H4 Favorite # 7- Turkey Tom Tom Snack Sticks

I am always looking for a high protein snack that I can eat on the go or throughout my day and in doing so I found this snack. The Tom Tom snack stick is like I said, high in protein, but also it is free of preservatives, nitirates, nitrites or antibiotics. You can buy it in either original or my personal favorite hot-n-spicy. You usually can find them at Whole Foods or you can buy them online through Wellshire Family Farms http://www.wellshirefarms.com/store/page2.html

Change to get change

Many of us fall into routine on a weekly basis at the gym and this lack of change ends up being our downfall. About 99% of the population does chest on Mondays and many coin the term "Bench Mondays" since you can find almost every man alive hitting the bench. For many people the first couple days of the week are their best and most intense workouts and then as Thursday, Friday and Saturday come along their workouts drop off or become non-existent.

Below are some examples of problems you might have and the solutions to change those starting today!

Problem 1- You have no core or your core is generally weak

CHANGE- Start doing your core work at the beginning of your workouts. Almost all of us end our workout will 2 minutes of core work as we are rushing out of the gym and are minds are focused on whats ahead in the day. Make core a priority and do it right when you are fresh in the beginning.

Problem 2- Your incline bench press strength is lagging behind your flat press

CHANGE- Do not always do flat press first and then follow it up with incline. By making the incline press your second exercise every workout you will always be pre-fatigued and therefore not as strong on the lift. Flip things around at start the workout with incline presses first and watch your strength shoot up. This can be done for any lagging exercise.

Problem 3- You have shoulder/rotator cuff issues

CHANGE- Start doing rotator cuff exercises 2-3 times a week for at least 1-2 months and notice the improvement that will occur. If you follow that along with taking some time away from pressing movements your shoulder health will greatly improve as will your pressing strength.

Problem 4- Your legs don't grow like your upper body

CHANGE- This is a problem for most guys and I can say that I fall under this umbrella too. We often put so much intensity into our upper body workouts and then wuss out on our lower body workouts. Next time you do legs don't quit early, don't settle for less, push yourself just as hard if not harder than you do your upper body. Doing legs is more of a mental challenge than anything so stay focused and make it happen.

Want to burn more calories?

Use an incline next time you run or walk. You can burn up to 50% more calories on an incline compared to level ground. This can be done by increasing the incline on your favorite piece of cardio equipment or simply walking or running up hills or any elevated surface.

Pro's

• Larger muscles must work that much harder and therefore you burn more calories


• You will get more bang for your buck in less time at the gym


• Firm up your butt and back of your thighs

** Remember to take it slow especially if you have never really worked out on an incline before. The intensity will be higher and you will get winded quicker. Start slow and then gradually increase the % incline each workout.

Top pre-workout foods

No matter what your doing in the gym you need to make sure you are eating the right foods to maximize your results and performance. Because glucose is the preferred energy source for most activities, I would recommend eating foods that are high in carbs and easy to digest. Complex carbs are best since they take a longer time to digest and therefore will give your body long lasting energy without the crash effect.

Protein is also important in order to help your body deliver amino acids into the muscle tissue. . Working out after breakfast or lunch would be fine as long as either of those meals did not include too much fat. But if your workout falls somewhere between meals and you need a quick energy source before throwing around some weight or hitting the bike then try out one of these below.

1. Trail mix-any kind and any mixture is ok, just make sure it is high quality and not loaded with sugars and preservatives. The dried fruit will provide you with natural sugar and the quick energy surge you will need and the nuts will give prevent your insulin from dropping. Trail mix is a great source of phosphorous which promotes muscle growth and provides energy.

2. Fruit-the best choices are bananas, apples and grapes. Bananas are very digestible and the high levels of potassium will help maintain proper muscular function during your workout

3. Energy bar- There are tons of options out there so just make sure to pick a bar that has low sugars, higher carbs and protein. Powerbar, Gatorade bars, Cliff bars all are good options. Energy bars do not absorb as quick as gels but they are loaded with nutrients.

4. Protein shake with fruit- Some like to drink this post-workout but it is also an option pre-workout

5. Yogurt-The magnesium can give you an energy kick and the protein will aid as well. Go for greek yogurt

6. Oatmeal-Helps you with lasting energy throughout the whole workout and is loaded with Vitamin B which can help convert carbs into energy.

Why celebrities get in shape and you dont!

Everyone always wants to know how their favorite celeb gained 10 pounds of muscle for their upcoming action flick, or how the bombshell actress lost 20 pounds after she had her baby..blah...blah..blahhhh. It is simple, they did it with HARD FREAKING WORK! They had a goal and went after it and totally dominated. Yes, it is that simple to achieve your goals if you focus and make it a priority like celebrities do. Now, I do realize that they can hire a full time trainer, chef, nutritionist and everything and trust me that does help but it comes down to working hard. There is no secret training formula that J-Lo uses or shocking new diet that Ryan Reynolds used to get lean, its hard work. Next time you want to reach your fitness goals, work hard and put some pressure on yourself to go after it! Take this advice and you can be looking like your favorite celeb.

Bigger arms! Gain one inch in one day!

Check out this article from Muscle and Fitness Magazine that an old professor of mine wrote. I have tried this myself and it does work. This is not something you can attempt all the time because of the intensity and workload of the routine however. Read up!

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/30

H4 fat burner # 13- E.R Training 2 ( extreme range training)

I originally posted my first E.R training workout two months ago so you can check out the first one if you want another version of this type training. The benefit of this routine is you get to take advantage of both high rep training and low rep training. High rep training will burn more calories while the low rep training will build some muscle and boosts your metabolism in the long term. For the higher reps you should use a light load and then for the lower reps a heavier load should be used.

Bent over row with barbell ( head resting on a incline bench )- 6 reps

SUPERSET

Speed body weight squats ( move fast! )- 15 reps

* Do 4 rounds without resting

Alternating front lunges- 6 reps each leg

SUPERSET

Standing lateral dumbbell shoulder raises-15 reps

* Do 4 rounds without resting

Reverse grip lat pulldown ( palms face you )-6 reps

SUPERSET

Close grip tricep press-15 reps

* Do 4 rounds without resting

Barbell Deadlift- 6 reps

SUPERSET

Jackknives ( Burpees )-10 reps

*Do 3 rounds without resting