5 Super Foods For Six Pack Abs

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Super foods for six pack absWe have all heard the quote, “Abs are made in the kitchen.” No matter how hard you train, if you eat like crap in the kitchen you will most likely look and feel that way too.

As I have stated before, nutrition is 80-90% of the results you are going to see. How can you expect three workouts a week to make up for the hours a week you spend eating? Think about it, you spend each day eating 4-7 meals while spending just a few hours per week working out.

Now this doesn’t mean you need to start working out for hours on end, it simply means you need to start getting more serious about your nutrition. 

Below are five super foods that you must start incorporating into your diet if you are serious about getting and staying fit. Put down the processed junk foods and start eating for better health!

1. Whole Eggs

Eggs provide you with a good source of protein, healthy fats, and carry a high quality amino acid profile. Going against what conventional wisdom says, multiple studies have shown that eggs can help prevent blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks.

Eggs are an incredible fat burning food and one that will aid in lean muscle growth. When buying eggs, get free range organic. The higher quality you buy, the better.

It is worth the extra 2-3 dollars.

2. Grass Fed Butter

Wait what? Butter? Really? Yes, really! But not just any butter, it must be grass fed. Grass fed butter is the “best source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to aid in weight loss and weight management, as well as fight against carcinogens.”

Yes, grass fed butter will aid in losing fat.

Not only that, but it is packed with vitamins and minerals, and displays an amazing Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio.

Dave Asprey, founder of the Bulletproof Executive and Bulletproof Coffee, lives by consuming great amounts of grass fed butter. In fact, he lost over 100 pounds while eating a diet that was very high in fats with much of the fat coming from butter. Take a look at the inforgraphic below to get a better idea of why you should eat more butter:

Butter-Infographic1 Via Bulletproof Executive

3. Grass Fed Beef

Grass fed is better, simple as that. From the way the animals are treated to the far more and better benefits it brings. I will go as far as saying the only time you should eat beef is if it is grass fed. That is how important it is.

The majority of beef cows in America are raised for a short time on grass and then “finished” in confined feeding areas with a diet of grain that is unnatural to them. They are essentually force-fed so they can be slottered quicker so these companies can get it to your plate faster.

Grass fed cows on the other hand spend their whole life roaming free eating grass that they have thrived on for years (no force fed cattle 10,000 years ago right?).

This is what allows them to have “10 times more beta-carotene, three times more Vitamin E and three-times more omega-3 fatty acids.”

If you are going to eat beef, make sure it is 100% grass fed!

4. Wild Fish

Along the same lines as grass fed beef, wild fish is the way to go when consuming our friends from the sea. Fish caught in the wild spend their whole life out in their natural environment unlike farm raised fish which spend their lives on fish farms.

Wild fish are packed with Omega-3′s, are high in protein, and will aid in fat loss.

Your best options when consuming fish are to eat deep and cold water fish like salmon and red tuna.

5. Dark Leafy Greens

Such as… Spinach, kale, and bok choy.

These foods contain “beta-carotene, C, folate, iron, magnesium, carotenoids, phytochemicals, and antioxidants” which all contribute to better health.

We all know that vegetables are an important part to any fat burning nutrition plan, so if you are serious about getting fit and staying fit, you must start incorporating veggies into most (if not all) of your meals!

There you have it, 5 Superfoods to help you get six-pack abs once and for all. It is time for you to put down the processed junk and get serious about your nutrition. Not only will it help you get fit, but it will allow you to stay fit and healthy for life!

Have Feedback? Leave it below, I would love to hear!

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Exercises For Building Muscle

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Exercises For Building MuscleThe more lean muscle you have, the less fat you have. This simple yet powerful statement is something I say all the time when training clients and trying to explain to them that long slow traditional cardio is not the way to go.

When you perform long bouts of exercise (hours spent on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, etc.), your body has no choice but to start eating away at your hard earned muscle. That is why you see so many long distance runners with nearly zero lean muscle mass.

They may be “skinny”, but in fact they lack one of the most important aspects that all bodies should have: lean muscle.

The Myths of Building Muscle.

In the past several decades, many myths have been debunked when it comes to building muscle. Yet, you still hear every day at the gym people saying they don’t lift because they don’t want to “get bulky” or “look like a guy.”

Please understand that lifting does NOT make you bulky, no matter what kind of lifting you are doing. The reason people get bulky is not because of their workouts, but a combination of their workouts and nutrition (with nutrition being 80% of it!).

The exercises we will cover below are ones that will help you build lean muscle while also helping you eliminate unwanted fat. If you are trying to add more muscle mass be sure to see the article found HERE!

Exercises For Building Muscle

Legs:

  1. Barbell Squats (and all the variations)
  2. Leg Press
  3. Romanian Deadlifts

Close Seconds: Deadlifts, Hack Squats, Leg Extensions, Leg Curls

Chest:

  1. Bench Press
  2. Incline Dumbbell Press
  3. Decline Press

Close Seconds: Weighted Dips, Cable Cross Over

Back:

  1. Bent Over Row
  2. Weighted Pull-Ups
  3. Barbell Deadlifts

Close Seconds: Seated Row, Lat Pull Down, One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Shoulders:

  1. Barbell Overhead Press
  2. Side Shoulder Raises
  3. Arnold Dumbbell Press

Close Seconds: Rear Delt Raise, Military Press, Front Shoulder Raises, Barbell Shrugs, Cable Raises

Arms: 

  1. Dumbbell Curls
  2. Barbell Curls
  3. Tricep Extension
  4. Skull Crushers

Close Seconds: EZ Bar Curls, Hammer Curls, Reverse Curls, Weighted Dips/Bench Dips, Close Grip Bench Press

Exercises You Should Always Include:

  1. Push-Ups
  2. Pull-Ups
  3. Dips
  4. Supermans
  5. Jumping Exercises

All of the exercises listed above are ones that will help you build lean muscle and eliminate unwanted fat. I will state again that lifting does not make you bulky unless you are eating to get bulky.

If you perform the exercises above and eat the right foods, you will turn your body into a fat burning machine!

There is no need to worry about adding “too much muscle,” because remember what was said earlier: The more lean muscle you have, the less fat you will have!

Work first on building lean muscle in your workouts, and the fat burning will immediately follow.

Photo Cred: cszar

Filed Under: Exercises, Strength Training, Workouts

What Workouts Work

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What Workouts Are Currently Working

What Workouts WorkBack in the 70’s it was jogging and long cardio. In the 90’s we saw different forms of dance aerobics emerge as the new and hip workouts. Now, in the year 2013 we have come quite a long way in the kinds of workouts we can do. From Crossfit to Spartan Training to TRX training to high intensity home workouts.

The kinds of workouts you can do to get the results you want are endless. Below, I will be going over five very powerful workout options that you should take a look at if you are serious about changing your body and health:

1. Crossfit

If you like competing, you will love Crossfit. The workouts you will find here are unique, incredibly challenging, and quite fun. The workouts are designed to constantly challenge your body, mind, and willpower.

What might be even better than the workouts themselves is the community around Crossfit. The following they have built is nothing short of amazing. Crossfit gyms around the country strive to build community, and this has resulted in the very popular Crossfit Games which airs on ESPN along with multiple other competitions they put on.

If you are looking for great workouts and an even better community, Crossfit may be your best bet.

2. Finishers

MW-WF2.0-Spiral-LargeFinisher workouts are something that are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. These workouts are placed at the end of your workout and can take anywhere from 2-10 minutes to complete.

What finishers allow you to do is engage in a very high intensity cardio and strength circuit that will help you burn more calories and fat from your workouts. And many times these finishers are so difficult and intense that can be done by themselves for your full workout.

If you want a place to start, I highly recommend taking a look at Mike Whitfield’s brand new Finisher workout program.

These workouts are the real deal!

3. Spartan Training

Similar to Crossfit, Spartan Training consist of very challenging workouts that focus on functional strength. Essentially, Spartan Training not only helps you gain strength and burn fat, but it allows life movements (like walking, standing, moving) to become easier because of the movements you work on during your workouts.

The most popular Spartan Training workout is the ‘300 Workout’ from the movie ‘300’.

What I like about Spartan Training is that it can cater to you no matter what age. Whether you are a 20 year old athlete or a 50 year old business man, these workouts will help!

4. Sprints

People around the globe are starting to realize the power of sprints. Although many still avoid them at all costs, I have to recommend that you start sucking it up and sprinting 2-3 times per week. The benefits far outweigh your lack of motivation.

Possibly the best part about sprints, aside from the immense fat burning, metabolism boosting, and positive hormonal response that it brings, is the fact that the workouts take no more than 10-15 minutes to do. It is the most efficient workout option on the planet!

5. Metabolic Resistance Training

A simple definition of MRT is “compound exercises performed with little or no rest in between.” When you perform MRT workouts, what you are doing is increasing your metabolic rate so you can burn more calories and fat.

MRT calls for you to use big, compound movements while keeping your workouts very high intensity. The extreme example of MRT is Crossfit and Spartan Training. However, you can easily create your own MRT workouts.

Pick a few compound exercises then keep rest periods minimal throughout the workout.

From the five workouts we covered above, there is one aspect that they all have in common:

INTENSITY!

Each of the workouts above is very high intensity and will challenge you each time you go to the gym. If you want to start seeing the results you desire, you must bump up the intensity in your workouts. There is no way around it. The 70’s form of long slow cardio to burn fat is long gone.

If you enjoy running, do it as a side workout not your main workout.

It is time to get serious with what you are trying to accomplish. And one of your first steps in terms of workouts, needs to be bumping the intensity!

Filed Under: Workouts

The Flow Of A Workout

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Workout Flow

In the past we discussed exactly how you should structure your workouts. After getting some questions about that post, I have decided to put an article together discussing the flow of  your workouts.

No matter what kind of workout you do, this will be helpful:

planPre-Gym Preparation: The two main points you need to remember for your pre-gym preparation are nutrition and having a plan. Let’s first discuss nutrition. Everyone is different when it comes to when they can eat before a workout. For myself, I can eat up to 30 minutes before and be completely fine while others need at least 2-3 hours to let their food digest.

It really just depends on how you handle food before working out. Figure out when that time is and stick with it. Pre-workout meals should consist of some protein and carbs coming from fruit. Your best options will be strawberries, raspberries, black berries, or blueberries. Protein should can be chicken, fish, beef, or a protein shake.

In the past, we have discussed the importance of having a plan when getting to the gym. The last thing you want is to be walking around wondering what you will be doing next. Not only will you be wasting time but your workouts will suffer.

Write out a plan on your smart phone, piece of paper, in a notebook, or even on a napkin before you get to the gym. Your plan should include what exercises you will do, the amount of reps and sets, rest periods, and how long your workout will take.

The Warm-Up: After you get to the gym and getting changed, it is time to prepare for your workout. Most people recommend going up and doing some cardio before the workout, but not me. A better and more productive warm-up will depend on what you are doing that day and will consist of dynamic stretching and bodyweight exercises.

The dynamic stretching (or active stretching) will get your muscles loosened up and ready to go. You will then perform some bodyweight exercises replicating the workout that you will do that day. If you are going to be doing squats, then in your warm up you would do some bodyweight squats, lunges, and squat jumps to get your legs going.

After going through a 5-10 minute warm up, it is always recommended that you do at least two sets of the first exercise on your list with lighter weight. So if you are doing barbell squats as your first exercise, do at least two sets with a lighter weight before jumping into your actual workout.

StrengthFirst 10-25 minutes: Within the first 10-25 minutes of your workout, you should do your hardest exercises first. So sticking to our theme, if you are doing legs that day, you would want to do squats and deadlifts first before moving on to the less demanding exercises.

The reason for this is you want to have full energy for your big lifts. It is a lot more important to have full energy on squats than it is on leg extensions, leg curls, or calf raises. Don’t wear yourself out by doing exercises that don’t require as much energy as your big lifts. For starters, here’s a list of exercises to focus on first in your workouts depending on which muscle group you are targeting:

  • Legs: Squat or deadlifts, leg press, lunges, …
  • Chest: Bench press or dumbbell presses
  • Back: deadlifts, bent over row, weighted pull-ups, …
  • Shoulders: overhead press (barbell, dumbbell, or Arnold’s)

Middle 5-10 minutes: You have gotten through the toughest part of your workout and are now on to the middle 5-10 minutes. Most times, this is when you are starting to feel the affects of the first 10-25 minutes but still have a few more exercises written on the plan you put together earlier.

During this portion of the workout, it is a good idea to do some isolation exercises if you have them on the list. For example, this is when you would do your leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises, bicep and tricep work, etc.

It is always best to save your isolation movements toward the end of the workout as they are much easier on your body to perform, and frankly it doesn’t really matter if your muscles are tired when performing them. It is much more important to go hard on squats, deadlifts, and leg press than it is on hamstring curls.

JumpingLast 5-10 minutes: The end of your workout is when you should perform your ab work and/or a finisher. If you have abs on the list that day, simply doing 2-3 exercises and repeating for 2-3 sets always works great.

As for a finisher, this will be a set of exercises that are very high intensity targeting similar muscle groups as your workout that day. For example, on a leg day you could do squat jumps, leap ups, jump lunges, burpees, rock climbers, etc.

A finisher is meant to be very high intensity for this short period of time. This is all the cardio you need for your workouts! You don’t need to go up and do 45 minutes of cardio after weight training if you perform your finishers properly.

Post Workout (5-10 minutes): Post workout is when you will cool down, foam roll, and stretch. I always like foam rolling and static stretching as a cool down period. Having a cool down will help you relax and recover better for your next workout.

Post Post Workout: After your cool down period, it is time for your post workout meal. As we already know, nutrition is 80-90% of the results you will see so your post workout nutrition is very important.

This meal should consist of a good, quick source of protein and some complex carbohydrates. The quickest way to get your protein is through a protein shake. Just mix it with water and you are good to go. Depending on your goals you can include 25-100 grams of complex carbohydrates immediately after your workout.

This will help with recovery and lean muscle growth!

Final Words: No matter what workout you go through, the structure above can be used as a guide. Start with writing out your plan and fueling your body, warm-up properly, go hard during your workout, cool down, and get some good post workout nutrition.

Remember that nutrition is 80-90% of the results you will see so don’t think that just because you worked out, you can go off and eat anything you want. Focus on eating real foods, and lots of them. If you do this, the results you want will come. 

Thoughts, questions, or comments? Leave them below…

P.S. Like this post? Then hit the ‘Like’ and Tweet button before you go!

Filed Under: Health and Fitness, Workouts

Just Another Day

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Is it really “Just another day?” Is today, just another day to let slip away without taking the steps to improve your life, better your relationships, and make the most of the one life you were given?

When asked how your day is going, have you ever responded with “just another day”? Think about that statement for a second…

This answer has no drive, no ambition, no goal, no future, …

“Just another day” isn’t living in the present moment to improve life. “Just another day” isn’t making each day your masterpiece. “Just another day” isn’t pushing forward to a better and more fulfilling life.

It’s being satisfied in a stalled state of life. It’s living without a purpose, without true meaning.

We are all given a new 24 hours each day to live. No matter where you are in life; rich, poor, happy, sad, out of shape, fit… we all get the 24 hours. It doesn’t carry over, we can’t bank the time we didn’t use, or save it for a later date.

Once it is gone, it is gone. There are no do-overs or retry’s with time. Time past is just that… past!

I once read an article that asked, “If you were given $86,400 every single day, but you had to spend it all within 24 hours or else you would lose it, what would you do?” The answer is simple; you would figure out a way to spend it all. No matter what, you would find a way to use all that money so it didn’t go to waste.

Each day you are given 86,400 seconds to use. You can’t bank them or carry over extra seconds to tomorrow. You must use them all!

The key, however, is how you decide to use them.

Are you just going to continue floating through life as “just another day” or are you going to change you mindset to start making each day your masterpiece?

Are you going to keep doing the things that bring you down or will you start making positive changes, today, that will have a lasting impact on your future?

Will you continue to waste away the precious time you are given or will you start making the most of every opportunity?

The answer should be simple.

I challenge you to make today, every single one of the 86,400 seconds that you are given, worth something.

To change your future, it starts with the present! The time truly is now…

Filed Under: Motivation
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