Old School New Body e Bk

Old School New Body2

Old School, New Body was written to help you achieve an impressive, healthy physique with sensible eating and workout strategies. Weight training and dieting can be demanding activities, however, so it is highly recommended that you consult your physician and have a physical examination prior to beginning. Proceed with the suggested exercises, nutrition strategies and routines at your own risk.

Cover photo of Steve and Becky Holman by Michael Neveux

Cover models: Steve and Becky Holman

Photography by Michael Neveux

Illustrations by Larry Eklund

Copyright © 2012 by Homebody ProductionsAll rights reserved.

Warning: The material in this document may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner or form without prior written

consent from the publisher.

Homebody Productions, P.O. Box 2800, Ventura, CA 93002


Introduction.........................................................................................................4

Preface.................................................................................................................8

Chapter 1—The F4X System: Turning Fat Into Muscle...................................12

Chapter 2—The F4X LEAN Workout: Your 20-Minute Bellyfat Blowtorch..............................................16

Chapter 3—Joint Rejuvenation: Pain-Free Sanity...........................................22

Chapter 4—Get Motivated: Promise, Commitment, Change........................26

Chapter 5—F4X Automatic Cardio and the Forgotten Key to Leanness.....30

Chapter 6—Transformation Sensation: Breaking Out of the Chub Club....................................................32

Chapter 7—The F4X SHAPE Workout: Lard-to-Hard Blast-Off.....................36

Chapter 8—The F4X All-Dumbbell Workout Instant At-Home, New-Body Solution.........................................48

Chapter 9—Lean-Machine Diet Facts and Fallacies......................................56

Chapter 10—Eat More, Lose Fat, Build Muscle..............................................60

Chapter 11—The Truth About Alcohol: Not Too Bad After All..................................................................70

Chapter 12—Your Three Key Fat-to-Muscle Supplements............................72

Chapter 13—Old School, New Body Q&A.......................................................76

Chapter 14—Advanced Training: The Full-Range BUILD Workout................................................88

Contents


When you've been at this working out thing as long as we have, you begin to think you know it all—and that's when you can get into trouble. You should never stop learning. That lesson hit us over the head hard a few years ago when we finally discovered key "secrets" to getting in ultimate shape quickly—but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Rewind even further to more than a decade ago. One of the most famous Hollywood trainers of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s used to come into the IRON MAN offices where we work—rumor has it that he even trained Marilyn Monroe (we never confirmed that, but we do know that she lifted weights, as the framed print by Philippe Halsman on Steve's office wall confirms). Anyway, this trainer to the stars had closed his celebrated Hollywood gym, gone into semi-retirement in his 80s and came by every so often to regale us with stories, exercise techniques and his methods—which he said was the only right way to produce results.

His tirades—did we mention he was usually on the edge of berserk?—made some sense, but Steve, being somewhat of a workout authority as IRON MAN's editor in chief, never really took the man's so-called density method too seriously. It just didn't sound intense enough to work.

Everything at that point in serious weight training had evolved to intensity—via heavy weights, training to failure on almost every set, etc.

INTRODUCTION

Marilyn Monroe, avid weight trainer.


That was due to three things: 1) a few successful training gurus touting its effectiveness, including a top bodybuilding title winner (who had to retire due to serious injuries, by the way) 2) steroids, which make that type of overstress and overtraining work, and 3) ego—only dweebs didn't go superheavy at the gym to show everyone how strong they are.

As fate would have it, the legendary trainer passed away (we really miss his visits), and his wife asked if she could store much of his belongings at the IM warehouse. The publisher okayed it, and in came furniture, crates of trophies the trainer had won, pictures that hung in his gym and boxes of dusty, old documents and log books. That last item was most intriguing because here were the exact workouts and methods he had used to get those incredible results he always talked about.

While the training guru was alive we never tried his moderate-weight, high-fatigue method—that's because, as we said, everyone "knew" real results were all about pushing more weight. And we had the chronic aches, pains and injuries to prove it, including bum shoulders, tweaked knees and backs that would go out for no reason. Funny that the old-school trainer had none of those problems, even in his 80s. That got Steve thinking....

He began pouring over the dusty notes and routines outlining the trainer's transformation methods he used on Hollywood actors and star bodybuilders alike. A light bulb went off. Steve realized that the current science, like triggering fat-burning and muscle-building hormones via muscular fatigue, backed up the trainer's methods. Steve began to experiment in the gym with some of what he found in the dusty notes,

Buried treasure. The key to rapid physical transformation was here, written in manuals that were decades old. --------->


revise the methods somewhat, do more research and fill in the gaps with recent science.

The eventual results were incredible. The pieces fell into place and Steve realized exactly how and why his slightly revised version of the trainer's methods worked so quickly—it hit the muscles completely with cumulative stress to reach the growth threshold, and it produced a hormonal cascade that burned fat like a blowtorch.

Steve's results were some of the best he'd ever had—staying leaner and getting more muscular with much shorter, less painful workouts. Becky began using it, and she too was shocked at her quick progress. It wasn't a fluke. We had others try it, from 20-year-old college students to 50-year-old grandmothers—and each one reported stunning progress—all with no joint stress—in fact any residual joint pain disappeared. And workouts lasted 30 minutes to an hour, no longer. (The trainer insisted those short workouts were necessary so key hormones stayed at full-throttle and the metabolism would burn white hot.)

With our version, which we call the Focus-4 Exercise protocol, F4X for short, our metabolisms are stoked 24/7 and joint aches and pains are now fading memories—plus, we're keeping lean, hard physiques all year long. We're both over 50—and loving life. Our only regret is that we didn't discover the F4X system sooner, but now we can pass it on to you.

Weight training is a miracle activity, as you'll see, and the F4X body-reshaping system is the ultimate way to get all of its fat-burning, muscle-building, anti-aging benefits in quick, safe, health-charged workouts—but we're still learning and still refining it.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Vince Gironda, that cranky trainer to the stars, because his methods were the spark that may have saved us from giving up on weight training—or creating an orthopedic nightmare later in life with cumulative damage from heavy-weight training.

Everyone should be lifting weights—the right way—to soar through life with a lean, healthy, muscular body. F4X is your key to fast, incredible transformation success without joint stress.

——————With the Focus-4 Exercise protocl, F4X for short, our metabolisms are stoked 24/7 and joint aches and pains are a fading memory—plus, we're keeping lean, hard physiques all year long.


F4X The Youth-Enhancing

Bodyshaping System ForMen and Women


Look around. Why are so many people in terrible shape? The problem for most is time. The older we get, the faster time moves—or so it seems. There's just not enough left to improve our bodies and health with exercise. (Don't let that word scare you; it doesn't take as much as you think—most people do it wrong and it takes too long.)

We'll show you that there is time—in fact, you can turn back the clock—and the time is now! You need to ditch the misinformation and take action—using an efficient, on-target method. And that's what the F4X system is; as you'll see, it doesn't require a lot of time in the gym or complicated diets (you can often eat what you want).

It's about getting stronger, looking good—dare we say impressive—and staying independent throughout your life with a simple plan—some easy-to-apply diet alterations and hitting a few quick F4X workouts each week—at the gym or at home, take your pick. Soon you'll be healthier and feel incredible with a body that will turn heads and raise eyebrows. And your age doesn't matter.

We’re over 50 and usually the best-built people in the room at social gatherings. Again, your age doesn't matter. Our goal is to show you the simplest,

most efficient, safest way for you to do it too, whether you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s or beyond. It does not take a lot of suffering or time—and the rewards are immense, especially in your prime. As we said, when you get that new body, you'll not only look better but feel amazing. Life will become an exciting joyride.

A great example is one of our favorite role models, Jack LaLanne. He

PREFACE

Steve.


recently passed away at 96, but he was an energetic dynamo till the very end—a truly amazing guy—doing commercials and making appearances. His longevity secret? Eating right and exercising—he was a true physical culturist—oh, and he had a passion for life thanks to his well-conditioned body and mind. It should be obvious that your passion for life will be large and supercharged when you look and feel absolutely fantastic. Jack would attest to that.

A passion for life is a direct link to happiness. And you can double or triple that happiness quotient by being healthy, fit and muscular. Muscular? Yes! Don't let that word throw you, especially if you're female—women need plenty of muscle—for feminine shape and health. (Becky is a prime example; she strives for it.)

So be you male or female, muscle will help you look and feel younger, have fewer health issues and stay independent for the duration. (No one wants to be a burden to their children later in life, so start taking care of yourself now!)

According to Henry Lodge, M.D., in Younger Next Year, “In the absence of signals to grow, your body and brain decay, and you ‘age.’ So how do we keep ourselves from decaying? By changing the signals we send to our bodies. The keys to overriding the decay code are daily exercise, emotional commitment, reasonable nutrition and a real engagement with living. But it starts with exercise.”

One key growth signal is stimulation to “build muscle,” and, as we said, that applies to women as well. Becky is proof that female trainees should train in the same way as men and strive to build up to burn fat. You'll see her story in Chapter 6.

The key is muscle—no matter what your gender. The more you can build naturally, the healthier you'll be. And you'll look fantastic; no, not like a gigantic bodybuilder—unless you’re that one-in-a-million genetic anomaly.

The truth is that more than 99 percent of women simply don't have the hormonal profile or muscle fiber density to build big, bulbous muscles—and most men are limited as well. So don't be a afraid you'll “look like Arnold.” Yes, most men will be able to build “big” muscles—and some can take it toward being Arnold-esque, genetics willing and work ethic in

Jack LaLanne, 95, in his home gym. (John Balik photo)


place (Chapter 14 is on advanced training if you're interested); however, a woman's physique will simply get more shapely and sleek—so don't be afraid to push yourself to build a “physique.”

More muscle will give you a body you can be proud of—more self-confidence, extra drive in your daily life and business or school and never embarrassed to strip down at the beach or pool. You'll have a feeling of "I can conquer anything." It will also help you burn more fat, one more reason muscle leads to a leaner, healthier you.

Muscle is live tissue and stokes your metabolism. It has been shown to lower insulin resistance—you'll need less of that sugar-controlling, fat-storing hormone, which is a good thing. Better insulin sensitivity can fortify you against diabetes and other inflammatory illnesses, cancer included. That's because, as Doctor Lodge would say, you’re counteracting “decay,” which is what disease is.

Plus, while our F4X workout programs build muscle, they also enhance your cardiovascular system at the same time. And you can make it all happen with moderate weights—not bone-crushing, injury producing poundages—while working out a few times a week. Our F4X system builds joints rather than breaking them. Exciting stuff!

This is not one of those inefficient "insane" jump-around-till-you-torque-your-knees-then-flop-down-on-the-ground-and-contort-your-spine routines. F4X is controlled, safe, targeted muscle movements—a unique, almost miraculous system based on science and an efficient, lost training method of a past legendary Hollywood trainer. The benefits are through the roof, including all of the above and more growth hormone to boot. GH is a big part of the miracle results you will achieve workout after workout—and your joints will get stronger, not worn and torn.

Becky.


GH is renowned as an anti-aging hormone that can boost your ability to build lean muscle and burn ugly bodyfat, amplify the potency of other hormones, like testosterone (it's important for women too); revitalize and heighten your sex drive; bulletproof your tendons and ligaments to prevent injuries, rejuvenate skin elasticity and hair thickness/sheen and fortify your immune system. In other words, you'll look and feel unreal.

Whew! Lots of good stuff to spark your get-up-and-go to let the GH flow. Are you ready? Let's stop the decay and start to grow with F4X.

—Steve and Becky Holman

John M. Rowley is a full-time author, speaker, television and radio personality, Wellness Director for the International Sports Science Association and Public Relations Director for Powerhouse Gyms International. He also contributes to Martha Stewart Living, Fox News, Smart Money and the Wall Street Journal. The media call him "America's Lifestyle Strategist." His book, The Power of Positive Fitness, is an Amazon.com best-seller. For more info on John, visit his Web site, JohnRowley.net.

Steve and Becky Holman have been married for 27 years. Steve started weight training at 15 as a skinny 119-pounder and has been training ever since (more than 35 years). Becky has been working out on and off for more than 20 years, but she lapsed in her 30s while raising her two daughters. In her 40s she became fed up with her overweight appearance and made a radical physical transformation in only a few months. She is now a regular contributor of nutrition-

based items to IRON MAN magazine, and Steve has been IM's Editor in Chief for more than 25 years. He has written more than 20 books on bodybuilding, weight training and nutrition and has also penned hundreds of articles on building muscle and burning fat. His blog, “Built for Life,” is at IronManMagazine.com. Steve has also interviewed many legendary physique stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cory Everson, Tom Platz and Lee Labrada. His bodybuilding e-books are available at X-Rep.com and X-traordinaryWorkouts.com.

http://www.ironmanmagazine.com

http://www.X-Rep.com

http://www.X-Workouts.com

http://www.JohnRowley.net


So let's not beat around the bush; just what is the F4X system? It's a method of training based on one that has been lost and collecting dust. The reason it's been "lost" is because of the emphasis on intensity, which most trainees equate to heavy, joint-jolting workouts.

Go to any gym, and you'll see that most people are either using very light weights and resting too long or pounding their bodies with heavy weights, eventually getting injured. Contrary to popular belief, heavy bone-crushing poundages are not necessary for fast results. In fact, they can be detrimental. Those current heavy-training trends can overstress your body, jar your joints and actually damage your immune system because of excess stress hormone release (cortisol) and free-radical proliferation.

You do need to expend effort, but it should be cumulative. What does that mean? Here's how it works.

Our F4X system calls for moderate poundages for less joint stress and relies on high muscle fatigue for intensity—which means short rests between sets. That results in growth hormone release. GH triggers a veritable muscle-building, fat-burning (and anti-aging) cascade. That hormone decreases significantly as you get older, but this type of training can provide a real resurgence.

CHAPTER 1The F4X SystemTurning Fat Into Muscle

™


F4X is simple to understand: Say you're doing curls. You pick a weight with which you can get about 15 repetitions, but you only do 10. Simple. Rest 35 seconds, then do 10 more—and so on until you complete the designated number of sets—usually four. You go all out on the last one, until you can't get another in good form.

Sounds easy—and the first couple of sets are—but as you continue, fatigue builds in the target muscles, in this case the biceps. On the last few sets you are struggling, your muscles are aching from lactic acid, and you're breathing is rapid (cardio effect). Blood rushes to your biceps for a full muscle pump—enhanced circulation—after only the first few sets.

The number of exercises we prescribe for each muscle group varies, depending on your experience and goals, but you'll get all the fat-to-muscle benefits in about 10 minutes per body part with total workouts lasting 30 to 45 minutes. That will get muscle growth and GH output churning and ugly bodyfat burning—fast!

With F4X you get at the majority of muscle fibers over four sets as fatigue accumulates. You also train both "sides" of those fibers for exceptional muscle-building and fat-burning effects—with GH release at full-throttle.

The muscle fibers you want to target have two primary constituents, or “sides”: myofibrils and sarcoplasm. The myofibrils are internal strands that grip onto one another to shorten the fiber and produce muscular contraction—like ropes gripping and pulling across one another.

The sarcoplasm is the fluid surrounding the myofibrils, and that "energy” juice contains mostly mitochondria, where fat is burned (your internal lean machines), glycogen (from the sugar in carb foods) and ATP (an energy source from creatine). Here's the difference:

1) The myofibril strands respond, grow and multiply as a result of intense heavier-weight sets.

2) The sarcoplasm increases with extended tension times on the muscle—keeping the muscle working for almost a minute—and/or short rests between sets. Muscle fatigue within a fast-twitch-fiber endurance threshold causes the energy constituents in the sarcoplasm to eventually adapt and increase, so you get a fat-to-muscle effect.

——————Growth hormone triggers a veritable muscle-building, fat-burning (and anti-aging) cascade.


In simple terms, you target the myofibrils to emphasize strength and the sarcoplasm to emphasize muscle expansion, although both do contribute to making a muscle bigger and stronger. Also, both contribute to burning bodyfat so you get leaner. That means targeting both is important for fastest results.

As we mentioned above, the sarcoplasmic fluid contains the mitochondria where fat is burned—obviously very important for getting and staying lean. With shorter rests between sets, and each set lasting 40 seconds, you stress that "side" of the fiber and fortify those intra-cellular fat-burning furnaces. You're revving those lean machines!

The 40 seconds of tension time and shorter rests between sets also produce more muscle burn, which is a key to growth hormone release. We've already discussed the miraculous fat-burning, anti-aging effects of GH; remember that muscle burn will get your GH to churn. (Can J Appl Physio. 22:244-255; 1997)

Now as far as the myofibrils are concerned, a weight heavy enough to inflict a bit of trauma on those power-generating strands is key. That trauma is microtears (soreness), and repair of those small tears requires energy. Your body fixes the slight "damage" over a period of days, and while it does that, your metabolism is stoked and you're burning more calories, even at rest. That's right, as you recover from your workouts, your body continues to burn fat 24/7. How great is that?

It's precisely why F4X training can work so extremely well to build you a new muscular body and burn off fat in record time. It's like turning fat into muscle!

We've found four sets per exercise to be optimal for getting at both the myofibrils and the sarcoplasm. What if you do more than four? The more sets you do, the lighter the weight must be to allow the extra sets—and that's more of a sarcoplasmic stimulator, with less effect on the myofibrils.

Remember, you want a balance of myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic stimulation. Our F4X system gives you about a 50/50 mix of both myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic stimulation, so you get the best fat-to-muscle results....

Total muscle fiber activation, GH release and a mega fat-burning environment that transforms your body fast!

——————As you recover from your workouts, your body continues to burn fat 24/7. How great is that?


The F4X MethodSet 1: Pick a weight with which you can get 15 repetitions, but only do 10 (this set will not be taxing).

• Rest 30 to 40 seconds.

Set 2: Do 10 more repetitions with the same weight.


Set 3: Do 10 more repetitions with the same weight.


Set 4: Do as many repetitions as you can—until you can't do another.

If you get 10 reps on your last set, slightly increase the weight at your next workout—or go for 11 reps on each set, denoted as 4 x 11.

Your tempo for all sets should be one second to lift and three seconds to lower. That will make every set last around 40 seconds, perfect for balanced stimulation of the muscle fibers and to fortify the fat-burning mitochondria as well as trigger a growth hormone release.

Note: Breathe in on the slower lowering phase—two to three in-and-out breaths is acceptable in the three seconds—then forcefully breathe out on the lifting, the one-second exertion.


If you've never lifted weights before—or it's been a long while since you have, like high school—you need to break in easy. Don't let impatience and over-enthusiasm set you back. Getting too sore is no fun and has caused

many people to quit before the magic happens—they never get that incredible buzz of spectacular body-transforming results.

We described the F4X method, but in the beginning you'll be doing a two-set sequence instead of four sets—in order to get your muscles used to the new stress of weight resistance.

You will take a light weight and do 10 repetitions; rest for 45 to 60 seconds—no longer than one minute—then do 10 more repetitions. That's it.

Your repetition speed should be three seconds to lower the weight and one to two seconds to lift it—at least four seconds per rep, 40 seconds per set. That's important, as we've explained, and you need to make a conscious effort to lower slower than you lift. That's because the lowering, or negative, strokes have the most impact on muscle improvement—and so does the time of each set.

According to strength and muscle-building expert Jim Stoppani, Ph.D.: “The best TUT [time under tension, which is the length of a set] for strength is about four to 20 seconds per set and about 40 to 60 seconds per set for muscle growth."

CHAPTER 2The F4X LEAN WorkoutYour 20-Minute Bellyfat Blowtorch


You want growth with strength as a secondary effect, so you need to make your sets last around 40 seconds. The one-second-up, three-seconds-down tempo for 10 reps will do it.

Still, none of your sets should be tough in the beginning. The 10th rep on the second set should be mildly difficult but not a struggle. If you feel it begin to get too difficult, stop.

With the F4X LEAN Workout you'll work out three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with only four basic exercises per workout. This handful of key moves will train all of your major muscle groups:

1) Squats (dumbbells at sides of thighs)2) Incline presses or flat-bench presses or pushups (on knees or toes)3) Bent-over rows (two-arm version or one arm at a time)4) Dumbbell upright rows

After two weeks at two sets, progress to three sets on each, resting 40 seconds between sets. So at week 3, go to 3x10—and now push hard on the last set—to muscular failure.

After another two weeks, week five, up it again to four sets on each exercise if you can, still with 40-second rests, last set to failure. If four feels like too much, stick with only three for as long as you need to.

You can do all of these exercises in a commercial gym or at home with a selectorized dumbbell set and an adjustable bench (there's another all-dumbbell workout in Chapter 8). And if you don't have a bench, pushups work fine for exercise 2. Even with a full four-set sequence for each exercise, that's only five minutes per move, so you'll be done in less than 30 minutes.

You can stay with this workout for as long as you like. It's the bare minimum we recommend for those who want to build some muscle and get an overall health effect from lifting. Some cardio on your off days or after your weight session is an excellent extra for fat burning, but keep in mind that this workout has built-in cardio—you will breathe rapidly.

The F4X LEAN Workout is also an excellent alternate if you're using one of the more extensive F4X programs in this e-book and you're short on time. It's a perfect go-to abbreviated session that hits just about every muscle. Becky uses it a lot so she doesn't feel guilty about missing a workout.

——————You'll work out three days a week, with only four basic exercises per workout—less than 30 minutes per session.


2 Incline presses --> or bench presses (barbell or dumbbells)

3 Bent-over rows, under grip—palms facing forward (use barbell or dumbbells).

OR if you have lower-back issues do one-arm rows...

OR you can do pushups, on toes or on knees.

4 Dumbbell upright rows.

1 Squats.

OR

F4X LEAN WorkoutMonday, Wednesday & Friday

The F4X Method: Pick a weight with which you can get 15 reps...Set 1: Do 10 reps; rest 30 to 40 secondsSet 2: Do 10 reps; rest 30 to 40 secondsSet 3: Do 10 reps; rest 30 to 40 secondsSet 4: Do as many reps as you can*

*If you get 10 on set 4, slightly increase the weight at your next workout or go for four sets of 11 reps (4x11).


F4X LEAN Workout Tips1) Break-in progression...

Weeks 1 and 2: Do two sets of each exercise—both sets should be fairly easy. Rest 45 to 60 seconds between sets.

Weeks 3 and 4: Move to three sets of each exercise, 40 seconds of rest between each, and push your last set in the sequence to muscular failure—until you can't get another rep in perfect form.

Week 5: You can move to four sets per exercise, with set four to muscular failure. If four sets feels like too much, you can go back to three sets per exercise for as long as necessary.

2) The ideal rep speed is one-second to lift the weight (positive stroke) and three seconds to lower (negative stroke); always keep your form strict. Also, it's best to exhale as you lift the weight, inhale as you lower. For example, for bench presses blow out as you press the weight off your chest, then inhale as you lower—you may take a few short breaths during the slower lowering phase.

3) Progression: When you can get 10 reps on your last set that you push to failure, add a small amount of weight to that exercise at your next workout—or try to get 11 reps on all sets.

F4X LEAN Workout Q&A

Q: Can I add exercises to the F4X LEAN Workout, like ab work?

A: Yes, absolutely. Coming up in Chapter 7 we have a more extensive workout you can graduate to, if you so desire. Or you can stick with the F4X LEAN Workout and add to it here and there. For example, if you want to add ab work, put kneeups and/or crunches on the end, using the F4X method.

Or you can add any of the joint-strengthening exercises in Chapter 3 to the end of the F4X LEAN Workout—such as wrist curls, dumbbell rotations for your shoulders, etc.

Q: For exercise 3 if I do the rows one arm at a time instead of two arms at once, should I rest after I do my second arm?


A: No, you should move back and forth from one arm to the other. As one side works, the other rests; however, that may make you more breathless than usual, but consider it extra cardiovascular benefit.

Q: I know I rest about 35 seconds between sets of an exercise, but how long do I rest between exercises—like after squats and before I start bench presses?

A: You can rest one to two minutes between exercises. It's good to catch your breath before training different muscle groups. By the way, for F4X training, wear a watch with a second-hand so you can time your rests.

Q: Do I have to use four sets on each exercise? It feels like too much.

A: You can do as many sets as you like—two, three or four—but push the last set in the sequence to failure. Keep in mind that you should try to push yourself slightly to make it to the next level of fitness; however, if you stay at two sets for six months—or forever, for that matter—it is better than not lifting at all. You will get benefits even from doing only two sets, just make

sure the weight is challenging and you push your last set until you can't do another repetition.

Q: So people in their teens and 20s can use this workout with great results as well? My daughter would like to use it, and this sounds like something she could stick to.

A: Absolutely. Our 19-year-old daughter and her friends were planning a trip to Hawaii and wanted to get in shape quickly. They all used the F4X LEAN Workout, with a few additions—and it worked amazingly well. Here's a photo of them in Hawaii—that's our daughter in the middle, flanked by Haili and Matt Matsukawa—bodies by F4X.


By the way, you can even work out with your daughter. The F4X system is perfect for a tandem team because while one trainee does his or her set of 10 reps, the other rests about 40 seconds. When one is resting the other trainee is doing his or her set. It's back and forth—no clock or timer needed.

Q: What if I don't have access to dumbbells and an adjustable bench? Is there anything I can do at home without that equipment?

A: If you're a rank beginner, you can do freehand squats, holding the back of a chair for balance. Follow the F4X protocol, with 35 seconds between sets and the three-seconds-down-one-second-up cadence. Follow that with wall push-aways. That's essentially pushups leaning against a wall. Once again, use the F4X method...

1) Freehand squats—hold the back of a chair for balance2) Wall push-aways—pushups leaning against a wall

For push-aways you should gradually be able to move to pushups on the floor on your knees, and then standard pushups—eventually; don't rush it.

For squats you will get stronger more quickly, and we suggest you get a couple of those small shopping bags they give out at boutiques—or at Starbucks—usually with twine handles. You can add canned good to those bags—and now you have a set of “weights.” Be sure you use identical items in each bag. Hold one in each hand at the sides of your thighs and squat.

Those makeshift weights will also work for the other two exercises in the F4X LEAN Workout as well—bent-over rows and upright rows. Once again, on all exercises lift in one second and lower in three seconds.

That makeshift home weight set will work for quite a while, maybe even forever if that's as advanced as you want to get. We highly recommend you get selectorized dumbbells and an adjustable bench eventually. More on that, as well as a more extensive workout with that equipment, coming up.

If you only have time for one F4X sequence, choose squats. That exercise works the largest muscles on your body—thighs and glutes, or butt—so that move will make you more breathless and create the largest glycogen deficit, keys to fastest fat loss.

——————The F4X system is perfect for a tandem team because while one trainee does his or her reps, the other rests about 40 seconds.


You may have heard—or read in one of our special reports—that herbs, like ginger, nutrients, including selenium and vitamin C, and foods, like cherries, can all have positive effects on your joints and help relieve pain. Bit did you know that food allergies can be the cause of inflammation that

leads to joint pain, a biggie being intolerance to wheat products.

You may have heard of celiac disease, which affects one in every 100 Americans. It’s a severe aversion to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Anyone who has celiac and eats anything with gluten in it, including bread, pasta or even soups, has to run to the restroom for another type of run (Steve's mom has it, and it's not fun!).

Something less severe than celiac and more common is wheat intolerance. According to Jamison Starbuck, N.D., “Wheat-intolerance people have no symptoms when they eat barley or rye, but ingesting wheat often leads to such complaints as indigestion, bloating, canker sores, constipation, headache, sinusitis, respiratory problems, insomnia, joint pain and fatigue.”

Celiac disease stresses the immune system and drains energy; wheat intolerance produces symptoms only when someone eats a lot of wheat-laden food. If you experience any of those symptoms, you may want to try eliminating wheat products from your diet. Many nutritionists believe that wheat is a big player in numerous symptoms of ill health, including joint pain. (The book Wheat Belly by William Davis, M.D., has more on all of the above—a very interesting read.)

CHAPTER 3Joint Rejuvenation: Pain-Free Sanity


Also realize that exercise is key for blood flow to the joints and strengthening surrounding muscles for better stabilization. Use it or lose it rings especially true as you age.

For example, many older people complain of elbow pain. According to Joseph Horrigan, D.C., of the Soft Tissue Center in Marina del Rey, California, most elbow pain is caused by weakness and can be remedied by strengthening the wrist tendons and forearm muscles.

If the pain is on the inside of the joint, it's called “golfer's elbow.” The exercise to help alleviate that is wrist curls with a barbell or a dumbbell.

Place the length of your forearm along your thigh with your palm facing up. Lower your hand holding the weight down below the plane of your forearm, and then bend, or curl, it up.

You can work both arms at once with dumbbells or one arm at a time. You can also use a barbell, placing the lengths of your forearms along the tops of your thighs or on a bench. Perform a three-set or four-set F4X sequence, striving for 12 reps per set.

Pain on the outer side of the joint is called "tennis elbow” and can be remedied with reverse wrist curls. That's the same exercise as above, only your palm is facing downward and you will require much less weight.

Knee pain can be caused by a variety of odd stresses and positionings during activity. One of the best ways to strengthen your knee joints is by cycling. Riding a stationary bike safely strengthens the muscles on the inside of your knees and keeps your kneecaps centered. Weighted squats, pictured at right, also fortify the knee joints as well as build the leg muscles. It's included in all of our workouts in this e-book. [Note: Becky has had knee surgery, so sometimes accidents happen and even strong knees won't prevent damage.]

Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls can relieve elbow pain as your strength improves.

The squat strengthens knees as well as your core, including abs and lower back. A version of it is included in all F4X workouts.


Back pain is the most common problem. According to Bottom Line Health, most of it is caused by "prolonged sitting (get up every 45 minutes) or by lifting heavy objects the wrong way, but other factors contribute to back pain, including excess body weight, stress and depression.... Most important are exercises that strengthen the muscles in the back, chest, abdomen, hips and sides.”

Get on a weight-training program. It's the best way to strengthen your entire body, including your core muscles. The programs in this e-book are designed with that in mind. Key exercises include dumbbell squats, semi-stiff-legged deadlifts (top right) and abdominal crunches (top left).

Speaking of abdominals, a bloated belly is often the cause of lower-back aches and pains. The excess weight on the front of your torso pulls the spine forward, putting damaging stress on your vertebrae. The best thing you can do for your back is eat better, exercise and reduce that gut!

In the meantime you can use a Rumble Roller to get some relief. It's a knobby cylinder on which you roll your lower back. The principle behind it is myofascial release, a type of massage that focuses on

correcting restrictions of movement. You can use it on your legs, hips and even torso. Just assume the correct position and roll away your pain.

http://www.home-gym.com/rrcx127.html

http://www.home-gym.com/rrcx127.html


Shoulder pain is another common complaint, and it's usually a problem with the rotator cuff, the muscles that surround and stabilize your shoulder joint. An excellent exercise to shore up your rotator cuff is the forward rotation with one dumbbell.

You must use very light weight on these—in fact, if you do them at home, you could start out with a novel or some other fairly large book—but not too large. Simply sit on the floor next to a chair or ottoman, prop up your elbow so your upper arm is perpendicular to your torso and your forearm is vertical. Then rotate your forearm forward until your arm is parallel to the floor, pause, then raise it back to vertical. (See the photos above.)

There are other exercises you can do from various angles, as the rotator cuff complex is a number of small muscles that support the shoulder joint. For more information see the excellent book 7-Minute Rotator Cuff Solution by Joseph Horrigan, D.C., and Jerry Robinson.

Adding On to Your F4X LEAN WorkoutYou can use any of the exercises in this chapter to help remedy specific joint

pain. The best strategy is to add the ancillary exercise to the end of your F4X LEAN Workout. For example, if you’re having shoulder pain, add the forward rotation exercise pictured above once you've completed your four F4X moves shown on page 18.

Squats are already included, but you can add any of the other exercises in this chapter, depending on what joint you need to strengthen. You could add wrist curls and/or reverse wrist curls for your elbows or semi-stiff-legged deadlifts for your lower back, etc.

http://www.home-gym.com/7rocu.html

http://www.home-gym.com/7rocu.html


Okay, time out. Before we give you the next level of weight training, we want to give your motivation a boost. After all, weight training can be intimidating, but make no mistake: Lifting weights is very, very important as you age—in fact, it's crucial. Don't take our words for it. Here's a quote

from "Barbell Training is Big Medicine" by Jonathon Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., an emergency physician (full article published at StartingStrength.com) that you should read if your drive ever begins to subside:

“Aging in America and other industrialized nations [is] a living hell of progressive weakness, obesity, inactivity, shrinking horizons, sexual impotence, decreased expectations, mounting despair, a growing list of expensive drugs, learned helplessness, sickness, and pain. It’s being ‘All Done At 60’...or 50. It’s a life of waiting to die from a skin infection or a broken hip or a clot, of needing a stupid little f#%ing go-cart to get from here to there, of not being able to reach your own ass to wipe it, of narcotizing yourself with alcohol,

cigarettes, ‘American Idol’ and Doritos so you don’t have to face your own grim existence as a slowly rotting Jabba The Hut. I see it every day. We call

CHAPTER 4Get Motivated: Promise, Commitment, Change


it ‘old-itis.’ A joke, I guess, but an obscene one. This gruesome avatar of aging offends the eye, the mind, and the spirit, and it cries out for both compassion and correction.

“Strength training is a macroscopic growth factor, countersignalling all of this evil shit. This is not my wishful extrapolation of cellular phenomena to the human sphere. It’s a medical observation, supported by study after study. Research with elderly subjects indicates that resistance training improves overall function and strength, enhances bone density and balance adaptations, and improves the metabolic profiles and glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes. A landmark 2008 study of nearly 9000 men followed for an average of nearly 20 years showed that muscular strength is inversely associated with death from all causes, even when adjusting for fitness and cardiovascular health.

“Instead of slowly getting weaker and sicker and circling the drain in a protracted, painful descent that can take hellish years or even decades, we can squeeze our dying into a tiny sliver of our life cycle. Instead of slowly dwindling into an atrophic puddle of sick fat, our death can be like a failed last rep at the end of a final set of heavy squats. We can remain strong and vital well into our last years, before succumbing rapidly to whatever kills us. Strong to the end.”

Thank you, Dr. Sullivan! That's powerful stuff right there. Remember, you must make training and eating right a habit—it's critically important! We have discovered that success in every area of your life becomes almost effortless once it becomes part of your lifestyle.

That means programming your subconscious to believe you have already attained it. As the philosopher Neville said, “Make your future dream a present fact, by assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled." Visualize and feel your new, healthy, transformed body. That will program your subconscious mind.

Remember, at one point in time tying your shoes was an effort—that eventually became automatic thanks to your subconscious. Later in life, getting to work without directions would have been impossible. At work you had a learning curve while you were introduced to your new duties. Once you learn these things and do them on a consistent basis, you do them without much effort. When was the last time you had to concentrate while tying your shoes? Have you ever driven home from work and you were supposed to stop by the grocery store but forgot until you were in

——————Success in every area of your life becomes almost effortless once it becomes part of your lifestyle.


your driveway and had to face your spouse? Of course, we all do that. We are on auto pilot. How about your responsibilities at work? You can do a lot of them now without thinking, can’t you?

Here's how to do that with healthful diet and exercise:

4 Simple Steps to Create a Lifestyle Habit1) Find your “why,” which is your purpose.

2) Put a plan together (which is what this e-book is about).

3) Identify disempowering habits.

4) Replace disempowering habits with empowering habits on a regular basis to close the loop.

Basically, habits are the foundry of your success. If you need help, there is something that can simplify and automate the process called Habit Foundry. You can find it here: http://habitfoundry.com.

A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools.

• Habits are the foundries that “cast” your life!

• Empowering habits lift your life to incredible heights.

• Disempowering habits can destroy your life.

Rachel McLish, the first Ms. Olympia, on the cover of IM at age 47. She is one of Becky's inspirations.

http://www.habitfoundry.com



Many have said it takes 21 days to form a habit. That's true for smaller habits, but to make permanent lifestyle changes that really transform your life, it can take a bit longer—21 days, 30 days, or 60 days—no one really knows because it's an individual thing.

We do know that it takes consistency—and your imagination and visuallization can help you maintain that consistency, cultivate that positive habit—working toward a healthy, fit body. Neville also said these powerful words:

“A change of feeling is a change of destiny.... If this assumption is persisted in until it becomes your dominant feeling, the attainment of your ideal is inevitable.”

Dr. Wayne Dyer, in his Wishes Fulfilled, uses “I am (blank)” as a mantra to program the subconsious. Before bed you can repeat things like "I am fit," “I am healthy and happy,” “I am consistent in my eating and workouts,” etc.

If you've never lifted weights before, make a promise to yourself to follow the F4X LEAN Workout in the previous chapter and eat fairly cleanly for 30 days, no excuses (sample diets are coming up). You will start feeling terrific, begin seeing physical changes, and we are positive that your life will change forever! Imagine it!

——————Make a promise to yourself to follow the F4X LEAN Workout and eat fairly cleanly for 30 day, no excuses....We are positive that your life will change forever!

“Start by deciding that health, fitness and physicality are going to be your lifestyle—not your hobby, not your eight-week deal before a vacation, not some transient thing. Look at it logically. You have a finite number of years on this planet, no matter what you decide. You can decide to live them with the greatest amount of energy and the highest chances of survival well into your later years by making fitness and nutrition a lifestyle rather than a hobby—or you can dabble at it and waste your time, perhaps even taking years from your life.”

—Jon Benson, author Fit Over 40

http://www.jonbensonfitness.com/go/jrandsh/fof


CHAPTER 5F4X Automatic Cardio and the Forgotten Key to Leanness

Most people think that lifting weights is only for building muscle; however, it's also one of the best ways to burn fat. Let's go back to Dr. Lodge (from Younger Next Year):

“The wave of repair and regeneration goes on for hours after [muscle-taxing] exercise, and your body runs in high gear the whole time, burning extra fat to replenish the energy in your muscles, to rebuild glucose stores and the tissue.... You burn far more fat recovering from [this type of] exercise than you ever will on the treadmill. It's the great hidden trick to weight loss—stepping out of the gym, but still running your metabolism hard for the rest of the day.”

That’s some fantastic stuff right there. Lifting builds your body and at the same time keeps you burning fat for hours and/or days after your workout. Sure, some cardio can help you get leaner, but weight training is the big key. If you just use cardio, it's like trying to win a football game only kicking field goals. Touchdowns give you more than twice the points—just as lifting weights can double or triple your fat-loss efforts.

If you feel you need cardio, in addition to what your F4X weight workout gives you, it's a good idea to continue keeping your heart rate up right after your lifting session or you can do extra cardio on your off days. Right after a workout is when your blood is clear of sugar—you burned it all off lifting. That means your cardio will tap into bodyfat stores almost immediately.

Steve and Becky working out together. Weight training is a miracle muscle builder and fat melter.


About 20 minutes should do the trick.

If you do cardio on off days, go for 45 minutes—and take it outside if you can. Biking is best—it can actually strengthen your knees. You need to get your heart rate up and keep it up, but not so high that you can't carry on a conversation if you had to. Gasping for air is a good indication that you're going too hard. Intense cardio is okay sometimes, but save most of your intense pushing for the weights.

Cardio is especially important as you age because it keeps your heart and circulatory system healthy and pumping long and strong.

Luckily, our F4X System, with its short rests between sets, has a built-in cardio component. The bigger the muscle group, the more that's true. Training your upper legs will get you sufficiently breathless. That's a good thing for heart health and fat burning. Lifting moderate weights is also good for your joints, as we've mentioned. Still, you can benefit from extra cardio—maybe twice a week.

The Truth About Interval CardioYou may have heard that interval cardio is a superior way to burn

fat as compared to steady-state cardio, like slow jogging. What is interval cardio? A good example is on a running track: You sprint the straightaways and walk the curves.

So with interval cardio you are alternating fairly hard anaerobic work, sprints, with brief active recovery. If you think about it, that’s exactly what you’re doing when you train with the F4X System—a burst of fairly intense lifting followed by brief periods of recovery.

In fact, interval cardio works so well at burning fat because it creates a glycogen deficit—the sugar you get from carbs after your workout goes to muscle tissue instead of fat cells—and it ramps up your metabolism after the fact, during recovery. That's due to the muscle microtears that occurs during the sprints. All of that is also what occurs during and after your sets of F4X weightlifting workouts.

Does interval cardio work? Absolutely—but you will get as good or better effects with a multiple-exercise F4X workout because you target more muscles, not just your lower body.


There's nothing more motivating than seeing the before and after photos of someone who made a big change. But what motivated Becky was not someone else's pictures but seeing exactly how she looked in a bathing suit (photo below) after slacking on her workouts for a decade to raise our two daughters. Hear her:

"The old saying is, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ In my case my before picture evoked a thousand emotions—primarily disgust and depression. I didn’t realize I looked like that till I saw those awful photos. It’s amazing how your mind can play tricks on you when you look in a mirror.

“On top of that, clothes can help reinforce the denial. Throw on a baggy shirt and some jeans, and, see, you don’t look fat at all. Amazing. It’s so easy to hide it—even from yourself. And men do it too. It’s hard to deny the truth, however, when you see a photograph of yourself in a bathing suit head-on. Now, that’s a slap of reality—and in my case the reality was worse than anything the folks at ‘Fear Factor’ could dream up.”

To make things even more gut-wrenching, our daugh ters, Chelsea and Lindsey, kept saying, “Mommy, you’re fat.” As her supportive husband, Steve had been encouraging her—after all, he was the editor in chief of IRON MAN magazine that celebrates the fitness lifestyle. He told her that once she started and was consistent, changes would happen fast. (It's that habit/lifestyle thing we talked about in Chapter 4.)

CHAPTER 6Transformation SensationBreaking Out of the Chub Club

Becky before. This was her motivating image of herself.


She began to work out in the fall, but it was one of many false starts. Her first before pictures were taken in September. The problem was she just couldn’t commit completely. She went to the gym a few times in September but didn’t stick with it. She decided that Thanksgiving would be her starter pistol; then she put it off till Christmas, New Year’s and, finally, her birthday at the end of February.

She’d gone through her first few years in her 40s in perhaps her worst shape ever—not a good way to enter the prime of life. She finally made a promise to herself: It was time to change and prove to herself that she could achieve her best shape ever and be a happier, healthier person. Making that serious commitment is one of the most important steps.

She started light, similar to the F4X LEAN Workout. She began going to the gym three days a week and gradually training more intensely. For extra calorie burn she walked a couple of days a week, but that was it for cardio the first six weeks. She introduced slow jogging twice a week after that, doing one to two miles a session. What about diet?

“The first thing I did was stop eating junk and fast carbs, especially after 8:00 p.m. That took some weight off me immediately, as I often had ice cream or other goodies late—which is how I got in that horrible before shape in the first place. If I got a craving, I’d have a big glass of water with lemon squeezed in. That was refreshing and usually killed the urge to splurge.

“My next step was to add protein to every meal. That's necessary to increase the metabolism and to replenish and build muscle. Yes, I was trying to build muscle because I’ve learned that the more muscle I add to my frame, the more calories I burn. Was I afraid of getting too big? Of course not. As a woman I know my hormones won’t allow it, so I trained to build muscle—and it worked!” (Becky's meal-by-meal diet is in an upcoming chapter.)

Becky after.


She did her after photos in mid-July—about four months after she finally got serious. Getting there wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be.

“I kicked myself for all those false starts that were caused by my feelings of being overwhelmed. The ‘thousand words’ my after photos are worth now include pride, accomplishment and satisfaction. I’ve taped my before and after pictures together side by side and

placed them in my closet so I can see them every morning as I get dressed. That before shot is a constant reminder to stay the course.”

Postscript: Becky recently had knee surgery in her late 40s due to a dog-walking mishap—she stepped in a hole and hyperextended her knee. After six months of downtime, she has gotten out of shape—not to the point of her previous

before shot, but out of shape nonetheless. She has recommitted to get her body back. Look for progress reports in Steve's blog, Built for Life, at IronManMagazine.com.



1) Walk. Adopt a dog from the pound and walk it every day (I have two, and I love them dearly). If you can't get a dog get out and walk at least a few blocks as often as possible.

2) Try a trainer. Splurge on a trainer at the gym for a session every so often. He or she can show you new exercises and correct your form if you're inexperienced. (There are some nutty ones out there, so be careful—standing on a ball while you exercise is not good!)

3) Eat vegetables every day. With microwave ovens, steamers freezers and refrigerators, there's no excuse not to.

4) Get more fiber. Increasing your vegetable intake will help, but also go for fibrous fruit, like apples and pears, beans and nuts.

5) Drink water constantly. Carry a bottle with you; it can help crush cravings in a pinch, and proper hydration keeps you burning fat, improving your kidney and liver functions.

6) Don't skip meals. You need to keep your metabolism stoked not starving. A little protein is key.

7) Have sex multiple times a week. Hey, Steve put that one in, but he's right. Intimacy helps improve your health and well being.

8) Brush your teeth early in the evening. That can help prevent you from eating junk at night.

9) Lift weights at least three times a week. You want growth signals to counteract decay. The F4X System is the perfect way.

10) Sleep at least seven straight hours every night. Rest without interruption is important. It will keep your growth hormone surging and bodyfat purging. (You get your biggest GH surge in the first few hours of sleep.)

Becky's 10 Old School, New Body Transformation Tips


We want to repeat that the F4X LEAN Workout performed three days a week can work wonders for you the rest of your life. But if you're like Becky when she was transforming her body, you'll want to graduate to something a bit more extensive to speed up the process. The three-days-per-week mix in this chapter is an excellent step up.

We remind you that if you haven't trained with weights in a while, or ever, break in easy. Getting too sore can kill your motivation and derail your drive. If you're starting out, follow the same F4X LEAN Workout rules on page 19—two easy sets per exercise for two week, then increasing to three, etc.

With the program in this chapter you still train three days a week, but these are not full-body workouts—at least not in the strict sense. You will train multiple muscles at every

workout, but not directly, and you'll use different exercises.

For example, your arms appear to be getting only one workout a week, on Wednesdays when you do curls for biceps and pushdowns for triceps; however, your arms also get hit on Monday and Friday with bench presses, pulldowns and rows because those are compound moves—multiple muscles working together, including your arms. This is a great program, one that Steve has used and Becky as well, during her transformation.

This three-days-per-week program is designed to train the muscles hard, promote growth hormone release, give you plenty of recovery time and provide cardiovascular benefits due to the short rests between sets. It's all about growth to prevent decay no matter what your age.

Okay, let's get to the workouts—exercise illustrations and descriptions are at the end of this chapter...

CHAPTER 7The F4X SHAPE WorkoutLard-to-Hard Blast-Off

Kelly Smith.


F4X SHAPE Workout 1

Monday Poundage

Barbell or dumbbell

squats, 4 x 10

Leg extensions, 3 x 10

Semi-stiff-legged

deadlifts, 4 x 10

Leg curls, 3 x 10

Bench presses, 4 x 10

Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10

Pulldowns, 4 x 10

Machine rows, 3 x 10

Dumbbell upright

rows, 4 x 10

Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 40 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated number of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10, add weight at your next workout.

Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower it—four seconds per repetition.


F4X SHAPE Workout 2

Wednesday Poundage

Barbell or dumbbell

squats, 4 x 10

Standing calf

raises, 4 x 10

Dumbbell upright

rows, 4 x 10

Concentration curls

or barbell curls, 4 x 10

Triceps

pushdowns, 4 x 10

Wrist curls, 3 x 10

Kneeups, 3 x 10

Crunches, 3 x 10




F4X SHAPE Workout 3

Friday Poundage

Barbell or dumbbell

squats, 4 x 10

Leg extensions, 3 x 10

Leg curls, 4 x 10

Standing calf

raises, 4 x 10

Incline dumbbell

presses, 4 x 10


Pulldowns, 4 x 10

Machine rows, 3 x 10

Dumbbell upright

rows, 4 x 10




F4X SHAPE Workout Tips and Reminders1) If you're a beginner, do two sets of each exercise for two weeks,

both sets should be fairly easy. Weeks three and four up it to three sets of each exercise, and push your last set in the sequence to muscular failure—until you can't get another rep in perfect form. Week five move to the full program as listed.

2) The ideal rep speed is one-second to lift the weight (positive stroke) and three seconds to lower (negative stroke); always keep your form strict. Breathe out as you lift (one second), breathe in as you lower (three seconds)—you can take one to three short breaths as you lower on longer-stroke exercises like squats, then breathe out forcefully as you push up the weight.

3) Rest 30 to 40 seconds between sets—wear a watch with a secondhand or carry a timer (some smart phones have them built in).

4) When you can get 10 reps on your last set that you push to failure, add a small amount of weight to that exercise at your next workout—or try to get 11 reps on all sets.

5) Your arms get plenty of indirect stimulation on Monday and Friday from torso exercises such as presses, rows, pulldowns, etc. Therefore, the one direct arm workout on Wednesday is enough for optimal growth stimulation.

6) You can stick to this program, rotating in the F4X LEAN Workout when time is tight—and get excellent results for the rest of your life. In other words, you don't ever have to do more than this to get amazing physique-transforming, fat-blasting, anti-aging effects of lifting—and for many the four exercises in the F4X LEAN Workout will be sufficient. [Note: If you're interested in an advanced program, see the BUILD Workout in the last chapter of this e-book.]


F4X and First-T-Burst TrainingIn this program as well as the F4X LEAN Workout, you begin each session with

squats. That's not a random choice—squats are a proven testosterone booster if you do them correctly. Here's what researcher Jacob and Gabriel Wilson, two respected Ph.D.s, discovered:

"Researchers found large changes in testosterone following a moderate-intensity protocol [70% 1RM, multiple subfailure sets of squats], and no significant increases were found after numerous sets performed at 100 percent intensity [1RM].... It appears the greater rise in testosterone may be the result of greater metabolic stress, such as increases in lactic acid following moderate-intensity, rather than maximal-intensity, training. Moderate intensity, high-volume exercise—eight to 12 reps and more than four sets—leads to greater increases in testosterone than low-volume, maximal-intensity exercise." (Med Sci Sports Exerc. 36(9):1499-1506. 2004.; J Appl Physiol. 74(2):882-887. 1993.)

That's great news because keeping testosterone levels up is good for both men and women. It helps you burn fat, bolsters your immune system and, oh yeah, jacks up your libido. And to get it, you don't have to lose your lunch.

It also supercharges the muscle-building process. And if you get a burst of T first, with squats as your leadoff exercise, the muscle groups you train after get better growth effects. Back to the Wilson brothers, who checked out a study that had subjects train their arms after squats compared to subjects who trained arms alone:

"As predicted, the arms trained with legs achieved an increase in the biceps peak—while no changes occurred in the arms trained alone. The arms trained with legs also had greater relative improvement in biceps curl strength than the arms trained alone as well as other favorable muscle adaptations.... Studies suggest that training large body parts before smaller ones increases the smaller body parts’ growth; however, the opposite is not true—if you train legs after arms, you will see no benefits.”

That's all very important information if you want a fast fat-to-muscle transformation—squats first with F4X produces better muscle and fitness effects.


Squats (barbell or dumbbells). Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart and your toes pointing outward. The bar should rest across your upper back and rear delts. Squat until your thighs are just below parallel to the floor—no bouncing—then immediately drive back up to

the starting position. Keep your torso as vertical as possible. This works all the muscles on the front of your thighs, with help

from surrounding muscle groups, including hips and back. Some people find barbell squats awkward or uncomfortable. You can substitute the dumbbell version, as pictured (we usually prefer it).

Leg extensions. Position yourself on a leg extension machine and extend your lower legs until your knees lock. Hold for a count, then lower under control. This isolates your front-thigh muscles, or quads.

Semi-stiff-legged deadlifts. Begin from a standing position with a barbell or dumbbells hanging at arm’s length in front of your thighs. Bend forward, keeping your back as flat as possible and your knees slightly bent, and lower the weight to mid-shin level only. Reverse your movement and pull yourself into the upright position. This works your hamstrings with help from your lower-back and hip muscles.

Leg curls. From a facedown position on a leg curl machine, curl the weight up to as close to your glutes as possible. Hold for a count, then slowly lower to

the starting position. Keep your feet flexed toward your shins throughout the movement. This isolates your hamstrings.


Bench presses. Keep your rear end on the bench as you lower the bar to your low-pec line. As soon as the bar touches your chest, drive it back to arm’s length. Use a grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder width. This works your chest, or pecs, with the help of surrounding muscle groups. Tip: Think about pushing the bar up and back over your eyes, not straight up. Also, don't completely lock your arms at the top—keep tension on your chest muscles.

Flat-bench flyes. Lie on a flat bench while holding two dumbbells over your chest, with your palms facing each other. Keep a slight bend in your elbows as you lower the ’bells down till your arms are perpendicular to your torso. Reverse the movement and return to the starting position. This is more of a pec-isolation exercise than the bench press.

Incline dumbbell presses. Lie on a 30 degree incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Press the weights from your shoulders to arm’s length over your face. Touch the inside plates together just before your elbows lock, then lower slowly. This works your upper chest with the help of surrounding muscle groups.

Pulldowns. Grip a pulldown bar with your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart and pull the bar straight down to your upper chest. Try to keep your torso as upright as

possible throughout the movement. This works your lats, the muscles that run from your armpits to your waist, with the help of surrounding muscle groups.


Machine rows. With your chest against the torso-support pad, grip the handle with your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart.

Pull the bar up to your abdomen with your arms angled away from your torso. This works your upper-middle back, or the trapezius muscles, with the help of surrounding muscle groups. You can also do these bent over with a

barbell or dumbbells, torso parallel to the floor and keeping your back flat, or do it on a weight-stack rowing machine.

Dumbbell upright rows. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand. Pull the dumbbells up along the sides of your torso till the inside plates are near your armpits. Pull the dumbbells up and out to simulate a wide grip at the top. This works your shoulders with the help of surrounding muscle groups.

Standing calf raises. Stand with your shoulders under the pads and the balls of your feet on the elevated foot plate. Keep your knees almost locked and push up on your toes as high as possible. Hold for a count, then lower slowly as far as possible. This isolates the gastrocnemius, or calf, muscles.

Concentration curls. Take a dumbbell in your right hand, bend forward until your torso is at a 90 degree angle to the floor and let

your arm hang straight down, parallel to your legs. Curl the dumbbell up to your shoulder with minimal upper-arm movement, pause for a count at the top, then lower slowly. Repeat with your other arm. You can also do these seated, with your working arm braced against your inner thigh. If concentration curls are awkward, you can do standing barbell or dumbbell curls instead.


Pushdowns. Connect a short bar to an overhead pulley, take an overhand grip with your thumbs about eight inches apart and pull the bar to your low-pec line. From this starting position, drive the bar down with minimal upper-arm movement—keep your arms pinned to your sides—until they’re fully extended and your triceps are contracted. Pause for a count,

then slowly release back to the starting position.

Wrist curls. Sit at the end of a flat bench, with your forearms resting on your thighs or the bench and your hands hanging off, gripping a barbell with your palms facing up. Curl the bar without

moving your arms. Use forearm power alone. Lower slowly and repeat. This works your forearm flexors. This exercise can help relieve elbow pain. You can also do it with palms facing down to train the extensors, the top of the forearms. (See Chapter 3 for how these moves can help relieve specific elbow afflictions.)

Kneeups. Lie on your back on a bench. Raise your legs as you bend your knees and pull your thighs into your chest. Your hips should curl up off the bench as your knees come into your chest. Hold for a count, then lower and repeat. You should eventually go to a slant board, with your head at the high end (pictured far right).

Incline kneeups.


CHAPTER 8The F4X All-Dumbbell WorkoutInstant At-Home, New-Body Solution

When you're first starting out, commercial gyms may intimidate you. Or maybe you just don't have the extra time to drive there, park, work out and drive home. Or perhaps you just like the convenience of working out in your own house (hey, go ahead and train in your underwear; who's going to see?).

Any way you slice it, a bare-bones home gym consisting of a selectorized dumbbell set and an adjustable bench is a convenience whether you want to train exclusively at home or simply like the option of doing a workout in your living room or den every so often when you don't feel like dealing with the gym (and other people's sweat).

With only a selectorized dumbbell set, an adjustable bench and the F4X method, you can get a heck of a workout, whether you're just starting out or you're a more advanced trainee. The 3-set and 4-set sequences make home-gym training a real, result-producing option—and you don't need a lot of weight.

As we said, the four-move F4X LEAN Workout will work for you for as long as you want it to, but the program on the next few pages is a more extensive option. It's adapted from the SHAPE program in the previous chapter, so it's three days per week using semi-full-body workouts—but each one is a bit different. And, yes, they all incorporate First-T-Burst training—squats up front—to supercharge your results....


F4X All-Dumbbell Workout 1

Monday Poundage

Squats, 4 x 10

Semi-stiff-legged

deadlifts, 4 x 10

Bench presses, 4 x 10


Undergrip rows, 4 x 10

Stiff-arm kickbacks, 3 x 10

Incline rows, 3 x 10

Upright rows, 4 x 10





Wednesday Poundage

Squats, 4 x 10


Lateral raises, 3 x 10

Concentration curls

or standing curls, 4 x 10

Kickbacks, 4 x 10

Wrist curls, 3 x 10

Kneeups, 4 x 10

Crunches, 4 x 10





Friday Poundage

Squats, 4 x 10

Semi-stiff-legged

deadlifts, 4 x 10

One-leg calf

raises, 4 x 10

Incline presses, 4 x 10


Undergrip rows, 4 x 10

Stiff-arm kickbacks, 3 x 10

Incline rows, 4 x 10





F4X All-Dumbbell Workout ExercisesSquats

• Stand with a dumbbell in each hand at arm's length at the sides of your thighs.

• Look straight ahead and maintain a flat lower back and upright torso as you squat.

• Squat to a depth at which your thighs are just below parallel to the floor.

• Don’t pause at bottom of the movement and don't bounce.

• Drive up to a point just before your knees lock, then execute another repetition immediately, no pause at the top.

Semi-stiff-legged deadlifts

• Keep a slight bend in your knees and your back flat throughout the movement.

• Lower the dumbbells to midshin level, keeping them close to your legs.

• When you reach midshin level, reverse the movement with no bounce.

• Don’t pause at the top or bottom.

One-leg calf raises

• Place the ball of one foot on a calf block or step, near a sturdy upright or wall.

• Hold a dumbbell in the hand on the same side as your working leg at arm's length by your outer thigh.

• With your heel down below the plane of the block, stretching your calf, keep your knee locked and rise up on your toes.

• Hold for a count in the top flexed position, then lower your heel slowly back below the plane of the block.

• Maintain a slow, controlled cadence with no pause at the bottom of each rep.


Bench presses

• With a dumbbell in each hand, sit on the end of a bench and place the end of each ’bell on your lower thigh.

• Use the momentum of your legs to get the dumbbells to your chest as you quickly lie back on the bench.

• Keep your chest high with a slight arch in your lower back as you drive the dumbbells to arm's length over your chest.

• Don't allow the dumbbells to clang together or even touch, and don't lock out your elbows. When you reach this top position, immediately lower the ’bells to your chest and begin another rep.

Flyes

• Keep a slight bend in your elbows at all times.

• Lower the dumbbells out in an arc till they are on the same plane as your torso.

• When you reach the stretch position, reverse the movement with no bounce (do not pause).

• Pull the dumbbells back up over your chest; pause and squeeze your chest for a count at the top of each rep.

Kickbacks

• Keep your upper arms as motionless as possible at your sides.

• Hold at the top for a count to contract your triceps.

• Don’t pause at the bottom.

• You can do these one arm at a time or with both arms at the same time.


Upright rows

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand at arm's length in front of your thighs, palms facing your legs.

• Pull the dumbbells up and out, so that when your upper arms are parallel with the floor, the ’bells are outside your outer chest.

• Lower under control and repeat, no pause at the top or bottom.

Lateral raises

• Start with the dumbbells touching in front of your thighs.

• Keep a slight bend at your elbows and lean slightly forward.

• Raise your arms till the dumbbells are almost at shoulder level.

• Hold for a brief count at the top.

• Don’t lean back; stay leaning slightly forward and focus on lifting your elbows.

Undergrip rows

• Take a dumbbell in each hand, bend over at the waist and extend the ’bells at arm's length below your chest with your palms facing away from you (curl grip).

• Bend your elbows as you pull the dumbbells up to your upper abdomen; no pause at the top or bottom.

If you have lower-back issues, train one arm at a time...


Stiff-arm kickbacks

• Take a dumbbell in each hand, bend over at the waist and extend the ’bells at arm's length below your chest with your palms facing each other (hammer grip).

• With our elbows locked, raise the dumbbells in an arc till they are at hip level; hold for a count, flexing your back muscles, then lower.

Incline rows

• Take a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing back, and support your chest on a high incline bench.

• Bend your arms at the elbows as you pull the dumbbells up to your chest, no pause at the top or bottom.

•You can also do these without a bench, bending over at the waist and maintaining your torso at slightly higher than 90 degrees.

Concentration curls

• Keep your upper arm stationary throughout the movement.

• Don’t pause at the bottom.

• Pause at the top for a count and flex your biceps.

• You can also do these seated with your working arm braced against the inside of your thigh.

• If these are awkward, do standing dumbbell curls instead, curling the 'bells simulatneously.


Crunches

• Lie on the floor with your lower legs on a bench, knees bent at 90 degree angles.

• Keep your hands on your chest.

• Curl your torso toward your thighs to contract your abs.

• Hold for a count to flex your abs, then lower slowly till your upper back touches the floor, but don't pause.

• Don't jerk your head and/or torso forward; use a smooth repetition cadence.

All-Dumbbell Workout DVD

For video of all of these exercises

as well as variations on this program,

see the "All-Dumbbell Workout” DVD,

available from Home-Gym Warehouse.

It's motivational and informational with

loads of exercise techniques and tips.

Starring Greg Plitt, one of Hollywood's

top bodies.

Muscle Soreness Stokes Fat BurningWhether you're new to weight training or experienced, you may get

muscle soreness after your workouts. It can be uncomfortable, but don't let that discourage you or sap your motivation to keep at it. In fact, mild muscle soreness is a positive because it means you worked hard and created some microtrauma in the myofibrils, the force-generating strands in the muscle fibers. Why is that a positive? For one thing, it means those strands will repair slightly larger and stronger. But the biggest reason to embrace mild muscle soreness is because it indicates your body must ramp up your metabolism to repair it. In other words, you're burning more bodyfat 24/7 as the rebuilding process happens. In a way, mild muscle sorenes can help create a leaner physique.

http://www.home-gym.com/allduwodvd.html

http://www.home-gym.com/allduwodvd.html


Home-Gym Power ToolEven if you have a commercial-gym membership, having a basic home

gym can be a godsend for consistency. You may not be in the mood to head out of the house, or you may just want to do a quick workout, like F4X LEAN, due to time constraints or simply the need for variation (or maybe you feel like a workout wearing your kid's superhero costume—fantasy can be fun).

Old-style adjustable dumbbells, the kind with screw-on collars, will do in a pinch, but you waste a lot of time changing plates. That's why we highly recommend selectorized dumbbells, like the PowerBlock set.

With a pair of PowerBlocks, you simply move the U-shaped pin up or down the weight stack on each ’bell to change the weight. Then when you pull the Block away from the stand, the unpinned plates stay put and you have the weight in your hand you selected. Ingenious.

A PowerBlock set is a lot more efficient than regular adjustable dumbbells and it takes up very little space compared to a rack of fixed dumbbells you see in a gym. It's like having an entire set of 'bells in the area of two shoe boxes.

Even better, a Power-Block set and an adjustable bench is all you need for a killer home gym! You can do the F4X LEAN Workout or the entire All-Dumbbell Workout, and with the F4X method you don't need excessive poundage.

We recommend the 90s set for men; women can usually get by with the 45-pound set (Becky has the 45-pound set and an adjustable bench at home for quick F4X workouts). Both sets, as well as other variations, are available at Home-Gym.com. And don't forget to get a sturdy, quality adjustable bench too.

http://www.home-gym.com/eliteset550.html

http://www.home-gym.com/eliteset550.html

http://www.home-gym.com

http://www.home-gym.com/proadbe.html

http://www.home-gym.com/proadbe.html


When it comes to carbs, there's a "sponge-worthiness” of muscles in relation to those sugar-containing foods. A trained muscle will “suck up” carbs you eat. We think you'll agree that muscle is a much better place to store carbs than fat cells. That’s one of the big reasons people get fat and stay fat—they eat too many carbs and don't lift weights, so there's no place to put the carbs except to stuff them into their fat cells.

But when you train your muscles with F4X, you deplete glycogen in the muscle fibers. Glycogen is the sugar in carbs, and it's stored in the sarcoplasm of those fibers. So after your F4X workout, you've created a glycogen deficit. Now you have a place for the carbs you eat to be stored without making you fat.

Most people do not train their muscles at all, so there's never a glycogen deficit. When carbs are not burned through intense activity and/or stored in muscle, they convert to artery-clogging triglycerides and get stuffed into your fat cells. Keep in mind that you burn very little sugar during light daily activity like walking around or even

running, so you burn off very little glycogen during the day. (Jog a mile and you burn about 100 calories, 25 grams of carbs, the number in two slices of bread—not much.)

Now, most of the time when we say “carbs,” we’re primarily talking about high-glycemic carbs like candy, chips, pastries, desserts, bread, pasta and so on. These are also known as white, processed or "fast" carbs.

CHAPTER 9Lean-Machine Diet Facts and Fallacies


Note that vegetables are not on the list. Vegetables are primarily fibrous carbs with a slow release. That means there's no insulin surge from your pancreas when you eat them. That's a good thing because the more insulin in your bloodstream, the more potential for fat storage. Remember that: Insulin high, fat-storage high. When your insulin is up, your fat-burning switch is turned off. By the way, with microwave ovens and frozen packaging, there's no excuse not to eat vegetables every day.

Most fruits are medium-release carbs; they’re okay, but in moderation—for example, a couple of pieces of fruit each day. (We'll usually have an apple with lunch and maybe one more serving before our workout or midafternoon.)

Now with all this talk about carbs, you may think we're driving the Atkins bandwagon, using bacon as a buggy whip, but not quite. Dr. Atkins reasoning is fairly sound, but we are not no-carb or extreme-low-carb disciples. Carbs are necessary for energy and brain function—and, if you work out, you need even more for muscle recovery.

Unfortunately, most people rely on bagels, pasta, doughnuts, soft drinks, sugary cereals and other processed carbs for the majority of their daily calorie intakes. They can total up around 400 grams a day, which is equivalent to 1,600 calories—four calories per gram. Top that off with a small amounts of protein here and there and some fat, and the daily calorie total goes to about 1,800 to 2,000. That doesn't sound like too much, but...

If all you do is sit at a desk all day, then go home, eat and watch TV, you need less than 150 grams of carbs a day for energy. You're not training your muscles, so you don't create a glycogen deficit. That means most of the remaining 250 grams of carbs you eat feed your fat cells (and can clog your arteries, as you'll see).

And even if you do work out hard, your total musculature and liver only house about 400 grams of carbs total—that's in your entire body. If you deplete, say, 150 grams in any one workout, you only need around 250 grams a day, if that, to stay in a healthy balance and replenish muscle. Remember, that's for someone who works out. Most people don't lift anything heavier than a Coke can and are getting two to three times that amount! No wonder obesity is out of control.

Your daily carb count is an individual matter, dependent on bodyweight, goals, activity and sensitivity. So what's the solution? Keep your carb intake

——————If you're not training your muscles, you don't create a glycogen deficit. That means most of the carbs you eat feed your fat cells.


moderate and eat only healthy carbs most of the time—you can splurge on desserts or whatever every so often; we do it once or sometimes twice a week as you'll see in the next chapter. And, of course, train your muscles a few days a week to create a glycogen deficit.

You also want to vary your carb intake almost every day—we call it zig-zagging—and up your protein intake so you preserve and rebuild your muscle tissue and stoke your metabolism. Some protein at every meal is a good rule of thumb. A bit of fat every so often is also good, primarily essential fatty acids found in fish, nuts and olive oil, to maintain hormones and enzyme function. (Nuts are a great snack, but you shouldn't eat more than a handful at any one sitting.) Don't fret; sample diets are coming up.

Lower Insulin, Higher Fat Loss

Okay, back to our average high-carb eater. That person is usually only eating, or gorging, two to three times a day. We recommend five or six smaller meals a day. Why? To keep blood sugar stable, lower insulin, prevent binges and keep your metabolism revved.

If you eat only two or three bigger meals a day, each one triggers insulin release. Remember, high insulin equals high fat storage—except right after a workout. So at every big meal you're storing more of your calories as fat. But there's more bad news....

In between those big meals your blood sugar dips once insulin sweeps the sugar to your fat cells for storage. Now you get cravings and either satisfy them with more food, usually junk to trigger more insulin and fat storage, or you resist and don't eat. Neither choice is good.

If you don't eat, your body goes into starvation mode and burns a bit of fat, but mostly it throws muscle into the energy furnace. Why? It believes muscle is expendable—so it's the first to go when there's a famine. And that's what your body thinks is happening—the start of starvation.

The Big 3 and Bigger Guts

So eating only two or even three big meals a day, along with excessive refined-carbohydrate intake (soft drinks are one of the worst), and no intense exercise are the reasons so many people are so freaking fat! People don’t eat often enough or the right foods to keep their blood sugar stable throughout the day.

——————You want to vary your carb intake almost every day—we call it zig-zagging.


The big three—or big two if you skip breakfast (don’t do it!)—can even prevent high-level athletes from getting that really lean look. The best example is pro basketball players.

Sure, most basketball players are thin, but you'd think they'd be shredded with extreme muscle definition and abs for days? But almost every player has a layer of fat and not a lot of muscle definition. The reason is diet and meal scheduling.

Most eat the normal three meals a day, and pretty much gorge at each of those to make up for the calorie deficit they create with all that running around. As we've explained, gorging promotes insulin surges and fat deposition, so they retain a layer of fat.

But even if you don’t stuff yourself at each feeding, eating three big meals a day is not conducive to getting lean. It’s the way to continually burn muscle and conserve fat. If you don’t spread out your food intake so you keep your blood sugar level stable all day long, that’s what happens—you burn muscle and build fat. And that is not conducive to getting an impressive, healthy new body.

What about eating only one meal a day. Yikes! That's even worse. Your body hordes even more bodyfat because it thinks it’s starving all day long, and your metabolism slows to a crawl.

Steve's father is a good example. He was skinny all his life until the middle-age spread hit. His solution: One meal a day at lunch (and, of course, he didn't exercise). The result: A big gut with small, weak muscles. He wouldn't listen to reason, continued his one-meal a day plan and retained his six-months-pregnant, or skinny-fat, look for his entire life—while eating only one meal a day! (He drank too, which didn't help, but we'll have more on alcohol and its effects later—not all are bad and you don't have to give it up completely, unless you're an addict.)

Understand this basic fact: When the starvation mechanism kicks in, your body will usually shovel muscle into the energy furnace. As far as your body is concerned, muscle is expendable; it’s denser than fat, so off it goes. You must do things—like lift weights and get smaller protein-charged feedings throughout the day—to convince your body that it needs to hold onto muscle and jettison the fat like the true ugly excess baggage that it is.


CHAPTER 10Eat More, Lose Fat, Build Muscle

Okay, so having five to six smaller protein-based meals a day is the best way to lose fat and build muscle. Sure, you’ve probably heard that, and you may believe it, but have you tried it? You have to make it a priority. Understand that it’s the only way to continually provide your body with the elements it needs for building muscle, revving your metabolism (more on that in a moment) and keeping your blood sugar stable to prevent cravings.

If your frequent small meals are the right percentages of carbs, protein and fat, insulin will be held in check so there’s very little, if any, fat storage. Soon you’ll have the lean body you're after faster than you can say six-pack (we’re talking abs here, not Dos Equiis).

Notice that we said every meal should include some protein. Why? Well, it keeps muscle-building amino acids circulating. That will protect muscle tissue, keeping it in a building mode instead of burning it for

energy. It also signals your body that building blocks are plentiful so muscle is good. You probably figured that out. But did you know that it stokes your metabolism and has a higher energy cost? That recent discovery explains why higher-protein diets are so effective at burning fat as well as building muscle.

A “higher energy cost” means that it takes more energy to digest protein. So you burn extra calories without doing a darned thing. Therefore, increasing your protein intake to replace some of your carbs will be like an


instant calorie reduction. Yep, more protein in your diet means you burn more calories. In fact, research indicates that a high-protein meal boosts postmeal thermic activity by 100 percent over what you get with a high-carb meal (Am Col Nutr, 21(1):55-61; 2002).

That's metabolic boost #1: With more protein you’re actually stoking your metabolism as well as building and maintaining muscle. And get this: The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Metabolic boost #2: Higher-protein diets help maintain thyroid hormone, your metabolism governor. It all adds up to more metabolic momentum that converts bodyfat to energy. (J Nutr, 133:411-417; 2003)

Wow! That all sounds great, but don’t fall into the trap of trying to eat all protein all the time. Carbs are important too. If you eat too much protein and not enough carbs, your body has to convert protein to glucose for energy. As we've said, glucose helps your muscles function as well as your brain. If you limit your carbs too much, your body must convert protein to fuel, which is called gluconeogenesis, and that results in waste products, too much of which can be toxic.

Bottom line: It's very important for you to eat protein-based meals throughout the day and include some good carbs in most of them. Small meals spread over the day allow you to eat fewer carbs at any one meal—and smaller meals with fewer carbs will limit or eliminate surges in fat-storing insulin. (Diet examples are coming up.)

Also remember this: Eating large meals with more carbs not only causes bodyfat accrual via insulin, it can also lead to heart disease. What? Emerging research shows that when you eat too many simple carbs, excess is converted to triglycerides so it can be stored as bodyfat. Triglycerides are what scientists have determined causes blocked arteries and heart disease. Double yikes! No wonder heart disease and obesity are rampant.

Insulin and Aging

Here's another fun fact: Frequent insulin spikes have been linked to faster aging. That's right, insulin makes you older faster (bet that got your attention). Cynthia Kenyon, Ph.D., of the University of California at San Francisco, recently conducted a study on genetic triggers of lifespan. As reported in the March/April ’11 Well Being Journal, Kenyon and colleagues experimented with roundworm C. elegans and discovered two genes that control longevity and youthfulness.

——————It's very important for you to eat protein-based meals throughout the day and include some good carbs in most of them.


The first was dubbed “Sweet Sixteen” because it made older worms behave like teenagers. The worms usually die around day 20 of their lives, but manipulating this gene had them living six to seven times longer—equivalent in human years to 450. Wow! Kenyon said, “The gene boosts compounds that make sure the skin and muscle-building proteins are working properly, and the immune system becomes more active.”

A second gene, nicknamed the “Grim Reaper,“ turns off the Sweet Sixteen gene and accelerates the aging process. One of the most interesting findings is that insulin helped activate the Grim Reaper gene—another reason you want to minimize insulin surges.

From those findings the researchers determined that there are ways we can turn off the Grim Reaper gene without any genetic re-engineering. Because it’s turned on by insulin, the first step is to avoid large meals and simple carbs, both of which produce excess insulin. Next is exercise, which increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin—you need less to clear sugar from your bloodstream, which means less pancreatic stress (your pancreas secretes insulin). Exercise also bolsters your immune system.

The low-insulin/longevity connection may be the reason diabetics often have shorter lifespans than nondiabetics—diabetics require frequent insulin injections, which would turn on the Grim Reaper gene.

The one time you can use an insulin surge is right after your workout. Studies show that at that time insulin drives postworkout carbs to muscle tissue, not fat cells. As we've mentioned, training with weights uses up lots of glycogen. Eating some fast carbs (sugar) immediately following a workout causes your body to release insulin so the glycogen stores can be replaced quickly and efficiently. It's the perfect time for carbs. In fact, some new studies show that chocolate milk is almost a perfect postworkout elixir because of its mix of fast carbs (sugar) and protein.

The amount of postworkout carbs you need can differ. Steve can get 60 grams without ill effects. Becky, being lighter, stays at 40 grams. The diet we helped John create has him take in only 20 grams because he's more carb sensitive. And we all include protein to insure that we build as much muscle as possible after every single workout.

We're talking about what we do, so let's get more specific. Here are how our diets look most of the time...

——————Researchers determined that there are ways we can turn off the Grim Reaper gene.... The first step is to avoid large meals and simple carbs, both of which produce excess insulin.


Meal 11 bowl oatmeal mixed with

one scoop of Pro-Fusion protein powder and a quar-ter cup of 1% milk

1 cup orange juice1 cup coffee

Meal 2Muscle Meals

meal replacement in water, 1 packet

PreworkoutV8 (low sodium, 5.5-ounce can)Raisins (small handful)

Meal 3*Postworkout shake

RecoverX (60 grams fast carb, 40 grams fast pro-tein) + CreaSol (water-solu-ble creatine)

Meal 48 ounces cottage cheese with pineapple1 apple

Meal 5Muscle Meals, 1 packet

Meal 6 Broiled chicken or tuna or steakVegetables1-2 glasses winePro-Fusion, 1 scoop in water (optional)

Calories: 2,400Protein: 210 grams (37 percent)Fat: 75 grams (26 percent)Carbs: 210 grams (37 percent)

Steve Holman’s Daily Diet

Meal 1High-fiber cereal or oatmeal

(with glass of 1% milk) or two scrambled eggs

One piece fruit1 cup coffee

Meal 2Muscle Meals

meal replacement, 1 pack-et, or Pro-Fusion protein powder, 2 scoops in water

Meal 3 (postworkout)*RecoverX, 2 scoops in water or chocolate milk, 10 oz.

Meal 4Vanilla lowfat Greek yogurt

with pecans stirred in or lowfat cottage cheese with banana

Meal 5Pro-Fusion protein powder,

1 scoop in water or Think Thin or Quest protein bar

Meal 6ChickenBroccoli or asparagusWild rice


Becky Holman’s Daily Diet

http://www.home-gym.com/profusion.html




http://www.home-gym.com/muscle-meals-chocolate.html



http://www.home-gym.com/recposmeal.html

http://www.home-gym.com/recposmeal.html

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Meal 1Oatmeal with blueberriesProtein drink or 2-3 eggsCoffee or tea

Meal 2 (Postworkout)*Protein pudding or Muscle

Meals meal replacement, 1 packet, in water

Apple

Meal 3Grilled chicken breastLarge salad

with half sliced avocadowith olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Small yam

Meal 4Muscle Meals

meal replacement, 1 pack-et, in water

Meal 5Grilled white fishSteamed broccoliBrown rice, 1/2 cup


1 scoop in water or Greek yogurt


1 scoop in water or Greek yogurt


John Rowley’s Daily Diet

Keep in mind that in lean shape Steve weighs around 200 pounds, Becky weighs 135 to 140 and John weighs around 210. You'll notice a few commonalities with each of our diets:

•Many small meals spaced fairly evenly apart

•Protein at every feeding

•Enough fat for around 25 to 30 percent of calories

•Daily protein and carb intakes that are very close to the same (John is a bit more carb sensitive, so he strives for slightly lower carbs and higher protein—note that genetics plays a large role in how many carbs you can tolerate)

To get leaner, carbs can be gradually reduced over time. For example, when Steve is going for maximum leanness, he will delete his morning glass of orange juice and night time wine (most of the time) or reduce the carbs and increase protein in his postworkout drink (two scoops of Recover-X and one scoop of straight protein). Becky and John will reduce fruit and/or rice.







They may also reduce portions at some meals to gradually decrease calories over time, but the real keys are keeping protein in the bloodstream to build muscle and prevent it from being burned for energy—and no insulin surges. Remember, insulin causes the body to store fat and ages you. Surges in that hormone are caused by overly large meals and/or too many fast-absorbing carbohydrates, like soft drinks, desserts, bread, pasta, etc. Eat clean to get and stay lean.

Cheat Your Way to Victory

Speaking of carbs, notice in our diets that ours fluctuate. On nonworkout days we eliminate our postworkout drink and eat, say, a handful of nuts instead. That calorie/carb zig-zag keeps our metabolisms revved and burning fat. That metabolic boost happens with cheat meals too.

When anything is too restrictive, it won't work for long because we rebel. Eventually we crave ice cream or pizza. And that's why cheating is mandatory, although we now call it "victorious eating"—because that's a more positive spin—and it is positive.

We set aside one 24-hour period each week to loosen our diets. It's a Victory Day to reward ourselves for a week of eating excellence. We start on Saturday afternoon, maybe eat a burger with fries, grab some ice cream, eat a sandwich in front of the TV, or even get some sushi—heck, some of us even down a margarita or two.

Then on Sunday morning we're free to eat some waffles with the kids or even go to brunch with friends—complete with dessert if we want it. But by Sunday afternoon, we're sick of the freedom and craving a return to healthy eating. (Sometimes we will also allow ourselves a dessert on Wednesdays as well, but nothing excessive.)

The Victory Day is not only a mental break, but it's good for your goals as well. Your body gets used to anything if you stick to it long enough, and that slows your metabolism. We won't bore you with the technical reasoning—but it has to do with hormones like leptin.

Just understand that when you "shock" your system with the occasional influx of calories at one time—not all the time—your metabolism increases to kick start your "furnace" into high gear again, preventing stagnation.

——————We set aside one 24-hour period each week to loosen our diets. It's a Victory Day to reward ourselves for a week of eating excellence.


Carb Zig-Zagging: Rev Your Lean MachineOne of the big reasons our diets are so effective is that the

carbohydrate count fluctuates automatically. You should do that too in order to keep your metabolism stoked, shoveling bodyfat into the furnace for energy.

For example, on workout days you include a postworkout shake, which supplies 40 to 60 grams of carbs. You delete that on nonworkout days and replace it with a high-protein, low-carb food, like eggs or nuts (see the * on our diets). So if you work out three days a week, the other three days your carbs are lower. It's a carb/calorie zig-zag.

Ah, three workout days and three nonworkout days, but there's one day left—and that's your Victory day, when you're allowed to splurge somewhat. You'll no doubt exceed your normal carb intake, and that's fine. A surge in calories and carbs will keep your metabolism humming along—as long as you don't go crazy with too much food, especially all at once. Overloading your system will cause fat deposition, don't kid yourself. It's like trying to overfill your car's gas tank so you can go farther. That doesn't work; it just spills over—much like excess carbs at a meal spill over into your fat cells.

Remember, big meals cause more insulin to surge, and that means more fat storage. Keep your meals moderate, even on cheat, er um, Victory day, and you'll keep the lean machine revved to the max.

Note: For a more detailed explanation, see Jon Benson's new Every Other Day Diet e-book. It includes complete diets, recipes, food analysis and more.

http://www.jonbensonfitness.com/go/jrandsh/eodd

http://www.jonbensonfitness.com/go/jrandsh/eodd


Old School, New Body Eating Tips

1) Stop eating crap. That includes fast-digesting, white carbs like pastries, rice, bread, potatoes, pasta and desserts. Doing this alone will make a major difference! (Some is okay on Victory Day—see #4.)

2) Eat five to six smaller meals a day, most with protein. That will keep you burning fat and building muscle with a faster-running metabolism.

3) Keep your carb intake between 100 grams and 250 grams a day, depending on your goals, activity and tolerance. Also keep that number fluctuating—higher on workout days—to keep your metabolism stoked.

4) Have a Victory Day. Celebrate six days of consistent eating and training with a loose-diet day—just don't go overboard and eat an entire pizza; keep it moderate but go ahead and splurge a bit to keep your metabolism revved. (Note: Some may find this too tempting to binge. In that case we recommend two Victory meals, one on Sunday and one on Wednesday.)

5) Get some fast carbs and protein immediately following every workout. That will replenish your muscles.

6) Try to get fewer carbs at night—vegetables and every so often some fruit—skip the fast carbs when the sun sets (see #1).

7) Lose one to two pounds of fat a week—when trying to reduce. That's a realistic, healthy goal; any more could be muscle, so keep it gradual and steady. Be patient; don't rush it. However...

8) Don't rely on the scale. Remember, you’re burning fat and building muscle. You could gain four pounds of muscle and lose four pounds of fat, keeping your weight the same. Go by how you look in the mirror or photos and how your clothes fit—waist getting looser.

9) Reduce carb intake or portion sizes slightly—when trying to lean out further. That's how to gradually decrease your daily calorie intake if you hit a sticking point.

10) Monitor your fat loss with photos. Seeing the outline of the abdominal muscles when under overhead lighting is a good goal for men; women should simply strive for a flat stomach, as getting bodyfat stores too low can cause female-hormone inefficiencies and loss of menstruation (it may sound good, but it's not).


Old School, New Body Diet Q&A

Q: I have a hard time eating the same things every day. Are there any options?

A: Becky is the same way, so here are some of her alternate meals. They will work for men too.

Option 1High-fiber cereal with milk (2%)Piece of fruitSmall protein shake

Option 2Oatmeal with protein powder (optional)Boiled eggs, 2

Option 3 (Quick Blender Blast)Lowfat yogurt (any flavor), 6 oz.Milk (2%), 8 oz.Protein powder, 1 scoopIce cubes for texture (optional)Water to thin (if necessary)

Option 4Cottage cheese, 8 oz.Pears (canned in own juice), 4 halves

Option 5Greek yogurt, 6-8 oz.Pecans or walnuts (handful stirred into yogurt)

Option 6Lean beef or turkey burger, 8 oz.Banana, 1

Option 7 (On-the-Road Lunch)Turkey or beef jerky, 4 oz.Raisins, 1 small box

Option 8Wolfgang Puck’s Chicken and Egg Noodle soup, 1 serv. or other soup with less than 15 g. carbsCheese, 28 g. (1 oz.)

Option 9Chicken tacos, 2Sliced tomato, 1

Option 10Egg omelet 3 whole eggs, green peppers, onions, mushrooms

Option 11Chicken Cesear salad with light dressing (no croutons)

Option 12Lean beef patty, 6 oz.Green beans, 1 cupSmall green salad with light dressing

Lean Meal Options


Keep in mind that any of those meals will work in place of any other meal; however, some are more suited for breakfast, while others are more suited for lunch or dinner. Not many people are going to want Option 11: lean beef patty, green beans and a salad when they first wake up.

Q: Shouldn’t I cut out all milk and other dairy foods when I’m trying to get lean?

A: Only if you're allergic. New research finds that milk and other dairy products can reduce your fat cells’ tendency to store calories. Michael Zemel, chairman of the nutrition department at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is one of the leading researchers delving into the phenomenon. In one study he put 32 people who needed to lose weight on reduced-calorie diets, but some of the diets included three to four servings of dairy daily.

Six months later all the subjects had lost weight, but those who were eating dairy lost 70 percent more—about 19 pounds of fat compared with only 11 pounds in the subjects who didn’t eat dairy. Zemel says the reason is that when there’s plenty of calcium in the blood, fat cells get the message to quit storing fat and start burning it. On the other hand, when calcium levels are low, the cells hoard fat.

Other studies verify those findings. In the mid-’90s Connie Weaver and Dorothy Teegarden conducted a study at Purdue University to observe the bone health of women between the ages

of 18 and 31—but they noticed something else: Women who ate a diet that included milk, cheese or yogurt lost or maintained their weight, while those who didn’t put on pounds.

——————Six months later all the subjects had lost weight, but those who were eating dairy lost 70 percent more.


CHAPTER 11The Truth About Alcohol:Not Too Bad After All

Alcohol is very misunderstood. Many people believe it’s just empty calories, so if you stay under your calorie limit for fat burning, alcohol is okay. That sounds good, but there’s more to it than that.

When you drink alcohol, you’re getting extra calories, true, but you’re also giving your body an additional fuel source. Your body has to burn off the alcohol first, so fat burning stops. Not so bad, you say, because that happens when you eat a meal. The problem comes when you eat while you drink alcohol—there’s no place for your body to put the food calories except in your fat cells.

Your body uses alcohol for energy first. So if you’re drinking alcohol and eating, most of those food calories are going right to your fat cells. That’s why it’s so dangerous to drink at a bar while snacking on pretzels and chips—processed carbs! You’re feeding those fat cells big time. The solution

is to eat a healthy meal with some fat an hour or so before you start to drink. Include some cheese or nuts because fat slows digestion.

Also understand that drinking alcohol lowers your blood sugar; it doesn’t raise it the way a meal does. So drinking alcohol with no food in your stomach will get most people ravenously hungry. That’s the reason for all of those bowls of chips and pretzels at your local bar. When people drink, their body tells them to eat. A healthy meal before will help.


You’re much more likely to binge out of control if you’re buzzed and your stomach is empty—plus, you get zonked faster. You could kill an entire week of dieting in one crazy binge-blasting night.

One last problem to keep in mind before we get to some positives: Alcohol can depress testosterone, the anabolic hormone that not only contributes to your muscle growth but also helps lean you out. In other words, lowering your T by drinking will make it more difficult to build muscle and burn fat.

Now for the good news. Moderate alcohol consumption can be good for you. Two five-ounce drinks a night is the limit in most cases. In fact, most nights during the week, when we are not trying to get down to extremely low bodyfat levels, we have a couple of drinks—usually red wine—with dinner. That has the most proven health benefits and has fewer carbs than beer. A few studies have shown red wine to have fat-burning properties as well—which is kind of strange considering alcohol can lower testosterone to a degree.

If and when you drink, do it early in the evening, as it can disrupt your sleep if you have it too late—after eight. If you're really trying to lean out fast, having a few drinks on cheat day is okay—but try to keep it at one or two days a week only.

——————Alcohol lowers your blood sugar...so you're much more likely to binge out of control if you're buzzed and your stomach is empty.


CHAPTER 12Your Three KeyFat-to-Muscle Supplements

Supplements are not mandatory for success on the Old School, New Body program, but they can speed results and make eating right more conventient. That's especially true of protein supplements.

1) Protein. Protein intake, like carbs, is activity dependent. If you do lots of work that breaks down muscle tissue—like lifting weights or wrestling alligators—you need many more grams of protein than sedentary individuals.

We mentioned that a good rule of thumb is about one gram per pound of bodyweight, and that should be spread out over the course of your day. So if you weigh 180 pounds, you should strive for 180 grams of protein per day, give or take.

That's a hard number to reach with solid food, which is why you see protein shakes in our diets in Chapter 10. We prefer a meal replacement with a protein array of casein, egg and whey—like

Muscle-Link's Muscle Meals. It also has an excellent balance of vitamins and minerals as well as good fat, including omega-3s and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown in clinical studies to boost fat burning.

There are many good meal replacements out there, so check around. Labrada Nutrition's Lean Body is also excellent.




2) Branched-chain amino acids. The essential amino acid L-leucine has proven itself in recent studies to be the primary spark for protein synthesis that leads to muscle growth. BCAAs have it in abundance, but these muscle-building aminos do more than allow you to build muscle faster. Top nutrition researcher Jerry Brainum explains why BCAAs are so important:

•Levels of testosterone, a major anabolic hormone, were higher when men [in one study] took BCAA supplements.

•The results showed that with BCAAs, cortisol levels and levels of an enzyme released during muscle breakdown called creatine kinase, were both reduced compared to when the same subjects didn’t get BCAAs. (Remember, cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause your body to store fat and burn muscle—bad deal.)

•Studies show a relationship between fat burning in muscle and the subsequent oxidation of BCAAs.

•It turns out that BCAAs appear to promote the fat-to-muscle activity of growth hormone and testosterone.

Anabolic effects, fat burning, hormone boosting—now you see why BCAAs are key for your body transformation. We’ve recently discovered a high-potency BCAA product that we really like because it not only has the branched-chain aminos—leucine, valine and isoleucine—in generous amounts but also glutamine, a key recovery and immune-boosting amino, and vitamin B6, which helps your body use BCAAs more efficiently and effectively. It’s SAN’s BCAA-PRO caps. We’re so convinced of BCAAs importance that we take two to five caps before and after our weight and cardio workouts and also before many solid-food meals.

3) Phosphatidylserine. This soy lipid has been shown in countless research studies to decrease cortisol output. [Fahey, T., and Pearl, M. (1998). Biol Sport. 15:135-144.]

Remember cortisol is a stress hormone that forces your body to shovel muscle into the energy furnace. That means when your cortisol is high, the other supplements you're using become less effective (that's like flushing

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http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-1981196-10409943?url=http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/san/bcaa.html


your money down the toilet) and a lot of your effort in the gym is wasted. High cortisol also smothers growth hormone and testosterone, two of your most anabolic hormones that also have fat-burning properties, so controlling cortisol will make T and GH more powerful.

High cortisol levels also cause extreme carb cravings, which can boost your bodyfat stores quickly. Plus, high cortisol stops the fat-burning process in its tracks. It’s a protective mechanism that encourages expendable muscle to be annihilated for energy as fat is preserved for famine, or starvation (Gee thanks, Mother Nature).

PS is all natural, and 600 to 800 milligrams has been shown to blunt cortisol output by more than 30

percent. Bonus: It’s also been shown to boost mental acuity and focus, so PS can help you generate more intensity and preserve brain function as you age. That’s why we recommend two to four capsules of Cort-Bloc as the last of our top 3 optional supplements:

•Meal replacement (preferably with a whey-casein-egg-protein array) Use between solid-food meals.

•Branched-chain amino acids (2 to 5 capsules) Use before meals and/or before and after a workout.

•Phosphatidylserine (600 to 800 milligrams, usually 2 to 4 capsules) Use before your workout.

Honorable mention goes to creatine. It's been shown to facilitate the muscle-building process and even decrease the risk of brain degeneration in the elderly; however, If you eat read meat fairly frequently, you don't need a creatine supplement. If you don't, use it right after your workout, about five grams.

http://www.home-gym.com/mucocosu.html

http://www.home-gym.com/mucocosu.html


Caffeine and L-Carnitine: Fat-Burning Gasoline?Research indicates that caffeine not only gives you an energy boost but can

also help you contract your muscles harder because it stimulates your central nervous system—and it can help you burn more fat during exercise. Studies show better fat metabolism during activity when a person is caffeinated.

An organic substance you can use to help bolster caffeine's fat-burning abilities is L-carnitine, an amino acid that’s directly responsible for transporting long-chain triglycerides, or fat, into the cells for energy production. In other words, it shuttles fat into the cell mitochondria, where it’s burned in a process called beta-oxidation.

Remember that F4X training, with its short rests between sets and 40-second tension times per set, helps fortify the mitochondria, those fat-burning powerhouses.

So along with your F4X workouts, a small amount of caffeine and daily use of L-carnitine, can enhance your blubber-busting efforts.

If you don't have an aversion to it, use a small amount of caffeine—say a cup of coffee—before your workouts. As for L-carnitine, we’ve found that one to three grams before bed can produce good effects in most people.

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#1 Thing to Start Dropping Fat Now

Q: What’s the number-one thing I can do to start dropping fat immediately, and what's the number-one fat-burning mistake?

A: The number-one thing you can do to start dropping fat is weight-training exercise—preferably with F4X! If you mean from a dietary standpoint, the first thing you should always do is get rid of the crap food most of the time and start eating five to six protein-based meals a day.

As we said, protein has a higher energy cost than carbs, so protein-based meals will help you burn more calories and, if you keep your meals small—in the 300-calorie range—you’ll limit insulin production. That’s a good thing because insulin stops fat burning and helps your body store excess calories as bodyfat. The only time insulin is good is immediately after a workout to help shuttle protein and carbs into your muscles. Research shows that even 100 grams of carbs after a workout won’t increase fat deposits.

As for the number-one fat-burning mistake, that's over-aggressiveness. People tend to get all gung-ho and cut calories too low right off the bat.

CHAPTER 13Old School, New Body Q&A

With Jonathan Lawson, in his 20s, whom Steve trained.


They often do the same with exercise, trying to work out every day of the week. You have to gradually coax your body to get leaner. After all, you wouldn't decide you're going to be stronger, go to the gym and try to bench press 500 pounds, would you? Give it time—patience is a virtue.

Solutions for Sluggish Bowels

Q: I’ve tried higher-protein, low-carb diets, and they tend to constipate me. Is there anything I can do to alleviate that problem?

A: That can happen on low-carb diets because most dietary fiber comes from carbs—fruits and vegetables. Our diets are medium-carb, so you shouldn’t have that problem. We often include oatmeal in the morning, an apple at lunch and cruciferous vegetables in the evening. The balanced calcium-magnesium mix in our meal replacement supplement also helps—if you don't use one, you can take calcium-magnesium capsules.

Nevertheless, everyone’s system is different, and even we run into it now and again. For insurance we sometimes use psyllium husk powder at night. Two tablespoons in a protein drink or in water will keep things moving, and it will also help fill up your stomach more to decrease appetite. So if you tend to get hungry at night, psyllium husk powder can help keep you regular and curb cravings.

How the Scale Can Trick You

Q: I weigh around 215 right now. If I want to maintain a fit 190-to-200-pound bodyweight, should I try to drop all 25 pounds to 190 with diet, and then train to build the muscle, or should I just strive to drop 10 to 15 pounds and use weight training to replace the fat with lean muscle at the same time?

A: First, you shouldn’t be so hung up on weighing a certain amount. In fact, you probably shouldn’t weigh yourself too often. Go by how you look (take photos every few weeks instead). If you’re losing notches on your belt, you’re losing fat.

When you lose fat and gain muscle, you redistribute your weight. In other words, you’ll look completely different if you lose 10 pounds of fat and add 10 pounds of muscle, but you’ll weigh exactly the same. Think

——————You'll look completely different if you lose 10 pounds of fat and add 10 pounds of muscle, but you'll weigh exactly the same.


about that, and let it sink in. Step away from the scale!

Concentrate on working out with weights, being consistent and putting in the effort; plus, keeping your eating relatively clean. You’ll be amazed at the changes your body will make.

The Real Secret to Midsection Perfection

Q: I want abs. What exercises should I do to get a six-pack?

A: Believe it or not, getting abs is more about losing bodyfat than exercise. Almost anyone will have abs if they get down to below 8 percent bodyfat, and the diet advice in this e-book will get you to that point as quickly as possible.

You can do a lot to achieve deeper lines of delineation in your midsection with exercise, however. Those lines you see—or want to see—are caused by tendons

running across and down the muscle, so the more developed your rectus abdominis, the long, flat muscle that runs from your ribcage to your pelvis, the deeper the creases. A great ab program is one that is full-range: kneeups (midrange) and full-range crunches (stretch and contracted). That will give you a little more muscle in the midsection and deepen those creases—but the major player in getting abs is losing fat (diet).

Back Off for a Better Body

Q: What if I have a body part that responds too quickly—like I don't want really muscular legs?

A: Use less intensity and/or fewer exercises. For example, if you do a standard F4X sequence, make sure the weight is light enough so the fourth set is fairly easy—don't push it to failure. That will get blood to the muscle without triggering much growth.

You can also do just one exercise, preferably the compound, or multijoint, move. For example, squats for thighs, bench presses for chest, pulldowns for back, etc. Do low-intensity F4X as described above on that one exercise. If the muscle is still growing too fast, train it every other week or even once a month.


Less Cardio for a Leaner Look

Q: I've always heard I should concentrate on cardio to burn fat, using weights only secondarily. You say the opposite. Why?

A: We've explained why throughout this e-book, so now allow us to quote our colleague Jon Benson, author of Fit Over 40. He explains it well:

"Most people over the age of 35 have it totally backwards, especially the ladies—it’s intense cardiovascular work

(you know, for heart health?) followed by minimum-intensity resistance training, if there’s any resistance training at all. Utterly and completely backwards.

"You absolutely must focus on brief, burst-style resistance training three to four days per week. Before, after, or any time you choose, hit the treadmill or the outdoors for a brisk walk. That’s right—a walk. Leave intense cardio for post-workout training only, and then only for 15 to 20 minutes. That is all you need.

"What you really need is lean muscle mass to burn off more calories, and keep insulin from driving more fat into fat cells by granting it a diversion in the form of anabolism [or muscle growth]. Insulin also feeds muscle tissue glucose. This kills many birds with one kick-ass stone. Your heart will not suffer—in fact, study after study has demonstrated that nominal cardiovascular activity, such as walking, is superior for long-term health when accompanied by intense resistance exercise."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves—although we make a stab at it throughout this e-book. Thanks, Jon.





Macronutrient Facts and Figures

Q: You say to keep protein and carbs at around 35 to 40 percent of calories and fat at around 20 to 25 percent. How do you figure those macronutrient percentages?

A: Say you eat a meal that contains 360 calories, 32 grams of carbs, 40 grams of protein and 8 grams of fat. What are the percentages? Here’s how to figure that out:

1) Convert grams to calories. There are four calories in every gram of protein and carbohydrate and nine in every gram of fat.

32 g. of carbs x 4 calories = 128 calories from carbs 40 g. of protein x 4 calories = 160 calories from protein 8 g. of fat x 9 calories = 72 calories from fat

2) Now divide each of those figures by the calorie total:

128 carb calories ÷ 360 = .35 (or 35%) 160 protein calories ÷ 360 = .44 (or 44%) 72 fat calories ÷ 360 = .21 (or 21%)

Your New-Body, Supplement-Free Shake

Q: What if I can't afford supplements? Is there anything I can eat between meals to keep my blood sugar steady so I don't go into famine and burn muscle? How about after a workout?

A: If you don't have the funds for a meal replacement, here’s a convenient blender drink, the OSNB Power Shake. No supplements necessary, so it’s inexpensive and quite effective for providing your system with what it needs for recovery and growth.

OSNB Power Shake6 to 8 ounces lowfat Greek yogurt (flavor optional)1 medium banana (delete if using flavored yogurt)1 cup milk (1 or 2 percent fat)ice cubes for texture (optional)water to thin (if necessary)

This drink gives you the following totals:

——————“What you really need is lean muscle mass to burn off more calories, and keep insulin from driving more fat into fat cells.”

—Jon Benson


Calories, 488Carbohydrates, 65 gramsProtein, 30 grams

Fat, 8 grams

You could divide it and drink half midmorning and the other half midafternoon.

Immediately after your workout you can drink chocolate milk—make it lowfat, as the fat slows digestion. You want quick entry of the carbs and protein into your bloodstream.

Natural Growth Hormone Boosters

Q: I get that growth hormone is very important as we age. What about GH-boosting supplements?

A: These can be hit or miss, but one we’ve tried and do like is GH Stak. Remember, you want to do everything you can to increase GH naturally because it helps burn bodyfat and synergizes with anabolic hormones like testosterone to make your muscle-building efforts more productive.

GH Stak was developed by noted pharmacologist James Jamieson, who also invented the patch delivery system for drugs. It comes in effervescent (like Alka-Seltzer) packets of powder, which contain a number of natural growth hormone activators along with anterior pituitary peptides that normalize somatostatin, a hormone that can shut down GH receptors. That’s extremely important because if you elevate GH, you want to minimize any substance that can smother its effects (that includes the stress hormone cortisol as well).

Because your stomach should be fairly empty when you take it, we prefer to use it it before bed. If you eat your last meal around 7, taking GH Stak around 10 should be fine.

Does it work? A big proponent of GH Stak is Dave Goodin, 53-year-old IFBB pro bodybuilder who is lifetime drug-free. Here's what he says about it:

“I use GH Stak religiously, and not only has it helped me maintain my

http://www.home-gym.com/ghstak1.html


championship physique into my 50s, but it also dramatically decreased the amount of time it took me to recover from surgery to repair a ruptured hamstring tendon in 2007. My surgeon was amazed at how quickly I was up and walking after surgery—I was about four weeks ahead of schedule. I healed so quickly that I won the open overall at my first show back, the ’08 NPC John Sherman Classic, at age 49, just 11 months after the reattachment. If you’re over 40 and you’re not taking GH Stak, you’re really missing out.”

The 2 True Fat Burners

Q: What about fat burners? Do they work?

A: A meta analysis, which is a review of multiple studies on a specific subject, performed at the University of Birmingham in Great Britain, found that caffeine and green tea were the only supplements supported by research. That's about it. [Obesity Reviews, 12:841-851. 2011.]

Most people don't drink a lot of green tea, although it can be a good appetite suppressant at night. If you're not a tea-sipper, try green tea supplements. Take with meals.

As for caffeine, 100 milligrams or so before a workout can make a good one great because it improves muscular contraction, mobilizes fat for energy and flat out gives you more zip. If it's coffee you choose, that beverage has been shown to have significant health benefits due to its numerous antioxidants.

So go for the Starbucks before training—as long as your workout isn't too late in the day. It takes your body about six hours to metabolize it all, so drinking it late afternoon could affect your sleep.

Note that we have recently found L-carnitine to help the fat-burning process via fortifying the mitochondria, as we mentioned in Chapter 12.

The Must-Use Depression-Busting, Immune-Boosting Nutrient Combo

Q: Are there any supplements I should be taking to improve my overall health as I get older? I seem to get depressed and heard it may be a nutritional deficiency.

——————As for caffeine, 100 milligrams or so before a workout can make a good one great because it improves muscular contraction, mobilizes fat for energy and flat out gives you more zip.

http://www.home-gym.com/ghstak1.html


A: Often depression in men is caused by low testosterone, and simply lifting weights with the F4X System a few times a week will remedy the situation. If you've read this far, you know that we're obviously big fans of that approach.

You may also want to try taking fish oil. The omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help skin and hair quality and can also ward off inflammation, which is connected to multiple diseases including cancer and cardiovascular problems. Those properties may be why omega-3s can help relieve depression too.

According to Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D., “People with depression may have low blood levels of brain chemicals called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These chemicals are found in fish oil. The best dose of fish oil isn't clear, but it appears that supplements containing 100 to 300 milligrams of either EPA or a combination of EPA and DHA may be helpful in relieving depression.”

We take a couple of fish oil capsules in the morning with breakfast and two more at night with dinner. Or we use a few spoonfuls of Carlson's fish oil, which has a lemon flavor. It's a great product.

Another important supplement as we age is vitamin D. The latest studies have caused researchers to suggest a much higher need for D than previously believed. Scientists say that these days more than 70 percent of Americans are D deficient, and because it impacts everything from the immune system to hormone levels, low D levels appear to be linked to rising cancer rates and depression.

According to Oliver Gillie in Sunlight Robbery, “A billion or more people in Europe obtain insufficient sunlight and vitamin D putting them at increases risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and the common cancers.... This epidemic of chronic disease caused by insufficient vitamin D is probably as large as the epidemics caused by smoking and obesity, but the importance of vitamin D for health is still not properly recognized by governments."

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There are no foods rich in vitamin D; people need to get it from sun exposure. Since most of us use sunscreen and are not in the sun often enough, D deficiency is rampant. If you're interested in your health, take at least 2,000 I.U. of vitamin D3 a day, especially in the winter when you get almost zero sun exposure.

If you lift weights consistently and use the above recommendations, you should get a testosterone boost—evident by a rise in libido. If not, see your doctor about hormone replacement therapy. HRT can restore your T to normal levels.

Menopause Malfunctions

Q: I'm an over-50 woman just reaching menopause. What can I do about the bloat, hot flashes, back pain and general fatigue.

A: First, assuming you've talked to your doctor and he or she has done everything possible for you, get on the OSNB program. Lifting weights a few days a week with the F4X System will increase your growth hormone and help balance your other key hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Not to keep harping on it, but lifting weights is one of the best things you can do throughout your life to keep your body lean, healthy, energetic and firing on all cylinders. Of course, you need to eat right most of the time as well.

Menopausal abdominal bloat will often cause back problems. As we mentioned in Chapter 3, Joint Rejuvenation, a bloated abdomen pulls the spine forward, bowing it and putting undue stress on the lower vertebrae. The best thing you can do is stay trim and keep your core strong. Oops, we're back to preaching about lifting weights again. If you need more motivation than that to pump some iron, keep reading...

More Motivation for New-Body Results

Q: I think I'm ready to make my new body happen, but how do I keep my motivation strong? I've felt like this before, but it always cools before I get results. I'm in my mid-40s.

A: First, go back and read Chapter 4 on motivation. Then you may want to reread Becky's story. You'll realize that the first step is making a commitment and a promise to yourself to get it done with no deviation. It

——————Lifting weights is one of the best things you can do throughout your life to keep your body lean, healthy, energetic and firing on all cylinders.


helps to set a deadline—such as the first day of summer or a vacation or a reunion. Events can help keep you in gear most of the year.

You gotta be persistent and patient. Your new body won’t sprout overnight. It takes time (but not as much as you may think). That means you have to enjoy the ride if you’re going to stick with the Old School New Body program and reap its incredible benefits throughout your life. In other words, you must do what it takes to keep yourself hitting the gym on a regular basis and eating correctly most of the time.

Look within yourself and be honest. How many days a week will you work out? How much time are you willing to spend in the gym or training at home? If you prefer short workouts or you simply don’t have time for the more elaborate routines, use the four-exercise F4X LEAN Workout. Even if you only do it twice a week, you will make some progress, and that may motivate you to work out more often and/or move to a more extensive program.

Then again, some people thrive on a daily routine. If that's you, exercise every day. For example, if you are doing the F4X LEAN Workout, use it every day, but every other workout do only two-set or three-set sequences with the same weight you use for the normal four. That will make the workout stimulating without being intense—you'll get blood to the muscles and feel invigorated without overtraining.

So Monday you would do the weight workout with four sets for each exercise, last set of each sequence to muscular failure; Tuesday with two sets, zero sets to muscular failure; Wednesday with four, last set of each sequence to muscular failure; Thursday, two, zero sets to muscular failure, and so on. Another option is to do weights on one day and a cardio session on the other. Do whatever keeps you keeping on!

If your workouts ever get dull, don’t hesitate to change things. And if you feel like you’re dragging, don’t be afraid to take time off to recharge your batteries—but always return to it. Don't quit!

Here's something else to consider: Most people start an exercise program to lose weight. That makes sense because in our nation of abundance and eating misinformation it’s easy to get fat—very fat. Research out of the University of Michigan now suggests a paradigm shift in attitude that can help you stick with your workouts. Instead of exercising to lose weight, think

——————Working out consistently is all about health, longevity, independence for the duration and overall quality of life, not just looking better.


of your workouts as improving your well-being. Subjects in the study were 34 percent more likely to stick with it when they had that attitude as opposed to doing it to just lose weight. It’s about health, longevity, independence for the duration and overall quality of life, not just looking better.

It can also be easier to stick with it if you have a partner. Find someone to depend on and who can depend on you to be there for the workouts.

They should have the same goals as you and be dependable—no slackers who miss more workouts than they make. By the way, the F4X method is perfect with a partner—you do your set, which lasts about 40 seconds, then your partner does his or her set. You just go back and forth until you complete the designated number of sets in the F4X sequence.

And always remember: Enjoy the journey. Otherwise, you may get a flat tire on the road to new-body success. Keep those tires pumped up and your body tuned up like a Formula-One racer, and life will be much more enjoyable for the duration.

See you at the gym!


Warning: Advanced Training SectionThis last section of OSNB is for those interested in a more serious

bodybuilding program. It's based on the training of one of the greatest short physique competitors of all time, Danny Padilla, who competed in the ’70s and ’80s. He was notorious for getting in ripped contest condition quickly—plenty of muscle with very low bodyfat—thanks to his version of “density” training that's similar to F4X. Here's how one of his workout partners, David Young, describes it:

“Danny would use the same weight on all his sets and do five sets of 12 reps. That meant the first two sets were not-to-failure sets, but by set three he was close, and sets four and five were a fight to get the 12 reps if at all. He rested 45 to 60 seconds between those sets. Once he could get 12 reps on all five sets, he would increase the weight at the next workout. Danny thrived on [this density training], and he equated the sets to knocking off the soldiers [fast-twitch muscle fibers] one by one with each rep of each set.”

Danny usually did five sets, not four, per exercise and he used more exercises for each muscle group than what is prescribed in the next chapter; however, you should use the advanced program outlined as a starting point after you have had at least six months of consistent, basic weight training. It's one of the most efficient, productive bodybuilding-style workouts around based on sound science, as you'll see...


Most trainees will do fine with either the F4X LEAN Workout or the F4X SHAPE Workout; however, some may want a more advanced program—even if it's just for a few weeks. Positions of Flexion is a very thorough program Steve developed with the help of college researchers and other experts when he was in his 20s that took his physique to new heights—and he still uses it today in his 50s.

POF works each muscle through its full range of motion with two to three exercises. Full range means you get more complete development and fiber activation. It's evolved over the years and is why Steve's physique evolved—he was able to retrain his crappy genetics—his parents each weighed around 100 pounds when they were married—to where he now looks like a bodybuilder. He's no Arnold, but considering his spaghetti-armed distance-runner

structure early on, his results are fairly spectacular. Becky will also use a POF program similar to the one on the following pages for a few weeks if she's looking for that extra muscular boost, but she mostly relies on the F4X SHAPE Workout and the F4X LEAN Workout most of the time.

CHAPTER 14Advanced TrainingThe Full-Range BUILD Workout

Steve in his 40s.

Steve in his teens.


POF trains a muscle from three distinct angles, or positions, and it works for a number of reasons—namely synergy, maximum muscle fiber recruitment, peak contraction and range of motion.

Synergy. This is muscle teamwork, and it’s the reason the big, basic exercises like squats are so effective at building muscle quickly. A number of muscles work together so you can drive up heavy poundages. For example, during the bench press the pectorals (chest), triceps and deltoids work as a team to generate the most power possible. The human body is designed to function in this manner, which means that compound, or multi-joint, exercises are the best movements to start with.

Fiber recruitment. By incorporating an exercise that puts the target bodypart in an slightly overextended, or stretched, state, like flyes for chest, you can better activate what's known as the myotatic reflex. When the muscle is stretched, the nervous system sends an emergency response signal to the brain and a maximum number of muscle fibers are recruited. Using this prestretch reflex can help you get to fibers you couldn’t recruit with other exercises. For example, after you do bench presses, you move to dumbbell flyes, a stretch-position exercise for your pecs, to jolt reserve fibers into action. Stretch has also been shown to improve and multiply anabolic receptors on muscle.

Peak contraction. Now that you have the majority of the fibers’ attention, you use an exercise that puts the target bodypart in a position to contract against resistance, with resistance occurring through the entire stroke for tension and occlusion, or blood-flow blockage. That puts an exclamation point on your size-building routine. If you remember the discussion about the muscle fibers' sarcoplasm, that energy fluid gets major expansion with these exercises—once the set is finished, a tidal wave of blood rushes in for a tremendous skin-stretching pump. For example, after bench presses (midrange) and flyes (stretch), you end your chest routine with cable crossovers or machine flyes—continuous muscle tension throughout.

Range of motion. By training the three positions—midrange (synergy), stretch (myotatic reflex) and contracted (tension/occlusion)—you work the target muscle through its full range of motion—no stretching sessions necessary—and you get better overall muscle and strength gains along with flexibility and stronger joints.

——————You work the target muscle through its full range of motion—no stretching sessions necessary—and you get better overall muscle and strength gains.


For example, you train the biceps’ middle range with barbell curls. Note that while this movement doesn’t fully stretch or completely contract the bi's, it does work them with some synergy, or muscle teamwork. To train your biceps at the point of full stretch, you must perform an exercise in which your arms are back behind your torso—incline dumbbell curls (see the middle photo below). For the biceps' contracted position, your arm should be up by your head—tough to do that with standard equipment, but concentration curls get you very close to that maximum-contracted position. [Note: That's our colleague Dave Goodin, 53-year-old drug-free pro bodybuilder, demonstrating the POF biceps exercises.]

In some cases one exercise hits two of the three positions. For example, you could consider machine flyes as both a stretch- and contracted-position chest move. Do those after bench presses and you have a very efficient and effective full-range pec program with only two moves. You’ll see other examples in the upcoming program, but we usually prefer three exercises to get more volume for each muscle.

Combine the full-range muscle-training effects of POF with the overall fiber-expanding stimulation of F4X, and you've got a seriously effective muscle-building protocol. That's what we've done with the BUILD program. What you see on the next few pages is almost an exact replica of how Steve and John train most of the time.

Note: For one-arm exercises, such as concentration curls, do a set for one arm, then immediately do a set for the other. Move back and forth with no rest for the designated number of sets. One side rests while the other side works.

Midrange Stretch Contracted


Advanced F4X BUILD Workout Monday, Workout 1: Chest, Back, Abs

Exercise Poundage

M: Incline dumbbell

presses, 4 x 10

S: Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10

C: Cable crossovers, 4 x 10

M: Pulldowns, 3 x 10

S: Dumbbell pullovers, 3 x 10

C: Stiff-arm

pulldowns, 4 x 10

M: Machine rows, 3 x 10

C: Bent-arm bent-over

laterals, 3 x 12

M: Cable upright rows, 4 x 10

M: Incline kneeups, 4 x 10

S&C: Full-range crunches, 4 x 10



M = midrange, S = stretch, C = contracted


Advanced F4X BUILD Workout Tuesday, Workout 2: Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

Exercise Poundage

M: Barbell squats or

dumbbell squats, 4 x 10

S: Sissy squats, 3 x 10

C: Leg extensions, 4 x 10

M: Feet-forward Smith

machine squats, 4 x 10

S: Semi-stiff-legged deadlifts

or hyperextensions

(flat back), 4 x 10

C: Leg curls, 4 x 10

M: Leg press

calf raises, 4 x 12

S: Machine donkey

calf raises, 3 x 12

C: Machine calf raises, 4 x 10





Advanced F4X BUILD Workout Wednesday, Workout 3: Delts, Arms

Exercise Poundage

M: Dumbbell upright rows, 4 x 10

S: Incline one-arm laterals

or one-arm cable laterals, 3 x 10

C: Seated laterals, 4 x 10

M: Dumbbell presses, 3 x 10

M: Close-grip bench

presses, 4 x 10

S: Overhead extensions, 3 x 10

C: Pushdowns, 4 x 10

M: Undergrip

pulldowns, 3 x 10

S: Incline curls, 3 x 10

C: Concentration curls, 4 x 10

M: Incline hammer curls, 3 x 10

S&C: Wrist curls, 3 x 12

S&C: Reverse wrist curls, 3 x 12





Advanced F4X BUILD Workout Friday, Workout 4: Legs, Chest, Back

Exercise Poundage

M: Deadlifts or

dumbbell squats, 4 x 10

M: Dumbbell decline

presses, 4 x 10

S: Incline flyes, 3 x 10

C: Cable crossovers, 4 x 10

M: Pulldowns, 3 x 10

S: Dumbbell pullovers, 3 x 10

M: Wide-grip

cable rows, 3 x 10

S&C: Bent-arm bent-over

laterals, 3 x 12

M: Dumbbell upright rows, 4 x 10

M: Knee-extension leg press

calf raises, 4 x 12





In case you're not familiar with some of the moves in the Advanced F4X BUILD program, here are descriptions.

Sissy squats. To do this exercise, you basically squat while keeping your torso and thighs on the same plane—no bend at the waist—till your butt gets very close to your heels. You’ll have to hold onto a stationary object. Also, you want to be on your toes the entire time. When you reach the stretch position, don’t pause. Just reverse the movement without bouncing. Drive to about two-thirds of the way up—do not lock your knees—then begin another rep. This exercise hits your quads in the stretch position. Tip: When your bodyweight is no longer enough resistance, hold a barbell plate on your chest—grab the towel with the other hand—or do them on a Smith machine, the bar resting across your upper chest.

Cable crossovers. Stand between the high pulleys of a crossover machine with a handle in each hand and lean slightly forward. Pull the handles from out away from your torso to down, touching your hands at belly-button level to contract your lower/middle chest. Pause for a one count, then return to the starting position—up until you feel a stretch in your pecs. Reverse the movement at the point of stretch without pausing. Tip: At the bottom of each rep, try to straighten your arms to heighten the pec contraction.

Overhead extensions. Take a close grip on a barbell or EZ-curl bar—thumbs about eight inches apart—and press the bar overhead. From this starting position lower the bar as far as possible behind your neck without moving your upper arms—keep them close to your head. When you reach the point of stretch, reverse the movement and extend back to lockout. You can also do these with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other and extending simulataneously.


Bent-over bent-arm laterals. Sit on the end of a bench, take a dumbbell in each hand and bend forward until your torso is parallel to the floor. Keeping your elbows bent, raise the dumbbells up and out until they’re out even with your pecs. Squeeze your scapulae for a count, then lower and repeat. Try to feel your midback contracting at the top of each rep.

This exercise should look like a combination of a bent-over dumbbell row and a bent-over lateral raise, palms facing back or palms facing down.

Incline dumbbell curls. Recline on a 45-degree incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your palms facing forward. Curl the ’bells, keeping your upper arms as motionless as possible, then lower slowly to full stretch. Quickly reverse the movement at the bottom to begin the next rep. Tip: Keep your palms facing forward at the bottom of each

rep to enhance the stretch on your biceps.

One-arm incline lateral raises (pictured) one-arm cable laterals. Lean your nonworking arm against an incline bench. Grab a dumbbell in the hand of your outer, working arm. With your arm almost straight, raise the dumbbell in an arc from down in front of your torso to up to parallel to the ground. These can be awkward for some people, so you can do one-arm cable laterals instead. Stand with one side your your body facing a

low pulley. Grab the handle in the hand of your outer, working arm. Stand erect. Now pull the handle up and across your body until your arm is up and out parallel to the floor. Tip: Maintain control of the weight throughout the upward and downward movement. Move slower if in doubt, not faster; you want to feel your shoulder working.


Dumbbell pullovers. Lie on a flat bench or across it as shown in the illustration with one dumbbell in both hands or a dumbbell in each hand. With a slight bend in your elbows, lower the weight in an arc from over your face back until your arms are on the same plane as your torso. Tip: Stop the upward movement right before you lose tension in your back muscles—about when it is over your forehead, then begin the next rep.

Full-range crunches. These are best performed on a machine with an arch back pad. That allows your upper torso to move back and get a slight stretch in your rectus abdominis muscle before each repetition. If you don't have a machine like and Ab Bench, position yourself on a bench press bench, head at the reverse end, shoulders and upper back hanging off so you can achieve a prestretch in the rectus abdominis. Simply do crunches, allowing your shoulders to descend below the bench on each rep for full-range ab action. Tip: This is a very short range of motion. Move slowly to feel your abs working; do not jerk and do not pull on your head or you could injure your neck.

Lateral raises. Touch the dumbbells in front of your thighs, then raise them out to your sides in an arc, keeping a very slight bend at your elbows. Stop the movement when the ’bells are at shoulder level. Hold for a count and repeat. Tip: Use dumbbells that are light enough for you to contol slowly on the way down. That will give your shoulder muscles optimal stimulation.

Ab Bench


Machine pullovers. Note that this exercise acts as both a stretch- and contracted-position movement for your lats, the large fan-shaped muscle under each arm. Drive the elbow pads forward and down in an arc from next to your head to your sides. Try not to pull with your hands, but instead pull through with lat power alone. Pause at the bottom for a count before moving back to the starting position with control. If you don't have a pullover machine, use stiff-arm pulldowns instead (pictured right) as the contracted-position move and dumbbell pullovers as the stretch-position exercise.

Old-school Nautilus pullover machine. (John Balik photo)

A Note on Overhead PressesWe include overhead dumbbell presses in this program; however, it's

optional. Many people can't do it because of shoulder pain and/or lower-back issues. In our opinion, it is one of the more dangerous moves. Dumbbell upright rows will provide your shoulders and upper back with plenty of work.

Some trainees can do dumbbell presses without any problems and get good results. If you choose to do it, as we do, put them at the end of your shoulder routine. That will insure that you use lighter weights to minimize joint trauma and/or lower-back stress.


This advanced program is similar to the one Jonathan Lawson used when he was in his 20s to gain 20 pounds of muscle in only 10 weeks. Actually, he was regaining some of that mass, so it was easier. Muscle memory makes it less difficult the second time around. Nevertheless, he did pack on additional new muscle, so the program works.

Most of those reading this e-book will not want to take their training to this level, but for those who do, POF is a proven muscle-size-building program for advanced trainees.

Note: For more on advanced training, visit Steve's Web site, www.X-Rep.com.

Jonathan was in his 20s and regaining muscle, which is easier, but he's proof that the full-range POF program is powerful.

Testing Full-Range F4XAs mentioned in the Introduction, I was very skeptical

of the density method, which is moderate-weight, high-fatigue workouts. It took me many years after hearing about it to actually try it—and even then, I did it only along with heavy training. I made some progress, but then...

I decided to go all the way and test it exclusively. Why not? I thought I would give it a month or two, using the full-range Positions-of-Flexion approach with either four-set or three-set sequences on each exercise as outlined in the F4X System (the program I used—and still use today—is similar to the one in this chapter—each workout takes about an hour).

After a few months, I was ecstatic with my progress, so I continued experimenting for an entire year. That's when the photo here was taken—at age 52, no special lighting and no tan.

I will no doubt use F4X-style training for the rest of my life. It's that good!

Steve in the gym at age 52.

http://www.X-Rep.com


F4X Intensity TacticsWhen standard F4X sequences no longer feel like enough or you just need a

shock week—more intensity to jolt extra muscle-size gains—try one of these intensity tactics.

Rest/Pause: When you reach failure at around 10 on set 4, set down the weight, count to only 10, then rep out again. You'll get an additional 3-plus reps, pumping up the volume of that exercise—and the target muscle.

Plus-One: When you reach failure at around 10 on set 4, rest the normal 30 to 40 seconds, then do a different exercise for that same muscle to failure. For example, go from your F4X undergrip pulldowns, midrange for biceps, to standing dumbbell curls as your last set. Or go from your F4X squats to one last set of leg presses.

Tri-X method: This makes each set a different tempo, usually in a three-set sequence—still using 30 to 40 seconds between sets, your same F4X weight on all sets:

Set 1: X-centric, lift in one second, lower in six—go for eight to nine reps.

Set 2: X-plosive, which is standard tempo, lift in one second, lower in three.

Set 3: X-celeration, which is 1.5 seconds per rep (speed)—go until failure.

Warning: Stay in complete control of the last fast set, as it's the most dangerous; do not throw or heave the weight. Keep your tempo quick but smooth. Those "speed" reps have been shown to bring in dormant muscle fibers—they are like a wakeup call for new growth. Keep in mind, however, that it's a very advanced way to train to trigger new muscle gains. Good luck!


RecommendedE-Books

Fit Over 40 by Jon Benson and Tom Venuto. Includes over 50 true stories of motivation and inspiration—including the author Benson's fat-to-fit transformation.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. A treasure trove of tips, tricks and insights on how to incinerate bodyfat once and for all.



http://osnb12.burnthefat.hop.clickbank.net

http://osnb12.burnthefat.hop.clickbank.net

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