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  The Fire Workout
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by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri, CSCS, HFS
Physical Therapist & Kinesiologist
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html

Note: Check out the bottom of this article for some great free gifts Dr.Kareem has put together for you.

This workout has to be the favorite of this week, but you’ve been warned - you WILL be sore if you put yourself through this (not for beginners):

The Fire Workout:

Set up 4 stations (I use cones) - between the top 2 stations, place 2 mats next to one another, long ways.  The 4 stations, collectively, will make a square.  In the center of the square, place the heaviest med ball you can find (or a 20 pound kettlebell)

Station 1:  A low chair (i.e. for military press) and a 10 pound medicine ball

Station 2:  Just a marker (no equipment needed)

Station 3:  Just a marker (no equipment needed)

Station 4:  A 12 pound medicine ball

Now that you’ve got everything set up… here we go:

Step 1) Perform “Side Step on Forearms” side to side for 10 reps on the two length-wise mats that are next to one another.  This means that you will assume a plank position, gently lift your left arm and left leg as you move to the left and place them back down.  Repeat until you reach the other side.  This = 1 repetition.  Repeat for 10.

Step 2) Go to Station 1 - Now, with the medicine ball pressed up in the air (i.e. above your head, slightly in front of you), slowly squat down and back until you can feel the chair at your bottom.  Stand quickly.  Repeat for 10 reps.

Step 3) Sumo walk (squat until you have right angles at your knees and walk forward in this position) until you reach Station 2

Step 4) Do 10 Mountain Climbers (hands on the floor, right knee up towards your chest, left knee back, switch back and forth to equal 1 rep)

Step 5) Sumo walk to Station 3

Step 6) Perform 10 Burpees (squat to hands on floor, donkey kick back, do a push up, bring knees to chest, and jump, landing with your knees bent for safety) - This equals 1 rep

Step 7) Sumo walk to Station 4

Step 10 repetitions of Side Step Squat with a Med Ball Press - start feet together, take a generous step to your left, squat down, as you stand step towards your left foot and press the medicine ball from chest height to overhead.  Repeat in the opposite direction.  This equals 2 repetitions.  Repeat for 10.

Step 9) Go to the center of the square - Squat with a med ball pick up - Stand with a med ball/kettlebell between your legs, squat down and back until you can pick up the med ball with a straight torso, stand, squat down and back to set the med ball down, stand.  This equals 1 rep.  Repeat for 10 reps.

Rest 2-5 minutes.  Repeat circuit for 40 minutes.

Look out - Be sure you’ve warmed up, and be sure you have experience exercising.  This is tough stuff!

Good luck!

Ok the good stuff ....
Visit the link below for some great gifts including ,
 

• 8 free fitness video courses

• 3 ipod workouts

• A shocking and controversial fat loss report.

• over 159 free exercise videos

All available here....
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html
 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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Digital Six Pack Abs Solution?
by Dr. Kareem F Samhouri, CSCS, HFS
Physical Therapist & Kinesiologist
 

The new era for six pack abs is here, and you are a part of something special.  In this article, I’m going to teach why you have a sincere advantage seeking digital advice when it comes to training for six pack abs.  Basically, it comes down to three factors:

1.    Demonstration

2.    Motivation

3.    Knowledge

Demonstration of proper exercise position is essential to succeed in any fitness program.  However, that’s only a small component of six pack abs success.  In truth, you really need to learn many exercises (like 40 to 50, minimum) in order to reap the benefit you are seeking.  Muscle confusion is the only solution to getting results that guarantee you get ripped muscles and drop the ‘tummy tire’ that’s never gone away.  However, muscle confusion comes with great risk in live personal training.  Clients often get confused about positioning with similar exercises and end up doing the same thing all the time, or they get injured.  Instead, with digital training, you can literally watch the form performed correctly one thousand times before eliminating the instructional part of your exercise program.  In person, this is cost-prohibitive.

Motivation is the ability to follow through with your goals and reach them in record time.  Without intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, it’s very hard to succeed in anything.  Intrinsic motivation can be explained as will-power.  Extrinsic motivation arrives in many forms:

•  Your personal trainer

•  Your community

•  Your family

•  Your friends

•  Your cosmetic results

•  Your energy level

•  Your surroundings in the gym or at home

By choosing a digital solution to six pack abs, you are allowing every one of these extrinsic motivators to come into play.  You still have interaction with a personal trainer through daily updates on his/her blog and email conversation.  Your community becomes much larger and not as lazy.  By involving yourself with a website that can help you find others who are going through the same thing, you will be able to form a community that is much larger and more motivating than you could from your neighbors alone.  After all, how many of your neighbors are as motivated as you are?

Your family is so important when it comes to amazing fat loss results.  By investing in a digital six pack ab solution, you can all work out together.  Instead of paying for costly ‘buddy workout’ sessions with a live personal trainer, you can buy one program for a fraction of the cost and share it with anyone you like.  It stands to argue that the other extrinsic motivational factors can be found in both relationships, either with a personal trainer or digitally. 

Knowledgee is power.

But wait, it gets even better...

In your community, there may be five or less fitness professionals that are truly qualified to help you achieve world-class results.  Online, only the strong survive, and all programs compete against one another.  Simply put, Ab Strength Guide wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t one of the best programs in the world.  The same thing is true for all of the other programs that you may be considering.  Naturally, there is a lot of junk on the internet as well, but as an avid ‘surfer,’ I’m sure you’re learning how easily you can pick out the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’ and the ‘honest’ from the ‘deceitful.’  Besides, that’s why you should be so glad that you met Lewis and Sarah; they’ve already hand-selected the best in the industry so that you don’t have to do the grunt work.  I’m just honored to be a part of that, and I’d be delighted to help you on your voyage to six pack abs.

When selecting your six pack abs solution, please do not overlook the many advantages of a digital six pack abs solution.  Between the cost, portability, demonstration, motivation, and knowledge you can’t lose.  If there’s ever anything I can do to help you become more healthy and happy, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  Have a great day!

Check out Dr. Kareem's Lifthard Playhard website here.

Yours in fitness,,
Sarah, CPT
Lewis, Publisher
AtoZFitness Total Body Makeover
AtoZfitness.com Google's #3 fitness site.
www.atozfitness.com

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Exercise Toxicity
by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri
Doctor of Physical Therapy & Kinesiologist
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html 

This is an interesting topic...

Some people try too hard when they work out, not realizing they are actually sabotaging their own efforts.  There is a such thing as overtraining, and it doesn’t only lead to injury.  Overtraining can absolutely lead to decreased fat loss, less definition, and greater cardiac risk.  I know that this sounds odd, but bear with me as I explain the 3 principles of overtraining that make exercise toxic when you do too much.  These principles are:

1.    Poor Heart Rate Recovery

2.    Acidic State In The Body

3.    Second Session Syndrome (TM)

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these...

Poor Heart Rate Recovery:

By maintaining your max heart rate over a prolonged period of time, as would happen with anaerobic exercise and too little rest, you will actually be training your heart to respond to exercise in an over-exaggerated way.  Your body will begin to learn that your ‘Fight or Flight’ response is an ‘All or None’ response, and react to exercise accordingly.  I believe this is best illustrated by a story of one of my previous clients:

You see, when I first started personal training I wasn’t convinced that overtraining was a legitimate problem, so long as someone maintained mobility, wasn’t 9 out of 10 sore, etc.  I was accustomed to two-a-days from water polo and swimming for so many years, that I hadn’t given a whole lot of thought to the idea of my client riding horses for 2 hours a day, riding her bike for an hour, and then training with me to the max 4 days a week.  She didn’t get hurt.

In fact, it was nothing like that.  She got into ridiculous shape, and, to this day, I’m so proud of her accomplishment.  Instead, Juliane (my client), began to notice that within the first minute of walking on the treadmill her hear rate would go up to 155 bpm, without a whole lot of exertion.  Naturally, this got me thinking...

You see, heart rate recovery is one of the greatest predictors of cardiac disease.  I hated the thought of my client who was in such incredible shape having an increased risk of cardiac disease.  Over a couple of months, we were able to correct the issue, but her heart rate ‘spike’ was a result of overtraining.  That was the bottom line.

Acidic State In The Body:

According to Eastern medicine, any decrease in the pH of your body (i.e. making it more acidic) will result in increased probability of infection.  Dr. Mike Gorman, a chiropractor and applied Kinesiologist in the Bucks County area, has explained to me that he balances pH in order to cure cancer.  Crazy, I know!

If you constantly tax your body in ways that make it interpret the stress as illness, it will always be trying to recover.  During this entire recovery process, your body will be more stressed, and you will also have a large build up of lactic acid.  Remember, any prolonged increase in acidity may lead to bigger diseases than just injury. 

Don’t worry, I’m not saying that lifting weights causes cancer, or anything like that.  I’m just explaining that a prolonged acidic state in your body makes it difficult to recover.  By allowing the pH to return to normal, you are creating a stronger body, and a body more capable of fighting outside infection.  It just makes sense. 

Second Session Syndrome (TM):

Overtraining can lead to prolonged recovery time, as is explained above.  It’s a fact that you will be unable to perform at the same level every day over the course of a month if you overtrain.  The following are ways that you can overtrain, leading to decreased efforts on all subsequent visits to the gym: 

1.    Frequency - how often do you work out?  Do you rest at least 1 day per week?

2.    Duration - how long do you work out?  Are you dosing exercise correctly if are building up to a higher exercise tolerance?

3.    Intensity - how hard are you working?  Are you taking ample rest periods to recover between exercises, sets, or circuits?

4.    Mode - are you mixing it up a bit?  Do you constantly do the exact same form of exercise?  Do you need help with program design?

Within a few weeks of overtraining, you are sure to suffer from Second Session Syndrome.  This awful ‘disease’ is when you plateau or decrease strength the day after a workout.  This shouldn’t be the case.  If you are working out correctly, you should be able to feel just as strong today as you did yesterday.

Overtraining is dangerous in more ways than one.  Exercise truly can be toxic.  By understanding the 3 principles listed above, you are sure to have a competitive advantage in your six pack abs exercise program. 

If you’d like a free trial of an incredibly effective ab strengthening program that only takes 10 minutes per day, please go to: http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html

Sincerely,,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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Abs Mastery
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by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri, CSCS, HFS
Doctor of Physical Therapy & Kinesiologist
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html 

Mastering your abs is a process that tends to either take years or seems to come from childhood... at least until now.  Abs mastery comes down to three principles:

1.    Burn fat around your whole body

2.    Shock your system

3.    Momentary muscular failure (MMF)

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these principles.  But, before we do, it’s important that you understand that there will always be conflicting information out there regarding fitness, science, and any other evidence-based practice in the world.  There are many reasons for this, but, fundamentally, the main reason is because of flaws in the research process.  After years of education in understanding and interpreting research, I very often am able to find huge flaws in the methodology of research studies, thereby completely disqualifying the study and its outcomes.  Before you trust ‘what a study says,’ be sure you trust the author.

Burn fat around your whole body:

Spot reduction is a myth.  Sure, you can ‘tone’ muscle during an exercise program be causing it to inflame a bit and draw more blood to the area.  You see, that’s what the ‘pumped up’ feeling you get when working out is all about:  more blood in the muscle.  If you want to truly increase definition, you’ll need to lose fat from all of the places in your body you may never realize it exists.  For example, before you get six pack abs, you’ll lose fat from your:

•  Fingers

•  Toes

•  Wrists

•  Ankles

•  Cheeks

•  Lower legs

•  Forearms

•  ...then, and only then, will you begin to lose fat from the ‘trouble spots’

Knowing this, it kind of disqualifies all ab machines, ab rollers, and other ab devices, doesn’t it?  Sure, you can feel a great ‘burn,’ but that may never add up to anything when we are measuring results based upon six pack abs development.

Shock your system:

Shocking your system really comes down to one thing:  do something different every time you eat and every time you work out.  By constantly changing the demands placed upon your body, you are sure to get results.  Your body consistently seeks ‘homeostasis,’ or equilibrium, in order to function with the least energy use possible.  That’s your body’s job, so you’ll need a bit of creativity to stop this from happening.  I recommend that you constantly change:

•  Exercises in your workout program

•  Tempo in your workouts

•  Eating habits (allow cheat days, just to throw your system off)

•  Workout volume (some days do more than others)

•  Workout intensity (how much you put into a given exercise or circuit)

•  Joint angle or position

•  Muscles involved (preferably, unless lifting weights for size, work everything every time you workout)

Understanding how to properly ‘shock your system’ is the magic behind the results all of my clients get.  Understand this principle and six pack abs are yours to have.

Momentary muscular failure (MMF):

MMF is the ability for you to take a given exercise up to the point just before breaking form, thereby stimulating the maximal amount of muscular recruitment with a given exercise.  By maximally stimulating a muscle tissue, you are requiring that it undergo a repair process.  This repair process often takes up 72 hours, depending on which source you read, and forces your metabolism to be higher throughout.  Naturally, with increased metabolic demand comes more calories burned and less body fat. 

The repair process mentioned above is referred to as ‘Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption’ (EPOC for short) and is the most important aspect of any exercise program that is intended to be progressive in nature.  Without EPOC taking place, you are limited to the number of calories you can burn in the gym, rather than throughout the entire day (and days to follow.)  By keeping MMF and EPOC in mind, your six pack abs exercise program is sure to reap improved results.

All of this information may seem a bit overwhelming in the beginning, but, with time, you’ll see the results and better understand.  I recommend getting involved with an expert resource you can trust when it comes to six pack abs development.  Leave the science with the scientists, and just get moving for now.  You’ll be well on your way before you know it!

If you’d like a free trial of an incredibly effective ab strengthening program that only takes 10 minutes per day, please go to: http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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Six Pack Abs Success Formula - Miss This And You Might Blow Your Whole Program

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by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri
Physical Therapist & Fitness Professional
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html 

Building six pack abs takes strategy.  There are many conflicting opinions about the best method to six pack abs, but one thing that all top fitness professionals recognize is that it’s not about ab machines, ab devices, or ab exercises.  For any of you who have followed Mike Geary for any length of time, he’s someone who preaches about this on a regular basis.  Per Geary, the truth about six pack abs is that you need to exercise your entire body and stop wasting time with spot reduction, extreme dieting, and temporary fitness fads.  I agree with Mike Geary.

But let’s take things one step further... what area of your body should you work the hardest in the beginning of your voyage to six pack abs?

The answer is easy:  your legs through core-based exercise.

By strengthening your legs and trunk, you are providing a foundation for all future movements to the rest of your body.  It’s most important to focus on trunk strengthening, in order to stabilize your spine during any other exercise.  That said, most of the best trunk strengthening exercises involve your legs.  Here is a brief list of great trunk strengthening exercises that will lead to increased spinal stability, stronger abs, and a better body:

•  Barbell Squat

•  Dumbbell Bent Leg Deadlift

•  Clean & Press (a bit more risk, but a lot more reward)

•  Squat, C.url & Triple Press (medicine ball or dumbbells)

•  Spider Plank on Ball

As you can see, 4 of the 5 exercises listed above are lower body dominant exercises.  However, they are also the exact same exercises that ‘load the spine,’ meaning they place more weight directly through your spine, and thereby cause your low back and abdominal muscles to contract and stabilize the increased force or demand being placed upon them.  This means that your abs are working, but you’re also performing compound movements that will raise many local metabolisms in many joints.

The effect:  Raising local metabolic activity at each joint yields a higher global (or overall) metabolism.  Therefore, you’ll be able to eat more and lose weight.

In example 5, ‘Spider Plank on Ball,’ we chose a trunk or core-based exercise on an unstable surface.  The unstable surface and dynamic movement naturally create a stimulus to all of your ‘stabilizing muscles,’ including:

•• Transversus Abdominus

••  External Oblique

•  Internal Oblique

• Iliopsoas

•• Quadratus Lumborum

•  Multifidus

•  Pelvic Floor Musculature

•  Gluteals

••  Hip Internal & External Rotators

• 

Clearly, when it comes to building a stable base for future exercise, these are the key muscles for success.  Many of these are muscles that are very often missed in workout programs.  By targeting the muscles listed above, you are not only preventing injury, but you are also creating a strong body and a higher exercise tolerance.  Muscle balancing always leads to improved exercise tolerance, meaning more work gets done every time you work out. 

Build a strong foundation for movement by choosing lower body, trunk-based exercises and you will reap the benefit.  Your abs will be screaming, but you’ll drop body fat faster than you ever thought possible.  Remember, when training for six pack abs, it’s important to have a strategy for success.  As a doctor of physical therapy and fitness professional, I can’t help but want to strengthen joints while burning fat in order to create a potential for long-term fat loss success. 

If you’d like to learn to dominate your workout program and get six pack abs as fast as possible, I’m currently offering a free trial of Ab Strength Guide.  You are more than welcome to give it a try and keep all of the bonuses, either way.  Feel free to shoot me an email or post on the blog if you have any questions...

About the Author: Dr. Kareem Samhouri is the president and owner of Global Fitness LLC. Through his company people are able to realize complete wellness, as they serve nutrition, massage, physical therapy, and personal training. Dr. K is a graduate of the University of Miami Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has earned a bachelor’s of science from the Pennsylvania State University in Kinesiology. Additionally, Dr. K is a licensed physical therapist and holds a Health and Fitness Instructor certification from the internationally recognized American College of Sports Medicine.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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 10 Minute Abdominal Terror Workout

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written by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri

Do You Want A Killer Ab Workout?  Let Me Introduce You To The ’10 Minute Terror Workout’

Okay, so I’m going to get straight to the point:  When I do an ‘ab workout,’ I do it quickly... and intensely! 

That’s the most important feature, so before you go any further, I’d like you to take a moment to reflect on any one thing that will absolutely get you charged.  Concentrate.  Focus.  Really let it sink in.

Okay, now that you have the correct mindset, I’m about to share a killer ab routine with you that is sure to get you spectacular results.  The best part is that you only have to add 10 minutes a day to your exercise routine for guaranteed results. 

The 10 Minute Terror Workout:

10 minutes, 5 exercises (repeat twice)

50 seconds work:  10 seconds rest. 

Triple Squat to Squat Jump:

•  spread your feet about shoulder-width apart (toe out slightly if this is the way you walk)

•  squat down and back as if you were squatting with your pants down in a dirty public restroom (butt back, weight in your heels, tummy tight)

•  stand tall through your glutes (hint - don’t do all the work with your quads)

•  repeat without resting at the top

•  on 3rd repetition, leap into the air from the down position while squeezing your glutes

•  cushion your landing by bending your knees and absorbing your impact

•  repeat entire process until fatigue or desired time frame.

Push Up Superset (go to knees if this is too hard with knees up; keep diagonal position):

•  assume diamond (tricep) push up position by placing hands close to one another, directly under the center of your chest

•  squeeze shoulderblades lightly together and down while tightening your tummy

•  perform push up while maintaining a flat back (neutral spine position)

•  at the top, switch hand position to shoulder-width while maintaining upright push up position and repeat

•  at the top, switch to wide grip push up position (as wide as you can go) and repeat

•  all 3 push ups = 1 repetition.  Repeat for desired time frame or until fatigue.

Single Leg Bridge (round 1 = left leg straight; round 2 = right leg straight):

•  lay on your back with your knees bent and right foot flat on the floor

•  straighten left leg and raise it in the air to the height of opposite knee

•  maintaining this position, squeeze glutes and raise your bottom off the floor (hint - your left leg shouldn’t go flying in the air, nor should your pelvis rotate or drop)

•  return to the floor slowly and repeat

•  repeat for desired time frame or until fatigue

Tband Fast Rows:

•  wrap green, blue or black band around any surrounding pole (or double-knot it and close it into a door for stability)

•  grab one end in each hand, squat down 1/4 the way, tummy tight

•  begin rowing with light tension in your shoulder blades the entire time and upright posture (hint - you shouldn’t be ‘hunching up’ your shoulders)

•  row as fast as possible for desired time frame or until fatigue.

Spider Plank:

•  assume plank position (push up position on forearms instead of hands)

•  keep light and symmetrical tension in your abs and glutes to stabilize your low back

•  maintain light tension between your shoulder blades (hint - keep your upper back flat by ‘sinking it in’)

•  from this position, slowly bring your right knee to your right elbow while balancing in your left foot and both forearms

•  repeat with opposite side and begin alternating until fatigue or for desired time frame.

Phew!  That’s it.  I’m serious, get crazy with this.  I really want you to digg deep, find an intensity that’s greater than anything you’ve previously experienced, and go nuts!

If this doesn’t look like an ab routine, there’s a good reason.  Ab routines don’t work nearly as well as whole body, intense exercise when it comes to getting six pack abs.  If you’re serious about getting six pack abs and you think you’d benefit from this type of workout, I am offering a free 30 day trial in a program that will do this for you.  All you have to do is click the link below and sign up.

I hope to see you on the other side!

If you’d like a free trial of an incredibly effective ab strengthening program that only takes 10 minutes per day, please go to: http://AbStrengthGuide.com

About the Author: Dr. Kareem Samhouri is the president and owner of Global Fitness LLC. Through his company people are able to realize complete wellness, as they serve nutrition, massage, physical therapy, and personal training. Dr. K is a graduate of the University of Miami Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has earned a bachelor’s of science from the Pennsylvania State University in Kinesiology. Additionally, Dr. K is a licensed physical therapist and holds a Health and Fitness Instructor certification from the internationally recognized American College of Sports Medicine.

Click to visit.

S Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

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 WARNING:  Deadly Six Pack Abs Solution

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Compliments of Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri, CSCS, HFS
http://AbStrengthGuide.com

I have something very serious to talk to you about today.  You see, as loyal readers of AtoZFitness.com, it’s obvious that you care about your health.  For this reason, it’s time that I set the record straight and make sure you are well taken care of. 

Your six pack abs program may be sabotaging you in more ways than you know.  You may be exercising for too long, doing all the wrong stuff, and reaping a short-term result that is almost sure to end in long-term failure.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I take your health seriously.  As both a doctor of physical therapy and a fitness professional, I believe it’s my position to warn you about inappropriate ab exercises that can lead to low back pain, decreased metabolism, and less fat loss than laying in bed.

Let’s go over these points one-by-one:

1)  You may be exercising for too long

More is not always better.  Many people do not understant the importance of ramping up a program’s intensity over time, as you become adjusted to the exercise program.  Normally, people feel like they just need to hit the ground running, and they end up sore and less productive in following workouts.  Plus, this leads to decreased physical activity for the rest of the day due to mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion.

As a second point, it’s important that you DO hit ‘momentary muscular failure’ with each exercise that you do.  Momentary muscular failure refers to the point at which the following rep would surely break form, but before this happens.  This is the maximal amount of exertion for a given exercise before a loss of productivity and compensatory habits involving cheating movements, etc.

If you’re choosing the resistance and exercise skill level appropriately, it doesn’t take very long to hit momentary muscular failure.  Once you’ve reached this point, there just isn’t any more ‘umph’ left in you, so why push beyond your limit?  You’re only risking injury or training bad habits by doing so.  The metabolic effect is no greater.

2)  Doing all the wrong stuff

Ab exercises are not the answer to six pack abs.  Hopefully, you’re beginning to realize this from studying more current papers, articles, etc. that exist on the internet.  Compound movements that involve abdominal stabilization are key to six pack abs.  Compound movements refer to exercises that involve two or more joints moving at the same time. 

Functionally, your abs work to support your spine, compress abdominal contents, and flex & rotate the trunk (i.e. bend directly over or diagonally over, not c.url or crunch.)  With this in mind, why would we waste so much time with unnatural movments like sit ups and crunches? 

Instead, let me challenge you to exercise your entire body for an entire workout, quickly changing between exercises at each failure point.  Exercise intensely, involving as many joints as possible, and choose a dynamic program that fatigues out your entire body quickly.  This is the way to go, by far.

3)  Reaping a short-term benefit that is sure to end in long-term failure

I’m not going to argue that crunches, sit ups, ab machines, and ab rollers very often produce a quick cosmetic result.  Usually, within a week or two of focused ab exercise, you can see a demonstrable difference when looking in the mirror. 

BEWARE.

This is not a good thing.  What you are seeing is not an increase in muscle mass, definition, or greater fat loss.  You are seeing a shift in your posture, for the worse, that is causing compression to your abdomen.  This compression is much like a muscle contraction, in that the muscle is shortening, so the short-term appearance is increased abdominal definition.  In reality, this is increased ‘tone’ of the muscle, or muscle activity.  Unfortunately, a pre-shortened muscle weakens over time, leaving you with a lot to be desired in a few months from now.  

So... I know you’re wondering, “how could any amount of exercise reap less fat loss benefit than laying in bed?” 

Actually, that’s not completely true.  You will lose more fat doing sit ups with your ab roller today than you would laying in bed today.  However, choosing the wrong ab exercises creates a ‘forward posture,’ which will result in compression of your diaphragm (automatic inspiration muscle) and decreased oxygenation to your muscles, ligaments, and other tissues that require blood for repair and nutrition following a workout.  Over time, this will lead to decreased exercise tolerance and a resultant slower metabolism. 

Before choosing a six pack abs program, it’s important to find a resource you can trust, and a program that can get you the fastest, highest quality six pack abs results.  I’ve designed this program, just for you, and I’m willing to offer you a completely free 30 day trial if you sign up today.  I never appreciated buying fitness gimmicks or programs that fail to produce results, so I’ve reversed the risk.  If you don’t get the result, don’t pay. 

I guess the main question is:  “Are you willing to do what it takes to get ripped in 10 minutes per day?”

If you’d like a free trial of an incredibly effective ab strengthening program that only takes 10 minutes per day, please go to: http://AbStrengthGuide.com

About the Author: Dr. Kareem Samhouri is the president and owner of Global Fitness LLC. Through his company people are able to realize complete wellness, as they serve nutrition, massage, physical therapy, and personal training. Dr. K is a graduate of the University of Miami Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has earned a bachelor’s of science from the Pennsylvania State University in Kinesiology. Additionally, Dr. K is a licensed physical therapist and holds a Health and Fitness Instructor certification from the internationally recognized American College of Sports Medicine.

 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

 

7 Steps To Six Pack Abs:
by Dr. K
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html

If you’re serious about getting ripped than you’ve probably already seen almost every supplement, diet plan, and workout program out there already.  For this reason, I’m not going to waste another second of your time.  I have something different to offer you today...

Today, I want to give you a step-by-step implementation program that is so obviously effective no one can contest it.  This is a 7 step, fat loss & fitness implementation plan that is sure to provide you with outstanding results.

1.    Drink a tall glass of water before every meal.  This one strategy, alone, counteracts 30% of unnecessary eating.  Most people have a very difficult time identifying thirst during meal times.  By quenching your thirst before you eat, you will be:

•  improving speed and ease of digestion

•  raising your metabolism

•  increasing absorption of nutrients in your food

•  filling yourself with what your body really craves, water.

2.    Eat every meal on smaller plates.  Ah, the psychology of eating...  Fascinating, isn’t it, that your brain will believe you are eating much more food if you put it on a smaller plate?  Unfortunately, the reverse is also true, which many times results in eating past the point of satiety without knowing it for about 15-20 minutes.  Smaller plates are the answer.  Do not ignore this point.  Every smart bodybuilder I know uses this trick because it works.

3.    Eat a ton of carrots every single day.  Carrots are high in fiber, good for your skin, and a healthy snack.  Foods high in fiber offer a ‘mechanical effect’ to the digestive process and literally move sludge and other intestinal build-up out of your intestines and colon and through your body.  This build-up is the same stuff that is stopping other nutrients from being absorbed into your system, while they act as a barrier.  Improving skin health builds your immune system.  Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and it can act as a primary line of defense when it comes to stopping infection, toxins, and other environmental pollutants from entering into your system. 

4.    Begin and end each day with 3 sets of 15 Burpees.  It doesn’t have to be burpees, but the exercise should be a whole-body exercise with an explosive and stability component.  By using your entire body quickly in this fashion, you are basically ‘pulling the fire alarm.’  Before you know it, it’s as if your entire body has been awake and functioning at full-force all day, with improved circulation, oxygen to vital organs, and endorphin release to help you avoid coffee, tea, soda, or other caffeinated beverages. 

5.    Alternate training speed (tempo) every time you go to the gym.  Tempo training is one of the most overlooked areas of fat loss and fitness.  By changing the speed at which you perform an exercise regularly, you are constantly ‘shocking’ your body into believing it is being introduced to a brand-new demand.  This is key.  Your body is very good at accommodating demand you place upon it on a daily basis.  It is by constantly changing this demand that you can force your body’s fat loss machine to rev up and start it’s engine.

6.    Practice stress-relief exercises.  Cortisol does produce belly fat, and cortisol is released when we are stressed.  It’s a defense mechanism we used to use as cavemen during the wintertime.  When stressed by the cold and lack of food, we released cortisol, which initiated a fat-deposit process in our lower abdomen.  The reason for the location is because this involved the least energy for digestion during starvation.  If you take away the stress, you can take away the cortisol and stand a fighting chance at beating your kangaroo pouch.

7.    Keep a daily log of your food intake and workouts.  Provide reasons for any mishaps along the way.  Every fitness professional will tell you the same thing.  Logging food and workouts is boring, but it’s the only sure-fire way to track your results and hold yourself accountable.  I like to take things one step further.  Instead of just logging your daily results, I suggest you provide a rationale for mishaps.  This means, if you decided to eat pizza, hold yourself accountable and provide a reason for this decision in writing.  I find, very often, this chore alone will stop you from eating the wrong foods and making the wrong decisions. 

Remember, getting six pack abs is a serious goal that requires a serious commitment.  That said, melting belly fat, watching your abs appear, and feeling ‘fit’ for the first time in your life is an unparalleled feeling.  Following each of these 7 steps alone would not be enough, but, when coupled with the perfect exercise program, you’re sure to see incredible six pack abs results. 

If you’d like a 30 day free trial in Ab Strength Guide and a 60 day trial in the most turnkey fat loss implementation system out there, I’ve got a special offer for you that you’re not going to want to miss.  Yes, right now this is all free to try.  I only want you to pay when you see your body change and your belly fat melting away.  I promise you this result in 30 days, but you’ll have to promise that you work as intensely as I ask. 

If you’d like a free trial of an incredibly effective ab strengthening program that only takes 10 minutes per day, please go to: http://AbStrengthGuide.com

About the Author: Dr. Kareem Samhouri is the president and owner of Global Fitness LLC. Through his company people are able to realize complete wellness, as they serve nutrition, massage, physical therapy, and personal training. Dr. K is a graduate of the University of Miami Doctor of Physical Therapy program and has earned a bachelor’s of science from the Pennsylvania State University in Kinesiology. Additionally, Dr. K is a licensed physical therapist and holds a Health and Fitness Instructor certification from the internationally recognized American College of Sports Medicine.

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarah
Publisher - AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover

I asked Dr.Kareem to let me know exactly what his Ab Strength Guide system is all about. So below is Dr.Kareem’s reply as well as a great article for you this morning.

Lewis.

From: drk@globalfitnessllc.com
Sent: January-29-09 7:45 PM
To: Lewis Wolk
Subject: RE: what is Ab Strength Guide all about ?

I know you mentioned sharing some details about Ab Strength Guide with your readers, so I thought I’d just give you a quick summary of what’s inside this program:

Basically, Ab Strength Guide is designed for you to add 10 minutes to your daily workout routine and see visible results in your mid-section immediately.  There’s no crazy dieting or anything like that… just really intense workouts, and all of the exercises are portable, so this can be done in your house with just a few pieces of small equipment (i.e. ball, balance discs, Bosu, & a bench.) 

Also, just to make sure that everyone can guarantee themselves great results, I’ve decided to include a mega-bonus worth at least 3x more than Ab Strength Guide itself – all of the daily workouts!

•  5 Six Pack Abs Videos (10 exercises each, 10 minutes each – all downloadable to your computer, DVD, CD, iPod, or other portable device):

•  Fast & Functional Abs

•  The Secret To Sculpting Abs

•  Unstable Surface Training For An Unbelievable Core

•  Speed Training For Speedier Six Pack Abs

•  Bodyweight Training For A Better Beach Body

I’ve also really added in some incredible bonuses to make this program a no-brainer for anyone who’s looking to get ripped fast. 

They are: 

•  2 months free in Lift Hard Play Hard – here’s what comes with Lift Hard Play Hard in the first 2 months:

•  Over 60 exercise videos downloadable to an iPod or other portable device

•  8 high-intensity workouts designed for extreme fat loss

•  2 video courses (The Fat Loss Workout & Muscle Balancing – The Key To Injury Prevention)

•  2 audios + transcripts (The Psychology of Dieting & Goal Setting For Real Results)

•  Injury Prevention videos (head all the way to toe, about 40 minutes each – great stuff!)

•  Target Heart Rate Calculator (really neat tool – just a convenience…)

•  Workout logs

•  Unlimited personal attention from me, with video response to questions

•  … & your readers will even get Weight Loss Cardio (kind of like the cardio bible, with charts and videos to show you how to adjust cardio for different goals that you might have)

Anyway, it’s pretty much as good of a deal as I could come up with, and it’s free to try for 30 days.  This way, you only pay after you get results – seems like the fairest way to go about it (and everyone ends up paying anyway when they see their bodies change so rapidly – it’s a win-win).

Please let everyone know they can feel free to ask me questions if they have them… I’m happy to help.

Have a great evening,
Kareem

Check out Dr.Kareem’s Ab Strength Guide below…
http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html 

Check out Sarah’s testimonial on Ab Strength Guide when you visit Dr.Kareem’s website on the right sidebar

 

Six Pack Abs Intensity – Do You Have What It Takes To Get Lean?
by Dr. Kareem Samhouri

There’s a difference between exercising and exercising intensely.  When it comes to getting six pack abs, you’re going to have to really exert yourself.  I’m sorry, for any of you who thought that you could casually do sit-ups for a few minutes a day, it’s just not going to work…

Phew, now that I got that off my chest, on to the positive:  It doesn’t take that long when you work out correctly.  You can actually burn more fat in 20 minutes (while gaining a larger cardiovascular effect at the same time) than steady-state cardio can achieve for you in 2 hours.  Sounds crazy?

I realize this.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around that concept for a long time.  Sometimes, you just have to try things to figure them out.  Sometimes, you have to learn how to reach deeper inside yourself, find more power, find more energy, find more drive…

Sometimes, you have to re-define ‘difficult’.  You see, isn’t the word ‘difficult’ a relative term anyway?  If you just reset yourself right at the moment you want to quit, and you charge-on, you have no idea what’s possible.  It helps me to reflect on the greatest challenge in my life that I’ve overcome, and consider it strongly while warming up.  By the time I’m done my warm-up, I’m so charged that nothing can stop me.  I recommend you do the same. 

Getting six pack abs is simple, but it’s not easy.  It all comes down to one workout.  The first time that you push yourself to near-exhaustion is the worst, plain and simple.  After that, it’s never going to feel the same.  Every time you get to the gym (or get ready to exercise at home), you have to remember this feeling when you’re tired, and you’ll know that you can overcome the psychological weakness we all experience.

You see, I’m different.  I have thought of putting the best exercises in the world together for you so that you could benefit from Ab Strength Guide in the greatest way possible, but that’s not what’s going to get results.  You have to be head-strong.  Here are 7 ways to help you boost self-confidence and improve your belief-system surrounding fat loss and six pack abs:

1.    Practice affirmations – this is positive self-talk.  I know it sounds out there, but it works, and it works like magic.  Spend two minutes, at least 3-5x per day.

2.    Carry a victory journal – no matter how big or small of an accomplishment, write it in your victory journal.  When you feel down, take your victory journal out of your back pocket and read it (I learned this from Pat Croce’s book, “Lead Or Get Off The Pot”)

3.    Take (almost) naked pictures once a month (preferably with a digital camera, and preferably as a game with a partner – you’d be surprised what this can do for your love life, self-confidence, and self-esteem)

4.    Tell everyone in your surroundings about your goals.  This way, when you achieve them, you’ll be noticed.  We all love a bit of appreciation from time to time, no matter what we say.

5.    Reward yourself for a great week’s worth of workouts.  You have to feel the payoff early and often to achieve big goals.

6.    Think global, not local.  By this, I mean make sure you are looking at the big picture.  Be proud that you exercised on a ‘lazy day.’  We all have them.  That’s why it’s important that you work as hard as you can when you ‘feel up to it.’  Think about it this way, would you have exercised a few months ago if you felt the same way?

7.    Improve skill with exercise.  Don’t just do the same exercises over and over again.  It’s much more difficult to see visible results when you perform the exact same movements over and over again.  Plus, you’re likely to plateau.  It’s important that your workout routine be dynamic and involve multiple surfaces.  Unsteady surfaces, by pure nature, are higher-skilled exercise.  The feeling of accomplishment in learning how to use them well is much like water-skiing:  it just doesn’t feel like exercise.

Remember, exercise isn’t only about the quickest possible result, so don’t worry if every session isn’t perfect.  However, it’s important you have reasonable expectations.  You can get six pack abs if you want to, but you’re going to have to bring some serious intensity to the table.  I’ll be waiting for you…

http://www.atozfitness.com/recommends/abstrengthguide.html 

Sincerely,
Lewis & Sarahh
Publisher – AtoZfitness Total Body Makeover