My Six Pack Journey (I'm REALLY proud of myself!)

Hey!

Hows it going? First of all I'd like to apologise for not updating this blog sooner. Things have been CRAZZZZY busy for me over the last few months both personally and professionally so I promise to update more frequently from now on.

But hey, enough of that, I just wanted to share my Six pack journey with you that I've just been on over the last few months.

Let me put you in the picture as to why I decided to go on a quest for six pack abs:

At the start of this year, my goals were very different. I placed a huge emphasis on improving my endurance running. I have 2 epic challenges that I want to do soon which partly involve endurance running so my main fitness goal was to improve on my distance running. This was one of the reasons why I went to Club La Santa, Lanzarote in June - to get some mileage in my legs, take part in a couple of races and basically lock myself away and just focus on my own training.



The last few months have been crazy busy for me. My Bootcamp and personal training business have literally been "blown up!" (thanks to my business mentor Paul Mort). My Sevenoaks Bootcamps are now thriving with positive action takers, I'm about to open another Bootcamp in Tonbridge and I'm now in the position where I only train people on a 1-2-1 basis who I want to train. Its invite only.

And I'm now ALSO working with fellow fat loss expert Nisha Obaidullah on our new sixpack abdominals programme (for fit pro's and general members of the public who want their abs back!) which Im really excited about and is the reason why I embarked on my own six pack journey.

As myself and Nisha are spearheading the challenge then it's only right that we're kept accountable and practising what we're preaching. I personally believe that there are WAY too may fat unhealthy personal trainers out there in the industry giving out "health" advice to their clients that blatantly can't do it themselves.

So I decided from June onwards to change my fitness goals slightly and focus 100% on obtaining a six pack.

Now don't get me wrong, Ive always been lean and have always had bit of a sixpack but never what I call, a proper one! Never one that was visible even when I wasn't tensing! Never a six pack that was truly outstanding so I decided that I was gonna get A KICK ASS sixpack just like the male fitness models on the front cover of Mens Health! Hell if those 'goons' could get one then I could DEFINITELY do it :-)

So my goal would change from endurance running (at the start of the year) to training purely for aestetics for the next few months, and at the end of it I'd book myself in for a professional photo shoot to show off the abs ;-)

Once I decided what my goal was, I made sure I planned 100% for it. I would be following my Elimiation Diet to the letter so I made sure I had all the clean, allowable foods in my cupboards. I made sure I knew what I was going to eat (and at what time) for the weeks ahead and I made sure I planned ALL my workouts in at the start of the week aswell. I put the workouts in my diary and I made sure I was 100% committed to doing EVERY single one of them, no BULLSH*T!

One of the things I found VERY hard during my Six pack journey and that was eating out with friends and family. I usually associate eating out with "pleasure" and normally when I eat out, I like to have a few beers and a dessert (cheesecake is my achilles heel!)so I did find it difficult at times resisting the temptation, especially when my deer Dad was tucking into a dessert or if at the cinema, my buddies munching on popcorn, BUT I stayed strong, my will power was good and I didn't cave in.



I'd like to point out something important here about Willpower, something that my mentor told me which REALLY hit home with me and that is:

"If you're WHY is strong enough then WILLPOWER doesn't come into it."

This basically means if you know EXACTLY what your goal is, you know WHEN you want to achieve it by, you know HOW you're going to do it and you know WHY you want to do it then WILLPOWER doesn't even come into it!

In my case, my goal was to be SHREDDED by September (so I had a deadline!), I knew how I was going to do it, I would be following my Elimination Diet 100% without fail no excuses and training 6 days a week. I'd also be adopting an Eat Stop Eat lifetyle during my journey aswell. The reason that I was doing this (so my WHY!!) was because I wanted sixpack abs.

I made sure my WHY was strong enough before I started this journey, I made sure my goal was 100% crystal clear before I started. If I didnt do this then I dont think I would have got the results that I did.

FINAL RESULTS

So since I embarked on my Sixpack journey (starting from June)

my bodyfat levels have gone from 10% down to 8%,
My sixpack is more visable,
I've gone from a 32 inch waist to a 30!
and I feel and look sooo much more leaner than before!

Below is my Before & After pictures:



I'm REALLy proud of myself for achieving my sixpack goal. It wasn't all plain sailing. There were times when I thought I wasn't gonna do it but I stayed strong, I kept focused, I had my photo shoot done and I got the result I wanted.

What next for me? well, Im gonna get back into my endurance running and refocus my attention on my 2 endurance challenges for next year that I want to do. Can't say too much at this point but lets just say that they'll be a huge challenge for me!

I hope my story and pictures inspire you to achieve the fat loss goals that you deserve.

Onto the next challenge!

Peace out :-)

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - I'll be uploading all my pictures from the photo shoot I had done last week so keep 'em peeled. They look pretty awesome if I dont say so myself! Sorry if that sounded big headed, I dont mean it to be, its just that Im SUPER proud of myself for achieving these results :-)

PPS - If you're interested in the detailed nutrition plan and the exact daily workouts that I used to achieve my six pack goal then get yourself over to my facebook page, add me as a buddy and keep an eye out for mine and Nisha's six pack 6 week challenge details. The results are unbelieveable ;-)

You CAN do ANYTHING (Plus Some Awesome Fat Loss Tips!)

It amazes me when people say they CAN'T achieve fat loss success because of their circumstances.

"I can't follow diets.."
"I have kids, I can't eat healthily."
"I'm too busy to prepare food"
"My job doesn't allow me to"

are just some of the poor excuses that I hear on a regular basis.

Success starts by taking 100% responsibility for your own actions. Its not your kids fault or your bosses fault that you're fat and the sooner you realise that,the better. Sorry if that sounded a bit harsh peeps but I feel its my duty as your fat loss coach to move you from "thinking about it" to taking "massive action" and if that means giving you a kick in the butt every now and then,then so be it.

I want you to take a look at this video I came across the other day. It's a story about a US marine called Ivan Castro who devastantingly suffered a mortar attack whilst serving in Iraq. The result of the attack left Ivan permanently blind. Soon after, Castro found himself battling with anger and depression. He eventually met with a blind Marine however who helped him realize that the man he had always been, was still alive.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mW7waO604c

Amazing huh?

Still think you can't drop that "bit of bodyfat?"

Put's things in perspective doesn't it.

You Can Do Anything If You Want To, You Just Got To Toughen Up And BELIEVE That You CAN thats all!

Below are some killer fat loss tips that you can start using straight away:

1) Plan, Plan & Do More Planning

Know what you're going to eat tomorrow, and the next day and the next. A quote I heard recently from my business mentor and UK's number 1 fat loss expert Paul Mort, which was "it's better to rely on your planning rather than will power when it comes to your diet." I love this quote! This basically means don't be caught in a situation where you're relying on your will power (eg. a party, wedding etc) to get yourself through the situation. Plan ahead, eat BEFORE you go out, pack a lunch if you're going out all day. Pack it the night before, whatever it takes to stop you from getting into that situation where you might blow off course with your diet.

2) Create some "What-Scenarios"

This kind of coincides with the above. Write a list of "what if" scenarios that might come up over the next few weeks that may stop you from eating healthily and put a hault on your fat loss progress. eg "what if I'm invited out for a curry? what am I going to do?" Next write down how you're gonna deal with each scenario eg. "if I'm invited out for a curry, I will either a) eat before I go out b) phone up the restaurant the night before and find out what healthy dishes they have. or c) Not go.

Plan out every scenario so that you know EXACTLY what you need to do before it's even come up. This may seem like a pain doing this but its well worth doing. This is the difference between achieving success and failure.

3) Eat Clean For 30 Days And Avoid Sugar!

Avoid wheat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine & sugar. Stick to filling your shopping trolley with nothing other than fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meats such as turkey, chicken, seafood etc. Avoid packaged food and focus on home cooking. If I have time to cook and prepare food for the next day, then YOU definitely should be able to do! Remember, no excuses! This is what you need to do if you want to achieve fat loss success.

4) Do BODYWEIGHT Workouts

You don't need to be a member of a health club or have access to all the latest "state of the art" gym equipment to get fat loss results. All you need is your own bodyweight and a positive can-do attitude and you'll be well on your way. I'll be releasing my new e-book "Hit Fat Where It Hurts" which is a 30 day bodyweight programme complete with nutrition plan on Friday 14th January so keep 'em peeled.

5)BELIEVE You Can Do IT!

Just like Ivan, he believes he can do anything and he's proven it with his recent challenges he's done. Believe you CAN achieve fat loss success.

I hope this blog post has been helpful to you.

Sam Winkworth

If you have any fat loss tips that you'd like to share then feel free to leave a comment in the section below.

Why Your Portion Sizes Maybe Keeping You Fat! (Plus My Vacation Photos From Tenerife).

Hey there,

How we all doing? I haven't written here in a while as I've been on vacation with my girlfriend Christie and only got back this week.

We both had an awesome time in Tenerife, lots of rest, recovery and regeneration and plenty of sunshine for the later part of the vacation which we were both happy about. Whilst we were there we managed to explore the famous Mount Teide volcano in the heart of the island. we also enjoyed a great boat trip where we saw some whales swimming real close to the boat.

Here are some of the pics I took whilst up Mount Teide and on the boat trip:





Mount Teide is the world's third biggest volcano at an altitude of 2,300 metres. It's also the highest point in Spain.

Our cattamerang trip saw us explore the west side of Tenerife during which time we saw a few whales that came up to the boat to do a bit of exploring themselves which was awesome!





I've never seen whales in the wild before so I was real happy that they came so close to the boat and that Christie & I could get some cool pics.

Anyway, I don't want to bore you too much with my holiday adventures but I DID want to talk to you about something I noticed in our hotel dining area every evening.

Something that most diners were doing that shocked me.

Something that will seriously put a BIG HAULT to your fat loss progress

..And this was PORTION SIZES

I couldn't believe how much food people were piling on their plate!

I'm guessing most of the guests staying at the hotel were 'all-inclusive' because ALL of them seemed to want to get their money's worth when it came to dining.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with people relaxing on their diet slightly when they go on vacation but piling plates and cutting half a loaf of bread for yourself seems somewhat greedy.

It was almost as if just because the food was there infront of them...they HAD to eat it!

You need to go EASY with the portion sizes when it comes to fat loss.

It doesn't matter whether you're on vacation, eating out or preparing something at home, you need to look at your portion sizes.

You can eat the healthiest food on this planet, and the best fat loss workouts money can buy yet you'll STILL put weight on if you're not thinking about how MUCH you're eating.

Any food is calories at the end of the day.

Make sure you're eating little and often. This will help to spread out your calories throughout the day instead of consuming most of your daily calories at the end of the day.

OK, rant over, just wanted to share that with you.

Here are some more pics from the holiday. And if you want to see ALL of the pics then make sure you check them out on my facebook page.













Peace out, and I'll talk to you again real soon...

Sam Winkworth CPT, SPN

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Please Leave A Comment In The Section Below
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9 Success Secrets To Maximise Fat Loss

I thought it would be cool to share with you some of the secrets I use with all my paying clients to help them achieve great fat loss success:

1) Quit waiting for the right time

Stop waiting around for the best time to start your fat loss plan. They'll NEVER be one. Just get going!!! Here's a workout to help you get started. Awesome chillout tune with it aswell : )



2) Be Honest With Yourself!

It's amazing how alot of people are disillusioned about the way they eat. Reality check: Cereal & toast for breakfast & Sandwiches for lunch isn't healthy. And what about the binge drinking the weekend. Have they "conveniently forgotton about that? If you want to lose body fat then don't be someone who suffers from "Dietary Dishonesty". Use a food diary and find out EXACTLY what you're eating on a daily basis.

Download my food diary I use with all my clients over at my personal training website

3) Surround yourself with positive people

Ditch the energy suckers from your life. If you're hanging out with people that are negative about diet & exercise then they will quickly pull you down to their level and suck the life out of you. They will stop you from moving forwards in life. Get rid of them if you want to see results.

4) Diarise Your Workouts

Make sure you schedule your workouts into your diary. If you haven't got a diary, buy one! Know WHEN you're going to workout and at WHAT time. Nothing is REAL until you schedule it!

5) Ditch the crap!!!

Humans aren't designed to eat processed food, sugar, salt or trans-fatty acids. Replace with more vegetables and fruit, combine with with 3 workouts a week, get to bed by 10:30pm and start to see a difference in your energy and your fat levels.

6) If you're not happy, make the change

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." ~ Mary Engelbreit
I say if you're not happy about something in your life, whether it be personally or professionally then make the change. When you're through changing, you may aswell call it a day. Remember, ...it's not the strongest or most intelligent that survive, it's the person who can CHANGE the most.

7) Use intermittent fasting

Combining Brad Pilon's "Eat Stop Eat" nutritional Philosophy along with ours is going to help you burn a serious amount of bodyfat. We've been using "Eat Stop Eat" with our clients for the past 2 years and have had acceptional results with it. Go check it out Eat Stop Eat

8) Don't listen to the negative voice inside you!



9)Never, ever give up

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."- Thomas Edison
I say when it comes to your fat loss plan don't give up just because you've had a "bad diet day." Write it off and know in your mind that tomorrow will be MUCH much better.

Try implementing some of these secrets today : )

Peace out,

Sam

Let me know what you think in the comments section below:

How To Eat Healthily Anytime, Any Place, Any Where!

This weekend saw me travel to the wonderful city of Barcelona for my brother's
stag-do (yes! that's him dressed as a cow!!!)

Never been to Barcelona before and I have to say what an awesome city! The first day was spent on the beach soaking up some rays, swiftly followed by a visit to the impressive nou camp to watch Barcelona play football. We then hit some bars in the evening which were bad ass!

The following day saw us soak up more sun rays, a nice evening meal followed by more bars. A great weekend break, everyone enjoyed themselves and my brother thanked me for organising the trip.



So why am I telling you all this?

Well, before I went on the stag-do, I made a promise to myself not to drink too much and to try and eat healthily over the 2 days. Tough test I know!

Stag-do weekends are usually associated with drinking too much and eating too much. I've been on 4 stag-do weekends over the last year and trust me, health is the last thing on people's minds!

Don't get me wrong, I still wanted to have a few drinks, just to not go mad. I can have a good time without getting absolutely pole-axed and I wanted to keep the momentum going with my healthy eating. I knew it would be a tough test on a stag weekend but was determined to put it into practice.

Here was what I ate on the Sunday:

Before Breakfast: Mega Greens Drink

Breakfast: Chicken salad sandwich

Mid-Morning Snack: Organic Almonds, 1 banana, 1 apple

Lunch: Tuna salad sandwich (was either this or burger king! lol)

Mid-Afternoon: Organic Almonds

Dinner: Paella with rabbit and vegetables(very nice!)

Not the perfect days eating, bit too much bread but under the circumstances I was happy with this.



So where am i going with this?

2 things really:

1) Ditch The Excuses And Plan Ahead!

When it comes to your fat loss plan, know what you're going to eat tomorrow, and the next day and the next. I packed my mega greens supplement tub with me to Barcelona so I could have this before breakfast. I knew I might not be able to eat much veg when I was ou there so I wanted to make sure I was getting all my nutrients in.I also bought some fruit and nuts and kept them in my pocket so I could snack on them in between meals to keep my energy levels stable throughout the day.

2) Have Willpower!!!

Are you strong-minded or weak-minded? Do you get tempted when someone offers you junk food or "another drink" or do you give in? Being around 10 other guys all taking the piss out of my food choices (for being too healthy in other words!!!)and offering me beers every 5 minutes was hard, but I did it! AND I still had an awesome time minus the hangover and I feel refreshed!!!

If I can manage to eat healthy on a stag-do where the main goal was to get as drunk as possible then YOU can DEFINITELY follow a healthy eating plan.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you MUST eat healthily ALL the time. There maybe occasions that this may not be the case however if you want to see results for this summer then you HAVE to tidy up your diet and eat healthily 90% of the time.

Peace out : )

Sam

PS - Here are a couple more pics from the stag-do : )

146 Reasons To Give Up Sugar!

It amazes me that so many people when asked, 'think' that they don't have sugar in their diet. Some people seem to think that not adding sugar in their tea or avoiding cakes and biscuits is enough to steer clear of it but this is unfortunately not the case.

Let me explain the cold truth about sugar:

Sugar has unfortunately found it's way into most of our food either to make it taste better or to preserve it's lifespan.

Any food product that's been boxed or packaged will usually have some form of sugar in it. And if you're checking food labels, any ingredients ending in "ose" has the horrible white stuff in it (such as dextrose, fructose, lactose.)

Sugar is also the common cause for the following:

(This list is from Nancy Appleton's website. www.nancyappleton.com)
This list is unbelievable! I was shocked when I first read this list.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia
125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.
126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.
127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.
128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.
132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
134. Sugar causes constipation.
135. Sugar causes varicous veins.
136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.
137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.
143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.
146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.



Not good huh?

Not only can sugar play havoc with your fat loss goals and be detrimental to your health, it can ALSO be VERY addictive and is basically like any other drug.

When people take drugs they crave them more right? They want a hit each day to keep them going, just like cigarettes, alcohol or in stronger cases, cocaine or heroine.

Well sugar is no different...

Here's what I think;

"Most people are addicted to sugar they just don't know it yet."

Here are foods that we eat that have sugar in them:

Cereals (any form)
pre-cooked meats & chicken,
pizza,
alcohol,
ryvitas,
Tea (with milk in it)
Red Bull
Dairy Products,
Cakes and cookies
Bread,
Chocolate,
Pre-packed sandwiches

If you're eating or drinking any of the above then you have a sugar addiction. No if's or but's. It doesn't matter how much or how little, you STILL have one.

How to beat your sugar addiction out.

Sugar can be a "bitch" to give up and (because it's a drug), when you first remove it from your diet, you may experience some withdrawl symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, drowsiness depending on how much sugar you were eating in the first place.

These symptoms will only last a few days and the benefits are HUGE - better health, better moods,a feeling of increased vitality and clearer thinking.

Eliminate sugar from your diet and replace fresh fruit, vegetables, organic meat.

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - >>> Let me know your comments in the box below <<<

The Interesting Search For Female Six Pack Abs

This week's post is from my good buddy Tristan Lewis over in America. I met Tristan back in November when I went to a fitness conference in Disneyworld, Orlando, and since then we hit it off and have kept in touch since.

Tristan is a great guy and I love his fitness philosophy which is very similar to mine.

Okay, handing you over to Tristan now. hope you enjoy the guest post.

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Firstly, I want to say hi, my name is Tristan Lewis from MaverickFitnessCoach.com and I’m really thrilled to be working alongside my good mate Sam Winkworth to bring you new and exciting fitness, fat loss and body transformation advice. Sam is an outstanding trainer and a great friend and what he offers his clients and customers is cutting edge advice – but you all know that of course!

This is probably aimed more at the ladies today, but I’ll make up for it with something for the guys next – so today I’d like to discuss the idea that six pack abs are not just a male orientated desire and how women of all ages and current fitness levels should be training for and expecting this unique fitness aspect as part of their body transformation.

You see the reality is that women should not only be aiming for a small waist, or trim thighs and buns…but also a beautiful, feminine sculpted set of six pack abs - it’s real important to dismiss the stigma that abs are only for men and women should just focus on the ‘flat belly syndrome’. And here’s why…

The basic anatomical facts are that every human has ‘six pack abs’ – let’s use that term as our ‘keyword’ for a truly spectacular midsection. But these abs are typically covered by our bodyfat and that there is the issue with regards to actually seeing them.

We can break down abdominal training for men and women into two areas. One will be training for muscular development of the abs and all other muscles and the other training for fat loss to reveal not just the abs but sculpt your entire physique as well.

Women need to understand that firstly they’ll be very unlikely to create a visual appearance of ripped, rolling slabs of abdominal muscle – this simply will not be the case as genetically a woman carries less testosterone than a man and will not build the muscle like their male counterparts….BUT here’s where we need to continue and encourage all women to actually STILL concentrate on working out for that ‘female six pack abdominal appearance’.

Because whilst a woman can dismiss the fact right here that they’ll look like a man or have garish ab muscles, the idea of training for six pack abs puts them into the absolute correct exercise psychology of correct and proven fat loss and body transformation training.

You see of course it’s possible to set a goal of a nice lean tummy and firm thighs but the workouts you’d employ to achieve a stunning female physique with ‘six pack abs’ will REALLY be putting you into ‘full body transformation territory’ where fat is burned, muscle pathways are re-ignited and real physical change occurs.
What I’m saying is all women will genetically create their own unique look, their own slim, toned and tight body and midsection, but also their very own six pack abs. And the training that you attempt to get ‘six pack abs’ is the type of training that will deliver all the other aspects you are desiring in your new body image or transformation. It will not be just ‘six pack abs’ but a full body makeover.

An example is this:
I run my own Bootcamps called Intensity Bootcamps as well as training clients one on one. A majority of my current Bootcamps are ladies wanting to firstly lose body fat but secondly create a lean, toned and tight body. We had a discussion and around 70% told me they’d typically been in their gyms with the goal of a lean tight midsection and trim body firmly in place and the tools they were using were your typical long form cardio of 40 minutes plodding away on a treadmill or a cycle staring at the tv’s etc. I know you know what I mean, you see it all the time in most gyms.
Now it’s certainly not bad to do if you are concentrating on say running a marathon or for an endurance sport, but even then it’s worth mixing it up.

So I said to them, well look let me put you into this Bootcamp where the training will be exactly the same as what a man would do, with short burst intensity exercise, resistance circuits, explosive and reactive workouts – all designed to get you out the gym quicker but also to incorporate the resistance exercises to build lean muscle that in turn both sculpts and shapes your own particular fit female physique but burns more calories than simple long form cardio.

When I told them we’d be aiming to build lean muscle the initial reaction was ‘Whoa! – we don’t want big muscles or six pack abs like the guys train for.’

Now that ideology is common and perfectly understandable. BUT as we continued to discuss this I told them about the misconceptions in fitness training today that a woman is going to be threatened with bulky muscles if they lift weights or train like a ‘typical male counterpart’. This is fallacy. (The actual truth is all women should be training with resistance weight training as a major component of their routines for the very fact that it will burn more calories), it will create the lean and long muscles you wish for and it will give you the physique you are genetically meant to have.

And that is not big, muscular or bulky because unless you want to dabble in the world of steroids and excess testosterone you simply will not create that look – you simply won’t be able to.

So how does this philosophy all tie into the original topic of the search for female six pack abs. Well here it is:

I train all my female clients as I would any male client (ok, not in everything because some want to train for marathons or endurance sports etc and we change it up) but primarily I expect my lady clients to take up the same exact challenges as the guys because I’ll tell you this, in all honesty, I see the ladies I work with are so much more capable of doing more than they think they can it is almost unbelievable. I push them because ladies don’t seem to complain as much as some of the guys I work with (no offence men!) – I give them a challenge and they crush it!

Yes, maybe the next day at lunch or in the bar they chat with friends and say ‘Tristan got us doing this! Can you believe it!’ You know, but the fact remains they absolutely ‘kick butt’ as my American friends say.

And therefore I train them to develop FEMALE SIX PACK ABS because not only will this sort of training create strong core and supportive muscles and a midsection that is in optimal shape, but as we discussed further up, a woman, no matter what she thinks, will not develop garish six pack abs but the beautiful, lean feminine abs that a woman is capable of. The true ‘female six pack abs’; not just a small waist with weak floppy muscle underneath the skin, or nice hips and thighs still with a rounded back and loose abs….no – REAL solid feminine core musculature that will look stunning.
Of course the lower the body fat % the more you’ll see your abs. But physics has given women the same abs as men – the same muscles in your midsection – give or take- that a man has. If you were meant to have just a smooth, little tummy you’d only have one smooth muscle running down your core.

You –as a woman – deserve to show off your ‘six pack abs’ and trust me it will be a look you’ll adore as much as all the people staring at you!

Your training will consist of (full body intensity circuits, resistance training, body weight circuits and also a bit of cardio) if you still like all that – and it will be varied, enjoyable, challenging and exciting!

Ultimately you need to know that as a woman you SHOULD be training for ‘six pack abs’, you should rest safe in the knowledge you’ll not get bulky by training for such, and you need to trust that the workouts you do with Sam, with me or with any trainer who knows their stuff will transform your entire body into the type of feminine physique you see on magazine covers.

Nature’s given you a gift. (It’s up to you to train optimally and be proud to show yours off – it’s all in your mind and you are capable of anything you desire to put your mind to). So again: don’t think six pack abs is a keyword for men only – it is absolutely what you need to be training for as an integral part of your fitness program. Not just because it will offer support, structure, core strength and optimal performance but also because it will look incredible on you – mark my words – and it’s not as hard to achieve as you may have thought….

There is such a thing as Female Six Pack Abs – you’ve got them, now you just have to train them and allow them to be one of the key components in your full body transformation. You can do it! Believe me, I see it all day long with my clients.

Ladies are capable of a level of training that is phenomenal to observe.

Until next time, I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing from you and seeing how you’re doing.

Cheers all,
(Tristan Lewis
MaverickFitnessCoach.com)

*****

More posts from Tristan soon guys.

Train hard and be strong,

Sam

Bootcamp Vs Pilates - Which One Wins?

Hey everyone,

Iam sitting here writing this after just participating in one of my Bootcamp workouts and am feeling awesome, so I just wanted to share something with you that has really been bugging me for quite some time now.

Last week I was training one of my private clients when the topic of Pilates came up during conversation.

To put you in the picture, my client has been with me for about 9 months during which time she has lost around 17 pounds, has improved on her muscle tone and shape and her fitness levels have gone through the roof.

She also attends one of my Bootcamp workouts a week aswell.

Along with this she also attends a pilates class with another local instructor.

So anyway, we were halfway through the workout and as she was resting in between sets my client turned to me (whilst getting her breath back of course!)and said: "The Pilates Instructor hates Bootcamp, and doesn't want anyone doing it."

At this point, I looked at her and said: "okay, and why's that?" with a puzzled look on my face.

"She said yesterday that it causes injury and it doesn't focus on core stability."

I was amazed when I heard this and couldn't believe that a fellow professional with well over 15 years experience in the fitness industry had made such an outrageous claim.

Here was my detailed answer to my client and this statement that I wanted to share with you.

Firstly,

You CANNOT compare the Two classes. Each class focuses on different components of fitness!

Depending on what style of class you go to, Pilates generally focuses on balance,flexibility core stability and motor skills.

The exact opposite to Bootcamp! No One said Bootcamp focuses on Core Stability!

There might be a small portion of the workout dedicated to core work and flexibilty but that's not the soul purpose of the session.

Bootcamp workouts focus on Fat Loss.

The aim of each Bootcamp session (or 'circuit training' to use another phrase)is to create Metabolic Disturbance (meaning how many calories you'll burn long after the workout finishes.The minute instructors start focusing on core stability and balance during a Bootcamp workout then it becomes a Pilates class.

So to compare the 2 classes in the first place is actually ridiculous because they both work on different components of fitness.

Secondly,

To say Bootcamp workouts cause injury is just plain dim!


I've been teaching Bootcamp style workouts for well over 10 years and I can genuinely say that this simply isn't true. Come to think of it, I can't think of one serious injury in my class during those 10 years.

I've always said (and still do)that attending some kind of Pilates or Yoga class will benefit you massively in the long run and will undoubtedley compliment your Bootcamp workouts nicely.

The key is to get a balance with your fitness.

If you like attending classes and like to work in a group then combining Bootcamp with Pilates or Yoga is the perfect match and should definitely be considered if you want a balanced fitness program.

and thirdly,

If we avoid Bootcamp Style Workouts completely, how else are we to burn calories?

If it was down to our "local instructor", she would have us all doing Pilates, which is great but what about metabolic disturbance, what about burning calories, what about working on our stamina, strength and endurance?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to disrepect Pilates and I'm certainly not suggesting that Bootcamp is the ONLY way to train, but what I am saying is that we simply can't compare the two classes.

One simply isn't better than the other!

The moral of the story?

Let's ditch the outrageous claims and stop the "Bootcamp Bashing" because without Bootcamp, you may NEVER burn bodyfat.

There's a thought!

Okay, my rant is over and I hope I've made my point.

I'd love to hear what you have to say on this subject. Do I make a good point or am I way off line?


>>> Write your thoughts in the comment section below <<<

Do This (Burn More Bodyfat!)

I get alot of emails asking me about Metabolic Typing so I thought I'd make a quick video on how you can find out more about it.

Take a look at this video. It will tell you exactly what you need to do to find out what YOUR Metabolic Type is so that you can enhance your fat loss results even further.

(I look half asleep in this video! I did some interval training and time trails on the exercise bike before this and they kinda wore me out!)




Here's that link again to find out what your metabolic type is.

Yes, I want to find out what my metabolic type is.

Go go fill it out and I'll email you back your results.

Have an awesome week,

Sam

PS - Here's the link for the the Metabolic Typing book I refer to in the video : )

Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout

It's been a week since I've come back from Disneyworld Orlando and I've finally caught up with everything since I went away (and for those of you that asked, No I couldn't get Mickey's autograph!)

Travelling on my own has kind of given me the bug to do it more often. I had plenty of time to reflect on things and although I may not explore Disneyworld on my own again, I am without a doubt going to plan a solo adventure vacation for next year.

Anyway,that's not the reason why I'm writing to you because today I wanted to share with you my Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout that I did whilst I was away.

Here's the history behind this video = >

I'd decided before I went to Orlando that I would get a few workouts in when I was there so when I checked out the hotel gym I was real disappointed with it. It was small, not much in the way of equipment and there seemed to be a funny smell coming from it so I decided to do a workout in my room instead.

It worked out fine. It didn't require much space and provided I put my "do not disturb" sign on my door then it wasn't a problem (the cleaners were quite persistant at the Hilton!)


So following on from my hotel room workouts in Orlando I've decided to switch my training up completely and do bodyweight workouts only for the next month without having to rely on gym machines or dumbells.

I've also figured of late that I've been hitting the weights quite hard so I want to try a different training stimulus for the next 4 weeks and shock my system.

Here's my Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout:
(I kept forgetting my script in this video!)



Here's how it looks on paper:

***

Circuit 1

Push Ups into 2 x Mountain Climbers
Single Leg Bridging
Inchworms
Prisoner Lunge (walking or static depending on how much room you have)
Grasshoppers

Circuit 2

Plank touching Shoulders
Crab Walking
Y Squat
Squat-Crawl (include push up to make it harder)
Burpees

Bodyweight Tabata Intervals

20 seconds of High Knee Lifts
10 seconds recovery
20 seconds Jump Squats
10 seconds recovery

For 4 minutes

***

And that's my Disneyworld Hotel Room Workout!

>> Try it out and let me know how you get on in the comments section below <<

Peace out,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

PS - If you're looking for more bodyweight workouts like this then you'll love Craig Ballantyne's Bodyweight Workout Manual. It's a 4 week workout that will help you burn body fat and help you transform your bodyshape whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced. Go burn some bodyfat NOW!

How My Trip To Orlando Is The Same As Your Fat Loss Plan.

Hey,

I hope you've had a killer week and have been kicking some serious ass with your fat loss progress?

Yesterday I got back to the UK from my week long break in Orlando. I actually still feel quite jet-lagged as I sit here now and write this but not as bad as I thought I might be.

The trip was kind of a mixture of business and pleasure. At the start of the week I attended a 2 day fitness conference and after that I went on to explore Disney World, which included Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Universal.

All in all a good trip and nice to have some chill out time. Would recommend it every once in a while.

During the conference, I made plenty of notes and over the course of the 2 days I managed to jot down some great quotes that really got me thinking and thought I'd share them with you here.

Read these quotes if you want to succeed.

1) "There are 2 reasons why people fail. By the thoughts that occupy their mind and by the people they surround themselves with." - Bedros Keullian

I love this quote! Just like your body needs to be fed with the right nutrients to get the best out of it, your mind ALSO needs to be fed with the right THOUGHTS. Having the right mindset and maintaining a postive "CAN-DO" attitude when you're goal is to lose bodyfat and transform your body is key.

Also, surrounding yourself with people who are stronger, fitter and leaner than you will help you with your fat loss journey. This will help raise your game and bring you up to their level alot quicker than if you were to do it on your own.

2) Done Is Better Than Perfect...Quit worrying about what the best way to eat and train is and just GET STARTED TODAY! - Craig Ballantyne

You don't have to be a perfectionist when it comes to starting a fat loss plan. Whilst paying attention to detail is important, it's not essential. Just get going and start that fitness program that you said you were going to at the start of the year. Start cutting out sugar and processed food from your diet. You'll be amazed at what a difference it makes.

3) Do You Have A Degree In GSD? - Vince Del Monte

This was my favourite quote of the whole conference! This stands for "Getting Shit Done."

Blunt from Vinny but to the point which I love!

In my experience, when it comes to training and nutrition, alot of people "talk the talk" but don't "walk the walk". In my 13 years as a fat loss coach I've come across plenty of clients,personal trainers, nutritionists even doctors who "KNOW" plenty about nutrition (some of who know more about nutrition than me), they KNOW that sugar will play havoc with their fat loss plan, they know that alcohol will put a hault on their progress and they realise that consuming processed food won't see results but STILL choose to eat in this way.

You can read all the text books, magazines, learn all the latest fat loss resarch under the sun but there comes a time when you just have to "Get Shit Done" and simply start putting into practice what you've known all this time.

If you want to succeed with ANYTHING in life (not just your fitness goals) then take a leaf out of Vinny's book. You need to have a positive can-do attitude with a strong desire to succeed.

I'll be reminding myself of these 3 quotes over the next few weeks and will be sharing with all my private clients.

Start to install some discipline in your life and start taking ACTION today.

Have You Got The "Fat Burning Gene?" (Read This, It Will Shock You!)

This week saw Usain Bolt set a new 100 metre world record at the World Athletics Championships.

Bolt ran a super quick time of 9.58 seconds, eleven hundreths of a second quicker than his last record.

What an amazing effort. Here's how it looked if you missed it:



Yep, you guessed it! The rumours have already started circulating as to whether Usain is on peformance enhancing drugs or not. Alot of people this week appear to have already assumed he is guilty of doping. This is a real shame, especially when it takes the gloss off the amazing feat that Bolt has achieved.

We shouldn't be so quick to judge especially when none of us have any proof.

Whether he did or not, (we'll never know) the truth of the matter is that Usain Bolt is an amazing athlete.

Don't get me wrong, I'm personally dead against any kind of drug or steroid use to improve performance in sport but... you have to take your hat off to Bolt. This is the fastest that any man has run in the history of 100 metres - natural or not.

So why is Bolt streets ahead of everyone else out there at this moment in time?

Let's put the steroid debate aside for 2 minutes and look abit deeper than this:

Firstly, Bolt is 6 feet 5 inches. He needed 41 strides to win gold on Sunday whilst Tyson Gay who took silver with an amazing time of 9.71 seconds needed 45. Due to his longer strides, he's basically covering more ground than his rivals.

Secondly, Bolt is super-confident. Everytime I watch him, he's always really relaxed. He laughs and jokes with his fellow Jamaicans before every race whilst everyone else looks real tense and nervous.

It's almost like he KNOWS he's gonna win before the race has even started. Any sport physchologist will tell you that this inner-confidence and relaxed state of mind would definitely have a benefit before any sporting event.

Thirdly, in countries where black people are in majority (such as Jamaica, Africa etc.), research suggests that black people have significantly higher amounts of "fast twitch" muscle fibers - the kind that are responsible for short, explosive bursts of action- than white people do (That's why you won't ever see a white man in the 100 metre final!).

But that's not all though, recent research has discovered a super-fast twitch fibre that is ONLY found in Jamaicans. (You can read more about this here)

So you could say that Usain Bolt is genetically gifted right?

He has all the attributes to be the best sprinter that ever lived. He's tall, his strides are longer and being a Jamaican, has a high percentage of super-fast twitch muscle fibers.

So what's this got to do with your Fat Loss Plan I hear you say?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

And that's my point!!!

Read on, let me explain what I'm going on about.

More often than not, if we see someone with a great physique or someone who is making great improvements in their fitness or health, we sometimes presume that they've been genetically gifted at birth or are taking some kind of supplement or steroid. This is the reason why they're successful with their fat loss plan.

Funny how we're quick to judge isn't it!

We don't stop to think that this person might have made some changes to their diet or some improvements to their training do we?

We don't stop to think that this person leads a healthy life and makes better choices than someone who is over weight do we!

Many people that I've come across during my 10 years as a fat loss coach are under the illusion that fat loss success comes out of a bottle or is pre-determined at birth.

Ony last week I actually over heard a couple of guys talking in the free weights room about me when I was working out saying "Oh, he's real lean, he MUST be on steroids." I think they thought they were being quiet, but I heard nonetheless!

I've also heard two woman talking (check this out!) about another woman saying that "she has better genetics than us so it's easier for her to lose weight."

Let me put everyone in the picture...

When it comes to Fat Loss, none of us have "superior fat burning" genetics to others.

Sure, your genetics may play a part in the 100 metre World Athletics Final like it did for Usain Bolt but NOT as a part of your Fat Loss plan.

It comes down to how many calories you're consuming and how many you're expending.

That's it! Not rocket science right?

Unless you're Usain Bolt, you haven't won the genetic lottery!!!

No one has inherited a unique "Fat Burning Gene."

There is NO such thing!

This is a great quote that I read somewhere this week:

"Genetics make up 1% of your fat loss plan, the other 99% is diet, training and down right hard work."

So true right?

Unless you're Usian Bolt no one has superior genetics when it comes to fat loss.

It comes down to good food, good training, the right amount of recovery and maintaining a positive can-do attitude throughout.

It's time for us to take 100% responsibility for our actions and stop the talk of "genetic lotteries" OK?

Peace out,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Are You Ready To Scream?

Have you tried "Screamers" yet?

No?

You don't know what you've been missing out on!

(Relax,they're not as bad as they sound, or are they?)

Screamers are a great alternative to interval training. You'll get the same benefits and you just need your bodyweight to do them.

They can also be done as a challenging finish to the end of your weight training workouts aswell.

Wherever you put them into your training plan, whether you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced exerciser, Screamers (just like interval training) will help you burn bodyfat and create metabolic disturbance in the quickest time.

I got one of my trainers to take a video of me doing a full set of Screamers a while back.

Here's how it looked:



What jah think of that then? (And yes, my legs were on fire after doing that!)

I used Jump Squats and Burpees in this demo however you COULD pair any 2 exercises together if you wanted to. Push Ups & Tuck jumps is one combo. Kettlebell swings & Squat Thrusts is another.

Have a play around. You may find some combos easier or harder than others.

Beginners Screamer Workout

5 minute warm up, then:

3 x Prisoner Squats
1 x Burpee
6 x Prisoner Squats
2 x Burpees
9 x Prisoner Squats
3 x Burpees
12 x Prisoner Squats

Then Climb back down the ladder.

* Rest for 2/3 minutes then repeat above sequence 2,3,4 times depending on how much time you have.

* If you're performing after your weights workout just perform once.

Intermediate Screamer Workout (as shown in video above.)

5 minute warm up, then:

3 x Jump Squats
1 x Burpee (with Jump)
6 x Jump Squats
2 x Burpees (with Jump)
9 x Jump Squats
3 x Burpees (with Jump)
12 x Jump Squats

Then Climb back down the ladder.

* Rest for 2/3 minutes then repeat above sequence 2,3,4 times depending on how much time you have.

* If you're performing after your weights workout just perform once.

Advanced Screamer Workout

5 minute warm up, then:

3 x Jump Squats
1 x Burpee (with Push Up & Jump)
6 x Jump Squats
2 x Burpees (with Push Up & Jump)
9 x Jump Squats
3 x Burpees (with Push Up & Jump)
12 x Jump Squats

Then Climb back down the ladder.

* For added resistance you can use a weighted vest

* Rest for 2/3 minutes then repeat above sequence 2,3,4 times depending on how much time you have.

* If you're performing after your weights workout just perform once.

___________

And that's your weekend workout. Good luck with the screamers and let me know how you go = >

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Your Weekend Workout (Plus What's Sam Doing Half Naked In The Park?)

Every Friday from now on I'll be posting a new workout to my blog that you can do over the weekend. It won't matter if you're a beginner, intermediate or advanced exerciser I'll be posting 3 workouts for different fitness levels.

All you have to do is decide which level you want to work at, write it up and then do it!

Easy huh? And all completely free so relax! = >

This weeks workout is my "Outdoor Bodyweight Fat Loss Circuit"..

Beginners



Here's what it looks like on paper:

5 Minute warm up, then
Prisoner Squats x 12 reps
Kneeling Push Ups x 12 reps
Step Ups x 12 on each leg
Bridging x 12 reps
Mountain Climbers x 12

Rest for 2 minutes then repeat x 3
(If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit 4,5,6 times).

Intermediates

5 minute warm up, then
Prisoner Squats x 20 reps
Full Push Ups x 20 reps
Step Ups x 20 reps
Mountain Climbers x 20 reps
Dynamic Lunges x 10 on each leg
100 metre sprint (optional)

Rest for 90 seconds then repeat x 3
(If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit 4,5,6 times).

Advanced Exercisers

5 minute warm up, then
Jump Squats x 20 reps
Full Push Ups with Rotation x 20 reps
Step Ups x 20 reps
Mountain Climbers x 20 reps
Walking Lunges x 10 on each leg
200 metre sprint(optional)

Rest for 60 seconds then repeat x 3
(If you have more time, you can repeat the circuit 4,5,6 times).

Enjoy! = >


If you have any preference as to what workouts you'd like to see then let me know in the comments section below.

My Trip To Prague (plus 5 diet rules to help you stay lean)

It's amazing what a few days away can do isn't it.

I've just come back from a wonderful city break in Prague, Czech Republic where I was on a stag-do for the weekend.

I've never been to Prague, what a great city! One of the very few cities that wasn't bombed in the war so it's managed to keep alot of it's architecture and history.

Behind me is the famous River Vltava than runs straight through Prague.

I'm not going to lie to you, it wasn't ALL sight seeing.

I didn't eat exactly how I intended and as you can imagine, there was plenty of drinking going on (although not copious amounts)-

Hey, it was a stag-do! give me a break! = >

However, a few of us DID manage to do some sight seeing.

We passed through the famous old town square on several occassions and everytime it was always real busy. Tourists taking photos of the old square clock, market stools selling and horse drawn carriage tours were just some of the things going on.

At times it was hard to walk through due to the sheer volume of people.

I really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the old town square.

I managed to get my brother to take another snap of me with the famous square clock in the background.

As you can see, plenty of people milling around!

A great place to people watch!

So anyway, I haven't written this just to show off my holiday snaps to you

There IS a reason why I wanted to write to you today..

As I strolled through the town square with my buddies, people watching, my personal training instincts decided to kick in (it happens suddenly, I can't help it!)and I kept noticing one thing.

And the more I saw of this, the more it confirmed my thoughts.

(And it REALLY stood out for me!)

How so many Czech Republicans WEREN'T overweight!

I'm serious. I hardly saw one local that was overweight.

Ok, maybe a couple here and there but generally speaking, hardly any.

Which led me to the question...WHY?

Why is it when we go to other countries, certain cultures seem to be thinner, leaner, less over weight than Britain and the States?

Now the typical answer I usually get is "our diet is far worse than other countries" which is true to a certain extent, but walking around Prague, there wasn't any evidence that that they WEREN'T consuming a western world diet?

MacDonalds was there, KFC was there,and amongst some nice restaurants there was the usual fast food outlets like any other city you'd find in Britain or the States.

This is strong evidence that the western world diet is already in Prague wouldn't you say?

They are already subject to it so why aren't they overweight?

After a lot of thinking this lead me to the conclusion that this pure and simply comes down to calorie restriction.

Simple I guess...it's not rocket science.

Whether the Czech Republicans are exercising more, eating less, or simply can't afford to eat like we do (after all, Britain and the States are considered to be richer countries than the Czech Republic and richer countries usually means over indulgence in everything, including food),

whatever the reason they're doing something right!

They're simply consuming less calories than us.

This was plain to see just from people watching in the Old Town Square of Prague.

There is growing evidence suggesting that a calorie restricted diet is not only great for staying lean but also increasing longevity too.

Somtimes I think our fitness industry over complicates things when it comes to diet. We need to take note from the Czech's and do what they're doing.

Eat Less!

Stick to these 5 diet rules and you'll be well on your way to achieving great fat loss success this year.

******

Rule 1) Eat fewer foods from a bag or box, and eat more whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts.

Rule 2) Avoid wheat, dairy and gluten whenever possible

Rule 3) Try to consume some protein with every meal.

Rule 4) Be consistent with your diet plan but don't stress out if you've had a bad day. Just get back on the wagon again knowing that tomorrow will be MUCH better

Rule 5) And most importantly...CONSUME LESS CALORIES.

Eat Stop Eat will help you consume less calories. Flexible Intermittent Fasting is an easy and effective way to reduce your overall calorie intake while still enjoying the foods you eat.

******

And that was my trip to Prague.

Catch up with you very soon,

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

Fatloss Supersets

One of the most common questions I get asked all the time is "What is a superset?"

Good question,

"What is a superset"?

A superset is a pair of strength training exercises done back to back with little or no rest between exercises. After you complete the pair of fat burning exercises, you generally take a longer rest and then repeat the superset - usually for a total of 3 times per superset.

Supersets are great for quick fat burning workouts because they help you get more fat burning exercise done in less workout time. So instead of spending all your time sitting around waiting, like you see most people doing in health clubs, you actually do more work. This extra work that you'll do will help boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories at a quicker rate.

Supersets play a big part in my own training along with interval training and circuits. I made a video (below) of my favourite 2 supersets to show you what I mean.



If your workouts follow this structure instead of "The 60 Minute Cardio Session" for fatloss then you'll be well on your way to a better body.

If you have any questions on workouts then post them below

Train hard and be strong.

Sam Winkworth
CPT, SPN

3 Great Reasons Why Intermittent Fasting Is A Good Idea!

By: Brad Pilon, MS

URL: www.eatstopeat.com

You may not have heard of intermittent fasting, and so you may not know why it can and should be a part of your workout and fat loss plan. Intermittent fasting is the practice of abstaining from all but water for a period of usually 24 hours to help with the goals associated with fat loss and weight loss in general. The way in which it helps in this arena is by cutting out a full days caloric intake, while still being able to maintain a full workout schedule. Let's look at three main reasons I believe that intermittent fasting is a good idea for anyone serious about fat loss and muscle building!

The primary reason I'm fond of a workout plan that involves intermittent fasting is that it promotes maximum fat loss. Most people employ these types of fasts two days a week while working out, and this means they are effectively cutting out a full two days caloric intake from their weekly consumption. This combined with your workout can and does have a dramatic effect on the pace at which you lose excess fat. By working out while doing these fasts, you are attacking your goals with a two-edged sword, slashing it from both ends of the spectrum.

The second reason would be that this type of fasting allows you to maintain a moderate to intense workout load while still maintaining your energy and metabolism. Many people think that fasting drains both of these aspects, and while that is true for other, particularly longer fasts, for intermittent fasting the opposite has proven to be the case. You often have more energy and a higher metabolism while engaged in this type of fasting, making it the best of both worlds. Many other fasts are so debilitating that you are left at the end of the day so drained you are unable to do anything. Intermittent fasting is not like that at all.

The third reason why I believe intermittent fasting is a good practice to include in your workout plan is that it has beneficial aspects to it that are a little less easy to see, but of great benefit all the same. There is a cleansing of your system that takes place with any fast, as your body adjusts to less content being put into it. There are also undeniable psychological benefits, such as a very affirming sense of accomplishment that can help you in many areas of your life. Knowing that you are not a slave to food is a major part of that.

I'm a firm advocate of intermittent fasting as a way of enhancing your fat loss and workout routines. There is in my mind no faster way of getting maximum fat loss while still being able to handle a full workout load. Investigate it today. I think you might be surprised at the results you'll come up with!


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Brad Pilon is a nutrition professional with over eight years experience working in the nutritional supplement industry specializing in clinical research management and new product development. Brad has completed graduate studies in nutritional sciences specializing in the use of short term fasting for weight loss.

His trademarked book Eat Stop Eat has been featured on national television and helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat without sacrificing the foods they love. For more information on Eat Stop Eat, visit www.eatstopeat.com