4 Strategies Professionals Use for killer 6 Pack Abs

Sometimes all it takes to get caught up in the hype of the latest ab machine or miracle pill is a simple photograph of a stunning set of 6-pack abs. Just about everyone wants six pack abs, or at least a trim waistline, if not a muscular one, so all the glory these days has gone to exercising the abdominal muscles. But this has caused some serious problems, and falling for the latest gimmick is not the least of them.
When you become so focused on abs and abdominal exercises, you tend to completely forget that there's much more to seeing your abs than doing crunches and other exercises for the rectus abdominis.
By focusing only on the 6-pack muscles, not only do you fail to learn about the complexity and importance of the entire core region and the deeper muscles that aren't so "glamorous," you also tend to completely forget the other things that absolutely must come before 6-pack abs ever arrive.
If you fail to do these other 4 things first, it doesn't matter how much abdominal exercise you do, you will never see a six pack.
To See A set of Six Pack Abs, First, Your Body Fat Must Be Low enough The biggest reason most people can't see their abs is because most of the population is overweight or even obese today. For your abdominals to show through, you need a low enough body fat percentage. For men to see a clearly defined set of six pack abs, it usually requires getting down to about 10% body fat or less, and for the women, it's usually about 16% body fat or less. It's not possible to
tell you exactly what body fat you will have to reach to see your abs because it also depends on your individual genetics. For example, one man can see a six pack at 11% body fat, while other
men say they don't see their abs until they're 7% or 8% body fat. Reduction of body fat is the first and most important thing that must come before a 6-pack. And that leads you to the question, "what is the best way to reduce body fat?" The first priority in reducing body fat is nutrition, because the easiest way to create a caloric deficit is with a reduction in food
intake, but few people think about the quality of the food they're eating, only the quantity. Proper hydration is also critical, but often forgotten. Exercise is the final key, but ab and core exercises alone just won't do it. It takes a certain combination of exercise for optimal results.

The Other 3 Things That Come Before A 6-Pack

1. Eat Organic I preach organic so often that to my regular readers, I probably sound like a broken record. However, it's not without reason: if you want your liver to process body fat efficiently, then you'd better have this important organ working efficiently and kept
in good health. Refined foods and alcohol harm the liver and give it no chance to process body fat the way it was designed to do because it's too busy dealing with all the toxins you've consumed.
So eat as organic as your budget will allow. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash all of your food items (produce) with a natural food cleaner. Eating organic, fibrous foods will also
increase improve the functioning of your digestive system and create for regular movements. You should have a bowel movement 2-3 times per day. If not, you are putting a lot of unnecessary stress on your digestive system. If this happens, then losing fat and
keeping it off becomes much more difficult. Try free health supplements such as Vitamins here before buying them. This way you will save a lot of money and can test what works for you.

2. Drink and Be Hydrated! I urge every one of my clients and readers to drink more water. Many people understand the importance of avoiding dehydration, but they don't realize how
important water is in helping remove fat from the body. Most of us are dehydrated and do not even know it. Here's a simple hydration test – pinch the skin on the back of your hand. Pull is up as high as it can go, then let it go. Does it go back to normal immediately? If not, then you're dehydrated. The rule of thumb is to drink a minimum of a half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. So if you weigh 200 lbs, you drink at least 100 ounces (Also, if possible, avoid tap water or plastic bottled water as plastic contributes to estrogen and that encourages stubborn fat)

3. Exercise right! If you give body fat a reason to "hang around" (pun intended), then it will. Give body fat a reason to leave and it will do that just as easily. Some kind of activity every single day is just what the doctor ordered for fat loss. Rather than focusing on one type of exercise like bodybuilding or aerobics or yoga or pilates, or just strength or flexibility, I recommend a combination of cardio training, strength training and specific core conditioning exercises. While I recommend exercise such as walking very highly, I also recommend at least some vigorous and intense exercise such as interval training as well. It's this combination of strength and cardio training, plus an active lifestyle in general, that will help you reduce your body fat enough for your abs will show. Try a Free Membership to Jenny Craig for a limited time. You will
lose of weight and get free healthy food as well! Before you jump the gun and go ballistic with "abdominal exercises," remember, that there is more to seeing your abs than just crunches. Seeing "6 pack abs" is first a function of low body fat. Achieving low body fat is in turn a function of what you eat, what you drink and how you move. That makes 4 things that come before a 6-pack. You can "ab roller" and "crunch" until the cows come home, but if you haven't done these four things first, then you're approaching it backwards and will be disappointed.

Training With Muscle Soreness: Should You Do It?

Training With Muscle Soreness: Should You Do It?
By Nick Nilsson

Muscle soreness is something that every trainer has experienced. The typical advice is to wait until you're not sore to train that muscle again. But what if you can actually get BETTER results by training when sore!

It's safe to say that muscle soreness is something EVERY trainer has experienced at some point in their career. Severity of muscle soreness (known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS for short) can range from mild discomfort when you move to the point of being almost crippling.

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is "should you train when your muscles are still sore?" The answer is not quite as simple as some people make it out to be, though. Many trainers will tell you "if the muscle is still sore, don't train it." And, in truth, for many people that's the safest answer.

But, in fact, by NOT training when you're sore, you could actually be missing out on results AND slowing down your recovery!

So what is muscle soreness? Muscle soreness is basically damage to the muscle fibers as a result of training. Without going into great detail on how it happens and how the recovery process occurs (which is beyond the scope of this article), muscle soreness is your body telling you that it's in need of repair.

Now how can it possibly be GOOD for you to train a muscle again while it's still sore? Here's where we get into a contentious area. After reading this, you may choose to agree with me or disagree with me (if you've read my articles before, you know I'm anything BUT conventional) but all I ask is that you consider my arguments...

Now, if you've never trained a muscle hard two days in a row or trained it while it was still quite sore, you're going to be in for a shock at how unique a stimulus it can actually be. Sure there are arguments against doing that, e.g. the muscle hasn't fully recovered and you'll be tearing it down even more.

But consider this...from an adapatation standpoint, of the following two scenarios, what would give your body the greater stimulus for growth?

If you train the muscle hard once, you'll get a good growth stimulus. Your body immediately starts sending nutrients to the damaged area and starts rebuilding. When the muscle is fully recovered and is no longer sore, you train the muscle again and restart the process. This is the standard way of training and it usually means directly training a muscle twice a week with at least 2 or 3 days in between sessions for that specific muscle.

In the next scenario, you train the muscle hard then the next day, train it hard again. Recovery is nowhere near complete and the muscle is sore when you train it on the second day.

Here's the key...if you think about it, would the body see this second scenario as a greater threat to its survival? Would the body then ramp up its recovery processes to try and prepare for the next challenge, which it (from its recent experience of being hit with the same hard stimulus two days in a row) thinks is coming again very soon?

In my experience, this absolutely happens. The body's response to training is a very simple "stimulus-response" system, but your body is also fully capable of sending more resources where more resources are perceived as being needed.

When you eat, your body sends more blood to the digestive system. Your brain doesn't tell it to do that, it just happens. When you get hot, your body produces perspiration. The same thing happens with training. For example, when you train your biceps, your body sends blood and nutrients to the biceps for recovery. It doesn't send it to the calves if the calves haven't been worked.

If you train your biceps hard two days in a row, your body sees this as a big threat to the biceps and will ramp up recovery processes to specifically protect the biceps. If the biceps are still sore... VERY big threat! THEN you allow the biceps to recover. The two days of training has built much greater recovery momentum, getting more results out of your training.

Here's yet another advantage to training a muscle when it's still sore...even if you don't train it hard, you will still be sending blood (and therefore nutrients) to that muscle, helping it to recover faster than if you didn't train it at all. So even if you're not up for a hard workout for a sore muscle, even giving it some light to moderate work will still help with recovery.

So I've talked about training a muscle two days in a row... what about when you're scheduled to train it a couple of days later and it's still sore at that point? The same concepts apply your body will STILL perceive that as a greater threat and increase recovery.

The only times I would NOT recommend training when sore is if the soreness causes you to use poor form in your exercises or if the soreness is so bad that it makes the exercises too painful to do.

For instance, if you just did deadlifts for the first time in your life and the next day, you have a VERY hard time sitting down without falling down into the seat, you may want to wait a bit before doing deadlifts again. Your form will change because of the pain and it could lead to injury.

But if your muscles are a bit stiff or sore, go ahead and train them. Your body will ramp up your recovery processes in response.

How do I know training the body with this frequency can be effective? I'll give the best example I know (WARNING if you're a proponent of high-intensity, very infrequent training, this will make you shiver in your boots!). This is NOT a program I would recommend lightly to anyone because at this time, being on vacation from work, I was basically only eating, sleeping and training...no stress, no extraneous activity.

This was one of the most extraordinary programs I ever put myself on, not only in terms of workload but results as well. It involved doing total body workouts twice a day, six days a week. This meant 12 total-body workouts per week, increasing the workload every week.

I used partial training, negative training, low reps and high reps. For the entire first week, I was EXTREMELY sore but I stuck with it and trained everything twice a day, no matter how sore I was.

After 3 weeks of this training, I backed off, still doing 12 training sessions per week but splitting the body in half I was still working my whole body every single day and doing partials and negatives.

During the back-off phase, my recovery processes were practically unstoppable! NOTHING I did could make me sore (and believe me, I tried!) and my strength and muscle mass shot way up.

Conventional wisdom would believe I would be completely totaled at the end of a program like this, overtrained, small and weak. My results? In 6 weeks, I went from 208 lbs. in bodyweight to 228 lbs. I went from a 295 bench press for 1 rep to 350 lbs for 1 rep. I did a partial top range lockout squat with 1100 lbs for 150 reps (not a typo!)

This is a VERY extreme example of training through muscle soreness and using maximum workout frequency. But the take-home lesson from it is this: you CAN get great results by training even when you're sore! Your body will react to the stress and ramp up recovery in response.

One quick tip: if you want to decrease post-workout soreness, try taking 500 mg of Vitamin C about an hour before your workout. This helps protect against muscle soreness.

THE CHEAT SHEET

How to correctly cheat during your workouts – and prosper in the form of more muscle mass. By greg merritt FLEx

The problem is the name. the meaning may be clearer if we instead said “ loosening” or “slack reps” or the “ Weider Momentum training Principle .” Alas, tradition dictates we stick with “cheating,” despite the term’s negative connotations. It sounds like a shortcut for circumventing workout rules, and a dangerous disregard for proper exercise form, but it should be neither. Done correctly, cheating should follow its own rules, safely, and it should enhance correct form, not dismiss it. The following cheat sheet describes theABCs of deviating from strict exercise technique.

WHY CHEAT Cheating should be done only to push a set beyond strict full-rep failure. For example, if you get eight good reps doing standing side laterals but can’t do a ninth, you can use a little back sway to eke out two or three more. In this way cheating makes a set harder than if you merely stopped after eight.

Unfortunately, too many bodybuilders cheat to make a set easier. To them cheating merely means sloppy form, which focuses more on momentum and/or uses other muscles to a greater extent than the targeted bodypart. For example, if you go too heavy performing barbell curls and swing the bar up for every rep, you’re working your back, legs and front deltoids more than your biceps and increasing the odds of injuring your arm muscles, tendons and joints.

WHEN TO CHEAT Cheating is an advanced technique for boosting intensity. Don’t consider adopting it until you’ve been working out for at least one year using only strict exercise form. You need to first master proper technique before you can deviate from it. Experienced atheletes who incorporate cheating into their routines should do so sparingly and only after reaching strict, full-rep failure. Don’t attempt to cheat when your energy and focus are low, for that’s when your form can become too sloppy, leaving you at risk for injury.

It’s also important to be aware that cheating isn’t for every exercise. Squats and bench presses, to name two of the most popular lifts, should always be done in strict form; use techniques like forced reps, rest-pause reps and drops sets to push sets of these powerlifts beyond full-rep failure. Abdominlas should always be worked strictly. You can alter ab exercises after reaching failure, for example, going from a leg raise to knee raise, but it’s not truly cheating because you’re not getting assistance from other bodyparts.

In contrast, judicious loosening of form is easiest and safest for biceps and shoulders. The “ Cheating Grades” Chart ( see sidebar ) rates bodyparts with scores from A (best) to F ( worst ) in regard to how effectively and safely you can cheat during the most commonly performed exercises.

HOW TO CHEAT the key to cheating correctly is to use assistance from secondary muscles to get the weight moving, but then to make sure you’re focusing on the targeted muscle(s) at peak contraction.

For example, lets say you reach strict, full-rep failure at seven reps performing barbell curls. By bending and straightening your knees a little and swaying your back slightly, you can help the bar come up for an eighth rep. Other muscles aid you through the first half of the rep, where the biceps are weakest, but make your biceps do the work on the second half, flexing hard and holding the top position for a count of two. For your ninth rep, you’ll probably need a little more leg and back motion , and still more for number 10, but nake your increasingly taxed biceps work as hard as they can. Think of it as a forced rep, where the minor assistance through the sticking point comes from other muscle groups instead of a training partner. If you’re merely swinging the barbell up and down to the extent that your bi’s become secondary workers, don’t bother. Cheating utilizes secondary muscles to a greater extent than usual, but those muscles shouldn’t become the primary workers.

WHO CHEATS Not every pro bodybuilders is a cheater. Ronnie coleman and jay cautler loosen their form to get an extra couple of reps during some exercise, but Dorian Yates, to name a third Mr. Olympia, reliad on techniques other than cheating to push his sets beyond failure.

Wheter they use the principle or not, no champion bodybuilder cheats frequently. It’s an advanced means of enhancing some sets of certain exercises, but overuse ir and you’ll rob yourself of maximum growth and increase your odds of injury. On the other hand, if you follow the rules laid out here yo make your sets harder, never easier, you, too, can prosper from cheating.

Eccentric Training Builds Muscle Mass Best

Muscle can develop more force contracting eccentrically ( contraction during lengthening ) than concentrically ( contraction during shortening ) . Muscle tension and the time undertension are the most importants factor triggering muscle hypertrophy. Since eccentric contractions ( negatives ) creates the greatest muscle tension, it seems reasonable to include them in training programs designed to build muscle mass. A Norwegian study found that eccentric biceps training for 12 weeks improved concentric strength about the same as concentric training.however eccentric training increased eccentric strength and muscle mass the most. This was an important study for bodybuilders. Include negatives in your program to maximize gains in muscle mass. ( Medicine Science Sports Exercise, 38:1770-1781, 2006 )

Burning AB FAT

Break trhoughs in genetics and technology are creating new knowledge in physiology in medicine at breakneck speeds. In the October 2006 issue of the National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal, Dr. Bruce Craig wrote an interesting summary of the physiology of fat burning. In the first paragraph, he repeated the longstanding belief that spot reducing – exercising specific regions to lose body fat – doesn’t work. Last month, we reported the results of an elegant, sophisticated study from Denmark ( American Journal Physiology Endocinology Metabolism, in press, published online Sept. 19, 2006) showing that active muscle uses nearby fat stores as fuel during exercise. It’s too early totell if this means that doing thousands of sit-ups will produce sixpack abs, but the results certainly went against conventional wisdom. Dr.Craig’s advice aboutfat loss was sound: the ability to burn fat during exercise depends on exercise intensity and the length of the workout. It takes time to mobilize fat in the fat cells, break them down into glycerol and fatty acids, and deliver them to active muscles where they can be used as fuel. This process takes 20 to 30 minutes. Once the fatty acids reach the muscle cells, it takes more time for them to cross the cell membranes, enter the cell energy centers and process them to form usable energy for exercise. The take-home message for bodybuilders wanting to cut fat is to exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes at 60 percent to 70 percent of maximum effort. Burn fat faster by exercising longer and cutting calories. As for spot reducing, while the evidence is promising, we need more information before we can add spot-reducing techniques to our training arsenal. ( Strength Conditioning Journal, 28:7071, 2006 )

Stretching

Benefits

Most people do not generally give stretching enough consideration. However, stretching reduces the chance of injury. Age stiffens and shortens our tendons and ligaments. The result is limited range of motion, bad posture and painful movements. Stretching can reverse these effects of aging. Exercise can also shorten range of motion. When a muscle is exercised, it becomes shortened and tight. Over a period of time, as the muscle gains strength, it stays in this tight and contracted form reducing range of motion.

Cold muscles should never be stretched. Always warm-up the muscle before stretching. Warm muscles and connective tissues are more pliable than cold ones. Stretching reduces the potential for injury by warming up and lengthening the muscles and connective tissue. Stretching after exercise reverses the tightening and shortening effect of exercise on the muscles and connective tissues. Stretching and strength increase together because when the muscle is lengthened is has a longer stroke to full contraction, thereby generating more work. Stretching can also reduce tension. Studies have shown less electrical activity within a muscle after stretching.

Types of Stretching

There are various types of stretching techniques. This text will only consider two. The first is called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF). This technique simply involves the application of resistance along with the stretch. Generally, another person can assist by applying pressure or resistance on the limb in the direction of the stretch. This type of stretching can also be accomplished by using a wall or other object to apply light pressure or resistance to the muscle to be stretched. The other type of stretching is a two-stage stretch. First stretch the muscle for about 3 seconds. Release the stretch, exhale and stretch again. The second stage of the stretch will allow further range of motion than the first. Hold the second stage of the stretch for 10 - 15 seconds.

Precautions

Never bounce during a stretch or perform any type of ballistic or forceful stretch. When a muscle is stretched forcefully or in a ballistic manner, a reflex action occurs within the muscle to protect the joint. The muscle is sent a signal by the Golgi tendon to contract quickly to protect against an over extension of the joint. Unfortunately, a stretch is still in progress. Tissues can tear based on the conflicting movements.

Weight Training

Muscle power is the ability of the muscle to do maximum work within the shortest amount of time. Muscle
endurance is the ability of the muscle to do moderate work over an extended period of time. Weight Training trains and develops the muscles for power. Spot reduction is not possible; however, adding lean muscle raises the Basal Metabolic Rate and therefore burns more total body fat. Strength training not only increases bone density but tendon and ligament thickness thereby decreasing the risk of injury by increasing overall structural strength. Muscle atrophies at a rate of about 6.6 pounds per decade of age past 20 years old if not exercised. Strength training can avoid muscle atrophy through the aging process.

Benefits

· Helps control blood pressure
· Reduces body fat
· Improves posture
· Increases muscle strength
· Raises Basal Metabolic Rate
· Increases bone density
· Injury prevention from normal activities
· Physical appearance

Circuit Training

Circuit training is generally set up in gyms to provide a workout to specific muscles in a specific order.
Generally, the exercises are done quickly without a great deal of rest in between sets. One set is performed on a machine and followed by a set of different exercises on the next machine. When all the machines in the circuit have been used the round is completed again from the start until three complete sets have been executed.Circuit Training does not provide an effective aerobic workout. Studies evaluating circuit weight training showed an average improvement of only 6% in cardiovascular fitness as measured by VO2 max over a six-week period. Circuit training was described as continuous exercise with moderate weights using 10 - 15 repetitions with 15 - 30 second rest periods.

Overload Principle

Each individual's capabilities are determined by their genetic makeup. Individuals with increased neuromuscular efficiency incorporate greater numbers of muscle fibers during contraction and thereforehave the advantage in strength potentials. In general, men have more testosterone than women and therefore have a greater potential for accelerated growth. Muscles have a tendency to adapt to repeated stimulus, thereby, requiring less energy and effort to execute the same task. This can inhibit muscle growth (hypertrophy) or fat loss that we are trying to achieve. There are two types of overload principles:

· Increasing Weights - increases muscle size.
· Increasing Repetitions - increases muscle strength with less growth in size.

If you over-stimulate the muscle, growth in strength and size will be inhibited. The levels of overstimulationare dependent on each individual. It would be unreasonable to double the amount of weights. Make sure that you can do at least 4 to 6 repetitions.

Specificity Principle

Muscle training for a specific task is called specificity. Although each person has individual variations in movement for sports related activities, specific training essentially involves working the muscles in the same manner as the expected use. Muscle design evolves for a specific use. Care must be used when isolating specific muscles not to create an unbalanced condition. Unbalanced muscles may allow a particular muscle to work harder than thesupporting and stabilizing muscles, thereby, increases the chances of injury.

Types of Specificity Principles:

· Resistance - resistance is identical to or greater than encountered during the activity or sport.
· Movement - movement patterns mimic that encountered during the activity or sport.
· Muscle - specific muscles are exercised that will be used during the sport or activity.
· Speed - movement matches speed used during the activity or sport.

Free Weights vs. Machines

Free weights provide a more complete workout. However, they also require more expertise in their use.When lifting free weights like barbells and dumbbells, not only is the prime mover or Agonist being worked but all the muscles responsible for stabilizing the joint. The result is to increase the strength of the stabilizer muscles. Greater care is required when using free weights. Improper technique can result in injury to the user or bystander if the weights are dropped. It is important to remember to enlist the aid of a spotter whenever free weights are raised over the head.A spotter's responsibility is to insure the safety of the user during the execution of the exercise. The spotter must observe the condition of the user and try to anticipate exhaustion. The spotter must also insure that balance and an even lift is executed, that proper breathing technique is adhered to and that proper form is being executed by the user. A spotter's strength is not as important as his or her vigilance.Machines provide a safer workout than free weights. Machines also specifically target a particular muscle automatically. It's harder to cheat during an exercise by incorporating unintentional muscle groups.However, since lateral movement is generally restricted, machines do not provide as complete a workout.

When lifting overhead with machines, a spotter is not necessary since the weights are confined to a rack and not directly overhead. Some machines are not adjustable for height or length of limbs on an individual basis. This can cause poor fit and even undue stress on joints when the supporting pressure incorrectly applied. The Biceps Curl and Triceps Concentration machines in many gyms are not adjustable and may cause undue stress on elbow joints instead of applying pressure to the back of the upper arm along the triceps.

In summary, free weights provide the best workout when a spotter is available and proper lifting technique is executed. In contrast, machines provide a better workout than could be safely achieved using free weights when a spotter is not available.

Proper Lifting Technique

The technique incorporated into lifting weights is the most important part of weight training. Improper technique can be responsible for everything from unintentionally exercising the wrong set of muscles to an injury requiring surgery and possibly years of recovery. Tears can occur in muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Joints can be damaged with possible chronic implications. Technique can be learned from reading exercise magazines or books specifically geared to weight room technique. However, in most cases, a few initial trips to the weight room with a Certified Personal Trainer can be extremely helpful to get you started on the proper exercises with respect to your goals and instruct you on proper technique.

Starting a workout program without a trainer is like going to school without a teacher. The following guidelines should be followed when lifting weights:

· Lift Weights from the floor with legs and not the back.
· Use a smooth full range of motion.
· Don't jerk the weights.
· Don't lock the knees (keep them slightly bent).
· Don't put pressure on the teeth, the enamel can crack.
· Keep back alignment, don't hyper extend or flex the back.
· Don't chat with your buddy, concentrate on the task.
· Unoxygenated muscles can cramp, breathe on exertion.

Sets and Repetitions

A Repetition is referred to as a Rep and is a single lift of the weights. A group of Reps are called a Set. An exercise is generally composed of 3 to 4 Sets.The amount of weights to use is dependent on the goal of the participant and the fitness level. If the goalis to build muscle at the fastest rate then 6 to 8 Reps should be done with a heavier weight. If the goal is to simply tone or maintain the existing muscle strength then 12 to 16 Reps should be done with a lighter weight. The table below shows the 8 to 12 intermediate goals:

Participants should never use the heavy weight category if they have not lifted before or if significant amount of time has passed since they have last trained. When initially beginning a training program it is recommended to use the Light category for a least 3 to 4 weeks before progressing to the medium weight level.

There are various methods for determining the amount of weights to incorporate into a training effort (Heavy, Medium, and Light). The 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM) method is determined by the highest weight that one can lift only once and not again. A percentage of this 1RM value is then calculated to use for multiple Reps and Sets. For example if the participant can bench press 150 lbs as a maximum effort and only once then the 1RM is 150 lbs. A percentage of this weight is used for the full complement of

Reps and Sets. For the Light category, 50% of the 1RM is used.

Another method that can be used to determine the weight to use for a particular exercise is to simply

estimate the initial weight. Do as many as you can. If your goal is to build muscle at the fastest rate, then

if you can do more than 8 Reps then the weight is too light. If you can't do more than 6 Reps, then the

weight is too heavy.

The following table details the number of Reps to use depending on the participant's strength training

goals. In each case perform 4 Sets.

REPS WEIGHTS %1RM RESULTS REST PERIOD

6 - 8 Heavy 85%-90% Building at the fastest rate 2 -3 minutes

8 - 12 Medium 70%-80% Building/Toning 1 minute

12 - 16 Light 50%-65% Toning 30 seconds

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Variations of Sets and Repetitions

All of the following systems are good for promoting muscle strength and endurance. Form is critical in all

weight training and particularly for each of the following variations:

· One Set - One set for each exercise. One or more exercises may be selected for each body part to be

trained. Excellent for beginners and those with limited time.

· Three Set - Provides good results for most people regardless of their fitness goals. Most commonly

used system.

· Split Routine - Alternate training days of specific muscle groups. Never train the same muscle groups

two days in a row.

· Pyramid Set - Begin with heavy weights and low reps and end with high reps and low weight.

Increases stamina.

· Heavy Set - Begin with a warm-up set of less than 50% of the intended maximum weight. Continue

increasing the weight in each set to near maximum until the weight that can be lifted a maximum of 4

repetitions. Increases peak power.

· Super Set - Two exercises for one body part done consecutively with no rest in between. This

technique can be applied to opposing muscles, i.e. quadriceps and hamstrings.

· Tri Set - Three consecutive exercises for the same body part.

· Giant Set - Five or more consecutive exercises.

International Fitness Association

Bench Stepping Causes Rapid Increases in Muscle Protein Synthesis

Intense weight training activities cell mechanisms that build up and break down tissue in the muscles. Protein synthesis occurs in proportion to muscle tension and time under tension. British researchers found that dynamic exercise can turn on the protein synthesis in muscle, too. High-intensity bench stepping involving muscles shortening in one leg ( step up, concentric ) and muscle lengthening in the other ( step down, eccentric ) triggered large increases in protein synthesis in the muscle cells within six hours of the exercise. Amino acid uptake increased during recovery. This study showed that muscles adapt by turning on protein synthesis during recovery from dynamic exercise. Make sure youi rest and consume protein or amino acid supplements during recovery to maximize protein synthesis, regardless of whether you lifted weights or did cardio . ( American Journal Physiology Endocrinology Metabolism, 290:731-738, 2006 )

Best Rest Intervals During training

Muscle tension and time under tension are critical for promoting muscle hypertrophy ( growth ). Weight – training programs manipulate load, repetitions and sets, and rest intervals. Very few studies have examined the ideal structure of a weight-training program. Research from New Zealand found that athletes could complete more reps in the bench press when allowed Frequent, short rest periods than whwn they took longer rest periods. Subjects trained with a weight they could bench press six times. They did one of three worksout ( WO ) on separate days: four sets of six repetitions with 5 minutes of rest between sets ( WO1 ); eight sets of three repetitions with 130 seconds rest between sets ( WO2); or eight sets, alternating betweenone set of three repetitionsand one set to failure with 130 seconds between sets ( WO3). Athletes completed 25 percent more reps and achieved higher blood lactate levels during WO3. Increasing the frequency of rest intervals allowed the athletes to do more repetitions and caused greater metabolic disturbance , both of which may promote muscle hypertrophy. ( Journal Strength conditioning Research, 20: 528-534, 2006 )

Explosive Warm-up increases Bench Press Strength

Do you want to add pounds to your bench press? Try some explosive push-ups or a use medicine ball before you max out. Sports scientists from the University of Massachusetts, led by Jim Wilcox, measured maximum bench press strength in 20 male college athletes. Five days later, the scientists again measured maximum bench press, but included a warm up consisting of two repss of plyometric push ups or medicine ball chest passes 30 seconds before the max attempt. Subjects increased their bench by an average of about 5 pounds. They concluded that during low volume, explosiveforce, proper body movements 30 seconds before a max bench press attempt may increase bench press performance in athletic men . it would be interesting to see if this technique enhanced bodybuilding training or increased performance in power events such as discus, shot put or baseball. ( international journal sports physiology Performance, 1:261-269, 2006)

HOW TO LOOK RIPPED FOR A PHOTO SHOOT

Preparation Before Muscle Photo shoot , More definitions to your Muscle

Here's the methods I used to get ripped for my "16 week" photo shoot. If you think you look good enough already, then you don't need to do this. It's not necessary. But, if you really want to try to get that little extra bit of definition, then these tips can help.

If you are not already on my standard fat loss diet, it will take about four weeks. I am assuming you have already been on a low fat, fatloss diet for at least two weeks, so you will only need two weeks to get ready for the shoot. Just continue on with your fat loss diet, while making these changes:

Two weeks from shoot:
¨ Discontinue use of any product that has unnecessary sugar, dairy, and white flour. This will prevent the usual bloating and "thick skin" look that accompanies the ingestion of these foods. This includes any MRP that contains maltodextrin or any other simple carbohydrate.
¨ Stop taking creatine (you will be reloading later on).
¨ Stop taking vandyl sulfate.
¨ Start tanning, slowly. Tanning helps to get rid of some of the excess water
beneath the skin. Darker skin also brings out your definition and cuts.

7 days from shoot:
¨ Have your last leg workout. For your legs to look ripped and vascular you
must allow then to fully recuperate and heal. If they are swollen or sore
from working out, they will look smooth.

5 days from shoot:
¨ Reduce your carbohydrate intake to 50g or less for the next 3 days. Your goal is to deplete your muscles of glycogen. Once depleted, you will begin loading up on carbs for the last 2 day. This depletion and reloading will cause your muscles to overcompensate by taking more glucose into the muscles, making them look much larger, harder and more full!
¨ Begin to lower your sodium intake. Excess sodium leads to water retention. Do not cut your sodium all at once, though. This will cause your body to compensate by retaining water. When you slowly reduce your sodium intake, your body continues to flush out excess sodium thinking
more is on the way.
¨ Start taking 1,000-2,000 mg of potassium each day. This will help to offset the effects of the sodium reduction by keeping your cells hydrated.
¨ Start reloading with plain creatine (no sugar). Load six times per day for the next 4 days. Reloading helps push more creatine into your muscles.
¨ Increase your cardio to five times this week

4 days before shoot:
¨ Start drinking at least one gallon of distilled water each day. Distilled
water has no salt.

3 days from shoot:
¨ Start taking vitamin B6. It helps to reduce water retention beneath the skin.
¨ Stop tanning. Each time you tan, you skin becomes swollen and inflamed. This will give your skin time to heal.

2 days from shoot:
¨ Perform a very light workout.
¨ Cut out salt completely.
¨ Start taking 1000mg of Dandelion Root three times per day. This is a natural diuretic which will flush out excess water.
¨ After your cardio session, start loading carbs. Begin eating about 50g every three hours for the next 2 days. Be careful not to overdo it, otherwise you may look smooth.

1 days before shoot:
¨ Perform very light workout.
¨ This is the last day of cardio.
¨ Drink only 2/3 gallon of water today.
¨ Shave all hair from chest, back, arms and legs. If you have a lot of hair use
barber clippers first, then use a razor in the shower.
¨ To further increase your vascularity and definition, before bed drink 8oz. of
red wine (or Grand Marnier) and 50ml of glycerol with 16oz of water. This
will really bring out your veins!

Morning of shoot: (assuming shoot is at noon)
¨ Only sip a small amount of water when thirsty.
¨ Eat a very small meal consisting of mostly complex carbs (brown rice, whole grains) at least 3 hours before your shoot. Along with that meal be sure to take 20g of vandyl sulfate and creatine.

20 minutes before photo shoot
¨ Drink glycerol/wine mixture (see above)
¨ Pump up for shoot with high reps and very low weight. If you don't have weight equipment, just do a lot of push-ups, and pull-ups.


From the Desk of A n t h o n y E l l i s
ÓCutting Edge Publishing 1999, 2000 s All rights reserved

Add these 10 strategies to your fat-loss plan and get cut, sliced, diced and ripped faster than you ever thought possible. By: jerry Kindela

That lean look, the one where ham-glute tie-ins are readily visible, where the slightest exhalation or contraction reveals abdominal plates with clear edges, where the long and medial heads of your triceps easily display their crosshatching – these and all the other visual treats of being shredded can be yours. Getting ripped may not be as easy you’d like it to be, but virtually every healthy reader of MMI can achieve it. Whatever fat-loss, get-ripped-to-thebone plan you may be on, add the following 10 strategies to your program to push your metabolism through the roof. These are time-tested suggestions, and you’ve got nothing lose by trying them … ‘ cept a boatload of fat – and faster than you thought possible. ( As an aside, just to prove in advance that you’ll be rewarded for trying out these strategies, read Strategy 10 first )

STRAtegy 1 : Eat Enough Protein Daily

According to RDA guidelines, an armchair general doesn’t need more protein than 0.8 g per 2.2 pounds of lean body mass. But the second you start hoisting iron plates, your body will require increased protein intake if you want to turn it into a flab-burning, musclebuilding machine.

Some nutrition gurus will tell you that eating anything at all will boost your metabolic rate – its called digestion. Yet of three macronutrients, protein boosts that rate the most ( up to 200 calories per day ) , since it requires a great deal of energy to digest and absorb. Amino acids are much harder to break down than fats or carbohydrates. This doesn’t mean, however, that you need megadoses of protein. According to research, ingesting more than 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight will not in fact result in improved metabolic response.

One efficient way to figure out your ( rough ) daily protein need is to estimate the weight at which you believe you’ll look good ( get your head out of the clouds and be realistic here ) and then multiply that number by .8 grams. For a 175 pounder, the protein requirement would be 140 grams. You weigh 200 pounds? You would need 160 grams. That’s 23 grams and 26 grams, respectively, per meal ( on a six-meal-per-day schedule), which is roughly equivalent o a four-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast..

After monitoring the effect for approximately four weeks, adjust intake as necessary. If you seem to have reached a plateau in fat loss or muscle gain increase protein intake slightly. If you’ve gained alittle fat, decrease protein intake slightly and monitor for another few weeks

STRATEGY 2 : Eat Five or Six Meals a Day

Lee labrada was known for carrying his food wherever he went – to the gym, to the mall, to business meetings – no matter where he was, when his schedule called for a feeding, Lee ate! His success gaining muscle and getting ripped is testament, in part, to his nutritional discipline. The sport of bodybuilding is nife with tales of athletes who would allow nothing to prevent them from eating on a fixed schedule, roughly every two-and-a-half to three hours.

Thre are anumber of metabolic benefits to holdings a strict routine in regards to your meal intake. Elevated insulin levels inhibit fat burning, but eating on a multi-meal schedule stabilizes blood sugar and thus insulin levels. Eating regularly also helps your liver and muscle tissue store glycogen more efficiently, which prevents the body from utilizing hard-earned muscle tissue for energy. Additionally, improved glycogen efficiency allows you to recover better from training.

While eating six times per day allows your furnace to keep burning fat, the periodicity of meals keeps your body’s nutrient stores at optimal levels. So when you start pushing hard under the iron, you’ll be able to keep performance levels high even though you’re on a fat-loss plan. Your body will have adequate nutrients in reserve for you to train effectively.

Because your body processes macronutrients more efficiently on a six-meal-a-day plan, fat moves through the system more rapidly . hence, less fat is stored or absorbed, while much of the remainder is sent to the porcelain god.

Note: when you start on a six-a-day plan, you will have to eat despite the lack of hunger signals. Los angeles nutrition wizard phil Goglia, who has helped a number of pro bodybuilders get shredded, refers to the early portion of such a program as the induction phase. Once your body has become accustomed to being fed this regularly and this efficiently, it will signal hunger almost to the minute every few hours.

STRATEGY 3 : Don’t Miss Workouts

Studies show that hard weight training can elevate calorie burning for several hours after you’ve left the gym . however, for this effect you need to keep rest time beetwen sets brief, that is, one minute or less. If you’re doing singles or below –six-rep sets that require several minutes’ rest time, you will not experience the same elevated metabolic rate post-workout.

STRATEGY 4 : Eat a Variety of Carbs

Just Because you know which low energy-dense carbs ( squash, cucumber, celery, lettuce, etc.) to eat on your shredding plan, don’t become maniacal with types and amounts. You already know that the body’s response to lack of variety can be stagnation and plateaus. You also know that only changing up your workout, routine, intensity, or rest time will results in renewed gains. Well, it’s no different with being overly rigid about macronutrient intake , particularly when it comes to carbohydrates.

If you want to continue shedding adipose tissue, you can’t allow the body to get contented with the status quo. Just as you manipulate growth with training adjustment, you should do the same with carb manipulation. Keep the metabolic furnace revved by consuming sweet potatoes, brown rice or yams instead of white rice or baked potatoes, brown rice or yams instead of white rice or baked potatoes. Double up on salads and water-packed vegetables, which require a lot more digestive energy than they themselves contain. Avoid limiting yourself to the same-old same-old carbs.

STRATEGY 5 : Carb Deplete Occasionally

Most fat-loss programs reach homeostasis – that is, the body finds a rhythm and sticks to it. But often, this rhythm means yet another weight-loss plateau . To avoid such stagnation, do a low-carb day or two every two or three weeks, lowering carb intake to roughly 125 grams per day ( the equivalent of approximately three-and-a-half medium potatoes ). Since carbs are essential for heart and brain function, it may bot be safe to eat fewer than the recommended 125 grams per day.

When carb intake Is reduced so dramatically, The body will start hunting for alternative energy sources, and in the process the shock to the system will pull the body out of its homeostatic state. As soon as you return to your normal carbohydrate intake levels, the glycogen-depleted tissue will quickly absorb the newly arrived glycogen, sucking it into the cells for energy. Your metabolic rate will jump a notch or two and you’ll be back in a hyped fatloss mode.

Do not try this if you are diabetic or suffer from periods of hypoglycemia. Low-carb days can lead to irritability, anxiety and other sucjh problems, so pick your low-carb days wisely.

The last few meals of the day should be high in low-energy-density carbs. Among all types of high-water-content carbs, you can pack in all of the green salads, squash, zucchini, celery, cucumber and asparagus ( you’re on a fat-loss plan so don’t whine about the smell ) you want for your last two meals of the day. They fill you up, provide enough fiber to improve transit time of food through, and out of the system more rapidly ( minimizing it’s absorption ) and hype the body’s overall metabolic response.

If you want to eat heavier, less waterpacked, carbs, do so during the first three or four meals of the day. This way, you’ll load the system with plenty of glycogen early on in the day and your training efforts won’t suffer

STRATEGY 7 : Vary the Amount of Carbs

As noted earlier, the body loves homeostasis, because that’s the place where it needs to do just enough work to get along. Feed it same amount of carbs daily, and you risk slowing down fat loss. In order to keep the system surprised, occasionally shock the body by lowering carb intake one day by a couple of hundred calories, increasing it by 300 calories the next day, dropping it again by 400 to 500 calories the third day, and them return to your normal carbohydrate level on day four. The body will respond by adapting – that is, it will continue to lose fat.

STRATEGY 8 : Hydrate often

Without adequate fluids, the body simply cannot convert carbs to energy efficiently. Since 70 percent of muscle tissue is water, it relies on consistent hydration to keepfunctioning, and when you’re depleted of fluid, the muscle cells simply cannot load up with energy nutrients or amino acids. Not only+ will your training suffer during your fatloss plan, but the process of the breakdown, especially from under the skin, relies on hydrolysis. That is, if you want to lose fat, you have to keep the body well hydrated.

So, avoid becoming dehydrated – if you’re thirsty, you’ve just reached the initial stage of dehydration and have slowed down your fatloss. At the very least, drink fluids immediately. Better still, drink water throughout the day to stay well hydrated.

Depending on the intensity, you can lose up to three liters of water during a session, so hydrate well during the day and especially before hitting the gym. Then continue sipping water throughout the workout.

While it seems like a lot, consider drinking between four and six liters of water per day, closer to the maximum on the training days, you’ll keep your system humming along, you’ll keep shedding fat, and you’ll survive and even thrive in your training sessions.

STRATEGY 9 : Eat Breakfast

Never, Ever skip breakfast, arguably the most important meal of the day, especially when you want to hype your metabolism and keep losing fat. Research shows that those who eat breakfast lose more fat than those who skip meal. According to Barbara Rolls, nutrition professor at Penn State University and author of The Volumentrics Weight Control Plan, says, “ Your metabolism slows down during sleep, and it doesn’t rev back up until you eat again, “ if you wait until midmorning or lunchtime for your first meal of the day, your metabolism won’t kick into high gear until then. You need to stoke the furnace immediately upon rising, or if you work out first thing in the day, eat within 90 minutes after the training session.

STRATEGY 10 : Have a Cheat Day

After you’ve been on a flab-shedding plan for about five weeks, you can take one more metabolism-boosting step and improve your mental well being in the process. By this point of your fat-shedding plan, your system should be humming along at a pretty steady pace, but you may hate the thought of yet another day of limited food choices. Enter the cheat day, wherein you can eat to your gut’s content, without compromising your fat loss efforts. While it seems counterintuitive and counterproductive in this manner, the cheat day allows you to eat with relative impurity scrambled eggs, bacon, pizza, ice cream, hamburgers, the works.

Of course, even with a cheat day there are basic guidelines. As the day moves forward, your food choices should become cleaner and cleaner. That is, if you start the day with bacon, eggs and pancakes, for example, your mid-day meal may be pizza or burgers and fries, but dinner should be something like sushi or a lean steak with baked potato ( no sour cream ) and veggies.

What this approach does is tell your body that the famine is over and that it should stop hoarding fat, especially around the viscera. With these signals, the body launches into a heightened metabolic state. What you must do on the day after cheat day is jump right back on the fat-loss bangwagon, train hard, and you’ll find that you’ll continue to move closer and closer to your shredded desires.

DIETING FOR FAT LOSS

Lower Calories

To lose fat, while at the same time gaining muscle, you need to create a caloric deficit. In other words, you need to burn off more calories that you take in. Doing aerobic exercise will take care of part of this by burning calories and increasing your metabolism afterwards. But you must also reduce the amount of food you are eating. Your caloric intake should be about 10 times your
body weight.

Your meals should consist of 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat. The majority of your diet will consist of high quality protein. This is mainly because protein has an anti-catabolic effect. During phases of low calorie dieting, it will help reduce muscle loss caused by lack of calories. Also, high
protein meals will boost your metabolism about 30% within one hour of eating, while high carb meals only raise your metabolism 4%. This is partly because protein digestion is more complex and takes much longer.

Meal Frequency
As in the mass diet, you will be dividing your daily calorie requirement into six meals. Spreading your calories over more meals is an important factor in changing your biochemistry to burn fat. Basically, the human body is designed to adapt to any unusual condition to help it survive. So, if we make a habit of eating a few sporadic meals throughout the day, or even skipping meals, our
bodies go into survival mode. It slows the metabolism and stores most of the meal calories in fat cells, because it is not quite sure when it will be receiving more nourishment. Now, if you eat more often, and at regular intervals, your body will not tend to store excess calories, because it knows you will be eating again in a few hours. Eating smaller, more frequent meals has several other added benefits. First, it increases your metabolism. Every time you eat a meal, your metabolic rate goes up. This is because your system is starts working hard to turn that meal into fuel. Also, as a part of digestion, heat is given off in a process calledthermogenesis. This also speeds up your metabolism.

The Problem with Most Diets As I stated earlier, most people have high levels of body fat because their diet is too high in simple carbohydrates. People who try to eat healthy by avoiding
fat, are missing the boat. Americans are not fat because of eating too much dietary fat. They are fat because they are eating too many carbs and not enough protein.

Let me explain. As I stated earlier, your body needs carbs for fuel. But when you eat carbs, it first has to convert them into its main fuel form: glucose, a simple sugar. That's right. When you eat carbs, your body converts them into sugar. The problem with this lies not with eating the carbs, but with how fast the sugar is dumped into your bloodstream.

To lose fat, you must control your blood sugar levels. You should never have large amounts of sugar enter your bloodstream too quickly. If you do, you will cause an exaggerated insulin response. Insulin is released into the bloodstream by the pancreas, when there is a large amount of sugar (glucose) being introduced into the system too quickly. This usually is caused by eating a meal consisting only of carbohydrates, which are digested very quickly. The job of the insulin is to lower the level of glucose in the bloodstream. It does this by forcing most of the excess sugar calories into the muscles and liver, as glycogen. The excess glucose that can't be put to immediate use is converted onto new fat and stored in your adipose tissue
(butt, hips, back, waist).

That's right. If you eat carbohydrates alone, you better be doing some sort of high energy activity to burn off the excess sugar calories. Otherwise, those are going straight towards building new fat cells!

The majority of this sugar is comes from simple processed carbohydrates like white bread and pasta. These are processed foods that have very little fiber. When you eat complex carbs, you will have a slightly lower insulin response, because they are usually high in fiber. Fiber act to slow digestion, so, in this respect, complex carbs are the carbs you should concentrate on eating.
But just eating complex carbs will not solve the problem completely either. To keep insulin levels low and avoid any spikes, you must combine a slowabsorbing protein with your carbs at each meal. This is essential. If you want to lose fat, never eat carbs alone! Always eat protein at every meal.

Fat Burning Hormone
Insulin also prevents the production of a hormone called glucagon, which is known to stimulate the release of stored body fat. Glucagon enables the body to burn stored body fat for energy instead of turning it into glucose.

To help elevate your levels of glucagon, you should:

· eat adequate protein at each meal
· control amount and type of carbs eaten
· include a small amount of good fat in diet

What To Eat?
Your diet on this phase is very restrictive. You must get control of what you put in your body. First, you must decrease your intake of simple carbohydrate (candies, syrups, sugar, alcohol, milk and milk products, and processed white flour products). Concentrate on eating complex starchy carbs like brown rice, whole grains, beans, potatoes, and yams. You can, however, still eat simple solid carbs like rice cakes, cream of wheat, popcorn, etc. if you make sure to combine them with protein. This should sufficiently delay digestion to avoid an insulin response.
You are not allowed any fruit or fruit juices for this fat loss period. This is essential in minimizing fat storage. Remember, from an insulin response standpoint, there is no difference between drinking orange juice or a soft drink. Both are simple sugars that produce a high insulin response and suppression of glucagon. If you are on the fat loss diet for more than two weeks, you can start eating fruit again once your metabolism has been sufficiently increased.

I don’t recommend it, but if you must have some fruit, green apples are the best choice. If you eat them with the peel, they contain more fiber and fewer simple carbs than most other fruits.
You will also be avoiding milk and milk products on this diet. Not only does milk have a very large amount of fat and sugar, but it also has high levels of sodium, which leads to water retention and a smooth bloated appearance.

Carbohydrates
Acceptable Avoid
Unrefined whole grains Whole oats White bread Cakes
Brown rice Pasta Cookies
Oatmeal Bagels Energy bars
Beans Fruit sugars (fructose) Sports drinks
Tubers (potatoes, yams) Milk sugar (lactose) Soft drinks
Green leafy vegetables Sweets

Getting your carbs under control will probably be the most difficult aspect of
your diet. Just think about it as making better carb choices, not cutting
something out.

Protein and Fat
For protein, you must concentrate on eating sources that are lower in fat. Do not try to cut out the fat. Fat does not make you fat. The majority of the fats that you get on the fat loss diet should come from EFA's only. It is essential to keep your protein and EFA levels high to combat muscle wasting caused by the calorie restrictions.

Protein/Fats

Acceptable Avoid
Chicken (white meat) Whey protein Ground beef All types of nuts
Turkey (breast) Soy protein isolate All beef steaks Cooking oils
Any fish or seafood Tuna (fresh, canned) Roast beef Ham
Deli meats Duck
All luncheon meats
Water

Remember try to drink as much water as possible, especially before your aerobic exercise. The best way to get rid of water retention is to drink plenty of water. When you retain water, it usually means that your body is not getting enough, and is constantly dehydrated. Your goal should to be to drink an amount equal to .66 times your body weight, each day. During this phase I recommend you drink distilled water because of its low sodium content.
Fiber, Again!
Because of your diet change (decreasing fat and increasing protein), you will want to make sure that you are getting enough fiber to avoid constipation. Since your body is accustomed to having more dietary fats, the low fat environment will temporarily affect the lubricity of your stool, thus slowing down your bowel movements. The only solution to this is plenty of water and
dietary fiber. Fiber also acts as a bulking agent, filling up your stomach so you are not as hungry.

This Is Great, But I Still Don't See My "Six-Pack"
To have definition in the abdominal area means you are going to have to probably diet for longer than 2 weeks. I didn't really see all six of my "packs" until I dieted for about 4 weeks. To see their abs, men usually have to get their body fat below 8%, while women have to be under 12%.

Cravings
If you continue on your restrictive, fat loss diet for more than four weeks, you will probably begin to have cravings for other foods. This is normal. When I was dieting, I would crave things that I would never eat otherwise. My body would crave things like Big Macs and banana splits. Normally, I hate those things. If I watched any food commercial on television, I would want that
food. I never do that, but sometimes I would be beside myself during the diet. The way I learned to deal with these cravings is to give into them once per week. In other words, one day per week, I would allow myself to eat anything I wanted. Period. No guilt and no regret. This day not only helps me satisfy those annoying cravings, it also increases my motivation and determination to stick with the diet. After my free day, I am usually very eager to get back on
track. Since I have implemented this practice, I no longer have cravings. When you plan your schedule, later on in this manual, make sure to give yourself a free day.

Binges
When you break down and give in to your cravings, this is called binging. Binging is usually caused by extreme dieting. That is when you diet hard for too long, without giving yourself a break psychologically and physically. This causes you to rebound into the other extreme. You gorge yourself with anything and everything, and, usually the sweeter the better. You can control this by easing into strict fat loss diets. If you gradually cut down your sugar and simple carb intake over a longer period of time, your body will have a chance to adjust. If you do not give yourself a chance to adjust to the new diet, you will begin to have intense cravings and mood swings. This will also be helped by giving yourself a free day, as described
above.

Calculating Your Daily Food Intake
For example, let's say you weigh 180 pounds. Now, to get the total number of calories you should be eating, multiply 180 by 10. That gives you 1,800 calories. Now divide that number by the number of meals you will be eating each day (6) and you get 300 calories. So, you should be eating about 300 calories at each meal.

Total Daily Calories
1. (weight x 10) = total daily calories
2. (total calories / number of meals per day) = calorie amount for each meal

Calculating your total nutrient breakdown is a little more complex. As I said earlier, your diet will consist of 40% protein, 30% carbohydrates and 30% fat calories during this phase.
First, we will calculate your total amount of protein in calories. Simply multiply 1,800 (total caloric intake) by .40 (40%). This gives us 720 total daily calories of protein.
Next, we need to determine how many grams this 720 calories contains. Since protein has 4 calories per gram, we just divide 720 by

4. This gives us 180. Now we know we will need to eat about 180 grams of
protein each day. To find out how much we eat at each meal, just divide that
number by 6 (number of meals). This gives us 30 grams. So, to get 40% of
my total calories from protein, I have to eat about 30g at each meal.

Here it is again:
1. Total daily protein intake in calories
(1,800 x .40) = 720 calories
2. Total daily protein intake in grams
(720 / 4) = 180 grams
3. Amount of protein needed at each meal
(180 / 6) = 30 grams
Now, let’s do the calculations for carbohydrates and fats.
(Remember carbs have 4 calories per gram, and fats have 9 calories per gram)
Carbs:
1. Total daily carb intake in calories
(1,800 x .30) = 540 calories
2. Total daily carb intake in grams
(540 / 4) = 135 grams
3. Amount of carbs needed at each meal
(135 / 6) = 23 grams
Fat:
1. Total daily fat intake in calories
(1,800 x .30) = 540 calories
2. Total daily fat intake in grams
(540 / 9) = 60 grams
3. Amount of fat needed at each meal
(60 / 6) = 10 grams

So, at each meal we should try to eat 30g of protein, 23g of carbs and 10g of fat. These numbers are your guidelines. You will never get exactly this amount, because I suggest varying your caloric and nutritional breakdown at each meal.

For instance, your post-workout meal will be much larger and contain more carbs and overall calories than any other meal. This is because your body needs more of these nutrients after a workout than it would normally. Another example is your last meal of the day. It will usually only consist of fat and protein. No carbs. This is because we want to minimize fat storage overnight.
Your metabolism is very slow in the evening, so your body is more likely to simply store carbs as fat. The opposite is also true. Your metabolism is fastest in the early morning. Therefore, you should try to consume the majority of your carbs before the evening.
When you are ready, you can use the calculation worksheet I have created on page 85.
Monitoring your progress It essential that you monitor your bodyfat and tape measurements as well as your weight during this phase. You will need all three the accurately judge your progress. You cannot expect to just go by how you think you look.
If you don’t feel you are getting adequate results, you should consider lowering your calorie intake by 200-300 calories. However, you should not be losing more than 1% of your bodyweight per week. So, if you weight 180lbs, you should not be losing more than 1.8 pounds per week. If you are losing more than that you are probably losing muscle mass. You should increase your caloric intake by 200-300 calories. Your goals is not just to lose fat, but also to
hold onto as much muscle mass as possible!

Long-Term Fat Loss
If you wish to continue on a fat loss diet for more than three weeks, you should switch your weight training workout to that of my original mass routine workout. But instead of concentrating on the eccentric motion, you will use a tempo of 1/0/1. This because if you are on the low intensity fat loss workout for too long, you will begin to lose strength. Switching back to a more challenging program will help maintain as much muscle mass and strength as possible. You will still have to fulfill the aerobic exercise requirements, of course. You should also begin to cycle your nutrient profile and caloric intake after about 4-6 weeks of low calorie dieting to re-adjust your metabolism. Your body will always try to conserve energy, so if you are on a low calorie diet for a prolonged period of time, it will slow your metabolism to conserve energy/calories — making your diet ineffective. By alternating between a low
calorie and slightly higher calorie diet, you can avoid this problem and continue to lose fat. Adjusting could mean simply adding or removing an extra 200-300 calories

From the Desk of A n t h o n y E l l i s s

DIETING FOR MUSCLE GAIN

Out of all the sections in this manual, this one is probably the most important for gaining weight. Dieting for muscle gain is simply a matter of eating. You must eat more calories than your body burns off. Now, when I say eat, I do not mean just anything. All calories are not created equal. In other words, some types of calories are not equal to others for gaining muscle. For example, if I said that you need to eat 2,000 calories per day to gain weight, and you eat 4 bags of potato chips each day, do you think you would gain muscle? Not likely. The majority of your weight would be fat.

Why? Because potato chips, like most processed junk food, contains empty, totally nutritionless calories. These foods do not provide you with the correct nutrient breakdown essential for gaining muscle. To gain muscle, your caloric intake should be equal to about 15-18 times your
body weight. Your meals must also consist of the correct amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat. The current ratio that I recommend is 40% protein, 30% carbohydrates and 30% fat. Some advocate more protein or more fats, but this is a good starting point for most hardgainers.
Years ago, a higher carbohydrate and lower fat diet was the rage, pushed by professional bodybuilders and trainers. They claimed that this was the only way to eat for muscle gain. Unfortunately, the only people gaining muscle on that type of diet were a genetically gifted few. The rest just got fat. Carbs serve mainly as energy for the body, while protein provides the necessary amino acids to build and repair muscle. For muscle growth, carbohydrates are not as essential as protein and fats. High quality protein, which the body breaks down into amino acids, should be the center point of all your meals. Intense exercise increases demand for amino acids which support muscle repairand growth.2

Proteins
When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So, for example, if you weight 100 lbs., you should be eating at least 100 grams of protein per day. You also must have protein at every meal. You don’t have to have carbs or fat at every meal, but you must have protein. When I say protein, I am referring to high quality protein derived from animal sources. Soy protein, tofu and bean curd have their place, as you will find out later, but for getting bigger and stronger, the only protein you
need to be concerned with are those found in whey, eggs, beef, poultry, and
fish.

Stick with these basic foods and avoid unusual concoctions like deli meats. Never use these as a source of protein! Sure it tastes great, but you cannot count on a reliable measure of how much decent protein you are actually eating. Most of this meat consists of fat and fillers. As a rule, I stay away from all processed meats, like hot dogs, sausages, bologna, etc.

On the other hand, beef is great. I love to eat red meat, but it is not necessary to gain muscle. If you do not want to eat red meat, poultry or fish, your only alternative is to use whey protein as your primary source. Whey is one of the most biologically active (easily used by your body) proteins available. If you do like red meat and poultry, then eat as much as you like. But be aware of what you are eating. In this day and age, the major danger of eating meats does not come from the meat itself, but rather from what people put into the
animal. Unless you eat pure organic meats, you are ingesting products that contain more steroids, hormones and antibiotics that you could imagine. I cannot say concretely that these things are harmful (there has not yet been a study of the long-term effects on humans), but how can it not be?

Fiber
The other danger of eating meats deals with how long they stay in your large intestine. Normally, all food you eat should take about 24 hours to travel through your digestive system. If it takes longer, you may not be getting enough fiber in your diet. Fiber is responsible for keeping things moving “smoothly,” so to speak. The
longer foods stay in the body, the more chance it has to putrefy. When meat begins to putrefy, it produces toxins that are not immediately harmful, but which, over many years, can cause chronic illnesses, psoriasis, eczema, dandruff, body odor, acne, and colon cancer. Just be aware, consume these things in moderation, and be sure to get plenty of fiber. You should aim to get 20-35g of fiber per day. The best sources are vegetables, whole grains, and whole oats.

Milk
One favorite high calorie item that bodybuilders like to use is milk. Unfortunately, I have not included it in my program because I did not use it much during my original program. I have used is quite a bit after my program, though. If you are having problems gaining weight on this program, you should consider adding milk to your diet. Please see page 236 for more on this.

Fat!
Fat is another diet element that is usually forgotten or purposefully left out. If you want to gain muscle mass, this is a mistake. Dietary fats play an essential role in hormone production, which in turn is responsible for growth and strength increases. I have never gained muscle on a low fat diet, though many people still believe that eating fat makes you fat. This is absolutely false. In fact, there is a very popular muscle gain diet that bee around for years, called the "Anabolic Diet" that requires you to eat only fat! Butter, bacon, and heavy
cream are all on the menu. Though quite extreme, this diet does work. Most people are overweight because of a diet high in simple carbohydrates, not from eating fats. If your diet is too low in fat, your body will actually make a point to store any fat it gets, because it doesn't know when it will get more. A low-fat diet will also lower testosterone levels, something we do not want when trying to gain weight.

Essential Fats
Studies have shown that dietary fat has a direct relationship with testosterone production. An increase in dietary fat intake seems to bring on an increase in testosterone levels.3 The inverse is also true. A decrease in dietary fat intake is usually accompanied by a decrease in free testosterone levels.4 Whereas saturated fats are the cause of many illnesses, like heart disease and cancer, Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) are unsaturated fats that are necessary for thousands of biological functions throughout the body. And since they cannot be manufactured by the body, the must be provided by your diet. Essentially, these are the only fats you will ever need. There are two types of EFA's: linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3). Linoleic acid is
primarily found in oils like canola, sunflower and safflower. Linolenic acid is found in cold water fish and linseed oil. Oils that contain both fats include evening primrose, borage and, my favorite, high lignen flaxseed oil. These fatty acids not only help increase testosterone production, but they also aid in the prevention of muscle breakdown, help to increase your HDL level (good cholesterol) and assist in hormone production.5 As stated earlier, if your diet is too low in fat, your testosterone levels will decrease. That's exactly what we don't want.

Meal Frequency
To gain weight, you will be eating a large amount of calories. Unfortunately, your body can only assimilate a certain number of calories at each meal. For our purposes, eating three meals per day is not beneficial. If you had to eat 3,000 calories per day, then you would end up eating 1,000 calories at each meal. The average person can only use a portion of those calories. The excess will be stored as fat or removed from the body.
To enable your body to actually assimilate and use the 3,000 calories you will ingest, you have to reduce your meal size and increase your meal frequency. Splitting your calories into smaller, more frequent portions will enable food absorption and utilization of nutrients6. I always eat six meals each day, evenly spaced out at three hour intervals. My goal is to provide my body with constant nourishment throughout the day. So if it typically takes about 2.5 hours to digest most meals, want to be eating another meal just as my last meal is leaving my stomach. I do this because my body is constantly in need of nutrients to repair itself. I do a lot of damage during my workouts and completely stress my system. My body is trying to “adapt to the stress,” but in order to do this, it needs consistent fuel. [Note: I know that six meals per day seems like a lot of trouble, but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature. Eating six meals per day is no more of a hassle for me than eating three. Please do not be overwhelmed by this at first. This is where most people lose the battle. Get your diet under control, and you are more than half way there.] If I ate only three meals per day, then my body would be without nutrients for about six hours between each of those meals! This is unacceptable for skinnyguys. Without food, your body will quickly begin to breakdown muscle tissue for energy. You must never go longer than three hours between meals. This is where planning comes in. Make sure that you know where your next meal is coming from in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute. The only time you will ever go longer than three hours without eating is when you are asleep. This is unavoidable, unless you wake up in the middle of the night just to eat, which, for some, may not be a bad idea. However, it is not, obviously, very
convenient.

Important Meal Times
In order to help ease some of the inevitable muscle catabolism during your sleeping hours, you must eat a protein rich meal just before you go to bed, and another immediately after you wake up. Also, in order to get the most from your workouts, you must eat a protein meal one hour before you workout and then another within one hour afterwards. These meals are very important. The meal eaten prior to your workout ensures that your body will be able to put forth maximum effort during your intense workout session. Your post-workout meal (probably the most important meal of the day) replenishes all the nutrients lost during your workout. It also helps to jump start your recovery.

The Importance of Water
While on this program, it is essential for you to make an effort to drink more water. Unfortunately, in America, the first thing people reach for when they are thirsty is a sugary beverage. This is the last thing a thirsty person needs. It may seem to quench your thirst, but it actually makes the problem worse. Most people walk around dehydrated without even knowing it. When your body finally signals that you are thirsty, you are way past dehydrated. To make sure that your muscles stay hydrated, you should aim to drink an
amount equal to .66 times your body weight (in ounces) per day. Not soda or juice, but water! So if you weight 145 lbs, you should be drinking at least 96 oz per day. You must drink it throughout the day and not try to chug it all at once. Drinking a sufficient amount of water will not only increase your vascularity (more visible veins), but it will also help to quickly remove toxins from the body. Protein generates metabolic waste products that must be dissolved in water. Without enough water, the kidneys cannot efficiently
remove these wastes.

Mass Dieting Foods (where to get the calorie)
Acceptable Unacceptable
beef nuts deli meat soy protein
fish unsaturated fats potato chips tofu
poultry MRPs alcohol bean curd
whole eggs whey protein cakes mass gainer powder
pasta potatoes cookies processed meats
bread rice candy ham
cheese canned tuna/salmon sweets spam!

Calculating Your Daily Food Intake:

First, we need to determine how many calories you will be eating each day. This is done by multiplying your weight by 18. If you weigh 135 pounds, for example, that gives you 2,430 calories. Now divide that number by the number of meals you will be eating each day (6) and you get 405 calories. So, you should be eating about 405 calories at each meal.

Total daily calories
1. (weight x 18) = total daily calories
2. (total calories / number of meals per day) = calorie amount for each meal

Next, we need to calculate your nutrient breakdown. Remember that this mass diet will consist of 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat.

First, we will calculate your total amount of protein in calories. Simply multiply 2,430 (total caloric intake) by .40 (40%). This gives us 972 total daily calories of protein. Next, we need to determine how many grams of protein these 972 calories should contain. Since protein is 4 calories per gram, we just divide 972 by 4. This gives us 243g. Now we know we will need to eat about 240 grams of protein each day. To find out how much we eat at each meal, just divide that by 6 (number of meals). This gives us 40.5 grams. So, to get 40% of my total calories from protein, I have to eat about 41g at each meal.

Here it is again:
1. Total daily protein intake in calories
(2,430 x .40) = 972 calories
2. Total daily protein intake in grams
(972 / 4) = 243 grams
3. Amount of protein needed at each meal
(243 / 6) = 40.5 grams
Now let’s do the calculations for carbohydrates and fats.
(Remember carbs are 4 calories per gram, and fats have 9 calories per gram)

Carbs:
1. Total daily carb intake in calories
(2,430 x .30) = 729 calories
2. Total daily carb intake in grams
(729 / 4) = 182.25 grams
3. Amount of carbs needed at each meal
(182.25 / 6) = 30.4grams

Fat:
1. Total daily fat intake in calories
(2,430x .30) = 729 calories
2. Total daily fat intake in grams
(729 / 9) = 81 grams
3. Amount of fat needed at each meal
(81 / 6) = 13.5 grams
So, at each meal, we should try to eat 41g of protein, 30g of carbs and 13.5g of fat. Wasn’t that easy? These numbers are your guidelines. You will never get exactly this amount, but you should get as close as possible at each meal. When you are ready, you can use the calculation worksheet I have created on page 68.

What if you are not gaining weight?
Gaining weight is simply a matter of eating more calories than your body burns for energy. If you are not gaining weight, you just need to eat more and rest more. It's that simple.
Remember, most of you have extremely fast metabolisms. Gaining weight will be extremely difficult. The only way you will get bigger is to shock your body. You must shock your body by
1) training with heavy weights, and
2) by eating a lot of calories.

The first shock is with weight training. You must focus on compound freeweight exercises, and lift heavy weights which will stimulate the largest amount of muscle fibers. Your body responds to this stimulus by increasing your muscle mass.

The second way we must shock our body is by eating more calories than your body is accustomed to. This is the most important factor in gaining mass.
When you consistently overload your system with plenty of protein and fats, your body has no other choice but to gain weight


From the Desk of A n t h o n y E l l i s