to everything we do (or don't do).
Habits are easy. Our morning ritual is our morning ritual because we don’t have to think about it. We frequent the same stores, take the same routes, buy the same brands, and return to the same restaurants because it’s the path of least resistance. This is precisely why habits are so hard to break.
While this may all be common sense to you, what you may not be aware of is that the body actually prefers it that way. We are hard-wired for survival as opposed to performance, which means that we want to conserve energy as much as possible — you simply never know when you need to outrun a cheetah (or, in more modern terms, avoid hitting swerving car next to you because the driver is chatting on their cell phone). And, making any sort of change requires additional energy — the brain literally burns more glucose when we have to do something out of the ordinary.
So, when you decide to "go for broke" and make several changes at the same time, any unplanned events in your life can easily derail the change you want to make. Your body literally runs out of energy to manage all of the changes, and falls back to what it already knows in order to make it through the day. So, while it may be frustrating to make changes gradually, it is a much more realistic approach for guaranteeing success because both emotionally and physically it requires less energy and won't place unrealistic demands on the body. Remember, success breeds success, so it is much better to have many small successes that add up, than to take on TOO much at once, fail and have to start all over at square one.
With that in mind, let's look at a few examples of places where people often struggle to make changes, and some ways to ease in to change.
Get More Sleep
Americans are notoriously sleep-deprived. Accidents related to sleep deprivation have been estimated to have an annual economic impact of $43 to $56 billion, and recent studies even indicate a link between chronic sleep deprivation and obesity. If you need to sleep more and improve the quality of your sleep:
- Create a nighttime ritual. 30 minutes prior to bedtime, unplug. Get away from the computer, put the phone away.
- Work to standardize your hours of sleep to a consistent amount 7 days a week.
- Finally, shift your schedule in 15-minute intervals to work up to 7-8 hours/night. Move it back just 15 minutes one week, and then 15 minutes the next week. In virtually everyone’s schedule, there is 15 minutes that can be given up somewhere.
Eating Behaviors
Make just one change a week. Here are some possibilities:
- Cut out a snack.
- Add one vegetable.
- Change one spice.
- Move just one meal out from in front of the TV.
- Throw out one trigger food.
- If weight loss is your goal, count your calories for one week. The next week, reduce caloric intake by just 100 calories per day. Each week thereafter, continue to reduce your calories by 100 calories per day until you are eating at your appropriate caloric volume to lose weight.
Fitness Training
85-90% of individuals who start a training program quit within the first 90 days, and 85% of that group quits due to injury. Given the large number of adults who claim to be on a training program, that is an awful lot of false starts. So, how do you start a training program you can stick with? As you have probably already guessed, slowly.
- If your problem is you just don't feel like training, then our first recommendation is to choose something that you enjoy. Research shows your rate of success is much higher if you choose something you like, because you are considerably more likely to stick with it. So, this week, pick one thing you like, and commit to it for a minimum of 5 minutes and have fun. Soon, you'll find yourself getting your full training program in.
- If time is a problem, realize you don't have to spend an hour a day in the gym to get or stay in shape. Look for 10, 15, or 30 minute windows in your schedule. It all adds up.
- Lastly, if you are one of those 85% who quit due to injury, a mobility warm-up such as Neural Warm-Up 1 will make you more resilient against future injuries. That, combined with starting the first week at no more than 50% of what you think you are capable of and remembering the Z-Health principle of never push into pain, will go a long way towards injury-free training.
To summarize, 1) pick something you like to do, not something you feel like you have to do, 3) it doesn't have to be an hour, make it short fast and realize it is effective, and 3) ensure that your body is prepped for success by being prepared for movement.
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
To check out Your Six Pack Quest, click HERE
via Vince DelMonte's Muscle Building Tips and Six Pack Secrets by Vince on 3/15/09
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
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
http://losefatandgainmuscleblog.blogspot.com
To check out Your Six Pack Quest, click HERE
via Vince DelMonte's Muscle Building Tips and Six Pack Secrets by Vince on 11/8/09
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?
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:
- It’s easier to follow one specific diet dedicated to one specific goal.
- It’s easier to dedicate one specific training plan dedicated to one specific goal.
- 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!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Dietary fiber
Interesting tidbit on fiber...
via Men's Health Information, Including Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Working Out & Sex by Erhard on 11/5/09
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.
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