KILLER AT LARGE

We're digging our graves with a fork and knife.

I have answers to this dilemma, but it requires work, dedication, focus, consistency and effort.

If you want more information, please e-mail me at steve@firestormfitness.com or go to http://28daymiracle.blogspot.com

God bless you,
Steve

Why are you complaining?

Adam Bender - plays baseball with only one leg.

Now, tell me again about the "bad day" you're having.

SP

Achieving Your Dreams

by Jim Rohn

While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What's the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little?

Despite all of the factors that affect our lives - like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in - none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream.

Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid.

If you've ever hiked a fourteen thousand-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind "How did the settlers of this country do it?" How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day's supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you . . . mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had ambition. They didn't focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain.

In their minds, they were already on the other side - their bodies just hadn't gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way.

You've got to be a dreamer. You've got to envision the future. You've got to see California while you're climbing fourteen thousand-foot peaks. You've got to see the finish line while you're running the race. You've got to hear the cheers when you're in the middle of a monster project. And you've got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Because that's how you realize your dreams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What are your dreams?

What are you prepared to do to achieve them?

God bless,
Steve

5 Fat Loss Mistakes

and How to Correct Them

Here are five of the biggest fat loss train-wrecks that I see men and women making each and every day...fix these, and you'll lose fat.

1) Not having sufficient support and back up.

Trying to lose fat without adequate social support is not the ideal way to lose fat. Ideally, you'd have a medical professional, an RD, a fitness professional, your workout partner, your spouse, your workmates, and your friends all behind you. A substantial amount of research has demonstrated that you will benefit most from a health professional (i.e. a trainer) and a successful workout partner. When you have those two members of your team it is then time to then work on getting the rest of the group.

2) Not using a professionally designed, structured program.

When you go to the gym, do you have a plan for improvement and gain, or do you wander around wondering what to do next? If you said the latter, then you're merely wasting your time. That’s the beauty of The 28 Day Miracle Fat Loss Program. With it, you know what you have to do; you can stick to it, and see it through. No wasted time wandering around the gym deciding where to start and you get guaranteed results.

3) Not changing your workout after 4 weeks.

That's the longest you should go on one program. If it's been 6-months since you've altered your routine, have someone smack you back into reality. That’s a secret of success from the Firestorm Fitness Systems Fat Burning Fit Camps. We never do the same workout twice. Ask yourself this question: If my workout hasn't worked yet, why do I think it's magically going to start now? Change it up frequently. You'll get more results and you'll have more fun.

4) Failing to understand that your results will come more from good nutrition than from training.

You want to lose fat? You have to eat right for fat loss. You've heard me say it before, "No amount of hard work will overcome crummy eating habits."

Try as you might, you can train like an animal and eat junk like a pig and never see any fat loss. No program is that good. Diet beats training every time, like the Celtics beat the Lakers.

Eat whole, natural and unprocessed foods in 6 smaller meals per day. Load up on fiber, lots of protein, lots of vegetables. Eat healthy fats, but avoid trans fats. Drink lots of water and tea. So simple, so effective. Eat for energy, not for gluttony.

5) Not knowing when to quit.

Here’s an example of an email I get daily: “Do I need to add more cardio or lift longer to see better results?” It sounds logical, right? After all, if some is good, more training must be better?

Wrong.

If your program is solid, and you’re not making progress, then you’re either
A) lacking intensity,
B) not following your nutrition, or
C) both of the previous.

You have to draw the line somewhere. You simply cannot keep adding more and more exercise. Have you ever heard of the law of diminishing returns? Well it applies here because for each additional set you do, and from every extra cardio session it gets harder and harder to recover. Also, your body can break down quickly from too much work, particularly when you are calorically challenging yourself from a strict diet.
Overtraining and low calories go together like a Hershey Bar and sardines. Neither of these combos will speed your metabolism.

Instead, set your sights on quality over quantity. The "volume approach to fat loss" popularized in the 80's (lots of cardio and lots of carbs) was a disaster. Guess what? It still doesn’t work...and for good reason. Stick to high quality nutrition, and high-quality training.

Here’s the bottom line: What really matters is results. Not "the pump", not muscle soreness, not feeling exhausted after each workout, and not feeling deprived of food.

Quality work and quality food for a better body. That’s the REAL solution!

God bless,
SP

Why Should I Strength Train?

1) Sedentary individuals (someone who does little or no regular exercise) can lose up to 30% or more of their muscle mass between ages of 20 and 70, averaging several pounds of muscle per decade.
2) Muscle loss means your metabolism will slow down.
3) Slower metabolism means the body is burning fewer calories, which will likely be a cause of weight gain.
4) Muscle is active tissue. It is estimated that a pound of muscle burns 30 to 50 calories per day in order to simply maintain itself. The addition of 3 pounds of muscle can burn 630 to 1,050 extra calories per week. A pound of fat burns about 3 calories per day. Can you see that lifting weights and gaining muscle will cause you to burn more calories every day?
5) Strength training (and a solid diet) will increase your muscle mass and this can happen at any age.
6) It's great for building and maintaining bone density.
7) You're never too old to start strength training. That makes today the day to start!

What are the benefits of strength training?

Strength training increases or dramatically improves:

• metabolism (your body ability to burn more calories)
• muscle mass and overall strength
• stamina, energy and endurance
• functional mobility (think stair climbing, running to cross the street, etc)
• balance and coordination
• mental alertness
• outlook on life
• ability to perform challenges of daily life with less chance of injury
• fat weight loss
• muscle strength, tone, and firmness
• strength of tendons and ligaments
• bone density and strength
• personal appearance
• You will feel and look great!

How do I get started on a strength-training program?

Let's first understand a few basic strength training guidelines:

• Warm up before you start. You need to warm up to increase blood flow to your muscles. Do this by walking briskly, biking, or stair climbing for 5 to 10 minutes. Then go through some movement based "stretches" like neck rolls, arm swings, leg swings and hip mobility drills.
• Focus on compound exercises. These are exercises that use multiple joints and are primarily body-weight based, like squats, pull-ups, pushups and such. Multi-joint movements have many, many more benefits than single joint, so-called "isolation" exercises.
• Train the entire body, not just body parts. There are seven basic movement patterns in the human form; vertical push, vertical pull, horizontal push, horizontal pull, quadriceps dominant, hip dominant, and rotational/core exercises. Perform one of each of these types of exercises every time you train.
• Repetitions (reps) are the number of times you repeat an exercise, such as a pushup. Usually you will do between 8 and 15 repetitions.
• Sets are groups of repetitions. Ten to fifteen repetitions make up one set. Begin with one set of each exercise. As you progress in your program, you may want to increase to 2-5 sets, depending upon your level of development and program type.
• Frequency - To increase or maintain muscular strength, you need to lift a minimum of 2 to 3 times per week or about every other day. Rest your muscles for at least 48 hours between workouts. This allows the muscle to rebuild. Remember, you don't get stronger by how hard you lift, you get stronger by how well you recover from your lifting.
• Intensity - Say your goal is to lift a weight 8 times. You should select a weight that is heavy enough to allow you to lift it so that when you get to rep #8, you feel as though you could lift a 9th rep with good form, but not a 10th.
• Progression - Progressive weight resistance training is the key principle of strength training. Test yourself about every two weeks. How? Let's use the previous example: lift the weight for your usual 8 reps, but try to get reps #9, 10 and 11 with good form. If you can do it, it's time to up the weight. You must periodically increase the amount of weight you are lifting to continue to develop muscular strength. A good rule of thumb is that when you can lift a weight for more repetitions, increase by 5 pounds.
• Safety - Perform each exercise with good technique and form. Use a "spotter" (someone to assist you in the lift if necessary) or hire a qualified personal fitness professional.
• Maintain correct body alignment, especially when muscles begin to tire. If you cannot maintain good form, lighten the weight and/or take a longer rest period.
• If you should start losing form or control of your muscles, STOP. Proper from and technique are more important than simply completing a lift.
• Tempo - Generally it is best to lift the weight on a "2 count" and lower on a "4 count".
• Lifting in a controlled manner is essential for getting the most out of each set and to prevent injury.
• Breathe - Do not hold your breath while lifting. Exhale while exerting yourself, while pushing or pulling the weight, and inhale as you return to the start.
• Rest 30 to 90 seconds between each exercise or set.

Performing your first workout:

• Begin with one exercise for each movement pattern.
• Begin with 1 set and after 2 to 3 weeks (4 to 6 workouts) add a second set.
• Begin with resistance which requires a "pretty good effort" to reach 12 to 15 repetitions but does not cause muscle fatigue.
• After about 2 to 3 weeks (4 to 6 workouts) you should use the progression rule in order to achieve momentary muscle fatigue with your exercises.
• Keep a record or log of each workout session, this will allow you to properly and consistently progress in your strength program.
• Be sure to stretch the muscles that feel tight after each workout.
• You will likely have some soreness after your first workout. This is to be expected. It will decrease as you continue to train.
• Remember to progress from bodyweight exercises to free weight exercises. Increase slowly and steadily, warm-up before you lift weights and stretch after you are done.

God bless,
SP

Have you lost the motivation to get results by the end of summer?

Then if so, understand the three levels of motivation and you’ll learn how to reach a new level of commitment that will stick for good!

1) The first stage is "fear-based motivation" which is an emotionally charged form of motivation.

In this stage you may fear getting any heavier. You may be frightened that you are starting to look like your mom. Maybe you had a health scare like a bad blood test result or recent illness.

The fear based stage is good because it motivates you to do something about your situation, but the problem is that it is not long lasting. Once you take action and the problem begins to fade, you resolve the fear. As the fear dissipates, you will either go back to your old behaviors and relapse or move up to the second stage of motivation.

2) The second stage of motivation is what we refer to as "feedback-based motivation."

Your motivation is fueled by all the various forms of feedback that you get from various outside factors:
You see the scale needle plummeting to the left.
Friends and family members turn their heads (toward you) when you walk in the room.
Clothes are starting to slide off your body (time to put another notch in your belt!).
Maybe members of the opposite sex are starting to notice and you dig the new attention.

The problem with feedback based motivation is that it has to end.
What happens when your clothes can't get any looser?
Friends and family members that complimented you early on quit commenting about your weight by the third or fourth time that they see you.
What happens when the scale can't go any lower?

As the feedback begins to diminish, your motivation can begin to fade and you will move to one of two places. You will either fall back to your old behaviors and gain your weight back, or you will move into the third stage of motivation.

3) The third stage of motivation is based on an innate or inner drive that encompasses the "big picture."

In this stage of motivation you come to understand that eating right and exercising isn't a "have to," it's simply a part of who you are and what you do.

When a person reaches this stage, self motivation is based not on weight loss, but on living a lifestyle of health that matters.

It's coming to terms with the fact that you are in control of your destiny and that each choice and decision has a consequence.

In this stage: You have an inner desire to continue with your program no matter what life throws your way. Your coping skills have become a natural part of you so that eating wrong seems harder than eating right.
Once you get to the third stage, you have arrived and success is easy. In fact, it simply becomes a part of who you are and what you do.

Your goal should simply be to get to that third stage, because permanent success is tough without it.

God Bless,
Steve

The Truth About Fat Loss

By Craig Ballantyne
Last November, I traveled to Mesa, AZ to hear Bill Phillips speak at a seminar. Phillips is the creator of the Body for Life Transformation Challenge. But at the end of the conference, it wasn't Phillips' words that I remembered. Nor was it Richard Branson's, who spoke to us via satellite. Instead, a man named Dave Kekich caught my attention.

Mr. Kekich has written something called "The Kekich Credos" - 100 success secrets that I've been reviewing and then figuring out how to relate them to my clients' fat-loss goals.

For example, here's Kekich Credo #4: "Real regrets only come from not doing your best. All else is out of your control. You're measured by results only. Trade excuses and 'trying' for results, and expect half-hearted results from half-hearted efforts. Do more than is expected of you. Life's easy when you live it the hard way... and hard if you try to live it the easy way."

Here are my thoughts on how to apply this success secret to a fat-loss program:

• Who are the ones berating themselves every Monday for not exercising or eating properly over the weekend? The people who did not do their best to exercise and eat right on Saturday and Sunday.
  Most people fail to control themselves. They trade minutes of pleasure (i.e., fast food) for days, weeks, months, and years of regret.
• Focus on quality workouts, not quantity. Focus on planning ahead to overcome obstacles, rather than trying to "out-cardio" a bad diet.
• Always hit a personal best in each workout. This guarantees progress in both fat-burning and muscle-building.
• Fat loss is easy once you understand how hard it is... and it's hard if you think it is easy.

To make fat loss easy, you must:
1. Plan and prepare your meals in advance.
2. Follow a professionally designed, structured workout routine that is more intense than anything you'd put together for yourself.
3. Get social support from others who have gone through the same trials and tribulations that you face.

Do those three things... and you will succeed.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

If you're serious about getting the look and body you want, I've got two options:
The Firestorm Fitness Systems Fat Burning Fit Camps and
The 28 Day Miracle Fat Loss Program

God bless,
Steve

The Essential Quality of Mental Toughness

It takes more than visualization, self-talk, relaxation and concentration to be a real winner in life. Unlike The Secret, simply thinking “I am leaner, energized, and have a great body...plus I make a million dollars a year working only a few hours a week!” won’t cut it. It takes a kind of strength through mental toughness that only a handful of people truly understand.

However, once you do understand it, you can master yourself and how you respond to almost anything that comes your way.

You do not have to be born with mental toughness. Mental toughness is a manageable trait; a learned skill. You don't have to go through a trial by fire to experience it. Simply living day to day will allow most of us to live through trials and tribulations enough to toughen us up.

Here are some action tips for you to gain more mental toughness in everything you do:

1. Listen to the experts. Read biographies and listen to audio programs of winners who have overcome tremendous obstacles and setbacks to become successful. Check out success stories in magazines and the Internet - fitness, money, or otherwise - you'll find they are people just like you. If they can do it, why can’t you as well?

2. No pain, no gain vs. patience, pacing, and persistence. You don't need to go through emotional or physical pain to succeed. This is a myth. When you realize that failure and handicaps have not prevented winners in any area of life, you gain more confidence and courage to pursue your own dreams.

And you don't need to "come from behind" to get ahead. Learn from the trial and error of others, and expect more of yourself. No pipedreams, just more and expect to get it. It can be easy to over-train, over-commit, and overwork if your expectations are too much. Be malleable and prepared for hurdles along the way. Success will come with consistency and effort; understand it may take months instead of days.

3. "What next?" thinking. Give yourself solution-oriented feedback when solving your problems. Dwelling on what went wrong won’t help matters here. Instead think, “What am I going to do about it?” Spend your energy on moving forward, finding an answer. Journaling may help here. Write down things like, “What did I accomplish today?” “What went well?” “What can I do better?” “How do I feel about my progress?” “Are my goals making me reach, or am I just going through the motions?” “Am I focused?” “Are my goals my own?”

4. Get comfortable with the unfamiliar. Frequently break up your routine. Make it a part of your daily practice to do something out of the ordinary and totally different than what you normally do. Train at a different gym. Put your TV in the closet for a month. Drive to work using a different route. Change workout routines regularly. You'll be better prepared to handle diverse environments with greater calm and confidence.

5. Think and speak favorably of your health. Teach yourself and your children to use positive self-talk about fitness and personal health. Too much attention is paid to minor aches and pains, like there's value to not feeling good. Oftentimes what we think about most grows and our self-fulfilling prophesy is that we make real what is the "main feature" of ourselves. What's your "main feature"?

6. Don't be a victim of ads and fads. We all know it; the world is full of greedy people looking for a fast and easy way to put your money in their pockets. Make sure the thing that impresses you meets your criteria, and satisfies your concerns. Mental toughness doesn't mean going it alone, with lose-weight-fast or get-rich-quick schemes. Mental toughness means learning from the pros that have been there and done that.

7. Hang out with people who have already achieved their goals or who are dedicated to goals similar to yours. Avoid associating with people who have the same unresolved problems or who are frustrated by their lack of achievement. Stay away from “pity parties.” "Oh, woe is me. My life is in the dumpster right now! How about you?" "I know how you feel…I’m right there with you. I feel terrible about myself. How about you?"

Often time’s people seem to thrive on the attention they get when they feel bad. A social support network of like-minded people gives you motivation, support, and purpose for succeeding.

8. Focus on desired results. Pure and simple: winners dwell on the rewards of success. Losers focus on mistakes and failure. Do what's necessary now. Be in the present. Then you don't have to worry about what happened yesterday or what's going to happen tomorrow. Thus, two-thirds of your worries disappear.

9. Expect the unexpected. You can't control what nature and others do. You can anticipate what may happen, and prepare for it to the best of your ability. You can also control your response to what happens.

God bless,
SP

If you only knew...

Please watch this entire presentation. The next time you, or anyone else, questions the existance of Almighty God, you have but one word to say: "Laminin."

Colossians 1:15-17 - “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER.”

God bless,
Steve

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Man, I wish I could sing like David Phelps.

God bless America and the brave soldiers who stand in harms way.

Steve

10 Mental Tips to Ensure Your Success in Losing Body Fat

1. Figure out where you want to be. We do this by establishing specific, definite goals with deadlines for their attainment. We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?” By specifically determining what you want to look like and what you want to accomplish in the coming months you increase your likelihood of success. However, this is not the end of the process. You must work backwards from your deadline and conclude what you must to do this month, this week, and especially today to reach your long-term goals. Use daily goals like stepping stones en route to your long-term goals. The more specific the better. Clarity creates clear vision.

2. Create a strong enough “why.” In order to be successful in losing body fat you need to establish why you MUST achieve success. This goes deeper than decision making and action. It is the real reason, the absolute “why” you are going for it and sticking with it. “I want to lose weight” is a rationale. “I want to lose 40 pounds of body fat so that I don’t die at an early age like my father and so that my children have a positive role model for their lives” is a reason with a powerful “why.”

3. Develop your sense of self-awareness. In order to achieve success and satisfaction in any endeavor a noteworthy first step is to improve ones self-awareness, regardless of the skill, goal or endeavor wanted. The requirement to better understand yourself and how you tend to act, respond, think, and feel in response to various stimuli will enable you to enhance or improve yourself and your eventual performance and outcome. Make every effort to become more fully aware of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally so that adjustments in your attitude and approach to situations can be anticipated and adapted readily.

4. Be kind to yourself. As our minds progress throughout our day, it is estimated that we think roughly 70,000 thoughts. Of those, it is predicted that almost 75% of them are negative in nature. Taking responsibility and control over our “self-talk” enables us direct the path in which our conscious minds lead our powerful sub-conscious mind. Negative self-talk and “limiting belief systems” do us no justice and lead us to nowhere. Talk to yourself in an encouraging, uplifting manner in every situation. How would you talk to your best friend? That’s how you should talk to yourself.

5. The power of “Now.” Plan for the future, but be here now. Life happens one moment at a time, so work toward your goals on what you can do now. It is quite easy to become embroiled in the past, to relive past mistakes. The land of “shoulda, woulda, coulda” does not exist, except in our minds. It’s a place I do not recommend visiting. There is no changing the past; learn the lessons from it and move on. It is also easy to be distracted by what might be. “If I lose this weight; what if I cannot reach my goal; will they accept me?” There is no crystal ball for predicting the future. What you can control is your attitude and actions right now. Your thoughts, attitude, behavior and actions are what you have control and authority over right now. Therefore, point your physical and mental energy in that direction.

6. Practice the “as if” principle. If you expect to be 20 pounds leaner then begin to act as if you are there already. How differently will you walk when you reach your goal? How will you talk? Breathe? How will you dress? If you expect to reach your fat loss goal then acting “as if” creates an expectant attitude and gives your subconscious mind a pattern of behavior to follow. If you expect to train in the gym with focus and intensity, you need to practice with focus and intensity while there. If you are going to expect yourself to overcome obstacles to your progress, practice overcoming obstacles. If you are going to expect yourself to deal with mistakes in reaching for your goals, use practice to figure out how to physically and mentally deal with mistakes. I’m sure you follow the thought pattern. Therefore, train the mind and body as they both work in unity as you strive to attain your goals.

7. Never cease the learning process. Frequently evaluate and learn from your experiences on a regular basis. It can be after each meal, training session, end of the day or week. It doesn’t really matter as long as you are consistent as well as persistent. The goal here is to identify what you are doing well and then continuing to do it. Learn from strong performances, not so strong performances and from bad performances and then apply these lessons to future endeavors.

8. Be aware of the price of your goals. Setting goals properly is relatively simple compared to measuring the cost of their attainment. Everything has a price tag; whether it is measured in time, money, a change in relationships, behavior or lifestyle. Weighing the cost of attaining a particular goal is crucial to following through to the end the necessary steps to its achievement. What is the cost of your goal? Honestly answer that question and you can decide before you embark on the journey to reach it whether the cost is too high, if another goal is in order or if you need to re-evaluate the importance of the goal.

9. You must be willing to pay the price. Having a goal and daring to reach for it are commendable in and of themselves. But they are not enough to obtain one. In order to do that, this rule walks side by side with the previously mentioned rule. Knowing the price of a goal, and being one of the few willing to pay for it are two distinctly different matters. I believe it is why most books are never completely read, many marriages never succeed, contracts are broken and goals are not reached. Daily, sometimes hourly, consistent action taken toward the obtainment of the goal is what will see you through to its fruition. This mentality is akin to renting a home verses buying a home; the only way to build equity and receive a return on your investment is to pay the price to the end. Vince Lombardi’s goal was to build the best team in the NFL. He did so several times with a lifetime coaching record of 105 wins and just 35 losses. He put it this way, “You’ve got to pay the price.”

10. Have fun. I don’t really need to elaborate on this one, do I?

God bless,
Steve

10 Fitness Tips to Ensure Your Success in Losing Body Fat

1. Weight train. Training with weights builds muscle and that will elevate your metabolism. Muscle is "active tissue” and has a demonstrable energy demand in that the body’s need to burn calories for energy must be constantly met, even while you’re resting. In other words, muscle burns calories around the clock just to maintain itself. How many calories? Some estimates range from 10 calories to as high as 100 calories per day per pound of muscle. For the sake of argument, let’s say the actual number is somewhere in the middle. Picture how much energy you will "automatically" burn just by adding five pounds of new muscle this year. And when I say energy, think of it as the body’s fat stores.

2. Train heavy. The body responds best to stimuli which places an “overload” on the muscular structure so that the demands of training elicit a muscular growth or restructuring experience. This rebuilding should not necessarily be associated with “bulking” or gaining muscular size, although that is a possibility. It should rather be thought of as “density of muscle”, where muscle “replaces” fat and produces a leaner and more efficient, constant energy consuming physique.

3. Train with intensity. Intensity means “concentration”, “purpose” and “passion.” When you go to the gym, don’t go there to chat or lollygag, just get the job done. There will be time for talk later.

4. Train movements, not muscles. Train the way the body moves to successfully recruit the maximum number of muscles and joints. The more muscles you recruit in training, the more muscle you stimulate to grow in strength, size and density and the more energy you demand from them. For example, squats recruit much more muscle than leg extensions. Underhand grip pull downs recruit more than biceps curls.

5. Train with strict form and technique. The shortest route to any path is a straight line. One of the quickest ways to deviate from the path of weight training and fat burning success is to compromise form and technique. Strict adherence to this rule will result in your maximum potential for success.

6. Utilize HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) for “cardio” to complement weight training for maximum fat loss. Many research studies have proven that performing your cardio in an interval training fashion produces superior results over steady state or slow paced aerobic style workouts. And it produces them more rapidly, as well.

7. Warm up before and cool down after training. This does not mean getting on a bike or treadmill for three minutes before moving on to the bench press. The use of dynamic warming techniques will effectively prepare the muscles for movement and ensure you train injury free. Cooling down afterwards helps to speed recovery.

8. Use a foam roller. Foam rollers are like getting a massage for pennies. They help prior to training to further prepare the muscles for activity and afterward in the cool down process. They are relatively inexpensive (about $20 to $40) and well worth it.

9. Stretch. Stretching cold muscles is not recommended and can be counter-productive to progress. After the dynamic warm-up and foam rolling, stretching a muscle necessitates preparation for lifting and movement. Following the training session, stretching assists in the cool-down phase of the session. Stretching is a vital phase in the recovery, as well as the every day preparedness and functionality of the body.

10. Don’t over do it. Too much of a good thing is usually detrimental. Over doing it in weight training leads to a condition known as “over-training” which is characterized by an overall feeling of “achiness”, sore joints, a loss in appetite, sleeplessness as well as other uncomfortable physical or mental responses. Train hard and smart for about thirty to forty minutes, four to six times per week and recover the rest of the time. Your progress will be steady and your success will be assured.

God bless,
Steve

10 Nutrition Tips to Ensure Your Success in Losing Body Fat

1. Eat breakfast. Your mom was right. Breakfast is critically important to your success. A properly proportioned breakfast will help you to regulate your blood sugar levels, help you to control and balance your energy level, and help you to manage those afternoon and evening cravings for processed junk, like chips and sweets.

2. Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day. By eating small meals and snacks throughout the day you avoid the typical spikes and dips in energy levels that may lead to “quick fix” eating, which is usually junk, just to get something in you. This type of plan also helps you to avoid eating that giant meal in the evening.

3. Start with protein. Too many of us eat too little protein during the day and then try to make up for it in the evening with a 16 ounce T-bone. Build your meals around a healthy portion of a protein source and your body and overall health will thank you.

4. Color your plate. Fruits and veggies. Grow up and eat them. A lot.

5. Make fat your friend. If what you want to purchase has the term “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” as one of the contents, put it back on the shelf. Healthy fats, like those that come from avocados, olives, eggs, salmon, lean beef and such are very good for you and will actually assist you in losing excess fat.

6. Eat it like God made it. We need vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, enzymes and more from our food. The best sources, bar none, come from naturally occurring foods that are fresh from the ground, off the vine, plucked from the tree, right out of the air, water or on the hoof. As close to their natural state as possible, just like God made it. Why would bread need to be enriched from its original version?

7. Yumm, fiber! Cheeto’s don’t have it. Neither do Twinkies. You need it. It comes from whole food sources (See #4 and #6) so get it in you. The effect of too little? Well, let’s say it makes sitting in the smallest room in the house very uncomfortable.

8. Post workout nutrition is smart. Progress from your workout sessions takes place during recovery. In order to recover you must replenish what is lost during the workout. A protein/carb combo shake or meal is a great place to start and will boost your way to success and transformation.

9. Plan your meal, eat your plan. Every diver knows this mantra: “Plan your dive and dive your plan.” Our days and meals should be as well thought out. Plan your meals ahead of time and then stick to the plan. When you plan ahead, your grocery shopping experience can become an opportunity to break bad nutritional choices.

10. Smarter snacks. Most pre-processed and packaged snacks contain all sorts of horrid fillers and such, of which one of the worst is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). If you’re serious about losing fat, avoid this stuff like the plague. How? If it comes in a box, bag, sack, container or has had the “hand of man” process or prepare it in any way, don’t put it in your mouth. This goes for liquids as well. There’s a reason God made rivers of flowing water and not soda.

God bless,

Steve