Monthly Archives: July 2012

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29Jul 2012

How to Maintain your Muscle while Traveling

Most people lose fat while traveling, but there are those that lose muscle while traveling. If you’re someone who has trouble maintaining their muscle mass, then this article is for you!

We are going to assume worst case scenario that you will not have access to weights. So here are some great muscle building movements you can do on the road:

Band Curls

I would recommend grabbing a resistance band. Resistance bands are a great, versatile tool you can use to target every single muscle in your body. For arms, just stick to the basic standing band curl.

Pistol Squats

Pistol squats are basically one-legged squats. If you can do them, do lots of them! If you are unable to do them, then try to do them. Attempt them as often as possible on your trip, and you’ll be that much stronger!

One-arm Pushups

Another great movement! If you’re a regular gym goer and do lots of pushups, then switching to one-arm pushups should not be too difficult. Start off with a wide-leg stance, and slowly bring your legs in closer over time.

Pullups

Pullups are an old classic. If you are unable to find a pullup bar, then you can do them while hanging over the top of your door. Hotels may not like you doing this, so make sure you don’t break anything.

Handstand Pushups

Hotels won’t mind you leaning up against their wall, and doing handstand pushups. These are a great shoulder and triceps builder, and will help you learn to balance your body.

These are some great exercises, but if you’re looking for a solid muscle building program you can do without weights, then check out the Muscle Experiment. Click here for more info!

26Jul 2012

Top 5 Foods to Gain Muscle Mass

When most people begin a muscle building program, they go hard on the training, and go hard on the nutrition. By nutrition I mean they eat everything in sight. Now, this works for some people, but for most people this causes more problems than results.

You are what you eat. You need to take these words VERY seriously. If you eat a lot of junk, you will gain weight in the form of fat, not muscle. The idea here is to FEED your muscles, not feed your body.

So which foods do you choose? Here’s a short list to help:

Bagels

Bagels are more calorie dense than bread, and a better source of carbohydrates then bread. Each bagel will boost your caloric intake by 300-350 calories. They are also low in fat, so you know you’re feeding your muscles, as opposed to just feeding your body.

Cottage Cheese

As a vegetarian, I used to eat a lot of cottage cheese. Each pack has almost 20 grams of invaluable protein. However, cottage cheese doesn’t taste all that good, so you’ll have to find ways to make it taste better.

Dry Oats

Store bought oatmeal has one problem: they add a lot of other stuff to it, such as sugar. You’re best bet is to grab some dry oats. Oats can give you lots of energy for intense muscle building workouts.

Steak

I’m not the biggest fan of steak – I’m more of a chicken guy – but once in a while, some juicy steak will make your muscles happy. Don’t worry about the saturated fat – some saturated fat is good for you.

Nuts and Nut Butter

Also as a vegetarian I used to eat a lot of almonds, peanut butter, and almond butter. Nuts are a great source of protein and carbohydrates. They’re also calorie dense, which will help you meet your caloric goals.

Start including these 5 foods into your diet, and watch your muscles grow! If you’re looking for a done-for-you muscle building diet to follow, then check out the Renegade Diet! Click here for more information.

23Jul 2012

Kettlebell Routine to Destroy Visceral Fat

Lack of a six pack is due to the fact that you carry too much fat on your stomach. It’s as simple as that! So doing tons of situps and crunches everyday is not going to help you reveal your six pack abs.

In order to lose fat, you must stick to compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and chinups.

Heavy compound movements help create a powerful hormonal response, and release testosterone and growth hormone, both of which signal the body to build muscle and burn fat.

These were the type of basic workouts that help me quickly pack on muscle and lose fat. However, these movements require either a gym membership, or a set of barbells.

My solution was the Kettlebell. Kettlebells help you perform very similar compound movements and release the same amount of testosterone and growth hormone. And unlike movement such as the barbell squat and barbell bench press, you do not need a spotter while you workout.

There have even been reports that Kettlebell training helps burn off up to 20 calories per minute! To be frank, this depends on which movements you do, and how hard you push. But this does not take away from the fact that Kettlebells are great way to burn off visceral fat!

What is visceral fat exactly? Visceral fat is the excess fat that is stored in the abdomen by men. This is what gives men an “apple shaped” body. If you find yourself looking like an apple, then you have an excess of visceral fat.

This fat is specifically stored around internal organs and is the reason why men are at higher risk for heart disease.

In contrast, subcataneous fat is located near the skin’s surface, and does not really have that great of an impact on your health. Hence, it’s the visceral fat that you must worry about.

You can lose visceral fat with low calorie diets, but this just results in a decrease in muscle mass. Instead, the best way is to take the hormonal approach: release as much testosterone and growth hormone as possible!

That’s where Kettlebell Training comes in! Start using Kettlebells today with the TT Kettlebell Revolution program. Click here for more information!

20Jul 2012

Lose 20lbs Fast with these 5 Tips

If you want to lose fat fast, you need to exercise regularly. Despite knowing this fact, we tend to find excuses upon excuses to find ways NOT to workout.This is why I have compiled a list of 5 simple tips you can start incorporating TODAY to help you get in the habit of regular exercise!Start on Monday

Exercising on Monday sets the tone for the rest of the week. It keeps things “even” and is a simple way to organize your workouts for the rest of the week. It is also a great way to “restart” the week if you spent the weekend eating a lot of food.

Grab some Tunes

Spend some time gathering a list of songs you can put on your iPod and create a playlist. There are a lot of great new songs that you can use, however I still love going back to the old Rocky soundtracks. They really pump you up.

Don’t Skip your Workout

You should take a break from intense workouts, however do not take too long. I like to use the 2-day rule. If you take more than 2 days rest, then you need to FORCE yourself to exercise on the third day.

Do Stuff you Like

If you’re having a tough time sticking to your workout programs, maybe you’re doing something you don’t like. If you’re trying to go to the gym and lift weights, but are unable to get yourself excited about doing it, perhaps it’s time to try a different activity.

You can try to perform some bodyweight movements instead. Click here for some great exercises.

Reward Yourself

Rewarding yourself is a great way to keep yourself motivated. However, do not reward yourself with food. Perhaps reward yourself with new clothing, or a with some other purchase that will help keep you on track.

Start implementing these tips and get started on a solid exercise program. If you’re still searching for a place to start, then click here to find out how you can lose fat for life!

17Jul 2012

Get your Summer Body with these 4 Outdoor Workouts

The summer is here, and it’s time to take your workouts outdoors! Outside workouts will give you the same benefit as you get in the gym, but will also give you a great new change of pace. Plus, since you have more room outdoors, you have a greater choice of exercise you can do.

The following are three great ways to workout outdoors:

Uphill Sprints

Uphill sprints are a great fat burning workout. They challenge your cardiovascular system, and engage your lower body muscles. The workout is easy: find a hill, sprint upwards, and then jog back down. Repeat 6 to 10 times.

If you don’t have access to a hill, then I recommend running up and down bleachers as fast as you can. It has a very similar effect, and requires greater lower body strength.

Bootcamp

Bootcamp bodyweight training is another great way to exercise outdoors. You can get a great cardio and strength training workout in one. Bootcamps are especially great for people who dislike long boring cardio sessions. Boot camp classes also involve other people, so the group atmosphere will push you to keep going. In addition, you have a personal trainer there teaching the class, so you know that you are getting great, professional advice.

You can also perform bootcamp workouts on your own. Click here to grab some done-for-you bootcamp programs.

Jump Roping

Jump roping is another great activity. Jump roping is a quick, fun way to get your cardio workout done. I personally love it because it makes me feel like Rocky Balboa. I also enjoy jump roping because I don’t have to go anywhere. I can just go to the backyard and start skipping!

Bodyweight Strength Training

Bodyweight strength training is what you see all those big guys doing in the park. The basics such as pull-ups, hanging leg raises, push-ups, pike holds, lunges, squats, and burpees at the park will do wonders for your body. These movements have helped people gain muscle and lose fat for years. If you’re looking for a great muscle building bodyweight program you can do at the park, then click here.

Start incorporating these incredible workout options this summer, and watch your body transform! Make this summer your best summer yet.

14Jul 2012

High Frequency Bodyweight Exercises

High frequency training has both muscle building and fat loss benefits. The following are 4 of the best bodyweight exercises to use if you wish to include high frequencing training into your program:

Planks

The plank is a great movement that should be performed more often. In fact, you should do it everyday. A 1-minute plank first thing in the morning will set everything straight.

Lunges

Another great movement is the lunge. This movement is great if you’re lacking in lower body mass. One program that I always refer back to is the PLP-60 program by Chad Waterbury. Start off by performing 10 repetitions, then add 1 repetition each day for 60 days.

Burpees

Burpees are one of my favorite movement and a great way to lose fat. I recommend setting a time for 2 minutes, and seeing how many you can perform in that time frame.

Dips

If you’re looking to pack on muscle on your upper body, then chose dips over pushups. I refer back to the PLP-60 idea presented by Chad Waterbury. Start off with 10 repetitions, then add another rep each day for 60 days.

For more high frequency bodyweight exercise, workouts, and training advice check out these Gymless Workouts (click here).

11Jul 2012

A Lower Body Workout Without Squats

Are you bored with squats? There are many other options for training your legs other than squat. Lets take a look:

Step Up

This exercise is popular with women’s workouts, but men should do it too. You can make the movement harder by moving to a higher elevation. You can also try to add resistance in creative ways.

Here are some ideas for resistance if you do not have weights at home:

  • Carry your girlfriend/wife
  • Carry your children
  • Hold milk jugs by your sides
  • Get a sandbag and place it over your shoulder.

Lying One-Leg Hip Extension

Lay down on your back with bent knees and feet flat on the floor. Lift one leg up off the floor, and tuck it in close your chest. Use your hands around this knee to keep in place as you execute the movement.

Use your glutes, bridge your hips up to full contraction. Pause, then slowly bring your hips back down to the ground. Complete all reps on one side before repeating on the other side.

You can make this movement harder by placing two feet on a stability ball, and simply lift your hips up and down. If you need a tougher movement, then try the stability ball leg curl.

Stability Ball Leg Curl

If you have not yet used a stability ball, it’s time to get one. You can purchase one for about $20.

To perform this movement, lie on the ground, and place the soles of your feet on a medium-sized stability ball. Keep your abs tight as you lift your hips up off the ground, while still keeping soles on the ball, and legs straight.

From this position, contract your hamstrings, and pull the soles of your feet towards your body, rolling the ball towards you. Pause, and slowly return the ball to starting position.

Sample Workout:

1A) Step Up x 8 reps
1B) One-Leg Hip Extention or Stability Ball Leg Curl x 8 reps

Instructions: Perform 8 repetitions of 1A, then without rest, perform 8 repetitions of 1B. Rest 1 minutes, then repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 rounds.

If you’re looking for some more unique at-home workouts, then check out these 30-minute Workouts here. (Click Here)

09Jul 2012

Getting Ripped Without Weights

If you want to succeed with anything in life, you need to step outside your comfort zone. This is why I am up at 3:53 in the morning writing this article. A normal human being would not be doing this, and yet, thousands of people wake up at strange hours of the day, and put themselves through rigorous physical training for a goal that speaks to them so clearly every single day.I am talking about Olympic Athletes.

We sit here and we talk about over training. We talk about diet. We talk about the perfect training program and this and that and this.

But olympic athletes just do it. They wake up and just do it.

I’m reminded of Sylvestor Stallone and Rocky. If you read his biography, you will note that he had no clue what he was doing while shooting Rocky and Rambo. He put his body through pain, but that pain ignited a fire on him, which came out on screen.

Now that he knows everything there is to know about exercise and diet, Mr. Stallone can stay quite ripped year-round. However, he no longer has that fire in his eyes I saw in his younger day, which is why I can no longer enjoy his movies.

The pain and suffering one goes through makes what they do more special. It’s not about doing something right or wrong. You’ll be able to figure out all that along the way. The journey is what matter. The journey will strengthen your character and show you what’s important in your life.

Do you have a goal like that in your life?

Yes you do. It’s to improve your body. It’s to get ripped. The reasoning behind this is your own. Perhaps you just want to know if you can do it. Perhaps it’s for your family – you want to be stronger and leaner to keep up with your children, to improve your sex life, to improve energy levels so that you can work harder and longer to earn a living.

Regardless of the reason, you know you want it bad. Really bad.

So how do you get ripped with bodyweight exercise? Very simple: you get out of your comfort zone.

You do something different. If you adapt to the training regimen, then it’s time to switch up your program.

If you’re ready to try something different then I recommend checking out Workout Without Weights. This is a bodyweight training guide which lists over a hundred unique movements, plus gives you a blueprint on how to develop your own programs. Click here to learn more!