Not Your Average Fitness Tips

With the heightened interest in fitness for the New Year, I’ve received quite a few fitness questions about diet and exercise routines.  As such, I thought it would be helpful to develop a list of frequently asked fitness questions and answers.  For each fitness question below, I’ve provided a short answer and a link to articles I’ve done that contain more information.  Hopefully these frequently asked fitness questions will help provide a brief insight into some of my recommendations. Continue Reading…

As the year comes to a close, I thought now would be a good time to review my favorite workout programs and diet plans.  So what are the key components of the best workout programs and best diet plans?  In general, I think any good program provides some background and guidance as to why it is effective.  That should in turn help the reader understand and even construct their own workout program or diet plan.  Additionally, I find that the best workout programs and best diet plans lay out a recommended approach.  Obviously, this provides a starting point for readers.  Ultimately, I believe the best programs offer specificity as well as customization.  In other words, a reader can either perform an exact recommended routine or gain enough knowledge to create their own routine.  In this manner, the best workout programs and best diet plans can be effective for both beginners and experienced fitness fanatics. Continue Reading…

I’ve long advocated Visual Impact Muscle Building as the best way to gain muscle mass.  After successfully going through the program a while back, I decided that now was the appropriate time to tackle it again in full force.  You can read my complete Visual Impact Muscle Building review but the brief overview is that the program is a 3 phase approach focused on strategically gaining muscle in the right places while avoiding fat gain.  Phase 1 is all about sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.  This involves working your muscles to failure in order to maximize growth.  The focus is on high reps with light weights in order to create cumulative fatigue.  This is coupled with a diet slightly above maintenance.  It’s not an approach where you’re encouraged to eat 4,000-5,000 calories per day.  Instead you focus on gradual muscle gain to limit any fat gain. Continue Reading…

If you’re looking for a way to gain lean muscle mass, then I highly recommend Martin Berkhan’s Leangains Guide.  While my work and family schedule prohibit following all of Martin’s recommendations, I’ve recently tried to implement as many as possible from the Leangains Guide.  Most people will have a hard time believing that a diet centered around intermittent fasting constitutes the best muscle building diet plan, but I’ve seen excellent fat free muscle mass gains when pairing the Leangains approach with the Visual Impact Muscle Building workouts. Continue Reading…

I’ve been a long time advocate of intermittent fasting weight loss approaches.  While my experience and the experience of others clearly show how effective intermittent fasting for weight loss can be, the results and research from Dr. John Berardi go one step further.  For years, Dr. Berardi has eaten meals every 3-4 hours and helped 100,000+ clients lose weight by doing so.  He decided to experiment with intermittent fasting after reading numerous success stories.  As a researcher, Dr. Berardi was able to track every aspect of his intermittent fasting results, from weight loss to blood work changes.  His free report, Experiments with Intermittent Fasting, documents how he successfully used intermittent fasting to lose weight.  I’d like to summarize some of his key findings and show how they’re congruent with my experience. Continue Reading…

It’s a sensation many people experience one time or another…feeling hungry after exercise.  Personally there are days I feel like a bottomless pit after exercising.  Other times I lose my appetite and don’t feel hungry after exercise at all.  Are the calories burned exercising going to waste on those days when I do eat a lot?  Am I suffering from the “reward syndrome” where I feel like I can eat more after exercising because I burned more calories than normal?  These are common questions that I’ll try to address. Continue Reading…

Over the past couple months, my fitness routine has included many of my favorite strategies to get six pack abs.  Combining a clean diet with ample strength training and cardio has allowed me to significantly reduce my body fat to a level I have never been before.  As such, I’d like to share my six pack abs workout routine and diet plan.  Additionally, I’d like to review some of my preferred six pack abs exercises.  While I can’t guarantee you’ll see the same results as me, I hope that many of these tips will help you learn how to get six pack abs. Continue Reading…

The original Convict Conditioning book was one of my favorite resources on bodyweight exercises.  So how does Paul Wade’s Convict Conditioning 2 measure up to the first book?  It certainly isn’t as game changing as the “Big 6” progressions but there are some good recommendations on improving forearm, lateral, neck, calf and joint strength.  The caveat here is that Convict Conditioning 2 isn’t for the average fitness enthusiast who just wants some strength training and muscle building exercises.  I’d say it’s great for martial artists, wrestlers, or others who would like some advanced tips on developing less utilized, but highly important muscles.  That being said, here’s the rest of my Convict Conditioning 2 Review. Continue Reading…

Most people have heard how omega 3 essential fatty acids supplements like fish oil can help improve your health.  What are essential fatty acids though?  Should you take essential fatty acids supplements or simply try to get enough omega 3 fatty acids from fish and other food sources?  Just what is krill oil and are there any health benefits of krill oil vs. fish oil?  I’ll tackle these and other questions. Continue Reading…

Is weight loss really all about creating an energy deficit by eating less calories than you expend?  Dr. John Berardi has challenged that notion with what he calls G-Flux.  This concept involves energy flux, and Dr. Berardi argues that you are better off eating more and exercising more to generate a caloric deficit.  Essentially you influence your metabolic rate and ultimately increase your metabolism leading to a great number of calories burned than if you tried to simply eat less.  On the surface, G-Flux is a novel approach that makes sense when viewed over the long term. Continue Reading…