Relieve Muscle Soreness

Muslce Soreness After A Workout? Try some of these!

1. Static Stretching.

Focus on slow and gradual stretching. Stretch each muscle just to where you begin to feel the stretch then hold that position until you feel the muscle let go. Do not bounce or force the muscle unless you want to create more harm than good.

2. Light Exercise.

Muscles that are not used will become stiff and take longer to become pain free. Gentle, non-stressful exercise will increase the circulation and relax your muscles.

3. Massage.

Good old fashioned massage acts much like light exercise or gentle stretching by increasing your circulation and coaxing the muscles to relax. The differences are that with massage you need do nothing other than simply enjoy, and the massage therapist can locate and work with those areas of your musculature most in need of attention.

4. Cold.

Cold water or ice breaks the pain/ischemia/spasm cycle by increasing the circulation and interfering with pain signals. Ice is also an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and will greatly speed healing. I run my muscles under cold water for 3-10 minutes after a workout.

5. Alternating Hot and Cold.

Since the thought of hot often seems more soothing it is included here, but in combination with cold. Hot water will relax muscles and increase circulation but will also increase inflammation and swelling within muscle fibers. Therefore it is important to alternate with cold and end with cold. This can take the form of a sauna and swim, a whirlpool and cold plunge, a hot and cold shower or a hot bath and ice. After 3-10 minutes of cold, run the hot shower on your legs for 1 minute. And than repeat a few times.

6. Movement In The Pool.

Water supports your muscles and makes them easier to use. If you are extremely sore it will be easier for you to use your muscles in the pool either walking, stretching, or gently swimming.

No more soreness? Get continue to get our butts working!

Empowering Quotes

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."- William Jennings Bryan

"Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference."- Nolan Bushnell

"Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent."- Marilyn vos Savant

"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."- Louis E. Boone

Chilli - A Common food that boosts your metabolism‏

An Article by Mike Geary, TruthAboutAbs.com

**How Your Spice Cabinet Can Boost Your Metabolism**

I've written before about the power of certain herbs and spices in terms of antioxidant capacity and other health benefits. If you remember, I wrote a couple months ago about the super-food status of cinnamon and how powerful a health food (or rather spice) that it can be.

The next super-spice -- Chili!

I was just reading about a recent Australian study that documented how you can burn more calories, increase your metabolism slightly, and help control your blood sugar and insulin levels by including chili peppers and chili spice (or cayenne) in your foods.

Keep in mind, this may be a minor "detail", but when you add up a lot of these types of "details", you can make significant changes to your body over time. As you've probably heard in the past, the active ingredient in chili pepper (capsaicin) can cause slight increases in your metabolic rate and calorie burning from a meal.

This has been reported many times in both animal and human studies. However, in this Australian study, Madeleine J. Ball, MD, one of the researchers from the study, sought to find out how chili pepper affected blood sugar and insulin response after a meal. As you know, chronically high insulin levels in your body can not only cause deposition of excess body fat, but also can lead to diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

The study was split into groups of subjects that ate meals without chili spice, and other groups of subjects that ate meals with chili pepper. As it turned out, the chili pepper eating groups had lower insulin levels and more stable blood sugar after the meals than the groups that ate the same food without chile.

According to Dr. Ball, "the chili is probably having some effect on the ability of the body to clear -- or remove -- insulin from the bloodstream". Aside from the temporary calorie burning boost and insulin controlling response, apparently chili pepper also has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties...

So if you can handle a bit of spicyness, go ahead and enjoy adding some extra cayenne or chili pepper to your pot of meat & bean chili, your morning eggs, meat dishes, and other meals, knowing it's possibly giving you a slight edge in the fat burning department. One of my favorite meals that I've been eating a lot of lately is my home-made chili. I make big batches of it, and that leaves leftovers for quick and healthy meals whenever you need them.

The Knee-In Exercise

The Knee-In Exercise
Area Targeted = Lower Abs

The knee in exercise develops, strengthens, and defines the lower abdominal area. It also includes the upper abdominal area and the external obliques as well.
How to position yourself for knee ins
Lie flat on your back, with your legs extended straight out. Place your hands beneath your buttocks so your sitting bones are resting on top of your thumbs.
Keeping your feet together, lift your legs and feet three to six inches off the ground.

How to perform knee ins

Take a deep breath in and focus your attention on your lower abdominal muscles.
Breathe out and flex your lower abdominal muscles while pulling your knees in toward your chest. You'll want to try to bring your knees in to a ninety degree angle if possible.
Once you've reached your peak, squeeze out all the air from your lungs by flexing your lower abdominal muscles as hard as you can for one to two seconds.
Keeping the tension on your lower abdominal muscles, take a deep breath in and begin to extend your legs out toward the floor until they are three to six inches from the ground again.
Keeping your feet from touching the floor, take another deep breath in and repeat the movement until you have completed your set.

What your knee ins should look like

Things to remember when doing knee ins

Don't allow yourself to rock back and forth. Rocking reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and could lead to injury. Take your time with this exercise and keep your body steady and controlled.
Picture any fat you may have melting away from your lower abdominal area and hard, well-defined muscles replacing any fat that was once there.
Don't let your feet touch the ground and try to keep your knees and feet together.
Keep your mind focused on developing your lower abdominal muscles, and visualize your lower abs looking exactly the way you want them to eventually look throughout the entire exercise.
Remember to breath naturally with each repetition.
If you would like a little bit more of a challenge you can bring your knees in closer to your chest if you'd like, but try not to lift your lower back off the ground.

The Leg Raise Exercise

The Leg Raise Exercise
Area Targeted = Lower Abs

The leg raise exercise develops, strengthens, and defines the lower abdominal area. It also contributes to strengthening the upper abdominal area as well.
If you cannot do leg raises, replace with an alternative, ie. the knee-in exercise.
How to position yourself for leg raises
Lie flat on your back and let your upper body relax before doing your leg raises.
Place your hands beneath your buttocks, lining up each of your thumbs under your sitting bones to help support your back.
Lift your feet about three to six inches off the ground while keeping them together.

How to perform leg raises

Taking a deep breath in, focus your mind on your lower abdominal area. With your focus set, contract your lower abs and breathe out as you begin to lift your legs further from the floor.
Keeping your abs tight, continue to raise your legs until they are pointing straight up into the air -- perpendicular to the floor -- making use of every last ounce of air all the way up.
Once you've reached your peak and your legs are perpendicular to the floor, give your lower abdominal area an extra squeeze for one second.
Breathe in and begin to lower your legs back towards the floor without letting them touch the ground while keeping your lower abs contracted all the way back down.
Once your feet are approximately three to six inches off the floor, repeat the exercise and finish your set.

What your leg raises should look like

Things to remember when doing leg raises

Make sure you are supporting your back with your hands and are on a comfortable surface to help prevent injury. Remember to keep your upper body relaxed throughout the entire exercise.
Bring your legs as high up as you can, and give your abs a good squeeze once you've reached your peak. Remember to keep your feet together and off the ground until you've completed the entire set.
Try not to make your movements too fast or jerky. A slower pace will do better for this exercise.

The Abdominal Crunch Exercise

The Abdominal Crunch Exercise
Area Targeted = Upper Abs

The crunch develops, strengthens, and defines the upper abdominal area. The lower abdominal area is only slightly affected by this movement.

How to position yourself for an abdominal crunch

Lie flat on your back and bend your knees so your feet are close to your buttocks.
Your knees should be pointing towards the ceiling and your feet should be flat on the floor with your feet together.
Place your hands behind your head or beside your ears to support and guide your head and neck during the exercise.

How to perform the abdominal crunch

Begin by taking a deep breath in and focusing on your upper abdominal area.
On your exhale, flex your upper abdominal muscles as hard as possible and slowly raise your shoulders off of the floor in a curling movement until your shoulders are completely off the ground.
Take another deep breath in and slowly begin to lower yourself back down to the ground while keeping your upper abdominal muscles tight.
Once you've come back to the starting position, relax your upper abdominal muscles for one second and repeat the movement again until you have completed your set.

What your crunch should look like

Things to remember when doing crunches

Do not use your arms to pull up or lift your head. Your arms should only be used to support your head and neck during this exercise.
Lift from the chest area; do not pull on your neck.
As you work, imagine your belly button pressing down through your body into the floor.You only want to be lifting your shoulders and upper back off the group, not your whole body.
Do not bounce or try to come off the floor too quickly. Bouncing, jerking, rushing or lurching off the floor can lead to injury. Always use slow, controlled movements and remember to breathe with the movement.

How To Bulk Up Fast - Without Getting Fat

Recently, i burned slightly too much and fet that the protein intake is rather low. Without having enough calories intake, the muscles will not grow.

As such, it is important to take in more healthy calories..


From Vince Del Monte, here is what he will advice,

"Here is the strategy I used to ingest an extra 1000-2000 calories per day.

Get a pen and paper:
-> Three-four large 1 L water bottles
-> A blender
-> Couple bags of frozen berries from Costco
-> A tub of natural peanut butter
-> A tub of protein powder
-> A few bags of low fat milk
-> 10 minutes of your day

No, you are not mixing all these ingredients exactly but you can mix the following:

*** 1-3 cups of low fat milk - 300 calories
*** 1-2 cups of mixed berries - 200 calories
*** 40-60 grams of protein powder - 160-240 calories
*** 1-2 tbsp of natural peanut butter - 200 calories

As you can see, this adds up quickly to over 800 clean calories and they are all healthy foods. You will notice that these shakes have no junk sugars and no 'bad' fats. So for all those whiners who complain that they can't get enough food each day - throw that excuse out the window. You now have a solution. If calorie counting is not your thing then simply monitor the number of cups, scoops and tbsps. I suggest starting with portion sizes of 1 for everything. While the 40-60 grams of protein is always consistent i.e. 1 cup, 1 scoop and 1 tbsp of the above ingredients and then build to two and three where recommended.

Formula for Success (in any areas of your life)

This post is inspired by the previous post from Vince DelMonte. The previous post stated that any work-out program will work as long as you follow this "Success Recipe".

Putting it into perspective, this Success Recipe will work for any areas of your life. Lets review:

1) Believe in the Prorgam:
In anything you do, Set A Clear, Specific Goal and Create a Plan. Then add in the most important aspect - BELIEVE that you can achieve the goal! Your goal and plan can be flexible, but your BELIEVE that you will one day be the person you want to be and/or you will achieve your goals soon, MUSY NEVER CHANGE. If your belief is gone, ALL HOPE is gone.

2) Consistency:
Take massive, consistent action. It is not what you do once in a while, once a year, once half a year!
It is WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY AND WEEK that makes you what you are.
If you are fat, it is because you over-ate once or twice a year? NO! It is WHAT YOU DO EVERYDAY.
Look at Slyvestor Stallone, he is in this shape because of what he does EVERYDAY!!! In fact, he is who he is today (a successful movie star), because of what he does everyday before and after he became successful. He wrote scripts and travel around to sell his script everyday. And Everyday of his life, he dreams and believe that he will one day be who he already is today!

Another person i would like to talk about is Tiger Woods. When he was 13 years old, he believed that he will one day be WORLD NO.1 Golfer. And his believe carried him through. But that is not all, EVERYDAY, TIGER WOODS HITS ABOUT 800 GOLF BALLS! That is consistency!

3) Intensity (Stretch Goals and Continuous Improvement) :
Did Slyvestor Stallone stop, relax and enjoy himself once he became succesful after his First ROCKY Movie? The fact that there is Rocky 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 tells you the answer. He never stops improving! You can check out his shape and body from Rocky 1 to Rocky 4. He is geting fitter (even though he already past 30yrs old since Rocky 1). Similiarly, we need to push ourselves in the area we want to succeed in. Even in relationships with your loved ones, they are either GROWING or DYING. Nothing really stays stagnant! So choose, grow or die...

4) Fuel
In terms of workout program, you need the right amount of fuel. You need to eat right. In other areas, the correct mental and emotional fuel is needed too! Motivation and love. Everyday, what is it that push you towards taking consistent action? It is the emotion - the excitment of knowing that you are moving towards your goals. I motivate myself using this blog. I take pictures of myself and look out for inspiring role models such a Slyvestor Stallone, Vincent Ng, Tiger Woods etc. They are my fuel.
My trainees are my fuel too, i picture them having more trust in me because i have been there, done that and am still THERE.
What is your fuel? Your friends, your promise to your loved ones?

One more thing to add that i learnt. Through this journey, we must also learn to take feedback and learn from mistakes. If a workout is not suitable or not showing results, we got to find out WHY and HOW to Improve.

Follow this recipeto success and do tell me if there is any reason for anyone not to make it.

Recipe to A Good Program - From Vince DelMonte

From Vince DelMonte,

It *WILL* work if you follow my recipe below:

1. TRUST the program and DECIDE to make it work

I firmly believe that having 100% trust in the author of the program is one of the mostimportant factors in your success with a musclebuilding routine. Your trust will affect the degree of effort, focusand dedication that you'll put into the routine.That alone, will jack up your results! That's one of the main reasons you see so manytestimonials on my website: my customers believein me. As a result, they don't question my advice and their gym performance improves whichgets great gains. Rarely, does a program actually 'fail.' Usuallyit is the person doing the program that fails! If you DECIDE - that means you step up to the plateand commit to the program 100% - then why would you fail?! DECIDE to make the program work before you begin. DECIDE to study it, follow it and seed out the coachof the program for guidance IF you do need help. I can't stand people who say, "I'm not sure if this program will work for me...." Decide to make it work and it will work!

2. Consistency

Have you ever seen those guys in your gym whowork out with horrible technique, don't seem to have any structure to their workouts, andappear to be 'overtraining' because they are always in the gym? Yet, a good percentage of them have SPECTACULAR bodies! Ever wonder why? Most likely, they are SIMPLY consistent. They do not miss workouts. They do not takelots of 'down time'. They do not 'try' to make it into the gym. They MAKE it to the gym. You can bet your saving account that they willbe at the gym at the exact same time, the exactsame days, every day, like clock work. Becoming *CONSISTENT* is extremely powerful becauseyou build up momentum and see instant gainswhich creates momentum which keeps you motivated to maintain your rhythm. Any program that you do CONSISTENTLY over timewill bear fruit.

3. Intensity

Visualize that guy in your gym again. The onewith no variety, no workout structure, and horrible technique! The same guy that is the biggest guy in you gym. He doesn't know anything about the latest 'breakthrough'training program... he simply trains his butt offevery time he goes to the gym. He rarely talks to anyone.He wears his iPod and hat. Has no time to stare at himself in the mirror. Every rep he does is like his last rep. Every set is done like his life depends on it. He trains like a barbarian. He carries a towelbecause he drips sweat all over the gym floor. He lifts heavy weights and high reps and has others stop and stare at him while he trains thinking, "Is that how I should be training?" The answer? YES! YES! YES! Any program that you do over and above your previous workout intensity will product results. You could give me any training program, and I am confident enough that I would get results from it, not because of the program, but BECAUSE I will do it with the RIGHT intensity. Every workout should be forcing you to do moreweight, more reps and more sets and less weight in a structured manner.

4. Caloric Support

I don't want to under estimate nutrition butI have to admit that I have seen guys with HORRIBLE nutrition get incredible physiquessimply because they TRUST the program, were CONSISTENT with the program and did theprogram with the right INTENSITY. And mostimportantly they DECIDED to get results. Adding proper nutrition will take your physiqueto the highest level possible. Trying to build muscle without the proper nutritional support is like trying to buya $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank.

Your friend and coach,

Vince DelMonte, C.P.T., H.B.K.Author, No Nonsense Muscle Building

Sylvester Stallone - Nutrition and Regimen

From the man's own mouth...

"I led a very unhealthy regimen while working to develop my body for the later 'Rocky' movies. I was working out on an empty stomach, and my body began to cannibalize itself. It was my plan to reduce myself that way, then add on muscle ounce by ounce. I went down to 155 pounds - and I'm five-feet-ten. I was all skin and bone. I was also drinking great quantities of coffee to stimulate myself, to give me energy."

Stallone says he now follows a much healthier diet and exercise routine.

"I get up in the morning about 7:30, and first I drink a glass of liquid amino acids. Around 7:45 a.m. I have breakfast - easily digested foods. For example, two eggs, four figs, and toasted pumpernickel bread. I relax for 1 hour and 15 minutes to give my food time to digest. I'm in the gym for my morning workout around 9 a.m.

I do 10 minutes of warming up - stretching my arms, legs, back and neck. Then I start to work on my arms, lifting weights for 45 minutes to build and tone the biceps and triceps. Next I'll work on my shoulders for 25 minutes. After that, I do 25-30 minutes of work on my abdomen, such as sit- ups. Next, I stand with my feet about shoulder-width apart, hold a broom stick behind me, under my elbows, and do 500 shoulder twists - turning as far as I can to the right and then the left.

I have lunch around 12:30. For a typical lunch I might have a salad, broiled skinless chicken, broiled squash and some figs or berries. I devote my afternoons to taking care of business. For dinner I might have something like broiled fish, another salad, steamed spinach and a couple of slices of dark high-fibre toasted bread. Besides chicken and fish, I occasionally eat veal. But any meat I eat is simply prepared and very lean. I haven't had a pastrami sandwich in 15 years.

I usually steer away from red meat - but I do try to eat it once a week so my body will stay adjusted to it. That way, if I ever do it - for example, if I happened to stop at McDonald's - I wouldn't go into convulsions. At one time I was so pure with the food regimen that if I ate even a hot dog, I'd end up with painful cramps and convulsions. Usually I work out three days and take the fourth day off. If I have a busy business week and can only work out twice that week, I cut my food intake in half. I run my body like a car. If I have a long way to go, I fill up with 'fuel' - good high energy foods. If I'm not doing much I keep it on half empty. And I give my body enough 'maintenance' in the form of physical workouts to keep it running perfectly. When I'm in shape, I feel terrific."

Stallone says he steps up his workouts when he's preparing for a new film

"If I know that I'm getting ready to do another 'Rambo,' I have to live up to the last film. That makes it a little bit harder to get in shape. I have a machine like an escalator with the steps coming down, and I pile 40 to 50 pounds of weight on my back and start climbing those endless steps."

Stallone is well known for his muscular physique, hard work and determination. Even Arnold Schwarzenneger once said Sylvester has awesome willpower.

"Sly is the most disciplined man that you'll ever meet in any walk of life," says his personal bodyguard Gary Compton. "He doesn't eat real late, he doesn't snack, and he doesn't eat much. Pasta? Yes, but not too often, and only when it's made with a special flour. Fish and brown rice are staples. He even eats fish for breakfast. He drinks little alcohol, but occasionally enjoys champagne. Quick energy? Would you believe oatmeal cookies? Of course, without processed sugar of preservatives."

"And not many eggs either, " Compton adds. That is to say, nothing like the scene in which Rocky cracks a half dozen raw eggs one-handed and gulps them down. As for supplements, Gary says that his boss takes a package of about six tablets before each meal. If he needs more he'll just take double.

Though he's had a lot of problems - including serious injuries - in his rise to the top, Stallone accepts them without bitterness or complaint.
"Sometimes I look back in anger, but then again I look back with kind of bittersweet smile and think: Maybe if the cards hadn't fallen the way they have, I wouldn't be where I am today."

What a man, i need his Eye of The Tiger - His determination and will power

SYLVESTER STALLONE - Story of Determination

SYLVESTER STALLONE has established worldwide recognition as an actor, writer, producer and director since he played the title role in his own screenplay of "Rocky" which won the Academy Award in 1976 for Best Picture. Born in New York City, Stallone attended school in suburban Philadelphia where he first started acting. He then spent two years instructing at the American College of Switzerland in Geneva. Returning to the United States, he enrolled as a drama major at the University of Miami and also began to write. Stallone left college before graduation to pursue an acting career in New York. By 1973, Stallone had auditioned for almost every casting agent in town, but found little success. During this period, he turned more and more to writing, churning our numerous screenplays while waiting for his acting break. The opportunity first came in 1974 when he was cast as one of the leads in "The Lords of Flatbush." He also received his first writing credit for "additional dialogue" on this film.

With the money earned from that film, Stallone left New York for Hollywood, He again began to make the rounds to studios and casting agents, managing to get a few small roles in television and movies. He also continued to pursue writing. Prizefighter Rocky Balboa was born and given life in a script Stallone wrote in longhand. Several producers offered to buy the screenplay, wanting to cast a name star in the title role, which Stallone insisted on playing himself. Although his bank balance was barely $100, Stallone held fast- and his perseverance finally paid off. Stallone's credits as an actor/writer/director are "Rocky II" and "Paradise Alley." As actor and co-writer, Stallone filmed "F.I.S. T.," "First Blood", "Rambo: First Blood, Part II", "Rhinestone" and "Rambo III". He co-wrote, directed and produced "Staying Alive" and starred in "Nighthawks", "Victory", "Tango & Cash" and "Lock Up". "Rocky V", starring and written by Stallone and directed by Ion Avildsen, opened in 1990.

3 Weeks After - Another Challenge for Myself!

Hi Guys,

I took a 2 weeks break after the 7 weeks program!

Now, i am going to take another 3 weeks to push myself to another level.

Judging from the picture, i got to work on:

1) Abs -> reduce fats and build abs.

2) Chest -> Bigger, broader chest!

Ok, now, time to work out!

Eggs - White, Yolks or Both?

Hi Guys,

So many times, i have been told that we should consume the egg whites to get Protein and we should also leave the Egg Yolks out to rduce cholesterol... myth or truth?

From the recent newsletter i have gotten from Mike Geary, TruthAboutAbs.com,

This is what he has to say

"YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolk. Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available.

Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg.

In addition, the yolks contain all of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as all of the essential fatty acids. And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg... "

But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof" No, this is FALSE!
First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out. On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has tons of important functions in the body. And here's where it gets even more interesting... There are indications that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry. And 3rd... high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT.

It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings."

Thanks for the advice Mike,

For you guys out there who has doubts, honestly, so do i.

Well, ut i will try it out for a few weeks and let you know the results

Look Good, Feel Good

Reverse Crunch Exercise

Areas Targeted = Lower Abs + Upper Abs
The reverse crunch exercise primarily develops, strengthens, and defines the lower abdominal muscles. It also helps to develop the upper abdominal area as well.

What it should look like:



How to position yourself for a reverse crunch
To do a reverse crunch, you'll want to start by lying flat on your back with your upper body relaxed and your hands resting at your sides.

Place both hands underneath your buttocks so that your thumbs are directly below your sitting bones to support your back throughout the duration of the exercise. (If doing this is uncomfortable in any way, simply remove your thumbs from under your buttocks.)

Next, lift your legs so they are perpendicular to the ground, as if they were pointing up to the ceiling. Bend your knees so they are approximately at a 90 degree angle.

How to perform the reverse crunch
Contract your lower abs and slowly lift your buttocks and hips a few inches off the ground. With each lift make sure you exhale smoothly and use your breath to help you with the lifting movement.


Once you've reached your peak, squeeze your lower abdominal muscles for one to two seconds and slowly release the rest of the air from your lungs.


Keeping your lower abs tight, inhale deeply and lower yourself back down to the ground in a slow, controlled movement.


Once your buttocks is resting on the floor once again, release the contraction and relax your abs for about one second.


You should be back in the starting position at this point and getting ready to repeat the movement to finish your set with your desired number of repetitions.


Things to remember when doing a reverse crunch
During each repetition, remember to fill your lungs with air using controlled, deep inhalations and remember to keep your head and shoulders relaxed on the floor while performing this exercise.

Once you've reached your peak, keep your hips elevated for one to two seconds while squeezing your abs vigorously.

Try to do this exercises slowly -- both on the way up and on the way down.

And always try to use your breath to give you strength during the exercise.

And that's it! You're Done!

Build Muscles

THE absolute most important thing you can do to stay lean for life is... Build muscle!

REASON: ... the amount of muscle mass you carry on your body has a direct and positive influence on your metabolic rate, how many calories your body naturally consumes even at rest, and how easy it will be for you to get and STAY as lean as you want!
Basically, more muscle = higher metabolic rate

That's why some bodybuilders can eat 5000-6000 calories/day and actually stay single-digit bodyfat lean.

So start building msucles to burn more fats today

Vshapeclub.com

Hi Guys,

I am setting up the website vshapeclub.com where i can post my weekly news letters which includes great info like

Exercuse of the week
Fat burning tips
Healthy recipe
Sports of the month
Reccommended books
Others

Do visit vshapeclub.com to opt in for my weekly newsletters at your inbox!

Mister V

Beyond the 7 Weeks

Now what?

Most people, after a program has ended jump right back into poor eating habits.
Will mine be the case as well.

I believe the answer is no.
Reason: this 7 weeks, i designed the program to be such that i acquire the habits and programmed it into my body.

Now, if i eat too much or if i execise too little, i feel really lousy and uneasy.

i also raised my level of acceptance higher and will and accept myself to become fat any longer!

Do jon me on this journey and email me should you have an difficulties along the way!

2.4km Training - Intervals Training

Congrats! You just found a training secret for 2.4km success!

For begineers who do not know what intervals training is.... It is usually done on a track where we know how far we are running. From the 400m starting point, run one round (400m) in 1 min 50 sec and when you are done, rest 1 min 50sec. This is what we will call 1:1 rest time. Do this for 6 rounds.


Subsequently training sessions, you should reduce both the running time and rest tme. i.e. we increase our speed. An ideal timing to meet will be below 1 min 30 sec for all 6 rounds.

Let me explain how intervals training helps.

1) It inputs into our muscles memory the pacing. Well you see, the more we run intervals, the more our body is programmed to understand how to pace. And pacing is one of the most important factor in the 2.4km test.

2) It increases our endurance. Although there is rest time in between each round we run, our body is fact getting fitter with each training session. We can easily expect as improvement of about 30secs with each intervals training IF you are a beginner. Also, remember i mentioned an ideal pace will be 1 min 30 secs - why?

1 min 30 secs each 400m for 2.4km will be a timing of 9 min.
If you are training for GOLD standard which is below 9min 45 sec, you will only need to maintain the pace of 1 min 35 sec (which will give you 9 min 30 sec).

Rememebr your body is used to running 1 min 30 sec already and if you put it onto a speed of 1 min 35 sec, what do you think will happen? Your body will feel comfortable enough to last all 6 rounds.

I trained many trainees using intervals training and i noticed that once they can hit the 1 min 30 sec pace for intervals, they either hit 2.4km Gold timing by a bit or missed it by a bit.

Subsequently, i increase the training distance to 800 m and the trainees are required to run 3 min and rest 3 min. We do this for 3 rounds for initial training sessions and increase it to 4 rounds. And guess what, results improve significantly.

Ok, you know what now? Knowledge is power only when you put it to action!

Look good, feel good, God Bless!

2.4km Training Strategy - For Beginners

Have you ever thought aboutit? Why 2.4km? Not 3km or 1km or just 800m?

Why i was a trainee, the Chief Physical Training Instructor explained to me that scientific studies have shown that 2.4km is the distance an average human, after training can sprint - running at 80% and above of his top speed.

So, 2.4km is really mainly about sprinting and lasting that pace.

The most effectively training for 2.4km which i recognize so far is interval training. Of course, it should be complemented with other trainings such as weights traning or static stations, water training, speed training and endurance runs.

For people who just started, i will highly you start with endurance runs and static/ weights training.

For the first 2 weeks, you can start by doing squads, lunges, and heel raises.
And twice that week, go for a 3km to 5km jog at an easy pace.

The first 2 weeks serve to condition your muscles so that they can protect your joints from getting injured. If we had gone straight into higher intensity training like intervals and speed training, there is a high chance you will get injured.

Subsequently you can start other trainign such as intervals* and the other trainings i mentioned.

* Highly reccomended

The Importance Breakfast in V Shape-ing

Hey Friends,

Have you been skipping breakfast? I hope not. But again, what you eat will help you BURN fats and BUILD shape.

Research from University of California at Berkeley has found people having the habit of eating grain-based breakfast has significantly lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than those who didn't.

Also, eating breakfast consistently also reduces the chance of over eating in the latter part of the day.

So, do start your day right with a goood healthy grain-based breakfast!

Dairy Food helps in burning Fats

Hi Friends,

A study from the University of California at Davis shows that dairy food may help curd our appetite.



Researchers found that men who added dairy food in their meals had their cholecystokinin (CCK) rose 20 percent. CCK is a satiating hormone which means that dairy products makes us feel satisfed and lessen our craving for food.

As such a pat of butter or a slice of cheese added to our nutrition plan will help us on the whole since it lessen the probability of us cheating too often by snacking.

So, do add in some dairy food into your meal especially if you don't feel satisfied with your meal.

More Rockies!

Rocky - Get motivated dude!

Need Motivation?

I am putting in a series of Rocky Training Clips

Spartan 300 Training Video

Hey Guys,

Check this out and feel free to follow IF you can take it. Beginners please do not attempt



Look Good Feel Good

DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH

It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:

Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.

METHOD OF TREATMENT

1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water

2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute

3. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.

4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours

5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.

6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.

The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure / control / reduce main diseases:-

1. High Blood Pressure - 30 days
2. Gastric - 10 days
3. Diabetes - 30 days
4. Constipation - 10 days
5. Cancer - 180 days
6. TB - 90 days
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards - daily.

This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.

It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life.

Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.

This makes sense. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals, not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.

Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine.

Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks: Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting.

Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.

You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.

Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.

60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.

Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to everyone they know, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.

A Cheat Meal A Month, Keeps Us Lean

Hey guys,

Something that i learnt. As we stay discipline and keep to our nutrition plan, we should recognize the need for a Cheat Meal, i.e. set aside a day once a fornight or month where we eat ANYTHING we want, in whatever quantity we want for that meal.

WHY???? - isn't that destroying ourseleves?

The truth is that there is great advanage dong it.

1) Increased Metabolism Rate - The sugar overload will spike your insulin and revampyour leptin levels when kept to only one day. This, in turn,increases your metabolic rate (but only when done very infrequently).

2) Refreshed Body - Eating all you want for just one meal gives your body a refreshing break. So make sure to get a good high intensity weight training workout the day after your overeating day, and you'll get one of the best muscle pumps you'll ever experience!

3) Refreshed Mind - Same goes for your mind. Putting in the cheat meal is in fact good for your mind. Many people control their diet so much that when they finnaly give in, they felt that they had wretch their plan and feel so discouraged that they totally give up. But by planning a cheat meal once in a while, we know that it is part of our plan to have a refreshing break and that gives us extra boost to carry on from there.

Hey so do plan in a cheat meal every fornight or monthly. it need not be scheduled, but allow yourself to indulge in your favorite candy buffet or yummy mouth watering chocolate foundle.

Look good, feel good,
Sean
V Shape Club Founder

Back from Taiwan

Hi Guys,

This is the start of Week 6! And i am just back from Taiwan, the land of wonderful (oily, fattening) food.

For the past week (week 5), i had no access to the gym. As such, i watched my diet and did push up and abs exercises.

I also learnt that in order to increase metabolism, we shoud target at major muscle groups such as legs, upper body, core instead of just concentrating on abs.

Ok, 2 more weeks to go and i am hitting the gym today.

Week 4 -

Did
Bench Press
Lateral Side Raise
Alt knee elbow
Sit ups
Shoulder Press

Diet Soda - Can this be the solution?

Hi Guys,

I am a fan of diet coke and i somehow feel quite good everytime i drink diet coke in replace for other drinks...

But please read the report below...

Here's some findings from an 8-year University of Texas study that I had read... An excerpt from the study author: "What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher." "There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day,"

Fowler says. Ok, as if we didn't already know how bad regular soda was for us, and now they're showing us studies that diet soda makes us even fatter than the already bad stuff! There's a lot of complicating factors as to why this occurs... One reason is that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas create a negative hormonal response in the body that increases fat storing hormone production and increases cravings for more sweets and refined carbohydrates in the time period after consuming the diet drink.

Another reason is that people may subconsciously think that because they are drinking a diet soda, that gives them more leeway to eat more of everything else, hence consuming more calories overall. I've said this all along, but the bottom line is that if you're serious about your health and body, soda of any kind (and artificial sweeteners in anything for that matter!) should be avoided at all times, except for very rare occasions when you can't avoid them. Another article I did about artificial sweeteners explains more of the problems with them and good substitutes...

So what is a good alternative to diet sodas?

The best alternatives are good old water with lemon or unsweetened iced teas... you have plenty of options with teas - green, white, black, oolong, red... be creative in making your iced teas and you'll enjoy it more. Plus, you get a greater array of anti-aging antioxidants. I just add a little of the natural non-caloric sweetener stevia to my iced teas and I love them.

Keep fit, stay healthy and all the way to a V-shape body.

Abdominal Fat may cause your death!

Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? The first thing that most people think of is that their extra abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and makes them self conscious about showing off their body.

However, what most people don't realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health.

Scientific research has clearly determined that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat. There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area.

The first type that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles. The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that "beer belly" appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels sort of hard if you push on it.

Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even more dangerous than subcutaneous fat.

Both of them greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases. Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that it apparently releases more inflammatory molecules into your body on a consistent basis. If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your abdominal fat should be one of your TOP priorities! There's just no way around it.

Besides, a side effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive ugly abdominal fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you will be able to visibly see those sexy six pack abs that everyone wants.

So what gets rid of extra abdominal fat?

The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can't spot reduce your stomach fat by using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn't work that way. The only solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for good is to combine a sound strategic nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with a properly designed exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well as your training program are important if you are to get this right. I've actually even seen a particular study that divided thousands of participants into a diet-only group and an exercise/diet group. While both groups in this study made good progress, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat than the diet & exercise combined group. Now the important thing to realize is that just any old exercise program will not necessarily do the trick. The majority of people that attempt getting into a good exercise routine are NOT working out effectively enough to really stimulate the loss of stubborn abdominal fat.

I see this everyday at the gym.

Most people will do your typical boring cardio routines, throw in a little outdated body-part style weight training, and pump away with some crunches and side bends, and think that they are doing something useful for reducing their abdominal fat. Then they become frustrated after weeks or months of no results and wonder where they went wrong. Well, the good news is that I've spent over a decade researching this topic, analyzing the science, and applying it "in the trenches" with myself as well as thousands of my clients from all over the world to see what works to really stimulate abdominal fat loss. The entire solution... all of the nutritional strategies, as well and training sequences, exercise combinations, and more have all been compiled in my Truth About Six Pack Abs Program.

Keep in mind that the point of this whole program is NOT abdominal exercises (that is only a very small portion of it). The main point of this program is showing you the absolute most effective strategies for losing your stubborn abdominal fat, so you can get rid of that dangerous health risk, as well as get a flatter more defined midsection. If you follow the guidelines, you WILL lose your belly fat that has been plaguing you for years. This is not guesswork... it is a proven system that works time and time again for all of my clients on every corner of the globe that actually apply the information I teach. If you apply it, the results will come. It's really that simple. The only reason most people fail in their fitness goals is that they have good intentions at first to adopt a new lifestyle, yet after a few weeks or months, they abandon their good intentions and slip right back into their old bad habits that gave them the excess body fat in the first place. I want to help you succeed in finally getting rid of that extra abdominal fat that is not only UGLY, but also DANGEROUS. A lot of people have emailed me with questions about whether they need any special equipment, if they're too old or too young for this program, etc. I've made a page that should answer all of your questions... http://www.truthaboutabs.com/abdominal-fat-loss-program-questions.html

Also, I think you'll want to see some of the reader reviews from people that are using the system and getting killer results... http://www.truthaboutabs.com/testimonials.html

Don't waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence as well as contribute to your risk for MAJOR diseases. Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this problem at...
http://www.TruthAboutAbs.com/

Train hard, eat right, and enjoy life!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com

Proven 5 Step Fat Loss Guide, Shaker Cup, Fat Scale, ABS

Fit Fat??

Don't Go on A DIET!!!

Hi guys,

Going on a diet is one of the worst ways to burn fats.

Reason? Look at the first 3 letters of DIET. D- I -E. The truth is almost everyone who goes on a diet, go off a diet after some time. And what is worst is research has showed that people who go on diet and lose weight subsequently gain more weight than before.

Ok, my definition of going on a diet is food deprivation, feeding your body 1000 calories or less a day.

For those who went on a diet beofre, you would probably experienced a point of time when you "just can't take it any more" You let loose and eat the the things that passed youforced yourself not to eat!

Besides not being able to take in psychologically, dieting also force your body into a starvation mode. What it means is that your body thinking that you are lacking food, will slow down the metabolism in your body and start to store fats.
"Very low calorie diet formulas are designed to be nutritionally adequate, but the body responds to this severe energy restriction as if the person were starving - conserving energy and preparing to regain weight at the first opportunity."

Another research-
In a New York Times survey of 31 men and women who had lost up to 194 lbs on liquid diets, 23 said they began to develop a strong fear of food, yet they experienced uncontrollable cravings and urges at the same time. One respondent said that after a binge that started with 7,000 calories in one day, he had regained 21 lbs in 15 days.

So remember dieting is not the way to go...

WAIT A MINUTE!!! Does that mean we should go and stuff our face with cakes, chocolates and everything that is so delicious and YUMMY!!!!?????

No NO NO!!! - the answer is in fact moderation and sutting down on food with higher fat contents.
Hey!! - is that asking us to go on a diet??

I don't like the word diet actually, i prefer to call it a nutrition plan. We should have the right nutrition planning to supplement our exercise regime.

Well, keep a look out for my other articles on nutrtion planning!

Are Artificial Sweeteners Good?

An article by Mike Geary, Fitness/Lifestyle Coach

Artificial sweeteners and the huge list of products sweetened with them are marketed to you relentlessly as "healthy foods" or "healthier" than sugar or corn syrup sweetened products. But are they really?

Just to clarify, some of the most popular artificial sweeteners on the market today are:

Splenda (sucralose)
Aspartame
Saccharine
Acesulfame Potassium (aka - acesulfame K)

These artificial sweeteners are used in abundance in almost every "diet" drink, "lite" yogurts, puddings, and ice creams, most "low-carb" products, and almost all "reduced-sugar" products. Heck, even most protein powders are loaded with artificial sweeteners too (just look on the ingredients and you'll usually see one or more of them).

Splenda is probably one of the worst offenders of claiming to be "healthy" as they say that it's made from real sugar. Don't be fooled! It's still an artificial substance. What they don't tell you is that Splenda is actually a chemically modified substance where chlorine is added to the chemical structure, making it more similar to a chlorinated pesticide than something we should be eating or drinking.

The truth is that artificial sweeteners are not even close to being healthy, and as you'll discover in a minute, can easily be just as bad for you, if not worse, than sugar or corn syrup. Most people think that they are doing something good for themselves by choosing the "diet" drinks or "lite" yogurts compared to the sugar-laden versions, but the problem is that you're exposing yourself to a whole new set of problems with the artificially sweetened drinks and foods.

I know you're probably frustrated by all of the contradicting messages you hear each day about which foods are good for you and which are bad. I'm sure just today you probably saw some clever ad or commercial somewhere screaming health benefits for a food product that is loaded with artificial sweeteners. Don't worry. Just stick with me and I'll get past the marketing hype for you and decipher the truth. I'll also give you some ideas for great alternatives to artificial sweeteners as well as alternatives to sugar or corn syrup sweeteners.

The fact is, artificial sweeteners vs. sugar or corn syrup is really just a battle between two evils. Which evil is worse?

I'm sure you already know the problems with sugar or high fructose corn syrup sweetened products. The excess empty calories, blood sugar spike, and resulting insulin surge this creates in your body not only promotes fat gain, but also stimulates your appetite further, making things even worse.

On the other hand, artificial sweeteners save you calories, but there's growing evidence that they can increase your appetite for sweets and other carbohydrates causing you to eat more later in the day anyway. Therefore, you don't really save any calories at all. Also, studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can stimulate high insulin levels in your body too, which again can promote fat storage.

All of the 4 artificial sweeteners listed above are nasty chemicals that the human body is simply not meant to ingest. However, most of us are ingesting a whole lot of these chemicals on a daily basis. Aside from the problems I touched on so far, other health issues that have been related to artificial sweeteners in scientific studies as well as observations are:

some have been linked to potential cancer risks
negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
stimulating cravings
gastrointestinal problems
developmental problems in children and fetuses
headaches
and too many more issues to list
Now some of the above potential health problems are definitely not proven as fact in studies. However, some of them have been shown in animal studies given high doses. Regardless of the fact that any real health problems for actual human use are not proven yet, I don't know about you, but I'd rather protect myself and steer clear of these possibly dangerous artificial chemicals.

Of course, despite all of the health issues potentially associated with artificial sweeteners, the companies that sell the products will continue to claim that they are fully safe and they have studies that prove that they are safe. The bottom line is that the body was not designed to deal with foreign substances like artificial sweeteners. Take my word on that one.

So what are your options for alternatives? Well, your best alternatives for sugar or corn syrup are either raw honey, organic maple syrup, or even a little-known high antioxidant syrup called sorghum syrup (common in the southern US). Even though these alternatives still have the same amount of calories as sugar or corn syrup... honey, organic maple syrup, and sorghum syrup actually provide some nutrients and antioxidants, so it's not just empty calories. Empty calories stimulate your appetite more because your body is lacking nutrients.

Now you're probably thinking that you'd like to still save on calories but avoid the nasty artificial sweeteners. Good news... You can!

You've probably seen me reference this natural sweetener in a lot of my recipes. It's called Stevia. I've been using it for years as an alternative sweetener when you still want to save a little on calories and sugar.

Stevia is not artificial like the other chemical sweeteners I mentioned above. Stevia is a natural non-caloric herb. It is a South American herb and when dried into a powder, has a sweetness about 200-300 times stronger than sugar.

One problem I've noticed with using Stevia is that the pure powder is a very powerful sweetener, so you can easily use too much. However, I've found some good Stevia products that use a bulking agent added so that you can measure out the stevia powder in direct comparison to measuring sugar.

I've yet to see any negative reports or health concerns regarding stevia and only positive potential health benefits. I definitely give Stevia my seal of approval. Do yourself a favor (and your family), and if you are currently an artificial sweetener junkie, please consider switching to stevia.

One of the best products I've found over the years is made by a company called Steviva. They have an excellent stevia product blended with another natural sweetener called erythritol. I suggest giving it a try! Just look for the "Steviva Blend". You can use it in your coffee or tea, to sweeten up plain yogurt, added to smoothies for extra sweetness, on cereals or oatmeal, in baking, or where ever else you might need a sweetener but want to reduce the sugar content.

If you want to grab some, here's the link:

http://www.steviva.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.pl?rrc=N&pg=store&affl=m231g

Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this important discussion. Feel free to forward this email to anybody you know that might be overdoing the artificial sweeteners.

Week 2 - Day 14

Didn't do much today...

I am going to Taiwan tomorrow for 3 weeks.

I need to plan for my regime otherwise i will lose everything i have done so far.

But my plan will largely depend on if there is a gym over there....

I am going to miss my wife and cute baby!

Will be back to hug them soon!

Week 3 - Day 15 (Welcome to Taiwan)

Hi Guys,

What a long trip to Taiwan! 5 hours of flight and 3 hours of bus trip.

My muscles are all stiffened. Got to find a way to do work out during long travelling.

Fortunately for me, i found a gym here. It has quite a good amount of equipment except machines for abs.

Did routine bench press, lateral raises, twist alt knee and elbow.

Went for a 3km run after that and the weather is rather cool.

The problem with Taiwan is the extreme amount of good food! Got to watch it!

My strategy is to take in small frequent snacks so i will not go too hungry and let loose of my nutrition plan!

Week 2 - Day 13 Cross Country Run

Met up with Adrian, Daniel, Run Qian and Devathas for a slow jog at Mac Ritche .

About 5 km

Then we carried on static exercises 10 sets of 10
Push Ups - (5sets wide, 5 sets diamond)
Alt Knee and Elbow.

Dev went on with his 7 minute core muscles workout in which every mintue he did one core exercise. He then continued with lunges upslope. A man with passion for fitness and execellence!

Unfortunately we (less Dev) went for a crispy deep fried roti prata breakfast after that.
Nevertheless it was great having workout with good friends.

Week 2 - Day 12

I am on off today, as such stayed at home with no access to gym.

Did some maintenance work out

2 Sets of 20 each
Wide Push Ups
Normal Push Ups
Diamond Push Ups
Alt Elbow and Knee Twist - For Abs

I also exercise my deltoids
Lateral side rasies using 5kg weights - 2 sets of 10
Soulder Press - 2 Sets of 10

Got to find a way to work out without weights and gym because i am flying off to Taiwan next week. Will probably have no access to gym and weights.

Hopefully it will not slow down my progress.

My Baby wants his V-Shape too!

Pictures of my baby reading Vincent Ng's Book!


This looks lke a great book to start my V Shape Journey...


Hmm... looks like i got to start doing chin ups!


So... these are some food i got to avoid... mummy please take note!


Am i stretching correctly while reading?


Is my V Shape good enough for Daddy?

Understandng your ABS! - Targeting the Entire Abs!

Hi Guys,

Before we rush into the exercises, we got to understand that our abdominals, commonly called abs, consist of several muscle groups, all located in the midsection, just below your chest to your pubic bone. These include: rectus abdominis which is made up of upper, middle, and lower abs; transverse abdominis; and the obliques.

It is not essential that we know the terms and all the components, but we must know that we need to design our abs regime to cater for all the different segments and not leave any of them out.

For example sit-up mainly target at the upper and middle abs and if that is our only abs workout in our regime, we will missed out our lower abs and our obliques + transverse abdominis (love handles)

Here is some info about the different segments of our abs:

The upper, middle and lower abs start near the middle of your sternum and runs vertically to the lower part of the pelvis; they are responsible for flexing the vertebral column or helping you curl your trunk as you would when doing crunches or sitting up in bed.

The transverse abdominal muscles run horizontally and are the deepest muscular layer of the abs; they run around your body like a girdle and help compress and support internal organs.

The obliques are the muscles that make up your waist and consist of two smaller groups: the external obliques and the internal obliques. The external obliques are the muscles of the upper and outside part of your waistline; they start just under your chest, on your lower eight ribs, and are responsible for helping you twist and bend sideways. The internal obliques are located beneath the external obliques; they also helps you twist. It is important to have strong abdominals for most all motions, including common day-to-day activities. In addition, most low-back pain is attributed to weak abdominals.

Is Cardio Exercises Necessary for Burning Fats?

Hi Guys,

Traditionally, when you ask an instructor how to burn fats, get rid of love handles, shrink your waistine etc... Cardio exercies will be the answer.



Cardio exercises are exercises such as running, cycling, swimming aerobics etc. Cardiovascular exercise simply means that you're involved in an activity that raises your heart rate to a level where you're working, but can still talk.

Typically, jogging will be one of the highly recommended exercises to burn fats and i will continue to recommend we continue our cardio regime of at least twice a week because it not only helps to burn fats but also provide the following benefits:

-It's one way to burn calories and help you lose weight
-It makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood
-It increases your lung capacity
-It helps reduce risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes
-It makes you feel good
-It helps you sleep better
-It helps reduce stress

Well, actually, almost all exercises help achieve it but cardio does it best.

In contemporary studies and sports science, speed training and weights training are now recommended to help burn calories, fats and lose weight. So why the difference now? Have the human body changed over the years?

My personal deduction would fall back on the simple equation of :
Calories In - Calories Out = Fat Gain/ (Fat Loss)

The traditional behind cardio exercise is that calories are burnt slower since you fall in a lower heart rate zone, but because in cardio exercises, we are usually able to last longer - about 30min to 1 hour and as such, the amout of calories burnt is probably higher than when we do speed training where most people can only last one or two laps.

So although we burn more calories during speed training but we can last shorter distance - say about 2km worth of speed training, and comparng it to a 5km or 10km run, we burn more calories running slower but further. In fact, depending on the intensity, we may actually burn similiar amount of calories in both activities.

For beginners, i will still recommend cardio rather than high intensity training such as speed training or weights training. The reason being that if you are a beginner, your muscles are not as conditioned and the chances of getting injured in high intensity exercises is much higher. Also your heart and lungs may not be able to take the sudden huge amount of blood and oxygen flow needed and the pain you experience may be strong enough to dscourage you more further exercises.

So if you are a beginneer, startng on your journey to a V Shape Body, cardio exercises would be a great way to start! But if you are a seasoned sports person, do not give up cardio exercises as they are good for our heart and a good way to relieve stress with its relatively light tempo, but do add in higher intensity exercises such as speed training because the time spent is shorter but the amount of calories burnt is equal or higher.

Great Abs Workout Links

Found 2 great links on all abs exercises...

http://www.shapefit.com/training-abs.html

http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/exercises.asp

All About Deltoids

Hi Guys,

Getting great Deltoids will make you look good, feel good and naturally, your day will be excellent. Now, just pause for a momnet and imagine a guy will great, well-defined deltoids feeling lousy about himself???!! - hard to imagine right? So lets get great deltoids to complement our wonderful v-shape!

Here are some exercies we can do and should do to develop our deltoids

Build Big Strong Shoulder Muscles For V Shape Upper Body – Build Big Deltoids

Another Article By Chris Chew






Most people think that in order to get that V shaped upper body like comic book super heroes, they only have to develop big broad back muscles and lats. Well, by having broad back muscles and well developed lats is only part of the equation to get a V shape upper body. For complete V shape upper body development, you will also need to build a powerful chest, big strong shoulder muscles or commonly called deltoids or delts for short and a slim waist.

We shall discuss how to build big shoulder muscles in this article. You see, you may have a wonderful six pack abs or well defined chest muscles, but when you are in your street clothes, no one can see them. But if you have that massive V shape with bulging shoulder muscles, your body frame will tell the world that under those clothes is a well defined body of a gym warrior.

As with building any muscles in your body, intensity is the key to building big deltoids. Your shoulder muscles are made up primarily of the anterior deltoid (front delt), medial deltoid (middle delt) and posterior deltoid (back delt). All 3 parts of your shoulder muscles must be targeted to build well defined and big strong deltoids that threaten to burst through your shirt. The problem here is that most people do not know that they must work on all 3 shoulder muscles and do most shoulder workouts by just concentrating on the anterior delts with exercises such as military press. Furthermore, working only on anterior delts could lead to over training your shoulder muscles because many other exercises like the bench press, dips and push ups also recruit shoulder muscles for its movements.

Your should be careful when working on your shoulder muscle exercises as your shoulders joints are very susceptible to injuries and therefore proper form in executing the exercises is crucial. Don’t let bad exercise form cause you injuries that may be permanent and put you out of the gym forever. One common injury prone exercise is the narrow grip upright row. Although this is a great trapezius and shoulder muscle exercise, it should be avoided because this exercise invokes unnatural and awkward shoulder joint movement.

So what exercises are good for building big strong deltoids? Well, besides the military presses, try Arnold Press, Lateral Raise, Bent Over Lateral Raises, Shoulder Width Upright Row and Shoulder Cable exercises. Ask your personal trainer or read up on how to perform these exercises in excellent form for great shoulder muscle development.

Remember that you must also develop other aspects such as a big broad chest, wide back muscles and flared lats as well as a slim waistline to get that much coveted V shaped upper body.