Hope you’re having a rockin’ summer!
If you watched my Busy Man Breakfast video the other day you might remember that it came in handy that morning because
my car wouldn’t start and needed a boost…
Well, the car battery was officially pronounced dead today at 5:30pm so after a few choice swear words and some greasy knuckles I just finished up installing the new battery in the car.
…I am certainly no mechanic but must of did everything right cause she started with a roar!
If you find your fat loss this summer needs a “boost” as well make sure you are not guilty of making these 3 Hidden Diet Mistakes that I see so many guys make when trying to eat healthy, lose fat and build muscle.
These are probably sabotaging your weight loss efforts without you even knowing!
Choosing whole grain toast in the morning is a step in the right direction but slathering it in man-made margarine is not. Avoid the fake fat full of trans fatty acids and hydrogenated oils and try nature’s fat fruit instead, the Avocado. It’s full of heart healthy fat that your body can use for fuel and to keep you full. Slice it open. discard the pit and scoop your butter knife inside to spread on toast or sandwiches. If you still want butter, then use REAL organic butter from grass-fed cows, it’s rich in fat fighting CLA (conjugated linoleic acid),
Hold the mayo in your salads or sandwiches and go Greek. Store bought Mayo is full of additives and processed omega 6 fats which we get too much of anyway, it’s the omega 3 fats we really need. Try substituting plain Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise and losing fat won’t depend on a miracle. This simple switch also makes dynamite dips and is a great source of muscle building protein.
Lettuce might be the nutritional winner when it’s sitting on a fattening fast food burger, but when compared to spinach it’s a loser. Plain iceberg lettuce makes a great filler in salads but provides little nutritional value next to the superfood spinach. Baby spinach is bursting with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin A, Lutein and Folate. Toss a handful in your next omelette, or make a better burger by leaving the lettuce and going green with spinach.
Try this fiery dip that includes all three of these superfoods so you can eat real food and get real results.
Indian Spinach Dip
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 large avocado
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
dash of cumin
dash of chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until very smooth. Chill for about an hour and serve with veggies or pita chips!
What’s the best ways to prevent workout burnout?
No it’s not a Kit-Kat bar…
But the message behind their advertising slogan is one great way.
Gimme a Break!
1. Breakway from the Barbells
For us Gung-ho guys sometimes the hardest part of working out is NOT working out at all. As hard as it may be when you feel you’re making progress with your workouts and the WEIGHTS are going up while your WAIST is going down, it’s always a good idea to have rest weeks designed into your training the same way you have sets and reps.
So that’s why after 12 weeks of hard and intense workouts, it’s time I take a break from the gym…and maybe you should too! Usually I try and take an entire week off from the gym every 8-10 weeks to give my body as well as my mind a rest so I can recharge my body’s batteries and be ready to start a new workout routine for another couple months.
2. Deload the Dumbbells.
Wether you are focusing on fat loss or getting stronger, when doing a longer training routine of 12-16 weeks it’s probably best to have a deload week every 4 weeks in your workouts. This is usually where you reduce the normal working weights and reps in your workout by 50%. If you don’t have the mental muscle to stay away from the gym entirely, deload weeks are a great way to prevent burnout, get strong over time and avoid injury in the process while still remaining active.
3. Alternate don’t Adapt
Your body is made to adapt, otherwise you wouldn’t be here to read this… Research shows your body adapts to your workouts after 4-6 weeks. It adapts to your rep ranges first, then it catches on to your movement patterns. This is why it’s important to do different exercises from many different angles to stay one step ahead of that dreaded training plateau where your gains come to a screeching halt.
An example for chest would be to do barbell bench press for 4 sets of 6 reps on Monday, 2 sets of 12 of incline dumbbell presses on Wednesday and 3 sets of 8 of decline pushups on Friday…
I also like to cut myself some slack with my nutrition during my recovery week and not follow such a set eating schedule of eating 5-6 meals a day, every 3-4 hours.
Although I follow this structure 90% of the time as I believe in the benefits it gives me of higher energy and better health it’s good to go Primal every once and awhile and just eat when you’re hungry and even try intermittent fasting for 24 hours once a week.
I think the future of of food and healthy nutrition is in the past and that we should eat like our primal ancestors did most of the time sticking to wild meat, plants, nut and berries.
Eating this way and avoiding all the manufactured grains prevents our body’s fat storing hormone insulin from going on a constant roller coaster ride with our blood sugar. This way our body is burning fat for fuel, giving protein to our hungry muscles and we don’t have to worry if we go longer than 3 hours without stuffing our face.
So if you want to prevent workout burnout and be healthy and happy for the long term, sometimes it’s best to take 2 steps forward and one step back…
Here is a super quick smoothie recipe that is great anytime of the day as either a meal replacement or a healthy snack. Well, the only time it’s not great is when trying to use the blender really early in the morning when your family is still sleeping…trust me on that one!
This super smoothie is packed full of cancer fighting antioxidants, muscle building protein, complex carbs, filling fiber and heart-healthy fats to give you lots of energy to get through work AND your Dad Fitness workouts.
It is also cheap to make and you know it only includes the healthy ingredients YOU add, unlike Joe bodybuilder behind the counter with all the powders and potions making smoothies at your local gym…
DISCLAIMER: This smoothie has a secret muscle building ingredient that will give you huge arms like Popeye!
The anchor tattoos on the other hand is your decision…
Give this one a try and let me know how you like it by posting a comment below!
TGIF…Today is May 1st, which means there are only 3 weeks until the start of summer.
Not too sure if that applies to us here in Labrador, Canada though with the rain and wet snow falling outside…
So I decided I would give you time crunched dads a little kick start workout that I pulled from my training tickle trunk.
For complete exercise descriptions and to get over 16 weeks of fitness workouts for men download the Dad Fitness System HERE<==
The Buff and Busy Workout is more of an advanced muscle building workout, but can be done at home with minimal equipment and will get you on your way to building strong lean muscle and goodbye to that gut before the shirts come off this summer.
If you are just starting out, do a couple sets of each exercise until you improve your conditioning.
Bodyweight Warm-up (to be performed before each workout)
• Prisoner-Squat – 10 reps
• Pushups – 10 reps
• Wall Slides – 10 reps
*Complete 2 circuits of this entire warm-up without rest
Bodyweight Workout
1A Jump Squat, 5 sets of 5 reps, no rest
1B Spiderman Pushup, 5 sets of 5 reps, 60 secs rest
2A Chin Ups or Bent Over DB Rows, 5 sets of 5 reps, no rest
2B Standing DB Shoulder Press, 5 sets of 5 reps, 60 secs rest
3A Standing Zottman DB Curl, 5 sets of 5 reps, no rest
3B Lying Floor DB Tricep Ext. 5 sets of 5 reps, 60 secs rest
4. Stability Ball Jackknife 3 sets of 8-10 reps, 60 secs rest
Cooldown Stretching (to be performed after each workout)
*Hold each stretch for 10-15 seconds
• Lat Stretch
• Chest Stretch
• Quad Stretch
• Hamstring Stretch
• Shoulder/Tricep Stretch
Alright guys, give this workout a try this weekend and let me know how it went!
Enjoy your weekend and your workouts…
Sean Barker, CPT
Learn the “The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose Your Beer Belly” in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com
Are you a busy dad who likes to go to the gym for a quick fat burning workout but hate encountering a crowd of regular gym goers who hog workout equipment while yapping on their cell phone?
If so, The Barbell Belly Blaster Workout is for you.
If you are lucky enough to have an Olympic Barbell in your home gym, you can also do this workout without ever leaving your house.
Lock Up dvdrip This is primarily a fat loss workout as it elevates your heart rate while supersetting exercises using your bodies major muscles.
But by using your major muscles you are building strength and endurance in those muscles which will also help to build lean muscle in beginners to intermediate lifters.
This is also a great alternative to long boring cardio and can be done at the end of your regular weight training workout to burn extra calories and lose bodyfat.
To increase the muscle building effects of this workout you can add additional weight to the bar but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a few years of training under your belt.
For absolute beginners who find that the 45lb bar is too much, you can use a lighter bar like the EZ curl bar which is around 25lbs or even a broomstick.
This workout only requires the empty 45lb Olympic Barbell for the entire workout so you can grab a barbell and head off to an empty corner in the gym so you can get a great fat burning workout and be free of any distractions.
You will be using the barbell to complete a Complex, which is just a series of barbell free weight exercises that you will do without rest while keeping the bar in your hands the entire time.
Perform 10-15 reps for each exercise. Complete all exercises without rest, then rest 60 seconds and repeat the circuit 2 more times.
*Warmup with 12 Burpees.
Jump down onto the floor in the bottom of the pushup position and jump back up with hands in the air reaching for the ceiling.
1A Barbell Pushup
Perform regular pushup with hands on the barbell. Brace your abs hard so that you do not roll the bar on the floor.
2A Barbell Squat
Pick barbell off the floor and press overhead and rest the bar across your shoulders. Pushing hips back squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
3A Barbell Shoulder Press
After squats, press the bar back overhead and in front of your shoulders with shoulder width grip press the bar straight up overhead.
4A Barbell Bent-Over Row
After shoulder presses, bend over with bar hanging straight down. Using your elbows pull or row the bar up to your belly button.
5A Barbell Mountain Climber
Place bar back on the floor and get in top part of the pushups position. With abs tight hold that position while you bring one knee to towards your elbow and alternate each leg
Sean Barker, CPT
Learn the “The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose Your Beer Belly” in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com
Search
-
My Feed
Follow Me
Find Me
Watch Me
Recent Posts
