The Great Workout However You Want You can be in your boxers, your wedding dress, your dress pants, your douche-like shirt from Abercrombie or in spectacular speedos. You can be clean and showered or smell like rotten cow ass. You can use bands, chains, free weights, machines or milk the benefits of your privacy by jerking the ShakeWeight. It really doesn’t matter… because when you workout from home, anything goes! No Judgement From Others You might trip over your own foot, drop a dumbbell, fall off the Swiss Ball, have shitty technique or make faces as if someone defiled your rectum. It doesn’t matter, because no one will be around to laugh at your retardedness… so you can workout judgement free. Sometimes, not having 3rd party eyes on your ass can be a very good thing. Other times though, it can keep you from being a tool. You decide where you fit in. No Driving Commute Why is it that 99% of people who drive to the gym cannot park for the fucking life of them? Is this some common theme? I can understand horrible driving post workout… you know, like when your arms are giving out after an intense session and the steering wheel feels like you’re turning the wheels on a rusty horse carriage? Yeah. Then we have the price of gas; god damn shitnickels… that’s all I have to say about that. No Morons Attempting To Give You Advice The other day I had some guy come up to me and suggest that I buy a special mouth guard which will “increase my power by 20%”. I told him to shoo off and that you can get the same result by biting down on a big piece of gym or investing in a $10 mouth piece. Then there are the back seat trainers… these fags are so proud of their lack-luster body that they can’t help but give you a piece of their idiotic thought patterns. “Hey bro… you shouldn’t be benching that heavy for your size, it’s bad for your eblows and shit”. I think listening to toolbags is bad for my everything… and shit. The Not-So-Great No Hotties To Check Out Let’s face it… if you see a solid hottie shaking her (or his) booty around the gym, you’re gonna stare. At least for a moment. You’re never NOT gonna look. And gentlemen, let’s not lie out of our asses, half the reason you hit up the gym is so you can presumably pick up a hottie if you had the chance. Still, even if you don’t manage to ravish her with your seductive prowess, a nice round ass and a sweaty upper body complimented by a sports bra just makes your day, does it not? I thought so. It’s one of the things I miss when I’m working out at home – which is why my wall is now covered with “motivational” posters. Distractions Cellphone, home phone, your dog, your cat, your bitch… er, I mean your significant other, kids, TV, internet and a whole bunch of other nonsense that’s within a 10 foot reach can have a huge impact on the efficiency of your workouts. Shit I know I can’t help myself… I’ll pump out a serious set and the computer is right there. Or maybe I’ll get a Tweet or an email and next thing you know, 90 second rest has turned into 190seconds. God damn it! Equipment Choice Depends On Your Cash Flow Let’s not kid ourselves; if you want to workout from home, you’re going to have to invest in equipment. Sure, bodyweight exercises are great but once you can throw around your own weight like a pair of coconuts, it’s time to bring on the big guns. And if you can’t afford it, then you’re almost shit outta luck. I say almost because bags of potatoes can get REALLY heavy. Overhead bag press. Do it! The Kitchen. It’s Like, Right There! *lift* *lift* *lift* “Hmm… left over pizza?” *lift* *lift*… 10 minutes later… *nom* *nom* *nom* “Mmmm… left over pizza!” *nom* *nom* *nom* ‘nuff said.

Why Working Out From Home Is Both Great And Dreadful

This is a guest post by Alain Gonzalez. What if I told you that you could lose weight and look bigger and more muscular at the same time? You would probably walk away laughing and continue following the same routine that has been doing you no good for quite some time now. You see, building muscle alone is not enough when trying to get an overall muscular frame and/or beach body as some may say. Lets use abs as an example, you can perform 1 million crunches a day but until that body fat covering your midsection is cut, your results will go unnoticed. Take someone who has never done a crunch in their life but has cut the belly fat out of the picture, guaranteed this person will look much more muscular and defined that the one wasting their time with crunches. If you and I both walked around carrying 120 pounds of muscle mass and you simply carried 5 percent more body fat than I did, I would easily look much larger and muscualr than you did. Look at bodybuilders for instance, on their off season, heavyweights will easily gain 20-30 pounds (mostly fat) and keep all the muscle underneath. But notice how much larger they look while leaning out and prepairing for a show. Think about it, they just cut 20-30 pounds and because all the fat was cut, they look much larger. My point is simply this, if you are trying to achieve an overall muscular look, remember to focus the same amount of attention on keeping a low body fat as you do lifting weights and building muscle. I promise this will make your journey to getting the body of your dreams that much easier. With that being said, here are a few rules you can follow in order to maintain or achieve a low body fat. Proper Diet: Consuming foods that contain simple carbohydrates, dairy, or whites/flour will not only increase fat storage but will also make you look bloated. These foods give you what I like to call the "thick skin effect". I recommend getting your carbohydrates from clean complex sources such as oatmeal and whole grains. The protein intake should come from high quality lean meats like chicken breast, fish, and turkey. Now, your fats may be the most important, they should only come from natural sources. These sources include mixed nuts, avocados, and flaxseed oil. Not only will eating clean increase muscle mass but it will also aid in burning belly fat. Although there is no such thing as training for spot reduction, dieting to target belly fat is in fact possible due to some of the ingredients found in these foods. Fat Burning Activity: You will burn fat more easily and efficiently by following this diet, so, add in a fat burning activity to speed up those results. Forget what you may have heard in the past about "target heart rate" for fat burn, your only goal is to burn through more calories than you're consuming. As for the fat burning/physical activity you choose, that will be totally up to you. Here are a few options in order for you to choose wich approach works best for you and your schedule. Traditional cardio Jogging Running Walking Using the treadmill is a great form of traditional cardio activity that you can perform. 45 minutes to an hour is ideal when using this technique for fat burn. If you are like myself and like to perform your traditional cardio following a strenuous workout routine, I would not recommend more than 20-30 minutes in order to avoid muscle wastage. Advanced cardio: Circuit Training - if you want to cut half the time from a traditional cardio workout, incorporate a little more intensity by trying HIIT or circuit training. You can achieve maximum results with circuit training with as little and 15-20 minutes. I would not recommend performing a circuit training routine immediately following a strenuous workout. Circuit training is extremely intense and should be performed at peak energy levels for best results. If you are looking for a good circuit training routine to follow here is one I follow and have gotten great results from: Push ups (15 seconds) Rest (15 seconds) Mountain Climbers (15 seconds) Rest (15 Seconds) High Knees (15 seconds) Rest (15 seconds) Half Burpees (15 seconds) Rest (15 seconds) Squats (15 seconds) Rest (15 seconds) Jump Squats (15 seconds) Rest (1 minute) Repeat Speeding up your metabolism You should consider breaking your meals into 6 smaller portions each day in order to keep your metabolism pumping. This is sure to turn your body into a fat burning machine and keep that metabolism working hard because it is metabolizing every 2 to 3 hours. You will get proper nutrition by fueling your body this way and it will also help you retain your muscle mass as well as help you in burning fat literally while you sleep. A few extra tips: -To cut down on water retention, consume a gallon of water each day. -Before you eat anything in the morning, start out with your cardio routine. -Vegetables should be the main source of carbohydrates in your diet. To achieve your fitness goals and get the body your working so hard for, follow these outlined steps and you will soon be looking much more muscular overall. Burning the fat is the easy part, the challenge lies in keeping it off. You will only be causing yourself a set back if you do not develop a consistent routine, as this will be the key to your success with any fitness goal. About the Author: Alain Gonzalez is a fitness enthusiast whose muscle building transformation has inspired hardgainers all over the world. His story has been featured on a number of sites all over the net and his recently released ebook titled “Bony to Brawny” has been a huge success in helping others achieve results similar to his own. He is the founder of http://www.MuscleMonsters.com and uses this website to give out free weight gain tips for hardgainers like himself.

Burn Fat and Gain Mass – Secret to Losing Weight and Looking Bigger

It happens to a lot of people. They start a new workout routine and feel good that they are exercising again. After a period of time, they step on the scale or look in the mirror and nothing has really changed in terms of weight and shaping up. What could the problem be? If you're in that situation, the below may help you get back on track and start making some real progress. Set Deadlines It's easy to set goals but reaching them is another story. If you have goals of losing weight, building muscle, etc., then give yourself a deadline. Your goals will feel much more urgent if you have a date to get them done by. Stop Rewarding Yourself with Junk Food What we eat plays an important role in our results. Keep eating junk and no matter how much you exercise, you will either maintain your weight or gain more weight. Yet, it is common to want to reward ourselves with a fast food meal, ice cream, etc., after a hard workout because we think we deserve it. These little rewards can ruin all of your work and they add up if you are rewarding yourself a few times a week. Stay Consistent The fact that you are exercising is great but not if you are working out for one week and then taking off the next week. It's important to get into a good routine by exercising consistently several times each week. Taking a break here and there is fine but going long periods in between workouts will not get results. Break Through Your Plateau Maybe you have been working out consistently and eating healthy too but still aren't seeing results. You may have reached a plateau because you have been doing the same workout for too long. Our bodies need challenge to keep progressing so change up your routine with new exercises and more intensity. I am using P90X and it is geared towards avoiding plateaus. Give It Your All A lot of times, whether or not we can do one more rep or run one more lap is more mental than physical. If you are truly exhausted then by all means, don't push yourself more than necessary. However, it is still important to push ourselves to do a little more each workout. Have you changed something in your own workouts that have made a difference in your results?

Not Seeing Results From Working Out? Here’s Why

Do you find yourself eating the wrong foods more than you like? It's all too easy to go through a drive-thru when you're craving something salty, sweet, crunchy, etc. My weakness is for sweets. I'm the type of person that likes having dessert after dinner. Eating junk food on a regular basis can have a negative impact on our bodies, primarily in the form of weight gain. There was a point in my life where I would eat fast food several times a week. I felt sluggish, bloated, and the more I ate it, the less I was motivated to do much of anything else. Why bother exercising when I already ate poorly the entire day? Below are some tips that may help you stop the cravings for junk food and crave foods that are healthier. 1. Change where you shop for food - Local supermarkets are fine but if you live near a health food market, try shopping there for most of your meals. These types of markets have healthier alternatives to most foods. You won't (at least shouldn't) find junk like cupcakes and cheese puffs. 2. Pack a cooler of healthy food - Many times, it's tempting to pull into a fast food restaurant because you're short on time and hungry. Keep a small cooler in your car packed with healthy sandwiches and snacks. When that temptation hits, you can grab something from your cooler and pass right by those fast food places. 3. Cook your own meals - Common sense right? It really does work. The more you get into the habit of preparing healthy meals, the easier it becomes, and the less you will crave the junk. 4. Choose your snacks wisely - Do you tend to crave salty snacks or sweet cake treats? Find alternatives to satisfy those cravings. This is where a health food store will come in handy. Keep healthy alternatives stocked, especially if you live with someone who likes to keep junk food in the house. You can reach for your food and feel less tempted to eat their junk. Those are just some tips that may help to stop cravings. What has helped you?

Simple Ways to Help Stop Cravings for Junk Food

I swear if I get one more email about why people should/shouldn’t follow the 6 meal a day program, I’m going to lay down a serious ass beating. On top of that, I always have some tool sending me links to articles and proof that eating 6 meals a day isn’t the way to go and that it’s an old myth. (As if I don’t keep myself informed) Ridiculous. So I figured it is time to shut their ass up. Yes, I’ve read the studies. Yes I know people that don’t need to eat 6 meals a day and yes I have personally been eating 6 meals a day for many years and the results speak for themselves. But the effectiveness of this method lies in more than just caloric math. Half the battle for most people, as I’ve found, is psychological. And while the effects of eating 6 times a day can be debated from a biologic/nutrition standpoint, it’s psychological awesomeness is something you just can’t fuck with. So on we go. I’m going to give you 6 reasons why you should (if you aren’t already) be eating smaller frequent meals instead of 2-3 big ones. 1. Better Energy Levels Do you know one of the most taxing processes for your body? It’s digestion of food. Ever had a huge ass meal (like say, steak and potatoes) only to find yourself vegetating on the couch for a few hours after? Or ever had the strong urge to fall asleep at work because of the ginormous lunch you stuffed down your throat? Yeah, there’s a reason for that. Huge meals take a huge amount of time to digest, which means all the energy is going towards digestion. Why the hell does anyone think that this is a good idea? Specially in today’s fast paced world where we barely have time to sit and think? Eating smaller meals will prevent you from dozing off and will keep you up and alert. I don’t need RedBull to pull all nighters. All I need is some oatmeal, peanut butter + jelly and some half-caf coffee. Consuming those foods in small proportions every 45 minutes will keep me up all night long. Don’t believe me? Go try it. 2. Controls your blood sugar levels For diabetics this is obviously a huge benefit, but even for those of us who aren’t suffering from any types of illnesses, eating frequent meals that are balanced will keep your blood sugar levels at a constant throughout the day. There will be no retarded and un-needed spikes and more importantly… no tranquilizing dips in your energy. Every few hours you will be taking in a small amount of carbs (and if you watch what you take in, it will be quality stuff) which will also aid in retaining lean body mass. Oh yes, you read that right. And you thought that carbs were the enemy… pfft not. Gluconeogenesis is the enemy. 3. You’ll feel hungry LESS often Lets face the obvious facts here: If you are eating often (say ever 2 hours or so), it really doesn’t give your body a chance to trigger any hunger signals… even if you miss one out of the 6 meals. But on the other hand, lets say you have a big breakfast that carries you over to lunch at which point you realize you are short on time so you eat something light. Fair enough. But you’re not eating often and therefore your last meal, dinner, is like 6 hours away. I can pretty much guarantee that your stomach will begin making some nasty noises as you trek your way home. Last time I checked, no one really likes this feeling and the noises are quite embarrassing. So eating frequently will at the very least… prevent you from looking like a tool. On a side note: I’ve noticed that over time your body will adapt to the type of eating method you choose. Since my body expects food every 2 hours now, it automatically bitches if I haven’t fed it in due time. It’s like having an auto alarm clock… and this is awesome. I usually don’t have to think about eating, I just get hungry every 2 hours. So for those douchebags that keep telling me that eating 6x a day requires too much effort… think again. It requires effort only up until the point your body adapts and it becomes a habit. Autopilot is what your body is best at, take advantage of this feature. All it takes is the right type of programming. 4. More options This one was a revelation for me… an elusive obvious I never even picked up on until I decided to write this article. I realized that ever since I started to eat frequently, my cooking skills have improved which has led to me eating and trying out a variety of different foods. I mean, if you have to eat 6 different meals… why would you eat the same shit over and over? It’s boring and pathetic. I have so many options now and I look forward to grocery shopping and preparing my quick meals. When I was like the average person eating 3 times a day, my daily food log looked boooring. There was no real variety unless I went out to eat. Having 6 slots to fill will literally force you to come up with or look up different foods. Your pallet will expand and you will be introduced to stuff you never thought you would like. 5. Most people end up eating LESS when meal frequency goes up! This one really nails the coffin on the “you don’t need to eat frequently” bandwagon. From all my data and experience that I have, I found that clients who were eating less frequently were actually consuming MORE calories. At first it may sound confusing… I mean, doubling the amount of times you eat food should increase your overall caloric intake right? Wrong. It’s psychology my friend. If your goal is to lose weight, and I told you that you just HAD to eat 6 times a day… guess what would happen? You would automatically make damn sure that each meal was balanced and light so that you don’t overeat and get bigger (at least after a bit of guidance and training you would). Let me give you a sample breakdown from a client’s log. I won’t reveal any personal details since I practice strict confidentiality. Breakfast: 600 calories Lunch: 550 calories Snack: 300 calories Dinner: 700 calories Total: 2150 calories in a day Now after discussing their goals, training level and their weekly activity level, I found that their actual daily caloric requirement was only 1700. So you can see why they were over weight. I’ve always said that caloric math isn’t 100% accurate, there are too many real-world factors to make fat loss a simple number crunching venture, but it’s still a decent way to get an overall picture of the problem at hand. Below is what their new meal log looked like. (Note: This was during the first week without much push from my end. I didn’t even tell them the amount of calories to aim for, just gave them the macronutrient break down and it resulted in awesomeness) Breakfast: 300 Snack: 250 Lunch: 350 Snack: 200 Dinner: 300 Snack: 250 Total: 1650 Hmm… isn’t that interesting? I told this person to eat more times in a day, yet they really ended up eating less. It’s not only the caloric deficit that resulted in their successful fat shredding, it’s also the macronutrient breakdown… which was properly adjusted this time around by moi! And it’s not only fat loss, those who want to get bigger and pack on muscle… eating 6 times a day is the fucking standard. STANDARD. I know many guys that compete and none of them eat less than 6 times a day. Some even chow down on food 8 times a day… which is frankly a bit much for me but hey, these guys compete and putting on mass is of major importance to them. This is the beauty of the high frequency method – it can be effortlessly adapted to your situation. Just adjust the calories and the macronutrient ratios and off you go. 6. Because I said so… Couldn’t really think of a sixth reason but I had to come up with something to stay loyal to my catchy-ass title. So I figured this was as good a reason as any. If all else fails and you hard-asses are still contemplating why you should eat frequently… it’s because I fucking said so! You can also mention it to your friends. “Dude, why the hell are you eating so often?” “Becuz man… FJ said so!” It will get you instant respect, a raise from your boss, loyalty from strangers and you’ll get laid way more often. How can you argue with that?

6 Reasons Why You Should Eat 6 Meals A Day