Avoid this common abs mistake and uncover the six pack underneath your belly fat.

After 18 years in the fitness business, “How do I get great abs” is still BY FAR the most frequently asked question. No doubt it’s because abs are the one body part that most people are the most frustrated with.

Although their questions are often phrased differently and each person’s situation seems unique, the answer to “How do I get great abs” is almost always the same…and you’re about to hear it…

The Great Abs Mistake, by Tom Venuto will show you why its hardest to remove the belly fat compared to other region in the body.

And also his Championship winning Ab Workout Routine. 

Don't miss this chance to get his Ebook for free. I made a special request to Tom to allow my readers, yes you, to get access to this Ebook for free. Grab this offer while time remains. He has already asked me to close this offer. You can still get this book here unless you want to buy it! 

Enter your email to immediately get your copy of The Great Abs Mistake.

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One of the most favorite hobby nowadays is to look thinner and make that sexy six pack abs by doing various abdominal trainings and special cardios. There are many myths on abdominal training that you need to know even before trying it. The main misconception is that if you do many abdominal exercise, you will lose additional body fat in the abdominal region which is not true.


In a landmark study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts, it was conclusively shown that sit-up exercise training does not decrease the diameter of abdominal adipose cells, abdominal subcutaneous fat (skinfold thickness) or abdominal circumference (Katch et al., 1984). Therefore, you cannot use ab exercises to selectively lose abdominal fat. Instead, to reduce fat content at a given body site, your total body fat will have to be altered.


Cardio is the best option to loose that fat in the abdominal exercise but not just the regular cardio but the variable cardio as described in this post, Proper Cardio for Weight Loss. It talks about cycle training, sprint and sports workout can be a good cardio.

And one more thing, watching Tv and doing cardio at the same time is not effective at all. Learn more about proper cardio in this article, Cardio Workout for Fat Loss.

Now that you are all aware of the cardio workouts and when you loose that extra fat from you abdominals, you are ready to go with the regular abs exercises.
Here are a list of them for you to try out.

1. The Next Level of Core Training - Dynamic Planks
2. Great abs workout to do at home without any equipments
3. Power Wheel Pike
4. Reverse Crunch, Plank, Russian Twist

Happy Abs

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Do You Really Need "Cardio" Workouts?
Are cardio workouts or weight training more effective for losing fat...

In this article, I have an intriguing discussion about cardio workouts, which will hopefully get you thinking differently, and trying new things.

You may know I've been called the anti-cardio guy before, but this week I'm back posing the question to you... Do you really need cardio training to get lean and in great shape? By the way, you'll see in a minute that I'm not really "anti-cardio", just "anti traditional cardio".

Most fitness buffs, weekend warriors, or anyone trying to get in shape or lose body fat, consider it a fact that they need "cardio" exercise to accomplish these goals. They would never even question it.

However, I'm not only questioning it, I'm going to refute it! In fact, you may be surprised to know that some of the leanest and meanest people I know (men and women), NEVER do any type of normal or traditional cardio. And I've spent over 15 years working out in various gyms, and hanging out with athletes of all sorts, so I've seen it all.

I will say that there can be a place for low-moderate level cardio for really overweight or deconditioned people, but even in those cases, there can be more effective methods.

But what exactly is "cardio"?

Most people would consider cardio to be pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym. This is what I call "traditional cardio". Hmmm, no wonder the majority of people get bored with their workouts and give up after a couple months without seeing results.

But if you look closer, "cardio" exercise can be considered any type of exercise or activity that strengthens the cardiovascular system. I'm not going to get into anything technical like increasing your VO2 max or anything like that. To keep it simple, if it gets your heart pumpin, and gets you huffin and puffin, it's cardio. I don't care if you're holding dumbbells or a barbell and everyone calls it a weight training exercise...it's still conditioning your heart.

Let's take a look at a couple examples. Take a barbell (or dumbbell, or kettlebell) clean & press for example, which involves lifting a barbell from the floor up to shoulders, then push pressing overhead. And listen up ladies, because even though this is usually seen as a manly exercise, it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 250 lbs; if 45 lbs is challenging to you, then you will still benefit just as much.

At first glance, most people think of the barbell C&P only as a weight training exercise or strength exercise. However, I challenge you to do a hard set of around 10-15 reps on the C&P. If you used a challenging enough weight, what you'll find is that your heart rate is probably up to about 80-90% of your recommended max, and you are huffing and puffing like you just ran a 100-meter sprint (which by the way, sprinting kicks the crap out of jogging any day if you want the easiest way to lose the flab).

Try the same thing for a set of 20 reps of one-arm snatches or swings with each arm with a kettlebell or dumbbell, and tell me your legs aren't burning, heart racing, and you're gasping for breath. How about trying 5 minutes straight of bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths!

Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fullfilling your cardio workout needs as well (saving you time!).

Not only do you save time, but you strengthen and condition almost every muscle in your entire body with these full body exercises if you do them with enough intensity...something that can't be said for that boring stationary bike ride or treadmill jaunt while reading or watching TV.

Reading or watching TV while you workout is a joke!

Seriously, if you can read or watch TV while doing any exercise, you're not concentrating enough on what you're doing, plus you're probably not working out hard enough to see any real results.

I challenge you to give the "traditional cardio" a rest for a month or two, and start training the way I explain in my internationally-selling Truth about Six pack Abs Program, and see how you start getting leaner, more defined, and your six pack starting to show through what used to be stubborn stomach fat deposits.

If you're interested in more reading about the topic of cardio training and better alternatives, here's an interesting cardio article I wrote previously.

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Your Cardio Workouts may NOT be helping you unless you incorporate a high range of heart rate shifts in your training
By Mike Geary – Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-seller: The Truth about Six Pack Abs


Are you a cardio junkie? Everyone seems to think that "cardio" is the best way to get in shape and lose body fat. I'm going to show you with this article why I disagree!

It is quite common to hear fitness pros, doctors, and other health professionals prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations go something like this:

"Perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times/week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level"

Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the “hamster on the wheel” doing endless hours of boring cardio exercise, I’d like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

First, realize that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in bursts of exertion followed by recovery, or stop-and-go movement instead of steady state movement. Recent research is suggesting that "physical variability" is one of THE most important aspects to consider in your training.

This tendency can be seen throughout nature as most animals tend to demonstrate "stop-and-go" motion instead of steady state motion. In fact, humans are the only creatures in nature that attempt to do “endurance” type physical activities such as running long distances at the exact same speed the whole time.

Most competitive sports (with the exception of endurance running or cycling) are also based on stop-and-go movement or short bursts of exertion followed by recovery.

To examine an example of the different effects of endurance or steady state training versus stop-and-go training, consider the physiques of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters carry a physique that is very lean, muscular, and powerful looking, while the typical dedicated marathoner is more often emaciated and sickly looking. Now which would you rather resemble?

Another factor to keep in mind regarding the benefits of physical variability is the internal effect of various forms of exercise on our body. Scientists have known that excessive steady state endurance exercise (different for everyone, but sometimes defined as greater than 60 minutes per session most days of the week) increases free radical production in the body, can degenerate joints, reduces immune function, causes muscle wasting, and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can potentially lead to chronic diseases.

Highly variable cyclic training

On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training has been linked to increased antioxidant production in the body and an anti-inflammatory response, a more efficient nitric oxide response (which can encourage a healthy cardiovascular system), and an increased metabolic rate response (which can assist with weight loss). Furthermore, steady state endurance training only trains the heart at one specific heart rate range and doesn’t train it to respond to various every day stressors.

On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training teaches the heart to respond to and recover from a variety of demands making it less likely to fail when you need it. Think about it this way... Exercise that trains your heart to rapidly increase and rapidly decrease will make your heart more capable of handling everyday stress. Stress can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to increase rapidly. Steady state jogging and other endurance training does not train your heart to be able to handle rapid changes in heart rate or blood pressure.

The important aspect of variable cyclic training that makes it superior over steady state cardio exercise is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. That recovery period is crucially important for the body to elicit a healthy response to an exercise stimulus. Another benefit of variable cyclic training is that it is much more interesting and has lower drop-out rates than long boring steady state cardio programs.

To summarize, some of the potential benefits of variable cyclic training compared to steady state endurance training are as follows: improved cardiovascular health, increased anti-oxidant protection, improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, increased muscularity (versus decreased muscularity with endurance training), increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life’s every day stressors.

Sports Workouts and Sprinting
There are many ways you can reap the benefits of stop-and-go or variable intensity physical training. Most competitive sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, racquetball, tennis, hockey, baseball, etc. are naturally comprised of highly variable stop-and-go motion which trains the heart through a MUCH wider heart rate range compared to just steady walking or jogging.

Doing swimming workouts in a variable intensity fashion may also be more beneficial than just swimming for a long duration at the same speed. Same goes for bicycling -- that is why mountain biking, which involves extreme ups and downs at various intensity levels may also be more beneficial than just a long flat steady pace bike ride.

One of the absolute most effective forms of variable intensity training to really reduce body fat and bring out serious muscular definition is performing wind sprints. Wind sprints can be done by sprinting at near max speed for 10-30 seconds, and then taking 60 seconds to walk for recovery before your next sprint. 6-12 total sprint intervals is usually a very challenging workout for most people.

In addition, weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery periods. High intensity interval training (varying between high and low intensity intervals on any piece of cardio equipment) is yet another training method that utilizes exertion and recovery periods. For example, an interval training session on the treadmill could look something like this:

Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog

Interval 1 - run at 8.0 mi/hr for 1 minute

Interval 2 - walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes

Interval 3 - run at 10.0 mi/hr for 1 minute

Interval 4 - walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes

Repeat those 4 intervals 4 times for a very intense 20-minute workout.

Also, don't overlook other great ways to incorporate variable intensity cardio training by using a jump rope, a rowing machine, stairs running, or even outdoor hill sprints.

The take-away message from this article is to try to train your body at highly variable intensity rates for the majority of your workouts to get the most beneficial response in terms of heart health, fat loss, and muscle maintenance.

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By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurboTraining.com

If you're sick of fluffy weight loss workouts that aren't giving
you any results, then you will love this interview where Hardcore Strength Coach Zach Even-Esh grills me on advanced Turbulence Training for Fat Loss methods.

Zach Even-Esh: Craig, thanks for taking the time out of your insane schedule to talk with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself, your clientele and your overall training philosophy.

CB:
Zach, I'm a Strength & Conditioning coach in Toronto and I write for Men's Health and Oxygen magazine.

I work extensively with clients on advanced fat loss for busy
people. I'm also the training director at grrlathlete.com where we provide advanced female exercise info.

ZEE: We have a growing number of hard core men and women leading busy lives but still love to train hard. How do you train individuals like this and still get kick butt results?

CB:
I use supersets, moderately heavy weights (allowing 6-10 reps per set), limited rest interval periods, advanced bodyweight exercises, and interval training. These efficient and effective principles are the foundation of my Turbulence Training philosophy.

Turbulence Training workouts are designed to crank up the body's metabolism because of the intense demands imposed during the workouts.

After the workout, your body has to work hard (i.e. burn calories and repair muscle) to fully recover and return to a normal, resting state (that is why I compare my Turbulence Training workouts to the Turbulence encountered in an airplane - a neat little analogy that people really like and find easy to understand).

I tend to stick with traditional weight training exercises,
however, it is easy to adapt the Turbulence Training principles
when using strongman implements and advanced bodyweight exercises.

For intervals, I tend to stick with 30 seconds of work and 90
seconds of active recovery, although it will vary between workout phases and for athletes of different sports.

The great thing about heavy weights and intervals is efficiency.
You don't have to do either for more than 20 minutes to get a great response. So if you are a busy executive looking to get lean, build muscle, and lose fat, you can get a great workout and shower in less than 30 minutes per day.

Combine Turbulence Training with the right nutrition, and you are well on your way to success.

By the way, we've got a secret bonus for everyone that invests in Turbulence Training - although I guess it's not so secret anymore!

Anyways, you'll see what it is when you start your Turbulence
Training journey with the fat loss program.

ZEE: If you were limited to a 20 minute fat loss workout, what would that work out look like?

CB:
Providing the individual is injury free, we will move through a
general warm-up circuit of bodyweight exercises (3 minutes), and then into specific warm-up sets for the first superset of exercises (2 minutes).

Then we will spend 5 minutes on the first superset pair of
exercises, and then 4-5 minutes on another superset pair. We might finish with a third superset pair or some ab work, and a 2 minute cool-down if it is necessary based on the individual's fitness level.

On non-weight training days, we would do intervals. It would look like this:

5-minute warmup
12-minutes on intervals
3-minute cooldown

The point is, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time.

ZEE: What nutrition approach do you use?

CB:
I had Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., put together the Turbulence Training Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.

I strongly agree with Dr. Mohr's common sense, easy to follow
principles. There is nothing extreme about his plan. It is very
healthy and effective for fat loss.

I don't think that people need to exclude fruit from their eating
(in fact we should aim to eat at least 3 servings, and preferably
berries, grapefruits, apples, and oranges), but instead we should
avoid white, processed carbohydrates from a bag or a box.

Foods that should be in every healthy person's nutrition plan:
Green Tea
Almonds
Broccoli
Berries
A variety of lean protein sources

Basically, for nutrition, just choose healthy, whole natural food.

ZEE: Last question Craig. What is the greatest misconception that you find people to have when it comes to performing better and looking better when they come to you. In other words, they tell you everything they have been doing in hopes of getting results but the results simply aren't there. Are there any common mistakes going on here?

CB:
Most of the time I try and get people to be honest with themselves and realize they have to change things if they want to improve.

A lot of people really just want me to approve their current
workout (when it is clearly not working). But in reality, they have to change their workouts drastically to finally get results.

And most people think they are eating better and using a better
program than they really are.

Even when most people they list out their food intake (as I have
them all do on fitday.com), some people (including some trainers
that I train) still don't see the obvious problems in their diet.

I suppose it is human nature not to see our own shortcomings, so it is helpful to have a professional review your training and
nutrition or even an honest, knowledgeable friend.

ZEE: Craig, I can't thank you enough for letting me grill you with questions.

Always happy to help,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training


About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurboTraining.com

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By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurboTraining.com

From weddings, to reunions to beach vacations, it seems there is always something to look good for. The trouble, however, is finding the one workout program to plough through that stubborn fat loss plateau and into the sculpted look you're after.

The key to cutting away fat and shaping your best body possible is through hard work and variation. Nothing in life is free, and it's rarely easy.

But, if you're willing to put in the time and do what it takes to shed those last few pounds of fat, then you need a workout program that is going to seriously challenge every square inch of your body.

No pain, no gain, right?

Now here's the simple truth, if you want to get the most out of your workouts, then you need to be doing the right exercises, and targeting the right areas with the right intensity.

It doesn't get any easier than that.

The trouble is we often waste our time doing the wrong exercises, which just delays us from ever achieving that beautifully sculpted physique we long for.

And that's why TT Hardcore is the perfect guide – it’s one of the most advanced programs I’ve ever put together.

So if you’re a beginner, a teenager, someone who refuses to train legs, or if you take more than a week off from working out, this program is NOT for you.

These workouts are intense, brutally tough, and like I said, ONLY for the advanced fitness enthusiast.

That’s because I’ve taken the most challenging exercises from my other TT workouts and combined them with some of my favourite killer abs exercises to help take your workouts and your results to the next level.

Simply put, the 4-day Turbulence Training Hardcore Fat Loss program is one of the best workout programs for getting advanced results.

You’ll probably curse my name while doing these workouts, but by the end of the program you’ll have an amazing body and feel better than ever, guaranteed!


About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurboTraining.com

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You have done crunches right? And many other exercise. ...
Have you ever counted them or do you ever track your improvements.
What is wrong with must of us is that we never track your working and even if we are improving your fitness we never know it, and ultimately loose hope and stop your routine.
Don't get sad coz i will give you the perfect solution !!!
I , here from my blog, announce you the Body Transformation Tracker

This is a state-of-the-art, but easy to use software program that allows you to track virtually every single aspect of their fitness program in detail...

1. Easily track diet and nutrition down to the finest detail.
2. Access full nutritional information for hundreds of foods.
3. Log all weight training and cardio workouts in detail.
4. Track muscle gains, fat loss and strength increases.
5. Create a training journal with a personalized online blog.
6. Upload progress images to compare from week to week.
7. And much more!
Here's a screenshot of the software......

Just give your details and get the software for free !! I again say FREE. No need to pay a dime!
Don't forget to check your activation code in the email. [I gave it to you for free does not mean that i got it for free too! I paid for it and you can enjoy it for free. Isn't it great!]
This is a gift to all the loyal readers of my blog. Keep coming back for more free stuffs!!
THE SITE IS DOWN AND THE SOFTWARE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.
WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO PROVIDE THE SOFTWARE.

Sorry for the inconvenience. In the mean time we are offering you an ebook on "The Great Abs Mistake". Download it going to this link here. >> Great Abs Misktake <<

• 1 comments »

The period after your workout is the most important time span for you to take advantage of nutrition for muscle gain.

You’ve got a window of 3 hours after you complete an intense workout. Here’s why—this is the time period when your body most craves nutrients and your muscles will literally soak them up, making this a time prime to use nutrition for muscle gain.

If you get in there and use the best nutrition for muscle gain by supplying your body with whole food and supplements, you will maximize muscle gains and improve your recovery time.

Let’s go through the things that need to be done after an intense workout:.

1) It’s your job to minimize muscle breakdown, while putting your body back into an anabolic muscle-building state.

2) Your glycogen and blood sugar levels need to come back to normal.

3) Neutralize free radicals.

4) Feed your muscles with the right nutrition for muscle gain to ensure growth and recovery.

There are 2 special “post-workout meals” that I highly recommend.

Your first meal should be in a liquid form. Since your body is stressed out and desperate for nutrients, you need to replenish it quickly. By opting for a liquid meal, your body can get the nutrients it requires faster and start the rebuilding process immediately.

Since you require nutrition for muscle gain, include the following ingredients in your post-workout shake:.

1) Add 30 to 40 grams of protein (whey) to your shake.

2) Simple sugars such as dextrose: 70 to 80 grams. (Dextrose is a great sugar to use)

3) Creatine: 5 grams.

4) Consider adding 5 to 10 grams of glutamine. (Optional)

Within a half hour, mix up these ingredients with water and consume. I highly recommend taking a high-potency multivitamin as well. If you want to accelerate muscle growth and have a faster recovery, this simple shake will do the trick.

For your second post-workout meal, you should eat whole foods; this should be 45 minutes to an hour after you drink your shake. For the best nutrition for muscle gain you want a meal made of protein and high glycemic carbohydrates to maximize your recovery potential.

The great thing about high glycemic carbohydrates is that they are broken down quickly into your bloodstream. Some examples are white rice, rice cakes, or potatoes. Check out the following suggestions for your second post-workout meal:.

1) 1 glass of orange juice along with a 6 oz steak and a potato.

2) Eat a can of tuna, 100 g rice cakes, and wash it down with a glass of grapefruit juice.

The point is to supply your starved muscles with nutrients to develop muscle tissue and restore glycogen levels, and this meal does just that.

In the beginning of this article, we talked about a 3-hour window for nutrition; this means that you have 2 hours left to absorb some more top nutrition for muscle gain. Your body wants high quality protein and glycemic carbohydrates after a powerful workout, and your job is to deliver them during this 3-hour window.

Unfortunately, there are too many lifters that do not realize the importance of nutrition for muscle gain during this post-workout period, and as a result, they limit their gains. You will really limit your gains if you slack off on your protein and carb-intake during this timeframe.

Follow these tips to maximize post-workout nutrition, and you will experience noticeable strength and muscle gains.

About the author

Sean is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, has written articles for dozens of the top muscle-building and fat loss websites across the Internet and is recognized as an expert authority on the subjects of building muscle and burning fat fast.Click Here to go to his site.

• 1 comments »

By Holly Rigsby, CPT FITMUMMY

Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.


1. The majority of your workouts should be composed of free-weight, bodyweight or cable exercises.
Compared to machines, free-weight, bodyweight and cable movements often require more skill, create muscular balance, and have a greater metabolic cost. For example, it is more difficult to balance the weights, and to coordinate muscles when performing free-weight exercises. Although this may sound like a disadvantage, it is actually a benefit. By balancing and stabilizing free-weights or cables you are working more muscles through a greater range of motion resulting in more muscles developed and more calories burned.

2. Use exercises that work more than one muscle at a time.
When focusing on fat loss, you can't worry about "shaping" exercises, instead you should use exercises that'll get you the biggest bang for your buck and work as many muscles as possible. Isolation exercises can be used at the end of a workout to work on a specific target area, but they just serve to supplement your core movements.

Virtually every savvy fitness professional is privy to the fact that compound exercises recruit the most muscle groups for any given body part.

If you seek lean, toned muscles and the increase in metabolism that comes with them, you must choose exercises that work as many different muscles as possible. One of the main reasons why squats are superior to leg extensions for improving your body is that they also work your butt, hamstrings and inner thighs in addition to toning your quadriceps while leg extensions focus on just the front of your thigh and don't really offer any other benefit. That same rationale hold true for arm exercises too. That's why dumbell presses and dips will are more valuable for your arms than triceps kickbacks and pushdowns.

A good rule of thumb is to use movements that will allow you to use the most weight. These will have a systemic effect on your body that'll help maintain or increase your lean muscle, and in turn ignite your metabolism.

3. Pair exercises.
Pair your exercises together so that you alternate between upper-body exercises and lower-body exercises or between exercises that target opposing muscle groups (e.g. chest and back).

This type of approach will keep your workouts short and efficient by eliminating much of the downtime that comes between sets of a single exercise since you are working on one movement while resting from another. This approach can also yield huge benefits in your mission to burn fat. Since you'll constantly be moving and keeping your heart rate elevated, you'll be burning far more calories than you would during a typical workout.

4. Keep your reps between 8 and 12.
Through research, it has been determined that the best range for building lean muscle is roughly between 8-12 reps. Since the main focus of your resistance training efforts is to gain lean body mass and stimulate your metabolism, this rep range fills the bill perfectly. "High reps for tone and fat loss" is one of the biggest (and most unproductive) training myths! Somehow the aerobics, yoga and Pilates' community have convinced us that when we perform bodyweight exercises or light resistance training for high reps, our muscles magically take on a beautiful shape without growing or bulging. On the other hand, if you challenge yourself with moderately heavy weights, your body will take on a bulky, unflattering appearance. If you believe this, you probably still believe in the Tooth Fairy!

5. Rest only 30 to 60 seconds between sets.
When you keep the rest periods under one minute, it's easier to stay focused on the task at hand and keeps your heart rate elevated. In addition, it forces your muscles to recover more quickly between sets, along with keeping your nervous system revved up.

If your first movement in an upper/lower body pair is squats, you might want to rest 60 seconds before attempting your second movement. However, if your first exercise is a fairly "easy" exercise, like lat pull downs, you might only wish to wait 30 seconds before doing the second part of the pair.

6. Perform total body workouts.
You must drop the notion that muscle groups work independently of one another. Muscles work together and should be trained that way. Besides, not only does this approach mean less time in the gym, but by working the whole body three times per week, you'll be maximizing the fat burning effect of your program.

7. Cardio is not the cure-all for fat loss.
Cardiovascular exercise aids in the creation of a caloric deficit, but the caloric expenditure during cardio is temporary. Strength training addresses the core of the problem by permanently increasing the rate at which the body burns calories by adding muscle. The best programs will include both strength training and cardiovascular training, but the core or the programs effectiveness is resistance training.

Take these strategies and incorporate them into your workout routine. Not only will you save a lot of time, but you'll also soon see a leaner and more toned body. Not to mention a few more turned heads and the re-emergence of your skinny jeans.

About the Author
Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to FITMUMMY to get your FREE copy of her special report: "The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism."

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Well, it is happening: Swine flu is beginning to really take hold.
Not just in the United States, but all over the world.
But that's not the scary part...
... the scary part is the fact that being obese OR overweight has now been directly linked to DYING from the swine flu.
My friend Jon Benson put together a 5-minute video that documents these findings.
This is freee for you to view -- and you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Go here --
http://www.fitover40.com/go/bidhan/swine-flu <--- click.to.watch
Folks, we have to get a grip on this.
And believe it or not, it starts in your kitchen.
Watch the video to find out what to do.

• 0 comments »

Can you get a 'real' workout without the gym? If you're busy and can't make it in, what kind of stuff can you do at home, in your yard, at the park, etc.?

Let me share with you the story of my outdoor boot camp classes, how they've gained a huge amount of popularity in the last year, and how they eventually led me to create the No Gym? No Excuse! workout program.

I started with the idea of creating fun, 'no gym needed' workouts for my clients that were super intense and could be done in 45 minutes or less. Admitingly, the fitness boot camp class is a really popular concept; so why not give the idea a go with my existing and new personal training clients?

Since introducing these classes about a year ago, they've caught on and the classes have grown from 1 a week with about 4 people per class to 9 classes per week with an average of 5 people per class - and we're still growing.

So what kind of things are we doing in these classes that are making them so popular? We use a brutal combination of bodyweight, kettlebells, and dumbells. We combine these tools to make circuits using weights, cardio, and even flexibility training all mixed together. It's killer. And even better, people are getting amazing results. And all from a simple 'no gym' workout.

So, if you're interested in getting workouts like these on your own, I've created a program that can help you do just that with the No Gym? No Excuse! workout system.

Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC
Click to go to his site

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Are your struggling to lose belly fat and to finally get rid of those annoying love handles forever?

You have probably tried every method in the world to try to lose your stubborn belly fat, but it just never seems to go away... right? I am pretty sure you have seen plenty of infomercials of ab gadgets (ab rollers, ab belts, ab shapers - whatever they call it these days) with promises of losing belly fat doing simple exercises while watching TV.
Come on now! Do they really think that most people will believe that a belly-fat reduction miracle is possible overnight and that we will wake up one day and be rid of our love handles while doing some useless exercise?

Enough said, let us get right down to the hard science and truth behind what methods and strategies really do help you to lose your stubborn belly fat and get rid of love handles and keep it off for life!

1) The first strategy we will discuss is how you perform your workouts. To stimulate fat-loss from your stomach, you need to stop wasting so much of your time doing all kinds of abdominal exercises and hundreds of sets of sit-ups, crunches and torso twist hoping to "spot-reduce" your belly fat and love handles.
You have probably learned by now, if you have read any reputable fitness publications recently, that spot-reduction of belly fat and love handles DOES NOT occur.
It is a myth that has perpetuated the fitness industry for decades. The simple truth is, you will not lose stubborn belly fat and get rid of love handles just by doing exercises that target the stomach area. Unfortunately, even though most people know this by now, they still spend WAY too much of their training time targeting the stomach with plenty of abs exercises.
Now do not be misled, a few abdominal exercises are excellent and they do help to strengthen your stomach muscles while maintaining a healthy back. But the truth is that abs exercises should cover only a small portion of your training regimen. Most of your workout should be focused on multi-joint exercises that work the largest muscle groups of the body - the legs, chest, and back.
That is one of the REAL secrets for ridding yourself of that sloppy belly fat and annoying love handles for good. Multi-joint exercises for the largest muscle groups significantly increase metabolic rate both during the workout, and for 24-48 hours after the workout. This, in turn, stimulates an increase in fat-burning hormones. You simply cannot achieve this type of metabolic and hormonal response by wasting most of your time with direct abdominal exercises.
Now, do you really want to lose belly fat and get rid of those unsightly love handles? Then get your butt under a barbell and perform some squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups and some back and chest work. It does not really matter whether you use barbells, dumbbells, or even bodyweight exercises as long as the focus is on big multi-joint exercises at a high intensity. Sorry, but that means no 5-minute rest periods between sets while you chat with your friends at the gym. Losing your belly fat and getting rid of love handles for good requires some focus and intensity in your training! Anyone telling you that it can be done while watching TV with some "ab-belt" strapped to you, or doing only 2-minutes of crunching with your "ab-rocker" is flat out lying to you!

2) The second strategy to rid you of that flabby belly and love handles revolves around diet and nutrition. The important thing you need to realize is that "diets" only work against your body in your effort to lose belly fat. If you follow any of the fad diets that restrict 1 or more of the macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), you will only end up losing lean muscle and lowering your metabolic rate. This will only make you fatter in the long run, once you start eating normal again!
Fad diets essentially mess up processes related to hormonal balance in the body, the muscle glycogen process, insulin, blood sugar, etc., stopping your fat loss strategy dead in its tracks!
STOP falling for fad diet gimmicks. As humans, we are meant to eat a balanced diet from a diverse array of healthy foods rich in natural sources of carbohydrates, proteins, AND fats. This gives your body all of the macro-nutrients as well as all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that your body needs to run as a well-oiled fat-burning machine!
There are more strategies for losing your belly fat fast and getting rid of love handles the natural way, but this article might be several pages long, so see below to download a free report detailing some of the best fat-loss strategies for helping you to flatten that belly and finally be rid of that annoying love handles.

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If I had a nickel for each crunch I saw people do at my gym I'd be a rich man today. I believe that this is probably the most performed exercise in the world. I bet you do them too. But is it also an effective exercise? Can crunches help you to lose belly stout?

The answer is yes... and no.

Naturally, doing crunches is better than doing nothing at all. It is an activity which burns calories and body stout. But, it is not the best way to shed some stomach weight. Far from it.

This is right for a number of reasons:

1. You simply can't lose stout from a specific body part. It doesn't matter which body part you focus on in your workouts, you lose stout from your entire body or not at all. This has already been proven. What this means is that you'd do better to focus on maximum stout burning workouts to get the best results.

2. Crunches are simply not an effective stout burning exercise. Usually, crunches aren't that intensive. In fact, even people who are far from fit can do a few dozen of them. This indicates how this exercise is not that hard to do and would therefore not be the best choice to lose belly stout with.

But, crunches do have some benefit since they do help you strengthen your abdominal muscles. In addition, you can make your crunches harder by doing them on a decline bench or a swiss ball.

But, if you want to lose belly stout, crunches aren't the answer, more intense weight training is.

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If you listened to all the flawed abs advice out there, you'd be doing upside-down crunches until you passed out. Here's the absolute truth.

Myth 1: High-rep workouts make your abs grow

Reality: Your progress will plateau if you do the same exercises, regardless of reps.

You need to intensify your workouts to teach your abs to stabilize your body weight. Add either more—challenging variations of body-weight exercises, or weighted abdominal exercises once the unweighted versions become too easy. Matt McGorry, C.F.T., a trainer at Peak Performance in New York City, recommends the triple plank. This combo—a front plank followed by a left-side plank and a right-side plank—forces you to contract your abs for long intervals, which helps carve your midsection. Start by maintaining each plank for 15 seconds, and work up to 60 seconds. When you hit that level, start adding sets, and rest only 30 seconds between them. If planks on the floor are too easy, put your feet on a small box. Read our article on Dynamic plank - the next level of core training

But don't forget: "No amount of abs work can take the place of a well-planned diet and a total-body workout," McGorry says. Abs don't start showing when you build them; they show when you've built all the muscles in your body and cut the fat around your midsection. One great way to do this is our exclusive Six Pack Abs program

Myth 2: Abs workouts involve a lot of movement

Reality: Exercises that require steadiness are best

When you bend your spine during crunches or situps, you risk injuring it, says Stuart McGill, Ph.D., a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. Doing those exercises isn't the best way to target your abs anyway, because you repeatedly bend the disks in your back and aren't forcing your abs to resist motion. That's why McGill suggests exercises that encourage spinal alignment and stability, such as planks. Your abs do all the work to keep you stabilized and lower your risk of back injury. (If you have back pain, see a physician before starting any abs regimen. Some abs exercises can make back problems worse.)

Exercises that prevent movement are especially good for building lateral abdominal strength, which is what helps your body stay in proper form under pressure (like when you play sports or do squats and deadlifts). To focus on your abs, McGill suggests the suitcase carry: Hold a heavy dumbbell in one hand and then walk increasingly long distances while maintaining perfect posture. This burns more calories than crunches do.

Myth 3: Rotational exercises are best for building your obliques

Reality: Rotational exercises don't build obliques well and can harm the spine in some cases

Obliques surround and accentuate your abs and protect them from damage when you rotate your body quickly. So while exercises like the Russian twist can help build your obliques, they may not be the best way to build foundational strength, and they can force your spine to rotate under stress, says McGorry.

Instead, use heavy compound exercises—like squats and deadlifts—to make your obliques work harder to keep your spine aligned. For more challenge, add unbalanced moves—the single-leg lunge, for example, or a deadlift with one dumbbell. These types of exercises require your body to adjust to uneven stress while your spine is in its neutral position, which further stabilizes your core and builds your obliques (as long as you maintain proper form).

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By Jim Smith, CSCS

When you think about the most basic abdominal exercise, the first one that pops into your head is probably planks.

Planks are where a person lays out into a push-up position but instead of being on their outstretched hands, they rest on their forearms. In this position, the athlete or lifter will remain for a specific length of time. If the time exceeds one and a half minutes that is considered pretty good.

The benefits of planks include rehabilitating a back injury, glute activation, developing proficiency for bracing the torso with intra-abdominal pressure and an isometric contraction of the abdominals and developing muscular endurance of the muscles that stabilize, support and engage movements of the torso.

But in accordance with the Principle of Overload and the Laws of Chaos, there is a progression for all resistance training means. Progression of an exercise will increase the difficulty, which increases the demand and work capacity of the lifter and in turn, provides more adaptation and benefits.

So what is the next training progression for planks? Here are some of the most common modifications :

• Raising one foot off the ground (ensure the lifter doesn’t shift to the side to compensate by forcibly firing the glutes and bracing harder
• Add a weighted vest or back pack

Further unique adaptations can be obtained if we are relentless in our pursuit of our ultimate goal – real world strength. It is this real world strength that is developed not only with fixed, patterned strength training movements, but with random, rapidly adjusted reactive means. This is truer to real life and everyday movements.

Here is the modification that will produce the results we want. The lifter will setup in a conventional plank but with their feet on an elevated box and their forearms on a mini-trampoline

















This is a plank x 10!

This variation is much more difficult to stabilize because as the lifter adjusts, so does the base of support (the trampoline) they are resting on! We can of course increase the difficulty by externally loading the lifter or having them lift one leg, but we want to make this exercise really difficult. By having the lifter raise up onto their hands, more vibration can be achieved.

















Now hit a plyometric push-up with the goal of restabilizing and restoring a static posture as quickly as possible. This creates a full body tremor that improves the integrity of the elbows, shoulders and hips.

















Now, let's perform a one arm plank on this setup. This requires a greater glute and opposite oblique contraction to counterbalance the movement. The goal is to minimize the hips shifting and remain rigid. This movement can be held for time and increased in difficulty by a partner-assisted agitation.


















For a more advanced movement a plyometric push-up can once again be engaged, but this time we will land on one arm.

















Not only does this have amazing implications in a rehabilitative setting, but decelerative properties for the torso, back and shoulders as well. Sports that require ballistic upper body expressions (which is essentially all sports) or sports with high incidences of shoulder or hip injuries can benefit from this vibrational environment. The more vibration we can introduce, the more rapid the contractions, primary and antagonistic, of the engaged muscular and the greater stability of the kinetic chain. This creates a balance and teaches the athlete how to stabilize in opposition to random stimuli.

About the Author
Jim Smith is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and an expert trainer who writes for Men's Fitness and the Elite Q/A Staff. Jim has been involved in strength training as a performance enhancement specialist for over 8 years and has worked with athletes from various sports who compete at various levels. He has published articles about his unique training style and innovative methods for many prominent strength and fitness related sites. He is also the authored of three renowned strength manuals. For more innovative training solutions, visit www.ComeatCoreStrenth.com

For real core strength, check out:

www.ComatCoreStrenth.com

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Many of you guys find it hard to do ab exercises because they require you to have some equipments like balls or you have to go to a gym and like that. What if you have nothing to start with , just a floor and your room. This gets really frustrating if you can't do the exercises. But here i have collected some of the good exercises to get ripped abs within a month or two. And what it makes them more better or say best are that they donot need any sorts of equipment neither you have to go to a gym to do them. So guys be happy to get these . Do read carefully and do them. I have added picture illustrations so you do it the right way. Enjoy your workouts!!!!!!!!!
look at the bottom (chance to get "an ebook free!!!!!!!!!!!!)

1. Lying leg thrusts. (this one is intense must see!!)
2. Abdominal bicycles.( most useful )
3. Abdominal Scissors
4. Mountain Climber

Hey guys sorry to say but that's it. In today's world it's hard to find freestuffs with good quality.
Hope you have enjoyed these workouts. If you really liked these articles , which are extracted from an ebook , you may want to buy this ebook giving full length exercises and diet systems. If you really want to get a six pack abs this book is the one that's going to make it.

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Assume a pushup position on your hands and feet. Quickly bring one leg in so it’s under
your chest, then immediately pop it back out and bring the other leg in. Keep quickly
switching legs so that it looks as if you were climbing a mountain. To make this more
challenging, try shifting your arms up and back approximately 12 inches each way while
simultaneously switching your legs. If that doesn’t make you break a sweat, I don’t know
what will!

LEFT LEG IN NEAR LEFT HAND
















RIGHT LEG IN NEAR RIGHT HAND

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Start by lying on your back on a mat with both with your arms straight back over your head and your legs straight out at about a 45° angle from vertical. Bring your shoulders off the ground and arms forward while simultaneously bringing your legs and hips up off the ground such that your legs and arms slightly cross over.

START/FINISH

















MIDPOINT

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Start by lying on your back on a mat with both your hips and your knees at 90° angles and your head and shoulders slightly lifted off the ground with your fingers touching the sides of your head (not pulling on the back of your head). Perform the movement by crunching the left side of your upper body off the floor and bringing your left elbow and right knee together simultaneously. Then extend your right knee out and bring your right elbow and left knee together simultaneously. This ends up almost mimicking a bicycling movement in a lying position, except keeping your legs moving in and out linearly instead of cyclically

1. LEFT ELBOW TO RIGHT KNEE


2. RIGHT ELBOW TO LEFT KNEE

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This is a two part exercise – a “halfway down” leg raise followed by a hip thrust.

Start by lying on your back with your head and shoulders raised off of the floor, your hands (palms down) on the mat by your hips, and your legs at a 90° angle from the floor. Slowly lower your legs only half way to the floor to an angle of approximately 45° from the floor. Do not go all the way to the floor with the legs as this promotes an arched back and can put a lot of stress on the lumbar spine.From the 45° position, raise your legs back up to the 90° position. Once the legs are back at the 90° position (no further), thrust your hips off the floor.

1. START DOWN ....................................... 2. HALF WAY

3. BACK TO START POSITION ................. 4. THRUST HIPS OFF GROUND

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