Podcast Notes

Leg Training: Legs are a large and complex body part! Your main exercise considerations are hamstrings, which are usually the weak link, and squats for overall leg work and metabolism boost effect.

Hamstrings work as knee flexors (bending the knee) and hip extensors (extending the hips). That means in addition to leg curls, you should do some sort of deadlift &/or low back work (reverse hyper) for the hamstrings. As knee flexors, hamstrings are a power muscle. Exercises like hamstring curls should be done with low reps 6-10. As hip extensors, hamstrings function more for endurance in conjunction with the glutes and erector spinae. That means when you do deadlifts, good mormings &/or low back work, you should do higher reps, in the range of 15-25. There are several smaller muscles that make up the hamstring group, so the above is somewhat of a generalization to make it easier to write your workout program!

Lastly, calves need training! Calve raises done with a straight leg or no knee bend, are the gastrocnemius muscle. This muscle is 60% fast twitch fibers, which respond better to lower reps, like 10-12. Calve raises done with a knee bend, work the soleus muscle which is 88% slow twitch fibers and responds better to higher reps like 20-30.

As always, you want to vary the order of your exercises. You can have one program begin with leg curls and the next cycle with squats then lunges etc.
Sample workout:
lying leg curl 3 sets of 8 reps
squat 3 sets of 10-15 reps
stiff-legged deadlift 2 sets of 20 reps
Calve raises-seated 2 sets of 25 reps

Nutrition

Protein choices can be hard to come by for Vegans. I have found a great resource at http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm.

Some examples are:
Soybeans, cooked 1 cup= 29 grams protein
Lentils, cooked 1 cup= 18
Black beans, cooked, 1 cup=15
Kidney beans, cooked 1 cup=13

Motivation
Use the Fitness Forum for motivation, accountability, ideas and check-ins!

Do the surveys on the blog or via email so I can have your input for Custom Training Programs and the new online Training Center I am creating! There will be a program for every fitness level and budget!

Part 1 of Body Part Training Splits. Remember, there are infinite numbers of ways to split body parts! There is no such thing as a perfect routine! The following is an example of how you could split the body parts, and is the one I am going to use to explain this type of program.

With any workout, you want to begin with a warmup cardio based &/or light exercises for the body part you are working. About 1 set (not a working set) of 10 repetitions would be good, focus on the stretch and feel of the muscle's movement. For Back & Chest training, the sets, reps and design are based on your goals. If you don't know how to do an exercise properly, hire a trainer to teach you the correct form.

Goal: Back Training	Exercises to do	Sets per exercise	Rep range
weight loss & tone	Back: 2-4	2-3 sets	8-10 reps
Advanced sculpting	Back: 4-5	3-4 sets	8-10 reps

Goal: Chest Training	Exercises to do	Sets per exercise	Rep range
weight loss & tone	Chest: 2	2-3 sets	10-15 reps
Advanced sculpting	Chest 2-3	3-4 sets	8-10 reps

With back exercises be sure to vary your grips to hit the main parts of the back when doing pulldowns and rows. Grips can be: wide, close parallel, medium grip, or reverse grip.

For Chest Training, choose one Pressing movement and one flye movement. These can be done on an incline, decline, flat bench, ball or Bosu Trainer.

Always challenge your self with weights, and change the exercises every 6 weeks to 2 months (at least). You can use supersets to reduce time of workout and to burn more calories and get a little cardio benefit too! Full sample workout at Workout Rotations.

Top 5 foods for weight loss!
1. Oatmeal
The fiber in oatmeal helps make you feel full and is high in nutrients too! It's easy to add flavor to oatmeal such as spices fruits, or add protein powder!
2. Vegetables
Green, crunchy veggies! They are fibrous, full of vitamins and nutrients and you can eat a lot for very little calories! Fiber is an important part of weight loss, because it helps keep your blood sugar levels steady, gives you the full feeling and helps you stay regular.
Vegetables also release excess body water. They act as a natural diuretic.
3. Fruits
Fibrous fruits such as apples, oranges, melons, and grapefruit help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which in turn allows your body to let go of fat for energy.
4. Fish
Fish like salmon and tuna also help with blood sugar levels and are high in protein. They also keep the body from storing fat. Leptin, a fat burning hormone found in fish, helps the body to determine whether to store calories as fat or use to burn.
5. Spices
Simple spices such as hot peppers, cayenne, cinnamon and garlic can help you lose weight! Spicy foods can reduce your appetite. Research has shown that spicy foods like hot peppers, cayenne or hot mustard can give you an 8-20% increase in fat metabolism for up to a few hours after eaten! Cinnamon also helps blood sugar levels. Garlic tastes great and is a natural diuretic.

Motivation
Accountability is what keeps most people on track! That's why check-in programs work well for so many people. Weight Watchers has a check-in, so do other weight loss programs. Meeting a trainer is a check-in...you'd better show up or you'll really pay for it (in more ways than one!).

Our new accountability program in the Fitness Forum can give you the boost you need. I have already read posts about members helping other members! That's what it's all about! You'll never know who you will be able to help! Check out the boards at The Fitness Forum.

If you are using an upper body / lower body split, it means that you do upper body workout on day 1, then lower body on day 2, day 3 is a rest day then you repeat. This type of schedule is great if you have set days you can workout, and if you don't have much time in the gym!

Typically, upper body is classified as : Back, Chest and Arms (Shoulders, biceps, triceps), while lower body is Legs, Abdominals, lower back. You can mix all the body parts up as long as you don't do the same body part 2 days in a row. They need rest to recover to add lean muscle tissue which burns fat while you do nothing!

To save on time, the superset principle is used. You'll do one exercise, then immediately move to the second exercise before taking a short rest of about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Doing two to three sets of each for about 10-12 repetitions.

The cardiovascular benefits and fat burning effects are most notable when your rest is under 1 minute, or just enough time to get a sip of water, stretch or make notes in your workout log.

You can either use the same exercises for 3 or 4 workouts or you can alternate between the two given examples.

Example split 1:

Day 1: Upper body workout #1

Day 2: Lower body Workout #1

Day 3: rest

Day 4: Upper body workout #1

Day 5: Lower body Workout #1

Day 6: rest

Day 7: rest or repeat from the start for another round

Example split 2:

Day 1: Upper body workout #1

Day 2: Lower body Workout #1

Day 3: rest

Day 4: Upper body workout #2

Day 5: Lower body Workout #2

Day 6: rest

Day 7: rest or repeat from the start for another round

Keep rest periods minimal and use challenging weights for every set, except the warm-up set. Remember your plan from Podcast 61, in case your machine gets taken!

Here's a sample exercise selection:

Upper body:
Front Pulldown
Seated Row
Chest Flye
Shoulder press
Bicep Curl
Tricep Press down

Lower body:
Squats
Leg Curl
Lunges
Calve Raises
Ball abdominal crunches
Ball hyper extensions

Let's say you can only workout at prime time. Those busy gym hours between 5:00 pm -7:00 pm! Here's a way to stay in one spot to get your supersets done!

Example 2: Supersets at prime time

Upper body Workout
1-arm DB row s/s chest press
Reverse lateral (flye) s/s chest flye
BB or DB shoulder press s/s bicep curl
On the ball: Tricep lying extension s/s ab crunches

Lower body Workout
Front lunge s/s light squats BB or DB
Step-ups s/s reverse lunge BB or DB
Ball: Leg curl s/s ab curl
Ball: Ab crunch s/s Hypers

note DB=dumbbell, BB=barbell, s/s=superset with

Give those workouts a try and let me know what you think!

Nutrition
Many of you have taken the time to get your copy of the Weight Trackers Menu Plan for free at the Fitness Makeover website home page. If you had any problems downloading just let me know.

Take your measurements before beginning the plan! Measure your chest (under the armpits), your waist or belly button area and your hips (at the hip bone). After you have followed the plan for a few weeks, post your results on the Fitness Forum or email me.

Motivation
You are what you think you are. Here's an action challenge: Make a positive, present tense sentence of "What you are" or an "I am" statement. You can begin with a "what I would like to be" sentence then change the format to be present tense.

Here's an example, so don't use this one!
"what I would like to be" = making sure I eat breakfast every day
Change to "I eat breakfast every day"

Do this, then share your Action statements with us on the Fitness Forum!

Nutrition
Weight Trackers Menu Plan. is an extremely effective plan that was used by my gym members. Results usually averaged 4-6 inches in the first month! Weight Trackers Menu Plan. is available for free at the Fitness Makeover website home page.

This plan allows you to choose your own foods and provides the right servings sizes and food combinations for fat loss! It even has some surprising unlimited foods and sweet-treats!

This is a 4 or 8 week plan. The menus change to add different foods to your daily intake. You can check out week 2 of the The Weight Trackers Menu Plan. with a short survey on the Fitness Makeover website home page.

Workout
The anatomy of a repetition explains the importance of setting up your body position prior to any exercise. Establishing the foundation of your core is crucial to doing exercises correctly and avoiding injury. It also guarantees more isolation, greater use of the abs and core muscles, less chance of injury and better results!

You want to start from the ground up when setting up for a set. A solid foundation will make your workouts more effective, and thus faster results. You may have to lower the weight you use, but it will be worth it!

Examples used are the bench press (or any flat, incline or decline exercise) and bicep curl (any standing exercise). You can see more proper form for exercises on Podcast Fit 047 Machine Exercises.

Motivation
Focus keeps you on track in the gym and out of the gym! Without focus, you won't have much motivation! Here's few other articles I have done on how to use focus to get faster results: Focus for Results.

Time saving workouts and a new format! There are three sections to this podcast: Workouts, nutrition and motivation. The featured segment is workouts!

A common question I get is "I'd like to see sample workout plans that maximize my time while getting results." Here's a few sample plans and some tips to get your best results in the least amount of time!

We'll start with the minimum time constraints: you can only exercise 2 or 3 times a week for about 1 hour or less. What are you to do, especially if it is prime time at the gym? You know, those packed days, usually Mondays around 5:30 pm!

With a plan (and /or one of these sample workouts) you'll get a great workout that is also cardio-fat burning in no time!

Your biggest allies will be your
1. knowledge of exercises
2. familiarity with your gym
3. willingness to change exercises, if needed
4. a sports watch or timer

At home or in the gym, use your timer or Sports watch such as the IRONMAN Watch by Timex for either rest periods or instead of counting or both. It makes a huge difference in time saving! Always have a plan and options!

Supersets make the most of your time! Using an upper/lower format to work the full body. Go for 2 to 4 sets of these exercise supersets at 10-12 reps and 1 minute between sets or less will do the trick!

Sample Workout 1:
squat / chest press
seated row / leg curl if the machines are busy then do bent over row (db or bb) and lunges
front pulldown / lateral raise
bicep curl/ triceps extensions

For full details on your exercise options, listen to the podcast!

Sample Workout 2:
stationary lunge / close grip pulldown
stiff legged deadlift / chest flye
2 arm db row / reverse flye (rear delt)
If you snagged a cable machine then do Triceps press downs / bicep curls on the low pulley curl w/ rope or bar

Part 2 of the podcast: Nutrition.
Join us at the Fitness Forum for new sections! The Recipe exchange will spice up your diet! The new fitness polls and survey areas are guaranteed to help your accountability!

This month's poll: How many times did you exercise in January 2009? (Voting closes: March 16, 2009, 02:39:05 pm).

Part 3: Motivation/Mindset.

Don't fear the future! Don't look too far in advance. Yes, you should always have a plan, but you should always be ready to adapt. By arming your self with fitness information, you will know what your choices are in the gym or at dinner/restaurant.

An educated choice will save you time, energy and stress! And isn't that what working out is about? Having more energy and less stress!

I wasn't even sure what to call this one! There a mix of info on this podcast! New articles on the Allinoneworkout.com site , listener questions and more!

Updated on the site:
Workout Rotations a step by step plan to help you devise your workout rotation.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get in shape! A few pieces of low cost equipment or just your body weight will work!

All exercises are based on body movement. Which means all you have to do is move your body in a certain way to work your muscles. You can use weights, machines, resistance bands, stability balls to add challenge to an exercise, but as we all know from push-ups or pull-ups, sometimes you body weight is more than enough! When it comes to adding resistance, let's not forget that dumbbells are weighted items. They could just as easily be water bottles of different sizes filled with water or sand or dirt. Some books or cans or odd items you might find at home or in the garage can make great resistance sources too!

Let's start with getting in shape with no money!

If you are reading this, you are most likely connected to the internet and can do a search for body weight exercises or visit one of my sites for instruction.

Here are the 5 body weight only exercises you might want to do:

1.Squats-Sit down and stand up from a low chair with your heels on the floor.

2.Push-ups-Lie on your belly with thumbs in line with your chest, palms down. Push your self upward using the upper body. You can start with a cobra like move and turn it into a push-up as you gain strength.

3.Pull-ups-No pull-up bar? No problem! You probably have a park or playground near by, right? Well, monkey bars work great for pull-ups! Can't do a pull-up? You have two options: hang there to strengthen your grip and back muscles or use a step or jump to get your body up and try to control the downward motion. you may drop like a rock at first, but eventually you'll drop like a like pebble!

4.Crunches-You know these! Eyes on the ceiling!

5.Jumping Jacks-Yes, that's right! Do 10 between each exercise set and you'll keep your heart rate up and burn more fat!

6.High Knees-This is a great alternative to jumping jacks! Lift your knees above your waistline for best results!

Do the above as a circuit or as sets of 10 reps or as many reps as possible. Trust me, one full pull-up can make for some soreness the next day!

If you prefer more resistance or strength challenge, or just variety, a low cost way is to get a set of Resistance Band
, probably $10-$15 and a pair or two of dumbbells, 3 or 5 pounds &/or 8 or 10 pounds. Dumbbells usually cost about .80cents to $1 per pound. So, starting with just a set of 5 pound weights will bring your equipment costs up to about $25 dollars. Not bad, right!

Resistance Band alone will provide you with some great workouts and variety as well as resistance. Bands usually come with an instruction booklet that will show you exercises as well. I have posted on my sites some resistance band exercises.

Using body weight or bands is a great way to stay in shape while on vacation or when you are short on time!

A gym membership isn't always a must, but it does provide camaraderie (misery loves company? ha-ha) and an excellent variety of machines, exercises and classes. Whether you use a gym, no equipment or some low cost equipment, it's up to you to stick with it and make it your priority to get exercise done 3-4 times a week!