There is a formula for creating a great fat loss workout. You can’t just expect to put any exercises you want into a workout and get great results. Use these four tips to get a serious workout in each and every time.

1. Focus on Maximizing Muscle Recruitment. Muscle recruitment refers to the quantity of muscle you use during an exercise. You absolutely have to focus on this when creating a fat loss workout plan. The reason this is so critical is because recruiting more muscle requires more energy, thus cooking extra calories. The end result is greater fat loss. The exercises you do determine the amount of muscle recruitment you achieve.

For instance, bicep curls are not a good use of your time if your goal is to lose fat and/or weight. Biceps are small in comparison to the large muscles of the body (legs, back, chest), which means they don’t burn too many calories when isolated (i.e. worked by themselves). Instead, focus on doing more pullups (assisted, modifed, or pulldowns if neccessary). That will recruit the back and the biceps together.  Here’s another example. Instead of tricep pressdowns, get in more dips (modified if you have to) and tricep bench presses. Now you are working the chest, shoulders, and triceps simultaneously. Squats and deadlifts should be done regularly to develop the lower body. Those were just a few to get you started, there are a lot more choices.

2 . Circuit Training Workouts are the name of the game. In my opinion, circuit training is the best approach to fat loss there is. Here’s a breakdown: Put together a chain of 4 – 6 exercises with 5 – 15 seconds of rest (based on your fitness level) between each exercise. You are now getting in anaerobic cardio and muscle building. This is highly effective. To really make it work you need to complete your circuit as many times as you can in 60 minutes. If you can’t maintain for that length of time, start with at least 20 minutes and gradually increase the length of each workout until you get there.

3. Use a journal or you are cheating yourself. This is really important! If you don’t keep putting greater demands on your body, your results will stagnate quickly. The human body is gifted at adapting to workouts.That means that what is at first challenging will become easy very quickly. If your workout stops being tough, your fat loss will slow to a crawl of maybe stop altogether. You should keep a journal that tracks three factors of each exercise: weight or intensity, amount of repetitions per set, and amount of sets. Every time you workout you need to increase at least one of these factors, even if only by a little bit.

4 Switch up your training applications (stability ball, free weights, calisthenics, plyometrics, etc). This is also referred to as muscle confusion. Different applications require different demands of your muscles. That’s another great way to keep your body from adapting to your routine.

If you utilize these techniques every time you strength train, your results will skyrocket. Remember, creating a great fat loss workout isn’t guesswork, it’s science. If you are really serious about going after it, you should find the Soul Food Fit Club to be extremely helpful. Catch ya later.

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IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE KRILL OIL YOU  CAN CLICK HERE. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT, CONTINUE READING.

If you didn’t already know, taking krill oil supplements may provide some major health benefits. It’s a supplement that should be a part of everyone’s daily routine.  It’s a great source of critical Omega 3s. Omega 3s with EPA and DHA may possibly reduce the chances of Alzheimers according to one study published in 2005. This essential fatty acid, supports the kidneys and heart. It may also help joint function. 

Krill oil is also a source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent cellular damage. It is believed that cellular damage increases your risk of cancer and other diseases. Antioxidants also slow the effects of aging. Krill oil supplements are absorbed easier by your body than fish oil. The phospholipids it contains are vital to brain performance. Besides all of that, it has also been to linked to possibly reducing  your chances of heart disease. One study also showed krill oil to be way more effective than fish oil at increasing good cholesterol levels( krill +43.5% vs. fish+4.2% ), while decreasing bad cholesterol levels( krill -34% vs. fish -4.6%) .  

If you’ve been wondering if krill oil supplements are right for you, stop wondering and start taking them. Prograde Nutrition offers a great product called EFA Icon. Click the link to view their krill oil supplements. I am a proud Prograde partner because they don’t compromise on quality.

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In order for your fitness routine to be a success there is one thing that is absolutely critical. If you don’t have it you might as well pack it up. What is it?????? C’mon now….. you know what time it is……. you gotta watch the vid to find out. Gimme some comments on this one too. I wanna know what you think about it.

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First of all, let me apologize for not posting in quite some time. I’ve been crazy busy working on some other projects that I think you guys will really enjoy (more coming on that in the next few weeks). Anyway, I want to talk about something that absolutely drives me crazy. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the use of the word “core.”

You can hardly look at anything fitness related without seeing, “core workout”, “core training”, “strengthen your core”, “sexy core”, yahda yahda yahda, blah blah blah. Here’s the problem; 99.9% of that stuff deals with abs only. ”Hold on Vaughn, I thought your abs are your core?” If you asked that question, let me explain. The truth is: abs are only a part of your true core.

Let’s take a second and think about what the word core means. Core is defined in the dictionary as the central, innermost, most essential part of anything. That being said, which one makes more sense…..Your abs are the most essential part of your muscle system OR Your abs are one of the most essential parts of your muscle system? Hopefully you went with the second choice.

“Okay then Vaughn, what is my core?” Here it is: quads (thighs), hamstrings, glutes (butt), lower back, and abs are your core muscle groups. Think about that and go back and read the definition of core again……..makes a lot more sense than just abs doesn’t it? These groups lay the foundation for a high performance body. If one of those muscle groups is in bad shape, it can set off a negative chain reaction that can affect the rest of your core muscles which can then affect your entire muscle system.

So don’t be fooled the next time you see a core workout that only trains abs. If you really want to build a strong core you know what muscle groups to train. You can always use the workouts here and at http://soulfoodfitclub.com – By the way, right now membership in the Soul Food Fit Club is free. But that is going to change very soon. So if you want a steal of a deal sign up now….those who get it for free get to keep it for free. There’s going to be a lot of amazing content coming in the next few weeks. Until next time………. 

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Almost every time I hit the gym, I will see someone with such bad form, it literally makes me grimace. Some exercises don’t pose a danger if form is incorrect ….they just yield lesser results. Others, however,can cause serious injury. Here are four that can put you in a world of hurt if you don’t do them properly.

Squats, Deadlifts, Bentover rows: Keep your abs tight and your back straight (in other words….NO HUNCHED SHOULDERS!) Of course if you want to blow out your back, you can continue pushing for heavier weight and poor form (not a good idea).

Leg Press: Knees should not get ahead of toes (make sure you move your feet high enough on the plate to accomplish this)

These four exercises are also some of the best for building muscle. If you don’t do so already, pay strict attention to your form the next time you do them.

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Ok, so its  Sunday, February 15th and I’m driving back to Atlanta from Myrtle Beach. The weather is almost spring-like, which reminds me that it will actually be spring in about two months.  Hence, the reason for this post.

Listen up, don’t be one of the many that waits until spring to get in shape for spring. If you want to make a drastic improvement to your physical appearance and well-being it starts now. Look at it this way: If you wanted to get in shape for a marathon, would you wait until the day of the marathon to start training? Sounds crazy doesn’t it? Yet and still, plenty of guys flood the health clubs once the weather warms up. Why? Because they start thinking about looking good without a shirt or in a tank top. The problem is that since the warm weather is already here they want to look like a superstar yesterday. Now an unrealistic expectation has been set, which usually leads to disappointment followed by quitting.

Don’t do that to yourself. Be smart and start putting in your time now. That way once April or May gets here, you’ll already be in the game. If you need some help jumpstarting your fitness program, sign up for the Soul Food Fit Club. It’s free and there’s plenty in there to help you (including a beast of a workout program).  Until next time….

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OK, so hopefully you’ve read my previous post on muscle confusion (if not you may want to check it out before you read this post). Today I’m going to get a little deeper into muscle confusion by talking about workout cycles.  Generally speaking, muscle groups interact in three ways:

• Working with each other (complementing)
• Working opposite of each other (competing)
• Little or no involvement with each other (independent)

Let’s take a closer look at each one.

COMPLEMENTING – Muscles push or pull together. Use this when you want to focus less on mass and more on muscle endurance and development. Take very little rest between sets.

• Chest, Tricep, and Shoulders
• Back and Bicep
• Glutes and Hamstrings

COMPETING – As one group contracts, the other releases or stretches. Use for a good balance of size, endurance, and development.

• Chest and Back
• Bicep and Tricep
• Abs and Lower back
• Quads and Hamstrings

Shoulders can be worked along with legs

INDEPENDENT – Good for building mass with less focus on development and endurance. Take long rest between sets.

• Chest and Bicep
• Tricep and Back
• Legs and Shoulders

In addition to the ideas I discussed in my previous post, you should also vary your workout cycle (unless you need to stay on a cycle for functional purposes). Each cycle should be maintained for 2-4 weeks, depending on your goals. There is definitely more to be discussed about this so if you have questions post them as comments and I’ll respond asap. Until next time….. 

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The short and simple answer is…………YES! YES! YES!

Muscle confusion is a technique used to stimulate maximum muscle growth and/or development. The actual idea is to constantly vary your training exercises and techniques to keep your body from adapting to your regimen to the point that your gains come slowly or stop. I have heard many fitness professionals say they believe in changing your routine every four weeks. My approach is a bit more radical than that. I believe that your routine should vary each time you work a muscle, with the exception of what I call foundation exercises.

Foundation exercises are those that work a muscle so efficiently that they should be performed every time you train it. Here are my foundation exercises:

1) Chest – bench press or d.bell chest press or pushups

2) Back – pullups and seated cable rows

3) Biceps – barbell curl

4) Triceps – dips

5) Shoulders – d.bell shoulder press

6) Legs – squats 

7) Abs – rollouts

I include these exercises every time I work the corresponding muscle group. By tracking my routines in a journal (read the “best techniques to build muscle” blog for more on this), I can make sure I’m increasing intensity every time.

The rest of your routine should vary each week in some way. This doesn’t mean every exercise has to be completely different. Even a small change such as a different grip or sequence can be enough to give the muscles a new challenge. Make no mistake though, varying the exercises in your routine is one of the best ways to push your muscle fibers to the limit. Check out my online fitness videos, if you need some new exercises. You will probably pick up at least one new thing. Until next time…… 

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Hi….. thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Vaughn Council and I am a personal trainer with over 14 years of experience. I started this blog with one simple idea in mind…..provide you with fitness and health tips that work. Here are the types of things I will be writing about:

• How to lose weight
• How to lose fat
• Building lean muscle
• How to increase your metabolism
• Best exercises to burn fat
• Best foods to eat
• How to stay motivated

I’ll be blogging about this and more. Open discussion is highly encouraged. Don’t hesitate to be honest and straightforward, as I will definitely be. Until next time…….

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