Re-Define and Re-Design

To continue or not continue...that is the question

2011-12-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a very long time since I have posted. Life has taken many turns and this is something I have not kept up with. At this point, I am trying to decide if I should start up again, or if there is not enough interest for my previous readers to spend the time. I would appreciate your input.

Merry Christmas!!!

My Thanksgiving and Christmas Gift To You

2010-11-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us, I decided to do something special for everyone who has wanted to finally move forward with hiring a coach, but have been on the fence about making the decision to finally pursue that amazing change in their lives.

So…for a VERY limited time, I have just cut the investment cost for my 12-week and 6-month coaching programs BY HALF. Yes, actually at only 50% of the normal investment.

My unique, fully personalized, holistic, lifestyle approach to nutrition, fitness and mindset - all in a step-by-step program that is based on your unique YOU - is the basis of life changing transformations in every aspect of a person's life: Health, energy, relationships, career, finances, family life...anything you can think of is based first on how you are as a person...FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

I decided to then even taken it one step further: For the 6-month Platinum program, I even put in place a one time opportunity to actually take advantage of a 5-pay option - so that you could have no excuse NOT to make your life all that you desire.

To put this all in perspective, if you pay in full for the 12-week Diamond Program it amounts to (get this) just $7.73 a day. That is a latte and a muffin in the morning, but instead, you’d be getting an absolute life-changing had-held program to transform every area of your life and can make you unstoppable in all you dream.

A one-time payment for the 6-month Platinum program? $5.53 a day.

I have truly never seen a value such, when it comes to a life changing program such as this (honestly, I have never seen any program like the ones I offer – anywhere - in the unique approach that I take with each one of my clients). And that is exactly why I am doing so for a very limited time.

http://www.living-beyondyourdreams.com/

Thanksgiving and Christmas is a time of year that often makes us truly think about all that we have. But then sometimes, fortunately or not, that leads to what we desire or need that we don’t have.

Makes us think of all the times we tried to change - but couldn’t for one reason or another.

Makes us think of all the times we have put things off as a New Years resolution (which we find never actually works).

Or the times we simply said “well, one day” (which is often 5 or 10 YEARS ago and still nothing to show for it).

Or maybe you know what you need to do, but you have not had the right assistance to actually make it happen (one of the primary reasons why the most successful people in all walks of life owe their life changes to hiring a coach).

I want to give you every opportunity to get to the point in your life where you want to be. Where you know you can be, but don’t know how.

Or maybe you don’t even realize how amazing your health, your body, your emotions and your life actually can be.

I am here for you and now have done what I could to allow YOU to be the happiest, most successful, healthiest and emotionally transformed person you can be.

Go to my website at http://www.living-beyondyourdreams.com/ and find out how. If you don’t do it now, you probably know where this will end for you. The same place it has up to this point.

The time is now. The opportunity is now. That hope for you is now.

I only take on a limited number of clients at one time, so that I can give my all to each and every one of them.

With this special offer, I expect the openings I currently have will close soon. Take this opportunity to do what you have dreamed.

Now is YOUR time.

Blessings to you,

Vic
http://www.living-beyondyourdreams.com/

Hormone balance for health and performance

2010-11-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

One of the important aspects of peak performance and optimal health that I teach in my coaching programs is on hormone balance. (http://www.living-beyondyourdreams.com/). One aspect of this balance that I will cover briefly here is reduced testosterone levels. As we get older, our natural testosterone levels decline (women, too!) and it makes it not only harder to get results from our workouts, but also has numerous biological effects.

I have started using the Deer or Elk Antler Velvet product from SurThrival (see the SurThrival link on top of this page) and have had awesome results in terms of muscle growth and hardness. It has been truly amazing. If you go to the site you will find more info...and I will post more in upcoming entries. Results were almost immediate...and shocking! :-) Taking one to 2 dropper fulls first thing in the morning on an empty stomach raises these levels effectively and you can tell quickly. Some may do better with this specified dose. As for me, I have done better taking it twice a day on an empty stomach with 2 dropper fulls each time...but always the first time is as soon as I wake.

One piece of advice: Beware of both quality and humane methods for "harvesting" these products. I have researched many companies and then have spoken to the folks at SurThrival - found them to be the best product and amazing people doing the very best for us - while being as humane as possible with the highest quality product as possible..

Doctor's orders

2009-12-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to my chiropractor and after seeing her for the past several weeks much more frequently, she instructed me to not lift for a week or so to give my back (primarily my tense muscles) a break. So this past week has been only cardio with no weights (UGH!). Last visit she told me that it felt like I had 2 spines - my real one - and then the muscle running along the length of the right side of my back was so hard that it felt like bone!

I do have to say that I am feeling better and when I go again tomorrow night, I hope I get the go ahead to atleast get back on it in some form!

It's been such a strange feeling not to work my muscles that way - and I can't say I like it! But in the meantime, I came across an article on isometric tensing of muscles through a range of motion that is claimed to have extremely positive effects, without the stress of the weight. I've done these in very limited fashion, but may try more over the next week or two.

For example, the big, powerful cats do this to the point where their body shakes as they stretch and concurrently contract the muscles, resulting in great strength, agility and flexibility.

I may give more info in a future post if anyone is intersted in hearing more about this? Just comment and let me know if you do (or send me an e-mail from the link on my profile page)!

Vic

Switching it around

2009-12-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

So it's time for me to switch around my workouts. Actually it was about 2 weeks ago when I changed my routine to incorprate shorter workouts with fewer exercises with my heavy sets. I've gone to roughly 2 exercises per body part, focusing on the core, multi functional exercises and between 2 and 3 heavy sets for each. The change has done me well and I feel my muscles working hard to adapt to the change.

I've also changed the reps. Instead of combinations of lower reps and higher reps, I'm doing most everything in the 9-12 rep range. The switch to just this focus feels really good as I can see from my progress in these 2 weeks.

I also made a change in exercise order. So where I kept exercises that I used in my last "session", I have reversed the order from what I had done then - again, forcing my muscles to adapt. It's working well! Newly found pumps, growth and soreness. :-)

In terms of diet, I have placed orders for some new products to try that will replace what I am currently taking; specifically the greens and protein. I simply have not felt that great with the whey protein (even though it is the staple supplement of bodybuilding. I just notice that it does not seem to provide the ultimate fuel for me - no matter how much I take.

So here is what I have ordererd and hope to have by end of the week to begin a first cut analysis of how my body responds. If with this initial container of each I feel a positive response, I will then purchase enough to use it for an extended time, to truly review the effects over a period of roughly 6-8 weeks.

I cannot stress enough the importance of adding raw, living foods to our diet! Especially as many of us here consume so much protein and "dead food".

Sun Warrior Protein (plant based proten with much more...)
Sun Warrior Activated Barley (carbs)
These are at www.SunWarrior.com

Living Fuel SuperGreens (actually, can be a superbly nutritious meal replacement, as it also have 20g of protein and a lot of other nutrition, including critical probiotics and enzymes)
www.LivingFuel.com

I should have these in Friday to begin an initial trial to evaluate my body's response (muscle and otherwise). I'll keep you posted on what I find!

Remember, this blog is all about HEALTHY muscle, not muscle *at all cost*. I'm not just talking about steroids, but also about not introducing loads of toxic chemicals into our bodies in the name of muscle, claiming that we are healthy muscle builders. In my opinion, if we take a huge variety (actually the majority, it seems) of bodybuilding supplements that are out there loaded with damaging and often toxic substances into our bodies, then why bother? To have more muscle now, but be sicker through life and die earlier?

Something to think about....

Vic

My goal is to heal and transform America....

2009-11-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

...and to do so one person or group at a time!

To heal the people of this country from:

A life of illness

A life of being tied to drugs in the name of supposed "healing" (NO drug can or ever will heal anyone)

A life of poor nutrition, worse than in some third world countries

A life of mis-information about health and fitness

I life of thinking that they can't be healthy, thrive, and feel like they are truly LIVING

A life of emotional depression and feelings

A life of not being able to truly think clearly or having better 'understanding and clarity' in daily lives

A life of stress and ill-patience

A life of being overweight or obese (doubling every 10 years and growing)

A life of not achieving what you dream

A life of not dreaming at all

A life of sedentary lifestyle that leads to illness and feelings of "ill-being"

A life of not knowing what it feels like to truly LIVE the way we are ALL ENTITLED TO LIVE

Although I have only been able to devote part of my daily time to LifeStyle coaching in Fitness, Nutrition and Wellness, it is clear that yet again that full-time work is coming to an end soon. God has been showing me this for months now, while also showing me that what He wants me to do is to help others - to save them from the outright lies that most of us believe about our health, fitness, and our lives in general.

This is the reason why I started Living Beyond Your Dreams. Although my website is not 100% ready, I certainly am and have been serving others for some time. I've lived through it all - severe depression, serious illness, being near death more than once, prescription drugs (with associated addictions), being overweight and yo-yo diets, muscle-bone-joint destruction from prescription medications, numerous hospitalizations, and feeling hopeless to turn my life around - and that's just to name a few. I've spent 3 decades of my life and tens of thousands of dollars to get to the core of true health and fitness. But there is a way to make the change that each of us wants to make and I'm living proof of how that complete transformation is possible!

I've also both watched and listened to many people who succeeded, and to so many that failed...and why they did. It's time we all make a difference. For me it's through both my daily example and through my Living Beyond Your Dreams on-line or personal coaching experience. For you, it may be just by the little things you do each with your family, friends and co-workers. Just by what you do for you, can say it all.

Workouts, greens and other updates

2009-11-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

My new workouts have been going great! I found that with the more intense and shorter routines, my progress has definitely improved in a shorter period of time. Staying on track...

A few other changes I've incorporated included:

Creatine - I stopped quite some time ago due to cramping that seemed to always come into play. Over the past several months I've improved my diet significantly by adding lots and lots of greens, probiotics and enzymes.

Although I don't have conclusive data on this, it seems that with my increased health and well-being from this, that the creatine is no longer an issue and is tolerated well. It may very well have been that I was lacking in some healthy balance within my body at that time. So now I take about 10g in a bit of apple juice after my workout each day.

Sleep - What a difference. I've worked much more diligently on getting as close to 8 hours a night. Unfortunately that means getting to bed by around 9:30 as much as I can, but I've noticed a significant increase in power levels and recuperation from just sleeping more along the lines of what I should.

Chlorella - I just began adding this to my diet about a week ago and noticed an immense change in my gut health, relaxation levels, sleep, thinking capability, and stress management. This list of the benefits of this food are virtually endless, it's amazing. Here's a link to a 'book' on-line, written in individual web page format - definitely worth a read!. I take about 10g a day split between 4 times, in capsule form.

Beware, I've already found that they are not all the same. For example, the cheap tablets from Vitamin Shoppe brand are chock full of non-essential fillers (chemicals) and I did not notice the benefits I got from the pure form that I purchased originally. I guess you truly get what you pay for. Why do companies have to add all this extra garbage all the time???

Spirulina - Another plant based food I've just started adding. Very significant protein profile from a non-meat source which I have added to my typical lean protein sources and whey protein supplementation. Strong flavor, so best mixed in a smoothie. Ultra-deep blue-green color from this water-based plant that is just incredible. These very deep, dark plants are filled with nutrition - remember, color is an indicator in the plant world of nutrient densities of various types. A rule of thumb.

Vitamin D - I take 2,000 to 3,000 i.u. per day. The power of Vitamin D on our immune system cannot be understated. Want the best protection from any kind of flu, H1N1, cancer, etc, in addition to good practices of sleep, hydration, exercise, eating well with foods that strengthen your immune system? Take Vitamin D. Easy. Cheap. Potent. Literally life saving.

Did you know that breast cancer cells (as just one example) have receptors for Vitamin D, when 'filled' cause the cancer cell to die? I'll bet there's a lot that most people don't know about how foods have healed numerous people of many forms of cancer, when no one has ever been healed of cancer by any drugs, or activities such as radiation. Never have. Never will. Not possible, as chemicals cannot heal. But it has been done naturally over and over again.  Our bodies were designed to heal themselves, people! But I digress… :-)

Raw cacao powder (organic, of course) - I've used this in protein smoothies for a couple of months now and noticed a tremendous difference in energy levels, muscle relaxation, skin health/tone and hair texture - and virtually immediately. Significant source of dietary magnesium so critical to our health that many of us are significantly lacking. 10 times the ORAC value of a cup of blue berries, that we've all heard about (yes, that means 10 servings of blueberries you need for the anti-oxidative effects of one serving of raw cacao powder).

Again, I've tried several organic brands, but found that the Elements for Life (See my link to the right) has been the best to date, so I'm sticking with it and not wasting my money on others any longer.

Gluten - It is estimated that 1/3 of Americans are gluten intolerant or allergic. Remember, if you have an allergy and you provide that allergen to your body, it creates an inflammation which opens the door to numerous other health issues. I've been running a little trial on myself about this and noticed a significant sensitivity that I have - and I think it's an allergy, as I immediately started sneezing, sinuses swelled, as well as itching in my back ( a sign from my childhood I recall when I was allergic to some foods that I ate) when I tried some food with it again. I also just found a place where you can get an at-home gluten allergy test to use (urine and stool) and you send it off to a lab to get results in 3 weeks. The lab has customer service to help you with evaluating your results.

Future - I just purchased an excellent juicer for an excellent price. It seems each day I learn more and more about our bodies and how adding significant amounts of greens is absolutely essential for optimal health. I plan on having two glasses of green smoothies minimum each day - one in the am and one after work. More as time allows.   In the meantime, I have at least 3 servings of organic, died veggies with enzymes and probiotics in powdered form each day with my meals (or sometimes in between).

Having tried many, ReVitaPhi is still the very best I've found. As for actual fresh juices themselves, I'll keep you posted on my results. Can't wait!

There is just so much nutrition packed in various veggies that work toward a healthy balance in our bodies, improving alkalinity (most Americans are chronically acidic which creates a host of health issues), recovery capability, and immune strength and function - to help keep from getting all the various flu's and countless other health issues.

Fresh veggie juicing is a huge benefit to weight loss, too! Raw and living foods are just too essential to our lives to pass up…and too quick and easy to pass up at the same time. When we take so much in the way of proteins (acidic), we really needs those foods that balance our alkalinity, too.   Yes, I talk about this a lot because it is so important to a healthy body. Optimum health with max muscle is my goal each day and this is the single best change I feel anyone can make - juicing veggies.

New Focus

2009-10-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

I’ve spent some time really thinking about what my measurable goal is to be. I’ve been finding that even if I just work to ‘get leaner’ or ‘gain lean mass’ by doing ‘my best’ every day, that is not enough of a driver because it is not a true, measureable goal that I can test to see if I have achieved by the end. I can't simply say "My goal is to look kinda like Stan McQuay"...

I am not one to measure body parts – it’s just not my thing. So I’ve done some calculations based on what I want to go in terms of physique, which follows only after achieving greater overall health, IMO and has been my focus in recent months..

See here are the 6 month numbers for everyone to see, based on my truly ectomorph body ;-)

October 26 (today): 170 lbs @ 23% bodyfat. (39 lbs fat - 131 lbs lean mass)

April 26: 180lbs @ 16% bodyfat (29 pounds fat – 151 lbs lean mass)

This basically translates to losing 10 lbs of fat and gaining 20 lbs of muscle over the course of the 6 months. Even at my 45 years of age, I know it is attainable – yet quite challenging. But I’ve watched even long-training natural muscle-builders (and ectomorphs, to boot) gain this much muscle in shorter periods of time. I still consider myself much newer than they are, even though I’ve been lifting for many years (but lost it due to various reasons with life challenges I allowed). As my consistency had waned many of those years, I’m at a good point at still making shocks to my body for it to grow, which are greater than those that have trained diligently for 10-20 years and are still growing.

The % bodyfat is based on my bio scale at home, so % may not be 100% accurate, but it does fall in line with the BIA I had done last summer. Absolutes with my home measurement are not what I’m after, but the trend that I see from month to month. I will check formally with a BIA at a doctor’s office when the times are appropriate (probably starting late winter and then into spring.) to see my actuals.

I posted previously that I was amazed at my high % of fat. If you look at me you’d never know! But this measure is of all the fat surrounding internal organs, too…far from just what you see under the skin. And this is a dangerous kind of fat, so it’s in the name of better health which is the ultimate goal.

So there we have it. I put the actual numbers in place and I have this hard goal to focus on every time I make a decision on meal choice, when to eat (and if I feel I could cheat and miss a meal), not drinking enough water or eating enough greens, good fats or quality protein… I now keep these numbers stuck on the inside of my wallet, where every time I open it, that is what I always see first.

Next step is to put the workout plan in place. Again, I’ve been good at 'doing work', not as good lately in the plan to follow and look forward to each morning, which always makes it easier to make the excuse to sleep an extra hour and not get the workout in when I need to. For me, I’ve got to do it first thing in the morning or I know it may not get done based on what happens through the course of the day!

Plus, getting yourself moving first thing sets the tone for circulation, energy, brain function and good eating choices for that day. I’ve seen it work this way with me many times over, so I know this is the way for me to do it.

So here’s the schedule. I have changed from 4 days to 5 days so that my workouts are shorter and my mental terms are more focused. I have also found that if I do not think in the back of my mind about needing energy left over for more work on other body parts, that I push myself harder on the day’s muscle group. Intensity is what it is all about and this allows me more of it. I’ve also found that shorter workouts are more effective in making muscle for me, based on my own physiology at this point. So based on my lifestyle - and insights I’ve gained over the months and years - here we go:

M: Back

Deadlifts (2/0/2/0) – 2 x 9, 7

Wide grip lat pulldowns (3/X/1/0) – 4 x 10

V-bar pull downs (3/X/1/0) – 2 x 7-9 or Bent dumbell rows

Dumbell pullover (2/0/2/0) – 2 x 7-9

Stiff arm pulldowns (DD) (3/X/1/0) – 1x10,7,5

T: Chest – Abs

Dumbell bench press – 2 x 9, 7

Incline DB press - 4 x 10

DB incline flyes – 2 x 7-9

Cable crossovers (DD) – 1 x 10(7)(5)

Incline knee-ups – 7 x 12

Lying side crunches OR Full range crunches – 2 x 12-15

Rope crunches (DD) – 1 x 12(9)(6)

W: Traps – Delts

DB Press – 2 x 9, 7

DB upright rows – 4 x 10

Lateral raises(DD) – 1 x 10(7)(5)

DB shrugs – 3 x 8-10

Th: Legs

Squats – 2 x 9, 7

Squats – 4 x 10

Sissy Squats – 2 x 10-12

Knee extensions(DD) – 1 x 10(7)(5)

Stiff-legged deadlifts – 2 x 10, 8

Leg curls (DD) – 1 x 10(7)(5)

Standing calf raises - 6 x 12 (10 x 10 style); last set with shortened range

Seated calf raises – 1 x 10; 4 x 12

F: Bi’s -Tri’s - Abs

Barbell curls – 2 x 9, 7, 4 x 10

Incline curls – 2 x 8-10

Concentration curls (DD) – 1 x 10(7)(5)

Hammer curls – 2 x 10-12

Close grip bench press (3/x/1/0) – 2 x 7-9;

Bench dips (2/0/2/0) - 4 x 10

Overhead dumbbell extensions (2/0/2/0) – 2 x 8-10

Push downs (DD) (2/0/2/) – 1 x 10(7)(5)

Incline knee-ups – 7 x 12

Lying side crunches OR Full range crunches – 2 x 12-15

Rope crunches (DD) – 1 x 12(9)(6)

The actual routine I use here is a modification of Eric Broser’s P/RR/S system, but I am incorporating all the techniques in each workout rather than separating them out, as right now I feel mentally more focused by using the same exercises for several weeks rather than doing a routine every third week (and keeping track of new weight adjustments each time). I will evaluate to see how this goes and then will likely go back to strict P/RR/S again after about 6 weeks of this one.

What this means is that my first exercise is based more on Power (lower reps, power pyramids and such), then the next exercises are a combination of Rep Range (higher reps) and Shock (drop sets, X-reps, Negative Accentuated sets), etc., depending on the exercises I choose. I will switch up exercises as I feel the need and how my body responds after a first cut evaluation after about 6 weeks.

I will also work to include all 3 positions of flexion for each body part (contraction, mid-range, and extension), or at least 2.

Finally, rep tempo considerations. There is much that has been done in evaluating this and it is a very under utilized key for mass. Changing the tempo (speed) of an exercise can make big changes and better results. I use several rep ranges here.

Calf routine change-up for added mass

2009-10-17T19:53:00.001-07:00

Sometimes this body part can be very difficult to prompt into doing what you want it to do :-) It can seem like no matter what, they just will not grow!

Well, just small changes can make a big difference. Here are some things to consider:

Calves: Did you ever notice the incredible calf development on some hardcore cyclists? Have you ever been inspired by seeing some of these guys and gals?! I know I have. So what is it that they are doing that you, in all of your hard, focused training, are not doing?

Well, one thing to consider is the range of motion - and the effects of that particular range as opposed to weightlifting 'standard' exercises. Cyclists do NOT use an entire range of motion on their calf muscles as they are pedaling. They never top out, nor do they bottom out.

By doing so, they place continual stress on the calf muscle. We, on the other hand, partially rest our full fiber set of those muscles when we top out and bottom out. Doesn't feel like rest, but think of it from a physiological point of view.

Let's look at one exercise, let's say standing calf raises. When you press yourself up and go to the top contraction, you know, where you do that flex... what effect is that actually having? Well, your body is so amazingly designed that it does everything it can to take the stress off one location and transfer the loading to others as it is able. So when you are flexing at your peak you are actually partially relaxing your calves, because your body is at that particular transferring some load up, down and side around the area (to your ankles is one of the places). Stay with me...

So on the 'downstroke', you go all the way down to get that real long, max stretch, right? Well, what are you doing to that muscle at the max stretch point? You're RELAXING it! You are taking the stress off, instead of keeping it on! What is the result? Less than maximum stress on the target muscle you are trying to work so hard. The opposite of what you want to do if you want that sucker to grow. It's all about maximum stimulation of the muscle fibers, yet you rest them during each rep.

So here's a suggestion for you to work on in terms of form (we'll get to reps later): Work your standard set with your chosen calf exercise, particularly thinking of the one I'm speaking of. Let's say you do 3 sets of 12-15 reps. Well, on your last set, work about 2/3 of your normal range of motion - do not top out in performing a maximum contraction - keep that stress on the muscle! Go somewhat near to the top, but not quite there.

Then as you go down to the stretch point, follow the same principle: Let your heel only go down JUST BELOW PARALLEL to the floor. See if you can still get the same number of reps as you did at your last work out. You should expect not to, because you are working your muscle much harder by not giving it the time to rest that you have in the past. Studies have clearly shown that longer continuous stress times on the muscle are critical to growth. That's why, for example, super slow negative accentuated sets work so well....your stress time is so great.

Of course, your ego needs to go out the window if you want the best results - that means don't think about the number of pounds you are using. Focus on the stress on the muscle. Once you try this you'll likely see that you need to reduce the weight (potentially significantly) for the desired number of reps - and do so accordingly - but be true to yourself. Expect to see some changes. Expect to feel some sore muscles.

Along the lines of reps - many of us use a standard 12-15 reps for calves. Let's go back to cyclists again. Given the type of muscle fibers in the calf muscle, they require higher reps for maximum activation (which is why you do more in the first place, right?). But there is more and more evidence that using a range of 15-25 reps for calves is much better at development of that hornery muscle group.

So again - try this: Change up your weight (reduce) and take 4-6 weeks to work your muscles at significantly higher repetitions. See how your body responds. Keep the weight where it needs to be to push them HARD (they WILL be burning), but try increasing those reps and see just how your body feels with it. :-)
Remember, the last set should have the weight adjusted, as necessary, so that you do not use a full range of motion, but only about 2/3 of range, stopping before both topping out and bottoming out as I described above.

So there are two changes to try with your DIRECT calf routine, but here is one more, coming right from Arnold's training (and some other trainers, one in particular who kicked his guys out of the gym if they didn't listen to this.)

Squats. Barefoot. Scary to think about, right? With all those plates around you.

What Arnold and other 'old-timers' found was that there was an effect on the stress of the calf muscle when squatting barefoot as opposed to wearing shoes. Recently, the editors at IronMan Research Center also did this. They actually worked the other two direct calf suggestions noted above and got tremendous results.

However, when it came to squats, one of the guys wore Nike Free's (a new model that actually makes you feel like you are walking barefoot) and the other wore his regular workout sneakers.

They didn't think anything of it - these were just their footwear of choice. But after the end of the experiment, one of the guys had reduced results and they were trying to figure out why? They suddenly realized the difference. The guy (Steve Holman) who wore the basic sneakers changed to the Free's - and did another several week session squatting with these, while working calved with the same changes I outlined earlier.

The result? This time his calf mass significantly increased from the trial before...just by changing foot wear during squats.

So there you have it: A 3-prong approach to changing your calf training for 4-6 weeks to see how much you can benefit with these new growth techniques:

1/ During your last set, do not use a full range of motion - stop short of topping and bottoming out (example - when lowering go only as far down as your heel falling just below parallel to the surface you're standing on) - You will likely need a reduction in weight.

2/ Increase your reps from where you are now: Work at 15-25. Take it from where you are now and adjust accordingly. If you currently do 15 or better - try about 25, for example. If you're doing 12 - go for about 20. Change things up on that muscle and force it to adapt and grow. Forget the ego and think stress on those fibers to make the scream and grow like crazy!

3/ Squat with Nike Free's (or barefoot if you are fully comfortable in your set up, gym, spotter, etc.) Think safety first. I am not promoting buying new shoes, but...it's up to you. Be safe first and always.

Strength and Health to all

Vic

My new website

2009-10-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hi there again!

For all of you who have been following me for some time, you've noticed I haven't been blogging as much in recent weeks.

I have been working hard not only on my personal goals, but mostly on my absolute passion of helping others...well, I think of it more as saving others from a life that is not a life of fullness, joy, incredible health, strength, confidence and peace. Although my updated website is not complete, I finally do have the first pieces up and running.

I can't wait to fill my site as a type of one-stop place for information you need on training, health, nutrition, muscle, optimum wellness - either as direct information (in addition to articles, videos, audios - I'll also be regularly publishing a newsletter soon) or as link to the best, most reliable sources I have found.

Over the next few days I'll also be posting more info on my training and may change up the format of info on this blog, too, to provide the most benefit to all of you out there.

If there is anything you particularly do or do not want to see on this blog (or on my website), let me know!!! Write me...

Both of these sites are ultimately for YOU. Get all that you can out of them...

Let me know if there's anything you are looking for, what's important to you, what inspires and motivates you!

Is there anything specific you are looking for in terms of your training?

By becoming a follower - and by leaving comments - you help me help you. Your input will ultimately help me, as well - we all are here to learn from one another and there is no such thing as knowing everything. We learn for a lifetime if we choose to...

Keep in touch - but in the meantime,

Live..Beyond your dreams!

Vic

Spending my time...

2009-09-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

I've been spending much of my time over the last few weeks moving further into the journey of wellness and true health. Not that I'm there, but I'm learning all that I can - about my body, my health and what is best.

Maximum healthy muscle comes from a truly healthy body.

There are some very informative sites that I'd like to share with you:

www.greensmoothiegirl.com

is very good when it comes to nutrition information and being as healthy as you can be. Her blog is at:

http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/blog/

For a much wider range of topics and phenomenal information, go to:

www.naturalnews.com

What a tremendous resource! Sign up for the newsletter which comes out several times a week because there is just too much information to keep track of if you just stop by once in a while - it makes it manageable to keep up with.

Finally, I had the pleasure to meet Brenda Cobb in person about a week ago at a meet-up near my home, where she discussed how she cured her own vaginal and breast cancer with raw and living foods and then started a clinic where there are just so many success stories of beating no only various cancers, but many other diseases - all with FOOD (and incorporating a few other key lifestyle changes).

www.LivingFoodsInstitute.com

She has some tremendous videos there, one of which is on beating cancer and foods which is just so spot on for everyone to realize in this great country of ours. It's time we all say "enough!"

God gave us everything we need for our bodies to be healthy and strong, right here on our earth. It's only because we have strayed and created our own "foods" that we are so sick as a nation. Of course, exercise is critical to our health, too, but no amount of exercise will get past our bodies not being healthy by what we put into them, be it so-called foods, drugs (pharmaceuticals), chemicals put in our foods which our FDA claims are 'safe', chemicals in the environment, in places where you least expect it...

Go back to the earth and get back to the health you are supposed to have.

And now I'll gently step down off this soapbox... :-)

My goal physique

2009-08-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

I've always admired Stan McQuay and my dream physique is pretty much what he has accomplished. No matter I'm just a year or 3 (or...?) older than he is ;-)

Saw this photo of him with a rosary around his neck - makes me even more of a fan! :-)

More on the power of the mind

2009-08-10T09:51:00.001-07:00

A recent article by Becky Holman in Ironmanmagazine.com

You’ve no doubt heard the adage “Believe and you will achieve.” The more research that’s done on the mind/body connection, the more valid that statement becomes.

Here’s a good example: In the March ’08 issue of Bottom Line Health, Rebecca Shannonhouse discusses a study performed with 84 hotel maids. Being a maid at a large hotel is a very physically active job, but almost 70 percent of the maids in the study didn’t think their work was exercise.

The researchers took physical measurements and then divided the maids into two groups, with one group being informed of the number of calories they burned per day and how it related to exercise, fat loss and health. The other group didn’t get that information.

A month later the maids were measured again, and those in the first group had a 10 percent reduction in blood pressure and an average two-to-four-pound loss of bodyweight. The uninformed group’s stats stayed the same.

It appears that if you want a weight-loss program to work or a bodybuilding regimen to get you big and ripped, the first prerequisite is that you believe it to achieve it.

The 10 x 10 method of training

2009-08-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

There is much discussion recently in certain muscle building circles about the 10x10 workout method. My current program (Power-Density routine) actually has some takeaways from the 10x10, so I thought I'd describe this method to you here first. I plan on going to 10x10 for a 6-week burst after I complete my current PD program.

Keep in mind that 10x10 is a training method that is used for building mass quickly, not strength/power (yes, there is a difference).

There actually is a reasonably significant amount of success documented from using such methods. This theory/methodology really came from the great Vince Gironda and his 8x8 method from many years ago. He actually trained Hollywood stars with an 8x8 to get them in shape quickly where the needed to for an upcoming role. The 10x10 as named and described here, comes from the IronMan guys I've mentioned before. Olympic coach Charles Poliquin is quite supportive and the results it produces.

THE BASICS:

The basic 10 x 10 is where you take a weight that you could do 20 reps with, but only do 10 reps.

You perform these 10 reps in 10 consecutive sets.

Weight stays the same throughout.

Rest period is 30 seconds between each set.

Cadence should be roughly 1.5 seconds up and 1.5 seconds down

If you can do 10 reps on your last (10^th) set, the weight is too light and it needs to be slightly increased (for all sets). You should only be able to do 8-9 reps on the last set or two.

Always keep strict form. No jerking of the weight.

No warm-up sets are required. They are an integral part of the 10-x10 methodology (the first sets actually are the warmup sets)

It is best if performed on the main, mid-range exercises for each muscle group.

For calves, you can incorporate 8x20 due to the endurance capacity and fiber density of this muscle group.

For forearms, it is suggested to use 8x15.

This routine is very draining on the muscles. Care should be taken not to overwork yourself too much with lots of other sets and exercises during your workout for each muscle group that includes 10x10 work.

The 10x10 routine should only be used for short (no more than 6-week) bursts, moving onto another routine after a 10x10 has been completed. Then you can always go back to it later.

You can combine 10x10 sets on one exercise type with a small amount of work using other exercises that attack the muscle in a different way (in particular, if you do a mid-range exercise for 10x10, choose a stretch position and/or a contracted position exercise for 1 (or 2 max) additional sets for that bodypart.

For example, if you do 10x10 for biceps using barbell or dumbbell curls, you can add 1 or 2 sets of incline dumbbell curls (that is, seated) as a stretch overload exercise and a set of concentration curls for a contraction focused exercise.

As I noted before, 10x10 is extremely fatiguing and should be used only in short bursts and also care should be taken not to overtrain the worked muscle group by adding lots more exercises and sets. Don’t be fooled, even though a lighter weight is used, there is nothing lightweight about this routine.

Keep training with ALL OUT INTENSITY and a full. committed BELIEF in what you WILL achieve,

Vic

P.S. after my original posting:

Just a note to add for everyone thinking: "A light weight like that is TOO light! I won't make any gains THAT way!"

That is the basic mindset we muscle builders typically have, but remember, it is the type and manner of stress that builds muscle, not just that it's a heavy weight. Believe me, the 'light' weight will feel extremely heavy to you by your last sets.

Try it - you may really, really like it. Many others have felt awkward with 'going backwards' with much lighter weights - but gave it a shot, and found themselves REALLY happy with the results. As I said, you can always add heavier work in your next routine, or as part of this one on a different muscle focus (contraction and/or stretch).

Tomorrow at 5:00 a.m.

2009-08-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

...I'll be waking up and getting prepped for my new workout at about 5:45. It's been hit and miss for the last few weeks and I have been feeling VERY under the weather for the past 5 days or so. This afternoon and into this evening, I've been feeling great and back to my truly abnormal self ;-)

Before I was a little bit older and wiser, I would have said that the week is halfway through - I'll just begin Monday. WRONG. That's not the way we do this thing.

Take EVERY advantage of each moment that you are able, to do what is necessary in order to make your dreams come true.

I'll report on my workout details after the session is memorable history.

Never stop seeing what lies ahead for you,

Vic

I've been called out

2009-08-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was called out by Lisa (LAT GIRL),

http://latgirls.blogspot.com/2009/08/calling-out-vic.html

in deciding not only which routine I will now follow for the next 8 weeks or so, but also to keep up in ‘being honest’ about what I’m doing, staying true to my workouts and plan, and posting it regularly. I appreciate that challenge, Lisa! :-)

And a thought just came to mind…. Dave Draper (yes, from years gone past in the heyday of the Muscle Beach era) calls us “Brother Iron and Sister Steel” – us men and women who push themselves to the limits in training hard. I actually get a weekly e-mail from him (he’s still going strong!).

“Sister Steel” makes me think of you, Lisa, and the intensity I feel coming from as you as you hit this new DC training HARD. So, Sister Steel,…I mean, Lisa… lets make these next 8 weeks more intense than ever before in our workout careers! And I mean everyone reading this right now. LET'S DO IT!

As I noted before, I really liked my previous PRRS training that I used for a good 12 weeks, and felt that it was time to shake things up (mentally, too). Actually, 12 weeks on one program is typically too long, but due to the nature of PRRS, you are changing your workout routine from week to week (in 3-week cycles), so I allowed for that. Great thanks to Eric Broser for all of his fantastic support – in comments here on my blog, and otherwise. I will definitely be coming back to PRRS training in the future, as I continue to make regular changes to my routines.

What I’ve chosen to do this time around is basically the Power/Density Workout that the guys at IronMan Training Center (IronMan magazine editors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman) have put out. I’ll be posting details of each workout to give you a good taste of what this is. I like watching what Steve does in particular, following his results, because he’s also a smaller structured ectomorph and forty-something guy like me. And still putting on muscle in good time!

Since Lisa is going full out with DC training, I may take one aspect of DC and put it into the routine – either each week or alternate with another method from one week to the next.

Okay, in re-reading that last paragraph, this must be getting really confusing for you all to read! Best served by my explaining it one day at a time as I get into it. So it’s the Power/Density workout. I hope that as I explain the details of my routine and my personal experiences through it, some of you can learn new things to help get you to the next level in your own workouts. As always, I also like to get into the theory of what I’m doing to help teach and inspire.

For anyone interested in more on this workout, go to

http://www.x-traordinaryworkouts.com

Reach Beyond Your Dreams...

Vic

--
Your first steps to achieving astonishing health, mood and vitality:

https://www.noblelifeelements.com/victory

COMING SOON!

Beyond Your Dreams
Life Nutrition-Fitness-Wellness Coaching

"You are just one decision away from living life beyond what you had dreamed"

See it in your mind

2009-08-03T17:15:00.001-07:00

VISUALIZE all day EXACTLY what you truly dream yourself to be.

THINK all day about what your going to do next to make it happen.

PLAN all day what you're going to do next that will make it happen.

Make your dream BECOME your very clear, ultra detailed movie clip in your mind that drives you...

See it in your mind all your waking hours and thus, act & think as if you already have what you are pursuing...

...and you will literally BECOME what you've been visualizing!

The mind is a powerful tool like no other.

Here's some insight from Dr. Marie Dalloway on mental imagery from her book "Visualization: The Master Skill in Mental Training. There have been studies which found that what the mind thinks has a direct effect ON the actual cells of the body.

You are and become what you believe, what you think, what you see in your mind, my friends.

"We cannot think or imagine without some level of physical response occurring. In visualization, thoughts and images lead to neurological patterns, which in turn, lead to muscular responses.

"With a repetition of thoughts and images (a visualization), the associated neurological pattern is strengthened, and the responses imagined have a higher probability of occurring in an actual situation. It's as though by visualization a neurological blueprint or template is created.

"With visualization practice, the template is being traced and retraced, making it more indelible and more clearly defined. The stronger the neurological pattern associated with the visualization, the more likely that it will be activated in an actual situation. Therefore, there is a greater probability of performance outcomes that have been visualized."

It all starts in your mind

2009-07-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't . . . you're right.

-Henry Ford

Tuesday

2009-07-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Second day of a new week - and feeling great with refreshed motivation and 'feel' in my workouts. This week marks a new dedication to cardio HIIT 4-5 days a week, immediately after my weight workouts, with my bike on a trainer stand indoors. I will be doing other cardio in the evenings/weekends (outdoor biking or swimming) as my body feels it. ;-)

I have also modified my diet to include green tea (with other flowers and herbs) 2-3 times a day. This takes away any desires for coffee with cream and sugar (used to be my downfall, and still a craving comes from time to time). So now, it's this great (organic) tea with a little bit of Stevia and I'm good to go.

Also realized that although I thought I was drinking enough water, it seems to me like my body has been speaking a different truth ;-) Actually, I think God has been pointing this out to me, since all of a sudden, I found myself confronted with numerous articles and videos on water all within 24-36 hours. Since I'm constantly praying about my success in how I am working to achieve, no... exceed, my dreams, I felt this was a critical bit of guidance.

I'm focusing on taking in water more regularly through the course of the full day (wake-up to just prior to bed) and am feeling more energetic and clear-minded. Water should be one of the 4 constituents of our food: Fats, carbs, protein, water. After all, it is life!

Training split for me over these next 7 weeks looks like this:

July 13 - August 30

Monday: Back / Traps / HIIT cardio

Tuesday: Chest / Core / HIIT

Wednesday: Biceps / Triceps /HIIT (OR rest if I feel I need to on a given week, then do Bi's/Tri's on Friday with Shoulders) - HIIT

Thursday: Legs (no cardio)

Friday: Shoulders / Core - HIIT

Saturday: OPEN

Sunday: REST

I am following intuition more these days and am feeling better for it. While I work to remain diligent in workouts, if I am feeling one body part over another on a particular day, I may go with that and adjust future days of that week to make sure full body is worked without overtraining.

I'm learning to take advantage of these opportunities where I'm stoked or focused on a bodypart, even if it will be an adjustment in my plan. What's the song: Don't know what you've got, til it's gone...

I feel that way about motivation: Take it when it comes and then exploit it to the greatest advantage that you can while it's there!

The mental aspect is so essential to our success - if I am feeling especially motivated about one body part, or even one particular exercise, I will be going along with that to keep myself feeling great about what I'm doing! It's those days, when we feel unstoppable with the work we are about to do, that we have the greatest opportunity to push ourselves past previously thought limits, and EXCEED ourselves.

Take every advantage to do just that.

Til next time, CONQUER your self-administered limitations & EXCEED even the highest dreams that you may have had before.

You are so much more than you realize!!

Reflections and insights

2009-07-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

So, here are some insights from the past couple of months, as well as my recent layoff period, in no particular order:

I will not take planned time off for the sake of time off. Instead, I will continue to ease off on my workout once every 6-8 weeks or so, for a period of one-week, where I will slow the work forced upon them, but not stop it. This means doing fewer sets and never, ever pushing to muscle failure. The point is to keep the muscles moving, but not forcing overload during that week.

The above will then help the mental aspect of staying with diet to reach my goals, as I will still be regularly reminded that I am working for a reason, even if I don’t work as hard (physically).

Don’t stay on one routine for any longer than 8 weeks – preferably in the 4-6 weeks range. The decision must be intuitive and a personal evaluation of progress.

Core, core, core…. I’ve been learning more about the critical importance of our core strength, far beyond the six-pack we strive for. A stronger core results in strength in all the other, seemingly unrelated parts of the body. It’s called the ‘core’ for a reason. I’m working to continually strengthen and improve my core for fully functional performance.

Functional muscle – I don’t want to have muscle only for the sake of just looking good and feeling more confident. I want each muscle to work as it is intended and for my body to be able to function at its peak, no matter what I’m doing through the course of the day or night. Big and solid, yet functionally primed like a well oiled machine is my goal. My dream.

Superfoods – I have changed up my ‘routine’ of what and how I take a few of these, coming back to pretty much the original one that worked so well for me. And I paid the price when I strayed: my body became acidic very easily, energy levels down and sleep quality reduced, just to name the first few that come to mind. The base routine is actually the one labeled in one of the ‘packages’ as Rejuvenate. I’ve found that to be the case from my own trials and errors. Marine Phytoplankton, colloidal gold (Gold Rush), ReVitaPhi, and Island Fire. These start my morning in preparation for my workouts with great energy, clarity of mind and motivation

I will leave you with a quote I recently read on a Dream Bodies blog, probably stated by Tony DiCostanzo (my emphasis added.). I wrote this along the top of my big white board that I have posted up in my gym. Read this once. Okay, maybe twice. Well, maybe thr….

To be able to achieve your Dream Body
You have to go beyond the best you can
You have to push past your limits
Once you've tried your hardest,
you have to then try even harder. Every day.
That is the life of a Champion.

Keep DREAMING, keep working HARD, fight the good fight to achieve your personal dreams EVERY MOMENT of every day...

Vic

Workouts & things...

2009-07-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is doing GREAT tonight! I'm back in the saddle, so to speak...

So here's an update on how things have been going with my workouts in recent weeks.

After working my most recent routines for over 12 weeks, I decided to take a week off to recover. However, some life circumstances allowed me the ‘in’ to make the excuse to not work out for over 2 weeks. It amazes me how easily this can happen if we are not diligent in the work we do. And mind you, it IS work. Hard work – day in and day out.

Diet was fairly good, yet I find how much one feeds the other, and back again. Good, sound decision making and planning is added effort when we don’t have our workouts driving us and the ensuing recovery pangs reminding us to ‘keep at it’, ‘don’t stray’, stay the course!

The Gym … she beckons me each morning out of my slumber...

My workouts have resumed with some modifications:

I am a big proponent of our bodies needing to continually be forced to adapt if we are to advance ourselves. Workouts can never remain the same for any extended period of time, for we will find the fruits of our labors not what they could be. How do you measure the ‘cost of lost opportunity’? Hard to do quantitatively, but in our consciences I’m sure none of us want to even consider it for long at all…

My P/RR/S training worked well for me and taught me many things. It truly has been the single biggest difference in my workouts in (recent or distant) memory. I have learned about my body in greater detail. Taking that information and using it to form a new routine is both refreshing and empowering. So the next 6 weeks (or so) will be spent on a new routine.

I find that my body responds better to higher reps rather than lower (i.e. 4 to 6, like I used to do with limited results for some time). That is, when it comes to building muscle size, which is the focus of my goals at the moment. I have also noted new success with slow negative cadence repetitions (performing the negative of a rep in super slow fashion). Added tension time makes a difference. But this is not for every set…. Finally, shocking the muscles in new ways creates new gains, as well.

This routine will also differ by keeping the same exercises each week for each body part, hence the reason why it will be a shorter term routine, as the body will adapt more quickly than the last one where each routine was repeated once every 3 weeks. Each body part will utilize some manner of lower reps (on the order of 7 to 10) with some of them being slow, negative accentuated sets (last set of a particular exercise). It will continue with higher rep/volume sets to shock the muscles (have you ever heard of the 8 x 8 or 10 x 10 routines?) Drops, double-drops and pyramids will be added to the mix.

One thing that will remain constant is using each muscle in each of 3 positions of force: mid-range, stretched, and contracted positions. Hitting the muscle function in each of these 3 ways adds for more effective buildup from that muscle group, as wonderfully made and complex as our muscles are.

I expect that after this routine comes to a close, I may go right back into P/RR/S again, or a slight variation of it, that I'll decide when the time comes and I can tell what my body needs again...

Some insights of mine from these past few weeks in my next post :-)

Vic

More motivation

2009-05-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

In the form of a gift - to me. I haven't been seriously riding in quite a few years and really want to get back into it. For outdoor training, as well as a bike to use on my CycleOps trainer for cardio after my weight workouts (or during bad weather).

So I decided to splurge and get a bike that I really love to help me push to do the cardio that I don't always like to do ;-) I've dreamed of having a Specialized bike for many years and decided last weekend to get the CrossTrain Sport - a combo of a road bike with 29" wheels, but with a mountain bike body and tires that are smooth in the center with knobs on the outside - as well as mtn bike tire width. Just so happens Specialized is sold out of all the 2009's, so I was able to get the 2010 very early and at the same price point as the '09! The 2010 model is black with gloss electric blue trim..

Protein intake and acid in our body

2009-05-20T03:14:00.000-07:00

As we travel through our muscle building journey, we naturally take on significant portions of protein to build and strengthen our muscles. One fact that we must consider, however, is that protein is acidic by nature which creates an acidic environment in our body.

Our body strives to maintain certain pH levels (alkalinity), in general ranging somewhere between 7.3 – 7.4. It does all that it can to maintain this level. The body will attempt to counter this acidic environment using minerals and bicarbonates – but if we don’t have enough minerals (as many people are deficient), our bodies become depleted and that leads to other negative health effects. The more acid we have, the more minerals are being depleted from our bodies, and the cycle continues. As a result, we have to be sure we counter this with the nutrients we take in on a regular, daily basis if we do not want to have negative effects.

Note that if we continue to have excess acid in the body, it will store this acid (along with toxins, by the way) in fat tissue. This is a part of why some have difficulty losing body fat – the fat cells are being utilized for storage of acids and toxins. As a side note, this is a partial contributor in some women who get breast cancer - the fat cells in the breasts store toxins that are not removed from the body. (You can also refer back to the Immune Detox information I shared in an earlier post. http://vicrd.blogspot.com/2009/04/bia-results-and-other-updates.html )

I have finally found a way to counter this affect, in a super healthy way, using a 'product' called ReVitaPhi. Actually, I have found there are so many positive effects from this organic combination of nutrients that it’s hard to know where to begin. My journey with this began a few months ago and keeps getting better as I understand my body better all the time. Next post I’ll go into a little more detail about my personal experience, but for now, I’ll leave this post with an article posted on the Natural News website. Enjoy.

*****************************************************************

Review of ReVitaPhi:

A Masterpiece of Superfoods

Offered by Elements for Life

(NaturalNews) Dr. Jameth Sheridan is probably the best superfood product formulator alive today. That's no small achievement, either: His products go beyond the world of basic nutrition and embrace the realm of food energetics. There's a quality about his products that resonates with high-vibration people, and every person I've ever watched test his products energetically (through muscle testing, etc.) has been astonished at the positive results.

Jameth is best known for his Vitamineral Green product (www.HealthForce.com), but today I wanted to introduce you to a product he has formulated specifically for the Elements for Life company, a superfoods network marketing company that provides raw foods, goji berries, superfoods and other similar products. For the record, I have no financial ties to this company. It is one of just four network marketing companies I currently advocate. I have financial ties to two of them, and no ties to the other two. This is one of the two companies I have no financial ties with, but advocate anyway.

The product is called ReVitaPhi, and it's a super nutrient-dense collection of land vegetables, aquatic vegetables, enzymes, food-based minerals and ancient herbs like Tulsi, Ho Shu Wu, Ashwaganda and even Moringa (which a lot of people are learning about all of a sudden!).

First, though, a word of warning: This product is not a toy. It's not a delicious green drink that kids are likely to enjoy (like Delicious Greens). Instead, this is perhaps the most nutrient-dense superfood I've ever experienced, and the taste is complex and somewhat medicinal. It works very well blended into chocolate superfood smoothies, by the way, and hard-core raw foodies just drink it straight, mixed with water. (Wow!)

So what's in it, exactly? You can read about it in more detail and see the ingredients listed in an image on this page: http://www.noblelifeelements.com/victory

An Alkalizing Beauty Blend

It's called an "Alkalizing Beauty Blend," and there's no doubt that the combination of ingredients are highly alkalizing. I especially like the seaweeds (Kelp, Dulse, Laver, Bladderwrack), since they contain trace minerals from the ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laver_...)). The very high density of superfood ingredients in this formula means you only have to use one spoonful in your smoothie to experience significant benefits (unlike some other superfood products that need multiple scoops to provide similar nutrition).

There's also this to consider: Most superfood products don't even include the kind of medicinal herbs and superfoods found in this formula. For example, you won't find Tulsi in many products, nor Ho Shu Wu (Fo-Ti), an herb used extensively in the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The result is that this single product delivers a combination of high-vibration plant-based nutrients you just won't find anywhere else. It's truly a one-of-a-kind formulation from one of the best in the industry: Dr. Jameth Sheridan.

It's sold only through Elements for Life, which means if you want some, you'll need to get it through them. (My comment: Visit www.noblelifeelements.com/victory to find out more. Vic)

Motivation

2009-05-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

A BIG shout out goes to Eric Broser, who I've been speaking of in recent blogs. He recently left a note for me on a past entry...

eyez-on-pryze

Talk about lighting the fire underneath me to make sure I'm up at 4:45 tomorrow morning to get my workout in! Thanks again, Eric!

MIB (Missing In Blog)

2009-05-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So I have been away from Blogland for a while. Working many things and not focused here these past few weeks.

P/RR/S training is going really well - I'm loving it! This is Eric Broser's routine that he came up with a few years back to get himself through a wall in his progress.

I purchased the e-Book here:

http://www.x-traordinaryworkouts.com

Eric's website is: www.prrstraining.com

Here's a discussion on his system on Natural Bodybuilding radio:

http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/trainers-systems/what-is-prrs-training-let-eric-broser-tell-you-about-his-amazing-training-system

P/RR/S stands for:

Power
Rep Range
Shock

The routine is a 3-week cycle...

Week 1 (Power) focuses on power training which is based on basic exercises in the 4-6 rep range

Week 2 (RR) takes it to another level - 3 exercises per bodypart (similarities to the 3D POF work some of you may be familiar with) and each successive exercise per bodypart changes around by increasing the reps a specific way.

Week 3 is Shock week, where you blast your muscles with shock treatments using added intensity of various types which confuses and grinds them for that week.

Then back to the Power week from there.

There's lots more involved, such as the critical nature of the cadence changes of each exercise and how that changes with each week and with certain bodyparts.

I am finally seeing changes that I have not been able to achieve for years!

I'm also experimenting with various cycles of the superfoods to find out more detail about my body and response to each nutrient-dense product. What a change toward my muscle/fitness/well-being success...

Have the best day ever, y'all! :-)

Vic

ROCK ON!

2009-04-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

There are many things in our lives that can makes us happy and excited. One area of our lives will easily affect others. I've had some very good days recently, particularly Thursday and Saturday. I mentioned in my previous post that I has psyched about something that really set my mood for the rest of the day on Thursday. Oh, yeah, I deleted that post...haha. Sometimes these things, of course, have nothing to do with workouts or fitness goals, but from an emotional standpoint, they can help sure with that, too.

Well, see below for the reason for my joy on Thursday when UPS arrived! :-)

My new Ibanez RG350DX and Line 6 amp. By far, the best guitar (and amp system, for that matter) that I've ever had. Over the years I've had to sell all of my equipment and it's so good to be back with it!

LET'S ROCK IT, BOYS AND GIRLS! :-)

Deleted post

2009-04-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

For all of you who have been following, you'll notice I deleted my last post. In was on self-sabotage - which there is absolutely no room for in my life any more. Just having it in this blog had a negative energy that I don't want associated with me. I have vented - I have passed it - and I am a new man!

Vic

Quick post

2009-04-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've decided on my workout routine - P/RR/S by Eric Broser.

After reading his routine and those of Hugo Rivera and Ironman Training Center, it seemed natural that with my body type, recovery capability, age, etc.. Eric's made more sense and there are reviews by the guys at IronMan to support his routine, as well. The guys at IronMan also have some good input that I may use within the P/RR/S as worked out by Eric.

After speaking with Eric by e-mail (Eric, if you happen to read this - thanks for your support!), I may make some mods, and need some modifications since my exercise choices are a bit reduced because I work out at home.

I've been working on laying out my personal routine in a spreadsheet for the past 2 days while reading more and more about potential variations of exercises and will have that complete in the next 24 hours. In the meantime, I have the first week's routine in place that I'm working now.

Vic

BIA results and other updates

2009-04-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve posted…sorry! It’s been a crazy time – schedule is busier than ever and I’m still adjusting to all the big changes I’m making all around.

So I had my BIA (Bio Impedance Analysis) done last week.

Results? In my first 4 weeks:

Bodyfat: Lost 6.5 pounds

Muscle: Stayed the same

Cellular health market (phase angle): Indicates a significant jump in cellular health! In fact, the increase has been the highest jump this office has ever seen in this marker in anyone in such a short period of time. Cool!

Intracellular water – Good increase (Very good indication).

Extracellular water – a bit low. Need a little bit more hydration, but…

The big picture shows that I am also detoxifying my body very well with very positive and healthy results!

Normally, I would have been dismayed that I didn’t gain any definitively measured muscle mass; but from the years of experience I have found that this is not the only measure. I feel how my muscles are changing. I am stronger. I also know that during this time after a long layoff, by nerve-muscle connections are growing and becoming more effective. This is very important for our muscles to be able to work as efficiently as they can and it takes a bit of time for this ‘communication’ within our bodies to get better established. The neuromuscular system of our bodies is very complex in a phenomenal way. So this aspect will just keep getting better and better as long as I stay on track with workouts, BUT…

. . . I DO feel I need to perform something very different with my workouts to make my muscles really grow. I basically need to shock the you-know-what out of them, make them work in ways they NEVER have before and do things like I’ve never done them before.

I may go way out of my comfort zone, but it’s the only way I can find out - and my past is not a good history to show me what has worked (in terms of extraordinary achievement, that is), so I have to go into new territory. I WANT EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS.

Any suggestions?

I’m looking at two regimens right now that I need to decide on. One by Hugo Rivera and one by Eric Broser (Power / Rep Range / Shock or P/RR/S workout.)

Bodyfat loss was with no cardio work being done, just eating 6 times a day, eating the right food and the right portions, and good supplementation. What is also great about this is that I was right on for only about half the time (2 of the 4 weeks). The other 2 weeks I was okay, but not great. Certainly not 90% per what PN system suggests. So, again, if I keep getting better with this, I expect even better results if I saw this in only 2 weeks of the 4 being right-on.

Diet evaluation – Still feel like I need to take in more good carbs than last 4 weeks. I think that is necessary for me to get the muscle mass increases I am looking for. Mental note, made. :-)

Detoxification: At the time I had my fist BIA, I had just started on a superfood regimen which I have a link to on the right. I didn’t want to say too much until I had data to support the changes that I felt in my body.

So as for detox, there is an amazing thing called zeolites that I have introduced – something that has taken years to harness properly and finally it is done. These are not your typical detox mechanics. Zeolites are made from volcanic material, processed in a specific way, which is a cage-like structure (perfectly safe, organically processed and no chemicals).

So what happens is that unlike other detox methods where all the toxins still come into contact with your kidneys, liver, etc. the zeolites act like a sponge-cage and trap all the toxins inside of them as they pass through the body. This trapping method keeps the toxins from coming into contact with your internal organs as they pass through so they are much safer and less taxing on your system.

This comes in the form of a dropper, and you take one dropper 3 x per day. Virtually no taste, easy to take and inexpensive, too. I couldn’t be happier with this product and the data shows that I have not only detoxed, but in a safe way where my body does not seem to be adversely affected. Some detox methods make you feel so sick while you’re going through it and ridding your body, but not this one. It’s called Immune Detox from Elements for Life.

A sad fact about the toxic state of our bodies in our current environment:

The typical umbilical cord of a newborn baby at this time contains approximately 200 chemicals that don’t belong in the human body. What are we doing to ourselves?!?!

I’ll post in the next few entries about the other superfoods that I have started too, that have made such amazing changes within my body in the last 4 weeks. I have just been overwhelmed by what a human body can do if given the nutrients it needs to do everything it is designed to do. A comment that was made by the nutritional counselor as I left my BIA appt. last week was that she was going to use me as a “Walking billboard for Superfoods”.

Write soon…

Vic

My 3 new best friends :-)

2009-03-26T16:37:00.001-07:00

Meet my new Family Size George Foreman Grill (big enough to make week-lasting meals faster), my new blender for superfood smoothies, and my BIA scale. :-)

As I get a couple more BIA's done at the Integrative Medicine office, I will compare with this machine to see if they are close and at least follow the same trends, so that I can feel comfortable in tracking progress (even if not the absolutes...)

So far, the bodyfat and muscle mass % readings were in the close ballpark to my original BIA, so we'll track and see!

~EYZ ON THE PRYZE~

Vic

EYZ ON THE PRYZE

2009-03-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is the phrase I repeat to myself over and over again: Every time I'm tempted to miss a workout, every time I'm tempted to miss a meal or not take my supps, every time I'm tempted to eat food that my body will hate me for!!

EYZ on the PRYZE!!!

It's amazing to me that I can have one bad meal in the evening for my dinner (like a cheat meal such as pizza or pasta) and I pay for it for at least 2 days before my body looks and feels like it did the moment BEFORE I took it in!

AAARGHHHH.....

My 4 week BIA analysis is being done this Tuesday morning and I'll report my progress. I've had comments from friends that they've noticed a change in me...let's see what the numbers look like. :-)

EYZ on the PRYZE!!!

Vic

Introspective

2009-03-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

I have had to step back and take a real SERIOUS AND HUMBLING look at where I stand. The fact of the matter is that I have had a layoff of about 4 years, and in that time my body has seriously deteriorated, not only in losing muscle mass and increasing fat mass, but also in general health from the extreme stressors that have been involved during that time period.

My recovery takes much longer and I’m so much weaker. That’s why I’m on this journey after all, right? The funny thing is, looking at me, no one would ever know…

The regimen I started on was basically one of getting right back into as if I had just taken a week or two off, just slightly lighter. I feel like my cortisol levels have been absolutely through the roof because I was doing too much, too quickly for my body to adapt and strengthen in a healthy way.

I am going back to some baselines when it comes to allowing recovery and also the volume of exercises so that, most importantly, I am doing this in a healthy way for my body. That means it may take longer than I wanted to really get where I wanted to be, but that is alright as long as my health comes first and, in the end, I will come out ahead.

I believe that over-doing it initially is what sent my body and gut into the weakness that it did and the resulting deterioration of my mindset last week. So today I started a variation of my routine that I am going to try, based on real good successes of others on this type of work. I don’t think I’ll get into too much detail here, but I’ll keep you posted of how it is all working. Today went well with everything! Oh, except my knees after squats. :-( Need to start taking glucosamine/chondroitin again and be sure to never miss my fish oils.

Moving to morning workouts –

Yes, I worked out at 6:00 a.m. and it felt really GREAT to get it done right away to start my day! My performance was not as low as compared to afternoons as I expected and saw other times, once I got into the swing of the workout. I think the supplementation I’m taking now for energy and overall health (superfoods…a-la the link over there on the right) has made a VERY big difference here.

Diet –

I am working hard on ensuring I get enough carbs - and only good ones! I have relied in the past so much on meal replacements…and these are not truly meal replacements then, being they are so low in carbs (at least most of them). A proper meal has a higher percentage of complex carbs relative to protein. And frankly, after I have a shake or a bar, I really am not in the mood to have to follow with whole food! If that was what I wanted, I would have the entire meal as whole food, not just part of it. These supps have hurt me in the way I personally have used them and not helped because of this (as well as my rant on artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners…and other stuff, too.)

That being said, I have also removed all of the other supps that I used with chemical additives (the Muscle XGF, the Nitro Pro40 and MuscleBars). The only one I still have a few of for an emergency back up is the LeanBody, but only as an emergency…

I have replaced my shakes with the Natural Optimum Nutrition line (they have others that are similar packaging but are NOT natural, so you have to be careful reading the labels) one of which has whey protein and oats as the carb source, not just the Natural Whey. I will be making my own shakes utilizing these 2 natural products if I need a liquid meal sometimes, and I use these for the immediately Pre and Post workout shakes, plus added BCAA’s, glutamine (and creatine sometimes) right before and right after. I also take 1g of Vitamin C right before and after to help keep cortisol levels at bay during the workouts and initial recovery.

Can’t wait to have my cottage cheese and blueberries or apples (organic, of course) as my mid morning meals on some days…

About my chemical exposures of various sorts:

I have removed much of what I am able to in terms of toxins from my ‘personal’ environment over recent days, weeks, months, years. When it comes to topical aspects (skin absorption), I use organic / non-chemical products such as shampoo, soap, shaving cream, mouthwash/rinse (with no alcohol…alcohol has been linked to several types of cancers in the mouth and throat – even though the mechanism of why it is the case is not certain yet), toothpaste (and without flouride, too), deodorant (without aluminum and other toxic metals dangerous to our bodies, so it’s not an anti-perspirant…that’s bad for the body and not how are bodies were made to function), moisturizers (without chemicals or petroleum products inside) and so on.

Keep in mind, our skin is the single, largest organ of our body. It absorbs what you use on it. It’s supposed to breath (petroleum products clog the pores) – and a critical reason for breathing is that it also is an avenue to release toxins from our bodies, and even more so when you are doing things to detoxify yourself, like I am with my Immune Detox.

Cleaning – only natural cleaning products with no dangerous chemicals. Bathroom cleaners, dishwashing soaps, laundry detergent and fabric softeners… Some of these commercial products are so filled with killer toxins it’s absolutely unbelievable to me that they are allowed to be sold!! When we use these, the toxins enter our bodies in various ways: through skin contact, our lungs when we breath, they can even enter through our eyes…anything that is exposed to the toxins being airborne.

Foods…well, I’ve talked a lot about that. I’ll talk about plant based foods probably later this week, just as a commentary of thoughts, if y’all want to hear.

Food Intake comments - Part 2

2009-03-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's just my time in recent days to rant and say it like I feel it REALLY is. :-)

First, just one last commentary on artificial sweeteners - I promise. Let me just throw this out there: Our bodies are programmed to respond to sweets as being carbohydrates, right? The body sees food as either a fat, a carb, or a protein.

Well, what do our bodies really do internally when they are given a sweet (so it thinks it needs to react as such), but that is not a carbohydrate - that is, no energy capability associated with it? How does our body know what to do with it? How does it react and what does it really end up doing?

We don’t really know. You cannot say that everything else just passes through harmlessly…it is absorbed in some way - and any way that it may be, is not what our bodies have been perfectly designed for.

This is completely aside from the fact that they are chemicals, not foods. So why ingest them if they’re not food?

If we are to build the very best bodies we can, they must be as healthy as possible from the inside out. They must be functioning internally as efficiently as possible. Cell communication must be as perfect as possible – it absolutely critical. Same with immune function. Toxin existence must be as minimal as possible. Nutrient levels of the whole foods we eat must be as high and balanced as possible.

Anything less - in any organ, any function, any cell in our bodies - and the results we COULD have had we will NOT achieve. Let me try to paint a picture…

So here’s a motorhead analogy. :-)

Take 2 race cars that 2 drivers are trying to prep for a big race. Both cars start out as being reasonably ‘identical’.

The first one is running 'okay' as is, but you want to give it more power…so you put a big blower on it and throw some octane boost in the gas tank. There you go – a significant boost in power. Cool. Fast.

Well, the other guy (or gal!) has their own car starting from the same baseline. But they approach it differently. First, they make sure the ignition timing is correct. Plugs are healthy and firing dead on. Computer is communicating to every part of the car as efficiently as possible. Transmission is humming and gears are shifting right on. Fuel put in the tank is absolute premium. Everything in the ‘machine’ is talking, working, performing as effectively and efficiently as possible. THEN they put a blower on and put octane boost in the tank.

What happens?

The first car is powerful and super fast. Impressive results.

The second car that has care toward all the internal details first? It’s not just fast, it’s over the top in performance and wins easily!!

If we’re competing (to be our personal best…or personal best in comparison to others in a competition), how do you want to approach this? Do you want to have every single advantage to be the best you can be, full on, over-the-top!?

IT IS TIME FOR ALL OF US TO TAKE CHARGE OF OUR BODIES IN EVERYTHING WE DO WITH THEM - IN EVERYTHING WE FEED THEM – IN HOW WE TREAT THEM. 24/7/365.

Oh, and by the way, did you hear that in addition to the known negative effects of high fructose corn syrup, now much of it has recently been found to contain mercury?? (!!).

Workouts - morning vs. afternoon

2009-03-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, I’ll just put it right out there. This week has really sucked. My only workout so far has been legs and abs on Monday. Work and personal responsibilities have been so busy that I didn’t get in at reasonable enough times to work out if I’d have any chance of falling asleep. Add to that, my mind has been in a TOTAL funk since Tuesday for some reason, too and my stomach has been speaking some not so nice things to me. I feel so physically drained – and the physical drain is causing an emotional one.

My food intake has been very good – no garbage. But I have not been consistent enough with 6 meals a day. I KNOW how wrong this is and I let it happen. Feels like everything has been upside down (including my insides) this week.

My plan this weekend to take time for myself and to focus on rest, food, shopping, recovering a workout and prep for next week - and planning better so it’s a no brainer once the work week begins again.

Oh, yeah, so the title was about workout times, right? I see now that a big part of my missed workouts this week (I HATE saying ‘missed workouts!!) is that the evenings have not been favorable. I posted earlier that I am so much stronger in the afternoons than the morning. But you have to actually DO IT for it to work at all, huh?

Well, I got a glimmer of hope in an article I read yesterday (in a magazine I never look at, of all things) on a recent study of workout times. God always comes through. :-)) The article first compared differences of energy and power for training between morning workouts (7 – 9 a.m.) vs. afternoons (3-7 p.m.)

The study found that the group working out in the afternoons clearly showed more strength.

But that’s not all…

They further noted that those athletes who started working out in the mornings with reduced performance, actually brought their performance up to the level of those working out in the afternoons after several weeks! So this tells me that even though the weight (and endurance) of my workouts initially will be lower when I start WO in the a.m., it will catch up soon afterwards. At least based on this study of athletes. Only one way to find out.

When it comes down to it, I have to do things so that I have the best chance of working out at all, rather than when I have more energy but miss a bunch of the workouts, right? Okay, NO MORE TALK ABOUT MISSED WORKOUTS. NOT AN OPTION.

The conclusion of this article was geared toward athletes who train in the afternoons, but who have competitions in the morning hours where their performance would be reduced. It suggests they get acclimated to morning workouts so that their competitions will result in their very best personal achievement.

This is such good news for me to hear right now! If I work out first thing in the morning before work (up at 5, workout at 6), then I don’t take the chance of things coming up in the evenings to derail me. This is so critical for me. My Week 3 workouts will start with morning sessions. The only difference will be cardio, when I will be using equipment at work after hours… Either that or use my training stand to put my bike on…same as a Lifecycle, without all the bells n’ whistles – and that way I can do cardio in the a.m. if I choose.

Like a kid in a candy store

2009-03-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, well, maybe candy store was the wrong choice of words. :-)

I'm just so psyched that today I went and purchased Tosca Reno's books (Eat Clean Diet, Eat Clean Diet cookbook, and Eat Clean Diet for Family and Kids). I may not have needed every bit of info in all the books, but I figure it'll be really good for support of the mindset to read over things that I may even already be aware of...in addition to new ideas.

Then I come home to find that my PN V3 arrived with the Volume 1 and 2 cookbooks. The diet thing is just so important and I've been struggling with keeping food healthy, yet lively and interesting. I can't wait to read through these over the weekend. :-)

If anyone has these and has any helpful comments about them for me, I'd love to hear...

"Food" intake comments - Part 1

2009-03-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

During the week I made some more adjustments to what I am taking into my body. As you may be able to tell from some of my comments so far, this blog is toward a defined goal of muscle building and becoming healthfully lean, but also simply about wellness and overall good …no, SUPER HUMAN, health and wellness as the core to build the body upon. I consider my body to be a temple and as such, it is important to take notice of everything that goes in.

With that, I am trying hard to stay away from anything that is not naturally occurring in our world – a world that has been supplied fully and perfectly for our human needs.

So, last week I got rid of my fast-absorbing choice for protein (VP-2) and the Labrada Super Charge product (I'm not picking on this brand, it's just the one brand of this type of product that I was using most recently.) They are filled with chemicals (and other things that I don't even know what they are) and I do not want that in my body. To me, it’s just not acting responsibly for myself.

I have replaced the AST VP2 with Optimum Nutrition’s Natural whey protein isolate (these are the fast absorbing proteins). WHAT A DIFFERENCE. When you take this stuff in it just feels so much “cleaner” going inside you, without all the taste of the artificial flavors (chemicals) going in – and that feeling I have in my gut afterwards. Makes me feel so much better about what I’m doing for myself (or to myself, as the case may be). The sweetness of this product comes from Stevia, which to me seems to be the only sweetener that is based on the original sugar molecule with changing (adding) other components to it. Not perfect, but it’s the bet I’m willing to take that it is much less harmful than any of the others (or not harmful?), no matter what the FDA says.

I was using these ‘new’ pre-workout energy/focus drinks from time to time as a boost for my workouts, but again, it had some effects I didn’t like – in a way, making me feel a bit not in total control of myself. It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe. Full of energy but strangely not in a controlled or natural way. I’ll talk about changes I made in this regard later - but I’ve completely stopped these particular product types that are on the market.

And I’m feeling cleaner and healthier from the inside out…

Last week (Week 1)

2009-03-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

My first week started off very well - with workouts, food and supplementation. Found I wasn’t getting enough carbs in the first 2 days so I had to adjust. It’s very important to track and adjust as necessary to get the greatest gains toward our personals goals.

So forward onto the weekend. I have to make adjustments here, as well. Since many of my weekends are so crazy, I found that it is harder for me to be consistent – there just isn’t the structure in place that I have during a typical work week. Easier to make excuses. Easier to either miss or delay a meal with the running around that I do. Easier to make choices that aren’t consistent with my goals. And I wasn't perfect these two days :-(

It all means that I need to plan that much more diligently for the weekends than even during the week! Not impossible, just need diligence to the plan…and actually, making a more detailed plan to work around these times.

I’ve made another huge change.

I typically have at least 2 cups of coffee (if not 3 or 4) during the course of the day, starting from the moment I walk into the office. The problem is that I only like coffee if it is very light and sweet – that’s just my taste.

Take the fats and sugar and it is not per my plan! I’ve tried using artificial powdered creamers (the flavored ones) that don’t have sugar, but when you look at the chemicals in these, they are IMO even worse for our bodies! Anything that doesn’t come naturally in our world is foreign to our bodies – which has to affect them, whether we have the scientific understanding of exactly what they do or not.

So last week I had a total of one cup of coffee ALL week, none on the weekend, and so far this week just barely one full cup. Actually with the cup I had this week, I felt so lousy from “feeling” the artificial sweeteners and other chemical additives that I just don’t have a taste for it any more. :-)

I think this goes a long way to getting out the bad stuff and only supplying good intake to my body…

Long time, no post

2009-03-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, it seems like it's been so long since I've posted...SORRY about that! Things have been really crazy for me these past 6 days. Promise to update VERY soon. First thing I'll be saying more about is about my cleaning house last week...the brick house I'm building, that is :-)

I'll explain soon!

CLA anyone?

2009-03-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

I think we’ve all heard about some of the benefits that CLA can have, particularly in terms of fat loss. I recently read an article by Dr. Paul Cribb on some information that has come out resulting from a trial on muscle gains, as well. I’m attaching the full article here instead of just putting a link in.

One thing to note is that the research study was based on 5g of CLA daily, rather than the “prescribed” amount of about 1 g daily that’s written on most bottles. Definitely some exciting results! – I’m certainly keeping it in my recently much reduced supplement regimen… Mass gains while losing weight...Don’t have any left right now, but will get some more tomorrow.

*******************

Muscle mass gains 700% better with CLA

A very interesting study was published last year involving the supplement Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and its effect on muscle mass during training. This report has been overlooked by the bodybuilding community. However, its results are very relevant to all strength athletes, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, this study is one of very few that have examined the effects of supplementation with CLA during a structured training program. Secondly, it utilized a large group of resistance-trained participants. Using this protocol, the results obtained with CLA were quite simply, remarkable.

Even more astonishing were the comments and conclusions made by the authors of the published manuscript. Let me give you a brief rundown of the study, its protocol and results so you can see exactly what I mean.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of CLA supplementation during a resistance training program on strength gains, body composition and markers of muscle catabolism (breakdown). In this study seventy-six resistance-trained participants were randomized to receive CLA (5 grams per day) or placebo for 7 weeks while training 3 days per week. Seventeen of the subjects then crossed over to the opposite group for an additional 7 weeks. All assessments were completed before, and then at 7 and 14 weeks.

The major findings from this study were that after the first 7 weeks, the group given CLA demonstrated a significantly greater increase in lean mass (+1.4 vs +0.2 kg) and a greater reduction in fat mass (-0.8 vs +0.4 kg) compared to the placebo group. The group given CLA also showed a small but significant reduction in 3MH (a marker of muscle protein breakdown) compared to treatment with the placebo. Additionally, the males given CLA demonstrated significantly greater gains in bench press strength. In the crossover part of the study, CLA again had a significant impact on 3MH and muscle catabolism.

Based on the findings, supplementation with CLA during resistance training clearly resulted in a significantly better improvement in body composition. CLA also appeared to reduce the catabolic effect of training on muscle protein. This would explain the better gains in lean (muscle) mass obtained from CLA in this research.

However, these important findings have been overlooked or ignored by most bodybuilding journalists that bother to take a look at the research. This is probably because of the conclusions made by the authors of this study. In the published manuscript the authors conclusions of the findings were quite different - subdued to say the least. Within the the discussion section of this paper, the researchers concluded “…although the results were statistically significant, the changes in the CLA group were small, and one could question their clinical significance.”

I was very surprised by these comments. So I re-read the results. The data was as clear as night and day.

* The group given CLA demonstrated a gain in lean mass that was seven fold better than the placebo-treated group. Yes, 700% greater!

* Whereas the placebo group gained almost half a kilogram of body fat, the CLA group lost almost a kilogram (2 pounds) of pure body fat.

* These differences were apparent after just seven weeks!

* The correct statistical assessments were utilized on the data to ascertain significance. Most importantly, significance was achieved utilizing a large group of resistance-trained participants.

The bottom line is, results don’t get any clearer or more compelling.

While the cross-over part of the trial did not tend to yield supportive results, it’s important to remember that CLA is a bioacitve lipid - its beneficial effects on the metabolism could remain for weeks or even months. Also, only 17 subjects participated in this part of the study, as opposed to the 76 that completed the initial 7 week trial. Even so, within this cross-over part of the study (that used a much smaller number of participants) the data still showed a consistent benefit from CLA on reducing muscle catabolism. Now, despite these outstanding results the scientists suggested that the findings have little relevance. How they came to that conclusion is beyond me. Where is the common sense?

A seven-fold greater gain in lean mass and a loss of almost one kilogram of body fat in seven weeks is darn relevant in my book. I’m sure that virtually any bodybuilder would agree with me.

I understand that scientists have to be conservative when interpreting findings. However, the interpretation of the results presented by the authors boarders on the ridiculous. It makes me think there may have been a hidden agenda involved.

A seven-fold greater gain in lean mass and a loss of almost one kilogram of body fat in seven weeks is darn relevant in my book.

Based on the authors recommendations, some health professionals have presented a very watered down version of this research in the media. However, I’ve highlighted some key aspects of this study to provide you with the clear facts. The data doesn’t lie.

I’m sure you can make up your own mind as to whether or not a 700% better gain in muscle mass combined with a one kilogram loss of body fat in just seven weeks is “relevant”.

Source: Pinkoski C, et al.The effects of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation during resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 38(2):339-48, 2006.

Posted on: February 19th 2009
Posted by: Paul Cribb Ph.D. CSCS.

Plans and observations

2009-03-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

So, after much more thought over the past several days, I really like the suggestion on splitting my goals into 4-week sessions. I think mentally this will be a good way to change things up and not get bored or un-motivated, as well as keeping my body guessing more. So my thought now is to do a 16-week term, rather than 12 weeks.

16 Week breakdown - in (4), 4-week sessions:

Weeks 1-4: Lean mass building (March)

Weeks 5-8: Fat burning, while working hard on losing as little muscle mass as possible (or even still gaining, but more slowly?) (April)

Weeks 9-12: Lean mass building (May)

Weeks 13-16: Fat burning (June)

At the end of every 4-week cycle, I will have a BIA done and assess lean mass gained and body fat lost. This will allow me the info to make some mods if I need to on the fly.

**I still have to work up how my micronutrient ratios will break down in each of the 2 types of phases, as well as how I want to mix up the exercises for each body part.

I want to keep my muscles guessing, so I’m not sure if I will change them (exercise selection) every 4 weeks, every 2, or maybe every new mass building 4-week session ???

Workout breakdown:

Monday: Legs, abs

Tuesday: Chest, triceps

Wednesday: REST

Thursday: Shoulders, traps, abs

Friday: Back, biceps

Saturday: REST

Sunday: REST

I find that a really need to not have workouts on any more than 2 consecutive days. My body definitely needs the time to recover! But my abs recover faster than the rest of me, so I will try to work them 2x per week.

Also, I don’t have cardio worked into this yet. Frankly, I need to take it one step at a time and let my body get used to serious workouts after about a 4 year layoff. (Due to many life-altering circumstances that occurred one after the other – and at times all at once! – which, in part resulted in an approximately 20 pound loss of muscle in 6 months. See what stress can do to you!!) I think once I get into the first few weeks of this, I may add a little bit of cardio once or twice a week, then obviously really get into the cardio in the fat burning sessions.

What I need to look out for:

Eating enough whole food meals – It’s so easy to get lazy and not prepare enough meals for a 6-meal day, instead relying on meal replacement drinks and bars. I’ve got to be good about this – plan and execute.

Taking in enough carbs – Yes, I said that. This relates directly to the point above about meal replacements. The ones I have are so low in carbs that they will not be nearly enough to sustain me, particularly in mass building attempts. And I want to get BIG & HARD! So I need good, organic, appropriate whole food meals!

Sleep – It’s too easy to work a 10-12 hour day, then workout late and not be able to fall asleep as a result. I need to be sure I get a minimum of 7 hours, but the target will always be at least 8 hours of good sleep each night.

Putting off cardio – I am just SO bored when it comes to machines. When the weather gets warmer, I really want to run. I haven’t done so in many years, but last summer got the bug to really want to do that again. I can also bike outdoors and found a good area of several miles not too far from home. In the meantime, a new set of headphones may help.

Recipes – I am on the lookout for some real good recipes to keep me interested in the food I need to eat so often, each day, each week, each month. This truly is to be a lifestyle change, not just a short term goal. If I am to keep this up for the rest of my life, I must make the meal selections not only very healthy, but also tasty and interesting.

With that in mind, I’ve been looking at the Precision Nutrition website and am considering purchasing their plan, which comes with a meal prep book.

When to work out?

When speaking strictly of weight training, I’d prefer to work out in the morning before work and use the rest of the long time period during the day to feed my muscles for recovery. But I have found that I am much weaker in the a.m. than in the evenings, as I need to push my muscles as hard as they can go if I want max results. So for now, I will be lifting in the evenings as often as it works out.

Once I get to the point of fat burning workouts, which will mean a number of cardio sessions each week, I have to lift in the mornings. The cardio equipment I have access to is at my office, so I will be doing that after work hours.

Workout went really well the last 2 nights. Little longer than what I’m shooting for, but I also needed more time in between sets to recover than “normal” (again, due to such a long layoff and my condition right now.) Very happy to be squatting again, too! Now I just can’t wait to start deadlifts again! Today is an off day.

Final observations (historically):

Best body part(s): Glutes & back (V-taper)

Worst body part: Chest.

It is really hard for me to make appreciable gains in strength or mass…chest lags behind any other body part in terms of progress. Need to work on changing up my routine and exercise selection that bring the most out of my pecs.

Til later…

Believe in yourself

2009-03-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

Just forgive the reference to McD's that's in this . . .

It's so good to be here!

2009-03-02T03:50:00.000-08:00

The first step of my journey begins today - a 20 degree, snowy day.

Over the weekend I rested and ate well - clean, regular feeds with supplementation that was on time. The sickness from last week seems to be over. Woke up a short time ago with my muscles feeling a bit fuller and harder, even though I haven't lifted yet :-) - that will be tonight, legs and abs.

I've been considering posting a photo to keep record here of at least some idea of where I am, but not sure if I want it up just yet ? Hmmm....

Supplements

2009-02-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

UP there is before...

Down here is "after" ...

So, as you can see from the pic on the top, I had a quite large collection of supplements that I acquired (especially true of all the small bottles on the bottom left - you can't even see all of them in this shot!). Some taken regularly, some not, some for experimentation. Now is the time for me to simplify, in order to have a better chance of staying on track, specifically as related to supplementation.

I’ve taken a long, hard look at what I’ve been sporadically doing over the years with this. So, now I’m making a list and organizing what I feel is most important and stick with that list – without allowing myself to get too sidetracked. I can correct as necessary in the coming months, but I need a simpler, more efficient list of choices that I will use.

So I have my supplement before and after pictures here. Quite a difference, huh?

Here a list of supplements that I am taking now and plan to continue with, at least for the time being:

Protein / Meal replacements:

AST Muscle XGF (breakfast)
Labrada Lean Body (during the day, if required to replace a meal)
AST Muscle Bar (during the day, probably mid-morning, if required to replace meal)
AST VP2 protein (fast absorbing, used in pre & post work out shakes)
Labrada Super Charge (occasionally, for pre-workout energy)
AST NyTro Pro40 (meal replacement, before bed)

Other supps:

L-Glutamine – AST
Micronized Creatine – AST
DGC (dextrose, to supply muscle glycogen) – AST

**I mix with DGC, VP2, creatine, glutamine & BCAA’s for pre & post-workout shakes

BCAA’s - I use BodyTech right now, just because of the price and it’s easy to get)
CLA
EFA (Essential fatty acids…EPA/DHA)
Multi vitamin / mineral - AST
ALA – AST
Vitamin C
Calcium / Magnesium

Super foods – broad spectrum organic nutrients (Elements For Life):

Marine Phytoplankton (upon waking)
Gold Rush (upon waking)
Immune Detox (3x per day)
Maca Powder (strength, energy, hormone & recovery support for workouts)
Cordyceps (strength, energy, hormone & recovery support for workouts)
ReVitaPhi
Island Fire (Noni, ginger, turmeric elixir)

I’m looking for a good protein powder that I can use to add protein to a meal, if necessary to achieve my target daily protein intake (1.5 times my body weight = ~260g/day). The VP2 I use is a fast acting one that’s good for other times, but I want one that has slower absorption properties and that is high quality…

Of "Re-Define"-ing: Goals and plans

2009-02-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking about how to properly define my goals, as I finalize my plan for the next 12 weeks (and also looking out to a second set of 12 weeks after that)… That is, what is realistic, how I should track and measure my progress, what time frame do I use, and so on. Being under the weather this week has given me time to think.

Well, timing is everything – and in the middle of last week I received an e-mail from the great people at Integrative Family Medicine Center, telling me about this new BIA (Bio Impedance Analysis) machine they have just received a few days ago and how they are doing free body analysis evaluations for a limited time. I jumped at the opportunity to be their guinea pig (with getting used to set up and the machine, not the technology or equipment itself!) as Beth walked me through the process and got me prepped. This was my opportunity to get a baseline of bodyfat and other information, to then re-measure at regular intervals to track my progress.

Not only does BIA measure fat and lean mass in the body, it also does a number of other things which are indicators of cellular health. Without healthy cells throughout our body, and those cells being able to communicate as well as possible with one another, we can never achieve optimum health and progress in reaching our individual goals.

This was actually the perfect situation and timing for me, given the different measurement data that is available. Not only am I beginning my journey with one eye on body composition and the visual, but the other, more critical eye is looking from the perspective of health and wellness from the inside out (not the other way around). How healthy the body actually is – how well is everything functioning at the cellular level – how clearly are the cells within my body communicating with each other – how well hydrated and nourished are they – do they have all the micronutrients they need – are they in a toxic state? You get the picture.

It is because of this last point, that I have also turned to what are most commonly called “superfoods”. I already feel some strong results within my body just from taking in these foods in for the past few days. More on this in future posts - and you can also click on the Elements for Life link on the right to find out a bit more of what I’m using.

Say WHAT??

So, I did have the BIA done and what do I hear? Bodyfat : 23.1%.

Huh?? Yep. Okay, so at 5’9”, 177 lbs. (okay, I’m actually175 lbs, but that was dressed), I’m carrying around 41 pounds of fat in my body. Wake up time! Well, again, it’s important to look at things as how they can be positive, not negative. It’s absolutely fantastic that I have this understanding now and it serves to help me both define my goals with real data as support and baseline to work from, and also lights the fire under my butt to get myself stronger and healthier right away! With that level of bodyfat, particularly knowing that much of it is VAT (visceral fat, that is, fat all around the internal organs, not just what you see as being right under the skin), it is very unhealthy and can lead to numerous serious conditions, particularly since I’m not 20-something any more.

Goals and observations + My 12 week countdown

I’m feeling quite a bit better today and planning that this Monday I will start my workouts. That is my plan, with lots of rest + good nutrition over the weekend.

The timeframe for this stage of BodyWork will be 12 weeks.

Start:

Monday, March 2, 2009

End:

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Goals. Must be numeric and measureable. Need to be attainable, yet not overzealous (and too easy for that, matter!).

What I’d like to have succeeded in by the end of August (roughly 24 weeks out…or 2 – 12 week sessions) would be to stay at my same weight of 175 lbs. Really! It’s not the absolute measurement on a scale that matters, it is the amount of bodyfat compared to lean mass. The scale is only one tool, one part of a bigger picture with knowing how you are progressing.

In that 24 week time I would like to lose 20 lbs. of bodyfat, while gaining 20 pounds of lean muscle

It that shooting for too much? Maybe, but that is also longer term. So I am making my 12 week goal to lose 10 pounds of bodyfat… while gaining 10 pounds of muscle.

How physiologically feasible is this? I don’t know yet. I know that I have lost fat and gained muscle in the past. I don’t know to what degree this will be possible for me at my age either. I know that I want to determine what I am capable of in 12 weeks, and the simple fact is that I want both.

I will be experiencing many different things on this journey. Some of that is the fact that I am going to turn 45 during this 12-week period and this is the first time in this decade of my life that I am again going to again be lifting heavy. I have already noticed how much my recovery capability / time has changed since even my late 30’s. So my adjustments are going to be a part of my plans, observations and changes during the next 12 weeks.

Am I crazy? Totally off base? On target? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

Happy Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Excuse me if I digress for tonight...

So today begins -

A time of fasting and prayer

A time of meditation and recollection

A time of discipline and self-denial

A time to become more grounded, more thoughtful, more conscious

A time of penance and a time of reconciliation

A time of preparation and a time of hope

A time of love.

2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 21

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

"Say hello to my little friend"

2009-02-24T12:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's not a machine gun, but it's heavy metal anyway ;-)

So this is where my "body work" gets done. Nothing extravagant and certainly a small space, but it's what I need to live with right now and I'm fortunate to have what I need: Full adjustable cage with spot bars, both high and low pulleys, dip bars, chin-up bar, incline bench, Olympic and standard plates, and hex dumbell set. Oh, yeah, and a fitball. It gets the job done. Cardio will be done either outdoors (in better weather than this!) or in the small gym at the office after working hours, which has a couple of treadmills and Lifecycles.

Personally, I don't like going to a gym - don't enjoy all the issues you have to deal with when it comes to that: Waiting on equipment, wiping off other people's sweat because they don't do it, taking the time to get yourself TO the gym to begin with if you're having a hard time that day getting yourself to work out anyway... I love being able to work out as I need to, whether it be first thing in the morning one day (after a pre-workout shake, of course!), after getting home from work the next day, or any time when the right feeling hits you and you really feel energetic and motivated.

And speaking of shakes, it's so much easier to just walk into the pantry to make my shakes and take my supps right away and not worry about packing and clean-up with bringing it all along. That's just me...it's not for everybody. We each have to do what works for us to make it happen, right?

One thing I do need to do now is get heavier dumbells. My set only goes up to 50 and I need to make alternate plans on the exercises I choose because of it.

Keep on, keepin' on . . .

So, why "Re-Define and Re-Design"?

2009-02-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

I thought of this title for my blog without much thought beforehand…it just came out from what I feel inside of me.

Be forewarned, the geek in me is going to come out from time to time in this blog. :-) And yes, this is one of those times.

Coming from an engineering background and then working for quite a few years in Program Management, too, there are certain things that have been a part of my daily work over the years. In New Product Development, using the Idea-to-Launch process, you start with an idea (duh, right?!), then you create a specification; your ‘product’ definition. You decide what you want to design and the action plan of what you need to do to get there.

Okay, with the plan in place, you then go and design that product - step by step.

First Define. Then Design.

Well, I’m the product and I’m making the specs and the plan. But I have to ‘re’-do it all at this point. The time has come in my life to take the true vision in my heart of what and how I want to be, that is, how I want to feel (superior wellness and vitality – emotionally, spiritually, physically), how I want to look (rock hard size and lean!), and ultimately, how I want to behave (with love, strength of character, even temperament, and fully thoughtful in the walk that God has planned for me), then put together a roadmap of how to get there, and design MYSELF into the product what I want to become.

That definition involves all aspects of my life: Who I am as a man, as a father in upbringing and example for my children, as a son, as a Catholic, as a co-worker, friend and fellow human being of everyone else in this world. If in my transformation and journey (which has no end, by the way, it’s truly just that – a journey) can help just one person, it was all worth it!

So there’s the first part of where I’m going with all of this…

To end this post on a very different note: I’m not working out right now because I’ve come down with a dumb bug. It was not completely unexpected: I had my children this weekend and spent it caring for my sick daughter. And I believe that precisely because I have not yet achieved the higher level of overall wellness, fitness and strength, I got it pretty quick. I’ll be posting about my workouts, diet, mental outlook and everything going on with me in that regard, once I start up again within the next few days or so.

In the meantime, I will use this miserable cold to my complete advantage. You see, I hate being sick. It's funny how a cold can make me feel so much worse that more serious ailments I've had! But what happens then? I feel SO good after having felt so bad for a relatively short bit, that it gives me great energy and drive to start lifting again once I've cleared out of it! So this is that time to bring me mentally stronger into the game. Good stuff.

It must be time

2009-02-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Well, today I read messages from a couple of wonderful supporters, that set in my mind that it really must be time for me to just get this thing started. It's late in the evening after a 12 hour day at the office, so I'm not going to do much now, but wanted to write a quick note that I will be working to get this blog where I want it to be soon!

I have so many thoughts and ideas to share, as part of the journey I am beginning. I look forward to sharing, getting feedback, and most of all if it is at all possible, helping others at the same time!

See ya soon...

Just getting started

2009-01-25T05:51:00.000-08:00

Just getting started at "13 weeks out" from a personal fitness goal and I'll begin posting my thoughts, activities, and progress soon....