With the popularity of The WeekEND Workout article I wrote a few years back I thought I would switch gears and fit our workouts into most of our work-weeks, so we could be more productive  during the week and have the weekend to kickback with our family.

For a lot of us busy dads trying to stay fit it’s not that we can’t find time to squeeze in 3 or 4 workouts during the week but it’s trying to string together a consecutive hour or two during the work day to complete our workout.

Because let’s face it, most serious workouts usually take an hour to complete after you factor in a proper warmup, a few warmup sets for each exercise and then some cooldown stretching. Then if you prefer to train at a gym, you have to tack on time for commuting and hitting the showers.

But if you’re like me you love how better you feel on the days you DO workout; before, during and after, so recently I bumped my training up from 3 days a week to 4 but cut my workouts almost in half by hacking away the time wasters and focusing on just ONE lift a day during my workout. This took my workouts from 60 minutes to 30 minutes including warmup and cooldown; something you shouldn’t cut out of your workout.

By reducing the QUANTITY in your workouts you have to make up for it in QUALITY so the peck deck or bicep curl machine will not count as a lift in this program. You need to pick the big multi muscle movers, like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, standing overhead presses, chinups, pullups, and dips.

There is a reason why powerlifters and olympic lifters stick with these basic pushing and pulling exercises, because they make you bigger and stronger faster than “feeling the burn” on the leg curl machine.

Just knowing you have only ONE lift to do allows you to train more often, even up to 5 days a week if you prefer, and gives you laser like focus to follow the proven muscle building method of progressive overload by gradually breaking personal lifting records each and every week and adding a fews extra pounds to the bar or pushing out an extra rep.

So here is the One Lift a Day Template to build maximum muscle in minimum time. By sticking to the “3-5″ formula you get the results you want with the flexibility to fit any man’s schedule.

Choose one main lift 3-5 days during the work week, hit it hard for 3-5 reps of 3-5 sets and get on with your day knowing that no muscle will be left behind by the end of the week.

If you want to focus more on getting stronger in specific exercises stick with the same lift choices for 4 weeks. If strictly building bigger muscles is more your goal, choose a different exercise lift each week.

Monday- Standing Barbell or Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Tuesday- Barbell Deadlifts or Dumbbell Deadlifts, or *Chinups

*Wednesday OFF or – Chinups or Pullups

Thursday- Barbell Bench Press or Dumbbell Bench Press (flat, incline or decline) or Dips

Friday- Barbell Back Squat or Front Squat or Box Squat

*For a 4 day split you can choose chinups as a main lift on Day 2 or for a 5 day split choose only chinups or pullups on Day 5

But wait! No curls or crunches?

Don’t let the simplicity fool you, chinups and deadlifts will give you brawny biceps and forearms and standing overhead presses and squats will strengthen and stabilize your abs better than rolling around on the dirty gym floor.

So don’t worry about being a weekend warrior and keep your work and workouts for the workweek so you have the weekends to rest and recover with your family.

Because being a strong dad means more than just lifting weights…

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As a long time foodie and pizza lover I have finally made the primal leap to making pizza without using traditional flour for the dough. Yes, even whole wheat flour as it’s a better choice than processed white flour but still full of gooey gluten, which is causing us more gastric distress and auto immune conditions than most people realize.

So after a trip to our local Bulk Barn I picked up some Coconut Flour. Yep, coconuts can give you milk, oil and now even healthy gluten free flour!

But after reading many recipes, blogs and forum comments on working with coconut flour for pizza dough, I realized it’s not as easy as replacing your regular flour cup for cup with coconut flour.

So thanks to this YouTube video I discovered for Perfect Primal Pizza I found a simple recipe for Coconut Crusted Pizza.

To make this a nutritional powerhouse pizza I tossed on some rotisserie bbq chicken, green bell peppers, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, pineapple and fresh oregano.

The crust was slightly crisp and the garlic herb crust tasted great with a hint of coconut sweetness.

It was the perfect portion to feed me, my wife and our 2 year old daughter and as my pic above shows, the finished product turned out great and I am happy that I now can make pizza even healthier thanks to Coconut flour.

Coconut Crust Chicken Pizza

4 omega 3 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut milk (or full fat milk)
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup flax meal
Add any spices or flavors you’d like to get a tasty crust.
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp garlic powder

Make sure you watch this pizza recipe video to get some must need tips for the perfect coconut crust pizza and easy cleanup, cause I love cooking but hate cleaning!

-Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet or pizza pan with TWO sheets of parchment paper. One on top of the other.

-Add coconut flour to bowl and whisk it to remove lumps. Add rest of dry ingredients and then add eggs and milk. Whisk all ingredients well.

-Pour dough batter onto top sheet of pizza pan lined with parchment paper.

-Bake for 10 minutes and remove dough. Pick up and flip the dough over onto the bottom layer of parchment paper by holding the top level of parchment paper.

-Place back in oven and bake other side for 10 minutes.

-Remove cooked dough and top your pizza with sauce and toppings.

-Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is browned and crust is crisp.

-When done, remove from oven and slide off of parchment for serving and easy cleanup!

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While my wife and Matea was gone out of the house the other evening for a walk, I decided to make use of a few packs of lean ground turkey, a large bottle of tomato sauce, and a large container of dried oregano and parlsey I picked up at Costco and spiced up supper by making Italian Turkey Meatballs.

Extra lean ground turkey is a high source a of muscle building protein and a great healthy alternative to everyday ground beef but it requires a good blend of spices to make the turkey tasty.

I prefer to bake my meatballs in the oven on a baking sheet most of the time instead of frying them as it’s cleaner and easier than pan frying;-) Anything that requires less cleanup sounds good to me!

These are great on their own but in true Italian flavor I simmered them in a thick tomato sauce and put them to rest on a little whole wheat spaghetti, “pa-spaghetti” is Matea’s favorite…

Italian Turkey Meatballs.

• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large omega 3 egg
• 1/4 cup dried whole wheat bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup dried parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup shredded garlic herb cheese
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 packs extra lean ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 26 ounces Simple Tomato Sauce, ( I used Prego and added 1 can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce)

Directions

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I was recently talking to my buddy and fitness expert Craig Ballantyne as he was asked by Men’s Health magazine for his 10 best weight loss tips…

So I asked him to share them with you before it appears in the magazine;-)

The 10 Best Weight Loss Tips
by Craig Ballantyne

You’re about to discover the most important weight loss and body transformation tips I’ve ever put together.

Over the holidays I spent 16 hours reviewing every article I’d ever written
and I’ve extracted these tips as the best ones to help you lose fat and get lean in 2011.

10 Weight Loss Tips for Success

1. Sit down and plan out your complete body transformation.

Plan everything from end goals, to getting started with nutrition changes, to overcoming all of the obstacles in your way. Sit and daydream about this for 15-30 minutes.

2. Clean out your pantry.

Listen, one of the best fat loss tips is simply, “If you don’t have it in the house, you won’t eat it!”

So get rid of as much junk food as you can – and avoid bringing more into the house. Simply cutting back on junk can help you lose fat fast.

3. Get social support in-person and online (research proven to help)

Surround yourself with people who are smarter and fitter than you. Talk to them EVERY day – both in person and online.

Scientific research proves that you will lose more fat if you have social support, both in “real life” and on the internet. So hook up with friends who are going to help you reach your goal.

I recommend getting started with Turbulence Training here and using the Turbulence Training forum to connect with people just like you who also want to lose fat.

4. Use a food journal.

Write down what you eat. This is another research proven tip to help you lose fat faster. Write down everything you eat. It will help you eat better.

5. Use a professionally designed workout program.

With a program from a pro – like Turbulence Training – you’ll save time when you do fat burning exercises. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not having a plan and that wastes time and you won’t get the results you deserve.

6. Change Your Mind.

No matter what you struggle with, you must change your mindset to be a successful transformation. You must go from a person who “can’t resist cookies” to the type of person that “doesn’t eat cookies unless they are part of a planned reward meal”. That is how you win transformation contests!

7. Stop doing slow boring cardio and switch to interval training.

Research shows that it takes up to 50 hours of cardio just to lose one pound of bodyweight. Who has that kind of time? No one!

Additional research studies show that interval training burns belly fat while slow cardio doesn’t. So skip the insanely boring cardio and start getting results with interval training (as you’ll find in the Turbulence Training workouts).

Research shows that resistance training and interval training can help you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Plus, you can burn belly fat AND boost your post-exercise metabolism. You MUST use this type of workout for guaranteed results.

8. You must be in the correct state of change.

The truth is that even the best transformation contest winners don’t lose 30 pounds of fat on their first try. They start, they stop. They begin, they give up. It happens. And it’s okay.

But when they get in the right state of change, that is when they finally breakthrough and transform! And that’s where you have to be.

9. Plan, shop, and prepare your food.

Take an hour or two on the weekend to go to the grocery store and buy all the whole, natural foods you need for the week ahead. Go home and prepare as many lunches and snacks as possible so you have the right food to eat while at work. This is a proven strategy to help you lose fat and avoid temptation!

10. Join a Transformation Contest

The deadline, social support, proven training program, and goal setting that go along with a Transformation Contest are all proven to help you lose weight.

If you want to lose fat and gain lean, sculpted muscle at the same time, there is nothing better to get you motivated and committed than a 12-week Body Transformation Contest.

But this week is the LAST CALL for you to enter the 10th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The last day to begin is Saturday, January 15th.

Not only can you dramatically change your body, but you can also win $1000 just for losing belly fat. At least, you can when you join the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest.

All you have to do is take your before photo, and start using Turbulence Training today.

But how do you enter?

After 12 weeks, simply email us your before and after photos along with a 300-word essay about your transformation and tell us your results and the programs you used. That’s all you have to do to enter.

It’s that simple.

Now let’s get started,

=> Start with the TT for Fat Loss program here.

PS. This is the final week for you to enter the 10th TT Transformation Contest,where you can win $1000 prize just for losing belly fat.

=> See $1000 Transformation Winners here

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Here is part 2 of my favorite things in 2010 in the world of fitness, food, lifestyle and health.

9. The New Rules of Lifting For Abs- Gotta be honest, this book was just released, so I haven’t read it yet but I KNOW before I read it that it will be the best ab training book you will ever read. From two of the greatest fitness minds in the industry, Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler, they release their 3rd instalment in the New Rules of Lifting series. I have the first New Rules of Lifting and gave my wife the second release of The New Rules of Lifting for Women. From the sneak peek I did get this book will get you off the dirty gym floor doing crunches, show you how your abs should be trained to prevent back pain and give you ab exercises that you never heard of but will quickly make it’s way into your workout program. Available at Amazon.com for $15.

10. The Paleo Solution Diet- Did a blog post about this book awhile back and further confirms to me how better I feel and many others when you eat the way our caveman ancestors did back in the day. Keep it real by eating mostly naturally raised meats, organic fruits and veggies, ditch the grains and gluten and you will look and feel better faster than you ever thought possible. With my bookshelf bursting at the seams I read this on my iPhone Kindle app but the hardcover is only $14 at Amazon.

11. ZMA- This is one of the supplements that I don’t want to do without. Originally created by Victor Conte the “supplement” guru behind the Barry Bonds steroid scandal and the founder of SNAC systems. He did do something right when he created this natural combo of Zinc, Magnesium and vitamin B6 and it’s ability to naturally support healthy testosterone levels (which have declined 30% in todays men compared to 30 years ago!) Most men these days are deficient in Zinc which is the key mineral in supporting testosterone, the man maker hormone. From lifting to libido, ZMA is also known to enhance sleep quality. But the BIG reason why I continue to pop 3 capsules every night before bed, is as a long-time migraine sufferer I have gone the longest in my life without having a migraine and haven’t had ONE migraine since using this supplement in the last 6 months! For anyone with migraines that’s a godsend when even prescription meds don’t offer much in relief. After doing some research I discovered that Magnesium supplementation has been proven in many studies to offer relief in the prevention and duration of migraines due to it’s calming effects on blood vessel dilation in the brain That’s good enough for me! Available at most health food stores.

12. Caffeine/ L-Tyrosine- I am not sure if I am the only person out there these days who don’t drink coffee, as I haven’t drank a cup in my life, just can’t stand the taste. Green or peppermint tea is more of my cup of tea but sometimes I need a caffeine jolt just as much as the next guy. I don’t reach for canned energy drinks so as someone who likes early morning workouts I use pure caffeine for a pre-workout energy boost and L-Tyrosine for enhanced mental focus. Simple 100mg caffeine tabs are dirt cheap at $10 a bottle and the amino acid L-Tyrosine is usually $20-30 a bottle. Even some of the preworkout powder supplements on the market are great to jack up workout intensity but are really high in caffeine with some up to 300mg per serving, which leads to a hard energy crash. It’ all available at online supplement retailers.

13. Elite FTS Hoodies- From the best company is the world for workout gear and gym equipment I love the Elite FTS hoodies for wearing around during the day or to stay warm when heading to the gym on those cold winter mornings. Keep it on during your warmup as well to increase body temperature faster. Plus if you purchase the Lift Strong apparel the proceeds goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. $30 at Elitefts.com

14. Stainless Steel Shaker- With the popularity of stainless steel water bottles these days (My family all loves our Klean Kanteen bottles) it’s about time they started making shaker bottles for protein shakes out of stainless steel.With Kerplunk stainless steel shakers you avoid the BPA plastics and the fowl odour that plastic protein shaker bottles can have after frequent use. Got mine at Walmart for $8. www.kerplunkbottles.com

15. JA Henkels International Knives- As a guy who loves to cook I have gone through many knife blocks over the years only to be disappointed by the knifes sharpness and quality. My knives never seem to slice through food like the pro chefs on the Food network. That’s because they don’t use knives that you can get at Walmart or from a late night informercial. Despite what you may think, you have a greater chance of cutting yourself with a blunt knife than a sharp one. With knives you get what you pay for so that’s why this year for Christmas, my parents got me a set of JA Henkels German Steel International Knives. The quality is outstanding and they seem to melt through any food with sharpness and precision. Well worth the $200 investment.
http://www.j-a-henckels.com

16. The H2O MOP- If you’re a modern day dad like me you do your share of cooking and cleaning. Well, this mop might not cook dinner for the kids but it will clean up after them and (in my best English accent infomercial voice “this new H20 makes cleaning a snap!” The H20 mop with Built-In Portable Steamer is designed not only to thoroughly clean floor surfaces, such as marble, ceramic, stone, linoleum, and sealed hardwood floor, but get your entire house clinically clean! The H2O MOP sanitizes and increases cleaning power by converting water to steam. It also uses a microfibre floor cloth to enhance absorbency and throws right in the washer for easy cleaning. After all our family having the flu during the holidays we just quarantined and cleaned our whole house with this steam machine! We got ours as a gift but they retail for around $100 in stores.

17. Ryobi 300 pc Drill Set- When I asked Santa for some new drill bits, well, he delivered with the Ryobi 300 piece Mega Drill Bit Set. Tired of looking for the right size bit to hang some family photos or just looking to scare the kids into going to the dentist? Then this set has every bit, shape and size you will ever need to drill any hole or perform little Johnny’s root canal. Even comes with extra screwdriver bits and wall sinkers so you now have no excuse to leave the house before your wife puts you to work. Folds up to half it’s massive size into a neat carry case…white lab coat not included. Available in most hardware stores for $50.

Well, there you have it my favorite things of 2010 that I hope will help you be healthier and happier in 2011. Now if I could just figure out if I should spell favourite with a “U” I would be all set…

I would love to hear what some of YOUR favorite things were in 2010 so be sure to share them in the comment section of the blog!

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