The underbutt is the lower part of the glutes where the butt meets the upper hamstrings (the glute-hamstring tie-in).

When this is toned, it makes the glutes pop out and look fantastic.

Development of this area creates a nice sleek look to where the butt meets the upper thighs.

It’s crucial to perform glute exercises properly if you want to develop this area of your physique.

Here’s a video demonstrating how to isolate the underbutt.

Before doing these 4 exercises I would recommend activating the glutes.

I have a short article on how to do that here:

How to Fix Dead Butt Syndrome

If you sit for a large part of the day, your glutes won’t fire properly even when doing exercises that target the butt.

2019 Update: A lot of women requested an article on cellulite so I just finished this extensive post: How to Get Rid of Butt Cellulite

This little warmup will fix that.

Here are exercises which target the Underbutt.

• Hip Thrusts and Single Leg Hip Thrust (and pulses)
• Ham Curl
• Split Lunge and Alternating Lunges
• Froggies

These are the 4 exercises demonstrated in the video.

There are obviously more exercises to target the lower glutes, but this is a solid starting point.

How to work the lower glutes without back pain.

Recent studies have shown that the glute muscles atrophy (lose size) in women with chronic lower back pain.

This means it is extremely important to maintain a healthy back if you want nice glutes.

Back pain is bad enough as it is…

…but messing up your goal of getting a shapely booty makes it even worse.

If you have back pain, I highly recommend performing hip bridges before and after every workout.

Even if you don’t have back pain, this exercise is great for your posture.

This also activates the glute muscles.

Here’s how to perform a hip bridge.

• Lie flat on your back with your arms at your sides.
• Push with your heels to lift your hips.
• Create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement for 2-3 seconds.
• Do 3 sets of 5-10 repetitions.

What you will notice after doing this exercise is that you will stand taller.

Since most of us sit for a large part of the day, our hip flexors tighten and our spine flattens out in an unnatural way.

The hip bridge reinforces the natural healthy curve of your spine.

The world’s top low back injury specialist, Dr. Stuart McGill, highly recommends this exercise.

What is the best exercise to build mass in the glutes?

The shoulder-elevated barbell hip thrust is an exercise that builds mass over entire gluteus maximus.

If you are lacking size in your butt, this is the exercise you will want to include in your workout.

Here’s a video demonstration and explanation by the person who came up with this exercise, Brett Contreras:

The explanation in the video is the best I’ve seen.

Here’s how to do this exercise, but make sure and watch the video for cues and additional tips.

Here’s how to do weighted hip thrusts:

1. Sit on the ground with a bench directly behind you.
2. Have a loaded barbell over your legs with a squat pad on the bar.
3. Roll the bar so it is above your hips.
4. Lean back against the bench so it makes contact with your shoulder blades.
5. Begin the movement by driving through your heels extending your hip vertically.
6. Extend as far as possible then return to starting position.

This takes a bit of practice to get the bar in a comfortable position.

Once you get used to the movement you will be able to work up to pretty heavy weight.

The intermediate lifter should be able to get up to 1.5 times their body weight.

Those who are advanced can lift 2 times their body weight in this exercise.

Sprinting is a fantastic underbutt exercise that also helps you get lean.

Scientific research shows what the glutes barely fire at all when waking but are highly active when sprinting.

The faster the sprint, the harder the glutes fire.

In fact, there is a hypothesis that the large glute size in humans was evolved out of the need to the sprint away from predators.

So a round and firm butt isn’t just for looking killer in a bikini, it is for function as well.

Speaking of bikinis…

Here a great HIIT Sprint Interval Routine for the beach.

Here’s how a summary of how to do HIIT sprinting at the beach.

• Sprint hard for 10 seconds.
• Make note of your footprints in the sand.
• Walk back to the starting point and sprint to where your footprints end.
• Walk back to the start.
• Repeat this 8-10 times.

If you never run in the sand before, be prepared to feel a little sore the next day.

The added difficulty will really hit the lower glutes and underbutt hard.

This is a fantastic way to get a HIIT cardio workout that simultaneously builds and shapes the glutes.

Jumping rope will tighten the underbutt area and add tone and definition to the glutes.

Like sprinting, jumping is an explosive activity that requires the firing of the glute muscles.

Jumping over and over, by doing a jump rope workout will tighten up the hamstrings and glutes and can lift the butt a bit.

I have an entire article on jumping rope called, the 15 minute jump rope workout for fat loss.

Here’s one of the workouts from that article.

How to do a Jump Rope HIIT Workout

• 1-minute slow jumping warm-up
• 1.5 minute of rest
• 30 seconds fast jump
• Alternate 30 seconds of fast jumping with 1.5 minutes of rest for a total of 7 times (14 minutes)

Tip: I would recommend activating the glutes as I discussed earlier, by warming up the butt with hip bridges.

Also…

If you do have a lot of flab and fat to lose, I would recommend getting rid of this with a good cardio routine.

Here’s a simple on to use at the gym that burns fat quickly.

To burn fat and reveal underbutt muscle tone, follow this workout with a 20-30 minute HIIT cardio routine.

Here’s an article I wrote about a cardio machine workout that works extremely well:

How Interval Training Slows the Aging Process

Here’s my go-to HIIT routine that can be done on any cardio machine.

• Start with a warm-up at a comfortable pace for 3-5 minutes.
• Then, increase the resistance or incline to a challenging level and sprint for 30 seconds.
• After the sprint, lower the resistance or incline and recover for 90 seconds.
• Repeat this pattern for a total of 8-10 rounds.

You can gradually increase the level of resistance or incline for each sprint to make it more challenging.

This workout will not only burn fat but also help shape and tone the glutes, just like the beach sprinting and jump rope workouts mentioned earlier.

Stretching and flexibility is important for better activation of the lower glutes while exercising.

Here is a simple stretching routine that can help with better activation of the lower glutes while exercising:

1. Lizard Pose: Start in a high plank position and bring your right foot forward outside of your right hand. Lower your left knee down to the ground and sink your hips towards the floor. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
2. Pigeon Pose: Start on all fours and bring your right knee forward towards your right hand. Extend your left leg behind you and lower your body down towards the ground, keeping your hips square. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
3. Frog Pose: Start on all fours and bring your knees out wide, keeping your ankles in line with your knees. Lower your hips down towards the floor and hold for 30 seconds.
4. Seated Straddle Stretch: Sit on the ground with your legs out wide in a “V” shape. Reach forward towards your feet, keeping your spine straight. Hold for 30 seconds.

Incorporating these stretches into your workout routine can help improve glute activation and overall performance.

A healthy diet can contribute to overall glute development and fat loss around the underbutt region.

Don’t neglect nutrition.

Aim to eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.

This will help provide your body with the nutrients it needs to build muscle and burn fat.

Additionally, be sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.

Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks, as these can contribute to weight gain and hinder progress towards your fitness goals.

To build up the underbutt make sure and get enough protein.

A general guideline for protein intake in women is to consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

This is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for the average sedentary adult.

Here’s how to calculate your protein needs based on your body weight:

1. Convert your weight in pounds to kilograms by dividing your weight (in pounds) by 2.2046.
2. Multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.8 to find your daily protein requirement in grams.
   For example, if a woman weighs 150 pounds (68 kg), her daily protein recommendation would be:

68 kg x 0.8 g/kg = 54.4 grams of protein per day

It’s important to note that this recommendation is for sedentary individuals.

Active women, especially those involved in strength training or endurance sports, may require more protein to support muscle repair and growth.

Also…

No need to go crazy with protein.

I typically eat on the lower end of the recommendations.

I wrote a post about that here:

Low Protein Diet for Weight Loss & Longevity

So make sure and get enough protein without becoming protein obsessed.

The mind-to-muscle connection is extremely important as well when targeting your glutes.

It’s important to focus on the mind to muscle connection.

This means actively thinking about and engaging your glutes during exercises to ensure that they are being activated properly.

Remember to start with lighter weights and focus on proper form to avoid injury.

Emphasize the importance of focusing on the targeted muscles during the exercises to enhance activation and better results.

Underbutt FAQs:

The post How to Target the UNDERBUTT – Lower Glutes Workout appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Should you take diet breaks when you are trying to lose weight?

I found a recent study which compared taking long diet breaks -vs- dieting without breaks.

Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study [1].

In this study…

• One group dieted nonstop for 16 weeks.
• The other group alternated 2 weeks of dieting with 2 weeks at maintenance for a total of 30 weeks.

The results were interesting.

Both groups went through 16 weeks in a calorie deficit.

The group that took breaks every 2 weeks wound up with better body composition (maintained more muscle and lost more body fat).

“Greater weight and fat loss was achieved with intermittent ER. Interrupting ER with energy balance ‘rest periods’ may reduce compensatory metabolic responses and, in turn, improve weight loss efficiency.”

It took almost twice as long, but the ride was more enjoyable.

I USED to be more interested in losing fat as quickly as possible.

It seems patience is rewarded when it comes to losing body fat.

I don’t think you need to alternate 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off.

It doesn’t even have to be as structured as the study.

Going on a vacation is a good example.

I don’t believe in dieting while on vacation.

If you view this as a maintenance period or a bit above maintenance will see eating more on vacation as a GOOD thing (not believing you blew your diet).

When you get back from vacation simply get back into a deficit and understand that this 1-2 week break is AWESOME over the long term.

I know this works well, but it is good to finally have a study that backs this approach.

Dieting is such a mind-game.

If you see dieting breaks as a WIN and a GOOD thing, you will jump back into your diet plan.

If you see breaks as a NEGATIVE?

You will probably feel defeated and quit your diet.

Same behavior, but a different way of looking at it.

The post Longer Diet Breaks for Better Body Composition? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

The older I get, the more I appreciate walking.

NOT because I’m getting older and need easy exercise…

Walking is killer as one ages because it is a way to make up for not having youthful hormones.

I call it “bridging the hormonal gap”.

I realize a lot of fitness coaches talk about optimizing hormone levels.

The reality is that there is an inevitable decline.

The way to age without becoming completely flabby (like most older people) is to lifts weights, eat properly… and move more (walk).

Over 40 and want to eliminate flab?

If you are 40+ walking is absolutely a must.

It is interesting looking around my gym.

I turned 50 in December of last year.

There are maybe only 1-2 lean 50-year-olds in my gym.

They are both marathon runners, and in my opinion, would look better with more muscle mass.

As far as aesthetics go, they would look better with less long-distance marathon-style training and more walking.

Here’s something I noticed when I trained in the late 80’s.

There were a decent amount of LEAN people in the gym in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond.

And…

Walking was the go-to method for getting lean.

I prefer a combo of HIIT and walking at least some of the time.

If you are worn out simply walking for time works well.

Let’s get to the subject of the email.

When are the best times to walk for fat loss?

1. In the morning before your first meal.
2. After lifting weights -or- weights and HIIT.

Take advantage of this fat burning opportunity.

Walking works extremely well for younger people too…

If you want to get in shape for summer?

Add as much walking as time will allow after Visual Impact for Women or Visual Impact Muscle Building.

If time wasn’t an issue 5-6 hours of walking per week would make a dramatic difference over a 2-3 month period.

Assuming you are lifting weights and your diet is dialed in.

What is a good walking speed for fat loss?

I’d say a fit person should be able to walk around 4.0 mph on a treadmill for 60 minutes. A beginner might be closer to 3.0 mph.

Experiment with different levels of incline.

For instance:

I like to start at around 4.0 mph for 10 minutes at an incline of 5.

Then I may increase the incline to 15 and reduce walking speed to 3.0 mph, etc.

And…

Mix in the elliptical for variety.

Hope this helps!

Note: I spoke about marathon cardio above.

It does have its place.

I actually discuss how to use marathon cardio as a way to lose muscle mass on purpose in my Women’s course.

Some women (not all) have more muscle mass then they would like and this is a way for them to slim down.

I’m NOT saying women shouldn’t have large muscles…

I simply specialize in helping women achieve a “fit bikini” type of build.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with more muscular women.

I just believe that most would prefer a more sleek & fit physique.

The post Here are the 2 Best Times to Walk for Weight Loss appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I have written quite a few articles on Intermittent Fasting over 10+ years.

I’ve also used it as a fat loss method over 20 years.

I no longer use this way of eating daily.

My belief is that DAILY intermittent fasting it works well for 2 groups.

The daily 16/8 method is probably the most popular.

It typically involves skipping breakfast daily, eating later in the day and limiting feeding time to 8 hours.

You don’t necessarily have to skip breakfast.

The goal is to simply eat in an 8-hour window each day and fast for 16.

This CAN work well for certain people.

For others, some issues can arise from pushing food back later in the day.

The issue is a combo of excessive Cortisol and Adrenaline.

Cortisol isn’t necessarily a bad thing… it helps break down body fat.

Adrenaline isn’t a bad thing… it helps release fat from fat cells and boosts metabolism.

Here’s where it gets tricky.

I actually think Adrenaline Resistance is the BIG key as to why Intermittent Fasting works well for some, but not others.

Adrenaline Resistance would also explain why Intermittent Fasting can become less effective over time.

If Intermittent Fasting doesn’t work well for you?

I would recommend only using it 1-2 times per week.

As outlined in Eat Stop Eat.

This way your fat cells won’t become Adrenaline Resistant.

The post Not Losing Weight with Intermittent Fasting? This Could be the Reason appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Recently I drove down to my Dad’s for dinner.

He lives about 90 minutes south of me.

It’s should only be a 45-minute drive but traffic at 4:30 PM is pretty bad in Seattle.

Traffic here isn’t as bad as bigger cities like Chicago, New York or LA, but still rough.

While I was driving, I got in a weird “Freeway trance”.

The deep thought that happens when you are on autopilot-mode while driving.

For me, summer is the prime part of the year and definitely the part I look forward to the most.

If you are in your 20’s, 30’s… it’s easy to think that you have countless summers ahead of you.

Don’t waste these precious months.

Each summer is a gift in my opinion.

Knowing my summers are numbered creates an urgency for me to work out a bit harder in Spring.

I do NOT think looking good is everything in life.

But…

I believe you will enjoy summer more when you feel like you are in great shape.

Is this shallow?

I don’t think so…

Looking your best makes everything a bit more enjoyable. It is an upgrade to your energy levels, confidence, etc.

Anyway…

Wherever you are at fitness-wise, you have plenty of time to look and feel even better about yourself.

All it takes is a greater sense of urgency.

The post Get a Summer Body Fast – Because Life Is Short appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

A common mistake beginners make in the gym is trying to lift too heavy too soon.

Strength is a weird deal…

The more you chase it, the more it alludes you.

It reminds me of a cat’s behavior.

If cats can sense when you want them to do something… they will NOT cooperate.

The best way to get stronger is to let the strength come to you, don’t chase it so much.

Instead of forcing strength, master a weight until it feels to light for you.

At some point, the weight will feel light in your hands.

In my opinion, that is when you will want to increase the weight.

This isn’t what you typically hear with the “no pain, no gain” philosophy of lifting.

The recommended path to strength?

Push the intensity and volume of lifting.

You would be shocked at how this rapidly transforms your body.

Visual Impact Frequency Training is based on this principle to the extreme.

• Strength is never chased or rushed.
• Volume is low and workouts are short.
• Each muscle group is worked 4-6 times per week.

This secret was discovered several decades ago by Soviet Olympic coaches.

VI Frequency Training is based on these principles, but uses regular exercises like curls, dumbbell presses and even works with Nautilus style machines.

This is also a “strength without excess size” workout and women benefit from it as much as men.

Note: If you are in the middle of my Men’s program or Women’s program, don’t skip over to this one.

But…

If you have done those for a while and want to switch things up?

This is an awesome program to do for 8-weeks once or twice per year.

Visual Impact Frequency Training

I typically use this in the Spring each year.

Repeatedly contracting a muscle is what trains it to be toned.

The definition of muscle tone is a “partially contracted muscle in a relaxed state”.

VIFT is a great program for accomplishing this.

The post How to Increase Strength Without Hurting Yourself appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I believe, for the most part, that we need more exercise whenever possible.

So much stuff is becoming automated that we are barely moving.

And…

We are spending a lot of time in front of screens.

There was an article recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that discusses an interesting way to get extra exercise.

It talks about HIIPA.

HIIPA stands for High-Intensity Incidental Physical Activity.

What is Incidental Physical Activity (PA)?

Incidental PA is any activity that is part of one’s daily living that is not done with the purpose of recreation or health and requires no sacrifice of discretionary time. For example, walking or cycling to move from place to place, stair climbing and active daily chores, such as carrying heavy shopping bag and house cleaning.

The article discusses just slightly ramping up the intensity of these brief activities…

3-5 brief HIIPA sessions totaling as little as five to 10 minutes a day.

I have a ton of deep cleaning I need to do in my house.

I’m going to do them in 10-15 minute intervals 3 times per day until my house is spotless.

I may even wear my Mr. Clean costume again to worry the neighbors.

This all sounds a little ridiculous.

But…

There was a study a while back about hotel maids who were told how many calories their activities burned VS a control group.

The maids who believed their jobs were great exercise lost more weight and health improved vs control group. It is believed they upped the intensity of their cleaning a bit since they viewed it differently.

Same activity, different mindset.

Want to combine the fat loss effects of “wax on, wax off” exercise with HIIT?

I highly recommend Visual Impact Cardio.

This is an 8 week course that uses HIIT in a way that increases VO2 max.

Once your VO2 max is increased, you wind up burning more calories and fat from ANY activity.

Become much more efficient at accessing stored body fat in just 8 weeks with my strategic cardio course.

The post HIIPA Workouts: A New HIIT Workout to Do Throughout the Day appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I have discussed quite a bit about diet vs exercise for weight loss.

What about MAINTAINING weight?

Obviously you don’t have to one or the other.

I recommend following a solid diet plan while staying active.

A study which was published in March finds that exercise is more crucial when it comes to maintaining weight.

Here’s a link to a summary.

I’ll put some highlights here:

The group of people who lost weight and kept it off in this study, wound up eating the SAME amount of calories as the people who regained their weight.

The difference was they were more active.

This is supported by the fact that the weight-loss maintainer group also demonstrated significantly higher levels of steps per day (12,000 steps per day) compared to participants at a normal body weight (9,000 steps per day) and participants with overweight/obesity (6,500 steps per day).

It makes sense to me to exercise and follow a diet that puts you in a deficit.

Once you hit your ideal weight?

Loosen up and allow for more calories in your diet, but keep your exercise and activity level high.

I like pushing hard in the gym in Spring…

…and maintaining peak condition in summer with few official gym workouts, but much more time being active outside.

I also like the idea of a less strict diet in Summer.

This happens naturally with social events, BBQ’s, etc.

In the past, I’ve written about how boosting VO2 Max with cardio allows you to burn more calories with any activity.

I’d work on improving VO2 Max (and get lean) in the Spring using my cardio course

Visual Impact Cardio

Then once summer hits, follow an easier cardio workout to maintain that VO2 Max.

Just make sure you are active outside of the gym too.

Works well!

My cardio course isn’t meant to be done year-round.

It’s an intense 8-week focused push for fat loss while greatly improving VO2 Max.

Once you reach peak cardio fitness, you can back off and maintain this level of fitness with much less effort.

I do two 8-week rounds per year.

It’s not easy but will make you a fit calorie-burning machine.

Visual Impact Cardio

The post (New Study) Diet VS Exercise for Weight Loss and Maintaining Weight appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

One of my favorite things about being a fitness writer & fitness researcher is people sending me links to obscure studies.

It’s impossible for one person to keep up with all of this stuff.

I feel like I am part of a group of explorers.

Today someone in the High Carb Fat Loss Facebook Group, sent me a link to a study about healthy brain aging.

We have known for years that severe caloric restriction drastically improves brain health in rats.

…but it isn’t feasible for humans to cut back calories so much.

Even if it worked, I’m not sure most of us would want to virtually eliminate so much food from our diets.

The study is titled:

Low-protein high-carb diet shows promise for healthy brain aging.
A couple of quotes:

“It shows a lot of promise that we have been able to replicate the same kind of gene changes in the part of the brain responsible for memory that we also see when we severely restrict calories.”

“The hippocampus is usually the first part of the brain to deteriorate with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, the low-protein high-carbohydrate diet appeared to promote hippocampus health and biology in the mice, on some measures to an even greater degree than those on the low-calorie diet.”

The study also discusses the brain health of Okinawans who follow a low protein high carb diet.

This is interesting.

We found out last year that high fiber diets slow overall aging.

Fiber affects the DNA directly.

Those on a high fiber diet have longer telomeres than people who eat very little fiber.

High fiber dieters were about 5 years younger biologically…

Dietary Fiber and Telomere Length in 5674 U.S. Adults: An NHANES Study of Biological Aging

“A difference of 4.8 to 6.0 years in cell aging was found between those in the lowest compared with the highest quantities of fiber intake. Overall, the present study highlights the risk of accelerated aging among U.S. women and men who do not consume adequate amounts of dietary fiber.”

I realize low carb diets are trendy right now.

But…

I really believe that current research will push us towards a high carb and higher fiber diet.

If you want to feel the benefits of a higher carb diet.

Check out:

High Carb Fat Loss

This course is a paradigm shift to what is trending right now.

I believe the fitness mainstream will catch up to us in 3-5 years.

The post The Best Anti-Aging Food to Add to Your Diet appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Genetics plays a much larger role in fitness than many would like to admit.

I get it…

Nobody wants to feel like that they can’t change something about themselves.

We CAN make drastic improvements to our physiques…

…but that doesn’t mean you are going to have a perfect butt or super-sharp six pack abs.

I was thinking about this while I was doing my cardio workout on a treadmill in front of a TV in the gym.

The TV station was showing the NFL combine and guys running the 40-yard dash.

The 40-yard dash combine record is 4.22, John Ross.

I am proud to say he comes from my alma mater, University of Washington.

This is ungodly fast.

In fact, even a 40-yard dash of 4.40 is insane.

A lot of guys who watch the NFL on TV and who used to play football have an unrealistic idea of how fast they were.

The like to think they ran close to 4.40.

From what I understand, anyone who runs a 40-yard dash at that speed has no problem dunking a basketball.

The explosiveness of sprinting at that speed translates into jumping ability.

So…

Just like 99% of us can’t reach this level of athleticism, there are genetic limits on how you can shape your physique.

I had someone send me this pic recently.

It’s a model by the name of Lazar Angelov.

They wanted to know what it would take for them to get a physique like this.

This fitness model is the equivalent of a person who can run a sub 4.40 40-yard dash.

I’d say less than 1 in 1,000 men have the genetic potential (even with drugs) to reach his level.

Heck…

Even his stubble genetics are 1 in 1,000

I actually don’t think you need to aim anywhere near this level of muscular development to look good.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes shot from the 1966 movie, The Endless Summer.

These guys all look fantastic.

This is also what I teach in Visual Impact Muscle Building…

Adding a natural amount of base muscle and then refining it.

NOT chasing the physique of a genetic wonder without success.

Same goes for women.

Here’s a video of Kate Beckinsale.

Her physique is at least within range for a lot of women.

You can tell she works out but isn’t ripped.

She also doesn’t have the super tiny waist and perfectly round glutes of a 24-year-old Instagram model.

Some of those women don’t look real.

Visual Impact for Women helps women get lean and maximize their genetics without becoming obsessive.

It is focused on a fit, but more traditionally feminine physique.

Some women want this more traditional feminine look -vs- a fitness competitor’s build, which is why I created this course.

Bottom line…

With my courses, you can maximize what you were born with and feel great about it.

No need to kill yourself reaching an unattainable ideal.

Honestly…

If I could choose to look like that fitness model with the action hero physique or one of the surfer dudes in The Endless Summer…

I would choose a surfer dude body.

A physique carved to that level of perfection sends the wrong messages, in my opinion.

To me, it is the same as if I won $100 million in a lottery.

I’d probably drive a nice, but toned-down car, like a Porsche or BMW…

Not a Lamborghini.

The post Is it Genetically Impossible for You to Get Six Pack Abs? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Fat loss is rarely a linear process.

Sticking points occur frequently.

…but sometimes you aren’t even experiencing a true fat loss sticking point.

You are losing fat, and are experiencing a thing many call the “Whoosh Effect.”

Here’s the hypothesis:

When you lose fat in a cell some of that fat is displaced by water (at first).

Then after enough fat is displaced by water…

That water is released.

Here’s an article I’ve written that goes into detail:

The Fat Loss “Whoosh Effect”

I discuss some signs to look for and how to possibly speed up the weight loss during a whoosh.

The scale sometimes doesn’t move for 2 weeks and then the following week can dip down by 4-5 pounds.

Hopefully, my article helps explain this phenomenon.

The post Are You Dieting and Exercising But Not Losing Weight? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I was recently chatting with a guy in his mid-40’s about losing weight.

He had been struggling for some time to lose the last 15 pounds to get lean.

I told him that since he was in his 40’s and close to his target weight, he could expect to lose about 3-4 pounds per MONTH of fat.

Realistically it would take 4-6 months to get there.

So I was telling him that sometime in June or July he would hit his goal.

His response?

I know he has been struggling for years to lose this last bit of weight.

So obviously his statement is false.

A 44-year-old is VERY unlikely to lose 4 pounds of fat in a week.

Especially if they only have 10-15 pounds to lose.

All he has been doing is losing and gaining water weight with the way he has been dieting.

Here is the way to really tell if you are losing fat vs water.

Here’s what happens.

In the first few weeks, you may feel like you are losing more than a pound of fat per week.

A lot of this could just be water weight.

BUT…

At some point, you are going to hit a true low. THIS is when the fat loss game really begins!

That following week it is going to be more of a challenge to have a day where you weigh one pound lighter.

This is a good thing.

It almost becomes like a game with a clear goal.

I find it easiest to hit this low Thursday or Friday morning.

A lot of this depends on your workout schedule and diet.

• I cover how to hit new weekly lows in Visual Impact for Women.
• This is also covered in my men’s program, Visual Impact Muscle Building.

Works well.

If you are in your 20’s you really CAN lose 2-4 pounds per week.

I’m mainly talking about people in their 40’s and beyond.

Also…

If you have 50+ pounds to lose, you can drop large amounts of weight quickly.

The post “I Can Easily Lose 4 Pounds a Week” appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I always laugh when I hear people who say exercise is terrible for weight loss.

This is because most people have the wrong mindset.

When you work out, simply don’t count those calories burned… do NOT “eat back” those calories.

Pretend like you didn’t exercise.

Forget that it ever happened.

Find a diet plan that allows you to steadily lose weight.

Add in strategic cardio or other calorie-burning exercise to that equation.

You will burn fat at a MUCH more rapid pace, than dieting alone.

Many people justify eating more when they workout hard. Don’t kill your calorie deficit by increasing calories.

Figure out calories per day and pretend like you aren’t doing fat burning workouts and exercises.

What exercise maximizes fat burning?

It’s all discussed in Visual Impact Cardio.

Exercise is killer for weight loss if you diet “as if” it never happened.

The post Should You Eat Back the Calories Burned From Exercise? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

If you haven’t exercised in a while you can expect to be a little rundown when you start a new routine.

Not just sore…

But a bit lower in energy when you aren’t in the gym.

You should not only expect it.

I recommend almost striving for it.

Pushing your comfort zone is what is going to increase your baseline fitness over time.

There is definitely a break-in period when getting back into a workout routine.

These days, most people in society are so inactive that I would consider their baseline fitness level to be below zero.

This reminds me of the title of one of my favorite 80’s movies, “Less than Zero”.

I just looked at Rotten Tomatoes and they gave this a 52% (I disagree).

Anyway…

When I ran clothing stores in my 20’s and 30’s we were on our feet most of the day.

New salespeople typically were toast the first month or so.

Over time they were able to work longer hours and had energy all day.

Since working out is voluntary. It takes discipline to push yourself when nobody is watching.

My Women’s Course isn’t easy at first.

My Men’s Course won’t feel comfortable when you begin.

Improvement happens on the edge of discomfort.

It doesn’t feel great at first, but it is a good sign.

Embrace it.

Note: The most enjoyable clothing store I managed was called “Structure”.

In the late ’90s, our store had a nationwide contest for guys to make an underwear calendar.

It was hilarious because they had to submit photos in-person in our stores.

It was VERY entertaining to see who submitted photos.

Lots of arrogant guys submitting pics.

A few guys came back who were bitter and made fun of the guys who won.

“These guys are puny”.

“I could kick all their asses”.

High entertainment value!

The post How to Get Back Into Working Out After Long Layoff appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

A new meta-analysis study was just published by the Mayo Clinic.

It compared exercise to medicine when it came to losing visceral fat.

“When we analyzed all the trial data together, we found that exercise interventions were associated with a greater relative reduction in visceral fat compared with pharmacological interventions”.

Visceral fat is especially harmful fat that surrounds your internal organs.

If you want to keep your organs as clear as possible from excess fat, EXERCISE is crucial.

There has been a big trend the past 10 years or so…

The idea of exercising to gain and maintain muscle and dieting to lose body fat.

I think this is dangerous advice.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record.

• I really believe we need more exercise NOT less.
• I highly recommend following a diet that works for you, lifting for muscle, and adding in additional cardio exercise for optimal health.

Exercise that gets your heart rate up over a decent period of time is what will melt visceral fat.

My fat loss course, Visual Impact Cardio, does an incredible job when it comes to this type of exercise.

Some people can look decent on diet alone.

But…

Only using diet to get lean isn’t a solid strategy for long-term health.

The post Exercise Beats Medication for Losing Belly Fat According to a New Study appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

A study was released about a month ago confirming something I’ve suspected for decades.

I’ll discuss the study in a sec.

But first…

I’ll talk about my own personal experience.

I always wind up consuming a better, lower-calorie diet when my exercise habit is dialed in.

I think it is because I don’t want to waste my gym efforts.

I figure if I spent all that time in the gym, why would I “undo” that effort by eating poorly?

A recent study came to a similar conclusion:

The influence of 15-week exercise training on dietary patterns among young adults

2,680 young adults were put on a 15-week aerobic exercise program.

They were told not to change their diet but as the study went on… they changed their diet anyway.

Most participants reduced or dropped the fried foods, sodas, and junk foods in favor of lean meats, fruits, and veggies.

I simply think good habits encourage other good habits.

For me…

I think of it as “habit stacking”.

If you are having a tough time eating a healthy diet, consider really dialing in your workout.

This combo will lead to incredible changes for the better.

I have found that cardio, in particular, is one thing that forces me to follow a good diet.

If I am just lifting weights, I will justify that maybe the extra calories will help repair the muscles quicker, etc.

Not so with cardio.

To master using cardio machines for fat loss…

Check out my extensive cardio course:

Visual Impact Cardio

The post How Important is Exercise for Weight Loss? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Since I’ve trained in a commercial gym for 33 years, I’ve seen people in various stages of their fitness journey.

I’ve worked out alongside beginners, bodybuilders, fitness competitors, former Olympic lifters, etc.

The most eye-opening experience was training at Gold’s gym from 1995 – 2003. I trained at a Gold’s Gym that was in a strip mall next to a grocery store.

The place was filled with bodybuilders and former bodybuilders.

It was a true bodybuilder gym.

There were men and women who came in and days before their contests and would work on posing routines, etc.

One thing I vividly remember was the look of former bodybuilders.

Once they got older they inevitably lost muscle size.

There was a lot of sagging skin on people who probably had never been overweight in their lives.

Here are extreme examples of muscle mass… although this is muscle and not fat, the skin is still getting stretched.

They will have loose skin as they grow older.

I’ve seen it happen time and time again over the years.

If you want to look great in your 50’s and beyond, I don’t think it is a smart plan to push muscle size to the max.

A better approach is fine-tuning your physique without adding bulk.

Using a Hollywood couple as an example… Emily Blunt and her husband John Krasinski, really have this dialed in.

They both look amazing in formal clothes, casual clothes, and minimal clothing.

• This is exactly what I teach in my women’s course: Visual Impact for Women
• As well as my men’s course: Visual Impact Muscle Building

I’m not saying bodybuilding is bad.

Or adding as much muscle as possible is a terrible thing.

But…

The Internet is already filled with sites and courses teaching that.

I offer something different.

If you are looking long-term I believe my approach is superior to everything else out there.

The post Lean Muscles VS Bulky Muscles: What Looks Best As You Age? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

My morning routine involves making a half a pot of coffee.

After grabbing a cup of coffee this morning…

I was doing a bit of fitness research and found this study (Nov 2018) being referenced.

“Consumption of a dark roast coffee blend reduces DNA damage in humans: results from a 4-week randomized controlled study.”

The study found a 23% reduction in DNA damage compared to the control group which didn’t drink coffee.

I start my day with coffee.

Then…

I wait until I am hungry to make a bowl of oatmeal.

Why oatmeal?

We are now finding out that high fiber foods positively affect DNA to slow down aging.

A recent study (March 2018) found that adults with high fiber intake had longer telomeres than their counterparts.

Dietary Fiber and Telomere Length in 5674 U.S. Adults: An NHANES Study of Biological Aging

“A difference of 4.8 to 6.0 years in cell aging was found between those in the lowest compared with the highest quartiles of fiberintake. Overall, the present study highlights the risk of accelerated aging among U.S. women and men who do not consume adequate amounts of dietary fiber.”

I know low carb and low fiber diets are trendy right now.

But…

The longest living populations like Okinawa, Japan eat a starchy high fiber diet.

My High Carb Fat Loss course goes against the current trend.

In the 80’s we sort-of tried low fat.

But…

We didn’t reduce fat enough.

When fats get reduced ENOUGH and carbs increased, the body begins to shed unwanted fat without much effort on your part.

I cover all of this in much greater detail here:

High Carb Fat Loss

Works well.

I used to start my day with a protein shake.

I still like protein shakes, but think they are more beneficial after a workout.

After doing extensive research…

If you are the type that likes to do Intermittent fasting and skip breakfast?

I would possibly recommend a little bit of nonfat yogurt to go along with the oatmeal just to get a bit of protein since you haven’t eaten for a long time.

The post Coffee is Good for Your Health and Protects Your DNA appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’m close friends with twins I met in college over 30 years ago.

One twin is married and likes to follow the rules.

The other twin is the EXACT opposite, likes to go out to bars and stays out until 2:00 AM or later and practically lives the life of a rock star.

I’m more like the mellow brother, but about once per month will attempt to stay out as late as the wild one.

I get exhausted just writing about it right now.

The crazy thing is that the one who parties like crazy looks younger than his brother… a possible reason is that he HAS been more consistent with exercise.

There could be other factors involved…

But

An interesting aging study that examined twins, found that a twin who exercised vigorously for at least 3 hours per week had much longer telomeres than an inactive twin who exercised less than 16 minutes per week.

I have mentioned this before.

Scientists believe that aging is caused largely by the shortening of your telomeres.

Exercise is crucial to slow this process down.

Also…

One study found type 2 muscle fiber training is crucial if you want to stay lean as you get older.

This research examined what happened when they genetically engineered mice to acquire more type 2 muscle fibers.

They found when type 2 muscle fibers were increased the mice were able to get ultra-lean like an Olympic sprinter.

Here’s what is surprising…

These mice were being purposely overfed.

Type 2 muscle fibers didn’t just make them stronger, it made their metabolisms work better.

“This work shows that type 2 muscle just doesn’t allow you to pick up heavy objects, it is also important in controlling whole-body metabolism”.

“It appears that the increase in type 2 muscle fiber orchestrates changes in the body through its ability to communicate with other tissues”.

Type 2 fibers are increased through strength training.

There is a way to increase strength without adding size, by training in a way that doesn’t break down the muscle.

Both my Women’s Course and Men’s Course emphasize this type of training.

So you can look sleek in or out of clothing.

All of my fitness courses involve at least 3 hours per week of exercise.

I would probably sell more if I said: “you can get your dream body in just three 20 minute workouts per week”.

But…

I really do believe we need to consciously increase the time spent exercising due to our inactive lifestyles.

Never too early to begin using exercise to protect the body against aging.

The post The Benefits of Exercise on Aging: Identical Twin Study appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’m seeing a lot of articles about how people “should never train for calorie burning, only train for strength”.

I’ve also heard people say:

“I lose more weight when I don’t exercise.”

Some people do have the ability to get lean with diet and strength training alone.

If you are trying to lose fat and don’t have these advantages?

You will benefit from cardio.

Even low-intensity cardio like walking makes a difference.

It doesn’t have to be HIIT.

I like HIIT as long as the intensity is closely managed.

If exercise is too intense and wears you out, you will tend to move less afterward.

One reason I recommend people avoid training to failure when lifting weights is for this reason.

If you train in a way that breaks your body down, you are less likely to be active 24-48 hours after the session.

Too much or too intense of cardio does the same thing.

When you are young, you can get lean following a “blitz and rest” approach.

Blitzing your body for calorie burn doesn’t work that well anyway.

There is a new model called:

The Constrained Model of Energy Expenditure.

The Constrained Model suggests that calories burned per day hits a plateau at some point. The body lowers its BMR as a protective mechanism.

So past a certain point, you won’t create a larger deficit even if you are burning a bunch of calories in the gym.

The key to getting lean in my opinion?

Lifting weights and following with cardio… in a way that doesn’t break down your body.

Your goal should be to burn a moderate amount of calories DAILY instead of killing yourself one day and resting the next.

I recommend moderate daily workouts if possible.

I have a template on how to set this up in this blog post I wrote a while back.

Tips for Aging Gracefully

If you are able to get lean with diet and infrequent intense workouts?

You still may want to review this article on the longevity benefits of frequent exercise.

Hope these tips help!

I find that I get lean at the fastest rate by aiming to burn around 500-700 calories per day with exercise.

This is just an estimate.

If I aim for a lot more than this, I feel tired and lazy.

This means that my BMR has probably lowered to make up for excess exercise.

I think a lot of this has to do with fitness levels.

When you improve your VO2Max (aerobic fitness) you have the ability to do more exercise without wiping yourself out.

This is why I recommend a 6-8 week intense conditioning cardio workout as I outline in Visual Impact Cardio.

This is good to do 1-2 times per year.

This gives you the ability to burn calories without undoing the benefits of inactivity.

The post Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Exercise for Weight Loss? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

My dad considers himself a Baby Boomer, but really he is slightly older than a Boomer.

He was born in 1940 (Baby Boomers are 1946-1964).

I would describe his upbringing as a combo of the show Leave it to Beaver and the movie Grease.

My dad was also raised in a strict Christian household…

He wasn’t even allowed to dance.

So a bit of the movie Footloose mixed in as well.

My mom was raised in a very poor household, but she was smart.

She was the editor of her school paper for both Junior and Senior year in High School… and got hired by the Mercury News in San Jose, California shortly after graduating.

My father was an English major in college who worked at Mercury News as well.

They met at work and eventually got married.

(My mom in 1968 holding my older sister.)

As a child in the 70’s, here is what my parents taught me about nutrition:

Their parents went through the depression, this is why I think they were taught not to waste food.

I tried to frighten them with radical hair and clothing choices.

(Taken in 1987 at the age of 17. I’m standing on the far right next to my girlfriend.)

June and Ward Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver would have had a heart attack if Wally brought us home for dinner.

A lot of Gen X people around my age ate a lot of frozen boxed food.

The TV dinners were in foil until the early 80’s when microwaves became popular.

I had tons of this, along with Banquet frozen chicken and tater tots what wound up slightly soggy when cooked in the oven.

Nutrition was a mess from the late ’60s to early ’80s!

It got a bit better in the mid-’80s.

About the time Downtown Julie Brown began hosting Club MTV we figured some stuff out.

In the mid-80’s we lowered dietary fat.

This immediately meant that those TV dinners were no longer an option.

The focus was on whole foods (at first).

A go-to meal for those who loved to workout was chicken breasts and rice.

Teriyaki restaurants opened up on every corner (at least this was the case in Seattle, Portland and the larger cities in California).

This worked wonders for getting lean.

Most people who are Baby Boomers or in Generation X have lost body fat and have gotten lean off of a low fat diet in the past.

My grandparents were part of “The Greatest Generation”…. born in the 1910’s.

The Greatest Generation followed a diet of about 60% carbs, 30% fats and 10% protein. They were lean and healthy without even trying.

This is also how those of in the late ’80s got lean for summer.

It’s funny that Gen X ate in a way similar that our grandparents did when they were young.

This is also very similar to the traditional Okinawan diet (except they eat even lower fats and higher carbs).

By around 2000-2001, I’d say our diets were as bad as they had ever been.

In the early 2000s, fat intake was matching carb intake… this is a BAD combo for staying lean and healthy.

In the mid-2000s the Paleo movement made low carb as a way to lose weight.

The Paleo movement tried to convince us that carbs were the cause of obesity.

I have just noticed that different generations have vastly different experiences when it comes to dieting.

I was born the same year as Woodstock (1969).

Here’s what I believe in my medium length lifetime.

I think my grandparents had it right.

1910-1940s they ate a healthy whole foods diet where carbs were emphasized.

This is about as close as our diets came to the Blue Zones of the world like Okinawa.

Things got really sketchy from the 1950’s to mid-1980s.

With the explosion of fast-food restaurants and then process foods like TV dinners, it was questionable.

(This picture is from the ’50s. It is crazy that McDonald’s had already sold 50 million hamburgers by that time.)

Mid-80’s to sometime in the 90’s whole foods and lower fat was an improvement.

It got bad again in the late ’90s to mid-2000’s.

Paleo was a step in the right direction.

The whole foods part at least.

But…

The obesity rate really does follow the rate at which we have increased fats in our diet.

This isn’t the case with carbs.

Here’s how carb intake compares to the rise in obesity.

I’m not blaming fats for all of it.

A lot of our obesity is due to overall calories due to crazy portion sizes of our meals.

• Cutting carbs is one way to limit calories.
• Cutting calories is a big step in the right direction.
• I just don’t believe that those calories should be cut from the carb side of the equation.

When you cut carbs, you kill your metabolism in the process.

This is outlined in my High Carb Fat Loss course.

Another reason is that the longest living and healthiest living populations on the planet (the blue zones) eat this way.

Anyway…

One of my biggest challenges has been to convince Millennials that carbs aren’t evil.

When most Millenials became old enough to become interested in dieting… the anti-carb movement was in full force.

• They weren’t around when we were limiting fats to get lean.
• They weren’t around for the bad hair or funny styles.

However…

There is wisdom from the ’80s.

WWJHD – What Would John Hughes Do?

Note: A lot of people forget about Gen X, we are the rebellious middle child stuck between the Boomers and Millenials.

“Don’t you forget about me!”

The post Why Do Carbs Have a Bad Reputation Among Millennials? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I recently read an article titled “No Such Thing as Too Much Exercise, Study Finds”.

This article referred to a study that was published on October 19, 2018.

The study had compelling evidence for more exercise.

This was a cohort study involving 122,007 people.

Cardio fitness was tested on a treadmill.

The study looked at survival rates over a period of time and compared to cardiorespiratory fitness.

“Conclusions and Relevance: Cardiorespiratory fitness is inversely associated with long-term mortality with no observed upper limit of benefit. Extremely high aerobic fitness was associated with the greatest survival and was associated with benefit in older patients and those with hypertension. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a modifiable indicator of long-term mortality, and health care professionals should encourage patients to achieve and maintain high levels of fitness.”

The higher the cardio fitness, the greater the survival rate.

Elite athletes and those with elite cardio fitness levels had the lowest mortality rate.

It makes logical sense to me.

The more you move blood through your veins and get the heart pumping, the better the system will work.

Cardio gets bashed.

But…

Studies like these remind me that I’m fighting the good fight.

When in doubt, get some exercise in.

I do NOT believe you can get an adequate amount of exercise from weight lifting alone.

*You can get some cardio benefit from weightlifting too, I just think it is not the most efficient way to get aerobically fit.

This is why I recommend adding in cardio sessions after lifting weights.

I have what I believe to be the most comprehensive cardio machine training course offered online:

Visual Impact Cardio

Cardio fitness is key to a long life.

My course will teach you exactly how to train to boost your cardio fitness while burning body fat.

Some of the workouts will feel challenging at times.

But…

That is what is needed to reach high levels of fitness.

The main reason I belong to a commercial gym is having access to a wide range of cardio machines.

The principles of my cardio course can work without cardio machines.

Access to cardio machines is encouraged.

The post Improve Your Cardio Fitness to Live a Longer Life (New Study) appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

A friend on Facebook asked me a question about cardio that threw me off.

“Will walking burn the same amount of calories as jogging, if the distance is the same?”

I had to think about it for a second.

I live a couple of blocks away from a lake that is close to downtown Seattle, called Green Lake.

There is a walking, jogging, biking path around the lake.

It’s roughly a 3-mile path.

It is surrounded by tons of trees, but only a couple of miles to get to downtown.

If I walk around the lake in 60 minutes will it burn the same number of calories as jogging it in 30 minutes?

Walking is way less intense, but I’m doing it for twice as long.

I found a Calories Burned Online Running Calculator and plugged in the numbers.

First, I entered the 1-hour walk around the lake.

Here’s the estimated calories burned.

Then, I entered the 30-minute run around the lake.

Here are the estimated calories burned.

According to this calculator, both ways of getting around the lake, walking or jogging, burn about 442 calories.

These calculators aren’t extremely accurate, but the idea is correct.

Walking 3 miles should burn close to the same amount of calories as jogging 3 miles.

Why should we do intense exercise at all?

It’s a good idea to incorporate intense efforts that get you slightly out of breath, in order to improve your VO2 Max (aerobic capacity).

I discuss this in detail in Visual Impact Cardio.

I also wrote a blog post about the fat loss advantages of increasing your Aerobic Capacity.

How Aerobic Fitness Speeds Up Fat Loss

Basically, the more aerobically fit you are, the more calories you will burn performing any activity.

So…

I recommend a mix of walking and more intense HIIT type of exercise to get lean.

Works well.

Here’s a killer testimonial from a 40-year-old dad who lost 25 pounds in 8 weeks with Visual Impact Cardio.

“Just finished Visual Impact Cardio. The results are remarkable. I’m an everyday 40-year-old dad that gained a lot of weight after having kids.

In 8 weeks I lost 25 lbs (195 to 170) and cut 4 inches from my waist (35 to 31). I don’t measure my body fat but it’s absurdly lower. Before I found this course I had given up hope that you could really get ripped without using harmful drugs and stimulants. I was dead wrong.

The program enabled me to smash through fat loss plateaus I’ve been struggling with for 5 years. I’ve spent my entire adult life in gyms all over the world, I’ve always enjoyed comparing ideas with others and remaining open to strength / fitness advice.

No trainer or athlete I’ve ever met has Rusty’s level of expertise on using science and diet to cut fat. Aside from shrinking out of all my favorite suits, this was the best investment I’ve made in myself in years.

Thanks Rusty.”

The post Does Walking 3 Miles Burn the Same Amount of Calories as Jogging 3 Miles? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I just read a pretty interesting article about women and intermittent fasting.

There are some great takeaways for both men and women.

I’ll include the link in a second…

…but will try to put the main takeaways in this email first.

I read about Intermittent Fasting back in 1999, in a magazine article written by Ori Hofmekler.

This was before he released his book, The Warrior Diet.

It worked almost magically for me at that time.

I have been doing intermittent fasting on and off for 21 years.

But…

It never worked as well for me as it did those first 2-3 years.

This really puzzled me.

The biggest issue for me was getting extremely lean everywhere, but my abdominal region.

Veiny arms, lean face, ripped shoulders and chest…

…but with stubborn belly fat.

Stubborn belly fat is a sign of high cortisol levels.

Cortisol is called the “stress hormone” and it is a useful hormone that plays a role in breaking down fat.

This is good.

The problem happens when the body releases too much of this “stress hormone”.

I eventually figured out that this was the reason for getting extremely lean everywhere, but my midsection.

It’s one of the many reasons my High Carb Fat Loss diet plan works so well.

I typically have my dinner around 6 or 7 PM.

I don’t eat anything after that (most of the time).

So I am fasting for about 14-15 hours.

This is perfect for me.

But…

You may need to experiment to find out your ideal fasting period.

Here’s a link to the article I mentioned above.

Here is by far my favorite quote and biggest takeaway from the article:

He even warns about doing 14-15 hour fasts as I do.

There is a point where the negative effects of cortisol outweigh the positives.

About 14 hours works for me.

You may do better with a shorter or longer fasting window.

Note: I do like using Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat approach of long fasts done 1-2 times per week, but I typically only do that type of fasting once per year before summer.

Also…

You don’t even have to be extreme at all.

There are big benefits of sticking to a 12-hour eating window followed by a 12-hour fasting window.

This is super easy to follow (stop eating at 6-7 PM and have your first meal at 6-7 AM).

Here’s a blog post I wrote on that subject:

Health Benefits of Time Restricted Eating

The post Is Intermittent Fasting Good For Women? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I remember reading an old dieting article that said something along these lines:

“Next time you are Hungry? Reach for a bowl of carrots instead of raiding your refrigerator for ice cream.”

This is TERRIBLE advice!

Honestly…

Just typing the phrase “bowl of carrots” makes me hungrier (and slightly angry).

Another piece of jacked-up advice…

“What you think is hunger, could be dehydration. If you are hungry, drink more water!”

We aren’t stupid.

I’m guessing 99.9% of the population can tell the difference between hunger and thirst.

Okay, maybe hydrating will help a bit…

…but even my cat can tell the difference between hunger and thirst.

Violet’s claws come out when water (or carrots) are offered instead of canned cat food.

I think successful diets need lots of foods that hit the middle ground.

• Tastier than carrots.
• Less calorie-dense than ice cream.

I follow a high carb low-fat diet.

I always have things like pretzels and Corn Pops cereal on hand.

I don’t eat this stuff every day.

Although…

When I first began implementing High Carb Fat Loss I did eat like this daily and lost body fat.

I just try these days to eat mainly whole foods when possible (healthiest way to eat over the long term).

But…

NEVER a bowl of carrots <— That snack causes depression and ruins lives.

*** Celery is another home-wrecker.

Always make sure you have “middle ground” snacks on hand (foods that taste good to you but aren’t extremely calorie dense). 

They aren’t ideal for every meal…

…but that will satisfy you while still helping you to lose weight.

The post Why You Should Eat Foods That Taste Good When Losing Weight appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I just read an article about the fact that the average person feels full after eating about 4 pounds of food per day.

This happens almost on autopilot.

If you purposely eat less one day?

Your body will make you want to binge to make up for this.

You need to choose your 4 pounds wisely.

Here’s what the average person in the U.S. eats per day:

About 4.5 pounds of food.

Roughly 3,700 calories per day.

You could switch up the portions to favor less calorie-dense foods.

Here are 4 pounds with a focus on less calorie-dense foods:

About 4.2 pounds of food.

Only 2,075 calories per day (compared to 3,700 for average American).

This same article had this useful graphic comparing 200 calorie servings of foods with low caloric density and foods with high caloric density.

If you build a diet of mainly fibrous and starchy carbs it is tough to eat a ton of calories.

Tip: Potatoes and sweet potatoes are surprisingly filling and I highly recommend if you are looking for a way to lose weight while being satisfied.

I have a whole course on losing weight with carbs here:

High Carb Fat Loss

No matter what diet you choose to follow…

I would recommend looking into the caloric density of most of the foods you eat daily.

You are probably going to eat around 4 pounds of food (the body regulates this on autopilot).

So choose wisely.

The post Everyone Eats 3-5 Pounds of Food Per Day? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’m trying to get my Dad to limit cooking oils like canola oil.

He has known for at least a few years that Crisco and margarine are bad news.

I told him decades ago to limit this type of fat.

It took him a while to listen to me.

Unfortunately, He doesn’t believe anything until he hears it from Kelly Ripa on her morning show.

I have nothing against Kelly.

I’m just disappointed when I tell my Dad something… it doesn’t enter his reality until Kelly says the same thing.

5-10 years later!

So a few years ago he dropped Crisco and margarine (thanks Kelly).

Now I’m trying to get my dad to limit olive oil, canola oil, etc.

The paleo and primal movement pointed out the harms of too much omega 6 from vegetable oils in early-to-mid 2000s.

But now we have a clearer picture.

First let’s talk about what the media seems to be blaming our obesity epidemic on.

Carbs…

Here’s how carb intake is related to obesity.

We are eating fewer carbs since the late 90s, but obesity continues to rise.

What about sugar?

Sugar is now supposedly the cause of all bad things.

Yet…

Overall sugar intake and high fructose corn syrup have dropped, but obesity levels continue to rise.

The one thing that follows the obesity rise perfectly is oil.

Here’s a graph charting the different types of fat.

“Salad and Cooking Oils” follow the obesity line almost perfectly.

Habits are a tough thing to change.

But…

My Dad is slowly beginning to listen to me.

He is using creative methods to cook his meals now instead of overly relying on cooking oil.

Frying with a little bit of Chicken broth in a pan can take place of canola oil when cooking a lot of dishes.

A lot of our intake of these oils comes from processed food.

I run a Facebook group which covers a low fat approach to health and fat loss.

Membership to this group comes free to people who pick up my course, High Carb Fat Loss.

I know we have been told that sugar is to blame for obesity.

The data doesn’t match that claim.

It would be easy to believe that sugar is our top health problem, but this isn’t the case.

If you were to only read articles from health and fitness sites, without looking at the data…

You might be fooled.

Here’s that chart of sugar intake and obesity again.

It’s still best to limit sugar and eat whole foods when possible.

It’s just that sugar isn’t the evil ingredient people make it out to be.

Let’s contrast that with fat intake and obesity.

I’m NOT saying all fat is bad.

I just believe if we cut back on fats, it would go a long way in solving our obesity crisis.

I have a course on how to do that here:

High Carb Fat Loss

Note: The charts for this article are from optimisingnutrition.com.

The post Is Canola Oil and Other Vegetable Oil Bad for You? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’ve probably written over 30 articles about some aspect of HIIT over the past 10+ years.

HIIT workouts have been part of my routine since 1996.

Interval training in a gym environment was a RARE thing back then. I don’t believe “HIIT” was even a term until that point.

It then took about 15 years for HIIT to become mainstream.

Here’s a Google Trend chart showing that around 2012 is when the search trend for HIIT began to rise.

Things have changed.

Now over half the workouts I see on Youtube, Pinterest, etc… are some form of HIIT.

There is also a myth that won’t go away.

I’m guessing no less than 90% of the articles or videos about HIIT use this as the main selling point:

“The main benefit of HIIT is that you burn MANY more calories after the workout is over, compared to normal training.”

The Afterburn Effect is the benefit stressed over and over.

Unfortunately, a comprehensive study came out in 2006 showing that calories burned after a HIIT workout are barely worth paying attention to.

I have been talking about the Afterburn Effect Myth for 10+ years.

This myth is slowly dying, but I hope to speed that process up.

How will I accomplish this?

By attempting to write the most helpful and detailed article about HIIT ever published online.

HIIT Workouts | The Definitive Guide to High Intensity Interval Training

I’ve been writing about HIIT for 10+ years. I thought I’d give a shot at creating the ultimate high intensity interval training article (workouts included).

This sucker took me about 5 days to write.

It took me another 2 days to buy killer photos (over 25 images) and format.

I have OCD about paragraph spacing, bolding, bullets, etc. These articles don’t get pretty on their own

This is definitely one of the best articles I’ve ever written… Just “sciency” enough with workouts included and actionable info.

I do have a favor to ask.

If you think my detailed HIIT article is a quality article, would you consider sharing it?

I’m an independent fitness writer with a relatively small website.

My articles don’t get the distribution like a similar article would written on a site like Men’s Health.

My blog is like a small family-owned Italian restaurant.

It is small compared to a restaurant chain like the Olive Garden…

…but I take more personal pride in my work.

Your experience matters to me.

I know that there really isn’t such a thing as a local fitness website…

…but I share the same spirit as a place in your neighborhood.

The post HIIT Workouts for Beginners to Use at Home or in the Gym appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

It’s easy to forget that putting on weight takes a long time.

Typically, it just creeps up on people.

It is so slow that it is easy to miss.

Then one day someone sees an old photo of themselves and can’t believe how much different they look now.

Or…

They see a current photo of themselves and are horrified.

The process of becoming overweight takes many years in most cases.

Sometimes decades.

I’m not saying that losing weight and hitting your target weight should take 5-10 years.

But…

If you have 50 pounds to lose, it will most likely take more than 5-6 months.

Unless you are under 30.

It’s hard to give a hard time frame but I’ll do my best.

How Long Will it Take to Lose 50 Pounds?

This may sound like a long time, but a year is going to fly by quickly whether you lose this weight or not.

Also…

Age is a HUGE factor in getting lean.

I remember being in my early 20’s at the University of Washington.

In the spring we would diet for 3 months and look ripped before summer hit.

I’m mentioning this, because I notice before and after pics of young people on Facebook will show similar things.

Dramatic weight loss in 3 months.

It’s easy to drop 30-50 pounds when you are young.

If you are in your 40’s (or older), with the same amount of weight to lose, that same amount of weight loss will probably take about a year.

If you were in a movie theater when you first saw this scene, you probably need to be a bit more patient when it comes to weight loss.

I think most people should expect about 12 months to go from overweight to decently slim.

Then possibly another 6-12 months to go from slim to their ideal fitness level.

Every little tweak can help when it comes to fat loss.

Here’s an article I wrote about how doing a short 4-5 day all-potato diet, can jump start your fat loss.

The Potato Hack for Rapid Fat Loss | The All Potato Diet

This is really easy since it only lasts a few days.

It should give you a head start in losing those 50 pounds.

The post How Long Will it Take to Lose 50 Pounds? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

The elliptical trainer is a cardio machine that is made fun of in many fitness circles.

The main criticism is that it’s simply too easy.

To me, this is the greatest strength of this machine.

You don’t necessarily want every exercise you do in the gym to be as intense as possible.

I think of it mainly as a mellow way to burn fat.

Doing cardio on an elliptical machine the closest thing to getting a massage while burning calories.

If I have tons of energy and really want to work up a sweat I’ll use a different cardio machine.

Or…

I’ll split my cardio between 15-20 minutes on the stair climber and maybe 15-20 minutes on the Elliptical.

There is a time for less intense training.

Especially if the early part of your workout routine looks anything crazy like this.

(I’m not going to lie, I’d be extremely polite to this dude and the guy “spotting” him. You want these guys on your side in case of a zombie apocalypse.)

Anyway…

Working out isn’t all about making every set, rep and exercise as intense as possible.

You have to know when to back off… and elliptical cardio is perfect for this.

You can do intervals on the Elliptical to make it more intense, but it is hard to make them as challenging as some of the other cardio machines.

I like to think of the Elliptical Trainer as an easy-to-medium machine.

Here’s a beginner-friendly interval cardio workout.

Stay at each level for 30 seconds.

Adjust the starting level so that it is easy (8 in this case) and so that the peak level (level 12 in this case) is slightly challenging.

Work from easy to slightly hard…

Then work back down from slightly hard to easy.

Repeat this until you reach your desired workout time (it only takes 4.5 minutes, so repeat this at least 4-5 times).

I think I’m going to call this the “Smooth Operator Cardio Workout”.

So…

Don’t discount the Elliptical.

It has a place in a well-constructed cardio workout routine.

The post Elliptical Workout Benefits – Is This Cardio Machine Too Easy? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

It’s possible to make a slight tweak at dinnertime that speeds up weight loss and works well with almost any diet plan.

A quick refresher on carbs:

Here’s the diet strategy, which also works with almost any diet including the Keto diet.

Eat your higher calorie meals early in the day and…

Try to make dinner based around low-calorie fibrous carbs.

*Most of us don’t eat nearly enough vegetables, so having a big meal based around these will improve the nutrient quality of our diets.

Here’s a list of common fibrous carbs.

It doesn’t need to be a 100% fibrous carb meal.

I like making vegetable soup.

I will add rice, beans or potatoes to the soup…

When I’m trying to lose weight, I’ll just go heavier on the vegetables and lighter on beans, rice or potatoes.

You kind of have to find a balance.

You still want it to taste good, while being heavy on the low-calorie fibrous carbs.

The only diet this wouldn’t work with is an all-meat diet.

I think eating an all-meat diet is madness. This is an experiment that is going to go poorly for the people who try it.

Although I prefer a carb heavy high-fiber diet, I can see where some people would be drawn to keto.

BUT…

An all-meat is just WAY over-the-top unhealthy.

The body NEEDS fiber for gut health, heart health, etc.

All of the longest living populations on earth have consumed a diet that is high in fiber.

Anyway…

Give this 80’s fat loss method a try.

It Works well.

It is still possible to lose weight while having your highest calorie meal before bed.

The problem is that there is less HGH released during sleep when the body is still processing a lot of calories.

This low-calorie fibrous carb dinner is what competitive bodybuilders would use back in the ’80s in preparation for a show.

Most of us aren’t into bodybuilding…

…but this is a really solid way to drop body fat, especially if you are trying to lose those last 10-15 stubborn pounds.

The post Here’s How to Lose Weight Fast With ANY Diet Plan appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I recently went to my 30-Year High School Reunion.

I was fortunate enough to attend Stadium High School, which is right on the waterfront in Tacoma.

This is where they filmed the Heath Ledger movie “10 Things I Hate About You”.

It has a cool history.

The building was built in 1890-1893 by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.

The goal was for it to be one of the finest luxury hotels on the Pacific Coast, called the Northern Pacific Hotel.

Unfortunately, a fire devastated the insides of the building before it was completed.

But…

Lucky for us, the city bought it and turned it into a high school in 1906.

It’s crazy it has been around so long.

I dated a girl who’s grandma graduated from Stadium and went to her 70th High School reunion at the age of 88.

Anyway, my reunion was awesome.

It really doesn’t seem like that long ago I was a freshmen in college (pic taken in 1988).

In 30 years I’ll be 78 years old!

The reality is that we don’t have unlimited time to accomplish all of our goals in life.

The cool thing about getting fit…

It really only takes 1-2 years to completely transform your body.

There is something magical that happens when you feel great physically.

It powers the rest of your life.

In some ways, it makes hitting other goals easier.

Two years is going to go by (quickly) whether you decide to get in shape or not.

I recommend having a sense of urgency and to begin your journey soon.

If you are ready?

Check out my Visual Impact Fitness courses.

My courses are aimed at adding just the right amount of muscle while getting a lean, slim and tight physique.

Note: If you are younger than 30 and reading this message?

You were born AFTER I graduated high school.

I blame your father for not making his move at a faster pace (your mom agrees).

At your age…

It is really hard to imagine yourself at my age (almost 50).

Believe it when I say it.

The next 30 years will feel like they move by quicker than your first 20 years.

So get in shape ASAP.

You have nice skin and hormones and youth on your side.

Enjoy the ride…

Before you know it, you will be shaking hands and hugging other 48 year-olds at your high school reunion.

The post Hit Your Fitness Goals THIS Year, Don’t Let Life Pass You By appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I need to start off this article with a rant.

Yesterday I was doing some T-bar rows, just minding my own business and a guy began doing cable curls at the station right next to me.

Normally this wouldn’t be a problem but…

After lifting in commercials gyms for 30+ years, I have a 6th sense for obnoxious gym members.

(Not a pic of the actual guy, but same facial expression.)

I somehow knew this guy was going to grunt and lift in a way where we could all hear him.

He did NOT disappoint.

He was grunting was loud enough to hear from the parking lot.

On a related note…

Not trying to brag, but I’m close to silent like a ninja while training.

The problem is people believe that in order to get stronger, you have to push way past your comfort zone.

It is very similar to eating salsa made from habanero peppers.

Why torture your mouth to this level, when jalapeno peppers will do the job?

When you train to failure the workouts hurt more and may cause you to be excessively sore for a few days after.

It would be fine if this meant better results…

The irony is that this painful type of training doesn’t even get good results.

A somewhat recent study covers this, titled:

Divergent Performance Outcomes Following Resistance Training Using Repetition Maximums or Relative Intensity.

This study compared repetition maximum (RM) to relative intensity using sets and repetitions (RISR).

• RM = training to failure
• RISR = stopping a few reps short of failure

Here was the conclusion.

Overall, this study demonstrated that RISR training yielded greater improvements in vertical jump, rate of force development, and maximal strength compared to RM training.

For strength, it makes sense to avoid lifting to failure.

Avoiding failure also allows you to train more often.

The more frequent your training sessions, the further from failure you should train.

For instance…

In my course, Visual Impact Frequency Training, we are modeling the Eastern European technique of hitting each muscle group 4-6 times per week.

Since the muscles are trained so often, none of the sets are even close to failure.

It’s a fun way to train if you have never tried it.

Strength “comes to you”.

When you work each lift many times per week without breaking the body down, your body becomes naturally stronger.

Gaining strength without excessive muscle breakdown creates a sleek, firm and tight physique.

A sophisticated amount of muscle

Visual Impact Frequency Training is geared towards strength and definition.

This is an ideal program for men and women who want to get strong without going up sizes in clothing.

The lifting portion is short and doesn’t wipe you out at all.

This leaves plenty of time and energy for cardio, to help you get lean at a fast rate.

The post Training to Failure for Strength is NOT a Good Strategy (New Research) appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I pride myself on spotting health and fitness trends early on.

There’s a small trend that has been growing the past 5 years that I think will be HUGE in 5-10 years from now.

This topic is also a major focus of the 2020 Global Wellness Summit.

The summit takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel on Nov 10-13.

One of the big topics of the summit this year is “true circadian health”… which is something that I believe will become mainstream in 5-10 years.

Here’s a link to a massive article on some of the things that will be discussed.

Way deep down in that article, there is a section titled “The Circadian Diet”.

The first section discusses how Intermittent Fasting was the most searched diet term in 2019.

Back to the article…

A study found mice live 15 percent longer when eating in a time-restricted feeding window.

We have known this for a while.

If the 15% increase in lifespan applied to humans, it would mean increasing lifespan from 80 to 92.

One question looked at in the article…

It has been suggested that syncing up mealtimes with circadian rhythms leads to greater weight loss.

We process more calories when it is light out, like in the morning and day. You can look at this info in a couple of ways.

1. What the article suggests is that you should eat more of your calories in the morning and day since you are burning more calories.
2. I actually like the idea of NOT eating during this time to force your body to use fat for fuel instead of calories from food.

Since the body really does slow down at night, it DOES make sense to not eat a huge meal right before going to bed.

You are probably familiar with this saying:

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”

The small dinner idea does make sense to me.

I just don’t think you need a huge breakfast.

I could see, on paper, how fasting until 1 PM and eating your largest meal at THAT time could be optimal when it comes to your circadian rhythm.

You would be burning fat in the morning…

…and still taking in calories around lunchtime when your body digests them easily.

Maybe LUNCH is the most important meal of the day?

As I’ve discussed in the past, I tend to eat my largest meals at dinner.

I do this because it works best socially for me.

I’m still able to get and stay lean with a large dinner.

This works for me.

…but maybe I’m making things harder on myself by doing so.

“Light Eating” = Eat when it is light out and stop when it is dark.

This is a new way to look at the term “Light Eating”.

Looking at Intermittent Fasting from a circadian rhythm perspective could be interesting.

Eat Stop Eat is, by far, the most comprehensive course on Intermittent Fasting.

For those of you who follow this approach?

Maybe test out eating your meal earlier in the day.

For those who do a 16:8 intermittent fasting method, where you limit eating to an 8-hour window?

Perhaps make that first meal large and taper it down in the evening.

We obviously have a lot more to learn about this stuff.

Excited to see upcoming research in this area.

The post Circadian Rhythm Fasting – A NEW Approach to Intermittent Fasting appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

With the rise in popularity of superhero movies…

Describing a person as having a “Hollywood Body” has changed.

I stopped using that phrase in my writing about 5-6 years ago.

I used to use the term Hollywood Body describing a slim athletic physique like the men and women in James Bond movies (or Brad Pitt in Fight Club, etc.)

Now, actors are pushing the limits of muscle again, like they did in the late 80’s movies with Arnold, Dolph, Stallone, etc.

I’m not saying this is bad, it just isn’t what I teach.

I still feel like most fitness is heavily weighted towards as much muscle as possible.

Again…

Not necessarily a bad thing.

Instead of using the term, Hollywood Body, I now jokingly came up with the term Yacht Bod.

I could have used the phrase Cologne Model Bod, but “Yacht Bod” is more catchy.

You can be strong and fit, without having to pack on tons of excess mass.

Have you watched the show, Jack Ryan, on Amazon?

John Krasinski looks fantastic.

The amount of muscle and definition he added is ideal because he can still look outstanding and slim in clothes.

The typical gym “bro” probably thinks he should add more mass.

My guess is that other people think he looks great at this size.

Slim and lean with density is the way to go.

Here is what I have noticed belonging to a commercial gym for 30+ years.

The men and women with excessively large muscles begin to see those muscles sagging after a couple of decades.

Lighter, tight and compact bodies age better… with less sagging over time.

This is EXACTLY what I teach in My Courses:

• Visual Impact Muscle Building
• Visual Impact for Women

There are a ton of programs that teach how to add muscle.

I’ll teach you to add as much muscle as you want.

But…

I highly recommend aiming for Yacht Bod level of size and definition.

Ship Ahoy!

The post Hollywood Body Transformations – The NEW Hollywood Physique appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Do you struggle to do certain activities?

We are all built differently, but many exercise programs don’t take that into account.

I suck at swimming.

I used to be puzzled because elite swimmers are tall.

Here’s a picture of me (age 13) and my sister (age 15) in 1983.

(I stopped growing right before my 13th birthday, but was 6’3″ at this age.)

In the beginning of 8th grade I could easily dunk a basketball and in 6th grade I got second in state in the High Jump (I learned how to do this just 2 weeks before).

This was all due to my build.

I’m not athletic and I didn’t practice or anything, I was just built like a spring back then.

I am not bragging. I really suck at most sports.

My main abilities are non-athletic games like ping pong, croquette, frisbee golf, bocce ball, etc.

(Paul Newman and Robert Redford playing some ping pong.)

I like games where I can sip on a light beer while playing.

Why do I suck at swimming?

Well…

Top swimmers are tall, but they have long torsos and short legs for their height.

I have a nephew who is 6’7″ who is a great swimmer and he has a 34″ inseam.

I’m shorter but have a 36″ inseam.

He isn’t a great jumper and can barely dunk at that height, but swimming comes easy to him.

One more example…

I bought a bodyweight training course by Adam Steer. Here he is doing a pistol squat.

I struggled like CRAZY trying to master this exercise, back then.

He makes it look so easy.

A few years later, I met Adam in person.

He’s about 1 foot shorter than me and built exactly like an Olympic gymnast… No wonder he makes it look effortless!

It would be the equivalent of me trying to teach him to dunk a basketball.

There are exceptions to every rule. Spud Webb is one of the best dunkers of all-time at 5’7″.

He really was an athletic freak!

• I’m not suggesting that it didn’t take work to get it to the expert level.
• I’m also not suggesting that people don’t try and improve in weak areas.

When it comes to getting in shape, you will find that your body naturally responds to certain exercises.

Some people love handstands and handstand push-ups for shoulders.

You couldn’t pay me to do this exercise and I have no interest in learning it.

That being said, this is a great shoulder exercise if you feel it in your delts more than shoulder presses.

For me personally, I know gymnastic-type stuff isn’t how I am naturally built… I’m tall with extremely long arms.

I’d rather grab a couple of dumbbells and do seated shoulder presses.

The main point of this article to use exercises that fit your body type (short or tall) and feel natural.

All of the Visual Impact Fitness Courses encourage you to find the exercises that feel best to YOU for each muscle group.

It isn’t the precise exercise that makes the biggest difference.

It is more about the performance of each exercise.

Note: It may take a few times to learn an exercise, just don’t keep pushing if it still feel awkward after a few months.

Dhalsim understands the struggle of long arms and legs.

I spent many quarters on “Street Fighter 2” back in the day right after it first hit the arcades.

They had 3 of these arcade machines a few blocks from campus when I was going to the University of Washington.

My grades suffered a little trying to get good at this game.

On a side note…

My long-time IMAGINARY girlfriend, Kylie Minogue, was in “Street Fighter the Movie”.

I guess Kylie is 5’0″…

She probably has just as easy of a time as Adam at pistol squats.

The post Do Tall Guys Need to Work Out Differently Than Short Guys? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’m not a fan of bodybuilding competitions or the whole vibe of that sport, but I did pay attention to bodybuilding in the 80’s and 90’s.

Although I realize that the professional IFBB guys all use steroids, I still like to read about their various workout philosophies.

There has been one guy in that time who’s lifting philosophy made the biggest impact on me.

Lee Haney.

Lee Haney won the Mr. Olympia title 8 times.

Here was Lee’s lifting motto.

“Stimulate, don’t annihilate”

He never destroyed himself in the gym and never lifted dangerous amounts of weight.

In fact, Lee Haney rarely ever squatted over 315 pounds.

Here’s what he said when he retired.

“I’ve never been injured—no tears, no pulls, no joint or ligament damage.”

Contrast that with Ronnie Coleman who also won the Mr. Olympia title 8 times.

Ronnie’s philosophy was to lift as heavy as humanly possible.

At the peak of his career, he squatted and dead-lifted over 800 pounds.

He’s had 7 surgeries since retiring.

He has been using a wheelchair on and off for a few years due to all the damage to his spine.

Image Credit: liftn.com

Here’s what he said about that:

“Do I have any regrets?, if I had a chance to do it all over again would I change anything? Yes if I had a chance to do it all over again I would change one thing. That is when I squatted that 800lbs I would do 4 reps instead of 2, that is my only regret in my career. Those 2 reps I did still haunts me today because I know I had 4 in me but the coward in me only did 2. That is my only regret.”

This is madness, in my opinion.

I think people need to be smarter if they want to feel good long-term.

I like strength training, but I also believe you must listen to your body.

For instance, I can tell that bench pressing any weight over 225 pounds is slightly risky for me.

So 90% of the time I’ll stick to this weight, or lighter.

The only time I will lift a bit heavier than this is when I’m following Visual Impact Frequency Training.

…but I only use that workout once per year for about 3 months (really fun workout, by the way).

I don’t limit myself as much on “pulling exercises” like Back and Biceps.

Putting up big numbers in lifts when you are in your 20’s and 30’s can haunt you later in life.

I recommend being cautious with weight…

Use the weight as a tool to squeeze the muscles harder for maximum contractions to improve the tone and density of your muscles.

This is the irradiation technique I teach in my Men’s course and Women’s course.

Don’t let your ego today, create a painful tomorrow.

I completely understand the natural drive to want to improve and hit personal bests.

This doesn’t have to mean lifting as heavy as possible in a specific exercise.

You could aim for other goals… like a lower body fat percentage, ability to do sprint intervals on a StepMill at a higher level, improve on a Concept 2 Rowing Machine, etc.

The post The Smartest Professional Bodybuilder of All-Time? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I watched a video a few days ago that gave me an idea.

It was a bodyweight circuit that looked effective, but it wasn’t because of some magical sequence of exercises.

I liked it, because it was easy to remember.

It was also built around the concept of EMOM.

EMOM stands for Every Minute On the Minute.

You begin each exercise and finish a set number of reps, then you begin the next exercise at the beginning of the next minute.

You finish a target number of reps on that exercise, then you rest until the NEXT minute starts.

The workout used 4 exercises.

The way this workout was set up was a set number of reps for each exercise.

It was something like this.

Repeat this sequence 5 times.

The idea was that you could finish the target reps faster than 45 seconds. This would give you AT LEAST 15 seconds of rest before the next exercise.

I like the idea of doing some exercises for total reps, but choosing a few exercises where you simply do the exercise for 45 seconds.

This would give you more exercise choices than simply aiming for reps.

Here’s what I mean.

I don’t like burpees because I think they are a risk to your lower back.

I do like planks.

Instead of 10 reps of Burpees, you could sub in a 45-second plank.

I also like things like running in place with high knees, or jumping jacks.

Those could both be done for 45 seconds.

Here’s a sample workout mixing in a couple of these exercises.

This same idea could work with mixing bodyweight with other workout equipment too.

Let’s say you like jumping rope.

…and you have a set of dumbbells.

You could do something like this.

With a proper understanding of this routine, you have a lot of flexibility.

Again…

It’s NOT the magical combo of exercises that makes this 20-minute circuit effective.

It’s the template.

Experiment with exercise sequences to see what really gets the heart pumping.

Try to avoid doing lower body movements back-to-back…

…or upper body movements back-to-back.

For instance, you wouldn’t want to do bodyweight squats after 45 seconds of jumping rope.

If you put a set of push-ups in between those 2 movements, it would work.

Also…

I’d recommend walking for 20-30 minutes after this workout.

As I outline in Visual Impact Cardio, you have a fat loss window-of-opportunity after intense training like HIIT or circuit training.

Intense exercise RELEASES stored body fat.

Low-intensity cardio like walking BURNS this released fat.

Works well for getting lean.

Anyway…

Just some ideas at working out from home.

The post Create-Your-Own 20 Minute Bodyweight Circuit Workout Routine appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting on and off for almost 20 years now.

One of the things I like to do is train in a fasted state, right before my first meal.

This is a solid strategy for fat loss.

But…

You risk burning a bit of muscle due to high cortisol levels… especially if the workout is intense.

I actually get more concerned about other effects of high cortisol.

This doesn’t always happen to me, but when I notice this…

I start my day with a small meal.

If I want to train soon after waking up, I’ll drink a low-fat protein and carb shake of 300-400 calories.

The reason for a shake is that it will absorb quickly… this is also why I make it low fat because fat slows absorption.

Plus I follow a low fat diet plan anyway.

It doesn’t even have to be a high-protein shake.

Fruit smoothies work well…

…as long as the calories are kept to 300’ish.

This small amount of carbs lower cortisol levels and also get the body out of a catabolic state.

The idea is to time your training after the nutrients from the shake are absorbed.

This is called training in the “Post-absorptive State”.

This is kind of the sweet spot for using the calories for fuel.

• You aren’t digesting these calories.
• You also aren’t in a fasted state.

I recommend about 300-400 calories.

Your weight training workout should burn through that amount before you begin cardio.

I recommend weight training for 30-45 minutes.

Follow your lifting with 20-45 minutes of some form of cardio.

Your weight training workout should easily burn through those 300 calories as long as they aren’t still being digested.

By the time you hit cardio… your body will be in a semi-fasted state and it will work well.

I use the still use the same strategy I outline in my cardio course.

I just now try to train in the “Post-absorptive State” when possible.

What I’m finding is that it DOES make a difference as far as belly fat is concerned.

I never worry too much about the muscle loss aspect of fasted cardio.

Resistance training sends a signal to hold onto muscle.

We all digest food at different rates, so this does take a bit of experimenting.

The post Does Training in a Fasted State Cause Slightly Stubborn Belly Fat? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I remember the first time I entered a commercial gym.

The year was 1987.

I felt super uncomfortable as I entered the gym, but NOT because the people were much stronger than me…

• It was the weird clothing.
• The grunting.
• The way the guys would walk with their chest puffed out.

It had me a little worried.

Had to throw in a Nagel print since we are talking about 1987.

I immediately loved training…

I just couldn’t relate to ANY of the people that filled my gym.

I was a collector of New Wave import records and spent my time going to concerts or alternative “Bat Cave” dance clubs.

To give you an idea…

This is what I looked like just six MONTHS before my 1st gym session.

(This was taken at the age of 17 in 1987. I’m on the far right standing next to my girlfriend at the time.)

The 80’s… you had to be there

What I’m saying is, I began working out to get in shape.

I didn’t want to become a meathead…

In 1987, many of the main bodybuilder guys still were rocking pervy mustaches.

So…

I look like the keyboard player of a Eurowave band, and I’m lifting weights with muscular guys who look like they shouldn’t be allowed around small children.

I’m kind of joking… but did you look at that magazine cover?

Anyway…

• Most people don’t want to get as huge as possible.
• Most people don’t want to wear scuzzy tank tops.
• Most people don’t want to grow a furry little mustache.

A lot of personal trainers get influenced by their surroundings.

They go into training with the right idea, but after a few years they are fully sucked into the bizarre gym culture.

Small tank tops become smaller… weights get dropped… lots more grunting and unnecessary use of chalk.

If you are at this point?

We may have lost you for a decade or two.

Let me explain…

There are early warning signs that this is about to happen.

“Leg day” memes are a bad sign.

If I see someone post a meme like this on Facebook?

I’m close to losing them.

This is Stage 1 of the brainwashing.

Excessive use of fitness memes ALWAYS worry me.

They seem harmless at first.

…but more times than not, this person becomes way too focused on gym culture.

In other words…

The “cheese out” a bit and sacrifice the stuff they makes them cool and unique in order to be fit.

Adding too much muscle creates a generic look.

When someone stays slim and lean while gaining strength, to me it makes them appear more sophisticated.

Gal Gadot is a prime example.

She trains almost every day, but focuses getting strong without bulking up.

This allows her to look fantastic and stylish as well as being strong.

I was pumped when they chose her for Wonder Woman.

I believe that more women want this sort of balance, instead of looking like a CrossFit Games competitor.

Alexander Skarsgård is another great example… he has regular muscle size, with great definition.

Slim and tight physiques like his and Gal Gadot’s age better than more muscular physiques.

Massive muscles sag over time.

A big argument for keeping a slim and tight physique is to fight the effects of gravity as you age.

My courses are aimed at keeping size down, while increasing strength and density of the muscles.

• Visual Impact for Women
• Visual Impact Muscle Building

Gal Gadot is 33 and is the perfect size for her frame.

Alexander Skarsgård gained muscle for Tarzan, but is almost back to his regular “True Blood” size.

Anyway…

Keep your fitness classy and less “saggy”

The post A Strange Reason to Avoid TOO MUCH Muscle Mass appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I just read an article over on T-nation.com titled:

“Everyone Should Use Creatine – The Hidden Health Benefits of Creatine Monohydrate”.

It’s a well-written piece.

I’ll discuss that article in a sec.

First, let me address the main topic of this article.

Is Creatine fine to take while losing weight?

Weight loss shouldn’t be your only goal when trying to look your best.

A better approach is to focus on FAT loss.

People with tight and toned physiques oftentimes weigh more than someone who is skinny fat.

Let’s discuss that article suggesting that everyone should take creatine.

I agree with most of the article, but still think there are specific body types that benefit more from creatine that others.

Someone who is skinny or skinny fat should definitely consider taking creatine ASAP.

Here’s a picture of a skinny fat man who would be a perfect candidate for creatine monohydrate.

The creatine would quickly add volume to his shoulders, chest and arms and it would minimize the appearance of his belly fat.

He would look MUCH better in just 4-6 weeks.

Then he could slowly lose body fat to reveal even more muscle definition.

People who are a bit bulky are a different story.

If a person is bulky with excess fat they probably would want to avoid creatine until they leaned down a bit.

In this case, I would recommend that this guy drop about 20-25 pounds WITHOUT taking creatine.

He could add in creatine once he got quite a bit lighter.

This would fill the muscles back up once he got lean and he would look better than ever.

I cover creatine strategies in Visual Impact Muscle Building.

Creatine works for women as well.

I think it works best for a woman once she is close to her target weight, or if she feels like she can’t see as much muscle definition after dieting.

This woman would be an example of another perfect candidate for creatine.

She already looks awesome, but creatine would add just a hint of more definition and enhance her curves.

Again…

Not criticizing her physique at all (she looks great).

In summary:

Hope this helps,

The article pointed out something I never thought about:

Taking creatine to fight the effects of sarcopenia (the muscle loss that occurs with aging).

So…

If you are older, creatine may be even more effective.

I recommend getting basic creatine monohydrate on Amazon.

This is the inexpensive brand I recommend

Only about $15-$20 for a 4 month supply.

The post Should You Take Creatine While Trying to Lose Weight? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

In the past couple of years, there has been a buildup of a specific type of training.

The type of training is cardio, but not just any old cardio.

Cardio machine training.

One of the big players in this market is Peloton.

The Peloton holiday 2019 commercial caused some controversy,

Ryan Reynolds hired the Peloton actress for a funny Aviator Gin commercial.

The Peloton bike costs $2,245 and then comes with a $58 monthly subscription to access live instructors.

This company is on track to have 250,000 monthly subscribers.

It has also been valued at over 1 Billion dollars.

They also recently announced plans to do the EXACT same type of things with treadmills… this company is going to become massive.

Speaking of treadmills…

Equinox gym has a class called “Precision Running”.

It’s a group class that mixes HIIT and slower cardio on a treadmill (gosh, this workout sounds like what I’ve been teaching for years).

Britney Spears used this class at Equinox to get in shape for her 2018 World Tour.

She is 36 and really got her physique dialed in.

She looks better than ever.

Here’s another interesting celebrity cardio machine thing happening.

Skrillex is partnering with a Japanese exercise bike company Feelcycle, like Peloton with dubstep.

I’m not sure if he is focusing on the Japanese market only.

I’m also starting to see group rowing studios pop up.

I haven’t done a ton of rowing.

I probably should use the rowing machine more, but just worry it will aggravate an old back injury.

Another company I’m beginning to see everywhere is Orange Theory Fitness.

They have a unique concept.

Your heart rate is displayed on a monitor along with everyone else while you do a mix of treadmill running alternated with rowing and other exercises.

People I know who do this workout, really love it.

There are 6 locations within a 5 mile radius of where I live.

I actually may sign up for one class a week and do on Wednesdays, just for a change of pace.

Then train at my current gym Mon, Tue, Thurs, and Friday.

I like daily cardio along with lifting 4-5 times per week, so this could be a good mid-week thing.

One reason I think Orange Theory would be funny, would be to scare the instructors.

My max heart rate goes WAY higher than it is supposed to.

The quick way to estimate it?

220 – Age = Estimated Max Heart Rate

So for me, it would be 220 – 50 = 170.

I’m supposed to only hit a max of 85% of 170, which is about 145, but I hit 180 on a regular basis.

Anyway…

Cardio machines have been bashed pretty hard for the past 10-15 years.

I never stopped using them, even when supposedly it wasn’t cool.

I’m glad they are making a strong comeback.

Cardio isn’t going to “make you lose your curves” or “kill your gains”.

If you don’t want to lose muscle while burning fat with cardio?

Simply do a bit of resistance training 3-4 times per week and give your body a reason to hold onto that muscle.

If you want to master cardio machines for fat loss, I believe my course will give you the most variety of options.

Visual Impact Cardio

My course will also explain in better detail how ALL of these popular programs work.

You will know more about how to effectively use cardio machines for fat loss than 99% of fitness instructors.

One last thing…

I GREATLY admire both the Peloton company and Orange Theory Fitness.

I hope they become huge and help a ton of people.

The group and social concepts are brilliant.

The post Cardio Machine Training is Making a Comeback appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

My favorite time of the year is the fall.

September and October are my favorite months. I love the weather and the way the trees look, etc.

Plus…

The fall is the official beer season.

I love a 70 degree late September day, drinking beers with friends in an outdoor beer garden.

I still need to do Oktoberfest in Germany.

I just read an article put out today on some of the health benefits of beer.

Beer Officially Good for You Because it Reduces Heart Risk

I’ll summarize here:

Here are some of the health benefits of daily beer drinking.

I do realize I’m being affected by CONFIRMATION BIAS.

I like beer, so I am likely to find good news about it.

I still think the article makes good points.

Hoegaarden is my favorite beer, by the way.

A lot of people avoid beer when trying to get lean.

Here’s the issue with beer or other drinks that contain alcohol.

Your body prioritizes burning off alcohol BEFORE any calories from food.

If you eat mainly protein or carbs with alcohol you are fine.

The only time glucose from protein or carbs get converted to fat is if muscle glycogen is full (this RARELY happens).

Excess dietary fat gets stored as body fat.

The reserve tank for dietary fat is your fat cells… and the reserve tank for protein and carbs are muscle cells.

The ideal meal to eat when drinking beer if you don’t want to store body fat is a carb and protein-based meal that is LOW fat.

A low fat stir fry over steamed rice works well.

Unfortunately, beer and pizza isn’t a great combo.

Any meal where you keep fat to a minimum is perfect.

I love Mexican food, and the past few months I have been making HUGE burritos with fat-free refried beans.

I’ll use 3 large flour tortillas, which have a little fat, but overall the fat in the meal is still low.

This is my go-to meal 2-3 times per week.

The “3 Large Burrito and 2 Cold Beer Diet Plan”

I still want to lose 10 pounds…

The final last bit of fat is melting off my lower abs, even while enjoying 1-2 Hoegaarden beers each night with my dinner.

I just turned 50.

I feel pretty good about my middle-aged BEER-BOD (only 10 pounds to go).

If you decide to drink beer, simply limit fat as much as possible.

It’s actually not a bad approach even when you aren’t drinking beer.

For more info on my diet strategy?

Visual Impact High Carb Fat Loss

My metabolism is similar to a teenager’s now since carbs have it revved up.

If I ever go to Munich for Oktoberfest, I will NOT limit fat intake…

…and I will most likely have more than 2 beers.

By eating high carb the majority of the time, my body is ready to take on excess calories.

Any fat gain is minimal even when going off diet for a day or two.

When I go back to limiting intake…

The body fat goes back to melting off systematically.

The post The Health Benefits of Drinking Beer Daily appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’ve been eating small amounts of a specific superfood 2-3 times per day before meals and digging it.

What is this superfood?

Sauerkraut.

I still take a premium probiotic, but I must say adding a bite of sauerkraut before meals has been a game-changer for my digestion.

Here’s the link to where I got this image.

It’s a great article on what to look for when buying sauerkraut (as well as health benefits).

The problem with buying the good stuff is that it is spendy.

I bought a small container the other day for $9.

I’m actually thinking about making it.

Here are the ingredients for basic sauerkraut.

It does require pressing the cabbage to get brine, but super-cheap to make.

Here’s a video on how to make Sauerkraut.

These Raw Sauerkraut people are making bank!

I should have my own brand of Sauerkraut.

Most guys named Rusty own dive bars or saloons in small towns.

It isn’t our fault… the name makes us want to do this.

One of us fellow Rustys needs to class it up a bit.

I could have my own sauerkraut biz and charge quite a bit less than these sauerkraut pushers.

I could still keep a weird old saloon feel.

“Old Man Rusty’s Sauerkraut – Good for All Y’all”

A picture of me on the front with a thick mustache and possibly a cowboy hat.

Try adding in a bit of raw sauerkraut before each meal.

See if it makes digestion of all foods a breeze.

Ya’ll get to it now, ya hear?

The post Eat This Super-Food to Stop Bloating and Improve Digestion appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

We live in an interesting time.

Everything is moving faster, especially when it comes to technology.

Takes phones for instance.

My family had this exact same beige phone throughout the 70’s and until the late 80’s.

I think my grandparents had the same one, but was a pea green color.

Now a lot of people get new versions of phones every year.

Fat loss is something you still have to work for.

My 70’s and 80’s brain appreciates this.

Even if you have money, you have to have discipline.

For most people, losing belly fat takes 2-3 times longer than expected…. especially if you are middle-aged or beyond.

A lot of my close friends are in their mid-to-late 40’s.

Back in college…

We could lose fat and get ready for summer by simply adding in a bit of cardio and cutting calories for 3-6 months before summer.

If you are in your mid 30’s and beyond?

You almost have to think in terms of 1-2 years to reach your ideal physique.

This fat loss thing can take a while.

The good news is that NOW 1-2 years feels like it goes by in 3-6 months.

(Time flies as you get older!)

It will happen quickly for you if you are young.

This article is mainly for people in their mid 30’s and beyond who FEEL like they are failing when it comes to weight loss.

So many of the fitness courses and books are written for and by people in their 20’s.

I’m talking to the 35+ years old’s here.

I know it can be irritating taking fat loss advice from a 22-year-old “woke” girl doing yoga poses on vacation.

If this sort of stuff irritates you too?

You will always have a fitness friend in me

There is nothing worse than taking advice from someone who has never struggled.

And…

Make no mistake about it, getting and staying lean when middle-aged and beyond is a struggle.

Embrace the struggle and join the 1 in 100 that does what it takes.

The post How Long Does it Take to Lose Belly Fat? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Recently, I traveled to Chicago for a wedding.

I wasn’t just a guest…

I actually became an ordained minister and officiated the wedding!

I snapped a photo before the guests arrived of where I was going to be standing during the ceremony.

Yikes, that is a lot of eyes looking at me speak for 20 minutes.

I was definitely nervous, but it went well.

I’ve been friends with the groom for 7+ years.

He is down 20-25 pounds.

She lost 15 pounds.

They really don’t have any more to lose and looked amazing for the wedding.

The night before the wedding, I met the groom and 3 other friends at a Steak House.

The groom is vegan and I only eat meat 1-2 times per week…

…but we knew his other friends enjoy steak.

We really were looking for a nice restaurant that others would enjoy that also served potatoes.

This steakhouse had huge baked potatoes on the menu and tons of fresh vegetables.

The goal for both of us was to each get a massive baked potato and then order a bunch of vegetable sides cooked without oil.

Normally, I compromise and would have had fish and some of the fattier appetizers.

This night was different.

The groom wanted to look his best for the wedding the following day.

Potatoes and steamed vegetables the night before an event can do some magical things.

The potassium in the potatoes, help you get rid of excess water (potassium does the opposite of sodium when it comes to water retention). It makes the face and body look leaner than normal.

…and it worked surprisingly well this time.

During the night water was flushed out.

I even had 3 beers with dinner and woke up leaner than normal.

My friend, who was about to get married, noticed the same thing.

He nailed his wedding prep.

So…

The night before an event or the night before going to the beach try this.

Potatoes are super filling too.

Here’s a post I wrote explaining why they are such a good food when you are dieting.

Potato Hack for Rapid Fat Loss

You can benefit from them even if you just have 1-2 low-fat potato-based meals the day before events.

The funny thing about the wedding?

Guests who hadn’t seen this couple in a while were blown away by how great they looked.

People were calling me the “High Carb Guy”…

…and also “Reverend Rusty”

I have to admit, it was pretty killer to have a bride and groom’s transformation as a demonstration of how well this way of eating works.

I now have more conviction than ever about this diet:

Visual Impact High Carb Fat Loss

The post A Simple Beach-Prep Diet Tip appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Sometimes the mind goes to negative places and it can get stuck there.

I wish we were taught to EXPECT this.

I get in negative places a few times per year (happens to everyone).

I get less enthusiastic about stuff.

For some reason, I feel guilty about getting in this negative space in my head.

I’ve been on this planet for almost 50 years…

When my mind goes to this place it surprises me EVERY time.

Each time is like the first.

I forget this has happened before and it is just temporary.

I remind myself that life needs contrast…

Without the lows, we wouldn’t appreciate the highs.

This “sort of” helps, but really my goal is to see the beauty and great things in life…

I want to begin to see life as colorful again.

I think it is extremely tough to “think your way out” of a negative mindset.

Your mind is in a weak place at this point.

Some people turn to drugs or drinking.

For every 1 unit of happiness, drugs give you now, you lose 5 units of happiness in the future.

Because of this…

I believe exercise is crucial during these times… the mind follows the body.

The body and mind are more connected than most people realize.

Exercise could be the greatest mind-hack that I know of.

For me, here is the craziest thing about this.

Did I exercise less because I was slightly depressed.

OR…

Was I slightly depressed due to a lack of exercise?

I think exercise is just as important for mental health as it is for physical health.

I don’t believe I’m an expert on psychology, just because I know so much about fitness.

I just like getting these thoughts written down.

It is a reminder for me when I hit one of these rough moments again.

Notice how I said “when” and not “if”…

These down moments are an inevitable part of life. Please don’t EVER feel guilty or bad about this.

WHEN you hit one of these points, see if exercise speeds up the process to see life as colorful again.

The post Exercise Your Way Out of a Mental FUNK appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

In 2017 the MATADOR study came out which tested a clever dieting strategy.

Here’s the strategy in a nutshell.

• 2 Weeks at a 30% daily calorie deficit.
• 2 Weeks at maintenance level calories.

You simply alternate every 2 weeks like this until you hit your goal.

The reason they tested this idea was the fact that so many people quit their diets after 2-3 weeks.

Why not schedule a diet break at that time?

The subjects in the study[1] who alternated calories like this experienced greater fat loss over 16 weeks than the subjects who continually ate in a deficit.

How many calories for a deficit and maintenance?

There are tons of online calculators and stuff, but I like easy.

This strategy should work well with any type of diet (keto, low fat, paleo, Mediterranean, etc.)

Something to possibly test out.

One of the benefits or doing this with a higher carb diet is the metabolism-boosting effects of carbs.

When maintenance calories are higher in carbs?

The metabolism “heats up”.

This is due to the fact that glucose is the body’s preferred energy source.

When calories are reduced to 30% below maintenance the revved metabolism burns fat at a rapid rate.

It works well.

I have a course called High Carb Fat Loss that covers this in much greater detail.

The post An Interesting Calorie Strategy for Fat Loss appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Getting lean is a process of TINY bits of fat loss over a long period of time.

The day-to-day fat loss is small.

But…

Over time this is what creates our ideal physique.

Even a little bit more fat loss each workout adds up to a lot (given enough time).

Don’t discount the cumulative fat loss effect of adding a bit of walking into your workouts.

Walking at the END of your workouts is ideal.

Intense exercise opens up a fat loss window-of-opportunity.

Here’s a diagram from my cardio course.

Almost any type of intense exercise like lifting weights or HIIT will release fat from fat cells into your blood stream.

Some of this fat is used during the intense exercise.

But…

Walking after intense exercise makes a huge difference over the course of a year.

When possible…

I recommend walking at least 10-20 minutes after ANY intense exercise.

Don’t miss the special opportunity to burn a little more fat.

It will add up.

Do you want to master exercising for fat loss?

Pick up my advanced fat loss course:

Visual Impact Cardio

The post Do THIS for More Fat Loss Each and EVERY Workout appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Should you take diet breaks when you are trying to lose weight?

I found a recent study which compared taking long diet breaks -vs- dieting without breaks.

Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study [1].

In this study…

• One group dieted nonstop for 16 weeks.
• The other group alternated 2 weeks of dieting with 2 weeks at maintenance for a total of 30 weeks.

The results were interesting.

Both groups went through 16 weeks in a calorie deficit.

The group that took breaks every 2 weeks wound up with better body composition (maintained more muscle and lost more body fat).

“Greater weight and fat loss was achieved with intermittent ER. Interrupting ER with energy balance ‘rest periods’ may reduce compensatory metabolic responses and, in turn, improve weight loss efficiency.”

It took almost twice as long, but the ride was more enjoyable.

I USED to be more interested in losing fat as quickly as possible.

It seems patience is rewarded when it comes to losing body fat.

I don’t think you need to alternate 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off.

It doesn’t even have to be as structured as the study.

Going on a vacation is a good example.

I don’t believe in dieting while on vacation.

If you view this as a maintenance period or a bit above maintenance will see eating more on vacation as a GOOD thing (not believing you blew your diet).

When you get back from vacation simply get back into a deficit and understand that this 1-2 week break is AWESOME over the long term.

I know this works well, but it is good to finally have a study that backs this approach.

Dieting is such a mind-game.

If you see dieting breaks as a WIN and a GOOD thing, you will jump back into your diet plan.

If you see breaks as a NEGATIVE?

You will probably feel defeated and quit your diet.

Same behavior, but a different way of looking at it.

The post Longer Diet Breaks for Better Body Composition? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Getting lean requires an energy deficit.

Meaning, you burn more calories than you are consuming.

This energy deficit can happen with lowering calories substantially…

…or using a less strict diet and getting more exercise.

I personally prefer eating to where I’m satisfied and being more active and working out 5+ times per week, etc.

Some people try to get lean with diet alone.

I’d say MOST people trying to lose weight focus mainly on DIET instead of exercise.

Is this the best approach?

Is it easier to stick to a deficit caused by calorie restriction or created through exercise?

A recent study looked at this, Titled:

Appetite and gut peptide responses to exercise and calorie restriction. The effect of modest energy deficits.

This study found that appetite increased with diet, but NOT with exercise.

“An energy deficit of ~1475 kJ stimulated compensatory increases in appetite when induced via calorie restriction but not when achieved by an acute bout of exercise.”

I think a combo of a solid diet plan AND exercise is best.

The trick to getting lean is to maintain a calorie deficit.

You can do this with diet alone.

Especially if you eat in a way that limits your body’s ability to store fat.

I just think that exercise makes it really easy to stay lean.

This study may explain why this is the case.

Both my Women’s Course and Men’s Course stress the importance of creating an energy deficit through exercise.

The lifting part of the workout is geared towards firm defined muscles without excess size (slim, sleek and stylin’).

The workouts have a cardio component as well.

Society is becoming less and less active.

Don’t fall into this trap.

The only way to stay lean and healthy long-term is with regular exercise.

So eat well and work up a sweat on a regular basis.

The post How to Stay Lean With Minimal Hunger appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I have an interesting family tree when it comes to health.

My grandparents were slim and at a healthy weight most of their lives and lived into their 90’s.

They barely took any prescribed medications.

My Dad inherited these great genes.

Unlike my grandparents, my dad began to rapidly put on weight in his late 30’s.

He had daily fast food for lunch at work… and we ate out at restaurants a lot of the time for dinner.

My mom passed away when I was young, so me and my sisters grew up on a lot of TV dinners.

As kids, we rode bikes and played outside nonstop.

My sisters and I didn’t put on weight, but my dad eventually became about 70-80 pounds overweight.

He stayed this heavy from about the age of 40 to the age of 70.

At around age 70 he was diagnosed with cancer.

He conquered cancer like a champ and didn’t even complain (he’s the kindest person I’ve ever met and probably didn’t want to worry us).

Then he got hyperthyroidism, which was tougher for him than cancer.

He eventually conquered this as well.

In fact, almost all of my relatives take a ton of prescribed drugs.

Like my dad, most have been carrying at least 30-40 extra pounds for 20+ years.

Being overweight changes your DNA.

A conversation I had 18 years ago with a medicinal chemist changed the way I looked at obesity.

For a little over a year, I was an executive recruiter who filled Director level medicinal chemist jobs at pharmaceutical companies.

I had to call VP’s of these massive companies for reference checks for these scientists.

One of the most accomplished of these scientists brought multiple drugs through clinical trials (this is a big deal).

Here is what he said about obesity.

He also stated:

“So much of society is obese that this message will NEVER be embraced”.

So we can’t tell people how bad obesity is for their health…

…because it might hurt some feelings.

Here’s a 9-minute video of a doctor who came to the same conclusion as that medicinal chemist I talked to years ago.

*She specifically talks about damaged DNA from obesity leading to cancer.*

The less time you spend in an overweight state, the less likely that you will get any chronic disease.

I think there needs to be more urgency in losing weight than what I’m seeing out there.

I wish society viewed being overweight as similar to being exposed to radiation.

If you have been carrying a lot of extra weight for a while, I would make losing it a high priority.

Note: This isn’t foolproof.

My mom was at a healthy weight her entire life and got breast cancer.

We lost her at a young age and it was devastating.

I am not going to lie…

I almost get a little mad when I see someone who is extremely obese.

My mom took care of her health and fought hard for her life when she got cancer.

…and others, who still have a shot at life, are allowing themselves to be obese and will likely die prematurely because of it.

I’m not fat-shaming at all here.

My dad is my biggest hero and he has been overweight for most of my life.

We are going to lose a lot of amazing people if they don’t lose weight.

I’m hoping people take this a bit more seriously than they do.

The post Stay Slim for Life… to Reduce Your Chance of Getting a Chronic Disease appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Weight loss is never a linear straightforward process.

Typically it involves losing 1-2 pounds, followed by remaining at a stable weight for a while.

This stable weight period can be frustrating.

More patience is required of you, the leaner you become.

These stable weight periods become longer and longer the closer you get to your ideal body fat percentage.

You may even hit a serious fat loss plateau.

What happens is that your metabolism slows a bit.

AND…

At some point, even a low-calorie intake won’t equate to fat loss.

You can cut back on calories further.

…but that can make the slowed metabolism problem even worse.

This is called the “Eat More/Exercise More” method of increasing the metabolism.

I’m NOT talking about cheat meals.

…or cheat days.

I believe a better approach is to increase calorie intake, then add enough exercise to burn these calories.

A strategy that works exceptionally well is to do lactate threshold cardio followed by a meal right after the workout.

So you are purposely doing a workout that burns X amount of calories.

…and eating a meal right after with X amount of calories.

I recommend a carb-based meal at this time.

The carbs will replenish the glycogen burned during your workout and will prepare you for tomorrow’s workout.

An alternative to this is to simply eat bigger meals during this period of increased activity.

I would recommend doing this Eat More/Exercise More period for AT LEAST 2 weeks.

Even if you gain a little weight…

Your body will be ready for the next round of fat loss.

Simply reduce calories and you will begin losing fat again.

Works well.

Note: I don’t want to alienate anyone who follows a ketogenic diet.

This same basic approach works with a keto diet as well.

I do feel carbs are better for metabolism recovery…

(Which is why even low carb dieters will Carb-Cycle when their metabolism slows down.)

…but you can stick to a ketogenic diet and do this as well.

If you ever become carb-curious?

High Carb Fat Loss isn’t going anywhere and will be patiently waiting for you.

The post What to Do When Weight Loss Stalls? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

About 6 years ago I was in the middle of a set of bench press and a guy RANDOMLY began spotting me.

He began screaming “it’s all you, it’s all you!”

I wound up doing about 2-3 more reps than planned.

I wasn’t mad, because I know the guy BELIEVED he was doing me a favor.

We have been taught to push past the pain and do reps until we can’t take it.

The problem is that this makes us sore and fatigued the following day.

When you are sore the following day, your performance can suffer.

It’s fine to be a touch sore…

…but you definitely want to minimize this when possible.

Minimizing soreness is especially critical when you are trying to lose body fat.

When you aren’t sore, you will go into each workout fresh with energy.

This is why in my Women’s Course I recommend stopping 2-3 reps short of failure.

When sets are pushed to the limit it breaks the muscle down.

This can build mass (which is something most women aren’t aiming for)… but it also makes it tough to want to train 4-5 times per week (which is ideal for getting lean).

For men, I recommend avoiding excessive fatigue as well.

In my Men’s Course, I recommend stopping 2-3 reps of failure most of the time.

The only exception is that in the first phase of my program it is focused on fatigue to build a bit of base muscle.

In phases 2 and 3 it is similar to the Women’s Course…

Focusing on strength, fat loss and muscle definition.

Consistently showing up is key to getting lean.

When workouts are too intense TODAY, you run a serious risk of wanting to skip your workout TOMORROW.

Let’s compare two different workout approaches:

• Intense approach of lifting 3 times per week with max intensity.
• Moderate approach of training 5 times per week less intensely.

There are 52 weeks in the year.

This is a SIGNIFICANT difference.

Daily exercise is also crucial to long term health.

This moderate approach is healthier and creates the type of body that the majority of men and women are after.

It also means less chance of injury, you don’t feel sore and will have more energy.

Consistency beats intensity for fat loss (most of the time).

Note: There are times when short periods of intensity are called for.

You can push to failure on body parts you want to add size to.

A lot of women who follow Visual Impact for Women will go to failure on glute exercises and stop short of failure on everything else.

The main point?

Going all-out on every exercise is not a great long-term strategy.

It’s glamorized in the gyms and on Youtube, etc.

It’s not the best way to train.

The post Workout Consistency Beats Intensity… for Fat Loss and Muscle Tone appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Is the title of this article confusing?

I was trying to come up with an opposite to this common phrase:

“You can’t out-exercise a bad diet”.

I get the idea behind the saying.

But…

I think this phrase is thrown around too much.

I also think a lot of people use this as an excuse to skip exercise altogether.

Here’s another saying I believe is overused.

“Abs are made in the kitchen.”

What you eat is absolutely important, but part of me thinks these phrases are used as a way to minimize the importance of exercise.

Some people will do ANYTHING to avoid exercise.

Even if it means clinging to these phrases.

Being healthy requires both a good diet AND a healthy amount of exercise.

Exercise doesn’t always have to be a structured gym workout.

(This picture was taken in the Banff National Park in Canada. Do a Google image search. This place is unreal.)

A good diet is crucial as well.

I have a course outlining what I feel to be the healthiest way to get and stay lean long-term:

High Carb Fat Loss

…I just believe that in general people need to MOVE way more than they do, regardless of diet.

The general population is eating poorly.

AND…

The general population is UNDER-Exercising.

Move whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Don’t justify inactivity with a couple of iffy phrases.

Note: If you do like to exercise in a gym environment?

Pick up Visual Impact for Women…

…or Visual Impact Muscle Building (men’s course).

These can still work in a home gym environment, but you do need dumbbells, barbells, etc.

The post You Can’t Under-Exercise a Good Diet? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I’m not a physical therapist, so I’m not comfortable giving advice on treating injuries.

I can, however, recommend a few ways to minimize injury risk.

The common advice is to lighten up the weight quite a bit when targeting an injury-prone part of your body.

That’s decent advice…

…but if you lift a weight explosively it can be just as risky, if not more risky, than lifting a heavier weight at a slow pace.

A surprising number of injuries happen when the weight is light.

Joint injuries or muscle strains tend to happen during the Stretch Shortening Cycle of a lift.

Think of this as the point in a lift where you reverse the direction of the bar.

Like the point when the bar touches your chest in a bench press and you quickly go from lowering the bar to pressing it back up to lockout.

If you time a bench press properly and push at the right point, you can use the elastic energy created at the bottom of a lift to give you greater pushing power.

This same thing happens at the bottom of a squat.

A better example is probably the vertical leap.

(The highest recorded vertical leap in the NBA is Michael Jordan at 46″, but some people believe Wilt Chamberlain had a 48″ inch vertical leap.)

To jump high, you squat down a little bit and create a pre-stretch and instinctively jump with the additional force the pre-stretch provides.

You wouldn’t be able to jump as high if you paused for 2 seconds at the bottom of the squat.

This explosive type of lifting isn’t necessarily dangerous.

• If you don’t have knee issues you are probably fine to use this while squatting.
• If you don’t have shoulder issues, it is probably safe to take advantage of the stretch shortening cycle at the bottom portion of a bench press.

The issue is when people have past injuries.

When working a muscle group that is prone to injuries, I recommend purposely avoiding explosive lifting.

You will have to use lighter weights.

Here are a few tips…

Injury Prevention Tip 1: Pause at the Bottom of a Lift

When you pause at the bottom of a squat or bench press, you take the stretch shortening cycle out of the equation.

This allows you to work the muscles with less stress on your ligaments and joints.

When doing the bench press, for instance, use lighter weight and pause for about a 1 second as soon as the bar touches your chest.

Make sure you stay tight at the bottom.

Injury Prevention Tip 2: Choose Exercises That Eliminate the Stretch Shortening Cycle

If someone has had a knee injury in the past, I would recommend deadlifts instead of squats.

You start the lift from a dead stop and aren’t doing a typical stretch shortening cycle pre-stretch like you tend to do in a squat.

The key with deadlifts is to make sure you let the weights hit the floor and perform each rep from a dead stop.

An exercise like a machine chest press is started from the bottom position.

The key here is to let the weight stack touch between each and every rep.

Don’t slam the weight stack like a dork.

Let the weight stack touch, wait about a second in between each rep.

Then perform the next rep.

Injury Prevention Tip 3: Perform Partial Reps

I slightly tweaked my shoulder doing incline barbell presses about 12 years ago.

When I do this lift today, I only lower the bar until it is about 6 inches from touching my upper chest.

What is interesting is that I have to use lighter weight with these partial reps.

You would think that since the bar is traveling a shorter distance so I would be able to go heavier.

This isn’t the case.

Injury Prevention Tip 4: Pre-Exhaust With Isolation Exercises before Compound Movements

I have a friend who hurt his right shoulder doing weighted dips quite a few years ago.

Now what he likes to do is several sets of triceps cable extensions to fatigue his triceps before doing dips.

After this, he does slow and controlled body-weight only dips.

The triceps wind up getting worked just as hard, but less injury potential to his shoulder.

Hope these tips help.

Note: Both Visual impact Muscle Building and Visual Impact for Women focus mainly on slow and controlled lifting.

When done properly this minimizes your risk of injury.

That being said…

If you are still interested in training explosively?

I cover a safer approach to explosive lifting in Visual Impact Frequency Training.

It involves mixing in slow “irradiation style” lifting along with the explosive lifts.

Works well.

The post 4 Workout Tips to Prevent Injuring an Injury-Prone Muscle Group appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Every few years I get tricked into trying out brief and infrequent training.

Last summer was one of those times.

I was training only about 2 times per week.

After 3 months of this, I barely even looked like someone who worked out.

It isn’t like anyone really tricks me…

I just see someone who looks good from training 2-3 times per week and I give it a shot.

If I was active last summer it could have worked out okay.

Unfortunately, I barely got outside.

The trend these days is to train as little as possible.

Reducing Workload = Reduced Work Capacity

Impressive looking physiques are built by INCREASING the work capacity with training, not decreasing it.

The higher your workload per week, the more adaptations you will make.

The law of diminishing returns comes into play.

You don’t need to train 15 hours per week, but…

If you want tone and definition?

You will simply focus on workloads that are short of failure as described in my Women’s Course and phase 2 and phase 3 of my Men’s Course.

If you want size?

You will focus on workloads that push to failure and fatigue the muscle as described in phase 1 of my Men’s Course.

Remember…

The more work you do, the more adaptations you can make.

This is a good principle to remember.

Note: Don’t get fooled by the pretty Instagram people.

Some of them are barely over the age of 19.

It’s much easier at a young age to look awesome with minimal work.

The rules change when you hit 30 and beyond.

The post Increase Work Capacity to Dramatically Improve Your Body appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I wrote about this before…

It is such a solid tip, that I figured it warranted another article.

There is a specific way to lift weights that has been shown in a study to boost Growth Hormone by up to 1,700% compared to normal lifting.

I think people get thrown off by the term Growth Hormone.

It’s not really a muscle-building thing.

Think of Growth Hormone as your “youth hormone”… It helps with fat loss and skin tone, etc.

I like to point this out to women in particular.

Most women aren’t after massive growth, so they can be thrown off by the term.

Here are the main benefits of increasing GH:

• Stimulates collagen production (good for skin and joints)
• Preserves muscle
• Speeds up fat loss

How do you lift weights to increase GH production?

I discuss it in detail here in this blog post I wrote a while back.

Slower Rep Speed for Greater Fat Loss?

The idea is to slowly lower the weight each rep.

Take 2-3 seconds when you lower the weight (explained in more detail in the post).

This is a quick tweak that can improve fat loss potential of your workouts.

Give it a try!

Note: This works particularly well when you are dieting hard to create a deficit.

Growth hormone will help you lose even more fat while PRESERVING muscle.

This is why in my men’s course, Visual Impact Muscle Building, I recommend slow lifting during the most intense fat loss phase.

This is also one of the reasons I recommend slow lifting in Visual Impact for Women, which emphasizes fat loss, strength and muscle tone without adding a bunch of mass.

And…

In Visual Impact Frequency Training, my strength training course, slow lifting is alternated with days of explosive training.

Works well.

The post Try This Rep Tempo in Your Next Workout for Smoother Skin? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Everyone’s body responds a little differently to weight training.

Some people are lucky to have great genetics where things grow in perfect proportion.

Others have “runaway growth” in specific muscle groups.

There are certain muscle groups that in my opinion take away from a balanced looking physique.

I’d say overdeveloped traps can look odd.

I found a funny gif that demonstrates how some bodybuilders have traps that make it look as if a skinny guy is hiding in a bigger body.

Come on! That is funny

Large traps are a nightmare for clothing too.

I don’t have traps even close to as big as the bodybuilder pictured above, but mine are bigger than I would like. They got this way from doing shrugs when I was younger along with deadlifts.

I avoid both these days and they are slowly getting smaller.

When traps are large in proportion to your delts, it can make your shoulders appear narrow.

A lot of women have quads that tend to grow quicker than they would like.

I’m not saying large quads are bad.

It’s all about preference…

(Here’s an article I wrote on how to do that BTW.)

It still drives me nuts when personal trainers tell women that they should never worry about adding too much muscle.

It can easily happen to some women.

I’d say MOST women (not all) are after more of a classic feminine fit look.

Kate Beckinsale comes to mind.

Yes, she has crazy good genetics…

I just believe that most women would rather have a build like this… instead of being ripped and muscular like a CrossFit competitor.

What is cool about Kate Beckinsale is that she began working out hard later in life.

She was kind of skinny fat when she first began acting.

Now, at 46 years old, she is a great example of muscle tone without excess size.

David Beckham, who is almost the same age as Kate, looks awesome as well.

I think the fitness industry gets too caught up in “more muscle is always better”.

Both Kate and David are in their mid-40’s and have compact tight physiques that will age very well.

This type of physique looks amazing in clothing too.

Even basic jeans and a sweater or button-up shirt look dialed in and more refined when the body is slim.

I just think getting strong while creating a slim and tight physique is a better long-term play than going for maximum muscle growth.

Both my Men’s Course and Women’s Course will help you do this.

If you have been lifting weights for years, my guess is that you have all the size you need.

Note: I have a free 5-day email course on lifting weights while slimming down your body…

Time to focus on refining that physique.

The post How to Stop Out of Control Muscle Growth appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee per day.

I think I enjoyed the ritual of making it and smelling it in the morning as much as I like the caffeine.

I drink less coffee now than I used to.

I prefer to be powered by carbs these days.

I almost feel like caffeine borrows “future energy”.

You feel more awake and energetic now at the expense of less energy later.

(I know that isn’t exactly how it works.)

What about decaf coffee?

Well…

Precision Nutrition goes over a study in detail which compares caffeinated and decaf coffee.

Here’s a quick summary:

“While caffeine has long been used as an appetite suppressant, in this study it was decaffeinated coffee that resulted in significantly lower hunger levels and higher plasma levels of PYY than placebo (plain water) and the other caffeinated beverages.”

“More PYY means less hunger. Not only that, but the decrease in hunger lasted for the full 3 hours of the lab visit, even though, after 1.5 hours, levels of PYY decreased.”

“Another interesting finding was that the decrease in hunger and an increase in PYY persisted through and after the glucose ingestion.”

I haven’t tested this out yet.

I might try a cup of decaf coffee at night after dinner when I’m craving late-night snacks.

I always lose fat at a faster rate when I cut off eating a few hours before bed.

This is something you may want to try.

The post Decaf Coffee is a Potent Appetite Suppressant? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I was cruising around the Internet the other day and I receive an interesting Facebook Message from a friend.

The message read:

“The tide is turning on low carb vs low fat.”

Then a few seconds later he sent me a link to a study.

The title:

Dietary Fat, but Not Protein or Carbohydrate, Regulates Energy Intake and Causes Adiposity in Mice

I read the study summary…

Then I zip over to Twitter to see if anyone is talking about this.

This quote by Stephan sums it up well:

“This is the most definitive evidence yet that sugar isn’t very fattening in rodents, at least when added to solid food. The idea that dietary fat contributes to obesity isn’t in vogue right now but I’m fairly confident it does (in humans too).”

Here’s a press release which explains the study well and links to the summary:

Mice Study Implicates Fat as Obesity Cause

Dietary fat is what gets stored as fat in our bodies.

Take this meal for instance.

It’s not the PROTEIN in the hamburger meat that gets stored as fat.

It’s the fat in the hamburger meat.

*Protein rarely gets converted to body fat.

It’s not the CARBS in those fries that get stored as body fat.

It’s the oil (fat) they were cooked in.

*Carbs rarely get converted to body fat.

When you cut out most of the fat… and focus on carbs and protein… your body is extremely unlikely to store ANY of your meal as body fat.

Even if you eat a large meal.

What happens is that the body ramps up the metabolism with carbs and protein (doesn’t happen with fat).

The metabolism speeds up.

Carbs are exceptional in this regard.

There was a study a while back that TRIED to get patients to get store carbs as body fat.

The participants had a tough time eating enough carbs to accomplish this:

“The participants could barely do it. They were cramming bagels down their throats while the researchers were begging them to persevere. In other words, the participants could hardly eat enough carbs per day to get any of those carbs stored as fat.”

The problem was that their metabolism increased by 35% with this carb-heavy diet.

It required much more food they were accustomed to eating before they began to store any body fat.

I cover the study in this blog post:

Do Carbs Make You Fat?

What is interesting about carbs is even if you eat over maintenance calories with carbs…

The excess carbs get stored as glycogen in the muscles (excess fat gets stored as body fat).

It also takes a lot of carb calories since your metabolism ramps up as you eat more carbs.

Anyway…

Eating a higher carb diet that keeps fats to 10% or lower is an incredible way to lose body fat and keep it off.

This is why I’m so jazzed about our High Carb Fat Loss Course.

It is a fantastic way to get lean while increasing your energy and metabolism.

The post NEW Study on Food That Makes Us Fat appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Someone emailed me yesterday and asked for my favorite brand of multivitamin.

I have to honest.

I don’t currently take a multivitamin.

I like them in concept, but the problem is this.

There are two types of vitamins:

• Water-Soluble: Your body can excrete excess amounts of these vitamins.
• Fat-Soluble: Excess amounts can accumulate in your body and can be harmful.

So you have to be cautious not to take in too many Fat-Soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K).

It is my understanding that vitamin E and K aren’t that big of an issue. Vitamin D can become a problem, but this isn’t common.

Vitamin A can become toxic when you consume too much of this vitamin.

Vitamin A (Beta Carotene) kind of freaks me out.

There was a study showing that too much Vitamin A in pregnant women can increase the chances of birth defects.

According to the study:

“Among the babies born to women who took more than 10,000 IU of preformed vitamin A per day in the form of supplements, we estimate that about 1 infant in 57 had a malformation attributable to the supplement.”

That is terrible.

How lame would it be to have a child with birth defects from doing something you thought was beneficial?

There is also a study showing that too much Vitamin A increases the chances of lung cancer for smokers.

According to this study:

“High-dose beta-carotene supplementation appears to increase the risk of lung cancer among current smokers.”
The irony is that most people naturally get enough vitamin A in their diets.

Back to multivitamins…

I took a multivitamin for about 6 years.

It was a brand called ProGrade and they aren’t around anymore.

What I liked about this multivitamin was that it was made from whole foods.

It was basically vegetables compressed into a tablet form.

I believe you are less likely to get an unusually large amount of any particular vitamin when the multivitamin is sourced from foods.

I’m not saying that synthetic is bad.

You just need to do research on the company before ordering.

Also…

Although I don’t currently drink a greens drink, I like this idea more than whole food vitamins in tablet form.

This seems like a safe way to get your vitamins and also can serve as a low-calorie meal or snack.

I drank a green drink for 2 years and may need to re-introduce that to my diet.

I actually used to mix my green drink mixed with Vanilla whey protein as a meal replacement.

This is awesome for when you want to get lean.

So what supplements do I use?

I get all of my supplements online, mainly on Amazon, so I’ll link to the exact products.

Plant-Based K2 + D3: I live in the cloudy city of Seattle (it’s known for rain but it rarely rains hard, cloud cover is the main thing). I know you can’t make up for lack of sun with a D3 supplement, but it helps a little. K2 is extremely underrated. It helps prevent calcification of blood vessels and greatly improves bone health.

RESVERATROL 90day Supply, 1450mg per Serving: This is the big anti-aging supplement. Drug company Pfizer sponsored a study saying that resveratrol wasn’t as beneficial as once believed. Harvard Professor of Biological aging disagrees with Pfizer and recommends resveratrol. It’s so cheap to me it is a no-brainer.

Nature’s Bounty Vitamin B-12 1000 Mcg: I cut back on meat consumption, so I take a B12 supplement. If you are vegan this is a good one to add to your list. This always gives me a bit of an energy boost. One of the few supplements that I can feel working immediately.

Fish Oil ***I take only every other day***: I’m not all in on Omega 3 fish oils supplements. I’ve read a lot of conflicting research. I may do a full-blown blog post at some point. So I take just one capsule every other day. I’m slightly cautious here.

P3-OM Probiotic: This is the only expensive high-end supplement I take. According to Viome, the gut-testing company 99% (or more) of commercial probiotic supplements don’t show up in your gut. This probiotic is one that passed the Viome test. It costs a bit more than a lot of competitors, but it is a superior product.

I’m not saying what I take is perfect.

I really believe supplements are personal and based a lot on your regular diet.

There are times when I take creatine, drink protein shakes, take a pre-workout energy drink, etc.

The five supplements above I take year-round, but I’ll also rotate in other supplements in addition to these throughout the year.

In Summary:

Should you take a multivitamin?

I prefer and recommend supplementing a few key vitamins based on gaps in your diet.

If I could only take one supplement, I’d opt for a Greens Drink over a multivitamin.

Note: If you are really sold on taking a multivitamin I would go with one based on whole foods.

A quick search on Amazon I found this one.

Whole Food Multivitamin Elite – Organic Multivitamin for Men and Women​​

I haven’t taken this one…

…but this or something similar to this would be my recommendation.

I may also add Turmeric supplement to my list.

Supposedly Turmeric is the most anti-inflammatory food ever tested.

Hopefully, this helps!

The post Should You Take a Multivitamin? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

We have been told for years that spot reduction is NOT possible.

Findings from a recent study challenge this idea.

“Effect of combined resistance and endurance exercise training on regional fat loss”

They found that spot reduction may be possible around the area of resistance-trained muscles.

The key is to do cardio right after focused resistance training.

Here are the specific steps:

1. Challenge your target muscles near the stubborn area.
2. Burn a lot of calories after that.
3. Be at an overall calorie deficit.

I’m a fan of cardio machines.

If you want to burn calories without overtaxing your muscles…

Cardio machines can allow you to tweak to just the right intensity level.

In fact…

I have an entire fat loss course based on cardio machines:

Visual Impact Cardio

A common mistake is to focus on the “Afterburn Effect”.

This is the idea that we burn many more calories hours after the workout is over.

The afterburn effect has been shown to be minimal at best.

Here’s a 5 part post I wrote on the afterburn effect:

The Afterburn Effect Revisited

The findings on the afterburn effect?

I’m not against those HIIT and circuit-style workouts people do (when they are trying to go for an afterburn).

I would still follow those up with a cardio machine workout…

One that focuses on max calories burned DURING a workout, like Visual Impact Cardio.

In summary…

Lift weights with a focus on your stubborn areas and then burn a bunch of calories with cardio right after that workout.

Note: I try to train abs 3-4 times per week, but will now make it more of a focused effort right before I hop on the StepMill.

What is funny is I USED to do this…

…when my abs looked their best.

It’s funny how we sometimes forget effective techniques we have used in the past.

One more thing.

Don’t kill yourself with too high of a cardio intensity.

Get it dialed in with Visual Impact Cardio.

The post Spot Reduction IS Possible? New Research Findings appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I realize that some people have insanely busy schedules.

…but if you can somehow manage to work out every day, I promise you will look dramatically better in 60-90 days.

I’m using the term “workout”, loosely.

Really any exercise where you at least come close to working up a sweat counts.

I actually like to get to the gym 6 days per week each Spring.

It may sound excessive, but I find myself sitting A LOT these days.

Right now I’m doing Visual Impact Frequency Training.

I’m working the entire body, each and EVERY workout session.

The lifting portion takes about 20-30 minutes… and I follow that up with 20-30 minutes of cardio.

Muscle definition increases at a rapid rate since each muscle group is being contracted every time you enter the gym.

What I like about this workout is that the entire body firms up quickly.

Fat loss accelerates from daily lifting and cardio.

Works well!

Note: You may be thinking that hitting the same muscle groups each day results in overtraining.

Overtraining would be a risk… if the common “Blitz and Rest” workout model was used.

The Eastern Europeans discovered that repetition and daily practice beats intensity.

They don’t use the Western “blitz and rest” approach.

The workouts I do are brief and not super intense.

What I find is that strength and definition go up faster when coaxed rather than being forced.

If this sounds interesting?

Check out Visual Impact Frequency Training.

The post Daily Workouts for Quicker Fat Loss? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

Here’s a simple exercise that will help create that clean line down the middle of your pecs.

It’s called the Sandwich Press.

You basically squeeze the dumbbells together in a position similar to ending a dumbbell flyes.

Then press with these dumbbells squeezed together tightly.

Here’s a demo with a guy who is squeezing an Olympic plate together.

Probably no need to add the plate.

My gym doesn’t have rubber bumper plates. I think I’d break a rib if the metal plate came sliding out at the top of this movement.

What does this lift do?

It creates a strong contraction in the inner part of the pecs (good for building a line down the middle).

More importantly…

…it teaches you to keep your elbows tucked when pressing.

Keeping your elbows tucked makes bench pressing safer on your shoulders.

No need to do a ton of these, just 1-2 sets as a pec finisher will get the job done.

The post A Killer Inner Chest Exercise – The Sandwich Press appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

A recent study was published on February 19, 2020, that focused on breakfast and metabolism.

There really isn’t anything wrong with how the study was designed.

The problem is how it is being interpreted.

I saw this headline this morning…

The part of the headline that really gets me is this:

“A New Study Supports Why Breakfast is Called the Most Important Meal of the Day.”

The study was comparing Diet-Induced Thermogenesis of a large dinner VS eating a large breakfast.

Did the body burn more calories after a large dinner or a large breakfast?

Diet-Induced Thermogenesis was 2.5 times higher with a big breakfast VS a big dinner.

The problem is that dietary Thermogenesis only accounts for 5-15% of the calories we burn each day.

In someone eating 2,000 calories per day, this is between 100 – 300 calories per day.

The issue is that according to this study, the highest thermogenic effect happened with a large breakfast of 900 calories.

You have to eat a large breakfast to get this effect.

​If someone eats 900 calories in order to burn 100?

You are still digesting 800 calories more than a person who skips breakfast.

That is fine if you prefer a big breakfast over a big dinner.

But…

The person who skipped breakfast has 800 more calories to play with in the day.

I personally find it is easier to stay lean when I eat light in the day and my largest meal at night.

This comes down to preference.

If you enjoy your biggest meal as breakfast and your smallest meal for dinner, you probably do come out slightly ahead when it comes to calorie burn from your meals.

This still doesn’t mean breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

It simply means your body revs up a bit more after eating a large breakfast compared to eating a large dinner.

Here’s a common problem I see when it comes to large breakfasts on a weight loss diet… most societies socialize at night around dinner time.

​People often eat more calories at dinner than planned.

An extra beer, or glass of wine, dessert, etc.

If you have already eaten 900+ calories in the morning, you have a MUCH smaller margin for error at dinner time.

I’d personally rather skimp earlier in the day and enjoy dinner.

Breakfast isn’t a party.

Unless we are talking Sunday Brunch!

But you really can’t do that every week if weight loss is a goal.

So breakfast is only important if you want it to be.

Note: Dietary Thermogenesis​ isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.

Studies show that eating carbs has a greater thermogenic effect ​than eating fats.

I discuss this in High Carb Fat Loss.

It’s one benefit of a carb-rich diet, but that isn’t the main selling point of the program.

Dietary thermogenesis doesn’t move the needle for weight loss compared to other diet variables.

The post Misleading Information… Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day? appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

I was an early adopter of Intermittent Fasting.

I’ve been doing it on and off for over 20 years.

It all started back in 1999…

Ori Hofmekler introduced the idea of eating one meal per day.

He called it the “The Warrior Diet” and then later wrote a book about it.

I believe he decided to call it the Warrior Diet, because warriors going into battle don’t have the luxury of eating many meals throughout the day.

They fast until the evening and then have a feast.

Anyway…

I gave the diet a test drive for a couple of years.

I was NOT prepared for what happened next.

The article went viral and was getting 500+ comments per day.

I’d say over 90% of the response to my Intermittent Fasting article was negative.

My blog was bashed and criticized for months.

I wrote about the whole incident here:

18 Years of Intermittent Fasting

In the article, I also talk about the Intermittent Fasting strategy I believe works best.

It’s not the most popular method…

…but I believe it is a lot more effective than the rest.

Note: A few years later in 2010-2011…

Many of the fitness writers who attacked my blog jumped aboard the intermittent fasting train.

Some of them even created courses and entire businesses based on this concept.

It’s irritating but I’ve moved on.

Many fitness writers and trainers simply regurgitate the popular trend of the moment.

I won’t do that to you.

The Internet is already drowning in cookie-cutter fitness information.

Much of it is mind-numbing.

End of rant

Here’s the link to my article on Intermittent Fasting:

18 Years of Intermittent Fasting

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