Why Weight Lifting Is An Exercise That Delivers Top Health Benefits.
July 17th, 2010
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I have seen a lot of hype about muscle-building supplements in the past few years. A lot of it (well most of it actually) really is hype. Some of them do absolutely nothing. Some of them are a ripoff, and still do practically nothing, while costing a fortune. Others may even be harmful for your health. You may be thinking that the supplement industry is full of vampires looking to suck the money out of your pocket not. However, I would not be so quick to jump to conclusions.
Yes, I do agree that there is some foul play going on when it comes to supplements. However, there are a select few which actually work. Recently, a new player came to the market
By John Alvino
I never understood why the unsightly body fat that sits on the sides of your waist is called “love handles”. It seems like a very affectionate name for something that is despised by all who are “blessed” to have them!
During my long career as a fitness professional, I have had thousands of desperate people contact me, hoping to learn the secret of how to get rid of love handles fast and forever. For most of these people, contacting me seemed to be a last resort after failing to lose their love handles with traditional methods.
The typical recommendation for losing love handles is simple: eat less, do more cardio and perform high repetitions of oblique exercises, which include various side-bending and rotational movements.
This protocol may seem like a logical program to follow, but unfortunately it yields little or (in most cases) no results. Let’s investigate why this “expert approved” approach is so startlingly ineffective.
The protocol listed above is basically just a typical weight loss regimen. Eating less and doing more cardio will lead to weight loss, but will not necessarily lead to fat loss. You see, most weight loss protocols cause you to lose a fair amount of lean muscle and water, and just a small amount of actual body fat.
Additionally, working the sides of your waist directly will not burn the fat that lies on top of the muscle. The human body simply doesn’t work that way! And even worse, many of these ill-advised abdominal exercises actually cause the oblique muscles to build up. This leads to an even wider waist, which is the exact opposite effect that we are looking for.
What we need is a protocol that encourages the building (or maintaining) of lean muscle while simultaneously burning fat at a maximal rate. This is the only way to lose stubborn body fat permanently and believe me, love handle fat is perhaps the most stubborn fat of all!
So what is the most effective program? Based on years of trial and error, I have developed a plan that works extremely well. Here it is:
A resistance training program is crucial to fat loss, but it must be designed very shrewdly. A specific balance between higher rep exercises and lower rep exercises must be utilized if optimal results are to be seen.
You will notice that each component of this program has a metabolism-boosting effect. This is absolutely critical for losing stubborn body fat and keeping it off for good.
So forget side bends, and forget long cardio workouts! You have just learned the key to getting rid of your love handles forever! Now get to work!
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. He is the creator of the “How To Get Ripped Abs” program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements. Learn how to get rid of that stubborn fat TODAY by visiting www.howtogetrippedabs.com
By John Alvino
For years now, sit ups have gotten a bad rap by many fitness “experts” who tout that the sit up is damaging to your spine. Where did this persuasive opinion come from? The way the sit up has been ostracized by the fitness community; you would suspect that thousands of six pack abs seekers have permanently damaged their backs while performing this “dangerous” exercise! Luckily, that’s not the case…not even close.
The “never do sit ups during an ab workout” mantra that is chanted throughout gyms from coast to coast actually started in the lab. EMG studies have shown that sit ups do stress the spine more so than crunches do. So what? Lying on a bed of cotton balls stresses the spine less than crunches! Does this mean that lying on cotton balls is a better exercise than crunches is? Where do we draw the line? Remember, every exercise is a form of stress to the body. It is that very stress that causes our body to get stronger and adapt, thus eliciting a positive training effect.
Let’s take a second to investigate the sit up a little further. The reason why the critics say sit-ups stress the spine more than crunches is because of the involvement of the hip flexors during a sit up motion. They state that this hip flexor activation leads to compressive forces in the spine, and therefore, should be avoided. Is this a gross overreaction, or do they have a valid point?
Well considering that athletes and fitness enthusiasts have been performing sit ups safely for decades, it should be glaringly obvious that this “fear” is unsubstantiated in the real world. In fact, after being in the fitness industry for over 16 years, I can say with confidence that I have NEVER seen a single back injury result from performing a set of sit ups.
I know that some trainers are saying, “Alright, you convinced me that sit ups are not as dangerous as the “experts” claim, but since crunches work the abs just as well as sit ups do, why should I bother doing sit ups, anyway?” Let me explain why this is not the correct way of thinking.
It is true that during a sit-up, your abs are only directly responsible for the bottom portion of the movement. Once the spine is flexed (when you have finished the “crunch” part of the sit up), the hip flexors predominately take over to finish the movement. What is often overlooked is that even though the hip flexors provide most of the movement during top range of a sit up, the abs are still working hard isometrically (contracting without producing movement). This contraction absolutely does contribute to a positive abdominal training effect.
Another great “side effect” of the sit up is the caloric deficit that it creates. The sit up requires you to move through a large range of motion and incorporates the hip flexors as well as the abdominal musculature. Thus, a sit up burns a significantly greater number of calories than a crunch does. If you want six pack abs, burning calories and losing body fat are of the utmost importance.
I personally recommend sit ups to any individual who fits the “sit up” criteria. The criteria are simple: no pre-existing back problems, and a solid base of abdominal strength. Couple that with proper form, and you will not have any problems!
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. He is the creator of the “How To Get Ripped Abs” program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements. Learn how to get rid of that stubborn fat TODAY by visiting www.howtogetrippedabs.com
By John Alvino
Post workout nutrition has been a particularly well researched topic in the fitness industry. Most of the studies have shown that ingesting simple carbohydrates with whey protein (in the form of a shake) assist in muscle building, recovery and in body transformation in general.
In fact, these studies have been so convincing that you’ll be hard pressed to find a fitness expert who doesn’t strongly advocate that all trainees drink this type of post workout shake instantaneously after every workout. Let’s step away from the trend for a second and investigate whether or not this is the best protocol for everyone to follow.
I agree that post workout nutrition is very important for the purposes mentioned above. If your goal is primarily muscle building or weight gain, these shakes are a great way to easily consume an abundant amount of calories at a time when your body is least likely to store those calories as body fat.
You see, following an intense workout, your muscles are depleted and are thirsty for replenishment. Therefore most of the calories ingested at this time will be soaked up by the muscles, making less calories available to be stored as fat.
But let’s revisit exactly what our primary goal is: Fat loss! Do you really think that it is a good idea to chug a sugary shake every time you train if your goal is to lose body fat? How can a high-sugar shake really help to enhance your fat burning efforts? The truth is that it doesn’t. In fact, I believe that this practice is counter productive for trainees with a fat loss goal.
I’ve read all of the research and unfortunately, the research has not been performed on subjects whose primary goal is fat loss. Initially, I experimented with these post workout shakes on myself and my fat loss clients. Undoubtedly, fat loss results slowed significantly when we used these shakes. I’ve got tons of real world results to prove my assertion that in order to maximize fat burning; you need to lose those high-carb post workout shakes!
So you’re probably asking, “What should my post workout meal consist of?” The answer is simple. Just eat a solid meal! This meal will be structured just like any of your 5-6 daily meals. Be sure to consume this meal within one hour following your workout.
Remember, you will always get leaner with natural, solid food. So if losing body fat is your goal, save your money on those expensive commercial post workout shakes. Eat a good meal and watch that unwanted fat melt right off your body.
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. He is the creator of the “How To Get Ripped Abs” program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements. Learn how to get rid of that stubborn fat TODAY by visiting www.howtogetrippedabs.com
By John Alvino
I never thought that my fitness career would ever lead me down a road that made me feel obligated to write about “How to lose man boobs”. But being in the fat loss industry for over 16 years has made me painfully aware of the magnitude of this problem. Believe it or not, man boobs are a humiliating reality for many men today. In fact, I receive emails every week asking me “how to lose fat on my chest” from countless guys who are desperate to find a solution to this problem. These emails are heartfelt and I try to help every one of these guys resolve their problem.
But the man boob problem really hit home for me last week while on vacation with my buddy, Chad. Every summer, Chad is well-known for possessing the most remarkable farmers tan in the North Jersey area. Although his arms usually have a golden Caribbean color, his torso is about as white as the inside of an apple. His excuse has always been, “I don’t want to take off my shirt, because I’ll get sun burned.”
For years now, I bought this excuse hook, line and sinker. But on our recent vacation, I was determined to get him to balance out his zebra striped, two toned body once and for all! After pressuring him to take off his shirt, the truth came out. He told me that he never was worried about getting sunburn. Then he admitted to me his man boob problem. For years he was suffering from embarrassment and unnecessary stress. I felt really bad for him and instantly devised a plan for him.
There are two components that cause breast swelling in men: imbalances in estrogen levels and excess body fat. Estrogen can fuel the growth of breast tissue. Left untreated, this particular type of breast tissue can become very solid and painful to the touch.
Excess body fat, on the other hand, will not be rock solid or painful. Instead, it will just be a cosmetic nightmare. How can you tell if your man boobs are due to tissue growth or excess body fat? Very simply. Just squeeze the area around your nipple. If the area feels as though there is a hard ball under your nipple, then you likely have tissue growth. If it is soft and pliable, then you have excess fat on your chest. In many cases, you will have a combination of the two.
The goods news is that there is a way out.
Let’s first address the estrogen levels. Aromatase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen in the body. Needless to say, we want this conversion to take place as little as possible. What can we do about this?
Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables daily. Why? Because cruciferous vegetables such as brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage contain a substance named indole-3-carbinol (I3C). This substance has been shown to positively affect estrogen metabolism. In other words, they block the estrogen receptors in your body. This reduces the negative effects of the testosterone to estrogen conversion that occurs naturally in our bodies.
In addition to the natural estrogen in our bodies, there are many environmental estrogens that should be avoided as much as possible. Here are seven ways to avoid common substances that can increase estrogen levels:
Now that we have our estrogen levels under control, let’s address the excess chest fat. No matter what some people say, you can’t target the fat on your chest specifically. Instead you must follow a program that emphasizes total body fat loss. You need to follow a sound nutritional program, perform a well-designed resistance training program and engage in high-intensity cardio activities.
The How To Get Ripped Abs system is the most-effective program you can do to lose that excess body fat. How To Get Ripped Abs does not include long boring cardio workouts, and lame circuits that don’t work. Instead it emphasizes precise intervals, with unique chest exercises that help shape and chisel your pecs.
You don’t have to endure a life sentence of man boobs. You can: Be confident in the bedroom. Feel comfortable in the gym locker room. Take off your shirt with pride on the beach.
And let’s face it, women love a chiseled chest. Start this plan today and lose your man boobs forever.
John Alvino is a world renowned fitness expert who is known for his ability to help people lose body fat incredibly fast. He is the creator of the “How To Get Ripped Abs” program, which provides you with the blueprint for getting a great set of six pack abs and a lean body without having to endure long boring workouts, crash diets or expensive supplements. Learn how to get rid of that stubborn fat TODAY by visiting www.howtogetrippedabs.com
A new breakthrough secret is all you now need in order to forever shed countless pounds, stay healthy, and add many years to your life!
A lady doctor from Arizona has blown the lid off the best-kept secret in weight loss ever discovered — and this has the whole diet food and drug industries turned upside down and in nothing less than a torrential uproar.
Her name is Dr Suzanne Gudakunst, and she’s marching to the beat of a different drum.
And no, nothing about her “secret” is difficult — nor does it require that you do something completely out of the ordinary or anything unnatural.
Instead, the Arizonian boasts proudly “…this is something that I caught onto just before 2002 when there was so much research and exploration going around concerning the human colon and digestive system working in harmony with nutritional absorption, and I started doing independent studies just to test things at first … but which I later expanded on after seeing some fantastic results.”
This same woman medical practitioner went on to accurately determine a definitive correlation between harmful plague and parasitic infestations of the human bowel tract, and people suffering chronic obesity — and who despite intense diet and exercise appeared to be unable to lose any weight whatsoever.
Over the course of six years the Arizona doctor developed a number of natural treatments for the removal of these same harmful, even life-threatening plaques and rapidly reproducing digestive parasites — and when applied to even worse-case patients suffering extreme obesity (98% of which were in immediate danger of dying) she saw a 100% effectiveness and success rate.
She then borrowed from her research on the severely obese, and applied the same strategies on milder cases of overweight persons — only to find the same effectiveness and quality results as described above (although the individual weight loss per subject wasn’t nearly as much as those obese patients 100 lbs to 200 lbs or more overweight).
So powerful is her secret that she’s able to reverse diabetes, rid illness altogether in people suffering from cancer (linked directly to poor diet and overweight factors), as well as an elimination of an entire spectrum of serious and otherwise life-threatening diseases.
Nearly 100% of all her case subjects were told in the alternative by “conventional doctors” that they either had just months or years to live, or they would never live a life anything resembling remotely a “normal” existence — yet after applying Dr Suzanne’s treatments saw a complete contradiction to others doctors’ prognoses.
Again, nothing about her secret is unnatural or requires someone to do any major action or modification in their lives.
In fact, her entire treatment is based completely on built-into-nature ‘protection agents’ scattered throughout the world in the form of select herbs, extracts, and organic constituents, and which can be found in a variety of plants — but when combined in specific combinations and carefully chosen amounts make for a solution to what is perhaps the world’s worst ever plague: OBESITY (and the illnesses and diseases resulting from it — or at least severely aggravated or exacerbated by it).
Now to everyone else’s great gain, whether suffering from just a few extra pounds and inches, to those extremely fat and overweight, this brave, bold lady doctor is releasing to the general public her secret for forever destroying the tight unrelenting closed-fist of obesity’s stronghold over the now more than 40% of Americans labeled obese, and others worldwide.
But she’s not promising any of us for how long.
Some experts and sociologists suggest that in the bigger scheme of things, the world will never tolerate a discovery of such magnitude, any more than it would be realistic to expect a car that runs on water (even if very real) to ever become commercially available to the general public for day-to-day use.
One well-respected and famous diet & wellness author wrote years ago that if anyone ever “truly unlocked the keys to permanent fat loss, they may actually suffer the same fate as JFK.”
It is currently available here
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…so you may want to head on over there now and get it and before someone or “something” gets it forever yanked out of ever getting in YOUR hand at least.
It’s in a very easily readable format and is quickly and readily understood and mastered by anyone with even a 4th grade reading level.
While you’re there, why not scroll down and review for yourself the huge successes others are now having with this incredible breakthrough in rapid, massive weight loss and extremely improved and enhanced health, now made freely available to the rest of us?
By John Alvino
My girlfriend is obsessed with The Biggest Loser. No, I’m not referring to myself! I’m referring to the very popular television show in which people compete to lose as much weight as possible, as quickly as they can. I don’t think that she has missed a single episode. She loves to see the dramatic weight loss progress that the contestants make each week. She is so passionate about the show, she convinced me to watch it with her each week. I must admit, the show is quite entertaining and I do enjoy watching it with her.
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But, from a weight loss standpoint, I’m not impressed. The goal of the show is to lose weight as fast as possible. In order to do this, the contestants engage in very extreme programs that are designed to cause rapid reductions in bodyweight. Rapid weight loss is great, right? Not so fast! This is not necessarily the case. Here’s why:
First of all, weight loss is not the same as fat loss. More often then not, the “weight” these people lose is composed of lean muscle tissue, water weight, and some body fat. Unfortunately, it turns out that losing muscle actually causes your metabolism to slow significantly, which makes losing body fat even more difficult than it was before. So losing any muscle at all is really not desirable if you intend to maintain your fat loss results on a permanent basis.
Because of this, I have actually found that a rapid reduction in bodyweight significantly increases the chances of gaining all of the weight back.
But everyone wants to lose weight quickly, right? No. When I train a client, I don’t want you to lose WEIGHT…I want them to lose FAT. And of course I want them to lose FAT as quickly as possible, but this must be done carefully, correctly and scientifically, or else you are doomed to regain whatever fat you might manage to lose in the first place.
When a sound fat loss program is executed properly, one can lose excess body fat at an astonishing rate while maintaining one’s lean muscle. Maintaining muscle is essential to keeping your metabolic rate elevated, which is a MUST if permanent fat loss is going to be possible. This is what impresses me; the ability to maintain your fat loss results. I don’t care how much weight you can lose if it’s just going to come right back again. I want to see you change your body forever!
Let’s take a look at what someone does who not only lost their excess body fat but succeeded in keeping it off. For these are the people who have truly achieved real fat loss success.
First, dieters who achieve long term success typically engage in a regular exercise program. More specifically, I have found that maintainers perform 45 minutes or more at least 3 days per week. This exercise regimen should consist of resistance training in addition to cardiovascular training.
On the other hand, many “big losers” simply follow extreme fad diets without increasing their activity. And on the rare occasions when exercise is a part of their protocol, it usually only consists of low-intensity aerobic work.
Another difference that separates the successful from the unsuccessful can be found in their general accountability to themselves or someone else. For example, if you have to meet a training partner at the gym you will be less likely to miss the workout. An example of being accountable to yourself would be regularly taking your body fat percentage.
Some simple accountability can literally make the difference between success and failure. Here are some tips to ensure YOUR Fat Loss Success!
Keep your activity level high. Once you achieve your fitness goals, it is very important to continue to exercise. Oftentimes I will witness someone achieve their goal weight or body fat percentage and then just stop training. It is no surprise when I see them stroll back into the gym a couple months later looking exactly like they did before they ever started their program.
Emphasize resistance training. Resistance training will keep your metabolism buzzing far greater than going for a walk on the treadmill ever could.
Continue to control portion size. If measuring your food seems like too much of an inconvenience for you, simply measure your food portions once to get an idea of your ideal portion size, and then eyeball your food quantities thereafter.
Focus on losing fat and not just weight! Measuring your body fat percentage is the best way to ensure that your weight loss is actually coming from fat and not lean muscle.
Cheat on your diet. Yes you read that correctly. Eat whatever food you want once per week. This will give you something to look forward to each week and prevent you from ever feeling deprived.
There is one rule your must follow when cheating. You must stop your cheat meal and as soon as you’re full. This must not turn into an entire day of gluttonous binge eating. Enjoy it!
If you’re currently embarking on a fat loss journey, follow these simple tips and easily beat the “regain odds”. Success is finally at your fingertips!
By John Alvino
If you want to lose body fat as fast as possible, there are a several obvious things you absolutely must do, in addition to some things that are not so obvious. In this article, we will discuss one of the not-so-obvious necessities for maximal fat loss. This one tip can make a huge difference in your bottom line results. Unfortunately, it typically goes unnoticed by most dieters.
Research has proven that during calorie restriction, dieters experience a decrease in physical activity. This is no secret to an experienced fat loss coach. However, although many dieters experience the energy zapping effects of dieting, they are unaware of the direct correlation.
This is a serious problem because when you start to move less, you will burn fewer calories and slow your metabolism. If you are to lose fat effectively and keep it off for life, you must consciously push yourself through the fatigue and stay active. If you don’t make this effort your weight loss will slow down DESPITE a low caloric intake.
This is also one of the main reasons why so many dieters rapidly regain the weight that they have lost on calorie-restrictive diets.
This reduction in energy levels is simply part of the body’s “survival response”. In order to survive a state of calorie deprivation, your body will want to burn less fuel in order to conserve its energy reserves.
You see, your body doesn’t know whether you are intentionally reducing calories to better fit into your bathing suit, or you are entering starvation mode due to a life threatening famine. So this metabolic slowdown is actually a safety precaution that could save your life in times of famine – but in this modern day and age, the same physiological phenomenon turns out to be every dieter’s biggest nightmare.
If you always go about your fat loss goals by following low calorie diets, I’m sure you experience fast initial weight loss followed by a plateau, and lastly followed by a swift rebound in your weight. This plan will give you a false sense of “success” initially. Then you will regain all of your weight (and then some) before you begin this process all over again.
When you want REAL, sustainable results, you’ll need a completely different plan. In order to achieve permanent fat loss, you MUST burn off your body fat with higher levels of exercise (both resistance training and intervals) in addition to following a nutritional plan consisting of clean food.
Some people claim to have real-life stories of dieters losing weight without exercising. Although you can lose weight by dieting alone, you will never truly transform your body.
Dieting alone leads to substantial losses in lean muscle tissue. This means a significant portion of your weight loss is coming from losses in muscle rather than fat. This is obviously not your goal. Furthermore, losing this metabolic stimulating muscle mass will actually slow down your metabolism considerably, making future fat loss and maintenance of your fat loss virtually impossible.
So if you want to transform your body once and for all, follow this advice. Diet moderately and burn your fat through a well-designed training routine. This way, you will be energized instead of exhausted, satisfied instead of hungry and fit instead of “skinny-fat”. Now get moving towards your new body!
My mom always told me to sit down and eat my food slowly. So just like any other defiant teenager, I stood tall and inhaled my entire meal as fast as humanly possible. Although I hate to admit it after all these years, my mother was actually giving me very good sound fat loss advice – and good eating habits too.
Some of you might be surprised to hear that the rate at which you eat can affect your body fat. In fact, new research has recently proven that overweight people tend to eat more quickly and also eat more food per bite.
This research confirms findings from earlier studies, which found that eating slowly leads to decreases in total food intake. In other words, the more time you take to eat, the fewer calories you are likely to consume. And conversely, the more quickly you eat, the more calories you are likely to consume.
But that’s not all! Research has also shown that you can use this phenomenon to achieve even greater fat loss results. There are several foods that either force you to eat more slowly, or force you to eat fewer calories. Adding some of these foods to your daily routine is a very smart fat-burning nutritional technique.
Foods that force you to intake your calories at a slower pace include:
Foods that have a high fiber content will make you feel full more rapidly. Examples are vegetables such as green beans, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, etc.
Foods that have a high water content will also make you feel full more quickly. Some examples are fresh fruits such as berries, melons, apples, and pears. Others are cooked whole grains such as barley, brown rice and oatmeal. These grains absorb a lot of water during the cooking process, which causes them swell up. This increased volume helps you feel full more quickly, and thus you don’t need to eat as much of it before you feel satisfied.
Foods with a high chew requirement will make you eat more slowly. Even if you try to eat these foods fast, you simply can’t because it takes so long to chew them thoroughly. Examples of foods with a high chew requirement are fibrous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli.
Foods with low binge potential such as high fiber vegetables, lean sources of protein and legumes are also good to eat, since generally, you will get tired of eating them before you can overeat!
Based on these studies’ findings (along with years of my own empirical evidence), I have come to the conclusion that you should avoid drinking ANY beverage that contains calories (with the exception of an occasional protein shake, while on an accelerated fat loss program). You heard me right – liquid calories should to be avoided! This includes drinks such as sodas, flavored coffees and fruit juices. Believe it or not, liquid calories are some of the biggest sources of excess and hidden calories.
“Eat your food slowly!” Ah, I can still hear my mom yelling at me from across the kitchen table, in a vain attempt to teach me proper table manners. Her words fell on deaf ears then. But now, I am convinced that she was right all along. So go slow at the table so you can go fast towards your fat loss goals!