Alright, check it out…

I’ve decided to give away one year of personal training to one of my current clients… there’s currently 90 of you and one of you are going to win a full twelve months of personal training.

Each one of you has the same opportunity to win.

Here’s all you gotta do:

If you were to refer a friend or colleague to me… to my personal training program… and they enroll, I will give you 1/2 off of your next month’s fees. For each and every person you refer to me that enrolls you will receive an additional 1/2 off of your training fees.

In other words, if you refer two new clients you receive one free month of training…

three new clients – 1 1/2 free months…

four new clients – 2 free months…

five new clients – Well, you get the picture.

This is a program that I will always provide to my clients as an opportunity to earn free personal training services.

(Personally, I would love to be able to train every one of you for free, but unfortunately my daughter Katy likes to eat every darn day. Until I can teach her to eat only once a week, I need to be able to afford feeding her. So, free training for everyone is not realistic at this time.)

Okay, back to the contest…

Now… during the 30-day period that I run this contest… even though everyone can benefit from the scenario above… the person that refers the most new clients to the program will receive…

1 Full Year of FREE Personal Training.

It doesn’t matter if its 10, 4, or even two persons. If it’s the highest number of new clients in the 30-day period… YOU WIN!

It’s that simple.

And to make your quest a little easier, I will provide each of you with a tool that will give your referrals a reason to act on  your generosity. (For more details about this nifty little tool, just speak with me personally).

We will run our little contest from March 1st through March 30th.

This gives you a week to start thinking about whom you might extend your generosity to.

Make a list so you don’t forget their names.

Family…

Friends…

Co-workers…

Then when the contest starts, it will be quick and easy for you…

And who knows…

YOU just might be the winner.

Committed to your success,                                                                                                  Rick

P.S. I also want to come up with cool 2nd and 3rd place prizes for the contest and I want your thoughts and suggestions. What would YOU like to win? Leave me a comment below. Thanks!!!

Two girls at the beach were admiring the passing scene, which included a bodybuilder who was strutting his best.  “That’s my type,” said the first girl. “Well, I don’t know,” the other replied.  ”I have a friend who married a man that owns a two-car garage, but he just keeps a bicycle in it!“

There’s a postulate in quantum physics that states, “We don’t know how much we don’t know.”  This statement rings out such resounding truth when it comes to weight training… and, yes, sex… but for now we’ll stick to the topic of weight training. 

Every gym across the country has them… you know the people… the ones who make you put on that set of headphones (no stereo mind you, just the headphones) just so you can be left to yourself…. the woman who sees no wrong in setting the treadmill to the very lowest setting, and staying on it for an hour and a half while others are in line… the wannabe Hulk who loads 280 lbs. on a barbell and starts pounding away bicep curls by throwing his upper body back and forth – without ever bending the elbows… the men and women who filter in and out of the gym every day thinking that they are accomplishing something with their aimless antics and lack of planning. Every one of them thinks that they are doing it right!

The reality is that most people in the gym have lousy form, and pathetic knowledge of weight training. There’s little wonder why they look exactly the same, week after week, month after month, year after year. In fact, over 90% of the people who frequent gyms fall squarely into this category.

Let’s take a look at some of the characters that are commonly found in any gym across the nation:

“No Pain, No Gain.” There are actually people who believe this! I sincerely doubt that Ronnie Coleman or Arnold have ever consciously tried to hurt themselves. Yet there are morons out there that actually train with that mentality. Exercise should never be painful. If it is, you’ll run the risk of injury as a result of overtraining. Once you enter the “overtraining zone,” you’re guaranteed to experience physiological and mental stress which can eventually lead to a number of health problems.

The Flirt. All you guys know who she is. She is the one that thinks she’s the hottest girl in the gym, but in reality she is simply the most annoying. She is the one that comes up to you immediately after you have just pounded out a set of squats from hell, bats her eyes at you then proceeds to ask you “Can you please come take these plates off the leg press. They are just too heavy for me.” To which I would say “Hell no, what do I look like, your personal trainer?” (You know how moody one can be after doing a set of brutal squats.)

The Screamer. Every gym has to have at least one of them. I know you will easily create an image in your mind of the person that I’m talking about. He’s the guy that, for some reason, feels it’s his obligation to shriek at the top of his lungs before performing any set. What makes it even more astonishing is that this person will be lifting such a small amount of weight. I find these people more humorous than annoying. I’ve had the “privilege” to experience quite a few occasions where the “Screamer” has made his presence known. Although it may seem to provide a psychological edge, it has been proven through research, that yelling before or during an exercise provides absolutely no benefit whatsoever. It can, however, be very distracting. My first reaction when I hear someone scream is, “OH GOD! Someone’s stuck beneath a barbell,” or “OH NO! Someone just tore a muscle!” Whenever I am in the presence of a Screamer in the gym, I always remember something I was told when I first started training. I was having a conversation with a young lady that was training next to me when a Screamer yelled at the top of his lungs. As I was trying to suppress my laughter, she turns to me and says, “You know, I’ve always heard that the noises a person makes while training are the same ones they make while in bed.” After hearing that, I nearly had to use the restroom to wipe my backside clean. As funny as it was at the time, I think she may just be right! What to do think?

The Spandex Lady. This one is not a pretty sight to see. This is the lady who really needs to lose about 75 more pounds before she tries to squeeze that lard into those tight-fitting spandex shorts. Lady, let me clue you in on something, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE YOU IN THAT! To makes matters worse, she’s the one I described above… the woman who sees no wrong in setting the treadmill to the very lowest, slowest setting, and stays on it forever while others are waiting in line to use it. She goes so slow that she burns maybe 20 calories the entire time she lumbers along. This lady needs to make it worth all of our time by picking up the pace, or getting the hell out of the way. More importantly, she needs to do us all a favor and just wear some big, baggy sweats.

“My Ego Is Bigger Than My Bench.” Inevitably, you will always have at least one guy who feels the need to place more weight on the bar than even Ronnie Coleman himself will lift on a regular basis. What sucks about this guy is that since you look like you work out, you are a prime candidate to spot this person. Being the nice person you are, you happily agree to spot them. Then just before they begin, they look up and ask you, “Give me a lift-off on 3 and make me work!” You respond by saying, “Okay, on 3″. One, two, three, lift.” The person holds the weight for an instant and then, in the blink of an eye, the weight accelerates straight down like, well…dead weight! You fear the worst, thinking that the person over-estimated their abilities and could be seriously injured. So, with all of your strength, you apply as much possible resistance to slow the downward plunge of the weight. The thud it makes at the bottom makes you cringe! You breathe a sigh of relief when you notice that the person is not hurt and you immediately begin to pull the weight up and towards the rack. As you do, the most mind-boggling thing happens. The idiot murmurs in a low, strained voice “Help me get one more…” Your mouth nearly hits the floor in amazement as you think to yourself, “What? You didn’t even get the first one.” You repeat the process. After it’s over and your traps are recovering, you swiftly move to the other side of the gym in hope that the person won’t ask you to help him again. As you move away, this clown asks the question heard around the world, “How much did you help me”? “Well, Bullet Head… A WHOLE DAMN LOT!” From that day forward, you avoid that person like cardio during the off-season.

There is a common theme that must be adapted by any successful bodybuilder. It’s called “Let Go of My Ego.” This is where you must convince yourself that your body will grow with proper technique, correct form, and most of all… nutrition. It is not always necessary to lift massive amounts of weight all the time, and sacrifice good form and technique to do so. The moral of the story? Big weights only look cool if… and ONLY if… you can lift them without subjecting the person spotting you to an unexpected set of shrugs.

The Rat Pack. Similar to the previous category, except this is usually a group of three or four guys that work out together. They are usually using way more weight than most pro bodybuilders fathom using. There are two distinctive characteristics of this group of pinheads. First, they all think they are getting bigger and stronger. I mean… they truly believe it! Picture these guys. They load up a barbell with way more weight than any of them can dream to lift with proper form, and then proceed to take turns spotting each other through set after set of gyrations and movements that defy nature. The second distinctive trait is that the person spotting is actually getting a better workout than the one doing the exercise!

Marathon Man. He always seems to be the first to arrive, and the last to leave. He believes that the longer he trains in the gym, the more weight he will lose (or gain). His workouts are of epic durations. He’s the guy that performs every conceivable exercise designed for the particular body part he is training that day. He just doesn’t get it. The longer you’re in the gym, the more muscle fibers you’ll tear down. This is an unhealthy way to lose (or gain) weight. Once your body hits a catabolic state, you begin to lose energy… and that eventually leads to over-training… which leads to a plateau. A plateau is an inability to make progress in training. It can last for months. To be safe, consider working out for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, increase the intensity and continue to progress.

The Serious Person. When this person gets ready to train the first thing he will do is get into his own little world. Then he gets the “if you talk to me I will kick your butt” look on his face. He grabs his belt, straps and whatever else he may need on that day of training. When he gets in this zone he doesn’t like to be bothered. You know him… he’s the guy that after doing a heavy set of dumbbell curls will walk around and brood even though he has just pushed himself through a pain barrier that nobody else in that gym is willing to do and doesn’t even have the guts to do. He never looks at anyone in the eye. Everyone avoids him until it is finished. Then as quickly as the all-out assault started, it is over. Then he comes back to the real world and once again he is a really nice guy… until the next time he trains. I guess this is why people think bodybuilders are crazed idiots. He can be intimidating to most people, but at least he has a purpose for his training.

I am sure you can relate to most, if not all, of the people I have written about. If you are one of these people… let me ask you this? Do you want to be stuck in the stagnant pond of mediocrity all of your life? No? Then get over yourself and change your views towards training. Be like the Serious Person… determine the PURPOSE of your training… determine the PURPOSE of your workout… determine the PURPOSE of the exercise. And then train WITH A PURPOSE. Only then will you begin to train RIGHT! Only then will you begin to feel the pleasure of accomplishment after each repetition of every set. And only then will you truly ENJOY your workouts… sounds a lot like sex, doesn’t it? Whatever your training goals, whether it’s the size of the muscles, or the use of them, don’t miss the adventure along the way… again, it sounds like sex. Vince Gironda once said, “There’s joy on the gym floor.” Only those with a heart for training can understand what he meant.

I believe that about wraps up Dr. Diet’s Personal Rant Session. I feel much better now. And if anyone reading this knows me, yes I am talking about you!

Have thoughts about this post? Let us hear your comments…

I want you to go back to school with me for a minute, and review some simple math.

Now, when I teach this stuff to trainers and clients, as soon as they hear the word “math” their eyes glaze over and they look like a collective herd of deer caught in the headlights of a Mack truck. But, honestly, how are you going to talk sensibly about calories, diets like “40/30/30,” percentages of calories from protein, decoding a food label, or anything else along those lines without clearing up some of the basics in the math department? You can’t!

Which brings me to the area of “fat-burning” zones.

See, one of the biggest misunderstandings and “myth-conceptions” in the field of exercise and weight loss has been around the field of fat-burning. Aerobic teachers are constantly admonishing their students to work at a slower rate so they can “burn more fat.” Almost all cardio equipment in the gym has a “fat burning” program, and fitness professionals are constantly bombarded with questions from clients about how to get their heart rate in the targeted “fat burning zone.”

The misconceptions come from a basic confusion between percentages and absolute amounts. At rest, the body is always burning a mix of fuels. All other things being equal, it doesn’t like to burn protein. So that leaves fats and carbohydrates (more technically, fatty acids and glucose). At rest, the “average” person burns about 70 percent fat and 30 percent carbs. As one moves from rest to activity, the percentage of fuel coming from fat decreases and the percentage coming from carbs increases. The more intense the exercise, the more carbs and the less fat in the mix, until you reach the point called the “anaerobic threshold” where you’re going at about your intensity limit. At that point, 99 percent or more of your fuel is pure carbohydrate and 1 percent or less is coming from fat.

Now, this situation has led many people to assume that in order to “burn fat” they need to exercise at lower intensities.

They’re missing the boat.

Why? Because while at rest, although a higher percentage of your calories is indeed coming from fat, you are ultimately burning a lower absolute number of calories. At higher-intensity exercise, the percentage of calories from fat goes down…true…but it is a percentage of a significantly higher number.

To illustrate this critical difference, I often ask people to picture Ross Perot standing next to me. Then I ask them, “If all things were equal, would you rather have 90 percent of all the money I have in the world, or 1 percent of all the money Mr. Perot over here has?” When they give the obvious answer, I say, “But why? 90 percent is so much higher than 1 percent!”

They get the picture.

So, let’s say you’re exercising at a fairly low intensity that burns 100 calories in a half-hour. Let’s say that 70 percent of those calories come from fat. Your neighbor, however, is working out much harder…outside the magical “fat burning” zone. She’s burning up, say 300 calories in that same half hour, but only 50 percent of those calories are from fat.

Now do the math.

You’re burning a higher percentage of fat, but 70 percent of your 100 calories equals 70 fat calories burned. Your neighbor, on the other hand, is burning a lower percentage of fat, but she has burned up 50 percent of 300 calories, or 150 fat calories…more than twice what you’ve burned in the same period of time!

And THAT is exactly why the style of cardio training that I recommend is far superior than the “typical” cardio you see legions of people doing across health clubs in America. My clients burn 4 times more calories in the same amount of time as the average cardio session.

Think about that for a minute… That’s Twice the Results in Half the Time!

Get it? Not yet? Well, let’s cut to the chase. Who in their right mind honestly believes that working slower will yield a higher rate of return? If that was the case, then laying on the couch would yield better results than exercising in the first place! If that was remotely true, we would not see so many obese people walking the streets. But, over 65% of Americans are overweight or obese.

Now…isn’t it worth understanding the numbers?

CLICK HERE and I’ll show you how you can get the results!

Have you ever quit your exercise routine because you became bored with it? And going to the gym seemed like a chore?

Have you ever struggled to lose just a few pounds, even though you were going to the gym and eating a bunch of boring healthy foods?

The sad fact is that most people who try to do it on their own fail. Very rarely does their body seem to change much, even when they try their hardest.

By far, the absolute best solution to this problem is to get a personal trainer. They can guide, direct and motivate you to a better body. Personal fitness trainers can help to change someone’s physique like nothing else on the planet

But, many times this isn’t the case and the trainer ends up being more problems than they’re worth…You see, often times when someone hires a personal trainer the only place they end up trimming any extra fat away is in their bank account.

Have you ever known anyone who hired a trainer and got NO results at all?

Have you ever been working out in a gym and actually observed the trainers?

If you have, I bet you probably could tell right away that the trainer is just doing a job, and has no emotional investment in seeing the client get results.

If you’ve ever hired a personal trainer yourself you know what a crap shoot it can be to try and find the right one.

If you’ve had friends who’ve hired personal trainers it’s no doubt you’ve heard the horror stories… The flakey trainers who are always late and missing their appointments, the trainers who promise everything yet produce nothing in the way of tangible results and the trainers who go on and on about insignificant matters the entire workout all on the client’s dime!

If you’ve ever done a trial workout with a trainer you know that many of them can give great sales pitches, but how do you know if they’re really the best trainer for you?

Keep reading and you’ll find out…

The Problems with Many Personal Trainers…

One of the problems with many of the personal training programs in Camden County is that the trainer and client spend a lot of time talking about their personal lives, and frankly, the trainer wastes a lot of time just standing around counting reps.

Why pay good money for someone just to count your reps? You could easily hire someone for minimum wage to count your reps if that’s what you’re looking for.

And if you’re looking for someone to talk about your personal life with for an hour then a therapist might be more what you’re looking for…not a trainer.

Here are a few of the types of problem personal trainers that are giving the rest of us a bad name:

The Selfish Trainer… who’s motto is if it works for me it will work for you – This is the trainer who doesn’t take their client’s goals into consideration when designing a routine.

This is why it’s common for a female to hire a personal trainer and then 3 months later she looks all buffed out like she’s been taking steroids.

Or why you’ll see people in the gym working out with a trainer doing some really ineffective and funky exercises.

You see, while the client’s goal might be to lose fat and tone up, the trainer will put the client on one of “his” favorite exercises, which won’t do anything but add a couple of yards to your golf swing… but if you want to lose fat, who cares about improving your golf swing! Just because the trainer’s a golfer and finds that doing a lot of functional sport training routines helps him improve his swing and impress his buddies on Saturday morning doesn’t mean that’s the same workout his client’s need to reach their own fitness goals.

But the Selfish trainer doesn’t see this. Because he’s completely self-absorbed and self-obsessed and what his clients want really doesn’t matter to him.

So it’s very important when hiring a trainer that you let them know EXACTLY what your goals are.

Make sure the trainer knows that you have no interest in improving your golf swing, unless that’s your goal.

If you’re a female and don’t want to get big and bulky, make sure you tell this to the trainer before you sign ANYTHING, and ask the trainer to see before and after pictures of his clients, so you can make sure he’s not turning women into bodybuilders.

Watch out for the Selfish Trainer who just puts his clients on “his’ favorite exercises, with no consideration for the client’s goals.

The Amateur Psychologist Trainer… One of the biggest problems in the industry is personal trainers trying to be amateur psychologists.

They’ll happily give out financial advice even though they’re broke.

They’ll happily dish out marital advice, many times as a way to get into their clients pants! (I’ve seen this one more times then I can count).

They’ll talk to you about your inner child; right after they just snorted a few lines of coke in the gym bathroom (cocaine and steroid addiction is a giant problem in the personal training industry).

The truth is many of these “pop-psychologist” personal trainers live lives that are an absolute mess. And it’s easier for them to dish out information about how their clients should live their lives than it is to fix their own.

Watch out for the personal trainer who wants to play “psychologist.”

The Know-It-All Trainer… It’s impossible to know EVERYTHING about exercise. There’s just so much to learn. Science is rapidly finding the best ways to go about losing fat and toning muscles that to know it all would require a hundred lifetimes and a university-sized library of knowledge.

Any personal trainer who claims to know it all is dangerous! If a client comes to this kind of personal trainer with an important question regarding their body or health, if the trainer doesn’t know the answer many times the “know-it-all trainer” will just dish out any old line instead of admitting they don’t know the answer and going and finding the best answer or solution for that individual client with the client’s best interest in mind.

A true fitness professional will keep their client’s best interest at the absolute forefront of their mind at all times, and won’t be scared to say “I don’t know”
An amateur will THINK that by admitting that they don’t have the answers to everything that it’s a weakness, so they’ll tell a boldfaced lie to the client and dish out possibly harmful information just to protect their own ego.

Beware of the know-it-all personal trainer.

The Rep-Counter… The Rep-Counter is the most harmless of trainers yet also has the worst track record for getting results.

You see, a lot of personal trainers just train for the money and look at it as job.

In fact, gyms are filled with unqualified personal trainers who could give a damn about their client’s goals and only care about bringing in a paycheck.

Here’s a typical situation of how this kind of personal trainer gets hired:

In this case we’ll call our trainer Johnny.

A local gym puts and ad in the newspaper or online saying they are hiring for Personal Trainers, Sales People, Front Desk Staff and Custodians.

Johnny is fresh out of high school (maybe college) and needs a job so he can afford his weekly sack of weed, gas money and the $25 a week he pays his parents for rent to live in their house.

While looking through the classifieds, at the strong urging of his mother, he sees a job listing for “Personal Trainers”.

This catches Johnny’s eye because he’s heard trainers get a lot of “chicks” and Johnny kind of looks like a trainer. Not because he works out, but because he’s young, has good genetics and took P.E. in high school for the past four years… he looks like he’s in good shape.

So Johnny applies. And since many gyms will hire just about ANYBODY to be trainer, he gets the job. They make him go to a two-day certification program that the gym offers which amounts to one day on how to train people, and then another day split in half between how to sell personal training to people who don’t want to buy it and how to up-sell their clients on the line of crappy supplements that the gym offers, allowing the trainer to make a 5% commission.

Johnny loves his job because he quickly realizes that all he has to do is sell packages of personal training and count reps and his boss is happy.

And the fringe benefits are, while Johnny’s on the job, he can check out “chicks”, go on and on about his personal life, and even possibly sleep with a few of his unhappily married Osage Beach housewife clients.

A common disguise for this kind of trainer is the stop watch and clipboard, which will many times only serve as “costume” for making them look like they know what they’re doing.

Shocking yes, but common…

When searching for a trainer, be sure and avoid “Johnny the Rep-Counter.”

Two-Routine Trainer… Another common situation that gives personal trainers a bad name are the trainers who put clients on one of two workout routines.

Routine #1 is where the trainer will stick the client on a treadmill for half the workout while the trainer either blabs about his personal life to the captive-audience client on the treadmill or while the trainer hangs out and chats with his trainer buddies at the “trainer desk”. All while the client is forking over good money for the hour.

Routine #2 is where the trainer knows how to do one workout (usually the one he learned in that two-day certification program) and he puts his clients on this routine, EVERY TIME THEY COME IN THE GYM.

What the trainer didn’t learn in his two-day certification program is that this not only will get clients very little in the way of results due to the “Law of Physical Adaptation,” but this will cause pattern overload syndrome, which will ruin the client’s joints and cause them to have that horrible-rounded-shoulder- head-poking-forward-posture that will make them look like a caveman.

Do NOT hire the “Two-Routine Trainer” unless you want to end up paying high dollar to walk on a treadmill while you turn into a hunchback.

The Genetically-Gifted, Steroid-Freak Trainer… The last kind of trainers I’m going to warn you about is the “genetically gifted” and the “steroid freak.”

Often times this trainer comes in a combination of both and is actually a hybrid, which I call “The Genetically-Gifted, Steroid-Freak Trainer.”

Due to either steroid usage or genetics or a combination of both, these trainers can do just about anything and be in perfect shape. Any kind of exercise they do will make them look like Greek Gods, even if they live on cheeseburgers and onion rings.

Now that’s great for them, but the problem is these trainers think that since whatever they do in a gym works for them, then it must work for everyone else.

And their clients believe it too because any trainer in that kind of shape MUST know what he’s doing. Right? WRONG!

Unfortunately, most of us weren’t blessed with perfect genetics, nor are we willing to order black market pharmaceuticals from third-world countries online and then inject them into our tush just to get six-pack abs.

There is so much science behind what it truly takes for the average person to get into incredible shape, and what works for “Genetically-Gifted, Steroid-Freak Trainer” will not work for the vast majority of the population.

But “Genetically-Gifted, Steroid-Freak Trainer” doesn’t need to keep up on this science because hell, anything works for him!

The truth is that this is an extremely dangerous breed of trainer because often times they are so amped up on the ‘roids that they can perform near superhuman feats in the gym. And the harder the feat, the better the results.

Yet the real problems start when they give these kinds of routines to their clients.

Not only will these routines put the average client into an over-trained state which will actually cause their bodies to lose muscle and hold onto fat, but they risk seriously injuring the client as well.

Avoid “Genetically-Gifted, Steroid-Freak Trainer” like the plague, they are the most dangerous of all trainers!

And to make matters worse…

Did you know that many trainers make the majority of their income by keeping their clients out of shape and dependant on them?

They know that once they get you into great shape you probably won’t need them anymore.

They also know that if they give you just enough results to where you see a small change in your physique, you’ll probably keep coming back in hopes of really getting into shape.

And they know if they keep you uneducated that you will most likely completely rely on them to get into and stay in shape. This means big bucks for the trainer yet a feeling of dependency for you.

Bottom Line…

It’s extremely important when looking for a personal trainer that you are (or stay) on the lookout for these kinds of trainers and avoid them at all costs.

There are a lot of great trainers out there but there are also a lot of scam artists who will take your hard earned money and then throw you on a treadmill for the entire workout.

Or they’ll make you do the same unproductive routine every time you come in for a workout.

Their sales pitch might be great, but the only place you’ll lose any fat is in your wallet.

Make sure you state your goals and what you’d like to achieve before you make a commitment to any trainer.

There’s nothing worse than seeing a female get all buffed out because of her personal trainer, or watching a guy get a nicely developed upper body from workouts but get stick-figure-twig legs that all his friends tease him about.

The sad fact is that 93% of personal trainers just look at training as a job.

So make sure you find one of the 7% who love to help people get into shape, find a trainer who trains people because that’s his or her passion in life.

When you first meet the trainer, ask him or her why they decided to become a trainer in the first place.

Asking this question could save you thousands of dollars and countless hours working out with the wrong trainer.

Make sure you can try at least one workout before making any financial commitment to a trainer. Many will just want to do a quick consultation and then sign you up. So remember to make sure and really taste the goods before you buy… Insist on a trial workout.

During this trial workout your job is to see how well the trainer motivates you.

Do they push you to do your best while still showing you respect?

If not, I would run away, not walk, RUN from that trainer as fast as you can.

Immediately after choosing your trainer, make sure and go home and clear out your fridge and cupboards of any junk (it’s been my experience if there’s junk in the house, it will eventually get eaten).

Then go buy the foods your trainer tells you to buy. This will ensure you will lose fat as quickly and safely as possible. Eating the right foods is extremely important.

And another tip is to find a trainer who works with multiple people at one time. You’ll be amazed at how much more enjoyable the workouts are when there’s someone else beside you giving the workout their all as well.

The energy of a semi-private workout is much higher than with traditional one-on-one training and the results the clients get are much greater and come much faster.

One last tip… Find out how busy they are. Usually the best personal trainers are busy. With the rare exceptions of the dedicated trainer just starting out, the trainer who just moved to the area or the instructor who chooses not be busy because of personal value preferences, the best personal trainers in Camden County are busy training clients… especially because there is such a demand for good trainers in this area.

So What Do You Do Now That You Have This Information?

Armed with this information you’re now one of the most savvy and educated consumers in the entire world. You now know instantly how to differentiate a good trainer from a bad one.

Go to Fit Physique Custom Fitness and opt in to my Get Fit Newsletter. It will keep you on the forefront of the fat loss frontier with cutting edge information on how to lose fat FAST, and keep it off for good.

Also, I want to let you know that I’ve hand-picked a team of what I believe to be the best 1% of personal trainers in Camden County.

Not only do these trainers bring a tremendous amount of passion and experience to their training, but they are all down to earth, good human beings with a proven track record for getting people into incredible shape.

I urge you to learn more about this unparalleled team of personal trainers here…

Click here to learn about the Fit Physique Custom Fitness Training Team

Yours in Never Ending Health and Fitness,

Rick Streb

Physique Transformation Expert
http://www.fitphysiqueonline.com

P.S. By the way, I’m not sure how well you know me yet, but as a new subscriber to my Get Fit Newsletter you can learn a little bit about me here:

Click here to learn about who I am and why you should listen to me

And in case you haven’t checked out my Fit Physique Online Training Program, be sure and check it out:

Click here to learn about the Fit Physique Online Training Program

5 Things You Should Know to learn more about finding the right personal fitness trainer for you.

You can visit our Osage Beach personal training page to learn more about finding the right personal fitness trainer for you.

When does a lie become an accepted truth? When the lie is repeated often enough.

It’s the oldest trick in the book, a favorite ploy of politicians and others who stand to gain… but we still fall for it.

Especially when it comes to losing weight…

The truth is Americans want to believe so badly that they can lose weight quickly and easily that they are readily willing to accept any ruse that implies it is possible. And the diet industry is riddled with self-perpetuating myths, misconceptions, and downright mistruths that prey on our dreams.

The strategy is to market fringe products and miracle cures that are very seductive in what they promise. Note the billions of dollars the diet industry spends on consumer advertising. Very few people are successful at losing weight, but the promise gets into our subconscious and stays there. Why? Because the lie is repeated often enough.

The antidote is for consumers to educate themselves from reputable sources with reliable data. I will start the process by smashing ten of the most common weight-loss lies right here.

1. “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days.” Or any other gimmick that pledges massive weight loss at break-neck speed. It’s not healthy, and it’s not true. Permanent weight loss requires lifestyle change, not a quick fix. You didn’t become overweight overnight. It’s not realistic to think you can lose weight overnight, either.

2. Fat is bad for you. Dieticians forwarded that one to people for years. Now they know better. The truth is that some fats are unhealthy, and some are good – indeed, necessary – for your health. (Hence the term, “essential fatty acids”!) In fact, certain fats are necessary for a healthy heart.

3. Carbohydrates are bad for you. First it was fat, now carbohydrates are the bad guy. Can somebody please make up their mind? This trendy idea is just too broad. When trying to lose weight, make a distinction between unhealthy, simple carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar, and fibrous carbohydrates, such as vegetables and whole grains, which provide vital vitamins, and fiber to aid digestion.

4. Lose weight by not eating. Uh… no. First of all, what is healthy about starving yourself? Starving deprives the body of the nutrients it needs for life and can lead to serious illness. Plus you lose muscle mass, not fat. Even if you do lose pounds, you gain them back almost immediately when you raid the fridge again.

5. Don’t eat after 6 p.m. This is my favorite industry lie. It’s not what time you eat, it’s what you eat! In Europe they eat at 10 o’clock at night and they’re half the size of Americans.

Let’s be realistic about this… do you really believe your body has a special enzyme, or mechanism, that says “its 6:00 p.m. It’s time to store all food as body fat!” Give me a break!

6. Salad bars are healthy. Bacon, cheeses, fried chicken, oily dressings… The apparent allure of salad bars means they probably require as much of your considered attention as ordering at a fast food restaurant. You have to choose the foods at a salad bar wisely. Most people simply do not do this.

7. Diet sodas aid weight loss. Nope… no way… no how. This is another one of my favorite pieces of diet-industry hype. There isn’t a single study that shows diet sodas help you lose weight. There’s absolutely no data on that at all.

8. You shouldn’t step on a scale. It’s another misconception that dieticians have passed on. I completely disagree with it. Though I do not believe that the scale should be your main barometer for measuring your progress, checking your weight on a regular basis (say once a week) is an obvious way to gauge your progress and alter your diet accordingly. However, scales in and of themselves, well… they suck. I encourage people to keep track of hip, thigh and tummy inches, too. Better yet, the way your clothes are fitting and the way you look in a mirror are the best indicators for measuring improvements.

9. You can lose weight with a pill. I call this one “cardio in a bottle.” You can’t replace healthy eating and exercise with a pill. Pills aren’t a new thing; they’ve been tried for decades…with horrible side effects. There is no pill that can make your body burn calories… NONE! That’s right …that Hydroxycut does you no good at all if you are not eating properly and doing cardio exercise. It requires proper nutrition, cardio and weight training. The weight you lost is probably because you reduced your caloric intake instead of the product. Guess what. You could have done the same damn thing without spending your money on the “cardio in a bottle.”

10. You have to join the gym. Would I love to see everyone working out in a gym? Of course. Is it a necessity? Absolutely not. Actually, the most recent research indicates 30 to 60 minutes per day of moderate physical activity is all it takes to balance healthy food intake. It doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise, just move your body!

There you have it… Stop believing everything you hear or read. Start using common sense. Do what it really takes to lose the tonnage.

Move a little more… eat a little less…and exercise a little discretion the next time you hear about a weight-loss product, or diet program, that sounds too good to be true.

CLICK HERE to continue…

You see, I love soccer

But Sunday, perhaps out of boredom (maybe even frustration with the soccer game AND the Chiefs), I spent 91 minutes watching a movie that I watched maybe twice when it first made it to the silver screen: Rocky IV.

I didn’t give it much thought back when it first came out, but WOW what a motivational story.

Some Rocky fanatics claim Rocky IV is the absolute best out of all the Rockies (and there will be time to debate that later if you don’t

Personally, I’m a “Rocky II” man myself. The scene where his beloved wife Adrian awakes from her coma and tells Rocky, I want you to do one thing for me…win…WIN!!!” gets me every damn time.

But, regardless of which Rocky movie you believe is number one, you’ve GOT to agree that Rocky IV is one of the best motivational movies of all time.

I mean, what a great story, right?

Rocky, avenging his best friend Apollo’s death by defeating the highly-favored, monstrous Russian on his own turf in Russia - it’s pretty intense stuff.

But apart from that, even if you somehow didn’t care for the movie (and I can’t imagine how), Rocky IV can still teach you something extremely valuable and applicable to you and your own goals.

And that is, the raw power of motivation.

Let’s be honest, if Rocky had gone in to fight the Drago prior to fighting Apollo or at any other time, under any other circumstances, he would have got his head stuffed straight up his butt. The dude was a monster, a freak of nature, and had Rocky outmatched in every possible way.

But because Rocky had something extremely powerful to motivate him (the fact that this guy killed his best friend), he was able to seemingly defeat some crazy odds and emerge victorious.

Let me ask you a question:

What’s YOUR motivation?

What is it that gets you up in the morning and over to the gym before work when everyone else is sleeping in?

What is it that allows you to regularly pass up the quick and easy (and frankly, delicious) foods that so many others regularly indulge in?

Motivation is the reflection in the mirror.

It is the answer to the question, “Am I satisfied?”.

It is the goal…

The prize…

Fitting into those skinny jeans…

Achieving 8% bodyfat…

It is the reason behind the drive…. kinda like Rocky.

Do you have a REAL source of motivation?

If you don’t, it’s highly likely you’re going to get “knocked out” by all the temptation and “easy ways out” that surround us on a daily basis.

Let’s face it, it’s a heck of a lot easier to eat whatever, whenever, and skip the whole workout thing then it is to live a fit, healthy lifestyle.

You absolutely have to have a very powerful source of motivation, because without one, you’re toast.

So do you have a source of motivation that keeps you going strong toward your goals each and every day?

What is it?

Reaffirm it by posting it in the comments section below to start today off with renewed focus (and if you don’t value your “reason” enough to post it below, it’s probably safe to say that you don’t really have one).

Don’t have a strong enough source of motivation?

Here’s a little tip for you…

Treat yourself to that pair of jeans (or outfit) you absolutely LOVE. Better yet, ask for them as a Christmas gift, BUT ask for them a size or two too small.

You’re going to want to wear them so badly, believe me, you’ll drop the sizes just so you can!

Trust me… it works!

Now, let me know what YOUR motivation is below.

Talk to you in the comments section!

Rick

And, because the back comprises the second largest group of muscles in the body, it contributes to metabolism.  Remember, that the amount of muscle you carry is directly proportional to your metabolic rate.  People that carry more muscle typically have higher metabolic rates meaning they can burn more calories; which, in turn, means they can stay in shape more easily than others who don’t carry as much muscle.

Have you ever heard the term, “back-breaking work”?  Putting this powerful set of muscles (back) to work taxes your body and can create a great deal of muscular stimulation, hence the term.  But remember that putting this hard work into your back training will pay in rich dividends in terms of strength, energy and a leaner, healthier you.

If you’re like me, you’re on a tight schedule and you don’t have a lot of time to train. So, I’m going to show you how you can invest just 20 minutes into your back training to get a fantastic payoff.

If you have access to a high lat pulley machine, then let’s begin with pull-downs. Perform a light set of pull-downs to warm up the back muscles.  Take a grip where the palms of your hands are facing you and your hands are approximately 12-18″ apart. There’s a reason that we’re going to use this narrower grip.  Placing your hands in this manner will align your arms and your back in such a way that you can maximally stretch and contract the muscles of the latissimus dorsi (the large muscles that create the V taper in the back) and other muscles at the upper back.  If you don’t have access to a lat machine, try pull-ups from a chinning bar.

At the beginning of the lat pull-down movement, allow your shoulder blades to rotate outwards, so that you can feel a stretch in your lats.  Then, contract your lats, pulling your elbows down and back towards your waist.  Keep your back arched and keep your chest high to get the best contraction possible.  It is important to keep your back arched.  Otherwise, the stress is thrown mainly onto the arms.  Be sure to pull the bar down and let it back up in a smooth, controlled manner, keeping the back muscles under tension throughout the entire range of motion.  It should take you approximately one second to bring the bar down to your chest and at least  two seconds to let the bar back up slowly under tension.

Remember that it is during the eccentric portion of the exercise (the portion of the exercise during which the muscle is lengthening under tension, which in this case means the portion of the exercise during which your are returning the bar to the starting position) that the muscle derives the greatest benefit.

Perform three sets of 8-10 repetitions per set.  If you can do more than 10 repetitions with the weight, then add more weight in order to bring the number of repetitions back down.

Once you have finished your pull-downs, immediately go to the bent-over rows.  Bent-over rows tax the muscles in the upper back and are excellent for developing thickness.

To begin, load a barbell with a moderate amount of weight (moderate, of course, will depend on your strength).  Approaching the bar, bend your knees slightly and then bend down at the waist, taking a shoulder-width grip on the barbell.

With your body at approximately a 45 degree angle, pull the barbell to the base of your chest by contracting your back muscles and bringing your elbows up and back towards the ceiling.  Keep your head up, and back arched throughout the movement, to get a maximum contraction in the upper back muscles.

Avoid “heaving” the bar up.  Lower the weight under full control to avoid injuring your lower back.  Perform three sets of at 8-10 repetitions, going to positive failure.

Next, we’ll proceed to dead-lifts.  This is an exercise that will strengthen not only the muscles of the lower back, but just about all of the muscles in the back.  It is one of the very best back exercises around for this very reason.

Starting with the barbell on the floor, place your feet about 18″ apart, bend down and take an overhand grip, just wider than your thighs.  At the bottom of the movement, drop your rear-end down by bending your knees, keeping your back straight.

Pull the bar up from the floor to bring your torso erect.  As you come up, keep your torso straight and thrust your hips forward to lock out into the final position.  This is great for building the erector muscles in the back.  Perform three sets of 10 repetitions using a moderate weight.

Keep in mind, that as you perform these back exercises, it is important to take each set to positive failure.  Unlike other kinds of failures in life, positive failure during exercise is actually a good thing.  It means you have pushed the exercise to the point where you cannot perform another unassisted repetition.  Creating this amount of fatigue in the target muscle as you exercise is important in sending your body the signal that is necessary to grow and adapt.

Rest just long enough between sets to catch your breath.  This should take approximately one to two minutes, but maybe more, depending on your physical condition.  Go for it on the last set of each exercise!  Do as many repetitions as you possibly can and do not stop before you reach positive failure.

And, there you have it! 

My 20 Minute Back Workout. 

This is a workout that you can easily perform before you go to work in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening after work.  There’s no excuse for skipping your back workout.  So, do it today!

One final thought.  As you may already know, I place a lot of emphasis on the importance of proper nutrition.  You can workout all you want, but if your nutrition doesn’t adequately support the exercise you do, and if you do not provide enough protein, calories, carbohydrates (that’s right, carbs), and other nutrients to your body, you cannot make progress.

I am often asked about steroids via e-mail, and the questions are usually related to specific drugs and dosages. “How many mg. of Sustanon should I do per week in an 8-week cycle,” or “is it better to mix Winstrol and Primo for a 12 week cycle, or should I start with Anadrol to get some size first?”

It alarms me that teenagers, non-competitive athletes, and those who are new to weight training get caught up in the language of drugs, believing they’re about to make positive changes when they’re teetering on the brink of randomly altering the hormonal system that regulates body composition, sex drive, and a sense of well being.

Because of the number of steroid questions I started receiving, and because each question answered seemed to lead to a follow-up question, I decided as of 2004 that I would no longer answer steroid questions. Despite my decision, they keep coming in. Today I received one that prompted me to write this article.

“I’m only 22 and I want to get my pro card next year. I don’t really know who to ask, but I’m having a hard time. I was hoping you could help. My training is great; my diet is clean all year. I am 100% dedicated to bodybuilding and know I’d make a great pro! I started out cycling Cypionate, 400 mg per week, and Decca 400 mg per week for 8 weeks and then switching to oral Winstrol and Primobolan depot for cutting. It worked great. For contest prep I use some thyroid hormones and it’s pretty easy for me to get stripped. Here’s my problem. I know you’re supposed to stay clean for a few months before doing another cycle, but I know guys who are “on” all year and they keep making gains. I decided I’d go back to the Cypionate right after my last show, staggering 400 mg with 600 mg. on alternate weeks.

“During my first cycle my sex drive went through the roof, but since my last contest it dropped to nothing. I keep telling my girlfriend it’s the diet, but she’s smarter than that and it’s affecting our relationship. While I’m still making gains, my testicles are tiny, which seemed to happen suddenly, which even more makes me avoid sex. I don’t know if I should stop now, go through a few months of recovery, and let things get back to normal, or if I’ll lose too much muscle. Or is it better to use some Clomid or HCG on top of the Cypionate? I get very confused by everyone’s advice. I know everyone says there are long-term risks of staying on the stuff, but right now I really don’t care what happens to me after 30. I just have to be at the top of my game right now, and I want to keep my relationship with my girlfriend. I’ll admit I haven’t been the easiest guy to live with, but she’s been solid and I don’t want to lose her. Every time I inject my test, I get this feeling I’m making a mistake, but I’m afraid it’s a bigger mistake if I stop. Any advice you can share would be appreciated.”

This is the type of email that throws me.

My first instinct is to ignore it, but I can’t. It’s someone reaching out for help.

My second instinct is to try to get this kid to get himself clean and start to readjust his priorities.

The catch there is, there’s so much psychology involved, and he’s so caught up in the importance of winning at all costs, if I urge him to abandon the anabolics, he’s likely to disregard everything I have to say.

I decided I’d write an article that I can now direct people to that will share some of my take on anabolic steroids. If readers of this article do opt to use steroids, they can at the very least be educated to make responsible decisions.

I remember the first time I eyeballed steroids. A new gym opened in Florissant, Missouri, just a few miles from the weight training dungeon at the YMCA where I was first bitten by the bodybuilding bug. Some local muscle heads were sticking flyers on cars in and around the “Y.”

Now Open! Champions Gym!

My buddy Larry and I went to check it out. It was in the basement of an apartment building. There were a couple of squat racks, some benches, and a rack of dumbbells going up to 120 pounds. There was a lat machine, a few scattered Olympic bars, and a few thousand pounds of weights. There were pictures of Sergio Oliva, Frank Zane, Arnold, Franco Columbu, and the AAU Mr. America Ron Teufel. I remember paying particular attention to Ron. He was around 180 pounds, looked incredibly muscular, and was only three years older than I was at the time. If three years of intense training could bring me to that level of physique, I’d be a happy camper.

Larry and I decided we’d pay the $15 a month and work out there for 30 days. We met a few of the locals and a few days after we’d enrolled, the guy who had the best abs in the gym asked us if we wanted some “stuff.” We knew what he meant, but we hadn’t ever used, touched, or seen steroids. A bit scared, but more curious, we asked, “whaddya got?” “D-Bol.” He took out what looked like a prescription vial and showed us our first glimpse of Dianabol. “All the guys here are on it.”

It wasn’t the glance at the vial of pills that struck me, it was the comment. I started to see things differently. Larry had the best dead-lift in the gym, and although he’d mix up some pretty bizarre things in his blender, he had never used anything that was even near the fringe of legality. I was squatting a respectable 365 for 8 reps and I could hold my own on any beach. When we heard “all the guys are on it,” rather than finding temptation, we found satisfaction in being “natural.” At the time I was naive enough to believe that if we kept training and kept eating right (which we barely understood at the time), we could develop physiques that rivaled Arnold, Franco, and the other greats of the period. We turned down the D-Bol offer.

Later that month we went to watch a friend compete in the teenage Mr. Metropolitan contest and decided right then and there we could do better . . . drug free. We started learning about competition and I was amazed how back then, in the late 1970’s, even among teenagers and twenty year olds, there was this language of “cycles,” and “needle gauges” and “milligrams” and “cc’s.” I’ll admit the curiosity resurfaced and the lure to cross that line of temptation returned with it, but within the next few months a few experiences caused me to shut out the possibility of crossing that line.

Turner’s Gym opened, and this was a real gym, owned and operated by bodybuilding legend George Turner. It had the heart and essence of the bodybuilding persona. It made Champions Gym all but obsolete. There was an entire room of leg equipment! There were two dozen benches, eight squat racks, power racks, and every type of machine I’d seen in the Muscle magazines.

My first day at Turner’s I ran into a guy I had known from the neighborhood for years. He was a skinny kid who suddenly grew traps, pecs, and quads. He told me had just gone in for surgery to have breast tissue removed.

“Breast tissue?”

“Yeah. I didn’t wanna take the stuff that’s floating around here so I went to a doctor who gives prescriptions for testosterone. I’d been going for shots and I started growing tits!”

That was the first time I’d heard of gynocomastia.

To me, at the time, it was the most bizarre thing I’d ever heard.

My buddy grew traps, quads, and tits?

There were some serious power-lifters who trained at Turner’s. Massive, solid, strong. My 365 squats were laughable compared to what these guys were doing in the power cage. The strongest of the power-lifting squad was the nicest guy in the world, but watching him dead-lift and squat was the equivalent of watching pure rage in motion. Veins popping out of his neck and forehead, his skin turning purple, teeth clenched, chalk flying from his body. It was a sight. He was in his 20’s when he died. The rumor was liver failure.

A few days after the power-lifter stopped coming to the gym, Larry and I went to another contest as spectators to cheer on a couple of the locals. One “regular” from Turner’s, whose name escapes me (it was 25 years ago), was being “counseled” by a local steroid guru for his contest prep. He showed up at the prejudging looking drawn and lifeless. His face was gaunt; his skin had a yellow pallor. The whites of his eyes were yellow. He quivered as he tried to hold the mandatory poses. We spoke to him backstage as he sucked on an ice cube and it was as if we were speaking to the walking dead. He never made it to the evening show nor did we ever see him again.

I never gave steroids another thought until I visited Southern California for the first time years later. The “health food stores” were selling “anything you wanted.” Clenbuterol was the “hot drug” that “everyone was on,” and within minutes you could find someone ready to sell you something in any local gym in Venice. That helped me recognize how prevalent steroid use was, not only among the pros, but among even the casual lifters in search of muscle.

Over the years that followed, I came to know quite a few professional athletes, and I came to realize that the drug “program” was often more of a priority and concern than the training. They sounded like scientists, yet they were toying with science they didn’t fully comprehend, thus they were human guinea pigs. I set out to learn as much as I could about the endocrine system, the drugs being used, the potential benefits, and the potential risks, thus my steroid education began. Thankfully I’ve been sensible enough to stay away from the idea of becoming my own guinea pig. I just interviewed people. Over a thousand people. I asked questions. I learned from biochemists, physicians, bodybuilders, and the underground “gurus.” I would not by any means categorize myself as a steroid expert, but I know enough to help people make educated decisions.

The common line of thought among amateur bodybuilders breaks it down to an oversimplification.

Want size? Anadrol and/or Sustanon
Want minimal side effects? Primobolan
Want hardness? Winstrol and Clenbuterol
Want to avoid side effects? Clomid or Nolvadex

There are two primary parts of the endocrine equation that are being ignored in this oversimplified line of thought.

We are all biologically unique and the drugs and dosages that act to “compensate” for low testosterone levels in one individual might “super compensate” in another and the side effects cannot be predicted with any level of accuracy. Worse yet, many of the side effects, such as gradual stress placed upon the liver, may not make themselves known for years. Decreases in HDL production, increases in blood pressure, and alterations to the myocardium cannot be detected in the mirror.

When you mess around with a link in the hormonal chain, you are altering the activity of the glandular system as a whole, and short term increases in testosterone can lead to long-term decreases in endogenous hormonal production.

If you’ve been sent a link to this article it might be because you’ve asked me a steroid question, my first question to you is, “have you carefully examined the specifics of your training?” Most people I meet who are looking for their first cycle are simply missing some part of the formula for ongoing growth. They’re failing to cycle their training regimens, they’re sticking with the same old workout they’ve been doing for months, they’re failing to provide a greater challenge to muscle, or they’re overtraining and failing to adequately recuperate.

Even if their training regimens are well strategized, if they aren’t taking in enough protein-sparing nutrients, they’re limiting their muscular growth potential, and if they’re failing to take in sufficient calories and amino acids for growth, all the training in the world will leave them frustrated. Whenever someone comes to me for a consultation before using steroids, we’ve been able to facilitate new gains . . . naturally.

I will NEVER recommend that anyone use steroids. Will I understand if someone opts to use them? In some cases, yes. Are they as “bad” as the media reports would lead us to believe? I’d have to say many of the “shocking reports” are overblown in their severity, but that doesn’t mean “steroids are safe.” An interview conducted with former Mr. Olympia competitor Mike Christian several years ago shared some of the realities behind uncontrolled drug abuse . . . that abuse including ergogenic and anabolic training aids. When we’re dealing with professional athletes, or aspiring pros, which are thrown into arenas where superhuman drug-enhanced strength is the norm, anabolic steroids become almost an absolute, but even the pros need clear direction and education.

I’ve used the headline “People Are Dying To Get Fit” in descriptive articles and releases related to weight loss surgeries and weight loss drugs, but we’re at a point in time that the same headline might be used to describe bodybuilding.

In 1999 Sonny Schmidt, at 46 years old, placed 3rd in the Masters Olympia. On January 25, 2004, Sonny Schmidt died.

In 2003, 285-pound 30-year-old bodybuilder Scott Klein died of heart failure.

Remember that picture of Ron Teufel I told you about at Champions Gym? He died in 2002 at the age of 45.

These are just a few of the premature deaths related to users of anabolic steroids at relatively high dosages. There are also the stories of pros at the highest levels suddenly dropping out of competition . . . permanently . . . due to liver failure.

I’ll never forget retired pro bodybuilder, Steve Brisbois, telling first hand about the death of Mohammed Benaziza seven hours after winning the Dutch Grand Prix. Bill Pearl, who has been retired from competition for decades but is without question a bodybuilding legend made the following comment that probably best describes the competitive sport of bodybuilding, “The guy left standing on the stage today at the end of a bodybuilding show is probably the guy in the arena who is closest to death.”

The bodybuilding realities, or at least the dark side, have been well protected, but it’s important that those who are lured by “easy muscles, lots of chicks” understand the whole picture.

Going back to the email I wrote this article to answer, the line, “I really don’t care what happens to me after 30,” makes, at least in his eyes, most of the premature deaths I’ve mentioned meaningless, but I’d guess that any competent psychologist would identify the “win at all costs death wish” as a twisted perspective on achievement.

Because I know that many regular “juicers” who come to read this article will turn their noses at the deaths I’ve mentioned, if you’re asking me a steroid related question, I’m not going to give you the “steroids kill you” speech, nor am I going to deny that they can help to pack on lots and lots of muscle. Testosterone and hormonal products do have their place.

In aging individuals where endogenous production of testosterone has declined, hormone “replacement” can certainly add to the quality of life. I’d even suggest that those who are paid to perform at superhuman levels can find a benefit that outweighs any downside if their “prescription” is supervised and their body chemistry is monitored by the watchful eye of someone with a recognized credential and proven expertise in the workings of the endocrine system. Still, I am going to suggest that in an individual with a functional glandular network, more rewarding gains can be achieved naturally.

If you cannot find comfort with avoiding drugs just because Rick told you to, at the very least learn as much as you possibly can, be extremely careful in obtaining what are, in essence, uncontrolled controlled substances, and err on the side of caution rather than random experimentation.

If I’ve dissuaded you from the idea of using steroids, great! If you’re still hovering around the line of temptation, at the very least consider investing in credible information related to the endocrine system. Set up a consultation with a qualified medical professional who can request and assess a hormonal screening before you spend money on substances you don’t fully understand. Once the first “cycle” begins, it’s difficult to turn back.

Training and eating . . . that’s the magic . . . and if you’re willing to take the high road, the magic can lead to immense long term reward.

To decide what to eat after cardio, you have to approach the meal with the understanding that the types and quantities of food you eat affect your hormone levels. These hormones play a direct role in the burning (or not burning) of body fat. Keeping fat-burning hormones elevated – the very hormones that increase during cardio – is the single most important factor in determining what is best to eat after a cardio session. OK, let’s start with the simple stuff.

Fat

We know it makes no sense to eat a lot of fat after cardio. If your knowledge of physiology is limited, you can rely on common sense. It’s simply not a rational idea to chow down on a lot of dietary fat after having just jumped off the treadmill. Truth be told, dietary fat is easily stored as body fat, more so than protein and carbohydrates.

Protein

Protein is anti-catabolic. Dietary amino acids derived from protein foods can be used directly as fuel after cardio. Often, protein stores are broken down with cardio. That is, in addition to burning body fat, longer cardio sessions or cardio sessions performed in a total calorie deficit can cause a loss or burning of your hard-earned muscle. Since protein protects against muscle loss, taking in easy-to-absorb protein following the cardio session is a must. It can put an end to protein breakdown and keep the metabolism from taking a dive. That’s because burning protein is a strictly catabolic event, and catabolism is always associated with a slower metabolic rate.

Carbs

Carbs are the double-edged sword of nutrition. You need them for recovery and growth, yet they can initiate fat storage. Carbohydrates promote a rise of insulin, and insulin can be classified as a fat-storing hormone. In general, the more carbs you eat, the more insulin is released. Insulin is the quarterback of the entire fat-storing team and regulates the signals that allow fat cells to “open up” and store more body fat. Simultaneously, insulin directs dietary fat into fat cells and drives carbohydrates down fat-storing pathways.

Does it make sense to eat a lot of carbohydrates after cardio? Not really. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, insulin levels will increase, shutting down fat-burning hormones and enzymes released during cardio.

The two benefits to cardio are:
1. it burns calories, and
2. it changes the hormonal status in the body, favoring the burning of body fat. Your carb quantity and choice after cardio affects the hormonal balance. Where cardio increases the circulation of cathecholamines (tiny messengers that target fat cells to break them down) insulin decreases the release of cathecholamines.

Whereas cardio increases the output of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), a hormone that “opens” fat cells and allows fatty acids to be stripped as fuel, insulin opposes its release and can even spike levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which does the exact opposite of HSL. LPL seals off fat cells and helps push fuel into fat stores. Therefore, it seems best to avoid carbohydrates after cardio to keep the fat-burning hormones elevated.

However, small amounts of insulin actually support the metabolism. How so? Insulin is also anabolic. It stimulates growth and repair of muscles. And, during a recovery or growth state, the body literally steals from its fat stores to obtain energy in order to sustain the recovery or growth process. Growth and recovery require fuel (energy), and most of that energy will come from fat stores. Insulin also supports the uptake of thyroid hormones, calorie-burning hormones, by tissues.

So, with regard to carbs after cardio:
1) A large amount will shut down fat burning and reverse the hormonal advantage associated with cardio.
2) Skipping carbs altogether leaves you with “just protein.” While protein helps prevent a loss in muscle, your body always needs a small amount of carbs for support.
3) A small amount of carbs helps support recovery and growth without shutting off the fat-burning process.
4) Small amounts of carbs coupled with protein can prevent thyroid hormones from declining.

I believe the best bet is to consume 25 to 40 grams of fast-acting protein, such as whey protein, egg whites or fish, along with 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of cardio.

Ideally, the carbohydrates ought to be fiber-based, such as oatmeal, oat bran, peas or corn. Fiber slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, allowing them to be delivered in an almost “time-released” fashion. The benefit: slower-digesting carbohydrates result in moderate insulin rises, and moderate insulin is our goal. Moderate insulin offers anabolic or building support, without reversing the fat-burning state induced with cardio. Simple carbs, such as white bread, juices or high glycemic carbs, should be avoided because they tend to spike insulin levels, and the resulting spike can compromise fat burning by suppressing fat-burning hormones and enzymes.

Nutrition is almost always THE neglected factor when someone isn’t making any progress with their fitness training.  And why shouldn’t it be?  It can be quite confusing.

But understand that without a grasp of proper muscle building and/or fat burning nutrition, you won’t be able to make the progress that you desire, and you won’t reach your potential.

With a well implemented nutrition plan, you’ll be on your way toward achieving your fitness goals.

Why does nutrition seem so confusing?  For starters, there are too many choices. This makes it very difficult to decide the appropriate course of action.

We have the Hollywood diet, the cabbage diet, the grapefruit diet, the juice diet, the zone diet, high carb, low carb, no carb, high protein, low protein, no protein (okay, maybe not but it wouldn’t surprise me), high protein foods, high fat, low fat, slim fast, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutri-System, etc, etc.

Obviously, nutrition is big business.

It can become very frustrating trying to sort through all this information.

I’ve read hundreds of articles, books, and medical journals on nutrition, and I’ve come to decide on some fundamental principles that all nutrition programs do include.

TIME OUT:

All of Your Nutritional Problems Are About to be Solved!

Introducing the First and ONLY Nutritional Program that Creates BALANCED Meal Plans Using YOUR Favorite Foods – Automatically!

Okay… here’s the scoop… I’ve just made the whole nutrition dilemma simple for you… as a matter of fact, I’ve made it child-proof!!!  That’s right… child-proof!!!  If you can order from a menu, you can instantly create your own balanced meal plans.  All you have to do is choose your favorite foods… that’s right, the foods you eat every day… and let Fit Physique Custom Fitness do the rest!

I don’t care if you are trying to lose weight or gain weight…you have an unlimited food choice.  That means you can choose virtually any food and product brand in the world… in the world!!! 

You don’t believe me???  Well, try it for yourself and find out how simple it is.  For approximately $.49 cents per day, you have almost nothing to lose.  If at any time you feel it is not for you, feel free to cancel.  That’s right.  You are NEVER “locked in” to any long-term commitment.

CLICK HERE To Learn More…

Remember, we are all different, but all essentially the same.  What this means is that the principles of proper nutrition apply to all of us, but we will need to make certain adjustments for the individual.

The important thing is to understand the general principles of a nutrition program so that you can tailor it to your specific needs, whether it be to build muscle, burn fat, get stronger, or nutrition for your specific sport.

Let’s take a look at some general principles of a proper nutrition program.

We’ll start with a brief introductory look at the three macronutrients – carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  All play an important role in your sports nutrition program.  And YES… there are only three macronutrients!!!  Vegetables ARE carbohydrates!

Carbohydrates - Carbs are your muscles preferred energy source for short, intense muscular contractions, i.e. weight training.  They supply the energy for these sessions as well as play a crucial role in recuperation and muscle growth.

Ingesting carbs signals your body to release insulin, which transports the amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and the carbs into your muscle cells.  This absorption by your muscles is a very important part of the muscle growth and repair factor.

Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in your body’s muscles, and it’s this glycogen storage that gives the muscles their fullness.

This is the basis of the idea of carb depleting and then loading before a bodybuilding contest, the idea that when you deplete your body of glycogen and then “carb up,” your body will store even more glycogen then before in the muscles, making you look larger, tighter, and more ripped than ever.

In addition, the consumption of carbs creates a “protein sparing” effect, in that more of your protein will be used for the muscle building process instead of being burned as energy.  As you’ll see below, this “protein sparing” is a key element in your nutrition program.

Some important rules to keep in mind with regard to carbohydrate consumption are…

Avoid all processed foods -  Processed foods are ‘empty’ calories that do nothing for your health or your fitness.  By dropping them from your sports nutrition program, you’ll go far in improving your results – building muscle, losing fat, improving sports performance, increasing energy – not to mention vastly improving your health.

Processed foods include things like cookies, chips, donuts, pastries, soda, candy – your basic junk food.  But beware, processed foods can be dressed up in “healthy” packaging.  Read labels.  Stay away from these foods, especially one’s that contain high fructose corn syrup

That low fat muffin you’re about to eat… put it back.  It’s loaded with unhealthy sugar.  The regular muffin would actually be a better choice.

Processed foods should never be a part of your nutrition program, no matter what your fitness goals are.

Instead of processed foods and high fructose corn syrup, get the carbohydrates in your nutrition program from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Protein - Protein, as most of you know, is the building block of muscles.  Without adequate protein consumption, you will be spinning your wheels with regard to your resistance training program.  No nutrition program is complete without proper adequate protein intake.

You should consume a MINIMUM of 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass every day.

And you may find better results taking in up to 2 grams per day per pound of body weight.  At 225 pounds, I’ve found that roughly 400-450 grams of protein per day works very well for me, which is about 2 grams per pound of body weight.

Fats - Yes, fats.  A macronutrient that is more misunderstood than carbohydrates, if that’s possible.

Here’s a neat little factoid for you.  The United States went on a low fat, high carb craze in the 80’s and began to get fatter and fatter as a nation.

Fat is not your enemy.  Good or “healthy” fats such as omega 3’s and omega 6’s are essential to good health and a properly functioning body.

Hey, maybe that’s why they are known as Essential Fatty Acids.

Here’s the problem with most people’s nutrition.  They are taking in enough fat but they are taking in the wrong fats by consuming too many trans fatty acids and saturated fats, and not enough good fats.

Try and eliminate the bad fats (in things such as margarine, shortening, snack foods, and most fast foods).

Consume more of the good fats, such as cold-water fish (salmon), walnuts, ground flax seeds of flax seed oil, hempseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, fish oils, and olive oil.

In addition, taking in enough EFA’s (essential fatty acids) is imperative when trying to put on muscle.  Low fat diets suppress the body’s ability to produce testosterone, a cardinal sin when trying to build muscle.

Fats also supply chemical substrates that are necessary for proper hormonal production, as well as protect our vital organs and carry the fat-soluble vitamins to where they are needed.

Fats are an important part of your sports nutrition program to develop muscle, burn fat (yes, burn fat) and get fit and healthy.

Water - Drink it… Drink lots of it… And drink it often.

Seriously, you should be consuming at least 8 – 10 eight ounce glasses of water every day.  Our bodies are made up of 75 percent water.  It’s not uncommon for people to dehydrate by 2 percent to 6 percent of their body weight during exercise.  The result isn’t good.  Cell function is disrupted, muscle growth stops, you become mentally and physically sluggish, have a general sense of fatigue and can no way be on the top of your game.

There you have it.  Sound  nutrition includes ALL of the macronutrients.  It does not eliminate any of them like most of the “fad” diets do.  Keep that in mind the next time you want to start eliminating carbohydrates or fats from your nutrition program.

Do you see the point here?  There is nothing magical to it.  Just a little common sense will yield results like the pros.