Pushing Through Fatigue: Don't Be A WIMP!

It's been a while since my last article, and for that I apologize.  School has kept me quite busy, especially as the semester is wrapping up.  But today, I wanted to address a topic I see far too often among my friends looking to get healthy, fit, strong, ripped, or whatever else you might want to call it.  And that, of course, is the topic of fatigue.  You know, tiredness, soreness, yawning-ness....yeah I just made that word up.  But you know what I mean.  It's that feeling you have the day or two after a really hard workout, where you crawl out of bed, open your eyes, and realize that you want nothing more than to skip today's scheduled workout and curl up on the couch with some chocolate milk and a bowl of cereal.  Your muscles hurt, your brain can't think, and you feel so inflexible that it wouldn't be out of the question to attempt to loosen your muscles with a rolling pin.  So what should you do?  You know you have to work out -- you have a goal you have to meet.  But you're sooo tired, and maybe your body is crying for rest.  Which should take priority?  Your long term goal, or your aching back?

Well, honestly, it depends.  Sure, there are times when you should take an unscheduled day off and occupy the couch like it's your J-O-B.  But, my loyal readers, you won't be happy with what I'm about to say (or maybe you will, I don't really know.)  When it comes down to it, THOSE TIMES ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.  If you've been on your workout plan for a while, and it's been working, your body probably can handle the workout for that day, even if it doesn't feel like it.  Heck, I work-out 9 times per week, nearly three and a half hours a day (two sessions.)  If I'm not walking into the gym a complete zombie, then I know that day will be absolutely fantastic.  When push comes to shove, you NEED to learn how to push through fatigue if you're going to get anywhere fast in your workout.  If it's not your rest day, it's time to push yourself to your max.  Will it be the same maximum level that you had on a good day?  Probably not.  But as long as you're giving it your all, that's enough.

But I can hear you yelling at me "WHY!?!  Why should I force my way through the crappiest, most painful feelings I've ever known!?!  What are you doing to me??"

First of all, calm down.  Second of all, I'm going to ask you, as politely as possible, to suck it up.  Listen, lifting weights hurts.  It makes you big, strong, and ripped, but it hurts.  It's fun, BUT IT HURTS!  If you're not feeling at least a little pain the day after, you're not working hard enough.  And to answer the question as to why you should push through the pain, the answer is quite simple:  It forces your body to adapt to heavier, more frequent loading.  It doesn't just "suggest" to your muscle fibers that they grow bigger and stronger, it FORCES them too.  If you're pushing your muscles to the point where they start screaming "NO MORE!!!" to you the next day, then laugh in their face and push them harder.  If you do, I can almost guarantee two things will happen.

FIRST:  You will make GREAT progress.  Heck, I'd say have of the personal records I've set have been on days where I was so sore and tired I couldn't think straight.  Something about fatigue brings out the animal in people.  You tell me, would you rather lie on your bed, nursing your wounds?  Or lift heavier weight for more reps than you ever have before?

SECOND:  Your muscles will probably just shut up and work.  Sure, you may be in pain now, but unless it's sharp, violent, strained-a-muscle type pain, it will go away when you start forcing your muscles to lift weight again.  You will almost always be sore somewhere if you're working out at least 3 days a week.  It's futile to avoid working sore muscles, and it's not harmful if you do lift with the same muscle groups again even while they're recovering.  Like I said before, this will force even greater muscle gain, and you'll see quick progress.  Once you warm up and start lifting, I can almost guarantee all that pain and fatigue will take a back seat to the task at hand, which of course is getting bigger, stronger, faster, and leaner.  Sounds great right?


So working through some of the worst fatigue can give you some of the best gains.  We know this now.  But how can we avoid some of that pain and fatigue in the first place?  Well, if you spend a little more time devoted to active recovery work, I bet there won't be nearly as many days where it hurts to pick up your coffee mug, or takes actual effort to keep your eyelids open.

Stretch:  After a heavy workout, static stretch your muscles thoroughly, ESPECIALLY your legs.  The bigger the muscle, the more frustrating it will be to combat post workout tightness the next day.  You can keep things loose and flexible by spending about 10 minutes after your workout really stretching those muscle fibers, which will aid in recovery speed, and will actually help strength gains overall.  Plus, you'll be more flexible, allowing for better form and less chance of injury.

Massage/foam roll/lacrosse ball:  If you can get someone to give you a massage, do it.  If you can't (which probably will be the case), do some foam rolling on your sore muscles, or if you're feeling frisky use a lacrosse ball and really dig in.  Caution, THIS WILL HURT!  And when it hurts, you know you're doing it right.  Massage goes an extraordinarily long way toward helping muscles recover.  It loosens them up, and encourages fresh bloodflow to places that usually don't get too much, especially if they're tight as a drum.  This bloodflow will allow the muscles to receive better nutrition and hydration, and will help them to grow bigger and stronger, faster.  After the massage/rolling session, I bet you'll feel a million times better too.

Lacrosse ball rolling...like foam rolling, except 10000 times more painful (and effective...)

Post workout nutrition:  This one is a well known technique, but should NEVER be overlooked.  Immediately after a workout, consume a fast acting protein and a few carbohydrates to ensure your muscles IMMEDIATELY have the nutrients they need to start rebuilding themselves.  This will go an extremely long way in ensuring you aren't sore the next day, or at least not nearly AS sore.

Diet/nutrition in general:  If you're working yourself to your max, you need to keep your entire diet taylored toward recovery and growth-- lots of protein, quality carbs, and healthy fats.  Don't cut calories down, or you'll definitely feel it in your muscles and general level of fatigue.  Clean foods go a long way, make sure to eat lots of chicken, vegetables, fruits, and fats like nuts and oils.  Heck, what am I talking about, I've got near a million articles all on food.  CHECK THEM OUT!

Pre-workout supplements:  Sometimes, even after everything, you need a little kick in the butt.  A good pre-workout supplement can supply this with a respectable dosage of caffeine, nitric oxide, and creatine, which when combined give you a flood of energy, usually more than enough to kick you out of your funk and into lifting mode.  I would suggest Cellucor C4, or Assault by MusclePharm.  Both great supplements.

Fatigue, annoying yes, crippling?  NO.  Of course, it's up to you when you hit the gym.  But I'm here to tell you that your body isn't always right when it says you're too tired to hit the heavy stuff.  In fact, it's usually wrong (not ALWAYS, but usually.  You'll have to find your own threshold, but again, usually it's MUCH higher than people think.)  Push through the pain and see great results.  Now how can I hammer this point home?  Hmmmm....

Don't be a WIMP!

Good Luck!

My Beef with YOUR Legs

All right, this here's my blog, and though I'll almost always give helpful, hopeful, kind and informative information, a guy's gotta blow off steam sometimes, right?  

I've recently had a string of circumstances in which I've overheard people discussing the infamous "leg day" in the gym.  Oh god, LEG DAY!  HOW AWFUL!  It's been nothing but moaning, groaning, and whining at how sore they are after their LEG DAY.  "Aw man, I hate walking up stairs after LEG DAY..." or, "Man I think I'm going to take my rest day today, I just hit LEGS yesterday and I can barely walk."  I usually just stand there, fuming a little bit, trying not to scream out at them that they have no idea what a real leg workout really is.  Luckily though, self control is one of my better qualities.

So what's my big issue with LEG DAY?  Well, while I can agree with a lot of bodybuilding philosophies, the dogma behind leg day is NOT one of them.  Sure, I can understand you may be sore after some high rep squats, leg presses, and lunges, but I won't tolerate the whining for days on end that follow such a "high intensity " workout.  I put high intensity in quotes because it's all really a matter of opinion, and I hate to say it, but most gym rats have no idea what some top level athletes go through to force their legs to the next level.  Allow me to explain, but before I do, understand that I AM going to bring up Olympic lifting and power lifting yet again, and because I am training for Olympic weightlifting you may think I'm biased.  You're entitled to that opinion, and you probably are right in a way.  I'm biased, sure, but for sound reasons.  Anyway....

Let's look at an amateur Oly weightlifter.  Do you bodybuilders have any idea what they're training entails?  Let's go through the motions of how their training progresses.  When they're  a stark, raw beginner, they're squatting moderately heavy/ heavy twice a week, and probably pretty light for one more day on top of that.  They'll then progress to at least four days of squatting per week, increasing both their volume and weight.  Pretty soon they'll be hitting at least 80% of their 1 rep max every one of their training days.  Once their body adapts, they'll increase the frequency of their training sessions.  A good amateur will be training about 6 days a week, with one double session thrown in there, in which they'll squat in BOTH sessions.  After that?  You guessed it, they'll add one more day.  At first they'll only squat light on this 7th day, but after a while this workout will build up to around the same level as their other ones.  They'll be hitting at least 85-95% of their max almost every day, for doubles and triples.  But this isn't even close to the end.  Oh no.  A professional, world class weightlifter will squat every day, two to three sessions, in which they'll max out multiple times on singles, doubles, triples, 5's, and sometimes even 10's.  On top of that, they'll be using weights that regularly exceed 500 lbs.  And that's just for squats.  Did I mention they do the same thing with snatches and clean/jerks?  Yeah, your leg day doesn't seem so hard anymore, does it?

Now THAT's some depth!

A common powerlifting workout schedule may not be as squat oriented as Olympic style weightlifting, but they're still working legs multiple times a week with far more intensity than you can really fathom.  They usually have one to two days entirely devoted to the heaviest squats they can muster, and usually one day devoted completely to deadlifting (again, at maximal loads).  These guys are the strongest of the strong when it comes to moving heavy stuff around, and they're doing reps with weight I couldn't move in any way, shape or form.  Do that multiple times a week, then complain about those lunges you used to do.

Bottom line, you'll build strength squatting heavy and squatting often.  You may think it goes against conventional knowledge of muscle recovery, but that's exactly the point.  You force your body to adapt to heavier weights, because you're lifting them so often.  Even me, the skinny kid from Vermont, has put about 100 lbs on his squat so far with the Olympic lifting technique, and it's only been about 6 months of serious training.  And that's self coached.  There's a reason the greatest Olympic athletes were squatting over 500 lbs by the time they were 19.  I think John Broz, one of America's finest weightlifting coaches, puts it best:

"If your family was captured and you were told you needed to put 100 pounds onto your max squat within two months or your family would be executed, would you squat once per week? Something tells me that you'd start squatting every day. Other countries have this mindset. America does not."

Now I don't mean to take anything away from serious bodybuilders.  Judging by the size of their legs, they know how to train to get what they want.  But that's just it.  They want size, definition, vascularity.  Strength comes in behind those.  Again, that's fine if that's your goal, but it certainly isn't mine.  I'd rather squat super heavy weight with big legs than medium/light weight with GIANT legs.

One more issue I have with a bodybuilder style leg workout, is the depth of the squats.  What the HECK are you guys thinking?  I regularly see these big fools get under a bar with WAYYY too much weight, groan as they barely manage to lift it onto their back (or neck if they're REALLY inexperienced), hunch right over and squat a full 4 inches.  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  You're killing your knees, getting no real leg workout, and most likely destroying your lower back.  To get strength, you need to squat deep.  To squat deep, you need flexibility.  Look at any Olympic lifter, or even power lifter, they have ridiculous hip flexibility and can maintain a tight back even into the deepest of squats.  They're building solid legs.  Why aren't you?

NOT DEEP ENOUGH!!!!!

Anyway, there's my little rant.  To anyone around me, don't complain about leg days.  I may be a skinny kid with pretty skinny legs, but I'm still squatting 6 days a week, with double sessions every other day.  I don't find anything difficult about your stupid lunges, quarter squats, or leg presses.  And next time I see you straining to push 500lbs on the hack sled a full two inches, don't be surprised if you hear me chuckle just a little bit.

If you're looking for strength, squat heavy, squat deep, squat often, and don't cry about it.  GOOD LUCK!

Lifting For Two

Are you a gym loner?  Are you one of those people who hits the gym solo, day in and day out, in your own little world, at your own intensity level, and with your own goals in mind?  Well, thousands upon thousands of people are, and you know what?  That's just fine.  Some people work well alone, and most of the time I think I fall into this category just fine.  For months on end I've been hitting the gym solo, and have gotten plenty of personal records in the process.  Lots of people do the exact same thing with great success, so what's the problem?  Well, the thing is, by working out alone, you may be falling into a hidden trap, and squandering your own potential.

What do I mean?  Well, let me put it this way.  It's much easier than you think to set both your goals and your intensity levels far too low, and lose out on quite a bit of possible muscle gains.  In fact, you could get stuck in a rut without even realizing it.  Sure, I've given you ways to prevent this, such as setting short term goals which you have to try your darndest to stick to, or getting your diet right so you have maximum energy and feel ready to hit the heavy stuff day in and day out.  But honestly, the most effective motivation in a workout is sometimes just another person.

I can speak from personal experience here.  Whenever I've had the pleasure of another person to lift alongside, I've felt better and more motivated than any other time.  The reasons for this are quite simple, and I bet you all could figure them out.  However, because that wouldn't make much of an article, I'll post them here regardless:

Assistance:  Whether it's loading the weights, checking for good form, or just moving equipment around in general, you can get your next workout set up faster with someone else helping you.  You can also make sure you're doing it right.  Though a mirror works fine to check for squat depth, it'd sure be nice to have someone else there checking it for me as well.  And if your back rounds during a heavy deadlift, they can yell at you to drop that sucker before you get hurt, before you actually GET hurt.  That'd be nice, wouldn't it?

Distraction:  When the weight gets heavy, and you're there alone, that's all you can think about.  It's just you, under this stupidly heavy weight, and you need to squat it from top to bottom to top again.  And god it's heavy, why's it so heavy?  It wasn't this heavy yesterday, was it?  Oh my god I can't do this.  But I'm going to try anyway...so I here I go...and then BAM!  You fail.  You dump the weight, make some noise, and miss a chance at another PR.  Sucks, doesn't it?  There are two ways to alleviate this.  Take some weight off (hah! like that'll happen), or get a friend to come and watch you.  Performing for someone else can actually have a positive effect on lifting ability.  Your friend creates a distinct distraction that can easily take your mind off the task at hand, and instead get you into the right mindset to make the lift.  They can talk to you, root you on, tell you to push harder, and most likely you'll listen, and succeed.  Plus, having a friend there makes even the longest workouts fly by.  Just don't get chatting instead of lifting.

This distraction aspect also works GREAT with cardio.  I hate running, so whenever I had to go for a run I'd try to find someone to run with.  MUCH EASIER! 

Competition:  This used to be my driving force back in high school, with a guy named Cameron Stiles.  He and I would go back and forth trying to push out more reps with more weight (in fact our motto was jokingly "more weight, more reps, less rest") than the other could do.  Usually he won, considering he had about 10 lbs more muscle than I did, and was also built like a full-back (short arms, short legs, resembling an M1 Abrams Tank if you squinted.)  Nevertheless, he pushed me to get stronger faster than I ever had before, and god was it fun trying to beat him.  Next chance you get, bring a bud to the gym who's around your strength level, set up a few competitive lifts, and have at it.  You'll not only get a great workout in, but you'll feel like a beast WHEN you beat him.  And if competition doesn't get your mind in the right place to lift, I don't know what will.

Encouragement:  I've sort of covered this one already, but on a hard rep sometimes someone yelling appropriate encouragement can really push you through.  Keep in mind this needs to be the right tone of voice, intensity, volume, etc., so most likely not every one of your buddies will get you lifting that last rep as efficiently as they could.  For me, again, it was Cameron.  He had a way of yelling at me that just made me angry, energized, and extremely determined to get that last rep.  Haven't found someone else yet who could do the same.  But give it a shot, bring a friend and egg each other on, because a little encouragement can go a long way.

Safety:  Now this one kind of seems like a no brainer, but I'll mention it anyway.  Squats I'm not so concerned about, anyone who really knows what they're doing can dump a bar backward or forward, but on something like a bench press, seated military press, or anything else where you're suspending a bar over your body with no place to really throw it if it goes bad, it'd be nice to have someone there to pull the thing off you when you can't lift it anymore, right?

A Few More Reps:  This one kind of goes with the safety topic, though not exactly.  See, when you're benching alone, you know you need to rack it before you get to that one "grinding" rep, where you may or may not get stuck under the darn thing.  If you have someone there spotting you, and they know what they're doing, you can ALWAYS go for broke, and go right until you can't lift another rep.  Then, the best part is, your friend can help you push one more out by gently, lifting up on the bar and alleviating some of the weight on the concentric phase.  Heck, you can do that same thing four or five times and really push your body over the edge so much that it HAS to grow to adapt.  Go past your max, and you'll put on muscle, quick.

Creativity:  If you put two brains together, usually you can come up with better programming and more effective exercises than you would normally on your own.  You can discuss what you're feeling in your bodies throughout the workout, and determine what your next lift should be accordingly.  You can even design routines and lifts on the spot, and confuse your muscles enough so that they'll be forced to grow big and strong.  And trying new and crazy things can really make you feel impressively strong, and walk out of the gym that day feeling truly accomplished.

So there you have it, exactly why you should try to work out WITH someone else the next chance you get.  You'll push harder, be more efficient, creative, and effectively worked.  Plus, I can almost guarantee that it'll be a lot more fun (if you're working out with someone you actually like...).  Give it a shot, I'm pretty sure you'll see what I mean.  Progress comes quickly when someone else is there to help.

Get a buddy, hit the heavy weight, and as always, GOOD LUCK!

Enjoying Health and Fitness

Today I'd like to cover a topic that you'd think would be a no-brainer when it comes to health and fitness, yet for some reason it always gets pushed to the back of people's minds.  It's like there's this evil aura that surrounds the health field, one that people believe they must live within and constantly ward off in order to achieve any REAL results.  But there I go with my wordiness again.  What I'm really saying is:  many people believe that in order to be lean, fit, strong and healthy, they must also be miserable.

Wait...what?  Isn't the whole point of being healthy to feel BETTER about yourself, your diet, and your overall physical and mental image?  Well, yeah, I think so.  But every day I see people at the gym, young and old, who are in torture, hating every second they're on that treadmill, despising every rep on that stupid chest press machine.  They go to the gym to leave the gym, and to say to anyone else that they WENT to the gym.  That's about it.  They eat healthy to say they eat healthy, not because they like eating healthy.  I hate to watch people choke down things they hate just because they think that's the only way to do it.  It's saddening, depressing, and makes me wonder what the health and fitness world is really coming to.

Listen:  in order to be successful, YOU HAVE TO ENJOY WHAT YOU DO!  Do you think you'll make any real progress in the gym if you hate its guts?  No, because subconsciously on every rep you'll cheat yourself, you'll work slower than you could, lighter than you could, and for shorter amounts of time than you are really capable of.  You'll never push yourself to your limits, because that's not where your mind is at.  You'll instead be thinking about how much you hate this place and can't wait to leave.  If your head's not in the game, you're not going to give it your all, and you're NOT going to see the results you really want.

Same thing goes with diet.  Sure, anyone can scarf down a salad, but if you hate everything that's on it, how likely is it that you can make that salad something permanent?  More likely in a week or two (or if you've got more dedication it can take a while longer, a month or year perhaps), you'll switch back to a couple slices of pizza for lunch, followed by a cookie, or whatever.  That healthy stuff will be far behind you.  If you don't like the food you eat, you won't keep eating it.

So the big question is, how do you ensure that going to the gym and eating healthy become enjoyable things?  That, my friends, is a GREAT question.  And unfortunately I can't give you any super solid answer, BUT I can give you some pretty darn helpful guidelines.  The gym's the easy part, I almost guarantee you I could find a way that would make you love to come each day.  Here are a few suggestions:

Find Lifts You Like:  This may sound stupid, but everyone has certain muscles that feel GOOD to push hard, and work to their limits.  I can't tell you exactly which muscles, because everyone is different.  I enjoy squats (as you can probably tell by now).  They make me feel strong, do my body a hell of a lot of good, and feel GREAT to get right.  Yes, they feel good, I'm not lying to you.  So there's your first tip.  Throughout the week try to work different muscles in different ways, and more than likely you'll find an exercise that makes you feel like a real beast.  No, you can't only work that muscle, but hey, it gives you something to look forward to throughout your workout week, and it's not like there will be only one muscle you like working.  More than likely you'll find a lift every day that you can at least be content to push hard on.  You'll teach your body how to more effectively target muscles, and more than likely more and more lifts will start feeling easier and more fun.  Awesome!

Relieving the Pain of Cardio:  OK, I'm with you on this one, I HATE CARDIO.  Luckily, as a weightlifter, I barely do any =].  But do as I say, not as I do.  Unless you're specializing in a weight related sport, cardio is very important.  And yes, it sucks.  I jogged for many years, and struggled to find enjoyable things about it.  But it IS possible.  What I've found is that once you hit a good pace, and your body equilibrates to the run, you don't feel so bad.  So my first tip is, if cardio is killing you in the first couple minutes, wait a few more, it'll stop hurting so much.

-Second tip?  Make it interesting.  Run a new route every day, or have a good set of running routes that you can cycle depending on how you feel and what you're in the mood for that particular day.  Also, I found that running "down and back" was quite depressing, because when you got to the turnaround point you knew you still had that whole damn stretch you just ran left.  My suggestion is to have someone pick you up at the end of your run, so you'll constantly be treading new ground, and things don't get repetitive.

-Third tip?  Make it even MORE interesting.  And by this I mean, vary the pace.  Like I said before, I'm a firm believer in high intensity interval training (HIIT).  Jog for a minute, sprint for 15 seconds, then jog again. It feels great to push yourself when you're sprinting (no I'm not lying, it does feel good, try it out) and it makes your run go by a lot quicker.  You'll also get awesome results.

-Fourth tip?  Do cardio with a friend.  My runs with friends were SO much more enjoyable than alone, and the constant distraction removes the feeling of monotony and fatigue.  It can be fun to run/bike/walk with others, and more likely you'll push yourself harder and be able to go for longer periods of time.  So buddy up and DO IT!

Get With The Program:  There are all sorts of other things that can help the gym become a place of new excitement.  I personally love setting new records, and that's what keeps me coming back 6-7 days a week. I LOVE IT.  Weightlifting is my thing, and hey, if you're interested in it then I suggest finding a weightlifting club near you to try it out.  You might love it just as much as I do.

And that's my final tip.  Find a program you like.  I like weightlifting.  You might like gymnastics, or Zumba, or group cardio, or salsa dancing, or spinning classes, or bodybuilding clubs, or WHATEVER!  Join up with someone or something and hit it hard!  You'll be surprised at how much fun the gym can be.

Now, onto dieting tips.  I know people take diets quite seriously, so I'm hoping these can really alleviate a lot of diet depression.  Don't get stuck with food you hate and end up chucking any chances of success out the window after a few weeks.  Read these tips and see if you can try a few out ASAP:

TRY LOTS OF FOOD:  Some people think that healthy foods are few and far between.  WRONG!  There are thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of healthy foods out there, waiting to be cooked up and eaten by anyone who cares to.  Fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins, fats, they're all there, and there's such a huge spectrum that I can 99.9% guarantee you will find a few foods in it that you will wholeheartedly enjoy.  Don't like that salad with carrot shavings you brought for lunch?  Fine, bring some chicken breast, apple slices and whole wheat bread with skim milk tomorrow.  Didn't like it? (seriously?)  Well then, tomorrow bring some shrimp, a portobello mushroom, and maybe an orange or banana.  Still no?  (wow...) Make yourself up a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, and have some cooked peas and carrots on the side, or if you want something sweeter bring some fresh strawberries.

You see?  There are so many options, you don't have any excuse to say you hate all healthy food.  Read my other articles, find some foods you like, and try them.  Then, once you do, find a few more, and start constructing a diet you can't wait to eat.  I love what I eat, and it's a very clean diet.  I don't feel deprived, depressed, or crave crappy food (and this is coming from a guy who once ate pizza and brownies for breakfast.)

TRY LOTS OF RECIPES:  Same concept here.  Maybe simple food doesn't quite float your boat yet (it will eventually, if you keep at it.)  Until then, try a few complex, healthy recipes.  Grill up some fish and garnish it with vinaigrette and a few herbs, or make a healthy bean salad with salsa and corn, or bake some chicken with a coating of nice spices.  There are millions of healthy recipes out there, all ready to lose you some fat and build you some muscle.  Just do a little searching.  I have all sorts of recipes posted already, search through those as a start!  Don't be lazy, just spend some time making some awesome food and I bet pretty soon "healthy meal" will be your middle name.

Teach Yourself:  This one may not seem like quite as much fun, but it's quite valuable in the long run.  The basic concept being if you don't like a certain food, but know it's really good for you, give it one more try, and try to appreciate certain things about it.  Like I've said in previous articles, our taste buds are EXTREMELY adaptable, and can learn to enjoy just about anything.  I used to hate olives, but kept trying them.  I now enjoy them on every salad I have, and look forward to their powerful flavor.  Have an open mind, and tell yourself that you WILL like the food you're about to eat.  Your brain is powerful, and can do amazing things for you, including make an extremely healthy meal quite palatable.  Once you like the foods that you used to hate, it'll be a lot easier to keep eating them, right?


So there you have it, a few tips to make sure that you can actually enjoy a lifestyle of health and fitness, and in turn, strength, beauty and longevity.  Ah....doesn't that sound nice?  Don't be afraid to change up your routines, your diets, and your overall attempts at health multiple times until you start to find bits and pieces that you really enjoy and can fasten together into a healthier lifestyle.  Keep exploring, don't get stuck in a rut.  There are healthy things out there for everyone!

Keep it fresh, have an open mind, and this time especially...GOOD LUCK!!!!

Keep on Rolling

Being sore from the gym comes with mixed feelings, at least for me.  It's a great thing to feel that you pushed yourself successfully to your limits, but it isn't so much fun to hobble into the gym the next day and desperately try to loosen up before lifting big once again.  The energy might be there, but the flexibility and drive certainly won't be.  While dynamic stretches pre-workout and static stretches post-workout will both greatly aid in maintaining flexibility and decrease the overall pain felt, they aren't miracle workers.  The good news is there's a very simple tool you can use to drastically reduce soreness and increase your flexibility at the same time!

What is this fantastic yet simple tool?

It's called a foam roller!  It's not a complicated piece of gym equipment, that's for sure, in fact it looks like just a giant rolling pin made of foam.  Actually, it IS a giant rolling pin made of foam.  Here's a picture:

You basically use this thing by placing it under your body in such a way that if you move back and forth across it, it will "roll" over the desired muscle.  By doing this, you're basically giving yourself one of the most effective, well documented, and powerful methods of recovery, a deep tissue massage!  Finally, you can massage yourself!  Sounds fun right?  Well after you read what this foam roller can do for you, I bet you'll think so.

Pre-Workout Rolling-  That's right, you can foam roll pre-workout!  Unlike static stretching, there isn't the risk of tearing or over-stretching your muscles when they're still cold.  In fact, foam rolling is a great way to warm muscles up, and decrease muscle density (a fancy term for priming them to be used).  I usually don't foam-roll pre-workout, but I have when I've felt particularly stiff in my hamstrings or hips, and the rolling loosened me right up.  This thing will prime you, prep you, loosen you up, and help to prevent injuries during your workout (unlike static stretching, which could actually CAUSE them.)  Try it out!

Post-Workout Rolling- After that amazingly tough workout there's no doubt your muscles will be tired, tight, and sore.  Foam roller to the rescue!  On many occasions, especially when I'm dealing with small hip and leg injuries, I static stretch AND foam roll problem spots after my workout.  I can't tell you how big a difference this giant poofy rolling pin has made for my legs.  My hamstrings have gone from immovable iron rods to loose, greased tendons, with a lot of thanks going to this blue wonder worker.

And there's one more BIG benefit of foam rolling after that workout of yours.  It helps to removes toxins from your muscles that might have built up, like perhaps....lactic acid?  That's right, the chemical that makes you so sore come the following morning.  By rolling around on a foam roller for a few minutes after your workout you can basically knead the lactic acid out of your muscles and therefore speed up recovery.  You'll also help blood flow throughout the muscle, and that can do all sorts of good for you, like increased nutrient absorption.  It's really amazing how such a simple tool can do so much.

So get yourself foam rolling!  Most gyms these days are equipped with foam rollers, and if they're not don't despair, these things are only like 20 bucks at Walmart.  And believe me, they're worth it.  Try it out!

And did you think I was just going to leave you with that lame explanation on how to actually use a foam roller!  HAH!  Fat chance.  Here's a great video explaining different rolling techniques.

Love the roller, keep loose, and as always, good luck!

Stretching: Before or After?

We all have our little routines at the gym, a nice mental checklist to follow so we can get in and get out having accomplished everything we needed to in order to feel good for the rest of the day.  I see people all the time come in to the gym, lace up those shoes, put on that sweatband, fire up that ipod, and head right over the stretching mat, where they tend to contort themselves for a good 5-10 minutes before hopping right on the elliptical and pumping away an hour.  Chances are you've seen similar things, if you're at the gym for any reasonable amount of time.  Is there anything wrong with it?  It doesn't appear so, but if you follow a similar routine (and don't be ashamed, as thousands upon thousands do), you might actually be hindering your workout performance without even realizing it.

How the heck are you doing that?  Stretching.  Specifically, static stretching.  This involves placing a leg or an arm or a foot or hand or WHATEVER in a position that lengthens the respective muscle to its highest tolerance, then putting pressure on it to go slightly further.  The pressure/light pain you feel is the stretch, and over time it can dramatically increase flexibility.  This is a good thing.  So what are most people doing wrong then?  

They static stretch BEFORE they work out.  Believe it or not, this is a big no-no.  Static stretching before a workout can actually decrease overall muscular strength by UP TO 30%!!!  Wow!  What the heck?  How's that possible?  I thought static stretching before a workout helped!  That's what everyone told me! 

And you'd have a valid point, because it's pretty common knowledge to stretch before working out.  But why should you work hard to break this trend?

Well you see, when you static stretch, you will be forcing your muscle to stretch further than it has before, and at the same time you're also basically de-loading your muscles, forcing them into a state in which they cannot contract with nearly as much intensity as was previously possible.  It's like stretching a rubber band, and holding it at near breaking point for an extended period of time.  When you finally do release the tension, it might be a little longer, thinner, and less springy overall.  It has lost a lot of strength, and so have you.  

And there's something else too, which can also be explained with a little rubber band analogy.  Imagine sticking a rubber band in the freezer for a while.  Now, after a few hours, take it out, and try to stretch it.  I bet it'll snap almost instantly.  That freezer represents your average lifestyle activities, slow, monotonous, and cold.  It may even represent sleep, where you are most likely at a state of zero movement.  Your muscles aren't being used, and so in a way they "freeze" into very inflexible positions.  Now imagine trying to stretch cold muscles, just like you tried to stretch that rubber band.  Doesn't sound like a good idea, does it?  It sure isn't!  And most likely, eventually you'll get the same result.  You'll experience a muscle tear.  So why do you go into the gym and stretch those cold muscles to the breaking point day in and day out?

  Bottom line: Don't static stretch pre-workout.

However after a workout, static stretching is a great idea!  Your muscles are warm, you're through with using them, and if you just let them sit in their tired, spastic state, you'll most likely LOSE flexibility.  So stretch them out!  It's been shown in all sorts of studies that those who stretch post-workout are most likely to avoid future injury.  It's a pretty simple concept, right?  

But there MUST be something you can do pre-workout, right?  I mean you don't just expect to hop on that elliptical without some sort of warmup?  Good news for you, there's a different kind of stretching that will not only warm up your muscles, but won't stretch them to the breaking point or lose you strength.  These kinds of stretches are called dynamic stretches or ballistic stretches.  They involve stretching muscles through movement, encouraging them to activate and work at their highest potential.  It's much easier to show rather than tell about dynamic stretches, so here's a YouTube video that goes through a great pre-workout dynamic stretch routine.

(By the way, that guy is probably one of the strongest and fittest and most shredded on all of youtube, and is sponsered by several high end supplement brands, so I definitely trust his word, or lack of them, on most things.  Check his videos out, verrryyy inspirational.)

I will vouch for dynamic stretching all day long, and it's exactly what I do before every Oly-lift workout.  Warm up those hips, legs, shoulders, back, arms and neck.  You want to stay loose and primed for any sort of upcoming activity.  

Oh, and make sure you take time to actually do a routine somewhat like the one above.  It's worth it, and can prevent injury.  And believe me, you DON'T want to be injured.  

Stay loose, stay flexible, and good luck!

All About Glycogen

I bet you've all had them.  Those days when you drag yourself to the gym, and for some reason can't lift even fractions of what you normally could.  You'll end up frustrated beyond belief at the end of your session, wondering why weights that you generally pull with ease just won't budge.  You may look in the mirror, and feel as if your muscles looks smaller, softer, and less "bulky" than they usually are.  You just may feel weak, a shadow of your formal, beastly self.  Why has all your progress suddenly come to naught?

The answer?  Glycogen depletion.

Glycogen is an extremely important substance that is stored in your muscles and in your liver.  It is the body's usable source of carbohydrates.  You've always wondered how all that food you ate ended up as usable energy.  Well, glycogen is the answer!  Your body basically converts ingested carbohydrates into glycogen, and saturates your muscles and liver with the stuff to use as an efficient and powerful fuel source.  Hence, after your workout (in which you've hopefully depleted a large amount of your glycogen stores), it would definitely be in your interest to consume carbohydrates with your protein (the ratio is under scrutiny, some say 2:1 carbs to protein, others say as much as 4:1) in order to initiate both protein and glycogen synthesis.  

Easy enough right?  To keep those glycogen stores topped off, keep some carbs in that post-workout meal.  But because you've read my other articles (you have, haven't you?) , you may, upon considering this information, have reached a quandary about replenishing glycogen stores.  You may have realized that there are multiple types of carbohydrates (namely simple, and complex).  So which does a better job of fueling up those muscles after a hard workout?  Or maybe you're wondering if it matters at all, as long as your muscles get those much needed nutrients.

Well we've established in previous examples that IN GENERAL complex carbohydrates are a more effective energy/nutrient source for your body.  They are released slowly and used efficiently, and are less likely to be stored as fat.  They'll give you lasting energy for long periods of time, and are the better choice for filling up those glycogen starved muscles.  Why aren't simple carbs quite as good?  Well here's a quote from a website I found that describes it better than I could:

"… complex carbohydrates … are more effective in replenishing glycogen stores than simple sugars. This makes sense because complex carbs are released slowly whereas simple sugars are released very rapidly, potentially overwhelming the glycogen synthesis pathways and "spilling over" into fat stores. Furthermore, the increased insulin release resulting from simple sugars causes more of the sugar to be converted to fat (Parillo, p.20)."

So there you go, glycogen stores are more effectively replenished via complex carbohydrates.  Good examples of easily consumable complex carbohydrate sources are maltodextrin and brown rice syrup, both of which can easily be mixed into a post workout protein shake.  

Brown Rice Syrup...lovely isn't it?

But simple, sugary carbs also have their place post workout.  In fact they play a very important role in initiating both glycogen and protein synthesis.  Simple sugars (like dextrose, a commonly used sugary carb in the fitness scene) will quickly spike your blood sugar, which allows muscles to rapidly absorb all sorts of nutrients.  In fact, post workout is about the only time you really want to voluntarily "spike" your blood insulin because it allows for all that good synthesis material such as amino acids, carbs, vitamins, minerals, you name it, to be sponged up by those soft, tired muscles in no time flat.  Pretty nifty biochemistry, if I don't say so myself.  

There it is, a simple explanation of muscle glycogen, and why it is so crucial in the strength/fitness scene.  Low glycogen levels=poor performance, and believe me nobody wants to feel like crap in the gym.  If you've come off a long training cycle, chances are your glycogen stores are very low.  Don't be afraid to take a day off and eat a good amount of quality carbohydrates.  Everybody needs a re-feed every now and then!

Keep those muscles fueled, lift heavy and run like the wind.  Good luck!

Reference Article (A great read if you have the time, delves into more complex topics about glycogen replenishment):  http://fitnessforoneandall.com/nutrition/article/glycogen.htm

Size v. Strength: The Great Debate

Ever since the dawning of the modern workout, there has been a great divide between two main trains of thought regarding muscular growth.  There were those who wanted to get BIG, and those who wanted to get STRONG.  Such desires spawned two completely different methods for lifting weights, and two completely different types of athletes.

For the time being, lets ignore the casual "I just want to get toned" gym-goer (although I will admit this is a large percentage of gym-goers...).  

When I say two completely different athletic builds, I really mean it. Put these guys next to each other and rarely will you see extreme similarities.  Make them train alongside each other, and the differences will become even more apparent.  The methods are DIFFERENT.  To get big, you must train in separate fashion than you would if you were specifically looking for strength.  Yes, some traits carry over from each method of training (an athlete looking for strength only will inevitably put on muscle mass), but I'll say again, in general they are distinct from each other.

Let's examine the methodology behind each muscular goal.  What goes into the workout, why does the method work the way it does, and how can you incorporate it into your own gym related endeavors?

SIZE:  We've all seen them.  The fantastically enormous bodybuilders that appear to be half man half gorilla, all muscle.  They're basketball sized biceps, ginormous pectorals, and shredded abdominals seem to defy some law of nature.  Yet there they stand, bigger than any human we've ever seen.  How do they do it?  Well aside from an extremely picky diet, and some "medical enhancement," it's all in the gym, and their method of training. 

Bodybuilders train for hypertrophy.  Hypertrophy is the increase of overall cellular volume.  More specifically, bodybuilders train for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, and focus more on training their slow twitch, or I muscle fibers.  This basically means that bodybuilders train to experience an increase in cross sectional area of their muscles, and not really associated strength.  It's common to watch bodybuilders doing unbelievably high volume with very sub-maximal loads, at least relative to their muscle size.  Judging by their physique, it appears that they could throw a car above their head.  But in the end, they simply do not have the strength that they appear to have.  

But to them, this doesn't matter so much.  They train for APPEARANCE. And there's a lot to be said about appearance.  Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy allows you to look big and strong, often a more impressive trait than actually being as strong as an ox but only average in the muscular department.  This hypertrophy also more readily accelerates your metabolism, allowing you to burn more fat more quickly, and build that physique you've always wanted.  

How do you go about training for this type of muscle gain?  Well for building big muscle, you want a big rep number, with sub maximal weight.  Don't go super duper light, but work those muscles to exhaustion.  As you've probably heard before, FEEL THE BURN.  Super sets, drop sets, and negative reps are all great ways to overload your muscles for set after set to really ensure a good growth stimulus is sent to your brain and those muscles increase in volume as quickly as possible.  The most general rule for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is to keep reps within the 8-12 range, for at least 3 sets (I've seen people do as many as 10-15 though.)  This is only a general guideline though, and I suggest heading over to bodybuilding.com to get a more detailed workout routine.  

STRENGTH:  Let me bring to mind an athlete you may or may not have heard of: Pyrros Dimas.  Dimas was a three time Olympic gold medalist for weightlifting.  He weighed in at a meager 182 pounds, yet lifted 473lbs over his head in the Sydney Olympics.  He was the ultimate example of a strength athlete, and is one of my personal heroes.   

So how is it possible that Dimas was able to get so ungodly strong without becoming enormous and inflexible?  Well he, and other strength athletes alike, train for Myofibrillar hypertrophy, or an increase in overall muscle fiber connections.  This type of training surprisingly does NOT drastically increase cross-sectional area or overall volume of the muscle being trained, but instead allows the muscle to contract with much more force than it could previously.  Believe me, to put that much weight over your head, you need a LOT of targeted, raw, force.  

Myofibrillar hypertrophy deals more with fast twitch, or type II muscle fiber, the kind often referred to as "usable muscle."  Athletes like sprinters, Olympic lifters, power lifters, and other related force athletes often have large amounts of fast twitch muscle.  This muscle contracts, as the name implies, hard and fast, and can apply great amounts of energy to objects in very short amounts of time.  It is not, however, very effective endurance muscle.  Muscles can only contract with remarkable force for relatively short periods of time, hence the reason that joggers, bodybuilders, Nordic skiers, swimmers, and other endurance athletes (I put bodybuilders in there because of their ability to hit fantastic numbers of reps, NOT their running ability, which I'm sure is horrendous) possess much more slow twitch, endurance muscle fiber.  

It's always good to get strength training into your workout routine, as being able to lift heavy weights is not only healthy, it also builds a more solid body and strong neural connections between your brain and your muscles.  So where do you start?  Well, first of all, drop the huge number of reps.  Next, increase the weight.  Finally, do this for a good number of sets, 10 or so.  For an olympic lifter, a squat workout program may look like this:  10 sets of 2 reps, every rep at around 85-95% of max.  Believe me, though it may look like an easy workout, it is anything but.  That weight is very heavy, and will ALWAYS be very heavy.  This type of training does work though, and I can personally vouch for it.  The majority of my training is strength targeted.  My squat has gone up around 90lbs in 6 months, and shows no signs of slowing down.  And I don't look too much different, implying I haven't experienced much sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.  Watch out Dimas, here I come!

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So which is the best way to train?  ....HAH!  What a silly question.  That's not possible to answer, and rarely will anybody who knows there stuff about exercising/fitness give you a straight shot one way or another.  For the average person, I suggest a mixture of both!  You'd like to look good and be strong at the same time, right?  Well that's a great goal, AND entirely possible.  Switch up your workout, either weekly, monthly, yearly, daily, I don't care.  Confuse your body, train both high and low reps, high and low weight, high and low volume.  You want to see benefits across the board right?  Well you will!  There's always carryover from each type of training.  Even though I said bodybuilders aren't relatively strong...well...I said RELATIVELY.  They're still unbelievably strong, because look at how much muscle mass they've got!  And sure, Olympic lifters aren't overly huge, but I mean they aren't exactly tiny either.  Train for both size and strength, and you'll get both.  Sure, what you'll always get isn't the BEST of either world, but it'll be a pretty good start into each one, and it'll do your body a huge favor.

Get big, get strong, and as always, good luck!

Nitric Oxide and Caffeine, the Powerhouse Energy Duo

Imagine for a second a feeling of endless endurance.  A pure state where you feel like you are completely alert, excited, and ready to perform strenuous physical tasks for hours on end without ceasing to catch your breath.  Wouldn't it be great to go to the gym and for once not be staring at the clock, desperate for your workout to be over?  Wouldn't it be fantastic to lift more, run faster, and pump out a few more reps time after time, always ready to come back for another set?

Well such a feeling definitely is NOT fictitious, and there are many supplements on the shelves today available to gym-goers which will do exactly that: pump you up and keep you going.  They're called nitric oxide supplements, and in the most basic terms they rev up your body to be the most efficient blood pumping, oxygen moving, lifting, running, and overall active system it can possibly be.  Let's examine these supplements, what they're composed of, and whether or not they would be a good idea for you to try.

First, what is nitric oxide?  Sounds kind of like a strange chemical to be ingesting, in my opinion.  nitric oxide (or nitrogren monoxide) is simple in chemical composition, composed of nothing more than one nitrogen molecule bonded to one oxygen molecule.  Just to make my chemistry professors happy, nitric oxide has a molecular mass of 30.01 g/mol, and an enthalpy of formation of 90.29 KJ/mol (endothermic).  In our body, nitric oxide is released through the biosynthesis of the amino acid L-Arginine with Oxygen.  It is present in our bodies at some level constantly, and therefore can't be considered an unnaturally consumed substance.

What does nitric oxide do?  Well THAT'S going to be quite the list, but I'll break it down into it's most related/important functions.  In our bodies, nitric oxide has the tendency to cause blood vessels to dilate, or become larger in diameter.  This allows for increased bloodflow, which in terms of physical exertion/ working out has a whole HOST of benefits.  

Oxygen flow:  Dilated veins will increase the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to your muscles, allowing them to operate in an aerobic state for longer periods of time during strenuous exercise.  This will translate into vastly increased endurance, and hence why almost any athlete (including distance runners) can benefit from a dose of a nitric oxide supplement pre-workout.

Nutrient flow:  Again, dilated veins means better blood flow, which will also allow your body carry more essential nutrients to your muscles both pre and post-workout, catalyzing a more efficient recovery as well as an increase in eventual muscle size.

Alertness:  It all comes back to the veins.  More blood flow means more oxygen to your noggin.  You'll feel extremely alert after a dose of nitric oxide, and this feeling can last for up to six hours after the supplement is taken.  N-O is quite the grogginess removal tool.  

Besides these three very noticeable effects, nitric oxide also stimulates the immune system, helping to kill bacteria and infectious substances in the body.  It also stimualates the anti-inflammatory response in your body, which may relieve workout associated creaks and pains.  

Nitric oxide may even help one to have a better memory, because it enhances the quality of communication between cells.  There's no end to the benefits of this stuff!  

Nitric oxide alone is a fantastic workout tool.  Alone it can increase your strength, endurance, pumps, energy level, pretty much whatever you need most to get an awesome workout.  But nitric oxide alone isn't usually the whole story, at least not with many pre-workout supplements these days.  Often there's another chemical added to really take full advantage of your now dilated veins, bringing that optimally efficient bodily state that nitric oxide creates into full usage.  What's this other magic chemical, that'll really push you over the edge of power and performance?  Well, it's nothing you haven't taken before.  

Caffeine!  Yes, that's right, the same stuff that's in your morning coffee, or soda, or monster energy drink (Don't drink those, they're horrendous!).  Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it puts both your Central Nervous System and metabolism into high gear.  Your heart rate will increase, and your body will respond more quickly and readily to "exciting" or strenuous scenarios.  After consuming caffeine, you might notice that even something little, a thought perhaps of an exciting day coming up two weeks from now, will get your heart racing much faster than it ever would have normally.  When coupled with nitric oxide though, this effect is amplified to an even higher degree.

It doesn't take too much thought to understand why.  Nitric oxide=dilated veins=more bloodflow.  Caffeine=stimulated metabolism=faster heart rate=even MORE bloodflow.  Up the caffeine dosage to about 200-400mg per scoop and you've got yourself an extremely potent supplement.  I remember the first time I ever tried such a supplement, I was in the gym for two and a half hours, and awake all night.  It's powerful stuff!  And I suggest if you're going to try it, take only half a scoop your first time, especially if you have almost no caffeine tolerance like me (I don't drink coffee or soda).  Also, read the nutrition label, know how much caffeine you're ingesting.  Don't accidentally take 7 cups of coffee in one scoop by accident if you only wanted a little boost.

So that brings us to the final segment.  Are pre-workout N-O supplements right for you?  Well, it really depends.  If you're a gym rat, and you/re entering a phase where you really need a kick in the butt to get yourself into the gym, then yes, I suggest you try a LIGHTER Nitric oxide supplement.  It can really benefit your workout, and you'll feel great after having pushed yourself so hard.  And the thing is, many of these pre-workout supplements don't just have nitric oxide and caffeine, they also contain a whole host of other great muscle building tools, like a string of essential amino acids, and usually a creatine dosage as well which will help to volumize your muscles to a higher degree.  These pre-workout supplements are designed well, and most definitely are just what your body needs to create an optimal muscle building state.

Would I suggest pre-workout supplements to the more casual gymgoer?  Listen, if you just go to the gym to keep your joints moving, then this stuff probably isn't for you.  But if you're looking to build any sort of muscle, I wouldn't be against trying a small dosage to see if you like the results you get.  You can always give the stuff up immediately, and many companies sell small trial sizes just to see if you like it.  The stuff WON'T KILL YOU, so don't be afraid.

And the absolute last subject to address.  Are pre-workout NO/caffeine supplements addicting?  I won't lie here, sure they're somewhat addicting.  It's hard not to get hooked on something that helps your body perform so well in the gym (and caffeine is an addictive substance, no matter what people say about it).  I personally do NOT believe this addiction is a bad thing, but to those around you it may appear somewhat strange.  You won't get any more hooked on caffeine than they guy who drinks three or four cups of coffee a day, but you still want to manage your usage of pre-workout supplements.  The general rule of thumb for such supplements is to CYCLE THEM.  One month on, one month off.  That way, every other month you get the same effect as the first time you took the stuff.  The off months will start out SUCKING, because you seemingly have zero energy, but a good diet and good sleep habits can help to minimize the withdrawal. You can taper the dosages at both ends of the month too in order to more easily phase in and out of taking and cleansing.  

So there you have it, a basic explanation of one of the most powerful workout tools on the market today- Nitric oxide caffeine supplements.  They can do a world of good for your workout, and I'm 100% serious about that.  They can help you smash through those plateaus you've always been so frustrated by.  Go ahead and try one, but be smart about it, because they are definitely potent substances.

Lift hard, run fast, and stay healthy.  Good luck!

I've tried three nitric oxide supplements, all of them caffeinated:

Amplified N.O. Loaded (Advanced Muscle Performance)- .EXTREMELY POWERFUL STUFF  High caffeine dosage, over 400mg.  Definitely would only suggest half a scoop at first, if not every time you take it.  Too much will cause jitters and a heart rate that's not even useful for lifting.  This stuff has definitely given me some insanely long workouts though, and will easily give you the jitters if you're not careful.  Make sure you take this at least eight hours before you plan to sleep at all.

N.O. xplode (BSN)- This stuff isn't quite as powerful as N.O. Loaded, but still can give quite the kick.  I didn't find the recommended serving size quite as potent (probably because there's only a quarter of the caffeine, 100mg), and I also didn't find the flavor's to be quite as good.  It's still a great endurance tool though, and probably one of the most popular pre-workout supplements on the market today.

Assault (MusclePharms)- Definitely my favorite thus far.  It has a relatively low caffeine dosage (150mg) and gives sustained, powerful energy.  It's also loaded with other great things like creatine and a host of amino acids.  It never gives that incredible "hit" right off the bat, but instead surges on over time.  The orange-mango flavor is delicious, I swear I'm drinking an orange creamsicle.  *would recommend*.

Spot Fat Removal: ONE GIANT MYTH

Have you ever seen those commercials for the ab belt?  Or the ab spinner?  Maybe the glute strengthener?  Or the shake weight?  I've seen all these commercials, and all have one thing in common (besides being absolutely ridiculous.)  They all claim to be able to remove fat from those "stubborn" areas, like the lower abs, under arms, and legs.  They claim to target those specific areas and blast away the fat from wherever you would prefer.

Or maybe you don't care about those infomercials, and like me, think they're pretty ridiculous.  However you're in the gym every day doing crunches, determined to make that six pack poke through your belly.  Sit-ups, V-ups, leg raises, planks, you've done them all, but still can't see those abs.  While you may not believe in those infomercials and they're stupid methods, what you're employing is something almost as naive.


THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SPOT REDUCTION

That means that you can't choose where to take fat off of.  Doing more crunches will NOT burn belly fat specifically.  Doing squats won't take weight off only your back end.  Your body doesn't work like that.  Fat loss happens gradually, and symmetrically.  Where you lose fat first is completely up to your genetics.  Yes, I'm sorry, but that's the truth.

So ladies, you say you have "trouble areas"?  I'm sorry to say, but those trouble areas won't go away from focusing on working them specifically.  You need greater overall fat loss.  Accomplish that, and I guarantee those stubborn fat areas will disappear.

So here's a piece of advice that you can take to heart.  You want six pack abs?  Stop doing crunches, and start doing some cardio.  Your abs will only show through when you have a very low body fat percentage (around 11%), and a calorie deficit for the day is really the only way to make sure your body is using fat stores for energy.  Here are a few suggested techniques to really get your fat loss kick started-

HIIT:  Hate running for incredibly long periods of time and seeing no results?  It's time to pump up the pace a little bit, and decrease that monotonous treadmill time.  HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) means you alternate between high intensity and low intensity exercise in timed intervals. Probably the most common example is to alternate between sprinting and fast walking (slow jogging.)  Try it out next time you're on the treadmill.  Jog for about a minute and a half, then full out sprint for 30 seconds.  Really push yourself.  Make those thirty seconds as intense as you can without risking injury.  After the thirty seconds, bring the pace back down to the original jog.  Repeat a few times, so your total time is between 8 and 20 minutes (you can start with less than this though, I'd suggest only 4 minutes of HIIT if you're just getting into it.)

HIIT will make your metabolism go NUTS.  You're heart will be working in overtime, and your metabolism will be elevated for up to 18 hours after you're done with your workout.  Now that's an after-burn effect.

Hill Sprints:  Yeah, they sound horrible.  And I guess I'll reveal that, no surprise, they don't feel good.  But they are extremely effective at both burning fat and building leg muscle.  It's a  pretty simple concept.  Find a hill, and sprint up it.  Walk back down it, then sprint up it again.  Do this as many times as you feel necessary (I would suggest around 4 to start, and 10 if you're a seasoned hill sprinter.  Try jogging back down, or find a longer/steeper hill to add difficulty.)  These are kind of like HIIT.  Short periods of high intensity exercise followed by a recovery period of low intensity exercise.  These will set your metabolism in FLAMES.

Build some muscle:  Muscle burns calories.  The more you have, the faster your metabolism will be.  So many people (I'll pick on women here) refuse to lift weights because they believe it has nothing to do with fat loss.  WRONG.  It has everything to do with it.  If you're looking to increase your resting metabolic rate, I would strongly suggest you lift weights.  Cardio is great, but definitely needs to be combined with weight lifting to have lasting effects.

Think of it this way.  You may lose fat by running.  But if your metabolism can't support your new lighter weight, you'll put it all back on.  More muscle will help you to support this leaner you.

And ladies, don't worry about bulking up.  You could lift heavy almost every single day and would never look like a bodybuilder.  Your hormones will NOT allow you to put on massive amounts of bulky muscle.  I can't emphasize enough that lifting weights will only do you good.

Go the extra mile:  Take every opportunity you can to just be a little bit more active in your average day.  Park a little farther away from the grocery store.  Stand for an extra ten minutes while you're watching TV or making dinner.  Walk the dog, or do some yard work.  If you put in a little effort, OFTEN, it will add up quite quickly.  An extra 100 calories burned per day will definitely add up quickly.

So if you're looking for those abs, stop doing crunches, and go find a hill, or a longer walk, or a hike, or some dumbbells.  Because like I said before, you may hate that belly fat, but it's not going away until your body decides its time.  And the only way you can make your body decide is to force all the fat you can off that muscle of yours.  Start slow, and build up, as with anything else.

Run hard, run fast, walk more, and pack on the meat.  Good luck!