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February 12th, 2010

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FLOTUS tackles America’s FATNESS

February 3rd, 2010

Like previous First Ladies, Michelle Obama has found her First Lady Issue – and luckily for America, it’s Childhood Obesity.

America has to do something about childhood obesity…NOW.

Our collective lifestyle is essentially a perfect storm that ensures that our children are going to keep getting fatter and sicker year after year.

But, what are we supposed to do.

  • Most families require two incomes…ergo home cooked meals are hard to come by.
  • America’s food producers make a greater profit on processed “food in a box” than they do on fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, etc… so we can’t expect them to lead the healthy eating parade.
  • Between our anti-pedestrian neighborhoods and our fear of strangers, our kids don’t play outside anymore. I remember as a kid being outside for hours playing sports and doing kid stuff. I bet you do too. When was the last time your kids spent an entire Saturday outside in the fresh air, running around doing something good for their health?
  • Add to this tv, video games, insane amounts of homework, the internet, the fact we drive everywhere, mega malls, etc….

It all seems pretty grim, doesn’t it.

But, like the first Lady says, “childhood obesity is imminently solveable”

We just need a good plan.

And that’s where we are right now. At the planning stage.

No big gov’t involvement…yet. No big corporate sponsored advertising campaigns. No new taxes or regulations.

So, before all of that happens, America’s parents might want to take 15 minutes and think about what help they want from their government so that they can keep their children lean, fit & healthy.

If you need some help getting started,perhaps these articles can give you some ideas.

And I would love to hear your suggestions.

Heck, I would love to assemble all of your suggestions and forward them to the First Lady.

So, think about it and leave a comment.

Or email her yourself via the White House Contact Form.

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What the Diet Gurus Won’t Tell You

November 12th, 2009

dietbooks2008

In under two months time, it’s going to be a brand New Year – 2010.

And a lot of you are going to make that most famous of New Years Resolutions.

I am going to lose weight.

And, most of you are going to fail…miserably.

Here’s why.

There are 3 Main Types of Weight Loss Plans

  1. Eat Less Food
  2. Eat Less of Specific Types of Food (most commonly Carbs or Fat)
  3. Get More Exercise

And of course, most of the so-called “diet-experts”  mix and match these three main plans to come up with their proprietary “miracle” weight loss program.

So, how come, year after year, millions of people:

  • Start a new diet
  • Quit that diet
  • Try another diet
  • Quit that diet
  • etc, etc, etc…

Don’t they have any will power?

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Of course, they have will power. Just as much as anybody else. Just as much as that skinny guy or gal that can’t quit smoking or gambling or watching too much reality tv.

Problem is, will power isn’t enough for most dieters.

Not when you consider the following list of factors that make dieting a can’t-win proposition for most people.

Health Habit’s List of Diet Killers

When dieters eat less food:

  • Their metabolism slows down
  • Specific brain chemicals increase appetite
  • Their “obesity” hormones join with those brain chemicals and appetite becomes an insatiable hunger
  • Neural pathways created by years of poor eating habits are abandoned (that’s good).
  • New (diet-friendly) neural pathways are created (once again – good)
  • Unfortunately, the old pathways are designed like super-highways while the new ones are more like bike trails. One bad meal and the old pathways come back online and the diet is broken.
  • Psychologically, the elimination of their standard diet results in feelings of loss & punishment.
  • Emotionally, dieters feel like they are being punished.
  • Socially, friends & family members often (unconsciously) try to sabotage the diet.

When dieters restrict food groups:

  • Metabolism may or may not slow down - metabolism is mainly affected by caloric intake and, to some extent, the amount of protein consumed.
  • The brain chemicals and hormones cry out for the restricted food.
  • Neural pathways are affected in the same way as above.
  • Psychologically, we see similar feelings of deprivation.
  • Same emotional response
  • Same social response amongst family members.
  • Amongst casual acquaintances, the social response can be even worse. In social situations (parties, restaurants) dieters who avoid carbs or fats can be perceived by others as being “difficult”
  • Low-fat dieters can suffer in a myriad number of ways. Impaired hormone production, damaged hair, skin & nails, alleriges, systemic inflammation, etc…
  • Low-carb dieters often suffer at first from the lack of readily available sugar as a fuel source. Over time, this problem resolves itself.
  • Unfortunately, the lack of fiber in the low-carb diet often doesn’t resolve itself. And we all know what a lack of fiber can do to a person’s bathroom habits.

When exercise is the sole weight loss method:

  • Exercise does all sorts of great things for your body – (improves mood, body image, strength, flexibility, general health, etc), but as the saying goes, you can’t out-train a bad diet. It is way too easy to eat 500 calories of delicious chocolate cake than it is to burn off 500 calories of body-fat.
  • And, to make things worse, studies have shown that exercise increases hunger.

And the problems get even worse for repeat dieters.

After numerous failed attempts at weight loss, these poor souls have created super-thick neural pathways dedicated exclusively to dietary failure.

They just don’t believe they can succeed.

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Seems pretty grim, doesn’t it?

So, what are we going to do?

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Here’s what I do for my clients.

  1. Choose a diet/meal plan that keeps their metabolism humming along.
  2. Choose a diet/meal plan that meshes well with their personality & their lifestyle
  3. Create an exercise plan that boosts metabolism and makes them fitter, stronger & lighter.
  4. Prepare them mentally and emotionally for the challenge that they face. Let them know that their hormones and neural pathways and brain chemicals want them to stay fat. But that with diet and various psychological tools, they can overcome their physiology.
  5. Help them re-frame how they see their diet. Instead of eating for convenience, they’re eating for nutrition. Instead of missing out on ice cream, they’re upping their sex appeal. Instead of being normal, they’re becoming better – healthier, fitter, stronger, sexier.
  6. Make them understand that this is a challenge that they can win. Others have faced the same challenge and have succeeded. I lend them my confidence. Every day I see people succeed & fail at weight loss. I have built some massive neural pathways when it comes to my belief in successful weight loss. I just need them to believe that I believe. Weird, but true.

So, come this January, what are you going to do?

Buy the latest bestselling diet book?

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I know that this post barely scratched the surface of a complex subject. And I am sure that I will be writing more about it in the coming months.

But, if you have any questions, feel free to comment or shoot me an email.

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The No Excuses Workout

November 11th, 2009

pushup desk
This workout is designed for all of those people who say they would like to exercise, but when push comes to shove:

  1. they don’t have enough money for a gym membership, or
  2. they can’t run because they have bad knees, or
  3. they don’t have enough space in their tiny bachelor apartment.

It’s my No Excuses Workout.

Program Goals:

  • Improved Aerobic & Anaerobic Fitness
  • Accelerated Fat Loss
  • Increased Muscular Strength
  • Correction of Typical Muscular Imbalances

The workout consists of 2 workouts that can be performed twice per week for a total of 4 workouts

The remaining 3 days of the week can be devoted to the walking program outlined in Boomer Bodyweight Workout #1

WORKOUT #1

Superset #1

Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets

  • Chair Squats – Maximum 20 reps per set
  • Push-Ups – Maximum 10 reps per set – choose a push-up version that matches your level of fitness

Superset #2

Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets

Superset #3

Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets

Repeat all 3 supersets 2 to 3 times

One complete circuit of all 3 supersets takes 15 minutes + any rest you take between supersets. Two circuits will take 30 min +. Three circuits will take 45 min+

It’s important to keep rest to an absolute minimum. This is how you are getting the aerobic benefit of the workout.

WORKOUT #2

Superset #1

Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets

1 or 2 Leg Hip Thrusts – Maximum 20 reps total for both legs

Bodyweight Tricep Extensions – Maximum 10 reps

Superset #2

Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets

Bulgarian Split Squats – Maximum 10 reps per leg

Bear Crawls – Crawl 5 yards forward, reverse and crawl 5 yards backward

Superset #3

Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets

Reverse Lunges – Maximum 10 reps per leg

Plank – Work up to 60 seconds

Repeat all 3 supersets 2 to 3 times

One complete circuit of all 3 supersets takes 15 minutes + any rest you take between supersets. Two circuits will take 30 min +. Three circuits will take 45 min+

It’s important to keep rest to an absolute minimum. This is how you are getting the aerobic benefit of the workout.

And remember to go at your own pace. The goal is to get healthy.

If you are a beginner, it is most important to learn how to perform the exercise well before picking up the intensity. Use some common sense people.

For advanced trainees, focus on reducing rest time and increasing the difficulty of the exercise.

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The Failure of the Health/Fitness/Obesity Industry

October 20th, 2009

Aaaaarrrgggghhhhh……I am so frustrated.

Yesterday, I met with new client for the first time.

Over the past 30+ years, this woman has tried and failed to lose 20 pounds and get into “shape”

  • She has consulted with doctors and trainers and nutritionists and naturopaths.
  • She has bought books and magazines and dvds and subliminal audio programs.
  • She has starved herself of calories and fat and carbs.
  • She has run and jumped and stretched and lifted and sweated…a lot.
  • She has taken thousands of pills and potions.
  • She has rubbed on various creams and lotions.

In short, she has done just about everything that every popular health/fitness/weight-loss expert has told her to do.

And yet, she has never really come close to achieving her health & fitness goals.

And she blames herself.

And so do the experts.

They told her that their program was guaranteed to work…but only if she followed their instructions with perfect compliance.

So, when the program failed, it was because she broke the rules. It was her fault.

What a load of B.S.

  • They are supposed to be the experts.
  • They promise a solution.
  • She pays them large amounts of money for that solution.
  • And yet they take no responsibility for their part in the process

The nutritionist/dietitian gave her a meal plan, but never told her how to cope with the cravings and hunger pangs that came along with it.

The trainer billed her $120 per session but never taught her the hows and whys of an effective training program.

The weight loss doctor gave her a diet and some B12 injections and then yelled at her when she broke her 1000 calorie / no-carb diet.

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So, why is it that after 30+ years of listening to the experts and spending thousands and thousands of dollars, this woman is still fatter and weaker and less healthy than she wants to be?

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Is it all her fault?

Is it the fault of the experts?

A bit of both?

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And, is there a better way?

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Toronto By-Law Nazi Accosts Senior Citizens for Exercising in a Public Park

October 12th, 2009

Most days, I love living in Toronto.

It’s a great city. All the culture you could want and you can still walk down the street at night.

But, yesterday, as I was reading my morning newspapers over a cup of coffee, I came upon this story….

Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

…and it pissed me off.

Why in the world would a city bylaw officer harass senior citizens for exercising in a public park?

Why harass anyone for exercising in a public park?

As a nation, Canada is getting fatter year after year.

Our provincial health care systems are being bankrupted by chronic diseases brought on by the same lifestyle choices that cause obesity.

So, why would the city discourage physical activity by ticketing citizens to exercise in public parks that they already support with their tax dollars?

Especially when you consider that way back in 2005, Toronto city council created Get Your Move On

an initiative formed between public, voluntary and private sector organizations to address the current epidemic of physical inactivity by achieving increased physical activity levels in Toronto by raising public awareness, creating more opportunities and reducing barriers to enable all residents to be physically active where they live, work and play.

This commitment was stated again in 2008 when Mayor David Miller once again joined with those same members of the private, public and voluntary sectors to re-brand Get Your Move On as Get Active Toronto.

At this time, the mayor et al signed a Declaration of Commitment to a physically active Toronto.

Partnership Commitment Statement
As members of the Get your move on partnership, we commit to working together with individuals, community groups, agencies, institutions, businesses and all levels of government to achieve increased physical activity among all residents.

To accomplish this Get your move on partners will:

  • Promote healthy active living for all Toronto residents, beginning with children, youth, their families and other influencers. Champion the right of residents to have the opportunity for daily physical activity.
  • Seek innovative, creative solutions to reduce systemic barriers to physical activity.
  • Lead by example, undertaking initiatives within our organizations and communities to foster significant increases in physical activity and health. Develop and promote a civic culture where active living is part of everyday life.
  • Involve and support individuals, groups and organizations across sectors to build a movement that promotes physical activity for all Toronto residents.

Our commitment will increase opportunities and access for physical activity and contribute to lasting change for the people of Toronto.

Arrrggghhhh!!!!!

I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.

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Thanks to Toronto Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy for breaking this shameful story.

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The Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout – Part Two

October 6th, 2009

deadpool ryan reynolds

In Part 1 of the Deadpool Mega Muscle Mass Workout, I told you that:

  • By stimulating the hard to hit fast-twitch muscle fibers, even hardgainers can maximize the size, strength and power of their muscles.
  • To wake up those fast-twitch fibers, we need to use 1 of 3 different techniques:
  1. Very Intense Concentric Muscular Contractions – ex. Partial range bench press or Isometrics
  2. Very Intense Eccentric Muscular Contractions – ex. Plyometric movements (depth jumps)
  3. Very Fast Concentric & Eccentric Muscular Contractions - like a hummingbird flapping it’s wings
  • After waking up the fast-twitch fibers, we hit them with…
  1. Slightly Less Intense Concentric Muscular Contractions…through a full range of motion and performed as fast as possible. Think explosive bench presses.
  2. Slightly Less Intense Eccentric Muscular Contractions….but we drastically increase the time under tension. Sloooowwww negatives on those bench presses.
  3. With no pause at the top or bottom of the lift. The muscle is always under tension.

Today, I am going to give you some of my favorite Wake-Up Exercises and show you how to pair them with the traditional lifts to get the best results.

Wake-Up Exercises

For convenience, I am going to shorten my descriptions of the 3 style of wake up exercises.

  1. Very Intense Concentric Muscular Contractions will be called “Heavy Partial Lifts” or “Isos”
  2. Very Intense Eccentric Muscular Contractions will be called “Plyos”
  3. Very Fast Concentric/Eccentric Muscular Contractions will be called  “Vibrations”

I have broken the list of wake up exercises down by body part and/or body movement.

Hopefully, it is easy enough to follow, but if there’s a problem, please comment and I will update the post.

Here we go….

deadpool guns

Traps

Vertical Shrug Movement

  • Heavy Partial: N/A
  • Isos: Isometric Shrug – Grab hold of an immovable object (ie. heavy barbell, pins in a power rack or even sit on a bench and grab the underside of the bench) and try to shrug it. The weight should not move. Hold for 2-5 seconds
  • Plyos: Slam Shrugs – Set up a power rack with the pins slightly lower than your shrug lockout height. Grab your barbell and position it beneath the pins. Then, shrug the bar HARD into the pins. Repeat for 3-5 reps
  • Vibrations: Using a light weight (dumbbells, barbell, bands, etc..), perform 5 shrugs as fast as possible. Remember, think hummingbird wings

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of heavy Barbell Shrugs – 3-8 reps

Horizontal Shrug Movement

  • Heavy Partial: N/A
  • Isos: Iso Face Pulls into the floor – Just like a regular standing cable face pull, except you are lying on your back and pushing your elbows back into the immovable floor – Repeat for 3-8 reps holding each rep for 1 sec.
  • Plyos : Reverse elbow strikes into a heavy bag – 3-8 reps per arm

  • Vibrations: Face Pulls using a Jump Stretch band – 3-8 reps – as fast as possible

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of Standing Cable Face Pulls – 3-8 reps

Shoulders

Overhead Pressing Movement

  • Heavy Partial: Standing or Seated Partial Shoulder Press out of a Power Rack

  • Isos: Isometric Shoulder Press – Shoulder Press into an immovable object -  Hold for 2-5 seconds for 3-8 reps

  • Plyos: Medicine Ball Shoulder Press Throws-  Repeat for 3-8 reps – think speed!!!

  • Vibrations: Shoulder press using bands – 3-8 reps – moving as fast as possible. Remember, think hummingbird wings

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of heavy Shoulder Presses – 3-8 reps – using either barbells or dumbbells

Lateral Raise Movement

Normally, I wouldn’t use this technique for an isolation exercise such as this, but feel free…

  • Heavy Partial: N/A
  • Isos: Isometric Lateral Raise – Lateral Raise into an immovable object (ex. Power Rack) -  Hold for 2-5 seconds for 3-8 reps per arm
  • Plyos: N/A
  • Vibrations: Super-speed Lateral Raises using bands – 3-8 reps – moving as fast as possible. ala Speedy Gonzales

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of heavy Lateral Raises – 3-8 reps – using either barbells or dumbbells

DeadPool muscle

Reverse Lateral Raise Movement

Normally, I wouldn’t use this technique for an isolation exercise such as this, but feel free…

  • Heavy Partial: N/A
  • Isos: Isometric Lateral Raise – Reverse Lateral Raise into an immovable object (ex. Power Rack) -  Hold for 2-5 seconds for 3-8 reps per arm
  • Plyos: N/A
  • Vibrations: Super-speed Reverse Lateral Raises using bands – 3-8 reps – moving as fast as possible. ala Speedy Gonzales

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of heavy Lateral Raises – 3-8 reps – using either barbells or dumbbells

Biceps

  • Heavy Partial: Cheating Bicep Curls  or Partial Range Bicep Curls – 3-8 reps

  • Isos: Isometric Bicep Curl – Curl a barbell into an immovable object (ex. Power Rack) -  Hold for 2-5 seconds for 3-8 reps per arm

  • Plyos: Drop & Catch Bicep Curls – Start by holding a barbell at the top position of a bicep curl. As you start to lower the barbell, let it drop and catch it while your elbows are still bent. This will take some practice. You don’t want to drop the barbell. – 3-8 reps
  • Vibrations: Super-speed Bicep curls using bands – 3-8 reps – moving as fast as possible. ala Speedy Gonzales

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of heavy Bicep Curls – 3-8 reps – keep the form strict…not like the cheat curls

Triceps

  • Heavy Partial: Partial Dips, Partial Close Grip Bench Press or Partial Pushdowns- 3-8 reps

  • Isos: Isometric Close Grip Bench Press or Iso Pushdown- Your tricep force vs an immovable object (ex. Power Rack) -  Hold for 2-5 seconds for 3-8 reps

  • Plyos: Close Grip Plyo Push Ups  – 3-8 reps

  • Vibrations: Super-speed Pushdowns – 3-8 reps – moving as fast as possible.

Immediately after completing the wake up exercise, proceed to a set of heavy Dips, Close Grip Bench or Pushdowns – 3-8 reps – keep the form strict.

Okay, that’s enough for today. This post is too long already.

Tomorrow…another bunch of exercises

Enjoy

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What TIME Magazine Doesn't Know About Exercise

September 22nd, 2009

time magazine why exercise won't make you thin

Last month, TIME magazine ran an article which claimed that due an increase in post-workout appetite, exercise is not an effective weight loss technique.

Understandably, this created a furor in the fitness/weight loss industry.

Fitness gurus were seen all over tv and the internet sputtering about how the author didn’t have his facts straight and that he didn’t know what he was talking about and blah, blah, blah.

Essentially, they were worried that they were going to lose business because of this article.

And they probably did.

But, was it fair? Was the article correct? Is exercise ineffective as a weight loss tool?

Let’s look at the science.

The TIME article was based on the findings of a single study conducted on obese, postmenopausal women.

The study concluded that:

In this study of previously sedentary, overweight or obese, postmenopausal women we observed no difference in the actual and predicted weight loss with 4 and 8 KKW of exercise (72 and 136 minutes respectively), while the 12 KKW (194 minutes) produced only about half of the predicted weight loss.

However, all exercise groups had a significant reduction in waist circumference which was independent of changes in weight.

So, let me get this straight.

  1. The majority of women in this study lost weight as predicted.
  2. And all of the women saw a reduction in waist circumference.

And the author neglected to mention that postmenopausal women are prone to weight gain due to hormone changes. Much more prone to weight gain than the majority of the population.

Strange.

It’s almost like the author of the article started with a conclusion and went looking for some research to back him up.

Perhaps he should have wrote about this study, which shows that exercise improves:

  • body weight,
  • BMI,
  • waist circumference,
  • body fat mass and percentage,
  • insulin sensitivity/resistance,
  • fasting blood glucose,
  • fasting serum insulin
  • and systemic inflammation

Perhaps they should have written about that study

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The Official "Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch" Workout

September 14th, 2009

Ryan Reynolds Transformation

A few months ago, I created a Squidoo Lens about Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool Workout.

The lens was essentially an introduction to the workouts that Reynolds had to endure in order to transform his naturally thin (aka scrawny) frame into a muscular, ripped physique worthy of superhero status.

Since then, I have received a ton of emails from guys eager to build their own Deadpool bodies.

Ryan-Reynolds

The only problem was that I was underwhelmed by the original workout.

It was good, but it wasn’t great.

Sure, it would help you look like a superhero, but it wouldn’t help you perform like a superhero.

So, I re-invented the Deadpool workout and spent the summer beta testing it on some willing victims up here in Toronto.

And, if I say so myself, I have come up with a seriously kick-ass training program.

Over 3 months, my 4 scrawny test subjects:

  • Gained between 5 and 14 lbs of muscle
  • Increased their max strength between 55 & 197% (Front Squat)
  • Saw their speed, power & anaerobic endurance go through the roof (Hill Sprints)
  • And, oh yeah, they also lost a ton of baby-fat in the process.
  • The average body-fat percentage at the beginning of the test was 21%.
  • At the end of the 3 months, the average body-fat was down to 9% (a Bod-Pod was used to measure BF%)

Wolverine vs DeadpoolIn short, by the end of the summer, my little guinea pigs didn’t just look like superheroes.

They were superheroes.

So, without any further ado, I would like to present…

The Official “Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch” Workout

(Because this workout is too detailed for one post, I am going to break it into chunks – today’s chunk will outline the theory behind my madness)

Like the original workout, my MRRYB workout had two distinct phases.

Phase 1 – Muscle Building

The key to the success of this phase was the focus on the nervous system and the development of fast twitch muscle fibers.

Using a combination of high speed movements and plyometric style loading, my GPs forced their fast twitch muscle fibers to engage during part 1 of their 2-part supersets.

(Here’s how I activated their fast-twitch muscle fibers)

Once I had the fast twitch fibers turned on, I moved them immediately to part-2 of the superset.

In part 2, the GPs were able to handle loads much heavier than normal because of the activation of their hard to activate fast twitch fibers.

Taking advantage of this situation, part 2 of the superset consisted of explosive concentric movements combined with slow eccentric movements. The GPs were not allowed to pause at either the top or bottom of the lift.

And yet, due to the activation of the fast twitch fibers, the GPs were able to lift more than ever before, add more muscle than ever before and yet experience only moderate muscle soreness.

Depending upon the exercise, the muscle group and the techniques used, reps for each part of the superset ranged from 3 to 8 reps.

Phase 2 – Getting Ripped

Phase 2 is all about melting the baby-fat off of the newly built muscle.

To do that, I introduced the GPs to some particularly nasty HIIT and HIRT workouts.

And while I expected fairly rapid fat loss, I did not expect what happened.

For some reason, in the first week, each of the GPs lost over  6 lbs of fat.

And this is after almost 2 months of very intense training and a strict diet. They had already lost fat during phase 1.

I can only speculate on the reason behind the very rapid fat loss, but to be honest, I don’t care. I am more than happy to leave the science to the scientists. All I know is that this workout hit one out of the park.

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In the next installment of this series, I will get into the nuts and bolts of the workout.

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    You Don't Know HIIT

    September 14th, 2009
    Andre Smith - O-Lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals gets his HIIT on

    Andre Smith - O-Lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals gets his HIIT on

    Yesterday, Timbo (aka Dr. Timothy Miller) added a comment to one of my older HIIT posts – HIIT v.s. Type 2 Diabetes.

    Since it was an older post, most of you wwill never see his comment.

    And that would be a shame.

    Tim’s description of a real HIIT workout was fantastic:

    I’ve been doing HIIT workouts about four times per week for three weeks now. I do it on the elliptical trainer at the gym. (The stationary bike tends to hurt my knee.) I can go harder on the stair master, because I’m using my upper body at the same time as my legs. I warm up for about five minutes at modest speed and resistance, then turn up the resistance really high and go AS HARD AS I CAN for 30 seconds, then go slow and easy for five to ten minutes, and repeat, until I have done four high-intensity intervals. I go slow and easy for about five minutes to cool down. 25 to 30 minutes total.

    When I say I go “as hard as I can,” this is what I mean. On a Life Fitness model 9500 elliptical trainer, I’m at level 18 at 80 to 90 rpm. This is equivalent to a rate 2000 calories per hour.

    I’m a type-2 diabetic, 60 years old. The last two times I checked, I started the workout with blood glucose of 140 to 150. After the workout, it was down to about 70. I’ve had to reduce my insulin dose.

    I’m hoping I will reduce my insulin need, and maybe won’t need insulin at all. (I don’t use oral meds.) Time will tell. I believe none of what I hear and half of what I see.

    All the ecstatic blog posts and articles forget to mention one thing: These workouts are exhausting! Very exhausting. After each interval, I feel like I might faint and fall off the machine. I remain winded for about five minutes after each one. I’m physically tired for at least an hour after I leave the gym. I was already fairly fit. I’ve been doing fairly regular cardio and strength exercises for years. Maybe I’ll get used to these workouts after awhile.

    HIIT is all about the effort – Full out 100% total exhaustion effort.

    So, the next time you do a HIIT workout, ask yourself…Am I giving 100% effort?

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    Also, in tomorrow’s post, I am going to let you in on a new training program that I have been beta testing all summer.

    If you are interested in adding some muscle, increasing strength, power, anaerobic endurance and getting ripped, stay tuned.

    I have never had a program work as well as this one.

    No B.S.

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