Wednesday, June 29, 2011

One Man - One Jar of Nutella

Nutella - 750g jar, over 4,000 calories, 200g of fat and over 400g of sugar.

How do I fuel my day? Not like this....that's for sure!

There's no messing around when it comes to your nutrition. As I like to say, 'Eat clean to get lean!'

Eating Nutella is NOT the answer folks!



-AR

TFW - The Most "Outlawed' Exercise

Check out this awesome, informative and entertaining video featuring my good friend and colleague Martin Rooney, CSCS - owner & founder of Training for Warriors, as he performs one of the most "outlawed" exercises in the gym - the Overhead Press!

Sit back, relax & enjoy the video.



-AR

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summer Is Here - Are You Beach Ready?


Well folks, today is the official 1st day of summer! Some of you have been hitting your workouts pretty hard and consistently which has resulted in a lean, muscular physique.

Others may be saying, “Holy Moly! It can't believe Summer is already here! I still have 15 pounds to lose. Time to hit the elliptical!”

For those of you keeping score, this comes to 52,500 calories (3500 calories multiplied by 15 pounds). To burn that many calories, that will take you about 70 hours on that lovely machine: 2 hours a day for over a month.

I wish you the best of luck with that!

Cardio is great if you're training for an event that requires cardiovascular endurance. It's also great as a supplemental exercise when you're trying to shed pounds. However, it's NOT a great tool for getting rid of excess weight.

Why? Here are 4 reasons:
  1. Anything you can do for an hour straight is, by definition, low-intensity (steady state)
  2. Once you stop, calorie burning is over; all of that stuff you've read about the continuing post-workout 'afterburn' has been debunked
  3. An hour straight of repetitive motion of anything leads to overuse injuries
  4. You don't build lean muscle tissue or “tone up” from low-intensity cardiovascular exercise 
If you're looking to torch body fat and build lean muscle, then you MUST step up your game and take your training to the next level! Period!

Don't be a victim to poor training practices as this will get you nowhere. Trust me! I see this all of the time. People who mean well and are eager to change their physique and lifestyle yet they neglect the importance of creating change.

People who are avid exercisers yet still look the same way as they did a year or two ago is a result of doing the same things/activities over & over again. Your body adapts to the stimulus that is being applied and becomes efficient at maintaining the muscle & fat you currently have. 

If you're looking to drop a few lbs. (which about 90% of people are) and develop lean muscle, then you'll need to revamp your training program from being 'easy' to more 'challenging'. 

That's right! This means that you'll actually have to work to see results! Things like HIIT, Tabatas, Compound Exercises, Hybrids, Complexes, etc.

Let's not forget the importance of good, clean nutrition. Remember, six-pack abs are made in the kitchen, NOT the gym! As I say, "Eat CLEAN to get LEAN!"
  1. Eat protein with every meal
  2. Increase your intake of greens and veggies
  3. Limit/decrease your starchy carbs - pasta, white rice, breads, cereals, etc
  4. Eats carbs in the morning and right after your workouts
  5. Eliminate all junk and processed foods - cookies, donuts, candies, pastries, etc.
  6. Eat healthy fats - fish oil, nuts/nut butters, seeds, olive and coconut oil, avocados 
  7. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water every day
Summer is here! Some of you are already good to go for the beach!

For the remainder of you....it's time to step it up so that we can get you beach ready as well. It's never to late to take it to the next level.

CRANK IT!!

-AR

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Mississippi Hand Grabbin'

"To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi" - William Faulkner

With that being said, how 'bout we do some hand grabbin'....for some catfish?!

Enjoy!



-AR

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Mob Rule of Sugar

Most people will insist, "I'm not addicted to sugar. I can quit eating sugar anytime I want."

Really? Prove it! See if you can go sugar-free for just 5 days! I challenge you!

That's a real eye-opener for most people, because even if they have the determination to attempt such an experiment, most soon find themselves crawling back to the pantry, desperately seeking a soda beverage loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (liquid sugar) to end their withdrawal symptoms.

The truth is, most American consumers are so addicted to sugar that they will deny their addictions in the same way that a heroin or crack addict might.


I don't mean that kind of 'crack'....but that kind of crack does kill!

So watch your ass, literally!

When it comes down to it, sugar controls an addicts behavior. If they don't have their sugar in the morning (in their coffee, pancakes and cereals), sugar at lunch (salad dressings, pasta sauce, sodas and fast food) and sugar at dinner (ketchup and BBQ sauce, virtually all restaurant foods), then they suffer serious withdrawal symptoms and go crazy with moodiness and irritability. They start blaming everyone around them for silly things, and they may even become sweaty and light-headed.

Crazy, isn't it? That's what happens when you take a substance out of nature and refine it to maximize its chemical surface area and biological activity. Cocaine is a drug that's refined from coca leaves. Opium is a drug that's refined from poppies. And sugar is a drug that's refined from sugarcane. And while we have a "war on drugs" against cocaine and heroin, our taxpayer dollars actually subsidize the sugar industry, making refined white sugar cheap and widely available to the entire population so that everyone can be equally hooked.

Refined white sugar is a pleasure drug! If you don't believe me, just put a spoonful on your tongue and observe the instantaneous effects. You'll experience a warming, comfortable feeling that makes you feel safe and happy. They're not called "comfort foods" by accident.

Sugar is, essentially, a legalized recreational drug that's socially acceptable to consume. And yet, just like other drugs, it can:
  • Destroy a person's health over time
  • Rot out teeth
  • Disrupt normal brain function
  • Promote heart disease
  • Directly cause diabetes and obesity
The argument that "street drugs are outlawed because they're dangerous to a person's health" falls flat on its face when you consider what sugar does to the human body. It's a lot more dangerous than marijuana, for example, and yet marijuana is illegal to possess or consume.

Isn't it curious how, in modern society, we fight a war against certain drugs (like marijuana & cocaine) yet subsidize others (like sugar)? The difference, of course, is that the sugar industry has a powerful political lobby and is universally abused by virtually the entire population.

Drugs that are abused by only a few (such as heroin) get outlawed, while drugs that are abused by everyone (such as caffeine and sugar) receive legal immunity.

It's mob rule....











...and the mob is addicted to sugar!

-AR