Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

Why Are We So Fat?
By Tom venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://www.ad-alyzer.com/727/burnthefat

That's the question asked in the cover story of a recent issue of National Geographic magazine.

"Americans enjoy one of the most luxurious lifestyles on Earth: Our food is plentiful. Our work is automated. Our leisure is effortless. And it's killing us," says Geographic senior writer Cathy Newman.

Some of the latest facts and statistics revealed in the article are chilling:

* One out of three Americans is obese, twice as many as three decades ago
* The Center for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) has declared obesity an "epidemic"
* 15% of children and teens are overweight, a nearly three fold jump since 1980
* Other countries are catching up to the United States, especially newly industrialized nations. KFC opened a drive through restaurant in Beijing in 2002 with more on the way. UK snack food consumption rose 25% in the last five years. Sales of processed food rose 20% in Latin America between 1980 and 2000.
* Being overweight is now associated with over 400,000 deaths per year
* Obesity is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, and colon, breast and endometrial cancers
* Next year, Obesity is expected to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States
* The Puget Sound Ferries increased their seat width from 18 to 20 inches to allow room for bigger bottoms
* An ambulance company in Colorado retrofitted its vehicles with a winch and a plus size compartment to accommodate patients up to a half a ton in weight
* A casket maker in Indiana now offers double-sized models
* One in four Americans gets ZERO exercise and one-third of Americans dont get the minimum amount the government suggests we need just to avoid chronic disease
* The average child will watch 10,000 commercials per year touting food or beverages, nearly all of them for junk and fast food

So what's the answer to the question? What does this article reveal? Has a new hormone been discovered that is secreted excessively in overweight people? Was the obesity gene discovered and isolated, confirming that your genetics determine whether fat is fate? Does blood sugar and insulin go haywire in certain people regardless of how they eat or how they exercise? Has it finally been proven that carbohydrates make us fat? Is the appetite mechanism in the brains of overweight people out of kilter?

Although there may be a sliver of truth and scientific fact in each of the statements above, none of them are the real reason we are so fat. The conclusions made in the National Geographic article on the other hand, are refreshing, because they are the right ones, and the most obvious ones: The reason we are so fat is because we eat too much and exercise too little. Surprise, surprise!

"For all the Americans who've blamed bulging bellies on a slow metabolism, the jig is up," says Newman. "A report earlier this year by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) finally confirms what many of us didn't want to admit: We're fat because we eat a lot - a whole lot more - than we used to, and most of the increase comes from refined carbohydrates (sugar)."

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University is quoted in the article as saying, "How about some common sense? It's a simple matter of eating fewer calories. But nobody wants to talk about calories because doing so does not sell books."

Truer words have never been spoken. Unfortunately, few people want to listen to that simple message, "Eat less, exercise more," because everyone is too busy looking for the latest breakthrough or the "next big thing in fat loss."

Besides, fat loss couldn't be that simple, could it? Well, maybe fat loss isn't "easy", and certainly "eat less, exercise more" is an OVER-simplification, but the fundamental cause of obesity really IS that simple and the facts confirming it are now in:

According to the CDC report, we ate 1775 pounds of food per year per person in 2000, up from 1497 pounds in 1970.

In the 70's we ate 136 pounds of flour and cereal products and now it's up to 200 pounds per person - and the increase is almost all from processed, white flour, high sugar foods. Not to mention, everything has been Super-sized. Example: 1955 McDonald's French fries: 2.4 ounces, 210 calories. 2004 Super size Fries: 7 ounces, 610 calories.

When you add this increased food intake (mostly refined food) on top of the lack of exercise encouraged by technology, cars, video games, television, washing machines, riding lawnmowers, elevators and other modern conveniences, you have the recipe for obesity on a global scale.

In all our searching and waiting for the latest scientific discovery, the newest pill, or the next breakthrough supplement that will free us from the shackles of body fat, most people have continued to overlook or ignore that simple and obvious advice: "Eat less, exercise more."

Is it really that simple? Isn't there a lot more to it? Well, yes, of course. There's how much less, specifically, should you eat, what do you eat, how much you exercise, what kind of exercise and so on. But those are just details. Often what we must do, in order to see the big picture clearly, and solve a problem, is to reduce the problem to its most basic level FIRST before worrying about any details.

A principle called Occam's Razor was proposed by English philosopher and theologian William Occam in the 14th century. It said, "Entities should not be multiplied beyond what is necessary." Plainly stated, it means, "The simplest and most obvious solution to a problem is usually the correct one and the best one."

Does accepting this simple answer to the obesity epidemic make the process of losing the weight any easier? Perhaps not, at least not physically. Permanent fat loss will always require sweat, discipline and effort, and as with freedom and liberty, "eternal vigilance" will be the price that must be paid to keep the fat off once it is lost. In addition, it would be naïve not to admit that genetics do play a small role, so weight loss will be a greater challenge for some than for others.

However, if we would stop allowing ourselves to be so caught up and immobilized by the myriad of different weight loss methods and theories today and just acknowledge, accept and practice the simple advice given to us in Newman's article - which we've all heard a thousand times before - "Eat less, exercise more," we would not only be rewarded with results, we would also see the fog of confusion that seems to shroud the whole "weight loss thing" begin to lift.

Certainty would take its place, and that would at least give us the confidence to continue to forge ahead towards our goals.

Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) is a fat loss program and lifestyle which acknowledges the real, simple solution to fat loss: Eat (a little) Less, Exercise (a whole lot) more. Don't allow yourself remain or become a part of these chilling obesity epidemic statistics. To learn more, visit: http://www.ad-alyzer.com/727/burnthefat

About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength coach (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book in the world, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle." Tom has written hundreds of articles and been featured in IRONMAN magazine, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, CO-ED magazine, Exercise for Men and Mens Exercise. For more information about Tom's e-book, visit the Burn The Fat website at http://www.ad-alyzer.com/727/burnthefat.

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

BURN THE FAT READER MAIL & FEEDBACK...

"Dear Tom: I was just about to do a search on the internet to find out the newest pill, powder or whatever to use to get into shape. That's when I stumbled on your website.

I ordered your e-book and have since read it. I can't begin to tell you what a pleasure it has been to read. POWERFUL INFORMATION!

You've reached me on another level though besides fitness. Your research goes above and beyond just working out or the right kinds of food to eat. You try to get into peoples heads.
When I read your book, I really felt connected for the first time. I have begun to study and set goals. I have my goal card filled out. I even printed out your last Newsletter on the "Excuse Buster." It was excellent. It really drives me.

I can appreciate your sense of integrity. I really hope that you can do something to reach the tens of millions of people that need you."
Ken Bateman

"BIG FAT LIES"

Meal replacement products, powders and diet shakes help you "burn" fat.

Supplement companies would like you to believe that meal replacement products (MRP's), powdered mixes and shakes have some sort of "magical" fat-reducing or muscle-building properties. The truth is that they're nothing more than "powdered food" (or "liquid food").
Therefore, the primary benefit of these products is convenience. It's a challenge to eat frequently and to get enough high quality protein from whole foods, so quality MRP's are great when you're in a hurry and you don't have time to eat food, but they're not better than food, no matter what any supplement "guru" says.

Owners of supplement companies will say that MRP's are the greatest thing since electricity. That shouldn't come as any surprise; sales of these products run in the tens of millions of dollars each year.

With the one possible exception of post-workout nutrition during muscle size-building programs, eating real food is better than drinking shakes. The human gastrointestinal system has evolved to efficiently digest whole food, not powders or pills.

The process of digesting solid food every three hours actually increases your metabolic rate. This is known as the "thermic effect of food." Powders fail to fully take advantage of this metabolic boost.

Here's a fascinating and powerful fact about the thermic effect of food:

You can actually BURN FAT WITH FOOD. I know that sounds kind of odd, because when you think of food, you generally think that food is what makes you fat. However, it is physiologically correct to say that you can burn fat with food, provided you select the right fat burning foods and avoid fat storing foods.

Understanding the thermogenic properties of food and how to apply this in your own personal nutrition plan can have a profound impact on your results. It's part of the reason why "a calorie is not just a calorie" and why, with a program such as Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, you can actually eat more food while burning more fat at the same time.

You can learn more about the "thermic effect of food" and how to burn fat with food in the ebook, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, available from http://www.burnthefat.com.

Also, the ebook comes with bonus reports that go into great detail about exactly which foods you should avoid and which foods you should eat more of to burn more fat:

* Foods that Burn Fat
* Foods That Turn To Fat
* The A Food B Food Lecture: How to get good grades on your food choices

You can get the ebook along with all the bonus reports at the Burn The Fat website here: http://www.burnthefat.com.

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss

Health & Fitness is Not a "12 Week Program
By: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS.

Burn The Fat

Not long ago, one of the members of my health club poked her head in my office for some advice and assistance. Linda was a 46 year old mother of two, and she had been a member for over a year. She had been working out sporadically, with (not surprisingly), sporadic results. On that particular day, she seemed to have enthusiasm and a twinkle in her eye that I hadn't seen before.

"I want to enter a before and after fitness contest called the "12 week body transformation challenge." I could win money and prizes and even get my picture in a magazine."
"I want to lose THIS", she continued, as she grabbed the body fat on her stomach. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

Linda was not "obese," she just had the typical "moderate roll" of abdominal body fat and a little bit of thigh/hip fat that many forty-something females struggle with.
"I think it's a great idea" I reassured her. "Competitions are great for motivation. When you have a deadline and you dangle a "carrot" like that prize money in front of you, it can keep you focused and more motivated than ever."

Linda was eager and rarin' to go. "Will you help me? I have this enrollment kit and I need my body fat measured."

"No problem," I said as I pulled out my Skyndex fat caliper, which is used to measure body fat percentage with a "pinch an inch" test.

When I finished, I read the results to her from the caliper display: "Twenty-seven percent. Room for improvement, but not bad; it's about average for your age group."

She wasn't overjoyed at being 'average'. "Yeah, but it's not good either. Look at THIS," she complained as again she grabbed a handful of stomach fat. "I want to get my body fat down to 19%, I heard that was a good body fat level."

I agreed that 19% was a great goal, but told her it would take a lot of work because average fat loss is usually about a half a percent a week, or six percent in twelve weeks. Her goal, to lose eight percent in twelve weeks was ambitious.

She smiled and insisted, "I'm a hard worker. I can do it"

Indeed she was and indeed she did. She was a machine! Not only did she never miss a day in the gym, she trained HARD. Whenever I left my office and took a stroll through the gym, she was up there pumping away with everything she had. She told me her diet was the strictest it had ever been in her life and she didn't cheat at all. I believed her. And it started to show, quickly.
Each week she popped into my office to have her body fat measured again, and each week it went down, down, down. Consistently she lost three quarters of a percent per week - well above the average rate of fat loss - and on two separate occasions, I recall her losing a full one percent body fat in just seven days.

Someone conservative might have said she was overtraining, but when we weighed her and calculated her lean body mass, we saw that she hadn't lost ANY muscle - only fat. Her results were simply exceptional!

She was ecstatic, and needless to say, her success bred more success and she kept after it like a hungry tiger for the full twelve weeks.

On week twelve, day seven, she showed up in my office for her final weigh-in and body fat measurement. She was wearing a pair of formerly tight blue jeans and they were FALLING OFF her! "Look, look, look," she repeated giddily as she tugged at her waistband, which was now several inches too large.

As I took her body fat, I have to say, I was impressed. She hadn't just lost a little fat, she was "RIPPED!"

During week twelve she dropped from 18% to 17% body fat, for a grand total of 10% body fat lost. She surpassed her goal of 19% by two percent. I was now even more impressed, because I had only seen a handful of people lose that much body fat in three months.

You should have seen her! She started hopping up and down for joy like she was on a pogo stick! She was beaming& grinning from ear to ear! She practically knocked me over as she jumped up and gave me a hug - "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't thank me," I said, "You did it, I just measured your body fat."

She thanked me again anyway and then said she had to go have her "after" pictures taken.
Then something very, very strange happened. She stopped coming to the gym. Her "disappearance" was so abrupt, I was worried and I called her. She never picked up, so I just left messages. No return phone call.

It was about four months later when I finally saw Linda again. The giddy smile was gone, replaced with a sullen face, a droopy posture and a big sigh when I said hello and asked where she'd been.

"I stopped working out after the contest... and I didn't even win."

"You looked like a winner to me, no matter what place you came in" I insisted, "but why did you stop, you were doing so well!"

"I don't know, I blew my diet and then just completely lost my motivation. Now look at me, my weight is right back where I started and I don't even want to know my body fat."

"Well, I'm glad to see you back in here again. Write down some new goals for yourself and remember to think long term too. Fitness isn't a just 12 week program you know, it's a lifestyle - you have to do it every day, as in& forever."

She nodded her head and finished her workout, still with that defeated look on her face. Unfortunately, she never again come anywhere near the condition she achieved for that competition, and for the rest of the time she was a member at our club, she slipped right back into the sporadic on and off workout pattern.

Linda was not an isolated case. I've seen the same thing happen with countless men and women of all ages and fitness levels from beginners to competitive bodybuilders. In fact, it happens to millions of people who "go on" diets, lose a lot of weight, then quickly "go off" the diet and gain the weight right back.

What causes people to burn so brightly with enthusiasm and motivation and then burn out just as quickly? Why do so many people succeed brilliantly in the short term but fail 95 out of 100 times in the long term? Why do so many people reach their fitness goals but struggle to maintain them?

The answer is simple: Health and fitness is for life, not for "12 weeks."

You can avoid the on and off, yo-yo cycle of fitness ups and downs. You can get in great shape and stay in great shape. You can even get in shape and keep getting in better and better shape year after year, but it's going to take a very different philosophy than most people subscribe to. The seven tips below will guide you.

These guidelines are quite contrary to the quick fix philosophies prevailing in the weight loss and fitness world today. Applying them will take patience, discipline and dedication. Just remember, the only thing worse than getting no results is getting great results and losing them.

1) Don't "go on" diets. When you "go on" a diet, the underlying assumption is that at some point you have to "go off" it. This isn't just semantics, it's one of the primary reasons most diets fail. By definition, a "diet" is a temporary and often drastic change in your eating behaviors and/or a severe restriction of calories or food, which is ultimately, not maintainable. If you reach your goal, the diet is officially "over" and then you "go off" (returning to the way you used to eat). Health and fitness is not temporary; it's not a "diet." It's something you do every day of your life. Unless you approach nutrition from a "habits" and "lifestyle" perspective, you're doomed from the start.

2) Eat the same foods all year round. Permanent fat loss is best achieved by eating mostly the same types of foods all year round. Naturally, you should include a wide variety of healthy foods so you get the full spectrum of nutrients you need, but there should be consistency, month in, month out. When you want to lose body fat, there's no dramatic change necessary - you don't need to eat totally different foods - it's a simple matter of eating less of those same healthy foods and exercising more.

3) Have a plan for easing into maintenance. Let's face it - sometimes a nutrition program needs to be more strict than usual. For example, peaking for a bodybuilding, figure, or fitness contest requires an extremely strict regimen that's different than the rest of the year. As a rule, the stricter your nutrition program, the more you must plan ahead and the more time you must allow for a slow, disciplined transition into maintenance. Failure to plan for a gradual transition will almost always result in bingeing and a very rapid, hard fall "off the wagon."

4) Focus on changing daily behaviors and habits one or two at a time. Rather than making huge, multiple changes all at once, focus on changing one or two habits/behaviors at a time. Most psychologists agree that it takes about 21 days of consistent effort to replace an old bad habit with a new positive one. As you master each habit, and it becomes as ingrained into your daily life as brushing your teeth, then you simply move on to the next one. That would be at least 17 new habits per year. Can you imagine the impact that would have on your health and your life? This approach requires patience, but the results are a lot more permanent than if you try to change everything in one fell swoop. This is also the least intimidating way for a beginner to start making some health-improving changes to their lifestyle.

5) Make goal setting a lifelong habit. Goal setting is not a one-time event, it's a process that never ends. For example, if you have a 12 week goal to lose 6% bodyfat, what are you going to do after you achieve it? Lose even more fat? Gain muscle? What's next? On week 13, day 1, if you have no direction and nothing to keep you going, you'll have nothing to keep you from slipping back into old patterns. Every time you achieve a goal, you must set another one. Having daily and weekly short term goals means that you are literally setting goals continuously and never stopping.

6) Allow a reasonable time frame to reach your goal. It's important to set deadlines for your fitness and weight loss goals. It's also important to set ambitious goals, but you must allow a reasonable time frame for achieving them. Time pressure is often the motivating force that helps people get in the best shape of their lives. But when the deadline is unrealistic for a particular goal (like 30 pounds in 30 days), then crash dieting or other extreme measures are often taken to get there before the bell. The more rapidly you lose weight, the more likely you are to lose muscle and the faster the weight will come right back on afterwards. Start sooner. Don't wait until mid-May to think about looking good for summer.

7) Extend your time perspective. Successful people in every field always share one common character trait: Long term time perspective. Some of the most successful Japanese technology and manufacturing companies have 100 year and even 250-year business plans. If you want to be successful in maintaining high levels of fitness, you must set long term goals: One year, Ten years, Even fifty years! You also must consider what the long term consequences might be as a result of using any "radical" diet, training method or ergogenic aid. The people who had it but lost it are usually the ones who failed to think long term or acknowledge future consequences. It's easy for a 21 year old to live only for today, and it may even seem ridiculous to set 25 year goals, but consider this: I've never met a 40 or 60 year old who didn't care about his or her health and appearance, but I have met 40 or 60 year olds who regretted not caring 25 years ago.

Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) is a fat loss program which acknowledges the simple truth that going "on diets," entering "Fitness challenges" or competing in "Transformation contests" without having long term goals and a lifestyle attitude, is a recipe for failure. Don't let yourself be part of the latest fitness dropout statistics: visit the Burn The Fat website for more details on how to change your lifestyle... and keep the change!

About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength coach (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book in the world, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle." Tom has written hundreds of articles and been featured in IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men's Exercise. For info on Tom's e-book, visit the Burn The Fat website at http://www.ad-alyzer.com/727/burnthefat.

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

Building A Better Body, One "Brick" At A Time
www.BurnTheFat.com.
By: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS.

The quest to develop a stunningly fit, lean and attractive body is a long, slow journey. It's not something you achieve overnight by popping a few pills or strapping an electric gizmo to your belly.

Which reminds me, did you know that by the time the FTC finally blew the whistle on the electronic ab belt scam, the makers of those "ab zappers" had swindled over $100 million dollars from unsuspecting consumers? Fortunately, some of those companies had to pay it back, and then some! The FTC charged three companies - Fast Abs, Ab Tronic and Ab Energizer - with false advertising and deceptive warranty practices for these "ABSurd" products.

But I digress & back to what I was saying about the journey to a better body...

Last week I looked out my window, and where there was once nothing but a dirt-filled empty lot, there stood a sprawling six story brick condo complex. If someone looked at this massive completed structure for the first time, they might not be impressed. However, since I observed the entire construction process unfold from my living room window, I was impressed - amazed even - at what goes into erecting this kind of structure.

I remember watching the crew humming around diligently every day like busy bees, laying one brick after another. From one day to the next, it didn't seem like much changed. But slowly, over a period of a year and a half, I watched the building gradually morph into the finished product.
When you look at someone with an incredible body as a finished product, you often tend to dismiss the long journey and hard work it took to build that body. Unless you were side by side with that person in the gym (and in the kitchen), observing the work involved, it's easy to attribute such a chiseled physique to genetics or give credit to a supplement (they just took product XYZ and voila - overnight abs). What you don't see or appreciate are all the months and years of sweat and hard work.

Getting in shape is a lot like a construction project. First, there must be a picture in the mind. Then the vision goes onto paper as a blueprint. It takes months just to lay the foundation. More months of work will follow. On a daily basis, it doesn't seem like much is happening. You look in the mirror and appear, for the most part, the same as you did yesterday. But sure enough, the small improvements are slowly accumulating like compounding interest in the bank. One day, you look in the mirror and "suddenly," your blueprint has become reality.

The body of a fitness pro or bodybuilding champion is no more likely to be built overnight than a high rise is to be built overnight. It's not physically possible. Accepting the idea that any type of pill, powder, drug, supplement or machine of any kind will make it happen sooner than nature intended is pure folly. You can't force it.

Growth and development of any kind always requires a gestation period. For a baby, it's nine months. For corn, I believe it's about three months. If you were an expectant mother, would you want to hurry the process? Could any new development in nutrition or medical science speed up this wonderful miracle even one iota? If you were a farmer, would you try to harvest your crop before it was ripe? Would you dig up your seeds to see if anything was growing down there?
The answers are obvious. If only we would adopt the same patient, nurturing "mother's" or "farmer's mindset" towards getting in shape, then no one would waste their money on "fast abs" or "exercise in a bottle" or any such silliness ever again. We would understand that one must sow first, then reap the harvest, but that you can't sow and reap in the same season.

If you ever get frustrated with your rate of progress (and who doesn't), just remember; success is always guaranteed to the persistent. Nothing can stop someone who knows what they want and is willing to continue paying the price until they get it. It just takes time.

Become the architect and builder of your own dream body. You WILL build the body you want eventually if you're patient enough and you refuse to quit. And set your goals HIGH! Create a fantastic blueprint. Michelangelo said,"The greatest danger is not that we set our goals too high and miss them, the greatest danger is that we set our goals too low and we reach them."

Envision a castle - a veritable Taj Mahal of a body! There's nothing wrong with building castles in the sky, as long as you patiently work at putting the foundations underneath them. There are very few unrealistic goals; only goals with unrealistic deadlines.

So keep laying those "bricks" - every day - one at a time - and sure enough, eventually, you'll build yourself a palace.

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book in Internet history, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. Tom has written hundreds of articles and been featured in IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Mens Exercise. For info on Tom's e-book, visit http://www.ad-alyzer.com/727/burnthefat.

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

The Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes to Avoid
And The Top 10 Kick-Butt Training Tips
http://www.BurnTheFat.com
By: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS.

"Common workout mistakes" has always been a very popular topic in fitness publications. But no matter how many times this subject is re-hashed, you almost always hear about the same half a dozen or so mistakes, including poor form, overtraining, going too heavy, not stretching, not warming up, yadda, yadda yadda. Ironically, you seldom hear about the biggest mistakes of all. I call these humongous bloopers "bonehead mistakes" because once you start to analyze and think about them, it's really just common sense and it all seems so obvious... except of course to the person doing it... who is often quite oblivious until someone else points it out to them... then the light goes on and it's like... "Doh!"

Before I begin the countdown, (in no particular order), there's one more gripe I have about the treatment this subject has been given in the past: Most of the attention has been put on the mistakes, but very little on the solutions. It's all too easy to point fingers and say, "Don't do that" and "Shame on you, dummy" but only 1% of your time should be spent on problems. 99% should be spent on solutions. So in that spirit, after I bring each mistake to your attention, I'll give you a solution-oriented training tip to help you avoid boneheadedness and join the elite group who "kick butt" in the gym at every workout...

Bonehead workout mistake #1: "Winging it"

"Winging it" means having no written goals or plans, no training journal and no way of "keeping score." It's when you just show up at the gym day after day and do whatever strikes your fancy, whatever machine happens to be available, or whatever you've become habitually accustomed to doing. Winging it is when you don't know where you are, where you're going or how you're going to get there - but you start your journey anyway - no compass, no roadmap. It's been said that "Action without planning is the biggest cause of failure," and I believe that statement is 100% accurate.

Kick butt workout tip #1: Develop a strategic plan

Successful people never "wing it," they always have a plan. Strategic planning is a never ending process and includes: Assessment (where am I now?), goal setting (where do I want to go?), creating a plan or strategy (How will I get where I want to go?), executing the plan (what action steps must I take daily to reach my goal?), and measuring results (how will I know if I'm moving towards my goal and how will I know when I've reached it?). Boneheads "wing it." Butt-kickers have a master plan and goals for every workout. - - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #2: Repeating the same workouts... without progressive overload
In one respect, repeating the same workouts is important - it's called "continuity." Continuity means that to experience an adaptive response (more muscle, more strength, less fat and all that other good stuff), you must a repeat a certain modality or exercise consistently over a long enough period of time to allow the adaptive response to occur and to reap the full benefits (rather than changing exercises at every workout). That type of repetition is good. The bonehead mistake is when you do the same exercises, same reps, same weight, same everything, week after week, without ever challenging yourself to do more than you've done before. If your muscles could talk they would say, "Yawn.... Did that, done that, been there... we're just going to stay exactly the way we are... no need to get bigger or stronger today."

Kick butt workout tip #2: Strive to beat your previous workouts

Muscle growth and strength increases occur when you place demands on your body above and beyond what it has experienced in the past. Your body responds to this progressive overload by getting stronger in order to handle this type of demand in the future. Your objective at almost every workout is to set goals to beat what you did during the previous one. If you can't add more weight, it could be as simple as one more rep with the same weight or the same sets/reps/weight in less time. It could also mean one more minute of cardio, one level higher on a stairclimber, or half a percent steeper incline on the treadmill. Continuous and never-ending improvement is the name of the game. - - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #3: Starving yourself

A calorie deficit is the only way to lose body fat. However, the caloric deficit must be kept small. When calories are cut too much, or held too low for too long, your body thinks you are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events, which ultimately result in muscle loss, slow metabolism and plateaus. Your body is like a power plant or furnace and when you don't feed the fire, your metabolic flame dwindles to a flicker, producing less heat and less energy. That's why not eating enough is one of the biggest mistakes of all. As Charlie Remington likes to say, "Food is not your problem, food is your solution"

Kick butt workout tip #3: Eat more, burn more

Did it ever occur to you that if you exercise more you can eat more? And that this is a more effective fat loss strategy than eating less and exercising less? To lose body fat, you must create a calorie deficit. A deficit can be created by exercising more, eating less, or ideally, with a combination of both. The best combination of all is a small decrease in calories accompanied by a large increase in activity. Think about it: Decreasing calories slows your metabolism. Increasing calories increases your metabolism. Exercise increases your metabolism. Therefore, eat more, exercise more = double increase in metabolism. Eat less, don't exercise = double decrease in metabolism. This is the entire premise of my Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle System and that's why the program is so powerful and has helped tens of thousands of people lose fat without depriving themselves. Yes, starving is for boneheads.- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #4: Skipping scheduled workouts

A great body doesn't happen overnight. Successful body transformation is the cumulative result of dozens or even hundreds of successful workouts. Each workout brings you one small step closer to your goal. Each workout missed takes you one small step backwards. Most people underestimate the cumulative effect of each small step. They figure that "It just doesn't matter... it's only one workout." If you don't think that one little workout matters, then think about the humble termite; they're such itty bitty little creatures and they take such itty bitty little bites, yet when enough little bites are taken, an entire building can come crumbling down.

Kick butt workout tip #4: Be disciplined and consistent

Not only do you slip backwards physically when you skip even one scheduled workout, perhaps more devastating is the effect on your mind and character. Every time you successfully complete a scheduled workout, you build your discipline and self esteem. When your self esteem increases, it makes you feel good and that stimulates a positive self-reinforcing cycle of even more discipline, confidence and action. Everything you do helps or hurts. Every workout counts. Treat your word as law. When you say you're going to work out... WORK OUT!- - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #5: Focusing on strengths, favorite exercises and favorite body parts, neglecting weaknesses

Most people have a favorite body part or exercise. But playing favorites in your training can lead to big problems. An unbalanced, asymmetrical physique is one of them, but having a great upper body with toothpick legs is the least of your worries. Strengthening and stretching some muscle groups but not others is a great way to cause poor posture, muscular imbalance, dysfunction, strains, pulls, tears or ruptures.

Kick butt workout tip #5: Train for functional balance and aesthetic balance

Non-boneheads train every muscle group for symmetrical, visually pleasing development. However, "balance" is more than cosmetic. Everyone - athletes, bodybuilders, and recreational exercisers - must also train for functional balance to prevent injury and maintain optimal function and range of movement in every joint and muscle group. Every plane of movement and angle of movement must be trained. Flexors must be balanced with extensors. Front to back movements must be balanced with rotational and side to side movements. Prime movers, antagonists and stabilizers must all be strengthened. Always stretch, strengthen and build to the point of total body balance.- - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #6: Using mostly machines and single joint/isolation exercises

So you joined the gym and you hit "the circuit"... you know, that section in the gym with all those fancy, chrome-plated, "technologically advanced" weight stack-pulley, hydraulic or computerized machines all lined up in neat rows... far, far away from the barbells and squat racks (which you never touch), and which is designed to give you an "easy, safe, injury-free, effective full-body workout." The machines may be easy, but most machines aren't as safe or effective as they're cracked up to be.

Kick butt workout tip #6: Use mostly free weights and compound, multi joint exercises

For lower body, squat and lunge variations are tops. For upper body, barbell and dumbbell presses, chin ups and rows are king. These and similar "BIG" exercises stimulate more muscle fiber, stir up more fat burning and muscle building hormones, and have more carry-over to real world and sporting activities than machines. Although weight stack machines are safe with respect to the fact that you cant drop a barbell on your head, they're ultimately NOT as safe as free weights because they don't develop the stabilizing muscles and functional strength that protect you from injury. A few machines and isolation exercises mixed in your program is fine, but focusing on compound and free weight exercises gives you far more bang for your buck than any machine ever created. - - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #7: No mental preparation

This mistake goes hand in hand with mistake number one (winging it). You see, preparation is more than setting goals, writing out plans, and scheduling workouts. Preparation is also mental, yet most people haven't the slightest idea just how powerful the mind is or how to harness its power. Psychologists and "brain scientists" have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between an experience that is real and one that is imagined. Failure to take advantage of this discovery is a mistake of enormous magnitude.

Kick butt workout tip #7: Use visualization and mental rehearsal daily

Arnold Schwarzenneger, Jack Nicklaus, Andre Agassi and countless other sports legends have written and spoken extensively about their regular use of mental imagery. Those who succeeded, but claimed not to use such techniques as "visualization" were surely using it unconsciously or in a non-formalized manner. I would suggest you consciously and deliberately use this technique in the following manner: Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, get relaxed, close your eyes and form mental images of yourself having the body you've always wanted, completing perfect workouts with motivation and enthusiasm and reaching all your goals. These images will penetrate your subconscious mind and literally program your brain to activate your body for total success.- - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #8: Not eating immediately after training

Not eating anything after your workout (or waiting 2-3 hours to eat), because (a) you don't feel like eating, (b) you don't have anything to eat with you, (c) you heard that you get leaner if you don't eat after your workout... is one of the most boneheaded things you can ever do!

Kick butt workout tip #8: Eat protein AND carbs (not just carbs) immediately after your workout

Much research has been done on the topic of post workout nutrition in recent years and the scientific literature is almost unanimous in its findings: At one time carbohydrates were emphasized after a workout. Other people insisted that protein is more important. The truth is, the optimal post workout meal includes quickly digesting protein and carbohydrates and is consumed immediately after training during the period known as the "post-workout window of opportunity." Although the ideal amount and type of protein and carbs is still debated, the studies have shown that proper post workout nutrition increases protein synthesis, suppresses cortisol, replenishes glycogen, and enhances recovery. - - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #9: Comparing yourself to others

Always trying to one-up the next guy is bonehead behavior. Comparing yourself to others is a great way to lower your self esteem and stay perpetually frustrated, unhappy and dissatisfied!
Kick butt workout tip #9: Compare yourself to nobody but yourself
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden always advised his players, "Never try to be better than someone else; but never cease trying to be the best you can be. That is under your control. The other isn't." So why not focus on competing with yourself? Compare yourself to yourself. Improve yourself. Work on progress and forward movement. Become better than you used to be. Ultimately, competitive sports are most valuable to the degree you use them to better yourself, not to beat others.- - - - -

Bonehead workout mistake #10: Making excuses

Many people, when they don't get the result they want, or when things don't go the way they expect, insist it's not their fault. When they don't lose any body fat, it's their genetics or "The diet just doesn't work!" When they fall off the wagon, it's their friend's and family's fault - "They just don't support me... they even tempt me with junk food and eat in front of me." When they miss workouts, it's their boss's fault - "I just don't have time with so much work being piled on me at the office." No matter what the situation, the boneheads never even consider that the problem is staring right back at them in the mirror - someone or something outside of them is always responsible.
Kick butt workout tip #10: Accept total, 100% responsibility for all your results - good or bad
When you win, you don't attribute it to luck or give someone else the credit for it. You proudly say, "I created it... I did it... that was me!" However, if you want to take the credit for your wins, you must also take credit for your losses and say, "Yep, I created it... I did it... that was me!" Boneheads want to take credit for their successes but not accept responsibility for their failures. Ultimately, that turns them into nothing but big losers. Winners and successful people became successful because they learned three magic words: I AM RESPONSIBLE. Once you claim responsibility for every result in your life - the good and the bad - the feeling of empowerment and liberation that comes over you is beyond description. For the first time in your life, you realize that YOU are in control. From that moment on - and not a second sooner - you become the creator of circumstance rather than a victim of it. - - - - -
Well, that's all ten of em'. Let me wrap up with what is perhaps the biggest mistake of all, and that is: Not learning from your mistakes. Mistakes are okay. The only people who don't make any are the timid, wimpy people who don't even attempt anything. If you realize you've been making a lot of these mistakes, don't beat yourself up. As long as you learn from them and stop making them, you're off the hook! But if you keep repeating these mistakes over and over again, then it's official: You're a bonehead!

If you enjoyed this article and you're interested in learning how to quickly and easily lose fat permanently - without drugs, supplements or fad diets - AND without making any bonehead mistakes - click here to visit the BURN THE FAT website: http://www.BurnTheFat.com
Tom Venuto is a certified personal trainer, natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book in Internet history, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.

You can get info on Tom's e-book at: http://www.BurnTheFat.com

Weight Loss Exercises

Weight Loss Exercises

7 Easy Ways to Turbo-Charge Fat Burning

Whether you are trying to lose a few extra pounds, or building a sculpted body; you will need every available technique in your arsenal when you begin to fight f-a-t. If you are only using one or two tactics you may get there eventually, but you will have a long uphill battle.

Are you ready to fire up your fat burning capabilities? The basics of metabolism has everything to do with fat burning. It is the biochemical processes that take place in the body; the breakdown of nutrients in the blood after digestion, resulting in growth of new tissue, more energy, and the release of wastes.

You have billions of cells- nerve cells, muscle cells, fat cells, blood cells, and all kinds of cells. These cells burn up a lot of energy as they get their job done in a well metabolized body, but a person whose metabolism runs slow, a lot of excess fat will be stored because not enough energy is burned up. The good news is that the metabolism furnace can be turned up substantially.

There are several things which affect the metabolism such as exercise, the digestion of foods, body temperature, and hormone activity. Here are seven of the easiest ways to burn fat faster.

1. The food you eat. There are several foods that actually burn fat faster than others. Spices is one food that can help you burn more calories by triggering a thermodynamic burn that can last several hours after eating.

2. The time you eat. The best time to eat the largest portion of the foods you eat for the day is before two o'clock. Make sure you never skip a meal, especially breakfast. The process of eating actually starts your burner blasting. Do not skip breakfast, and wait until mid-day to eat because if you do your metabolism will run slower all day. That means you are burning less fat, which is not what you are aiming for. You want to burn fat faster, not slower.

3. The amount of food. If you deprive yourself of food, your body goes into a survival mode and slows itself down to prepare for a possible famine. That means that fad diets are definitely out if you want to burn fat faster. But on the other hand, if you eat more calories than your body uses throughout the day, these additional calories will be stored as fat. Therefore, the secret is moderation. Try eating three small meals and two small snacks daily. It's like throwing another log on the fire whenever you eat, but remember- small amounts of food at a time. If you have too much food in the stomach at any one time, it will slow the fat burn down, totally defeating the purpose.

4. To prevent build up of fat you need to increase your daily activities. The muscles are where all the calories are burned during exercise, and the more efficient the muscles are at burning fat - the quicker weight loss can be achieved. To be an efficient fat burner you need to increase your muscle mass. The timing and various types of exercise also contribute to a turbo metabolism. When you perform any kind of activity your body burns fat and glucose. The good thing is that you do not need to exercise hard to burn fat. It's a good habit to begin exercising every morning. Do as much as you can until you reach an entire hour each day, five or six days a week.

5. Do your strength training before doing any cardiovascular work. It takes the body about 15 minutes to warm up and start burning fat. For example, if you are jogging for 45 minutes, you will only be burning fat for the last 30 minutes of your workout. Instead, try lifting weights for the first 15 minutes, which gives your body the time it needs to warm up. By the time you hit the road, you will be burning fat during the entire jogging session. PLUS - you will have built muscle too!

6. Do not do the exact same workout every day. Your body will start to get used to that exercise, and eventually it will stop burning fat calories. So if you jog one day, try a different activity the next day. Keep rotating the exercises, that way your body will stay at an optimal fat burning state. The best way to burn fat is to work out as hard as you can for as long as you can. But if you are just beginning a program, try varying the intensity from fast, to normal, to fast, to normal. This will help to build endurance, and eventually, you will be able to extend the high intensity periods until your entire workout is done at an ultimate fat burning speed. The fat burning equation is simple. The more muscle tone you have, the more calories you will burn even when you are not active.

7. Inhaling and exhaling through your nose, rather than your mouth also helps to stabilize your heart rate, and increase your endurance. Of course you know this means turbo charged fat burning.

With these seven tips, you should be well on your way to burning fat at an optimal level. If you stick with these techniques, and make them a part of your day - your body will amaze you in a few weeks.

Dan owns other weight loss blogs

Weight Loss Exercises