SUPERcharge your workouts!

Below you will find six muscle boosting nutrients that will prevent you from running on empty and get you better results in the gym.  Fact is, the closer you get to your workout, the fewer calories you should consume, and what you take in can make or break your workout!      

Arginine– Arginine boosts nitric-oxide production, and nitric-oxide increases blood flow to muscles.  Taking it before workouts maximizes blood flow to muscles during exercise which ultimately increases the delivery of oxygen.  5 grams 30 to 60 minutes before your workouts will do the trick.

Whey Protein– Muscles use amino acids—The building blocks of protein to mend tissue damaged during tough training sessions.  Whey isolate is a fast absorbing source of amino’s, and your muscles quickly absord it.  20 grams mixed with water 30 minutes before your workout.

Creatine– Creatine loads muscles with glycogen, providing them with a quick source of energy to help you train harder for longer. 

Tyrosine– Tyrosine functions as a stimulant.  Taking it before you hit the weights boosts energy levels, elevates mood, enhances muscle strength and reduces fatigue.

Glutamine– When you’re training hard, muscle glutamine levels drop dramatically.  Supplementing with glutamine beforehand not only stimulates immune function, but it also has been shown to reduce inflammation and protect muscles from the damage caused by a tough workout.

Shoulder “Shock” Routine

Try this shoulder routine that will have your shoulders in complete SHOCK!!!!  Goodluck!

 10 reps of the following exercises (Pick a DB and the weight you choose is what you will use the whole circuit  without taking a break or putting the DB’s on the ground, going from exercise to exercise).

10 exercises 10 reps

-DB front raise

-DB side raise

-Arnold presses

-DB shrugs

-DB shoulder press

-DB forward shrug circles

-DB backward shrug circles

-DB upright row

-DB single arm punches

– DB forward circles

After you finish the 10 exercise 10 rep routine, immediately grab a band and perform the following:

-20 band front raises

-20 band side raises

-20 band shoulder presses

I personally use 35 pound DB’s for this routine so pick a weight that you feel comfortable enough using that will also challenge you. Remember, you will be going from exercise to exercise without stopping so plan accordingly!  If you put forth your best effort with maximum intensity, every muscle fiber in your shoulders will  be completely SHOCKED!  Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

Your body! Your Temple! Take Care of it!

“Take care of your body.  It’s the only place you have to live”. -Jim Rohn

Our Physical body is the vehicle through which we experience life.  Our bodies are both very fragile and extremely resilient.  If you don’t have food to eat, you will die.  If you don’t have water to drink, you will die.  You may not die today or tomorrow, but you will before too long, and as a direct result of not eating and drinking.  Eating and drinking are primary and urgent needs.  Beyond our primary physical needs, we also have a number of secondary physical needs.  Our primary needs are those we need simply to survive.  Our secondary needs are those we need to THRIVE.  If you want to thrive physically, you have to bring these secondary needs into focus in your daily lives.  Nothing tunes the body like regular exercise and a balanced diet.  When we work out and fuel our bodies with the right types of food, we have more energy, and we are stronger, healthier, and happier.  Too often in this generation, food is seen as a source of comfort or entertainment, instead of a source of energy!  Let me ask you something.  If you owned a million dollar racehorse, would you let it eat at McDonald’s?  Of course you wouldnt.  I guess the question becomes, how much do you value your own body?  Most people wait until they get cancer or have a heart attack before they remember they even have bodies! 

Last year more than $30 billion was spent on diet products.  I am amazed at how much people talk about diets.  How this one works and that one doesn’t.  For one second, let’s have a little bit of truth.  Most of us do not need any other diet than a little bit of discipline!  The average person knows the things that are good for him or her, and the things that are NOT.  All you need is the discipline to choose the foods that fuel our bodies and give us energy, strength, health, and happiness.  I don’t believe in diets.  Never have nor never will.  People will get on diets for only a certain period of time and then go right back to their old habits after awhile.  Is that beneficial to you and your overall health 30 years from now?  Chances are absolutely not.  Most don’t want discipline.  No, we want someone to stand in front of us on television and tell us that we can eat whatever we want, whenever we want, and as much as we want.  As long as we take this little pill….or do this special workout for twenty minutes twice a week.  Our bodies are glorious creations and should be honored and respected.  You only get to live in one body during this lifetime, might as well try your best to treat it like the masterpiece it really is!  Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and regular sleep are three of the easiest ways to increase our passion, energy, and enthusiasm for LIFE!  Physical well-being is the foundation upon which we build our lives!  Don’t waste anymore valuable time and put off your body which is your own masterpiece any longer!  Create the lifestyle you want and the passion, energy, and success will be sure to follow!

Face What Isn’t Working

“Our lives improve only when we take chances.  And the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves”. -Walter Anderson

If you are going to become more successful, you have to get out of denial and face what isn’t working in your life.  Do you defend or ignore how hostile and toxic your work environment is?  Do you make excuses for your bad relationship?  Are you in denial about your lack of energy, your excess weight, your poor health, or your level of physical fitness?  Successful people face these circumstances head on, heed the warning signs, and take appropriate action, no matter how uncomfortable or challenging it might be!

To face what’s not working in your life usually means you’re going to have to do something uncomfortable.  It means you might have to exercise more self-discipline, confront somebody, risk not being liked and demanding respect!  So make today the day you step out of that comfort zone and realize what’s not working in your life and put an immediate end to it!  Make today the day you make it that much closer to become the best version of yourself!

Arm workout

Since I had so many response’s about the first arm workout I posted awhile back and people asking for more, I thought this is the right time to give you all another  great arm workout, especially with the nice weather coming around!  Remember, give your all, fight for those extra reps, and make sure your intensity is second to none and you will start seeing the results you have always wanted! 

“The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow.  This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.  That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happen” -Arnold

4 sets of the following exercises (Biceps)

-Standing EZ-bar curl (10-12 reps)

-Dumbbell Alternating Biceps Curl (20)

-EZ-bar curl hold (hold the curl position for 45 sec at 90 degrees)

3 sets of the following exercises (Triceps)

-Narrow Grip push up (20)

-Rope pushdown (20)

-Close grip bench press (till failure)

What are your fitness goals?

Just like it’s extremely important to take the time and set goals for your personal and business life, it doesn’t change when talking about your overall health and fitness goals.  If you just walk into the gym everyday without a clear-cut vision or purpose, it’s very safe to say that you will never see the results you had hoped for.  Whether you’re a athlete, marathon runner or just trying to look good in a bathing suite it’s very important to take the time and write out some goals for yourself.  How much weight do you want to lose?  How fast do you want to run the 40 yard dash in?  You will complete the marathon in how long?  Let’s not only stop there, to take it a step further start visualizing the body or goals you desire.  Once you start to envision and lock these mental pictures in your head you are creating all kinds of positive energy which will make you want to achieve your goals even more!  Cut out some pictures that trigger your overall goal and put them together so you can look at these everyday for an extra boost if your feeling down or not excited to go to the gym.  Another tip that could help you tremendously is to keep a journal of your progress on a daily basis.  What this is doing is letting yourself know your either taking steps forward or backwards.  It could be an excellent tool to your fitness goals if used on a daily basis. 

Let me know what some of your goals are and incorporate some of these basic tips into your regimen and watch your fitness goals start to become a reality!  WISH IT-DREAM IT-DO IT!

Boost your workouts with this SUPERFOOD!

Whether you’re slogging along at the gym, looking for a little pick me up, or just need more energy at work, you might consider turning to green foods.  I already talked about the wonderful benefits of a daily green smoothie.  If you want to improve all of the above and take your workouts to the next level, you might want to consider taking Spirulina!  I consume a tsp of this excellent supplement and put it in my green smoothie for one powerful drink!

What is Spirulina?  This blue-green algae has long been buzzed about for its ability to improve exercise performance.  A 2010 study in Medicine and Science in sports and exercise found that men who took 6g of spirulina a day for four weeks were able to run longer before fatiguing than those on a placebo.  They also burned more fat during exercise and experienced less muscle damage as well as inflammation.  Spirulina’s impressive nutritional profile offers some insight into these results.  It is high in energizing B vitamins and iron and antioxidants vitamin C and E, which can help counteract the free radical damage that occurs during exercise.  On top of all that, because of spirulina’s high protein content and amino acid profile, it makes an excellent post workout supplement to jump start muscle recovery.

Take Action! NOW!

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”  -Abraham Lincoln

The world doesn’t pay you for what you know, it pays you for what you DO!  It’s surprising how many people get bogged down in analyzing, planning, and organizing when what they really need to do is take action.  When you take action, you trigger all kinds of things that will inevitably carry you to success.  A perfect example of this which correlates to my life would be my junior year of high school.  I still remember till this day when I told people I was going to get a scholarship and play football in the Big Ten or SEC.  People doubted me and asked how I was going to do it.  Instead of second guessing myself, I shut up and went to work every single day until my goal became a reality.  A couple months later I ended up having 18 scholarship offers all from major division 1 programs.  The moral of the story is not to talk about myself but to give you a prime example of how taking action is so vital to someones success!  People will doubt you but the best thing you can do for yourself is to take immediate action towards your goals! When you take action, you let those around you know that you are serious in your intention.  People wake up and start paying attention.  Things that once seemed confusing now seem to become more clear. 

To be successful, you have to do what successful people do, and successful people are highly action-oriented!  Now go out on this Monday and MOVE!  GET GOING! taking steps day by day to make your dreams become your reality!

Lower Body Workout

5 Sets of the following exercises

– 10 Single leg ( leg press) 

– 8 front squats

3 sets of the following exercises

– DB walking lunges (15 steps down and back)

– 20 stability ball leg curls

– 50 calf raises from floor single leg

3 sets of the following exercises

– 1 min wall sit

– 45 sec lunge hold bottom position (each leg)