Food Timing

"In an ideal situation, we utilize active carbohydrates at two times during the day. The first is first thing in the morning upon waking from our overnight "fast". The second is immediately after a workout. Make your body burn fat by decreasing the active carbohydrates throughout the day." - Warren Willey

-A.W.

Total Body Workout in Less Than, 8 Minutes? Oh Yes

The workout :

Squat 1 set to failure

Bench Press 1 set to failure

Underhand Lat Pulldown 1 set to failure

Military Press 1 set to failure

Seated Row 1 set to failure

5 exercise circuit with NO rest in between sets. Choose a weight for each exercise that is between 70-80% of your max and perform the exercises AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE to positive failure. Instead of counting how many reps you do, time how long you last with each exercise.

-A.W.

Theory of exercise

Inroad theory of exercise : "Inroad is the momentary weakening of a muscle. Inroading is successfully achieved from exercise, not only is muscle growth promoted, but some secondary events take place as well : cardio-respiratory system stimulated, metabolism stimulated, bone increases stimulated." - Doug McGuff, M.D., and John Little

By : A.W.

http://www.amway.com/watkinsclub?lng=EN

My Ultimate Playlist

First, I want to share how deeply grateful and appreciative I am for everybody who gives me support and believes in my work. You all give me fuel. And together..we will accomplish wonders, and change the world.

Here is the playlist of the songs I listen to the most when I workout, maybe they'll do for you what they do for me :

Papa Roach - Enemy
Skillet - Awake and Alive Radio Mix
The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (The Glitch Mob Remix)
Soil - Breaking Me Down
Evanescence - Haunted
Papa Roach - Last Resort
Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
Papa Roach - I Devise My Own Demise
Seether - Because Of Me
Two Steps From Hell - Moving Mountains
Lunatic Calm - Leave You Far Behind (Extended Mix)
AudioMachine - Brain Mismatch
Hi-Finesse - Destructo
Tool - Forty Six & 2
The Crystal Method - Double Down Under
N.E.R.D. - Rock Star (Jason Nevins Remix)
Renholder - Coward
Disturbed - Dropping Plates
Celldweller - Birthright (Beta 1.0)
Cop Shoot Cop - Migration
Marylin Manson - Personal Jesus
A Perfect Circle - The Outsider (Apocalypse Mix)
Two Steps From Hell - Velocitron
A Perfect Circle - Counting Bodies Like Sheep
The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
Evanescence- New Way To Bleed (Photek Remix)
Sick Puppies - You're Going Down
The Glitch Mob - Fistful Of Silence
Rob Dougan - I'm Not Driving Anymore (Remix)

Plenty to choose from, enjoy.

-A.W.

http://www.amway.com/watkinsclub?lng=EN

When to Use the Split Routine

"A split routine should be invoked as soon as the trainee witnesses a slow-down in recordable progress with the more basic, whole body routines." -Doug McGuff, M.D. , John Little

-A.W.

The Best Resistance-Training Program?

It has been said the best would be one that is of high intenstiy, yet of low force. This allows for the beneficial effects of exercise to be obtained without the risk of injury. So once a week high intensity/low frequency resistance training? I'm doing it...and so are almost all of my clients. Results after 6 weeks time will be posted.

-A.W.

Cardio Through Strength Training

Cardiovascular health is consistently confused with aerobic conditioning, though in contrast, it equates to the ability of the heart, lungs, and bloodstream to supply whatever the muscles need during work of demanding nature. Cardiovascular system + high intensity strength training = tremendous stimulation/benefit.

-A.W.

Fitness workout channels Disney-Pixar's ‘Brave’ - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Fitness workout channels Disney-Pixar's ‘Brave’ - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

The Single Leg Deadlift

Deeper muscles of the hips are stabilizers just as much as they are movers and yet they do not get worked as often as they should. The single leg deadlift allows them to be used more effectively as well as making left-right imbalances known and fixed later.

Ideal beginner routine: 2 sets of 6-8 reps with bodyweight. Add in dumbbells once comfortable

-A.W.

http://www.amway.com/watkinsclub?lng=EN

The Growth Phase

This is the eighteen to twenty hour period after your workout during which the majority of muscle and strength gains occur. Goes with the saying : "You don't build muscle in the gym, you build muscle the other 23 hours of the day." Two goals to accomplish during this phase are...

-Maintain increased insulin sensitivity

-Maintain the anabolic state

So get eating.

-A.W.

The Truth of The Post-Workout Meal

Here are a few things that can be accomplished by having a post-workout shake or meal 15-45 minutes after your workout:

-Shift metabolic machinery from a catabolic state to an anabolic state.

-Speed up the elimination of metabolic wastes by increasing muscle blood flow.

-Replenish muscle glycogen stores.

-Initiate tissue repair and set the stage for muscle growth.

-Reduce muscle damage and bolster the immune system.

-A.W.

To carb, or not to carb during your workout

4 things that can be accomplished by carbohydrate/protein supplementation during workout:

-Increase nutrient delivery to muscles and spare muscle glycogen and protein.

-Limit immune system suppression.

-Minimize muscle damage.

-Set the nutritional stage for a faster recovery following your workout.

-A.W.

The Secret Anabolic Hormone

Insulin- The most misunderstood hormone. Muscle cells are insulin sensitive after exercise which means if glucose/amino acids are made available at this time, insulin will help synthesize muscle proteins and muscle glycogen at a very very rapid rate.

-A.W.

For the guys

Every guy wants to have the six pack when they go to the beach. Well, this can help you get there:

Total body resistance training every 3-5 days & light to moderate intensity 30-45 minute cardio sessions 1-2 times a week.

-A.W.

P.S. - As you may know, it takes more than training to get you to your ideal physique. Here is a little something that can get you to 8% body fat, or even less... http://www.geektofreak.org/four-hour-body/four-hour-body-the-last-mile-diet

For The Ladies

The time has come: Beach Season. And it's not too late to get ready, just don't over train yourself.

Example program design : resistance training (total body) 1x a week for 30-45 minutes & moderate intensity cardio 2-3x a week for 30-45 minutes.

-A.W.

P.S. - Just because you are fit does not mean you are healthy and vice versa, take care of your diet, you'll thank yourself later.

A journey of The Primary Fivesome

"If I'd chosen the squat, deadlift, bench press, seated press, and the pulldown, and dedicated myself for five years to progressive poundages on those five core movements as the linchpin of my training, I would have gotten near to realizing my full size and strength potential before I was but 20 years old." -Stuart McRobert

New Goals:
Squat 300 lbs x 20 (and 400 x 1)
Deadlift 400 x 15 (and 500 x 1)
Bench Press 265 x 6 (and 300 x 1)
Overhead Press 175 x 6
Pulldown 240 x 6

-A.W.

Cheat days vs Cheat meals

Cheat days = incredible increases in caloric intake once every 5-7 days improves fat-loss by having your metabolic rate avoiding downshifting from extended caloric restriction.

Cheat meals=  followed along with the correct diet, having one cheat meal every 5-10 days is an effective means of reaching 8% bodyfat or even less.

Welcome to Heaven.

-A.W.

Training = more mental or more physical?

"Creative imagination is not something reserved for the poets, the philosophers, the inventors. It enters into our every act. For imagination sets the goal picture which our automatic mechanism works on. We act, or fail to act, not because of will, as is so commonly believed, but because of imagination." -Maxwell Malitz, Psycho-Cybernetics

-A.W.

High Frequency Training: Good or Bad?

It is my opinion and to my knowledge that a properly designed high frequency program is the most effective approach to building ultimate hypertrophy gains.

Example split routine:
Total body push days & Total body pull days 4-6 times a week.

-A.W.

$1 supplement to build muscle

Those who don't want to spend money on pre-workout powder at the local GNC, there is a solution. In a word : Coffee.

A few things coffee can do:

• Helps you to lift more weight/reps then when you don't drink coffee before you workout
• Increases your metabolism
• Energizes the nervous system, which increases how alert you are

-A.W.

The art of circuit training

"It's the most scientifically proven exercise system. It's time efficient and incorporates strength, flexibility and cardio in the same workout." (The Cooper Institute, Dallas, TX) Used in training for entertainment such as 300 and Spartacus.. this the ultimate method for losing fat and building muscle fast.

An example workout:
pushups
barbell deadlift
barbell squat
dumbbell overhead press
pullups
kettlebell turkish getup
kettlebell swing


Do as many reps as you can in 1 minute with each exercise, moving onto the next exercise with 15 second transitions. Once all the exercises are done in sequence rest for 2 minutes and repeat 2 more times.


-A.W.

Profound method to getting stronger

Want a new method to getting stronger? Working each muscle group one side at a time is a rarely used and yet profound way for increasing stabilization strength = overall increases in maximal strength.

My training example in the last two weeks:
Incline barbell press- 185pds x 5 reps to 235pds x 5 reps; done along with 1-arm incline dumbbell press 60-80pds x 5 reps
Barbell Deadlift- 315pds x 6 reps to 365pds x 6 reps; done along with 1-arm single-leg dumbbell deadlift 30-50pds x 6 reps

By: Aaron Watkins