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

Incinerate Fat With This Intense Full-Body Workout Plan

Burning fat is all about pumping up the intensity...TURBO intensity. Well guess what? That's exactly what you're getting from this high-powered, metabolism-boosting, full-body workout. Do this workout 3x per week, plus a day of cardio in between each workout, and you'll transform your body into a full-fledged fat-burning furnace (not to mention you'll pack on solid new muscle too). That's right--you'll eviscerate stubborn body fat around the clock to the point where it begins to melt off, revealing your gorgeous, cut-up musculature below. Commence ripped-ness.

The Workout
** Rest 30 seconds between each set. Shorter rest = higher intensity.
** It's intense--make sure your body and heart is able to handle each exercise. If you feel lightheaded stop.
** Do this workout 3x per week and take at least 1 day in between each fat-blasting workout. Do traditional cardio 2x per week. (E.g. Sample schedule: Workout, Cardio, Workout, Cardio, Workout, OFF, OFF)
** This is for girls and guys. I don't discriminate =p


1. Barbell/Dumbbell Deadlifts - 2 sets, 12 reps. Make sure not to arch your back. You can get my full guide to perfect deadlift form here. Feel free to choose either dumbbell or barbell deadlifts.

Barbell deadlift

2. Goblet Squats - 2 sets, 12 reps. A variation of the traditional squat that puts more emphasis on the shoulders, chest, arms, and abs. It's also easier to perform and safer for beginners. Get LOW!

3. Bicycle Crunches - 1 set, 30 seconds. Touch your elbow to your knee during each rep.

Superset it (do it immediately afterwards with no rest) with...
3a. Plank - 1 set, 30 seconds. Get that butt down.

4. Dumbbell/Kettlebell Snatches - 2 sets, 12 reps per arm. Start low and explode upwards, thrusting the dumbbell overhead. Lock out your arm overhead for one second and repeat. Some people prefer using kettlebells instead of dumbbells, either works well--your persornal choice.

5. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows - 2 sets, 12 reps per arm. Row the dumbbell until the top of your arm is parallel with your back, hold it for 1 second at the top.

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/DBBentOverRow.html

6. Box Marches - 1 set, 45 seconds. Go hard, go fast, go intensely. Faster than the guy below if possible.

http://www.exrx.net/Plyometrics/BoxMarchHigh.html

7. Dips - 2 sets, 12 reps. Use the assisted dip machine if you're unable to do 12 reps with your body weight..

Body weight dip

Assisted dip

8. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Cardio - 14 minutes on the treadmill, or outdoors on a track. Finishing up with REALLY INTENSE interval cardio allows the body to access the really deep, stubborn fat stores that are really difficult to burn off. You know...the kind that's plastering the crevices of your abs. This is full-blown fat incineration put into high gear.

• 2 minutes walking warm-up (~3MPH)
• Interval 1: 30 seconds all out sprint. Judge what MPH is a sprint for you based on your own level of cardiovascular fitness. I sprint at 12 MPH--choose a level that's intense and makes you work hard, but make sure it's safe.
• 1 minute walking (~3MPH)
• Interval 2: 30 seconds all out sprint
• 1 minute walking (~3MPH)
• Repeat 4 more intervals
• 3 minute walking cool-down (~2.5 MPH)

The ULTIMATE Six Pack Abs Workout

Want a six pack like Ryan Reynolds!? Do this routine 2-3x per week...I PROMISE you that you'll start seeing abs within a few weeks, and monster abs within a few months (assuming that your body fat % is low enough). This routine hits everything: the six pack muscles, the lower abs, the obliques, and even the transverse abdominis -- the part that sucks your whole torso in nice and tight. It's like a salad of abtacular proportions...its got everything you could ever want all in one. It's gonna hurt like the hell the day after, but oh man...progress has never felt so good before!



The Routine:

How to do everything:


1. Hanging Leg Raises - Keep your legs straight.

If that's too hard, try... Roman Chair Leg Raises

2a. Hanging Knee Raises

3. Weighted Swiss Ball Crunches - Hold a plate or medicine ball behind your head. Once you're able to do 20 reps with a given weight increase the weight by 2 pounds. Keep upping the weight as your abs get more and more beastly...

4. Decline Weighted Sit-ups - Hold a plate or medicine ball on your chest. Once you're able to do 15 reps with a given weight increase it by 2 pounds.

4a. Russian Twists. Use a decline bench with a weighted medicine ball. If it's too difficult at first start off on a flat bench and work your way up. Like everything else...up the weight when you're able to do 10 reps.

5. Oblique Holds - Lay on one hip and prop up your upper body with your forearm. While holding a dumbbell between your feet, raise your legs about 6 inches off of the ground, SQUEEEEZE your obliques, and hold the position for 30 seconds. Switch to the other side.

6. Weighted Leg Lifts - Hold a dumbbell between your feet. Once you're able to get 10 reps up the weight.

7. 1-arm Planks - Try not to lean too much to one side, stay as flat as possible and squeeze your core tight.

If that's too hard try... The Plank

7a. Side Knee Tucks - Almost there...two more sets. It's the exercise at the :30 second point.

8. Cable Crunches - Last one...really squeeze your entire core together and hold it for 1 second during each rep.

Use This Routine to Increase Your Vertical Leap and GET UP!

Here's a promise for ya...if you follow this routine I guarantee that you'll be able to develop ups like Adrian Wilson (Arizona Cardinals).

Ok, so I lied...maybe not that high, Adrian Wilson's vertical leap is freakishly ridiculous. What I can promise you though is that if you follow this routine once, or better yet twice a week in place of your leg workout, it'll help you develop lower body power, explosiveness, and flexibility that'll translate into a higher vertical leap. I've used this for about three months now and I've added over a foot to my vertical. A few months back I could barely touch the bottom of the backboard, now I can hit rim. Another three months and I'll be dunking!

The Routine

Flexibility!


The first major component of my vertical leap routine is developing lower body flexibility. This means opening up your hip flexors, lengthening your hamstrings, and further developing the range of motion of your quads, glutes, and calves. When your range of motion is limited, especially in the hips, it limits the amount of power and force that you can generate with your lower body. Think about it, if you wanted to punch something as hard as humanly possible, I'm talking an angry punch, would you bend your arm only slightly and punch, or cock your elbow all the way back past your chest and explode forwards? I think the latter. It'd probably hurt a lot more. By increasing the flexibility of your lower body it'll increase your range of motion, let you squat lower, and ultimately enable you to more powerfully explode upward.

As a means of increasing flexibility, I'm a big fan of using both static stretching and dynamic stretching. Static stretching is simply when you stretch a muscle and hold that stretch for 20-60 seconds, think a typical quad stretch. This type of stretching is really advantageous in the long run because it allows muscles to elongate plastically, or stay stretched/lengthened permanently. Static stretching is ideal right after your workout because of that fact that the core temperature of muscles is elevated, which allows them to more effectively become stretched permanently. Not only that, but static stretching post-workout can help decrease soreness. Static stretching is also the ideal way to increase flexibility when you're not working out (i.e. in your home).

Dynamic stretching is often known as an active warm-up, which involves short bursts of deep stretches that temporarily expand the body's range of motion (e.g. high knees or walking lunges). Dynamic stretching is ideal as a warm-up pre-workout because it helps decrease the risk of injury and increases the strength of muscular contractions. One noted study at Wichita State University concluded that dynamic stretching allowed athletes to jump significantly higher than those who stretched statically before their workout. On average participants jumped 56.70 cm when they stretched statically, whereas they jumped 61.48cm when they stretched dynamically. That's pretty ridiculous...athletes jumped 8.5% higher just by changing the way they stretched!

The Stetching Plan!

• Pre-workout Dynamic Stretching (this should only take about 5 minutes)
• High Knee Hugs - 60 seconds 
• Walking Heel to Butt - 20 per side
• Leg Cradle Walks - 20 per side
• Spiderman Stretch - 10 per side
• Inchworms - 10 reps
• Post-Workout & Off Day Static Stretching (Do this after your leg routine, and as many days as possible separate from your workouts)
• Standing Quad Stretch - 2x per leg, hold for 30s (Image)
• Standing Hamstring Stretch - 2x per leg, hold for 30s (Image)
• Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch - 2x per leg, hold for 40s (Image)
• Lying Glute Stretch - 2x per leg, hold for 30s (Image)

Strength-Training + Plyometrics

If you wanna jump like MJ, developing explosive power is critical. One of the best ways to do that is through a combination of intense, heavy strength training and plyometrics. I'm sure you're familiar with strength-training, but plyometrics is a less well-known training technique. Plyometrics, also known as "jump-training," is a popular method of training primarily used to improve sports performance, especially in basketball, soccer, and track & field, which focuses on developing power, explosiveness, and acceleration. Plyometric training is based off of the idea that muscles that are stretched immediately before they contract concentrically (flexing a muscle is considered a concentric contraction, e.g. curling a dumbbell) will contract faster and with more force. Think of it like a spring, if you push a spring down as far as possible it's gonna explode upwards with tremendous force and velocity...now apply that principle to your legs. By squatting down and immediately jumping up as high as possible, again and again, you generate a ton of force. 

As for the strength training component, all of the exercises should be done at low reps (4-8) with heavy loads. Lifting heavier weights for fewer reps is the primary way of increasing muscular power, strength, and explosiveness. Here goes, get ready, it's intense!

1. Barbell Squats - 1x8 reps, 2x6 reps, 1x4 reps. Lower slowly, explode upwards quickly.
2. Romanian Deadlifts - 4x6 reps. Make sure your knees are bent slightly, don't let your back arch.
3. Weighted Wall Squats w. Ball- 2x8 reps. Hold dumbbells in your hands, your lower back should touch the exercise ball. Go parallel to the ground, get low!!
4. Standing Calf Raises - 2x8reps, 1x6 reps, 1x4 reps
5. Leg Press - 2x6 reps. Don't lock your knees.
6. Weighted Plyometric Jump Squats - 3x10 reps. Start with no weights until you learn the form, gradually make it more difficult by holding dumbbells and jumping.
7. Box/Step Jumps - 3x10 reps. If you have Step equipment start by raising the step up to a comfortable height. The goal is to keep progressing by gradually making the step higher and higher. If you don't have access to a Step equipment you can use a bench or box (the step equipment is the colorful boxes + platform in the video below).
8. Lateral Box Jumps - 1x8 reps per side. Use a low step or box and move quickly from side to side.

Your legs might hate you after this, but trust me, you'll be well on your way to jumping much higher than you've ever been able to before. Even if you don't care about increasing your vertical leap, this is still a kick-ass leg workout that'll build your quads, hamstrings, calves, and butt, increase your flexibility, and shred off a ton of body fat.

The Best Oblique Workout to Get Ripped Up Abs

If you're looking to build up your obliques or get that sexy, deep v-cut, start adding these three exercises into your ab routine. Often times people focus primarily on the rectus abdominis, aka the 6-pack muscles, but they totally neglect the obliques. Because they lack an emphasis on their obliques they develop a core that's imbalanced and looks like it lacks width. 

What's great about the combination of these three exercises is that they use a variety of angles, motions, and contractions to really shock your core into new growth. I guarantee that if you start doing these exercises regularly, on top of following a healthy, nutritious diet, you'll start seeing a shredded, powerful pair of obliques begin to develop.

Exercise 1 - Weighted Oblique Static Holds

Lay on one side of your body and slowly crunch your legs and torso towards each other. Really squeeze your side/obliques. At the peak contraction point, or the point where you're squeezing the hardest, hold it there for 45 seconds. Don't worry if you're unable to get 45 seconds right away, hold it for as long as you can and slowly build up to 45 seconds over time. Repeat for the other side.

Once you're able to do 45 seconds comfortably, add a light dumbbell between your feet. Start with 5 pounds and continue to progress as it gets easier and easier.

Easy - No weight, hold for 45 seconds

Medium - 5 pound dumbbell, hold for 45 seconds

Hard - 10 pound dumbbell, hold for 45 seconds

Pro - 12 pound dumbbell, hold for 60 seconds

Exercise 2 - Side Planks With Knee Pull

Start by propping your body up on one arm, while raising the other arm straight up in the air. By raising the opposite arm you're stretching out and isolating the obliques. Stagger your feet so that the top foot is on top/in front of your bottom foot. While keeping your body perfectly straight, bring your bottom foot as far into your chest as possible. Hold your knee in your chest for 1 second and repeat the motion.

Do 15 reps per side, or as many as you can. Make sure to keep your body straight!!! As this starts to get too easy try to hold your knee into your chest for longer than 1 second. 

Easy - 10 reps per side, hold for .5 second

Medium - 15 reps per side, hold for .5 second

Hard - 15 reps per side, hold for 1 second

Pro - 15 reps per side, hold for 2 seconds

Exercise 3 - Decline Russian Twists


Find an ab bench and set it to a 45 degree decline. Lean back, tighten your core, and make sure to maintain good posture. Don't arch your back!! A great way to check your form is to puff out your chest and squeeze your lower back. Once in position extend your arms straight out in front of you and slowly rotate back and forth from the left to the right.  


Aim for a total of 20 twists. Once this gets too easy, make it harder by holding a weight plate or medicine ball in your hand.


Easy - 10 twists, no weight
Medium - 20 twists, no weight
Hard - 20 twists, 10 pounds
Pro - 20 twists, 20 pounds

The DiSanto Spartacus Ab Challenge

Dun... dun ta dun...dun dun dun dun...dun! Here comes the hardest thing since the 300 workout, and I'm not talking about massive rocks or bamboo. It's the DiSanto Spartacus Ab Challenge. It's coming for you...can you handle it?

The DiSanto Spartacus Ab Challenge is something I've been developing for about a month or so and finally it's ready for the world to embrace. It's designed to be intense, grueling, painful, and most of all REALLY FREAKING HARD! This challenge is only for the ab-adept...people with abs capable of eating small animals...and those who believe their abs are beastly enough to make it onto the list of the elite. It WILL dominate the weak. So far I'm the only one on it...it's lonely over here. Come join me, but proceed with caution.

I'm going to dedicate a tab on the title bar to those who've completed the challenge. Be honest, but if you're able to complete it shoot a message my way about your experience and I'll add you to the list. If you wanna be really cool, take a video of yourself in action. If you're able to beat it and actually send me a video proving it, I'll even write up a quick post praising your super-human abdominals.

The Rules: There aren't many.

1. Rest 30 seconds maximum between each set
2. You MUST complete the exercises in the correct order.
3. You MUST complete every required rep, set, and second for each exercise.
4. You MUST use perfect, deliberate form.
5. You MUST use the required amount of weight for the exercises that require weights.

The Challenge

Exercise	Sets	Reps/Time
Hanging leg raises (Ab straps or captains chair)	2	12
Weighted decline sit-ups (weight plate on chest, 10 lb guys/5 lb girls)	1	20
Bicycle crunches	1	45 seconds
Weighted windshield wipers (barbell or dumbells, 90 lbs total guys/40 lbs total girls)	1	15
Renegade rows (25 lb dumbbells guys/10 lb dumbbells girls)	1	30
Split-leg toe touches	1	15 per toe
One arm planks	1 per arm	30 seconds
Side scissor planks	1 per side	25 seconds
Sprinters	1	15 seconds

Hanging Leg Raises: Keep your legs straight, do not bend your knees very much. Legs must come up at least parallel to the floor (you don't need to go higher). The girl in the YouTube video below uses a pull up bar. Feel free to do it the same way, otherwise you can use ab straps or a captain's chair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCr9nlgMeXo&feature=related

Weighted Decline Sit-Ups: Hold a weight plate or dumbbell on your chest. Ascend and descend slowly and under control, squeeze your abs at the top.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZofTk8OuTKE

Bicycle Crunches: Touch your elbows to your knees. Feel free to go faster than the girl in the video, but make sure you're getting those touches in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPKXFarXbys

Weighted Windshield Wipers: Perform this correctly by using form that's a combination of video 1 and 2. 

1. Perform the motion like the guy in video 1, except I want you touching your feet to the floor on both sides and adding a leg lift in the middle. Go all the way left and touch > go all the way right and touch > do a leg lift from the middle. That's 1 rep. 

2. Watch the guy in video 2. Hold a barbell or 2 dumbbells in your hand while you perform the motion in step 1. 

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6TM2vL1w04

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEMY1SS6czw

Renegade Rows: Tighten your core, bring your triceps up to the side of your torso.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fgUXmmtEXs

Split-Leg Toe Touches: Touch your toes during every rep. Try not to throw yourself forward and use too much momentum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V98EB_klew0

One Arm Plank: I couldn't find an exact video but the one below is close enough. Raise one arm and hold it up for the duration (don't briefly raise it off the floor like he does). Keep your back perfectly straight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_pk0vEOIFY

Side Scissor Plank: Same form as the guy in the video, except I want you to hold your leg at the top of the movement (don't move it up and down). You should look like an open pair of scissors. Keep your top leg as far up as possible, at least higher than your torso.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzlJq5WYGis

Sprinters: Get your chest all the way up, elbows should go past the knee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGqgy-Dhluk&feature=related 

That's everything. Best of luck, you'll need it. If you try it and can't even come close to finishing it don't be discouraged. Make it a goal to build up strength so that you can eventually complete it. More than anything this is a kick-ass ab workout that really works every part of your abs from a variety of angles. Keep at it and you'll eventually get it done.                                               

The "Get Dwight Howard-Like Shoulders" Workout

When you see a picture of Dwight Howard the first thing most people notice are his mammoth shoulders. They're hugeeeeeee! Not only are they huge, but they're also extremely uncommon. Shoulders are one of most neglected body parts by both gym noobs and experienced weight-lifters. Why? Well, because they're not typically thought of as one of the "glamour" muscles like the biceps, chest, or abs. People crave washboard abs, sleeve-bursting biceps, and a hulking chest...but what about cannonball shoulders? Not so much.

I personally think the shoulders should be a point of emphasis. Strong shoulders offer so many benefits, both cosmetic and strength-related. The reality is that bigger shoulders will accentuate your biceps and triceps, as well as give your arms an overall larger, more defined look. Big shoulders will also make your back appear much wider. Not only that, but building strong shoulders will improve your bench press, deadlift, squat, and row. The result? Every other body part will get bigger and stronger too.

Anatomy


Your shoulders, or deltoids, are made up of three muscle heads. In order to build full, cannonball-like shoulders it's critical to follow a routine that works all three heads. The rotator cuff muscles (the SITS muscles - supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, and teres) and upper trapezius are also associated with the shoulder, but I won't go into depth about those two muscle groups here. The three parts of the deltoid are:

1. Anterior/Front Deltoid (middle) - The anterior deltoid connects to the top/side of your chest. Developing the front head creates definition between the shoulder and chest and gives it the rounded look in the front.
2. Lateral/Middle Deltoid (right) - The lateral deltoid connects to your biceps and triceps. Building the lateral deltoid adds width to your arms and create a triangular look at the top of your arms. It rests above the biceps and triceps.
3. Posterior/Rear Deltoid (left) - The posterior deltoid forms the back part of your shoulder. Building the posterior deltoid will add width to your back and give your upper body and arms a much larger look from the rear. It connects into the infraspinatus, triceps, and upper trapezius.

The Workout
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
   
1. Barbell / Dumbbell Clean and Press - 3 sets, 8-12 reps. Start by picking up a barbell/dumbbell with an overhand grip (palms facing your body) and holding it by your waste. Using your shoulders and arms pull the weight upwards and push it overhead. The second part of the movement, the overhead press, is the same motion as a military press (shoulder barbell press). This is a great exercise for building overall explosive power, burning fat, and really hitting the anterior and lateral deltoid muscles.

2.  Lateral Raise w. External Rotation - 2 sets, 8-12 reps. Hold dumbbells in both hands and simultaneously raise both arms straight out to the side of your body. As you approach shoulder height twist your hands so that your palms are facing behind you (instead of down at the floor like in a regular lateral raise). Hold momentarily at the top and then lower the weights back to your body under control. This variation of the traditional lateral raise is more difficult and hits both your lateral and rear deltoids simultaneously.

Note: the picture shows a traditional lateral raise. Remember to twist your hands at the top.

3. 1-Arm Dumbbell Snatch - 2 sets, 12 reps per arm. Start in a high squat position holding a dumbbell in between your legs. Explode upwards and swing your arm overhead (there is no pushing involved). Lower the weight slowly back to the starting position and repeat. This is a high-intensity, fat blasting exercise that builds total body explosiveness and your anterior/lateral deltoids.

4. Reverse Flies - 2 sets, 8-12 reps. This is primarily for the rear deltoid. Sit on a bench with your torso bent forward so that your chest is facing the floor. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and raise both of your arms out to the side of your body. Hold momentarily at the top, return to the start, and repeat.

5. Arnold Press - 2 sets, 8-12 reps. This one's named after Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a great exercise because it hits all three heads of the shoulder in one simple movement.Start by holding two dumbbells in front of your chest, palms facing inward. As you raise the dumbbells flip your arms over (so that your palms are facing outward) and do a regular shoulder press. On the way down rotate your forearms back to the original position and repeat.