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Is Spot Reduction Actually Possible?

If you have a strong background in health and fitness, or if you’ve ever worked with a personal trainer, I’m certain you’ve heard over and over that it’s impossible to “spot reduce” body fat.  Heck, I’ve been telling my clients that for years as well… “you can’t reduce body fat in a specific area of your body by exercising that specific area… fat is metabolized off the entire body.” For the most part, I still believe that to be true, because it has been my experience and most of the research backs it up.  However, I have been reading about and hearing more from other experts about research that suggests we may be able to better target our fat loss efforts using certain methods. There are medical methods of spot reduction including surgical liposuction (suck out the fat with a steel suction pipe), laser-lipo (using lasers to heat and shrink [...]

2012-03-03T00:40:12-05:00
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More HIIT Alternatives for Getting a Ripped Midsection

Would you be interested in a very efficient, effective method for losing body fat that requires far less time commitment than traditional cardio, and without any of the negative side effects of those long, slow endurance workouts? If you’ve been following my tutorial series, “In Pursuit of 6 Pack Abs”, you’ll remember my previous post on the many benefits and advantages or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)… you can check out that post here: -> HIIT For 6 Pack Abs Well, I recognize that some of you may not have access to an indoor bike, or like myself, you are interested in keeping your workouts interesting by adding some variety, so in this episode I demonstrate some alternative forms of HIIT, using implements or simply jogging and sprinting.  I also update you on my progress towards the coveted 6 Pack, and show you how far I’ve come over the last [...]

2012-01-07T13:37:10-05:00
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Burn Fat with Circuit Training

In my previous post on my quest for 6 pack abs, I discussed the benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (vs. traditional cardio)… check it out at this link: -> HIIT will get you FIT! Another powerful training technique for melting off huge amounts of fat, while maintaining your lean tissue, is called MRT (Metabolic Resistance Training).  MRT basically refers to a resistance training workout that combines effective compound exercises in a specific way to increase the intensity of the workout and essentially “jack up” your metabolism. This typically involves minimizing rest between certain exercises, by using super-sets or circuit training. It works by consuming considerable calories during the workout, but also by causing ‘Post Exercise Oxygen Debt’ which leads to the ‘After Burn Effect’… where your metabolism and body temperature remain elevated for a longer period of time after the workout as you recover. […]

2012-01-07T00:19:07-05:00
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New Year Fitness: Get in Top Form for 2012

Happy New Year… Another year has passed and we now have the opportunity for another fresh start! Just a few days ago I was interviewed by the Toronto SUN for a piece on New Year’s Fitness Goals. During this interview I shared what I consider to be some of the key elements for setting and achieving your health and fitness related goals for 2012. Here is the Toronto SUN article and a brief video on the SUN website with some footage from our interview: Some other New Year’s fitness suggestions I offered included: 1. You can’t out-train a bad diet.  You need to realize that exercise alone, although very important, is not enough. Your nutrition plan has to be your priority, especially if your goal is to lose some body fat and keep it off. […]

2012-01-01T20:00:43-05:00
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Reboot Your Body Toronto Fitness Seminar

I just recently did my first formal seminar presentation called Reboot Your Body. It was a success, with a great turnout and some lots of positive feedback. I also learned a lot and I look forward to raising the bar for my next seminar! At Reboot Your Body I shared my strategies for losing fat, reshaping the body, slowing the aging process, and feeling younger. We cut through the fluff and fads, and focused on the most efficient and effective methods of achieving your fitness goals based on my 20+ years of personal experience, and based on what gets my clients results. Here are a couple of short video excerpts from the seminar: […]

2011-12-08T01:59:37-05:00
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High Intensity Interval Training for 6 Pack Abs

In my previous post in my Pursuit of 6 Pack Abs (which was the first one of this series) I described several key nutritional strategies for blasting belly fat and revealing those abs. This time we are going to look at a key training strategy for getting leaner while keeping your hard earned muscle… it’s called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT involves alternating between phases of higher and lower intensity cardio-type exercise. This type of training has several distinct benefits over traditional LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio, as discussed in my previous blog post “Is Cardio Really That Effective for Weight Loss”. A few of these benefits include: […]

2011-09-04T20:34:32-04:00
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Nutrition Tips For 6 Pack Abs

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’m now in hot pursuit of obtaining the coveted six pack abs! Since the birth of my beautiful daughter (a little less than 3 years ago), followed by my quest to get back into competing in strongman competitions, I ended up getting a little soft around the middle. Over the last several months I’ve started to tighten up my nutrition again, and introduce a slightly different style of training, and I’m certainly getting leaner… but I still have a ways to go. But this time I am determined to get ripped! Chiseled! Shredded! I WILL get a 6 pack! Heck, I’m a fitness expert for crying out loud… I damn well should be in excellent shape! So I hope you will join me on my journey to uncover the much sought-after “washboard abs” … starting with today’s post! […]

2011-07-28T21:17:16-04:00
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Core Strength Exercises

Because all movement originates from the core, it’s important to develop a strong midsection before pushing yourself with other compound exercises and athletic movements.  First of all it’s important to recognize that your “core” is more than just your abs.  It includes all of the muscles in your torso that support the spine and midsection, including: Rectus Abdominis. – The abdominal muscle group referred to as your “six-pack”. Internal and External Obliques. – These run in opposite directions to each other and are on the abdomen and sides. Transverse Abdominis (TVA). – This is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles that wrap around the waist, located underneath the obliques. Multifidus & Erector Spinae. – The lower back muscles that support and rotate the spine. Gluteus Medius, Minimus, & Maximus. – These are the butt muscles or “glutes”. […]

2011-07-16T13:55:09-04:00
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Get Better Results by Bucking these Fitness Trends

1. Buck the trend: (v.) To differ in opinion to most others. To go against the grain, to be an exception to the rule. At a time when most people seem eager to jump on the latest “fitness band-wagon”, and new workout fads and complex training systems are popping up by the minute, it can be challenging to sort through it all and find out what really is effective versus what is fluff.  It seems ironic that while the mainstream fitness industry is booming, the number of people who are out of shape and suffering from health issues such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke, is still on the rise.  With so much access to health-related information, and so many popular fitness options available, one might think that these problems should be disappearing.  Or maybe this information overload is part of the problem.  Does getting in shape really [...]

2011-07-14T21:22:20-04:00
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How to Stay Fit at an All-You-Can-Eat Resort

I recently returned from an amazing family vacation in Mexico at a great all-inclusive resort. I feel like a new man! Incredibly, I was able to maintain my nutrition plan while I was there, indulging primarily in high-quality protein (eggs, fish, chicken, beef) and a lot of vegetables… but with such an abundance of good food, my portions were admittedly larger than usual. Since I committed to getting in great shape this year I had to make sure my training stayed on track while I was enjoying my relaxation in the sun and sand. My routine consisted of short interval training workouts (jog-sprint intervals) before breakfast, and primarily body weight ‘super-set’ workouts in the afternoon. I’m not a big fan of training on machines, so I had to adapt a little to the gym at the resort. Here’s an example of one of my resistance training ‘vacation workouts’: [...]

2011-04-24T16:37:42-04:00
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