I’ve never done these, and I can imagine that they must be somewhat uncomfortable. Tom Venuto talked about these squats recently on his Body Building Secrets Blog. He also included some pretty cool videos of some guys lifting some pretty serious weights in this style. So if you’re looking for a way to add a little variety to the way you do squats, check out Zercher Squats!
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Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I wanted to take a minute and share a few ideas that can make your Thanksgiving a great one. Now that we are in the Holiday Season, there will be all sorts of opportunities to eat lots of extra food. Just remember what your main goals are and try not to overdo it!
I know this may sound weird, but one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner is the mashed potatoes. One of my favorite recipes is to use real potatoes (not the flake stuff, yuck!), boil them until they are really soft, and then throw them in a Hamilton Beach® Mixer. Add some milk, butter, and garlic powder and start mixing them until they are nice and creamy. You just have to eyeball it a little until they have the right consistency for you, but I could honestly eat nothing but these potatoes (and at least a little turkey 
) on Thanksgiving and be totally happy! And they’re so easy to make, just a good Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer, potatoes, butter, milk, and you’re good to go! (The Hamilton Beach® Eclectrics® Mixer is a good option because of its features and also lower price point than other brands.)
So I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and feel free to share with all of us some of your favorite recipes and past-times. Also, don’t let this be the season where you put on the most weight. Be reasonable in your extra eating this Holiday Season, but also have a good time!
It always surprises me that a lot of people don’t know that all fats are not created equal. The other belief that a lot of people have is that all fats are bad, hence the whole “No-Fat” or “Fat-Free” fad. The truth is that you need to have some fat in your diet. Below, you’ll get a more specific recommendation from John Berardi:
Good Fats
by Dr. John Berardi
On average, most people should ensure that 25-35% of their energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (animal fat), monounsaturates (olive oil, avocados, etc), and polyunsaturates (flax oil, salmon oil, etc.). Your total fat in the diet may vary but make sure you’re getting about 1/3 of each type for the best fat balance.
This tip is provided by Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition.
How dedicated are you to losing weight, gaining muscle, or whatever goal you’re trying to achieve? Adam showed some real dedication by doing this. Now, is doing this type of thing something that everyone should do…well, I don’t know. I think that a lot of people could really benefit from making their goals a little more public. That way you know that people are going to wonder what you’re up to. It sort of puts you in a position where you have to succeed, or face the humiliation of not doing it.
So should everyone do it? I think that’s a question that everyone should ask themselves on a personal level. So instead, the question would be should you do it? Would it help you to reach your goals?
Here’s a link to Adam’s blog: RTP-Blog
Protein for Fat Burning
by Dr. John Berardi
Protein is by far the most thermogenic of the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, and fat). Due to the high metabolic costs of processing it, protein provides fewer storable kcal. The thermic effect of a mixed meal is about 10% of intake, while the thermic effect of protein per se is more like 25-30%. That could mean reving up your metabolism by 200 kcal just from your 200-gram (800 kcal) protein intake.
This tip is provided by Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition.
Well, take it for what it’s worth, but my opinion is you should focus most of your time at the gym one the Big 3 Lifts. Just a reminder, the Big 3 are the Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press. These are the three best compound lifts that will help to build mass.
Another thing I’d like to mention is that if you’re in a situation where you have very little time to workout, and can only make it to the gym once a week, don’t waste the rest of the week. How long does it really take to drop to the floor and do some pushups or situps? You can find plenty of excuses not to get any exercise, or you could find plenty of ways to at least get a little bit of exercise.
You take your pick of what you want to do, but I think it comes down to self discipline and making yourself do some things that you don’t really want to do. If you have time to watch TV, you have time to do some pushups. If giving up TV is too hard for you, do some pushups during the commercials! If you really want to achieve lifetime fitness, you’re going to have to make some changes!
Just today I came across another site where you can get coupons for various products and services. I would assume that most of the people reading this blog are taking some type of vitamin or other supplements. If you aren’t you may want to reconsider :-).
So if you’re already buying stuff, why not get it for a discount? One site where you can get some free coupons is NCNatural.com. Some of the coupons that you’ll find useful for your fitness goals are Vitamin Shoppe and VitaCost. So check them out if you want to save some money online.
I think this is a common question out there. I’m not sure who started it, but I think we have all heard that you can’t get as good of a workout at home as you can at the gym. In some senses, I completely agree with this statement. The gym will usually give you a better variety of exercises, and you don’t have to worry about making space for all that equipment in your basement!
With that being said, there are also ways that you can still get a great workout at home. One big benefit to working out at home is convenience. If you live 20 minutes from the gym you may find it hard motivating yourself to go. But if you can walk downstairs and get your workout, that makes it a lot easier. But don’t let that convenience make you lazy in doing it ;-)!
I read a really good article from Sean Nalewanyi today about this exact topic. Rather than me just going over the same points, here is a link to his article so you can read it for yourself: Muscle-Building Success From Home: Can It Be Done?
So it has now been seven days since I made the post about starting your day off right. The idea was to start your day off with even just a short 5-10 minute workout to get your day started. If you missed the post, you can read it here. So did you take the challenge? If so, how did you do?
If you haven’t yet taken this challenge, I would like to extend the challenge to you again. Even if you were only able to do 5 of the 7 days, that’s still really really good! One thing about fitness is that when you are just getting started, don’t feel like you have to be perfect to make progress. Even a good sustained effort over time can give you great results.
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We seem to be living in an age when cosmetic surgeries and quick fixes are all the rage. While I do think that too many people just opt for this route without trying anything else, I think there are some people out there that could actually benefit from undergoing some type of obesity surgery. The main thing is that if you’re going to do it, make sure that you plan on doing it with a reputable surgeon or program that focuses on long-term solutions as well.
In my personal opinion, undergoing surgery should be one of your last resorts, and it should also only be used as a stepping stone to a better life. Just undergoing surgery will not fix everything if you still don’t make some lifestyle changes.
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