One reader emailed me a couple days ago: “I want to lose weight fast, is rapid fat loss dangerous?”

The truth is this particular question is pretty common. However when I read this question, I start to read between the lines. The real question is “Will it cause any harm to my body if I starve myself so I can drop a few pounds?”

That’s really the question this reader was asking me. The reader was really seeking permission from me to okay this risky diet.

If you’ve followed by blog for any length of time or a subscriber to my “fit for duty” ezine, you know that I vehemently oppose starving yourself. In fact, I tell my readers to eat more often (I didn’t say more, but more often).

I know it makes perfect sense when you thing about it, right. If I avoid foods like the plague, the outcome will be rapid fat loss -WRONG. The truth is starving yourself will wreck your metabolism and make you even FATTER.

Rapid Fat Loss Facts & Tips:

By Bill Phillips

According to Men’s Health Weight Loss Coach Alan Aragon, M.S., a nutritionist who works with Olympic and professional athletes, for his perspective. His definition: “Dropping pounds so rapidly that in addition to losing fat, you lose muscle too. This isn’t ‘dangerous’ as in ‘life-threatening,’ but it’s not good for your overall health.”

Here’s why: Losing muscle reduces your ability to burn calories and regulate your blood sugar, says Aragon—and, of course, it makes you weaker. (To keep your calorie-burn high, use Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat fasting diet.) What’s more, lost muscle is often replaced by fat when you stop dieting. The result: You end up looking flabbier than ever. After all, each pound of fat takes up 18 percent more space on your body than each pound of muscle.

Aragon dug into the scientific research to determine the rate that different people could lose weight without losing muscle. His findings:

* Obese to morbidly obese: 3 to 5 pounds per week
* Overweight: 2 to 3 pounds per week
* Lean to average: 1 to 2 pounds per week
* Very Lean: 0.5 to 1 pound per week

Of course, you can help your cause even more by lifting weights while you diet. Research shows that this can prevent the wasting of muscle, helping ensure your weight loss is pure fat.

Symptoms Of Starvation Dieting:

The other dangers of rapid weight loss: bone loss, dehydration, and an increased risk of binge eating in some people. “But these are typically the result of severe caloric restriction,” says Aragon. His solution: “I’ve found that you can use a simple formula to calculate a smart and effective caloric intake; it’s based on your target body weight.”

For example, let’s say you’re a man who weighs 220 pounds, but you’d like to tip the scales at 180 pounds. You’ll base your calorie intake on that of a 180-pound guy. Now if you don’t do any resistance exercise (you should!), simply multiply your target body by 11. That’s the minimum number of daily calories you should consume for healthy weight loss, with little risk to your muscles.

If you do lift weights, use 9—instead of 11—and add to that the number of hours you work out per week. So if you exercise one hour a week, you’ll multiply your target body weight by 10. If you exercise two hours a week, you’ll multiply your target body weight by 11; if you exercise three hours a week, you’ll multiply your target body weight by 12; and so on. (The extra activity will allow you to eat more and still lose just as fast.)

Then remember these tips as you start your weight loss program:

1. Prepare to plateau. “Your weight drop will be linear at first, meaning you’ll typically lose a steady amount every week,” says Aragon. “However, as you get lighter, your weight will tend to drop in a stepwise manner. So don’t get discouraged if scale holds for a few days, or even a couple of weeks. The closer you get to your goal, the longer the stalls or plateaus can be.”

2. Take a time out. Every 8 to 12 weeks, take 7 days completely off from dieting. “Don’t consciously try to stuff your face, but don’t rigidly restrict yourself either,” says Aragon. “This is a good mental and physical break from dieting that allows people to sustain their diets for longer periods.”

3. Redefine progress. “Look at other determinants of success besides the scale,” says Lisa Sasson, R.D., associate professor of nutrition at New York University. Monitor your triglycerides, blood pressure, and body fat percentage. As these numbers improve, you’ll have even more motivation to stick with your eating plan.

When it comes to toning your lower body using resistance bands, there are only two unique rules: lift with proper form (don’t arch your back) and do compound exercises. There are literally hundreds of  exercises out there that can help you get bigger and stronger. However there are only a handful of exercises that can produce fantastic results in your legs, thighs, abs, and shoulders in a short period of time.

There are 3 unique moves that can help improve your lower body . However before I move forward, you must understand that this workout I’m about to mention is not intended to get you body builder tree trunk legs – if that’s what you are looking for click away right now because this workout can’t help you.

However if you are looking for a workout routine using a single pair of resistance band that’s going to tone your lower body, and target your abdominal muscle at the same time, then you’ve landed on the right web page.

Lower Body (Legs, Thighs, Butt) Resistance Band Exercise Explained:

Since your body is comprised of muscles that help you push and pull, you have to work them all to maximize fat loss in the lower body. To do this effectively, choose a full-body exercise that is generally considered the king of all lifts: the squat. Using resistance bands to execute a squat exercise is in my opinion the best for weight loss, and toning your legs, butt, and thighs.

Exercise Band Workout Routine Guidelines:

Shoot for 40 seconds of non-stop training, followed by a 20 second rest. Don’t cheat yourself—make sure that you buy a strong band that will challenge you. Doing a resistance band squat for 40 seconds will take you the brink. Once you complete 40 seconds of work, rest for 20 seconds and move to the next exercise, and do 40 seconds there, and 20 second rest.

Workout Video Demonstration:

Try to do 5 minutes of training, alternating between all three exercises. Watch the video below to see how each exercise is performed.

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Kudos to all of you who really take the time to push your legs to the max. However the number of people who really concentrate on improving the definition in their legs are really small. I’ve put together an awesome leg workout that will push you to the max – the best part is all you need is a single pair of resistance bands.

One super effective exercise that is very rarely performed in the gym is the resistance band front squat with a combination overhead press (watch circuit video below).

Resistance band leg workouts are a very basic movement yet they are highly effective at improving stability and strength in the legs!  Plus you’ll get a killer cardio workout.

The great thing about this workout routine using resistance bands is that you’ll not only get a great leg workout, but you will also be activating the stomach muscle as well.

Why is that important?

Well if you are anything like me, you desire not only nice looking legs, but a super toned stomach as well. This workout will train your abs, as well as you legs.

Resistance Band Leg Workout

Although the intensity is high enough especially when you get into your third and fourth set, I know that I got some borderline insane people who follow my blog. For those super advance people, you can crank up the intensity by using a stronger band.  In the workout video below, I am using a single pair of continuously looped resistance band. You can usually get them for like 10 bucks on Ebay.

Watch the Workout Video:

Finally thoughts…

If you are serious about your physique and getting in shape, there’s no way around working your legs. Squats and deadlifts are completely necessary. But if you want to decrease you back pain, improve the strength and stability in your core and legs, and just really take your fitness and workouts to another level, grab a single pair of resistance bands and CRANK THAT THING!

Try this 2 day split on legs!

Resistance Band Exercise Routine Instructions:

Execute each exercise for 40 seconds non-stop, then rest for 2o seconds. Keep alternating between the three exercises for 5 straight minutes.  Once you hit the five minute mark, rest for 1 minute, and then start all over again for another 5 minutes. Try to go for 30 minutes of non-stop training.

“how to get six pack abs?”

Getting nice, toned abs is really about maintaining a relatively low body fat percentage and training with a certain mean streak in the gym. Yes I said it, you must put out a certain level of effort in the gym to achieve a well defined, toned stomach.

Truth is, both nutrition and exercise plays a very important role in getting the midsection you desire, but putting effort behind each exercise is important as well. Sticking with your diet and exercise that engages the abs in every angle will build a set abs that will be the envy of everyone you know.

Here are 4 abdominal movements that will get you that highly sought after, but rarely achieved; six pack abs.

Abdominal Workout Guidelines:

Execute 1 set of each exercise three times a week. The exercises below are extremely difficult so 1 set is a good start. Try to shoot for at least 10 repetitions. Once you are able to consistently perform 10-15 repetitions with good form, and still make it through the workout it is probably time to add another set.

Rest: 90-120 seconds

ABDOMINAL WORKOUT #1: Hanging Leg Raises

One of the best exercises to target the lower abs is the hanging leg raises. Yet there’s a lot of confusion over how to perform this exercise correctly.

HOW TO PERFORM A HANGING LEG RAISE EXERCISE: Lie faceup with your legs straight, arms at your sides, palms facing down. Raise your legs and torso 45 degrees off the floor. (You should look like a “V”.) Reach your hands alongside your legs as high as you can without rounding your back.

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR HANGING LEG RAISES: This one is tough, but focus on contracting the abs at the top of the movement. If you have lower back problems avoid doing this exercise.

ABDOMINAL WORKOUT #2: Froggers

Important Focus: Froggers will get the heart rate going and burn fat around the middle like no other exercise.

ABDOMINAL WORKOUT #3: Russian Twist

HOW TO PERFORM A RUSSIAN TWIST: Do this with a medicine ball or a dumbbell. Sit on the ground with your feet on the floor. Rotate the hips to either side, alternating left and right with a fluid, controlled movement without stopping in the middle.
Caution: Anyone with a back problem shouldn’t do this exercise.

Important Focus: Again, focus on contracting your abs during every twist.

ABDOMINAL WORKOUT #4: Forearm Plank Balance

Try doing three sets—holding each balance for 30 to 60 seconds—1 to 3 times a week. For best results, alternate with 25 to 50 bicycle crunches.

Key Point: Another great way to hit the abs with extra overload. Perform shortly after the Russian twist for a deep burn.

Until next time, CRANK IT UP!

I thought to myself there are several exercises that is good for fat loss. However there are 3 specific workout routines that stands out.

These three exercises are highly effective, but extremely intense at the same time. You’ll burn calories at lightning speed, but each exercise will push you to the brink.

The three exercises that I believe is most effective in terms of revving up your metabolism, and producing massive fat loss are…

• Burpee (you can use Kettlebells or Dumbbells)
• Wood chops (you can use Kettlebells or dumbells)
• Sumo squats (Dumbells are best)

These three exercises are my top 3 calorie torching workout routine. Although it is only three exercises – it’s super intense, but most importantly you’ll get results relatively quickly within a short period of time.

What’s a good timeline to start seeing results you might ask?

Honestly if you don’t see MAJOR changes in your midsection within the first 2 weeks you’re probably not training hard enough.

Before I go into the theory behind this workout, and why it is such an amazing fat burning routine – let explain how it works.

Here’s how to collectively, and correctly combine each exercise for greater fat loss:

Here’s how it works:

You do 15 repetitions of wood chops (you can use a dumbbell or a kettlebell – you decide), followed immediately by 15 repetitions of  burpees with a combination shoulder press, and then 15 repetitions of sumo squats. (See video below of how to perform each exercise).

You will be doing this all without resting, and then do 14 reps of wood chops and then 14 reps of the burpees, followed by 14 reps of sumo squats. Continue this pattern until you complete only one rep of each exercise. This is called a countdown workout.

Sure, that’s just two exercises, but let’s do the math:

If you complete the entire routine — from 15 down to 1 — you’ll do close to 200 repetitions of each exercise. That’s a ton of repetitions. And these aren’t just any exercises:

These are multi-joint exercises meaning there are a lot of muscle groups activated during each individual exercise.  This may sound foreign for some of you, but this is a good thing.

You see, whenever  multiple muscle groups are in operation during a given exercise your body will work harder and burn more calories.

How To Perform a Countdown exercise Routine:

Start off by doing 10 repetition of woodchops, followed immediately by 10 reps of burpees, and then top it off with 10 repetition of sumo squats. Without resting, do 9 reps of wood chops, 9 reps of the burpess, followed immediately by 9 reps of sumo squats. Do this same routine with zero rest until you work your way down to 1.

Important: Know your level of fitness do not try to over exert yourself. If you start to lose your form, stop immediately. The next time you do the workout, try to lower your start point (e.i. instead of starting at 10 reps, start at 7 or 6).

If you’re in decent shape, and you’d like to crank up the intensity go ahead and start with a higher number, and work yourself down until you reach 1 repetition.

Wood chops (Dumbbells or Kettlebells
)

Start with your feet wider than shoulder width and your toes slightly pointed outwards. Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell. Rotate your body downwards between your legs. Make sure that you keep your back straight throughout the movement.

Watch this Instructional Video on How to Properly Perform a Wood Chop using dumbbells:

How to Adjust Intensity: If you are a beginner start with a lighter weight. However if you are advanced use a heavier weight to crank up the intensity.

Burpees With a Shoulder Press

Exercise Instructions: Bend over and squat down. Place hands on floor, slightly wider than shoulder width. While holding upper body in place, kick legs back. Land on forefeet with body in straight, plank position.

Keeping upper body in place, pull legs forward under body returning feet in original position. Rise up to original standing posture.

Watch this Instructional Video on How to Properly Perform a Burpee Along With a Shoulder Press:

How to Adjust Intensity: if you are a beginner don ‘t use any weights when doing this exercise. However if your are a better conditioned individual use the weights to crank up the intensity.

Sumo Squats With Dumbbells

Exercise Instructions: Begin with your feet wider than shoulders width apart, toes pointed out and knees over the toes (think of a sumo wrestling stance). Keep your back straight, chest out and abs tight throughout the move.

Watch this Instructional Video on How to Properly Perform a Burpee Along With a Sumo Squat:

I received an email from let’s call her Sandy to avoid any legal backlash. Anyways, in the email Sandy wanted to know what exercises are best to burn fat fast because as she puts it in the email, she is scheduled to enroll in the police academy in 2 weeks and needs to lose a substantial amount of weight.

Let me just be real right now, 2 weeks is just  not enough time. However I gave it some thought and came up with my top 2 exercise routines that are super intense, but are highly effective in terms of burning calories lightning fast.

So today in this article, I am going to reveal my top 2 calorie torching routine. The best part is it’s only 2 exercises so you can’t screw this one up regardless of your fitness level.  Although it is only 2 exercises – it is very intense.

Okay here’s the workout: Do only a dumbbell wood chops and burpees. You may be wondering  how can you lose fat with just two exercises?

Before I explain the philosophy behind the workout and why it’s such an amazing fat burning workout – let explain  how it works in the first place.

Here’s how it works:

You do 15 repetitions of wood chops (you can use either a dumbbell or a kettlebell – it really doesn’t matter), followed immediately by 15 reps of  burpees with a combination shoulder press. (See video below of how to perform each exercise) Without resting, do 14 reps of wood chops and then 14 reps of the burpees. Continue this pattern until you complete only one rep of each exercise. This is called a countdown workout.

Sure, that’s just two exercises, but let’s do the math:

If you complete the entire routine — from 15 down to 1 — you’ll do 120 repetitions of each exercise. That’s 240 repetitions. And these aren’t just any exercises: These are total body movements meaning all muscle groups are in operation.  This is a good thing because whenever multiple muscle groups are activated you’ll burn a lot more calories.

How To Execute a Countdown workout Routine:

Do 8 reps of the wood chops, followed immediately by 8 reps of burpees. Without resting, do 7 reps of the wood chops, and then 7 reps of the burpess, and so on, until you work your way down to 1.

Safety Tip: Don’t overdo it. If your form breaks down during the workout, stop right there. Then next time you do the workout, decrease your start number and work down from there without stopping.

Important message: If you are in good shape, and you want to crank up the intensity start off with a higher number until you get down to 1 repetition.

Wood chops With Dumbbells or Kettlebells


Instructions: Bend at your hips and hold a dumbbell (or kettlebell) with both hands at arm’s length in front of you. Now rock back slightly and “hike” dumbells between your legs. Then squeeze your glutes, thrust your hips forward forcefully, and swing the weight to shoulder height.

How to Adjust Intensity: If you are a beginner start with a lighter weight. However if you are advanced use a heavier weight to crank up the intensity.

Watch the video below to see how to perform this exercise properly.

Burpees With a Shoulder Press

Instructions: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bending at your hips and knees, squat down and lower your body until you can place your hands on the floor. Kick your legs backward—into a pushup position—and then immediately reverse the move and quickly stand up from the squat and them do a shoulder press.

How to Adjust Intensity: if you are a beginner don ‘t use any weights when doing this exercise. However if your are a better conditioned individual use the weights to crank up the intensity.

Watch the video below to see how to properly execute a burpee with a shoulder press.

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Vince Delmonte interviews author Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

1.  Mike, what is the number one component to getting a six pack?

MG: Your training style, nutrition, and mindset are all extremely important if you want to stand a chance at getting a six pack… However, if I had to choose 1 component that is most important, it would probably have to be nutrition. Maybe you’ve heard the saying before that “abs are made in the kitchen”.

It really is true, and that’s where the majority of people go wrong in the goal to get super lean. Of course, this also ties into mindset, because you really have to get your mind in the right place in order to have the discipline to be able to eat consistently clean enough to get six pack abs.

There’s a lot of confusion out there these days about calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrates… every “expert” disagrees with one another on proper ratios and types of diets.  I think people make this way too complicated… If you are just to focus on a good balance between fats, carbs, and proteins, and make sure to eat only natural unprocessed organic foods (as close to their natural state as possible) instead of packaged, processed foods, a lot of the problems that most people have with cravings, a sweet tooth, overeating, blood sugar swings, etc all take care of themselves.

We still can’t lose sight of the fact that you can overeat on healthy foods and gain fat even while eating healthy. Therefore, your caloric intake needs to be controlled to a level that will promote fat loss if that’s the goal.
2.  Excellent Mike!  Next question… What is one thing I might be doing, unknowningly, steering my quest for a six pack in the wrong direction?

MG:  I’ll give 2 things that may be steering you in the wrong direction…

a. Too much cardio

Some people, in their efforts to try to get lean, focus way too much on hours and hours of cardio exercise. The problem is that this can backfire on you by making you lose lean muscle mass over time, which decreases your resting metabolic rate. Once this happens, it becomes easier to pack on body fat than ever before.  I’ve even seen many people that do too much cardio and end up getting that “skinny fat” appearance, where they have very little muscle tone, yet they have excess stomach fat (even a “gut” possibly).

Instead of excess cardio, focus more on high intensity weight training (yes, even during a “cutting” cycle, where heavier training is even MORE important). This will help maintain your lean muscle mass throughout your body, so that you don’t experience the metabolic rate decrease. Maintaining as much lean muscle mass on your body at all times is one of the most important things for staying super-lean for life.

b. Not eating enough healthy fats

This is another area where I see people go in the wrong direction. They are trying to lose body fat and they end up going WAY too low on their fat intake. When you decrease your fat intake too much, you are basically messing up your fat burning and muscle building hormones. It’s not uncommon to see people decrease their fat intake too low and end up reducing their testosterone levels significantly.

Try to get some sources of healthy fats with every meal to make sure you don’t go too low… This could be avocados, any and all nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, etc), seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds), nut butters (almond butter, natural peanut butter, etc), virgin coconut oil (good source of medium chain triglycerides), extra virgin olive oil, grass fed beef (good source of conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3s), whole eggs (yes, whole eggs…not egg whites), etc.

3. What is one unique way of boosting your metabolism, to finally burn fat, that I might be overlooking?

MG:  Incorporate any form of clean & presses into your routines twice per week. This could be barbell clean & presses or using kettlebells or dumbbells.  If I had to choose one exercise that burns the most calories and has the biggest impact on increasing your metabolic rate, I’d have to choose high intensity clean & presses (with squats and deadlifts being at the top of the pack also).  I like alternating the use of barbells for C&P’s one workout and kettlebells for another.

If you want to learn more about how to train with kettlebells, see this article.
4. What is your number one plateau busting secret to lose the last 10 pounds?

MG:  When you get to the point that you’re already fairly lean, but just need to lose that last 5 or 10 lbs of body fat that is covering up your abs, you really need to take your workouts to a whole new level of intensity.

Consider adding all-out wind sprints and/or hill sprints into your routine if you want to take it to the next level of intensity.

As for gym workous, this also means no jibber-jabbering for 5 minutes in between sets at the gym… Instead, you need laser-focused intensity, and one of the best ways to keep high intensity is super-setting or alternating sets. This means while you’re resting one area of your body, you’re working another area of your body. I usually like to do this by alternating a really tough lower body exercise such as a squat, lunge, or deadlift, with a multi-joint upper body exercise such as a bench press, overhead press, bent over row, or pullup.

Think short rest periods, full body exercises, multi-joint exercises, lots of sweat, and your chest heaving for air… if that’s what your workout is looking like, then you’re on the right path.  If not, then you’re not working hard enough.
5. What is your advice for me to deal with the social temptations of alcohol, eating out, and junk food?

MG: This is something many people struggle with, but if you set some limits, it can be easy to deal with and still stay lean. One thing I’d suggest is to make sure to not get in a habit of drinking alcohol excessively on a daily basis. If you’re going to go out and have some fun with friends, try to limit the drinking to only 1 or 2 days max per week. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we can still go out and have fun with our friends without getting totally smashed.

You need to decide what is more important in your life… do you want to live healthy and have a strong lean body, or do you want to get full-blown drunk every night? There’s a lot more to life than alcohol.

As for eating out… If you’re serious about getting and staying lean, eating out should only be an occasional event. Cooking your own food on a daily basis is extremely important as it’s very hard to know what is in all of the junk at restaurants and fast food joints. One of the tricks I use when eating out is to NEVER eat fries or sodas (in fact, I never eat fries or sodas AT ALL).

Instead, go ahead and order that burger, but substitute steamed veggies or a salad for the fries. Almost every restaurant will make that substitution for you. And water or unsweetened iced tea are the best beverage options to keep the calories under control when eating out.
6.  Why do I lose motivation when trying to get a six pack?

MG: Most people lose motivation because they simply aren’t seeing the results fast enough. If that’s why you lose motivation, go back to all of the tips and techniques we’ve been talking about in here and see where your nutrition or training programs are going wrong so you can get faster results.  Be patient and consistent and the results will come.

Also, you can really stay motivated by focusing on what has been successful so far. For example, maybe your fat loss hasn’t been what you wanted so far, but maybe you’ve increased your pullups from 8 to 13 and your squat weight from 185 to 225 lbs for the same reps. Keep focusing on your successes rather than your failures, and keep going for more successes.

More motivation tips — Train regularly with a partner. This will keep you both focused and will keep you accountable to someone other than yourself. You don’t want to disappoint someone else that you’ve made a goal with.

Also, keep a picture up in your house or at work of someone’s body that motivates you to strive for those results. Look at it every day and keep visualizing your own body improving. Set a realistic goal and a time frame to acheive that goal, such as “I will lose 15 lbs of body fat in the next 8 weeks”. The important thing here is realistic goal… don’t expect to lose 30 lbs in 30 days (despite those weight loss scam ads that you see everywhere claiming BS like this).

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by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of the best-seller: The Truth About Six Pack Abs

 
I was reading a statistic in a nutrition book recently, and this is going to shock you…

Now before I tell you the statistic, let’s keep an important fact in mind… according to well renowned nutrition author Michael Pollan, and his amazing book called In Defense of Food, humankind has historically consumed approximately 80,000 different species of edible plants, animals, and fungi, and approximately 3,000 of those have been widespread foods of the human diet.

Now get ready for a shocking and appalling statistic…

Currently, the average adult eating a typical modern western diet in countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, etc consumes approximately 67% of their total caloric intake from only 3 foods — CORN, SOY, AND WHEAT (and their derivatives).

What would be considered a reasonably healthy amount of corn, soy, and wheat in the human diet?  Based on 10′s of thousands of years of human history, and what the natural diet of our ancestors was (indicating what our digestive systems are still programmed to process), this would probably be in the range of about 1% to 5% MAX of our total calories from corn, soy, and wheat.

Considering that modern humans are eating 67% of their total calories from corn, soy, wheat… you can see why we have massive problems in our health, and our weight!

It’s not a surprise that we have so many intolerances and allergies, specifically to soy and wheat (and gluten intolerance)… the human digestive system was simply never meant to consume these substances in such MASSIVE quantities.

Keep in mind that these massively high levels of corn, soy, and wheat in our modern human diet is a relatively new phenomenon that originated from the economics of the multi-billion dollar corn, soy, and wheat industries.  It really HAS been all about the money… NOT about our health!

By “derivatives” of corn, soy, and wheat, this means the food additives such as:

• high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
• corn oil
• soybean oil (hydrogenated or plain refined)
• soy protein
• refined wheat flour
• hundreds of other food additives such as maltodextrin, corn or wheat starch, soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, etc, etc

This doesn’t surprise me… consider how much soda or other sweetened drinks (with loads of HFCS) that the average person drinks daily… this is a LOT of calories from just 1 sole corn derivative.  Even marinades, salad dressings, ketchup, breads, and 100′s of other foods contain loads of belly-fattening HFCS!

Also think about how many processed foods we have that are either fried in soybean or corn oil… and even if the foods are not fried in these oils, these oils are additives to almost every processed food… chips, candies, cakes, salad dressings, tomato sauces, burrito wraps, corn chips, breaded chicken, etc, etc.  This is a LOT of calories from these 2 other corn and soy derivatives… both of them EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY!

On top of that, think about how much breads, cereals, pastas, muffins, and other highly processed wheat products that most people consume each day.  Again, this is LOADS of unhealthy, blood-sugar spiking, nutrient-poor calories, that more than half of the population has some degree of intolerance to anyway.

It gets even worse!

Not only are we eating 67% of our total calories from corn, soy, and wheat… but because of the economics involved (specifically with cheap corn and soy) we are also feeding most of our farm animals corn and soy now too… again amplifying the amount of corn and soy that passes through the food chain and (from a biochemical standpoint) ends up in our bodies.

Probably the 2 worst examples of this blatant mismanagement of our food supply is how our factory farmed chickens and cows are fed.

Cows are fed mostly corn in factory feedlot farms, even though their digestive systems are only meant to eat grass and other forage. This makes the cows sick (hmm… E-coli anyone?), alters the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of the fats to unhealthy levels, and also diminishes the healthy CLA fats that would occur naturally in grass-fed beef.  All of these problems go away if our cows are fed what they were made to eat naturally – grass!

Our chickens are also fed a diet of mostly corn and soy and crowded in tight pens in horrendous conditions… when the fact is that a chicken was meant to roam around the outdoors eating a mixture of greens, insects, worms, seeds, etc.  When chickens are kept inside in tight quarters and fed only grains, it leads to an unhealthy meat for you to eat, and less healthy eggs compared to free-roaming chickens allowed to eat an outdoors diet.

Our food supply has gotten so screwed up that we’re even feeding our salmon and other farmed fish corn and soy…again because of the economics involved.  How ludicrous is this, considering that fish are meant to eat a diverse diet of smaller fish, worms, bugs, etc.  Again this makes farm raised fish unhealthy in terms of nutrition compared to the wild counterparts.  If you want to see something even scarier about farm-raised fish, watch this quick video about the toxic fish you might be buying.

So even when you’re eating chicken, beef, and fish, you’re still essentially getting even MORE corn and soy into your body…considering that the cows, chickens, and farmed fish ate mostly soy and corn.

So it’s actually WORSE than just 67% isn’t it!

Why is it so unhealthy to consume 2/3rds of our calories from corn, soy, and wheat?

Well, this section could encompass an entire book, so to keep this short, I’ll just throw out a few random reasons…

• Skews the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in our diet to as high as 30:1, when a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1 is considered healthy.
• Problems with gluten intolerance (related to heavy wheat consumption)
• Problems with weight gain, blood-sugar swings, and reduced insulin sensitivity (and progression of diabetes) due to excessive refined corn and wheat flours, as well as HFCS in our diet
• Soy and corn are the most genetically modified crops (which also allows more pesticides and herbicides to be used, which are usually ”xenoestrogens”)
• Many of the pesticide and herbicide residues in these crops are xenoestrogens, which can increase “stubborn” belly fat
• Soy products and derivatives contain a double-whammy of xenoestrogens as well as phytoestrogens… again creating an environment in your body for fat storage, carcinogenic effects, and even “man boobs” for some men in very severe cases
• The feeding of corn and soy to animals reduces the health and nutritional benefits of those animal products
• and the list could go on and on and on…

So how do you avoid all of this overwhelming amount of corn, soy, and wheat in our food supply, and finally take control of your weight and your health?

1. Don’t purchase processed foods!  It all starts with your grocery cart discipline… choose only 1-ingredient foods such as fruits, veggies, beans, eggs (free roaming), nuts, seeds, and meats from grass-fed or free roaming animals that are raised correctly.  Only resort to junk foods or processed foods on a 1-day per week “cheat day” but ONLY when dining out… that way, the processed foods aren’t in your house to tempt you.

2. Get most of your carbs from fruits and veggies instead of grains.

3. Avoid store bought salad dressings as they almost always contain soybean oil and HFCS (instead, try my homemade healthy salad dressing)

4. Make sure that your tomato sauces don’t have HFCS and soybean oils… look for sauces made with olive oil instead.  Remember to avoid unhealthy canola oils too!

5. If you like guacamole (one of the healthiest snacks on the planet!), try veggie sticks with guacamole instead of genetically-modified, oil-soaked corn chips

6. If you like hummus, try veggies sticks with hummus instead of pita chips or other bread.

7. Reduce your cereal, bread, and pasta intake by having these foods only on “cheat days” and stick to more of the 1-ingredient foods I mentioned in #1 above.  Try some of these healthy snacks as good alternatives (yes, I know that one of the 13 snacks on there has sprouted grain, which is fine on occasion).

I could go on with more examples, but I think that’s good for now.

So with all of this said… Is my diet perfect? Well, no of course not!  Nobody is perfect, and I can give in to temptation on occasion just like anybody else.

However, I’d estimate that my corn/soy/wheat consumption is only about 2-4% of my total caloric intake compared to 67% for the average person.  The way that I achieve this is to simply not bring any corn, soy, or wheat products into my house, so I’m never tempted by it.  Therefore, at least 6 days/week, I eat virtually no corn/soy/wheat, except for the occasional piece of sprouted grain toast a couple times a week (which is a better option than typical “whole grain” bread).

I do, however, give in and sometimes eat breads, pasta, and even corn chips, etc. when I’m dining out.  I see these as my cheat meals and try to do this no more than once per week.  I still completely eliminate sodas and deep fried foods though…they are just TOO evil!

Please share this article with your friends and family on email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, etc… this is one of the MAJOR reasons that we are so unhealthy and overweight as a society… 67% of our calories from just 3 foods (and their derivatives) is an appalling statistic!  Don’t give in to the marketing machine that is the corn, soy, and wheat industries!  Take control of your OWN health instead of letting big corporations take control of your health.

Before you read this article on how to train your abs using varies other workout equipments, watch this quick video below on how to do an abdominal tuck using resistance bands. This simple abdominal workout using exercise bands will engage the midsection throughout the entire movement.

Make sure that you listen to the instructional video below on how to properly perform the exercise before doing it yourself.

More Abdominal Workout Routines

This is probably one of the most difficult ab workouts I’ve ever put together. So, if you’re not afraid to work your abs in an unconventional way that will leave yours abs sore and on the road to six-pack abs, then give this workout a try.

First of all, I should warn you that this workout is a little bit different because you will do ab work in the beginning and then move into a total body workout.

The first exercise are 10 hanging leg raises. Whenever you do this TT Gauntlet workout, you never move onto the next exercise until you have finished all the reps from the previous one or the amount of time.

For example, if you can only do 6 reps of the hanging leg raises, you don’t move on until you have finished all 10, even if you have to take small breaks in between.

Use either a neutral grip with your palms facing inward, otherwise use an underhand grip. Let your body hang with your abs braced while you minimize momentum. Raise your legs up and slowly down as you do a little bit of curling back with your pelvis.

Move immediately into a stability ball plank for 30 seconds. Hold your body in a straight line with your forearms on the ball.

Move right into 20 reps of stability ball rollouts. Roll out and contract back up. Keep this controlled.

Move back to the stability ball plank for 30 seconds. Remember, you have to finish the 30 seconds before moving on (even if you have to take small breaks).

Next, move into 20 reps of stability ball jackknifes. Place your hands on the floor with your feet on the ball and your body in a straight line. Tuck your knees in towards your chest while keeping your abs braced and back out.

Once you have finished those, put the ball away and do cross body mountain climbers (10 reps on per side, alternating sides). Start in the pushup position and bring your right knee to your left elbow. Keep your body in a straight line.

Move into a 45 second side plank. This will give you a nice little break, but you have to finish the 45 seconds before you can move on.

Next is a Spider-man pushup. You will do 10 reps per side, taking as much rest as you need to. Bring your knee to your elbow as you lower down. Drive back up, alternating sides. All the rotation is done below your hips, but nothing in your lower back. It should remain straight and flat.

The next exercise is a chin-up with a knee-up. As you do a chin-up, your knees come up and as you lower down, you’ll feel that eccentric stress on your lower abdominals which will cause some soreness.

Take an underhand grip and pull up as you bring your knees up with you. Slowly lower back down. The knee-ups will actually help you with your chin-ups because it will give you a little bit of momentum. Finish 10 reps, again, taking as much time as you need to complete them.

Go into a round of Bulgarian split squats at 1-1/2 reps. Drop all the way down, move half way up, back down again and then drive all the way up. Do all reps on one leg and then move to the other. You can also do forward lunges (1-1/2 reps), single leg deadlifts or reaching lunges in place of Bulgarian split squats.

Next is a Spider-man pull-up. Take an overhand grip and as you pull up, bring your knee up to meet your elbow (alternating sides). You will do 5 reps per side.

Finish this workout with 30 second shuttle sprints.

Only go through this one time in your first week.

This will take you about 18-20 minutes if you are advanced. You can do extra interval training at the end if you want to. That’s it!

Get more FREE sample fat burning workouts at: http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazines and will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment.

Discover another free bodyweight workout to help you burn fat, do more pushups, and build ripped six pack abs in less workout time than ever before.

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Workouts for toned, sexy legs involve doing lower body exercises.  In order to display your legs with confidence this summer, you should tone up your thighs, legs and butt by doing several different variations of lower body exercise (I show you how below).  Some women try to shed thigh, and leg fat by going under the knife, but honestly it’s really not necessary.

You should always opt for natural ways to tighten the muscles around your legs, hips and butt, and I believe doing resistance band leg workouts can deliver just that without surgery. Your goal should be to get rid of the unwanted fat around your legs, thighs, and butt permanently, and lower body exercises with resistance bands can deliver the results you are looking for.

Cardio workouts, balanced diet, and interval training using stretch bands are some of the most effective ways to achieve a super sleek, and sexy lower body.

Here Are My Top 3 Resistance Band Exercises To Get Toned, Sexy Legs and Thighs

Watch the videos for instructions on how to execute each exercise below.

Leg Workout #1: Squat With Side Leg Raise Using Resistance Bands

This exercise is very effective in working the quadriceps group muscles found in your front part of the thighs. To target the butt muscles more, squat low to a point whereby your thighs are parallel to the ground and be sure to keep your the band secured underneath the arch of your foot for safety.

Leg  Workout#2:  Lunges Using Resistance Bands

For toning your butt, hips, and thigh,  there is no other exercise that produce better results than the lunge movement. It virtually targets everything in the upper legs, butt, and thighs. Variations of this exercise include warrior pose lunges, diagonal lunges and reverse lunges.

Leg Workout #3: Outer Thigh Workout Using Resistance Bands

Outer thigh workouts using bands are a great way to train the thighs, butt and upper legs . Be sure to lay all the way back with the band looping around the arch of your foot for best results and safety. Other variations include doubling up the bands and single-legged band movement.

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