Are you Bulking or Cutting?
By Zach Bashore


Very few people possess the knowledge needed to successfully gain
muscle or lose fat. A person may know how to lose fat but most
of you don't know how to keep all of your hard earned muscle in
the process. On the flip side, you may know how to gain muscle,
but you need to learn how to gain this muscle without the fear
of fat gain. I am going to discuss the basics of bulking and
cutting and hopefully give you the knowledge needed to complete
your next bulking or cutting diet.

Bulking is simply eating more calories than what you are used to
eating, but it`s not as simple as it seems. Your calories need
to be from healthy bodybuilding foods and not from junk foods
like pizza, chips, and cookies. The other hard part of bulking is
determining your BMR or basal metabolic Rate.(Your BMR is
basically the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed
all day.) To start, you should eat 500 calories over maintenance
everyday. If you your gaining to much fat after a week reduce
that number to 300. If you seem to not be getting any bigger then
you should increase that number to 700 calories.

While cutting, your prime concern should be keeping muscle loss to
a minimum. That is why you don`t want to crash diet and try losing
weight to fast or you're most likely going to lose most of your
hard earned muscle. To start, you should lower your calories from
your BMR to roughly 300 fewer calories a day. You can change that
number according to the results but 300 is a good number to start
out at. You can either eat less food or do more cardiovascular
exercise to burn these calories. How you do it will depend on
the individual.

Some bodybuilders like to bulk up to the size of elephants before
they decide that they`ve gained to much fat, and then they go on
a cutting diet. Others seem to always be sporting a low bodyfat
percentage year round and slowly gain muscle as time goes on. Again,
how you go about it will depend on personal preference. I always
try to stay relatively lean even during the off season because I
cannot stand the thought of gaining fat.

So can I gain muscle while losing bodyfat as well? Some
bodybuilders genetics allow for this while most of us sit in awe
wondering how they did it. The use of steroids allow for fat
loss and muscle gain at the same time but they are illegal and
have unhealthy side effects.

You need to decide what you want to do with your body right now.
Do you carry around to much fat, are you to skinny, to small in
the upper body? All of these factors determine what you decide
to do with yourself. You are the only one responsible for the
results you receive.

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Four Day High Intensity Training Program

For each exericse do 3 sets 12, 10 and 8 reps adding weight each
set. For each exercise only the last set intended to be performed
to failure. Any sets prior to the last are simply warm-ups.


Monday
Chest and Triceps

Incline Barbell Presses

Hammer Strength Machine Presses

Incline Dumbbell Fly

Cable Crossovers

Skull Crushers

Dips

Tricep Pushdowns

Tuesday
Quads and Calves

Leg press

Hack Squat

Leg Extensions

Standing Calf Raise

Seated Calf Raise

Wednesday
Rest Day


Thursday
Back and Biceps

Deadlifts

Bent-over rows

Lat Pulldowns

Standing Barbell Curls

Preacher Curls

Alternating Dumbbell Curls

Friday
Hamstrings and Shoulders

Stiff Leg Deadlifts

Leg Curls

Overhead Press

Side Lateral Raises

Rear Lateral Raises

Shrugs

Saturday & Sunday
Rest Days.

Do forearms, and abs when convenient. I try to hit abs and forearms
twice a week. Make sure your nutrition is top notch and ensure
high-intensity effort in your workouts, that is the key to the
whole program.

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Powerliting Basics

Powerlifting is a competitive sport that is also used to develop
the body and help athletes prepare for other sports. Powerlifting
allows you to strengthen and perfect your body, test your
abilities and help you feel good about yourself. The sport of
powerlifting was developed to test the strength of its competitors
in three events; the squat, the benchpress and the deadlift.

The Squat:
In the squat, the barbell is positioned horizontally across the back
of the shoulders; the hands steady and balance the bar. From a
standing position, the lifter bends the knees and lowers the body
until the top surface of the legs at the hip joint is lower than the
top of the knees. This defines a correct squat depth; few people
in the gym squat to this depth. From this lowered position, the
lifter returns to an upright, standing position. Contrary to popular
belief, the squat is not unusually tough on the lower back or knees.
If done properly - straight, upright back, knees in alignment with
feet - you should experience only the soreness indicative of a good
workout.

The Bench Press:
Most people are familiar with the Bench Press -- lower a barbell
to your chest and push it up, right? Well, there's a bit more to
the technique in competitive powerlifting. First of all, there's
a pause at the bottom. After you've lowered the bar to your chest
and it is still, you are given the command to "press" it up. No
bouncing the bar off your chest. Also, your head, shoulders, and
buttocks must remain on the bench and the feet must be flat on the
floor. These contact points cannot move during the lift. Sometimes
you see lifters get an arch in their back between the buttocks and
shoulders.

The Deadlift:
The deadlift involves lifting a loaded barbell from the floor (the
bar is actually about 10" off the ground) to a standing position.
There are two general styles of deadlifting: conventional and sumo.
With conventional style, the feet are fairly close together, and the
hands grasp the bar outside of the legs. The knees and hips are
bent and do the majority of the lifting; the back must remain as
straight and upright as possible. Sumo style uses a very wide
stance and the arms grasp the bar in front of and between the legs.
In some cases, the stance is so wide that the toes almost touch the
plates at either end of the barbell. From the lowered position,
the knees and hips are used to drive the body upward. This style
is favored often by taller people with longer arms. The deadlift
is probably the easiest lift to judge - it goes up or it doesn't.
However, sometimes a lifter will "hitch" or ride the weight up
his or her legs. This is not allowed. The lifter must "lock out"
or be in a full standing position, not hunched forward.

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The Truth About Antidepressants


In September 2005, following confirma... In September 2005, following confirmation that Red Lake Indian Reservation school shooter, Jeff Weise, was under the influence of the antidepressant Prozac, the National Foundation of Women Legislators, together with American Indian tribal leaders, called for a Congressional investigation into the correlation between psychiatric drug use and school massacres. Congress has yet to investigate the role of psychiatric drugs relating to school shootings despite international drug regulators warning these drugs can cause mania, psychosis, hallucinations, suicide and homicidal ideation. At least eight of the recent school shooters were under the influence of such drugs, and according to media reports, investigators working on the Virginia Tech school shootings, Cho Seung-Hui may also have been taking drugs for "depression." Filmmaker Michael Moore has also called for a federal investigation into school shooters and psychiatric drugs.

Get in Shape for Wrestling
By Zach Bashore


Wrestling has always been a sport known for its toughness and need
for discipline to achieve such physical skills and movements. The
main emphasis in wrestling is the ability to create short,
explosive bursts of energy during the match to be able to execute
offensive attacks and defensive counter-strikes. There are many
different styles of wrestling which not only require these short,
explosive bursts of energy, but also require a high level of
anaerobic endurance and flexibility.

Training for wrestling is extremely intensive and grueling. It
forces you to work in an anaerobic environment where you are almost
begging for air. Muscles grow when under stress, and the goal in
wrestling is to make them grow as quickly as possible. This is
the main reason why wrestlers are the most overtrained athletes in
the world. There training split emphasises each muscle group
during every workout session. Many university wrestling teams use
a "full-body workout" such at this:

* Manual Neck
* Shoulder Shrug
* Shoulder Press
* Chin ups
* Bench Press
* Rope Climb
* Straight Bar Curls
* Dips
* Leg Press
* Calf Raise

Wrestling is a combination of two different types of athletes:
Power distance and endurance. A wrestler must get optimal
energy from each of the three different energy systems. That
means as a wrestler, you should plan your nutritional intake
to support all three systems of energy. You also need to adjust
your caloric intake in the off-season to suit your fitness
goals. That means if you want to become quicker, simply cut
your calories. If your looking to get stronger, then you
should increase your calories.

As a wrestler, your body is craving more nutrients than that
of the average person. That means it is vital that you
supplement your already strong training and nutrition program.
A good multivitamin that contains an adequate amount of Vitamins
A, B, C, and Zinc should be at the top of your supplement list.
However, the following supplements are also useful in helping
you become a better wrestler:

* Ginkgo Biloba
* Citrulline Malate
* Calcium
* Whey Protein
* Glucosamine Sulfate
* Creatine
* Glutamine

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Ab Exercises And other tips to get ripped abs

The six-pack, maybe the most coveted physical attribute anyone can
have are difficult to come by, and ab exercises while good, are not
the only thing to concentrate on when trying to get ripped abs.

Because fat tends to build up around the waist, even with ab
exercises definition is tough to come by. You only push the fat
on top of your ab muscles out farther when increasing the size of
your ab muscles with ab exercises. Everyone has ab muscles, the
real way is getting your body fat percentage below 10% and
lowering the amount of water your body carries to bring that
six-pack out.

The best way to get ripped abs is through both diet and exercise
(obviously).

The best exercise is aerobic exercise, like running, biking, and
the stairmaster. Getting up to your target heart rate for 30
minutes a day, and doing it at least 4 days a week, you will burn
fat and up your metabolic rate even at rest.

After you have lowered your body fat its time to build the ab
muscles with ab exercises. Start by training them 3 days a week.

Upper ab exercises - Elevated leg crunches, ab machine crunches,
cable crunches, swiss ball crunches

Lower ab exercises - Hanging leg lifts, sitting leg raises, swiss
ball leg raises

Elevated Leg Crunches - With your back on the ground and your feet
elevated sitting on a bench or a chair lift your head and shoulders
off the ground about 6 to 10 inches using your ab muscles to lift.
After you have raised your shoulders slowly return to the starting
position keeping pressure on your abs at all times as you repeat
this up and down motion.

Ab Machine Crunches - Sitting in the crunch machine push your head
and shoulders down as far as they can go. When you have pushed your
head and shoulders down as far as they can go hold it there for
a couple seconds, and then return to the starting position keeping
pressure on your ab muscles the whole time, and repeat.

Cable Crunches - On your knees grab the cable and pull down using
your ab muscles. When you have pulled as far as you can go stay for
a two second count, return to the starting position and repeat
keeping pressure on your abs at all times.

Swiss Ball Crunches - With your back on the ball and your feet on
theground, position yourself so your upper butt is supporting your
weight on the ball. Move your shoulders up and down keeping
constant pressure on your ab muscles.

Hanging Leg Lifts - Your body vertical and your elbows supporting
your weight on the leg lift equipment, or if there is no leg lift
equipment hanging from a bar using your hands lift your knees to
your chest, return to the starting position keeping constant
pressure on your abs and repeat.

Sitting Leg Raises - Laying with your back and shoulders on the
ground lift your straight legs in the air about 20 inches. Stop
and lower your legs until they are about 2 inches off the ground
and repeat.

Swiss Ball Leg Raises - Laying with your back on the ball and
positioned by something you can hold on to lean back and grab with
both hands that object. With your weight on you lower back lift
your legs up and down keeping pressure on your abs at all times.

I advise avoid doing oblique exercises, because by working your
obliques you are taking away from that v-shaped look you are
looking for. So unless you have a naturally thin waist and very
low body fat, I would stay away from oblique exercises. Your
obliques will get enough work from your regular ab exercises
anyway.

Supplements such at Quick Trim can also help you in getting
your own set of ripped abs.

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Advanced Techniques

You can't get past a certain poundage on a certain exercise no
matter what? Sound familiar? When you've been lifting for two
years or so, you might start hitting a wall in your training.
It's called a Plateau. Plateaus are when the training seems to
be making no advancements but seems to get stale, tiring. Well,
the fastest gains you make will be in the first two years of
your training. After that, gains are hard fought.

Here are some techniques that all can use to spice up that
training to break that plateau. Warning: this is not for the
beginner in training, if you been lifting less than a year
and you're hittin' the wall, you're just straight out not
training right.

Technique:

1. Trisets - Using three exercises targeting the muscle group
and performing them in quick succession with little rest.

2. Giant Sets - Similar to Trisets but the set range is 4-6 sets.
It can target the same muscle group or two antagonist groups
(exp. 2 sets biceps followed by two sets triceps).

3. Continuous Tension - Moving the bar slowly over the entire
range of motion.

4. Partial Reps - After taking the muscle to failure and you can
no longer complete a full rep, take it only through half the
range of motion.

5. Negative Reps - Your spotter takes a load that's heavy enough
you could not perform one rep of the exercise. The spotter helps
you get the bar to the finish point of the exercise. Then it's
up to you. You let the bar down to the starting point of the
exercise while resisting the whole time.

6. Stripping Methods - Start heavy with low reps, strip off a
couple of plates, do more reps with the lighter bar. So on
and so on.

7. Pre-exhaustion - Hitting the smaller muscle groups before the
mass movement that targets the same area. ex.) pec deck exercise
before bench press.

8. Supersets - Two exercises done back to back with little rest.
Usually between antagonistic muscle groups.

9. Powerlifiting - Check out some of the sites on the net
about powerlifiting (bench press, Squats, Deadlifts, etc.)

10. Rest - This one of the most underrated techniques of
pushing past your limit. Have you been lifting a long time
with no layoffs? Try taking two weeks off and come back
stronger.

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The Mentzer Heavy Duty system
by Gregory T. Glading

I am a former professional wrestler who can testify that the Mentzer,
Auther Jones heavy duty system works. It also works in a way that
the traditional multi-set system doesn't. The Mentzer system does bring
greater and more rapid strength gains. Nevertheless, that is not the
biggest benefit of Mr. Mentzer's system. The biggest benefit is saving
Time. I remember seriously getting into body building in the
Mid-Seventies. Body builders such as Arnold, Frank Zane, and Franco
Colombu were the tops in my mind and if I could only look like them,
fame, fortune, and chicks would be mine. Therefore, I threw myself into
training. I followed the workouts that Arnold and Franco would endorse
in the Weider magazines. Six-days a week, double split, three-hours a
day. On some days I would not leave the gym until 2:00 am.
Relationships? No time. Once I had that Arnold or Zane body, the
chicks would flock to me.

Here was my work-out life's critical moment. I ran into an acquaintance
from the previous Spring late that September. All he said was, "Hi, I
remember meeting you last April. Good to see you again." It dawned on
me that he didn't notice any change in my body. So now I realized it.
I sacrificed an entire summer in the gym and had nothing to show for it.

At first I scoffed at the Mentzer system and the idea of one set to
failure. I surely needed a change so sent-away for his course (Why not?
I did the same for the Arnold, Franco, Frank Zane, and Robbie Robinson
previously). A wonderful thing happened. I started making gains. An
even more wonderful thing happened. I started to have a life. I soon
developed other interests such as music, sports, and literature. I met
a girlfriend (Whom I would eventually Marry) at a Church function (My
prior Sunday's were spent in the gym). I also enrolled in University.
Morever, I kept making gains. I would arrive at the gym and the others
were already well into their workout. I would leave and those same
dudes were still going at it. Yet I was the one making gains. Rather
than those gym rats exploring the Mentzer system they would scorn me.
Even after I beat them in a contest, they would tell me that I shouldn't
be allowed to compete because of, get this, "My bad attitude toward
training." I guess 45-minutes in the gym, once every three days is a
bad "Attitude," Six-days-a-week and two or more hours is a good attitude.
I soon realized that 12-weeks of preperation for one night of glory on a
stage in front of several hundred might not be as good a deal as
wrestling five-nights a week in front thousands. The time saved
with the Mentzer system allowed me to continue making gains (or at
least maintaining) while on a tight traveling schedule.

The crux of my testimony is this. Forget the science supporting which
systems - Heavy Duty vs. Multi-sets - garners the most gains. The
Mentzer Heavy Duty system works and it saves time. Lot's of time.

General Guidelines for Heavy Duty Training

1. Perform only one set to failure for each exercise.

2. Use a level of resistance that will allow for the performance of
between 8 and 12 repetitions.

3. Increase the resistance by approximately 5 percent whenever 12
repetitions can be performed in strict form.

4. Move slowly enough to maintain strict control over the movement
and to be able to reverse directly smoothly. Avoid fast, jerky
movements.

5. Use a full range of motion.

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Easy Fat Loss Tips

1. Walking

Numerous studies prove that walking will lead to fat loss. The key
to success when walking for fat loss is consistency, not intensity.
To achieve fat loss all you need to do is walk at a comfortable
pace for 30 minutes a day. Walking is a great exercise and is a great
addition to any fat loss program. Walking is not only one of the
best ways to lose fat, it will also improve your overall health
and help to reduce stress and fatigue.

2. Drinking Water

I know you have heard it a million times before but here goes again,
drink 8 glasses of water a day. As repetitive as that is, water really
has magical properties. Drinking water will help you lose fat and
then maintain your fat loss. Water is irreplaceable. It is a natural
appetite suppressant and fat burner. Water helps keeping your stomach
feeling full and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Water is also
the best treatment for fluid retention. So in other words, drink water
to lose fat.

3. Setting Goals

When starting a fat loss program, it is important to set goals.
The best way to stay motivated is to break up your final goal weight
into smaller goals. For example if you want to lose 20 lbs, set 4
5 lbs weight loss goals. By setting smaller goals, your real
objectives will seem more achievable and you will also benefit
from a real sense of accomplishment every time you reach your
smaller goal weight.

4. Be Prepared

Never leave meals up to chance. Keep your kitchen stocked with healthy
snacks. You also always want to take some food with you when you go out,
so if you get hungry you won't be tempted to cheat. Always being
prepared will help you avoid set backs.

5. Rebound to Success

Following a fat loss program isn't easy and sometimes we get off
track. The key to success is not to let a moment of weakness turn
into a week of overeating. If you stray, don't be too hard on
yourself. Instead get right back on track and rebound quickly.

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Cardio and Muscle

It is said that Cardio makes you lose muscle, sad as it is, it is true
and scientifically proven, what happens is that muscle proteins are
broken down and used for energy during aerobic exercise, but the thing
is that you are constantly breaking down and re-building muscle tissue
as you do your cardio workout, this process is called "protein turnover"
what's going on is that your body is constantly alternating back and forth
among anabolic (building) and catabolic (breaking down) cycles. Reducing
the catabolic side just enough so that you stay on the anabolic side will
help you to gain muscle or at least will help you maintain muscle.

But if you'd like to do cardio but you'd also like to build your muscles or
maintain them at least as they are I recommend Circuit Training, because
this is sort of aerobic weight training. And since you use weights,
although lighter weights, muscle is not lost, sometimes some muscle is
gained. So remember if you'd like to do cardio but not lose muscle or
gain a bit of muscle, do some Circuit training.

A Sample Circuit Training Workout

1. Bench press
2. Squats (or leg press)
3. Seated rowing
4. Hamstring curls
5. Lat pull downs
6. Calf raises
7. Triceps extensions
8. Barbell curls
9. Ab Crunches

Move quickly from one exercise to the next, so as to maintain your target
heart rate. Begin by going through the complete circuit (all 9 exercises)
twice. You can build up to four times as you improve.

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Shoulder Development
By Zach Bashore

If you want to develop great shoulders, you need to learn the
basics of the shoulders and how to train them properly. You
are going to learn the different sections of the shoulders,
what the shoulders are, best time to train them, and the best
exercises to turn your shoulders into boulders.

The shoulders are defined as the joint connecting the arm with
the torso or part of the human body between the neck and upper
arm. The deltoid is the three headed muscle that caps the
shoulder. All three heads of the deltoid are named the lateral,
posterior, and anterior. All three parts of the deltoid attach
to the humerus. The lateral and anterior heads are located near
the collar bone, while the posterior head is located on the
scapula. The function of the deltoid muscle is to move the arm
away from the body. Another section of the shoulders muscles is
the rotator cuff and it causes lateral rotation, medial
rotation, and abduction.

Your shoulders are involved with just about everything you are
involved with, so exercising them will help you in almost
everything you do in your daily routine. If you're lifting heavy
weights, you'll need at least three to four days of rest before
you can perform the same exercises again. Always consider the
fact that you will be using your shoulders when performing back
and chest exercises, and you should separate the days that you
train each group with at least one full day of rest.

When choosing your shoulder exercises, you should pick that
will shock your body because it is not accustomed to what you
are doing to them. The following exercises will give you a
general idea of which exercises you can include to your own
training split:

Cable:
Shoulder Press
Front Raise
Lateral Raise
Rear Lateral Raise
Upright row
Rear Delt Row

Barbell:
Front Raise
Behind Neck Press
Shoulder Press
Military Press
Rear Delt Row
Upright Row
Lying Rear Delt Row

Dumbbell:
Front Raise
Lying Rear Delt Row
Lying Rear Lateral Raise
Rear Lateral Raise
Rear Delt Row
Seated Rear Lateral Raise
Lateral Raise
Lying Lateral Raise
Front Raise
Arnold Press
One Arm Press
Shoulder Press
Upright Row

Experiment with different training styles, alter the rep/set
sequence. This is very important if your are looking for
continual growth in the shoulders region. Don't forget to
take a day off when you feel that your body needs it. A
general rule is to take a rest week once every six to
eight weeks. This will allow you to come back stronger.

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The Diet Act

When one decides to embark on a mission or journey. Against
a foe that is relentless, opportunistic and stubborn, he
must know the rules that give him the best chance for success.
He must know the rules of engagement.The enemy - is fat! So
I penned this article to make you aware of some things that
are imperative to implement into your diet strategy. I call
this the Diet Act!

First things first, Protein. Everybody knows protein is
important, but many don't know that eating a lot of protein
can make an immediate change in your bodies appearance. A
dramatic increase of protein intake will make your body
appear more firm and will help to eliminate some fat. Most
experts say your protein intake and your weight should at
least equal the same number. That's difficult to achieve
without protein supplements. So I would say just make
effort to add maximum protein to each meal you prepare.

Next up fiber. Studies show that the average person is
carrying between 5 & 15 lbs of waste in their colon. Maybe
that's where the phrase "You're full of it" came from. So a
good colon cleanse twice a year could be your ticket to a
better look and a healthier life. You can find colon cleanse
products in most health food stores. Those products will
require that you drink lots of water with them.

Water, our next subject is what's going to move this waste
in the first place. Eight glasses of water a day is a tough
task, but the benefits are weight loss, clearer skin and a
healthier digestive system. That's four 16 oz bottle waters.

Brown foods is next. Replacing white for whole wheat breads
and pasta will allow you to have carbs without putting on
the kind of weight the white carbs would. Most people
don't even know brown pasta exists. Take advantage of all
the multigrain food and dessert options out there, many
are quite tasty. Stay away from wheat bread that isn't
whole wheat. Because only Whole wheat and multigrain
will have the desired effect on fatloss.

Last but not least Sugar. Sugar is a major player in the
demise of health in America. Sugar, like its cousin salt
are often blanketed over foods and desserts. It's usage
must be curtailed to ensure optimum success. Today, there
are many sugar substitutes, trial and error will help you
find the one you like best. Cutting your sugar dramatically
can also have a profound effect on you health and well
being.

Question, a salesman offers a monthly service that is
sure to help you look better, feel better and perform
better at work and play. All for about what you'd spend on
groceries, would you pay? Well just before you say
impossible, just remember you have that chance. It's
in the food you eat. Have weight gain and fat gathered on
your body, and caused a major disturbance. If you want
them to leave, you could just stand idle, or you could
read them the Diet Act.

Forever diesel is a freelance writer in Vegas.

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Mike Mentzer's Lost Heavy Duty Secrets
By Paul Becker

While many people know the basics of Heavy Duty training, the
advanced techniques are known by only a few. The advanced and
super advanced techniques were fully researched and tested by
Mike in the late 70's, but following the infamous 1980
Mr.Olympia, Mike retired from competition. After that he worked
as a personal trainer and concentrated on what works best for
beginners and intermediates. And so Heavy Duty for advanced and
super advanced trainees became all but lost, even though Mike
made the best gains of his life using these techniques.

Climbing The Ladder Of Intensity

Mike knew that as a bodybuilder grew bigger and stronger, he
would eventually require an even more intense training stress
if he hopes to continue progressing. If the stress is not more
intense he will stagnate and stay at the same level of size
and strength.

Beginners

For beginners starting a weight training program is a huge leap
in intensity from not training, and this is why they make such
rapid gains at first. To keep progressing they can simply keep
increasing the weights and decreasing the rest periods between
sets. When they stop making gains this way they are ready for
the next level of intensity.

Intermediates

At this stage a more intense stress is required, this is be done
by using Pre-Exhaustion sets, for example a set of Leg Extensions
to failure followed by a set of Leg Press (or Squats) to failure.
Also forced reps and negatives to go beyond the point of positive
failure can be occasionally used. These techniques will carry
someone into the advanced level, Mike reached this point and using
these techniques he was unable to get bigger or stronger, this
forced him to do further research into the highest levels of
intensity.

Advanced

At this level Mike found that he was so strong and his willingness
to work at maximum effort was so high that each rep of a set was
so intense that oxygen debt and lactic acid build up was practically
immediate and severe enough that he was forced to stop due to
cardiovascular limitation rather then because he reached a point of
actual muscular failure. He looked for a way that he could do even
more intense reps while at the same time slowing the build up of
lactic acid and the onset of oxygen debt in his muscles.

The way he did this was to do his own version of Rest Pause training,
he used a weight that would allow him to do one all out maximum rep,
then rested for 10 seconds, this would give enough time for his muscle
to clear out waste products and bring new fuel and oxygen so he
could do another all out rep. After the second rep and another 10
seconds rest he would have his training partner help him do another
all out rep, or he would reduce the weight by 20%. He would then rest
15 seconds and do his last all out rep. This was considered one set,
with each and every rep of the set being an all out effort. An example
rest pause workout that Mike would do for his chest was Pec Deck 1 set
of 4 Rest Pause reps, Incline Bench Press 1 set of 4 Rest Pause reps
and Dips (Negative only style) 1 set of 5 reps. Mike then had to ask
himself what could be more intense then Rest Pause training?

Super Advanced Heavy Duty

Mikes next step up the ladder of intensity was what he called Infitonic
training; he followed each maximum positive rep of a Rest Pause set
with a maximum negative Rep. He had his training partner push down a
little on the negative and he would fight to resist it, lowering it
as slowly as possible. He then rested 15 seconds before his next
maximum positive and negative rep.

The very highest level of Heavy Duty he called Omni-Contraction
training, meaning all contraction. There are three ways a muscle
can contract, that is lifting a weight (positive), lowering a
weight (negative) and holding a weight (static).

In Omni-Contraction training Mike would make each a maximum effort.
He would do his one all out maximum positive rep, followed by a
maximum negative, but during the negative he would stop the weight
and actually try to raise the weight again (which was impossible).
He would do these static holds at three different points during the
negative rep, the first was at the top, close to the fully
contracted position, the second was halfway down and the third was
close to the bottom position. Each position was held for a count
of 3.

The Results

Mike and his brother Ray used these advanced and super advanced
techniques in the summer of 1979 and it resulted in Mike gaining
14 pounds of pure muscle in 9 weeks (while losing fat and at an
already advanced level of mass and strength), and w inning his
first pro show beating the likes of Robby Robinson, Danny Padilla
and Roy Callendar. While Ray was able to improve so much he
walked in and took the Mr. America crown that year.

So maybe, just maybe, if you have tried Heavy Duty and it stopped
working it was because you didn't know the higher techniques on
your way up the ladder of intensity. Try them for yourself and
find out.

Mike Menzer Workout DVD - Build the physique
you’ve always wanted with Heavy Duty Training!

We are proud to present a New Original HIT Exercise DVD by
legendary Mike Mentzer, master of the art of bodybuilding, best
selling author and Mr. Universe Bodybuilding Champion. This
is the video made hours before Mike's untimely death.

Get yours today at>http://www.trulyhuge.com/Mike_Mentzer_HIT_Video.htm

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Vegetarian Fitness

Being a vegetarian requires a full understanding of the
role nutrition plays in achieving your fitness goals.
There is a direct relationship between nutrition and physical
performance in workouts or sports. Hard physical activity
requires an increase in nutritionally dense calories and
also due to sweating a higher fluid intake. Threfore you
need to carefully plan what you eat and drink.

Your calorie intake needs to be balanced with your energy
output and goals. If you want to lose you need to cut back
on calories, if you want to gain you will need to increase
calories. If your going in the wrong direction, adjust your
calorie intake and/or activity levels, so you are moving
towards your goals.

An important point for vegetarians to realize that they digest
their foods more quickly than non vegetarians. This means
you need to eat more often to compensate for the higher
energy needs.

When engaging in fitness training workouts you do need
to increase your protein intake, but remember excess
protein that is not burned for energy will be turned into
fat.

Best Vegetarian Protein Sources

It's easier than you might imagine to get plenty of protein
from vegetarian foods. If you include dairy products and
eggs in your regimen, look no further. These are good
sources of protein. Stick to low fat dairy products to avoid
excess saturated fats.

If you want to be certain that you are getting all eight
essential amino acids, you should eat learn to combine
foods to form complete proteins, such as:

Beans on toast
Cereal/muesli with milk
Corn and beans
Granola with yogurt
Hummus and pita bread
Nut butter with milk or whole grain bread
Pasta with beans
Pasta with cheese (e.g., lasagne, macaroni and cheese)
Rice and beans, peas, or lentils
Rice with milk (rice pudding)
Split pea soup with whole grain or seeded crackers or bread
Tortillas with refried beans
Veggie burgers on bread

Note that these combinations don't necessarily have to be
eaten at the same time; you can eat one several hours after
the other and still benefit from the complete protein.

Complete protein can be gotten from eating soy based foods
like tofu tempeh or sprouted legumes, and meat substitutes
made from soy protein.

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Improve your Football Fitness
By Zach Bashore

Many people like to call football a game of inches. However, I
believe that in order to turn these inches into touchdowns,
many aspects are necessary in order for this to take place.
This article is an in-depth guide to improving your abilities
as a football player. You are going to learn how to increase
your speed, acceleration, agility, balance, and the most
important, strength.

There are three ways in which to practice increasing your
speed: Improving running mechanics, improving technique, and
strengthening your legs. Most players don`t have great running
mechanics and if they would just improve their technique, they
would run alot faster. Leg strength is important because the
more force applied to the ground, the faster you will run. You
simply cannot reach your full speed potential by just running
sprints. A number of elements must coincide with each other if
you want to reach your maximum speed potential. From a
scientific standpoint, speed is the by product of two elements:
Stride length and stride frequency. Stride length is the distance
you cover during each step of your run. Stride frequency is
basically the number of steps you take per socond. By using the
following training methods, you can increase your stride length
and frequency; hence, increase of speed.

* Shuttle sprints - Start in your preferred position, run 10-15
yards, run backwards to starting postion, and then repeat.

* Pylometric circuit - Use this drill no more than once a week
and not on days before the big game, since this circuit may
take a couple of days to recover from.

Speed and acceleration go hand-in-hand. To improve your
acceleration, repeated sprints of more than ten seconds,
performed with a standing start will be most useful. This will
help the neuromuscular and metabolic qualities of the muscles
involved. Another way of improving acceleration is to practice
accelerating as fast as possible during practice. A slow
acceleration topped with a quick burst is another good method
that can be used. One of the best utilities you can train with
to increase acceleration is using the PowerBlast gauntlet.
Practice with this equipment and you're well on your way to
increasing your acceleration.

Ladder drills are best performed in increasing your agility.
In sports competition, the body is constantly asked to perform
movements from unusual angles. The main purpose of the agility
ladder program is to promote a wide range of different foot
and movement patterns. These movements become second nature,
and the body is able to quickly respond to the various angles
required. You can improve your agility by practicing the
movements in training and the agility ladder is a useful tool
in a good agility program. The common ladder is roughly ten
yards long with 18 inch squares, but you can make your
own ladder just using tape or even sticks. When you start
the agility ladder program, introduce your body to two to
four different movements. Once you get good at these movements,
introduce yourself to new patterns to keep your body guessing.

Many of today`s athletes are using balance training as a
crucial part of their overall training program. Balance is
needed by runners in wooded areas, soccer players need balance
when taking the ball on a volley from just behind themselves,
and even tennis players need balance when reaching for a drop
shot. Each of these situations requires the exercise of just
the right amount of flexibility at the right time. With balance
training, the idea is to recreate and manipulate what you would
do in a game situation. Maintaining balance means having the
center of your mass within the middle of your base for support.
In the past, people believed that perfect balance was best
illustrated by standing on one leg and staying as still as
possible for as long as possible. This method still works but
there are also other methods in which are useful. Exercises
such as the one-leg punch and jump steps are both perfect for
improving your balance.

Another point to remember is that maximal strength training
should be a progression from general strength training with
maximal loads. Heavy maximal exercise is only used for advanced
strength trainees. Good abdominal and lower back strength is
crucial if heavy lifting exercises are going to be used.
Pylometric exercises are classified into bounding, hopping,
and jumping movements. These exercises demand a high force of
contraction in response to a rapid loading of lengthening the
muscles. For this reason, they should be renamed rebound or
reversible action exercises. The training effort increases
the force production in the muscles, but the movements are
performed at faster speeds than that of weight-training
exercises. Rebounding exercises are more common to the
sprinting and jumping reps on each leg, with at least one
minute of rest between sets. Endurance should not be a
factor. Running with weighted jackets and sprinting uphill
are also useful exercises because it adds resistance to
the sprint movement, which places greater load on the
muscles.

Football is not an easy sport by any mean, but being
physically prepared of its tough demands is half of the
battle. The other half is using what you know and a little
of bit of luck as well. You have learned the five most
important areas of physical fitness needed to be a good
football player.

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Cybergenics Arm Workout

From The Cybergenics Total Body Building System Manual

1. Every cycle must be brought to the point of total negative
failure. At the end of each cycle your muscles should be
fatigued to the point that completion of the movement without
any added resistance is momentarily impossible or extremely
difficult (depending on the movement).

2. There should be no rest whatsoever between each set of the
cycle. You should only rest long enough between each cycle for
your partner to complete his/her cycle. Keep rest time to an
absolute minimum.

3. All training must be all-out, utilizing 100% effort. Concentrate
everything and focus every bit of energy on every set and every
repetition. The set and cycle is over only when raising or lowering
the weight is physically impossible, even when 100% effort is being
imposed.

4. Stretch hard for 30 seconds after each cycle. This is extremely
important to the Cybergenics effect.

5. When doing forced reps, offer only enough assistance to raise
the weight. Do not offer superfluous assistance as it is dangerous
and counterproductive to the Cybergenics effect.

6. Use music during workout, as it evokes excitement and contributes
to the "psyche". This will help to increase concentration and
actually release small amounts of adrenaline.

7. Concentrate on raising the weight as quickly as possible while
lowering it very slowly, taking up to six seconds to do so. This
is extremely important to the Cybergenics effect.

8. Do not count repetitions, as there is no designated number that
should be performed. The cycle and/or set is completed only when
total negative failure is reached.

Arm Training Schedule Summary

Always warm-up before beginning workout and stretch after every
cycle.

CYCLE 1-AA REPEAT CYCLE 3 TIMES
Barbell Curls at 95% maximum (+) and (-) failure
Barbell Curls at 50% of the above (+) and (-) failure
Barbell Curls at 50% of the above (+) and (-) failure

CYCLE 2-AA REPEAT CYCLE 2 TIMES
One-arm Concentration Curls at 95% maximum (+) and (-) failure

One-arm Concentration Curls at 50% of the above (+) and (-) failure
One-arm Concentration Curls at 50% of the above (+) and (-) failure

CYCLE 1-TR REPEAT CYCLE 4 TIMES
Lying Barbell Extensions at 90% maximum (+) and (-) failure
Close Grip Bench Press at same weight as above (+) and (-) failure
Lying Barbell Extensions at 90% maximum (+) and (-) failure
Close Grip Bench Press at same weight as above (+) and (-) failure

CYCLE 2-TR REPEAT CYCLE 2 TIMES
Medium Grip Pressdowns at 90% maximum (+) and (-) failure
Medium Grip Pressdowns at 50% of the above (+) and (-) failure
Medium Grip Pressdowns at 50% of the above (+) and (-) failure

For More Information on Cybergenics Visit
cybergenics.org

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Cut Those Carbs!

More evidence that Moderating Carbohydrate Intake can lead
to fat loss.

We've been saying and writing it for years, and now an
increasing body of clinical evidence supports what you should
consider a basic principle of fat reduction: if you're in
relatively good shape and you're looking to get leaner, then
the #1 dietary change you should make is to moderate your
carbohydrate intake and up your protein immediately.

For some reason, people still don't want to understand and
accept that dietary fat per-se is NOT the issue for most
people who are active. It's the intake of excess carbohydrates
that is largely responsible for adding adipose tissue to your
body. Moderate the carbs and you'll drop the fat.

Here's the evidence. In a recent study, two groups were
monitored. Both groups consumed 30% of their daily calorie
intake in fats. The only significant dietary difference was
that one group consumed only 12% of their calories from
protein (58% carbohydrates), while the other group consumed
25% protein (45% carbohydrates).

Even with consistent fat intake and a relatively minor
reduction in carbs (from 58% to 45%), the results were clear.
After six months, the higher protein, lower carb group lost
a full 50% more fat than the higher carb group. I would
expect results to be even more dramatic if the carbohydrate
intake was dropped down closer to 40%, as in the popular
40-30-30 fat loss programs.

It’s important to realize that we’re not suggesting cutting
out carbohydrates altogether—this is ultimately
counter-productive—but rather a gradual reduction in carbs
to balance out the diet. There’s no doubt that most people,
and Americans in particular, over-eat carbohydrates—in
particular, heavily processed carbs and simple sugars.

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Diamond Shaped Calves

Do you want a pair of chiseled calves that look great in shorts?
Popeye-like trunks that flex and tense-up with every step? Calves
are unique in that they require and can tolerate high levels of
continuous stress to be fully developed. They also can cause the
most amount of pain since the blood supply to your lower legs is
limited and allows the lactic to pool longer than other bodyparts
with better circulation. This routine is a one week, five day
blast that can be used once every month if desired. It really is
hard to overtrain the calves so we recommend blasting them as
often as you can.

Day One:
Standing Calve Raises: 5 sets of 10-12 repetitions (5 X 10-12 reps)
Seated Calve Raises: 3 X 12-15 reps
Donkey-Calve Raises: 2 X 12-15 reps

Day Two:
Giant Sets - Perform the whole cycle once without resting for
2 total Giant Sets.
Toe Presses on Leg Press Machine: 20 reps
Donkey-Calve Raises: 20 reps
Seated Calve Raises: 20 reps

Day Three:
Standing Calve Raises: 5 X 8-10 reps
Seated Calve Raises: 3 X 8-10 reps
Donkey-Calve Raises: 2 X 8-10 reps

Day Four:
Giant Sets - Perform the whole cycle once without resting for
2 total Giant Sets.
Toe Presses on Leg Press Machine: 30 reps
Donkey-Calve Raises: 30 reps
Seated Calve Raises: 30 reps

Day Five: On the last repetition of each exercise, hold the
contracted position for 30 seconds.
Standing Calve Raises: 5 X 10-12 reps
Seated Calve Raises: 3 X 12-15 reps
Donkey-Calve Raises: 2 X 12-15 reps

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Revamp Your Routine
By Scott Miller

I'm not talking about all new exercises or routines, I'm talking about taking full advantage of the routine you use now.

You see so many people at the gym talking, goofing off, justthere going through the motions. If you're there to get Truly Huge (like I am), then there's not much room for that until you're done with your daily routine.
Many people don't even do warmups - it's quite surprising. Istarted doing warmups quite a while back, but just went through the motions. Now, I make sure every rep of every set of warmupsis doing just that, warming me up for the heavy lifting to follow. On your working sets, concentrate on each rep and each set,making sure you're doing your best to keep your form intact and doing the reps with purpose. Benching today? Feet flat on the floor, keeping your back on the bench, lower the bar slowly, no bounce off of your chest and concentrate on working your pecs to the fullest.

Between sets - stretch. I've just started doing that and itdoes make a difference. It helps keep the blood flowing and the muscles warm. I've found I can actually push/pull or lift more.

Don't forget about one other big thing for your routine - GOALS. I can't stress this enough, either. If you don't have any goals, you won't ever get anywhere or shoot for anything. Set goals,right them down and keep track of your progress.

My goals for 2007 at age 44 - 315# bench press, 450# squat again and 550# deadlift.

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Franco Santoriello Cybergenics Video

Here's an old Cybergnics clip I found.



What Happened To Cybergenics?

I get asked all the time by people that used Cybrgenics
and got great results, why can't they find it is stores
anymore.

Here is the story as best as I could find out.

The owner of the company sold it in the late 90's the new
owenrs were very bad business men and made too many changes,
they didn't know if it isn't broke you don't try to fix it.

They brankrupt themselves within 2 years. This is why you
don't see it at GNC, etc. If the first owner still ran the
company they would still be sold all over.

The buy out only involved the US right to the products, they
never stopped making it overseas.

You can still buy them online at
Cybergenics Home Page

Or call 800-635-8970

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Fitness and Health Tips Newsletter,and you will be automatically entered
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Fitness and Exercise Plan

Remember; You'll get out of your workout exactly what you put
into it! After warming up, perform 2-3 sets of each exercise.

Muscle Fitness Exercise

Monday: Legs

Upper Legs:
Squats or Leg Presses
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Walking Lunges (with dumbbells)

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
Seated Calf Raises
(Superset the two, moving from one immediately to the
other with no rest)

Tuesday: Shoulders & Abs

Shoulders:
Dumbbell Presses (seated)
Lateral Raises (sometimes seated, sometimes standing) Upright
Rows (on the cable machine)

Abdominals:
Reverse Crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Crunches
(Do Supersets here moving quickly from one exercise to the
next)

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Back & Biceps

Back:
Lat Pullups or Pulldowns
Bent Over Rows
One Arm Cable Rows

Biceps:
Standing Barbell Curls (prefer using a straight bar)
Incline Dumbbell Curls (alternating)
Cable Curls

Friday: Chest, Triceps & Abs

Chest:
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell Incline Press
Cable Flyes (on incline or flat bench)

Triceps:
Triceps Pushdowns
Lying Triceps Extensions
Kickbacks

Abdominals:
Reverse Crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Crunches
(Do Supersets here moving quickly from one exercise to the next)

Saturday & Sunday: Off

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Fitness Nutrition Plan

Why Most Diets Fail! Most diets fail because they are just
that – DIETS! These same diets tend to reduce calorie intake
for far too long which can result in a slower metabolism. You
may lose some weight, but once the diet stops, you gain it
back rapidly due to a slower metabolic rate.

Diet Nutrition Fitness Program

The only successful way to get rid of fat and keep it off
permanently is to eat sensibly and make positive lifestyle
changes, such as:

1. Eat 5 or 6 small, low fat meals throughout the day for
improved metabolism and digestion. These small and frequent
meals will also keep your energy levels running high.

2. Eat 5 to 9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.

3. Increase your fiber intake to 20-30 grams a day.

4. Activate your metabolism early in the day with a healthy,
wholesome breakfast.

5. Chew your food slowly and drink water before meals.

6. Drink 8-12 glasses of purified or distilled water
everyday.

7. Eat your meals in a relaxed and quite environment. Never
eat standing up.

8. Exercise 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Even
minimal amounts of exercise will help keep you feeling great
while burning additional calories. Walking, bicycling and
swimming are the best.

9. Be sure to take to take a good multiple vitamin/mineral
supplement for optimal health.

10. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Keep a good attitude
and a sense of humor every day!

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Tips To Get Ripped Abs
By Dennis Weis

Nothing sets off a physique any better than a rippling, "cut-up"
midsection and exercising it will build internal fitness as well.
There are no short cuts to a perfect abdomen. The following tips,
however, will definitely be of help. Try them!

Tip 1: Pick exercises ideal for YOU! Forget those that are used
by other if they don't suit you. HOW you train is more important
than WHAT you use... In general, sit ups work most strongly on the
upper abdominals. Leg raises get the lower region, while suctions
give internal tone. Twists, side-bends add a finishing touch to
abdominal appearance. Working the abdomen often is important and
five sessions of 5 minutes a day will do more than one of 25
minutes.

Tip 2: Daily exercise for the abs is superior to three times a
week for some people.

Tip 3: Do your abdominals on an empty stomach - immediately after
arising and just before sleeping are the best times... Sets are of
minor importance in waist work. Instead of repeating extra sets,
do more exercises in your routine. Instead of lower reps, done in
sets, do more reps.

Tip 4: Only use sets when you cannot reach higher reps, thus
getting some work done, as you steadily add reps... Very difficult
movements aren't as effective as basic exercises, performed in
VERY STRICT style with concentration. Work from one extreme to the
other, during the movements...

Tip 5: Fine cuts come from "burns", performed at the finish of
each exercise when muscles are too tired to do more. Be careful
of cramping when doing this!

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Bulking up
by Zach Bashore


Building muscle quickly is a quality very few people possess. Not only do
you have to train like a bodybuilder, you must be willing to eat like one
too. This article will educate the people who are interested in building
muscle on the basics of bulking. You will learn what bulking is, the
difference between clean and dirty bulking, and what supplements to use.

Bulking is a time when you are primarily focused on building muscle.
You must be willing to train like an animal and eat more calories than
what you are used to eating. It is very important that you set goals for
yourself. Some say you can only gain .5 to 1 pound of muscle naturally
every week, so set realistic goals for yourself so that you don't get
discouraged when you're not gaining the amount you've set
yourself out for.

Your main concern when bulking is your diet. Clean bulking is eating
clean, making sure that you don't gain any fat. Dirty bulking is
thinking that by eating pizza and cookies that you will gain mass.
Doing this will cause gain, but it will be more fat them muscle.

Your diet should consist of the same bodybuilding foods that you
would normally eat, just in a higher caloric amount. Aim for an excess
of 300 to 500 a day and make adjustments at the end of the week if
you feel that you're not gaining enough muscle.

Most bodybuilders use supplements to assist with muscle growth. The
three most frequently used when bulkinh are creatine, whey protein, and
glutamine. Creatine holds water, making your muscles look harder. Whey
protein is just a more convenient way of getting your daily protein needs,
and glutamine is an amino acid used to keep fat gain to a minimum while
doing clean bulking. There are also many other supplements that aid in
muscle growth.

Don't confuse bulking with cutting. Cutting is the exact opposite of
gaining muscle. When cutting, you are trying to shed as much fat as
possible while not worrying so much about muscle gain. It is very hard
to drop fat and gain muscle at the same time, so bodybuilders have two
choices. cutting or bulking.


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Go Have a Cheat Meal
By Zach Bashore

We are all guilty of cheating on our diets from time to time and can
also feel guilty about doing it. So why do we cheat anyways? This
article is going to address this question. You will also learn how
often you should cheat on your diet and supplements that should be
taken before and after a big cheat meal.

Too strict a diet can sometimes cause many problems such as headaches,
fatigue, depression, anxiety, and wanting to be unsocial. If you're
feeling a severe drop in mood, you're probably restricting too much,
too fast." You may also be out with a couple of friends one night and
they say, "Hey, do you want a beer," or the best one yet, "How about
a piece of pizza." On special occasions like these or when you feel
that you need a treat from the past few weeks, then cheating is okay.
Just don't make a habit out of it.

From a health perspective, using a cheat day as an excuse to gorge
yourself is horrendous. It's fine to have cookies, cakes, soda, pizza,
etc., but the key is to not gorge yourself. You should use your cheat
meal as an chance to eat anything you want, but not everything
you want. Eat enough to enjoy the food, but don't over do it. Speaking
personally, I cheat once a week to satisfy my cravings.

So how do I go about preparing for my cheat meal? You better be
guessing that I am prepared supplement wise to keep myself from
feeling guilty afterwards. I also need to decide if I really need a
cheat meal or if it's just a craving that I normally get from time
to time. The first thing I do is take a thermogenic fat burning
supplement and a healthy fat source such as fish or flax seed oil. I'll
then wait twenty minutes to decide if I am still hungry and if I am,
then I will get something such as pizza, lasagna, or spaghetti. Then
I might go eat a few cookies.

I know of no one who can go their entire life without eating something
that's bad for them, and if someone ever tells me that they don't ever
cheat, I know they are lying! Another reason people can't stick to
their diet long-term is because they think that they have to be
perfect all of the time. Live a little and go have a cheat meal!

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One-Day A Week Beginner Dumbbell Routine

The evidence is in for fitness. Regular exercise has been associated
with more health benefits than anything else known to man. Studies
show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity,
helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood
pressure, and even improves arthritis. In short, exercise keeps you
healthy and makes you look and feel better. To follow you'll find
a simple dumbbell routine that can be performed in the comfort of
your own home.

This is a full body workout to be performed once a week. You should
finish in about an hour. Concentrate on correct form and perform each
repetition nice and slow to fully work the muscle avoid injury.
Perfect for the beginner or person with a busy lifestyle. There are
many advantages to exercising even if it's just one day a week. To keep
this routine under an hour and also benefit from a cardio only rest for
30-seconds between sets. You may have to build up to this. After
following this dumbbell routine for 2 months pick new exercises for
each muscle group. 10 repetitions is good for toning and shaping. If
you want to add muscle do lower reps. If you want to see more definition
in the muscle you have do even higher reps. 10 is a good compromise
for most people.


Dumbbell squats- 2 Sets of 10 repetitions
Stiff legged dumbbell deadlifts- 2 Sets of 10 repetitions
Standing dumbbell calf raises- 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions
Dumbbell bench press- 2 sets of 10 repetitions
Dumbbell military press- 2 sets of 10 repetitions
One-armed dumbbell rows- 2 sets of 10 repetitions
Concentration curls- 2 sets of 10 repetitions
Kickbacks- 2 sets of 10 repetitions
Bicycle crunches- 3 sets until failure

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Lethargy – To Train Or Not To Train?
By BigCanuk

As per usual, as the winter settles in, a lot of the guys I hear
from are telling me the same thing; that with the cold season,
their zeal has dropped and their workouts are diminishing. I also
am in that category. It's real tough to live in a country where
cold weather is prevalent almost half the year! I've always told
myself I would one day live in a country where the climate would
be more tropical but so far it hasn't transpired. I envy those
people who live in paradise all year long! But enough of my
whining about the winter. There are certain things that can be
done to combat this natural occurrence.

Outside of changing my training when necessary, a couple of tricks
I use to take the edge off winter are these items. First off, I
bought a hot tub. You know, it's interesting how sitting in
103-degree water makes the snow and cold become so tolerable all
of a sudden.

Another trick is to be tanned. While everyone else around seems to be
looking pale and white and sickly, it seems that nothing looks as
good as a healthy looking tan. Obviously the sun isn't going
to do the job and although the medical research won't exactly
say that sun tanning beds outright cause skin cancer, it seems the
general consensus is that they are bad for you. So what's a guy to
do? I ordered an oral tanning product called "Canthaxanthin". The
stuff works and best of all, it's non-toxic to the body. So you get
to look tanned and don't have to worry about the bad effects of it
on your body.

For the training aspect. We all know how hard it is to get into
a workout especially when you're not excited about it. Well, I've finally
stumbled onto a little key that helps unlock those lethargic training times.
First of all, tell yourself that you are only going to the gym for a half-hour
to train. Surely, you can spare a half-hour out of your day, right? Next pick
the body part that is your favorite to train. Usually, this is not what you're
supposed to do as it takes away from the intensity of what's needed to pick up
those lagging body parts but in this case, we're trying to just get into an
intensity mode. It doesn't take long to find the workout falling into place
and going well once your favorite muscle group starts feeling that pump and
burn. The next thing you know, the half-hour is over and you've accomplished
the most important thing of the day. Your workout. Most of the day, we give
and sacrifice our time and abilities for others whether it be work or play
or visiting family/friends but when you're at the gym, that is for you. Try
to make it count as the best it can be.

I hope this helps beat some of those lethargic times that is sure to come
along and hit every one of us sometime during the winter months when it is
tougher to get motivated.

* Editor's note: If you've ever felt there was something holding you back in
life, ruining your plans and stopping you from being who you want to be, you
were right. The fact is, there is a single source of all your problems, stress,
unhappiness and self-doubt. It's called the reactive mind - the hidden part
of your mind that stores all painful experiences, then uses them against you.
Dianetics gets rid of the reactive mind. It's the only thing that does.
Read the book Dianetics and learn how to get rid of your recative mind.

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BOOK REVIEW - DIANETICS
Book: Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

Dianetics was first released on May 9th 1950, it has remained
a bestseller every year since and has now sold over 20 million
copies worldwide. Many self-help books have come and gone but
Dianetics continues to go strong. Why? Because it really works!

We all know how important the mind is to training, it has even
been said that "Your mind is your strongest muscle." Dianetics
will give you a true understanding and control of your mind, it
shows you how to locate the blocks and barriers to your full
potential and totally handle them. I believe this book should
be part of every trainee's library. For more information go to
http://www.dianetics.org

Here are some great links to visit:

Anabolic Steroids Information and Alternatives

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Moving Past Grief Jim and Nancy fall in love at their first high school dance. They see each other every day and talk on the phone every night. Jim looks forward to their marriage and a life together. The day after their high school graduation, Nancy says, "I’m sorry Jim, but I want to date other guys now. Please don’t call me again." Jim pleads, yells and sulks. He tries letters, flowers, cards. He talks to Nancy's family and friends. Nothing changes Nancy's mind. He asks himself every hour, "How can I get her back? Why did she really leave me? What did I do wrong?" Jim stops eating, stops smiling, refuses to talk to his friends. He loses interest in life and spends hours watching television in his room. His mother tells him not to worry. "Time heals all wounds." But after a few months, Jim is not over his loss. He can't get her out of his mind. Time heals nothing. A friend says, "You need to wash away your troubles with some beer!" So Jim gives it a try. It seems to help! Jim feels better . . . for an hour. Then he sees a girl with hair like Nancy's and gets tears in his eyes. Another beer makes it worse. The next morning, Jim realizes beer is no solution. Another friend says, "The best way to get over Nancy is to find a new girlfriend!" So Jim goes out on a date with Jill. Her perfume reminds him of Nancy, her laugh sounds like Nancy's. The music reminds him of Nancy. He wants to go home and just think about Nancy. The date is a disaster. Jim loses interest in school. A counselor gives him a booklet on depression. "Of course," Jim thinks, "I need professional help." So he goes to a psychiatrist who gives him a prescription. The pills make him feel wooden, but Nancy is still on his mind most of the time. The psychiatrist tells Jim's dad that Jim needs to take the pills forever. His dad gets angry and throws away the pills. He tells Jim, "Just get over it!" Jim goes to his room and cries. Failure, loss and death are parts of life. You lose pets, jobs, businesses, homes, friends, lovers and family members. Major losses can change your life forever. For most people, the only options to the pain are drugs, alcohol or time, none of which really help. L. Ron Hubbard discovered two ways to get on with your life after a loss. 1. Shift Your Attention You can help someone whose attention is on a loss by asking this question over and over. "Tell the person you are going to help them. Tell him or her, ‘Find something that isn't reminding you of ______ (name of person he or she lost).’ "Repeat the command, getting the person to find something else that is not reminding him or her of the person until he or she has a realization and feels better about the situation. "This simple procedure can help the person recover from his or her lost love and begin to live again." — L. Ron Hubbard You decide to help Jim get over his break up with Nancy. You tell Jim, "Let me help you get over Nancy, okay? Here we go. Find something that isn't reminding you of Nancy." Jim looks around the room for a little while. "That mirror doesn't remind me of Nancy." You say, "Okay" and repeat the instruction: "Find something that isn't reminding you of Nancy." "The drapes." You say "Okay" and repeat the command: "Find something that isn't reminding you of Nancy." "The couch. Oh, Nancy sat there. I sure miss her. Okay, that box of Cheerios." "All right. Find something that isn't reminding you of Nancy." "That plant. . . ." After repeating this question a few dozen times, Jim's eyes become bright and he smiles. "Nancy who? To heck with that. I feel better! Let's get something to eat." While it might take a few minutes or a few hours, Jim will snap out of it. The technique works equally well with the loss of a job, a business, money—anything you or the person you are helping wants to stop thinking about. 2. Erase the Emotional Pain Harmful memories are stored in the mind at a conscious and unconscious level. These memories ruin marriages, careers and your confidence. They cause unfounded fears, unreasonable anger and irrational behavior. You carry this mental baggage wherever you go. Harmful memories cause you to act in ways that are not really YOU. Dianetics eliminates the influence of these destructive memories. The Grolier Encyclopedia defines Dianetics as: ". . . a form of counseling for curing emotional and psychosomatic illnesses and enhancing life" (psychosomatic illnesses: health problems stemming from the mind). When you receive Dianetics counseling, you talk about your past in a certain way until the emotional pain stops. The depression, grief and anxiety caused by your memories are gone forever. Benefits When you reduce the emotional pain of memories, you enjoy these benefits: * More energy * Increased control * Interest in new activities * More self-confidence * Higher intelligence * Better health * Reduced need for drugs, alcohol or medicine * Less fear of failure To learn more about Dianetics, buy Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

"Copyright © 2006 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard."

FITNESS WORLD MOURNS THE DEATH OF NUTRITION GURU DON LEMMON

Donald Edward Lemmon, Jr., age 37, died in a car accident outside of Las Vegas, June 10, 2006. He was born Sept. 4, 1968, to Donald Edward, Sr. and Laura Pearl Weimer Lemmon. On Dec. 19, 2003, he married Asia Carrera in Koolina, Hawaii. Donald grew up in Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army, then moved back to Ohio working as a personal trainer. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in a rock band. There Donald found success with a nutritional web site and he became a nutritionist and personal trainer. He was also a published science fiction author. Donald was a devoted husband and a loving father. Survivors include his wife, Asia; one daughter from his first marriage, Carly of Ohio; one daughter from his second marriage, Catalina of St. George, Utah; one soon to be born son, Donald Edward Lemmon, III; mother, Laura of Ohio; one brother, Jeff Lemmon; and four half sisters and one half brother. Private family services will be held. Arrangements were under the direction of Moapa Valley Mortuary.

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How To Turn Fat Into Muscle
By Doberman Dan

OK... to be quite honest, turing body fat into muscle is simply NOT possible.
But it has become a popular saying. What it REALLY means is to lose body fat
while retaining and/or gaining muscle mass.

In this article I would like to share the basics of a training protocol advocated by
Charles Poliquin and many other bodybuilding gurus called German Body
Composition (GBC).

GBC uses weight training for fat loss. Aerobic training is not utilized -- at all! The
primary goal of this method is fat loss while preserving hard earned muscle.
Contrary to popular opinion, aerobics usually cause a LOSS of muscle tissue.

Also, as an added little perk, many trainees will also add lean tissue during the
course of a GBC cycle.

Results normally seen from this type of training average a loss of approximately
one-half a percent of body fat per week.

The basic premise behind GBC is the promotion of fat loss by increasing lactic
acid levels in the body, which in turn produces higher growth hormone levels.
This puts the body in an optimal state to burn fat and build lean tissue.

So how do you go about attaining this state with your workouts?

The following is a bullet point list of what you need to do:

Full Body Workout Utilizing Upper and Lower Body Supersets -- By alternating
between upper and lower body exercises it is possible to keep the rest intervals
short, even with big compound movements like the squat and bench press. This
allows you to accomplish a large amount of work in a relatively short time.

High Reps (10-15) Stopping Short of Failure -- Studies have shown that high
reps sets with a time under tension of 40 to 75 seconds produce an appropriate
amount of lactic acid for the purposes of GH release and fat loss. You should
stop about two reps short of concentric (positive) failure. Training to failure has
little benefit and potential drawbacks with this protocol. Remember, the goal is
to create the environment within your body to burn fat. Also, if you train to
failure it would be highly unlikely you would last until the end of the workout.
The volume of work is pretty high (at least for a natural trainee).

Short Rest Intervals (30-75 seconds) -- By alternating between upper and lower
body exercises, you will be able to cut down on needed rest intervals greatly
compared to repeating the same movement in a straight set fashion. These
short rest intervals accelerate the accumulation of lactic acid and create our
desired state.

Workout Duration Less Than One Hour -- Studies have shown that weight
training sessions lasting over one hour tip the anabolic/catabolic scale in
the negative direction. Fifty minutes seems to be the ideal time frame. This
does not include warm-ups, stretching, or cool-down.

Sample Workouts

Below are three sample workouts based on the GBC protocol. These three
workouts can be alternated throughout the week. Frequency of workout
sessions depends on training age and starting condition. The minimum is
twice a week and the maximum that I would recommend would be five per
week.

In these examples I use the notation system developed by Charles Poliquin
because it provides a good amount of detailed information on each of the
workout variables.

There are a few notations that you might not be familiar with. These are used
to denote supersetting and tempo.

Supersetting is designated by the use of letters and numbers i.e. A1 and A2
or B1 and B2. First perform the A1 movement. Rest the prescribed amount
of time and then perform the A2 movement. Continue alternating between
the two exercises until all the recommended sets of each are complete.

Tempo (the speed at which you perform the movement) is designated with a
three-digit number in units of seconds i.e. (301). The first number is the
eccentric or lowering portion, the second number indicates the isometric or
pause, and the final number is the concentric or positive portion. For
example, on a bench press with a 311 tempo you would lower the load for
three seconds, pause on the chest for one second, and then extend to the
start in one second. Note: "X" denotes explosive effort.

Day One

A1 - Step Ups 4 x 12 (20X) 60 sec
A2 - Chin Ups 4 x 10 (311) 60 sec

B1 - Lunges (dynamic) 3 x 12 (311) 45 sec
B2 - Incline Dumbbell Chest Press 3 x 10-12 (411) 45 sec

C1 - Seated Leg Curl 3 x 10 (401) 45 sec
C2 - Barbell Shoulder Press 3 x 12 (311) 45 sec

D1 - Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 x 10-12 (411) 30 sec
D2 - Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions 2 x 10-12 (422) 30 sec

Day Two

A1 - Deadlift 4 x 10-12 (311) 60 sec
A2 - Swiss Ball Push Ups 4 x 12-15 (222) 45 sec

B1 - Leg Press 3 x 12-15 (411) 60 sec
B2 - Seated Cable Row w/rope to Neck 3 x 10-12 (321) 45 sec

C1 - Single Standing Leg Curl 3 x 10 (411) 45 sec
C2 - Lateral Raise 3 x 12 -15 (221) 45 sec

D1 - Barbell Curl 2 x 10 - 12 (311) 45 sec
D2 - EZ Bar French Press (seated) 2 x 10- 12 (311) 30 sec

Day Three

A1 - Squat 4 x 12-15 (401) 60 sec
A2 - Bench Press 4 x 10-12 (411) 60 sec

B1 - Lunge (static) 3 x 15 (311) 60 sec
B2 - Barbell Rows 3 x 12 (311) 60 sec

C1 - Good Mornings 3 x 10 (312) 60 sec
C2 - Standing Alt. Dumbbell Press 3 x 12 (201) 45 sec

D1 - Reverse Barbell Curls 2 x 12 -15 (212) 30 sec
D2 - Triceps Pushdowns (underhanded) 2 x 12 -15 (312) 30 sec

I hope you find this program effective in achieving your goals. Give
it a shot and let me know how it goes for you.

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