Quick Simple Bootcamp Ideas

Planning bootcamp sessions can be quite difficult. A set of simple bootcamp ideas can be quite useful for when you do not have a lot of time to spend planning. Below is a bootcamp idea tip for every day of the week. It should help you pop together a workout in the knick of time.

1. Boxing Gloves Really Help

Take out the boxing gloves or have the client bring a pair. Mix approximately ten boxing drills and do each one for about two minutes with one minute rest between the intervals.

2. Take Some Time For A Session Of Sprinting

The simplest way to do a session of sprinting for a group of people with different fitness levels is to use interval training. There are easy bootcamp ideas that can help.

3. For A Points Challenge Workout, Run A Repetition

Try a contest for motivation like a hill run challenge. Divide your group into two different teams. Each group should try to run up as many hills as is possible during a given time period. Give points according to the varied gradients and hill length's. The group that end with the most points is the winner.

You also could set a goal for a certain amount of points and the first team to get this number is the winner.

4. Try Time Trials

-Establish a course for a running track
-Send off the group and keep track of times
-Alternatively, go to a track and have the group alternate between different running distances
-If the group you have is large, make one half of the group work out and core strength train while the other half runs

5. Establish a Large Relay

Set three stations a certain distance apart and divide the group into teams of four clients. The groups run to each station in relay form. The groups that are waiting to be tagged should do a certain exercise at each station.

6. Back To Basics

The four main parts of a good body strength workout is core, pull, push, and legs. Do as many different exercises as possible and put them in little and big circuits. Look for quality repetitions, not quantity. These exercises are likely to hurt for days after they are done.

7. Large Circuits

-Establish stations that are the same number as half your group
-Move the group in pairs around the circuit
-Lessen the interval and take a rest each round to make the intensity greater
-Alternate exercises for the whole body with easy one for high motivation

I hope this helps you plan your next bootcamp workout.


Kyle is an Australian Certified Personal Trainer. For more information on some of the techniques in this article be sure to check out Bootcamp Ideas for dozens of simple bootcamp workouts.

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5 Ways to Promote Fitness Boot Camp Workouts in the Summer

Get ready for the second hottest time of the year to be running fitness boot camp workouts (second only to the New Year's fat loss resolution rush). By using these holiday marketing strategies, you'll be guaranteed full bootcamps and be able to make big money teaching your favorite bodyweight workouts.

Your first bootcamp promotion opportunity is Memorial Day. The great thing is that you should start marketing Memorial Day fitness long before the holiday even comes up.

First, you can start 12 or 16 weeks before the holiday as our friend Alwyn Cosgrove does. He always remembers to mention the "countdown to the unofficial start of summer" in his emails starting in February. This is a great tie-in to connect both the New Year's resolution crowd that might be running out of steam to another important holiday that demands them to re-evaluate their fitness program.

Second, you can celebrate the actual holiday with a promo. No fancy build-up needed, just a great reason to celebrate. Have a Memorial Day Special where new clients get the week free in your fitness bootcamp, but also reward current members with special treats.

Third, you can always hit your list with an email the day after, mentioning the guilt they are feeling after the weekend holiday hot-dog binge at the family picnic. Your prospects will be looking to atone for their diet sins and make sure they are in shape for the next major holiday (i.e. July 4th in the USA).

Your second fitness boot camp workout promotion opportunity is the first day of summer. This is a great time to hit your prospects with a "Time for Change" promotion and mention that it is getting close to "last chance" for people to change their bodies before the end of the summer.

Your third bootcamp promotion opportunity is the July 4th holiday. You can do promotions simply "because" in honor of the holiday, or you can use the "summer will be over soon" message to get people serious about losing fat before Labor Day.

And now here's a unique promo idea to run during the slow days of summer. Most fitness info marketers "give up" during July and August, believing that everyone is on holidays and no one will buy workout programs over the summer. Well, I disagree with that way of thinking.

In this day and age, most Americans rarely use all of their holidays anyway - not that the average worker even gets that many days off.

You can promote all types of things during the summer...such as a promo before or after you go on your own summer holiday, or simply a "Summer Break" sale for people that have gotten away from their workouts and spending too much time on the patio and need some motivation to get back on track.

And finally, you can run a Back to School/End of Summer/Labor Day promotion to get folks back to your camps after a summer away from bootcamp workouts. Last year, I had a lot of fun with a humorous email I sent out the day after Labor Day. This touch of humor tied in with the holiday led to a great day of sales. There was no special promotion, just the good use of tying in a holiday to regular communication with my list.

September is the third busiest time of the year for bootcamp workouts, and I'll be preparing a special set of holiday fitness bootcamp promotion ideas for that time of the year soon!


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Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines and will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Discover more bootcamp marketing secrets and bootcamp fitness workouts to help you make more money teaching fitness while working less than ever before. If you want a six figure income working just a few hours per day, you must check out TTBootcamps.com.

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Top 10 Boot Camp Secrets to Success

Alright guys, we've decided that it's time to give up all of our well-guarded secrets and let you in on our top 10 tricks to really make your boot camp training a success.

1. Get Started Early.

If you're one of those people that has a tendency to come up with some really great "reasons" (read: excuses) to skip out on your boot camp sessions then your best bet is to get started early in the morning. A recent study showed that people who get their training in first thing in the day are 75% more likely to stick with it and make it part of their routine.

2. Set Realistic Goals.

How many times have you had such extreme expectations of yourself that feels like you're always failing and falling short of your goals? Instead of telling yourself that you need to lose 20 lbs in the next 4 weeks, take a more "realistic approach"? that let's you feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment every time you achieve one of your goals. Remember, even though boot camp training is intense and can burn over 800 calories (seriously) in a session, you still need to set out milestones that can be reasonably reached and even exceeded. Make your boot camp training goals S.M.A.R.T.: Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

3. Get Enough Sleep.

If you're doing an early-morning boot camp session, it's important that you get a decent night's rest before you start training. Staying up late and then loading up on caffeine and other stimulants in order to boost your energy is a surefire recipe for a burn-out. Try to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night and you'll see a massive increase in your boot camp training results.

4. Find A Training Partner.

Sadly, we all know how easy it can be to break promises to ourselves, but it's a lot harder to let someone else down. Joining a boot camp program with a friend means that you'll have someone to kick your butt out of bed in the morning when you're feeling lazy, and to enjoy all those chicken and steamed broccoli dinners. Which brings us to our next point...

5. Don't Sabotage Your Results By Pigging Out!

We know, sometimes you just can't turn down that piece of cake or that slice of pizza, and there's nothing wrong with the occasional "cheat meal"?, but just think of that meal as it's equivalent in burpees, pushups and crunches. Two slices of pepperoni pizza and a can of coke adds up to over 700 calories! One weekend of indulging in your cravings can wipe out an entire weeks worth of boot camp training.

6. Do Extra Cardio.

Living in a city like Victoria, we're surrounded by endless opportunities to work up a sweat while enjoying the outdoors. Kayaking, hiking, cycling, jogging, mountain biking... there are so many ways you can burn extra calories every day that don't involve staring at the wall while running on a treadmill. Boot camp will fire up your metabolism, but doing that little bit of extra cardio is like throwing gas on the fire.

7. Stay Off The Scale.

For anyone who's ever had a few extra pounds, the scale can be as addictive as it is terrifying. And when you're trying to lose weight, seeing that dreaded number creeping downwards can be a major source of motivation. However, what most people don't realize is that your weight fluctuates by up to 5 lbs every day depending on how much water you've had, eating too much salt, hormonal changes or even going to the bathroom! Our advice is to only weigh yourself once every four weeks, and have faith that your boot camp training (combined with all these other tips!) is going to deliver.

8. Keep A Training Journal.

By tracking your efforts, you've automatically added a level of accountability to your boot camp training that's guaranteed to improve your results. Use a medium-sized spiral bound notebook and keep track of your boot camp sessions, extra cardio training, and nutrition and water intake.

9. Drink More Water!

Get up right now and go drink a glass of water. Seriously. Chances are you're probably not drinking enough, and it's almost impossible to drink too much. Staying hydrated will keep your energy levels high, and will increase your strength and endurance by up to 20%. Don't believe us? Try not watering your plants for a few days and see how happy and healthy they look.

10. Be Consistent.

Showing up only once or twice a week to boot camp is going to get you very minimal, if any, results. If you haven' been active in a long time, it can take the body anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks (depending on age and other factors) to adjust to the new stresses your placing on it with your boot camp training. Make the effort to be there every day and we guarantee you'll see the stomach-flattening, thigh-toning, butt-firming and body-sculpting results you're looking for!

Alright guys and gals, there it is. Take these tips and combine it with any of our boot camp fitness programs here in Victoria and we guarantee you'll see amazing results!


Brian MacKay is co-owner of Aura Fitness [http://www.aurafitness.ca] and a certified health and fitness specialist. He has personally lost 100 lbs and now shares his fitness and weight loss training techniques through his personal training and boot camp programs. Click here to check out Aura Fitness boot camp in Victoria, BC [http://www.aurafitness.ca/bootcamp/bootcamp.html].

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The 10 Best Arm Building Exercises for Beginning Bodybuilders

Everybody has fun with "Top 10" lists, and they sometimes contain information that you can actually use to improve your life or achieve a personal goal. If you're serious about building big, muscular arms, then this is the list for you! But before I give you my Top 10 list for arm-building success, let me explain my selection criteria.

First, the exercises on this list are simple and for beginners who need to start with a solid foundation in arm-building fundamentals in order to achieve long-term success from their biceps, triceps and forearm workouts. Though I've said that these exercises are simple, this does not mean that they're easy. Their simplicity lies in the intuitive benefits that come from each arm-building movement and the fact that you can do these exercises with a minimal time commitment. Getting the most from these exercises will still require careful attention to training technique and workout variety - the 2 keys to arm-building success that are not always easy for beginning bodybuilders.

In my experience, you're a beginner if you've been training your arms once or twice per week for 6 months or less. You're also a beginner if you been trying to build your arms for more than 6 months with exercises other than those provided on my list. Why? Because if you haven't mastered the arm-building exercises listed in my Top 10, you're not ready for the intermediate or advanced workout methods that you'll eventually need to build truly Awesome Arms.

Second, to make my Top 10 list, the equipment needed for each arm-building exercise must be universally available. That means that you can do all of these exercises with dumbbells, an EZ-curl bar and a basic workout bench which you can find in any gym or health club. You can also do these exercises at home with a very small investment in this equipment for your home gym. There's no need for fancy machines or trendy gimmicks here.

Finally, each of my Top 10 arm-building exercises will help you to simultaneously build mass, shape and power in your biceps, triceps and forearms. These muscle areas are directly targeted during each exercise to maximize growth and efficiency from your workouts.

Now that I've told you how I came up with my list, here are the Top 10 exercises for building the big, muscular arms that you desire! They're not listed in any particular order, so there's no reason to think that one particular exercise is better than another. You must decide what works best for you through experimentation with each exercise. But rest assured that any arm-building program that includes all of these exercises will definitely add inches, symmetry and power to your biceps, triceps and forearms.

1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls

The EZ bar preacher curl is one of my all time favorite biceps exercises. The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Unlike standing barbell curls which usually involve biceps-cheating torso swing, preacher curls keep your arms at an angle that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ curl bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. When you use the narrow grip, your hands are in a semi-neutral position and therefore increase involvement of the brachioradialis in the curling motion. If you have no experience with preacher curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position.

As you become more experienced with this exercise you should move to the wider grip as it forces supination or a "palms up" positioning of your hands. Since the biceps function primarily as a hand-supinator, the more you supinate your hands the more resistance you will place on your biceps. If you've got the potential to build biceps peaks, EZ bar preacher curls will certainly tap that potential.

2. Dumbbell Preacher Curls

The dumbbell preacher curl is another one of my favorite biceps builders. This exercise really allows you to make the mind-body connection so essential to arm-building success. While many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a "shaper" during pre-contest training, the dumbbell preacher curl also works as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, this exercise is the best high intensity bodybuilding movement for simultaneously adding size and shape to your biceps.

3. Dumbbell Concentration Curls

As the name suggests, this exercise places concentrated resistance on the biceps when performed properly. Besides building your biceps, this exercise also stresses and develops the brachialis. The brachialis is a true forearm flexor. It originates on the lower anterior surface of the humerus, ends on the anterior surface of the coronoid process of the ulna (the large bone on the inside of the forearm) and is visible on the outside of the upper arm between the biceps and the lateral head of the triceps. Development of the brachialis and biceps gives the front of your upper arms that thick, dense look that says "mess with me at your own risk!!"

4. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls

This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.

5. EZ Bar Triceps Extensions

This exercise, also known as "Skull crushers" is a terrific mass-builder for your triceps. For maximum growth, EZ bar triceps extensions require that you keep your upper arms in a position perpendicular (90 degrees) to the exercise bench throughout each repetition. If this position causes you any elbow strain or discomfort, you can lower the angle by moving your arms slightly forward to reduce the stress on your elbows. Don't worry - making this minor adjustment won't impede your ability to get the benefits of this exercise.

You should also place your hands in the narrow-grip position on the EZ bar which, when combined with proper arm position, ensures that each triceps head receives maximum resistance throughout the exercise motion. Lower and extend the weight in a smooth, continuous motion without jerking or swinging the bar with your back or shoulders. When done correctly, you can't beat EZ bar triceps extensions for building big, muscular triceps.

6. Triceps Pushups

You're probably familiar with standard pushups which are performed with your arms in a shoulder width position. While standard pushups involve the triceps, chest and shoulders in the "pushing" motion, triceps pushups are designed to minimize chest and shoulder involvement so as to maximize training resistance on the triceps. This exercise is deceptively simple in that it appears to the untrained eye as just another pushup. But like every exercise on my Top 10 list, technique is extremely important and proper hand position determines whether these pushups will add muscular inches to your triceps.

For proper performance, take a standard pushup position with your hands and arms extended and shoulder-width apart. Then slide your hands closer together until your thumbs nearly touch each other. This is the starting position. With your hands in this position, slowly lower your arms underneath you and then push yourself back up to the starting position as you would with regular pushups. Make sure that you keep your back straight and your head up for maximum resistance on your triceps. As you extend your arms, concentrate mentally on maintaining proper form and technique with each repetition. For added resistance or pyramid cycles, have a training buddy gently place a 5-10 pound barbell plate on your back to force your triceps to work harder and build greater mass.

7. Seated Triceps Dips

Seated triceps dips are another terrific triceps builder, yet I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen anyone doing them in the gym. Maybe people ignore them because, like triceps pushups, they look too simple to do any good. Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and seated triceps dips have certainly added considerable power and density to my triceps.

To do this exercise, sit on a workout bench with your legs together and extended on the floor in front of you. Your arms should be fully extended and shoulder-width apart behind you. Slide your body slightly forward to suspend yourself so that your arms are bearing your bodyweight between the bench and the floor. With your arms extended, lower yourself as though to sit on the floor and then push yourself back up by extending your arms and returning to the starting position. This exercise, when performed properly, will add tremendous power, shape and definition to your triceps - guaranteed!

8. Single-Arm Triceps Extension

The single-arm triceps extension, also known as the "French dumbbell press" is a triceps-builder that I recommend primarily as a shaping movement. Although it is possible to build mass with this exercise, the over-head arm position may prevent you from using sufficient weight to generate the type of power and mass-building potential available from Skull crushers and triceps pushups. You should experiment with this exercise and use it in a manner that gives you the best results. But remember, I do not recommend using heavy weight with this movement because of the risk of shoulder injury. Consistent use of light-to-moderate weight will provide the best results from this triceps builder.

9. Reverse-Grip EZ Bar Curls

This exercise puts primary stress on the brachioradialis and extensor muscles of the dorsal or outer surface of your forearms. Since your hands are pronated in the narrow-grip position, your wrists are extended which forces involvement of the extensor carpi radialis and extensor carpi ulnaris. This pronated or "palms down" positioning of the hands also takes the biceps out of this exercise, which isolates the brachioradialis as the primary forearm flexor. If you're serious about building big, muscular forearms, reverse-grip EZ bar curls are a good first step.

10. Wrist Curls

Wrist curls work to develop the two large muscles on the inside portion of the anterior surface of the forearm. These muscles, the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi radialis, are the wrist flexors and combine to form a thick, muscular region from the elbow to the lower forearm. While these muscles do considerable work during your biceps curling movements, wrist curls isolate these flexors so as to maximize resistance on this section of your forearms. If you want to add thickness and power to your inner forearms, heavy wrist curls will do the job.

So, there you have it - my Top 10 list of arm-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise. You'll be very happy with the results!


Mark G. Winston, "The Master Gunslinger," is author of the ground-breaking training manual, "GO For Your GUNS – 7 Simple Secrets to AWESOME ARMS.” He has also created GOforyourGUNS.com, a bodybuilding and fitness website dedicated entirely to helping you build big, muscular arms. The book will be available in September 2007 and jammed with workouts and training techniques to help you build the big, muscular arms that you deserve! To learn about the GO For Your GUNS bodybuilding system and get free arm training tips that really work, visit [http://www.GOforyourGUNS.com]

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Best Bicep Exercises - Blast Your Arms With This Simple Tip

The biceps are the one of the most important muscles in the body. The look of your biceps shows whether your workout plan is really working or not. It is also a factor of masculinity. For the pros, biceps are the parts that are mostly flexed and flaunted in competitions. There are many exercises that can help put the bicep in good shape, but the best bicep exercises get the result faster. Here are a few things to know about the best exercises for your biceps.

They target the whole upper body

If you want to build your biceps, you don't necessarily have to do exercises that target these muscles directly. In fact, many professionals and coaches will tell you that you don't need to more than two exercises that target the biceps directly. The best bicep exercises target the whole upper body. Those workout plans that put too much pressure on the biceps end up destroying what they intend to build.

They stimulate the muscles

What the biceps need to grow and be in shape is the right stimulation. Only the most effective exercises for your biceps will provide the needed stimulation.

They produce results in two ways

The best bicep exercise should be able to make the biceps grow in size. The shape of biceps is greatly enhanced by their size. It is very difficult to put small biceps in the desired shape. But size without shape is equally bad. For that matter, good bicep exercises should be able to put the muscles in great shape.

Curls are among the best bicep exercises

If you take your time to read a few articles about how to build biceps, you will realize that the exercises that top the list are curls: dumbbell curls and barbell curls. These are two most important biceps exercises that people who are serious about their biceps cannot avoid. Fortunately, these are exercises that are not difficult to do at all.

They don't lead to injury

This is very important. It is easy to damage your muscles if you do the wrong exercise. Damaged muscles can take time to heal. That is why you must avoid the very complicated exercises when looking for good bicep exercises. You should be able to tell which effect is tolerable and which is not. You've heard of no pain no gain, but if the pain is too much, then the exercise is not good.


Follow these tips to achieve the best bicep exercises. If you're serious about getting huge biceps in the least amount of time, without resorting to dangerous supplements, then check out this simple tip.

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Best Bicep Workout For Ripped Biceps

Large bicep muscles are quite possibly the most coveted body parts of most weight lifters. One reason that big biceps are so prized is that they are one of the first muscles people notice when they look at you. If you have larger than normal biceps you are almost virtually guaranteed to get a whole lot of attention. Unless you frequently wear a sweater or coat, your biceps are usually visible to just about everyone.

Because building your bicep muscles is so important, I've put together a brief description of what constitutes a good bicep workout.

A good place to start is with compound exercises, which is simply any exercise that uses more than one joint at a time. By utilizing more than a single joint at a time many of your muscle fibers will be activated. Activation of multiple muscle fibers at once generally means substantial growth for your biceps. A very easy compound exercise is pull ups which you can do at just about any gym.

You maximum bicep size really depends mostly on your body type and frame. If, for example, you weight 160 pounds it is very unlikely that you will ever be able to develop 18 or 19 inch biceps. In other words, when you are trying to develop big bicep muscles you need to be somewhat realistic in your approach. Even if you are blessed with a large frame, it's not likely that you will ever be able to exceed 19 inches in bicep size. Bear this in mind as you build your bicep muscles.

Yet another key to developing huge, impressive biceps is to simply lower your body fat percentage. Body fat percentage is normally a function of regular aerobic exercise and proper diet. You should usually spend around 90 to 120 minutes per week engaging in some kind of aerobic exercise. However, you should never spend more than 25 minutes per day in aerobic exercise as this could lead to a loss in lean muscle.

A common misconception among people new to weight training is the assumption that if you do more sets you will create more muscle faster. In reality, if you perform too many sets at one time you may actually cause your muscle tissue to deteriorate. If you are doing heavy weights, you should never do more than 6 sets at a time and, if you are doing low intensity weights, you should never do more than 10 sets at a time.


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Gaining Lost Muscle Back - Some Myths Revealed!

Gaining lost muscle back is not really a difficult task! Many people believe they have to start all over, this is not true! There are a lots of ridiculous rumors out there. Here are some areas we will touch on to help reveal the truth about muscle lose muscle pump, muscle memory, and how muscle rebuilds faster! Do not believe people who say it will take twice as long to gain your muscle back. Gaining muscle back is actually easier. Lets see why the lost muscle myth throws people through a loop.

Have you ever noticed after lifting weights your muscles increase in size almost immediately, you probably have. This is due to muscular pump you will look almost twice your size while lifting this feeling can be really awesome. Then after a few hours you notice your back to your regular size, what a bummer. This is what happens you have water retention and blood filling your muscle tissues to make the changes.

Your muscle is actually reacting to the work that you are doing by filling it with water and blood to gain the proper energy needed to lift the weight. This is a reaction process that is needed to build proper muscle. You will get a muscle pump every time you lift, so keep lifting!

Lets look at muscle memory now...

Consider when you first started lifting weights and noticed the results. Your body actually recognizes how much you used to lift. Think about this for a second before you started lifting you never used the workloads (weight lifted) you use now, right? It's true your muscles were never exposed to the weight you lift now. The muscles hold a memory with the amount of weight you can lift at your current training ability.

You need to remember to take it slow for a few weeks or even months to gain some lost muscle back. You will however notice it will take you way less time to gain your muscle mass back! Lets use an example you where benching 200 pounds 8 times before you stopped benching a month ago. You start training again after the break and now after two weeks you can lift 200 pounds 10 times how am I stronger now?

I will show you why...

Lets face it weight training can be really exhausting and hard on your body. Giving your self time to repair is not a bad thing! When you are not lifting you are repairing, keep this in mind. Weight training breaks muscle down while you are lifting that is another reason why your muscles get such a pump. Again, it is a reaction from your body. From time to time you need rest to repair what you broke down makes sense right. That is why when you do not lift for awhile you come back to it and finding yourself stronger. When gaining lost muscle back you are definitely not at square one.


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What Is the Best Workout Routine to Build Muscle? Find Out Right Now!

I will try to answer this question in this article. Obviously everybody is different and what works for someone, might not necessarily work for someone else. But then again, we are all human beings and the general principles of muscle building should work for most people.

When you read bodybuilding magazines, then every now and then, there is an article of the best workout routine to build muscle. 99% of the stuff you read from magazines is just garbage. How is it possible that after decades, there is still some "new" workout that has not been discovered yet? Most people get caught up by the "new" workouts, supplements, science, that are not very helpful. The key is to do what works, even if it contradicts the "science" of muscle building.

The best workout routine to build muscle has to have high reps, a lot of sets and short rest periods. If you want to gain strength, then you should do exercises with low reps, less sets and longer rest periods, but building muscle is different from strength training.

Most people who have exercised for a few months or even a few years think they know everything, but they don`t. When someone reaches a plateau, then rarely does anyone try something totally different. Too many people listen to what others are saying and not what their body is telling.

One of the best looking bodybuilders, who achieved his success naturally, was Serge Nubret. And his training principles were radically different from what the "science" was saying. For example, when he did squats, then he used very light weights, he did 12 reps for 7-8 sets and his rest periods for squats were maximum of 2 minutes. He used this kind of a workout routine for all muscle groups and it works incredibly.

The ego of most people is too big, so they have to use weights they can`t handle and wonder why they are not making any gains. If you are having trouble to build your legs for example, then try to do squats for 12 reps for 8 sets with a 2 minute rest between sets. I will guarantee your legs will grow like mad. Or if you are having trouble building your chest. Try to do bench press for 12 reps for 8 sets with 1 minute rest period. Such a workout routine, is the best workout routine to build muscle.


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Big Muscles Now - Gaining Weight in 30 Days

Can you imagine what you would look like with more weight and more muscle in only 30 days? It can actually be done. You can gain a lot of weight if you commit to 30 days of following the tips listed below.

1. Eat, eat, eat!

5-6 meals a day for 30 days. Every meal should contain protein as the main source. Eggs, chicken, beef, fish - pick one of these for breakfast, pick one for lunch, and pick one for dinner. Then add whatever carbs you like: rice, pastas, bread, and so forth to add in the calories you'll need to gain weight.

Protein shakes: You want to drink down 2 or 3 of these in between your 3 main meals. If you are a truly hard gainer, and have trouble packing on weight no matter what you seem to eat, then here's a trick: Make your protein shakes with ice cream. Pack a few scoops of ice cream into the blender along with your protein scoops, and 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter. You can get 800-1000 or more calories off just one of these shakes, so even for the hardest gainer, you will pack on weight.

2. How to train.

You want to focus on the movements that are best known to create size, thus create weight gain. Doing wrist curls are not going to promote massive weight gain. Neither are bicep curls. You have to do the big daddy's like squats, deadlifts, weighted chin ups or pull ups, dips and so forth. These are the tried and true exercises that will create a bigger you quickly and very effectively.

3. What kind of program to follow.

There are all kinds of programs to follow from high repetition training to low rep training. Each have their merits (for instance 20 rep squat training is very effective for weight gain, while many low reps on other exercises are effective as well.) The most important thing to look for in a good muscle building/weight gain program, is whether or not the program focuses on the big exercises mentioned above. If they just recommend doing bicep curls and calf raises every workout then it's safe to say you're not going to gain much weight off of that program. You want a muscle building program that is set up for you to start right away and start making muscle gains immediately, using the tried and true exercises that create weight gain.


Check out these before and after pics from trainees who followed this muscle gaining program - http://gaining-muscle.blogspot.com/

The Muscle Gain Truth routine has everything you need for packing on massive muscle. Simply follow the routine and you're on your way to a bigger you in only weeks - http://gaining-muscle.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chess_McDoogle

Hitting Biceps and Triceps Twice Per Week For Optimal Gains

If you're a competitive bodybuilder, then a pair of killer arms are essential for making your mark in any competition you enter. If you're just a beach bodybuilder, a set of well developed biceps and triceps is very much needed to make acquaintance with the fairer gender in your travels. If you're just a regular guy trying to make a statement at work or anywhere, a pair of powerful arms is a prerequisite for getting noticed. Heck, is there any place when having an amazing set of arms isn't a distinct advantage?

If your arms aren't where you want them to be - and whose are? - then you may want to consider giving them a little extra attention. Sure, this is the point where a trainer will yell at you to "train harder" and "push it to the max" and other cheesy catch phrases. If you're a hard working trainer, then you're probably already doing that. It's likely that you're giving your arms everything you have on their training day.

There's your limitation. Your training "day". You are training one day a week for your arms, just like all of your other muscle groups. There is the key to making better gains for this particular muscle group in particular - you need to train them more. You need to 'find' another day to hit your arms.

The easiest split is the common sense split. Chest & Triceps will be trained on Monday. Back & Biceps will be targeted on Tuesday. Wednesday is shoulder day. Thursday you hit your legs. Then Friday is arm day - AGAIN. On Friday, you train arms alone, to their greatest potential, then you drop the weight and you don't tough them again until Monday.

Since you will be hitting the triceps & biceps in a secondary role on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, you will want to avoid going too heavy for them on this training day. Use lower weight, with higher repetition. They won't be worth much in terms of control and balance of weight, since they've been torched with the heavy chest and back work already. Instead you should keep your repetitions in the 8 to 15 range, and use lots of sets.

Once the heavy day rolls around, it's time to get to work. Friday is "Lift heavy arm day" and nothing more. Use a rep range of 5 to 10 repetitions, and let the weight go heavy, as you have all weekend to heal.

Hitting the arms twice a week gives them 104 mini 'growth cycles' to enjoy each year - and the feeling you'll enjoy with bigger arms at the beach, bedroom, or bodybuilding stage will be indescribable!


If you want to get in the best shape of your life - you need to check out Primal Muscle. There you will find the hottest training strategies, nutrition tips, diet plans, and even custom workouts... plus you will have access to world-class sports supplements that will help you reach your goals fast... don't delay - visit the Primal Muscle Training Blog today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dane_C._Fletcher

The Eight-Week Ultimate Mass Building Routine

For many, the allure of possessing big, brawny muscles is the overriding reason that they train with weights. Unfortunately, for most, the quest to achieve a massive physique is an elusive goal. Only a precious few actually make substantial gains in muscular size, and many simply give up in frustration.

Without question, individual genetics will affect a person's propensity to bulk up. Factors such as the percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers, the length of muscle bellies and androgen-to-estrogen hormonal ratios all influence the amount of muscle that one can ultimately accrue. However, while these factors may limit upward potential, virtually everyone has the capacity to develop a strong, muscular physique provided they utilize a proper training approach.

Fortunately, if you have the desire, this article will show you how to do just that! By following the program described herein, muscular gains are all but guaranteed. Be prepared, though, to push your body to the limit-past where you may have previously thought possible. It won't be easy, but the rewards will be well worth it!

Exercises

As opposed to a traditional "split routine", this program employs a total body approach to training. Total body training works all of your major muscle groups during a session, shocking them into muscular growth. To best accomplish this task, compound movements should be used whenever possible. A compound movement is an exercise that involves more than one joint in the performance of the move. Examples include squats, bench presses and deadlifts. Due to their multi-joint nature, these movements not only work your target muscles, but also incorporate the use of stabilizer muscles, which assist your primary muscle movers in the performance of a lift. The net result is an enhanced development of your musculature and connective tissue, producing a thick, dense physique.

Since each bodypart is trained several times per week, it is imperative to keep the total volume of exercise down to a minimum. In a strength-based routine, performing an abundance of different movements can quickly lead to overtraining-a sure way to diminish results. Consequently, only one exercise should be employed for each muscle group per session-except for the biceps and triceps, which shouldn't be trained at all. By utilizing multi-joint movements, your arms receive a substantial amount of ancillary work during back, chest and shoulder training. Thus, in the context of this routine, performing specific exercises for the arms is unnecessary and even counterproductive.

Reps and Sets

If you want to get big, you've got to train heavy-there's simply no way around it. This entails training in a low to moderate rep range using as much weight as you can possibly handle. The goal here is to stimulate your fast-twitch muscle fibers-the ones that have the greatest potential for growth. These fibers are activated during intense, short-term activities. Generally, a range of six to ten reps per set is ideal for inducing fast-twitch recruitment. When you are able to perform more than ten reps with a given poundage, increase the amount of weight so that you stay within the target range.

However, while heavy lifting is a prerequisite to building mass, it mustn't compromise exercise form or function. It is imperative to perform each repetition in a smooth, controlled manner, focusing on the target muscle throughout the set. The concentric (positive) portion of your reps should be executed explosively, without using momentum to complete lift. Alternatively, reps should be performed more slowly on the eccentric (negative) phase, resisting the force of gravity on the descent. Above all, don't get sloppy just to complete another rep-this will only lead to injury and set back your progress. If you can't finish your set within the prescribed rep range, the weight is too heavy! Resist the temptation to let your ego get in the way of results and reduce the amount of weight to a manageable level.

Before each exercise, it is beneficial to perform a light warm-up set, choosing a weight that easily allows you to complete fifteen reps. A warm-up is essential to circulate blood into the area being trained, improving your range of motion and reducing the possibility of injury. Feel a stretch at the beginning of the move and focus on establishing a groove that can be transferred to your working sets. After completing your warm-up, perform three working sets of the movement, going immediately to your heaviest poundage.

Between sets, rest for approximately two minutes or as long as necessary for your heart rate to return to resting levels. Don't turn a strength workout into an endurance event: doing so will compromise your training capacity and cause you to fall short of your ultimate goal. Only when you feel strong and are able to give it your all should you begin your next set.

Intensity

In order to maximize growth, your muscles must be stressed beyond their physical capacity. By nature, the human body strives to maintain stability-a phenomenon called homeostasis. If your training intensity doesn't sufficiently tax your resources, there won't be enough of a stimulus to force your body from its homeostatic state. Only by progressively overloading your muscles will it be compelled to produce an adaptive response and grow beyond its normal potential.

In exercise performance, the intensity of your effort must be great enough to exceed your body's work threshold. To accomplish this, you need to take each set to the point of momentary muscular failure-the point at which you are physically unable to perform another rep. Make sure, though, that your mind isn't giving up before your body. The extreme discomfort associated with intense training can cause an individual to quit before muscular failure actually is reached. To achieve optimal results, you must push past the pain threshold and completely fatigue your target muscles.

An excellent way to generate increased intensity is by the selective use of forced repetitions. Forced reps allow you to go "past" failure, taking your body as far as it can go. The only caveat is that you need the assistance of a spotter. When you reach the point of muscular failure, have the spotter gently help you to pump out an extra rep or two. A word of caution: It's important to limit the amount of forced reps to two per set-any more, and your partner will be doing most of the work. Further, reserve this technique for the final set of an exercise. Forced reps are extremely demanding and, when overused, can easily lead to an overtrained state.

Frequency

Contrary to popular belief, weight training doesn't build your muscles-it breaks them down. Intense anaerobic exercise places tremendous demands on your body, resulting in a catabolism of muscle tissue, depletion of glycogen reserves, production of free-radicals and overall fatigue of your entire neuromuscular system. Adaptations to these stresses take place during rest. Provided that you have trained hard enough to stimulate muscular gains, your body will use the recovery period to repair, replenish and regenerate itself, growing bigger and stronger in the process.

All too often, people mistakenly subscribe to the theory that if a little bit is good more must be better. They go to the gym and pound their body on a daily basis, never taking a day off. Don't fall into this trap! The accrual of muscular mass is your body's way of preparing to cope with future high-intensity stresses. By shortchanging recuperation, your body never has the chance to adequately recover from the extreme demands being placed on it. Inevitably, you will become grossly overtrained and muscular growth will be brought to a grinding halt. With respect to weight training, less can be more!

Although everyone has varying recuperative abilities, a period of 48 to 72 hours is usually required for adequate recovery. This constitutes the approximate amount of time necessary for replenishment of your energy reserves. Accordingly, it is best to train on three, non-consecutive days per week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, etc), reserving your off-days for light, relaxed activities. In addition, try to get as much sleep as possible. During sleep, your growth hormone levels are at their highest, maximizing the potential for growth.

Suggested Routine

The following exercises are ideal for use in this routine. Perform them in the order listed, starting with the upper body movements and then proceeding to the ones for your lower body. For alternative exercises and a complete listing of the program's protocols, see the corresponding sidebar.

Barbell Upright Row: Begin by taking a shoulder-width, overhand grip on a barbell. Allow your arms to hang down from your shoulders and assume a comfortable stance with your knees slightly bent. Slowly pull the bar upward along the line of your body until it approaches your chin, keeping your elbows higher than your wrists at all times. Contract your delts and then slowly lower the bar along the same path back to the start position.

Barbell Bent Row: Stand with your body bent forward and your lower back arched. Grasp a barbell and allow it to hang straight down from your shoulders with your palms facing your body. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, pull the bar upward as high as possible. Contract the muscles in your upper back and then return the barbell back to the starting position.

Incline Dumbbell Press: Begin by lying face up on an incline bench set at approximately 30 to 40 degrees, planting your feet firmly on the floor. Grasp two dumbbells and, with your palms facing away from your body, bring them to shoulder level so that they rest just above your armpits. Simultaneously press both dumbbells directly over your chest, moving them in toward each other on the ascent. At the finish of the movement, the sides of the dumbbells should gently touch together. Feel a contraction in your chest muscles at the top of the movement and then reverse direction, returning to the starting position.

Squat: Begin by resting a straight bar high on the back of your neck. Assume a shoulder-width stance, grasping the bar with both hands. Slowly lower your body until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Your lower back should be slightly arched and your heels should stay in contact with the floor at all times. When you reach a "seated" position, reverse direction by straightening your legs and return to the start position.

Stiff-Legged Deadlift: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp a straight bar and let it hang in front of your body. Keeping your knees straight, slowly bend forward at the waist and lower and lower the barbell down until you feel an intense stretch in your hamstrings. Then, reverse direction, contracting your glutes as you rise upward to the starting position.

Standing Calf Raise: Begin by placing your shoulders on the restraint pad of a standing calf machine. Place the balls of your feet on the footplate and allow your heels to drop as far below your toes as possible. Slowly rise up as high as you can onto your toes until your calves are fully flexed. Contract your calves and then reverse direction, returning to the start position.


Brad Schoenfeld, CSCS, is an internationally recognized fitness expert, author and educator. He has been featured in hundreds of television and radio programs, as well as countless magazines and newspapers. He is a columnist for Fitness Rx magazine, and the author of seven fitness books, including the bestsellers Sculpting Her Body Perfect and 28 Day Body Shapeover Check out his website, Look Great Naked

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brad_Schoenfeld

Best Training Frequency for Each Muscle Group For Mass Building

The training frequency for each muscle group depends quite a bit on what style of workout program you are following. There are many different ways to structure a workout program, even if your going after the same goal such as mass building or bodybuilding. The frequency can change based on the program you have selected. High-volume weight training programs generally cut back on training frequency.

Still mass building but using a powerlifter based approach to bodybuilding will also change the frequency. Power lifters will often train more often, since they're not doing a high-volume routine. They potentially focus on a couple target exercises for their muscle groups, and will do this a few times a week. In contrast, a bodybuilder is very focused on a specific muscle group such as their chest. Tis concentration will have them doing many high-volume exercises targeting pecs and supporting muscles. As a result, they will usually train each group just once a week. A much more infrequent schedule than a power lifter.

A training schedule that I like to work with is specifically targeted to stubborn body parts. Once you've figured out which parts of your body respond slowly to exercise, you can actually double the frequency of your training on those parts.

For example, let's assume you planned to train each of the major muscle groups once per week. If one of those groups was especially stubborn, the arms for example, you could increase the frequency of targeting that area to twice a week while every other muscle group would only be trained once in that same time period. This will enable your arms to catch up to the rest of your muscle groups.

This is a specialized routine that targets the arm, and doubling the frequency is exactly what may need to be done. It is not a long term strategy so do not over do it. After cycling through all of the major muscle groups: chest, shoulders, legs and back once a week, come back with different workouts and target the arms again. The variation between the two workouts lies in the intensity. One is high-volume, high repetitions while the other is a lower-volume using heavier weights.

What we're doing with these two training cycles is combining the high points of each one. The high-volume training supports lower muscle fibers, at the same time that it simulates the release of more growth hormone. Along with that goes the lower-volume exercises with the heavier weights. This engages the release of testosterone, while working the upper muscle fibers. As I said, combining the best of both worlds is beneficial towards getting the most development from both types of exercises.

Most bodybuilder routines train each body part once a week. For the muscle group that in not up where you would like it to be go with twice a week. Because you are only targeting a specific muscle once a week the volume will be high on that day. Each muscle group has plenty of time to recover and come back stronger the next week.


Muscle Building
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Get Ripped Abs With Just 3 Easy Ab Workout Exercises

Getting great six pack abs is much more difficult than most people think. It is not just a case of doing hundreds of situps or crunches a day. Doing hundreds of situps a day will only end up causing you to hit a plateau and you will never go any further unless you vary your training.

Plus doing endless situps or crunches will end up hurting your back and neck, which is something you do not want happening after all your hard work.

So in this article today I am going to be sharing with you 3 great exercises that you can do to vary your ab workouts and get that slim and toned stomach you have been looking for; without injuring your back and neck in the process.

1) Reverse Crunches

I have found with some of my clients that these are much more effective and much less likely to cause injury than standard crunches.

Start off by lying on the floor with your legs straight in the air. Now bend your knees and bring your legs into your chest, and out again to being straight. That is one rep. For a beginner this will be difficult but over time you will find your legs and stomach become much stronger.

2) Swiss Ball Crunches

Now I know I said at the beginning that you need to vary from crunches and now I am saying do them again. The big difference between doing it on a swiss ball is that the risk of injury to your back and neck is gone. In fact on the swiss ball your back muscles will be engaged and you will exercise those and your abs as well.

3) Leg Raises

With this one you lie on your back with your feet out straight on the floor as well. Now raise your legs about 1 foot off the ground and leave them there for around 10 seconds. Then lower them again. This is one rep.


Why not get a free bodyweight exercise program from the guys over at lancetraining? Or read this post on the best bodyweight workouts you can do.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andreas_Y_James

50 Cent Workout Routine - Get Ripped Abs and a Fit Body at Home!

Are you trying to be physically fit like 50 cent? It would be great to have physical abs that are top-notch, and you can get them today! You can get the abs and every other muscle in the body fit as well.

Here are some workouts without expensive personal training

To get the abs, you want to make sure that you are training your cardiovascular, eating great, and burning fat - otherwise your abs will not show for it.

Now if you are dieting and exercising cardiovascular, you ultimately want to do these following exercises.

Weight Overhead Plate Sit-ups

Find a place to put your feet so you can do sit-ups, usually under a bench or have someone stand on your feet. Now get a plate weight, that you rack on the bench press. 45 pounds is preferred if you want ripped abs, but if you can do that much then just go 25 lbs.

You can even consider trying to go and use a dumb-bell if that's your only option. Now lie flat on your back and hold the plate straight up as if you are trying to make it tough the ceiling. Now do a regular sit-up keeping your arms, extended.

It's a tough workout but you will get abs in no time.

Ab-Wheel

The ab-wheel is a great workout, but it's only as effective as you want it to be. Try exploding up, get ripped abs by exploding. You want to make sure you are on a padded surface when you do them so you can get that 6 even 8 pack core.

Jump Roping

Jump Roping is a great thing and can work your cardiovascular, help your abs, and improve your core.

Bonus Tip

There are thousands of work outs out there, including sit-ups, crunches, medicine ball crunches (a great one), and tons of other exercises. Just be sure not to suffer under information overload. It also helps to eat fat burning foods, frequently and drink tons of water to prevent water weight and excess fat!


Get Ripped or Toned Abs using the Truth About Six-Pack Abs Abdominal toning and Strengthening Program. You'll earn abs in a short amount of time no matter if you're a Man or Woman of any age, you'll see the abs of your dreams at an accelerated pace. For more information visit: http://absfitnesspro.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Gordo

A Simple Muscle Gain Workout to Get Ripped Quick

Different gyms call the basic muscle gain workout many different things. Some places refer to it as their "toning program", or their "bulk up quick plan", or their "get ripped now regimen". These are all fancy names for a muscle gain workout plan. No matter how fancy the title, these workouts must contain some basic exercises and information in order to have any sort of impact on your body. Without these basic building blocks, fancy name or not, the gyms are just wasting your money. Find the best muscle building workout that works for you.

There are five ideas to keep in mind when you start on your muscle gain workout. Some of them may sound counter-intuitive, but don't be fooled, they really do work. You will need to experiment with all of them to figure out what works best for you.

#1: Any good workout begins with your diet. Make sure to up your protein intake, eat complex carbohydrates, include supplemental forms of protein and other nutrients like Creatine in your diet through the use of bars, shakes, and powders, include a multi-vitamin to replace nutrients you lose, and drink lots of water. Now that your insides are on their way to a better body, you can work on the outside more successfully.

#2: A controlled set of fewer repetitions with more weight will have a greater impact than a large number of repetitions with less weight. Remember this is a muscle gain workout, so you are trying to push your body to create muscle fibers. Here's a great muscle gain workout routine. Do 10 to 12 repetitions with each rep taking as much as a minute. Maintain control throughout, so that the muscle or muscle group is always tensed and in action.

#3: Take less time with your workout. Ideally it should take 25 to 45 minutes. Taking long breaks in between sets won't accomplish your goals. Push yourself to keep moving and your body will rise to the occasion. As you increase the pace of your muscle gain workout, your body will increase the rate at which it creates muscle.

#4: Work all the muscle groups, all the time. If you don't have the time to train the whole body at each workout session, work the upper body at one and the lower body at the next. The point is to achieve balance by either working all the muscles within a particular muscle group with a single exercise, or being sure to work the opposing set of muscles during the same workout. If you structure your muscle gain workout in this way, you'll be stimulating muscle growth all day.

#5: Finally, give yourself time to recover. Don't a muscle building workout everyday, or you run the risk of stressing the muscles and weakening them. Make sure to sleep 7 to 8 hours per night, limit your workout to 4 or 5 times per week, and always track the progress of your muscle gain workout.


Follow this muscle gain workout to get ripped quick. To really supercharge your results, then check out this free report that helped me gain over 40 pounds of raw muscle in just weeks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Oscar_Matthews

My Secret Get Ripped Diet Exposed - Simple Diet To Shed Fat

So many people want to know what's the big secret to losing the weight and how keep it off. I'm going to share with you the steps I took and have now shared with others to do the same.

I use to think you had to do tons of cardio and spend hours at the gym on the treadmill. This is what most people think and that's why they never really reach their fitness goals. The truth is, in order to shed fat you need to understand your body and how many calories it takes to maintain your weight. Ok...there's a little bit more to it, but you'll soon find out that this has most to do with your results.

You see...I use to workout all the time and think that's all it took to lose weight and sculpt my body, but it never worked and I wondered why. Then, I decided to commit to the 60 day workout program Insanity which now has changed my life. What I learned is that your 80% of your results are from your diet and 20% from your workouts. Don't get me wrong, Shaun T. kicked my butt and worked me for 60 days. But...without my diet in place, I never would have lost over 18 lbs and 5 inches off my waist.

Ok...so now what you've been waiting for. Here's what I called my personal plan that will help anyone lose weight and shed fat fast. I broke it down into 5 steps to make it simple to follow and understand.

Step #1 - Calculate Calorie Daily Intake

Figure out your maintenance calorie intake your body needs first. You can do this online by searching for your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), This is what your body needs to breathe on a daily basis. Usually then you add about 500 calories for normal exercise you perform like walking to the car, vacuuming and normal stuff. That would be your daily maintenance calorie count for the day.

Step #2 - Create Calorie Deficit

If you want to lose body fat so you can expose those muscles or abs, you will want to scale your calories back by 300 to 500 so you are now in a calorie deficit. This will allow your body to burn fat, but still keep your muscle from being lost.

Step #3 - Eat 5 to 6 Meals Per Day (Very Important)

When following this diet plan you don't want to starve yourself. You want to keep your metabolism to stay running all day long. I like to think of it like a fire. If you want to keep your house warm with a fire and you don't want it to go out. You need to tend to the fire and keep it burning. That's what we are doing with our metabolism. You will burn more calories spreading your meals out, rather than eating 3 big meals over the course of the day.

Step #4 - Exercise At Least 40 Minutes Per Day

Depending on if you are looking to build muscle or lose fat, you should do 40 to 50 minutes of exercise everyday or at least 5 times per week. If you want to speed up the process, you could do some intense exercise and you'll lose weight super Fast like I did.

Step #5 - Choosing The Right Foods

Ok...it's time to go shopping and get the foods that will keep you full longer and keep your body running at it's maximum potential to lose weight and gain muscle.

Here's a list of foods that I eat on a regular basis. Obviously, I don't eat them all together. I just pick a couple to give me the calories I need for my daily intake. Everyone is different depending on if they are trying to lose or maintain their weight.

My Get Ripped Diet

I only choose a few foods from each list. These are just examples of what I eat. You don't want to eat 3 apples per day. I usually only eat 1 or maybe 2. Fruit has a lot of sugar, so you want to minimize the fruit you have, but you do want some in your diet.

Meal #1 - Breakfast Foods:

Egg Whites, Oatmeal, Blueberries, Strawberries, Turkey Bacon, Whole Wheat Bread, Broccoli, Onions, Go Lean Cereal, Greek Yogurt

Meal #2 - Mid Morning Snack:

Protein Shake, Natural Peanut Butter, Banana, Apple, Almonds, Oatmeal

Meal #3 - Lunch Foods:

Lean meat like Chicken or Tuna, Salad, Broccoli, Carrots, Cottage Cheese, Whole Wheat Bread, Apple, 12 Almonds, String Cheese, Sweet Potato.

Meal #4 - Afternoon Snack:

Protein Bar, 12 Almonds, Carrots, Apple, Turkey Jerky, Protein Shake

Meal #5 - Dinner Choices:

Lean Meat like Chicken, Fish or Turkey Burger, Salad, Steamed Vegetable, Pinto Beans, Cottage Cheese, Sweet Potato. I usually only have a Sweet Potato once or twice per week. If you're trying to lose weight, I would skip the carbs after dinner.

Meal #6 - Night Snack:

Protein Shake, Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, 12 Almonds

TIP: My night snack is usually cottage cheese. People don't realize that the protein in cottage cheese is the slow digesting type. This allows the protein to keep your body running during the night so you don't run out of fuel and go into a starvation state. Once your body runs out of fuel, it will start grabbing from your muscle and that's bad. Keeping muscle has been said to help lose weight and burn fat. Always eat something small like cottage cheese about 1 hour before bed.

So...there's my personal Plan that works for me and should for you. All you have to do now is Do IT!

Commit to trying this for 30 days and see if you notice a difference. I bet you will!


Here's an example of my 1,800 calorie Get Ripped Diet I followed to lose over 18 lbs in 60 days. Check out my 60 Day Insanity Transformation video and see how this diet worked for me.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Volker

Get Ripped Abs Fast - 5 Tips You Must Apply Right Now to Get Ripped Abs Fast

Almost everybody wants to get ripped abs fast and at the same time there is an infinity amount of information online. The problem is most of this information is not effective to get ripped abs fast because these days everybody can make a website and put content on it. If you truly want to develop your abdominal muscles there are some rules you will have to follow. There is no need to train your abs every day in fact you don't need to do abs exercises at all. Read my abs training article and discover why.

1) Abs are made in the kitchen Most people put a huge effort in doing exercises but they forget that the abs won't be visible unless you have a low body fat percentage. A low body fat percentage can't be achieved trough dieting because you will only lose water weight and muscle mass. At the same time your body is smarter then you think if you follow a diet your body will adapt on it. That means your metabolic rate slows down and burns fewer calories. Get a proper nutrition plan instead.

2) Ab exercises won't develop your abs It is just ridiculous that abs exercises will give you ripped abs fast. Typical ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups are not effective. Stop focusing your time by doing them because you won't see results. The current world record holder in sit-ups does have a lot of stubborn belly fat. Instead do swiss ball exercises or hanging leg raises are effective as well.

3) Do not train your abs everyday Your goal is to train the abdominal muscle. Abs are just a muscle like other muscles in your body such as pecs, biceps, and triceps and so on. Do you think people with huge arms train their biceps every day? Absolutely not recovery is in important factor if you want to get ripped abs. There is absolutely no benefit of training your abs more then 3 - 5 times a week. Do not overtrain muscles because it may lead to injuries and fatigue.

4) Weight training is necessary Weight lifting exercises are an absolute must to get ripped abs. At first glance this may look strange but take a look at the bigger picture. Developing your abs is useless if you can't see your abs. Anybody and I mean anybody do have abs but for most people odds are that that they are hidden under a layer of stubborn body fat. Weight training exercises is one of the best ways to increase your metabolic rate. However not all weight lifting exercises are created equal. A heavy sets of squats is more effective for your metabolism then a set of biceps curls for example.

5) Sprint training Do not waste your time on long slow cardio exercises like running on a treadmill. If you want 6 packs abs you need cardiovascular exercises that are high in intensity. Sprint training is so intense that that it will contribute to a large calorie burn after you have finished the workout. Consider doing hill sprint training as well it is even more intense in nature.

Now if you follow these tips and take action there is no reason why you shouldn't have ripped abs.


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Get Ripped Without Weights - Tacfit Commando Workout

The general consensus is that it's simply not possible to get ripped without weights. Most people believe that bodyweight-only workouts will not be intense enough to cause significant muscle tissue microtrauma.

For this reason, it would theoretically make sense that this assumption holds true. However, the fact of the matter is that any workout can cause muscle tissue damage and therefore, spark new gains in lean muscle mass-so long as the stimulus is great enough.

Granted, it may take some out-of-the-box thinking to achieve this using strictly bodyweight exercises, but there are certainly some thinkers (translation: maniacs) in the world of health and fitness.

One such person is none other than Scott Sonnon, co-creator of the Tacfit Commando bodyweight workout program. Scott is actually an accomplished fighter who trains true-life bad boys (and girls) like Navy SEALs, secret service agents, MMA fighters and elite bodyguards-all who demand nothing short of superior athleticism, conditioning and mental fortitude.

Heck, their lives depend upon it.

So it's no surprise that with his cutting-edge Tacfit workout system, Sonnon was able to create a severe-enough training modality that would allow users to shed body fat, build lean muscle and get a ripped body-all without using weights or other expensive gym equipment.

Now, I've always been a huge fan of bodyweight training. I think knowing how to take your body through an effective strength training or fat loss workout, using only bodyweight as a resistance, is an invaluable skill to possess.

Those who rely primarily on weights and other fitness equipment are really going to struggle when access to these resources becomes limited. For example, traveling for business, vacationing, visiting family and friends-all of these things used to completely throw my fitness routine off track.

Then, I discovered bodyweight workouts. I was a bit of a "hater" at first as well, and didn't think it was possible to achieve fat loss or muscle building while using only bodyweight as a tool.

But I started getting more creative and my thinking was forced to change. In fact, I starting kicking my own butt so severely that I was actually getting nervous for the whacky workouts I'd created and scheduled for a given day.

After a few weeks of using my own hardcore bodyweight workout program, I saw a much improved, leaner and more ripped version of myself starring back at me in the mirror.

Plus, I was saving time and money by working out from home and doing away with my gym membership. As an added bonus, traveling was no longer an excuse to get lazy and go backwards.

Now, I'm a believer in bodyweight training.

I look completely shredded, but the really cool thing is that I'm performing so much better. I've always been a huge fan of MMA and now I've got the added athleticism, explosiveness, recovery ability and stamina to "hold my own" should things get dangerous.

What does all of this have to do with Tacfit Commando, you ask? Everything...

As a fitness professional, I'm always trying out new workout programs to see what I like, what I dislike and what new things I can learn from other top notch trainers and coaches. After downloading Tacfit and trying out the first week's worth of workouts, I was quickly humbled.

This training system even made my bodyweight workouts look weak. I'm now several weeks into team Tacfit's master plan and loving (and hating) every minute of it. The workouts continue to kick my butt and take my mind and body to new levels.

Confidence is soaring and ripped muscles are becoming even harder and defined. I wanted to provide this review of Tacfit Commando to let others know it truly IS possible to get ripped without weights, gadgets or other expensive and inconvenient gym equipment.

Give it a shot and enjoy the results, but only if you're willing to work hard. If not, there are plenty of other low intensity, cookie-cutter fitness programs to choose from.


Want to Get ripped without weights [http://www.topfatlosstrainer.com/2010/07/06/get-ripped-without-weights-tacfit-commando-bodyweight-workouts/]? Tacfit Commando Reviews

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