Introduction

Bodybuilding is following a lifestyle that uses weight training, cardiovascular exercise and nutrition to re-shape your physique through the increase of lean muscle mass and reduction of fat stores.

Can I Use Bodybuilding Even If I Do Not Want To Get Too Big?

But wait a minute! You never want to step on a bodybuilding stage, nor do you have dreams of getting that big anyways. If that is the case, not a problem! To me, a bodybuilder is anyone that uses weight training, cardiovascular exercise and nutrition to accomplish specific fitness goals.

In this bodybuilding site I share with you the knowledge I’ve gained through many years of practicing the bodybuilding lifestyle so that you too can achieve any physique goal you may have. How far you take your physique development or whether you ever get to compete or not are entirely up to you.

And if you fear getting too big by accident then believe me, that look will definitely not happen by mere chance. This is especially true for women since they do not produce the amount of testosterone needed to grow their muscles to the size that a man can accommplish. It takes years of strict adherence (almost to an obsessive level) to a bodybuilding lifestyle, in addition to calculated planning of your workouts and nutrition plan, to accomplish such an endeavor.

However, if getting really big and shredded (bodybuilding term for defined) is your goal, then no need to worry as in this site you will find all of the information you will need to accomplish that as well. [Read more…]

Here are the 3 keys to successful and permanent Body Sculpting.

These are the same techniques that I have personally used to lose 70-lbs of fat permanently while reshaping my physique and increasing my productivity dramatically. They are also the same techniques that I use on my clients in order to achieve similar results by exercising less & eating more!

 

Step 1-Use Subconscious Mind Re-Programming

 

The first thing that I see clients who fail do is NOT BELIEVE in their ability to achieve the body that they are looking for. As a result, they never invest themselves fully into the program. By not fully committing themselves, they start to miss workouts, they mess up their diet and in short, they self sabotage themselves.

I can’t count how many people come to me and tell me that once they got this right, they really started to commit themselves 300% to the program and as a result, when obstacles would present themselves, instead of sacrificing a meal or a workout they would find a solution that allowed them to continue with the plan.

On the other hand, those who simply did not have the right mindset would jettison the program at the first sign of trouble. This of course would re-enforce the false belief that no program would work for them and that they are not capable of achieving the body of their dreams.

So the first thing that YOU need to do is STOP any self limiting belief that you may have and KNOW that the power to achieve greatness is WITHIN YOU.

Thus, I want you to start acting as if you already have that body and realize that like with anything good in life, obstacles will come but when you have the right mindset you will find a solution! You will also disregard any negativity that comes from your own mind or surrounding people who may tell you that you are wasting your time and that you can’t do this! Again recall that “The Power To Achieve Greatness is Within You!” Just forgive the naysayers and ignore. As far as negative thoughts? Replace them with positive ones. Change feelings of I can’t with I CAN! Keep your eye on the prize which is that dream body of yours.

In summary, to have a mindset that leads to inevitable success you need to:

1) Believe in your ability to achieve the success. Know that “The Power To Achieve Greatness is Within You!”

2) Eliminate any negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

3) Take a few minutes each day to visualize yourself with the body of your dreams. Record how you feel with that body.

4) Imagine also that you already have that body and behave accordingly: no missing workouts, no missing meals. Full commitment to the program.

5) Find a solution for every obstacle that comes. For example, if it is too hard to stick to your diet plan because you have no time in the morning to prepare your meals, then prepare your meals the night before.

6) Ignore the haters. Remember that haters will hate when you are doing something right!

7) Ignore your own negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. Change the “I cant’s” with “I CAN”.

 

Step 2-Stop Those 2 Hour Marathon Weight Training Sessions Immediately & The Long Traditional Cardio! Instead Focus on Short Highly Targeted Fast Paced Workouts

 

Shocking and counter intuitive but true. While one would think that the more one trains the more results one gets, too much training is viewed by the body as a stressful activity that may result in the death of the organism. Thus, the adrenal glands located on top of the kidneys start to secrete a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol signals the body to burn muscle in order to use its amino acids for energy and to protect/store fat. This is a survival mechanism that the body has. Anyone who has done a Spartan diet and training program has experienced the weight regain that cortisol creates once they discontinue or even cut back on such programs.

People who focus their workouts on short 30-45 minute but fast paced and intense weight training sessions see the fat loss and muscle gains skyrocket by a factor of ten assuming that the nutrition component is in place. While short cardio sessions can be used as a supplement, most of my clients achieve extraordinary transformations with minimal to no cardio at all and only 3 sessions of weights per week! Some clients do 5 sessions of weights and some do 6, like myself, but that is because we love it. Three sessions will get you the results that you are looking for in no time.

Compare that to the poor souls who are at the gym enslaving themselves on the treadmill like a gerbil for hours to an end to only follow that with an extra hour or two of weight training…These poor people not only get nowhere fast, but eventually, stop the program as it is not sustainable. Furthermore, even for the minority that actually get some results from these programs, the minute they cut back or stop it, the weight regain immediately comes! Also note that emphasizing long traditional cardio training and doing too much weight training will increase your propensity to be fat due to a slowed thyroid, reduced calorie burning due to muscle loss and the cortisol increase we discussed above.

So What Does a Kick Ass Properly Designed Weight Training Session Look Like?

It will consist of properly executed free weight exercises that can be done even from a home gym and these exercises will stimulate the most muscle growth from every set and repetition performed.

There are ten (7-Minute) workouts I use to boost my metabolism while building muscle at home (with just a pair of dumbbells). These workouts will definitely give you a great start and set you in the right direction!

Download Your TEN 7-Minute Fat Burning / Muscle Building Home Workouts for FREE << Click to Download (You also get my FREE 1-Hour Body Sculpting Webinar Which Covers All Of These Topics In More Detail)

If you do as I advice and perform 3 bodyparts in one workout, this will allow you to perform a full workout in 21 minutes (7 minutes x 3 bodyparts = 21 minutes) and get ten times the results that you are getting now.

Every pound of muscle gained is 50 calories more that your body now burns every day in order to maintain that muscle. Thus, if you gain 10 lbs of muscle with the right weight training sessions, you can now burn 500 extra calories per day! Do you see why it is important to gain muscle? Instead of the metabolic rate being lowered as in other programs, by focusing on muscle growth as you lose fat you end up with a body that perhaps only burned 1500 calories when the program started, but when you end the program, it may be able to burn 2,500 calories! This is exactly what you want as in this manner, results are permanent!

Take for example one of my many female students who basically could hardly eat 1200 calories at first when she was overweight and at the end of her transformation can eat over 2,000 calories while being leaner than ever! Why is this the case? Because her body is not fighting her. There was never a huge accumulation of cortisol due to improper training and diet and as a result, her body is happy burning all of those calories. Most of my guys start up eating 2,000 calories and end up eating 3,000 calories or more at the end of their transformations!

And now that we have covered proper results producing training, let’s discuss, precision metabolic enhancing nutrition.

Step 3-Implement Precision Metabolic Enhancing Nutrition: Most Regular Diets Will Set You Up for Failure From The Get Go!

 

I cringe every time I hear someone tell me that they are on a diet that has them consuming 600 calories or some crazy low figure like that. In fact, an obese couple comes to mind They were so happy to tell me about a new liquid diet that their Doctor put them on. Now, I don’t know which Doctor would do this, but at any rate, they just had like a salad a day and various nutrition shakes during the day. Such a diet is not only wrong from the standpoint that the body is meant to operate on real solid food and NOT shakes but even a solid food diet that puts the client in a super calorically deprived state is asking for trouble at many levels.

Long story short they lost a ton of weight in 3 weeks (30-lbs or something but keep in mind that both of these people were over 350-lbs so just water loss alone was probably around 15-lbs and the rest was a combination of muscle loss and fat). They went to a get together after 3 weeks and lets just say that they heavily cheated on the diet. This not only caused a HUGE amount of distress in their digestive system (which by now was not used to solid food anymore and I will spare you the details) but also completely discouraged them as they stepped on the scale on the following day. Needless to say, the diet was abandoned.

Now because of time, I won’t get into all of the health issues that a crazy plan like that causes but I will focus on the main points.

A plan like this will reduce your muscle tissue as too much cortisol will be released since the body sees this as a starvation event. So for each pound you lose, you burn 50 calories less. Lose 10 lbs and now you burn 500 calories less each day. Cool stuff. And also remember that increased cortisol levels protect fat as well! Awesome sauce! Now I’m really excited! NOT!

Furthermore, a plan like this will force your thyroid level (which is the main hormone that regulates the metabolism) to dramatically go down in order to lower the energy cost of your body. Thus, with a lowered thyroid your ability to burn calories gets crippled!

So between the cortisol killing muscle and protecting fat while the thyroid gets toasted do you see how at the end of the madness you will probably gain more weight than whatever you lost?

So what is the solution? What you need is a balanced nutrition that does not deprive you and that will convince your body to lose fat as you gain muscle. As you gain muscle, the diet plan is adjusted in order to compensate for the extra calories that your body burns. So instead of doing like 99% of dieters do, which is to cut calories, you will in fact be ADDING calories since your metabolism should be going UP and NOT DOWN!

I always suggest having a Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with protein shakes in between. In that manner your blood sugar and energy levels are always stable and you encounter no cravings.

A good starting baseline metabolic nutrition plan consists of

40% carbs (sweet potato, potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, brown rice pasta, plain rice cakes)
40% protein (chicken, turkey, lean red meats, salmon, tuna, egg whites, whole eggs)
20% good fats (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nuts like cashews/almonds, fish oils)

My advice is to record everything you consume.
Collect pictures, a waist measurement and your weight at the beginning of the program and at the end of every 2 weeks.

Based on results, adjust your diet. A good rate of fat loss is up to 3 lbs per week. Due to water rebalancing, on the first week some dieters lose as much as 10-lbs! Now, if after week 1 you lost more than 3-lbs, you will need to up the calories a bit. If you lost less than 1 lb then you need to reduce calories.

Every couple of weeks asses results and based on how you are progressing, then make the necessary changes. In this manner you will find EXACTLY the amount of macronutrients that your body thrives on at a specific time.

You will need to stop only using the scale to measure progress as the scale does not tell you how much fat you lost and how much muscle you gained. For example, if you gain 2-lbs of muscle and lose 2-lbs of fat the scale will show NO PROGRESS! But if you do some caliper readings (or at least use a tape measure to measure your waist) and also take digital pictures, then you will be able to see how much muscle you gained and how much fat you lost.

Remember that as muscle is gained, you will need to recalculate your proteins, carbs and fats so it is imperative that you measure body fat loss and muscle gained via the use of inexpensive calipers.

For more information on the subject be sure to download your Free 7-Minute Workout Report and the super informative one hour webinar on all these topics below.

Download Your TEN 7-Minute Fat Burning / Muscle Building Home Workouts for FREE << Click to Download (You also get my FREE 1-Hour Body Sculpting Webinar Which Covers All Of These Topics In More Detail)

 

Conclusion

 

So listen, here is what you need to win if you want to follow the same plan that I used to lose 70-lbs of fat permanently while reshaping my physique and increasing my productivity dramatically; and these are also the same techniques that I use on my clients in order to achieve similar results by exercising less & eating more!

1- Subconcious Mind Re-Programming: Achieve success by knowing that you can achieve greatness, visualizing success, living as if you have already achieved that success, and keeping your eye on the goal while turning self created negative thoughts of “I Can’t” into positive “I CAN” ones and disregarding the Haters.

2- Three Short and Highly Targeted Body Sculpting Sessions: Use short 20-45 minute periodized free-weights based training sessions with short cardio sessions only as an optional supplement. Traditional cardio is NOT needed for this program to work!

3- Precision Metabolic Enhancing Nutrition: Use balanced targeted and a highly personalized nutrition plan that is adjusted upwards as muscle is gained in order to accelerate the metabolism permanently. Track progress using digital pictures, the scale and calipers (or at least a tape measure to measure your waistline) in order to see how much fat you have lost and muscle you have gained.

Again, for more information on all this, be sure to access my informative 1-hour webinar and 7-minute workout report below:

Download Your TEN 7-Minute Fat Burning / Muscle Building Home Workouts for FREE << Click to Download (You also get my FREE 1-Hour Body Sculpting Webinar Which Covers All Of These Topics In More Detail)

Take care and train hard!

hugo_sign

 

 

 

About the Author

hugoHugo Rivera is an International best selling fitness author certified in personal training and nutrition with a computer engineering degree from the University of South Florida. Hugo is owner of www.hugorivera.net, an informational, free fitness and nutrition website. He is author of over 10 fitness books (with over a million copies sold) including his best sellers: Body Re-Engineering, The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, the Weight Training Diary, and the Hardgainers Handbook of Bodybuilding. Today via his website HugoRivera.net, numerous articles, book publications, TV and radio appearances Hugo continues to educate the public on how to achieve the body of their dreams via the use of weight training exercise, good nutrition and correct supplementation. You can follow Hugo via:

YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hugorivera.net
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hugoriverafitness
Google Plus: www.google.com/+HugoriveraNetnaturalbodybuilding
Twitter: www.twitter.com/hrfit
BodySpace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/hrfit/

 

Low libido, depression and a decrease in muscle size and strength are just a few of the symptoms of low testosterone. As bodybuilders, testosterone is one of our key hormones for packing on muscle and staying in shape.

It is the one hormone that separates men from women, and is the key hormone that propels all bodybuilders towards greatness. However, many of us are unaware that our testosterone levels are very sensitive to the things we eat, how much rest we get and the way we train for bodybuilding workout results.

There is extensive research to show these low levels of testosterone and that all of us are susceptible to this. In essence what this research tells us is that we all vary in the levels of testosterone that our bodies naturally produce. Therefore this article explores the various ways in which you can increase your testosterone levels naturally to pack on muscle and stay in shape. Now let’s discuss the 5 best ways to boost testosterone levels.

#1: Consume Zinc

Research shows that zinc supplements combined with a healthy diet increase the testosterone levels among men. These supplements are especially beneficial for males who have a deficiency in this mineral.

Vitamins such as magnesium and B6 aid in the absorption of zinc and also helps to convert free cholesterol into testosterone. A study conducted on the affects that zinc therapy has on testosterone, sperm count and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) showed some interesting results.

Out of the thirty seven participants in the first trial, twenty two showed a significant improvement in testosterone and DHT levels. In addition to this, nine of the participant’s wives fell pregnant within three months after the start of the trials. [1] There are many vitamins to boost testosterone like this that yield great benefits.

#2: Limit Sugar

When we eat foods high in carbohydrates such as potatoes and pastas, our bodies produce high levels of insulin to counteract the high levels of sugar in our blood streams.

Insulin’s main function is to absorb the sugar from the bloodstream into all the cells of our bodies for energy. However, research has shown that a high level of insulin can cause low levels of testosterone in men.

In a study conducted on seventy four men; forty two men had normal glucose levels, twenty three had prediabetes and nine suffered from type 2 diabetes. After administering the same amount of sugar solution to all participant, researchers found that the glucose solution decreased blood levels of testosterone by as much as 25 percent, regardless of whether the men had diabetes, prediabetes or normal glucose tolerance. There are many health benefits involved in cutting sugar, however for body builders this may be your best motivation yet. By eating clean and cutting down on unhealthy carbohydrates you will allow your body a better chance at producing maximal amounts of testosterone. [2]

#3: Eat Healthy Fats

Research has shown that one of the easiest ways to boost testosterone levels in your body naturally is to consume high amounts of healthy fats. Studies have shown that a high intake of saturated fats and monounsaturated fats leads to an increase in testosterone levels. However a high intake of unhealthy fats known as polyunsaturated fats can lead to lower levels of testosterone. So not only does the amount of fat you eat matter, but also the type of fat.

Research conducted on two groups of men; one group with a low intake of fat (~20%) while the other had a high intake of fat (~40%); found that the higher fat intake group had more testosterone in their blood stream compared to the group who consumed little fat. [3] [4]

There are many other foods you can eat to boost testosterone. It’s always good to add options to stick with a good plan.

#4: Get Plenty of Rest

By cutting back on your sleep you can decrease your testosterone levels by up to fifteen percent. Studies have shown that the quality of your sleep is a very important factor when investigating testosterone levels. Men that sleep less than four hours a night are most likely sleep deprived.

An individual who is sleep deprived can suffer from low energy, fatigue, loss of concentration and it doesn’t get results when learning how to lose weight fast for men. The magic number is ‘8’ hours sleep, as it helps with testosterone production and overall growth.

Research has shown that men who sleep eight hours or more a night have sixty percent more testosterone compared to men who only sleep four hours a night. Therefore to ensure your body is producing maximal testosterone make sure you get your daily quota of eight hours of sleep. [5]

#5: Reduce Stress

There are various reasons why we should limit the amount of stress we deal with in our daily lives. Stress causes men to be less competitive, less assertive and can affect also fertility. When our bodies are in a state of stress our brains sends a chemical message to adrenal glands to start producing cortisol.

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone; blocks the effects of testosterone which suppresses libido, healthy competitive drive and aggression. Research conducted at Berkley University also found that stress causes our brains to release another hormone that stops the production of testosterone. This hormone is known as the gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone and is produced by the pituitary gland.

Similarly to the adrenal gland, when we are stressed our brain sends a chemical message to the pituitary gland and the gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone is released; stopping the production of testosterone. Instead of letting your body reach this level of stress, ensure you have your stressors under control to prevent your body reaching crisis mode where its starts to prepare your body for the flight or fight response. [6]

Conclusion

As we are all aware now, testosterone levels in our bodies is highly sensitive to the things we eat, stress and sleep. To ensure your body is producing the maximal amount of testosterone to ensure maximal muscle growth and to stay in shape it is vital that you; increase the amount of zinc you consume through supplementation, limit the amount of sugar you consume, eat lots of healthy fats, have a hold on your stress levels and ensure you are getting plenty of sleep.

If bodybuilders spend more time on ensuring their bodies are clean and efficient machines then testosterone production will be at its maximum and there would be no need to take illegal drugs such as steroids to obtain the desired build. Now, if you’re really looking to build muscle and elevate your testosterone levels, then I suggest a good testosterone booster to accelerate your progress and results.

Scientific References

  1. Netter, A., Nahoul, K., & Hartoma, R. “Effect of zinc administration on plasma testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and sperm count.” (1981). Archives of andrology, 7(1), 69-73.
  2. Pitteloud N, Mootha VK, Dwyer AA, et al. Relationship between testosterone levels, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function in men. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:1636-1642.
  1. Hämäläinen, Adlercreutz, Puska, & Pietinen, ‘Diet and serum sex hormones in healthy men’, Journal of Steroid Biochemistry, Volume 20, Issue 1, (1984), Pages 459-464.
  1. Freedman, DS et al. “Relation of serum testosterone levels to high density lipoprotein cholesterol and other characteristics in men”. Arterioscler Thromb. (1991); 11(2): 307-15.
  2. Leproult, Van Cauter., “Effect of 1 Week of Sleep Restriction on Testosterone Levels in Young Healthy Men.” JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, (2011); 305 (21): 2173
  3. Aakvaag, A., et al. “Testosterone and testosterone binding globulin (TeBG) in young men during prolonged stress.” International Journal of Andrology 1.1‐6 (1978): 22-31

 

 

3 Unusual Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a measure of the pressure of the blood flowing through your arteries, and is usually written as two numbers. The top number, known as the systolic pressure, is the pressure exerted on your arteries during your heartbeat; the bottom number, also called the diastolic pressure measures the pressure experienced by your arteries ‘at rest’ or between heartbeats.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, can cause many health problems if left uncontrolled. Arteries can harden and become narrower, disrupting blood flow to major organs; this can lead to pain, disability, and even death. Some of the potential problems caused by high blood pressure are: heart attacks and strokes, kidney failure, dementia, vision loss, obstructive sleep apnea and trouble sleeping, bone loss, and sexual dysfunction. Your doctor has good reason to pester you about keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range.

Some of the common and most well-known measures to correct high blood pressure are by reducing salt intake, limiting alcohol consumption, losing weight, and taking medications. These can seem annoying or daunting, which helps to explain poor patient compliance.

While it’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in general—and not just for the sake of your blood pressure—there are some options for controlling blood pressure which are often overlooked, and frankly, a lot more fun than thinking about how much salt you’re eating. Here are three examples to get you started:

#1: Go Sunbathing

Vitamin D deficiency is very common, and several studies have linked it to high blood pressure. Taking a supplement is quick and easy—and is helpful in case of a severe deficiency—but it can’t match sunlight for cardiovascular health. UV energy in sunlight triggers Vitamin D production in your skin, and is the main source of this vitamin for most people. But that’s not all.

Your body stores a compound called nitrate in your skin; when your skin is exposed to UV light, nitrate is converted to another chemical, called nitric oxide, which helps expand your blood vessels. This dilation effect lowers blood pressure even before your body has a chance to start making Vitamin D.

About twenty minutes of sunlight daily is a good dose, and it can be obtained while relaxing, or combined with a walk or other outdoor activity for even more power. For the UV rays to do their job, sunlight will need to shine on exposed skin. As always, you should be mindful of your skin, and keep it protected with sunblock while spending time outdoors.

#2: Make Time for Your Furry Friends

Physical contact—such as hugging and petting a dog or a cat—causes beneficial hormonal changes such as lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increasing the amount of oxytocin produced in the body. Spending just 3 minutes petting your dog can lower both your heart rate and blood pressure for an hour afterward. Spending time with a pet has been shown to be even better for stress relief and blood pressure reduction than human contact and conversation. This may be because pets offer a level of loyalty and unconditional love that even the most devoted spouse would be hard-pressed to match: whatever happens, you won’t hear your dog criticizing you for leaving your dirty socks out or failing to listen as it talks all about its day.

If you’re allergic or live in a place that doesn’t allow pets, don’t worry; you can get the same blood pressure-lowering effect by visiting a zoo and looking at the animals. One study found a significant effect, with blood pressure dropping by 6-8 percent.

No time for the zoo? There’s hope for you yet. Benefits have been measured from looking at animals in virtually any way you can manage—the birds flying outside your window and even pictures of cats on the Internet are good for your health. The benefits are not only for blood pressure but also for many health issues.

#3: Learn an Instrument

A study in the Netherlands revealed that musicians have lower blood pressure than non-musicians due to the activation of somatosensory nerves (used to measure sensations, such as warmth or pressure, which are not confined to a single sensory organ).

As with animals, though, music is good in pretty much any way you can get it. If you don’t have the time, money, or talent to plan an instrument yourself, listening to a song—especially if it’s classical music—is a good substitute. Slow music is better for this purpose in general; studies noted that music played at fast tempos raises blood pressure, though for some reason the effect is less marked in musicians compared with non-musicians. For best effect, you can also pause the music from time to time, as this decreased the heart rate and blood pressure to levels even lower than at the beginning.

You may have noticed that the methods for reducing blood pressure discussed above have something in common: they make you feel good. Hormonal and neurological explanations have been found for the specific cases, but the implication is that anything which reduces stress is going to be good for you. So bask in the sunshine, listen to the music of birds or of your own making, enjoy the silky feel of your dog’s fur. Don’t feel that you need to limit yourself to the tactics in this article, either: experiment and find the things that help you relax and give you a sense of well-being. Savor a cup of hot tea or a piece of dark chocolate. Enjoy your life.

If you’d like another great read on health, I suggest checking out Daniel’s Diabetic Miracle article I’ve written for you. It relates to how modern food can be causing this disease and some simple tips to follow to ensure you fight diabetes from plaguing you.

About the AuthorAnthony Alayon

Anthony Alayon is a best selling fitness author who is a regular contributor to Natural Muscle Magazine. His work has been feature in Bodybuilding.about.com (New York Times Co.), Bliss Magazine, Bodybuilding.com, Labrada,com and many more. He studied accounting at the University of South Florida.

To learn more about him, check out his web site at www.HealthReporterDaily.com

You can follow Anthony via:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthreporterdaily/
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113655964608523248061
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthreporterdaily/

References:

  1. Allen, Karen, Barbara E. Shykoff, and Joseph L. Izzo Jr. (2001) Pet Ownership, but Not ACE Inhibitor Therapy, Blunts Home Blood Pressure Responses to Mental Stress. Hypertension. 2001; 38: 815-820
  2. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/
  3. https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/hypertension/

How Doing Yoga Can Help Burn Fat

Alright I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out. Yoga is all the rage these days…ironically enough, since the most frequently cited benefit is a tranquil, stress-free mind.

The range of near-miraculous health benefits touted by those who enjoy this hobby runs the gamut from stress relief and better sleep to increased flexibility and enhanced sexual performance.

It’s attractive because it requires very little in the way of special equipment or space.

The busy modern person has a lot of responsibilities—school, long hours at work, caring for a family—which brings up an important question: if your goal is to burn fat, would signing up for a yoga class be a good use of your limited time at the gym? The answer: perhaps more than you’d think.

Different Styles of Yoga are not Created Equal when it Comes to Burning Fat

There are several types of yoga, and while all are good for you, some are better than others for burning calories and fat.

A 150-pound person will burn a little less than 200 calories during an hour practicing hatha yoga, which is one of the more ‘gentle’ styles; a hatha yoga class is a great place to get some stretching done, as well as training basic postures and breathing techniques. However, the caloric expenditure is equivalent to spending an hour walking at a leisurely (2 mph) pace.

At the other end of the spectrum, vinyasa yoga is a much more athletic style, featuring fast transitions between poses in a style more like martial-arts kata. You’re sure to work up a sweat, burning 600 calories in an hour (again assuming a 150-pound person), which is equivalent to using the same amount of time running at a moderate (5 mph) pace. Any class with the word ‘power’ in the title is likely to be using the vinyasa style, and will be a good choice for burning off calories.

Bikram, or ‘hot yoga’ is performed with the temperature in the room cranked up as high as 105 degrees. The heat allows your muscles to be more supple sooner, and boosts the heart rate into the aerobic range faster, but the puddles of sweat you’ll be mopping off yourself and your mat can be misleading; this is probably not your best bet for burning fat. You won’t be able to exercise as vigorously, or for as long, in very high temperatures as you could in a more moderate environment.

An Exercise that Keeps on Giving

The fat-burning power of yoga extends beyond the energy expended during the class period, however. Postures make use of your own body weight to build muscle, and the increased muscle mass will increase the amount of fat you burn even at rest.

Many of the poses specifically target your core for a balanced workout involving the muscles you’ll need in your everyday life; in addition, better tone in your core muscles will give you a flat stomach and decrease fat deposition in the belly.

Yoga increases the amount of fat you burn in other, more subtle ways as well. Studies have documented a decrease in BMI in subjects who practiced yoga, in comparison with their counterparts who engaged in cardiovascular exercises such as aerobics.

Part of this is thought to be due to the hormonal changes which occur with stress relief and more sleep—cortisol (a hormone associated with stress and which can inhibit the breakdown of fat in some circumstances) and insulin (a hormone which influences blood sugar and fat deposition) are decreased. Cortisol levels have been linked to the amount of Neuropeptide Y, which increases the body’s number of fat cells, as well as the amount of energy stored as fat, so decreasing your stress hormones will do a lot more than just make you feel better.

Not Just for the Ladies

The first popularizers of yoga in the United States tended to be women, and despite the majority of practitioners in the practice’s native India being men, it has had the (erroneous) reputation in this country of being an activity largely for housewives. (For our female readers who want an amazing introduction to Yoga, Check out Yoga Burn, by Zoe Bray-Cotton. It’s a great course for men as well, but definitely geared towards the ladies.)

Women undoubtedly gain some important benefits from a regular yoga practice: in addition to better flexibility and weight control as discussed above, women who practice yoga on a regular basis report greater acceptance and connection to their bodies. Specific sequences have also been developed which help to ease the symptoms of PMS and menopause, and the yoga studio provides a strong sense of community.

Men obviously also appreciate the centering and fat-burning aspects of a yoga practice, but an area where this activity really stands out is the improved flexibility. After the teenage years, many men lose flexibility more quickly than women do, and this is compounded by bulking up and performing repetitive movements (e.g. bicep curls) over time.

Tight muscles contribute to back pain and increase your chances of suffering a sports-related injury which will leave you on the sidelines, so it’s easy to see how becoming more flexible will help you to be consistent with your other fat-burning activities.

Overall, if you’re just looking to burn as many calories as possible in the next hour, you’re probably better off cranking up the speed on a treadmill or going to a spin class. If you’re willing to take a bit more of a long-term approach, working yoga into your fitness regimen will enhance your other efforts to burn fat, making it very much worthwhile.

About the AuthorAnthony Alayon

Anthony Alayon is a best selling fitness author who is a regular contributor to Natural Muscle Magazine. His work has been feature in Bodybuilding.about.com (New York Times Co.), Bliss Magazine, Bodybuilding.com, Labrada,com and many more. He studied accounting at the University of South Florida.

To learn more about him, check out his web site at www.HealthReporterDaily.com

You can follow Anthony via:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthreporterdaily/
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113655964608523248061
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthReporterD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthreporterdaily/

References:

  1. Shinde N, Shinde KJ, Khatri SM, Hande D (2013) A Comparative Study of Yoga and Aerobic Exercises in Obesity and its Effect on Pulmonary Function. J Diabetes Metab 4:257. doi:10.4172/2155-6156.1000257
  2. Arlet V. Nedeltcheva, MD; Jennifer M. Kilkus, MS; Jacqueline Imperial, RN; Dale A. Schoeller, PhD; and Plamen D. Penev, MD, PhD (2010) Insufficient Sleep Undermines Dietary Efforts to Reduce Adiposity. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(7):435-441. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00006
  3. Health Status’ Calorie Calculator: https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
  4. 4. http://www.yogajournal.com/category/yoga-101/types-of-yoga/

7 Ways to Burn Fat Naturally & Build a Lean Body

Everyone wants a toned, lean body. For the most part, we also have an idea of what we could do to get such a fabulous physique: regular, strenuous exercise burns off fat just fine. The problem is that not everyone has the time or—let’s face it—interest to commit to spending hours at the gym on a regular basis. Luckily, there are a few tricks which will aid you in burning fat, and which will fit in your daily life; the effect of each is pretty small compared to a crazy workout, but they add up.

#1: Up Your Downtime

It seems counter intuitive that time spend just lying there could help with burning fat, but making sure you get enough sleep can have a big impact. First and most obviously, being well-rested will make you feel more energetic, which in turn will increase the amount of moving around you’re able and willing to do. You’ll be more likely to make it to the gym for that workout you planned.

Changes in your body chemistry account for a large proportion of sleep’s benefits. With regard to building a lean body, the chemicals of interest are the hormones cortisol, insulin, and ghrelin. Cortisol is a stress hormone which can inhibit the breakdown of fats; there’s also a connection between the level of cortisol and the amount of Neuropeptide Y, which governs how much fat is deposited on your body and increases the number of fat cells. Insulin is a hormone which influences your blood sugar as well as how much fat your body stores, and ghrelin—the ‘hunger hormone’—affects your metabolism in addition to acting as an appetite stimulant. The levels of all three of these hormones are decreased when you get enough sleep.

#2: Buy Organic

Organochlorines are a group of chemicals used in pesticides, the most famous example of which is DDT. While their use has largely stopped in the United States, they are still common in developing countries, so you’ll want to watch the country your produce was grown in; even fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. aren’t off the hook, as these compounds last a very long time in the environment…and in our bodies.

Just one of the problems with organochlorines is that they are stored in fat cells, and can interfere with your fat metabolism.

Some of the foods to avoid are listed yearly in the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen”—watch out for them, or save yourself some trouble and simply buy organic produce instead.

#3: Drink Green Tea

A hot mug of matcha green tea is delicious and energizing. Even better, it contains a group of antioxidants called catechins, which increase norepinephrine levels and are known to boost metabolism. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that a daily dose of green tea significantly decreased body weight, BMI, waist circumference, and the amount of subcutaneous fat.

#4: Plenty of Iron, Inside and Out

Muscle burns more fat than flab does, even when you’re not doing anything; strength training will help you to get the lean shape you want, and help you keep it after that. No need to worry about getting bored with a single routine, either—you can build your muscles with exercise machines and free weights, or through exercises such as yoga and Pilates, which use the weight of your own body to provide resistance.

In addition to ‘pumping iron,’ you’ll want to eat it. Your body needs oxygen to make energy, and for that it needs iron—specifically, it needs the hemoglobin to carry oxygen from your lungs throughout the rest of your body, and you can’t have hemoglobin without iron. Anemia can rob you of the energy to complete a workout, sap your general health, and harm your metabolism, making all of your fat-burning efforts less effective.

#5: Eat More Dairy

Calcium in your fat cells regulates how much you store and how much you break down. Dietary calcium has been found to preserve cells’ thermogenesis even during calorie restriction, all while helping to build strong bones.

#6: Divide and Conquer

The effectiveness of steady-state cardio workouts in burning fat has been seriously overstated in the past. Studies have since shown that interval training—short bursts of vigorous activity alternating with more relaxed exercise or rest—is much more effective.

Dividing a 20-minute workout into two 10-minute mini-workouts will also increase the effectiveness, and makes it easier to get it all in. It’s much easier to find ten minutes now and then than it is to try to set aside a half-hour or an hour all at once.

#7: Eat Like a…Cat?

Okay, so maybe mouse brains don’t sound all that good, and that’s perfectly fine; you’ll still benefit from eating smaller meals more often. Large meals mean large swings in blood sugar and a bigger variation in energy levels throughout the day. When the blood-sugar dip arrives after eating a meal, you’ll feel hungry and specifically crave sweet or fatty foods.

Making sure to include protein will help to stabilize your blood sugar even more, and will give your body what it needs to build muscle.

Bonus Tip: Drink Clean Water

It’s such a challenge to drink clean water daily. Sure you’ve heard that it’s good to drink 8 cups a day or .67 of your bodyweight in ounces daily. However, most of the water we drink is loaded with chemicals and contaminants. That’s why I feel it is super important to purify the water you drink as much as you can. A great way to do this is using turapur pitchers. It’s fast and easy to do.

So there you have it.

Sure, go to the gym when you can; more exercise is always good. If you want to get–and keep–a lean, toned body, be sure to incorporate as many of these other tips as possible into your life. Once you’ve formed them into habits, it will be easy to keep them up long-term, and will increase your overall well-being.

About the AuthorAnthony Alayon

Anthony Alayon is a best selling fitness author who is a regular contributor to Natural Muscle Magazine. His work has been feature in Bodybuilding.about.com (New York Times Co.), Bliss Magazine, Bodybuilding.com, Labrada,com and many more. He studied accounting at the University of South Florida.

To learn more about him, check out his web site at www.HealthReporterDaily.com

You can follow Anthony via:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthreporterdaily/
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113655964608523248061
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthReporterD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthreporterdaily/

References

1. https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php
2. Nagao T1, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y, Tokimitsu I. (2005) Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men.Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):122-9
3. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/sub-clinical-anemia
4. Shapses, Sue A, Stanley Heshka, and Steven B. Heymsfield. (2014) Effect of Calcium Supplementation on Weight and Fat Loss in Women
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Feb; 89(2): 632–637.

SorenessTypesCauses

Soreness is a normal part of the recovery process that starts once you finish your bodybuilding workouts.

There are several degrees of soreness that we need to be aware of:

1. Typical Mild Muscle Soreness:

The first type of soreness is the typical mild muscle soreness experienced the day after a good workout. While scientists are still unable to pinpoint the true cause of such soreness, it is generally accepted that it is caused by micro trauma caused at muscle fiber level and by an excess of lactic acid. At either rate, what’s important is the fact that this is good soreness as it is of a mild nature and muscle function is not impaired. It generally lasts a day for advanced athletes and up to 3 days for a beginner. This soreness is a good indicator that you had a good workout the day before as you created the trauma necessary to trigger adaptation (e.g. muscle growth). When you are no longer experiencing this type of soreness then that is an indication that your body has successfully adapted to the training program; something that leads to no gains unless the routine is changed once again.

2. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness:

The second type of soreness is delayed onset muscle soreness, better known as DOMS. The term DOMS refers to the deep muscular soreness usually experienced two days after the workout has been done (not the day after). This soreness prevents the full muscular contraction of the muscle. This type of more severe soreness is caused when you either embark an exercise program for the first time or when you train a body part much harder than usual. This pain can last between a couple of days for an advanced well-conditioned athlete or as much as a week for a beginner. If you are being affected by this type of soreness and it is time to workout again, I find that the best idea is not to take the day off, but instead to exercise the body part doing an Active Recovery routine. The Active Recovery Routine that I am referring to here is a routine where all of the loads are reduced by 50% and the sets are not taken to muscular failure. For example, if you are to perform an exercise for ten repetitions, divide the weight that you usually use for that exercise by two and that is the weight that you will use for that day. Also, stop executing the exercise even though you will not have reached muscular failure once you get to repetition number ten. The idea of this type of workout is to restore full movement in the muscle and to remove the lactic acid and other waste from it. Also, to force high concentrations of blood into the damaged area in order to bring the nutrients needed by the muscle for repair and growth. I have always found that doing this is always more beneficial as by the next day you will not be as sore or stiff anymore as opposed to skipping the workout in the name of recovery and waiting for the pain to subside in a week or so.

3. Injury-Type Muscle Soreness:

The third type of soreness is the one caused by injury. This soreness is entirely different in nature from the ones described above as it is usually immobilizing in nature and very sharp. Depending upon the nature of the injury, it may be experienced only when the muscle is moved in a certain way or constantly. Sometimes these injuries become apparent as soon as they happen. Other times the day after. If you become injured, the first thing that you should do is apply the RICE principle (Recovery, Ice, Compression and Elevation). After consulting a doctor, some injuries may allow you to continue training while working around the injury (in other words, finding the exercises that target the injured muscle without involving the range of motion that triggers the pain). Other more serious injuries, like a muscle tear, may involve complete rest of the injured area, and depending on the severity, it may require even surgery. Therefore, when you weight train, please leave the ego somewhere else. Do not bring it into the weight room as it may cause you to get injured and injuries not only can take you out of the gym for a while, but they always seem to haunt you long after you think that you have fully recovered. So needless to say, the best way to prevent this type of soreness is by cycling your exercise parameters and by constantly practicing good form.

There are a few techniques that one can use to manage muscle soreness from the first two types:

1. Ensure proper nutrition:

While this should be obvious, a lot of people miss the boat on this one. If you do not take the proper amount of carbohydrates (1-2 grams per pound of body weight depending on how fast your metabolism is), 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and 20% of your total calories from good fats, your body will not have all of the nutrients that it needs in order to recover and grow (regardless of what supplements you are taking).

2. Drink your water:

While this does not look fancy, muscle is over 66% water. Therefore it is of utmost importance that you drink your water. You need your body weight x 0.66 in ounces of water on a daily basis in order to function properly. So if you weigh 200-lbs then you need 132 ounces of water per day. Less water than that and you impair your ability to flush out toxins and thus your recovery will be adversely affected.

3. Periodize your training and keep training sessions to 60 minutes maximum:

If you train heavy all of the time, this will invariably lead to overtraining and even injury. The same is true if your volume is too high. Therefore, it is important that you periodize your workouts by manipulating the volume and how heavy you train. Alternate periods of higher volume and lower weights (10-15 reps) with periods of lower volume and heavier weights (6-8 reps). In addition, in order to maintain anabolic hormone levels high, refrain from training for longer than 60 minutes (45 minute sessions being even better). After 60 minutes testosterone levels go down while cortisol levels rise. As a result, training past the 60 minute mark leads to increased cortisol levels and thus impaired recovery. (Read more about Periodization or download my periodized 21-Day Routine below)

21-day-program

4. Do some cardio:

Believe it or not, three to four 30 minute sessions of cardiovascular exercise a week will actually help you speed up recovery since the extra oxygen and circulation helps to flush out toxins and lactic acid out of the system. So do not neglect your cardio.

5. Alternating hot/cold showers:

Alternating cold and hot showers (30 seconds of cold water followed by 1 minute of hot water) is a great method to help flush out toxins and lactic acid. The cold water creates vasoconstriction while the hot water creates vasodillation. You can use this simple method after a hard workout. Typically, I like to do 3-5 rounds of cold and hot.

6. Massage:

Massage can help with lymph movement (a fluid that helps to remove waste from body tissues), which combined with blood helps to supply oxygen and nutrients while helping to rid the body from wastes and toxins. While ideally, the higher the frequency of training, the more often one should get a massage, a massage performed once a month will do wonders for your overall recovery.

7. Enzyme supplementation:

store_sorenzyme_bigThere is an incredible amount of research that shows certain enzymes are not only good for digestion, but they are also good for anti-inflammation and recovery. I did not really believe this until I started using an enzymatic formula that has helped to reduce the soreness and inflammation that happens after the workouts with great results. The formula’s name is Sorenzymes, and it is composed of many enzymes that have healing properties and that reduce inflammation. At first, I really did not understand how enzymes can help to recover faster but Lee Labrada set me straight on this. Lee told me that this formula is composed of enzymes that work on a systemic level and address the issue of DOMS. He said: “One of the things that we have been finding from our research is that judicious use of enzymes can actually reduce the inflammation associated with DOMS, which increases recovery and therefore increase muscle growth – it can almost double it. It’s tremendous”. I must say that after I tried the formula, I was not disappointed and thus became a believer in enzyme supplementation. Just 4 capsules taken on an empty stomach after training do the trick for me.

8. L-Glutamine supplementation:

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in muscle cells. It is released from the muscle during times of stress (such as hard weight training workouts) and dieting. This amino acid not only has been shown to be a great anti-catabolic agent (protects the muscle from the catabolic activities of the hormone cortisol), to be a contributor to muscle cell volume, and to have immune system enhancing properties. For more information on glutamine please take a look at my article on Glutamine Basics.

9. Take Your EFA’s:

EFA supplementation has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties (amongst many other good properties). Take at least 14 grams per every 100-lbs of bodyweight. Good sources of EFAs are Fish Oils, Flax Seed Oil, and EFA Lean Gold.

10. Take your creatine:

Creatine has been shown over and over again to help improve not only in between set recovery but also recovery after a workout as well. Half a teaspoon (2.5 grams) before and after your workout will upgrade your recovery capabilities. For more information on creatine please take a look at my article on Creatine Basics.

11. Get enough sleep:

If you don’t get enough sleep your cortisol levels will go through the roof, recovery will be impaired, and your probability of getting injured and/or sick will increase. It is of utmost importance that one gets as much sleep as possible with 8 hours being optimal. For more information on the importance of sleep please take a look at my article on The Maladies Caused by Sleep Deprivation.

Now you have a few tricks up your sleeve in order to deal with soreness, start implementing these immediately so that you can go to the gym and train super hard!

Take care and train hard!

hugo_sign

 

 

 

About the Author

hugoHugo Rivera is an International best selling fitness author certified in personal training and nutrition with a computer engineering degree from the University of South Florida. Hugo is owner of www.hugorivera.net, an informational, free fitness and nutrition website. He is author of over 10 fitness books (with over a million copies sold) including his best sellers: Body Re-Engineering, The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, the Weight Training Diary, and the Hardgainers Handbook of Bodybuilding. Today via his website HugoRivera.net, numerous articles, book publications, TV and radio appearances Hugo continues to educate the public on how to achieve the body of their dreams via the use of weight training exercise, good nutrition and correct supplementation. You can follow Hugo via:

YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hugorivera.net
Google Plus: www.google.com/+HugoriveraNetnaturalbodybuilding
Twitter: www.twitter.com/hrfit
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hugoriverafitness
BodySpace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/hrfit/

plateaus

Bodybuilding plateaus is the biggest problem that male and female bodybuilders encounter.

Note: for me a bodybuilder is anyone who trains with weights and follows a diet in order to get a great physique.

While at first the gains of muscle mass come rather quickly, soon after you hit a plateau (a point where gains cease to come by). Sometimes it seems that no matter how hard you workout at the gym, the muscle mass just seems to remain the same. As a result, this causes frustration and leads most people to either give up, buy a whole bunch of supplements or even use anabolic steroids.

The good news is that this is the very reason I decided to write this report. I want to share with you a secret that I have found after years of trial and error of different training and nutrition strategies.

I have found that there is a way that you can accelerate your muscle mass gains and fat loss dramatically and prevent it from reaching the dreaded plateau. By applying this principle you will be able to fulfill your genetic potential as quickly as humanly possible.

Not only will bodybuilders double their results from each workout (and cut their supplement bill and training time dramatically), but they’ll also get to greatly accelerate results in terms of massive muscle gains, strength and fat loss.

But first a little bit about myself.

How I Got Started

My formal education background believe it or not is in Computer Engineering. I graduated from the University of South Florida back in 1998. So the question is: how did I end up from engineering to being a competitive bodybuilder and best selling fitness author?

Well, I actually used to be very overweight as I was growing up so at an early age I experienced the feelings of insecurity that come along with obesity as well as the scorn and ridicule from some people. Since I kept hearing that the reason for my weight problems was food and that I had to stop eating, I took the advice to heart being sick and tired of how I looked and felt.

So this resulted in me going anorexic at the age of 13 and losing a total of 70 pounds in less than a year. My family, very concerned about my health, took me to a nutritionist in an effort to put some sense in me and stop the anorexic cycle.

This nutritionist mentioned one thing that changed my outlook on dieting forever: “Eating food will not make you fat; only the abuse of the wrong sort of foods will.” After listening to that statement, it all seemed to make sense. I then began following the diet she gave me and started to study the effects of foods on the human physiology.

By the age of fifteen a girl that I really liked back then told me that I would look better if I had some muscle on me. She said that though I looked good, I was too skinny. Keep in mind that anorexia left me weighing a bit less than 100-lbs.

So I asked my mom to get me a muscle magazine, the May 1990 Muscle & Fitness (which I still have to this day) so that I could educate myself on the subject. After I saw an article called: “How To Get BIG” written by the one and only, Arnold Schwarzenegger, I was hooked! To me, Arnold just looked perfect so I chose him as the role model to follow. I also got inspired by the physiques of Lee Labrada, Shawn Ray, and Francis Benfatto who were competing extremely successfully back then. To me, all of these guys exemplified perfection, real works of art. They all ate 6 times a day and trained hard day in and day out.

So I simply started with following the training program and diet laid out by Arnold on his article. As I was so underweight and skinny at the time, even with Arnold’s training, which was pretty much overtraining, I still gained 40lbs during the summer. A proper six meal a day diet and regular training with me being very underweight really pushed on the muscle mass even if I did gain a little fat as well, but it was amazing to me and all my friends thought I was on steroids! Yet, I did not even have a clue of what steroids where at that time!

Come to think of it, I guess that I was on steroids due to the fact that I was a teenager back then producing tons of hormones (yes guys, if you are teenagers then you are on the most powerful stack of anabolic steroids; the one produced by your own body)! This, in conjunction with the fact that once I started to feed myself 6 times eating around 3,500-4,000 calories a day, made me grow beyond belief on a daily basis and I guess this is what got me really hooked and led me to become an avid natural bodybuilder.

After, gaining all that mass, I reached a plateau unfortunately; a sticking point I could not get past. As much as I loved Arnold I realized a natural bodybuilder like me could not keep up with the routines of professional bodybuilders who were taking drugs and so I took to reading countless books in my quest to find a perfect system.

The frustrating problem was that I started getting exposed to absolutely contradicting theories on how to best gain muscle and lose fat. Upset at the fact that no one could give me a straight answer I decided to take matters in my own hand and use myself as well as my training partner as guinea pigs in order to find out what worked. This was the first time I really knew that I was going to create my own system as I was going to test everything on myself, my training partner and friends in order to find out what worked and what didn’t so that I could then throw out the bad and keep the good.

I started my quest by recording everything I did down to the last detail. I’m quite analytical as a person, which is I guess why I became an engineer years later, but even early It showed as I read every book and article everywhere I could get my hands on. I was like a sponge for information, reading stuff from trainers from all over the world. I started to put together training routines and diet programs, and while some failed miserably some worked!

For instance, I will never forget what happened when I went from training 2-3 hours a day to training for 45 minutes. I went through a growth spurt again! So through endless training routines and diet combinations I started to really understand what worked and what didn’t for me and my training partners. I started finding principles and patterns of training that seemed to work on everyone I tried them on. Above all, the most exciting part of my discoveries was the fact that there was no necessity to stay all day at the gym in order to get results! Because I felt that not many people in the industry cared about trainees actually reaching their goals, I decided to create a web site and start conducting personal training during my college years in an effort to spread all of the knowledge that I had acquired.

Once I had dialed in the timing, frequency and the important details of training and nutrition cycling, that is when I created training routines that eliminated plateaus. It was at this point that I became passionate about sharing my knowledge with people as I fully understood I could help to double everyone’s results at the gym in half the time if they would employ my training and nutrition cycling principles.

Because I needed to put together a website in order to graduate from Engineering school (that was my Senior Project) that is how I started to post my first few fitness articles, and not much later became a best selling fitness author. Notice that it took me from the time I was 14 years old to after I graduated from college to learn all the secrets to muscle building and fat loss on my own. However, with this article, I am confident that I can save anyone from all the troubles that I went through.

Plateaus Don’t Need to Happen!

How many times have you heard that plateaus are inevitable? Well, it’s time to say goodbye to plateaus forever!

Typically, the people that make this statement are people who have been on the same routine for months to an end (or even years).

The thing to understand when it comes to plateaus is that they happen when:

1) Your training is not stimulating muscle growth because your body is absolutely used to it (thus, there is no stimulus to grow).

2) Your nutrition is off: meaning that you are not eating 5-6 times a day, and you are not consuming the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that your body requires in order to make great gains.

The key thing to understand is that the body is a living organism that will always adapt to any stress that you put it through. Thus, when people start to train, they make great gains at first since the body is not used at all to the stress of weight training. As a result, rapid changes in the body occur. However, as time goes by, the gains slow down and unless you do something about it, progress will come to a sudden stop.

I went through many frustrating years of this until I found out that if you change routines around, you make more gains. However, it was only when I found out that if you periodize your program in a logical manner (by alternating between periods of high volume/ high reps/ fast paced training with periods of lower volume/heavier weight/slower training) that makes use of the body’s own adaptation mechanisms you will make incredible “steroid like” gains.

In order for the body to respond optimally, it cannot be trained in the same manner all the time. The best way to make the body respond is through the correct variation of exercises, volume (number of sets times number of reps), intensity (how heavy the weight is), and rest periods between sets.

Workout parameters are going to be determined by the phase of the program you are in. There are going to be three phases that we will be repeating over and over again. The first week will be an “Active Recovery Phase”. In this phase you will only train with weights twice a week on a full body routine before you start the next phase which will be called the “Loading Phase”. The “Loading Phase”, which is three weeks in duration, is going to be a high volume phase with short rest between sets. Training volume gradually increases over the course of the three weeks in order to stress the body almost to the point of overtraining.

Then the next three weeks are going to be a higher intensity/lower volume phase (heavier weights) with longer periods of rest between sets. This phase is called the “Growth Phase”, as volume is reduced but weights are increased in order to let the body catch up and super compensate (grow muscle size and strength).

Here is a sample 21 Day Routine that you can use to get you started on your road to making some serious gains:

21-day-program

Download Your 21-Day Bodybuilding Program for FREE << Click to Download (You also get my FREE Top Supplements That Work Guide)

Now, as you get even more advanced, you can manipulate even more variables, such as the speed at which you perform the repetitions, the training splits used and you can also use advanced techniques such as drop sets, partial reps, forced repetitions, and even varying the speed in which you perform your repetitions in order to keep stimulating muscle gains.

Again, the trick is to always follow a program that takes your body to the brink of overtraining and then backs off a bit in order to allow your body to catch up, recover and grow at an accelerated rate. Of course, in order to make great gains your nutrition has to be top notch. Training without the right nutrition will not provide you the results you are looking for since you will be stimulating muscle growth BUT you will not have the raw materials to build it. It is no different than having tons of contractors ready to build a skyscraper but there is no cement for them to use. So because of that, you need to fuel yourself correctly.

Diet Is As Important As Training!

Nutrition is what gives us the raw materials for recuperation, energy, and growth. Without a good diet, your dreams of achieving your ideal body will never be reached. I cannot even begin to tell you how many trainees sabotage great gym efforts by not following the proper nutrition plan.

In order to gain solid muscle you need to be eating 5-6 small meals a day (at least a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner with protein shakes in between). You also need to take in
1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. Protein is what gives you the raw materials for building the tissues in the body (including muscle of course).

In terms of good fats, you need around 1-2 teaspoons of fish oils and/or flax seed oil three times a day (1 for ladies and 2 for guys). To be honest, I take as much as 1 tablespoon of Carlson fish oils 3x/day. You can also have a serving of nuts (if you are not allergic to them) or 1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil as well. The fact is that in order to gain muscle and lose fat properly you NEED good fats. Good fats provide you with the essential fatty acids that the body needs for brain function, energy production, joint tissue health, and hormonal production! If you eliminate fats from your diet completely, your muscle mass gains and fat loss will greatly suffer! So will brain function! Thus, you need good fats and these will make an incredible change in your health and appearance!

In terms of carbs, you do need good complex carbs for energy production. Slower metabolisms (on the average) can do 0.8-1 gram of carbs per lean body weight for 5 days
and 1.5 grams for 2 days. Hardgainers may need as much as 1.5-2 grams for 5 days and as much as 3 grams for 2 days.

(NOTE: For good sample diets check out the ones at the end of this article below.)

Sample Diets

Usually people associate the word diet with days of starvation and pain. However that is not the correct definition of a diet. The word diet refers to the food choices that we make on a daily basis. Even if you don’t think you that you are on a diet, guess what?! You already are following a diet. Whether you eat candy all day everyday, or oatmeal, that is your diet.

You Don’t Have to Starve When You Diet

A good bodybuilding diet needs to follow 3 rules:

1. It should favor smaller and frequent feedings throughout the day instead of smaller ones.

2. Every meal should have carbohydrates, protein and fat in the correct ratios: 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20 % good fats.

3. The calories should be cycled to prevent the metabolism from getting used to a certain caloric level.

While my article on Bodybuilding Nutrition Basics further elaborates on the reasons why the rules above need to be followed, in addition to a discussion on carbohydrates, proteins and fats, I’ll move now to present you with two examples of good bodybuilding diets.

Sample Bodybuilding Diet For Men

Meal 1 (7 AM)
1 cup of dry oats mixed with water
1 cup of egg beaters

Meal 2 (9 AM)
Meal replacement packet mixed with water or a protein powder (with around 40 grams of protein) mixed with 40 grams of carbs from cream of rice, grits, or oatmeal.

1 Tablespoon of Fish Oils (Carlson Fish Oil brand is best)

Meal 3 (12 Noon)
1 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or 1 cup of oatmeal
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Meal 4 (3 PM)
Same as Meal 2

Meal 5 (6 PM)
1 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or 1 cup of oatmeal
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Meal 6 (8 PM)
Same as Meal 2

Recommended Basic Bodybuilding Supplements For Men

(Essential to take)

Definitely make sure that you cover at least the basics of supplementation which are a Multiple Vitamin and Mineral formula, 3 grams of Vitamin C split in 3 equal servings throughout the day, 200mcg of Chromium Picolinate, and essential fatty acids coming from either fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil. Also, for convenience purposes a good meal replacement or protein powder is a great way to add valuable calories and nutrients to your diet.

Performance Enhancing Supplementation

(Recommended for hard training bodybuilders who want to get the most out of their program}

In addition to those basic supplements, I would also recommend Creatine and Glutamine as these two supplements offer many of the same properties as anabolic steroids (such as increased recovery, increased strength, increased glycogen levels, enhanced immune system and higher nitrogen synthesis) without the side effects as they are not hormones.

Download Your Top Supplements Guide for FREE << Click to Download (If you already downloaded the 21-day program above, you will also get this document as well)

Sample Bodybuilding Diet For Women

Meal 1 (7 AM)
1/2 cup of dry oats mixed with water
1/2 cup of egg beaters

Meal 2 (9 AM)
1/2 Meal replacement packet mixed with water or a protein powder (with around 20 grams of protein) mixed with 20 grams of carbs from cream of rice, grits, or oatmeal.
1/2 Tablespoon of Fish Oils (Carlson Fish Oil brand is best)

Meal 3 (12 Noon)
1/2 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or 1 cup of oatmeal
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Meal 4 (3 PM)
Same as Meal 2

Meal 5 (6 PM)
1/2 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or 1 cup of oatmeal
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Meal 6 (8 PM)
Same as Meal 2

Recommended Basic Bodybuilding Supplements For Women

(Essential to take)

Definitely make sure that you cover at least the basics of supplementation which are a Multiple Vitamin and Mineral formula, 3 grams of Vitamin C split in 3 equal servings throughout the day, 200mcg of Chromium Picolinate, and essential fatty acids coming from either fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil. Also, for convenience purposes a good meal replacement or protein powder is a great way to add valuable calories and nutrients to your diet.

Performance Enhancing Supplementation

(Recommended for hard training bodybuilders who want to get the most out of their program}

In addition to those basic supplements, I would also recommend Creatine and Glutamine as these two supplements offer many of the same properties as anabolic steroids (such as increased recovery, increased strength, increased glycogen levels, enhanced immune system and higher nitrogen synthesis) without the side effects as they are not hormones.

Download Your Top Supplements Guide for FREE << Click to Download (If you already downloaded the 21-day program above, you will also get this document as well)

Final Notes On Nutrition

You can experiment with various foods and also even substitute the protein shakes for real meals as well (though for most of you, protein shakes and meal replacements are more convenient). After 5 weeks of following this diet program, start adjusting your calories and cycling them as described in my Bodybuilding Nutrition Basics article.

Conclusion

Now you have a few tricks up your sleeve in order to add some pounds of solid muscle to your frame. Implement them and start to grow!!

Take care and train hard!

hugo_sign

 

 

 

About the Author

hugoHugo Rivera is an International best selling fitness author certified in personal training and nutrition with a computer engineering degree from the University of South Florida. Hugo is owner of www.hugorivera.net, an informational, free fitness and nutrition website. He is author of over 10 fitness books (with over a million copies sold) including his best sellers: Body Re-Engineering, The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, The Body Sculpting Bible for Women, the Weight Training Diary, and the Hardgainers Handbook of Bodybuilding. Today via his website HugoRivera.net, numerous articles, book publications, TV and radio appearances Hugo continues to educate the public on how to achieve the body of their dreams via the use of weight training exercise, good nutrition and correct supplementation. You can follow Hugo via:

YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/hugoriverafitness
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hugorivera.net
Google Plus: www.google.com/+HugoriveraNetnaturalbodybuilding
Twitter: www.twitter.com/hrfit
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hugoriverafitness
BodySpace: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/hrfit/

CIMG1556In this article I talk about Testosterone Level Ranges, what is considered normal, and possible ways to increase them.

What is Testosterone and Why Do We Need Healthy Testosterone Levels?

As most of you fellow bodybuilders know, testosterone is the male hormone responsible for the development of the male sex and reproduction organs; in addition to also promoting male characteristics such as a deep voice, facial hair, increased levels of muscle mass, aggressiveness, confidence, and supports a healthy sex drive. Men’s testicles produce this hormone in large quantities while female’s ovaries produce some of it in very small quantities.

Low levels of this hormone create metabolic issues that have immediate and long-term consequences for the person suffering from a deficiency.

Maladies Of Low Testosterone Levels

Needless to say low levels of testosterone can cause a male to first and foremost lose his sex drive. Also energy levels will plummet as well as muscle mass and strength.

Even if you are giving it all you got in the gym and following your diet, you may find that getting a good pump at the gym is hard, and also that gaining muscle is becoming a very hard task to accomplish. Worst of all, fat loss seems harder than ever as well.

If you suffer from low testosterone your mood may also take a dive and you may often feel depressed. In addition to the above, the following are also maladies of low testosterone levels:

*Increased insulin resistance (which makes it hard to lose body fat as insulin levels will increase in the body due to the fact that the cells are not accepting this hormone efficiently).

* Constant fatigue and reduced zest for life.

* Depression, bad moods and aggressive behavior (something that oddly enough has been mistakenly blamed on high testosterone levels for years).

* Reduced mental capacity and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Age For Testosterone Level Decline:

At what age does this decline start happening? The time at which this decline in levels begins is still much debated amongst experts but recent research seems to indicate that it can begin as early as 25-30 years old. My advice to you is that if your sex drive is low, then you should have your levels checked because this is the most common symptom of low testosterone. A simple blood work will show you what your testosterone levels look like. Typically, this is not a test that the Doctor orders when you get your physical so you need to request it from your Doctor when you get your next physical.

What are the Normal Values for Testosterone Levels?

Normal values of testosterone levels for males: normal range of total testosterone for men is between 300 – 1200 nanograms per deciliters (ng/dl). Normal ranges for free testosterone (the actual active testosterone that your body can use) are: 8.7 – 25 picograms per milliliters (pg/ml).

Normal values of testosterone levels for women: normal range of total testosterone for women is between 15 – 70 nanograms per deciliters (ng/dl). Normal ranges for free testosterone (the actual active testosterone that your body can use) are: 0.5 – 5 picograms per milliliters (pg/ml).

Needless to say the closer to the upper level you are in both ranges the better.

What to Do If Your Test Shows Low Testosterone Levels?

If you come up with low testosterone levels in your test results, I would first try to use some natural alternatives in order to see if these can help you to restore your levels. The efficacy of some of these supplements is still under debate by some of the experts in the field, but in my opinion, before considering hormonal replacement therapy, I would explore all over the counter alternatives.

Also, I would like to mention that by increasing your hormonal levels you may experience some acne and slightly increased aggression. Finally, if you have a propensity for male pattern baldness and/or an increased prostate you should monitor these things if you still decide to use some of these products.

Some natural testosterone boosters that I really like are (not in any particular order):

Natural Testosterone Booster #1: ZMA – Relatively inexpensive, ZMA provides nutritional insurance against a deficiency of Zinc, Magnesium and vitamin B-6. A deficiency of zinc alone can dramatically lower your testosterone levels, so I feel it is a good idea to first and foremost make sure that the low levels do not come from a nutritional deficiency.

ZMA consists of Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate, Magnesium Aspartate and vitamin B-6. This all-natural product has been clinically proven to significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscle strength in trained athletes. Hard training athletes typically deplete the body from these essential minerals.

Studies have shown that supplementing with 30mg of Zinc and 450mg of Magnesium per day can elevate testosterone levels up to 30%.

Note:
Due to the fact that ZMA consists of two minerals and a vitamin B, teenagers can safely use this product

How to Use: Take a serving of ZMA prior to going to sleep. There is no need to cycle off this product.

 

Natural Testosterone Booster #2: Labrada Nutrition’s HumanoGrowth – This testosterone booster is composed of 2 ingredients that help to increase testosterone, growth hormone levels, lower cortisol, improve mood and maximize recovery as well as protein synthesis (ability of the body to turn the protein you eat into muscle):

a) Humanofort – a patented standardized embryo extract from Europe that has been shown to boost testosterone and growth hormone levels while reducing cortisol. It is rich in various growth factors that are good for hormonal production and general health as well. It even helps to improve the quality of your sleep!

b) Lean Muscle Accelerator (LMA) – a purified plasma protein that improves protein efficiency by up to 31% and promotes a positive nitrogen balance by up to 20%. In simple terms, this all means that you convert more of the protein that you eat into muscle. In addition, this plasma protein also helps your body to burn more fat for fuel instead of muscle tissue during periods of dieting.

How to Use: Take 4 capsules of HumanoGrowth prior to sleep. There is no need to cycle off this product.

For more information on HumanoGrowth click here: HumanoGrowth Information Page.

Note: Great news! If interested in HumanoGrowth, be sure to use the discount code Lee15 as Lee is running a wonderful special this week.

LeeBirthdaySpecial2016_V3

At What Age Should I Start Using Testosterone Boosters?

Since testsoterone levels begin to decline at 25, that is the age I would recommend you start checking your testosterone levels and start considering some testosterone boosting supplementation. Teenagers, in my opinion, should stay away from any supplement that has an effect on hormonal levels as there is no need to upset a teens delicate hormonal balance. However, there is no harm in teens using ZMA as these are just minerals that prevent a deficiency. Besides, teenagers produce approximately the equivalent of a 300 mg shot of testosterone per week anyway so there is no need to attempt to increase the production of testosterone in a system that is already producing at peak levels.

Do I Need to Take All Testosterone Boosters To Get Results?

Not at all. While I would recommend you to consider stacking all products if your testosterone levels are really low, if money is an issue you can get some ZMA in order to ensure that your low testosterone is not caused by a deficiency of those minerals. Then you can use HumanoGrowth if you have extra money.

Testosterone Levels Testing

I suggest that you re-check your testosterone levels after 12 weeks of using your testosterone boosters, getting proper rest and following a proper bodybuilding training/nutrition program that maximizes your hormonal output and keeps your cortisol levels in check. If your levels remain unchanged then I suggest that you talk to a well qualified endocrinologist so that you can look at what the cause for the low levels is and analyze what your options are.

More Information About Testosterone Levels, How to Increase Them, and What Is Causing Them To Go Down

Here is an incredibly informative resource that I found which discusses the subject in more depth and also gives solid information on the many reasons (such as estrogens in the plastic bottles of the water that you drink from* and even shampoos!) that are causing us guys to have lower testosterone levels at an earlier age! You cannot afford to skip this!

==> 3-Hidden Ingredients That Are Killing Your T-Levels & The 24-Hour Testosterone Fix

3-hidden2

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Hi Folks! Hugo Rivera here and I just want to thank you for downloading the Body Re-Engineering 21 Day Program and the Top Supplements That Actually Work Guide. These materials are on their way to your Inbox as we speak and should arrive in the next 15 minutes.

 

books-on-their-way
 

In the meantime, while you wait….

 

I want to take this time to share with you some super valuable tactics which will prevent you from making mistakes that can put an immediate stop to massive muscle growth and dramatic fat loss from happening! 95% of the People Make These Mistakes if not more!

 

It is imperative that you DO NOT try any other workout program or diet without first finding out about these “secrets” that took me years to discover and I want to share with you right now. In addition, I want to make sure that you do not make the same mistakes that I made which ended up threatening my life. All of this, thanks to the fact that I had all the desire in the world to change my body but had no idea on how to go about it in the right way….and needless to say, all of the confusion and conflicting information out there did not help.

 

Why Do I Share All of This With You?

 

Because I am passionate about ensuring that no one else goes through the same things I went through in their quest to achieving their dream physique. I am fully convinced that is my mission in life.

 

With that said, I want you to know that regardless of what condition you are presently in YOU CAN achieve the body of your dreams. Do you think I was born like this? A lot of people when they meet me think that I have always been athletic all of my life, but this could not be farther from the truth.

 

Before Becoming An International Best Selling Author and Champion Bodybuilder…

 

In fact, before all of the natural bodybuilding titles, best selling fitness author accolades, numerous TV, radio appearances and seminars all over the world…

 

cover-image-2

 

I was a very sick young man back home in Puerto Rico where I was born…And it was this “sickness” that transformed my life and led me down the path to becoming the person I am today with a my mission to help another 1,000,000 men all over the world take back their lives, reclaim their health and radically alter their physiques with very specific principles that I discovered torch stubborn fat and build pounds over pounds of muscle naturally…

 

And the best part is that it doesn’t matter how old you are, how long you’ve been in the gym, or if you’ve tried every bodybuilding supplement under the sun…these principles work.

 

Now like I said a few seconds ago, before the thousands of transformations and millions of books sold, I was a very insecure 13-year-old teenager back home in Puerto Rico…

 

Why?

 

Well…

 

Because I was fat. I was more than fat actually, I was technically obese. I was a huge fan of junk food and over the years, my junk food addiction piled up on me. I hated exercise too! In fact, I hated it with a passion!

 

Hugo-Fat (I stopped taking pictures after this age as I was too insecure & I tripled in size!)

 

So what happened you may ask? Well….biology kicked in. I reached puberty and suddenly girls became a huge priority to me. In addition I started to be self conscious of the way that I looked and the way that others perceived me . And with this obesity of course came the scorn and ridicule of classmates and even some close personal friends.

 

Being a teenager is a tough time for any young guy, but if you’re over-weight or obese like I was, plus the top grade in the class as well, it could be like living in hell.

 

Everyday, going to school, knowing you have to face the insults, the taunting and the pain of being made fun of in front of the whole class. It was pure torture 5 days a week. So for me, summer vacation was a relief of sorts.

 

That’s the time I could escape the ridicule and the constant teasing and just be myself without having to watch my back.

 

The Moment That Changed My Life

 

However, it was in the Summer of 1988 that the situation reached its climax. To make a very long story short, my parents used to go to a Summer Resort each year. That same year there was a party going on that Saturday night. So Friday night, a girl that I liked was laying down on a beach chair with two of her girl friends (one at each of her side). Just imagine the picture. So after gathering all the strength I had in me, I had a wonderful friend of mine who was girl magnet distract the other two while I asked out the one I was interested in. By the way, my friend, who was only 14 at the time, looked as if he was 21 and was as muscular as they get. 210 lbs ripped in a 6’1” frame. No steroids either. Just a freak of nature.

 

So anyways, I go to the girl and say: “Hey so there is a party tomorrow at the event’s hall….Do you have anyone to go to the party tomorrow with yet?” Her answer was no. Which was great for me….so I thought. And I then naturally, here comes the punch line… “Well, would you like to go to the party with me tomorrow?” And all I can say is that her answer to my question…forever changed the course of my entire life…

(And for that, I do thank her)

 

She immediately snapped back and said…

“I don’t go out with fat little pigs like you. And on top of that, you look like a ten year old!”

OUCH!!!! Needless to say, my whole world came tumbling down in that one moment.

 

Her response crushed me. It felt like I had been stabbed in the gut! I think I said something along the lines of: “I’m sorry I asked…” And just got up and went to my room…and stayed there. That one blow knocked out any confidence I had in trying again…

 

I wanted to just stay in my room and wallow in self pity…Until I swear a feeling of anger began slowly building up inside me, deep within my belly… I don’t know what it was, or where it came from…

 

But I became tired of feeling like a punching bag even though I never did anything wrong…

 

I was tired of having zero self-confidence…Tired of being made of fun and teased at school…And definitely tired of walking around with my head down…

 

As a feeling of embarrassment and shame crept over my entire body… I felt like I committed a crime… That I did something horribly wrong…

 

At this time I vowed that by this same time next year I will be as lean as they get! I took a good, hard earned look in the mirror and made a promise to myself to lose weight and change my life…

 

So, when I came back downstairs to eat dinner with my parents, they were shocked when I did not have a soda and dessert along with my meal. Just eliminating all of the junk food that week killed 10-lbs! It is at this point that I flipped the switch.

 

Successful Weight Loss….But At What Cost?

 

But it still wasn’t all roses and butterflies right away…In fact, it got worse because although I did end up losing 70 pounds in the span of a year…I did it in the worst way possible…I became anorexic and lost any and all muscle that my body naturally had.…And to make matters even worse, I looked Skinny fat!

hugo-starting-to-recover-from-anorexia

 

I starved myself close to death…I was so skinny I could hardly carry my heavy book bag. I knew I was in trouble one day when I tested my strength with a 10-lb dumbbell that I found laying around the house and I could barely curl it once! In addition, now everyone teased me because I was too skinny. Other people asked me if I was sick or what. I certainly could not defend myself from the school bullies either.

 

It became so bad that I almost ended up having to live in the hospital and be given a feeding tube just to get the life-sustaining nutrients my body desperately needed to function and survive because my stomach became so compromised that solid food just wasn’t an option right away.

 

And that’s when my parents and grandparents (my Gradfather was a surgeon) forced me to go to a nutritionist. The nutritionist who was working with me said something that stuck with me still to this day…

 

The Statement That Changed My Outlook On Food

 

She said “Eating food will not make you fat. Only abusing the quantities of bad food will…”

 

And right then and there, I don’t know what it was…But I decided to kick this anorexia thing and get healthy….It was like a switch just flipped inside of my mind…I went on a quest to get in shape and do it the right way…

 

Enter Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

I asked my mom to please get me some literature about lifting weights. Remember, the internet didn’t exist back then. So she got me the May 1990 copy of Muscle and Fitness that had a super feature on How to Get Big written by the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger. And that is when I discovered bodybuilding…

 

arnold

 

To me Arnold represented physical perfection! He looked good from every angle. I figured if I could just look like Arnold, everything would work out. Plus, he had the charisma and confidence to back it up, which was something I desperately wanted and needed. I even forced my mom to take me to the video store so I could rent his famous movie Pumping Iron. Heck, I still watch that movie at least twice a year as now I own it on DVD.

 

Bodybuilding became my saving grace. I dove in deep and read everything I could get my hands on to transform my once pudgy body into rock hard, chiseled granite…

 

Thanks to my teenage hormones and the fact that my body was so starved for nutrients, once I started to feed myself while following Arnold’s routines, I started to blow up. Now, going from 0-60 in terms of exercise created many problems. I was excessively sore, could hardly move, injured my tendons a few times (but still worked through the pain), and did I mention I could hardly move? One word defined my life: PAIN!

 

Determination made me push through. Looking back, and knowing what I now know, I do not recommend this to any natural guy and definitely not for someone starting out…No wonder most people give up on exercise. There is no need whatsoever to go through this. But hey, I did not know any better and I totally disregarded the fact that the Arnold Routine was designed for people with at least 1-2 years of experience.

 

Regardless of the excessive pain which at times even affected my ability to sleep, I was still dead set on achieving the body of dreams.

 

mad-scientistI became a mad scientist…ESPECIALLY when I hit my first plateau, something that everyone WILL encounter when the training and diet are not set up properly.

 

I tried every single champion routine and noticed that I would only get marginal results. I then turned to supplements and harassed my parents to buy them for me. Bless their heart as they always supported me with my at times seemingly crazy endeavor. I tried all protein powders, all sorts of pills I could find at the nutrition store and yet, little results. To add insult to injury, that is when some people at the gym started to recommend me to try steroids.

 

I Decided To Trust Myself!

 

Frustrated and broke, I decided to stop reading champion routines, stop listening to the gym people and stop buying supplements. Instead, I concentrated all my efforts into finding the answers myself by using something that I knew very well thanks to school: the scientific method.

 

Hugo after morning walk

Hugo after morning walk

Determined to find the answers, I began by creating a routine and a diet, following it for six weeks at a time and carefully writing down the results on a daily basis, with data including weight gained, fat lost, strength gained and so forth.

I repeated this process over and over again. Some of my experiments failed miserably (like when I tried a super high volume routine with a 6000 calorie diet and hours of aerobics). That was a catastrophe. But other experiments were extremely successful!

 

After years of much trial and error, along with way too much frustration, disappointment and money spent on supplements, books, videos, I finally started to see programs that worked and patterns of training that delivered me the rapid results I was after. I was able then to replicate these patterns over and over again with great success!

 

Since during engineering school, I worked at a top nutrition store. People constantly asked me at work and at school what I did to be in shape. That is when I started to write programs for others and much to my surprise at the time, everyone was making huge gains!

 

When the Internet came about I created my website so that I could reach as many people as possible. In fact, this was my Senior Engineering project. At the time, most people did not have a site so it was a big deal to be able to create one. Credit to my little brother for helping to teach me that as at the time, there was not even a course in University on the subject. My brother however is a computer genius and even though he was still in high school, he taught me HTML.

 

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, I was able to start using everything I had gathered over the years that I knew worked on my body and help people all over the world…I became passionate about making sure that others did not have to go through the same thing that I did. And with that passion that is how I got the body of my dreams, got my career started, achieved best seller status and won bodybuilding championships. That is also how I transformed thousands of bodies all over the world via personal training, online training and various seminars.

 

Like Curtis Helm who writes:

 

curtis

“Hi Hugo, I just wanted to give you a little feedback on how your natural bodybuilding exercise/nutrition program has helped me. I started following your program in late Febuary and have lost approximately 30 pounds and added some significant size. My body fat percentage is now around 12.5%. I have a couple of recent photos that I took as part of a 30-day rapid-results fitness competition.”

 

Ryan Kav who says:

 

ryan-kav

“I trained with weights for around 2 years but even though I put on muscle and strength (every one does when they first start) my diet and training were very poor and I stopped putting on any muscle or strength for over a year. I knew I had the determination but I just needed the right guidance and knowledge so at age 18, I came across Hugo’s system and little did I know this was about to change not just my bodybuilding but life forever!”

 

“After going through the whole system I started to use it and I had amazing results! After my first bulk cycle I got to 15 and half stone and put on a lot of muscle and strength (by the way, this is all natural), which was amazing! I am now aged 20 and weigh a lean 14 stone (around 8 percent body fat) and the knowledge and advice Hugo has given me over the years through his Body Re-Engineering membership site will not be forgotten. I am so grateful!”

 

Samuel Santos who states:

 

samuel-santos

 

“This system just blows everything else away! I gained over 25 lbs of Rock Solid Muscle and lost over 35 lbs of fat. In addition, these are permanent results and I just keep getting better and better. Nothing can compare to this and I can tell you that I’ve tried just about everything else out there. Regards, Samuel Santos.”

 

Larry Dann who wrote in:

 

larry

“As far as motivation goes, initially I wanted to get in shape in order to defeat the diabetes and get off of the meds. My doctor explained that it was possible but that most people usually have to take them (the meds) the rest of their lives so not to worry about it too much and try to lose a little weight if you can. It was that possibility that gave me the desire to lose the weight and get off of the meds and get healthy. I really had a wake up call so to speak. Now my desire is to get cut and bigger by next summer when my oldest daughter is getting married. It might take another year, or even two, but I am determined.

I see some of these ads on TV about getting so amazingly in shape and cut in 90 days. I don’t think that is possible for most people and the slow and steady approach has been just fine for me. Now I see such small differences on just a weekly basis as I feel a different muscle start to kick in. It is really cool when that happens. Changing my routines in the way Body Re-Engineering teaches and seeing different muscles start to grow and the shape of my body change for the good is amazing and I can never wait to see what the next phase brings! About a six months ago I was actually asked if I was a body builder at a local diner that my wife and I go to. I burst out in laughter. My answer was no, but I did admit to working out.

However, it did make me feel good. I have run into several people I know in the past year who simply did not recognize me and were shocked to see the transformation. They all ask how I did it and I tell them, very simply- diet and exercise. Most people say that they just could not do that. Then I ask, “Why not.” Most folks say they don’t have the time. I tell them they just have to make the time and decide what is more important to them. I always tell them your formula for success => Success = Determination X (Training+Nutrition+Rest).

My sister was so impressed with my success and wanted to do the same thing. So I have shared this with my sister who was also an obese person and she has lost 80 lbs. She wore like a size 26 and now wears a size 12. She is so much happier also. Now we challenge each other all the time and have become even closer. We actually went jogging together on our family vacation this year. I guarantee you that has never happened before!

Probably one the best things about using your system is the level of confidence that I now have. I am more confident in my personal life, my professional life, and my kids lives. I notice that people look at me differently. They don’t see the big fat guy any more. My friends and co-workers talk to me and treat me differently somehow. There is a certain level of respect that I now experience that I did not have in the past, even from my boss. I am not sure exactly how to explain it, but it is there. AND I LIKE IT! Hugo, thanks for all of your wisdom. Talk to you soon.”

 

And last yet certainly not least, Ron Graves who said:

 

ron

“Hugo’s first order of business was to teach me that weight loss is a physical and mental game. I needed to believe that it was possible, because otherwise, well, it just was not going to accomplish anything. He never accepted less than 100 percent, and he pushed me to do things I would never have done on my own.”

 

“Hugo saw the potential in me and wanted me to see it as well. We focused on setting goals and using a journal to keep myself accountable. Size, more than a target weight, was the most important thing to me.”

 

“When I went down a size, I would buy myself an item of clothing I had my eye on — clothes were my goals! I had to really work to get an article of clothing, but it was worth it. Within a few weeks, I’d replaced my usual food rewards with something even better — a new and improved me.”

 

“I had lost 45 pounds since last year. I took everything I learned from Hugo and kept the weight off. He taught me to love myself and put myself first. It’s not always easy, but I’ve realized that I’m worth all of the hard work.”

 

These are just a few of the amazing transformation stories I receive on a daily basis…

 

However, you’re not here for that today…

 

You’re here because you want to discover some muscle building and fat loss secrets. So without further ado, let’s just jump right into the 6 secrets that I feel will have a dramatic effect in your ability to make gains…

 

6 Bodybuilding Secrets to Dramatic Muscle Growth and Fat Loss

 

Secret #1: The key to incredible muscle mass and optimal fat loss is the cycling principle.

 

This principle needs to be used in both the nutrition and the workout elements of the bodybuilding program.

 

SH-1STTTMM-Manual-Final1A big problem encountered by bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts is the fact that they plateau (stop making gains) after a few weeks of using a specific bodybuilding program. The way to do fix that is to make use of the cycling principle, which is the principle that forms the basis of my successful Body Re-Engineering program.

The routines of my Body Re-Engineering program change in an orderly manner that takes the body to the brink of overtraining and then allows it to recover, and thus, overcompensate (grow) in response to the stress. These changes are what the cycling principle is all about.

The Cycling Principle is the key to consistent and rapid increases in muscle mass and strength for the bodybuilder. This principle states that in order for the body to respond optimally, it cannot be trained in the same manner all the time and that the best way to make the body respond is through the correct variation of exercises, volume (number of sets times number of reps), intensity (how heavy the weight is), and rest periods between sets.

Workouts need to be cycled in such a way that through the use of the right exercises and the manipulation of training volume, intensity, and rest in between sets, you create a unique metabolic situation whereby the body has to over compensate in order to adapt to the unique training phases. As a result, muscle mass gains and fat loss are accelerated dramatically. With the 21-Day Workout, you will start to get a taste of how well these principles work.

 

Secret #2: Training needs to be kept short.

 

I would say that the best way to stimulate gains for most people is by training 1 hour, once a day, with 45 minutes being better for most. Depending on the unique recovery capabilities of the person, 4-6 days a week of weight training will do the job. Remember that muscle growth occurs as you rest and not while you are training. Also, after 60 minutes of training the levels of the catabolic hormone cortisol increases and testosterone decreases, a hormonal situation that will prevent you from making any gains. My philosophy when it comes to time spent at the gym is to get in, do your job well, and get out. These days even most of the top pro bodybuilders refrain from spending much more than 1 hour at the gym.

 

Secret #3: The diet program needs to be cycled as well and individualized to suit your body type.

 

Cycle calories, carbohydrates, and even protein to trick the body into releasing body fat while pushing nutrients into the muscle cell in order to increase size and strength. The diet also has to be based on your individual metabolism and what your fitness goals are. For example, most people have a normal metabolism, so therefore they need less carbohydrate calories than a hardgainer (a naturally skinny person) who needs much more calories in the form of carbs and fats. I recommend between 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of approximate lean body mass. For fats I recommend .33 grams of fat per pound of approximate lean body mass. For carbs, if you have a slower metabolism, you will need to start with 1 gram of carbs per pound of lean body mass. If you have a faster metabolism, the carbs may need to be as high as 2 to even 3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight. The key to gaining muscle while losing fat is to feed yourself the right amount of nutrients so that your muscles are fed while your fat stores are burned.

 

body-types

 

Secret #4: In order to continue to lose fat, you need to eat more.

 

Sounds counter intuitive, I know. However, for every pound of muscle you gain, your body requires 50 extra calories in order to feed it! Now, you may say, is just 50 calories. However, when you gain 10 lbs of muscle, now we are talking about a 500 calorie increase per day! So if you were losing fat at 2,000 calories, you may need to go up to 2,500. Some of the guys that have worked with me and have started obese (needing to lose over 200-lbs) will end up eating way more than at the beginning of the program. This is one of the reasons most dieters fail. They do not account for muscle gain, and thus, keep decreasing calories over time. When this is the case, the body gets into an emergency mode and starts to preserve fat while burning muscle for energy. As a result, your metabolism goes down and fat loss comes to a standstill!

 

Secret #5: Beware of Supplements:

 

You really need to know what’s happening in the supplement world this moment. Basically, the FDA is starting to crack down on a lot of the popular companies that grace the pages of Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness and numerous other publications…

Recent tests have discovered that most of the popular supplement manufactures are spiking their products with dangerous drugs. And in some cases, falsely advertising the amount of active ingredients contained inside each bottle or pill.

For example, here’s just a snap shot in the past few years of some companies that had lawsuits filed against them for falsely advertising the amount of protein per serving that they state on their labels.

 

supps

 

It’s called “Amino Spiking” and that is what companies have been doing to cut down cost and maximize profit.

What does Amino Spiking consist of? What it does is that it reduces the amount of whole protein per scoop that’s being advertised and replacing the contents with a cheap amino acid like glycine or taurine. This is a loophole within the law because a company can technically say 25 grams of protein per scoop when it’s really only 10-15 grams of complete proteins that you are getting as the rest of the grams are made up of a cheap amino acid that costs a few pennies per gram.

 

It’s truly a sad state of the industry and I hope that companies that do this get put out of commission.

 

This may be a big reason why your results might be moving at a snails pace…Because think about it. If you’re consuming a post workout nutrition shake that does not have the proper amount of ingredients needed for optimal recovery in between your workouts, what do you think will happen to your gains?

 

So please just be cautious and perform your research before buying another tub of protein powder, which is the reason why I sent you my list of top supplements that work with brands that will actually give you what you are paying for.

 

Secret #6: Too much cardio kills the metabolism!

 

Again, many people feel that the way to lose weight is by doing tons of cardio. In fact, if I would get a dollar for every time I get someone asking me if it is best to just do cardio at first in order to lose weight and hit the weight training later, I would make millions every year. Here is the deal. I am not anti cardio but I am anti excessive cardio. Too much cardio will burn muscle which in turn will lower your metabolic rate and prevent fat loss. These days, I do very little cardio and instead I focus my training and the training of my clients on fast paced weight training. Gaining muscle is the key to successful and permanent fat loss. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. It is really that simple!

 

Now, if you are still listening to me, that tells me that you are the type of guy who wants to make a change and I totally take my hat off to you for doing so. I remember being in your shoes and wanting to make a change but not having a clue on how to go about it. That is why I want to be here and guide every one that wants to change their physique to whatever dream physique that may be. For some people that may be just a 10-lb fat loss with a concurrent 10-lb increase in muscle mass. For others, it may be to gain 50-lbs of muscle while keeping body fat the same. For others it may be a 200-lb loss of fat with a concurrent increase in muscle. Everybody has different goals, but the good news is that with the right program these goals can be easily achieved with as little as 3 weight training sessions a week! And on top of that, assuming that you only have around 24-30-lbs of fat to lose, with 12 weeks of laser focused effort you can achieve a dream physique!

 

Like I said at the beginning, I am passionate about helping others achieve their goals and every time I can save someone all of the troubles that I went through that makes my day. It makes my day even more once I see the positive changes that my programs have on people’s physiques and more importantly in those around them; including the immediate family and friends! The increased confidence that comes with looking good and feeling good causes positive changes that ripple through people’s lives enhancing their relationships, careers, and health. The quality of life that is experienced by people who feel good and look good is unreal and second to none. I personally would not change it even for all of the money in the world!

 

Like I’ve stated before, I’ve worked with thousands of men and women in person and online…It’s one of my loves second only of course to the love of my beautiful wife Cecile, the love for my son and the love I feel for bodybuilding.

 

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It gives me the greatest joy helping people become the best they can be in mind, body and spirit…

 

I Want To Make Sure Everyone Realizes Their Potential Inside And Out!

 

So I’ve decided to do something that I’ve never done before…And that’s to re-open my online, private coaching program but with a ton of enhancements!

 

In the past I only would open the doors 2-3 times per year because most guys ended up staying way longer than 6 months so free spots would rarely be available. But I got talking to a good friend of mine and one of the FEW, well respected figures in the bodybuilding world, who said I was doing the world a disservice by keeping this elite coaching program closed for most of the year.

 

Which got me thinking…How can I open the doors and present this opportunity to the masses while giving everyone the individual attention they needed? So after a few months of going back and forth with ideas…I decided to bring on board 3 powerful individuals who will be helping with this process. These individuals make up my personal support group and now they will be available to you as well!

 

You’ll have access to myself of course…

 

Best Selling Fitness Author

Hugo Rivera

But you will also have access to my wife Cecile who is a registered nurse, international fitness model/author and natural female bodybuilding champion. By combining her nursing knowledge with her fitness knowledge she has some tricks up her sleeve that will blow your mind! Not because she is my wife…but you will be surprised to know that the last 5 pounds of muscle I have gained, are thanks to ME implementing her tricks. Her specialty is troubleshooting programs and finding the best customization for the person. She also is an expert at spotting self limiting beliefs and taking them out from people’s mental programming.

 

Cecile Bayeul Rivera

Cecile Bayeul Rivera

 

I also have with me Anthony Alayon… Former Teen Bodybuilder Of The Week on Bodybuilding.com and champion bodybuilder as well. Anthony is a best selling author, speaker and fitness coach whose passion is to not only help guys get in shape……but healthy as well. He is also a world expert in food ingredients and he will expose all the nasty additives that are sabotaging your results and lowering testosterone levels! Since I moved to France and started to eliminate these ingredients from my diet, my health and physique have improved dramatically! It is Anthony then who did the hardcore research and found how terrible these ingredients are to your health.

 

Anthony Alayon

Anthony Alayon

 

It’s not only important to look your best. You also need to feel your best inside and out…That’s Anthony’s motto…

 

And last but definitely not least…

 

James Villepigue, co-author of my NY Times best selling book The Body Sculpting Bible which has gone on to sell more than 2 million copies worldwide… However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg…Amongst other things…He is an expert investor and has worked alongside celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jimmy is a master in re-aligning your mind and programming it with intentions & habits that leads to success. He’s always been ahead of his time and I use his clever mind-strengthening techniques not only to achieve a better mind-to-muscle connection during my workouts but also to get ahead in many other aspects of my life!

 

James Villepigue

James Villepigue

 

Together, all 4 of us have joined forces to bring you the greatest physique transformation-coaching group you will ever come across!

 

I wanted all of you to be able to have access to my personal support group…So that with all of our support, your success is guaranteed provided you follow through!

 

With that being said…

 

Here is what the VIP coaching program that we called The Body Sculpting Base Camp is all about…

 

Body Sculpting Base Camp

 

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You’ll be getting direct access to myself and the entire team……which includes monthly coaching calls and bi-weekly videos. Plus, private access to a secretive group by invitation only once you decide to join… Inside this private group, you’ll be surrounded by individuals just like yourself eager to build muscle, burn fat and transform their physiques…

 

Regardless of what your starting point looks like…we guarantee that we can take you wherever you want to go. This is pivotal and something very important to your long term gains and success… Accountability is key and without this group, your results would be suboptimal at best…A lot of the guys become friends and end up scheduling hangouts throughout the country and the rest of the world.

 

It’s a great and diverse group of guys and I feel honored and lucky to be part of it. Plus, you’ll have direct access to myself in there as well as my 3 other world class celebrity trainers with any questions you have…

 

We have over 60 years of combined experience and we’re always there helping you out along the way.

 

How does this work? Well, when you decide to sign up, you’ll receive a welcome email with a questionnaire to make sure you get started on the right track.

 

From there you’ll receive your private access links for the coaching program, workouts, private group and schedule for the special calls. I’ve made it very easy for you to sign up and get started right away because results love speed and I wanted you to start as soon as possible!

 

In addition, you get:

 

* A new fully periodized 4 week workout

every 4 weeks designed to help you gain muscle while losing fat in record time. Oh, and as a bonus, you will gain massive strength! These workouts are designed in such a way that plateaus will be a thing of the past!

 

* Exclusive articles

on goal setting, motivation, training, nutrition, supplementation and more.

 

*Our personal diet software which will make dieting a simple process to follow and takes all the guesswork out.

Never wonder anymore how much of a specific food you need as this powerful software will give you the knowledge and exact foods to eat right in order to gain muscle while losing fat at the same time.

 

* Exclusive videos

that will motivate and educate.

 

* Exercise execution videos

 

* Access to Our Toxic Foods Database

(these are specific foods that you need to ELIMINATE from your life if you are looking to get fast results). Plus, if you are looking for the fountain of youth, eating toxic free foods is the key! In fact, most people do not believe my age when I tell them. I will tell you what…

 

These foods in my opinion, and in the opinion of numerous experts, are the reason for the skyrocketing obesity in America as well as the increased levels of diabetes, cancer and other debilitating/fatal diseases…

 

Now that’s a lot, however we’re still not done…

 

You’ll also have access to:

 

* Our Exclusive private group.

 

* Coaching calls.

 

And…

 

* 24/7 Support from our Team

 

I want you to have a permanent and long lasting transformation not only of your physique but of your life as well!

 

This is not a quick fix program and we are looking for highly motivated people who are looking to put in 100%% effort.

 

Now with that being said…you are probably asking: How Much?

 

The cost for the Body Sculpting Base Camp coaching program will not be as much as you might believe…

 

In fact, we made this version of our coaching program super affordable so that EVERYONE could benefit.

 

Now, before I disclose the price I want you to consider the following:

 

Cost Of Personal Training With A Regular Trainer

 

If you were to get a regular trainer who just got his certification at say $75 a session for two sessions a week, you are looking at:

 

$600 at the end of the month….

 

If you wanted a top trainer, then you are looking at $175 to as much as $500+ per session. At two sessions a week, that comes out to:

 

$1,400-$4,000 a month!

 

Unfortunately, this would not include a diet plan…

 

(as most trainers do not dispense nutritional advice)

 

Nor any of the extra knowledge that we are going to share throughout this journey together.

 

(Note: Without a diet your chances of achieving the results you are looking for are slim and next to none unless you have crazy genetics)

 

Thus, all of this money will not guarantee you will get results…

 

In addition, you will not have access to the collective experience of over 60 years of combined experience…

 

…that Cecile, Anthony, James and I have.

 

Some of the content that we will share will blow you away, I promise!

 

Expect the unexpected….

 

To hire all four of us, even if we gave you a super special package deal of $1,000 for a session that includes all of us, at 2 times per week you are looking at $2,000 per week which comes out to:

 

$8,000 a month!

 

Our goal is to change lives by using the power of duplication, meaning that Coaches Anthony, James and Cecile will each contribute their work, time and uniqueness to the program.

 

Because of the fact that we share the work, we have already experienced success and all of us are now more interested than anything in changing as many lives as we can in the next year, we are happy to offer this program at a huge discount to you. Thus, you will not get this for thousands of dollars per month, nor for $700 or even $400 (which is already below what 8 sessions per month from a regular, just getting started trainer would cost.)

 

You Can’t Miss Out On This Opportunity!

 

Instead, just for a very limited time, you will get this for the tiny price of $97 per month which is basically a bit over what the regular cost for 1 training session with a regular trainer costs. In fact, 2 big tubs of high quality protein will cost this!

 

If you chose to stay with us for a second year (yes I have people that have stayed with me for 4 years+) we will cut the price of year 2 & any year after down to $47.

 

Now, if you are super serious about results, I strongly recommend you do the following instead (and I will be sure to reward you if you take a leap of faith):

 

For the absolute best results and guaranteed success…

 

I recommend you make a 1 year commitment to the program right off the bat…

 

Why 1 year?

 

Because my experience doing coaching shows that those who commit for that length of time are the ones that achieve permanent results…

 

Many times a client who only commits for 8-12 weeks goes back to old habits right after. They achieve success, leave the program and slowly but surely start getting back to bad habits.

 

I want you to experience 100% permanent success. Temporary success does not excite me!

 

So what is the reward for signing up for the full year right now?

 

If You Choose This Option I Am Prepared To Give You Close To A 60% Discount Which Comes Up To A 1 Time Payment of $497 For The Whole Year!

 

(As compared to $1164 for the year if you elect the $97 a month option)

 

This comes out to only $41 a month which is a total steal! Plus….

 

If you commit fully for one year…I will personally create your own custom diet plan (valued at $300) so that you can get started on the fast track to success!

 

join-now

 

I can’t stand tire kickers so the cost to join weeds out most of those types…

 

But I knew I needed to make this affordable to anyone who was serious about their results and wanted those results in not years full of wasted efforts and frustration, but in months full of one success after the other!

 

And just like you, I have to work hard for everything I’ve gotten over the years. I also know the feeling of wanting something so bad and not been able to afford it. Remember, I was once a broke engineering student working part time at a sports nutrition store and salivating over creatine which was right in front of me but I did not have the cash to try it out.

 

I also know what it feels like to be scared of taking a leap of faith. So that’s why today I’m going to jump off that cliff for you because I believe in YOU and the POTENTIAL INSIDE YOU!

 

That’s why for today you won’t have to pay thousands to be personally coached by myself and my select team…

 

Again…

 

I’m Going To Give You Special Access ONLY For The Next 72 Hours For The Tiny Investment Of Just $97 Per Month Or Better Yet

$497 Per Year (Savings of Close To 60%) With An Included FREE Personalized Diet Plan Valued At $300!

 

join-now

 

That’s it…

 

The steal of the century! By the way, if you don’t hear back from me after today is because my accountants killed me.

 

One more thing, if you sign up month-to-month (the $97/month deal), you’re not held down by any commitments or contracts…So you can cancel at any time…

 

Although most guys tend to stay on at least 6 months, with statistics showing the most successful group to be the one that stays for the whole year. They’re the ones who really see the results that you’re after and they become the type of guy in the gym that every other person believes has hopped on the juice… because of their neck-snapping transformation…

 

What are you taking? Is the most common question my coaching clients get.

 

And talking about frequently asked questions, the question I get most frequently is: Why am I not losing weight but I keep losing inches off my pants? The answer: because you are gaining muscle and losing fat. I figure that by me sharing the answer now, I won’t be getting the question later.

 

So to get started all you have to do is click the JOIN NOW button below right now

 

join-now

 

and you’ll be taken to our secure and private checkout page that looks like this…

 

sign-up-screen-shot

 

From there, you can choose which option you’d like to proceed ahead with…

 

($97/month or $497 for the year)

 

Then click subscribe and you’ll immediately be taken to a page that looks like this where you’ll create an account and input your credit card information…

 

sign-up-screen-shot2

 

Once you’re done…

 

Click the pay and subscribe button and you’ll be all set…

 

Everything will be sent to you right away for you to get started…

 

And if you get a little intimidated by technology, please do not worry…Because if you can turn on your computer, you’ll have no problem getting access to everything!

 

It’s that simple, that fast and secure at the same time…

 

Just imagine how much better you’re going to look and feel in the mirror each morning when you wake up in the coming weeks to months?

 

How much more muscle will be popping through your shirts…

 

How much more attention and respect will be coming your way like wild bees attracted to honey?

 

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How would it feel to become an alpha male amongst men?

 

The type of guy that command respect from colleagues, friends, family members and even co workers…

 

I cannot tell you how many guys have emailed me regarding their improved relationships with others and how they are getting ahead in their professional life either through promotions or they just simply started their own business. Confidence combined with the discipline learned from a bodybuilding program can accomplish miracles!

 

It’s truly life changing and all of this is right at your fingertips…

 

No guesswork and no thinking. All you have to do is follow the plan that is laid out in front of you along with all of the support and success will be yours.

 

And remember, you don’t need to spend hours in the gym to achieve these results nor do you have to purchase every bodybuilding supplement under the sun…

 

cecile-hugo2

 

If you can do 3 sessions of training a week, you will achieve the body you are looking for!

 

Something like this only comes around once in a lifetime…

 

hugoIt’s moment’s like this that shape your life…

 

So which road are you going to take?

 

The, hard, painful road to results?

 

If you decide that, I can tell you from experience and from the horror stories I hear from guys all the time…

 

It’s going to be a long road to no where…

 

Or you can take the path of least resistance…

 

A brilliant man once said the shortest distance between point A to point B is a straight line…

 

And today, right here is your straight line…No costly nor frustrating deviations.

 

So ahead and click the brightly colored blue button below to get started…

 

And remember, the price on this will be going up so be sure to secure the low price now!

 

I’ll see you on the other side…

 

join-now

 






 

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cecile-hugo

Just tell me the email where you want your FREE materials sent to and I will take care of the rest. Thank you for entrusting me with your fitness goals!

 

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