Today I am putting up a guest post from Vic over at Gym Junkies. Although my workout philosophy is different than what Vic teaches, the guy keeps in amazing condition year round and has my respect. I'm the first to admit that there are many, many approaches to getting lean and fit and I would be skeptical of anyone who claims to have "the only way that works". Gym Junkies might be the most organized fitness blogs online today. My favorite part is the "How to" videos that are organized in the left hand sidebar. The site is just full of step-by-step instruction and feels almost like a paid course in strength training.

[Once you get lean, it is easier to stay motivated to eat well and workout. The key is to get to he point where you feel like you look great. Once you feel and look your best, you won't want to go back.]

So I asked Vic to Do a Post on Motivation. Here's Why… Gym Junkies has so much outstanding step-by-step info, that I wanted you guys to go over to his site and watch his videos and learn specific techniques. For this post, I just wanted him to write some tips people can follow to stay motivated. All the "How to" stuff is already over on his site, so these are tips to actually stay motivated enough to do the work.

Motivation Tips for Sticking to Your Workout -by Vic Magary

You know the cycle all too well. An important event comes up where you want to look your absolute best – it could be a beach vacation, wedding, high school reunion…And you do it – you stick to the diet, bust your ass in the gym, and get your body looking absolutely fabulous. For a weekend.

And then it's binge time. A whole lot of late night pizza and beer while watching Ironman on your big screen for the twelfth time and you're right back to where you started. Or even worse than when you started. It's time to stop the quick fix merry-go-round and make a life-long commitment to being healthy and looking great.

Here are some tips to help you do that…

Stop Being a Victim

Everyone that has a problem with their weight or how their body looks, always has an irrational reason outside of themselves to blame for them being that way. Always…

I do. You do. We all do.

It's a TOUGH pill to swallow. Basically by not being where we want to be in life we rationalize it to ourselves by blaming our problem on something else. That could be our genetics, our metabolism, our job, not having enough time, having kids, not having enough money….or whatever.

Everyone does this, and sometimes we won't even admit these things to ourselves because by doing so we are admitting that we failed. But by rationalizing our problem we allow ourselves to put the blame on something or someone else.

Like I said this is the harsh reality and a tough pill to swallow. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I first realized this.

Don't let yourself be a victim, and don't rationalize why you're in the spot you are in now. Admit to yourself that you're in the situation you're in because of what YOU'VE done, and then make a change.

Intrinsic Trumps Extrinsic For Long Term Change

Finding your motivation to get in shape outside of yourself in something such as a big event, an article of clothing you want to fit into, or to impress friends, family, or the object of your affection is a recipe for crash and burn.

Sure you'll hit the gym and tighten up the diet until you reach that extrinsic goal. But what about afterwards? When the event passes, the clothing goes out of style, and the object of your affection is no longer so shiny and new your motivation to stay fit will wane.

However if your motivation to train stems from a personal standard that you hold yourself to – meaning your values – then you have long term fuel to sustain consistent results.

Deep down you need to have a personal belief that caring for your body with proper nutrition, exercise, and rest is your own responsibility.

Another helpful tip is to surround yourself with friends who have healthy habits…

Find A New Clique

It's been said that your net financial worth can be predicted by taking the average net worth of the five people you spend the most time with outside of your job. Well I'll make the bold claim that your health and fitness can be predicted by taking the average nutrition and exercise habits of the five people you spend the most time with.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you have to excommunicate your friends if their not in tip-top shape. I am suggesting that if your friends have health and fitness habits that are not at least at your own level you should occasionally swim in different circles.

Find a new gym partner or take a mixed martial arts class where most of the people in the group are in better shape than you. Try a new activity like indoor rock climbing and find a training partner who has more experience than you. Or ditch the gym completely and start doing some home workouts with your spouse or friend.

Whatever you do, push yourself out of your comfort zone and surround yourself with people who are in better shape than you…

Your Mindset Is EVERYTHING

If you have a fat person mindset, no amount of exercise and diet is going to make you thin over the long haul. You'll always have fat person tendencies, and sooner or later you'll "snapback" into your old self.

Have you ever wondered why half the people on the Biggest Loser end up gaining all their weight back? Its all about mindset and willpower. Hell anyone could lose weight living in a hotel and only being fed healthy food with no distractions or temptations around.

But when you get back into the real world and one day you're late for work and you stop at McDonald's for breakfast, then its only a matter of time before the whole cycle starts again…

If you want to be lean and thin forever, you MUST have the mentality of a lean person…

Here's some tips to help…

Put It On Autopilot

You don't want to have to think about your fitness training. Or what you are going to eat each day. There will be exceptions to this with vacations and holidays, but in the normal day-to-day, preplanning your training and food intake is the recipe for long term success.

Keep your workouts at the same times and days each week. That's pretty basic and many people already do that, so let's take it a step further.

Make it a habit to pre-pack all of the gear and clothes you need for training the night before. Make a checklist if you have to – iPod charged, check; workout shorts packed, check. What ever you need to do, you want to do it the same way each time. You want a procedure that with repetition becomes a habit.

And do the same with your nutrition: If you're trying to lose fat, then pre planning your meals is KEY. I always do my grocery shopping, cooking, and packaging of my meals for the week on Sunday. Then you don't have to think about what to eat when you are tired and stressed – it's already been prepared and you've set yourself up for success.

Sometimes it can be fun and challenging to get in awesome shape for a big event. But it is even more rewarding when the unexpected happens – whether that's a pickup basketball game of shirts versus skins or an impromptu skinny dipping session – and you have the confidence that you are always ready to go.

Let your training be fueled by your personal values, hang out with people who are in better shape than you, and set yourself up for success by preplanning your training and diet and you'll always be in shape for those special occasions.

Conclusion

We can sit here and debate calories vs. carbs or circuit training vs long slow running all day, but if you don't have the mindset of the person you want to be, then you'll never change.

Real, long term change comes from within.

Register for my free workout videos by clicking here—> Gym Junkies Free Video Workout Series

Tags: Workout Routines, circuit training, fitness blog, gym junkies, motivation tips, strength training, workout video

I have a rule that I follow that allows me to stay lean year round without getting too obsessed with food and counting calories. You see, I like to drink beer and eat tasty foods, but I also like to have visible abs and a lean youthful appearance. I will talk about a simple and realistic approach to insure that you never have to worry about racing to get in shape for the summer ever again.

[With the increase in beach pictures, you can probably tell that I'm dying for a tropical vacation. People who live in the upper latitudes like me can probably relate. This picture just sums it up perfectly. Suntanning and swimming. My idea of an ideal vacation.]

So What is The 5 Pound Rule?
(more…)

Related posts:

1. Staying Lean on a Mini-Mart Diet
2. Bulking Up Causes a Permanent Increase in Fat Cells, Making it Tough to Stay Lean

By Mike Geary

I am sure you have heard previously that your post-workout meal is actually the most important meal of your day (aside from breakfast of course).

I would have to agree with that assertion for the most part because refueling your body with the right combo of nutrients is so vastly important to repairing your muscles from the breakdown of a workout, and keeping your metabolic rate sky high.

Here’s some recent research on post-workout meals:

“A recent 12-week study says that those who failed to consume a post workout meal immediately after their workouts suffered a lower metabolism, loss of fat free mass, and had clear indications of muscle loss – while their counterparts (those who consumed a post workout recovery meal) significantly lost more fat, increased lean muscle, improved their metabolism, and increased dynamic strength.”

I have noticed that many people are confused as to what actually makes a good post-workout meal. A couple common questions I receive about post workout meals:

1. Aren’t post-workout meals only important for muscle building? Do they matter at all for fat loss goals?

2. Is it best to use one of the fancy post-workout drinks or shakes that you see in the magazines or is a whole food meal better? What’s the best combo of carbs to protein to fat in a good post workout meal?

3. How soon after a workout is best to have my post workout meal?

Answers:

1. Post-workout meals are actually vitally important for BOTH muscle building and losing body fat!

Always remember that one of the most important considerations of long term body fat loss and maintaining a lean body for life is raising your overall metabolic rate by building and maintaining adequate lean muscle mass throughout your entire body.

By consuming a good post workout meal after every workout, you assist your body in repairing and building lean muscle throughout your whole body. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate (even when resting)… hence, you lose fat easier and faster, and it is MUCH easier to stay lean in the long term.

2. Are whole foods or supplement shakes best? This can actually be done either way, but I am going to show you some guidelines why some post-workout shakes are better than others and some whole foods are better than others. Either way, it can work.

First, keep in mind that your goal throughout the majority of each day is eating small whole food meals frequently that digest slowly with high fiber and a controlled glycemic response (blood sugar). These normal daily meals should also contain healthy fats and slowly digested proteins to maintain a steady supply of amino acids.

When it comes to post-workout meals, you can just about use the exact opposite strategy of your normal meals. With post-workout meals, you actually want a faster digesting carb source to stimulate an insulin response. This helps to push nutrients and glycogen back into your muscle cells for repair. Remember, this is not just important for building muscle, but also for losing fat.

So while I always preach high fiber for most of your meals, with post-workout meals, you actually want lower fiber, higher GI carbohydrates, and quickly digesting protein as well to kick start muscle repair.

Another consideration to keep in mind… while I always preach healthy fats at most of your meals… with the post workout meal, you actually want almost all carbohydrates and protein, and very little fat. Fat in the post workout meal just slows the absorption and glycemic response which is not what you want at this key time.

What about the best ratios of carbohydrates and protein?

I have reviewed dozens of studies on this subject and most seem to agree that a ratio of approx 2 to 1 carbs to protein is optimal. This seems to be the best combo to maximize muscle repair to boost that metabolic rate for long term body fat loss.

I usually make my post-workout shakes using a frozen banana, whey protein, water, and some real maple syrup (not the cheap high fructose corn syrup based maple syrups at most stores) and aim for about a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the shake.

If you want to make things a little simpler, one of the best post-workout shakes that I’ve found that is already mixed in a 2:1 carb:protein ratio is Prograde’s Varsity Post-Workout mix. You can find it at the bottom of this page.

3. How soon should you eat (or drink) your post-workout meal once your done working out?

As soon as you can after your workout (the sooner the better)!

Studies have shown that the sooner you consume your post workout meal following your intense workout, the better your muscle recovery will be, and a higher quantity of the carbohydrates ingested will be used for muscle glycogen replenishment instead of other uses.

The first thing I do when I get back from the gym is make my post workout shake, and this is about 10 min after finishing my workout.

We have more info about the most effective post-workout meals for muscle recovery at http://natural.getprograde.com/varsity

Stop living with that unsightly stomach fat that you’ve struggled with for years and learn the true secrets for Getting Six Pack Abdominals & Losing Belly Fat

Find out about our unique home based workouts for busy professionals at the following page – 4-Minute Dumbbell & Bodyweight Home Workouts

Technorati Tags: amino acids, carbs, fat loss, glycemic response, glycogen, high fructose corn syrup, lean muscle, metabolism, nutrients, nutrition, post workout meal, recovery, strength, supplements

By Mike Geary

The Front Squat:

As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises. In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are the ultimate solution. If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment. You won’t find long boring cardio in any of my programs!

Squats can be done with any free weighted objects such as barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weights – NEVER with a Smith machine or any other squat machines! Machines do not allow your body to follow natural, biomechanically-correct movement paths. You also perform less work because the machine stabilizes the weight for you. Therefore, you get weaker results!

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back. Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury. I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance. Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I’ll cover overhead squats in a future article. If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a much higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders. In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your upper arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support.

Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you. Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down, keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury-resistant knee joints. Keep in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees.

Practice first with an un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement. Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you learn the correct form. This is due to the more upright posture compared with back squats. To see photos of proper form on the front squat, visit http://truthaboutabs.com/Front-Squats.html.

Visit http://truthaboutabs.com/Training-and-Nutrition-Articles.html to receive your own personalized metabolic rate calculator as well as 4 of my secret hard-body workout routines – all FREE.

Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer (NCSF-CPT, AFAA-CPT), and author of The Truth about Six Pack Abs ©2004-2009.

Technorati Tags: abdominals, back squat, barbells, deadlifts, fat loss, front squat, hormonal response, kettlebells, lower body, michael geary, overhead squats, sandbags, squats

I’ve got a new found love for fast workouts.

Why?

Well besides the fact that you can get A LOT done in a short period of time, which is paramount for a busy dad, busy business owner…and a guy who just doesn’t want to spend every waking moment doing fat loss workouts.

Who’d a thought? A personal trainer who doesn’t want to spend all his time doing workouts!

But it’s true. I’ve got better things to do than spend hours doing fat loss workouts and I’m willing to bet you do too.

You’ve got work requirements. You’ve got kids that need to get ready for school, lunches packed, homework that needs to be done, after school sports and activities like band or dance…man kids take up a lot of free time!

But on top of that you probably just don’t like to spend a lot of time working out. The people who enjoy doing long fat loss workouts are few and far between, so it’s probably music to your ears when I tell you that you can get fast workouts in that are just as, if not more, effective than longer workouts.

It’s just a matter of cutting out all the “isolation” movements like triceps kickbacks, crunches, torso twists, etc. and stick to movements that move a lot of muscle which means they burn a lot of fat.

That is the true key to fast workouts. Sticking with big movements and combination exercises, and cutting out the frivolous movements that do little to nothing in terms of fat loss.

But what do fast workouts look like? Do fast workouts have to look like some sort of new-age aerobics class?

Gosh no! Don’t even mention aerobics in the same breath as fast workouts. All I can think of when someone says aerobics class is leg warmers, spandex and Jane Fonda…and those 3 things don’t bring up happy thoughts!

I’m going to make it very easy for your to perform your fast workout.

I’m going to let you choose from the following exercises and create your own fast workouts.

Here’s the exercises, or groups of exercises, you have to choose from:

1) Squat w/Shoulder Press
2) Push-up and Squat
3) Dumbbell or Kettlebell Swings
4) Burpees with a Push-up at the bottom

You’ll notice that all of those exercises have one big thing in common. They all work virtually every single muscle in your body and get your heart pumping fast which will help you to burn a lot of fat.

Here’s how I’m going to have you perform your fast workouts.

Pick one or two of the above exercises.

Do the following for 4 minutes:

Perform the exercise as fast as you can, with perfect form, for 20 seconds.

Then rest for 10 seconds.

Repeat until 4 minutes is up.

Yes, that’s it.

If you do the exercises and fast workouts properly you will be panting like a shaggy dog on a hot summer day and will be begging for mercy.

Here’s the key for these fast workouts and using the exercises I have outlined above…pick a weight that makes the exercise difficult, but not so difficult that your form suffers and make sure you use perfect form when doing each and every repetition.

Poor form will make the workout useless and could even make you hurt yourself.

Because this fast workout only takes 4 minutes you can do it pretty much any time you have a few minutes, and sweat, to spare. But my recommendation is to do it first thing in the morning, before you let anything else get in your way. That way you’ve got the workout in and done for the day so that if anything else comes up and you miss your workout for later on in the day at least you got this killer fast workout in.

To see pictures and descriptions of the exercises in this article head to http://www.FatLossToGo.com/fast_workouts.html

To learn how to lose fat while only working out for 15 minutes a day go to http://www.FatLossToGo.com

Technorati Tags: aerobics, burn fat, burpees, crunches, fast workouts, fat loss, fitness, Jane Fonda, kettlebells, personal trainer, push-ups, spandex, squats