The American Diet's Broken...Rebuild a Better Diet From the Ground Up

The three charts below are extremely scary...read them, absorb them, synthesize everything. It's a big fat W-T-F (no pun intended)...

http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/hestat/obesity_adult_07_08/obesity_adult_07_08.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html#National

Although you'd have to be living in a deep state of ignorant bliss not to be aware that obesity is a ginormous problem in the US, the fact that obesity rates have risen continuously for nearly 50 years—and continue to grow—indicates that there's a major, major problem. I'd call it a crisis. 

That leads me to believe that at the core, something has to be fundamentally wrong with either: a) diet & nutrition in the US, b) fitness & exercise habits in the US, or c) some combo of both factors. I'm going to focus on diet and nutrition, because personally, I'm a firm believer that that's where the fix for the obesity conundrum lies—it's not within the realm of fitness & exercise (move around more and you'll lose weight...it's a simple, cut-and-dry concept, plus participation in fitness/exercise has increased over time).

It's time to turn the American diet inside-out.

http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/usda-food-pyramid.html

A Bit of History.

18 years. Eighteen.  

The food pyramid above was conceived in 1992 and served as the backbone of American dietary education all the way up until 2010, when it was finally revamped to resemble the "plate" below. It showed up effortlessly on the back of cereal boxes, was taught in health class, and you probably even saw it at some point on Nick Jr. (if you were of the '90s generation). I absolutely HATE that pyramid with a passion. That god forsaken pyramid has served as the bane of the US' dietary & nutritional existence for 18 painful years, and now it's finally gone...**sighs of relief**

  

So what's so flippin' bad about the pyramid anyway!? Visually, the pyramid conveys a number of nutritional no-nos. At the most basic level, the pyramid preaches that breads/cereals/grains/pasta (A.K.A. carbs) should serve as the foundation of the diet. Wrong!...no wonder why we're so fat. To take that even further, the food pyramid suggests eating ~4x as many carbs as protein & dairy, and ~3x as many carbs as fruits & veggies (not to mention that it doesn't distinguish between refined/complex carbs). To put it lightly, that's just WAY too many carbs and far too little protein & vegetables in the diet if you want any shot at all of leading a lean, healthy lifestyle. 

The pyramid also essentially recommends cutting out all fats, irrespective of type. Healthy fats (mono/polyunstaurated) are one of the most important contributors to heart health and should 100% be included in the diet. So many people are still stuck in the '80's and '90's mindset that fats are the enemy...they're not, they're one of your best allies.

My conclusion: The pyramid's straight up not specific enough. It's ambiguous. It's flat-out wrong. It's a virus plaguing the nutritional center of the American mind. If I had one of those nifty Men In Black mind erasers I'd zap it from your memory...forget it ever existed and take a leap of faith with me into an uncharted new nutritional world.

Revamping the American Diet.

I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago and he brought up a really interesting and strikingly true point about dietary and nutrition education today. The overwhelming majority of the content we browse online, read in fitness mags like Men's/Women's Health, and see flooding Twitter provides advice and info about how to fix and improve our diets. I'll admit it...I'm guilty of this as well (sorry guys). I'm not implying that these fixes don't have value and aren't useful—they're incredibly valuable and do help, or I wouldn't suggest them myself—but thinking about it honestly, why the hell is all of our time and effort dedicated to trying to fix something that's inherently broken. The American diet's a big beast, but so was the Titanic...and there was obviously no saving that. It's time to let the dietary principles of old go—the American diet's been bleeding out slowly for decades, it's time to take it off of life support and take a leap into a new dietary saga.

The following rules & principles will be your guiding light—learn 'em, live by 'em, and watch 'em work their magical, health-inducing, fat-incinerating magic.

1. Calories are important...but they're not THAT important. At some point, the little idea of "calories in vs. calories out" spread like wildfire and became the predominant focus of weight loss efforts. In fact, it became the only focus for those desperate to burn off a little excess blubber. I'm going to turn your reality upside down...when it comes to losing weight—specifically body fat—calories in vs. calories out only hits the tip of the dietary iceberg.
Knowing approximately how many calories your body needs to eat to maintain its weight should serve as a point of reference...as a starting point and as the backbone of your diet. The quality of those calories and the way in which you consume them is ultimately what's going to determine how your body looks—it's not even close to being isolated to an elementary caloric equation. Think of it as a rendezvous through Europe. It's critical to know which countries you want to visit on your trip—aka the number of calories you need to maintain your weight/lose weight—but what you do and where you go inside of those countries is ultimately what's going to define your trip as being epic, or as an epic fail.

With that said, you 100% need to begin your dietary revamp by becoming familiar with your body's caloric requirements. If you eat 1000 donuts or 1000 pieces of chicken you're gonna gain weight, I don't care how healthy the food is that you're eating. To figure out how many calories you need to gain, lose, or maintain your weight use the Free dFL Calorie Calculator.

2. Get out of the "breakfast-lunch-dinner" mentality. The whole "lets eat 3 big, fat meals 5 hours apart" mentality has to go. Sure eating 3 beefy, 1000 calorie meals totals the same amount of calories as 6, small 500 calories meals, but the way your body handles the intake of those calories couldn't be more different.

When you shove monstrous meals down your esophagus it wreaks havoc twofold. First, your body can only use so many calories at one time, which is predominantly determined by your activity level; that's where the concept of "eat for what your body's doing" came from. That's why it's ideal to eat a larger meal right after a skin-tearing, leg-pumping, intense workout—your body physically needs those calories to recover; when you're sitting on your ass playing Call of Duty, well it doesn't.

For most of the time during a normal day your body only needs ~300-500 calories to support the typical energy demands of living (e.g. walking, breathing, digesting, mental function, controlling the body's temperature, etc.). Once you start dumping Quadruple Whoppers, Triple Baconators, and other caloric catastrophes into your stomach, your body automatically stuffs those excess calories into the body's fat cells. It has no need for those calories...they just sit in your body...and sit there...until they convert into fat. 


Second, large meals tend to cause a dramatic surge in blood sugar levels. Not only is this one of major causes of diabetes, but the rapid rise in blood sugar triggers the release of the hormone insulin. Insulin is responsible for reducing high blood sugar levels by accelerating the rate at which calories are stuffed away in the fat cells. Insulin makes you fatter faster if you have no use for the calories it's stuffing away (after an intense workout your muscle glycogen stores—the carbs stored in muscle cells—are depleted, so increasing insulin is a good way of kicking muscle recovery into high gear).

Get in the habit of eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day; ideally 5, 6, or 7 meals, 2.5—3 hours apart. To summarize, smaller meals are extremely beneficial for a variety of reasons, including:

• They control blood sugar levels, which prevents the development of diabetes and drasticallty reduces fat storage
• They provide the body with a constant, manageable flow of calories—very little of it is ever converted into fat
• Because you're eating so frequently, your body is continuously digesting small amounts of food. Digestion physically burns calories and keeps your metabolism boosted...that's some fat burning power
• You'll stay full throughout the day and avoid snacking on crap foods
• Your energy levels will remain constantly high throughout the day, as opposed to spiking and crashing after a large meal (this is directly related to blood sugar and insulin)

Mastering Protein, Fat, and Carbs.

3. Protein HAS to be a staple in your diet, even if you're not trying to build muscle (but it helps with that too). A lot of people feel that there's no real reason to eat protein if you're not trying to build new slabs of muscle. That's a horrible misconception. Besides boosting muscle growth (which is beneficial in-and-of itself because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does), protein is responsible for a variety of the body's essential functions, including: enzyme/hormone/immune system function, muscle contraction, skin/hair/nail health, and tissue growth & repair. When speaking in terms of losing body fat and getting ripped, protein's the best tool in your fat-incinerating toolbox. Protein is "thermogenic," which means that it requires a lot of energy to metabolize and digest. Every time you eat protein it physically burns calories; in fact, protein burns approximately 1/3 of its calories through digestion. On top of burning calories, protein also helps keep blood sugar levels controlled and minimizes spikes in insulin. THAT's the definition of a fat-blasting nutrient.

For the best results shoot for approximately 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, per day, spread throughout your 5, 6, 7 meals. Providing your body with protein all day, every day, guarantees that you'll constantly burn calories, shred fat, and preserve your hard-earned muscle mass. As a dFL rule of thumb, always eat at least 15 grams of protein at every single meal.

Here's a list of protein sources that'll give you the best bang for your calorie (and vegetarian sources as well!):

4. Fats don't make you fat—just make sure to eat the right types. There are three main kinds of fats that you need to be familiar with: 1. trans fats (aka partially hydrogenated oils), which simultaneously raise LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good kind), clog arteries, and cause heart disease—you never ever want to eat these; 2. saturated fats, which raise LDL cholesterol, but are also essential for hormone production—these should be eaten in careful moderation; and finally 3. mono/polyunsaturated fats, which include omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids and tend to promote heart health, unclog arteries, reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol levels.


Mono/polyunsaturated fats are a miracle nutrient...they're your key to spectacular longevity. Not only do they promote heart and circulatory health, but they're also essential for healthy skin and hair (healthy fats help produce well hydrated, glowing, blemish free skin!) and help control hunger levels.

Try to eat a few servings of healthy fats per day, upwards of ~20% of your calories. Fantastic sources include: fish (salmon, tuna, mackeral), flaxseeds, nuts & nut butters, avocado, olive oil/sunflower oil/coconut oil (a healthy saturated fat), hummus, and even a little bit of cheese/dairy for saturated fat.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84

5.  Carbs are the key to the whole weight loss puzzle. Diets like Atkins, which basically recommend cutting out all carbs from the diet, are ridiculous, impractical, and down right unnecessary. Sure you'll lose a ton of weight if you follow a no-carb approach—I'm not debating that—but that's the overly simplified, easy-to-follow approach to dieting. Carbs are the single most complicated aspect of nutrition, which is why a diet that has 1 primary rule—cut out all of the carbs from your life—is so attractive to the masses...it has zero learning curve. Personally, I loveeeeeeee carbs and couldn't live without them. They're one of the best tasting parts of life and they provide the body with energy, vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants...a few things that are just straight up too valuable to give up.

Well, I'm here to tell you that you can achieve a ripped-up, lean physique without excommunicating carbs from the nutrition kingdom. Follow these guidelines and you'll be on your way to fat-free carb consumption:

• Like I mentioned before, controlling blood sugar levels/insulin is probably the single most important factor when it comes to fat control. All carbs are metabolized into blood sugar in the body, albeit at various rates. The slower that carbs are digested, the smaller impact they'll have on blood sugar and ultimately fat storage. The Glycemic Index, or GI for short, measures just that. Always aim for low GI foods such as whole grain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. White bread, white rice, cereal, etc. will transform your body into an absolute fat storing machine.
• To keep this simple, foods that are high in sugar digest at an extremely fast rate and convert into fat effortlessly. They also cause diabetes. Limit sugary foods as much as possible...they'll make you FAT FAT FAT FAT.
• Although fruit contains a lot of sugar, it's primary made up of fructose—a type of sugar that's slower digesting. It also provides a ton of valuable vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Regardless, I wouldn't suggest pounding 36 bananas per day (it'll literally kill you from too much potassium)—limit fruit to ~2-3 pieces per day. Eating fruit is a great way to quench even the worst sweet tooth in a healthy way.
• Never, ever eat carbs by themselves. Eating a big bowl of fettucini alfredo by itself, besides having a bazillion calories, will convert into fat faster than Mike Vick runs in the open field. Always eat carbs with protein, fat, or ideally a combo of both. 
• Limit carbs at the end of the day. Any carbs stuck in your stomach when you go to sleep will just end up being converted into fat. All of which leads me to...

6. Follow the 50C/30P/20F rule. 50% of your calories should be coming from healthy, slow digesting carbs; 30% of your calories should be coming from protein; and 20% of your calories should be coming from healthy mono & polyunsaturated fats. I have no problem if you want to make it 40/40/20, but don't drop carbs below 40% of your calories.  

The Best of the Rest...

7. Go beyond the nutrition label. Most—but not all—nutrition labels limit the vitamins and minerals they list to calcium, iron, and vitamins A & C (as shown by the label on the right, the one on the left is more detailed)...that's simply not enough information qualified by labels. Things like omega-3s and omega-6s, lycopene (a stupidly powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes), and vitamin K are all vital to health, yet you'd never have any visible evidence to show which foods actually contain those supernutrients. Get in the habit of looking up the foods that you eat on Nutrition Data and discovering what kind of nutritional value they add. That brings me to...

8. Maximize nutritional density. Foods with high "nutritional density" are jam packed with supernutrients—protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. Spend your calories like you would money...on the things that give you the most value. Proverbial "empty calories" have low, or even negative nutritional density. Sugary foods and those with high amounts of trans/saturated fats are all negative in my book.

9. Minimize liquids. Liquids always digest faster than their solidified counterparts. They also don't do anywhere near as good of a job at smashing hunger cravings, which is primarily attributed to their lack of fiber. Dairy, protein shakes, water, sugar-free tea, coffee (no Starbucks Mocha Frappucino BS), and the occasional natural fruit juice are the only acceptable liquids in my book, everything else is either filled with calories, sugar, or artificial crap. Things like Gatorade, Powerade, and Vitamin Water should be saved for use during sports/workouts...they're not designed to be anytime-of-the-day drinks.

10.  Au na-tur-al is your path to lifelong longevity. This one's really simple...avoid processed foods as much as you can. Whatever happened to eating naturally? Processed foods are absolutely loaded with sodium, chemicals, artificial sweeteners, and quite frankly a lot of crap. Go with fresh, cooked foods over the packaged variants as often as humanly possible. With that in mind, you should...

11. Get cooking! If you learn how to cook—and I'm talking about legitimate cooking, not adding so much spice to food that you drown out your culinary ineptitude (**wink wink, my roommates, wink wink**)—and add a few solid recipes to your arsenal, you can physically control everything that goes into your body. Plus it's a great way to become aware of how certain foods are prepared, and ultimately what's healthy and what's not. Everyone loves a good cook, and it's a great activity to relax and reduce stress.

Last but not least...

12. Eat breakfast. Your body is EXTREMELY depleted after pulling a nutritional devoid all-nighter. Wake up to a breakfast jam-packed with protein, healthy carbs, healthy fats, and preferably some fruit. All of it will help kick-start your metabolism, get your muscles out of muscle-burning mode, and provide your body and mind with the much needed energy to take on the day.




Follow dFL on Twitter @DiSantoFitLife for real time fitness/nutrition tips, advice, info, and updates.


Other dFL Articles to Check Out:
1. Protein: The #1 Tool for Getting Lean and Muscular, Plus a Comprehensive List of the Best Sources of Protein (for Vegetarians too)
2. Understanding Insulin, HFCS, and Carbs--Window to a Healthier, Leaner You
3. The TOTAL Summer Beach Body Plan
4. The dFL Bible of Lifelong Fitness, Health, and Nutrition
5. Secret Superfood: Cinnamon

Say WHAT!? Each Hour of TV You Watch Shortens Your Life By...

22 minutes!

Researchers in Australia recently conducted a study on 11,000 adults to get to the bottom of just how horrible TV-watching really is for your health. Well...I didn't really see this coming, but the results were pretty shocking. The researchers found that Australian's 25+ collectively watched ~9.8 BILLION hours of TV since 2008, which equated to a loss of 286,000 hours of life--or about 22 minutes/hour of TV watched.

Wow...That's pretty incredible. Thinking about it, you'd have to watch ~23,890 hours to cut 1 year off of your life, or ~65.5 hours to cut 1 day off of your life. Well then, thinking to myself...I've already lost a few months of my life.

Although I do question the validity of the study and their assumption that the loss of years of life is directly caused by TV watching (also, what number do you base a "full life" off of?), there's no doubt that living a sedentary lifestyle is absolutely one of the worst things you can do to your body. The one-two punch of overeating and sitting still is a pretty deadly combo, and a really easy way to develop a nasty case of obesity or heart disease.

So stay active, eat well, and turn off the tube...

For the full story check out http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20093072-10391704.html

The Totally FREE, dFL Calorie Calculator and BMI Calculator

A while back I posted a full guide on "How to Calculate Your Individualized Calorie Needs to Gain, Lose, or Maintain Your Weight," which was pretty good...but it actually required a little bit of real work and effort to figure out how many calories you needed to consume in order to achieve whatever dietary goal you might've had in mind. With that in mind, me and my good friend Mike developed a really simplified excel calorie calculator that only requires you to input your body fat %, weight, and TDEE multiplier (total daily energy expenditure)...and voila, it'll spit out your very own personal daily caloric requirements for any situation.

If you don't know your body fat % off-hand, or have any way of measuring it any time soon, I've included a glossary of pictures to use as reference. I've also included a chart of different TDEE multipliers and what each number represents.

Additionally, although I personally think BMI is a really stupidly horrible metric to gauge whether or not someone is classified as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese (I'm 7% body fat, but it classifies me as borderline overweight...go figure), I've also built in a really simplified BMI calculator that only requires you to input your height and weight. BMI is a pretty widely used and recognized indicator of the obesity/overweight percentage of the population, so it's definitely interesting to see where you fall and how you're classified.

You can download the Free dFL Calorie Calculator and BMI Calculator @ http://www.mediafire.com/?bis5wtb5nkvbi5c.

If you find this useful definitely spread it to your friends, and if I'd GREATLY appreciate it if you subscribed to my blog here, and followed me on twitter @DiSantoFitlife.

I'm out for now, stay fit. ~DiSanto


Other Similar Posts to Dabble In...
1. "How to Calculate Your Individualized Calorie Needs to Gain, Lose, or Maintain Your Weight"
2. "17 Essential Rules of Nutrition That'll Add 10+ Years to Your Life"
3. "The dFL Bible of Lifelong Fitness, Health, and Nutrition"
4. "Why Dieting Sucks, and 18 Tactics to Get Ripped Fast"
5. "Antioxidants 101: Everything You'd Ever Need/Want to Know About Antioxidants"

[Video] MMA Fighter B.J. Penn Jumps Out of a 3-Foot Pool...With No Hands (Waka Flaka!)

Today I have an absolutely INSANE video of MMA fighter B.J. Penn jumping out of a 3-foot pool...with no hands. The amount of lower body strength, power, and explosiveness to jump clean out of that much water is pretty much unreal. I've really never seen anything like it before...enjoy.

And if you want any shot of doing what BJ does in the vid below, start doing my Vertical Leap Workout Routine.

A Picture of the "Paleo" Diet

Over the past year or so there's been a ton of activity in the nutrition blogosphere, mainstream news, and variety of other publications hyping up the benefits of what's known as the Paleolithic a.k.a. "Paleo" diet. Honestly, it feels like some sort of nutrition cult...the amount of people who adamantly promote and swear by "paleo" is mind-blowing.

Essentially the "Paleo" diet aims to replicate the diet of ancient hunters & gatherers, (i.e. cavemen and everyone else who lived in the time of the dinosaurs) and emphasizes eating only 100% natural foods and healthy fats that come from animals, the earth, etc.. Paleo limits your diet to pretty much only meat, fish, eggs, veggies, and nuts, and vehemently opposes grains, dairy, trans fats, and processed sugars. Although I'm 100% for a diet grounded on the basis of natural foods, high protein, healthy fats, low sugar, etc., I also think it's completely ridiculous to think that nutrition/diet in our society has any way of resembling that of a caveman's 10,000's of years ago. Plus, food groups such as dairy, whole grains, and beans are fantastic sources of protein, calcium, vitamin D, fiber, antioxidants, and healthy/complex carbs. All of those things are essential and should be a part of any healthy diet. 

My 2 cents: Adopt a sort of modified Paleo diet, you know...for the modern day world. Add some grains, dairy, beans, and others carbs. You need 'em for energy, healthy, and taste...who wants to eat veggies and chicken at every meal, that ain't living! 

Check out the picture below from PaleolithicDiet.com (and www.nickfromnebraska.com where I originally stumbled upon this...and no, I did it the old fashion way, not using the website) for the full story on the Paleo Diet, and then decide for yourself...to Paleo or not to Paleo? Let me know what you think!

The Essential Exercises Series: Part 2 -- Triceps

Horseshoe Triceps

Ripped-Up, Toned Female Arms

I don't care what anyone says...if you want powerful, ripped-up, well-defined arms, building a strong set of triceps needs to be your number one priority (I hate to say it, but they're even more important than biceps). Don't worry, the guy above is a bodybuilder (Jeff Rodriguez), so don't get too discouraged...

Triceps Anatomy

The reality is that developing a set of horseshoe-esque, toned-up triceps is ridiculously impressive, looks sexy, and projects Hulk-like power and strength. Developing them also requires precise, well-rounded training that emphasizes the entire triceps muscle. In fact, the triceps isn't one muscle, it's actually comprised of three different heads--the lateral head, medial head, and long head--which together form the larger "triceps" muscle group. In order to build fully-developed, cut-up triceps and get that incredible horseshoe-shaped look, it's essential to hit each of the three heads as hard as possible in every single triceps workout (otherwise you get imbalanced, awkward looking triceps).

Here are my top 5 exercises for building ginormous, powerful, horseshoe-shaped triceps. Each exercise hits all three heads to a certain degree, but some are better than others at activating each head. Incorporate these exercises into your arms routine and I promise you that not only will your triceps begin to pop out and add some awesome definition/size, but it'll also bump up your bench press and other chest & shoulder exercises.

The Big 5

1. Triceps Dips. If you want big triceps, dips are absolutely essential. Dips are fantastic for hitting all three heads at once, and they're one of the only exercises that effectively blasts all three heads simultaneously (along with the closed-grip bench press, which is # 2). Also, unlike cable exercises and a lot of other isolation triceps exercises, dips allow you to overload your triceps with a significant amount of weight. After all, more weight lifted = more muscle gained.

Form: Make sure to lower slowly all the way down until your triceps are parallel to the ground. At the top of the movement, squeeze your triceps hard for 1 second.

Below are two different variations. The bench dip (the top picture) is significantly easier and a much better option for beginners. The bench dip is also a great exercise for building up endurance and really blasting your tris hard at the end of a workout. Traditional dips like the ones in bottom picture allow the body to handle more weight, and thus are much better for building muscle mass. Once you're able to get 12 reps in a set increase the weight by using a weight belt and weight plates.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/BWBenchDip.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/WtTriDip.html

2. Closed Grip Bench Press. The Closed Grip Bench Press is another great exercise that destroys all three heads of the triceps at once. Closed grip bench presses are also phenomenal for adding definition to the inner chest and creating that really nice line of separation between the two pecs. The CGBP allows the tricpes to handle a huge amount of weight, which results in quick muscle and strength gains.

Form: Your hands should be spaced closed together at the middle of the bar, about 1 foot apart. Your elbows should be tucked in close to your torso throughout the movement and should not stick out to the sides at all. Slowly lower the weight down until your triceps are parallel to the ground, hold for 1 second at the bottom, and accelerate back upwards. 

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/BBCloseGripBenchPress.html

3. Skull Crushers. Skull crushers, aka Barbell Lying Triceps Extensions, work primarily the long and medial heads of the triceps. Building up the long head adds size to the inner-bottom portion of the arm, which helps add overall height to your arms. It'll also make your arms come out bigger if you ever decide to measure them...having a well-developed long head can push you from a meager 18 inches to the big 2-0. Just sayin'...

Form: Load an EZ bar with weight plates, lay down on a flat bench, and extend your arms straight overhead. Without moving your upper arms at all, slowly bend your arms at the elbow and lower the EZ bar back beyond your head until your arms hit a 90 degree angle. Forcefully extend your arms upwards and hold the contraction at the top for 1 second.

Some people like to lower the weight directly to their forehead. I prefer (and recommend) lowering the weight behind your head because it'll take a lot of stress off of the elbow joint and displace it all onto the triceps. I also kinda like not having to worry about crushing my face like the name implies...

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/BBLyingTriExtSC.html

4. Overhead Lateral Triceps Extension. Overhead Lateral Triceps Extensions are awesome for destroying the lateral head of the triceps, which is critical for building up a dense, well-shaped horseshoe (they also hit the long head hard, the other half of the horseshoe). I love overhead lateral triceps extensions because they really allow you to feel a nice stretch on the way down and a powerful contraction on the way up.

Form: Start by raising one arm vertically overhead. Slowly bend your arm at the elbow and lower the dumbbell sideways behind your head. Make sure to keep your upper arm completely stationary and locked in placed! Lower slowly for 2 seconds, hold at the bottom for 1 second, and then squeeze your triceps hard at the top of the movement.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/DBOneArmTriExt.html

5. Reverse One-Arm Cable Triceps Extensions. These are my favorite triceps exercise ever! They emphasize the medial head, which adds length to the triceps and helps builds size around the elbow joint. I also find that I can pump out an insane squeeze at the point of contraction.

Form: Set up a cable station with a one-arm handle attachment so that the handle is as high as possible on the rack. Tuck your arm and elbow tightly into your torso and keep it there throughout the entire movement. Your upper arm should NOT move at all! Grab the handle with a reverse grip (underhand grip, palm facing upwards), bend at the elbow, and squeeze your triceps hard at the bottom of the movement. Hold the contraction for 1 second. On the way up slowly raise the cable all the way to the top and repeat the movement.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/CBOneArmPushdown.html

Parts 3-7 coming soon...fit it up for now.

The Essential Exercises Series

Part 1 - Biceps

Part 2 - Triceps

Part 3 - Shoulders

Part 4 - Chest

Part 5 - Abs

Part 6 - Back

Part 7 - Legs

The Essential Exercises Series: Part 1 -- Biceps

Muscles are complicated...constructing a well-balanced, effective workout plan that hits every part of those complicated muscles is absolute chaos. Well, at least chaos simplified by me.

Workout routines need to not only include exercises and movements that hit each individual muscle group (arms, legs, abs, chest, etc.), but they also have to include exercises that, when combined, hit every single part of every single muscle. The triceps might seem like a small muscle, but it actually has 3 different parts--or muscle heads--each of which is activated differently by different exercises. Confusing, huh? That's where choosing the right combination of exercises comes in. After all, who'd ever wanna neglect the lower abs, anterior deltoid, or brachialis!?

Choosing the right exercises for any workout plan is, in my opinion, one of the most critical steps for maximizing muscle growth and building well-developed muscles. Google "the best biceps exercises" or "the best exercises for six pack abs"...I guarantee you that each of the search results will recommend a different combination of exercises. It's ridiculously confusing, and as a result people end up overworking their muscles and wasting time on exercises that don't produce anywhere near the results desired.

In light of the confusing universe of weight-lifting exercises I'm launching my 7-part "Essential Exercises Series," which lays out what I believe to be the 5 most effective, foundational exercises that should be staples in every single workout routine. These exercises are the best-of-the-best, professional grade. They'll blast your muscles fully and produce results in the shortest amount of time possible...I'm talking kickass results fast. The 7 parts include:

1. Biceps
2. Triceps
3. Shoulders
4. Chest
5. Abs
6. Back
7. Legs

On to building beefy biceps...

Part 1. Biceps















What's colloquially referred to as the "biceps" muscle is actually a lot different than what most people think. In reality the biceps only makes up about 1/3 of the arm--the triceps and deltoid (shoulder) make up the other 2/3--and it's comprised of 3 muscles: the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis. If you want toned-up, titanic-sized arms, it's essential that you hit all 3 parts of the "biceps," in addition to the triceps and deltoids (that's saved for parts 2 and 3).

For all biceps exercises, it's 100% necessary that you follow a 2-2 tempo--that is, raise the weight for 2 seconds going up and lower the weight for 2 seconds going down.

The Big 5 (in no particular order):

1. Standing Barbell Biceps Curl. Hits primarily the biceps brachii (the big muscle you flex), but also does a fantastic job of hitting the entire biceps region all at once. Keep your elbows tucked in against your torso, keep your back straight, and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement. Do NOT rock your body and use momentum during the lift...all that does is NOT work your biceps. Space your hands about shoulder width apart, directly outside of your thighs.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Biceps/BBCurl.html

2. Chin Ups. Chin ups work your back, specifically your lats, but they also do a great job of blasting all 3 parts of the biceps, as well as the forearms. Make sure that you lower all the way down  so that your arms are fully extended, and raise yourself all the way up until your biceps are fully contracted. Once you're able to do 12 chin ups in a set, start adding weight plates (using a chain weight belt) to up the intensity and difficulty. Space your hands about shoulder width apart.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/WtChinup.html

3. EZ Bar Biceps Preacher Curls. EZ Bar >>

EZ bar biceps preacher curls are one of my absolute favorite ways to emphasize the brachialis, which adds thickness and width to the biceps, as well as to isolate the inner and outer heads of the biceps brachii muscle (so that when you flex, your biceps mound looks like it has two distinct parts). Oh...they also produce a ridiculously amazing skin-tearing pump...mmmm. Sit at a preacher bench so that your armpits rest comfortably at the top of the pad. First do 2 sets with your hands spaced widely apart, and then 2 do sets with your hands spaced with a narrow grip (in the video he uses a narrow grip). By changing up the spacing you're effectively hitting both "heads" of the biceps brachii. Make sure to lower all the way down...

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Brachialis/BBPreacherCurl.html

3a. EZ Bar Reverse Preacher Curls. Same setup, but instead of using an underhand grip use an overhand grip. In simple terms, flip your hands over after you're done with the sets of regular EZ bar biceps preacher curls. The reverse variety emphasizes mainly the brachioradialis and forearms. They're much more difficult, so make sure to use less weight.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Brachioradialis/BBReversePreacherCurl.html

4. Incline Biceps Dumbbell Curls. These produce the most INSANE burn I've ever felt in my life. If you do them right, it'll legitimately feel like acid is bubbling up in the belly of your biceps muscle. LOVE IT! Incline biceps dumbbell curls are fantastic for emphasizing the lower part of the biceps brachii, giving the biceps a really full, long, sleeve-busting look. Set the bench to a 60 degree angle initially (if you're feeling really strong and want to make it more difficult, set the bench to 45 degrees) and supinate during the motion--at the bottom of the motion start with your palms facing inward towards your legs, and gradually throughout the motion rotate your palm so that it faces forward. The twisting motion makes sure that the motion not only hits the biceps brachii, but also the brachialis.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Biceps/DBInclineCurl.html

5. One-Arm Dumbbell Hammer Biceps Curls. Dumbbell hammer biceps curls are the best exercise for putting a lot of stress on the brachialis--the muscle primarily responsible for adding width to the biceps. Set up a preacher bench so that your armpit is comfortably resting at the top of the pad and the hold the dumbbell with a neutral grip (palm facing outward). Lower down all the way...

Check back for parts 2-7 of "The Essential Exercises Series" over the coming days. Stay fit for now...

The Essential Exercises Series

Part 1 - Biceps

Part 2 - Triceps

Part 3 - Shoulders

Part 4 - Chest

Part 5 - Abs

Part 6 - Back

Part 7 - Legs

The TOTAL Summer Beach Body Plan

It's mid-May...guess what's coming up lightning fast? BATHING SUIT & BIKINI SEASON!! I know, I just freaked everyone out...

Even if you're far from being certified beach-ready, the good news is that 6 weeks is plenty of time to sculpt an uber-toned, lean, sexy beach body. With that in mind, I'm releasing my "TOTAL Summer Beach Body Plan." If you bust your ass, get disciplined, and strictly follow my guidance for at least 6 weeks, I guarantee you that you'll make amazing progress and start to develop a physique that captures stares the minute your shirt comes off. Yep...that's right, you'll be a mini, ripped, beach celeb.

The "TOTAL Summer Beach Body Plan" has 3 critical aspects (and an optional helpful supplements section), all of which are essential to experiencing the best results as fast as possible:

1. Optimal Diet
2. Exercise -- Building Muscle Tone, Carving out Abs, Cardio
3. Sleep & Minimizing Stress
4. **Optional** Helpful Supplements

Here goes...

1. Optimal Diet

Diet's first on the list because it's the most important aspect of becoming a lean, mean, beach body machine. The "TOTAL Summer Beach Body Plan" diet is all about maximizing calorie burn, minimizing fat storage, building and maintaining muscle mass, and keeping energy levels high. Here are the rules...

Rule 1. Know how many calories your body needs. I don't require you to count calories because it's a ton of rigorous work (although it's extremely helpful if you're up for it), but I do require you to have some clue about what your body's specific caloric maintenance level is. If you have a ballpark idea of how many calories you burn and how many calories you should be taking in to lose weight, it'll be much easier for you to make smart food choices and eat to lose weight. Keep an estimated running tally throughout the day as you eat--I recommend eating about 300-500 calories below maintenance for optimal weight-loss. Use my post on "How to Calulate Individualized Calorie Needs to Gain, Lose, or Maintain Your Weight" to figure out how many calories your body needs.

Rule 2. Cycle your calories. Your body's pretty intelligent...if you eat in a caloric deficit for a prolonged period of time it'll actually slow down your metabolism permanently to acount for the lower level of calories. Essentially, dieting works for a few days, but eventually your body catches up, your metabolism slows down, and you'll no longer lose any more weight. Oh wait, it gets worse...because your metabolism is now slower than when you began dieting, you now have a lower caloric maintenance than ever before and need to eat less just to keep your weight the same. Not good! To trick the body and prevent adaptation, you should eat in a deficit (300-500 calories) for 3 days and then eat at your maintenance level for 1 day. Continue to cycle 3 days in a deficit and 1 day at maintenance for the duration of your diet. 

Rule 3. Tailor carbohydrate consumption to maximize fat loss. Most diets, such as Atkins and others, use the zero carb approach to fast weight loss. Although zero carb diets do produce quick weight loss, they're completely unsustainable in the long run, produce low energy levels, and lets be honest...carbs are the best tasting part of life, who'd ever wanna voluntarily cut them out!? In my opinion, diets recommend eating zero carbs because it makes it easier on the dieter. There are no complicated rules to follow, all you have to do is remember that carbs are prohibited and you're good to go.

On my plan, and the way I eat all year round, carbs are included, necessary, and are used strategically to maximize fat loss and muscle gain.

Rule 3.1. NO Sugar!!! This is THE most important rule. Sugar = fat gain. Not only does sugar signal your body to store fat, but it also has no effect on reducing hunger levels. There's no time to mess around, cut out all sugar from your diet. The one exception is sugar from fruit. Fruit is a great, healthy source of nutrients that's definitely acceptable. Up to 2 pieces of fruit per day is healthy.

But wait...there's one time you can and should eat sugar. That's immediately after an intense workout. After an intense workout your body and muscles are depleted of energy and nutrients--by eating sugar (and protein) you can help quickly pump nutrients and protein to your hungry muscles, start the recovery process, and stop muscle breakdown. This is a fantastic way to use your sweet tooth to your advantage. I'll be honest, I really like cereal so I eat it post-workout (when it's actually really beneficial) and no other time of the day. That's typically the only sugary food I ever eat, and I'm totally happy with it.

Rule 3.2. Only eat complex carbs, vegetables, and whole grains. Cereal, white bread, white rice and other refined carbs are all off limits. Stick with complex carbs and foods that are high in fiber--they'll help keep you full, eat less, and provide a ton of nutrients. Great sources include: Oats, brown rice, whole wheat products, quinoa, vegetables, beans, and fruit. 

 

Rule 3.3. Eat the majority of your carbs in the morning, and decrease carb intake as the day goes on. Metabolism slows down as the day goes on, which is why it's essential to decrease the amount of carbs you eat as it gets later and later. Eat the majority of carbs at breakfast, before your workout, and directly post workout. For later meals and for dinner, try to stick to veggies, protein, and healthy fats. If you workout at night, it's OK to eat carbs post-workout.

Rule 3.4. No carbs at all within 3 hours of bed. Your metabolism drops drastically when you fall asleep. Any carbs you eat pre-bed will just sit in your stomach and convert to fat.

Rule 3.5. Eat a ton of fiber. Fiber technically has 0 calories because your body cannot digest it. Fiber is also an extremely effective way to decrease hunger levels.

Rule 3.5. Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol spikes your blood sugar levels, which increases insulin secretion and signals the body to store fat. Alcohol is also empty calories--keep it to 1-2 drinks maximum.

Rule 4. Eat a ton of protein all day long. Protein is your best friend in your quest for a sexy beach bod. What's all the hype?

- It's thermogenic, which basically means that protein burns off extra calories during digestion. In fact, protein burns ~ 1/3 of all of its calories thermogenically!!! If you eat 100 cals worth of protein, 33 of them are burned off during digestion, so in actuality you only ate 66 calories...cool stuff, huh!?

- It suppresses hunger levels.

- It builds lean muscle. Not only does having slabs upon slabs of lean muscle make you look like you have a hard, spectacular body, but it also burns more calories at rest. More muscle on your body = higher metabolism and more calories burned all of the time. Also, it's critical to eat protein throughout the day. Constant protein intake ensures that your body doesn't breakdown your hard-earned muscles for energy.

For a full list of the best sources of protein check out my post here.

Rule 5. Eat 5, 6, 7+ small meals per day. Small people eat small, frequent meals, fat people eat few, large meals. Eating small, frequent meals is one of the most effective weight loss tactics. Eating huge meals provides an overdose of food at one time, and as a result your body has no choice but to store the excess as body fat. Because meals are small, it makes it a lot easier for your body to digest what you're eating and the majority is used as energy--not stored as fat. Eating small meals every 2-3 hours also helps keep you full constantly throughout the day (because you're constantly eating, duh!), prevents snacking on crappy, sugary foods (that'll make you fat), and keeps the metabolism revved up in turbo drive all day long. 

Rule 6. Eat FAT! Fat does not make you fat. Eating healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, nut butter, fatty fish) is a fantastic way to decrease hunger levels. Also, a specific type of fats--Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs)--are rapidly metabolized in the body and have been shown to accelerate weight loss and burn fat. MCTs are found most notably in coconut oil. Fat's are higher in calories than protein or carbs (fat has 9 calories per gram, protein/carbs have 4 calories per gram), so be conscious of how much you eat.

Rule 7. No liquid calories. Liquids are notorious for having no effect on hunger levels...stick with whole foods. My only exceptions are milk, almond milk, protein shakes, the occasional 100% natural fruit juice, coffee, tea, and water.

Rule 8. Drink water, green tea, and coffee. Green tea, ice cold water, and coffee are all thermogenic, meaning they actually burn off calories. All three act to suppress appetite and decrease hunger cravings.

2. Exercise -- Building Muscle Tone, Carving out Abs, Cardio

Getting on an effective exercise regimen is absolutely key to shredding fat and developing muscle tone. Lets be honest...the most impressive beach bodies ALL have significant muscle tone and are low body fat. In order to most effectively burn off fat, build muscle, and carve out a flat set of abs, this plan utilizes different types of cardio, full-body weight training, and an intense abs routine. I'm requiring that you workout at least 5 days per week, preferably 6. It's intense, but remember...time=sexiness in this case. Here's the schedule:

• Follow my full-body, fat incinerating workout plan 3x/week, with at least 1 day of rest in between each workout. You can find the workout here. This will blast every single muscle in your body at an extremely high intensity, ensuring that you get maximal muscle growth and burn off as much fat as possible. Also, weight training is an extremely effective way to burn off fat--it boosts your metabolism for 24-48 hours post-workout. Each full-body workout finishes off with a 15 minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio session to push your fat blasting potential to the next level. 
• Do traditional cardio, 2x/week, for 40 minutes per session. This is completely your choice, but swimming, running, elliptical, sports, and any type of outdoor cardio are all great options. I HIGHLY recommend taking BCAAs prior to cardio to minimize muscle breakdown and to preserve as much muscle as possible. If you're really motivated, add in a 3rd cardio session each week.
• Do my "ULTIMATE Six Pack Abs Workout" 2x per week, preferably before cardio or on a non full-body workout day.
• Get enough rest! Take at least 1 day off per week.

3. Sleep & Minimizing Stress

Lack of sleep and high stress are two of the biggest and most overlooked causes of excessive fat gain and difficulties with weight loss. High stress levels and a lack of sleep both significantly increase the release of the body's stress hormone, cortisol. High levels of cortisol creates blood sugar imbalances and directly result in increased fat storage in the abdominal region. If you're chronically stressed or don't get enough sleep--I'm talking about 7-8 hours worth per night--I guarantee that you'll have trouble losing weight and have an incredibly difficult time getting rid of belly fat. Stress and sleep deprivation also significantly boost catabolism--aka the amount of muscle your body breaks down for energy. 

So what's the lesson learned? Stress and sleep deprivation increase cortisol levels, which consequently increases belly fat storage and muscle breakdown. That's the complete opposite of everything you'd ever want from a perfect beach body. 

I personally recommend exercise and weight lifting, drinking green tea, and listening to relaxing music (I like Enya and Norah Jones) to reduce stress. If you want an extra boost, taking herbal Relora is an effective supplement for promoting relaxation and preventing excessive cortisol production.

4. Supplements and Other Substances that Help

Taking supplements is purely optional, but in my experience I've found that there are a few that can be extremely helpful and beneficial (all of which are healthy) for building muscle and burning fat. 

Building/Preserving Muscle -- Whey Protein Powder, BCAAs

Decreasing Fat -- Coffee, Green Tea, Hot Sauce, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) (non-stimulant fatty acid that helps increase the body's rate of fat metabolism), Carnitine (non-stimulant that prioritizes the use of stored fatty acids as fuel, over carbs or protein)

Decreasing Appetite -- Fiber

There ya go...go get started immediately on your very own killer beach body. Let me know how it goes and what kind of insane results you get. Best of luck.

Until my next post,

~DiSanto