My Top Five....

.....reasons why calorie counting for fat loss does not work.

1. Choice of food matters more than anything. Lets put two meals 1000 calorie meals together. One that is made of grilled chicken and greens and one that is made up of mozzarella sticks and french fries. Logical reasoning will tell you that one 1000 calorie meal is much worse than the other, right? I hope it does.
2. Counting the calories themselves. I bet you you can not tell me how many calories are in each food item, even with charts you'll find lying around or on the Internet. You're probably either overestimating or underestimating. This can result in a difference of up to a couple hundred calories per day.
3. Fat loss vs. weight loss. Yes, some calorie restrictive diets result in weight loss, but a good percentage of that weight loss is hard earned muscle. With a loss in muscles mass comes a drop in metabolism. And with a drop in metabolism comes an even lower calorie number to shoot for for a negative energy balance. Next thing you know you're on a 500 calorie a day diet. No more calories after breakfast and you're miserable.
   
4. The machines are not correct either. Okay, so may be you can not keep an accurate track of how many calories you're taking in per day, but the treadmill must have an accurate number of how many calories you're burning, right? Wrong. Just about every machine will spit out a calories number that is also inaccurate. It could be any where from 10-20% off in either direction. Again resulting in a difference of possibly hundreds of calories.
   
5. All calories are not created equal. Whether calories are coming from fat, protein or carbohydrates, they are all metabolized differently. Proteins and fat are going to have a different effect on your blood sugar than carbohydrates. Plus, the thermic effect of each type of calorie is different. It takes about four times more energy to break down a gram of protein than it does to break down a gram of carbohydrate. So getting in more calories through protein over the course of the day can have a greater positive effect on your metabolism.
   

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: EZ Bar Revrse Curl

You will usually will not see me doing too much direct arm work, either with myself or with clients. But hey, it's summer time, right?

When doing direct biceps work I see a lot of guys doing a lot of work for the biceps, but hardly any work for the brachialis. The brachialis is emphasized with any type of reverse or overhand grip. Adding in some work of this often neglected muscle can really jump start your arm training.

I also prefer to use the EZ Bar for this movement in place of a straight bar because of less stress on the wrists.

Another Nutrition Tip from Dr. John Berardi

Tip #12
Skip the Cheat Meal, Fatty
by Dr. John Berardi

Cheat meal frequency should be minimized when you're over 15-20% body fat. Basically, the fatter you are, the more likely that any excess food will be shuttled toward body-fat storage rather than muscle mass. So skip the cheat meal unless you're lean. And even then, think of it as an alternative food meal - not a cheat. Cheat meals are usually glorified forms of dietary debauchery. Alternative food meals allow for something a little different from the norm without the trough.

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: Jungle Gym Reverse Fly

A Jungle Gym, Val Slides and a Super Band

If my workouts were mainly done at home there are three pieces of equipment I'd purchase: a Jungle Gym, Val Slides and a Superband. Even if I was getting most of my workouts done at the gym, I'd still purchase these three pieces of equipment. There's no harm in taking them to the gym with you since they are pretty portable. Plus there may be a day where you can not get to the gym and you want to squeeze out a workout at home. Bring these three pieces out and you can really get in a good workout. Personally, I take these three with me to every in-home client I see. The reason I like these three pieces is because of the versatility of each piece. The number of exercises you could do with each one is unlimited. And you could even even combine a couple of the pieces for one exercise. Here are some example exercises:

• Inverted Rows w/the Jungle Gym
• Suspended Push Ups w/the Jungle Gym
• Fall outs w/the Jungle Gym
• Val Slide Reverse Lunges
• Val Slide Pull Ins
• Val Slide Leg Curls
• Band Resisted Push Ups
• Band Pull Aparts
• X Band Walks

There's 9 exercises right there. Set up these 9 exercises in a circuit fashion and I'd bet it's harder than any machine based circuit workout you'd get ant any gym. That and I do not think most people understand how hard body weight training can really be.

Another great thing is the cost. The total cost of these 3 pieces is a bit over $100. Compare that to the BowFlex or any other type of home gym system and you're saving yourself hundreds of dollars.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Sled Dawg Biceps Curl

Dr. John Berardi's Nutrition Tip

Tip #11
Why Choose Oats
by Dr. John Berardi

If you're looking to gain mass and have a good carbohydrate tolerance, place a bowl of fiber-rich, low-GI rolled oats along with ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, frozen mixed berries, pineapple and a small quantity of mixed nuts right next to your omelet. This is a muscle building breakfast that's hard to beat. I place this bowl right next to my omelet for a breakfast that's hard to beat.

However, if you tend to hold a lot of body fat, just stick with protein, good fats, and veggies for breakfast. Save the non-fruit and veggie carbs till after exercise only - yes, even oatmeal.

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.