I have a great guest post to share with you today by my friend and fitness expert for men and women over 50, Richard Schuller, author of “A Guide To Getting Younger After 60“.

Want a really great exercise to strengthen your shoulders for any recreational sport? The overhead dumbbell walk is a great movement devised to strengthen all the support muscles in the shoulder to help prevent injury, and enhance overall performance.

Overhead Dumbbell Walk

The cool thing about this movement is that it is very simple to perform, and it can benefit anyone who wants to protect their shoulders for any type of recreational activity. The movement is simply while standing, take a dumbbell in one hand, press it to arms length overhead, and keeping it overhead walk forward about 70 to 100 feet. At that point, switch hands and put the dumbbell overhead with the other hand and walk back the same distance.

Benefits from this movement are that all the muscles that stabilize the shoulder are activated when you walk with the weight overhead. Literally every muscle from the tip of the fingers to the tip of the toes is activated in some degree.

It is prudent to begin with a weight that you can handle easily for walks of 70-100 feet. You should begin by doing two circuits with a light dumbbell. You can add one walking circuit each time until you are doing five circuits. At that point you can increase the weight, and drop back to doing two to four circuits. As you get stronger, it will be easier to walk with more weight. You can vary the intensity of the training by adding more distance to the walk, or using a heavier weight.

This movement can also be used to help rehabilitate shoulders that have been injured. It is advised that if you have a shoulder injury, you be cautious about the amount of weight you use. If your injury is severe, it is strongly recommended that you get help from a fully qualified physical therapist.

It is hard to believe that such a simple movement could bring so many benefits.

About The Author

Richard Schuller, is the author of A Guide To Getting Younger After 60. Helping men and women improve their strength and quality of life, ensuring maximum enjoyment out of what should be the BEST years of your life. At 71 years of age he is living proof that there is absolutely no reason why you need to accept physical decline as you age.

Richard is going to be our resident expert for men and women over 50 here at the Fat Loss Quickie blog. He’s contributed some great tips to this blog during the past year and will now contribute articles on a very regular basis. I have learned a lot from him over the past few years and am looking forward to seeing you benefit from his expertise.

If you live a busy lifestyle, workout at home, and are looking to add some variety to your leg workouts, this video will spice things up for you….

Here’s the routine:

Prisoner Squat – 10 reps
3/4 Squat – 10 reps
1 Leg Squat with a Stability Ball Against a Wall – 10 reps each leg
Jump Squats – 10 reps
Horizontal Squat – 10 reps
Squat Hold – 30 seconds

Repeat 1-2 more times

Not only is this a great leg workout… it’s also incredibly cardiovascular in nature. I guarantee that your heart will be pumping and your breathing will be labored.

This workout comes from our Fat Loss Quickie 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program, which includes 60 workouts/HIIT routines that can be performed with very little equipment, very little space, and last only 10 minutes.

From 2007 to early 2010 the 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program was the workout that kept Angie and I in great shape, producing a lean and athletic look. This was a period in our life where we were beyond busy. With two young children and two family businesses, we had very little time to workout. What worked great for us was performing a 10-minute HIIT session first thing in the morning and a 10-minute workout later in the day. This gave us two metabolic spikes throughout the day and made it easier for us to comply to the program.

One of the differences between our quick workouts and many other short burst workout programs out there, is that we apply a body part split routine. We found that focusing on just one or two body parts per day, five days per week, allowed us to work each muscle to the best of their ability and impact many more muscle fibers than full body quick workouts.

The body part split routine created a sculpted look by providing more attention to detail. Even though we had to shorten our workouts, the physique artist within me was still shining bright.

If you live a busy lifestyle and have difficulty “Fitting In” a workout, the 10-Minute Metabolism Boosting program is a great solution for you. The workouts are fun, challenging, and can fit into anyone’s hectic schedule.

The variety of workouts within the 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program will bring excitement to your training, while keeping your motivation high. That’s been one of the biggest benefits that we’ve heard from our satisfied customers during the past 3 years. They’re never bored and they look forward to their next quick workout with great enthusiasm.

If lack of time has been one of your excuses for putting off the body that you deserve… the 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program throws that excuse out the window.

No more excuses. No more putting your goals off until tomorrow. The time to make your health, fitness, and physique a top priority is NOW!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, 10-Minute Metabolism Booster, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

Do you have a flat butt? Would you like discover some powerful tips and exercises to help you build a more fuller, rounder, and sexier butt? You’ll find it all in today’s article, which includes links to photo and video demonstrations.

Powerful Tips, Tricks and Techniques For Building Larger, Firmer, Rounder Glutes

By Nick Nilsson

Do your thighs get more work than your glutes when you’re doing glute exercises? This information is going to change the way you train your glutes forever!

It’s a common problem that many people run into when they’re trying to build and work the glutes: the thighs take over the exercises and the glutes get left out in the cold!

One of the major reasons this happens is that some of the most effective glute-building exercises are also among the most effective thigh-building exercises, e.g. squats, lunges, leg press, etc.

And, quite often, a person who has smaller glutes and whose goal is to build their glutes already has muscle attachments and leverage issues that favor thigh development over glute development. This can set them back right from the start.

If this sounds like you, read on, because the information you get today is going to change the way you approach your glute training forever!

Let me put it this way…if your glutes already have a hard time getting involved in exercises, performing more exercises won’t solve the problem! You’ve got to properly target your training to make sure the glutes get worked more than the thighs or you simply WILL NOT be able to maximize your glute development.

Today, you’re going to learn a number of training techniques that can help build those large, round firm glutes you’ve been looking for! They will help you to overcome any physical and anatomical limitations your glutes may have.

[Please note: there will be a link to photo demonstrations of several of these exercises, positions and techniques below.]

Techniques:

1. Consciously squeeze your glutes HARD while doing your exercises

Are you sitting in a chair? Clench your glutes as hard as you can. Feel the squeeze? This is what you need to strive for while doing glute exercises.

When you do a lunge, squeeze the glute hard while you’re pushing up. This will help to activate the glute muscle. It’s all about getting your mind into the muscle and forcing it to contract rather than just going through the motions of an exercise. By concentrating on squeezing the glutes hard during your sets (of whatever exercise you’re doing), you’ll be activating the muscle fibers of the glutes and increasing the amount of work they do.

If you don’t believe this technique can work, try this: go for a walk up and down some hills squeezing your glutes hard as you push yourself forward with each step you take. The following day, sitting down will take on a whole new challenge!

2. Push with your heels

The transmission of force and tension from your foot through your leg and glute can be altered by where you put the tension on your foot. If you push with the balls of your feet (the forefoot area), more tension will be placed on the frontal thigh (the quadriceps). If you focus on pushing more with your heels, more tension will go through the back of the thighs and to your glutes.

By pushing with your heels, you can take FULL advantage of this force/tension relationship. For example, when you’re doing lunges, try to raise the toes of your front foot off the ground. This removes tension from the front and focuses more on the heel. This will, in turn, send more tension to the glutes, making them work harder.

There are several practical techniques you can use to really force the heel push. For example, on lunges, do them with your heel on the edge of a stair or Step platform. Place ONLY your heel on the surface and do the lunge from there (be careful of your balance on this, however, as your base of support is decreased with this technique).

If you’re doing the leg press, you can focus on the glutes by placing your heels on the top edge of the foot plate (the rest of your feet surface will be off the top and not pushing on anything). When doing squats, simply raise your toes up in your shoes to achieve a similar effect.

To view these techniques in action, please click this link: Butt Exercise Demonstration >>>>

3. Visualize “sitting back” when you’re doing your glute exercises

This idea is similar to the concept of pushing with your heels above. When you “sit back,” more tension will be sent through the back of the thighs and the glutes. If you lean forward (the opposite of the “sitting back”), you will tend to throw more tension on the quadriceps (the front of the thighs).

We can use both the squat and the lunge as examples of this. When doing the lunge, don’t let your torso angle forward while you’re performing the movement. This will throw more tension on the quads. Visualize yourself “sitting back” into the movement. Your body won’t let you lean back far enough to fall over but this “lean-back” will put more tension on the glutes immediately. This is something you can try at home right now and feel the difference right away.

If, when you’re doing squats, you don’t normally feel the glutes working very strongly, you could very well be leaning too far forward as you squat. This throws more tension onto the quads and lower back. This problem is often caused by a lack of flexibility in the calves. To fix this, stretch the calves for at least 5 minutes before doing any squat exercise. You will soon find you’re able to sit back more and maintain a better body position (more upright torso). This will turn the squat into a great glute-builder for you!

IMPORTANT! If you do Smith Machine squats, specifically with the feet placed a little forward of the bar while you sit backwards into the bar as you do the movement, beware! This variation of the squat places a TREMENDOUS shearing force on your knees.

Unfortunately, the knee joint simply wasn’t designed to push backwards against resistance in this fashion and long-term use of this squat variation can lead to knee injury (basically, every time you do this exercise, you’re grinding the connective tissue down a little more – not a good situation). Don’t worry, though! Squats themselves, when done properly, are an excellent exercise!

To view these techniques in action, please click this link: Butt Exercise Demos >>>>

4. Pre-Exhaust Training

Pre-Exhaust Training is one of the single most effective techniques for FORCING reluctant muscles to respond to training. The idea behind this technique is simple: first, use an exercise that works ONLY the target muscle. Then, immediately follow that with an exercise that works the target muscle AND several other muscles in addition. You essentially exhaust the target muscle first (with an isolation exercise that works only that single muscle) then use an exercise that utilizes other muscles (a compound exercise) to help push that already pre-exhausted target muscle harder.

The two isolation (single-muscle) exercises that I recommend for the glutes are low pulley glute extensions and glute push-ups. Low pulley glute extensions are done by attaching an ankle harness to your leg, standing facing the pulley machine and extending your leg straight back behind you. Glute push-ups are done by laying flat on your back with your knees bent 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. From this position, push your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes hard. This exercise can also be done one leg at a time (just cross the non-working leg over the other).

Do as many reps of this exercise as it takes to reach muscular fatigue (it could be 8, 15 or even more, depending on the resistance and your strength). The real muscle-building work gets done on the second exercise.

To view these two exercises in action, please click this link: Butt Exercises

When you’ve completed your set, immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY – no rest periods here) move into the compound exercise for the glutes. Compound exercises for the glutes include squats, lunges, leg press, and (my personal favorite glute-builder) the one-legged bench step squat.

Use a fairly heavy resistance for the compound exercise…as I mentioned above, this is where the muscle-building work gets done. Use a resistance that will allow you get about 8 to 12 reps per set. This is the most effective rep range for muscle building.

One-Legged Bench Step Squats (demo video available for this one)

In my experience, the best pre-exhaust approach is to focus on one leg at a time rather than doing both. It may take a little longer but the glutes get worked more thoroughly and your results will most likely be better. For example, do One-Legged Glute Push-Ups with your left leg then immediately do Bench Step One-Legged Squats on your left leg. Take a rest then do a set for your right leg.

—

Conclusion:

Regularly using the four training techniques I’ve described above can have a HUGE impact on your glute-building progress. It’s all about properly targeting your training to FORCE the glutes to take the lead in the exercise. With these tips, you will build larger, firmer, rounder glutes. Guaranteed!

Interested in a complete glute-building training manual to take ALL the guesswork out of building those larger, rounder, firmer glutes? You need “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!”

In it you’ll find exercises, training programs, workouts, nutrition and supplement information, stretches, and much more…all targeted towards one single goal: building a bigger butt FAST!

Click this link right now to learn more! How To Build A Better Butt

——————

Nick Nilsson has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been innovating new training techniques for more than 20 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding books including “Gluteus to the Maximus – Build a Bigger Butt NOW!“, “Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass”, “Metabolic Surge – Rapid Fat Loss,” “The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of,” and “The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of”, all designed to maximize the results you get for the hard work you put into your training.

I hope that you enjoyed today’s article and that you found the tips and exercise demonstrations very useful. I know a lot of women and men who have been unhappy with their flat butt, and these exercises have been a BIG help to them.

Angie has incorporated the Gluteus To The Maximus butt workouts into her training for the past few years and it’s produced FANTASTIC results. I think that Angie’s butt is one of her best features.

Building a rounder, firmer, and sexier butt is a great way to create natural curves to your physique. Apply the exercises, techniques, and tips from today’s article and begin transforming your flat butt into a rounder butt today!

Sculpt a Masterpiece,

Scott Tousignant

There’s no doubt that you’ve come across hyped-up claims from fitness marketers telling you that their workout program will melt fat 9 times faster and will have you burning massive amounts of calories for 48 hours after your workout, which they refer to as the “Afterburn”, or in scientific terms EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). These so-called “fat loss guru’s” are passing this information off as fact, and in a very clever and convincing way to the general public. Unfortunately, if you have bought into their claims, you have been mislead and I’m about to show you how.

Preface

You will often times hear the “Afterburn” claims from programs that involve HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), regular Interval Training, and most recently Metabolic Resistance Training. I want to make it absolutely clear that I am not against these types of training. I have personally incorporated them into my training for nearly a decade.

What I am against is the false, EXAGGERATED claims and misuse of cherry picked data in order to get you to buy into a certain program. Frankly, I feel that there are many fitness professionals whom would benefit a great deal from taking a business ethics 101 course.

The purpose of this post is to set aside the hype and uncover the truth, so you can make an informed decision about the next workout program that you choose to follow.

Exaggerated Claims Based On Flawed Research

According to some cleverly marketed workout programs, you’ll be burning hundreds of calories post-workout all thanks to the afterburn of their high intensity workout. The truth is, that the “Afterburn” that follows a high intensity workout is very minimal. If you are lucky you may burn 50 extra calories and that’s if you are well trained and can actually last through an entire workout at the level of intensity that’s required. The duration that is required to experience this kind of afterburn is not exactly short either.

Now don’t get me wrong, you better believe that any extra calories, even if it is just 50 calories, that I may burn as a result of an afterburn is totally welcome in my eyes. But to me, I’d rather not count on those extra calories being burned and I certainly won’t calculate them into my daily caloric expenditure. Instead, I think of any afterburn effect to be a bonus and don’t really give it a second thought.

…and that’s exactly what I encourage you to do. If you are focused on creating a caloric deficit through exercise, you need to realize that it’s the calories that are being burned during the workout that make the greatest impact. In other words… get your butt moving!

Don’t Just Take My Word For It

I encourage you to educate yourself from a variety of reputable sources who truly dive into this research in a meaningful way… not just to serve their marketing message.

Lyle McDonald is one of the guys whom I trust when it comes to devouring research, explaining it in real world terms, cutting through the B.S. and helping you make an informed decision. I highly recommend that you take a moment to read this article of his where he dissects a study on EPOC…

Effects of Exercise Intensity and Duration on the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption

Now what about these workouts supposedly burning fat 9 times faster?

The study that is often referenced when a fitness marketer talks about 9x faster fat loss is one done by Tremblay, Angelo, et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. Vol 43. no 7 (July). Pp 814-818. 1994. They came to this 9 x faster conclusion in a rather odd manner to say the least. Rather than go into the odd conclusion in this post, I recommend instead that you take a moment to read how Tom Venuto author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle explains it in great detail within this article…

Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT?

Tom brings up a great point in the above article about how this flawed research is often used… You never hear any of the “fitness guru’s” tell you, that although this study came to the conclusion that Interval Training produced 9x greater fat loss… the results were only .2 pounds in 20 weeks!!!

Holy moly does that ever make me want to do Intervals

Losing .2 pounds in 20 weeks is definitely not sexy, but hey, “Let’s cherry pick some numbers from this study and just roll with the 9x faster fat loss, even though how they arrived at that conclusion is quite frightening.”

Irrelevant Comparisons

The thing that really gets me is that these fitness marketers will use this 9 times greater fat loss from this study which had the participants performing intervals on a cycle ergometer and say that their new breakthrough workout program that includes whacky circus moves will burn fat 9 times faster as well.

Where do they get off making this comparison? As I have mentioned before, I’ve been a participant in one of these University studies on the cycle ergometer and most of us participants felt nauceous, some of us puked, and some of us fainted after the experiment. Needless to say that the workload was extremely intense.

Unless these fitness marketers put their program under a closely monitored study itself and compare it to other programs that have been studied, then you simply cannot say that your program burns ___ times more fat than another program. So basically, the study that they quote is irrelevant to their program.

In the article above, Tom also mentions that you could use this very same study and come to the conclusion that steady start cardio produces 5 times greater weight loss, because the steady state group lost 1.1 pounds during the same 20 week time period.

Obviously in both counts the weight loss or fat loss is not significant. I’m certain that one of the reasons that the loss in body fat or body weight was not significant is because diet was not controlled in this study and very rarely ever is. I guess that you could say that this also proves just how important diet is when it comes to fat loss.

Let’s Put Things Into Perspective

There’s no doubt that the harder you work during a training session, the greater EPOC you will experience.

…But, that EPOC is not nearly as significant as some “fitness guru’s” have led you to believe.

What really matters is the overall calories being burned. Because many of the proponents of these claims are recommending abbreviated workouts as the solution, let’s say that their 20 minute workout burns 250 calories and the EPOC, if they pushed it really hard, is 30 calories. That’s a total of 280 calories.

Now let’s compare it to someone who performs a low intensity workout for 60 minutes and burns 500 calories with next to no EPOC. The low intensity workout still comes ahead by 220 calories… mind you, they had to exercise 3 times as long… and that’s where the appeal is. If you are absolutely pressed for time, than short bouts of high intensity exercise is a great solution for your lifestyle.

The Big Picture

There are some fitness marketers who say that I am wasting my time going for a 30-45 minute daily walk because there is no “Afterburn”. What they fail to recognize is that my daily walk is soooo much more than just a task to burn calories. I walk for active recovery from my strenuous weight training sessions. I walk for stress relief. I walk to prepare for my day. I walk for pure enjoyment.

With the calming and recovery effect of walking I could very well be creating a better environment within my body to burn fat than if I were to do Intervals instead.

If the great Hercules himself, Steve Reeves was still alive I’d love to see these fitness marketers approach him and tell him that walking is a waste of time

Steve, who arguably has one of the greatest natural physiques of all time, was a huge proponent of power walking and even wrote a book on it.

What’s The Best Solution?

The truth is that there is no “BEST Program”. There’s probably thousands of GREAT programs, but what it really boils down to is following a program that suits your lifestyle, personality, and goals.

I’ve personally gone through a variety of training protocols over the years, and all of them were based on my lifestyle and goals at the time. In my teens it was all about bodybuilding. In my mid 20’s it was all about breaking my workouts into small manageable chunks to fit into my hectic work schedule and busy family life. That was when I created the Fat Loss Quickie 10-Minute Metabolism Booster program. The reason that it was so effective for Angie and I was because it was super easy for us to stick to for the long term. It was easy to be consistent with our workouts, which is really the key to long term success. Yes, these workouts provided a nice metabolic boost twice per day, but we sure as heck don’t go around making hyped up and exaggerated claims about the afterburn effect.

The Fat Loss Quickie workouts were first designed for Angie and myself and then we packaged them together for our busy friends who also wanted to get in great shape. But they don’t compare to the results that you would get from my Metabolic Masterpiece Body Sculpting Program, which requires more time investment in the gym, allowing for more exercises to be incorporated into sculpting your body into a work of art.

Metabolic Masterpiece is best suited for someone who enjoys spending 45-60 minutes of focused time in the gym four days per week and posses a type of personality that is fascinated by their ever improving physique. Not only do they want to look amazing, but they want to feel strong as well.

If you love Interval Training, chances are greater that you’ll stick to an interval training program better than any other program. If you love Yoga, you’ll stick to that better than any other program. I really wish we would break free from this, “Mine’s bigger than yours” mentality and do what’s in the best interest of the general public.

Make Nutrition a Top Priority

As demonstrated in the research study above, it doesn’t matter whether you do interval training or low intensity exercise… if your nutrition sucks you can’t expect great results. The nutrition principles that I personally follow are based on the teachings in Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. It’s a system that I’ve applied for nearly a decade and I can customize to meet my goals.

Summary

Once again, here are two must read articles on the topic of EPOC that expose the myths and lies that are being pushed on you…

Effects of Exercise Intensity and Duration on the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption

Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT?

If you enjoyed this post you may also enjoy these previous posts where I brought some clarity to other over-hyped claims in the fat loss industry…

HIIT: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Truth About Fear Driven Nutrition Tactics
Functional Training Myths

I’ve got your best interests at heart. I’m looking out for you. Not much upsets me more than seeing you being mislead by a self proclaimed fitness guru.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to ask. I’m here for you.

If you have any thoughts or opinions on the topic, I’d love to hear from you. I’m sure that a post like this will ruffle some feathers.

Once again, I’m not against Interval Training or Metabolic Resistance Training in any way shape or form. They are fantastic and fun ways to exercise for many people. What I am against is exaggerated and misleading claims about their effectiveness.

With that being said… train hard, stay focused, and enjoy the journey.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, Metabolic Masterpiece, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Girl Empowered, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

The squat thrust is one of my favorite exercises to include in either my Interval Training or Metabolic Resistance Training sessions. It’s a great way to get the heart pounding and muscles pumping! There is a problem with squat thrusts though… they can be too challenging for some individuals and there are some people who would prefer not to jump up and down for various reasons.

That’s why I was super excited to watch a video demonstration from former Biggest Loser trainer and creator of Fast Track Fat Loss, Kim Lyons, which showed four different variations of the squat thrust, from beginner all the way to very advanced.

This is an awesome exercise demonstration that you won’t want to miss…

So what did you think? If you’ve been avoiding the squat thrust did this encourage you to try the beginner variation? If you are an advanced trainee, did you get an idea to challenge yourself more with the squat thrust?

I hope that this helped add little variety to your training.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Core Plus More, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

I just thought this would be a fun and effective way to help each other towards our fitness goals. All I want you to do is think of your favorite fitness tip and share it here with the other members. I think this is a great way to pass along awesome information and to connect with one another.

It also encourages you to really take notice on how important that one behavior change and/or exercise has impacted you. There are a trillion and one tips out there, but we all know that some are just plain dumb.

Okay so I’ll begin… For me, this is the one thing that seems to really get me focused and on track with my goals. This is a simple action tip that I do each day that has a major impact on getting me closer to my goal weight and body fat %. Okay, okay so is the drama too much for you yet?! Answer: Daily Food Journal. All I do is simply jot down what I eat and at what time. I do not count calories. It’s too time consuming for me. I will keep this journal for at least two weeks and man, what a change I will notice. My eating really shapes up and I begin to ’see’ the slimming results! After about two weeks I find that I have formed a habit and I do not need to jot down my food intake.

So…tell me, what is your favorite tip?

Cheers,

Angie ISSA-C.P.T.

PS Scott and I will be sharing our food journals with you on Monday, so be on the lookout.
About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

2011. Wow! Already another year has gone by. I know I cannot believe how quickly it all went. However, when I look at my kids and see how quickly they are changing, both physically and mentally, I realize that indeed life goes by so quickly!

Which brings me to reflect upon this upcoming year and ask myself some deep questions. Such as: What changes can I make in my workout in order to jump start my metabolism and become more effective in burning fat? How can I improve my nutrition? Where are my weaknesses and how can I change them into a positive behavior? What tools can I use to motivate me to stay on track for the next 3 months?

These are the questions I’ve been pondering lately and this is what I’ve decided to do:

1. I am following my “Core, Plus More” program and also incorporating an extra day to work on my legs.

2. To clean up my nutrition I am jotting down everything I eat in a ‘food journal‘ so that I can see where I can improve. This also helps me to stay focused on the meal plan.

3. My biggest motivator right now is that we booked a Waterpark Vacation in March, so I want to look my absolute best in my bathing suit!

I would love to hear from all of you about what strategies work for you to stay focused on your goal? How do you deal with set backs? What are your favorite exercises? Also, please let me know how I can support you in your fitness journey.

Have a wonderful day!

Angie I.S.S.A.- CPT

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

Every day I receive at least one email in my inbox, which quotes an interpretation of some research study, revealing that I should “Never eat this…” or “Never do this exercise”. Within the email there is always a link to some sort of product that is ’supposedly’ a healthier alternative. So of course, there’s some sort of hidden agenda behind the sharing of this research.

Sometimes the email is from one of our valued Fat Loss Quickie blog readers who is surprised that we demonstrated an exercise that research has shown to be ‘dangerous’ or ‘ineffective’. Nearly every time that Angie and I share one of our meals or favorite recipes, we receive an email or blog post comment from one of our valued readers who is surprised that we include an ingredient that research has shown will somehow make us fat or kill us. I certainly can’t blame them for sharing these thoughts and feelings with us, because they too, are being flooded with emails that quote ‘interpretations’ of research studies, and the emails are from people who they believe they can trust.

Research Shows You Shouldn’t Eat Or Exercises

The problem is that there are hundreds of studies conducted every week and chances are very high that you could find a study for most exercises out there, which shows that you should never perform them because they are unsafe and you could risk injury. Well, let me tell you… there’s a risk of injury every time that you get out of bed in the morning, but you still get out of bed right?

You could also find studies for most foods, which reveal that they will either make you fat or are harmful to your health. Should we stop eating all together and just drink water? …nope, I read a study that said we don’t need to drink water… That’s true. There’s a study that says we don’t need to drink water.

My friend and fitness colleague Leigh Peele, whom I have a great deal of respect for, wrote a wonderful blog post on the topic and even created a comical video too, called, “WTF Can I Eat“. This post is a really great read, as is everything that Leigh publishes. I highly recommend that you subscribe to her updates as I am certain that you will find a lot of value. Plus, she’s a straight shooter like me and takes a no B.S. approach. She tells it like it is.

Now don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of good research out there and a lot of good that comes from those studies. But you really have to take most research, if not all research, with a grain of salt. There are countless factors that influence the outcome of a study. It’s more than just who’s funding the research. The participants have a great deal of impact on the outcome as well.

Weight Loss Research Explained

I recently listened to a great podcast from John Barban, the creator of the Adonis Effect and the Venus Index, on this topic and found it very interesting when he discussed the impact of the participants in research studies. Download this audio to hear the whole story Weight Loss Research Explained

I know that whenever I’ve participated in a study, I’ve never performed as I truly perform on a daily basis. Here’s an example to illustrate this point. Not long ago I was sent a journal to log the times that I listen to the radio and the stations that I listen to as part of a market research study. Well during that time I listened to the radio way more often than I ever do. The study itself, influenced my actions. When I was done the week long study I went back to normal listening routines. So basically, these people did not receive accurate information from me, because the moment that I participated in the study I changed my actions away from what’s normal. I did so unknowingly, until after it was done and I realized what I did.

Conflicting Research

I’m sure that you have heard about studies or saw on the news that coffee and chocolate is bad for you. I’m just as sure that a few months later you read about or heard that there were studies that revealed coffee and chocolate are great for you. Which study are you to believe? All this does is confuse and overwhelm the consumer.

The funny thing is that some of the conflicting reports on a certain food or exercise may actually come from a single piece of research. It’s true and it happens a lot. In many studies you can find evidence to support both sides of the argument.

Interpretation Of The Research

Often times the problem with research is who is interpreting it. The media is known to cherry pick data that will turn research into catchy headlines that will sell their papers or get you to stay up late and watch the news.

It all comes down to money. Who’s going to fund the research and how can we turn this research into profits. Within the diet and fitness industry there are many ’so called’ experts who take ‘cherry picked’ data from research and base an entire program around that data. It makes for great marketing and persuasive selling.

It’s Not Your Fault

In the diet and fitness industry research is often used as a means to say, “It’s not your fault that you’re overweight.” This is quickly followed up with some advanced technique or ‘weird trick’ that is the ’secret’ to an amazing and sexy body. This is very appealing to the public, because they want to believe that, “I’m different and somehow it’s more difficult for me to lose weight.” It’s appealing to think that there is a trick that will produce rapid results and make weight loss easier.

It’s time to set aside the desire for “The easy way out” or the advanced techniques with grand claims and promises, and begin focusing on mastering the fundamentals. You should never attempt to apply advanced techniques before you’ve mastered the fundamentals. The problem is, the fundamentals are not sexy. They don’t make for great infomercials that keep you glued to your television set at 3 am.

What Happens When Your Identity Gets Shattered?

The research, for some people, ends up becoming a part of their identity. They become a walking billboard for the interpreted results. But what happens if the research turns out to be completely bogus?

As an example you can take a look at the study that linked autism to vaccines. Here’s the coverage on the CBC news website, ‘Fraud’ study linked autism to vaccine: report It’s been found that facts about the patients in the study were altered. How crazy is that? The data in this study was also misrepresented, not to mention that the doctor who conducted the study was paid by lawyers who were acting for parents who believed that vaccines had harmed their children. Oh… and the doctor also paid the kids who he drew blood from while they were at a birthday party. This is nuts!

This doctor has been stripped of his right to practice medicine in Britain and his research has been pulled from the publication. Now they are looking into other research that he has conducted to see if similar instances have occurred. Could this be the only time that this has happened? I think not.

The sad thing is that I have friends who took this research on as their identity. They refused to have their children vaccinated and argued against it in a big way. Other people I know have built a business around this research and offering their more natural and healthy alternative. What happens to their identity now?

Whether you believe in the effectiveness of vaccines or whether you believe there are better alternatives is not the issue here. The issue is, if you were basing it on the claims in this specific research paper, you are in a bit of trouble. Your credibility will be damaged all because you placed your faith in a doctor who conducted a research study.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m not against research and using research to support your views. There is loads of great research out there, but you really have to dive into it. It’s actually quite an undertaking.

One of my colleagues who has invested a great deal of time interpreting research is Brad Pilon of Eat Stop Eat. His book is loaded with research and research to back up the research. He’s also looked deeply into each study to ensure that it’s relevant.

One thing that I really find fascinating about research and studies is the power of placebo and the power of the mind and beliefs. It always intrigues me to see the placebo group experience great results even though they didn’t actually receive the treatment. They achieved great results because they believed what they were doing was going to work. This is why I spend a significant amount of time on mindset and building empowering beliefs that will serve me and you.

Personally, I believe that the best research is the research that we do on ourselves. Our life is a continuous experiment that provides results and feedback on a daily basis. When you follow a diet plan or a workout program, the only research that really matters is that which takes place while you are actually following the plan and giving your best effort.

You don’t even need to follow a specific nutrition plan in order to conduct some research on yourself. All that you have to do is record what you eat, how it makes you feel, and whether or not you lost, gained, or maintained your weight at the end of the week.

You can even conduct research on yourself and your ability to stick to a program. Make note of the things that motivate you to push forward to overcome challenges as well as the things that cause you to throw in the towel.

Your life is the best experiment ever, and it’s worth documenting. It’s worth exploring your potential and what brings you the greatest joy in life.

Well, this ended up being much longer than I anticipated, so to sum things up… research is good, but you need to take it with a grain of salt and not place all of your hopes, dreams, and identity in the hands of one study. Before accepting the study’s interpreted results as true, be sure to dive into the research and take a close look at the people who participated in the study, as well as who was funding it. Every study has a bias, so be cautious.

All in all, simply enjoy the process. Don’t over-complicate fat loss. Don’t become overwhelmed with all the conflicting research. Do master the fundamentals and explore your ability to become better each and every day.

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share them in the comment box below.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

Why are you following your current workout program? Did a friend recommend it to you? Is it because the millions of dollars in advertising has allowed the program to become a household name? Is it because of all the hype and fancy ’science talk’ of the program made it irresistible to turn down? Is it a program that was shared in a magazine?

…Or is it because the program is designed to produce the body shape and appearance that you desire? In other words, will this program help you reach your goal?

Do You Have A Clear Vision Of Your Goal?

In order to answer this question, it’s important to have a clear vision of what your goal is and the ‘Look’ that you will achieve once you reach your goal.

Do you simply desire to release a specific amount of fat and become a skinnier version of yourself? Are you aiming to improve your conditioning and athletic performance? Did you see a picture in a magazine of a physique that you desire to achieve? Does one of your favorite actresses or actors have a physique that you would love to achieve? Do you look in the mirror and see areas where you would like to reduce the fat and other areas where adding a little bit of muscle would make you look even sexier?

When I ask people what their body transformation goal is or they show me a picture of what they are aiming to achieve, in many cases their workout program does not match their goals and will not produce the ‘Look’ or appearance that they desire.

I was recently listening to an incredible episode of the Venus Index Podcast
How To Become A Venus: Interview With Alison Scott, which hit on some very key points in regards to following a workout program that is not producing the body that you desire even though you are working out really hard.

In the interview Alison said, “It’s depressing when you see that your training is giving you a look that you’re not happy with.” Alison was still training like she used to when she was a competitive collegiate athlete, which made her look ‘stocky‘. The problem was that because she had trained like this for so long and didn’t have the ‘genetics‘ or ‘frame‘ of a lean person, she said, “I figured I could never look like a sexy and attractive women.”

Let me tell you… this interview packs a very emotional punch. For that reason, it’s one of my favorite interviews that I’ve ever listened to. I highly recommend that you download the podcast and listen to it while you go for a brisk walk.

Alison went on to say that she experienced an identity crisis. She had an athletes body, but she wasn’t an athlete anymore.

Focus On Attractiveness

That’s when she decided to put her trust into the Venus Index program. What made the Venus Index attractive to Alison was that it’s based on attractiveness… no pun intended

One of the highlights from the interview was when Alison discussed her mental shift after releasing the first 10 pounds of fat. She said, “I realized it (her desired look) was possible”, which motivated her to keep pushing forward. This triggered the realization that, “You always want to believe that you are different and your body won’t let you get there (your desired look)… you want to believe that it’s not possible because it helps you justify why you aren’t there.” As John mentioned in the interview, it’s not because Alison was sitting on the couch, but because her training was not geared toward her goal.

Alison released a total of approximately 20 pounds and WOW does she ever look great! It’s amazing that she never believed that she could look sexy and lean. It just goes to show how the “image” that we have of ourselves and the self imposed limiting beliefs can really hold us back if we allow them to. When you visit the podcast link you’ll see Alison’s before pictures and realize just how great of a difference releasing 20 pounds can make to your physique.

The topic of following the wrong type of program came up in a recent interview on the Adonis Index podcast, where Jason shared his experience following a Cross Fit program. He said the it really improved his conditioning and the workouts totally wiped him out, but they weren’t giving him the physique that he craved.

Goal Changes and Lifestyle Changes

One very important takeaway from the interview with Alison is that our goals and lifestyles change, and with those changes your workouts should change too.

The strength and conditioning workouts that she was following while playing competitive sports were appropriate for the goal that she had… to become a great athlete. But once she left the world of competitive sports and had a desire to look sexy and lean, she had to change her workouts.

Angie and I have gone through lifestyle and goal changes during the past 13 years too. When we first started dating I was really into the bodybuilding style of training and Angie was really into cardio and circuit workouts. This type of training was producing the results that we desired. We looked sexy and attractive.

But once we had children and were running a business that had me working 16 hour days we had difficulty making the time to workout like we usually did. Since we didn’t have much time to workout and had very little time to talk, bond, and connect, Angie decided to create a program where we could workout together for 10 minutes first thing in the morning to set the tone for the day and then 10 minutes at the end of the day so we could talk and connect during the workout, while we got in shape at the same time. That program is called More Love Less Fat – A Couples Guide To Transforming Your Body and Relationship.

Our lifestyle changed once again when we both began working at home. The hours were still very demanding on the both of us and our kids were still very young, so we decided to create a program that was quick and efficient and could be done in our home office with very little space and very little equipment. We stuck with the two 10 minute workout chunks throughout the day since it was working very well for us. This 6 month program is called Fat Loss Quickie.

These programs allowed Angie and I to sculpt lean and sexy physiques and we were very happy. We both looked great and felt great, but for me I felt like something was missing. I had gotten away from my roots of bodybuilding, which was really appealing to me. Although I looked great, I knew that I really wanted to build more muscle and get stronger. I’m not talking about freakish muscle. I just know that adding a bit of muscle to my physique will make me look even sexier and be in line with the vision of how I know I want to and will look.

…That’s when I created ROCK That Body, and boy did it ever work for me! The workouts were still short at 30 minutes, but they really shaped and sculpted my body.

At the same time Angie had a goal of firming her butt and thighs, so she created a program called Sizzlin’ Circuits, which is also between 25 and 30 minutes in length. There’s no doubt that this program produced her desired results.

Every 4-6 weeks we check ourselves out in the mirror and make note of the areas that we want to improve or maintain and then create a program to achieve our specific goals.

As you can see, we don’t just create programs based on cherry picked research and there’s no need to hype up our programs, because they are simply the programs that we personally follow to produce a desired result. It’s a blueprint for a desired outcome. In a nutshell, that’s what workout programs are. If you realize this, it will eliminate all the frustration, confusion, and overwhelm that can be experienced with the fitness industry.

Peel away all the hype and fancy marketing talk and what you have is a blueprint to help you get to your destination. You just need to be sure that the blueprint is designed to get you to your destination and not someone elses.

If you are purchasing a workout program because of the hype and huge promises or because your friend has been following it, or because you got hooked on the infomercial, you have to look beyond the big shiny object and ask yourself, “Is this program designed to help me achieve the ‘look’ that I want?”

The focus of your resistance training workout should be to shape your body, get stronger, and get sexier, not how many calories it ’supposedly’ burns or how much fat the workout ’supposedly’ burns. Leave the fat burning to your diet and caloric deficit. As your diet melts the fat from your body it will reveal the sexy shape that you’ve been sculpting with your workouts.

I hope that this post has provided you with some valuable insights and I can’t wait to hear what you think about the Venus Index podcast interview with Alison Scott.

Be sure to share your thoughts and feelings in the comment box below.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!

If you want to set yourself up for fat loss success this New Year, you need to keep things simple and master the fundamentals. There’s no need to over-complicate the fat loss process or become overwhelmed with all the contradictory fat loss advice, especially if you have more than 15 pounds of fat to release from your body.

Fat loss is simple… it’s just hard work. But any worthy goal is worth the hard work that it takes to achieve it!

Here’s Your Simple Fat Loss Plan For 2011

Eat Less: Yes, it really is that simple. To burn fat you need to eat less than what you burn throughout the week. Whether you prefer higher protein diets, higher carbohydrate diets, higher fat diets, low sugar diets, vegetarian diets, raw food diets, or any form of diet known to the human race, if you eat less you will lose weight.

Angie and I are going to record the foods that we eat each week and share it with you. We don’t count calories or measure our foods. We keep it really simple and listen to our body.

Make it your goal to eat less in 2011.

Perform Resistance Training To Shape Your Body: Resistance training is crucially important to preserving your muscle while you are on a fat loss diet. Depending on how large or small your caloric deficit is, you may actually gain a small amount of muscle while burning fat too.

Resistance training should be used to shape your body and help you look your absolute best once you release the desired amount of fat from your body. Angie and I really could care less about how many calories we burn during our workout. We’ll achieve our caloric deficit by eating less. The goal of our workout is always to improve our appearance by adding muscle to the areas that will make us look as sexy as possible. For example, Angie may want to add a little muscle to ‘lift’ her butt, shape her arms to look great in a strapless gown, or shape her calves to look great in a skirt.

It’s really important to know the “Look” that you are going for when selecting a workout program. Nowadays it seems that many ‘popular’ workout programs are more cardiovascular in nature rather than focusing on strength and body shaping. This style of training may suit some people’s goals and lifestyle, but many others simply follow it because they hear that their friends are following the program, without taking into account that the program design will not help them achieve their desired appearance.

Make it your goal to incorporate resistance training into your week in 2011 and follow workout programs that are in-line with your goals and not just full of smoke and mirrors that make up most fad programs.

Get 7-9 Hours Sleep: Getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night is very underrated. The importance of a restful sleep is great when it comes to fat loss and muscle building. Make it your goal to achieve a great night sleep every night this year!

Reduce Stress: Chronic stress can make it difficult to burn fat and build muscle, not to mention all the health problems that arise from chronic stress.

Do what you can to manage, cope with, and reduce your stress this year. Some things that help Angie and I reduce stress is going for a daily walk or bike ride, getting a great night sleep, planning our day in advance, preparing extra food to save as leftovers for future meals, stretching at the end of the day and slowing down our breathing, and not fretting over our diet and nit-picking over all the little details.

Make it your goal to reduce stress in 2011.

Celebrate The Smallest Of Victories: It’s important to pat yourself on the back as often as possible. Even the smallest of victories are worth celebrating. Taking it one step further and keeping a ’success journal’ is a brilliant idea. During your times of setbacks and challenges, it’s always great to reflect on all that you have achieved throughout your body transformation journey.

Having a success or victory journal is a great way to turn your fat loss journey into a positive experience.

Make it your goal to celebrate your small successes in 2011.

Become Fascinated With Your Progress and Potential: Your body is magnificent and capable of incredible achievements. Become fascinated with even the smallest of changes to your physique. Become fascinated with your body’s ability to progress. Become fascinated when you achieve a goal that you once thought impossible.

You will achieve your body transformation goals this year! You will stick with the plan! You will experience life the way that it is meant to be lived… in a vibrant, healthy, energetic, and sexy body!

Absolutely nothing will stop you! Your goals are worthy of achieving… now go out and make them your reality.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott and Angie Tousignant

About The Authors

Scott and Angie Tousignant have been helping busy men and women, just like you, transform their body and life for over a decade. This dynamic duo prides themselves on providing a balanced and practical approach that will motivate and inspire you to become the best YOU that you can be.

Scott and Angie have dedicated themselves to sharing their exact workouts, what they eat, and how they stay motivated to continue transforming their body’s and life.

Their line up of body transforming programs includes, ROCK That Body, Sizzlin’ Circuits, Fat Loss Quickie, and More Love Less Fat.

We’re excited to share in you successful body transformation!