Want a Challenge? The 300 Movie Workout

Today I did the 300 movie workout. You might have heard of the 300 workout from the 300 movie promotions. The actors trained hardcore, using kettlebells, weights, bodyweight, tires, and more.

The 300 workout is a challenging 300 repetition workout put together by a trainer for the lead actor in the 300 movie. This isn't how they did their workouts...it was just a test of his strength-endurance.

Here's the workout...all exercises are done without rest. Just go, go, go.

Pullups - 25
Deadlifts with 135lbs - 50
Pushups - 50
24-inch Box jumps - 50
Floor wipers - 50
1-arm 36lbs Kettlebell Clean n Press - 50 reps
Pullups - 25

One actor, Andrew Pleavin, completed the workout in 18:11.

Remember, he didn't practice this workout...and neither did I.

My time: 19:07

My butt was kicked by a hollywood actor. It was a brutal workout, starting out strong and slowing down, finishing at a crawl. And I don't plan on doing that any time soon, or really, ever again.

Obviously this is an advanced workout...you shouldn't do it unless you are as fit as a college athlete.

Fortunately, this can easily be changed. Appropriate exercises should be subbed in, and you should drop down to 100 total reps - or as .: recommends - 4-6 exercises of 15-25 reps each.

For example, you might do a 150-repetition workout - this is great for a man with moderate fitness:

15 bodyweight rows
25 bodyweight squats
15 pushups
50 jumping jacks
20 mountain climbers
10 close grip pushups
15 bodyweight rows

An intermediate woman could do a 100 rep workout:

5 bodyweight rows
15 bodyweight squats
5 pushups
50 jumping jacks
10 mountain climbers
10 lunges
5 bodyweight rows

Those are some challenging workouts. Work with a trainer to come up with other ideas. And always, train safe.

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Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked home fat burning workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Craig Ballantyne's TT Members workouts help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's beginner bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

The Perfect Squat - I'll Show You How

The squat is one of the foundational strength training exercises and performing it correctly is very important. When you perform the squat correctly, you protect your lower back from strain and activate the largest muscle groups in your body (legs). If you are just beginning an exercise program or if you aren't sure how to perform the basic squat, I recommend practicing with only your body weight. Begin by standing with feet shoulder width apart (for some reason when I say this to women, they often stand with their feet about twice as wide as their shoulders, just be cognizant that most women do not have broad shoulders and your stance might be a little to wide).

Once your feet are set, check your posture and make sure your body is in alignment. An easy way to do this is to imagine that a string is connected to the top of your head pulling you gently upward. Your shoulders should be down and slightly back, abdominals should be slightly tightened, knees should be soft, and your chin should be parallel to the ground.

Before you begin the squat, shift the majority of your body weight into your heals and keep it there throughout the entire movement. Engage the abdominal muscles to protect the lower back then lower and lift your body weight by bending at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Stand with a mirror in front of you and to the side of you and monitor yourself as you perform the movement. As you move up and down, look into the mirror at your side and keep an eye on your knees. Knees should be just over the toes or slightly behind them. If your knees are being forced forward over the toes, it means that your body weight has shifted from heals to toes (doing this can put unnecessary strain on your knee joint)

Often when people first learn the squat, keeping their body weight in the heals for the entire movement causes them to be off balance. As you do it more and more, your stability will improve and you will feel the glute muscles doing most of the work. Another thing to watch for is your knee tracking. What I mean by that is when you look straight into a mirror, your knees should remain in alignment with your toes. If you notice your knees bowing out or buckling inward you should reduce your range of motion to a point where the knee tracking is correct. Once you feel comfortable doing a body weight squat, you can add weight while performing the movement.

You can use dumbbells, cables, resistance tubing, or a smith machine. Dumbbells can be held at your sides or you can rest them on your shoulders. Notice that even though I have made the squat more difficult by adding a weighted barbell, I still maintain the same good form throughout the entire exercise. Before you decide to add weight to your squat, make sure you feel comfortable performing the basic squat with just body weight. You'll know you're doing it right when you feel your glute muscles working throughout the movement and your abdominals are tightened from beginning to end.

Once you're ready to add some resistance to this exercise, begin with a low weight. I recommend starting with a lightweight dumbbell, resistance band, or cables. From there you can move to the smith machine and then a freeweighted barbell. There are a few variations of the basic squat that allow you to focus more on the quadriceps. The movement demonstrated here focuses on strengthening the glutes.

Jessica Dawn is a fitness professional who has been studying health & fitness for over 10 years. In addition to actively participating in fitness, Jessica has a degree in Kinesiology (exercise science) which allows her to understand both the scientific and behavioral aspects of weight loss and fitness.

Jessica Dawn is a leader in teaching proven strategies for reaching health & fitness goals. You can receive a free report, free fitness tools, free video exercise demo's, and more by signing up for her email list at http://www.visfitness.blogspot.com or http://www.visfitness.com

Jessica shows you how to develop a lifestlye of health, vitality, and fitness. She answers the questions you have about life-long weight control and resolves the roadblocks you may have faced in the past so you can achieve your goals once and for all.

How to Avoid Bulking Up

I want to lose weight but I don't want to bulk up. I hear that, and I'm sure you do to, from many women that strength train. I even hear it from some men.

Now for arguments sake, let's just say that this is a valid concern (so we'll totally ignore for the time being that in order to bulk up you must eat a lot, and I mean a lot of food, and that it is relatively difficult for women to "bulk" up anyway).

So how should females (and males) train so that the risk of bulking up is minimal?

Easy. There are 2 ways to modify a woman's workout so that she need not fear the bulk.

1) Reduce the volume of weight training.

Do only one work set instead of 3. So if it says 3 sets of 8, do only 1 set of 8. This will still put your body in some turbulence, allowing you to burn calories during and after exercise, as well as improving your strength and bone mineral density.

Gaining mass is a function of intensity and volume. So if a woman reduces the volume, but keeps the intensity, she will get all the strength benefits and a lot of the metabolism boosting benefits without the paranoia of getting bulky.

2) Train your clients with more bodyweight exercises.

And I'm not just talking about lunges. There are many bodyweight exercises that will help women lose fat and get lean so that they put and keep the curves in all the right places.

Lunges, split squats, pushups, decline pushups, mountain climbers, inverted rows, assisted chinups, single-leg squats, 1-leg deadlifts, and many, many more.

And of course, throughout all of this, make sure that your nutrition matches your goals.

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

Medifast Diet and Fat-Burning State

The medifast diet is a very safe and effective diet and weight loss program. The main reason for this is because it gives enough nutrition while at the same time induces your body into a mild fat-burning state.

What is the Fat-Burning State?

When you are on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan, your daily calorie intake is very low at around 800 to 1,000 calories. This causes your body to enter a fat-burning state - a "mild ketosis". In this state, your bodys fat releases free fatty acids, which are transformed by the liver to an energy source - the ketones. This mild fat-burning state helps the body achieve fast weight loss while preserving muscle tissue. It also helps eliminate physical hunger and provides sufficient levels of energy at the same time.

The fat-burning state is not harmful to your health. It is just a normal way that your body uses to manage energy. You get enough protein intake on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan so that you are protected from losing muscle tissue. Regular exercise also helps in this area.

Are you in a fat-burning state?

You will know that you are in the fat-burning state if you feel less hungry and more energized, and start losing weight at a steady rate. It usually takes about 3-5 days, after you start the medifast diet, for you to move into the fat-burning state.

Do I need to use ketone test strips?

It is not recommended that you use ketone test strips while on the medifast 5 & 1 plan because:

1) With medifast program, you are only in a mild fat-burning state. The ketone test strips are meant to be used for a much stronger fat-burning state as you would be in a low carbohydrate diet.

2) The ketone test strips can give you inaccurate results if you are not using them consistently very day - the same way at the same time.

Jodi Thompson runs a few websites on weight loss and diet programs, including medifastworks.com To learn more about medifast diet program, tips, and stories, visit medifastworks.com

Two Common Foods That Help Weight Loss

There are many foods that assist in weight and fat loss. This article mentions two common foods that help weight loss. You can include them in any sensitive weight loss diet plan.

1. Apples: Apples are very beneficial to mankind. They can even help with melting away the fat. Isn't that amazing!

How can apples help you in burning body fat and staying slim? First of all, they elevate glucose (sugar) levels in our blood in gentle manner and keep them up longer than most other foods.

This results in leaving us feeling satisfied longer after eating an apple.

Secondly, according to Dr. James Anderson of University of Kentucky's School of Medicine, apples are very rich in soluble fiber which prevents hunger pangs in us by guarding against swings in your blood sugar levels.

An average apple contains only 81 calories and no saturated fat or cholesterol. You also get the benefit of lowering cholesterol levels in your blood as well as lowering blood pressure.

So keep eating apples. Remember the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Not only is it good for out health but also for staying slim and burning fat.

2. GrapeFruit: Another food that helps in burning away body fat is Grapefruit. There are solid reasons why grapefruit should be part of your regular diet.

According to Dr. James Cerd of the University of Florida, it dissolves fat and cholesterol. Because it is so rich in natural galacturonic acid, it acts as a fat and cholesterol fighter.

You may try sprinkling it with cinnamon instead of sugar in order to take away some of its tart taste.

These are 2 common household foods that boost weight loss by burning away the body fat. They help you to stay slim in a healthy and natural manner without any adverse side effects.

Enjoy apples and grapefruits on regular basis for burning away those extra pounds on your body. Doesn't it, all of a sudden, sound fun to lose weight?

Isn't this one of the easiest fat loss diet you have ever come across? And not to mention a tasty one at that.

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Do you always feel low on energy? Discover simple tips to increase energy

5 Tips To Lose 15 Pounds Fast

How many diets and exercise programs have you seen that promise to help you lose 15 pounds fast? I wonder how many people have used these products successfully? From my experiences I have found that the problem with these kind of claims is that although it may be possible to lose this amount of weight very quickly, it is not always the healthiest, safest option and very rarely does it lead to permanent weight-loss. This purpose of this article is to point you in the correct direction and to give tips and advice on how best to achieve your weight-loss targets.

Most diets available today claim to allow the dieter to shed pounds ridiculously quickly - who wouldn't want to lose 15 pounds fast?! - it is great marketing!. The truth is that although many of these diets do create an initial fast loss of weight, this rarely lasts and is more often than not due to water loss and muscle wastage. This type of dieting is extremely unhealthy and leads to dehydration and lowers ones energy and concentration levels. There are more effective ways to lose 15 pounds fast which can help you keep the weight off.

Other low calorie diets which are touted can work but it is important to realise that severe calorie restriction for too long leads to the body's metabolism slowing down significantly and heading towards its 'body starvation mode'. Once your body hits this starvation mode it will burn far less calories in a bid to stay alive!

The body will respond when entering body starvation mode by using its own reserves to provide energy, these reserves are not just the body's extra fat. Initially, glycogen stores (the storage form of carbohydrate in our body) are broken down for energy. Once this energy source is depleted within a few hours water is released and consequently a drop in weight is noticed.

The common problem associated with starvation-type diets is the resultant weight regain. When the starvation diet ends, the individual returns to the same old habits - there has been no life-style change which is really the key to losing weight and keeping it off. The composition of this weight regain is fat - this replaces the muscle mass lost during the diet and the individuals metabolic rate is decreased. The frustration experienced at this point leads the individual back onto another starvation type diet and so the cycle continues. This is why we see so many people seemingly on a constant diet. Remember - it is possible to lose 15 pounds fast, but keeping the pounds off is the real goal.

If you are one of those people that constantly seem to be dieting you will find that making the following small changes to your lifestyle will greatly improve your long-term weight loss goals;

1. Eat 4-6 small meals per day, balancing your intake of nutrients. This helps increase metabolism as your body is constantly working to process the food.

2. Start exercising - it may seem obvious but it is amazing how many people simply diet without any exercise. This helps your body increase its metabolic rate still further and will speed your weight-loss results.

3. Use weight training combined with aerobic exercise - you don't need to lift massively heavy weights - just do a little, it helps regain any muscle mass lost during dieting and the aerobic workout will help increase the appetite appropriately.

4. Eat Breakfast - this kick starts your metabolism for the day. Studies have shown that people who it a healthy breakfast actually lose more weight than people who skip it all together!

5. Drink Water - This is the energy source for all life, staying hydrated is vital.

There are few diets that enable you to lose 15 pounds fast and fewer still that can provide the continuous and long lasting results you are looking for. It is up to you to get motivated and want to lose the weight - permanently. I'm not saying it is easy but by following the guidelines above you'll be off to a fantastic start and you will avoid the notorious body starvation mode!

Should you wish to learn more about losing weight and keeping it off please visit my website at Lose 15 Pounds Fast where I review some of the products that helped me and many other people to lose 15 pounds fast and permanently.

I hope you enjoyed this article and I look forward to hearing of your weight-loss success.

Daniel Depp is a health and fitness fanatic. He is a former professional athlete who, since retiring found himself over-eating and piling on weight. He decided that enough was enough and embarked on a mission to gather as much infomation about weight-loss and fitness as he possibly could and then impliment these in his own life. He has since lost over 20 pounds of body fat, lives a healthy and vibrant lifestyle and is committed to helping others do the same. Visit his website at Lose 15 Pounds Fast to get more in depth advice on weight-loss, diets, fitness training and general wellness.

What is America's Number One New Year's Resolution?

Yes, you guessed it. Americans resolve to lose weight. So it is not at all out of the question to assume this resolution may be on your list as well. If so, then keep in mind that achieving your health and fitness goals is not just a day-to-day, week-to-week or month-to-month affair. The key to keeping this New Year's resolution is changing your entire lifestyle. Although the phrase "weight loss" is really the hot button, fat loss is the actual issue. In order to lose excess body fat, you must take care of your body and nurture your emotional state too. So it is very important to remember as fat is lost, you should also help yourself crucial gain self-esteem.

Do not put your self-esteem on a weight loss plan as well. Here are a few practical tips to effective fat loss and esteem improvement: First, Take some time to learn. Do not be a "dense dieter." It is recommended that you one of the original lifestyle diets, the Zone Diet Plan. As creator of this particular way of living and eating, Dr. Barry Sears has written eleven Zone Diet-related books and many include easy recipes to keep you in the Zone.

You may want to purchase a Zone Diet book and then try the recipes with your family. Get yourself into the nutritional state of mind. Becoming knowledgeable

will help you to internalize a healthy lifestyle you can follow with sincere understanding and confidence. Second of all, realize Although weighing yourself is indeed important, it is in fact much more important to let your clothes speak for themselves. Monitor how your clothes are fitting you. That is much more gratifying and less defeating. Thirdly, If you were thinner in the earlier years of your life, keep your thin photographs taped to your mirrors and carry one in your wallet. Take photos of yourself each month and put them in a scrapbook. It is very important to have a realistic view of your soon-to-be self. Do not throw away that old pair of jeans that fit just a little bit too tight. Keep them around since some day, you will slide into them. No more tugging and squeezing. Set a realistic date for trying on the old jeans so you are not disappointed. Fifth of all, Beware of the dreaded binge. Do not set yourself up for failure, which can play havoc with self-image. Have a healthy snack between mealtimes that will keep you satisfied so you're less likely to overeat at the next full meal. Perhaps 1/2 of

a Meal Replacement Bar. You will then be less likely to stop at your favorite fast food "restaurant" for a double cheese burger and large order of fries. Also Select an exercise program that you actually enjoy doing. This could mean taking a belly dancing class, running with your puppy, or participating in some group sporting events. And last but not least, Add "superfoods" to your diet like nuts and seeds, beans and sprouts and other green foods. Get into the habit of buying them and jazz up your diet and the nutritional profile of the your recipes as well. This will help keep you in the zone for good.

For more information on the Zone visit Zone Diet Nutrition and learn more.

Ryan Joseph is a Writer/Researcher. More info. about the Zone Diet Plan can be found at http://www.zone-products.com.

Lose 10 Pounds - 3 Stealth Tricks To Lose 10 Pounds Before The End Of July!

Is losing weight difficult?

It will depends on your determination. Do you really want it? Are you ready to do whatever it takes to lose those extra pounds?

It's funny, but losing weight is like going to school. You will learn how to burn the body fat, and then, you need to apply what you discovered.

There are no secrets. Most of the people who don't manage to lose weight don't follow the method they try until completion.

1. Motivation

You need to have a good reason to lose weight. Ask yourself: "Why I want to lose weight?".

Write this on a piece of paper and put it everywhere in your house. Put in near your computer at the office.

Add this as a sticky on your fridge, put it on the doors and everywhere you can. You need to see this goal several time a day.

In fact, you need to think about it.

2. Announce it to the world

I know it seems crazy, but telling your friends and family members that your goal is to lose 10 pounds by the month of July will help you to reach your goal faster.

Plus if you lose motivation, they will remind you. If you go watch a movie and start eating chips, they will tell you to stop.

This work very well, so make sure that you let your friends and family know what you are doing. This will be like a little mastermind. And who knows, maybe you will find someone who is dieting as well.

3. Fasting

Fasting three days every single month of the year will help you to lose weight. Plus all your body will benefit from fasting.

Finally! Discover a powerful weight loss system used by thousands of bodybuilders and people around the world to obtain low-low body fat level. Learn how you too can get rid of your stomach fat for good when you visit: http://www.positiveattitude4life.com

Franck Silvestre is a professional Martial Artist. Visit his website today at Turbulence Training

The Truth About Detox Dieting

Detox dieting is all the rage in the world of health and weight loss. It is all about taking your body to a new level with a clean diet that can clear your mind and give you more energy then ever thought possible. Our body is continually becoming overloaded with toxins from the earth. Even if you eat well, there are many system clogging substances as well that come in a lot of the foods that we eat. With everything we eat or breathe these substances are breaking down our body. A Detox diet can help eliminate these chemicals and help to clean out our bodies.

There are many substances in your body. One major substance is pesticides, additives, and preservatives. This comes from food that sits on the shelf for long periods of time, or produce that comes from other countries. The preservatives make the food look better but they aren't good for your body at all. All of these toxins travel through your liver which is already overused as it is.

Another substance that can hurt your body is trans fat which is the hydrogenated fat that is found in butter, chips, crackers, baked goods, and foods you find in restaurants. It is a fat that you really do not want to have in your body at all. More and more you find foods that are removing the trans fats but it can still be found in many foods on store shelves. It brings on heart problems, obesity, and artery blockage that can kill you.

Sugar is another thing that you do not want in your body. Sugar adds to obesity rates and it can even age your skin before it is ready. Refined sugars especially are bad for the skin and it helps to wrinkle your skin and give it a poor texture that makes you look old well before you are due to. Along the same lines, alcohol in your system also hinders your life expectancy and your body. Again, it taxes the liver which produces weight gain and shorter life spans.

Finally you have caffeine which is one of the most overused drugs in the world. People think that they need their coffee, whereas in reality the body doesn't need any caffeine at all. It can affect your bone density and again, it delivers bad substances to that liver which is what you need to live a long and healthy life.

By starting a diet full of fresh veggies, lean fish and poultry, and complex carbohydrates you can effectively change your life expectancy and help you to leave a much healthier life. You should also be adding a lot more omega-3 fatty acids which help your heart get stronger and help you control your weight much more effectively. It is hard to eat like that all the time though so there are special products on the market will let you "Detox" your body and give you the omega-3 fatty acids that you need. Omega's take the extracts from foods that you need in your body and brings them to you without having to eat many foods that you may not enjoy.

Another product you can try is a HGH releaser which is a supplement to reduce the affects of aging. It also helps to boost your growth hormone levels so that you feel as if you were young again. It speeds up your metabolism and betters your immune system. Obviously by adding water to your diet, it also gives you a purer way of adding much needed fluids. Once you eliminate all the bad foods and high sugar diets and add in the good carbs, good fats, and fiber, you are showing your body that you are taking care of it so that it will last for a long time to come.

For additional information on detox dieting, just click on the detox dieting link in this resource box.

Celebrity Diets - What Are The Dangers Of Celebrity Diets?

What is a celebrity diet and who follows them? The term celebrity diet is used to refer to any diet that is recommended by celebrities. There is no single, concrete diet that all celebrities use. To be completely honest, celebrity diets are simply low-carb/low calorie diets that are not the most viable way to a permanent, healthier lifestyle. One would be best advised to eat a balanced diet that ensures plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein, as well as hearty, unprocessed grains and breads. One of the worst examples of a so-called celebrity diet is the Original Hollywood Celebrity Diet drink.

Im sure many of you have been to the drug store and have seen it. Given just two days, this juice mix will have you lose as much as 10 pounds. Surprisingly, even the most cynical have emerged nearly 10 pounds lighter after drinking only 400 calories a day. And, yes, I did say 400 calories A DAY. Not 1500-2000, but 400. Not so surprising is the fact that once you return to any sort of normal eating patterns, even if you make the necessary, healthy adjustments, you still gain it back almost instantaneously. However, I would doubt any celebrities shop where I shop and would buy such a gimmicky product. They have trendier means to meet their fitness goals.

Some celebrities swear by a raw foods diet while others claim that the Zone diet helped to shed their excess pounds. Unfortunately for the regular folks, the celebrities entire livelihood depends on their image and so they can easily afford to work out hours a day with a trainer and hire a personal chef to prepare all of their meals. We have to work a little harder, not all meals will be perfect, and not all workouts will be a success, but as long as we stay in the fight and continue to make progress at however slow of a rate, we will be working tenfold than what those in Hollywood have to do. You know why? Its because we are doing it ourselves. And quite frankly, I would never advise any client, no matter their fitness level, to work out for hours at a time. The best diet to follow is not what works for your favorite celebrity in hopes of achieving identical results, but to eat responsibly. And although it sounds clich, eating in moderation is the best dietary advice that one can be given.

All of the various diets out there are either low carbohydrate in order to control insulin levels, low fat in hopes of cutting cholesterol and cardiovascular ailments, or low calorie for those impatient ones wanting instant gratification that cannot be maintained. These are all too restrictive and difficult to maintain for many people. This is another reason as to why your diet should focus on making better choices the majority of the time, but never ruling out foods. Even though donuts are the worst food out there, it wont do any notable harm if an active individual eats one every so often, but not every day, because by then, moderation will have been tossed out the window. To make a long story short, keep your fitness goals attainable and your meals balanced, small, and frequent, and you will soon be looking at a new you.

Learn more about fad diets and find out which is the best diet for your permanent weight loss at PhenForum.com, the place to learn about Phentermine online and healthy weight loss! Join our support group for free and find your own weight loss buddy. Learn how to lose weight and keep it off forever!

Fast Weight Loss Diets - 3 to Choose From

Fast weight loss diets are not for the faint of heart. They're not based on balanced eating plans. You shouldn't exert yourself when you're on one because they can put stress on your body. And you should never stay one for more than a week. Most important of all though, BEFORE you launch one of the diets promising fast weight loss, visit your doctor and get medical advice. Here are three of the most popular fast weight loss diets:

The Three Day Diet is the simplest of the three diets. It consists of an exact menu for three days. Each breakfast is one small amount of protein, one starch, and one fruit. On one day you'll have an egg, 1/2 of a banana, a piece of toast, and black coffee.

Lunch is even less. It's a small amount of protein and a starch. For one lunch you're recommended to have 1/2 cup tuna and a piece of toast along with your black coffee. Dinner is a little different. You will have a larger serving of protein, 2 servings of vegetables, a fruit, and a cup of regular vanilla ice cream. I personally think it's also one of the strangest diets.

However, there are more of these diets that also have their quirks. One is the Chicken Soup Diet. This is based on a complex recipe for chicken soup. You get some choices of different breakfasts, and then you eat as much soup as you want the rest of the day. One breakfast for the Chicken Soup Diet might be Total cereal, nonfat milk, and juice. A different one would be yogurt, fruit, and wheat germ. When it comes to diets for fast weight loss, with the exception of breakfast this one has zero variety and is boring.

The Grapefruit Diet is one of the most intricate of the 3 fast weight loss diets. There's a lot to remember, and it's all considered important. For instance, there's a certain amount of grapefruit or other specified juice to eat with each meal. You're warned not to eat more or less than what's suggested. Otherwise, it's said the diet will not work.

Also, you're not allowed to take anything away from the diet. If you don't want to eat two slices of bacon with your breakfast - too bad. They claim you won't burn fat if you don't adhere precisely to the diet, including eating the bacon. Hmmm.

A diet like this is hard to understand.

You're also advised to drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water every day, but only 1 cup of coffee at a meal. Butter can be used as a condiment, or to fry foods. You're only allowed to eat at meal time; no snacking except the beverage at bedtime. You're given two lists: one of foods you can eat and one of foods you cannot eat. Yet, on this "accelerated" weight loss diet you're encouraged to eat until you're full at any meal. Again I say...hmmm.

You're warned not to eat certain foods at the same time they claim the more you eat (of the "allowed" foods), the more you fat you burn. Breakfast on this diet is grapefruit, 2 eggs, and 2 bacon slices. That's the basic guideline however; they also indicate you can eat as much eggs and bacon as you wish. Is this also confusing to you?

Lunch is grapefruit, salad, and meat. Dinner is grapefruit, meat, and a salad or vegetable. You get a bedtime snack of tomato juice or nonfat milk. Yippee! Let's face it - you'll be hungry regardless which of the diets you try. They're extremely restrictive with very, very little food variety. Speaking for myself, that usually means I'll not only be miserable but my chances of sticking to it - even for a short time - are pretty slim. (Pun intended)

And doing fast weight loss diets like this can get complicated. If you do participate in one, please be careful. They may not be safe. And definitely consult with your doctor.

Perhaps you're seriously looking for dramatic weight loss with laparoscipic weight loss surgery. Or perhaps you want some straight talk on choosing which of the best weight loss programs us right for you, visit my website http://www.WeightLossAnswersOnline.com for tons of weight loss tips, exercise information and healthy eating plans.

Fasting for Quick Weight Loss - What You Need To Know Now

Many people who are absolutely desperate to lose weight have been inquiring about fasting as a viable way of dropping pounds, and doing it quickly. And of course, as you would expect, there are a variety of methods being promoted online for doing just that, so I thought I would chime in with my thoughts on fasting as a practice, and more importantly for you, as a strategy for safe and efficient weight loss.

The first thing you need to know is that prolonged fasting is absolutely NOT a viable plan for losing weight, staying in shape or maintaining an ideal physique. It is however, a viable plan to segue into a new diet, or a good short term strategy for optimizing your body, and your mind. Let's take a closer look.

Fasting, in my parlance is NOT a total abstinence from food. Obviously this would be unhealthy, and could only be done for VERY short periods without supervision. These are often referred to as water fasts, and while you CAN go without food for a few days, (or longer) depriving yourself of water is simply dangerous and could be deadly as well. Fasting for our purposes will refer to juice fasting, or a raw diet, where you ingest nothing but juices in the former, or simply raw juices and veggies in the latter.

Both of these have been shown to have really positive benefits for those who have embarked on this sort of regimen, and adherents claim a refinement in their senses, clarity of thought, physical rejuvenation and even a spiritual rebirth! You will of course, also lose weight...but this is RARELY the reason that people embark on a fast.

Much of the weight lost in this sort of endeavor WILL be regained once you resume eating, and therefore is not really looked upon as a diet strategy. Rather, you many want to incorporate elements of this approach to food as part of a living strategy per se, or part and parcel of a lifestyle that focuses on whole foods, organic eating and short periods of abstinence to cleanse the body.

But for good old fashioned weight loss, even the most devout fasters will tell you to pick a REAL diet first, meet your target goals, and then incorporate some of these holistic lifestyle choices into your choice of cuisine, and your life!

Read On to Discover the 6 Biggest Lies About Weight Loss... and how to avoid them like the plague!

(Not knowing them MAY be KEEPING you heavy... watch the weight melt away like magic once you do!)

Abs: How Often Should You Work Your Abs?

How important is it to train the abs frequently if your goal is visible abs?

There is no shortage of opinions on this topic. People can succeed (and fail) with all sorts of abdominal training programs. Besides, great abs have been found on many people that train them religiously each day, but better abs have been found on athletes that do no formal abdominal training at all!

The most important factor in developing eye-catching abdominal muscles (the 6-pack) is decreasing the body fat in that area, plain and simple. As for training techniques, almost everyone should train this area as you would any muscle group. Why spend 20 minutes per day doing endless crunches when 5-10 minutes every other day (or less!) will accomplish the same results? Only athletes (or back pain rehabilitation patients) may need additional abdominal work to assist their core stability in sport (or everyday function).

While most individuals in the gym believe that daily, high-volume training is optimal, there is nothing special about the abdominal muscles to suggest that a greater training frequency is required. Muscle biopsies have determined the rectus abdominis to be composed of 46% slow-twitch fibers, not unlike the vastus lateralis of the quadriceps (Johnson et al., 1972). As mentioned earlier, a more important aspect in developing a well-muscled midsection that can be shown off at the beach, is the reduction of as much body fat as possible.

To be precise, in order to have visible abs you must decrease your body fat to 10% or less. Test your body fat monthly. Have the same skilled professional do the testing each time in the same manner under the same conditions (i.e. same time of day, pre-workout, same day of the week, same diet pre-test). You would be surprised how small fluctuations in these variables can influence the outcome of body fat estimation tests.

Fortunately, the greatest body fat reductions are not achieved through multiple sets of high repetition abdominal exercises and therefore there is no need to waste your precious time performing endless sets of abdominal crunches. In fact, your time is better off spent including compound resistance exercises (exercise using many of the bodys large muscle groups; i.e. the squat, bench press, pull-ups, deadlifts, etc) and performing strategic anaerobic interval and aerobic training.

When you perform compound exercises and interval training you will realize that more muscles are working and more metabolic effort is necessary in comparison to a simple abdominal crunch. Remember that when you head back to the gym!

Compound exercises should be the best choice for helping to maintain muscle mass while shedding body fat. Anaerobic interval training promotes the expenditure of energy (fat) long after you have left the gym, thus helping to shed the body fat while you are no longer exercising. Aerobic exercise is beneficial for individuals with a lot of fat to lose (i.e. if you test at greater than 15% body fat). However, if you only have a little fat to lose before the muscle stands out, then dietary manipulations and more anaerobic training (intervals and resistance training) are the priority changes.

As for specific abdominal training recommendations, isolated abdominal training 1-3 times per week is sufficient. Abdominal training should be brief and to the point (i.e. 2 exercises, a handful of sets, and a high-intensity of training). This will require passing on the basic lying abdominal crunch and instead use exercises that incorporate resistance. Like any other muscle group, the abdominals can be trained in a rep range of 6-15 per set. This will help build optimal abdominal strength for sport and daily function and will be of greater benefit in attaining abdominal musculature definition.

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

Fad Diets - What's Wrong With Them?

If you go on a fad diet and it helps you lose weight fast and get results, what's wrong with that?

I'm sure you've seen many ads on the internet and in magazines promising you huge weight loss in only a few days time.

Is this type of weight loss really possible? Yes - but ... in almost every case the weight loss from a fad diet is temporary and usually due to loss of water weight. Our bodies are made up of a large percentage of water so as soon as your body rehydrates itself you'll put that quick weight loss right back on.

What are some of the reasons a fad diet is bad for you?

#1 A fad diet usually tells you to focus on a single food type and avoid all others. This means you miss out on the nutrition you really need and can get from a more balanced diet approach. Quite often these fad diets will even tell you to take vitamins and supplements to make up for all the nutritional deficiencies you experience while on that fad diet. However, your body will not be able to absorb the nutrients from the recommended supplements unless you take them with food. And many of the foods that help you absorb nutrients are banned on fad diets.

#2 Fad diets are usually so restrictive and unappetizing that, after as little as one day, you'll begin having overwhelming cravings for other foods and most likely you'll give up. This can also wreak havoc on your self esteem if you beat yourself up for not having enough willpower to stick it out with the diet.

#3 Fad diets are temporary solutions to your weight problems. Even if you do follow through to the end with a fad diet you have not made permanent, healthy changes to the way you handle food in your life. So fad dieters tend to be yo-yo dieters that go back and forth between extreme low-calorie fad diets to periods of bingeing on food groups that were missing from the fad diet. So fad dieters will inevitably end up on a roller coaster of gaining and losing the same pounds, over and over.

No matter what you see in the media about quick weight loss fad diets, realize that these diets will never work long term.

The best way to lose weight and sustain that weight loss (so you never have to diet again) is to eat a variety of healthy foods, avoid overeating, and do regular exercise. This simple formula works every time.

Keira Adams is publisher of The Internet Spa at http://www.internet-spa.com

Get the information you need to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit.

Slim Fast Optima

If you own a television then you probably have seen the old Tommy Lasorda commercials where he drank Slim Fast and lost all his extra weight. These days they use fitness models but the fact that we have all heard of Slim Fast still remains - in fact Slim Fast has been around for 20 years. Their weight loss program is based on substituting meals with convenience products such as shakes, ready to drink powders, bars, and snacks. They built their whole program around their shakes and are probably the best known weight loss liquid meal replacement program. Within the last few years Slim Fast has expanded into the on line world by joining forces with the weight loss super giant eDiets. The new on line presence allows Slim Fast to provide some of the usual weight loss tools for their members.

Slim Fast has many good qualities such as encouraging exercise, drinking plenty of water, and eating often throughout the day. People have been using this program for years to maintain a healthy weight. Recently Slim Fast released their Optima Products. The benefit behind these new products is that they contain lower sugar content then their previous package.

Does Slim Fast Work?
Yes it does. Studies have shown that the program has caused sustained weight loss in over weight men and woman. When the study results came back they showed that people who followed the Slim Fast Meal Plan routinely to lose and manage their weight were, on average, 33 pounds thinner after a decade as compared to a matched group from the same community who chose not to participate in the study. The community based study is one of the longest studies ever to track people using a certain weight loss management approach.

Pros vs. Cons
When you have a meal replacement program people tend to question the results. It has been suggested that if the users of the program were to return to normal food all the weight they had lost would eventually return. However, this has more to do with the personal habits of the user then the actual program. When Slim Fast combined themselves with eDiets they opened new doors into their program. Through eDiets you can choose from 2 different plans Calorie-Controlled, Low Carb, or the traditional Low Fat plan so there are a number of different options.

Previous to the arrival of the Optima Program, many questioned the high sugar content of the shakes and bars. In order to address the issue Slim Fast introduced Optima foods. The advantage to Slim Fast is that its a good way to achieve healthy portion control, and thereby lose weight.

For a wide variety of the best weight loss programs, exercise programs, and some of the best FREE fitness information on the web visit http://www.flexyourhealth.com/index.html

How To Choose A Perfect Diet - Achieve Earth Shattering Results Using These Tips

So are you think about getting on a diet? Stop and stop right now. Do you know that most people out there choose diets which don't even suit their bodies? Do you know that if something works on one of your friends there is no guarantee that it's going to work on you too? You see we all have different bodies and this is the reason why results always vary from individual to individual therefore it's always recommended to choose the diet which is best for your body. Read on to discover some of the most mind blowing ways on how to choose a perfect diet and achieve the desired results within no time...

How much do you want to lose? - This is the first question you need to answer. How much weight do you want to lose and how fast? You see some people want to lose a lot of weight but they get on a light diet which does not help them lose any substantial amounts therefore it's best recommended to see how much you want to lose and choose a diet which helps you lose the appropriate amounts.

Would you have to stretch? - Another question you need to ask yourself is how much would you have to stretch with this diet and would this be comfortable for you? You see people first start off with a diet with great enthusiasm but with time find it extremely hard to keep up with it and give up before they get the desired results. This wouldn't work if you are really trying to lose weight therefore your best bet would be to choose a diet you are comfortable with.

Does it have your favorite foods- Do you know that if the diet you choose have some of your favorite foods and something which you enjoy eating you would be able to see better results with such diets? You see when you enjoy something you are completely devoted to it therefore you should always choose such a diet.

The Real weight loss secret- Can you imagine yourself losing 9 lbs every 11 days from now? Yes you heard it right "9 lbs every 11days guaranteed". This is the single most effective way which helps you lose weight. It is truly an absolute breakthrough in the weight loss industry. If you don't know this than you are missing out on the best ever secret "Guaranteed" to help you lose weight right away. So are you ready to drop some pounds within the next 11 days? Read on to discover this rare secret right now click here- Earth shattering weight loss secret guaranteed to help you lose weight within 11 days

Manipulating Fat Burning Hormones Leads to Weight Loss

Diets often fail or leave you flabby because most diet plans are designed to burn either protein or carbohydrate calories, while ignoring fat tissue. By simply consuming foods that manipulate the production of insulin, your body can double the number of fat burning calories it gets rid of, leaving you with much more lean muscle mass.

Insulin is a hormone released into the bloodstream after every meal. Its job is to transport newly eaten calories into the muscle cells, so that these calories are converted into energy. However, when too much insulin is released into the bloodstream and too many calories are transported into the muscle cells, the body begins to transport these extra calories into the fat cells. They are now stored as fat tissue. This results in flab. The more insulin that gets released after each mean, the fatter you will be. Likewise, the less insulin, the more fat you will burn and the thinner you become.

The secret is in adopting a diet that contains food which will minimize the release of insulin into the blood stream after each meal so that insulin levels stay low and do not become stored as fat tissue. If you are careful to do this, then you will find losing weight and weight maintenance much more effective.

To learn more about the connection between insulin and weight loss find more information at The Insulin and Weight Loss Connection Website For free diet tips, check out the very popular website, http://qualitybarnone.com/weight-loss

Spot Reducing In Weight Loss Is A Myth

How many fad diets do you have to waste your hard earned cash on before you realize that spot reduction in weight loss is nothing more than a myth. This myth was developed by the diet industry to take money out of your pocket and waste it on a product that will not deliver any results in your weight loss quest? Yes!! You have been lied to!!

If you are only interested in losing a quick twenty pounds off your butt then I suggest you stop reading here because there really is no way to spot reduce. If you want to lose weight in a specific area you need to melt away the body fat in the way an unlit candle melts in the hot sun. If you want to really be serious about your weight loss then read on because the following information is extremely relevant.

To understand why you can not spot reduce let us look at some basic human anatomy. Let us look at how your muscle and your fat develops around your stomach area. If you have spent the last few years wondering where you placed that six pack your abdomen used to have fear not because it is still there. It is under the fat, it is just hiding from sight. In order to see those muscles you need to eliminate the fat deposits that are masking them. The only way to show off those muscles again would be to not only exercise them but eliminate the fat that is hiding them. You could do crunches from dawn till dark and you still will not be able to "spot reduce" your abdomen. It just simply does not work that way. If you want to spot reduce you are wasting your time and more than likely your money.

If your desire is to lose weight because you are unhappy with your butt or your belly or your whatever... that is great! You just need to realize that you have to tune up the entire body package and not focus on one area. The best way to do this is by eating a better diet and performing some form of exercise that will allow you to burn more calories than you consume in the course of the day. Only after you get your diet under control and your attention is focused on exercise will you be able to start targeting a specific area. The muscles you desire to spotlight can only then can be developed for public display after you have lost the weight that hides them from sight.

If you want to lose weight that is great, I wish you the best. I hope you can do it and do it well. My sincere desire is that you save your money and skip the fad diet and the miracle pills. There is no modern miracle pill that will melt away the pounds. If your desire is to lose weight then plan on doing it the only way possible. That way is to eat right and burn more calories. If you want to spend some money on weight loss solutions then get a treadmill or a weight set or just a good pair of walking shoes and then use them.

Weight loss miracle? No, it will be more like a weight loss journey. That journey can begin right here and right now! It is all up to the choices you make and those choices soon become your past and your past is what you must live with, when it comes to weight loss that is!

http://www.IChooseThin.com

Keith Quackenbush is a graduate of St. John's University and a former U.S. Marine Corps officer. He and his wife (Sue) have been seeking knowledge on weightloss and have realized there is no magic pill to lose weight. http://www.IChooseThin.com is the destination achieved from the inadequate weight loss websites that really did not help others lose weight. Let the weightloss journey begin.

How Many Calories To Build Muscle

How many calories do you need for gaining muscle? How much protein? How many calories are you eating?

I get these questions a lot, and people really want to see my nutrition while using Jay Ferruggia's mass workouts.

So here it is...my calories, protein, nutrition plan, post-workout drinks, everything.

This was my best eating day, some days I slip and am probably closer to 4500 calories.

The bottom line is that you have to eat a lot of calories to build muscle. Most guys undereat and then complain about not being able to build muscle. They don't get stronger, they don't get bigger, but they just keep working out and spinning their wheels.

You can't be afraid of gaining 0.04% body fat. It's going to happen. However, you'll look so much better because you are going to gain pounds and pounds of muscle.

That's all possible with a good workout program, one that has you training 3-4 days per week on either a total body split or an upper-lower body split. If you train hard enough, you won't have enough energy for that 6-day per week crap.

By the way, I'm not using any muscle building supplements. No protein shakes, no Nitric Oxide products, no creatine, no pro-hormones. Creatine works, but you don't need any of that other worthless junk.

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup plain yogurt
2 oz walnuts
1/2 cup blueberries

3 eggs boiled
3 pieces wholewheat toast
1 tspn natural peanut butter
1 apple
1 tbsn fish oil

2 bananas

2 cups chocolate milk

4 slices whole wheat bread
3oz chicken breast
2 ounces chedder cheese
1 apple
1/2 tomato

1 apple
2 oz almonds

8 oz steak
1 cup asparagus
1 cup broccoli
1.5 cups pasta
1/2 cup pasta sauce

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup plain yogurt
2 oz walnuts
1/2 cup blueberries

3oz chicken
1 cup white rice
1/2 cup mixed vegetables
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 cup milk

Total: 5551
Fat: 229 grams, 2062 calories, 38% of total calories
Sat: 54 grams, 482 calories, 9% of total calories
Poly: 85g, 768 14%
Mono: 72g, 645 12%
Carbs: 667g, 2316 43%
Fiber: 88g, 0 0%
Protein: 257g, 1026 19%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

So there you go...that's how many calories, how much protein and how much food I'm eating to build muscle using the Muscle Gaining Secrets workouts.

Time to eat more calories and protein.

You have permission to publish this article in your web sites, ezines or electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety including the resource box, all hyperlinks (HTML clickable) and references and copyright info.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked fat burning, muscle building workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. His new bodyweight, muscle building, and fat loss workouts each month help you get more results in less time. Craig is using the Muscle Gaining Secrets Workouts from Jay Ferruggia to gain 25 pounds of muscle without supplements.

31 Exercises You Can Do at Home

Many people don't have time to consistently go to the gym and want to workout at home. But how many exercises can you do in your workouts at home with dumbbells? I have put together some training options you can do at home. The options include dumbbell workouts and exercises that need no external resistance. I have provided many options so that even a home workout can have variety.

(DB = dumbbell)

Leg Exercises
DB squat
DB lunge
DB step-up (onto bench)
DB split squat

Chest Exercises
DB Flat Chest Press
DB Incline Chest Press
DB Decline Chest Press
DB Flat Chest Fly
DB Incline Chest Fly
DB Decline Chest Fly
DB Pullover

Back Exercises
DB Row
DB Shrug
DB Row-Shrug Hybrid

Shoulder Exercises
DB Shoulder Press
DB -1arm Shoulder Press
DB Lateral Raise
DB Rear Delt Raise

Next is a bunch of leg exercises that will not require external resistance. They challenge you for leg strength, endurance, balance, and agility.

1-leg squat
1-leg deadlift
1-leg romanian deadlift

Push-up Options
Finally, the push-up is an upper-body exercise that is effective at building upper-body endurance and moderate levels of strength.

Pushups (kneeling for beginners)
Decline Pushups
Elevated Pushup (one hand eleveated 4-6 inches on a riser)
Spiderman Pushups (bring your knee to your elbow as you lower your body to the floor) Close-grip Pushups

Ab Exercises
In our ab training, we try to avoid spinal flexion (i.e. rounding the back in crunches). So we stick with...

Plank
Side Plank
Bird Dog
(these three are the most basic exercises to start with, and are great for people that need to improve abdominal endurance)

Then into more advanced ab exercises that still avoid spinal flexion:
Spiderman Climber
Mountain Climber

Whew, that's it, and should keep you busy with your workouts at home.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked home fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women with weight loss and fat burning in less than 45 minutes three times per week. Craig's home workout tips help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Craig's home gym bodyweight workouts for fat loss help you lose fat without any equipment at all.

Our Slowing Metabolism as We Age

Its a basic fact of life. As we get older our metabolism begins to slow down and the older we get the slower it gets. Thats just how nature works. A slowing metabolism isnt always noticeable either, its something that sneaks up on us and before we know it theres 10 or 15 extra pounds hanging off our bodies. Or maybe youve gained only 5 or 10 pounds but your clothes just seem to fit a lot tighter. As we grow older for many people the body begins to do the unthinkable, it starts getting rid of muscle and replacing it with a nice layer of fat.

There a couple of reasons that this begins to happen as we get older. For most people getting older means being less active. We also dont really change the way we eat and our caloric intake begins to overtake our caloric output. This change can be slow as the fatty layer slowly begins its insidious advance. Human growth hormone, the hormone responsible for our growth from infant to adult hood, begins to diminish. The body, no longer needing to grow, produces less and less of this as it ages. Human growth hormone is also responsible for building and maintaining lean muscle mass and as it diminishes the body has a harder time maintaining its muscle.

There is one way to slow the loss of muscle and keep that youthful vigor and body. Research has shown that exercise will keep your metabolism running efficiently and that means burning calories and excess fat. In one study a group of older men was divided into two groups. One group was put on an exercise program the other group was allowed to go about their daily lives. At the end of the study they compared both groups to two groups of younger men with similar lifestyles. The older group of couch potatoes averaged 22.2 pounds more fat than their younger counterparts. The group of older exercisers on the other hand only had about 9.5 extra pounds of fat then their more active younger counterparts.

In another study it was found that men who lifted weights can increase not only their muscle strength by over 200 percent but that their growth hormone decline significantly slowed allowing them to not only increase their lean muscle mass but also maintain it.

Maintaining or even increasing your metabolism while we age is entirely possible, but it does take a little motivation on your part. By following three simple steps, living healthy, exercising and eating right the slow wasting of muscle mass can be avoided even into our later years.

To learn more about a 3 step metabolism boosting program and for more information about metabolism please click here.

Workout Programs for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson

Fat, weak, and stiff is no way to play golf. You need to burn fat, get strong, and improve your mobility with bodyweight exercises to lower your score.

Not only does Tiger look like he gained even more muscle in the off-season, it looks like he has Mark McGwire's arms, almost. Although again, Tiger is doing this all without steroids.

There is one man to beat in the game of golf. Heck, he's even driven Phil Mickelson to start exercising and to lose weight. Even Mickelson has lost his baby fat.

I'd be very interested to see Tiger's workout program. Is there anything fancy in it? Or is it just the basics? How does he gain strength without sacrificing mobility? That is one of the biggest mistakes most "bodybuilding" type routines make...if a golfer did bodybuilding type training, it would most likely ruin his game just as easily as getting fat and out of shape.

Does Tiger use a lot of bodyweight exercises? Does he do cardio or interval training? If anyone has the inside scoop on that training program, let me know.

Now you certainly don't need to be a powerlifter, bodybuilder, or gymnast to be a good golfer...as you can see by the physiques on many other men and women on tour. However, you can't let your strength or mobility be the limiting factor in your game. So you need to train...

The best things to do are...

1) Use a variety of bodyweight exercises to work on your strength and mobility. This can be part of your warmup or can compose your entire workout. Like I said, you don't need to be a powerlifter to be a golfer.

Skip the machines and use bodyweight exercises. There are dozens you can do at home.

Then once you've mastered those, move on to spiderman pushups, spiderman climbs, mountain climbers, one-leg romanian deadlifts, stability ball leg curls, hanging leg raises, pullups, chinups, and decline pushups.

I use over 12 different kinds of pushups in my programs. Plus, at least 6 different types of squats. Bodyweight strength training will lower your handicap.

Plus, it will increase your stamina and focus late in the game - combined with good nutrition of course.

2) Work with a good golf coach to identify your weaknesses. You can be too stiff in the game of golf. So have your coach check you out? Is your work posture ruining your shoulder mobility? Etc.

3) Eat right for fat loss and mental energy. You won't get tired on the course. Most golfers ignore the importance of nutrition. Tiger eats regular meals, even while golfing, to keep his brain sharp. And he ain't eating junk, unlike many of the older players on the scene. Plus, good nutrition allows him to recover between rounds and between workouts.

If you follow these three steps, you'll have a better body, you'll burn fat, and you'll golf like a champ. Get stronger in the comfort of your own home with body weight exercises.

Find out why interval training and turbulence training is better than slow cardio. Learn more from Craig Ballantyne.

Which Weight Loss Programs Are Right For You?

No, Weight Loss Programs in the title is not a typo. It really is plural and was done intentionally. I did it for a reason. Well, 3 reasons really and I want to share them with you today.

The first reason being that you want to break the mindset that there is one and only one right way for you to eat. Don't think of yourself in terms of "Oh, I'm a Lo-Carber" or "Oh, I can't eat anything that has a J or T in the name." Eventually you will find a program to maintain your ideal weight but there will still be times when your goals change. There will be times where you want quick weight loss and one of the many weight loss programs will work better for those times.

A low carb diet can be great for dropping a few pounds and getting back into that little black dress for the big party. That same program may not suit you for maintaining your weight. Remember, you can't lose weight forever and if you are always eating like you are trying for weight loss you are not developing the right mindset for getting to your goal weight and maintaining it.

Once you find a few different programs that work for you, change them up as you want. Some weight loss programs are better than others depending on the situation. Go low carb for a month or two. Then enjoy a higher carb diet to get the most out of the holidays. There are no restrictions on what you can do with this and it can make life easier knowing that.

The second reason is that you will end up cutting out of your diet a whole bunch of healthy foods... forever. Many of those restricted foods have great health benefits when eaten as part of an overall sensible eating plan. Even donuts in moderation are good for the soul. I said in moderation, stop trying to rationalize that 1/2 dozen chocolate glazed donuts. There are not enough anti-oxidants in chocolate to justify it.

The third reason is that variety is the spice of life. Why reduce the pleasure in your life with unnecessary restrictions. When going out to eat or to a party you can't always control what is available. And once you start on the path of diet envy from watching other people enjoying themselves and you can't have one little taste it is hard to stay on track. Unless you have a medical or religious reason don't deprive yourself.

In addition to keeping things interesting you avoid some diet pitfalls. Do remember that your thought follow your actions. If you think one way and then do another you create emotional conflict. For example if you think of yourself as an "Anti-J/T Food" dieter and then have a Tuna steak for dinner followed up with some soothing Tea you may start mentally whipping yourself and that can derail your future efforts. You get enough grief from your parents don't start creating more problems for yourself.

Find a few different weight loss programs that work for you and use them when you like. Some are more adaptable to a maintenance diet than others and some can help you shed fat like magic. Ultimately, don't complicate your life through unnecessary restriction. Life is too short and you need the little pleasures along the way.

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