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| AtoZ Fitness Weekly Newsletter Jun.15 2008 Edition |  |
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Sarah's Introduction - Public service announcement
- Featured Fitness Article
- Unconventional Iron with Nick Nilsson
- David Grisaffi C.H.E.K., CFT, PN.
- Critical Fitness with Adrian Birkby
- Inspiring and Motivational Photos_by_jae*
- Free E-book's From AtoZfitness
- Hugo Rivera -Shape up Now
- GHF Weekly Featured Recipe:
- AtoZfitness Supporters
- AtoZ Fitness and You
- Unsubscription Section
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Sarah's Introduction: | |
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 I
was reminded of a very simple truth yesterday. Lewis has been
steadily dropping bodyfat these past weeks doing the
Combat the Fat challenge, as have I. We also have incorporated
Jon Benson;s all new
7
minute Muscle Workouts into our program. We really enjoy the
workouts and the entire program. Check out Lewis' update on the
front page of
www.atozfitness.com and see for yourself! And this week, my
results after 6 weeks as well.Anyway …
It's visible of course, and co-workers have seen a change in the way his clothes fit, as has he himself, but for this man, who hadn't seen him in a week, the difference really stood out. Which reminded me of the subject for today. Pictures! You see yourself every single day in the mirror, your mind gets used to the subtle changes. You don't "see" them, not really. By taking a picture every week and placing them next to each other (like on an excel sheet), that's where you will really see where you're going. The smallest changes will be visible to you. Your brain will accept and adjust even more to the new body it's commanding. The scales say one thing. The tape measure as well. The clothes fit differently. You know there are changes taking place. But seeing those changes is another matter altogether. Incidentally, if you're in a muscle building phase, it's just as important as if you are in the fat-burning phase. A photo will show your progression more clearly. So you might be called narcissistic, so what? I'd call it self-pride, pride in what you're accomplishing. And ... you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to just set the camera to self-shoot a picture and erase it from the chip as soon as you've downloaded it to your computer. Have fun, with the photos and with your journey!
Sarah, CPT | ||||||
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Monday,
one of his colleagues, who had been away on vacation for a whole
week, came into the breakfast room. He saw his boss, and his jaw
literally dropped! |
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Newsletter Sponsor recommended by AtoZfitness.com: | |
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5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are
Ever Going to
Lose Your Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs
by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) 1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits. 2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute. 3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below. 4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills or other bogus supplements. I'll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below. 5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.
So,
Click-Here and let's set the
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Featured Fitness Article: | |
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2 Cardio
Mistakes You're Still Making
The controversies over cardio for fat loss
are endless: steady state versus intervals, fed versus fasted,
long and easy versus short and intense, and so on. Obviously
there is a lot of interest in cardio training and how to do it
right. Sadly, most people are still doing 2 things terribly
wrong and it’s killing their results…… As best as I can figure,
there are two major reasons why people are still mucking up
their cardio programs for fat loss.
REASON #1: NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON TOTAL CALORIES BURNED
Most people aren’t burning enough darn
calories.
Why? Well, I guess they are too busy worrying
about the “proper” type of exercise (which machine or activity),
the mode (steady state or intervals), the “optimal” ratio of
intervals, or the “best” duration.
Some people coast along on the treadmill at
2.3 miles per hour or some similar sloth-like pace and they
think that just by hitting a TIME goal, such as 45 or 60
minutes, that with “X” duration completed, they are assured to
get the results they want.
On the other extreme, we have folks who have found or created some mega-intense, super-duper short training protocol like the “4-minute wonder workout from Japan.” Just because the workout is high in intensity and it is performed in intervals, they too think they are assured to get the results they want.
What’s missing in both cases is the
realization that total fat loss over time is a function of total
calories burned over time (assuming you don’t blow your diet, of
course).
AND… Total calories burned is a product of INTENSITY times DURATION, not intensity OR duration. Too much focus on one variable at the exclusion of the other can lead to a less than optimal total calorie burn and disappointing results. And remember, intensity and duration are *variables* not absolutes! (“Variable” means you can change them… even if your “guru” says you can’t!) When you understand the relationship and interplay between INTENSITY X DURATION you will find a “SWEET SPOT” where the product of those variables produces the maximal calorie burn and maximum fat loss, based on your current health condition and your need for time efficiency. REASON #2: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON WHAT TYPE OF CALORIES BURNED
As best as I can figure, there is one whopper
of a mistake that is still KILLING most people’s cardio programs
and that is…
Way too much focus on WHAT you are burning during the workout - fats or carbohydrates - also known as “substrate utilization.” This idea comes from the notorious “fat burning zone” myth which actually tells people to exercise SLOWER and LESS intensely to burn more fat. Hold on a minute. Pop quiz. Which workout burns more calories? (A) A 30 minute leisurely stroll through the park (B) A 30 minute, sweat-pouring, heart-pounding, lung-burning run? Like, DUH! And yet we have trainers, authors and infomercial gurus STILL telling us we have to slow down if we want to burn more fat??? Bizarre. The reason people still buy it is because the “fat burning zone” myth sounds so plausible because of two little science facts:
And that's the problem. You should be
focusing on total calories and total fat burned during the
workout and all day long, not just what type or percentage of
fuel you are burning during the workout.
It’s not that fat oxidation doesn’t matter, but what if you have a high percentage of fat oxidation but an extremely low number of calories burned? If you really want to be in the “fat burn zone,” you could sit on your couch all day long and that will keep you there quite nicely because “couch sitting” is a really low intensity (“fat-burning”) activity.
(Of course, “couch sitting” only burns 37
calories per half hour…)
HERE’S THE FAT-BURNING SOLUTION!
In both cases, the solution to burning more
fat is drop dead simple: Focus your attention on how you can
burn more TOTAL calories during your workout and all day long.
If you want to burn more fat, burn more
calories and you can do that by manipulating ANY of the
variables : intensity, duration and also frequency.
If you build your training program around this concept, you will be on the right track almost every time. BUT WAIT - THERE IS MORE TO IT…
Naturally, we could argue that it’s not quite
this simple and that there are hundreds of other reasons why
your cardio program might not be working… and I would agree, of
course. But on the exercise side, the ideas above should be
foremost in your mind.
On the nutrition side, you have to get your act together there too. For example, many people increase their food intake at the same time as they start a cardio training program thereby putting back in every calorie they burned during the workout! Then some of them have the nerve to say, “SEE, cardio doesn't work!” Incidentally, this is the exact reason that a few studies show that adding cardio or aerobic training to a diet “did not improve fat loss”: It’s not because the cardio didn’t work, it was because the researchers didn't control for diet and the subjects ate more!! It should go without saying that nutrition is the foundation on which every fat loss program is built. Choose the combination of type, intensity, duration and frequency that suits your lifestyle and preferences the best, and WORK THE VARIABLES to get the fat loss results you want, but whichever cardio program you choose, remember that a solid fat burning nutrition program, such as Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is necessary to help you make the most of it. Train hard and expect success, Tom Venuto About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder,
certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is
the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” 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: www.burnthefat.com
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Unconventional Iron with Nick Nilsson: | |
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Secret Training Tip #446 - Dumbell Crawling - An INSANELY EFFECTIVE Abdominal Exercise That Will Leave You Crawling On The Floor... Literally!By Nick Nilsson
Looking for an
abominal exercise that will TRASH your entire core
I have to
say, this is one of THE strangest abdominal exercises you'll
ever see...but also one of THE most effective!
You're not going to be doing any crunching or twisting or squeezing. There are no machines involved...no need to even focus on contracting the core muscles. Because once you start doing this exercise, your body will have NO CHOICE but to fire the abs HARD in order to do it! For this exercise, all you need is a pair of dumbells and a floor. That's it! The dumbells should be a moderate weight - something you'd use for sets of 5 reps on dumbell curls, perhaps. In the demo, I'm using 65 lb dumbells and those were a good weight for me. This exercise is going to teach you what core strength and stability are REALLY all about! First, I'm going to explain how to do it, then I'll give you the full rundown on why it's so good.
You'll need some open floor space for this exercise - preferably where you have about 10 to 15 feet of unobstructed space to move. Set the dumbells on the floor then get down in what looks like the top of a close-grip push-up position. Your hands will be on the handles of the dumbells and you'll be up on your toes (not kneeling). Try to visualize the "start" position that sprinters are in when they're about to take off out of the blocks - THIS is what the position looks like. Now you're going to CRAWL forward in that position...move the LEFT dumbell forward a few inches and step your RIGHT foot forward a few inches. It's definitely easier to "get" this one when you see it done on video (which, of course, I'll be posting a link to at the end of the article). Basically, you're going to be crawling on the floor with your hands weighted by the dumbells. Crawl forward about 10 feet like this then stop and crawl BACKWARDS. Sound easy? Think again...
Dumbell crawling is a VERY effective core exercise because of the uneven tension you get through your core with every step forward you take. Think of it this way...when you're lifting up your left hand (with the dumbell) and the right foot, what is supporting your body? The support is coming from your OTHER hand and foot. Your core is, in an instant, going from 4-point support to 2-point support and all the tension is going diagonally through your core. It doesn't seem like much when you're crawling without weight, but add a dumbell to the mix? You'll be singing a different tune... In addition, while crawling, you're also supporting your bodyweight in a pike position, working the entire abdominal area isometrically (which means without movement - just acting to stabilize and brace your body position). It's a two-pronged attack on your core that will pay off BIG. One of the great things about this exercise is that the strength you develop is EXTREMELY functional. Forget standing on a BOSU ball on one leg and catching a beanbag...THIS exercise will build functional power through the core. The diagonal tension of crawling exactly mimics the natural diagonal tension that goes through the core when walking, running and jumping. Think of it as "force transfer" strength, meaning you'll be better able to transfer force through your core when moving (i.e. running, jumping, etc.). Increasing strength in this very targeted way will have an IMMEDIATE and powerful carryover to sports performance. And when you start moving BACKWARDS...you'll be in for a shock! It's actually quite a bit tougher moving backwards. The co-ordination can be a bit tricky but with practice, you should do fine. When you're doing this exercise, start with a light to moderate weight but don't be afraid to increase the weight here. You may not feel it so much in the abs until you move up in weight. THAT is where the real benefits of the exercise will be felt.
If core strength and performance are important goals in your training, DEFINITELY give this exercise a try. As strange as it may look, it's actually EXTREMELY effective for working the core. In a nutshell, it's going to TRASH your abs! To see this exercise in action, in pictures and on video, click-here
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Newsletter Sponsor recommended by AtoZfitness.com: | |
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U.S. Military Fat Loss Secrets Revealed!
Once "Protected" Government Documents
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David Grisaffi C.H.E.K., CFT, PN.: | |
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The Lower Abdominals The lower abdominals may be the single most popular subject among fitness enthusiasts today. This is due to the fact that having flat, tight, lower abdominals is a highly desired look, but a very difficult look for most people to achieve. Many fitness professionals insist that there is no such thing as "lower abdominals", While others propose that exercises like crunches work the upper abs more and exercises such as leg raises or reverse crunches work the lower abs more. Before continuing, first keep in mind that no abdominal exercise can "spot reduce" lower abdominal fat. Many people feel a need to perform special "lower ab" exercises, not realizing that the real reason they can't see their lower abs has nothing to do with their choice of abdominal exercise, and everything to do with an excess of fat and possibly digestive problems Because of genetics and hormones like estrogen - the lower abdominal region is simply one of the first places most people store body fat. Therefore the same is true in reverse - lower ab fat is the last place to come off. Removal of lower abdominal body fat is a separate issue than lower versus upper abdominal muscle recruitment and body fat problems can only be addressed by creating a caloric deficit and addressing lifestyle factors. This requires proper nutrition, not special "lower ab" exercises. Second, it's true that you cannot isolate the upper and lower abdominals from one another. Both upper and lower abdominals are activated during the performance of any abdominal exercise. The rectus abdominis is one long muscle, not two separate muscles. However, the nerve innervation of the upper and lower portions is different. Although you cannot completely isolate upper and lower abs, research has used electromyography (EMG) testing to try and determine whether certain exercises can emphasize one section of the abs more than another. Results have shown very clearly that the obliques can be recruited more with specific exercises. However, data on lower versus upper abs is mixed. For example, a 2001 study by Lehman and McGill published in the journal Physical Therapy said, "Differences between the portions of the rectus abdominis muscle are small and may lack clinical or therapeutic relevance." On the other hand, a study by Willett and colleagues at the University of Nebraska said, "our findings support the concept that abdominal strengthening exercises can differentially activate various abdominal muscle groups." A 2007 study by Eric Sternlicht found major increases in EMG activity (93%) of the lower abdominals simply by changing body placement on a swiss ball during the crunch exercise. I believe it is very possible that the upper and lower abdominal areas can be emphasized to a greater degree by the choice of exercise. The abdominal region is somewhat unique because unlike muscles such as the bicep, the abdominals are divided by tendinous intersections which correlate to various segments of the spinal column. It has been proposed that these segments may be under separate neurological control. As I learned in my internship from the Paul Chek Institute, as early as 1934, Joel E. Goldthwaite in his book "Body Mechanics in Health and Disease," determined that there was a difference between the control mechanisms of the upper abs versus the lower abs. In other words the "electrical system" that controls each section is innervated by different wiring. Some years ago a TV special filmed a belly dancer rolling a few quarters up, down, sideways and diagonally across her belly. I have seen a similar feat with my own eyes as my brother can do a "belly roll" - an impressive feat of abdominal muscle control somewhat akin to a caterpillar inching its way across the floor, by rolling one segment of its body a time. Although this may simply be an individual trait and or a well-practiced skill, it's suggestive that different segments of the abdominals can function independent of each other, indicating that they may be on different neurological circuits. Evidence of separate innervation may also be seen when a person with great upper abdominals experiences distention in the lower abdominal region, commonly known as a "pooch belly," despite low body fat. Explanations include gastrointestinal issues, bloating or food intolerances that allow the lower abdominal wall to protrude as a result of inflammation inside the gut. However, there may be a neuromuscular explanation as well. If the muscles that hold in the gut contents are weak or suffer from poor neural connections, the lower abdominal wall may bulge outward, independent of body fat levels. There are many opinions on this controversy, as well as conflicting research data. Some experts believe strongly that "lower ab exercises" are just another fitness myth and that the case is simply closed. However, the abdominal and core region may be much more complex than just one long sheet of muscle running from the sternum to the pubic bone that contracts completely along its length or not at all. I believe we should keep an open mind to the possibility of being able to emphasize the upper or lower area to a greater degree, as some of the EMG studies suggest. Assuming that the lower abdominals can be stressed to a greater degree with choice of exercise, this has significant implications for creating highly effective and individualized training programs. Lower abdominals should be trained with (1) proper exercise sequence (lower abs first), (2) proper selection and (3) proper progression. A common mistake is when a beginner with weak lower abs attempts to do advanced exercises such as hanging leg raises. This demonstrates improper exercise selection and progression and will do nothing but build muscle imbalances. These imbalances will manifest in poor posture and lead to injury and low back pain. Upper and lower abdominals can be tested and I outline two easy assessments to find out your level of lower abdominal conditioning in my Firm and Flatten Your Abs e book. When you take the upper and lower abdominal tests before starting the program, you will easily see the difference between the two and then you will know which areas to prioritize the most, which exercises you can safely begin with and how to get the best results possible from your training program. You can get more information on the Firm And Flatten Your Abs home page at http://www.flattenyourabs.net Coach
David Grisaffi, |
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Critical Fitness with Adrian Birkby | |
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Why Weight Loss Programs Fail It happens all too often, people want to make a change to their health for the better: loose weight, tone up etc. They invest in a gym membership or some exercise equipment, get a workout from an instructor or a book or magazine, see some initial results for a month or two and then nothing. As the weeks go by and become months motivation dwindles and eventually they give up because they can’t see why they are doing it anymore thinking exercise doesn’t work for them. The most effective way to loose weight and tone up is to build muscle. Each additional pound of muscle burns around 35 – 50 extra calories a day. Muscle takes up one third of the volume that fat does, so anyone can put on an additional 10 pounds of muscle without looking bulky, in would lead to the much sought after toned appearance at the same time as burning up to 500 extra calories a day! This approach is far more effective than doing endless hours of cardio where the body often only burns extra calories during the workout. So what goes wrong? Basically the body adapts as it does to everything. Exercise is seen as a stress, given an appropriate application of stress, the body needs to adapt and become stronger in order to handle it in the future. Building muscle is one way in which the body becomes stronger; however it is not the only way, nor necessarily its first choice. The body can also achieve this by becoming more neurologically efficient and recruiting more of the existing muscle fibres (for most people the body will never use more than half of the existing muscle fibres present in the generation of force), or by change in technique e.g. slightly altering its position to achieve an easier line of force. Growing muscle isn’t easy for the body, it takes a lot of energy for it to synthesise new muscle. Often a new workout can lead to growth in muscle for a limited time, after which the body still appears to get stronger as it lifts heavier weights or performs more repetitions with the same weight. However no additional muscle is built nor is any additional fat lost. After a while even the strength gains slow and stop and the famous “plateau” is hit. The single biggest reason for this plateau effect in exercise programs is the lack of variation within the program. As stated earlier, the body adapts to everything and just changing the weight of an exercise isn’t enough. Trainers often place their clients on the same workout program for 8 – 12 weeks because they are taught to do. The idea being that you won’t see much in the way of results in less than 8 weeks. This is untrue, results can be measured on a weekly or fortnightly basis, even though the differences might be small, its better than waiting for 8 weeks to see if a program actually works. More to the point it has been clinically shown that most people get the most benefit from the same workout as far as within 4 sessions. If a trainer is using exactly the same workout beyond that they either don’t know what they are doing or are just being lazy. Variation within a workout is not something that can be placed into a simple formula. That’s the point! If there were a pattern to it then the body would adapt to it. People often find one thing that works for them (for a time) and stick with it, however for a person with average genetics the effects will be short term. Most people need professional instruction to reach their fitness goals, unfortunately the field of personal training isn’t regulated and there are probably more poorly educated trainers than not! Personal training is also very expensive; however at Alternative Personal Training we offer affordable innovative online personal training programs with real personal trainers rather than the ever automated online training sites!
Adrian Birkby CSCS MPT |
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For
further help or consultation on balanced workouts for general
fitness or corrective exercise visit
www.alternativepersonaltraining.co.uk
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Photos_by_jae* | |
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The newsletter now features inspiring and motivational photos of some of today's top bodybuilders and leading fitness models. Provided by : www.zazzle.com/photos_by_jae*
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AtoZfitness Free E-book's: | |
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------ GET 20
FREE TOP FITNESS E-BOOKS ------
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- Feb.22 2008
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Hugo Rivera -Shape up Now: | |
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Ten Muscle
Building and Fat Burning Tips For Better Bodybuilding Progress
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Hugo
Rivera CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime
natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry
consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and
nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evidenced
by the fact that he’s always in shape and by his awards and high
placings at numerous national level bodybuilding competitions. He is
also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a
very successful franchise of books called "The Body Sculpting
Bibles" who collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is
also author of the very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which
teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs,
or fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after
many years of weight problems as a child. |
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GHF Weekly Featured Recipe: | |
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Black Bean and Broccoli Pasta Makes: Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutritional Information:
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AtoZ Fitness and You: | |
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The fine print..... -If you are the author of an interesting fitness/health related article and would like to share it with thousands of people please see http://www.atozfitness.com/submit-article.html for submission details. We are always looking for new content for our atoz visitors. If you wish to sponsor this weekly newsletter please visit http://www.atozfitness.com/advertise/indexnf.html for our sponsorship rate plan. ©AtoZfitness 2008 | ||||||
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