I always warm up on the stationary bike for 10 minutes to get the blood flowing and joints lubed. My workout is fast and intense – no reason to be their for more than one hour. The reps are 12 to 15 reps per set and 3 sets per exercise and sometimes a drop set were I cut weight in half and rep out till the fire is started.

I always start with single leg extension for me I can concentrate more, instead of possibly cheating where other quad is pulling the weight more. Second, always a pushing movement (leg press) and I increase weight each time, last is a superset of abductor, adductor machine reps of 15 and 3 sets, the legs should be on FIRE!

I never train hamstrings or calves that day, for me I am wiped out and all I want is a Blitz and a couch.

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Happy Holidays!

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!

Posted in Dan Grenemyer | 1 Comment

I took the whole month of November off. I felt with all the injuries I had this year and finding out I have 1 kidney, I needed a break. I was way too stressed out! I started back in the gym December 1 and WOW, I haven’t been this sore in a while. But thank God our bodies remember and I stick to a clean diet all year around always: (3) meals and (3) Blitz shakes a day.

The goal this next year is to listen to my body and cross train. I think the body learns a routine and you get stuck. So it’s time to mix it UP!

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I am finishing up another good week of training. I am now down to 327, thus far I have lost 23 pounds in just over a month of dieting. The BLITZ protein has provided a great high protein option with great results. I am focusing on low glycemic carbohydrates specifically yams, brown rice and oatmeal. I operate under the diet philosophy that spikes in insulin drive blood sugars into storage as fat. Instead of eliminating carbs from my diet I eat carbs that have a minimal impact on blood sugar levels, thereby reducing the insulin spikes. I eat plenty of protein, namely three BLITZ shakes or RTD drinks per day in conjunction with lean meat proteins as protein has a negligible impact on blood sugar levels. Bodybuilding is a sport that uses biology and scientific methodology to create a desired effect on our bodies. The goal being to remove as much fat from our bodies as possible while retaining the maximum amount of muscle. Our bodies are extremely adaptive. If we send the signals through working out with weights that we have a need for the muscle our bodies will retain that muscle. Through cardio we send the signals to our body to reduce the amount of fat we are carrying. I use BLITZ before and after all workouts because it provided the lean protein to supply my body and saves muscle from being used for my bodies protein needs. I find that the whey isolate protein used in BLITZ is effective in helping me maintain muscle mass while dieting. Isolate is a very refined form of whey protein, that allows for a very quick absorption rate allowing me to quickly supply my body with protein while dieting so that my body will retain the maximum amount of muscle possible.

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This week was tough as I was extremely busy with work duties which makes it very difficult to prepare the proper foods for the diet. I did lose another 3 lbs this week to drop down to 334. I can feel my clothes fitting better and I do feel really good about the progress I have made. I have been using a lot more Blitz RTD drinks when I am on the go to meet my protein needs. It gives me a quick burst of protein when I don’t have time to make a shake. The whey isolate in Blitz RTD and Blitz Powder is also perfect for after workout to replenish my muscles and provide them the building blocks they need to re-build and of course GROW!

My current workout schedule is as follows:

Monday: Chest 1 hr cardio

Tuesday: Back 45 min Cardio

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: Shoulders 1 hr Cardio

Friday: Arms 45 min Cardio

Saturday: OFF WEIGHTS 1 hour of Cardio

Sunday: Legs, calves and abs 30 min of Cardio.

If I am not losing the weight I want I will increase all my cardio to 1 hour, but never over 1 hour as I don’t want to switch into burning muscle. I may also increase my cardio to two sessions of 45 minutes to really burn the fat. Remember to drink your Whey before and after your cardio so your muscles have protein and your body won’t dip into your protein storages (your muscles) that is called catabolism and will shrink your muscles quickly. Do not eat carbs before cardio because your body will use the carbs you just ate for energy instead of dipping into its energy storages (fat cells) which after all is the goal!

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In my second week of dieting I have lost another 5lbs., dropping from 342 to 337. It was not as dramatic as the 8 lbs. I lost last week as my progress was slowed due to being sick this week. I think being sick is a risk when dieting, but I stayed the course and did not regress back to unhealthy foods. I limited my cardio a bit while I was sick, but continued to eat healthy foods which for me includes yams, brown rice, oatmeal and lean meats (i.e. orange roughy, turkey, chicken, lean ground beef, lean steaks, etc). As a side note my preferred choice of red meats is 93% lean ground beef cooked on the foreman grill to remove excess fat or top sirloin as that is the leanest and best steak a bodybuilder can eat. I upped my intake of fruits and green vegetables to provide the vitamins and minerals to help me get over being sick and I also supplemented Vitamin C. I did cardio 3 days this week instead of 5 to allow my body to recover and reduced my cardio from 1 hour to 45 minutes. When I didn’t feel good enough to eat solid foods I made a BLITZ shake with strawberries and fat free yogurt which gave me lean protein and healthy probiotics to help me get over the cold. I ended the week at 337 down 13 lbs from starting my diet two weeks ago.

My diet strategy is as follows:

Upon Wake Up:
50 grams of protein from blitz powder
1 cup of oatmeal

Workout and 45 to 1 hr of Cardio
1 Blitz RTD Drink immediately after workout
1 serving of fruit (1 apple, ¼ watermelon or 10 strawberries)

Mid Morning Meal:
8 oz lean meat (turkey, chicken breast, or lean ground beef)
As much green vegetables as I want (broccoli, lettuce, green beans)

Lunch:
Large Salad with Vinegar and 2 cans tuna

Mid-Afternoon:

6 oz lean meat (turkey, chicken breast, or lean ground beef)
1 medium yam

Dinner:
Asparagus
1 cup brown rice
8 oz orange roughy, tilapia, mahi mahi or sword fish

Before Bed:
50 grams BLITZ Protein to feed my body’s protein needs throughout the night and a multivitamin.

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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!!

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I have been back to TWO WORKOUTS A DAY, meaning a 5:30am workout and 5:00 pm workout. I feel that I can recover faster and the quality of my workout is more intense and no need for BS, well I was WRONG!!!!

I am here to talk about gym etiquette rules:

1. Wake up with a smile on your face
2. Drink a BLITZ ON THE WAY TO THE GYM
3. Have a great selection of music
4. Before you walk in the gym have a workout in mind
5. Pick up your weights. If you are that lazy I would hate to see how you live
6. Share machines and benches if none are available
7.When you are done I hope you put as much effort into the workout as you do your job

I am easygoing and like to help people, but when the tough skinny guy in the gym with air lats gives you attitude because you need to work a set in on his bench it just PISSES ME OFF.  So keep in mind if you are at the gym for a social gathering, I can say that you should be aware of the serious people around you that take their health and workout seriously.

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I put 110% in my workout, nutrition and recovery and I am satisfied at the end my workout!!

In the years of training I have seen more people fail to reach their goals because of the fact they aren’t willing to make life adjustments to better their life and live a healthly balanced life.  You don’t have to be the biggest, leanest body in the gym but when you look in the mirror ask yourself…are you happy with your results? If not, STEP IT UP.

So lets make it happen:

1. Do cardio in the morning to burn off any extra carbs you ate
2. Consume more meals a day (add acouple of BLITZ SHAKES bewteen meals and before bed)
3. Change your workout style confuse your body
4. Drink lots of water
5. Get 6hrs to 8hrs of sleep
6. BE HAPPY!!!
7. DONT GIVE UP IT DOESNT HAPPEN OVER NIGHT!!!

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My training is going great this last week. I did a split of two days on two days off. My training style was heavy…no more than 8 reps and on the last set of each exercise I cut weight in half for a burn out. I didn’t count carbs this week, just ate tons of oatmeal, rice and lots of steamed greens. I was full and my energy was amazing but sleep was an issue. My body temp was up, burning off the extra carbs going from no more than 100 carbs a day to not counting put my body in shock. So one more week of shock. Now the great news…my weight is at 220!!!!  I feel like the old me so I’m going back to moving at 110mph.

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