The Dangers of Sugar

Sugar makes up 38 percent of the typical US diet. Some problems/diseases linked to high sugar intake include: High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Gout, Obesity (and all of the health problems related to obesity), Cancer Growth and much more (78 different diseases and health problems according to scientific studies). 

If you are serious about losing weight and improving your health, severely reduce your sugar intake.  Cutting out just one soda a day and replacing it with water or tea (made with truvia) will add up to a large change over time.  Getting your diet in order is about a lot of little changes over a long period of time.  If you try to change everything at once you may give up because it is too hard or progress doesn't come instantly. 

Gracie Bullyproof: Austin's 1-Week Transformation

Healthy Eating: Pepper Jack Chicken

Welcome to my first blog post on how to eat healthy while trying to become more lean and toned.  Eating to be healthy is great, but we don't want it to be boring.  Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive either.  For the price of eating one meal at a fairly nice restaurant you can go to the grocery store and buy enough food to last you for 4 or 5 meals.

One of my favorite recipes is for Pepper Jack Chicken with Bacon.  If you don't like spicy cheese you can substitute in any cheese you do like.  It's simple to make as well.  Just take 4 oz of cooked chicken, lay two strips of cooked bacon across the top and cover it with a slice of pepper jack cheese.  Let the cheese melt on top and you have a delicious and healthy meal waiting for you.  The great thing is, you can cook several chicken breasts at one time and have left overs for days.

Serve with some rice and spinach on the side and your meal is complete (carbs like rice should be eaten before 1 pm, if you are eating after that, leave the rice out).  This recipe will give you about 30 grams of muscle building protein just from the chicken/bacon/cheese alone. Spinach is a very nutrient-dense food and the carbs from the rice will help keep you going during the day.

Georges St-Pierre’s RUSHFIT Review: The Fight Conditioning Workout

If you have read my other reviews, you already know how much I love the Rushfit program.  This workout is no different; it’s great!  This training session is unique in the Rushfit program because it revolves around MMA related techniques.  This workout has you practicing footwork, punches, kicks, sprawls, takedowns, etc.  It’s a nice break from the other types of workouts which are more traditional exercises like push ups and squats.  Not only will you be getting into shape, but you will be developing real martial art skills at the same time.  You can’t beat that!

America’s 50 Worst Charities Exposed

The Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) partnered with CNN in a yearlong investigation to evaluate America’s charities and created a list of the 50 worst.

As criteria, investigators used the percentage of funds charities spend on direct cash aid, compared to the percentage they pay solicitors; the worst 50 charities contribute less than four percent to cash aid.

The IRS system of granting organizations “charitable” status (and therefore tax exemption) is flawed from the beginning; more than 99.8 percent of applicants are approved when they simply fill out a form.

Many nonprofits are less charitable than for-profits, paying six-figure salaries to their CEOs while contributing relatively nothing to their supposed cause, so are simply exploiting the tax exemption.

Tips are given for how to handle solicitation calls and avoid being scammed; resources are provided for researching the best charities.

For more information:  America’s 50 Worst Charities Exposed

Georges St-Pierre’s RUSHFIT Review: Abdominal Strength & Core Conditioning

Alright guys, if you read my last review you know how much I love this program and how hard it is.  Well things do not get any easier with the abdominal strength and core conditioning workout.  The great thing about this particular workout is that it isn’t exactly what you think it is.  This isn’t a workout that is just a bunch of crunches and traditional abdominal exercises.  It’s fast pace and is made up of exercises that not only build the core but balance and athletic ability as well.

GSP’s workout series never gets boring because your schedule is different every week.  It constantly changes, mixing up the workouts in different ways to focus on different aspects of fitness and athletic performance.  Many of the exercises on this DVD will probably be ones you have never even seen before.  Even the ones you have seen will be a variation that is a little different and more challenging.  If you want a fast pace and challenging workout that will take you to new levels, I highly recommend picking this DVD up (I even more highly recommend buying the entire set).

Georges St-Pierre RUSHFIT Review: Explosive Power Training

Explosive Power Training is one of the more interesting workouts from the Rushfit series.  This workout has a lot of leaping, jumping, and full body explosive movements.  It’s not about doing as many reps as some of the other workouts, but everything you do is quick, powerful, heavy and with maximum effort.  In martial arts, this will allow you to explode into your takedowns, land harder punches, move out of danger more quickly.  But explosive power translates into any sport, it’s a must have.

Some may think this workout is too intense for the average joe, but as always, if you can’t keep up with the video, just do as much as you can.  Being faster and more explosive is good for anyone.  If you can do this it will make daily chores around the house seem like nothing.  Not to mention it’s going to help you blast away the fat.  Virtually all of the workouts from the Rushfit series have a different focus and hit your body in a different way.  You will be very well rounded in your fitness and it’s hard to go wrong with that.

Georges St-Pierre RUSHFIT Review: Strength & Endurance

Welcome to my first review for GSP’s Rushfit.  His program is made up of six DVDs (7 workouts) and I will be reviewing each one since it’s possible to buy them individually (though I recommend buying the entire boxed set).  The first DVD in the series is the Strength and Endurance workout and let me tell you, it’s a killer!  One of the great things about this entire program is that it requires almost no equipment.  All you need are the videos and a few pairs of dumbbells (ranging from 3lbs to 30lbs depending on how strong you are).  You may think from hearing that, that it doesn’t sound like it is very difficult, you are wrong!

The strength and endurance workout is made up of full body exercises and focuses on your core, legs, back and chest.  These workouts are not just going to build some show muscles, they will build muscle, burn fat, build coordination, balance and flexibility.  These are functional exercises that are designed to turn you into a better athlete.  I have been working out for twenty years and I have to say this is my most favorite program.

Another great thing about this workout is that it’s not just the same old exercises you have done a million times before.  While it does use push-ups and squats, there are many variations on everything and lots of exercises you have probably never even seen before.  If you are looking to be a much better athlete and looking to improve your fitness in every way while also mixing up your workouts and doing something new, GSP’s Rushfit is the program for you.  The strength and endurance workout will take you to new levels for both.  Believe me, I was very sore the next day and that was a good feeling!

Henry Cavill Man of Steel Workout 3: Arms & Shoulders

If you have not read the first two parts, you may do so here: 

Henry Cavill Man of Steel Workout: Chest & Back

Henry Cavill Man of Steel Workout 2: Legs & Abs

Superset 1:  Bicep Curls/Tricep Extension
Superset 2:  Bent Over Delt Raise/Shoulder Shrugs
Superset 3:  Hammer Curls/Triceps Kickback
Superset 4:  Concentration Curls/Laying Triceps Press (One Arm)
Superset 5:  Reverse Curls/Triceps Pushdown
Superset 6:  Shoulder Press/Lateral Raise

Henry Cavill Man of Steel Workout 2: Legs & Abs

If you have not read the first article on Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel workout, do so here before reading this one: Henry Cavill Man of Steel Workout: Chest & Back

I explained how the sets, reps and weight works in the last article, so be sure to read that one first, before going over this one.

Superset 1:  Squats/Leg Raise
Superset 2:  Lunges/Crunch
Superset 3:  Dead Lift/Side Bends
Superset 4:  Toe Raise/Ab Roll out
Back Extension

After you have finished the weight lifting portion of this workout, end with 20 minutes of moderate cardio of your choice.

Henry Cavill Man of Steel Workout: Chest & Back

Looking to get into Henry Cavill (the new Superman) shape?  Try this Man of Steel workout!  Henry Cavill’s Superman workout heavily consisted of supersets (doing 2 exercises back to back) and working opposing muscle groups together (chest/back, biceps/triceps, etc.).  You move fast during this workout, only taking a 1 – 2 minute break between each superset.  You also do not move on to the next series of exercises until you finished every set of the one you are on.  There are 3 basic workouts in this program and you will want to workout 4 days a week (simply starting the program over once finished with the third workout).

There is room to play around with your exercises in this workout.  For instance, if you don’t have the ability to do the bench press, you can substitute in push ups instead.  If you do substitute in an exercise, just make sure it works the same muscle group as the exercise you are exchanging out.  You are looking to lift heavy here so find a weight you can only do 6 – 10 reps with.  If you can do more than 10, lift heavier.  Henry Cavill also went on a high calorie diet (5,000 calories a day) made up of healthy foods and consisting of a high protein intake.  The following is a basic Chest & Back workout (but again, you can put in any exercises you like, just push yourself):

Superset 1:  Bench Press/Barbell Row
Superset 2:  Incline Bench Press/Pull Ups
Superset 3:  Dumbbell Chest Press/One Arm Back Row
Superset 4:  Dumbbell Fly/Rear Delt Raise

How To Get Six Pack Abs (Part 2)

Okay, after having everything in place that I mentioned from the last article, it’s time to build up your abs so you can see that shield of muscle you have built up.  There are lots of different abs exercises one can do, but you mainly just need to make sure you are working every section of your abs.  When you break it down, you basically have the top (the part people think of with a sixpack), the sides (obliques) and the lower abdominal area.  You want to work all three of these sections.

To work your upper abs, there is nothing better than the classic crunch.  You just need to be careful and not pull your own neck when performing these.  Your abs themselves should be handling moving your body.  You can see how to perform a proper crunch here:  How to do a perfect crunch  When you are a little more advanced, you can perform a crunch on a swiss ball or use weighted resistance as well (by holding a weight plate behind your head).

To work your obliques, you can do what is called a Side Bend.  For your lower abs, perform a Leg Raise  When you are more advanced with these you can switch to a hanging leg raise (same movement, you are simply hanging vertical from a pull up bar).

Follow what I gave you in the last article, along with these exercises and you will be on your way to a six pack in no time!

How To Get Six Pack Abs

Virtually everyone wants a six pack.  Six pack abs are probably the most common thing people will think of when they think of what it means to be in shape.  Before I get into any specific exercises one needs to do in order to get a six pack, I need to clear up some misunderstandings most people have.

1.  There is no such thing as spot reduction.  You can’t get rid of fat in a certain area by doing exercises for that area.  Most people still believe if you want to get rid of fat on your stomach, you have to do exercises for your stomach.  This is completely untrue.  Any exercise you do will remove fat from your entire body, but your body has certain areas where it stores the fat the most.  Simply doing crunches won’t target fat from that area.

2.  In order to lose weight to become lean enough to see your abdominal muscles you need to take in less calories.  You can do all the exercises in the world, but if you are taking in more calories than you need, you still won’t see your six pack because it will be covered in a layer of fat.  You have to reduce the amount of calories you are taking in everyday so you become more lean.  I don’t recommend drinking any at all, but just by cutting out 1 Pepsi a day, you can lose about 15lbs in a year.

3.  Working big muscle groups builds the most muscle, which in turn burns the most calories.  If you had to choose between doing squats or crunches to become lean, squats would win without question.  Doing compound exercises (squats, deadlift, bench press, pull ups, etc) will work multiple muscle groups at the same time and build the most muscle.  Muscle is a fat burning material, the more you have, the more fat you burn all day, even when you aren’t even exercising.

4.  Change your cardio.  Instead of doing low intensity exercise like walking on a treadmill for hours, switch to The Tabata Method.  This type of exercise will not only get you into better shape in much less time, but it’s not as boring and has other benefits like increasing your growth hormone production.

Next time I will get into specific exercises one can use to build up the muscles in the abdominal area.

Slow Weight Lifting for Fast Results

Have you stopped growing and making improvements during your workouts?  I have been doing something different over the last month and I have already seen results.  In fact, my chest is sore today from my workout yesterday!

What is this big secret that helps overcome plateaus?  Lift weights slowly!  Instead of burning through all of your sessions as quickly as possible, perhaps even using bad form, slow the movement down.  You will not be able to lift as heavy of a weight, but so what if it is helping you grow.

This is a simple change to make.  Using Bench Press as an example you will want to take 7 or 8 seconds to press the barbell up, then lower it over 7 or 8 seconds (this can be done with any exercise).  Not only does this allow you to use perfect form (and prevent injuries), but this puts your muscles under tension for a longer period of time, forcing you to fight gravity the whole way.  You want to aim for 8 – 12 reps.  Lower or increase your weight until you are within this range.

Do not cheat!  We are not talking about counting to 8 as quickly as you can, but a real 8 seconds period.  Another advantage of this type of training is it doesn’t allow you to cheat using momentum.  A lot of people will use a heavy weight and just swing it with the help of their entire body (this happens a lot with bicep curls).  It is called a bicep curl for a reason, you are supposed to be using your biceps (only) for the movement.

Try this method for the next 3 months and see the dramatic results!

The Tabata Method

If you are tired of wasting endless hours running on a treadmill or any other type of boring cardiovascular training I would highly suggest the Tabata method.

The Tabata method is named after its creator, Dr. Tabata, for the purpose of training Japanese Olympic athletes.  This method of exercise not only burns fat and increases your VO2max, it also helps your body produce more growth hormone (essentially the hormone that makes you young).  The bodies production of growth hormone drops like a rock starting at 30, making this type of exercise that much more important.

Here is the real kicker; not only is the Tabata method better for you than traditional cardio training, it takes less time!  Tabata is all about intensity, not time.  Just do a 3-5 minute warm up and you are ready to go.

You can use any type of exercise for Tabata training you want really (sprinting, kettlebells, etc.).  As an example I am going to use sprinting.  For 20 seconds you are going to run a sprint, then follow that with 10 seconds of rest.  Repeat that 7 more times and you are finished with 1 Tabata round.  It may not sound like much, but trust me, 4 minutes of Tabata training is HARD.

You can do this type of training between 3-5 times a week depending on your goals and what you are training for (everyday Joe or a serious athlete).

Example of multiple rounds:
Round 1:
1. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
2. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
3. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
4. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
5. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
6. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
7. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest
8. Sprint 20 seconds, 10 seconds of rest

End of round 1, take 1 minute break then start round 2.

*As a beginner you may not even be able to do the 8 sprints required for round 1.  That’s okay, just do what you can depending on your fitness level.  Start with just 2 sets of sprints, instead of 8 and build from there.  And again, instead of doing sprints you can substitute anything you want.  Do 20 seconds of push ups or squats or you can even mix them and alternate each of your 8 intervals.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)