Trust but Verify

“The bottom line, and a basic premise of critical thinking, is that authorities don’t matter, the facts do.  All information must be analyzed critically and never accepted blindly.  If the advice comes from people you respect and admire, then listen, but still verify.” ~ Tom Venuto; page 26-27 of The Body Fat Solution

Frankly… I’m finding too many quotes like this in a pre-release copy of Tom Venuto’s The Body Fat Solution.  And while I’m not personally looking to burn excess fat this year, it’s the book of 2009 that needed to be written in a world that desperately needs an Un-Diet mentality.

As I’ve told my podcast listeners before, if you can do just one thing you’ll save yourself so much wasted time and money.  Listen to the experts you pick but verify those facts. Make informed choices when it comes to your life.  I’ve made this all to clear with supplement questions over the last few years.  I’m never too shocked…

When I see “Does X supplement work?” Even after pointing a person to some resources so they can get some facts on their own… they still end up buying.

But back to the point.  If you can make this single quote true in your own fitness quest, no matter who you listen to if it’s me, Tom or any other fitness expert including yourself… I guarantee…

You’ll be saved from the whipsaw action that comes with blindly accepting the next fad or discovery as truth.  Do a little bit of research on your own.

My job for 2009 is the same as always.  To help you learn how to learn and end the frustrations and filter out the noise.

Marc David
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
Author of The NoBull Bodybuilding Program

Popularity: 1% [?]

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On a day sort of like this on out here in California, eighteen years ago, I started working out in my bedroom with a Sears plastic weight set and no clue of what I needed to do.  Passion drove me and the hunger to build muscle, become stronger and change my body serve as the fuel for massive change in the future.  A senior in high school without a clue except that I desired a different body image and I desperately wanted to change.

At the time, my mind overflowed with ambitious dreams of the future.

There are techniques that can make your quest easier and your journey more compelling. While this list is in no way comprehensive, these 10 strategies are used quite a bit because they work.

Repetition

Frankly… it’s the foundation of my own fitness program.  In order to see results, you’ve got to give your program time to work and it needs to be applied over a period of weeks.  Since bodies don’t change overnight, most don’t, repetition is key and if you can keep repeating something over and over even as simple as going to the gym, ultimately you’ll be better off today than you were yesterday.

Most fitness experts won’t tell you this but even if it’s the WRONG thing to do (e.g. 60 minutes of low intensity cardio for some) it’s still better than doing nothing or being frustrated and staying home.  Go to the gym, repeat the steps over and over and learn along the way.  Then adjust.  As you repeat the process, it becomes routine.  Ingrained in your daily life and that is exact point when missing a workout feels strange.  Because you’ve repeated it so many times it’s part of your life.  Repetition.

Reasons Why

During the months of October 2008 - December 2008, I lost my reasons why.  Reasons why I went to the gym.  I’m already healthy, I eat right and I workout.  For those 3 months, I was focused on the Stock Market, my portfolio that was taking a beating and it’s when I learned something about trading options and changing my perspective on investing.

But my reasons why for going to the gym were back-burnered.  I didn’t go much.  My workouts were ho-hum and sub-par.  I felt like the reason of the mindless crowd that shows up.  Looks around and then tries to figure out what to do.  Does some stuff and leaves unsatisfied.  Reminded me of the college days when I had no time either!

The strategy itself does make sense if you think about it. We don’t like to be told things or asked to take action without a reasonable explanation.  You need to give yourself a reason why.  It will help you stay focused and enable repetition to become common place.

Consistency

Dave Draper once said…

If there’s a secret, it’s consistency. Don’t quote me on this, but I believe bad exercise, badly executed consistently is far better than no exercise at all.

Exercise applied consistently over a period of years will lead to results.  Even the guys in my gym that do the worst form, the sloppiest stuff and are all over the board at still 100x in better shape than those who do nothing and figure it’s not worth their time.  These guys and gals are at least consistent in their efforts.  Over time, they can learn and change.  But it’s the repetition of going to the gym and making an appearance and then applying sound principles consistently over time that makes a person’s physique change.

Expand Your Social Support

Some people need personal trainers.  Others need a training partner.  And with Web 2.0 stuff becoming more and more mainstream to the point of Twitter updates on your cell phone mid-set, you can do something Adam Waters has said before.

There is a need for positive pressure to make accountability work.

My friend Mike Mahony wrote a 2 part post about Social Networking 101.  He’s using it to provide accountability for himself in his muscle building goals and current fat loss endeavors.  Instead of paying for a trainer in this case, he’s getting support from friends and making himself more accountable for his daily efforts by posting his results, his thoughts and his discoveries along the way.

Maybe you can use Social Media in some way to connect with like-minded people today that have similar goals?  The power of the group is more than enough fuel when you don’t seem to have the energy yourself.

Other ways to expand your social support courtesy of The Body Fat Solution pages 211 - 215 :

• hire a trainer
• enroll in group classes
• locate a training partner
• find a mentor
• join a health club
• join an internet forum or community

Learning New Things

When somebody has the machine you want or the squat cage has a line longer than opening night of a hit movie, you need to have an arsenal of other exercises you can do.  No matter the gym I step into, I’ve got a Plan A and a Plan B.  If a station is taken or somebody steals my thunder during a super-set, I can switch it up quickly.  Don’t worry…

You won’t have to learn every exercise in the book but it helps to have options.  Sticking to a single plan for the rest of your life is not the way to go.  Try new programs.  See what works.  Toss out what doesn’t.  Learn new exercises.  The more you have at  your disposal, the faster you can keep challenging your body to grow.

Having an open mind will propel you to your goals so fast your head will spin.  And in the event things don’t go your way, you’ll have options.  I’ve know 2 people in my journey so far that literally left the gym when the only squat bar was in use.  They had no other options to stimulate leg growth!  Don’t be like that.

One such resource is Nick Nilsson and his Powerful Training Secrets.  I have no idea how Nick comes up with all these exercises.  It’’s an amazing resource of exercises, mainstream and not for every body part.

Address Objections

Once you’ve got some reasons why at any point in your quest, it’s equally important to address any objections you might have to starting a new program, a new gym or anything else.

If you start to think “yeah but…”

You’ll stray off the path.  Figure out any issues up front and tackle them head-on.  Here’s an example.

You purchase a new fat burning or muscle building program.  You print it out and immediately pick it apart.  “Yeah but squats and deadlifts on the same day?  I read that’s not good.”

For starters, you’ve put yourself in a negative mindset and it’s doubtful the program will work for you.  Before you start something, address those objections up front and get over it.  If you can’t, then find another alternative.  I’ve seen too many people download, print or purchase a program only to tweak the living heck out of it before Day 1 and in less than 2 weeks, they have determined the program isn’t any good.

They failed to address their personal objections up front Day 1.

Learn to Deal with Information Overload

15 years ago, all you had for fitness information came from the mainstream publications of professional bodybuilders.  Doing those routines would eliminate the average person.  Not a lot existed at the time to get quality information out to the masses for the natural bodybuilder.

There’s so much information out there that over time, you are just as confused as you were before you had any.

• Cardio is bad?
• No wait, low intensity cadio is bad.
• Wait.. cardio over 45 minutes is bad but I see really ripped bodybuilders doing it and it’s working for them?!
• Squat below parallel are bad for the knees but this guy says that’s not true?
• 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight.  Or is that 1.43?  Or 2 g?  Or as much as possible?
• Carbs before 7pm is bad.  That’s a myth.  No wait it is true if I go to be at 5pm.  But…
• Creatine works!  Creatine doesn’t work.

The trick is to learn from quality sources and filter out the noise.  If you listen to everybody and believe the hype, you’ll end up in the same position today as yesterday.  Unable to move.  Unable to make a decision.  And more confused than ever before with the slew of information coming at you.

I’ve often said that unless your job is a personal trainer, a freelance writer or you have a passion for learning this stuff, there’s simply no point in learning all the minor details if whatever you are doing is working for you today.

In fact, some of the most brilliant minds in nutrition today don’t have the bodies to prove it.  The reverse is true, some of the most gifted natural bodybuilders that work hard day in and day out and follow the basics, couldn’t tell you too much about Cortisol or how fat is stored.  They don’t care, they just know how to burn it.

It does not take a degree in exercise physiology or a Masters in Nutrition to get this right.  Learn what you need to know for your own personal goals and then apply those fundamentals consistently, over time with hard work and dedication.  That’s how the job gets done.

Know Thyself or The Experiment of One

Carlos DeJesus said…

The experiment of one is essentially the Discovery of self.

Learning is awesome.  Knowing fact from fiction is important.  Following the fundamentals is the ultimate key to success.  But the end result is you and you alone.  What works for you and whatever gets you the results you desire.

I’ve read too many articles that tell me don’t use this machine.  I’ve written articles myself that tell you to avoid 2 exercises if you value your lower back and shoulders.  There’s plenty of research to support Brand X supplement.

Quick Action Plan:

• Listen less to others opinions
• Listen more to yourself

You can read more about The Experiment of One over at Carlos DeJesus site.

Agitate and Solve

A bit skinny?  A bit overweight?  Don’t avoid those issues if they bother you.  Deal with them directly and learn how to solve them.  I spent eighteen years dealing with the Skinny Guy issue but with repetition, consistency, being bugged by the problem and trying to solve it.  I made plenty of mistakes along the way.  But I got there and if I gave up years ago, I’d still have my personal issue that bothered me and I’d not be anywhere close to my goal.

Learn from Mistakes; Don’t Dwell on Them

It’s okay to miss a gym day.  As I type out this blog skipping breakfast while being burned on a trade I place earlier today, once again I’m reminded that it’s okay to make mistakes.  So what if I skipped breakfast just today?  Big deal.  I’ll live.  I won’t lose 10 lbs of muscle and I will still have a kick butt gym day.

Now if I did that every single day, we’d have a problem.

Too many people beat themselves up for the smallest things.  They will ruin an entire 12 hour day because they missed 45 minutes of the gym.  I literally worked half-asses for 3 months while I focused on something else, I ate like the normal person and didn’t drink enough water.

I didn’t get much weaker.  I didn’t lose much mass.  And my entire body didn’t gain 12+ body fat.  I’m not bragging about my lack of reasons why or my consistency in the gym.  I only wish to prove that it’s okay to stumble a bit in your journey forward.  If you beat yourself up over the minor mistakes, you end up being so negative you quit going altogether and that is a mistake you should dwell on!

Allow yourself to make some mistakes.  Fitness is the quest of a lifetime.  Give yourself room to breathe so you can focus on the important stuff and keep making the small steps forward.

If this resonates with you, feel free to drop me a comment below or add in a techinque I missed that has made all the difference in your life.

Marc David
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
Author of The NoBull Bodybuilding Program

Popularity: 2% [?]

Do You Use Twitter?

For those of you who are hooked on Twitter, you can now follow me! I’ll be tweeting on a regular basis with updates, interesting sites and articles I’ve run across, and more.  Hope to see you there!

Follow Marc on Twitter!

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Attribution: Patrick Q

In line with every other fitness expert, guru and fanatic… I felt instead of telling you what to get ready for in 2009 or the usual party lines of…

“Come on guys and gals, this is the time.  No excuses!  It’s now or never!”

You’ve already seen that and heard it.  I’m going to just give you a run down of what I see happening in 2009.

• 1 ab physical product will be sold in an As Seen in TV.  Bloggers will pick up on the story and immediately tell you how you don’t need it but you do need a $47+ ebook program complete with DVDs
• Two new diets will come out.  They will be twists on the same old things as every diet is… but they will have cooler cover, fancier names and big promos pushing them.  If you watch Oprah, you know exactly what I mean.
• 2009 will be the year of Back to the Basics.  Because 2008 was a twist on so many advanced concepts, functional strength, Bosu balls, free weights and such… 2009 is going to be a slew of preaching about lifting heavy weight, sticking to the basics and not wasting time with all those other programs.  The same ones being promoted to you in 2008 mind you.
• Americans will spend a bit less on fitness related stuff opting to see if they can use what they already have but International sales will go up as the US dollar continues to lose value.  I’m getting more and more questions and comments from foreign fitness people than ever before.
• At least 3 major fitness blogs will post a list of the Top X exercises to avoid.  I’ve already seen Men’s Health and Fitness jump on this one in their Rodale series of books for 2009.  A list of exercises you should avoid at all costs.  It’s got new ones from my 2008 edition.  By 2012, it will only be safe to walk, do strict pull-ups and push-ups. Every machine will be banned and every free weight exercise will be somehow dangerous to your spine and gyms will toss you out for doing them.
• Ebooks are old school.  Now it will be MP3 downloads to accompany the ebooks along with cheaply made DVDs of YouTube videos showing you somebody workout.  Translation?  You’ll be paying for free stuff.
• Everybody (including me) will have a fitness membership site.  Some will be top notch and updated on a regular basis with high quality content.  Others will be a way to collect a monthly fee for nearly worthless drivel or a collection of free articles you can find anywhere on the web.
• 2009 prices will be higher than 2008.  Almost everybody will be raising their prices even though it’s essentially the same information.  Some things will be worth it.  Others won’t.  Be sure to pay attention to money back guarantees.
• ClickBank will be the top re-seller of any online fitness stuff.  They are a very good company with a stellar reputation.  Money back guarantees are a given and they always honor them.  As the consumer, it’s very difficult to be screwed over by them.
• There will be LESS gyms and MORE fitness conscious people.  The January effect which typically makes your gym more crowded for a month or two will continue longer as there’s just less gym options.  Corporate Real Estate is expensive and cash is limited.  Making opening more gyms less likely as some major chains file for bankruptcy… again.
• People will shy away from long sales pages about a product and be more open to Facebook, Twitter, Podcasts and other methods of learning about the fitness expert they follow.  You can hire a copywriter to write your sales pages and e-mails.  But it’s much harder to hide your true personality in a Web 2.0 world.
• More of the same.  Whatever worked in 2008 for Six Pack Abs will still work in 2009.  If you have the tools from last year, then save some $$$ and break out the ebooks and vow to read them.  Follow them.  Get them printed if it makes it easier to read.  If this is the first year for you, then 2009 will be awesome as there’s lots of products to choose from that will fit your lifestyle and goals.
• Tom Venuto’s The Body Fat Solution will be a success because it teaches principles and doesn’t use a topical gimmick or current fad or some latest discovery.

Let’s not get too carried away with peering into the Crystal Ball for 2009.  It’s going to be slightly different in some aspects but overall, more of the same.  More ways to distract you from your goals and several more ways to overload you with so much information that ultimately you will be as confused or more confused than when you started.

It’s all good.  Keep training and train harder in 2009 than you did in 2008 and the changes you want will come by default.

Remember:

1. Consistency
2. Dedication
3. Determination

That’s about the only secret to getting the body of your dreams.  Hard work applied consistently over a period of years and your friends will be asking you how you did it soon enough.

Here’s wishing you a better 2009 than 2008.

Sincerely,

Marc C. David
The NoBull Muscle Guy
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Update 1/2/2009: Everybody will have a bodybuilding teleseminar including and not limited to, one of my cats.  Where it will be a collection of decent information but then packaged up and sold to you in some MP3/CD set.  If you miss one, don’t worry there will be at least 5 other opportunities.

Update 1/2/2009: More and more parrots and mentions of how awful it is to do cardio workouts.  2008 could have been coined “I hate cardio!”  2009 will be the same except add the tag line of “and you should too!”

Popularity: 2% [?]

See You in 25 Bob

Smiling Bob Gets a 25 Year Jail Sentence

While I’m not a fan of lying, cheating or scamming in any way when it comes to supplements, I’m always intrigued that the playing field isn’t level.

It’s perfectly fine to make up some new Creatine molecule structure (CE3)or tell people they can gain 20 lbs of solid muscle in 4 weeks using this product.  Or maybe that a new weight loss supplement taps into your body and burns fat without changing your diet or increasing exercise.

In a nutshell…

Message here is that it’s bad enough if you lie about your products potential for weight loss or muscle building, but don’t you dare lie about improving sex life!

Regards,

Marc C. David

P.S. - If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the last few months, I can assure you I’m alive and well.  There’s a new NoBull Bodybuilding membership site in the works!

P.S.S. - Until the economy improves (significantly) there will be no extra charges for the membership site.  It will be part of the NoBull Bodybuilding System.

Popularity: 3% [?]

According to a new survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a full 51 percent of supplement users indicated that the economy will likely not change their supplement-purchasing habits.

Survey results also showed that of the 51 percent who don’t plan on cutting back their supplement routine, 13 percent of dietary supplement consumers went further to say that supplements are “an essential part of my wellness regimen, and I cannot do without them.”

“It’s encouraging to see that, despite the current economic climate, such a large percentage of adults are continuing to invest in their health by including dietary supplements as a part of their wellness regimen,” said Judy Blatman, senior vice president, communications, CRN. “Engaging in preventative health measures today, such as incorporating supplements into a healthy lifestyle, may help avoid potential healthcare costs down the road.”

What Other Supplement Users Will Do:

• 30% said while they will continue to use, purchase price will become a more important factor.
• 13% said if the downturn continues, they will continue to purchase but less in the future.
• 6% said supplement usage is a luxury and can do without them in economic hardships.

Question: What Will YOU Do?

Popularity: 11% [?]

Question: I recently decided to start to train to for a Triathlon for 2011-2012 and in addition I would like to begin a cutting regiment to tone my body. Can you share any tips or training regiments that can help me to reach my goal?

Michael Gruen

Answer:

See the podcast link below.

 

 Training for a Triathlon: Tips and Advice: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (256)

Popularity: 12% [?]

Photo Credit: Mandj98

There’s so much attention on the “obesity epidemic” from the media and fitness gurus.  In fact, Halloween is fast approaching along with Thanksgiving so be prepared for the bombardment of what you should eat and stay on track e-mails.  Then January comes around and we know everybody will be jumping up to tell you this is the year to lose those pounds.

Why lose the pounds?  Two reasons they say…

Reason #1: You want to be healthy and live longer right and be less at risk or disease associated with being overweight.

Reason #2: Improved quality of life.

While it’s harder to argue point #2, there is a debate about being just a little overweight.  Does carrying a few extra pounds really put your health at risk?

The Great Weight Debate

Prevention magazine took a look at the great weight debate, specifically obese versus being overweight and if it’s something you need to worry about.  According to the article, many experts disagree on the dangers associated with excess weight, especially in cases where an overweight individual is considered to be healthy on all accounts.  Many studies in regards to disease and overweight have been done on those who are obese and may not apply the same way to those carrying a few extra pounds or just classified as overweight.

As part of the fact finding, the Prevention article cites a report released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the National Cancer Institute that analyzed the death records of 37,000 adults.

What did the death records show?

Overweight people had no greater risk of dying from cancer or heart disease than normal-weight people!

As you would assume, the report did find a great risk for the individuals classified as obese.  The report even went so far as to suggest that being overweight may protect you against some other diseases.  Critics quickly responded that the study failed to consider quality-of-life issues caused by excess pounds and didn’t appropriately control for unhealthy habits like smoking, which can keep people lean but undeniably raise cancer risk. Still, it added fuel to the ongoing debate of whether losing weight is absolutely necessary to reduce disease risk if you’re not obese.

While one study and one magazine article does not change the fact that striving to be fit is the goal, you have to wonder if the pressure of losing those few extra pounds to become safer from disease is really going to make a difference?  At least in terms of your health.  Granted, the quality of life issues play a role but if both people are fit and one has 15 extra pounds, it may not be such a black and white issue to say the individual who is slightly overweight is at great risk.  That may not be true.

I for one am not debating that weight loss can be one part of an overall disease prevention plan. But is it the most essential first step?

There are several other risk factors that may be more important that simply what the scale says.  Including but not limited to:

• Family history
• Waist measurement
• Fitness levels
• Cholesterol and inflammation

Personally, from the people I have talked to, the quality of life factors make the choice to shed a few pounds very important.  If it’s not for reducing the risk of disease, the lessened joint pain, the increase mobility and the feeling good about yourself are priceless value-adds of exercise.

Maybe you won’t be at any more risk than your fit friend in terms of disease and maybe you’ll even get some added protection?  But nobody can really argue the quality of life that comes from being healthy and active are more than enough reasons to try and improve your overall fitness and shed those extra pounds anyway.

Prevention article

CDC/NCI study abstract

Marc David
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Popularity: 13% [?]

Who Would You Hire?

If you could only pick one or the other, which person would you choose to reach your stated goals?

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Most people I know are freaked out by the latest rounds of economic news.  Our current situation has been labeled as the next Great Depression, the lame-stream media gets more hyped up by the second, and it seems that on any street corner, you’ll unavoidable hear a conversion between two or more people who are frozen with fear like Chicken Little in the Sky is Falling.

There is no denying that the economic crisis creates real world problems both financially and mentally for a massive number of people.  So what’s my role?

I’ve put myself forward as a fitness authority, so how am I going to live up to that challenge?  I eat a lot of food myself, especially when I am trying to gain weight.  Food isn’t cheap!  And it’s getting more expensive by the month.

Here’s just three ways cut your grocery bill and still eat high-quality, fat-burning foods.

1.  Take a List and Follow It

Never shop without a list.  Dieticians estimate that 40 percent of supermarket purchases are made on impulse.  According to best selling food author and NYU professor Marion Nestle, 70 percent of shoppers bring lists into the supermarket, but only about 10 percent stick to them.  Developing a standard list of foods to replenish weekly will save you money by avoiding purchasing an excess of food that might spoil and go to waste. It will also help you avoid impulse purchases of foods you didn’t need. By the way, planning your shopping can also help you avoid unnecessary trips to the store, which saves you time as well as gas money!

2.  Don’t Write Off The High End Stores

I love my local Safeway and Costco. They have bulk items and their deals are super. However, Whole Foods (Whole PayCheck as I often call it), sometimes has deals on particular items that are even cheaper than the discounts at the bigger chain stores. Don’t loyally stick to a single store and ignore the potential savings that might be happening at other stores in your area.

3.  Free Grocery Store Coupon Sites

These are some of the most popular coupon sites I’ve found. Unlike other frustrating sites that ask for an e-mail address and then spam you to death, these websites give you printable coupons with great deals, without all the excessive email. Suggestion: use a secondary email address to keep your main email safe, just in case.

•    Coupons.com
Enter your zip code and find printable coupons for your area.
•    CoolSavings.com
Offering food coupons for online and brick & mortar shopping.
•    SmartSource Savings Network (www.coupons.smartsource.com)
Comprised of leading grocery and retail chains, newspapers, lifestyle websites, interactive companies and others bringing online savings to you. Printable coupons available.
•    Upons (www.upons.com)
Offering free grocery coupons, special promotions and product samples. Local coupons available.

At the end of the day, the question of whether or not you can afford to eat healthy. What matters is that you have an opportunity to eat healthy and save some money.  Just grabbing what seems like a good deal or healthy foods is not going to work anymore.  It never really did.  Spending just a few minutes planning and taking a list will immediately garnish you some fantastic cost savings.

If you liked this, you’ll love the 10 page, 2 part series that I wrote exclusively for the Burn the Fat Inner Circle

Apparently you can have an entire month to test drive Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle website for only $1.00…

Marc David
“The NoBull Muscle Guy”
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

Popularity: 16% [?]