What you eat on a daily basis determines just about everything you can possibly imagine that goes with your body…your health, mental energy, body composition, athletic performance…you name it and what you eat has an impact on it.

These 7 simple rules are here to give you a little nudge in the right direction and make things a little easier for you in your own daily choices.

Rule #1 – If your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize it, don't eat very much of it

Many of the highly-processed pseudo-foods weren't around 50 years ago. Food was more "real" back then and it's an ideal you should strive for now. This basically means choose foods that are less processed and closer to their natural state. Notice I didn't say "don't eat it"…which leads me to Rule #2…

Rule #2 – No food ultimatums

The moment you say "I will never have pizza again," you will immediately start thinking about how much you miss having pizza, even if you hardly eat pizza to begin with. It's like telling somebody not to think about elephants…you just did it, didn't you . Same idea with food. That's why I never tell myself I can never have something…if I've got a specific goal and that food won't help me achieve it, I just say it's not on my list right now and I can have it later. No big deal.

Rule #3 – Don't keep junk in the house

And don't tell me you need to have junk food and sweets in the house "for the kids." If it's really for the kids, lock it up in a closet and give your kids the keys so you can't get at any of it then tell me if it's for the kids. Here's the other thing…your kids don't need that junk either!

Anyway, off on a tangent there – that's one excuse that gets me really whipped up. Bottom line is this…if you don't have it in the house, it takes a lot more effort to eat it. If it's in the house, it'll get eaten. If it's not, it won't. Simple.

Rule #4 – Multi-course meals will wipe out your digestion

The more different foods you eat in one meal, the harder it will be for your body to digest it all. Different foods and nutrients require different enzymes to digest…by combining too many foods in one meal, you will overload your digestive system and make it less efficient. If you frequently have digestive issues when you eat, try something radical and eat just one food per meal and see what happens. This is especially true of fruit and dairy. Fruit is best eaten separately and by itself.

Rule #5 – You don't have to eat 6 meals a day

That "small, frequent meals" rule you may be familiar with is actually based on a study that showed a very small increase in metabolic rate when a person eats a meal. This evolved into the idea that eating a bunch of small meals helps increase fat loss and nutrient utilization.

Naturally, this was immediately seized upon my supplement manufacturers who promoted the idea that you can't possibly eat FOOD that many times a day, so you should take our meal replacement supplement for those extra 3 meals.

Here's the thing…no study has ever confirmed that it's more efficient to eat 6 small meals as opposed to 3 big meals (or even 2!) in terms of body composition results. ZERO. Think about this…if you're constantly supplying your body with food, why would it need to burn bodyfat for energy then?

Rule #6 – Try to eat organic whenever possible

It's true…eating healthy can actually be pretty expensive. Unhealthy foods are generally cheaper because they can be manufactured in large quantities. Healthy foods are more expensive because they are more labor-intensive.

The payoff is that you won't die as soon when you eat healthy foods as opposed to unhealthy foods. I know that's putting it bluntly, but it's true. And you won't suffer from all the food-related diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and MANY others (honestly, the vast majority of diseases and conditions being treated by doctors today are entirely avoidable with a good diet).

So when it comes to eating organic, just do the best you can. Get it when you can and realize this…when a food is of higher quality, it's more digestible and you're going to get more nutrition out of it and you can eat smaller servings (at least that's what I keep telling myself when I eat grass-fed beef…DANG is that tasty…it's hard not to eat twice as much of it).

Rule #7 – Take supplements intelligently

I judge supplements primarily on their nutritional value, not for how many bolts of lightning appear in their magazine ads. The majority of the supplements I take are there to help support my nutritional state, not to muck with my physiology.

I take a multivitamin, protein, vitamin C, vitamin D3 (for immune system function – VERY important in the winter!), magnesium, krill oil, fish oil, BCAA's, K2, calcium, and a few other things, depending on my current goals. All that exotic garbage you see ads for in the magazines is mainly just that…exotic garbage. You don't need it.

Conclusion:

These 7 rules are just a starting point…the key thing to remember is that good nutrition doesn't have to be complicated. If you know and follow some simple rules, you can eat healthy and nutritious food without worry and get the results you're looking for!

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 20 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's 30-day "Dirty Little Secret Program for Building Muscle and Burning Fat FAST," available at http://budurl.com/betteru

Here are some other great reads from my partners at Prograde ….

1. How To Knock 20 Years Off Your Body
2. Really Cool New Research On Fat Loss (BCAAs)
3. 5 Rookie Muscle Mistakes + 5 Belly Fat Foods to Avoid
4. Bathing Suit Nightmares ?
5. 1 Weird Belly Flab Buster
6. The Energy and Weight Loss Connection Nobody Talks About
7. DO NOT Let This Tropical Nutrient Source Fool You (Warning)
8. The Importance of Multi-Vitamins
9. The Most Critical Part Of Your Workout

Sincerely,
Lewis – Owner
www.atozfitness.com
www.articles.atozfitness.com - Fitness Article Blog
www.atoztoptrainers.com – 8 Top trainers reveal all.

If you have any questions, you can contact us by clicking here.

© Enterprise AtoZfitness

Last week the MI40 System was picked up by 3.511 people 
and became an online bestseller in just 4 days! 

Now… if you're already the proud owner of the rapid-rate 
program then please disregard the rest of the message. 

If you were someone who really wanted to give the program 
an honest shot, but found that $47 was just too expensive 
for you (the price is now $77 btw), we feel bad that we 
were unable to help you in a meaningful way. 

That's why I wanted to inform you about some HUGE SAVING
that Ben is setting up for the next 72 hours.  

Ben's offering the entire MI40 System – MINUS the online videos - 
apart of a limited-time Saver Package.  And it's not $77, or $47.
He's making it available for just $29.95.  

Now, please understand, Ben is NOT including the 7 hours of
online video coaching so the Saver Package is not not nearly
as robust or complete. Basically it's just the downloadable 
PDF manuals. But it does contain enough info for you to 
experience twice the muscle in half the time. 

Click the link below to check it out for yourself:

==> http://budurl.com/mi40saver  

That's the GOOD news if you missed out last week. The bad 
news is that this is a 72-hour sale and once the countdown 
timer hits ZERO on the website you're about to visit, this 
special offer will DISAPPEAR and never be made again. 


==> http://budurl.com/mi40saver  

Always looking out for my subscribers ! 

Sincerely,
Lewis – Owner
www.atozfitness.com
www.articles.atozfitness.com - Fitness Article Blog
www.besmokefreesoon.com – New stop smoking website
www.atoztoptrainers.com – 8 Top trainers reveal all.

If you have any questions, you can contact us by clicking here.

Till next time,
Lewis
Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

Click here to read this brand new article from Nick Nilsson that just came across my desk.

Till next time,
Lewis
Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

The Diet Solution Program

What is one thing cavemen knew much better than we know now? How to survive in the wild? Yes. But more importantly, they knew how to survive in the healthiest way possible. There were no diet programs in those days nor were there shelves full of diet books. What cavemen knew instinctively was exactly what the best diet was for them.

Let's all take a quick lesson from our ancestors and see which elements of their diet are tips we can begin to incorporate right way to lose unwanted body fat and improve our health.

Cavemen only ate what they could kill or find in the wild. By no means am I suggesting you begin to kill and hunt for your own food (we do have grocery stores now a days, thank goodness) but we still would benefit greatly by following this method in our own 21 st century kind of way. If the food on your plate is not something your fellow caveman friend could have hunted, gathered and found himself, chances are you shouldn't be eating that food. For example, a plate of lean hamburger and vegetables, followed by fresh fruit is perfect (for you and your new friend) but add a piece of bread or some pasta and now you have confused your fellow cave friend. These are not foods that existed during those times and are foods we are much healthier without.

Cavemen only drank what they could find. Do you know what people have been able to find for centuries? That's right, good old fashioned H2O (water that is). Water is truly the magic potion to weight loss and increased health. Unfortunately a great majority of people are walking around severely dehydrated and suffering from many negative side effects which could all be easily resolved by drinking more water.

 Hunger, headaches, constipation, and digestive discomfort are just a few of the many symptoms that can easily be resolved by a few cups of water. Make sure to drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water each day (i.e. 200 lbs should drink 100 ounces).
Cavemen stayed active for a majority of their day. I know this isn't exactly part of their Best Diet but it is an essential and integral part of fat loss and optimized health. Tell your new caveman friend that he has to sit in an office chair all day and then go home and sit on the couch for the rest of the night and he will look at you like you are crazy (not that he doesn't already think you are crazy but this would make matters worse).

 Move, move, move. Movement doesn't always mean formal exercise. Take the stairs to your office, walk the parking lot a few extra times, get up and walk around the office a minimum of once per hour, anything to prevent you from sitting all day long. Today if modern man even tried to keep up with the daily activity and regimen of a caveman, they would quickly fall over in exhaustion.

The Best Diet and the Best Lifestyle plan can be easily established by just modeling the daily activities and food choices of cavemen. Use this question today to establish your own caveman habits “Is this food or drink something I could have found in the wild thousands of years ago?” If the answer is no, don't eat it and find yourself a food that is more natural. Of course, don't forget to share with your new caveman friend!

To get started on your own Healthy Meal Plans right away, download your FREE FAT LOSS Report

Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

With this exercise you actually HAVE to use the power rack in order to perform it…and the reason WHY is going to light up your biceps like crazy!

Basically, one of the weaknesses of the barbell curl is the bottom of the movement…there is very little resistance until you get the bar partway up, plus you get basically ZERO stretch on the biceps at the start of the movement. Stretching a muscle is extremely beneficial for muscle growth.

Now, what if you could do an barbell curl exercise that put a good stretch on the biceps at the bottom then went right into the NORMAL execution of the exercise from there so you get the best of both worlds?

Well, I can tell you from experience, you get GREAT bicep training out of it. And yes, it CAN be done.

Here's how you do it…

First, set the rails of the rack to just very slightly below the dead hang bottom position of your normal barbell curl. Set the bar on the rails and set it right against the uprights. Use JUST the bar the first time you try this one in order to get a feel for how it's done. Then you can start moving slowly up in weight (you don't need a whole lot for this one).

Set your feet back a few inches the bar so you have to lean forward to grab it.

Set your hands on the bar in your normal curl grip then lean forward over the bar, like a ski jumper position. Your thighs will be bracing against the bar in this position.

Your arms wil be locked out straight with wrists bent backwards. This is already putting a good stretch on the biceps.

Now, you're going to use your BICEPS to push your body back up to the standing position. Keep your arms locked out straight and imagine pushing your elbows forward, which will push your body back because the bar is braced against the rack uprights.

Push until you're almost at the normal bottom position of the curl (standing up) and then go directly into the barbell curl.

Do these with STRICT form, going for feel. This takes full advantage of the increased muscle fiber activation that happens when you start an exercise from a stretched position like this.

Come all the way up to the top (this part is really just a normal barbell curl) and hold.

Now lower the bar down under control then, as you get near the bottom, move the bar forward and set it back down on the rails and against the uprights of the rack to begin the process again.

This one will really wake up your bicep muscle fibers! The stretch at the bottom brings a whole new level of intensity to the barbell curl that you do immediately after that stretch portion.

It's going to necessitate using a bit lighter weight on the curls (to start with), but more than makes up for it by dramatically increasing the tension on the biceps.

—

Want More Unique and INSANELY Good Arm Exercises Just Like This?

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——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 20 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "The Best Arm Exercises You've Never Heard Of" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's 30-day "Dirty Little Secret Program for Building Muscle and Burning Fat FAST," available at

Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

By Nick Nilsson – For AtoZfitness.com subscribers

Yes, it seems like such a simple thing. Now consider this…HOW you breathe during your training can have a HUGE impact on your strength and muscle activation! Breathe wrong and you could be throwing away results.

Breathing is one THE most often overlooked pieces of the puzzle when it comes to weight training…and it can have a tremendous impact on the results you get from your training!

Here's the thing that a lot of people don't know about breathing…different exercises require different breathing strategies.

Yep, how you breathe in a heavy squat is not even close to how you should breathe while doing a pulldown.

So here's a rundown of how to breathe while doing some of the more popular exercises (I will assume your form is generally good – going in depth into proper form for each exercise would make this a book instead of an article!).

** Please note, if you have high blood pressure or any issues with holding your breath (e.g. you easily get light-headed), you'll need to adjust these breathing recommendations accordingly. These instructions (for a few of the exercises, at least) are intended for those who don't have issues with short periods of breath holding.

1. Squats

As you start the descent, inhale deeply so that you complete the inhalation by the time you're about halfway down. Hold your breath from this point on, all the way to the bottom and then about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way as you come back up. Then exhale until you come all the way to the top. The reason you want to hold your breath like this is to maximize the stability of your abdominal region.

Breathing in or breathing out (especially out as you come up out of the very bottom), will destabilize the core area. To maximize strength and power, your muscles need a stable platform to work from. Keeping that solid core will also save your lower back from strain because more tension will held in the abs rather than being forced onto the lower back.

One of the key things I've found in my own squat is that core strength (in the frontal abdominal wall) is a HUGE part of successfully coming out of the bottom. If I breathe out at the bottom, I'm done. But if I save that exhalation until after I get past that point where I need maximum core stability, I'll hit the lift and power through that sticking point.

2. Bench Press

Improper breathing on the bench press is one of THE biggest reasons people are weak on this lift. If you breath wrong, you lose that stability (just like in the squat) and don't provide your body with a solid platform from which to move the weight.

This technique applies to heavier to moderate-weight benching – it's not as critical on the lighter, higher-rep training to follow it as is because the load is a lot less.

Picture yourself at the top of the movement with the barbell locked out. Now lower the bar, inhaling a deep breath as you come down. Here's the key…you should finish taking in that breath by the time you're halfway down (around your sticking point). This is important for torso stability.

Hold your breath during the bottom phase of the movement, just like in the squat. If you start breathing out right at the bottom, you will not only destabilize your torso, which will change the leverage in your shoulders, it'll also sink down your chest and flatten your shoulder blades out (which should be held in tight behind you during the whole movement to maximize leverage).

Once you hit your sticking point THEN start to exhale forcefully through pursed lips. At this point, it's actually good to change the leverage in your shoulders. When the bar is on your chest, it's not good, but when the bar is halfway up, it can give you a little extra leverage to get past that sticking point.

Keep blowing out all the way to lockout. Then you can go right into your next rep or, if you need it, hold that lockout and take in a breath or two before starting the next rep.

3. All Versions of Rows, Pulldowns and Chin-Ups/Pull-Ups

Breathing during back training is, to be honest, completely misunderstood by most trainers…if you have trouble feeling your back while training your back, it's generally your breathing pattern that is messing you up.

You have to breathe BACKWARDS when training back or your lats will never be in a proper biomechanical position to fully engage. I'll explain…

Generally speaking, you're told to exhale on the exertion and inhale on the lowering phase of an exercise.

But here's the thing and where people get confused…in back training, the exertion LOOKS like the lowering phase of the exercise so THAT is when people tend to exhale! Instead, you actually want to INHALE as you perform the exertion. I'll use the pulldown as an example.

When you perform a pulldown, you want to puff your chest to meet the bar and have an arch in your lower back to fully activate the lats. You don't want a flat chest and a vertical torso position.

So when you pull the bar down, that's the exertion. If you exhale (which you normally would do) this actually caves in the chest and straightens out your lower back. The moment this happens, it reduces lat involvement and puts more stress onto other muscles.

Switch things up and INHALE as you're pulling down.

Now as you pull down, your chest is expanding and rising up to meet the bar, which instantly puts the lats in their best possible position to activate.

The difference is instantaneous and HUGE. If you've always had trouble feeling your back work, this will be a big eye-opener for you.

As you let the bar come back on the negative, THAT is when you exhale. It's a bit of a mind-bender the first time you do it…I can promise you it'll make a big difference in your back training.

You'll now just apply that same principle to the rest of your back exercises (except the deadlift, which is a whole different animal…more akin to the squat in terms of breathing). When you row, inhale as you pull the handles or bar into your abdomen. When you chin, inhale as you pull yourself up.

4. Barbell Curls

Another very popular exercise is the barbell curl…you may have heard of it

One of the main problems people have in the barbell curl is they are entirely too loose. When doing ANY exercise with moderately-heavy to heavy weight, you should basically "solidify" your body, tightening everything up so that you're operating from a strong, stable base.

Even a barbell curl should be done with a rock-solid body.

So at the bottom of the movement, start by taking in a deep breath, puff your chest up high and get your shoulders back. In my experience, I've found it best to keep your breath held until just after you get past the half-way point of the curl. To get past that sticking point, you need the most stability possible for your levers to operate maximally.

Once you get past that mid-way point, THEN exhale forcefully but not completely. You still need to keep some torso stability for holding the weight at the top of the exercise.

Hold at the top for a moment. At this point you have a choice…you can immediately start lowering the bar and inhale on the way down or you can hold at the top and take a quick breath in and out then inhale on the way down after that.

5. Deadlifts

Proper breathing for the deadlift is very similar to breathing for the squat…you want to have the most stable core at the bottom of the movement. In the case of the deadlift, this is the START of the movement.

So get yourself set up in front of the bar and get ready to lift. It's important to note with the deadlift (and I will include a technique point here because I think it's an important one), don't try and pop the bar off the floor, especially when using heavy weight. You want to SQUEEZE the bar off the floor. A heavy bar has to bend and if you pop it off the floor, the weight will bounce up then down and pull you back down. So get the bend into the bar with your initial lift THEN pull the weight off the floor.

When you first start the lift, you'll want to hold your breath during the first part until around the point where the bar has cleared your knees. I say "around" because if you're using really heavy weight, it may take you a bit of time to get to that point and you may need to start to exhale a bit sooner in the range of motion, i.e. below your knees.

This bottom range is the most vulnerable time for your lower back and you want to keep the greatest stability in your core during that time. So do hold your breath a bit at the bottom…don't start the exhale (through pursed lips, like you're blowing up a balloon) until you get that bar at least a few inches off the ground and moving up.

Keep going to the top, then take a quick breath then lower the weight.

Personally, I prefer to hold my breath on the way DOWN as well, simply because lowering the weight is also a vulnerable time for your lower back, especially as you get near the bottom. So inhale at the top then hold as you get down to the halfway point.

—

Conclusion:

Breathing plays a BIG role in proper lifting and in achieving maximum strength. It'll also make your lifting safer and overall, more effective. Give these breathing tips a try in your training and you'll feel the difference immediately!

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 20 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!", "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's 30-day "Dirty Little Secret Program for Building Muscle and Burning Fat FAST

Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

The function of the gluteus maximus muscle is to extend the hip…this essentially means bringing the leg backwards.

The treadmill tread (when it's running) physically BRINGS your leg backwards with no help from the glutes, taking away all the function of the glutes when you're on it.

So every time you do your cardio on the treadmill, you're overworking your hip flexors (which are the muscles that work to bring the leg back up in front of you) and underworking the glutes.

This can actually make posture and lower back problems WORSE (especially if you don't stretch the hip flexors after working on the treadmill) by heigtening the imbalances of the muscles of the hip.

And if you already find you have trouble feeling your glutes working when you do lower body exercises, "normal" powered treadmill training is about the WORST choice of cardio machines for you. It's doing nothing to help activate the glutes.

So here's the dead-simple tip for the next time you do anything on the treadmill…

Turn it off.

That's it!

When you use the treadmill without it being powered, what do you think has to supply the energy to move that tread?

Your GLUTES.

It's a DIRECT action for the glutes (and the rest of the lower body) that has you actually accomplishing some WORK rather than just moving your legs along for the ride.

This is also the reason you can run and walk so much faster and easier on the treadmill…the machine is doing the work of moving your legs backwards and you're not required to use the BIG muscles of the glutes to actually propel your body forward.

And the most IRONIC part of it?

This technique actually works better on a machine that normally IS powered. I'm sure you've heard of or seen treadmills that aren't powered…these have much less resistance to the tread being moved backwards because they want people to actually use them (you know what I mean .

When you're using a machine that is normally powered, there is significantly more resistance to the belt moving without that outside power and you're going to get a GOOD workout out of it.

So next time you use the treadmill, leave it off. Set your hands on the bar and lean forward like you're about to push a car. And start walking. Use GLUTE power to get the tread moving and keep it moving.

You're going to get a MUCH better glute workout and cardio workout by doing this.

On a side note, if you find the resistance is a bit too much on the treadmill, turn it back on and set it to an incline. Then turn it back off again and do the walking on a slope.

By walking on an incline like this, you actually make the exercise easier. Gravity is going to give you some assistance in moving that tread backwards but you'll still need a decent amount of push to keep the tread moving.

Once you've developed a feel for what it takes to move the tread on your own, then you can progress to some interval training and running.

The idea is exactly the same as with walking…get your hands on the bar and PUSH.

With the running, I recommend doing it as interval training, not just because it's harder but to MAKE it harder.

You see, once you get the tread moving, it takes less effort to KEEP it moving. So what I do is run for about 5 to 10 seconds then slow down then run again, then slow down.

What this does is increase the inertia of the tread, making you have to push harder again to get it up to speed again. This really increases the workload on the glutes and also the cardio training you get from this dead treadmill training.

If you do a lot or all of your cardio on the treadmill, you're going to be in for a BIG surprise when you turn it off and use it

It's going to wake up your glutes and double or even TRIPLE the cardio workload on you.

Now, what would this great training tip be without a shameless promotional plug for my book "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!"…a book designed specifically for glute training and nothing but glute training.

Ladies, click here to read about it	Guys, click here to read about it.

This cardio exercise goes PERFECTLY with the program. In fact, using this unpowered treadmill walking or running can actually HELP build the glutes because of the active resistance on the glutes and because of the tremendous bloodflow being forced into the glutes with every step you take (and increased blood supply is critical for developing any stubborn muscles).

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 20 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!", "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's 30-day "Dirty Little Secret Program for Building Muscle and Burning Fat FAST

And thanks again for having me. I’m sure we’ll talk soon.

have a great day,
Lewis

By Nick Nilsson

You've got things to do and places to be…when you've got limited time available to train, you have to make FULL use of every single second you have available in your workout…

And that means circuit training…

And that means not your "normal" circuit training, either!

I've got a circuit for you that uses heavy weight, low reps, and covers all your major bodyparts in a simple, 3 exercise circuit. You'll get NO rest during the entire time period (I recommend at least 15 minutes), which will kick your metabolism into overdrive VERY quickly and help you burn fat FAST.

Plus, as a bonus, you're going to get an AMAZING core workout due to the single-dumbell work you'll be doing. Training unilaterally (a fancy way of saying one arm at a time) forces the core to engage strongly to stabilize the torso, and you'll be doing it on every single set you do.

You might not notice this core effect so much if you're doing high rep, light weight circuit training, so THIS circuit is done using 3 reps per side per exercise, using a moderately heavy dumbell (I'm using a 105 lb dumbell in the demo).

The first exercise you're going to do is the One Arm Dumbell Floor Press. This one is a GREAT core exercise and that one that's going to really light up your midsection in addition to your chest, shoulders and triceps. This is probably going to be weakest exercise of the three, so use a weight that you can handle specifically on this one.

Start with the dumbell on the floor then sit with your legs on either side of the dumbell. Reach forward and grab it with hands then set it on your thigh. Lay back on the floor and set your left upper arm flat on the floor, taking ALL the tension off the chest. You're basically balacing the dumbell with your forearm at this point. Your left leg should be shifted out a bit wide to the side to help stabilize for the press (you'll feel this when you go to start the press).

Now press up. You'll feel this a fair bit in the triceps, just fyi. And it'll hit your lower abdominal area/lower obliques, in addition to the transversus (the deep muscles of the core).

Do 3 reps on the left arm then set the dumbell on your chest and switch hands. Do the press on the other side now, being sure to set your same-side leg out wide to stabilize. Press up for 3 reps. To set it on the ground, grab it with both hands then roll to the side and set it on the floor.

Now stand up and do a one-arm dumbell row with the dumbell. I recommend using the same arm to start each exercise here, to give it maximum rest, e.g. if you started the press with your left arm, start the row with your left arm, too. You can brace your non-working arm on your knee to solidify your body for the exercise. This single arm row hits the rotational-stability aspect of the core as well.

Do 3 reps then switch to the other arm.

Next, set the weight on the floor and go straight into the next exercise, One Dumbell Split Squats. Hold the dumbell in your left hand and lead with your right leg, so the dumbell is in front of your back leg.

Do 3 reps then repeat on the other side for 3 reps.

Holding the dumbell in one hand as you do the split squat also puts rotational-stability tension on the core (see why this gives you GREAT core training, too)…everything you do in this circuit involves core stability with fairly heavy weight.

Now, with NO rest, go right back into the One Dumbell Floor Press.

And repeat for 15 minutes total training time.

You can do shorter or longer with this circuit, depending on the time you have available to you. I found 15 minutes to be a good range.

This is simple, straightforward training that will hit every major part of your body, and the secondary ones that contribute to these 3 big movements. Targeting these big "hot zones" with this much training volume will get your metabolism ROARING.

It's going to build strength and muscle mass along with your cardio capacity and has tremendous core-training benefits (which you will absolutely feel for the next few days after doing this!). Your core gets worked with all the movements but the rest of your bodyparts get selective rest as you work each side of your body with the different movements.

And all you need is a single dumbell and a patch of floor space to do it!

This workout can be done anytime you like, especially if you just need to do a fast workout covering all your bodyparts.

To see pictures and video of this technique in action, click this link.

And if you want an even MORE detailed fat-loss program that scripts out EVERY single training day and meal for you, definitely check out my Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss program. When I want to lose fat FAST, this is the one I use. It'll take you through everything you need to know to drop even stubborn fat extremely quickly and efficiently…every single day of the 36 day program is laid out for you…set, reps, exercises, what to eat, how much to eat and what supplements you can take to get even better results!

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's "2 Simple Rules to Double Your Muscle-Building Results"

have a great day,
Lewis

Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

By Nick Nilsson

Stuck in a rut? Hit a plateau? It's time to stop phoning in your workout and put some BRAINPOWER into action.

One of the most common issues I see with people in the gym, ESPECIALLY those who are having trouble getting results, is a lack of mental focus on the exercises they're performing.

Sure, they're going through the motions and in a lot of cases even lifting a substantial amount of weight…but what they don't realize is that by really engaging their BRAIN in the act of lifting they could be getting MUCH better results with the same amount of effort.

So to help with that, I've put together a list of my favorite "mental notes" for some of the most common exercises in the gym…using this can make an immediate difference in your exercise performance and even add some substantial weight to your lifts!

1. Bench Press – Push Your Body Through the Floor

Instead of focusing on pushing the BAR away from you, try imagining as though the bar is stationary and you're pushing your BODY down through the floor. This mentally changes the bench press exercise from an open-chain movement (where the resistance is moving and your body stays stationary) to a closed-chain movement (where the hand or foot is fixed and cannot move and your body is all or part of the resistance, like a push-up).

Closed-chain movements are more effective for muscle fiber activation and by at least MENTALLY changing the movement to a closed-chain exercise, you can potentially achieve some of the benefits of it.

2. Deadlifts – Fall Backwards

When doing a straight bar deadlift, as you're pulling the bar up your shins, mentally picture yourself falling/shifting your weight backwards as you're pulling up. This helps improve the leverage of the lift, using your bodyweight to help get the bar up. When you just pull straight up, you don't get this advantage. And wear long socks or pants if you don't want deadlifting "battle scars" up and down your shins because that bar should stay as close to your legs as possible

3. Squats – Pull Down on the Bar

To lock your torso and core into the squat, grip the bar HARD and pull down on it as you squat. Imagine like you're trying to bend that bar in half over your back. This locks the back muscles into a more solid position and helps stabilize the torso during the squat. This is especially critical as you start moving heavier weights in order to protect your spine.

4. Seated Cable Rows – Push Your Sternum into the Handle

To really maximize the contraction in the lats and other upper back muscles when doing a cable row, when you come to the top of the movement, instead of focusing on pulling your shoulders back and in (which is still effective, don't get me wrong), actively try to push your sternum (breastbone) into the cable handle. I find this gives an even stronger contraction than trying to pull the elbows in as it gives you a goal in FRONT of you to focus on achieving. The back contraction then happens automatically.

5. Barbell Curls – Push Elbows Together

At the top of a standing barbell curl, hold that position for a few seconds and try this…push your elbows together as though trying to touch them together. Because your hands are locked onto the bar, I find this increases the contraction by attempting to increase the degree of supination of the forearm. Even though it may not actually increase the supination, the act of TRYING is what will force the greater contraction.

It works because the OTHER major function of the bicep muscle is supination (elbow flexion is the first), which is basically rotation your hand from a palms-down position to a palms-up position. This elbow trick at the top works that supination function.

6. Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press – Bring Your Chest Up to Meet the Dumbells

When doing this exercise, as you lower the dumbells into the bottom position, I want you take a deep breath in and try to mentally focus on bringing the chest UP to meet the dumbells while keeping your shoulder girdle DOWN. It's important when doing this that you bring the dumbells ALL the way down as far as you can…until they almost touch your shoulders.

This trick will force you to reduce the weight you're using but it's going to work the actual shoulder muscles twice as hard and take the emphasis off the triceps, which tend to take over in the shortened range of motion that most people gravitate to with this exercise (because they can use more weight).

It works by increasing the amount of stretch that gets put on the deltoids at the bottom – shoulder girdle down and chest up is what does it. It'll be humbling at first but work with it and your shoulder development will SKYROCKET.

7. Stiff-Legged Deadlifts – Raise the Toes and/or Paw the Ground

This exercise is notoriously hard for people to feel the hamstrings working. I used to have this problem myself for a LONG time so don't feel bad if it's happened to you. I've got two techniques for this one…one is actually physical and the other is mental.

The physical trick is to elevate your forefeet…I usually use foam wedges or a couple of 25 lb plates. Set your heels on the floor and set your forefoot area on the raised edges of the plates, similar to a calf stretch…and this works BECAUSE it puts a stretch on your calves. Now do the exercise. I felt this in my hamstrings the very first time I did it.

The mental trick is to imagine pawing the ground with your feet as you start the lift. Think of a bull about to charge and it's pawing the ground….essentially, you're to activating the hamstrings at the hip by attempting to produce forward motion. Since you're planted on the ground, you're not going to be going forward but the mental intention to move forward will result in hamstring activation.

And if you put BOTH of these tricks together, your hamstrings will be SINGING when you're doing SLDL's

CONCLUSION:

Give these mental tricks a try next time you train any of these exercises and you'll know what it means to LOOK like you're doing everything the same yet FEELING like you're doing a completely different exercise.

I can promise you'll feel your muscles working a way they've never worked before and you will BLAST past strength and muscle plateaus.

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 18 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including "Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass", "Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of", all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

Be sure to grab your FREE copy of Nick's "2 Simple Rules to Double Your Muscle-Building Results"

have a great day,
Lewis

Publisher
www.atozfitness.com

The Diet Solution Program Review

www.AtoZfitness.com Your Internet Fitness Resource Site

The Diet Solution Program | Truth About Six Pack Abs
| No Nonsense Muscle Building
 

==> How to "Cheat" Your Way Through the Holidays

One of the coolest bonuses, I think, is the "Holiday Cheat Calendar" – a complete day by day guide that designates every holiday from Thanksgiving through January as a fat-incinerating "Cheat Day", along with exact details on what to do each and every day in between to ensure you're maximizing the fat burning potential of each holiday cheat.

Essentially, it's a complete blueprint for you to lose fat this holiday season (while everyone else GAINS those same pounds) without ever missing out
on a single holiday meal, party, or dessert!

Oh, and did I mention that the program starts with your first BIG Cheat Day – Thanksgiving?! Here's the link again:

==> How to USE the Holidays to LOSE Fat Faster

Another cool bonus Joel is giving to all first day action takers is a 3-part LIVE holiday coaching series where he'll literally be leading users through the Holidays from start to finish with private coaching calls in November, December, AND January–and all three of those calls come at no additional cost for anyone who grabs their copy of Joel's holiday fat loss program
today.

Bottom line, if you're looking to truly enjoy the holidays while finally being AHEAD of the game come Jan 1st, then you're not going to find a more perfect solution than this program.

And remember, the 3 LIVE Holiday coaching sessions are only for individuals who grab their copy of Joel's system on Day 1 (that's today):

Don't miss out on those!

==> Big Discount + Fast-action Coaching (today only)

Here's to easily losing weight this holiday season!
 

I'll keep this short and sweet!

If you haven't already picked up a copy of Nick Nilsson's "Mad Scientist Muscle" program and wanted to read a review of it first, I've got just what you're looking for.

In this review, you'll get the full details of how this program works and whether it'll really add pounds of muscle mass onto you.  It breaks down exactly how the "controlled overtraining" theory (which all the programs are based on) works and whether the structural training (which is designed to improve your body's physiology to better support muscle growth) is actually scientifically possible!

Check it out here:  http://budurl.com/sciencemusclereview

Bottom line is, you want to build muscle and you want to do it without hitting plateaus.  You may want to gain muscle to get bigger for sports, to be stronger, to improve your health, or heck, to just flat-out LOOK better for girls (or guys!).

"Mad Scientist Muscle" is an extreme well-designed set of programs that can get you there.  But YOU have to take the first step!

==> http://crazyscientistmuscle.com (click here to learn more)

 Lewis
www.atozfitness.com

P.S.  Don't forget, you've got until Friday at midnight to take that step towards building the physique you WANT.  Nick has the book on a launch discount until then.  After that, the price goes up!

== http://crazyscientistmuscle.com

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