http://odeo.com/channels/3107-Natural-Bodybuilding-with-Marc-David MarcDavid no Gain Muscle Mass with Bodybuilding Expert, Marc David Gain Muscle Mass with Bodybuilding Expert, Marc David Straight talk and NoBull en 40 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:50:54 -0800 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:50:54 -0800 Health & Fitness http://odeo.com/episodes/25437989-Supply-Side-West Follow Me at Supply Side West This year when I venture off to Las Vegas for Supply Side West, I’m going to try and be a bit more creative and use some of the cool technology.  Since I’ve got my wonderful BlackBerry Tour, I have the ability to use UberTwitter to Tweet and even post pictures.  So this is not only a fun show (I’ve been several times before) but it will allow me to try and engage interested parties in a way I wasn’t able to do before. I’m headed to the show November 11, 2009 and will be Tweeting my way thru the show.  Not too much mind you!  I’ll try and keep it interesting and informative.  You can find the simple instructions below on how to keep updated on this event. What Is Supply Side West: As I’ve said before, it is a huge expo style show with behind the scenes kinda stuff most fitness pros don’t follow.  This isn’t a show for competitors.  It’s not littered with supplement companies.  This is the show w... Follow Me at Supply Side West This year when I venture off to Las Vegas for Supply Side West, I’m going to try and be a bit more creative and use some of the cool technology.  Since I’ve got my wonderful BlackBerry Tour, I have the ability to use UberTwitter to Tweet and even post pictures.  So this is not only a fun show (I’ve been several times before) but it will allow me to try and engage interested parties in a way I wasn’t able to do before. I’m headed to the show November 11, 2009 and will be Tweeting my way thru the show.  Not too much mind you!  I’ll try and keep it interesting and informative.  You can find the simple instructions below on how to keep updated on this event. What Is Supply Side West: As I’ve said before, it is a huge expo style show with behind the scenes kinda stuff most fitness pros don’t follow.  This isn’t a show for competitors.  It’s not littered with supplement companies.  This is the show where the suppliers of the ingredients get together to showcase their products and talk to vendors and the likes. It’s how I keep up to date on what actually goes into that protein shake you are drinking.  It’s my insight into what goes into products, from what country and all the finer details.  It’s much more than a supplement show where all you see are fitness models and packaged goods with LOUD music and annoying claims. SupplySide West is the world’s largest event for healthy and innovative ingredients. The show features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing thousands of ingredients. How You Can Follow Me at Supply Side West: I will be using the hashtag #SSW09 for Twitter posts (aka “Tweets”) concerning this year’s Expo.  If you are a Twitter user, please make sure to add “#SSW09” to all your tweets about the Supply Side West conference. If you are new to using hashtags, note that you can follow hashtags via our page on Twubs (http://www.twubs.com/ssw09). This makes it easy for you to keep track of all posts about the show, regardless of whether you are following me or the various tweets. Who knows, I might even be able to stop by a booth or two if you Tweet me your info using the hashtag above. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Share this on Facebook Email this to a friend? Tweet This! Post this to MySpace Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Add this to Google Bookmarks Buzz up! Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Related posts No related posts. Follow Me at Supply Side West This year when I venture off to Las Vegas for Supply Side West, I’m going to try and be a bit more creative and use some of the cool technology.  Since I’ve got my wonderful BlackBerry Tour, I have the ability to use UberTwitter to Tweet and even post pictures.  So this is not only a fun show (I’ve been several times before) but it will allow me to try and engage interested parties in a way I wasn’t able to do before. I’m headed to the show November 11, 2009 and will be Tweeting my way thru the show.  Not too much mind you!  I’ll try and keep it interesting and informative.  You can find the simple instructions below on how to keep updated on this event. What Is Supply Side West: As I’ve said before, it is a huge expo style show with behind the scenes kinda stuff most fitness pros don’t follow.  This isn’t a show for competitors.  It’s not littered with supplement companies.  This is the show where the suppliers of the ingredients get together to showcase their products and talk to vendors and the likes. It’s how I keep up to date on what actually goes into that protein shake you are drinking.  It’s my insight into what goes into products, from what country and all the finer details.  It’s much more than a supplement show where all you see are fitness models and packaged goods with LOUD music and annoying claims. SupplySide West is the world’s largest event for healthy and innovative ingredients. The show features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing thousands of ingredients. How You Can Follow Me at Supply Side West: I will be using the hashtag #SSW09 for Twitter posts (aka “Tweets”) concerning this year’s Expo.  If you are a Twitter user, please make sure to add “#SSW09” to all your tweets about the Supply Side West conference. If you are new to using hashtags, note that you can follow hashtags via our page on Twubs (http://www.twubs.com/ssw09). This makes it easy for you to keep track of all posts about the show, regardless of whether you are following me or the various tweets. Who knows, I might even be able to stop by a booth or two if you Tweet me your info using the hashtag above. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Share this on Facebook Email this to a friend? Tweet This! Post this to MySpace Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Add this to Google Bookmarks Buzz up! Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-10,25437989 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:50:54 -0800 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David podcast, natural bodybuilding, nutrition conference, supply side west http://odeo.com/episodes/25308856-Tom-Venuto-Uncensored-and-Unedited-Interview Once again, it was my great pleasure to have Tom Ventuo on another podcast.  A while back, Tom took some time to tell me about his Fat Burn Files.  In this episode, I ask Tom many questions that I’ve received over the years.  They are timeless debates, myths and frustrations that almost everybody who picks up a weight finds themselves facing. Thank you Tom for spending one hour and 33 minutes of your time sharing the knowledge you’ve obtained in 20+ years of bodybuilding. Some of the things we covered on this call: How many hours does Tom Venuto spend training? Does he ever skip meals or make mistakes? Can you change your body time over time? The importance of goal setting When to cut and when to bulk Split routines vs. full body Tom’s award winning cardio for leanness Muscle building plateau busting ideas and much much more! Listen to the Audio Interview or Download the Entire Episode. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Tom Venuto is an ... Once again, it was my great pleasure to have Tom Ventuo on another podcast.  A while back, Tom took some time to tell me about his Fat Burn Files.  In this episode, I ask Tom many questions that I’ve received over the years.  They are timeless debates, myths and frustrations that almost everybody who picks up a weight finds themselves facing. Thank you Tom for spending one hour and 33 minutes of your time sharing the knowledge you’ve obtained in 20+ years of bodybuilding. Some of the things we covered on this call: How many hours does Tom Venuto spend training? Does he ever skip meals or make mistakes? Can you change your body time over time? The importance of goal setting When to cut and when to bulk Split routines vs. full body Tom’s award winning cardio for leanness Muscle building plateau busting ideas and much much more! Listen to the Audio Interview or Download the Entire Episode. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Tom Venuto is an internationally recognized fat loss expert, nutrition researcher Tom Venuto is an internationally recognized fat loss expert, nutrition researcher, freelance writer and natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder. Since 1989, Venuto has been involved in virtually every aspect of the fitness and weight loss industry – as a personal trainer, nutrition consultant, motivation coach, fitness model, health club manager and author / writer. Tom’s popular articles on nutrition, training, fat loss and fitness motivation can be found on hundreds of websites worldwide including Bodybuilding.com, About.com, Lee Labrada’s Lean Body Coaching Club, Christian Finn’s Facts About Fitness.com, Will Brink’s Bodybuilding Revealed.com and too many others to list. Tom has been featured in bodybuilding and fitness magazines including IRONMAN magazine (US, Italian and Australian editions), Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men, Men’s Exercise and Men’s Fitness. He has also appeared in the mainstream press including Oprah magazine, The Wall Street Journal, First for Women magazine and he has been a guest on dozens of radio shows including Martha Stewart healthy living (Sirius), WCBS-AM and 1250-ESPN. Tom is the founder and CEO of The Burn The Fat Inner Circle and author of the best-selling e-book, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. Websites Referenced on the Interview: www.burnthefat.com www.thebodyfatsolution.com www.burnthefatinnercircle.com www.bodybuildingsecrets.com www.richiesmyth.com Share this on Facebook Email this to a friend? Tweet This! Post this to MySpace Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Add this to Google Bookmarks Buzz up! Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Related posts The #1 Difference Between Free and Paid Information. It’s Not Just the Price. (1) Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) Burn The Fat 2.0 (2) The Body Fat Solution Review (28) The Body Fat Solution (5) Once again, it was my great pleasure to have Tom Ventuo on another podcast.  A while back, Tom took some time to tell me about his Fat Burn Files.  In this episode, I ask Tom many questions that I’ve received over the years.  They are timeless debates, myths and frustrations that almost everybody who picks up a weight finds themselves facing. Thank you Tom for spending one hour and 33 minutes of your time sharing the knowledge you’ve obtained in 20+ years of bodybuilding. Some of the things we covered on this call: How many hours does Tom Venuto spend training? Does he ever skip meals or make mistakes? Can you change your body time over time? The importance of goal setting When to cut and when to bulk Split routines vs. full body Tom’s award winning cardio for leanness Muscle building plateau busting ideas and much much more! Listen to the Audio Interview or Download the Entire Episode. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Tom Venuto is an internationally recognized fat loss expert, nutrition researcher Tom Venuto is an internationally recognized fat loss expert, nutrition researcher, freelance writer and natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder. Since 1989, Venuto has been involved in virtually every aspect of the fitness and weight loss industry – as a personal trainer, nutrition consultant, motivation coach, fitness model, health club manager and author / writer. Tom’s popular articles on nutrition, training, fat loss and fitness motivation can be found on hundreds of websites worldwide including Bodybuilding.com, About.com, Lee Labrada’s Lean Body Coaching Club, Christian Finn’s Facts About Fitness.com, Will Brink’s Bodybuilding Revealed.com and too many others to list. Tom has been featured in bodybuilding and fitness magazines including IRONMAN magazine (US, Italian and Australian editions), Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men, Men’s Exercise and Men’s Fitness. He has also appeared in the mainstream press including Oprah magazine, The Wall Street Journal, First for Women magazine and he has been a guest on dozens of radio shows including Martha Stewart healthy living (Sirius), WCBS-AM and 1250-ESPN. Tom is the founder and CEO of The Burn The Fat Inner Circle and author of the best-selling e-book, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. Websites Referenced on the Interview: www.burnthefat.com www.thebodyfatsolution.com www.burnthefatinnercircle.com www.bodybuildingsecrets.com www.richiesmyth.com Share this on Facebook Email this to a friend? Tweet This! Post this to MySpace Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Add this to Google Bookmarks Buzz up! Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Related posts The #1 Difference Between Free and Paid Information. It’s Not Just the Price. (1) Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) Burn The Fat 2.0 (2) The Body Fat Solution Review (28) The Body Fat Solution (5) tag:odeo.com,2009-10-18,25308856 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:11:56 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David podcast, interviews, natural bodybuilding, tom venuto, burn the fat http://odeo.com/episodes/24758002-Dave-DePew-Interviews-the-NoBull-Muscle-Guy Dave DePew, MFT, LSN is an experienced San Diego-based Personal Trainer, Weight Loss Specialist, Licensed Sports Nutritionist, Strength Coach, and Natural Bodybuilder. His fitness boot camps and numerous radio shows and segments are all part of the, “The Dave DePew Network”, as he is well known for physique transformations and is highly sought after in the San Diego area. In this show, Dave interviews me about my NoBull Bodybuilding book, some of the things every natural bodybuilder needs to know, and how I use awareness to continually propell myself and everybody I teach towards their goals … Listen to the Audio Interview or Download the Entire Episode. If you are subscribed to this blog, you will automatially se the interivew in your feed and/or be able to sync with your podcast software like iTunes. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 2 (4) Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 1 (1) Dave DePew, MFT, LSN is an experienced San Diego-based Personal Trainer, Weight Loss Specialist, Licensed Sports Nutritionist, Strength Coach, and Natural Bodybuilder. His fitness boot camps and numerous radio shows and segments are all part of the, “The Dave DePew Network”, as he is well known for physique transformations and is highly sought after in the San Diego area. In this show, Dave interviews me about my NoBull Bodybuilding book, some of the things every natural bodybuilder needs to know, and how I use awareness to continually propell myself and everybody I teach towards their goals … Listen to the Audio Interview or Download the Entire Episode. If you are subscribed to this blog, you will automatially se the interivew in your feed and/or be able to sync with your podcast software like iTunes. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 2 (4) Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 1 (1) Dave DePew, MFT, LSN is an experienced San Diego-based Personal Trainer, Weight Loss Specialist, Licensed Sports Nutritionist, Strength Coach, and Natural Bodybuilder. His fitness boot camps and numerous radio shows and segments are all part of the, “The Dave DePew Network”, as he is well known for physique transformations and is highly sought after in the San Diego area. In this show, Dave interviews me about my NoBull Bodybuilding book, some of the things every natural bodybuilder needs to know, and how I use awareness to continually propell myself and everybody I teach towards their goals … Listen to the Audio Interview or Download the Entire Episode. If you are subscribed to this blog, you will automatially se the interivew in your feed and/or be able to sync with your podcast software like iTunes. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 2 (4) Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 1 (1) tag:odeo.com,2009-06-21,24758002 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:33:03 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David podcast, interviews, natural bodybuilding, weight training, build muscle, Dave DePew http://odeo.com/episodes/24613491-Hugo-Rivera-Interview-Part-2 Marc David’s interview with bodybuilding and muscle building expert Hugo Rivera continues (from part one). In part two you will learn the most important supplement of in a bodybuilding program, how often to change your routine, Hugo’s personal feeling on fat loss supplements, nutritional tracking and much much more. Hugo: So, that’s nutritional blunder number four. And the fifth one… the fifth one is actually one that my good friend Lee Labrada gave me one time. And keep in mind; he is the president of his company Labrada Nutrition. And I asked him in a candid interview, very much like this one, what was it that he felt was the most important supplement in a body builder’s program? Now, keep in mind he is the president of a supplement company. And he told me the most important supplement in a body builders program is water. Can you believe that! So, that leads us to the next blunder which is not drinking enough water. A lot of newbies, especially when they ar... Marc David’s interview with bodybuilding and muscle building expert Hugo Rivera continues (from part one). In part two you will learn the most important supplement of in a bodybuilding program, how often to change your routine, Hugo’s personal feeling on fat loss supplements, nutritional tracking and much much more. Hugo: So, that’s nutritional blunder number four. And the fifth one… the fifth one is actually one that my good friend Lee Labrada gave me one time. And keep in mind; he is the president of his company Labrada Nutrition. And I asked him in a candid interview, very much like this one, what was it that he felt was the most important supplement in a body builder’s program? Now, keep in mind he is the president of a supplement company. And he told me the most important supplement in a body builders program is water. Can you believe that! So, that leads us to the next blunder which is not drinking enough water. A lot of newbies, especially when they are teenagers, just so much miss this point, OK. And water is what makes up most of the muscle. So, therefore, if your whole body is like 56% water, just make sure that you go ahead and drink your water. How much water do you need? Well, just calculate your body weight times 0.66, and that is going to give you a number that’s going to be roughly in ounces and that is how many ounces you need to drink away. So, let say an example I am 200 pounds, and if you go ahead and multiply that times 0.66 that gives you 132 ounces, which is roughly a little bit more than a gallon of water a day. So, definitely, definitely make sure that you go ahead and drink your water. Because if you don’t drink your water, you are going to go ahead and get into a catabolic state, which means you are going to loose some muscle tissue. There are studies after studies that indicate that a well hydrated muscle cell is a more anabolic muscle cell. And the reverse is also true. So, a dehydrated muscle cell is a catabolic muscle cell that is at the expense of catabolic forces like cortisol, which will go ahead and break down the muscle tissue to just release some energy. So, that’s not exactly what we want. So, let’s make sure that we are drinking the water. It’s good for you and it just makes you get awesome pumps at the gym. Especially, if you are taking like nitric oxide boosters   and this is not even related to the question. But, if you are taking nitric oxide boosters and you are not drinking water, you will notice that the boosters are not going to go ahead and work for you. Even some supplements, if you are not drinking enough water it’s just going to go ahead and kill their effectiveness. It’s very important to drink the water. And that to me are the top five nutritional blunders out there. And I am sure that there are many more, but those are the top five that come to my head. Marc: Those are perfect. That’s absolutely what I think. A lot of people need to hear… specially, get them back to the basics. Even myself, a lot of times you think “I already know that.” Even though you are not doing it because you know it, you are not focusing on it and you start to skip it. And so, going back and just making sure that you are doing these minimal sets of things when it comes to your nutrition. If it just helps one person out there, then that’s all I can ask for. Which kind of leads me into a different portion of your training… Here’s what happens for a lot of beginners, intermediates and advanced. They find some program, wherever it be, and they are doing it, and they just keep doing it and doing it and doing it. And they are not really sure of how often would you suggest changing your routine? Hugo: As a matter of fact  a lot of beginners are not even aware that they need to change their routine. And it’s funny, because they come to me typically, and they are like “Oh man, I have been doing this awesome chest work, and it gave me great gains in the beginning and then it stopped working.” And my next question is how long have you been doing it for? “Oh, for like a year.” I am like, “[shock] Well, you got to change it.” They are like” Oh, but it worked great at the beginning, and I got it from this magazine. And such and such body builders say it works great…” I am like, “Yeah, it was. But, your body got used to it.” So, this leads to the following principle, which is that your body will go ahead and adapt to anything that you put it through. So, therefore, the more advanced you become, the more critical it becomes that you change your routine often. To answer your question, I typically recommend that beginners go ahead and change their routine every three to four weeks. And beginners, especially, don’t have to do much. I mean, a true beginner that has never been at the gym and is doing a full body workout can do with six weeks of the same body workout and they will get awesome, awesome gains. And the reason for that is because the body has never been put under the stress of weight training. So, therefore, the nervous system is adapting and there’s a whole bunch of other adaptations that I am not going to bore you with. But, the fact is that they can keep the same routine for six weeks. After six weeks, they can go ahead and change it, and then keep whatever new routine they have for the next four weeks. You know progressing them, if that is what they wish to do, into more advance stuff like spilt routines and that sort of thing. Now, for say a person that has been training now for a solid six months, and they are doing great and they want to gain more mass and they want to get more strength and definition. Then I will suggest that they change the routine every three to four weeks. And, typically, what I do, as I teach in my Body Re Engineering program, is that they change it every three weeks. And it’s not just changing for the sake of changing, I very much believe in the concept of periodization. Which sounds way more technical and complicated then what it is. All it is is that you are going to change the variables of your exercises, your sets, your repetitions and your rest in between sets, in a few phases. And the three phases that I have are the active recovery phase   which I alluded to initially in this interview. Which is basically two days of full body workouts, you know, and then in the middle of those days, maybe, like some light aerobic activity. And then, that phase is followed by what I call the loading phase. A loading phase is a higher repetition phase, you know, 10 to 15 repetitions   just speaking on average   and then sets. You know I may start with eight sets per body part and then take it all the way up to, like, 10 to 14 sets, even   14 for the most advanced of us but, typically, 12 sets should suffice. And I rest very little in between sets. Most of the time super setting just antagonistic muscle groups   meaning, chest and back, bi’s and tri’s that sort of thing. And these are very fast paced routines, they will tax your aerobic system, and you would really be feeling pumped and just going through them rather quickly. By the end of the three weeks, what I do is, every week I go ahead and increase the volume a little bit. And then by the end of the three weeks, I will get your body almost to the point of overtraining. And then I just simply back off. What I do is that I cut the sets. I cut the repetitions but increasing the weight. And I also increase the recovery in between sets. And I do that very effectively. What I do is that I will always train with antagonistic muscle groups. So, for instance, I will go ahead and do an inclined bench. And I will do a set of six to eight repetitions. Then I will rest a minute and a half and then do some weight or pull ups. Do six to eight repetitions, rest a minute and a half, and go back to the inclined bench. In this manner, I’ve rested over three minutes for the same exercise, but I kept on moving forward, not cooling down and not wasting time at the gym, because I’ve always felt that resting for three minutes way pretty much unbearable.  But, in this manner, what I’m doing is, during those three weeks of heavier training, more rest in between sets and less volume, the body kind of catches up, and it responds by over adapting and creating more muscle tissues at an accelerated rate, and also creating more strength, which is necessary to increase muscle mass. So then after that period I just go back to like a week, or two if I feel over trained, of active recovery training. Then, you know, start back up. So, in that manner, I suggest changing you training routine like every three weeks or so. Marc: Well, you’ve got to get this question a lot; and I know I get it a lot, and you try to write FAQs and you try to write articles and do podcasts, but it seems like every other month, there is something new on the horizon with fat loss supplements. So, what is your personal feeling on that? I know some competitive bodybuilders, and this is where the split comes in; they do use things like that because, heck, they are willing to take any edge they can to chemically enhance their metabolism or fat burning. But, what we’re talking about here is not the competitive bodybuilder, but like you said, the guy of the gal who just wants to look better and be fit. And they are frustrated, and all of the sudden they are getting bombarded with fat loss supplements. What’s your take on that? Hugo: I’ll tell you what, and this is something that I can tell you since I visit so many of these stores and I talk to the staff and I talk to the people visiting them. There is a huge misconception that if you take these fat loss supplements, you don’t need to diet, and you don’t need to do cardio or workout as hard. Let me tell you something. That is absolutely not the case. If you lose fat you’re diet better be right on where it’s supposed to be, you better be weight training hard, you better be doing your cardiovascular exercise. And then maybe you go ahead and get a good fat loss supplement that may help you by giving you a little bit more increased energy, some appetite suppression and, you know, simply helping you with neurotransmitter activity in the brain so that you don’t feel as lethargic during the dieting process and thing like that. But, other than that, none of these diet supplements are anything magical at all. As a matter of fact, unfortunately, most of them are just down right garbage, in my opinion. And they are just glorified caffeine pills. Keep in mind that caffeine has many names, you have caffeine, you have guarana, kola nut, you have cocoa powder. You have a whole bunch of names, a whole bunch of herb where you can extract caffeine from. So, you could, in theory, have a fat loss supplement with like ten different ingredients all being really just caffeine, you know? So you take this stuff and you feel awesome, and you like “Oh my Go, oh my God. This is like great, this is working awesome,” but you’re taking is a really expensive caffeine pill. So, a lot of these supplements are not based on science at all. There are very few companies out there that have some decent supplement, and those are the ones that maybe you should consider taking. But, as far as fat loss supplements go, there are no magical ones that I have ever some across, that will go ahead and do this humongous difference in you physique, you know? Marc: Yep, I understand. And you also alluded to how important nutrition was regardless of what you goal was. Whether building muscle, or losing fat. But, even in your case, or your friends, or clients that you’ve worked with; do you see a lot of people that say “You know, I know what I am eating, I’m tracking it all.” But, if you watch them, are they actually under reporting the food that they eat? Is there that kind of problem, or most people that you come in contact with truly putting down every single thing they put in their mouth   a fish oil pill, a protein shake, every thing that they put in their month is being tracked. It that the case, or maybe not? Hugo: Most people do not, to be honest with you. It takes time for a person to learn that discipline correctly. Because, especially very, very, new people at this will go ahead and not think about a small cracker having anything to impact in their body. Or fruit juices, fruit juices are the biggest culprit and a lot of people drink them, and they’re like “Oh, they’re healthy, I heard it on TV,” but they don’t realize that they’ve just down like 40 grams of sugar, you know? So, to be honest, yeah most of the beginning clients do a lot of under reporting. And conversely, a lot of hard gainers do a lot of over reporting. And the way the over reporting happens is not so much in the journal, but it happens in the way that they talk to you. Like you go ahead and ask them “So how’s your diet,” “Oh man, I eat so much it’s not even funny.” OK, well how about we sit down and start writing everything that you’ve had yesterday and today. And when you come and look at it, it’s like “Oh my God, you’re eating like a little bird really.” I mean they may just be eating like, I don’t know, what was the case I had that one time? This guy, OK so he had a breakfast of like two eggs and five egg whites, which is good. But, then he had like two toasts, and then that was it. And then like five hours later, he will go ahead and have like some protein pudding, and then like much later it was like six hours   because, I don’t know, he worked long hours of something, and for what ever reason, he wouldn’t take a lot of stuff with him to work, which by the way, a cooler is your best friend, always carry your food. But that aside, he will come back home and have like some sort of a sandwich. Like a turkey sandwich with like some, a couple slices of like, you know how do you call this; deli turkey, just a couple slices which was probably 10 grams of protein at the most. And then again some bread. And then later on that night he will go ahead and have like a big pasta dinner. And I’m like “OK, that is so much under eating; it’s not even funny.” As you know, a hard gainer has to eat a lot. And it has to be the proper meals, and they need to have calorically dense foods. Good food, but they have to be calorically dense, and they have to be properly timed, you know. Not letting more than maybe three hours go by without eating. And that sort of thing, and it takes discipline to do that, you know? So, It’ very, very, important that if you want to achieve results, at the very beginning, you don’t have to keep this all your life because I certainly don’t do it anymore. You need to keep a food journal, and you need to grow an understanding of what’s going into your mouth, and how many nutrients that is. How many carbs, how many proteins, how many fats. And you don’t need a rocket science degree to go ahead and figure this out. I mean you can go on the Internet and find all of the nutrition values. Many books like my Body Re Engineering for instance, will go ahead and have those nutrition values spelled out for them. But, you need to do the effort, because up until you master the science of nutrition and you understand what you are doing and how many nutrients you are really taking every three hours, you are not going to receive the results that you want. Period. I mean, that is an absolutely true statement. Training and nutrition are like the wheels of a bicycle, they are equally important and you cannot take on out of the equation. They need to go hand in hand. Marc: Well, you’ve mentioned this a few time, but tell me about your Body Re Engineering System. I mean what is this eBook about, exactly? Hugo: Well, to be honest with you, this eBook is about all of the training principles and nutrition principles that I have come across during my career as a natural bodybuilder. And basically I cover everything. I cover the mental aspect, I certainly cover the training because I go ahead and give 21 weeks of advance training for those that are more advanced bodybuilders. And I also cover the first four months of like a beginner. So, I can really take a beginner from like day one at the gym, they don’t know what they are doing. There is a routine for them. Once they start following it, it will take them from beginner to intermediate and from intermediate to advanced. So, they can go ahead and do the 21 week Body Re Engineering Imperial Life Program. Of course, like I said, nutrition is the other part of a bicycle because you need two wheels and a bicycle. That is fully covered understanding that there are many different types of bodies out there. There is the ectomorph, which is like the hard gainer. There is the mezomorph which is… really, the mezomorph are typically the guys you see competing at the high, high level shows. I mean, these are guys that before they even touch the weight, they were already pretty muscular and they were very lean. So, mezomorphs are the minority. But, of course, I cover them too because I’ve seen them and they do exist. If a mezomorph picks up my book, they have the right to know what to do also, even though they are genetically gifted. Hugo: And then there is the endomorph, of course, which I think is the majority of the people in the United States because most of us can actually gain body fat pretty easily   understanding that there is nutritional advice for each one of those groups, and also, depending upon the goal that they have, whether it is to gain some muscle exclusively without putting any body fat, or losing body fat while retaining or even gaining a little bit of muscle as they are going down. So, in addition to that, I also covered the supplement science and I cover which ones I feel are the most important ones to go ahead and take. And you will be amazed. There’s really not many. Most of the things that I mention are multiple vitamins and some minerals to be quite honest with you. And, of course, the protein drinks, I already mentioned what capacity I believe in them. And definitely, the essential fats. I’ll even give you a couple of hints. In my opinion, the most useful, advanced, body building supplements to this day are creatine and glutamine, alright? And if you want to you can read in the book why I say that. But, basically, those two supplements, in my opinion give the natural body builder many of the properties that steroids provide through hormonal means. But, because these are not hormones; the creatine and glutamine are not hormones. As a matter of fact if you break them down, they are both really amino acids. Glutamine is certainly an amino acid and creatine is composed of three amino acids. These, because they are no hormones, they are not going to go ahead and have the side effects. So, those are it. And of course, I do like the nitric oxide boost from today. There are some better products than others. But, that is about it. To be honest with you, I mean supplement wise and I think I am going on a tangent, but I’ll keep it going for the information of the listeners out there. Supplement wise, I feel a multiple vitamin and mineral with a good calcium is great. You need also, some chromium picolinate just for the insulin sensitivity. It is important to keep that at a high level; that way your body can assimilate the carbs better and also assimilate the proteins. Some vitamin C, which has been shown to throw down levels of cortisone. The essential fats, which I already mentioned are crucial. The protein drinks for the convenience. The creatine, glutamine and the nitric oxide boosters, but all of that stuff I take through a product called Super Charge from Labrada Nutrition. So, it is like, that is all I take. That is my supplement regiment right there. So, as you can see, I am not a huge fan of supplements. OK. And I am sorry for all of the supplement manufacturers out there trying to convince people otherwise. Oh, you need this supplement. You need that supplement. But, the big fact is that what you really need is a solid training and nutrition program and supplements are supplements. They are supplements to an already good training and nutrition program. On top of that, I also cover rest and recovery in this book. Then of course, I also give a whole bunch of charts that people can go ahead and print out to their liking and take to the gym to go ahead and keep track of their diet and their training and everything else. Above all, I also have a free forum where people can go in and they will interface with me and who is, my very first training partner and one of the guys that experimented a lot, back in my teenage years, Samuel Santos. He is also there answering questions. And we interact with people every single week; every single day actually of the week. And we answer questions. So, it is a pretty cool system. That is why I call it a system. It is not just an eBook. There are many aspects to it. Marc: Well, it sounds like you cover pretty much everything that a person would need if they were going to build muscle, lose fat and you give them all the stuff. It is called the Body Re Engineering System. It’s got your picture on the front. But, is it just for bodybuilders? Hugo: Absolutely not. Again, let’s keep in mind the semantics here. To me, bodybuilder is anybody who picks up training that does training with weights that does cardiovascular exercise, that follow a diet to go ahead and reengineer their physique. So, is it just or bodybuilders who are entering competition? Absolutely not. This is for anybody. This is for girls. This is for guys. I mean if you are looking to go ahead and gain 50 pounds of muscle, it is going to work for you. If you just want 10 pounds of muscle and lose some body fat, it is for you as well. And I even provide recommendations for people who are just interested in toning and losing some body fat. I just tell them how to adjust the training system and the diet for their more modest goals and that is it. It is for anyone who wants to go ahead and reengineer their physique to whatever it is that they want to accomplish. That was my goal when I put that eBook together. Marc: Well, you’ve mentioned this a few times in our interview, but I want to give you a chance if you can further expand on the topic of the cycling principle that you outline in “Body Re Engineering”? What is his cycling principle? You alluded to it at least three times, but what is it exactly? Hugo: Absolutely. Basically, the routines of my Body Re Engineering program change in an orderly manner that takes the body to the brink of overtraining and then allows it to recover. And thus, overcompensate and grow in response to the weight training stress. These changes are basically what the cycling principle is all about. That is the key to consistent and rapid increases in muscle mass and strength for the bodybuilder. Basically, this principle states that in order for the body to respond optimally, it cannot be training in the same manner because as you know, Marc, if you do that, your body gets used to it. So, the best way to make the body respond is through the correct variation of exercises. Volume, which is the number of sets times the number of repetitions. Intensity, which really means how heavy the weight is not how hard you are training. And rest periods in between sets, Now the work out parameters are going to be determined by the phase of the program you are in. There are going to be three phases that we will be repeating over and over again. The first week will be an active recovery phase. Basically, in this phase, you will only train with weights twice a week, on a full body routine before you start the next phase, which will be called the loading phase. Now, the loading phase, which is three weeks in duration, is going to be a high volume phase where reps are kept at 10 to 15 repetitions and rest in between 90 seconds or less. And between sets, I also like to use a whole bunch of super sets training antagonistic muscle groups such as chest and back; bi’s and tri’s; thighs and hamstrings. And then with the shoulders what I do I just go ahead and train the front deltoid and then the read deltoid. Things like that, OK. The training volume gradually increases over the course of the three weeks in order to stress the body almost to the point of overtraining as I specified at the beginning of this conversation. Then, the next three weeks are going to be higher intensity, meaning heavier weights and lower volume, with longer rest periods of rest in between sets. And this phase I call the “growth phase,” since the volume is reduced but the weights are increased in order to let the body catch up and super compensate   meaning, grow in terms of muscle, size and strength. The reps are like anywhere between five to seven. For some trainees if they see that they work better at six to eight repetitions, go ahead and have it at six to eight repetitions. And again, this is the beauty of me having the forum. If somebody feels that they are not getting great results, then I just troubleshoot their program and immediately find out what’s going on. And the rest period for this phase is three minutes in between sets for the same exercise. So, it’s not like you are going to be dilly dallying for three minutes after you do your set, you are actually going to be doing another set within 90 seconds, but it’s going to be for an antagonistic muscle group. The key thing here is to get the body to go through those three phases. And there’s a really good reason for this Marc   and if you allow me to, I will explain you what the logic is behind every single phase. Marc: Go ahead. Hugo: The act of recovery phase, OK. The phase where you are just training twice a week has three main functions. First of all, according to leading strength expert Tudor Bompa, which to me is one of the fathers, if not the father, of periodization, you are trying to adapt the anatomy of the body to the upcoming training so that you can create or produce and injury free environment. So essentially, your tendons and ligaments should be strong enough to support the stressful periods that will follow. This is something that a lot of trainees do not do, and as a result they always end up injured. And, me, knock on wood, I don’t have any tears or anything serious that has ever happened to me, thank god, throughout my training. Which is really a miracle, because during my teenage years I was not nearly as educated as I should have been and there were many atrocities I committed at the gym, but “lo and behold” I survived. [laughs] But anyways… The second point for this phase is that it is a great time to address any sort of strength imbalances that your body might have, and this is the reason why I mostly recommend dumbbell work to be used during the phase. And finally, this phase will also act as a great time in which the body will recharge its energy stores and allow for complete physical and mental recuperation. Now, after this fairly unchallenging phase, it’s kind of like a maintenance sort of phase, recovery, we go to the loading phase. And the purpose for it is to basically stress the body. During the loading phase, the body is stressed with an increasing high volume of work that if you were to keep it for too long you will eventually over train you. Three things happen during this phase: The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the fact that you’re resting short intervals in between sets and you have high volume. And there are numerous studies that show that this sort of training will go ahead an increase this hormone. Hypertrophy, which is muscle growth of the cell, occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell, and this phenomenon is called the muscle volumization   for those of you who are new to this. The body’s recovery capabilities will be upgraded during this time in response to the stress imposed by the increasing work volume, coupled with the short rest intervals. Which leads you then to the next phase, the growth phase, in a perfect sort of metabolic condition, because what’s going to happen is that during the growth phase you will not stress the body anymore with volume, OK, you will stress it with intensity. So, you are going to go ahead and cut back and allow the body to go ahead and catch up. And what it will do with all these extra recovery abilities that it created is to overcompensate. So the next phase, the growth phase, like I said, the body is not stressed by volume this time the stimuli is heavy weights. This phase if it will be kept for too long, eventually, the body will seize to stop making strength gains and you would also plateau. That’s why you have so many body builders…and you have this everlasting holy war between high intensity training versus high volume training. Marc: Absolutely. Hugo: The answer is that you need a little bit of both, OK, and don’t take any of them to the extremes. That is really the answer, OK. It’s as practical as it get. And that’s kind of how I came up with this whole system; I tried to both to the biggest extremes. And I remember a period in my life where I was doing a lot of volume, and I really got over trained. Then I read this awesome article in the magazine saying, “Hey, you know, high intensity training. If you do this… so and so. You know, you are going to grow, et cetera, et cetera.” And then I embarked on it, and “lo and behold,” I started getting huge. And I am like, “This is crazy. OK, well this is what really works!” But then, I figured that after weeks on it to an end, I was not getting anywhere. So, I am like, “Oh man! What now?” Then my nervous system was beat and my joints were hurting, and I am like, “What is going on?” And it was not up until I saw the light  and this took probably like a good year of me trying to find the answers at the supplement shop, unfortunately, so I lost a lot of money in the process. It was not up until I said, “Oh, to heck with this. I am going to increase the volume again and see what happens.” And I increased the volume and “lo and behold,” I started making gains again. So, I am like, “OK, wait a minute. There has to be some sort of pattern here?” And thank god that god granted me the gift of the pattern recognition, something that made me a pretty good engineer back in the days of my engineering career, when I had one. And then I am like “Wow! Let me go ahead and experiment by oscillating,” and then that’s how I kind of perfected this system. But in any case, during the growth phase when you stimulate your body, not through volume but through heavy weights, what happens is that not only it gives your body a rest from the volume, but also your testosterone levels go through the roof in response to a longer rest in between sets and the heavier weights. And in this case, hypertrophy occurs by the body increasing the actual diameter of the myofiber, which is the actual fiber of the muscle, through increase protein synthesis. So basically, protein synthesis   for those of you that are new, it’s basically creating protein strands through DNA and RNA and it takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell, which is more than what most people want to know, but I like to always explain the science behind things. And again, since your body’s recuperation abilities were built up to the maximum by the previous phase which was the loading phase and the volume has gone dramatically, the extra recuperation abilities are used to increase strength and build more muscle mass. So, the reason the body does this is in order to be prepared for another stressful period like the one I just went through, basically. And this adaptation mechanism is the one that ensures the survival of the species. So, basically, what I am doing here is that I am using the body’s own natural built in abilities and just maximizing them. That’s pretty much it, you know. Marc: I want this on the record, because I really appreciate both, personally and professionally, you taking the time out of your busy schedule to let me interview you today, and to do just a huge brain dump of information for the listeners. So, I want to thank you, Hugo, for taking the time to do this. Hugo: Oh man, you are welcome. Again, I really appreciate you having me, and my passion is helping others and just transferring my knowledge to many other people because, man, I remember how lost I was and I am sure you remember how lost you were when we first started. You know, if we have the knowledge, why not share it with others. - Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evidenced by the fact that he’s always in shape and by his awards and high placings at numerous national level bodybuilding competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “The Body Sculpting Bibles” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also the author of the very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs, or fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. See Hugo’s ebooks online here: Body Re-Engineering www.losefatandgainmuscle.com A complete guide to bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean muscle Shape Up Now Click Here to Download Your FREE Copy of Shape Up Now 50 page compendium of quality information on getting in shape BODY RE-ENGINEERING – COMPLETE MUSCLE BUILDING & FAT LOSS Natural Bodybuilding Champion and Internationally Acclaimed Best Selling Fitness Author Reveals How To Build Solid Lean Muscle Without Drugs Body Re-Engineering by Hugo Rivera Body Re-Engineering was designed by a guy who much like the rest of us, was not born with great genetics. He was overweight throughout his childhood and then during his early teen years got afflicted with anorexia as he did not know how to go about losing his extra weight. After that, he spent years studying every article ad book on exercise and nutrition as well testing and documenting what worked and what didn’t. The end result of all this work was not only a championship physique, but also a system that can be used by any regular person to achieve the shape that they are looking for. The system is called Body Re-Engineering as it will literally re-engineer the way you look. Click here to find out more: www.losefatandgainmuscle.com Related posts Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 1 (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) Marc David’s interview with bodybuilding and muscle building expert Hugo Rivera continues (from part one). In part two you will learn the most important supplement of in a bodybuilding program, how often to change your routine, Hugo’s personal feeling on fat loss supplements, nutritional tracking and much much more. Hugo: So, that’s nutritional blunder number four. And the fifth one… the fifth one is actually one that my good friend Lee Labrada gave me one time. And keep in mind; he is the president of his company Labrada Nutrition. And I asked him in a candid interview, very much like this one, what was it that he felt was the most important supplement in a body builder’s program? Now, keep in mind he is the president of a supplement company. And he told me the most important supplement in a body builders program is water. Can you believe that! So, that leads us to the next blunder which is not drinking enough water. A lot of newbies, especially when they are teenagers, just so much miss this point, OK. And water is what makes up most of the muscle. So, therefore, if your whole body is like 56% water, just make sure that you go ahead and drink your water. How much water do you need? Well, just calculate your body weight times 0.66, and that is going to give you a number that’s going to be roughly in ounces and that is how many ounces you need to drink away. So, let say an example I am 200 pounds, and if you go ahead and multiply that times 0.66 that gives you 132 ounces, which is roughly a little bit more than a gallon of water a day. So, definitely, definitely make sure that you go ahead and drink your water. Because if you don’t drink your water, you are going to go ahead and get into a catabolic state, which means you are going to loose some muscle tissue. There are studies after studies that indicate that a well hydrated muscle cell is a more anabolic muscle cell. And the reverse is also true. So, a dehydrated muscle cell is a catabolic muscle cell that is at the expense of catabolic forces like cortisol, which will go ahead and break down the muscle tissue to just release some energy. So, that’s not exactly what we want. So, let’s make sure that we are drinking the water. It’s good for you and it just makes you get awesome pumps at the gym. Especially, if you are taking like nitric oxide boosters   and this is not even related to the question. But, if you are taking nitric oxide boosters and you are not drinking water, you will notice that the boosters are not going to go ahead and work for you. Even some supplements, if you are not drinking enough water it’s just going to go ahead and kill their effectiveness. It’s very important to drink the water. And that to me are the top five nutritional blunders out there. And I am sure that there are many more, but those are the top five that come to my head. Marc: Those are perfect. That’s absolutely what I think. A lot of people need to hear… specially, get them back to the basics. Even myself, a lot of times you think “I already know that.” Even though you are not doing it because you know it, you are not focusing on it and you start to skip it. And so, going back and just making sure that you are doing these minimal sets of things when it comes to your nutrition. If it just helps one person out there, then that’s all I can ask for. Which kind of leads me into a different portion of your training… Here’s what happens for a lot of beginners, intermediates and advanced. They find some program, wherever it be, and they are doing it, and they just keep doing it and doing it and doing it. And they are not really sure of how often would you suggest changing your routine? Hugo: As a matter of fact  a lot of beginners are not even aware that they need to change their routine. And it’s funny, because they come to me typically, and they are like “Oh man, I have been doing this awesome chest work, and it gave me great gains in the beginning and then it stopped working.” And my next question is how long have you been doing it for? “Oh, for like a year.” I am like, “[shock] Well, you got to change it.” They are like” Oh, but it worked great at the beginning, and I got it from this magazine. And such and such body builders say it works great…” I am like, “Yeah, it was. But, your body got used to it.” So, this leads to the following principle, which is that your body will go ahead and adapt to anything that you put it through. So, therefore, the more advanced you become, the more critical it becomes that you change your routine often. To answer your question, I typically recommend that beginners go ahead and change their routine every three to four weeks. And beginners, especially, don’t have to do much. I mean, a true beginner that has never been at the gym and is doing a full body workout can do with six weeks of the same body workout and they will get awesome, awesome gains. And the reason for that is because the body has never been put under the stress of weight training. So, therefore, the nervous system is adapting and there’s a whole bunch of other adaptations that I am not going to bore you with. But, the fact is that they can keep the same routine for six weeks. After six weeks, they can go ahead and change it, and then keep whatever new routine they have for the next four weeks. You know progressing them, if that is what they wish to do, into more advance stuff like spilt routines and that sort of thing. Now, for say a person that has been training now for a solid six months, and they are doing great and they want to gain more mass and they want to get more strength and definition. Then I will suggest that they change the routine every three to four weeks. And, typically, what I do, as I teach in my Body Re Engineering program, is that they change it every three weeks. And it’s not just changing for the sake of changing, I very much believe in the concept of periodization. Which sounds way more technical and complicated then what it is. All it is is that you are going to change the variables of your exercises, your sets, your repetitions and your rest in between sets, in a few phases. And the three phases that I have are the active recovery phase   which I alluded to initially in this interview. Which is basically two days of full body workouts, you know, and then in the middle of those days, maybe, like some light aerobic activity. And then, that phase is followed by what I call the loading phase. A loading phase is a higher repetition phase, you know, 10 to 15 repetitions   just speaking on average   and then sets. You know I may start with eight sets per body part and then take it all the way up to, like, 10 to 14 sets, even   14 for the most advanced of us but, typically, 12 sets should suffice. And I rest very little in between sets. Most of the time super setting just antagonistic muscle groups   meaning, chest and back, bi’s and tri’s that sort of thing. And these are very fast paced routines, they will tax your aerobic system, and you would really be feeling pumped and just going through them rather quickly. By the end of the three weeks, what I do is, every week I go ahead and increase the volume a little bit. And then by the end of the three weeks, I will get your body almost to the point of overtraining. And then I just simply back off. What I do is that I cut the sets. I cut the repetitions but increasing the weight. And I also increase the recovery in between sets. And I do that very effectively. What I do is that I will always train with antagonistic muscle groups. So, for instance, I will go ahead and do an inclined bench. And I will do a set of six to eight repetitions. Then I will rest a minute and a half and then do some weight or pull ups. Do six to eight repetitions, rest a minute and a half, and go back to the inclined bench. In this manner, I’ve rested over three minutes for the same exercise, but I kept on moving forward, not cooling down and not wasting time at the gym, because I’ve always felt that resting for three minutes way pretty much unbearable.  But, in this manner, what I’m doing is, during those three weeks of heavier training, more rest in between sets and less volume, the body kind of catches up, and it responds by over adapting and creating more muscle tissues at an accelerated rate, and also creating more strength, which is necessary to increase muscle mass. So then after that period I just go back to like a week, or two if I feel over trained, of active recovery training. Then, you know, start back up. So, in that manner, I suggest changing you training routine like every three weeks or so. Marc: Well, you’ve got to get this question a lot; and I know I get it a lot, and you try to write FAQs and you try to write articles and do podcasts, but it seems like every other month, there is something new on the horizon with fat loss supplements. So, what is your personal feeling on that? I know some competitive bodybuilders, and this is where the split comes in; they do use things like that because, heck, they are willing to take any edge they can to chemically enhance their metabolism or fat burning. But, what we’re talking about here is not the competitive bodybuilder, but like you said, the guy of the gal who just wants to look better and be fit. And they are frustrated, and all of the sudden they are getting bombarded with fat loss supplements. What’s your take on that? Hugo: I’ll tell you what, and this is something that I can tell you since I visit so many of these stores and I talk to the staff and I talk to the people visiting them. There is a huge misconception that if you take these fat loss supplements, you don’t need to diet, and you don’t need to do cardio or workout as hard. Let me tell you something. That is absolutely not the case. If you lose fat you’re diet better be right on where it’s supposed to be, you better be weight training hard, you better be doing your cardiovascular exercise. And then maybe you go ahead and get a good fat loss supplement that may help you by giving you a little bit more increased energy, some appetite suppression and, you know, simply helping you with neurotransmitter activity in the brain so that you don’t feel as lethargic during the dieting process and thing like that. But, other than that, none of these diet supplements are anything magical at all. As a matter of fact, unfortunately, most of them are just down right garbage, in my opinion. And they are just glorified caffeine pills. Keep in mind that caffeine has many names, you have caffeine, you have guarana, kola nut, you have cocoa powder. You have a whole bunch of names, a whole bunch of herb where you can extract caffeine from. So, you could, in theory, have a fat loss supplement with like ten different ingredients all being really just caffeine, you know? So you take this stuff and you feel awesome, and you like “Oh my Go, oh my God. This is like great, this is working awesome,” but you’re taking is a really expensive caffeine pill. So, a lot of these supplements are not based on science at all. There are very few companies out there that have some decent supplement, and those are the ones that maybe you should consider taking. But, as far as fat loss supplements go, there are no magical ones that I have ever some across, that will go ahead and do this humongous difference in you physique, you know? Marc: Yep, I understand. And you also alluded to how important nutrition was regardless of what you goal was. Whether building muscle, or losing fat. But, even in your case, or your friends, or clients that you’ve worked with; do you see a lot of people that say “You know, I know what I am eating, I’m tracking it all.” But, if you watch them, are they actually under reporting the food that they eat? Is there that kind of problem, or most people that you come in contact with truly putting down every single thing they put in their mouth   a fish oil pill, a protein shake, every thing that they put in their month is being tracked. It that the case, or maybe not? Hugo: Most people do not, to be honest with you. It takes time for a person to learn that discipline correctly. Because, especially very, very, new people at this will go ahead and not think about a small cracker having anything to impact in their body. Or fruit juices, fruit juices are the biggest culprit and a lot of people drink them, and they’re like “Oh, they’re healthy, I heard it on TV,” but they don’t realize that they’ve just down like 40 grams of sugar, you know? So, to be honest, yeah most of the beginning clients do a lot of under reporting. And conversely, a lot of hard gainers do a lot of over reporting. And the way the over reporting happens is not so much in the journal, but it happens in the way that they talk to you. Like you go ahead and ask them “So how’s your diet,” “Oh man, I eat so much it’s not even funny.” OK, well how about we sit down and start writing everything that you’ve had yesterday and today. And when you come and look at it, it’s like “Oh my God, you’re eating like a little bird really.” I mean they may just be eating like, I don’t know, what was the case I had that one time? This guy, OK so he had a breakfast of like two eggs and five egg whites, which is good. But, then he had like two toasts, and then that was it. And then like five hours later, he will go ahead and have like some protein pudding, and then like much later it was like six hours   because, I don’t know, he worked long hours of something, and for what ever reason, he wouldn’t take a lot of stuff with him to work, which by the way, a cooler is your best friend, always carry your food. But that aside, he will come back home and have like some sort of a sandwich. Like a turkey sandwich with like some, a couple slices of like, you know how do you call this; deli turkey, just a couple slices which was probably 10 grams of protein at the most. And then again some bread. And then later on that night he will go ahead and have like a big pasta dinner. And I’m like “OK, that is so much under eating; it’s not even funny.” As you know, a hard gainer has to eat a lot. And it has to be the proper meals, and they need to have calorically dense foods. Good food, but they have to be calorically dense, and they have to be properly timed, you know. Not letting more than maybe three hours go by without eating. And that sort of thing, and it takes discipline to do that, you know? So, It’ very, very, important that if you want to achieve results, at the very beginning, you don’t have to keep this all your life because I certainly don’t do it anymore. You need to keep a food journal, and you need to grow an understanding of what’s going into your mouth, and how many nutrients that is. How many carbs, how many proteins, how many fats. And you don’t need a rocket science degree to go ahead and figure this out. I mean you can go on the Internet and find all of the nutrition values. Many books like my Body Re Engineering for instance, will go ahead and have those nutrition values spelled out for them. But, you need to do the effort, because up until you master the science of nutrition and you understand what you are doing and how many nutrients you are really taking every three hours, you are not going to receive the results that you want. Period. I mean, that is an absolutely true statement. Training and nutrition are like the wheels of a bicycle, they are equally important and you cannot take on out of the equation. They need to go hand in hand. Marc: Well, you’ve mentioned this a few time, but tell me about your Body Re Engineering System. I mean what is this eBook about, exactly? Hugo: Well, to be honest with you, this eBook is about all of the training principles and nutrition principles that I have come across during my career as a natural bodybuilder. And basically I cover everything. I cover the mental aspect, I certainly cover the training because I go ahead and give 21 weeks of advance training for those that are more advanced bodybuilders. And I also cover the first four months of like a beginner. So, I can really take a beginner from like day one at the gym, they don’t know what they are doing. There is a routine for them. Once they start following it, it will take them from beginner to intermediate and from intermediate to advanced. So, they can go ahead and do the 21 week Body Re Engineering Imperial Life Program. Of course, like I said, nutrition is the other part of a bicycle because you need two wheels and a bicycle. That is fully covered understanding that there are many different types of bodies out there. There is the ectomorph, which is like the hard gainer. There is the mezomorph which is… really, the mezomorph are typically the guys you see competing at the high, high level shows. I mean, these are guys that before they even touch the weight, they were already pretty muscular and they were very lean. So, mezomorphs are the minority. But, of course, I cover them too because I’ve seen them and they do exist. If a mezomorph picks up my book, they have the right to know what to do also, even though they are genetically gifted. Hugo: And then there is the endomorph, of course, which I think is the majority of the people in the United States because most of us can actually gain body fat pretty easily   understanding that there is nutritional advice for each one of those groups, and also, depending upon the goal that they have, whether it is to gain some muscle exclusively without putting any body fat, or losing body fat while retaining or even gaining a little bit of muscle as they are going down. So, in addition to that, I also covered the supplement science and I cover which ones I feel are the most important ones to go ahead and take. And you will be amazed. There’s really not many. Most of the things that I mention are multiple vitamins and some minerals to be quite honest with you. And, of course, the protein drinks, I already mentioned what capacity I believe in them. And definitely, the essential fats. I’ll even give you a couple of hints. In my opinion, the most useful, advanced, body building supplements to this day are creatine and glutamine, alright? And if you want to you can read in the book why I say that. But, basically, those two supplements, in my opinion give the natural body builder many of the properties that steroids provide through hormonal means. But, because these are not hormones; the creatine and glutamine are not hormones. As a matter of fact if you break them down, they are both really amino acids. Glutamine is certainly an amino acid and creatine is composed of three amino acids. These, because they are no hormones, they are not going to go ahead and have the side effects. So, those are it. And of course, I do like the nitric oxide boost from today. There are some better products than others. But, that is about it. To be honest with you, I mean supplement wise and I think I am going on a tangent, but I’ll keep it going for the information of the listeners out there. Supplement wise, I feel a multiple vitamin and mineral with a good calcium is great. You need also, some chromium picolinate just for the insulin sensitivity. It is important to keep that at a high level; that way your body can assimilate the carbs better and also assimilate the proteins. Some vitamin C, which has been shown to throw down levels of cortisone. The essential fats, which I already mentioned are crucial. The protein drinks for the convenience. The creatine, glutamine and the nitric oxide boosters, but all of that stuff I take through a product called Super Charge from Labrada Nutrition. So, it is like, that is all I take. That is my supplement regiment right there. So, as you can see, I am not a huge fan of supplements. OK. And I am sorry for all of the supplement manufacturers out there trying to convince people otherwise. Oh, you need this supplement. You need that supplement. But, the big fact is that what you really need is a solid training and nutrition program and supplements are supplements. They are supplements to an already good training and nutrition program. On top of that, I also cover rest and recovery in this book. Then of course, I also give a whole bunch of charts that people can go ahead and print out to their liking and take to the gym to go ahead and keep track of their diet and their training and everything else. Above all, I also have a free forum where people can go in and they will interface with me and who is, my very first training partner and one of the guys that experimented a lot, back in my teenage years, Samuel Santos. He is also there answering questions. And we interact with people every single week; every single day actually of the week. And we answer questions. So, it is a pretty cool system. That is why I call it a system. It is not just an eBook. There are many aspects to it. Marc: Well, it sounds like you cover pretty much everything that a person would need if they were going to build muscle, lose fat and you give them all the stuff. It is called the Body Re Engineering System. It’s got your picture on the front. But, is it just for bodybuilders? Hugo: Absolutely not. Again, let’s keep in mind the semantics here. To me, bodybuilder is anybody who picks up training that does training with weights that does cardiovascular exercise, that follow a diet to go ahead and reengineer their physique. So, is it just or bodybuilders who are entering competition? Absolutely not. This is for anybody. This is for girls. This is for guys. I mean if you are looking to go ahead and gain 50 pounds of muscle, it is going to work for you. If you just want 10 pounds of muscle and lose some body fat, it is for you as well. And I even provide recommendations for people who are just interested in toning and losing some body fat. I just tell them how to adjust the training system and the diet for their more modest goals and that is it. It is for anyone who wants to go ahead and reengineer their physique to whatever it is that they want to accomplish. That was my goal when I put that eBook together. Marc: Well, you’ve mentioned this a few times in our interview, but I want to give you a chance if you can further expand on the topic of the cycling principle that you outline in “Body Re Engineering”? What is his cycling principle? You alluded to it at least three times, but what is it exactly? Hugo: Absolutely. Basically, the routines of my Body Re Engineering program change in an orderly manner that takes the body to the brink of overtraining and then allows it to recover. And thus, overcompensate and grow in response to the weight training stress. These changes are basically what the cycling principle is all about. That is the key to consistent and rapid increases in muscle mass and strength for the bodybuilder. Basically, this principle states that in order for the body to respond optimally, it cannot be training in the same manner because as you know, Marc, if you do that, your body gets used to it. So, the best way to make the body respond is through the correct variation of exercises. Volume, which is the number of sets times the number of repetitions. Intensity, which really means how heavy the weight is not how hard you are training. And rest periods in between sets, Now the work out parameters are going to be determined by the phase of the program you are in. There are going to be three phases that we will be repeating over and over again. The first week will be an active recovery phase. Basically, in this phase, you will only train with weights twice a week, on a full body routine before you start the next phase, which will be called the loading phase. Now, the loading phase, which is three weeks in duration, is going to be a high volume phase where reps are kept at 10 to 15 repetitions and rest in between 90 seconds or less. And between sets, I also like to use a whole bunch of super sets training antagonistic muscle groups such as chest and back; bi’s and tri’s; thighs and hamstrings. And then with the shoulders what I do I just go ahead and train the front deltoid and then the read deltoid. Things like that, OK. The training volume gradually increases over the course of the three weeks in order to stress the body almost to the point of overtraining as I specified at the beginning of this conversation. Then, the next three weeks are going to be higher intensity, meaning heavier weights and lower volume, with longer rest periods of rest in between sets. And this phase I call the “growth phase,” since the volume is reduced but the weights are increased in order to let the body catch up and super compensate   meaning, grow in terms of muscle, size and strength. The reps are like anywhere between five to seven. For some trainees if they see that they work better at six to eight repetitions, go ahead and have it at six to eight repetitions. And again, this is the beauty of me having the forum. If somebody feels that they are not getting great results, then I just troubleshoot their program and immediately find out what’s going on. And the rest period for this phase is three minutes in between sets for the same exercise. So, it’s not like you are going to be dilly dallying for three minutes after you do your set, you are actually going to be doing another set within 90 seconds, but it’s going to be for an antagonistic muscle group. The key thing here is to get the body to go through those three phases. And there’s a really good reason for this Marc   and if you allow me to, I will explain you what the logic is behind every single phase. Marc: Go ahead. Hugo: The act of recovery phase, OK. The phase where you are just training twice a week has three main functions. First of all, according to leading strength expert Tudor Bompa, which to me is one of the fathers, if not the father, of periodization, you are trying to adapt the anatomy of the body to the upcoming training so that you can create or produce and injury free environment. So essentially, your tendons and ligaments should be strong enough to support the stressful periods that will follow. This is something that a lot of trainees do not do, and as a result they always end up injured. And, me, knock on wood, I don’t have any tears or anything serious that has ever happened to me, thank god, throughout my training. Which is really a miracle, because during my teenage years I was not nearly as educated as I should have been and there were many atrocities I committed at the gym, but “lo and behold” I survived. [laughs] But anyways… The second point for this phase is that it is a great time to address any sort of strength imbalances that your body might have, and this is the reason why I mostly recommend dumbbell work to be used during the phase. And finally, this phase will also act as a great time in which the body will recharge its energy stores and allow for complete physical and mental recuperation. Now, after this fairly unchallenging phase, it’s kind of like a maintenance sort of phase, recovery, we go to the loading phase. And the purpose for it is to basically stress the body. During the loading phase, the body is stressed with an increasing high volume of work that if you were to keep it for too long you will eventually over train you. Three things happen during this phase: The growth hormone output goes through the roof due to the fact that you’re resting short intervals in between sets and you have high volume. And there are numerous studies that show that this sort of training will go ahead an increase this hormone. Hypertrophy, which is muscle growth of the cell, occurs by the body increasing the levels of creatine, water and carbohydrates inside the muscle cell, and this phenomenon is called the muscle volumization   for those of you who are new to this. The body’s recovery capabilities will be upgraded during this time in response to the stress imposed by the increasing work volume, coupled with the short rest intervals. Which leads you then to the next phase, the growth phase, in a perfect sort of metabolic condition, because what’s going to happen is that during the growth phase you will not stress the body anymore with volume, OK, you will stress it with intensity. So, you are going to go ahead and cut back and allow the body to go ahead and catch up. And what it will do with all these extra recovery abilities that it created is to overcompensate. So the next phase, the growth phase, like I said, the body is not stressed by volume this time the stimuli is heavy weights. This phase if it will be kept for too long, eventually, the body will seize to stop making strength gains and you would also plateau. That’s why you have so many body builders…and you have this everlasting holy war between high intensity training versus high volume training. Marc: Absolutely. Hugo: The answer is that you need a little bit of both, OK, and don’t take any of them to the extremes. That is really the answer, OK. It’s as practical as it get. And that’s kind of how I came up with this whole system; I tried to both to the biggest extremes. And I remember a period in my life where I was doing a lot of volume, and I really got over trained. Then I read this awesome article in the magazine saying, “Hey, you know, high intensity training. If you do this… so and so. You know, you are going to grow, et cetera, et cetera.” And then I embarked on it, and “lo and behold,” I started getting huge. And I am like, “This is crazy. OK, well this is what really works!” But then, I figured that after weeks on it to an end, I was not getting anywhere. So, I am like, “Oh man! What now?” Then my nervous system was beat and my joints were hurting, and I am like, “What is going on?” And it was not up until I saw the light  and this took probably like a good year of me trying to find the answers at the supplement shop, unfortunately, so I lost a lot of money in the process. It was not up until I said, “Oh, to heck with this. I am going to increase the volume again and see what happens.” And I increased the volume and “lo and behold,” I started making gains again. So, I am like, “OK, wait a minute. There has to be some sort of pattern here?” And thank god that god granted me the gift of the pattern recognition, something that made me a pretty good engineer back in the days of my engineering career, when I had one. And then I am like “Wow! Let me go ahead and experiment by oscillating,” and then that’s how I kind of perfected this system. But in any case, during the growth phase when you stimulate your body, not through volume but through heavy weights, what happens is that not only it gives your body a rest from the volume, but also your testosterone levels go through the roof in response to a longer rest in between sets and the heavier weights. And in this case, hypertrophy occurs by the body increasing the actual diameter of the myofiber, which is the actual fiber of the muscle, through increase protein synthesis. So basically, protein synthesis   for those of you that are new, it’s basically creating protein strands through DNA and RNA and it takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell, which is more than what most people want to know, but I like to always explain the science behind things. And again, since your body’s recuperation abilities were built up to the maximum by the previous phase which was the loading phase and the volume has gone dramatically, the extra recuperation abilities are used to increase strength and build more muscle mass. So, the reason the body does this is in order to be prepared for another stressful period like the one I just went through, basically. And this adaptation mechanism is the one that ensures the survival of the species. So, basically, what I am doing here is that I am using the body’s own natural built in abilities and just maximizing them. That’s pretty much it, you know. Marc: I want this on the record, because I really appreciate both, personally and professionally, you taking the time out of your busy schedule to let me interview you today, and to do just a huge brain dump of information for the listeners. So, I want to thank you, Hugo, for taking the time to do this. Hugo: Oh man, you are welcome. Again, I really appreciate you having me, and my passion is helping others and just transferring my knowledge to many other people because, man, I remember how lost I was and I am sure you remember how lost you were when we first started. You know, if we have the knowledge, why not share it with others. - Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evidenced by the fact that he’s always in shape and by his awards and high placings at numerous national level bodybuilding competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “The Body Sculpting Bibles” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also the author of the very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs, or fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. See Hugo’s ebooks online here: Body Re-Engineering www.losefatandgainmuscle.com A complete guide to bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean muscle Shape Up Now Click Here to Download Your FREE Copy of Shape Up Now 50 page compendium of quality information on getting in shape BODY RE-ENGINEERING – COMPLETE MUSCLE BUILDING & FAT LOSS Natural Bodybuilding Champion and Internationally Acclaimed Best Selling Fitness Author Reveals How To Build Solid Lean Muscle Without Drugs Body Re-Engineering by Hugo Rivera Body Re-Engineering was designed by a guy who much like the rest of us, was not born with great genetics. He was overweight throughout his childhood and then during his early teen years got afflicted with anorexia as he did not know how to go about losing his extra weight. After that, he spent years studying every article ad book on exercise and nutrition as well testing and documenting what worked and what didn’t. The end result of all this work was not only a championship physique, but also a system that can be used by any regular person to achieve the shape that they are looking for. The system is called Body Re-Engineering as it will literally re-engineer the way you look. Click here to find out more: www.losefatandgainmuscle.com Related posts Hugo Rivera Interview: Part 1 (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) tag:odeo.com,2009-05-26,24613491 Tue, 26 May 2009 20:25:21 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David interviews, natural bodybuilding, build muscle, Hugo Rivera, weight training program, Fitness Tips http://odeo.com/episodes/24602779-Hugo-Rivera-Interview-Part-1 Hugo Rivera is the creator of the Body Re-Engineering system, one of the most documented and precise bodybuilding manuals available.  Hugo not only has over 18 years of personal experience in training himself but he is also a certified trainer and sports nutritionist. He also holds multiple natural bodybuilding competition titles, including a 4th placing at the NPC Team Universe, where only the elite champion natural bodybuilders from all over the country get to compete.  Hugo is also an internationally acclaimed author of the very success franchise of fitness books called “The Body Sculpting Bible.”   Hugo’s style of writing is very logical and extremely easy to follow; as Hugo’s background is in computer engineering. In part one you will hear the latest scoop on full body workouts or split routines, or something in between?… Hugo’s reaction to being asked if he’s really all natural… the truth about your genetics and bodybuilding… Hugo’s training frequ... Hugo Rivera is the creator of the Body Re-Engineering system, one of the most documented and precise bodybuilding manuals available.  Hugo not only has over 18 years of personal experience in training himself but he is also a certified trainer and sports nutritionist. He also holds multiple natural bodybuilding competition titles, including a 4th placing at the NPC Team Universe, where only the elite champion natural bodybuilders from all over the country get to compete.  Hugo is also an internationally acclaimed author of the very success franchise of fitness books called “The Body Sculpting Bible.”   Hugo’s style of writing is very logical and extremely easy to follow; as Hugo’s background is in computer engineering. In part one you will hear the latest scoop on full body workouts or split routines, or something in between?… Hugo’s reaction to being asked if he’s really all natural… the truth about your genetics and bodybuilding… Hugo’s training frequency… the biggest 5 nutritional blunders almost every bodybuilder is making or has made and more. This interview is packed with valuable info! Read this one in study mode for sure and then watch for part 2 coming soon! Marc David: Welcome, everyone, to this interview. This is Marc David, and I have a special guest with me. Please welcome Hugo Rivera.  Hugo is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evident by the fact that he is always in shape, and by his awards and high placing at numerous national level body building competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “Body Sculpting Bibles,” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also the author of the very popular Body Re Engineering eBook, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and teaches you how to get lean without drugs or fancy, expensive supplements using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. Hugo, thanks for giving me some of your time today Hugo Rivera: Thank you so much, Marc. The pleasure is all mine, trust me. I really appreciate this. Marc: Not a problem. Hey, can you start off and, just for the audience, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Hugo: I’ll tell you, I’ve been practicing body building now for almost 20 years, believe it or not. It became a passion of mine since I picked up my first set of 10 pound dumbbells back when I was 14, believe it or not. Actually, my formal education, a lot of people may be surprised by this, but my formal education is in computer engineering. And, by some twists and turns of fate, I ended up becoming a best selling fitness author and doing what I am most passionate about which is helping people to get in shape. Marc: So, kind of lead me on in that. How did you get started with bodybuilding? And what led you to become a fitness author with a website? I mean, you’re in computers, and all of a sudden now you’re a fitness author. What kind of transition is that? Hugo: I know. Well, actually I used to be very overweight as I was growing up. So, at an early age, I pretty much experienced the feelings of insecurity that come along with obesity, as well as the scorn and ridicule from some of my peers. You know how kids are. Anyway, since I kept hearing that the reason for my weight problems was food, and that I had to stop eating, I took the advice to heart. Being sick of the way that I looked, I stopped eating pretty much. That resulted in me going anorexic at the age of 13 and losing a total of around 70 pounds, actually, in less than a year. If I recall correctly, it was like in nine months, or some time period like that. My family, which was very concerned, especially my grandfather who was a medical surgeon. They basically tried to put some effort into trying to stop the anorexic cycle, and they took me to a nutritionist. The nutritionist mentioned one thing to me that changed my outlook on dieting forever. She said, “Hugo, eating food will not make you fat. It is only abusing the quantities of the bad foods that will.” After I listened to that statement; it just suddenly all kind of clicked. I’m like, oh, I think I took this a little bit too overboard, you know?  So, I started following the diet that she gave me and I started to study at that time the effects of foods on the human physiology. By the age of 14, my interest in health food affects the shape and the form of your body. That really led to an interest in the area of exercise. Especially when a girl that I really liked at the time told me that I would look good with some muscle in my frame. You know? When my mom got me my first copy ever of Muscle and Fitness, which was the May 1990 edition, I saw pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Labrada, Lee Haney and other great bodybuilders. I said to myself, man, that’s how I need to look. These guys look awesome, you know? That led me to become an avid natural bodybuilder. So, after I kept reading countless books, as a matter of fact, I’m in my home office right now and I’m looking at all of them. There’s plenty, and I even have some in storage. I started getting exposed to absolutely contradicting theories on how to best attain muscle mass and lose body fat. I said, you know what, to heck with this. I’m just going to do what they teach me in school, which is to use a scientific method. I started recording what worked and what didn’t for me and my training partner. After much trial and error, I started finding principles and patterns of training that worked really good on me, worked really good on my training partner. We started sharing them with other people, and they seemed to work on them too. So, I was like, wow, this is great. One of the most exciting discoveries of everything I was doing was the fact that there was no necessity to stay at the gym for three to four hours a day like the pioneers of bodybuilding used to do back in the 60s and 70s. Because I felt that so many people in the industry cared about, not many people actually, cared about conducting personal training in a way that really helped their client, I said to myself, you know what, I’m going to go ahead and create a website. The opportunity came about when I had my senior project for engineering, which was a requirement to graduate. I said, you know what, I’m going to take the opportunity to learn how to make websites and create one. That’s how my humble website started, believe it or not, you know? Marc: I actually do believe it. And, you’ve kind of answered this, but this is sort of a general question I think a lot of people get asked, but what would you say, what is it about bodybuilding in general that you love so much? Hugo: I think it is the fact that bodybuilding can instill in you an amount of discipline that can be applied to all other aspects of your life and does make you very successful. In addition, I love the fact that bodybuilding allows you to completely take control of your image, and achieve a sculpted look that enables you to feel better about yourself and thus be more confident. Confidence, of course, is going to help you in achieving any goal that you have set for yourself, also, in your relationship and your career as well. I have had clients come to me and tell me, man, I went to my boss and had the guts to ask for a raise. I had other people tell me, man, I feel so good about myself that I was able to go ahead and start dating and do this, and do that, I found my soul mate, I got married, all sorts of stories, you know? It’s like, wow, that’s amazing. And of course, in addition, the health benefits derived from practicing bodybuilding, such as higher energy level, low blood pressure, good cholesterol, a better love life, just to name a few. It all makes it worth it. And of course, who cannot enjoy the feeling of a good pump at the gym? You know? Marc: True. Now, I’ve got to say, I’ve seen some of your pictures, obviously, on your website, and I’ve seen photos. It’s always of you, just a ripped Hugo. Now, you sort of touched on this before, but were you overweight in any capacity? Hugo: Oh, man, absolutely. When I was 12 years old, I think the peak of my waistline was around 45 or 46 inches. Marc: Huge. Hugo: Huge waistline. I mean, I was overweight by around, if I had to put my finger on it, probably 60 pounds overweight. Yeah. I don’t come from a family of skinny people. Everybody in my family is pretty much overweight. Except for my father, actually, who adopted the fitness lifestyle pretty much around the same time that I started. But, everybody else pretty much has a slow metabolism. Yeah, I was very overweight. Marc: Cool. That just puts a little bit in perspective. We get a lot of skinny guys who gain muscle who can’t ever gain weight. I think it is just important to put it into perspective that there are a lot of overweight people, no matter where you are, that you can definitely change what you look like and achieve that. Me, where I came from, I was skinny as a kid. I could never put on any weight, and yet I was able to do so now. You’re coming from the reverse. You were overweight as a child, and here you are, a huge natural bodybuilder. So I think that puts a good balance into perspective. Hugo: I think, Marc, one of the key things to note over here is that when we use the term “bodybuilding,” we’re not referring to bodybuilding shows like standing at the Olympia or the Arnold Classic. To me, bodybuilding is the activity of using weight training, cardiovascular exercise, proper nutrition and supplementation, and rest to go ahead and achieve cosmetic effects in your body. As opposed to competitive bodybuilding, there’s really no off season for  how should I say this  life time bodybuilding, as I call it. This is more of a lifestyle that you just learn. You go ahead and change your physique in any way or form that you like. Hey, some people may just want to gain 20 pounds of muscle and get really nice and lean. Some other people may want 100. It doesn’t matter. Regardless, if you go to the gym, pick up the weights and do your cardio, your diet, you’re a bodybuilder, whether you like it or not. Marc: I absolutely agree with that terminology. This might be more of a typical question. I’m not sure where you’re going to take this one, but do you have a favorite body part to work out? A lot of people want to know, what do these guys love to do? Me, I’ve been bodybuilding for over 17 years, so I definitely have to say that I have my favorite or my least. I’m curious as to if you have any favorites. Hugo: Absolutely. My favorite is my legs, and I’ll tell you why. My legs are the least genetically gifted area of my body. As a result, it is the biggest challenge for me to go ahead and make them grow and sculpt them in the way that I want. Because I am stubborn, and I like challenges, and I like to face them head on, I love leg training. I love getting under the squat bar and just repping it out. I’m talking about high repetition leg training, too. Sometimes I may just go ahead and do 15, 20 repetitions. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve gotten the endurance to even do a hundred repetition set.  Again this is very, very highly advanced bodybuilding training, so if you’re a newbie at this, I’m not endorsing this one bit. But, I am just saying that techniques like this, as you get more and more advanced in the iron game, are techniques that can be used to spark some new growth into a stubborn area. My legs are, for sure, the most stubborn area of my body. So, leg training is, by far, my favorite days of the week, to be honest with you. Marc: Now, this is a little bit controversial, this next question. I’m just looking for your preference. Maybe you like both. Take this wherever you want, but do you prefer full body workouts or split routines? Hugo: Actually, I think they both have their place in a training program. Full body workouts, in my opinion, are best for two things. For people that are just starting out in bodybuilding because it allows them to kind of wake up every single muscle immediately. I don’t think any new bodybuilder has any business using a split training routine, in my opinion. I think a full body routine does a much better job at just activating the whole muscular system all at once. Doing it two or three times a week is the best way for a beginner to go ahead and start gaining some really good muscle on their frame in a very safe manner. As you get more advanced, I think it is wiser to go ahead and split up your body in two days. You can do chest, back, bi’s and tri’s in one workout, and then shoulders and legs in another workout, and leave a day of rest in between. Then two more days, and rest over the weekends. Then the final step would be the three day split routine, which is better geared for much more advanced bodybuilders. There’s many ways to split it up, but my preference is chest, back, and abs one day, then legs, and then shoulders and arms. These days, actually, the way that I do it is I do shoulders and arms on day one, then legs, and then I do my chest and back. Because my chest and back are like the strongest areas in my body, therefore, I leave them for the third day of the rotation. Then I take a day off, and I start over again. So, that’s how I’m splitting it up these days. Now, having said that, an advanced bodybuilder still benefits from full body workouts doing what I call the active recovery phases. These are phases that you have to take after six to eight weeks of hard training at the gym. Instead of taking a week off, what I do is that I do a week where I do a couple of full body workouts, one on Monday and one on Thursday, or one on Monday and Friday, whatever. It doesn’t matter. Then on the days in between I’ll do some light cardiovascular activity. These allow the body to go ahead and recover from the beating of the previous weeks of hard training. So, to this day I still use my full body workouts every six to eight weeks. So, I hope that answers your question. Marc: It absolutely does. This one, I know you’ve been asked this. I can’t imagine anybody who’s built up as much muscle mass as you not getting people giving you the quizzical eye and like, “What’s going on?” I’m not asking you to submit to a drug test, but I really want to know, how do you respond to questions that you aren’t natural? People must ask you if you’re taking something. Hugo: As a matter of fact, not only do they ask me, but after my first competition, my trainer was accused by people. I say my trainer because I used a coach to help me with the aspects of competitive bodybuilding. That’s like a completely different ball game. But, he was actually accused by many other people saying, “Man, what do you give this guy?” I basically showed up at my first competition. It was a statewide level show, and I won the whole thing unanimously. I was drug tested, by the way. It was funny because the drug test unfortunately was not a urinalysis. It was a polygraph. Unless they did urinalysis on me, I couldn’t prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was completely clean. But, the guy didn’t believe me. He kept asking me the question over and over again. He’s like, “Are you aware that it’s really unethical to join a natural show if you’re not natural?” I’m like, “I am fully aware. Drug test me. Blood work me. Whatever you want. I don’t care.” But yes, I am asked that question, very much so. I take it as a compliment, to be honest with you. Believe it or not, I don’t see myself as that big. If you were to see a current IFPB pro these days, you’ll see a huge difference between the way that I look and the way that they look. But, at any rate, compared to the average person, I guess I am bigger than normal. Yes, I take that as a compliment. All I have to say to that is the following. I’ve been training for so many years, with such consistency and such Spartan efforts, both at the gym and at the kitchen with my diet, that it’s inevitable that you go ahead and grow muscle after just continuously doing that. Especially once you learn how to do it properly, and you implement the training program that will go ahead and really maximize your genetics. You just never know how big you can get. You really don’t, because I remember, to this day, the first day of me at the gym. I asked the gym owner, “Hey, how can I get big calves?” Because my calves were horribly, horribly skinny. You could never tell by looking at them today, but anyways. I asked the question, and he said, “You know, it’s genetic. You don’t have great genetics. I don’t think you’ll be able to build any physique that will win you any shows. I’m sorry.” I was so pissed. I went to the bookstore, and I got myself a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. I read where he talked about how he had little calves and how he worked them every day. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what I did at the time, not knowing any better. I guess it was my persistence and my determination to prove this guy wrong, but, man, the calves grew. They developed. What I’m trying to say by this is don’t let anybody tell you what your ultimate potential is. You just don’t know. You’ve got to go ahead and test yourself, and put yourself in the gym day in and day out. Follow the nutrition. Your nutrition is key. If you start skipping meals, and you start drinking and lowering your testosterone levels, and you start not sleeping  guess what? You’re not going to make any gains. You really are not. Bodybuilding, anyone can benefit from it. I’m not saying that everyone can go ahead and win big, national level contests. That’s a different story. But, I am saying that everyone can go ahead and gain muscle and build a physique that they can be proud of, and show it off at the beach. I guarantee you, that most people have way more potential than they give their credit for. I guarantee you. Marc: I think it’s only fair that I lead into the next question, because you really have touched on it. But, I do get this one a lot myself, and people come up and they want some type of definitive answer. It’s how much of a factor is genetics? Hugo: I think it all depends on how we look at it. If we’re talking about a factor in terms of competitive bodybuilding   I’ll say this a lot  because genetics will only allow you to get so far. If you do not have a super symmetrical physique, super pleasing lines, everything just matches, killer definition, huge size on top of that, chances are genetics will get you at the end, and you’ll only be able to get so far. In my opinion, competitively speaking, I think my genetics have taken me as far as possible. I’ve been top ranked at national level shows. At the Team Universe, which was my second show, I took fourth. However, if I worked hard enough, I guess I could go ahead and win a pro card as a welterweight. But, then that’s it for me. I don’t have the genetics to compete with the big boys that are up here on the magazines. Steroids or not, to be honest with you. Because a lot of those guys, I’ve seen pictures of them before they even started bodybuilding. Some of those guys, it’s almost like they were born with muscle. It’s like, wow! They have genetics that the more they eat, the more muscle they gain and the more fat they lose. I’ve literally seen guys like this. As a matter of fact, one of my best friends is a specimen like that. He doesn’t compete, oddly enough. But, believe it or not, he’s 6′1″, steroid free, 240 pounds, and five percent body fat, year round. Marc: I think it’s important to say this, and let me put words in your mouth, but what you’re basically saying is you really haven’t let your genetics be a limiting factor in what you were able to achieve. You just went for it, and that was the end of that. Hugo: Exactly. Because here’s where I’m going to go next  only for competitive bodybuilding is genetics a limiting factor. Yes, eventually you will be able to go as far as genetics will allow you. Now, for changing your physique just for you, not for a judge to go ahead and tell you, “Oh, you’re perfect,” or, “You need more definition in your hamstrings.” Just for you, I don’t believe that genetics can go ahead and stop you. Unless you have unreasonable goals of having a 22 inch arm, if you’re only 5′5″, like I am, then you will be fine. You will be able to achieve the physique that you want. But, let’s be honest. Most guys, all they want is some decent size and some great definition. Anybody, and I swear to you, anybody that is a healthy human being can go ahead and accomplish that. It’s just a matter of training properly and dieting. Don’t let anybody fool you. It’s not easy. It’s not a walk in the park, but it can be done. Anybody can do it, provided they have the right determination to go through what they need to go through in order to accomplish those goals. The short answer to the question, how much of a factor is genetics? None at all, if you’re not planning on competing. No limiting factor whatsoever. As a matter of fact, even if you want to win a bodybuilding show, I can tell you this. At most local contests, like non national level contests, just local NPC shows, if you go shredded enough, you’ll win. It’s a matter of conditioning. It’s only as you go up in the ranks, like national level shows and stuff, that genetics will limit you. My message to everyone out there is that if they want to look a specific way, go for it and do not let anyone, and I mean anyone, tell you that you cannot do it   because I certainly heard from countless people that I couldn’t do it. I’ve gone way farther than I ever thought I would go. So, that’s my message to everyone. Marc: Speaking of training, I think a lot of people are going to be interested in how many days a week do you train? Because looking at your pictures and going along with the stereotypes, maybe something my mom would say is, “Oh, that guy? He must spend at least two hours in the gym, maybe three, and he’s got to be in there six days a week.” Is that true or not? Hugo: No, not at all. While it is true that I may train up to six days a week   these days, I train more like five   I’m only in the gym for like 45 minutes at a time. If I didn’t have to do cardio in the morning three to four days a week, then it would be even less. Basically, what I do is that I’m doing cardio every other day. So, what that means is that some weeks it’ll be three days. Some other weeks it’ll be four days. I do that typically first thing in the morning when I wake up. If I feel industrious, some days I may go ahead and slip some extra cardio sessions in just because I love the feeling that it gives me first thing in the morning. Then later on at night, I’ll go to the gym, and I’ll get my 45 minutes of training in. It never goes past an hour. If the gym is super crowded, that may slow me down a little bit. Now, weight training wise, I don’t spend more than four and a half to five hours a week. That’s it. That’s all I’ve needed. It’s the quality of the work, not the quantity, especially not the quantity of time. There are so many guys that I see that go to the gym, and they’re like, “Oh man, I trained so hard. I trained two hours today.” You go ahead and see their training, it’s more like they train for a total of five minutes when you go ahead and cut down all of the talking and socializing that they’re doing at the gym. You know what I mean? Marc: Absolutely. Now, you’ve touched on nutrition being important, and I know that you’ve trained hundreds of people and you’ve written books, and you answer all these emails. But, I’m just kind of curious what you might think are the top five nutritional blunders that you wish you could tell people to avoid right from day one. You’ve touched on nutrition as so important. If you just had to pick five things, maybe more than five, maybe less, what would you say, don’t make these mistakes when it comes to your nutrition? Hugo: Well, let’s talk about that. Number one, unless you are like the absolute worst of hard gainers and your metabolism is such that it requires you to fuel it with 6000 calories, thinking that you need to eat everything in sight in order to get big is the first problem. A lot of people think, “Well, I’m just getting big so I’m going to eat whatever. I’m just going to shove as much food as humanly possible down my digestive tract.” That doesn’t work, because what it does for the most of us is that it’s just going to make us gain way more fat than muscle tissue. So, number one, I’d say, if you want to gain some muscle, or bulk up as we call it, do so in a controlled, scientific manner. Just calculate a slightly higher caloric intake than what you burn per day and then use the appropriate amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to go ahead and compose that caloric intake. I’m just going to give something rough. Assuming that most of the people listening to this are endomorphs, which is a person that naturally gets body fat if they eat too much, then I would say 45% of the calories coming from carbs, 35% from proteins, and 20% from fats, good fats. If the people are more of the hard gainer type, then I would say lets start with a baseline diet of 50% carbs, and then 30% proteins, and 20% fats. What I like to always do is I like to give clients a solution to work. They eat for five days around five to 600 calories above the calories that they burn per day, and then for two days I lower it to maintenance, just to give the digestive system a little bit of a break and also to lose a little bit of body fat. Believe it or not, if you go ahead and have two days where you just have your maintenance amount, it’s not so much body fat but extra water retention, you go ahead and you lose it during those two days. It’s amazing the effect that it has on your physique. It’s almost like, wow, you get definition like all of the sudden. So, five days high, two days low. The main message to take here is that gaining muscle is not a matter of just going to your favorite fast food joint or having a pint of ice cream every single night or some of the crazy things that sometimes I hear at the gym that people do, just in the name of bulking up. To me, that’s just an excuse for laziness because when you look at all of these people, they all have 40 inch plus waists. It’s like, “Wow, what are you doing.” Eventually you are going to have to dial down the body fat if you want to go ahead and look good. Especially when one is a natural body builder because you’d better not get fat like that because coming down is going to put your muscle mass at risk of being burned away, if you have to lose so much weight. So, it’s not a situation you want to be in. Blunder number two, I would say, is thinking that you have to eliminate all of the carbohydrates in order to get lean. Guess what? Carbohydrates, believe it or not, are anabolic. They help up keep muscle mass in us, and also they give us energy, they fuel us. So, therefore, the way to really lose some body fat while keeping the muscle is to reverse what I said. Instead of having five days high and two days low, you have five days low and two days high. In this case, the two days of higher calories is going to refill your glycogen tanks, your glycogen sources such as your muscles and your liver. In addition, it’s going to spike up your metabolism, which is great, because you don’t want to get into that situation where your metabolism is downwards, OK? Because when that happens, you stop losing any body fat at all. Again, the key is to do things scientifically and in a controlled manner. You don’t need much more than a 500 calorie deficit on the days that you are taking lower calories and these calories will come down mainly from carbohydrates and from fats. But, again, you don’t want to go ahead and eliminate all of the carbohydrates. By the same token, you don’t want to eliminate all of the fats, which leads us to blunder number three: Thinking that eating fat makes you fat. That is so far from the truth, it is not even funny. Let me tell you, especially for the natural body builder, fats are so anabolic that it’s not even funny. Fats like flax seed oil, for instance, and fish oils have so many other properties. They not only prevent you from gaining some body fat if your caloric intake is slightly higher than what you burned, but they also preserve muscle tissue, they also are involved in the creation of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones. As a matter of fact, if you eliminate all of the fats from your diet, if you go way below 20% total from the calories that you’re taking in, you’re going to kill, you’re going to absolutely kill your hormonal output. Believe me, I’ve tested all of this. I’ve tested this for many, many years and I’ve done every test you can imagine, and if you kill the fat from your diet, you’re going to lose the energy, you’re going to lose the sex drive, you’re going to lose the pump. There are so many functions that fat has that it’s undeliverable. Now, the thing is that you can not go ahead and go to your favorite burger joint and load up on fats over there, once again, I’m talking about essential fatty acids that are found in flax seed oil, in fish oils, in extra virgin olive oil, and even some encapsulated products. If you really don’t like to go ahead and drink these fats, there are products out there that are really good like Labrada EFA Lean Gold comes to mind, because they have all sorts of fats. They have from the flax seed, some flower, they have the CLA, they have the GLA, they have some of the other healthy fats. I mean, it’s amazing. My preference really is to go ahead and also take them in the form of those caps, and I also take them in the form of flax seed oil, with my protein shakes. You don’t even taste it. You hardly even taste that thing, and the results are so numerous, it’s not even funny. Now, I alluded to protein shakes and this leads me to nutritional blunder number four: Thinking that protein shakes are more important than food. Unfortunately, this is a trap under which most teenagers fall. I remember me being one of those. Marc: I put myself in that category as well. Hugo: I think all of us. But, a lot of manufacturers are very unscrupulous, and they’ll lead you to believe that these protein shakes have things that food can not go ahead and give you. I’m here to tell you this: I take protein shakes out of convenience. I don’t like to be eating six times a day, you know, real meals. I’ve done it for competition, it wasn’t my preference, to be honest with you. What I like to do now, is I have three to four meals a day that are real meals, and then the rest are just in the form of a Lean Body MRP or a Pro V60, which is a protein shake, and that’s about it. There is nothing in these protein shakes that food can not go ahead and give you. A chicken breast, a turkey breast, an egg white, these are all very solid forms of protein. Let me tell you something, if you try to create a diet that is based on protein shakes, meaning that you’re eating protein shakes and protein bars all day long and maybe one meal a day, your results are not going to be optimal. Why? Because your system is designed for real food. Protein shakes are just supplements, which are additions to an already good diet. So, make sure that you have your breakfast, your lunch, and your dinner, and then in between you can go ahead and have your protein shakes. Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “Oh my god, branded eggs, I just read this awesome interview about this body builder, and he’s taking these, and that’s the reason he won that show, blah, blah, blah.” I hate to say this, but it’s all marketing, OK? Nine times out of ten, the people interviewed are not even using the protein tub. So, I hate to break the news, but that’s the truth. And yeah, like I said the same thing with protein bars. Base you diet on real wholesome foods, OK. Your protein sources should come from chicken, turkey, lean red meat, egg white, all right, fish, like tilapia, like mahi, like tuna, like salmon, which is also a great source of essential fatty acids. Your carbs should come from slow release sources for the most of us, which is oat meal, brown rice, you can go ahead and have some sweet potatoes, some baked potatoes, some grapes, some cream of rice for after the workouts is awesome. And for fats, like I mentioned before, some extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, and fish oils they are all great sources of fat. The fish oils I don’t even supplement. If I want fish oils, I just eat my salmon and I get fish oil from there. Continued in Part 2 Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evidenced by the fact that he’s always in shape and by his awards and high placings at numerous national level bodybuilding competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “The Body Sculpting Bibles” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also the author of the very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs, or fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. See Hugo’s ebooks online here: Body Re-Engineering www.losefatandgainmuscle.com A complete guide to bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean muscle Shape Up Now Click Here to Download Your FREE Copy of Shape Up Now 50 page compendium of quality information on getting in shape BODY RE-ENGINEERING – COMPLETE MUSCLE BUILDING & FAT LOSS Natural Bodybuilding Champion and Internationally Acclaimed Best Selling Fitness Author Reveals How To Build Solid Lean Muscle Without Drugs Body Re-Engineering by Hugo Rivera Body Re-Engineering was designed by a guy who much like the rest of us, was not born with great genetics. He was overweight throughout his childhood and then during his early teen years got afflicted with anorexia as he did not know how to go about losing his extra weight. After that, he spent years studying every article ad book on exercise and nutrition as well testing and documenting what worked and what didn’t. The end result of all this work was not only a championship physique, but also a system that can be used by any regular person to achieve the shape that they are looking for. The system is called Body Re-Engineering as it will literally re-engineer the way you look. Click here to find out more: www.losefatandgainmuscle.com Related posts Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) Hugo Rivera is the creator of the Body Re-Engineering system, one of the most documented and precise bodybuilding manuals available.  Hugo not only has over 18 years of personal experience in training himself but he is also a certified trainer and sports nutritionist. He also holds multiple natural bodybuilding competition titles, including a 4th placing at the NPC Team Universe, where only the elite champion natural bodybuilders from all over the country get to compete.  Hugo is also an internationally acclaimed author of the very success franchise of fitness books called “The Body Sculpting Bible.”   Hugo’s style of writing is very logical and extremely easy to follow; as Hugo’s background is in computer engineering. In part one you will hear the latest scoop on full body workouts or split routines, or something in between?… Hugo’s reaction to being asked if he’s really all natural… the truth about your genetics and bodybuilding… Hugo’s training frequency… the biggest 5 nutritional blunders almost every bodybuilder is making or has made and more. This interview is packed with valuable info! Read this one in study mode for sure and then watch for part 2 coming soon! Marc David: Welcome, everyone, to this interview. This is Marc David, and I have a special guest with me. Please welcome Hugo Rivera.  Hugo is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evident by the fact that he is always in shape, and by his awards and high placing at numerous national level body building competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “Body Sculpting Bibles,” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also the author of the very popular Body Re Engineering eBook, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and teaches you how to get lean without drugs or fancy, expensive supplements using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. Hugo, thanks for giving me some of your time today Hugo Rivera: Thank you so much, Marc. The pleasure is all mine, trust me. I really appreciate this. Marc: Not a problem. Hey, can you start off and, just for the audience, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Hugo: I’ll tell you, I’ve been practicing body building now for almost 20 years, believe it or not. It became a passion of mine since I picked up my first set of 10 pound dumbbells back when I was 14, believe it or not. Actually, my formal education, a lot of people may be surprised by this, but my formal education is in computer engineering. And, by some twists and turns of fate, I ended up becoming a best selling fitness author and doing what I am most passionate about which is helping people to get in shape. Marc: So, kind of lead me on in that. How did you get started with bodybuilding? And what led you to become a fitness author with a website? I mean, you’re in computers, and all of a sudden now you’re a fitness author. What kind of transition is that? Hugo: I know. Well, actually I used to be very overweight as I was growing up. So, at an early age, I pretty much experienced the feelings of insecurity that come along with obesity, as well as the scorn and ridicule from some of my peers. You know how kids are. Anyway, since I kept hearing that the reason for my weight problems was food, and that I had to stop eating, I took the advice to heart. Being sick of the way that I looked, I stopped eating pretty much. That resulted in me going anorexic at the age of 13 and losing a total of around 70 pounds, actually, in less than a year. If I recall correctly, it was like in nine months, or some time period like that. My family, which was very concerned, especially my grandfather who was a medical surgeon. They basically tried to put some effort into trying to stop the anorexic cycle, and they took me to a nutritionist. The nutritionist mentioned one thing to me that changed my outlook on dieting forever. She said, “Hugo, eating food will not make you fat. It is only abusing the quantities of the bad foods that will.” After I listened to that statement; it just suddenly all kind of clicked. I’m like, oh, I think I took this a little bit too overboard, you know?  So, I started following the diet that she gave me and I started to study at that time the effects of foods on the human physiology. By the age of 14, my interest in health food affects the shape and the form of your body. That really led to an interest in the area of exercise. Especially when a girl that I really liked at the time told me that I would look good with some muscle in my frame. You know? When my mom got me my first copy ever of Muscle and Fitness, which was the May 1990 edition, I saw pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Labrada, Lee Haney and other great bodybuilders. I said to myself, man, that’s how I need to look. These guys look awesome, you know? That led me to become an avid natural bodybuilder. So, after I kept reading countless books, as a matter of fact, I’m in my home office right now and I’m looking at all of them. There’s plenty, and I even have some in storage. I started getting exposed to absolutely contradicting theories on how to best attain muscle mass and lose body fat. I said, you know what, to heck with this. I’m just going to do what they teach me in school, which is to use a scientific method. I started recording what worked and what didn’t for me and my training partner. After much trial and error, I started finding principles and patterns of training that worked really good on me, worked really good on my training partner. We started sharing them with other people, and they seemed to work on them too. So, I was like, wow, this is great. One of the most exciting discoveries of everything I was doing was the fact that there was no necessity to stay at the gym for three to four hours a day like the pioneers of bodybuilding used to do back in the 60s and 70s. Because I felt that so many people in the industry cared about, not many people actually, cared about conducting personal training in a way that really helped their client, I said to myself, you know what, I’m going to go ahead and create a website. The opportunity came about when I had my senior project for engineering, which was a requirement to graduate. I said, you know what, I’m going to take the opportunity to learn how to make websites and create one. That’s how my humble website started, believe it or not, you know? Marc: I actually do believe it. And, you’ve kind of answered this, but this is sort of a general question I think a lot of people get asked, but what would you say, what is it about bodybuilding in general that you love so much? Hugo: I think it is the fact that bodybuilding can instill in you an amount of discipline that can be applied to all other aspects of your life and does make you very successful. In addition, I love the fact that bodybuilding allows you to completely take control of your image, and achieve a sculpted look that enables you to feel better about yourself and thus be more confident. Confidence, of course, is going to help you in achieving any goal that you have set for yourself, also, in your relationship and your career as well. I have had clients come to me and tell me, man, I went to my boss and had the guts to ask for a raise. I had other people tell me, man, I feel so good about myself that I was able to go ahead and start dating and do this, and do that, I found my soul mate, I got married, all sorts of stories, you know? It’s like, wow, that’s amazing. And of course, in addition, the health benefits derived from practicing bodybuilding, such as higher energy level, low blood pressure, good cholesterol, a better love life, just to name a few. It all makes it worth it. And of course, who cannot enjoy the feeling of a good pump at the gym? You know? Marc: True. Now, I’ve got to say, I’ve seen some of your pictures, obviously, on your website, and I’ve seen photos. It’s always of you, just a ripped Hugo. Now, you sort of touched on this before, but were you overweight in any capacity? Hugo: Oh, man, absolutely. When I was 12 years old, I think the peak of my waistline was around 45 or 46 inches. Marc: Huge. Hugo: Huge waistline. I mean, I was overweight by around, if I had to put my finger on it, probably 60 pounds overweight. Yeah. I don’t come from a family of skinny people. Everybody in my family is pretty much overweight. Except for my father, actually, who adopted the fitness lifestyle pretty much around the same time that I started. But, everybody else pretty much has a slow metabolism. Yeah, I was very overweight. Marc: Cool. That just puts a little bit in perspective. We get a lot of skinny guys who gain muscle who can’t ever gain weight. I think it is just important to put it into perspective that there are a lot of overweight people, no matter where you are, that you can definitely change what you look like and achieve that. Me, where I came from, I was skinny as a kid. I could never put on any weight, and yet I was able to do so now. You’re coming from the reverse. You were overweight as a child, and here you are, a huge natural bodybuilder. So I think that puts a good balance into perspective. Hugo: I think, Marc, one of the key things to note over here is that when we use the term “bodybuilding,” we’re not referring to bodybuilding shows like standing at the Olympia or the Arnold Classic. To me, bodybuilding is the activity of using weight training, cardiovascular exercise, proper nutrition and supplementation, and rest to go ahead and achieve cosmetic effects in your body. As opposed to competitive bodybuilding, there’s really no off season for  how should I say this  life time bodybuilding, as I call it. This is more of a lifestyle that you just learn. You go ahead and change your physique in any way or form that you like. Hey, some people may just want to gain 20 pounds of muscle and get really nice and lean. Some other people may want 100. It doesn’t matter. Regardless, if you go to the gym, pick up the weights and do your cardio, your diet, you’re a bodybuilder, whether you like it or not. Marc: I absolutely agree with that terminology. This might be more of a typical question. I’m not sure where you’re going to take this one, but do you have a favorite body part to work out? A lot of people want to know, what do these guys love to do? Me, I’ve been bodybuilding for over 17 years, so I definitely have to say that I have my favorite or my least. I’m curious as to if you have any favorites. Hugo: Absolutely. My favorite is my legs, and I’ll tell you why. My legs are the least genetically gifted area of my body. As a result, it is the biggest challenge for me to go ahead and make them grow and sculpt them in the way that I want. Because I am stubborn, and I like challenges, and I like to face them head on, I love leg training. I love getting under the squat bar and just repping it out. I’m talking about high repetition leg training, too. Sometimes I may just go ahead and do 15, 20 repetitions. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve gotten the endurance to even do a hundred repetition set.  Again this is very, very highly advanced bodybuilding training, so if you’re a newbie at this, I’m not endorsing this one bit. But, I am just saying that techniques like this, as you get more and more advanced in the iron game, are techniques that can be used to spark some new growth into a stubborn area. My legs are, for sure, the most stubborn area of my body. So, leg training is, by far, my favorite days of the week, to be honest with you. Marc: Now, this is a little bit controversial, this next question. I’m just looking for your preference. Maybe you like both. Take this wherever you want, but do you prefer full body workouts or split routines? Hugo: Actually, I think they both have their place in a training program. Full body workouts, in my opinion, are best for two things. For people that are just starting out in bodybuilding because it allows them to kind of wake up every single muscle immediately. I don’t think any new bodybuilder has any business using a split training routine, in my opinion. I think a full body routine does a much better job at just activating the whole muscular system all at once. Doing it two or three times a week is the best way for a beginner to go ahead and start gaining some really good muscle on their frame in a very safe manner. As you get more advanced, I think it is wiser to go ahead and split up your body in two days. You can do chest, back, bi’s and tri’s in one workout, and then shoulders and legs in another workout, and leave a day of rest in between. Then two more days, and rest over the weekends. Then the final step would be the three day split routine, which is better geared for much more advanced bodybuilders. There’s many ways to split it up, but my preference is chest, back, and abs one day, then legs, and then shoulders and arms. These days, actually, the way that I do it is I do shoulders and arms on day one, then legs, and then I do my chest and back. Because my chest and back are like the strongest areas in my body, therefore, I leave them for the third day of the rotation. Then I take a day off, and I start over again. So, that’s how I’m splitting it up these days. Now, having said that, an advanced bodybuilder still benefits from full body workouts doing what I call the active recovery phases. These are phases that you have to take after six to eight weeks of hard training at the gym. Instead of taking a week off, what I do is that I do a week where I do a couple of full body workouts, one on Monday and one on Thursday, or one on Monday and Friday, whatever. It doesn’t matter. Then on the days in between I’ll do some light cardiovascular activity. These allow the body to go ahead and recover from the beating of the previous weeks of hard training. So, to this day I still use my full body workouts every six to eight weeks. So, I hope that answers your question. Marc: It absolutely does. This one, I know you’ve been asked this. I can’t imagine anybody who’s built up as much muscle mass as you not getting people giving you the quizzical eye and like, “What’s going on?” I’m not asking you to submit to a drug test, but I really want to know, how do you respond to questions that you aren’t natural? People must ask you if you’re taking something. Hugo: As a matter of fact, not only do they ask me, but after my first competition, my trainer was accused by people. I say my trainer because I used a coach to help me with the aspects of competitive bodybuilding. That’s like a completely different ball game. But, he was actually accused by many other people saying, “Man, what do you give this guy?” I basically showed up at my first competition. It was a statewide level show, and I won the whole thing unanimously. I was drug tested, by the way. It was funny because the drug test unfortunately was not a urinalysis. It was a polygraph. Unless they did urinalysis on me, I couldn’t prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was completely clean. But, the guy didn’t believe me. He kept asking me the question over and over again. He’s like, “Are you aware that it’s really unethical to join a natural show if you’re not natural?” I’m like, “I am fully aware. Drug test me. Blood work me. Whatever you want. I don’t care.” But yes, I am asked that question, very much so. I take it as a compliment, to be honest with you. Believe it or not, I don’t see myself as that big. If you were to see a current IFPB pro these days, you’ll see a huge difference between the way that I look and the way that they look. But, at any rate, compared to the average person, I guess I am bigger than normal. Yes, I take that as a compliment. All I have to say to that is the following. I’ve been training for so many years, with such consistency and such Spartan efforts, both at the gym and at the kitchen with my diet, that it’s inevitable that you go ahead and grow muscle after just continuously doing that. Especially once you learn how to do it properly, and you implement the training program that will go ahead and really maximize your genetics. You just never know how big you can get. You really don’t, because I remember, to this day, the first day of me at the gym. I asked the gym owner, “Hey, how can I get big calves?” Because my calves were horribly, horribly skinny. You could never tell by looking at them today, but anyways. I asked the question, and he said, “You know, it’s genetic. You don’t have great genetics. I don’t think you’ll be able to build any physique that will win you any shows. I’m sorry.” I was so pissed. I went to the bookstore, and I got myself a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. I read where he talked about how he had little calves and how he worked them every day. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what I did at the time, not knowing any better. I guess it was my persistence and my determination to prove this guy wrong, but, man, the calves grew. They developed. What I’m trying to say by this is don’t let anybody tell you what your ultimate potential is. You just don’t know. You’ve got to go ahead and test yourself, and put yourself in the gym day in and day out. Follow the nutrition. Your nutrition is key. If you start skipping meals, and you start drinking and lowering your testosterone levels, and you start not sleeping  guess what? You’re not going to make any gains. You really are not. Bodybuilding, anyone can benefit from it. I’m not saying that everyone can go ahead and win big, national level contests. That’s a different story. But, I am saying that everyone can go ahead and gain muscle and build a physique that they can be proud of, and show it off at the beach. I guarantee you, that most people have way more potential than they give their credit for. I guarantee you. Marc: I think it’s only fair that I lead into the next question, because you really have touched on it. But, I do get this one a lot myself, and people come up and they want some type of definitive answer. It’s how much of a factor is genetics? Hugo: I think it all depends on how we look at it. If we’re talking about a factor in terms of competitive bodybuilding   I’ll say this a lot  because genetics will only allow you to get so far. If you do not have a super symmetrical physique, super pleasing lines, everything just matches, killer definition, huge size on top of that, chances are genetics will get you at the end, and you’ll only be able to get so far. In my opinion, competitively speaking, I think my genetics have taken me as far as possible. I’ve been top ranked at national level shows. At the Team Universe, which was my second show, I took fourth. However, if I worked hard enough, I guess I could go ahead and win a pro card as a welterweight. But, then that’s it for me. I don’t have the genetics to compete with the big boys that are up here on the magazines. Steroids or not, to be honest with you. Because a lot of those guys, I’ve seen pictures of them before they even started bodybuilding. Some of those guys, it’s almost like they were born with muscle. It’s like, wow! They have genetics that the more they eat, the more muscle they gain and the more fat they lose. I’ve literally seen guys like this. As a matter of fact, one of my best friends is a specimen like that. He doesn’t compete, oddly enough. But, believe it or not, he’s 6′1″, steroid free, 240 pounds, and five percent body fat, year round. Marc: I think it’s important to say this, and let me put words in your mouth, but what you’re basically saying is you really haven’t let your genetics be a limiting factor in what you were able to achieve. You just went for it, and that was the end of that. Hugo: Exactly. Because here’s where I’m going to go next  only for competitive bodybuilding is genetics a limiting factor. Yes, eventually you will be able to go as far as genetics will allow you. Now, for changing your physique just for you, not for a judge to go ahead and tell you, “Oh, you’re perfect,” or, “You need more definition in your hamstrings.” Just for you, I don’t believe that genetics can go ahead and stop you. Unless you have unreasonable goals of having a 22 inch arm, if you’re only 5′5″, like I am, then you will be fine. You will be able to achieve the physique that you want. But, let’s be honest. Most guys, all they want is some decent size and some great definition. Anybody, and I swear to you, anybody that is a healthy human being can go ahead and accomplish that. It’s just a matter of training properly and dieting. Don’t let anybody fool you. It’s not easy. It’s not a walk in the park, but it can be done. Anybody can do it, provided they have the right determination to go through what they need to go through in order to accomplish those goals. The short answer to the question, how much of a factor is genetics? None at all, if you’re not planning on competing. No limiting factor whatsoever. As a matter of fact, even if you want to win a bodybuilding show, I can tell you this. At most local contests, like non national level contests, just local NPC shows, if you go shredded enough, you’ll win. It’s a matter of conditioning. It’s only as you go up in the ranks, like national level shows and stuff, that genetics will limit you. My message to everyone out there is that if they want to look a specific way, go for it and do not let anyone, and I mean anyone, tell you that you cannot do it   because I certainly heard from countless people that I couldn’t do it. I’ve gone way farther than I ever thought I would go. So, that’s my message to everyone. Marc: Speaking of training, I think a lot of people are going to be interested in how many days a week do you train? Because looking at your pictures and going along with the stereotypes, maybe something my mom would say is, “Oh, that guy? He must spend at least two hours in the gym, maybe three, and he’s got to be in there six days a week.” Is that true or not? Hugo: No, not at all. While it is true that I may train up to six days a week   these days, I train more like five   I’m only in the gym for like 45 minutes at a time. If I didn’t have to do cardio in the morning three to four days a week, then it would be even less. Basically, what I do is that I’m doing cardio every other day. So, what that means is that some weeks it’ll be three days. Some other weeks it’ll be four days. I do that typically first thing in the morning when I wake up. If I feel industrious, some days I may go ahead and slip some extra cardio sessions in just because I love the feeling that it gives me first thing in the morning. Then later on at night, I’ll go to the gym, and I’ll get my 45 minutes of training in. It never goes past an hour. If the gym is super crowded, that may slow me down a little bit. Now, weight training wise, I don’t spend more than four and a half to five hours a week. That’s it. That’s all I’ve needed. It’s the quality of the work, not the quantity, especially not the quantity of time. There are so many guys that I see that go to the gym, and they’re like, “Oh man, I trained so hard. I trained two hours today.” You go ahead and see their training, it’s more like they train for a total of five minutes when you go ahead and cut down all of the talking and socializing that they’re doing at the gym. You know what I mean? Marc: Absolutely. Now, you’ve touched on nutrition being important, and I know that you’ve trained hundreds of people and you’ve written books, and you answer all these emails. But, I’m just kind of curious what you might think are the top five nutritional blunders that you wish you could tell people to avoid right from day one. You’ve touched on nutrition as so important. If you just had to pick five things, maybe more than five, maybe less, what would you say, don’t make these mistakes when it comes to your nutrition? Hugo: Well, let’s talk about that. Number one, unless you are like the absolute worst of hard gainers and your metabolism is such that it requires you to fuel it with 6000 calories, thinking that you need to eat everything in sight in order to get big is the first problem. A lot of people think, “Well, I’m just getting big so I’m going to eat whatever. I’m just going to shove as much food as humanly possible down my digestive tract.” That doesn’t work, because what it does for the most of us is that it’s just going to make us gain way more fat than muscle tissue. So, number one, I’d say, if you want to gain some muscle, or bulk up as we call it, do so in a controlled, scientific manner. Just calculate a slightly higher caloric intake than what you burn per day and then use the appropriate amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to go ahead and compose that caloric intake. I’m just going to give something rough. Assuming that most of the people listening to this are endomorphs, which is a person that naturally gets body fat if they eat too much, then I would say 45% of the calories coming from carbs, 35% from proteins, and 20% from fats, good fats. If the people are more of the hard gainer type, then I would say lets start with a baseline diet of 50% carbs, and then 30% proteins, and 20% fats. What I like to always do is I like to give clients a solution to work. They eat for five days around five to 600 calories above the calories that they burn per day, and then for two days I lower it to maintenance, just to give the digestive system a little bit of a break and also to lose a little bit of body fat. Believe it or not, if you go ahead and have two days where you just have your maintenance amount, it’s not so much body fat but extra water retention, you go ahead and you lose it during those two days. It’s amazing the effect that it has on your physique. It’s almost like, wow, you get definition like all of the sudden. So, five days high, two days low. The main message to take here is that gaining muscle is not a matter of just going to your favorite fast food joint or having a pint of ice cream every single night or some of the crazy things that sometimes I hear at the gym that people do, just in the name of bulking up. To me, that’s just an excuse for laziness because when you look at all of these people, they all have 40 inch plus waists. It’s like, “Wow, what are you doing.” Eventually you are going to have to dial down the body fat if you want to go ahead and look good. Especially when one is a natural body builder because you’d better not get fat like that because coming down is going to put your muscle mass at risk of being burned away, if you have to lose so much weight. So, it’s not a situation you want to be in. Blunder number two, I would say, is thinking that you have to eliminate all of the carbohydrates in order to get lean. Guess what? Carbohydrates, believe it or not, are anabolic. They help up keep muscle mass in us, and also they give us energy, they fuel us. So, therefore, the way to really lose some body fat while keeping the muscle is to reverse what I said. Instead of having five days high and two days low, you have five days low and two days high. In this case, the two days of higher calories is going to refill your glycogen tanks, your glycogen sources such as your muscles and your liver. In addition, it’s going to spike up your metabolism, which is great, because you don’t want to get into that situation where your metabolism is downwards, OK? Because when that happens, you stop losing any body fat at all. Again, the key is to do things scientifically and in a controlled manner. You don’t need much more than a 500 calorie deficit on the days that you are taking lower calories and these calories will come down mainly from carbohydrates and from fats. But, again, you don’t want to go ahead and eliminate all of the carbohydrates. By the same token, you don’t want to eliminate all of the fats, which leads us to blunder number three: Thinking that eating fat makes you fat. That is so far from the truth, it is not even funny. Let me tell you, especially for the natural body builder, fats are so anabolic that it’s not even funny. Fats like flax seed oil, for instance, and fish oils have so many other properties. They not only prevent you from gaining some body fat if your caloric intake is slightly higher than what you burned, but they also preserve muscle tissue, they also are involved in the creation of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones. As a matter of fact, if you eliminate all of the fats from your diet, if you go way below 20% total from the calories that you’re taking in, you’re going to kill, you’re going to absolutely kill your hormonal output. Believe me, I’ve tested all of this. I’ve tested this for many, many years and I’ve done every test you can imagine, and if you kill the fat from your diet, you’re going to lose the energy, you’re going to lose the sex drive, you’re going to lose the pump. There are so many functions that fat has that it’s undeliverable. Now, the thing is that you can not go ahead and go to your favorite burger joint and load up on fats over there, once again, I’m talking about essential fatty acids that are found in flax seed oil, in fish oils, in extra virgin olive oil, and even some encapsulated products. If you really don’t like to go ahead and drink these fats, there are products out there that are really good like Labrada EFA Lean Gold comes to mind, because they have all sorts of fats. They have from the flax seed, some flower, they have the CLA, they have the GLA, they have some of the other healthy fats. I mean, it’s amazing. My preference really is to go ahead and also take them in the form of those caps, and I also take them in the form of flax seed oil, with my protein shakes. You don’t even taste it. You hardly even taste that thing, and the results are so numerous, it’s not even funny. Now, I alluded to protein shakes and this leads me to nutritional blunder number four: Thinking that protein shakes are more important than food. Unfortunately, this is a trap under which most teenagers fall. I remember me being one of those. Marc: I put myself in that category as well. Hugo: I think all of us. But, a lot of manufacturers are very unscrupulous, and they’ll lead you to believe that these protein shakes have things that food can not go ahead and give you. I’m here to tell you this: I take protein shakes out of convenience. I don’t like to be eating six times a day, you know, real meals. I’ve done it for competition, it wasn’t my preference, to be honest with you. What I like to do now, is I have three to four meals a day that are real meals, and then the rest are just in the form of a Lean Body MRP or a Pro V60, which is a protein shake, and that’s about it. There is nothing in these protein shakes that food can not go ahead and give you. A chicken breast, a turkey breast, an egg white, these are all very solid forms of protein. Let me tell you something, if you try to create a diet that is based on protein shakes, meaning that you’re eating protein shakes and protein bars all day long and maybe one meal a day, your results are not going to be optimal. Why? Because your system is designed for real food. Protein shakes are just supplements, which are additions to an already good diet. So, make sure that you have your breakfast, your lunch, and your dinner, and then in between you can go ahead and have your protein shakes. Don’t make the mistake of thinking, “Oh my god, branded eggs, I just read this awesome interview about this body builder, and he’s taking these, and that’s the reason he won that show, blah, blah, blah.” I hate to say this, but it’s all marketing, OK? Nine times out of ten, the people interviewed are not even using the protein tub. So, I hate to break the news, but that’s the truth. And yeah, like I said the same thing with protein bars. Base you diet on real wholesome foods, OK. Your protein sources should come from chicken, turkey, lean red meat, egg white, all right, fish, like tilapia, like mahi, like tuna, like salmon, which is also a great source of essential fatty acids. Your carbs should come from slow release sources for the most of us, which is oat meal, brown rice, you can go ahead and have some sweet potatoes, some baked potatoes, some grapes, some cream of rice for after the workouts is awesome. And for fats, like I mentioned before, some extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, and fish oils they are all great sources of fat. The fish oils I don’t even supplement. If I want fish oils, I just eat my salmon and I get fish oil from there. Continued in Part 2 Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evidenced by the fact that he’s always in shape and by his awards and high placings at numerous national level bodybuilding competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “The Body Sculpting Bibles” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also the author of the very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs, or fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. See Hugo’s ebooks online here: Body Re-Engineering www.losefatandgainmuscle.com A complete guide to bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean muscle Shape Up Now Click Here to Download Your FREE Copy of Shape Up Now 50 page compendium of quality information on getting in shape BODY RE-ENGINEERING – COMPLETE MUSCLE BUILDING & FAT LOSS Natural Bodybuilding Champion and Internationally Acclaimed Best Selling Fitness Author Reveals How To Build Solid Lean Muscle Without Drugs Body Re-Engineering by Hugo Rivera Body Re-Engineering was designed by a guy who much like the rest of us, was not born with great genetics. He was overweight throughout his childhood and then during his early teen years got afflicted with anorexia as he did not know how to go about losing his extra weight. After that, he spent years studying every article ad book on exercise and nutrition as well testing and documenting what worked and what didn’t. The end result of all this work was not only a championship physique, but also a system that can be used by any regular person to achieve the shape that they are looking for. The system is called Body Re-Engineering as it will literally re-engineer the way you look. Click here to find out more: www.losefatandgainmuscle.com Related posts Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) tag:odeo.com,2009-05-24,24602779 Sun, 24 May 2009 09:04:33 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David interviews, natural bodybuilding, build muscle, Hugo Rivera, weight training program, Fitness Tips http://odeo.com/episodes/24514957-You%E2%80%A6-Look%E2%80%A6-Fablous Have you mastered the art of burning fat or gaining muscle mass? If so, congratulations! But if you’re like most of us, you’ve got some serious room for improvement…and this week’s special focus on The Real Time Physique Body Transformation (RTP) by a certified personal trainer (NESTA-CPT) and body transformation success himself, Adam Waters is just for you. Adam Waters; NESTA-CPT (Body Transformation Expert) Now depending on what you’re doing, mediocre workouts may be perfectly acceptable. There’s little value in obsessing over a fitness if you are perfectly happy with your situation and your results. But for those of you who do want to make a serious change where nothing short of excellence will do, you need qualified, simple, professional instruction with no distracting flaws. You want to focus on what is being taught—not on the irritating humming sound or intermittent air puffs of the next hyped up overpriced diet book promising quick fixes to... Have you mastered the art of burning fat or gaining muscle mass? If so, congratulations! But if you’re like most of us, you’ve got some serious room for improvement…and this week’s special focus on The Real Time Physique Body Transformation (RTP) by a certified personal trainer (NESTA-CPT) and body transformation success himself, Adam Waters is just for you. Adam Waters; NESTA-CPT (Body Transformation Expert) Now depending on what you’re doing, mediocre workouts may be perfectly acceptable. There’s little value in obsessing over a fitness if you are perfectly happy with your situation and your results. But for those of you who do want to make a serious change where nothing short of excellence will do, you need qualified, simple, professional instruction with no distracting flaws. You want to focus on what is being taught—not on the irritating humming sound or intermittent air puffs of the next hyped up overpriced diet book promising quick fixes to a long term, frustrating problem. The bad news is that there’s no magic bullet that will give you the body of your dreams and cost nothing (time, dedication, consistency). If there were, I’d type it right here and you could stop reading now. The good news is that Adam Waters detailed the EXACT method he used to transform his own body after 6 years of frustrating attempts.  He’s also compiled a ShredderShere private forum with advice and instructions from experts who build muscle and burn fat for a living. And if you’re willing to invest a little time (and some money) you, too, can get fantastic results. Learn More about the RTP Body Transformation System Proof that the average men or woman who’s not genetically gifted can do this with: Consistency Dedication Determination Accountability That’s the RTP System. 84 Days in 48 Seconds WPvideo 1.10 Now go Shredd! Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com P.S. - Adam is one of the good guys. Related posts The Top 10 ‘Secrets’ Of the Best Drug-Free Bodybuilders (2) From Geek to Freak Back to Geek: Where Do I Go From Here? (2) Have you mastered the art of burning fat or gaining muscle mass? If so, congratulations! But if you’re like most of us, you’ve got some serious room for improvement…and this week’s special focus on The Real Time Physique Body Transformation (RTP) by a certified personal trainer (NESTA-CPT) and body transformation success himself, Adam Waters is just for you. Adam Waters; NESTA-CPT (Body Transformation Expert) Now depending on what you’re doing, mediocre workouts may be perfectly acceptable. There’s little value in obsessing over a fitness if you are perfectly happy with your situation and your results. But for those of you who do want to make a serious change where nothing short of excellence will do, you need qualified, simple, professional instruction with no distracting flaws. You want to focus on what is being taught—not on the irritating humming sound or intermittent air puffs of the next hyped up overpriced diet book promising quick fixes to a long term, frustrating problem. The bad news is that there’s no magic bullet that will give you the body of your dreams and cost nothing (time, dedication, consistency). If there were, I’d type it right here and you could stop reading now. The good news is that Adam Waters detailed the EXACT method he used to transform his own body after 6 years of frustrating attempts.  He’s also compiled a ShredderShere private forum with advice and instructions from experts who build muscle and burn fat for a living. And if you’re willing to invest a little time (and some money) you, too, can get fantastic results. Learn More about the RTP Body Transformation System Proof that the average men or woman who’s not genetically gifted can do this with: Consistency Dedication Determination Accountability That’s the RTP System. 84 Days in 48 Seconds WPvideo 1.10 Now go Shredd! Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com P.S. - Adam is one of the good guys. Related posts The Top 10 ‘Secrets’ Of the Best Drug-Free Bodybuilders (2) From Geek to Freak Back to Geek: Where Do I Go From Here? (2) tag:odeo.com,2009-04-28,24514957 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:26:32 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weightloss, natural bodybuilding, News & Current Events http://odeo.com/episodes/24478867-Beauty-and-the-Bleccch-Ready-to-Be-Sick A few weeks back, one of the members of the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum directed me to this 4-alarm advertisement from “Dr. Suzanne” Gudakunst. In his query, he gave a quick rundown of “facts” he learned from her site: how icky parasites and disgusting intestinal plaque are responsible for making us sick and fat – and how the powers-that-be are not only profiting from this situation, but are deliberately adding parasites to our food to make us worse! Apparently Dr. Suzanne has received death threats for revealing this information – but, as a noble martyr to the cause of YOUR health – she’s defiantly and bravely persisting, because she cares about you and wants to become “close friends starting YESTERDAY.” Of course, you have to cough up $37.00 first ($57.00 if you choose “Option 2”) – but it’s a small price to pay for the “truth,” no? Well, it would be…if it really is the truth.  Let’s take a closer look, and see if it passes the test. Dr. Suzanne’s site is cleverly done:  there’s... A few weeks back, one of the members of the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum directed me to this 4-alarm advertisement from “Dr. Suzanne” Gudakunst. In his query, he gave a quick rundown of “facts” he learned from her site: how icky parasites and disgusting intestinal plaque are responsible for making us sick and fat – and how the powers-that-be are not only profiting from this situation, but are deliberately adding parasites to our food to make us worse! Apparently Dr. Suzanne has received death threats for revealing this information – but, as a noble martyr to the cause of YOUR health – she’s defiantly and bravely persisting, because she cares about you and wants to become “close friends starting YESTERDAY.” Of course, you have to cough up $37.00 first ($57.00 if you choose “Option 2”) – but it’s a small price to pay for the “truth,” no? Well, it would be…if it really is the truth.  Let’s take a closer look, and see if it passes the test. Dr. Suzanne’s site is cleverly done:  there’s the requisite “SHOCKING PROOF!” in eye-catching 72 pt. red “Impact” font, lurid photos of the nightmarish crud and creepy crawlers infesting your body;  and – best of all – a video clip of the lovely “doctor” herself. She’s a cutie alright: dark-haired and elfin…an internet Arwen in camo capris.   I really liked how the vid was integrated into the site: there are no borders, so it looks like she’s walking straight into the ad. Neat. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t pick on Dr. Suzanne – she has to make a living, after all, and Lord knows what protective body armor and bullet-proof glass cost these days. Her site, however, is practically a textbook illustration on how to abuse people’s trust in order to separate them from their money, so it’s worth taking a closer look at Dr. Suzanne and her collection of “facts.” To start, let’s break Dr. Suzanne’s spiel down. In her ad, she lays out a pretty shocking indictment.  It’s not just that you’re unhealthy, it’s also that others are to blame for it!  She proceeds: If you’re fat, it’s because you have “disgusting plaque and horrible little ‘CRITTERS’ living in your guts!” Worse, if you don’t get rid of them ASAP, they will not only keep you from losing weight, they may kill you. Doctors, diet gurus and fitness experts are either liars or fools who don’t know what they’re talking about. “Diets, diet foods, organic foods, healthy foods and medicines” not only don’t work, but they were “deliberately designed not to.” Even she realizes this last point is a real stretch, so she offers up a “fact” to support it: “Here’s a fact that may shock the daylights out of you!… Japan refuses to accept a single export from the United States in meat & dairy produce! Now, what does that tell you? That Japan is snobby? Nope! That Japan citizens hate milk and meat? Come on, you know better than that! What it REALLY tells you is that the Government of Japan is on to something few (if any) people really know about! - That our foods have been filled with “unnatural” things that they aren’t supposed to have!” This looks like a good place to begin deconstructing her pitch. It doesn’t have much to do with your health, perhaps, but it says a lot about Dr. Suzanne’s research skills and respect for the truth. To start: let’s take a look at what the Iowa State University Agricultural Marketing Resource Center has to say about US dairy exports to Japan (June, 2008): “Primary markets for U.S. dairy exports are (in order) Mexico, Canada and Japan.…The demand for dairy products should remain strong in 2008, particularly in Asia.” Now, that’s just dairy. What about meat? Feel free to take a look at the USDA’s Export Requirements for Japan concerning red meat and poultry. If you’re curious about that “July 27, 2006” date in the first paragraph, there’s a simple explanation. There was a brief, 2 year period that Japan had – in fact – banned the importation of US Beef (not “meat” - just beef). But it wasn’t due to “unnatural” things being added to the meat. It was due to the discovery of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalitis or “Mad Cow Disease”) in a small number of US cattle. Prior to the ban, Japan was one of the largest foreign markets for US beef. And now that it’s over, trade is picking up steam again: Japanese demand is now exceeding the supply. Oh my.  Looks like Dr. Suzanne isn’t quite on the level here. But…but…but…she said: “I promise as your new friend never to lie to you (like all the others) and to only give you the absolute truth (absolutely UNLIKE all the others!).” Hmmmm… Well, c’mon, you should trust your friends, right?  So let’s cut the lady some slack on this one…maybe she had good intentions, but just didn’t rely on authoritative industry and government reports. We’ll look at some other info instead…stuff that a “doctor” really ought to know about. About half way down her site (it’s a looooong scroll…), Dr. Suzanne has helpfully posted an illustration of a parasite life cycle + an accompanying caption. The parasite is Paragonimus westermani – sez so right there on the pic. It’s a suitably chilling name for something living in your guts, isn’t it? Ummmm…not really. The “informal” name for Paragonimus westermani is “lung fluke.” I’m not sure how a diet program designed to clear out your colon will have any effect on something living in your lungs – but I’m sure Dr. Suzanne must know what she’s talking about. Or does she? Here’s the caption for the pic: “Life cycle. Infection with the adult worm is acquired by the ingestion of raw, poorly cooked, or pickled salmon, trout, perch, pike, whitefish, grayling, ruff, eel, etc., harboring the plerocercoid larvae. After five or six weeks, the larva matures to the adult worm. Both eggs and proglottids are passed in the stool. The eggs develop in 2 weeks, and hatch to become ciliated coracidium larvae, and are ingested by the first intermediate host, the copepod. The copepods, containing the procercoid larvae, are ingested by fish, the second intermediate host, contains the plerocercoid larvae.” Damn, that’s a mouthful. Bet it doesn’t make a bit of sense to you, either. But it does to me…this was covered in an epidemiology class I took in grad school. This caption is describing A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PARASITE: Diphyllobothrium latum – the fish tapeworm. She even provides the link for the text, so you can see for yourself. The caption and pic don’t belong together at all. But the life cycle illustration on the page she links to is pretty dull, while the Paragonimus pic is in color and is much prettier.  So why not put the two together? Who’s going to bother to check? The photo of bladder tissue infected with Schistosoma haematobium is just as deceptive. Do schistosomes infect human bladders? You betcha they do. But this parasite isn’t found in the US at all – so unless you live in Africa, Southeast Asia, or the Caribbean, you don’t have a whole lot to worry about. This is pretty lame - and totally unnecessary.  Dr. Suzanne’s sales pitch is just a collection of random, scary stuff about parasites designed to creep you out and keep you from thinking critically.  It’s really not hard to get it right…if you know what the hell you’re talking about.  Honestly, you’d think a medical doctor – especially one who wants to be YOUR doctor - would be a little more scrupulous about her “facts.” Hold on a sec…Dr. Suzanne IS a medical doctor…isn’t she? I mean, she writes things like “As a doctor I’ve seen far more than my fair share of people who were alive one day and then dead the next.” I wonder…What med school did she attend? What’s her specialty? What professional organizations is she an accredited member of? The ad doesn’t say. Isn’t this important information that you’d want to know about someone who wants to be YOUR doctor?  Just askin’. Fortunately, the American Medical Association keeps the largest database (814,000) of licensed physicians in the US – both for member and non-member doctors. And it just so happens they have a “Doctor Finder” that anyone can use. I checked it out by putting in the names and states of a couple of docs I know, and they came right up. Dr. Suzanne lists Arizona as her state of residence at the bottom of the page – but when I typed “Gudakunst,” “S” and “Arizona” into the search engine, I drew a blank. Next, I went through every single state – and non-state – location in the drop down box, just in case she practices somewhere else. I got exactly two hits on the last name for a couple of non-AMA members (Craig Gudakunst and Jane Gudakunst) in Pennsylvania, but as Porky Pig used to say: “Th-th-th-that’s all folks!” Now maybe Dr. Suzanne is unknown to the AMA – they are part of the vast conspiracy to keep you fat and ill after all. Maybe they’re even the ones issuing the death threats – lol. Is Dr. Suzanne really an accredited health professional?  If she was, you’d think she’d be in that database.  It’s not up to me to disprove it, however…IMHO, the burden of proof is on her. I got a hyoooge laugh over this one: “…But then they found out the TRUTH about foods poisoned by dangerous chemicals that resulted in Plaque, and how food companies actually put in Parasites deliberately designed to make you fat and to make you sick…” Food companies deliberately put parasites in their products? Who knew? After all those years I spent in the Food Science and Technology Department at UC Davis – makes you wonder how I missed it. Sorry, this one doesn’t pass the smell test. Think about it for a moment: if food companies were adding parasites to their products, there would have to be sources – right? Just like for any other food “ingredient.” Are there really suppliers out there who are mass producing/harvesting parasite eggs and larvae for their “customers?” If so, what “critters” and hosts are being used?  Are they “super bugs” designed to survive retort sterilization, flash freezing, extrusion, baking, and dehydrating?  And how would you keep something like this a secret? Do you have any idea how BIG the major food companies are? Can you imagine how many employees that Kellogg’s has? Cargill? Pillsbury? Archer Daniels Midland? PepsiCo? Thousands of people would know about it – not just Dr. Suzanne. This is just silly: it’s real tin-foil hat stuff. Cheez Whiz, Coke and Twinkies aren’t good for you, but we don’t have to invent goofy conspiracy theories to explain why. Sorry: I know that this is a lonnnnnnng post.  But if you’re still with me, then you should realize that the claims made by Dr. Suzanne simply aren’t credible: there’s little evidence that parasitic infections are making people fat (in fact, weight loss may be a symptom in some cases).  Sure, people can get parasites: and if you think you have this problem, then you should schedule an appointment with your doc: intestinal parasites are easily found under the microscope.  Parasitic infections can be serious: do-it-yourself cures are no way to go about getting rid of them. Fine then…but maybe all this is just a sales tactic. Even if the worm and plaque stuff are a bunch of s**t (no pun intended) – surely Dr. Suzanne must know something about how to get into good shape. I mean, just LOOK at her…She’s gorgeous!!! So maybe her program is worth it, anyway. Well, I may not be eligible for a job at “Hooters” – but I’m no slacker in the bod department either. You know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words” – so here we go… This is a pic I posted on the BBR forum for my last birthday – so I posed in my birthday suit: get it? And I’m the mother of two teenagers, one already in college, so I’m not a sweet young thing like Dr. Suzanne, either. So what’s MY secret? Sorry kids, I don’t have one: no magic pills, no superfoods, no fantastical secret formula translated from ancient papyrus texts. And despite Dr. Suzanne’s insistence that “everybody” has this horrible plaque stuff and parasites in them that’s making them fat – they seem to have missed me – I’ve never done a “detox” program or anything else to get rid of them. Here’s the real truth: anything and everything I do is really quite basic and freely available, so you don’t need to pay me –  or anyone else – to discover it. Most of it’s covered right here on the Ultimate Fat Burner site already. What I do and how I do it will be included in the things I blog about, so all you have to do is check back here every once in a while. And no, I’m not writing about this stuff because I want to be your doctor, best friend or guardian angel. I’m just someone with a background in genuine science, who’s sick and tired of seeing it abused by self-styled internet “experts” trying to make a fast buck. Like “Dr. Suzanne.” Copyright © UltimateFatBurner.com. All Rights Reserved. ________________________________________ About The Author Elissa Pratt Lowe is a former research scientist and a staff writer / technical advisor for UltimateFatBurner.com, the largest and most respected supplement review site on the Net. Visit Paul and Elissa at UltimateFatBurner.com and get two free reports: Dirty Rotten Tricks: Supplement Company Lies That Cost You Money and 7 Fat Burning Secrets Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) The Body Fat Solution (5) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (3) Grapefruit Diet (0) A few weeks back, one of the members of the “Bodybuilding Revealed” forum directed me to this 4-alarm advertisement from “Dr. Suzanne” Gudakunst. In his query, he gave a quick rundown of “facts” he learned from her site: how icky parasites and disgusting intestinal plaque are responsible for making us sick and fat – and how the powers-that-be are not only profiting from this situation, but are deliberately adding parasites to our food to make us worse! Apparently Dr. Suzanne has received death threats for revealing this information – but, as a noble martyr to the cause of YOUR health – she’s defiantly and bravely persisting, because she cares about you and wants to become “close friends starting YESTERDAY.” Of course, you have to cough up $37.00 first ($57.00 if you choose “Option 2”) – but it’s a small price to pay for the “truth,” no? Well, it would be…if it really is the truth.  Let’s take a closer look, and see if it passes the test. Dr. Suzanne’s site is cleverly done:  there’s the requisite “SHOCKING PROOF!” in eye-catching 72 pt. red “Impact” font, lurid photos of the nightmarish crud and creepy crawlers infesting your body;  and – best of all – a video clip of the lovely “doctor” herself. She’s a cutie alright: dark-haired and elfin…an internet Arwen in camo capris.   I really liked how the vid was integrated into the site: there are no borders, so it looks like she’s walking straight into the ad. Neat. Ok, maybe I shouldn’t pick on Dr. Suzanne – she has to make a living, after all, and Lord knows what protective body armor and bullet-proof glass cost these days. Her site, however, is practically a textbook illustration on how to abuse people’s trust in order to separate them from their money, so it’s worth taking a closer look at Dr. Suzanne and her collection of “facts.” To start, let’s break Dr. Suzanne’s spiel down. In her ad, she lays out a pretty shocking indictment.  It’s not just that you’re unhealthy, it’s also that others are to blame for it!  She proceeds: If you’re fat, it’s because you have “disgusting plaque and horrible little ‘CRITTERS’ living in your guts!” Worse, if you don’t get rid of them ASAP, they will not only keep you from losing weight, they may kill you. Doctors, diet gurus and fitness experts are either liars or fools who don’t know what they’re talking about. “Diets, diet foods, organic foods, healthy foods and medicines” not only don’t work, but they were “deliberately designed not to.” Even she realizes this last point is a real stretch, so she offers up a “fact” to support it: “Here’s a fact that may shock the daylights out of you!… Japan refuses to accept a single export from the United States in meat & dairy produce! Now, what does that tell you? That Japan is snobby? Nope! That Japan citizens hate milk and meat? Come on, you know better than that! What it REALLY tells you is that the Government of Japan is on to something few (if any) people really know about! - That our foods have been filled with “unnatural” things that they aren’t supposed to have!” This looks like a good place to begin deconstructing her pitch. It doesn’t have much to do with your health, perhaps, but it says a lot about Dr. Suzanne’s research skills and respect for the truth. To start: let’s take a look at what the Iowa State University Agricultural Marketing Resource Center has to say about US dairy exports to Japan (June, 2008): “Primary markets for U.S. dairy exports are (in order) Mexico, Canada and Japan.…The demand for dairy products should remain strong in 2008, particularly in Asia.” Now, that’s just dairy. What about meat? Feel free to take a look at the USDA’s Export Requirements for Japan concerning red meat and poultry. If you’re curious about that “July 27, 2006” date in the first paragraph, there’s a simple explanation. There was a brief, 2 year period that Japan had – in fact – banned the importation of US Beef (not “meat” - just beef). But it wasn’t due to “unnatural” things being added to the meat. It was due to the discovery of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalitis or “Mad Cow Disease”) in a small number of US cattle. Prior to the ban, Japan was one of the largest foreign markets for US beef. And now that it’s over, trade is picking up steam again: Japanese demand is now exceeding the supply. Oh my.  Looks like Dr. Suzanne isn’t quite on the level here. But…but…but…she said: “I promise as your new friend never to lie to you (like all the others) and to only give you the absolute truth (absolutely UNLIKE all the others!).” Hmmmm… Well, c’mon, you should trust your friends, right?  So let’s cut the lady some slack on this one…maybe she had good intentions, but just didn’t rely on authoritative industry and government reports. We’ll look at some other info instead…stuff that a “doctor” really ought to know about. About half way down her site (it’s a looooong scroll…), Dr. Suzanne has helpfully posted an illustration of a parasite life cycle + an accompanying caption. The parasite is Paragonimus westermani – sez so right there on the pic. It’s a suitably chilling name for something living in your guts, isn’t it? Ummmm…not really. The “informal” name for Paragonimus westermani is “lung fluke.” I’m not sure how a diet program designed to clear out your colon will have any effect on something living in your lungs – but I’m sure Dr. Suzanne must know what she’s talking about. Or does she? Here’s the caption for the pic: “Life cycle. Infection with the adult worm is acquired by the ingestion of raw, poorly cooked, or pickled salmon, trout, perch, pike, whitefish, grayling, ruff, eel, etc., harboring the plerocercoid larvae. After five or six weeks, the larva matures to the adult worm. Both eggs and proglottids are passed in the stool. The eggs develop in 2 weeks, and hatch to become ciliated coracidium larvae, and are ingested by the first intermediate host, the copepod. The copepods, containing the procercoid larvae, are ingested by fish, the second intermediate host, contains the plerocercoid larvae.” Damn, that’s a mouthful. Bet it doesn’t make a bit of sense to you, either. But it does to me…this was covered in an epidemiology class I took in grad school. This caption is describing A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PARASITE: Diphyllobothrium latum – the fish tapeworm. She even provides the link for the text, so you can see for yourself. The caption and pic don’t belong together at all. But the life cycle illustration on the page she links to is pretty dull, while the Paragonimus pic is in color and is much prettier.  So why not put the two together? Who’s going to bother to check? The photo of bladder tissue infected with Schistosoma haematobium is just as deceptive. Do schistosomes infect human bladders? You betcha they do. But this parasite isn’t found in the US at all – so unless you live in Africa, Southeast Asia, or the Caribbean, you don’t have a whole lot to worry about. This is pretty lame - and totally unnecessary.  Dr. Suzanne’s sales pitch is just a collection of random, scary stuff about parasites designed to creep you out and keep you from thinking critically.  It’s really not hard to get it right…if you know what the hell you’re talking about.  Honestly, you’d think a medical doctor – especially one who wants to be YOUR doctor - would be a little more scrupulous about her “facts.” Hold on a sec…Dr. Suzanne IS a medical doctor…isn’t she? I mean, she writes things like “As a doctor I’ve seen far more than my fair share of people who were alive one day and then dead the next.” I wonder…What med school did she attend? What’s her specialty? What professional organizations is she an accredited member of? The ad doesn’t say. Isn’t this important information that you’d want to know about someone who wants to be YOUR doctor?  Just askin’. Fortunately, the American Medical Association keeps the largest database (814,000) of licensed physicians in the US – both for member and non-member doctors. And it just so happens they have a “Doctor Finder” that anyone can use. I checked it out by putting in the names and states of a couple of docs I know, and they came right up. Dr. Suzanne lists Arizona as her state of residence at the bottom of the page – but when I typed “Gudakunst,” “S” and “Arizona” into the search engine, I drew a blank. Next, I went through every single state – and non-state – location in the drop down box, just in case she practices somewhere else. I got exactly two hits on the last name for a couple of non-AMA members (Craig Gudakunst and Jane Gudakunst) in Pennsylvania, but as Porky Pig used to say: “Th-th-th-that’s all folks!” Now maybe Dr. Suzanne is unknown to the AMA – they are part of the vast conspiracy to keep you fat and ill after all. Maybe they’re even the ones issuing the death threats – lol. Is Dr. Suzanne really an accredited health professional?  If she was, you’d think she’d be in that database.  It’s not up to me to disprove it, however…IMHO, the burden of proof is on her. I got a hyoooge laugh over this one: “…But then they found out the TRUTH about foods poisoned by dangerous chemicals that resulted in Plaque, and how food companies actually put in Parasites deliberately designed to make you fat and to make you sick…” Food companies deliberately put parasites in their products? Who knew? After all those years I spent in the Food Science and Technology Department at UC Davis – makes you wonder how I missed it. Sorry, this one doesn’t pass the smell test. Think about it for a moment: if food companies were adding parasites to their products, there would have to be sources – right? Just like for any other food “ingredient.” Are there really suppliers out there who are mass producing/harvesting parasite eggs and larvae for their “customers?” If so, what “critters” and hosts are being used?  Are they “super bugs” designed to survive retort sterilization, flash freezing, extrusion, baking, and dehydrating?  And how would you keep something like this a secret? Do you have any idea how BIG the major food companies are? Can you imagine how many employees that Kellogg’s has? Cargill? Pillsbury? Archer Daniels Midland? PepsiCo? Thousands of people would know about it – not just Dr. Suzanne. This is just silly: it’s real tin-foil hat stuff. Cheez Whiz, Coke and Twinkies aren’t good for you, but we don’t have to invent goofy conspiracy theories to explain why. Sorry: I know that this is a lonnnnnnng post.  But if you’re still with me, then you should realize that the claims made by Dr. Suzanne simply aren’t credible: there’s little evidence that parasitic infections are making people fat (in fact, weight loss may be a symptom in some cases).  Sure, people can get parasites: and if you think you have this problem, then you should schedule an appointment with your doc: intestinal parasites are easily found under the microscope.  Parasitic infections can be serious: do-it-yourself cures are no way to go about getting rid of them. Fine then…but maybe all this is just a sales tactic. Even if the worm and plaque stuff are a bunch of s**t (no pun intended) – surely Dr. Suzanne must know something about how to get into good shape. I mean, just LOOK at her…She’s gorgeous!!! So maybe her program is worth it, anyway. Well, I may not be eligible for a job at “Hooters” – but I’m no slacker in the bod department either. You know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words” – so here we go… This is a pic I posted on the BBR forum for my last birthday – so I posed in my birthday suit: get it? And I’m the mother of two teenagers, one already in college, so I’m not a sweet young thing like Dr. Suzanne, either. So what’s MY secret? Sorry kids, I don’t have one: no magic pills, no superfoods, no fantastical secret formula translated from ancient papyrus texts. And despite Dr. Suzanne’s insistence that “everybody” has this horrible plaque stuff and parasites in them that’s making them fat – they seem to have missed me – I’ve never done a “detox” program or anything else to get rid of them. Here’s the real truth: anything and everything I do is really quite basic and freely available, so you don’t need to pay me –  or anyone else – to discover it. Most of it’s covered right here on the Ultimate Fat Burner site already. What I do and how I do it will be included in the things I blog about, so all you have to do is check back here every once in a while. And no, I’m not writing about this stuff because I want to be your doctor, best friend or guardian angel. I’m just someone with a background in genuine science, who’s sick and tired of seeing it abused by self-styled internet “experts” trying to make a fast buck. Like “Dr. Suzanne.” Copyright © UltimateFatBurner.com. All Rights Reserved. ________________________________________ About The Author Elissa Pratt Lowe is a former research scientist and a staff writer / technical advisor for UltimateFatBurner.com, the largest and most respected supplement review site on the Net. Visit Paul and Elissa at UltimateFatBurner.com and get two free reports: Dirty Rotten Tricks: Supplement Company Lies That Cost You Money and 7 Fat Burning Secrets Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) The Body Fat Solution (5) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (3) Grapefruit Diet (0) tag:odeo.com,2009-04-20,24478867 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:50:39 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David Reviews, weight loss, scam alert http://odeo.com/episodes/24415349-AtoZfitness-Total-Body-Makeover-Closing-down AtoZ Liquidation Sale Date: April 3, 2009 I’m sad really that Lewis Wolk decided to close down his Total Body Makeover.  When I first picked up the All Star Secrets, it contained over 8 professional trainers entire 30 day workout programs.  That was my first REAL exposure to the muscle building side of my friend, Tom Venuto. Anyway…. I learned a lot and it’s the single greatest compilation I’ve got on my shelves still.  Many people you’ve heard of got their first program starts inside these volumes and then branched out. Now all I see is $97 DVD sets and crap membership sites without any content.  Or better yet, pay for a membership site that has publically available content!  That’s my favorite. The U.S. probably has the larest percentage of fitness professionals and yet, our ovearll population is more unhealthy than 10 years ago.  It ain’t working folks!  When people make money the #1 reason to pursure a fitness career and sell their snake... AtoZ Liquidation Sale Date: April 3, 2009 I’m sad really that Lewis Wolk decided to close down his Total Body Makeover.  When I first picked up the All Star Secrets, it contained over 8 professional trainers entire 30 day workout programs.  That was my first REAL exposure to the muscle building side of my friend, Tom Venuto. Anyway…. I learned a lot and it’s the single greatest compilation I’ve got on my shelves still.  Many people you’ve heard of got their first program starts inside these volumes and then branched out. Now all I see is $97 DVD sets and crap membership sites without any content.  Or better yet, pay for a membership site that has publically available content!  That’s my favorite. The U.S. probably has the larest percentage of fitness professionals and yet, our ovearll population is more unhealthy than 10 years ago.  It ain’t working folks!  When people make money the #1 reason to pursure a fitness career and sell their snakeoil, you can bet you won’t be getting too much out of it. Yeah.. I’m slighly heated. So I get this note from Lewis Wolk… He says.. Marc “Due to other commitments I have decided to retire my AtoZfitness  Total Body Makeover and focus on promoting other products that Sarah and I will be reviewing or have reviewed lately . Before I remove AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover from the internet I am liquidating the entire 8 Chapter e-book plus all bonuses for $14.99 . If you ever considered adding AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover to your e-book collection now is the time to do it before I pull the entire website from the internet. Visit http://www.fitnessfiresale.com for more details on all the bonuses that you will receive for $14.99 .” Apparently Lewis is not only giving away the Total Body Makeover edition but he’s throwing in the 2 All Star Trainer’s Secrets Volume 1 and 2?! Let me put that in bullet points for ya… * Total Body Makover * All Star Trainer’s Secrets I’m not sure how long this will be up.  I’ve heard it’s being closed down this week or somewhere in the next few days.  I wanted to do some huge promotion about it but I’ve been in a funky place lately.  And frankly… Not telling you about this would be a dis-service.  It’s a very good product for an incredible cheap price.  You’ll spend more in printing costs than you will for all the information packed into these books. Still.. I’m sad to see it end.  It’s a great idea.  And I was honored when Lewis asked me to contribute a chaper.  I remember getting the e-mail asking me to be part of it while pulling out of a gas station in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It was the start of my own awesome career. Thank you Lewis. Get your own copy before it’s no more. www.FitnessFireSale.com Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) Muscle Chow (4) How Supermodels Keep Their Looks (0) AtoZ Liquidation Sale Date: April 3, 2009 I’m sad really that Lewis Wolk decided to close down his Total Body Makeover.  When I first picked up the All Star Secrets, it contained over 8 professional trainers entire 30 day workout programs.  That was my first REAL exposure to the muscle building side of my friend, Tom Venuto. Anyway…. I learned a lot and it’s the single greatest compilation I’ve got on my shelves still.  Many people you’ve heard of got their first program starts inside these volumes and then branched out. Now all I see is $97 DVD sets and crap membership sites without any content.  Or better yet, pay for a membership site that has publically available content!  That’s my favorite. The U.S. probably has the larest percentage of fitness professionals and yet, our ovearll population is more unhealthy than 10 years ago.  It ain’t working folks!  When people make money the #1 reason to pursure a fitness career and sell their snakeoil, you can bet you won’t be getting too much out of it. Yeah.. I’m slighly heated. So I get this note from Lewis Wolk… He says.. Marc “Due to other commitments I have decided to retire my AtoZfitness  Total Body Makeover and focus on promoting other products that Sarah and I will be reviewing or have reviewed lately . Before I remove AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover from the internet I am liquidating the entire 8 Chapter e-book plus all bonuses for $14.99 . If you ever considered adding AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover to your e-book collection now is the time to do it before I pull the entire website from the internet. Visit http://www.fitnessfiresale.com for more details on all the bonuses that you will receive for $14.99 .” Apparently Lewis is not only giving away the Total Body Makeover edition but he’s throwing in the 2 All Star Trainer’s Secrets Volume 1 and 2?! Let me put that in bullet points for ya… * Total Body Makover * All Star Trainer’s Secrets I’m not sure how long this will be up.  I’ve heard it’s being closed down this week or somewhere in the next few days.  I wanted to do some huge promotion about it but I’ve been in a funky place lately.  And frankly… Not telling you about this would be a dis-service.  It’s a very good product for an incredible cheap price.  You’ll spend more in printing costs than you will for all the information packed into these books. Still.. I’m sad to see it end.  It’s a great idea.  And I was honored when Lewis asked me to contribute a chaper.  I remember getting the e-mail asking me to be part of it while pulling out of a gas station in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It was the start of my own awesome career. Thank you Lewis. Get your own copy before it’s no more. www.FitnessFireSale.com Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) Muscle Chow (4) How Supermodels Keep Their Looks (0) tag:odeo.com,2009-04-03,24415349 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:37:40 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, News & Current Events, Training & Exercise http://odeo.com/episodes/24212509-Most-Americans-Know-Their-Diet-Stinks Photo Credit: Wheatfields In the latest National Grocers Association’s 2009 Consumer Panel Survey, 66% of American consumers responded their diet could be healthier. Roughly 16% of the 2,145 individuals asked by the NGA Consumer Survey gave a response that their diet “could be a lot healthier,” with 52% saying it would be “somewhat healthier.” An astounding (at least to me) 24% said they took some type of supplement to improve their diets. But the most interesting part of the NGA Survey? 70% of respondents claimed the internet to be their primary source of information!  But only 26% said they trusted what they found in regards to nutrition on the web. View the survey in full here . It makes perfect sense really.  I’ve know many people in my lifetime that admit to eating poorly.  They know they should eat better but they don’t.  Sometimes it’s lack of information.  Other times it might be they haven’t found something strong enough... Photo Credit: Wheatfields In the latest National Grocers Association’s 2009 Consumer Panel Survey, 66% of American consumers responded their diet could be healthier. Roughly 16% of the 2,145 individuals asked by the NGA Consumer Survey gave a response that their diet “could be a lot healthier,” with 52% saying it would be “somewhat healthier.” An astounding (at least to me) 24% said they took some type of supplement to improve their diets. But the most interesting part of the NGA Survey? 70% of respondents claimed the internet to be their primary source of information!  But only 26% said they trusted what they found in regards to nutrition on the web. View the survey in full here . It makes perfect sense really.  I’ve know many people in my lifetime that admit to eating poorly.  They know they should eat better but they don’t.  Sometimes it’s lack of information.  Other times it might be they haven’t found something strong enough to motivate them to make a lifestyle change.  It can be a combination of both. Everybody has their limits or when they hit “rock bottom” and sometime primal forces them to change. Here is a list out a FEW of the experts I personally follow.  I use Google Reader and frequently share items.. No matter what you use or what you read, here’s my Top List of Fitness Experts that I read daily or whenever I see something new in their blogs. Not sure what RSS is?  Read What is RSS If you are going to get your information from the Internet like 70% of people do in the survey, make sure you are getting it form the right people.   There’s a lot of great information out there and there’s some really horrible advice. While this is not an all inclusive list of every expert on the subject, it’s the people I turn to often and read what they have to say. Who’s In My Blog Reader: BodyRecomposition Lyle McDonald is a world renowned expert.  He’s a bit over the top for me at times but some of his work, like the Baseline Diet 2009 sums up about 250 pages of any good nutritional book.  I’ve found his posts to be incredibly useful. Burn the Fat Blog Tom Venuto is the fat loss guru.  He spends HOURS on his stuff, researching and writing and focusing on his core audience.  The guy is no-propaganda.  He’s not out to sell you on his latest fad diet or new fangled way of losing weight.  If he was the mainstream icon for fitness, maybe things would be different.  Maybe not.  In any case, worth reading. Exercise Therapy Carlos DeJesus, father of the Quad Blaster and bodybuidling pioneer is new to the scene.  Not the bodybuilding scene but blogging, etc.  He’s heavy on the thought process but if you understand what he’s getting at, you’ll know that the Experiment of One is all that matters. Cranky Fitness Provides more of a real-life, less technically approach to fitness.  Mixes it up with some humor.  A few swear words.  But not the typical bodybuilding approach that I’m so in tune with all the time.  Different approach to fitness that I preach but it’s nice information and not fanitical. Diet Blog If there’s a new story, they’re on it.  They find the latest mainstream stuff and comment quickly on it so that you can get some serious information quickly without falling prey to the bad information.  It’s a no-hype zone.  Short, sweet and to the point. MuscleHack Mark is a nice guy who’s taking a low carb bodybuiding approach.  You might enjoy his receips and unique style of writing.  The video demonstration of exericses and his theory on Optimized Form is liken to Skip LaCour’s Controlled Cheating.  Interesting perspectives.  Training tips you can use. The Brink Zone Will Brink is the supplement guru. I don’t know why people don’t do more research when purchasing high end or expensive supplements.  Talk about why people have a low trust factor!  Truth be told, Will is more than just a supplement expert but he’s the 1st person I talk to on a professional level whenever I see some new fad come out and people start tossing money at hype.  Waxy Maize Craze?  New Creatine version?  Ask Will. The Physique Formula Jimmy Smith is from New York.  At least he sounds like it.  His vidoes are clever and he’s got that down to earth, healthy living, bodybuilding, lean physique lifestyle.  He’s not into doing crazy things but he gives off the appearance that in his youthful days (how old is Jimmy anyway?).  No matter, he’s got some good solid information to bring to the fitness world. BodyBuildingSecrets Another Tom Venuto site but this is geared towards the bodybuilding lovers.  Hardcore workouts, bodybuilding interviews.  A side of Tom that unless you subscribe to this blog, you’ll never know.  He’s a meathead from New Jersey that is old school.  He’s a fat loss expert for sure but he’s also a muscle building guru to boot. WorldFitnessNetwork Clever articles about fitness and bodybuilding.  Helpful things like reading a nutrition label down to utilizing dumbbells and doing various exercises.  Anything that keeps the workout from becoming stale.  Tips, tricks and helpful suggestions. NinosMission Nino doesn’t blog nearly enough but I like Nino.  He’s just a nice guy who gives no excuses.  I like following people who push themselves to their limits and try and help others.  Nino gives thru his unique posts.  You might find some real gems in his poetic style of writing.  He’s got to stop using the word “Gee” so much!  Just kidding Nino.  Be yourself. Skip LaCour No blog here but over 55 and counting radio shows.  You can call in, download episodes and get some SERIOUS tips from a bodybuidling expert.  Skip’s show is worth listening to as in 60 minutes you can pick out some real “ah-ha” moments.  Allows you to connect with an expert and ask your questions.  Take him up on the offer. And that in a nutshell is what I have in my reader.  If I run across more, I’ll update this entry as appropriate. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts That’s NOT Revolutionary! (1) Secrets to Award Winning Physiques Revealed (0) NoBull Bodybuilding Resources (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) About Marc (0) Photo Credit: Wheatfields In the latest National Grocers Association’s 2009 Consumer Panel Survey, 66% of American consumers responded their diet could be healthier. Roughly 16% of the 2,145 individuals asked by the NGA Consumer Survey gave a response that their diet “could be a lot healthier,” with 52% saying it would be “somewhat healthier.” An astounding (at least to me) 24% said they took some type of supplement to improve their diets. But the most interesting part of the NGA Survey? 70% of respondents claimed the internet to be their primary source of information!  But only 26% said they trusted what they found in regards to nutrition on the web. View the survey in full here . It makes perfect sense really.  I’ve know many people in my lifetime that admit to eating poorly.  They know they should eat better but they don’t.  Sometimes it’s lack of information.  Other times it might be they haven’t found something strong enough to motivate them to make a lifestyle change.  It can be a combination of both. Everybody has their limits or when they hit “rock bottom” and sometime primal forces them to change. Here is a list out a FEW of the experts I personally follow.  I use Google Reader and frequently share items.. No matter what you use or what you read, here’s my Top List of Fitness Experts that I read daily or whenever I see something new in their blogs. Not sure what RSS is?  Read What is RSS If you are going to get your information from the Internet like 70% of people do in the survey, make sure you are getting it form the right people.   There’s a lot of great information out there and there’s some really horrible advice. While this is not an all inclusive list of every expert on the subject, it’s the people I turn to often and read what they have to say. Who’s In My Blog Reader: BodyRecomposition Lyle McDonald is a world renowned expert.  He’s a bit over the top for me at times but some of his work, like the Baseline Diet 2009 sums up about 250 pages of any good nutritional book.  I’ve found his posts to be incredibly useful. Burn the Fat Blog Tom Venuto is the fat loss guru.  He spends HOURS on his stuff, researching and writing and focusing on his core audience.  The guy is no-propaganda.  He’s not out to sell you on his latest fad diet or new fangled way of losing weight.  If he was the mainstream icon for fitness, maybe things would be different.  Maybe not.  In any case, worth reading. Exercise Therapy Carlos DeJesus, father of the Quad Blaster and bodybuidling pioneer is new to the scene.  Not the bodybuilding scene but blogging, etc.  He’s heavy on the thought process but if you understand what he’s getting at, you’ll know that the Experiment of One is all that matters. Cranky Fitness Provides more of a real-life, less technically approach to fitness.  Mixes it up with some humor.  A few swear words.  But not the typical bodybuilding approach that I’m so in tune with all the time.  Different approach to fitness that I preach but it’s nice information and not fanitical. Diet Blog If there’s a new story, they’re on it.  They find the latest mainstream stuff and comment quickly on it so that you can get some serious information quickly without falling prey to the bad information.  It’s a no-hype zone.  Short, sweet and to the point. MuscleHack Mark is a nice guy who’s taking a low carb bodybuiding approach.  You might enjoy his receips and unique style of writing.  The video demonstration of exericses and his theory on Optimized Form is liken to Skip LaCour’s Controlled Cheating.  Interesting perspectives.  Training tips you can use. The Brink Zone Will Brink is the supplement guru. I don’t know why people don’t do more research when purchasing high end or expensive supplements.  Talk about why people have a low trust factor!  Truth be told, Will is more than just a supplement expert but he’s the 1st person I talk to on a professional level whenever I see some new fad come out and people start tossing money at hype.  Waxy Maize Craze?  New Creatine version?  Ask Will. The Physique Formula Jimmy Smith is from New York.  At least he sounds like it.  His vidoes are clever and he’s got that down to earth, healthy living, bodybuilding, lean physique lifestyle.  He’s not into doing crazy things but he gives off the appearance that in his youthful days (how old is Jimmy anyway?).  No matter, he’s got some good solid information to bring to the fitness world. BodyBuildingSecrets Another Tom Venuto site but this is geared towards the bodybuilding lovers.  Hardcore workouts, bodybuilding interviews.  A side of Tom that unless you subscribe to this blog, you’ll never know.  He’s a meathead from New Jersey that is old school.  He’s a fat loss expert for sure but he’s also a muscle building guru to boot. WorldFitnessNetwork Clever articles about fitness and bodybuilding.  Helpful things like reading a nutrition label down to utilizing dumbbells and doing various exercises.  Anything that keeps the workout from becoming stale.  Tips, tricks and helpful suggestions. NinosMission Nino doesn’t blog nearly enough but I like Nino.  He’s just a nice guy who gives no excuses.  I like following people who push themselves to their limits and try and help others.  Nino gives thru his unique posts.  You might find some real gems in his poetic style of writing.  He’s got to stop using the word “Gee” so much!  Just kidding Nino.  Be yourself. Skip LaCour No blog here but over 55 and counting radio shows.  You can call in, download episodes and get some SERIOUS tips from a bodybuidling expert.  Skip’s show is worth listening to as in 60 minutes you can pick out some real “ah-ha” moments.  Allows you to connect with an expert and ask your questions.  Take him up on the offer. And that in a nutshell is what I have in my reader.  If I run across more, I’ll update this entry as appropriate. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts That’s NOT Revolutionary! (1) Secrets to Award Winning Physiques Revealed (0) NoBull Bodybuilding Resources (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) About Marc (0) tag:odeo.com,2009-02-25,24212509 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:03:12 -0800 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David Bodybuilding, News & Current Events, fitness resources http://odeo.com/episodes/24144307-Monster-Mass Monster Mass by Cytosport From the Marc David Rumor Mill: Monster Mass! Rumor has it that FACT: Cytosport is going to release a weight gainer along the lines of the Monster line of products. Code name: Monster Mass. If the logo above is any indication, you should see this sometime around March 2009 at selected retailers. What: Monster Mass by Cytosport Why: Because there is a lot of interest in weight gainers.  Specifically higher quality ones that are not full of sugar, low quality protein and empty calories. When: March 2009? Who: Designed for the bodybuilder looking to gain weight who wants top-notch protein and lots of calories. Monster Mass Supplement Facts: 600+ Calories LeanLipids Plus – Sunflower oil, MCT’s, canola oil, and conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) Monster Complex Carbohydrates – 75+ gram blend of waxy maize starch, maltodextrin, soluble dietary fiber 50 grams of multi-source protein matrix Whey concentrates, whey isolates, isolated milk protein, caseinates, lactoferr... Monster Mass by Cytosport From the Marc David Rumor Mill: Monster Mass! Rumor has it that FACT: Cytosport is going to release a weight gainer along the lines of the Monster line of products. Code name: Monster Mass. If the logo above is any indication, you should see this sometime around March 2009 at selected retailers. What: Monster Mass by Cytosport Why: Because there is a lot of interest in weight gainers.  Specifically higher quality ones that are not full of sugar, low quality protein and empty calories. When: March 2009? Who: Designed for the bodybuilder looking to gain weight who wants top-notch protein and lots of calories. Monster Mass Supplement Facts: 600+ Calories LeanLipids Plus – Sunflower oil, MCT’s, canola oil, and conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) Monster Complex Carbohydrates – 75+ gram blend of waxy maize starch, maltodextrin, soluble dietary fiber 50 grams of multi-source protein matrix Whey concentrates, whey isolates, isolated milk protein, caseinates, lactoferrin, l-glutamine, glutamine peptides and free form BCAA’s Price: Forthcoming (but Monster Milk was in the $40-50 range).  If I get enough comments, I will push for more info. If you want updates on this supplement, I urge you to subscribe to this particular entry. Either via e-mail or a feed reader. I’ll update this entry with more information including my own review of this new Cytosport supplement when it becomes available. Resources: Monster Milk Trademark Related posts Monster Milk From the Makers of Muscle Milk (6) Monster Milk (7) Monster Mass by Cytosport From the Marc David Rumor Mill: Monster Mass! Rumor has it that FACT: Cytosport is going to release a weight gainer along the lines of the Monster line of products. Code name: Monster Mass. If the logo above is any indication, you should see this sometime around March 2009 at selected retailers. What: Monster Mass by Cytosport Why: Because there is a lot of interest in weight gainers.  Specifically higher quality ones that are not full of sugar, low quality protein and empty calories. When: March 2009? Who: Designed for the bodybuilder looking to gain weight who wants top-notch protein and lots of calories. Monster Mass Supplement Facts: 600+ Calories LeanLipids Plus – Sunflower oil, MCT’s, canola oil, and conjugated linolenic acid (CLA) Monster Complex Carbohydrates – 75+ gram blend of waxy maize starch, maltodextrin, soluble dietary fiber 50 grams of multi-source protein matrix Whey concentrates, whey isolates, isolated milk protein, caseinates, lactoferrin, l-glutamine, glutamine peptides and free form BCAA’s Price: Forthcoming (but Monster Milk was in the $40-50 range).  If I get enough comments, I will push for more info. If you want updates on this supplement, I urge you to subscribe to this particular entry. Either via e-mail or a feed reader. I’ll update this entry with more information including my own review of this new Cytosport supplement when it becomes available. Resources: Monster Milk Trademark Related posts Monster Milk From the Makers of Muscle Milk (6) Monster Milk (7) tag:odeo.com,2009-02-19,24144307 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:30:56 -0800 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David monster milk, News & Current Events, monster mass http://odeo.com/episodes/24109557-Muscle-Chow If You Are a Bodybuilder and You Don’t Have This Book… Get It! If you are a bodybuilder looking for quick and easy to make recipes to build muscle and burn fat, this book is for you. If you are just somebody looking to eat healthy and needs quick and easy ideas in the kitchen that doesn’t involve being a sue chef, this book is for you. If you want to pack on mass and burn fat but the whole nutrition thing has your stumped, this book is for you. If you know you should eat but don’t know what to eat and even less how to cook it, this book is for you. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend but need some ideas, this books is for you. My Muscle Chow Story Before I found this, I kinda went from website recipe to website recipe. Or to overly complicated cookbooks that were not for bodybuilders trying to get lean or build muscle. Greg Avedon nailed it with this and wrote to the married guy or single guy who can’t cook but wants to cook something in ord... If You Are a Bodybuilder and You Don’t Have This Book… Get It! If you are a bodybuilder looking for quick and easy to make recipes to build muscle and burn fat, this book is for you. If you are just somebody looking to eat healthy and needs quick and easy ideas in the kitchen that doesn’t involve being a sue chef, this book is for you. If you want to pack on mass and burn fat but the whole nutrition thing has your stumped, this book is for you. If you know you should eat but don’t know what to eat and even less how to cook it, this book is for you. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend but need some ideas, this books is for you. My Muscle Chow Story Before I found this, I kinda went from website recipe to website recipe. Or to overly complicated cookbooks that were not for bodybuilders trying to get lean or build muscle. Greg Avedon nailed it with this and wrote to the married guy or single guy who can’t cook but wants to cook something in order to build muscle. It was so incredibly simple to follow. I am not a cook or chef by any means. My biggest accomplishment was grilled chicken and burgers. This is so stinking simple to use. It doesn’t have a ton of ingredients and you’ll find that many of the recipes use the same foundations. Meaning, less big trips to the store. Many of them are only 4 steps. They taste great and are low in fat and sodium. Perfect for that lean look. It’s not that I didn’t know what to eat.  It’s not that I didn’t know how to cook it.  My main problem is similar to many of you.  I get too caught up in making this sport or lifestyle more complicated than it needs to be.  I want something easy to make, that tastes good that doesn’t take 60 minutes to do.  I don’t want a huge mess in the kitchen and I don’t want to be in the kitchen for 2 hours each time.  I don’t like to cook. The biggest problem anybody will face when it comes to building muscle, burning fat and making the changes they need to enhance their body is all done thru nutrition.  And the biggest problem we all face, unless you are OCD or love to cook is that you don’t have too many ideas and cooking isn’t enjoyable. Cooking Isn’t Enjoyable (to me and maybe to you) I’m not a food person.  As Tom Venuto said in his Body Fat Solution, people he’s interviewed see food as fuel.  A way to get the energy necessary to live and workout.  But that’s it.  I see food as fuel.  I don’t like cooking or else I’d not have issues with eating often, eating enough and having plenty of cooking ideas. My guess is that you don’t like to cook either!  You don’t like being in the kitchen for hours.  You have  few ideas but not nearly enough. But if you do like to cook but just don’t know what to cook that fits into the category of healthy, this book will solve it for you. It’s your guide to leanness and your guide to packing on muscle.  As much as that sounds crazy, it’s the only thing in 10 years that literally changed my life in the kitchen. “Do you sit down to every meal with a calculator in hand?  No?  Me neither.  Any diet that requires more than basic counting skills is a diet that is way too complicated and will ultimately fail.” - Page 3 of Muscle Chow A Small Sample: The Key Lime Pie that I pulled out of Muscle Chow took hardly any effort to make and was arguably the healthiest dessert you could have given the circumstances.  Those circumstances being I love Key Lime Pie!  But it’s proof that cooking can be quick and easy. There’s over 150 healthy receies in Muscle Chow.  They are broken down into seveal categories.  It’s more than enough ideas to get you lean and muscular.  In fact, too many ideas is a bad thing.  It leads to indecision and in the bodybuilding world, too many choices means you can’t plan for your specific needs. The real secret to meal planning is advanced planning.  Knowing what you will eat before you eat it.  Not tracking it after the fact and realizing at 9:00pm that you’ve missed your target by 1000 calories or ate too much.  Planning in advance is key and having easy to make meals that are geared towards your goals is what this book is about. What Makes Muscle Chow Different? It’s not just a cookbook.  It’s not a diet.  It’s easy to make healthy recipes that fit into a healthy lifestyle.  You can use it to burn fat, build muscle.  It’s not complicated.  It’s low in sodium which is a factor for some.  It’s lower in fats but higher in healthy fats. If you don’t have Muscle Chow, go get it.  It’s a fantastic resource, well written and should be in your kitchen right now.  And you can pick it up at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles for under $20.00. To Your Health, Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com P.S. - I wish it was a sprial book as I’ve got 2 copies.  And both are coming apart at the seams because I use it that much. Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) How Supermodels Keep Their Looks (0) If You Are a Bodybuilder and You Don’t Have This Book… Get It! If you are a bodybuilder looking for quick and easy to make recipes to build muscle and burn fat, this book is for you. If you are just somebody looking to eat healthy and needs quick and easy ideas in the kitchen that doesn’t involve being a sue chef, this book is for you. If you want to pack on mass and burn fat but the whole nutrition thing has your stumped, this book is for you. If you know you should eat but don’t know what to eat and even less how to cook it, this book is for you. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend but need some ideas, this books is for you. My Muscle Chow Story Before I found this, I kinda went from website recipe to website recipe. Or to overly complicated cookbooks that were not for bodybuilders trying to get lean or build muscle. Greg Avedon nailed it with this and wrote to the married guy or single guy who can’t cook but wants to cook something in order to build muscle. It was so incredibly simple to follow. I am not a cook or chef by any means. My biggest accomplishment was grilled chicken and burgers. This is so stinking simple to use. It doesn’t have a ton of ingredients and you’ll find that many of the recipes use the same foundations. Meaning, less big trips to the store. Many of them are only 4 steps. They taste great and are low in fat and sodium. Perfect for that lean look. It’s not that I didn’t know what to eat.  It’s not that I didn’t know how to cook it.  My main problem is similar to many of you.  I get too caught up in making this sport or lifestyle more complicated than it needs to be.  I want something easy to make, that tastes good that doesn’t take 60 minutes to do.  I don’t want a huge mess in the kitchen and I don’t want to be in the kitchen for 2 hours each time.  I don’t like to cook. The biggest problem anybody will face when it comes to building muscle, burning fat and making the changes they need to enhance their body is all done thru nutrition.  And the biggest problem we all face, unless you are OCD or love to cook is that you don’t have too many ideas and cooking isn’t enjoyable. Cooking Isn’t Enjoyable (to me and maybe to you) I’m not a food person.  As Tom Venuto said in his Body Fat Solution, people he’s interviewed see food as fuel.  A way to get the energy necessary to live and workout.  But that’s it.  I see food as fuel.  I don’t like cooking or else I’d not have issues with eating often, eating enough and having plenty of cooking ideas. My guess is that you don’t like to cook either!  You don’t like being in the kitchen for hours.  You have  few ideas but not nearly enough. But if you do like to cook but just don’t know what to cook that fits into the category of healthy, this book will solve it for you. It’s your guide to leanness and your guide to packing on muscle.  As much as that sounds crazy, it’s the only thing in 10 years that literally changed my life in the kitchen. “Do you sit down to every meal with a calculator in hand?  No?  Me neither.  Any diet that requires more than basic counting skills is a diet that is way too complicated and will ultimately fail.” - Page 3 of Muscle Chow A Small Sample: The Key Lime Pie that I pulled out of Muscle Chow took hardly any effort to make and was arguably the healthiest dessert you could have given the circumstances.  Those circumstances being I love Key Lime Pie!  But it’s proof that cooking can be quick and easy. There’s over 150 healthy receies in Muscle Chow.  They are broken down into seveal categories.  It’s more than enough ideas to get you lean and muscular.  In fact, too many ideas is a bad thing.  It leads to indecision and in the bodybuilding world, too many choices means you can’t plan for your specific needs. The real secret to meal planning is advanced planning.  Knowing what you will eat before you eat it.  Not tracking it after the fact and realizing at 9:00pm that you’ve missed your target by 1000 calories or ate too much.  Planning in advance is key and having easy to make meals that are geared towards your goals is what this book is about. What Makes Muscle Chow Different? It’s not just a cookbook.  It’s not a diet.  It’s easy to make healthy recipes that fit into a healthy lifestyle.  You can use it to burn fat, build muscle.  It’s not complicated.  It’s low in sodium which is a factor for some.  It’s lower in fats but higher in healthy fats. If you don’t have Muscle Chow, go get it.  It’s a fantastic resource, well written and should be in your kitchen right now.  And you can pick it up at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles for under $20.00. To Your Health, Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com P.S. - I wish it was a sprial book as I’ve got 2 copies.  And both are coming apart at the seams because I use it that much. Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) How Supermodels Keep Their Looks (0) tag:odeo.com,2009-02-16,24109557 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:57:50 -0800 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, muscle chow http://odeo.com/episodes/23862288-Build-Muscle-Fast Tips to Build Muscle Fast After purchasing an Iron Gym for a family member, I found the Nutrition Guide listed on page 9 of the very thin instruction manual that came with the product. I laughed out loud at the bullet points!  They were so simple.  A few rules and some tips and now you were going to pack on dense thick muscle like never before. After reading books over 250 pages on the subject and having written my own NoBull Bodybuilding System, it was silly to think somebody would benefit from tips so simple.   Then it hit me… Those Stupid Bullet Points are the Nutrition Pillars of ALL of These Programs! Thus… I’ll post them here in their unedited format and you can see that the #1 reason why people cannot gain healthy weight, build muscle is truly related to some of these tips.  Now I don’t agree with all of them but hear me out and take a look. Eating Recommendations: Eat at least six times a day Make each meal count.  If you eat anything, consider it a m... Tips to Build Muscle Fast After purchasing an Iron Gym for a family member, I found the Nutrition Guide listed on page 9 of the very thin instruction manual that came with the product. I laughed out loud at the bullet points!  They were so simple.  A few rules and some tips and now you were going to pack on dense thick muscle like never before. After reading books over 250 pages on the subject and having written my own NoBull Bodybuilding System, it was silly to think somebody would benefit from tips so simple.   Then it hit me… Those Stupid Bullet Points are the Nutrition Pillars of ALL of These Programs! Thus… I’ll post them here in their unedited format and you can see that the #1 reason why people cannot gain healthy weight, build muscle is truly related to some of these tips.  Now I don’t agree with all of them but hear me out and take a look. Eating Recommendations: Eat at least six times a day Make each meal count.  If you eat anything, consider it a meal Eliminate any and all refined sugars and sweets Reduce caffeine intake and increase water intake (should be half your body weight in ounces.) No Alcohol! All heavy starches to be consumed by 1pm or 3rd meal of the day.  For example: bread, paste and rice. 1 serving of protein should be consumed with every meal.  For example: (4-6 ounce piece is considered 1 serving). Limit dairy intake to 1st or 2nd meal All fruits should be consumed before 1pm.  No fruit juice! Multi-vitamin everyday Maximum amount of time between meals: 3 hours Protein always first choice then carbohydrates to be added Limit sugary condiments such as salad dressings Meal replacement bars and shakes to be used if sugar free Surprisingly enough.. this simple list that most of professionals would scoff at is similar information that any client would receive.  Now there’s some exceptions.  I could easily debate a few bullet points.  I would elaborate.  Next thing you’d have is 250 pages to read but in all honesty… If I had followed these to the letter when I was younger, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.  I would obviously need to learn about calories and such but nutrition is such a big part of building muscle fast. Nutrition is Numero Uno (or #1) You can have a horrible training program but if your nutrition is impeccable, you will look better than some who have fantastic training programs and can’t get the nutrition part down.  If you have awful nutrition but a fantastic program, you cannot support the growth or the recovery with a poor nutrition plan.  And you can live a fine life with good nutrition and minimal exercise. Before we start a huge debate, my point isn’t to say all books over 10 bullet points stink!  In fact, that’s not the case at all.  I only want to point out that with all the confusing information out there, if you can stick to the basics when it comes to nutrition and build upon it, you will be successful. Why am I doing this? Because there’s a fine line that separates those who know and those that don’t.  It’s my wish to help those who are confused as I was to get some fundamentals down and then learn on their own.   I only wish when I was younger somebody had at least told me the above that I could have written on a note card.  I wasn’t ready to read 250 pages or figure out calories and worry about macro-nutrient ratios. But I would have responded to some short bullet points and then expanded upon those as I learned. What You Can Learn From the Iron Gym If you are already following the above give or take, most likely you are on the right path.  If you are not, you might be missing out on a critical nutrition pillar that can have you building muscle fast.  Maybe you are not eating enough?  Maybe you can’t stay away from processed and refined foods?  Maybe you drink later at night? These simple bullet points seem stupid I know and I don’t agree with them all but generally speaking, they are quite sound and would benefit most.  Then you can learn at your own pace and adjust as necessary. You start by following the basics and that’s how you build muscle fast. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” Author of the The NoBull Bodybuilding Program Related posts No related posts. Tips to Build Muscle Fast After purchasing an Iron Gym for a family member, I found the Nutrition Guide listed on page 9 of the very thin instruction manual that came with the product. I laughed out loud at the bullet points!  They were so simple.  A few rules and some tips and now you were going to pack on dense thick muscle like never before. After reading books over 250 pages on the subject and having written my own NoBull Bodybuilding System, it was silly to think somebody would benefit from tips so simple.   Then it hit me… Those Stupid Bullet Points are the Nutrition Pillars of ALL of These Programs! Thus… I’ll post them here in their unedited format and you can see that the #1 reason why people cannot gain healthy weight, build muscle is truly related to some of these tips.  Now I don’t agree with all of them but hear me out and take a look. Eating Recommendations: Eat at least six times a day Make each meal count.  If you eat anything, consider it a meal Eliminate any and all refined sugars and sweets Reduce caffeine intake and increase water intake (should be half your body weight in ounces.) No Alcohol! All heavy starches to be consumed by 1pm or 3rd meal of the day.  For example: bread, paste and rice. 1 serving of protein should be consumed with every meal.  For example: (4-6 ounce piece is considered 1 serving). Limit dairy intake to 1st or 2nd meal All fruits should be consumed before 1pm.  No fruit juice! Multi-vitamin everyday Maximum amount of time between meals: 3 hours Protein always first choice then carbohydrates to be added Limit sugary condiments such as salad dressings Meal replacement bars and shakes to be used if sugar free Surprisingly enough.. this simple list that most of professionals would scoff at is similar information that any client would receive.  Now there’s some exceptions.  I could easily debate a few bullet points.  I would elaborate.  Next thing you’d have is 250 pages to read but in all honesty… If I had followed these to the letter when I was younger, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.  I would obviously need to learn about calories and such but nutrition is such a big part of building muscle fast. Nutrition is Numero Uno (or #1) You can have a horrible training program but if your nutrition is impeccable, you will look better than some who have fantastic training programs and can’t get the nutrition part down.  If you have awful nutrition but a fantastic program, you cannot support the growth or the recovery with a poor nutrition plan.  And you can live a fine life with good nutrition and minimal exercise. Before we start a huge debate, my point isn’t to say all books over 10 bullet points stink!  In fact, that’s not the case at all.  I only want to point out that with all the confusing information out there, if you can stick to the basics when it comes to nutrition and build upon it, you will be successful. Why am I doing this? Because there’s a fine line that separates those who know and those that don’t.  It’s my wish to help those who are confused as I was to get some fundamentals down and then learn on their own.   I only wish when I was younger somebody had at least told me the above that I could have written on a note card.  I wasn’t ready to read 250 pages or figure out calories and worry about macro-nutrient ratios. But I would have responded to some short bullet points and then expanded upon those as I learned. What You Can Learn From the Iron Gym If you are already following the above give or take, most likely you are on the right path.  If you are not, you might be missing out on a critical nutrition pillar that can have you building muscle fast.  Maybe you are not eating enough?  Maybe you can’t stay away from processed and refined foods?  Maybe you drink later at night? These simple bullet points seem stupid I know and I don’t agree with them all but generally speaking, they are quite sound and would benefit most.  Then you can learn at your own pace and adjust as necessary. You start by following the basics and that’s how you build muscle fast. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” Author of the The NoBull Bodybuilding Program Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-12,23862288 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:45:23 -0800 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, build muscle fast http://odeo.com/episodes/23849931-The-Body-Fat-Solution-Review Book Review:  The Body Fat Solution: 5 Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight (Avery/Penguin, 2009; 250 pages) by Tom Venuto Audio Version:  Body Fat Solution audio (MP3) version of book will be on iTunes and audible. It seems like everyday there’s a new diet book released.  It’s not everyday one comes out that will change your life.  Or, as The Wall Street Journal said earlier this week, the Body Fat Solution is more “attitude adjustment” than diet book. Introducing The Body Fat Solution Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert with an extensive career in nutrition research and a lifetime drug free bodybuilding competitor.  Tom Venuto has been involved in almost every aspect of the fitness industry including weight loss, a personal trainer to thousands of clients, nutrition consultation, motivational coach, fitness model, health club manager and bestselling author of the #1 ebook, Burn the Fat Fe... Book Review:  The Body Fat Solution: 5 Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight (Avery/Penguin, 2009; 250 pages) by Tom Venuto Audio Version:  Body Fat Solution audio (MP3) version of book will be on iTunes and audible. It seems like everyday there’s a new diet book released.  It’s not everyday one comes out that will change your life.  Or, as The Wall Street Journal said earlier this week, the Body Fat Solution is more “attitude adjustment” than diet book. Introducing The Body Fat Solution Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert with an extensive career in nutrition research and a lifetime drug free bodybuilding competitor.  Tom Venuto has been involved in almost every aspect of the fitness industry including weight loss, a personal trainer to thousands of clients, nutrition consultation, motivational coach, fitness model, health club manager and bestselling author of the #1 ebook, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.  He’s been involved in other online works such as MP3 (audio) seminars and recently The Burn the Fat Inner Circle, a weight loss community support site. That’s Tom’s resume as found on his latest book, The Body Fat Solution. How I Personally Know Tom But I know Tom as a personal friend.  I found his original Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle ebook back in 2003.   I realized this was the person I needed as mentor eighteen years ago.   Tom achieved his physique using simple but proven fundamentals.  I know this to be true as it’s the way I’ve packed on muscle myself and how every successful bodybuilder does it today.  It’s no secret.  As Tom says early in the introduction, “I developed my physique naturally with nutrient dense food, carefully controlled calorie intake, progressive resistance weight training,  the right dose of cardio,  mind focused and well formed goals,  strong emotional drive and great support thru friends, training partners and mentors.” Who is the Body Fat Solution Written For? As Tom says, “It was written for men and women who are overweight.  It’s also for people who were previously overweight who want to maintain their ideal weight for the rest of their lives.  This book is for the person who doesn’t have all day to spend in the gym or in the kitchen preparing complicated meals.” Tom sets the stage by explaining the overall problem and what leads to it.  You cannot solve a problem without first understanding it and grasping the issues behind it.  Once the problem is explained the attitudes and belief system can be attacked.  Tom Venuto outlines the 8 Weight Loss Myths early on: Myth #1:  You can eat as much as you want and still lose weight Myth #2:  Overweight people have a slower metabolism than thin people Myth #3:  Some people are diet-resistant and can’t lose weight Myth #4:  Your genetics are why you are overweight Myth #5:  Dietary fat makes you gain body fat Myth #6:  Carbohydrates make you fat Myth #7:  Dietary changes for health and weight loss are one and the same Myth #8:  Insulin or insulin resistance causes obesity Venuto makes it very clear in one of several statements about the body fat problem when he says “Removing body fat is not simply a matter of going on a diet — it’s a much more complex issue, involving every area of your life.” This Is More Than Another Thinking Yourself Thin Book Nutrition, calories, metabolism and the focus on weight training as the foundation for any exercise program is extensively covered. Photos are included to show the proper demonstration of the most basic of exercises that could be easily done in a gym or at home.  Social support is given more than a paragraph as many people now realize the accountability and strength gained when in a group setting. Towards the end is an appendix of recommend foods and the calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber breakdowns.  These foods are of course things you’d easily find at the grocery store.  Recipes aren’t included or meal plans but they can be located on The Body Fat Solution site. It’s clear to me after reading this, Tom’s goal was to give the reader a tool set for the following: encourage attitude changes for more than just positive thinking stop any negative behaviors we have towards food burn fat and build muscle eat healthy yet tasty foods.  Eating healthy doesn’t have to be an awful culinary experience become motivated thru social support, journals, accountability, progress charts strategies for controlling your appetite breaking a fat loss plateau and what to do if you reach one You Can Make Excuses Or Get Results, But You Can’t Do Both The Body Fat Solution is not a diet.  It’s a program on how to burn fat and build muscle which will increase your metabolism.  It’s the only fix to the obesity epidemic that faces the world.  You won’t need any pills, drinks or supplements to do it.  It’s not gimmicky, based on a new discovery or requires anything that would be questionable or dangerous. I can’t guarantee you that this book will fix everything in your life and that you will suddenly be healthy, lean and ripped like a fitness model.  But I honestly think there are some phenomenal ideas in this book that will certainly help you out.  For most people, it boils down to a change in a handful of daily behaviors and a shift in mindset. Pros: Re-program your mind to develop “auto-pilot” success habits Offers up a diagnosis of the obesity and weight problem Encourages the readers to change mindsets vs. just mindless activity Step by step instructions for modifying your life for this to work Nothing crazy to do or follow; anybody can do this Cons: Says it’s not for bodybuilders (like me) but it is.  There’s tons of value I recommend The Body Fat Solution as I feel both personally and professionally that it is of major benefit to anybody looking to get leaner.  While it’s catered to the people struggling with weight loss, truly anybody who’s looking to get as lean as possible will be able to use these steps. With that, I’d like to do a little something special.  This is your chance to sell your story to me. THE OFFER:  Tell me in 100-300 words why The Body Fat Solution is something you need, I’d like to send you a copy. A real book, not an ebook, that you can hold in your hands.  Be sure to include your e-mail address within the comment in the spam safe format.  (e.g. marc[at]nobullbodybuilding.com) so that I can communicate with you directly on how to ship 1 copy of The Body Fat Solution to you.  This offer expires whenever I’ve chosen 10 comments on this post.  The 10 winning comments will be selected by me at my discretion.   Winners will be announced on this post in the comments section by me and I will begin contacting those winners individually. * Please note, I have to order these copies myself and when they arrive, ship them out individually. * ** Your email address in the comments section will only be used by me to contact you personally.  You will not be signed up by me for anything.  ** *** If you aren’t one of the lucky few or you’d rather get multiple copies, keep reading as there’s still ways to get some massive value including bonus material that Tom Venuto is offering AND a sweepstakes entry that doesn’t require the purchase of anything to enter. *** A FAVOR:  If you have purchased the book and have enjoyed it, would you please do a review of the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble’s website.  There are many people out there who would rather write a dishonest review of a book they’ve never read.  We both know that you can’t judge a book or a wine bottle by the cover.  If you can, write an honest review.  Positive or negative but only if you’ve read the book of course. I do wish you the best for 2009.  There’s a lot of interesting things in the works this year and I will try to alert you to the best ones.  And if you haven’t joined me on Facebook as a friend on my page or my tweets on Twitter, be sure to do so to get information fast! Get your copy of the book everyone is talking about: ==>  http://www.TheBodyFatSolution.com Don’t Believe Me?  Here’s Some Other Reviews: The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto - This Book Rocks! - JoLynn Braley Women and Weight Loss Reviews Belly Off: The Trainer Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” Author of The NoBull Bodybuilding Program P.S. - Get two or more copies and receive 13 valuable bonuses worth $265.  Go to http://www.thebodyfatsolution.com to register and skip my offer for your bonuses. P.P.S. -  While you’re at www.thebodyfatsolution , enter the body fat solution sweepstakes for a chance to win one of Five 5-year memberships to Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle ‘AND’ a personally autographed copy of the book. No purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. P.P.P.S. - If you are a lucky winner for my offer, you can still enter the sweepstakes.  I’m a contributing member to the Burn the Fat Inner Circle and hands down, it’s the best online community support.  Heck, I’m not just a contributer, I’m a regular member that uses it for my own motivation and support. Related posts The Body Fat Solution (3) Basic Premise of Critical Thinking (0) Fat Burn Files Review (3) Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) Burn The Fat 2.0 (1) Book Review:  The Body Fat Solution: 5 Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight (Avery/Penguin, 2009; 250 pages) by Tom Venuto Audio Version:  Body Fat Solution audio (MP3) version of book will be on iTunes and audible. It seems like everyday there’s a new diet book released.  It’s not everyday one comes out that will change your life.  Or, as The Wall Street Journal said earlier this week, the Body Fat Solution is more “attitude adjustment” than diet book. Introducing The Body Fat Solution Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert with an extensive career in nutrition research and a lifetime drug free bodybuilding competitor.  Tom Venuto has been involved in almost every aspect of the fitness industry including weight loss, a personal trainer to thousands of clients, nutrition consultation, motivational coach, fitness model, health club manager and bestselling author of the #1 ebook, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.  He’s been involved in other online works such as MP3 (audio) seminars and recently The Burn the Fat Inner Circle, a weight loss community support site. That’s Tom’s resume as found on his latest book, The Body Fat Solution. How I Personally Know Tom But I know Tom as a personal friend.  I found his original Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle ebook back in 2003.   I realized this was the person I needed as mentor eighteen years ago.   Tom achieved his physique using simple but proven fundamentals.  I know this to be true as it’s the way I’ve packed on muscle myself and how every successful bodybuilder does it today.  It’s no secret.  As Tom says early in the introduction, “I developed my physique naturally with nutrient dense food, carefully controlled calorie intake, progressive resistance weight training,  the right dose of cardio,  mind focused and well formed goals,  strong emotional drive and great support thru friends, training partners and mentors.” Who is the Body Fat Solution Written For? As Tom says, “It was written for men and women who are overweight.  It’s also for people who were previously overweight who want to maintain their ideal weight for the rest of their lives.  This book is for the person who doesn’t have all day to spend in the gym or in the kitchen preparing complicated meals.” Tom sets the stage by explaining the overall problem and what leads to it.  You cannot solve a problem without first understanding it and grasping the issues behind it.  Once the problem is explained the attitudes and belief system can be attacked.  Tom Venuto outlines the 8 Weight Loss Myths early on: Myth #1:  You can eat as much as you want and still lose weight Myth #2:  Overweight people have a slower metabolism than thin people Myth #3:  Some people are diet-resistant and can’t lose weight Myth #4:  Your genetics are why you are overweight Myth #5:  Dietary fat makes you gain body fat Myth #6:  Carbohydrates make you fat Myth #7:  Dietary changes for health and weight loss are one and the same Myth #8:  Insulin or insulin resistance causes obesity Venuto makes it very clear in one of several statements about the body fat problem when he says “Removing body fat is not simply a matter of going on a diet — it’s a much more complex issue, involving every area of your life.” This Is More Than Another Thinking Yourself Thin Book Nutrition, calories, metabolism and the focus on weight training as the foundation for any exercise program is extensively covered. Photos are included to show the proper demonstration of the most basic of exercises that could be easily done in a gym or at home.  Social support is given more than a paragraph as many people now realize the accountability and strength gained when in a group setting. Towards the end is an appendix of recommend foods and the calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber breakdowns.  These foods are of course things you’d easily find at the grocery store.  Recipes aren’t included or meal plans but they can be located on The Body Fat Solution site. It’s clear to me after reading this, Tom’s goal was to give the reader a tool set for the following: encourage attitude changes for more than just positive thinking stop any negative behaviors we have towards food burn fat and build muscle eat healthy yet tasty foods.  Eating healthy doesn’t have to be an awful culinary experience become motivated thru social support, journals, accountability, progress charts strategies for controlling your appetite breaking a fat loss plateau and what to do if you reach one You Can Make Excuses Or Get Results, But You Can’t Do Both The Body Fat Solution is not a diet.  It’s a program on how to burn fat and build muscle which will increase your metabolism.  It’s the only fix to the obesity epidemic that faces the world.  You won’t need any pills, drinks or supplements to do it.  It’s not gimmicky, based on a new discovery or requires anything that would be questionable or dangerous. I can’t guarantee you that this book will fix everything in your life and that you will suddenly be healthy, lean and ripped like a fitness model.  But I honestly think there are some phenomenal ideas in this book that will certainly help you out.  For most people, it boils down to a change in a handful of daily behaviors and a shift in mindset. Pros: Re-program your mind to develop “auto-pilot” success habits Offers up a diagnosis of the obesity and weight problem Encourages the readers to change mindsets vs. just mindless activity Step by step instructions for modifying your life for this to work Nothing crazy to do or follow; anybody can do this Cons: Says it’s not for bodybuilders (like me) but it is.  There’s tons of value I recommend The Body Fat Solution as I feel both personally and professionally that it is of major benefit to anybody looking to get leaner.  While it’s catered to the people struggling with weight loss, truly anybody who’s looking to get as lean as possible will be able to use these steps. With that, I’d like to do a little something special.  This is your chance to sell your story to me. THE OFFER:  Tell me in 100-300 words why The Body Fat Solution is something you need, I’d like to send you a copy. A real book, not an ebook, that you can hold in your hands.  Be sure to include your e-mail address within the comment in the spam safe format.  (e.g. marc[at]nobullbodybuilding.com) so that I can communicate with you directly on how to ship 1 copy of The Body Fat Solution to you.  This offer expires whenever I’ve chosen 10 comments on this post.  The 10 winning comments will be selected by me at my discretion.   Winners will be announced on this post in the comments section by me and I will begin contacting those winners individually. * Please note, I have to order these copies myself and when they arrive, ship them out individually. * ** Your email address in the comments section will only be used by me to contact you personally.  You will not be signed up by me for anything.  ** *** If you aren’t one of the lucky few or you’d rather get multiple copies, keep reading as there’s still ways to get some massive value including bonus material that Tom Venuto is offering AND a sweepstakes entry that doesn’t require the purchase of anything to enter. *** A FAVOR:  If you have purchased the book and have enjoyed it, would you please do a review of the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble’s website.  There are many people out there who would rather write a dishonest review of a book they’ve never read.  We both know that you can’t judge a book or a wine bottle by the cover.  If you can, write an honest review.  Positive or negative but only if you’ve read the book of course. I do wish you the best for 2009.  There’s a lot of interesting things in the works this year and I will try to alert you to the best ones.  And if you haven’t joined me on Facebook as a friend on my page or my tweets on Twitter, be sure to do so to get information fast! Get your copy of the book everyone is talking about: ==>  http://www.TheBodyFatSolution.com Don’t Believe Me?  Here’s Some Other Reviews: The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto - This Book Rocks! - JoLynn Braley Women and Weight Loss Reviews Belly Off: The Trainer Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” Author of The NoBull Bodybuilding Program P.S. - Get two or more copies and receive 13 valuable bonuses worth $265.  Go to http://www.thebodyfatsolution.com to register and skip my offer for your bonuses. P.P.S. -  While you’re at www.thebodyfatsolution , enter the body fat solution sweepstakes for a chance to win one of Five 5-year memberships to Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle ‘AND’ a personally autographed copy of the book. No purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. P.P.P.S. - If you are a lucky winner for my offer, you can still enter the sweepstakes.  I’m a contributing member to the Burn the Fat Inner Circle and hands down, it’s the best online community support.  Heck, I’m not just a contributer, I’m a regular member that uses it for my own motivation and support. Related posts The Body Fat Solution (3) Basic Premise of Critical Thinking (0) Fat Burn Files Review (3) Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) Burn The Fat 2.0 (1) tag:odeo.com,2009-01-08,23849931 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:03:09 -0800 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David tom venuto, body fat solution, News & Current Events http://odeo.com/episodes/23513659-Training-for-a-Triathlon-While-Cutting Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal? Thanks so much, Michael Gruen Answer: See the podcast link below. Related posts Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (2) The Body Fat Solution (2) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (0) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal? Thanks so much, Michael Gruen Answer: See the podcast link below. Related posts Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (2) The Body Fat Solution (2) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (0) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal? Thanks so much, Michael Gruen Answer: See the podcast link below. Related posts Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (2) The Body Fat Solution (2) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (0) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-21,23513659 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:46:56 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, weight loss, Reader Q&A http://odeo.com/episodes/23615929-Training-for-a-Triathlon-While-Cutting Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal? Thanks so much, Michael Gruen Answer: See the podcast link below. Related posts Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) The Body Fat Solution (2) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal? Thanks so much, Michael Gruen Answer: See the podcast link below. Related posts Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) The Body Fat Solution (2) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal? Thanks so much, Michael Gruen Answer: See the podcast link below. Related posts Three Ways to Cut Your Grocery in an Economic Crisis (5) The Body Fat Solution (2) Supplement Users Commited Regardless of Economy (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-21,23615929 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:46:56 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, weight loss, Reader Q&A http://odeo.com/episodes/23509103-8-Little-Known-Traits-of-Successful-Bodybuilders We all know the “rules” of bodybuilding.  Hard work (intensity), applied consistently over a period of time will yield significant results. But some of the best and most impressive bodybuilders have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how having faith, angry and focused (in the right ways) can create breakthrough success on your own body. 1.  Don’t Over Analyze While listening to another episode of the Skip LaCour podcast, Skip said something that struck home and it’s something I’ve been thinking and noticing for the longest time in my own industry. The level of knowledge and attention to detail rarely matches the physique. If it’s your job to know this stuff, by all means learn and if you just thrive on facts and interesting fitness information, by all means, go for it.  Learning is fun but my point is… Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that doesn’t matter that you forget the basics. Some of the smartest people I know in this field don... We all know the “rules” of bodybuilding.  Hard work (intensity), applied consistently over a period of time will yield significant results. But some of the best and most impressive bodybuilders have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how having faith, angry and focused (in the right ways) can create breakthrough success on your own body. 1.  Don’t Over Analyze While listening to another episode of the Skip LaCour podcast, Skip said something that struck home and it’s something I’ve been thinking and noticing for the longest time in my own industry. The level of knowledge and attention to detail rarely matches the physique. If it’s your job to know this stuff, by all means learn and if you just thrive on facts and interesting fitness information, by all means, go for it.  Learning is fun but my point is… Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that doesn’t matter that you forget the basics. Some of the smartest people I know in this field don’t even look like they train! Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Just train like a madman (or woman), workout hard and do just enough to stimulate growth.  If your program is working for you, forget the validation.  Just keep doing it! 2.  Don’t Know Everything A lot of times, I think beginners have the BEST advantage.  Their minds are open.  They are willing to listen and try new things.  After some time, reading and training, they start to lose that beginners edge that makes their minds open and ready to absorb like a sponge.  Not knowing everything and keeping an open mind will allow you to move through the journey and not worry about some ultimate destination. Building muscle and burning fat is not a singular destination that once you reach, that’s all she wrote.  It’s a series of journeys back and forth using different concepts and times of year to keep making progress.  By allowing yourself not to know it all, you actually become smarter and more able to understand concepts and reason better. All to often I meet somebody who’s not even close to their potential, they are 40 lbs or more off their stated goals and yet, they know more than anybody else.  They know more than many of the experts put together. What they don’t understand is they’ve learn some good things and some bad and aren’t able to ditch the bad stuff and keep learning because once you’ve told yourself you know it all.  Your mind shuts off to new or different information that could otherwise help you. You don’t have to be a beginner physically for that long but if you can keep the beginners mindset, you’ll be smarter than most. 3.  Get Mad Once and While Vent!  Get angry and use that anger to direct it towards actively doing something about it.  Better yet, use that pent up angst to workout harder in the gym and take it out on the weights.  Working out is a super stress reliever.  Stress is a killer, literally. It’s okay to get mad and use that frustration to push yourself.  Being frustrated or angry becuase something isn’t happening in your physique is okay. 4.  Stop Trying to Discount and Debunk Every Theory It’s fine to have some clarity and certainty in what you are doing.  Spending excessive amounts of time debating and debunking every training theory or new program is mostly a quest for validation that whatever you are doing is the right thing to do.  It becomes self-justification. Some of the most successful bodybuilders I know don’t know everything about nutrition or how muscle grows.  They just follow the basics and make significant progress.  They don’t spend hours trying to prove their theories (unless they have a theory).  They just do it. I’m not really worried if deadlifts should be done on a back day or a leg day or if there is a slightly better way to squat if I don’t go to parallel.  I’ve seen message forum threads about protein deprivation go on for over 10 pages from people (who I don’t know their credentials) attempt to prove it cannot work. 5.  Break the Unbreakable Rules Give yourself some wiggle room.  Let’s put it this way, if you skip 1 workout in a 7 day week, you just missed 14%!  That same workout in a year is only .2%.  Which is so minor, you’ve never know about it and it does not matter. Skip a week and you’ve missed 100% of your potential progress.  That same week is roughly 0.3% in 6 years. Put things into perspective.  Consistency is the backbone of progress.  It’s what will make your physique change over years and have your family and friends asking for your super secret plan.  What “illegals” you took to get huge or what diet you followed to lose the baby fat. Give yourself some room to make mistakes.  You miss a meal?  Big deal.  You didn’t drink your allotted water for the day?  So what.  You missed legs?  Oh no how will you survive!  Don’t make a habit of breaking the rules (that’s called inconsistency) but missing some stuff here and there is not a deal breaker. 6.  Take a Leap of Faith Sometimes it is just good to follow a new program or nutritional idea to the letter.  Instead of worrying if it will work or the reasons why it can’t work, just follow it.  Don’t ask questions initially.  Later you can take the results and introduce your own perceptions and feelings.  Instead of saying that a certain rep range cannot build muscle, just try it.  Take a leap of faith and see if the concept turns into real world results. While everybody is different there are fundamentals and principles that work for everybody all of the time.  Debating, over analyzing eventually leads to paralysis. Once you have reach the point where you can no longer try anything new because it goes against what you know to be true, that’s when you will cease to make progress. When I start a new training program that I think will work based on what I’ve read, I look for some certainty and validation but I follow it to the letter.  I don’t ask questions.  I don’t e-mail the author and argue why it cannot work.  I try it and if it works, I keep it for later use.  If not, I toss it out.  I’ve saved countless hours and headaches not wasting my time trying to prove somebody wrong when in the end, all it would truly be is validation that whatever I’m doing at the time is the right thing to do. To be honest, nobody know exactly how muscle is built.  All we know is that the right amount of stimulation, not too much and not too little, is how it grows through weight training. 7.  Forget Genetics and Focus on You I can’t tell you how many e-mails and phone consultations I’ve done when the 2nd question is about genetics and the potential to succeed.  Whenever that question comes up, I know right away the person is doomed if they can’t change their line of thinking. “Genetics do not matter to the natural bodybuilder.  But your genetics will only take you so far in competition.” - Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE If you are and plan on being a natural bodybuilder, then this question truly deserves no answer. If you plan on stepping on stage, then genetics can be a factor (among other things) but if you let that slip into your mind and it brings about negative thoughts, that is far more damaging than having the perfect wrist size or bone structure. Some of the males and females I personally know who stepped on stage and did fantastic were not the most genetically gifted people.  They felt they didn’t have the bone structure for true bodybuilding but it didn’t’ matter to them.  They didn’t live within limits and they never worried about genetics. Some of the most genetically gifted people I know (they look at a weight and grow muscle) never put forth any effort into bodybuilding and many people who you would never look at them twice have far surpassed their genetic rivals. It’s an unknown factor that nobody can answer. 8.  Don’t Pay Too Much Attention to the Latest Training/Nutrition Flavor of the Month Now I love to give advice here at BodybuildingSecretsLive, and I personally benefited hugely from several fitness experts advice before I ever started writing here. It’s great to absorb how-to articles that speak to you, and to try new programs. But at the end of the day, the thing that makes your physique great is you. Don’t get so caught up in minor details or some new hyped of program that you forget what makes your body change (hard work, consistency, time).  The basis. The most “perfect” training program in the world would be deathly dull.  Great workouts are quirky, weird, and challenging–just like interesting people are. Learn the fundamental rules, get advice, then be passionate about your goals and see what happens. If you get a wild hair, go ahead and try it.  You might love it, your body might hate it.  The great thing about a bodybuilding is, there’s always another workout tomorrow. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts That’s NOT Revolutionary! (1) Secrets to Award Winning Physiques Revealed (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) About Marc (0) 10 Reasons You Are Not a Successful Bodybuilder (3) We all know the “rules” of bodybuilding.  Hard work (intensity), applied consistently over a period of time will yield significant results. But some of the best and most impressive bodybuilders have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how having faith, angry and focused (in the right ways) can create breakthrough success on your own body. 1.  Don’t Over Analyze While listening to another episode of the Skip LaCour podcast, Skip said something that struck home and it’s something I’ve been thinking and noticing for the longest time in my own industry. The level of knowledge and attention to detail rarely matches the physique. If it’s your job to know this stuff, by all means learn and if you just thrive on facts and interesting fitness information, by all means, go for it.  Learning is fun but my point is… Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that doesn’t matter that you forget the basics. Some of the smartest people I know in this field don’t even look like they train! Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Just train like a madman (or woman), workout hard and do just enough to stimulate growth.  If your program is working for you, forget the validation.  Just keep doing it! 2.  Don’t Know Everything A lot of times, I think beginners have the BEST advantage.  Their minds are open.  They are willing to listen and try new things.  After some time, reading and training, they start to lose that beginners edge that makes their minds open and ready to absorb like a sponge.  Not knowing everything and keeping an open mind will allow you to move through the journey and not worry about some ultimate destination. Building muscle and burning fat is not a singular destination that once you reach, that’s all she wrote.  It’s a series of journeys back and forth using different concepts and times of year to keep making progress.  By allowing yourself not to know it all, you actually become smarter and more able to understand concepts and reason better. All to often I meet somebody who’s not even close to their potential, they are 40 lbs or more off their stated goals and yet, they know more than anybody else.  They know more than many of the experts put together. What they don’t understand is they’ve learn some good things and some bad and aren’t able to ditch the bad stuff and keep learning because once you’ve told yourself you know it all.  Your mind shuts off to new or different information that could otherwise help you. You don’t have to be a beginner physically for that long but if you can keep the beginners mindset, you’ll be smarter than most. 3.  Get Mad Once and While Vent!  Get angry and use that anger to direct it towards actively doing something about it.  Better yet, use that pent up angst to workout harder in the gym and take it out on the weights.  Working out is a super stress reliever.  Stress is a killer, literally. It’s okay to get mad and use that frustration to push yourself.  Being frustrated or angry becuase something isn’t happening in your physique is okay. 4.  Stop Trying to Discount and Debunk Every Theory It’s fine to have some clarity and certainty in what you are doing.  Spending excessive amounts of time debating and debunking every training theory or new program is mostly a quest for validation that whatever you are doing is the right thing to do.  It becomes self-justification. Some of the most successful bodybuilders I know don’t know everything about nutrition or how muscle grows.  They just follow the basics and make significant progress.  They don’t spend hours trying to prove their theories (unless they have a theory).  They just do it. I’m not really worried if deadlifts should be done on a back day or a leg day or if there is a slightly better way to squat if I don’t go to parallel.  I’ve seen message forum threads about protein deprivation go on for over 10 pages from people (who I don’t know their credentials) attempt to prove it cannot work. 5.  Break the Unbreakable Rules Give yourself some wiggle room.  Let’s put it this way, if you skip 1 workout in a 7 day week, you just missed 14%!  That same workout in a year is only .2%.  Which is so minor, you’ve never know about it and it does not matter. Skip a week and you’ve missed 100% of your potential progress.  That same week is roughly 0.3% in 6 years. Put things into perspective.  Consistency is the backbone of progress.  It’s what will make your physique change over years and have your family and friends asking for your super secret plan.  What “illegals” you took to get huge or what diet you followed to lose the baby fat. Give yourself some room to make mistakes.  You miss a meal?  Big deal.  You didn’t drink your allotted water for the day?  So what.  You missed legs?  Oh no how will you survive!  Don’t make a habit of breaking the rules (that’s called inconsistency) but missing some stuff here and there is not a deal breaker. 6.  Take a Leap of Faith Sometimes it is just good to follow a new program or nutritional idea to the letter.  Instead of worrying if it will work or the reasons why it can’t work, just follow it.  Don’t ask questions initially.  Later you can take the results and introduce your own perceptions and feelings.  Instead of saying that a certain rep range cannot build muscle, just try it.  Take a leap of faith and see if the concept turns into real world results. While everybody is different there are fundamentals and principles that work for everybody all of the time.  Debating, over analyzing eventually leads to paralysis. Once you have reach the point where you can no longer try anything new because it goes against what you know to be true, that’s when you will cease to make progress. When I start a new training program that I think will work based on what I’ve read, I look for some certainty and validation but I follow it to the letter.  I don’t ask questions.  I don’t e-mail the author and argue why it cannot work.  I try it and if it works, I keep it for later use.  If not, I toss it out.  I’ve saved countless hours and headaches not wasting my time trying to prove somebody wrong when in the end, all it would truly be is validation that whatever I’m doing at the time is the right thing to do. To be honest, nobody know exactly how muscle is built.  All we know is that the right amount of stimulation, not too much and not too little, is how it grows through weight training. 7.  Forget Genetics and Focus on You I can’t tell you how many e-mails and phone consultations I’ve done when the 2nd question is about genetics and the potential to succeed.  Whenever that question comes up, I know right away the person is doomed if they can’t change their line of thinking. “Genetics do not matter to the natural bodybuilder.  But your genetics will only take you so far in competition.” - Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE If you are and plan on being a natural bodybuilder, then this question truly deserves no answer. If you plan on stepping on stage, then genetics can be a factor (among other things) but if you let that slip into your mind and it brings about negative thoughts, that is far more damaging than having the perfect wrist size or bone structure. Some of the males and females I personally know who stepped on stage and did fantastic were not the most genetically gifted people.  They felt they didn’t have the bone structure for true bodybuilding but it didn’t’ matter to them.  They didn’t live within limits and they never worried about genetics. Some of the most genetically gifted people I know (they look at a weight and grow muscle) never put forth any effort into bodybuilding and many people who you would never look at them twice have far surpassed their genetic rivals. It’s an unknown factor that nobody can answer. 8.  Don’t Pay Too Much Attention to the Latest Training/Nutrition Flavor of the Month Now I love to give advice here at BodybuildingSecretsLive, and I personally benefited hugely from several fitness experts advice before I ever started writing here. It’s great to absorb how-to articles that speak to you, and to try new programs. But at the end of the day, the thing that makes your physique great is you. Don’t get so caught up in minor details or some new hyped of program that you forget what makes your body change (hard work, consistency, time).  The basis. The most “perfect” training program in the world would be deathly dull.  Great workouts are quirky, weird, and challenging–just like interesting people are. Learn the fundamental rules, get advice, then be passionate about your goals and see what happens. If you get a wild hair, go ahead and try it.  You might love it, your body might hate it.  The great thing about a bodybuilding is, there’s always another workout tomorrow. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts That’s NOT Revolutionary! (1) Secrets to Award Winning Physiques Revealed (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) About Marc (0) 10 Reasons You Are Not a Successful Bodybuilder (3) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-14,23509103 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:21:27 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David articles, Motivational Quotes, Bodybuilding http://odeo.com/episodes/23615930-8-Little-Known-Traits-of-Successful-Bodybuilders We all know the “rules” of bodybuilding.  Hard work (intensity), applied consistently over a period of time will yield significant results. But some of the best and most impressive bodybuilders have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how having faith, angry and focused (in the right ways) can create breakthrough success on your own body. 1.  Don’t Over Analyze While listening to another episode of the Skip LaCour podcast, Skip said something that struck home and it’s something I’ve been thinking and noticing for the longest time in my own industry. The level of knowledge and attention to detail rarely matches the physique. If it’s your job to know this stuff, by all means learn and if you just thrive on facts and interesting fitness information, by all means, go for it.  Learning is fun but my point is… Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that doesn’t matter that you forget the basics. Some of the smartest people I know in this field don... We all know the “rules” of bodybuilding.  Hard work (intensity), applied consistently over a period of time will yield significant results. But some of the best and most impressive bodybuilders have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how having faith, angry and focused (in the right ways) can create breakthrough success on your own body. 1.  Don’t Over Analyze While listening to another episode of the Skip LaCour podcast, Skip said something that struck home and it’s something I’ve been thinking and noticing for the longest time in my own industry. The level of knowledge and attention to detail rarely matches the physique. If it’s your job to know this stuff, by all means learn and if you just thrive on facts and interesting fitness information, by all means, go for it.  Learning is fun but my point is… Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that doesn’t matter that you forget the basics. Some of the smartest people I know in this field don’t even look like they train! Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Just train like a madman (or woman), workout hard and do just enough to stimulate growth.  If your program is working for you, forget the validation.  Just keep doing it! 2.  Don’t Know Everything A lot of times, I think beginners have the BEST advantage.  Their minds are open.  They are willing to listen and try new things.  After some time, reading and training, they start to lose that beginners edge that makes their minds open and ready to absorb like a sponge.  Not knowing everything and keeping an open mind will allow you to move through the journey and not worry about some ultimate destination. Building muscle and burning fat is not a singular destination that once you reach, that’s all she wrote.  It’s a series of journeys back and forth using different concepts and times of year to keep making progress.  By allowing yourself not to know it all, you actually become smarter and more able to understand concepts and reason better. All to often I meet somebody who’s not even close to their potential, they are 40 lbs or more off their stated goals and yet, they know more than anybody else.  They know more than many of the experts put together. What they don’t understand is they’ve learn some good things and some bad and aren’t able to ditch the bad stuff and keep learning because once you’ve told yourself you know it all.  Your mind shuts off to new or different information that could otherwise help you. You don’t have to be a beginner physically for that long but if you can keep the beginners mindset, you’ll be smarter than most. 3.  Get Mad Once and While Vent!  Get angry and use that anger to direct it towards actively doing something about it.  Better yet, use that pent up angst to workout harder in the gym and take it out on the weights.  Working out is a super stress reliever.  Stress is a killer, literally. It’s okay to get mad and use that frustration to push yourself.  Being frustrated or angry becuase something isn’t happening in your physique is okay. 4.  Stop Trying to Discount and Debunk Every Theory It’s fine to have some clarity and certainty in what you are doing.  Spending excessive amounts of time debating and debunking every training theory or new program is mostly a quest for validation that whatever you are doing is the right thing to do.  It becomes self-justification. Some of the most successful bodybuilders I know don’t know everything about nutrition or how muscle grows.  They just follow the basics and make significant progress.  They don’t spend hours trying to prove their theories (unless they have a theory).  They just do it. I’m not really worried if deadlifts should be done on a back day or a leg day or if there is a slightly better way to squat if I don’t go to parallel.  I’ve seen message forum threads about protein deprivation go on for over 10 pages from people (who I don’t know their credentials) attempt to prove it cannot work. 5.  Break the Unbreakable Rules Give yourself some wiggle room.  Let’s put it this way, if you skip 1 workout in a 7 day week, you just missed 14%!  That same workout in a year is only .2%.  Which is so minor, you’ve never know about it and it does not matter. Skip a week and you’ve missed 100% of your potential progress.  That same week is roughly 0.3% in 6 years. Put things into perspective.  Consistency is the backbone of progress.  It’s what will make your physique change over years and have your family and friends asking for your super secret plan.  What “illegals” you took to get huge or what diet you followed to lose the baby fat. Give yourself some room to make mistakes.  You miss a meal?  Big deal.  You didn’t drink your allotted water for the day?  So what.  You missed legs?  Oh no how will you survive!  Don’t make a habit of breaking the rules (that’s called inconsistency) but missing some stuff here and there is not a deal breaker. 6.  Take a Leap of Faith Sometimes it is just good to follow a new program or nutritional idea to the letter.  Instead of worrying if it will work or the reasons why it can’t work, just follow it.  Don’t ask questions initially.  Later you can take the results and introduce your own perceptions and feelings.  Instead of saying that a certain rep range cannot build muscle, just try it.  Take a leap of faith and see if the concept turns into real world results. While everybody is different there are fundamentals and principles that work for everybody all of the time.  Debating, over analyzing eventually leads to paralysis. Once you have reach the point where you can no longer try anything new because it goes against what you know to be true, that’s when you will cease to make progress. When I start a new training program that I think will work based on what I’ve read, I look for some certainty and validation but I follow it to the letter.  I don’t ask questions.  I don’t e-mail the author and argue why it cannot work.  I try it and if it works, I keep it for later use.  If not, I toss it out.  I’ve saved countless hours and headaches not wasting my time trying to prove somebody wrong when in the end, all it would truly be is validation that whatever I’m doing at the time is the right thing to do. To be honest, nobody know exactly how muscle is built.  All we know is that the right amount of stimulation, not too much and not too little, is how it grows through weight training. 7.  Forget Genetics and Focus on You I can’t tell you how many e-mails and phone consultations I’ve done when the 2nd question is about genetics and the potential to succeed.  Whenever that question comes up, I know right away the person is doomed if they can’t change their line of thinking. “Genetics do not matter to the natural bodybuilder.  But your genetics will only take you so far in competition.” - Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE If you are and plan on being a natural bodybuilder, then this question truly deserves no answer. If you plan on stepping on stage, then genetics can be a factor (among other things) but if you let that slip into your mind and it brings about negative thoughts, that is far more damaging than having the perfect wrist size or bone structure. Some of the males and females I personally know who stepped on stage and did fantastic were not the most genetically gifted people.  They felt they didn’t have the bone structure for true bodybuilding but it didn’t’ matter to them.  They didn’t live within limits and they never worried about genetics. Some of the most genetically gifted people I know (they look at a weight and grow muscle) never put forth any effort into bodybuilding and many people who you would never look at them twice have far surpassed their genetic rivals. It’s an unknown factor that nobody can answer. 8.  Don’t Pay Too Much Attention to the Latest Training/Nutrition Flavor of the Month Now I love to give advice here at BodybuildingSecretsLive, and I personally benefited hugely from several fitness experts advice before I ever started writing here. It’s great to absorb how-to articles that speak to you, and to try new programs. But at the end of the day, the thing that makes your physique great is you. Don’t get so caught up in minor details or some new hyped of program that you forget what makes your body change (hard work, consistency, time).  The basis. The most “perfect” training program in the world would be deathly dull.  Great workouts are quirky, weird, and challenging–just like interesting people are. Learn the fundamental rules, get advice, then be passionate about your goals and see what happens. If you get a wild hair, go ahead and try it.  You might love it, your body might hate it.  The great thing about a bodybuilding is, there’s always another workout tomorrow. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts That’s NOT Revolutionary! (1) Secrets to Award Winning Physiques Revealed (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) About Marc (0) 10 Reasons You Are Not a Successful Bodybuilder (3) We all know the “rules” of bodybuilding.  Hard work (intensity), applied consistently over a period of time will yield significant results. But some of the best and most impressive bodybuilders have traits that might surprise you. Here’s how having faith, angry and focused (in the right ways) can create breakthrough success on your own body. 1.  Don’t Over Analyze While listening to another episode of the Skip LaCour podcast, Skip said something that struck home and it’s something I’ve been thinking and noticing for the longest time in my own industry. The level of knowledge and attention to detail rarely matches the physique. If it’s your job to know this stuff, by all means learn and if you just thrive on facts and interesting fitness information, by all means, go for it.  Learning is fun but my point is… Don’t get so caught up in the stuff that doesn’t matter that you forget the basics. Some of the smartest people I know in this field don’t even look like they train! Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Just train like a madman (or woman), workout hard and do just enough to stimulate growth.  If your program is working for you, forget the validation.  Just keep doing it! 2.  Don’t Know Everything A lot of times, I think beginners have the BEST advantage.  Their minds are open.  They are willing to listen and try new things.  After some time, reading and training, they start to lose that beginners edge that makes their minds open and ready to absorb like a sponge.  Not knowing everything and keeping an open mind will allow you to move through the journey and not worry about some ultimate destination. Building muscle and burning fat is not a singular destination that once you reach, that’s all she wrote.  It’s a series of journeys back and forth using different concepts and times of year to keep making progress.  By allowing yourself not to know it all, you actually become smarter and more able to understand concepts and reason better. All to often I meet somebody who’s not even close to their potential, they are 40 lbs or more off their stated goals and yet, they know more than anybody else.  They know more than many of the experts put together. What they don’t understand is they’ve learn some good things and some bad and aren’t able to ditch the bad stuff and keep learning because once you’ve told yourself you know it all.  Your mind shuts off to new or different information that could otherwise help you. You don’t have to be a beginner physically for that long but if you can keep the beginners mindset, you’ll be smarter than most. 3.  Get Mad Once and While Vent!  Get angry and use that anger to direct it towards actively doing something about it.  Better yet, use that pent up angst to workout harder in the gym and take it out on the weights.  Working out is a super stress reliever.  Stress is a killer, literally. It’s okay to get mad and use that frustration to push yourself.  Being frustrated or angry becuase something isn’t happening in your physique is okay. 4.  Stop Trying to Discount and Debunk Every Theory It’s fine to have some clarity and certainty in what you are doing.  Spending excessive amounts of time debating and debunking every training theory or new program is mostly a quest for validation that whatever you are doing is the right thing to do.  It becomes self-justification. Some of the most successful bodybuilders I know don’t know everything about nutrition or how muscle grows.  They just follow the basics and make significant progress.  They don’t spend hours trying to prove their theories (unless they have a theory).  They just do it. I’m not really worried if deadlifts should be done on a back day or a leg day or if there is a slightly better way to squat if I don’t go to parallel.  I’ve seen message forum threads about protein deprivation go on for over 10 pages from people (who I don’t know their credentials) attempt to prove it cannot work. 5.  Break the Unbreakable Rules Give yourself some wiggle room.  Let’s put it this way, if you skip 1 workout in a 7 day week, you just missed 14%!  That same workout in a year is only .2%.  Which is so minor, you’ve never know about it and it does not matter. Skip a week and you’ve missed 100% of your potential progress.  That same week is roughly 0.3% in 6 years. Put things into perspective.  Consistency is the backbone of progress.  It’s what will make your physique change over years and have your family and friends asking for your super secret plan.  What “illegals” you took to get huge or what diet you followed to lose the baby fat. Give yourself some room to make mistakes.  You miss a meal?  Big deal.  You didn’t drink your allotted water for the day?  So what.  You missed legs?  Oh no how will you survive!  Don’t make a habit of breaking the rules (that’s called inconsistency) but missing some stuff here and there is not a deal breaker. 6.  Take a Leap of Faith Sometimes it is just good to follow a new program or nutritional idea to the letter.  Instead of worrying if it will work or the reasons why it can’t work, just follow it.  Don’t ask questions initially.  Later you can take the results and introduce your own perceptions and feelings.  Instead of saying that a certain rep range cannot build muscle, just try it.  Take a leap of faith and see if the concept turns into real world results. While everybody is different there are fundamentals and principles that work for everybody all of the time.  Debating, over analyzing eventually leads to paralysis. Once you have reach the point where you can no longer try anything new because it goes against what you know to be true, that’s when you will cease to make progress. When I start a new training program that I think will work based on what I’ve read, I look for some certainty and validation but I follow it to the letter.  I don’t ask questions.  I don’t e-mail the author and argue why it cannot work.  I try it and if it works, I keep it for later use.  If not, I toss it out.  I’ve saved countless hours and headaches not wasting my time trying to prove somebody wrong when in the end, all it would truly be is validation that whatever I’m doing at the time is the right thing to do. To be honest, nobody know exactly how muscle is built.  All we know is that the right amount of stimulation, not too much and not too little, is how it grows through weight training. 7.  Forget Genetics and Focus on You I can’t tell you how many e-mails and phone consultations I’ve done when the 2nd question is about genetics and the potential to succeed.  Whenever that question comes up, I know right away the person is doomed if they can’t change their line of thinking. “Genetics do not matter to the natural bodybuilder.  But your genetics will only take you so far in competition.” - Hugo A. Rivera, CFT, SPN, BSCE If you are and plan on being a natural bodybuilder, then this question truly deserves no answer. If you plan on stepping on stage, then genetics can be a factor (among other things) but if you let that slip into your mind and it brings about negative thoughts, that is far more damaging than having the perfect wrist size or bone structure. Some of the males and females I personally know who stepped on stage and did fantastic were not the most genetically gifted people.  They felt they didn’t have the bone structure for true bodybuilding but it didn’t’ matter to them.  They didn’t live within limits and they never worried about genetics. Some of the most genetically gifted people I know (they look at a weight and grow muscle) never put forth any effort into bodybuilding and many people who you would never look at them twice have far surpassed their genetic rivals. It’s an unknown factor that nobody can answer. 8.  Don’t Pay Too Much Attention to the Latest Training/Nutrition Flavor of the Month Now I love to give advice here at BodybuildingSecretsLive, and I personally benefited hugely from several fitness experts advice before I ever started writing here. It’s great to absorb how-to articles that speak to you, and to try new programs. But at the end of the day, the thing that makes your physique great is you. Don’t get so caught up in minor details or some new hyped of program that you forget what makes your body change (hard work, consistency, time).  The basis. The most “perfect” training program in the world would be deathly dull.  Great workouts are quirky, weird, and challenging–just like interesting people are. Learn the fundamental rules, get advice, then be passionate about your goals and see what happens. If you get a wild hair, go ahead and try it.  You might love it, your body might hate it.  The great thing about a bodybuilding is, there’s always another workout tomorrow. Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts That’s NOT Revolutionary! (1) Secrets to Award Winning Physiques Revealed (0) Bodybuilding with Hugo Rivera (3) About Marc (0) 10 Reasons You Are Not a Successful Bodybuilder (3) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-14,23615930 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:21:27 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David articles, Motivational Quotes, Bodybuilding http://odeo.com/episodes/23615931-Children%E2%80%99s-Exercise-Lacking-Say-Experts You know we always talk about our OWN fitness and how to stay in shape, but have you seen some of the KIDS these days?  An estimated 60 MILLION kids are classified as overweight… Check out this short news story about the HARSH REALITY of this growing epidemic… WPvideo 1.10 In a resort published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests the 1 hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. Findings Worth Noting: 42 percent of boys and only 11 percent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise. Exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time. Does this mean if you send Joe or Jane outside for 10 minutes or 90 minutes and they run around, they could still be having weight issues?  Absolutely.  The value of exe... You know we always talk about our OWN fitness and how to stay in shape, but have you seen some of the KIDS these days?  An estimated 60 MILLION kids are classified as overweight… Check out this short news story about the HARSH REALITY of this growing epidemic… WPvideo 1.10 In a resort published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests the 1 hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. Findings Worth Noting: 42 percent of boys and only 11 percent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise. Exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time. Does this mean if you send Joe or Jane outside for 10 minutes or 90 minutes and they run around, they could still be having weight issues?  Absolutely.  The value of exercise cannot be underestimated in terms of stress and other conditions but exercise alone is not enough. “However the researchers did believe that improving children’s diets, which they claim to have “changed markedly” over the last two decades, would be likely to have a greater impact on their overall health and weight.” Just like adults, nutrition plays a major role in shaping your body.  As the once late and great Vince Gironda used to say “Bodybuilding is 80% nutrition.” And I’m sure you’ve heard that you can’t out train a bad diet?  Maybe your child, niece or nephew won’t be a bodybuilding champion anytime soon but the same principles apply to our kids. I personally think there’s 3 reasons why kids are becoming fatter today and please, use the comment box below to add your own theories. Theory #1:  Parents are simply too busy anymore to pay attention to what’s being eaten. Moms and Dads work and there’s a lot more unsupervised children. Theory #2:  Parents don’t know what to do about it. Using food as punishment, taking away the sweets, making comments about your kids appearance in hopes they will take it upon themselves to eat better or telling them scary facts about becoming overweight is not the connection that will help them eat properly or make better choices as adults. Theory #3: It’s very easy to make bad choices. While vending machines have improved in schools, it varies from school to school even down to the lunch programs.  It’s very quick and easy to grab what looks like a healthy energy drink, only to read the labels and see it’s loaded with calories and sugar.  Most kids go for taste and don’t pay any attention.  That leaves it up to the schools to determine what’s in the machines. I’m more of a firm believer in Theory #2.  I’ve found that even the healthiest parents have some of the most unfit kids.  It’s a disconnect between the parent and child because kids just don’t care about that stuff (yet). Most parents I talk to know how to eat properly, they know portion sizes and they can tell a good choice from a bad choice.  But they have little to no idea how to get their kids interested in nutrition without forcing it upon them.  And more often than not, if the parents themselves are not or never have been overweight, they have no idea of the name calling and teasing that can go on at school which can damage self-esteem and lead to a list of other problems. Most parents struggle with finding REAL SOLUTIONS for their son or daughter’s weight gain. But there is a solution.  Make it a family effort! Obesity is not just your child’s problem.  It is a problem that the whole family must be involved in solving.  Your child lives within your family environment. It’s called “Raising Fit Kids” and if you have an overweight child, you’re going to say “FINALLY!”  It covers Raising Fit Kids EVERYTHING you need to know to help you kid.  Developed by Jeff Anderson, who has a 14 year old himself struggling with a weight issue, he figured something had to be done. But here’s the problem according to Jeff… “A lot of DOCTORS don’t know what advice to give parents about their kid’s weight problem! Government organizations and other community services are trying…but often just offer “tips”. But “tips” and “doctors’ advice” dished out in a 5 minute checkup do NOT help parents with ALL of the challenges they face when trying to help their child.” Personally I find it odd that the few parents I’ve had conversations with who expressed concerned about their potentially overweight child, when asked what they were actively doing about it, they weren’t sure how to approach it.  When I mentioned a few resources including Raising Fit Kid, they didn’t seem all that interested. Many there’s a secret Theory #4 that nobody wants to talk about or admit.  Maybe a lot of parents just don’t care.   I hope I’m way off base on that one as being a parent myself, I do care and I hope other parents care too.  This isn’t a matter of just sending your child outside more.  Or taking away the “bad” snacks in the house.  It’s getting them connected early on about nutrition in a different way.  It’s only going to work if learning is somewhat fun or event driven.  Scaring them with stories about diabetes or belittling them about their image in hopes they will step up and do something is not the way to change the eating behaviors an an 8 year old. Study after study is showing we have a serious issue and it’s not going away.  If you need to understand nutrition but are struggling with how to approach the subject to your child, Raising Fit Kids is worth a look.  Or at least pass it along to somebody else who may be frustrated and facing a potential childhood obesity issue. I think most parents do care and with busy lives and not enough high quality information with exact steps of what to do, it’s frustrating.  Putting our children on medication to help them with weight is 100% Absolutely Positively Not the solution! Resource: Raising Fit Kids Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) The Body Fat Solution (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight (1) You know we always talk about our OWN fitness and how to stay in shape, but have you seen some of the KIDS these days?  An estimated 60 MILLION kids are classified as overweight… Check out this short news story about the HARSH REALITY of this growing epidemic… WPvideo 1.10 In a resort published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests the 1 hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. Findings Worth Noting: 42 percent of boys and only 11 percent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise. Exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time. Does this mean if you send Joe or Jane outside for 10 minutes or 90 minutes and they run around, they could still be having weight issues?  Absolutely.  The value of exercise cannot be underestimated in terms of stress and other conditions but exercise alone is not enough. “However the researchers did believe that improving children’s diets, which they claim to have “changed markedly” over the last two decades, would be likely to have a greater impact on their overall health and weight.” Just like adults, nutrition plays a major role in shaping your body.  As the once late and great Vince Gironda used to say “Bodybuilding is 80% nutrition.” And I’m sure you’ve heard that you can’t out train a bad diet?  Maybe your child, niece or nephew won’t be a bodybuilding champion anytime soon but the same principles apply to our kids. I personally think there’s 3 reasons why kids are becoming fatter today and please, use the comment box below to add your own theories. Theory #1:  Parents are simply too busy anymore to pay attention to what’s being eaten. Moms and Dads work and there’s a lot more unsupervised children. Theory #2:  Parents don’t know what to do about it. Using food as punishment, taking away the sweets, making comments about your kids appearance in hopes they will take it upon themselves to eat better or telling them scary facts about becoming overweight is not the connection that will help them eat properly or make better choices as adults. Theory #3: It’s very easy to make bad choices. While vending machines have improved in schools, it varies from school to school even down to the lunch programs.  It’s very quick and easy to grab what looks like a healthy energy drink, only to read the labels and see it’s loaded with calories and sugar.  Most kids go for taste and don’t pay any attention.  That leaves it up to the schools to determine what’s in the machines. I’m more of a firm believer in Theory #2.  I’ve found that even the healthiest parents have some of the most unfit kids.  It’s a disconnect between the parent and child because kids just don’t care about that stuff (yet). Most parents I talk to know how to eat properly, they know portion sizes and they can tell a good choice from a bad choice.  But they have little to no idea how to get their kids interested in nutrition without forcing it upon them.  And more often than not, if the parents themselves are not or never have been overweight, they have no idea of the name calling and teasing that can go on at school which can damage self-esteem and lead to a list of other problems. Most parents struggle with finding REAL SOLUTIONS for their son or daughter’s weight gain. But there is a solution.  Make it a family effort! Obesity is not just your child’s problem.  It is a problem that the whole family must be involved in solving.  Your child lives within your family environment. It’s called “Raising Fit Kids” and if you have an overweight child, you’re going to say “FINALLY!”  It covers Raising Fit Kids EVERYTHING you need to know to help you kid.  Developed by Jeff Anderson, who has a 14 year old himself struggling with a weight issue, he figured something had to be done. But here’s the problem according to Jeff… “A lot of DOCTORS don’t know what advice to give parents about their kid’s weight problem! Government organizations and other community services are trying…but often just offer “tips”. But “tips” and “doctors’ advice” dished out in a 5 minute checkup do NOT help parents with ALL of the challenges they face when trying to help their child.” Personally I find it odd that the few parents I’ve had conversations with who expressed concerned about their potentially overweight child, when asked what they were actively doing about it, they weren’t sure how to approach it.  When I mentioned a few resources including Raising Fit Kid, they didn’t seem all that interested. Many there’s a secret Theory #4 that nobody wants to talk about or admit.  Maybe a lot of parents just don’t care.   I hope I’m way off base on that one as being a parent myself, I do care and I hope other parents care too.  This isn’t a matter of just sending your child outside more.  Or taking away the “bad” snacks in the house.  It’s getting them connected early on about nutrition in a different way.  It’s only going to work if learning is somewhat fun or event driven.  Scaring them with stories about diabetes or belittling them about their image in hopes they will step up and do something is not the way to change the eating behaviors an an 8 year old. Study after study is showing we have a serious issue and it’s not going away.  If you need to understand nutrition but are struggling with how to approach the subject to your child, Raising Fit Kids is worth a look.  Or at least pass it along to somebody else who may be frustrated and facing a potential childhood obesity issue. I think most parents do care and with busy lives and not enough high quality information with exact steps of what to do, it’s frustrating.  Putting our children on medication to help them with weight is 100% Absolutely Positively Not the solution! Resource: Raising Fit Kids Related posts Training for a Triathlon While Cutting (0) The Body Fat Solution (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight (1) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-11,23615931 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:32:16 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weight loss, Childhood Obesity, News & Current Events http://odeo.com/episodes/23475915-Children%E2%80%99s-Exercise-Lacking-Say-Experts You know we always talk about our OWN fitness and how to stay in shape, but have you seen some of the KIDS these days?  An estimated 60 MILLION kids are classified as overweight… Check out this short news story about the HARSH REALITY of this growing epidemic… WPvideo 1.10 In a resort published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests the 1 hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. Findings Worth Noting: 42 percent of boys and only 11 percent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise. Exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time. Does this mean if you send Joe or Jane outside for 10 minutes or 90 minutes and they run around, they could still be having weight issues?  Absolutely.  The value of exe... You know we always talk about our OWN fitness and how to stay in shape, but have you seen some of the KIDS these days?  An estimated 60 MILLION kids are classified as overweight… Check out this short news story about the HARSH REALITY of this growing epidemic… WPvideo 1.10 In a resort published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests the 1 hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. Findings Worth Noting: 42 percent of boys and only 11 percent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise. Exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time. Does this mean if you send Joe or Jane outside for 10 minutes or 90 minutes and they run around, they could still be having weight issues?  Absolutely.  The value of exercise cannot be underestimated in terms of stress and other conditions but exercise alone is not enough. “However the researchers did believe that improving children’s diets, which they claim to have “changed markedly” over the last two decades, would be likely to have a greater impact on their overall health and weight.” Just like adults, nutrition plays a major role in shaping your body.  As the once late and great Vince Gironda used to say “Bodybuilding is 80% nutrition.” And I’m sure you’ve heard that you can’t out train a bad diet?  Maybe your child, niece or nephew won’t be a bodybuilding champion anytime soon but the same principles apply to our kids. I personally think there’s 3 reasons why kids are becoming fatter today and please, use the comment box below to add your own theories. Theory #1:  Parents are simply too busy anymore to pay attention to what’s being eaten. Moms and Dads work and there’s a lot more unsupervised children. Theory #2:  Parents don’t know what to do about it. Using food as punishment, taking away the sweets, making comments about your kids appearance in hopes they will take it upon themselves to eat better or telling them scary facts about becoming overweight is not the connection that will help them eat properly or make better choices as adults. Theory #3: It’s very easy to make bad choices. While vending machines have improved in schools, it varies from school to school even down to the lunch programs.  It’s very quick and easy to grab what looks like a healthy energy drink, only to read the labels and see it’s loaded with calories and sugar.  Most kids go for taste and don’t pay any attention.  That leaves it up to the schools to determine what’s in the machines. I’m more of a firm believer in Theory #2.  I’ve found that even the healthiest parents have some of the most unfit kids.  It’s a disconnect between the parent and child because kids just don’t care about that stuff (yet). Most parents I talk to know how to eat properly, they know portion sizes and they can tell a good choice from a bad choice.  But they have little to no idea how to get their kids interested in nutrition without forcing it upon them.  And more often than not, if the parents themselves are not or never have been overweight, they have no idea of the name calling and teasing that can go on at school which can damage self-esteem and lead to a list of other problems. Most parents struggle with finding REAL SOLUTIONS for their son or daughter’s weight gain. But there is a solution.  Make it a family effort! Obesity is not just your child’s problem.  It is a problem that the whole family must be involved in solving.  Your child lives within your family environment. It’s called “Raising Fit Kids” and if you have an overweight child, you’re going to say “FINALLY!”  It covers Raising Fit Kids EVERYTHING you need to know to help you kid.  Developed by Jeff Anderson, who has a 14 year old himself struggling with a weight issue, he figured something had to be done. But here’s the problem according to Jeff… “A lot of DOCTORS don’t know what advice to give parents about their kid’s weight problem! Government organizations and other community services are trying…but often just offer “tips”. But “tips” and “doctors’ advice” dished out in a 5 minute checkup do NOT help parents with ALL of the challenges they face when trying to help their child.” Personally I find it odd that the few parents I’ve had conversations with who expressed concerned about their potentially overweight child, when asked what they were actively doing about it, they weren’t sure how to approach it.  When I mentioned a few resources including Raising Fit Kid, they didn’t seem all that interested. Many there’s a secret Theory #4 that nobody wants to talk about or admit.  Maybe a lot of parents just don’t care.   I hope I’m way off base on that one as being a parent myself, I do care and I hope other parents care too.  This isn’t a matter of just sending your child outside more.  Or taking away the “bad” snacks in the house.  It’s getting them connected early on about nutrition in a different way.  It’s only going to work if learning is somewhat fun or event driven.  Scaring them with stories about diabetes or belittling them about their image in hopes they will step up and do something is not the way to change the eating behaviors an an 8 year old. Study after study is showing we have a serious issue and it’s not going away.  If you need to understand nutrition but are struggling with how to approach the subject to your child, Raising Fit Kids is worth a look.  Or at least pass it along to somebody else who may be frustrated and facing a potential childhood obesity issue. I think most parents do care and with busy lives and not enough high quality information with exact steps of what to do, it’s frustrating.  Putting our children on medication to help them with weight is 100% Absolutely Positively Not the solution! Resource: Raising Fit Kids Related posts The Body Fat Solution (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight (1) Craig Ballantyne - 4 Greatest Secrets in Fat Loss History (0) You know we always talk about our OWN fitness and how to stay in shape, but have you seen some of the KIDS these days?  An estimated 60 MILLION kids are classified as overweight… Check out this short news story about the HARSH REALITY of this growing epidemic… WPvideo 1.10 In a resort published in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood, researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, UK, have carried out research that suggests the 1 hour of moderate exercise a day recommended to children from health experts may not be enough to tackle the rising problem of childhood obesity. Findings Worth Noting: 42 percent of boys and only 11 percent of girls met the government recommended daily exercise level of one hour of moderate exercise. Exercise alone had no positive effect on weight control over time. Does this mean if you send Joe or Jane outside for 10 minutes or 90 minutes and they run around, they could still be having weight issues?  Absolutely.  The value of exercise cannot be underestimated in terms of stress and other conditions but exercise alone is not enough. “However the researchers did believe that improving children’s diets, which they claim to have “changed markedly” over the last two decades, would be likely to have a greater impact on their overall health and weight.” Just like adults, nutrition plays a major role in shaping your body.  As the once late and great Vince Gironda used to say “Bodybuilding is 80% nutrition.” And I’m sure you’ve heard that you can’t out train a bad diet?  Maybe your child, niece or nephew won’t be a bodybuilding champion anytime soon but the same principles apply to our kids. I personally think there’s 3 reasons why kids are becoming fatter today and please, use the comment box below to add your own theories. Theory #1:  Parents are simply too busy anymore to pay attention to what’s being eaten. Moms and Dads work and there’s a lot more unsupervised children. Theory #2:  Parents don’t know what to do about it. Using food as punishment, taking away the sweets, making comments about your kids appearance in hopes they will take it upon themselves to eat better or telling them scary facts about becoming overweight is not the connection that will help them eat properly or make better choices as adults. Theory #3: It’s very easy to make bad choices. While vending machines have improved in schools, it varies from school to school even down to the lunch programs.  It’s very quick and easy to grab what looks like a healthy energy drink, only to read the labels and see it’s loaded with calories and sugar.  Most kids go for taste and don’t pay any attention.  That leaves it up to the schools to determine what’s in the machines. I’m more of a firm believer in Theory #2.  I’ve found that even the healthiest parents have some of the most unfit kids.  It’s a disconnect between the parent and child because kids just don’t care about that stuff (yet). Most parents I talk to know how to eat properly, they know portion sizes and they can tell a good choice from a bad choice.  But they have little to no idea how to get their kids interested in nutrition without forcing it upon them.  And more often than not, if the parents themselves are not or never have been overweight, they have no idea of the name calling and teasing that can go on at school which can damage self-esteem and lead to a list of other problems. Most parents struggle with finding REAL SOLUTIONS for their son or daughter’s weight gain. But there is a solution.  Make it a family effort! Obesity is not just your child’s problem.  It is a problem that the whole family must be involved in solving.  Your child lives within your family environment. It’s called “Raising Fit Kids” and if you have an overweight child, you’re going to say “FINALLY!”  It covers Raising Fit Kids EVERYTHING you need to know to help you kid.  Developed by Jeff Anderson, who has a 14 year old himself struggling with a weight issue, he figured something had to be done. But here’s the problem according to Jeff… “A lot of DOCTORS don’t know what advice to give parents about their kid’s weight problem! Government organizations and other community services are trying…but often just offer “tips”. But “tips” and “doctors’ advice” dished out in a 5 minute checkup do NOT help parents with ALL of the challenges they face when trying to help their child.” Personally I find it odd that the few parents I’ve had conversations with who expressed concerned about their potentially overweight child, when asked what they were actively doing about it, they weren’t sure how to approach it.  When I mentioned a few resources including Raising Fit Kid, they didn’t seem all that interested. Many there’s a secret Theory #4 that nobody wants to talk about or admit.  Maybe a lot of parents just don’t care.   I hope I’m way off base on that one as being a parent myself, I do care and I hope other parents care too.  This isn’t a matter of just sending your child outside more.  Or taking away the “bad” snacks in the house.  It’s getting them connected early on about nutrition in a different way.  It’s only going to work if learning is somewhat fun or event driven.  Scaring them with stories about diabetes or belittling them about their image in hopes they will step up and do something is not the way to change the eating behaviors an an 8 year old. Study after study is showing we have a serious issue and it’s not going away.  If you need to understand nutrition but are struggling with how to approach the subject to your child, Raising Fit Kids is worth a look.  Or at least pass it along to somebody else who may be frustrated and facing a potential childhood obesity issue. I think most parents do care and with busy lives and not enough high quality information with exact steps of what to do, it’s frustrating.  Putting our children on medication to help them with weight is 100% Absolutely Positively Not the solution! Resource: Raising Fit Kids Related posts The Body Fat Solution (2) Should Weight Loss Claims be Classified as Disease Claims? (3) How To Lose 20 Pounds Really, Really Fast (2) How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight (1) Craig Ballantyne - 4 Greatest Secrets in Fat Loss History (0) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-11,23475915 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:32:16 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weight loss, Childhood Obesity, News & Current Events http://odeo.com/episodes/23472411-Good-Mornings-or-Good-Night Although I can’t say I’ve seen Good Mornings done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how a proper Good Morning should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.  This is one exercise that almost everybody gets wrong. Case Study #1: WPvideo 1.10 I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He’s been instrumental in helping me train legs. I’ve never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it’s coming from a reliable source that’s much better then any scientific study. He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That’s a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, wit... Although I can’t say I’ve seen Good Mornings done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how a proper Good Morning should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.  This is one exercise that almost everybody gets wrong. Case Study #1: WPvideo 1.10 I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He’s been instrumental in helping me train legs. I’ve never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it’s coming from a reliable source that’s much better then any scientific study. He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That’s a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, with 225 lbs. How he didn’t break his neck is somewhat of a miracle. Case Study #2: WPvideo 1.10 As with any exercise, and the motivation of a bodybuilder, we will continue to push ourselves to new limits.  There are many other options for compound movements that do the same thing but with much less of a risk. So skip the good mornings and try some dead-lifts or stiff-legged dead-lifts. You won’t be missing out on anything by skipping the good mornings except maybe weeks of recovery or a broken neck if you don’t do them right or forget this is an isolation movement and not a compound. Now I’ve been hounded since the day I first recommended against doing the exercise called “Good Mornings.”  I personally find you can build up a strong lower back using many other, safer exercises.  But in all fairness, you can do these correctly if you let go of that silly mentality to load up the bar every week as if you were trying to set a new bench press record.  It’s an isolation exercise and while other muscles are involved, it’s still considered an isolation exercise for the low back muscle group. But I was able to find just one.. ONE.. video showing the proper technique.  I found over 40 videos on YouTube of fully loaded bars that were nothing more than really bad squats. Video of Good Mornings Done Right (opens in a new window) Proper Technique: Place a barbell on your shoulders Keep your head up and your back straight Bend at the waist with your legs locked until your upper body is parallel to the floor Return slowly to the standing position Notes: Can also be done with the knees slightly bent Technique over weight Using lighter weight Not bouncing Not using momentum Not trying to do some modified squat or glute thrust Slow, controlled, focused on lower back While you won’t personally catch me doing a Good Morning exercise in my gym, that doesn’t mean they cannot be done correctly.  From the last video above, they can and if you are one of those people that must try every exercise, then keep those points in mind.  I would never wish a back injury upon anybody. Here’s hoping you stay injury free, Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) Although I can’t say I’ve seen Good Mornings done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how a proper Good Morning should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.  This is one exercise that almost everybody gets wrong. Case Study #1: WPvideo 1.10 I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He’s been instrumental in helping me train legs. I’ve never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it’s coming from a reliable source that’s much better then any scientific study. He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That’s a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, with 225 lbs. How he didn’t break his neck is somewhat of a miracle. Case Study #2: WPvideo 1.10 As with any exercise, and the motivation of a bodybuilder, we will continue to push ourselves to new limits.  There are many other options for compound movements that do the same thing but with much less of a risk. So skip the good mornings and try some dead-lifts or stiff-legged dead-lifts. You won’t be missing out on anything by skipping the good mornings except maybe weeks of recovery or a broken neck if you don’t do them right or forget this is an isolation movement and not a compound. Now I’ve been hounded since the day I first recommended against doing the exercise called “Good Mornings.”  I personally find you can build up a strong lower back using many other, safer exercises.  But in all fairness, you can do these correctly if you let go of that silly mentality to load up the bar every week as if you were trying to set a new bench press record.  It’s an isolation exercise and while other muscles are involved, it’s still considered an isolation exercise for the low back muscle group. But I was able to find just one.. ONE.. video showing the proper technique.  I found over 40 videos on YouTube of fully loaded bars that were nothing more than really bad squats. Video of Good Mornings Done Right (opens in a new window) Proper Technique: Place a barbell on your shoulders Keep your head up and your back straight Bend at the waist with your legs locked until your upper body is parallel to the floor Return slowly to the standing position Notes: Can also be done with the knees slightly bent Technique over weight Using lighter weight Not bouncing Not using momentum Not trying to do some modified squat or glute thrust Slow, controlled, focused on lower back While you won’t personally catch me doing a Good Morning exercise in my gym, that doesn’t mean they cannot be done correctly.  From the last video above, they can and if you are one of those people that must try every exercise, then keep those points in mind.  I would never wish a back injury upon anybody. Here’s hoping you stay injury free, Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-10,23472411 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:46:40 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David exercise, lower back, Training & Exercise http://odeo.com/episodes/23615932-Good-Mornings-or-Good-Night Although I can’t say I’ve seen Good Mornings done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how a proper Good Morning should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.  This is one exercise that almost everybody gets wrong. Case Study #1: WPvideo 1.10 I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He’s been instrumental in helping me train legs. I’ve never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it’s coming from a reliable source that’s much better then any scientific study. He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That’s a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, wit... Although I can’t say I’ve seen Good Mornings done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how a proper Good Morning should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.  This is one exercise that almost everybody gets wrong. Case Study #1: WPvideo 1.10 I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He’s been instrumental in helping me train legs. I’ve never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it’s coming from a reliable source that’s much better then any scientific study. He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That’s a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, with 225 lbs. How he didn’t break his neck is somewhat of a miracle. Case Study #2: WPvideo 1.10 As with any exercise, and the motivation of a bodybuilder, we will continue to push ourselves to new limits.  There are many other options for compound movements that do the same thing but with much less of a risk. So skip the good mornings and try some dead-lifts or stiff-legged dead-lifts. You won’t be missing out on anything by skipping the good mornings except maybe weeks of recovery or a broken neck if you don’t do them right or forget this is an isolation movement and not a compound. Now I’ve been hounded since the day I first recommended against doing the exercise called “Good Mornings.”  I personally find you can build up a strong lower back using many other, safer exercises.  But in all fairness, you can do these correctly if you let go of that silly mentality to load up the bar every week as if you were trying to set a new bench press record.  It’s an isolation exercise and while other muscles are involved, it’s still considered an isolation exercise for the low back muscle group. But I was able to find just one.. ONE.. video showing the proper technique.  I found over 40 videos on YouTube of fully loaded bars that were nothing more than really bad squats. Video of Good Mornings Done Right (opens in a new window) Proper Technique: Place a barbell on your shoulders Keep your head up and your back straight Bend at the waist with your legs locked until your upper body is parallel to the floor Return slowly to the standing position Notes: Can also be done with the knees slightly bent Technique over weight Using lighter weight Not bouncing Not using momentum Not trying to do some modified squat or glute thrust Slow, controlled, focused on lower back While you won’t personally catch me doing a Good Morning exercise in my gym, that doesn’t mean they cannot be done correctly.  From the last video above, they can and if you are one of those people that must try every exercise, then keep those points in mind.  I would never wish a back injury upon anybody. Here’s hoping you stay injury free, Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) Although I can’t say I’ve seen Good Mornings done in quite some time, I know that growing up I saw plenty of pictures of how a proper Good Morning should be done. If I had more then 3 wishes left in this lamp, I wish that somebody would go find every book and every website with this exercise and cross it out with a Sharpie pen.  This is one exercise that almost everybody gets wrong. Case Study #1: WPvideo 1.10 I have a very good friend, who will remain nameless, that gave me another tidbit of advice. He’s been instrumental in helping me train legs. I’ve never pushed myself so hard. So when he gives advice, I know it’s coming from a reliable source that’s much better then any scientific study. He began with some good mornings. At first it was the bar. Then it was 20 lbs. on each side. Pretty soon he was doing 225 lbs. That’s a lot of weight. But having the strength to do it and the youth, he pushed on. Until one day, POP! Forward he went, with 225 lbs. How he didn’t break his neck is somewhat of a miracle. Case Study #2: WPvideo 1.10 As with any exercise, and the motivation of a bodybuilder, we will continue to push ourselves to new limits.  There are many other options for compound movements that do the same thing but with much less of a risk. So skip the good mornings and try some dead-lifts or stiff-legged dead-lifts. You won’t be missing out on anything by skipping the good mornings except maybe weeks of recovery or a broken neck if you don’t do them right or forget this is an isolation movement and not a compound. Now I’ve been hounded since the day I first recommended against doing the exercise called “Good Mornings.”  I personally find you can build up a strong lower back using many other, safer exercises.  But in all fairness, you can do these correctly if you let go of that silly mentality to load up the bar every week as if you were trying to set a new bench press record.  It’s an isolation exercise and while other muscles are involved, it’s still considered an isolation exercise for the low back muscle group. But I was able to find just one.. ONE.. video showing the proper technique.  I found over 40 videos on YouTube of fully loaded bars that were nothing more than really bad squats. Video of Good Mornings Done Right (opens in a new window) Proper Technique: Place a barbell on your shoulders Keep your head up and your back straight Bend at the waist with your legs locked until your upper body is parallel to the floor Return slowly to the standing position Notes: Can also be done with the knees slightly bent Technique over weight Using lighter weight Not bouncing Not using momentum Not trying to do some modified squat or glute thrust Slow, controlled, focused on lower back While you won’t personally catch me doing a Good Morning exercise in my gym, that doesn’t mean they cannot be done correctly.  From the last video above, they can and if you are one of those people that must try every exercise, then keep those points in mind.  I would never wish a back injury upon anybody. Here’s hoping you stay injury free, Marc David “The NoBull Muscle Guy” www.nobullbodybuilding.com Related posts 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-10-10,23615932 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:46:40 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David exercise, lower back, Training & Exercise http://odeo.com/episodes/23351558-How-To-Help-Your-Child-or-Teen-Lose-Weight Date: Monday, September 15, 2008 Rumor Heard: This comes straight from Jeff Anderson, the author of Optimum Anabolics.  He’s releasing a series of help books for parents and children to address health and fitness at an earlier age called How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight. Here’s what’s included: 1. Main eBook 2. Metabolism Makeover For Children (And Parents!) - ebook 3  How To Raise Your Child’s Self Esteem - ebook 4. Fast, Fit, Kid-Friendly Snacks & Meals - ebook 5. Health Nut Family Secrets - mp3 audio Why Jeff is Doing This: “When I take my son to school, I’m AMAZED at how overweight some children are. It infuritates me! Yeah, there’s the “health” aspect to it but frankly, kids don’t know (or care) much about that. It’s the EMOTIONAL IMPACT from the bullying and teasing that does the real damage at this age! I was always one to stick up for these kids in school so I’m hoping to make a real impact... Date: Monday, September 15, 2008 Rumor Heard: This comes straight from Jeff Anderson, the author of Optimum Anabolics.  He’s releasing a series of help books for parents and children to address health and fitness at an earlier age called How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight. Here’s what’s included: 1. Main eBook 2. Metabolism Makeover For Children (And Parents!) - ebook 3  How To Raise Your Child’s Self Esteem - ebook 4. Fast, Fit, Kid-Friendly Snacks & Meals - ebook 5. Health Nut Family Secrets - mp3 audio Why Jeff is Doing This: “When I take my son to school, I’m AMAZED at how overweight some children are. It infuritates me! Yeah, there’s the “health” aspect to it but frankly, kids don’t know (or care) much about that. It’s the EMOTIONAL IMPACT from the bullying and teasing that does the real damage at this age! I was always one to stick up for these kids in school so I’m hoping to make a real impact on at least an educational level with this project.” Congratulations Jeff!  I hope this turns out to be a success.  Getting to the younger generation now could help combat the impending obesity problem the United States and the rest of the world is facing.  Giving parents the resources they need to educate their children while making it fun sounds to me like a fantastic idea. Related posts Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) Combat the Fat: You Pick the Winner of The Weight Loss Challenge (1) Date: Monday, September 15, 2008 Rumor Heard: This comes straight from Jeff Anderson, the author of Optimum Anabolics.  He’s releasing a series of help books for parents and children to address health and fitness at an earlier age called How To Help Your Child or Teen Lose Weight. Here’s what’s included: 1. Main eBook 2. Metabolism Makeover For Children (And Parents!) - ebook 3  How To Raise Your Child’s Self Esteem - ebook 4. Fast, Fit, Kid-Friendly Snacks & Meals - ebook 5. Health Nut Family Secrets - mp3 audio Why Jeff is Doing This: “When I take my son to school, I’m AMAZED at how overweight some children are. It infuritates me! Yeah, there’s the “health” aspect to it but frankly, kids don’t know (or care) much about that. It’s the EMOTIONAL IMPACT from the bullying and teasing that does the real damage at this age! I was always one to stick up for these kids in school so I’m hoping to make a real impact on at least an educational level with this project.” Congratulations Jeff!  I hope this turns out to be a success.  Getting to the younger generation now could help combat the impending obesity problem the United States and the rest of the world is facing.  Giving parents the resources they need to educate their children while making it fun sounds to me like a fantastic idea. Related posts Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) Combat the Fat: You Pick the Winner of The Weight Loss Challenge (1) tag:odeo.com,2008-09-15,23351558 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:34:40 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David Childhood Obesity, lose weight, Jeff Anderson, News & Current Events http://odeo.com/episodes/23108938-Surprisingly-Simple-%E2%80%9CPre-Workout-Energy-Drink%E2%80%9D-Video This video rocks! This six minute video will show you step by step how to make your own homemade supplement energy workout drink. But before you watch the video, let me tell you some of the reasons why I like it so much. For starters… we’ve all spent countless dollars on supplements. Who hasn’t tried a fat burner or wondered during their cutting cycle if just this one particular product might work to help chemically stimulate them to lose weight? Or the pre-workout blues where you don’t have the energy but you see the guy with the 1 gallon jug of some Nitrix Oxide mixture, caffeine and Yohimbe to get them amped for the workout ahead? To date, I’m not a huge supplement fan myself so I don’t spend all that much money but I did. When I was 18 years old, I feel for tricks of the trade. I skipped meals and didn’t train like an animal in favor of the flashy ads. We’ve all been fooled at some point. It’s why marketing and advertising wo... This video rocks! This six minute video will show you step by step how to make your own homemade supplement energy workout drink. But before you watch the video, let me tell you some of the reasons why I like it so much. For starters… we’ve all spent countless dollars on supplements. Who hasn’t tried a fat burner or wondered during their cutting cycle if just this one particular product might work to help chemically stimulate them to lose weight? Or the pre-workout blues where you don’t have the energy but you see the guy with the 1 gallon jug of some Nitrix Oxide mixture, caffeine and Yohimbe to get them amped for the workout ahead? To date, I’m not a huge supplement fan myself so I don’t spend all that much money but I did. When I was 18 years old, I feel for tricks of the trade. I skipped meals and didn’t train like an animal in favor of the flashy ads. We’ve all been fooled at some point. It’s why marketing and advertising works so well and why people who can write, literally write their own paychecks. But I’m getting way ahead of myself! For starters… If you do like pre-workout drinks and you want to make your own, here’s a really simple recipe that you can follow that will have you amped for those workouts. Maybe you’ve heard the saying? “Nothing is more persuasive than a good demonstration” If you tell them, they doubt you, but if you show them, they believe you.” “Marc, do you think X brand of fat burner will work? Do you think I should spend my money on a pre-workout drink? I’m tired before I hit the gym and I need something. Please help. I don’t have a lot of money so don’t recommend something too expensive okay” I get these all the time. And that brings me to this video you’re about to watch and why I like it so much. It’s hard enough to talk you thru making your own supplements. There’s confusion on what to buy, where to purchase the bulk products and how much to put in. I’m going to defer that question to the guy who likes to make his own supplements. Frankly… NOTHING beats a good demonstration. So, watch this demonstration, and appreciate a much education of homemade supplements. Credit and a big thank you go to the producer of this video, Jeff “The Muscle Nerd” Anderson, The HomeMade Supplement Chef!, Thanks Jeff. Some companies may hate you for spreading this video. I’m sure some people will thank you for saving them a boatload of money. Almost everybody will appreciate the simplicity you demonstrate in this video on making your own pre-workout drink. To pick-up the PDF of this recipe and to learn how to make many other homemade supplements from Jeff Anderson head over to: www.HomeMadeSupplementSecret.com Related posts No related posts. This video rocks! This six minute video will show you step by step how to make your own homemade supplement energy workout drink. But before you watch the video, let me tell you some of the reasons why I like it so much. For starters… we’ve all spent countless dollars on supplements. Who hasn’t tried a fat burner or wondered during their cutting cycle if just this one particular product might work to help chemically stimulate them to lose weight? Or the pre-workout blues where you don’t have the energy but you see the guy with the 1 gallon jug of some Nitrix Oxide mixture, caffeine and Yohimbe to get them amped for the workout ahead? To date, I’m not a huge supplement fan myself so I don’t spend all that much money but I did. When I was 18 years old, I feel for tricks of the trade. I skipped meals and didn’t train like an animal in favor of the flashy ads. We’ve all been fooled at some point. It’s why marketing and advertising works so well and why people who can write, literally write their own paychecks. But I’m getting way ahead of myself! For starters… If you do like pre-workout drinks and you want to make your own, here’s a really simple recipe that you can follow that will have you amped for those workouts. Maybe you’ve heard the saying? “Nothing is more persuasive than a good demonstration” If you tell them, they doubt you, but if you show them, they believe you.” “Marc, do you think X brand of fat burner will work? Do you think I should spend my money on a pre-workout drink? I’m tired before I hit the gym and I need something. Please help. I don’t have a lot of money so don’t recommend something too expensive okay” I get these all the time. And that brings me to this video you’re about to watch and why I like it so much. It’s hard enough to talk you thru making your own supplements. There’s confusion on what to buy, where to purchase the bulk products and how much to put in. I’m going to defer that question to the guy who likes to make his own supplements. Frankly… NOTHING beats a good demonstration. So, watch this demonstration, and appreciate a much education of homemade supplements. Credit and a big thank you go to the producer of this video, Jeff “The Muscle Nerd” Anderson, The HomeMade Supplement Chef!, Thanks Jeff. Some companies may hate you for spreading this video. I’m sure some people will thank you for saving them a boatload of money. Almost everybody will appreciate the simplicity you demonstrate in this video on making your own pre-workout drink. To pick-up the PDF of this recipe and to learn how to make many other homemade supplements from Jeff Anderson head over to: www.HomeMadeSupplementSecret.com Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-07-23,23108938 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:04:31 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, Recipe, homemade supplements http://odeo.com/episodes/23125776-How-to-Read-a-Research-Study Image Credit: ninja999 Do you ever wonder how they do it? How do fitness experts get their hands on a research study and break it down for the layman to understand? Do they know something we don’t? Do they really just print out 15 or more pages of a long, methodical study and read it word for word, first page to last and understand it? For example, a new diet study from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) compared low fat, low carb and the Mediterranean diet. Here’s 2 excellent examples of fitness experts, breaking down just this study for you, reading far beyond the abstracts or the studies quick conclusions. Sites That Got It Right: Diet-Blog Burnthefatblog They like us, use a formula to read beyond the headlines, media frenzy and comprehend the article. Almost all the reporters got it wrong, wrong WRONG! So did most of the gloating low carb forumites and bloggers. Come to think of, almost everyone interpreted this study wrong. Some valuable insights came out of... Image Credit: ninja999 Do you ever wonder how they do it? How do fitness experts get their hands on a research study and break it down for the layman to understand? Do they know something we don’t? Do they really just print out 15 or more pages of a long, methodical study and read it word for word, first page to last and understand it? For example, a new diet study from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) compared low fat, low carb and the Mediterranean diet. Here’s 2 excellent examples of fitness experts, breaking down just this study for you, reading far beyond the abstracts or the studies quick conclusions. Sites That Got It Right: Diet-Blog Burnthefatblog They like us, use a formula to read beyond the headlines, media frenzy and comprehend the article. Almost all the reporters got it wrong, wrong WRONG! So did most of the gloating low carb forumites and bloggers. Come to think of, almost everyone interpreted this study wrong. Some valuable insights came out of this study, but almost everyone missed them because they were too busy believing what the news said or defending their own cherished belief systems … - Tom Venuto I Am Going to Show You How: how to read a research study know if the expert you are following has read the study and comprehended the study be able to spot experts who use this formula from the others who skim and jump to conclusions Why This Matters to You: If you aren’t interested in learning how to read one, that’s fine. But make sure the guru you follow is READING and interpreting the study correctly based on the whole study. Let’s get started with how to read a research study! Structure of a Research Study: Any professional research study contains the following sections: Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion References Sources (sometimes the references and sources are combined as a single source of citations) You may find that some research studies section names vary just a little, e.g. Methods could be Research Methods or Methodology. If you have in your hand a “research study” that doesn’t contain at least 90% of the above aforementioned sections, you don’t have a research article. If you are reading an article or blog post that doesn’t summarize the same sections above for you, you don’t have a summarized research study. See the Section Definitions below if you aren’t familiar with what each section contains. How to Read a Research Study: It’s Not First Page to Last! My first inclination is to print out the whole thing and read it from beginning to end. Usually by the end, I’m confused, bored and tired. You don’t read the first to last page unless you’re already familiar with the topic. The Right Way to Read a Research Study: 1. Start with the abstract for an overview. Reminder: Do not draw conclusions. Here’s where many people if they even bother to view the source stop. They reach a conclusion after viewing just the overview! That’s wrong and it usually leads to distribution of misinformation. You’d be surprised but most media outlets only read the title! Or the conclusion only and then report that to the masses as fact. 2. Read the first paragraph or so of the Introduction to get a general idea of the topic. Go to the last paragraph to read the hypothesis if any. 3. Skim the Discussion to see how the study turned out and any results. 4. Time for the details! Head back to the middle part and read the Methods section carefully and plan on re-reading this a few times to digest it all. 5. Read the Results section. You can use the Discussion section for clarity on what the statistics mean. However, don’t get bogged down in the details of the Methods or Results section. Just obtain an idea of how the hypothesis was tested. 6. Read the Discussion section closely. Pay attention to details. 7. Read the whole study, first page to last. Re-read it again for the best comprehension. What The Section Means: ABSTRACT: A summary of the main points of the article: here’s where you’ll find the purpose of the study, the hypothesis, the methods used, who was studied, and the conclusion or the findings. While you should read this first to get an general overview, a common mistake made is to draw conclusions just from the abstract. INTRODUCTION: This section contains relevant background information, contexts and the predictions to be tested (the hypothesis). It may contain some references to previous studies related to the same topic. METHODS: The approach taken in the study is in the methods section. Here you should find detailed information about the research methods used. The questions asked the setup of the study, ages of the subject, number of subjects, procedures, testing conditions, and the approach that will be taken for data analysis. RESULTS: Data is summarized in this section, relationships between variables and any differences in the groups should be reported in this section. The analysis should reflect something about the predictions that were described in the Introduction section. Comparisons might be included to explain findings and to explore any unforeseen findings. DISCUSSION: You won’t find numbers or many stats here but you will find them summarized in a narrative form. How the study coincides with the hypothesis and any previous studies on the subject are discussed in this section. Suggestions for the need for further studies on this topic frequently are found in the discussion section. REFERENCES (Sources): A listing of the sources cited in the research study such as articles, books and possibly other studies. This could include sources not directly used to are still relevant to the research topic at hand. A little trick is to use the reference list to find many other sources on the topic. Now that you understand how to read a research study here’s some practice for you. YOUR HOMEWORK: Use this diet study from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) compared low fat, low carb and the Mediterranean diet. Remember, almost everybody got this one wrong! Let’s see if you read the study if you find the same conclusions. QUESTION: Do you think the following headlines are valid? Study Tips Scales in Atkins Diets Favor: Low Carb Regimen Better Than Low Fat Diet For Weight And Cholesterol, Major Study Shows. Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Face Off The Never-Ending Diet Wars Low Carb Beats Low Fat in Diet Duel Atkins Diet is Safe and Far More Effective Than a Low-Fat One, Study Says Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down Related posts No related posts. Image Credit: ninja999 Do you ever wonder how they do it? How do fitness experts get their hands on a research study and break it down for the layman to understand? Do they know something we don’t? Do they really just print out 15 or more pages of a long, methodical study and read it word for word, first page to last and understand it? For example, a new diet study from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) compared low fat, low carb and the Mediterranean diet. Here’s 2 excellent examples of fitness experts, breaking down just this study for you, reading far beyond the abstracts or the studies quick conclusions. Sites That Got It Right: Diet-Blog Burnthefatblog They like us, use a formula to read beyond the headlines, media frenzy and comprehend the article. Almost all the reporters got it wrong, wrong WRONG! So did most of the gloating low carb forumites and bloggers. Come to think of, almost everyone interpreted this study wrong. Some valuable insights came out of this study, but almost everyone missed them because they were too busy believing what the news said or defending their own cherished belief systems … - Tom Venuto I Am Going to Show You How: how to read a research study know if the expert you are following has read the study and comprehended the study be able to spot experts who use this formula from the others who skim and jump to conclusions Why This Matters to You: If you aren’t interested in learning how to read one, that’s fine. But make sure the guru you follow is READING and interpreting the study correctly based on the whole study. Let’s get started with how to read a research study! Structure of a Research Study: Any professional research study contains the following sections: Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion References Sources (sometimes the references and sources are combined as a single source of citations) You may find that some research studies section names vary just a little, e.g. Methods could be Research Methods or Methodology. If you have in your hand a “research study” that doesn’t contain at least 90% of the above aforementioned sections, you don’t have a research article. If you are reading an article or blog post that doesn’t summarize the same sections above for you, you don’t have a summarized research study. See the Section Definitions below if you aren’t familiar with what each section contains. How to Read a Research Study: It’s Not First Page to Last! My first inclination is to print out the whole thing and read it from beginning to end. Usually by the end, I’m confused, bored and tired. You don’t read the first to last page unless you’re already familiar with the topic. The Right Way to Read a Research Study: 1. Start with the abstract for an overview. Reminder: Do not draw conclusions. Here’s where many people if they even bother to view the source stop. They reach a conclusion after viewing just the overview! That’s wrong and it usually leads to distribution of misinformation. You’d be surprised but most media outlets only read the title! Or the conclusion only and then report that to the masses as fact. 2. Read the first paragraph or so of the Introduction to get a general idea of the topic. Go to the last paragraph to read the hypothesis if any. 3. Skim the Discussion to see how the study turned out and any results. 4. Time for the details! Head back to the middle part and read the Methods section carefully and plan on re-reading this a few times to digest it all. 5. Read the Results section. You can use the Discussion section for clarity on what the statistics mean. However, don’t get bogged down in the details of the Methods or Results section. Just obtain an idea of how the hypothesis was tested. 6. Read the Discussion section closely. Pay attention to details. 7. Read the whole study, first page to last. Re-read it again for the best comprehension. What The Section Means: ABSTRACT: A summary of the main points of the article: here’s where you’ll find the purpose of the study, the hypothesis, the methods used, who was studied, and the conclusion or the findings. While you should read this first to get an general overview, a common mistake made is to draw conclusions just from the abstract. INTRODUCTION: This section contains relevant background information, contexts and the predictions to be tested (the hypothesis). It may contain some references to previous studies related to the same topic. METHODS: The approach taken in the study is in the methods section. Here you should find detailed information about the research methods used. The questions asked the setup of the study, ages of the subject, number of subjects, procedures, testing conditions, and the approach that will be taken for data analysis. RESULTS: Data is summarized in this section, relationships between variables and any differences in the groups should be reported in this section. The analysis should reflect something about the predictions that were described in the Introduction section. Comparisons might be included to explain findings and to explore any unforeseen findings. DISCUSSION: You won’t find numbers or many stats here but you will find them summarized in a narrative form. How the study coincides with the hypothesis and any previous studies on the subject are discussed in this section. Suggestions for the need for further studies on this topic frequently are found in the discussion section. REFERENCES (Sources): A listing of the sources cited in the research study such as articles, books and possibly other studies. This could include sources not directly used to are still relevant to the research topic at hand. A little trick is to use the reference list to find many other sources on the topic. Now that you understand how to read a research study here’s some practice for you. YOUR HOMEWORK: Use this diet study from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) compared low fat, low carb and the Mediterranean diet. Remember, almost everybody got this one wrong! Let’s see if you read the study if you find the same conclusions. QUESTION: Do you think the following headlines are valid? Study Tips Scales in Atkins Diets Favor: Low Carb Regimen Better Than Low Fat Diet For Weight And Cholesterol, Major Study Shows. Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Face Off The Never-Ending Diet Wars Low Carb Beats Low Fat in Diet Duel Atkins Diet is Safe and Far More Effective Than a Low-Fat One, Study Says Unrestricted Low-Carb Diet Wins Hands Down Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-07-22,23125776 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:56:16 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David articles, how to, clinical study, research study http://odeo.com/episodes/23064971-Poll-How-Often-Do-You-Want-a-Podcast This is me… on a typical day at the office podcasting. (okay no but…) Assuming you listen and like the podcasts related to this blog, I’m curious to know your preferences? Some podcast daily with short tips and tricks. Others do a weekly show. What do you think? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Photo of the artist’s rendition of me by seanomatopoeia Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts No related posts. This is me… on a typical day at the office podcasting. (okay no but…) Assuming you listen and like the podcasts related to this blog, I’m curious to know your preferences? Some podcast daily with short tips and tricks. Others do a weekly show. What do you think? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Photo of the artist’s rendition of me by seanomatopoeia Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts No related posts. This is me… on a typical day at the office podcasting. (okay no but…) Assuming you listen and like the podcasts related to this blog, I’m curious to know your preferences? Some podcast daily with short tips and tricks. Others do a weekly show. What do you think? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Photo of the artist’s rendition of me by seanomatopoeia Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-07-09,23064971 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:17:54 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David podcast, feedback, Polls http://odeo.com/episodes/23064972-Should-Weight-Loss-Claims-be-Classified-as-Disease-Claims On April 17, 2008, three public interest groups and an OTC manufacturer of a weight-loss drug have filed a petition with the FDA to treat weight-loss claims for supplements as disease claims! What Petition Wants to Classify Weight Loss Claims as Disease Claims? In a petition sent to the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, the Obesity Society, the American Dietetic Association, Shaping American’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA to reconsider it’s regulatory approach to weight loss supplements. Keep in mind, GlaxoSmithKline is the maker of Alli, currently the ONLY FDA approved OTC drug for weight loss. Here’s the angle being taken… Although not technically a disease, being overweight can be a risk factor for other diseases. Such close ties from weight loss supplements like it can lower high cholesterol, which is not a disease itself but is a sign of cardiovascular disease makes this a fine line to walk. Based on a University of Connecticut stu... On April 17, 2008, three public interest groups and an OTC manufacturer of a weight-loss drug have filed a petition with the FDA to treat weight-loss claims for supplements as disease claims! What Petition Wants to Classify Weight Loss Claims as Disease Claims? In a petition sent to the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, the Obesity Society, the American Dietetic Association, Shaping American’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA to reconsider it’s regulatory approach to weight loss supplements. Keep in mind, GlaxoSmithKline is the maker of Alli, currently the ONLY FDA approved OTC drug for weight loss. Here’s the angle being taken… Although not technically a disease, being overweight can be a risk factor for other diseases. Such close ties from weight loss supplements like it can lower high cholesterol, which is not a disease itself but is a sign of cardiovascular disease makes this a fine line to walk. Based on a University of Connecticut study funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the study showed that consumers may misunderstand the regulation of supplements today by the FDA. GSK-Funded Study Shows Confusion about Supplements 54% of survey respondents that believed weight loss supplements are tested and proven safe before they are allowed to be sold. 45% believed that weight loss supplements are tested and proven effective before they can be sold. 64% believed that the FDA requires all weight loss supplement companies to mention any ill side-effects on the labels. 50% believe that weight loss supplements by enlarge are somewhat effective. 37% believe herbal supplements are safer than OTC or prescription drugs. Source: National Dietary Survey Given this potential misunderstanding, the petitioners argue that supplement manufactures are making weight loss claims with little data to back it up. Many independent studies against specific weight loss supplements have shown there’s no difference in a person who takes a weight loss supplement and somebody who does not. Most of them have concluded that there is little if any evidence to suggest that any weight loss product on the market today available to the consumer actually works. This is inline with what fitness expert Tom Venuto has said in his Fat Burners - The Unadulterated Truth. Other fitness experts, including myself, agree that consumer available weight loss supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry with a severe lack of strong evidence to suggest any significant weight loss. Even green tea, once the best bet for natural and small amounts of weight loss, may not make any difference at all. Although it has other serious health benefits. As a counter to the petition, CEO Steve Mister of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said in the April 28th statement that his group plans to oppose the petition. “We believe the weight loss claims are legitimate and appropriate claims for the products in the dietary supplement category, provided these products have substantiation to support the truthfulness of these claims.” The DSHEA, commonly know as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, does allow for weight loss supplement companies to make such claims within some guidelines. To think the supplement industry is totally unregulated would be a false statement. While I fully agree with the statistics provided above, the study was paid for by a major pharmaceutical company. It stands to benefit from this proposed change to regulation. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Photo of the confused consumer by Saffanna Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts Craig Ballantyne - 4 Greatest Secrets in Fat Loss History (0) On April 17, 2008, three public interest groups and an OTC manufacturer of a weight-loss drug have filed a petition with the FDA to treat weight-loss claims for supplements as disease claims! What Petition Wants to Classify Weight Loss Claims as Disease Claims? In a petition sent to the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, the Obesity Society, the American Dietetic Association, Shaping American’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA to reconsider it’s regulatory approach to weight loss supplements. Keep in mind, GlaxoSmithKline is the maker of Alli, currently the ONLY FDA approved OTC drug for weight loss. Here’s the angle being taken… Although not technically a disease, being overweight can be a risk factor for other diseases. Such close ties from weight loss supplements like it can lower high cholesterol, which is not a disease itself but is a sign of cardiovascular disease makes this a fine line to walk. Based on a University of Connecticut study funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the study showed that consumers may misunderstand the regulation of supplements today by the FDA. GSK-Funded Study Shows Confusion about Supplements 54% of survey respondents that believed weight loss supplements are tested and proven safe before they are allowed to be sold. 45% believed that weight loss supplements are tested and proven effective before they can be sold. 64% believed that the FDA requires all weight loss supplement companies to mention any ill side-effects on the labels. 50% believe that weight loss supplements by enlarge are somewhat effective. 37% believe herbal supplements are safer than OTC or prescription drugs. Source: National Dietary Survey Given this potential misunderstanding, the petitioners argue that supplement manufactures are making weight loss claims with little data to back it up. Many independent studies against specific weight loss supplements have shown there’s no difference in a person who takes a weight loss supplement and somebody who does not. Most of them have concluded that there is little if any evidence to suggest that any weight loss product on the market today available to the consumer actually works. This is inline with what fitness expert Tom Venuto has said in his Fat Burners - The Unadulterated Truth. Other fitness experts, including myself, agree that consumer available weight loss supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry with a severe lack of strong evidence to suggest any significant weight loss. Even green tea, once the best bet for natural and small amounts of weight loss, may not make any difference at all. Although it has other serious health benefits. As a counter to the petition, CEO Steve Mister of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said in the April 28th statement that his group plans to oppose the petition. “We believe the weight loss claims are legitimate and appropriate claims for the products in the dietary supplement category, provided these products have substantiation to support the truthfulness of these claims.” The DSHEA, commonly know as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, does allow for weight loss supplement companies to make such claims within some guidelines. To think the supplement industry is totally unregulated would be a false statement. While I fully agree with the statistics provided above, the study was paid for by a major pharmaceutical company. It stands to benefit from this proposed change to regulation. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Photo of the confused consumer by Saffanna Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts Craig Ballantyne - 4 Greatest Secrets in Fat Loss History (0) tag:odeo.com,2008-07-08,23064972 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:32:38 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weight loss, News & Current Events, weight loss claims http://odeo.com/episodes/23062168-Should-Weight-Loss-Claims-be-Classifed-as-Disease-Claims On April 17, 2008,  three public interest groups and an OTC manufacturer of a weight-loss drug have filed a petition with the FDA to treat weight-loss claims for supplements as disease claims! What Petition Wants to Classify Weight Loss Claims as Disease Claims? In a petition sent to the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, the Obesity Society, the American Dietetic Association, Shaping American’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA to reconsider it’s regulatory approach to weight loss supplements.  Keep in mind, GlaxoSmithKline is the maker of Alli, currently the ONLY FDA approved OTC drug for weight loss. Here’s the angle being taken… Although not technically a disease, being overweight can be a risk factor for other diseases.  Such close ties from weight loss supplements like it can lower high cholesterol, which is not a disease itself but is a sign of cardiovascular disease makes this a fine line to walk. Based on a University of Connecticut ... On April 17, 2008,  three public interest groups and an OTC manufacturer of a weight-loss drug have filed a petition with the FDA to treat weight-loss claims for supplements as disease claims! What Petition Wants to Classify Weight Loss Claims as Disease Claims? In a petition sent to the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, the Obesity Society, the American Dietetic Association, Shaping American’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA to reconsider it’s regulatory approach to weight loss supplements.  Keep in mind, GlaxoSmithKline is the maker of Alli, currently the ONLY FDA approved OTC drug for weight loss. Here’s the angle being taken… Although not technically a disease, being overweight can be a risk factor for other diseases.  Such close ties from weight loss supplements like it can lower high cholesterol, which is not a disease itself but is a sign of cardiovascular disease makes this a fine line to walk. Based on a University of Connecticut study funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the study showed that consumers may misunderstand the regulation of supplements today by the FDA. GSK-Funded Study Shows Confusion about Supplements 54% of survey respondents that believed weight loss supplements are tested and proven safe before they are allowed to be sold. 45% believed that weight loss supplements are tested and proven effective before they can be sold. 64% believed that the FDA requires all weight loss supplement companies to mention any ill side-effects on the labels. 50% believe that weight loss supplements by enlarge are somewhat effective. 37% believe herbal supplements are safer than OTC or prescription drugs. Source: National Dietary Survey Given this potential misunderstanding, the petitioners argue that supplement manufactures are making weight loss claims with little data to back it up.  Many independent studies against specific weight loss supplements have shown there’s no difference in a person who takes a weight loss supplement and somebody who does not.  Most of them have concluded that there is little if any evidence to suggest that any weight loss product on the market today available to the consumer actually works. This is inline with what fitness expert Tom Venuto has said in his Fat Burners - The Unadulterated Truth.  Other fitness experts, including myself, agree that consumer available weight loss supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry with a severe lack of strong evidence to suggest any significant weight loss.  Even green tea, once the best bet for natural and small amounts of weight loss, may not make any difference at all.  Although it has other serious health benefits. As a counter to the petition, CEO Steve Mister of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said in the April 28th statement that his group plans to oppose the petition. “We believe the weight loss claims are legitimate and appropriate claims for the products in the dietary supplement category, provided these products have substantiation to support the truthfulness of these claims.” The DSHEA, commonly know as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, does allow for weight loss supplement companies to make such claims within some guidelines.  To think the supplement industry is totally unregulated would be a false statement. While I fully agree with the statistics provided above, the study was paid for by a major pharmaceutical company.  It stands to benefit from this proposed change to regulation. Do you think weight loss claims should be classified as disease claims? Photo of the confused consumer by Saffanna Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts Craig Ballantyne - 4 Greatest Secrets in Fat Loss History (0) On April 17, 2008,  three public interest groups and an OTC manufacturer of a weight-loss drug have filed a petition with the FDA to treat weight-loss claims for supplements as disease claims! What Petition Wants to Classify Weight Loss Claims as Disease Claims? In a petition sent to the FDA commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, the Obesity Society, the American Dietetic Association, Shaping American’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline asked the FDA to reconsider it’s regulatory approach to weight loss supplements.  Keep in mind, GlaxoSmithKline is the maker of Alli, currently the ONLY FDA approved OTC drug for weight loss. Here’s the angle being taken… Although not technically a disease, being overweight can be a risk factor for other diseases.  Such close ties from weight loss supplements like it can lower high cholesterol, which is not a disease itself but is a sign of cardiovascular disease makes this a fine line to walk. Based on a University of Connecticut study funded by GlaxoSmithKline, the study showed that consumers may misunderstand the regulation of supplements today by the FDA. GSK-Funded Study Shows Confusion about Supplements 54% of survey respondents that believed weight loss supplements are tested and proven safe before they are allowed to be sold. 45% believed that weight loss supplements are tested and proven effective before they can be sold. 64% believed that the FDA requires all weight loss supplement companies to mention any ill side-effects on the labels. 50% believe that weight loss supplements by enlarge are somewhat effective. 37% believe herbal supplements are safer than OTC or prescription drugs. Source: National Dietary Survey Given this potential misunderstanding, the petitioners argue that supplement manufactures are making weight loss claims with little data to back it up.  Many independent studies against specific weight loss supplements have shown there’s no difference in a person who takes a weight loss supplement and somebody who does not.  Most of them have concluded that there is little if any evidence to suggest that any weight loss product on the market today available to the consumer actually works. This is inline with what fitness expert Tom Venuto has said in his Fat Burners - The Unadulterated Truth.  Other fitness experts, including myself, agree that consumer available weight loss supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry with a severe lack of strong evidence to suggest any significant weight loss.  Even green tea, once the best bet for natural and small amounts of weight loss, may not make any difference at all.  Although it has other serious health benefits. As a counter to the petition, CEO Steve Mister of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said in the April 28th statement that his group plans to oppose the petition. “We believe the weight loss claims are legitimate and appropriate claims for the products in the dietary supplement category, provided these products have substantiation to support the truthfulness of these claims.” The DSHEA, commonly know as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, does allow for weight loss supplement companies to make such claims within some guidelines.  To think the supplement industry is totally unregulated would be a false statement. While I fully agree with the statistics provided above, the study was paid for by a major pharmaceutical company.  It stands to benefit from this proposed change to regulation. Do you think weight loss claims should be classified as disease claims? Photo of the confused consumer by Saffanna Used under a Creative Commons license Related posts Craig Ballantyne - 4 Greatest Secrets in Fat Loss History (0) tag:odeo.com,2008-07-08,23062168 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:32:38 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weight loss, News & Current Events, weight loss claims http://odeo.com/episodes/23042083-Monster-Milk-From-the-Makers-of-Muscle-Milk Cytosport’s latest edition to the protein line… Monster Milk is finally live! As of June 28th, 2008, Cytosport ran their first batches of this high quality, high content protein aimed at the bodybuilder who wants it all, in a single jug. MSRP is around $54.99. Monster Milk Flavors: Chocolate Vanilla Strawberry Muscle Milk Supplement Facts: (Photo of Supplement Label) At 350 calories and 50g of protein per 2 scoops, this isn’t a gainer nor a meal replacement but a pre-workout BOMB that’s bound to cover all the bases. Although you can take it prior to sleeping. It’s lower in carbohydrates with only 18g per serving than it’s other brothers in the protein line. 50g of protein makes this one way to get a fair percentage of your daily protein in a typical, best of breed when it comes to taste, protein shake. Of course you’ll get plenty of aminos and a Monster Milk Creatine Matrix to boot. There’s way less fat at 9g than your Muscle Milk shak... Cytosport’s latest edition to the protein line… Monster Milk is finally live! As of June 28th, 2008, Cytosport ran their first batches of this high quality, high content protein aimed at the bodybuilder who wants it all, in a single jug. MSRP is around $54.99. Monster Milk Flavors: Chocolate Vanilla Strawberry Muscle Milk Supplement Facts: (Photo of Supplement Label) At 350 calories and 50g of protein per 2 scoops, this isn’t a gainer nor a meal replacement but a pre-workout BOMB that’s bound to cover all the bases. Although you can take it prior to sleeping. It’s lower in carbohydrates with only 18g per serving than it’s other brothers in the protein line. 50g of protein makes this one way to get a fair percentage of your daily protein in a typical, best of breed when it comes to taste, protein shake. Of course you’ll get plenty of aminos and a Monster Milk Creatine Matrix to boot. There’s way less fat at 9g than your Muscle Milk shakes. Monster Milk doesn’t appear to share that precise make up of it’s Muscle Milk brother. 5g of fiber?! In recent food shows, adding fiber to sports supplements is the rage. Many faithful bodybuilders who have plenty of fruits and veggies don’t have issues with fiber, but so many people do that adding 20% of your daily allowance without any negative side effects or ill tastes, sure is a good idea. I think I’ve even had a pudding at a recent show that had 5g of fiber and tasted just like chocolate pudding. Supplement Facts Quick Sheet: Serving Size: 2 scoops (84g) Servings per container: 12 Amount per Serving: Calories: 350 Calories from fat: 80 Total Fat: 9g Total Carbohydrates: 17g Protein: 50g Monster Milk Ingredients: A picture is worth a thousands words. But how to you take Monster Milk? I recommend people FOLLOW the directions. And there you have it… once again, the makers of Cytomax and Muscle Milk have released a new, higher protein with a different make up aimed at the bodybuilder, code name Monster Milk. More Photos from Flickr Related posts Monster Milk (2) Cytosport’s latest edition to the protein line… Monster Milk is finally live! As of June 28th, 2008, Cytosport ran their first batches of this high quality, high content protein aimed at the bodybuilder who wants it all, in a single jug. MSRP is around $54.99. Monster Milk Flavors: Chocolate Vanilla Strawberry Muscle Milk Supplement Facts: (Photo of Supplement Label) At 350 calories and 50g of protein per 2 scoops, this isn’t a gainer nor a meal replacement but a pre-workout BOMB that’s bound to cover all the bases. Although you can take it prior to sleeping. It’s lower in carbohydrates with only 18g per serving than it’s other brothers in the protein line. 50g of protein makes this one way to get a fair percentage of your daily protein in a typical, best of breed when it comes to taste, protein shake. Of course you’ll get plenty of aminos and a Monster Milk Creatine Matrix to boot. There’s way less fat at 9g than your Muscle Milk shakes. Monster Milk doesn’t appear to share that precise make up of it’s Muscle Milk brother. 5g of fiber?! In recent food shows, adding fiber to sports supplements is the rage. Many faithful bodybuilders who have plenty of fruits and veggies don’t have issues with fiber, but so many people do that adding 20% of your daily allowance without any negative side effects or ill tastes, sure is a good idea. I think I’ve even had a pudding at a recent show that had 5g of fiber and tasted just like chocolate pudding. Supplement Facts Quick Sheet: Serving Size: 2 scoops (84g) Servings per container: 12 Amount per Serving: Calories: 350 Calories from fat: 80 Total Fat: 9g Total Carbohydrates: 17g Protein: 50g Monster Milk Ingredients: A picture is worth a thousands words. But how to you take Monster Milk? I recommend people FOLLOW the directions. And there you have it… once again, the makers of Cytomax and Muscle Milk have released a new, higher protein with a different make up aimed at the bodybuilder, code name Monster Milk. More Photos from Flickr Related posts Monster Milk (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-07-01,23042083 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:37:25 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David aminogen, News & Current Events, cytosport, monster milk http://odeo.com/episodes/23038761-Effects-of-Alcohol-on-Muscle-Building-Explained Question: Does drinking alcohol once a week ( In moderation, like 6 to 7 drinks of 7% per drink of alcohol contents ) affect building muscle or muscle we have? - John C. My Answer: As a group, bodybuilder are more health conscious of the foods we put into our bodies than the Average Jane or Joe.  I picked up the following line from Arnold Schwarzenegger in regards to soda pop but it applies to anything that doesn’t directly provide nutritional value or support for the individual. “Why take something the body doesn’t need right now?” - From Arnie Goes Crazy This question comes to me more often than “can I build muscle and burn fat at the same time.”  It’s a valid question and one that requires a bit more than what I keep hearing… you shouldn’t drink any alcohol if you are serious about bodybuilding people who on a fat loss quest wouldn’t be caught dead with a drink in their hand drinking completely destroys your muscle build... Question: Does drinking alcohol once a week ( In moderation, like 6 to 7 drinks of 7% per drink of alcohol contents ) affect building muscle or muscle we have? - John C. My Answer: As a group, bodybuilder are more health conscious of the foods we put into our bodies than the Average Jane or Joe.  I picked up the following line from Arnold Schwarzenegger in regards to soda pop but it applies to anything that doesn’t directly provide nutritional value or support for the individual. “Why take something the body doesn’t need right now?” - From Arnie Goes Crazy This question comes to me more often than “can I build muscle and burn fat at the same time.”  It’s a valid question and one that requires a bit more than what I keep hearing… you shouldn’t drink any alcohol if you are serious about bodybuilding people who on a fat loss quest wouldn’t be caught dead with a drink in their hand drinking completely destroys your muscle building efforts having even just one drink can ruin a week’s worth of gains and so many more statements made by people who’ve never done a set of JD Squats (Jack Daniels Squats) While it’s true that alcohol has many negative effects on muscle building and the worthless calories from each drink can add up, especially on a fat loss quest where you’re always hungry and every calorie counts, you can still indulge. But first, let’s take a look at generally what alcohol does to the body in relation to the bodybuilder who’s trying to build as much muscle as humanly possible. The REAL Effects of Alcohol on Your Body Many of us associate the effects of alcohol on the body with the heart, lungs, liver, brain, memory, etc. Furthermore, if asked about effects of drinking alcohol in terms of our fitness goals, most people will let you know about the infamous beer belly. You know what I’m talking about right? Drink too much and you end up storing too many calories as fat. Many people will choose low calorie alcohol drinks or low carb alcoholic beverages in an attempt to avoid the fat storage issue. They feel that by making this choice the only bad effects of alcohol - increased fat storage - will be minimized. But what you didn’t know is that only about 5% of the calories from alcohol are stored as fat! [14] Then it hit me as it should hit you right about now… The effects of alcohol on the body are far more damaging than can be predicted by the number of empty calories in some alcoholic beverage. The truth is… 1- Alcohol really affects the amount of fat your body can and will burn for energy! In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Research [4] they concluded that just a mere 24g of alcohol consumption showed whole-body lipid oxidation ( the rate at which your body burns fat) decreased by a whopping 73%! When alcohol goes thru the liver, the by-product is called Acetate. It would appear that acetate puts the proverbial brakes on fat burning. Your body can use many types of fuel. Protein, carbohydrates and fat. In many cases, the fuel used is dictated by it’s availability. Trouble is… Your body tends to use whatever you feed it for fuel right? As your acetate levels increase, your body burns more acetate as fuel. What this means is… Fat burning takes a back seat! What it all boils down to is this… a) You consume a couple of alcoholic drinks or more. b) Your liver metabolizes that into acetate. c) Your body uses the acetate for fat as fuel. 2- Increase in appetite In another American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, there was evidence to suggest that consumption of alcohol lead to an increase in appetite over that of any other carbohydrate type drink. [5] Researchers over in the Research Department of Human Nutrition and Center for Advanced Food Studies in Denmark [8] concluded that consumption of alcoholic beverages, and wine in particular, may enhance total energy intake at a meal relative to a soft drink, when served with no restriction. 3- Decrease in Testosterone and an Increase in Cortisol A study of 8 healthy male volunteers observed that after drinking alcohol, the effects of a significant decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol (a muscle destroying hormone) lasted up to 24 hours! [6] The only real question to ask yourself is this… If you are serious about building muscle and burning fat, you want all the free testosterone levels you can get and you want to reduce cortisol in any way you can. That means go lite on the drinking because it does affect your hormones. What more… Is that the effects were even worse if you exercise before drinking. [1] This means that if you are going out and will be drinking more than a small amount of alcohol, you might as well skip the gym. Not shocking is a study done by the Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden [2] that determined increased waist to hip ratio of alcoholics may include not only changes in adipose tissue, but also in muscle tissue distribution. In layman’s terms.. that means more fat around the waist and less overall muscle mass. 4- Decrease in vitamin and mineral absorption When you consume large quantities of alcohol, your liver is busy converting the alcohol to acetate and any vitamins and minerals that it might process are taken up by the detoxification process. Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of most vitamins, and with the absorption of many nutrients. Alcohol stimulates both urinary calcium and magnesium excretion. [13] This just means that you’ll get less of a benefit from the “healthy” meal you may be consuming. Food in the stomach will compete with ethanol for absorption into the blood stream. It is well known that alcohol competes and influences the processing of nutrients in the body. [12] 5- Decrease in protein synthesis of type II fibers This means the actual building of muscle is slowed down by 20%+ or more. This included a 35% decrease in muscle insulin-like growth factor-I (GF-I). [9] 6- Dehydration A common side effect of alcohol is dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic. Drinks containing 4% alcohol tend to delay the recovery process. [11] Considering how important water is to muscle building and general health, it’s clear that dehydration can put a damper on your progress. After alcohol consumption the first thing you might want to do is drink coffee. But that’s a diuretic as well. How to avoid dehydration? Drink more water. 7- Sleep Alcohol consumption, especially at the times when you would normally sleep, can have effects on the quality of sleep. Clearly high quality sleep is extremely important to the rebuilding and growth process of muscle. Without proper rest and recovery, your gains will be affected. Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep. [10] 8- The next day A rather obvious conclusion but if you plan on drinking on a Friday night in excess then the leg workout you thought of doing on Saturday morning won’t be top notch. It takes a bit to recover, your body to detoxify and for you mentally to be prepared to workout. Not to mention you need energy for the workout ahead. Sure you can hit the weights but my point is… It’s not going to be the best workout you’ve ever experienced. At this point you might be totally discouraged to ever drink any alcohol again. But there’s some good news. Here’s proof… In the November 2004 issue of the International Journal of Obesity [7] they did a study on the effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss. Each group consumed 1500 calories. 150 calories came from white wine in one group and 150 calories from grape juice in another. The conclusion? An energy-restricted diet is effective in overweight and obese subjects used to drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. A diet with 10% of energy derived from white wine is as effective as an isocaloric diet with 10% of energy derived from grape juice. It’s simple: Moderation is the key! (with first place being abstinence as you already know).  1-2 drinks per day for the general public, is considered moderation. As a bodybuilder looking for the best possible muscle gains, maybe 1 drink per day or even 1 drink per week would fit into your goals.  However, 6-7 drinks would be detrimental to your muscle building efforts.  You’re better off having 1 drink a night for 7 days than 7 drinks in one sitting.  Again, moderation. My friend Todd Scott of How to Get Six Pack Abs, has an excellent method for those who DO wish to drink 6-7 beverages in a night.  He’s got a neat little plan outlined in his nutrition section that details what to do if you know you’ll be out for a night of drinking. In any event… The effects of alcohol on your body when it comes to building muscle and burning fat are quite clear. It is a lot more than just some extra calories stored as fat. If you consume too much, it can derail your goals a lot longer after your head has hit the pillow and you’ve gone to sleep. References: 1. Heikkonen, E., Ylikahri, R., Roine, R., Valimaki, M., Harkonen, M., & Salaspuro, M. (1996). The combined effect of alcohol and physical exercise on serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and cortisol in males. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 711-716 2. Kvist, H., Hallgren, P., Jonsson, L., Pettersson, P., Sjoberg, C., Sjostrom, L., & Bjorntorp, P. (1993). Distribution of adipose tissue and muscle mass in alcoholic men. Metabolism, 42, 569-573 3. Raben A, Agerholm-Larsen L, Flint A, Holst JJ, Astrup A. (2003). Meals with similar energy densities but rich in protein, fat, carbohydrate, or alcohol have different effects on energy expenditure and substrate metabolism but not on appetite and energy intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77, 91-100 4. Siler, S.Q., Neese, R.A., & Hellerstein, M.K. (1999). De novo lipogenesis, lipid kinetics, and whole-body lipid balances in humans after acute alcohol consumption. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70, 928-936 5. Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 479-482 6. Valimaki, M.J., Harkonen, M., Eriksson, C.J., & Ylikahri, R.H. (1984). Sex hormones and adrenocortical steroids in men acutely intoxicated with ethanol. Alcohol, 1, 89-93 7. Flechtner-Mors, M., Biesalski, H.K., Jenkinson, C.P., Adler, G., & Ditschuneit, H.H. (2004). Effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1420-1426 8. Buemann, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2002). The effect of wine or beer versus a carbonated soft drink, served at a meal, on ad libitum energy intake. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1367-1372 9. Lang CH, Frost RA, Kumar V, Wu D, Vary TC. (2000). Inhibition of muscle protein synthesis by alcohol is associated with modulation of eIF2B and eIF4E, 3, 322-31 10. Alcohol Alert, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, No. 41 July. 1988 11. Shirreffs, Susan M., and Ronald J Maughan. 91997). Restoration of fluid balance after exercise-induced dehydration: effects of alcohol consumption, Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 1152-1158 12. “Alcohol, chemistry and you,” Kennesaw State University, chemcases.com, Aug. 2002 13. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Report to Congress, 1990 14. “Why alcohol calories are more important than you think,” Christian Finn, TheFactsAboutFitness.com Photo of the martini by Kyle May Used under a Creative Commons license ShareThis Related posts No related posts. Question: Does drinking alcohol once a week ( In moderation, like 6 to 7 drinks of 7% per drink of alcohol contents ) affect building muscle or muscle we have? - John C. My Answer: As a group, bodybuilder are more health conscious of the foods we put into our bodies than the Average Jane or Joe.  I picked up the following line from Arnold Schwarzenegger in regards to soda pop but it applies to anything that doesn’t directly provide nutritional value or support for the individual. “Why take something the body doesn’t need right now?” - From Arnie Goes Crazy This question comes to me more often than “can I build muscle and burn fat at the same time.”  It’s a valid question and one that requires a bit more than what I keep hearing… you shouldn’t drink any alcohol if you are serious about bodybuilding people who on a fat loss quest wouldn’t be caught dead with a drink in their hand drinking completely destroys your muscle building efforts having even just one drink can ruin a week’s worth of gains and so many more statements made by people who’ve never done a set of JD Squats (Jack Daniels Squats) While it’s true that alcohol has many negative effects on muscle building and the worthless calories from each drink can add up, especially on a fat loss quest where you’re always hungry and every calorie counts, you can still indulge. But first, let’s take a look at generally what alcohol does to the body in relation to the bodybuilder who’s trying to build as much muscle as humanly possible. The REAL Effects of Alcohol on Your Body Many of us associate the effects of alcohol on the body with the heart, lungs, liver, brain, memory, etc. Furthermore, if asked about effects of drinking alcohol in terms of our fitness goals, most people will let you know about the infamous beer belly. You know what I’m talking about right? Drink too much and you end up storing too many calories as fat. Many people will choose low calorie alcohol drinks or low carb alcoholic beverages in an attempt to avoid the fat storage issue. They feel that by making this choice the only bad effects of alcohol - increased fat storage - will be minimized. But what you didn’t know is that only about 5% of the calories from alcohol are stored as fat! [14] Then it hit me as it should hit you right about now… The effects of alcohol on the body are far more damaging than can be predicted by the number of empty calories in some alcoholic beverage. The truth is… 1- Alcohol really affects the amount of fat your body can and will burn for energy! In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Research [4] they concluded that just a mere 24g of alcohol consumption showed whole-body lipid oxidation ( the rate at which your body burns fat) decreased by a whopping 73%! When alcohol goes thru the liver, the by-product is called Acetate. It would appear that acetate puts the proverbial brakes on fat burning. Your body can use many types of fuel. Protein, carbohydrates and fat. In many cases, the fuel used is dictated by it’s availability. Trouble is… Your body tends to use whatever you feed it for fuel right? As your acetate levels increase, your body burns more acetate as fuel. What this means is… Fat burning takes a back seat! What it all boils down to is this… a) You consume a couple of alcoholic drinks or more. b) Your liver metabolizes that into acetate. c) Your body uses the acetate for fat as fuel. 2- Increase in appetite In another American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, there was evidence to suggest that consumption of alcohol lead to an increase in appetite over that of any other carbohydrate type drink. [5] Researchers over in the Research Department of Human Nutrition and Center for Advanced Food Studies in Denmark [8] concluded that consumption of alcoholic beverages, and wine in particular, may enhance total energy intake at a meal relative to a soft drink, when served with no restriction. 3- Decrease in Testosterone and an Increase in Cortisol A study of 8 healthy male volunteers observed that after drinking alcohol, the effects of a significant decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol (a muscle destroying hormone) lasted up to 24 hours! [6] The only real question to ask yourself is this… If you are serious about building muscle and burning fat, you want all the free testosterone levels you can get and you want to reduce cortisol in any way you can. That means go lite on the drinking because it does affect your hormones. What more… Is that the effects were even worse if you exercise before drinking. [1] This means that if you are going out and will be drinking more than a small amount of alcohol, you might as well skip the gym. Not shocking is a study done by the Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden [2] that determined increased waist to hip ratio of alcoholics may include not only changes in adipose tissue, but also in muscle tissue distribution. In layman’s terms.. that means more fat around the waist and less overall muscle mass. 4- Decrease in vitamin and mineral absorption When you consume large quantities of alcohol, your liver is busy converting the alcohol to acetate and any vitamins and minerals that it might process are taken up by the detoxification process. Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of most vitamins, and with the absorption of many nutrients. Alcohol stimulates both urinary calcium and magnesium excretion. [13] This just means that you’ll get less of a benefit from the “healthy” meal you may be consuming. Food in the stomach will compete with ethanol for absorption into the blood stream. It is well known that alcohol competes and influences the processing of nutrients in the body. [12] 5- Decrease in protein synthesis of type II fibers This means the actual building of muscle is slowed down by 20%+ or more. This included a 35% decrease in muscle insulin-like growth factor-I (GF-I). [9] 6- Dehydration A common side effect of alcohol is dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic. Drinks containing 4% alcohol tend to delay the recovery process. [11] Considering how important water is to muscle building and general health, it’s clear that dehydration can put a damper on your progress. After alcohol consumption the first thing you might want to do is drink coffee. But that’s a diuretic as well. How to avoid dehydration? Drink more water. 7- Sleep Alcohol consumption, especially at the times when you would normally sleep, can have effects on the quality of sleep. Clearly high quality sleep is extremely important to the rebuilding and growth process of muscle. Without proper rest and recovery, your gains will be affected. Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep. [10] 8- The next day A rather obvious conclusion but if you plan on drinking on a Friday night in excess then the leg workout you thought of doing on Saturday morning won’t be top notch. It takes a bit to recover, your body to detoxify and for you mentally to be prepared to workout. Not to mention you need energy for the workout ahead. Sure you can hit the weights but my point is… It’s not going to be the best workout you’ve ever experienced. At this point you might be totally discouraged to ever drink any alcohol again. But there’s some good news. Here’s proof… In the November 2004 issue of the International Journal of Obesity [7] they did a study on the effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss. Each group consumed 1500 calories. 150 calories came from white wine in one group and 150 calories from grape juice in another. The conclusion? An energy-restricted diet is effective in overweight and obese subjects used to drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. A diet with 10% of energy derived from white wine is as effective as an isocaloric diet with 10% of energy derived from grape juice. It’s simple: Moderation is the key! (with first place being abstinence as you already know).  1-2 drinks per day for the general public, is considered moderation. As a bodybuilder looking for the best possible muscle gains, maybe 1 drink per day or even 1 drink per week would fit into your goals.  However, 6-7 drinks would be detrimental to your muscle building efforts.  You’re better off having 1 drink a night for 7 days than 7 drinks in one sitting.  Again, moderation. My friend Todd Scott of How to Get Six Pack Abs, has an excellent method for those who DO wish to drink 6-7 beverages in a night.  He’s got a neat little plan outlined in his nutrition section that details what to do if you know you’ll be out for a night of drinking. In any event… The effects of alcohol on your body when it comes to building muscle and burning fat are quite clear. It is a lot more than just some extra calories stored as fat. If you consume too much, it can derail your goals a lot longer after your head has hit the pillow and you’ve gone to sleep. References: 1. Heikkonen, E., Ylikahri, R., Roine, R., Valimaki, M., Harkonen, M., & Salaspuro, M. (1996). The combined effect of alcohol and physical exercise on serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and cortisol in males. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 711-716 2. Kvist, H., Hallgren, P., Jonsson, L., Pettersson, P., Sjoberg, C., Sjostrom, L., & Bjorntorp, P. (1993). Distribution of adipose tissue and muscle mass in alcoholic men. Metabolism, 42, 569-573 3. Raben A, Agerholm-Larsen L, Flint A, Holst JJ, Astrup A. (2003). Meals with similar energy densities but rich in protein, fat, carbohydrate, or alcohol have different effects on energy expenditure and substrate metabolism but not on appetite and energy intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77, 91-100 4. Siler, S.Q., Neese, R.A., & Hellerstein, M.K. (1999). De novo lipogenesis, lipid kinetics, and whole-body lipid balances in humans after acute alcohol consumption. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70, 928-936 5. Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 479-482 6. Valimaki, M.J., Harkonen, M., Eriksson, C.J., & Ylikahri, R.H. (1984). Sex hormones and adrenocortical steroids in men acutely intoxicated with ethanol. Alcohol, 1, 89-93 7. Flechtner-Mors, M., Biesalski, H.K., Jenkinson, C.P., Adler, G., & Ditschuneit, H.H. (2004). Effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1420-1426 8. Buemann, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2002). The effect of wine or beer versus a carbonated soft drink, served at a meal, on ad libitum energy intake. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1367-1372 9. Lang CH, Frost RA, Kumar V, Wu D, Vary TC. (2000). Inhibition of muscle protein synthesis by alcohol is associated with modulation of eIF2B and eIF4E, 3, 322-31 10. Alcohol Alert, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, No. 41 July. 1988 11. Shirreffs, Susan M., and Ronald J Maughan. 91997). Restoration of fluid balance after exercise-induced dehydration: effects of alcohol consumption, Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 1152-1158 12. “Alcohol, chemistry and you,” Kennesaw State University, chemcases.com, Aug. 2002 13. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Report to Congress, 1990 14. “Why alcohol calories are more important than you think,” Christian Finn, TheFactsAboutFitness.com Photo of the martini by Kyle May Used under a Creative Commons license ShareThis Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-06-30,23038761 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:31:53 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David nutrition, effects of alcohol on muscle http://odeo.com/episodes/23001644-Weight-Loss-Tips-A-Step-by-Step-MindMap I decided it was about time to draw out a map of what I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss. This is a nice 50,000 foot overview of what you need to do, step-by-step when it comes to burning that fat. This drawing you see above is called a mind map. It’s a visual way of thinking out a process. When I think of trying to explain all the aspects of weight loss to a client, these are things we talk about over a period of weeks. Click Here to see the full color version of the Weight Loss Tips MindMap PS - The site is still a bit new, I’m fixing a few things. You’ll find the legend on the map that explains the symbols. You’ll get linked to articles about a particular subject that you see that will further explain an item on the weight loss mind map. PPS - Your comments are most appreciated. I would love to hear back from you. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. I decided it was about time to draw out a map of what I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss. This is a nice 50,000 foot overview of what you need to do, step-by-step when it comes to burning that fat. This drawing you see above is called a mind map. It’s a visual way of thinking out a process. When I think of trying to explain all the aspects of weight loss to a client, these are things we talk about over a period of weeks. Click Here to see the full color version of the Weight Loss Tips MindMap PS - The site is still a bit new, I’m fixing a few things. You’ll find the legend on the map that explains the symbols. You’ll get linked to articles about a particular subject that you see that will further explain an item on the weight loss mind map. PPS - Your comments are most appreciated. I would love to hear back from you. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. I decided it was about time to draw out a map of what I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss. This is a nice 50,000 foot overview of what you need to do, step-by-step when it comes to burning that fat. This drawing you see above is called a mind map. It’s a visual way of thinking out a process. When I think of trying to explain all the aspects of weight loss to a client, these are things we talk about over a period of weeks. Click Here to see the full color version of the Weight Loss Tips MindMap PS - The site is still a bit new, I’m fixing a few things. You’ll find the legend on the map that explains the symbols. You’ll get linked to articles about a particular subject that you see that will further explain an item on the weight loss mind map. PPS - Your comments are most appreciated. I would love to hear back from you. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-06-16,23001644 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:08:48 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weight loss, weight loss tips, quick weight loss tips, 71 weight loss tips, summer weight loss tips http://odeo.com/episodes/23007187-Weight-Loss-Tips-A-Step-by-Step-MindMap I decided it was about time to draw out a map of what I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss. This is a nice 50,000 foot overview of what you need to do, step-by-step when it comes to burning that fat. This drawing you see above is called a mind map. It’s a visual way of thinking out a process. When I think of trying to explain all the aspects of weight loss to a client, these are things we talk about over a period of weeks. Click Here to see the full color version of the Weight Loss Tips MindMap PS - The site is still a bit new, I’m fixing a few things. You’ll find the legend on the map that explains the symbols. You’ll get linked to articles about a particular subject that you see that will further explain an item on the weight loss mind map. PPS - Your comments are most appreciated. I would love to hear back from you. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. I decided it was about time to draw out a map of what I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss. This is a nice 50,000 foot overview of what you need to do, step-by-step when it comes to burning that fat. This drawing you see above is called a mind map. It’s a visual way of thinking out a process. When I think of trying to explain all the aspects of weight loss to a client, these are things we talk about over a period of weeks. Click Here to see the full color version of the Weight Loss Tips MindMap PS - The site is still a bit new, I’m fixing a few things. You’ll find the legend on the map that explains the symbols. You’ll get linked to articles about a particular subject that you see that will further explain an item on the weight loss mind map. PPS - Your comments are most appreciated. I would love to hear back from you. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. I decided it was about time to draw out a map of what I tell my clients when it comes to weight loss. This is a nice 50,000 foot overview of what you need to do, step-by-step when it comes to burning that fat. This drawing you see above is called a mind map. It’s a visual way of thinking out a process. When I think of trying to explain all the aspects of weight loss to a client, these are things we talk about over a period of weeks. Click Here to see the full color version of the Weight Loss Tips MindMap PS - The site is still a bit new, I’m fixing a few things. You’ll find the legend on the map that explains the symbols. You’ll get linked to articles about a particular subject that you see that will further explain an item on the weight loss mind map. PPS - Your comments are most appreciated. I would love to hear back from you. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-06-16,23007187 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:08:48 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David weight loss, weight loss tips, quick weight loss tips, 71 weight loss tips, summer weight loss tips http://odeo.com/episodes/22614935-Fat-Burn-Files-Review As the title of the 260 page ebook says, “10 Revealing, Secret Interviews With A Renegade Fitness Guru.” This is what makes up the most INFORMATIVE and interesting yet totally unknown book by Tom Venuto. When I got my hands on this thing and printed it out, I about crapped my pants. This is so not the Tom Venuto I was used to reading who created the very popular, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in 2003. The Fat Burn Files is not just about losing body fat. It contains some serious hardcore bodybuilding information about building muscle. And not your regular tips and rehash poop you find on every single bodybuilding site. As you may or may not know, Tom Venuto has done a bang up job marketing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle but he FAILS miserably when it came to launching this book. Sadly, he’ll be foreced to rely on my blogging skills to get the word out. My apologies Tom. I’m not a copywriter, I’m just a natural bodybuilder myself who’s been kicking hi... As the title of the 260 page ebook says, “10 Revealing, Secret Interviews With A Renegade Fitness Guru.” This is what makes up the most INFORMATIVE and interesting yet totally unknown book by Tom Venuto. When I got my hands on this thing and printed it out, I about crapped my pants. This is so not the Tom Venuto I was used to reading who created the very popular, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in 2003. The Fat Burn Files is not just about losing body fat. It contains some serious hardcore bodybuilding information about building muscle. And not your regular tips and rehash poop you find on every single bodybuilding site. As you may or may not know, Tom Venuto has done a bang up job marketing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle but he FAILS miserably when it came to launching this book. Sadly, he’ll be foreced to rely on my blogging skills to get the word out. My apologies Tom. I’m not a copywriter, I’m just a natural bodybuilder myself who’s been kicking himself for a long time for not writing about this sooner. I’ve read this sucker 10 times now. Interview by interview, question by question and it’s better than anything out there. It’s different and every time I have picked this manual up to read it, I’m frustrated by my lack of skills to write effectively to tell you about it. So I’ll sum it up as best I can. And let me take some words stolen from Big Tom V himself. You will get answers to questions about functional training versus bodybuilding training, using supersets and high density training for increased fat loss and muscle growth, pros and cons of high intensity interval cardio, secrets of weight training progression, how to maximize recovery and avoid overtraining, how to work around injuries and much, much more! THE FAT BURN FILES is such a unique collection of information because of the way it reveals everything that DOESN’T work as well as what DOES work for burning fat and gaining muscle… all in a fascinating, entertaining personal interview format. THE FAT BURN FILES TABLE OF CONTENTS # Chapter 1: Mission abdominals – Training and nutrition secrets to burn fat and chisel your six pack abs… plus the telltale warning signs that instantly expose all the diet and weight loss frauds (pgs 8 – 50 – note: A few “insiders” have already seen this interview, and anyone who has already read “mission abdominals” is going to go bananas over the other 9 interviews!) # Chapter 2: Superstar fat loss tips – Diet, cardio and weight training secrets to get you leaner, faster… learn fat loss tips, fat loss mistakes and Tom’s fat loss advice for getting an overweight actor ready to be a Hollywood action hero (pgs 41 - 58) # Chapter 3: Extreme and controversial fat loss techniques – Uncover the pros and cons of aggressive, advanced fat loss tactics and hear critiques of current fat loss trends (pgs 60-70) # Chapter 4: Succeeding in fitness, in business and in life – An exciting new viewpoint on motivation that could hurl you towards total success – more career success, more fitness success, more life success (pgs 72-94) # Chapter 5: The fat loss guru’s guidelines – Fat loss simplified for daily life… forget the confusing scientific stuff, this is what you actually have to do every day in the real world to get lean (pgs 96-115) # Chapter 6: All natural bodybuilding and fat loss secrets – how to get a movie star, fitness model or bodybuilder physique without drugs, pills or plastic surgery (pgs 118-144) # Chapter 7: The bodybuilder’s method to maximum muscle and minimum fat – What every man and woman can learn from bodybuilders about losing weight and gaining muscle (pgs 146-166) # Chapter 8: Overcoming fat loss and muscle building challenges – How to triumph over adversity and achieve your biggest fitness goals, this year, no matter what! (pgs 168-192) # Chapter 9: Inside the life and mind of a natural bodybuilder – Street-smart diet, training, lifestyle and mental toughness strategies - a fascinating look at how an elite-level body is really developed (pgs 194- 222) # Chapter 10: A Dissertation In Muscle Mass Construction – a PhD exercise physiologist picks Tom’s brain for his best nutrition and training strategies to pack on the lean muscle (pgs 224 – 249) If you think you’ve seen all this before, I can assure you that you have not. I get excited about certain books that have genuinely changed my life. Burn the Fat was one, I won’t lie. This is the second one. It’s not a book on training but it has training concepts that are discussed. It’s not a book you just read page for page to figure out how to calculate your diet. There’s others for that. The Fat Burn Files are 10 revealing interviews written in an honest, hard hitting questions with answers style never before seen by a 20+ year veteran of the sport. I guarantee if you read this cover to cover, you’ll be as shocked and as excited as I was when I read it for the first time. As Tom says himself, “Don’t let the name (THE FAT BURN FILES) lead you to thinking that this ebook is only about burning fat. This new ebook is also a book about gaining muscle!” Tom Venuto talking hardcore bodybuilding and building muscle? Put an end to all the lame game “lift heavy and get big” retoric you see. I guarantee you if you are reading a book that only talks about lifting heavy weight and stuffing your face with food.. it was written by somebody with less than 5 years of training and is under 30 years old! They don’t know JACK… Seriously, this thing is that good. Click Here Now to Order THE FAT BURN FILES for only $19.95 PS. ALL of these ebooks sold off of ClickBank come with a 60 Day Money back guarantee, so there is absolutely no risk for you to preview the book. CLICK HERE to order on a 60-day guaranteed-refund-if-not-satisfied basis. ShareThis Related posts Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) About Marc (0) 5 Mass Building Tips Webinar Audio (0) 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) As the title of the 260 page ebook says, “10 Revealing, Secret Interviews With A Renegade Fitness Guru.” This is what makes up the most INFORMATIVE and interesting yet totally unknown book by Tom Venuto. When I got my hands on this thing and printed it out, I about crapped my pants. This is so not the Tom Venuto I was used to reading who created the very popular, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in 2003. The Fat Burn Files is not just about losing body fat. It contains some serious hardcore bodybuilding information about building muscle. And not your regular tips and rehash poop you find on every single bodybuilding site. As you may or may not know, Tom Venuto has done a bang up job marketing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle but he FAILS miserably when it came to launching this book. Sadly, he’ll be foreced to rely on my blogging skills to get the word out. My apologies Tom. I’m not a copywriter, I’m just a natural bodybuilder myself who’s been kicking himself for a long time for not writing about this sooner. I’ve read this sucker 10 times now. Interview by interview, question by question and it’s better than anything out there. It’s different and every time I have picked this manual up to read it, I’m frustrated by my lack of skills to write effectively to tell you about it. So I’ll sum it up as best I can. And let me take some words stolen from Big Tom V himself. You will get answers to questions about functional training versus bodybuilding training, using supersets and high density training for increased fat loss and muscle growth, pros and cons of high intensity interval cardio, secrets of weight training progression, how to maximize recovery and avoid overtraining, how to work around injuries and much, much more! THE FAT BURN FILES is such a unique collection of information because of the way it reveals everything that DOESN’T work as well as what DOES work for burning fat and gaining muscle… all in a fascinating, entertaining personal interview format. THE FAT BURN FILES TABLE OF CONTENTS # Chapter 1: Mission abdominals – Training and nutrition secrets to burn fat and chisel your six pack abs… plus the telltale warning signs that instantly expose all the diet and weight loss frauds (pgs 8 – 50 – note: A few “insiders” have already seen this interview, and anyone who has already read “mission abdominals” is going to go bananas over the other 9 interviews!) # Chapter 2: Superstar fat loss tips – Diet, cardio and weight training secrets to get you leaner, faster… learn fat loss tips, fat loss mistakes and Tom’s fat loss advice for getting an overweight actor ready to be a Hollywood action hero (pgs 41 - 58) # Chapter 3: Extreme and controversial fat loss techniques – Uncover the pros and cons of aggressive, advanced fat loss tactics and hear critiques of current fat loss trends (pgs 60-70) # Chapter 4: Succeeding in fitness, in business and in life – An exciting new viewpoint on motivation that could hurl you towards total success – more career success, more fitness success, more life success (pgs 72-94) # Chapter 5: The fat loss guru’s guidelines – Fat loss simplified for daily life… forget the confusing scientific stuff, this is what you actually have to do every day in the real world to get lean (pgs 96-115) # Chapter 6: All natural bodybuilding and fat loss secrets – how to get a movie star, fitness model or bodybuilder physique without drugs, pills or plastic surgery (pgs 118-144) # Chapter 7: The bodybuilder’s method to maximum muscle and minimum fat – What every man and woman can learn from bodybuilders about losing weight and gaining muscle (pgs 146-166) # Chapter 8: Overcoming fat loss and muscle building challenges – How to triumph over adversity and achieve your biggest fitness goals, this year, no matter what! (pgs 168-192) # Chapter 9: Inside the life and mind of a natural bodybuilder – Street-smart diet, training, lifestyle and mental toughness strategies - a fascinating look at how an elite-level body is really developed (pgs 194- 222) # Chapter 10: A Dissertation In Muscle Mass Construction – a PhD exercise physiologist picks Tom’s brain for his best nutrition and training strategies to pack on the lean muscle (pgs 224 – 249) If you think you’ve seen all this before, I can assure you that you have not. I get excited about certain books that have genuinely changed my life. Burn the Fat was one, I won’t lie. This is the second one. It’s not a book on training but it has training concepts that are discussed. It’s not a book you just read page for page to figure out how to calculate your diet. There’s others for that. The Fat Burn Files are 10 revealing interviews written in an honest, hard hitting questions with answers style never before seen by a 20+ year veteran of the sport. I guarantee if you read this cover to cover, you’ll be as shocked and as excited as I was when I read it for the first time. As Tom says himself, “Don’t let the name (THE FAT BURN FILES) lead you to thinking that this ebook is only about burning fat. This new ebook is also a book about gaining muscle!” Tom Venuto talking hardcore bodybuilding and building muscle? Put an end to all the lame game “lift heavy and get big” retoric you see. I guarantee you if you are reading a book that only talks about lifting heavy weight and stuffing your face with food.. it was written by somebody with less than 5 years of training and is under 30 years old! They don’t know JACK… Seriously, this thing is that good. Click Here Now to Order THE FAT BURN FILES for only $19.95 PS. ALL of these ebooks sold off of ClickBank come with a 60 Day Money back guarantee, so there is absolutely no risk for you to preview the book. CLICK HERE to order on a 60-day guaranteed-refund-if-not-satisfied basis. ShareThis Related posts Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) About Marc (0) 5 Mass Building Tips Webinar Audio (0) 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-06-12,22614935 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:42:17 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David interviews, tom venuto, build muscle, fat burn files http://odeo.com/episodes/23007188-Fat-Burn-Files-Review As the title of the 260 page ebook says, “10 Revealing, Secret Interviews With A Renegade Fitness Guru.” This is what makes up the most INFORMATIVE and interesting yet totally unknown book by Tom Venuto. When I got my hands on this thing and printed it out, I about crapped my pants. This is so not the Tom Venuto I was used to reading who created the very popular, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in 2003. The Fat Burn Files is not just about losing body fat. It contains some serious hardcore bodybuilding information about building muscle. And not your regular tips and rehash poop you find on every single bodybuilding site. As you may or may not know, Tom Venuto has done a bang up job marketing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle but he FAILS miserably when it came to launching this book. Sadly, he’ll be foreced to rely on my blogging skills to get the word out. My apologies Tom. I’m not a copywriter, I’m just a natural bodybuilder myself who’s been kicking hi... As the title of the 260 page ebook says, “10 Revealing, Secret Interviews With A Renegade Fitness Guru.” This is what makes up the most INFORMATIVE and interesting yet totally unknown book by Tom Venuto. When I got my hands on this thing and printed it out, I about crapped my pants. This is so not the Tom Venuto I was used to reading who created the very popular, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in 2003. The Fat Burn Files is not just about losing body fat. It contains some serious hardcore bodybuilding information about building muscle. And not your regular tips and rehash poop you find on every single bodybuilding site. As you may or may not know, Tom Venuto has done a bang up job marketing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle but he FAILS miserably when it came to launching this book. Sadly, he’ll be foreced to rely on my blogging skills to get the word out. My apologies Tom. I’m not a copywriter, I’m just a natural bodybuilder myself who’s been kicking himself for a long time for not writing about this sooner. I’ve read this sucker 10 times now. Interview by interview, question by question and it’s better than anything out there. It’s different and every time I have picked this manual up to read it, I’m frustrated by my lack of skills to write effectively to tell you about it. So I’ll sum it up as best I can. And let me take some words stolen from Big Tom V himself. You will get answers to questions about functional training versus bodybuilding training, using supersets and high density training for increased fat loss and muscle growth, pros and cons of high intensity interval cardio, secrets of weight training progression, how to maximize recovery and avoid overtraining, how to work around injuries and much, much more! THE FAT BURN FILES is such a unique collection of information because of the way it reveals everything that DOESN’T work as well as what DOES work for burning fat and gaining muscle… all in a fascinating, entertaining personal interview format. THE FAT BURN FILES TABLE OF CONTENTS # Chapter 1: Mission abdominals – Training and nutrition secrets to burn fat and chisel your six pack abs… plus the telltale warning signs that instantly expose all the diet and weight loss frauds (pgs 8 – 50 – note: A few “insiders” have already seen this interview, and anyone who has already read “mission abdominals” is going to go bananas over the other 9 interviews!) # Chapter 2: Superstar fat loss tips – Diet, cardio and weight training secrets to get you leaner, faster… learn fat loss tips, fat loss mistakes and Tom’s fat loss advice for getting an overweight actor ready to be a Hollywood action hero (pgs 41 - 58) # Chapter 3: Extreme and controversial fat loss techniques – Uncover the pros and cons of aggressive, advanced fat loss tactics and hear critiques of current fat loss trends (pgs 60-70) # Chapter 4: Succeeding in fitness, in business and in life – An exciting new viewpoint on motivation that could hurl you towards total success – more career success, more fitness success, more life success (pgs 72-94) # Chapter 5: The fat loss guru’s guidelines – Fat loss simplified for daily life… forget the confusing scientific stuff, this is what you actually have to do every day in the real world to get lean (pgs 96-115) # Chapter 6: All natural bodybuilding and fat loss secrets – how to get a movie star, fitness model or bodybuilder physique without drugs, pills or plastic surgery (pgs 118-144) # Chapter 7: The bodybuilder’s method to maximum muscle and minimum fat – What every man and woman can learn from bodybuilders about losing weight and gaining muscle (pgs 146-166) # Chapter 8: Overcoming fat loss and muscle building challenges – How to triumph over adversity and achieve your biggest fitness goals, this year, no matter what! (pgs 168-192) # Chapter 9: Inside the life and mind of a natural bodybuilder – Street-smart diet, training, lifestyle and mental toughness strategies - a fascinating look at how an elite-level body is really developed (pgs 194- 222) # Chapter 10: A Dissertation In Muscle Mass Construction – a PhD exercise physiologist picks Tom’s brain for his best nutrition and training strategies to pack on the lean muscle (pgs 224 – 249) If you think you’ve seen all this before, I can assure you that you have not. I get excited about certain books that have genuinely changed my life. Burn the Fat was one, I won’t lie. This is the second one. It’s not a book on training but it has training concepts that are discussed. It’s not a book you just read page for page to figure out how to calculate your diet. There’s others for that. The Fat Burn Files are 10 revealing interviews written in an honest, hard hitting questions with answers style never before seen by a 20+ year veteran of the sport. I guarantee if you read this cover to cover, you’ll be as shocked and as excited as I was when I read it for the first time. As Tom says himself, “Don’t let the name (THE FAT BURN FILES) lead you to thinking that this ebook is only about burning fat. This new ebook is also a book about gaining muscle!” Tom Venuto talking hardcore bodybuilding and building muscle? Put an end to all the lame game “lift heavy and get big” retoric you see. I guarantee you if you are reading a book that only talks about lifting heavy weight and stuffing your face with food.. it was written by somebody with less than 5 years of training and is under 30 years old! They don’t know JACK… Seriously, this thing is that good. Click Here Now to Order THE FAT BURN FILES for only $19.95 PS. ALL of these ebooks sold off of ClickBank come with a 60 Day Money back guarantee, so there is absolutely no risk for you to preview the book. CLICK HERE to order on a 60-day guaranteed-refund-if-not-satisfied basis. ShareThis Related posts Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) About Marc (0) 5 Mass Building Tips Webinar Audio (0) 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) As the title of the 260 page ebook says, “10 Revealing, Secret Interviews With A Renegade Fitness Guru.” This is what makes up the most INFORMATIVE and interesting yet totally unknown book by Tom Venuto. When I got my hands on this thing and printed it out, I about crapped my pants. This is so not the Tom Venuto I was used to reading who created the very popular, Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle in 2003. The Fat Burn Files is not just about losing body fat. It contains some serious hardcore bodybuilding information about building muscle. And not your regular tips and rehash poop you find on every single bodybuilding site. As you may or may not know, Tom Venuto has done a bang up job marketing Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle but he FAILS miserably when it came to launching this book. Sadly, he’ll be foreced to rely on my blogging skills to get the word out. My apologies Tom. I’m not a copywriter, I’m just a natural bodybuilder myself who’s been kicking himself for a long time for not writing about this sooner. I’ve read this sucker 10 times now. Interview by interview, question by question and it’s better than anything out there. It’s different and every time I have picked this manual up to read it, I’m frustrated by my lack of skills to write effectively to tell you about it. So I’ll sum it up as best I can. And let me take some words stolen from Big Tom V himself. You will get answers to questions about functional training versus bodybuilding training, using supersets and high density training for increased fat loss and muscle growth, pros and cons of high intensity interval cardio, secrets of weight training progression, how to maximize recovery and avoid overtraining, how to work around injuries and much, much more! THE FAT BURN FILES is such a unique collection of information because of the way it reveals everything that DOESN’T work as well as what DOES work for burning fat and gaining muscle… all in a fascinating, entertaining personal interview format. THE FAT BURN FILES TABLE OF CONTENTS # Chapter 1: Mission abdominals – Training and nutrition secrets to burn fat and chisel your six pack abs… plus the telltale warning signs that instantly expose all the diet and weight loss frauds (pgs 8 – 50 – note: A few “insiders” have already seen this interview, and anyone who has already read “mission abdominals” is going to go bananas over the other 9 interviews!) # Chapter 2: Superstar fat loss tips – Diet, cardio and weight training secrets to get you leaner, faster… learn fat loss tips, fat loss mistakes and Tom’s fat loss advice for getting an overweight actor ready to be a Hollywood action hero (pgs 41 - 58) # Chapter 3: Extreme and controversial fat loss techniques – Uncover the pros and cons of aggressive, advanced fat loss tactics and hear critiques of current fat loss trends (pgs 60-70) # Chapter 4: Succeeding in fitness, in business and in life – An exciting new viewpoint on motivation that could hurl you towards total success – more career success, more fitness success, more life success (pgs 72-94) # Chapter 5: The fat loss guru’s guidelines – Fat loss simplified for daily life… forget the confusing scientific stuff, this is what you actually have to do every day in the real world to get lean (pgs 96-115) # Chapter 6: All natural bodybuilding and fat loss secrets – how to get a movie star, fitness model or bodybuilder physique without drugs, pills or plastic surgery (pgs 118-144) # Chapter 7: The bodybuilder’s method to maximum muscle and minimum fat – What every man and woman can learn from bodybuilders about losing weight and gaining muscle (pgs 146-166) # Chapter 8: Overcoming fat loss and muscle building challenges – How to triumph over adversity and achieve your biggest fitness goals, this year, no matter what! (pgs 168-192) # Chapter 9: Inside the life and mind of a natural bodybuilder – Street-smart diet, training, lifestyle and mental toughness strategies - a fascinating look at how an elite-level body is really developed (pgs 194- 222) # Chapter 10: A Dissertation In Muscle Mass Construction – a PhD exercise physiologist picks Tom’s brain for his best nutrition and training strategies to pack on the lean muscle (pgs 224 – 249) If you think you’ve seen all this before, I can assure you that you have not. I get excited about certain books that have genuinely changed my life. Burn the Fat was one, I won’t lie. This is the second one. It’s not a book on training but it has training concepts that are discussed. It’s not a book you just read page for page to figure out how to calculate your diet. There’s others for that. The Fat Burn Files are 10 revealing interviews written in an honest, hard hitting questions with answers style never before seen by a 20+ year veteran of the sport. I guarantee if you read this cover to cover, you’ll be as shocked and as excited as I was when I read it for the first time. As Tom says himself, “Don’t let the name (THE FAT BURN FILES) lead you to thinking that this ebook is only about burning fat. This new ebook is also a book about gaining muscle!” Tom Venuto talking hardcore bodybuilding and building muscle? Put an end to all the lame game “lift heavy and get big” retoric you see. I guarantee you if you are reading a book that only talks about lifting heavy weight and stuffing your face with food.. it was written by somebody with less than 5 years of training and is under 30 years old! They don’t know JACK… Seriously, this thing is that good. Click Here Now to Order THE FAT BURN FILES for only $19.95 PS. ALL of these ebooks sold off of ClickBank come with a 60 Day Money back guarantee, so there is absolutely no risk for you to preview the book. CLICK HERE to order on a 60-day guaranteed-refund-if-not-satisfied basis. ShareThis Related posts Burn the Fat Inner Circle: Sneak Peak (0) About Marc (0) 5 Mass Building Tips Webinar Audio (0) 10 ‘Stupid’ Things Bodybuilders Do To Mess Up Their Eating Habits (2) tag:odeo.com,2008-06-12,23007188 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:42:17 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David interviews, tom venuto, build muscle, fat burn files http://odeo.com/episodes/22570835-5-Mass-Building-Tips-Webinar-Audio The audio from the Jeff Anderson interview where he tells you his 5 mass building tips is below. Lots of great content - more than an hours worth.  Just click to play and enjoy what Jeff has to teach about the importance of building muscle - and how easy the process has gotten. The program he mentions is Advanced Mass Building. Marc David p.s. Yes, the offer I made and Jeff made on the call is still good. ShareThis Related posts “ADVANCED MASS BUILDING” is LIVE… (0) Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) The audio from the Jeff Anderson interview where he tells you his 5 mass building tips is below. Lots of great content - more than an hours worth.  Just click to play and enjoy what Jeff has to teach about the importance of building muscle - and how easy the process has gotten. The program he mentions is Advanced Mass Building. Marc David p.s. Yes, the offer I made and Jeff made on the call is still good. ShareThis Related posts “ADVANCED MASS BUILDING” is LIVE… (0) Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) The audio from the Jeff Anderson interview where he tells you his 5 mass building tips is below. Lots of great content - more than an hours worth.  Just click to play and enjoy what Jeff has to teach about the importance of building muscle - and how easy the process has gotten. The program he mentions is Advanced Mass Building. Marc David p.s. Yes, the offer I made and Jeff made on the call is still good. ShareThis Related posts “ADVANCED MASS BUILDING” is LIVE… (0) Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) tag:odeo.com,2008-05-30,22570835 Fri, 30 May 2008 12:29:20 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David interviews, Jeff Anderson, advanced mass building, build muscle, bodybuilding tips http://odeo.com/episodes/22571384-5-Mass-Building-Tips-Webinar-Audio The audio from the Jeff Anderson interview where he tells you his 5 mass building tips is below. Lots of great content - more than an hours worth.  Just click to play and enjoy what Jeff has to teach about the importance of building muscle - and how easy the process has gotten. The program he mentions is Advanced Mass Building. Marc David p.s. Yes, the offer I made and Jeff made on the call is still good. ShareThis Related posts “ADVANCED MASS BUILDING” is LIVE… (0) Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) The audio from the Jeff Anderson interview where he tells you his 5 mass building tips is below. Lots of great content - more than an hours worth.  Just click to play and enjoy what Jeff has to teach about the importance of building muscle - and how easy the process has gotten. The program he mentions is Advanced Mass Building. Marc David p.s. Yes, the offer I made and Jeff made on the call is still good. ShareThis Related posts “ADVANCED MASS BUILDING” is LIVE… (0) Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) The audio from the Jeff Anderson interview where he tells you his 5 mass building tips is below. Lots of great content - more than an hours worth.  Just click to play and enjoy what Jeff has to teach about the importance of building muscle - and how easy the process has gotten. The program he mentions is Advanced Mass Building. Marc David p.s. Yes, the offer I made and Jeff made on the call is still good. ShareThis Related posts “ADVANCED MASS BUILDING” is LIVE… (0) Underground Bodybuilding Tips - Is the Rumor True? (3) Screw All That “Bodybuilding 101″ B.S. (2) Muscle Building Tips (1) Mass Building Smack Down (0) tag:odeo.com,2008-05-30,22571384 Fri, 30 May 2008 12:29:20 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David interviews, Jeff Anderson, advanced mass building, build muscle, bodybuilding tips http://odeo.com/episodes/22579652-Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage What is your ideal body fat percentage? According the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) they have come up with a very simple body fat percentage chart that outlines from the essential body fat needed to survive to what is classified as obese. You should be able to use this body fat percentage chart to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your gender and age. Average Body Fat Ranges for Males and Females Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Age 18 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 Essential Fat 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% Underfat 5% to 7% 14% to 20% 5% to 10% 14% to 22% 5% to 12% 14% to 23% Healthy 8% to 19% 21% to 32% 11% to 21% 23% to 33% 13% to 24% 24% to 35% Obese 20% + 33% + 22% + 34% + 25% + 36% + * Chart courtesy of the ISSA Note: You may have heard terms like the following: Lean, ripped, shredded, contest shape, competition shape. If so, those terms generally refer to the category listed above as underfat. For example, if you a... What is your ideal body fat percentage? According the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) they have come up with a very simple body fat percentage chart that outlines from the essential body fat needed to survive to what is classified as obese. You should be able to use this body fat percentage chart to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your gender and age. Average Body Fat Ranges for Males and Females Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Age 18 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 Essential Fat 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% Underfat 5% to 7% 14% to 20% 5% to 10% 14% to 22% 5% to 12% 14% to 23% Healthy 8% to 19% 21% to 32% 11% to 21% 23% to 33% 13% to 24% 24% to 35% Obese 20% + 33% + 22% + 34% + 25% + 36% + * Chart courtesy of the ISSA Note: You may have heard terms like the following: Lean, ripped, shredded, contest shape, competition shape. If so, those terms generally refer to the category listed above as underfat. For example, if you are a male, who’s 25 years old, with significant muscle mass at 6%… not only are you lean, you are probably ripped, shredded and huge and possibly standing on stage in contest shape. Body Fat Tips: In the past few years, I’ve received many questions (mostly from males) asking if they should bulk or cut first. I use this chart as a reference in conjuction with their overall goals. I prefer to use my current body fat as a health gauge vs. my height vs. weight. If you are a tall skinny person with a rather unusual higher than normal percentage of body fat, you’d be very unwise to start bulking up and adding more body fat without first knowing the reasons why you might be in your particular situation. Using body fat as a measurement vs. other visual aids is more accurate, safer and will help monitor your overall muscle gains or fat loss. * If you are a male or a female who’s looking to step on stage or just wants to look good for summer, then take a quick body fat percentage check. Using that, you can then determine your best option if it’s to cut or bulk. * If you are at the top end of healthy or considered to be obese by body fat percentage standards, focus on burning the fat. Your goal should be to get healthy first and then adjust as necessary. If you are already at the top end of healthy and you want to “bulk up,” you’ll get stronger but you probably will add more fat to your body composition making you more at risk. * Take a body fat measurement weekly or monthly to get a continual status update of your progress. When you start a new program you should take a new measurement for a baseline. * Don’t let a body fat measurement control your life! It’s just one of many indicators of progress and/or health. A body fat caliper can be quite accurate with practice but seek medical advice in conjunction with your own findings. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. What is your ideal body fat percentage? According the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) they have come up with a very simple body fat percentage chart that outlines from the essential body fat needed to survive to what is classified as obese. You should be able to use this body fat percentage chart to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your gender and age. Average Body Fat Ranges for Males and Females Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Age 18 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 Essential Fat 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% Underfat 5% to 7% 14% to 20% 5% to 10% 14% to 22% 5% to 12% 14% to 23% Healthy 8% to 19% 21% to 32% 11% to 21% 23% to 33% 13% to 24% 24% to 35% Obese 20% + 33% + 22% + 34% + 25% + 36% + * Chart courtesy of the ISSA Note: You may have heard terms like the following: Lean, ripped, shredded, contest shape, competition shape. If so, those terms generally refer to the category listed above as underfat. For example, if you are a male, who’s 25 years old, with significant muscle mass at 6%… not only are you lean, you are probably ripped, shredded and huge and possibly standing on stage in contest shape. Body Fat Tips: In the past few years, I’ve received many questions (mostly from males) asking if they should bulk or cut first. I use this chart as a reference in conjuction with their overall goals. I prefer to use my current body fat as a health gauge vs. my height vs. weight. If you are a tall skinny person with a rather unusual higher than normal percentage of body fat, you’d be very unwise to start bulking up and adding more body fat without first knowing the reasons why you might be in your particular situation. Using body fat as a measurement vs. other visual aids is more accurate, safer and will help monitor your overall muscle gains or fat loss. * If you are a male or a female who’s looking to step on stage or just wants to look good for summer, then take a quick body fat percentage check. Using that, you can then determine your best option if it’s to cut or bulk. * If you are at the top end of healthy or considered to be obese by body fat percentage standards, focus on burning the fat. Your goal should be to get healthy first and then adjust as necessary. If you are already at the top end of healthy and you want to “bulk up,” you’ll get stronger but you probably will add more fat to your body composition making you more at risk. * Take a body fat measurement weekly or monthly to get a continual status update of your progress. When you start a new program you should take a new measurement for a baseline. * Don’t let a body fat measurement control your life! It’s just one of many indicators of progress and/or health. A body fat caliper can be quite accurate with practice but seek medical advice in conjunction with your own findings. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-05-22,22579652 Thu, 22 May 2008 07:35:23 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David articles, body fat percentage, body fat percentage chart, ideal body fat percentage http://odeo.com/episodes/22580973-Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage What is your ideal body fat percentage? According the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) they have come up with a very simple body fat percentage chart that outlines from the essential body fat needed to survive to what is classified as obese. You should be able to use this body fat percentage chart to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your gender and age. Average Body Fat Ranges for Males and Females Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Age 18 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 Essential Fat 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% Underfat 5% to 7% 14% to 20% 5% to 10% 14% to 22% 5% to 12% 14% to 23% Healthy 8% to 19% 21% to 32% 11% to 21% 23% to 33% 13% to 24% 24% to 35% Obese 20% + 33% + 22% + 34% + 25% + 36% + * Chart courtesy of the ISSA Note: You may have heard terms like the following: Lean, ripped, shredded, contest shape, competition shape. If so, those terms generally refer to the category listed above as underfat. For example, if you a... What is your ideal body fat percentage? According the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) they have come up with a very simple body fat percentage chart that outlines from the essential body fat needed to survive to what is classified as obese. You should be able to use this body fat percentage chart to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your gender and age. Average Body Fat Ranges for Males and Females Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Age 18 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 Essential Fat 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% Underfat 5% to 7% 14% to 20% 5% to 10% 14% to 22% 5% to 12% 14% to 23% Healthy 8% to 19% 21% to 32% 11% to 21% 23% to 33% 13% to 24% 24% to 35% Obese 20% + 33% + 22% + 34% + 25% + 36% + * Chart courtesy of the ISSA Note: You may have heard terms like the following: Lean, ripped, shredded, contest shape, competition shape. If so, those terms generally refer to the category listed above as underfat. For example, if you are a male, who’s 25 years old, with significant muscle mass at 6%… not only are you lean, you are probably ripped, shredded and huge and possibly standing on stage in contest shape. Body Fat Tips: In the past few years, I’ve received many questions (mostly from males) asking if they should bulk or cut first. I use this chart as a reference in conjuction with their overall goals. I prefer to use my current body fat as a health gauge vs. my height vs. weight. If you are a tall skinny person with a rather unusual higher than normal percentage of body fat, you’d be very unwise to start bulking up and adding more body fat without first knowing the reasons why you might be in your particular situation. Using body fat as a measurement vs. other visual aids is more accurate, safer and will help monitor your overall muscle gains or fat loss. * If you are a male or a female who’s looking to step on stage or just wants to look good for summer, then take a quick body fat percentage check. Using that, you can then determine your best option if it’s to cut or bulk. * If you are at the top end of healthy or considered to be obese by body fat percentage standards, focus on burning the fat. Your goal should be to get healthy first and then adjust as necessary. If you are already at the top end of healthy and you want to “bulk up,” you’ll get stronger but you probably will add more fat to your body composition making you more at risk. * Take a body fat measurement weekly or monthly to get a continual status update of your progress. When you start a new program you should take a new measurement for a baseline. * Don’t let a body fat measurement control your life! It’s just one of many indicators of progress and/or health. A body fat caliper can be quite accurate with practice but seek medical advice in conjunction with your own findings. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. What is your ideal body fat percentage? According the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) they have come up with a very simple body fat percentage chart that outlines from the essential body fat needed to survive to what is classified as obese. You should be able to use this body fat percentage chart to find your ideal body fat percentage based on your gender and age. Average Body Fat Ranges for Males and Females Gender Male Female Male Female Male Female Age 18 - 39 40 - 59 60 - 79 Essential Fat 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% 2% to 4% 10% to 13% Underfat 5% to 7% 14% to 20% 5% to 10% 14% to 22% 5% to 12% 14% to 23% Healthy 8% to 19% 21% to 32% 11% to 21% 23% to 33% 13% to 24% 24% to 35% Obese 20% + 33% + 22% + 34% + 25% + 36% + * Chart courtesy of the ISSA Note: You may have heard terms like the following: Lean, ripped, shredded, contest shape, competition shape. If so, those terms generally refer to the category listed above as underfat. For example, if you are a male, who’s 25 years old, with significant muscle mass at 6%… not only are you lean, you are probably ripped, shredded and huge and possibly standing on stage in contest shape. Body Fat Tips: In the past few years, I’ve received many questions (mostly from males) asking if they should bulk or cut first. I use this chart as a reference in conjuction with their overall goals. I prefer to use my current body fat as a health gauge vs. my height vs. weight. If you are a tall skinny person with a rather unusual higher than normal percentage of body fat, you’d be very unwise to start bulking up and adding more body fat without first knowing the reasons why you might be in your particular situation. Using body fat as a measurement vs. other visual aids is more accurate, safer and will help monitor your overall muscle gains or fat loss. * If you are a male or a female who’s looking to step on stage or just wants to look good for summer, then take a quick body fat percentage check. Using that, you can then determine your best option if it’s to cut or bulk. * If you are at the top end of healthy or considered to be obese by body fat percentage standards, focus on burning the fat. Your goal should be to get healthy first and then adjust as necessary. If you are already at the top end of healthy and you want to “bulk up,” you’ll get stronger but you probably will add more fat to your body composition making you more at risk. * Take a body fat measurement weekly or monthly to get a continual status update of your progress. When you start a new program you should take a new measurement for a baseline. * Don’t let a body fat measurement control your life! It’s just one of many indicators of progress and/or health. A body fat caliper can be quite accurate with practice but seek medical advice in conjunction with your own findings. ShareThis Related posts No related posts. tag:odeo.com,2008-05-22,22580973 Thu, 22 May 2008 07:35:23 -0700 no Natural Bodybuilding with Marc David articles, body fat percentage, body fat percentage chart, ideal body fat percentage http://odeo.com/episodes/22514726-%E2%80%9CADVANCED-MASS-BUILDING%E2%80%9D-is-LIVE%E2%80%A6 If you already know him, you’ll know it’s the truth… and if you don’t, you’ll just have to trust me! When it comes to anything about Muscle, my friend, Jeff “The Muscle Nerd” Anderson is the REAL deal! Building muscle can be one of the most confusing and difficult tasks any bodybuilders facts. With hundreds of generic training programs to rip-off supplement companies selling billions of dollars worth of junk to consumers… And Jeff Know How To Build Muscle. At least that’s what I’ve always thought. I’ve used his Optimum Anabolics program several times in the past 2 years with wild success. Jeff is the type of guy that’s always there. Helping. Teaching. Entertaining. Now Jeff wants to help you advanced bodybuilders EXPLODE your mass building success - in just 4 weeks doing a few hardcore workouts with some unique twists. ============================================= Advanced Mass Building is strictly about buildin... If you already know him, you’ll know it’s the truth… and if you don’t, you’ll just have to trust me! When it comes to anything about Muscle, my friend, Jeff “The Muscle Nerd” Anderson is the REAL deal! Building muscle can be one of the most confusing and difficult tasks any bodybuilders