Fat Burning Kitchen Vegetables That Fight Stomach Fat

3 Vegetables That Fight Stomach Fat

I got this email from my buddy Mike Geary I thought you would find it interesting. If you want to burn off that excess body fat where do you start? Nutrition!! Check out what Mike has to say you might learn something new. I know whe Mike talks about nutrition and exercise I listen.

I bet you didn't know that there is a specific class of vegetables that contain very specific phytonutrients that actually help to fight against abdominal fat.

Let me explain what they are and why...

First of all, if you've already grabbed a copy of the new Fat Burning Kitchen Program then you may already know about how certain chemicals in our food supply and our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from household cleaners, cosmetics, etc can act as xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that you are exposed to that have an estrogenic effect and excess exposure can cause hormone balance disruptions for both men and women. So these can wreak havoc in the body for both guys and gals.

These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems.

So here's where this specific class of vegetables comes in handy...

One of those cool tricks that I teach in my Fat Burning Kitchen program is that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, etc. contain specific and unique phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds...

And by fighting against these belly fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this can help you fight against abdominal fat!

So there you go... just another excuse to do what mom always told you and eat more broccoli!

I've really learned to like brussells sprouts in the last year too... Melt a little grass-fed cheese on them and some garlic and they're great!

In case you haven't picked up your copy yet, I give away at least 12 other specific foods, teas, spices, etc that help to combat the xenoestrogens and can help you to burn abdominal fat faster in my new program...

make sure to grab your copy before the price doubles tomorrow:

Fat Burning Kitchen

Pass this email onto your friends... I bet you'll shock them with this article about xenoestrogens and how broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts can help to fight the battle against abdominal fat.

Enjoy!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Lose Unwanted BodyFat The Case Of The Missing BodyFat

It was 3a.m. I was working late, when a call came into the office. Mrs Joan Saggy Butt was frantic "you have to help me" she screamed into the phone. After getting her to calm down she explained what happened. Her body fat was missing. It was a call that I didn't want to get.

Once Mrs. Saggy Butt calmed down some she explained someone has stolen her excess body fat. I've been dreading this call. Until lately here in Excess Body Fat, USA we pride ourselves on our saggy arm fat, big butts and thunder thighs. But we have started getting calls like this at an alarming rate. And I know what the answer is the terror we have tried to keep out of our town.

He who shall not be named

As Mrs. Saggy Butt talked I was pretty much oblivious to her words instead chosing to fixate on my half eaten jelly donut. Then regaining my concentration I heard Mrs. Saggy Butt say it was unreal how fast "he who shall not be named works". She rambled on about in 20 minutes her love handles disappeared, her saggy arm fat was shrinking "and my Butt" is so firm you can bounce a quarter on it. I thought she's bats.

It was now as plain as the rolls of fat around my stomach. Mrs. Saggy Butt was taken in by the Dark Side. It is a growing culture all over the country that was now hitting here in my home town. But I wondered how can these people be taken in by this. The benefits of having excess body fat are so plentiful.

Isn't having excess body fat a beautiful site not to mention being incredibly sexy? And Heart disease oh wow what having that body fat does for putting added pressure on your heart. well I'm sure your well aware of all the benefits. So what the heck are these people thinking?

It is becoming very disturbing these lean, trim athletic looking physiques starting to creep into my town. But what can I do? He who shall not be named has been very elusive. So I asked Mrs. Saggy Butt to explain what happened she was still pretty panicky at this point not believing the dramatic changes to not only her body but her health.

What I got out of her ramblings was that "he who shall not be named" came into her home 3 times a week for she thinks only 20 minute intervals and in what seems like no time at all her body was completely changing. She was experiencing high energy levels, low body fat, her thighs weren't rubbing together anymore and her butt wasn't dragging on the ground. This was frightening.

The Dark Side is here and it's real. People losing their excess body fat, getting healthier, having a firm butt, slender thighs and tight abs and all in 20 minute intervals 3 times a week. How do I fight such EVIL!!

After hanging up the with Mrs. Saggy Butt I returned to my jelly donut to contemplate my next move. Someone needed to stop this mass loss of excess body fat , the move to a (ugh I can't say it) healthier life style. But for now My couch was calling me and another box of donuts was just delivered.

As I looked at my new box of donuts (trying to decide which to have first bavarian cream or glazed) I thought about why anyone would invade my peaceful, slow moving town to steal body fat and why would anyone here be taken in by "He Who Is Not Named" and want to live (it really makes me ill to say it) a healthier lifestyle.

Well I can think about it tomorrow. I have donuts to eat and TV to watch.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Gagliano

Permanent Weight Loss What You Need To Learn

Learning Permanent Weight Loss! Part 1 By Will Brink

I have a great article for you today. It is a very in depth look at how you can learn for yourself about fat loss and diet plans and whether they will work for you. Not for the short term but to get you permanent results.

This article is by Will Brink a respected author, consultant and trainer. I have had to split this article in half it is a long read. But it is very important for anyone looking for permanent weight loss. So here is part 1 Jag252

Most people who read my articles and e-books know me as a science guy who likes to quote studies and apply research to everyday problems such as weight loss, bodybuilding, and other health/fitness related topics. However, sometimes you have to step back from the science and look at the big picture to help bring people back into focus, so they can see the forest for the trees, so to speak.

For most people reading this article, finding an effective diet that works most of the time must seem as complicated as nuclear physics. It’s not, but there are a bewildering number of choices for diets out there. High fat or no fat? High carbohydrate or no carbohydrate? Low protein or high protein?

To make matters worse, there are a million variations and combinations to the above diet scenarios to add to the confusion. It seems endless and causes many people to throw up their hands in frustration and give up. In this article I will attempt to change all that.

There are some general guidelines, rules of thumb, and ways of viewing a diet program that will allow you to decide, once and for all, if it’s the right diet for you. You may not always like what I have to say, and you should be under no illusions this is another quick fix, “lose 100 lbs. in 20 days,” guide of some sort.

However, if you are sick and tired of being confused, tired of taking the weight off only to put it back on, and tired of wondering how to take the first steps to deciding the right diet for you that will result in permanent weight loss, then this is the article that could change your life…

Do you need to be a scientist to apply what you will learn here? No. A mind reader or clairvoyant? No.

A nutritionist or medical doctor? Not at all. What you need to be is open-minded and willing to learn a few key concepts that will allow you to sort through the confusion.You will be able to apply what you learn here to any diet you are considering and decide if it makes sense, once and for all!

The process, however, is neither easy nor quick per se, but I never promise you either of those things…This article does not look at specific diets but will teach you to take a logical approach and apply some common sense to choosing a nutritional plan for life long weight loss.

If you are willing and able to make a paradigm shift, then let’s proceed.

Does your diet pass “The Test”?

What is the number one reason diets fail long term; above all else?

The number one reason is…drum roll…a lack of long term compliance. The numbers don’t lie; the vast majority of people who lose weight will regain it - and often exceed what they lost. You knew that already didn’t you?

Yet, what are you doing to avoid it? Here’s another reality check: virtually any diet you pick which follows the basic concept of “burning” more calories then you consume – the well accepted “calories in calories out” mantra – will cause you to lose weight. To some degree, they all work: Atkins-style, no carb diets, low fat high carb diets, all manner of fad diets - it simply does not matter in the short term.

If your goal is to lose some weight quickly, then pick one and follow it. I guarantee you will lose some weight. Studies generally find any of the commercial weight loss diets will get approximately the same amount of weight off after 6 months to a year.

For example, a recent study found the Atkins’ Diet, Slim-Fast plan, Weight Watchers Pure Points program, and Rosemary Conley’s Eat Yourself Slim diet, were all equally effective.

Other studies comparing other popular diets have come to essentially the same conclusions. For example, a study that compared the Atkins diet, the Ornish diet, Weight Watchers, and The Zone Diet, found them to be essentially the same in their ability to take weight off after one year.

Recall what I said about the number one reason diets fail, which is a lack of compliance. The lead researcher of this recent study stated: “Our trial found that adherence level rather than diet type was the primary predictor of weight loss”

Translated, it’s not which diet they chose per se, but their ability to actually stick to a diet that predicted their weight loss success. I can just see the hands going up now, “but Will, some diets must be better than others, right?”

Are some diets better then others? Absolutely. Some diets are healthier then others, some diets are better at preserving lean body mass, some diets are better at suppressing appetite – there are many differences between diets. However, while most of the popular diets will work for taking weight off, what is abundantly clear is that adhering to the diet is the most important aspect for keeping the weight off long term.

What is a diet?

A diet is a short term strategy to lose weight. Long term weight loss is the result of an alteration in lifestyle. We are concerned with life long weight management, not quick fix weight loss here. I don’t like the term diet, as it represents a short term attempt to lose weight vs. a change in lifestyle.

Want to lose a bunch of weight quickly? Heck, I will give you the information on how to do that here and now for no charge.

For the next 90 to 120 days eat 12 scrambled egg whites, one whole grapefruit, and a gallon of water twice a a day. You will lose plenty of weight. Will it be healthy? Nope. Will the weight stay off once you are done with this diet and are then forced to go back to your “normal” way of eating? Not a chance. Will the weight you lose come from fat or will it be muscle, water, bone, and (hopefully!) some fat? The point being, there are many diets out there that are perfectly capable of getting weight off you, but when considering any eating plan designed to lose weight, you must ask yourself:

“Is this a way of eating I can follow long term?”

Which brings me to my test: I call it the “Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?” Test. I know, it does not exactly roll off your tongue, but it gets the point across.The lesson here is: any nutritional plan you pick to lose weight must be part of a lifestyle change you will be able to follow - in one form or another - forever.

That is, if it’s not a way of eating you can comply with indefinitely, even after you get to your target weight, then it’s worthless.

Thus, many fad diets you see out there are immediately eliminated, and you don’t have to worry about them. The question is not whether the diet is effective in the short term, but if the diet can be followed indefinitely as a lifelong way of eating.

Going from “their” way of eating back to “your” way of eating after you reach your target weight is a recipe for disaster and the cause of the well established yo-yo dieting syndrome. Bottom line: there are no short cuts, there is no free lunch, and
only a commitment to a lifestyle change is going to keep the fat off long term.

I realize that’s not what most people want to hear, but it’s the truth, like it or not. The statistics don’t lie: getting the weight off is not the hardest part, keeping the weight off is!

If you take a close look at the many well known fad/commercial diets out there, and you are honest with yourself, and apply my test above, you will find most of them no longer appeal to you as they once did.

It also brings me to an example that adds additional clarity: If you have diet A that will cause the most weight loss in the shortest amount of time but is unbalanced and essentially impossible to follow long term vs. diet B, which will take the weight off at a slower pace, but is easier to follow, balanced, healthy, and something you can comply with year after year, which is superior?

If diet A gets 30 lbs off you in 30 days, but by next year you have gained back all 30 lbs, but diet B gets 20 lbs off you in the next 3 months with another 20 lbs 3 months after that and the weight stays off by the end of that year, which is the better diet?

If you don’t know the answer to those questions, you have totally missed the point of this article and the lesson it’s trying to teach you, and are set up for failure. Go back and read this section again…

By default, diet B is superior. Teach a man to Fish…

A well known Chinese Proverb is;Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

This expression fits perfectly with the next essential step in how to decide what eating plan you should follow to lose weight permanently. Will the diet plan you are considering teach you how to eat long term, or does it spoon-feed you information? Will the diet rely on special bars, shakes, supplements or pre-made foods they supply?

Let’s do another diet A vs. diet B comparison. Diet A is going to supply you with their foods, as well as their special drink or bars to eat, and tell you exactly when to eat them. You will lose – say – 30 lbs in two months.

Diet B is going to attempt to help you learn which foods you should eat, how many
calories you need to eat, why you need to eat them, and generally attempt to help teach you how to eat as part of a total lifestyle change that will allow you to make informed decisions about your nutrition.

Diet B causes a slow steady weight loss of 8 -10 lbs per month for the next 6 months and the weight stays off because you now know how to eat properly.

Recall the Chinese proverb. Both diets will assist you to lose weight. Only one diet, however, will teach you how to be self-reliant after your experience is over. Diet A is easier, to be sure, and causes faster weight loss than diet B, and diet B takes longer and requires some thinking and learning on your part.

However, when diet A is over, you are right back where you started and have been given no skills to fish. Diet companies don’t make their profits by teaching you to fish, they make their money by handing you a fish so you must rely on them indefinitely or come back to them after you gain all the weight back.

Learning Permanent Weight Loss! part 1 check back soon for part 2

Will Brink has over 15 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies. His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors. Will is the author of the popular e-books, both acommpanied by private members forum access , Bodybuilding Revealed & Fat Loss Revealed.

5 Diet Rules For Six Pack Abs And Burn Belly Fat

If it's fat loss, getting that six pack abs look and losing your unwanted body fat It isn't just about your workouts. There is an old adage in bodybuilding circles(forgive me if I have told you this before but it is that important.

" You Can't Out Train A Lousy Diet "

Personally, I eat 3 meals and 3 snacks per day, focusing on fruits
and vegetables, nuts, and protein (although a lot less protein than
I used to eat 7 or 8 years ago. I also eat fewer modified carbs than
I did even 2 years ago. More on that in a minute.

Listen, diet will play a huge part in helping you burn belly fat,
flatten your stomach, and get six pack abs. So it doesn't matter if
you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced, here are FIVE
fantastic nutrition rules for your abs diet today.

1) Reduce your modified carbohyrate intake. You've heard of
processed carbs before, but I want to introduce you to modified
carbs.

This is my definition for anything that is not eaten in its original
form. So reduce breads, pasta, breakfast cereal, muffins, granola
bars, and of course, any other food in a bag or a box.

When I cut out modified carbs, I lost another 1% body fat, had more
mental energy, and did not feel sleepy after meals.

I say, "Stick to fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts for carbs."

2) Eliminate bad fats, increase good fats. Eating even 1 gram of
trans fats per day could harm your heart. One of the few supplements
I use is fish oil (that I like to call, "fish juice" - ewww!). Some
folks say fish oil helps burn fat, but I don't believe it...however,
it is great for heart health.

3) Eat more protein, but not an excessive amount. Bodybuilders
recommend 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, BUT that is
TOO MUCH if you are overweight.

Women need about 100 grams of protein, men need about 150 grams,
unless a guy literally has over 200 pounds of lean mass. Not too
many guys do, however.

4) Add more fiber to your diet by eating more fruits, vegetables,
and raw nuts.

5) Stick to your nutrition plan 90% of the time using Dr. Berardi's
90% Compliance guidelines.

How does this work?

Well, let's say you are on a 2000 calorie per day diet. To hit 90%
compliance, that means 1800 calories must come from fruits, veggies,
nuts, and protein, leaving you 200 calories "to play with".

You can either have a 200 calorie treat each day, or save up 200
calories for 3-4 days straight and have a 600-800 calorie reward
meal every 3-4 days.

Make sense? Sounds simple. Just be consistent with those 5 rules.

Plan ahead to avoid all of the obstacles life likes to throw in
your way. And if you need help, just ask on the TT Member's forum.

If you want more help with this type of nutrition, including meal
plans for men and women, go to:

=> http://www.squidoo.com/yourdietsolution

Eat this way if you are ready for maximum energy, vitality, and fat
burning

Talk to you soon Jag252

Smart Cardio For Strength, Mass, And Fat Loss

Smart Cardio For Strength, Mass, And Fat Loss…

By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems

If you’re a typical guy who loves to lift big weights, but considers anything over 3 reps to be "endurance" training, you might not be interested in this article. However, if you can bench press a Buick but get winded when you bend down to tie your shoes, maybe I have an audience.

Look, we all do what we LIKE to do, but only the most successful among us find a way to also do what we NEED to do. If you think you’re in the latter category, listen up. I’ve got a quiver full of fun, challenging, cardio workouts that help you lose fat without losing strength or muscle.


Why You Need Cardio
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that cardio will turn you into a wispy, estrogen-soaked shadow of your former self - too many guys use this mindset as an excuse to avoid what they know they should be doing. In fact, the benefits of smart cardio training are too numerous to ignore. They include:


Cardiovascular Health: This might not sound so exciting, but believe me, a heart attack or stroke won’t help you lift bigger weights, will it? Good health is the foundation of everything else, including your weight workouts.

Think back to the parable of the farmer who discovered a goose who laid golden eggs - after a while, the farmer lost patience, and killed the goose to get all of the eggs all at once. Of course, when he opened the goose, there were no eggs inside. Don’t kill the goose (your health) that lays golden eggs (a lifetime of productive workouts).


Fat Loss: If I still haven’t convinced you by using the health argument, then this benefit should catch your attention. While it’s POSSIBLE to get super lean by lifting alone, it’s a lot easier if you add a cardiovascular component to your program.

Cardio workouts create a greater energy deficit, elevate metabolism, and initiate the secretion of important fat-mobilizing hormones. Don’t worry, you won’t lose muscle or strength, if you follow my suggestions in this article.


Active Recovery: We’ve known for a long time that ANY form of "contrasting" stress promotes a faster recovery from your primary training activity. For guys who primarily lift weights, that means cardio. Now if you’ve tried this approach before and it didn’t work, it’s almost certainly because you failed to carefully integrate the cardio into your existing program. More on that later.


Injury Prevention: Cardiovascular exercise mobilizes joints, increases blood flow to various tissues, and generally improves overall functioning. Really. Just trust me.


Everyday Function: I hate to be the one to clue you into this, but there are some very important everyday functions that require more than the ability to exert maximum force for 1-2 seconds. Things like walking across the street, playing with your kids, taking a shower, stuff like that.

Now, you might not have terrible endurance capacity now, but after a few decades of cardio avoidance, you will. So don’t even go there - you really CAN have it all - impressive muscularity, scary levels of maximum strength, and a healthy heart to boot. Follow along...

Four Principles Of Effective Cardio Training
Before I introduce you to my favorite cardio tricks, I’d like to share a few general principles that will make your cardiovascular sessions a lot more fun and rewarding:


1) Variation Prevents Injury, Boredom, and Dropout:
Here’s a little analogy that I use with my athletes: unfurl a paper clip into a straight piece of wire, and then start bending it back and forth, eventually you’ll break it. Think of your body that way.

There’s no need to use a single activity (such as running or biking) for your cardio workouts. After all, your heart, lungs, and circulatory system don’t know what exercise activity is taking place - but your joints sure do. If you use running for all your cardio workouts for example, your knees and feet take a heavy beating. But if you distribute the workout among 2-3 activities, such as running, swimming, and cycling, you’ll be less prone to overuse injury, and you’ll have more fun to boot.


2) Quality Before Quantity:
We all pay lip service to this principle, but how few of us actually employ it! Make sure your exercise technique is consistent at all times, no matter what. Know your best times for the various distances you cover and then, in your workouts, always stay close to those times. Finally, a quality performance is a pain-free performance. If you’re experiencing elbow pain during a swim for example, change gears until you determine what’s wrong.


3) Challenge Yourself And Have Fun:
I have a neighbor who’s simultaneously fascinated and disturbed by my devotion to physical training. He’ll often walk past my garage while I’m lifting and exclaim “Better you than me” or words to that effect. I always respond that I only train because I love it.

Look - if you can’t find some fun in your training, you’ll never last. So if you hate cardio, you’ll need to play some games with yourself to get in the mood. I think the best way to accomplish this is to challenge yourself. Keep a detailed training journal and record your PR’s for everything you do. This adds purpose and excitement to your training.


4) No Fuss Gets The Job Done:
I think the reason that a lot of people find exercise so tedious is because of all the pre-workout preparations - getting dressed in your “workout gear,” waiting for the perfect weather conditions, and taking your pre-workout supplements, just to name a few.

Try to adopt a “no preparation” attitude toward training. Don’t worry what your hair looks like, if it’s raining out, if you’ve got your running shorts on, or if you’ll be sweaty while you’re at the grocery store afterwards.

People often tell me that they dread the thought of doing cardio, but once they’re doing it, it’s not so bad. If you can relate, try to minimize the pre-workout gyrations. Just get out and do it.


Lose The Fat, Keep The Muscle: My Favorite Cardio Training Methods.

The following 8 training methods have a few things in common: They’re efficient, fun, challenging, time-efficient, practical, and most of all, they deliver.


1) Out & Back:
This is both a training method and an assessment tool, especially for beginners or lifters who haven’t done any cardio in a while. The idea is to cover a measured distance (you can run, bike, swim, skate, or whatever form of locomotion you happen to like) such that the “return” trip is performed in the same time (or less) than the “out” trip.

Let’s say you decide you’re going to go out for a jog for example. Your goal is to jog to a nearby park and then turn around and come back. With the out and back method, your goal is to establish a pace that enables you to complete your return trip in the same time as your out trip. If the return trip takes longer than the out trip, it indicates that you’re fatiguing faster than you should be - in other words, you’re running beyond your current abilities.

You can even use the out and back method with cardio machines in your gym - if, for example, you plan to use the elliptical trainer for 20 minutes, notice how much work you do in the first 10 minutes (usually this will be displayed as distance, or, alternatively, in watts). Then strive to equal or surpass this workload in the remaining 10 minutes.


2) Timed Miles:
If you haven’t done any running in a while, you might be surprised at how much you suck at it. In fact, if you go out and try to run one mile, chance are you won’t be able to finish at all. So don’t even try. Instead, measure a one mile course (maybe 1/2 mile out, and 1/2 mile back), and go out and cover that course, through a combination of walking, running, jogging, whatever.

The main thing is to record your time, no matter how bad it might be. Then, the next time you go out, simply beat that time. And you will. Gradually, workout by workout, you’ll be running more and walking less. And you’ll experience a steady stream of PR’s to keep your motivation flying.


3) 400’s:
400’s are one of the best fat-loss workouts you can ever do - just look at the physiques of top 400-meter sprinters if you still need convincing! Get on out to your local high school track (if it’s close to home, walk instead of drive - that’ll be your warm-up). Once around is 400 meters.

The current men’s World record is less than 44 seconds, which will soon strike you as un-Godly as you try your hand at this simple but punitive track & field event! So first time out, go VERY easy for the first 200 meters, and then pick up the pace for the final kick if you still have anything left in the tank.

Record your time. After about 4-5 minutes rest, run one more and try to beat your PR. That’s it for the first workout. You can run 400’s about twice a week, but start small and increase your reps very gradually. After several months, you’ll find you can do maybe 5 repeats per workout.


4) Hills:
Running hills is a fun but intense cardiovascular workout with important strength-enhancing benefits to boot. Best of all, the inclined surface minimizes impact and spares your joints.

Find a moderate slope that tapes you about 10-20 seconds to climb at maximum effort. First time out, limit yourself to 3-5 reps. Gradually increase to 10-12 reps after several weeks. And of course, time every sprint and always seek to beat your PR’s!


5) Tabata Protocol:
Recently, Dr. Tabata in Japan conducted a study in which he investigated the benefits of high intensity anaerobic exercise. Tabata discovered that a protocol consisting of 20 seconds of all-out cycling followed by 10 seconds of moderate cycling for a total of four minutes (8 repeats) was just as effective as forty-five minutes of aerobic exercise.

Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly to some, the Tabata Protocol increases aerobic fitness in addition to its anaerobic benefits. This finding is consistent with my "ladder" paradigm that states that higher intensity training develops a wider spectrum of fitness benefits than lower-intensity exercise.

Clearly, the hallmark of this method is it’s time-efficiency, but there is a price to pay in pain and sweat - choose your poison!


6) Dot Drill:
I realize that most weight-trainers think they own the market on pain-tolerance, but the dot drill makes 20-rep squats look like a trip to Baskin Robbins by comparison. Particularly insidious is the fact that, unlike resistance training, repeated exposures to the dots will not make subsequent exposures any easier.

First conceived by basketball coach Adolph Rupp in the 1940’s, and then later popularized by Bigger Faster Stronger Inc. a few decades later, the dot drill is both a remarkable agility, foot strength, and anaerobic conditioning exercise, as well as a superb and easy-to-administer testing tool.

It is unique in that it creates not only a high level of fatigue, but also a high quality of fatigue- fighters in particular will be able to relate to the feeling of panic that ensues when your heart rate soars to about 120% of age-predicted maximum.

The dot drill is a battery of 5 separate drills, performed in rapid succession, with each drill performed six times in a row before proceeding to the next drill (please refer to the diagram as you read the description).

Dot Drill Schematic

D E

C

A B


The dot drill features (5), five-inch diameter dots orientated in a pattern similar to the five dots on a pair of dice, expect that the “square” is three feet by two feet. Use a solid surface such as weight room matting, and tie your shoelaces. Tight.

Begin the drill as follows:

1) First drill: Starting position: your left foot is on “A” and your right foot on “B.” Hop forward and touch “C” with both feet simultaneously, then continue forward so that your left foot lands on “D” at the same instant your right foot lands on “E.” (a total of 2 hops). Now go back to the starting position by reversing what you just did (hopping backward). That’s one rep. Repeat for a total of six reps.

2) Second drill: From the starting position, lift your left foot in the air and with right foot only, hop to “C,” “E,” “D,” “C,” “A,” and back to “B.” That’s one rep. Repeat for a total of six reps.

3) Third drill: Repeat the last drill but using the left foot only (hop to “C,” “E,” “D,” “C,” “A,” and back to “B.”) That’s one rep. Repeat for a total of six reps.

4) Fourth drill: Repeat the last drill but using both feet, keeping the feet together- this looks somewhat like a skiing drill. Repeat for a total of six reps.

5) Fifth drill: This is very similar to drill number one, with a slight variation: When you reach the top of the pattern (left foot on “D” and your right foot on “E.”), instead of hopping backward to get back to the starting position, you instead jump-spin and land on the same two dots (only now your left foot will be on “E” and your right foot on “D.”), facing the opposite direction. Then hop forward and touch “C” with both feet simultaneously, then continue forward so that your left foot lands on “B” and your right foot on “A.” Lastly, jump-spin again to assume the starting position. That’s one rep. Repeat for a total of six reps.

Errors: Subtract .10 seconds for every missed dot from the total time.

Once you’ve done the drill a few times, you’ll notice that you can’t help but be competitive once you start. Even if you don’t feel terribly motivated, you’ll bust a gut trying to get a good time. Or maybe it’s just that you want to get it over with. Either way, the dot drill brings out your best (and I’m not referring to your last meal).

Implementing the Dot Drill
The five dots of death (as my athletes refer to it) can be used as a warm-up for a strength training session (one drill will bring your heart rate to 100% and will get you sweating big-time), as anaerobic conditioning, and/or as a fantastic foot and calf strengthening tool. One precaution however: I suggest never doing more than 4 repetitions of the dot drill on any given day, and not more than 12 dot drills on any given week.

Dot Drill Standards
OK, you’ve done the dot drill a handful of times and you think you’re a stud (or studette) because you finally broke the two minute barrier? According to Bigger Faster Stronger, you’ll need to break the 60 second barrier to be considered fast.


7) Tethered Pool Sprints:
I live in Phoenix and hot weather is fast approaching. It often becomes tedious to get out there for sprints when the temperature is well over 100 degrees. If you’ve got a pool, and it’s never occurred to you that you can use it for exercise because it’s too small, try this: call around to some pool supply and/or diving shops and find an elastic cord with a nylon waist-belt. You attach the band to one side of the pool, and attach the band to your waist.

Attach the band in such a way that you can just barely reach the other side of the pool through an all-out sprint. Once you touch the other end, relax as the band pulls you back. Then repeat for the desired numbers of reps. This is a brutally tough and effective form of anaerobic exercise that delivers the fat loss goods in spades.


8) Fast High Repetition Overhead Lifting:
I’ve added this last option for those of you who still have a hard time stomaching any "non-lifting" form of cardio. In this case we’re talking about various forms of snatches - a fast lift where the weight is "snatched" to an overhead position.

Of course, the snatch is one of the two Olympic lifting events, but there are several one-arm variants as well, including the one-arm dumbbell snatch, the kettlebell snatch, and the one-arm barbell snatch. All of these lifts create high levels of cardio-respiratory fatigue, in addition to the obvious speed strength and shoulder-function benefits. On top of that, snatches are actually fun!


Integrating Cardio With Weights
One final note - as you begin to initiate some of these cardio workouts, realize that you’re significantly increasing the demands on your body. I strongly suggest cutting back on the volume of your weight training exercises to make way for these new workouts.

The simplest way to do this is to cut your sets in halfó in other words, if you normally do 4 sets of 8, cut it back to 2 sets of 8 - at least for the first few months. You’ll find that this approach will allow you to maintain both your strength and orthopedic health as you begin to address your cardiovascular fitness needs.

Following the suggestions I’ve presented here, you’ll enjoy the health and fat loss benefits of a cardiovascular exercise program, and, who knows, you might even become a “former” cardio hater.


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About The Author

Charles Staley...world-class strength/performance coach...his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.

Click here to visit Charles' site and grab your 5 FREE Videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with "Escalating Density Training," Charles' revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.

http://www.staleytraining.com/ecm8/ezGaffurl.php?offer=nic1nac2&pid=1

A Barbell Circuit Workout On Video For Fat Loss And Muscle

I've a barbell circuit workout for you today. fat loss or building muscle circuit workouts are great. Efficient and very effective.

For fat loss cut down on your rest time. To build muscle take a little extra rest break.



Check out Weight Loss Fitness and Bodybuilding for more muscle building and fat loss workouts.