How to Stop Cravings for Junk Food and Sugar

Hey there!

Mike Geary here from TruthAboutAbs.com with another Lean-Body Secrets Ezine.

My good friend Virgil Aponte (the Stairs Exercises Guru) sent me this article that he wrote and I wanted to pass it on to you because I thought he made some excellent points, and some important things to keep in mind regarding your food choices.

One of the things I want to stress that Virgil mentions is the relationship with feeding your body nutritious foods versus the junk food devoid of nutrition and how this affects your cravings. I've said this before, and many people don't believe me, but the truth is that since I've adopted the balanced high density nutrition diet that I've eaten for the last several years, any cravings for junk food or sweets have virtually disappeared.
Here's Virgil's article below. Enjoy!

Is sugar as addictive as cocaine?
by Virgil Aponte, the Stairs Exercises Guru

Over dinner one day a friend of one my clients asked me a very interesting question:
Why is it that people crave things like doughnuts and sweets and not life giving, cancer fighting foods like spinach and broccoli?
I simply said that's an awesome question and that I've asked myself that questions many times. In fact I also went on to say that although I'm a trainer I have many of the same struggles with food that most people have. 
It has always perplexed me why I crave sweets and not a bowl of spinach and broccoli. I mean how can this be that foods like broccoli, spinach, carrots etc? which provide nutrients that are vital to our well being don't addict us like junk food does. I just have to walk by Crispy Creme doughnuts and I start fantasizing how delicious those little suckers will be.
In recent months I've come across some insights as to why many are addicted to or crave junk foods. Hopefully this information will at least motivate you to keep these foods out of your house. Outside of your house you will be tempted with many opportunities to eat these lifeless and addicting foods.
World famous health & nutrition expert, Paul Chek calls this the "you can't eat just one syndrome". First he explains in his "You Are What You Eat" audio series that junk foods or non-foods are foods that:
1. Offer very little or no nutrition at all.
2. Force the body to the use its own nutritional stores to assimilate and digest the food.
It's amazing that you are eating to nourish yourself with food but with non-foods you are actually depleting yourself of more nutrients thus creating a need for more nutrition.
These same non-foods also cause you to overeat and possibly become addicted to these foods.
The reason is as the foods enter your mouth your brain can sense if there is actually any nutrition (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.) present in these foods. If there isn't then the brain simply signals you to keep eating until it finds nutrition. 
The problem with doughnuts, cookies and that soda pop is that there will never be any nutrition in that food.
So what happens is you simply eat the whole box of cookies, or slurp down 20 oz of that soda. This then creates a big problem with your blood sugar because you've just taken in a great amount of worthless sugar which skyrockets your blood sugar level and forces your pancreas to secret an enormous amount of insulin to bring your blood sugar back down.
Your blood sugar then plummets to very low levels and you feel horrible and guess what? Hungry again! And what better way to bring your blood sugar level back up than with good old worthless sugar laden nutrient-devoid junk food!
Can you see what I'm getting at here:
These non-foods actually cause an addictive cycle similar to hard drugs and alcohol! In fact Paul Chek even talked about how scientists found that the addictive mechanisms of sugar and hard drugs are actually very similar.
You get high and feel great and then you crash and feel worse than ever and crave the same substances that got you high in the first place. This to me is amazing and very scary. 
Eventually what also happens as with hard drugs and alcohol is that you need more to get the same high.
Now look at what's happening to you... You're eating a food that gets you high, robs you of valuable nutrition, makes you sick, gets you fat and on top of that makes you crave more of it.
The same reason you crave non-foods is the same reason you don't crave spinach and broccoli. One could easily slug down 20 oz of soda, but try doing that with spinach juice and you are likely to throw up. The reason for this is because with the brain will sense the enormous amount of nutrition coming in with the veggie juice and say it's enough. We naturally eat until we are satiated and it doesn't happen with non-foods but happens easily with real foods.
With real foods you eat, feel good, don't get bloated, don't get high, don't crash, don't overeat, and just plain nourish yourself.
So how do you protect yourself?
First let me say that we start off at a very big disadvantage. 
The very clever and powerful food companies find many places to put their non-foods in products and the labels will even say that these foods are healthy, low fat, "good for weight loss" etc? They are also very good at marketing to children. Remember, children will become the adults that eat these foods so what better time to reach them than when they're young.
I myself grew up on powdered ice tea, soda, crackers, pasteurized milk (which is also a non-food), and many other sweets. I also ate some real food like rice, vegetables, avocados and meat, but I've always had way too much access to non-foods.
The first thing is to not keep any non-foods at home. This is especially important for your kids because I believe it is easier for them to become addicted. 
Trust me and we all know this, but once you step outside, you will be bombarded with temptations to feast on non-foods.
I've looked at many of my client's kitchens and not one of them has passed my inspection. 
Many don't even pass a second time (that's how powerful these non-foods are). I mean if scientists can compare sugar to hard drugs shouldn't that open our eyes.
Make use of a juicer and juice a few days a week. Most people don't get enough vegetables in their diet and juicing is one of the easier ways to do so. My favorite juice drink is spinach, kale, cucumber, and green apples (I wished I craved it though).
Keep healthy snacks in the house like quality fruits, cheese and yogurt. It is more expensive but isn't your health worth it. I mean it really saddens me when someone can drive up to McDonalds in a 50,000 dollar car. They could easily have a 20,000 dollar car and just eat better quality food.
Get tested to find out what types of foods you are suited to... We are all unique in that we require different amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats and getting tested can help us figure out which type we are suited to.
Eat real food... Take the time to make yourself quality meals at dinner time. Beef, chicken, turkey and eggs make great protein sources. Brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, salads and vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates. 
Don't forget to include high quality fats and oils in your diet as well like butter, coconut oil, nuts, avocados, cod liver oil, and extra virgin olive oil.   If possible try to buy organic meat and vegetables. 
They are more expensive but offer more nutrition then commercial foods.
I hope you enjoyed Virgils article. I couldn't have said it all better myself and that's why I wanted to pass it on to you to keep these things in mind when choosing what foods you eat daily. 
If you enjoyed this article today, please feel free to email this link on to any friends or family that you think will benefit from it.


Stay lean, Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
TruthAboutAbs.com

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3 Unique Veggies That Fight Abdominal Fat?

A surprising way that a few specific vegetables can actually stimulate the burning of abdominal fat...
article by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author -- The Truth about Six Pack Abs


I bet you didn't know that there is a specific class of vegetables that contain very unique phytonutrients that actually help to fight against stubborn belly fat. 
Let me explain what these unique vegetables are and why they help to burn stomach fat...
Something you may have never heard about is that certain chemicals in our food supply and our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from air and water pollution, household cleaners, plastics, cosmetics, etc can react with your hormones and make your body store excess abdominal fat.

These harmful chemicals are known as xenoestrogens.
Xenoestrogens are chemicals that you are exposed to (and are hard to avoid in the modern world) that have an estrogenic effect in your body.  Excess exposure to these can cause hormone balance disruptions for both men and women. So if you thought this article was just for the guys, these chemicals can wreak havoc in the body for both guys and gals.
These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems (including cancer risks in the long term).
So here's where this specific class of vegetables comes in handy...
One of those cool tricks that I teach my clients that hire me for nutritional counseling is the use of cruciferous vegetables to help fight against stomach fat.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, cabbage, etc. contain very specific and unique phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds...
And by fighting against these belly fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this is just 1 more step in helping you to win the battle against abdominal fat!
So there you go... just another excuse to do what mom always told you and eat more broccoli and cauliflower!
I've really learned to like brussells sprouts in the last year too... Melt a little grass-fed cheese on them and some garlic and they're great!
But beware!
Although this class of vegetables may be a super-healthy choice for achieving your lean, strong, and energetic body.... I've discovered that there are at least 23 popular foods that most people falsely think are "healthy", but they actually Harm your metabolism and pack on belly fat.
Discover what these metabolism-harming foods are on the click here link.
These 23 "healthy" foods HARM your metabolism & pack on belly fat (avoid these!) 
Click here.
If you liked today's article please feel free to share with friends and family below.

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The Exact Steps that Alex Miller used to Lose 36 Pounds of Body Fat and FINALLY Get Six-Pack Abs

Check out Alex's inspirational pictures and also the Q&A we put together on how he achieved these results (very informative and inspirational!)

Alex Miller from the UK

Alex in 2007, before using 
These pictures are of one of my favorite TruthAboutAbs readers, Alex Miller from the UK, who has had phenomenal results and I couldn't be more proud of him with how he has changed his life!  I've kept in communication with Alex these past couple years and have actually become good friends with him.  But he started out years ago as one of my TruthAboutAbs customers.
What I love best about these pictures is that you can see there is at least a 2-year period between Alex's "before" pictures and his "after" pics.  This shows the reality that changing your body doesn't happen overnight.  Sure, Alex probably could have made these changes in 4-6 months if he did everything perfect, but sometimes  life gets in the way, and his journey took longer...
TruthAboutAbs                        
Alex in 2009, and 2010, after applying the TAA principles

And that's why I like his story -- it's realistic for the average person.  I'm sick of scammy weight loss ads that claim you'll get a perfect body in 15 days by taking some miracle acai berry pill... sorry, not going to happen!
I've been so amazed by Alex's story, that I contacted him recently because I just HAD do a Q&A with him to get you all the nitty gritty details of how he's had such an awesome transformation.

So let's get started!
Mike:  Hey Alex, I wanted to feature your story to my readers because I think the changes you've made are really inspirational and can help others.  You've had
incredible results using some of the principles that you learned in my Truth about Six Pack Abs program as well as other research you've done yourself.
First of all, your before and after pictures are amazing!  Congrats on changing your life and your body so dramatically. It's obvious that you're an action taker and that's why you got such amazing results.
Let's start by having you share some of your before and after stats with my readers.  What were your before and after bodyweight, body fat %, etc?
Alex:
Back in 2007 (image 1) I was 14-15% body fat at least, weighing in at 197 pounds.  After applying some of your techniques in your product, I dropped to 9.4% body fat within a few months, but only got around to taking some pictures in the summer of 2009. I lost fat faster after changing my workouts and diet. As of late 2010, I'm under 8% body fat and a weight of 161 pounds - that's a 36 pound loss and I still have plenty (if not more) muscle on my frame than I used to.
If you look at my before pictures, when I looked fat and out of shape, I was actually running and lifting weights in the gym 3-5 times per week. Typically each session used to last about 1.5-2 hours.
I was definitely getting stronger and my distance running was improving a lot, but I could never shift the fat from my stomach especially, no matter how hard I tried with training and eating. I had certainly reached a plateau and it frustrated me more than you could imagine.

I started looking on the Internet for advice and a way to break through this and eventually I came across Mike and his product "Truth About Abs" and that's when everything changed for me.
I changed my workouts completely and started doing his style of intensive, interval training instead and combined this with his unusual workout plans for weights (which are amazing by the way).  I now spend a mere 25-40 minutes per session in the gym and get at least 3-5x better results -- hopefully my pictures prove I'm getting better results!

CLICK HERE to find out more about this program

Mike: Amazing transformation Alex!  I'd also love to hear how this transformation has changed your life.  Obviously, you went from "a little bit chubby" to ripped six pack abs.  But beyond just the obvious visual improvement in your body, how has it affected things in your life such as:

a.  your confidence
b.  your health and energy
c.  how other people treat you or view you (any extra attention     from the ladies ?)
d.  your ability to perform activities or sports ?
e.  any other benefits you can think of ?

Alex:
I can't tell you how much more energy I have now compared to a few years ago. I used to feel pretty tired, a little lazy and I generally lacked consistent energy – plus this was during my early 20's!
Nowadays, my energy fluctuates a lot less during the days and evenings, and this has had so many benefits for me – I'm more productive with work, my mood is better (less highs and lows) and I generally just feel more active!
I'm a regular gym-goer and obviously there are some days I'm just not in the mood, but 9 times out of 10 I look forward to working out because I know I'll get such a powerful endorphin release after my workout as well as knowing I'm keeping the weight off.  You have to try Mike's exercises!
I'd be lying if I said attention from the ladies has gone down!  It's such a confidence booster to have the body that you've always wanted and I'm not shy to take my top off at the beach anymore.
Before, I looked for every excuse to keep my shirt on!

Mike:  I love it! It's so powerful when you think how many aspects of your life that being fit and healthy can improve.
Next question... Please share with my readers exactly how you got started when you first started using some of the principles that I teach in The Truth about Six Pack Abs?  For example:
- How did you change your workouts? 
- How did you change your eating habits? 
- How did you change your mindset?

Alex:
My workouts:
Ok, I totally changed my workouts.
You have to be willing to do this to see the results that you want - many people (which is totally understandable) are stubborn to change their routines because this requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, but if you follow Mike's stuff you won't regret it.
I stopped going for long, boring jogs and runs which used to last 40-60 minutes each time.
I stopped isolating my muscle groups when lifting weights.
I started doing multi-joint exercises and high intensity workouts which involves working your largest muscle groups as the calorie expenditure is ridiculously higher this way. I'm typically in the gym for 25-40 minutes MAX (vs 1.5-2 hrs previously).
Circuit training is at the core of my workouts which I generally just make up myself (more on this further below) but they are always intensive. That is the key. I'm burning over 600 calories easily every workout; I can't even compare it to what I was doing before... I wasted 4-5 years doing the wrong thing!
My Eating Habits:
This was also a BIG one. Nutrition is easily 75-80% of "the game" with weight loss because you can burn 600-800 calories in the gym, but if you're taking in more calories per day than you're burning, you're not going to get the fat loss results that you want.
Before I explain a little more, you have to understand that you don't need to eat perfectly all of the time, I always have 1 day a week where I'll go out drinking with my friends or eat some junk food.  It's what you do on the other days that gets you the results.
I eat a lot of wholesome, single ingredients foods – all kinds of meats, fish, veggies, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs etc –simply don't listen to people who say you have to eat tuna fish all day to lose weight.
I eat so many different meals and food combinations it's unreal – the options really are endless AND tasty! I love the food that I eat and I used to eat TONS of crisps, chocolates, cakes when I was heavier.
I virtually eliminate the intake of carbohydrates in the evenings because I know I won't burn off the energy, plus it helps stop cravings and hunger soon after and I feel much less bloated.
I guess I'm on a "slow-carb" diet.  And when I do eat carbs, I mostly limit the grains and sugars to small quantities.  Just remember that you can get more than enough carbohydrates from veggies, fruits and beans.
It's the little changes that make a BIG difference – for example, when I changed what I ate for breakfast on a daily basis I lost an extra 4-5 pounds over the course of a few months. I'll eat eggs in the morning, either with some veggies or a slice of wholemeal toast – this is 100x better than eating sugary, ultra high carb cereals which make you hungry only a few hours later as well as pile on the calories!
Mindset:
Well, my mindset turned into pure excitement as soon as I started reading The Truth About Abs – I genuinely was pumped because realised I had been doing it almost totally wrong for the past 4-5 years in the gym, but I like to think that I've proved it's never too late to change!
My motivation sky-rocketed as I began to see myself losing pounds quickly, as well as seeing vast improvements in my energy, general mood and confidence.
It's hard to lose that motivation when you see results consistently, month after month. Then, when you reach the body you've always wanted you obviously don't want to lose it so the motivation sustains itself.

Mike:  Perfect! I agree on the motivation point... I feel that once you're in great shape, it's really hard to let yourself slide because you don't want to give up the great feeling that you've gained.
I also think that one of the major reasons that you got such great results compared to many people that buy fitness or diet programs is that you TOOK BIG TIME ACTION on the information!
One of the things I love about your transformation, Alex, is that you've taken some of the concepts that you learned from me, and you created your own customized workout plans, and nutrition that worked for you.  I think it's so important for people to learn how to customize things to their own schedules and personal lives.
Can you explain how you've integrated my concepts into your own personal workouts and diet that works for you?

CLICK HERE to find out more about this program

Alex:
Sure! When I got used to your exercises and some of your workouts I started looking up other such exercises and variations (mostly on Youtube) so as to keep my workouts fresh and keep things interesting. When you go to the gym 4 times per week you need to rotate what you're doing quite a lot, otherwise you'll get bored quite quickly.
I'd find 5-10 multi-joint exercises that I liked the looks of and then create my own circuits and workouts. I sometimes do them in a studio or I'll go into the gym, grab a mat and work out there (you really don't need much room at all).
I keep things very intensive, constantly rotating muscle groups and my rest periods are literally 0-30 seconds in between exercises. So, I might do 6 exercises in a row with little to no break – then I'll rest for 30 seconds and do the round again. Then I'll finish with a different 3rd round of exercises (to keep it interesting and keep the body guessing). This can be done in about 15 minutes easily.
After that I'll maybe do some dips, pull ups, leg raises (4-5 different variations), medicine ball work (6-8 exercises) and some other killer ab stuff. The cool thing is that 90% of the exercises that I do are at least working the abs indirectly – those, combined with the more direct-ab exercises results in me getting a really strong core, burning tons of calories and feeling AWESOME.
In terms of diet, once you "get it" and understand more about nutrition and what your body needs, it's really not hard at all. I know exactly what options to take if I'm either cooking at home or eating out. I make sure that I treat myself regularly because I still enjoy eating chocolate and drinking alcohol (which I do too much probably!) – typically I'll pig out and/or drink a bunch of alcohol once per week but for the other days I completely enjoy eating tons of meat, fish, wholefoods, veggies, eggs and the other foods I mentioned above. I never feel like I'm on a diet which is what many programs make you feel, everyday.
Mike: If you had to list 2 or 3 of the biggest changes that you made in your life that have had the most impact on your transformation, what would they be?  Were there any old destructive habits that you had to give up?

Alex:
1.  Working out intensively in the gym, training your largest muscles and focusing on multi-joint exercises totally transformed my body and the number of calories that I burnt. Stop doing long, boring cardio – you won’t lose the weight that you want to.

2.  Cutting the amount of carbohydrates that I eat during the day, and especially at night. I do NOT mean the Atkins diet, but it's simply a matter of cutting most carbs out after 4-5PM in the day as your body doesn't need it and will end up storing excess fat or causing cravings.

3.  I try to eat every 3 or so hours during the day, even if it's just a little snack in between the larger meals. This helps me to stop over-eating when it comes to lunch and dinner especially. If you just eat 3 meals per day you'll find it very hard not to over-consume – I'm hardly ever starving or stuffed and it's a great rule to keep to (and very easy). Organisation is the key – making sure you have a stock of healthy foods at home or on you when you're out and about will make a big difference and stop you from eating the wrong foods.
Mike:  Great stuff Alex!  I especially like what you said about minimizing carbohydrates.  People like to argue about carbs, but every single fitness model, bodybuilder, or athlete that I've known that had super low body fat levels, always was very careful about their carb intake.  Bottom line... when I want to gain weight, I increase my carbs... when I want to lose weight, I decrease my carbs and eat more proteins, healthy fats, and lots of veggies.
Ok, last question... from what you've told me, your new body and life is a permanent change. You're not going to "fall off the bandwagon" and let yourself get out of shape again.
This new body and life is a new fitness lifestyle for you that is a priority in your life.  Do you have any advice for other people that seem to always fail to make a PERMANENT change? Some people seem to go on diet after diet only to lose weight and gain it back again.  But you've kept your transformed body for at least 2 or 3 years now, and you're not going back.  What advice do you have for people that struggle with this?

Alex:
I touched on this further above but as soon as you start enjoying your workouts and the food that you eat, whilst at the same time getting unbelievable results, you simply won’t want to go back to your old ways.  Why would you?
I'm convinced you'll love these workouts, exercises and overall the approach that Mike takes to exercise. On top of that, it's so enjoyable to eat foods that are so healthy for you, fill you up, SO tasty and result in a lower, daily calorie intake.
Remember that I still eat treats and things like chocolate but honestly my cravings for these types of foods rapidly decreases when you start eating correctly and giving what your body wants. This is because your blood sugar levels are a lot more controlled and therefore your cravings will reduce significantly.
Once you've got it, you won't ever want to go back.

Mike:  Thanks so much for agreeing to do this Q&A with me Alex!  You're truly an inspiration to all of my readers, and I love your story!

CLICK HERE to find out to get this program for less than $5.00

CLICK HERE for more testimonials

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Antioxidants - One of the Secrets to a Youthful Appearance, Anti-Aging, Disease Prevention, and a Leaner, Stronger, Healthier Body!

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

I’m sure by now you’ve heard all about the amazing health benefits of antioxidant rich foods in your diet. Not only do these free-radical fighting antioxidants help you look and feel younger by slowing down the aging process, but they can also help to prevent cancer, heart disease, and loads of other degenerative diseases. 
But that’s not all. Antioxidants also help you to recover better from exercise… and that means you can build more muscle and burn more body fat in the long term!
 
And although we all want to be healthy and feel youthful... most of us also want to look good!
The function that antioxidants play in aiding your recovery from exercise is the inhibition of free radicals produced during exercise.  Any time you workout, free radicals are produced in the body that can create inflammation.  Having an adequate supply of antioxidants about an hour or so before your workout can greatly reduce the damage caused by free radicals, hence, improving your muscular recovery from exercise. 
 
Some of the most potent sources of whole food antioxidants are berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries), cherries, acai fruit, various teas (green teagreen tea, white tea, black tea, yerba mate, oolong tea, chammomile tea, red tea - a.k.a. rooibos tea), nuts, seeds, red and black beans, purple potatoes, grapes, red wine, nuts and seeds, coffee, dark chocolate or cocoa, and tons of other fruits and vegetables.
 
Many spices are also extremely potent sources of antioxidants -- such as cinnamon, turmeric, oregano, basil, black pepper, and most other herbs and spices.
My favorite pre-workout antioxidant-loaded snack is a piece of whole grain toast with almond butter, a small amount of blackberry jam, and topped with a pile of fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries.  I wash it down with a glass of iced green teagreen tea or rooibos tea sweetened with just a small bit (about a teaspoon) of raw honey.  This is literally a quintuple-whammy of potent anti-oxidants!
The almond butter, blackberries, blueberries, raw honey, and the green or rooibos tea are all loaded with different varieties of muscle protecting, youth promoting antioxidants.  I throw down this snack about an hour before my training. Give it a try for yourself, or be creative and come up with your own antioxidant-rich pre-workout snack based on your tastes.
Remember, your body is continually bombarded every day by free radicals (creating oxidative stress) from exercise, air pollution, smoke, sun exposure, junk food, exposure to chemicals, etc. To reap the full benefits of antioxidants, try to make sure that every meal and snack you eat has at least one or two sources of antioxidant rich foods.
This will give you a continuous supply of antioxidants throughout every day to prevent the damage and aging that result from the free radicals you are constantly exposed to.
I recently helped design a very powerful and synergistic antioxidant blend supplement. 
Since I personally know the owners of this company, I know these are legit and good quality...
Although I typically don't recommend many supplements (because 95% of them are usually bogus), the 2 supplements I do recommend are a good antioxidant blend and a Krill oil (which is even more powerful than fish oil).
This antioxidant blend (called Longevity) contains a powerful blend of some of the most potent antioxidants on the planet such as:

• pomegranate
• acai berry
• coffeeberry
• green tea
• wolfberry
• and biovin grape (same antioxidants as red wine)

You can try this potent antioxidant blend for yourself at this site:  http://losebellyfat.getprograde.com/longevity
Antioxidants are just one piece to the puzzle of a healthy diet a healthy diet that will give you the lean, muscular, youthful (can help slow aging markers), and disease free body that everyone wants. 
To discover the secrets behind all of the other pieces to the diet puzzle that help to create a lean strong healthy body (macronutrients, glycemic response, hormonal response, glycogen storage, muscle protein synthesis, the role of the hormone leptin in your fat loss, blood sugar proesses, the insulin process, etc.), don’t forget to get your copy of my world-wide best selling fat loss program for lean abs - The Truth about Six Pack Abs

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How To Build Muscle Fast:

41 Tips to Gain 41 Pounds Of Rock-Solid Lean Muscle Mass in 6 Months

By Vince DelMonte - Author of No-Nonsense Muscle Building

This article will give you at least 41 tips and ideas for gaining more muscle and getting more ripped than you can imagine.
Muscle building expert Vince DelMonte has helped over 50,000 skinny guys and consults with fitness experts all around the world on the most critical and supporting elements to build muscle mass and to experience consistent muscle growth.
In this article, Vince unmasks his own secrets that he used for building 41 pounds of solid muscle in only 6 months – without any drugs or steroids, without bogus supplements, and while training less total hours than before.
Find out his advanced muscle building strategies on how to build muscle, fast!
Whether you approach your physique as a hobby or a job, you should not leave any element to chance and hope it works.  In order to defeat plateaus and forge a ripped and muscular body you need all the tips and tricks you can get.  None of these techniques will work alone but by combining as many together as possible you’ll see a huge difference in your muscle growth – faster than before.
1. Begin with 3-4 full body weight training workouts per week.  Max of one hour per session.  This is a great level to make sure you don't overtrain and harm your results.  Any more than this could be counterproductive.
2. Take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by 15 to determine your daily caloric intake if you want to gain weight.

3. Perform only 1 exercise per body part each full-body workout but perform a different exercise for each body part every workout.  By the end of the week you’ll have hit each muscle group three times from three different angles.

4. Consume carbohydrates in a 2:1 ratio to protein after your workout in liquid form (a good post workout shake).

5. Perform each set to muscular failure.

6. Use a training journal and track your progress.

7. Drink at least 4-6 liters of water each day.

8. Vary your rep and set schemes more frequently than any other training variable.

9. Focus on exploding up on the concentric portion of your movement and taking 3-4 seconds for the eccentric portion of your program.  Most people lower the weight way too fast!

10. Aim to build about 4-6 pounds of lean muscle mass each 1-2 months.  Anything more will be fat gain.

11. Eat at least 10-15 serving of fruits and vegetables each day.  Some veggies even contain specific phytonutrients that can fight abdominal fat

12. Focus on compound movements for 80-90% of your workouts.

13. Alternate between dumbbells and barbells every 2 weeks.

14. Only change an exercise when you plateau on two workouts in a row.

15. Enter a fitness model or bodybuilding show or transformation contest to keep you motivated.  Don't underestimate the power of a deadline to meet your goals!

16. Follow a specific program for at least 12-16 weeks before trying your next one.

17. Pyramiding your sets to consistently increase your strength 5% each week.

18. Consume a variety of whole eggs, chicken, lean beef, fish and whole-milk throughout the day for high quality (bioavailable) muscle building protein.  And yes, whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, explained here.

19. Use a training partner for motivation and an extra push to experience faster muscular growth.

20. Never train hungry if you want to build muscle fast.
Before we get to tips 21 - 41, make sure to sign up for Mike Geary's fat burning email tips... you don't want to miss these if you want to get lean and ripped:

21. Concentrate your carbohydrates when your body needs them most –- breakfast, pre-workout and post workout.

22. Ensure you do the squat and the deadlift each week to increase the release of growth hormone and testosterone.

23. Hire a personal trainer if you have never received professional coaching on technique and form.

24. Stretch at least half the amount of time that you lift.  If you lift 3 hours a week, schedule at least 1.5 hours of yoga or static stretching. 

25. Train a muscle group through it's entire range of motion to stimulate muscle size.  There is a time and place for partial range of motion training, but most of the time full ROM wins.

26. Use a 3-day a week 20-minute interval cardio plan, post-workout, to maximize the muscle to fat ratio while bulking.

27. Train your most underdeveloped muscle group first in each workout.

28. Avoid processed food, packaged food and fast food.

29. Avoid protein bars and any muscle building supplement that has sucralose, aspartame, or other artificial sweeteners.  Also avoid bars that have soy protein or any corn syrups.  If you haven't heard, eating too much processed soy can harm your hormone levels. 

30. Get at least 8-hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.  You'd be suprised how important this is for keeping balanced hormones.

31. Don’t be afraid to overload your muscles with maximal resistance and miss your goal reps.

32. Consume a combination of olive oil, fish oil (or the more powerful Krill Oil), coconut oil, mixed nuts and natural peanut butter or almond butter each day to make sure you get ample healthy fats for testosterone and other muscle building hormone production.  Getting enough fats is key to keeping high testosterone levels.

33. Take a complete week off after 12-16 weeks of training.  This is vitally important for allowing your body to recover and not burn out.

34. Get a spotter to help you with your heaviest set.

35. Have a training program.  Never go to the gym without a plan.

36. Perform 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretching before each weight training workout.

37. Schedule regular ART-therapy or massage therapy to avoid injuries.

38. Cold shower after every intense weight training workout.  It sucks, but it works. Some studies show increased muscle recovery from this technique.

39. Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass each day.  I know there's conflicting info about the proper amount of protein, but results speak, and I know plenty of bodybuilders who swear by this rule.

40. The core of your workout should revolve around the major multi-joint lifts: squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, pull ups, dips and weighted core work. 

41. Train with someone bigger and stronger than you. You'll be challenged and motivated to work out harder.

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