Do you skip out on the gym?

Do you binge eat?

Do you get a sugar fix?

Do you over train?

My problem is that I’m always looking for some sort of sugar fix. It’s my weak point. I’m always craving sugar and I don’t like it. I’ve dipped into some of foods that I know I shouldn’t even touch, but it happens.

It’s important just to get over it and get back on track. Nothing can erase the past, so don’t get stuck on it like you should be punishing yourself. Just move on and get back on track. You’re going to have those weak moments and you’re going to have those cravings for things you shouldn’t. The key is to have momentum. As long as you’re moving forward it is hard to stop you. If you cheat on one day, well no big deal, but if you consume yourself with it, you’re going to loose momentum and maybe even come to a stop. At that point it is hard to get you going again.

Always keep moving forward, no matter how bad you cheat or mess up.

So what is your favorite exercise? Mine is the deadlift. I think it is one of the most important ones. It is so challenging, yet so rewarding when I beat that challenge. It continuously pushes me to new levels and I can really feel it when I do it.

I love it. So what challenges you? What gets you pumped up and motivated? What do you like to do? Let me know.

Controlled cheating is used, so you give into your cravings in a position that you control. There is a few reasons for this, but it is mainly to prevent those off the wagon binges that last for weeks.

Fulfill Cravings

When you give into a craving at a controlled time, it just makes it a lot easier to deal with. It takes away stress that is associated with the diet and it makes it all easier.

Psychological Exit

What your mind does in those weak moments that result in cheating is that it tries really hard to rationalize making the bad choice. When you have your diet setup to have a cheat day every Sunday, that gives your mind an exit. So when you’re staring at something you want and you’re just about to there to eat it, your mind has an exit that says “Don’t have it, wait until your cheat day.” By the time that rolls around you won’t be at the low.

Good Cheats

Not all good food is bad. There has to be something out there that really isn’t that bad for you, that you can eat. You’d be surprised if you really look. I love milk shakes, so I sometimes have them after I workout with my whey protein. Just because it comes after a workout, it isn’t that big of a deal and it helps me with my cravings.

I’ve been doing these for sometime now and from what I’ve experienced, they’re a waste of time. They don’t provide you with any muscle gains or results. They don’t help you get over plateaus, they’re just a big waste of time. I see a lot of people doing them at the gym, and I guess that comes down to the whole idea that ignorance rules at the gym.

I suggest that you stick with bench presses because that is going to give you the best workout on the chest. I don’t really see the point of doing flys, but if you feel the need to do it - do it at the end of your workout, so you don’t waste any good energy on the exercise.

I think you’re aware that being successful with weight lifting is to change things up and do things differently, so your muscles don’t know what is coming next. This works good to keep them on their toes and it helps develop more muscle mass.

I want to get the same results with HiiT confusion. Typically, I don’t think your burst times really matter. So if you run for 1 minute than walk for 1 minute and do that for 15 minutes, I don’t really think you have to change that up all the time. I do however think you should change up the particular exercise you’re doing.

I remember I started doing HiiT by running continuously up and down stairs. I’d go as fast as I can for about a minute and than just do it slowly for another minute. After about 2 weeks I got very used to the stairs. It didn’t really matter how long I extended things, I could do it.

Change up your exercises and do a different type of cardio. If you run all the time, you’ll get used to it. If you climb stairs, you’ll get used to it. Change things up and shock your body that way. You’ll get far better results this way.

I hear people tell me that I’m training wrong. That there has to be a “lady like” way of doing it. The reality is that you have to do the same things, stimulate the same muscles and workout the same. I won’t be bench pressing 300lbs, but I will be bench pressing at a weight that is challenging to me.

Don’t assume that as a female you have to do this differently. Watch the biggest guy in the gym and copy his routine. You’ll learn a lot. Don’t be afraid to do some deadlifts, they work great. Don’t be afraid to do some squats, they’re powerful. Don’t be afraid to bench press as much as you can, it’s addictive.

You don’t have to train any different than men.

I do squats and deadlifts. Squats work most of the legs, while the deadlifts work the hamstrings. That’s really all I do for the legs. Sometimes I’ll do leg curls if I’m in the mood. They’re legs and the reality is that squats and deadlifts are the best exercises that produce the most results. All that other junk that is available at the gym will do nothing for you.

Remember, the more compound the exercise, the better the results will be, so stick with squats and deadlifts because they have been proven to work - for both females and males.

I’ve heard it all - hormones, that time of the month, etc for the reasons my female friends aren’t losing weight. It’s all just excuses. The reality is calories are calories. If you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in - you have to lose weight. It’s impossible not too. Let’s just put it this way, Einstein said that energy can neither be created nor destroyed only transfered from one form to another. He also said if energy was created or destroyed that the universe would be destroyed. If you’re doing everything right and you’re still not losing weight - well, if that was true, the universe would be destroyed.

Obviously there is a problem.

90% of Weight Loss is Diet

What’s Elle Nash’s first rule of diets? Diet journal. You have to start with your diet journal and write down everything. You’ll be surprised at how much you’re actually eating. If you’ve come to this point, you’ll probably noticed you’ve cut back on “meals”, but increased on sweets, candies, soda, etc.

You’ll start to realize that you weren’t doing everything right, as you might of thought.

You Bend to Weight Loss - Not The Other Way Around

I hear people whining all the time telling me that it’s just too much work, that they “have to have a life”, etc etc etc. Look, I didn’t make the rules. Weight loss is weight loss. The rules of weight loss don’t bend for your convenience, you have to bend to weight losses rules.

Stop whining, do what is necessary to succeed and than you’ll lose weight.

Marathon and long distance runners all look the same - like they are from some poverty ridden country and they haven’t eaten in about a week. I mean they’re all practically skin and bones. Even if your someone that isn’t trying to bodybuild, this is not a “nice” looking skinny.

Now look at the sprint runners that do the 100 meter dash. They all looked ripped.

What is the difference?

The difference is that marathon runners go for hours at the same pace, while sprinters do Hiit.

HiiT is basically dividing up your cardio time into periods of high intensity and low intensity. That means you sprinter for a minute and walk for a minute, spring for a minute and walk for a minute, etc. You do that for 15-20 minutes and you’re done.

Studies have shown that this is the best cardio to do as a bodybuilder. The main reason is that it is short and you won’t end up losing a lot of muscle (like you would with regular cardio), but it is also exceptionally good at targeting the fat on your body. This is what can help you get that “ripped” look.

Give it a try, if you haven’t already. It isn’t as easy as it seems. Sprint, walk, sprint, walk until 20 minutes is up.

The first thing you should do is get yourself a gym membership. Shop around because you can save a lot of money by doing this. Some places are a complete and utter rip off, while others are great value. If there is a University/College close to you, inquire with them. They usually have some very reasonably priced plans.

If you’re not interested in the gym at this time, than you’re going to have to learn some bodyweight exercises. It’s very easy to find - just Google it. You’re going to learn various exercises that you can do at home without any equipment at all.

There are other pieces of equipment that people like to get like a BowFlex. I haven’t used such equipment, but I’m sure it is sufficient. What you’ll end up learning is that using the equipment consistently is what gives the results - regardless of what you you get. I have a Total Gym at home that works pretty good.

Diet is another thing to start doing now. You better get into the routine of eating every 2-3hrs. This is a little hard the first few weeks. I remember when I was doing it, I thought I was stuffing food in my mouth when I wasn’t hungry. Let’s just say after a few weeks, my metabolism boosted and I got used to it.

The best way to get started is to just START. It seems trivial, but it’s the reality. People just sit around talking about how they’d like to do something, but you’re not doing it until you start. You’ll catch on fast.

Here’s a tip: Don’t burn yourself out the first week. I know when you’re super motivated when you start out, you just sort of do too much and burn yourself out. Start a routine that you can maintain for months.