One Key to a Successful Workout Regime

I am someone who has always been interested in going to the gym to workout. Building muscle is what I have been doing since way back in high school when I was a teenager.

As I was growing up, the fact that I was so skinny and had a frail appearance really got to me. That's when I figured out that what I needed to do was to start going to the gym regularly.

I have spent a lot of years at the gym, and I can tell you that there are two fundamentally obvious things that can be done to help you achieve the best results possible.

Are you prepared to learn what they are? They do not have anything to do with any secret routines that you might have come across in your reading. Your diet, any supplements and miracle pills are all definitely not associated with them.

While it's true that those things definitely matter and can have a positive impact, achieving success at the gym is a lot simpler than that. You will not have to fork over any money, just be seriously disciplined.

Being consistent and putting in a ton of effort are the keys to achieving success with muscle building. These are such simple words; whether you can follow through with them might be a whole other story though.

Here's what you need to do. Consistently do the same workout over and over and that is how you will get positive results every time.

A lot of folks are not consistent when they are working out or doing something and that is why they falter and quit. Stay focused on lifting weights 4 to 5 days each and every week and it's a guarantee that you are going to get results.

One further note, it is crucial that you put forth a lot of effort, unlike some people I have seen who just workout casually with no major exertion. That extra effort that you give every time you workout is going to help you get the best results you can with your muscle building.

P90X is For Women

I don't want to have large muscles like a man. P90X is too tough for me. I can't do all those pull ups and push ups. These are the thoughts women have when seeing P90X. Well, I'm here to squash those thoughts, so that you can get on the path to the look you want.

I was no fitness guru before I started this program. In fact, I hated to exercise. I was always trying to lose weight without exercising or by doing just enough to meet the 30 minute requirement. I had the same fears as most women when I saw the P90X program, but something, I guess frustration with failure, pushed me to move forward.

I had the same concern about the large, burly look. However, my husband helped me to understand that this concern was silly. Think about it, do you really think that you can go from 30 pounds overweight to a body builder in 90 days? People take years to build that type of muscle and a woman's body is not designed to gain muscle in that way as easily. I have done P90X for 8 months now and while I have muscles and a toned look, it is nowhere near the look of a man or a body builder.

P90X has two programs, classic and lean. I have chosen to do the classic version and that is what I recommend you start with. However, if you are still concerned about the look you will get, the lean version may be for you. That version is more cardio oriented with a smaller amount of resistance training. However, if you do choose to go with the classic version, Tony Horton recommends that you decrease the weight and increase the number of reps you do of each move. This will give you a leaner, more toned look. Each resistance training video features a woman doing the increased reps, so you will have someone to identify with.

Don't feel intimidated by the entire fitness routine. Tony Horton's phrase throughout the videos is "Do your best and forget the rest." Hold true to this and do what you can. Do push ups on your knees and only do as many as you can. Replace pull ups with the resistance bands. Only do as much of the video as you feel comfortable with. If you do 15 minutes of the video the first week, push to 20 minutes the second week. Keep this up until you are completing the entire series. When I started, I could only do about 20 minutes of each video. I am now doing the entire strength training video and the Ab Ripper X video in one sitting.

Is P90X for women? Yes. It is absolutely for women. Resistance training combined with cardio burns more fat and helps to increase your metabolism. Resistance training can give a firm, toned look and you can take it one step at a time. Many women, from all areas of life, have found success with the P90X program and so will you!

Successful Weight Loss - Working Out is Only Half the Equation

Does the P90X home workout system work? In short, the answer to that question is yes the P90X does work and can seriously transform your body in 90 days. Accomplishing this in 90 days is not an easy task. Over the course of 90 days I followed the advice below and experienced great results in doing so. I lost 25 pounds and 4 inches off of my waist line!

You will experience a degree of success with any workout regimen if you are dedicated to it. People that work out and don't get the results that they want are usually missing any of the three following items:1) Proper workout structure 2) Workout dedication 3) Diet

Workout Structure:

Most people do not know how to workout. People that purchase a gym membership usually use the elliptical machine and possibly push a few weights a few days a week. They will see only minimal results, if any from this approach. If you have a gym membership and do not know how to work out, I suggest you purchase sessions with a personal trainer. Personal trainers are available at most gyms and will design a specific plan for you that will maximize your results. There is one huge barrier that comes with this solution: COST.

Using the Gold's Gym in my area as a reference, they charge $59.99 a month for a general membership. This entitles you to all the cardio and weight equipment. Purchasing a personal trainer will cost an additional $30.00 a session. Each session is usually around an hour in length. So right there with purchasing a gym membership and one training session your monthly workout expenses have already cost you nearly $90.00. If you purchase one training session a week your cost has not jumped to $180.00. OUCH!!! If you are a business person you are probably factoring in time too. How much time is spent packing your bag each morning and night to get ready for the gym? How much time is spent traveling to and from the gym? Time is money and wasted time is wasted money. If you're anything like me you do not have time in your life to waste.

Workout Dedication:

Perhaps it is our culture or maybe our generation. But despite which one it may be, people expect results immediately from whatever they are doing or become uninterested and lose their motivation to press on and finish what they started.

Before you begin your workout you need to have a clear attainable goal(s) in mind and you need to be %100 committed to achieving your goal(s). You must let nothing come between you and your goal. If you do let something come between you and your goal, excuses will take over and that will be the end. You will have to change around your lifestyle to meet your goals. If your present lifestyle has allowed you to become out-of-shape and unhappy with yourself you will have to change it to reach your goal. I read somewhere that "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time you do it."

Being %100 dedicated is not an easy road and there are plenty of speed bumps along the way. Some of these speed bumps allow us to become distracted and lose sight of our goal.

Diet: (Workouts+Diet = Results)

I am going to start this section off with a story and I would appreciate any feedback on it, good or bad. My wife works with a "bigger" woman who was unhappy with her weight and wanted to lose a lot of it. She went ahead a purchased a gym membership... and began "working out". Her workouts consisted of using a cardio machine for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. So when my wife was telling me this I was doing the math in my head "30 minutes of cardio a day, that's about 350 calories, five days a week. She must be losing around 1600 calories a week which will be about 1 pound every two weeks.". When discussing possible workouts for losing a lot of weight, this isn't the best one but it beats what she was doing before hand which was nothing.

Anyways, so a few weeks go by and I ask my wife how her friend's weight loss is going and she responds with immediate laughter. After regaining her breath she goes on to say that her friend is still working out each day but is expressing some dissatisfaction with her results. Apparently she had not lost any weight. Well if she hasn't missed a workout in a month and hasn't lost an ounce, there can be only one explanation; DIET. I asked my wife about her diet and then she began to laugh again. This friend of hers was eating McDonald's for breakfast each morning. After hearing this my jaw hit the floor and I began laughing too.

Could someone be that ignorant/uneducated about losing weight? My wife went onto explain that she had brought up the McDonald's concern with her friend only to have her concerns brushed off with this rationale; "I have always ate McDonald's for breakfast, even before I started working out. If I keep eating the same but work out, I should lose weight, right???" Theoretically her friend is correct but this applies to the "average diet" which does not include McDonalds. McDonald's does not offer too much food that is healthy. They do offer some healthy food, but not a lot of it. After the movie "Super Size" me, McDonald's released a statement saying that "...most of their food should not be eaten more than once a week".

It has taken me some time to understand this, but working out is only half of the equation. The other half is dieting. If you do not adhere to a diet while you are working out you are limiting your results. Now when most people hear the word diet they get all freaked out and begin thinking of eating vegetables and tofu. Get that idea out of your head and replace it with eating healthy. Think about eating more fruits and vegetables and lean meat and taking out the "sweets". Dieting is an important piece of the puzzle and is only as hard as you make it. By not dieting you are limiting your results and pushing your goal farther and farther away. I hope my wife's friend begins to understand this, but the smart money is on McDonald's.

Team Beachbody is a relatively new company that creates and distributes fully supported home workout programs. By fully supported I mean that the workouts also come with a detailed diet plan that tells you exactly what to eat for each meal. It factors in weight, age, gender, and activity level. There are also support opportunities and Beachbody.com This site works like Facebook. It allows you to network with other people and share workout problems/solutions with them. This past summer I used and completed the P90X workout system. As you can see, I lost a fair amount of weight and toned up too. If you are looking to only lose weight and would like to focus on your cardiovascular health I would recommend Beacbody's Insanity program. These workouts are 40 minutes in length and push you to the brink of exhaustion. With each workout I lose around 700-800 calories.

If you are looking to change your lifestyle and have a clear attainable goal than I recommend purchasing a Beachbody workout product. When compared to a gym it will save you a lot of money. These home workout systems come fully supported with a diet and pier support opportunities. DECIDE, COMMIT, AND SUCCEED!

How to Get Rid of Bat Wings

Bat wings is a term that refers to the flabby area in the back of the arms that tends to hang down. It commonly occurs as a result of being overweight. The back of the arms can be tightened up with weight loss and muscle toning exercises. One way to reduce the bat wing effect is to lower your overall body fat percentage. The primary way to do this is by changing your diet.

Your diet doesn't have to be overly complicated. The easiest way to eat is to keep things simple. Cut back on eating processed food. If you can do this at least 80% of the time, you should notice significant progress in your weight loss. Most food that comes in packages like boxes, cans, jars, and most of all comes from a drive-through window should be avoided. Think fresh food that comes in its most natural state.

Once you have your diet cleaned up, you can begin the fat burning process with the right exercises. You want to become a fat-burning machine. You can do this effectively by performing back-to-back exercises with little rest in between. Perform the exercises in sets and rest 1 to 2 minutes in between rounds. This form of exercising is called interval training or circuit training. It burns fat much more effectively than regular study state cardio. Best of all, the workouts are typically shorter than most workouts.

Next you want to do specific exercises that will strengthen the muscles in your arms, particularly your triceps. I have found three specific tricep exercises that work well. They include chair dips, close grip push-ups, and dumbbell tricep extensions. Work your triceps at least a few times a week consistently and you will begin to notice the back of your arms getting some definition.

Since I've been working out to reduce arm flab, working my triceps has become one of my favorite body parts to work out. I am on a nutrition and fitness program that has made it easy for me to eat well and exercise regularly.

How Rhabdo Ruined My Race - What Every Marathoner Should Know About Rhabdomyolysis

I was in the best shape of my life . . . and I almost died. 

It didn't matter that I had been an athlete my entire life, or ran an average of 3-5 times per week for the 20 years before the day I raced my third NYC Marathon. 

Nobody ever told me about the risk of rhabdomyolysis, and if you're a runner, chances are you have never heard of it either.  Rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo for short, is a condition that occurs when skeletal muscle breaks down and the muscle fiber contents travel through the bloodstream to the kidneys.  However, instead of these contents being filtered, they block the structures of the kidneys and shut them down.

Exertional rhabdomyolysis is well documented, and classic cases have been diagnosed in marathoners and military personnel that have gone through basic training and other rigorous conditioning programs.  Rhabdo doesn't discriminate either.  It can strike those that are well conditioned in addition to those that are not.

If it happens to you, there is a chance you will be misdiagnosed as having a stomach virus.  I can say this because it happened to me.  I lived for 10 days without any kidney function.  I had acute renal failure.  The mortality rate at the creatinine level I had upon entering the hospital is only 50%.  I am lucky to have survived.  It was extremely fortunate that my kidneys responded to treatment and I didn't require dialysis. 

I am not aware of any major marathon race organizer that educates its participants about rhabdo.  Now it's my job to educate runners about this potentially fatal disorder that could strike without warning at any time.  If you plan on running a marathon, or are simply planning some long training runs, I encourage you to read my blog.

Is The Beachbody Coach Business Opportunity Worth It?

The Beachbody Coach Business Opportunity

The mega successful Beachbody company, makers of P90X, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, Brazil Butt Lift and others has taken a very unique approach to their marketing strategies. In addition to having the #1 infomercial on TV in the US (P90X) they've opted not to market their products with the traditional retail approach. Instead the company offers a business opportunity for individuals to become a "coach" which in a multi-level-marketing business might usually be referred to a an Independent Business Owner (IBO) or an Independent Representative. These are all just different titles to describe the same thing - an individual who operates in a peer to peer (P2P) network of others who work together to promote either products or the business opportunity or both. A representative can then earn commissions from his or her downline.

What makes this company so unique is that they don't rely solely on any one marketing method, and as mentioned above they've refused to market their products and services through major retailers such as Walmart, Target and others. By using infomercials nationwide and allowing coaches to take full advantage of these efforts the company has managed to create a powerful presence in the in-home exercise market. The company projects continued growth as new representatives join the organization. The nationwide coach network is able to market their exercise programs, weight loss supplements and fitness equipment directly to the public.

What exactly does this mean for those who are considering becoming a Beachbody Coach? It means that unlike other MLM opportunities your efforts are supported by infomercials that just about everyone who owns a TV has seen. P90X and all of the other fitness programs are highly rated and supported by thousands of success stories from customers and coaches who have truly developed their beach body. This means that as a business owner (coach) you can avoid what is normally the most difficult part of marketing - educating people about your product line. The hard part is already done for you thanks to Beachbody's massive marketing budget and the most powerful marketing tool on the planet - word of mouth. New coaches are not required to be fitness or nutrition experts.

There is no limit to the potential income with this opportunity. Every coach receives two professional websites which are easily customized with no web design skills required in addition to full access to a back-office website which is where they can run watch training videos, reports, track sales, monitor the sales of their team and download training and marketing materials. Coaches also receive a 25% discount on products offered at the online store. Inventory, order fulfillment and tracking are all handled at a corporate level. There is a fee of $39.95 to enroll which is very low compared to many MLM businesses, none of which provide national infomercials and other advertising which is exclusive to this opportunity. The Beachbody Coach business could be a perfect fit for anyone who is interested in working from their home with unlimited income potential while helping others become more physically and financially fit.

My Review - Turbo Fire Vs Insanity

I get this question a lot. What is the difference between Insanity and Turbo fire. Insanity came out about July of 2009 and Turbo fire arrived on the scene June 2010. I have done Insanity and it is a very serious and intense program that really will push you to your limits to get you to ultimate condition. Shaun T is the trainer and does an awesome job with motivating and pushing you beyond your thresholds, But Insanity isn't for beginners at all. If you haven't worked out in years or never worked out, Insanity may not be for you. Many people see all the cardio work in Insanity and want to get it to lose weight. That's fine. The thing is Insanity is filled with very insane workouts and moves that will be very difficult for those who don't work out daily or regularly. Also if someone were to take the Insanity challenge and they were a beginner, they would have to go at their own pace because Insanity doesn't have a modifier or someone showing you how to do the moves with less impact or intensity. Insanity is also a 63 day (or about 9weeks) program based on the principles of Max Interval Training( doing exercises and drills for longer periods and having minimal rest periods) and gives you calorie burning well after you are done with the workouts. They weren't kidding when they said you will be pushed to your extremes! I completed Insanity( right after my 2 rounds of P90x 1 Lean and 1 classic Version). I felt after P90x I could take on the world and Insanity had come out during the last week of my 2nd round.

As for Turbo Fire, also Chalenen Johnson has done a fabulous job with the moves and choreography and music in Turbo Fire. You have the option of making Turbo Fire a 90 day( or 12 week) program or a 140 day( or 20 week program based on the package you purchase called advanced Classes). Also Chalene has added a Hybrid schedule with Chalean Extreme. Turbo Fire uses the principle of HIIT for their workouts. HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training which also allows you too burn calories way after your workout is over. Chalene calls it the after burn effect. To describe this well and clear...your metabolism will be raised for longer periods in turn burn more calories! Same thing occurs in Insanity. Ok here is a huge difference between Insanity and Turbo Fire...During your HIIT drills in Turbo Fire you will hear a siren the siren signals when the HIIT Drill begins. The HIIT drills last from 30 seconds-60 depending on the workout. After the HIIT drill you get the equal amount of rest time for each HIIT drill. So if you have a 30 second HIIT drill, you will get a 30 second recovery duration. In Insanity you might have a 4 minute drill and you might get a 45 second break if you are lucky. Back to the music in Turbo Fire I noticed that all the moves go with all the music in the workouts. To describe it better...you normally have to continue to look at the TV when you have to transition from move to move, not with Turbo fire! Once you have memorized the moves the music changes from move to move so you don't have to look at the TV! I think this is awesome. Plus the music used in Turbo Fire is amazing. You really don't think you are working out because the music is motivating you constantly! So is Chalene! The music in Insanity is hardcore just get it done no time for games in. Just get it done back round music. Some of the music tracks in Insanity are cool but they aren't congruent to the moves. Chalene Johnson used a great amount of time and music that will keep you jumping and kicking and really sweating. Also in Insanity you have higher reps in the moves which gives you a easier time transitioning from move to move during Shaun T's drills. In Turbo Fire HIIT drills..let's use a 60 second HIIT Drill, you might do 7 different moves within the HIIT drill about 3 times. Now that is tough trust me! Take in mind like I said the music helps you know when to switch to the next move.

I can honestly say Turbo Fire is fun and challenging at the same time. Turbo fire and Insanity are 2 Challenging workouts. Also beginners can do Turbo Fire because there is a modifier for each move! Also there is a Prep Schedule in the Turbo Fire guide in case you feel you aren't ready for the Turbo Fire Challenge. Also both Trainers, Shaun T an Chalene Johnson are awesome Trainers and motivators. They have their own styles and personalities. Always pick the workout that is best for you and your current physical condition. I had a great time doing Insanity and I am having a great time with Turbo fire.

Both in home fitness programs are for men and woman. Both will get you into better condition than when you started. Also remember it is good to mix things up in your fitness lifestyle so you stay motivated. Both are set to 6 days of working out weekly. Both programs have a nutrition and program guide to help you along the way to the new you. Both programs require minimal equipment. In Turbo fire you will use a resistance band and a lower body band( lower body band is included in base package). Insanity uses just your body weight. Both have Deluxe or extended packages with tougher workouts. Insanity has 3 additional workouts in the deluxe and Turbo Fire has 5 additional works in the deluxe. Both suggest you use the results and recovery formula from P90x for better results and recovery. Both require that you bring your game face when it is time to workout! Both require you to be and stay hydrated for better health.Both can be done in the privacy of your home if you don't like going to the gym. Or both can be used to in your normal routine at the gym to spice up your current fitness routine.Both will allow you to lose weight and get into great shape if you follow their nutrition guides or a healthy clean diet.

It all boils down to which is right for you my friends! Have a great time on your fitness journey! We only get one life so let's be happy and healthy. Continue to push play everyday.