I find myself wanting to get in and out of the gym with no B.S. I can’t understand being there no more than 1 1/2 hours. Any longer than that and you’ll have to ask yourself “what are you doing?” So bring your Ipod and go go go.
I CRUSHED shoulders last night. I started with shoulder press on the machine at a weight that I could warm-up. I did 15 reps to get the blood flowing. Then I went right to the heavy weight – 150lbs for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. I felt great and felt the pump of blood rushing to my delts. Next, I decided to burn them out with cable side delts – 15 reps at 30lbs for 3 sets. It felt like my shoulder was about to fall off after that exercise! I ran right over and did barbell front raises for 60lbs – 8 to 10 reps (3 sets). And to finish off – machine rear delts: drop sets at 190lbs, 8 to 10 reps. Then cut weight in half to 100 lbs for another 10 reps (3 sets). I couldn’t even drink my BLITZ. My shoulders were TOAST.
Just when you think your diet and training is working for you and you start feeling better and looking better, you get hit from the blind side. Well that’s what happened to me.
After receiving my kidney transplant over a year ago. I had gained 40 pounds, benching 300 lbs., and feeling great. Then out of nowhere I started to feel tiered, couldn’t eat, didn’t want to train, didn’t want to leave my house, or do anything. So I go to my doctor and he finds nothing. I go to a different doctor. Same thing. After the 5th doctor he tells me to go to the hospital and he would meet me there and run some test. Two days in the hospital and I end up in ICU. 11 days later I come out of ICU and was told I had just gone through five different operations. I went in on Dec. 8th and went home Dec. 23rd. Lost 40 pounds and just walking to my car would leaving me out of breath.
So here I am having to put myself back together again. This is my second time in just one year. I can’t train yet. But I can eat. Already I have put on 20 pounds and feeling great. After going through this once before. I already knew what I had to do. At that’s were ProteinBlitz comes in. I am putting lean muscle back on as well as having a lot of energy. My doctors are more than surprised at how well and fast I am recovering. The reason I’m sharing this with you is to remind you of just how important exercise, rest, and diet is. Protein is a big part of a healthy diet. Whether you’re trying to gain muscle or lose fat. I strongly recommend ProteinBlitz. I know first hand that it works – I’ve been through it once and I will get through it again. It’s nice to know that there is a product out there that really works. It gives you hope knowing you can reach your goals that you have set for yourself. I will be the first to tell you to never give up and that there is help out there.
As we prepare for the New Year and look for 2011 to be prosperous, remember health is the first wealth! Your health in 2011 should be the greatest investment made. As you plan to reach your goals whether they be weight loss, strength gains, or overall physique improvement I want to offer a few guidelines that have been helpful to me.
Maintain Consistency- Set a plan that fits your needs and schedule. I recommend working out 5 days a week for most people. If you can only make it to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, find times that work for you and stick to your plan.
Diet is Key- No matter how much working out we do, diet is essential to reaching our goals! You don’t have to be a diet saint, but maintain a diet of mostly lean proteins, vegetables and use designer protein supplements before and after workouts and throughout the day when you can’t eat a healthy meal. Taking in a protein shake will help stave off hunger, replace unhealthy meal choices, provide lean protein and be a catalyst to great gains. You can read down through my previous blogs for a recommended diet plan.
Cardio is essential-It is important to always do some cardio (even if you only do 30 minutes three days per week) you will find you remain leaner and recover quicker from workouts. This is because cardio helps your body process out lactic acid which is what makes you sore.
Below is a sample workout plan, this is set up for a lifter who works out 5 days a week and is a moderate to advanced lifter. You could modify it to a 6 day plan by doing biceps and triceps on separate days. You could modify it to a 3 or 4 by combining bodyparts and reducing number of exercises per bodypart. I would recommend combining chest and shoulders for a 4 day workout plan and reducing the number of exercises per bodypart by one per bodypart. For a 3 day workout plan combine chest and shoulders and also arms and legs and take out two exercises per bodypart. If you are just starting working out I would recommend picking your favorite three lifts per bodypart and reducing the sets per exercise to 3 sets instead of 4. If you have some experience but consider this too strenuous you could remove one exercise per workout or reduce the number of sets per exercise.
As always check with your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough for exercise before proceeding with any workout or diet plan!
So since the winter season is on its way I have decided to lose a little of the razor ripped look to getting more size along with strength gains. The goal is to get to around 225lbs. Right now I’m at 210lbs.
The training will be like this till end of year. I’m still at the gym 5 days a week but I will take Thursdays off, the rep range no higher than 10 reps and three exercises per body part. I will still drop weight in half on the last set of each exercise to burn out.
The Diet. What Diet??? This is way WHEY of life. You will NEVER see the changes if you don’t make that change. For me (3) BLITZ shakes a day along with four meals average about 60 grams of protein a meal and CARBS. I eat as much as I want. My energy should be thru the ROOF!!!
I decided to go back to the old way of training this month - heavy weight and low reps. The goal is to control the weight, get a great stretch and get the blood moving.
When I start training like this I up my protein levels to around 400 to 500 grams a day and I don’t count carbs. For me my energy level should be more than enuff and have extra left over for a little cardio warm down (gotta keep the heart conditioned).
This type of workout is for SIZE AND STRENGTH ONLY!!
As a bariatric patient, I have to ensure that I get a minimum of 80-100 grams of protein per day. That sounds like a lot, but when your body is less absorptive than the average person’s, you learn to take in much more than you’ll use, just to ensure you’ll get what you need.
Of course, that is easier said than done, because my stomach can only hold about 4 ounces of food at a time! Try getting all of your recommended daily allowance of protein from 4 oz of chicken breast! Trust me, it won’t happen. That’s why quality protein supplements are so critical in my life. I don’t just like them — I NEED them.
Unfortunately, not all protein supplements are designed for bariatric patients, who must be very careful of things like sugar and simplex carbs — so when a product like Protein Blitz comes to my attention, I can get pretty excited about it; so excited, as a matter of fact, that I tend to become a vocal addict!
There. I’ve said it: I am a ProteinBlitz-aholic.
Thank goodness there is no 12-step program for this addiction, or I’d surely be charter member. So, why do i like it? I’ll start by telling you about my favorite flavor, WTF…Orange Mango. The taste is refreshingly tangy, but definitely not bitter, and there is no nasty “whey” smell when you open the bottle. Yes, there are a full 30 grams of protein per bottle, but somehow, the scientists at Designer Whey figured out how to remove the “sour” smell before sealing the bottle!
Now, it takes me awhile to toss back an entire 20 oz. bottle (because I can’t chug-a-lug anymore), but that’s okay; I carry it with me in my saddle bags on my motorcycle, or in my drink holder on my bike. I also make sure I have one in the cup holder on the elliptical, and keep at least THREE on hand in the fridge at work. When I pack to leave for the day, my insulated bag ALWAYS contains a bottle of Protein Blitz, and when i was sick last weekend, I made sure to double my daily intake, to ensure my body got the nutrition and protein it needed to recover more quickly. You know what? I actually got back on my feet after THREE days, where others report laying low for 5-7! I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all, and I guarantee you, I recommend it to others who are interested in shortening the duration of their nasty virus!
I’m no doctor, but the proof is definitely in the protein; If you want to be healthy — or get healthy — I say, you have to get Blitzed — at least once a day. I do.
Have you reached your max or is your body telling you it is time to change it up??!!! I have always kept my diet and my training simple but I have always felt that my body sooner or later learns my routine and it is time to change. I LOVE TO EAT; so why starve yourself? Just because you thought you had a great workout and you leave the gym looking like you got you’re as! kicked in a MMA fight I bet you could have done some more reps or an extra set along with 5 minutes extra on cardio try it for a month along with my diet tips.
This week’s fitness tip is to maintain good form. If you’re arching your back off the pads, or throwing your body into curls, you need to make some adjustments. Check out the video for more info.
James Ellis here, are you having trouble gaining muscle mass? I’ve got some great tips on how to improve your diet and workout routine for the purpose of gaining muscle. Check out the video below.
James Ellis again, just wanted to let you know about another magazine I’m appearing in. It’s the January 2010 issue of Men’s workout. I’m on a couple different pages, check out the video below for more info.
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