1 alternate dumbbell curls
When performing a high-intensity weight routine, include exercises that stretch the muscles. This exercise is great for stretching the biceps and for overall biceps development.
Starting Position: Either stand upright, or sit on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your shoulders square and your chest up. Press your upper back and shoulders against the bench. Let your arms hang downward with your palms facing each other.

TIP  DON’T LET…
your shoulders creep up off the bench. This allows you to use your body for leverage, and may cause neck strain.

The Exercise: Slowly curl the weight in your right hand out and up to shoulder level, while turning your wrist so that your little finger is on the inside and your thumb is on the outside. Contract the muscle as hard as you can at the top, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position while, at the same time, raising the weight in your left hand.
can easily watch yourself in the mirror and see the biceps swell enormously under the strain. We promise you’ll enjoy training these muscles—and showing them off.
It is important to remember to focus on form and smooth, controlled movement. Resist the temptation to use your body weight for leverage when performing curls. To create a growth-producing burn, you have to isolate the biceps by paying strict attention to form.
Variety is also key here. By performing a variety of exercises, you’ll emphasize different areas of the biceps, creating a fuller, rounder shape. You’ll also force your body to keep adapting to the changing types of stress. This means your biceps get bigger faster.

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2 barbell curls
This is the classic biceps exercise of all time, and rightly so: performed correctly,
this exercise will help you develop overall size in the biceps.
Starting Position: With your hands  The Exercise: Without leaning back or  same path, resisting all the way down until your
shoulder-width apart, grip a barbell with an  swinging the weight, curl the bar up toward your  arms are nearly straight but you can still feel a
underhand grip. Stand up straight with shoulders  chest in an arc. Keep your elbows stationary and  contraction in the biceps.
squared and with feet shoulder-width apart. Let  close to your sides. Bring the weight up as high
the bar hang at arm’s length in front of you, with  as you can, and focus on holding the contraction
your shoulders, arms and hands in a straight line.  at the top. Lower the weight slowly along the

“The meaning of life is to live a meaningful life.”
3 preacher curls
The pad on the preacher-curl bench forces you to keep your elbows stationary, as well as giving you a stable base for the exercise. If the EZ curl bar places too much strain on your wrists, try using dumbbells for this exercise and training one arm at a time.
Starting Position: Use a preacher-curl  The Exercise: Curl the barbell upward in an  end. If the resistance starts to let up, you’ve gone
bench and an EZ curl bar. It’s crucial that the seat  arc. As you begin, be careful not to lurch or rock  too far. Concentrate on the eccentric part of the
on the preacher-curl bench be adjusted to the  the weight to get it moving. The goal is to make  exercise, lowering the bar slowly and resisting all
right height. When you sit, the seat should not be  the exercise hard on the biceps, not to use the  the way.
so low that the shoulders are elevated nor so high  deltoids and give the biceps a free ride. Curl the
that you’re hunched over the pad. Grasp the EZ  bar towards your chin, but keep in mind that the
curl bar using a shoulder width grip.  resistance is greater at the beginning than at the

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4 concentration curls
This one really isolates the “peak” of the biceps. You need to concentrate on the contraction of the biceps and on strict form to make the exercise effective.

Starting Position: Seated on the end of a bench, spread your legs apart into a “V” and lean forward slightly. Grasp a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing upward. Rest your elbow on the inside of your thigh and let the dumbbell hang. Rest your other hand on the top of your opposite thigh for support.
The Exercise: Slowly curl the weight up, keeping the torso, upper arm and elbow still. As you lift, twist your wrist so that your little finger turns toward your body. Contract the muscle hard at the top of the curl, then lower the weight slowly. Resist the weight all the way down until your arm is nearly straight, but you can still feel a slight contraction in the biceps.

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5 cable curls
This is a great exercise for finishing off your biceps workout. Lying flat on the floor ensures that your whole body remains in a straight line throughout the exercise so you can’t “cheat.”
Starting Position: Grasp a short straight flat against the frame of the Universal machine. bar attached to the high-cable pulley in both
Your legs should be straight, not bent. Let the hands, using an underhand grip. Lie flat on your
bar rest on your thighs.Your arms should be back in front of the weight stack, with your feet
slightly bent.
“Quality only happens when we care enough to do our very best.”
The Exercise: Without moving your elbows, curl the bar slowly up toward your chest, pause to contract fully at the top. Slowly lower back to the starting position.

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6 hammer curls
This exercise stretches out the biceps and also gives the muscles of the forearm a workout. Really focus on the contraction at the top to give your biceps a full, round look.
Starting Position: Stand with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms hanging by your sides, palms facing each other. Keep your elbows locked into your sides. Your upper body and elbows should remain stationary throughout the exercise.  The Exercise: Keeping your palms facing each other, curl the weight in your right hand up in a semi-circle toward your right shoulder. Contract the biceps hard at the top, then slowly lower the weight while raising the weight in your left hand.  Do not turn your wrists during this exercise. Your palms should face each other throughout the exercise.

1 floor crunches
For a number of people, the abdominal muscles are covered by a layer of fat. And no matter how many crunches they do, they won’t see those powerful muscles until that unhealthy roll around the midsection is gone and their bodyfat percentage reaches the single digits for men or the low teens for women. Then, and only then, will they uncover those muscles that they have worked so hard to build.
With all the fancy new gadgets and gizmos that promise the abs of your dreams, it can be confusing to figure
Nothing beats floor exercises for developing firm, muscular abs. All you need is a little floor space. The key to this exercise, as with all ab exercises, is to pull with your abdominal muscles and not with your shoulders or back.
Starting Position: Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so that they touch. Place your hands lightly on either side of your ears, keeping your elbows in.

The Exercise: Push the small of your back down into the floor to isolate your ab muscles. Begin to roll your shoulders up, keeping your knees and hips stationary and contracting your abs to lift your shoulders off the floor. Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back.Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. Focus on slow, controlled movement—don’t cheat yourself by using momentum.

out the best way to train. The reality is that it couldn’t be easier. A flat surface, a bench, or a pull-up bar are all the equipment you need.
Remember, to get the maximum intensity from every workout, you must focus on the contraction of the abdominal muscles during each repetition.

2 oblique floor crunches
This exercise will help you define the muscles on the side of your abdomen, also known as your obliques.
Starting Position: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent (placing your feet flat on the floor or resting on a bench). Place your left hand over your left ear.
The Exercise: Roll your upper body up to the right until your left elbow touches your right knee. Concentrate on tensing the sides of your waist and holding the contraction throughout the movement. Slowly lower to the starting position. After completing a full set of reps on the left side, switch to your right and follow the same instructions.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

3 decline crunches
This is a terrific exercise for developing the lower and middle abdominal muscles. As the name implies, you’ll need a decline bench that allows you to hook your feet.
Starting Position: Position yourself on a decline bench with your feet locked in.Your upper body should be raised off the bench, so you’ll have to contract your abs just to stay in place. Place your hands on each side of your head, over your ears. Don’t lock your fingers.
The Exercise: Raise your upper body slowly while you contract your abs. Crunch up until your elbows are on either side of your thighs. Hold and flex, then lower your body slowly back to the starting position. When your strength increases and you can do more than 12 reps, hold a weight plate against your chest and perform the exercise in the same manner.

4 decline oblique
Slightly more challenging than an oblique crunch on the floor, this exercise requires you to maintain the contraction in your abs throughout each set.
Starting Position: Position yourself on a decline bench with your feet locked in. Your upper body should be raised off the bench. Cup your right hand over your right ear, and place your left hand on your thigh.
The Exercise: Raise your upper body slowly while turning your torso to the left. Focus on keeping your abs tight and keeping the movement slow and controlled. Continue crunching up until your right elbow touches your left knee.Lower your body slowly back down to the starting position. After completing one set on the right, switch to your left side.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

5 hanging knee raises
This is a tough exercise that allows you to work both the lower abs and the serratus muscles on the sides of your torso. Lift your knees straight up, and you hit the lower abs; lift your knees to each side to target the serratus muscles.
Starting Position: Grab a pull-bar with your palms facing forward, with a grip a little wider than shoulder-width apart. (Alternatively, you may use elbow straps that hang from the bar.) You should be hanging with your feet off the ground to start this exercise.
The Exercise: Slowly lift your knees and bring them toward your chest. Concentrate on flexing your abs as hard as you can. Hold, then slowly lower your legs back to the starting position. Perform the entire exercise slowly to avoid “cheating” by swinging your legs up and using your momentum.

6 reverse crunches
This is a great exercise for the lower abs. As with all ab exercises, keep the movement slow. Excess momentum can cause you to lose proper form and may lead to lower back injury.

“In life, what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning.”

7 cable crunches

Unlike most ab exercises, this one allows you to increase the amount of weight you use incrementally. But keep the weight moderate and go for the burn—if you use too much weight, you’ll be tempted to start using your body weight to pull the weight down instead of just your abs.
Starting Position: Attach the rope handles to the high-cable pulley of a Universal machine. Grasp the rope in both hands and kneel about three feet away from the weight stack. The cable should be above and in front of you. Slowly bring your wrists down toward your head. Your back should be straight with your torso at a slightly forward angle.
The Exercise: Slowly contract the abdominals, focusing on the area from the rib cage down to the pelvis. Hold the contraction at the bottom. Straighten back up very slowly, keeping constant tension on the abdominals.

8 cable oblique crunches
This exercise really enables you to hit your obliques hard. As with regular cable crunches, focus on slow, controlled movement and avoid using your bodyweight.
Starting Position: Attach the rope handles to the high-cable pulley of a Universal machine. Grasp the rope in your left hand and kneel about three feet away from the weight stack. The cable should be above and in front of you. Slowly bring your wrist down toward your head.Your back should be straight with your torso at a slightly forward angle. Rest your right hand on the outside of your right thigh.
The Exercise: Slowly contract the abdominals while bringing your left elbow down at an angle until it just touches the outside of your right thigh. Hold the contraction at the bottom. Straighten back up very slowly, keeping constant tension on the abdominals. Complete a full set, then switch to the other side.

Surface electromyography (EMG) is a non-invasive method used to obtain information on muscle activity. Absolute EMG amplitude level is of interest, for instance, in clinical studies, since patients usually can not perform maximum contractions(van Diee¨net al., 2003), or to make di.erencesin EMG activitybetweena pain anda non-pain group come to light (Dano., 1986). However, absolute EMG values depend on many factors unrelated to the level of muscle activation (e.g. van Diee¨n et al., 2003). It is widely accepted that a procedure of EMG amplitude nor­
* Corresponding author. Address: Istituto di Ricerca sull’Attivita` Motoria, Universita` degli Studi di Urbino ‘‘Carlo Bo”, Via I Maggetti, 26/2, 61029 Urbino, Italy. Tel.: +39 0722 303413; fax: +39 0722 303401.
E-mail address: m.ditroilo@uniurb.it (M. Ditroilo).
malization is required in order to: (i) make a between-and within-subject comparison of activation level in work­ing muscles (Bolgla and Uhl, 2007; Lehman and McGill, 1999; Mirka, 1991), (ii) facilitate comparison between two di.erent muscles, or right and left side muscles of the same subject (Lehman and McGill, 1999), (iii) allow for comparisons between di.erent joint angles, namely di.er­ent speci.c positions throughout the range of motion of a joint(Mirka, 1991), (iv) compare results with similar data from other studies(SoderbergandKnutson, 2000).
Most published studies have used an isometric maximal voluntary contraction (iMVC) for the purpose of EMG normalization (Arokoski et al., 1999; Lobbezoo et al., 1993; Smith et al., 2004). Although this method has been demonstrated to be reliable(Dankaerts et al.,2004; Kollm­
itzer et al., 1999), it is strongly dependent on the speci.c joint angles used during the iMVC. In fact, an EMG signal
1050-6411/$ -see front matter © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2007.11.013

collected during an iMVC performed at a reference joint angle should be used only for normalization of muscle activity recorded at the same speci.c joint angle, otherwise a considerable error can occur (Enoka and Fuglevand, 1993; Mirka, 1991). A second potential limitation is the assumption that subjects can actually perform an e.ort involving maximal force generation, especially if they are not trained and well motivated.
The use of normalization to sub-maximal isometric con­traction is present in studies conducted with the patient population and when assessing low level of muscle activity (Dankaerts et al., 2004; Hunt et al., 2003). This method was found to be even more reliable, compared to iMVC, in between-days repeated measures, although the correct determination of relative sub-maximal loads for every mus­cle is di.cult(Dankaerts et al., 2004).Moreover, the EMG associated with a dynamic activity has also been proposed as reference value (e.g. Prilutsky et al., 1998).
The problem of a correct selection of an EMG normal­ization procedure is essential.A recent paper(Rou.et and Hautier, 2007)has widely addressed this issue. The authors underlined that while executing a speci.c task, physiologi­cal modi.cations in the neural drive should be re.ected in the EMG signal. Other authors pointed out that when deal­ing with sports movements the electromyogram should be the expression of the dynamic involvement of speci.c mus­cles(Clarys andCabri, 1993). In cycling, EMG is often per­formed in order to assess the muscular intervention during the pedalling action. For the normalization purpose it is therefore pivotal to choose a meaningful reference contrac­tion so that its activation is regulated by the same neuro­muscular pattern as the pedalling action. This means that the task parameters of the reference contraction (e.g. move­ment amplitude, joint position, speed, etc.) should repro­duce, as much as possible, the pedalling action (Latash, 1998).
Despite the above considerations, several studies exam­ining cycling have improperly implemented EMG normal­ization using an iMVC as a reference contraction, and then expressing the dynamic EMG activity as a percentage of it (Ericson, 1986; Ericson et al., 1985; Hautier et al., 2000; Marsh and Martin, 1995; Neptune et al., 1997). In 2002, Hunter et al. publishedapaper comparing four normaliza­tion protocols: three of them involved an iMVC, the fourth a dynamic pedalling action against a constant load, which was repeatedly increased until the subject could no longer complete a full revolution of the pedal. The authors found that the iMVC test performed on an isometric leg extension dynamometer yielded the highest iEMG amplitude values and concluded suggesting that, for this reason, the use of iMVC as a normalization procedure for dynamic cycling activity would be better. This assumption, however, has been recently questioned since the reference EMG signals collected during iMVC can hardly represent the maximal neural drive obtained during cycling(Rou.et and Hautier, 2007). Furthermore, other authors compared the EMG amplitude signal during iMVC and maximal dynamic cycling contractions(Hautier et al., 2000; Rou.et and Hau­
tier, 2007)and found that the electrical activity of some of the analysed muscles were not signi.cantly di.erent between the two methods, or even higher when the dynamic contraction was used.
More recently, alternative dynamic methods for the EMG normalization in cyclinghave been proposed. Takai­
shi et al. (1998) set the integrated EMG corresponding to the lowest cadence (45 rpm) as reference value, while Hug et al. (2004b) normalized the vastus lateralis EMG activity witha40Wintensityexercise. However,it couldbe argued that due to the low intensity chosen, the muscular recruit­ment pattern could be quite di.erent from a pedalling action at higher intensity; furthermore, the vastus lateralis activity at 40W intensity is probably not di.erent from baseline.
Neptune and Herzog (2000), assessing the adaptation of muscle coordination when traditional and elliptical chain-rings were adopted, used the highest EMG value observed across all trials for normalization purposes. Since the experimental design entailed a variation of pedalling bio­mechanical conditions (e.g. instantaneous crank angular velocity), the normalization procedure chosen could not represent all the di.erent tests performed.
Hug et al. (2004a)and Laplaud et al. (2006) normalized the EMG of a graded pedalling exercise as a percentage of the highest intensity step. Interestingly, Taylor and Bronks (1995) showed that the reference EMG amplitude value (a maximal ‘‘unfatigued” EMG value obtained by rapidly increasing the resistance until the subject could no longer maintain the .xed cadence) was about twice than the one reached during the last step of the graded exercise. It could be maintained therefore that when the EMG reference value is the latter, a normalization to a sub-maximal dynamic contraction is performed and the limit of this procedure, as previously reported, is the determination of equivalent sub-maximal e.orts for di.erent muscles (Dankaerts et al., 2004; Marras and Davis, 2001)and subjects.
Several methods have been proposed for the purpose of EMG amplitude normalization in cycling but, based on the above evidence, the best reference contraction to use is still controversial. Methods grounded on iMVC or sub-maxi­mal dynamic contractions have evidenced limitations. Accordingly, the main aim of this paper was to present a maximal isokinetic protocol (MIP) as a new method for the purpose of EMG normalization in cycling. Brie.y, this protocol should produce a maximal dynamic contrac­tion of the muscles involved in the pedalling action. Furthermore, the normalization session is performed under the same biomechanical conditions as the following test session, thus making the protocol highly speci.c. It is therefore hypothesized that the cyclists do not need to learn the required task as it is inherent in their pedalling patterns.
The second aim of this investigation was to detect the intra-individual variability of the method proposed.

E. Ferna´ ndez-Pen˜a et al./Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology xxx (2008) xxx–xxx 3
2. Methods

2.1. Subjects

Twenty-three recreational and competitive healthy male cyclists (age 29.3±9.0 yr, height 177.5±7.4 cm, weight
71.6±9.8 kg) volunteered and gave their written informed con­sent to participate in the study, which was previously approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the University of Urbino (Italy). All the cyclists used to train about 10h per week with a quite homogeneous training programme. Competitive cyclists, unlike recreational ones, competed during weekends at Masters level. They all had covered an average of 9000 km during the last sea­son. None of them had previous experience in riding an isokinetic cycle ergometer, and they were asked to refrain from exhausting exercise 24h before testing.
2.2. Exercise protocol

An SRM ergometer (Schoberer Rad Meßtechnik SRM GmbH, Ju¨ lich, Germany) was used for all tests, mounted with the two .ywheels and in the ninth gear. The SRM crankset, equipped with strain gauges, directly measured the torque produced by the force applied to the pedals perpendicularly to the crank length. The ergometer was customized with subject’s own bicycle’s mea­sures and clipless pedals. A display was available close to the handlebars of the ergometer to let the cyclists check their pedal­ling cadence.
2.2.1. Warm up

Cyclists performed a 10min warm up at a recommended cadence of 80 rpm. The power constantly increased from 75 to 200W during the .rst6min (25Wmin-1), the intensity was then set to 125W for the next2min and increased to 200 and 250W for the last 2min. Depending on the performance level of the subjects, the warm up intensity could be increased by no more than 25W per step.

2.2.2. Maximal isokinetic protocol (MIP)
MIP was performed in the isokinetic mode of the ergometer, at a .xed pedalling frequency of 80 rpm. This mode allows the subject to pedal without resistance up to the .xed cadence, while resistance is automatically and proportionally increased when the subject tries to overcome it. Prior to the maximal e.ort, cyclists pedalled at 80 rpm and low intensity (50–100 W) and at the signal they started to pedal as forcefully as possible for 6 s, while a vigorous verbal encouragement was given. They were instructed to remain seated and to hold the hands on the low part of the handlebars during the trial. Every cyclist completed a total of ten 6s all-out sprints. A full recovery was ensured by a 3min rest period between sprints, in which they were allowed to drink water and pedal at a low intensity.

2.2.3. Sub-maximal protocol (SMP)
AftertheMIP, cyclists restedfor10min, pedallingat50W at a freely chosen cadence. They were then asked to perform four sub-maximal exercises at 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% of the maximum power output obtained during the MIP. In order to perform the 0% exercise, the brake was turned o.. It is however useful to know that, due to the friction of the moving parts, the workload was actually about 30–35 W. Concerning the other sub-maximal exercises, while the subject was pedalling at 50 W, the load was increased and as soon as a steady pedalling cadence of 80 rpm was reached, data were collected for 20 s. Trials were separated by a 2min active rest period. The 80% intensity was too demanding to be maintained for at least 20 s, hence it was not included in the SMP.
2.3. Recording of EMG and angular crank position
Following the recommendations of the SENIAM project (Freriks et al., 1999), EMG of four muscles of the right leg was recorded during the MIP and the SMP. The selected muscles were vastus lateralis (VL), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius lateralis (GL). Skin was shaved, slightly abraded with sandpaper and cleaned with alcohol. Ag/AgCl bipolar electrodes (Blue Sensor N-00-S, Ambu Medicotest A/S, Ølstykke, Denmark) were placed over the muscle belly of selected muscles at an interelectrode distance of 20 mm. To avoid artefacts from lower limb movements, the wires connecting electrodes were well secured with tape.
Signal was ampli.ed at a gain of 600. Common mode rejection rate and input impedance were respectively 95 dB and 10GX. Raw electromyographic data were band-pass .ltered using a fourth order Butterworth .lter, with cut-o. frequencies of 10 and 350 Hz. Fig. 1 depicts an individual example of the raw EMG signals as a function of time, related to the four analysed muscles.
In order to measure the instantaneous angular position of the crank, a rotational encoder (EL40B, Eltra, Sarego (VI), Italy) with a resolution of 2000 pulses per turn was coupled to the left crank of the ergometer by a chain drive. Since the gear ratio between the gear wheel of the left crank and the sprocket of the encoder was 53/15, the total resolution of the system was 7066.7 pulses per pedal cycle(Picture1).
The EMG and angular position of the crank signals were synchronized, sampled at 1000 Hz and stored on a PC using a 16 bit A/D converter data acquisition system (APLabDAQ, APLab, Rome, Italy).

Fig. 1. Raw EMG signals from a single, representative trial recorded during the maximal isokinetic protocol. The window corresponding to a pedal cycle is also shown. VL = vastus lateralis; BF = biceps femoris; TA = tibalis anterior; GL = gastrocnemius lateralis.

Picture 1. A rotational encoder was coupled to the left crank of the SRM ergometer in order to measure the instantaneous angular position of the crank and synchronize it with the EMG activity.
2.4. Data processing
Torque applied to the crankset during the MIP was recorded at 200 Hz for power output calculation purposes. Average power output of each maximal trial (PO) was calculated as the product of the average torque over the6 s (in Nm) and the actual average cadence (in rad/s). For each subject, the best PO (POB)was set to represent 100% and the other trials were calculated as a per­centage of POB.
Raw EMG data were processed by root mean square (RMS) determination for each complete cycle, de.ned as a full revolution of the right crank from top dead center (TDC at 0°)to the next TDC. The mean RMS was calculated averaging the RMS values of the eight pedal cycles completed in every MIP trial, and aver­aging the complete pedal cycles of the last 10 s (about 13 pedal cycles) in every SMP trial.
For MIP assessment, the highest EMG activity achieved for each muscle was set to 100% and the other trials were calculated as a percentage of the highest. In contrast, for SMP assessment, the EMG activity of all muscles corresponding to POB was set to 100% and the values obtained during the submaximal exercises (0%, 20%, 40% and 60% of POB)were expressed as a percentage

Fig. 2. Example of individual muscle activity, as a function of crank angle, obtained at .ve di.erent intensities for the vastus lateralis (A), biceps femoris (B), tibialis anterior (C) and gastrocnemius lateralis (D).

E. Ferna´ ndez-Pen˜a et al./Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology xxx (2008) xxx–xxx 5
of the former. An example of individual EMG patterns obtained for the four analysed muscles is represented in Fig. 2. The raw data were root mean squared with a moving window length of 100 ms.
2.5. Statistical analysis

In order to evaluate the within-subject reproducibility of PO and EMG for the four muscles analysed, the variables were checked for normality and homoscedasticity and were log-trans­formed when these assumptions were violated. Thereafter the intra-subject standard error of measurement (SEM), the coe.­cient of variation (CV) and the intra-class correlation coe.cient (ICC) were calculated as proposed by Hopkins (2000) with the assistanceofa reliability spreadsheet(Hopkins, 2007). TheCVis

p..
SD= 2

de.ned as 100 ·ðe-1Þ, where SD is the standard deviation of the change scores of natural log of the measure. The ICC is de.ned as (V -v)/V, where V is the between-subject variance averaged over the two trials analysed, and v is the square of the standard error of measurement.
3. Results
Fig.3 shows PO (mean±SD) reached during the 10 tri­als. The POB (100%) was achievedduring the 4th trial. The PO values were, however, very close to each other, ranging from 98.0 to 100.0, thus indicating a quite high reproduc­ibility of the variable, with no observable learning or fati­gue e.ect. The POB obtained ranged from 664.6 to 1013.9W (data not shown).
EMG activity (mean±SD)is shown forVL(Fig.4A), BF(Fig.4B), TA(Fig.4C) and GL(Fig.4D), registered during the 10 trials. For each of the muscles included in the analysis, the 100% activity was achieved within the 3rd trial, although BF (Fig. 4B) and GL (Fig. 4D) tend to decrease thereafter.
Reliability measures from consecutive pairs of trials are summarized in Table 1. SEM and CV are presented as a mean value, whilst for ICC maximal and minimal values are shown. PO has the lowest CV (2.19), indicating very good consistency between repeated measures. Among the EMG activities, VL and TA show, respectively, the lowest (CV = 4.46) and the highest variability (CV = 8.70). ICCs in all the variables analysed, ranging from 0.922 to 0.994, are considerably high.

Fig. 4. EMG activity (mean±SD) for vastus lateralis (A), biceps femoris (B), tibialis anterior (C) and gastrocnemius lateralis (D) registered duringthe 10 trials of the maximal isokinetic protocol. The highest EMG activity was set equal to 100 and the other trials’ were calculated as a percentage of the best one.

Table 1 Statistical measures of reliability from consecutive pairs of trials
SEM (mean)  CV (mean)  ICC (range)
Power output (PO, Watt) VL EMG activity BF EMG activity GL EMG activity TA EMG activity  17.11 0.34 0.47 0.37 0.43  2.19 4.46 7.32 6.85 8.70  0.962–0.986 0.969–0.987 0.934–0.983 0.922–0.985 0.948–0.994

SEM and CV are expressed as a mean, whilst ICC as a range value.
VL = vastus lateralis; BF = biceps femoris; TA = tibialis anterior;
GL = gastrocnemius lateralis.
The EMG activity (AU) is the root mean square of the raw EMG data for
each complete pedalling cycle.
SEM = standard error of measurement; CV = coe.cient of variation;
ICC = intraclass coe.cient of correlation.

The EMG activity (mean±SD) corresponding to 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% intensities of POB is presented for VL (Fig. 5A), BF (Fig. 5B), TA (Fig. 5C), GL (Fig. 5D). A visual inspection showed a linear EMG activity increase when moving from 0% to 100% of exercise intensity, for VL (Fig. 5A), BF (Fig. 5B) and TA (Fig. 5C). GL (Fig. 5D) instead exhibited a curvilinear trend.
4. Discussion
The aim of this study was to propose a new method for EMG amplitude normalization in cycling and assess its reliability. Di.erent investigations suggesting isometric or sub-maximal dynamic contractions for EMG normaliza­tion in cycling have been gone over, and the limitations were highlighted.
AMIP was introduced as a reference contraction for the EMG normalization procedure. The task required, a max­imal 6-s pedalling action, and the submaximal cycling are comparable for at least three reasons: (a) the contribution of the muscles of the lower limb is similar for maximal sprint and submaximal bicycling conditions, as discussed by Rou.et and Hautier (2007); (b) mechanical conditions of the MIP and the following test session match com­pletely: pedalling frequency, posture and joint angle ranges of the cyclist (hip, knee, ankle), and type of muscular con­traction; (c) the muscles are activated at the same part of the pedalling cycle, as shown in the EMG pro.les(Fig.2).
The EMG activity registered during SMP supports the validity of the method proposed. Pedalling at 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% intensities of POB resulted in a coherent level of muscular activity, which altogether exhibited an increase as a function of exercise intensity.
Three of the muscles analysed (VL, BF and TA) showed a linear trend, whilst the GL had a curvilinear shape. This latter result was deemed to be due to the somehow unusual pedalling pattern when cycling at very low intensities. In fact, it seems that when riding at0W the cyclist hasto avoid pushing down the pedal during the downstroke in order to maintain the predetermined cadence and a rela­tively smooth pedal stroke, thus making the knee extensor muscles to remain inactive. GL instead is often overactive to counterbalance the knee extensor muscle inactivity and produce the little amount of power needed for keeping the .ywheel rotation. Eight of the 23 subjects showed a similar or even higher GL activity at 0% compared to 20%. These data suggest therefore that due to the high

Fig. 5. EMG activity (mean±SD) corresponding to 0%, 20%, 40% and 60% intensities of the best power output for vastus lateralis (A), biceps femoris (B), tibialis anterior (C) and gastrocnemius lateralis (D).

E. Ferna´ ndez-Pen˜a et al./Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology xxx (2008) xxx–xxx 7
inter-subject variability in recruitment pattern of some muscles (e.g. GL) normalization methods based on low intensity reference contractions in cycling are questionable.
The activity of each muscle during submaximal contrac­tions is calibrated in reference to its maximal activity, the two enabling similar neuromuscular responses. On the other hand, it was evidenced that iMVC and pedalling movement di.er signi.cantly in biomechanical function and regulation of the lower limb muscles activation(Rouf­
fet and Hautier, 2007).
Another interesting similarity between MIP and the cycling action is the angular velocity pro.le of the crank. It has been previously demonstrated that the instantaneous crank angular velocity is not constant throughout the ped­alling action, rather, it is dependent on the angles of the lower limb relative to the crank position. In fact, the high­est and lowest angular velocities occur when the cranks are near vertical and horizontal, respectively(Moussay et al., 2003). This pattern was evident during MIP, despite the isokinetic modality. This is due to the fact that the accom­modating braking power exerted by the ergometer is reduced to near zero when the cranks are in vertical posi­tion and increased when the cranks are in horizontal posi­tion, in order to maintain the desired rotational speed (Wooles, 2006). Actually, this mechanism does not seem to be able to keep completely steady the instantaneous angular velocity of the crank, at least when the cyclist is asked to pedal at 80 rpm and maximal intensity.
From the issues above discussed it could be maintained that the procedure employed in the current setting is highly speci.c to the cycling gesture. Furthermore, using the cur­rent procedures, each muscle may be assessed at the same time, this being a time-and energy-saving process. In con­trast, an isometric contraction would entail a more compli­cated procedure, especially when several muscles require to be analysed, namely an iMVC has to be produced sepa­rately for every single muscle involved in the action(Hsu et al., 2006; Rou.et and Hautier, 2007).
A common problem of iMVCis thata certain degree of familiarization is required during the normalization session. Auseful implication from the data presented is that cyclists do not need to get skilled with the MIP, since no learning e.ect was demonstrated during the trials(Fig.3). Indeed, both PO and EMG activity reached their maximal values respectively, on average, on the 4th and within the 3rd trial. Although the PO and EMG maximal values are not attained at the same trial, it is important to underline that the variability among trials is negligible. Indeed, the average di.erence between the best and the worst value in the .rst .ve trials is 2% for PO and from 3% (BF) to 7% (GL) for the EMG of the four analysed muscles. As a result, based on the data collected, three trials of the MIP proposed appeartobe su.cient for the purposeof EMG normaliza­tion in cycling. Thus, the important goal of time e.ciency during testing sessions is also achieved.
As recently pointed out, the repeatability of EMG recorded during dynamic exercise, especially the muscles involved in a cycling action, has not been fully established (Laplaud et al., 2006). A strong point of the method pro­posed is the high degree of reliability. EMG signal of the VL, compared to the other muscles analysed, showed the lowest variability and this is in agreement with previous studies which found the EMG activity of VL during cycling to have a high reproducibility (Ryan and Gregor, 1992; Taylor and Bronks, 1995). When comparing the activity of the same muscles, the CVs are considerably lower than those presented by Rou.et and Hautier (2007) who used a maximal torque–velocity test, although it is important to mention that the subjects oftheir study were not cyclists.

4.1. Limitations
The protocols proposed were performed at 80 rpm. This cadence is widely used in cycling related researches(Baum and Li, 2003; Hull and Jorge, 1985); furthermore, previous studies found that freely chosen cadence in cyclists ranges between78 and 91 rpm(Foss and Halle´n, 2005; Hagberg et al., 1981; Nielsen et al., 2004). Notwithstanding, a cadence of 100–115 rpm, rather than 80 rpm, makes the cyclist attain the maximal power output (Baron, 2001; Baron et al., 1999; Sargeant et al., 1981). Consequently, the pedalling frequency chosen in the present study is situ­ated in the ascending part of the power–cadence curve. Takaishi et al. (1998) demonstrated that the EMG/cadence curve at constant power and pedalling frequency ranging from 45 to 105 rpm showed a quadratic trend. The mini­mum EMG value was registered at 60 rpm, afterward it exhibited an increase as a function of cadence. It is there­fore expected that maximal isokinetic pedalling at higher cadences would lead to higher EMG values, although this issue needs to be investigated further on.
As a consequence, the reference contraction here pro­posed at 80 rpm should be used only for submaximal bicy­cling exercises performed at the same cadence. In general terms it could be argued that, whatever the pedalling rate chosen for SMP, the MIP should be performed at the same cadence.
5. Conclusion
The new protocol proposed for the purpose of EMG normalization in cycling, which consists of three 6-s maxi­mal isokinentic pedalling sprints, has very good logical validity and within-subject reproducibility. Further, the test is also highly speci.c to the actions associated with cycling. The chosen cadence of the normalization protocol should be the same as the sub-maximal exercises.
Acknowledgements
The authors wouldlike to thankAPLab engineers, espe­cially Nunzio Lanotte, who have designed the data acqui­sition system, for their technical assistance; Mark Watsford, Ph.D., lecturer in Exercise and Sports Science School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism University of Tech­nology (Sydney) and Francesco Felici, M.D., professor of exercise physiology, Istituto UniversitariodiScienzeMoto­rie (Rome) for their assistance and suggestions in revising the paper.

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Hug F, Decherchi P, Marqueste T, Jammes Y. EMG versus oxygen uptake during cycling exercise in trained and untrained subjects. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2004b;14:187–95.
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Kollmitzer J, Ebenbichler GR, Kopf A. Reliability of surface electro­myographic measurements. Clin Neurophysiol 1999;110:725–34.
Laplaud D, Hug F, Grelot L. Reproducibility of eight lower limb muscles activity level in the course of an incremental pedaling exercise. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2006;16:158–66.
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Soderberg GL, Knutson LM. A guide for use and interpretation of kinesiologic electromyographic data. Phys Ther 2000;80:485–98.
Takaishi T, Yamamoto T, Ono T, Ito T, Moritani T. Neuromuscular, metabolic, and kinetic adaptations for skilled pedaling performancein cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:442–9.
Taylor AD, Bronks R. Reproducibility and validity of the quadriceps muscle integrated electromyogram threshold during incremental cycle ergometry. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1995;70:252–7.
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E. Ferna´ ndez-Pen˜a et al./Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology xxx (2008) xxx–xxx 9

Eneko Ferna´ndez Pen˜a received his degree in Physical Education from the Basque Institute of Physical Education (SHEE/IVEF, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain) in July 2003, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Urbino ‘‘Carlo Bo” (Italy) in March 2007. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Health and Physical Exercise (Urbino, Italy), and his research interest focuses on biomechanics of cycling.
Francesco Lucertini received his diploma in Physical Education (1998) and his degree in Exercise Sciences (2001) from University of Urbino ‘‘Carlo Bo” (Italy). He received the Ph.D. degree in February 2006 from the Fac­ulty of Health and Sport Sciences of the same University and he is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Health and Physical Exercise (Urbino, Italy). His research interest focuses on performance assessment in both sport-and health-related topics.

Massimiliano Ditroilo has a diploma in Physical Education (1992), a degree in Biological Sci­ences (1999) and a master degree in Methods of Training (2001). He is currently working within the Institute of Health and Physical Exercise at Urbino University (Italy). His research focuses on biomechanics and performance assessment of cycling, athletics, swimming and team sports.

You must always remember that: •
Good health is linked to a good diet. There is endless advice available to you about the best foods and weightloss systems around, but sometimes it is hard to know what to do for the best. This guide is here to help you. •
Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle by keeping fit is necessary to help boost your energy levels, as well as your metabolism. Just by boosting your daily activities as part of your routine, will ensure that you can reap these rewards. •
Worldwide, there are increasing numbers of people using alternative medicines to help them reach their healthy living aspirations. These are used to help alleviate illnesses or symptoms, which will help encourage a healthier lifestyle and your wellbeing on the whole.  A Guide to Healthy Living
3
Why is healthy eating important?
As we get older, managing your weight properly and getting the right balance of food types will improve your overall feeling of well-being, whilst also reducing the risk of developing illness and diseases.
Do you have a healthy diet?

Healthy diet explained: •
Try to have plenty of starchy foods such as rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, breakfast cereals, yams and sweet potatoes. Always try to go for the wholemeal variety in these foods where possible  •
Aim to have five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables daily •
Use a moderate amount of dairy prod uct and look for low fat varieties •
Moderate amount of meat, fish or alternatives such as eggs, beans, peas and lentils – look for lower fat versions where possible •
The occasional treat (foods that are higher in fat, salt and/or added sugar should only be eaten in moderation) •
Little salt – always read the label For more information on healthy eating and healthy weight loss, click here A Guide to Healthy Living
4

Getting active is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep fit. There are all sorts of activities and sports that can get you moving and aid weight loss. Being physically active is not just a good way to lose weight it also keeps you fit and healthy.
Cycling, Dance, Football, Gym, Running/Jogging, Racket Sports, Swimming, Tai Chi, Walking/Rambling and Yoga.
Calories and Weight
A pound of fat equals 3500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week you will need to expend 3500 more calories than you eat that week, whether through increased activity or decreased eating or both. Losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week is a sensible goal, and so you will want to use the combination of increased activity and eating less that will total 3500 calories for 7 days.
Although exercising is great just being more active is also a good way to burn calories. There are many small changing you can make to your daily routine that will burn calories for example:
•
Take the stairs instead of the lift

•
Keep walking whilst the escalator caries you up

•
Walk or cycle instead of driving short distances

•
Park your car further away than you need to or get off the bus one early

•
Do some exercise on your lunch hour – swimming, yoga etc

A Guide to Healthy Living
5
•
Boost to your emotional well being – Even light exercise can help boost your mood. Also, more intense exercise can stimulate the release of mood elevating compounds called endorphins.

•
Reduce risk of heart disease – If you are overweight or obese, you are more prone to heart disease, as you have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. You can improve your cardiovascular function if you partake in exercise.

•
Improvement to memory – If you exercise more regularly, you move blood and oxygen to all your body’s organs, including the brain, which is great for revitalising your mind.

•
Reduced risk of Diabetes – Physically active people are less likely to develop Diabetes, as exercise increases the body’s ability to use sugar for energy and thereby decreases the need for insulin.

•
Other benefits include: -Improved sleep pattern, increased strength,
improved energy level, pain relief, longevity and increased bone density.

For more exercise tips, read more on this
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A Guide to Healthy Living
6
Getting fitter and living a healthier life is not impossible if you engage in healthy eating and physical activity. By doing so, you can reduce your chances of developing various diseases and can also help you achieve your desired healthy weight.
Checking your body mass index
By being healthy, eating the right things, exercising appropriately, you can sensibly bring your weight down.
To check your BMI, simply take your weight (in kilograms) and divide it by your height (in metres) squared. For an online BMI calculation, click here Notably, being under 20 on your BMI means you are underweight, whereas over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese. Healthy diet
Low fat and low calorie foods include fruit and vegetables. By eating more fruit and vegetables, instead of high in fat food and sugars, will significantly help you reach your desirable healthy weight.
Exercising
The only way to make exercise part of your life is to build this into your everyday life.
Many people go for a brisk walk, gentle jog or try an exercise class. Everyone is different, so you must choose something that you find enjoyable.
As a fully pledged adult, you should try to get your heart rate up at least four to five times a week.
5 Top Tips
1.
Keep an accurate food diary

2.
Set healthy and manageable goals

3.
Ensure you make healthy choices within your routine

4.
Be proud about your progress

5. Make a strong commitment towards lifelong changes For more tips on improving your health and  encouraging weightloss, click here A Guide to Healthy Living
7
As everyone is aware, smoking can lead to serious health problems and diseases, that can affect everyone who comes into contact with them, directly or indirectly.
More recently, smoking has been prohibited from many public places worldwide and many support services are increasing to make sure that people avoid the temptation to smoke.
Why should you stop smoking? From what most people who quit smoking suggest, they have given up their habit to create better lifestyle opportunities for themselves and others -  improve their sex lives, attract the opposite sex or reduce any potential harm on someone else’s health. Many estimates and current research suggest that non smokers live ten years longer than smokers do. Smoking is renowned for causing many diseases such as lung cancer, bronchitis and heart disease, as well as strokes, bronchitis, stomach ulcers, leukaemia and other cancer related conditions. Also, it has been suggested that smoking has the capacity to worsen chest problems, allergies and colds. When involved in exercise, people who smoke also may feel short of breath, are prone to coughing and might sneeze more. Smoking has also been linked to cellulite and is not able to make you lose weight. If you want to lose weight, there are far safer measures available to you. Second hand smoke or passive smoking is also linked to cancer. Children who are passive smokers are more prone to croup, pneumonia bronchitis, ear infections, tonsillitis, wheezing and childhood asthma.  Also, pregnant mothers who smoke are exposing their baby’s health to harmful gases and chemicals. Healthy living is important to us all and by quitting smoking, you will see a dramatic improvement to your health, which will ultimately make your life feel more fulfilling and rewarding. Always remember that smoking is like obesity, it is one of the most preventable causes of chronic disease because in most cases its development is lifestyle-related. Read more about reducing your chances of obesity here! A Guide to Healthy Living
8
If you drink moderate amounts of alcohol, then you do not have a problem in terms of sensible drinking.
However, many people think they drink sensibly when it fact they don’t.
It is advised by medical experts that men generally should not drink more than three to four units of alcohol per day. Women, on the other hand, should drink no more than two to three units of alcohol per day.
What is a unit of alcohol?
1 Unit of Alcohol = 10ml of pure alcohol
A rough estimate about this is:
•
1 measure of spirits = 1 unit

•
1 pint of ordinary lager, bitter or cider,
175ml glass of wine = 2 units

•
1 pint of strong lager = 3 units

•
many wines at approximately 11 / 12%
alcohol with a small glass as a measure
equates to 1.5 units

Health risks Alcohol abuse is responsible for a wide range of health problems which is associated with dehydration, unconsciousness and drowsiness.  If you continue to drink heavily or even binge drink, you are risking experiencing more serious health problems, including cancer, liver problems and heart disease. In terms of losing weight, drinking can reduce the number of calories you burn, increase your appetite and for men, lower testosterone levels for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking. To lose weight and start your new healthy lifestyle today, read more now
A Guide to Healthy Living
9
Every year, many people worldwide suffer from food poisoning, whether at home or abroad.
Food poisoning is preventable if you follow simple food hygiene tips.
Preparing food
In order to prevent bacteria from spreading, remember to do the following:
•
Wash your hands before and after preparing food, especially if you are touching raw meat

•
Prepare raw and ready-to-eat food separately

•
Always use clean utensils and equipment. Always wash chopping boards and knifes that come into contact with raw foods

•
Keep tea towels and hand towels clean and wash them frequently. Remember to replace wash cloths on a regular basis

Cooking food
Always remember to cook food properly to kill any harmful bacteria that arises
Chilling food
Many foods need refrigeration and when using these foods, it is essential that you pay attention to the ‘use by’ dates.
Always remember:
•
When you get home from shopping, to always place food requiring refrigeration into the fridge

•
Cool cooked food as quickly as possible and then put it in the fridge

•
Keep raw meat and poultry in a sealed container. Place this container at the  bottom of the fridge to stop it touching or dripping on to other nearby foods

•
Keep your fridge organized according to food type and do not overload food into it, as you can prevent cold air circulating

A Guide to Healthy Living
10
It is important to have a happy sex life and your sexual health is something you should pay attention to on a regular basis.
No matter what the gender, both the sexes need to take time out to understand the issues surrounding contraception and sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s).
Many sexually transmitted diseases are not apparent to the person/s who contract them. For example, Chlamydia does not necessarily have any visible symptoms. However, this infection can affect fertility, so it’s important to  get regular  check ups with your GP or family planning clinic. The most effective way to prevent STD’s is to avoid sexual contact  with an infected partner. This is why, ideally, you should get tested  for STD’s before initiating sexual activity. Sexual health & exercise From a healthy living and weight loss perspective, please bear in mind that both sex and exercise have been proven to help reduce stress. If you manage to do both on a regular basis, this should help you stay relaxed and happy. Exercise also helps increase your sexual desire. Sometimes, if you have put on weight, you may feel less sexy.  Click here to read about becoming slim and sexy once more. A Guide to Healthy Living
11
There are many other ways you can achieve a healthier lifestyle and ultimately lose weight.
Of course, physical activity and calorie counting are vital, but other lifestyle choices as mentioned, can also have a huge impact on your general health.  One thing that people often recommend when starting to lose weight is detoxing. What is Detoxing? Detoxing is a way of cleansing the body of toxins.

Toxins can be found in most things, but predominantly caffeine, smoking and alcohol.

Detoxing involves cutting out caffeine, smoking and alcohol primarily as well as

sticking to a “natural only” diet for a 7 day period.

Detox A great way to kick start your healthy eating programme or diet is by detoxing.  Detoxing can benefit you in many ways; it is a catalyst for a good weight loss programme, can revive your energy levels and invigorate your skin. For more information on how to lose weight instantly starting now, click here
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Weight loss is now closer than you ever previously thought..

The Good Old Days…

There was a time in this world when the need to lose weight was completely unheard of. People ate well, but the worked well too. They woke up early in the morning and then engaged in a whole day’s work. This work was mostly physical labor. People worked on fields digging, sowing, harvesting. They tilled they soil, rode horses, worked on farms and ranches. The result was that they could afford to eat almost anything they wanted in whatever quantities they wanted.
But that was ages ago. The world has changed so much since those days. Life styles have changed so much and the comforts and facilities have increased so much. But every rose has its thorn. As a result of all these comforts and amenities the state of physical well being has really changed. Most of us have sedentary jobs that demand little or no exercise at all. To put it simply, things have become so damn easy. And just as can be expected, weight gain has become a major concern for almost every city dweller.
During the period of thoughtless youth it is not such a major concern. The young practically eat nothing and so weight problems do not bother them so much. But as soon as you turn twenty, you start showing signs of weight gain and that too in all the wrong places.
It’s not about the hour glass figure or the perfectly sculpted and toned body. It is more about staying fit and remaining healthy to ensure a long, disease free life. Every body knows that those extra pounds spell illness. All over the world people are switching to a healthier life style and the catch line is indeed weight loss.
This book is dedicated solely to the cause of losing weight and that too in the most surprising ways you ever heard of. There is only one thing that you have to bear in mind. Weight loss does not happen by itself. There are only two ways to accomplish it…
The first is by watching what you eat and the second is by seeing to it that your body gets the exercise that it needs. (This report gives tips for both.)
As you go through the following pages, my hope is that you’re continually amazed by all the “everyday” things you can be doing to lose 10 pounds…or more.
101 “Everyday” Tips For Losing 10 Pounds
1.

Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot of water so give in to water. Water is not just way to flush out toxin but if you have more water in your body you will generally feel healthier and fitter. This it self will discourage any tendency to gorge. The best thing about water is that is has no calories at all.
2.

Start your day with a glass of water. As soon as you wake up, gulp down a glass of cool water. It’s a wonderful way to start you day and you only need a lesser quantity of your breakfast drink after that. A glass of water lets out all your digestive juices and sort of lubricates the insides of your body. You may have your morning cup of tea but have it after a glass of water. It is good for you.
3.

Drink a glass of water before you start the meal. Water naturally needs some space so that you feel fuller without actually having to stuff yourself.
4.

Have another glass of water while you are having the meal. Again this is another way of making yourself full so that you can actually rise from the table eating less but feeling full just the same. Instead of drinking it one gulp, take sips after each morsel. It will help the food to settle faster so that you get that feeling that you are full faster.
SIDENOTE: Water is such a remarkable thing, but seldom do we give it the
credit that it deserves. Did you know that over 66% of your body weight is
nothing but water? It’s amazing!
Water also plays a vital role in weight control, which is why I donated so
much space to it, above.
5.

Stay away from sweetened bottle drinks, especially sodas. Hey all those colas and fizzy drinks are sweetened with sugar and sugar means calories. The more you can cut out on these sweetened bottle drinks, the better for you. So if you must drink sodas, then stick to diet sodas.
6.

Include in your diet things that contain more water like tomatoes and watermelons. These things contain 90 to 95 % water so that there is nothing that you have to lose by feasting on them. They fill you up without adding to the pounds.
7.

Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. Juice is often sweetened but fresh fruits have natural sugars. When you eat fruit, you are taking in a lot of fiber, which is needed by the
body, and fruits of course are an excellent source of vitamins.
8.

If you do have a craving for fruit juice then go for fresh fruit juice instead of these that contain artificial flavors and colors. Or even better, try making your own fruit juice taking care not to sweeten it with too many calories.
9.

Choose fresh fruit to processed fruits. Processed and canned fruits do not have as much fiber as fresh fruit and processed and canned fruits are nearly always sweetened.
10.

Increase your fiber intake. Like I mentioned, the body needs a lot of fiber. So try to include in your diet as many fruits and vegetables as you can.
11.

Go crazy on vegetables. Vegetables are your best bet when it comes to losing pounds. Nature has a terrific spread when it comes to choosing vegetables. And the leafy green vegetables are your best bet. Try to include a salad in you diet always.
12.

Eat intelligently. The difference between man and beast is that we are driven by intelligence while beasts are driven by instinct. Don’t just eat something because you feel like eating it. Ask your self whether your body really needs it.
13.

Watch what you eat. Keep a watchful eye on every thing that goes in. Sometimes the garnishes can richer than the food itself. Accompaniments too can be very rich. Remember that it is the easiest thing in the world to eat something without realizing that it was something that you should not have eaten. Selective memory you know…
14.

Control that sweet tooth. Remember that sweet things generally mean more calories. It is natural that we have cravings for sweet things especially chocolates and other confectionary. Go easy on theses things and each time you consume something sweet understand that it is going to add on somewhere.
15.

Fix times to have meals and stick to it. Try to have food at fixed times of the day. You can stretch these times by half an hour, but anything more than that is going to affect your eating pattern, the result will either be a loss of appetite or that famished feeling which will make you stuff yourself with more than what is required the next time you eat.
16.

Eat only when you are hungry. Some of us have the tendency to eat whenever we see food. We use parties as an excuse to stuff our selves. Understand that the effect of a whole week of dieting can be wasted by just one day’s party food. Whenever you are offered something to eat do not decline it completely bit just break of a nibble so that you appear to mind your manners and at the same time can watch your diet.
17.

Quit snacking in between meals. Do not fall for snacks in between meals. This is especially true for those who have to travel a lot. They feel that the only time they can get a bite to eat is snacks and junk food. The main problem with most snacks and junk food is that they are usually less filling and contain a lot of fat and calories. Just think about French fries…tempting but terribly fattening.
18.

Snack on vegetables if you must. You might get the pangs of hunger in between meals. It is something that you can very well control. Or even better, try munching on carrots. They are an excellent way to satisfy those hungry pangs and are good for your eyes and teeth. True, you might end up being called Bugs Bunny, but its miles better to be called Bugs Bunny than fatso.
19.

Go easy on tea and coffee. Tea and coffee are harmless by themselves. It’s when you add the cream and sugar that they become fattening. Did you know that having a cup of tea or coffee that has cream and at least two cubes of sugar is as bad as having a big piece of rich chocolate cake?
20.

Try to stick to black tea/coffee. Black tea or coffee can actually be good for you. But personally I would like to recommend tea rather than coffee. The caffeine in the coffee is not really good for you because it is an alkaloid and can affect other functions of your body like the metabolism.
21.

Count the calories as you eat. It’s a good idea to have an idea of the calories that most food items have. If it is a packed thing then the label is sure to have the calories that the substance has.
22.

Be sure to burn out those extra calories by the end of the week. If you feel that you have consumed more calories than you should have during the week, it happens you know, and then make sure that you work off those extra calories by the end of the week.
23.

Stay away from fried things. Fried things are an absolute no-no. The more fried things that you avoid, the lesser weight you will gain. Fried things are called so because they are fried in oil or fat. And even if the external oil is drained away, there is still a lot of hidden oil in it so stay away from it.
24.

Do not skip meals. The worst thing you can do while watching you diet is skip a meal. It has just the opposite effect of what you want. You need to have at least four regular meals every day.
25.

Fresh vegetables are better than cooked or canned vegetables. Try to eat your vegetables raw. When you cook them, you are in fact taking away nearly half the vitamins in them. And canned vegetables too are processed and are not nearly half as good as fresh vegetables. When you buy your vegetables it would be a good thing to see if the label says that it is pesticide free.
26.

Nothing more than an egg a day. Eggs are not such a bright idea. It would be best to reduce your intake of eggs to maybe three in a week. But for those of you die hard egg fans, you may have up to one egg a day but nothing more than that.
27.

Make chocolates a luxury and not a routine. Chocolates are not or at least they should not be a part of your diet. So do not indulge too much in them. Even the bitter chocolates are not good for you because though the sugar is less there is still the cream in them.
28.

Choose a variety of foods from all food groups every day. This is a fine way of keeping deficiency diseases at bay. Change the items included in your diet every day. This is an excellent way of keeping deficiency diseases at bay and it helps you to experiment with a variety of dishes and there by you do not get bored of your diet.
29.

If you can say no to alcoholic beverages please do. Alcoholic beverages too are not good for you. Beer can be fattening and the rest of the alcoholic drinks may not be fattening by themselves but after a couple of swigs you will be in no position to watch your diet and your appetite too will be something to battle with.
30.

Try to have breakfast within one hour of waking. It’s always best to have breakfast within an hour of waking so that your body can charge itself with the energy it needs for the day. The idea is not to wait for your self to get really hungry. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but that does not mean that it should be the most filling meal of the day.
31.

50 to 55% of your diet should be carbohydrates. It is a myth that you should try and avoid carbohydrates when you are on a diet. Rather the other way round I should say. Carbohydrates are a ready source of energy and so 50 to 55% of your diet should be carbohydrates.
32.

25 to 30% of your diet should be proteins. Various processes and activities are going on in our bodies. Things are broken down and being built up again. Resistance has to be built up, recovery from disease too is needed and for all this the body needs plenty of proteins so see to it that 25 to 30 % of your diet consists of proteins.
33.

Fats should only be 15 to 20 %. You need only this much of fat in your diet so keep it at that.
34.

Try and adopt a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet is undoubtedly better for those of us watching our diet. There are a lot of advantages of keeping to a vegetarian diet but I don’t want to sing an ode to vegetarianism now. What I would suggest is keep to a vegetarian diet as much as you can. Make a non- vegetarian diet a week end event or something if you find it impossible to give up eating all those animals.
35.

Choose white meat rather than red. White meat, which includes fish and fowl, is miles better than red meat, which includes beef and pork for those trying to lose weight.
36.

High Fiber multigrain breads are better than white breads. Remember how I told you to increase the fiber content in your food; well this is the answer to that. It is not only better in terms of the fiber content but also in terms of the protein content as well.
37.

Reduce your intake of pork. Pork is not something that can help you to lose weight. So the lesser pork you eat the better chances you have of losing weight. And remember that pork includes the pork products as well, things like bacon, ham and sausages.
38.

Limit your sugar intake. If you can’t have things unsweetened go for sugar substitutes. These things are just as sweetening but are certainly not fattening.
39.

Graze 5 to 6 times a day. Instead of sticking to just three meals a day, try grazing. Grazing means try having 5 or 6 smaller meals instead of three king sized meals. It is an excellent way of having smaller quantities of food.
40.

Go ahead eat cheat food, but only for flavor. There are many things which you have to avoid from your diet but which you may have an undying craving for. Do not avoid them altogether. You could call them cheat foods and indulge in them once in a while. But take care just to tingle your taste buds, don’t hog on them. Instead of that share them with others. In this way
41.

Watch your fat intake. Each fat gram contains 9 calories so by reading the total calories on a food and knowing the quantity of fat, you can estimate the % of fat, which should in no way exceed 30% of the food.
42.

Go easy on salt, as too much salt is one of the causes of obesity. Make it a point to really cut down on salt. Try to bring down your salt intake to half of what it was last year.
43.

Change from table butter to cholesterol free butter. If you have a choice why not g for it, any way it is healthier for you and tastes just the same. Bear in mind that these small changes can go a long way towards weight reduction.
44.

Instead of frying things try baking them without fat. Baking is by far a healthier method of preparing food than frying. Baking requires lesser oil or fat.
45.

Use a non stick frying pan for your cooking so that you do not have to add oil. The golden rule is to try and avoid as much oil as possible and a non stick pan is the perfect solution to this problem.
46.

Boil your vegetables instead of cooking them, or even better, eat them fresh. However if you do not like eating your vegetables as it is, try steaming them without adding anything at all. This is probably the healthiest way to eat cabbages, cauliflowers and a host of other vegetables.
47.

Carry parsley with you. Parsley is an excellent thing to munch on in between meals. Not just is it good for you in terms of vitamins, but it is also a perfect way of making your breath fresher.
48.

Choose low fat substitutes or no fat substitutes. There are plenty of low fat or even no fat substitutes available in the market so why not choose wisely. It is much better for you heart too. Many people just go for shopping and pick up whatever they can. They do not bother to find out if there are nay substitutes for the thing they are looking for.
In the markets of today, you will be astounded at the range of goods that manufactures have to offer. In fact with all the hue and cry that is being made about weight loss, low fat substitutes and no fat substitutes are hitting the stands faster than mushrooms that sprout after the first rains.
So the next time you head for the stores instead of picking up what you have always picked up, see if there are better substitutes.
Remember that our bodies need nutrients and not just calories. Fats give us nutrients but with more calories than what proteins or carbohydrates do.
49.
Avoid crash diets. They are bad for health and you will gain what you have lost once you take a break. Crash diets are not a solution to weight loss. It might seem as if you have lost few pounds but the moment you give up on the crash diet every thing will bounce back with a vengeance.
Take a look at it in this way. Do you think that it is possible for a person to survive on a crash diet for the rest of his or her life? Certainly not! So at some time or the other, you will have to give up the crash diet and then you will see for yourself that a crash diet does more harm than good on the long run.
Crash diets may have a lot to promise, but very rarely do these promises ring true. Crash diets are things people go on in order to wear an old dress or suit for a particular occasion. That’s the only purpose that they serve as far as I can see.
50.

God gave us teeth for a reason…
Therefore we should develop a habit of chewing all food including liquid food and soft foods like sweets, ice creams at least 8 to 12 times. This is essential to add saliva to the food, as it is only in the saliva that sugar is digested.
Often we find that whatever goes into our mouth goes down like lightning. We hardly give the saliva any time to act on the food. So does digestion take place like it should? Do we just stuff our tummies with food that doesn’t get digested or in other words that doesn’t yield the benefits that it should?
51.

Dry wine is better than sweet wine. Sweet wines naturally contain a lot of sugar. But on the other hand, in dry wines most of this sugar has been fermented away so from the weight point of view dry wines are better than sweet wines.
52.

When you decide it’s time to start working out, start slowly and don’t get discouraged if you don’t achieve your fitness goals after the first week. Many people make this mistake. They feel that if they really push their bodies they can lose more weight in a couple of work outs. This is a very serious thing in fact.
If you try to push your body too much in the first few goes, you are likely to end up with sprained joints, a sore back and even torn ligaments. The rule to be followed here is slow and steady wins the race.
53.

Check your weight before you start the routine and keep checking for changes but do not expect a radical change immediately, it might be one or two weeks before you notice some change. However it is crucial that you continue to monitor your weight. You may bear in mind the fact that even a few pounds loss is a big achievement.
54.

When you do notice a change, reward yourself. When I say reward I do not mean go for some goodies like chocolates or sweets. Maybe you could go for a movie or buy yourself something like a new dress or a trinket.
This is something that can keep you going. It is a good idea to save on the money that you wanted to spend on ice creams and chocolates and then treat your self to something more substantial.
55.

You can take a day off from exercise every week. This is not just a very good idea but it is part of the exercise routine. Your body needs a day off from an exercise routine so do not hesitate to take a day off from what ever you have been doing.
56.

Exercise out doors as far as possible. There are two advantages of doing whatever you are doing out side. One advantage is that it gives your body a chance to get a lot of the much needed fresh air and sunshine.
The second advantage is that the surroundings keep you perked up and it is a break form remaining cooped up all day long
57.

Try to collect some information about exercise, there are a lot of things that you can do at home. Extensive research has been done on exercise and plenty of this information is easily available.
You can try browsing the net or getting a book or two on how to exercise at home. This information will be useful to you to know how much you need to work out on each specific exercise in order to burn off the desired number of calories.
58.

Try to get somebody to exercise along with you. But it should be somebody committed or else
your interest might dwindle. This is indeed an excellent idea. One of the advantages of getting a committed person t exercise with you is that it keeps you going.
There may be days when you feel just too lazy to crawl out of bed in the mornings. On such days, the knowledge that some body is waiting for you is enough to slide out of bed.
Another advantage is that you can discuss your progress and fears with another person and be a sympathetic listener to the other person as well. This is a fine way of getting motivated your self.
59.

Stop when your body has had enough. There is no sense in pushing it. When you have worked out for a considerable time, your body will start giving you signals.
Heed those signals. This is particularly true in the initial stages. Take one step at a time. Stop when you are out of breath or when a certain part of your body tells you that it has had enough.
60.

If you want to increase your time of exercise or your work out routine, do it gradually and not in sudden steps.
Well easier said than done. Most of us have such hectic schedules that it is quite impossible to fit in tie for exercise right? Wrong. I want to say it once and for all, your body, or anybody’s body for that matter needs proper exercise. If you make up your mind to do it, you just can.
61.

Select an exercise pattern to suit your life style. All f us have different life styles and professions so there is no sense in trying to follow the book strictly. Try and follow an exercise routine that is suitable for you. You have to understand that even more important than the exercise itself is sticking to it. So unless you choose something that can suit your life style, you are not going to stick on to it.
62.

Don’t stand, walk. If you can walk about then do so. Do not stand in a fixed position. Pacing about is a good thing to do. If you are thinking deeply about something, try pacing about, it will aid in your thinking.
63.

Don’t sit, stand. If you can stand, then do not sit. The golden rule is to choose a position that is less comfortable.
64.

Don’t lie down, sit. The rule that we mentioned above rings true here as well.
65.

Do not be a couch potato. It is the easiest thing in the world to become a couch potato. You know what we are talking about don’t you? That shapeless thing that sits or reclines on a shapeless chair in front of the television and stupidly munches away at something fried!
If you are inclined to become a promising old couch potato, break the habit, cut at the very root of the vine. And you want to know what is the best way for that? Take away that favorite chair of yours. In fact, it would be a very good idea if you could keep a chair that isn’t too comfortable in front of the TV.
This will discourage any tendency to become a couch potato.
66.

If you have a sitting job, stand up and stretch yourself every half an hour. Most of the jobs today are indeed sitting jobs that are in one word sedentary. This is especially true for those who sit and punch away at the keyboard or toy with the mouse all day long.
So if you have such a job, make it a point to get up at least every half an hour and stretch your self.
67.

While making telephone calls try walking up and down. I hope you will agree with me that this is an excellent suggestion.
68.

Use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can. Elevators are one hell of a convenience particularly if you have to go up or down some twenty floors. But elevators also make us very lazy.
There may be no sense in trudging up some twenty flights of stairs because by the time you get there you will be totally pooped. But while coming down, if you have the time, you can easily come down the stairs instead of using the elevator. Coming down is not at all exhausting.
And talking about the time factor, I don’t think that there is much of a difference. Sometimes waiting for an elevator door to open at your floor after you hit the button can take up all of eternity.
69.

Smoking is bad for weight loss. Smoking as such may not contribute to weight loss but
smoking leads to other conditions like erratic eating habits and excessive dependence on things like coffee.
70.

If you hate running, remember, you do not have to run a marathon to stay fit. 10 minutes of cardio each day is good enough for most.
71.

And if you can’t run, try walking. 15 minutes of brisk walking a day is enough to keep most fit.
72.

Any distance is walkable if you have the time, so consider walking to places that you would normally drive (such as work or the market if they’re not too far away). It may take you longer, but the health benefits will last you a lifetime.
73.

It sounds strange, but some people have reported that they lost more weight when they drank black coffee before a workout. While there’s no hard data to support this, nutritionists speculate that the caffeine in coffee makes the body rely more on fat for fuel during the work out. It’s worth trying!
74.

Here’s a corollary to the tip above: Avoid drinking coffee in excess, as it tends to desensitize your body to the fat burning effects of caffeine.
75.

Stop using remote controls. Remote controls are the bane of a prospective weight loser. They may be remarkable gadgets by themselves but from the weight loss point of view, they just aren’t very helpful.
They really encourage us to take a laid back kind of attitude towards life itself. In fact if remote controls were not there, the television would not have become so popular. It is because of remote controls that people can remain where they are and switch from one channel to the other. And they only have to twitch a finger muscle to achieve this.
Now, I have nothing against multi channel television sets but what I strongly advocate is that you get up from where you are and change the channel of the TV each time you want to do so.
The same thing holds true for other remote controls as well. As it is we have remote controlled TVs, DVD players, A/Cs, garage doors, gateways and what not. The next thing we know is that we will have remote controlled people as well.
76.

Do things like fetching, turning things off and on by yourself. Often when we come back tired from work, we tend to get others to do simple chores for us. These things are no big deal. They are things that we can very well do for our selves but we don’t.
That is why we often ask our kids to fetch us this or take away that.
Training your pet is a wonderful thing indeed. It is quite remarkable how some people get their dogs to fetch them something. But the fact is that while you may be making sure that your dog is getting a lot of exercise, you are neglecting your bit of the story.
77.

Here’s a pop quiz. Escalators help us to:
1.
Move up and down faster

2.
Gain weight

3.
Stand stupidly as they move up and down

4.
Look down at other people when you are going down

5.
Look up to others when we are going up

You have to pick the correct answer from the 5 alternatives given. You can see for your self that all the options are in a way correct. So the next time you travel on an escalator, don’t just stand there…climb up or down along with it. (Or better yet, take the stairs.)
78.

During commercial breaks walk about. If you want to sit all evening with your eyes glued to the tube, then do so. But at least spare your eyes the agony of a commercial break.
When the next commercial flashes on screen, instead of surfing, get up and take a walk. Reach over and try to touch your toes or do any such simple exercise that will at least get the blood flowing in your veins.
79.

Wriggle your toes and your fingers whenever you can. This too is a stress buster and it gives you a chance to at least work your hand and leg joints. This will tell you how sore they are and if their condition is so bad, just think of the rest of your body.
80.

Turn on music and dance like wild. Let your hair down once in a while. Go back to the days of wild child hood. Close the door of your room, turn on your sound system to the highest volume possible (but a little lower than the level at which your neighbors start to complain) and then do the wackiest dance that you can think of. Jump on your bed and jump off it again.
Roll all over the floor. Pretend that you are Michael Jackson or Madonna (you will never see them keeping still) and do ever boogie move that you know.
81.

Carry a soft flying disc or Frisbee with you. Toss it around and get up to fetch it. This is also an excellent way to beat stress. It makes a person feel good to throw something away forcefully when the person is all worked up. And the thing that you throw is something soft and can’t damage anything, then what is stopping you?
It is not really the throwing part that we are interested in. It is the fetching part. Each time you get up to fetch it back; you are giving yourself a chance to stretch those muscles and joints
82.

Get down at a block before your destination and walk the rest of the way. You might not have time to fit in long walks in your busy schedule so this is one way of ensuring that you at least get to walk for a little bit every day. If you take the bus or the subway, get down at an earlier station and see if you can walk the rest of the way.
If you drive to work, see if you can get space in a parking lot that is a little away from your office.
83.

When nobody is watching try doing pelvic gyrations. If you take a moment to observe it you will see that it is the mid section of our body that gets the least bit of exercise and that is probably why the signs of weight gain are mostly seen there.
It is the same reason why we find it very difficult to lose weight in that section. So the best thing that you can do is consciously try to give that part a little bit of exercise.
Stomach crunches might be too strenuous an exercise to start off with but gyrations are relatively mild. Pelvic gyrations make you thrust your midsection towards all directions and this is the best way of tightening every muscle in that mid section and that is of course what weight loss is all about.
84.

Tuck in your tummy whenever you walk. Get that proper gait. And the best way for that is to tuck in your tummy and inflate your chest. Do not let your tummy hang above your belt line like some unruly layer of flesh. Bring it under the belt.
Each time you tuck in your tummy, you will feel the pressure on the muscles of your stomach. This tightening and loosening of these muscles is even better than stomach crunches.
85.

Try breathing exercises. You might be surprised to know that breathing exercises too can lead to weight loss. If you are doing the breathing exercises properly, you will find that you can exert a lot of pressure on the muscles around the mid section.
You can feel a tightening of these muscles each time you breathe in or breathe out. So go ahead and breathe properly, it is good for you.
86.

Try yoga. Yoga is one of the best ways of losing weight. Of course I can’t go into a full lecture about yoga over here but I can tell you that I have never seen people with better-toned bodies than those who practice yoga.
One of the benefits of yoga is that you learn to control virtually every muscle and joint of your body so that the issue of weight gain will cease to exist.
87.

Try massaging your partner. This is a fun way to lose weight. It is something that can give your partner a lot of pleasure and at the same time can give you a lot of exertion there by leading to weight loss.
The attitude over here should of course be you scratch my back I will scratch yours. It should not be a one sided effort or else the interest will soon dwindle.
In fact it is a good idea if couple take up weight loss routines together. They can keep watch over each other, help control those urges to eat and motivate each other to stick to the routine.
There are a lot of things that couples can do together that can help them to keep physically active.
88.

If you can’t think of any thing else to do try punching your pillow. Now here’s another one of those weird ideas but believe me it works. Not too many of us have punching bags at home and if you have really fluffy pillow giving it a good punching routine is just as good as anything else.
This is also a nice way of letting off steam so go for it. After all something is better than nothing. But I would suggest that you do not hit it too violently or else the stuffing might come out. Do not bother too much about the force with which you hit the pillow. It is number of hits that are important. Try to get at least fifty punches in one bout.
I would like to give you a little tip over here. If there is somebody that you particularly dislike like your boss or your neighbor, or may be your ex boy friend or girl friend, try fixing a picture of the persons head on the top of your pillow and then try punching it. I promise you, it will give you a lot of satisfaction.
89.

Instead of waddling up and down the staircase, try taking them two at a time. Now this is something that you have to be careful about because we do not want you to trip. So when you do this make sure that your feet are well and truly planted on each step before you increase the beat and try two at a time.
90.

If you have a dog, take it for a run and let the dog lead you on. You will be surprised as to how much exercise a dog can give you.
Animals are sensible enough to know that they need a lot of exercise so let your animal lead you on. Take your pet dog out for as walk and before you know what hit you, it will turn out to be a run.
91.

Join a dance class. Dancing is a wonderful way to burn off those extra calories. It is true. When you dance you are in fact burning away a lot of calories. Of course we are not referring to the slow ballroom kind of dances in which one person actually leans on the other one for support. We are talking about fast dances.
The best way to do it is by joining a dance class because they will really wok you out. But I would suggest that you wait for a couple more pounds to vanish before you think of becoming a ballerina.
92.

Whenever you can, lean against a wall with your hands flattened against the wall and in such a way that your face is very close to the wall. Then use you hands to push your body away from the wall. Do this two or three times at a stretch.
93.

If there is a pool nearby go for swims as often as you can, swimming is one of the best exercises. Water has a lot of advantages. And if nothing else, a cool dip in a pool is a wonderful stress reliever.
94.

Try playing something like table tennis or basket ball. Games are a fun way to lose weight. It is much more exciting to play a game than just work out by yourself. The best thing about games is that they are addictive. Once you start playing you will soon end up with a friends’ circle and then the playing goes on without even you knowing it.
It is something that you can look forward to and there is no stress involved in this program. In fact the more you play the less you will consider this to be a part of your weight loss program. As you burn away those calories, you will also be able to expand your social circle.
95.

Any work out should start with a 5 to 10 minute warm up and should end with a 5 to ten minute cool down session. Whatever physical exercise you are involved in, you must remember to warm up before the exercise really starts. Do not just plunge into the water and start thrashing about, to put it figuratively.
Your body needs to reach a certain level of readiness before it can actually start responding to exercise. And this readiness is achieved by the warming up process.
96.

Do not carry your mobile phone around but leave it a place where you can hear it ringing. In this way you make sure that you at least get up and walk towards it. This might sound sill but I really mean it. You need a reason to keep yourself going.
Life today has become so easy that we have every thing at our fingertips. All we have to do is push a button here and push a button there. The only things that get any exercise at all are our fingers. Years ago Charles Darwin put forward a theory of use and disuse.
According to this theory, a certain part of the body that is put to constant use develops a lot and a certain part of the body that has no use at all becomes smaller and smaller and gradually ceases to exist.
Certain examples that he quoted were the long neck of the giraffe, which appeared to become longer and longer when the giraffe stretched higher and higher to reach the leaves at the treetops. He quoted the example of the absence of a tail in human beings to illustrate the example of the theory of disuse.
Now if Darwin’s theory were to prove true, as the years go by man is likely to end up with just a huge head, a few fingers and maybe some other parts of the body that are also put to use.
That is why I made it a point to say that you have to drive your self to move about. A cell phone may be convenient, but the same thing can turn out to simplify life just a little too bit. There are other arguments against the use of cell phones but that is beside our topic.
What I would suggest is that at home or in your office, leave the cell phone lying about so that you can hear it ring, but can’t just reach into your pocket and answer it. See to it that you have to actually stand up and walk a few steps before you can pick it up.
97.

While traveling in an elevator instead of just standing there and staring stupidly at the numbers going up or down, try raising your self onto your toes and then back on your feet again. Do this several times. Also try flexing your buttock muscles as well.
In fact there are many muscles in our body that we can twitch and flex without inviting the attention of others. Even if others do notice you, its no big deal provided you are flexing a muscle in a decent part of the body. (Most of the other parts do not have muscles any way.) Others might brand you as a health freak but it is miles better to be known as a heath freak than as a sack of potatoes.
98.

Undress and stare at yourself in front of your mirror. If what you see displeases you, then you have all the more reason to work out. Try tucking in the extra fat in all those wide areas, this will give you an idea of which part you need to be working on.
Turn to you side and get a very good view of your side profile. This is an excellent way of checking whether you have a tummy that is starting to bulge or has bulged already.
Try pulling in air and then take a look at your tummy, if it has gone in even a little bit, there is hope for you. If you start now, you can control it where it is now and may be if you really set your mind to it, you can lose a couple of inches in a just a few weeks.
Weighing your self on your bathroom scales is a good idea but personally I would recommend this mirror viewing. To be very frank, a few pounds gain may shock you but does not really disgust you. But a flabby figure and extra fat certainly will.
99.

If you have a banister rail or a balustrade that will support you, sit on it and pump your legs as if you are riding a bicycle, taking care not to fall off of course.
This might sound like another crazy idea and I don’t want to argue with you about that. I just want to tell you that by doing such crazy things, you are in fact not missing a single chance to lose those extra pounds. It is a way of keeping your mind alert all the time. Every thing must look like an opportunity to you.
100.

Do not slouch in your chair but try to maintain an erect posture with your tummy tucked in. Slouching is a very bad habit. Not only is it bad for your back but it also gives you a very flabby figure. It is your way of saying yes to a comfortable, weight-gaining pose.
Make it a point to always sit as erect as you can. It is also a terrific way to ward off back problems.
101.

Psst. I would like to let you in on a secret. As it is I understand that most of us tend to put on weight particularly in the mid section, right. It is the tummy that seems to have a mind of its
own. Well I will tell you a sure shot method to reduce the flab around the waist line. Mind you this doesn’t hold true for post pregnancy tummies. This is what you have to do.
Breathe in air as strongly as you can and as you do so, tuck in your tummy as much as you can. Hold it like this for a few seconds and then slowly release your breath taking care not to let out your tummy. Try to keep breathing like this at least fifty or sixty times in a day.
In fact breathe like this whenever you can remember to do so. After the first day, you should feel the muscles of your stomach tightening each time you do this. Then you know that you are on the right track. If you practice this without fail for 20 days, at the end of the twentieth day, you will have lost at least an inch.
Below I have included a table of the various exercises and the number of calories that can be burnt with each exercise. Choose what you can do best and choose something that you will enjoy doing on the long run as well.
The choice of the exercise is completely left to you but try to do whatever you wish to do for at least twenty minutes. It is only after you do the exercise for twenty minutes that the actual calorie burning sets in.
Aerobics  200-250 calories
Bicycling, Stationary  250-300 calories
Bicycling, Actual  300-400 calories
Running, 5-6 mph  300-350 calories
Stair climber  200-250 calories
Swimming laps  350 calories
Walking briskly  150-180 calories

From this you can see for your self that walking is not at all something that has to be sidelined. If you really find your days to be too full to fit in any other form of exercise, then walking is your best bet. Walk as much as you can.
Try getting to places and leaving places a little early. This will give you time to walk.
Well, I guess that’s about it. The ball is now in your court so what are you waiting for? Get rid of those extra calories and pounds as early as you can and try to enjoy life the best you can without inviting all those terrible diseases that come with a few extra pounds.
BONUS SECTION

Understanding Your Body:
A Different Perspective

It is strange how the secrets that we try so hard to find out have already been discovered ages ago and that too in the most unlikely places and by the most unlikely people. People who lived ages ago in the East have already solved many of the puzzles of the human body.
The Indian system of medicine, which is called Ayurveda, is a wonder in itself. The explanations in this stream of science at first glance may seem far-fetched but when you really sit down and think about it, you will be astounded by the knowledge and understanding that the ancient Indian sages had. I have included a littlie bit on the Indian system of medicine that is particular to the subject of our interest, that is the diet and its control.
Take time to go through the stream of thought in the following pages, it is more than interesting.
How Much Do You Know?

I have included a simple test to see how much you have grasped about the proper way to control you diet. Go ahead and do the test, you might find it interesting.
1) Which of the following is suitable for a between meal snack?
a) Cheese
b) Carrots
c) Yogurt
d) Coffee
e) Candy

2) How many glasses of water should a person have in a day?
a) 5-6
b) 10-20
c) 10- 12
d) 4-5
e) 15-20

3) Which of the following is bad as far as weight control is concerned?
a) snacking
b) smoking
c) coffee
d) crash diets
e) all the above

4) How many hours sleep does an adult need?
a) 7-8
b) 6-7
c) 8-9
d) 5-6
e) 9-10

5) Which is better for a person on a diet?
a) fresh fruit b) canned fruit c) fruit juice d) processed fruit e) cooked fruit
6) Which of the following should you always include in your diet?
a) nuts b) dried fruits c) fruit juice d) salads e) tea
7) Which of these two is better for your health?
a) coffee b) tea e) vitamins
8)  The most important meal of the day is
a)  supper
b)  snacks
c)  break fast
d)  lunch
e)  tea
9)  Which of the following can you afford to cut out from your diet?
a)  fats
b)  carbohydrates
c)  vegetables
d)  proteins

10) Which meat is better for health?
a) white meat
b) red meat
c) raw meat

Answers:
1.
b

2.
c

3.
e

4.
a

5.
a

6.
d

7.
b

8.
c

9.
a

10.
a

Muscle Power
Use your brains to answer the test on the best ways to work out.
1) Which is the best exercise among the following?
a) horse riding
b) walking
c) swimming
d) running
e) bowling

2) Before you need to work out, you need to
a) drink water
b) warm up

c) consult a trainer
d) make up your mind
e) cool off

3) You can afford to take a day off from your work out every week
a) true
b) false

4) Yoga does not help to reduce weight
a) true
b) false

5) Breathing exercises strengthen the shoulder muscles
a) true
b) false

Answers:
1.
c

2.
b

3.
a

4.
a

5.
b

The Starting Point
The enormous amount of excess fat in the human body has made the keyword ‘weightloss programs’ an instant hit among the common man. No wonder, most of the search engine spiders get a lot of enquiries on this word and the related key words, day in and day out.
Let us dig out the prime reasons behind this problem. It is a matter beyond dispute that there is a direct relation between the food we eat and the weight that adds up. Hence almost all weight loss programs concentrate on making some control on the ‘quality’ and the ‘quantity’ on the food we consume.
Where should we start? Now that you have decided to lose some weight we must of course find an answer to the above question. Let me make it clear that there is no better place than our mind.
We should have a strong resolve towards our aim. Conceive this as a just war towards your good health. As in any war there will be at least one enemy. Here your main enemy would be the basic urge to stuff your self with all the wrong things

Knowing Our Stomach and Body
Will you be able to find another person exactly like you? If the answer is “No,” what made you think that every person’s stomach behaves in the same way, accepting all the inputs in the same fashion. This is a basic mistake we often make.
Believe me, your stomach may not be behaving in the same way as your friend’s stomach does to a particular food item, be it a chicken piece or a burger. We must know that a particular food, which may be good for certain people, may not be suitable for others. Haven’t you heard the proverb, what is wine for Paul may be venom for Peter.
The Indian system of Ayurveda and yoga is considered as the best way to explain the different types of body nature. The basic constituents are classified as five elements.

Five Elements:
Earth: All life forces become inert and inactive in this element and more energy is used to keep it active. People with more weight, flesh, fat etc. are good example of predominance of this earth matter in their body. They do not show any anxiety and are not eager to acquire anything, they try to keep away from conflict and their life is moving slowly. When there is a disorder of this element in the body people become selfish and get attached to selfish enjoyments. It is a neutral element.
Water: It keeps the flow of body and life. But it has a natural tendency to cool down. As there is more than 70% water in the body it plays a very important role in the maintenance of heat and circulation of blood etc. It is a negative element.
Fire: It is creating fire in the body – heats the water. It regulates sight, provides strength to the body by digesting the food, induces hunger and thirst, and also maintains suppleness of muscles and beauty of complexion. It helps thinking and facilitates the discrimination power of the brain. It helps production of antibodies.
In short it is the starter of our body-car. Defects in the same causes anemia, jaundice and other digestive problems, and also causes fainting, epilepsy, derangement of brain besides diminishing eyesight and causing growth of cataract in the eyes, it produces acidity and also creates skin problems ad depigmentation.
That is why great importance is given in eastern therapies to control and preserve the element of fire. It is a positive element.
Air: Air is life itself. It is the strength and conducts every part of our body. It regulates the function of heart, circulation of blood and maintains balance of the body.
It helps respiration and downward movement of stools and urine. It produces sound. Nourishes mental faculties and also the faculty of memory. It moves bile and phlegm, which cannot move in the body by themselves. It is a positive element.
Space: In order that air circulates in the body and maintains a proper balance, there has to be space. If such circulation is blocked, it creates pain even leading to heart attack, paralysis, fainting etc. It is a negative element.

Prakruti – Type – Different Combination of Elements In the Body
If these five basic elements are maintained in proper proportion in the body, a proper metabolism is ensured and the body remains healthy. However due to heredity, eating and living habits more often than not, we disturb one or two of these elements and thus upset the metabolism and there is a predominance of three different types of combinations. Such combination of these elements decide our types-prakrutis. Aurveda, the Indian medical therapy, has divided people into three types:
1) Combination through excess of Earth +Water
2) Combination through excess of Fire + Air, and
3) Excess of Air element This therapy advocates that while treating the patients, one must keep in mind their respective types. For those people having kapha prakruthi, milk will only create problems.
People, therefore, having bronchitis or asthma indigestion should avoid milk. For people with pitt prakruti, spicy food will enhance their problem. Therefore, what is good for one type could be harmful to another.
Kapha Prakruti: It is a combination of earth and water. These elements occupy the major portion of our body. Sweet foods and drinks when properly digested are reduced to saline and the blood becomes alkaline.
It sustains the body system, Increases vigor and there is a marked growth of happiness. It lubricates the joints of bones and keeps them working properly. However, this is possible when there is proper element of fire – heat in the body.
However because of lack of exercise, overheating, eating between the meals when not hungry, eating more indigestible foods like concentrated sweet-fried things causes problems of indigestion and fail to produce enough heat in the body.
This leads to increase in water content and reduction of heat in the body, resulting in problems like dullness, heaviness, increase in fats, common cold bronchitis and later on asthma, arthritis rheumatism etc.
The best way to cure the above ailments of kapha prakruti is to reduce the intake of undesirable foods, cold drinks and foods that only aggravate the problems. They should eat only light digestible food when hungry; avoid sleeping during the day and over sex. Even milk is harmful to them. They should also take physical exercises.
Pitta Prakruti: It is a combination of fire+ air. Excess of heat damages the working of brain
-leads to acidity – ulcer, cold due to heat, skin problems, even sexual weakness, short temper and falling of hair.
Now, in modern times more anxiety – worries- eating more of fried and spicy foods- more exposure to sun, excessive use of antibiotics indulged in by people increases their problem. It is, therefore essential to avoid these habits as much as possible.
They should take sweet fruit juice as the first thing in the morning and have more fruits, sweet desserts after eating and drink more green juice.
Air Vayu Prakruti: This condition prevails when there is an excess of the element of air. People belonging to this category are more talkative and have day dreams. They need more sleep and have more gas trouble. These imbalances lead to fainting.
The tendency to eat heavy-oily foods- like fried and foods made out of gram etc. increases this tendency. People in such condition should avoid constipation and sleeping during day time, have more physical exercise so as to increase heat and circulation and should avoid unsuitable foods.
Water Fire
Metal Earth Water Fire Metal Earth

Productive Cycle Controlling Cycle
The first figure shows which elements help which element. In the second figure, It is shown which element is controlling the other element and how all these elements are counter balanced – controlled.
Basically all these elements should remain in proper proportion-which is called the Metabolism of the body. Any disturbance-excess or less of one element leads to disturbance in other element and becomes the root cause of the disease.
Everyone should try and find out the category and type he or she belongs to and avoid as far as possible those items, which will only aggravate their problems. They should consume food that will suit their type. It may be noted that each and every person is different from the other.
So are their tendencies and problems of health. But with proper changes in the diet good health can be maintained. The cerebro spinal fluid is produced from the blood and so imbalance in blood of these basic elements leads to imbalance even in cerebro spinal fluid. More salt in food for instance increases the sodium chloride in cerebro spinal fluid, which leads to high B.P etc.
Moreover, the climate plays an important role in its effect on the body. In summer and hot climate, for instance, buttermilk will be useful, but not in winter. Therefore in winter buttermilk should be warmed and black pepper and ginger should be added to it before drinking.
Nature grows the required vegetables and fruits etc. suitable for the nourishment of the body in all different areas and season. So wherever possible locally produced seasonal fruits and vegetable should be eaten.
Moreover nature also produces several varieties of fruits resembling the shapes of the organs of our body and they are useful, beneficial to that organ.
Apricot = Brain
Mango-Papaya = Stomach
Almonds = Eyes
Apple = Heart
Grapes = Lunges Cashew nuts
= Kidney
Kidney beans (Ripe: Outside skin black) People belonging to one type or the other type of prakruti(characteristics) can easily find out and eat foods which would do them good and reject foods that will aggravate their problem-tendency.
This practice will also enable us to prevent wasting our energy in digesting and expelling these foods intakes not suitable for our body.
Energy: In order that the body and brain can function properly it is necessary to create energy from the five basic elements. That is why we take food and drinks.
The whole cosmos gets the energy from the sun. All types of natural foods, fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses etc have in them almost equal measure of positive and negative of sun energy. However foods contain positive and negative properties in varying degrees. They can be divided in six tastes of which all foods/drinks are made of:
Bitter = Air + Space
Sweet = Earth + Water
Astringent = Air + Water
Salty = Earth + Fire
Pungent = Air + ire
Sour = Water + Fire
(hot) (as per Charak Samhitha)
In our daily diet it is necessary to maintain a proper balance in all these six tastes.
Surprisingly, aurveda- Indian medical science has made elaborate research in all kinds of
fruits, vegetables and minerals and has established their after effect on the human system.

When we take foods more of negative types or more of positive types, we create imbalances,
leading to diseases. The body tries to balance the positive and negative excesses in the
system and such efforts are called disease.

Surprisingly China has made in depth research for energy derived from food and has come to
the conclusion that one should take 65% foods in cereals and pulses like wheat – rice -
millets, grams etc and the balance 35% in milk-milk products, vegetables, dry fruits, oils etc,
these would be the ideal contents of a balanced diet.

I am of the opinion that after the body is fully developed one must eat and drink only those
things which are suitable to one’s body and only when one feels hungry. The fruits and
vegetables have in them a natural storage of the sun’s energy and if we make a daily practice
of having one glass of fruit juice and two or three cups of green juice of vegetables, our
requirement for food will be reduced to a minimum and we will have enough energy to
maintain the body in a healthy condition.

Please note that care of our digestive system should start from the mouth. Nature has given
us teeth to chew. Therefore we should form a habit of chewing all food including liquid food
and soft food like sweets, ice-creams, etc. at least 8 to 12 times.

This is necessary to add saliva to the food, for it is only in saliva that the sugar is digested.
That is why people eating hastily without chewing and eating more sugar invite diabetes and
fat. . Chewing less means double work for the stomach. And over-exertion of stomach will

invite many diseases and even fat.
Proper chewing gives better taste and satisfaction. Moreover, it enables you to listen to nature’s signal that your stomach is full. This in turn enables you to stop eating further. Therefore discussions at the dining table should be avoided as far as possible. Instead, soft music may be played. We should always remember that it is not more quantity or heavy food but the food that is digested gives us energy.
Diet: The aim of eating and drinking should be to produce enough blood, produce sufficient heat and energy in the body and satisfy the taste.
There are six types of tastes :
1)  Sweet
2)  Salty
3)  Sour
4)  Hot (Chilly)
5)  Astringent
6)  Bitter

It has been observed that we are avoiding more and more the last two types of taste with the result that it upsets the digestive system and balance in our blood, thereby leading to a number of diseases, including cancer. These tastes nullify the effect of sweets and purify the blood. These two tastes increase the digestive power – the fire- and are like a starter in a car and therefore should be included in our diet.
We take great care about the quality and quantity of coal or wood we put in the cooking furnace or fireplace. We should also give it enough air to burn properly. This enables the fire to give maximum of heat and reduce smoke and ashes to a minimum.
We should not forget that there is a similar fireplace in our stomach. We must think of the after-effects of the food and drink we take. The difference in the proportion of three basic elements of water, fire and wood in our body depends upon the food we eat.
As laymen, we should see that the fire in the stomach is well maintained and should be knowledgeable on the type of food that does not agree with us. We should, therefore, avoid such unsuitable foods. We must know that a particular food which may be good for certain people may not be suitable to others eg, curd/yoghurt, buttermilk, suitable to people having more elements of fire, would not be suitable to people having more elements of water in them.
Recent experiments by nutrition experts in the U.S.A. have confirmed the findings of the Indian philosophy, that eating late and taking heavy foods after sunset, tends to slow down digestion and produces more fat and problems of stomach.
In Ayurveda, the Indian medical system, a detailed description of the after-effects of the different types of cereals, vegetables, spices, fruits, milk, curd, buttermilk, herbs, minerals, etc. is given. This shows a deep study and research over hundreds of years. Ayurveda describes minutely what food to eat, how to eat and when to eat.
To maintain a good digestive system we should see that:
1) The food is well-cooked and eaten warm/hot.
2) The use of whole wheat and rice is adequate.
3) Reduce or avoid use of fine flour and polished rice.
4) Use of fried things should be reduced.
5) Enough buttermilk and curd should be included in the diet.
6) Enough vegetables, raw and cooked and seasonal fruits should be taken.
7) The food should be properly chewed. A time gap of 5 to 7 hours must be kept between two meals.
9) The habit of eating or drinking liquids except water or buttermilk between the
meals should be stringently controlled.
10) The stomach is also a machine and so it should be given rest  of atleast one
or two meals a week. At that time, only fruits or fruit juices or boiled water may
be taken.

To satisfy our palate is one of the greatest enjoyments of life. Eat anything you like once in a while, but respect nature’s signal, which is given in the form of belching. That’s nature’s way of saying “I’m full.”
You should stop eating further at that point. It is an yellow signal like the one at the traffic lights. If that cannot be done, you must stop at the second signal, which is like a red light. If you continue eating even after the second signal, please note that you are inviting trouble. Necessary changes in the food, diet, should be made according to the changes in seasons.
Please observe the motto that the fire in the stomach should be well preserved and should remain capable of digesting the food you eat.
A liberal use of ginger, pepper, eatables of bitter taste, Sunbath, regular exercise etc. helps this fire. While cold water, cold drinks, ice cream etc. reduce the fire and increase the burden on the digestive system. Please note that Heat is Life while Cold is Death. Eat or drink accordingly.
Sprouted Pulses: This may be taken by all people uncooked, but mixed with sesame, groundnut, raw, cabbage, dates, dried grapes or a little jaggery are also good for them. Sprouted pulses are also very good for reducing weight. In that case the use of dates, dried grapes or jaggery should be avoided as far as possible.
Test of proper digestive power and proper eating: After the meals, you should feel energetic, light in body and capable of work – even running if necessary. If you feel heavy, sleepy or dull, it indicates overeating or fast eating or a weakened digestive system.

EXTRA STUFF

Working Out
You may not like what I’m about to say, but dieting alone will not help you to lose weight. You have to give your body the exercise it needs. As I mentioned earlier, a couple of centuries ago, people were involved in a lot of manual labor.
This gave their bodies all the exercise that was needed. But due to the changed life styles, most of us do not have to engage in strenuous work. Most of us sit in front of computers all day long or engage in other sedentary works.
It is because of this that exercise becomes crucial for weight loss. Generally people do not gain weight till their early twenties. But once they cross the 25 mark, then visible signs of weight gain can be seen everywhere and in the mid section in particular.
There is something very important that you have to understand if you are really considering the possibility of losing weight. You will have to consciously give your body the required exercise that it needs for the weight loss to be really effective.
Watching your diet alone is not going to yield results unless it is coupled with proper exercise. You have to make a conscious effort for this. And the solution for this is a work out routine. This is the first point under this section and I think I should list it out clearly one more time.
Working Out…It’s Good For You
When we think about the life in the country, there is always something rosy about it. What is it that the people in the country have that we do not? When you ponder about it you find that those lucky souls eat good food, they work really hard, by work I mean real physical work and they have good night’s sleep. Of course they do not have all the amenities and facilities that the city life has to offer.
But the city life comes with a lot of strings attached. People in the cities are generally less healthy than the people in the country. One of the reasons is pollution of course but the other reason is because people in the city do not get enough exercise.
Now, when I talk about healthy bodies please make no mistake about what I am referring to. I am not talking about the Mr. Universe kind of body, the bodies that we see on WWF.
I am talking about people who are fit. And fitness and exercise are just two sides of the same coin. They both go hand in hand.
In order to stay fit you need exercise and in order to exercise you need to be fit. But just because you are not fit now, it does not mean that you shouldn’t exercise.
And just like that, just because you do not have any visible excess fat on your body right now, it does not mean that you need no exercise. Exercise is the best way to keep obesity, cardio vascular disorders, hypertension and all those lifestyle-related disorders under control.
First of all let us get one point straight, exercise does not necessarily mean pumping metal. If you do have the time to go to a gymnasium everyday, then that is well and good.
But I suppose most of us do not have the time for a regular work out in a gym. So the other alternative is to do it at home of course.
But whether it is at home or at a multi-gym, there is something that I want to tell you. Whatever you are doing, you must try and do it regularly.
Consistency is very important for an exercise routine to have the desired effect on our body. Getting started is the easy part, it is sticking to a regular exercise routine that is difficult and this is what makes most people give up in between.
Most people get on to a beautiful start. They buy track suits and gym-wear, running shoes and a whole lot of other gear. Their first day at the gym is almost a celebration.
Then as the days go on, they find it increasingly difficult to meet the domestic and professional demands and so their routine slows down and finally comes to a complete workout burn out. In other words, the stop working out completely
It is a universal fact that the most chosen time for work outs is the evenings. If you can stick to work out in the evenings then it is well and good. But most of us find ourselves exhausted in the evenings. We find ourselves physically and mentally drained. And at that time our bodies will be just too tired for a work out.
The result is that after the first few days of working out, the interest just dwindles away. The other reason is that in the evenings a thousand and one things may crop up and then there is hardly time for a warm up. So it is best to set aside some time for exercise in the morning itself.
There are two advantages of setting apart time in the morning. The first advantage is that in the morning our bodies are fresh and full of energy. Now over here I want to make one point clear.
There is a popular misconception that exercise depletes the body of energy but the case is just the opposite. Exercise pumps up more blood through the different parts of the body and warms up the body, so in fact, after exercise we feel more charged and ready to face the challenges of the day.
The second advantage is that in the morning we can plan for the whole day without letting the exercise routine affect the rest of our activities.
What about those of us who have never worked out before? In such cases you might need to start off under the personal supervision of an instructor and that may require that you go to a gym. But what I would suggest is that there are two simple things that any one can do for which you do not need the help of any instructor.
You know what these are? They are walking and swimming. Any body can walk and those of you who know how to swim can swim. For these two activities you do not need much gear and experts say that these two exercises have no side effects and are excellent stress busters.
So in the morning wake up just half an hour earlier, put on your walking shoes and hit the roads. Most roads will be less crowded at this hour and less polluted too. It is a wonderful way to start a day. Below I have included some points on how to start and maintain a good exercise routine.

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People often look back on their lives and say, “If only I knew then what I know now.”   As someone interested in bodybuilding or fitness, you probably realize just how true this is when it comes to gaining muscle and losing fat.   If you don.t know exactly what you.re doing, right from the beginning, you will make many costly diet and training mistakes, and it can take years to get the type of body you want and deserve, if you ever get there at all. In fact, if you listen to the bad advice most “experts” are spitting out these days, you might even go backwards and actually gain fat or lose muscle!  These tips you are about to read will pretty much give you some good insight on how to get started with fitness and bodybuilding quickly and avoid the mistakes I made during my teenage years and into my adult years…Don.t worry…  These answers will be detailed enough for you but not so technical and scientific to confuse you…  By now, you.re probably wondering… what.s in this for me?  FACT:  You would have to search approximately 60 minutes to find all the answers to these questions.  And with so many posts and so many conflicting opinions, it might not really help you in the end.  So I.m here to take these questions and give you the facts.  No hype, no sales, just answer the questions.  Very unlike a political debate!  My strong hunch is… that one of these questions, if not all of them, you.ve looked for when you first started your fitness journey.  Armed with this short e-Book, you can quickly start your program and reach your goals faster than ever.  More important than that…  You will immediately increase your knowledge of fitness and bodybuilding!  There.s nothing better than getting a head start and getting the basics down fast.  The faster you understand the quicker you will be in reaching your goals.  So it adds up to this… I.ve put together these important questions so that you can take the information and put it to
work today.  You.ll reach your goals faster and you.ll make fewer mistakes saving your countless hours of research and trial and error.  When I was about 17 years old, I had a door poster that showed about 6 of the most powerful motorcycles in the world.  Every single night, I.d stare at that poster.  I.d imagine myself on those bikes riding thru Calistoga, California.  I could see myself clearly hanging on turns.  I swear I even felt the wind on my face.  Seriously, that vision every single night seemed so real.  I just looked at that poster and dreamed of myself riding a motorcycle.  Needless to say, I was able somehow to save up, get a loan and buy my first motorcycle.  I enjoyed riding several bikes over the next few years.  It had to happen.  Everything I did lead me to that purchase.  The Secret to getting the body of your dreams is to see what you want in your mind.  Bob Proctor said “If you see it in your mind, you.re going to hold it in your hand.” Visualize what you want to look like and all your actions will take you one step at a time to that goal.  I think about working out even if I.m not able to physically do it that day.  You might say that I did my workout in my mind before ever picking up a single weight.  Look, you might brush this last tip off as mumbo jumbo but I.m telling you from the bottom of my heart that it.s the ONLY thing that kept me going after making so many mistakes.  Think about that for one second.  How does a person who.s made so many years of mistakes keep going?  “Our job as humans is to hold on to the thoughts of what we want, make it absolutely clear in our minds what we want, and from that we start to invoke one of the greatest laws in the Universe, and that.s the law of attraction.  You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most.”  -John Assaraf  That last line is the home run and it.s exactly why I never quit working out to achieve my dreams.  Even after mistake after mistake, it.s precisely why I.m sharing that with you right now.  I saw what I wanted in my mind and I never quit.  I thought a lot about bodybuilding and fitness.  I dreamed of building muscle and becoming more fit.  You might say it took me a long time but the fact remains that it.s why I didn.t quit and it.s exactly how you.ll achieve what you want.  No pill, powder, training program or guru will ever be able to give you the actual keys to success.  That my friend is what you need to do right now with a single thought.  What do you want to look like?    I am telling you it.s the secret to your success.  Start right NOW visualizing and thinking of how you want to look like and all your actions will lead you to that goal little by little.  With this guide it.s not going to take you 16 years!  So, without further adieu, here they are: The biggest bodybuilding tips – revealed!
QUESTION #1:
How Many Calories Do I Need A Day?
Listen, figuring out how many calories a day you need to lose weight, maintain your weight or gain weight really isn.t too hard.  And with the formula I.m about to give you can easily track where you are and what you need to do daily to reach your goals. There are several formulas you could use that take into account age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level.  Any formula accounts for your lean body mass (LBM) will be more accurate but for this guide, let.s keep things simple.  The estimate you are about to get will be reasonably close for most people. IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, THEN LOSING, MAINTAINING OR GAINING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE! The Simple Method: Take your current body weight in pounds (lbs) and use one of the multipliers below.
Quick & Easy Calculator

Maintenance
15 – 16 calories per lb. of bodyweight

Weight Gain
18 – 19 calories per lb. of bodyweight

Fat Loss
12 – 13 calories per lb. of bodyweight

This is a very easy way to calculate your calories.  There are some drawbacks to a method like this because it doesn.t take into account for body composition or activity levels.  Extremely active people may require more calories than this formula indicates.  People with a high amount of lean body mass will require more calories as their total daily energy expenditure (TDDE) will be higher.  It.s possible to overestimate the calorie needs in somebody who has a very high level of body fat.  For example, a 50 year old man who weights 225 lbs at 38% body fat will probably not burn fat on 2925 calories per day (225 x 13 for fat loss).

QUESTION #2:
How Do I Measure My Body Fat?
The truth is… there’s several ways to do this.
. Underwater Weighing

. Bio-Electrical Impedance Analysis

. BIA Body Fat Scales and Hang Grip Tests

. Infrared

. Circumference & Anthropometric

. Skin fold Measurements like “The Pinch Test”

. Other More Complicated Methods

The simplest and cheapest method is the skin fold test.  You can purchase a set of calipers for about $20 and do this test in the privacy of your own home.  The accuracy of this test is almost as accurate as the methods above and it costs you nothing.   For individuals in the 15-35% range it.s deemed as accurate.  For lean individuals it is probably the most accurate and for people over 35% body fat, other methods are more accurate.  Another way to measure your body fat at home with just a tape measure:
Body Fat Formula for Women Factor 1  (Total body weight x 0.732) + 8.987 Factor 2  Wrist measurement (at fullest point) / 3.140 Factor 3  Waist measurement (at naval) x 0.157 Factor 4  Hip measurement (at fullest point) x 0.249 Factor 5  Forearm measurement (at fullest point) x 0.434 Lean Body Mass= Factor 1 + Factor 2 – Factor 3 – Factor 4 + Factor 5 Body Fat Weight=Total bodyweight – Lean Body Mass
Body Fat Percentage=(Body Fat Weight x 100) /
Body Fat Formula For Men Factor 1  (Total body weight x 1.082) + 94.42 Factor 2  Waist measurement x 4.15 Lean Body Mass = Factor 1 – Factor 2 Body Fat Weight=Total bodyweight – Lean Body Mass Body Fat Percentage=(Body Fat Weight x 100) / total bodyweight

total bodyweight

What it all boils down to is this… Regardless of the accuracy of the test, it.s fast, it.s simple and it.s cheap.  And the only reason you measure your body fat is to determine progress.  A simple set of calipers will get the job done.  And you can do it over and over for no cost.  You can.t say that about the other options some of which are not very accurate at all. QUESTION #3:
What’s Better?  Free Weights Or Machines?
Most everybody asks this question.  Either the first time they walk into a gym and see the selections or at some point they wonder if the bench press machine is better than the regular flat bench press with free weights.  I was a machine person for quite some time…then it hit me! Why not incorporate a little bit of both!  That.s right… there.s not some rule that says if you use a machine you will never get the results you want.  And there.s no rule that says you must only use free weights.   Fact is…. By doing a little bit of both for certain exercises, you will target various areas.  Let.s take the bicep curl as an example.   There you are with the straight bar.  Working your biceps.  But really, you are working a lot more.  Your forearms are being stimulated.  Your shoulders are taking some weight, and you.ll notice your abs are tight as they stabilize your body.  So doing a bicep free weight curl entails a little more than just a bicep workout. Compare that to the preacher curl machines.  You are sitting down.  There are no legs involved.  Your abs really aren.t that tense.  And there.s much more direct focus on the muscle. Truthfully, you are not alone in asking this question.  By incorporating machines and free weights you can target a muscle group and isolate it while doing some compound movements to hit the entire body.   Bottom line is, there is no better than.  If you only do free weights, you are missing out on a vital component of variety.  If you only do machines, you are forgetting about the all important but hidden stabilizer muscles that help balance you.  By combining both, you can get the best of both worlds and a super varied workout.
QUESTION #4:
How Can I Get 6 Pack Abs?

What forum, what article, what supplement and what eBook doesn.t talk about this?  We all want to know how to get a 6 pack of abs for the summer.  Am I right?  Is it that hard?  Honestly it is.  It.s not just as simple as taking a pill.  But it.s also not as grueling as doing 1000 crunches a day.
What I.m talking about is… the less body fat you have, the more visible a muscle becomes.  This means, if you incorporate some ab work to build the muscles up a bit and then have a low enough percentage of body fat, you now have a 6 pack or 8 pack of abdominal muscles showing!
Getting a six pack is only as simple as working your abs in a normal fashion (maybe 2x a week) and having a diet that boosts your metabolism to help you burn fat. You start by losing body fat.  The less fat you have, the less there is between the muscle layer and the skin.  Things start to show up when the middle layer (fat) starts to disappear. This is not just my opinion.  Getting a six pack of abs is more about nutrition and cardio then it is about ab exercises. QUESTION #5:
How Much Protein Do I Need Every Day?
The secret to figuring out how much protein you need is not by just taking some number you found like 30g and apply it to yourself.  If everybody had the same needs we would all be the same.  And we both know that just isn.t true.  Each person is slightly different.   Let me explain.  We.ve all heard that a person can only digest 25-30g of protein in one sitting.  B.S.!   Just think about it.  Does an IFBB professional bodybuilder intake the same amount of protein as the guy who.s 135 lbs just starting out?  Even if there is a 200 lb weight difference? The answer might shock you.  NO Needless to say, so many people just take some number, multiply that by their body weight and that.s what they think they need a day.  Tell me, if a person is 35% body fat, should they use their weight or their lean weight to figure out how much protein they need?
Simple.  Lean weight.  Your daily protein requirements are based on your lean body weight.  And how do you figure out your lean body weight? Use the skin fold caliper home test.  Go back to Question #2. Step 1: Take your body weight in pounds Example:  194 lbs Step 2: Find your body fat % using one of the methods in Question #2 Example:  15.7% (which is .157 for the step below) Step 3: Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat Example:  194 lbs – (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs of lean body weight Step 4: Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14 Example:  163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day Step 5: Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is what your protein target is for each meal. Example:  186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight will require a lot more protein.  And a person who is 286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their percentage of body fat is 35%. But why use 1.14 for protein requirements? The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) is 0.8g of protein.  But that.s been shown to be too low for active athletes. Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein.  But that seems a bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which can lead to fat gains. 1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy adults.  This range will help build muscle but not lead you into a high protein diet.  Feel free to adjust within that range if you feel you need more protein.
QUESTION #6:
What Is A Good Basic Workout?
Here.s a clue… it involves every major muscle group.  A good basic workout should include:
. Legs (squats, lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, leg press)

. Shoulders (military press, dumbbell raises, side laterals)

. Chest (bench press, flyes, dips)

. Back (pull-ups, rows, deadlifts, lat pull-downs)

. Arms (ez-bar curls, barbell curls, dumbbell curls)

. Abs (hanging leg raises, incline crunches)

. Cardio (for the heart)

I could go on and on with this question and post 500 routines and reps and sets and you.d still be confused.  So let me ease the confusion by saying this.    THERE IS NO GOLDEN ROUTINE THAT WILL WORK FOR EVERYONE!  I.ve tried several routines.  Max-OT, Tom Venuto.s supersetting, Optimum Anabolics and I.ll tell you something.  I.ve gotten gains out of all of them and they all have various philosophies.  For less than $100, I have enough programs to try for a year. Here.s proof.  Do you see the same people in your gym, doing the same things, and a year later they look the same?  It.s really quite simple.  If you keep doing what you.ve always done, you will keep getting what you.ve always gotten.   There are many variations on exercises and routines you can do.  And you.ll find out a ton of them while browsing around on forums and reading fitness sites.  And while you might be tempted to stick with just one.  Don.t.  Try it, evaluate it, and try another one.  After about 6 months, you.ll know your body very well and what it responds to.  You will have tried many exercises and you.ll know if you like something and if something else just doesn.t work out. Not sure how to do an exercise that.s listed in the programs below?  No problem.  Here are 2 independent sites with descriptions and videos that will help you get started.  Never attempt an exercise if you don.t know how to do it thru professional instruction or a basic understanding. Sites that show you how to do a particular exercise:
ExRX.net   Bodybuilding.com’ s Extensive List
Beginner’s Routine:

Day 1
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Upper Abs
Crunches
3 sets
10-20 reps

Chest
Bench Press
1 set
12-15 reps

Bench Press
3 sets
10-12 reps

Incline Press
3 sets
10-12 reps

Machine Flys
3 sets
10-12 reps

Triceps
Triceps Pushdowns
3 sets
10-12 reps

Dips
3 sets
8-10 reps

Day 2
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Lower Abs
Leg Raises
3 sets
10-20 reps

Back
Cable Rows
1 set
12-15 reps

Cable Rows
3 sets
10-12 reps

Lat Pull Downs (front)
3 sets
10-12 reps

T-Bar Rows
3 sets
10-12 reps

Biceps
Barbell Curls
1 sets
10-12 reps

Barbell Curls
3 sets
8-10 reps

Day 3
Day Off

Day 4
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Upper Abs
Crunches
3 sets
10-20 reps

Quads/Hams
Squats
1 set
12-15 reps

Squats
3 sets
10-12 reps

Leg Press
3 sets
10-12 reps

Leg Extension
3 sets
10-12 reps

Leg Curls
3 sets
10-12 reps

Day 5
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Lower Abs
Leg Raises
3 sets
10-20 reps

Shoulders
Military Shoulder Press (to front)
1 set
12-15 reps

Military Shoulder Press  (to
3
10-12 reps

front)
sets

Barbell Upright Rows
3 sets
10-12 reps

Side Dumbbell Lateral Raises
3 sets
10-12 reps

Calves
Standing Calf Raises
1 set
12-15 reps

Seated Calf Raises
3 sets
10-12 reps

Day 6
Day Off

Day 7
Day Off

Advanced Routine:

Day 1
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Legs
Squat
6 sets
15, 12, 9, 7, 7, 9 reps

Legs
Leg Press
3 sets
7, 7, 9 reps

Hack Squat
3 sets
9, 9, 11 reps

Romanian Deadlift
3 sets
7, 7, 9 reps

Lying Leg Curl
3 sets
9, 9, 11 reps

Calves
Donkey Calf Raises
6 sets
10-15 reps

Seated Calf Raise
6 sets
10-15 reps

Day 2
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Chest
Swiss-Ball Push-Up
2 sets
15, 15 reps

Chest
Incline Barbell Press
4 sets
12, 7, 7, 9 reps

Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press
3 sets
7, 7, 9 reps

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
3 sets
10, 10, 12 reps

Parallel-Bar Dip
* sets
30 reps

(as many sets as necessary to complete 30 reps)

Biceps
Standing Barbell Curl
5 sets
15, 12, 7, 7, 9 reps

Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curl
3 sets
9, 9, 11 reps

Cross Body Hammer Curls
3 sets
8, 8, 8 reps

Day 3
Day Off

Day 4
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Back
Deadlift
5 sets
15, 12, 10, 8, 8 reps

Back
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
3 set
8, 8, 10 reps

Weighed Pull-Up
4 sets
12, 10, 8, 8 reps

T-Bar Row
3 sets
12, 12, 12 reps

Calves
Leg Press Calf Push
3 sets
12-15 reps

Seated Calf Raise
3 sets
10-15 reps

Day 5
(10-15 minutes of some type of cardio before workout)

Body Part
Exercise
Sets
Reps

Shoulders
Seated Front Barbell Press
5 sets
15, 12, 8, 8, 10 reps

Shoulders
Machine Press
3 sets
10, 10, 12 reps

Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3 sets
10, 10, 12 reps

Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3 sets
10, 10, 12 reps

Front Cable Raise
3 sets
10, 10, 12 reps

Triceps
Smith-Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
3 sets
15, 10, 10 reps

Reverse-Grip Pressdown
3 sets
9, 9, 11 reps

Lying Dumbbell Skull-Crusher
3 sets
10, 10, 10

Day 6
Day Off

Day 7
Day Off

QUESTION #7:
What Is The Best Fat Burning Supplement?
Despite what you may have heard, the banning of Ephedra did not destroy the best fat burning supplement known.  And it.s not even a supplement at all.
The answer to the best fat burning supplement is a diet that increases your metabolism combined with cardio.  Those two factors alone will burn more calories than any chemical combination.  And you.ll be safer and the effects will be long term. But before we go into that… you can incorporate things like caffeine, green tea, and other herbs to give you a boost.  But nothing will be as permanent and long term and building a basic understanding of nutritional fundaments.   Armed with the basics of nutrition and what foods burn fat, your meals during the day and the muscle you will gain will do far more fat burning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year than any pill you might find on the market today.  And rest assured, food won.t be banned for a very long time. It.s a shame that people will spend countless dollars on supplement products when just eating 5-6 meals in a day that will burn more calories than any pills.  And eating food is something you should do anyway so it.s not likely to be cut from the budget if things get right.  And it.s not likely to cause any unwanted side effects if you have some reaction to some herb in some product.   Not only will a good diet burn fat you.ll also be able to build muscle.  What pill burns fat and builds muscle?  None. QUESTION #8:
What Do I Do If A Body Part Is Stronger or Bigger Than Another?
Should you skip it?  Stop working the bigger side out? You could…  Or you could let the non-dominant arm/side be the deciding factor when the set is over.  You probably won’t notice this with chest presses.  Most people are concerned with this when it comes to arm exercises.  Especially biceps.  If I curl 50 lbs 8 times on my left arm and only 4 times on my right what should I do?
Do 4 reps.  And quit.  The idea of using a different weight has been suggested but in order for a body part to grow it must be overloaded.  I’d let the non-dominate side dictate the weight.  Or have a spotter help you out.  I usually start the set off with my right (being I’m left handed) so that I know when I’ve reached failure.  If you were to use unequally weighted dumbbells, then your stronger side would need a heavier weight so that you reach failure about even.  But that idea, while in theory sounds good, only serves to keep the gap growing.  Why not let the weaker side catch up?  I’d use the same weight.  But I would let my weaker side dictate.  Do you really want your stronger side growing faster?  Probably not. QUESTION #9:
Why Is Working My Legs That Important?
Believe me… I hated leg workouts.  Until I realize the true potential that a simple set of squats could unleash.   Frankly… I see the same people on the leg press machine, leg extensions, doing lunges and doing squats week after week.  But for every other muscle group, it.s like a new day.  There are the familiar faces of course, but there are always new people.  It.s like working legs is an exclusive club. And yet that is 50% of your body!  Your entire lower body you will neglect because:
. You don.t like working legs

. You don.t want bigger legs

. Your legs are big enough

But let.s suppose… you do work legs.  And without much weight at all.  Just enough to stimulate your entire body propelling it into new levels of growth.  Do you think that is possible? How can doing squats increase our bench press?  If you are stuck on bicep curls, how can incorporating legs into your routine break you thru those plateaus? I.m here to tell you right now, as you read this, that doing leg workouts is a whole lot more than just getting bigger, more toned, or stronger legs. Think about it.  Testosterone is a primary ingredient of building muscle.  So you do a hard set of tricep pushdowns.  Your body responds by making more testosterone.  Let.s just guess at 10% more for the day.  Phew.  Hard workout.  Good job! Do you qualify as one of those people? But… let.s say you do a set of breathing squats at 100% intensity.
You just boosted your testosterone production 1000%. Do you think I.m being facetious? But back to the purpose of this question.  Working your legs isn.t an option.  It.s something you do.  So you don.t want bigger legs?  Fine.  Don.t pile on the weight.  Don.t overload them.  Just stimulate your metabolism, and stimulate your body changing.  So you don.t like legs?  Get over it. Fact is, by incorporating legs into your workout, you will see more gains in 6 weeks then most people do in 3 months.   Don.t take my word for it.  Look around at your gym?  The guy with a huge upper body and tiny chicken legs.  Do you want to look like that?  Who are the bigger guys in your gym?  Who are the women that you most want to look like?  I can assure you those people do legs.  Any top notch physique does legs. Doing a cardio machine that uses legs is not the same. So that.s why working your legs is so important.  Please do not make excuses.  You do not have to train to failure where you cannot walk.  You don.t have to squat 600 lbs.  You simply must train the 50% of your body that pretty much 80% of everybody just doesn.t do. Next time you are in the gym take a good look around.  Notice the leg equipment.  Notice the same people using that week after week.   Become one of the individuals at your gym that trains legs and discover the secret to growth.  HERE ARE THE REASONS WHY WORKING EVERY MUSCLE – NOT JUST CERTAIN ONES – IS THE SUPERIOR METHOD OF GETTING THE RESULTS YOU WANT:
. Builds lean muscle

. Reduces body fat levels

. Increases energy

. Balances blood sugar in the body

. Increases neuromuscular efficiency

. Improves sexual performance

. Lowers cholesterol in the body

. Protects against heart disease

. Improves mood

All the above reasons are by-products of increased testosterone.  For men, this means better muscle gains.  For women, don.t worry you don.t have enough testosterone to get big and bulky like a man.  For everybody, working legs will help you with the above factors and assist you in reaching your goals. QUESTION #10:
Can You Lose Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time?
Look, there.s a great Zen story that basically answers this question. HE WHO CHASES TWO RABBITS, ENDS UP WITH NONE Please understand that while it.s not impossible it.s just not efficient.  You might as well pick a goal and work towards it.  Losing fat and building muscle are two different goals with very different paths to get there.   QUESTION #11:
Do Nitric Oxide Supplements Work? (Really Do Any Supplements Work?)
Work to do what? Give you better pumps?  Yes.  Build more muscle?  Where’s the proof. Okay, before I go on, I.d like to point out that most of the research on NO products has been done by supplement companies that sell the products.  Unlike creatine and protein which has a wealth of other information sources including credible scientific institutions, I would like to see the same for NO. Now wait.  Does that mean if you took this type of product and it worked for you that we should all just say, forget science, if it worked for Bob then it must work for everybody.  Who cares how, it just does? Make no mistake; NO type products are great for pumps.  And there might be truth to the statement that it opens up nutrient pathways to allow you to absorb more muscle building nutrients.  And maybe pumps do build muscle.  Although I personally think overloading the muscle does more for that then any pumps. More important than that…if you don.t take NO supplements are you missing out on gains?  My strong hunch is that you aren.t missing out. Bottom line, if you take NO and you fail to eat properly you won.t gain anything.  So if you aren.t 100% focused on nutrition and training, then all these supplements will do is pretty much make you broke. Now, listen to this very carefully: Not all supplements are worthless.  Taking some supplements will help you achieve your goals.  But only if you have the other 98% in check.
Fortunately there are a few websites that can help you with credible independent research.
Three of the best are:
1. www.supplementwatch.com

2. www.consumerlab.com

3. www.naturaldatabase.com

So let me ask you… are you positive that your nutrition and training are complete?  If so, then NO might be something to try out and see for yourself.  And that statement goes for every supplement (minus vitamins, protein, essential fatty acid complexes).
NO and supplements alike only account for 2%.  Make sure you have the rest down solid and that 2% will be very noticeable!
QUESTION #12:
What Can I Do To Gain Weight?
Now before I go on…  It’s not your training program that will pack on the pounds but your nutritional habits.   But first let me give you an example.  So many people have some idea of their calories they need in mind.  Maybe you are going for 3500-4000, but you haven’t got a specific goal and you aren’t counting your calories.
Whenever I hear the term “hard gainer” I smile, because whoever uses that term is definitely limiting their potential. I don.t think there is such a thing as hard gainer. I believe they are hard learners. — Darin Steen

**THIS IS A RED FLAG**  That says to me:   You have no idea where to start. And as many people are when they have no foundation, they are frustrated. And justly so!   So here’s what you do:  Step 1: You need to figure out how many calories a day you need to consume. 3500-4000 might be a goal but how do you know that is what you need?

Step 2: You have to track your daily caloric intake closely or you are just guessing.  It does not need to be accurate down to the last calorie but it needs to be an ACCURATE (within 10% or so) portrayal of what you have eaten during the day.  Most people are greatly surprised to learn that they are consuming more calories per day than they had originally thought, sometimes THOUSANDS of calories more.  This does not mean that you start skipping meals; it just means that you need to have an accurate understanding of what you are putting in your body so you can balance that against what your body needs to achieve your goals. Step 3: No more excuses for not eating.  Going to college and having to work nights means you will have to plan on making meals in advance. Eating 5-6 times a day is a must. When I went to college I didn’t do this. And I didn’t gain weight either. I ate my 2-3 meals a day and had fun at college. I never planned a meal. And I stayed a skinny kid.   So there you have it.   You can figure out a training program all you want.  You can do a very basic, somewhat heavy, 4x a week program and make more gains if you eat right then a guy who has the perfect hardcore routine and just eats to get by.  By the way, many of these hardgainers train hard and too frequent.  If you have a high metabolism, you will make better gains by going heavy and training less.  If you can dedicate time to training at a specific time, you can prep some food, put in it Tupperware, baggies or whatever, throw it in a backpack and eat at scheduled intervals.   And yes, being in college makes that very hard.   QUESTION #13:
What can I do to keep motivated to work out?
Here are some tips to help you get motivated to get to the gym in the short term. This list is not all inclusive but it does have some things you can use to keep yourself going to the gym long after the New Year’s crowd has quit.  Photos:   Pictures can be very inspirational! Regardless of what you think of those magazines, having a picture to look at is helpful in letting your mind capture an image of what you want. Once your mind has the image, you will start to take actions in life to accomplish that. I recall when I wanted my first motorcycle, I used visualization techniques. I kept looking at the pictures over and over each night. Eventually I got my motorcycle! This worked for getting a new car, a house and just about everything else. Once I could visualize what I wanted, my mind helped take actions to set my
body in motion.
Set Small Goals:   Sometimes it much easier to think of getting around the next corner then it is to look at the big picture. When I hiked Yosemite’s Half-Dome, I used many small goals to keep me going. Rather than look at my final objective all the time, I used land markers to keep me going from one point to another. A technique you can use at the gym. Set weekly goals (1 lb a week) rather than looking at what you want to accomplish a year from now.
Music:   A classic motivator. Personally it distracts me. But for many, their favorite mix jam is just what they need to get into the zone and feel amped up. If you like music and it doesn’t bother you at all, then consider it for an extra boost when you don’t feel like working out. Music can easily put you into the mood.  Workout Partners:   The best motivation is somebody else with a like goal that wants to accomplish what you want as well. When you feel down and out and not really into it, this person might pull you along. When you can’t get that last rep out, they are there to give you a spot. It’s so much easier to have a training partner you can trust that motivates you. If they are a little competitive that might not hurt either. You can both use each other’s energy to push yourself. When you are accountable for something, it’s harder to back out.  Classes:   Many people want to workout but feel without structure, they just get lost and bored. Being in a class can really help focus in on your goals with structured objectives in mind. If you don’t like working out alone, a class might be an idea option. Especially when you don’t know where to being and you like the idea of instruction.  Personal Trainer:   A times they get a bad rap, but if you find a good one, then paying for a mentor is precisely what you need. Shelling out $70 or more for a package of training sessions can really motivate you to keep going. They are also your paid training partner. They can help push you and adjust your program for progressive resistance and growth. Not only are you accountable (spending money) but a good personal trainer can help design you a program and nutritional plan that meets your needs. Everybody should have a personal trainer at some point. Their watchful eye on your exercise form is critical as well. Not all personal trainers are worth their weight in gold so be aware and find somebody you like and trust.
New Routines:   One of my favorite motivational techniques is to try something new. When your routine becomes boring and stagnant, there’s nothing like trying new stuff to spice it up and keep you interested. You are engaging in fitness for life. That doesn’t mean you have to do the same old boring routine for the rest of your life! Having a new plan of action can keep you mentally fresh and your body challenged.   These are just some of the techniques you can use to keep yourself motivated in the short term. How to make it to the gym day in and day out no matter what the weather is like or how you feel (unless you are sick of course). QUESTION #14:
Can Bodybuilding Be Fun?
What you don.t know is that most people go about gaining muscle or burning fat completely the wrong way.  Not only in the technical aspects of it but they don.t have any fun doing it.  It.s a stinking chore to go to the gym.  They hate the food part.  It.s a nightmare and any excuse they can find not to go, they.ll find it.  This is why about April, all the New Year.s people are gone.  Fun.  That.s right.  It.s called the Romantic Stage.  You know what I.m talking about right?  The romantic stage of fitness where it.s fun to get in shape.  You pick up a weight, you did bicep curls everyday and you liked it.  Nobody was coaching you telling you were doing things wrong.  It was enjoyable.  You were excited to just workout. You want to know why I was able to keep working out 16+ years and hardly miss a beat? Because I enjoyed fitness.  I wasn.t criticized for the way in which I worked out.  If I worked biceps every day, nobody told me otherwise.  If I did the wrong chest exercise, nobody said boo.  It was fun.  I loved it!  I started out in the romantic phase of fitness and beat to the rhythm of my own drummer.  While some might call me a fool (that.s fine), I consider it the single MOST important reason why I have made fitness part of my life.  Simply because I was allowed to enjoy it until I was ready to move to the next step. Once I learned more about strength training, I started to get more into the technical phase of and then when I learned I was doing something wrong, it wasn.t such a big deal.  I wanted to get better.  I didn.t drop out and quit because I was discouraged.  I had a lot of fun doing it.
Soon enough I entered the mature phase where I.m performing at a high level.  Imagine when you started learning about all this technical mumbo jumbo, using belts, straps, and nutrient ratios and maybe at that point you dropped out.  It wasn.t fun anymore.  People were always saying that whatever you were doing wasn.t the right way.  Bodybuilding can be extremely fun.  Being active, getting in shape should be enjoyable.  Learning about it as you go along should be interesting and not the worst thing you.ve ever done in your life.
QUESTION #15:
Is It OK to Make Mistakes?

Chances are you.ve been lied to since you started any type of sports or fitness program.  Give me 2 minutes and I.ll tell you exactly why you.re thinking might be flawed and how it.s holding you back from reaching the body of your dreams.
Do you ever define success like this?
How You’ve Learned To Define Success:
. Results

. Comparison with others

. Mistakes are not OK

Results:  You think in terms of your workouts as results oriented.  You have a specific goal in mind with each workout.  You based your workouts weekly on if you see changes.   If you don.t see significant changes quickly it.s frustrated and discouraging. Comparison with Others:  You know what I mean.  Looking at photos and wishing you looked like that or wondering if that person takes drugs to have those abs.  Always comparing your results with those around you or focusing on others rather than yourself.  If you had a good workout, you might not even care if you don.t feel you got the results you wanted because you are too busy comparing yourself to a fitness model. Men are guiltier than anybody of not checking the ego at the door.  “Team-Ego” takes over and more often than not, males are more concerned with the weight they can push compared to others than the effort they give.  Rather than learn or worry about the effort they are giving, it.s a numbers game. How many times have you been on a bodybuilding forum and seen these threads:
. How much can you bench?

. How much can you squat?

. How big are your arms?

Who cares? Mistakes are not OK:  Ever make a mistake?  Who hasn.t?  When you were a baby, did you just learn how to walk from the start?  Even in nutrition people make mistakes.  But they are taught that mistakes can be deadly.  Derail their goals.  You better get it right and fast or you.ll be wasting years struggling to get the results you want.  Making mistakes is bad! Now here.s how a master defines success.  This is a person who looks beyond the short term aspects of fitness and knows that the above will be guaranteed if they focus on the long term outcomes of their workouts. Define success like this and your entire life will change. How A Master Defines Success:
. Effort

. Learning

. Mistakes are OK

Effort:  Define your workouts based on the effort you gave or its intensity.  The way you feel.  Did you have a good workout because you gave it 100% effort?  If you start to think in terms of the effort you are giving, the results from that effort will be guaranteed.  No need to worry about results because if you put forth your best effort, they are coming no matter what you do.  This is long term thinking. As long as you gave it your best effort, that.s all that matters.  You don.t care about the weight compared to anybody else.  The only person you are in competition with is yourself. You can use other people as motivation but you aren.t comparing yourself to them.  If it helps you to raise the intensity so that you can give more effort, that.s great.  But it.s all about the effort you gave in the gym. Learning:  Rather than focus on why you don.t have that six pack of abs or why your friend is more lean, concentrate on learning how they got that way.  Learning is beyond the short term mentality of comparing yourself to other people.  The more you learn, the easier it will be to reach your goals.  Forget other people.  All that matters is YOU!  When it comes to health and fitness you can be self-centered.  After all, it.s your health we.re talking about. Mistakes are OK:  If you aren.t allowed to make mistakes, how can you learn from them?  When you learned to walk, you first learned to crawl.  You fell over.  The same thing is true for riding a bike, driving a car, learning how to scuba dive.  Make those mistakes with nutrition.  Screw up in the gym and learn from them.  Instead of beating yourself down for making a simple nutritional error in judgment, learn from that mistake.
. Ask yourself how did it happen?

. Were you in a position where you didn.t have the best food choices?

. Maybe you didn.t know which options would have been best?

. Could you have prepared better?

All too often we are taught that mistakes are not ok.  People who achieve great success often make several hundred if not thousands of mistakes.  They are ok to make and they learn from them.   They keep giving 100% effort. The conclusion is that if you think in terms of effort, learning and mistakes are okay, you will achieve the results you want.  It.s when you think in the short term that you put limitations on yourself. Change your definitions and you will be guaranteed success! QUESTION #16:
What’s The Best Way to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat?
Everyone wants to know how to lose fat around their abs, well, here’s how I do it… The #1 question that is asked on all fitness sites, bodybuilding forums, magazines and late night TV infomercials sounds a lot like these: How to I lose the stubborn belly fat? How do I lose abdominal fat? How to do I get great abs? How do I lose the stomach pouch off the lower abs? These are all too common question and they are so popular that it’s the reason the weight reduction arena is a multi- billion dollar (yes billion) industry. You are about to read the real secret to great abs and how to lose the abdominal fat without spending money on supplements or following some diet-of-the-month and it’s going to be a very simple formula that you can follow.   Remember… Your abdominal muscle is like the rest of the muscles in your body.  They require training if you want them to be larger and stronger.  A common misconception is that you must train your abs several times a week.  This will only lead to overtraining.  Your abs are a muscle.  Train it like everything else.  No need to focus and go overboard.  Two to three times a week of focused ab work or core strength is generally the rule for 6 pack abs. An Easy 3-Step System For Ripped Abdominals: Step 1 Training:  1% of your overall ab development will actually come from training.  Consider the fact that most people think 90% of your results come from training, you can see this isn’t the popular consensus.  Needless to say, that.s where most focus their efforts.  They don’t get their nutrition in order, they don’t use cardio effectively so the masses just do more ab training and more crunches.   Ultimately for your abs to show you must have abs to show and a low percentage of body fat for them to appear.  More training does nothing to eliminate the layer of fat that is covering them.  This is commonly known as spot reduction.  Training an area for the sole purpose of eliminating fat in that area.
Tip – Do not make training the #1 priority to show off those abs.  Train them like any other muscle.  More ab work will not make your abs appear.  Focus on lowering your body fat levels and not spot reduction.   Step 2: Cardio:  9% of your effort can be directed as using cardio as a fat burning tool.  High intensity interval training is by far the fastest and most efficient method you can use to shed the pounds.  You’ll want to keep in mind, using cardio is a tool.  Not a foundation.  This simply means that doing marathon sessions will not be to your advantage.  Learn to use cardio effectively and you can enhance and boost your metabolism beyond what even eating the right foods can do.   Some competitive bodybuilders use cardio up to twice a day for 30 days to just chisel off that last remaining layer of fat that’s cover up the abdominal region. Tip – Cardio can be done twice a day for a full body shock!  Just keep in mind this method is a short term tool and not a routine you would use for any length of time. Step 3: Nutrition:  90% of your efforts will be based upon your diet.  In order to show off the abs, you must get rid of the layer of fat that is covering them up.  It is that simple.  Many people will train their abs and do all kinds of cardio and they still forget that nutrition plays such a massive role in getting rid of belly fat.  You must know how many calories a day you need to eat and what to eat in order to get your nutrition on track and working for you.   Going to the gym more often, doing more cardio and more hanging crunches will do you no good if you fail 90% of the test. Tip – Use nutritional fundamentals to turn your body into a fat burning furnace. Wait just a second… Before you rush off to check your nutrition, cardio and training, take this next concept into consideration. Loose Skin:  Skin is very elastic and over time (age) or with a large amount of weight reduction it may not just spring back like it did.   In this case, surgery may be the only option once you have reached a very low level of overall body fat. -Many women may experience this because of pregnancy. -Many men and women may experience this because of a large amount of weight reduction. For example, if a man was under 10% body fat and had loose skin; this is a prime example where skin may need to be taken away because of other circumstances.  While this is pretty rare it does happen and if the skin cannot bounce back, there are little options a person has except to have it removed.  What this means is… If you have a low enough (12-15% or less body fat for a woman in this example) and you still have a lot of loose skin from slimming down or pregnancy, you may want to explore the option of having that excess skin removed. With that said…
The secret to ripped abs is nothing more then 3-steps in this order of importance:
1. Nutrition

2. Cardio

3. Training

You see, all of the programs you’ll find will adhere to these 3 concepts.  Once you have the abs, you need to show them.  In order to show them, you will need to get rid of the layer of fat that is covering them up.  It’s easy to lose the belly fat when you know how.
QUESTION #17:
What Are the REAL Effects of Alcohol on My Body?
If you are curious as to the effects of alcohol on the body, this could be the most eye-opening article you will ever read.
Many of us associate the effects of alcohol on the body with the heart, lungs, liver, brain, memory, etc.  Furthermore, if asked about effects of drinking alcohol in terms of our fitness goals, most people will let you know about the infamous beer belly.
You know what I’m talking about right?
Drink too much and you end up storing too many calories as fat. Many people will choose low calorie alcohol drinks or low carb alcoholic beverages in an attempt to avoid the fat storage issue.  They feel that by making this choice the only bad effects of alcohol – increased fat storage – will be minimized. But what you didn’t know is that only about 5% of the calories from alcohol are stored as fat! [14] Then it hit me as it should hit you right about now… The effects of alcohol on the body are far more damaging than can be predicted by the number of empty calories in some alcoholic beverage. The truth is… 1- Alcohol really affects the amount of fat your body can and will burn for energy! In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Research [4] they concluded that just a mere 24g of alcohol consumption showed whole-body lipid oxidation ( the rate at which your body burns fat) decreased by a whopping 73%!
When alcohol goes thru the liver, the by-product is called Acetate.  It would appear that acetate puts the proverbial brakes on fat burning.
Your body can use many types of fuel.  Protein, carbohydrates and fat.  In many cases, the fuel used is dictated by its availability.  Trouble is… Your body tends to use whatever you feed it for fuel right?  As your acetate levels increase, your body burns more acetate as fuel. What this means is… Fat burning takes a back seat! What it all boils down to is this… a) You consume a couple of alcoholic drinks or more. b) Your liver metabolizes that into acetate. c) Your body uses the acetate for fat as fuel. 2- It Leads To an Increase In Your Appetite In another American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, there was evidence to suggest that consumption of alcohol lead to an increase in appetite over that of any other carbohydrate type drink. [5] Researchers over in the Research Department of Human Nutrition and Center for Advanced Food Studies in Denmark [8] concluded that consumption of alcoholic beverages, and wine in particular, may enhance total energy intake at a meal relative to a soft drink, when served with no restriction. 3- Decreases Testosterone and Increases Cortisol A study of 8 healthy male volunteers observed that after drinking alcohol, the effects of a significant decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol (a muscle destroying hormone) lasted up to 24 hours! [6] The only real question to ask yourself is this… If you are serious about building muscle and burning fat, you want all the free testosterone levels you can get and you want to reduce cortisol in any way you can.  That means go lite on the drinking because it does affect your hormones. What more… Is that the effects were even worse if you exercise before drinking. [1] This means that if you are going out and will be drinking more than a small amount of alcohol, you might as well skip the gym. Not shocking is a study done by the Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden [2] that determined increased waist to hip ratio of alcoholics may include not only changes in adipose tissue, but also in muscle tissue distribution.
In layman’s terms… that means fatter around the waist and less overall muscle mass.
4- Decreases Vitamin and Mineral Absorption When you consume large quantities of alcohol, your liver is busy converting the alcohol to acetate and any vitamins and minerals that it might process are taken up by the detoxification process. Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of most vitamins, and with the absorption of many nutrients. Alcohol stimulates both urinary calcium and magnesium excretion. [13] This just means that you’ll get less of a benefit from the “healthy” meal you may be consuming. Food in the stomach will compete with ethanol for absorption into the blood stream. It is well known that alcohol competes and influences the processing of nutrients in the body. [12] 5- Decreases Protein Synthesis of Type II Fibers This means the actual building of muscle is slowed down by 20%+ or more.  This included a 35% decrease in muscle insulin-like growth factor-I (GF-I). [9] 6- It Increases Dehydration A common side effect of alcohol is dehydration.  Alcohol is a diuretic.  Drinks containing 4% alcohol tend to delay the recovery process. [11] Considering how important water is to muscle building and general health, it’s clear that dehydration can put a damper on your progress.  After alcohol consumption the first thing you might want to do is drink coffee.  But that’s a diuretic as well.  How to avoid dehydration?  Drink more water. 7- It Reduces Sleep Alcohol consumption, especially at the times when you would normally sleep, can have effects on the quality of sleep.  Clearly high quality sleep is extremely important to the rebuilding and growth process of muscle.  Without proper rest and recovery, your gains will be affected. Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep. [10] 8- Makes the Next Day Not the Best Workout Day A rather obvious conclusion but if you plan on drinking on a Friday night in excess then the leg workout you thought of doing on Saturday morning won’t be top notch.  It takes a bit to recover, your body to detoxify and for you mentally to be prepared to workout. Not to mention you need energy for the workout ahead. Sure you can hit the weights but my point is… It’s not going to be the best workout you’ve ever experienced. At this point you might be totally discouraged to ever drink any alcohol again.  But there’s some good news. Here’s proof…
In the November 2004 issue of the International Journal of Obesity [7] they did a study on the effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss. Each group consumed 1500 calories.  150 calories came from white wine in one group and 150 calories from grape juice in another. Conclusion: An energy-restricted diet is effective in overweight and obese subjects used to drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. A diet with 10% of energy derived from white wine is as effective as an isocaloric diet with 10% of energy derived from grape juice. It’s simple:  Moderation is the key!  (With first place being abstinence as you already know). In any event… The effects of alcohol on your body when it comes to building muscle and burning fat are quite clear.  It is a lot more than just some extra calories stored as fat.  If you consume too much, it can derail your goals a lot longer after your head has hit the pillow and you’ve gone to sleep. References: 1. Heikkonen, E., Ylikahri, R., Roine, R., Valimaki, M., Harkonen, M., & Salaspuro, M. (1996). The combined effect of alcohol and physical exercise on serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and cortisol in males. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 711-716 2. Kvist, H., Hallgren, P., Jonsson, L., Pettersson, P., Sjoberg, C., Sjostrom, L., & Bjorntorp, P. (1993). Distribution of adipose tissue and muscle mass in alcoholic men. Metabolism, 42, 569-573 3. Raben A, Agerholm-Larsen L, Flint A, Holst JJ, Astrup A. (2003). Meals with similar energy densities but rich in protein, fat, carbohydrate, or alcohol have different effects on energy expenditure and substrate metabolism but not on appetite and energy intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77, 91-100 4. Siler, S.Q., Neese, R.A., & Hellerstein, M.K. (1999). De novo lipogenesis, lipid kinetics, and whole-body lipid balances in humans after acute alcohol consumption. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70, 928-936 5. Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 479-482 6. Valimaki, M.J., Harkonen, M., Eriksson, C.J., & Ylikahri, R.H. (1984). Sex hormones and adrenocortical steroids in men acutely intoxicated with ethanol. Alcohol, 1, 89-93 7. Flechtner-Mors, M., Biesalski, H.K., Jenkinson, C.P., Adler, G., & Ditschuneit, H.H. (2004). Effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1420-1426
8. Buemann, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2002). The effect of wine or beer versus a carbonated soft drink, served at a meal, on ad libitum energy intake. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1367-1372
9. Lang CH, Frost RA, Kumar V, Wu D, Vary TC. (2000).  Inhibition of muscle protein synthesis by alcohol is associated with modulation of eIF2B and eIF4E, 3, 322-31 10. Alcohol Alert, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, No. 41 July. 1988 11. Shirreffs, Susan M., and Ronald J Maughan. 91997). Restoration of fluid balance after exercise-induced dehydration: effects of alcohol consumption, Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 1152-1158 12. “Alcohol, chemistry and you,” Kennesaw State University, chemcases.com, Aug. 2002 13. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Report to Congress, 1990 14. “Why alcohol calories are more important than you think,” Christian Finn, TheFactsAboutFitness.com QUESTION #18:
How Much Water Do I Need to Drink Every Day?
Yes, you can actually die from drinking too much water.
As early as 1601, Tycho Brahe (an early astronomer) was thought to have died from straining his bladder.  It had been said that to leave the banquet before it concluded would be the height of bad manners, and so he remained, and that his bladder, stretched to its limit, developed an infection which he later died of.  Later evidence suggested this might not be the case.
There are several other notorious cases in which infants, runners and a fraternity hazing lead to deaths from water intoxication.
While this is another sad story, it’s clear that for many years, Americans have been told by the media and doctors that we are dehydrated.  We need to drink more water!
Many times such things lead to scare tactic websites and total confusion.  Which is why I think the following chart may help you to SAFELY determine how much water you need to stay properly hydrated for your activity without over consumption.
* this chart is meant to be a guide not an absolute *
This chart is courtesy of the ISSA www.issaonline.com
Recommended Water Intake: Step 1 Select an appropriate need factor. Need Factors
0.5 — Sedentary no sports or training 0.6 — Jogger or light fitness training 0.7 — Sports participation or moderate training 3 times a week 0.8 — Moderate daily weight training or aerobic training 0.9 — Heavy weight training daily 1.0 — Heavy weight training daily plus sports training or “2-a-day” training Step 2 Multiply weight (in pounds) by the appropriate need factor to arrive at the recommended water intake in ounces per day. Example 1 120 pounds x 0.6 = 72 ounces per day Example 2 200 pounds x 0.7 =140 ounces per day We recommend that you drink water eight to twelve times per day. Example 1 72 ounces per day divided by 10 glasses = 7.2 ounces per glass Example 2 140 ounces per day divided by 12 glasses = 11.7 ounces per glass QUESTION #19:
How Do I Get Rid Of Flabby Arms?
Hats off to a very brave women who stepped up and finally wanted to get rid of the flabby arms and the sooner the better.  Luckily for her, this problem is quite common and the solution is quite simple and two-fold.  Working to get rid of flabby arms comes with overall fitness but there are some specific exercises you can to in addition to reducing body fat that will bring those arms into super shape once again. On just another normal day, I received an email with a cry for help. “I would like to know how to build up the muscle around the humerous bones of the upper arms.  I would like to know how to build up the muscle around the humerous bones of the upper arms.  I want to get rid of flabby upper arms!” For starters… The muscle that is most problematic for flabby arms is called:  The Tricep Most women think of these things when it comes to that area:
. flabby arms

. exercise for flabby arms

. tone flabby arms

. how to get rid of flabby arms

. flabby arm help

. flabby upper arms

. etc

There are really two key concepts to that particular predicament.  Keep in mind that this is such a common question so you are certainly not alone in this.  But just keep reading because the answer is pretty simple and may surprise you! First, get the idea out of your head that there’s any such thing as ’spot reduction.’  Meaning, if you do certain exercises for that area, the fat will magically disappear just from there and your arms will suddenly be taunt and tone again.  Let me give you a real quick lesson on fat.   Don’t worry this is going to be easy. Your body stores fat.  It stores it in general areas that are common to you as a female.  Most men store the most fat in their stomachs.  Women tend to store it in their thighs, hips and buttocks.  But with anything, you can and will store fat wherever.  So the first thing you want to do is… Reduce the body fat period! Once you start to reduce fat, you’ll see it disappear.   Don’t bother with creams and rubs and all the other gimmicks out there.  You cannot spot reduce.  Your body stores fat and the only way to reduce fat in any particular area that is bothering you is to reduce fat period from your body as a whole. For all these reasons… Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reduce the body fat. Second, in order for that area of your arm to become tone, you’ll want to build muscle in the back of the arm.  That is called the Tricep and there’s several good exercise you can do to build up that area. But first, let me give you a list of some of the best exercises for flabby arms that will focus on the tricep and help you develop the area and make it stronger.  This isn’t all inclusive but it’s some of the more common and better exercises you can do for the back of the arms.
. Weighted dips

. Close grip bench press

. Close grip push ups

. Lying barbell French press

. Overhead cable extensions

. Cable press downs

. Reverse cable press downs

Frankly… Many people are caught up in the idea that in order for them to get rid of a problematic area they need to just work it out and do some exercises to target that area. But that’s only half of the solution as you’ve read. By working out the area AND reducing body fat, you will progress at twice the speed and make twice the visual differences.
Let’s suppose you only worked out the back of the arms.   The muscle would be stronger and firmer no doubts, but it might not show IF your level of body fat is such that the muscle is still covered up. As you see, by doing both, you will tone up (build) the tricep and make it more visible when the layer of fat that covers it up is reduced. Men and women who want to reduce the ‘flabby’ anything simply have to realize that it’s a combination of body fat in that area, maybe loose skin and a muscle that generally needs to be developed in order to be taunt. But I’m getting way ahead of myself! This is a twofold mission. 1- Reduce body fat 2- Do specific exercises to build muscle in the back of the arm so that once the fat is gone, you.ll have a tricep and it will appear tight and tone In a nutshell what this will do for you is make the back of your arms less flabby as the fat is lost from your body and the new muscle will bring added tone and tightness to the back of your arm.
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Marc David
P.S. – I know not every question you have will be answered in this short guide.  That.s why I strongly encourage you to hurry up and sign up my newsletter where I keep answering questions from readers just like these.   Sign up today!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of the “The NoBull Bodybuilding System.”. He can show you how to reduce your body fat thru diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle thru an abundance of workout tips by training LESS! Not more. He dispels many “bodybuilding myths”, tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON’T WANT YOU to know.  Go to: NoBullBodybuilding.com to find out more about The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding. Subscribe to Marc’s FREE E-Zine at the Website here:
Sign Up For the NoBull Bodybuilding Mini-Course Be Sure to Check out Marc’s E-Book:
New e-book Reveals What Every Bodybuilding Should Know But Probably Doesn’t   For All The Details, Click Here: NoBullBodybuilding.com
Even though I have only had your book for just over 2 months, through your advice I have already seen allot of gains.  Using your rest/interval recommendations I have broken my bench press block of 175lbs and have past a long ago best of 265lbs with 275 X 6 with a one time MAX of 319. 8 years ago I had a heart attack and 2x bypass (one week after the 265 set) and have been struggling to come back.  After almost 7 years of fruitless effort I decided to get smart about my body and my goals.  Your e-book and all of the hot-links have given me a new approach.  It doesn’t hurt being here in Iraq, you can get real focused and take out allot of stress in the gym. -Joe Brown MOSUL, IRAQ

What Every Beginner Should Know But Probably Doesn’t…
IF I KNOW IT AND YOU DON’T, THEN IT’S A SECRET!  BUT IF I TELL YOU AND YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT… THAT’S HOW YOU SUCCEED!  Dear Frustrated Bodybuilder, If you have tried to lose weight or gain muscle and are frustrated with little to no gains or continually hitting a plateau, this could be the most eye-opening letter you will ever read: A single business owner who runs a fitness website and a bodybuilding forum decided to sit down, and dump everything he.s learned about fitness and bodybuilding from the last 16 years.  He.s also admitted to being a beginner longer than anybody else and for some reason, stuck with fitness and working out only to “figure” it out many years later.  Not wanting anybody to suffer that much, he sat down and over 2 years, wrote a complete, friendly, non-hyped and grammatically correct beginner.s guide to fitness and bodybuilding. Here are just small samples of the types of questions that will be answered in the book along with the many bonus items: How often should you change your weight routine to keep making gains and steer clear from boredom? How much and what type of cardio is best for maintaining muscle and burning off fat? A grocery list of the foods you should ALWAYS eat Why eating 5-6 times a day will help you lose weight or gain weight When will you see the progress of all this work you will put in?  Days, weeks, months or years?  Just how long is it going to take to look the way you want to look? Banish all the pills, powders and jugs of „stuff. you currently have and only use the very basic, best working supplements.  You will probably save $100 a month when you know what supplements to take and why! The #1 way to increase your bench press Ironclad method for determining the amount of protein you need each and every single day

Quick and easy ways to get rid of ugly belly fat and man boobs.  This is also the secret to getting a six pack of abs that everybody wants for summer. Make the move and head to the gym feeling confident that you won.t look like a dork and embarrass yourself.  What you can do to prep for your first gym debut. Why eating a healthy fat like fish oils can actually help you to lose weight.  That’s right; you’ll be taking a fat pill to lose fat! Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?   Why skipping a workout or messing up on your diet isn’t going to ruin your efforts.  Many people believe that if you steer off course, it’s over.  You’re done.  You failed and you better go back to the couch.  This couldn’t be further from the truth! How exactly to know if you are eating the right amount of calories for bulking, maintaining or cutting. What to do if you don’t want to join a gym and you want to workout at home.  What types of exercises can you do?  Is workout out at home effective and what equipment will you need to get the job done right? Secrets of cardio timing so that you burn the most fat and get the most gains from your weight workouts.  If you want every advantage you can get, then timing is everything! Why 95% of all diets fail and why you should quit buying all those fad diet books and learn how to eat right!  If you think eating healthy is just common sense, then you are very wrong. How long should your workouts last to be the most effective?  15 minutes?  2 hours?  What.s the best time? The TRUTH about your abs and the best ways to define them Do you really need a personal trainer? Jump-start your program so that you can look and make losing fat and gaining muscle look easy like those top athletes you see at your gym that get that way without even trying.  Do they make it look easy or is it really easy? The #1 thing you must have to succeed at this quest and if you have it, then nothing else will really matter.  Your goals will be achieved.  You will be motivated.  Nothing can and will stop you from getting what you want.  If you just have this one thing. And this is just a small piece of what you will learn in the Bodybuilding Essentials.  It.s 250 pages of valuable information that you can start using today and keep as a reference forever.  This book comes with an 8 week, 100% money-back guarantee.  If you aren.t satisfied, simply ask for a refund.  No hassles.  No questions asked.  You are fully protected.  You can grab this wonderful book in the next 5 minutes and have it downloaded for you to read.  Ordering is secure and your privacy is assured. To get more information, or to place your order, simply click on the link below:
Click Here to Order
PS. You also get many FREE bonuses and a lifetime of upgrades…  LOOK AT THESE ASTOUNDING REVIEWS OF  THE NOBULL BODYBUILDING SYSTEM!
“Following Marc’s program, I have gone from 235 lbs to 221 lbs in the first 17 days!”  “Years ago, I was in the Marines and was very fit.  Then my professional career took off, I got busy with work and family, and I started to put on the pounds.  I stopped working out, had a terrible diet, drank beer almost every night, and was on my way to becoming a Jabba The Hut look alike.  I ballooned up from 167 lbs to 235 lbs.  (I’m 5′5″, so I should be 145 – 155 lbs.)  That’s when I decided I HAD to get back into shape.
A co-worker recommended Marc David’s website to me and I downloaded Marc’s e-book, The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness & Bodybuilding.”  Following Marc’s program, I have gone from 235 lbs to 221 lbs in the first 17 days!  That’s 14 lbs lost in only 2 1/2 weeks!
I know they say you should lose only 1 to 2 lbs a week, but I attribute the loss of this much weight to a major overhaul in my lifestyle.  I feel so much better, I have more energy, my clothes that were getting tight fit better, and people have asked me if I have lost weight. Thanks to your book, and all the resources included in it, I know I will be able to accomplish my long term goal of 155 pounds.  Thank you for putting this together.” Sincerely, Blake Mengotto, Bay Area, CA
Click Here to Order  “The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding” is life changing! Before I found your program, I was embarrassed to take my shirt off at the beach. Now I not only feel comfortable with my shirt off, I.ve also increased my energy and feel much, much healthier.” Thanks John Klein Chicago, IL
Click Here to Order
“Even though I have only been on your program for just over 2 months, your advice has already produced incredible gains for me.  Using your training recommendations, I have broken a bench press plateau and hit an all time best of 275 lbs X 6 with a one time MAX of 319 lbs. (breaking my old max of 265 lbs). 8 years ago I had a heart attack and double bypass and have been struggling to come back ever since.  After almost 7 years of fruitless effort, I decided to get smart about my body and my goals.  Your information and all of the great resources and links you provided have finally given me an approach that works.” Joe Brown Mosul, Iraq
Click Here to Order  “Just wanted to let you know that I just bought and started reading your book.  Wanted to let you know my appreciation for your writing style–friendly and not overly “pumped,” and thank you for the lack of typos (that I’ve seen yet) and grammar errors.  It shows you took a lot of time and care in preparing the book.  It drives me nuts–no matter how good the information is–to read slaughtered language, which seems to be rampant in many of the fitness e-books I’ve been reading (yes, choice is good!).” Gregory M. Zinkl
Click Here to Order  “Well, I finished reading it earlier today. The book is nothing less than amazing, I couldn’t think of anything else it could cover- I think you did a great job of answering all the questions beginners might wonder about, and get lied to about elsewhere. I think it’s definitely what you originally intended- A great “Go to” book that can be referenced when you need info on something- And it’s also just a great read in general- Nicely written, very well put together… Like I said earlier, I think anyone who’s into fitness at all will find it hard to put this down before reading the whole thing.” Ian Broggy
Click Here to Order “Unlike some companies, who close the door and disappear after they take your money, Marc was there as a resource to help me with personal advice after I bought his e-book”  “Marc, there is So much great and helpful content in the Beginner’s Guide, that I’m going to get back to you with my exact results and a more detailed review after I’ve had a chance to really digest this wealth of information. Even after having the book only a short time, I can tell you that you’ve nailed the key aspects that beginners are most interested in.  I think one of the reasons you’re successful is that, having been through all the beginners mistakes yourself, you know what the pitfalls are, and have a way of communicating the solutions effectively.
Plus, and this is a biggie, unlike some companies, after some poor shlub pays for his e-book, you don’t close the door on him as a fish already hooked, caught, and eaten! Instead, you remain a resource to help me with personal advice. I can’t tell you how valuable this is, and it’s a real credit to you. By the way, your bonus report, “The Top 12 Beginner Fitness Mistakes Revealed’ that came as part of the package was a very concise and valuable condensation of many of the most common misconceptions we’ve held at one time or another..” Paul Elliott
Click Here to Order Congratulations Marc!  The foundational information you lay out in your „NoBull Bodybuilding System. is the PERFECT starting place for anyone looking to begin a fitness program the RIGHT WAY!
You and I both know that there is so much bogus information circulating around the magazines and locker rooms out there that it.s easy for beginners to become confused and frustrated with their lack of gains.  Heck…that.s why most of them quit after about 3-6 months of training!  If only everyone looking to begin a bodybuilding or fitness program could read your book, they would be almost GUARANTEED to meet their goals!
I particularly like the guidance you provided for staying motivated and on track with one.s program.  This is one of the biggest obstacles to making consistent gains in any fitness program and this, along with your advice for proper exercise, eating and supplementation, simply proves your mastery of providing only the most cutting edge training tactics for your readers!
Keep up the great work Marc!
Sincerely,
Jeff Anderson The “Muscle Nerd”, author of the Optimum Anabolics Program Optimum-Anabolics.com
Click Here to Order  The NoBull Bodybuilding eBook is the perfect companion for anyone new to bodybuilding and fitness. It covers all of the basic aspects of training, diet, nutrition and supplements. It.s packed with information and links to many great resources on the web, so even after you.ve read it it.s still a great reference that can be used for years to come. It is written and illustrated in a non-intimidating approach that is educational, and fun to read. The format and layout of this eBook is one of the best I have seen yet! In fact, it makes the concept of having a book in „e-form. more desirable than a hardback copy due to the ease of navigation. I highly recommend this eBook to all bodybuilding & fitness beginners; it will save you years of trial and error in the gym! -Robert DiMaggio Owner of Ironmagazine.com
Click Here to Order
Here’s what else you get when you order now.  And this list is growing.  Any new additions will be yours just because you are a valued customer. BONUS #1: The Quick Start Guide! The Beginners Guide is a BIG e-book – almost 250 pages of pure content! It’s easy to read, and once you start applying the techniques and start getting results, you’ll want to study and use every strategy in the book! However, the “Quick Start Guide” gives you fast overview of all the most important stuff in The Beginner’s Guide – at a glance – so you can get started almost instantly.  BONUS #2: 50 Questions About bodybuilding & Fitness answered (e-book, 70 pages) Robert Dimaggio of IronMagazine.com has taken 50 of the all time most frequently asked questions about bodybuilding and fitness and compiled them all into ONE amazing e-book. It would take you years to search the forums to find this kind of information. It’s all in one place now and this bonus worth $19.95 is yours FREE, with the purchase of The Beginners Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding  BONUS #3: “Prepare To Win” Bodybuilding Competition Guide By Layne Norton (e-book 40 pages) Competing in your first bodybuilding, fitness, figure or transformation challenge contest can be terrifying… unless you have a coach to guide you. Layne Norton’s e-book, “Prepare to Win” will walk you through every step of the process leading you to a perfect peak on the one day that counts. A $19.95 value, FREE when you order The Beginner’s Guide  BONUS #4: Bodybuilding Over 40: It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can improve at any age and this guide will show you how to start the right way at age 40, 50, 60 or beyond.