Today’s topic should come as a sigh of relief…

As it turns out, most people think that they should eat less when they want to lose weight.

The truth is, very often people should be eating more, not less.

Think about it, when you begin an exercise program for the first time in awhile and you restrict calories at the same time, you are basically sending a mixed signal to your body and asking it to shut down.  Imagine a marathon runner finishing a race and refusing food.  You’d think them crazy, right?

Well, I think you’re crazy to diet.

You’re basically doing the same thing.  A new exercise program coupled with starvation is no less stressful for your body than a marathon is for a marathon athlete.  At least they are used to this type of stress/demand placed on their bodies.

You, on the other hand, may be introducing physical activity stress to your body for the first time in years.  (or ramping up your program for the first time in years)

It’s important you eat more in the beginning, especially, b/c your body needs the help.  Then, once a bit more accustomed to an exercise program, you can cut a few calories back.

Right now,

more calories = more muscles

&

more muscles = higher metabolism

Plain and simple, do not deprive your body of nutrients when you want to lose weight.

Instead, feed it correctly and keep your fire burning.

Have a great day,

Kareem

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Today, I’m going to answer some really important questions for you…. but, before I get to that, I wanted to address something:

A lot of my newsletter subscribers have written me to ask me where I find time to do all of this for you.  There’s an easy answer…

It’s something I HAVE to do.

You see, I feel responsible to help you improve your health.  Just as many of you have felt a sense of loyalty to me, and have bought my fitness products exclusively, I feel this way with you.

I know you are depending on me, and so are your children (or future children).  I depend on others in lots of ways, but fitness ain’t one of them.  This is my area, and it’s my gift to the world.  I’m thankful to have one.

So… thank you for your concern.  I appreciate your loyalty.

Now, let’s move onto ‘core strength,’ the topic for today…

Core Strength Defined:

Functionally speaking, your core is anything that attaches to your pelvis.  If you think about ‘core’ this way, you’ll always be training correctly.  This means ‘core’ is anything that can help you control your center of mass, or balance.

Functional Core includes the following major muscle groups:

• Hip Flexors
• Hip Extensors
• Hip Internal Rotators
• Hip External Rotators
• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Abdominals (Trunk Flexors)
• Low Back Extensors (Trunk Extensors)
• Low Back Rotators
• Side of Trunk muscles (side bending)

According to Pilates theory, your core is a group of ‘local muscles’ including:

• Multifidus (rotates and extends your back)
• Quadratus Lumborum (side bender, helps you bend forward, holds your ribs for big breaths)
• Internal Oblique (rotates and helps you bend forward)
• External Oblique (rotates and helps you bend forward)
• Transversus Abdominus (compresses abdominal contents, helps you bend forward)
• Iliopsoas (flexes [raises] hip)

What’s The Importance Of Having A ‘Strong Core’?

There are many benefites to having a strong core.  Athletes perform better with a stronger core, you feel more balanced in all activities with a stronger core, you prevent injury, and you breathe better.

A strong core will stabilize your spine, preventing injuries such as:

• Herniated Disc
• Aggravation of Spinal Stenosis
• Muscle strains
• Ligament sprains
• SI Joint Dysfunction (”hips off”)
• Rotator Cuff Tendonitis (better posture = less strain on the rotator cuff)
• Knee Sprains/Strains (pelvic stability affects the amount of stress on surrounding joints)

As you can see this is a long list of injuries you can easily prevent by training your core properly.  It just makes sense… and it allows you to do more.

How Should I Train My Core For Best Results?

Functionally.

This line above is the most important part of today’s discussion.  Train your core with functional activity.

This means you need to get stronger with movements that involve:

• Standing up
• Sitting down
• Bending forward
• Bending backward
• Reaching and rotating
• Overhead activities
• Accident prone activities (i.e. simulate an unsteady environment in the gym, allowing yourself to train reaction time as well, and reducing the chance of a fall leading to injury)

In my opinion, it’s a mistake to train your core alone.  Sit ups are not the answer.  That’s not how we move.

We squat, stand, lunge, reach, pull & push

That’s how we need to train.  Train core in preparation for real life, and it will be there to support you.  Plus, you’ll get much more rapid results.

Right now, you can try Ab Strength Guide and automatically have a program that helps you get a ridiculous core… but, before you decide, be sure to watch this video to determine if it’s for you.

I hope you’re having a great day so far, b/c I’m about to make it better!

Follow this 3 Step Formula For Ripped Abs and you’ll be stoked:

Step 1: Start eating 6 meals per day.

Eating frequent, small meals is by far the way to go.  Restricting calories is a thing of the past.  It’s time that you start finding food you enjoy eating, combine them with other sources of nutrients to have a balanced ratio of carbs:proteins:fats with each meal, and satisfy yourself.  Otherwise, you’ll continue to crave, eat out of appetite, rather than hunger, and gain weight in the long run.

By eating balanced meals frequently:

• Your metabolism will remain high throughout the day
• You will have more energy
• You will get less sore from your workouts
• You will stop eating as much junk (you just won’t have room for it b/c you’ll be stuffed!)

Step 2: Begin and end each day with 5 minutes of exercise.

This is like starting the engine in your car 5 minutes before driving.  It’s better for your engine, and it’s better for you.  While we sleep, our metabolisms slow down and allow us to rest more peacefully without food or water.  That said, why not begin each day revving up our engines and going 0-60mph, so to speak?!

By beginning and ending each day with exercise, you will:

• Improve your sleep habits (takes a little adjusting to get used to exercising at night)
• Be “on” the moment you get to work (because your brain actually is receiving blood)
• Ramp up your metabolism for the rest of the day, allowing you to better process your breakfast.

Step 3: Exercise intensely for 10 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week.

A lot of people think that you have to spend hours in the gym every day in order to reap crazy results… guess what?  They are dead wrong.  I’ve proven this time and time again.  In fact, that’s why I created Ab Strength Guide – to make things simpler, faster…. all around better.  Sure, it makes sense to exercise for longer for other reasons…heart health, blood pressure, stress relief, etc.

That said, here’s what will happen if you perform 10 minutes of intense exercise every day:

• Your abs will ‘Pop Out’ and people will wonder how the heck you’ve done this
• Your energy level will go through the roof (but you’ll be drained for about 3 weeks while you get used to this exercise intensity)
• Your body will thank you.  Plain and simple, people that are looking for crazy results often overtrain.  This way, you won’t have to worry about that.
• Your metabolism will shoot up, so look out!

(you’re going to have to go grocery shopping as a result)

Remember, by following this 3 Step Formula For Ripped Abs,

YOU WILL SEE RESULTS!

The question is:

Are you afraid of success or failure?

Getting ripped abs has never been so easy – come visit Ab Strength Guide and I’ll show you!

Have a great day,

Kareem

Today’s topic is getting better ab definition through your workouts.  This is a pretty important thing for most people, b/c we are so accustomed to looking at our midsections in the mirror.  Well, I’ve got good news and bad news:

The Bad News:

You’re normally going to lose fat everywhere in your body that you don’t care about first.  This means you will become thinner in:

• Your fingers
• Your wrists
• Your ankles
• Your knees
• Your face
• Your shoulders

…and then, and only then, will you get Good News:

You will lose fat in your:

• mid-section
• thighs
• and love handles.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but spot reduction is a bit of a hoax. Sure, you increase muscle tone underneath fat, giving you a better and more firm appearance.  However, you won’t get true definition, as is needed for ripped abs and slender thighs, without losing fat everywhere else first.

Fat loss is systemic, not local.

If you decide to follow my advice, I’ll teach you exactly how to train for faster results, and a quicker reduction in total body fat. 

Either way, I’m just glad you’re listening, and I’m happy we had a chance to share with one another today.

Have a great day,

Kareem

If you want me to teach you the fastest way to get a tighter mid-section and shapely thighs, I’m offering a free trial of the world’s best online personal training program.

If you want to take your ab training results to the next level and you only have 10 minutes a day, you’re not going to want to miss this!

Today, I’d like to speak to you about skilled exercise and its application to getting six pack abs.  By “layering” exercise, meaning adding more components to a movement over time, you are improving:

1. coordination
2. skill
3. the amount of demand placed on your body

Let’s talk briefly about what each one of these factors will do for you…

Coordination leads to:

• Improved strength
• Efficient movement (when you first start doing a new exercise your whole body is tense, thereby tiring weaker and smaller muscles out immediately, and decreasing your endurance with a set)
• Better motor unit recruitment – this means more muscle involved.  Not only will you become stronger, but your nervous system will become better at recruiting muscle
• Decreased chance of injury, keeping you the gym for longer

Skill leads to…

• More fun in the gym – it’s human nature… we like to do things when we see progress over time
• Increased possibilities with exercise… just like water skiing:  If you can ski with a single ski, there’s a whole bunch of tricks you can work on that were previously unavailable.  If you can balance on a single leg while lifting weights, the same is true
• Leadership role – once others depend on you for learning in the gym, you become a mentor and a leader.  If you progress skill, you’ll quickly build camaraderie in the gym, and you’ll find yourself welcomed back with open arms… more importantly, you’ll miss not being there

The amount of demand placed upon your body…

• Is directly correlated to your results.  If you get more work done in an hour, you’ll see far more results.  Simple math.
• Increases the time period for recovery.  While recovering, you are constantly in a state of higher metabolic demand.
• More segments involved with a given movement, meaning more joints are stabilizing, and you will become healthier as a result.

By following these 3 guidelines you will dramatically improve your six pack abs results.  Good luck!

Have a great day,

Kareem

Dominate Your Abs – If You’re Not Well On Your Way To Six Pack Abs In 30 Days, Don’t Pay!

Today, I’m going to speak to you about 7 sure-fire ways to guarantee faster fat loss results than you ever thought possible:

1) Do something different.

Mix it up.  Your body wants to get used to movement, thereby save energy and burn less calories.  Never let this happen.  By mixing things up, you are constantly ’shocking your system’ and skyrocketing your results.  Exercise creativity has never been so important as it is with fat loss exercise.

2) Do compound movements.

Compound movements are movements that involve 2 or more joints.  For example, you should choose a ‘lunge’ over a ‘leg curl’ and a ’squat’ over a ‘leg extension.’  By involving multiple joints with compound movements, you are igniting the fire in more areas.  This fire will burn and burn and burn if you just take the time to set it from all sides.

3) Improve posture.

By improving posture, you are improving oxygen delivery to muscles.  Bette oxygenation of muscles = better recovery.  Better recovery = more tolerance to exercise.  Is this making sense yet?  You can last longer, recover faster, and burn more calories.  Plain and simple, improve posture.

4) Do intense exercise.

If you exercise intensely, you produce lactic acid.  Removing lactic acid from your system is a process that lasts for days.  Any process uses energy to sustain itself.  This use of energy raises your metabolism (total body processes) for a period of days.  Burning more energy at all times for a period of days is a good thing when it comes to fat loss.  …and, this is without mention of improving exercise tolerance.  If you can tolerate more in the gym, you can do more in the gym.

5) Take plenty of rest.

Most people who lift hard do not rest enough.  In fact, they probably have no idea that they are getting less out of workout, increasing risk of injury, and possibly overtraining. Unfortunately, overtraining means less results.  By resting properly, you are allowing your muscles adequate time to recover for maximal exertion to follow.  ‘Maximal exertion’ is key (see #4)!

6) Drink water.

Too many cellular processes depend on water to be ignored.  Cellular processes slow down when the cells are dehydrated.  Don’t risk sabotaging your hard-earned workout results by dehydrating your body at a time it needs water the most.  For every pound you lose while in the gym, be sure to drink 16 ounces of water.

7) Eat the right food following a workout.

Eating a combination of protein and carbohydrates (with little to no fat) is key for muscle recovery and an energy surge.  Make sure you nourish your body properly following a workout if you want to get the best results.  Personally, there’s only one solution I consistently enjoy and use.  It’s called the Prograde Workout Shake and it’s delicious.

If you start following all 7 of these fat loss tips today, I guarantee you’ll see your fat loss efforts become more recognized.  It’s not as hard as it once seemed, is it??

Have a great day,

Kareem

Instant Fat Loss Results – Guaranteed Or You Don’t Pay

Ripped Abs In 10 Minutes Per Day

Fat Loss Through Cardio

Bill brought up a great point the other day in his comment:

“Interesting, more info please.  I am 80 and need very easy exercise.”

Actually, I have an interesting experience to share with you.  You see, I used to work at THE geriatric rehabilitation center for the United States, and I learned a lot!  Here are some of the things I’ve learned about exercising when you’re older (i.e. 65 – 90 years old):

Exercise has never been so important

You have to exercise intensely to see results (although intense is a relative term)

If you’ve never exercised before, using a heart rate monitor is a GREAT idea (you’ll be surprised to find out that you may not have been exercising as intensely as you think)

Lifting weights does NOT cause broken bones unless you have osteoporosis

Dehydration is a root cause of weakness in most older adults

Depression is a normal experience with aging, but exercise is phenomenal means to end depression

Activity occupies the mind.  Exercise enhances the mind.

Don’t go too easy on yourself.  Granted, if you have health issues, get clearance from your doctor before beginning an intense exercise program, but the key is to begin.  Taking it easy on yourself with age is a cultural thing, not a human one.

Be the opposite.  Work hard to preserve youth and the results will show.

The oldest standing member in Lift Hard Play Hard right now is 78 years old – and he’s no joke!

Here’s to living and feeling better every single day – it all starts inside.

Have a great day,

Kareem

I’m serious – Getting In Shape Has Never Been So Important

Shoulder Injury?

Back Injury?

Need Stronger Abs?

Below, you’ll find an article that I wrote with you in mind.  It involves some really great fitness tips & tricks that can help you start getting better results every time you workout… starting today.

Enjoy!

-Kareem

Fitness Tips and Tricks

Fitness Tips and Tricks
By Kareem Samhouri, DPT

Most people do not realize that fitness is all about tips and tricks to decrease the amount of time spent in a gym, increase efficacy of each workout, and improve outcome in less time. In order to succeed with fitness goals, it is imperative that you have a plan.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people that I know do not have a targeted plan to in their fitness quest. Think about your health in a similar way as you think about a job and you will reap much better results from your program.

For example, consider a typical day for me at the office:

6:45am – arrive at the office, check email, make a cup of coffee
7:00am – 12pm – see patients and clients, take notes on each session
12-1pm – Lunch + respond to emails
1-6pm – see patients and clients, catch up on paperwork, prepare for following day

Now, let’s take a look at how this same model could be used in a workout program:

Minutes 0-3 – warm up, elevate heart rate by about 10-15 beats per minute
Minutes 3-20 – Cardio or interval training
Minutes 20-40 – begin first rotation through a circuit, focusing on form and functional, whole body movements
Minutes 40-43 – rest after twenty minutes of nearly continuous movement, interrupted by short rest periods of 30-60 seconds as needed.
Minutes 43-60 – repeat circuit, record results, prepare for next workout by mentally rehearsing before leaving the gym.

Basically, we are doing the same thing in both scenarios. By choosing to arrive a couple of minutes early, warming up (checking email), beginning our workout routine with a specific goal in mind for both cardio and weight training (see patients and clients, take notes), taking a break (lunch time), repeating the process (patients and clients), and preparing for the following day we are at a huge advantage.

First of all, we are making the most of every moment in the gym. Secondly, we are visualizing success during a proud moment by mentally rehearsing the following routine. This is a key to fitness success – belief system. Belief system affects everything we do. In order to become fit, at some point, you will have to believe in yourself. Most people choose to believe in small steps. While this is a great way to offer yourself positive reinforcement, I encourage all of my clients to visualize complete success with long-term goals, and then begin to rationalize smaller ones from there. This is a much easier way of determining your overall progress in achieving something that is actually meaningful.

To learn more about setting and achieving fitness goals, and to get a month absolutely free from the number one online personal training system, please visit: https://LiftHardPlayHard.com/signup.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kareem_Samhouri,_DPT
http://EzineArticles.com/?Fitness-Tips-and-Tricks&id=1302112

Today I want to ’speak’ to you about some of the most crucial information regarding your fitness level out there:

IT’S BOREDOM.

If your workouts aren’t any fun, there’s no way that you’re going to want to go back to the gym every day…

…unless you’re part of the proud few who just have that great sort of self-discipline where it doesn’t matter if you’re doing the most unpleasant thing on Earth – You decided you’re doing it and that’s it.

Instead, if you’re like most of us, things that entertain you are things you find yourself wanting to do.

With that in mind, let’s brainstorm a couple of ways to make fitness fun:

1. Exercise with a close friend
2. Solve a problem while working out (something that’s really been bugging you)
3. Listen to your favorite music (but even this gets old after awhile)
4. Watch TV (I don’t recommend this – it’s distracting and you’ll waste a bunch of hard-earned time)
5. Get out of the gym faster, feeling more satisfied
6. Get better at working out, so that you feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment

I’d like to focus on #5 & 6.

#5:  If you can get out of the gym faster by involving more of your body with every exercise, you’re going to be happier with the end-result of working out.  After all, who couldn’t use more time in their day?

#6:  Progress skill level and you’ll keep coming back.  This is a neat area where there is a ton of cross-over between physical therapy and fitness.  You see, in a rehabilitative setting, we are constantly working to assess our patients’ levels, and progress their functional capability over time.  (i.e. get back to the way they were before the injury, illness, operation, etc.)

If you take on the same attitude with fitness, you’ll be blown away with the results.  Instead of always choosing the same exercises, without ever thinking about increasing skill level, you’ll essentially become stagnant.

In physical therapy, this always results in the same behavior:  Patients stop coming.

By constantly improving, you will be doing yourself a great an awesome favor!

Here are 6 tips on GREAT ways to improve your skill level with exercise:

1. Use unstable surfaces (more with time)
2. Combine exercises
3. Do supersets
4. Do giant sets
5. Learn plyometrics
6. Mix things up and become well-versed in all forms of resistance training (i.e. strength, power, endurance, ‘core,’ etc.)

Always, always, always track your progress.  That’s the only way to know.

I sure hope you found this info helpful.  I’ve enjoyed ’speaking’ with you today!

Have a great day,

Kareem

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Listen below for some incredible advice given to me by the best goal-setting advisor in the world, Dax Moy:

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I look forward to hearing your comments.

Have a great day,

Kareem

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