|
|
||
|
8/15/2006  |
||
|
|
||
|
Things that changed
my life Below
is a list of various things that have
changed my life for the better (not counting the birth of my children,
meeting my wife, blah blah blah). Not
all are fitness related, but each has impacted my life in a positive
way, and maybe yours too. So here
they are in no particular order. ATM Cards: These things are freakin' great. ATM Cards make paying for anything a snap and you don’t even have to show ID, just know your PIN. Who goes in the gas station to pay anymore – just use the ATM at the pump. There’s nothing worse than being at the grocery store and having the person at the front use 300 coupons and then they whip out their check book. Then the checker has to verify ID and write down the drivers license number and yadda yadda. Don’t’ be a jerk – just use your ATM card, the little plastic miracle.
Weight Training: Duh – you knew this one right? Tivo: Commercial? What’s that? I only have so much free time,
and I have no time for commercials (sorry Jeff). Tivo lets me watch a 60 minute show in 42
minutes (give or take) and skip the commercials. Plus I can watch them whenever I want. I have been a Tivo user for years, and I
now even have one in the garage for when I do my interval training. For me there is no TV without Tivo. To sum up:
I love Tivo. HDTV / Plasma TV: In case you didn’t know, I have two amazing
kids. Prior to having children my wife
and I would go to the movies almost weekly- those days are over. When you
have kids you have to make sacrifices, and that is fine, I knew that going
in. Being the tech geek I am, I hooked up a 7.1 surround sound system with a
plasma HDTV. It sounds great and looks
freakin' amazing. I did not spend a
fortune either, Costco has great HDTV’s and home theater systems for not too
much. So instead of going to the
movies every week they now come to me. Fish Oil: For years I have advocated using flax oil
as a source for EFAs. The more research
I read tells me as good as flax oil is, fish oils are even better. This stuff is truly amazing. The benefits of fish oil supplementation
include: aids in fat loss, decreases
inflammation, normalizes blood triglycerides and cholesterol, lowers blood
pressure and can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death by as much as 50%
and an increased consumption of fish oils helps reduce the risk of developing
prostate cancer. That’s just the short
list. I have been somewhat reluctant
to recommend fish oil capsules due to horrific fish burps that can occur, but
Costco has highly concentrated enteric coated fish oil capsules that do not give fish burps. Everyone should take it - Great stuff. Deadlift: The Deadlift is
the king off all movements and is a third on the Holy Trinity: Deadlift,
Squat and Bench Press. It is a hip
dominant lower body movement that actually uses most of body if performed
correctly. It is easier to list which
body parts it doesn’t affect then those that it does. On top of that it is a metabolic
ass-kicker. Because of the fact that
it utilizes so much muscle mass your metabolism is fired up with every
rep. The deadlift and its variants are
staples in both mine and my clients' training programs. Broccoli: I used to tolerate broccoli, but of late I
have been consuming it every day. It
is probably the best single vegetable around (nutritionally speaking).
Because of its impressive nutritional profile that includes beta carotene,
vitamin C, calcium, fiber, and phytochemicals, specifically indoles and
aromatic isothiocynates, broccoli may be responsible for boosting certain
enzymes that help to detoxify the body. These enzymes help to prevent cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure. Plus that it has anti-estrogen properties.
My favorite means of reparation is simple:
Spread florets on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with olive oil Pam,
then dust lightly with garlic powder, salt, pepper and anything else you can
think of (like Mrs. Dash). Then stick
it in the oven on high until the edges are brown or slightly black. Allow to cool and then seal in a large
zip lock bag in the refrigerator. I use them in my eggs in the morning and
add them to my salads as well. Carb Modification: As most of you know I am an advocate for a lower carb lifestyle (not no-carb). The fat loss aspects of these type of eating should be reason enough to switch but every day more and more research points to the overwhelming health benefits of carb modification. The blood panel work from those on reduced carb is nothing less than astounding. Will it work for everyone? – of course not. But I have personally seen some amazing transformations that accompany this nutritional plan. And it’s not like the old days of just meat and cheese. Chefs like George Stella and others have created truly outstanding meals from fresh foods that are not only low carb but absolutely delicious and exceptionally healthy. If you tried this type of eating and it did not work for you, chances are you did not give it a chance.
Interval
Training: The newest research is
telling us something that progressive trainers have known for some time:
interval training is superior to steady state cardio when it comes to fat
loss. Steady state cardio has its
place, but for fat loss interval training is king. Literally twice the fat loss in half the
time. Plus steady state cardio is
boring as hell.
Joshua Carter
Circuit Noise
Fat loss is my bread and butter. Perhaps a poor choice of metaphor but you know what I mean. In my experience the fastest way to shed body fat is through circuit type training. In the coming months I will be introducing Short Circuit Training - a training protocol that involves short circuits of weight training to achieve insane fat loss. With that in mind I present the following program:
The
free workout I have this time out is a program I designed for my wife who
after the birth of our second needed to lose some bodyfat. We have a small gym set up in our garage
with dumbbells, a swiss ball and a variable angle bench. So the program is
designed with those limitations in mind. The program has worked even better
than I expected and she looks great. Perform
the 2 ab exercises first, then the other exercises in circuit fashion one
after the other. Then repeat the circuit.
Only give yourself 30-60 rest between movements. Shoot for 3 complete circuits. If you can do all 3 circuits, then cut your
rest time next time through. Download Here STRETCHING: Is it worth your time? Have you
ever started a workout with the intent of stretching—but you never seem to
actually get around to it? This brings up an interesting topic, and a certain
question that I am asked often. Should
you really stretch? The single
most overlooked component to any fitness program may very well be
flexibility. Let’s face it, there’s nothing glamorous about stretching and
frankly it’s pretty boring too. But did
you know that your sore back, stiff neck, and tight joints may be a result of
tight or unbalanced muscles in those regions? Stretching
does more than just increase flexibility – it actually helps reduce tension. Stretching helps prevent injury,
alleviates tight joins, and helps you gain more from your day-to-day exercise
program. For
example, did you know that your sore muscles and tendons can actually heal
quicker if you incorporate stretching into your fitness routine? And some
studies suggest that you may be able to recruit more muscle fibers during
your workouts through stretching as well. But
you should know that all stretching exercises are not created equally. Basically there
are two categories for stretching: ballistic and static. Ballistic
stretching is just that – ballistic (ouch). Think back to the early days of
black and white television where the fitness gurus of that era would
demonstrate flexibility exercises in a bouncing, jerky kind of way. While
ballistic stretching is still used in some circles today, the average person
can do without it as it does increase the likelihood of an injury. Static
stretching is the safest way to increase the flexibility of a joint. In a nutshell,
static stretching is where you hold yourself in a “stretched” position for a
30 second count or so and then relax before repeating the same stretch over
again. Best of
all the results from a proper and balanced stretching program come quickly.
Typically you could see greater range of motion in a joint that very day, and
after only a few days of stretching many people begin to feel the
pain-reversing benefits in their back, neck, and joints. Can
stretching really help you? Set Reasonable Goals So
you have 30 pounds that you want to lose? Don’t intimidate yourself with a
goal of that enormity. Rather, find smaller, time sensitive goals to guide
you to your ultimate, large goal. So instead of focusing on the 30 pounds,
focus on the 1 pound that you want to lose this week! Guiltless Veggie Patch Pizza
Who says
you can’t enjoy a slice of pizza without being plagued with guilt? This
delicious vegetarian pizza combines zucchini, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes
for a surprisingly enjoyable taste. Garlic and basil blend into a tantalizing
flavor that will leave you wondering how you could ever go back to greasy
store-bought pizza! Yields 4 servings Ingredients:
Instructions:
|
Joshua
Carter Body
Transformation Expert 818-766-8888 Successes
The Tripps
Norm
Scot
|
|
|
Essential Links |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
About the Author:
Email: joshua@carterfitness.com |
||
|
|
||
This email was sent by
joshua@carterfitness.com
To Unsubscribe click here
Joshua Carter
5126 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood California 91601