Compound Lifts, The Essential Lifts.

When it comes to overall strength and having a solid build, you can't go past compound lifts. What are compound lifts? Compound lifts are lifting movements that incorporate several muscle groups at once to get the job done.

The main compound lifts you should perform;

1. The Squat
2. The Dead-lift
3. The Pull-up
4. The Shoulder Press
5. The Bench Press

If you incorporate these lifts into your workout routine, you will be fast-tracking your muscle gains as well as gaining overall strength and power for everyday use. I talk to allot of lifters who prefer not to do the bench press in its traditional form, because it puts unnatural strain on their joints. If you were to swap the bench press for a dumbbell press or something similar, it wouldn't really matter.

If you don't perform these lifts, you are missing out BIG time! 

Merry Christmas people, and happy lifting.

Carnitine, The Fat Burning Supercharger!

When it comes to weight loss, one supplement that always gets a mention is carnitine. But what is canitine and how does it work?

Carnitine is a compound from the amino acids methionine and lysine, carnitine is the "transporter" of fatty acids, this transporter turns your fat into energy which is used when exercising.

Being the middle of summer here in this great country, I take carnitine several times a day. The best times to take your carnitine is just before any physical activity (workouts), or when you haven't eaten in a while and you feel hungry. These are the times when your body is trying to use your fat as an energy source, so you want as much carnitine in your system to help the process along.

What to buy
When it comes to purchasing your carnitine you will probably see different variety's, so which should you buy? I buy Acetyl L-Carnitine, It is basically a superior form, that gets working a little faster and more effectively.

Carnitine can be quite expensive if your buying it from your local supplement store, so you are far better having a look on-line, and getting it in powder form instead of capsules. The taste is pretty foul so I buy empty capsules and fill them myself, by doing this you can save squillions!

Squillions!


this is good value--> http://nobullsupplements.com.au/catalog/Acetyl_L_Carnitine-8-1.html

The top 10 diet myths!

#10 White rice is like eating sugar 
This is so damn stupid! Yes, white rice is a carbohydrate but its not a simple carb, so it takes longer to break down. It has less fibre and all over goodness than it's brown counterpart, but it's not THAT bad. Eat in moderation.


#9 Meat is bad for you
Damn hippies! meat is freakin' awesome for you, anyone that disagrees is a twat! beef, lamb, pork are some of the best natural sources of protein you can wrap your lips around. Then there's the vitamins like B12 which you can't get from tofu and vinegar. The benefits of meat are endless.


#8 Egg yolks are evil cholesterol balls
Heart foundation: "Did you know that blood cholesterol levels are more influenced by the saturated and trans fat we eat than the cholesterol in foods? That's why it's OK to eat eggs" .


#7 Low fat foods wont make you fat
Before you chow down a 6 pack of 99% fat free yoghurt cups, take a look at the sugar content. Just because they cut the fat out of foods, doesn't mean they don't pack it choc full of sugar to satisfy the tastebuds.


#6 Raw eggs are good for you
You are not Rocky! Egg protein is better absorbed when It's cooked & You can still get food poisoning from an egg. Cook the bastard!


#5 Fruit is great on a fat loss diet
Fruit = sugar, sugar = fat. Ok it's not that simple, Fruit is great in moderation, it has fibre, vitamins & antioxidants, but It also has allot of natural sugars. Eat in moderation.


#4 Fasting or crash dieting will lose more fat faster!
Your body is a complex organism which adapts to its environment. If you starve yourself or only eat a very small amount of calories every day, your body will soon start to panic. What happens when your body freaks out and thinks your starving?? It stores as much fat as possible to keep you alive! You have to find a healthy calorie deficit that's not too extreme.  


#3 Eating before bed will make you fat
It doesn't really matter what time of day you consume your calories. It only matters how many calories you consume per day.


#2 You have to eat 6 small meals per day
It doesn't matter how many times you eat per day. it only matters that you eat your required proteins fats and carbs, and not go into calorie surplus.


#1 Carbohydrates will make you fat
Carbohydrates will not make you fat! too many calories are the only thing that will make you fat.

What do I need?

What sort of equipment do you need to start your fitness journey? First you have to ask yourself, what are your goals? and what is your budget?. 

For most people looking to lose weight and build muscle, all I recommend is getting yourself an adjustable bench with a leg attachment, a rack to sit your barbell on, a barbell, some adjustable dumbbells, some weight plates, chin up bar & a skipping rope. This will provide you with everything you need to reach your fitness goals. 

For someone with a little less on the budget side you could just go for an all-in-1 gym system, but I don't really recommend them.

Someone on even less of a budget could opt for a set of adjustable dumbbells and just make do with them.

For someone with a high ceiling on the ol' budget, the sky's the limit really....

You don't need all the fancy pants gym equipment, you just need basic weight and some will power. If you have some patience and a keen eye, you can pick up all that you need form eBay or gumtree for very cheap.

I now have a collection of 3 sets of adjustable dumbbells, 2 barbells, adjustable bench, cable pull-down, EZbar, resistance bands, Chin up bar, 250KG of weights & lost of other goodies for less than $200!! That's less than half the price of a 12 month gym membership!

Happy hunting.

Drive Your Supplement Dollars!!

So when you open the glossy fitness magazines and see all the flashy adverts on all the latest and greatest miracle supplements. I hope that you realise that those supplement companies are trying everything possible to sell your their product.
So how do you know what supplements you should buy?? You could start by looking at the the amount of each active ingredient to see where the best value lies.... right? Hang on! They just say proprietary blend on them!!??!

Lets have a look at a snippet from the bigger stronger faster film about the supplement industry;



Don't get me wrong not all are filled with rubbish, in fact some are decent products. But in order to be sure I'm getting what I pay for I buy Australian made products with the ingredients listed in full detail. Do the research yourself or just shop where I shop http://www.bulknutrients.com.au/ . or I sell supplements directly (not on-line).

Happy training.

How many do you do?

When it comes to eating there's a certain stigma around how many meals you should be consuming. The fact of the matter is there's no right or wrong answer. I do suggest you eat 2 meals at the very least (even then..).

So why does everyone keep telling you to eat 6 meals per day?... This has for a long time been the #1 rule for the fitness community, but why? It was believed that eating all the time was feeding tour fat burning furnace and keeping the protein synthesis constant with a constant supply of nutrients etc.

The truth is that it doesn't really matter all that much.

• It takes time to digest food
• Its more about calories in and calories out
• Your body CAN digest more than 30g of protein per meal
• Most people don't feel satisfied eating teeny tiny meals which leads to binge eating
• Its far easier to get ripped eating less frequently

For some people eating 6 meals a day works (especially if your a freakin' massive body-builder who NEEDS that much food), but for most it is unnecessary and a hassle to say the least.

Make sure your eating your required amount of protein and fats/carbs, and the rest is your own choice!

Keep it simple.

Weights aren't weights

When it comes to lifting for size, the general consensus is that the heavier the weight the bigger your muscles will get! This is NOT the case.  In fact the muscle doesn't have a clue how much weight is sitting in your fists. All the muscle can recognise is the applied effort and the resistance.

It doesn't make you any bigger throwing those heavy weights around like your life depended on it. It is much safer and beneficial to use a slower controlled movement with a lighter weight to get to your desired reps.

I have been guilty many a time at the gym picking up the biggest dumbbells I could possibly swing so I didn't look like a weak little kitten. But the fact is to the bigger, more experienced and educated lifter, the contrary applies. Don't look like the other idiots in the gym, pick a weight you can handle.

Bye for now,

10 Week Lean Training Program

This 10 week Lean Training Program is a generic 3 day split that covers all the major muscle groups, Whilst the cardio aspect is geared towards weight loss, it will give you a nice balanced whole body workout, resulting is some lean muscle gains.


EXERCISE


Phase 1
The Idea of phase 1 is to build those fast twitch muscle fibres with lower reps, so we will warm up for 1 or 2 sets, then go for it for 2 sets. Remember you only get out what you put in! Aim for a weight that is heavy enough that you can only do between 6 and 10 repetitions max. If you can do more than 10 reps its time to add more weight. 
Always have full control of the weight! If you find yourself moving around when doing an exercise to get the weights up, your most likely lifting too much, so back the weight off a little bit.
Keep a journal of your lifts for the day, that way you have something on paper to try and beat for next time.


Day 1 - Chest Shoulders and Triceps
Push ups (warming up)
Bench Press
Seated Military Press
Tricep Dumbell Kickback
Power Partials
Weighted bench dip

Day 2 - cardio

Day 3 - Back and Biceps
Preacher curls
Pullups
Hammer Curls
Dead-lifts
Close grip EZ Bar curl
Lawnmower

Day 4 - cardio

Day 5 - Legs & Abs
Squats
Calf raises
Crunches
Leg Extentions
Hanging leg raise
Lying leg curls

Day 6 - cardio

Day 7 - Rest


Phase 2
The idea for Phase 2 is to target the slow twitch muscle fibres. Working with the same exercises as phase 1, we are looking to increase our repetitions. so instead of aiming for 6 to 10 reps we are aiming for 15-20.
By switching repetitions your body doesn't adapt, stimulating muscle growth.


Calendar
Weeks 1-4 : Phase 1
Week 5 : Phase 2
Weeks 6-9 : Phase 1
Week 10 : Phase 2

6 pack ab's explained

Now, you are probably expecting to read "doing crunches won't give you 6-pack abs".


This is true.... but not true, let me explain.

Yes, abs are made in the kitchen. By this I mean you have to lose that layer of fat that covers your abs otherwise.. No abs will show.

Makes sense right?

Where people get confused is what is the best way to lose the ab flab. Doing sit-ups/ crunches/ ab dingy's or any other rubbish ab exercise will NOT burn belly fat any faster than any other fat on your body. 


Sorry guy's, you can't pick and choose where the fat comes off, plain and simple. your better off dieting or  doing some more exercise if you want to see those gut muscles.

but....

If you are at the stage when those ab's are starting to show through, this is where ab exercises come in handy because if you have a weak midsection you will have a fairly flat 6-pack.

Abdominals are stimulated the same way as any other muscle in that they need resistance training to adapt and grow. So you see, doing ab exercises are great if you don't have the spare tyre. But are not necessary or recommended for losing the spare tyre, there are easier ways!

Keep it simple

There's allot of people spending too much time stuffing around with the little details. "You must do 6-8 reps or you wont get bigger" or "you cant have milk in your coffee" or "you must take protein within 24.76 minutes of your last rep".....


Take a step back and look at the big picture, as long as your putting in maximum effort in the gym the rest is trivial! (granted your diet is in order). Sure different reps work muscles differently, but don't over think anything, it's more about applied effort.

Cover all your basses by throwing in different rep ranges every now and again. If you throw in some high rep stuff every now and again you wont be missing out on those slow twitch muscle fibres. don't just go through the paces, Push yourself past your physical limitations.

As for nutrition, as long as your eating enough healthy foods that are high in protein your body composition will get better. SIMPLE. Weather you get bigger or smaller depends on how much fuel (carbs/fat) you consume.

Keep it simple.

Creatine

The thing about Creatine is there are so many bullshit fairytales about  how it will do this and that blah blah blah...  the fact is that there is basically ZERO evidence to back any of the rumours up.

Creatine is OK! take it.

When people ask me "What supplements should I buy" I usually suggest creatine in the stack, it's cheap and it's effective.

Creatine holds water in your muscle giving you added size and strength for as long as you are taking it. It's not gonna turn you into arnie but most people notice a difference when taking it.

As for "What sort of creatine should I buy". BUY THE CHEAPEST !!! when I say cheapest I mean Creatine Monohydrate you shouldn't be spending more that $30 a kilo. The other forms of creatine are a waste of money TRUST me.

As for dosage, read the instructions or just throw back a teaspoon or 2 a day in water or a sugary drink for faster absorbtion.

Protein powder

For me protein powders are the most valuable supplement as I find taking protein powder a cheap and easy alternative to cooking up lean meats all the time. Whey protein also absorbs quicker than solid foods so they are great for post workout. Although I'm divided on the whole "Must have protein straight after workout" thing, it doesn't hurt to have it anyway.

BUY YOUR PROTEIN FROM AN ONLINE SHOP! that's the most valuable advice I can give anyone on a budget. For anyone in Australia you shouldn't have to pay more than $120 for a 5kg bag delivered of flavoured Whey protein Concentrate (WPC).

Nutrition

There is so much available information on nutrition that it can be confusing as to where to start. I'm here to make it simple and straight forward. Weather your losing fat or gaining size you need to eat PROTEIN.


Let me start by explaining the 3 main types of foods.


1) PROTEIN. Look at protein as something that builds. Protein builds Muscle, hair, bones, boners etc. Bottom line is protein Builds shit.


2) CARBS. Carbohydrates are Fuel. Carbs are there to use for energy if you eat more carbs than you burn you get FATTER.


3) FATS. Fats are basically the same as carbs, they are fuel but they have more than double the calories per gram.