Related Content Blog

Bodybuilding.com has some special guests in town for a few days to do some informational training videos, articles and such.

Please welcome Obi Obadike and Kendall Wood to Justin TV for a live chat.

Obi and Kendall will be on Justin TV tomorrow, Friday, June 26, 2009.
Come join the chat and ask any questions you have from 12:30-2:00 p.m. MST.

For more information click here.

To join the chat click here.

By: Kelly Eiesly

Thermodynamics is a workout that I use to get ripped, and transport nutrients more efficiently. The heat that is liberated from food is measured not only in its energy content but also of its tendency to be burned as heat which is the thermogenic effect.

Increased thermogenesis means increased heat production, oxygen consumption, and an increased metabolic rate. The more heat your body produces, the more oxygen it needs, because heat cannot be liberated in the absence of oxygen.

Food efficiency is measured of how efficiently a particular food can be converted to body weight. The release of heat is measured by a calorie which is a unit of heat.
[ Read the Full Article Here ]

Article Summary:
- ATP is the molecule that can be used for muscle contractions.
- Using compound sets and tri sets will hit different angles of the muscle.
- Your rest time is important to keep your VO2 max where it should be.

Hey New Guy: Bodybuilding Advice for the Beginner in all of Us
The Rules of Attraction (–and Attracting–) At Your Gym

So there’s this girl at your gym.
Am I right?
Maybe she’s a regular at Sweat Yoga, maybe she’s a monster on the treadmill, maybe (–but hopefully not—) she routinely presses more than you.  Either way, you’ve noticed her, and you’ve noticed the shorts she wears when she’s not noticing you.
Which is pretty much everytime you work out.
You want to know what you can do about it.

Let’s face it, fellas; if you’re staring at her while she hits the elliptical, chances are every other testosterone and NO-fueled meathead in the club is too.
Chances are Dexter Jackson doesn’t work out at your gym.
Chances are somebody who looks just like Dexter Jackson does.
And if he can’t get this precious little thing’s attention, what chance do you have, right?
Wrong.

It’s all about tact; you need to have a plan; you need to stick to it.  

First and foremost, you need to be aware that there are essentially two types of girls who work out at the club.  The first type—and sorry, boys, this is the overwhelming majority—want absolutely nothing to do with you.
This is a problem, because these are the types of girls you want.

The second type—and you can spot them a mile away—may be a minority, but they make up for a lack in numbers with their overwhelming sense of…being overwhelming.
Call them gym-bunnies, call them easy, call them anything—but don’t call them.  Because no matter how Diesel you think you are, there’s always somebody a little more Vin right around the corner, and you can bet your sorry ass they’ll be on to them by the time leg day rolls around.

So how do you separate yourself from all of the other available alpha males in your concrete jungle?

You try something so foreign, so alien–so unheard of—that she can’t help but be intrigued.

You be yourself.

Not the guy you think she wants.  You have no idea what the hell she wants.  You’re a man.

Not the guy with the biggest arms in the gym.  Trust me; you’re not the guy with the biggest arms in the gym.

Not the guy who never does cardio, but hops on the stationary bike beside hers everytime she gets on.   She knows you don’t do cardio.  You look like you don’t do cardio.

No, the magic is in not being creepy; not hounding her by the smoothie bar, not trying to get her attention by lifting something you have no business lifting.  (She can tell.)

The truth is, there is no set rule on where or when to make your move (—although when she’s grunting through a set of shoulders may not be the best time–) just that if you do, for God’s sake, be respectful.
Be honest.
Be yourself.

30 Days to a Bigger Bench Press
with Roger Lockridge

“How much can you BENCH?” I am sure many if not everyone who reads this has been asked that question.

Here is an awesome BodyGroup designed to help you increase your bench in 30 days.

Join Roger Lockridge on a journey where he intends to help increase your bench press numbers. From day 1 to day 30 and beyond.”

Join the group here.

Hey guys!!!

I’m 11 weeks out today, and feeling pretty good. I came back from the Arnold Classic a little discouraged because I’d gained weight over the weekend (I blame it on myself…not anyone else. I USED TO have 0 willpower when it came to protein bars, not anymore).

Keep in mind, I was working at the Scivation booth all weekend, and we were SUPER busy selling gym bags and Vasocharge. I will give you an approximate breakdown  of what I ate over the course of the weekend (Friday – Sunday). I kid you not. What you are about to read is EXACTLY what I ate every single day. It totaled roughly 2000 calories, which is about my maintenance level, but ~250 -500 more than I am supposed to eat according to my CHA diet.

Breakfast:

Entrée size Garden Salad at Bob Evans
2 scoops Scivation Whey protein
2 ounces mixed nuts

Lunch AND Dinner

About 5-6 protein bars (Or ~2lbs of samples from the hundreds of booths)

Midnight Snack

Entrée size Garden salad at wherever Team Scivation was eating (Red Lobster, Bob Evans, Max & Erma’s)

So there you have it. I am human. I cheat. But as a good friend once told me, “It’s not about falling, it’s about getting back up.” I got back up Monday morning, cleaned up my diet, and haven’t looked back since.

As I told you last week, there are a couple things I want to talk about in this week’s installment of my OBF transformation series. First of all, I took my “BEFORE” pictures last week. If you check out my OBF journal,  I want to let you know in advance that this is NOT what you will see 11 weeks from now. You have my word.

I’m a little embarrassed by what you will see there.  I have, what we like to call in the competition realm “Post-Contest Blues”; it’s the SLIGHT depression that competitors feel because they’re no longer in contest shape. Yes, I understand that for a woman, it’s not necessarily healthy or ideal to maintain contest shape all year round, but I don’t see why that gives me permission to have gained 15 pounds since my last contest. I will touch more on “Maintaining your condition” in a later installment.

CARDIO

The first point I’d like to touch on is my cardio. I started off at 14 weeks out with 30 minutes, 4 times a week (ie. On weight training days), and High Intensity Interval Training 2 times a week (ie. Tuesdays and Thursdays). For my Steady State cardio, I usually keep my heart rate between 130 – 150bpm, which corresponds to about 65% - 85% of my max heart rate. I use a heart rate monitor most of the time when I’m doing cardio so that I can track how hard I’m working. For SS, I like to use the elliptical, the treadmill or the Stepmill. ANYTHING but the bike. I find that if I spend too much time on the bike, my legs either don’t get cut and stay the same size, or lose a little muscle and end up looking flat. So I avoid that kind of cardio whenever I can. My HIIT protocol involves 15 intervals of 15 seconds work and 45 seconds rest. I then cool down for 5 – 10 minutes at the end. Sometimes, I incorporate something called “TABATA” training instead of my HIIT. That’s when you perform an exercise at MAXIMAL INTENSITY for 20 seconds, then take a 10 second break. Then go another 20 seconds on, and 10 seconds off. You repeat this 8 times for a maximum of 4 minutes total. It’s an amazing way to get a great workout in if you’re pressed for time, but still want to exercise and accelerate your metabolism. As my weight loss plateaus, or if I start to gain, my trainer will increase my cardio as he sees fit.

My Phoenix Moment

I first read about “Pheonix Moment/Theory” from someone named  Chris Sugart. I will quote part of the article here, as I think it’s important for everyone to read. And I know for a fact (and I certainly hoep) that it will resonate with some, if not ALL, of you. It begins, “The pattern of success is clear. Regardless of their primary physique goal — rapid fat loss or massive muscle gain — those who ultimately succeed always begin the same way: They get pissed off.

That’s the first stage of what I call Phoenix Theory. In mythology, the phoenix (or Bennu bird) ends its life-cycle by bursting into flame. From its own ashes, the fiery bird is reborn. I’ve discovered that those who make jaw-dropping physical changes usually follow the same basic path. Their achievement leaves a trail, and you can follow it… if you dare. You see, with all great successes comes a dark side. The Phoenix Theory of body transformation involves four key stages:

1) A traumatic event leading to a sudden realization and awakening
2) Anger and a firm decision to change
3) The physical transformation itself
4) Continued progress fueled by fear of regression”

So basically, the premise is that you need an awakening (be it a rude comment from a co-worker, an objective look at your own reflection, a blood work profile gone awry, etc.) in order to be rebord, and refreshed so that you can truly tackle and OWN the task in front of you. I had my Phoenix Moment at 12 weeks out, and never looked back.

Looking to the Future

My weigh in this week went, more or less, as planned. I lost 1lb. Which isn’t bad, but I set my sights high on losing roughly 1.5 – 2lbs per week. So I asked my trainer if we could bump the cardio up a little, and we did. I’m now on 35 minutes steady state cardio 4x/week, and 2 HIIT days (15 intervals) 2x/week. The good news though, is that my skinfolds and measurements are down; which means that I am losing fat. When doing skinfolds, mere milimetres could mean the difference in a couple %-age points of bodyfat lost. So I know my body is going in the right direction, albeit a little slower than I’d like. I don’t know what my bodyfat percentage is exactly, but at this point, I would hazard a guess that I’m in the early – mid teens (maybe somewhere between 13 – 15%). I can see my abs and my quad cuts are starting to come though. I’m guessing 13 – 15% because the legs are usually a tough and stubborn place for women to lose bodyfat, so I know I’m starting to get lower.

In the next installment of this OBF series, I will talk about how to stay motivated, why we shouldn’t use the term “Weight Loss”, and why social support (like the Forums on bodybuilding.com) could mean the difference between a first place finish and a last place finish. As always, feel free to check out my online journal for daily updates, nutrition, workouts, and information! Jaim91’s journal: Here

Here are some videos of my workouts this week:

80lb Upright rows

12 pushups with 45lbs on my back

Rear Delt pulls with 60lbs/hand

Stay tuned for Part 5!

Check out this Press Release:

City Council Grants Celebrity Trainer’s Proclamation for Annual "Health and Fitness Day" in Los Angeles

The City Council recently granted Torchia’s proclamation to make August 1st an Annual Holiday called "Health and Fitness Day" in Los Angeles. He is also proposing that Congress makes it a National Holiday to unite Americans in the battle against obesity. There will be special guest appearances from renowned Doctors, fitness experts and bodybuilding champions.

Los Angeles, CA, June 02, 2009 –(PR.com)– Michael Torchia, founder of Operation Fitness is hosting a free health and fitness event at the Westwood Park in Los Angeles on August 1, 2009 from 10:00 am - 2:00pm. This event will offer free advice, classes and products for everyone in attendance. At this monumental event, Torchia will be launching his Shape Up America Campaign designed to help adults, children and even pets get healthy for their own benefit and for the lasting benefits that will strengthen the entire nation for generations to come. Torchia will be traveling across America with his team of health experts to inspire Americans to pursue healthier lives and encourage people to end the epidemic obesity in our country.

Torchia’s organization, Operation Fitness, will provide the crucial information that will help even the most stubborn and unmotivated Americans learn how to break their bad eating habits and become more physically active. The goal is to show people how they can create simple ways of working out, along with participating in stimulating activities at home, office, in a park or even in the wilderness. In addition, pet owners will learn innovative ways to get their pets in shape and on a healthy track with proper nutrition and sensible exercise.

Free health screenings, fitness demonstrations for children and adults, nutrition lectures, healthy cooking tips/food preparation, extreme athlete competition, obstacle course challenge, boxing classes and martial arts demonstrations, pilates and yoga classes, pet health/fitness seminars, dog obedience training, chair massages, protein bars and energy drinks will be offered by the sponsors. Attendees will learn how to become more confident, physically fit and establish life long healthy eating habits. In addition, Torchia will be offering a special lecture series and exercise demonstrations for the local law enforcement agencies and fire departments.

The event will be held at Westwood Park located at 1350 South Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles.

For additional information on the Shape Up America Campaign, Operation Fitness or the event launching in Los Angeles, please call 800.933.8633 or visit www.operationfitness.com. For press opportunities, contact Rachelle Brehm/LRB Publicity 310-704-1357 or RachelleBrehm1@aol.com.

Jed Reese, Bodybuilding.com’s Operations Quality Manager has transformed himself and is leading a new way to life.

Jed has always been in shape and exercised regularly, but recently he took up the idea to do a 12 week contest prep like diet and training schedule. No he is not competing but took it that serious and with the help of Kris Gethin he is the same great guy but in an all new body. Check out more of Jed’s Journey on his BodySpace here.

Check out the full article here.

By: Danny McLarty
www.newdirectionfitness.com

You are dying to improve your health and physique.  You want a new body, and you want it yesterday.  But the problem is, you have no idea how you are going to get there.  If this sounds all too familiar, don’t worry.  Below I have outlined a few strategies to get you on your way.
  
1) Frame goals around behaviors

This is a great tip that I learned from John Berardi a few years back. Your behaviors are the key to accomplishing your goals.  Far too many people focus on the outcome.  Yes, the outcome is the end-result of what we hope to achieve.  But solely focusing on the outcome does nothing to address what it will take to get to your goals.  Most people’s goals are outcome based and look something like this:

- I want to lose 15 pounds in 12 weeks, OR
- I want to be “bikini ready” for my upcoming trip to Hawaii

Yeah, it would be great if that happens, but how are you going to get to these goals?  This is where focusing your goals around behaviors come in…

Goal: I want to lose 15 pounds in 12 weeks
Behaviors:  - Eat vegetables with each meal
                - Lift weights 3 days per week
                - Only drink calorie free beverages (water and green tea)

Goal: I want to be bikini ready for my upcoming Hawaii trip:
Behaviors:  - Cardio 3 days per week
                - Weight lifting 3 days per week
                - Cut out alcohol for the next 30 days
                - Go to bed before 11 p.m. every night

As you can see, we now have a road map that will lead us to our goals.  If we put our focus on our behaviors, our goals are sure to follow!

2) Plan Ahead

We all are busy, but no one is too busy!  I don’t care what you do for a living.  I don’t care how many kids you have.  There is ALWAYS a way to make it happen.  It = training/having meals prepared/getting to bed at a decent time, etc.  Some ideas:
Cut out 30 minutes of television per night, and spend that time preparing meals for the next day.  Get to bed early so you have a little extra energy in the morning to prepare your meals for the entire day.  Make training a priority and put it into your schedule.  If it is important enough and you already have it in your calendar, then you WILL workout.  These simple ideas are just the tip of the iceberg.  With just a little thought, I’m sure you can come up with a number of ways to plan ahead and no longer utter the words, “I’m too busy.”

3) It’s All About Progression and Variety

Does this look something like the workout you’ve been doing since 1987; 3 sets of 10, while using the same weight at every training session?  If this is you, believe me, you are not alone.  In order for your body to change, you must give it a reason to change.  If you are using the same load (same weight) every single workout, then your body will not have a reason to adapt to a new stimulus. (There is NO new stimulus) Maybe you want to have more firm, and defined glutes.  So you decide you are going to do walking lunges with 10 pound dumbbells for 3 sets of 10.  Good choice in exercise selection.  But like I mentioned above, if you do that every time you go to the gym, your body will quickly adapt to that, and have no reason to change to get those rock hard glutes.  While there are many ways to progress, I’ll list a couple options for you;

Perform 12 reps with those same 10-pound dumbbells (this is known as rep progression)
Perform 10 reps with 15-pound dumbbells (this is known as load progression)
Perform 4 sets of 10 reps with 10-pound dumbbells (this is known as set progression)

Part II to this tip, is to use variety in your training.  Not only will changing up the exercises, sets, and reps help you recruit more muscle fibers, but it is also a great thing to do from a psychological prospective.  I don’t know about you, but I think training should be fun.  If I were to walk in the gym and do the same exercises, sets, and reps every single time, I’d probably be bored and burned out pretty quickly.  Variety will help you stay mentally fresh and have you looking forward to training for years to come.  Here is an example for that same person that has a goal of achieving more defined glutes;

Monday - Walking Lunges with dumbbells for 4 sets of 12
Wednesday - Reverse Lunges with a barbell for 5 sets of 8
Friday - Bulgarian Split Squats for 3 sets of 15

Summary

Whatever your goals may be, you can make them happen.  But it doesn’t happen by accident.  Unfortunately there is no magic button that we can push to achieve our goals.  It takes discipline, consistency and hard work.  If you are willing to make the commitment, then these tips will definitely help you get there.  Remember, focus on your behaviors, plan ahead, always aim to make progress with each training session, and change up your routine every few weeks to keep things fresh and fun.  If your do this, you’ll be turning heads in no time!