Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Halloween Video from Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training

I just got this fun Halloween video from Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training...

Important, Don't watch it if you don't have a sense of humor!!!



You can check out Craig's site here:

Turbulence Training Fat Loss Program

Have a great Halloween!

Matt

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Halloween Fat Loss Pumpkin Workout With Holly Rigsby



Hey Moms! It is getting close to Halloween and you need a fat loss workout. When not get a little creative and use some pumpkins? That is what Holly Rigsby did in this short 3 minute video...

She is the author of The Fit Yummy Mummy... a fat loss program for Moms who want to lose their body fat...

Sure, it is a little crazy but it looks like fun. How about doing this workout with your young kids? Call 'em your little "punkins!"

Afterward... you can carve out the pumpkins and set it out on your porch. Don't forget to roast the pumpkin seeds...

But for me... I would add hot pepper seasoning to it...

I'm getting a little hungry here! :)

Friday, October 10, 2008

Sots Press - An Old School Way For Strength And Flexibility




The woman in this video is demonstrating the Sots Press... and believe me... it is much harder than it looks. You are only lifting one weight so it forces your core to stabilize itself...

So you work out three things... your shoulders, your legs and your core...

Good stuff and try it out NOW!

Be sure to check out my review of Muscle Building Secrets by Jason Ferruggia

T Pushups For More Strength



Are pushups getting a little to boring for you? Then try the T Pushups for size!

Jason Ferruggia has a young woman at the gym demonstrate exactly how to do them...

And be sure to check out my review of Muscle Building Secrets by Jason Ferruggia here...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Can You Get Fat From Fruit - Question Answered by Tom Venuto of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle

I have been wondering about this very subject lately and then PRESTO! I get an email from Tom Venuto answering the question...

Now for those of you who aren't familiar with Tom Venuto... he is a competitive bodybuilder who just hit the big 40 and is also the author of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. I find him an authority on nutrition and how to lose body fat. And he didn't disappoint me here...

So I posted it on my blog for my readers can read what he had to say about this subject and discuss at the end of the post. Don't forget to leave a comment at the end of this blog what you think...

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Is fruit making you fat? The FINAL word on fructose and fat loss

Does fruit make you fat? Are bodybuilders right when they cut out fruit before competitions or is that unnecessary? These and other questions have been hotly debated for decades. Kevin Larrabee of the Fit Cast show puts this question to Tom Venuto, who puts everything in perspective and gives you the final word on fruit, fructose and fat loss...

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TRANSCRIPT:
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KEVIN LARRABEE: Well, let's jump right into the questions. The first one we have comes from Chris. He says, "I'm just curious, what are your thoughts about fructose? Should the average person avoid a lot of fruit? I tend to avoid starchy carbs altogether, instead focusing on lean protein, fruit and veggies, in addition to healthy fats. Should I be worried about the fructose stuff? I eat 3 to 5 pieces of fruit a day, and that includes apples, grapes, bananas, oranges and really whatever is on sale at the store."

TOM VENUTO: I saw this topic got stirred up again just a few weeks ago. There was a study published in June, and it got written up in The New York Times, about fructose getting converted into fat. And you know how good the media is at reporting scientific research. Right? [sarcasm]

KEVIN LARRABEE: Oh, it's great. It's fantastic. I go to The New York Times for all my nutrition information actually. [more sarcasm!]

TOM VENUTO: [laughs] Well, it was The Journal for the American Nutrition Society. The title, right off the bat, was really damning. It said, "Dietary Sugars Stimulate Fatty Acid Synthesis." Then The New York Times' article says, "Does Fructose Make You Fatter?" And everybody saw
that and they're like, "Oh, my God! Fruit turns into fat!"

To tell you the truth, having started in the bodybuilding world, I believed that too. That's what I was taught. I was taught that fruit turns to fat, and when you go on a contest diet, you have to cut the fruit out. So when I was just starting out in bodybuilding, in my first few contests, I cut the fruit out. And then I started to really analyze it and it didn't seem to make any sense to me, so I put the fruit back in. I didn't see one shred of difference.

If you really go and look at these studies, like this new one, they were talking about high fructose corn syrup, not whole fruit. We know that the fructose goes to preferentially restore the liver glycogen, and the liver has a limited storage capacity. Some of the studies suggest that about
50 grams of fructose before it starts to spill into fat, at least in the context of those studies.

But does anybody know how much 50 grams of fructose is? I mean, in terms of soda, or high fructose corn syrup, I don't think it's hard at all to get 50 grams. And in that study, they didn't give people whole fruit. They gave them a big liquid dose that had 85 grams of carbs in a 75% fructose solution. That's like 64 grams of fructose all at once. So there you have it. That's consistent with what you'd expect based on the research.

Now, if you look at whole fruit, everybody saw the headline and they thought, "Fruit equals fructose." But fruit and fructose aren't exactly the same thing. A lot of people think that all the sugars in fruit are fructose. But a typical piece of fruit has what? About 6-7 grams of fructose?
Maybe you'd get about 10 in a big banana, and some of the berries that are really high in fiber, have only 2-3 grams of fructose. So it would take almost an impossible-to-eat amount, especially if you're trying to stay in a calorie deficit, for that to cause any fat storage. And if you're
in a calorie deficit for the day anyway, should we really be worried about it?

KEVIN LARRABBE: Yeah.

TOM VENUTO: I think fruit is good for a fat loss diet. You could actually make an argument that you should include it because it's high in nutrients, it's high in fiber; it's high in water content, and we know that's a combination right there (high fiber, high water) that's good for reducing appetite and making you feel fuller. So maybe the pre-contest bodybuilder or the low carb dieter is going to pull back on fruit a little bit. But that's mainly a function of cutting down on everything across the board -- cutting down calories across the board and cutting down carbs across the board. Fruit is just too nutritionally valuable to get rid of.

KEVIN LARRABEE: Exactly. I think something that Craig Ballantyne said was that he's never had a client that got fat by eating fruit. They got fat by having breads, like pastries, junk food,
pizzas, things like that. You're not going to get fat by eating fruit. I think people are just focusing on the wrong things.

TOM VENUTO: Yeah. Absolutely. Eat your fruit.


Visit Tom Venuto's website for more information about body fat loss and nutrition

Comments? Questions? Discuss this article below...

Friday, October 3, 2008

Are Eggs Good For You -- Whole Eggs... Dietary Evil or The New Superfood by Tom Venuto

Question for Tom Venuto...

QUESTION: Tom I’m really confused about eggs. I’m not even sure if youre going to be able to answer this or not, but to me and I’m sure others, it’s a very confusing and important topic. I only use egg whites because I did believe that the yolks are bad because of cholesterol and saturated fat. But with the studies coming out saying we are missing all of the best nutrients by throwing the yolks out it is very confusing. Could you please help clarify this issue and I have attached an article I got from another e-book author for your reference about what I’ve been reading, which spurred my frustration to contact you.

-Michael


Tom Venuto comments on whole eggs...

ANSWER: It’s overly simplistic to say that the saturated or animal fats cause heart disease. It’s even more simplistic and incorrect to say that foods high in dietary cholesterol such as egg yolks, will always lead to an increase in cholesterol in the blood.

Many other factors are involved, including the type of saturated fat, individual genetics, current health status, exercise and the big picture of what else is consumed in the rest of the diet.

Research Says Eggs Are Not Evil

Recent research has been showing that the cholesterol in eggs is handled by most people’s bodies in a way that doesn’t cause heart disease and that dietary cholesterol does not necessarily translate to increased blood cholesterol or an unfavorable ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol.
After a recent study published in The Journal Of Nutrition, Dr. Robert Nicolosi at the University of Massachusetts said, “Our data show that eating an egg a day is not a factor for raising cholesterol.” A study reported at the 2006 experimental biology meeting in San Francisco made similar findings. The researchers discovered that when people ate three or more eggs per day, the amount of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in their bloodstream did in fact increase as previously reported. However they also found that the subjects actually made bigger LDL particles which were less likely to enter artery walls and build up as artery-clogging plaque. As a result of these and similar findings, head researcher Christine Green said that a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that eggs should not be considered a “dietary evil.”

Whole Eggs Have “Super-Food” Qualities

Whole eggs have a lot going for them nutritionally speaking. The egg yolks contain a highly bioavailable source of lutein and zeaxanthin which are carotenoids that protect against cataracts and macular degeneration.

Eggs are a great source of high biological value complete protein and the protein is split almost evenly between the yolk and the white. One large egg contains 6.3 grams of protein with 3.5 grams in the white and 2.8 grams in the yolk. Although whole eggs appear to have been exonerated, it still may not be wise to suggest that anyone can eat eggs in unlimited quantities, for both health and body composition reasons. Dr. Udo Erasumus in his book, Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill, said that in 70% of the affluent populations of the world, increased cholesterol consumption decreases cholesterol production in the body through a regulating feedback system that protects them. The other 30% of the population may not have adequate feedback, and are wise to limit their dietary cholesterol consumption.

Unlimited egg consumption is also not wise from a caloric perspective. In a fat burning program, you need to consider calories as well as nutritional value and health impact.

Whole Eggs And Fat Loss

Eggs are fairly calorie dense, while egg whites are extremely low in calories, which is why egg whites are one of the top choices for lean protein on calorie-restricted fat loss and bodybuilding diets.

Now that this news about the health value of whole eggs is starting to become more widely circulated, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts have been criticized for their long held practice of throwing away the egg yolks. However, In all my years of training, even back in the late 1980’s, and 1990’s I’ve never thrown away all my yolks. My menu plans typically contain one or two whole eggs with 8-12 egg whites. I know that’s a lot of whites, but that’s a man-sized bodybuilder meal. For non bodybuilders or people with lower calorie needs, it might be one whole egg and 3-6 whites. Why not ALL whole eggs? Well you could do that, but using more whites than yolks provides the high protein without so many calories. Using all whole eggs would be more appropriate in a low carb diet, and I usually use more balanced diets with moderate amounts of natural carbs to fuel my training.

Take a look at this egg white - egg yolk comparison:

3 whole large eggs: 225 calories, 18.9 g protein, 15 g fat 8 egg whites & 1 whole egg: 211 calories, 34.3 g protein, 5 g fat

Do you see what was accomplished here? I didn’t remove egg yolks because I’m afraid of cholesterol. I removed most of the egg yolks because I was on a calorie budget and I was on a higher protein diet and I wanted more protein with fewer calories. Make sense?

Another reason that bodybuilders use liquid eqq whites so often is for convenience. They can pour them from the carton right into the fry pan and they don’t have to do all that shell cracking and egg white separating.

Let me leave you with a funny story. vince gironda

Whole Eggs - “Better Than Steroids???

When I started bodybuilding as a teenager, I latched onto the teachings of a bodybuilding guru trainer from North Hollywood named Vince Gironda.

Gironda trained all the top movie stars back in his day including Erik Estrada, Clint Eastwood, Tommy Chong, Carl “Apollo Creed” Weathers and too many others to mention. He was also the Trainer of bodybuilding champions such as Larry Scott the First Mr. Olympia, and believe it or not, he was Arnold’s first trainer when Joe Weider sent the budding young star to America from Austria.

Gironda had been saying from day one (back in the 1950’s and 1960’s) that the whole egg was “nature’s perfect food” and he compared them to “natural steroids.”
On some of his low carb “muscle definition” diets, he said you could eat as many whole eggs as you wanted and even scramble them in butter. He said that he had some of his champion bodybuilders on up to three dozen eggs a day!

I didn’t really understand what a ketogenic diet was at the time, but being an obedient, guru-following teenage bodybuilder, desperate for muscle, I did what he said. I ate up to 3 dozen whole eggs a day for months on end.

Well, there was no miraculous steroid-like effect, and I didn’t drop dead of a heart attack either.

One thing I did notice is that I DID NOT LOSE FAT like Gironda said I would.

The reason should be obvious: three dozen whole eggs is 2700 calories (more if you use extra large or jumbo eggs). I was at nearly maintenance calories from the eggs alone, and eggs weren’t the only thing I was eating.

Gironda, like many other low carb gurus, did not place any restrictions on calories, only on foods. Gironda was a genius, years ahead of his time, but this was one little flaw in his program. Even on low carb diets, you STILL need a caloric deficit to lose body fat.

Thus, my approach changed and I went back to more “normal” quantities of eggs and I started removing some of the yolks to keep me more easily within my caloric deficit without losing the high quality protein… but I never cut all the yolks because of their excellent nutritional value… To this day, I still keep one or two yolks in my omelettes and scrambles… sometimes more, as long as it fits in my calorie budget. Get crackin!

Tom Venuto
Burn the Fat

PS. One last thing. Keep in mind that the quality of the egg is only as good as the quality of the bird it came from. This is why many health experts recommend free range eggs and or omega-3 eggs

PPS For more information about fat burning nutrition, visit: Burn the Fat

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Turbulence Training Transformation Contest - Lose 7-12 Pounds in 28 Days

Hi,

Who will be the winner of the 4-Week Rapid Weight Loss Turbulence Training Transformation Contest?

Will it be the guy who lost 12 pounds in 28 days or the gal who lost 7 pounds in 4 weeks?

You get to pick the winner with your vote here:


But hurry, voting ends Monday, October 6th at midnight!

I've made my vote, now it is time for yours.

Check out these guys and gals who have lost up to 7-12 pounds in just 4 weeks with Turbulence Training. Just imagine how they are going to look after they finish their 12-week program.

You'll get to choose between...

1) Carmel, who was fed up and ready for a change, so she lost 7 pounds of fat with Turbulence Training in just 4 weeks

2) Francis, a former cyclist who grudgingly took up Turbulence Training and lost 6 pounds in 4 weeks to finally get 6-pack abs

3) Abby, who built muscle while burning an inch of fat from her stomach at the same time - even though she wasn't trying to lose fat!

4) Andy, who lost 8 pounds and 2% fat and can now see his abs

5) Tom, who is rapidly burning fat and is on his way to 6-pack abs in only 28 days

6) Dale, our "Biggest Loser", who lost 12 pounds of fat in 4 weeks

Cast your vote here and tell all of your friends to vote too:

=> http://tinyurl.com/6ce2yb

But hurry, voting ends Monday, October 6th at midnight!



Rock the vote,

Matt Taylor
http://tinyurl.com/6ce2yb