mrpowerfitness.com

Increase the effectiveness of your workout by doing multiple high rep sets with minimal rest. The reason why it works is because it increases the blood supply to the muscles. By increasing the supply you also increase the supply of nourishment to the muscles. Provided that you provided your body with quality nutrition and supplements. And since this causes the muscles to rebuild bigger and better it also increases the metabolic rate and burns fat more efficiently.

This doesn’t mean you have to be a body builder to get these same benefits. No matter what adding lean muscle to one’s frame not only improves your health, looks, and as mentioned previously your calcium serum levels, it also increases your fat burning ability.

The best method to utilize this technique goes like this:

To add muscle you will want to do four sets of at least four exercises per body part. Don’t try to do every body part in a day’s session. I usually do one body part per day, such as, Chest, Back, Shoulders, Arms and Legs. Stomach you can add in with any of the other body parts at the end of your session. Add weight progressively with each set from ten reps down to three. After you have completed the heavy lifting and before your stomach sets if you are doing them that specific day, you are going to choose one exercise for that body part. Now for this exercise you will do seven sets at a weight you can handle for fifteen reps each set. Between each set rest only thirty second and no more than thirty seconds. This is similar to creating an aerobic effect and will increase and speed up the blood flow to that body part.

This will also create a tremendous pumped up effect, letting you know it’s working. Now feed those muscles. This will increase the nutrient supply to your recently taxed muscles. Watch and see how quickly your body will get sculpted.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

Everyone wants the quick fix. From minimal time exercising to fast food. Then there’s the aerobic craze, by a video and dance in front of your T.V. set. While you might lose a few pound of fat, you also lose muscle tissue. I can’t say this enough add muscle increase metabolism. so not only do you lose muscle mass but eventually your metabolism will eventually begin to slacken.

Now about that benefit. The great thing is that it especially benefits  a wide range of groups. That’s from mother’s that recently had babies to women after their menstruation. But the group it benefits most is the elderly. Not to mention every one over thirty. You see as we age just like your hormone levels begin to drop after thirty so does calcium production. Why do you think osteoporosis is so common as we get older.

If most people over thirty did resistance training coupled with a proper diet they wouldn’t need prescription medicines for their osteoporosis. By lifting weights you can stimulate your body to increase calcium production. Some of the systems in your body that use calcium are the heart, muscles, skeletal, the nervous system, the kidneys and the gastrointestinal system. Each of these systems demand a specific calcium balance, which are regulated by the calcium found in your blood, delivered by the circulatory system.

When these systems are low the blood takes calcium from your bones to maintain the calcium serum levels in the blood in order to service all those systems. Because of the relationship between the muscles and bones weight training stimulates your skeletal system to produce new calcium. By combining a proper diet with more than enough sources of dietary calcium and a good weight training routine everybody even the elderly can have a better and healthier lifestyle.

It seems that 4 minute exercises are all the rage these days. But in actuality have been around since 1996. That’s when research scientist Tabata, for who the Tabata method is named after, discovered that by doing eight sets of high intensity exercise for twenty second durations with ten second rest intervals would put you in both aerobic and anaerobic states at the same time.

Now every fitness guru promotes some variation of it. To be honest it does fit the bill for the majority of people interested in either staying fit or losing weight. Specially in today’s hectic pace everyone keeps. This bill of sell targets most every-one’s needs, desires and wants.

• Time:  One of the chief attributes, can be done in four minutes.
• Effectiveness:  Done right this will increase your metabolic rate and get you in shape.
• Cost: You can do this in your own home with the equipment god gave you.
• Variety:  Although one should focus on whole body exercises there are plenty of  combination’s that work

However due to the intense depletion by the end of the four minutes you won’t be able to do this everyday or even five days a week. Chances are even if you do the recommended maximum times a week, three, you probably are not going to look forward to doing this too often. And that’s the one draw back. When done right and at the end of four minute you are huffing and puffing like a chain smoker finishing a marathon race. In addition to that you’ll likely feel like heaving your guts out and wish you could.

I can attest to all this and it’s effectiveness. Even though it’s rough on you and your pride, the four minute exercise is a great one to have in your arsenal and one of my favorites. That being said you’re not going to build a lot of muscle with this exercise regimen. Not that everyone needs or wants to be a bodybuilder. But increasing some muscle mass will definitely hike your metabolism and make you look healthier. Even with the use of weights and going as heavy as you can, provided you can complete the eight sets within four minutes, you’re not going to increase muscle mass or strength. It’s just that to do that you need to lift heavy to your max in eight reps to three or four reps, even one maxed out rep to gain muscle mass. And to do this you need a minimum of sixty seconds rest between sets.

That being said every one should incorporate this into their exercise plan. Obviously a disclaimer is needed here, if you have heart or lung problems, or any health issues consult your physician first and make sure they approve it.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

There are many opinions on how to work up to your first pull up. If your out of shape, haven’t worked out in ages, plain over weight or a complete newbie to exercise let me help.

First off for the most part your ability to perform pull-ups is pretty much proportional to your body-fat to muscle ratio. Hence the more you weigh the harder it is to do one. That is taking into consideration that you have average muscle tone.

Lets say that your weight challenged. Lets say by twenty pounds. We are also going to say it has been a while since you set foot in a gym.

One method and probably the best is the old stick with it method. This is every time you are working your back muscles and are going to do pull-ups you have to try as hard as you can to do as many complete reps as possible. Recommended, break your routine up into sets and reps as you would any other exercise.

Start with one complete rep, all the way up, all the way down. If you can only do one rep thats fine if you can do more do as many as you can for your first set. Now you will do five more sets for a total of six sets times as many reps as you can for each set. So if you could do only one rep each set then thats a total of six reps. Rest any where from thirty seconds to a minute between sets.

Now you can do this for a couple of weeks then add either after the first two weeks or from the get go static reps. So what your going to do after each set before you drop down from the bar is to pull up to your sticking point and hold that position for as long as you can, until failure, then rest for the next set.

My third technique is actually away from the pull-up bar. You can do it after you have done your pull-ups or on a off day. Go to the lat pull down cable machine, many gyms have them as part of a cable combo set. Make sure it’s the seated one and sit. adjust the weights to approximately one third to half your body weight, here you will have to gauge for yourself.

Grab the lat bar about shoulder length as you would for a pull-up. Pull the bar down along the front of your torso mimicking a pull-up motion, stop when the bar reaches your lap. Then back up for one full rep. Do five more sets with incremental weight adjustments until you reach the point where you can not bring the bar below your chest. Of course your reps will decrease proportionately to the increase in poundage.

So that’s ten reps the first three sets then eight, six and four. Add one last max rep with the most weight you can handle to the point mentioned before(just below the chest). When you can do say twenty pounds more than your body weight at the time for ten reps, I’ll bet you will have no problem ripping off pull-ups.

All along while your working on this improvement if you lose weight at the same time those reps will get easier and easier.

This should take you a long way in dominating the pull-up bar.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

If I had to recommend supplements for exercising, whether for muscle building or weight loss, I have a starter kit so to speak that I would list. Let me say right now that for the majority of people getting started a good nutrition plan and exercise plan are more than enough to reach most levels of fitness.

But for those that are slightly more advanced(not bodybuilders) and those that want an accelerated path these products can help. I always follow the motto if it’s good enough for the “pro” it’s good enough for me. I stop at the point of steroids though.

Most everything I would suggest centers around the workout itself. At least three products alone, each for each of the phases of your workout. That being said I in no way am endorsing these products for monetary gain.

I feel that they are quality products that are produced through quality methods and geared around the pro fitness athletes. There may be other products that perform as well or almost as well, but it is extremely difficult to personally test every brand. Due to time constraints, at least a month or two for each product and cost. My choices for now are:

• For pre-workout Gaspari Nutrition’s SuperPump250
• For during the workout session Gaspari Nutrition’s SizeOn
• Post work out & meal replacement, Gaspari Nutrition’s MyoFusion.
• PrimaForce’s Max CLA for the antioxident, fat burning and lean muscle mass increase.

Pretty much this is a great start up kit for those into fitness and want to create that “hot bod” ripped look.

There are a lot of products in these categories and most of them are good. But there are those that are a waste of money because they are nothing but filler. One has to do the research, not just on the product but the company too. That’s why I chose Gaspari Nutrition, there products are designed around bodybuilders and pro athletes who need that best quality for the best productivity.

Of course if I come across equal or better I’ll be the first to post.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

One of my favorite exercise routines is to do six sets of each exercise for ten reps at a reduced weight. Roughly anywhere from one third to two thirds the poundage of my max one rep for that particular exercise. This with a rest period of fifteen breaths in between sets.

So if I were doing bench press, my max one rep is at 265lb. I lower the total weight to 135 lb. I do six sets with roughly fifteen to twenty seconds rest non stop. What I do is count out fifteen breaths and start lifting.

I train one body part per day and my workout last about forty five minutes. I do as many different exercises as it takes to hit that particular muscle group from all angles, between five to seven different exercises.

Here’s an example of my chest routine for this method:

Exercises                    Sets           Reps          Rest          Weight

• Bench Press           6             10        15 Breaths        135lb.
• Incline Bench         6              10       15 Breaths          90lb.
• Decline Bench        6              10       15 Breaths        135lb.
• Military Press         6              10       15 Breaths          95lb.
• Cross Cables         6              10       15 Breaths          25lb.
• Dumbbell Flyes      6              10       15 Breaths          35lb.

In the case of the last two the weight is for each dumbbell and selector.

Now about Cycling your routine. I brought up one of my favorite routines because you can’t just do the same routine all the time. Your body begins to adapt to it and even when you increase the poundage it adapts as quickly. Thus your gains body composition wise diminish.

Recently I posted about another great routine the Tabata Method(see “The Four Minute Exercise” below). This method is great for revving up your metabolism and breaking down fat.

By alternating routines you keep the body from getting bored and adapting too quickly. This is what as meant by “cycling”. Just like the seasons go through there “cycles” so do you cycle through your routines.

The best advise is to do no more than a month of any one routine before switching. I would also recommend to do at least two weeks of any routine before switching also.

The exception to the rule would definitely be the Tabata method. You may want to do this only two or three times a week and maybe only a week. Its that rough that you won’t welcome the days you schedule to do it. But it really produces results.

Here’s a good example of a routine cycle for those that want to get ripped and fit using the two methods mentioned here.

First two weeks train heavy, four sets per exercise, four to six exercises to cover all the angles, one body part per day. First set very light to warm up. Increase weights so that it is a challenge to do eight reps. Third set the same to six reps and your fourth set max out for four reps. If your feeling gung ho and can do so safely do one final set/rep at your one rep max.

Next two weeks do the routine I introduced at six sets per body part, one body part per day, with fifteen breath rest between sets. again five to seven exercises or whatever needed to hit all the muscle angles.

Finally do one week doing only Tabata method, say three times that week. Remember that’s one exercise like the “Thruster” for twenty seconds as fast as possible non stop then rest for ten seconds, repeat for total of eight sets.

So to recap thats two weeks heavy, two weeks moderate and one weeks four minute exercise. By changing up the order as well you can create more muscle confusion.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

Beta-hydroxyl beta-metylbutyrate other wise known as HMB is a metabolite of the Branched chained amino acid leucine. Your body breaks down the leucine into HMB. You can also get it from catfish, alfalfa and my favorite grapefruit. HMB is believed to help with the growth and repair of muscle tissue.

Researchers have measured greater gains in muscle mass and strength after taking HMB supplements for 3-7 weeks. This may be due to HMB’s ability to prevent muscle breakdown during intense training. Researchers also found that HMB helps to reduce body-fat levels and improve body composition, although it’s not clear exactly how. Several researchers believe that HMB may work even better when combined with creatine and protein-carbohydrate supplements.

While it’s a supplement that one doesn’t absolutely need to include it in their regimen. If you want to go that extra step and have the extra cash then it is effective. It’s recommended to use 3 grams per day for men and 2 grams per day for women. It might also be better to take HMB with a meal replacement product or at meal times. Studies found that muscle mass gains were greater when HMB was taken with a carbohydrate-protein supplement.

Since HMB is a water ­soluble substance, any excess is excreted in the urine.There has been no side effects reported by athletes using higher-than ­recommended doses. I like to start my day of with half a grapefruit to get the benefits of HMB and as light carbohydrate load for fuel for my morning workout. Choose wisely.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

CLA short for Conjugated Linoleic Acid. CLA to regulate your metabolism and body composition. As as being an anti-carcenogenic. CLA also helps lose weight when combined with resistance training. Just What about it makes it so useful for us?

Research conducted in Norway shows that CLA reduces fat storage and increases the body’s fat burning capabilities. It does this by increasing the activity of an enzyme called hormone sensitive lipase that releases the fat from fat cells into the blood. While simultaneously reducing the activity of another enzyme called lipoprotein lipase which transports fat into the fat cells. So what happens is more fat is burned as fuel and less fat is stored. It was found that those taking 3,000 mg of CLA daily for three months reduced their body fat by 20%.

When used along with strength training it reduces muscle breakdown, increases muscle circumference and increases strength. By using CLA it practically doubles your gains in the gym, compared to if you were to strength train without it.

Studies have shown that the fat burning benefits as well as those other muscle benefits kick in when you take CLA in amounts of up to 3000mg. While you can get this supplement naturally in milk and beef, you won’t be able to consume enough of either to reach the quantity necessary for our purposes.

So stick with a quality supplement and experiment with the amount you may need. There has been some instances where individuals complained of upset stomach. Otherwise there has not yet been found any other negative side effects for CLA. The newer forms of CLA (mi cellar CLA) seem to have eliminated the upset stomach issue.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

Supplements That help you achieve your fitness goal.

Of course you need your vitamins. All your B’s, C, D, E, A and the rest. But with these you should take extra spread out over the day, not all at once first thing in the morning like most do. Reason being that most of your vitamins are water soluble and get filtered out with your urine.

Then you should be using a good quality protein, preferably a whey based one. One that has both whey and casein. Also choose a quality amino acid complex and follow the directions. The protein you can take as part of an after workout meal and first thing in the morning with a good carbohydrate food to stock up on fuel for a pre workout meal.

Conjugated linoleic acid commonly known as CLA is anther good supplement. It helps to regulate your metabolism and body composition. As an added benefit it is also an anti-carcenogenic. CLA also helps lose weight when combined with resistance training.

These with a good diet and exercise program will not only get you started but take you far. Next post will be more in depth on CLA.

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com

On a short rant this time. I mentioned in my last post about how you can get a kick -A$$ workout with a pair of ten pound dumbbells. For many reading this a pair of five pound dumbbells might be all you can handle. I’ll wager a pair of fifteen pounders and definitely a pair of twenty pound dumbbells are too difficult to handle for this exercise.

While you can do this with out weights and that might be a good idea for most to start off with. Basically this is an exercise called the Tabata Method. Named after a Japanese researcher who discovered an interesting way to increase both anaerobic and aerobic pathways at the same time. It’s an excellent cross training method and for those looking to lose fat quickly.

Here it is in its entirety:

1. Do your exercise for twenty seconds with as many reps as possible in that twenty seconds.
2. Rest for only and exactly ten seconds.
3. Repeat seven more times for a total of eight sets.

That’s why it’s also known as the four minute exercise. It’s also all you’ll be able to do if done correctly. You will find that your pretty well drained by the time you get to the last set if not even before.

Now the one thing that makes or breaks this exercise is that you have to do as best as possible a full body exercise. A great one would be to do an exercise known as “Thrusters”.

In the start position, start in standing position with dumbbells held at just above shoulders like doing a military press. Squat down to deep squat position then rise back to standing position while pressing the weights to full overhead position. That is one rep. The front squat is also another great exercise for this method.

Last thing to mention, you need to view a clock with a second hand or one that ticks off the seconds. Only because you need to adhere to the time structure to the second in order for this exercise to be productive.

Beware this one will drain you and leave you heaving if done to strict instructions. Bring a bucket…

James Bolduc

MrPowerFitness

PowerFitnessSecrets.com