Triple Threat Muscle - 3XM
An Interview with Jason Feruggia:
Most guys are being told to follow bodybuilding splits, train multiple times a day, and other non-sense training tactics that don’t work. What tips do you have for people looking to build muscle as fast as possible?
The key to making consistent size gains is making consistent strength gains (in a hypertrophy rep range) while eating enough food and allowing enough time for recovery. You need to constantly be doing more weight or more reps. The body will respond to any given stimulus one time and one time only. If you place the same demands on it a second time (like pressing the same weight for the same reps) nothing will happen. You must always be forcing it to adapt and thus you must always ask it do something it isn’t used to.
The easiest way to do this is add more weight or do more reps with the same weight.
Aside from making consistent strength gains the next most important thing to consider is training frequency. To improve anything in life you need to do it frequently. Building muscle is no different. So you want to train a muscle as frequently as possible, while it is in a fresh and recovered state. This means that you should be training each body part once every 2-5 days, and not once a week like a lot of the muscle mags recommend. That’s too little frequency. The more times you can stimulate growth throughout the year the better. Obviously 104 growth stimulating workouts per year for each body part would be a lot better than 52.
I have seen the phrase “stimulate, don’t annihilate” on your blog in reference to training. Can you explain what you mean by this and the relation to training volume?
To elicit a training response you need to present the body with a stimulus that it isn’t used to. This stress will cause the body to adapt. The body adapts by building itself up bigger and stronger.
Where people go wrong is that they think they need to annihilate the muscle in order to elicit any type of response. This is completely counterproductive. When you annihilate the muscle with tons of sets and reps and intensity techniques like drop sets you drastically increase your recovery time. And as I mentioned previously, frequency is very important. So when you increase your recovery time you have to decrease your training time. You’re shooting yourself in the foot.
The key is to do just enough to stimulate size and strength gains but not annihilate yourself so that it takes forever to recover, or worse- that you put yourself in a state of overtraining.
Triple Threat Muscle is your new program. What separates this program from all the others and can you tell our readers why you created it?
My Muscle Gaining Secrets program is specifically geared toward skinny guys, hardgainers and beginners. This is more of an intermediate/advanced program that is more athletically based. So while the main focus is still on building muscle there is also a shift toward a bit more speed work, mobility and conditioning in Triple Threat Muscle.
The new program was created for the typical weekend warrior or Average Joe who wants to look and train like an athlete but doesn’t actually have the time or recovery ability to spend more than a few hours per week in the gym.
I spent the last two years experimenting on a wide group of individuals to come up with the most effective and fastest way to do this. Triple Threat Muscle is the result of two years of hard work and is based on all of my findings.
And finally, what general tips can you give to our readers who want transform their bodies?
Strength train 3-4 days per week.
Lift heavy and keep most of your sets in the range of 3-10 reps.
Don’t go to failure.
Train each body part 2-3 times per week.
Don’t do more than 12-16 total sets per workout.
Always strive to get stronger.
Eat natural, organic foods and avoid anything processed.
Sleep 8-10 hours per day.
Minimize stress.
Get out in the fresh air and sun more often.
>>>>>For More info click here<<<<<
IKFF
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Here’s a Quick Way to Prevent Diabetes with Fitness
Here’s a
By Su Rollins
What effect does exercise have on glucose levels?
It is quite easy to manage diabetes when you incorporate a program for exercise in your daily routine. Such exercises have been shown to have positive effects for people who are suffering from diabetes, especially 
those who have low glucose levels. One example is exercise being able to channel muscle energy, convert it into glucose and then using that glucose as fuel. At the start of it, the body will just use the glucose that has been converted into glycogen from one’s muscles. Glucose is also found in your bloodstream. If you maintain a long term exercise program, it is highly likely that the levels of your blood glucose will not dip. Also, glucagon and other hormones found in your body will also be released. These hormones and glucagon work together and break down all of the liver’s stored fat and then converting such stored fat into more glucose. It is best that you engage in exercise frequently, because your body will improve. It will develop a sensitivity to insulin, as well as help you gain better control of the body’s glycemic index.
Why is the effect of exercise on glucose levels important to those with type 2 diabetes?
As previously explained, the exercise will have a great effect on your glucose levels. This is actually quite important especially for patients of type 2 diabetes. There are a lot of studies that indicate a better control of one’s glycemic index in diabetes patients, but only if they engage in regular exercise. Those who fail to establish a regular routine for exercise have results which are not as good. Thanks to exercise, you get to improve on your insulin sensitivity. This means you need to use less medicines and attain adequate control over their blood sugar levels.
Should patients with type 2 diabetes exercise more often or differently than otherwise healthy people?
There are, of course, people who become at risk for hypoglycemia due to the combined effects of their diabetes and engaging in high stress exercise. This happens during exercise and after it, too. If you think about it though, people can also be at risk for hyperglycemia simply for having poor control over their diabetes. Therefore, the leaders in this field recommend engaging in moderate exercise for a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes, or 90 minutes if they want to do vigorous exercise.
What type of exercise is best for type 2 diabetes patients?
In light of this, the frequency of the routine is more important that the kinds of exercise one engages in. There are many researches wherein an abundance of benefits result from both weight training as well as aerobic activity.
When should patients be discouraged from exercising?
Some patients have a higher risk of developing injuries from the stress of an intense exercise program. Such patients include those with higher cardiovascular risk, those over the age of 35, and those leading sedentary lifestyles. These patients should be thoroughly evaluated before beginning a new exercise program. Patients with severely low blood sugar levels should wait until their condition improves.
About the Author - Su Rollins writes for "Hypoglycemic Diet Blog" , her personal hobby blog focused on tips to prevent and cure hypoglycemia using the right diet and nutrition.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Medical Emergency; This Happened Today by Jon Benson
My friend and fitness author Jon Benson sent me this email. I have his permission to share it with you, despite the really personal details... turns out that he had a near-fatal event in the gym and wanted to share the story with his readers. I was blown away by what he did in the name of "preventative medicine"... so read this. It may just save your life.
Tom
My Medical Emergency; This Happened Today
by Jon Benson
Sometimes you have to nearly lose it all to realize what you truly have.
I can honestly say that I have come close to death several times in my life. I've had my share of accidents, medical emergencies, and a near-fatal accident while driving.
But there was something about just laying on the gym floor today with two doctors hovering over me that gave me serious pause.
Time for some major reflection.
Now, before you get too alarmed (for those who know me, or just think I'm a pretty good guy... ; )... fear not. I did not have a stroke or anything like that, thank goodness.
What I did have was a major drop in blood pressure... so much that I came dangerously close to entering the "coma" zone.
I kid you not.
And trust me... I felt like I was slipping fast.
My girlfriend was there with me. I had her kneel down and, just like Spock in an old episode of "Star Trek", I had her slap me several times in the face. Hard!
"If my eyes roll back, hit me harder."
The doctor probably thought I was nuts... but I know that's one way to elevate my blood pressure.
So, what happened? Am I falling apart at the relatively young age of 46? Is my dietary and exercise advise dangerous after all?
No... and here's why:
I actually VOLUNTEERED for this.
Before you think I've totally lost my marbles, hear me out. If you listen to the rest of the story, you'll see that not only has my advice been of great value when it comes to exercise and dietary strategy... it actually ended up saving my butt!
-----------------------------------------
Really Bad Genetics Meets
The Cath Lab: A Wild Encounter
-----------------------------------------
First, the "volunteered for this" bit needs explaining... right? Right.
If you read my first book, published in 2004, called "Fit Over 40" (read more at http://www.fitover40.com) then you may recall that I went into great detail about my poor genetics and horrible health in my early and mid-30s.
Since then, and knowing exactly how bad my genetics are for such things as high blood pressure (oh, the irony!), heart disease, and stroke, I adopted the dietary plan and exercise routine I use to this very day. The very ones I cover in "The Every Other Day Dietplan" and "7 Minute Body."
(If you don't have these books and want them, you can get both here... http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com -- oh, and I have a short video up on this page if you have not seen on a 1-minute fatloss tip... )
Now, let's get real folks: Dietary power and exercise MAY not be enough to overcome really bad genetics when it comes to certain diseases. And being ever curious, I wanted to know exactly how my own health was doing on my plan. So a month or so ago I paid a visit to the hospital to have some tests ran. All my yearly check-ups were okay, but I wanted a closer look at my heart... and I mean "literally".
I wanted to be "cathed"... this is where they insert a camera into your heart, going up the femoral artery in your right leg, and take a look around. If they find anything dangerous, like a clogged artery, they can fix it right then and there with a stent. A stent is a metal device that presses plaque against the artery wall and opens up a clogged artery.
Of course I hoped I would not find such a thing... and certainly nothing worse. I mean, can you imagine? "Mr. Benson, you need a quadruple bypass!"
I could not, that's for sure... and I was fortunate because, as you probably guessed, I didn't hear those words from my doc.
It's hard to get a cath done as it's a risky procedure. I can't even tell you how I managed to pull it off ... that's how touchy the hospitals are when it comes to this kind of stuff. Afterwards, I volunteered to do 5-10 workouts at their heart care facility so I could hook myself up to some nifty gadgets. I get to watch my EKG (how my heart is functioning during cardio and weights... and it works like a charm!) and really nice doctor folks come by to check my blood pressure (which is always low) during the workout.
Yep... the doc and I wanted to put my workout plan to the test, I guess you could say. I wanted to do it just to make sure I was 100% healthy during my training. You never really "know" I suppose, so I was up for it. And my doctor wanted me to do it just in case what he found during the cath was serious. There's a lot to this process, and there's some details I don't wish to cover for privacy sake... but anyway, back to my story.
It's long, but it may save your life too. : )
-----------------------------------------
The Good News... The Bad News...
And The Stupid Jon News!
-----------------------------------------
Turns to find out I made a few mistakes... some pretty costly mistakes... but (get this) none of them had to do with my dietary or exercise plan.
During the cath, here's what the doc said:
"Jon, your heart's two primary arteries look good... hardly any obstruction at all. And they are nice and thick from exercise." For a guy who has had a cholesterol level of over 400 before, and a history of heart disease in the family, this was really good news.
"However, your genetics are catching up to you in one of your arteries.... and you need to be more aggressive with your drug treatment to make sure we don't have to go back in here one day!"
Er... what??
Yep... turns out that the only thing that saved me from a BYPASS (that's right) was what the doctor called "an enormous amount of peripheral arteries formed from years and years of weight training and exercise."
Wow.
"Look right here Jon..." (He showed me my beating heart on camera... freaky...) "See all these arteries? Well the average person doesn't have them. You do. Congratulations... you earned them."
Wow again. And remember, I only workout with weights 3-4 times per week and my workouts are rarely over 21 minutes (time under the weight.)
-----------------------------------------
What I Did Right... And What
I Did Wrong... And Why This
Could Save Your Life
-----------------------------------------
So, listen up folks as I'm about to tell you everything I did wrong for the past several years... how it ALMOST cost me dearly (a bypass?... no thanks!)... how I managed to prevent it... and how I ended up on the gym floor today with doctors all around me.
It's all related. And again, sorry for the novel-like email, but (again) this may save your life.
First, here's what my excellent cardiologist said I did RIGHT:
1. Exercise: "Jon, your exercise plan, to put it bluntly, saved you from a great deal of pain... in fact it probably saved your life as these blockages would have been far worse without it." With it, I had only one artery with enough blockage to warrant the drug therapy that I should have been on for years... more on that in a second...
2. Dietary plan: "Jon, your diet is perfect for this condition... low in carbs, high in protein and healthy fats is all anyone can do in order to help fight this genetic killer." Yep... again... prevention in the form of dietplan saved my butt. Or rather my heart. : ) But it wasn't enough... at least for one artery. However, it WAS enough to prevent them from having to do surgery on me.
"Jon, the take-away here is simple: Exercise and dietary plans, even the very best, may not be enough for super high-risk people... but in your case your lifestyle saved your life. And it certainly prevented you from having to have any serious surgery to correct a truly broken heart."
Talk about EXCITING news... yep... you CAN beat this killer, even when you have MY horrible family genetics. However, like me, you may need some help... more on that in a second.
3. Blood pressure: "Jon, your blood pressure is excellent. Your lifestyle and very low-dose diuretic has kept your formerly sky-high blood pressure (it was 200/110 when I was 32!) to an excellent 118/78." But you know doctors... even "excellent" isn't enough and they recommended a stronger BP med for "my intense weight training."
So, I listened... and ended up on the floor today. You see, many doctors do not realize the POWER of weight training compared to cardio. My blood pressure never budges during cardio, but less than 3 minutes into a resistance (weight-training) session it goes down like the stock market after a bad news day.
I mean SHOOTS down. I tried to explain this by letting the doctor see the veins in my legs... "Doc, my veins are MUCH larger than the average person's... trust me, my pressure is fine." "Jon, just try it for a few weeks."
Bad mistake.... like I said, I ended up on the gym floor today with a blood pressure of 72/45. If I hit 40, I'm literally in a coma. 5 points away... very scary. Needless to say the doc took me OFF these meds and let me do it my way: With my Every Other Day Dietplan (low-carb most of the days) and good-old exercise.
If you have high blood pressure, I URGE you to take up weight training or resistance (body-weight or band) training. Of course, ask your doc about it first... but I've seen first hand for three weeks now how powerful my weight training sessions are compared to intense cardio sessions.
They are night and day folks... weights RULE. Cardio is good, but weights are best. Both of course would be the best course for ultimate health, but most people do far too much cardio and far too little resistance training.
-----------------------------------------
Oops...
-----------------------------------------
Now, here's what I did WRONG:
1. Cigars: "Jon, you cannot afford to smoke cigars... ever. They have lowered your protective HDL to a dangerous level. Stop NOW!" That's all it took folks. Yes, I smoked cigars for many years, but fortunately I was never an addict. I quit that very day.
Guess what? 10 days later my HDL DOUBLED (no kidding)... and without drugs. Of course that's not all I did...
2. Fat too LOW: "Jon, you've lowered your dietary fat too low... this affects your HDL." Yep, I normally eat about 35% dietary fat... and I cut it down to 20% to help me get ready for a photoshoot. Now that I put it back to where it belongs, I still have my abs (yep!) and my HDL is raising as I type.
3. Stress: "Jon, you are simply working too hard not to do some form of meditation or de-stressing." So I dove back into my meditation CDs. (I'll tell you more about Holosync and my hypnosis CDs in my next email... very cool stuff.)
4. Advil: "Jon, you take 4 Advil before you train? You're nuts! That stuff can cause sticky plaque formations!!" You know, I may never even had an issue if I had known this (and not smoked cigars) a few years ago. Live and learn!
5. And finally... oh, this hurt to hear... no drugs! "Jon, if you want to make sure you beat this thing, you simply must take some meds to help." Okay, I resisted any form of statin drug for the past 15 years (drugs to lower cholesterol.) I opted to try natural stuff... but unfortunately for me I was never too consistent. And I paid the price.
So the doc and I came to a compromise: I would take the LOWEST dose of statin along with 400 mg of CoQ10 (scary, but this was my idea, not his, and statins deplete this heart-friendly enzyme!) But I wanted a natural solution to the real issue: small particle LDL. You see, I've known for years that I carry the gene that makes LDL "small". LDL is not dangerous unless it is small... that's why "total cholesterol" means nothing to me. I've seen folks have heart attacks with a cholesterol level of 130. No joke. But their LDL was super-small... like mine.
And guess what? Dietplans cannot really help this. Well, they can HURT it (too many carbs, too many toxic fats, etc.) but they cannot shift the LDL from small to large.
For that, you need plain old niacin. Just a simple B vitamin... but in not-so-simple doses. In fact it's considered a drug at the dose you have to take, and you should NEVER take niacin over 50 mg without a doctor's supervision as it can be very toxic to the liver.
-----------------------------------------
The Conclusion: The Power
Is In Your Hands
-----------------------------------------
In conclusion, I'm A-Okay... my heart pumps and functions "like that of a strong 20-year-old" (my doctor's quote) thanks to the extra arteries I developed from my exercise program (how cool!) ... but in order to keep that one artery in check, I'm taking his advice and taking much better care of myself than I have been.
Today I learned that this does NOT mean taking blood pressure meds...thankfully... : ) But I had to make some changes. Some of them were "stupid" changes... sure, I know cigars are not good for you. I know you need good fats in your dietplan. I could have used common sense and figured out that 4-8 Advil on workout days was... well, stupid.
But the good news, which is what I choose to focus on, is this: In the areas that 95% of people NEVER change, I didn't have to change much at all.
Dietary plan and exercise.
Turns to find out that what I was doing works great... and it did, in fact, save my heart and quite possibly my life.
For more on my dietplan and exercise routine, go here:
Everyotherdaydiet
Thanks for reading, and I wish all of you good health!
Yours In Fitness,
J O N B E N S O N
P.S. I got lucky in many ways, but especially so when it came to my doctors. Both of my doctors are young and savvy enough to be up on the latest research on nutrition. They know NOT to buy into this "low-fat" nonsense for heart health. (I'd use a harsher word, but kiddos may be reading... : ) That only works for about 10-15% of the population. The rest of us need to lower our CARBS, not our fats... but the way I do it I get to keep my favorite carbs in my dietplan every week.
The little that I do eat keeps me happy as a clam, and keeps my heart nice and healthy too. A little bit of bad food will not hurt most people... but eating it every day can flat-out kill you.
Please... take this seriously. I promise, my dietplan and exercise routine is a PLEASURE to follow... but if you don't follow it then find one that IS enjoyable for you to follow... and do it.
Life is too short, you know?
Tom
My Medical Emergency; This Happened Today
by Jon Benson
Sometimes you have to nearly lose it all to realize what you truly have.
I can honestly say that I have come close to death several times in my life. I've had my share of accidents, medical emergencies, and a near-fatal accident while driving.
But there was something about just laying on the gym floor today with two doctors hovering over me that gave me serious pause.
Time for some major reflection.
Now, before you get too alarmed (for those who know me, or just think I'm a pretty good guy... ; )... fear not. I did not have a stroke or anything like that, thank goodness.
What I did have was a major drop in blood pressure... so much that I came dangerously close to entering the "coma" zone.
I kid you not.
And trust me... I felt like I was slipping fast.
My girlfriend was there with me. I had her kneel down and, just like Spock in an old episode of "Star Trek", I had her slap me several times in the face. Hard!
"If my eyes roll back, hit me harder."
The doctor probably thought I was nuts... but I know that's one way to elevate my blood pressure.
So, what happened? Am I falling apart at the relatively young age of 46? Is my dietary and exercise advise dangerous after all?
No... and here's why:
I actually VOLUNTEERED for this.
Before you think I've totally lost my marbles, hear me out. If you listen to the rest of the story, you'll see that not only has my advice been of great value when it comes to exercise and dietary strategy... it actually ended up saving my butt!
-----------------------------------------
Really Bad Genetics Meets
The Cath Lab: A Wild Encounter
-----------------------------------------
First, the "volunteered for this" bit needs explaining... right? Right.
If you read my first book, published in 2004, called "Fit Over 40" (read more at http://www.fitover40.com) then you may recall that I went into great detail about my poor genetics and horrible health in my early and mid-30s.
Since then, and knowing exactly how bad my genetics are for such things as high blood pressure (oh, the irony!), heart disease, and stroke, I adopted the dietary plan and exercise routine I use to this very day. The very ones I cover in "The Every Other Day Dietplan" and "7 Minute Body."
(If you don't have these books and want them, you can get both here... http://www.everyotherdaydiet.com -- oh, and I have a short video up on this page if you have not seen on a 1-minute fatloss tip... )
Now, let's get real folks: Dietary power and exercise MAY not be enough to overcome really bad genetics when it comes to certain diseases. And being ever curious, I wanted to know exactly how my own health was doing on my plan. So a month or so ago I paid a visit to the hospital to have some tests ran. All my yearly check-ups were okay, but I wanted a closer look at my heart... and I mean "literally".
I wanted to be "cathed"... this is where they insert a camera into your heart, going up the femoral artery in your right leg, and take a look around. If they find anything dangerous, like a clogged artery, they can fix it right then and there with a stent. A stent is a metal device that presses plaque against the artery wall and opens up a clogged artery.
Of course I hoped I would not find such a thing... and certainly nothing worse. I mean, can you imagine? "Mr. Benson, you need a quadruple bypass!"
I could not, that's for sure... and I was fortunate because, as you probably guessed, I didn't hear those words from my doc.
It's hard to get a cath done as it's a risky procedure. I can't even tell you how I managed to pull it off ... that's how touchy the hospitals are when it comes to this kind of stuff. Afterwards, I volunteered to do 5-10 workouts at their heart care facility so I could hook myself up to some nifty gadgets. I get to watch my EKG (how my heart is functioning during cardio and weights... and it works like a charm!) and really nice doctor folks come by to check my blood pressure (which is always low) during the workout.
Yep... the doc and I wanted to put my workout plan to the test, I guess you could say. I wanted to do it just to make sure I was 100% healthy during my training. You never really "know" I suppose, so I was up for it. And my doctor wanted me to do it just in case what he found during the cath was serious. There's a lot to this process, and there's some details I don't wish to cover for privacy sake... but anyway, back to my story.
It's long, but it may save your life too. : )
-----------------------------------------
The Good News... The Bad News...
And The Stupid Jon News!
-----------------------------------------
Turns to find out I made a few mistakes... some pretty costly mistakes... but (get this) none of them had to do with my dietary or exercise plan.
During the cath, here's what the doc said:
"Jon, your heart's two primary arteries look good... hardly any obstruction at all. And they are nice and thick from exercise." For a guy who has had a cholesterol level of over 400 before, and a history of heart disease in the family, this was really good news.
"However, your genetics are catching up to you in one of your arteries.... and you need to be more aggressive with your drug treatment to make sure we don't have to go back in here one day!"
Er... what??
Yep... turns out that the only thing that saved me from a BYPASS (that's right) was what the doctor called "an enormous amount of peripheral arteries formed from years and years of weight training and exercise."
Wow.
"Look right here Jon..." (He showed me my beating heart on camera... freaky...) "See all these arteries? Well the average person doesn't have them. You do. Congratulations... you earned them."
Wow again. And remember, I only workout with weights 3-4 times per week and my workouts are rarely over 21 minutes (time under the weight.)
-----------------------------------------
What I Did Right... And What
I Did Wrong... And Why This
Could Save Your Life
-----------------------------------------
So, listen up folks as I'm about to tell you everything I did wrong for the past several years... how it ALMOST cost me dearly (a bypass?... no thanks!)... how I managed to prevent it... and how I ended up on the gym floor today with doctors all around me.
It's all related. And again, sorry for the novel-like email, but (again) this may save your life.
First, here's what my excellent cardiologist said I did RIGHT:
1. Exercise: "Jon, your exercise plan, to put it bluntly, saved you from a great deal of pain... in fact it probably saved your life as these blockages would have been far worse without it." With it, I had only one artery with enough blockage to warrant the drug therapy that I should have been on for years... more on that in a second...
2. Dietary plan: "Jon, your diet is perfect for this condition... low in carbs, high in protein and healthy fats is all anyone can do in order to help fight this genetic killer." Yep... again... prevention in the form of dietplan saved my butt. Or rather my heart. : ) But it wasn't enough... at least for one artery. However, it WAS enough to prevent them from having to do surgery on me.
"Jon, the take-away here is simple: Exercise and dietary plans, even the very best, may not be enough for super high-risk people... but in your case your lifestyle saved your life. And it certainly prevented you from having to have any serious surgery to correct a truly broken heart."
Talk about EXCITING news... yep... you CAN beat this killer, even when you have MY horrible family genetics. However, like me, you may need some help... more on that in a second.
3. Blood pressure: "Jon, your blood pressure is excellent. Your lifestyle and very low-dose diuretic has kept your formerly sky-high blood pressure (it was 200/110 when I was 32!) to an excellent 118/78." But you know doctors... even "excellent" isn't enough and they recommended a stronger BP med for "my intense weight training."
So, I listened... and ended up on the floor today. You see, many doctors do not realize the POWER of weight training compared to cardio. My blood pressure never budges during cardio, but less than 3 minutes into a resistance (weight-training) session it goes down like the stock market after a bad news day.
I mean SHOOTS down. I tried to explain this by letting the doctor see the veins in my legs... "Doc, my veins are MUCH larger than the average person's... trust me, my pressure is fine." "Jon, just try it for a few weeks."
Bad mistake.... like I said, I ended up on the gym floor today with a blood pressure of 72/45. If I hit 40, I'm literally in a coma. 5 points away... very scary. Needless to say the doc took me OFF these meds and let me do it my way: With my Every Other Day Dietplan (low-carb most of the days) and good-old exercise.
If you have high blood pressure, I URGE you to take up weight training or resistance (body-weight or band) training. Of course, ask your doc about it first... but I've seen first hand for three weeks now how powerful my weight training sessions are compared to intense cardio sessions.
They are night and day folks... weights RULE. Cardio is good, but weights are best. Both of course would be the best course for ultimate health, but most people do far too much cardio and far too little resistance training.
-----------------------------------------
Oops...
-----------------------------------------
Now, here's what I did WRONG:
1. Cigars: "Jon, you cannot afford to smoke cigars... ever. They have lowered your protective HDL to a dangerous level. Stop NOW!" That's all it took folks. Yes, I smoked cigars for many years, but fortunately I was never an addict. I quit that very day.
Guess what? 10 days later my HDL DOUBLED (no kidding)... and without drugs. Of course that's not all I did...
2. Fat too LOW: "Jon, you've lowered your dietary fat too low... this affects your HDL." Yep, I normally eat about 35% dietary fat... and I cut it down to 20% to help me get ready for a photoshoot. Now that I put it back to where it belongs, I still have my abs (yep!) and my HDL is raising as I type.
3. Stress: "Jon, you are simply working too hard not to do some form of meditation or de-stressing." So I dove back into my meditation CDs. (I'll tell you more about Holosync and my hypnosis CDs in my next email... very cool stuff.)
4. Advil: "Jon, you take 4 Advil before you train? You're nuts! That stuff can cause sticky plaque formations!!" You know, I may never even had an issue if I had known this (and not smoked cigars) a few years ago. Live and learn!
5. And finally... oh, this hurt to hear... no drugs! "Jon, if you want to make sure you beat this thing, you simply must take some meds to help." Okay, I resisted any form of statin drug for the past 15 years (drugs to lower cholesterol.) I opted to try natural stuff... but unfortunately for me I was never too consistent. And I paid the price.
So the doc and I came to a compromise: I would take the LOWEST dose of statin along with 400 mg of CoQ10 (scary, but this was my idea, not his, and statins deplete this heart-friendly enzyme!) But I wanted a natural solution to the real issue: small particle LDL. You see, I've known for years that I carry the gene that makes LDL "small". LDL is not dangerous unless it is small... that's why "total cholesterol" means nothing to me. I've seen folks have heart attacks with a cholesterol level of 130. No joke. But their LDL was super-small... like mine.
And guess what? Dietplans cannot really help this. Well, they can HURT it (too many carbs, too many toxic fats, etc.) but they cannot shift the LDL from small to large.
For that, you need plain old niacin. Just a simple B vitamin... but in not-so-simple doses. In fact it's considered a drug at the dose you have to take, and you should NEVER take niacin over 50 mg without a doctor's supervision as it can be very toxic to the liver.
-----------------------------------------
The Conclusion: The Power
Is In Your Hands
-----------------------------------------
In conclusion, I'm A-Okay... my heart pumps and functions "like that of a strong 20-year-old" (my doctor's quote) thanks to the extra arteries I developed from my exercise program (how cool!) ... but in order to keep that one artery in check, I'm taking his advice and taking much better care of myself than I have been.
Today I learned that this does NOT mean taking blood pressure meds...thankfully... : ) But I had to make some changes. Some of them were "stupid" changes... sure, I know cigars are not good for you. I know you need good fats in your dietplan. I could have used common sense and figured out that 4-8 Advil on workout days was... well, stupid.
But the good news, which is what I choose to focus on, is this: In the areas that 95% of people NEVER change, I didn't have to change much at all.
Dietary plan and exercise.
Turns to find out that what I was doing works great... and it did, in fact, save my heart and quite possibly my life.
For more on my dietplan and exercise routine, go here:
Everyotherdaydiet
Thanks for reading, and I wish all of you good health!
Yours In Fitness,
J O N B E N S O N
P.S. I got lucky in many ways, but especially so when it came to my doctors. Both of my doctors are young and savvy enough to be up on the latest research on nutrition. They know NOT to buy into this "low-fat" nonsense for heart health. (I'd use a harsher word, but kiddos may be reading... : ) That only works for about 10-15% of the population. The rest of us need to lower our CARBS, not our fats... but the way I do it I get to keep my favorite carbs in my dietplan every week.
The little that I do eat keeps me happy as a clam, and keeps my heart nice and healthy too. A little bit of bad food will not hurt most people... but eating it every day can flat-out kill you.
Please... take this seriously. I promise, my dietplan and exercise routine is a PLEASURE to follow... but if you don't follow it then find one that IS enjoyable for you to follow... and do it.
Life is too short, you know?
The TT Abs Bootcamp Workout (and Big 7 Fat Burning Circuit)
This is just 1 of the new 31 TT Bootcamps workouts, and specifically,
this is Part 2 of 3 for the TT Abs Bootcamps series.
It's called "Abs Endurance" because of the endurance nature of the
abs circuit at the end of the program, but like all TT workouts, it
is a total body fat blasting program.
REMEMBER - Train at your fitness level...take extra breaks if you
need them. Do only one round of each circuit if you are have not
been exercising recently.
Train safe, train smart, and have fun.
Enjoy!
TT Bootcamps Workout #8 - Abs Endurance: Part 2 of the Abs Bootcamps
Warm-up (20 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
- Bodyweight Squat
- Stick-up
- Kneeling Pushup or Pushup Plus
- 1-Leg Hip Extension (20 seconds per side)
- Plank (40 seconds)
- Side Plank (20 seconds per side)
- Run in Place
- Rest 1 minute and repeat 1 more time.
TT Strength Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 5 minutes
- Bulgarian Split Squat or Forward Lunge or 1-Leg Deadlift (30 seconds per side)
- 1-Arm KB or DB Press OR Elevated Push-ups (30 seconds per side)
- Optional if you have equipment: DB Row or Bodyweight Row
- Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.
Water Break - 2 minutes
TT Big 7 Circuit (20 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
- Jumping Jacks
- Prisoner Squat
- Spiderman Climb Pushup or Close-grip Pushup
- Band Row or KB Row or Cross Crawl
- Diagonal Lunge (20 seconds per side)
- Inchworm
- Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.
Water Break - 2 minutes
TT Depletion Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
- Total Body Extension or Jump Rope
- Cross-Body Mountain Climber
- Reaching Lunge (30 seconds per side)
- Squat Thrusts
- Shuttle Run or Run in Place
- Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.
Water Break - 2 minutes
TT Total Body Abs Endurance Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 5 minutes
- Pushup Plank
- Get-up (30 seconds per side)
- Optional: Stability Ball Plank
- Rest 1 minute before repeating 1 more time.
Cool-down, Stretching & Water Break - 10 minutes
Hope you enjoy that workout.
And if you want Parts 1 & 3 of the TT Abs Bootcamp series plus all
31 new TT Bootcamps workouts, just visit this website:
=> For more of the Bootcamp Click Here!
You'll get 31 total body workouts - including the 3-part TT Booty
Bootcamps program - that you can do with minimal equipment (and even
use in your own bootcamps if you are a trainer).
Monday, March 15, 2010
An swinging update and info
Alright, so I am at the ½ way point of the month and here is an update as to where I am at with the “10,000 swings” challenge:
Day 4 during the course of being at work 600 with 40lb bell – 8429 remain –will attempt to knock out @2000 the next 3 nights at work,Day 5 1280 !!!!! {At work every hour did some},Day 6 Barely 200, Day 7 - 380, Day 8 - 410, Day 9 – 330, Day 10 – 460, Day 11 - 300, Day 12 – 230, Day 13 [work] 800, Day 14 – 300, Day 15- 200 all this equals 3539 left.
This is A LOT harder then I thought!!! Most were done one handed with a 16kg bell or a 24kg bell. I am glad I am ahead of schedule so I will start trying heavier bells.
Here is some good nutrition info!
5 Nutrition Tips for Fat Loss
By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
This is always tough to admit, but nutrition is more important than
your workouts when it comes to fat loss.
And since diet is more important than exercise, I've decided to
spend a lot time sharing nutrition tips this week, starting with
these 5 diet secrets:
1) Your nutrition program doesn't have to be extreme.
Hold up on making any extreme diet changes. Make sure the nutrition
plan you've chosen is sustainable. Simple diet changes go a lot
farther than you might think.
Why not just eat more whole, natural foods rather than trying to go
on an impossible-to-stick-to ultra-low carb extreme plan?
2) Get the junk out of the house.
If it's in your house, you'll eat it...and trust me, this goes for
me too. When I visit a relative's house for holiday, I always eat the
treats they have sitting around. That's why I keep the junk out of
my house.
So whatever your weakness is, keep it out of your home.
Success is that simple.
3) Fill in the "diet-killing" gap.
For some folks, the diet-killing gap is between work and dinner.
For others, it's between dinner and bedtime, but for almost
everyone, there is a point in the day when we suffer from mindless
eating.
So make sure you have alternatives...as soon as you come home from
work, cut up vegetables and dip them into hummus. That will keep
you full on a small amount of calories.
After dinner, if you need something sweet, stir up chocolate
protein powder into a small bit of plain yogurt. That will satisfy
you.
4) Chew your food 5-10 times before swallowing.
Most people eat so fast they only about 1-2 times. You'll really
notice a difference and you'll slow your eating so you feel full.
5) Have a bowl of broth-based vegetable soup before a meal.
American researcher Barbara Roll has published a lot of studies
showing that this will help you reduce the food you eat.
Surprisingly, consuming just water doesn't seem to do the same
trick.
So those are just 5 of the diet secrets we have for you this year.
Stay tuned for proven secrets to help you lose fat in 2010.
Click here for more....
Day 4 during the course of being at work 600 with 40lb bell – 8429 remain –will attempt to knock out @2000 the next 3 nights at work,Day 5 1280 !!!!! {At work every hour did some},Day 6 Barely 200, Day 7 - 380, Day 8 - 410, Day 9 – 330, Day 10 – 460, Day 11 - 300, Day 12 – 230, Day 13 [work] 800, Day 14 – 300, Day 15- 200 all this equals 3539 left.
This is A LOT harder then I thought!!! Most were done one handed with a 16kg bell or a 24kg bell. I am glad I am ahead of schedule so I will start trying heavier bells.
Here is some good nutrition info!
5 Nutrition Tips for Fat Loss
By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
This is always tough to admit, but nutrition is more important than
your workouts when it comes to fat loss.
And since diet is more important than exercise, I've decided to
spend a lot time sharing nutrition tips this week, starting with
these 5 diet secrets:
1) Your nutrition program doesn't have to be extreme.
Hold up on making any extreme diet changes. Make sure the nutrition
plan you've chosen is sustainable. Simple diet changes go a lot
farther than you might think.
Why not just eat more whole, natural foods rather than trying to go
on an impossible-to-stick-to ultra-low carb extreme plan?
2) Get the junk out of the house.
If it's in your house, you'll eat it...and trust me, this goes for
me too. When I visit a relative's house for holiday, I always eat the
treats they have sitting around. That's why I keep the junk out of
my house.
So whatever your weakness is, keep it out of your home.
Success is that simple.
3) Fill in the "diet-killing" gap.
For some folks, the diet-killing gap is between work and dinner.
For others, it's between dinner and bedtime, but for almost
everyone, there is a point in the day when we suffer from mindless
eating.
So make sure you have alternatives...as soon as you come home from
work, cut up vegetables and dip them into hummus. That will keep
you full on a small amount of calories.
After dinner, if you need something sweet, stir up chocolate
protein powder into a small bit of plain yogurt. That will satisfy
you.
4) Chew your food 5-10 times before swallowing.
Most people eat so fast they only about 1-2 times. You'll really
notice a difference and you'll slow your eating so you feel full.
5) Have a bowl of broth-based vegetable soup before a meal.
American researcher Barbara Roll has published a lot of studies
showing that this will help you reduce the food you eat.
Surprisingly, consuming just water doesn't seem to do the same
trick.
So those are just 5 of the diet secrets we have for you this year.
Stay tuned for proven secrets to help you lose fat in 2010.
Click here for more....
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