The Right Way to Do Dumbbell Squats

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While on Facebook, this image came across my timeline.  I knew immediately this wasn’t some joke or staged exercise.  It was another “functional fitness” believer preaching the virtues of doing stability work.
Before I go on … Stability work is important!
What I do not agree with is the manner in which it is being done.  The image above clearly being one of those.
In defense of this particular exercise somebody said…

“You guys have to realize that when training for performance versus looks, a major tool is trying to balance while performing. Its a great core workout and improves balance. What he is doing is very impressive.”

Here’s my No B.S. take on this exercise in particular.
When the exercise itself puts you more at risk than any potential benefits, it’s a bad setup.
From an entertainment perspective only, I agree that what he is doing is impressive.  It takes a no fear attitude, a lot of practice and some excellent core strength and balance.  Purely from a Las Vegas show frame of reference, indeed, the person has skill.
Maybe this exercise should be called … how to break your ankle.
Would variables to make it harder be:
standing on one legdoing a jump squathow about a pistol squat added in for good measure
1.  Stand with the feet slightly apart with a dumbbell in each hand.  Arms relaxed (use straps if you have grip issues)
and look straight ahead.
2.  Take a breath, slightly arch your back and bend at the knees.
3.  When your thighs are about parallel, stand up.
4.  Remember to breathe out!
A dumbbell squat mainly works the quadriceps (front leg muscle) and the gluteal muscles (butt).
Tip:  No need to go heavy on this one.  Use a weight that is 50-60% of your estimated 1 RM and attempt for 10-15 repetitions per set for the best results.

One of the best resources I’ve ever owned regarding the best exercises for every body part is called Strength Training Anatomy.  This is by far the best reference you can own that will show you every muscle used and how to properly do the exercise.   My only complaint is that I wish it was in paperback form so it would fit in my gym bag nicely!
Be Fit, Stay Strong!
Marc David – CPT

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Best Fat Loss Diet - What You Know is Hurting You

It doesn't matter if it's an off-season eating pattern or contest prep, some girls simply don't like to be told how much to eat.

Unless, of course, it allows them room for that deep dish pizza and hot fudge brownie covered with scoops of runny ice cream!

I get it.

To say it's a challenge for you is an understatement. And no, you can't trade an extra hour on the treadmill for the right to eat your favorite stuffed burrito at Chipolte. This isn't about women's rights or not being sensitive to those with eating disorders.

Speaking of which, this article is not addressing those out there with bulimia or anorexia. When I use the word "addiction," I'm not referring to an eating disorder. I'm simply referring to girls who have a severe craving for food (you know who you are). So, those of you who are suffering from said diseases need to seek out medical help.

For the rest, clean out your ears and listen up.

Macro This, Macro That

After my last midnight howl on food addictions, I must have gotten over twenty messages from girls asking, "Hi, I'm 32% body fat and weigh 155 pounds. What macro numbers should I follow?"

News flash: Unless you're already under 18% body fat and have a photo shoot or contest on the horizon, you don't need to be measuring anything. You need to be eating a healthy diet and exercising.

Do you really think having 74 grams of carbohydrates one day instead of 66 grams is going to be the culprit if you aren't able to lose 35 pounds of adipose tissue?

C'mon, folks.

Well, why did so many people ask me that question then? Why do so many female clients ask me to personalize diets for them and then demand a new one four weeks later because, as they put it, "The old diet doesn't work anymore."

I'll tell you why: Because they don't want to actually adhere to a disciplined diet. They don't want restrictions put on the foods they can and can't eat. Most importantly, they want a very easy way out. Talk about the grass is always greener mentality.

I mean heck, Chris Shugart figured out what they're really saying many moons ago.

"That diet didn't work for me," is dieter-speak for:

"I thought I was more knowledgeable than the author so I upped the calories, switched around the macronutrient ratios, didn't use the supplements recommended, and came up with my own training program."

I can hear the tirade now: "Your articles are no help whatsoever, and your 'figure it out yourself' attitude sucks. So, I just won't read anything you write. Problem solved!"

Sheesh! Some thanks I get.

I suppose next time I should write out personalized eating patterns for everyone who asks. Tally up their individual macro numbers and send them on their way to the body of their dreams.

While I'm at it, would you like me to throw in my American Express card info, Social Security number, and PIN number as well?

Look here, sweet cheeks, the reason a cookie cutter program based off of a person's lean body mass isn't necessary and usually won't work is because everyone is different.

Throw out some random numbers for an antsy girl who has never followed any sort of consistent weight training or contest prep protocol before and the answer is simple: Itwontwork.

Forget about the individual's height, weight, lean body mass, or body fat percentage - that's just the tip of the iceberg. In order to design a personalized eating pattern that provides the best possible chance of reaching contest ready conditioning, the following factors need to be considered and evaluated:

Training age

Activity level

Somatotype

Current and past diet

Current and past energy system patterns

Current and past weight training

History of drug use

History of thermogenic use

History of supplement use

Adrenal fatigue test

Possibly a blood test

Then once the eating pattern is implemented, the individual still has to follow it.

Why You Think You Need It

Still, though, why do so many girls who are light years away from ever seeing the bottom of their belly button think they need some meticulous diet with 15 different herbs, extracts, and supplements attached?

This is a simple question with a complex answer. I think I might be on to something, though.

We had the usual one-minute greeting segment in church last Sunday where you stand and greet those seated around you with a brief "good morning" and a hand shake. Every once in a while, some overzealous baby boomer who lacks enough on their mental plate, will commence in a full on interrogation with me cued by the handshake.

This was the case last Sunday.

I turn around behind me to meet an older couple in their sixties. After the routine greeting, the obese wife proceeds to size me up as if I was on a job interview.

"So, what do you do?" she asks.

I give her the shortest answer possible.

She then follows up with, "Where did you get your training?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Where did you get your education?" her husband chimes in.

"Would you like me to fax you my resume?" I reply with a grin.

The next hymn started up, and I turned back around to face the front. All of a sudden the woman leaned forward to whisper in my ear, "I'm a nutritionist."

At that moment, I almost stumbled over the pew and off the balcony waiting for a team of angels to swoop down from heaven above to rescue me from certain disaster.

Regaining consciousness, I snapped back to reality. She didn't just say what I think she did, did she?

You see, this is just part of the bigger picture. Any time you have obese women speaking as an authority figure to the masses on the topic of nutrition, it subconsciously gives the advice-seeking female "permission" to be as fat as their advisor.

The driving force behind all these women pleading for a brand new diet with specific macro numbers is because they really believe that's all they're missing.

Forget about just simply making smart eating choices and sticking to a sensible diet. Oh no, it couldn't be that easy.

A female over 25% body fat asking for exact gram amounts of macronutrients per day is akin to a girl who has never lifted weights before asking to be put on steroids. Get the picture?

Give a newbie a diet with set macros and she won't even get past the first day. Somewhere between getting the tomatoes out of the fridge and weighing the slice of raw salmon, she lost focus and scarfed down a handful of hickory roasted cashew nuts.

You don't always have to feel overwhelmed to get results.

The last reason women think they need some special diet designed just for them to get near the 20% body fat neighborhood is because on every channel, every magazine cover, and every billboard there's a new fad diet. The Holy Grail of fat loss is just a phone call away.

This mindset leaves the naive newbie chewing on her cinnamon raisin bagel, perplexed and confused as she ponders weather to try the Crunch diet or West Palm Beach diet - next month, of course.

Surely nothing as simple as losing fat could be as easy as making smart eating choices and exercising? Could it?

The Get It Right Program

The following workout and diet is for any female who's above 25% body fat, or in that neighborhood.

Let's set some ground rules first:

Eat four meals per day.

Eat five meals on days you lift weights.

Every serving should be about the size of your fist.

Eat a protein source with every meal.

Eat a carbohydrate or fat source with every meal.

Eat a vegetable or salad with every meal.

Fruit can be eaten once a day as a carbohydrate.

Drink a calorie-free liquid with every meal.

Lift weights two times per week.

Perform two, 20-minute energy system workouts per week.

After 100% adherence for the first two weeks, you're allowed to eat two unapproved meals per week.

Approved protein sources:

Wild salmon

Eggs

Ground turkey breast

96% lean ground beef

Chicken breast

Tuna

Talapia

Sea bass

Orange roughy

Approved carbohydrate sources:

Organic brown rice

Quinoa

Long grain wild rice

Sweet potato

Yam

Oats

Chick peas

Northern beans

Approved fat sources:

Avocado

Egg yoke

Olive oil

Fish oil

Walnuts

Almonds

Ground flax seeds

"What about a protein shake?" you ask. The only time a whey protein shake should be consumed on this plan is during or after your workout, and you're allowed to have a grapefruit along with it. It'll also count as one of your meals.

"Yeah, but can I have some soy sauce on some of that?" Condiments, sweeteners, and spices are fine, but use no more than a tablespoon three times a day.

Now, don't ask me if you can have a food that isn't listed above. That's the first problem with the 25% body fat and above female demographic: They immediately start to look for a way out. Ever heard the ole' saying, "Give em' and inch and they'll take a mile?"

Stick It Out

This plan might be a little inconvenient, and it certainly won't allow for you daily high-fructose corn syrup fix. But if you stick to it, you'll be very pleased with your results.

For more cutting edge fat loss nutritional and training programs check out Best Fat Loss Diet

Jeff Kuh is a former collegiate football player,strength coach & published author who currently developes customized eating patterns for virtual based clients around the world through The New Science of Fat Loss

Diets For Fat Loss - Dieting For Success Made Easy

By now you've most likely waded through a bunch of diets for fat loss claiming to help you lose fat without lifting a finger. For years I followed this same destructive path and got no where. There's a reason why so many diets lead you to failure and I'm going to explain why. I'm now looking absolutely fantastic and it's thanks to diets that didn't make life miserable.

Conventional Dieting Mistake

The first thing you need to understand about diets for fat loss is that starving yourself isn't going get you anywhere. You need a diet that maintains your motivation and still makes eating enjoyable. We all love eating and making it something that's dreaded is asking for trouble. Low calorie diets also slow down you metabolism. This not what you want to do and will ultimately lead to weight gain instead.

 

How To Diet Right

Eat right, eat well, and love it. All effective diets for fat loss must follow this. If you don't like tasteless salads, don't eat them! There are so many healthy recipes out there that can replace any meal of the week. My point is that you don't need to suffer in order to achieve success.

 

Try cooking up some tasty healthy meals on the weekend and freezing it. Then ration this out throughout the week with some rice or pasta. This is an example of what diets for fat loss should do. It's a great way to eat food you like, prevent overeating and save time in the kitchen.

Recommendation - Where To From Here?

After trying so many diets for fat loss I was on the verge of quitting. I was overweight, miserable and getting desperate. I just simply couldn't stop eating and I couldn't see an end to it. I couldn't stand to diet and it was taking it's toll. I was unhappy with my appearance and I knew that everyone else was thinking the same thing.

I then stumbled upon FatLossDieting.info [http://fatlossdieting.info/] and I found diets for fat loss that not only tasted good but actually made me lose body fat in weeks! I can proudly say that I look fantastic now and believe it or not I can now see my abs. I recommend it to anyone struggling with their fat loss and needs diets that actually work.

Easy Fat Loss Diets - The 2 Big Flaws You Need to Be Aware of

If you could slim down in one week's time without lifting a finger, it would be insane...crazy of you if you don't go for it, right?

No wonder easy fat lose diets are selling like hotcakes no matter what time of the year it is! Atkins, Southbeach, Cabbage Soup...these are just some of the easy fat lose diets around. Why spend months or even years at the gym and taking weight loss advice from certified experts when you could grab a diet plan and slim down within a week?

Going for easy fat lose diets is the MOST logical option...or so it seems!

Have you taken an unbiased look at these fad diet plans? Have you ever considered "what is the catch?"

If not, it's about time you did. And I'll be showing you 2 of the biggest flaws these easy fat lose diets have and how they affect you and your health...NEGATIVELY!

Easy Fat Loss Diets BIG Flaw 1

"Carbs and fats are HUGE no-no's. They make you gain weight and you should stay away from them if you want to slim down!"

That's the mentality behind most, if not all of those fat lose diets. HOWEVER, here's something you have to realize, without carbs and fats, your body won't have something to burn and convert to energy. Ignore them completely and you'll be weak and too feeble to work and fulfill your daily activities!

And they skip another important info: there are 2 types of carbs - simple and complex. The simple carbs can be found in junk foods, soda, tacos, etc. and they cannot be digested easily and are absorbed by our cells in a snap...making you gain weight. This is the type of carbs you should stay away from.

On the other hand, complex carbs can be found in raw fruits and veggies. Our bodies will have an easier time digesting them, burning, and converting them to energy. These are the carbs that should be in your diet all the time.

Easy Fat Loss Diets BIG Flaw 2

A quick survey at these easy fat lose diets will make you realize that almost all of them advocate this super-food of their choice.

Cabbage, watermelon, hard-boiled egg, etc. these are just some of the foods that these fad diets are promoting if you want to see immediate weight loss results. BUT guess what, if you are to consume only one type of food, then you'll be lacking badly in the nutrition your body needs!

A blend of carbs, proteins, fats, and other nutrients is essential for a healthy living, and no food alone can cater to everything your body needs.

Fat Loss Diet and Exercise Tips

Diet tips:

o Take high protein and carbohydrate content food to lose weight healthily. For this you need to plan a less food intake at regular intervals of time. Avoid taking junk foods which contains oil, sugar and flour. Take fiber-rich foods like apples, oranges, grapes, broccoli and lemon which prevents overweight. The energy produced by these fiber-rich foods can be easily burned by the body at high speed.

o Carbohydrate and protein content foods will really increase the metabolism rate. Generally our body requires more energy to break down the complex molecules of carbohydrates and proteins to use them. So for the digestion purpose of these complex molecules we need to burn out some calories which reduce the body fat content.

o Make a track record of your diet and checkout the calories to burn out daily. Have 10-15 glasses of water daily to avoid hunger .It helps in increasing metabolism rate and reduces over weight. By drinking water daily you can control being overweight because water can be used as a natural appetite. Water helps in increasing metabolism rate rapidly and helps in losing over weight by burning fat at high speed.

o Take fatty acids and Citric fruits, Taking omega-3fatty acids, citric content fruits like oranges, grapes and lemon will increase the BMR as they burn more fat calories to digest.

o Fat loss foods play a crucial role in reducing fat content and increasing the metabolism rate. As our body responds quickly to the diet controlled nutrition food because it is easy to burn out the fat calories in less time. So changing to the proper food diet will really helps in losing body fat. And also if you plan to do physical activities along with these fats loss foods will help you to lose more fat within a short period of time.

Exercise tips:

o Natural exercise plays a key role in defining metabolism rate. Metabolism is nothing but the process of burning calories required by the body. If the metabolism rate is high in the body then it will be easy to lose weight and if the metabolism rate is low then easy to gain more weight. So, in order to maintain high metabolism rate we have to pan for regular exercises like walking, Aerobic exercises, skipping, jumping, cycling, weight lifting exercise, swimming and sit-ups. Avoiding alcohols/smoking will helpful in preventing over weight. Don't use un-prescribed medical drugs which may cause several side effects.

o Cardiovascular and strength training exercise burns more fat cells and increases body metabolism rate to lose weight effectively. Strength training exercises increases the body stamina and strength with good metabolism rate. These exercises play a vital role in defining body weight loss with lean muscle mass.

o Cardio exercise increases body mass index rate and helps to reduce overweight. Cardio exercise should b taken up for around 30 -60 minutes in a day for having effective results in losing over weight. You can perform this cardio exercise for 5 to 7 days in a week with proper intensity level. Try to spend more time in cardio work for losing weight safely and effectively.

Diet and exercise tips are very useful in preventing overweight. It is very important to prevent overweight because it causes many health related problems .over weight can be avoided by improving metabolism rate by taking calorie-deficit food along with some physical exercises. Weight loss can also be prevented by using recommended Fat loss program [http://body-weight-loss.org].

Fat Loss Diet For Men and the Acai Berry Revolution

Palm trees in the Amazon rainforests produce the fruit known as the Acai. Recent research proves its usefulness for a variety of health related issues. As Acai use becomes more prevalent, many men have started to question whether this is an effective treatment for them as well. The answer is a resounding yes. This berry packs amazing benefits and is now recognized worldwide as a super food. This means it provides health benefits to a degree not normally found in just one food, making it one of the healthiest foods on the planet. For men, it can provide all the same benefits as it does for women and is especially helpful in weight loss, colon cleansing and the prevention of cancer and other diseases.

Men often have a difficult time finding weight loss plans tailored to their specific needs and concerns. Using Acai, men can realize enormous benefits. Due to the high nutrient content of super foods, daily nutrient needs can be met with the use of very few calories, providing your body with all it needs to stay healthy while shedding unwanted pounds. Men will find that by using this supplement, they will have increased energy and burn fat faster than ever before. That energy can be used to exercise, lift weights and reach other health related goals.

Colon cleansing is an effective means of clearing toxins from the body while promoting the loss of weight. Using this supplement provides the body with a gentle, natural approach to colon cleansing. The body is able to rid itself of built up toxins to function optimally. Men will discover that the body then works effectively in burning fat and losing weight.

Finally, a diet that includes an Acai berry supplement will provide an array of antioxidants to help in the prevention of cancer and other diseases. Over time, cells in the body become damaged by environmental chemicals, eventually causing disease. Antioxidants correct this damage naturally. However, it can be difficult for men to get the antioxidants needed from diet alone. Using this supplement assures that the body has an adequate supply of antioxidants.

The Acai berry provides a dazzling array of nutritional benefits, making it the perfect supplement for men trying to cut down on fat and realize weight loss goals. It gives men more energy to optimize all facets of their program. This fruit will naturally and safely clear toxins from the body while providing antioxidants to avoid diseases. Men looking for a healthy option to burn fat and lose pounds should definitely add Acai to their daily diet.

Note: there's been plenty of clinical research done proving the effectiveness of acai berry supplements for men. Men who are constantly stressed about how to lose weight quickly should consume this natural product.

Hector Milla runs the Acai Berry For Men website - where you can get a free 14 day trial offer at little cost. Just S/H.