Metabolic Resistance Training Bootcamps Explained

What Makes a Good MRT Bootcamp Workout?

By Mike Whitfield, CTT, and Craig Ballantyne, CTT

Co-Authors, TT Metabolic Resistance Training Bootcamps

Bootcamps have come a long way, and the days of running laps

over and over are dwindling away.  You already know that

metabolic resistance training (MRT) is the hottest method to

use with clients and campers to strip fat off in less time.

But how do you incorporate MRT into a Bootcamp setting, and

how do you know if you have a good workout program designed?

=> Enter the Done-For-You TT MRT Bootcamp Workouts

A Structured and Professionally Designed Program

Every once in a while, it is certainly fun to throw together

some fun exercises and just work hard.  But if you do that

day in and day out, you and your clients could be asking for

an overuse injury.

That's why a thought-out, well-designed program is important

to use with your campers so that they get the best results in

minimum time, all while avoiding overuse injuries.

The Layout

The workouts should be laid out in superset or circuit fashion

with non-competing exercises so that you can produce more work

in less time.

People want to lose fat and not have to be at your location

for an hour and a half.

For example, you would do a Bodyweight Bulgarian Squat, then

immediately Close-Grip Pushups.  Your lower body rests while

doing an upper body exercise and vice versa.

Strength Training - When and Why

Many bootcamps make this mistake - they do a lot of cardio

moves early on, like running or sprints, and then expect their

campers to bust out pushup after pushup.  Or worse, there is

no strength training component at all.

The strength part of a bootcamp workout should be done at the

beginning after the warm-up, when their muscles are ready to

work, but fresh.  This allows better effort for your campers

and better results.

What Exercises to Use

Big, compound movements burn more calories and get your campers

better and faster transformations.  A variety of pushups (some

you may not have even heard), lunges, rows and jumping movements

should be utilized to keep your campers engaged and excited.

You can also incorporate different methods to give your campers

the "Wow!"experience, including the 90% method, 1-1/2 rep style

and more. These are fun gems you can use to keep your campers

coming back for more great workouts.

The 3 Keys to a Solid MRT Bootcamp Workout

We already talked about strength training and how it is missing

or misplaced in a lot of bootcamps.  But another key to use in

your workouts is conditioning.  You can typically use a circuit

of bodyweight movements with little rest (30 seconds to 1 min)

that will skyrocket your client's conditioning.

They will appreciate that when they can go up and down the

stairs easily.

Finally, the metabolic finisher and/or intervals - When most

people think of intervals, they think of treadmills or bikes.

But you can actually perform intervals just using bodyweight

exercises or moves like KB Swings.

The metabolic finisher is usually a superset or circuit with

a variety of reps and sets with heart-pounding moves like

Burpees, Swings, Pushups and more.  They use incomplete recovery

with very short periods.  They finish off your campers, revving

their metabolism all day long.

The Most Important Thing to Remember - Timed Sets

The one thing that could make or break your bootcamp is using

specific reps rather than timed sets.  For example, you tell

your campers to perform 15 Bodyweight Squats.  That might be

the perfect amount of reps for some, while others will struggle

getting that many.  For advanced people, that might be too easy.

That's why you want to use timed sets.  By asking your campers

to perform 30 seconds of Bodyweight Squats, everyone can do

what they can in that time, allowing people of all fitness

levels to benefit.

Have Fun With Your Workouts

Any bootcamp workout is fun when you use some kind of camper

interaction. This could be allowing one of the campers call

the shots, or having your campers partner up for shadow drills,

and more.  The TT MRT bootcamp workouts utilize this strategy

throughout the manual.

Be Unique

By offering your unique energy and enthusiasm, you will have

campers coming back.  You should even use unique exercises to

keep the workouts fresh and exciting, like:

Spiderman Climb with a Reach

Total Body Extension

Plank to Triceps Extension (crushes the triceps with bodyweight only)

And more...

These unique exercises and more are built right into the

done-for-you workouts.

Have fun, be safe, and bring the energy.

=> Get over 31 Metabolic Resistance Training BootcampWorkouts here

You'll save $30 this week only during the program release sale.

Plus, if you're a trainer, you'll get a complete bootcamp

build-up blueprint to help you get more clients.

The Best Fat Loss Tips

The Best Fat Loss Tips

Fat Loss Rules To Live By 

By Kevin DiDonato MS,  CSCS, CES


Diet, exercise and sleep are sure fire ways to help you lose weight and keep it off.

However, today there is more information available to you for weight loss, that sometimes you can get overwhelmed.

We have made it easy for you to lose weight and keep it off.

Here are 7 simple fat loss rules to help you lose weight and change your body forever!

Where is the time going?

I’ve been busy with new job [still], I guess I am lucky to have that problem in this economy.

I do have my current work-out.Where it says “support work” I may do extra work to support the strength work preceding it, for example on a chest day may do some tricep work. The Dual threat synergy is a workout by Josh Henkin and Troy Anderson, [available on link on the right “Ultimate Sandbag”] I’ll do that when I work out at home at the gym I’ll do some kind of “WOD”. Fridays I’ll be working towards my IKFF level 2 certificaton.  There is a level 1 &2 cert in Hoboken, NJ-5/18-20 if anyone is interested click on the above IKFF banner and go toevents, see you there.{or here}

Monday

Bench 5-3-1

2 Minute Cardio Divide

Support Work

2 Minute Cardio Divide

Dual Threat Synergy {WOD}

Cardio

Wednesday

Deadlift 5-3-1

2 Minute Cardio Divide

Support Work

2 Minute Cardio Divide

Dual Threat Synergy

Cardio

Friday

Biathlon – Jerk and Snatches

20 Rep Squat

 2 Minute Cardio Divide

Dual Threat Synergy

Cardio

ALSO anyone planning on doing a Spartan Race in the U.S. use this code for $15 off - NJSRT002

MOVE!!!!!

Fight Back Against Athritis Pain

Fight Back Against Athritis Pain: "Tiny Fighters For Inflammation In Your Body

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES


Inflammation could affect many different areas in your body.

According to research, inflammation can lead to cognitive decline, dementia, increased pain associated with PMS, and increased pain associated with arthritis.

Now, some research suggests, that krill oil could lower inflammation, which could lower pain and improve different aspect of your life.

Let me explain…"

'via Blog this'

Vitamin D and Calcium and Fat Loss

Vitamin D and Calcium and Fat Loss: "Vitamin D And Calcium. POTENT Fat Fighters.

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES


Are you fat, tired and unhappy with your appearance?

When you look in the mirror, do you see a protruding belly and NO SIX pack abs?

Have you tried everything from exercise to eating right- all to no avail?

What may be happening is this: you may be lacking essential nutrients in your diet which may INCREASE your fat burning potential.

But more importantly if you find yourself overweight, you may some deadly tissue growing inside your body.

And it may be wrapping itself around your organs"...READ MORE

'via Blog this'

Change = Chaos

I changed jobs recently and I thought being it would be steady days for the 1^st few months I’d have more time to work out and write----wrong!

I’ve had a lot less time to do both, but sadly tried to continue my workouts, which led to overtraining. This of course lead to weakened immune system, burnout, bad sleep patterns, etc. So I’ve backed off the training, somewhat forced due to the flue. As fate would happen I received an email about a book “5-3-1” by Jim Wendler, which was so appropriate for my situation. It is a minimalist approach to making strength gains, doing 4 lifts, squat, deadlift, bench, and press. Of course as I am feeling better I will be making it my own 5-3-1 +KB sport+ fullbody strength conditioning, but this time mindful of overtraining. {There are several options with 5-3-1 program that include fullbody, cross training, etc, in the Ebook version}

So far my rough version of a workout looks like this:

 - 5-3-1

 - (2) 1 minute sets either of Kettlebell Jerks or snatches. I will alternate doing snatches on upper body days, and jerks on lower body days, this right here giving me a fullbody workout.

 - Strength conditioning

The strength condition will vary at first, but I will settle on 4 workouts so I have a way of marking my progress, either timing how long it takes me to complete a workout or density sets, or distance.

I’ll post my final, if it can ever be called final, version of this workout as I fix it up.

Being it is a new year, some of my fitness goals this year to do an obstacle run, signed up for  a Spartan Sprint in June, enter a Kettlebell competition this year, possibly another ½ marathon or 2,even though after my last one I said I was finished. Notice I didn’t say lose weight. I did gain some being sick and want to lose it, but I’ve learned if you do something like the items I mentioned above, the training for them will force you to get in shape and lose weight. It is sometimes [ some will say always]better to do it this way. Find an event and train for it. Buy new clothes and train to make them fit. Always tell supportive people about your plans, someone that will guide you on your journey.

FREE Prograde “Workout” shake drink click here!!

Until next time ….soon…

BTW I am now taking on Health Coaching clients contact me via facebook [and like my pageplease ] for more info for more information

Bored and a bit over trained

Making Changes

I have been following the workout I posted in my last blog, as with anything, I’ve learned I need to make a few adjustments.

One thing I’ll be able to do is back off “some” of my running, my ½ marathon in Savannah is this weekend [11/5/11], so I wont have to run as much. I’ll be running with my brother, Misfit Runner, and his family so it should be fun, I’m also raising money for Cancer  - Team DetermiNation.

What I’m going to do is as follows:

 I will keep the 10 minute EDT block in the beginning followed by the 2 minute cardio divide.

My kettlebell training will change, instead of [not sure if this was listed] doing 5 – one minute sets with one minute breaks then decreasing the breaks until I am at 30 seconds  rest, and raising the weight. I will now raise the work time start with 4 sets at one minute and when I get to 1:40, raising:10 a week, raise the weight and go back to 1 minute. Eventually I will work to 32kg then stay there until 3 set of 2 minutes…then see what happens from there. [This is for both the “jerk” & the ‘snatch”

I will also add 2 sets each of :30/:30 of the next weight that I am working at ex. If I am using 24kg on the 1 minute sets, I’ll use 28kg on the :30, just to get a feel for the weight.

I will then combine GPP [general physical preparedness] & Cardio [ie.Cardio Strength]

An example is what I’ll do today, 30 seconds each of pull-ups, push-ups, swings, and medicine ball triple crush slams, rest 1minute -3-4 times.

What are “medicine ball triple crush slams” you ask.  Hold the ball with a neutral grip “crushing it”, curl it, then press it, then tricep extension, then slam, repeat. I’ll see if I can do a video of it

Until then feel free to ask question

Health coaching and training available – contact me!!!

Now that I am Certified…

I recently earned my IKFF CKT certification, during which I got the Kettlebell Sport Bug. So now I want to add that element into my training without sacrificing other types of working out that I’ve been doing. Granted when I do enter a contest the Sport lifting ratio will increase. In case you do not know what KB Sport consists of it is timed events, either a biathalon which is 10 minutes of Jerks a rest the 10 minutes of Snatches [1 hand change]], or the long cycle which is 10 minutes of clean and jerks. Now during these ten minutes you can rest in the rack or overhead {snatch only in the overhead. of course} position you can not put the bell down or your time is finished. There are different Kettlebell weight requirements, and you are using a competition style bell.
Right now I still have to get the lifts down so I have added them to my workout as follows, note the changes

Each workout will start with 1 of 4 10 minute EDT sessions
1. Turkish Get-up

25lb club & 48kg Bell

2. Deadlift
3. Long Cycle
4. Squat

These will be followed by a 2 minute “Cardio Divide”

Then practice of the Jerk and Snatch
Mondays, I will do ladders [timed] with a lighter bell
Wednesdays, interval – start with 30/30 a heavy bell
Fridays a timed session

On days in which the EDT is the “Long Cycle” I will add an extended pause at the top and rack positions [of jerk & press] to practice “resting”

2 minute “Cardio Divide”

GPP & Cardio [or combined]

What do you think? All suggestions are welcome!

The Best Workout?

The Best Workout…

First I’ll start out by discussing another “slight” change to my previously mentioned workout. Maybe when I finally finish fine tuning it I’ll publish it as an “e-book”. I changed the “Cardio Divide”, sort of; I now mainly do hand to hand kettlebell swings for 2 minutes. Also on days I workout post work [I work 12 hour shifts] my finisher is jumping rope for as long as I am able, this is only 3x a month.

Ok I just finished reading an article on misleading research regarding high intensity interval training [HIIT]. The article was very well researched and written but my reaction to it probably was not the author’s intent. It got me thinking, does it really matter? The main thing for the majority of people is to get up and do SOMETHING. Steady state cardio, HIIT, tabatas, the “As seen on TV” flavor of the week, it doesn’t matter do something. Sure the “shake weight” looks stupid and I wouldn’t buy it, but if it gets one person off the couch doing something, great. Maybe it will become a “Gateway” tool for the person.

For anyone interested there will be an IKFF CKT Level 1Course - Hoboken, NJ - August 20 - 21, 2011 – spots are almost filled act quickly!

Getting Results?

Looking for results?

My last post was about a new program I designed and was doing, I made a few changes to it and have made some excellent results!

The main change I made was the between the “Density” strength training block and the “Circuit/supersets” block I added a 2 minute “cardio divide”  in which I will do some cardio [duh], for example when I workout in my yard or garage I like to jump rope at this time. I find this gets more blood pumping throughout the body for the “circuit/supersets” block.

Also I changed the reps on squats and deadlifts for the “Density” blocks,  I find I am getting better results by doing this. I increased squats to 5 reps and deadlifts to 4.

I may increase all this next time around – bench and presses to 5 reps,  squats to 8, deadlift stay at 4.

The “finishers” have been fun changing everyday, form running intervals to tabatas, to anything I find posted like this today from Josh Henkin of Sandbag fame:

I know the one thing that make this workout or any workout work is journaling your progress, especially in the density block.

Safety note, those who like working outdoors remember it is getting hotter [in the northern hemisphere] so hydrate! Also do not get disappointed if your workouts drop off the 1^st few times your are in the heat, you are working harder when you add the heat factor!

New workout

Ok so it has been a while since my last post…again

No real excuse, been to a few real good seminars with Troy Anderson/Josh Henkin and James Smith [of Diesel]/Steve Maxwell. Both seminars were tremendous, learned a lot and will be sharing the info soon. Right now I just want to post my latest workout. It is sort of a mixed bag as far as what muscle fibers are being hit.

It starts off with strength/power in an EDT  {escalating density training} type format, 10 minutes with a weight you can do 4-6 reps with, but you do 3 reps and get as many as you can do in 10 minutes. If after a while you can not get 3 reps, do not lower the weight, either rest longer or get only 1 or 2 reps. Using a training log is very important here, record the total reps so you know if the next time you hit say dead-lift for example, you what you need to do to improve on last workout. I will stay with a weight until I can get over 21 reps in 10 minutes. This part of the workout is for strength/power.

Next part is circuit/ supersets, 8-12 reps 3 set. I put circuit/ superset because if I go to the gym and can not set up a circuit I know I can at least do superseted format. Going for size pump here and I do the same exercise the following workout as I did in the previous workouts EDT session. Example Bench for chest back to back workouts but different rep range. You can change up the other exercises for body parts and I recommend that you do and use various training objects. {notice no arm exercises – not needed]

Final part is the finishers!

If at the gym I will do a “pace“ style treadmill workout – sprint for @45 seconds, walk/jog until heart rate drops @20% then repeat 4x. In my garage/yard I will mix it up, intervals with various “tools” [sledge hammer, kettlebells, sandbags, etc] Maybe do another EDT type session like my new favorite, which I will have videoed soon, using an 80lb d-ball, picking it up tossing it running to it, burpee then repeat for 10 minutes, pretty good workout! [give that one a try if you can]. Well here is the workout, let me know what you think…..

Apr-June workout

1^st exercise 10 minutes EDT Start with 3 reps with  5-6 rep weight

Day 1

Bench

Circuit or superset

Incline dumbbell press

Dead-lift

High Pulls

Goblet/bear-hug Squat

Day 2

Squat

C or S

RDL

OH Press

DL

Bench

Day 3

OH Press

C or S

Upright Row

Decline Bench/Dip

Squat

DL/Atlas Stone [or finish with stone]

Day 4

Deadlift

C or S

Bent-over row

Inc Flies

Squat

OH Press

Finish each wo with 10 minute finisher or Pace Treadmill

Finisher

New Complex/Chain

I have been so busy reading and learning from other trainers online and in person I almost forgot about my own blog.

I need to remember 1 important thing I learned a while back and that is when you share something you’ve learned, you increase you rate of retention and you help others.

1 thing I have learned is that there is A LOT of information out there, some are almost mirror images of others, where as some contradict each other. Like what is the best way to workout?  If you “google” “best workout” you will see how vague that question is and all the various search results.

To find the “best” workout you first will need some information. First and foremost is what is your goal or your “why”. Then some more items to consider, in no particular order; what kind of equipment is available; how much time; what is your experience level; is there anything holding you back [injuries for example]. I’ve read so much lately looking for my next workout [on the last phase of “kettlebell burn 2.0” ~~~AWESOME!!!] my head is going to explode! I have decided I am going to take the best parts, the ones I like, of various workouts and create my own workout for @ 8 weeks. I already know it will be 3 phases strength/power, “metabolic” [I’ll explain that next post, it may or may not be, a good name for it], and finishing/conditioning . I should have it ready in @ 1 week or so and will post it when it is complete.

Another note on all the new information out there. There are not only a lot of great info but great authors, but there are some ….well not so great. What I mean is there are some that will sell you a product, and when they come out with a new and improved version offer you the “upgrade” at no cost. Then there are a few, who have a great product, repackage it, re-hype it, then re-SELL it to you. Not cool! So be wary….

How is this for a Kettlebell [ or dumbbell] complex or chain which ever you prefer

Snatch-  down to starting position-clean- squat –press- swing switch hands do other side repeat as often as you can ..

The Top 10 Fat Burning Weight Loss Foods

The Top 10 Fat Burning Weight Loss Foods

By Tom Venuto, Fat Loss Coach,
author of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle

Anytime the topic of discussion in my blogs, articles or newsletters has turned to my own personal grocery shopping list, there has always been a spike in interest.
It seems that many people are not only curious about what foods a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat, but they also want to be taken by the hand and told exactly what foods to eat themselves while on fat-burning or muscle building programs.
Of course, I can't tell you what YOU should eat because I don't know your likes and dislikes, not to mention whether you have any intolerances, allergies or foods you don't eat for ethical reasons, etc.
What I CAN do is show you what I eat, which has helped me keep my body fat under 10% all year round and peak in the low single digits when I want to get cut for competitions or photo shoots.
I put together 4 separate "top 10" lists of healthy foods to feed your muscle and burn fat.
Exact quantities and menus are not listed, just the individual foods, and of course my food intake does vary. I aim to get as many different varieties of fruits and vegetables as possible over the course of every week and there are a lot of substitutions made, so you are not seeing the full list of everything I eat, only what foods I eat most of the time.
I also want to point out that while I don’t believe that extreme low carbs are necessary or most effective when you look at the long term, research has shown that there are some definite advantages to a low to moderate carb and higher protein diet for fat loss purposes. These include reduced appetite, higher thermic effect of food and “automatic” calorie control.
Personally, I reduce my carb intake moderately and temporarily prior to bodybuilding competitions. Specifically, it’s the foods that are on the starchy carbs and grains list that go down during the brief pre-competition period when I’m working on that really “ripped” look. I keep the green and fibrous veggie intake very high however, along with large amounts of lean protein, small amounts of fruit, and adequate amounts of essential fats ("LEAN, GREEN and MARINE!).
This list reflects my personal preferences, so this is not a prescription to all readers to eat as I do. It’s very important for compliance to choose foods you enjoy and to have the option for a wide variety of choices. In the past several years, nutrition and obesity research - in studying ALL types of diets - has continued to conclude that almost any hypocaloric diet that is not completely “moronic” can work, at least in the short term.
It’s not so much about the high carb - low carb argument or any other debate as much as it is about calorie control and compliance. The trouble is, restricted diets and staying in a calorie deficit is difficult, so most people can’t stick with any program and they fall off the wagon, whichever wagon that may be.
I believe that a lot of our attention needs to shift away from pointless debates (for example, low carb vs. high carb is getting really old… so like… get over it everyone, its a calorie deficit that makes you lose weight, not the amount of carbs).
Instead, our focus should shift towards these questions:

·                  How can we build an eating program that we can enjoy while still getting us leaner and healthier?

·                  How can we build an eating program that helps us control calories automatically?

·                  How can we build an eating program that improves compliance?

Here are the lists of foods I choose to achieve these three outcomes. This eating plan is not difficult to stick with at all, by the way. I enjoy eating like this and it feels almost weird not to eat like this after doing it for so long.
Remember, habits work in both directions, and as motivational speaker Jim Rohn has said, “Bad habits are easy to form and hard to live with and good habits are hard to form but easy to live with.”
These are listed in the order I frequently consume them. So for example, if oatmeal is on the top of the list, it means that is the food I am most likely to eat every single day.
My 10 top natural starchy carb and whole grains
1. Oatmeal (old fashioned) 
2. Yams 
3. Brown rice (a favorite is basmati, a long grain aromatic rice) 
4. Sweet potatoes (almost same as yams)
5. Multi grain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye. titricale and a few others)
6. White potatoes 
7. 100% whole wheat bread 
8. 100% whole wheat pasta 
9. Beans (great for healthy chili recipes)
10. Cream of rice hot cereal
My Top 10 top vegetables
1. Broccoli 
2. Asparagus
3. Spinach
4. Salad greens
5. Tomatoes
6. Peppers (green, red or yellow)
7. Onions
8. Mushrooms
9. Cucumbers
10. Zucchini
My top 10 lean proteins
1. Egg whites (whole eggs in limited quantities)
2. Whey or Casein protein (protein powder supplements)
3. Chicken Breast
4. Salmon (wild Alaskan)
5. Turkey Breast
6. Top round steak (grass fed beef)
7. Flank Steak (grass fed beef)
8. Lean Ground Turkey
9. Bison/Buffalo (lean game meats)
10. Trout
My top 10 fruits
1. Grapefruit
2. Apples
3. Blueberries
4. Canteloupe
5. Oranges
6. Bananas
7. Peaches
8. Grapes
9. Strawberries
10. Pineapple
Note: I DO include healthy fats as well, such as walnuts, almonds, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil (supplement - not to cook with), avocado and a few others.
Also, I do eat dairy products and have nothing against them, nor am I lactose intolerant. I simply don’t eat as much dairy as the rest of the stuff on my lists. When I eat dairy, its usually skim milk, low or non fat cottage cheese, low or non fat yogurt and low or non fat cheese (great for omelettes).
How strict should you be with following these food lists?
I usually follow a compliance rate of about 95%, which means I take two or three meals per week of whatever I want - stuff that is NOT on these lists - like pizza, sushi, big fatty restaurant steaks, etc. (contrary to the persistent rumors, I'm not some cyborg that never enjoys a good restaurant meal... believe me - I DO!)

I hope you found this helpful and interesting. Keep in mind, this is MY food list, and although you probably couldn’t go wrong to emulate it, you need to choose natural foods YOU enjoy in order to develop habits you can stick with long term.
If you'd like to learn more about fat burning nutrition and what to eat for maximum fat loss, then be sure to take a look at the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle nutrition program. Thousands of men and women call this their "fat loss bible." For all the details, visit: BURN THE FAT
- Tom Venuto

About Bodybuilding & Fat Loss Coach, Tom Venuto

Tom Venuto is the author of the #1 best seller, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World's Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom is a lifetime natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert who achieved an astonishing ripped 3.7% body fat level without drugs or supplements. Discover how to increase your metabolism and burn stubborn body fat, find out which foods burn fat and which foods turn to fat, plus get a free fat loss report and mini course by visiting the home page at BURN THE FAT

Goal Setting For The New Decade: Beyond The New Year's Resolution

Goal Setting For The New Decade: Beyond The New Year's Resolution
By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com

When you pause and reflect on the past decade as you look ahead to a new one, it makes you appreciate how short life is, how valuable time is and how quickly the time can pass you by - with nothing to show for it, if you don’t plan otherwise.

That’s why the passing of another decade can feel like a wakeup call as much as a fresh start: Looking at the technological wonders that surround us in 2010, I can’t help thinking it feels like science fiction.

In fact, modern technology is one of the reasons why some people have succeeded at body transformation while others have failed.

I’m still in awe of the web. The satellite navigation system in my car amazes me every time I drive. I can store a library of books in a device that fits in my pocket. It blows my mind that we can speak to each other face to face through the internet live on video. That’s straight from Star Trek! And those are just the everyday little things.

It’s the greatest time to be alive in all of human history! Unfortunately, today’s modern conveniences have brought a dark side upon us.

Rising obesity has paralleled the march of technology. The chair-bound, desk-job, computer, car, elevator, television based society of today is helping to make millions of people fat and lazy.

Our current way of life is less than a century old, yet our biology hasn’t changed in tens of thousands of years. Our bodies were designed to move and work, not sit and click.

We’ve become spoiled. Complacent. Dependent. And we are paying a price for it. We are fatter than ever before in all of human history. More than two thirds of Americans are now overweight. One third are obese.

People are dying because they‘re too fat.

Ironically, none of our new technology can solve our body fat problems.  There’s no easy way. No pill. No machine. No drug. More knowledge isn’t going to help. We already have most of the answers. We know more about the human body than ever before. But it’s all academic.

The problem lies in the doing. You have to do the work – in the gym and in the kitchen. Hard work.

We are a quick fix society. It’s partly human nature, but technology is making us more impatient. We can have products delivered to us with one click and even do it from our cell phones. We have instant downloads, movies on demand, and drive through coffee shops. We get  our food made and delivered in just minutes while we are sitting in our cars, and it’s still not quick enough. The internet is blazingly fast, but most people will abandon a web page in seconds if it hasn’t loaded. It’s no different with fat loss. We want six pack abs yesterday.

Simultaneously fighting the pull of human nature and the convenience of new technology is no easy task. But there is a solution: Future Orientation.

The most successful people in the world today are those who have a long term perspective. They plan 5-10 years in advance and beyond. They know how to enjoy and live in the present moment, but they take action and make decisions based on their future vision.

The passing of another decade makes you take stock of yourself and your achievements, or lack thereof. “What did I accomplish in the last 10 years? Am I a better person today than I was in 2000?”

If you don’t like the answers, then it’s time to finally get serious about your future because the next 10 years are going to fly by even faster than the last 10 as the pace of life and society gets even faster.

To succeed in the new decade, think beyond new year’s resolutions. Think beyond the 12 week fitness goal. As you write your goals this year, don’t stop with 3 month or even 1 year goals.

Project yourself into the future: 3, 5 and 10 years from now. For each point, dream, fantasize, visualize: if your body, your health your physical performance were perfect in every way, what would that look like? Describe it in vivid detail.

With our ingrained penchant for quick fixes, we often overestimate what we can achieve in the short term and set unrealistic deadlines on our short term goals. But the flipside is that we often underestimate what we can achieve in the long term, so we set our long term goals too low.  Do you realize that people have gone from broke to billionaire in 10 years? In this internet age, some have done it even faster.

My challenge for you this year is to start thinking about your body and your life with the same type of creativity that has led to our greatest technological advances:

Not the same thoughts as yesterday. Not just positive thoughts. just bigger thoughts. NEW THOUGHTS! Creative thoughts! Inventive thoughts! From new thoughts will spring new goals, new actions and new achievements.

Fitness goals should not take over your life, they should enhance every other part of it. So take this opportunity to achieve balance by setting long term goals for every area of your life – health, fitness, finances, career, relationships, experiences, travel, possessions and spiritual growth.

Most people didn’t set any goals 10 years ago. They’re among the masses who are in the same place today as they were a decade ago.  

Some people only set short term goals, so they accomplished a few little things, but then stopped, as if a goal were a final destination rather than a stepping stone along a path. Other people set goals but didn’t follow through on them. They forgot that goal setting and goal achieving are two different things.

Don’t fall into these traps.

If you need coaching in the goal setting process – from the daily and weekly baby steps to the long term goals and dreams that span a decade – read chapter one of Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle.  If you already have it. Now is the time to revisit it. 

If you don’t own a copy yet, you can get the program at:

Burn The Fat

Most people make resolutions. Some people set well-formed goals. But long term goals are the goals that almost everyone forgets to set.

If you didn’t do this exercise 10 years ago, do it now. If you do, I guarantee that in 2013, 2015, 2020, you’ll not only find yourself living at a whole new level, you’ll find yourself living in another world - one of your own creation.

Happy New Year!

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

PS. Remember, goal setting is just the start. Goal ACHIEVING requires a nutrition and training plan.  Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is the most comprehensive fat loss program of its kind because it teaches you every element necessary to succeed: nutrition, cardio training, weight training and "mental training" (goal setting and mindset). 

Learn more about the Burn The Fat program at:
Burn The Fat

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book,  Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com