The Secret to Accidental Fitness

This week I've shared with you two blog posts in which Dr
John Berardi talks about losing body weight and body fat.

The first one talks about how important incentives are for
changing your body. And it goes on to incentivize you with
a whopping $10,000.

Could The Chance To Win $10,000 Help You Get In Shape?
precisionnutrition.com

The second one shows you how to coerce yourself into
sticking to the plan, even when the motivation wanes.

Enter "the best kept secret in weight loss."
precisionnutrition.com

Finally, today, I have one last post to share.

In this one, Dr Berardi talks about something called
"accidental success."

For most people fitness is a struggle. Others, however,
seem to sail through life; they're lean, fit, and strong, and
they seem to do it effortlessly. Almost...by accident.

No, it's not genetics. It's something else. Something you
too can use to get into the best shape of your life.

Learn the secret to accidental fitness
precisionnutrition.com

The Best Kept Secret in Weight Loss

The other day I sent out an email link to a video of Dr John
Berardi talking about his two latest programs - Lean Eating
For Men and Lean Eating For Women.

Far and away, the most frequent questions had to do with his
$20,000 prize - $10,000 to the top female winner and $10,000
to the top male winner.

Click here to check out the blog post announcing this
amazing prize:

www.precisionnutrition.com

Now, today, I want to share with you a post covering the
flip side of the 10K prize. In other words, if the prize is the
carrot, today's video talks about the stick.

You see, Dr. Berardi's a coaching expert. In fact, he's
probably the most successful nutrition coach in the health
and fitness business.

And after speaking with him, I realized that there's
something powerful to this idea.

You see, the biggest transformations - body transformations
or otherwise - are accomplished when people have big
incentives.

And I'd say 10 thousand bucks qualifies as a big incentive
all right.

But big inspiring goals also need some potential punishment.
Or, some risk.

And in today's video, Dr Berardi shows you how to coerce
yourself into sticking to the plan, even when the motivation
wanes.

Enter "the best kept secret in weight loss."
www.precisionnutrition.com

So, if you're REALLY interested in changing your body and
you'd like a little extra incentive for doing so, this is
definately a program you need to check out.

Again, this message is time sensitive. From what I hear
there are A LOT of people clamoring to get in on the program.

So check out these posts below. I know you won't be
disappointed.

Could The Chance To Win $10,000 Help You Get In Shape?
www.precisionnutrition.com

The Best Kept Secret In Weight Loss
www.precisionutrition.com

Could The Chance To Win $10,000 Help You Get In Shape?

When Dr. John Berardi dropped me an line the other day,
telling me all about his new program, I thought for a second
the guy had lost his mind.

www.precisionnutrition.com

Now, don't get me wrong. I respect Dr Berardi. He's
recognized as one of the top nutrition coaches in the world.
And his programs get people results. Fast.

However, when I watched this video he sent over, and learned
that he's giving away $20,000 of his own money, he definitely
got my attention.

Check out this blog post for yourself.
www.precisionnutrtion.com

Now, to qualify for this reward, you have to participate in
the Lean Eating program. But that's a no brainer. You should
want to do that ANYWAY if you're interested in body
transformation because there is nothing else like it.

You get 6 months of world class coaching, the type of coaching
you can't find, well, anywhere. And, during these 6 months,
if you achieve the best body transformation, you'll win 10K.

www.precisionnutrition.com

Worst case scenario, you come out with the best body of your
life. Best case scenario, you come out with the best body of
your life, and 10 GRAND.

So, I highly encourage you to check out this post below. In
it, Dr Berardi shares with you two critical components for
body transformation success.

And then he tells you exactly how one man and one woman are
going to swoop in and claim $10 G's of his own money.

www.precisionnutrition.com

Now, this message is time sensitive. No, it's not gonna self-
destruct or anything. However, spots are limited in this
program. And LOTS of people want in.

So, if you're interested in finding out exactly how to eat to
get in the best shape of your life, click the link below. 10
grand may be waiting for you on the other side:

www.precisionnutrtion.com

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Val Slide Pull In w/Band Resistance

Random Thoughts....

• What a difference between Tuesday night and Thursday night this past week on the Boston sports scene. On Tuesday, the Celtics pull off an incredible comeback, the Bruins win Game 6 to to force a Game 7 after being down three games to one and the Red Sox pull off a win in the late innings. Do I really have to go over what happened Thursday night? Sometimes I wonder why I get so emotionally involved with our local teams. I know it has has already taken off 10 years of my life expectancy.
• I'll say it again. Steady state aerobic training is useless for fat loss purposes. No matter what evidence is out there showing how superior high intensity interval training is for fat loss, very few people are doing it. May be if people realized that steady state aerobic training will actually cause you to hold on to and store MORE body fat people would wake up. Yes, you heard that right. Fat is a low intensity fuel source. Your body is smart enough to know to use fat as a low intensity fuel source. So what does it do? It holds onto body fat. That and steady state aerobic training leads to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that will help you store body fat. That's help you and I don't need.
• Corn, it's every where. Did you know that corn is the number one source of calories in the American diet? And it's nasty sister high fructose corn syrup is found in a majority of prepackaged and processed foods. In fact, it may be the leading ingredient in a good number of foods. One of the easiest ways to drop some weight, is to drop the corn.
• A couple of easy ways to get more of a fat burning response to your weight workouts are: 1) go to super set or giant set training instead of straight set training 2) rest for no longer than 90 seconds between sets 3) work in a moderate to higher rep range of 6-12 reps. Then go down to Revere Beach to show off your new, shredded body.
  
• I figured out why more people aren't doing squats, deadlifts and pull up variations. Because they're hard!!
• Since I started working on my Youth Fitness Certification, I've learned a couple of things. One thing I've learned is that the youth training market has become a huge market. Last year parents spent 5 billion dollars on youth training programs, speed camps or what ever else you can spend 5 billion dollars on for little Johnnie and Susie. But a good portion of that 5 billion dollars was not wisely spent. You've seen the camps or programs that will promise to add 24 inches to your 12 year olds vertical leap. Well, the truth is you can do just about anything with a 12 year old and show some form of improvement in a six week period. But the chances of these kids maintaining these increased performances for a sustained period of time is pretty slim. The real emphasis within these programs should be setting these kids up for long term development. That is what International Youth Conditioning Association is trying to teach us and that is why I have bought into their approach.

Have a great weekend every one.

Dr. John Berardi's Bi-Weekly Nutrition Tip

Tip #8
Fiber Facts
by Dr. John Berardi

Shoot for about 40-50g of mixed fiber per day, but no more. The absolute lower limit is 20g per day. Your main fiber sources should be (in order of importance): vegetables, beans, nuts, fruit, and grains (like oatmeal). If you eat 1 oz of mixed nuts, 1 apple, 2 cups of kidney beans, and 2 cups of mixed vegetables each day, you'll be getting 41g of fiber. Also, a small amount of supplemental fiber is okay. You can get soluble fiber from psyllium, guar gum, and apple pectin, and insoluble fiber from flax seeds.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - my pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Sled Dawg Pull/Push

As I incorporate the Sled Dawg more into my own training, I'm always searching for new ways to use this thing. Here's another one I came across.

10 Overlooked and Misunderstood Facts About Ab Training (Part Two)

Here's Part Two of an article from Charles Staley i posted a couple of weeks back:

10 Overlooked And Misunderstood Facts About Ab Training (Part Two)

By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
www.staleytraining.com

Last article we discussed a number of common fallacies about ab training, including belt use, diet, and force production.

Click here to read that article if you missed it.

This week I'll continue with more little-known facts about your elusive six-pack.

Enjoy!

4. Training Your Abs Correctly Helps Your Back. Training Them Incorrectly Hurts Your Back

The average fitness wannabe will gravitate toward doing dozens, maybe hundreds of crunches per day. After all it worked for Brittney, right? There are at least two problems with this not so innocent approach to ab traning:

1) The reason you can't see your abs is- you're too fat. Why then, would you focus your training on one small muscle group that will not result in significant caloric expenditure? It's a waste of time.

2) Actually, it's worse than a waste of time- it could increase your chance of spinal injury. Here's how: Over weeks, months, and years of sit-ups and crunches, your rectus abdominus is likely to chronically shorten as an adaptation to said training. Stand up right now and contract your abs, like you're doing a standing crunch. Notice how it takes the curvature out of your lower back?

That's what can happen when you do too many crunches and sit-ups. And when you can't maintain a neutral spine, you're much more likely to injure yourself the next time you lift something heavy.

A better approach is to focus more on static training for your rectus abdominus, as well as rotational ab drills, which don't have the same potential to shorten your abs. Here are a few examples from our You Tube Channel (these links will open in new windows).

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRCb3syDYos
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meZfHqsab9Q
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWUBMXPzs2g
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwzLoYuIzFQ

5. You May Be Training Your Abs More Than You Think

Most people under-estimate how much work their abs receive through their regular training schedule. Squats, cleans, deadlifts, snatches, farmer's walks, kettelebell work, and even heavy dumbbell upper-body exercises result in very high levels of abdominal activation. And honestly, probably as much as you really need.

6. Your Abs Don't Need High Reps

If and when you do decide to do direct ab training, just use normal loading scenarios, just like you would with any other exercise. Where did the high-rep myth come from? Hard to say, but I suspect is has something to do with the (also) mistaken notion that you can "melt" fat off of your midsection through lots of reps- I guess people think that since high reps make them sweat, that heat helps to burn their fat off.

This myth may also stem from the idea that the abdominal muscles are composed mostly of slow-twitch fibers, and therefore benefit most from high-repetition training. While this is at least a plausible premise, I'd also suggest that muscles should be trained based on what they need to do, as opposed to what they're composed of. If you should happen to slip on some ice, your abs need to explosively contract to keep your spine in neutral. If you're a discus thrower, a golfer, a tennis player, or any other rotational athlete, you need explosive abdominal functionality.

7. There Is No Direct Metabolic Pathway Between Your Abs And The Fat That Covers Them

Or to use more conventional language, there's no such thing as isolating a muscle or spot reduction. I covered this in an earlier point, but it bears repeating: Your pattern of bodyfat deposition is genetically pre-determined. Guys tend to carry fat on their midsections (android fat deposition) and women tend to carry it on their hips and thighs (gynoid deposition). You'll always have this pattern, no matter how lean or fat you become. So just train the large muscle groups using "big" exercise and heavy weights, and maybe add some heavy cardio (if you're in the mood), and you should create the caloric deficit you'll need to get leaner.

8. The Best Way To Train Abs Is With A Stability Ball

Obviously you already know part of my argument against this idea from my earlier comments, but given the popularity of stability balls lately, I thought I'd add a few remarks on the topic here. First, I actually like the ball for certain exercises, because it 1) increases the range of motion you can employ, and 2) because it's more comfortable than the floor.

Also, the ball allows for some creative exercises, such as the ball scissors that I provided a video of earlier. With that said however, stability balls are a tool, and like all tools, they provide benefits as well as drawbacks, depending on how you use them. If, for example, you labor under the mistaken impression that you need to do thousands of crunches per week, and that the ball is better because it provides greater range of motion, all you'll do is end up shortening your trunk flexors and lose your lordodic curvature. SO the ball's OK, as long as you keep things in context.

9. The Best Ab Exercises Are The Ones You Can Really FEEEELLL…

Uhh, wrong. Muscles respond to the training stress they experience, not how that stress feels. Just like any other muscle. Whether or not you feel a particular exercise is inconsequential. Perhaps one of the most productive ab exercises is heavy squats while wearing a belt, but I doubt that you consciously feel your abs while doing those squats.

10. Your Abs Can Get Too Big If You Train Them Too Much

Unlikely. Actually, let's just go with nearly impossible. The structure and function of the abdominal musculature makes this scenario highly unlikely. If you happen to subscribe to this myth based on seeing lean bodybuilders with big guts, relax: you're looking at enlarged livers from GH and other drug use. Unless you use these substances, you won't suffer the same fate.

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About The Author

Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.

Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.

www.staleytraining.com

Why Diet's Don't Work

Forget about going on a diet. In my opinion they don't work, especially long term. In my opinion, most diets are administered like forms of punishment. I would personally rather undergo some form of medieval torture than go on some of the diets I've seen floating around the internet lately. And how many people do you know that put the weight back on once they've jumped shipped from that particular diet? I bet very few people keep that weight off long term. What good is it to lose 10lbs over a four week "I am so hungry I'd eat chopped liver" diet, when you put that 1olbs back on? You're right back to where you started, ready to torture yourself again. Diets aren't fun and neither is hanging out with a person who is on one.

I think a more effective means of eating for weight loss or fat loss, is to think more about nutrition than thinking about dieting. Rather than thinking of taking away food as almost a form of punishment, think of what foods you can eat to help with weight loss. Think about correcting your nutritional habits instead of just taking things away. Stop thinking about counting calories and just think about eating good, whole foods. Think nutrition. Think long term.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Assisted Single Leg Squat

There may be no better exercise to develop single leg strength than the single leg squat. Seems pretty logical, right? It's a great quadriceps and posterior chain exercise while bringing just about every leg stabilizing muscle into play. But on rare occasions, does any one just hop right in and start banging out a set of single squats with ease and proper technique. So how do you progress up to a true single leg squat? Start off by trying the assisted version that you'll see in the video below. If you have a Jungle Gym or set of Blast Straps available, great. If not, you can try using some bands or tubing to help you out. Your arms are there for a bit of a stabilizing effect and for some assistance on the ascent. They're not there to do a majority of the work. Try to use the the upper body as least as possible.

Dr. John Berardi's Bi-Weekly Nutrition Tip

Tip #7
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
by Dr. John Berardi

To lose fat, sometimes you have to eat fat. Monounsaturated fats and certain polyunsaturates actually speed up the metabolic rate. Lipid researchers believe that the best of the fat burning bunch are the highly unsaturated omega 3s called EPA and DHA. A diet supplemented with omega 3-rich fish oil promotes losses of body fat with simultaneous gains in lean mass.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - my pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.