IKFF

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Early update 28 Jan 05

This week, [yes I know it is early, but I’ll be traveling eventually getting back to NJ on the 8th of Feb], I’m going to throw in an ab workout the can be done in the schedule as you see fit. I do it on my non lifting days. You can alternate the workouts if you like or do them both on the same day whatever way works for you.

• Light cardio warm-up for 10 minutes
• 3 sets of lower ab exercises, I like doing reverse crunches
• 10 minutes of moderate cardio [I hit the heavy bag]
• 3 sets of upper abs [crunches]
• 5 minutes of high intensity [ I jump rope]
• 1 set of oblique [each side]

This is simple but effective. As far as reps in the sets go to failure on each set for abs. Don’t forget to stretch the abs after each set. Another tip, after you finish try flexing your abs for at least 10 seconds, this will really sear them! [This is good to do with all your muscle groups.]
My next update I’ll discuss some nutrition in regards to recovery.
Tom

Monday, January 24, 2005

Beyond Bodybuilding Muscle and Strength Training Secrets for The Renaissance Man by Pavel

Beyond Bodybuilding Muscle and Strength Training Secrets for The Renaissance Man by Pavel

Another amazing book by Pavel!
Special One-Time Only Offer: Save $20.00 on Pavel's amazing Beyond Bodybuilding if you place your order before 11.55 pm, PST, Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Smash Your Training Plateaus, Overcome Injuries, Make Unprecedented Strength Gains and Grow More Muscle… with a Classical Education in the Wisdom of the Past — and the Scientific Breakthroughs of the Modern Day Masters
Beyond Bodybuilding

Muscle and Strength Training Secrets
for The Renaissance Man

By Pavel

Sunday, January 23, 2005

24 Jan 05 Update

This week’s update will be about another method of increasing intensity. It is called X-Reps. X- Reps are performed at the point of the exercise where you have your sticking point. I know this may seem lazy but I am going to copy a newsletter from Jonathon Lawson of Ironman magazine. If you are interested in the newsletter you can subscribe VIA the link on the right {The Home Gym link}. Here goes!
“Tweak to Peak—The Time is Now
....
X Reps. At the end of a set to failure, you move the weight to
the X spot on the stroke, usually below the midpoint, and pulse
in a five-to-10-inch range (heavy power partials with a searing
aftereffect).

Those all allow you to use heavy poundages, while also igniting
muscle burn (just keep repeating that the fires of hell can fry
more fat for fuel). If you’ve been following our training series in
IRON MAN magazine, you know which of those techniques has
given us the most spectacular results lately—we even named
our Web site after it: www.X-Rep.com. Our one-month
transformation after we adopted X Reps stunned even us.

Why do X Reps work so well? We’ve explained in past
newsletters how they allow you to leapfrog nervous system
failure at the end of any set, which activates more high-threshold
motor units (fast-twitch growth fibers). We’ve also discussed
their ability to overload the muscle at the key max-force-generation
point along the stroke of any exercise, usually the semistretched
position—and stretch overload has been linked to hyperplasia,
or muscle-fiber splitting (maybe you can create new muscle
fibers!). New research also points to occlusion, or blocking blood
flow, as a prime stimulus for explosive size and strength gains.
X Reps definitely produce that occlusion effect at the end of a
set. (The High-Definition training program in the new diet and
nutrition e-book X-treme Lean shows you how to maximize all
of those effects.)

What about a fat-burning growth hormone surge? Well, if you’ve
tried them, you know that X Reps produce an incredible searing
effect at the end of any set. We said above that intensity has
been shown to fire up fat burning and that GH is linked to muscle
burn. Think about it: With X Reps you can do an intense heavy
set on a compound exercise, like bench presses, and then end
that set with power partials to significantly magnify the burn.
(Try them and see—or should we say feel—for yourself!) It’s a
much more efficient method than any of the others, with almost
zero wasted effort. (That’s why we say that each X-Rep set is
at least three times as effective as a straight set to failure.)

If you’ve been training for any length of time, you know it’s very
difficult to achieve a burn on the big, compound movements.
But with X Reps you can make it happen every time. Now you
have the power to trigger a muscle-building, fat-burning double
whammy—heavy, intense multijoint exercise with a searing
firestorm finale. Do you see why we’re so fanatical about X
Reps—and why they were the key method during our one-month
metamorphoses? They can do the same for you...

Just remember that it takes some time to make new size, strength
and leanness happen, so you gotta start now, at your very next
workout. Think intensity and incorporate X Reps on at least one
set of a few select compound exercises to kick-start the
lean-machine turbines. Then when springtime sneaks up on you,
and you peel off your shirt at the lake, beach or pool on that first
hot day, you’ll be very glad you did. (“Wow! You’ve got abs!”)”

Have a great week!
Tom

24 Jan 05 Update

This week’s update will be about another method of increasing intensity.{Plus there are some extras} It is called X-Reps. X- Reps are performed at the point of the exercise where you have your sticking point. I know this may seem lazy but I am going to copy a newsletter from Jonathon Lawson of Ironman magazine. If you are interested in the newsletter you can subscribe VIA the link on the right {The Home Gym link}. Here goes!
“Tweak to Peak—The Time is Now

Only a few weeks ago the New Year’s resolutions were flying
like fists on a “Jerry Springer” rerun. Serious lifters promised
themselves to get bigger, stronger and leaner the coming year.
And not-so-hardcore trainees proclaimed goals of, well, more
muscle, strength and leanness. Plenty of common ground there,
so everyone should be very excited by new research that says
you can jump-start your muscle building and fat burning with
one simple training tweak.

Recent studies at the Nutrition Research Institute in the
Netherlands found that intramuscular fat stores function as an
important energy substrate during intense exercise. Did you get
that? The more intensity you can generate in the gym, the more
visceral fat you can shove into the fire (so training intensity not
only translates to more muscle but less fat!). You want etched,
striated muscle filling out your frame by springtime? You gotta
find ways to start intensifying your workouts—Now! (We’ll give
you the best ways in a moment.)

One key to jacking up your fat-burning, muscle-building results
is growth hormone. It’s a fierce fat burner, plus it synergizes with
other anabolic hormones to amplify their muscle-building power.
In other words, GH turbocharges your results. How do you crank
up GH output? Intensity again—or, more specifically, muscle burn.

So it’s a two-pronged approach: You need some heavy, intense
training, but you also should strive to torch every muscle (think
bodypart barbeque). There are a number of good ways to do that:

Drop sets. Do a set to failure, reduce the poundage and then
immediately do another set to failure (that’s two heavy sets of
the same exercise back to back).

Supersets. Do a set to failure on one exercise, then move to
another exercise for that same bodypart and immediately do a
set (for example, lying extensions followed by close-grip bench
presses for triceps).

Tri-sets. The same as supersets, only you use three exercises
instead of two.

X Reps. At the end of a set to failure, you move the weight to
the X spot on the stroke, usually below the midpoint, and pulse
in a five-to-10-inch range (heavy power partials with a searing
aftereffect).

Those all allow you to use heavy poundages, while also igniting
muscle burn (just keep repeating that the fires of hell can fry
more fat for fuel). If you’ve been following our training series in
IRON MAN magazine, you know which of those techniques has
given us the most spectacular results lately—we even named
our Web site after it: www.X-Rep.com. Our one-month
transformation after we adopted X Reps stunned even us.

Why do X Reps work so well? We’ve explained in past
newsletters how they allow you to leapfrog nervous system
failure at the end of any set, which activates more high-threshold
motor units (fast-twitch growth fibers). We’ve also discussed
their ability to overload the muscle at the key max-force-generation
point along the stroke of any exercise, usually the semistretched
position—and stretch overload has been linked to hyperplasia,
or muscle-fiber splitting (maybe you can create new muscle
fibers!). New research also points to occlusion, or blocking blood
flow, as a prime stimulus for explosive size and strength gains.
X Reps definitely produce that occlusion effect at the end of a
set. (The High-Definition training program in the new diet and
nutrition e-book X-treme Lean shows you how to maximize all
of those effects.)

What about a fat-burning growth hormone surge? Well, if you’ve
tried them, you know that X Reps produce an incredible searing
effect at the end of any set. We said above that intensity has
been shown to fire up fat burning and that GH is linked to muscle
burn. Think about it: With X Reps you can do an intense heavy
set on a compound exercise, like bench presses, and then end
that set with power partials to significantly magnify the burn.
(Try them and see—or should we say feel—for yourself!) It’s a
much more efficient method than any of the others, with almost
zero wasted effort. (That’s why we say that each X-Rep set is
at least three times as effective as a straight set to failure.)

If you’ve been training for any length of time, you know it’s very
difficult to achieve a burn on the big, compound movements.
But with X Reps you can make it happen every time. Now you
have the power to trigger a muscle-building, fat-burning double
whammy—heavy, intense multijoint exercise with a searing
firestorm finale. Do you see why we’re so fanatical about X
Reps—and why they were the key method during our one-month
metamorphoses? They can do the same for you...

Just remember that it takes some time to make new size, strength
and leanness happen, so you gotta start now, at your very next
workout. Think intensity and incorporate X Reps on at least one
set of a few select compound exercises to kick-start the
lean-machine turbines. Then when springtime sneaks up on you,
and you peel off your shirt at the lake, beach or pool on that first
hot day, you’ll be very glad you did. (“Wow! You’ve got abs!”)”


Have a great week!
Tom

:: Rx Health Tips� :: - Discover The Best Ways To Lose Fat... & KEEP IT OFF! (part 2)

:: Rx Health Tips� :: - Discover The Best Ways To Lose Fat... & KEEP IT OFF! (part 2)

Here is the 2nd part of the email I posted last week!

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

:: Rx Health Tips� :: - Discover The Best Ways To Lose Fat... & KEEP IT OFF!

:: Rx Health Tips� :: - Discover The Best Ways To Lose Fat... & KEEP IT OFF!

Here is a news letter I have received,with some good diet info. Funny but I actually got an email with a voice message from Arnold, it sounded like him and there was a picture of him, who knows. I'll post them as I get them.
Tom

Sunday, January 16, 2005

This weeks update 01/17/05

I was reminded of an acronym this week which fits my postings. The acronym is “FITT”:
F – Frequency
I – Intensity
T - Time
T – Type
I have discussed some of this already, frequency, and time. So let’s get into intensity. What is intensity? Here is the dictionary response:1. Exceptionally great concentration, power, or force. 2. Physics The amount or degree of strength of electricity, light, heat, or sound per unit area or volume.
When you are talking about in the gym some people will say the person who makes a lot of noise lifting is intense. Are they? Or are they looking for attention? I believe it has to do with 2 things focus and results. “Focus” Is you workout a social gathering? Do you have a no nonsense in and out approach? I’ve know the combination of the two, you know laughing joking but when they get under the bar it’s all business, they get tunnel vision. All they see is the weight and how many reps they want. Reminds me of Laurence Fishburne’s character in “Biker Boyz”. That’s focus having a goal and going for it! “Results” This is simple or is it? It can be measured weekly, monthly, how about that day? Hey you might want to go into your workout set a PB [personal best] in the squat but couldn’t. Why? Work, the kids, school, not feeling well, or whatever. The thing is you got to your workout, look into the mirror did you give it the absolute best you could do that day? The only person you have to impress is in that mirror! How do you feel? Do you feel good? That results. Put those 2 together and you get intensity.
I’ll discuss 2 types this week, easy ones, ones most will know.
Forced reps, getting just enough assistance from your partner to get one or two extra reps in a set. This means they only help enough to keep the weight moving. They should be getting an arm workout, for example, assisting you on the bench.What if you train alone?
Drop sets [Break downs], this is one of my favorites. It is simple using the bench for example, do as much reps at a given weight, then stop, strip some weight off [ I usually set the bar up so I can take around 20%- 25% off the bar] then finish the set. You can also go from barbell to dumbbell or kettlebells.
A note on these, they should be done on the last set. If you do them on all your sets it’ll take longer to recover, or worse, tear something.
Good luck this week! Set some goals and go for them.
Feel free to send comments or questions!
Tom LaMonica

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

A Motivational Quote

"How things look on the outside of us depends on how things are on the inside of us."
- Parks Cousins

Isn't this true?!?
Imagine yourself with a big happy smile, how does your body look? Upright, positve attitude, very good all around, right? Now frown, sloutching posture, almost dragging yourself around. Thats what a good workout will do for you, you'll feel good on the inside and look good on the outside....
Tom

Sunday, January 09, 2005

This weeks update 01/10/05

This week I’m going to discuss another way to increase the effectiveness of you workout. Last week I mentioned increasing weight. This week I have another suggestion involving time. If your current sessions are lasting an hour, track the time in between sets. Then simply decrease that time, for example if you a resting for 1 ½ minutes try for 1 minute. This is a simple yet very effective technique. I really like doing this when using kettlebells, it gives a cardio workout as well. You can do this before increasing the weight, then when you get to the time you are shooting for increase the weight. I’ll be discussing more in the future. If there are any questions or comments feel free to [please do!!!]
Tom

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

10News.com - Health - From Russia To La Jolla, Kettlebell Trend Sweeps Gyms

10News.com - Health - From Russia To La Jolla, Kettlebell Trend Sweeps Gyms

Great Deal on Kettlebell Convention

Dragon Door has changed the pricing on admittance to the National
Kettlebell Convention in Las Vegas, March 19 – 20, 2005.
If you register before January 14 the fee will be $250.00 (instead
of $300.00)
If you register after March 7, or at the door, the fee will be
$350.00
If you already registered at the $300.00 fee, we will be issuing
you a $50.00 refund.
You may also register just for the Saturday evening Buffet. See
below for more details.

Kettlebell Convention Schedule
Saturday, March 19 (9:00 am – 9:00 pm)
Seminars and contests: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Evening Buffet and Prize Giving: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sunday, March 20 (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)
Seminars and contests: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday Evening Dinner Buffet included with admission.
Bring the family: children under 16, free admission when
accompanied by parents
Important Registration Information
http://www.dragondoor.com/wpkb12.html?kbid=2145

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Monday, January 03, 2005

Welcome to The Thai Red Cross Society. Link to Red Cross Thailand

href="http://www.redcross.or.th/english/home/index.php4">Welcome to The Thai Red Cross Society.

Workout update

Happy New Years,
I just got back from Thailand, very depressing/sad there right now, try and give to the Red Cross if you can!

Now a word on how to work this workout, to make progress. On all excercises try starting with a weight at the lower rep limit, ex. squats 12 reps. When you can do the required sets at the highest rep [15 on squats] increase the weight untill your at barely 12 reps for both sets...
More on increasing intensity next week
Tom


Here is the workout again I start with Squats. After warming up [Remember to warm up on all excercises!!!!!] I do 2-3 sets {this depends on my weekly work-out plan, 2 days = 3 sets, 3 days =2 sets, this is followed on all excercises} of 12-15 reps supersetted with pull-overs, of 15 reps both excercises breathing deeply.
Next I do 2-3 sets of power cleans 6-8 reps
Then bench, I'll mix this up flat, incline, & dips 2-3 sets 8-10 reps
Now Pull downs [or pull-ups if you can] 2-3 sets 8-10 reps
Arnold presses or military presses, again 2-3 sets 8-10 reps
1 set each for bi's and tris'
Then finish off with abs

Building Size and Strength with Kettlebells part 2

Building Size and Strength with Kettlebells