The Best 5 High Intensity Strength Training Tips to Build Muscle

These high intensity strength training tips can help you get maximum benefit in minimum training time. Do you want to build more strength and develop more muscle in the most effective and efficient way? Are you spinning your wheels at the gym and getting very little benefit from your workouts? If you are frustrated in your workout efforts then you should pause to take a look at your training program, learn some of these high intensity strength training tips and then apply what you have learned to your workouts. You may find that you are amazed at the results.

1. High intensity strength training can help you get better results in less time. One of the most important points to remember about weight training exercise is that the benefit does not come directly from the exercise but rather from the recovery and rebuilding that takes place between workouts. The key for muscle development is brief and infrequent high intensity workout sessions that stimulate your muscles and then you MUST allow yourself sufficient recovery to rebuild and adapt to the stress. That is how you get stronger. The harder you train the more recovery is needed. 72 to 96 hours between workouts often works very well although up to a full week can sometimes yield excellent strength building results. Mentally it can sometime be difficult to adjust your attitude to the fact that you must limit the training time and number of workouts which can dramatically improve your strength training results.

2. Push your muscles to fatigue and muscle failure - To really stimulate your muscles to get stronger it is important that you use all the available muscle fibers. This is done by continuing to perform a weight training exercise until you reach the point of muscle failure. Actually very few people train with this much effort. Momentary muscle failure occurs when you can no longer complete another repetition in good form. This strenuous, high intensity exercise will be the stimulus for muscle growth. It is hard to train this way and it requires discipline to push yourself to muscle failure but it is the way to really get the best muscle strengthening results.

3. Much scientific research has shown that performing just one set of a muscle building exercise is extremely beneficial for getting good results. This is one of the most important strength training tips to build muscle and will reduce your training time and improve your results if done properly. Each exercise should be a 100% effort. Once you have completely fatigued one muscle group simply move onto another exercise and perform another set with a 100% effort. More is not better - higher intensity in good form is better!

4. Variety in your workouts is another useful high intensity strength training tip. If you always do the same group of exercises your muscles will eventually get used to them and slow down your results. In order to avoid such slumps it is a good idea to regularity change up the specific exercises your perform. This also helps prevent mental boredom. How often you switch things around can also vary. You may want to change some exercises every week or two, some athletes will change every workout or you can keep things the same for a month or so and then change all the exercises you do. The important thing is too keep things fresh and to train hard.

5. Use proper form - Unfortunately the vast number of folks who weight train with free weights or weight machine use poor technique and bad form. Most people perform their reps in a relatively fast manner just to get them over with or to be able to use more weight. If you really want to greatly increase the benefit of the muscle building exercise you need to lift slowly, pause briefly, and then lower the weight back down slowly. 5 to 10 seconds per repetition works very well. This will reduce the momentum used, increase muscle fiber recruitment, increase safety and make you work much harder. Doing your reps fast will simply do the exact opposite of these things and as a result provide poor results. Do not allow your ego to dictate the amount of weight you use. You DO want to be progressive and gradually increase the resistance but you always want to train hard and in proper strict form. Never sacrifice good form just so you can use more weight.

If you want to get Maximum Benefit from your weight training workouts than you should read The Fitness Center Handbook. (Kindle Version) which is now available! In addition you can learn more about High Intensity Strength Training at SuperMuscular.com.

David Waters has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from the University of Massachusetts and is the author of The Fitness Center Handbook. He is also a founding member of The Nahanni Camping and Fishing Club.

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The Best 5 High Intensity Strength Training Tips to Build Muscle

These high intensity strength training tips can help you get maximum benefit in minimum training time. Do you want to build more strength and develop more muscle in the most effective and efficient way? Are you spinning your wheels at the gym and getting very little benefit from your workouts? If you are frustrated in your workout efforts then you should pause to take a look at your training program, learn some of these high intensity strength training tips and then apply what you have learned to your workouts. You may find that you are amazed at the results.

1. High intensity strength training can help you get better results in less time. One of the most important points to remember about weight training exercise is that the benefit does not come directly from the exercise but rather from the recovery and rebuilding that takes place between workouts. The key for muscle development is brief and infrequent buy a kindle sessions that stimulate your muscles and then you MUST allow yourself sufficient recovery to rebuild and adapt to the stress. That is how you get stronger. The harder you train the more recovery is needed. 72 to 96 hours between workouts often works very well although up to a full week can sometimes yield excellent strength building results. Mentally it can sometime be difficult to adjust your attitude to the fact that you must limit the training time and number of workouts which can dramatically improve your strength training results.
2. Push your muscles to fatigue and muscle failure - To really stimulate your muscles to get stronger it is important that you use all the available muscle fibers. This is done by continuing to perform a weight training exercise until you reach the point of muscle failure. Actually very few people train with this much effort. Momentary muscle failure occurs when you can no longer complete another repetition in good form. This strenuous, high intensity exercise will be the stimulus for muscle growth. It is hard to train this way and it requires discipline to push yourself to muscle failure but it is the way to really get the best muscle strengthening results.
3. Much scientific research has shown that performing just one set of a muscle building exercise is extremely beneficial for getting good results. This is one of the most important strength training tips to build muscle and will reduce your training time and improve your results if done properly. Each exercise should be a 100% effort. Once you have completely fatigued one muscle group simply move onto another exercise and perform another set with a 100% effort. More is not better - higher intensity in good form is better!
4. Variety in your workouts is another useful high intensity strength training tip. If you always do the same group of exercises your muscles will eventually get used to them and slow down your results. In order to avoid such slumps it is a good idea to regularity change up the specific exercises your perform. This also helps prevent mental boredom. How often you switch things around can also vary. You may want to change some exercises every week or two, some athletes will change every workout or you can keep things the same for a month or so and then change all the exercises you do. The important thing is too keep things fresh and to train hard.
5. Use proper form - Unfortunately the vast number of folks who weight train with free weights or weight machine use poor technique and bad form. Most people perform their reps in a relatively fast manner just to get them over with or to be able to use more weight. If you really want to greatly increase the benefit of the muscle building exercise you need to lift slowly, pause briefly, and then lower the weight back down slowly. 5 to 10 seconds per repetition works very well. This will reduce the momentum used, increase muscle fiber recruitment, increase safety and make you work much harder. Doing your reps fast will simply do the exact opposite of these things and as a result provide poor results. Do not allow your ego to dictate the amount of weight you use. You DO want to be progressive and gradually increase the resistance but you always want to train hard and in proper strict form. Never sacrifice good form just so you can use more weight.

If you are looking for additional ways to improve your workouts then you want our FREE manual - The 8 Things Your Must Do Build Maximum Muscle! - Please click here is you want Maximum Muscles! In addition you can learn more about High Intensity Strength Training at http://www.squidoo.com/high-intensity-strength-training-tips

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Should You Develop Healthy Eating Habits to Lose Weight?

Should you go on a diet or develop healthy eating habits to lose weight? For many people the first thing they think of when it comes to weight loss is that they should go on a diet. The truth is that for long term benefits the habit of eating nutritiously is a much better option for several reasons.

The very mention of "going on a diet" implies that you will later come off of that diet. That right there tells you that dieting is a short term approach to a lifestyle issue. Sure fad diets may work in the short term but in the long run they generally do not provide any real benefit. People want to lose weight and keep it off. By learning the proper methods of weight control and maintaining healthy eating habits you are much more likely to reach and stay at your desired weight. Providing highly nutritious foods in the proper amounts is the best way to fuel your body and control your weight.
Many "fad diets" gain short term popularity for the simple reason that they provide short term, fast weight loss. These diets are often based on eliminating some very nutritious foods and replacing them with shakes, energy drinks or other magic potions, diet pills, high fiber concoctions or high priced processed meals. Sometimes drastically reducing your calories is part of these diets. It is very important to remember that your body is fueled by the food you eat. In order to function at a high level, be healthy and energetic, it is vital to supply your body with highly nutritiously foods. Removing nutritious foods from your diet in a rush to lose weight is not a wise decision. In some cases fast weight loss can do more harm then good.

Most people understand that your bodies metabolism is vital to weight control. Think of your metabolism as your level of energy use. Using less energy can lead to weight gain since body fat is excess energy that gets stored in fat cells. By decreasing weight too fast it can actually cause your body to slow down your metabolism. This in turn can cause you to gain weight back after the initial fast weight loss of a diet. Known as the yo-yo effect, this is a leading cause of frustration for folks looking to lose weight and keep it off. By combining proper eating habits and sensible exercise you can effectively maintain your metabolism working at its proper level which will help with controlling your weight. Muscle strengthening exercise which directly increases your metabolism is very important, as is regular cardio endurance training.

A few key points to proper eating should be kept in mind. Eating several relatively small sized meals and snacks throughout the day is a better approach then larger, less frequent meals. Do not skip breakfast - it really is the most important meal of the day. Eating regularly helps maintain your metabolism. Select fresh foods and real produce, including organic foods, are much better food choices then highly processed, chemical and sodium filled foods.

Many people think that eating nutritiously is difficult to accomplish. The approach one should take is to develop healthy eating habits to lose weight, maintain proper weight and maximize your health. Habits, both good and bad, are hard to break. Once you establish good eating habits, those habits will be relatively easy to maintain for the simple season your eating methods are just that - a habit. Part of establishing a good nutritional program is learning how to grocery shop for good food choices. Most visits to the grocery store lead you to the same aisles and selecting the same food items. By getting used to always buying a selection of healthy, nutritious foods it will ensure that you have these items in your home.

Another misconception about proper eating is that nutritious foods are boring, bland and not very tasty. Nothing can be further from the truth. Proper food preparation, cooking methods, nutritious recipes and healthy food substitution can lead to some incredibly healthy and delicious dishes.
With the proper attitude towards your nutritional habits it can be a fun, healthy and delicious way to proper weight control. The dreaded "going on a diet" approach can be avoided as you develop healthy eating patterns on your way to good health and proper weight loss.

Do you think eating carbs will make your fat? Do you want to lose weight while eating delicious meals? If you want the real solution to diet and weight loss then you should follow a proper Fitness Diet Plan.

David Waters is graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education, has worked for many years as a fitness professional and he is the author of The Fitness Center Handbook.

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3 Best Weight Training Tips

3 Best Weight Training Tips – Are you getting the maximum muscle building results from your weight training workouts? Most people could train much better and get much better results. Following these weight training tips can make a huge difference in you workout results. Many folks spend long hours in the gym, pumping iron and lifting like crazy, yet show little benefit from their effort. Other people unfortunately shy away from strength training either because they do not understand the outstanding physical benefit they will get or they think it takes a lot of time. Proper strength training is performed in a high intensity manner. Using high intensity training methods will result in getting maximum benefit in the minimum of time. Actually the exact definition of exercise definition is Intensity = Work divided by Time.  Think about his and you will understand that proper weight training should be brief in time but intense in effort. By following these three strength training tips you can greatly improve the results from your workouts and will most likely reduce your training time.

Please note  that the weight training tips mentioned here apply to just about any type of strength training and muscle building exercise and weight training. Free weights (dumbells and barbells), weight training machines and body-weight exercises (such as dips, chin ups and ab crunches) all require similar training guidelines to provide effective strength training benefit.

A Vital Weight Training Tip – Use Proper Form!

Proper form – The laws of physics tells us a lot concerning momentum and the forces needed to move any object, such as a barbell or weight stack.  How does this apply to muscle building and weight training tips? This is very simple and cannot be disputed. The weight or resistance you are exercising with should never be lifted quickly. You should also not drop the weight.  Your weight training exercises should always be performed in a slow and controlled manner. By lifting the weight slowly you eliminate the use of momentum and force your muscles to contract with much more force. This means you will be getting a much better workout. It is simply harder to lift weight slowly then to lift fast. The idea is to make your muscle work harder! It is also much safer to train this way. But just how slowly should your movement be? one very common technique is to take 2 complete seconds to do the lifting motion, a full 1 second pause and then take 4 seconds to slowly lower the weight back down. This results in one repetition taking about six full seconds to complete. Most people train at a much faster pace thereby make the repetitions much easier to perform.  Some advanced training methods use even slower movements. These techniques are really very difficult to perform, requires a lot of effort and will take a lot out of you. The most important thing to keep in mind as you train is that you should use a slow and controlled speed of motion and perform the movement through a full range of motion.  Using such proper form and proper speed of motion greatly increases both the safety and the benefits of your muscle building exercise.

Weight Training Tips – High Intensity Effort

High Intensity effort – High Intensity training is not a new exercise concept but it got a large boost in popularity during the 1970′s by Arthur Jones, the creator of the revolutionary Nautilus fitness machines. The effectiveness of high intensity exercise has been clearly demonstrated by many top athletes, including Mike Menzter, a 5 time Mr. Olympia winner. But what exactly does the term high intensity exercise really mean?  Bascially it means that the strength training exercises should be peformed until the point of momentary muscle failure. This means to continue the exercise movement to the point when no further repetitions s can be done and the final one attempted is a “failed” rep, hence the name failure.  This is one of the most important weight training tips you can follow yet it is often ignored by people who workout regulary. This type of high intensity exercise means your muscles will recieve a strong stimulus to recruit more muscle fibers and become stronger by yout nest workout. You should keep in mind that a muscle building program is a combination of stimulating your muscles with exercise and than allowing your muscles to grow and develop between workouts when rest and recovery takes place.  High intensity exercise puts lots of stress on the body and it must not be overdone by performing too much in one workout or by exercising too frequently. The American College of Sports Medicine, the most respected authoritive organization that deals with the field of exercise, suggests that healthy adults should perform ten exercise 2 times per week, performing 8 to 12 repetitions each set. Since these recomendations are based on extensive scientific research it make good sense to try and follow these closely. Thes weight training tips are essentially based on the ACSM guidelines

Weight Training Tips for Workout Recovery

Recovery Period – The third tip to help you gat maximum results from your strength training is to make sure you have proper and complete recovery and rest during the time span between your exercise sessions. If a person is doing a complete body workout routine or if utilizing a split workout program (different body parts on different days), the necessity for the bodies recovery stays the same. This time span should always take at least 48 hours but generally a longer time period of 72 to 96 hours usually works better. Keep in mind that your muscles actually develop and grow during this time and you should want the recovery period to be sufficient. Initially the muscles have to have their basic recovery from the stimulus of the high intensity workout, then additional time to overcompensate and adapt. Ideally the muscle will recruit more muscle fibers and then be at a higher level of strength for the next workout.  To ensure that you get full recovery you should make certain that you get adequate sleep, proper nutrition and also avoid over training. Too much exercise or workouts done too frequently can be detrimental to your training results.

Always try to follow these three weight training tips – Use proper exercise form, exercise in a high intensity fashion and be sure to allow for full recovery.  With this the benefits of your muscle building workouts will increase dramatically.

Cardio Workouts Are Not the Best Way to Lose Body Fat

If you want to discover some areas where you may be going wrong in your ab workouts and your attempts at losing stomach fat, I have an interview for you here that you'll want to read.

In the interview, we discuss the topic of abs training and the biggest myths and mistakes we see in this field.
Here's a copy of the training portion of the interview below. We'll discuss the nutrition aspects necessary for losing enough body fat to carve out those six pack abs in another article.
CB: Okay Mike, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs?
MG: Most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', buy a kindle I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises.
I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.
After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abdominals visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response.
This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book... full body workout programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath!
Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.
CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights.
I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio workouts. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though.
CB: What about old school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good, bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my workout programs. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety every now and then.
CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body exercises that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises.
Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree.
One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up". It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first attempt some of these higher resistance exercises.
We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.
CB: What do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow cardio workouts? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is lasting fat loss.
I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio workouts.
Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines, but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
That wraps up the "abs training" portion of the interview. We'll discuss the nutrition aspects that are necessary for losing enough body fat to get visible six pack abs in a separate posting.
Mike Geary
Certified Trainer
Author - Truth About 6 Pack Abs

Muscle Building Supplements - Protein and Creatine in your Diet!

The 3 Best Ab Exercises That Are Not Direct Ab Exercises

   

 

Instead of the typical ab exercise routines that we see so often with crunches, situps, leg lifts, etc... I like to give my readers better options for metabolism-boosting high intensity workouts that work their entire body while also working their abs.

I'm going to show you an example today of one of my favorite ab workouts that doesn't include any direct ab exercises at all. It's in a tri-set format (similar to a super-set but alternating between 3 exercises).
Here goes:
1a. Renegade Dumbbell Rows
1b. Front Squats with Barbell
1c. Mountain Climbers on Floor
A good rep scheme to use with this could be 3-4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, or more sets for less reps, such as 5 sets of 5 reps of each exercise. Mountain climbers can be done for a time interval (such as 30 seconds) instead of "reps".
Renegade dumbbell rows are done starting in a pushup position with the hands on 2 dumbbells. You then row one dumbbell up while stabilizing your body with the other arm. Bring the dumbbell back to the ground and alternate the rowing arm while stabilizing with the opposite arm. This stabilizing effect during the rows creates incredible work for your entire midsection core area. Trust me... you'll feel it in the abs!
Front squats are done similar to back squats, however with the barbell in front of your body on the front of your shoulders instead of resting on the upper back as in back squats. You stabilize the barbell on your shoulders by crossing your arms and pushing your fists into the bar against your shoulders while keeping your elbows out in front of the body. This takes a little practice at first, so you will want to seek a professional trainer at your gym to help you with the form. Front squats require extreme stabilization strength from the abs due to the barbell weight being shifted to the front of the body instead of the back. Even though this is mostly a leg exercise, you'll feel this one in the abs big time!
Mountain climbers are done by starting in a pushup position and then shuffling your feet in and out so that your knees are moving in under your chest and then back out to starting position. It sort of resembles climbing a mountain but flat on the floor. If you want an advanced version, you can also shuffle your hands 8-10 inches forward and backward in addition to the leg movements. This really makes it a full body exercise and MUCH more difficult than standard mountain climbers.
After finishing each exercise, rest about 30 seconds before starting the next exercise. Rest about 1-2 minutes after completing each "tri-set" before repeating.
This will give you one of the best ab workouts you've ever had without even doing any direct ab exercises. You'll see what I mean after you try it!

If you are tired of failing to get visible six pack abs, consider losing the traditional ab exercises and bogus ab gadget machines, and find out the real fat loss for abs truth at Best Ab Exercises & Workouts for Abdominals

Your Diet Plan for Weight Loss: How to Keep Hunger At Bay

Let’s make sure we get one thing straight from the outset. When you’re dieting, you shouldn’t ever feel hungry. In fact, if you are hungry, you should consider eating more.The perfect diet plan for weight loss isn’t about starving yourself, or depriving yourself of the essential foods you need to function at your prime.

In fact, it’s not even about counting calories—and if you follow my blog, you know how I feel about calorie counting. Instead, the right way to eat healthy means switching out the foods that are bad for you, and replacing them with foods that are good for you.
But even if you don’t reduce your food intake by that much, you may have an adjustment period as you begin to shed belly fat. It’s really more of a mind over matter thing than real starvation. If you’ve been used to eating large quantities of the wrong kind of food, you might go through a kind of withdrawal period once you begin eating healthfully.
So are there any ways to combat these hunger pains, without giving in to the urge to binge? Absolutely! Let’s look at a few techniques you should incorporate into your diet plan to lose weight:

Drink Your Water

First and foremost, you should be drinking plenty of water once you start your eating plan. In fact, you should be drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water per day. So, for example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink 80 ounces at a minimum per day.
Not only will water help flush toxins from your body, it can help combat edema and water retention. Need an even more compelling reason to drink water? Your body can often misinterpret thirst for hunger, actually causing your stomach to growl.
So before you reach for something more to eat check to see how much water you’ve had to drink. If you haven’t had enough for the day, drink plenty of H20 before you have anything else to eat.

Eat Healthy Fats

Yes, you can eat fat while you are on a diet. Does this mean you have my permission to run out and devour a bucket of fried chicken? Wishful thinking, but the answer is no.
You need to eat plenty of healthy fats, which are MUFAs or PUFAs, while you are dieting. These healthy fats will help contribute to a feeling of satiety between meals, as well as give you the essential fatty acids you need to function at your prime. Healthy fats include olive oil, organic butter, coconut oil, raw nuts, nut butters, and avocadoes.

Eat Lots of Fiber

Everyone knows that including high amounts of fiber in your diet helps while you are trying to reduce your weight, but no one really seems to know why it’s important. Well, there are two reasons.

1. Fiber keeps you from becoming constipated, which can happen when you make a sudden dietary change—even if that change is for the better.
2. Fiber helps you feel full more quickly, and helps you remain that way between meals.

As a rule, you should consider including a serving of fiber with every meal, even snacks. In fact, I usually recommend you include your favorite type of green vegetable with meals, such as a salad or celery sticks.

Stay Active

While exercising doesn’t have much to do with what you put in your mouth, it can have a huge impact on the success of your eating plan and how hungry you feel. I’m not a fan of long hours on the treadmill, as you probably know. In fact, I prefer shorter workouts with more interval training and strength training thrown in because I feel it gives you more bang for your buck.
But no matter how you choose to get and stay active, you should know that it will make your metabolism more efficient, allowing you to continue burning calories several hours after your workout has ended. So while you are working on eating a better diet, find ways to incorporate active movement into your daily routine. You’ll train your body to burn calories more efficiently over time.
The Diet Solution Program was designed with one focus in mind: to help people learn to eat better and thus transform their lives. If you want to learn more about how to lose weight without feeling deprived, consider downloading this program today! You can also get your FREE Diet Solution Jumpatart guide at
http://www.superfitnessforever.com/DietSolutionGuide.html

Diet Plans to Lose Weight Need Not Be Complicated

With all of the conflicting information about nutrition, it’s no wonder people give up on their diet plans to lose weight after only a few days. Dropping weight can feel like an uphill climb, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Don’t let others make the process more complicated than it actually is.

Don’t get me wrong, losing flab certainly has it challenges (trust me, I’ve been there). I’m simply saying if you’re armed with the right information, slimming down is not as hard as it seems. If you boot all the processed foods out of your diet and replace them with nutrient-dense, natural foods, you’ll lose weight and feel healthier before you know it.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Adding a variety of fresh fruits and veggies to your daily diet can help you get the vitamins and minerals you need to support important functions of the body. For instance, calcium helps support bone health. Vitamin C helps the immune system thrive. B vitamins work to ease stress, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. And vitamin A supports healthy vision and skin.
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Carbs are important because they provide fuel for the body. Fiber regulates the bowels and expands in your stomach to help you stay full longer. The longer you stay full, the less you eat, and the more likely you are to drop body fat.

I have always been a supporter of free roaming chicken, grass fed meets, and whole organic eggs. It just makes sense.

Poultry and Beans
When you make beans and poultry a part of your regular diet, you are giving your body the protein it needs to maintain good health. Protein is referred to as the building block of the body for a reason. This nutrient is found almost everywhere in the body. Without it, you’ll face problems like fatigue, skin ulcers, sleeping difficulties, weakness and organ damage.
Skimping on the protein can also cause crankiness, depression, anxiety and other mental issues. Also, when you add this compound to your diet, you are less likely to overeat because it makes meals more satiating and helps control your appetite.

Lean Meats, Fish and Raw Nuts

Adding lean meats to your diet will ensure you get the iron you need to build hemoglobin and transport oxygen to the cells in your body. When you don’t get enough iron in your diet, your chances of suffering with iron deficient anemia increases. Symptoms of anemia can include fatigue, problems regulating the body temperature, headaches, dizziness and weakness.
The importance of fat in the diet is underrated. When you avoid eating healthy fats, you do your body a huge disservice. Healthy fats build the brain, provide the body with energy, help produce hormones, and provide cushion for your internal organs.
Fats also enable the body use vitamins more efficiently. Make fish and raw nuts staples in your diet so you can get some of the fats you need for good health.
If you rid your diet of processed junk and replace them with the foods listed above, you can shed unwanted pounds without frustration. The weight isn’t going to come off overnight, but it will eventually come off. Oh, and remember. No diet plan is complete or 100 percent successful without exercise.
If you don’t have a plan, trying to lose weight can be frustrating. Let The Diet Solution Program provide you with effective diet plans to lose weight.

3 Important Tips to Build Muscle Faster - Get Lean and Ripped

  

 

Let's face it... building muscle is not the easiest thing to accomplish even despite regular hard workout schedules and trying every type of workout and supplement.

I struggled for years to gain any significant muscle mass, but over the years in my personal training business and with my own experimentation have found some important things that have helped make significant muscle gains possible even for hardgainers.
So, I'm going to give 3 important tips here so you can start building lean muscle mass faster and easier.
1. Make sure that 95% of the exercises you perform regularly in the gym are big multi-joint compound exercises. It doesn't matter if your goal is fat loss or building muscle... big multi-joint exercises should comprise 95% of the exercises you do in your workouts if you want to get lean, ripped, and powerful.
It's easiest to think of it in terms of the major movement patterns such as these (focus 95% of your workouts on these):

• upper body horizontal press (bench press, pushups, dips),
• upper body horizontal rows (1-arm dumbbell rows, seated cable rows, bent over barbell rows),
• upper body vertical pull (lat pulldowns, pullups, chinups),
• upper body vertical press (overhead dumbbell and barbell presses, barbell or kettlebell clean & presses)
• lower body squatting movements (front squats, back squats, overhead squats, bodyweight squats, etc)
• lower body deadlifting movements (regular deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts)
• lower body single leg movements (lunges, step-ups, jump lunges, etc)
• abdominal and core exercises (these are important, but still are 2nd priority after all of the major upper body and lower body multi-joint movements... your abs and core will be worked from most major multi-joint exercises anyway)

The other 5% of your exercises can focus on single joint exercises (isolation exercises) such as bicep curls, tricep presses, calf presses, shoulder shrugs, shoulder lateral raises, pec flyes, etc, etc. However, these exercises are only accessory exercises to do after the main focus has been the multi-joint drills.
2. Train hard and intensely 3-4 days/week for 45-60 minutes per weight training workout. Keep your workouts to no longer than 60 minutes as training too much beyond this point can trigger excess catabolism. You want to stay anabolic, but you still need to train your body hard and intensely enough to trigger muscle growth.
Try a super-set style of workout program to maximize the intensity that you can train. My favorite combinations are opposing upper and lower body movement patterns that don't interfere with each other, such as squats coupled with pullups as a superset, or bench press coupled with deadlifts as a superset.
Don't underestimate the effectiveness of these types of upper/lower body supersets done with heavy weights and a high intensity. The first time in my life that I experienced significant muscle mass gains were when I started doing these types of workout combos regularly (although still mixing up my training variables).
These are mainstays of almost any effective workout program -- caloric intake can simply be adjusted whether your goal is fat burning or gaining muscle mass.
3. Eat clean with quality whole foods... REAL foods instead of highly processed over-hyped supplement powders and bars.
The quality of protein (and additional nutrition from vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) are best assimilated by the body from real whole food such as eggs, meats, dairy (preferably raw), fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. instead of from processed protein powders, chemical-laden bars, and meal replacements.
Forget about the hyped up workouts in the muscle mags that only work for pro bodybuilders or people on steroids. Forget about the over-hyped supplement "stacks" that pay the bills for almost every muscle mag... Instead, make these tips in this article part of your lifestyle, and you'll see muscle gains and a leaner, ripped body like you've never seen before!

If you want to get a lean chiseled body, check out these tips to Get Ripped Abs the right way.
Enjoy, and good luck!
Mike Geary
Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs

Does Hypnosis Work For Weight Loss?

Does Hypnosis Work For Weight Loss?
By Tom Venuto

Hypnosis conjures up images of a bearded man with piercing black eyes and a mesmerizing deep voice swinging a pendulum back and forth, chanting, “You are getting very sleeeeepy.” Hypnosis is terribly misunderstood and the only exposure to hypnosis most people will ever have is a Las Vegas stage show. But stage hypnosis for entertainment and hypnotherapy for behavior change are completely different animals. Could “real” hypnotherapy help you get leaner?

I’ve wondered the same thing myself for decades, since I first started bodybuilding.
In the late 1980’s, Dr. Judd Biasiotto published numerous books about the mind in sports including one called, “Hypnotize Me And Make Me Great.”

That 70-page book, which has long since gone out of print (but still holds a hallowed place on my shelf), was one of the books that sparked my interest in mind power and hypnosis.

In case you’re not familiar with strength sports, Dr. Judd is the guy who squatted 605 pounds at a body weight of 132 pounds – a staggering feat, as any powerlifter will tell you. When a world class lifter who also holds a PhD in sports psychology says there’s something to hypnosis, and that his mental training regimen was instrumental in his success, a teenage wannabe bodybuilder, desperate for muscle, listens!

All these years later, my interest in hypnosis and the powers of the mind have never waned. I’ve used self hypnosis as well as hypnosis CD’s, which were directed at improving performance in the gym, generating maximum intensity during workouts and pushing through the pain barrier. While I don’t see hypnosis as anything magical, I do believe it has been helpful. I also believe that a comprehensive mental training program, which may include hypnosis, can make or break your weight loss program success and give athletes a competitive advantage.

Any seasoned coach can tell you that which diet or training program you follow is irrelevant if you can’t follow it consistently. Many of the problems such as non-compliance, self-sabotage, inconsistency and lack of motivation are mind problems, not body problems.

One misconception about hypnosis is the fear that you’ll lose command of your faculties during a session or that it’s some kind of “mind control.” This is not true to any greater degree than your family, friends, peers or culture have “controlled” your mind.
The fact is, the mind is amenable to suggestion, (especially the mind of a very young child), and in that sense everything is hypnosis. Reading the newspaper or watching TV is hypnosis or “mental programming” in one sense. You get “programmed” by societal norms to become one of the masses, unless you make a choice to be different and become what you want to be.

Another source of misconceptions about hypnosis comes from stage hypnosis, which has virtually nothing to do with hypnotherapy for personal change. The stage hypnotist intentionally ferrets out the most susceptible individuals in his audience - who happen to be willing participants - and then induces some hypnotic phenomenon for entertainment value.

Hypnosis, as used in personal change work, is simply a relaxed state of altered consciousness and heightened focus where the conscious mind gets out of the way, allowing a message from the hypnotherapist to reach your subconscious more easily. When your subconscious gets the message, it stimulates positive behaviors, so hypnosis is simply a tool for behavior change.

Self hypnosis (by yourself), is as simple as taking long, deep breaths, getting relaxed (sometimes using progressive muscle relaxation techniques), then doing your visualization or repeating affirmations, or even listening to your own home-made affirmations tape.

Many people report great success with hypnosis, but others do not. The mixed results probably have to do with the practitioner, and some with the subject. What kind of results can you expect from hypnosis? Could hypnosis help you lose weight or change your body in other ways?

I believe that there is a mind-body link and that it’s entirely possible that the brain, central nervous system and subconscious mind can literally “talk” to the various cells of your body and that this may be a factor in healing from illnesses. I believe that the body is a remarkable self-healing machine and its own natural pharmacy.

I think it’s pretty difficult to prove, but being that a legitimate science exists on this subject (it’s called psychoneuroimmunology), the scientific community seems to think enough of the mind-body connection to spend time, money and resources to formally investigate it. There are many exciting and plausible theories. We also have the placebo effect to consider, where a belief can affect biology in truly amazing ways.

That said, when it comes to hypnosis, I think you should view it with an eye of caution as well as interest. First and foremost, and perhaps exclusively, you should see hypnosis as a tool to change behavior. When you look at a claim made for hypnosis, you should ask yourself whether that claim is a result that can be achieved through a change in your behavior.

For example, if someone promotes hypnosis for muscle growth, is it possible that your behavior might change in a way that you gain more muscle? The answer is yes. The hypnosis might help you change your eating habits, and you might just push yourself harder in the gym. Therefore, the muscle growth occurs as a result of behavior change - eating better and training harder - rather than the hypnosis itself.

It’s the same with body fat reduction: Will hypnosis magically increase your metabolism from a mind body connection? While I like to keep an open mind, I seriously doubt it and I’m not too enthused about hypnotherapists who say they will hypnotize you and your metabolism will speed up. If it can happen, I’m not sure it will ever be provable using the scientific method, so it may ultimately come down to your will to believe the claims.

So, could hypnosis help with breast enlargement? Well, maybe. A thought might bubble up from your subconscious mind that it’s a good idea to save up your money, go visit the doctor, and fork over the three grand for implants (sarcasm intended).

Guys, I could give the same warning about hypnosis for enlargement of your…. uh… your amount of hair… yeah, hair growth, that’s it… watch out for those hair growth hypnosis claims. I’m not so sure I believe them (grin).
What about weight loss?
Although the results are not definitive, there’s some clinical psychology research that’s been published in peer reviewed journals which shows successful results from hypnosis for weight loss. In part 2 of this series, you’ll hear more about what those studies found.

Even more eye-opening in my view are some of the documented cases of medical hypnosis, which range from simple pain relief from dental work to surgery without anesthesia (which is pretty freaky if you think about it). The mind does affect the body.

In my opinion, hypnosis sessions or hypnosis CD’s can be a valuable adjunct to a comprehensive fitness, nutrition and lifestyle program for some people, if you get them from a reputable and skilled hypnotherapist.

Even better, I believe the ideal type of session would include conscious coaching and education as well as traditional hypnosis, not just a passive situation where you listen and expect your mind to be positively “programmed.”  Then again, I think this is why weight loss hypnosis CDs sell like gangbusters, because they’re often sold under the pretense that you do absolutely nothing. Just listen and get slim - the perfect “quick fix.”

I don’t think it’s that simple or easy. You have to accept responsibility for change, take an active role in creating change and have a bias for action if you really want to be successful. You have to work on the physical and mental plane simultaneously not just “think positive” or rely on self help CD’s of any kind.

So while I DO believe hypnosis can be a valuable tool, at the end of the day, programming your mind for success all boils down to what you say to yourself (and see/read/listen to), most of the time. You can’t work with a hypnotherapist every day for the rest of your life, but you do talk to yourself non stop every single day, and repetition is a proven way to condition the mind.

The way you talk to yourself, most of the time, IS “hypnosis” if you think about it… it’s self-hypnosis.

If you already have a structured training and nutrition plan, Like Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, but you’re having challenges with the behavior change side of things, I hypnosis or positive mental programming CD’s might be worth trying as an additional tool in your “mental training” took kit.
Just remember that in the long run, you are your own best hypnotherapist and when it comes to the claims, let the buyer beware.

Tom Venuto, author of

Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

Founder & CEO of

Burn The Fat Inner Circle 

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: BurnTheFat 

A delicious Fat Burning Food that’s easy to make

A delicious Fat Burning Food that’s easy to make

Coconut milk has become an absolute staple in my diet. I use it in sauces, coffee and tea, and in any recipe that calls for regular cow’s milk…I just love the stuff!
When I first started using it, I purchased the canned variety at my local health food store and would go home and transfer it into a glass container in the fridge. The ingredients list was very short (coconut and water) and it seemed like a delicious, healthy option for me and my family.
But there was 1 thing that continued to bother me a bit. With the frequency that I began to use the stuff, I didn’t like that I was using a “canned” product so often. Unfortunately, any canned foods are going to contain chemicals that leach from the actual can and I just didn’t feel good about using something like that SO often.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll use canned products from time to time, and there’s nothing wrong with using some canned items every week, but when it is a food that has become a daily staple, I felt I needed to take a bit more of a natural approach to this particular food.
Next I found the coconut milk varieties you find in the refrigerator section of your grocery store. That seemed like the next best thing. Unfortunately, once I started going through the ingredients list, I quickly found ingredients like carrageenan, guar gum and evaporated cane juice and decided I wanted to enjoy my coconut milk without these added ingredients.
So I decided to do what any super busy person would do…make my own…hahaha…as if I really have the time to do this!
In all seriousness, the recipe below is so super easy and fast that even a pregnant, working mom (yes, I’m talking about me) can handle it and keep it in the fridge on a regular basis.
Homemade Coconut Milk (I learned this method from Tropical Traditions)
Ingredients
· 7/8 cup of shredded coconut
· 1 cup hot water
· ½ cup hot water
You will also need:
· Blender
· Colander
· Cheesecloth
· Large bowl
Directions:
Add shredded coconut into the blender. Then add 1 cup hot water into the blender. Blend at high speed for 2-3 minutes. Put your cheesecloth over the colander. Pour the pulp (from the blender) into the cheesecloth. Squeeze the coconut milk into the colander. Put the pulp back into the blender. Add ½ cup hot water. Blend on high speed again for about 1-2 minutes. Pour the pulp back into the cheesecloth. Squeeze more coconut milk into the colander (Basically repeating the process to get as much coconut milk out of the shredded coconut as possible).
This may sound like a lot of steps, but I assure you its super easy. It’s just blending water and shredded coconut and squeezing the milk out of it. You will notice right away this homemade version is much tastier and healthier than any store bought canned brand.
Let me know what you think!

The above recipe was provided by Nutritionist Isabel De Los Rios of The Diet Solution. Thank You!

Why Is Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle The Best Selling E-Book on the Internat!

Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle is the #1 best selling diet and fitness ebook in the history of the Internet. In fact, it's one of the best selling e-books on ANY subject in the history of the Internet -... And there's a reason why...

It's because thousands of women and men of every age are burning off BODY FAT - not muscle or water weight - and they're doing it naturally, without supplements, pills or "magic potions," simply by using the proven, scientifically-accurate and common-sense advice found inside this amazing diet and fitness guidebook.

Tom Venuto, a respected fat loss expert, natural bodybuilder, and personal trainer, has not just pumped out yet another "diet program" into an already over-saturated market. Tom's Burn the Fat can be more accurately described as a "Fat Loss Bible." It is quite simply one of the most complete, detailed, and precise guides to fat loss you will ever read. What makes it so much different than other weight loss publications on the market?

Well first of all, it's not a "weight loss" program, it's a "fat" loss program. This may seem like semantics or wordplay at first, but once you've read just the first three chapters, there will be no doubt in your mind that pursuing "weight loss" is not only the wrong goal, it may be the reason that you've failed to reach and maintain your ideal body weight. Burn The Fat shows you exactly why it's fat you must lose, not "weight" (which includes muscle, water and other lean tissue) and then goes on to show you exactly how to do it.

Secondly, what makes Burn The Fat different is the amount of attention that is paid to each and every element of successful, healthy, permanent fat loss. Burn The Fat not only thoroughly dispels the lies, myths and fallacies surrounding a very confusing subject, it is simply the most detailed book about fat loss ever written. By reading Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, (or better yet, "studying it"), you will learn more about fat loss than you could from an entire semester of nutrition classes or from an entire shelf of maintstream diet publications at your local bookstore.

You may be wondering, "Is this a low carb diet? A high protein diet? A high fat diet? what type of program IS it???" The truth is that Burn the Fat is neither a high protein diet, or a low carb diet. That's because with the information in this book, you will be able to easily determine your own ideal protein, carbs and fats ratio. You will be able to analyze your body type (are you an endomorph, ectomorph, or mesomorph?), you will determine your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, or the amount of "maintenance" calories your body requires every day), and you will find out whether you are carb tolerant or carb intolerant.

If there is any drawback to the Burn The Fat ebook, it's that it contains so much information, that some readers may find it a bit overwhelming. Those who are looking for a "cliff's Note's" quick start type of fat loss program, might be a bit intimated at first. The good part however, is that even these types of readers can feel confident and assured that it will be worth the effort because this will literally be the last book they ever have to buy on the subject.

Who will benefit most from Burn the Fat?

In the broadest sense, anyone and everyone who needs to lose weight will benefit from Burn The Fat. Men, women, bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, and especially motivated individuals and avid readers will love this book. Although it was written by a bodybuilder, this book is certainly NOT just for bodybuilders.

You will find no "30 lbs. in 30 days" miracles at work here. It's all about intelligent eating choices, planning, hard work and lifestyle change. As Burn The Fat author Tom Venuto says,...

"Burn the Fat is simple, but it's not easy."

In terms of graphic design, Burn the Fat is a clean and professionally formatted PDF e-book. It's a little on the plain side, being just text, but that makes it ideal for printing and reading in the comfort of a favorite chair. Because of it's size, it does require a robust printer and a good stack of paper.

As with any how-to publication, you're not really paying for the materials used to compile the document, but for what the information can do for you, and clearly, this publication has changed many lives and the hundreds of testimonials and success stories found on the Burn The Fat website are proof of that (I recommend you take a look at that "testimonials" page on the Burn The Fat website because some of the before and after transformations are simply incredible - as well as inspiring).

The Bottom line?  Anyone looking for a quick fix solution to fat loss, anyone looking to be told fairy-tales, and anyone looking for a "magic bullet" offered by the likes of body wraps, fat burning pills, diet shakes, or "fat-burning" creams and gels might be best advised to steer clear of Burn the Fat.

On the other hand, anyone tired of "spinning their wheels" going nowhere, who wants the truth about fat loss and who is ready and willing to put in the hard work and discipline and make the lifestyle changes necessary to get a fat free body, will find Burn The fat to be one of the best investments they ever made in their lives. Click here to learn more about Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat program.

I Need to Lose Weight by Eating Organic-How Can I Afford it?

I Need to Lose Weight by Eating Organic-How Can I Afford it?
My DSP followers and blog readers keep me motivated. I want to pay it forward by answering your common nutrition questions. Here’s a great one: I need to lose weight by eating organic. How do I accomplish this without ending up in the poor house?

First, let me just reassure you that your ability to lose weight is not dependent on whether you eat organic foods or not. If you follow the right eating plan, you can achieve successful weight loss results without going organic. However, if you want to invest in your long-term health, an organic diet is definitely worth considering. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I’m a huge advocate of organic foods. I know what kind of garbage farmers and manufacturers use in conventional foods, that’s why I don’t buy them. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that organic foods aren’t pricy, because they are. However, there are ways to add organic foods to your diet without going broke.

Get Rid of the Junk and Eat Sensibly

Processed junk like cereal bars, granola bars, protein shakes and low-fat cookies can put the squeeze on your wallet. Once you rid your grocery list of junk, you’ll be surprised how much moola it will free up. Put the leftover money to good use and buy a few organic food items.
How many of us eat way more than we should? Think about it. The more food you eat, the more you’ll have to buy, and the costlier your organic diet will be. If you learn to manage your portion sizes and stop eating once you’re full, you’ll not only lose weight, you’ll save money too.

Buy Selectively and Bargain Shop

I’m a pretty thrifty person. If I get wind of a good sale, I’m there. When you find great sales on organic meat or poultry, rack up. You can pop the extras in the freezer and use them later on down the line. If you can never seem to catch natural poultry or meat on sale, buy whatever gets you the most mileage out of your dollar.
Pick and choose the kind of produce you buy organic. Produce with thick skins such as bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, lemons, asparagus and melons tend to resist pesticide penetration. So if push comes to shove, you can buy the conventional versions of these foods. Thin-skinned and leafy produce like spinach, apples, nectarines, bell peppers, strawberries, lettuce and grapes absorb pesticides like sponges; so buy these types of fruits and veggies organic whenever possible.

Garden and Buy From Local Farmers

Have you seen the price of tomatoes lately? Whoa. You know organic tomatoes are super easy to grow and you don’t even need a yard to do it. You can get a decent size pot and grow enough tomatoes to last all summer long. Tomatoes aren’t the only things you can put in your garden. Radishes, cucumbers, spinach, onions and herbs practically grow themselves. If you’re serious about going organic without going broke, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.

If you want fresh, affordable produce, visit your local farmers’ market. The local farmers who sell at these markets usually limit or eliminate the use of pesticides on their fruits and vegetables. The produce goes straight from the farm to the market, so there are no added expenses for shipping or packaging.
There’s no need to dive into an organic lifestyle head first. It took me three years to completely transition. I started slow and inched my way up until I got where I wanted to be. You can do the same thing. Simply start by replacing a few of the foods you consume regularly and then take it from there.

Don’t spend another day confused about nutrition. Let The Diet Solution Program show you what it means to eat healthy, lose weight and feel great about yourself.

The 4 Key Components of a Healthy Meal Plan

The 4 Key Components of a Healthy Meal Plan

Most people admit to feeling a little overwhelmed when it comes to developing a healthy meal plan. In fact, I would guess that’s the biggest reason why most people fail when it comes to a diet of any kind. If it’s too complicated or too difficult, there’s no way you are going to stick with a plan for weight loss. And that’s where most diets lose you—there’s always a mile-long list of what you can eat and what’s forbidden. Or you have to count calories and carbs, which means you have to jot everything down in a book.
Let’s be realistic—none of that is going to happen long-term when you are busy and always on the go.
I like to break down my healthy meal planning into four blocks. If you incorporate each of these four blocks into your daily routine, at every meal and every snack, then you have mastered the Diet Solution Program. Sound too easy to be true? It’s no gimmick—just plain common sense that takes the guesswork out of eating right to lose weight. Here are the four components you should use with every meal:

Vegetables

As you were growing up, I bet your parents told you to “Eat your greens!” As with most of the things our parents tried to teach us, this healthy eating tip is absolutely true. You should incorporate a serving or two of veggies with every meal and every snack.
They will provide you with essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. They also contain fiber, which will help keep you regular and also helps to keep you feeling satiated between meals.
Remember that foods like corn and peas are actually not vegetables, but legumes and grains. Limit your intake of those, and opt for vegetables like lettuce, spinach, kale, celery, and peppers instead.
Healthy Fats

Did you know that organic coconut oil is actually a healthy fat?

You should absolutely eat fat with every meal, and I am including snacks in this as well. Healthy fats are MUFAs or PUFAs that give your body the kinds of essential fatty acids you need to thrive. Healthy fats can also help you feel satiated between meals, which is what helps you to stay on the straight and narrow with your healthy eating plan, resisting the urge to binge eat. Healthy fats include olive oil, organic butter, coconut oil, raw nuts, nut butters, and avocadoes.
Water
Water should be your go-to beverage of choice while making the healthy eating switch. In fact, you should be drinking water not just with every meal, but between meals as well. The old adage about drinking 8 glasses of water per day is outdated. Instead, you should be aiming for half your body weight in ounces of water per day—more than that if you work out.
Why so much water? Studies show that most Americans are slightly dehydrated. Dehydration can actually register in the brain as hunger rather than thirst. So by drinking enough water, you are keeping your body from feeling hungry, and that keeps you from eating more food than you should.Protein
If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know that I am a big believer in the power of protein. That’s why it’s an essential building block of a healthy diet and should be included in every meal, even snacks. Protein provides your body with essential amino acids you need for neural and cognitive processes. In addition, it has a stabilizing effect on your blood sugar, evening out those highs and lows that can cause you to eat everything in sight.
Protein
Not all proteins are created equal, though. I am a fan of whole organic eggs, all-natural cuts of meat, raw nuts, and nut butters. Stay away from fatty sources of protein, meats that contain nitrites or nitrates, and soy products. Those types of proteins can be detrimental to a healthy diet.
Building the perfect meal is easy when you follow the Diet Solution Program. Simply build these four nutritional blocks into every meal and snack, and you should begin seeing results in no time at all!

Arm Workouts, Best Methods for Building Biceps and Triceps

If you are looking to build more muscle and get stronger then you need to learn how to perform intense workouts. Using proper form and exercising until muscle failure will be the best way to dramatically improve your workout results. This video will provide some helpful tips!

I Need to Lose Weight and Fast: Which Diet Plan Should I Use?

I Need to Lose Weight and Fast: Which Diet Plan Should I Use?


If I had a dollar for every time someone came up to me and said, “I need to lose weight and fast,” I’d be stretched out on the sandy beaches of Hawaii without a care in the world. Low carb, high protein, liquid and cabbage soup – with all the diet plans on the market, how on earth do you choose?

Most of these diets are just a bunch of hype; so personally, I wouldn’t touch any of them with a 50-foot stick. Sorry to break it to you (I always gotta be the bad guy), there are no shortcuts to weight loss. The most effective way to lose those stubborn pounds is by using a common sense approach that favors nutritious eating over dieting.

The Lure of the Fad Diet

When people want to lose weight, they want to do it quick, fast and in a hurry. Fad diet marketers take advantage of this desperation and use the promise of lightning speed results to reel you in.
Quick does not always equal better. In fact, when it comes to permanent weight loss, slow and steady always wins out in the end. Here are two of the main reasons faddy-type diets don’t work:

■They don’t deliver long-term results. Most fad diets require you to drastically reduce your caloric intake. This causes your metabolism to respond by slowing down. Once you revert back to your regular eating habits, you’ll gain the weight back just as fast as you lost it.

■They mangle your health. Fad diet plans deprive you of some of the key nutrients you need for good health. This can result in malnutrition, zapped energy, damaged organs, hair loss, and loss of lean muscle tissue. Sounds like a fun way to drop a few, huh.

4 Simple Rules of Eating to Lose Weight

Losing weight is certainly not the easiest thing to do, but if you remember these four simple rules, you’ll never have to hop on the fad diet bandwagon. You can lose weight gradually (remember slow and steady) and keep it off for good.

1.Stay away from processed foods. These foods are full of high fructose corn syrup, salt and chemical additives that can cause weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer. Yep. This includes those frozen diet meals that some weight loss programs encourage you to buy.

2.Leave the sugar alone. Sugar is riddled with calories. If you use it to sweeten foods and beverages everyday, you can easily rack up too many calories and hinder your weight loss efforts.

3.Eat enough food. If you’re hungry all the time, you are probably not eating enough food to fuel your body. If you don’t eat enough, your body will hold on to stored fat instead of burning it off. This is not what you want to happen when you’re trying to lose weight.

4.Stay hydrated. Water is important when you’re trying to slim down because it helps to metabolize fat and eliminate toxins and stored fat in the body. So drink up!

Where Does Exercise Fit In?

When you follow a healthy eating plan, you’ll likely lose weight, even if you don’t workout. However, unless you add exercise into the mix, your metabolism will eventually slow down and you won’t see the results you want. Your exercise routine should consist of both cardio and weight training. For woman there should be not concern about becoming overly muscular.. Training with weights won’t turn you into the Terminator; it will simply help you build muscle mass and sculpt a lean, fierce frame.
Getting in the habit of working out several days week can be tough, especially if you already have a lot on your plate. Choose exercises you enjoy. This way, you’re more likely to stick with a program.

I know what it’s like to want to lose weight fast. I’ve been there and I feel your pain. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to permanent weight loss (believe me, I’ve looked). The best way to achieve long-term weight loss without jeopardizing your health is with proper nutrition and exercise. Making the decision to lose weight is the first step to looking good and feeling even better. Watch this video to get advice on the age-old dilemma of, “I need to lose weight and fast.”

Why You’ll Never Lose Belly Flab by Counting Calories

Why You’ll Never Lose Belly Flab by Counting Calories -


Just Eat Healthy and Your Body Will Love You for It! If you’re counting calories to lose belly flab, stop the madness! Calorie counting is time consuming, depressing and completely unnecessary. Don’t get too excited though. Just because you don’t need to count calories, doesn’t give you a free pass to pig-out on pizza and French fries whenever you want. You still have to be mindful of what you eat.
Here’s the thing: when you eat a bunch of processed junk, not only are you loading up on toxins, you’re taking in way more calories than your body can use. What do you think happens to all of those extra calories? Bingo. They get stored in your body as fat.
Even if you exercise regularly, eating a bunch of nonsense foods will make it tough to create the kind of calorie deficit you need to get rid of the blubber around your midsection. If you really want to burn enough calories for killer abs, fill your diet with natural foods that contain protein, healthy fats and fiber.

When I say “natural foods,” I mean foods that have not been processed or filled with unhealthy additives. Natural foods are low in calories; if you stick to reasonable portion sizes during your meals and snacks, you won’t have to spend the rest of your existence keeping tabs on your caloric intake.

Healthy Sources of Dietary Fat

Dietary fat catches a lot of flack and is often accused of being the culprit of heart disease. This is absolutely not the case; fat is not the enemy. In fact, any good eating plan should include fat from quality sources like olive oil, fish oil, nuts, seeds, unrefined coconut oil, organic raw butter, avocados and natural grass-fed beef.
Healthy fats help with nutrient absorption and can improve the health of your heart. Also, fat helps you feel satiated. When you add it to your meals, you are less likely to overindulge.

Healthy Carbohydrate Sources

If most of the carbohydrates in your diet come from refined sources like white bread, pasta, baked goods, processed snacks and sugar, you can forget about losing stomach flab. These types of foods absorb quickly in the body and trigger the rapid release of insulin. When insulin is released too fast, it can give you the munchies shortly after you’ve already eaten.
The bulk of your carbohydrates should come from complex sources like vegetables, beans, legumes and fruits. These foods are rich in fiber so they digest slowly and keep you full much longer than refined carbs.

Healthy Sources of Protein

Protein triggers the release of a hormone called glucagon, which acts as an appetite suppressant. In fact, studies suggest that diets rich in protein can enhance fat loss when it is combined with the proper amounts of exercise. Eat nuts, legumes, grass-fed beef, free range poultry and organic eggs to get enough protein in your diet.
You don’t have to count calories to lose flab in your midsection. Simply dump the processed foods and replace them with natural foods that are rich in protein, healthy fat and complex carbohydrates. Of course, if you want consistent weight loss results, you have to exercise regularly.

Weight loss doesn’t have to be a lifelong struggle. The Diet Solution Program will get you on the right track and keep you there. Watch my video for a quick overview of how we can help you lose belly flab and stop counting calories.

Healthy Eating Plan vs. Dieting-Which One Do You Like?

Diets are Boring–Healthy Eating Plans Aren’t!

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, a healthy eating plan trumps dieting every time. Why? Because nutritious eating is a lifestyle change whereas dieting is short-lived. If you’re torn between going on a diet and following a healthy eating plan, here are some reasons to choose the latter.

A Healthy Eating Plan Helps You Learn About Nutrition

Losing weight is not just about looking good in a pair of jeans; it’s also about improving your overall health. Diets that suggest you drink only liquids or eliminate carbohydrates or fats are hogwash. Our bodies are fueled by the nutrients in the foods we eat. Any diet that requires you to eliminate some of the most important foods will ruin your health.

Poor nutritional health contributes to diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and other life altering health conditions. Most of the foods marketed by manufacturers as “healthy” aren’t healthy at all. Nope. Not even a little bit.

If you don’t know what to look for, it’s easy to believe that

Best Way to Develop Stronger Muscles!

What is the best way to develop stronger muscles? This is a topic that is often misunderstood although the best way to develop muscle strength is not a secret. It is well known that high intensity strength training is the proven method for building muscle strength for both men and women. Proper muscle building information is needed as well as adherence to proper guidelines to achieve the goal of stronger muscles along with a more muscular and firmer body. As with many aspects related to health and fitness there are some misconceptions and inaccurate information which can interfere with people getting the maximum benefit from their exercise programs.

For achieving more muscle development and gaining strength the guidelines for high intensity exercise should be followed. This type of exercise can be performed with free weights (dumbbells and barbells), weight training machines (common in most gyms) or with body weight exercise (such as push-ups, chin-ups, etc). The good news is that proper strength training does not require a lot of time. Brief workouts are the best. On the other hand proper workouts do require a hard, intense effort to obtain the best strength gains.

These recommendations should be followed by any individual, man or woman, who is seeking to get the best results from their strength training program. Beginners or advanced trainees are advised to adhere to these high intensity strength training guidelines.

1. Perform one set of about ten to twelve different exercises. When performed correctly one intense set will produce excellent results. Quality is important but a large quantity of weight training should be avoided. Do not fall into the trap of high volume training.

2. Perform between 8 to 12 repetitions on each exercise. To become stronger your training needs to be progressive so that when 12 or more proper, good form reps can be performed you should increase the amount of weight by a small amount for the next workout. Each time you train you should attempt to do more repetitions or to workout with a slightly heavier weight. Do this gradually as you do not want to be in a hurry to use lots of weight otherwise your technique will suffer.

3. All repetitions should be done in proper form by using a slow and controlled motion. This is extremely important! Fast or jerky reps are ineffective and dangerous. Lift slowly by taking 2 full seconds to raise the weight, pause briefly and then lower extra slowly for about 4 second. Each repetition should require about 6 to 7 seconds to complete. Training this way makes the exercise much harder because you are greatly reducing the use of momentum and forcing your muscles to contract with more force.

4. To fully fatigue and stimulate the muscle you are working, each exercise should be continued to the point of momentary muscle failure. This is the point where you can no longer perform another proper repetition. Do NOT sacrifice good form to do more reps but do continue the exercise until do a "failed" rep.

5. Concentrate fully on the exercise as you are doing it.. Relax your body except the muscles that are doing the work. Do NOT hold your breath but keep a relaxed breathing pattern. Also do not clench your teeth or tense your neck or face.

6. Always space your workouts from 48 to 96 hours apart. This is vital as it is during this recovery phase that you actually become stronger. Through rest. recovery, proper nutrition and good sleep your body will adapt to the stress of the workouts and result in increased muscle strength. Be sure to drink plenty of water as well.

So keep in mind that the best strength training workouts should be conducted in good form, brief but intense, and your rest and recovery should be thorough. It is also a good idea to vary your workouts frequently. Changing up your routine will help with stimulating your muscles and also defeat any mental boredom. Do not be concerned with what others in the gym may be doing but follow these proper guidelines and you will get good results!

Do you really want maximum strength building benefits from your weight training workouts? If you want accurate expert advice then get our FREE report now, The 8 Things You Must Do to Build Maximum Muscle! Get it instantly from FREE Maximum Muscle Report!

David Waters has a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education from the University of Massachusetts and is the author of The Fitness Center Handbook. He is also an avid outdoorsman with extensive hiking, camping and fly fishing knowledge and a founding member of The Nahanni Camping and Fishing Club.
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