Rich Fit/Fit tip... How do I lose weight & get shredded?



Eat often!

The mistake a lot of people make is to eat too few calories when both trying to lose weight and build muscle. This is a huge mistake, and the individuals who have learned this knows how sluggish his/her metabolism becomes. By eating often, you keep your calories in check and, at the same time, stimulate the metabolism. Cutting calories may seem the most obvious way to get shredded, but it often isn't the intelligent route. If you eat small meals from five to eight times per day with a protein source in each, you can get up to one-third leaner because your metabolism cannot sense that you are dieting. Once the body's furnace (your metabolism) senses that it might starve, it begins to slow down to conserve energy. Unlike an automobile, you want your body to burn inefficiently rather than efficiently. You want your metabolism to act like a Ferrari, not a Honda. Eating often is also a way to satisfy your psychological hunger and keep your body happily full of energy.

Live Fit, Be Fit, AbFitt!!

Rich-

Will Creatine Cause Muscle Cramps Or Injury?




This is perhaps the most prominent creatine myth among athletes. It is a post hoc fallacy and something that gets repeated so much that those with no prior knowledge of creatine will usually and regrettably accept it to be fact.

If an athlete who happens to be using creatine gets a muscle cramp they will point the finger at their creatine use, when in reality the cramp is most likely due to lack of hydration, improper electrolyte balance, or variety of other factors that can result in cramping.

In a recent and very large (nearly 1500 participants) study, creatine supplementation did not result in increased incidence of cramping amongst athletes. In fact, the groups using creatine actually suffered from less cramps than the non-creatine group. (Dalbo, Roberts, and Kersick)

In a similar vein, many athletes mistakenly believe that creatine will heighten their risk of injury. However, research has demonstrated that creatine does not increase the likelihood of injury.

Quite to the contrary actually; a study conducted using 72 NCAA division 1 football players as subjects found that the athletes supplementing with creatine experienced less muscle cramps, muscle tightness, muscle strains, dehydration and total injuries. (Mayhew, Mayhew, and Ware)

Perhaps even more interesting is a 2001 study that showed creatine supplementation to speed up the progress of subjects placed on a rehabilitation program following immobilization (having a limb placed in a cast for an extended period). (Hespel, et al)

RICH SEYMOUR'S/FIT SCHOOL...Fit tip!


Be Punctual

Whether you’re trying to get shredded or pack on the mass, always eat immediately after training. Is it pointless if you wait longer than three minutes after your final rep to chug your protein shake? No, but you shouldn’t wait more than an hour after training that’s just too long. When you hit the iron, your hormones and enzyme processes go haywire and demand energy in the form of carbs and protein to get the body back to a state of balance. If you eat fairly soon after exercise, you match up supply with the body’s demands. If you wait, demand wanes. Calories taken in after the one-hour window are still used for recovery and growth but not nearly to the same extent.

Today’s To Do List


Today’s To Do List

Implement the following suggestions immediately for better muscle gains and better long-term health.

1. Drink a gallon of water throughout the day.
2. Increase fiber consumption.
3. Increase vegetable and fruit consumption to eight or more servings daily.
4. Make a doctor’s appointment for a full physical with blood work.
5. Supplement's for recovery. (See “Supplement Regimen” below for specific guidelines.)
6. Plan workout and recovery strategies.
7. Get a good night’s sleep (at least eight hours).

Balance...mind , body soul & your supplement regimen.





Make no mistake about it a lean muscular body can be achieved with food alone, but you can make your journey easier with the help of supplements. Here are some of the proven basics to help lay the foundation for extreme growth. I have tried them all and yes they are very much part of my daily regimen.

Protein Shakes

These provide one of the easiest ways to assist your muscle-building program. It can be challenging (and expensive) for anyone to get in all the protein they need from whole-food protein sources. To supplement your whole-food intake, drink up to three protein shakes a day pre- and postworkout and before bed are great times to rely on a protein-powder concoction. Before bed I like a slower digesting protien like casien.

Dosage:
Down a protein shake 25 g of whey protein and 50 g of simple carbs before you work out and then another after. Before bed, use a product that has about 25 g of casein protein.

Creatine

This supplement boasts numerous benefits for health, recovery and muscle building. When taken before workouts, it helps drive nutrients and fluids into your muscles, helping you to lift more weight or get extra reps. Ultimately, this effect helps build more strength and muscle mass. Safe you ask? I believe all the studies done on this one have come through with passing grades!

Dosage:
Take 3-5 g of creatine before and after your workouts, for up to 10 g per day.

Glutamine

The most prevalent amino acid in the body, glutamine promotes a healthy immune system response for better recovery from training. It also enhances digestion and protects muscle mass from breaking down, which is likely to occur when your body perceives a glutamine shortage.

Dosage:
Take 5-10 g of glutamine first thing in the moming, before and after training, and before bed.

Arginine
AHH how I love this in a big dose before the gym Arginine helps promote a pump the full muscular sensation you get when your target muscles are engorged with blood and fluids by “opening up” your circulatory system. The influx of fluids delivers nutrients to muscles and helps encourage growth.

Dosage:
Take 3-5 g of arginine about 30 minutes before you work out and two more doses at other times of the day.

BCAA’s
The branched-chain amino acids are leucine, isoleucine and valine. These key aminos not only specifically support muscle growth, but they also help maintain muscle mass during a dieting phase.

Dosage:
Take doses of 5-10 g of BCAAs on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as before and after workouts. I recently started mixing in additional 5 grams in my water to sip during my training, I have found I do not fatigue as quickly.

Multivitamin/Multimineral pack

Look folks the simple truth is recent studies have shown no positive results with the use of a multi in both healthy or unhealthy individuals, I have chosen to bag this one altogether so you can think of these as insurance policies if you must take one the demands of a fitness lifestyle can cause shortages in specific vitamins or minerals. A good multi will contain vitamins C, D and E, as well as a range of vitamin Bs and minerals. Remember this is what the manufactures claim but again no science proves this....sorry.

Dosage:
Take a multivitamin/multimineral pack or pill once or twice a day with food. Look for brands that provide 100% of the daily value of C, D, E, most Bs, zinc, copper and chromium.

Final thoughts: Do your research and spend your money wisely.

L-Taurine The Second Most Abundant Amino Acid In Muscle!


L-Taurine


Taurine is an amino acid like glutamine that is earning more and more respect from bodybuilders and protein scientists.

While taurine generally is the second most abundant amino acid in muscle, in several metabolic conditions, some muscle biologists like Eric Serrano, M.D., have determined that it, not glutamine, is the most voluminous amino represented in striated type 2 muscle fiber! Taurine has several critical functions and can act similarly to creatine in that it expands your cells by helping the muscle cell itself hold more water, increasing cell volume. For a lifter or bodybuilder, this is significant because expanded muscle cells can boost hydration resulting in a higher rate of protein synthesis and bodybuilders will appreciate the increased appearance of muscle fullness.

Additionally, another 'theory' is that taurine preferentially enhances interstitial contractile leverage and this may aid the lifter in handling heavier weights.

Nowadays, you will often find taurine added to creatine or amino acid preparations in bodybuilding supplements for a heightened effect. The best time to consume these combinations might be 30 minutes before training and again immediately after.

Food Dyes used in our supplements Linked to Allergies, ADHD and Cancer: Group Calls on US to Outlaw Their Use




Food dyes may make our supplements look tastier, but a prominent watchdog group says they pose major health risks and is calling for the government to ban them.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says the dyes - used in a commercially prepared foods & health supplements ranging from pre workout drinks, protien drinks, breakfast cereals and salad dressing - present a "rainbow of risks" and can cause allergic reactions, hyperactivity, and even cancer.

"These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional quality or safety of our foods and supplements, but trigger behavior problems in children and, possibly, cancer in anybody," Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the nonprofit group, said in a written statement. "The Food and Drug Administration should ban dyes, which would force the unregulated supplement industry to color supplements with real food ingredients, not toxic petrochemicals."

Jacobson is co-author of a new report entitled "Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks."

The group says the three most widely used dyes - Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 - are contaminated with cancer-causing substances. Another dye, Red 3, has been identified as a carcinogen by the FDA but is still in commercial use. Blue #1 is used widely by supplement company's Scivation, Met Rx & Optimum nutrition, also runs the risk of cancer in recent studies here in the USA.

Other dyes have been linked to allergic reactions, the group says, and studies show that dyes can cause hyperacitivity in children.

Despite those concerns, manufacturers put about 15 million pounds of eight synthetic dyes into our foods each year, according to the group. Per capita consumption of dyes has risen five-fold since 1955, thanks in part to the proliferation of brightly colored cereals, fruit drinks, and candies pitched to children. With tremendous competition within the supplement industry they have resorted to these dye's in order to make a product more attractive.

The continued use of food dyes presents "unnecessary risks to humans," James Huff, associate director for chemical carcinogenesis at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' National Toxicology Program, said in a statement. "It's disappointing that the FDA has not addressed the toxic threat posed by food dyes used by supplement company's ."

Other governments have already taken action against food dyes, according to the group. The British government asked supplement companies to phase out most dyes by last December 31, and the European Union will require a warning notice on most dyed foods starting on July 20. Read your labels folks. AbFitt blogspot.

Top 10 Reasons You’re Not as shredded as You Want to Be



Top 10 Reasons You’re Not as Lean as You Want to Be



You are always in the gym, you eat clean, and you do daily cardio, so what gives?

Perhaps one of these top 10 reasons could be the culprit or the accumulation of more than one:

10. You eat too much fruit. Fruit sugar (fructose) does not enter the muscle as stored energy (glycogen) via insulin as the insulin levels are not raised sufficiently by this kind of sugar. Therefore, it is more readily converted to fat.

9. You do not train with intensity. You train three times a week and eat a couple low cal meals. To be extreme you must train extreme.

8. You obsess too much. Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman knew how to crank it up and focus in the gym and shut it down and totally relax outside the gym.

7. You don’t lift heavy enough weights. Heavy weights build muscular physiques. The more muscle you have the better your metabolism is.

6. You have no knowledge of hormone control. If you are overstressed, under sleeping, and eating too much sugar, you are not controlling your hormones. Educate yourself on insulin, cortisol, growth hormone and testosterone, and the best ways to optimize your own natural production.

5. You think fortified cereals are "healthy foods."

4. You do too much regular cardio. The body is a very clever organism and adapts to most forms of cardio in a matter of weeks.

3. You party too much. Examine what you are doing in your social life. Time to knock your vices on the head for a little while if your goal is to have a great physique. Then, when you do party, think how much fun it will be sporting a new six pack.

2. You think abdominal training is easy. If done correctly, abdominal trainng can be excruciating. Abdominals are actually fast twitch muscles and this means relatively low (40 seconds) time under tension is optimal for development and muscular growth. This means 15 reps max.

1. You believe the myth of discipline. There is no discipline, only love. Either you love to be lean and ripped or you love to eat whatever you want. stop making excuses.

Live Shredded Maximize The Training Effect

Guest Model THANH:

Maximize The Training Effect

When implemented properly and consistently, strategic pre- and post-workout supplementation can greatly increase the effectiveness of your training. Without optimum nutritional strategies, the body’s response to training can only be considered a compromise at best.

From this perspective, training and diet cannot be considered as separate factors. The food and supplements that you take, and the work that you faithfully perform in the gym, are both part of your training. Remember it's not the athlete who trained harder who wins, it will be the athlete who trained smarter.

Pre- and post-exercise nutrition is critical if one wants to maximize the anabolic effects of exercise. The pre-exercise meal should be high in a quickly digestible protein. This will ensure high delivery of amino acids to the muscle tissue. Carbohydrates can also be taken in to minimize glycogen loss and suppress catabolic hormones. Fat should be avoided pre-exercise unless the exercise is for endurance. The post exercise meal should consist of carbohydrate, protein and perhaps a small amount of essential fats, in a form that is easily and quickly digestible. There are many meal replacement products that fit the bill. Just pick the one you like the most. Don’t worry about sugar content because right after a workout, fat storage is not a big issue. A liquid meal is the most practical method of post-exercise feeding although it is probably not essential.

The ratio of macronutrients depends somewhat on the nature of the training session. An emphasis on high glycemic carbs, complete readily digestible proteins such as whey, egg, or high quality casein, and essential fats such as fish or flax oil will meet the criteria for an effective post exercise meal.

LEAN, FIT & MUSCULAR FOR LIFE.


When it comes to packing on muscle, you must get your priorities in order. That means not getting caught up in whether your teaspoon of creatine is “rounded” or “heaping,” or whipping out a food scale so you can hit 3,500 calories exactly on your mass-gain diet, or feeling doomed to failure if you drink your whey shake 35 minutes after training instead of 30.

Hey, we know some of you obsess about this stuff I get E-mails every day. Our message to you? Stop it! Sweating such minutiae while ignoring important dietary details will get you a “heaping” pile of zero gains. Instead, use this mass-(Lean muscle, not fat & muscle) building strategy. All 10 items are valuable, of course, but start with the ones at the top. Remember, first things first.
How To Use It

This mass-building pyramid has one item at its tip, two on the second level, three items on the third level and four on the bottom, in order of importance (the higher up, the more vital it is to your progress in and out of the gym).

Each item includes specific recommendations for daily consumption (which we suggest you follow) by a hard-training individual. Enjoy your new muscle!

1) Calories

Mass-seeking athletes often try to micromanage their diets, emphasizing the latest and greatest supplement and often overlooking the bigger picture. When it comes to adding size, total daily caloric intake rules the roost. Sufficient calories coming from a mix of carbohydrates, protein and fat keep you anabolic, encouraging the body to lay down new muscle tissue and prevent catabolism, when muscle tissue is burned or broken down as a result of hard training or an inappropriate nutritional strategy.
The Way to Grow

Shoot for 16-20 calories per pound of bodyweight per day. A 175-pound male will require 2,800-3,500 calories daily.

2) Protein

The amino acids that make up protein are often likened to mason bricks. Creating a larger building requires plenty of bricks; similarly, adding mass requires adequate protein and aminos. Keep in mind that calories go hand in hand with protein. If you fall short in caloric intake, some of the amino acids will be wasted. Yet if you consume sufficient calories but not enough protein, you’ll experience limited growth.
The Way to Grow

Try to get 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight from top-notch sources such as fowl, lean meat, egg whites, fat-free dairy products and protein powders.

If you meet your daily calorie and protein needs and still fail to build bulk, up the protein to 1.25 grams per pound of bodyweight.

3) Carbs

Carbohydrates are all about one thing: glycogen. The carbs you consume are broken down into simple sugars and are then dumped into your blood as glucose to be used by your muscles, brain and other tissues. What’s not needed immediately is stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver, which serves as the chief source of fuel powering your training. Studies show that low reserves can lead to compromised training intensity and a loss of muscle mass. Basically, the greater your glycogen stores, the more energy your muscles have to train hard, which means they’ll grow more readily.

But here’s the catch: When your glycogen stores are filled up, the carbs left over are stored as fat. So, yes, you can have too much of a good thing.

The Way to Grow

Aim for 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight daily, and upward of 3.5 if you have a very fast metabolism. That puts a 200-pounder at around 500 grams of carbs per day.

4) Preworkout Nutrition

Hardcore training is a paradox. It’s the stimulus for change to get the body to add new muscle but the event itself actually tears the body down. The right pretraining meal can offset this effect, allowing you to spur your muscles to grow without sending the body into a muscle-wasting state.
The Way to Grow

Try 40 grams of whey protein mixed with water and a bagel or fat-free muffin 45 minutes before training. These easy-to-digest proteins and carbs will assist in fueling your training, preventing a dramatic fall in glycogen levels, and can change the body’s hormonal environment during training to prevent muscle breakdown and enhance muscle growth.

5) Post-Workout Nutrition

What you eat immediately after your training is just as important as your preworkout meal in influencing muscle growth. The job here is payback specifically, replenishing glycogen stores to spike levels of the anabolic hormone insulin and flushing the body with quick-digesting amino acids to resume the mass-building process following muscle breakdown from lifting.
The Way to Grow

Consume 70-90 grams of carbohydrates from cream of rice hot cereal, grape juice, white bread with honey or white rice mixed with raisins. To meet your protein needs, consume 30-45 grams from whey protein powder, egg whites or fish.

6) Meal Timing

All the nutrition advice in the world won’t amount to a hill of beans if you fail to implement the principle of grazing, or eating throughout the day. Spreading your food intake into 5-6 daily meals (eating about once every three hours) is crucial. Eating multiple meals helps control bodyfat by keeping your metabolism up, and it also aids in digestion, allowing for maximal absorption and helping you remain anabolic.
The Way to Grow

Eat six full yet moderate-sized meals per day, or four meals and two meal-replacement shakes, or alternate a regular meal and an MRP every few hours throughout the day until you’ve had three meals and three shakes.
7) Essential Fats

Omega-3 fatty acids from salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines and blue fish, along with flaxseed oil, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, provide another building block: essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs support the immune system, which aids in muscle and joint recovery. These healthy fats also help in the formation of glycogen, while tilting the balance of prostaglandins (hormonelike substances that regulate muscle growth and repair) in your favor.
The Way to Grow

Add 2 tablespoons daily of cold-processed oils to steamed vegetables, or combine with lemon juice and herbs and drizzle over grilled chicken, turkey or steak.

8) Water

Hard to believe that the dense, muscular body of seven-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman is more than 60% water. But as the backbone of life, water helps support blood volume, which affects “the pump” and offsets the production of free radicals that break down muscle. Dehydration causes not only a mild drop in metabolic rate but it indirectly impairs growth, as the total amount of water retained within muscles is a cue for anabolism.
The Way to Grow

The status quo has always relied on eight glasses of water a day, but hard-training athletes need up to twice that amount, since water needs rise with perspiration and total caloric intake.

9) Creatine

Plain and simple take creatine, get stronger. Creatine is the wonder supplement that increases muscle levels of phosphocreatine, a vital source of energy during weight training. When the amount of weight you throw around increases, your muscles grow. Creatine works with water by dragging greater than normal amounts of it into cells, which assists in muscle growth.
The Way to Grow

Take 5 grams of creatine with your post-training meal. The meal’s high carbohydrate content helps drive creatine into muscles, maximizing its uptake.

10) Glutamine

What happens when you violate the components of this mass-building pyramid? You fail to grow or, worse yet, you shrink. One reason has to do with the immune system. When you train too often and lack the right nutritional strategy, muscle repair is nearly impossible. That’s where glutamine can help. Coupled with proper nutrition, this amino acid can support muscle growth and the storage of glycogen.
The Way to Grow

Take 5-10 grams of glutamine before training plus 5-10 grams with your postworkout meal.

Derrick's Dairy, H.I.G.T six week challenge! Week five..


Ok Abfitt readers…

Here is a short review how my fifth week went on the H.I.G.T training. Well 1 more weeks to go on the challenging H I G T…Well my 5th week was good as far as doing the workout but I sucked on taking my supplements and eating due to being in meetings all day and week in my unit…If I could I would take my protein shakes and meals with me in there with me but I can’t.

Anyway I went back to the first week of the HIGT program Rich gave me and I started drinking a gallon of water everyday which is no easy task but I did it…I feel so much better and more energized doing this workout…I must say it was a challenge at first and I had to use all 50secs to rest instead of 30 secs but now I can do it sets with just 30 secs breaks.

I am very proud of myself as far as working out but I hate myself for not being able to eat right for the week…Well now here I am at the 6th week and I am back on track now for the final week….Thanks for following me if you have and if you have time try the HIGT workout it’s well worth it in the long run…. ….Thanks a million Rich for this SWEET TORTURE!

Stay tuned for Derrick's After photo at the end of week six of the High Intensity Group Training (H.I.G.T) six week challenge.

OUT OF THE DARKNESS......YOUR BODY REVEALED!










Rich Fit / Tip of The Day. Please, please Less cardio already.

Despite what the masses tell you, limit your cardio! Yes that's right ease up a bit on all the steady state cardio. Now to be perfectly frank this is directed to those of you who are not in shape & are trying to get there and figure your body out. Science tells us after about 20 minutes your body has used up all stored carbs for energy. What happens next is the body then begins to tap into fat stores and your most important fat burning tool, muscle! Muscle if you are overweight & out of shape you simply can not spare. Don't burn it all up, this is a huge mistake beginners make.

Muscle is what shapes our bodies and keeps our metabolism moving efficiently, muscle is what allows you to fit in those favorite jeans of your, not the treadmill. If you are constantly using it to fuel your cardio habit, understand this you simply are never going to achieve the body you desire!!! Answer....build lean muscle tissue with a quality lifting schedule regardless of your age or experience consisting of basic compound movements taught here on AbFitt and relatively challenging weight. Done before cardio, then keep all that sexy muscle by limiting your cardio to short intense 20 minute bursts again, after your weight training. try it and watch the results happen within a short period, around 3-6 weeks.

If you think outside the box and follow this very basic advice you will see the results you want. Muscle builds bodies and burns fat, cardio strengthens your heart and respitory systems and certainly has its place in your fitness routine.

Rich/Fit-
Http://AbFitt.blogspot.com

Wan't legs like this? Here's what you need to know.



*Guest Model* Hamburg, Germany's Latina Wanda


Lucky for women, they are stronger in the legs than in any other body part. In fact, woman are actually stronger in the legs than men are, in relation to the rest of their bodies. So women have no excuse for lagging legs! Compound movements are great because they work all three of the leg groups (quads, hamstrings, glutes). By flexing the hips and extending the knees in one movement, you're able to lift a lot more weight and you also save yourself time in the gym. Multi-joint exercises also burn more calories, require more intensity, and are much more effective than isolation movements. Make compound movements the staple of your leg workouts, and supplement them with isolation movements to help shape the muscles.

Choose 2-3 compound movements and 2 isolation movements - one each for hamstrings and quadriceps - to ensure you are targeting all the muscles of the legs with enough resistance and intensity to stimulate new growth in size and strength.


Sets & Repetitions

The muscles of the legs respond better to a slightly higher rep scheme. I recommend training your hardest sets in the 8-12 range and performing 3-4 working sets on top of 2-3 warm-up sets. Start with a 20-25 rep range and pyramid up in weights as you lower the number of reps per set.

Of course, everyone knows that change is good, so there's nothing wrong with throwing in some crazy high sets in the 50 rep range! More power to ya if that's your thing! In the same sense, it's not bad to go down to a low of 2-4 reps on your heaviest sets of squats. Nothing builds strength and power better than this!

****Compound Movements*****

Squat
Variation: Smith Machine, Unilateral
Foot Stance: Close, Normal, Wide
Foot Placement: Forward, Toes Out

Machine Hack Squat
Variation: Olympic Bar, Smith Machine, Unilateral
Foot Stance: Close, Normal, Wide
Foot Placement: Forward, Toes Out

Leg Press
Variation: Horizontal, Vertical, 45 Degrees, Unilateral
Foot Stance: Close, Normal, Wide
Foot Placement: Forward, Toes Out

Lunges
Equipment: Dumbbell, Smith Machine, Barbell
Variation: Reverse, Walking, Side, 45 Degree

Front Squat
Variation: Smith Machine


****Isolation Movements****

Quadriceps

Leg Extension

Sissy Squat
Variation: Weighted

Hamstrings

Stiff Legged Dead Lift
Variation: Romanian
Grip Placement: Pronated, Neutral

Leg Curl
Variation: Lying (Prone), Seated, Standing
Equipment: Cables, Free Motion

Hip Abduction
Variation: Standing, Seated
Equipment: Cable, Free Motion, Machine

Hip Adduction
Variation: Standing, Seated
Equipment: Cable, Free Motion, Machine

Good Morning

Glutes

Kneeling Hip Extension

Reverse Hyper Extension

Standing Hip Extension


Synergistic Movements

By incorporating these exercises into your other workouts, you can get additional stimulation from the muscles of the legs.

Traditional Deadlifts (Back)
Clean and Press (Shoulders)

You can also work your legs in most cardiovascular activities. Some of the best include sprinting, bleacher/stair running, and cycling.