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Are you on a FAD Diet?

Are you on a “FAD”Diet?

For as long as people have wanted to get rich quickly; there has been a “get rich quick”scheme. A plan that promises huge financial returns on your invest; in the shortest amount of time. Typically the people who fell for this scheme would end up poorer than they already were.  The same goes for weight loss. For as long as we have wanted to lose weight, there was a miracle pill or potion to get us their quickly as possible without any regard for sustainable health. These miracles are more commonly known as fad diets. The phrase fad diet originally referred to idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns that promote short-term weight loss, usually with no concern for long-term weight maintenance, and enjoy temporary popularity.

This term was coined way back in 1974. Back then a fad diet needed to fulfill three criteria.imagesNL1UKWJY

1)  A particular food or food group is exaggerated and purported to cure specific diseases.

2)  Foods are eliminated from an individual’s diet because they are viewed as harmful.

3)  An emphasis is placed on eating certain foods to express a particular lifestyle.

Not much has changed since 1974 has it.

#1 sounds a lot like eating only organic foods prevent cancer

#2 sounds a lot like going Gluten-Free or Fat Free

#3 sounds a lot like clean eating or paleo

The biggest change since 1974 is going to be the marketing of fad dieting. The people creating and selling these fad diets know today’s consumer has more access to information than ever before. So now they throw in words like “studies suggest”, “evidence suggests”, “science”. Any word that sounds scientific is used to help further trick you into buying their scheme. Those first three criteria are great and can eliminate most fad diets that exist today. Let’s expand that list (more…)


Optimize Strength Gains and Avoid Over Training- PERIOD!

In order for YOU to change, your TRAINING needs to change!

In order for YOU to change, your TRAINING needs to change!

We stay committed in the gym, we use proper form, we know the layout of the gym like the back of our hand and know what works for our body, right?!… so why do we hit a wall and stop seeing results?!  Simple, we stop shocking and forcing our body to adapt.  In addition to gaining valuable training “experience” over the years, our body grows wiser and it becomes more challenging, even uncompromising at times, to force it to anything more.  When you are relentless in pushing and pulling in the gym with no concrete strategy other than “Beast Mode”, you get injured or beat up.  Very few things devour deserving progress faster than “middle ground” training.  That is, always training with the same reps, set structure and with the same intensity.  If you continue workout after workout in the default mode of 10 to 12 repetitions with NO fluctuation to variables, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but development and results are simply wading around in No-Gain’s land.

We could all argue until the end of time about what is the best theory to use when designing a workout.  I feel, that for most, a periodized workout is the best for optimizing strength and avoiding any over training. Periodization is the gradual cycling of linear or staggered intervals to specificity, intensity, load (weight) and volume of training to achieve peak levels of strength and physical performance.  Variable cycles should shift gradually from high volume and low intensity to (more…)


Wide Grip Barbell Bench Press FEATURE

Ah, the Bench Press… the most common exercise for working and building the development of the chest.  For both Men and Women alike, a tighter more developed chest is often desired.  However after so many weeks, months, and years of training, we sometimes hit that proverbial wall and stop gaining results in the pectoral region.  How do we avoid stalemate in creating a masterful chest?

Fitastic Wide Grip PressVARIETY, VARIETY, VARIETY

Never lose sight of all the variety, angles and degrees this muscle can be targeted; heavy weight, light weight, incline, decline, but let’s not forget how WIDE and expansive our variations can be.

Adding a Wide Grip to your Press can provide a jolt back on the fast track to stimulating this highly sought after showcased muscle.  Not to mention the intensity it brings from your Delt and Tricep tie ins as well.

WHAT and WHY TARGETED:

PECTORALIS MAJOR-  Targeting the pectoralis major muscle, the wide grip press is an intensive exercise primarily to the lateral or outer chest fibers.  This popularly large muscle is the prime mover of arm (more…)