There is only a perfect time to start working towards a goal; right now.

Rant and Tip for February 8, 2012

Quote: There is only a perfect time to start working towards a goal; right now.
~ Byron Pulsifer

We all set goals in our minds but what we do not do is plan the date of execution very well. Many times I hear people say “I will start on Monday”, or “Right after this holiday I am going to get my eating on schedule.” Really though there is no better time than now to get on track. You just need to make the decision to do it and then stay on course.

Today I thought I would discuss your metabolism, not mine , yours. Her is the thing I get asked all the time what do I eat now and how did I eat to lose all the body fat I loss. The thing is everyone is different. If you do not exercise of course your metabolism will be slower. If a person does not have a lot of muscle mass, then their metabolism will be slower. Of course the reverse is true, the more you exercise the faster you metabolism works, at least to a point. Remember if you are not fueling your exercise then you will stall in fat loss as well. Your metabolism will slow down and go into starvation mode and conserve all the fat it can because it is afraid that it will not get enough food. Here is another thing to think about. When you eat 3 huge meals in a day, even if the calories are low, your body is going to store fat for the moments in between meals. Several smaller meals are better because, you body is constantly getting fuel. The brain then tells the body it does not need to worry about where the next meal is coming from and will not store fat so readily. Does this make sense?  I use to be the guy who would eat three huge meals a day and wonder why I am getting fat. My snacks throughout the day are all healthy snacks, actually they are little meals. I was talking to someone last night and mentioned how a snack for me is half a can of tuna, and some green peppers. A mini meal you might say. This works for me, it may work for you.

The call of for me will be cardio at lunch and benching tonight in the bench shirt. I want to convince the guy training me to put 400 on the bar and work on getting down for a touch and go. I think I need that confidence boost. Your chest workout for the day is:

Wednesday: Chest
Incline dumbbell press - 4 sets 10
Flat dumbbell press - 4 sets 10
Decline barbell press - 4 sets 10
Dumbbell flies - 4 sets 10

This is a muscle building workout. Be sure to get 30 minutes of cardio in before breakfast or after you strength training session.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Setting goals are easy, remembering to make a plan is the hard part. Be sure to plan the path to success for your goals

Age is mind over matter, if you don’t mind it doesn’t matter” Unknown

Rant and Tip for February 7, 2012

Quote; Age is mind over matter, if you don’t mind it doesn’t matter”   Unknown

Age is just a number my friends and if you really want to make changes you can. I actually believe as we get older although our bodies are resistant to change our minds can overcome this and help us do what we need to do.

Good morning all, I am kind of stuck at 171 and want to get to 167 by Friday. One of the things I know I am lacking in, is my water intake. Water is essential to weight loss and I mean true weight loss not just water weight. Yeah I could just not eat and drink for the next day or two and I would lose some “weight”. However most of it will be water weight and muscle. Now since I do not want to lose any muscle and next week I will be giving my muscles a well-deserved rest I can start cutting back on my protein levels. Probably down to about 150 grams and I have to start making sure I am getting at 128 ounces of water a day. Water will flush out the system and actually flushes out the toxins that are stored in the body. You body fat will store these toxins and when you lose fat these toxins are released back into the body. The other thing about water is that sometimes when you are hungry you are actually just dehydrated and need fluids. Sorry everyone coffee and soda do not count here. Pure water is what the body needs. Since I am taking creatine monohydrate, which hydrates the muscle, I will definitely need the water. Next step in the process will be to reduce my carbohydrates a little more and watch my fats. This will create a diuretic effect and since I do need to lose water weight before the next meet it will actually help by staying highly hydrated. Your body become very efficient at processing the water and when the time comes to dehydrate it happens very quickly because your body is use to getting so much water. Some lifters have a 5 lb shift in weight just by not drinking water before weigh ins. Then for the next 2 hours the rehydrate before the lift.

Have a great Workout!

Tip of the day:

Since we are talking about water let’s talk about how to get that much water in. If you work in an office, water bottles make it easy and you can just refill them throughout the day. Keep it in front of you and you will find it is pretty easy to drink that much water. If you put a gallon jug of water in front of you it can look like a daunting task and we don’t want that.

“Little strokes, Fell great oaks

Rant and Tip for February 6, 2012

Quote: “Little strokes, Fell great oaks.” Benjamin Franklin

The forefathers of this nation often had a great way with words. Benjamin Franklin was a great Statesman and Ambassador to the United States. He also had many quotable statements. “Little Strokes, Fell great oaks.” Now Mr. Franklin may not have meant the quote to be used in the fashion I plan to use it, I am sure he would be pleased with my adaptation. You see to me it is the small steps in life that make us successful and this really does include you diet and fitness goals.

For those of you embarking on a new way of life regarding how and what you eat, take the small steps that are necessary to be successful. If you are choosing a low carb lifestyle, and are a carbohydrate addict like I was the first step is to look around your home and see what has now become off limits to you. I do know some people that will go through the house and just throw out the food that is no longer on plan. Might I suggest instead donating these foods to the local food pantry.  If you find that this is a daunting task look for some help from family members and friends. Again it is the little things that will make you successful. When you shop for groceries be sure not to do it on an empty stomach. I never shop when I am hungry. Look to get your vegetables first. The ones with high fiber are the best choices. Lastly be sure to know the plan. If it is a lowcarb diet you are using then be sure to read the latest Atkins book. It has some great success stories in it. Including some people who had trouble losing the weight and lost it very slowly.

Little strokes fell great oaks also applies your strength condition as well. I had someone recently tell me that if you just increase your workouts 1 pound a week every week you body actually has a chance to get use to the weight and it is not such a shock to the system. I have not tried this as I am currently working another program but I am totally interested in giving this concept a try. In theory this type of workout should had 52 pounds to your workout. I would love to add 52 pounds to the 3 big lifts. However it does not have to be a powerlifting routine to use this concept. Any exercise program this can apply to. If you are new to performing cardio and you exercise regimen currently just consist of a brisk walk, try running for 30 second intervals. If that goes well increase to a minute, then increase a minute every week. In a years time you will be able to run a full 52 minutes.

I worked my deadlift and benched yesterday. My shoulder is feeling better but not 100%. It should be fine by the next shirt day. Today is my cardio day and the goal is to push myself and really get the heart racing. What are your workout goals today?

Here is your workout for today if you are following the outline I put in the exercise schedule link.

Monday: Legs
Squats- 4 sets 10
Calf raises- 4 sets 10
Thigh extensions if doing at home try sitting on a chair with a dumbbell held with your feet
4 sets 10
Lunges - 4 sets of 10 Leg curls - 4 sets of 10

Have a great workout!

Tip: Be sure to warm up the legs with body weight exercises before adding weight to the bar. Also do not forget to stretch after your workout.

SuperBowl Parties and Rotator Cuff Injury

Rant and Tip for February 3, 2012

Quote: “The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.” Richard Brinsley Sheridan

With Super Bowl weekend ahead of us if you are determined to succeed with all the foods at the parties ahead you must be determined to succeed.

I was talking to my son the other night and he said to me I should write about eating during celebrations. Like the Super Bowl. My brother in-law has a Super Bowl party every year. The food is abundant with a lot of variety. My sister in-law makes this delicious fried chicken which to be honest is breaded. I allow myself one piece and then it is to the veggie platter I go. I also enjoy the summer sausage and shrimp minus the cocktail sauce. My point here is you need to know what is going to be served at these celebrations. I know what is being served and will be bring something meeting my dietary needs as well. Fortunately wings are on my diet plan and I plan on enjoying them. If you plan properly you will not feel left out at any celebration. You will be part of the party and enjoying yourself as well.

So yesterday I worked the muscles that help stabilize my scapulas. I will have to start working them twice a week. I also had my sport physician check out my shoulder as well. She suggested that I start some rotator cuff exercises. I use to be very consistent with these exercises but have fallen away from them and now I believe I need to hit them with a vengeance. Being the power driven individual I am I have a hard time focusing on these exercises. I like handling heavy weights and these exercises require a lighter amount of weight and the range of motion limited. However they are a necessity.  Here are some exercises you can do to help.

• External Rotation
  1. Lie on side opposite of working arm.
  2. Start position: Grasp dumbbell and flex elbow at 90deg keeping elbow in at side.
  3. Rotate arm outward keeping elbow at 90deg.
  4. Return to start position.
  5. Remember to keep elbow firmly secured to side. You may put a rolled towel between the elbow and side to facilitate rotation and secure form.  

• Internal Rotation
  1. Lie on same side of working arm.
  2. Start position: Lying on a bench or bed grasp dumbbell and flex elbow at 90deg keeping elbow in at side. Forearm should start slightly below parallel to floor.
  3. Rotate arm upward keeping elbow at 90deg.
  4. Return to start position.
  5. Remember to keep elbow firmly secured to side. You may put a rolled towel between the elbow and side to facilitate rotation and secure form.

• Horizontal Rotation
  1. Stand with your elbows at shoulder level and flexed at 90 degrees.
  2. Hold a weight plate in each hand and externally rotate your hands up towards the ceiling.
  3. Return to the starting position.

• Horizontal Rotation
  1. Stand with your elbows at shoulder level and flexed at 90 degrees.
  2. Hold a weight plate in each hand and externally rotate your hands up towards the ceiling.
  3. Return to the starting position.
• You can also simulate these exercises using a cable machine

Have a great workout!

Tip: When invited to a friends or family members house for a party or celebration offer to bring a dish that is in your dietary plan. You host or hostess will welcome the assistance in the menu and you will know you have something to enjoy

The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself

Rant and Tip for February 2, 2012

Quote: “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile.  ~Plato

Isn’t this everyone’s biggest challenge? We need to conquer our own minds to be successful in most any endeavor. For me to reach a 400 squat by August the first thing I need to do is get through my head that I can do it. I need to stop letting my own mind conquer me. When changing your way of eating for a healthier lifestyle the first thing you will find is that you need to conquer yourself. If you cannot do this then you will fail and as Plato has so eloquently stated this is shameful.

My work in the shirt last night was horrible. I was doing pretty well in it and found the grove but tweaked my shoulder/back on the lift. After that it hurt just to lift the bar off the rack. It is not anything serious. I have loose joints in my shoulder. I can make my shoulder blades stick out and sometimes the go the other way and go in. Now after doing some reading this last night and this morning I think I know what is going on. It all goes back to the imbalance between my back and chest. While I will always be able to force them to stick out because I believe that since I have been able to do this since high school the muscles are stretched out a bit. Also to add to the challenge my research has led me to believe I need to do more stretching in my chest muscles to get them more flexible. My scapula do not stick out on their own but when put under stress like when I bench in the bench shirt they tend to have a mind of their own. I can control them when benching raw and do not have this challenge. I do not at this point that it is due to the heavier loads I take on in the shirt because when I benched using the drop weight hooks I had 436 pounds on the bar with no challenge and no pain. In closing what this all means is I need to continue to strengthen the muscles in my back that hold the scapula in and stretch after my workout.

When conquering a new way of eating you will need to sit back and take an account of where you were successful in changing your lifestyle and where you were not. If you take a moment each evening and write down what you did right you will probably remember and do it again. The same goes for the areas that you may have failed. If you right down the cause of the failure and not so much what happened you can keep it from happening again. What I mean by this is, when you ate that donut at the office, you do not right down I ate a donut and leave it at that. You write down you ate the donut because you were hungry and didn’t plan well enough to have a healthier choice. Or if you have to write it just looked to dam good sitting there I had to eat it. You know not t go near the donut counter again. LOL You need to conquer you own mindset first. I often tell people come to me when you are truly ready. I guess what I really need to tell them. Come to me when you have conquered your own mind and your mind is ready.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Attack all exercise programs with the same intensity. Make sure you hit your back as hard as you are hitting your chest. Hmmm I wonder why this comes to mind? I always thought that I did do this. However the proof is in the pudding or scapula in this case. Time to take it up a notch on those smaller back muscles.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”Nelson Mandela

Rant and Tip for February 1,2012

Quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”Nelson Mandela

Education really is the key to being successful in so many ways. Take the time to educate on the eating plan you have chosen. Read the book, ask the questions, get the answers and apply them. The same goes for implementing an exercise schedule. Take the time to learn all the lifts and the proper form so you do not get hurt. I have been learning all of 2011 just how to become better at the 3 lifts and I still have some work to do in that area. I continue to read and try to learn about the eating plan I follow and apply new strategies to follow. I even realize that I have to learn from my own body what is right for me. Be sure to take the time to learn from yourself as well.

I was reading an article last night in the Men’s Health magazine. Don’t worry ladies it does apply to you as well. It was stating something I already knew but thought I could reiterate. It was comparing cardio versus strength training and the benefits of both. Now of course cardio is great for the heart and for increasing your lung capacity, also it can be a kick start to any weight loss program. However your glycogen stores cannot keep up with a cardio session that will run over an hour. It becomes counterproductive at that time. Strength training has the of working like an interval training session. When you strength train you are taxing the body heavily for a few minutes and then giving you body time to rest. During the rest periods you body is accessing your body fat for fuel for recovery. Also since you are having those small rest periods between sets you are not likely to be accessing muscle protein for fuel. If you can start adding some strength training exercises into your program. You can start with body weight exercises first and later move up to weight training. Push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups are all great body weight exercises. Squats done without weights are great as well.

Tonight is my equipped bench night. I will have the shirt on again and I am really looking forward to working in it. With today being February 1^st my diet will become stricter. Those foods I know although well on plan that can still stall my weight loss will be pulled from my diet plan. I just want to shed a solid 5 pounds and be ready for the next meet I have scheduled.  No more macadamia nuts, really the nuts are fine it is the fact I end up eating the whole can instead of just a serving. If you have this challenge as well one way to get by it is to put the servings into a snack bag and this will help you limit your intake.

Have a great workout!

Tip: All diets come with a book. Take the time get the book and learn the program. Then after you have completed the book, look to the forums where the diet is discussed and ask your questions. Be ready to listen and learn.

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.

Rant and tip for January 31, 2012

Quote:  “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”  George S. Patten

Yes another quote by the General. OK I am not a war monger but I do believe there are some things worth fighting for. OK now back to this quote. During your workouts as well as you daily battle in controlling what we eat, there will be days that you hit rock bottom. In your workout it may be a stall in gains you hope to make in a particular lift. We all hit those. It can be frustrating as well and mentally draining. It is how you rebound from this set back that will tell what a success you training is or isn’t.

The same applies to your diet. When you fail whether it be, due to poor planning or a moment of weakness when that cookie that just seemed to jump into your mouth, you feel like you have hit bottom. Yeah I know it has happened to you. All of a sudden you are thinking, “What did I just do.” It is at this time you need to bounce right back up and get back on track. You can and will be successful if you handle these moments of weakness as a learning experience instead of letting it defeat you mentally. I have seen it happen many times to friends and even myself when trying to lose the fat. We make a mistake in our diet plan and we feel defeated. We end up feeling like there is something wrong with us. We say to ourselves “Why can’t I just stay on plan? “ I just want you to know you are just human. We all make mistakes when we work a diet plan that is a new way or eating for the rest out our lives. That is truly the journey you are on, the journey to get fit and live a healthy lifestyle which includes a healthy clean diet. There is nothing wrong with you. You have been eating all the foods that have gotten you to where you are for so long it will take the ability to bounce back from setbacks to be the success you deserve to be. How high can you bounce back? 

Benching went well Yesterday. To change things up a bit and confuse the muscles after working up to a one rep max I switched my grip out wide on the bar. When you bench with a wide grip you stretch the chest more and actually shorten the stroke of the lift. I wanted to isolate the chest and this was the way to accomplish that. I also wanted to get myself use to the wider grip. If you recall I stated last week that benching in the Super Katana it was suggested I move my grip out wider. I will bench again in the shirt on Wednesday night and am looking forward to getting the grove right. I felt very strong today and fully expect that it will carry over on Wednesday.

Today will be squat day. I will work my 5X5 workout making sure to hit dept on each set. While I will not be doing box squats today I will use the box to make sure I am low enough. I will not have a spotter available so I will have to set the safety rails on the rack and as a friend has told me “Just be Fearless”. Over the next few months you will see I mention a 400 squat. Each time I right this number down it becomes engrained in my mind and I see it happening.  

Have a great workout!

Tip: Be sure to get enough fats while on a low carb diet.

This can be a real problem. Despite some effort to get out the word about so-called "healthy fats", hardly a day goes by that I don't see or hear a negative message about fats in the diet. This leads some to attempt a low-fat version of a low-carb diet. At the beginning, some can even manage it, if they are using up a lot of their own fat (as opposed to eating it). However, fat loss inevitably slows down, and people can then become hungry if they don't add some fat to their diets. Nothing will sabotage a diet faster than hunger. So don't let this happen to you!

"You're never beaten until you admit it." George Patten

Rant and Tip for January 30, 2012

Quote: "You're never beaten until you admit it." George Patten

Now while General Patton my never had the desire to hit the weights or not I do not know. He did however lead many a man to a successful battle. Sometimes that is exactly how we feel as we tackle our diets and our fitness regimen. It is a battle. If you have a lot of weight to lose still then it becomes an all out war. I believe that his words are absolutely true. If you admit that you cannot follow your chosen diet then you will fail. It truly is a mindset that you need to adapt that you will not admit defeat. You will not get beaten in your quest. I remember the last meet I did there was a point with I started to falter during a lift. I remember thinking there is no way in hell I was going to let that bar start a decent back down and I did not let it.

It seems many people want to get better abs. I know I have repeatedly told you that it is mostly diet that will get the abs to pop. If you do not lose the fat the abs will never show no matter how many crunches you do. With that said let’s talk a little about getting better abs. To get the most out of your ab-crunches you need to keep the muscles tight throughout the movement. You never want to let muscles relax during the motion. You want to keep them tight though the entire movement. You should not rest during a rep whether at the bottom or the top of the rep. Do not rest or bounce on the floor or bench. Be sure to exhale as you contract the abs on the upward movement. When you do exhale be sure to fully exhale as if someone has punched you in the stomach. Inhale as you lower your body on the way back down. Lastly you need to keep in mind the range of motion for an ab crunch is very short. A full sit-up or crunch brings in the hip flexors as well. So be sure to focus on crunching of just the abs. For an added benefit you can crunch to the left and the right and get the obliques involved.

I missed a training session yesterday because my daughter was not feeling well and I need to stay home with her. This is a session that I will not get back but I will however train twice as hard tomorrow. The intensity I will apply to my bench session will be all out. It is hard to explain, while I try to train hard each day I am in the gym tomorrow I will almost make myself pay for not training yesterday. Not only did I really miss the training session emotionally I feel that it is my own fault for not having a backup plan in place. It seems I always come back to the need to plan better. So today for me will be a benching day. I will warm up and then work on hitting heavy weight sets for reps of 2. Incrementing repeatedly until I cannot get 2 out. Either that or my 5 x 5 set finishing with a set of 5 at 310. At least at this point I have two plans in place.

What do you have planned for today regarding your diet and exercise?

Have a great workout!

Tip: If you are having problems with crunches or other ab exercises try this while sitting at your desk at work or at home. I know you at your desk right now. Tighten you abs as tight as you can and hold it for 30 seconds. Now release and do it again for a set of 10. At the end you should feel like you had just done several crunches without the pressure of sitting on the floor.

Please visit The Tribustolplus web site and give Tribustol a try. When purchasing you supply be sure to pick my name in the drop down box when asked where did you hear about the product from. As an affiliate the proceeds will help me get to the World Powerliftng meet in the Czech Republic. 

Mother-In-Law

Mother-In-Law

Contributed by Milford Woods


I just moved my mother-in-law to an apartment just across town. Prior to this move, she had been living 8 hours away. This is both a blessing and a curse. I am happy to have her here so the kids can get to know her better, and have her in their life more, but I am a little concerned that she will not have her own “life” and always be at our house. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother in law, but I really need her in small doses. I’m going to introduce her to some other single women her age, but one of the first things I’m going to do is go to http://www.satellitetvfamily.com/order.html and get her set up with TV, so at least she will have that to do. My wife told me that her mother enjoys cooking shows, so I’m hoping there are plenty of those to keep her busy. Who knows? Maybe we will even get to try out some of the new recipes she learns. Now that is a win-win for everyone!

If you are going through hell keep going

Rant and Tip for January 27, 2012

Quote: “If уоu аrе gоіng thrоugh hell, kеер going.” (Winston Churchill)

Wow does that quote pack a punch or what. I was sitting here wondering what to write and found this quote this morning. Really what choice do you have, if you are going through a tough time, give up? No way that is not something we are going to do. We will not give up.

If you feel like you new eating plan is not working or you have hit a plateau do not just give up, change your caloric in take based on your fitness activities. Or increase your net carbs or decrease them do not keep them the same and do not give up. It may feel like hell now but success is write around the corner and you will have worked you way through hell. If you can keep away from those simple carbohydrates you will eventually succeed.

Simple carbohydrates are found in most processed or refined foods and some natural foods. These carbohydrates have short-chained sugar molecules and, because they break apart quickly, enter the bloodstream quickly. Sugary foods--including corn syrup, fruit juices, and honey--contain glucose that is absorbed directly through the stomach wall and rapidly released into the bloodstream, almost as quickly as if delivered by syringe. When this happens your body cannot burn the fuel fast enough and this has no other option but to be stored as fat. Your body recognizes it as a fuel and just wants to store it for later.

I work out a couple different gyms and a training center. When I am at Albany Strength there is a great group of lifters that help everyone keep on track. I wish I could get there 5 days a week but my schedule will not allow it. When I go to the training center, there is always someone there to help and push and spot as well. Have a workout partner is very helpful and encouraging. When I work out during the day I have a consistent workout partner as well. While he does not lift the weight I do, he does work hard and pushes me to hit new marks. The past few weeks he has been nursing an injury and has not been in the gym. I can tell you when he is not there I do still work hard but the moments when I need to get that last rep out and I am pushing with intensity I could use him pushing me verbally.

Have a great workout!

Tip:

It’s been proven time and time again: Support for your fitness efforts is a very potent part of your motivation. I have often thought that the most consistent people exercising are the those who have a partner. Often, another person’s encouragement may be just what you need when you do not feel like hitting your workout.

Here are some tips to help you find that support:

● You and your partner should be “like-minded,” that is, be interested in exercise, nutrition, and good health – and the benefits they bring.

● Your partner should share the same workout and thoughts on eating properly. You do not want someone who is chowing down a donut while you are eating you energy bar before the workout.

● Each one of you should be a “positive motivator,” and not a “cheap complimenter.” In other words, don’t tell your partner he’s looking great, when in fact he has only worked out twice. Tell the truth. Be supportive and encouraging – especially when new fitness goals are attained.

● Partners should have compatible schedules so that you can work out at the same time during the week. It’s easier to stick to a set routine rather than do sporadic activities. Schedule your exercise sessions at the same time, on the same days. This is an excellent carrot to dangle in front of you. Eventually, your workouts will become cemented into your daily routine.

● Both of you should be willing to work out at the same intensity levels and not be afraid to sweat! Commit yourself gradually and progressively by increasing your intensity. Keep in mind this does not mean you have to be pushing the same weight. Just pushing with the intensity