Meal Planning 101: Variety Sucks
By Marc David
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

In the next 2 minutes you are going to learn why meal variety sucks and how that can be the single factor that leads you away from your goals.
 
 Pull up a chair and hear me out please.
 
 "Variety Sucks!" – he said.
 
 My eyes were wide open like a kid who just heard his first swear word when I heard that. In fact, stunned because many people who I’ve run across told me that variety in my meals is the KEY to success.
 
 You know what I mean don’t you?
 
 "No not that kind of variety," he said. "Meal variety. When you change your meals all the time. Everything has to be new for each meal. You get bored right? So you always have to have something different. That sucks."
 
 Again, I couldn’t believe my ears and yet, he was right.
 
 You probably already know this…
 
 What if you continually change your meals all the time, so it’s always a new meal every day. Of course you won’t be bored but what you will find impossible to do is stick with your plan and maintain a steady goal.
 
 Obviously you can understand that makes perfect sense!
 
 You’re probably wondering if most professional bodybuilders and those who you admire have pretty boring diets.
 
 Let’s take an example of Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers or any number of other commercial diets on the market today.
 
 Okay, you’re probably wondering…
 
 What do they all have in common?
 
 Face it… they are all using pre-planned meals!
 
 Don’t miss a word of this…
 
 You are never guessing at what to eat or making hasty choices without full well knowing exactly how many calories are in that meal, the protein, carb and fat contents too.
 
 Knowing this is critical to keeping your meals targeted towards your goals. The more variety you have, the harder it will be to stick with a set meal plan to ensure you are getting the proper nutrients as well as enough calories.
 
 And now you begin to realize that variety does suck.
 
 Do you ever try and create a meal on the fly?
 
 No planning just go to a restaurant and pick something off the menu only to track your meal later and find out you were way over your goal or you aren’t close to your calories for the day and have to literally stuff yourself later?
 
 Here’s my confession…
 
 My greatest success in terms of nutrition have come from a variety of pre-planned meals. 7 day meal plans where I know what I’m going to eat, what to shop for and all of them laser targeted towards my goal.
 
 You see, variety in the food choices isn’t a bad thing at all. Variety ensures we are getting the proper nutrients and ratios. It helps to have several pre-planned meals so that you aren’t too bored but you know what’s ahead.
 
 Pre-planning your meals for the week lets you go shopping for the foods you need as well.
 
 Think of how impossible it will be to just "eat" if you don’t give some thought into the meals you are having to reach your goals.
 
 Grocery shopping would be a nightmare if I didn’t already know my meals well in advance.
 
 I know your boring alarm is going off right now but it doesn’t have to be that way.
 
 Plan out your meals. The more pre-planned meals you have, the easier it will be to shop. The faster you can put together something that meets your needs.
 
 The people who simply must have a new breakfast, lunch and dinner so they don’t get bored with foods, are the ones always counting calories. They are always guessing at what meal they are about to eat if it fits their goals. They find out AFTER they have eaten it.
 
 The successful people know before the food hits their mouth what the meal is doing for them. They already know how many calories. They know the portions. Calorie counting only had to happen once.
 
 Think about this for a minute.
 
 If you want variety in everything you eat and you don’t want to have pre-planned meals because that just sounds too boring, then realize that might be why you aren’t reaching your goals.
 
 I’m not saying meals have to be boring and bland but you should know before hand what you are going to eat.
 
 That’s a pre-planned meal.
 
 That’s why variety in one sense of the meaning sucks!

About the Author

Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of the "NoBull Bodybuilding System" method on www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com

He can show you how to reduce your body fat through diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle through an abundance of workout tips by training LESS, not more!

Once a self-confessed skinny, "135-pound weakling." Today Marc is a 200 pound bodybuilder who teaches thousands of people to gain weight, build muscle and reduce body fat with a workout and nutrition system so simple that even a complete beginner can understand it!

Marc dispels many "bodybuilding myths", tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON’T WANT YOU to know.  visit www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Also in case you are not a newsletter subscriber I sent out a link to a new great free e-book download Marc wrote titled Bodybuilding essentials 101 …..

Stop bodybuilding the hard way!…

"At Last! You Can build muscle and
burn fat Perfectly…Without all
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19 Tips to Build 5 Lbs of Muscle in 28 Days Report With The Secrets to
Avoiding Costly Mistakes For Any Bodybuilder

Let’s face it, working out, eating right and figuring out what to do is tough!

There’s no doubt, it’s probably the most difficult lesson for any bodybuilder to learn. Frankly, bodybuilding is the only subject you can’t fake.

Of course, some people will tell you can do fine without an understanding of training and nutrition. WRONG!

However, the big problem is most books on the subject are filled with complex science or too much generalized information but not enough actual step by step and how to formulas that you can use without being a math genius. You practically had to be a brain surgeon to figure it out.

Sound at all familiar?

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This newly released work called “19 Tips to Build 5 Lbs of Muscle in 28 Days” by Marc David is the quickest and easiest way to learn how to avoid making those simple mistakes that all people who bodybuilder seem to make either when they are just starting out or just never figured out the simple fundamentals. Inside this magnificent work you’ll get over 19 of the top questions all bodybuilders of any level ask when they start to learn about fitness and bodybuilding. Absolutely everything any person who’s just starting out would need.

The work is divided up into 19 comprehensive questions:

Question 1: How do I calculate how many calories I need per day based on my goals?

Question 2: What can I do to measure my body fat?

Question 3: What’s better?  Free weights or machines?

Question 4: How can I get 6 pack abs?

Question 5: How much protein do I need every day?

Question 6: What is a good basic workout?

Question 7: What is the best fat burning supplement?

Question 8: If one body part is bigger or stronger, should I skip it?

Question 9: My legs are big enough.  I keep hearing legs are so important to workout.  Why is it so important?

Question 10: Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

Question 11: Does NO2 work?

Question 12: I’m skinny.  Always have been.  What can I do to gain weight?

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As you can see this really is the ultimate tutorial for bodybuilding but until now it was never really written in one place. (Even if you’re an advanced athlete you’ll benefit immensely from quickly reading over this because you’ll ensure you’ve missed nothing when it comes to the fundamentals.)

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Funny thing is, they even had an article quoted one guy saying, "99% of the people working out don’t meet the caloric requirements" but then the article doesn’t tell you what those requirements are!!

Anyway, there was more in the Top 12 Beginner Mistakes that I foundd

helpful, but I gotta tell ya, the most helpful is the stuff on how

much calories I need to take. I was a bit confused about that until I read your e-book!!

 THANKS A MILLION FOR YOUR HELP!
Sincerely,
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Chicago, IL

I have been researching for about a month on how to start losing weight, gaining muscle, making myself look better, so far this e book has pointed me in the best direction, thanks.
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Thank you.
Lewis

P.S. You’ll be amazed at how simple and easy it is to start beginning bodybuilding with “The 19 Tips Report”.

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Is It Better to Skip a Meal Than to Eat Unhealthy Food?
By Marc David 

]]> http://atozfitness.com/wordpress/2007/is-it-better-to-skip-a-meal-than-to-eat-unhealthy-food/feed/ 0 http://atozfitness.com/wordpress/2006/women-who-lift-weights-turn-into-men/ http://atozfitness.com/wordpress/2006/women-who-lift-weights-turn-into-men/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:12:14 +0000 lewis http://www.atozfitness.com/wordpress/2006/12/20/women-who-lift-weights-turn-into-men/ There’s a big myth that women have to train different then men. They don’t. They can lift weights, do the same exercise, build a little muscle, become stronger and still be 100% female. Building muscle isn’t all that easy right? You don’t just do some weights and have a 21" inch arms the next month.

My point is…

Women can do the same things as men do. And even lift heavy if they desire to grow muscle rather then maintain.

A little muscle tone is not a bad thing right? And the only way to grow muscle is to stimulate it. I’m not suggesting females go bench 315 lbs tomorrow but there’s no need to grab the pink weights and do 100 reps either while they sit there looking unchallenged and bored.

If they are worried about a particular body part taking over and making them out of proportion, then just hit them lightly and focus on the rest of the body. Just maintain them. Do not push or challenge them and they will just stay the same while the rest of her body grows, adapts and changes to fit her desired look.

I see women all the time at the gym with the tiniest weight. Because they don’t want to get big and bulky like a man. But they also look bored and just doing it because somebody told them lifting weights was something they should do.

Unless your one of the few females that has as much testosterone as most men, it’s not going to happen.

A key to muscle growth is testosterone. Females do not have
high levels of it, therefore, even if they worked out like men do, with heavy weights, she is not going to suddenly become manly, bulky and bulging with muscles.

Granted, there are some females who do have high levels but it’s pretty rare. Don’t worry…

Despite what you may have heard… there’s really no such thing as toning. I’m sure to get flack for that statement but let me explain. There’s three things you can do to a muscle.

-Build it
-Maintain it
-Lose it

Toning is really for most people, the process of building muscle so there’s something to show… and once they are happy with the appearance, they maintain it. For all these reasons…

It’s important to understand that when you pick up a weight, the main goal is to work the muscle. If it’s not at all challenging, then why bother? Resistance training has a purpose. To keep your muscles healthy, your bones strong and your mobility. The older you get, the more muscle you want as it will keep you living healthier. And the older you get the more muscle you tend to lose. Another reason to build muscle thru your life and not let it wither away because of atrophy.

But I’m getting way ahead of myself! Many women are worried about getting bulky if they workout weight weights.

There’s a simple solution to that. How about just build muscle until she’s satisfied with her appearance. Once she reaches that level, she can back off and just maintain. At that point, there’s no need to stimulate new muscle growth but you can use resistance training to maintain an appearance.

This is where ‘toning’ comes in. Toning to me at least, means maintaining the muscle’s natural tone thru resistance. Keeping it in the shape it is currently.

Also keep in mind that a muscle will appear more tone when body fat is removed from the area.

So that’s why cardio is an important aspect as well if she is looking to lean up. But as I’ve said before, there can be such a thing as too much cardio. So no need for marathon sessions please.

Bottom line…

In general women do not need any different routines then a man. It’s the myth that has been around forever that men lift weights, women do cardio. It’s simply wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About The Author:

Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of the “The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding” method on www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com. He can show you how to reduce your body fat thru diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle thru an abundance of workout tips by training LESS! Not more. He dispels many “bodybuilding myths”, tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON’T WANT YOU to know.  Go to: http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com to find out more about The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding.

What person just starts down the right path to anything? Hardly any of us. The first time we are introduced to structured learning is in kindergarten. That type of learning follows us into grade school, middle school, high school and maybe college.

So why is it that so many beginners just “do stuff?” It’s not like we are born with the instincts to even tie shoes without somebody showing us the way.

At 16, I didn’t know what to do. I started reading this book by Bob Paris, and some Muscle and Fitness issues. But I knew even then it wasn’t natural and that I would never take any drugs to propel myself to what I wanted. Those books had some good stuff in them but it wasn’t exactly written for me as a beginner. I almost felt like in order to be in shape and to be big, you just had to be that way naturally. I’ll be you can guess what happened next…

I did some more stuff. No structure. In fact, up until I was 27 years old, I basically did what all beginners do. Just stuff. Maybe a heavy bench session here and there, just shooting for whatever reps I could get. No idea what I had to previously. No structured training program and no idea of nutrition other then it’s common sense not to eat candy all day and I needed to eat or eat less if I wanted to make changes. Needless to say…

Nothing changed. That’s right. Imagine, yourself doing something since you were 16 years old and at age 27 you were “fit” but not really at your goal, not really that big and not anywhere close to what you wanted to accomplish. And yet guys, who worked out maybe 2 years, were exactly where you wanted to be. Moreover… you saw plenty of people cheating their way to the top. I couldn’t even figure out a good diet let along contemplate anything more complex.

Make no mistake… I was frustrated. And the reason I was frustrated for all those years was that I never started out in kindergarten and worked my way up. My point is…

If people take classes to learn another language, and go to school to learn a trade, and pay an instructor to help them drive, what makes working out and obtaining a goal any different? Let me break some news to you.

Eating healthy is NOT common sense. Working out is NOT common sense.

That’s right. I said it. The reason I was frustrated was mainly that I thought you just hit the weights and got bigger. Trust me, I had some really intense weight sessions. And yet I might have worked at 110% and blew it the minute I left the gym.

Okay, so there’s the beginner who has never worked out but learns about it, gets the nutrition down, understands that, finds a training program and starts out. In 2 years, this person is advanced.

On the other hand, there’s me, who after 16 years was physically not a beginner but mentally still was a beginner.

Can you see my frustration?

But my problem is your opportunity.

You see, if you knew what I know now, and trust me when I say there’s no big secrets, you’d be a beginner for a lot less time. You’d have to work hard but not quite as hard and you’d know why you made some changes and why you didn’t.

Here’s more,…

My mom used to cook dinners every night. I wanted to get bigger. I just ate enough so I wasn’t hungry and that was it. Now that’s fine if I wanted to maintain, but here I had an idea and image in my head and couldn’t get to it. I had no idea what nutrition really was all about. I didn’t know how much I should even eat to get bigger?

That’s like getting a destination, no GPS, no map and no directions. How long would it take you to find that town if you just got in the car and started driving? After 16 years you might get lucky and find it or you might just be chasing the Road to El Dorado.

It’s simple really. Everybody wants to sell you a secret. But here’s the real secret and here’s how I stumbled on it.

I found a workout program called Max-OT. Finally, a very structured workout program. What to do, when to do it and how. And it told me to lift heavy. It also gave me a tiny insight into eating right. But not enough. Somehow I got lucky and found a Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle book. I printed it out. And that was it.

That was my ah-ha moment.

The secret was KNOWLEDGE.

Let me repeat that.

KNOWLEDGE

Nothing I’ve run across today is a big secret. It’s not like nobody is telling anybody about this. What the problem seems to be is that beginners don’t know where to start and they don’t think they need any help. So at some point they get very frustrated and end up quitting or losing sight. Not to mention the sheer wealth of information on the Internet in an unstructured manner is mind boggling. So what if all this information is on a bodybuilding forum. In 34,567 posts, with 9,567 members. Let me take the hex number and make it readable to the human eye.

If I took 12 million pages of information, some horrible, some bad, some good and some true gold and threw it all over the house, took a blower to it and scattered every paper all over, that is what you have right now.

It would take you 2 years or more to go thru each page to find out what information was good, how many others confirmed that to be true and then you’d have to make your own table of contents and put it all together.

Just because it’s out there doesn’t mean much if it’s not good, it’s not structured and it’s not written for you.

Here’s what I’ve learned in just 2 years:

• What I need to eat in order to reach my goals and how to figure that out easily and quickly with just basic high school math.

• How I need to train and how less is actually more.

• Why being controlled and having excellent form gives me 50% more gains then the guy/gal next to me who drops the weight on the bottom half of the movement.

• How I can measure my progress easily and quickly and best of all… privately. So that I know where I’ve been and how close I am to getting there.

• That not all carbs are the same

• There’s such a thing as good fats and by taking a fat pill I can lose weight

The truth is…

I tried tons of workout programs. But my main failure wasn’t necessarily the routines I was doing but the lack of knowledge I had. Can you imagine what it would be like to take 16 years to learn how to tie your shoe? Well that’s what I felt. I wanted something so bad that I tried it all.

Heck, I even skipped dinners (skipping meals is a no-no) on weekends because I was too busy and tried protein shakes that didn’t mix well with water to put on weight.

So it all adds up to this…

I was a beginner for roughly 16 years. And while not physically a beginner I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Reading magazines by companies with an agenda is a horrible way to figure it out. And reading books by professionals who took paths and risk I would never take is also a waste of time.

Which is why I’m writing.

I’ve finally figured it out. And I know I’m not alone because I run a bodybuilding forum, and a fitness site and I get 5-10 e-mails or posts a day with people just like me. Who want something and have no idea how to get there. I know they will try everything and many of them will quit. And a few will go on to struggle for years until they finally realize the secret to getting this dream is understanding the nutrition, the training and the supplements.

Trust me, nobody wants
to be a beginner for 16 years.

If you liked this article…you will love:

The Beginners Guide to Fitness & Bodybuilding

I’d like to tell you more about abdominals at this point but we’ve come to the end of the 4 part series and now it’s simply time to get onto the workouts.

In short, you’ve learn about the two key concepts that are required to show off your abs in the first place.  You’ve also discovered why nutrition is the most important part of any ab quest.  And you are about to learn the final segment of 6-pack abs by utilizing some of the most important abdominal exercises.  Moreover…

You won’t be spending countless hours doing the same old boring ab work.  This 6 month plan was molded to give you a well rounded routine and keep it interesting and challenging.

Not only will you be able to see your abs, you’ll make your entire core stronger and that will translate into a stronger body overall.

So let me ask you…

Why would you ever spend another dime on a program or book when you’ve got the entire arsenal you need in this series to have professional bodybuilding abdominals?  My strong hunch is…

After doing this 6 month program, eating right and lowering your body fat levels, you should be able to send me a personal success story.

Without further noise, let’s get to the workouts!

Additional Tips for a Six Pack

Before you begin, it’s recommended you understand how each exercise is performed to achieve the maximum results.

http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com/6monthsofabs.htm

Note: * A1 & A2, and following letter pairs reference joined exercises (supersets)  One exercise A1 followed immediately without rest by A2.

Note: 4-point tempo explained:
2010 tempo =
2 = negative/eccentric action
0 = pause in stretch position
1 = positive/concentric action
0 = pause in contracted position

*  You can substitute a crunch for a double crunch if you want the overall exercise to be more difficult.

*  By doing a variety of movements, you are targeting all the areas of the midsection.  Using bodyweight is usually preferred over heavy weights that tend to build up and thicken the midsection.

*  Rep ranges in this program are suggested.  Go for ‘perceived’ exertion.  If you can do more, do more.  Judge a set by how you feel not how many reps you do.

*  Keep the tension on the abdominals at all times.

The Ripped Abdominal Workout Series

Week 1-2

Exercise: A1 – Decline Reverse Crunch & A2 – Crunches
Sets: 3
Reps: 15
Tempo: 2010
Rest Period: 30 seconds

Exercise B1 – Oblique Crunch
Sets: 2
Reps: 15
Tempo: l & r 2010
Rest Period: 60 seconds

Week 3-4

Exercise: A1 – Alternate Heel Touches
Sets: 3
Reps: 15-20
Tempo: 2010
Rest Period: 30 seconds

Exercise B1 – Ab Wheel
Sets: 3
Reps: 10
Tempo: 3010
Rest Period: 60 seconds

Exercise: C1 – Seated Plate Twists
Sets: 3
Reps: 12
Tempo: 2020
Rest Period: 30 seconds

Exercise D1 – Cable Crunch
Sets: 2
Reps: 15
Tempo: l & r 2110
Rest Period: 60 seconds

————————

If you can’t wait, the Beginner’s Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com .  Learn how to develop the perfect set of abs, the nutritional secrets that will have you in summer shape and the revolutionary training that eliminates the need for 100+ crunches per day.  Proven methods to get your abdominals to show.

Exercises for Variety and Development Step by Step Abdominal Training Explained

Concept #1: How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs

Do you remember hearing somewhere that in order to get the abdominals you want; you’ve got to train them everyday?  I know I heard that from several sources.   None of those sources had super ripped abs.

Fact:  Many of the people who DO have ripped abs train them 1-3 times per week.

Train your abs 1-3 times per week.  I would recommend training them after a smaller body part workout like chest and biceps and abs, or shoulder, triceps and abs.  You can do them on your off days as well.  Try to avoid doing them with legs as it’s a major body part.  Try to avoid doing them first as you’ll need your stabilizers to be 100% when they are used in other compound exercises.

You probably already know this… your abs can be trained a bit more frequently then most other muscle groups because of two factors:

1.  The muscle density is different allowing for different recovery time

2.  99.9% of programs do not encourage you to train abs to muscular failure

You don’t want to train abs to muscular failure for the purpose of this guide.

Concept #2: How Many Exercises Per Session

If you’re like me, you don’t want another session added to your workout that is going to add another 20 minutes to your gym time.  But like any other muscle, the abdominals require a bit of stimulation but just enough to grow and change and become stronger.

Unlike other body parts, you won’t be doing countless sessions for abs.  In fact…

Use 3-5 exercises per session

That’s all you really need.  Use the schedule listed in this guide or just pick 3 different exercises and do 3-5 different exercises per session.  You can vary your rest up to 90 seconds.

You’ve got to wonder why people train abs by themselves for 30 or more minutes at a time.  That’s crazy!  And most of the people coming out of those "Ab Blaster" classes don’t even have abs.  They are doing longer sessions for a single muscle group then you ever need to engage in.

Simply put, 3-5 exercises will do just fine.

Concept #3: Using Cardio as A Metabolism Boosting Tool

For maximum fat loss, you should do cardio 4-7 days per week for 30-60 minutes (the amount is variable depending on your results). You could continue running or mix up the type of cardio you do (stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, and other continuous aerobic activities are all excellent fat burners without the high impact and joint stress of frequent running).

If time efficiency is an issue for you, you could perform high intensity interval cardio training and achieve very efficient results with even briefer workouts (20-30 min per sessions, or less, if the intensity is high enough) Once you are satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition, you can cut back to 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes for maintenance.

Concept #4: Advanced Techniques

Part of this guide is to ensure that you use all the techniques possible in order to achieve the results you want.  There are two techniques you can use so that your routine doesn’t become ‘routine.’

1.  Tempo Variation:  Another way to increase the effectiveness of the training program is to focus on the tempo of the exercise. Tempo just means the speed of the exercise. For example, a 3-1-1 tempo means you’ll take 3 seconds to lower the weight, then you’ll pause for 1 second, and then you’ll lift the weight back up in 1 second.

2.  Variety:  It’s been said that your body will adapt to any routine within 5-6 workouts.  By including many different exercises, it will be impossible to adapt.  Not only will your body be continually challenged but the variety will help to ward of getting bored of doing the same things every week, every workout.

3.  Multiple Angles:  While the abdominals are classified as a ‘single’ muscle, that doesn’t mean you can’t work it from a variety of angles in order to achieve the maximum stimulation.  Many times an individual will have their upper abdominals developed but are lacking any real "visual" development in the lower abs.  Rather then focus on a section of the abdominals, this guide will encourage you to work the muscle from a variety of angles for the best possible stimulation.

Stay tuned for Part 4 that will flat out give you 6 months worth of ab workouts you can do.

————————

If you can’t wait, the Beginner’s Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com .  Learn how to develop the perfect set of abs, the nutritional secrets that will have you in summer shape and the revolutionary training that eliminates the need for 100+ crunches per day.  Proven methods to get your abdominals to show.

Copyright © 2006 Marc David

All About Abs – Nutrition

First Class Eating Habits = First Class Abs 90% of Ripped Ab Gurus Have Fantastic Nutritional Habits

Why Nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success

Let me explain this particular concept as it seems that the current direction is to buy fat burning pills, ab machines and do daily training. The problem is with all that training and other facts is they will never have as much influence on the layer of fat covering your abdominals as a good metabolic meal will that helps your body burn away fat every day.

Turning your body into a fat burning furnace should be your #1 priority.

Eating 5-7 meals per day is critical in order to make your body a calorie burning machine; you must supply it with 5-7 small but frequent meals. The reason you do this is because you will be continually burning calories to utilize the food. Be cautious of portion size. Eat too much of anything and you’ll never see those abs!

The more meals you have, the more your body must use energy to burn it. It’s like a furnace. You will RAISE your metabolism simply by eating more frequently.

You see if your nutrition isn’t nearly perfect, your body will always store some fat. And that fat will most likely be kept in the abdominal region. The only way to get to the sub-10% body fat region is with rock-solid nutrition. Countless people cannot do this. Their eating habits are never correct, they don’t track what they eat and they do not have the discipline necessary to eat correctly all of the time (with some cheat meals in there of course). The group of people who can do that are competitive bodybuilders.

Does this mean you can’t do it? Heck no! You just need to be acutely aware that having a ripped abdominal region is about a low percentage of body fat. To get that low, your nutrition needs to be impeccable. The more disciplined you are, the more fat you’ll burn and the more muscle you’ll keep. The lower your body fat becomes, the more your abs will show.

It’s just that simple but it’s not that easy. In the next few steps, you are going to learn exactly what you need to do in order to turn your body into a fat burning machine.

Step 1: Calculate How Many Calories a Day You Need to Lose Fat

Listen, figuring out how many calories a day you need to lose weight really isn’t too hard. And with the formula I’m about to give you plus a very cool website, you can easily track where you are and what you need to do daily to reach your goals. So lets’ begin!

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, THEN LOSING, MAINTAINING OR GAINING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!

Step 1:

Take your current body weight in pounds (lbs) and multiply by 11.

Example: 194 lbs x 11 = 2134 calories This is what I need to just keep what I have, without moving. But remember, you do move. So you have to then calculate your metabolic factors into this… so off to step 2…

Step 2:

Figure out your metabolic factor according to the table below.

But first, some definitions to help you determine where you might fit in:

Slow Metabolism: You basically look at food and you seem to put on pounds. You can gain weight by eating salads but it’s difficult to lose the weight.

Moderator Metabolism: You can gain weight if you try. You can lose weight if you try. You really don’t have trouble losing weight depending on what you want to do.

Fast Metabolism: You are the skinny guy or gal who can eat *ANYTHING* and it makes no difference. Gaining weight is difficult. Losing weight can happen overnight. Just by watching T.V. you seem to shed pounds.

Metabolic %

Under 30 years old Slow Metabolism- 30% Moderate Metabolism- 40% Fast Metabolism- 50%

30-40 years old Slow Metabolism- 25% Moderate Metabolism- 35% Fast Metabolism- 45%

Over 40 years old Slow Metabolism- 20% Moderate Metabolism- 30% Fast Metabolism- 40%

Example: 2134 calories x 35% (33 years old and with moderate metabolism) = 746.90

I took my calories needed above just to sit here and not move and multiplied it by my metabolic factor and I find that I need an additional 746.90 calories because of my specific metabolism.

Step 3:

Put it together. 2134 + 746.90 = 2880.90 calories I need 2,880.90 calories to maintain my current weight with my current activities.

Note: You can also adjust your metabolic factor if you do something that might take you to the next level. If you are a moderator metabolism person but you do distance running, it might make more sense to put your self in the fast category since you burn a lot more calories.

Step 4:

Lose Weight: I would take 2880.90 – 500 = 2380.90

Note: 500 calories a day is just a general term everybody uses to say that adding this amount is within safe limits. Eat too much, and you end up storing fat. Cut too many calories and your body just goes into starvation mode and ends up retaining more fat. 500 is a safe, recommended guideline. You can also eat 15-20% below your maintenance calorie levels to get a more accurate and aggressive plan. Avoid eating below 20% for very long as your body’s will start to slow down.

Step 5:

You must track what you are eating so you’ll know if you’ve made your goal for the day. And tracking food does not have to be complicated with weights and scales.

It’s a shame that so many people just start training and never figure out what they need to eat daily to reach their goals.

You can keep doing the math over and over as you reach a goal.

Step 2: Calculate How Much Protein You Need a Day to Keep Muscle

Often overlooked, protein is the key component to building muscle but keep in mind; it’s also the same fundamental that will help you keep muscle. What this means to you is that if you get enough protein during this ‘cutting’ phase, you’ll burn more fat and keep more muscle. You want to keep as much muscle as possible because you want those abs to show.

As discussed before, having a low body fat percentage is core to the ripped effect but having abs to show is common sense. Protein has many functions that you’ve learned about in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding, one of which is to help promote and maintain muscle.

Step 1:

Take your body weight in pounds Example: 194 lbs

Step 2:

Find your body fat % Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below)

Step 3:

Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat Example: 194 lbs – (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs of lean body weight

Step 4:

Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14 Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day

Step 5:

Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is what your protein target is for each meal. Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight will require a lot more protein. And a person who is 286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their percentage of body fat is 35%. But why use 1.14 for protein requirements?

The RDA recommends .75g of protein. But that’s been shown to be too low for active athletes.

Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which can lead to fat gains.

1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy adults. This range will help build muscle but not lead you into a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust within that range if you feel you need more protein.

Step 3: Divide Up the Calories in 5-7 Meals Per Day (Ratios)

At this point you know how many calories a day you need to burn fat and how much protein you need to maintain the muscle. Your goal is to burn fat, not lose weight and certainly not lose muscle! What’s next?

Just divide up your daily calorie requirements by 5-7 meals a day in order to determine the calories per meal and your protein goals.

That might seem like a difficult tasks but once you start using some type of fitness tracking program (like FitDay) it becomes very easy to hit your targets and understand portion control.

If you don’t track what you are eating, then dividing this up will be nearly impossible unless you eat the same things every single day (boring).

There’s nothing fancy to this step.

Preparation Ideas:

* Grocery shop for the entire week so you have an ample supply of food

* Prepare things in bulk so putting together meals is quick and easy

* Use Tupperware as it’s easy to clean and easy to control portions

* Use the grocery list from the Beginner’s Guide to pick and choose foods that are proteins, carbohydrates and good fats

Step 4: Review the Nutritional Fundamentals

On page 68 of the Beginner’s Guide there are some nutritional fundamentals that you must master overall in order to get your nutrition dialed in and it working for you. When you turn your body into a fat burning furnace you need to review these key concepts.

* Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-20% 1-2 days per week. * Getting your ratios correct (50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats) * Eating 5-7 meals per day * Having a lean protein source with every meal * Getting the good fats and avoiding the bad fats * Drinking enough water * Eating as many natural and unrefined foods as possible * Keeping your total fats and saturated fats low. A little bit of good fats (seeds, flax, fish) is better than a no fat diet.

Stay tuned for Part 3 that will discuss Ab training and the question that everybody wants to know – How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs?

If you can’t wait, the Beginner’s Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com

All About Abs

What You Really Need to Know About Abdominals: Two Key Concepts You Must Meet to Let Out the 6 Pack

Introduction – Understanding the Abdominals

Congratulations!

You are about to learn about a region of the body that almost everybody wants but somehow the secrets escape them. The weight loss industry may be a billion dollar a year market but a close second is all the late night infomercials about abs, 6 packs, 6 second abs and how to get ready for the beach and show off that region.

When it comes to abdominal training there are two basic areas of confusion. First, the myth exists that a ’specific’ region exists like the ‘lower abdominals.’ Many people will claim their upper ab region is developing just fine but the lower abs are not responding to training. They are looking for a magic lower ab exercise that will target that region. If you do a search for any muscular images of the abdominals, it’s clear that the rectus abdominus (a long winded name for the abs) is just a single muscle running from the sternum to the pelvis. These ‘lower abdominals’ simply don’t exist.

The reason the lower region seems to be less responsive to training is that it is a natural fat storage area! Simply put, your entire ab region is probably responding to overall training but the lower region is simply not showing because it is covered up by a layer of fat. That area just happens to be the place that fat is the last to go. Very simply, the lower abdominal area is benefiting from your crunches and reverse crunches. The problem is, you just can’t see it!

TEST: If you don’t believe this then try this simple test: lie down on the floor in a typical crunch position. Place one hand on your lower abdominal area and the other on your upper abdominal area. Now perform a slowing crunching movement. You will feel both areas contract simultaneously as you curl up.

The second area of confusion revolves around exercise selection. Almost everybody still continues to perform hanging leg raises, knee-ups or similar exercises in an attempt to target the ‘lower abs.’ While these exercises do affect the abdominal area, they are not the best selection.

It’s easy to clear up this exercise selection confusion if you understand the differences between the hip-flexion and trunk-flexion. A muscle called the psoas and related muscles (this is located deep against the spine) are responsible for hip-flexion while your abdominals are responsible for trunk-flexion.

Hip Flexion: Occurs when your lift your knee (or knees) towards your chest. For example, when you do a hanging knee-up, you will feel a burning sensation in the lower abdominal region (this alone convinces most people it’s working that area). What is actually happening is the psoas is being stressed. You’ll never be lean enough to see this muscle! Of course the abdominals are involved in this exercise for stabilization but it’s not the primary muscle and so it’s not the most effective. Other concerns revolve around the psoas being overworked that can lead to back problems.

Trunk Flexion: Occurs when you perform an exercise where the pelvis and sternum approach each other during the movement. At this point, you are in a state of maximal trunk flexion. Going any further and you’ll engage the psoas muscle and you will be using hip-flexion (like in a full sit-up). When you train your abdominals you need to flex (or contact) your trunk.

FACT: For effective abdominal training, stick with trunk flexion movements (crunches and reverse crunches).

This series will focus on trunk flexion exercises so that tension is directly on the abdominals as that is the primary muscle we want to work. [Other muscles involved in stabilization will be involved but will not be the primary focus.]

That’s all! The abdominals are just a muscle like everything else. There’s nothing special about them that makes them any harder to obtain or develop then any other muscle group. Still, there are thousands of messages on community forums and fitness gurus everywhere get hundreds of messages a day regarding this. Not to mention the countless ab technology products that appear in stores every year promising a faster, easier way to get ripped abs. The purpose of this report is to tell you exactly step-by- step what you need to do to get ripped abdominals.

The Myths of Ripped Abdominals: – Countless crunches – Working them out every day – Strange machines or dangerous exercises – Fad diets – Fat burner pills – Marathon cardio sessions – Targeting lower and upper regions

The Secret of Ripped Abdominals: – Low percentage of body fat – Having the muscle to show

Did I just blow the end of the story for you? Hopefully not.

Key Concept #1: You Must Have a Low Percentage of Body Fat For starters, if you have a layer of body fat covering the region, you will never be able to show the abs. For men, this is the LAST place the fat will disappear from which makes it the hardest body part to show.

You “get abs” from reducing your body fat and you reduce body fat mostly through diet and cardio..

And yet, somehow this concept escapes people. In order for the abs to show proudly, you must have a low percentage of body fat! There’s really not a whole lot more to it.

Men: 10% or lower Women: 15% or lower

Why is that so difficult for most people?

Simple. In order to get your body fat that low you must be absolutely focused on your diet and fat burning metabolism. 99% of people (including myself) are not as perfect on the diet as to burn off our natural body fat stores. So in order to get rid of that last layer, you must burn off the last remaining body fat stores. And to do that you must have great nutrition habits (above and beyond just being active).

Key Concept #2: You Must Have Abs to Show

First off…

If you are 110 lbs and just skin and bones and 3% body fat but no muscle really, then it’s not a surprise why your abs aren’t popping out every time you take off your shirt. There are a few people I’ve run across that are well below the 10% body fat limit and yet they are puzzled when their abdominals don’t show. That’s almost as easy as 1+1. You MUST have abs to show!

You can have a low body fat percentage but if you don’t have anything to show, you’ll just see a flat stomach (which is good) but no definition and certain no ‘packs.’ There are also individuals who have 15% body fat but their abs are so developed they can show off a 4-pack. While they don’t have that low of a body fat percentage to classify as ‘ripped’ they do have great development and certainly the muscle is there. Just think what it might look like on them if they were to be 10% or lower?!

That’s where ab exercises come into play. Performing key abdominal exercises is a key to developing the trunk region to the fullest. Many people are looking for the illusive lower ab exercise or performing exercises they believe to target a certain region but are really working the wrong muscle. Having abs is as simple as doing the right core exercises. That will be part of the 6 months of ab training at the end of this series.

Now that you understand some key concepts in order to get the abs to show, let’s figure out how to eliminate that annoying layer of fat around them…

Part 2 will discuss why nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success.

If you can’t wait, the Beginner’s Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com