The Powertool Shed

Does this sound familiar? Are you like those people always seeking out other ways, whether it’s fat burners or trimming gear of achieving weight loss? And are you, perhaps, sick of constant let downs from fledgling products and proposals, especially in view of the fact that you simply wish to learn one thing i.e. how to slim down fast? Often you might think you’ve hit on the right answer finally — when actually everything you attempt to do is utterly off the mark. Alright, you haven’t given our novel machine a try yet. You can find out how to reduce your weight fast using a method that’s easy and fun with this impressive new machine. Firm up that paunch, rear, hips and leg muscles by following our diet guide, in addition to using the Ab Circle Pro. There’s also a helpful DVD enclosed in the pack, and there are optional extras such as calorie-counters. We can already guess what you’re probably asking yourself — is this sincere? We can assure you — it actually works! It’s so good, helping you get slimmer in no time, particularly around those troublesome squishy areas — with no artificial fat burners being deployed. Frequently, customers notice that their stomachs firm up within just thirty days of their making use of Ab Circle Pro. You could also build up the muscle tone on your back, shoulders and arms, solely due to the position you take up when using Ab Circle Pro. Ab Pro is so simple to put together — just follow the help included on the DVD. You’ll have yours ready to use in your home in no time at all for a small price, plus handling and shipping. Other customers have commented on how easy it is to assemble and hide away — it’s compact enough for even the most cramped rooms.

On the flip side there are merely one or two trivial problems you may want to know about — a few of our product users found that their knees ached as a result of using it, so ensure that you use decent padding to prevent this. Also, the rollers may squeak a bit occasionally— however you can easily sort this out with a little bit of oil. Ok, we admit that you might not get to appear like those television advertisement demonstrators over night — but Ab Pro seriously helps, and if you want to know how to cut down your weight quickly — make sure that you expand your workout regime further than just using our product. As they say: there’s many ways to skin a cat. These exercises should form just one part of your daily exercise routine. Flexing your muscles, building up your strength, improving your endurance and doing cardio workouts are required too. Moreover, you should make sure that you eat healthily. Our machine could vastly change how you look and feel. All things considered — with a good guarantee — what’s stopping you?

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Don’t believe that having a Costa Mesa personal trainer is a luxury reserved only for the rich and famous. There are plenty of trainers prepared to work within your budget. You may be asking yourself “Do I really need a Costa Mesa personal trainer? Why?”

1) One of the key reasons people benefit from a Costa Mesa personal trainer is that they lose motivation to stay with a consistent physical exercise program. Certified Costa Mesa personal trainers can provide structure and accountability, and help you develop a lifestyle that encourages wellness.

2) Number one reason why people employ Costa Mesa personal trainers is to lose weight and get into shape because it works. If you made a commitment to lose the fat and build muscle, a trainer can keep you on course and help you ahieve that goal.

3) If you have any chronic health conditions, injuries or training goals a trainer will work with you and your wellness care provider to plan a safe, efficient individualized plan that considers these needs and enable you to achieve your wellness goals.

4) If you play a particular sport, a performance enhancement specialist will help you improve your skill by showing you new training techniques specific to your sport. A Costa Mesa personal trainer will incorporate skills training into your plan so you improve not only your strength and endurance, but your agility and mental focus as well.

5) If you are an absolute beginner, a Costa Mesa personal trainer is the ultimate physical fitness coach. A good trainer will present you to a very easy effective routine and build efficiently so before you know it, you have the confidence and knowledge to decide what is right for you.

6) Ok, you are already in superb shape, but you’ve been there for years. If you are stuck in the same routine and want to break out of a pleateu, a Costa Mesa personal trainer is the perfect solution. A Costa Mesa personal trainer will jump start, not only your motivation, but your routine as well.

7) a Costa Mesa personal trainer watches your form, monitors your vitals and can provide objective feedback about your limitations and strengths. Most of us tend to neglect some of the subtle signals our body provides. We either drive through pain or give up too soon. Because a Costa Mesa personal trainer can watch what you are doing while you are doing it, they can help push you or slow you down as needed.

Many Costa Mesa personal trainers make house calls. If you don’t have the type or interest in going to a gym, but have a hard time knowing what to do on your own at home, a Costa Mesa personal trainer can bring physical fitness into your living room.

If you want to get the body of your dreams contact Costa Mesa personal trainers.

Fat reduction is something most folk contend with sooner or later. Searching for the safest fat reduction program or the most effective work out regimen can go on for ages. On the surface, it seems as if the search is about looking fit for everyone but yourself.

You will go out of your way to make a good impression on “them,” right? To be successful, blissful, and appeal to your life-time partner, you have to look acceptable to them. Hmmmm.

Unfortunately, this is to some degree true, all the same, looking fit (worthy) is actually just about growing in tune with your individual self-worth, accessing a more precious worth that is not obtained from your appearance. “Getting rid of weight” must not be the sole question asked. You don’t have to let go of the pursuit of losing weight, but at least attempt putting this question along side of it: “How can I find a sense of worth and fitness on the inside, irrespective of how my body looks?”

Chances are you’re already pondering such a thought, in your subconcious.

During your fat loss efforts, the above question normally lies beneath your weight challenge. Seeing as how it is there anyway, why not bring it front and centered. Make it your main goal. Make self-acceptance just as worthy in importance to fast weight loss. There is absolutely nothing to lose.

When you make self-pride the goal, along with a decent “lose weight fast” method, you open a door towards a much better you emotionally. You begin to realise that there are different ways to solve this task, aside from just diets and exercises. Moving towards true self-worth gets you to address the problem directly. You then begin to expose the nitty-gritty issues.

It is imperative that you get help if many wounds are showing up. There are many great books and resources on weight reduction, self-esteem, body image, and true self-acceptance that will elevate you to new directions.

But the issue and its resolution originate with you. What I am telling you is that the real job is not selecting a weight loss diet, or what to eat, etc. the real problem is self-judgment. It is wise to start there.

You merely feel bad when among others if you are looking at your self through judgmental eyes. When you free yourself from self-judgment, no matter how distressful it was, then you will have arrived at the source of the problem. You emerge from that state by choosing to do so. You remove self-judgment about your body image or anything for that matter, by noticing how unhelpful it is, and simultaneously finding ways to experience more self-pride.

Your heart is between one to two times the size of your clenched fist. Contrary to popular belief, it is not located to one side of the body - it is located almost in the exact center of your chest. Due to the shape of the heart and chest cavity, the heart pounds against the chest wall on your left side, so the heart rate is stronger when felt there. Your heart is responsible for pumping about six quarts of blood throughout your body, with about the same amount of force that the average person applies when squeezing a tennis ball. The heart is not under voluntary control. A system known as the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, is responsible for regulating your heart rate.

There are many ways to measure how healthy a heart is. A healthy heart should beat with a fairly regular rhythm that will change based on levels of exertion and oxygen requirements. A healthy heart has a high stroke volume, which refers to the amount of blood that is pumped out with each beat. A healthy heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood, so the resting heart rate of a healthy heart will be lower than average. Blood pressure is another indicator of heart health and should be in the healthy range of around 120 over 80, as determined by the national average.

Various types of training have different effects on the heart. Training that elevates the heart rate for even brief durations can increase the size of the heart. This will increase the stroke volume, and result in a lower resting heart rate. Training can also increase the rate at which the heart recovers from a bout of intense work. In other words, a trained individual will return to their resting heart rate faster than a sedentary individual. Exercise has been shown to lower blood pressure. In addition, regular cardiovascular exercise can increase the concentration of hemoglobin in blood, allowing the body to become more efficient at transporting oxygen to the cells that need it (as well as removing waste products such as carbon dioxide).

The average resting heart rate for an adult is around 72 beats per minute, or 75 for women and 70 for men. The lowest recorded heart rate is 28 beats per minute, attributed to a Spanish cyclist named Miguel Indurain. Many athletes have resting heart rates between the mid 30’s and mid 40’s. Bradycardia refers to a resting heart rate less than 60 beats per minute. It is simply a name for the condition of a slow heart, and does not imply an unhealthy heart or disease. Tachycardia refers to a resting heart rate over 100 beats per minute, and is considered a very dangerous condition to have.

The notion of maximum heart rate was designed to help people safely and effectively exercise. The maximum heart rate is theoretically the most times that your heart can safely beat in the span of one minute. The traditional formula for computing maximum heart rate is 220 - age. I am 29, so my maximum heart rate would be computed at 191 beats per minute. As you can see, maximum heart rate will decrease with age.

It has been speculated that the generic equation for determining maximum heart rate is not very accurate. Individuals of the same age will have different sized hearts, stroke volume, blood pressure, resting heart rates, and other factors that would contribute to the maximum possible beats per minute. A few attempts have been made to “fine tune” the formula, but even those efforts may fall short. One formula is known as the “adjusted heart rate”. It involves removing the resting heart rate from the maximum before applying a target formula. For example, if my target heart rate were 193, 80% of my maximum would be 154 beats per minute. In other words, my “target” heart rate at 80% is 154 beats. Using the adjusted method, I would first subtract my resting heart rate, apply the percentage, then add it back in. So, in this example:

193 (maximum heart rate) - 39 (resting heart rate) = 154.

154 x 80% = 123.

123 + 39 (adding resting heart rate back) = 162.

Therefore, instead of the traditional 154 beats per minute, my “adjusted target” at 80% would be 162 beats per minute. Another “tweak” to the traditional formula is known as the Tanaka method. Based on a study of literally thousands of individuals, a new formula was devised which is believed to be more accurate. The formula is 208 - 0.7 x age. Using this formula, my maximum heart rate when I was 27 would have been 208 - 0.7 x 27 = 189, or about 3 beats per minute less than the traditional formula.

So why even worry about your heart rate? Heart rate is a great indicator of training. In order to better understand heart rate, you must understand the various “systems” of energy that your body uses when you train. There are three systems that are always in effect, but one system will dominate based on the type of training. These systems are ATP-CP and glycolytic (both are anaerobic, or systems that do not rely on oxygen as the primary energy source) and aerobic.

The ATP-CP system is the system that bodybuilders are most familiar with. It is the system where your body is forced to perform work without the aid of oxygen. When you perform a repetition during a weight training exercise, your muscles contract and must generate force quickly to resist the weight. This action happens quickly, and your body is not able to use oxygen to fuel the contraction. Instead, your body will rely on stores of energy within the muscle cells, namely a compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate. ATP depletes rapidly, and is replenished by CP. Sports that rely on this system include power lifting, shot put, and short distance sprints.

Bouts of work lasting more than a few seconds will draw energy mainly from the glycolytic system. Once ATP and CP are depleted, the glycolytic system kicks in. This system takes carbohydrate stored in the muscle cell (glycogen) and breaks down the glycogen to replenish ATP. Sports that utilize the glycolytic system include mid-distance sprinting, basketball, volleyball, boxing, and football. These are all sports that involve prolonged periods of moderate activity mixed with short bouts of near maximal effort.

Marathon runners and other distance runners use the aerobic system. The aerobic system utilizes oxygen for energy. The blood transports oxygen, so this system has the largest influence on the heart. Any type of activity that is prolonged (more than a few minutes) and does not involve repeated bouts of near maximal effort would use the aerobic system as the primary source of energy. Keep in mind that all systems are being used, but the aerobic system becomes the predominant system.

The rate at which your heart is pumping can help indicate which energy system is dominant at any given period of time. This is where the maximum heart rate and target heart rates become useful. Traditionally, training “zones” have been determined based on percentage of the target heart rate. The common breakdown of these training zones is:

50% - 60% = low intensity
60% - 70% = fat-burning zone
70% - 80% = aerobic zone
80% - 90% = anaerobic zone
90% - 100% = maximal zone

The low intensity zone is ideal for burning calories without stressing your body. If you are recovering from a workout or an injury, on a reduced-calorie diet, or looking to burn additional calories with minimal impact on muscle gains, this a great zone to work out in. Brisk walking on an incline is an ideal way to reach this zone, and the main drawback is time. It takes the longest amount of time to burn a given number of calories when training in this zone.

The fat-burning zone is what I consider the land of myth. This is the most misunderstood zone in training. When you are at 60 to 70 percent of your target heart rate, the majority of your calories burned will come from fat, during that training session. Over 65% of your burned calories can come from fat. Due to this trivial fact, many people believe that this is the necessary zone to burn fat. This is not necessarily true. Any time you create a caloric deficit, or expend more calories than you consume, you will lose weight in the form of fat and/or muscle mass. While other systems may burn less percentage of fat, they can burn more calories and therefore result in greater fat loss!

As an example, let’s talk about the “aerobic zone.” In this zone, intensity increases, so less of your calories are burned from fat. However, due to the increased intensity, you burn more calories per minute. Does this mean that you should avoid the aerobic zone if fat loss is your goal? Let’s break this down.

It is estimated that 45% of calories in the “aerobic zone” are burned from fat. Let’s say you run 6mph to reach the “fat-burning zone” and you run 9mph to reach the “aerobic zone”.
In one hour, you will run either 6 miles or 9 miles. According to research, a 175-pound person burns on average about 34 calories per mile. So, in one hour, you might burn:

6 x 34 = 204 calories, or
9 x 34 = 306 calories

In the fat-burning zone, you burned 65% of your calories from fat. This is 204 x .65 = 133 calories from fat.

In the aerobic zone, you burned 45% of your calories from fat. This is 306 x .45 = 138 calories.

As you can see, getting comfortable and going into the “fat burning” zone actually burned fewer calories. You might say, “What’s the big deal? It was only 5 calories difference.” But when you take into account total calories, you burned over 100 more calories in the aerobic zone. Since total calories expended have the largest impact on the amount of fat you will lose, obviously the aerobic method will result in more fat loss (provided you also resistance train so that you are not losing muscle) than the “fat-burning” method.

The fat-burning zone and below used the aerobic system. In the aerobic zone, you are still using the aerobic system of energetics, but may see a shift towards the glycolytic system. Once you reach 80%, you are venturing into the glycolytic and ATP-CP zones (over 90% is going to be predominantly ATP-CP). So heart rate relative to your maximum heart rate can help understand where your fuel is coming from and even how many calories you will burn. What is interesting to note is that the longer you sustain an elevated heart rate (i.e. aerobic zone or higher), the longer it takes for your body to recover by slowing down. This means you continue to have a faster metabolism and to burn more calories even after your training is done!

I mentioned these “traditional” zones because I don’t like to follow tradition when it comes to monitoring heart rate. For one, I feel that perceived effort is just as valid an indicator. Why limit yourself based on a “zone” you must workout in, when you can simply push yourself to achieve your results! Another problem with the traditional method is that it does not take into account errors with the heart rate calculations - should I train in the same zone as someone whose resting heart rate is 75 beats per minute (my own resting heart rate is around 39 beats per minute)? I don’t think so - I think that the lower resting heart rate is an indicator of advanced fitness and means that I can train more intensely. What if your heart is maxing out at 170 beats per minute instead of 193? Should you still “push the limit” because the equation tells you to? I don’t think so.

Heart rate can still be a useful tool for training, but you must learn to use your body as the tool, not the equation. For example, if you want to understand what your anaerobic zone is, instead of plugging away at a formula, why not perform anaerobic work? I can guarantee that you will be using your ATP-CP system (a completely anaerobic system) when you perform a one-rep max. So instead of taking 90% of 220 minus your age, just strap on a heart rate monitor the next time you perform a maximum lift. Then, instead of relying on statistics, your body will tell you what your “anaerobic” zone is. This may not be traditional, but do you think your heart will lie?

Once you have this useful information, you can apply it to your training. If you are performing high intensity interval training, and would rather have your heart dictate the intervals than your perception, let your body be the guide. Start by walking on an incline for several minutes. This is your low intensity zone. Now go outside and perform an all-out sprint. This will be your high intensity zone. Now you simply build intervals between those two heart rates for your training. Again, no equation that has no clue what the size of your heart is or what your blood chemistry is like - let your body be the tool.

As a final note, heart rate can apply to resistance training as well. If you are looking to reduce body fat, calories are king. Should you rest 15 seconds? 1 minute? How about staying in the “aerobic” zone? Pick a target rate for your training. Your “75% effort” (somewhere between your sprinting and incline walking) could be the bottom line. Simply rest until your heart rate drops to that level, and then perform the next set. This will ensure your heart rate is always elevated to a minimal level while allowing sufficient recovery to move on. When you are training for strength or heavy lifts, how long should you rest? 3 minutes? 10 minutes? Again, why not let your body decide. Rest until you fall to the fat-burning zone or even less, then start the next set. For you, this may only take 2 minutes, while another person will recover after 10 minutes of rest. The key is that your body is telling you when sufficient recovery has taken place to perform the next set - not some rigid standard like “4 minutes” that doesn’t take into account your specific, individual recovery ability.

When you are training, don’t forget the most important muscle: your heart. Not only is it an indicator of health, it is a tool that can help to improve your health. Instead of relying on cookie-cutter formulas, you can use your heart as an interactive gauge to tailor your workouts to your own unique body. Learn that the heart matters and use the powerful information it provides to build your peak physique.

Jeremy Likness is an International Health Coach and motivational speaker. After losing 65 pounds of fat, he discovered his true vision to coach thousands around the world to better health. A Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Performance Nutrition, Jeremy is the author of the internationally-selling e-Book, Lose Fat, Not Faith and the companion 5-CD set. Jeremy has been published in major online publications including Tom Venuto’s Fitness Renaissance and Bodybuilding.com. Jeremy’s approach is unique because he focuses on fitness from the inside out. Visit Jeremy online at Natural Physiques.

What you are about to read here is an article about one of the fastest ways to gain muscular size and strength on the entire body - and that is by following the good old squats and milk program. This routine has been around for about 50 years, but it is the absolute best program for fast gains.

You have to workout 3 days per week - i.e. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In each workout you will start with full squats. Do 2-3 easy warm up sets to get the blood flowing. Then take a moderate weight and do only 1 set of 20 reps. For each one take 3-4 big mouthfuls of air, hold your breath, squat down and up, and repeat. As you progress through the reps you will need to take more breaths in between. When you reach reps 15-20 you may need to take 5 or more big mouthfuls of air in between. It will take about 3-4 minutes to complete 1 set of 20 rep squats.

Right after the squats - without any pause, grab a light barbell and do pullovers while lying on a flat bench. Take a deep breath in between each rep and feel the stretch in the rib cage as you do the exercise. Do 1 set of 20 pullovers with 25 lbs. Keep using 25 lbs. for the pullovers as this exercise is just for stretching the rib cage and fill it with air.

For each workout add 5 lbs. to the squats and do all 20 reps. This is the key to making some big gains on this program. When doing this program you should do full squats. Try to go down as long as you can, this will make the squats far more effective for muscle growth. And another important thing, do not wear a weight lifting belt while doing the squats. By doing this without a belt you will strengthen your lower back and it will be easier to take deep breaths while doing high rep squats. Make no mistake about this routine, it is brutally tough and those 20 rep squats will take every ounce of energy out of you, but the gains are great.

This routine will stimulate your entire body to grow from the stress of the squats. And the pullovers will help to stretch your rib cage and make your chest bigger. When you are finished with the squats and pullovers do a circuit of chin ups, dips, and decline bench sit ups. Do one set of each for as many reps as you can with one minute’s rest in between each exercise. Complete this circuit 2-3 times without any pause in between and your workout is done.

Do this routine 3 days per week and each time make sure to add 5 lbs. to the squats and try to do more reps on the chins, dips, and sit ups. This will work every major muscle group in your body and force you to build muscle like nothing else.

Another side of this program, is to eat as much food as you can and as often as you can. This old program is called “squats and milk” and that is because the old body builders used to drink at least 1 gallon of milk every day to help them gain muscular weight while on the program. Milk is very high in protein, vitamins, minerals and calories.

Note: Always consult with your doctor before becoming involved in any kind of physical activity.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Body Building