The word is out
Tom is coming out with a new book. Looks promising.
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2008/10/announcing_tom_venutos_new_har.php
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2008/10/announcing_tom_venutos_new_har.php
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Mom was right!
Eat your veggies, slow down!
Oh the wisdom in those words!
Studies (there is always a study), have confirmed the health benefits of veggies in all their glorious colors; to get the best of them and anything else you eat, eat slowly (another study). Not only will you enjoy your food more but as a natural consequence get full faster making you eat less without really trying. Neat trick!
Now for the real deal, work on years of eating fast. I've got the vegetable part down having veggies in most meals during the day. I have to slow down though, that is still my 'challange'.
Oh the wisdom in those words!
Studies (there is always a study), have confirmed the health benefits of veggies in all their glorious colors; to get the best of them and anything else you eat, eat slowly (another study). Not only will you enjoy your food more but as a natural consequence get full faster making you eat less without really trying. Neat trick!
Now for the real deal, work on years of eating fast. I've got the vegetable part down having veggies in most meals during the day. I have to slow down though, that is still my 'challange'.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Sandbagging
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) -
sand·bag [sand and-bag] noun, verb, -bagged, -bag·ging.
–noun
1. a bag filled with sand, used in fortification, as ballast, etc.
2. such a bag used as a weapon.
–verb (used with object)
3. to furnish with sandbags.
4. to hit or stun with a sandbag.
5. Informal.
a. to set upon violently; attack from or as if from ambush.
b. to coerce or intimidate, as by threats: The election committee was sandbagged into nominating the officers for a second term.
c. to thwart or cause to fail or be rejected, esp. surreptitiously or without warning: He sandbagged our proposal by snide remarks to the boss.
6. Poker. to deceive (one or more opponents) into remaining in the pot by refraining from betting on a strong hand, then raising the bet in a later round.
–verb (used without object)
7. Poker. to sandbag one or more opponents.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Above are all the possible definitions of sandbag from Dictionary.com. I would like to use the term to refer to a specific workout method. It will help in the battle of the bulge and build muscle.
It has been stated and documented all over the web that our bodies adapt fairly quickly to our fat loss efforts and exercise routines.
So we'll sandbag our body into submission.
Sandbag workouts can be fun, another side benefit of using such an item. The unstable nature of sandbags allows us to recruit different muscles and fire up our nervous system which will trigger a 'what is this you're doing' response. This is good and different.
Due to having to use our entire body to pick up, lift, throw, squat, row and anything else we can come up with, workouts will have a life of their own.
A couple of other benefits involve the use of very small area to perform the workouts. Making your own bag is inexpensive. Three bags of 25lbs each cost me $10. My wife has actually bought them at a bargain price of $1.48 each.
Yes there is the beach and parks but I'm not sure that's legal. The zip lock bags cost around $2.00 for 15 of them. My gym bag is an old one, can't remember what I paid for it.
Of course one could go to the beach and build your sandbag there, workout and leave the sand back where it came from. I'm going to do the very inconvenient thing of taking my preloaded bag to the gym. I'll have to drag it, put in my shoulder and go at it. That's my warm up!
My sandbag (the fat loss stunt gun) then, consists of zip lock bags, an old gym bag with handles on the sides, useful for doing rows and throwing it over your shoulder. A couple of trash bags to further isolate the zip lock bags and some painters tape. One could use a duffle bag as well. There are many sold online. I suppose after I rip my current gym bag after heavy use, I'll need one of those fancy ones. For now, this is more than enough.
One important note: It is imperative that you have your sand in smaller sealed bags to prevent having sand all over the place. That almost happened to me on the first try. Besides it allows for adding or taking some weight off the bag. You'll also keep your mate happy. Nothing like having sand in the kitchen.
It's amazing how using it raises your heart rate. The movements are explosive and fun. That's key. You're actually playing and working up a sweat.
Fat one! Be gone! :-)
P.S. Using them is no excuse to pig out after the workout. That will certainly sandbag your efforts to lower body fat.
sand·bag [sand and-bag] noun, verb, -bagged, -bag·ging.
–noun
1. a bag filled with sand, used in fortification, as ballast, etc.
2. such a bag used as a weapon.
–verb (used with object)
3. to furnish with sandbags.
4. to hit or stun with a sandbag.
5. Informal.
a. to set upon violently; attack from or as if from ambush.
b. to coerce or intimidate, as by threats: The election committee was sandbagged into nominating the officers for a second term.
c. to thwart or cause to fail or be rejected, esp. surreptitiously or without warning: He sandbagged our proposal by snide remarks to the boss.
6. Poker. to deceive (one or more opponents) into remaining in the pot by refraining from betting on a strong hand, then raising the bet in a later round.
–verb (used without object)
7. Poker. to sandbag one or more opponents.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Above are all the possible definitions of sandbag from Dictionary.com. I would like to use the term to refer to a specific workout method. It will help in the battle of the bulge and build muscle.
It has been stated and documented all over the web that our bodies adapt fairly quickly to our fat loss efforts and exercise routines.
So we'll sandbag our body into submission.
Sandbag workouts can be fun, another side benefit of using such an item. The unstable nature of sandbags allows us to recruit different muscles and fire up our nervous system which will trigger a 'what is this you're doing' response. This is good and different.
Due to having to use our entire body to pick up, lift, throw, squat, row and anything else we can come up with, workouts will have a life of their own.
A couple of other benefits involve the use of very small area to perform the workouts. Making your own bag is inexpensive. Three bags of 25lbs each cost me $10. My wife has actually bought them at a bargain price of $1.48 each.
Yes there is the beach and parks but I'm not sure that's legal. The zip lock bags cost around $2.00 for 15 of them. My gym bag is an old one, can't remember what I paid for it.
Of course one could go to the beach and build your sandbag there, workout and leave the sand back where it came from. I'm going to do the very inconvenient thing of taking my preloaded bag to the gym. I'll have to drag it, put in my shoulder and go at it. That's my warm up!
My sandbag (the fat loss stunt gun) then, consists of zip lock bags, an old gym bag with handles on the sides, useful for doing rows and throwing it over your shoulder. A couple of trash bags to further isolate the zip lock bags and some painters tape. One could use a duffle bag as well. There are many sold online. I suppose after I rip my current gym bag after heavy use, I'll need one of those fancy ones. For now, this is more than enough.
One important note: It is imperative that you have your sand in smaller sealed bags to prevent having sand all over the place. That almost happened to me on the first try. Besides it allows for adding or taking some weight off the bag. You'll also keep your mate happy. Nothing like having sand in the kitchen.
It's amazing how using it raises your heart rate. The movements are explosive and fun. That's key. You're actually playing and working up a sweat.
Fat one! Be gone! :-)
P.S. Using them is no excuse to pig out after the workout. That will certainly sandbag your efforts to lower body fat.
A fun workout
Being that I'm taking a small vacation
off the barbell I been thinking of new things to do. I went and bought
three bags of sand. I'm not exactly sure how much they weigh but I
could only handle two of them. Three is my goal now.
This is what I did. Put each bag of sand into five zip lock bags and then used a gym bag to hold them together.
The fun workout for today then:
100 full squats, alternating the "sand bag" on my left and right shoulder and doing at least twenty front squats with the bag.
I also did over 70 bent rows in this order:
1x20
1x15
1x12
1x11
1x10
1x10
The last one was the most fun. My wife came over to see what I was
doing, so I lunged at her, grabbed her by the waist and put her on my
shoulder.
I did two full squats with her screaming and laughing all the way. I
wanted to do at least five but I started laughing and I almost dropped
her. I would be sleeping with my dogs tonight, came very close! It was
fun though!
Calories spent? Who knows!
Fun factor: 10+
P.S. The zip lock bags did not work too well. One of them burst and I
have sand all over the inside of the gym bag. I have to put less sand
in the bags and use a tie to hold them tight. Lesson learned.
Next workout. Put the bag at the end of the yard, pick it up walk with
it put it down at the other end, pick it up and do it again. It's going
to be a crazy week.
I found that using painters tape to seal the bags works well!
off the barbell I been thinking of new things to do. I went and bought
three bags of sand. I'm not exactly sure how much they weigh but I
could only handle two of them. Three is my goal now.
This is what I did. Put each bag of sand into five zip lock bags and then used a gym bag to hold them together.
The fun workout for today then:
100 full squats, alternating the "sand bag" on my left and right shoulder and doing at least twenty front squats with the bag.
I also did over 70 bent rows in this order:
1x20
1x15
1x12
1x11
1x10
1x10
The last one was the most fun. My wife came over to see what I was
doing, so I lunged at her, grabbed her by the waist and put her on my
shoulder.
I did two full squats with her screaming and laughing all the way. I
wanted to do at least five but I started laughing and I almost dropped
her. I would be sleeping with my dogs tonight, came very close! It was
fun though!
Calories spent? Who knows!
Fun factor: 10+
P.S. The zip lock bags did not work too well. One of them burst and I
have sand all over the inside of the gym bag. I have to put less sand
in the bags and use a tie to hold them tight. Lesson learned.
Next workout. Put the bag at the end of the yard, pick it up walk with
it put it down at the other end, pick it up and do it again. It's going
to be a crazy week.
I found that using painters tape to seal the bags works well!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
New Things Learned
I skipped my workout during lunch today to listen to a webinar on dieting. It seems like there is something new to learn or to actually solidify your understanding of certain issues.
What I realized is that while my eating is really good, I'm eating too much! Well...Ok, I had come to that realization a long time ago, but in addition I'm able to pinpoint when I'm doing this.
I eat seven times a day. I usually have a snack before going home so I'm not starving when I get there. Dinner (which is usually some wonderful dish prepared by my wife) is served and I'm not measuring. I'll just have half as much and eat slowly. My wife is always pointing how fast I eat so there it is; one of those "I told you so" moments.
Today I will consciously eat a slower rate, talk some more, allow my brain to recognize this feeding opportunity and enjoy every bite.
Begone, fat one!
What I realized is that while my eating is really good, I'm eating too much! Well...Ok, I had come to that realization a long time ago, but in addition I'm able to pinpoint when I'm doing this.
I eat seven times a day. I usually have a snack before going home so I'm not starving when I get there. Dinner (which is usually some wonderful dish prepared by my wife) is served and I'm not measuring. I'll just have half as much and eat slowly. My wife is always pointing how fast I eat so there it is; one of those "I told you so" moments.
Today I will consciously eat a slower rate, talk some more, allow my brain to recognize this feeding opportunity and enjoy every bite.
Begone, fat one!
Monday, October 06, 2008
Dog Tricks
Some weeks ago I started a fat loss program. If there is one thing I've learned is that you can work out all you want, but if your food intake is not where it should be, progress will be slow if any. In the last few weeks I've worked hard and definitely improved my strength. I've actually gained some weight but not necessarily a bad outcome. Arm, neck, and thigh circumference has increased. I did increase just a little bit waist wise but not that you can tell the difference. All my clothing fits.
What I'm doing is tweaking my food intake and start tracking again. The old adage "too much of good thing" holds true. While I've been eating healthy ( @90%), it has been too much. More calories than I need. So back to fitday I go. One of the things I've incorporated in my training is a full body exercise as show below. What the heck, I'm also teaching my pooch how to do it as well.
The battle of the bulge goes on!
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