The Best Biceps Exercise Ever -- The Incline Dumbbell Curl

Do you want a pair of massive, ripped, veiny, skull-crushing biceps!? Start doing incline dumbbell curls. Incline dumbbell curls, in my opinion, are by far the best biceps exercise of all time...they work stupidly well. After one set you'll get an INSANE pump, feel a ridiculous burn, and your biceps will look noticeably bigger and fuller (from all the blood rushing into your biceps, volumizing the muscle cells with water and nutrients). You'll probably start hating me a little bit for the crazy burn you'll get, but ohhhhh man do they work well.

As far as biceps exercises go, incline dumbbell curls are so effective because:

1. They force you to move through a full range of motion
2. You can't use your back or momentum to help make it easier

It's all biceps, baby! That equals one intense, effective, kickass biceps exercise.

Add 3 sets x 10 reps of incline dumbbell curls to your biceps routine. I prefer to alternate arms (lift the left arm, then the right arm, then the left arm, etc.), but you can also do two arms at the same time.

These are difficult so start with a weight that's about 10 pounds lighter than what you use for a traditional biceps curl. Please...so that you don't kill me a little bit inside...lower the dumbbell slowly and lower it all the way down!

Soda Makes You Fat...

WOW this is so horribly disgusting I almost just puked...but I freaking LOVE IT! Soda sucks, it makes you fat plain and simple. Watch the vid and maybe you'll agree with me :)

Like the Knicks always say...Go New York go New York go! I approve. The music's pretty catchy too haha.

Build Muscle and Blast Fat with Protein Powder

Ph721 asked, "What are your thoughts on protein powder?"


Protein powder's pretty much a must-use if you're at all concerned with building muscle or maintaining the muscle you already have. Honestly, I even recommend drinking protein shakes if building muscle isn't your concern. Assuming you choose a protein powder that's low in artificial additives, fat, carbs, and sugar (I love Optimum Nutrition's Chocolate Whey Protein), a protein shake makes a phenomenal low-cal snack. Not only are shakes low-cal, but the high protein content reduces hunger levels and creates a powerful thermogenic effect--protein burns about 30% of its calories simply through digestion!

Drinking a protein shake right before bed is also a great way to elevate your metabolism and prevent muscle catabolism (muscle breakdown) while you're sleeping. Woo...more calories burned! Oh by the way...shakes with milk taste pretty freaking delicious and you can customize them in realistically any way you want, try adding a banana, fresh fruit, or some natural peanut butter...mmmm heavenly and healthy.

For everyone else whose primary concern is building new slabs of muscle, protein powder offers a ton of awesome benefits:

• Convenience. Throw one scoop in a shaker bottle, mix it with water and you've got all the protein you need to refuel post-workout.
• Affordable. Most standard protein powders offer about 72 scoops @ 24g of protein per scoop for about $40, canned tuna and eggs are the next cheapest forms of protein, while chicken and beef are the most expensive. That's about 2 cents per gram...
• Complete. Protein powder offers the full spectrum of amino acids, which is critical for muscle growth, muscle recovery, and a variety of other important bodily functions. Other sources of protein, typically veggies, are incomplete protein sources and contain only a few of the amino acids.
• High-quality. I think the coolest thing about whey protein powder is that it's higher in quality than any other protein source. Compared to every other protein source, whey protein is the best absorbed and utilized by your body...perfect for building new tissue, bone, and muscle. If you're curious about numbers and ratings (the biological value) of specific types of proteins check out http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/proteinrating.html.
• There are different types for different purposes. The two major types of protein powders you'll see marketed are whey and casein, or some blend of the two. Put simply: whey is fast digesting/absorbing, casein is slow digesting/absorbing. Whey is the way to go right after a crazy intense workout as a way of shuttling protein to your hungry muscles as fast as possible. Casein is ideal as a snack or before bed--casein clumps up in your stomach and provides a slow release of amino acids over a couple of hours. That slow release of amino acids is ridiculously powerful at suppressing appetite and keeping your muscles nourished for a few hours. 

With all of that said there are two really important things to remember about protein:

1. Protein powder is still a supplement, it's not a substitute for real food. Try to make at least half of the protein you eat every day come from whole food sources. 
2. You only need 1 scoop at a time. Your body can only biosynthesize about 30g of protein at any one time...there's no need to drink a shake with 2 or 3 scoops. Using any more than one scoop is overkill and the excess protein will just be converted into fat 

I personally use and love Optimum Nutrition's Whey Protein. It's high-quality, low on carbs/fat/sugar, inexpensive, has no artificial flavors, and has very few additives...it's pretty much as natural as you're gonna get when it comes to protein powder. It tastes really good too. Cytosport's 100% Whey is also another great option. Happy protein-ing and packing on muscle soooooooooo much more easily than you ever knew you could!

The dFL Bible of Lifelong Fitness, Health, and Nutrition

Being an all-around healthy and fit person takes a silly amount of dedication, commitment, knowledge, and precise judgement...and I mean a lot of all of those things. It takes a lifestyle devoted to health and fitness, not a temporary diet or exercise kick. Since when was being healthy a day-to-day thing?

Shocking fact: A number of studies have found that ~95% of people who lose weight dieting gain it back within 2-3 years.


Yep...dieting sucks and doesn't work. Adopting an all-around healthy lifestyle isn't an easy thing to start to do--and I totally get that--but if you can somehow figure out what to do, develop some drive to keep it going, and ultimately earn the health and aesthetic results to show for it, it can be ridiculously rewarding. It's even euphoric to a degree.

That's why I created the DiSanto Bible of Lifelong Fitness, Health, and Nutrition to highlight the top rules that I live by that contribute to my lifelong quest for optimal health, nutrition, fitness, and rippedness. Yep, I said bible...this isn't some half-assed handbook. In my mind every single one of these rules is essential, and as a result they've become like second nature to me. Drill 'em into your head and live by as many as possible. If it's too much to do all at once gradually add them in one-by-one...it's sooooo worth it. Here we go:

1. Breakfast really is the most important meal. Your body needs to refuel after starving overnight for 7, 8, 9 hours. You'll prevent muscle breakdown, amp up your metabolism, and supply your body and brain with much needed energy. 100% required.
2. SLEEP! Too many people take sleep for granted, if you're one of those people it's gonna kill you one day. Sleep deprivation causes stress, obesity, heart disease, decreased mental/athletic performance and a ton of other nasty conditions. Aim for 7-8 hours per night.
3. Focus on protein. When it comes to building/preserving muscle it's not necessary how much protein you get (with the exception of post-workout), but more importantly getting a constant stream of protein throughout the day. Aim for at least 10g of protein per meal, every 3 hours. This'll help prevent your muscles from breaking down.
4. Oh...eat protein as often as you can too. Besides its muscle building ability, protein also burns up to 30% of its calories thermogenically through digestion. If you eat 1000 calories worth of protein (250g) 300 of those calories will be burned off naturally...without doing anything. 
5. Eat small meals every 2.5-3 hours. The body can't handle mega-sized meals of 600+ calories at a time...that food just sits in the stomach and converts to fat. You'll eat better food and avoid snacking, stay satisfied throughout the day, and have energy nonstop. Plus your metabolism is constantly running. Yeah...it's that powerful.
6. Brush your teeth. No one likes bad breath or the bacteria that comes with it.
7. Get your monounsaturated and polysaturated fats, nix the saturated and trans fats. Put simply: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats clean your arteries and promote heart health, saturated and trans fats clog your arteries like crazy. Cut out all trans fats and as many saturated fats as possible.
8. Take fish oil. It's good for your heart.
9. Eat fish too. Fatty fish like salmon and mackeral provide omega-3's (heart healthy fats) and a ton of protein.

10. Go watch Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Laughing destresses, releases endorphins which promote happiness, relaxes the body, and can actually help make your heart stronger. Go find a funny friend or watch what's on http://todaysbigthing.com/
11. Take a multivitamin every morning.
12. Always maximize nutritional value. Choose foods that are jam packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, healthy fats, etc. In other words, avoid empty calories.
13. Learn this definition: Sugar (shoog-ar) - A nutrient that makes you fat. With the exception of the sugar in fruit and dairy, eat as little sugar as you possibly can. Sugar will send your blood sugar spiraling, which spikes insulin levels, and ultimately causes the body to store fat. You'll also develop diabetes. Yeah, eating a ton of calories will make you fat too, but sugar is another huge reason for fat gain.
14. Eating carbs isn't a solo mission. Carbs consumed by themselves will speed through your digestive tract ridiculously quickly, leaving you hungry shortly afterwards. Not only that, but it'll spike your insulin = increased body fat. Always pair carbs with some sort of fat or protein to slow digestion.
15. Stop drinking soda or other liquid calories. My only exceptions are dairy and the occasional 100% natural fruit juice. Seriously...soda and other sugary drinks with actually make you more hungry than you were before, plus all that sugar has no nutritional value at all. Not lean.
16. Discriminate a little. White in the nutrition world is usually bad. White bread, white rice, white flour...it'll all send your blood sugar on a roller-coaster ride and cause your body to blow up with body fat. I like to think of it as the Michelin Man phenomenon. Go wheat or brown whenever you can.

17. Revisit the lunch room. Remember when your mom would pack you a nice tasty PB & J every day for lunch? Get her on the phone!! Peanut butter's (the natural kind, not JIF or Skippy) an awesome source of mono/polyunsaturated fats that promote heart health, as well as provide a shot of protein and fiber. Who knew eating healthy tasted so good?
18. Listen to music.
19. Go green! Green tea...2+ cups a day...I swear it'll add at least 5 years to your life. Green tea is extremely rich in these little miracle antioxidants called catechins (specifically ECGC), which fight cancer, prevent diabetes and strokes, lower cholesterol levels and prevent aging. It gets even better...green tea burns a ton of fat too. 
20. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries...oh my. All three are extremely high in vitamins C & K (blood clotting), as well as antioxidants. They'll help clear up any skin conditions and acne, as well as add all of the miraculous benefits antioxidants have to offer.
21. Don't smoke cigarettes.
22. Keep alcohol to 2 drinks or less. Having 2 drinks or less can help lower your cholesterol levels, any more than that and you're in a world of trouble. Besides making you fat, drinking alcohol excessively can cause liver and kidney damage, osteoporosis and arthritis, heart disease, and blood sugar imbalances. 
23. Drink coffee. Coffee's loaded with antioxidants, increases mental energy and focus, boosts physical power, and converts fat into fuel. Just don't overdo it. Consider whitening toothpaste though, coffee stains teeth.
24. Drink water all day long. Besides...you know...being sort of important for every single bodily function, drinking cold water can also help increase your metabolism and decrease hunger. A dieter's dream, negative calories and decreased hunger.
25. Eat oatmeal. Oatmeal's loaded with fiber that can help lower LDL (bad cholesterol), promote heart health, slow digestion, and help keep you full for a ridiculously long time. Oatmeal also contains phytochemicals which fight cancer. 
26. ...not cereal. For the most part all you're eating is sugar, refined carbs, and artificial colors/flavors.

27. Eat flaxseeds. They only have the highest omega-3 content of any food, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and decrease just about every risk factor associated with heart disease...just saying.
28. Eat beans. The quadruple threat: fiber + antioxidants + protein + gas.
29. Eat protein before bed. It'll help keep your metabolism up and prevent muscle breakdown while you're sleeping.
30. Don't eat anything but protein 2 hours before bed. When you go to sleep your metabolism slows. Any fat or carbs left in your stomach when you go to sleep will be stored as fat due to less-efficient digestion. 
31. Take the stairs. You burn about 4 calories per flight of stairs. That's better than the 0 you burn taking the elevator.
32. Get the hell off the airport moving walkways. I hate these things, they suck...if you have working legs please walk. Come on...America can't be that lazy.
33. Don't eat when you drink alcohol. Your body always prioritizes the digestion of alcohol before food. What's that mean? Any food you eat while you have alcohol in your system will just sit in your stomach...and sit there...and sit there some more...until it's finally stored as fat. Oye. 
34. Don't be a zombie. If you engage your mind just a little bit...just a little bit...and hold a conversation you'll boost your metabolic rate by over 200% when compared to simply lying down on the couch and watching the Kardashians mindlessly. 
35. Be an ingredient label expert. If it says high fructose corn syrup, white flour, or partially hydrogenated oil throw it out. Also, get in the habit of avoiding everything with high sugar, sodium, trans fat, and saturated fat content.
36. Eat as few processed foods as possible.
37. Avoid foods with a laundry list of ingredients. 
38. Don't eat foods that have sugar as the first, second, or third ingredient. Ingredients are listed in order of amount in the food. The first ingredient makes up the majority of the food, the last ingredient makes up very little.
39. Lift weights. It'll strengthen your bones and build muscle. More muscle = more calories burned at rest. Plus you'll look better.

40. CARDIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Cardio's not just about burning calories. Increasing your cardiovascular fitness level can actually turn your body into a fat burning furnace. The higher your cardiovascular fitness, the more fat-burning enzymes your body will have. More fat-burning enzymes = more efficient at using body fat for energy. Interesting fact - really out of shape people run out of breath really quickly because their body's are only able to use carbs as fuel--they're physically unable to tap into their fat stores for energy. That's why dieting alone doesn't work...you need to exercise to lose significant weight. 
41. Give it a rest. Give yourself a day off from lifting/cardio at least once every 4 days. Your body needs some time to recover in order to grow.
42. Emphasize your abs. Lets be serious...everyone loves a sexy midsection. Everyone loves good posture and a strong back too.
43. Cheat days? What the hell is a cheat day!? I know cheat days are a common way for people to stick to diets, but remember how I said diets suck? Well cheat days suck too. If you need to take a break from your diet and healthy life you're not trying hard enough nor committed enough...man up. Imagine a firefighter looking into a burning building and just thinking to himself, "hmm...I've worked really hard this week, I'm gonna take this one off." Extreme, but you get the point.
44. Do squats and deadlifts. You'll burn a ton of calories and fat and release high levels of HGH and testosterone--two hormones that promote muscle growth and fat loss. 
45. Be an educated supplement consumer. Supplements are meant to do exactly that...supplement good health and fitness. Just know what you're buying and do some research beforehand. Products like protein powder, BCAAs, creatine, l-carnitine, and others are extremely effective for safe muscle gain, fat loss, and overall health.
46. Drink low fat milk for the calcium and protein. Got milk? Besides getting an awesomely cool milk mustache, drinking milk is a phenomenal source of calcium. The benefit? Calcium's proven to be an extremely powerful reducer of body fat. In numerous studies mice on high calcium diets experienced a reduction in body fat of over 60%...60%.
47. Don't eat canned food. Canned food is either a) extremely high in salt b) gross or c) devoid of nutrients, or some combination of the three. Due to processing, canned veggies get stripped of almost all of their vitamins and nutrients. Isn't that why you eat veggies anyway? Go fresh if possible, if not frozen is your next best option.
48. Say no to sodium. Too much sodium causes hypertension and heart problems. It'll also make you look puffy and bloated. Yuck.

49. Don't eat broccoli before the beach. Broccoli and other cruciferous veggies cause gas build up, making you look bloated. Not ideal when your shirts coming off. 
50. Always use strict form when lifting. You'll prevent injury and maximize muscle gain.
51. Sttttttrectchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Always stretch/warmup before and after you exercise. Not only will it give you more flexibility and power, but it'll ensure you don't get hurt. 
52. If you're sick drink an Emercen-C. Vitamin C's a potent antioxidant, which fights off illness and the common cold. Make vitamin C a regular part of your diet--Emergen-C's a great source.
53. Remember the ADEK, BC rule. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, which means your body's able to store them for later use. Get your daily requirement and no more. The B vitamins and vitamin C are water-soluble, which means your body will pee out the excess. The implications? Make sure to get a constant supply throughout the day.
54. Vitamin Water isn't healthy. Might as well just say it, it's vitamin enhanced sugar water. It's not worth the calories or body fat gain, take a multivitamin and you'll be fine. If you really need to get your Vwater fix, make it a Vitaminwater Zero.
55. Eat the egg yolk. The whites are essentially protein and water...the yolk's where all the good stuff's at. The yolk literally has all of the egg's vitamin A, D, E, & K, and over 90% of the egg's calcium, iron, choline, and zinc. That's liquid gold. What's even better news is that more and more studies are beginning to show that the egg yolk has no effect on LDL (bad) cholesterol like once thought.
56. Eat tomatoes. Tomatoes are jam-packed with lycopene, the world's most powerful antioxidant. 
57. Like Tuna? Swap mayo for hummus or mustard. You'll save over 100 calories and cut out a bunch of nasty saturated fat.
58. Use hot sauce. Spicy foods burn calories during digestion, plus peppers have antioxidants.
59. The current nutrition guidelines are out of date. The current nutrition guidelines/labels were created in the '60's and are severely out of date. Instead of aiming for 100% of your DV as suggested by the guidelines, realistically you should aim to get 200-300% of that DV.

60. Eat lean red meat occasionally. Lean red meat's a phenomenal source of creatine, a substance that increases muscular power. It's also high in iron, phosphorus, zinc, protein, and selenium, an antixoidant. Avoid fattier cuts because they're higher in saturated fats. Go go filet mignon.
61. Opt for whole fruit over juice. It has higher fiber content and more nutrients, plus you'll stay fuller longer.
62. Learn and live by the Glycemic Index. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index
63. Avoid artificial sweeteners. If you need to sweeten something use stevia or honey. Honey's a natural antioxidant and digests slowly, keeping your blood sugar under control.

Yum...Taco Bell Meat Contains Only 35% Beef, 57% Fat

Honestly, it was pretty obvious that Taco Bell wasn't serving high quality beef in it's products. Lets be serious...it's Taco Bell. What's actually surprising though is that Taco Bell's "seasoned beef" is not only fatty as hell, but it's barely beef at all.

Taco Bell was recently sued by an Alabama law firm for "falsely advertising" that its products contain seasoned beef. According to the USDA, taco filling has to contain at least 40% fresh meat to be legally marketed as beef...Taco Bell's meat only contains 35% beef, short of the requirement. What's even worse is that 57% of that beef is fat. The next time you go to the grocery store check the meat section, the lowest protein-fat ratio you'll find is probably something close to 65% protein-35% fat or 70% protein-30% fat...but 57% fat, really!?!? Yuck. So if only 35% of Taco Bell's meat is actually beef, what's in the other 65%? Stuff like isolated oat product, maltodextrin, soy lecithin, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch, anti-dusting agent, sodium phosphate and seasonings. Basically artificial food additives, preservatives, and chemicals. If you're opting for fast food Mexican, at least have some regard for your body and go for Chipotle or Qdoba...they have real beef. You'll save your stomach some misery and torment.

You can find the full story at WTOL11 and Yahoo! News.