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It isn’t as easy as you think…hahaha

I found this on the web a week or so ago and it made me chuckle as when I was first introduced to Afterburn Training I thought the same thing – on paper it doesn’t look so bad.

When I first looked at the workouts in Afterburn, I kind of snickered. Just take the first one:

Each couplet is a superset.

Squats: 20 reps, 60s rest.
T-Push Ups: 8 reps each side, 60s rest, then repeat 2-3 times

Step Ups: 20 reps each leg, 60 sec rest
Rows to neck, 20 reps, 60 sec rest, repeat 2-3 times

SHELC: 20 reps, 60s rest
Ball crunch: 20 reps, 60s rest, repeat 2-3 times

Doesn’t look all that hard.

It floored me. It was so far away from what I normally did with weights that the minimal amount of anaerobic conditioning that I did perform didn’t help me much…

…It’s was, for me, a big surprise when I finally bit the bullet to try it for real.

Have any of you had the same experience?

Omega-3 Fat and Brain Function

This video just got sent to me by a fellow scientist.

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

Stop Being Fat in 2008

This is important.

I got an email from Tom Venuto last week and I’ve probably read it 5 times. Tom is dead on with these “predictions” I’ve bolded the ones that I think are very important (I could have bolded all of them but tried to pick the real important ones)

On that basis, here are my 20 fitness predictions for 2008:

I PREDICT that if you can reach into your pocket on any day in 2008 and pull out a card or piece of paper with all your body and fitness goals written on it in vivid detail, the odds are 95 to 1 in favor of you achieving every one of those goals before the year is out.

I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on your goals and how you are going to achieve them, all day long, you will reach your goals so fast this year, it will make your head spin.

I PREDICT that if you focus your thoughts on health woes and body fat problems and if you think about what you don’t want, all day long, your problems will get worse than ever this year.

I PREDICT that if you made a new year’s resolution, but you didn’t turn it into a specific, written goal with a deadline and a strong reason why you must achieve it, you will freely abandon it the moment the going gets tough.

I PREDICT that if you can tell me all the reasons why achieving your health and fitness goals are important to you, you will be motivated from within to stick with it when the going gets tough

I PREDICT that at times, the going is going to get tough.

I PREDICT that if you can tell me today what is your life purpose and what is your lifelong vision for your body and your health, you will still be as motivated and driven at the end of the year as you were at the beginning.

I PREDICT that if you don’t have long term goals and a “big picture” vision for your life that you will lose your New Year’s enthusiasm and motivation in a matter of months or even weeks.<–I’m not sure if Tom has read Your Naked Nutrition Guide but this is a HUGE focus of the 1st Section of the book

I PREDICT that the way you see yourself in your mind’s eye today will be an exact reflection of what you see in the mirror at the end of the year.

I PREDICT that if you have a setback that seems to get in the way of you reaching your health and fitness goals and you tell yourself “this just is temporary; this too shall pass,”
then it won’t set you back and it will pass.

I PREDICT that if you believe the way your body looks today is out of your control and you feel helpless or powerless to change, you won’t even make much of an effort this year.

I PREDICT that if you accept complete responsibility for the way your body looks today and you believe that you have the power to change, that you will take action and keep taking action, even through the tough times.

I PREDICT that if you’re unhappy with your physical condition and you say,”it’s not my fault” or you blame it on genetics, hormones or age, then your body will look pretty much the same at the end of 2008 as it did on New Year’s day.

I PREDICT that the more you have patience, a long term perspective and the ability to postpone immediate gratification, the more likely you are to be a success one year from now.

I PREDICT that the more you seek “miracle pills” or “quick fixes,”
the more likely you are to be a failure one year from now.

I PREDICT that you will be tempted by many quick fixes in 2008.

I PREDICT that if you hang out with losers and negative people this year, you will become just like them.

I PREDICT that if you hang out with winners and positive people this year, you will become just like them.

I PREDICT that you will run into more negative people and losers this year than positive people and winners.

I PREDICT that if you recruit just one friend or support partner that stands behind you and the lifestyle changes you want to make in 2008, you will double your chances for success. If you surround yourself with numerous support partners, you will become virtually unstoppable.

If you aren’t familiar with Tom Venuto – where have your been! – just kidding. Seriously, if you aren’t familiar with Tom and his work then I highly recommend that you check out his site, or his blog. He is a “I practice what I preach” kind of guy and I read his stuff whenever possible.

Have a good one.

Just Plain Nuts

Do you eat the same thing everday?

Day in and day out.

Chicken, Spinach, broccoli, almonds, fish….

Day in and day out.

STOP. I am constantly preaching dietary variety – not for just sanity but to ensure adequate amounts of a variety of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

One thing that many people are guilty of is eating the same kind of nuts everyday. You know what I’m talking about…almonds.

Almonds are a great snack food but don’t limit yourself to them. Let’s look as some other good options:

Pecans – Pecans have a buttery taste and are packed with antioxidants and monounsaturated fats

Pistachios - Pistachios can often be oversalted and this can detract from their flavor. Pistachios are a great choice as they to two contain high levels of monounsaturated fat and have been shown by the lab I work in to reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (oxidized LDL cholesterol is essentially the bad getting badder).

Walnuts – Walnuts are a well rounded nut with significant levels of monounsaturated, omega-6 polyunsaturated, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats. they have 2.5grams of omega-3s per 1oz serving. EAT ‘EM UP. Walnuts are my nut of choice when making a shake.

This week when you go shopping, if you have been married to almonds add some variety and pick up pecans, pistachios, or walnuts instead.

Doing Cardio While Building Muscle- Part 2

The purpose of doing cardio when trying to get bigger and stronger is to keep you lean, improve your insulin sensitivity and allow you to eat more calories. What kind of cardio will have the least negative effect on your size and strength gains? That’s a no brainer; walking. The great thing about walking is it will not impede your progress in the least, the bad thing is that you have to walk for a bare minimum of 45 minutes to really burn a decent amount of calories and you will not elevate your metabolism much after walking. That is the great thing about interval training; it elevates your metabolism dramatically for long after you have finished your workout.

With that being said, I would still choose a good fast paced hour long walk on the beach over sitting on a stationary bike inside while pounding away on some brutal intervals. I despise intervals on a bike with a passion. My ass goes numb, my balls go numb and I get a splitting headache. Not to mention that I am bored to tears within three minutes. Plus, I think we all do more than enough sitting and the last thing I want to do is sit some more while I’m supposedly “working out;” my hip flexors are tight enough already, thanks.

If you love to ride a bike then that is fine and you should do what you love. But for God’s sake, go outside and do it. People will actually get in their cars and drive ten minutes across town to walk inside a gym and sit on a stationary bike and ride it for twenty minutes and then drive home. Why not just ride your bike across town? I don’t get it.

So we have established that low intensity, long duration cardio (walking) is the best option for those who are concerned with any losses in size and strength whatsoever. This method was a favorite of many great bodybuilders such as Dorian Yates. Another option here, is to just go for a long slow/low intensity bike ride. Either one works great; but again I warn you to protect your nuts, aka get a good seat.

Next on the list is medium/moderate/high intensity steady state cardio. This kind of cardio is a little tricky because it can elevate cortisol and lead to losses in size and strength. To prevent this you need to be sure to limit the time spent doing this to 30 minutes, max. Two days a week should be safe and three days would probably be ok for most people as well. It’s when you get into the 4-7 day per week, 45-60 minute marathon sessions that you see people at the gym doing (whose bodies never change in the least from one year to the next)all the time, that you get into trouble. If you limit your use of this method you should be ok.

Lastly, we have intervals which we will cover in part 3.

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