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  • Increased strength, mobility and flexibility
  • Increased energy and stamina
  • Increased endurance
  • Increased bone strength
  • Increased respiratory fitness
  • Increased sex drive
  • Increased lean body mass
  • Increased life expectancy
  • Increased self-esteem and confidence
  • Increased metabolic rate
  • Increased ability to manage stress
  • Decreased loss of muscle
  • Decreased bodyweight
  • Decreased risk of falls
  • Decreased joint pain
  • Decreased reliance on medications
  • Decreased bodyfat
  • Decreased lower back pain
  • Decreased onset of chronic disabilities (e.g., obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancers)
  • Improved posture
  • Improved balance
  • Improved functional abilities
  • Improved sleep quality
  • Improved immunity
  • Improved ability to concentrate
  • Improved mental health and well-being
  • Improved quality of life
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    The answer:  There is no secret!  The reality is you can train your abs every single day for up to 150 reps per set for three sets or more and take as many thermogenic supplements in existence along with some fad diet and still not acquire the elusive "six-pack" abs.  Why is this the case?  As long as your bodyfat level stays above 10% you will not be able to see abdominal definition.     
    Yes folks, the solution is simply dependent on your body composition--namely how much bodyfat you have.  Spot reduction is a myth and performing seemingly endless ab exercises in the pitiful hope of reducing the size of your belly will ultimately end in miserable failure.  You cannot target fat loss from specific areas of your body by simply doing any exercise you can imagine.  You cannot control which areas of your body you want to burn fat.  Fat burning is a holistic process meaning that overall bodyfat must decrease in order for defined abs to appear.  You can stimulate abdominal muscle strength but you cannot burn bodyfat.  So at best, you can strengthen your abs by doing crunches but you will not see them.  It is just not possible as your body does not work like that.
     You do have "six-pack" abs but their appearance cannot be seen since there is a layer of fat just underneath your skin called subcutaneous fat that is obscuring your ab definition.  So having said all this, how do you go about getting those "six-pack" abs that you desire?   The answer is simple but apparently not easy to do for most people:  eat a healthy low-fat diet and perform regular weight-resistant and cardiovascular exercise.  Your focus should be on eating six to eight small meals per day (e.g., eat every two to three hours) while gradually decreasing your caloric intake per week.   The foods that you eat should be relatively high in protein and fiber and low in refined carbs and saturated fat. In addition, you should drink plenty of water (e.g., about one-half of your bodyweight in ounces) throughout your day.  Read my blog on tips on how to lose bodyfat for additional things you can do to facilitate the appearance of those almighty "six-pack" abs.

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     The answer to this question is simple:  the best time to workout is whenever is most convenient to you.  In other words, what matters most is not when you exercise, but that you exercise, period!  Sure, some will argue that one should take advantage of periods of the day when testosterone and growth hormone levels are higher such as in the early morning (e.g., 7am).  But how many of you who are not "morning" people would be motivated enough to go out and exercise when still half asleep?  My guess is probably not many.  Just getting to the gym or track or the great outdoors and performing some type of physical activity is the important thing.  But you're not likely to get going unless the time is convenient for you to go do it.  So, go ahead and workout at 6am, at noon, or even at midnight.  It really doesn't matter what time you exercise--just do it!  Enough said.
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    In order to put on lean body mass (e.g., muscle mass) you need to ensure your testosterone and growth hormone levels are optimal.  You can push heavy weights ad nauseam but it will, for the most part, be wasted effort unless your hormone levels are at optimal levels.  Here are some tips to follow and abide by in order to allow your body to be in the most anabolic state to put on muscle mass:
  • Perform compound exercises (i.e., multi-joint movements)
    Examples include barbell squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, shoulder military presses and bench presses.  These exercises promote a surge of testosterone and growth hormone release and therefore are highly anabolic in nature.  That is, exercises like squats really promote muscular growth to occur.

  • Perform each set to near failure
    "Listen" to your body and do as many reps as you possibly can with a weight that causes fatigue between 8 to 12 repetitions.  That burning sensation you feel is the trigger mechanism to release more testosterone and growth hormone throughout your body.  You can count reps to track your progress relative to your rep range goal but don't stop the exercise just because you've reached the high number in the range (e.g., 12 reps).  Keep going! You need to strive to perform as many reps as you can so as to shock your muscles into getting stronger and larger.

  • Perform leg exercises
    If you're not doing leg exercises, particularly compound leg exercises (e.g., squats and stiff-leg deadlifts), you're wrong.  Leg training encourages more testosterone and growth hormone release which facilitates more muscle mass gain.  Enough said.

  • Limit your workout time
    Be sure to note what time you begin your workouts so that you can track your workout durations.  You should not spend more than 1.5 hours in the gym doing weight training plus cardio.  Try to get your weight training done within one hour and then do some cardio (e.g., stairstepper, treadmill, bike, rower, etc.).  The weight training portion of your workout should consist of no more than 3 sets per exercise.  The cardio portion of your workout does not have to be a marathon session and can be abbreviated down to 30 minutes or less by doing interval training.  You can burn just as much or even more calories by alternating high- and low-intensities (e.g., 10 METS for 1 minute alternating with 7 METS for 2 minutes).  Weight training and cardio frequency should be limited to no more than 4 days per week.

  • Keep a workout log 
    You should track the parameters (e.g., sets, reps, loads, rest periods) of each and every workout in order to periodically increase the intensity of each training session (e.g., boost the loading or increase the reps).  This is how progression is accomplished.  The discipline needed to do this will pay off in the end as your body will respond favorably to the increased stresses you place upon it by getting stronger and more muscular.

  • Consume adequate EFAs
    EFAs are essential fatty acids found in animal products (e.g., fish, chicken, eggs, dairy products), vegetables (e.g., avocados, sweet potatoes), nuts (e.g., walnuts, almonds, peanuts), and unsaturated oils (e.g., fish, canola, soybean, vegetable oils).  EFAs are needed in your diet to regulate your steroid hormone levels (e.g., testosterone) and transport fat-soluble vitamins (e.g., A, D, E, K).

  • Restrict alcohol consumption
    More than moderate daily intake of alcohol (i.e., greater than two 6 oz glasses of wine for men and one 6 oz glass of wine for women) can actually decrease testosterone levels and may even promote the release of estrogen--not an ideal scenario for putting on muscle mass.

  • Get adequate sleep
    You should strive to get at least 7 hours or more of sleep per night.  Steroid hormone levels (e.g., testosterone and growth hormone) are most elevated in the mornings in conjunction with a good, restful night's sleep.  These hormones are essential for muscle recovery to take place.  In addition, you need to get enough sleep to keep you mentally sharp in the gym so you can be totally focused on your workout.



    Remember, you tear down your muscles inside the gym with heavy, intense training but your muscles grow outside the gym with good nutrition:

  • Calories
    In order to gain muscle mass (e.g., one pound per week) it is absolutely necessary to increase your daily food intake each and every week to get in enough calories to grow.  The easiest way to begin doing this is to simply increase portion sizes for the foods you currently eat.  It is better to gradually increase caloric intake to allow the body to adjust accordingly.  Eventually you will need to introduce new foods into your diet in order to further increase your caloric intake.  



How much:  The recommendation varies from 15 to 18 calories per pound bodyweight.  To ensure you're eating enough calories be sure to eat about every 3 hours.  Doing this will maintain your blood sugar levels as well as stoke your metabolic rate so that your body does not go into "starvation" mode--hoarding whatever calories it gets and storing them as fat!  Instead, by eating regularly throughout the day, you will be "feeding" your hungry muscles.

  • Protein
    The building blocks of muscle tissue consist of amino acids found in protein.  These molecules are essential to enhance muscle growth while reducing catabolism (i.e., this process shortens recovery time).  Examples of high-quality protein foods include eggs, lean chicken and turkey, fish, and cottage cheese.



How much:  The recommendation varies from 1.5 to 2 g per pound bodyweight.

  •  Carbohydrates
    Muscles store carbs in the form of glycogen, the primary fuel source during workouts.  Getting enough glycogen stored into the muscle tissue is essential to allow water to be pulled into your muscle tissue, enhancing membrane stretching and muscle growth.  Examples of high-quality carb foods include oatmeal, blueberries, bananas, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, and brown rice.



How much:  The recommendation varies from 2.5 to 3 g per pound bodyweight.

  • Fats
    You should eat mostly unsaturated fats (e.g., seafood, nuts, peanut butter, olive oil) and some saturated fats (e.g., chicken, eggs, dairy products).  The unsaturated fats enhance muscle and joint recovery while the saturated fats keep your testosterone levels elevated to enhance muscle growth.  Examples of high-quality fats include olive oil, fish oil, nuts, and avocados.



How much:  The recommendation is 0.5 g per pound of bodyweight.

  • Macronutrient ratio
    The recommended macronutrient ratio of carbs: protein: fats to gain muscle mass is 65: 25: 10.  Thus, 65% of your caloric intake should be carbs, 25% caloric intake should be protein, and 10% caloric intake should be fats.

  • Supplements 
    You should begin adding supplements to your diet only after you have managed your macronutrient intake. Start with a good comprehensive multivitamin/multimineral and a high-quality whey protein powder.  Additional supplements to be added include creatine powder, branamino acids (BCAAs), glutamine powder, and ch-chain fish oil.

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    Many people hold their breath during the most strenuous portion of an exercise.  This is actually a recommended technique for powerlifters who strive to lift or press extremely heavy weight.  The technique is often referred as the Valsalva Manuever in which one inhales, holds the breath, and then forcibly exhales with a closed mouth (straining) during the most challenging part of an exercise in order to exert more force.  The benefit of performing the Valsalva Manuever is the increased ability to push/pull heavier loads compared to a continuous breathing pattern.  There are risks in utilizing this technique:
  • Impedes venous blood return to the heart
  • Sudden increase in blood pressure and heart rate
  • Sudden rapid increase in pulse rate
  • Dizziness or faintness
  • Increased risk of stroke
  • Burst blood vessel damage  
    The Valsalva Manuever may be a good technique to use for those few people who pull/press very heavy weight (e.g., 90-100% 1-RM) but this does not apply for most people who perform resistance training.  Thus, the benefit of holding one's breath while lifting is minimal for the average weight trainer.  Instead, most people who train in the gym should practice deep, controlled breathing while exercising.  Here's the the recommended breathing technique for most people while exercising:

  •   If performing a pressing exercise (e.g., bench press, shoulder press, leg press, squat):
    • Exhale during the pressing movement
  •   If performing a pulling exercise (e.g., barbell row, dumbbell arm curl, leg curl, deadlift):
    • Inhale during the pulling movement 
Nothing complicated.  It's as simple as that.  Remember to breathe this way and eventually you will instinctively breathe in a manner that will allow you to lift and pull heavier weights than you can imagine!

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    The answer to this question is largely dependent upon your training experience level (i.e., beginner < 8 months, intermediate from 8 to 18 months, and advanced > 18 months) as well as your fitness goal(s) (e.g., lean out, build muscle mass, increase strength, and/or increase power).   No matter what your goal is, you should perform resistance training at least two days per week plus cardiovascular training at least three days per week.    Generally you should train more frequently each week as you gain more experience until you reach your fitness goal.  A beginner should perform resistance training from two to three days per week and cardio training from three to four days per week.  An intermediate trainee should perform resistance training from three to four days per week and cardio training from three to five days per week.  An advanced trainee should perform resistance training from at least four days per week and cardio training from three to six days per week.

    The volume (i.e., reps x sets) of each workout is dependent on your experience level as well as fitness goal.   For example, beginning trainees aiming to lean out should perform 1 to 3 sets of at least 12 reps whereas those who wish to increase strength should perform 1 to 6 sets of 6 to 8 reps.  Those who want to add muscle mass to their body should generally perform 3 to 6 sets of 8 to 12 reps whereas those who want to increase power should perform 1 to 6 sets of no more than 6 reps with heavy loads at slow speeds or more than 30 reps with light loads at quick speeds.

    The duration of your total workout (i.e., resistance plus cardio training) may range anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours.  Working out longer than 2 hours will not provide much added benefit in terms of building lean body mass due to depleted muscle glycogen levels. Your overall energy level drops considerably when working out much longer than 2 hours and you begin to accrue diminishing returns (i.e., onset of muscle catabolism) as a result.

    The duration of your cardio training, like resistance training, depends on your experience level as well as fitness goal.  Beginners should train from 20 to 45 minutes, intermediates should train from 20 to 90 minutes, and advanced trainees should perform anywhere from 25 minutes to 2 hours of cardio per day.  Interval training (i.e., interspersing high- with low-intensity) is an efficient way to workout and is recommended for those whose fitness goal is to burn bodyfat in the shortest amount of time.  Durations for each intensity level may vary anywhere between 30 seconds to 5 minutes for total durations between 15 to 60 minutes.

    Whatever your training experience level and fitness goal, the important concept here is to get the workout done within the shortest time possible.  In other words, get in and out of the gym as quickly as possible!  This is a case where less is more.  The gym is not the time for social hour--you can chat and catch up on who's dating whom outside of the gym.  You should have the mindset that as soon as you step into the door you will perform your intended workout to its fruition and then get out!  Nothing else matters while your training.  Total focus on your workout is paramount!

    So how can you ensure your workout time will be as brief as possible?  The key to accomplishing a good hard workout within a relatively short period of time is to lessen your rest periods between each set and/or exercise.  Trainees intending to lean out should rest no more than 30 seconds, those aiming to build muscle mass should rest between 30 to 90 seconds, and those wishing to gain strength or power should take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes rest depending on the loading.  My advice is to have a stopwatch or interval timer handy so you can time your rest periods.  Trust me--your workouts will be much more efficient as a result and then you can get on with your day.  

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    The latest released research from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, 2010) has found that the combination of aerobics and weight training is most effective at reducing bodyweight.  This is because blood sugar levels (which directly correlate with insulin levels and bodyweight) drop more significantly when performing a mix of cardiovascular exercise (e.g., treadmill walking) and resistance training (e.g., weight machines).  Doing both types of exercise is superior than doing one or the other.    Participants in the randomized control study (N = 262) were assigned to either a sedentary control group (N = 41), an aerobic exercise group (N = 72), a resistance training group (N = 73), or a combination aerobic and resistance training group (N = 76). Participants in the latter group exercised three days per week for a duration of 45 minutes per session.  Cardio consisted of graduated increases in incline walking (i.e., 2 percent grade increase every 2 minutes) on the treadmill.  Resistance training entailed progressive load increases on weight machines (i.e., weight loads increased as strength increased).  There was no particular diet involved in the study.

    What is most remarkable about this study is that most of the participants were able to perform the aforementioned amount of exercise and stick with it for a relatively long period of time (i.e. nine months). Thus, the message is clear:  if they can do it and lose bodyweight then so can you!

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    Of course continuing your exercise program is essential (i.e., aerobic and weight training), but the foods you eat is also extremely important.  If you want to maintain your bodyweight after losing those dreaded pounds, you need to eat more foods that are relatively high in protein and low on the glycemic index (e.g.,chicken,eggs, fish, nuts).
    The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly carbohydrates are broken down, affecting blood sugar levels.  High-glycemic foods are assigned a value of 70 and above (e.g., white bread, baked potato, white pasta, white rice) whereas low-glycemic foods are given a value below 55 (e.g., whole-wheat bread, sweet potato, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice).    A recent study (New England Journal of Medicine, 2010) in which the participants (N = 773) were randomly assigned to one of five diet plans has determined that the low-carb, high-protein, moderate-fat diet plan (i.e., 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat) was easier for one group of the participants to adhere to for a longer period of time (i.e., 26 weeks) compared to other diet plans.  The diet followed was relatively high in protein, low in sugar, high in fiber (increases satiety), with restrictions on portion sizes but not particularly on calories consumed.

    Being able to maintain one's bodyweight after having lost poundage is usually the hardest part.  A high-protein, low-sugar diet is easy to follow and practical for long-term durations.  Stop the madness of trying out the latest trendy diet plan with the pitiful belief that you will lose weight!  There is nothing magical about any diet plan out there in the world.  The best diet is the one in which you eat the foods you enjoy and is consistent in total daily calories.  It is the diet plan that you can follow indefinitely without sacrifice.  Start by eating a hearty breakfast high in fiber, complex carbs and protein (protein taken within 30 minutes of waking up can reduce satiety so that you'll eat less Calories later).  Eat some food every 2 to 3 hours to maintain blood sugar levels.  Avoid a heavy dinner, especially before going to bed.  These tips are not hard to employ, especially if you write down the foods you eat.  The very act of writing down the foods you eat will get you to carefully consider whether you should put that doughnut, candy bar, or soda into your gullet.gullet.

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    By now you should know that the combination of cardio and weight training is the best approach to losing bodyfat.  Cardio exercise is certainly good for fat burning, whether in the aerobic zone (i.e., 65% HRR for 45 minutes) or aerobic/anaerobic zone (i.e., interval training with one minute at 85% HRR and two minutes at 55% HRR).  Strength training (i.e., weight training with free weights, machines, or cables) is also highly recommended to facilitate the fat-burning process.  Why is lifting weights important for losing bodyfat?  Because muscle stimulation due to weight training can dramatically enhance one's metabolic rate.  In fact, metabolic rate can be elevated for hours after a weight training session depending on the intensity of the workout.  In other words, the greater the weight training intensity (i.e., increased loading, shorter rest periods, higher reps), the greater the metabolic rate.  The greater the metabolic rate, the greater the fat burning that can occur.        
    So what are the best strength training exercises one should do to effectively enhance the fat-burning process?  The answer is to perform mostly compound exercises involving multiple joints of the body, particularly the lower body (e.g., the knees and hips).  The lower body joints are where the largest muscle groups (e.g., quads, hamstrings) of the body attach.  Thus, by performing exercises such as squats, lunges, step-ups, deadlifts, or leg presses, one can definitely get the most bang for the buck in terms of burning bodyfat.  All of the aforementioned exercises incorporate the usage of large muscle groups and multiple joints.  Not surprisingly, it is these exercises that are more difficult and intense than single-joint exercises such as bicep curls or tricep extensions.
    If your primary goal is to lean out (i.e., burn bodyfat), be sure to add squats, lunges and deadlifts into your workout regime.  Three sets of 8 to 12 reps of each lower body exercise performed three days per week is more than adequate to burn that stubborn bodyfat.                
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    The philosophy of "no pain, no gain" has some merit but the confusion occurs when thinking that one must experience muscular pain every time during and after workouts. The reality is you can accrue increased strength and muscle hypertrophy without the muscular burning sensation during a set or from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) after a workout.  DOMS is the body's response to pain experienced one to three days following an intense workout after muscle fiber micro-tears have occurred.  The lingering soreness following an intense workout occurs as the body goes through the healing process and can last up to a week. During the healing process, the muscles can become stronger and bigger.  But DOMS does not necessarily need to occur in order for the body's muscles to get stronger or bigger.  The same statement can be said regarding the lactic acid burning sensation experienced during an intense set--the burning does not  need to occur for muscles to get stronger or bigger.    
    This bears repeating:  Do you need to feel pain in order to gain more strength and muscle mass?  The answer is NO, NO, NO!  The pain is merely your body's signal that you trained hard a couple days ago and that's all.  The pain is NOT a necessity for increased strength and muscle mass to develop.  Also, be sure to understand the difference between muscle pain ("good" pain) and joint pain ("bad" pain). Generally, "good" pain should feel like a dull, slow-onset, aching pain that occurs during a hard workout set whereas "bad" pain will feel like a sharp, quick-onset, focused pain.  Remember, pain is the body's response mechanism to a stimulus, whether good (muscle pain) or bad (joint pain). 

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