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Small changes for a big difference


I have been getting a lot of emails lately and I have been noticing something very interesting. There are people out there that can live a healthier lifestyle and make dramatic physical changes by simply changing a few small things in there daily diet. So what I did was, I created a list of things people normally drink or eat daily that can easily be replaced to help live healthier and have more energy to enjoy life. The point of this post is to focus only on small things; small changes in these areas will make big differences in your health and well being.

No soda, more water
For all you soda drinkers, I know that it can be somewhat addicting and hard to let go. Here is the thing, if you have a glass of water when you are thirsty, you will no longer crave the soda because your thirst is now quenched. Soda carries tons of unneeded calories and is very fattening mainly because of all the simple sugars. Replacing your soda intake with water will make a huge difference. If you try it for just a few weeks you will see noticeable changes.

No red meat, more chicken and turkey
When I met my wife, she was not a heavy eater of red meats, but indeed it was a part of her diet. I never asked her to change it, but the more she saw me avoid it, the more she started avoiding it. Eventually it was completely out of her diet. Within weeks her body fat dropped dramatically. Her friends would ask her what kind of program I had her on and she would laugh and reply “no red meat”. She had lost about 10 pounds in a matter of 4 weeks with just replacing her red meat with chicken or turkey. If she craved a burger, she had one, made of turkey that is. Pasta with ground beef was now pasta with ground turkey. Rice and steak was now rice and chicken. It was that simple, and now it does not even cross her mind to have any red meat at all.

Red meat carries too much unnecessary fats. Yes, chicken and turkey are high in fat, but compared to red meats it does not even come close. Chicken and turkey are by far the better choice if you are already on a diet that contains meat.

No whites, more wheat
Bread and pasta are a huge part of a lot of people’s diet. Unfortunately, white bread and regular pasta are very high in simple carbohydrates. The problem with simple carbs is this, when you consume simple carbs, your body will store them as fat much faster than if you were consuming complex carbs. This is why I suggest replacing white bread and pasta with wheat bread and wheat pasta. This will lower your carb intake and at the same time you do not have to eliminate those snacks or dinners that you love so very much. Small price to pay to feel better and lose some unwanted pounds in the process.

No whole milk, more low fat milk
Milk is a very common part of the average Americans diet. If you are a drinker of whole milk, bring it down a notch. Replace your whole milk with 2%, if you drink 2% then bring it down to fat free. I know, I know, fat free is basically water or has no flavor, but just like anything else, you will get used to it with time. I personally went from whole milk to 2% and could not tell the difference, but now when I have no choice but to have whole milk, I can tell that the whole milk is much thicker. Whole milk is very fattening, even 2% is fattening, but the fact is, by dropping from whole to 2%, you are eliminating a huge amount of fat each day.

No fast food, more lean microwave dinners
I understand that most people are so busy that it is hard to stay away from fast food. Fast food is basically the worse, most fattening and unhealthy food you could put in your body. Busy? Grab a “lean cuisine” or “smart ones” microwaveable dinner. Am I saying that these choices are great? No, my point is this, if you are craving pizza, why eat 1000 calories worth from some fast food joint over about 300 calories from a microwaveable dinner? Same with most meals you are purchasing from fast food restaurants. This may very well be the most important item on my list. If you are a fast food eater, there is no reason you can not replace these high calorie meals with something similar that takes half the time to prepare and has less unwanted, unhealthy calories.

No junk food, more healthy snacks
People have snacks on a daily basis; more people choose junk food over healthy snacks. You may say to yourself “It’s just a small bag of chips” but look at it like this, if you were having a small bag of assorted nuts or a nutrigrain bar, would you have to second guess it? Most people that snack have at least 2 snacks a day, what if you replaced just one junk food snack with a healthy snack? Would that kill you? No, in fact it would do the complete opposite. It would help you stay healthier without giving up having your daily snack. If you are so addicted to unhealthy junk food that you cannot possibly replace it with healthy snacks like nuts or fruits, then at least try “weight watcher” snacks. They are basically the same cakes and donuts you are used to with less carbs. Either way, any small change can make a big difference.

These are all small changes you can make in your daily diet choices that can make a big difference in your health and well being. If your goal is to live healthier, or even to lose unwanted pounds without going to the gym, I am sure that anyone can make these small replacements. Once you start making these small changes in your diet, you will feel unbelievable when your friends are asking you what diet you are on.
If you want to take that extra leap into changing your entire diet for the better, click here for a list of some great foods you can eat.
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Get ripped without weights

How can i get ripped without weights? Well, if your anything like the guy in this amazing video, just make sure to take a trip to the park a couple days out of the week. This is truly incredible, i could only imagine how much strength it would require to perform the exercises in this video.

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How to punch harder - The knockout secret


It seems like most people would like to know if there is a secret on how to punch harder. As someone who trains MMA, I have always wanted to put more power behind my punches. Just like the average person, I figured if I got bigger and stronger I would automatically gain strength in my punches. Now, that was not 100% wrong but there is a lot more to it then just getting bigger and stronger. In fact, you don’t necessarily have to get bigger to punch harder. There are actually workouts that target a certain muscle which will help you do so.
How to punch harder tip #1:
Lifting weights does have some part in adding power to your punch. Getting stronger is obviously going to help. That is, with the exception that you are not sacrificing speed and technique along with that well needed snap. You have probably heard the expression “speed is power “and automatically assume that the faster you punch the harder it will hit. That assumption could be true if you kept the technique and the snap which is not usually the case. So, one thing to focus on is gaining strength. All fighters should strength train and gain power while practicing proper technique and not sacrificing speed. This alone will help you punch harder but is not what is going to give you that knockout power we all want.
How to punch harder tip #2
Bulking up is another step you can take when it comes to packing more power behind those punches. Problem with that is, most fighters have a certain weight class they have to perform at. Gaining mass could bump you up to a bigger weight class and most fighters would prefer to just be more powerful in there usual weight class. This is very understandable, and not completely necessary. One thing that could be considered is burning fat off and replacing that weight with muscle. Making you stronger, bigger, and still at the same weight you are comfortable with.
How to punch harder tip #3
Most importantly, where does the power of your punch come from? Oddly enough, the answer is simple. The power in your punches comes from the lower body, specifically the gluteus maximus. Yes, you can punch harder if you strengthen the muscles in your butt. That as well as your legs, the stronger your legs then the stronger you can make the gluteus maximus. So… in a nutshell, work those leg muscles and focus on those exercises that target the butt. Look at Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, he is one of the hardest punchers in the UFC and he himself will tell you, its all in the glutes.
Here is a list of some exercises that will help you punch harder by targetting the glutes.
-Squats
-Leg lifts
-Lunges
-Kickbacks
-Leg extensions
These are just a few workouts to help you punch harder. So lets recap, first of all, you want to get stronger by weight training and remember not to sacrifice technique or speed. Second, bulk up by replacing that unwanted and unneeded fat and replacing it with lean muscle mass. Last, most importantly, you must work those legs and make those glutes nice and strong. Where does the power behind the punch come from? That’s rights! The gluteus maximus. Remember, the leg muscles are the ones you will use to increase the muscles in the glutes.
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Huge in a hurry - Chad Waterbury


First off I want to apologize to all the visitors and subscribers of muscle monsters. I have been in the process of moving back across the country, but I am back now and ready to get on the ball. Ok, so basically I want to touch on a book I recently read. The book is by Chad Waterbury and is called “Huge in a Hurry”. The book is a guide to do exactly that, get you huge in a hurry. In “Huge in a Hurry” Chad goes against a lot of the popular beliefs in the fitness industry and introduces a new approach to getting huge fast.



The well thought out program in the book is in my opinion phenomenal. What I thought was so great was the fact that it is geared towards anyone from beginners, hardgainers, to bodybuilders and fitness pros. In a nutshell, the “huge in a hurry” program will make you bigger, stronger, and leaner by working out less. Yes, I know…..of course now you’re like “this is complete bull”. Fact is, Chad explains in great detail why and how this is possible. Like any other program that works, there is a diet routine. The diet routine in Chad’s program is simple and easy to follow and doesn’t include eating like a monster and feeling full and sluggish all day long.

The workout area is broken down into 12 weeks. The workouts are all laid out for you , and he even explains how to calculate what weight is best for each individual. Chad’s approach with “huge in a hurry” is similar to some full body workouts you have heard of but has its own twist and it changes weekly.

Bottom line is this; “Huge in a hurry” is very simple to follow no matter your experience with diet and fitness. It goes against lots of the basic rules you have learned or followed but Chad does not just throw out opinions. He explains in great detail why his theory is correct and let me be the first to tell you, it makes a lot of sense and has changed my way of thinking and training. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to get bigger, faster, or leaner. I would agree with Chad when he says you could gain about 10 pounds of muscle in a 12 week period when following the program. Lean muscle mass, meaning dropping body fat and gaining muscle mass along with improving your cardiovascular.
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