I almost never talk about other people’s blogs but I’m making an exception today. This is the best analysis I’ve seen of the show The Biggest Loser. It happens to come from one of my favorite people in the fitness world, Tom Venuto. He really gets to the core of the pros and cons of the show. There’s no sale pitch or anything – just great content to really think about, especially if you like the show. I consider it required reading: http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2009/09/the_biggest_loser_pros_and_con.php Learn from this! Darrin p.s. if you want to comment here, that’s fine or leave (more…)
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Everyone seems to really like Tom’s posts so today I’m going to send you a link to a new article he wrote on his site.
Ever wonder what a champion bodybuilder – with an amazing physique – eats to promote both muscle growth and fat loss?
I bet a few of these things will surprise you.
http://budurl.com/burnthefatfoods
Even if you don’t think of yourself as a “bodybuilder”, you should check out his lists of top 10 foods.
What do you think? How closely do your eating habits match his? Come back and make a comment after you check it out.
Oh – and anyone who orders Tom’s book in the next 3 days will get a free copy of my new ebook Train Better To Gain More & Lose More ! Just email me your receipt and I’ll get you my ebook!
Here’s another exceptional article from Tom Venuto. You see, Tom understands that cardio plays a major role in having a fit, muscular physique as well as for your overall health. I sometimes sound like a broken record in saying that the guys who dismiss (more…)
Continue reading about 2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Still Making
It’s axiomatic that the exercises which give you the best results are always the hardest ones to do. If you want a huge back… you row and deadlift. If you want huge legs, you squat… OR… you do THIS leg exercise – that almost no one wants to do because its one of the hardest of them all.
Which one am I talking about? FRONT SQUATS!
In my opinion, front squats are one of the absolute best quad builders. Back squats are a tremendous mass builder as well, but front squats introduce an additional level of challenge because they require flexibility, technique, and core strength because the bar must be held and balanced on the front of the shoulders. As such, the front squat does everything the back squat does and more.
One great advantage of the front squat, especially for someone like me, having previously suffered a low back injury (herniated L4), is that the torso can be held in a more upright (vertical position). Since there is less forward trunk inclination, this removes some of the stress and shear forces from the lower back. At the same time, this upright position is closer to a bodybuilding squat and throws much more emphasis on the quads and less on the hips. It is truly a superb bodybuilding exercise.
There are two styles of front squatting, the Olympic lifting style and the crossed arm style. I find that most athletes, and of course Olympic lifters, use the former, while most bodybuilders seem to prefer the latter. The barbell should generally be your weapon of choice, but for bodybuilders, front squats on the Smith machine are an outstanding alternative. The Smith machine front squat takes some of the balance issues out of the picture, which allows the physique athlete to really focus on working the muscle rather than worrying about balance and stabilization. Be sure to rotate between both versions, however– barbell and smith machine – because long term overuse or dependency on machines may lead to stabilizer weakness or muscle imbalances and variety is never a bad idea in the physique game. [Editor's Note: I suggest not even trying this on the smith machine. Just go light to start with and learn it the right way - Darrin.] Incidentally, the barbell front squat is an outstanding “core” exercise.
A third version of the front squat worth considering is the dumbbell front squat (especially the sumo or wide stance version). These can be performed holding a single dumbbell with both hands on the front of the shoulders, cupped between both hands (goblet squat) or with two dumbbells, one in each hand, resting on top of each shoulder. The limiting factor on these front squat variations is often the poundage, as holding heavy dumbbells can become unwieldy. This can be partially overcome by performing the dumbbell front squat last in a leg workout or second in a superset, or by manipulating tempo and range of motion so the exercise is made more (more…)
Continue reading about The Greatest Quad Builder… That Almost No One Wants To Do
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By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS BurnTheFat High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT for short, has been promoted as one of the most effective training methods ever to come down the pike, both for fat loss and for cardiovascular fitness. (more…)
Continue reading about Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????
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