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Showing posts from April 28, 2012

2 Tips That Will Change Your Life (Seriously)

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I was just recently reminded of these 2 tips while reading a great book… Bill Phillips newest best-seller:  Transformation … which by the way, I just had the pleasure of meeting Bill in person a few weeks ago, and this book is actually about WAY more than just fitness or nutrition…actually 99% of the book is about transforming your entire being, your mind… your entire life.  It's powerful stuff, and a great read. Now I will say that I think most of us, already know these 2 tips below, but may not practice them as often as we should… and I know personally, I found this to be a great reminder of how powerful these are and how they can change your life. 1.   In Chapter 8 in Bill's book, Transformation , he starts off this chapter with a shocking story about a man named Azim who tragically had his 20-year old son murdered by a teenage gang member 5 years prior.  The story ends up a bit unfathomable to most of us, as it turns out that Azim actually forgave his s

5 Shortcuts To Build Muscle Size

  These days it seems that everything needs to be bigger, faster, and stronger. Going to the extreme is the norm. Everything from extra strength headache pills, to energy drinks, and high speed Internet. Bottom line is that people want change and they want it now! When it comes to bodybuilding things are no different we want results ASAP. The desire to build a better body unites all bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts, but for most of us, the muscle gains come too slow and they never come easy. So we look for shortcuts. Is the secret to fast muscle gains training harder, lifting heavier, eating more, popping this pill, or slugging back the latest hyped up magic muscle drink… In this article we are going to dive into 5 of the most common workout "shortcuts" that people take and pick them apart to find a better plan of action. More often then not the best methods for building a stronger and more muscular physique involve a less extreme approach. Shortcut # 1 – Training M

Are Field Days and Fitness Games Just For Kids?

Many of today's fitness boot camps take themselves too seriously, making the process of getting in shape a tedious chore. Recently I was at an elementary school's end of school year "Sports Day" and had the chance to see a bunch of kids burning tons of calories while having fun. Did they know they were, in effect, exercising? Probably not, but that didn't mistake the fact that they were. I started noticing the conversations all around me, people talking about how much fun they used to have when they were in grade school participating in their "Sports Day" or "Field Day". It got me thinking about how predictable some fitness bootcamps, group exercise classes and sports program workouts can be when they don't have to be. I sidled up to the gym teacher, Mr. Willows, in order to ask him about the exercises. He told me that setting up these fitness games was the "highlight of his school year" a

Are These 3 Vitamins Actually HARMFUL to Your Health?

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Most people have never heard of the distinction between synthetic vs natural forms of vitamins. The first thing you need to know is that some synthetic forms of vitamins are MUCH less absorbed by your body compared to natural versions. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY… Did you know that several scientific studies have revealed that synthetic forms of certain vitamins can possibly have harmful effects in your body? It's true… and a little scary too! And if you choose an ordinary multi-vitamin that you get at a corner store, it most likely contains at least some synthetic forms of vitamins (unless it specifically states that it is whole-foods based). It's also well known that your body will assimilate vitamins derived from whole-foods sources MUCH more readily compared to vitamins from synthetic sources.  We could talk about the differences in vitamins from whole foods sources vs synthetic sources for over a dozen different vitamins… However, there are THREE

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

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I was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs. Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this… "because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you…that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is". And I replied, "you mean that's where all of the nutrition is!" This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG ! By throwing out the yolk and only eating e

Build a Bigger Chest in 3-4 Workouts or Less

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If your pecs are a weak body part, or, if you've simply hit a progress plateau in your chest development, then this high intensity chest training program will pack slabs of muscle mass on your chest after just 3-4 workouts – and I guarantee it. This is a high intensity bodybuilding workout for advanced bodybuilders only. (Beginners don't even think about it…) I'm currently on workout 3 of 4 in this pec routine and the results have been so impressive that I decide to write it up for you before I even finish the final workout next week. Considering I'm on a calorie deficit in a cutting phase, I'm especially impressed with the increase in my chest size and development after 3 workouts. You're not going to gain much if any muscular body weight if you are in a caloric deficit, but NO DOUBT, you can improve the development of a muscle group even while cutting up. This is a perfect example. I'm going to return to this program again for sure on my next mass phas

Does Hypnosis Work For Weight Loss?

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Hypnosis conjures up images of a bearded man with piercing black eyes and a mesmerizing deep voice swinging a pendulum back and forth, chanting, "You are getting very sleeeeepy." Hypnosis is terribly misunderstood and the only exposure to hypnosis most people will ever have is a Las Vegas stage show. But stage hypnosis for entertainment and hypnotherapy for behavior change are completely different animals. Could "real" hypnotherapy help you get leaner? I've wondered the same thing myself for decades, since I first started bodybuilding. In the late 1980's, Dr. Judd Biasiotto published numerous books about the mind in sports including one called, "Hypnotize Me And Make Me Great." That 70-page book, which has long since gone out of print (but still holds a hallowed place on my shelf), was one of the books that sparked my interest in mind power and hypnosis.

Don’t Let These 8 Mistakes Sabotage Your Bench

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 Did you know the average weight training enthusiast can barely bench press their own bodyweight? That statistic doesn't even account for the people that don't work out. Give yourself a pat on the back if you've conquered the feat of benching your own bodyweight. Don't worry if you're not there yet, you're about to learn eight sure-fire methods that will help you earn bragging rights in and out of the gym. So what's the big deal about the bench press anyway? You're not playing sports or trying to compete, why is this legendary exercise so vital to an attention grabbing physique? In fact for those of you who think the bench press is simply for the ego, you're wrong. It's true no other exercise is more frequently talked about. However it's not so strange when you think about it. The bench press is a core fundamental exercise for developing upper body strength. You're not only working your pectorals (chest), you are also wo

Fat Burners: The Unadulterated Truth

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QUESTION: Dear Tom, I am not currently using any fat burners. However, in many magazines where I see advertisements for fat burners, they always have a model with a six-pack and the headline is something like, "It takes more than training and nutrition to get a six-pack." Once a person hits a plateau, do we really need fat burners to achieve that "ripped" or "six-pack" look? I am having a really hard time getting my stomach to look the way I want it, and I really respect your opinion, so I appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks Tom! ANSWER: The short and sweet answer is NO, you do not ever "need" fat burners. While I won't dismiss the fact that there are some ingredients in some "fat burner" products that might help a little bit, I take great displeasure in seeing those kinds of misleading headlines as well as the misleading use of models who are often paid to endorse the product even though they may neve

Getting to Sleep and Panic Attacks at Night

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As most doctors will tell you, there are two things that disturb sleep: physical pain and worry. It's therefore understandable that many people with anxiety report frequent sleep disturbance as a major problem. Not being able to sleep can actually be quite traumatic for many people. The first thing you need to understand about sleep is this: it's not the amount of sleep you get that's important, but rather the quality of the sleep. Quality over quantity. I am going to give you some quick tips to help tackle any problems you are having with sleep. Firstly, to break the insomnia cycle, begin by not presuming you will sleep! That seems like the wrong attitude, but if you approach each night as just a possible opportunity to sleep, this helps remove the pressure you are placing yourself under. In a way, some people have performance anxiety when they think about sleeping: "Will I be able to make myself sleep tonight?" The answer is maybe