Jim Karger's Plus 50 Fitness

My 60th birthday . . . a personal best

2011-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

You can't avoid getting older.

You can avoid losing strength. Indeed, today, on my 60th birthday, I set a personal record on flat bench dumbbell presses. Check it out . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB9tDxduSsE

Train hard. Diet harder!

Best,

Jim

If America wants do deal with the health care crisis, Americans will lose weight

2011-11-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds obesity has increased significantly over the past 20 years. Gallup's data reveal that Americans' self-reports of their own weight have also increased over the same period. Americans' average ideal weight has increased as well, showing men and women are adapting their ideal to their now higher actual weights. At the same time, the percentage of Americans who describe themselves as overweight has remained essentially unchanged over the past 20 years. While Americans are getting heavier, many may not recognize it or acknowledge it."

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150947/Self-Reported-Weight-Nearly-Pounds-1990.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=All%20Gallup%20Headlines

What's the Best Alcohol to Drink when on a Diet?

2011-11-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

You are not going to like this answer and neither did I.

When I am on a maintenance program, I can get away with a drink or two now and then. "Get away with" is the operative term, because the bottom line is simple and straightforward: alcohol is not healthy; alcohol causes fat retention; and alcohol impedes fat burning.

From the article below which I highly recommend to drinkers who diet, here are the facts:

"Instead of providing you such "permission" it is useful instead if you consider:
On fat loss programs, drinking alcohol is not recommended at all because alcohol suppresses fat oxidation and adds unnecessary calories to your diet, which either displaces nutritious calories or erases your caloric deficit.

For lifelong maintenance, it is recommended that if you choose to drink, that's fine, but only if you do so in moderation (1-2 drinks a day is considered moderation according to most health authorities).

Daily drinking is not recommended as part of a fitness lifestyle, because daily drinking can become habit forming. It is preferable if you can limit drinking to weekends, holidays and/or special occasions.

Try and ALWAYS be cognizant of the calories that are added to your diet through alcohol and above all else know how many calories are in your drinks."

Contrary to popular belief, it is not so much that the added alcohol calories are stored as fat, but rather, that alcohol reduces fat burning. Some evidence for this comes from research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%!

All that said, I do "treat" myself on special occasions with a cocktail or two. Rarely, I will get together with friends or family for an outing and really pour it on. Even then, I select as low calorie alcohols as are available and never mix them with sugar, e.g., regular margaritas are out of the question. I also do it knowing that regardless how "good" I am, alcohol is bad if you want to stay lean. I am not anti-alcohol. I am simply saying there is a price to pay for drinking it and sometimes, rarely, I am willing to pay it. However, I never drink alcohol when I am trying to drop into a very lean state.

For more information, you will find an excellent article on drinking and dieting here: http://www.hornetjuice.com/best-alcohol-drink-diet.html

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

When it comes to protein, don't shy away from these vegetables . . .

2011-11-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

When leaning up, there is nothing that works better than bumping up your protein at the expense of your carbohydrate intake. Many people believe that means upping their meat intake, and in the case of some meats, it means overindulging on saturated fat -- the worst of the worst for your health. In fact, you can eat less meat and more of certain vegetables and nuts and end up leaner and healthier.

Take a look at his article from Shine entitled, "8 veggies, nuts, and grains with more protein than a burger."

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/8-veggies-nuts-and-grains-with-more-protein-than-a-burger-2596005#photoViewer=1

Train hard; diet harder.

Should You Watch Action Movies Before Going to the Gym?

2011-10-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Showing athletes videos that were erotic, aggressive or related to training significantly improved strength in a subsequent workout:

Previous studies have shown that visual images can produce rapid changes in testosterone concentrations. We explored the acute effects of video clips on salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations and subsequent voluntary squat performance in highly trained male athletes (n = 12). Saliva samples were collected on 6 occasions immediately before and 15 minutes after watching a brief video clip (approximately 4 minutes in duration) on a computer screen. The watching of a sad, erotic, aggressive, training motivational, humorous or a neutral control clip was randomised. Subjects then performed a squat workout aimed at producing a 3 repetition maximum (3RM) lift. Significant (P < 0.001) relative (%) increases in testosterone concentrations were noted with watching the erotic, humorous, aggressive and training videos (versus control and sad), with testosterone decreasing significantly (versus control) after the sad clip. The aggressive video also produced an elevated cortisol response (% change) and more so than the control and humorous videos (P < 0.001). A significant (P < 0.003) improvement in 3RM performance was noted after the erotic, aggressive and training clips (versus control). A strong within-individual correlation (mean r = 0.85) was also noted between the relative changes in testosterone and the 3RM squats across all video sessions (P < 0.001). In conclusion, different video clips were associated with different changes in salivary free hormone concentrations and the relative changes in testosterone closely mapped 3RM squat performance in a group of highly trained males. Thus, speculatively, using short video presentations in the pre-workout environment offers an opportunity for understanding the outcomes of hormonal change, athlete behaviour and subsequent voluntary performance.

Source: "Changes in salivary testosterone concentrations and subsequent voluntary squat performance following the presentation of short video clips" from Hormones and Behavior

Courtesy of http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-you-watch-porn-and-action-movies-befor?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bakadesuyo+%28Barking+up+the+wrong+tree%29

The 5 Most Important Supplements

2011-10-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

I usually take a fistful of nutritional supplements every day. In fact, most people are speechless when they see my daily regimen.

I also travel with them — putting each day’s allotment into plastic bags and stuffing them in my suitcase.

But I recently left the States for a four-week medical mission in Tibet and my gear was limited to 50 pounds. So there won’t be room for my usual supplement supply.

So I’ve had to decide…

“If I could only take five supplements, what would they be?”

I only had room for five supplements per day, so they had to be the really important ones.

So here they are. By the way… these are also the ones I recommend you begin with if you’re just starting out — or the ones you can cut back to if you need to save money. Anyway, here goes…

1. A high-quality multi-vitamin

Topping the list is an excellent quality multi-vitamin. This is essential because a multi “fills in the blanks” of your diet (no matter how good it is), so you’re not running dangerously low on the essential nutrients your body needs for optimal functioning.

Be sure to avoid the TV-advertised one-a-days you find in your local drugstore. These are nearly worthless because their ingredients are based on the “bare minimum” official Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), now upgraded to the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI).

The RDA evolved from the old Minimum Daily Requirement (MDR) set by the government. This means the nutrients in most of the popular multis contain the minimum doses necessary to prevent nutritional -deficiency diseases, such as scurvy (vitamin C), beriberi (vitamin B1), and others. This certainly is not how to guarantee optimal health.

These mainstream multis are notoriously feeble. For example, Consumer Reports recently concluded that Centrum is the worst vitamin for seniors in its class. (There goes that advertising revenue!)

Consumer Reports also found that The Vitamin Shoppe’s One Daily failed to dissolve in a simulated stomach environment, while containing less vitamin A than its label claims.

You can avoid this pitfall by sticking to high-quality, bioavailable multivitamins that are reasonably priced and lab-tested. One of my favorites is Ultimate Daily Support from Real Advantage, formulated by Dr. William Campbell Douglass. It’s a terrific multi that contains a broad list of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and enzymes that easily are absorbed and quickly bioavailable. This is the multinourishing my body in Tibet.

Another top-notch product is Forward Multi-Nutrient , formulated by Dr. Julian Whitaker, a friend and associate I’ve known for almost 20 years. Julian is a pioneer in the orthomolecular field and alternative medicine and has done so much to legitimize natural healing. He’s also a living legend who was mentored by Dr. Linus Pauling.

2. A quality omega-3 supplement

Fish oil is today’s bestselling supplement — and with good reason. The EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in omega-3 fish oil have profoundly positive effects on human health.

DHA slows your liver’s production of undesirable triglycerides, making it extremely protective against heart disease and diabetes.

In addition, fish oil is incredibly effective at reducing inflammation. It accomplishes this by triggering the release of prostaglandins (natural substances that regulate immunity, inflammation, blood clotting, brain function, plus a host of other essential functions).

There’s not enough room here to list all the healing effects of omega-3. The highlights include: Healing blood vessel walls … keeping the blood thin (thus minimizing clotting) flowing smoothly … lowering blood pressure … stabilizing blood sugar … and brightening your mood.

The American Heart Association recommends a daily dose of 500-1,000 mg of DHA and EPA from fish oil to reduce heart disease — but I think this is a paltry dose. I prefer to take 6,000 to 9,000 iu daily in three equal doses — and find this really helps my arthritis.

There’s just one problem. The huge demand for fish oil is wreaking havoc on marine life. Overfishing is depleting fish stocks and the oceans are on the brink of crisis.

Even oils extracted from krill (tiny, omega-3-rich crustaceans) are troublesome. That’s because krill are at the bottom of the ocean’s food chain — and larger fish depend upon them for life. Harvesting krill deprives all fish of their main food supply.

This is why I prefer to get my omega-3 from marine phytoplankton (also known as “micro algae”) these days.

Phytoplankton is the plant-based omega-3 food source that supplies krill and other fish with EPA and DHA. Raised in large, land-based tanks, phytoplankton is free of mercury contaminants, heavy metals, and ocean pollution. Its good stuff — and you’re not depriving fish of their food supply.

3. Co-enzyme Q-10

CoQ-10 (also known as ubiquinol) is a nutrient produced by the “energy factories” in your cells called mitochondria. Taking a CoQ-10 supplement boosts the way your cells produce and use energy. It also helps your body burn fat … improves cholesterol ratios … boosts your physical energy levels … and improves thyroid and pancreas functions.

By the way, statins — the widely — (or is it “wildly”?) prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs — actually deplete your body’s natural CoQ-10. Statins block production of cholesterol in the liver, where CoQ-10 is also manufactured. Without sufficient CoQ-10, statins can cause liver damage … irregular heartbeat … muscle weakness … leg cramps … heart attack and stroke (the two potentially fatal conditions that statins are supposed to prevent).

Other medications also can limit your body’s production of CoQ-10, including: Diabetes drugs … antidepressants … female hormone replacement therapy … and blood pressure meds. If you take any of these, you definitely need to supplement with CoQ-10.

When shopping, labels may read “CoQ-10” or “Coenzyme Q-10”, but the more active form will be labeled “QH” or “ubiquinol.” This is a stronger form of CoQ-10, though purchasing that version isn’t essential, especially if price is an issue. Take 100 mg two or three times twice per day, because your body can’t metabolize higher doses.

4. Magnesium citrate

You’ve been hearing about calcium and bone health forever — but did you know that magnesium and calcium are like conjoined twins? Calcium can’t even be absorbed unless magnesium is present. Without it, calcium is much less effective in maintaining your bones and regulating your nerve and muscle tone.

In fact, new research shows that Americans need far more magnesium than the current RDI — and that you should really be consuming twice as much magnesium as calcium for optimal health.

Magnesium may be the most important mineral you can take because it’s a key player in 300 essential bodily functions, and is used by all of your organs. It activates enzymes … powers your energy … and helps your body absorb vitamin D, potassium, and zinc.

The majority of Americans are magnesium-deficient due to the low-quality, processed foods in the typical American diet. Produce grown in mineral-depleted soil won’t provide much magnesium, either.

If you have blood sugar issues, you should know that magnesium helps regulate blood sugar and insulin activity. In addition, magnesium’s ability to relax muscles and nerves makes it one of your best allies in the battle against anxiety … hypertension … restless leg syndrome … sleep disorders … and abnormal heart rhythm.

Consuming magnesium supplements can be challenging, as they tend to be large and difficult to digest. That’s why I like Natural Calm , a fruit-flavored magnesium powder that mixes easily in water. I take it in the evening because of its relaxing effect. Start with a low dose, because it can loosen your stools (not necessarily a bad thing if constipation is a problem). Another alternative is a topically-applied magnesium chloride liquid spray that’s absorbed through the skin, which won’t affect your bowels.

5. Sunshine vitamin D

This is rapidly becoming the miracle vitamin of our time. Every week, it seems, there’s a new finding about D’s marvelous benefits. Most Americans are badly deficient in vitamin D because doctors consider the sun our enemy — and your skin converts solar rays into this essential vitamin.

Numerous studies show that this amazing vitamin is protective against all cancers (even skin cancer and melanoma!) … strengthens bones … prevents and even heals diabetes … protects against heart disease … lowers blood pressure … reverses depression … and elevates mood.

Whenever you can, spend 10-20 minutes sunbathing — without sunscreen. (Your body transforms sunshine into all the vitamin D it needs.) If your access to sunlight is limited by season or geographic location, take 2,000-5,000 iu of a good quality vitamin D supplement daily. (The elderly and African-Americans need higher doses.) Official recommendations call for a scant 600 iu, which is far too low. Just make sure you purchase vitamin D3 (not D2) because the D3 form is 87% more potent than vitamin D2.

No more “supplement overwhelm”

Taking these five supplements should cover all the important bases and provide your body with optimal nutrition (provided you’re eating a healthy diet).

Now I’d like to hear from you. Do you have a favorite supplement that I’ve missed? Do you have a story about how a particular supplement or herbal remedy turned your health around?

Please share whatever’s on your mind about nutritional supplements here so we can all benefit from your experience.

Courtesy: shine by Yahoo
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-5-most-important-supplements-2572457

11 Breakfasts That Come Wrapped In Your Death Certificate

2011-09-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for an opportunity to cash in early on your life insurance, look no further.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/11-scary-fast-food-breakfasts.html?page=7

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Lose 57 pounds a year at your desk?

2011-08-31T08:29:00.000-07:00

Absolutely.

Just get your boss to buy you one of these for your desk and use it!

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efkk45ehfi/the-treadmill-desk-trekdesk

The gym and the office become one . . . Most cool!

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Every hour of TV = 22 minutes less life

2011-08-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

That's right -- watching TV for an hour a day subtracts 22 minutes from your life -- about the same as smoking cigarettes. Take a look at the summary of the study here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44156412/ns/health/#.Tkv7XKN5mSM

Worth it? Probably not.

Good news? 15 minutes of exercise everyday will add 3 years to your life.

So, if you want to live a long, healthy life, take 15 minutes of TV time out of your schedule and use them in some kind of fitness activity.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Get Off Your Ass - Really!

2011-08-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Literally.

Sorry it has been longer than I like since I last posted, but my work and travel and workouts have to come first.

I am fortunate in that I don't sit all day, although I could and probably some who try and reach me unsuccessfully by phone say I should.

But, sitting is bad, very bad.

I picked this up from Nerd Fitness recently and thought I would share it in a couple of installments . . .

"Sitting is one of those conveniences that can cause all sorts of damage to our body when done to excess – a.k.a. the typical sedentary American lifestyle. I read a great article over on Mark’s Daily Apple that compared sitting to today’s modern shoes and sneakers. Sure, your new Nikes might seem comfortable, but they actually weaken all of the muscles and joints in your feet and ankles by doing all of the stabilization work for you – your muscles grow weak, complacent, and bored because they have nothing to do. This is a recipe for injury and disaster.

"Your core/hips/groin/legs are no different when it comes to sitting!

"When you sit down, your hip flexors (the muscles that work the movements between your pelvis and thigh bones – that crease between your thigh and groin) get tightened and shortened. Meanwhile, your hamstrings and glutes (butt) get all stretched out. Now obviously your muscles getting stretched and contracted is a part of life – it’s these actions that allow us to do fantastic things like…move. However, the problems arise when we keep these muscles in this non-standard state for hours upon hours at a time.

"Think of your muscles as glorified rubber bands – they can stretch and contract as you pull them. Now, take a rubber band and wrap it around a basketball, stretching it to its limit for a few weeks. When you come back and take that rubber band off the ball, it will have almost no elasticity and won’t be able to return to its original shape. Or, it’ll just snap. Crapola.

"If you’ve ever tried to do a heavy leg workout after a day filled with hours of sitting then you know what I’m talking about – you feel like an old man or woman with the flexibility of a steel girder.

And that’s just for our hips!

When you factor in slouched-over shoulders, a weakened lower back, a jacked up spine, and that hunchback look that we all adore (not), sitting in an office chair all day pretty much renders our body useless."

Bottom line: Get off your ass. Really. I mean it. Even if you work at a desk 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day, make it a habit to get up and walk around at least once every couple of hours. Do some body weight squats or seated chair squats against a wall -- anything to get the blood to your legs -- the biggest muscles in your body and the ones, if unattended, are most likely to give up earliest in your life.

More on this in the next post.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Beware of breakfasts on the road . . .

2011-06-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

You'd figure that it would be hard to pack too many calories and fat into a simple breakfast, but you'd be wrong.

"Go to any breakfast chain out there and you'll probably find a meal with more fat in it than you're supposed to eat all day. You can't just order eggs anymore; your meal also comes with pancakes, hash browns, ham, sausage, bacon, and is topped off with cheese and gravy.

"Before each chain can invent their next bacon-covered monstrosity, San Francisco Weekly magazine counted down the top 10 artery-clogging breakfast options that America has to offer. It's based purely on fat (not calories) and they included a meal from each one of the nation's most popular breakfast chains."

The numbers are, well, staggering, disturbing (including the calories) . . .

Like the Caramel Pecanabon at Cinnabon -- over 1,000 calories for ONE, with more than 50 grams of fat.

But, you say, "I'd expect Cinnabon to blow out the calories."

OK, but how about Marie Callender's? Order their "Oh My Omelette" and you may reach for your chest before breakfast is over and utter these last words, "Oh, My!" -- 1,700 calories with almost 90 grams of fat.

Or Denny's and "The Grand Slamwich?" It will knock you out of the park. 1,310 calories and 89 grams of fat.

But the Mother of All Death Meals at Breakfast has to be IHOP's Big Country Breakfast with Chicken Fried Steak and Sausage Gravy. In round numbers, 2500 calories and 150 grams of fat and if you eat it you will be rounder than the numbers. Described as "Quick: you are a North American grizzly bear, it's late autumn, and you realized that you need to get as much fat as possible into your body as quickly as possible before a long winter of hibernation. Solution: go to IHOP*, which is both the runner-up and winner on this list of heart attack-inducing options. Your best (or worst?) option is the Big Country Breakfast. It's a 12 oz. chicken fried steak covered in sausage gravy, with three eggs, and three pancakes. If you can get down the whole meal, then you should win some kind of award and also probably just eat celery sticks and nothing else for the rest of your life."

Unfortunately, if you eat that many times the rest of your life may end before lunch.

You can see the whole article here:

Bottom line? Be as careful at breakfast as you are any other time you are caught away from home and are eating off menus where you cannot and do not review the nutritional information.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

17 days, double cardio and 5 pounds . . .

2011-05-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

I have long preached the notion that you can't exercise enough to make up for the sins of a bad diet. I have known it but never experienced it, until now.

Kelly and I took off on a 17 day vacation in mid-April. We were treated to great hotels and restaurants and then to a week's cruise. No limits. No measuring. Wine and a cocktail every now and then. Deserts. Reminded me of the old days.

Stayed on the workout schedule, never missed and even did double cardio each day on the ship.

Deep down I was hoping it would work.

But hope is not a plan and I knew intellectually that no amount of exercise would compensate.

And, when I got home and got on the scales I learned that reason trumps hope, at least when it comes to your weight.

I put on 5 pounds in those 17 days.

Now, I am going to lose them and another 5 to get me sharp for the summer. Indeed, I am already on it.

FYI, I got an IPad 2, a habit worse than heroin, maybe even worse than cheesecake.

But I found some new diet and exercise software that runs on the Ipad that I like so much that I have switched. It is called "My Net Diary." More on some of its great features in a future blog.

Train hard. Diet harder! I will be.

Jim

Rest: Fourth Leg of Success

2011-04-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

I talk a lot here about weight training, cardio and nutrition.

What I have not focused on is the fourth leg of the stool: REST.

Sure, hard training is critical to maximizing strength and muscle mass. Most people who train don't train hard enough. They go through the motions. Too bad.

Sure, cardio training is essential to keep the body fat down.

And, of course, proper nutrition is the fuel that allows us to do what needs to be done. Garbage in, garbage out.

But, even with hard training, cardio, and proper diet, that combination is not enough to maximize performance results.

You also need rest. It is rest that allows the muscles that you have broken down to heal and recover. It is the rest that allows you to recover so you can be strong, and thereby handle the increased weight, and increased number of sets and repetitions.

The scientific explanation goes something like this: "It is during sleep where growth hormone levels are at their highest. Physiologic improvement in bodybuilding can only occur during the rest period following hard training. This is also why consuming the proper foods and supplements immediately following such training is key." (Behar, Bodybuilding.com)

When you are over 50, or even over 40 for that matter, you do not heal as quickly as the 23 year old who seems never to need rest. Why? Because he/she needs less rest than you do.

Getting more rest is a key to muscle gains, plain and simple, and as you age the more it is true.

Unfortunately, that is easy to say but hard to execute.

What about those days you go to the gym and look at the weight and say to yourself, "I can't do it today."

In some cases, you shouldn't do it that day. You should turn around, go home and rest.

But, in some cases, like all of us, you're just being lazy. Pushing and pulling heavy weight hurts and sometimes we just don't want to do it, even though doing it is exactly what we need.

Telling the difference between the need for rest and just being lazy is tough and for me I don't like to trust my judgment on it. I will default to staying in the gym, overtraining and ending up injured.

So, here's what I do: I take every 7th week off from the weights. I continue cardio, proper diet, but I rest, really rest.

It works.

If you find yourself tired too much of the time and you're not just putting your time in the gym but putting your heart into it, you may need rest, and the failure to get it will affect your gains, your mood, and will increase the likelihood of injury.

So, just like you work in protein into every meal, your cardio into every day, you also need to work in rest.

Train hard; diet harder, and don't forget to take time off.

Jim

Weight Training: Not Just What, But When

2011-03-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Since starting to hit the gym hard a couple of years ago, Kelly and I have been working out as a start to our days -- usually between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.

We never questioned whether that time was right. It simply fit into our schedules. We got our weight training in and then would do our cardio at the end of the day at about 6 or 7 p.m. It worked and we never questioned whether there might be a better time of day to workout.

Then, on the way to the circus as it were, we found ourselves out of town and in a situation where early morning workouts didn't fit our schedules. In making adjustments we found it easier to get up early and get the cardio in and then show up at the gym about noon. We never thought it would be permanent or even make a difference. It was simply the way it was.

But, we discovered something important: It's not just what you do that is important. It is when you do it.

What we found was that we were both noticeably stronger at noon than we had been at 7 a.m., even after doing our cardio session earlier in the morning. And that was an important discovery. The stronger you are the more weight you can lift. The more weight you can lift, the more micro-tears in the muscle and the bigger the muscle will grow (assuming proper nutrition, protein balance, etc.)

This caused me to do a little research when we got back home and here's what I found - the pros and cons of working out early in the day . . .

Pros of early morning workouts:

• The majority of people who exercise consistently do so early in the day. It is easier to form the exercise habit through morning exercise.
• Fewer distractions and schedule interruptions.
• Can make time for exercise by getting up a bit earlier.
• Raises your heart rate and metabolism to burn more calories earlier in the day.
• Gives a feeling of physical energy for hours.
• Improves your mental acuity for hours.
• Cooler temperatures in summer.
• Air pollution is lowest in the morning.
• The body adjusts to your exercise time, so if you are training for a morning sports event, train in the morning.

Cons of early morning workouts:

• Body temperature is at its lowest 1-3 hours before awakening, making morning a time of naturally lower energy and blood flow.
• Cold, stiff muscles may be more prone to injury - be sure to warm up well before doing a higher intensity workout, and do gentle stretching.
• If you do not enjoy morning exercise, you won't easily form a habit by choosing a morning workout time.
• Because body temperature and hormones are higher in late afternoon, you probably get the same or better calorie-burning effects later in the day.

Bingo! That explains why morning workouts were great in the beginning -- it got us into a habit. It, unfortunately, also perhaps explains why I was suffering more injuries than I needed to. Most importantly, it explains why later in the day (about noon) works for us best now -- we're more energetic, can hit it harder and heavier, and get in more sets.

Does that mean "noon" is the time to workout? No. It just means it is the best time for us now. As we move through our development, it may be that we move the workout even further forward in the day, to say 5 p.m. After all, some of the best bodybuilders in the world workout late in the day. Or, we may find that we'd like to take advantage of the metabolic effects of working out in the morning and move it back to sometime early in the day.

Lesson: Experiment! See what's best for you and always be willing to try something new -- whether it is a new exercise or a time to exercise.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Decide What You Want to Exercise: Your Muscles Or Your Ego

2011-02-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

I have the opportunity to work out in many different gyms in the United States and a few in Mexico and a dynamic I see more often than not is what I call "hero lifting." It involves using heavy weight (much heavier than one can really handle) and handling it by lifting it (or more often than not) not lifting it properly.

A couple of examples:

Leg Press - The way this works your legs effectively is to put your feet low on the pad and bring your knees to your chest -- a full, long movement. The "hero" move is to load a couple of extra plates on, put the feet high on the pad and drop it about 4 or 5 inches. Or, even worse, drop it a few inches and then put the hands on the knees and help press it back up. That's worthless to build leg strength but a great ego booster. The same is true with squats and hack squats. They are a cheater's paradise because the movement can be truncated easily so as to completely avoid working the quadriceps.

Bench Press - Same song, second verse. A bench press involves bringing the weight to the chest, touching it lightly and then pushing it back to full extension. The "hero" move is to load up the bar and drop it about 4 or 5 inches (sometimes even less than that) and then get up and make sure everyone in the gym has seen just how much weight you can (but really can't) handle.

Bottom line? Decide what you want to work -- your muscles or your ego. If the former, leave the latter outside the gym and just come in, work hard and do what you can do properly and effectively.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Someone at McDonald's Didn't Get The Memo

2011-02-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

As the U.S. Agriculture Department has recently Americans to "eat less." Fast-food chain restaurants are ignoring the memo, adding menu items loaded with more calories, sodium and fat.

How about a footlong burger or a burrito stuffed with beef, cheese sauce and Fritos?

Seriously.

From the Los Angeles Times . . .

"A Big Mac without cheese has 540 calories, according to McDonald's Corp., twice as many as in one of the company's smallish regular hamburgers. By comparison, the company's new Angus Bacon Cheese Wrap has 790.

"Here are other recent or proposed items:

"• All-American Jack from Jack in the Box Inc. To debut during the Super Bowl, the sandwich will feature two jumbo beef patties and two kinds of cheese, with 840 calories. Make it a meal for $4.99 and the count goes up to 1,400.

"• Taco Bell Corp.'s Beefy Crunch Burrito meal: ground beef, rice, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream and spicy Fritos wrapped in a tortilla, plus cinnamon twists on the side and a medium soft drink, for a total of 1,390 calories. Now available.

"• Carl's Jr.'s Footlong Cheeseburger: Three cheeseburgers laid end to end on a 12-inch roll was a hit when the chain tested it at four Orange County restaurants last year. It has 850 calories and is under consideration to be a regular offering.

"• Burger King Holding Inc.'s Stuffed Steakhouse: a third of a pound of beef stuffed with jalapenos and cheese, at 600 calories. Fries and a drink make it 1,200 calories. Now available."

Not surprising that many States now have more than 25% of their populations waddling around in the "obese" category.

Friends, this kind of eating is not just unhealthy. It is dangerous. This "food" (to use the term loosely) should come wrapped in your death certificate. And, what's worse it increases the cravings for fat, salt, and sugar.

If you need a day where you forget about calories, no problem. But even on those days, eat clean. Eat more, but eat clean -- lots of lean chicken, turkey, plenty of vegetables and if you want something naughty make it nuts or peanut butter or even some ice cream.

But not this. Not now. Not ever.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

(Original article: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fast-food-calorie-20110202,0,4499158,full.story

"Is That You In The Mirror?" Probably Not If You're Eating At Taco Bell

2011-01-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

"Is That You In the Mirror?"

That's the title I gave my nutrition/fitness seminar because it asks the right question -- is who you see when you look in the mirror really you? I spent years avoiding mirrors so as not to have to answer that question. Now, after having lost 55 pounds and putting on a lot of muscle over the last couple of years, I can say, "Yeah, that's me in the mirror, and I like what I see."

It is really not difficult to get to that point in life. It is simply a matter of deciding to do it and having a fool-proof system to get it done, one that provides the accountability we all need to get anything done. (I will be at Fitness International in San Miguel de Allende this Thursday from 2 - 4 p.m. talking about it. If you're in the area, come by. More dates in other locations coming soon . . .)

One of the few "rules" we play by at plus50fitness.com is this: "If you can't tell what it was, don't eat it." What I mean by that is so much of our food is so processed that you cannot tell what it once was in the original form. You can tell a peanut was a peanut. But you can't tell what your Coco Puffs once were, now can you? Nope, you can't.

We learned this lesson (again) today reading the papers about the lawsuit filed against Taco Bell. Seems their meat is (alleged to be) only 35 percent beef. The rest (65%) is a mixture that contains binders and extenders that includes wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agents and modified corn starch. The suit alleges that it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled "beef.”

This is exactly the kind of "food," (to use that word loosely) that we should not eat -- ever. Whether it meets the requirement to be called "beef" is an issue that will be decided by the courts. The other issue -- "Can you tell what it once was?" has been resolved. You can't. You don't know what is in that taco. You likely don't know how much fat, or how many calories, carbohydrates or protein is in it. You don't know if those "binders" are genetically modified. And, for sure you don't know what they mean to your health.

When people approach me and say, "I'm ready to make a lifestyle change . . . but I still want to eat fast food," I smile knowingly. They aren't ready to make a real change and they're not going to do it. Sure, some will lose a few pounds only to put them back on and more.

A lifestyle change means eating healthy and that means, first and foremost, knowing what you're eating.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Good Pain/Bad Pain: Know The Difference

2011-01-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

Hi, Team.

Well, the good news is my hip/leg injury is finally getting better. Went to a specialist earlier this week and he confirms that no surgery is needed. That's always a relief and brings me to the point . . .

If you work out hard long long enough you become immune to the pain. In other words, you can go hard and heavy for an hour to an hour and a half and stay focused. You feel the pain but you get used to it. It is at that point you have to be careful because you can go too far -- your muscles can take what you're dishing out but your tendons and ligaments may not and they will give you little or no warning before being damaged.

That is a key to success for those have been at it awhile and I notice that when I watch champions like Jay Cutler and Phil Heath train, they often engage in a "rest-pause" a couple of times each set. A part of it is getting a little additional rest but another more important part is feeling where they are. They want to completely exhaust the muscle but not tear anything else up.

This dynamic is something Kelly and I are focusing on more as we begin shaving down for Spring. You are especially vulnerable to injury when you are on a calorie-restricted diet and if you've worked for months with a few excess calories, you are bigger, stronger, a lot stronger than you were going into the bulking phase. As you move into the cutting phase, however, you cannot handle as much weight and if you try you will injure yourself sooner or later, probably sooner.

Train hard; diet harder, but always consider where you are in each set -- are you maximizing muscle tension or are you going too far? After you have trained a while, you will know the difference between "good pain" and "bad pain." Unfortunately, for most of us we only learn that through injury, hopefully none too severe. A good trainer can help in this regard, too, but make sure and get one who will take you far enough!

We will be training at Gold's Gym in San Antonio, Texas this Saturday morning -- should be fun!

Best,

Jim

Injuries - Part of the Game

2011-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

Injured.

Again.

It was a year and a half ago I went under the knife for an injury -- good news it was "fixable," bad news I was out 6 weeks.

Now I'm faced with another. Not sure what the injury is exactly but I know it is taking too long to heal. A doctor will give me the verdict on Monday.

I'm hoping and manifesting positive it is something that will self-correct over time but I am prepared for the worst which would be another surgery and time out of the gym.

Bottom line: I'm not giving up. Never will. They can cut me until I'm just "parts," but I'll be in the gym and I'll be better than I was yesterday, regardless.

There are no excuses. There are only results.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

The Dreaded Sugar Hangover . . .

2010-12-27T11:15:00.000-08:00

Never thought I'd have one of those again . . . but being in the States for Christmas and attending a series of parties, I went over the edge and partook of well . . . nearly everything.

This morning Kelly and I went to the closest 24 Hour Fitness and got a workout . . . but not a great one. We felt hungover, sluggish, and just got through it.

Combine that with the fact I am injured and it made for a miserable experience.

The bright side? I am ready to return home and get back into the groove, have a doctor look at what is ailing me, develop a plan to deal with it, and move forward.

The question I often ask myself is: "Is it worth it to fall off the wagon every now and then?"

For me, probably not. I don't get enough bang out of it and a little cheating leads to a lot of cheating and I spend a lot of unnecessary time convicting myself.

For others, I believe a week "off" the diet is a good dynamic. It keeps them from serial cheating.

This is where good trainers come in handy -- they don't preach a "one size fits all" program, but rather they get to know their clients, their inclinations, their strengths and their weaknesses and develop exercise and diet programs that recognize that each individual is different.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Pre/Post Workout Diet for Body Transformation

2010-11-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

"What's the best pre-workout meal?" "What's the best post-workout meal?"

These are the two most common questions I get in programs I give in health clubs and gyms.

Of course, opinions differ but here's what I've learned from the best . . .

Before Workout

You can go with whole foods or with a protein shake. Either way, you want to get .25 grams of protein and .25 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight in this first most important meal of the day. So, you weigh 175 pounds, for example. you want to get 44 grams of protein and 44 grams of carbohydrate before going to the gym.

Best whole food choices include egg whites, chicken and turkey breast for protein and whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice or a sweet potato for carbohydrates.

If you don't have time for whole food, go with a protein shake that includes a fast-digesting form of protein like whey or egg protein. Either way, get the .25 grams of protein and .25 grams of carbohydrate in this first meal. My first meal of almost everyday is hot oatmeal and Syntha-6 protein powder (by BSN). Add a little flaxseed, a teaspoon of coconut oil, and some Stevia sweetener -- it's the best meal of my day!

Before getting to the gym, I also take Arginine as a pre-workout supplement. This boosts nitric-oxide levels and causes blood vessels to dilate, which allows them to deliver more nutrients for muscle-building during the workout. I take it in the form of White Flood and start drinking it in a pre-workout drink about 30 minutes before arriving at the gym. I take this along with 5 grams of Creatine (in the same workout drink) which helps drive fluids to your muscles providing a bigger pump and the ability to lift more weight longer.

Post Workout

After your workout you want to get another .25 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight and .25 to .50 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate per pound of body weight. Depending on whether I am bulking or cutting, I vary between .25 and .50 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight I am carrying at the time. Again, lean chicken, turkey, egg whites are the best sources of protein. Fast acting carbohydrates include fruit, fruit juice, even iced tea with sugar added. I usually eat Ezekiel toast with jelly on it to add fast-acting carbs.

If you take a protein shake after your workout rather than whole food, I suggest using whey and adding a slow-digesting protein like casein to it. This will help repair muscle tissue broken down in your workout. Mix dextrose or fructose or some other form of sugar in the protein shake in order to get the fast-acting carbs.

After my workout, I take 5 or more grams of BCAA's (branch chain amino acids) in tablet form. These also help in muscle recovery. And, finally, I often take another 5 grams of creatine post-workout.

That's it. And it rarely varies day to day.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Fitness: It Really Is A TEAM Effort

2010-11-12T09:00:00.001-08:00

In response to my blog yesterday, my chiropractor and a critical member of my team, Dr. Jim Bourqe Starr, had this to say . . . I commend it to your review!

"Hi Jim, your chiropractic visit today had many great lessons not just for YOU and the athletes that train under your state of the art program but also for the health professionals that are part of the team of any these serious athletes. It is important to share some of these experiences that with your loyal followers of the Plus 50 Fitness as well as the medical staff who serve them all over the world.

"The chiropractor, trainer, nutritionist, physical therapist or M.D. who has the honor of sharing his/her skills with these athletes under your program must follow a different set of treatment criteria in order to be successful.

"First and foremost, the healer must put his EGO aside and understand he/she is PART of the team and not the HEAD of the team. These athletes like yourself are not just "weekend warriors" or "health club socialites." Your slogan, "Train hard, diet harder" says it all. You and your group are focused, dedicated and serious.

"Second,the health care professional (HCP) needs to understand that THERE IS NO TURNING BACK. The question of quitting or some form of mandatory rest doesn`t exist in the vocabulary of Plus 50 Fitness-type athletes. Therefore, the HCP needs to work within those parameters and seek to offer recommendations that will fit within those guidelines of treatment.

"Obviously, if there are questions of life and death, the HCP needs to lay all the cards on the table, or the athlete may find himself laying on the wrong type of table in a box! What we are dealing with is a measure of professional compromise in order to achieve maximum MEDICAL results but not at the expense of WORKOUT results.

"Finally, anyone over 50 years of age understands that the healing process takes just a tad bit longer than at 21 years of age. Patience and tolerance must be practiced by all members of the team. Working through the injury and/or the pain is a way of life with serious athletes. You and Kelly are serving as living proof of just plowing ahead everytime there is a setback. You both have experienced the truth that not only your training regimen must come in cycles of routines for maximum results but HEALING COMES IN CYCLES as well.

"Once athletes understand and accept this truth, any roadblock or physical setback is simply another lesson learned on this journey of body/mind training. You and Kelly should be commended for what you are offering to the world of athletes over 50. It is a way of life and a way to live healthier and happier.

"I am proud to part of your TEAM and I understand that it is not my job to tell you what to do or not to do but to offer professional advice so that WE may reach a conclusion that will serve the Plus 50 Fitness athlete at the highest level of not only health but of well-being. Looking forward to contributing to your growth."

- Dr.Jim
Dr. Jim Bourque Starr
Chiropractor
drjimstar@gmail.com

(Note: Dr. Jim Bourque Starr literally saved my life. I went into his office more than 50 pounds overweight and suffering a terrible dizziness that was ruining my life. He adjusted me in more ways than one which alleviated the dizziness which gave me the energy and desire to get into shape. Without him, there would be no Plus50Fitness.)

www.plus50fitness.com

The Big Switcheroo

2010-11-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

During the 6 weeks of FST-7, I put on 6 pounds -- up to 177.8

Between now and New Year's the goal is to see how much of that was muscle and how much was fat.

So, it's back to calorie-restriction for the next several weeks.

Yuk!

But it has to be done.

The first 5 came off easy, as always.

Now at 172.4 -- on the way to 168.

Will see how it all looks at that weight. Hopefully, I won't have to be lighter to get sharp.

Plan is to lean back down to less than 10% bodyfat (whatever that weight is) and then I'll know the rest was lean muscle added.

And, then what?

And then back to the cycle.

Back to bulking January 1 for 6 - 8 weeks, again on FST-7. It's the most dramatic mass -gainer we've found.

Only issue now is injury. Seems my lower back objected to FST-7 and, well, I don't care.

Had a great chiropractic adjustment today via Dr. Jim who said, "You need to lighten and be adjusted more often."

I replied, "I'll meet you half way. I'll get adjusted more often but not only I am not going lighter, I'm going heavier."

That's the deal. Sometimes success is just sucking it up.

Train hard; diet harder.

-Karger

FST-7 - The Final Week

2010-10-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

I can't say enough about FST-7 . . .

It is by far the most intense programs I've ever done.

This is our fourth and final week before a full week off.

FST-7 is a bulking routine, which means performed properly it will increase strength and muscle mass. The only thing it needs is intensity and calories. That's right -- calories. With its focus on maximum micro-tearing of the muscles, you must have excess calories to burn. This is NOT a routine to try while on a restricted calorie diet.

Kelly and I have both noticed a remarkable increase in strength over the 4 weeks. Mass, too.

The question is how much of this mass is lean muscle and how much is fat? We know there is some of both as will happen anytime you are bulking - that is using heavy weight and combining it with plenty of protein and calories.

We will know the answer to that sooner than later. After our week off, we come back to a new routine, one that focuses on cutting. That means we go back to calorie restriction, strip off whatever fat has been added and see what is left. We'll use the calipers to measure lean body mass.

I know there are some people relatively new to the gym who read this blog. My best advice: DO NOT TRY FST-7 until you have had at least one full year in the gym working out hard, not missing, and being able to work through the pain. Also DO NOT TRY FST-7 if you are trying to lose weight. You will only hurt yourself and, even worse, not accomplish much because your body will look for food, find none, and feed on its own lean muscle mass. Not good.

On the other hand, if you want to put on a few pounds of muscle, have a great training partner who can force you through the "7's," are willing to risk a little fat added, and being sore most of the time is not a deal-breaker, go for it! You can learn more about FST-7 and Hany Rambod's training theories at http://www.fst-7.com/

Next week, while we're off, I will be designing our diet for the next 6 weeks as well as our workout program, with a view to come into the Christmas season lean. Then, starting the first of next year, we'll start bulking again. Such is the reality of making your body the best it can be -- always bulking or cutting, but never staying the same.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

FST-7: Taking It To The Limit

2010-10-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

We finished our second week of FST-7 workouts this morning - about 20 sets of shoulders followed by calves.

That's two weeks down and two weeks to go before taking off a week and healing up.

So, what's the verdict?

FST-7 is a series of workouts developed by Hany Ramod who trains a lot of top bodybuilders. "FST" stands for Fascia Stretch Training, and the "7" refers to the seven sets performed for the final exercise of a target bodypart. I won't get into the details here but you can find out more about FST-7 at http://www.fst-7.com/fst7.html

Here's a few conclusions I've drawn after two weeks . . .

1. This is not a workout for beginners. It is tough even if you've been at it a while.

2. It is a tendon stressor. If you have tendonitis, this is not going to make it better.

3. FST-7 is not a workout to lose weight. It is too strenuous for a calorie-restricted diet. This is a bulking routine best used to add muscle, especially in hard to grow areas. That means getting more calories, not less, than you need. There will be time to strip off whatever fat is added later, but during FST-7 is not the time.

4. Form is key. In free squats the other day I tweaked a knee. It still hurts. My guess is I focused on weight more than form and I strained a tendon or ligament.

5. The higher than normal amount of microscopic tears in the muscle caused by FST-7 training necessitates a little more recovery time than standard training protocols. However, smaller body parts like arms and calves can be trained twice a week. For example, we have set up our routine so that biceps and calves are trained twice week in an effort to play "catch up" in these body parts.

Because we will miss Monday, we are working out tomorrow (Sunday) which is usually a day off. This happens on the road, too. I know I have to get 5 workouts in within each 7 day period. I do what it takes to get that done, even if it means changing days or changing times.

More on that topic in a future blog . . .

You know you've gotten a good workout when . . .

2010-10-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

We're into the second week of the FST-7 series of workouts that have gained a new popularity when it was discovered that both Jay Cutler and Phil Heath (#1 and #2 in this year's Olympia competition) were using these routine.

Today was chest and biceps -- a total of 32 sets including the killer "7 set" finish of each body part.

For the next 3 weeks, we'll be on FST-7 workouts and not cutting our calories, but making sure we get enough calories to add muscle mass. Then, we're headed to the beach for a week (which we'll take completely off except for cardio) and after that it will be time to diet off any fat added during the process which we'll get done before Christmas. That's the plan . . .

As we were readying to leave the gym today, a friend walked up and asked, "Did you get a good one today?"

"Yep," I said, my hand shaking as I was trying to put on my sweatshirt.

"How do you know when you've put in enough effort?" he asked.

"When, like right now, I am about to vomit in the floor and can't zip up my own hoodie," I replied.

So, what's the point?

The point is not that every workout needs to result in being sick, or in shaking like an old man.

No.

The point is that most people (me included for a long time) don't put in enough effort to change. We never move to the next level because we won't push ourselves to the next level. Most people in most gyms are comfortable coming in and doing what they always done, what they are comfortable doing.

And that is fine, unless they get unhappy over making no real progress in their physiques.

To change your shape, you have to change your workouts and that doesn't just mean changing exercises. It means taking on more weight, even to the point it feels dangerous. (That's where a workout partner comes in and I've written enough about that for the time being.)

Take it the next level -- do it!

Jim

P.S. A lot of people have written to me and come up to me in our home gym asking about the NO (nitric oxide) article from a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I've tried several more NO boosters, including SuperPump 250 by Gaspari Nutrition and most recently Quake by Sciavation. SuperPump I rate in the middle of the pack. Quake is deadly -- not literally but I was wired for 2 hours after taking a dose of it. My energy levels were off the chart. It is so strong I'm not sure I'd want to use it everyday and if I did, I'd definitely cycle off from time to time. As with all NO boosters, it is best to consume it 15-30 minutes before training. Used correctly, you will find it supports lean mass gains, promotes muscle pumps and fullness and, most importantly, provides intense energy and mental focus for the period of time it takes to get a good workout.

Want To Live A Longer, Healthier Life? Protein Powder

2010-10-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

The protein powder used regularly by body builders may hold a secret of a long and healthy life, scientists believe. Combined with exercise, protein powder boosts fitness and improved balance and coordination. In recent studies, it increased life expectancy by 12 per cent in animal studies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1317927/Body-builder-protein-powder-increase-life-expectancy-10-years.html#ixzz11a08FH00

"Squat, dude! It's not a Plié." - The Importance of A Workout Partner

2010-10-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

. . . in the gym this morning for the new leg routine on the FST-7 workout.

Yesterday was the first for FST-7 Chest and Triceps. A monster frigging workout. Sore today.

Tomorrow, my guess I won't be able to walk normally.

Got into the squats this morning and my partner, Kelly, pipes up, "Squat, dude! It's not a Plié."

Nice.

Not really nice, but necessary.

What she was saying is that my legs were too far apart and it looked more like a Plié (ballet move) than a squat and that limited my range of motion.

She was right.

Which brings me to the point.

A workout partner is ESSENTIAL to maximum results.

Arnold once said a workout partner was the most important component in his bodybuilding success.

I believe it both from personal experience as well as watching the professionals train -- almost always with a partner or a trainer.

Why is it so important?

There are several reasons, including the following:

1. Accountability. This means getting out of bed even when you're tired because you know someone is going to be at the gym counting on you being there.

2. Motivation. A good partner will push you when you don't feel like pushing yourself. They can squeeze one more repetition out of you that you would not have gotten by yourself.

2. Form. We get to work out in a lot of gyms and see the same dynamic in all of them, what we call "hero work." These are people who try to handle too much weight and sacrifice form, most often not using a full range of motion. I see it most often in exercises like dumbbell bench press -- lowering the weight just a few inches rather than all way below the chest. The same is true in leg press. These would be funny if they were not so sad -- guys (and girls) loading on the plates and then doing a drop of about 3 or 4 inches instead of the full range -- knees to chest. When you watch the pros workout as we did recently in Las Vegas, what you see is FULL RANGE OF MOTION. That's what my partner did this morning for me -- pointed out that my stance was too wide and wasn't allowing me to get down into the hole on squats (butt below knees.) Without her, I would have had a less effective workout.

3. Making a difference. It works both ways and when you drive someone else beyond where they thought they could go, it makes you both better. It pumps them up and it pumps you up. That can't be done without a partner or a trainer who is willing to get IN YOUR FACE.

Now, this assumes you want to improve, not just "stay in shape." If the latter is your goal and you you're where you want to be physically, it doesn't take much to stay that way and you can do that alone.

But, if you want your muscles to grow, to change the shape of your body, it requires going beyond where you have gone before. And that is best achieved by having the right partner or trainer beside you saying things like, "Squat, dude! It's not a Plié!"

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

NEW ROUTINE STARTS TOMORROW! FST-7

2010-10-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

Before describing the new workout routine that Kelly and I begin tomorrow (October 4, 2010), understand that I DO NOT BELIEVE that there are any “secrets” to training that can bypass using heavy weight with plenty of sets and repetitions. That said, within solid principles of muscle building there have been improvements in exercise physiology and in the understanding of how the body reacts to certain combinations of sets, repetitions as well as food and water.

While at Olympia in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, we heard a lot about “FST-7,” a training principle created by Hany Rambod, and frankly, I was unimpressed until I learned that both Jay Cutler and Phil Heath, who placed first and second, respectively, in that “best of the best” competition, were both using Rambod’s system. So, we’re going to try it for a month as we come up to the first week in November, a week we are scheduled off from training. (Currently, for recovery purposes we take every 7^th week away from the gym, but staying with the cardio.)

While you can find more about the science behind FST-7 at http://www.fst-7.com/fst7.html, the basics are these:

The goal of FST-7 is to stretch the muscle fascia to make it thinner, allowing muscles to grow larger and appear fuller. FST-7 is based on stretching muscles from the inside out by volumizing them. This is accomplished by getting the greatest pump while training.
Training is always with heavier weights in the 8-12 repetition range.
The last exercise for every body part consists of 7 sets of 8 – 12 repetitions each with only a 30-45 second rest between sets while sipping water. This expands the fascia and maximizes growth.
The higher than normal amount of microscopic tears in the muscle tissue caused by FST-7 training necessitates a bit more recovery time than standard training protocols. So, major body parts are trained once a week. Smaller body parts like arms and calves are trained twice a week.
Due to the intensity of the routines, a larger infusion of protein and carbohydrates will be necessary in Meal 1 (our pre-workout meal each day.)
Within 20 minutes of completing a workout, we will drink a protein shake to start the recovery process. This will include whey isolate and a rapidly assimilated carbohydrate source.

Our workouts over the next 4 weeks will look like this (note the last exercise for each body part consists of 7 sets are performed with a 30-45 second rest between sets):

Monday (Chest and Triceps)

Chest

Incline dumbbell press 3 sets x 8-12 repetitions

Incline dumbbell fly 3 x 8 – 12

Dumbbell press 3 x 8 – 12

Machine fly or cable crossover – 7 x 8 – 12

Triceps

Close grip bench – 3 x 8 – 12

Dips – 3 x 8-12

Overhead cable extension or press downs – 7 x 8-12

Calves

Standing calf raise – 3 x 10-12

Seated calf raise – 3 x 15-20

Leg press calf raise – 7 x 10-12

Tuesday (Legs)

Quads

Leg extensions – 3 x 8-15

Squats – 4 x 8-12

Hack squats or leg press – 3 x 8-15

Leg extension or leg press – 7 x 8-15

Hamstrings

Stiff-legged deadlift – 4 x 10-12

Seated leg curl – 4 x 10-12

Single leg curls – 7 x 10 – 15

Wednesday (Biceps, Triceps)

Biceps

Standing dumbbell curls – 4 x 8-12

Preacher curls – 4 x 8-12

Machine curls – 7 x 10-12

Triceps

Close grip bench – 3 x 8 – 12

Dips – 3 x 8-12

Overhead cable extension or skull crushers – 7 x 8-12

Friday (Back, Calves)

Back

Chin-ups – 3 sets until failure

Wide grip pull downs – 3 x 8-12

Barbell row – 3 x 8-12

Hammer strength row – 3 x 8-12

Cable/dumbbell pullover – 7 x 8-15

Calves

Standing calf raise – 3 x 10-12

Seated calf raise – 3 x 15-20

Leg press calf raise – 7 x 10-12

Saturday (Shoulders, Rear Delts and Biceps)

Shoulders

Seated dumbbell press or machine – 3 x 8-12

Barbell or dumbbell front raise – 3 x 8-12

Dumbbell lateral raise – 4 x 8-12

Rear delts

Dumbell rear lateral raise – 3 x 12-15

Reverse pec fly – 7 x 12-15

Biceps

Standing dumbbell curls – 3 x 8-12

Preacher curls – 3 x 8-12

Machine curls – 7 x 10-12

As we move through the month, I will keep you up to date on how it is going. My assumption at this point is that the number of sets and intensity of the “7 – set” is going to require our cardio to be cut down a bit. How much I don’t know, but I’ll be watching the weight carefully to make sure that we’re not losing any muscle mass as the result of burning too many calories and going catabolic.

If you have questions, please e-mail me at jimkarger@mac.com.

Train hard; dieter harder!

Jim

Nitric Oxide Boosters: Want To Increase The Intensity of Your Workouts?

2010-09-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Spending a week at Olympia in Las Vegas resulted in me having to buy a new suit case and filling it with 40 pounds of supplements various manufacturers wanted me to try and paying $50 for the right to fly it home. The least I can do is try each and every one of them and review them for you here.

I am going to divide the reviews up by type of supplement and this first one - Nitric Oxide - will evaluate three different brands.

So, what is "NO?" NO stands for nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide is a free form gas that is produced in the body and is used by the body to communicate with other cells in the body. To produce this gas, enzymes in the body break down the amino acid Arginine. Nitric Oxide is a molecule consisting of one atom of nitrogen and one atom of oxygen. The production of Nitric Oxide occurs when the amino acid L-arginine is converted into L-citruline through an enzyme group known as Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS).

Now that we have the chemistry behind us, what does NO actually do? In short, it causes increased blood flow which serves to deliver more nutrients to muscles, thus helping them become larger when subjected to stress. In some cases, they also cause what I'll call a "euphoric" feeling for period of time after ingesting. I like to describe the effect to audiences like this: "It makes me feel 20 years old again -- for about 50 minutes."

Like creatine, this supplement has been scientifically shown to increase endurance and size. So, it is something that those who tolerate it well may wish to consider. I, for one, never enter a gym without a bottle containing an NO enhancer.

Here are three I have used and each is worth considering:

1. White Flood. This was the first NO enhancer I took on the recommendation of my son who is out ahead of the game on these kinds of things. Indeed, I still take it. It is manufactured by Controlled Labs, it works, and after a year and a half, White Flood still works for me and I have not become tolerant of it, that is where I don't get any benefits using the same dosage. I will warn you that you can (and probably will) get a little "jittery" for several minutes after taking it. This is a natural and harmless side effect from the Beta-Alanine contained in White Flood. For me, it is usually good for 45 - 60 minutes of a full-bore workout.

2. Hemo-Rage. I got this at Olympia. It is manufactured by Nutrex Research and a Bodybuilding.com 2010 supplement award nominee. It is touted as one of the more powerful NO enhancers. I used it yesterday before working legs and I can honestly say it was my best leg workout in a year. I can barely walk today - literally. Unfortunately, I can't say it was all because of the Hemo-Rage. I changed a few things in the workout, went deeper into my squats and hacks, and was mentally ready for legs after watching the Olympia competition. I can sure say that Hemo-Rage didn't hurt anything and I seemed to stay alert and motivated during the entire workout -- about 20 sets of upper legs and 6 sets of calves. No jitters like I sometimes feel with White Flood. Hemo-Rage also contains some creatine, unlike White Flood, but I take my creatine separately anyway so that part is kind of "more of the same" for me. Bottom line? I'll use Hemo-Rage again soon in order to determine whether the leg-shred was due to Hemo-Rage or just plain rage. ;) If it is the Hemo-Rage, I'm a convert!
Stay tuned . . .

3. Black Powder. This is hyped product manufactured by MRI and is used by some of the "hard core." Like Hemo-Rage it was nominated for a Bodybuilding.com 2010 supplement award. I used it this morning and it came through. While it was an off day for me - just 12 sets of traps and 10 sets of abdominals today, I felt stronger in general throughout my workout and felt that I could lift a lot more than I was lifting in the trap portion of the routine. I felt my energy was was moving up throughout the routine and I did not feel fatigued at the end of the session. This one deserves another try in a big body part workout, which I will be doing in the future after I cycle through all the samples and review them here, all with a view to naming "the best of the best."

When To Use: BEFORE you start your workout, or at least drink half before you begin your working and then sip the other half during your workout, and then switch to water. It takes about 10 minutes to gain the effect and then you should start working out. The key is not to stop working out until you are done. There is no time for chit-chat on NO. It doesn't last forever -- sometimes you'll get a bump for an hour; other times it is gone in 40 minutes. It doesn't wait for you. It doesn't care if you're working out or chatting up the pretty gal next to you. Personally, I like to take half of it in the 10 minutes before I begin my workout (driving to the gym) and then start sipping the rest during my workout, usually finishing about 15 minutes into the routine and then switching to pure water. You can experiment and should.

Caution: With any product containing amino acids, taking too much is a possibility. Dosing with too much Arginine can lead to diarrhea, weakness and nausea. Unfortunately, dosing guidelines have not been established, so it is best to do what is known as "tolerance mapping." Take a small dosage for one week, note the benefits and the side effects, and increase the dosage until the benefits are maximized and the side effects minimized. Over time the two will converge and you will hit the optimal dose for your body.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Photos From The 2010 Olympia

2010-09-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

I won't torture you with my photos . . .

Here are 180 of them taken by a professional.

Highly recommended: http://secondfocus.blogspot.com/2010/09/mr-olympia-2010-finals-photos.html

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Travel: How To Get On A Plane And Not Get Off Sick

2010-09-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Returned to San Miguel last night . . .

The week at Olympia in Las Vegas was terrific -- learned a lot, saw a lot, and as always, I just like Vegas.

The only downside to the trip started at the beginning the trip -- a woman seated directly behind me on the flight from Houston to Las Vegas was coughing, sneezing -- she was clearly sick.

And, she made me sick.

This happens more than occasionally and leads me to the conclusion that traveling is not healthy. In addition to catching a cold or the flu, there is the issue of exercise, or the lack thereof, the impact of changing time zones on sleep, and the seating which, unless you fly first class everywhere you go, is bad for posture and the back.

Like most of you, however, a good deal of my earnings are the result of traveling, so I travel.

How best to travel and not get sick?

Contrary to popular opinion, you're not likely to get sick from someone 10 rows away from you on the plane. Rather, the risk of onboard transmission of infection is mainly restricted to individuals with either personal contact, or seated within two rows of an infected passenger on flights longer than eight hours, according to Dr. Mark Gendreau, senior staff physician at Lahey Clinic and author of a recent study on medical issues on flights.

Typically, airplane air – about half from outside and half recycled after being passed through filters – enters at the top of the cabin. From there, the ventilation system keeps it from flowing forward and backward in the plane, limiting it mostly to the immediate row, before exiting through grilles in the cabin floor, which means not everyone breathes the same air.

Tips to staying well . . .

1. Do not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth during the flight. (Infection occurs when viruses or bacteria are sprayed from infected people in droplets from a cough or sneeze. The pathogens can then be picked up when passengers touch their tray table or the arm of their seat, and then rub their eyes).

2. Wash your hands frequently or use a sanitizing gel during flight.

3. Stay hydrated in the arid cabin environment. (I've found that if I'm in coach class they are never going to bring me enough water to stay hydrated and so I bring a 2-liter bottle of water with me.)

Even with these precautions, you may find someone seated in the same row or next row who is sick. In the future, no more Mr. nice guy. I'm going to ask to be reseated and I'm not going to be hesitant about saying why.

More on traveling and staying healthy in future blogs.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Day 7: Olympia: Seminar

2010-09-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today ends the 2010 Olympia experience . . .

At 11 a.m. we attended a seminar put on by the winners of the various competitions.

There were a few good tips but mostly it was an opportunity for these champions to express their feelings about winning in a misunderstood sport.

This afternoon we did a final bit of shopping and we're off to watch Bill Maher tonight and on an early plane in the morning.

I'll give some thought to what I learned that is worth sharing over the next couple of days and share it in this blog.

In the meantime, thanks for following.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Day 6 (Post-Show): Olympia: Jay Cutler Takes His Fourth

2010-09-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

Back to the condo from the Olympia show at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas . . .

It was all I'd hoped for . . .

A close contest -- Jay Cutler retained his title, followed by Phil Heath, a close second, and Branch Warren, who placed third.

Many thought Phil won it, but when its close, the tie goes to the champion and that's what happened here.

Most memorable from this evening was seeing all 12 Olympia winners on one stage at one time. Actually, it was 11 of 12 with the 12th (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sending a videotape. From 1965 until today, there have only been 12 winners of this Superbowl of professional physique competition.

Until recently, not even the very best could make a living at bodybuilding and most professionals still can't. It means they have the dedication and commitment to do it even though most are working day jobs. It means they love what they do and that's a rare gift.

Tomorrow will be the last Olympia event -- a seminar given by some of the competitors on training and diet.

We'll be there and report back what we learn.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Day 6 (Pre-Show): Olympia: Expo Day 2/Samir Bannout/Jamie Eason

2010-09-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Got up this morning. Have a cold.

While I like getting to where I'm going, I hate travel. People get on planes sick; they know they're sick; they know they're going to get you sick, and they don't care.

Well, being in shape has a lot of advantages, one of which is I can pretty much ignore the cold, which is what I'm trying to do.

We went to the gym this morning -- arms. Good workout.

Then, after a meal in the room we went to the Expo at Las Vegas Convention Center. Even bigger than yesterday. Fortunately, with the VIP passes, we got free run of the place for 30 minutes before the public made their way in. Picked up some knee wraps. Kelly got a rag or two and we loaded up on t-shirts for our friends at the home gym in San Miguel. We have 20 pound bag full of free supplements we collected, too. Plus what we ate while we were there . . . I'm going to have some penitence to pay next week . . .

At the Expo, I met Samir Bannout, the "Lion of Lebanon" who won Mr. Olympia in 1983. A very nice guy, generous with his time . . .

Walking the convention center, I looked up and saw Jamie Eason -- one of the better known figure models around. She, too, was kind and as cute as her photos . . .

Makes me want to stop staring at the floor . . . ;)

Got photos from the pre-judging this afternoon. Jay Cutler is in the battle of his professional life this year. Phil Heath looks awesome. For those with Facebook, these are likely 6 of the top 10 . . .

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5298445&id=192666161278&ref=fbx_album&fbid=436886196278

Did cardio early afternoon followed by some time at the pool. The Vegas sun is, in a word, HOT.

Then enjoyed a major protein infusion at an Asian buffet mid-afternoon and now we're back in the condo getting ready to head over to see what we came here for -- the men's Olympia finals.

More later . . .

Day 5: Olympia: Shoulders, Expo and Frank Zane

2010-09-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Big day today in Las Vegas.

Cardio this morning first thing.

Then to the convention center for the Olympia Expo. It's a huge giveaway -- supplements, magazines, and lots of contests. Walking down an aisle I saw Frank Zane. He was a hero of mine back in the 70's, a three-time Mr. Olympia.

Then to Gold's - Sahara for a challenging shoulder/trap routine. Here's a photo of this hard-core gym . . .

Then off to a late lunch, back to the hotel for a couple of hours in the sun by the pool and then off to a show tonight.

But tomorrow night is the real show -- Mr. Olympia. More then . . .

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Day 4: Olympia: Press Conference and Meeting The Guys

2010-09-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today was an off day from the gym and a good thing -- we were busy all day. We did cardio this morning before going to the Olympia press conference but after that it was full speed ahead until now -- about 10 p.m. Las Vegas time . . .

The press conference featured all 22 contestants -- everyone had a chance to speak. And, I was impressed for the most part. Most outside physique competition believe the body building culture is all about ego, but you would have never guessed it hearing these competitors speak. Except for one rookie, the word of the day was humility. Each expressed gratefulness to be able to compete at this level, acknowledged that on any given day anyone of them could win, and importantly, that they didn't think about the others and what they were doing or had done, but only about bringing their own best to the show.

After a little sushi and shopping this afternoon, it was back to meet some of the guys this evening, including Jay Cutler (current Mr. Olympia) and Dexter Jackson (Mr. Olympia 2008). Both were gracious and, while confident, nothing was assumed. Both are quiet and serious.

Tomorrow begins the Expo -- we will be there first thing -- everything new will be on display, including foods, supplements and equipment. A lot of the former champions will be there pitching for whoever is paying them at the moment and it is good to revisit history with them.

Until tomorrow, good night.

Jim

Day 3: Olympia 2010: Legs/Gold's Sahara

2010-09-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Getting into the groove now . . .

Worked out this morning at Gold's Sahara here in Vegas. This is the gym Jay Cutler is using (and has used for years). He lives in Las Vegas and he's preparing to defend his Olympia title. It was legs for us today. I have to admit I felt small, very small, around a lot of the guys (and a few of the girls) working out this morning. These are the best of the best.

But, regardless of size, Gold's Sahara is hard-core and has some great equipment. I'm convinced that Icarian makes the best leg machines around, including leg press and hack squat machines.

Meals up until this evening, pretty normal.

Went over to the Orleans Arena early this afternoon, picked up our VIP passes and met some people involved with the Olympia production. Nice folks.

Back to the hotel. Early dinner tonight at Joe's Stone Crab in Caesar's Palace. Last night we dined at Shibuya (sushi) in the MGM. Great meals, both. Definitely double-cardio tomorrow . . .

Will attend the first Olympia press conference tomorrow. Looking forward to watching the big guys try to psyche each other out even though I know it is more for show than real. These are all professionals, years of experience, and nothing much phases them. All of them have everything it takes to win -- like PGA golfers, they all hit all the clubs in their bag. It's a matter of fine points now, very fine points that will separate the top 6 from the rest of the field.

Before it is all said and done, we'll be back at Gold's Sahara to watch some of the competitors get in their final workouts. Even though I've come to know what to expect, I'm still staggered by the weight most of the guys can handle. What provides we older guys comfort is that most of the competitors are not 20-somethings. In fact none of them are. Most are in their late-30's and early 40's. I'm convinced there is no way to win Olympia (man or woman) younger than the mid-30's. Why? Just not enough years in the gym to build the kind of physique necessary to be competitive at that level. To the end of age, we saw a guy at Gold's today -- had to be near 70 -- about 215 pounds, no fat. Which just proves that it can be done. Success in this realm just requires what anything worth having requires -- dedication, focus and a lot of hard work.

Tomorrow I'll let you know what goes at the Olympia press conference and then Friday it's full-bore all the way through Sunday morning. There is lots coming your way . . .

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Olympia: Day 2: Back/Planning

2010-09-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Got up this morning and did cardio.

Back upstairs, meal, relaxed a little, and then went to the gym to train back -- 20 sets today, good workout, different equipment.

Walked most of the day around the Strip in Vegas. Did Meal 4 at Denny's -- 3 orders egg whites and 2 whole wheat pancakes. Checked out the Aria which we had not seen before.

If legs were not slated for tomorrow morning, I would think seriously about double cardio today -- not because the diet has been off but because the flying smooths me out, that is I'm holding a lot of water. I'm not big into diuretics and so I've found upping the cardio can help break water retainage.

But legs are tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. We're going to work out at the Gold's Gym where Jay Cutler trains (current Mr. Olympia) and I want the experience to be memorable, that is strong. I've found that if I trounce cardio the afternoon or evening before legs I can't handle as much. I want the legs to be fresh in the morning.

Took a nap about 3:30 p.m. Slept an hour. Feel better.

Planned out the Olympia experience which begins tomorrow when we pick up our VIP passes.

Now we are deciding on what's for dinner and where.

Last year we at Joe's in Caesar's Palace -- great seafood. May go there again.

Have also heard good things about "Stacks" in the Mirage.

Either way we plan on eating clean.

More tomorrow.

Train hard; diet harder.

Best,

Jim

Olympia - Day 1 - The Challenges of Travel

2010-09-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Typical travel day . . .

Got up at 6 a.m. Driver picked us up at 6:45 and arrived at the airport in Leon at 8:30.

Flight to Houston on time at 9:30. 2 hour layover there. Then 3 1/2 hours to Vegas.

Considering the time change, got here at 4 p.m. (6 p.m. CST).

Bus to car rental. Turn on GPS.

At last of the chicken breasts prepared last night for the trip on the way to Target for a few groceries and then on to Whole Foods for the rest of the "essentials" - egg whites, Ezekiel bread, cottage cheese, bottled water, coffee, and a salad and some prepared fish for dinner.

Back across Vegas to the MGM Signature on the strip where we have a condo for the week -- quick dinner in the room and then at 9 p.m. CST -- off to the gym.

Not the greatest workout, but beats nothing for sure. And that's the hard part -- to stay disciplined, to get it done. Not just go through the motions but to give everything you have, or at least everything you have left.

Back up to the room and finished off the fish. Now a little yogurt for "dessert" and off to bed.

Tomorrow will be back on schedule -- early morning workout and early evening cardio.

Olympia "weekend" starts on Wednesday and moves into full gear Thursday. www.mrolympia.com

Will provide the play by play in this blog as we move through the weekend and the weekend.

Take care. Train hard. Diet harder.

Jim

The Trip to 2010 Olympia Begins . . .

2010-09-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Technically, it begins tomorrow morning early. We have a 9:30 a.m. plane to Houston and then on to Las Vegas, arriving there about 3:45 p.m. Then headed to the MGM Signature where we have rented a condo, put our things away and head to the gym. Which brings me to . . .

RULE NUMBER 1: NEVER MISS WORKOUTS. At home we workout about 8 a.m., but when on the road, we workout when we can.

Today is prep-day. That means getting the usual things in bags -- clothes, swim suits, etc. But it also means our workout gear -- gloves, belts, straps. Which brings me to . . .

RULE NUMBER 2: DON'T USE BEING ON THE ROAD AS AN EXCUSE FOR ANYTHING. Take your stuff with you. Your workouts out there need to be as good or better than those in your gym at home.

We also are packing food to get through the long travel day tomorrow. I cooked half a dozen chicken breasts on the grill, put them in freezer bags and in the refrigerator. I'll pull them out on our way out the door in the morning and we'll eat them throughout the day. Same thing with a couple of sweet potatoes. They travel well cooked. We refilled our supplement boxes with our vitamins, minerals, etc. for 8 days. And, we packaged up enough Syntha-6 and Casein protein to get us through Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The show actually begins Thursday and we'll be able to replenish supply there. We've been to Vegas enough to know how to find Whole Foods and restaurants where we can eat clean throughout the week. Which brings me to . . .

RULE NMBER 3: YOU CAN EAT CLEAN ON THE ROAD IF YOU WANT TO. No excuses; only a lack of preparation and commitment can stop you.

Over the next week, I will blog regularly about the goings on at Mr. Olympia Weekend. You can find out more at www.mrolympia.com.

Have a great week! Train hard; diet harder!

Best,

Jim and Kelly

One Week Until Olympia . . .

2010-09-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

Kelly and I will be attending Olympia weekend in Las Vegas again this year, leaving a week from today.

Learn more about it at: http://www.mrolympia.com/

Should be a great show -- Jay Cutler will be trying to win his fourth title but there are some younger guns closing in. I will report daily from Vegas on this blog starting September 23rd.

I saw an interesting article I'll share on why salads aren't always the way to go, especially in restaurants. Here are five salads that are worse than a Burger King Whopper -- some by a long shot! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38741683/ns/today-today_health

We're back in the home gym now for another week. We had a tough chest routine today -- sometimes you do OK but really struggle. Today was one of those days.

Adding muscle is the name of the game at the moment. Once I return from the Olympia show I'll start cutting again. We have a beach trip coming up at the end of October and I want to look like I should be at the beach with no shirt on. ;)

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Opportunities On the Road: The Last Three Gyms

2010-09-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Back home tonight . . . but before getting here, however, I worked out in 3 more gyms in Texas:

1. L.A. Fitness (North Arlington) - Totally unlike the Irving, Texas L.A. Fitness I wrote about in an earlier blog. This had a good vibe, a good mix of people, a few hard-core (including my son who pulled 8 reps at 405 on the deadlift). Good equipment, but it still had an antiseptic feel, and I'm not sure I could make a regular habit of L.A. Fitness.

2. Gold's Gym (South Arlington) - I've worked out in this gym before and like it a lot. This is the gym my brother has worked out in for years and it has an almost perfect mix of modern and old-time hard-core. In the latter regard, it has a horizontal leg press machine, i.e., leg presses from flat on your back. I could barely walk the next day. The free weights are in a room all their own. Lots of heavy duty equipment here, not much fancy. Only downside is the cardio equipment -- most of the elliptical trainers are worn out.

3. Cleburne Fitness Center (Cleburne, Texas) - This is a small town gym in a small town south of Ft. Worth, Texas. Decent equipment but an old vibe from mostly older people, some of whom want to talk more than they want to work out. I worked out alone here and it reminds of the importance of a workout partner. Arnold said that a workout partner was the most important asset in his success as a bodybuilder. I believe it.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to getting back into my home gym, Fitness International. Lots of people I know and it is a friendly place which I find to be a real asset.

The point of this series? Look at opportunities to work out in new and different gyms as just that -- opportunities. Experiment with new equipment even if what you normally use is sitting right there. I always find that I get more sore using different equipment than I can using what I'm used to. And that's a good thing.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Opportunities On The Road - Legs at Gold's Gym - Arlington, Texas

2010-09-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

In the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, my favorite gym is, and has been for some time, Gold's Gym off Interstate 20 in Arlington. Again today I was not disappointed . . .

Wednesday is leg day and it is important to line up the best equipment for the biggest body part.

At this Gold's they have what it takes, including three of my favorite leg machines:

1. Icarian Plate Loaded Standing Squat - this mimics the barbell squat without as much danger of injury.

2. Horizonal Leg Press - there is no manufacturer's name on this but it is a great piece of equipment. You lie flat on the floor on your back (there is a pad) and push straight up against a plate loaded press. These used to be popular back in the days of Pumping Iron and I don't know why most gyms got rid of this killer piece of equipment.

3. Icarian Standing Face In Calf Machine -- on an angle, this pin-loaded machine supports the entire front of your body as you do calf raises. Really smokes them!

This gym (which is my brother's home gym) has the right vibe, a good mix of fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders, and has the best equipment pound for pound as I have seen in any gym, and that includes Gold's Venice Beach. Perhaps the only improvement that needs to be made is the cardio equipment. It is old and looks and feels that way.

It was a trek over there this morning but well worth it. Tomorrow morning is shoulders and we may use the hotel gym as a test to see if we can get a full-bore shoulder routine. If not, I may drive over to Arlington again. I just can't get enough of this club.

Thanks to Ken and Mauri for the invite and to the club's friendly staff who made us feel welcome.

Until tomorrow, train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Opportunities On The Road - Back at L.A. Fitness - Dallas, Texas

2010-08-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe I've just worked out in a gym too long, but L.A. Fitness doesn't work for me.

Too antiseptic; no soul; no one in there this morning even remotely hard-core.

It is what it says it is -- a "fitness" club.

Machines all in nice rows by body part; carpeted; and no one grunting or groaning. In fact, I didn't see anyone even speaking to each other. Felt, well, lonely.

Very regimented.

Which means it is probably right for most people; I have no problems with anyone's choice of workout experiences.

But we like something a bit more raw; actually a lot more raw.

We did back today - 20 sets, plus abdominals and 30 minutes on the Precor.

Nothing wrong with the workout; but the atmosphere was just not motivating. We're also without our NO supplement ("White Flood") and that makes a difference in energy levels, too.

An FYI on cool equipment -- I like the Nautilus Mid-Row machine - good range of motion and it keeps you strict.

Tomorrow is legs and we're going to try something new -- so stay tuned.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Opportunities On The Road - Chest at Gold's Gym - St. Louis, Missouri

2010-08-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Back to Gold's Gym in Fenton, Missouri this rainy morning.

This is what I call a "full-service" gym -- everything from a pool to a basketball court, huge classrooms to a cardio-cinema. For some, that's great. For me, it would be a waste of money. I come to the gym, any gym, for the weights and the cardio equipment, nothing else.

But, on a day rate, you get it all, or as much of it as you want. I do object to $16 a day but when we came in this morning, Kelly asked if the pass was for "a day" or "24 hours." The guy said, "I guess 24 hours." We were there 23 hours after we entered the last time and so saved $32. Try it.

Today we're back at the top of the order -- 18 sets of chest followed by 6 sets of calves and 30 minutes on a Cybex trainer for cardio/calorie burning. And, on the road, calorie burning is important because it is hard to stay as strict as you can be at home. At least that is true for me.

No new, latest-greatest machines to report today. Chest is pretty much heavy pressing and fly routines. I do like the Hammer Strength Incline plate-loaded machine, but we have one of those in my home gym and you probably do, too - good for the upper chest.

Before I forget, however, there is one machine I failed to mention in the last blog that is the best of the best for biceps -- it is the LifeFitness seated bicep pin-loaded machine. Produces a pump like no other. I've seen Jay Cutler use it in his videos and now I know why. If you get a chance, use it!

Something else I like about this gym is the floor- a solid rubber surface. Good because you don't have to be ginger with the weights. Wish all gyms had great flooring . . .

We leave St. Louis this afternoon and will be working out in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas area for the next four days. I'll keep you apprised.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Working Out -- On The Road - Making The Most of Opportunities - Shoulders at Gold's Gym - St. Louis, Missouri

2010-08-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

Most people who are serious about training tell me they like their "home gym," that being on the road sets them back.

I understand the thought, but here's another take on it . . . one that looks at new gyms as opportunities for new gains. Here's how . . .

Today, Kelly and I worked out at Gold's Gym, Fenton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

What we found as at least a dozen new opportunities in the form of equipment that we don't have at our home gym. It took some "testing" to separate the wheat from the chaffe (and there is plenty of chaffe when it comes to equipment), but we found a couple of killer machines today that smoked our shoulders, including:

1. LifeFitness Side Delt Machine. This one totally isolates the side deltoids. No matter how strict I try to be using dumbbell lateral raises, I can't isolate like this machine does. Tomorrow my delts will be toast -- the goal.

2. Hammer Strength Seated Trap Machine. I generally do traps with 80 or 90 pounds dumbbells and they work fine. One problem -- 90 pound dumbbells are dangerous, pure and simple. You can get injured pulling them out of the rack or putting them back in, not to mention the risk of your hands giving out and dropping one, God forbid. (By way of example, Kelly almost broke a finger a few weeks ago slamming a couple of heavy dumbbells back into the rack.) This machine (plate-loaded) gives you full range of motion while seated, taking a lot of strain off the lower back and if you drop the weight, no problem.

Of course, there are the downsides -- this gym had no "vibe" that I could feel. Just a bunch of strangers (to us and apparently to each other) doing their own things. I didn't see anyone encouraging anyone else, except me pushing Kelly and Kelly pushing me. At our home gym there is always banter, encouragement and teasing.

So, what to do? Look at the advantages, not the disadvantages. Anytime you work out in a new gym, you're going to have opportunities with new equipment -- test it, use it, take advantage of it. If you don't have your workout partner with you, and you can afford it, grab the most fit looking personal trainer and tell him/her to "rip me to shreds."

The next several blogs will highlight these opportunities because in the next week we'll be working out at four or five more gyms -- from a small key-entry gym to the mother of all hard-core gyms, MetroFlex in Texas, the place Ronnie Coleman trained as he was winning a record 8 Mr. Olympia titles.

After that, we'll go back home and be in the "home gym," Fitness International, after which we'll be going to Las Vegas to attend Mr. Olympia in late-September when we'll have the opportunity of working out in at least three more new gyms, including the Gold's that is home of Jay Cutler. Should be cool.

Now, one more unrelated observation . . . if you want to make money in the long-term in the USA, invest in companies that treat heart disease and diabetes. I have never seen so many fat -- really fat -- people and they seem to be getting noticeably fatter. It's sad. They don't know what they are missing and how easy it is to get in shape and stay there.

So, I'll keep preaching and, to that end, we'll will be giving two nutrition seminars during September, the curricula of which I'll post here in future blogs. Listen up, corporate America. These are programs your employees (the ones you're insuring against disease, most of which is caused by poor diet) should hear.

So, take care. Train hard. And, diet harder!

All the best,

Jim

Good Pain vs. Bad Pain (Continued)

2010-08-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Some interesting comments on the last post regarding the difference between "good pain" and "bad pain," but none more interesting that that of Jim Starr, gym owner and chiropractor extraordinaire who had this to add . . .

Good pain is experienced as a short term burning sensation that lasts usually a few seconds and up to 3 minutes depending on each persons particular recovery time. Good pain may experience a stiffness and soreness following an exercise routine and can last up to 36 hours after exercise.

This pain is the result of A) micro tearing of muscle fibers which is necessary for muscle growth and /or B) the accumulation of lactic acid (the by-product of muscle energy) which is stored in the belly of the muscle until our body can rid itself of this waste product.

Good pain should the only be felt in the MUSCLE or MUSCLES being exercised and never, ever in other locations such as antagonistic muscles or worse.... the surrounding JOINTS.

Clinically, there are three stages of any condition that separates an injury from good pain.

First is called "ACUTE" pain which is usually sharp pain that creates immediate cessation of the movement that caused it. The body has only instinctive reactions to this pain and will do almost anything to protect us from ouselves. This pain lasts anywhere from minutes to up to 72 hours.

"SUB-ACUTE" pain is a condition where the pain experienced in the acute stage either increase in intensity or remains at current levels but can last up to 6 weeks. Often this is the worst of the conditions because our bodies adaptability screens the pain levels and we continue to perforn activities which create a vicious cycle of re-injury and no heal time. Many times we medicate ourselves in this stage and trick ourselves into believing that we are improving and we can continue on with our workout. This is the stage where you will hear yourself saying "of course it hurts but that is just the price of working out" or "I ain´t no sissy...I can handle a LITTLE PAIN!"

The third stage is "CHRONIC" pain. This, too, is tricky because either you never humbled yourself enough to see a physician and find out what and why your hurt or your simply have learned "to live with it." This stage begins after 6 weeks of consistent pain and can last for years if gone untreated or at least un-CONFRONTED!

We are stubborn beings, that is for sure. We are egotistical and cannot bear the thought that we are not INVINCIBLE. The pain of missing a few workouts and listening to your body is sometimes greater than the pain you are experiencing physically. This is a dangerous stage thats sets up degenerative changes in your body, especially your joints, and can lead to either disabling situations, permanent medicating, joint replacement or any combination of the above.

Workouts should be fun and beneficial...or else they should not be done. While the benefits of exercise... mentally, emotionally and physically are innumerable, there are life lessons to be learned all during the process of workouts, too. Controlling our ego, stabilizing our stubbornness, and learning to dance with our body instead of forcing it to do things that nature sometimes is telling us not to do - those are the keys.

Pain: Good or Bad?

2010-08-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Pain -- is it good or is it bad? When it comes to the gym, it's both and neither.

There are two kinds of pain people feel during and after intense resistance training:

1. Muscle fatigue and micro-tears of the muscles -- this is 'good pain.' This is what causes hypertrophy -- bigger muscles.

2. Connective tissue pain -- this is 'bad pain.' This is the feel of tendons and other connective tissue being pulled to the point of injury. And those of us who have experienced this pain know like love it is not necessarily forever, but it can feel like it.

I watch people workout and can almost tell you to the person who is going to get hurt -- as in 'bad hurt' -- as in the kind of hurt that puts them out of commission for a while or forever.

Here are the three categories of people who are hurt or about to get that way:

1. The Testosterone boys. These are the young guys who come in together, all worked up, do no stretching, warmup exercises, and try to handle weight way above their physical capacity in order to impress their buddies. Instead they leave hurt and I rarely see them again.

2. Look What I Can Lift guys. Mostly guys, but some girls, too, and here's the problem -- they are more interested in how much weight they can handle rather than their look and overall physical condition. They are powerlifters or wanna-be powerlifters. They almost always go down to injury.

3. To Hell With The Form folks. These people never learned to lift right -- don't know what range of motion means, what the squeeze is, how many sets or reps are ideal, and mostly how to perform a repetition with heavy weight in a way that minimizes risk of injury. They need a trainer before they hurt themselves. Unfortunately, most of them hurt themselves and then decide they need a trainer.

There is a fine line between not putting 100% into your workouts and getting poor results and putting too much into the workout and ending up injured.

After spending a lot of time in the gym, you get better. You know the difference between 'good pain' and 'bad pain.' Better than having to learn the difference by trial and error is to avoid being in one of the three categories I discussed above.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Dieting Rules You Should Never Violate

2010-08-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

So, you want to lose weight? Or better said, you want to lose fat . . .

More people fail on diets than ever succeed and there are many reasons, most of which go to a lack of real commitment.

Other reasons for failure fall into what I'll call the technical category -- good intentions but a failure in execution.

Under this heading there are three rules that should NEVER be violated if you're serious about losing fat . . .

1. DON'T EAT OUT. The universal truth in dieting is understanding energy balance, meaning calories coming in must be less than calories being burned. If you take the calories used by your your basal metabolic rate and add your exercise calories each day and then subtract the calories you want to take out of your diet each day, you will get to the number of calories you can eat each day.

But you can only get to that number if you can count those calories. And that is where restaurant eating doesn't work. You don't know the quantity (weight) of the food you are being served. You don't know what went into the food. You don't know how much oil and fat was used in cooking the food. Don't argue. You don't know. And because you don't know, you don't know the calories you've consumed and if you can't count them, you can't be accountable for them and if you're not accountable you will NOT lose weight. Exception -- If you just have to eat out in order to have a happy life, limit it to once per week, one dish at one meal that you don't count. Consider that your one "cheat meal" each week.

2. STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL. That's right. Alcohol = empty calories. More importantly, your body stops burning fat when it is metabolizing alcohol. I didn't make the rule so don't blame the messenger. That's the way it works. I have found that even when I stay inside my calorie range, if any of those calories are made up of alcohol, I will not lose weight. My metabolism is shut down long enough to allow the body to retain fat. So, when I'm dieting, when I want to lose fat, I stop drinking altogether. Exception: If I do a cheat meal, instead of a dessert I might have a glass of wine as my "treat" that week.

3. EXERCISE EVERY DAY. Every day. Every day. Every single day. The key to losing fat is keeping the metabolism revved. That means at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day -- that's minimum. We get 5 days a week with the weights - 1 1/2 hours a session, plus 6-7 days a week of cardio (30 minutes per session.) You don't have to jump off the deep end like that unless you want to, but I can tell you as a matter of certainty that if you don't exercise daily, the weight, if it comes off at all, will come off much more slowly. Why? You let your metabolism slow down. Exception: There are no exceptions to this rule. Exercise every day.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Maximizing Muscle; Minimizing Fat - Up and Down The Scale

2010-08-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

170.0 today - at a 500 calorie deficit per day, I'm cutting down as planned.

After hitting 163, I decided several months ago to add some muscle. That means putting excess calories into the diet. It would be nice to be able to pack on muscle while calorie neutral or even deficient. This is the myth of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time -- emphasis on the word "myth."

Reality is that if you want to add muscle, you have to be willing to add a little fat at the same time. Conversely, when you lose fat you'll lose a little muscle at the same time. The goal is to add as much muscle as possible on the way up and lose as little muscle as possible on the way down.

How can you do it?

On the way up, it is important to go slow. In the old days, bodybuilders would just eat anything and everything during their bulking phases. They'd put on a lot of muscle and a lot of fat. Now, there is a more scientific, healthy and effective way of doing it all while not having to have two sets of clothes. It is called "lean bulk" and it means adding calories slowly over a period of time, e.g., 2-3 months, and working out heavy and reducing the amount of cardio. In this way, you'll add whatever muscle your body is capable of adding while minimizing the amount of fat it adds at the same time. I added 500 calories a day over my BMR + exercise calories which added about a pound a week.

On the way down, it is also important to go slow. Trying to take it off 2 or 3 pounds a week only insures you will take off most of the muscle you've added during your bulking phase. Rather, I've stripped the 500 I added during the bulking phase and another 500 calories on top of that from my BMR + exercise. That equates to about a pound a week. I've lightened up on the weight and added reps and sets, and added more cardio (now 7 days a week). I have dropped from 173.8 to 170 in 2 weeks, a little more than I had anticipated but it will probably slow a little from here as the percentage of body fat drops.

The goal is to take as much fat off and as little muscle off as I move down the scale to about 165-166, and then take a body fat measurement and figure out how much muscle I added during the lean bulk phase. The acid test, however, is the look, and that is why I take a few photos as I drop (or add) each pound. By doing this you can compare your development over a period of time, e.g., 3 months, 6 months, a year. You'll be surprised at what you can do.

I'll keep you apprised over the next few weeks. Hope all is going well.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Cutting the Carbs . . .

2010-07-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

I find that when I want to lean up it is more effective to cut BOTH calories and carbohydrates.

After a period of adding muscle when calories must exceed amount needed, I like to strip off the fat that was added and see what's left.

That's where I am now.

I went from 165 to 173.5 over several months, lifted heavy, and now want to take it back to about 165 or so and see what it looks like.

I don't want to take 1,000 calories a day out of my diet (as I did during the big loss phase last year) because I don't need to and I know that if I take that many calories out my body will go catabolic and some of the muscle gains I've made will be lost, i.e., the body consuming muscle.

So, I am taking 500 calories a day out and moving my carbohydrates down to 120 grams or less per day. In just the last three days, I've moved from 173.5 to 171.6.

Here were my totals from yesterday:

Calories 1742.5
Carbohydrates 107.9
Fat 61.2
Protein 191.8

That left me short about 550 calories (considering the exercise from yesterday) - right on target.

The key will be keeping the energy levels up when the carbs are this low and that means (for me) eating at least 7 times a day -- very small meals that are high in protein. I know I'm doing good when I feel hungry often. I feel better when I know I can satiate that hunger.

Over the next several weeks I'll take you with me on this little journey and provide some commentary as we go along. Hope it helps.

If you'd like to see my diet from yesterday (or any day during this process), e-mail me at jimkarger@mac.com and I'll forward it back by e-mail.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Exercise Routine: Does It Matter?

2010-07-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of questions in my sessions about workouts -- splits, sets, days, exercises.

Important questions but not in the way they are often intended. Let me explain . . .

Splits, sets, exercises etc. matter only after the most important issues are addressed, and those are:

1. Diet. You can eat more bad things in 30 minutes than you can work off in 8 hours. Unless you have the diet under control, are counting calories, carbs, fat, and protein and getting at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and no more than 1 gram of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight, you'll never reach your goal -- if your goal is to look lean and muscled.

2. Intensity. I have the opportunity to work out in a lot of gyms and I'd say less than 25% of the people I see are working out at an intensity level that will take them to the next stage of their physical development. When I say intensity, I'm not talking about yelling, screaming, cursing and grunting. I'm talking about focus and the ability to work through pain, to get an extra rep after you believe there is nothing left. This comes with focus and practice.

3. Regularity. We work weights 5 days a week as follows:

Monday - Chest/Abdominals
Tuesday - Back/Calves
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Off
Friday - Arms/Abdominals
Saturday - Shoulders/Traps/Calves
Sunday - Off

What we do and the order we do it in is not important, at least not as important as doing it - every week -- not missing a workout, even when we're on the road.

Only then can we talk about exercises. We train primarily with basic movements -- bench press (barbell and dumbbell) , squats (machine and bar), dead lifts, pull ups, and barbell overhead presses. Everything else follows these. I'm not a 'one-arm reverse wrist curl while standing on an exercise ball" kind of guy.

Bottom line: If you haven't got your diet right, you're wasting your time. You'll never add muscle and you'll never look ripped. And that maybe OK -- no judgment there. But I am perplexed when I get e-mails about how this guy or that girl followed my routine and didn't get results. I always go back and focus on their diet and in every case they were getting too many carbs, too many calories, and not enough protein. And, final thought for today -- if you think of the gym as a social experience, then enjoy it. Just don't expect results, except perhaps some new friends.

Train hard; diet harder!

Have a great week.

Jim

Separating Resistance Training From Cardio

2010-07-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Kelly and I have long discussed the problem of following weight training with cardio.

In short, if you're putting everything you have into 20-28 sets of resistance training per workout, there is little, if anything, left for cardio.

We've tried putting cardio before weights and the results there -- even worse -- a noticeable decline in energy levels and the ability to handle heavy weight.

I have read and talked to some bodybuilders about the problem and most of them split cardio away from the weights, e.g., cardio in the morning and weights in the afternoon, or vice versa.

Problem? It means going to the gym twice a day and we're just too busy to get that done on a consistent basis.

Which brings me to the solution -- we purchased two elliptical trainers and are reconfiguring our garage into a mini-gym -- the trainers, a complete set of dumbbells and a couple of benches. This is not to replace the gym in any way, but allows us to work weak areas we have designated for improvement at home and, most importantly, separate cardio from the weight training.

We've been on the program a couple of weeks now and love it.

We get up, go to the gym, put all we've got into it, come home, work, rest, and then late in the afternoon or early evening, get our cardio. And cardio feels very different -- we're rested, relaxed, and ready. We can hit it harder, burn more calories and feel we've given the best we can in both areas -- weights and cardio.

Only caveat -- don't do cardio too close to bedtime -- you rev the metabolism and body doesn't want to sleep. We've found, though, that if you finish your cardio at least 2 hours before bedtime, no problem. You'll sleep like a baby.

That's news from the home front. Hope all is well.

Train hard; diet harder!

Best,

Jim
Plus50Fitness.com

Back: The Forgotten Body Part

2010-07-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

Look at most people who train and their back will almost always be their weakest body part.

It makes sense. We don't see our backs.

Unfortunately for most, everyone else does.

First and foremost, train your back just as you train every other body part. We are currently training five days a week -- Chest, Back, Legs, Arms, and Shoulders (with abs and calves mixed in two of those days each week.) Notice back is trained just like every other major body part.

Here's some good exercises for you to try -- keep it fresh and you'll keep it going:

Incline dumbbell rows. Lie face-down on an incline bench and row two dumbbells up, rotating your wrists from an overhand grip at the bottom to a palms-facing-your-sides grip at the top.

One-arm pulldowns With one hand. Grab a D-handle attached to a pulldown cable. Pull the handle down to the side of your chest (armpit area). With a longer range of motion, it’s easier to place more emphasis on the contraction than in a standard (two-hand) pulldown.

Seated cable high rows. With an overhand grip, grasp two ends of a rope attached to a low cable. Pull the rope back and up and separate the two parts so that at the top position, your hands are near your face but at opposite sides. This exercise combines a low cable row with an upright row; it works the lats and the lower and upper traps.

High-cable arms-out pulldowns. Stand in the middle of a cable crossover station and hold D-handles attached to two high cables (your arms will be out and up). Pull your elbows down and to your sides at the same time. You should feel a strong stretch in your outer lats at the top and a firm contraction in your inner, lower traps at the bottom position.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

You've Heard It Before -- Now, Hear It Again . . .

2010-06-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Water.

Yep. Water.

One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study.

Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Don't like water? Spice it up with a little no-cal Kool Aid or one of the many variations on the theme and keep a gallon or two in the refrigerator. If it is available and cold you're more likely to drink it. I know I am.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

7 weeks and 3.5 pounds later . . .

2010-05-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

7 weeks on the road feels more like 7 months . . .

Waking up in hotels, forgetting where you are, what city you're in, and eating almost every meal out is not good for the body. Except when I could make it to a store and buy packaged tuna and protein powder, I had to try and do the right thing eating out. It is not easy and I learned about the importance of having a refrigerator in the room.

In those 7 weeks I put on 3.5 pounds, and that was even in with personal effort to keep the diet under control.

The question is, of course, why? Why does travel and weight gain go together?

Here's the best I can come up with . . .

1. Calories Per Meal. At home, each meal contains an average of about 300 calories. This keeps the metabolism going, never bogging it down and causing fat storage of excess calories. There is no such thing as a 300 calorie restaurant meal, unless you order a small salad, talk the cook into a chicken breast that hasn't been soaked in oil, and bring your own salad dressing.

2. Number of meals. At home, I eat 6 to 7 meals a day. On the road, it is usually 3 or 4 meals, all larger. The larger the meal, the more negative impact on metabolism.

3. Sodium. Holy Smoke! The amount of salt they put into food is disturbing, yet I got used to it quickly on the road. That's the problem -- you stop noticing. And sodium causes all kinds of problems, including higher blood pressure, lower energy levels, and water retention.

4. Alcohol. This wasn't really a problem for me, but I could see it becoming a problem if I'd stayed out there much longer. After a long day at work, a lot of folks want to have a drink or two or three. Sometimes, it is hard not to join in the fun.

5. Stress. Work is often stressful. That causes people (including me) to eat more. And, eat more or not, stress results in the creation of cortisol by the body which has been linked to fat storage.

6. Exercise. I didn't miss too many workouts while I was out, but they were often rushed or abbreviated due to time constraints. It often meant working out after work which is not good for me. I do better and can hit it harder and longer if I get up and get to the gym in the norning. That also translates into less work, less calories expended, and less continuing metabolic effect.

7. Rhythm. This is more difficult to explain, but doing the same things at the same times each day, while it may sound boring, is good for the body. Eating, working out, sleeping -- all important and all can get out of synch when other demands control your life.

So, what's the answer?

I don't believe there is a good answer beyond staying off the road as much as possible.

For me that means never doing it again. Sure, I'll go out on the road from time to time, but not for 7 weeks, not even for 5, or 4 or 3 weeks. Staying in condition is too important to my physical and mental well-being to trade it for a few extra dollars.

That's a personal choice, of course, but it is my choice.

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day weekend.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Keeping it together when traveling on business . . . advice to the road warriors

2010-05-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

Just as I began my cutting diet six weeks ago, duty called.

I have now been on the road for six weeks -- not just 3 or 4 days a week, but seven days a week. Indeed, this is the first time I've been home in six weeks and I'll be here all of four days. Then it is back to wars for two more weeks.

The lessons I've learned are important . . .

- If you are working 10 - 12 hours a day, there is no way to stay in "condition." Sure, you can stay in "shape," keep the weight down, but no way, no how, can you work out enough and with enough intensity to build muscle, or carve up.

- I have learned to get two workouts in every weekend on the road, and then squeeze two into the week, usually finding a gym that stays open late and showing up about 9 p.m.

- The other mornings (and sometimes evenings) I find the workout room in the hotel and climb on the elliptical trainer just to burn calories and keep the metabolism going.

- I eat clean on the road but don't always get all my meals and find myself developing a bad habit -- getting most of my calories after 2 p.m. Not good. I can do better there.

- I am within a pound of the weight I was six weeks ago, but that hard, etched look is nowhere to be found. Not surprising and easily correctable when I can get back into my groove at home . . .

So, here's some advice to you road warriors . . .

1. Don't expect to be entering any physique competitions -- you will lose to those who can stay at home, keep strict on their diets, not eating out, and working out hard five days a week.

2. You can stay in shape by always working out on the weekends and squeezing two, maybe three, workouts in on the road.

3. When you can't work out, at least do 30 or 40 minutes of cardio a day -- keep the metabolism boosted.

4. Eat clean, watch your calories. DietController, the software I use, has been very valuable because I can watch my calories and protein intake as I go through every day and keep it within the speed limit.

5. Try to get your sleep. This is very difficult for me. I am an 8-hour sleeper, if given a chance, but I almost never get that on the road, oftentimes subsisting on 5 or 6 hours a night for a week at a time. To help me when I am wound up, I have found a natural compound called "Lean Dreams" that includes L-Tryptophan that promotes deep sleep as well as a compound that helps reduce cortisol.

In the four days I'm at home I am working out, not surprisingly, all four days. Monday finds me back on the road, returning home May 28th, after which I intend to stay put, get back in the groove, without too much damage having been done living in various Hampton Inns across the country.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Reflections From Gold's Venice Beach

2010-04-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

One of the few advantages of being on the road is working out in new gyms -- different equipment makes for different angles on the muscles and keeps you fresh -- never bored using the same equipment day after day.

Never is that so true than when you get to work out in one of the many famous gyms around the world.

When I am in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, for example, I often work out at MetroFlex in Arlington, Texas -- home of Ronnie Coleman (8 time Mr. Olympia winner) and Branch Warren (2nd in last year's Mr. Olympia contest.) It is the definition of "hard core" - old equipment, heavy duty, with a lot custom-fabricated pieces just to handle the monsters who work out there. It's dirty, but motivating.

This weekend I have been able to workout in perhaps the most famous gym in the world -- Gold's in Venice Beach, California. This is the gym where Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, and Franco Columbo, and dozens of others who brought bodybuilding out of the YMCA's and into the spotlight worked out in the 70's. While now at a different location in Venice, California, the vibe is still there and so are hundreds of photos that litter the walls of those who came before. The only photo missing under the "Mr. Olympia" section is Arnold. For some reason I don't know he asked that his picture be removed. His loss.

The gym is huge but relatively crowded in certain areas. Most cool is the "outdoor" area where there is equipment you can use outside in the sunshine -- only in southern California. Unlike the old days, Gold's Venice has not only the professional bodybuilders but regular folks who are fighting the fat battle, and all types in between. The only disturbing site was a few women who apparently had been professional bodybuilders years before but who stayed on the steroids way too long. The look is indescribable, sad, and reminds me why the natural way is way to getting in top physical condition and staying there.

We worked arms, did a half of cardio, and left. The memories will stay fresh for a while.

This morning we switched to Gold's in Redondo Beach near our hotel. I've worked out there many times before. Plenty of equipment but not a great feel, not a positive vibe, and that is what makes gyms different - that something you just can't put your finger on but you know exists. Some feel like home. Others make you feel less than welcome. At each and every one of them you can get serious, get your workout, and create some memories that you won't soon forget.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Are You Ready for Summer? Here's A Way You Can Be In 16 weeks

2010-04-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

So you want to look great this summer?

It's not easy. There are lots to tricks to the trade of leaning up. Lots of questions like how many grams of protein should I eat each day? Carbs? Vegetables? What supplements should I be taking? How do I stop my metabolism from slowing down when I cut the calories?

The answer? You have to pay attention to the key nutrition numbers.

Here's a great article on those numbers and how to achieve your conditioning goals.

Cut and paste this address into your browser:

http://fullyflexed.com/1-2-3-grow

Good luck!

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

It's Diet AND Exercise -- You Can EAT Those Extra Calories!

2010-04-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we're full-bore into our cutting diets now . . .

Shaving 500 calories a day out which equals about a pound a week.

I could move faster but I'd lose muscle in the process and I've spent way too much time and energy packing it on to shave it back off.

What I notice more than anything is how important the exercise is during this time.

There's the obvious -- burn more calories = lose more fat.

But there's more.

Burn more calories = eating more.

That's right. Without burning calories in the gym with the weights and the cardio, I would stay hungry.

Right now, I'm off to the gym. I've already eaten Meals 1 and 2 and that means I've already eaten 629 calories. Doesn't sound like much but my metabolic rate gives me 2000 calories today. My diet plan shaves 500 calories off that, leaving me 1500. It's 10:30 in the morning and I've already eaten over 600 of those, leaving me just 870 calories for the rest of the day!

Not enough.

Enter exercise.

At the gym, I'll knock off about 350 with my weight training, and another 350 or so with cardio.

That's 700 more calories -- that I will eat and still make my diet plan.

Getting In Shape For Summer: The 7 Week Formula

2010-04-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

After taking off about 60 pounds between February and September, 2009, I looked in the mirror and wanted to be bigger -- not bigger as in fatter, but more muscled.

So, 3 months ago Kelly and I went on a "bulking" routine I have written about extensively in this blog.

That routine ended earlier this week.

In that 12 week period, I put on 9 pounds, going from 163 to 172 pounds.

While it would be nice to think if one works out everyday, eats clean, he or she will gain only muscle. Nice, but not true. At best, gains are divided between muscle and fat.

So, now, about 7 weeks from June 1 -- a/k/a "summertime," we're moving into our "Cutting Phase," which means to cut off whatever fat was added during the Bulking Phase and leave the added muscle.

My goal is to be at 10% body fat by June 1. I roughly calculate I need to lose about a pound a week between now and then. That means I need to have a deficit of 3500 calories per week, or 500 calories per day.

No problem. I plugged that Diet Plan into my software, DietController and off we go. By using software and a food scale, you can dial yourself in exactly where you want to be.

In the case of cutting, it gets a bit more complicated. If the body starts feeling hunger, it will go what is called "catabolic," and that means it will begin eating muscle to provide the protein it wants and needs -- not a good thing. You can easily lose the muscle you worked so hard to gain.

So, how to do we prevent going catabolic while calorie deficient?

1. We still eat 7 times a day. The meals are smaller in order to take into consideration the calorie deficit, but the body wants to know that the nutrition is there.

2. The 7th meal will not be before bed, but during the night. If the body runs out of nutrients at night, while you are asleep, it will go catabolic. To prevent that, we will take a small protein meal and put it on our night stands. I usually wake up about 2 a.m. anyway and instead of just going to the restroom, we will also eat our small meals.

3. Glutamine. An amino acid, adding this to our diet can help the body not go catabolic. The reasons are too complex to go into here, but putting a spoonful in your workout drink in the morning and in your water in the evening is easy. It is odorless, tasteless and it does the work.

4. BCAA's. Branch chain amino acids. Performs the same service as Glutamine, more or less. We take BCAA capsules in the morning and before bed.

5. Cardio. I like to eat. Extra cardio equals more food. During this cutting phase, we will do double cardio 2 - 3 days a week. It burns extra calories which means it adds calories we can eat. It also helps speed the metabolism.

6. Resistance training. We're now on a 5 day a week workout routine -- one body part per day (about 24 sets) as follows:

Monday - Legs
Tuesday - Chest/Calves
Wednesday - Back
Thursday - Shoulders/Traps
Friday - Arms/Abdominals

On Saturday, no resistance training, but double cardio. Sunday we take off.

Repeat for 7 weeks and I'll be 7 pounds lighter, almost all in the form of lost fat, leaving several pounds of muscle added during the Bulking Routine.

How long will we stay that lean? It depends on how we feel. The downside of being that lean is that you lose some strength and it is hard to put on muscle because you don't give yourself more calories than you're using. For sure a couple of months we'll stay there and perhaps through September. By October, though, if not before, we'll be back on another Bulking routine looking to add more muscle.

Bottom line: "You can't add muscle after 50 years old" is a lie, an excuse for those who want to lay around and get fat. If you want to muscle up after 50, you can. You'll have to train hard and diet harder, but the rewards are well worth it.

Transitioning From Growth to Cutting . . .

2010-04-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

The Growth Phase of our 10 week program ended yesterday. See the entire 10 week routine which I've reproduced at the end of this blog.

We're back on one body part per day in the gym as follows:

Day 1 - Quads/Hamstrings
Day 2 - Chest/Calves
Day 3 - Back/Forearms
Day 4 - Shoulders/Traps
Day 5 - Biceps/Triceps

Through the 10 weeks from Active Recovery to Loading to Growth, our strength went up, way up, and to a lesser degree so did the body weight by intention. For example, I went from 163 to 172 during this period.

Now, we are going cut off any added fat through increasing cardio and decreasing carbs and I will get down to 10% body fat (legit) and see how much of that 9 pounds was muscle.

NOTE: Just as there was a mental barrier in gaining weight (even though that was the goal) there will now be a barrier to losing it because with some of the weight will go some of the added strength we have enjoyed.

Bottom line: You are either building or cutting -- nothing in between that I know of. If you're building, you're going to get stronger and you're going to get a little smoother, too. If you're cutting, you're going to lose some of that strength but you will cut up, get vascular, and frankly, look better. It is a trade off, plain and simple.

Before we leave our 10 week program about which I have discussed much in this blog, I have reproduced it all below. Hope you enjoy it. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Workout parameters are determined by the phase of the program you are in. There are three phases that we will be repeating over and over again.

The first week will be an “Active Recovery Phase”. In this phase you will only train with weights twice a week on a full body routine before you start the next phase which will be called the “Loading Phase”.

The “Loading Phase”, which is three weeks in duration, is going to be a high volume phase with short rest between sets. Training volume gradually increases over the course of the three weeks in order to stress the body almost to the point of overtraining.

Then the next three weeks are going to be a higher intensity/lower volume phase (heavier weights) with longer periods of rest between sets. This phase is called the “Growth Phase”, as volume is reduced but weights are increased in order to let the body catch up and super compensate (grow muscle size and strength).

The Active Recovery Phase

The Active Recovery Phase has three main functions:

•First, according to leading strength expert Tudor Bompa, Ph.D., “you are trying to adapt the anatomy of the body to the upcoming training so that you can create, or produce an injury free environment”. Essentially, your tendons and ligaments should be strong enough to support the stressful periods that will follow.

•Second, this phase is a great time to address any strength imbalance that your body might have. This is the reason why mostly dumbbell work will be used during this phase.

•Finally, this phase will act as a great time in which the body will re-charge its energy stores and allow for complete physical and mental recuperation.

The Loading Phase

During the Loading Phase the body is stressed with an increasing high volume of work that if kept for too long will eventually result in overtraining and injury. During this phase, three things will happen:

•The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.

•The body’s recuperation capabilities are upgraded in response to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work coupled with short rest intervals.

The Growth Phase

During the Growth Phase the body is not stressed by volume. This time the stimuli are heavy weights. If this phase would be kept for too long eventually the body would cease to stop making strength gains and you would plateau. This is the reason why you always need to go back to a Loading Phase. During this phase the following three things will happen:

•The testosterone levels go through the roof in response to the longer rest in between sets and the heavier weights.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the actual diameter of the myofiber (the muscle fiber size) through increased protein synthesis (Note: protein synthesis is creating protein strands through DNA and RNA and it takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell.)

•Since your body’s recuperation abilities were built up to the maximum by the previous phase and the volume has gone down dramatically, these extra recuperation abilities are used to increase strength and build more muscle mass. The reason the body does this is in order to be prepared for another stressful period like the one it just went through. This adaptation mechanism is the one that ensures the survival of the species.

Even if you are training for fat loss, your main goal should always be to stimulate growth. Otherwise, if you were to drastically reduce training poundage in order to perform a lot of high reps, there would be no reason for the body to keep the muscle around. Because of this, you should always train with muscle growth in mind and let the nutrition and the cardiovascular exercise take care of reducing your body fat levels.

Here is the training cycle we used:

Week 1 – Active Rest

Monday/Thursday:

Modified Compound Superset:
(Rest 1 minute after the 1st set of exercise 1 and then do the first set of exercise 2. Then rest a minute and go back to exercise 1. Continue this pattern until both exercises are done for the prescribed amount of sets).

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
One Arm Dumbbell Rows 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Dumbbell Bench Press 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Pulldown to Front 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Bent Over Lateral Raises 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Curls 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Dumbbell Lunges 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Leg Curls 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)

Squats 2 sets x 10 reps (2 minute rest)

Calf Raise 3 sets x 10 reps (2 minute rest).

Weeks 2, 3, and 4 – Loading Phase

Notes: If unable to train 6 days a week, then perform Day 1 on Monday, Day 2 on Wednesday and Day 3 on Friday.

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

On Week 3, add:

Superset:
Bent Over Laterals 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Concentration Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

On Week 4, add:

Superset:
Lateral Raises 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Hammer Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Dips 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Day 2 – Legs (Tuesday/Friday)

Superset:
Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wide Stance Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

On Week 3, add:

Superset:
Leg Extensions 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Seated Leg Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
One Legged Calf Raises with Dumbbells 3 sets x 15-20 reps (1 minute rest)

On Week 4, add:

Superset:
Leg Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Dead lifts 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Calf Press (on Leg Press Machine) 3 sets x 15-20 reps (1 minute rest)

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

On Week 3, add:

Superset:
One Arm Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Knee-Ins 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

On Week 4, add:

Superset:
Stiff Arm Pulldowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Incline Flyes 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Side Crunches 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

Weeks 1, 2, & 3 – Growth Phase

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday)

Modified Compound Superset:
Military Press 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Rear Delt Rows (Performed on T-Bar Row Machine, elbows and upper arms away from torso in order to primarily stimulate the Rear Delts and not the Lats) 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
E-Z Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Lying E-Z Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
E-Z Preacher Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Triceps Dips 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 2 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 2 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Day 2 – Legs (Tuesday/Friday)

Modified Compound Superset:
Squats 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Lying Leg Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Wide Stance Squats 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 2 sets x 12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 2 sets x 12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Calf Press 4 sets x 8-10 reps (No rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Modified Compound Superset:
Incline Barbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 2 sets x 10-12 reps (No Rest)
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 2 sets x 15-20 reps (No Rest)

Superset:
Hanging Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (No Rest)
Crunches (performed on Decline Bench) 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

Week 4 – Active Rest

Monday/Thursday

Modified Compound Superset:
(Rest 1 minute after the 1st set of exercise 1 and then do the first set of exercise 2. Then rest a minute and go back to exercise 1. Continue this pattern until both exercises are done for the prescribed amount of sets).
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
One Arm Dumbbell Rows 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Modified Compound Superset:
Dumbbell Bench Press 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Pulldown to Front 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Modified Compound Superset:
Bent Over Lateral Raises 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Modified Compound Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Curls 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Modified Compound Superset:
Dumbbell Lunges 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Leg Curls 3 sets x 10 reps (1 minute rest)
Squats 2 sets x 10 reps (2 minute rest)
Calf Raise 3 sets x 10 reps (2 minute rest)
Training Routine Notes

Notice on the routine above that some exercises for body parts like forearms, traps, rotator cuff, and inner/outer thighs are still performed for high repetitions in superset fashion (one after the other with no rest in between). The reason for this is because these are auxiliary muscle groups that get enough indirect stimulation from the rest of the basic exercises. Therefore they do not need to adhere to the same cycling principles that the other muscle groups require.

In addition, notice that while we do vary the volume of exercise for Abs and Calves, we still adhere to using supersets and pretty high repetitions. This is because these type of muscles are endurance type muscles and therefore respond better to heavy weights performed for a relatively high number of repetitions. This is true of the abdominals as well. As soon as you start being able to do more repetitions for the abdominal muscles than what is recommended in the routine, feel free to start adding resistance to the movement. This will bring a quality to the muscle that is not seen on bodybuilders that do not train their abs with weights.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Countdown To Our 10 Week Cutting Diet

2010-04-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

We have one more day on the Growth Phase -- heavy weight, added calories, neurological intensity in addition to muscle breakdown. Really changing body shape.

But, and this is a big but, you can't gain muscle without gaining some fat. Because I like to have the lean look, I'm actually looking forward to the next 10 weeks of dieting that begins Thursday.

I will drop from about 14% to 10% body fat during that period. It is a 4% move. At 171 pounds today, that is about 6 - 7 pounds of fat to lose carefully over 10 weeks.

"Carefully" is the operative term. It is easy to lose weight, hard to preserve muscle during the process. I wish it was just cutting out 3,500 calories a week and losing a pound of fat. It's not.

Here's a few significant factors to consider when dieting off the last bit of fat, followed by an excellent article that discusses each of them:

1. The body adapts to reduced-calorie intake.

2. Some calories are more readily stored as bodyfat.

3. Protein protects muscle mass.

4. Hormones shift during a diet.

5. The glycemic index of foods impacts bodyfat burning.

6. Meal frequency is very important.

7. What you eat and when matters.

Here's an excellent article discussing each of these factors in detail. I highly recommend it!

http://fullyflexed.com/evolution-of-fat-loss

Train hard, diet harder!

Jim

Secret to Success? Back to Basics

2010-04-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

We are now in the 10th week of this 10 week program -- last week of the Growth Phase. Indeed, this was our final leg routine before moving on next week to a completely new routine -- one that will supplement our cutting diet which beings on April 15 with a view to being in "summer shape" June 1. (See the end of this blog for today's workout.)

We've learned a lot during these last 10 weeks, and here are the Big 3 lessons:

1. Back to basics. If you're not doing free squats, barbell bench press, free bar dead lifts, and unassisted pull ups, you're cheating yourself. All the fancy equipment built to focus on the different body parts are NOT a substitute for the basics that are the core of every successful physique competitor's routine.

2. Heavy. Light weight is a waste of time. Regardless where you are in your development, the goal is always to build muscle. The only way to do that is to lift heavy weight, using proper form and full range of motion. We see a lot of folks in the gym who come to socialize. That's fine if you don't expect results. We see others who load on the weight and then limit the range of motion to the point it accomplishes nothing, e.g., guys who load 8 plates on each side of the leg press machine and then have a drop of about 3 or 4 inches, or cross their arms across their chest which acts both as a limit on the range of motion and allows one to use their arms to cheat the weight up. Decide what it is you want -- to assuage your ego or to get big and muscular. The former lets you cheat; the latter means you lift heavy but never so heavy that you sacrifice form and range of motion.

3. Diet. Diet, diet, and diet. We see people in various gyms who obviously come in regularly, work hard, and whose appearances never change. Why? Because they don't understand or have the discipline to control their diets -- calories, carbs, fats, and proteins -- all measured, everyday, without fail. I can spot a carb-addict from 50 feet. Always smooth, and never seem to gain any size. Bottom line? If you're eating bread, tortillas, pastries, and other processed carbohydrates as a regular part of your diet, forget it. If you drink alcohol regularly, forget it. Don't waste your time in the gym. It is not going to make any difference. Just get on an eliptical trainer and try and keep your weight under control. That is possible without being too strict on your diet. But to get buff, you must DIET, and that means for all 23 hours a day you're not in the gym.

That's the bottom line and that is not going to change. It is universal truth.

Now, today's workout which focused on HEAVY WEIGHT (the Growth Phase):

Legs

Warmup - 10 minutes on Precor eliptical trainer

Modified Compound Superset:
Squats 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Leg Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
Hack Squats 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Thigh extensions 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 4 sets x 12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 4 sets x 12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Calf Press 4 sets x 8-10 reps (No rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

That's it. Have a great holiday!

Train hard; diet harder!!

Jim

Workout Cycling: I'm A Believer

2010-03-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Starting the last week of the Growth Phase -- the third and final phase of a workout cycling routine that includes "Active Recovery," "Loading," and "Growth." (Refer to earlier blogs for a description of each phase and the workouts that make up each of these.)

After this experience, I am a convert.

During the Loading phase the creators of the program said, "this phase prepares you for the Growth Phase." I didn't really know what that meant, but I do now. Moving on to heavier weight -- I mean really heavy weight -- is made possible by 4 weeks of loading -- 6 days a week, high sets, high reps.

It is not just preparing muscle and connective tissue for the added strain, but testosterone is now off the chart. We went into the gym yesterday - set new personal bests, and did the same thing today. Kelly looks like she has put on at least 5 pounds of muscle. One girl walked by me and whispered in my ear, "Is she taking HGH?"

No, she's not, but she's getting results because she is disciplined in her workouts and in her diet.

One more week of Growth and I can tell you, it is going to be hard to stop. But the same pros who came up with this routine warn, "if you continue the growth phase beyond 3 weeks, you WILL overtrain and you WILL hurt yourself." OK, I'm a believer. Tomorrow is an off day and then we have our last 6 days of Growth, all in a row.

A final note: I am glad to be back in the home gym (Fitness International) for this push before we switch routines again. While the gym in St. Louis had every piece of equipment under the sun, it didn't have one important component -- friends who push you along, who support you, who challenge you.

I believe other than a workout partner, being around other people who are supportive is one of the most important components of workout success.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

On the road . . . it is about making modifications and sticking to basics

2010-03-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

We've been on the road for about a week now. Two more days before heading home.

Have had a good experience, including our workouts at Gold's in Fenton, Missouri (suburb of St. Louis). Great equipment, lots of it. Have been able to try some things I otherwise would not have available.

I was sick for two days and so am behind on the Growth Phase portion of this 10 week routine but we left a week's slack so that if anything happened we would finish before starting our six week cutting phase on April 15. That's still on track.

Here's an article I read today and thought you might enjoy. It is fairly basic but points we all need to remember. It is called "Lifting for Maximum Gains." Take a look at it.

http://fullyflexed.com/lifting-for-maximum-gains

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Training on the road . . . making the best of it

2010-03-19T16:55:00.000-07:00

In St. Louis, Missouri for a week and so training and watching the diet on the road.

Both are tougher out here.

First, you're not in the home gym -- a place you know the equipment, the people, and feel comfortable. I've found the solution to be -- "do your research." Find a gym before you get there and make sure it has what you need. In this case, I researched and found two gyms close to my hotel. When I got here I visited both, made a decision, and have trained each day there since. And, I have found one advantage that I focus on -- different equipment hit the muscles differently, and that's good. So I always try to find a piece of equipment that is like, but not exactly the same, as I use at home.

Second, diet. I bring my supplements and my protein on the road. But, eventually you have to eat regular food. That means cooking yourself when you can. It is why I always get a room that has a mini-fridge and microwave. I went to Costco and got some Kirkland egg whites which takes care of a meal or two each day. I also went to Whole Foods and bought some Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain cereal that I mix with water, put in the microwave, and then add Syntha-6 in the mornings. Still, you have to eat out from time to time and that's where it gets tricky. I try to order things that I recognize on the plate -- nothing processed where they can put things into the food I can't see. Even then I know I will suffer a sodium hit each time I eat out and there is little that can be done about that.

In short, there's no place like home. But when you're not at home, you have to get creative.

I'm still in Growth Phase -- heavy weight, fewer reps and sets. Today was Shoulders and Arms. We have the rest of this week and next and we finish this series.

Kelly and I are both looking forward to April 15 to being our cutting diets again -- 6 weeks looking forward to a lean summer.

Have a great weekend!

Jim

Glutamine and the Common Cold

2010-03-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Bodybuilders and physique competitors have taken glutamine for many years. It helps keep the body from consuming lean muscle during periods of heavy workouts and especially when you are calorie deficient.

But now it appears it is good for everyone, including to prevent the common cold.

Here's an article from Bodybuilding.com you may be interested in . . .

What Is Glutamine?

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is abundant in the human body and the most abundant amino acid in skeletal muscle. Though non-essential (your body can make it), glutamine can become essential during times of illness, stress, or injury, meaning you may need supplemental glutamine as needs can exceed those your body can make.

Glutamine is primarily stored in the muscle and secondly, the lungs. Like all amino acids, glutamine plays a role in protein synthesis. In addition, glutamine helps remove the common waste product ammonia from the body, supports immune system functioning and plays a role in brain functioning and digestion.

Protein Synthesis:

The process by which nitrogen from amino acids is linearly arranged into structural proteins through the involvement of RNA and various enzymes. Protein synthesis is muscle growth. The more efficient you can make this process the more efficiently you can build muscle.

How Glutamine Can Ward Off The Common Cold

Though your body can manufacture the glutamine you need when you are healthy and mild to moderately active, sometimes you need a little more of this bodybuilding supplement to boost your immune system and ward off the common cold.

Supplemental Glutamine Helps In Times Of Stress: There's a reason glutamine is used in clinical nutrition (it's given to some patients in the hospital). Injuries, infection, illness, surgery and trauma all stress your body and take a toll on your glutamine stores. And, studies show that this bodybuilding supplement can strengthen your immune system and reduce your risk of infection after surgery.

Hardcore Training Can Reduce Your Glutamine Stores: It's no secret that strenuous exercise associated with long distance running or cycling, two-a-days and other types of intense physical exercise can make you tired and decrease several parameters of your immune system functioning.

This may be partly due to a drop in glutamine stores. Studies also show that strenuous exercise decreases the concentration of glutamine in the blood. And, some studies have also found that supplemental glutamine can decrease the likelihood of illness in endurance athletes.

Resistance Training Decreases Glutamine Stores: Pump iron and your body will respond by pumping out the havoc-wrecking hormone cortisol. Increased cortisol means decreased glutamine stores. Supplemental glutamine can bring your stores back to a good range.

Dieting Can Decrease Immune Functioning: If you're training for a competition and taking in fewer calories than your body needs or dieting to lose weight quickly, your efforts may be doing more than shrinking your waistline. Dieting can also impact your immune system. To make sure your immune system is functioning well, eat plenty of quality protein, take a multivitamin and continue taking glutamine.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-glutamine-helps-fight-colds.htm

Repost: How The Pros Supplement Their Diets

2010-03-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

I thought my dietary supplementation was state of the art . . .

Not so.
I posted this last week and I had a few e-mail and said the link below did not work. I believe this has been repaired and highly recommend you take a look. This is SERIOUS SUPPLEMENTATION!

http://fullyflexed.com/when-what-why

Will be interested in your comments . . .

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Growth Phase: Week 1: Day 1: Shoulders and Arms

2010-03-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of the first week of three weeks in the Growth Phase.

Heavy weight, fewer sets and reps. Felt a lot different. The real test will be to see how it feels tomorrow.

Weight continues to increase as it is intended to during the Loading and Growth phases. In the next 3 weeks my goal is to add another 3 pounds of muscle before starting the cutting diet on April 15.

Here's what we did today:

Weeks 1, 2, & 3 – Growth Phase

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday)

Modified Compound Superset:
Military Press 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Rear Delt Rows (Performed on T-Bar Row Machine, elbows and upper arms away from torso in order to primarily stimulate the Rear Delts and not the Lats) 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
E-Z Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Lying E-Z Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Modified Compound Superset:
E-Z Preacher Curls 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)
Triceps Dips 4 sets x 10, 8, 6, 6 reps (90 second rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 2 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 2 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Did this and 30 minutes of cardio - keeping cardio to 3 or 4 days a week, not pushing it hard right now but focusing on building muscle.

The diet goal right now is +200 calories above BMR + exercise daily, which for me is 2254 + exercise which on non-cardio days takes me to about 2550. On cardio days, that adds another 300 - 400 calories, for a total of 2800 - 3000 calories.

We do legs tomorrow, then have a travel day on Wednesday and will be working out at Gold's in St. Louis, Missouri for the next 7 days after that. Will keep you updated!

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Why Not To Be A Gym Rat . . .

2010-03-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

I see guys who hang in the gym for hours . . .

Talking, working out, a little flirting, fooling equipment, talking some more, and the cycle repeats.

Nothing wrong with that if you have the time, right?

Wrong.

Studies show that limiting the time between sets from 30 - 90 seconds increases the hormonal response -- that means growth hormone and testosterone.

So, when you get in, get with it, get it done -- save the social time until you're finished.

Here's one of the studies I mentioned:

GROWTH HORMONE RESPONDS TO RESISTANCE TRAINING

Goto, K., Ishii, N., Kaneko, F., Kizuka, T., & Takamatsu, K. (2004). Relationship between magnitude of acute hormonal responses and muscular adaptations during resistance training. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(5), Supplement abstract 2085.

"Resistance exercise is a potent stimulus for acute increases in the anabolic hormone concentrations such as growth hormone (GH) and testosterone (Kraemer et al., 1990; Goto et al., 2003). However, it is not clear whether acute increases in hormonal concentrations play a role in enhancements of muscular strength and muscle volume" (p. S303). The effects of magnitude of hormone responses to a single bout of resistance exercise session on muscular adaptations during prolonged training program were investigated. Males (N = 26) were assigned to either no-rest group, rest group, or control group. The training regimen in the no-rest group consisted of 5 sets of 10 repetition maximum (RM) with 1-minute rest periods between sets. In the regimen of rest group, Ss rested for 30 seconds immediately after five repetitions in each set. The no-rest and rest groups performed three exercises (lat pulldown, shoulder press, and bilateral knee extension) at the same number of lifts (with or without intraset rest) at the same relative intensity two days per week for 12 weeks. Acute hormonal responses to each regimen were initially assessed, and then muscular strength, endurance, and cross-sectional area were determined before and after training period.

In the no-rest group, concentrations of blood lactate, serum GH, plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline showed marked increases after acute exercise, whereas those in the rest group did not. Changes in muscular strength (1 RM, isometric and isokinetic strength) and endurance were significantly greater in the no-rest group than in the rest group. The cross-sectional area of the quadriceps femoris also showed a significantly greater increase in the no-rest group than in the rest group. A significant correlation was observed between peak value of post-exercise growth hormone concentration and change in cross-sectional area after 12 weeks of training. In the control group, no significant changes were observed in all variables.

Implication. These results suggest that the magnitude of acute growth hormone response may be important for anabolic adaptations during resistance training in young men. Effects of resistance training are compromised if rest periods are too long.

Train hard; train fast; diet harder, and have a great week!

Jim

Protein: How Much and From Where?

2010-03-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

During the 9 months it took me to lose 55 pounds, I stuck to a high-protein diet.

It worked.

Why? There's lots of reasons.

- Protein satisfies hunger more than carbs or fats.

- Protein increases thermogenesis, meaning more calories are used to digest, absorb, and metabolize protein than for either carbohydrate or fat.

- Protein helps hold on to lean muscle mass that often shrinks while dieting.

- Eating more protein (while reducing carbohydrate and/or fat intake) improves insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, blood lipids (including cholesterol), and other cardiovascular risk factors.

- High-protein helps control blood pressure and protects against age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass.

But not all protein is created equal. Where your protein comes from is important.

I steer away from plant-source protein -- almost none of it has all of the essential amino acids.

Animal sources such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and yogurt are complete proteins since the proteins they contain are made of all the essential amino acids.

Fish and fowl are best in my opinion because they tend to be lower in saturated fat. Worst is marbled red meat. Fatty meats (especially processed ones like hot dogs, salami and bacon), poultry (like fried and/or skinned varieties), and full-fat (and even reduced-fat) versions of dairy products deliver lots of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. Too many of these foods (especially in large portions) can mean too many calories — and elevated blood cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.

I do eat dairy and quite a bit of it in the form of reduced or no-fat cottage cheese and yogurt and have had no adverse effects.

With due respect for other opinions, I find the government's Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein to be far below what I need to build and maintain muscle.

Their RDA's are:

Women ages 19 and older: 46 grams per day

Men ages 19 and older: 56 grams

I currently eat between 200 and 275 grams of protein a day which equates to 35-40% of my total daily calories. When I am in a cutting phase, that increases to 40-50% of my daily calories from protein.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Check Out This Killer Supplementation Program!

2010-03-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

I thought my dietary supplementation was state of the art . . .

Not so.

Better than most, perhaps, but not of the calibre of the pros.

If you're interested in seeing what the best use and when they use it, check out this site. I'm printing it out and redoing my program.

http://fullyflexed.com/when-what-why

Today was the last day of Week 4 (final week) of the Loading Phase in the gym.

Now, we have a day off (Sunday) and back to a whole new routine on Monday.

More then . . .

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Growth Phase Begins Monday . . . Read More About It Now

2010-03-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

171.2 pounds today.

The Loading Phase has performed as advertised.

My body fat measurement shows I've gained about 5 pounds of muscle and 2 pounds of fat in the last 45 days using a lean bulk diet (+250 calories per day over BMR + exercise) combined with a loading routine -- 6 days a week, high sets (39 sets per workout), high reps (10-12), and 6-8 meals of clean eating each day.

Now, after 4 weeks of that we're moving along to 3 weeks of the Growth Phase starting Monday.

We will get into more of how the Growth Phase looks next week, but here are the basics:

The Growth Phase

During the Growth Phase the body is not stressed by volume. This time the stimuli are heavy weights. If this phase would be kept for too long eventually the body would cease to stop making strength gains and you would plateau. This is the reason why we always need to go back to a Loading Phase. During the Growth Phase the following three things happen:

•The testosterone levels go through the roof in response to the longer rest in between sets and the heavier weights.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the actual diameter of the myofiber (the muscle fiber size) through increased protein synthesis (Note: protein synthesis is creating protein strands through DNA and RNA and it takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell.)

•Since the body’s recuperation abilities were built up to the maximum by the Loading Phase and the volume has gone down dramatically, these extra recuperation abilities are used to increase strength and build more muscle mass. The reason the body does this is in order to be prepared for another stressful period like the one it just went through. This adaptation mechanism is the one that ensures the survival of the species.

REMEMBER: Even if you are training for fat loss, your main goal should always be to stimulate muscle growth. Otherwise, if you were to drastically reduce training poundage in order to perform a lot of high reps, there would be no reason for the body to keep the muscle around. Because of this, you should always train with muscle growth in mind and let the nutrition and the cardiovascular exercise take care of reducing your body fat levels.

Right now I am down to just 3 days of cardio a week. Why? I am not trying to burn off calories. Rather, I want to keep an extra 200 - 300 calories a day around for muscle growth, understanding, of course, that there is no way to add pure lean muscle without adding some fat. It is simply the way the body works. It is a storage machine.

The next 3 weeks are going to be challenging. 6 days a week -- fewer sets (21-24 per workout) and fewer reps (6-8 per set), but very heavy weight (7-5+ of the 1 rep maximium). We believe our mental state is right, that our connective tissue will hold together, and Kelly and I are really looking forward to it. (By the way, my workout partner, Kelly, who also doubles as my wife, had a terrific leg workout today. Heaviest squats I've seen her do. Cool.)

Three weeks of the Growth Phase will take us to April 5 at which time we will do two weeks of Active Recovery and then we will start our cutting diet on April 15 sharp. Between April 15 and June 1st, I will slowly take off the fat I've added during the Loading and Growth Phases. My calculation indicates that I will need to take off about 5-7 pounds to get to sub-10% body fat (legit). I'm lucky because at 10% I am ripped and vascular so I'll know when I get there not only by the meter but by the look.

How long we maintain that state before starting to bulk again depends on how we feel. At this point, we really try to listen to our bodies and follow its lead. Right now, my body is screaming to grow and I'm trying to help it with a clean diet, high protein, relatively high carbs, and supplements like Tribulus which bumps the testosterone levels naturally.

Have a great day; train hard; diet harder. It is time to become who you always wanted to be.

Jim

5 Reasons I Supplement With Creatine

2010-03-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I use a lot of supplements. Multi, HMB, Chromium Picolonate, Glutamine, NO, and more. But there are none from which I get a more immediate positive response than creatine.

See the attached article. These are 5 reasons so many use it:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/5-reasons-to-use-creatine.htm

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Recommendation: Stay Away From Sodas

2010-03-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

It probably comes as no surprise that most athletes stay away from sugar-sodas.

High in simple carbohydrates, they add nothing to the dietary equation except hollow calories and they stop fat-burning in its tracks due to the spike in insulin that results from drinking pure sugar.

If that's not enough, 130,000 cases of diabetes have been linked to sugar soft drinks.

Take a look: http://www.naturalnews.com/028340_diabetes_sodas.html

FYI: The leading cause of death in Mexico is diabetes. Interestingly, Mexico also has the highest per capita consumption of sugar-based soft drinks. Connection? I think so.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 4: Days 3 and 6 (Chest and Back)

2010-03-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Last week of this cycle's Loading Phase. It has been a 4-week challenge.

Today was Day 3 of Week 4. We now have 3 more days and then Kelly and I are off Sunday before starting the Growth Phase cycle which will be 3 weeks.

I was 170 pounds this morning -- hoping to hit 172 or higher with my lean bulk diet before beginning to shave off all but the muscle starting April 15. Will do that slowly, too, over a period of 6 weeks. This is important in order not to take the muscle that we've spent the last 3 months building.

Here's today's work:

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Stiff Arm Pulldowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Incline Flyes 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Side Crunches 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets + 20 minutes of cardio.

Diet is higher than normal in carbs during this phase. Will moderate those a little to the downside in the Growth phase and really shave them beginning April 15 when Kel and I begin getting ready for summer!

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Another Great Reason to Get Into Shape? Sex!

2010-03-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Healthier men, no matter their age, are going to have better sex more frequently and desire it more often.

And, healthier men, in addition to enjoying more sex, are going to live longer to enjoy it, too.

This according to a paper written by University of Chicago researchers that was published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal.

At age 55, men in very good or excellent health on average gained five to seven years of sexually active life compared with their peers in poorer health.

And women in very good shape gained 3 to 6 more years of a quality sex life than women who are less healthy.

So, if you're looking for a reason -- there it is.

See the full article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/09/healthy.sex/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 4: Days 2 and 5 (Legs)/How "Lean Bulk" Is Working

2010-03-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today was my strongest leg workout in several weeks.

The "loading phase" is working.

This is the last week before going to "Growth," a much different focus.

Today looked like this:

Day 2 – Legs (Tuesday/Friday)

Superset:
Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wide Stance Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Leg Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Stiff Legged Dead lifts 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Calf Press (on Leg Press Machine) 3 sets x 15-20 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets.

I've learned on leg days to carb up a little more before hitting it.

Meal 1 is always Syntha-6 and 5 Grain cereal. On Leg Days I go from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of 5 Grain and split a Zone bar with my workout partner about half way through this workout.

I am up to 169.4 pounds, from a low of 163 pounds. It has been a slow grind through what I call "lean bulk," the addition of muscle slowly in order to avoid putting on unnecessary fat.

We will begin a 6 week cutting diet on April 15 which will take me below 10% body fat by June 1. I am adding as much muscle as I can between now and then with a goal of being about 172 pounds on April 15. If most of the added weight is muscle (and I believe it is), then I should only have to move down to 165-166 in order to get to sub-10% body fat.

In the meantime, I'm not taking any new Plus50Fitness speaking engagements. I find that while I can maintain on the road, I can't get in 6 days of intense workouts if I'm talking about working out and dieting rather than actually doing it.

I intend to crank up the seminars again sometime in late May-early June. I have learned a lot over the last three months and looking forward to sharing it all.

Train hard; diet harder!

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 4: Day 1 (Shoulders and Arms)

2010-03-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is the fourth and last week of our "Loading Phase." (Thank God! We are bordering on overtraining which is exactly what is required in order to meet the purpose of Loading.)

You will recall the purpose of the 4 weeks of "Loading" is as follows:

•The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.

•The body’s recuperation capabilities are upgraded in response to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work coupled with short rest intervals.

Today was Loading Phase: Week 4: Day 1 (Shoulders and Arms)

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Lateral Raises 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Hammer Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Dips 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets plus 30 minutes on the eliptical trainer.

5 more days of the Loading Phase, a day off and we move to three weeks of the Growth Phase.

More on the Growth Phase in future blogs.

Train hard, diet harder.

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 3: Day 3 and 6 - Chest and Back

2010-03-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

A brutal week in the gym - there is no other word that describes the Loading Phase -- especially into the second week. One more week to go before we move to three weeks of the Growth Phase.

If you are a reader of this blog, you know the Loading Phase involves 6 days week in the gym with a staggering number of sets each day. There are three different routines, each done twice a week. Today was the second "Day 3 -- Chest and Back."

With abdominals, it was 39 sets.

So exhausted at the end of this six days, I'm going back later today and get in my cardio.

Here's the routine from today:

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
One Arm Dumbbell Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Knee-Ins 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

I have a new recipe I've filmsd and will be editing this weekend and hope to put it up tomorrow.

Have a great day, train hard, and diet harder,

jim

Loading Phase: Week 3: Day 2 and 5: Legs

2010-03-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Third of four weeks in the "Loading Phase." This will push you to the brink of over-training. Important not to go too heavy or to failure. There's simply too many sets to get through. 41 sets of legs/calves today that looked like this:

Day 2 – Legs (Tuesday/Friday)

Superset:
Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wide Stance Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Thigh Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)
Hack Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 4 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 4 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Stiff-legged dead lifts - 4 sets x 12 reps (1 minute rest)
One Legged Calf Raises 1 set x 15-20 reps (1 minute rest)

One more day (tomorrow) and then we get a day off (Sunday) before cranking up for the last week of the Loading Phase. Following that -- Growth -- hard, heavy, no prisoners.

Will be doing some of Growth at different gyms in the U.S. and will put up video of the growth training as we move along.

Train hard; diet harder.

Jim

Can You Gain Muscle and Lose Fat At The Same Time?

2010-03-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

It depends on what "same time" means.

If it means in the same day, no.

If it means in the same three months, yes, but it is tough.

For most of us it is easier to "cycle," going from "bulk" which is to add calories above needs in order to gain muscle from hard workouts, and then "cut" which is to subtract calories below needs in order to strip off the fat.

Tom Venuto has written a great article on this topic which I commend to your review. Cut this link out and put it into your browser -- well worth the read!

http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2010/03/gain_muscle_and_lose_fat.php

Train hard, diet harder!

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 3: Day 1 and 4 - Arms and Shoulders

2010-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

Now half way through Week 3 in the Loading Phase. One more week after this and we move on to 3 weeks of the "Growth Phase," which I will discuss in a future blog as we get closer to the switch.

Today was, in a word, brutal. The Loading Phase includes all Supersets, high reps, and high number of sets.

Here's the way it went this morning:

Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest):

Superset:
Standing Lateral Raises 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Concentration Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

That's 39 sets in my book, followed by 20 minutes of cardio. Having to cut back on the cardio during this phase because it is too easy to end up having eaten too few calories at the end of the day.

Have a great day and train hard!

Jim

Chest and Back: Loading Phase (Week 2)

2010-03-03T10:23:00.000-08:00

You will recall we are in an 8 week undulation routine that involves three phases:

- Active Recovery
- Loading
- Growth

We are in the "Loading Phase" now. During the Loading Phase the body is stressed with an increasing high volume of work that if kept for too long will eventually result in overtraining and injury.

During this phase, three things will happen:

•The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.

•The body’s recuperation capabilities are upgraded in response to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work coupled with short rest intervals.

This phase prepares the body for 3 weeks of the "Growth Phase." Important to keep your calories above BMR+exercise during these phases in order to insure muscle growth.

Today was Day 3, Week 2 of the "Loading Phase."

Day 3 – Chest & Back (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

On Week 2, we added:

Superset:
One Arm Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Knee-Ins 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

What's More Difficult Than Losing The Fat? Making The "Turn"

2010-03-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

It was challenging to lose nearly 60 pounds last year but altogether worth it. I look better and feel better than I have in 25 years.

What, interestingly, I have found more challenging is what I call "making the turn."

This is the point at which you achieve what you believed to be your ideal weight and then decide you want to put on more muscle.

Sounds easy.

All you have to do is add calories or slow down on the cardio, right?

Not so fast . . .

After spending day after day, week after week, and month after month rewarding yourself mentally for getting on the scale and finding you've lost weight, it is difficult, very difficult, to just change -- to suddenly believe that gaining weight is a good thing.

Indeed, after I decided to put on 5 - 10 pounds of muscle three months ago, I couldn't do it. I simply would not let myself have enough calories to gain weight. And so, on the one hand I'd get on the scales and be "disappointed" on one level but breathe a sigh of relief on the other when I saw I had gained no weight.

It has taken that long for me to get comfortable with the idea that it is OK to gain some weight, and I have carefully crafted a way to do it so that I only add a minimum amount of fat as I put on more muscle.

It is called "lean bulk."

The process is simple and straightforward: I upped my calories above my BMR + exercise calories by about 250 calories per day. If I'm working out hard and tearing up the muscles, this will give them just enough to take those extra calories and work with them, turning much of those calories into muscle.

And that has happened. I look bigger, more muscular. But I also look smoother.

Which means not all of those calories are going to muscle.

Indeed, it is impossible to add muscle and not gain some fat, just as it is not possible to lose fat without losing some muscle when you are in a calorie deficient state.

It is a matter of controlling it but mostly a matter of accepting it.

So, where am I in the process?

I tipped the scales at 170.0 pounds this morning. That is about 7 pounds above my all-time low of 163 during the period of time I was taking 1,000 calories a day out of my diet.

The good news? I still wear the same pants, no problem with the waist, and I am looking more like I want to look. That said, I would be less than honest not to say that I still experience a twinge of disappointment each morning when I get on those scales and find I've put on weight -- even though it is what I'm trying to do.

Strange.

The way I have been able to deal with it is to keep a watch in the mirror. I understood I would lose some of the cuts and vascularity that comes with being very lean, but I also promised myself that I would "lean bulk" until April 15 and then diet for 6 weeks to slowly, ever so slowly, take off whatever fat I added, trying to minimize muscle loss.

By June 1, I fully anticipate I'll enjoy the best of both worlds, -- 5 or more pounds of pure muscle with less than 10% body fat.

Stay tuned and train hard,

Jim

Loading Phase: Week 2: Arms and Shoulders

2010-03-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Still in "Loading Phase," and this week we add 9 more sets per workout.

The "Loading Phase" is 3 weeks and is a 6 day a week routine, with increasing sets each week.

We have this week and next week, and then move from the Loading Phase to 3 weeks of the "Growth Phase" which I will discuss in a future blog. We're keeping calories about 250 a day above BMR + exercise. This is part of our "lean bulk" effort, which means we are adding muscle and thus body weight while adding the minimum amount of fat.

When we finish this 2 month routine in early April we will go to our cutting phase and cutting diet for about 6 weeks in order to be really ready for summer!

Day 1 – Shoulders & Arms (Monday/Thursday):

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Bent Over Laterals 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Concentration Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

If you have questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me: jimkarger@plus50fitness.com

How Many Calories Are You Burning Everyday? You Can Find Out Here . . .

2010-02-28T09:16:00.001-08:00

Looking for the number of calories you burn everyday?

It is an essential number to know if you want to lose fat or gain muscle.

Your ultimate success hinges on both sides of this number.

Here's a calculator you can use to determine how many calories you are burning in a day.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/multimedia.jsp?sssdmh=dm17.426844&multimediaId=/templatedata/fitness/multimedia/data/1130272109023.xml&esrc=nwfitdailytip022810&email=2422027505

The way I use it is this: I always choose the lowest level of activity and then in my diet software (DietController), I add in the exercise calories. This has consistently given me the best and most accurate results.

Train hard, diet harder.

Jim

Plus50Fitness: "Loading Phase": Week 2 (Chest/Back)

2010-02-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today was Week 2, Day 3 of the Loading Phase

You will recall that during the Loading Phase the body is stressed with an increasing high volume of work that if kept for too long will eventually result in overtraining and injury. During this phase, three things will happen:

•The growth hormone output increases due to the short rest interval between sets and the high volume.

•Hypertrophy (muscle growth) occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell. This phenomenon is called muscle voluminization.

•The body’s recuperation capabilities are upgraded in response to the stress imposed by the increasing volume of work coupled with short rest intervals.

In Week 2 the Day 3 Loading Phase workout looks like this:

Chest & Back

Superset:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Wide Grip Pull-up to Front (Palms facing away from you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Chest Dips 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Close Grip Pull-up (Palms facing you) 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets x 10-12 reps
External Rotations (for strengthening of the rotator cuff) 3 sets x 15-20 reps

Superset:
Leg Raises 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)
Crunches 4 sets x 25 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
One Arm Rows 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Knee-Ins 3 sets x 25 reps (1 minute rest)

When in the Loading Phase it is important not to use weight that is too heavy to get the number of reps designated. To do that causes the increased risk of injury and will not accomplish the hormone results that this phase can provide.

Currently, I have made "the turn." That means I am gaining weight slowly -- muscle weight -- and will continue to do that over the next several weeks, up until April 15 at which time I will enter the Cutting Phase and cut down to sub-10% body fat over the course of 6 weeks and be ready for summer! (It is not as easy at it may seem and I will blog on that dynamic this week.)

You can watch the diet on the website: www.plus50fitness.com. I upload it every week.

Train hard!

Jim

Workout: Loading Phase: Week 2: Legs [Do Not Try This At Home]

2010-02-27T16:04:00.000-08:00

Brutal leg routine today . . . my legs were shaking as I left the gym and I ended up passing out this afternoon for a 2 hour nap . . .

You will recall we are currently in an 8 week routine. 2 weeks "active rest;" 3 weeks "loading phase;" and 3 weeks "growth phase."

Tomorrow (Sunday) we complete Week 2 of the "loading phase."

Today was Legs in Week 2 (This is a 6 day routine so you do each day twice each week.) Here's how it went this morning:

Day 2 – Legs (Wednesday/Saturday)

Superset:
Smith Machine Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Standing Leg Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Hack Squats 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Leg Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Adductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)
Abductor Machine 3 sets x12-15 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Standing Calf Raises 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Seated Calf Raises 4 sets x 15-20 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dead Lifts (Barbell) 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Leg Presses (3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)

36 sets going to near failure each set.

It goes fast if you get as little rest as is designated and you feel like a truck hit you at the end.

This routine is NOT for beginners. It is not even for intermediates. If you do this routine and are not ready you will not be able to walk for a week. I will send you beginning or intermediate routines upon request, no charge. This will hurt you if you don't have at least a year in the gym consistently training hard. So warned . . .

Next blog I'm going to write about an interesting dilemma -- what I call "the turn." This is where you have achieved your goal bodyweight but now want to put on muscle without adding a lot of fat. Challenging to say the least and I'll discuss it next time.

Train hard!

Jim

Current Workout - "Loading Phase"

2010-02-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

In my talks, the most common question is, "What do you eat?" Well, on the website you can see everything I have eaten for more than a year.

I upload my food each week at: http://www.jimkarger.com/kitchen-diet-maintenance.php Check it out.

Others have asked that I start uploading my current workouts. I'm happy to do that and we're making an addition the web page in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, here's where I am now in the gym . . .

On an 8 week program focusing on growth which explains why I have added about 200 calories to my diet each day -- I'm doing what is called "lean-bulk," adding the maximum amount of muscle and the minimum amount of fat. More on the why's later.

Here's an explanation of the routine:

The first two weeks were an “Active Recovery Phase”. In this phase I only trained with weights twice a week on a full body routine before I started the next phase which is called the “Loading Phase”.

The “Loading Phase”, which is three weeks in duration, is a high volume phase with short rest between sets. Training volume gradually increases over the course of the three weeks in order to stress the body almost to the point of overtraining.

Then the next three weeks are a higher intensity/lower volume phase (heavier weights) with longer periods of rest between sets. This phase is called the “Growth Phase”, as volume is reduced but weights are increased in order to let the body catch up and super compensate (grow muscle size and strength).

Right now I am in the "Loading Phase," lots of sets, little rest between them. Today was Week 2, Day 1 of the "Loading Phase" and it looked like this:

February 26, 2009
Shoulders & Arms:

Superset:
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)
Bent Over Laterals 4 sets x 10-12 reps (30 second rest)

Superset:
Dumbbell Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Incline Curls 4 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

Superset:
Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)
Reverse Wrist Curls 3 sets x 15-30 reps (No rest)

Superset:
Bent Over Laterals 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Concentration Curls 3 sets x 10-12 reps (No rest)
Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets x 10-12 reps (1 minute rest)

39 sets -- whew! It's tough but it moves fast because there is little to no rest allowed between sets.

Supplements right now include the regulars and I've added "Tribulus Terrestris," a natural plant-form supplement that increases testosterone levels which I need right now working out 6 days a week, 30-40 sets per day. I'll let you know how that goes.

Hope this helps. Keep the e-mails and questions coming.

Train hard, diet harder,

Jim

Being Mindful When Dining With Others

2010-02-24T15:50:00.001-08:00

Others' eating habits influence us.

Research shows that those who eat with 1 other person eat 35% more than they do when alone; those in a group of 4 eat 75% more; and those in groups of 7 or more eat 96% more.

Be mindful, friends, and train hard!

jim

Lentil with Spinach Soup -- High Protein in Less Than 30 Minutes

2010-02-24T10:08:00.001-08:00

Want a great hot, high-protein dish you can prepare in less than 30 minutes?

Try this lentil with spinach soup.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/30-minute-heart-healthy-meals/?page=2

We will try and get this on video as soon as we can.

Best,

Jim

63 Rules That Will Take You To Your Body Goal

2010-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

Just got back from 10 days on the road . . .

Here's an article I read that is a must read for everyone interested in being the best they can be:

http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-bodybuilding-bible-a-complete-list-of-63-rules-to-grow-by.html?awesm=fbshare.me_AJAx2

Hope everyone is well, training hard and eating clean.

Best,

Jim

Even Those Who Care Nothing For Themselves -- Think of Your Children

2010-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

Most prevalent form of child abuse? Child obesity.

Our children are destined to live 10 years less than their parents because of diet -- mostly fast food, prepared and packaged foods. We are eating ourselves to death and taking our children with us. Diet related illnesses are responsible for 10% of all healthcare bills in the U.S. and increasing every year.

Obesity kills far more people than smoking.

Childhood obesity is off the charts.

Jamie Oliver is taking on the issue. Here is his presentation to "Ted." This is a must watch.

http://www.healthhabits.ca/2010/02/12/jamie-oliver-v-s-americas-childhood-obesity-epidemic/

Set Short-Term "Action" Goals

2010-02-12T08:58:00.001-08:00

Research shows that people who set short-term "action" goals have better success than those who set "result" goals. Example: for losing weight, "I will do my cardio 4 days this week and eat no junk food" yields much greater success than "I will lose 3 pounds this week."

Focus on the "how's," and the results will take care of themselves.

Are You "Overtraining?" These Are The Signs . . .

2010-02-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Kelly and I have been in an "Active Recovery" phase for the last two weeks. In our current routine, there are two weeks of "active recovery" followed by three weeks of high volume called the "loading phase," followed by three weeks of lower volume, heavy weight, called the "growth phase." More on those later . . .

The Active Recovery Phase has three main functions:

•First, according to leading strength expert Tudor Bompa, Ph.D., “you are trying to adapt the anatomy of the body to the upcoming training so that you can create, or produce an injury free environment”. Essentially, your tendons and ligaments should be strong enough to support the stressful periods that will follow.

•Second, this phase is a great time to address any strength imbalance that your body might have. This is the reason why mostly dumbbell work will be used during this phase.

•Finally, this phase will act as a great time in which the body will re-charge its energy stores and allow for complete physical and mental recuperation.

What put us into Active Recovery were signs of overtraining, all too common but that lead to unfortunate consequences.

How can you tell if you are overtraining? Read this -- a discussion of the signs of this dynamic you want to avoid.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2spxiT/www.superswole.com/how-to-avoid-over-training-to-maximize-muscle-growth//r:f

Check Out A New High Protein/Low Carb Main Course On The Homepage!

2010-02-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Scallops With Pasta Sauce Over Shredded Cauliflower

Check out this new high protein, low carb, low calorie main dish for those who want to eat clean. Great nutrition balance. Don't be turned off by the cauliflower -- looks and works just like rice or pasta without the simple carbs!

It's on the homepage today:

www.plus50fitness.com

Try it out; you'll love it.

Jim

Hammer Strength Incline Presses - Upper Chest Development

2010-02-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

For most guys it is reasonably easy to get a big chest -- free bench press and flat bench dumbbell presses will get you there.

But what about the much harder to develop upper chest which has a tendency to go flat with age and without exercise to focus on it.

There are Smith Machine incline bench presses -- they are good but it can be hard to get in exactly the right position and if you are not, they can be tough on the shoulders (something I found out the hard way.) Free bar incline presses are good, too, but you need someone who really knows how to spot you. If not, they are dangerous.

Perhaps the best all-around upper chest developer I've found is the Hammer Strength Incline Press machine (plate loaded.) All you have to do is adjust the seat to your height and you can really slam the upper chest. Do about 4 sets of 6 - 8 reps (meaning you have set the weight to where you have to squeeze out that last rep!)

Take a look at the video at http://www.jimkarger.com/gym.php

Let me know if you have questions and add this into your workout for 6 weeks and let me know whether you see a difference.

Coming up later this week -- back to the kitchen and a great high-protein, low-carb scallop dish with a twist!

-Jim