Tips For Big Arms

Hey Everyone,


So as I promised in the title this is going to be a short post on big arms. Everyone wants bigger arms, EVERYONE. So whats the trick who has the secret? Honestly the trick is in your triceps. Thats the secret, your triceps make up the majority of your arm. So if you want bigger arms you should work the bigger muscles more. Most people do twice as many bicep workouts as they do tricep workouts thats great if you want huge biceps but your arms will never look big. The trick is in the triceps. Do twice as many tricep workouts as you do biceps and see how you improve.


Tricep Rope Extensions 3x (15-20reps)
SkullCrushers 3x (15-20reps)
Tricep Dips 3x (Failure)
Tricep Pushups 3x (20-25reps)
Overhead Tricep Rope Extensions 3x (15-20reps)



Frank

Saturated fats are the enemy

Good morning everyone, 

Sorry I've been really busy the past few days and havent really blogged as much as I would like too. Todays tip is actually a tip on how to tell your body to stop storing belly fat. This is also the article that may change your perception on what foods to eat. Hope you Enjoy 

Foods containing saturated fats are among one of the worst categories of food for anyone trying to loose fat. Belly fat is stored based on the quality quantity and frequency of food placed in the body. "Reduce your consumption of saturated fats that result in the storage of fat in the belly and hips. From a health standpoint, being "apple-shaped" with extra fat on the belly is an indicator for increased risk for some types of cancer. Being "pear-shaped" with fat on the legs and hips is considered less of a health risk.Eat heart-healthy, non-saturated fats such as olive, canola, flax seed or hemp seed oils. Eat low- or non-fat dairy foods or try soy, almond, or hemp seed milk for less fat." Saturated fats are harder for your body to break down, so essentially what your body would rather do is keep it incase you ever decide not to eat again. Most of the time when people store belly fat its because of one of too things. Extreme excess calorie intake with or without quality control over the foods they eat. Or the other reason being because someone truly doesn't eat enough. Your body will drop its own metabolism drastically if it thinks it will be getting starved. 

Try frequency with meals, elevate your heart rate frequently for at least 20 minute weather it be weight training or cardio, and also stay away from saturated fats!

Frank

Hormones in food

Hey everyone,

Eating organic is worth the extra money. I know the price on organic food sometimes can scare us away, but it is worth the money. The only thing that organic means is chemical/ additive free. No food is cooked with chemicals additives or anything that can harm the body. The animals who were raised on the farms were not fed hormones, so on and so forth. The difference is more then just whats in your wallet its in your health. It shows! People who eat organic more often are more conscientious of what they put into their mouth. People usually dont like to pay attention to the stuff they put into their mouth until they see significant health problems or something changes their view on health. People who have had heart attacks stoke, high blood pressure, low blood pressure so on and so on. Dont wait until something goes wrong just pay attention to what you put into your mouth. Most people dont even like half of the food that they eat they just eat it because its convenient. When you go food shopping make a list of all the foods you would like to eat that are healthy. Dont buy anything else that you "think you might need" get in and get out. Cook all your meals for the week and keep them refrigerated and heat them as you need them. Dieting is not as hard as you think.

No Excuses Just Do it!



Frank

Big Arms

Hey Everyone,

Sorry its almost 7:30pm and I havent posted at all today I was busy and never by a computer all day. So this is the topic for today. Most people in the gym guy or girl say at one point or another "I wish I had better arms." This for some of us means bigger arms; for some of us this means eliminating the fat on the arms and toning up. The fact of the matter is almost everyone wishes they could in some way change their arms for the better. I have found an article about big arms, how to get them how to tone them and how to concur the muscles that everyone so desperately wants.

BIG ARMS! Its something that some people get easily then others but its something that we can all have. It is a matter of knowledge as are most things in the gym. If you work them out wrong you will be forever chasing the dream of big arms. If you take the time and learn how to do them right, then you can learn how to have them work for you.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/556248-build-a-better-body-3-steps-to-bigger-arms/


Frank

Top Vegetarian Foods

Hello everyone,

If you are a vegetarian these foods could help you gain muscle loose fat and lead a healthier life. This is the guide to a vegetarians success in the kitchen and it will show in the mirror. Protein is essential regardless of your preference of food. Without protein your body will never be as lean as you want it. So check out some of these tips and food choices.


http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/556369-the-21-best-muscle-building-foods-for-vegetarians/?utm_source=articlebottom&utm_medium=1#slide-10

Form 101

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to deliver on my promise of explaining or attempting to explain proper form. So this is essentially form 101. The only problem is I wont be able to demonstrate form to you like I do with my clients so ill do my best to paint a picture in your minds. Any questions you may have at the end feel free to email me at Frankp.Training@gmail.com (That is my email for training related questions please do not hesitate to email me)

So what is proper form? How come my reps look the same as the next guy/girl but I dont feel the same swell that they do? How come my muscles dont get sore?

These are all form questions and their are a million and a half more where those came from! Form isn't monkey see monkey do. Form is a combination of proper technique, mind muscle connection, contraction, flexion/extension/ad/abduction(etc..) all with added resistance. So what does that mean? Technique is the way the rep is preformed for example with a bicep curl, some people swing their bodies because the weight is too heavy. This is because their arms lack enough strength to get the rep up all the way without aide from another muscle group or momentum. What do I do to fix that? Go lighter! Go a lot lighter, sets should be preformed anywhere between 40-65% of your max strength when your learning proper form. So what is mind muscle connection? Mind muscle connection is the ability to touch a muscle with your fingers and flex it. So for example when someone touches your butt unexpectedly you tense it up... thats mind muscle. When you flex your arms and someone is squeezing your arm to see how firm or soft.. thats mind muscle. When your anticipating getting punched in the stomach and you flex your abdomen, you guessed it thats mind muscle. Ok so now that we got the concept of what mind muscle connection is lets explain. Mind muscle connection is the ability to preform a rep and feel the body actually contract that muscle. Mind Muscle connection is a weight lifters best friend. Without the ability to feel your muscles without having to touch them you know how to use them in situations where most people would not. This means you can get 2 times the workout anyone else can because you are contracting muscles half of the world didn't even know existed. Mind muscle connection is something that is established through hours of for lack of a better explanation standing infront of a mirror or in your room flexing. Feel your muscles tense up, relax them practice what it took to get those muscles to flex. Perfect it, then move on to the next one, each time you do this you will know how to make those muscles flex when you add weight to them. So What is contraction then? Contraction is essentially mind muscle connection's suffix, it's just the same thing with a little something on the end. Contraction is the feeling of a pinch, in the muscle that your mind is in connection with to preform a technically sound repetition.  This means basically using your new found mind muscle connection to establish a ground to that muscle. Once you establish connection with that muscle and you have learned how to 'Flex it' you want to learn to take it a small step further and contract it. For a bicep curl you keep your elbows against your rib cage, flex your arm by bringing it up towards the ceiling. Once your arm is up near the shoulder you squeeze it in to the point where your triceps deactivate and your bicep experiences a small pinch feeling. Congratulations that is a contraction of the muscle. So what do you mean by added resistance? Weight, elastic bands, gravity so on and so forth are all resistance. Anything that your muscles have to overcome that isn't there on a regular basis is added resistance. People mistake this for lets get AS MUCH RESISTANCE AS POSSIBLE!!! No dont be the person in the gym with poor technique because you think it will get you to your goals faster. It will not accelerate your results, it will prolonge them and make you quit because you could possibly never see any results at all.


This is my guide to perfect form and if you ever have form questions like I said email me. Without proper form you will never see results. Results depend upon your bodys ability to overload a muscle, you cannot overload without your minds ability to contract that muscle at will.


Thanks for your time! Have a good day everyone!

Frank

Sample Diet For Weight Loss

This is a Sample Diet, this sole purpose is for weight loss. For those who are trying to add lean muscle I will post a diet for that in the next week or 2. For now if you are looking to gain lean mass add extra meals to this. Break the meals up into more protein less carbs and also add double the servings. It should be around 35g protein per meal and less then 20g from carbs. Your meals should be approx. 400-500 calories depending on your fitness level. 5-8 times per day.



Frank

The Hunger Feeling

The feeling of hunger usually means your stomach is done digesting what ever it was previously working on. This means that its time to feed it again. YES I said the second you feel hungry it is time to feed your stomach some more food! Now this doesn't mean pig out. Portioning is the most important thing a person who is eating healthy can do. Frequency is key, the more fequently you eat meals the faster your body will be at burning it up! This means a faster metabolism! Keeping your body happy at all times is key to fat loss and muscle growth.

One of the most frequently asked questions, when discussing nutrition with clients.  Particularly ones who are not well versed in nutrition tend to say things like: Wont eating a lot make me heavier? Well I dont want to gain muscle then ill looked jacked right? I hardly eat now and im already fat how could eating more possibly help me? (ETC...)

Well Ladies and Gents, the more your body has the ability to burn up food during the corse of the day the better and faster it becomes at doing it. So when you feed your body the right stuff all day long as frequently as it asks you to do so. Then you are what we call 'training the metabolism' and thats just a fancy way to say increasing metabolic rate. Essentially what that means is over a period of time depending on the specific goals of that person you will be able to eat more, and gain less fat, if any at all... This is the beauty of 'training the metabolism.'

So on to the next question wont gaining muscle get me jacked? Absolutely not, their is only 2 things your body can have. One is muscle the other is fat, so which would you rather have? (The Answer Is Muscle) Muscle burns calories while you sit around. You know what fat does while you sit around? It also sits around... doing nothing. So you tell me, would you rather burn calories doing nothing or would you rather have to work to burn every calorie you want to burn. I always ask my clients if their boss was going to offer them a raise, and the catch was that they have to have one paid vacation day a week where they would get paid just as much as if they were working. No added responsibilities no nothing would they accept the raise. They said whats the catch? My answer is always dedication and hard work a few days a week. They always say absolutely I would take the rase. So would you! This analogy is for muscle taking a paid vacation day every time you decide not to go to the gym or even if you do go after you get home and sit down your body is still burning calories. So no you wont get jacked unless your taking in 1000's and 1000's of calories and lifting heavy heavy weights 5-7 times a week!


For more information on this topic and any of the others in my blog that I have previously posted you can contact me on my email address. FrankP.Training@Gmail.com

Thanks


Frank

Sore Muscles

Happy Monday everyone,

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Its time to get back on track! So this brings me to a question I've been getting asked all the time in the gym lately.

I have had a lot of clients ask me whats the best thing for sore muscles?

Personally I believe that sore muscles are necessary to becoming in better shape. If your not experiencing sore muscles once in a while then your not training hard enough. Try upping the intensity and practicing your form. Most people think that because they preform a repetition the way it visually should be preformed means that their form is flawless. My next post will be on perfect form so I will not go too in depth with. A rep is all about learning how to felx that muscle with that added resistance of the exercise. Each muscle has its own specific range of motion in which it can be flexed. For example a person can bend his or her arm completely and flex the bicep. They also can straighten it 90% of the way and flex the bicep and tricep at the same time... But is it possible when the arm is completely bent to flex the tricep? No it is not. So when you work your triceps you should never let your arm bend to the point where you cannot flex your tricep, same goes for all muscles.

This is an example of all the possible positions a bicep can be flexed in (While still keeping the tricep somewhat activated). Any more drastic then that curl, and the tricep becomes deactivated or any straighter, then the bicep becomes deactivated.









So back to sore muscles, when one is stuck with a case of sore muscles they should first, Foam roll. (I will post a video of foam rolling techniques at the end) The person should eat potassium in the morning the day of and day after a workout. Bananas are a great source of potassium but as I've said earlier in my blog a banana too late in the day can result in slowing your metabolism down. Also if a joint say your shoulders is bothering you or sore, it should be iced for 20minutes on 20 minutes off 6 times before bed. so thats 120 min on 120min off. Yes you should spend 4 hours icing your shoulders. Trust me I have bursitis in my shoulders because I never iced in high school and take my word for it, IT IS PAINFUL!

Recap:

1. Form needs to be good and intensity needs to be up to achieve sore muscles.
2. Potassium helps break up lactic acid in your body during the restoration of your muscles.
3. Foam Roll on the muscles that you worked the hardest.
4. Joints should always be iced when they have become achy or painful.
5. Dont wait until you get bursitis to take my advice! haha


Have a great day everyone hope this helped!

Frank

Cinnamon for Insulin

Hey Everyone,

I came across an article for insulin resistance. Some food and spices, are good for specific things in the body. Cinnamon has a lot to do with your insulin and resisting the spike and drop in levels during the corse of a regular day. I find excuses to put Cinnamon on anything I make during the day. Cinnamon can help boost energy its a mood enhancer, and now its proven to keep insulin levels stable. When your insulin levels are stable your body is able to burn fat at a lot higher rate and it is way more efficient. A pinch of cinnamon in your protein shakes and on your oatmeal in the morning can help restore low insulin after a long nights rest. For those who are diabetic this is also important too! please read up further if you are interested in this topic at this website I have posted the link below! Enjoy everyone


Frank


http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweightsuccessfully/a/cinnamon.htm

Workout articles

Hey everyone,

Most people don't know how to properly fuel their body pre during and post workout. Read this small article to find out how to revert sore muscles and fuel your body.

http://www.fitsugar.com/How-Perform-Well-During-Workout-22638871

Breakfast Option

Every Morning I eat oatmeal, but this morning I decided I wanted to try something that was going to make the oatmeal last a little longer in my stomach. Usually I wake up from a long nights sleep or a short nights sleep and immediately I am starving. Now im not talking a little hungry I mean some mornings ill wake up ok. Thats not the case for most mornings though, most mornings I wake up with pit of the stomach hunger like im digesting my own stomach. This is even with a casein shake before bed!

So I decided to mix a full cup of 5grain oatmeal, with a 1/4 scoop of protein powder and 3/4ish scoop of casein powder and cinnamon. I am eating this currently at the moment after my protein shake that I drank when I first woke up and as of right now its still not filling me up but I will update this post and let everyone know how it worked.


Frank


UPDATE: Ok so the oatmeal idea was great, it held me over for at least 3 1/2 hours which is way longer then any breakfast I've ever eaten. The only thing with the oatmeal is that you have to play with the amount of water that you want mix the protein powder into the oatmeal before you pour the water over. Otherwise it will be a giant glob of casein at the top of your oatmeal and it will be hard to mix in. I think I will start using that breakfast technique from now on. So for those of you who are interested in trying this out.

My breakfast looks like this:

Wake up: Protein Shake (Myofusion 1 1/2scoops + Peanut butter + Pinch of cinnamon ) Roughly 35g Protein.
1hr 30min later (When I feel hungry again): Oatmeal with 3/4 scoop of casein and 1/3 scoop of MyoFusion.

Gym Tips

Never be the person trying to lift the most weight. Your better off being the person with the best form. It's all about longevity, it's better to be in the gym every day getting a good workout in then to max out and hurt yourself. If you do hurt yourself you'll be out of commission for weeks.


Frank

Water Fact

Good Morning,

Often by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink water chances are you will never get back to being hydrated. Properly hydrating yourself takes roughly 3 days. Your body will burn more fat when you have water in your system, and your body will digest food faster and make your body store less calories as fat. Keep drinking water all day long! The food you eat has nothing to do with the hydration in your body. If you eat salads that break down into water, that does not count as you consuming water to stay hydrated.

*Tip: If you drink ice water you can burn 50+ calories a day just from your body needing to heat up the water.*


Frank

Pre-Workout Meal

The Myth: It doesn't matter what you eat before exercise!

Truth: What your clients eat before exercise does matter for personal fitness training, and how much it matters depends on the intensity and duration of exercise. The goals of eating before exercise are to stave off hunger, top off glycogen fuel stores, and leave the athlete feeling comfortable. These goals are best met by consuming a pre-exercise meal that is high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in slower-to-digest fat and fiber. It's recommended that endurance athletes consume their pre-exercise meal about 2–4 hours before exercise, as this allows enough time for the food to pass through the stomach. The amount of food to consume and the timing of intake in relation to exercise are best worked out during practice sessions. For athletes who take the time to find the right balance in terms of quantity of food and timing, eating before exercise can help extend endurance. Conversely, not testing a pre-exercise eating regimen can be disastrous and lead to poor performance.

Metabolism and walking

Good Morning Everyone,

Walking is a great way to increase your metabolism, take the stairs even though it takes longer. Walk places if they are close enough. After a meal walking for 10-15 minutes will aide significantly in digestion. Walking on an incline is exceptional for burning fat but that's not always possible. As the weather gets warmer try walking for 10-15 minutes per day to speed up your metabolism! Over time it will really help!

Frank

Happy holiday

Happy holiday everyone try not to eat too much!


Frank

Ladies Advice

Hey Everyone,

The majority of people in the gym who ask me questions about obtaining their goal/ dream bodies so happen to be women. So when scouting new clients I tend to look for women, and where might you ask is the best place to look for these women who aren't achieving their goals? The Cardio section of any gym, is usually loaded with them! Not trying to put anyone under the knife here but those of you who just do what we trainers call C&A workouts which is Cardio and ABS probably aren't seeing the results you want. Please Read on!

The importance of free weight training for ladies. Women conventionally fear free weight training. They fear free weight training for a number of reasons.

1. The thought and fear of becoming overly muscular.
2. The fear of using the weights wrong.
3. They dont get to see how many "calories per hour" they burn.

Conventionally the people lifting weights have the best physiques in the gym vs the people on the cardio machines who fight to keep the weight down. The trick lies in Body Composition! What are their bodies made of? Muscle or Fat? If the answer is muscle then the chances are they are naturally burning more calories then someone who is fat. Take a look at this article and read up on some more reasons you should be doing weight training ladies. It is vital to your success in the gym. It will kick start your progress and help you finally get to your goal body. This is something that all women who strictly do cardio should read.


http://www.quick-weight-loss-principles.com/free-weight-training-for-women.html



Frank

Protein Pancake / Waffle Recipe

PROTEIN WAFFLE / PANCAKES


1 (4 scoops) VANILLA PROTEIN powder, whey or soy, or rice or veggie (22gram or more per scoop)
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla
Mix thoroughly and makes 6-8 pancakes or 2 waffles.
OVER 60 g OF PROTEIN PER WAFFLE - LESS THAN 6 CARBS and
18-24 g PROTEIN PER PANCAKE - LESS THAN 2 CARBS !!!
VARIATIONS:


1/2 tsp cinammon
2 tsps pecans, macadamia nuts
1/4 cup sliced apples or mashed bananas (or one scoop of banana whey with 3 scoops of vanilla whey)
While hot, use melted butter and warmed pure syrup - maple is the favorite ! Try not to use more than 2 large table spoons

Cardio Techniques

Good Morning,

So I didn't post anything yesterday my apologies, I did run across some interesting articles though on cardio techniques to help loose pure body fat.

The true technique to loosing body fat is to preform cardio after a weight training regimen, for no more then 30 minutes in one sitting. A Protein shake is advised before cardio activity, only because of the catabolic effect of extended training.

On days when strength training is not being preformed 45 minutes should be done of cardio slightly more intese. As far as intensity goes it should vary each time lower heart rate burns more fat, higher heart rate burns more calories but dont be fooled. Calories dont always equal pounds! Calories are calories yes but burning body fat is different. Remember muscle burns calories at rest, this is why most people who preform free weight workouts can get away with cheating on their diets occasionally and those who strictly preform just cardio will loose progress if they cheat a single time.

Cardio should not make up your entire workout regimin!


Frank

Nutrition Tip

Cayenne Pepper (Chilli)

Cayenne pepper (also known as chilli) contains an ingredient called, capsaicin. Capsaicin is well-known to boost metabolism naturally and therefore assist people with their weight-loss efforts. It does this by stimulating the receptors on the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in a thermogenic effect in the body.(Heating Up)

If you are able to tolerate peppers then they are definitely worthwhile adding to your diet on a regular basis. They can be easily added to foods, cooked with, included in salads and used to make marinades.

(Reference quick-weight-loss-principles, Wikipedia*)

Rep Range

Good Morning,

So I have been getting a lot of questions from guys and girls a like. The question is always the same in different words.

To get big I need to go heavier and less reps right? (Usually from guys)
To tone up I need to to light weights and a lot of reps right? (Usually girls)

Most people think that somewhere within their workout they are not getting the results they want because of reps. The majority of people in the gym that I see, have form issues on nearly every exercise. Form is a lot more then just keeping your back straight and keeping yourself from throwing out your back. Form is the ability to place tension on the specific muscle intended on being worked. The load that you plan to lift for that exercise must be light enough to preform enough reps to make it difficult to contract that muscle. If the weight is too heavy you will not grow, if it is too light you will tone up. So my person belief on rep range is go light until you fully get the reps out the way they should be done.

Now for people who are concerned about "getting too jacked" mainly girls. Getting jacked is a matter of diet exercise and progressive overload of weights. If you are not eating a massive amount of calories you will not get jacked. You need to eat to be jacked, lift to be jacked, and supplement to get jacked. Girls can workout like men and still look like girls. Actually most girls who do workout like men see better results and are more happy with their progress. I feel that if you are not leaving the gym without a swollen feeling after a workout even for a girl, you will not get the progress you want.

For more information on how to properly perform workouts and rep information keep following my blog I will try and post some new information on workouts every day.


Frank

Over eating

Good Morning,

The problem when people over eat is, the next day they often try and reduce calorie intake drastically to compensate. The diet should stay the same, some people do high and low calorie days and for some that works. If that's not in your eating regimen then stick to the plan. Turn your workout up a notch and burn a few extra calories if you find it completely necessary. Your body as an athlete or weight lifter will thank you for those calories.

Depending on what you over ate you CAN compensate for it the next day slightly. If you ate high amounts of carbs, you can do what is called 'Carb Cycling' which is a method of alternating high and low carb days. This is very difficult to do though when you workout regularly. Your body craves carbs it needs carbs so give it some. Starving your body of carbs is only ok if you plan on competing in a bodybuilding show or a photo shoot as  a model. Carb Cycling is a good method to help burn fat off your body. It has been discussed on various shows such as Doctor Oz, and The Doctors.

The real benefit to carb cycling is your body prepares itself for routine so if you eat high carbs monday its prepared to burn them all again on tuesday. So if you dont give your body any carbs your stomach is on carb watch waiting to burn any carbs that eneter. Give it a try if your looking to really burn some body fat fast.


Frank

Protein truth

The truth about protein is it is essential
In any diet. Protein helps rebuild damaged cells tissue muscle and aids in recovery. Protein alone cannot make up your entire diet but between 1.1 to 1.5g of protein per pound you weigh must be ingested daily. This will help you stay lean. More calories must come from protein then any other source. Depending on the person the maximum amount of protein per sitting should vary from 20-45g at most. Every hour and a half.



Frank

Bicep curl new exercise

For those of you struggling to get some variety in your arm workouts try these new types of curls. Exercise Guides: Zottman Curl, Male/Short Clip Thats a short clip on how to preform that movement. This type of curl will target your forearms as well as your bicep. Ladies too this exercise is great for toning up the entire arm from bicep down. Give it a try!


Frank

Home Made Protein Bars

Good Morning,

So I have a ton of people ask me at the gym what a "good protein bar is?" my answer is always organic ones. Low Sugar, High Protein, Good Carbs and dont contain soy! So having said that no 7/11 or gym sells organic protein bars, and the ones that do sell the ones that contain 2-12 grams of protein and thats not even enough for my little sister. So here is a link that i found on bodybuilding's website for home made protein bars.

For those of you who cannot open pdf and the followers who are on mobile devices this is the recipe.


Peanut Butter Protein Bars
Makes 10 Bars


Ingredients
• 8 scoops chocolate Protein Powder
• 1 cup Oatmeal
• 1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter
• 4 Tbsp Honey
• 3 Tbsp Pure Cocoa Powder
• 3 Tbsp crushed Almonds

Directions
1. Mix together the protein powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and cocoa
powder.
2. If necessary, add a small amount of liquid for consistency—almond milk, milk,
or water.
3. Form into 10 bars and then roll in the crushed almonds to finish.
4. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Nutritional Facts
(Per Serving)
• Calories: 253
• Protein: 25g
• Carbohydrates: 18g
• Fat: 9g



http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/docs/2012/peanut-butter-protein-bars.pdf?v=2



Frank

Hunger feeling

People believe that the feeling of being hungry means that your body is burning fat. That's false the feeling of being hungry has more of a negative effect then anything else. The sooner your hungry after a meal the faster your thyroid and metabolism. When working out you should never be hungry and never be full. Always be content... That is the trick to being lean eat a snack to hold you over until your next meal.

Water tips

The average person drinks less then half the water their body needs daily. The more water your body has the better it can burn fat, the less it has the slower the metabolism. As a daily guide you should drink 12ounces of water before each meal. It will help you feel fuller sooner, keep you full longer and also help aide in digestion. But be warned drinking water with your meal or after can actually slow down digestion. People think that water during or after a meal is beneficial to their digestion but it actually only dilutes stomach acids. This makes it harder for your body to digest and makes your metabolism slow down over time!



Frank

Boosting Metabolism

Having a form of protein when you first wake up can speed the metabolism significantly. Within an hour of waking up you should have eaten at least one time. The more frequently you eat the faster you make your metabolism. It is impossible to loose fat off of your body without continuously eating. This means you also need to learn how to portion meals out. Using the size of your palm you can usually estimate the serving size of a meal. A person with a slow metabolism who is overweight should be eating 6 small meals a day. A person who Only needs to loose a few pounds should be anywhere between 7-8 and a person trying to gain muscle is anywhere between 7-9 meals with snacks between! Remember your body needs fuel to run on even if your trying to get rid of the fat on your body, the less you eat the more your body will increase its fat storage.


Frank

Nutrition Fact:

Nutrition fact: The skin of apples helps promote muscle growth. They Skin  has compounds that work in the body to promote muscle growth. 

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/content/anabolic-apples-267/

Legs Workout

Legs

Hack Squat: 4 Sets / 20 Reps
Leg Press: 4 Sets / 15 Reps
Dead Lift: 3 Sets / 12-15 Reps
Roman Dead Lifts: 3 Sets / 25 Reps (Light)
Quad Extension: 4 Sets / 20-18-15-12 Reps (Progressively Heavier)
Lying Hamstring Curls: 4 / 20-18-15-12 Reps (Progressively Heavier)
(Break 5 Minutes Light Stretch)
Jump Squats 3 Sets / 10-20 reps
Lunge Walks 3 Sets / 20 reps (Light Weight)

Finish with 20-25 minutes worth of stretching.

This Leg workout is good for getting the legs thicker if you do heavier weight, toning with lighter weights or general strength if the reps are preformed in an explosive manner.

Frank

Body fat Truth

The average person can workout for a few months without decreasing their body fat even as little as 1%. This is due to pore training techniques. Cardio does not decrease fat it increases cardiovascular strength. Increasing muscle and eating properly is the only way to truly decrease body fat. Free weights are the best way to build muscle. The more muscle a person has the more calories they burn and that leads to a higher metabolism. Their is no magic pill or workout to raise metabolism, only diet and exercise.



Frank

Random Fact

Random Fact:
One Banana has approx. 28g of sugar. That is enough to get you though about a 45 minute workout. 2 banana's are enough to give you energy to run a 5k.

A banana anytime before bed is not a good choice, because the sugar will bind your metabolism and actually prevent recovery. Eat a banana in the morning or sometime before physical activity it will help prevent you from being as sore and also will help with energy.


Frank

Breakfast foods

Good Morning!

This morning I woke up and had 2/3 a cup of steel cut oatmeal. Now Steel Cut Oats are hard to eat for most people, so finding ways to make it taste good is up to you. I personally mix a half packet of splenda, cinnamon and half a servingof any protein powder Vanilla Flavor usually works best. (In my opinion Vanilla's mix ability in food makes it the best flavor to buy)

I have had a lot of people ask me about breakfast foods. Most people ask me is cereal ok to eat for breakfast since they dont like making oatmeal every morning. My reply is once in a while cereal is ok, but Steel Cut Oatmeal is proven as the number 1 form of breakfast food. Plus you can make it all on sunday and keep it in a huge tub and scoop it out as needed. Just microwave and go, thats what I do. 

Below is a quick link to an article from Livestrong's website on the advantages to eating Steel Cut Oats

http://www.livestrong.com/article/471336-the-advantages-of-steel-cut-oats/

Frank

The START lets progress as a team.

Cooked or Raw Veggies?

Small easy to read article I found earlier today. It turns out some food is better cooked then raw as far as nutrition goes. Check it out see which veggies you eat raw that you should start cooking or maybe should stop cooking.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-healthier

4/1/12 (Not A Day Off!)

So I just got back from the gym and it turns out that it is nearly impossible for me to take the day off. But it was a medium intensity day, so no harm done. Next week sometime I will be posting my workouts to my blog for anyone who wants to do them on their own. Be warned though these are ADVANCED routines and i do not recommend you try to replicate my workouts 100%. Build up to it, I have been doing this for quite some time now and this is my life. Having said that though that brings me to my first topic to blog about... "Over Training" I will attempt to explain over training in a nutshell to everyone.
Over Training- "Is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes." 

• OK... so what does that mean for us?
• When your body is breaking down muscle tissue faster then it can heal, over a long period of time you will begin to see adverse results. 
• How will I know if i am over training?
• When you over train their are very specific things that occur. 
• Persistent muscle Soreness 
• Persistent Fatigue 
• Elevated resting Heart Rate
• Reduced Heart Rate Variability
• Increased susceptibility to Infections
• Increased incidence of Injuries
• Irritability
• Depression
• Mental breakdown
• How do I prevent over training? What do I do if I am already Over Training?
• OK lets answer this question the same way I tell my clients when they ask how I workout so frequently. Over training is dependent on the person. Each person will experience symptoms of over training at different levels of frequency and intensity. So having said that, there is no way to tell if you how to train, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! 
• How do I prevent it? 
• Stop and rest! Take a day off if you feel sluggish. As the old saying goes even god rested a day! So don't rush take your time you are your own worst enemy in the gym. It takes mental toughness. Sometimes taking a day off isn't easy like i said today I cant get myself to take off. 
• Don't work the same muscles or groups without 48 hours rest. (Monday-Wednesday) you need AT LEAST 2 days between. 
• Don't treat any muscle group differently, ABS ARE NO EXCEPTION!
• EAT! EAT! EAT! 
• Your body needs food to help you replenish what your take out of it during your workouts. Over training is not always just because of over working your body. It has more to do with your food then anything else. 
• What do I do if I am already Over Training?
• Eat!!! 
• Take a few days off let the body compose itself. 
• Drink enough water, and electrolytes. 

Frank

*(My Source/ References are Dictionary.com and Wikipedia) 

Sunday (dayoff)

Sunday Morning today is my first off day in a little over 2 weeks. I hope everyone put in 100% in the last week. If not try and step it up for this week coming up!

Hopefully soon ill be able to give everyone some information on the website and how its going. I am brainstorming ideas for the website right now. So hopefully it will happen sooner then later.

Alright off to the gym for work. Hopefully I can refrain from working out.


Frank