THE NO FAIL FAT LOSS SUPPLEMENT REGIME

This is pretty much the end all be all FAT DESTRUCTION supplement regime.
Truth is just about every nutrition company does not want you to know how easy and cheap it is because they can make a killing selling stuff that does not work. They photoshop Kim Kardashians fat ass so much that it almost looks like she lost weight on their B.S. product

Proven no fail method that every athlete/bodybuilder has used for decades
Ingredients:
Ephedrine  25 mg
Caffiene 200 mg
Yohimbe 5 mg (optional)

This should immediately slow your desire to eat

That's it plain and simple right!?!?!
Whats that you said?, I already hear the US portion of my audience telling me that the FDA took ephedrine off the shelves because a bunch of dumb teenagers took way too much and dropped dead on the football field.  Every other country in the world you can just buy it in pill form, good old FDA protecting us from ourselves.
Well you are right, but actually they still sell it at every single pharmacy in the entire country.
OH LOOK HERE IT IS and conveniently in the right dosage of ephedrine

So you can walk into your local CVS and pick the bronkaid off the shelf, but you will have to ask the pharmacist because he keeps it behind the counter.  They keep it there not because its dangerous to be used in this manner but because you can also make methamphetamine with it,  I'm not giving out the ingredients to make that.  As long as you don't look like a strung out crackhead they are going to sell it to you, tip, its for asthma, tell them you have asthma.

Caffeine is readily available in pill form in any pharmacy 7 eleven local convenience shop, walmart etc. etc.

Yohimbe is optional and many people run the stack without it, this can be bought at the pharmacy vitamin section of GNC Vitamin Shoppe or any store like that.

Price of all ingredients varies but should be extremely cheap in the $10 range

How do I take it?

Preferably 30 min before a scheduled meal and or workout at the above prescribed dosages.  So to make this clear, you will start

 Day 1 take 1 time

Ephedrine 25mg

Caffeine 200mg

Yohimbe 5 mg

Day 2 if no ill affects were felt start taking it twice daily and continue until day 7

Week 2
Up the dosage to 3x a day if you feel you can handle it.
Some people will choose to take it up to 4x daily if they have a high tolerance for stimulants

PRECAUTIONS:
DO NOT EVER EXCEED 100MG of Ephedrine in 24
DO NOT surpass 0.2mg/kg of body weight of Yohimbe (20mg per 220lb person)
Watch for any side effects heart palpitations, increased body temperature, increased blood pressure etc.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER CAFFEINE IS A DIURETIC YOU WILL PISS LIKE A RACE HORSE DRINK WATER DRINK WATER DRINK WATER

I don't suggest going longer then 6-8 weeks before taking a break as your body will adjust to the stimulants and they will become less effective.  You will probably have already reached your goal at this point if you are eating right and exercising.  THIS IS AS CLOSE TO NO FAIL AS IT GETS before you know it you will be ripped and ready for the beach

Disclaimer-- Follow directions start slow and assess your tolerance do not over do it easy does it

Girl Power! Strong and Lean

My best listening client, energy for days and works brutally hard but needs to wash the dishes more often!

Im sure a lot of you already know Zuzanna and are familiar with her bodyrock, whatever you may think you got to give the girl credit.  Firstly she works her butt off and secondly shes actually coming up with some really good unique ways for women to train hard at home.  Her diet is on point and her motivation is always there.  I suggest checking out her videos for some good little twists on exercises for home training and watch how hard she is willing to train.  Shes not afraid to put on a little muscle and show some definition.

Lift weights do your cardio train hard eat right, look good!

Creatine, the simple truth

I heard creatine is a steroid?!?!?!! It will make you bloated!?!?  I heard your kidneys fall out!!!

LOL

No creatine bloat here

It amazes me how much confusion there is about creatine. Extremely intelligent people will ask me if its a steroid. It surprises most people to know that they are already taking it and that their bodies produce it naturally in the liver. Yes, every time you eat a meat product you are eating creatine and your body needs it to survive.


The creatine phosphate system:


Within our muscle there is a compound known as ATP, (adenosine tri-phosphate). ATP is responsible for providing the body with quick bursts of energy, such as those needed to perform well in power-focused workout sessions. ATP is an important compound in relation to providing energy to the body. When ATP is used as energy, it is released and broken down into two separate chemicals: ADP (adenosine di-phosphate) and inorganic phosphate. Unfortunately, once we burn through our supply of ATP, our bodies will not continue to produce it in short periods of time. In addition to not having an infinite supply of ATP, ADP as a product of ATP breakdown is useless as an energy source.


This is where creatine comes in. Stored in muscle tissue, creatine is able to bond with phosphorous, creating Creatine Phosphate. Creatine Phosphate is then able to combine with ADP to produce, you guessed it, additional ATP! Thus, by helping to create more ATP, Creatine Phosphate aids in allowing the body to function at maximum exertion for longer periods of time. Clearly this is the goal of anyone looking to gain strength or power.

The more creatine we have available for our muscles the better we can transform ADP to ATP! Unfortunately our bodies cannot maintain this process for very long and after about 8-10 seconds the system is depleted and switches energy production systems.


My recommendations is not to go through the loading phase that many companies promote as there is not sufficient evidence to support it will saturate your system any faster. A good creatine product should be pure 100% creatine monohydrate and nothing more. This should cost you about $25 for a 5 month supply! If you are buying any fancy concoctions (Acetyl creatine Kre Alklyn etc etc.) there is no solid evidence of better results. Creatine mixes such as cell tech are mostly creatine mixed with sugar and sometimes a few amino acids. There is some evidence to support that the sugar spiking your insulin helps promote better absorption but I suggest taking it with a big glass of grape juice. It will save you hundreds of dollars and eliminate most of the bloat people think is associated with creatine but is usually from the excess sugar.


Creatine does require that you drink more water and will in fact swell your muscles but the water you are absorbing is not subcutaneous (under the skin). The top bodybuilders in the world take creatine up to the day of the show, when their main goal is to have as little water and fat under their skin as possible. This helps their muscles stay full while their skin is paper thin. If your bloated, you are either taking way too much or more likely its from something else your consuming.


I am currently 202lbs at 8% bodyfat and take about 5grams a day with zero subcutaneous water retention and zero stomach discomfort. I suggest starting with 3 grams and working your way up to 5 grams. There does not seem to be much benefit to taking anymore then that but I know people that take as much as 10 grams a day without any complications. I believe you will reach a point where your muscles are saturated and the only thing you will be doing is pissing creatine and working your kidneys a bit more.


Creatine is one of the very few sports supplements that are guaranteed to work!


The four main staples of every persons supplementation should be:


Protein Shakes


Fish Oil


Multi Vitamin (high quality not some BS brand)


Creatine

USAIN BOLT PLYOMETRIC KING

Usain Bolt is the plyometric king. Plyometric we hear this word being thrown around a lot now, but what is it?
A lot of trainers are using the word around for just about anything they are doing that includes jumping around or moving fast.  Plyometric movements are some of these things but thats not really what its about:
Plyometric is reactive strength.  This means that a plyometric movement is one that entails a stretch shorten reaction in the tendon muscle complex that releases stored energy.
Lets simplify the idea:
Sit down on a chair and jump as high as you can, chances are you didnt get that high
Now stand up and drop down fast and explode back up.  I bet you got a lot higher.  Congratulations you just learned what your body has instinctively known its entire life.

Meet the king of Plyometrics

Notice the length of the achilles tendon, this is used as a powerful spring to store energy and explode off with  very little energy expenditure.

A genetic gift from the gods Usain Bolt

Notice the short but very developed gastrocnemius muscle of his calf complimented by an elongated achilles tendon.  Also note the elongated tendon length between his knee caps and his quadriceps particularly his vastus lateralis.  The man was built to run like the wind.

So why are plyometrics important?
Power = Force x Velocity
Increase force and velocity and you have and you increase power but the velocity is the lesser variable.  Watch an elite level sprint competition like the 100m dash and you will realize for the most part their legs are all moving at almost the same velocity. The force portion of the equation is what drives the difference in power.

Reactive training Depth Jumps

This is true plyometrics he steps off the box gets the stretch energy absorption from the reflex and explodes into the box jump.  The goal here should be to increase the height of the box jump while reducing the amount of time the athlete spends in contact with the ground (amortization), less time equals greater power.

Before we go any further we should understand the concept of Limit Strength.  This is the maximum amount of force that you can VOLUNTARILY exert.  Reactive strength is not voluntary its reactive, you do it without much or any thought. This concept is easily viewed in form by powerlifting, in powerlifting everything is done from a pause or a very slow and controlled motion so that there are no reactive forces.  In essence powerlifters are actually putting out much less power then many other athletes but are exerting more maximum force.  Maybe they should consider renaming the sport, but I dont think maximum force lifting has the same ring to it.  So  this is why when you do a touch and go or "bounce" bench press instead of a pause its much easier.  You are adding a plyometric stretch energy storage component to the lift by coming down fast and allowing your tendons and muscles to absorb the energy and expend it back out on the way up.
Force = Mass x Acceleration
So here it comes the real portion of the equation that makes all the difference in the world FORCE.
We know that we can learn to train our muscles to move more mass and that will in fact effect the equation for force but we are missing a major component.  Acceleration!  Explosive high velocity training is how you need to train your nervous system to contract muscle fibers at their maximum potential at a quicker pace.  Muscles are controlled by motor units, the more motor units you fire the more contraction you get the quicker the explosion.

So here is the real kicker if your an athlete and you train like a bodybuilder you messed up!  You messed up big time!  Bodybuilding and strength training for sports are not the same thing, not even close!  Heres the problem bodybuilders powerlifters etc train under heavy loads and they train slow controlled and it will get you stronger bigger muscles but it teaches your nervous system to be slow, you dont want to be slow.

The most important concept to understand is that acceleration is from point A to point B it does not mean to do your set fast! The acceleration of a bench press is from the the point you touch your chest until you lock out your elbows at the top.  It has absolutely nothing to do with how long it takes you to complete 8 repetitions.

This is some pretty crazy training footage of plyos

Train fast train heavy be fast be strong!

Muscle Confusion I am so confused!?!?!

I always see that P90x commercial where they get the guys to come on and start talking about muscle confusion and how they are tricking their muscles into growing.  It cracks me up as I watch these guys preach on and on about how confused they are making their muscles by doing all these different crazy exercises.    I seriously sit there and imagine Jackie Chan making the confused face.  I picture it as if your muscles actually had a little brain inside each one and were trying to figure what you are making them do.
Muscle confusion is far from a new concept but what they are presenting in the commercials is a perversion of sorts of the concept.  Their program will get you in decent shape if you strictly follow it every day including the diet and that's great, but you will certainly hit a ceiling as it can only take you so far.  At least its better then Zumba!
The truth is if you want to get better at something practice practice practice.  If you really want to confuse your muscles slap another 10lb plate on your next set of bench press and watch how confused they get.  When you confuse your muscles by switching exercises  what you are really doing is making your central nervous system adapt to a new motor pattern.  Its similar to watching a young child try to walk for the first time, their legs wobble and and their body twists and turns as you can almost see their mind trying to connect to the muscle for the first time.
Your muscles are composed of distinct types of muscle fiber that are used for very specific purposes.  We are all genetically programmed with different percentages of different types of muscle fibers.  Some people have a higher percentage of slow twitch and they may excel at distance running while others a higher concentration of fast twitch and they can run very fast for short distances.

I think this picture is incredibly bias and I also believe marathon runners are tremendous athletes but it shows the drastic difference between fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers.  Although we would all like to have the best of both worlds we cant have both. Do not think that muscle confusion means running a marathon one day and then trying to be a sprinter the next.  Changing your routine to keep things fresh is always welcomed but the basic principles for what you are trying to achieve must remain the same.  If you are trying to get bigger and stronger keep training the fast twitch fibers, if you want increase your endurance train the slow twitch but one is not a substitute for the other.  If you want a bigger bench press dont stop bench pressing because you think you are confusing the muscle by doing something else.
For the most part muscle confusion has just become the catch phrase of the moment, a good marketing tool.
A good exercise program should be structured progressive and periodized, that in itself should create enough muscle confusion.  In a future post I will get a little more into a well structured program.

TO SUCCEED I MUST FAIL

  Its a difficult and humbling experience to learn that my greatest accomplishments in life will come when I FAIL.  Most people are afraid to fail, in fact I am terrified of failure.  I do not fear failure, I am so afraid of it that it keeps me awake at night and haunts my dreams.  The fear of failure has impeded me countless times on my journey through life.  And yet I learned the lesson of failure through training since I was a young child, in order to succeed you must fail!  This post is not just about fitness, it is about life and how what we do in the gym or on the field can translate and inspire us in our daily life.
  Many of you may not know who Kai Greene is or may see him as a common juice monkey meat head.  Kai was an orphan and lived on the streets before he came to the Bronx to live in a piss infested rat hole housing project where he has sacrificed everything to follow his dream.  Listen to the first minute or so of this video and hear his passion and determination as I feel he is one of the most inspirational men around.  When faced with failure he pushes on and gets closer and closer to his goals.  Those failures do not deter Kai they motivate him, they push him harder and he becomes better.

  If you are not failing you are not trying hard enough.  I have seen so many people come into the gym and do a couple sets where they just pump out a couple reps never in any real jeopardy of not getting the weight up or coming even remotely close to their bodies limitations.  Those same people come into the gym week after week, year after year and they never change, in fact usually they look worse despite their hundreds and hundreds of hours in the gym.This happens everyday outside the gym in the real world where people just do enough to coast along in their jobs and year after year they show up doing the same thing getting no where.  Sometimes they can do this for an entire lifetime and sometimes they walk in to work one day to find a pink slip because no one can figure what it is they do anymore.

  I have a client I train who is extremely successful in life, achieves things in his professional career as if there is nothing that can impede his success.  Every time we meet I setup him up for failure, I set a weight that I know he can not do.  Each and every time we do it he apologizes to me and says "sorry its just too much",  I   smile and tell him "IN HERE WHEN YOU FAIL WE SUCCEED".  I want you to fail! Not only is it important for your body to adapt so that it can change and grow, it is important for your mind to know that soon you will accomplish what used to seem impossible.

  I still fear failing more then anything else in life, yet I fail every single day in the gym and I consider it a success.  My failure at the gym never gets me down or makes me depressed, it motivates me, makes me stronger and more focused.  It lets me know that next time I will succeed, I will do what I could not do before.  These are the lessons that we must apply to life, this is what pushing our bodies to the limit can teach us.  

DO NOT FEAR FAILURE

Lastly I leave you with a workout by one my favorite guys Dwayne Johnson.  This should inspire you!

This is how Women need to train!

"I just want to tone up a little."
"Well I don't want to look like you!"
"But if I lift weights I'm going to get big and bulky!"

If I hear this from one more girl who comes looking for advice to change her body Im going to slam my head into the wall like that idiot from the Jersey Shore.

Ok don't watch that video for the full ten minutes or you may end up stupider then they are.

Lets get to the real meat and potatoes here

The above video is how every girl in the world needs to learn how to train.  Take a look at her and let me know if you think she's too bulky or afraid that shes gonna get too big.  That girl comes to the gym with the pure intention of lifting weight, training hard, and sweating her ass off.  I'm pretty sure she lifts more weight then just about every girl reading this and probably half the guys (I'm not gonna mention any names).  Here's the really crazy apart about this whole lifting thing.  One of the most important things in building muscle is testosterone and guess what ladies, you don't have enough of it to ever build bodybuilder size muscles.  Hell I've been training 16 years balls to the wall every single week and I still have a hard time putting on muscle.  Unless you have more testosterone then I do there is no need to worry.  Every single woman you have ever seen that is really big and bulky and seems to have a lot too much muscle is on male drugs.  Yes they are actually crazy enough to inject themselves with male hormones, you'd be absolutely shocked if you knew how many girls do this.  So if you see the manly girl with the weird face, messed up skin and huge muscles working out with the big weights at your gym, shes on male hormones I don't care what she lies to you about.

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the classic gym "cardio bunny", who comes to the gym in more makeup then Kim Kardashian and her ultra sleek cool $150 gym attire.  She hops on the treadmill and walks at a moderate pace just enough so that she wont sweat and ruin her perfect makeup that took an hour to apply.  Sorry but strong is the new sexy and you can keep your cardio bunny prima donna that's not what we are here for.  Those girls would crumble like a sack of crap under the squat rack and god forbid they break a nail.  The good news is even the prissy cardio bunnies can change if they really want to.

It is essential for women to start training hard, lifting weights and becoming truly fit.  The above video highlights some of the best movements a woman can do for lower body:
 Squat, Deadlift ( all variations), Lunge, Bulgarian Squats, Hip thrusters... these will all seriously develop the areas that women worry about most while also engaging their core stabilizers.

Stop being afraid of lifting weights, the benefits of doing so are almost endless.  Don't be afraid to workout your upper body with weights.  You may eventually put on some muscle and that's great! It will ignite your metabolism burn more calories and allow you to eat more while still remaining lean and fitting into that dress you love.

So get to it and start lifting weights!  Do not be intimidated by the iron, it is your friend and it will help you achieve the look you want.

Id also like to say the guy Bret Contreras whose videos I borrowed does some great work with his clients and backs his stuff up with credible science

You're doing abs all wrong!

My best guess is that 99.99% of people reading this will not be able to perform the exercise in the video posted below.

For the majority of people showing up to the gym on a semi regular basis they are only doing abdominal work to "tighten up" in order to avoid embarassment at the beach this summer.  Lets suspend reality for a little while and pretend that in fact all you need to do is abdominal work to trim your waist.  Nevermind the fact that without a proper diet all the abdominal work in the world will not lead to that coveted six pack

I will also mention that I do not have a total disgust for crunches and situps, they have their place but if they are the focus of your abdominal training youre doing it all wrong.  Lets look at some "functional" positions that the crunch mimics:

  Curling into the fetal position on the floor protecting yourself from a savage beating by an oppponent

  Hurling violently into the toilet bowl after a few too many shots of tequila

  Gasping for air after taking a brutal body shot from the school yard bully

  (I borrowed these examples from a few friends, Im not really that clever)

If youre training for any of the above reasons, then by all means continue using the crunch as a staple in your routines.  The rest of us can move on and look at what the abdominals are really there for and some of the proper ways to train them.

Although many people might think they are there to look pretty and admire, their real function is to support the upper torso, aid in twisting and turning and stabilize our bodies.  No matter if you are running long distances, lifting heavy loads, or throwing a hook punch they are still intimately involved.    All of these actions are taking place while you are standing so why would you take your abdominal training to the floor laying down?  Simple, you really dont need to, with the exception of vanity sake.

Some of the most effective ways to strengthen the abdominals come through anterior loading of the spine, such as the front squat.  Nevermind that the man below is one of the strongest men in the world and has a tremendous gut, believe me his abs are more developed then yours.

Again despite the many benefits of the front squat most of you with the exception of the true athletes will never do them.  Many athletes help to develop their core stability by simply standing erect with a heavy load racked in a front squat position.  As soon as you lift the weight off the rack you will understand how your abdominals engage.

Cable twists done moderately heavy are another great way to work the midsection.  They can be done as shown in the video above as well as with the hips in a fixed forward position isolating the upper from lower body.

Side bends with heavy dumbells or what some people call rainbow bends with the barbell are very effective.

Lastly I will end with a modified version of the exercise we started with, the ab wheel roll out.  For beginners sake it should be performed from the knees and only extended so far as you can bring your body back up to the starting position.

There are literally dozens of other good exercises to do that do not involve you lying on your back.  I think these will give you a good start at training your midsection properly.  Strong abdominals will go a long way to helping you perform both on the athletic field and in your daily lives.