Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Manage body weight through whole grain food Diet
Recently many diet conscious people are switching to
“whole grain food” recipes as it does release energy
slowly, feels one fuller (not hungry) for a longer
duration, thus reduces temptation towards frequent
snacking. The people who eat more whole grain tend to
have healthier body weights and gain less weight over
time than those who don’t. This is useful for managing
weight on long-term basis.
For example cooked brown rice (kajo thandulu) has
similar calories like white rice, but it is more
nutritious, and healthier, at the same time it needs
more chewing than white rice. In addition to having
greater nutritional value, brown rice is also believed
to be less constipating than white rice. Magnesium is
one main mineral that is lost or reduced during
polishing. One cup of cooked brown rice contains 84 mg
of magnesium, whereas one cup of white rice contains
19 mg.
Brown rice is unpolished rice. Brown rice is obtained
by removing the husk (thussu) of paddy. The brown
color is due to the thin layer of bran sticking onto
the rice grain. Brown rice has a mild nutty flavor,
and poor aesthetics. Half a century ago dehusking used
to be carried out by hand pounding (kaanDooche) until
the machines in the rice mills took over that job.
Pounding stick (kaanDaNa) has been one of the items
worshipped at the naandi function before an important
event. Hand pounded one is more nutritious since it
leaves vitamin-containing germ of the grain intact.
Similar concept is applicable in case of wheat, and
all other grains. I prefer whole wheat brown bread or
multi-grain bread over white bread. Multi-grain bread
may contain pieces of grains that troubles chewing. My
friend mixes flours of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and
ragi (nanchaNo) to make chapathies and poories.
Instead of just beans I prefer 14-bean mixture in
curries. Here micro-nutrients from all varieties of
beans are obtained.
In simple words the whole grains consist of three
elements:
1. A fiber-rich outer layer
2. A nutrient-packed intermediate layer (the bran and
the germ)
3. A starchy core (the endosperm)
The fiber in whole grains provide some friction,
facilitates smooth functioning of digestive tract.
Fiber from whole grains promotes the intestines
working. Moreover risk of some types of cancer
especially cancers of the stomach and colon is lower
with higher intakes of whole grains.
Lead to a healthier heart. Heart-healthy diets rich in
whole grain foods can reduce the risk of heart
disease. Whole grain foods, is recommended as part of
a diabetic diet.
Today whole grain items are more expensive than the
common grains, mainly due to its low demand, low shelf
life. Similarly multi-grain bread is more expensive.
Note: Whole grain food Diet that releases energy
slowly. On the other hand use honey or glucose
releases energy quickly (athlets use this method).
“whole grain food” recipes as it does release energy
slowly, feels one fuller (not hungry) for a longer
duration, thus reduces temptation towards frequent
snacking. The people who eat more whole grain tend to
have healthier body weights and gain less weight over
time than those who don’t. This is useful for managing
weight on long-term basis.
For example cooked brown rice (kajo thandulu) has
similar calories like white rice, but it is more
nutritious, and healthier, at the same time it needs
more chewing than white rice. In addition to having
greater nutritional value, brown rice is also believed
to be less constipating than white rice. Magnesium is
one main mineral that is lost or reduced during
polishing. One cup of cooked brown rice contains 84 mg
of magnesium, whereas one cup of white rice contains
19 mg.
Brown rice is unpolished rice. Brown rice is obtained
by removing the husk (thussu) of paddy. The brown
color is due to the thin layer of bran sticking onto
the rice grain. Brown rice has a mild nutty flavor,
and poor aesthetics. Half a century ago dehusking used
to be carried out by hand pounding (kaanDooche) until
the machines in the rice mills took over that job.
Pounding stick (kaanDaNa) has been one of the items
worshipped at the naandi function before an important
event. Hand pounded one is more nutritious since it
leaves vitamin-containing germ of the grain intact.
Similar concept is applicable in case of wheat, and
all other grains. I prefer whole wheat brown bread or
multi-grain bread over white bread. Multi-grain bread
may contain pieces of grains that troubles chewing. My
friend mixes flours of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and
ragi (nanchaNo) to make chapathies and poories.
Instead of just beans I prefer 14-bean mixture in
curries. Here micro-nutrients from all varieties of
beans are obtained.
In simple words the whole grains consist of three
elements:
1. A fiber-rich outer layer
2. A nutrient-packed intermediate layer (the bran and
the germ)
3. A starchy core (the endosperm)
The fiber in whole grains provide some friction,
facilitates smooth functioning of digestive tract.
Fiber from whole grains promotes the intestines
working. Moreover risk of some types of cancer
especially cancers of the stomach and colon is lower
with higher intakes of whole grains.
Lead to a healthier heart. Heart-healthy diets rich in
whole grain foods can reduce the risk of heart
disease. Whole grain foods, is recommended as part of
a diabetic diet.
Today whole grain items are more expensive than the
common grains, mainly due to its low demand, low shelf
life. Similarly multi-grain bread is more expensive.
Note: Whole grain food Diet that releases energy
slowly. On the other hand use honey or glucose
releases energy quickly (athlets use this method).
supplements... the good, the bad, the ugly
Hi, it's Mike G again from http://TruthAboutAbs.com with another
Lean-Body Secrets Ezine.
I'm sure you've noticed from many of my writings that in general, I
tend to be anti-supplements. The supplement industry is loaded with
fraudulent claims, bogus products that sometimes aren't even what they claim
to be, and lots of ineffective products (even when they ARE what they
claim to be).
Despite these problems, I've always contended that there are a handful
of useful products out there, and certainly some honest companies mixed
in with the abundant scam artists. One company I've found that is
actually honest and sells only research-proven products is
http://natural.getprograde.com/
This company has been in the making for about 3 years now, and was
built by a group of fitness professionals whose main goal was to try to
fight against the problems in the supplement industry and offer an honest
solution without the hype and without the loads of products that have
no research behind them and don't work.
If you choose the right products from a reputable company, there are
certainly a few winners out there that can help you acheive a higher
level of health and faster results with fat loss, muscle building, energy
levels, etc.
Let me show you below some of the typical problems with supplements,
and how to avoid them and choose the right products that will actually
get you results.
**Problem #1 with supplements:
Ever since the passing of the 1994 Dietary Supplement and Health
Education Act (DSHEA) in the US, supplements have been excluded from federal
regulation. One of the negative aspects of this is that certain
unscrupulous companies could now pretty much get away with putting anything
they wanted in the bottle because it did not have to undergo quality
control testing to make it to market. Their label didn't even have to match
what was in the bottle, since nobody is policing them.
The only way to catch these companies was for independent testing firms
to run tests on their own dime to find out which companies are honest
and which are fraudulent.
The founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ solved this problem by
requiring that all of their products go through High Performance Liquid
Chromatography (HPLC) testing to guarantee what they say is in the
bottle is TRULY in the bottle, and delivers the desired results.
Their manufacturing plant is also a GMP certified manufacturer - "A"
rated facility to assure quality.
**Problem #2 with supplements:
One of the other major problems I've had with the supplement industry
are falsely hyped up claims about "miraculous" results with their
products giving you the false hope that your body will turn into a fitness
model's within a couple weeks of using their "miracle pill".
Well, we all know by now that most of these products do very little, if
anything to actually create results in the body. Even if some of them
have minor positive effects, it does not address the underlying cause
of the problem in the first place, and results will never last in the
long run without lifestyle changes to both your exercise and nutrition
habits as a whole.
In response to this, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/
made sure there was absolutely no hype or ridiculous claims... only a
very limited line of the most effective research-backed products without
any BS or confusing "stacks".
**Problem #3 with supplements:
Most people overlook this problem when buying vitamins and supplements.
The fact is that your body does not properly absorb nutrients from
artificial sources as is common with many supplements and vitamins.
Once again, I asked the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ to
respond to this. I was happy to find that their products are actually
extracted from whole-food sources instead of artificial sources, meaning
better absorption in your body.
They even purchased a 2500-acre farm in mineral rich soils in sunny
Florida where all of their raw materials are grown. I must say...I'm
impressed!
**Problem #4 with supplements:
Another problem I have with typical supplements is this...
The normal scenario when someone buys supplements is that they may go
to their local supplement/vitamin store and they are given advice by
some high school kid making $7/hr who has no education whatsoever in
nutrition.
Do you really want to put your health in the hands of some kid who is
simply telling you that you need to get such and such supplement because
he saw something about how great it was in a magazine advertisement?
Once again, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ solved this
problem by assuring that all of their products were designed by
professionals in the industry -- dieticians and nutritionists who carefully
analyzed which products actually are beneficial and which are a waste of
time and money. They then narrowed their line of products down to only
a handful of the most effective.
They also have dedided that their products will never be sold in stores
because they don't want unqualified store clerks with no education in
nutrition to recommend products for your health. That's why you can
only obtain them from their website, so you know you're getting them from
qualified professionals in the industry.
**Problem #5 with supplements:
This problem is quite simply this... YOU DON'T NEED THEM for optimal
health, IF you're eating right.
The fact is, you don't need supplements as long as you eat a well
rounded diet full of unprocessed whole natural foods, lots of variety, high
nutrient density, lots of fruits, veggies, whole unrefined grains,
eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, organic meats, fish, etc, etc.
The problem is that most people don't have time or don't make enough of
an effort to eat this type of optimal diet with proper balance and
super-high nutrient density.
In this case, I concede that supplementation has many benefits for
people who struggle to eat right all of time and may be missing many
essential nutrients.
To solve this problem, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/
have actually formulated their men's and women's formulas with extracts
of natural whole foods instead of synthetic sources. They even use
whole food extracts from broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrot,
cauliflower, wheat grass, alfalfa, artichoke, chorella, kale, collard
greens, papaya, grapefruit, tomato, omega-3's, and dozens more.
Well, I think that's enough for today. Go to
http://natural.getprograde.com/ right now and check out the their
videos right in the center of the page. It should give you more info about
the quality of their line of products.
Also, be sure to check out their EFA Icon (essential fatty acid) which
uses a unique Krill oil which has been measured as having 47 times more
antioxidant value than standard fish oil. I've always been a big fan
of fish oil, but when I found this krill oil, I had to make the switch
based on the higher quality.
For everyone outside of the US and Canada, unfortunately they are not
offering shipping yet outside of the US/Canada, but are currently
working on getting shipping to all other countries in the near future. Please
be patient and they should have it soon.
Feel free to forward this email on to any friends or family you think
will enjoy it.
Stay lean and healthy,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
Lean-Body Secrets Ezine.
I'm sure you've noticed from many of my writings that in general, I
tend to be anti-supplements. The supplement industry is loaded with
fraudulent claims, bogus products that sometimes aren't even what they claim
to be, and lots of ineffective products (even when they ARE what they
claim to be).
Despite these problems, I've always contended that there are a handful
of useful products out there, and certainly some honest companies mixed
in with the abundant scam artists. One company I've found that is
actually honest and sells only research-proven products is
http://natural.getprograde.com/
This company has been in the making for about 3 years now, and was
built by a group of fitness professionals whose main goal was to try to
fight against the problems in the supplement industry and offer an honest
solution without the hype and without the loads of products that have
no research behind them and don't work.
If you choose the right products from a reputable company, there are
certainly a few winners out there that can help you acheive a higher
level of health and faster results with fat loss, muscle building, energy
levels, etc.
Let me show you below some of the typical problems with supplements,
and how to avoid them and choose the right products that will actually
get you results.
**Problem #1 with supplements:
Ever since the passing of the 1994 Dietary Supplement and Health
Education Act (DSHEA) in the US, supplements have been excluded from federal
regulation. One of the negative aspects of this is that certain
unscrupulous companies could now pretty much get away with putting anything
they wanted in the bottle because it did not have to undergo quality
control testing to make it to market. Their label didn't even have to match
what was in the bottle, since nobody is policing them.
The only way to catch these companies was for independent testing firms
to run tests on their own dime to find out which companies are honest
and which are fraudulent.
The founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ solved this problem by
requiring that all of their products go through High Performance Liquid
Chromatography (HPLC) testing to guarantee what they say is in the
bottle is TRULY in the bottle, and delivers the desired results.
Their manufacturing plant is also a GMP certified manufacturer - "A"
rated facility to assure quality.
**Problem #2 with supplements:
One of the other major problems I've had with the supplement industry
are falsely hyped up claims about "miraculous" results with their
products giving you the false hope that your body will turn into a fitness
model's within a couple weeks of using their "miracle pill".
Well, we all know by now that most of these products do very little, if
anything to actually create results in the body. Even if some of them
have minor positive effects, it does not address the underlying cause
of the problem in the first place, and results will never last in the
long run without lifestyle changes to both your exercise and nutrition
habits as a whole.
In response to this, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/
made sure there was absolutely no hype or ridiculous claims... only a
very limited line of the most effective research-backed products without
any BS or confusing "stacks".
**Problem #3 with supplements:
Most people overlook this problem when buying vitamins and supplements.
The fact is that your body does not properly absorb nutrients from
artificial sources as is common with many supplements and vitamins.
Once again, I asked the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ to
respond to this. I was happy to find that their products are actually
extracted from whole-food sources instead of artificial sources, meaning
better absorption in your body.
They even purchased a 2500-acre farm in mineral rich soils in sunny
Florida where all of their raw materials are grown. I must say...I'm
impressed!
**Problem #4 with supplements:
Another problem I have with typical supplements is this...
The normal scenario when someone buys supplements is that they may go
to their local supplement/vitamin store and they are given advice by
some high school kid making $7/hr who has no education whatsoever in
nutrition.
Do you really want to put your health in the hands of some kid who is
simply telling you that you need to get such and such supplement because
he saw something about how great it was in a magazine advertisement?
Once again, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/ solved this
problem by assuring that all of their products were designed by
professionals in the industry -- dieticians and nutritionists who carefully
analyzed which products actually are beneficial and which are a waste of
time and money. They then narrowed their line of products down to only
a handful of the most effective.
They also have dedided that their products will never be sold in stores
because they don't want unqualified store clerks with no education in
nutrition to recommend products for your health. That's why you can
only obtain them from their website, so you know you're getting them from
qualified professionals in the industry.
**Problem #5 with supplements:
This problem is quite simply this... YOU DON'T NEED THEM for optimal
health, IF you're eating right.
The fact is, you don't need supplements as long as you eat a well
rounded diet full of unprocessed whole natural foods, lots of variety, high
nutrient density, lots of fruits, veggies, whole unrefined grains,
eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, organic meats, fish, etc, etc.
The problem is that most people don't have time or don't make enough of
an effort to eat this type of optimal diet with proper balance and
super-high nutrient density.
In this case, I concede that supplementation has many benefits for
people who struggle to eat right all of time and may be missing many
essential nutrients.
To solve this problem, the founders of http://natural.getprograde.com/
have actually formulated their men's and women's formulas with extracts
of natural whole foods instead of synthetic sources. They even use
whole food extracts from broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrot,
cauliflower, wheat grass, alfalfa, artichoke, chorella, kale, collard
greens, papaya, grapefruit, tomato, omega-3's, and dozens more.
Well, I think that's enough for today. Go to
http://natural.getprograde.com/ right now and check out the their
videos right in the center of the page. It should give you more info about
the quality of their line of products.
Also, be sure to check out their EFA Icon (essential fatty acid) which
uses a unique Krill oil which has been measured as having 47 times more
antioxidant value than standard fish oil. I've always been a big fan
of fish oil, but when I found this krill oil, I had to make the switch
based on the higher quality.
For everyone outside of the US and Canada, unfortunately they are not
offering shipping yet outside of the US/Canada, but are currently
working on getting shipping to all other countries in the near future. Please
be patient and they should have it soon.
Feel free to forward this email on to any friends or family you think
will enjoy it.
Stay lean and healthy,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
Hidden super-food already in your cabinet
In today's Lean-Body Secrets Ezine, I wanted to talk about a tasty
super-food that's probably already in your cabinets, and you may not even
realize it's powerful health-food status.
You would probably use more of this stuff if you knew that's it's not
only a powerful antioxidant, but also helps improve your body's ability
to control your blood sugar, and reduces heart disease risk!
So what is this common substance that may already be in your cabinets?
It's good old tasty cinnamon!
I've read numerous studies over the years about cinnamon and it's
powerful antioxidant content. To add to the benefits, I just recently read a
study that involved giving diabetic patients 1 gram (about 1/4 - 1/3
tsp) of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks.
In that time, the subjects significantly reduced their triglycerides
and LDL bad cholesterol. Not only that, but they also reduced their
average blood sugar levels displaying cinnamon's power in helping to improve
your body's glycemic control.
And you know what that means... more steady blood sugar levels means it
will be easier to lose body fat.
So don't be shy in using the cinnamon shaker in your daily
meals/snacks. Keep in mind that this does NOT mean that cinnamon buns are
healthy... they'll only lead you down the road to blubber-town.
Instead, here are some healthy options for including cinnamon in your
diet...
1. Add cinnamon to cottage cheese with apple slices and stevia for
sweetness
2. Add cinnamon to oatmeal with raisins or apple slices
3. Add cinnamon to your coffee or tea
4. Add cinnamon to protein smoothies. Try adding cinnamon to a vanilla
protein smoothie...it's delicious.
5. Sprinkle cinnamon on your cold cereal or any hot cereals
6. Sprinkle on whole grain or sprouted grain toast with almond butter
and raisins or fruit slices.
7. Add cinnamon and walnuts to vanilla yogurt for a unique flavor.
Alright, hope you enjoyed this quick little tip today on another
super-food you can add to your arsenal. I plan to keep giving you ideas for
more super-foods in the near future.
Feel free to forward this email to any friends, family, or coworkers
that might enjoy these ideas.
Til next time,
Don't be lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
Recommended resource for healthy yet easy meal planning:
http://EasyMealPlans101.com
"Mike,
Just wanted to let you know that I'm still using Meal Plans 101 based
on your recommendation, and now it's a part of my everyday life. I've
lost about 12 pounds thus far. As a grad student, full-time employee and
new father, it makes planning meals extra convenient!"
-Joshua Jones
------------------------------------------------------------
*Please note that due to high volume of emails, replies to this email
can not be handled individually and are routed to a help-desk.
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
super-food that's probably already in your cabinets, and you may not even
realize it's powerful health-food status.
You would probably use more of this stuff if you knew that's it's not
only a powerful antioxidant, but also helps improve your body's ability
to control your blood sugar, and reduces heart disease risk!
So what is this common substance that may already be in your cabinets?
It's good old tasty cinnamon!
I've read numerous studies over the years about cinnamon and it's
powerful antioxidant content. To add to the benefits, I just recently read a
study that involved giving diabetic patients 1 gram (about 1/4 - 1/3
tsp) of cinnamon a day for 6 weeks.
In that time, the subjects significantly reduced their triglycerides
and LDL bad cholesterol. Not only that, but they also reduced their
average blood sugar levels displaying cinnamon's power in helping to improve
your body's glycemic control.
And you know what that means... more steady blood sugar levels means it
will be easier to lose body fat.
So don't be shy in using the cinnamon shaker in your daily
meals/snacks. Keep in mind that this does NOT mean that cinnamon buns are
healthy... they'll only lead you down the road to blubber-town.
Instead, here are some healthy options for including cinnamon in your
diet...
1. Add cinnamon to cottage cheese with apple slices and stevia for
sweetness
2. Add cinnamon to oatmeal with raisins or apple slices
3. Add cinnamon to your coffee or tea
4. Add cinnamon to protein smoothies. Try adding cinnamon to a vanilla
protein smoothie...it's delicious.
5. Sprinkle cinnamon on your cold cereal or any hot cereals
6. Sprinkle on whole grain or sprouted grain toast with almond butter
and raisins or fruit slices.
7. Add cinnamon and walnuts to vanilla yogurt for a unique flavor.
Alright, hope you enjoyed this quick little tip today on another
super-food you can add to your arsenal. I plan to keep giving you ideas for
more super-foods in the near future.
Feel free to forward this email to any friends, family, or coworkers
that might enjoy these ideas.
Til next time,
Don't be lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
Recommended resource for healthy yet easy meal planning:
http://EasyMealPlans101.com
"Mike,
Just wanted to let you know that I'm still using Meal Plans 101 based
on your recommendation, and now it's a part of my everyday life. I've
lost about 12 pounds thus far. As a grad student, full-time employee and
new father, it makes planning meals extra convenient!"
-Joshua Jones
------------------------------------------------------------
*Please note that due to high volume of emails, replies to this email
can not be handled individually and are routed to a help-desk.
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
Saturday, August 25, 2007
3 Desserts that are "six pack abs" friendly
Hi, it's Mike Geary here with another Lean-Body Secrets Ezine from
http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
I don't know about you, but I have always had a serious sweet tooth! No
joke... when I was a kid growing up, my mom would bake a batch of
brownies and I would eat the entire tray in 1 day!
I could get away with that as a teenager because I probably burned
about 5000 cals/day playing sports outside all day.
One of the things I had to learn to conquer over the years as an adult
was to keep my sweet tooth under control so I wouldn't turn into the
typical 30-something guy with the beer belly.
------------------------------------------------------------
My plan of attack to conquer the sweet tooth...
------------------------------------------------------------
What worked for me to beat my sweet tooth was the use of a large
variety of fruits and also super-dark chocolate, and using creative
variations of both.
A piece of fruit, a frozen fruit & protein smoothie, or a couple small
pieces of dark chocolate has totally done the trick to keep my sweet
tooth in check, and has allowed me to stay super-lean over the years
while still enjoying my sweets in small amounts.
Here are my 3 favorite desserts that help me to keep the calories under
control while also satisfying my sweet tooth. I pretty much use a
variation of these almost every day for dessert.
1. Two or 3 small squares of super-dark chocolate (minimum of 70-75%
cocoa content... if less than 70%, usually too much sugar)
2. Frozen banana/chocolate blender ice cream:
This is more of an ice cream consistency rather than a smoothie. I put
1 frozen ripe banana chunked into a blender with 1/3 cup milk, 2 tbsp
non-sweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and a sprinkle of
stevia to sweeten. 1/2 scoop of protein powder is optional too.
Blend it all together to an ice cream consistency. This is a much
healthier lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternative to ice cream, and still
delicious!
I get my stevia from the following site...
http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl?rrc=N&pg=store&affl=m231g
3. I just got hooked on these recently... the Prograde Cravers Peanut
Butter flavor is out of this world, and 100% organic, with dark
chocolate and other healthy ingredients... it makes the perfect healthy dessert
or snack during the day without an overload of calories... only 180
calories.
I ordered my Peanut Butter Prograde Cravers from...
http://natural.getprograde.com/cravers
(Prograde Cravers are only available for the time being in the US and
Canada)
I hope you enjoy these healthier "six pack" friendly dessert ideas!
Feel free to forward this email on to any of your friends, family, or
co-workers that would enjoy these.
Til next ezine issue... Don't be lazy, be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
*Please note that due to high volume of emails, replies to this email
can not be handled individually and are routed to a help-desk.
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
I don't know about you, but I have always had a serious sweet tooth! No
joke... when I was a kid growing up, my mom would bake a batch of
brownies and I would eat the entire tray in 1 day!
I could get away with that as a teenager because I probably burned
about 5000 cals/day playing sports outside all day.
One of the things I had to learn to conquer over the years as an adult
was to keep my sweet tooth under control so I wouldn't turn into the
typical 30-something guy with the beer belly.
------------------------------------------------------------
My plan of attack to conquer the sweet tooth...
------------------------------------------------------------
What worked for me to beat my sweet tooth was the use of a large
variety of fruits and also super-dark chocolate, and using creative
variations of both.
A piece of fruit, a frozen fruit & protein smoothie, or a couple small
pieces of dark chocolate has totally done the trick to keep my sweet
tooth in check, and has allowed me to stay super-lean over the years
while still enjoying my sweets in small amounts.
Here are my 3 favorite desserts that help me to keep the calories under
control while also satisfying my sweet tooth. I pretty much use a
variation of these almost every day for dessert.
1. Two or 3 small squares of super-dark chocolate (minimum of 70-75%
cocoa content... if less than 70%, usually too much sugar)
2. Frozen banana/chocolate blender ice cream:
This is more of an ice cream consistency rather than a smoothie. I put
1 frozen ripe banana chunked into a blender with 1/3 cup milk, 2 tbsp
non-sweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and a sprinkle of
stevia to sweeten. 1/2 scoop of protein powder is optional too.
Blend it all together to an ice cream consistency. This is a much
healthier lower-calorie, lower-sugar alternative to ice cream, and still
delicious!
I get my stevia from the following site...
http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl?rrc=N&pg=store&affl=m231g
3. I just got hooked on these recently... the Prograde Cravers Peanut
Butter flavor is out of this world, and 100% organic, with dark
chocolate and other healthy ingredients... it makes the perfect healthy dessert
or snack during the day without an overload of calories... only 180
calories.
I ordered my Peanut Butter Prograde Cravers from...
http://natural.getprograde.com/cravers
(Prograde Cravers are only available for the time being in the US and
Canada)
I hope you enjoy these healthier "six pack" friendly dessert ideas!
Feel free to forward this email on to any of your friends, family, or
co-workers that would enjoy these.
Til next ezine issue... Don't be lazy, be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
*Please note that due to high volume of emails, replies to this email
can not be handled individually and are routed to a help-desk.
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
A powerful secret for your perfect body and more
Hi there, it's Mike Geary from http://TruthAboutAbs.com &
http://BusyManFitness.com
I talked about this powerful secret to achieving almost anything you
desire in life a few months back, but just today, my friend Tom Venuto
sent an email and did an amazing job explaining the exact methods on how
to use this secret to successfully attain your goals... whether these
goals pertain to your dream body or anything else for that matter.
Tom's incredible article is below. For those of you that don't know of
Tom yet, he's the author of the most popular fitness ebook in the
history of the internet (according to Clickbank. com) - Burn the Fat, Feed
the Muscle.
Check out Tom's site at http://LoseFatAndBuildMuscle.com/
--------------------------------------------------
Metaphysics & Brain science merge and prove that
positive thinking and goal setting literally
create your body and your entire life experience
---------------------------------------------------
Last week on a special edition of CNN's Larry King Live, Mr. King
interviewed a panel of "mind experts" about how the thoughts you think
literally turn into the events you experience, the material things you
possess... AND even the health of your body.
For years, "positive thinking" and goal-setting were often criticized
as "pollyanna" and "the law of attraction" was relegated into the
category of "new age" fluff
On last week's show, panel experts Bob Proctor, John Assaraf and others
who were featured in the movie 'The Secret' explained that recent
breakthroughs in neuroscience along with understanding mental laws, reveals
why goal setting, the "law of attraction" and "positive thinking" all
work, regardless of whether you look at them from a metaphysical or a
scientific perspective.
Scientists have even identified specific parts of the brain, such as
the reticular activating system (RAS), which works with the visual parts
of our brain to call our conscious attention to things that are
important to reaching our goals and to filter out those things that are
unimportant.
The RAS is activated by "programming" goals into our sub-conscious
minds. Our sub concscious mind is the "power center" and THIS is the
mechanism that explains why goal setting and positive thinking are now being
accepted as scientific methods for change.
We are discovering that our brain is cybernetic in nature, which means
that it is literally like a computer, waiting for a program to be
installed.
Here's the kicker - the subconcsious is completely neutral and
impartial - it will carry out any instructions you give it.
Unfortunately, many of us are still running negative programs we picked
up from others as children when our non-conscious minds were totally
open and impressionable, or which we developed over the years as a
result of repetition of our own negative thinking.
As it turns out, our own thoughts, repeated daily, are one of the
primary ways that our "mental computer" is programmed on a sub-conscious
level, which is the level of beliefs, habits and automatic behavior.
To change your results, you must overwrite old negative programming and
install positive new programming into your subconscious.
This can be achived through such techniques as written goal setting,
positive self-talk (affirmations), and mental imagery (visualization).
In the 1970's, the Soviets and East Germans were the first to formally
use structured mental rehearsal, and at that time, they dominated in
several olympic sports. Today, virtually all elite athletes use
visualization extensively, as we now know that the brain cannot differentiate
between real practice and practice that is vividly imagined.
If you are getting more of the same negative results in your life -
such as the same health problems, or the same body fat continues to return
even after you lose it, then you have probably been un-consciously
running old negative programs and re-inforcing them with negative thought
patterns.
You can begin the positive mental reprogramming process by writing down
your goals, changing your internal dialogue and taking a few minutes
to relax, quiet your mind and perform a session of visualization or
mental rehearsal every day (seeing yourself in your "mind's eye" not as you
currently are, but as you ideally would like to be).
These methods, repeated often enough, will begin to program the
non-conscious portion of the mind, which is the same part of the mind that
controls your heart beat, digestion and new cell production, all on
"automatic pilot."
In the last decade, neuroscientists discovered that you have the
capacity to create an almost infinite number of new neural connections in
your brain when you run new thought patterns.
The Old neural pathways are like grooves in a record, and if you are
struggling with your health related behaviors or behaviors in any other
area of your life, you have been playing the "old records" over and over
again.
If you were to carve a new groove into that record, it would never play
the same way again. the old pattern would weaken and the new one would
take over. Brand new, positive thoughts, feelings and images begin to
create new
neural patterns.
Psychologists estimate that it takes 21 to 30 days to establish a new
pattern in your brain. During this time, the focus on sticking with your
practice and repeating your new thought patterns is critical.
Is this easy? For most people, no it's not. In fact, controlling your
thinking and keeping it constructive may be one of the most difficult
challenges you have ever faced. Fortunately, writing goals and reading
affirmations can help get you started.
You can take some of the pressure off yourself by simply accepting that
negative thoughts and self criticisms will pop up from time to time.
Just observe them, without mulling over them or adding to them, and
change the polarity of the thought by quickly repeating one of your
positive affirmations or by changing your mental pictures.
So is there something to this whole "positive thinking" thing?
The philosophers and theologians have been saying yes for the entire
span of recorded history: "As you think, so shall you be." Variations on
this proverb can be found in every spiritual and philosophical
tradition.
But... if you are the left-brained, "prove-it-to-me" type, you dont
have to go on faith anymore. Scientists are beginning to prove more and
more convincingly that thoughts are powerful things. Even Larry King
seemed impressed with what his panel of "mind mentors" had to say. In fact,
I just found out that larry will be airing part two of this "Power of
positive thinking" show next week.
So how soon are you going to begin your mental training right alongside
your physical training? When are you going to learn how to harness
this power locked up inside your mind?
Guess what? You're already using this force every day because you
cannot turn it off. Whatever you are thinking and picturing in your mind
repeatedly on a daily basis is on it's way to you already, so it's simply
a matter of HOW you are using it, not IF you are using it.
What do you say to yourself every day? Do you say, "I am becoming
leaner, healthier and more muscular every day?"... or do you say "I am a fat
person - Ive tried everything, nothing ever works?"
The fact is - you can think yourself thin and healthy or you can think
yourself obese and ill. Maybe not in the literal sense...but most
certainly as the critical part in the chain of causation...
You see, there's a lot of talk these days in the personal improvement
world about law of attraction, manifesting, intention, visualization and
of course, positive thinking
Without understanding that there is an orderly, scientific basis
underneath all of this, many people will simply remain skeptics, while on the
opposite extreme, others may get the idea that you can sit around
meditating and visualizing, then expect a mystical "law of attraction" to
kick in and then "poof!" a great body materializes out of thin air...
along with the perfect relationship, a nice bank account and career
success.
What really happens is "Positive thinking" and related methods quite
literally re-program your brain, which in turn creates new behaviors that
move you physically toward whatever you have been thinking about and
focusing on.
So success is achieved through positive thinking + positive doing...
attraction + action. There are two sides to the coin. Without paying
attention to both, you may continue to struggle... often against nothing
but yourself.
If you want to transform your body or any other aspect of your life,
then you have to change on the inside (the mind) first and then
everything else will follow.
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Author, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
http://LoseFatAndBuildMuscle.com/
PS This process of *scientific* goal setting and mental reconditioning
through emotionally charged mental imagery (visualization) and internal
mental dialogue (affirmations) is the very first thing I have always
taught my clients and the first thing I wrote about in my book, Burn The
Fat, Feed The Muscle You can learn all of these techniques in detail
in chapter 1. Learn more about the psychology of body transormation
inside the Burn The Fat ebook:
http://LoseFatAndBuildMuscle.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you Tom for your insights and sharing this enlightening article.
I couldn't have said it all better myself. I think the most important
point to take from all of this is that no matter what your goals,
dreams, and aspirations are in life, everything starts first with your
mindset. Nothing is achieved without first attaining the proper mindset for
success.
If you enjoyed this motivational subject today, please feel free to
forward this email to any of your friends, family, or coworkers who would
enjoy it.
If you received this email as a forward, and would like to sign up to
get your own fre e subscription to the Lean-Body Secrets Ezine, go to
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/FREENewsletter.html
Hope you're having a great day!
Mike Geary
Fitness/Lifestyle Coach
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
Other Resources:
http://SexyButtExercises.com
http://ThousandsOfWorkouts.com
http://BeyondCardioWorkouts.com
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
http://BusyManFitness.com
I talked about this powerful secret to achieving almost anything you
desire in life a few months back, but just today, my friend Tom Venuto
sent an email and did an amazing job explaining the exact methods on how
to use this secret to successfully attain your goals... whether these
goals pertain to your dream body or anything else for that matter.
Tom's incredible article is below. For those of you that don't know of
Tom yet, he's the author of the most popular fitness ebook in the
history of the internet (according to Clickbank. com) - Burn the Fat, Feed
the Muscle.
Check out Tom's site at http://LoseFatAndBuildMuscle.com/
--------------------------------------------------
Metaphysics & Brain science merge and prove that
positive thinking and goal setting literally
create your body and your entire life experience
---------------------------------------------------
Last week on a special edition of CNN's Larry King Live, Mr. King
interviewed a panel of "mind experts" about how the thoughts you think
literally turn into the events you experience, the material things you
possess... AND even the health of your body.
For years, "positive thinking" and goal-setting were often criticized
as "pollyanna" and "the law of attraction" was relegated into the
category of "new age" fluff
On last week's show, panel experts Bob Proctor, John Assaraf and others
who were featured in the movie 'The Secret' explained that recent
breakthroughs in neuroscience along with understanding mental laws, reveals
why goal setting, the "law of attraction" and "positive thinking" all
work, regardless of whether you look at them from a metaphysical or a
scientific perspective.
Scientists have even identified specific parts of the brain, such as
the reticular activating system (RAS), which works with the visual parts
of our brain to call our conscious attention to things that are
important to reaching our goals and to filter out those things that are
unimportant.
The RAS is activated by "programming" goals into our sub-conscious
minds. Our sub concscious mind is the "power center" and THIS is the
mechanism that explains why goal setting and positive thinking are now being
accepted as scientific methods for change.
We are discovering that our brain is cybernetic in nature, which means
that it is literally like a computer, waiting for a program to be
installed.
Here's the kicker - the subconcsious is completely neutral and
impartial - it will carry out any instructions you give it.
Unfortunately, many of us are still running negative programs we picked
up from others as children when our non-conscious minds were totally
open and impressionable, or which we developed over the years as a
result of repetition of our own negative thinking.
As it turns out, our own thoughts, repeated daily, are one of the
primary ways that our "mental computer" is programmed on a sub-conscious
level, which is the level of beliefs, habits and automatic behavior.
To change your results, you must overwrite old negative programming and
install positive new programming into your subconscious.
This can be achived through such techniques as written goal setting,
positive self-talk (affirmations), and mental imagery (visualization).
In the 1970's, the Soviets and East Germans were the first to formally
use structured mental rehearsal, and at that time, they dominated in
several olympic sports. Today, virtually all elite athletes use
visualization extensively, as we now know that the brain cannot differentiate
between real practice and practice that is vividly imagined.
If you are getting more of the same negative results in your life -
such as the same health problems, or the same body fat continues to return
even after you lose it, then you have probably been un-consciously
running old negative programs and re-inforcing them with negative thought
patterns.
You can begin the positive mental reprogramming process by writing down
your goals, changing your internal dialogue and taking a few minutes
to relax, quiet your mind and perform a session of visualization or
mental rehearsal every day (seeing yourself in your "mind's eye" not as you
currently are, but as you ideally would like to be).
These methods, repeated often enough, will begin to program the
non-conscious portion of the mind, which is the same part of the mind that
controls your heart beat, digestion and new cell production, all on
"automatic pilot."
In the last decade, neuroscientists discovered that you have the
capacity to create an almost infinite number of new neural connections in
your brain when you run new thought patterns.
The Old neural pathways are like grooves in a record, and if you are
struggling with your health related behaviors or behaviors in any other
area of your life, you have been playing the "old records" over and over
again.
If you were to carve a new groove into that record, it would never play
the same way again. the old pattern would weaken and the new one would
take over. Brand new, positive thoughts, feelings and images begin to
create new
neural patterns.
Psychologists estimate that it takes 21 to 30 days to establish a new
pattern in your brain. During this time, the focus on sticking with your
practice and repeating your new thought patterns is critical.
Is this easy? For most people, no it's not. In fact, controlling your
thinking and keeping it constructive may be one of the most difficult
challenges you have ever faced. Fortunately, writing goals and reading
affirmations can help get you started.
You can take some of the pressure off yourself by simply accepting that
negative thoughts and self criticisms will pop up from time to time.
Just observe them, without mulling over them or adding to them, and
change the polarity of the thought by quickly repeating one of your
positive affirmations or by changing your mental pictures.
So is there something to this whole "positive thinking" thing?
The philosophers and theologians have been saying yes for the entire
span of recorded history: "As you think, so shall you be." Variations on
this proverb can be found in every spiritual and philosophical
tradition.
But... if you are the left-brained, "prove-it-to-me" type, you dont
have to go on faith anymore. Scientists are beginning to prove more and
more convincingly that thoughts are powerful things. Even Larry King
seemed impressed with what his panel of "mind mentors" had to say. In fact,
I just found out that larry will be airing part two of this "Power of
positive thinking" show next week.
So how soon are you going to begin your mental training right alongside
your physical training? When are you going to learn how to harness
this power locked up inside your mind?
Guess what? You're already using this force every day because you
cannot turn it off. Whatever you are thinking and picturing in your mind
repeatedly on a daily basis is on it's way to you already, so it's simply
a matter of HOW you are using it, not IF you are using it.
What do you say to yourself every day? Do you say, "I am becoming
leaner, healthier and more muscular every day?"... or do you say "I am a fat
person - Ive tried everything, nothing ever works?"
The fact is - you can think yourself thin and healthy or you can think
yourself obese and ill. Maybe not in the literal sense...but most
certainly as the critical part in the chain of causation...
You see, there's a lot of talk these days in the personal improvement
world about law of attraction, manifesting, intention, visualization and
of course, positive thinking
Without understanding that there is an orderly, scientific basis
underneath all of this, many people will simply remain skeptics, while on the
opposite extreme, others may get the idea that you can sit around
meditating and visualizing, then expect a mystical "law of attraction" to
kick in and then "poof!" a great body materializes out of thin air...
along with the perfect relationship, a nice bank account and career
success.
What really happens is "Positive thinking" and related methods quite
literally re-program your brain, which in turn creates new behaviors that
move you physically toward whatever you have been thinking about and
focusing on.
So success is achieved through positive thinking + positive doing...
attraction + action. There are two sides to the coin. Without paying
attention to both, you may continue to struggle... often against nothing
but yourself.
If you want to transform your body or any other aspect of your life,
then you have to change on the inside (the mind) first and then
everything else will follow.
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Author, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
http://LoseFatAndBuildMuscle.com/
PS This process of *scientific* goal setting and mental reconditioning
through emotionally charged mental imagery (visualization) and internal
mental dialogue (affirmations) is the very first thing I have always
taught my clients and the first thing I wrote about in my book, Burn The
Fat, Feed The Muscle You can learn all of these techniques in detail
in chapter 1. Learn more about the psychology of body transormation
inside the Burn The Fat ebook:
http://LoseFatAndBuildMuscle.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you Tom for your insights and sharing this enlightening article.
I couldn't have said it all better myself. I think the most important
point to take from all of this is that no matter what your goals,
dreams, and aspirations are in life, everything starts first with your
mindset. Nothing is achieved without first attaining the proper mindset for
success.
If you enjoyed this motivational subject today, please feel free to
forward this email to any of your friends, family, or coworkers who would
enjoy it.
If you received this email as a forward, and would like to sign up to
get your own fre e subscription to the Lean-Body Secrets Ezine, go to
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/FREENewsletter.html
Hope you're having a great day!
Mike Geary
Fitness/Lifestyle Coach
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
Other Resources:
http://SexyButtExercises.com
http://ThousandsOfWorkouts.com
http://BeyondCardioWorkouts.com
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
9 tricks to increase your bench press
Almost every guy in the gym wants to know how to bench more than they
do now. It's the classic line that almost everybody asks someone else
when they talk about lifting... "So, whaddya bench?".
Regardless of the lack of importance of that specific number, nobody
can argue with the fact that the bench press ranks right up there with
pullups as one of the overall best upper body development exercises in
existance.
I asked the crew at Critical Bench to give my readers a few of their
best and most unique techniques to help you increase your bench press.
So, if you're not happy with how much weight you can blast up on the
bench press now, take a look at some of the techniques below and see how
you can incorporate them into your routines.
------------------------------------------------------------
9 Unique Techniques to Increase Your Bench Press
------------------------------------------------------------
by the Critical Bench Crew,
http://Increase-Your-Bench-Press.com
1. Board benching: Pick a wooden board. A board from 2-5 inches
thickness works well. With this technique, the board rests on your chest
bringing your starting point of the bench right near your sticking point,
making you stronger at your sticking point.
To get the most out of this exercise, pause the weight on the board,
and then press it back up. Go for 3 rep maxes, doubles and singles. Low
reps are the way to go if you want maximum strength and aren't training
for an endurance contest.
2. Close grip bench board benches: Same as close grip but use a board.
Great exercise with more emphasis on the triceps.
3. Power rack lockouts: This is where you lay under a power rack and
the barbell rests on the pins of the power rack (the one you squat and
shrug inside). Set the pin to a level above your chest so that you're
only locking out the last 6-8 inches of the bench press. Set the barbell
heavier than your normal 1 rep bench max.
When you do Rack Lockouts, you will be able to use a lot of real scary
weight, possibly 250lbs over your raw bench. Some people can lockout
insane weights but can't bench anything and vice versa. This gives you
confidence to handle big weights and strengthens your tendons and
lockout. Other options: you can set the rack from slightly lower pins and
strengthen your tendons and weak links from lower starting points.
4. Floor presses: Lay on the floor and arch your lower back while
keeping your butt on the floor and bring the weight down until your elbows
hit the floor and then drive it back up. Spotters can help hand you the
bar to start the lift. This is another bench technique that starts the
lift near your sticking point, helping to improve your sticking point
strength.
5. Chains: When you use chains, the weight gets increasingly heavier
the further you press it up, thereby increasing the amount of work you do
with each rep. Let's say you use 225 lbs with a 45 lb chain on each
side... You're benching a little over 225 lbs from the first half of the
lift but you're locking out 315 at the top as the chains are almost
fully off the ground (you can get chains of varying weights). Chains are
very popular to use with strength coaches and athletes on all different
kinds of lifts.
6. Speed Benching: Moving a light weight fast. Keep it controlled but
explosive reps. Popular to do for speed strength on days you're not
lifting heavy. This has done wonders for some people but what does wonders
for some does nothing for others.
7. Negative/Forced Reps: This is a way of overloading the muscles where
you take a weight over your max and you bring it down slowly! So
you're basically trying to prevent the weight from crushing you. Then you
will have spotters force the weight up.
8. Assisted Reps: These can help make you work harder if used properly.
When you do these, your workout then has a lot to do with your spotter
and whether he is helping you or your ego...Beware if they are
misused, you won't get stronger because you aren't controlling the weight and
you will have a false sense of your strength.
9. Bands: Bands add resistance to the weight you are using similar to
chains. The weight increases the further you press off of your chest as
the bands tighten. They help you train your lockouts and explosiveness.
Try bands for a completely different bench press experience. Bands
and chains give you variable increasing resistance as opposed to just
steady resistance with a normal bench press.
All of the above techniques are great ways to blast through your bench
press plateau.
Check out the full system that the Critical Bench crew uses to increase
the average person's bench press 50 lbs in 10 weeks...
http://Increase-Your-Bench-Press.com
I'll be back soon with more Lean-Body Secrets. Til then, don't be
lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
PS - if you liked todays article, feel free to fwd this email on to any
of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
*Please note that replies to this email are routed
to a help-desk.
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
do now. It's the classic line that almost everybody asks someone else
when they talk about lifting... "So, whaddya bench?".
Regardless of the lack of importance of that specific number, nobody
can argue with the fact that the bench press ranks right up there with
pullups as one of the overall best upper body development exercises in
existance.
I asked the crew at Critical Bench to give my readers a few of their
best and most unique techniques to help you increase your bench press.
So, if you're not happy with how much weight you can blast up on the
bench press now, take a look at some of the techniques below and see how
you can incorporate them into your routines.
------------------------------------------------------------
9 Unique Techniques to Increase Your Bench Press
------------------------------------------------------------
by the Critical Bench Crew,
http://Increase-Your-Bench-Press.com
1. Board benching: Pick a wooden board. A board from 2-5 inches
thickness works well. With this technique, the board rests on your chest
bringing your starting point of the bench right near your sticking point,
making you stronger at your sticking point.
To get the most out of this exercise, pause the weight on the board,
and then press it back up. Go for 3 rep maxes, doubles and singles. Low
reps are the way to go if you want maximum strength and aren't training
for an endurance contest.
2. Close grip bench board benches: Same as close grip but use a board.
Great exercise with more emphasis on the triceps.
3. Power rack lockouts: This is where you lay under a power rack and
the barbell rests on the pins of the power rack (the one you squat and
shrug inside). Set the pin to a level above your chest so that you're
only locking out the last 6-8 inches of the bench press. Set the barbell
heavier than your normal 1 rep bench max.
When you do Rack Lockouts, you will be able to use a lot of real scary
weight, possibly 250lbs over your raw bench. Some people can lockout
insane weights but can't bench anything and vice versa. This gives you
confidence to handle big weights and strengthens your tendons and
lockout. Other options: you can set the rack from slightly lower pins and
strengthen your tendons and weak links from lower starting points.
4. Floor presses: Lay on the floor and arch your lower back while
keeping your butt on the floor and bring the weight down until your elbows
hit the floor and then drive it back up. Spotters can help hand you the
bar to start the lift. This is another bench technique that starts the
lift near your sticking point, helping to improve your sticking point
strength.
5. Chains: When you use chains, the weight gets increasingly heavier
the further you press it up, thereby increasing the amount of work you do
with each rep. Let's say you use 225 lbs with a 45 lb chain on each
side... You're benching a little over 225 lbs from the first half of the
lift but you're locking out 315 at the top as the chains are almost
fully off the ground (you can get chains of varying weights). Chains are
very popular to use with strength coaches and athletes on all different
kinds of lifts.
6. Speed Benching: Moving a light weight fast. Keep it controlled but
explosive reps. Popular to do for speed strength on days you're not
lifting heavy. This has done wonders for some people but what does wonders
for some does nothing for others.
7. Negative/Forced Reps: This is a way of overloading the muscles where
you take a weight over your max and you bring it down slowly! So
you're basically trying to prevent the weight from crushing you. Then you
will have spotters force the weight up.
8. Assisted Reps: These can help make you work harder if used properly.
When you do these, your workout then has a lot to do with your spotter
and whether he is helping you or your ego...Beware if they are
misused, you won't get stronger because you aren't controlling the weight and
you will have a false sense of your strength.
9. Bands: Bands add resistance to the weight you are using similar to
chains. The weight increases the further you press off of your chest as
the bands tighten. They help you train your lockouts and explosiveness.
Try bands for a completely different bench press experience. Bands
and chains give you variable increasing resistance as opposed to just
steady resistance with a normal bench press.
All of the above techniques are great ways to blast through your bench
press plateau.
Check out the full system that the Critical Bench crew uses to increase
the average person's bench press 50 lbs in 10 weeks...
http://Increase-Your-Bench-Press.com
I'll be back soon with more Lean-Body Secrets. Til then, don't be
lazy... be lean.
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
PS - if you liked todays article, feel free to fwd this email on to any
of your friends, family, or co-workers that would enjoy it.
*Please note that replies to this email are routed
to a help-desk.
TruthAboutAbs.com
1104 woodhollow dr
marlton
nj 08053
United States
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