This leads us to the second key… endurance. In order to successfully lose weight you will need endurance. Endurance to stay on course with a change in your diet or eating habits, as well as endurance to stick to a physical activity schedule. The actual plan or program you choose to use to lose weight is far less important than having the endurance to see it through to the end. So choose the plan that seems best suited to you. Just make sure you push through to the end. This means if it is a ten week diet and exercise program, then make sure you diet and exercise for ten weeks. The two main rules here are DON’T QUIT and DON’T CHEAT. The only person you will be quiting or cheating on is YOU. This is where you will discover how serious you are about changing your life and your body for the better.

When your body starts to change, it won’t go unnoticed. You will feel it inside before you see it outside. Use that feeling to encourage yourself and to spur you on. Use the increased energy to stick to your plan to change your

physical activity level. Once you complete your program, it’s hard to describe the feeling of accomplishment and

confidence. This will effect you in all the other aspects of your life, even if you don’t lose all the weight you

set as your goal. It will also make it easier to do the program again (should you choose to do so in order to reach

your goal).

To read more articles on weight loss and to read about different plans and programs that you can successfully use

to lose weight… Please follow the link below to my Blog. www.trueweightlosssecrets.blogspot.com

About the Author
WS. Jordan is an independant writer and reviewer with an education in Journalism and Broadcasting, and a love of Photography. Although from the West Coast, he currently lives in Alberta.

Allow me to explain…

Calorie-counting is one of those things that you either love or hate. You either feel like you HAVE to do it to get results or you feel like there’s NO WAY you’ll ever be caught dead doing it. It’s rare you find somebody who sits on the middle ground in this one.

As most people know, to lose fat, you’ve got to have a caloric deficit, taking in fewer calories than you burn on a daily basis. No surprises there.

Now here’s the thing…In order consistently to achieve that caloric deficit and lose fat, you must be AWARE of your calorie intake.

I believe the REAL question we should be asking here should not be “Is calorie-COUNTING necessary?” but “Is calorie-AWARENESS necessary?”
So if, to be aware of how many calories you’re taking in, you need specifically to COUNT them (by weighing food and referencing food charts), then THAT will be what you have to do to get resulting.

And that is totally fine!

Nevertheless if you’ve already GOT good awareness of how many calories your eating in a day and you know what you need to eat (or not eat) to achieve that caloric deficit, then calorie counting is NOT necessary for you.

The key here, again, is awareness.

You see, the big problem with not counting calories arises when the person THINKS know their caloric intake but they really are NOT.

It’s a fact that most people dramatically under-report their caloric intake when they are asked to estimate how much they eat in a day. When they keep a food diary and have to write down every little thing that goes in their mouth, sometimes their TRUE caloric intake nearly DOUBLES.

So even if you don’t want to count calories, it may be timed for a quick compromise. It’s a temporary calorie count/reality check!

If you’re not losing fat right now and you feel like you’re not really eating much, here’s something you can try to test your “caloric awareness”:

First, write down how many calories you THINK your eating every day.

Now for the next full week, write down everything you eat. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Every little tasted and every little snack. EVERYTHING. Just write down foods and portion sizes - don’t try to look up how many calories each thing has and don’t suddenly change your diet because you want to make yourself look good - just keep doing what you’ve been doing.

At the end of the week, go to a food chart and research everything you ate. Add it up and divide by 7. This will give you your average daily caloric intake.

If you’re within a few hundred calories of your original estimation, congratulations! You’ve got good “calorie awareness!”

But if you’re off by a significant margin, this will give you some VERY useful feedback on what you need to do to get fat loss rolling again.

So there’s a vote FOR calorie counting…Let’s look at the other side of the coin.

And I’ll be blunt here…Calorie counting, no matter how careful you are, is simply NOT all that accurate.

Think of it this way…No two pieces of food are alike. When you buy a steak at the grocery store, they don’t charge you per steak, they charge by the pound. And even when they charge by the pound, two steaks of the same cut can have DRAMATICALLY different composition - one could be lean and one could be fatty!

Nevertheless if you look at a calorie chart, you’ll see “3 oz sirloin steak - 100 calories.”..Or something to that effect.

So even if you weigh and chart every single piece of food you put in your mouth, you’re STILL going to be off by a fair margin. That’s just a fact.

And while how MUCH you eat has an impact on fat loss, WHEN you eat it and what foods you eat together makes a HUGE impact on your results. “Calories are calories” is true only up to a point.

For example, if you eat a big meal after a workout, most of that will get used for recovery purposes. Nevertheless if you eat that same big meal late at night, nowhere near a workout, a good portion of that will just be stored as fat.

Another example is eating sugary carbs with fatty foods - the insulin response you get from sugary foods will jam that fat right into your fat cells with very little trouble!

So now that you have absolutely no idea WHAT the heck to do now, here’s my step-by-step solution…

If you like to count calories and it gets you results…Keep it up!
If you like to count calories but your NOT getting results, either eat less or make sure your writing down EVERYTHING your eating AND are because accurate as possible with your charting.
If you DON’T like to count calories and you ARE getting results…Keep it up! Calorie counting is NOT necessary if know how many you’re taking in AND your getting results.
If you DON’T like to count calories and your NOT getting results, it’s time to take one week to count your calories and improve your caloric awareness. It’s only a week and it’ll give you a MUCH better idea of what you’re actually taking in. This will pay off BIG in the long run because, once you get a feel for your TRUE intake, you can very easily keep yourself honest and ADJUST on the fly.

To my mind, the conclusion results. If you’re NOT losing fat, then you’re not getting the results you want…Simple as that. Your approach should be focused on doing what you need to do to get those results.

Developing your caloric awareness is the key too long-term success with fat loss. And if you have to count calories to do it, then that’s what you’ve gotta do!

But the first time I used this technique, it absolutely blew my mind. As soon as I finished the set, my shoulders felt like they were inflating! The blood was came rushing in and I knew I was on to something special…that RARELY happens to me with ANY shoulder exercises.

So what makes THIS exercise so special? You’re going to reach muscular failure TWICE within the same set. AND you’re going to do it with NO REST in between the two phases of the exercise. BAM BAM…one part right into the next.

But here’s the twist…it’s not a typical drop set in which you reduce the weight to achieve this! You’re going to use the SAME weight for both phases of the exercise.

The REAL key lies in the range of motion of each part of the exercise…

You see, when you do a normal barbell shoulder press, as you push the barbell up, you go through what is called a strength curve. In basic terms, it means at the bottom of the movement you are fairly strong. But as you press further (normally about 3 to 5 inches up in the movement) you hit a point where the leverage in your shoulders changes. The exercise gets a lot tougher.

This is called a sticking point - it’s basically the weakest point in the exercise. Another example of a sticking point is commonly seen in the bench press. If you were doing a bench press using a heavy weight, lowered the weight to your chest then started to press but couldn’t get past a certain point (a few inches above your chest), THAT is also a sticking point.

Bottom line, you can only lift as much weight as you can move through that WEAKEST point in the range of motion of an exercise. But OUTSIDE that sticking point, your muscles are stronger and can lift more weight!

The question becomes, how do we still do full range-of-motion lifting while putting greater tension on the muscles to maximize their strength in OTHER phases of the movement?

We’re going to break the movement into two distinct phases. On the first phase, you’re going to do FULL reps of the shoulder press. When you can’t do any more full reps, you’re going to do partial reps in ONLY the top, stronger half of the range of motion.

It’s a powerful technique and it’ll get your shoulders burning like crazy!

The key to geting the most out of this exercise is the setup…

How to Do It:

First, you’ll be doing this exercise in the power rack. While there IS a way to do it without being the rack (and it is still effective that way), the rack is going to allow you to really push your shoulders to the maximum.

Set the safety rails in the rack to just below shoulder height. You’re going to be doing a standing military barbell press for your shoulders, bringing to the front, of course! I NEVER recommend doing any behind-the-head shoulder pressing - it can cause shoulder damage.

For this exercise, start with a weight you can get at least 8 to 10 reps for. I would suggest doing 3 or 4 sets of this exercise in total for your shoulder workout.

Grip the bar with your pinkies or fourth fingers on the smooth rings of the Olympic bar. You need to take a narrower grip on the bar than with the bench press. The rails should be set so you have to bend your knees a bit to get under the bar. The bar should be held across your extreme upper chest.

Next, begin the pressing movement. Press the barbell up in front of your face then lockout at the top. When you do a military press, your knees should be slightly bent and abs tight to keep stress off the lower back.

Because of the path of the bar, you will be leaning back a little bit - it has to go in front of your face. But as soon as the bar clears your head, shift your torso forward so that the bar is DIRECTLY over your head. It almost resembles a bobbing-forward motion. This is a key point that a lot of people miss with the shoulder press. If you keep leaning back, it keep tension on the front delts and takes it off the rear delts.

Lower the weight slowly back to your chest then press again. Keep going until you can’t get the weight past the sticking point. Try and get it past the sticking point, though! We want to be sure you’re right at the limit.

When you’re done, set the bar back on the safety rails. And here’s the trick that’s going to set your shoulders on fire…keeping your hands locked onto the bar, drop down onto your knees under the bar. Now keep pressing in the partial top range of motion of the press!

Because the bar is now ABOVE the sticking point, your shoulders have better leverage and can continue with the exercise! Do as many reps as you can until you can’t even budge the bar. I prefer to set the weight down on the rails in between reps here but you can keep a continuous movement, if you want. Do it whichever way feels best to you.

By exploiting the top range of motion after fatiguing the muscles in the full range of motion, you’re going to finally be working the shoulders with FULL resistance in the whole range of motion.

When you’re done, stand up. Your shoulders will be swelling up any second now!

As I mentioned previously, there IS a way to perform this technique without a power rack.

First, perform the barbell shoulder press, just like above. Now, instead of doing reps until you can’t get past the sticking point, you’re going to have to stop a rep or two SHORT of that point of failure.

Basically, you’re going to have to complete that last rep to the TOP. When you’re at the top, now lower the bar only halfway down (just above where your sticking point normally is) then press it back up to the top.

Keep doing reps in this shortened range of motion until you can’t hold the bar up anymore!

Surprise! This is NOT an article about incline bench
pressing. Learn these unique techniques for filling out
your upper pectoral area.

The upper chest/upper pec area just below the collar bones can be one of the toughest areas of the body to fully develop. The visual, proportional and functional benefits of building up this area are tremendous though!

Typcially, when you read about working the upper chest, you will hear a lot about incline exercises such as incline barbell or dumbell presses and incline flyes. While these exercises can be very effective, they don’t work well for everybody.

If that sounds like you, these are the exercises that you’ve been looking for. These exercises are especially powerful when used in conjunction with or even supersetted with incline presses or flyes. They will help hit those hard-to-reach upper-pec muscle fibers that are generally not worked with standard incline movements.

At the end of this article, you will find links to view pictures of these exercises in action.

1. Upper Chest Cable Cross-Overs

You will need either a cable-cross over machine or a single high pulley for this exercise.

Get into position standing between the two high cross-over pulleys then take a small step forward. This small step forward puts more tension on the upper pecs at the start of the movement by increasing the stretch.

Bend over at the waist up to about 90 degrees.

The movement itself is very similar to the normal crossover. However, as you bring the cables in, you should push your hands forward of your body in a wide arc rather than bringing them directly down under your torso.

Essentially, you will be trying to bring the cable handles under your face rather than under your chest. This is the key to activating the upper pectoral fibers.

Keep your back arched and your chest puffed out and be sure to come around and forward as though sweeping your fist far out and around.

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue31-pecs.htm

2. Lying Cable “Y” Flyes

The reason I call these “Y” Flyes is from the position of your body and arms on the bench when you do them.

Set a flat bench in the middle of the cable cross-overs (this exercise can also be done one arm at a time on a single low pulley if you don’t have access to a full cross-over machine set-up). The end of the bench where your head will rest should be about 4 to 6 inches forward of an imaginary line between the two pulleys.

Use a moderate weight for this exercise as we’ll be focusing on the squeeze of the upper pecs and the feel of the exercise, not the amount of weight we’re using.

Grasp the cable handles then sit on the bench. Shift yourself forward on the bench so when you lay back onto the bench, your head is set a few inches forward of the pulleys.

You should notice that, at the bottom of the exercise, your arms are angled up and back, just like the “Y” I mentioned above.

Be sure to keep your elbows slightly bent but stiff during the movement. Also, don’t let your upper arms get pulled down past parallel. The real value of this exercise is at the contracted position at the top of the movement.

Do the cable flye movement from there, bringing your hands together directly ABOVE YOUR FOREHEAD. This is critical because the angle of your arms in this track will throw the vast majority of the tension directly onto your upper pec area.

Squeeze the pecs hard at the top, lower down slowly and repeat.

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue31-pecs.htm

3. Side Lying Incline Dumbell Flyes

Lie on your side on an incline bench (if you can set the angle, use about 30 degrees). Your shoulder should be set just off the forward edge of the bench so you can move the arm freely up and down. Your feet should be set somewhat apart on the floor to provide greater stability and pushing power.

If you are lying on your right side hold a dumbell in your right hand and let it hang down. Don’t worry about losing tension here - the benefit of this exercise lies at the top of the movement.

Use a fairly light to moderate dumbell with this exercise. You don’t need much weight to get a full contraction and using too much could cause you to lose your balance on the bench.

Keeping your arm slightly bent and stiff, raise the dumbell in a flye type motion in front of you, around and up until your upper arm is as vertical as you can get it.

Squeeze hard at the top. You should feel a sharp burning sensation in your upper-midle pec area right on the cleavage between the two pecs. To really feel the movement working, place your non-working hand right on the upper, middle area of your chest as you do the exercise. You should be able to feel that area of the muscle contract solidly.

This exercise will really hit the inner pec area, bringing out separation between your two pectoral muscles.

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue31-pecs.htm

—

Give these three exercises a try in your next chest workout. That sharp squeeze in your upper chest will let you know EXACTLY how effective these exercises are!

You can view pictures of all three of these exercises in action at the following link:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue31-pecs.htm

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

Not only is stretching important for flexibility,
it is CRITICAL for massive, rapid muscle growth.

When you think about gaining muscle, stretching is probably not the first thing that pops into your head. But did you know that stretching plays a critical role in building muscle?

Every muscle in your body is enclosed in a bag of tough connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia is important for holding your muscles in their proper place in your body.

But your fascia may also be holding back your muscle growth. Think for a moment about your muscles. You train them and feed them properly. They want to grow and will grow but something is holding them back. They have no room to grow!

Because fascia is so tough, it doesn’t allow the muscle room to expand. It is like stuffing a large pillow into a small pillowcase. The size of the muscle won’t change regardless of how hard you train or how well you eat because the connective tissue around your muscles is constricting the muscles within.

The best example of this is the calf muscle. The lower leg is riddled with fascia because of its tremendous weight-bearing duties in the body. It is because of this fascia that many trainers have great difficulty developing their calves.

The solution: stretching.

Using the pillowcase example from above, imagine you can expand the size of the pillowcase by stretching it. Suddenly, the pillow within has more room and will expand to fill that new space.

By stretching your muscles under specific conditions, you can actually stretch your fascia and give your muscles more room to grow.

The key to effective fascial stretching is the pump. The best time to stretch to expand the bags that are holding in your muscles is when your muscles are pumped up full of blood.

When your muscles are fully pumped up, they are pressing against the fascia. By stretching hard at that time, you increase that pressure on the fascia greatly, which can lead to expansion of the fascia.

One of the major reasons Arnold Schwarzenegger had such incredible chest development was that he finished his chest workouts with dumbell flyes, an exercise that emphasizes the stretched position of the pectoral muscles. He would pump his chest up full of blood during the workout then do flyes, holding the stretch at the bottom of the flye. This gave his chest room to grow to amazing proportions.

Fascial stretching is more rigorous than regular stretching but the results can be amazing. When you stretch hard enough to cause the fascia to expand, you will really feel it! When you are stretching the fascia, you should feel a powerful pulling sensation and pressure as the muscle works against the fascia to expand it.

Be sure you do not stretch so hard that you cause the muscle to tear or cause injury to yourself. You will rapidly learn to distinguish the difference between a good stretch and a bad stretch. You should not feel any sharp pain, just a steady pull.

Hold each stretch for at least 20 to 30 seconds as you must give your fascia time to be affected by the stretch. Stretch hard like this only when you have a fully pumped muscle as you must give your fascia a reason to expand. If your muscles aren’t pumped, just stretch normally.

You can find instructions for stretching at:

http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Info/Stretching1.htm

One set of hard stretching after each set you do for a muscle group, besides the obvious benefits of increased flexibility, can have an incredible effect on the size of your muscles and their further ability to grow.

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

How often should you train? How long do you need to rest
between training sessions? How much is too much and how much
is too little? The answers may surprise you and even change how
you train!

One of the most basic questions in weight training is “how many times a week should I train for best results?” EVERYBODY has wondered this at some point in their training career, from the complete beginner to the most advanced professional.

The answer could very well change the way you train forever!

And the answer is simple… it depends!

Now, this is an answer that ALWAYS leads immediately to the next question… depends on what?

At this point, most instructors or training manuals will go right to the stock response of “train each bodypart twice a week” or something to that effect. It’s easy to believe that this is the best answer because that generally works okay for most people. It’s a safe answer.

But it’s not the BEST answer. Learning what IS the best answer will help you cast out preconceived notions and determine what REALLY works best for your body.

There are a number of factors that influence how often you should train your muscles. Each single factor plays a part in how often you should train and they ALL interact with each other. I will go through the factors then give you real-world examples of how these factors come together to help you determine how often you should train.

1. Training Volume

Training volume is basically how much you are doing for each bodypart. It’s the number of reps and the number of sets you are doing.

The more sets you do for a bodypart, the less frequently you should train the bodypart to give it a chance to recover. If you do fewer sets, you can train more frequently and recover from it.

2. Training Intensity

This is not the scientific definition of intensity (i.e. how close the weight you are using is to your one rep max for that exercise) but rather your effort intensity. Basically, it’s how hard you’re working your muscles.

The harder you push yourself in your sets, the less frequent your training should be as this will tax your recovery systems more strongly.

3. Nutrition

How much you eat and, more importantly, WHAT you eat plays a critical role in how often you can and should train. Don’t think nutrition plays a big role in training frequency? Eat nothing but Pop Tarts for a week and see how often you’re able to train…

The higher the quality of the food you eat and, to some degree, the more food you eat, the better you’ll be able to recover and the more often you’ll be able to train.

4. Recovery

When it comes to recovery, everybody is different…some people recover slowly while some recover very quickly. This difference can be heightened by outside activities and stresses to the body. For instance, a construction worker, who has a physical job, will need more recovery time than an office worker. Playing intense sports will also affect recovery ability.

Therefore, the slower your recovery rate and/or the more outside activities you do, the more time you will need between training sessions.

5. Exercise Selection

Which exercise is most demanding to the thighs and the whole body in general… a barbell squat or a leg extension? The squat, of course, because the more demanding the exercises are on a bodypart (or the whole body), the less frequently you can effectively train that bodypart.

6. Bodypart Size

The bigger the bodypart, e.g. back, thighs and chest, the more recovery time it needs. All things being equal, smaller bodyparts can be worked more frequently because they have less muscle mass that needs repair.

7. Type of Training You Do

Partials, negatives and other intensity techniques are going to affect how frequently you can effectively train a bodypart. These styles take more recovery time for the muscles and will require a decrease in training frequency.

TRAINING FREQUENCY RULES OF THUMB

These simple lists will show you the directions in which each factor will take you. All the factors interact to give you the best solution as to how often you should train.

You Can Train At a Higher Frequency If You Have:
——————————————————————————-

A better recovery rate
Good nutrition and supplementation
Lower training volume
Lower training intensity
Easier exercises
Smaller bodyparts
Fewer intensity techniques

You Should Train At a Lower Frequency If You Have:
————————————————————————————-

A slower recovery rate
Poor nutrition and supplementation
Higher training volume
Higher training intensity
Tougher exercises
Larger bodyparts
More intensity techniques

How It All Fits Together:

These are the major factors that determine optimum training frequency. Though the interaction of all these factors may seem complex, when you get right down to it, it’s actually quite intuitive.

A good way to demonstrate this is by using myself as an example in different phases of training that I’ve been through. You will see, according to all the different factors, how I changed my training frequency and training schedules to maximize results.

You will also see that the common conceptions and “rules” that you have been told you must stick to in terms of training frequency (e.g. twice a week) are based only on simple assumptions, not on actual situations.

EXAMPLE #1 - Heavy manual labor, limited access to quality food

Because of the specific job conditions I was in at the time, I reduced the frequency of my training to three sessions per week and reduced my total training volume. I did total body workouts on each of the three days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), using the heaviest exercises for each bodypart for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps each (e.g. squats, bench press, bent-over rows).

I didn’t push my muscles to complete failure in my training so that I didn’t beat myself down too much in addition to the heavy manual labor job.

It was a simple program but very effective. It gave me enough recovery time because the volume was low and the intensity was moderate, even though the frequency for each bodypart was three times a week.

EXAMPLE #2 - In-home vacation, unlimited access to food and recovery, no demanding outside activities or work.

A number of years ago, I worked on cruise ships as a sports director. I would work 8 to 10 months straight (every single day) then have a few months completely off. During this time off, I had access to a gym, food and plenty of sleep.

To maximize results, I would dramatically increase my training volume and frequency and utilize intensity techniques regularly.

The catch? Since I was basically only eating, sleeping and training, I was able to recover from this high frequency and make excellent gains in strength and muscle mass.

As an extreme example of the frequency I was able to work with at this point, I was in the gym 6 days a week, twice a day, doing total-body workouts EVERY SINGLE TIME. This amounted to 12 total-body workouts a week, in addition to intensity techniques. The actual training volume (number of sets) in each workout was fairly low (3 or 4 sets per bodypart), which also allowed me to get results from that very high frequency.

I used a “controlled-overtraining” program similar in concept to the one that I wrote about in a previous issue of BetterU News here:

Training on the Edge - Learn How Overtraining on Purpose Can Get You Maximum Results FAST!

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue22.htm

Because I was able to recover from it, the high frequency of training worked in my favor and allowed me to get great results. But would I recommend this type of program to someone working a physical job or without optimum nutrition in quality or amount? No chance.

EXAMPLE #3 - Extremely busy work schedule, office job, meals determined by work breaks but workouts may have to be put off until the next day to accommodate overtime.

Having an office job meant that it wasn’t physically demanding, allowing for good recovery. Nutrition, however, was often hit-or-miss due to busy scheduling. There were times, when work demanded, that I needed to put in hours after regular time, which forced me to push workouts back to the next day.

To maximize the results with this situation, I changed to a “one bodypart per day” training system. I would do a single bodypart in a workout, working it with high volume and high intensity. The next day I would do a different bodypart, rotating continuously through all the major bodyparts.

Because I was working only one bodypart at a time, the training frequency was very low, basically working the target bodypart once every 7 to 8 days. This, of course, would increase if I had to bump a workout back a day.

Even though I would basically “destroy” the single bodypart in its workout, this low training frequency gave my body enough time to recover and rebuild the muscle. It would take that much time for the part to recover. Also, when you work one bodypart, other bodyparts area invariably involved, allowing for indirect stimulation of the other muscles more frequently, e.g. when you bench press for the chest, the triceps are also involved.

This plan gave me the flexibility to easily change workout schedules without compromising results while allowing my less-than-perfect nutrition to still allow me to recover enough between workouts and get results.

CONCLUSION:

As you can see, optimum training frequency is nothing as simple as “work each bodypart twice a week.” The give and take between a number of different factors in your life and schedule will help you determine how often you should be training and the type of training you should be doing for best results.

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

‘Tis the season to stuff yourself full of food! Find out
how to turn the tables and turn your holiday weight gain
into holiday muscle gain.

You know you’re going to do it. You know you want to do it. It’s what makes the holidays the holidays. What is it? Eating piles of holiday food.

This article is not about how to minimize holiday weight gain. That topic has been addressed many times before and will no doubt be addressed many more times to come. What I’m talking about here is how to use your increased holiday eating to your advantage in your training.

For many trainers (myself included), it’s just no fun being good at the buffet table all the time. It’s very easy to take the joy out of the holidays by restricting yourself too much.

I propose something different. Rather than forcing yourself to eat plain potatoes and dry turkey when your whole family is sitting down to a big holiday dinner, join in. I’m going to tell you how to make it work for you, not against you.

#1 - Forgive yourself in advance

If you’re the type who feels guilty when you eat foods that aren’t the greatest for you, try to set that aside. This is going to be a positive, guilt-free experience.

#2 - Reduce your calories BEFORE your big meals

By reducing your caloric intake before the big meals, it’s much more likely that your body will use those excess calories to rebuild depleted stores rather than add to the ones that are already there. Don’t starve yourself or your body will panic and try to store everything it gets as fat - just reduce.

#3 - Do a hard, heavy workout as close to mealtime as you can

Immediately after a hard workout, your body is desperate for raw materials to rebuild with. This effect lasts for about 3 to 4 hours. During this time, your body is primed for muscle growth. By doing your workout just before a big holiday dinner, all that food is going to go towards helping your body rebuild and recover from the workout. Very little, if any, of the excess calories you eat will be stored as fat under these conditions.

#4 - Try to focus on foods with some nutritional value

Feel free to load your plate with turkey and mashed potatoes. These foods have a great deal of nutritional value to a trainer. Don’t hold back on them.

#5 - Increase your training volume

What this basically means is do more sets for each muscle group. You may have to decrease your rest periods or perhaps increase the number of training sessions you do in order to increase the volume but doing more sets (at least temporarily) will give your metabolism a kick-start. It will be especially effective if you’re doing a fairly low volume training program before switching. Your body will be desperate for food to rebuild with and a big holiday meal is just what the doctor ordered.

#6 - Don’t go to sleep after you eat

I know it’s going to be hard but you’re better off not napping after a big holiday meal. If you sleep, your body is more likely to store excess calories as fat, not muscle. It will also slow your metabolism down and you’ll digest your food a lot slower. Relax, but if you can help it, don’t sleep right away.

#7 - Schedule another heavy workout for the day after a big holiday meal

After loading yourself up with carbs, fat and protein, your body is a nutrient-filled growth machine. Take advantage of your loading by doing another high-volume, heavy workout the day after.

#8 - Take all the leftovers people are willing to give you

Stick to the more nutritious foods when you do this, such as meat, potatoes and vegetables. It beats cooking big meals for yourself for the next three days.

#9 - If you bring home desserts, save them for post-workout meals

Like I mentioned before, your body is primed for growth after a workout. Most desserts are filled with sugar. After a workout, your body will suck up this sugar just like any other carb and not store it as fat. In fact, it will increase your insulin levels and help you store protein in your muscles!

Putting these tips to work won’t necessarily mean you won’t gain some fat over the holidays but they can certainly help to minimize fat gain and maximize your muscle mass gains. Putting your overeating to work for you may not be pretty but it can be very effective!

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Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

That’s the question…do you need to be so stiff and sore you can
hardly move or scratch your nose in order to get maximum
muscle-building results? Find out here.

Anybody who has ever touched a weight knows the feeling…

It happens the first time you do squats or deadlifts…the first time you do negative-only training…the first time you do an exercise you’ve never done before…

Ironically enough, as painful as this feeling sometimes is, it can actually be quite addictive! Many people I hear from actively seek out ways to make themselves sore because they love that feeling of soreness. To them, it’s an indication that they’ve made progress…that they’ve accomplished something in the gym.

Without that soreness to give them feedback, some people feel they haven’t really done enough.

This has led to some pretty insane training methods and programs, let me tell you.

But here’s the deal…even though I’m personally known for creating unique exercises and programs that no doubt result in a LOT of muscle soreness, the major goal of these unique techniques is NOT to make you sore!

Yes, it’s a common side effect, but if I wanted to dole out pain, there are much more targeted ways of doing THAT. Cripes, just drop a weight plate on your foot - there’s pain for you…lots of soreness, too.

My goal is not to induce soreness but to induce a training effect on the muscles through the application of unique training methods.

Pain is NEVER the goal. Adaptation is the goal.

So, IS muscle soreness required in order to achieve a muscle-building effect on the body?
No.

Simple as that.

I won’t get into all the specifics of HOW muscle soreness comes about (there actually is debate on the mechanisms by which Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness operates) but muscle soreness is simply an indicator that you’ve done something your body is not used to.

It CAN be an indication that what you’ve done will result in muscle growth but there is no guarantee. I can make a person sore from doing a set of 100 reps on the bench press but do you think that will result in significant muscle growth? The load simply isn’t great enough.

Heck, the most soreness I EVER experienced in all my life didn’t even come from weight training! It came from running (and walking) a 20 km race without training for it (back when I was 16 years old and crazy). I was sore all over before I even FINISHED. Two hours later I could hardly move. And I can promise you, I didn’t gain a pound of muscle from THAT experience.

I’ll be honest with you…I’ve been weight training about 18 years and I very RARELY get any significant muscle soreness anymore (i.e. the kind that makes you walk funny or have a hard time scratching your nose). It takes a LOT for me to get even mildly sore. All those unique exercises and programs I’ve done over the years have resulted in muscles that have pretty much seen it all.

Even when I perform an exercise I’ve never ever done before or done a program that is totally new to me, soreness is never significant.

Yet, my results ARE.

I’ll give you a specific example. In my Muscle Explosion muscle-building program (the link below), I’ve included a week where you perform ONE exercise 5 days in a row for more than 200 sets (I like to use deadlifts).

–> http://www.fitstep.com/muscle-explosion/explosive-muscle-building.htm

Without getting into the specifics of the program, I generally gain about 5 pounds of muscle in this single week alone, just based on this style of training. And even with that extreme workload, I RARELY experience ANY soreness.

Yes, my nervous and muscular systems are pretty well trashed at the end of those 5 days but soreness? Not much to speak of.

I’ll say it again…soreness is an INDICATOR of the potential for muscle growth NOT a requirement.

Here’s another example…any professional athlete.

Do you think an athlete who wants to gain muscle will pursue a program where excessive muscle soreness prevents them from practicing or affects the mechanics of their sport?
Absolutely not. Their coaches wouldn’t permit it.

Muscle has no brain. All it knows is when it needs to adapt to a workload greater than what it’s accustomed to. A targeted increase in workload will (generally) result in an increase in muscle mass, when all other factors are accounted for (like nutrition, recovery, etc.).

So where does that leave the trainer looking to build muscle?

Train to improve your performance. Try new techniques, programs and exercises.

But for crying out loud, DON’T train with muscle soreness as a major goal and DON’T worry if a training program doesn’t immediately make you sore. You’ll get results from overloading your muscles, eating enough quality nutrition to support the muscle-building process and recovering enough between workouts.

——————

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 17 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including “Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass”, “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” “Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

If you are looking to develop your lower back and legs, the Deadlift should be a central part of your fitness routine. But for whatever reason, this exercise is sadly neglected by trainers, with most opting for the squat to get their leg and back worked. While this makes some sense because the squat is a tremendously effective exercise, there are a few reasons lifters should consider switching over to the Deadlift.

Besides actually working more muscles than the squat, a properly executed lift can build your core, strengthen your grip, and create impressive muscle mass. And trainers can reap all these benefits through using very minimal equipment. Unfortunately, because the deadlift is underused, many don’t know how to do it properly. With a little education and schooling in the proper technique, any serious trainer can quickly start deadlifting like a pro.

Basically, a Deadlift is performed by lifting a barbell off the ground and raising it to your hips. When gripping the bar for a deadlift, keep your hands about shoulder width apart, with your left hand underneath the bar (your palm facing away from you) and your right hand over the bar (you palm facing towards you.) When you perfom the lift, keep your head facing straight forward and lift with your legs.

That’s the basic move, but it gets a bit more complex from there.

There are two way to perform the Deadlift: conventional and sumo. The difference mostly had to do with how you grip the bar and your lifting stance. In the conventional deadlift, you line your feet up with your shoulders and place the bar right in front of your shins.

Upon completing the move, your knees and shoulders should be locked. Lifters usually perform the sumo varition when they want to put less stress on their back. In the sumo deadlift, widen your stance so that your feet are a couple inches from the plates. Keep your back straight, and lift to your hips, like in the conventional lift.

While performing the Deadlift, pay attention to any serious pain in your lower back. If it becomes too uncomfortable, stop immediately. Pain from this exercise might be a sign of poor technique. Consult with a personal trainer to ensure you are performing it properly. You may also consider switching the “sumo” version if you experience pain in the conventional lift.

To avoid injury, don’t jerk the bar upwards. The whole motion should be smooth and controlled. Like in any exercise, don’t forget to breathe naturally. Keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Moving your feet increases your odds of tipping over or experiencing back injury.

If you feel too much stress on your knees or if your knees bend to side, switch to a lower weight. If you have difficulty with the grip, you might consider investing in a pair of wrist straps. If you are new to the deadlift, you should start with a very low weight to practice getting the proper technique down before moving up to a heavier and more challenging lift.

Chris McCombs is an Orange County personal trainer in California with specialty in fat loss and muscle toning. He owns a successful company called Positively Fit Personal Training. His website contain valuable tips on fitness and “how to” style exercise videos.

Although regular exercise is good for body and soul, diving head first into an advanced exercise program is not encouraged. It can even be dangerous if you don’t avoid some Common Workout Mistakes.

If you’re a beginner, your body isn’t prepared for the types of strains exercise can place on it. As a result, engaging in an exercise program with little foresight and planning can lead to burnout, frustration and injury.

If you want to maximise your workout, it’s going to take a combination of motivation and the correct information. So let’s review the 10 most Common Workout Mistakes that can be easily avoided.

1. Skipping the warm-up. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands placed on them during exercise. Before hitting the gym or jumping into your regular cardio workout, you should take a few minutes to gently walk, cycle or whatever you choose to prepare the body for heavier activity. Breaking a light sweat will get your blood pumping, warm up muscles and ligaments, greatly reduce your risk of injury and increase the effectiveness of your workout.

2. Skipping the cool-down. Due to time constraints, many people head straight to the showers after their last repetition or as soon as the timer on the treadmill dings. Instead, take a few minutes to lower your heart rate close to its resting rate. This will reduce your risk of injury and give you a few minutes to incorporate some relaxation into your routine.

3. Not stretching. Flexible muscles are far less likely to be pulled than tight ones. Stretch before a heavy workout or after your workout as a warm-down. Never stretch a muscle without warming up first to reduce your risk of injury even further. Regular stretching greatly increases your flexibility.

4. Lifting too much too fast. Placing demands your muscles are not prepared to handle is the best way to injure yourself. Gradual, progressive resistance is a far more effective and safe way to increase muscle strength. You should select a weight that allows you to do 10–15 repetitions. If you can’t do 10 reps, the weight is too heavy. If you can easily do 15, then increase the weight by five percent.

5. Using too light a resistance. If you are doing over 15 reps or have not increased your resistance in over two weeks, it is time to progress. If you want to improve, you have to keep your muscles stimulated. If you continue to do the same weights with high reps, you will maintain your current physique and not advance.

6. Being a Weekend Warrior. The Common Workout Mistakes of the person who tries to fit a week’s worth of exercise into a Saturday afternoon! For weight loss, it’s more effective to sustain a moderate workout for longer periods of time than to exercise intensely for only a few minutes. For others, the expectation that a workout must be intense to be effective can lead to burnout or injury while others abandon their training altogether.

7. Waiting until you are thirsty to drink. Only camels can go without water! For the rest of us it’s a necessity! Don’t wait until you feel thirsty because you are already dehydrated at that point. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after your workout.

8. Using bad form. It’s much more effective to choose a lower level, speed or weight and perform the exercise properly than it is to go too fast or too heavy and use poor form and momentum. Lower the intensity to the point at which you can maintain good posture. An example of poor form would be leaning on the Stairmaster handrails or swinging the dumbbells during a bicep curl.

9. Resting too much. While it’s true you don’t want to overdo it, taking too much time in between exercises can decrease the training benefits and set you up for injury. Allow for about 30 seconds between toning exercises — which is usually just enough time to move to the next station and set up. You should exercise intensely enough to work up a light sweat, get your heart beating and feel a sense of satisfaction for having completed your workout.

10. More is better. It’s not necessary to spend over an hour doing cardiovascular exercise. Studies show that the risk of injury outweighs the benefits after 60 minutes. Sessions of around 45 minutes most days of the week are recommended for weight loss.

Remember, exercise is only one link to a complete program of well-being. Mental, spiritual and psychological “workouts” are just as important. Your body will repay you! The only thing left is to just do it… safely.

Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, 2004 Personal Trainer of the Year - Online Training. Kelli is a 20 year fitness industry leader. She has 3 fitness related degrees and 24 Fitness, Nutrition and Lifestyle related certifications. Kelli is the former Lead Fitness Expert for eDiets and eFitness and remains a regular contributor. Kelli is the author of Feminine, Firm & Fit - Building A Lean Strong Body in 12 Weeks www.FeminineFirmandFit.com. She has transformed thousands of bodies just like yours. She is available for phone coaching, online training, grocery shopping tours, seminars, and media opportunities. For more information go to www.KelliCalabrese.com
or e-mail Kelli@KelliCalabrese.com