¼ cup water
1 onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
4 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cups vegetable broth
½ cup almond butter
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp braggs liquid aminos
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Pre-preparations include peeling and chopping the butternut squash, so it’s assumed that part is already completed. Place the water into a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring frequently for about 2 minutes.

Add the squash, cumin and coriander. Cook stirring frequently for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally to make sure ingredients are well combined.

Puree in a blender, Vitamix or food processor. Add any additional water so that it’s at a consistency that you like. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

A common practice with any soup is to make a double batch of it and freeze the left over portions for another day.

Options:

I like this soup recipe quite spicy, so frequently add cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper and a very special Habanero oil garlic sauce I have access to here locally. Ginger would also add a nice kick in the colder fall and winter months. Experiment with your flavors. Turmeric would be a great addition to this recipe as well.

If you like, add 2 Tbsp of ground chia seeds before blending for additional fiber, nutrients and Omega 3 fat’s.

Coconut flour is gluten free, high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. 5 Tablespoons of coconut flour has 30 grams of carbohydrates to it’s 27 grams of fiber resulting in 3 net carbs. It’s slightly sweet too, so the bread is more of a heavy high protein compliment to a soup rather than for use with sandwich meats.

How To Make Coconut Flour Bread

This is so drop dead simple, even the worst cooks can make this at home. It uses 4 ingredients, 2 of which are from coconuts.

6 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup coconut flour

Ideally you’d want to use pasture eggs from your local farmer rather than supermarket eggs because of the improved nutritional profile pasture eggs have. Do what you have to do though.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a small bread pan wiped down with a little coconut oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Empty the bread out onto a towel or plate and leave it to cool for a while. Lining the bread pan with a little coconut oil should make the job easier.

Because the bread is so dense, it doesn’t rise very high as you can see in the picture. When you prepare your bread pan with the oil, pay attention to the bottom portions of the pan.

I shared my 6 egg omelet recipe through a tweet and then thought I should share the images I took a few months back while I made it one morning. These were originally uploaded to facebook and taken with my blackberry, so excuse the quality. I’ll replace them with higher quality images later.

How Many Eggs Is Normal?

So what’s considered the normal amount of eggs to consume in a day? Each of us should have our own definition of normal as @ink_slinger asked. And that’s just it isn’t it. We now know that eggs are good for us, that the “cholesterol confusion” around them has been solved and that eggs do not raise cholesterol and are not a cause for concern at all.

Eggs are finally getting the respect they deserve, yet some still fear consuming them.

Are they only for weight lifters, sports enthusiasts, people who exercise hard?

Or can egg consumption actually help people lose weight, make them feel better and improve their health?

again, depending on how you were brought up, how your eggs are produced (or where), egg consumption can have different impacts.

I remember reading a story about an interviewer asking a man who had lived to be 100 years old about his habit of consuming up to 40 eggs a day. He responded “I never thought twice about it”.

It’s just an egg. It’s the most bio adaptable source of protein for the human body and it’s what all other proteins are compared to when describing their quality.

Regardless of what your take is on this whole question, here is my 6 egg omelet recipe.

Fresh Greens Fried In Coconut Oil

I begin with slicing and dicing onion, red, yellow or orange peppers, broccoli (about a cup), 2 kale leaves de-stemmed and cut into small pieces and then fry them a little in coconut oil. Near the end, I might put a little water in the middle and then cover it with a lid to steam it a bit at the end. Fresh mushrooms would be good to add here too, I just use mushrooms as often as I should.

Add 6 Eggs To Greens

I put in another little drizzle of coconut oil and then either beat 6 whole eggs ahead of time and pour in, or just crack them individually over the mixture. I make a “mans omelet”, with none of that fancy steaming or whatever. I just scramble them up and let them cook, turning them over once, little pieces at a time. I don’t bother with a one off “flip” of the omelet. Too much trouble. At this point, I grind some black pepper over it, along with sea salt and sprinkle on a good amount of cayenne pepper. Pepper and Cayenne help to perk up the metabolism as well. Nice little weight loss tip.

Topped With Raw Spinach

I add a big heaping bunch of raw spinach. Can you have too much spinach on your omelet? I think not. Pile it high on half of the cooked eggs and get ready to fold the other half over.

Finished Omelet

Here it is done, with the other half of the omelet flipped up over the spinach.

I would then add various versions of hot sauces to this and might even add another side of steamed asparagus or more broccoli. The whole thing is then washed down with chia gel and I’m set for my morning.

So what’s your take on this question? How many eggs should be consumed in a day? I’d love to hear your responses.

…you always seem to have MORE POWER than you think, don’t you?

But what if you don’t HAVE an adrenaline-jacked training buddy?

Never fear! Here’s…

How To Increase Your Reps On Any Exercise

Stupidly simple yet amazingly POWERFUL, this “quick tip” works every time for generating a bit more power…

…and it’s all PSYCHOLOGICAL!

All you have to do is, instead of counting your reps 1-2-3-etc.

Count BACKWARDS!

(Told you it was stupidly simple)

Here’s Why It Works

Just as having a spotter who’s jacked on adrenaline and caffeine forces you to dig down deep and push your body beyond any MENTAL blocks you have…

…counting BACKWARDS also “tricks” your brain to get more power out of your muscles.

Knowing that you’re getting closer and closer to the “end” of your set, your brain will almost MAGICALLY flip the switch on the afterburners and you’ll be able to get more reps than if you’d been counting the “traditional” way.

Your “Champion For The Average Joe & Jane”

The “Muscle Nerd”
Jeff Anderson
Author of Combat the Fat Workout and Hardgainer Project X

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Darlene doesn’t sing. She has a great voice, but she’s deathly afraid of singing in public. Last week she did some Karaoke with friends at a local club here but this time she really stretched herself by doing it on video. I’m so proud of her.

Why is this here on a weight loss blog, well, because she’s my fiance and because I simply could not get this video to play on my other website. So here it is for your commenting pleasure. As well, Band Aid’s marketing “Canada’s Stuck on Band Aid” is donating $1 to KidSport Canada for every video you upload to them. So, you enter to win a chance at $8000 and help kids at the same time.

If you’re downtown Edmonton for this next week taking in the Taste of Edmonton festival, be sure to check out Darlene’s art and do your own video for the new Band Aid Jingle.

I’m currently on workout 3 of 4 in this pec routine and the results have been so impressive that I decide to write it up for you before I even finish the final workout next week.

Considering I’m on a calorie deficit in a cutting phase, I’m especially impressed with the increase in my chest size and development after 3 workouts. You’re not going to gain much if any muscular body weight if you are in a caloric deficit, but NO DOUBT, you can improve the development of a muscle group even while cutting up. This is a perfect example. I’m going to return to this program again for sure on my next mass phase. This chest workout program is called…

Multi-Angular Rest Pause With Pump Finisher

Here’s how it works. You select two exercises. For exercise one (the main course), I chose a basic pec mass exercise that can be done at any angle from steep incline to flat bench. That’s the primary exercise you stick with for all 4 workouts. Incline Dumbbell Press was the natural choice. I set up on a fully adjustable bench that allows multiple angles of incline.

For exercise two (dessert), I chose an isolation exercise for a pump finisher, and it changes with every workout.

Here’s the sequence:
A1 Incline Dumbbell Press – steep incline
about 65-70 degrees
6 reps
rest 10 seconds

A2 Incline Dumbbell Press – medium (regular) incline
about 45 degrees
6 reps
10 seconds

A3 Incline Dumbbell Press – low incline
about 20-25 degrees
6 reps
10 seconds rest

A4 Dumbbell Press – flat bench
6 reps

Now rest 2 – 3 minutes.

That’s one “set.” Technically of course, that is FOUR SETS, done in rest pause fashion, so lets call it one “round” for clarity’s sake.

Yes… that was round ONE. Now do it two more times.

Note: It helps a lot if you have a training partner change the bench angle so you can stay seated and keep the dumbbells in your hands. Doing it alone is slow and cumbersome.

For poundage, you’re going to have to go MUCH lighter than usual. Although I don’t train heavy pecs anymore, last time I did, I was doing 6 reps with 125s on the incline. So for this program I took about 50-60% of that; 70 lbs on workout 1, 75 lbs on workout 2,and 80 lbs on workout 3. On the last one, I had to drop to the 75s to finish all 3 rounds and even then I needed some forced reps towards the end.

You may need to decrease the weight on the 2nd or 3rd round, but if at all humanly possible, do NOT reduce the weight during each round. Doing all four angles at the same poundage is the whole idea.

What may happen, especially if you even slightly overestimated your starting poundage, is that reps may drop with each angle change within a round. First angle – 6 reps is easy. second angle, a little harder, but still no problem. Third angle, you might only squeeze out 5 reps or hit honest failure on the 6th rep. 4th angle (flat), you might hit total failure on the 4th or 5th rep.

Now this is also where a training partner comes in. This routine should not be attempted without a spotter. Sorry, but you are a dork if you try to do this without a spotter. This program causes HONEST muscle failure (I’ll explain that in more detail shortly), so you need the spotter for safety, but moreover, you will need a spotter’s assistance to complete forced reps, at least on the final round or two, if not the first round. In general, forced reps should not be overused, but they play an important part of this program.

Ok, where were we? Oh yeah, you just finished your 3rd round. You might be finished! Yeah. some people will be DONE, KAPUT, ZONKED, BONKED, NUKED, GAME OVER, after 3 rounds of that (think about it – that was 12 sets, disguised as 3 sets!) However, for those who want the full course…. come with me and lets finish off those pecs with the pump (oh, you thought were already pumped… heh.. just wait…you’ll see what a pump is!)

The second exercise (exercise B) is going to be an isolation exercise.. ie., DB flye, cable crossover, machine flye (pec deck), etc., and you will perform 20-25 reps, non stop in piston-like fashion. use a steady quick tempo, but not so fast that you use momentum.

This isolation /pump exercise will change with every workout:

B1 Workout 1: standing cable crossover
2-3 sets, 20-25 reps

B1 Workout 2: machine flye or pec deck
2-3 sets, 20-25 reps

B1 Workout 3: decline dumbbell flye
2-3 sets 20-25 reps

B1 Workout 4: flat bench cable flyes in cable crossover machine
2-3 sets, 20-25 reps

That’s it! That’s the whole program. Three rounds of multi-angular rest pause, then finish your workout with 2-3 sets of 25 reps on a pumping, isolation movement.

This routine is performed within a standard bodybuilding type of split, so it should be done once in 5-7 days, no more. You would probably do another body part after chest,such as biceps or triceps, depending on how you organize your split routine.

I would recommend advanced bodybuilders use this program a couple times a year if and when they need a boost in chest development. This is not the type of program you would use all the time. You would burn out and overtrain.

There’s one more very important part of this routine – progression.

Progression

On the Incline Dumbbell Presses, you will increase the poundage with every workout. Keep in mind, you will not be able to complete all 3 rounds at all 4 angles for 6 unassisted reps. Its going to get harder each time, even as you get stronger. You may have to use a spotter more with each progressing workout. You may also find that on workout 1 or workout 2, you can complete all 3 rounds with the same dumbbells, but on workout 3, by the 2nd or 3rd round, you have to drop the weight or you’ll barely be getting 2 or 3 reps.

Now let me re-emphasize the importance of a spotter. There’s something that’s going to happen when you do this routine that does not happen often. You will hit what my training partner and I call “HONEST FAILURE.” This means that your muscles literally fail, or give out right underneath you. Mind you, this is not something you would usually aim for, but that’s just the nature of this program and this is only a 4-workout high intensity “shock” type of routine.

Expect Failure – Honest Failure

When I say your muscles will give out, I mean that literally. On the last rep or two of 3rd or 4th angle, of the 2nd or 3rd round, your arms may literally buckle underneath you. That’s honest failure.

You see, there are several types of failure… First there is “sissy failure”.. that’s when there is a lactic acid burn or a fatigue in the muscle (you’re tired) and because it hurts or you’re tired, that causes you to stop. That’s sissy failure (sarcasm).

Then you have positive failure. This is where you can no longer push the weight up in a concentric motion, but you are still able to lower the weight and exert an upward force against the weight. For example, you’re bench pressing and you hit the “sticking point,” but you are holding that bar at the sticking point (its not coming back down), and you’re still exerting force to push the bar upward, but the bar simply isn’t moving up!

Then you have honest failure. This is where the muscle simply gives out.. it buckles. you have reached concentric and eccentric failure. This type of failiure is rarely discussed. In fact I don’t recall anyone ever writing about it except for Arthur Jones and Ellington darden and the rest of the High Intensity Training (HIT) camp.

Chest Workout To Bust Plateaus

Rarely does any bodybuilder tread in this territory, and for good reason, as it is really not necessary and can be dangerous for anyone but a veteran who knows what the heck he is doing – and all the kidding aside for a moment, Im serious about this. Its no joke if your chest and arms give out from underneath you and you dump a 70 or 80 pound dumbbell on your face. (you do like your teeth, don’t you?)

However, as a technique you use on rare occasion for a shock routine that breaks through progress plateaus helping you build a bigger chest fast, that untrodden territory is there… for those who dare. There is something about this particular chest workout program (multi angular rest pause) that takes you there. You’ve been warned! Train hard, but be safe!

Now, go out there and get jacked!

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Lifetime Natural Bodybuilder
www.BurnTheFatBook.com

Rob’s Carrot Kale Cocktail with Chia seed

I have a drink I liked to call Rob’s Carrot Kale Cocktail which was basically just a special concoction I made up in a blender but it’s now morphed into this wonderful drink that also contains nut milk and chia seed. It’s still Rob’s Carrot Kale C,ocktail, but it’s version 2.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds – pre soaked
10 to 15 almonds – pre soaked
1 carrot
1 kale leaf
a little parsley
1 or 2 Tbsp Chia seeds (see note)
1 tsp Dark maple syrup or a little stevia

Preparation: Soak 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds and 10 to 15 almonds in water overnight to activate the seeds.

Make the nut milk:
Pour off the soak water and put sunflower seeds and almonds into blender cup.
Add a cup of distilled water.
Blend.

I prefer the Magic Bullet because of it’s unique blending format which forces the liquid down onto the blades. Blend for about a minute or two. Add another cup of water to thin it out a little more. I find that blending in less water allows all the seeds to hit the blades more effectively.

Add a Tablespoon or two of chia seeds, stir into nut milk and allow 5 minutes for the nut milk gel (chia gel) to set up.

Make the Carrot Kale Cocktail
While the nut milk gel is setting up, cut the carrot into small bits so it doesn’t break the blender. De-stem the Kale and cut leaves into small bits (about an inch or so, just so it blends a bit better)

Put the carrot parts into the nut milk. Blend again until carrots are fully mixed in.

Add Kale and parsley, Blend again.

Taste.

If required, go ahead and add a tsp of Dark maple syrup for flavor. Maple syrup is optional. I suggest dark maple syrup because it has more minerals in it. Stevia may also be used. Taste it first though, you might find you like it just the way it is.

Note: Chia seeds will really gel this up if you use too much. Play with the amount of seeds to the amount of water. You should be able to sip it, not have to spoon it out.

Fiber Content:
The nut milk itself will provide a few grams of fiber. So will the chia seeds, so I’d approximate the fiber in this to be at least 5 grams (or more).

Blended salads are a great way to add nutrient dense foods to your day, as a mid afternoon snack, a post workout supplement or added to a meal instead of other beverages. Kale is a nutrient powerhouse – one of the preferred dark leafy green vegetables. Carrots add important vitamin A while the chia seeds add so much to the mix and slow down the absorption of it all keeping you full. Chia also provides important Omega 3 fats. The nuts and seeds of course provide protein, fats, fiber and many minerals.

I’ve got an exercise and nutrition plan in place, clearly outlined, for the entire first 6 months of 2009.

I have a plan in place detailing

• What exercise program I’m following
• Planned increases in the work load
• Planned time off from training
• Planned changes to the program for diversity and muscle confusion
• What nutrition program I’m following
• Scheduled cleanse days
• Scheduled back to back cleanse days
• Planned single refeed days
• Planned double refeed days
• Planned reward meals
• Planned reward beverages (red wine)

Before I sat down to schedule in these various parts of the program, I took into account holidays where food might play a role, a 5 day mini vacation to Las Vegas, a wine tasting event I wanted to attend, a social get together we put together, and a possible vacation to Peru.

I find that I can focus on short intervals of time, such as 9 days or 30 day type programs, so I plan and commit to programs I create with those type of time frames in mind.

I do however, keep the bigger picture in mind so that the 9 day and 30 day minicycles piece together into larger 90 day macrocycles.

I begin with the larger picture in mind, in my case 6 months, Jan 1 2009 through July 1st, 2009. I know I’ll be away in February for 5 days, on February 17th, so I first tackle the days from the new year through February 17th, or roughly 47 days.

I calculate in a rough “working break” while I’m in Vegas, expecting to do some sort of travel workout using body weight for convenience, but allowing myself some freedom that week. It’s essentially a week off from training intensely, while switching to a lighter workout maybe twice that week. I’m also allowing for deviance from a strict nutritional program, and while keeping my goals in mind, factor in the food in Vegas. Meal replacement shakes fit the bill allowing me to keep nutritional intake steady.

I consider the first 47 days phase 1.

It seems like the trip to Vegas, creating a week off, to be a natural place to recover while preparing for phase 2, where I increase my training intensity and modify my nutritional program.

So here it is

My Exercise Program for 2009

For the first 6 months of 2008, I will be training using the Seven Minute Muscle Workout program designed by Jon Benson. (also known as 7 Minute Muscle)

The Seven Minute Muscle Workout takes me back to my earlier days of exercise when I first began working out at my lowest weight of 187 pounds. In looking back at my training journal from 1993 through 1995, it was the principles Jon outlines in the Seven Minute Muscle Workout that I was following.

The logic behind it is sound, and it’s the intensity of it that I’ve been craving for the past two or three months.

It’s also short – very short, so it works into my business goals as well. I’ve found that it takes me longer to get to and from the gym than the time I actually spend IN the gym, and yes, it’s really only a 7 minute workout. At least that’s phase 1. It does get more intense.

The 7 Minute workout program also calls for 3 minutes of abs and 9 minutes of cardio.

That’s it.

This allows me to achieve 8 hours of sleep, a drive to the gym, a quick workout and then be at my desk on time to start work. It’s quite brilliant.

In a short 26 minute audio clip, you can listen to Jon explain how the 7 Minute Muscle Workout works.

As for my nutritional program, I’ll leave that for another post.

Phase 2 Of My 2009 Training Program

After my scheduled down time in Vegas, I begin phase 2 of the Seven Minute Muscle Workout. I increase the training time to 14 minutes. Jon explains that the training time can either be doubled during one visit to the gym, or can be broken into 2 parts with one in the morning and the other in the afternoon or evening.

I plan to break them up allowing for maximum intensity during both training sessions. Breaking them apart also allows for me to increase my metabolism at two different times in the day helping to burn more calories and improving my mood from the endorphins that get released.

Phase 2 will last for a full 2 months ending one week prior to the end of April when I have another scheduled 5 day break from training.

Phase 3

Phase 3 gets more intense yet as I begin the busiest time of the workout. Phase 3 is a full 21 minutes of training per day, which I will break into 3 parts. A morning workout of 7 minutes, and afternoon workout of 7 minutes and a third workout in the evening of 7 minutes for 21 minutes total.

The third session is unlike the other 2 and again, Jon’s brilliance comes to light where he fully loads both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers (type 1 and type 2) at each workout making sure the muscle has been fully loaded and fully thrashed, sparking new growth and while being able to do it on a calorie restricted nutritional program.

Training three times a day requires a great deal of commitment.

• Drive time to and from the gym
• Attention to laundry duties while sweating through so many clothes
• Setting priorities with training coming first, movies or social gatherings second
• Making sure to get enough sleep each night facilitating Human Growth Hormone output
• Pre-preparing meals in batches to reduce cooking times
• Factoring in shopping time for fresh vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds

Because the 7 Minute Muscle Workout can be scheduled to be a Monday to Friday program, this allows the weekends for cleansing, or catching up on other duties left out while training 3x a day. Basically, I can catch up on the weekends or factor in my cleanse days.

The third phase of my program may be 30 days long, May 1st through June 1st, or it may be 45 days long – continuing through June 15th when I’m done the Transformation contest . The unknown factor is a trip to Peru we just found out about. My fiancé has been asked to lead a photo tour of Peru with Red Lotus Tours, and I will be her assistant. We do not have a final date set for that yet.

July 1st brings phase 4, where I completely change things up and begin an Advanced Mass Building program a little different than this program, but with the same goals.

The overall goal of this training program is to gain 15 pounds of muscle and achieve single digit body fat, whatever number that may be when the time comes.

I’m having body composition measurements taken on a monthly basis by my fitness club using the laser method. This will keep me informed as to progress as I move through the various phases and help me tweak my nutritional program as required.

I trust the Seven Minute Muscle Workout. It’s sound and I will follow the principles as outlined. I wanted to jump forward to the 14 minute workout, but after a discussion with Jon, he advised me to begin at the beginning and so I am. Funny, he sounds like me. Just what I tell my own clients when they ask me how to start.

For the record, my Fiance, all 102 pounds of her, is beginning this same training program with me. It’s NOT for muscle heads and Darlene will prove that she too can begin with the beginner program for 4 to 8 weeks. Because she HAS trained before, she will be doing this for 4 weeks and then moving to the 7 minute muscle workout. Her goal is an increase of 8 pounds of muscle and to achieve 16% body fat.

As I said, it’s not for muscle heads, but apparently a professional body builder was not able to complete the 21 minute portion of it. So yes, it would kick the ass of a body builder too.

1. Lose weight by exercising
2. Give up salt

Focus On What You Want

Being absolutely clear with yourself and your brain is a critical part in getting that which you want. It’s fairly easy to set the resolution “to lose weight”, but being clear about how you’re going to lose weight is much more powerful. It’s the action steps that are going to take you there, so focus on them and you’ll get what you want.

The words we choose are powerful, so be clear about what you intend on doing.

“Exercise more” is general where “Walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week” is more action oriented
“Drink more water” is a good idea, where “I resolve to measure out four litres of water each morning and consume the entire amount over the course of the day before going to bed” is a lot more specific.

New Years Resolutions That Make Sense

I’m sure you’ve wanted to make changes to your lifestyle each year and have full intention of keeping them. With that in mind, would you be open to some new ways of thinking? Would you like some ideas for resolutions that make sense? Resolutions that you can take action on and get the results you’re looking for?

The list of new years resolutions that follow offer some ways of thinking that come from a place of focusing on your health rather than weight loss. Weight loss should be thought of as a side effect of becoming more healthy. Focus on making changes to how you eat, how you can improve the functioning of your body and you’ll get the results you’re looking for along with a lifetime of benefits.

Pick from a few of these and write them out on a piece of paper. In fact, for the first 30 days of the new year, write them down repeatedly saying them aloud as you do so. Say them with passion as if your life depended on it. Speak passionately, not loudly. Speak to yourself as if they were the most important and loving commitments you’ve ever made to yourself. This is you talking to yourself each and every day about the most important steps you’ll ever take towards your new self and the new direction you’re taking in your life.

• Resolve to walk for at least 30 minutes every day – and while you’re out moving, focus on taking in deep full breaths. Consider walking to be about oxygenating your blood rather than moving your legs. More often than not, walkers tend to consider the amount of calories burned during the exercise, but I’d rather you focus on the metabolism boosting function of having more oxygen in your body. Fat gets burned in the presence of oxygen, but it also improves your mood and allows your cells to do what they do best, produce energy. Walking is also one of the best ways to move your lymph system, which helps in the elimination of waste material. In essence, walking helps you clean your body from the inside out.
• Resolve to begin exercising your body using body weight exercises such as push ups or body weight squats – challenge yourself to do some of the most basic movements such simply getting into the squat position and lifting your body weight up and down a few times per day. Challenge yourself to do more per day, more per week, or more in a given amount of time. How many squats can you do in 2 minutes? Keep doing squats on a daily basis and repeat the challenge every week to see if you’re getting stronger. Working the leg muscles and making them stronger / more muscular is one of the easiest ways to get leaner and stronger all over your body. Join our body weight challenges for more inspiration.
• Resolve to measure out 4 litres of water (1 gallon) each morning and to consume it at regular intervals throughout the day so that all of it is consumed before bed – Water is your life and it’s not just enough to say “I will drink more water in the new year”. Water plays a role in almost all the functions of our body including digestion, elimination and energy production. It’s generally agreed upon that the correct amount of water to consume, on a daily basis, is half our body weight in ounces. If you weight 200 pounds, you should be drinking at least 100 ounces of water – per day, every day. If you exercise, you should drink more and if you live in a hot climate, even more again. Read this article on 50 ways to drink more water
• Resolve to eat less salt and more potassium – a very little thought about concept is the correlation of sodium to potassium that you have in your body. Our ancestors ate 10:1 potassium to sodium where the average North American today eats 1:4. We eat too little potassium and eat way too much sodium. Eating more potassium and lowering your sodium intake improves your bodies ability to hydrate itself, release retained water, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and generally improve the ability for your body to move nutrition into your cells while removing wastes. Read more about potassium containing foods and the role of potassium in your body. Just eliminating any salt you add to your foods is the best place to start. Then eat more vegetables and dark leafy green vegetables as well and your body will do the rest.
• Resolve to focus on what you want, not what you don’t want – The words you use have power, so focus on the things you want vs the the things you dont want. If you want to quit drinking pop, then focus on drinking more water. If you want to lose weight, focus on getting in daily exercise. If you want to watch less television, then focus on reading more books or going out for a walk in place of the TV.
• Resolve to replace the words “I can’t do that” with “How can I?” – One phrase turns the brain off, while the other turns the brain on. One statement ends the conversation while the other begins searching for solutions to that which you ask. There’s power in simply asking a question

Some people swear by new years resolutions and others hate them. Some experts find them useless because they’re set without any proper though given to the methods to achieve them and my friend James Jordan says “A day is a day and a moment a moment NewYears resolutions are for wankers who cant keep promises to themselves”. I think new years resolutions are a tool to new beginnings – and if you’re serious about them, you’ll write them down and look at them every day, regardless of the time of year. Any day can be your own personal first day of the year, it’s action and follow through that make all the difference.

During weight training you release fatty acids, and cardio immediately after weight training can burn them off as energy before being “recycled” into places you don’t want them to go.

What? Me? Dehydrated?

I make it a point to be very conscious about the amount of water I drink. Water is critical to so very many functions in the human body, and given the amount of training I do, I’m drinking even more water to account for water lost during sweat and other exertion. I’ve always thought that I’ve been very aware of how much I’ve been drinking, but a recent body composition analysis told me that I was dehydrated.

You’ve GOT to be kidding me. I tend to piss people off because I keep talking about water all the time and encouraging them to drink more, and now I’ve found that I’m not drinking enough water.

That got my attention very quickly.

I made some changes to my daily routine and actually began keeping accurate water logs. I also decided to look at some science behind water absorption and how to increase water absorption. I took a three fold approach:

1. Drink more water
2. Measure the amount of water I’m drinking
3. Increase water absorption

Increasing Water Absorption

So what are the right conditions then, and how do we improve them and increase the absorption rate of the water we’re drinking? Great question.

Without getting into a huge amount of detail about it, lets just say that there are a lot of minerals involved in an ideal balanced blood chemistry for human health. Our hunter gather ancestors got on average, 11,000 mg of potassium per day and 700 mg of sodium. That’s a a ratio of almost 16:1. They acheived that by consuming a diet super rich in plants, fruits, nuts and seeds. Compare that to today’s average intakes of 2500mg and 7000mg or a ratio of (nearly) 1:3 potassium to sodium.

So, based on our origins, the natural approach to increasing water absorption is based on our diet and that being, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and completely excluding any additional salt.

Step by step, here’s how to increase your water absorption

1. Eliminate all additional salt in your diet – DO NOT add salt to anything.

2. Increase your vegetables, nuts and seed consumption – with an emphasis on dark leafy greens such as Swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, spinach. This will increase potassium in your diet as well as amounts of fiber.

3. Eat Chia Seeds – Chia seeds absorb 12 times their weight in water. In addition to being a fantastic source of fiber and Omega 3’s, Chia absorbs water and carries it into the colon where it can be passed along into the body at a slower rate. Instead of drinking water and hoping some of it is absorbed, eating your water can be a way to slow the process down and allow it a timed release. Much like timed release of vitamins, you can time release your water. Chia seeds are an amazing food and part of my Desert Island Foods.

4. Supplement with Glutamine – Glutamine is one of the most over looked and under used weight loss supplements I’ve ever seen. It’s used by every cell of the body for energy, immune system function and as craving control for both carbohydrates and alcohol. Where water intake is concerned, glutamine improves water uptake into the cells because it depends on sodium for transport. Glutamine is one of the amino acids that controls the volume of water in the cells and osmotic pressure in other tissues.

In layman terms, what that means is that glutamine plays a role in the ability of water to cross from the bloodstream into the cells and vice versa. The side bonus of this is that glutamine also plays a role in the cells ability to release toxins and molecular garbage. Glutamine plays a role in detoxification (in which water plays a highly important part as well).

Added Benefits of This Approach

Water is used in many ways in the body. We retain water if we don’t drink enough and if our sodium potassium ratio is off. If we’re not allowing water into the cell, we’re not allowing wastes out of the cell either and that most certainly is not healthy.

The additional benefits of the four approaches above is that we should release some retained water, allow our body to clean itself, improve our energy levels, improve our mood and become more regular at the same time.

Water is critical to health. By improving the quality of our water as well as our ability to improve the absorption of the water we do drink, we improve how we look and how we feel.

There are 38 ingredients in a McNugget; many of them made from corn. Further down the list there are the mono, diandtriglycerides, and the emulsifiers that keep the fats and the water from separating. More corn flour is used to make the batter, and the hydrogenated oil in which the nuggets are fried can come from soybeans, canola or cottonseed, depending on the market price.

It gets worse: a number of the ingredients come from petroleum products, to keep the items from spoiling or ‘looking strange’ after months in the freezer or on the road. If you are truly worried, look up these ingredients: sodium aluminum phosphate; mono-calcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and calcium lactate. These are used to keep the animal and vegetable fats from turning rancid. Then there are “anti foaming” agents like dimethylpolysiloxene. According to the Handbook of Food Additives, this material is a suspected carcinogen and an established mutagen, tumorigenic, and reproductive effector. It is also flammable.

The most alarming ingredient in Chicken McNuggets is “tertiary butyl hydroquinone,” or TBHQ, derived from petroleum. This is sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to “help preserve freshness.” Again, according to A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food. It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause “nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse.” Ingesting five grams can be fatal.

Do you really want to give your kids Chicken McNuggets?

Source: the Gerson Healing Newsletter – www.gerson.org

Water is the basis of all life, including your muscles, your brain, your lungs, your bones and your lungs. A fully hydrated body has more energy, increases it’s fat burning capabilities, has reduced hunger levels, better digestion and ages at a slower pace so you look younger while you’re feeling younger.

Most people reach for a coffee when they’re feeling low energy, when water would benefit so many other aspects of our health.

As I see it, the problem is twofold – firstly, that we must understand the need for drinking more water on a daily basis and then secondly, find ways to incorporate more water into our lifestyle. It’s often as simple as creating a new habit and sticking to it.

Here are 50 ways to create a new habit and drink more water.

1. Drink water first thing in the morning. Start every day by drinking a litre of water. If you have to sit down and finish the whole thing before you move on – do it.

2. Drink a big glass of water right before bed.

3. Every time you go to the bathroom, drink a glass of water. Replace the fluids you just lost.
Pre-fill enough bottles of water for your daily requirement in ounces. Keep them in various places around your house, office or workspace. Make sure they’re each empty before you go to bed.

4. Drink a glass of water each hour, on the hour while at work.

5. Set a countdown timer on your watch for a regular interval (such as an hour) and drink water every time it goes off.

6. Set a reminder in your electronic calendar to remind you to drink. Set your calendar or electronic organizer to remind you at noon and 3 o’clock. You should have consumed at least 1 litre of water by noon and at least two by 3 o’clock. If not, drink up right then and there.

7. Set “drink water reminders” around your house. If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, turn over your salt shaker or other often used container. Have it remind you to drink a glass of water. Whenever you see a turned over salt shaker, drink a glass of water. Make it fun and mix it up – use something different every day so it catches you off guard. Set the reminder earlier on in the day before you even go to work.

8. Drink water while waiting in lines. If you know you’re going to be standing in line somewhere, take your water bottle with you and make it a point of drinking the entire bottle before you reach the front of the line.

9. Drink water in your car. Keep a bottle of water in your car and drink it while going TO work and coming home FROM work.

10. Drink more water while doing your skin care program. Drink, cleanse, moisturize, then drink again.

11. Take a glass of water to you when you shower. Drink half before you shower and half after you get out of the shower, but before leaving the bathroom.

12. Drink more water while you’re shaving. Drink half a glass before you shave and half a glass after you shave, but before leaving the shaving area.

Reduce or Remove Dehydrating Beverages

13. Replace coffee with water – coffee may act as a diuretic and place a larger need for water on your body. Eliminate and replace your coffee with water.

14. Replace soda pop with water – At the very least, have a big glass of water before you have the soda. If you’re going to drink something non nutritional as soda, first be pro-active and reach for the water.

15. Drink water before your meals.

16. Drink 2 or 3 ounces of water after your meals – but no more. Where water is required to digest food, too much water can dilute the digestive juices and hamper digestion. Limit your water intake after a meal to a few ounces only.

At the Gym

17. Drink a litre of water on your way TO the gym.

18. Drink a litre of water AT the gym.

19. Drink a litre of water on your way home (or to work) FROM the gym.

20. Drink enough water during your workout that you have to fill up your water bottle at least once.

Flavor Your Water

You can put some things into your water to flavor them while improving your quality of life at the same time. Where coffee and soda pop are acidic to the body, lemon and lime are alkaline forming in the body. By allowing your body to be in an alkaline state more often, you allow your body to absorb vitamins and minerals more effectively while eliminating wastes.

21. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to your water.

22. Add a slice of lemon to your water.

23. Add cucumber slices to your water.

24. Add Apple Cider Vinegar to your water – Apple Cider Vinegar has been highly regarded throughout history. In 400 B.C. the great Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, used it for its amazing health qualities. Internally, Apple cider vinegar is rich in enzymes and potassium, supports a healthy immune system, helps control weight, promotes digestive and pH balance and can help remove toxins and lower toxicity. Dr Steven Gibb says “everyone in the world should be drinking Apple Cider Vinegar on a daily basis”

25. Add ginger to your water. Steep a little fresh ground ginger root in boiling water and then add it to your water bottles. You might also grate some fresh ginger and then simply put it into your cold water to cold steep.

26. Add salt to your water – however, use only sea salt. Dr Batmanghelidj of “The Water Cure” suggests:

It is very important you balance your sodium intake with your water consumption. Take 1/4 teaspoon of salt per quart of water – every 4-5 glasses of water. Be sure to get sea salt. The best is Celtic sea salt or Himalayan sea salt, both of which are readily available at any health food store.

Treat this flavoring with respect. Most people have too much sodium in their body as they’re getting salt from many many sources throughout the day. If you’re one of the rare individuals who does not add salt to their food, then this tip might be for you.

On the other hand, if you already add salt to any meal at all, then I would not advise adding more salt to your diet.

When heat goes up or your exercise output goes up, so must your water consumption.
If you’re more muscular, you need more water.

Track Your Water Consumption

Before you even begin the process of drinking more water, journal your water consumption for a few days or a week. Then set a goal number for ounces of water per day and continue to track it. Log how often you drink beverages that are NOT water and how much of them you drink.

It’s quite important to track that which you want to improve. Without knowing your starting point, or your progress, how will you know you’re getting results. Just as you track your body composition (body fat vs lean density) to understand your exercise and weight loss results, so should you track your water consumption.

One idea is to tape some plain paper to your favorite water bottle and track how many times you empty it each day. Put enough paper on it to last a week and then use little tick marks for each bottle you drink. Seems easy enough.

User Contributed Water Drinking Tips

Now you may have noticed that there aren’t quite 50 ways to drink more water here just yet. I’d like this to be a user contributed entry. Submit your tip of how you incorporate more water into your day and I’ll add it to the list. What have you found that works for you? What habits have you created around drinking more water?

First and foremost, alcohol is a poison and your body must fight to get it out of your system. It directly impairs liver function thus severely hampering your metabolism of fat. If fat loss is your main goal moderation is a key. I have trained many adults who like there nightly beverage, but they never or rarely lose body fat. I would suggest limiting alcohol consumption to once a week if fat loss is your goal.

When your liver is processing alcohol it will stop all other metabolic functions. It will do so until it rids your body of ethanol toxicity which is the by product of alcoholic consumption. This process leads many times to stubborn fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and syndrome X.

Drinking in excess will also contribute to fat gain not loss. If you think you are going to gain muscle mass while drinking think again! Your liver is to0 busy doing something it does not want to do, process alcohol instead of amino acids. In addition, alcohol reduces testosterone.

We have not even touched on how many extra calories alcohol consumption can add to your daily caloric intake. As my good friend Tom Venuto states, “Those calories add up so quickly.” Think about how much you consume and the caloric value of each drink. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. This is almost twice that of carbohydrates and protein and just under the 9 grams per calorie for fat. Here is an example: consuming 2-3 drinks a day can add up to over 400 calories extra each and every day. Multiply that by one week and you are over 2700 calories extra. That is over a half a pound.

According to studies drinking alcohol increases visceral adipose tissue. This is the fat around your body organs. NOT HEALTHY! Other studies suggest alcohol consumption increases and stimulates appetite. I remember when I went through my Nutrition and Lifestyle Courses, alcohol was an afternoon subject and I recall this sobering thought, “If you really want to piss off your entire digestive system and set your body up for a total metabolic nightmare, drink alcohol before you eat.”

Another item I have learned from Tom Venuto was the simple but often overlooked factor that by doing something everyday becomes habit-forming behavior. The daily routine of consuming an innocent evening drink will lead to the ill affects of alcohol consumption.

Consuming alcohol again stops all fat burning, adds extra calories, increases estrogen level (stubborn fat), increases appetite and makes you more easily persuaded to eat that entire cheese cake.

There are some simple guidelines you can follow that will not only help you stay on the fat burning path, but will encourage better overall health.

Drinking red wine is much better for you then drinking beer. Red wine contains some good things that can benefit your health. On the other hand consuming beer, which contains hops and are highly estrogenic, will lead to more fat gain and harder fat loss.

Try to stay away from extra sweet drinks with added sugars. This will keep your blood sugar from a massive spike while having a drink. Have you ever wondered why are these drinks are so popular?

I would highly suggest that you read my stubborn fat solutions report (If you think you have stubborn fat) and to avoid alcohol for at least two weeks while your detoxify your liver and get started on a friendly fat burning environment.

Follow the European model; eat some fat or protein with your wine. The more food you have in your belly the slower the absorption. It also aids in insulin regulation. Avoid high carbohydrates snack with alcohol. It carries many metabolic problems like insulin elevation and high fat levels in your blood stream.

According to nutrition writer Ori Hofmelker below is a list of good to bad:

Alcohol – Good to Bad

1. Red wine – Best
2. White wine
3. Champagne
4. Vodka
5. Gin
6. Rum
7. Whiskey
8. Cognac
9. Sweet wines
10. Sweet mixed drinks
11. Liqueurs
12. BEER! Worst

Some common problems with alcohol consumption

• Reduced testosterone
• Increased estrogen
• Increased hydration
• Inability to absorb vital nutrients

In summary, I would suggest eating an anti-estrogenic, well- balanced diet and minimize alcohol consumption until you reach your fat loss goals. This will also aid in your quest for a set of six pack abs.

To Get More Information About Fat Loss and Toning Your Abs
Go to: Firm and Flatten Your Abs:

Coach David Grisaffi,
Tacoma Washington

Many serious lifters will argue that underneath clothes, muscular shoulders make the greatest contribution toward the overall appearance of the upper body.

The shoulder is a 3-headed muscle that performs the function of lifting and rotating the arm. It consists of the anterior region (the front), the medial region (the middle) and the posterior region (the rear). These heads can be stimulated in the gym using two different movements: an overhead press and a raise.

The overhead press is the meat and potatoes of effective shoulder training. There isn’t a single lift out there that can match the incredible shoulder-stimulating effect of a basic overhead pressing movement. Both a barbell and a dumbbell can be used for this exercise, but dumbbells are the best overall choice.

Dumbbells allow you to move through a more natural range of motion and also don’t allow one arm to cheat for the other. They also place a greater amount of total stress on the shoulder region in comparison to the barbell, which shifts some of the stress to the upper chest.

I would recommend using the seated overhead dumbbell press as your core shoulder movement. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit on a bench with a vertical back support. Press the dumbbells overhead until your elbows are just short of locking out, and then lower them back to shoulder level.

Side Lateral Raise

The next exercise to look into is a basic side lateral raise, which can also be performed with a pair of dumbbells. Side laterals are an isolation exercise and will shift the majority of the stress to the medial head of the shoulder. This will build greater shoulder width and will contribute to that wide upper body look. Stand with your knees slightly bent and hold a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing inward. With a slight bend in your arms, raise the dumbbells up to shoulder level and then lower them back to the starting position.

Two Lifts is All You Need

When it comes to training your shoulders for maximum size and strength, a basic overhead press and a side lateral raise is all you need. It’s very important to realize that the shoulders are stimulated on virtually every single upper body exercise that you perform and therefore they do not require a lot of direct work.

Most people perform far too much work on their shoulders and actually hinder their gains as a result. Because of this I typically do not recommend that you perform isolation exercises for the anterior and posterior heads.

The anterior heads are heavily stressed during all chest pressing movements while the posterior heads are hit equally hard on all rowing movements for the back. A couple of extra sets won’t hurt, but you should try to minimize the volume as much as you can.

The key to massive shoulders is quality, not quantity.

Here are a couple of sample shoulder routines that you can use:

Shoulder Routine #1

Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press – 2 sets of 5-7 reps
Standing Dumbbell Side Laterals – 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps

If you insist on performing isolation exercises for the front and rear heads, you can use this routine:

Shoulder Routine #2

Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press – 2 sets of 5-7 reps
Standing Dumbbell Side Laterals – 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps
Standing Front Dumbbell Raise – 1 set of 10-12 reps
Seated Rear Lateral Dumbbell Raise – 1 set of 10-12 reps

There you have it.

All sets should be taken to complete muscular failure where no additional reps can be completed using proper form. Keep a detailed record of each workout and strive for continual improvement from week to week by either increasing the resistance or the number of reps performed.

If you want to learn the specific training methods for hitting all of your other muscle groups, check out my website by clicking the link below. You can gain instant access to a complete online muscle-building video lesson series that outlines the proper techniques for maximizing your muscle gains in your chest, back, arms, legs and abs, with a special lesson dedicated to each…

It’s axiomatic that the exercises which give you the best results are always the hardest ones to do. If you want a huge back… you row and deadlift. If you want huge legs, you squat… OR… you do THIS leg exercise – that almost no one wants to do because its one of the hardest of them all.

Which one am I talking about? FRONT SQUATS!

Barbell Front Squat

In my opinion, front squats are one of the absolute best quad builders. Back squats are a tremendous mass builder as well, but front squats introduce an additional level of challenge because they require flexibility, technique, and core strength because the bar must be held and balanced on the front of the shoulders. As such, the front squat does everything the back squat does and more.

Advantage of the Front Squat

One great advantage of the front squat, especially for someone like me, having previously suffered a low back injury (herniated L4), is that the torso can be held in a more upright (vertical position). Since there is less forward trunk inclination, this removes some of the stress and shear forces from the lower back. At the same time, this upright position is closer to a bodybuilding squat and throws much more emphasis on the quads and less on the hips. It is truly a superb bodybuilding exercise.

Styles of Front Squat

There are two styles of front squatting, the Olympic lifting style and the crossed arm style. I find that most athletes, and of course Olympic lifters, use the former, while most bodybuilders seem to prefer the latter. The barbell should generally be your weapon of choice, but for bodybuilders, front squats on the smith machine are an outstanding alternative. The Smith machine front squat takes some of the balance issues out of the picture, which allows the physique athlete to really focus on working the muscle rather than worrying about balance and stabilization. Be sure to rotate between both versions, however– barbell and smith machine – because long term overuse or dependency on machines may lead to stabilizer weakness or muscle imbalances and variety is never a bad idea in the physique game. Incidentally, the barbell front squat is an outstanding “core” exercise.

A third version of the front squat worth considering is the dumbbell front squat (especially the sumo or wide stance version). These can be performed holding a single dumbbell with both hands on the front of the shoulders, cupped between both hands (goblet squat) or with two dumbbells, one in each hand, resting on top of each shoulder. The limiting factor on these front squat variations is often the poundage, as holding heavy dumbbells can become unwieldy. This can be partially overcome by performing the dumbbell front squat last in a leg workout or second in a superset, or by manipulating tempo and range of motion so the exercise is made more difficult. The dumbbell variations are also a great choice for women who usually don’t require as much weight as men for stimulation.

I find that the front squat is particularly effective at developing the tear drop shaped vastus medialis portion of the (“lower”) quads, and you can emphasize this effect even more by elevating your heels on a board or a wedge. Elevating your heels is considered controversial and some say that this is damaging to the knees. I’m not convinced that this is the case with a slight elevation and very strict form and controlled tempo, although I would not recommend this method to anyone with existing knee problems. There is certainly a risk to benefit ratio of every technique variation, and you have to decide if the added potential benefit is worth the potential risk, depending on your particular situation (consult the appropriate medical or training professional if you’re not sure)

You can also emphasize the medialis and increase overall effectiveness by working FULL squats (breaking parallel) and only coming up three quarters (no locking out). Have you ever seen Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman’s workout videos? I realize that Mr Olympia’s bodybuilding video tapes are not “workout instruction” nor do they really have anything to do with us mere mortals, but I pay attention to everything in the world of bodybuilding, and I did find it very interesting to watch Ronnie front squatting 500+ pounds. I also found it interesting that he went rock bottom and he did ¾ reps without releasing tension for even a single rep. Although he certainly has some advantages over other bodybuilders, everything is relative and he has some ridiculous quads, even compared to other IFBB pros. Indeed, continuous tension ¾ reps are a tremendous technique to employ with the front squat exercise, regardless of whether you’re a novice or a pro. Be prepared to leave your ego at home, however.

In addition to the ¾ reps, try manipulating your tempo. It will limit your poundage even further, but what you sacrifice in strength you will make up in hypertrophy. Whereas a regular rep might be 2011 or 3011 tempo, or even a full-out explosive concentric with a controlled eccentric, bodybuilders may want to try utilizing a tempo of 3020, or (even harder) 4030. With sets of 10 -12 reps, this will give you a minimum of 50-70 seconds of continuous time under tension. The lactic acid burn around the 10-12thth rep has to be felt to be “appreciated.” The only thing more difficult than continuous tension/non-lockout ¾ reps are continuous tension, non-lockout reps with a slow tempo. Truly a quad killer!

Note: 4-point tempo prescriptions are as follows:

3020 tempo =
3 = negative/eccentric action
0 = pause in stretch/bottom position
2 = positive/concentric action
0 = pause in contracted/top position

So if front squats are so good, why don’t more people do them? Simple – because they’re damn hard. Here is what I usually see happen: Someone will start front squatting (or try to), and they inevitably put on way too much weight. Their form is horrible, it feels totally uncomfortable and unbalanced, so our novice front squatter quits and writes off front squats for good after only one try, and heads back over to the leg press machine.

I usually advise them to unload the bar and master the form first with very light weights, but invariably, ego gets in the way, and 315-405 squatters and 1000+ pound leg pressers don’t want to be seen with a single “wheel” (45 pound plate) on each side of an Olympic bar while they patiently master the technique for a new exercise. Alas, they never learn to front squat, they go back to what is easy and familiar and they never gain all the benefits of this awesome exercise.

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Lifetime Natural Bodybuilder
www.BurnTheFatBook.com

There is a difference in color between teas. This is a by-product of production. Green tea is the same as black tea however black tea is left out to ferment while drying. This process changes the color to black. It is a milder tasting tea and I would assume why it is a bit more popular. Oolong ferments about ½ the amount of time black tea ferments. Green tea is steamed and then let dry to keep the flavor intact. Green tea has nutrient rich properties that other beverages do not possess. It is rich in certain phytonutrients called catechins. This nutrient contains many different compounds but in an average cup of tea it provides about 125 mg of catechins.

Green, black and oolong tea possess health benefits as stated above. The phytonutrients or catechins found in the teas act to eradicate free radicals from your body. These free radicals are believed to be precursors to many health problems in our society. Green tea is however more powerful in this area than the other two, because the amount of catechins in green tea is more then double.

Teas do have a positive effect on reducing high blood pressure. Drinking just one cup a day can reduce your chances of high blood pressure by 80% according to a new Chinese study.

Your heart also benefits from tea consumption. Tea helps keep arteries clear and reduces cholesterol. Both have an enormous impact on longevity. Studies show that drinking 2 cups of tea per day can extend your life by 40%. Now that is worth thinking about.

For the women out there reading this you will also enjoy the simple fact that drinking tea strengthens and increase bone density. This really helps postmenopausal women. Just make sure you get your calcium and vitamin D everyday in addition to drinking green tea.

Now the best part about green tea, or all teas mentioned above in my opinion, is their ability to reduce your belly line. The least appreciate value of green tea is its catechins ability to interfere with fat digesting enzymes in the stomach and small intestines. This results in incomplete digestion of fat lipids.

This leads to fewer fats absorbed by the intestinal tract and more elimination of fat lipids. It has another benefit as a fat storage inhibitor. It also helps the body transfer from sugar burning to fat burning. This improves the belly line as you use more fat for energy. The increase fat burning is contributed to “thermogenisis” or heat production by your body. You can lose over a pound a month just by drinking a cup or two of tea per day. Now couple that with a good nutrition plan and exercise plan and you are in business.

There is evidence that stress and depression are associated with increased abdominal fat. Stress and anxiety plus depression increase the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone aids in the collection of body fat in the abdominal region. Green tea seems to have amino acid, which counteracts cortisols effect. The amino acid is called L-theanine.

The benefits of drinking tea are documented and more studies are in progress to help us understand the great benefits of the wonderful drink. Tea helps with all kinds of ailments and should be part of anyone’s overall health plan. If you want to know more about how to reduce your body fat level and improve your abdominal muscles, look to: