April 3, 2008 07:37 - 7 Nutrition Secrets For Great Abs
Here is the finale of the article on building great abs by Tom Venuto...First though, as a little gift, here is an ebook containing an interview by David Grisaffi, an in-the-trenches fat loss and abdominal training expert and author of the best-selling ebook Firm and Flatten Your Abs, of fat loss expert and best selling author Tom Venuto. These fat loss pros discuss what it really takes to uncover your abdominals, and the reasons why it takes more than hundreds of situps and crunches to succeed. Some of the facts Tom reveals will surprise you because you won’t hear them from most other experts in the weight loss and fitness industry. Why? Because they either don’t know or they have a vested interest in keeping the truth hidden from you. In this revealing discussion you'll learn top secret ab training techniques and the truth about diet scams and rip offs!
Right-click to download this PDF file here Right click the above link and select 'save link as' to download and save onto your hard drive.
That leads us to nutrition. Many people say that "abdominals are made in the kitchen, not in the gym," and there's a lot of truth to that. You can do thousands of reps of ab work every week, but if your nutrition is not in order, you can forget about getting a great set of 6-pack abs.
1. Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit of 25-30%, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-15% 1-2 days per week.
2. Spread your calories into 5-6 smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Be very conscious of portion size. If you eat too much of anything (even "healthy" food), you can say goodbye to your abs. Period.
3. Eat a source of complete, high quality lean protein with each meal (egg whites, lean meat, fish, protein powder, etc)
4. Choose natural, complex carbs such as vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, beans, brown rice and whole grains. Start with aprox. 50% of your calories from natural carbs and reduce carbs slightly (esp. late in the day) if you are not losing fat.
5. Avoid refined, simple carbs that contain white flour or white sugar
6. Keep total fats low and saturated fats low. Aim for 20% of your total calories from fat (and no more than 30%). A little bit of "good fat" like flax oil, fish fat, nuts & seeds, etc is better than a no fat diet. Essential fatty acids actually assist the fat burning process.
7. Drink plenty of water - a gallon is a good ballpark to shoot for if you are physically active.
1000+ reps of daily ab work is an amazing feat of endurance, but that’s not how you get visible, 6-pack abs! If you were to do 1,000 reps of ab exercises every day, you would have outstanding development in your abdominal muscles and you would definitely have great muscular endurance. Unfortunately, if your abs are covered up with a layer of fat, you will never see them even if you do 10,000 reps a day!
You Condition and Strengthen Your Abs With Specific Ab Exercises...
But The Secret To Seeing Your Abs Is Reducing Your Body Fat!
I once saw a photo of a man who broke one of the Guiness World Records for sit ups. It was the most paradoxical thing, but this man did not have any abdominal muscle definition. He was not obese or overweight at all, mind you, but he had a small enough layer of body fat that the muscular defintion did not show through. I've never seen a better real life example which demonstrates the basic principle discussed in this article:
You get great abs from reducing your body fat, and you reduce your body fat by creating a caloric deficit through nutrition and metabolism-stimulating and calorie-burning exercise.
I've spent my entire career - through more than 18 years and 28 bodybuilding competitions - studying the science and practicing the art of body fat reduction. I speak from experience and I walk my talk as you can see from my pictures.
If you'd like to learn for yourself, what I've learned about fat burning nutrition and getting your body fat level low enough so that you can finally see a "6 pack rack" of abs, then be sure to take a look at the Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program. Thousands of men and women call this their "fat loss bible." For all the details, click here:
www.BurnTheFat.com
Train hard and expect success,
Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com
April 2, 2008 07:26 - How To Use Cardio For MAXIMUM Fat-Burning
This is the continuation of an article by Tom Venuto of Burn The Fat - Feed The Muscle fame on how to build a great set of abs....Times have changed since the Aerobics revolution of the 1970's and 1980's. For years, aerobics was the darling of the fitness world. Then scientists began to acknowledge the benefits of weight training - for everyone, not just for bodybuilders.
Recently, the pendulum has swung the other direction and we've actually started hearing fitness "experts" suggesting that cardio should be kept to a minimum or even avoided completely. That's the way things tend to go in the fitness world - they swing back and forth in trends, from one extreme to another. Lots of cardio or no cardio.
I suggest you avoid trend-hopping and pay close attention to what actually works, by people who know what they are talking about (such as bodybuilders, who are the leanest muscular athletes in the world). Doing nothing but cardio is a mistake. But cutting our cardio completely is also a mistake. The truth lies in the middle. Maximum fat burning occurs when you combine cardio training and weight training together.
Those who are genetically gifted with above average metabolisms will find that a slight drop in food intake and just a few days a week of cardio will usually do the trick. However, most people who are struggling with fat loss (sometimes referred to as "endomorph" body type) are simply NOT burning enough calories to get the results they want. The answer for them is more activity to burn more calories.
For health and weight maintenance, I would suggest 3 short cardio workouts per week, about 20-30 minutes per session. But for maximum fat loss, I recommend 4-7 days per week of cardio or other physical activity for 30-45 minutes (based on results), at a moderate pace. You can mix up the type of cardio you do, or choose the type you enjoy the most - stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, aerobic classes and other continuous activities are all excellent fat burners (it doesn't have to be indoors or on a cardio machine).
If time efficiency is a concern for you, you could do 2-3 of those cardio workouts as high intensity interval training and you'll achieve very good results even with briefer workouts. Even as little as 20-25 minutes per session can get great results IF your intensity level is high enough. Remember, seeing your abs is about low body fat. Low body fat is about burning calories and creating a calorie deficit. The calorie deficit is created by increasing the number of calories you burn and or decreasing the amount of calories you take in from food. Increasing intensity is one way to burn more calories in less time.
NOTE: To reach the "ripped" 3.7% body fat level you see in my photos, I do cardio 7 days a week for 30-45 minutes per session, in addition to my 4 weight training workouts per week.
Tomorrow will be the last part of this article by Tom Venuto of www.BurnTheFat.com and Tom will give you 7 Nutrition Secrets for Great Abs.
April 1, 2008 06:30 - My Championship-Winning Ab Workout Routine
Here is part 3 of Tom Venutos abdominal building article...Personally, I only do about 15 minutes of ab work two times per week, with anywhere from two to four exercises for about 10-25 reps per exercise. Forget about thousands of reps of sit ups – it’s a waste of time. The reason my abs look the way they do is not from endless repetitions, but because I get my body fat down into the single digits with a highly specialized fat-burning diet program.
Here’s a recent ab routine that I've used (for bodybuilding/ ab-development purposes). I do this routine only twice a week and I change the exercises approximately every month so my body doesn't adapt. I prefer slightly higher rep range than other muscle groups, but as you can see, it is far from doing a thousand reps a day.
A1 Hanging leg raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps
Superset to:
A2 Hanging knee ups (bent-knee leg raises)
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises A1 & A2, 60 sec between supersets)
B1 Weighted swiss ball crunches (or weighted cable crunches)
3 sets, 15-20 reps
Superset to:
B2 Incline Bench Reverse crunches
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises B1 & B2, 60 sec between supersets)
How To Use Cardio For MAXIMUM Fat-Burning
Times have changed since the Aerobics revolution of the 1970's and 1980's. For years, aerobics was the darling of the fitness world. Then scientists began to acknowledge the benefits of weight training - for everyone, not just for bodybuilders.
Recently, the pendulum has swung the other direction and we've actually started hearing fitness "experts" suggesting that cardio should be kept to a minimum or even avoided completely. That's the way things tend to go in the fitness world - they swing back and forth in trends, from one extreme to another. Lots of cardio or no cardio.
I suggest you avoid trend-hopping and pay close attention to what actually works, by people who know what they are talking about (such as bodybuilders, who are the leanest muscular athletes in the world). Doing nothing but cardio is a mistake. But cutting our cardio completely is also a mistake. The truth lies in the middle. Maximum fat burning occurs when you combine cardio training and weight training together.
Those who are genetically gifted with above average metabolisms will find that a slight drop in food intake and just a few days a week of cardio will usually do the trick. However, most people who are struggling with fat loss (sometimes referred to as "endomorph" body type) are simply NOT burning enough calories to get the results they want. The answer for them is more activity to burn more calories.
For health and weight maintenance, I would suggest 3 short cardio workouts per week, about 20-30 minutes per session. But for maximum fat loss, I recommend 4-7 days per week of cardio or other physical activity for 30-45 minutes (based on results), at a moderate pace. You can mix up the type of cardio you do, or choose the type you enjoy the most - stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, aerobic classes and other continuous activities are all excellent fat burners (it doesn't have to be indoors or on a cardio machine).
If time efficiency is a concern for you, you could do 2-3 of those cardio workouts as high intensity interval training and you'll achieve very good results even with briefer workouts. Even as little as 20-25 minutes per session can get great results IF your intensity level is high enough. Remember, seeing your abs is about low body fat. Low body fat is about burning calories and creating a calorie deficit. The calorie deficit is created by increasing the number of calories you burn and or decreasing the amount of calories you take in from food. Increasing intensity is one way to burn more calories in less time.
NOTE: To reach the "ripped" 3.7% body fat level you see in my photos, I do cardio 7 days a week for 30-45 minutes per session, in addition to my 4 weight training workouts per week.
...Tomorrow I will publish the rest of Tom's article including his 7 nutrition secrets for building great abs.
Visit Tom's website at www.BurnTheFat.com
March 31, 2008 06:37 - How Body Fat Storage Patterns Affect You
Here continues the Tom Venuto (www.BurnTheFat.com) article about building a great set of abdominal muscles...What's the point of all the physiology? Well, it turns out that in men, the lower abdominal region has a higher concentration of A2 receptors, so this gives us one possible explanation of why the lower abdominal region is often the first place the fat goes when you gain it, and the last place it comes off when you're losing it. (Incidentally, the fat in women's hips and thighs is also higher in A2 receptors). This situation is dictated by genetics and by the hormonal and enzymatic pathways we discussed.
Think of ab fat like the deep end of the swimming pool. No matter how much you protest, there is no way you can drain the deep end before the shallow end. However, don't let this discourage you. Lower ab fat WILL come off, it will simply be the last place to come off. First place on - Last place off.
This helps to explain why abdominal exercises have little impact on body fat loss. It's a huge mistake to think that hundreds or thousands of reps of ab exercises will remove lower abdominal fat, except to the degree that it burns calories and contributes to the calorie deficit. What removes the fat - all over your body - is a calorie deficit and that comes from decreasing food intake, increasing activity, or a combination of both.
What I suggested to this young man was cutting back the ab training, spending the time he was wasting on excess ab exercises for more intense, calorie-burning cardio and weight training for the rest of the body. I also suggested he do an accounting of his food intake, get his nutrition in order and decrease his calories slightly if necessary.
As it turned out, his diet was a mess, and as nutrition experts like to say, "You can’t out-train a lousy diet."
It's a monumental error to think that 1,000 reps of ab work a day will make your abs finally "pop" when your diet is a disaster and that's leading to fat storage. It’s not that ab exercises aren’t important. But all the ab exercises in the world won't help as long as you still have body fat covering the muscles. You can't "spot reduce" with abdominal exercise and YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR ABS THROUGH A LAYER OF BODY FAT!
March 28, 2008 07:46 - THE GREAT ABS MISTAKE "He Was Doing One Thousand Crunches And Sit Ups A Day... But Still NO Abs!!!
The following article was written by Tom Venuto of www.BurnTheFat.com fameIt is a long article so I have broken it into several blog entries to spread it out a bit. It is very informative and Tom says what I have been saying all along about the need to reduce body fat in order to show better muscle definition.
As you can see from his photo above, Tom knows a little about strength training and muscle building...
...After 18 years in the fitness business, “How do I get great abs” is still BY FAR the most frequently asked question I receive out of the 30,000+ emails that come into my office every month. No doubt, it's because abs are the one body part that most people are the most frustrated with. Although their questions are often phrased differently and each person’s situation seems unique, my answer to “how do I get great abs” is almost always the same… and you’re about to hear it...
"1,000 Sit-Ups And Crunches A Day and Still No Abs!"
One question I received recently REALLY got my attention because a young guy told me he was doing 1,000 crunches and sit ups a day and said he still couldn’t see his abdominals. He wrote:
“Tom: I have been working out for around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of shape. I'm starting to see my upper abs a little bit, which is great, but despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100 sit-ups four days a week, along with my regular workout on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I do?”
What did I tell him? Well, I gave him the same answer I’ve given thousands of people over the years, which is the only true “Secret” to great abs...
It takes training to increase strength, build endurance and DEVELOP the abdominals, but to SEE the definition in your abdominals - or any other muscle group for that matter - is almost entirely the result of low body fat levels.
This may sound counter-intuitive, but if you can't see your abs, it's not an issue of “muscle development” at all. You simply have too much body fat covering up the ab muscles. The lower abdominal area also happens to be the one place that most people - especially men - store the body fat first.
There's a Scientific Reason Why Your
Lower Ab Flab Is The Last Place To Go: Belly Fat - A Big Problem
Most people don't have their fat distributed evenly throughout their bodies. Each of us inherits a genetically determined and hormonally-influenced pattern of fat storage just as we inherit our eye or hair color. In other words, the fat seems to "stick" to certain areas more than others.
There's a scientific reason for this. Your fat cells are not just inert "storage tanks" for excess fuel. They are actually endocrine glands which send and receive signals from the rest of the body. You could say that your fat cells "talk to your body" and your body "talks to your fat cells." This occurs through a hormone and receptor system.
For body fat loss to occur, you must first get the fat cell (adipocyte) to release the fat into the bloodstream. THEN, the free fatty acids must be delivered to the working muscles where they are burned for energy.
For fat to be released, the hormone adrenaline (epinephrine) must be secreted and send a signal to your fat cells. Your fat cells receive this hormonal signal via adrenaline receptors called adrenoreceptors.
Fat cells have Beta 1 (B1) and Alpha 2 (A2) receptors. B1 receptors are the good guys. They activate hormone sensitive lipase, the enzyme that breaks down the fat and allows it to be released into the bloodstream to be burned. A2 receptors are the bad guys. They block the fat-releasing enzymes in the fat cell and encourage body fat formation.
Continued in next blog entry...
Visit Tom Venuto's website at www.BurnTheFat.com
March 24, 2008 07:15 - Strength Training Principles # 2 and #3
The most important part of any strength training program is starting it. Thinking about starting is where too many people leave off.Once you have started a program, first of all, congratulations, I'm proud of you. Remember though that after about 4 weeks your body will adapt to what you are doing by getting stronger and that to progress you must begin to vary your exercise program.
Variety is the spice of life and is essential to effective strength training.
If you don't vary your program by progressing to heavier weights and different, more challenging exercises, your strength gains and fat loss will stall.
This is the point
March 20, 2008 07:13 - Strength Training Principle Number One
There are 4 main principles to strength training. The first one I want to talk about is 'overload'.What it means is that for you to strengthen your muscles you have to use enough weight to stimulate them.
People most often don't use enough weight to accomplish this.
Muscle plays a huge role in raising your metabolism. A pound of muscle burns about 60 calories a day while a pound of fat burns 5. That means any growth in your muscle tissue is going to help you burn more calories all day long. In fact, strength training has all kinds of great effects on your body like:
- Increases resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories, even while at rest.
- Makes you lean and slim, muscle takes up less space than fat so, the more you have, the slimmer you are
- Strengthening bones and connective tissue, which can protect your body from injuries in daily life
- Enhances balance and stability
- Builds confidence and self-esteem
I mentioned in a previous artcle that if you can do 10 or more repetitions of an exercise and feel like you can still keep going, then you are likely using too little weight for effective muscle growth.
I'm not saying you should jump right to the big bar and slap a hundred pounds on each end and pretend you are Arnold (what he used to be). If you think the weight is too small, add a few pounds and try again until you can only do about 8 reps and just can't do another.
If you like numbers, you should be trying to lift between 70 and 80% of your maximum capability (maximum weight you can lift in one rep) for effective muscle growth and fat loss.
For Beginners:
* Choose a weight you can only lift 16 times. You don't need to go to complete failure, but make sure you're challenging your body.
* Begin with 1 set of each exercise, slowly working your way up to 2-3 sets (i.e., adding a set each week)
* When you've added sets and have a solid foundation (after 6-8 weeks), add more weight so that you can ONLY do 8-12 reps.
* Continue to progress by adding a rep each week until you reach the max reps (no more than 16), increase your weight and drop your reps back down to 8-12.
March 13, 2008 07:18 - Common Myths and Misconceptions About Strength Training
Strength training and weight lifting exercises have long been the subject of misunderstanding.Firstly, it is commonly believed that you can exercise a certain part of your body, such as your abs or your butt, and lose the fat in those areas.
This is called spot-reduction, and is a myth. You may well strengthen and build the muscles in the areas you are exercising, but you won't lose fat in that area alone.
Where we store and lose fat is dependent on genetics, hormones and age. If your goal is to reduce fat, then it is best to focus on exercises that will work the whole body, especially the large muscle groups that will burn the maximum calories.
Another misconception is that women should exercise with lighter weights and higher repetitions for maximum toning and fat loss.
The truth is that you should use a variety of weights and repetitions in your workouts.
The weight you use should be sufficient that you can only do the desired number of reps -ie- if you plan to do 10 bicep curls in one set, but could keep going after doing the 10, then you are using too light a weight.
Challenge your body within reason, especially if you are a beginner. Increase the weight gradually as you gain strength to avoid injury and pain. There is nothing that will stop an exercise program quicker than pain.
March 11, 2008 07:16 - The Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training can take you from being a worn out, uncoordinated dependent, to being an active and vital independent individual. It doesn't take a lot of time, and the quality of your life depends on it.
Even if you are young and healthy right now, strength training will make everything you do so much easier. (Read Article)
March 10, 2008 06:35 - To Sum It All Up...
Here's a shameless plug for a program that I believe will help you to follow the advice I have given in my blog posts over the past several weeks.The tips I have given have been proven to work to lose weight and keep it off, but only if you actually USE THEM!
"Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness."
Have you ever struggled to consistently follow your desired eating plan ?. . .
Have you ever failed to overcome intense cravings despite your best efforts ?. . .
Have you ever wished you could find the motivation to get up off the couch and exercise like you know you should ?. .
Most people find that following my list of tips and advice (and adhering to a healthy diet and exercise program overall) is greatly enhanced through the use of hypnotism.
Hypnosis can help you build the eating and exercise patterns of a slim person through concrete, positive suggestions - ways of living based on the scientific behavioral research you’ve just read.
In the specific program I am referring to, "Enjoying Weight Loss", you will go through seven short hypnosis sessions that last around 20 minutes each. You will only listen to one session a day, so this time commitment is
realistic and attainable.
Each session in the program has a very specific purpose.
Here are their titles:
1. Introduction to Weight Loss
2. Introduction to Hypnosis
3. Selecting Your Food Program
4. Eating Smart
5. Avoiding Temptation
6. Exercising Regularly
7. Appreciating Yourself
8. Maintaining Your Weight Loss
'Enjoying Weight Loss' is produced by a major league weight loss psychologist, Dr. Roberta Temes, who has finally decided to publish the same hypnosis sessions she uses with celebrities and other VIP New York clients. These sessions allow them to follow the advice of their dieticians almost effortlessly, even with their hectic schedules.
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End of Shameless Plug.
