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3 AUDIOBOOK COLLECTIONS

6 BOOK COLLECTIONS
Thank you for downloading this ebook and I hope you will enjoy reading
the material presented in this ebook. As a way of saying thank you for
reading my book, I am going to offer you another bonus ebook in this
series “The Real Truth About Abs” for you to download for free. All you
need to do is visit the link below:

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Contents

Introduction: A brief history of athletic and sports training. ......................................4

The Modern Era of Bodybuilding .....................................................................................6

Natural Bodybuilding ........................................................................................................7

A modern bodybuilder’s typical weekly routine might look like this .................................. 7

When is the best time to workout? ....................................................................................... 10

Nutrition – The Other Side of the Coin .......................................................................... 11

Basic Nutrition ......................................................................................................................... 11

Some foods that contribute to muscle building are listed herein: .................................... 12

Dietary Supplements: Hype or High-Power?............................................................... 18

Diets................................................................................................................................... 20

Low Carb Diets ........................................................................................................................ 20

Competition Diet ..................................................................................................................... 23

Putting It All Together ..................................................................................................... 24

A Unique Approach To Weight Loss ............................................................................. 27

The connection between fitness and aging.................................................................. 28

Recommended Reading:................................................................................................. 29

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Introduction: A brief history of athletic and sports
training.

The first weightlifter was some caveman who was practicing throwing rocks for
an upcoming skirmish with a rival cave band. He kept trying bigger and bigger
rocks. The next time he tried throwing he found that he could pick up even
bigger rocks. He kept at this until one day he was able to pick up boulders. His
primitive mind had figured out that increased resistance training would build
strength.

Next came the ancient warriors who now had spears and swords to play with.
They would practice throwing spears every day. They found that the more they
trained, the further they could throw the spear, and the more accurate were their
casts. As they practiced with their swords in one hand their heavy shields on the
other arm, their endurance and strength increased in direct proportion to the
amount of training they did.

Along came the Greeks who brought training to a new level. The Greek warriors
developed a whole range of athletic activities that were designed to increase their
martial prowess; throwing the javelin, archery, hurling a discus, running sprints
and distances, hurdling barriers, weight-lifting, wrestling, boxing and swimming.
This led to contests to display these skills and reward those who excelled in the
individual sports.

Modern athletics rose from the attempts by warriors to get bigger, stronger and
faster and to have more endurance. Each ethnic group developed their own
particular athletic events, but the final goals for each were the same. The Celts
threw the caber, a long heavy pole, and they heaved heavy stones for distance
and accuracy. The Greeks and later the Romans refined weight lifting and
wrestling into sports. The Scandinavians developed snow sports; skiing, sledding
and ice skating. The Irish developed the still (oh, wait, that’s another whole
topic).

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The original Olympic Games arose in Greece as a testing ground for warrior
skills in direct competition with other warriors. The early American Indians
devised lacrosse as mock battles between large groups of men, sometimes one
tribe against another. The Incas, Mayans and Aztecs had ball games played with
rubber balls and rackets on a huge three-sided court. In their early games, the
penalty for losing was often death.

Early martial arts in the Orient were developed in India by monks as a form of
self discipline. Picked up by Chinese Buddhist monks, this training evolved into a
form of weaponless combat, the basis for kung-fu and other Chinese martial arts.
Weaponless combat traveled to Korea and Okinawa, then ultimately to Japan.
Early forms of weaponless combat were the tool of the peasant class, who had
no weapons with which to defend themselves against marauding armies.

The Okinawans called this art “te” or hand. They practiced breaking boards with
their clenched fists and fingertips as their oppressors’ armor was made of
interlocking wood strips. In Japan they added the word “kara” or empty, to the
name of the styles now known as karate (empty hand). Today, most of the
Oriental martial arts are practiced as sports; karate, taekwondo, kung-fu, judo,
aikaido, kempo, tang-soo-do and the like.

The need for individual warrior skills had nearly vanished by the modern era but
the athletic events with which they practiced had evolved into competitive sports.
In the modern world, our increased leisure lifestyle has renewed interest in
physical training for the health benefits instead of doing battle.

The modern Olympic Games, also boxing and wrestling matches and lacrosse
and jai alai games no longer leave the bodies of the vanquished on the fields.
Modern weight lifting is split into two fields of endeavor: Olympic lifting and
power-lifting, each with the same goal of pitting matched-size competitors to see
who can lift the heaviest weights.

Weight lifting became a ready means of achieving fitness, and the sport of
bodybuilding (yes, it is a sport and it requires tremendous dedication) arose. In

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bodybuilding the fitness and appearance are the goals, instead of the amount of
weight lifted.

During the first third of the Twentieth Century, bodybuilding competitions began
to be held. By the late 1930s sanctioning bodies arose to establish rules, judging
and awards for the competitors. In the USA the Mr. America contest was first
held in 1939; the precursor was held the year before. These contests
proliferated and today there are a myriad of bodybuilding competitions for both
men and women all over the world, all governed by a number of sanctioning
bodies.

Early bodybuilders who achieved national and worldwide acclaim and name
recognition were: John Grimek, Mr. America 1940 and 1941; Steve Reeves, Mr.
America and Mr. Universe 1947, Reg Park, Mr. Universe 1951 and multiple other
world titles, Bill Pearl, Mr. America 1953 and multiple Mr. Universe titles, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Mr. Europe, multiple Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia titles.

Arnold is probably the epitome of bodybuilding success. He leveraged his fame

into a movie career as an action star and ultimately became the Governor of
California for two terms. He married a daughter of the politically famous
Kennedy clan and has become wealthy from investments and products related to
bodybuilding.

The Modern Era of Bodybuilding

Even the early bodybuilders made the connection between proper nutrition and
musculature. They knew that protein is the basis of muscle growth and that
complex carbohydrates were the fuel for their workouts. They also understood
that lifting increasingly heavy weights in multiple sets would tear down muscle
tissue that regenerated as bigger and stronger muscles, fueled by their protein
intake.

Most early bodybuilders were people of extremes; Extreme weights with extreme
frequency, extreme diets and ultimately extreme chemical supplementation. An
early workout regimen for a budding iron-pumper would often be comprised of 4

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hour per day strenuous workouts with minimal rest between sets, exercises and
workouts. Their only rest was when they slept and on one day per week when
they didn’t workout. They would consume copious amounts of proteins in the
form of meat, eggs, raw milk, fish and poultry, with minimal carbohydrates.

With the discovery of artificially created anabolic steroids and growth hormones
in the forties (by East German and Russian Olympic athletic trainers) and fifties
(by the Americans athletes trying to be competitive), most of the bodybuilding
world adopted a “hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil” attitude when their
usage became widespread amongst bodybuilders.

Natural Bodybuilding
Modern bodybuilders understand that resting the muscles is important. They
focus on one muscle group per workout, once a week. All muscles get some
work during any training session, but they are trained heavily only once per week
in their specific focus session. Natural muscle growth is spurred by this
approach.

The modern athlete eats a balanced diet of proteins, fats, complex carbohydrates
and lots of water. They also take natural supplements to augment their diet and
to aid in the metabolizing of protein. Most of them eschew artificial chemical
enhancements like anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and stimulants.

The modern bodybuilding world now has two approaches to contests; those
where there is no regulation on how muscle size was achieved and the “natural”
events where the contestants are tested for banned substances like steroids and
HGH.

A modern bodybuilder’s typical weekly routine might

look like this:
 Monday – Chest Day – Multiple sets of chest exercises.

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 o Bench Press – one warm up set, then progressively heavy, then
back down to lighter rep-out weights. As many as ten sets total.

o Pec-Deck Flies – one warm up, then heavy sets. Five sets total.

o Incline Dumbbell Flies – one warm up, then increasingly heavy

and one final rep-out set. Five sets total.

o Decline Dumbbell or Barbell Press – one warm up, then heavy

sets, one rep-out. Five sets total.

o Push-Ups – three rep-out sets.

 Tuesday – Core and Cardio Day – Multiple sets of core strengthening

exercises; leg raises, crunches, sit-ups, twists and Swiss Ball exercises;
cardio on treadmill, running track, Stairmaster or similar.

 Wednesday – Back and Shoulders Day – Multiple sets of back and

shoulder exercises.

o Pull-Ups – Wide-grip chins on the bar. Three sets with

bodyweight, add weight belt and weights for heavy sets.

o Lat Machine Pull-Downs – Wide-grip pulling to either the chest or

the back of the neck. Five sets.

o Bent Over Rowing – With a barbell or with dumbbells. Five sets.

o Seated Rowing – With a cable-and-pulley machine, perform five

high-rep-low weight sets.

o Military Press – With a barbell, one warm-up and four heavy sets.

o Alternate Dumbbell Press – Seated or standing alternate presses

with moderate to heavy weights.

o Upright Rowing – Using moderate weights for five sets.

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 o Lateral Dumbbell Raises – Use light to moderate weights,
performed to the sides or to the front.

o Super Sets – To condense the workout time and shorten the time
to muscle exhaustion, alternate a back exercise with a shoulder
exercise. Example: Perform a pull-up set then do lateral raises
with no rest between these two exercises, one minute rest before
another pull-up set. Complete three sets in this manner. Then
perform lat-machine pull-downs alternately with upright rowing.
Continue alternating exercises this way through the entire back-
and-shoulders session.

 Thursday – Core and Cardio Day – A repeat of Tuesday.

 Friday – Arms Day – A series of exercises for the biceps, triceps and
forearms.

o Biceps Barbell Curls – One warm-up set, then four heavy sets
performed strictly (no cheating or bouncing the bar).

o Preacher Bench Curls – With an easy-curl bar or barbell, perform

five sets with a moderate weight.

o Alternate Dumbbell Curls – Seated or standing, perform alternate

arm curls with heavy dumbbells.

o Concentration Dumbbell Curls – Seated with elbow on knee,

perform strict curls with light to moderate weight dumbbell.
Alternate arms, ten reps per side per set. Five sets.

o Reverse Grip Pull Downs – Using the lat machine, reverse your
hands so that palms are facing back in a close grip. Perform pull-
down curls with moderate weight. Five sets

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 o Triceps Press Downs – Using a lat machine or an exercise
specific cable-and-pulley machine, perform heavy weight triceps
press-downs with a strict form. Five sets

o Supine French Presses – Using a barbell or easy-curl bar,

perform fives sets of presses from the forehead or chest to full
upright.

o Dumbbell Press – Using a single heavy dumbbell, starting from

behind the head and using both hands, press the weight to straight
overhead.

o Revere Grip Bench Push Up – Using two benches, one to elevate

the feet, the other for your hands, lower your butt to the floor and
press back up using your triceps.

o Bent Over Dumbbell Extensions – With your hand on a bench,

using one dumbbell, bend over until your upper body is parallel with
the ground. Hold your arm (the one with the dumbbell) where your
upper arm is parallel with your body and the elbow is bent at ninety
degrees with the dumbbell hanging straight down. Slowly extend
your arm until it is fully straightened, return to start and repeat. Five
sets.

o Super Sets – In the same manner as previously described,

alternate biceps and triceps exercises with no rest between
exercises and one minute rest between super sets.

When is the best time to workout?

Fitness Club operators will tell you that their clubs are the busiest in the morning,
before work and in the evening after normal working hours. More and more,
however, they are seeing people taking a “workout lunch.” Instead of eating,
they run over to the gym and workout for 45 minutes to an hour, and then grab

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something healthy to eat on their way back to the office. A salad or a hearty
soup will carry them over until their evening meal, particularly if they have a
nutritious snack of fresh, raw vegetables or fruit in the middle of the afternoon.

Nutrition – The Other Side of the Coin

The world renowned (in the bodybuilding world, anyway) Iron Guru, Vince
Gironda, trainer and consultant for many bodybuilding champions, said on many
occasions, “Bodybuilding is eighty percent diet.” Vince was saying this before
modern nutritionists isolated and identified all of the dietary elements necessary
for successful athletic competition. He knew that you had to load your system
with protein if you were working out hard and breaking down muscle tissue. Your
body needs protein to rebuild torn muscle fibers.

Vince Gironda developed a bodybuilder’s just-before-the-contest diet many years

ago, one that would remove the last vestige of subcutaneous fat from under the
skin. This diet wasn’t healthy for a long term program, but it sure worked for the
professional and amateur athletes who used it for about five or six weeks before
a contest. This diet will be discussed later in the book.

Basic Nutrition
Not everyone wants to be a competitive bodybuilder, but we all want to be as fit
and healthy as possible. The normal dietary needs for an active person; one
who has a regular workout regimen is approximately twenty percent of calories
from protein, forty percent from complex carbohydrates (as opposed to
simple carbohydrates like starch and sugars) and the balance from fats and
fibers. A serious bodybuilder might up the protein to more than twenty-five
percent with correspondingly less carbs.

Muscles are built by ingesting a lot of protein and exercising frequently and
mightily. In order to be able to exercise, we have to have energy, thus a list of

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the best muscle building foods will include some complex carbohydrates and
natural, unrefined sugars, such as those found in fruit.

Slower digesting carbohydrates take longer to breakdown into energy, so they

don’t spike your blood sugar and increase insulin requirements. Because they
slowly enter our bloodstream, these carbs produce fewer fat forming hormones
and enzymes. Fast digesting carbs like refined starches and sugars will spike
your blood sugar and dissipate very quickly. They will make you fat and their
impact on your energy is very short-lived.

Some foods that contribute to muscle building are listed

herein:
Buckwheat Noodles – Japanese soba is a common form of buckwheat noodles.
These can be used as a base for a dish or tossed in a salad or with vegetables
and meat as a main dish. These noodles are very low in calories and contain
almost zero fat.

Lean Ground Beef - The leaner, the better. Beef has good protein, iron, zinc,
creatine and B vitamins. Lean ground beef can be eaten as a meat patty or as
an ingredient in a variety of dishes. Think of a good old American hamburger
without the bun.

Broccoli – This great, green vegetable is loaded with cancer-fighting

phytochemicals, fiber and indoles. The latter is a natural compound that works
against estrogen and makes the body less liable to store body fat.

Fat-Free Cottage Cheese – Contains all the benefits of whey and casein protein
powders at far less cost than these supplements. Can be easily flavored with
soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic, ground ginger and fresh chives to make a tasty side
dish or midday snack. Fresh fruit is also a good complement to cottage cheese,
but stay away from the canned fruits in heavy syrup.

Canned Tuna or Salmon or Sardines – These oily fish are a bodybuilding

staple. Loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and useable protein, canned fish are
easy to store and use. They may be eaten from the can or used in salads and

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other recipes. Tuna mixed with chopped boiled eggs, onion, a dash of garlic
powder and a touch of low-fat mayonnaise is a great lunch or afternoon snack.

Turkey Breast – Turkey breast is high in protein, low in fat and has no
carbohydrates. Turkey, particularly the white meat, is just about the leanest
source of protein you can buy. Old time bodybuilders ate a lot of turkey.

Oatmeal – Another slow digesting carbohydrate. Oatmeal is a good pre-training

snack because it supplies energy slowly and stabilizes the blood sugar without
spiking. Cooked and mixed with some protein powder or cottage cheese, it
makes a fine meal or afternoon snack.

Lean Beef – A nice, lean, well-trimmed piece of steak goes good anytime. A
small piece makes a great snack or a larger piece as an entree. Beefsteak
provides loads of protein and essential fats. Other cuts of beef provide a great
source of protein; beef roasts, smoked brisket, extra lean ground beef (chuck or
round), beef ribs, short ribs and flank steak.

Pork Loin – Another low-in-fat meat that is both tender and very tasty. Pork Loin
may be prepared in a variety of manners, from kabobs to chops to stir-fry. Pork
back-ribs are renowned for their tenderness and flavor.

Chicken Breast – Not quite as fat-free as turkey, chicken still fills the bill as a
muscle building food because it is high in protein. Skinless, it is low in fat, too. It
is a very versatile meat and can be cooked in nearly any manner.

Sprouted Grain Breads – Much more easily digested than processed grain
flours, sprouted grains provide slow acting carbohydrates, zero fats and some
useable protein. Some of the loaves are quite tasty, too. If you just have to have
a sandwich, use sprouted grain breads. Most of the supermarkets have them,
but they are in the freezer department because they have no preservatives.
Specialty and natural food stores also have them.

Eggs – These are very high in protein and essential fats. Once thought to be
Nature’s nearly perfect food, eggs fell from favor when the low-fat-diet
proponents began to assert themselves. Most nutritionists now recognize that

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the low-fat diet craze is partially responsible for the obesity epidemic and eggs
are moving back into favor as good-for-you food. Hardboiled eggs make great
mid afternoon snacks.

Included in your diet should be foods that boost your metabolism. High-fiber
foods, high protein should be the mainstay of your diet, but other natural
metabolism boosters include: Chilies, mustard, green tea and water.

Citrus and other fruits that are high in vitamin C will dilute the fats and help
release them from your body. Limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines
and guava are on this list. The pectin in apples restricts the ability of the cells to
absorb fat from foods. Pectin also encourages water absorption from foods,
helping to release the fat deposits on the body.

Researchers have reported that the calcium in dairy products like whole milk,
yogurt and cheese can act as a fat-burner by increasing the fat breakdown in
your cells. Calcium supplements don’t work as well as the real thing, so get
yours from nature, dairy products.

Your body needs energy to carry you through those heavy workouts, so your
calories from carbohydrates, as those from protein, will have to stoke your
furnace. Here is a list of foods that will boost your energy levels for the whole
day (and night):

 Oatmeal – A great breakfast or midmorning snack. Oats are high in fiber

and low on the glycemic index. You get a flow of energy that lasts a long
time, rather than a quick spike.

 Coffee – The second most popular beverage in the USA. Caffeine is what
gives it the boost. One or two cups it the recommended dosage, as more
will be counter productive, often producing a mild withdrawal symptoms
and fatigue.

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  Lentils, Navy Beans, Chickpeas and Kidney Beans – These legumes
provide good carbs and protein and are a great source of fiber. They are
low in fat and calories. If your metabolism isn’t used to beans, start with a
small portion to avoid flatulence.

 Water – Your body needs water to generate energy by allowing the

digestion and absorption of nutrients. When you are dehydrated your cells
are less efficient in processing nutrients for energy.

 Bananas – Easily digested natural sugars. Also they provide potassium

that helps maintain nerve and muscle function. Other fruits also make
good, energy-boosting snacks; apples, grapes, peaches and pineapples.

 Sardines – These little fish are loaded with the amino acid tyrosine.
When ingested it helps your brain to manufacture chemical “uppers” that
give you better brain function.

 Chocolate – The semi-sweet varieties can help boost energy with their
sugars, but they also improve anemia, aid in digestion and increase
sexual appetite. The latter characteristic may help keep you alert.

 Steak – You carnivores will love this. Red meat has the most readily
absorbed iron, an element necessary to good cellular function. Avoid that
Big Mac, however, and go for a small sirloin and a nice salad.

 Healthy Fats – from almonds, avocados, seeds and nuts. Good fats
provide essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6) that will produce an
alert mental state.

 Yogurt – Magnesium rich yogurt can provide an energy boost.

Magnesium activates enzymes that help metabolize protein and
carbohydrates. Other low-fat dairy foods are good; cheeses, cottage
cheese, skim milk and kefir.

Mark Hyman, MD, points out in his book, Ultra Metabolism: A Simple Plan for
Automatic Weight Loss, that the key to long-term weight loss is to eat foods

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15
high on the phytonutrient index (PI) and low in glycemic load (GL). This simple
phrase is the clue to how his program works. Lean meats do not register on the
Glycemic Index, nor do they have phytonutrients.

Low GL/High PI Foods (good)

Vegetables
Fruits
Beans
Nuts
Seeds
Olive Oil
Whole Grains
Teas
Herbs and Spices

High GL/Low PI Foods (avoid)

Flour or Flour Products

Refined Grains (White Rice)
Sugar in any form
Processed Foods
Junk Food
Large, Starchy Potatoes

In his Fat Burning Furnace food chart, Rob Poulos is more specific on which
foods will increase your metabolism until it is a “fat-burning-furnace."

Complex Carbohydrates

Brown Rice/Wild Rice

Whole Wheat Pasta
Oatmeal/Whole Oats
Whole Wheat/Grain
Cereal

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Sweet Potatoes
Rye (the grain, not the 100 proof kind)
Quinoa

Fruits

Apples
Oranges
Melons
Papaya
Bananas
Berries

Animal/Plant Proteins

Lean Beef
Lean Ground Turkey
Chicken Breast, Skinless
Lean Ham/Pork
Skim Milk
No-Fat Yogurt
Fish
Shellfish
Low or No Fat Cottage Cheese
Unprocessed Soy, Soybeans, Tofu
Dried Beans
Edamame
Lentils/Peas
Peanuts, Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts
Natural Peanut Butter
Seeds

Vegetables

Broccoli
Salad Greens

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Spinach
Green Beans
Green Peppers
Carrots
Asparagus
Bean Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Mushrooms
Onions
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Artichoke
Kale

Dietary Supplements: Hype or High-Power?

Many of the claims made by dietary supplements seem almost too good to be
true and as The Old Man on the Mountain says, “If it sounds too good to be true,
it probably is!” It has also been pointed out that many notable figures in the
bodybuilding and athletic world are paid for their endorsements of products. So,
who can you trust in the supplement game?

There are a number of reputable companies producing diet supplements. One

that comes to mind is Met-Rx. The do have endorsements by many major
athletic figures, but they also support their claims by sound research. Whatever
products you chose there are certain things to look for: All protein, no fillers, no
carbohydrates, no sugar, no high fructose corn syrup.

Supplements fall into several categories:

Protein Powder – Pure protein, as mentioned previously. The average person

should ingest about ¾ to 1 gram of protein, per pound of lean muscle mass, per
day. A serious athlete or bodybuilder should nearly double that amount because

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18
of the amount of training they do and how their muscle tissue is taxed to the
extreme.

Meal Replacements – These come in large canisters or in individual, pre-

measured packets. The powder is mixed with water or whole milk. Fruit many
be blended into the mix. Bananas, apples, peaches, blueberries, strawberries
and others add flavor and important fiber and vitamins. Peanut butter is another
good additive, as is natural, locally produced honey. These MRs are a
convenient, high-protein-low-fat way to supplement your diet.

Fat Burners – These are plant derived compounds that affect the metabolism
through an increase in thermogenesis (body temperature). Many of these
thermogenic supplements consist of ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin combined in
a pill or capsule. Their effect is to increase the metabolism, thus burning more
energy (fat) during normal exercise or a hard workout. These three elements
combined are synergistic, thus are more effective when together than any of
them taken alone. This combination is known as an “ECA Stack.”

Most fat burner supplements are marketed under a variety of trade names, but a
check of the contents on most any of them will disclose the ECA Stack.

Anyone contemplating taking therogenics should consult with their medical

practitioner before ingesting the first pill or capsule.

L-Glutamine – This is an essential amino acid produced naturally by the body.

More than half of your L-glutamine levels in your body are consumed during hard
exercise. Using supplemental L-glutamine may reduce the amount of muscle
deterioration after an intense workout, thus contributing to the muscle recovery
and growth.

Green Tea may contribute to weight loss programs - There are a lot of sales
letters on the internet and in junk snail-mail, that green tea is the answer to
weight loss. These claims are made to promote the sale of green tea extract or
concentrate or some other weight loss program using green tea as the main
constituent. At a 70-80 calorie reduction from five cups per day, green tea alone

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19
may not contribute much to a shrinking waistline, but coupled with a reduced
calorie diet, it can increase the efficacy of a weight loss program.

These are the facts: One pound of fat is equal to approximately 3,500 calories.
In order to lose one pound, a diet must be cut by that many calories or you must
burn that many more calories through exercise, or a combination thereof. For the
loss of one pound in one week, that is a combination of the reduction or burning
of 500 extra calories per day.

The Japanese research disclosed that if an average person were to drink five
cups of green tea per day, they would burn an extra 70-80 calories per day from
thermogenesis, the process by which heat is generated in organisms. If nothing
else in their diet changed, a person might lose one pound every 43 days and
eight pounds in one year.

Much of the thermogenesis attributed to green tea comes from caffeine, but the
studies in Japan suggested that some calorie burning also come from other
elements present in this aromatic brew, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
Green tea has other benefits from its antioxidant properties. So enjoy a brisk,
delightful cup of green tea several times a day and know that you are contributing
to your health.

Diets
Since when did the word “diet” come to mean to establish a food regimen to try
and lose weight? In reality, it is simply a word to describe food intake. Because
for many of us, the need to lose weight is paramount, the usage of this word has
shifted.

Low Carb Diets

Long before Dr. Robert Atkins published his diet plan, there was “The Drinking
Mans Diet” and “Calories Don’t Count,” both of which were books written by
people who had discovered that it is protein, carbohydrates, fats and fibers that

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20
count, not the calories. Both publications laid out a plan of counting
carbohydrates instead of calories, much like The Atkins Diet. The contention
was that if you kept your daily intake of carbs to less than 40 grams per day, you
would lose weight. When you reached your preferred weight, you could raise the
carbohydrate count to 60 for maintenance.

It sounds rather simple, doesn’t it? Modern nutritionists point out that it is the
kind of carbohydrates we eat that is equally important. We tend to view all carbs
as equal, but that’s not the case.

There are simple carbohydrates like refined starches and sugars and then
there are the high fiber complex carbohydrates as found in fresh fruits and
vegetables. The first sort should be avoided totally and the second are very
necessary for the proper functioning of our metabolism, our organs, and our
glands . . . our overall body health.

Low carbohydrate diets have been proven effective in dealing with excess
weight, or people wouldn’t still be using them. Our bodies will convert muscle
tissue into energy when we are in a state of deprivation, before it burns away all
our body fat. This is some indication that our bodies recognize the need for
carbs in our diet. Carbs are our protection against starving, according to our
Paleolithic metabolism, so the very last thing to waste away is that last bit of fat,
long after most muscle tissue has disappeared.

Some of the weight loss experienced by low-carb dieters is muscle tissue, not the
body fat they are trying to lose. The conclusion is that even a bodybuilder on a
low carbohydrate diet will lose some muscle tissue as his body cries out for
energy.

Competitive bodybuilders will utilize extreme low-carb diets for a few weeks
before competition. Their intent is to eliminate that last bit of subcutaneous fat
from under their skin. They limit the scope of their extreme diet to 12 weeks
maximum, but usually to about four to six weeks. They know that if they stay on
it any longer, they will begin to lose muscle density and size, everything they
have worked for so hard.

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21
One of the early proponents of the high-protein-low-carbohydrates diets was The
Iron Guru, Vince Gironda. Vince trained many bodybuilding champions and
was a contest winner himself in the 40s and 50s. He was renowned for his
symmetry and muscularity, though he never weighed much more than 170
pounds in his life. Vince was also a master poser and knew how to show the
muscular form in its best lights, highlighting the strengths and minimizing any
weaknesses.

The Before-The-Contest-Diet that Gironda supplied his

clients went like this:
 Eat high protein and zero (or as close as humanly possible) carbohydrates
for four days.

 Every fifth day was a free day in which you could eat normally of a proper
balance of proteins and carbohydrates.

 High protein and zero carbs for four days.

 Fifth day is free again.

 Keep on this cycle for approximately four to six weeks.

 Supplement your diet daily with:

o Lipotropic 3 compound (three essential amino acids)

o Kelp tables (vegetable protein and fiber)

o Cold pressed wheat germ oil

 No alcohol or caffeine during the diet period.

 Drink copious amounts of water to flush your system.

A number of modern takes on a competition diet are available on the internet.

One of them that came from a major bodybuilding site is as follows:

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22
Competition Diet
This is probably the most difficult part of contest preparation. Working out is a
one or two hour a day process, but dieting is for twenty-four hours a day. It is
also more expensive than eating a normal, balanced diet. You are dealing with
expensive supplements, expensive vitamins and expensive foods. You must
also exercise a great deal of willpower . . . but isn’t that what bodybuilding is all
about?

The goal of this diet is to lose the maximum amount of body fat as possible, all
the while maintaining your lean muscle mass. You will lose some muscle tissue
on this diet, the typical ratio being one pound of muscle lost to every three
pounds of body fat. Proper supplementation will decrease this muscle loss.

The term of the diet is determined by individual needs. Those with more body fat
may require eight to twelve weeks of dieting, or the low body fat physiques may
require only four weeks. To enhance the fat loss, increase your cardio workouts
in length, intensity and frequency. Perform your cardio on an empty stomach as
it will cause your body to burn stored fat.

The author of this diet proposes that you eat six small meals per day with all
complex carbohydrates consumed in the morning and early afternoon. After
2:00PM only protein should be eaten.

It is also recommended that up to two or more gallons of sodium free water be

drunk daily.

The dietary allowance of carbohydrates is gleaned from eating yams, celery,

carrots, and leafy green vegetables. No refined flour, no rice, no refined sugars
of any kind. Sodium intake should be minimized.

Reduce the daily intake of carbohydrates each day in the week before the
contest in an effort to “peak” just before the contest day.

The author further recommends taking potassium supplements four times daily,
as well as five grams of L-Glutamine.

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23
On the day before the contest, take in very small meals and cut your water intake
to ½ gallon up until 6:00 PM, after which you only sip small quantities as needed
for thirst.

Some competitors take raw honey or natural peanut butter for quick energy and
muscle fullness.

The recommended supplements to be taken daily:

 Protein Powder – the type that is pure protein, no fillers, sugar or carbs.

 Meal Replacement Powders – high protein, blended with water or raw milk
with (optional) bananas and natural peanut butter.

 Fat Burners – ECA Stack thermogenic product.

 L-Glutamine – to reduce the muscle deterioration from intense workouts

and pre-contest dieting.

Putting It All Together

The origins of fitness and bodybuilding were originally to refine martial and
athletic skills for the warrior class. Today, these skills are no longer applicable to
modern life, so bodybuilding and fitness have become the goal for both sexes,
not just the means for men to achieve martial dominance.

Sure, that ripped look when the shirt comes off is great, or how well a woman
looks in a two-piece bathing suit or bikini. But that is only a small part of the
reasons for male and female fitness. Personal performance is great, too, both
athletic and the night life recreational variety. The health thing is also important;
the absence of sickness, minimal aches and pains, bouncing out of the bed in the
morning (well, rising easily, anyway) and never using sick-time at work. Then
there’s the respect, admiration even, from friends of both sexes; the look of
surprise when your buddy grabs your upper arm while making a point and
pauses with a look of amazement when he feels the bulging hardness under his

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24
hand. Or when a woman’s friends comment enviously about how good she looks
in shorts. Male and female fitness are all of these things and more.

Fitness affects attitudes. The fit person exudes the confidence that comes from
feeling good about himself, a confidence that extends into everything they do. It
is an attitude that is read by everyone they come into contact with and is often
the difference between super-success or a marginal response in their personal
and business relationships. It is a sad commentary on our society that a fit,
healthy male or female body is the exception instead of the rule.

Fitness magazines extol the virtues of exercise programs and every one of them
outlines programs to build bigger muscles on the men and trim, well-rounded
figures on the women. The magazines are good and their articles are usually
well written, but a beginner needs a lot of incentive and attention to their
individual needs. A good fitness club with a competent staff is probably the best
answer for a neophyte. Once a program has been set up and some results are
being seen, the person on the path to fitness can adjust their program to suit their
schedule and goals.

A typical fitness program will consist of strength and circuit training, cardio-
vascular exercises and other athletic endeavors; running, sports walking, tennis
and other sports. This activity doesn’t have to be extreme, but it should be
enjoyable. A committed workout partner is also an aid. A fit person is a
testimonial to the “sound mind in a sound body” principle.

Wellness and fitness are two sides of the same coin. If one is fit, one is well,
generally speaking. For our prehistoric precursors, if they weren’t fit they were
quickly processed by the digestive juices of some saber-toothed cat, cave lion or
short-faced bear.

In modern life, wellness/fitness takes on a whole different meaning. Fit people

work at staying in good physical condition; they eat nutritionally and live a healthy
lifestyle. Their wellness/fitness means fewer illnesses, better mental attitudes,
more satisfaction with their work, family and their spiritual lives. Wellness/fitness

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25
may not be the only reason for everything good in their lives, but it is a large part
of the formula.

Wellness/Fitness is achieved by several means:

 Exercise – whether it be by pumping iron at the local health club,

swimming at the Y, running or walking in the park, martial arts or
aerobics classes, exercise is good for the entire body and mind.

 Diet – eating moderately of healthy, natural foods and drinks is very

important to overall wellness fitness. “You are what you eat.” Was
coined by a nutritionist of yore, so if you eat calorie-laden junk food
or fast food, your body will respond in kind. Eating good proteins
and carbohydrates, avoiding processed foods, sugars and refined
starches will go a long way towards promoting wellness. Natural
foods contain the vitamins and minerals that processing often
removes. Sprouted grain breads are healthier than those baked
using highly processed, bleached and nutrient free flours. Caffeine
and alcohol intake should be minimized.

 Lifestyle – our lives are filled with the stress of careers, families,
world affairs and catastrophic events. It is important to have
healthy outlets for stress. Exercise and diet are part of the answer,
but hobbies, athletic activity, spirituality, family and community
involvement are other elements of the equation of wellness fitness.
For some, an orderly uncluttered life is good, while for others,
spontaneity is the name of the game.

Wealth and health are similar in that when you have them life is good. If you lose
your wealth, you may at some point regain it by the application of smarts and
hard work. Health, on the other hand, when lost may never be regained.

The desire for fitness often leads to a further commitment to oneself.

Bodybuilding is the next step that many workout enthusiasts progress to.
Bodybuilding, or body-shaping, is a natural progression from just getting fit, to

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26
developing your body to its ultimate limits. For men it is the muscular
development of shoulders, chest, arm, back and legs, as well as six-pack
abdominal muscles. For the women it is to trim all excess weight, define their
chest, back, legs and arms and also have a six-pack.

There are many avenues to your fitness and bodybuilding goals and all of them
will take you there. This e-book has outlined some of the approaches, both for
us average people who want to be fit and for those with the desire to build their
bodies to its potential. It is recommended that you research and consider all
these approaches and then select the one that is most appropriate to your
lifestyle and available time for the program.

A Unique Approach To Weight Loss

Jon Gabriel is a unique man. As a financial guy in New York City, Jon worked
long hours under a lot of stress. His weight has ballooned to more than 400
pounds and he was morbidly obese.

His financial success allowed him to pay for one-on-one diet consultations from a
number of big name diet doctors, including Dr. Robert Atkins, who authored the
Atkins Diet program and several books. It was to no avail. The small weight
losses were quickly regained, often with a few extra pounds.

One day Jon had a revelation, his body wanted to be fat. He used his
background in medical research to do a study on why people are fat and why
some of us never have weight problems. Jon’s conclusion was that most of
peoples’ weight problems are because of outside mental influences. When you
remove these problems, their body weight tends to seek normalcy.

Jon was successful in reprogramming his body to believing it needs to be thin.

Over the next few years he lost more than 200 pounds and has maintained a fit,
muscular body and has changed his life around, totally. Jon now lives in
Australia and speaks to individuals and groups about “The Gabriel Method.” He
has thousands of success stories to recount, some of which are in his book of the
same title. The before-and-after pictures on his webpage are amazing.

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27
The connection between fitness and aging
As the human body ages it begins to slow the production of the hormones that
keep us fit, strong and healthy. Strength training and cardiovascular training will
slow that process, but ultimately showing our age is a fact of life.

A group of doctors in the practice of combating aging have a unique approach.

They use supervised applications of anabolic steroids and human growth
hormones, those that the aging body is no longer producing, to effectively halt
and even reverse the appearance of aging in men and women. Their program at
Cenegenics Medical Institute, practices age management medicine, apparently
very effectively. Their website has a number of impressive pictures of their
success stories.

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28
Recommended Reading:

Muscle Gain Truth By Sean Nalewanyj

http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/musclegain/
Let's face it, when it comes to bodybuilding and fitness, there's a lot of crap out
there. Go online and take a look around, and you'll find that it's nothing more than
an endless mass of "magic supplements", "miracle programs" and "revolutionary
breakthroughs".

For those looking to gain lean muscle mass, burn through stubborn body fat and
increase their strength, it can often be a nightmare trying to find an honest and
credible source of information to follow.

I got an email from Sean Nalewanyj a few months back. I'm sure you already
know who he is. He's a lifetime natural bodybuilder and fitness author, and he
wanted me to check out his program and give my thoughts. I reluctantly accepted
his offer, thinking it would just be another fly-by-night, slapped-together-over-a-
weekend ripoff program.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that his new program “Muscle Gain
Truth” is full of fresh new information and never-seen-before techniques that
really can get you the arms you have been dreaming of.

If you are in a hurry, and want to know how you can start building muscle fast,
check out Muscle Gain Truth, an amazing new weight lifting program that reveals
how you can finally gain size and strength while at the same time taking your
bench press to a new level.

http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/musclegain/

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29
The Truth About Six Pack Abs: The Low-Down From
Creator Mike Geary

http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/truthabs/
Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess
abdominal fat? The first thing that most people think of is that their extra
abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and
makes them self conscious about showing off their body.

However, what most people don't realize is that excess abdominal fat in
particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health.
Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that although it is unhealthy in
general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly
dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.

There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type
that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies
directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles.

The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat,
and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your
organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that "beer belly"
appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time,
also feels sort of hard if you push on it.

Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health
risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even
more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Both of them greatly increase the risk
your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke,
sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that it apparently

releases more inflammatory molecules into your body on a consistent basis.

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30
If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your
abdominal fat should be one of your TOP priorities! There's just no way around it.
Besides, a side-effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive ugly abdominal
fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you
will be able to visibly see those sexy six pack abs that everyone wants.

So what gets rid of extra abdominal fat? Is there actually a REAL solution beyond
all of the gimmicks and hype that you see in ads and on commercials for
"miracle" fat loss products?

The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix
solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your
abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts
will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can't spot reduce your stomach fat by
using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn't work that way.

The ONLY solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for
good is to combine a sound nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with
a properly designed strategic exercise program that stimulates the necessary
hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well
as your training program are important if you are to get this right.

I've actually even seen a particular study that divided thousands of participants
into a diet-only group and an exercise/diet group. While both groups in this study
made good progress, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat
than the diet & exercise combined group.

Now the important thing to realize is that just any old exercise program will not
necessarily do the trick. The majority of people that attempt getting into a good
exercise routine are NOT working out effectively enough to really stimulate the
loss of stubborn abdominal fat. I see this everyday at the gym.

Most people will do your typical boring ineffective cardio routines, throw in a little
outdated body-part style weight training, and pump away with some crunches
and side bends, and think that they are doing something useful for reducing their
abdominal fat. Then they become frustrated after weeks or months of no results
and wonder where they went wrong.

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31
Well, the good news is that I've spent over a decade researching this topic,
analyzing the science, and applying it "in the trenches" with myself as well as
thousands of my clients from all over the world to see what works to really
stimulate abdominal fat loss.

The entire solution... all of the nutritional strategies, as well as training

sequences, exercise combinations, and more have all been compiled in my Truth
About Six Pack Abs Program.

Keep in mind that the point of this whole program is NOT abdominal exercises
(that is only a very small portion of it). The main point of this program is showing
you the absolute most effective strategies for losing your stubborn abdominal fat,
so you can get rid of that dangerous health risk, as well as get a flatter more
defined midsection.

If you follow the guidelines, you WILL lose your belly fat that has been plaguing
you for years. This is not guesswork... it is a proven system that works time and
time again for all of my clients on every corner of the globe that actually apply the
information I teach. If you apply it, the results will come. It's really that simple.

The only reason most people fail in their fitness goals is that they have good
intentions at first to adopt a new lifestyle, yet after a few weeks or months, they
abandon their good intentions and slip right back into their old bad habits that
gave them the excess body fat in the first place.

I want to help you succeed in finally getting rid of that extra abdominal fat that is
not only UGLY, but also DANGEROUS.

Don't waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence
as well as contribute to your risk for MAJOR diseases.

Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this problem at

http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/truthabs/

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http://howmusclebuildingworks.com/go/truth-about-abs-bonus/

32
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