Top 3 Fat Loss Tips to Transform Your Body

Total body fat loss is the key to burning more fat and transforming your body. To lose weight and keep it off, you must make a major commitment to strength training. In other words, "muscle up" (not bulk up) and the fat will melt away! Not only will your body's composition improve (less fat, more muscle), it will improve your overall health (including bone density).

Get ready to work hard, make adjustments and stay consistent!

Here are my Top 3 Fat Loss Tips to Transform Your Body:

1. Strength training should be tailored to your body type. We all have a body type due to heredity and lifestyle choices. A fitness assessment is important because a personal trainer identifies postural weaknesses and muscle imbalances. The fitness program is then tailored to fit your needs. Without this assessment, you are "shooting in the dark."

Achieving optimal muscular fitness requires flexibility, strength, endurance, power, and speed. These components should be included in an integrated training program.

Because of lifestyle habits, the dominant side of the body develops more than the non-dominant side. And, if certain patterns or muscular actions are performed repeatedly, muscles develop more in either the front of the body or the back of the body. As a result, some muscles become tight, lengthened or weak.

An integrated training program focuses on 3-dimensional muscular balance. This is done by training in all 3 planes of motion. This will help overall strength, burn more fat, prevent injuries and enhance everyday living.

Opposing muscle groups should be in balance. Focusing more on exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, shoulder presses and bench presses will help you do this. Using more unilateral (one-leg, one-arm) exercises also improve muscular balance. Lunges, step ups and dumbbell exercises fit this category.

So, muscle-building is a never ending process. It is much more than haphazard weight training programs with no design. You need at least 3 weight training workouts per week, 20-50 minutes per session (depending on your training maturity and goals).

2. Your cardio exercise should aid in your fat loss and not waste away your precious muscle mass. Your cardio exercise should:

--Improve heart health
--Burn calories (during and after your workout)
--Burn fat
--Spare muscle mass

Keep your cardio workouts at about 20 minutes. That's all it takes to help you reach your goals. And, it will keep you from the boredom and muscle-wasting that's built into long cardio sessions.

Intense interval cardio workouts will increase your body's growth hormone. Research has also proven that the benefits of anaerobic exercise (like sprint interval cardio) is superior to aerobic exercise for fitness and heart health.

3. Eat for fat loss. You must eat enough to build muscle and burn fat. A balanced diet which contains the macronutrients (carbs, protein, fats) is best. You should calculate your calorie needs for reaching your goals. Starvation diets will not work. Nutritious calories are critical to build muscle.

For instance, you should eat protein with every meal. Protein is critical for rebuilding muscle tissues after workouts. Protein also helps you control calorie intake because you stay fuller for longer.

It is also a good muscle building tactic to eat protein before and after strength workouts. Protein drinks (particularly whey) work well for this purpose.

Work hard to build the body you want and need!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get FREE eBooks: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips," Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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5 Steps to Start Losing Weight Today

Take steps today to start burning fat and losing weight! Start changing your body today....what's stopping you?

Unless you have a medical or physical limitation, you have NO EXCUSES for putting off exercise and eating better. So, take steps and take charge of your health and fitness. No one can do this for you.

Note: You may need to get medical clearance before starting an exercise program, especially if you have been inactive.

Here are 5 Steps to Start Losing Weight Today:

1. Do something you love. What physical activity do you love? Are you in an "exercise rut?" Forget all the exercise theories and articles! Just get started with an exercise activity you love and do this activity for at least 30 minutes on most days. Before you know it, you will have started exercising regularly again.

2. You don't have a meal plan yet? Here are some things you can start doing today to improve your eating habits:

--Drink only water or unsweetened drinks for beverages
--Severely limit candy, cookies, pastries, junk food and processed foods
--Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal
--Eat protein with every meal, such as eggs, fish, nuts or lean chicken/beef/turkey
--Eat small meals, every 3-4 hours
--Start writing down what and why you eat to hold yourself accountable

3. Tell a friend about your immediate plan to start getting fit. It helps to have someone hold you accountable and its even better if that person will join you. You need help to accomplish your fat loss and weight loss goals. That could be a trainer, a friend, a spouse or other family member. Research proves that those who have weight loss buddies are more likely to succeed.

4. So, you're too busy to exercise? Not! Many days, I fit in 15-20 minutes of exercise while waiting for a client training session. Take advantage of "DEAD TIME" during your day and exercise. Twenty minutes of exercise here and 20 minutes of exercise there works just fine.

5. You don't have any equipment or a gym membership? No problem. You don't need either one to get started. All you need is your body and a little time. Get FREE Fat Loss Workouts Here.

Start something active and healthy today!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get FREE eBooks: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips," Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Burn More Fat with Bodyweight Power Workout

Bodyweight power workouts will torch body fat and your joints don't take a pounding from lifting heavy weights!

To get your muscles to improve power (how fast your muscles can produce force), do exercises full speed.

You will see your body taking shape faster with power exercises. Your bulky, fast twitch muscle fibers activate more with speed exercises. That is one reason that speed athletes' bodies are so cut.

Bodyweight power exercise circuits are a tried and true method to burn more fat, increase strength/endurance and improve heart health. And, the workouts are short (10-30 minutes).

Do each exercise one after the other with 30 seconds rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes between circuits. Do the circuit 2-3 times. Here is a good bodyweight power workout:

--Medicine ball diagonal chop (pictured above), fast, 5 each side
--Pushups, 10, fast
--Medicine ball rotational throw, fast, 5 each side
--Squat jumps, 10, fast
--Medicine ball slams, 10, fast
--Mountain climbers, fast, 30 seconds
--2-handed medicine ball soccer throw, 10, fast
--Side to side hops, fast, 30 seconds

Use correct form and start torching the fat!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get FREE eBooks: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips," Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Successful Fat Loss and Weight Control

You want fat loss with weight loss right? Tired of hearing about the weekly new weight loss programs for sale? Me too. Want some fat loss strategies that will work today, tomorrow and 10 years from now? Read on.......

Here are 4 Steps you can take to be successful with fat loss and weight control:

1. Shorten your weight training workouts to 50 minutes or less and ramp up the intensity! In other words, work harder for a shorter period of time and you'll get more fat burn and calorie burn during and after your workout!

Do as many compound strength exercises (with weights or bodyweight) standing up as possible. These types of exercises work major muscle groups and many times are full-body strength exercises.

Squats, deadlift, lunges, standing bentover rows, squat-to curl-to press and bench press are great examples. Full-body core exercises like planks and side planks work well also. Spend less time posing on "mirror exercises" like bicep curls, calf raises and tricep extensions.

Here is a good fat-burning workout:

Do each exercise one after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes between circuits. Do the circuit 4 times.

--Bulgarian Split Squats, 10 repetitions each leg
--Plank, 12 repetitions, 10 second hold
--Pushups on Medicine Ball, 12 repetitions
--Step Ups with Knee Lift (knee high platform), 10 repetitions each leg
--Bentover dumbbell rows, 10 repetitions
--Clock Lunges, 5 repetitions each leg
--Standing dumbbell shoulder press, 10 repetitions
--Repeat circuit 3 more times.

This type of workout will torch body fat.

2. Shorten and intensify your cardio workout! Long, slow cardio sessions wastes time and eats away at your muscle mass. Short, intense cardio sessions also burn more fat and calories during and after your workout!

I'm talking about interval cardio sessions that are 20 minutes or less!

Here is an interval cardio session that I often do (or something similar):

--Jump rope, fast, 1 minute
--Walk 1 minute
--Mountain climbers, fast, 30 seconds
--Walk 30 seconds
--Jumping Jacks, fast, 1 minute
--Walk 1 minute
--Run-In-Place, fast, 30 seconds
--Walk 30 seconds
--Bodyweight Jump Squats, fast, 15 seconds
--Walk 1 minute

Repeat this circuit 2 more times.

If you don't like these types of exercises, then pick exercises that you like. I know that jump squats won't work for those with knee or back problems. As long as you change it up and keep it interesting, you will will make progress.

3. Make needed changes to your eating habits and reach your fat loss and weight loss goals faster!

Don't ruin great workouts by eating bad food with a million calories! Its possible to hide those hard-earned muscles with a thick layer(s) of fat! Don't fight against yourself!

We eat "too large" servings of food and that's without even "super-sizing" anything! Keep your daily food journal to track what, how much and why you are eating! This will help you with portion control.

It will be easier to keep your commitment if you plan your meals for the week. And, instead of eating out during the day, pack your food. This will protect you from binge eating and haphazard eating (i.e. grazing).

Here are some common sense do's and don'ts when it comes to eating:

Cut out these type foods: sodas, sugary fruit juice drinks, candy, cookies, donuts, fried meats and fried foods, fast foods, ketchup, mayonnaise

Add these type foods: whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, almonds, nuts, low-fat dairy products, low-fat yogurt, fruits, veggies, unsweetened tea, water, lean meats (baked, broiled or grilled), olive oil, cinnamon, mustard. You get the idea!

4. Shorten and intensify your workouts with jump training (plyometrics)!

If you're having trouble sculpting your butt, hips and thighs then you need to do more plyometric training.

Plyometric workouts are advanced workouts. You need to perfect jumping and landing techniques or you will injure yourself. And, if you have knee and low back problems, high-speed plyometric training is not for you.

Try this jump training workout (take little or no rest between exercises):

--jump rope, two feet, full speed, 1 minute
--squat jumps, 10, full speed
--lunge jumps, 10, full speed
--depth jumps (off knee-high platform), 10
--tuck jumps, 10, full speed
--jumping jacks, 30 seconds, full speed

Rest 1 minute between circuits. Repeat the circuit 2 more times--20 minutes total workout time. Take more rest between exercises or circuits if needed.

Have fun burning fat and keeping the weight off!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get FREE eBooks: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips," Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Top 5 Fat Burning Strength Exercises

To burn fat and sculpt your body, you must build muscle mass. That's the only way to transform your body to lean and toned.

You want your strength exercises to primarily build muscle, burn fat, improve bone density and sculpt your body.

One way to build muscle mass is through heavy weight lifting. “Heavy” is relative to your body weight and strength. According to the research, doing this type of weight lifting will give you exercise-induced testosterone increases. Of course, this will help you build muscle mass.

So, how much weight is heavy enough? Your repetition range for exercises should be between 3-5 (you would have a difficult time lifting these repetitions). You would typically do 4-5 sets of each exercise.

Strength exercises for fat loss should focus on maximizing your time at the gym.

Build more muscle mass to speed up your metabolism and burn more fat.

To recruit more muscle fibers during workouts and improve your success, focus more on multi-joint or compound exercises.

Compound exercises will help you burn more fat because you are working large muscle groups in your body. You will also burn more calories after your workout.

Examples of single-joint exercises are biceps curl, seated calf raise, leg extension, leg curl and triceps pushdowns. Spend less of your time on these exercises.

Women can also do this type of training without fear of bulking up too much!

Here are my Top 5 strength exercises to enhance fat loss:

1. Squats - Bodyweight, dumbbell, bulgarian, one-legged or barbell....do your squats!

2. One-Arm Dumbbell Rows - If you're trying to build up back muscles and burn back fat, bentover dumbbells rows should be in your routine. Bentover dumbbell rows allow you to work your lats using heavier weights. Your lower back will be worked more if you row with both arms at the same time. You will also work your obliques in the process.

3. Pullups - The pullup is not just a back muscle exercise. Pullups work your lats (and other back muscles), core, shoulders, arms, chest, biceps and improve grip strength. That's why you should be doing pullups!

4. Dumbbell Chest Press on Ball - Doing the chest press on the ball forces you to balance while lifting. Each arm also has to do equal work. Regular bench press is always an option.

5. Standing Barbell or Dumbbell Shoulder Press - Doing an exercise on your feet (closed-chain) activates more muscles and that's what you want. The standing shoulder press will not only work your shoulders and arms but will also activate your core muscles. And, since you are standing, your lower body also has to do some work.

Build major muscle mass and watch your body begin to sculpt like never before!

Be sure and download your FREE Fat Loss Tips, Fat Loss Workouts and Meal Plans below!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get FREE eBooks: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips," Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Fat Loss Tips and Fat Loss Workouts

Burn fat and tone your body with my fat loss tips and fat loss workouts. You can afford to do this because its free!

If you are spending money on weight loss pills and fat burn supplements, STOP! You don't need these pills. You need the right information and a hard-working, never-give-up attitude to burn fat, lose weight and tone your body.

Summer is on the way and you want to look your best in less clothing. Start doing workouts that are effective at burning fat. Shorter, more intense workouts are more effective than 2 hour, boring workouts.

How have you been eating these days? Need to eat better and less? You will also get free meal plans to help you eat to burn fat and lose weight. You have nothing to lose, except fat, inches and weight!

Set realistic goals without fear, expecting to succeed. Fear of setting goals because of fear of failure is a huge hurdle for many. According to experts, setting low goals or no goals means you don't have to live up to high expectations.

Ditch other limiting behaviors that may be holding you back from toning your body. Limiting behaviors like overeating, too little exercise and negative attitudes will stop your progress every time.

So, get started today and download your FREE Fat Loss Tips, Fat Loss Workouts and Meal Plans!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get FREE eBooks: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips," Free Fat Loss Meals and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »

Total Body Toning Burns More Fat

Tone your total body with the right training methods and you will burn more fat. In other words, "muscle up" and the fat will melt away! Make the commitment to full body strength training from now on....it will improve your body's composition and overall health (including bone density).

Don't just start lifting weights and running with no guidance. This can often lead you to little or no results and a host of injuries. Here's a client question:

Question: Some muscle areas on my body are more developed than others. How can I correct this problem?

Mark's Answer: We all have a body type due to heredity and lifestyle choices. A fitness assessment is important because the personal trainer identifies postural weaknesses and muscle imbalances. The fitness program is then tailored to fit your needs. Without this assessment, you are "shooting in the dark."

Achieving optimal muscular fitness requires flexibility, strength, endurance, power, and speed. These components should be included in an integrated training program.

Because of lifestyle habits, the dominant side of the body develops more than the non-dominant side. And, if certain patterns or muscular actions are performed repeatedly, muscles develop more in either the front of the body or the back of the body. As a result, some muscles become tight, lengthened or weak.

An integrated training program focuses on 3-dimensional muscular balance. This will help overall strength, burn more fat, prevent injuries and enhance everyday living.

Opposing muscle groups should be in balance. Focusing more on exercises like squats, deadlifts, rows, shoulder presses and bench presses will help you do this. Using more unilateral (one-leg, one-arm) exercises also improve muscular balance. Lunges, step ups and dumbbell exercises fit this category.

For example, the quadriceps group/hamstring group should be in balance (or the quads should not be significantly stronger than the hamstrings).

Research has proven that inadequate hamstring strength contributes to knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.

To avoid developing muscular imbalances or to correct muscular imbalances, you should do the following:

1) Have a postural assessment performed by a fitness professional. This assessment will indicate where your muscles are tight, weak or lengthened.

It will also indicate patterns of postural dysfunction called postural distortion patterns. Distortion patterns occur because the structural integrity of the kinetic chain (human movement system) is compromised due to the misalignment of one or more of its components.

2) Develop a comprehensive flexibility routine.

3) Weight training should focus on the total body to burn more fat and avoid muscular imbalances.

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Change Workouts For Fat Loss Progress

I am surprised at how many people hardly ever change up their workout routine. This is a recipe for stalled fat loss progress.

If you have your name on a certain treadmill or weightlifting machine, you need to change up your workout! Your body adapted to your routine long ago and you're stuck in neutral.

One of the best ways to jumpstart your fat loss progress is to ramp up the intensity of your workouts. So, instead of doing 1 hour of steady-state cardio, do 20 minutes of intense interval cardio.

You will burn more calories, more fat and lose more weight with this method of cardio. Even so, don't do the same type of interval cardio forever. Change up interval types to keep your body guessing.

Other ways to change up your workouts include (but not limited to):

1. alternate lifting light weights and heavy weights,
2. adjust the number of repetitions and sets,
3. do different exercises for the same muscle groups,
4. alternate routines such as circuit training, superset training and complex training and
5. change the speed of your sets such as using slow, moderate and full speed repetitions.

You could also use combinations of all the above to break through plateaus.

Here's an example of how to do cross training with your cardio exercise:

Cardio cross training will burn more fat and keep you from getting bored! Cardio is a naturally monotonous exercise that can bore you to tears, unless you change it up and keep it short. This is where interval training comes in.

The good thing about interval cardio cross training is that it doesn't require long sessions to be effective. And, it gives superior calorie-burn, fat-burn and heart-heart when compared to steady-state cardio.

I usually do my interval cardio sessions in 20 minutes or 2 separate 10-minute sessions (about 5 minutes apart). Research has shown that 2 separate workouts will give you more calorie-burn and fat-burn.

How do you do regular interval cardio? Here's an example:

1. Sprint for 30 seconds
2. Walk for 1 minute
3. Repeat this rotation for 20 minutes

To do interval cardio cross training, just mix up the exercise modes to get even more fat-burning benefits. Here is an example of an interval cardio cross training workout that I do:

1. Step Ups, 15 repetitions each leg
2. Walk 1 minute
3. Jumping Jacks, fast, 1 minute
4. Walk 1 minute
5. Sprint Intervals for 6 minutes (run 1 minute, walk 1 minute)
6. Mountain Climbers, fast, 1 minute
7. Repeat this circuit 1 more time

You can use any exercises you like. I like to mix in at least one strength exercise. You could do squat jumps instead of jumping jacks. Or, you could do bodyweight squats instead of step ups.

One-legged exercises (unilateral) are more intense than that two-legged (bilateral) exercises. If you don't want to run on a particular day, just do all bodyweight strength exercises.

Cross training will make you less prone to repetitive stress injuries. Cross training will also tone more muscle groups, especially if you include strength exercises.

Be sure to also change up your strength training routine.

To get better fat-burning results, change up your routine at least every 2-3 weeks.

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Spot Body Fat Reduction Won't Work

Are you concerned about excess ab fat, butt/hip/thigh fat or back fat. That's great if you are. If you are trying to do spot body fat reduction alone, it won't work.



Build Muscle, Burn Fat and Shrink Your Body!

Burn total body fat by doing full body strength training and eating healthy food. This will help you burn dangerous belly fat. Doing 1000 ab crunches a day won't get the job done. If you want to do some extra work on your stubborn body fat areas (in addition to your regular workouts), that okay.

One tactic that will work to help you burn fat is mixing up your cardio workouts. Don't just do running on a treadmill or elliptical machine. You could do a different cardio workout every session to avoid boredom and repetitive stress injuries. Try these cardio workouts to blast fat:

--Bodyweight cardio
--Sprint intervals
--Jump exercise intervals

Mix up your strength workouts between heavy weight sessions (3-5 repetitions per set) and lighter weight circuit training sessions (10-12 repetitions per set).

Stop Wasting Money On Silly Fitness Gadgets That Don't Work!

You don't need fitness gadgets to burn fat and lose weight! And, don't spend any more money on fat loss and weight loss pills. You don't need those supplements either. And finally, forget about quick weight loss programs. They don't work long-term and that's why they are called quick!

I hope your fitness year is off to a great start! Keep it going throughout the year!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

Read more »

Burn Back Fat With Weight Training

Burn back fat and build up your back muscles with bentover dumbbells rows. Bentover dumbbell rows allow you to work your lats using heavier weights. Your lower back will be worked more if you row with both arms at the same time. You will also work your obliques in the process.



If you experience back pain doing two-armed rows, then try doing one-armed rows so you can support your body with the other arm.

Do two-armed bentover dumbbell rows this way:

1. With your feet about shoulder width apart, bend over and grab the dumbbells. Keep your back straight (don't bow or arch back) and keep your head in line with your torso. Look straight down during the exercise.

2. Pull dumbbells up to your side until they make contact with your ribs. Keep your elbows close to your side during the exercise. As you pull the dumbbells up, squeeze your shoulder blades together.

3. Don't curl the dumbbells as you lift. Curling will allow too much use of your biceps. This is primarily a back exercise. Return the dumbbells until your arms are fully extended. That is one repetition.

Build your back muscles and burn fat with bentover dumbbell rows.

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Shrinking Waist Size Improves Your Health Risks

Burn fat and shrink your waist size. Doing so will reduce your risk of dying from diseases like cancer and heart disease. Don't just take my word for it....researchers from the American Cancer Society warns us about the deadly risks of having too much belly fat. Read my article about waist-to-hip ratio.

In the research study led by Eric J. Jacobs, PhD, American Cancer Society strategic director, Pharmacoepidemiology, researchers examined the association between waist circumference and the risk of death among 48,500 men and 56,343 women age 50 and older who had taken part in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a subset of the larger Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II).

Participants filled out detailed questionnaires about their health and lifestyle, and also measured their waist size with a tape measure. They were then tracked for 9 years.

“We were interested in looking at waist size because it’s strongly correlated to fat tissue in the abdomen, which is the most dangerous kind of fat issue,” said Jacobs.

What The Research Found:

Jacobs and his colleagues found that people with very large waists (47 inches or larger in men, 42 inches or larger in women) had approximately twice the risk of death compared to those with the smallest waists (35 inches in men, 30 inches in women) during the study period.

And, this is the interesting part about the study: it didn't matter if the person was normal weight, overweight or obese (according to body mass index).

“We found a pattern showing that expanding waist size was linked to a greater risk of dying regardless of body weight,” said Jacobs. “Similarly, people with the smallest waist sizes had the lowest risk. The take home message here is watch your waist size regardless of your weight.”

Spot Reduction Won't Work

Spot reduction won't work. Burn total body fat by doing full body strength training and eating healthy food. This will help you burn fat off your waist. Doing 1000 ab crunches a day won't get the job done.

“There’s no evidence that doing a particular set of abdominal moves will reduce belly fat. The best thing you can do is to eat better and exercise more,” says Jacobs.

Build muscle, burn fat and shrink your body!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

Read more »

Burpees Burn Fat

The burpee exercise burns body fat like crazy and is great for conditioning! Always do burpees under control with good technique.



If you need to change up your high intensity interval cardio routine, here is a great choice----do full speed burpees for 20 minutes.

Trust me, it is a great full-body exercise that will increase your strength endurance, power and anaerobic conditioning (remember, aerobics is an exercise done for more than 2 straight minutes).

Exercises like sprints and jumps are anaerobic. Research has proven that anaerobic conditioning will give you superior fat loss, conditioning and heart health.

You can use the burpee exercise as an interval cardio routine to ramp up your fat-burning and conditioning:

--1 minute full speed burpees
--2 minutes walk or jog
--Do this routine for 20 minutes and you're done!

From a squat position with your hands on the floor, kick your feet back to a pushup position. Quickly return your feet to the squat position and jump as high as you can from the squat position. Repeat this exercise at full speed for 1 minute! Whew! Walk or jog for 2 minutes and burpee again!

Go for it!

Train hard and safe!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Functional Training Burns Fat, Improves Life

Functional training can help you burn more fat and help you live a quality life. You see, functional training prepares your body for how you want to live. For example, if you are a hiker, you should train your body with intense exercises to get you ready for hikes. Exercises like mountain climbers, bodyweight squats and pullups would be good to get you ready for hikes. Train movements and not just muscles.



A major reason for exerciser (and every day life) injuries is a weak core area. Functional training would definitely include core stability, strength and power training.

The saying "you are only as strong as your weakest link" is true in the case of the human body. Core strength is inadequate for many people. The majority of movements are either initiated or transfer through the body's core area.

Here are some tips to follow during functional training:

1. Your body needs to be stabilized and strengthened before progressing to high-speed power exercises. If this is not done, you are headed for certain injury when more intense exercises are introduced. Along the same lines, you should perform an exercise correctly before progressing to power exercises.

2. Many strength and core exercises should be performed in a standing position since most daily movements are on your feet. Standing exercises also burn more calories and fat.

These exercises will also involve the important hip stabilizer muscles and not just the abdominals. A great full-body core exercise is the medicine ball chop.

3. Your functional strength and core exercises should be multi-planar, multi-dimensional and progressive. Many daily movements involve twisting, rotating, turning, etc. The exercises should also constantly challenge and improve (progressive) your athletic ability. Finally, your functional training should target endurance, strength and power.

Train your body for how you want to live!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Fat Loss For The Holidays?

Fat loss for the holiday season? Yes. Fat loss is for every season. And, you can still enjoy your holiday goodies---up to a point.

Even during the holidays, try to comply with your meal plan 90% of the time. This leaves plenty of room to enjoy the holiday goodies. Also, your food journal really comes in handy during the holiday season. Tracking what you eat holds you accountable.

Don't skip your workouts during the long holiday season. Good workouts can cover many eating mishaps!

"My Fitness Hut's 10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips" will help you navigate through the holiday "food minefield." Below is a partial quote of tip #4:

"You must change your body composition! You must increase muscle mass to become a “fat-burning machine.” Concentrate on compound (multi-joint) strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press, planks and rows because they work and build more muscle groups.

Do less single-joint exercises like biceps curls and tricep extensions. It is a good idea to start your training program with 3 days-a-week of full body circuit weight training tailored to your body type......"

Although changing your body composition takes time (more lean mass, less fat mass), you can still build muscle during the holiday season. Don't expect fat burner supplements to do it for you!

It takes hard, smart work to change your body and you don't have to wait until January. And, you can't be a "weigh scale junkie" (worried too much about weight loss). Fat loss is the key to your fitness success!

If you're burning fat and building muscle, your body will eventually change permanently (if you consistently exercise). That's why a lifetime commitment to fitness is important. That way, it won't matter how long it takes for you to reach your goals---YOU'VE MADE THE COMMITMENT!

Subscribe to my FREE Fat Blaster eNewsletter and get a FREE Special Report: "10 Must Know Fat Loss Tips" and Free Fat Loss Workouts!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Your Cellulite Reduction Strategy

Do you have a cellulite reduction strategy? Have you given up trying to reduce your cellulite? Don't give up, just be realistic about how to reduce your cellulite.

Cellulite is collections of fat just underneath (subcutaneous fat) the skin which causes it to dimple, pucker up or lump up.

There are many factors that determine whether you have cellulite---your genes, gender, skin thickness and amount of body fat all play a part. What you need to know is that there are no quick fixes for cellulite.

Research reports that over 80% of women get cellulite at some point in their lives. So, there are plenty of chances for these advertisements to deceive people.

Don't buy in to quick cellulite reduction stories! As usual, your best bet in reducing cellulite is with regular exercise and a healthy diet.

Here is a cellulite advertisement I read just the other day:

"The only clinically proven dietary supplement to help reduce cellulite in 47 days!" (this statement has not been examined by the Food And Drug Administration)

"This scientifically advanced version.....can really help give millions of women the sexy bottom lines they dream about, and that's a formula for success that women everywhere find as easy to swallow as these little brown pills."

Spa treatments don't work either. Painful procedures like endermology and body wrapping have been proven to not reduce cellulite very much. There are plenty of desperate people who pay for these procedures that don't work.

Save your money! I will tell you the best way to deal with your cellulite problem.

Since health should be your main concern, reduce your overall body fat! This will, in turn, help to reduce your subcutaneous and visceral fat. The best way to burn body fat is with a healthy diet, interval cardio exercise and weight training (including bodyweight exercises). It's the same true story---exercise for health and fitness and you will also look your best!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Interval Cardio Cross Training Burns Fat

Interval cardio cross training will burn more fat and keep you from getting bored! Cardio is a naturally monotonous exercise that can bore you to tears, unless you change it up and keep it short.

The good thing about interval cardio cross training is that it doesn't require long sessions to be effective. And, it gives superior calorie-burn, fat-burn and heart-heart when compared to steady-state cardio. I usually do my interval cardio sessions in 20 minutes or 2 separate 10-minute sessions (about 5 minutes apart). Research has shown that 2 separate workouts will give you more calorie-burn and fat-burn.

How do you do regular interval cardio? Here's an example:

1. Sprint for 30 seconds
2. Walk for 1 minute
3. Repeat this rotation for 20 minutes

To do interval cardio cross training, just mix up the exercise modes to get even more fat-burning benefits. Here is an example of an interval cardio cross training workout that I do:

1. Step Ups, 15 repetitions each leg
2. Walk 1 minute
3. Jumping Jacks, fast, 1 minute
4. Walk 1 minute
5. Sprint Intervals for 6 minutes (run 1 minute, walk 1 minute)
6. Walk 1 minute
7. Repeat this circuit 1 more time

You can use any exercises you like. I like to mix in at least one strength exercise. You could do squat jumps instead of jumping jacks. Or, you could do bodyweight squats instead of step ups. One-legged exercises (unilateral) are more intense than that two-legged (bilateral) exercises. If you don't want to run on a particular day, just do all bodyweight strength exercises.

Cross training will make you less prone to repetitive stress injuries. Cross training will also tone more muscle groups, especially if you include strength exercises.

To get better fat-burning results, do interval cardio cross training.

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Burning Stubborn Body Fat

Where are your stubborn body fat areas? Here are some common body fat areas that are sometimes hard to lose: belly fat, butt/hips/thighs fat, low back fat and upper back arm fat. Any of those fat areas sound familiar? I think we all have dealt with one or more of those stubborn fat areas. Do you know what to do about it?

First, stop wasting money on fitness gadgets! You don't need them to burn fat and lose weight. Second, don't spend any more money on fat loss and weight loss pills. You don't need those supplements either. And finally, forget about quick weight loss programs. They don't work long-term and that's why they are called quick!

This is what you need to do:

1. Start a healthy meal plan filled with whole, natural foods. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat diary products and whole grains fit the bill. Severely limit fast foods, processed foods and foods in a box or bag. Base your daily caloric intake on your basal metabolic rate and your daily activity. This way, you won't eat too much or too little (severe calorie restriction). You need to maintain a daily caloric deficit to burn fat and lose weight.

2. Drink only water and unsweetened drinks most of the time. Drink about half your body weight in ounces every day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink at least 75 ounces of water every day. This will improve your health and help with weight loss.

3. Start building muscle mass and burning fat at the same time. You must change your body's composition to more muscle and less fat. This will speed up your metabolism and help you burn more calories every day.

Your body will also shrink because muscle takes up less space than fat. Over time, you will begin to lose weight and the weight will stay off. Do full body circuit strength training 3 times a week, about 30-40 minutes a session. When you get really good at it, 20-minute strength training sessions will be enough to get the job done.

4. I recommend doing interval cardio sessions (about 20 minutes a session) 2-3 times a week. Sprint interval cardio works best, especially on inclines on grass. Bodyweight exercise interval cardio also works well. You might have to work up to being able to do 20-minute interval cardio sessions. If you are doing 60-minute cardio sessions, stop now! It is wasting your time and precious muscle mass.

5. If you have stubborn fat areas like lower ab fat, you can do extra strength exercises on cardio days to address those areas. Never do spot training only. It doesn't work. Aim to burn total body fat first and local area fat second.

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Burn Fat With Athletic Workouts

Athletic workouts will burn fat from your body sooner. If you need to ramp up the intensity and break through your weight loss plateau, athletic workouts will work.



Athletic workouts are very intense and will improve your body's composition (fat loss, more muscle). These workouts will sculpt your body without your joints taking a pounding from lifting heavy weights!

To get your muscles to improve power (how fast your muscles can produce force), do some or all of the exercises full speed. Also, you will really burn fat and shape your bulkier, fast twitch muscle fibers when doing exercises at full speed!

Athletic circuit workouts are a tried and true method to burn more fat, increase strength/endurance and improve heart health.

Do each exercise (10 repetitions) one after the other with little or no rest between exercises. Rest 2-3 minutes and do the circuit 2 more times. Here is a good athletic workout:

--Bodyweight squats, moderate pace
--Side shuffles (pictured above), full speed
--Pushups, full speed
--Walking lunges/Side Lunges/Tranverse Lunges, moderate pace (one for each circuit)
--2-Handed medicine ball chest pass, full speed
--Squat jumps, full speed
--Back extensions, moderate pace

Use correct form and get after it!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Use Sprints To Burn Fat Faster

Sprints help you burn fat faster! Sprinting is one of the best ways to get your total body lean and toned. It is one of the least used exercises done by general exercisers. And, you don't have to be fast, just run as fast as you can! To avoid injuries, always sprint on surfaces like grass or sand and never run on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt.



Sprints will lean and tone your body like never before if combined with full body strength training.

You see, sprinting activates your bulkier, shapely fast twitch muscle fibers. These fast twitch muscle fibers lie dormant when you do slow-paced cardio sessions (hint). Sprinting will really burn the fat on your butt, hips, thighs, hamstrings and lower legs. Fat will also be burned on your upper body.

It is important to properly warmup before doing sprinting intervals. A proper warmup is a dynamic warmup such as doing 5-10 minutes of jogging, walking lunges, half-speed sprints and three-quarters speed sprints. Do static stretches after your workout to bring your muscles back to normal length.

To sprint efficiently and avoid injuries, you need to master correct running mechanics. Most people that I see at gyms need to work on running mechanics. Running the right way really does make running easier (and vice-versa)!

A 20-minute sprint interval workout is very simple---and tough! Do it this way:

--Run a 50 to 60 yard sprint
--Walk back to start line
--Run a 50 to 60 yard sprint

Do this rotation for 20-minutes and you are done (exhausted)! Do this type of workout no more than 2 times a week. This will allow your body to recover from this intense form of exercise.

A sprint interval workout will also give you superior heart-health.

Do more sprints and watch your body sculpt like never before!

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Gut Fat or Butt Fat? Which Is Worse?

Okay, I know you don't want gut fat or butt fat! And, you don't want too much body fat. The fact remains that too many people are carrying around too much gut fat, butt fat and overall body fat. All locations of fat tend to show up on your body if you're overweight or obese.



According to the International Journal of Obesity (and many other sources), butt fat is healthier than belly fat. Their research shows that gut fat increases risks of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and premature death.

Women tend to carry too much fat on the butt, hips and thighs while men tend to carry too much gut fat. The research showed that women with more butt fat/thigh fat than gut fat have better blood sugar levels, blood fat control and slower fat turnover (prevents inflammation and promotes metabolic health).

So, my challenge to you is to start burning more body fat to make your body healthier. This will give you the best chance to live a longer, healthier life. And, you will have a better self image.

There are no secrets as to how to lean and tone your body.

1. First and foremost, don't ever try a quick weight loss fad diet! If you do, you are setting yourself up to gain more weight than you lose (interpreted yo-yo dieting)!

2. Second, adopt the mindset of starting and maintaining healthy eating patterns and exercising regularly. This might sound boring but it will work to lean and tone your body in the longterm.

3. You won't burn your gut fat by doing 1000 ab curl ups. You will burn your gut fat by eating less foods like sugars, processed foods and saturated fats and eating more foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats.

4. You will burn more total body fat faster by doing high intensity workouts such as full body circuit weight training, jump training and fast-paced cardio sessions (such as sprint intervals). You don't have to workout this intensely all the time (3-4 days a week is plenty). Workout at a slower pace on the other days. Eat right most of the time.

5. The time to start burning fat and losing weight is now! If you've been inactive, start walking today and build up to a regular exercise routine. Its very simple. Just make the commitment.

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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