4 Simple Tips to Make You Healthier Than Ever

[This article was authored by Sergeant Michael Volkin, best-selling author of military books and inventor
of Strength Stack 52 fitness cards. ]

In the age of the Obesity Epidemic, thousands of new diet fads coupled with an overload of health
and fitness information, there are really only a few key tips you need to keep in mind to stay healthy
and fit. If you Google “best health tips” you will get over 1.3 million results. How is anyone supposed
to sort through 1.3 million results?! Even if you do, how will you know which tips are true and which
aren’t? I’ve refined these tips down to only the best of the best. The tips below are not only true; they
are timeless, meaning they will be true for generations. So if you know nothing about fitness or are an
expert trainer, keep these tips in mind to be in top shape.

1) You Are What You Eat – The next time you want to put yourself in a bad mood, go grocery
shopping and actually look at the nutrition labels, ingredients and packaging claims on the food
you normally buy. Products are often labeled “natural,” yet have high-fructose corn syrup
in them. In fact, natural products can technically have pesticides in them and not even be
mentioned on a nutrition label. This is actually allowed according to the FDA. I could go on with
shocking statements about what is omitted from nutrition labels, but the bottom line is always
try and cook your own unprocessed food. When possible; steam or boil your food. Your body
will thank you in both the short and long term.

2) Stay Hydrated – This is one tip I can’t stress enough. Many experts recommend drinking eight
glasses of water a day. Although healthy, this is a general guideline that has simply been passed
down from generation to generation without any real scientific merit. The proper consumption
of water aids in digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients,

maintenance of body temperature and more. When you feel your mouth is a bit dry, it means
your body has been craving water for about 20 minutes. To answer the question all you beer
lovers are asking right now, yes beer is mostly water but it also contains alcohol, which causes
dehydration. A major—yet hardly ever discussed—advantage to water is the positive affect it
can have on dieters. Those on a diet should be extra vigilant about drinking water. Doing this
will reduce your urge to drink calories from other liquids, and it is much easier to drink calories
than eat them. In addition to these benefits, water is also great for energizing muscles, flushing
toxins out of your body and keeping your skin looking healthy.

3) Embrace Nano-Sport Periodization – Day after day I see the same people in the gym doing
the same exercises over and over and over. Your body has an amazing ability to adapt, thus
reducing the effectiveness of your workouts over time, unless you change your routine often.
Nano-sport Periodization is a phrase I coined for my fitness product Strength Stack 52, a
deck of bodyweight fitness cards that keeps workouts dynamic and challenging. Nano-sport
Periodization will ensure your workouts are efficient, dynamic and effective. First, let’s define
Nano-sport Periodization:

Nano: Small or mini
Limit your workouts to 30 minutes or less. Many scientific studies claim 1 high intensity and fast
workouts are the most beneficial for a healthy body.

Sport: Playing a game with a challenging component
Have you ever played a sport with friends and realized after a half hour you are dripping with
sweat and have burned more calories than you did all week in the gym? That’s because the
power of a challenge brings out the best in people. A challenge stimulates your mind to force
your body to another level. That’s because competition is fun, doesn’t adhere to a routine
and stimulates a desire for you to win. It is human nature to be competitive and incorporating
competition in your workout will push you harder.

I cringe when I see people in the gym with workouts printed that have pre-designated rep
counts. Using an arbitrary number to determine the end of the set is not beneficial. For each
set you should be testing your limits, not stopping when you reach a pre-designated number.

Periodization: Dividing exercises into segments of varying intensities
Almost every city in America now has CrossFit gyms, a term that hardly anyone knew existed
10 years ago. CrossFit focuses on multi-joint and full body exercises, which has proven to be
beneficial to your health and an efficient way to get an effective workout. By working out in
a group, as CrossFit enthusiasts do, you are getting out of your comfort zone and varying your
workouts either by endurance, strength, time, or a combination of one or more of those.

4) Recovery is Key – Last but not least, let’s discuss recovery. One of the most common causes
of injury to athletes is overtraining. Resting properly allows your body to repair muscles and
tissues. Between sets at the gym, rest 30 to 90 seconds, this allows your muscles to recover
with the proper oxygen and blood flow needed to repair properly. Workouts with multi-joint
movements require more rest than workouts with single joint movements. If you are sore the
day after your workout, you don’t need to take the day off. The soreness you are experiencing
is called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). DOMS is caused by microscopic tears inside
the muscles. First, determine how sore you are. If your muscles are sore to the touch or if you
feel your range of motion is limited then take a day of rest or better yet, stretch your muscles. If
you are just lightly sore, then do a light aerobic or weight lifting workout.

If you are sore before any physical activity, spend 5 to 10 minutes cycling to warm up your
muscles and increase blood flow. Be cautious about lifting weights when you are sore. Lift
weights no more than 30 percent of your one-rep max to prevent exacerbating the soreness and
causing injury.

1: Further Reading

Anderssen and Stromme. Physical activity and health – recommendations. Tidsskr Nor
Laegeforen, 2001; DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11875902

Burgomaster et al. Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential
and cycle endurance capacity in humans. The Journal of Physiology, 2005; DOI: http://
jap.physiology.org/content/98/6/1985.full

Chmidt et al. Effects of long versus short bout exercise on fitness and weight loss in overweight
females. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001: DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/11601564

Jakicic at al. Prescribing exercise in multiple short bouts versus one continuous bout: effects
on adherence, cardiorespiratory fitness, and weight loss in overweight women. International
Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 1995; DOI: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/8963358

Little et al. A practical model of low-volume high-intensity interval training induces
mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle: potential mechanisms. The Journal of
Physiology, 2010; DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2009.181743

Talanian et al. Two weeks of high-intensity aerobic interval training increases the capacity
for fat oxidation during exercise in women. Journal of Applies Physiology, 2007: DOI: http://
jap.physiology.org/content/102/4/1439.full.pdf

Trapp et al. Metabolic response of trained and untrained women during high-intensity
intermittent cycle exercise. American Journal of Physiology, 2007; DOI: http://
ajpregu.physiology.org/content/293/6/R2370.short

Busted! 5 Fitness and Health Tips That May Make You Cry.

Busted! 5 Fitness and Health Tips That May Make You Cry.

This article was authored by Sergeant Michael Volkin, best-selling author of military books and
inventor of Strength Stack 52 bodyweight fitness cards.

Myth: The more ab exercises I do, the skinnier my waist will be.

BUSTED: Doing stomach exercises can strengthen your abdominal muscles, but it won’t burn
body fat to give you that 6-pack you’re after. If you want your ab muscles to show, you need
to either be naturally skinny or embrace a diet low in carbohydrates and high in proteins with a
decent helping of healthy fats and fruits and vegetables.

Myth: My diet includes diet soda, it’s zero calories so it has to be good for me.

BUSTED: According to a recent University of Texas study, drinking just two or more cans a day
accelerated waistline expansion by 500%. The artificial sweeteners disrupt the body’s ability
to regulate calorie intake. In other words, your body is being tricked into thinking it’s ingesting
sugar, so you crave more food and as a result, eat more food than you would have without
drinking the soda.

Myth: By working out, I can convert fat into muscle.

BUSTED: You cannot convert fat into muscle as they are completely different. In fact, when
working out it is best to focus on either losing fat or gaining muscle. In order to gain muscle,
you have to eat more calories than you burn and, in order to lose body fat, you must burn more
calories than you consume.

Myth: Cardio is more important for fat loss than weight lifting.

BUSTED: You will definitely burn calories completing a cardio workout, but to lose weight your
primary concern should be muscle loss. Muscles make it easier for your body to prevent fat
gain. Your body will burn more calories maintaining muscle than maintaining fat. In other
words, the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will burn each day. The less
muscle you have the lower your metabolism. A great weight loss program should focus on (in
this order) your caloric intake, weight training and then cardio.

Myth: Stretching before a workout prevents injury and increased my performance.

BUSTED: I know, you grew up stretching before a workout or sporting event because your
coach or parents told you it was beneficial. You were probably told that stretching prevents
injury, when in fact, the opposite is true. Recent studies show that stretching before a workout
will weaken the muscle by up to 30%. By elongating your muscles before strenuous exercise
you actually may be increasing the risk of injury. Instead of stretching before a workout, get

your blood flowing through your muscles with some low impact cardio for 5 to 10 minutes.
Stretching after a workout is great and still proves to be beneficial.

With your new found knowledge of health and fitness, grab yourself a deck of my new
invention, Strength Stack 52 bodyweight fitness cards.

Healthy Fat Sources that you should eat & Unhealthy Fats you should avoid

Tweet

For Customized Meal Plans go to http://sixpackinsanity.com

In this video I will show you some healthy fats that you should be eating as well as some unhealthy fats that you should avoid.

Foods To Burn Belly Fat – 3 different types

+Brad Scott

Best Exercises Lose Belly Fat

Which Best Exercises lose belly fat?

Many people ask me what some of the best exercises are to lose belly fat.

TRUTH ABOUT GETTING ABS: In order for your abs to show, you need to first do the best exercises lose belly fat.

Now I used to sit on the treadmill for hours it seemed. I would also ride the stationary bikes and go on long runs in the woods. But still I looked down at my stomach… NO ABS!!

The problem with these long, boring cardio methods is that when you don’t switch up your intensity levels and when you do cardio at the same pace for too long you don’t burn fat fast enough and if you run for more than about 45 minutes at a steady pace you can actually start burning through your muscle and not your fat.

Now the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is, and the faster you can lose belly fat.

So if you are burning muscle and barely burning any fat with these boring cardio workouts that take up hours of your day, you are actually working against yourself. This is how people become what I like to call Skinny Fat. They might be losing weight, but they don’t look like they work out AT ALL!

So here is what you do: The best exercises lose belly fat

Now there is no such thing as spot fat reduction, So you can’t directly train your abdominals right away and expect to get six pack abs.  Ab workouts don’t help you lose belly fat!

So in order to lose belly fat you need to do exercises that burn fat from your entire body while also gaining muscle. Full body workouts that target large muscle groups like your legs, back, and chest burn the most calories, and will continue to burn calories after your workout.

When you work these large muscles it takes energy for them to repair themselves which burns more fat even when you’re sleeping.

So by doing these intense full body workouts, you speed up your metabolism and turn your body into a fat burning machine.

Some of my favorite workouts are Jump Squats, walking lunges, box jumps, and burpees etc , but you need to do them in perfect balance so that you’re not working the same muscle group 2 days in a row.

I teach you the proven routines you can follow in the Six Pack Insanity members area.

If you want best exercises lose belly fat go ahead and get access to the six pack insanity members area.

5 ways to speed up your metabolism today

If you’re dead serious about chiseling your midsection into beach-worthy abs, then you’re not going
to make an ounce of progress until you’ve read every last word in this article. You can do a dozen
sets… But without todays dirty little secret, your abs will remain screen shy. Today, you’re going to
learn 5 ways to speed up your metabolism – to help you achieve your goal. But before we get into
that, pay attention to the following.

Your metabolic speed is crucial to weight loss, and abdominal definition. In a nutshell, the faster
your metabolism, the more calories you burn… even while you’re resting. In other words, you enable
your body to utilize every hour of the day – be it in the gym, or while you’re asleep.

The First Way To Speed Up Your Metabolism – “Don’t you dare slow down!” – “Yes drill
sergeant!”

The first (and the most impactful) method is to increase the intensity of your exercises. Ditch long,
slow cardio sessions in favor of faster paced interval training. The high intensity works your heart
rate at a much higher level. And while it’s not deemed as the ideal “fat burning slot”, you will end
up burning more calories. Naturally, if you’re overweight, you’ll want to start off with slower cardio
sessions because the demands of interval training are significantly higher.

Here’s an easy workout you can start off today, and it won’t take more than 10 minutes.

1. Hop onto your favorite cardio machine (let’s assume it’s the stationary bike)
2. Do a slow, 5 minute warm up
3. Stretch (or you will experience agonizing cramps)
4. Hop back onto the bike
5. Start off at a steady pace for 1 minute
6. Once you hit 60 seconds, do a 30 second sprint (from 1:00 to 1:30)
7. 1:30 – 2:30 is your “rest period” where you go at a slow, steady pace again
8. Repeat till you hit the 10th minute
9. Up the intensity (in terms of number of intervals) with each subsequent workout

The Second Way To Speed Up Your Metabolism – “Who Said 8 Glasses Are Enough?”

From a young age, we’ve been told to drink 8 glasses of water. Scientific studies concluded that this
amount (250ml X is just about enough to satisfy our body’s water demand each day. But I’m here
to tell you that 8 glasses aren’t enough… especially if you’re interested in getting gleaming, rock hard
abs.

You see, even a slight drop in your hydration level can slow your metabolism down… Now why
would you want that?

The Third Way To Speed Up Your Metabolism – “Eat More…”

Often. I meant eat more often. The reason why dietitians advice clients to eat small, frequent meals
is because of it increases your metabolism. Here’s the logic behind this notion.

When you eat more often, you’re forcing your body to work more. Your digestive system will
be breaking food particles down. And naturally, to breakdown food more often, your body’s
metabolism has to speed up.

Hence, stick to 6 small meals a day.

Note: Eat more fruits as well. Apples for example have metab-increasing characteristics.

The Fourth Way To Speed Up Your Metabolism – “Spice Em’ Up”

Even small amounts of chili go a long way in speeding your metabolism. Here’s something you can
do with your next meal. Add a few chili (or even red pepper) flakes to your pasta dishes. Not only
will it taste better, you’ll burn more calories as well.

And Finally, The Rock Has Come Ba… I Mean, The Fifth Way To Speed Up Your Metabolism –
“Protein-Up Your Diet”

Obviously, you want to avoid eating a protein only based meal. However, there’s nothing wrong with
reducing your carb intake while conversely increasing the amount of protein you consume.

The logic? Protein promotes muscle growth. And the more muscle you have, the faster your
metabolism. Think of it like cars and how much gas they consume. Old muscle cars burn through a lot of gas because they usually have very large engines. And then you have slow cars that don’t burn through gas very fast. Be the muscle car. They always look better! Makes sense, doesn’t it?
So there you have it. 5 fantastic ways to speed up
your metabolism today. Now get cracking, amigo.

If you need a helping hand designing a nutrition plan customized to you GO to my Customized Meal Planner now.

3 Ab Exercises For Women Designed To Tone Your Stomach

In this article I will show you 3 Ab Workouts For Women Designed To Tone Your Stomach for flat, sexy abs.

I’ve met way too many women who shudder at the thought of showing some skin at the beach.
They fear the ridicule that’s associated with love handles and a pot belly. But a flat, sexy stomach
changes this. A set of well-toned abs that gleams in the sun is definitely every woman’s dream –
yours included. And I’ve got good news for you. Today, you’ll learn 3 ab exercises for women to
destroy every ounce of embarrassment you’ve been feeling. Before we get into that though, there’s
something you should know.

FACT: Because of subtle differences between a man and a woman’s abdominal muscle structure, a
core workout designed for “males” won’t be as effective for “females”. A woman generally has a longer waist. Furthermore, women tend to have a wider pelvis. Hence, the exercises you’ll be learning today will be catered to your needs.

Ab Exercise For Women #1 – Rolling In The Deep

I’m not the biggest Adele fan around, but the song sure does make for a good exercise name. The
idea is simple. But first, logistics. You’ll need either an ab roller, or a large exercise ball. Add an
exercise mat to minimize abrasion. Now here’s how you perform this exercise:

1) Position the ball/roller in front of you, and kneel on the mat
2) Place your palms on the ball (grip the roller)
3) Keeping your back straight, roll away from your legs – your body will have stretched out, and
you’ll have adopted the “ladies’ push up position” (note: your final position will have you
balancing on the ball and your knees)
4) Roll back to the starting position
5) Repeat for 15 reps

Why does this ab exercise work? Simple. The stretching motion works the deepest muscle fibres.
And as an added bonus, the minimal hip movement keeps your back safe.

Ab Exercise For Women #2 – Don’t Dump The Ball Just Yet (The Super Crunch)

While this exercise will work for both genders, in actual fact it is slightly more beneficial to women
like you. You’ll find out why in a bit. But first… Don’t dump the exercise ball yet. You’ll need it for this
super crunch.

1) Sit on the exercise ball, and ensure your feet are flat on the floor
2) Slowly lie down – your back should be completely straight
3) To ensure your torso is firmly on the ball, you may have to “walk away” to roll the ball
slightly further up
4) It’s go time: Perform a crunch, but don’t rise all the way up. Stop at a 45 degree angle –
going beyond this is a waste of time as your muscle contraction will have reduced
5) Slowly return to the starting position
6) Repeat for 15 reps

So then, why is this ab workout particularly beneficial for women? Easy.

Remember what I said about women being generally longer “waisted”? Well, this implies that
your abdominal muscle is a tad longer than a guys’. Hence, by performing crunches on an
exercise ball, you’re allowing for a greater abdominal stretch; contracting your muscle fibres to
their full extent. Let’s get down to the 3rd and final exercise now, shall we?

Ab Exercise For Women #3 – Russian Twists

As the story goes, this exercise originated from the Soviet Union during an era when Stalin
demanded Goliath-like fitness standards from his soldiers. So their “fitness gurus” incorporated
this exercise in their regime.

1) Sit on the floor – back straight, feet off the ground. You should be balancing on your
buttocks
2) Bend your knees for better balance
3) To perform, twist your upper torso to the left (with your hands following through the
motion) – followed by a twist to the right. You can perform this ab exercise holding a weight or just with your body weight.
4) Repeat for 10 reps per side

This is a very intense workout designed to push your tired muscles beyond their wildest dreams.
They’re difficult, yes. But keep your mind focused on the end result and you’ll be just fine.

So there you go. 3 fantastic ab exercises for women just like you. Play around with the reps to
find out what works for your body. If you like these ab exercises, you’ll love to see what’s been
prepared for you in this comprehensive resource designed to rip your abs into shape .

3 Core Exercises For Men That Rip Your Abs Into Shape… Or Die Trying

3 Core Exercises For Men That Rip Your Abs Into Shape… Or Die Trying

Ah, abs. The one muscle group virtually
every guy is dying to flaunt. It’s been said that he who possesses washboard abs has free access to
all that is good in this world – Penelope Cruz included. So to help you get lucky with her, I’ve decided
to put together 3 core exercises for men. They’ll leave you in pure agony, Put in the effort though,
and you’ll be left with rock solid 6-pack abs (and Penelope just might call you).

Core Exercise for men#1 – The Inclined Bridge

Despite Man’s engineering advancements, building an inclined bridge is still beyond us. Bridges can
only be structured in a manner in which both ends are of the same height. The good news is this
particular exercise has shattered this limitation. Here’s how you perform it.

1) Get into the Sit-Up position (back nice and flat, knees bent)

2) Tighten your abs

3) Raise your hips until they’re in line with your shoulders and knees. And make sure your back
is straight as well. You’ll have adopted the position of an inclined bridge.

4) Hold for 3 counts

5) Lower yourself

6) Repeat till death… Ok fine… 15 reps.

This exercise isn’t particularly difficult to perform. But it’s an excellent warm up to prep yourself for
the self-inflicted torture session coming your way.

Core Exercise for men #2 – The Triple Attack Plank

I love this one. You’ll be doing the regular plank, coupled with 2 side planks to target your oblique.

1) Play “Welcome to the Jungle” on your iPod. Trust me. You’ll want to avoid focusing on how
much time has gone by. Guns N’ Roses will help you.

2) Adopt the plank position (rest your weight on your feet and forearms, keep your back
straight)

3) Hold for 45 seconds, screaming like Axl the whole way (or you could mouth Slash’s guitar
parts)

4) Drop down, and switch the left side plank position. Make sure your shoulder, hips and legs
are in line. Balance on your forearm, and hold for 45 more painful seconds.

5) Switch to the right side plank position. Same rules apply.

6) Congrats mate, that’s 1 set done. Only 2 more to go.

Core Exercise for men #3 – The Leg Raises

Grossly underused, but highly effective, the leg raises is one of my staple core exercises. The reason
why it’s so underused is because it because it looks deceivingly easy. Not the way you’ll be doing it
from now on though.

1) Lie flat on your back – legs straightened out

2) Stretch your hands behind you, and hang on to the legs of a chair

3) Slowly lift your legs up till your thighs are perpendicular to your stomach – take 5 deliberate
seconds for this

4) Lower your legs slowly (once again, over a 5 second period)

5) 15 reps will be perfect

So there you go. 3 core exercises for men that are bound to shred your abs into shape. Now here’s
a secret for you: These core exercises are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are a number of other fantastic
core exercises you can perform (either as a supplement, or replacement) to get your desired results.

==> Take a look at this comprehensive resource that teaches you everything you’ll ever need to know to get those six pack abs you’ve been craving

Can You Really Lose Weight Without Exercise?

Can You Really Lose Weight Without Exercise?

I’ve got shocking news for you. Losing weight is a lot easier than you think it is. In fact, it actually
is possible to drop a few pounds without exercising at all. Sounds absurd? Think I’ve gone crazy?
Before you burn me at the stake, take a look at this.

A Mathematical… Or Economic… Or… Ah, Whatever, A Principle.

Have you heard of the Pareto principle (more commonly known as the 80/20 rule)? In a nutshell,
this principle suggests that 20% of your efforts will directly influence 80% of your results – and vice-
versa. In the context of marketing, this means that 20% of your business strategies make 80% of
your money. We can even take this principle one step further and conclude that 20% of the world’s
population makes 80% of the money. Now in the “World of Weight Loss”, this suggests something
very important. But before we dive into that, take a look at my personal story.

Pumping Mad Enough To Make Arnie Proud

When I first started working out, I’d pump the iron like a mad man. However, at the end of the day,
I wouldn’t think twice about gorging down a pizza coupled with a can or 2 of beer (not to mention
those juicy Buffalo wings). I’d even go as far as to justify my actions by telling myself “Listen bro. After
benching 275 pounds today, you deserve this.”

I bulked up of course. But at the same time, I couldn’t lose the belly. In fact, I just wasn’t as ripped as
I’d have liked to have been. Now don’t get me wrong. I didn’t have Arnie’s arms, and I most certainly
was as ginormous as Homer. I was just… big and strong… Not really defined

and my body fat percentage was just too high, Ironic, isn’t it?
A Startling Revelation

It was then I was hit with a revelation that completely changed my opinion on weight loss. You see,
the Pareto principle not only applies to weight loss, it literally defines the way you should plan your
lifestyle.

What I mean is this: I stopped eating the junk food, and switched over to a significantly healthier
source of calories. I did not eat less. In fact, I was either eating the same amount as before, or more.
What more, I didn’t increase the intensity of my workouts in this period either. And this is what I
concluded.

Your diet plays the most important role in your quest to lose weight. It quite literally takes up 20%
of your effort (surely you wouldn’t think it would topple the actual exercising…), and affects 80% of
the results. Think about it. Nobody really loses much weight (or makes astounding muscle gains) by
purely relying on exercise. It’s the aspect of fitness that wears you out the most (hence 80% of the
effort), but has the smallest impact on your actual progress (hence 20% of the results).

In other words – it’s very possible to lose weight without exercise. All you really need are the right
meal plans for weight loss.

Unfortunately, “health” magazines have conveniently labelled diets as “Thou shalt eat as little as
possible and lose all the fat forever”. In actual fact, a diet simply refers to your eating habits. In my
book, “dieting” shouldn’t even be a word.

You can eat till you’re full. You just have to eat right. And you most certainly can expect positive
results when you have proper meal plans for weight loss working on your side. Now don’t get me
wrong. You still need to exercise. Eating right can help you lose weight without exercise. But you
won’t end up getting your 6-pack abs with the right diet alone. Nor can you get as ripped as you’d like.

Last words…

Long story short, you need a fine balance of the two; a proper workout routine coupled with the ideal
meal plans for weight loss. They’ll both work to an extent without each other (with the latter being
significantly more influential). But to really maximize their potential, you need them working in tandem.
You do want washboard abs, don’t you?

==> Here are the 4 steps I teach and Follow to get six pack abs

Yoga Poses that Prevent Lower Back Pain when Working Out

Are you one of those people that always seems to have lower back pain when working out?

Here are a few yoga poses you can do for a few minutes before each workout to prevent lower back pain when you hit the gym. I recommend strengthening your core and lower back to prevent injury to your back as well.

Enjoy these Yoga Poses in the Exercise Video below