Happy Vegetarian Day!!

Did you know that today is "World Vegetarian Day"?

In celebration and to get a healthy change to my diet, I plan to become vegatarian for the day! I'm using recipes from Kardena Pauza's Easy Veggie Meal Plans book.

This morning I had this great vegetarian smoothie:

Strawberry-Mango Smoothie - 385 calories

1 cup strawberries stemmed
1/2 mango peeled
3/4 cup/6 oz Almond milk or Raw almond yogurt
4 Brazilian Nuts (Raw & Soaked)
2 tsp agave or brown rice syrup or Really Raw Honey, or 2-3 Dates
1 medium sized Cucumber
1 tsp NutriBiotic Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
Add ˝Cup Water and blend together
Optional: Dash Stevia, water, ice to taste only

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender. Add several cubes of ice if desired and blend until smooth. Continue adding ice untildesired consistency is reached. Pour into glass and garnish with mint leaf as option.

Today is the perfect time to try out a day of vegetarian eating. To celebrate Vegetarian Day, Kardena Pauza is having a Limited Time 50% Off Sale for her Easy Veggie Meal Plans.

Click here for the veggie sale:

=> Easy Veggie Meal Plans

For the next 48 hours you'll get 50% off the Easy Veggie Meal Plans to celebrate World Vegetarian Day and the start of Vegetarian Month.

I look forward to hearing about how you improve your health and energy, and dramatically transform your body with the Easy Veggie Meal Plans! Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite recipes are! Personally, I can't get enough of the smoothies!

Monday's Arm Workout and Meals

As an off-day workout and a small break from Turbulence Training, I did an arm workout from Vince Delmonte and Lee Hayward.

(All exercises were done with 30-60 seconds of rest between sets)

Biceps:
Standing DB Curls: 30lb DB's x 12, 35lb DB's x 10, 40lb DB's x 8, 45lb DB's x 6
DB Seat Curls: 25lb DB's x 12, 30lb DB's x 10, 35lb DB's x 8, 40lb DB's x 6
Concentration Curls: 25lb DB's x 12, 30lb DB's x 10, 35lb DB's x 8, 40lb DB's x 6

Here's Vince and Lee explaining the exercises:



Tricep:

Rolling DB Extensions: 20lb DB's x 12, 25lb DB's x 10, 30lb DB's x 8, 35lb DB's x 6
Overhead Tricep Extensions: 20lb DB's x 12, 25lb DB's x 10, 30lb DB's x 8, 35lb DB's x 6
Tricep Kickbacks: 20lb DB's x 12, 25lb DB's x 10, 30lb DB's x 8, 35lb DB's x 6

Here's Vince and Lee explaining the exercises:



For more info on Vince's 6 Pack Quest click => HERE
For more info on Vince's No Nonsense Muscle Building click => HERE

For more info on Lee's Blast Your Bench Program click => HERE


Fasting and Meals:

I fasted from 10pm last night until 2pm (approximately 1 hour after my workout) today. Fasting really isn't a problem for me, especially when I am real busy at work. Even when I'm not busy, I make sure I drink a lot of water and I never feel hungry.

2pm - Chicken and Bell Pepper on a slice of whole wheat toast.
4pm- Protein shake (just milk and whey protein)
5:30 - 2 whole eggs with a slice of cheese
7:30 - Pork Chop with a salad (lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, hard boiled egg and balsamic vinegar)
9pm - TREAT! 2 scoops of low fat ice cream.

Sunday's Meals and Workout

First, I'm trying a new 'experiment' for TC6 with regards to my eating. I am still doing Eat Stop Eat 2x per week but I am also going to take the intermittent fasting a bit further.


I actually plan to do 'mini fasts' everyday. Basically I plan to finish eating for the day around 8 or 9pm everyday. The next time I eat will not be until an hour after my lunch time workout around 2pm. That is about 17 hours of fasting.


When I do eat, I will still consume my daily calorie requirements (except for day I'm doing Eat Stop Eat). I will just fit it in between 2pm and 9pm. This intermittent fasting closes follows what Jon Benson writes about in his Rapid Fat Loss book.


I believe that Eat Stop Eat along with this new intermittent fasting routine will help me excel at the diet part of this contest. Of course exercise is also very important and my Turbulence Training workouts will also be key!


Today's Meals


2pm - Protein Shake with blueberries, strawberries, spinach, fat free yogurt, fat free milk and whey

3pm - Protein Shake with blueberries, strawberries, spinach, fat free yogurt, fat free milk and whey

5pm - Piece of whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter and a banana

7pm - Salad with hard boiled egg and balsamic vinegar. Chicken with string beans.

9pm - Protein Shake with blueberries, strawberries, spinach, fat free yogurt, fat free milk and whey



Today's Workout


I did workout B from Turbulence Training's Lean and Jacked. The beginning of the workout hit my legs HARD!! After 2 super-sets I was ready to go home!


But guess what? The workout did not end there! This is where the 'Lean' part of the workout came in. Craig had me do a variety of kettle bell swings and a bunch of body weight exercises. 500 reps total!


Needless to say, I was wiped by the time I got back in my car. To add to my workout I also mowed the lawn today. It may not seem like much, but after the Lean and Jacked workout, the push mower really did prove to be a challenge and got my heart rate up again.

Wednesday's Meals and Workout

Today was a very good day. I fasted until dinner, following Eat Stop Eat. While fasting I only consumed water, black coffee and green tea. I did NOT add any sugar or milk to the coffee or green tea.

I do not have any problem fasting. Contrary to popular belief, I did not feel light headed or hungry. I actually felt like I had a clearer head and had more energy during the day. I even did my Turbulence Training workout while fasting and felt great during and afterwards!!

For dinner I had tilapia, carrots, mushrooms and spinach.


Workout

I did Turbulence Training's Lean and Jacked workout A today.

It was a great upper body workout designed to let you lift heavy but also keep your heart rate up so you are getting resistance training and cardio training at the same time.

My favorite exercise was the Triple Press!

Overall, a very good day! I think I will due will during this contest!

Today's Workout and Menu

Here's my meals and workout for today:

Meals:

Breakfast: Blueberries, Strawberries and Walnuts top with fat free milk (this is my healthy substitute for cereal)

Lunch: Omelet - 2 eggs w/ 4 egg whites with half a green bell pepper, mushrooms and onions. Slice of whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter.

Snack: Banana and almonds

Dinner: Chili with a salad. The salad had 2 hard boiled eggs and was topped with a little balsamic vinegar.

Workout:

I didn't have time today to get my Turbulence Training workout in so I did an interval workout around Tabatas. The intervals included exercises that use weights and body weight so you get a resistance workout and cardio workout at once. My goal for this contest is to train like an athlete.

Tabatas: 20seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. I moved on to the next exercise with minimal rest.

DB Snatch/Clean/Press - 35 LB DB - Did each arm for 3 intervals

Jump Squats - 3 intervals

Push Ups - 3 intervals

Step Ups onto bench - Each leg 3 intervals

10 minutes walking on the treadmill @ 3.5mph at an incline of 5.

It was a very short workout, I finished in around 25 minutes, but it was a great workout. I was drenched in sweat and was really struggling to catch my breath after the Tabata's.

TC6 Entry!

I'm a little bit behind with this post! I started the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest 6 last Wed.

My goal to gain some lean mass paid off during the off time, but I also gained some unwanted fat too! Actually I gained a lot of unwanted fat, but I think it was a good lesson learned. Even though I wanted to gain lean mass, it does not mean that you can eat anything.

I think I took my muscle gain mindset and tricked myself into thinking that I could eat whatever I wanted. I was wrong.

Anyway, here are my picutures and starting stats for Turbulence Training TC6.


Date Started: Wed Sept 16, 2009

Weight: 199lbs
Waist (Belly Button): 34''
Neck: 15.25''
Bi: 13.25''
Bi Flexed: 15.25
Thigh: 22''

5 Tips to be Successful in the Transformation Contest 6

Since I am joing the Transformation Contest 6, I went over some of my 'rules' to have a successful contest. These are just 5 tips and I will share more as I make my through the contest, but they are 5 very important tips that can help you in your start of

1. Start Small/Slow - It most likely has taken you years to put that gut on, so don't expect it to come off in a few short weeks. That being said, start with small changes to your diet. Instead of soda, drink water. Instead of fries, have a salad. The point to making small changes slowly is so that you can make lifestyles changes and not just have short-term diet changes.

Start with Turbulence Training, but go light on the weights the first week! There's no need to be superman your first week back in the gym. Use a lighter weight until you are used to the program. Now I'm not telling you not to push yourself, but you don't need to such a heavy weight were you injure yourself.

2. Plenty of Water - Make sure you drink at least half your body weight (in ounces) of water a day. Staying hydrated is important for your body to recover, plus it will keep you fuller longer! I suggest giving up or limiting you soda intake. You may be drinking diet soda with zero calories, but although you aren't taking in extra calories, you are taking in extra sodium. This can lead to weight gain through water retention! During the contest I will only drink water, coffee, green tea and fat free milk.

3. Eat Plenty of Protein - I usually eat 6 meals a day and try to have a source of protein at each meal. Ideally I'd like to have a source of lean protein like chicken, beef or fish, but any protein source will do. Eggs, nuts, beans and protein shakes are also great ways to make sure you get enough protein. Why plenty of protein? Your body has to burn calories to break down the protein! I try to eat a gram of protein for every pound of body weight.

4. Eat Plenty of Fiber - Fiber helps keep you fuller longer so you will not venture off to the vending machine looking for a Snickers fix! I try to get most of my fiber by eating a vegtable at every meal.

5. Rest!! - Make sure you get plenty of sleep and make sure you give you body time to rest between workouts. A lack of sleep will not let your body recover, and you will see lesser resuls. Lack of rest between workouts can lead to overuse injuries and will also not let your body fully recover for the best results possible.

Hopefully you'll join me in the contest! It is a great investment in your self!!

=> Sign up here for the Transformation Contest 6

=> Get your trial version of Turbulence Training

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Join Transformation Contest 6

I'm officially starting the Turbulance Training Transformation Contest #6 tomorrow. These last few weeks I've really been slacking on my quest to get ripped and obtain my six pack abs. Tomorrow I change all of that, no more excuses!!

Why I think you should join the contest with me:

1. You are going to lose weight! Even if you make small changes to your diet and perform the Turbulance Training workouts as prescribed, you will see results! With those results you will be happier with what you see in the mirror, will start showing more confidence in yourself, will feel dramatically better, will have more energy for your kids, will see your sex life improve, etc. Get the picture?? Starting small and losing weight little by little can have dramatic results!!

2. The cash prizes!! So not only will you lose weight and feel better, but you have a chance to win $1,000! What makes this even better is that Craig splits the contest into male and female categories and also offers prizes for 2nd and 3rd places!

3. You have built in accountability when you sign up. Most people do not stick to their diet/exercise program when they try to lose weight. Craig has solved this problem by giving you at least 1 month free to TTMembers.com. This is Craig's forum where you can go to talk to other TT Members about your weight lose jourey and ask questions when you get stuck. Personally I like to post my before pictures on the forum. By putting my pictures on the internet and in front of strangers, it forces me to stick to my goals. I wouldn't want to post final pictures with no results with all these people watching, right?

4. A FREE prize for everyone who finishes the contest. As long as you submit before and after photos Craig will give you access to TTMembers.com for 6 months! He usually charges $20 a month for the use of his forums, so you'd be getting a $120 gift just for losing weight!

I actually think TTMembers.com is worth more than the $120. Not only will you have access to hundreds of other TT followers, but you will have access to Craig directly. PLUS you will be able to download Craig's monthly workouts!

5. If you are still hesitant about Turbulance Training, Craig is offering a trial offer. You can sign up for Turbulence Training for $4.95 and try it for 21 days. If you don't like the program, return it, no questions asked!!

=>Check out the trial offer!

If you want to sign up for the Turbulence Training Transformation Contest 6 with me, please click this link. You won't be disappointed!

Transformation Contest 6 Sign-Up

Kettle Bell Interval Workout Today

I tried some new intervals today. I did 30 seconds of exercise followed by 30 seconds of 30 seconds of rest for 10 sets. So what did I do?

Well, If you want...
- strong, rock-hard abs

- a better, sexier butt

- lean, sculpted arms

Then you have to try kettlebell swings! All of those benefits, plus the ability to blast that belly fat!!

I just did intervals at home with my 45lb Kettle Bell today. But you can do your whole workout using the Kettle Bell. There's the renegade rows, tactical lunges, front squats, and presses and you've got a killer kettlebell program that you can do in the comfort of your own home with a single piece of exercise equipment. How great is that!

If you mix these Kettle Bell workouts with the Turbulence Training Body Weight Workouts, you'll be able to drop your expensive gym membership and save time and money.

Since my wife and I have had the baby, I've been doing a lot of body weight workouts and plan to add a lot more kettle bell workouts in. They are great because you don't need a lot of equipement, they're quick and I get to spend a lot more time with my family.

Now to be totally honest, I dont plan to drop my normal Turbulance Training workouts. I'm just a gym rat at heart! But when I don't have the time, I'll mix and match the Kettle Bell Workouts with the Turbulence Training Body Weight workouts.

=> Get your own Kettle Bell Workouts!

Have a great night, I should have my wife's and mine Transformation Contest 6 entry pictures within the next day or two!

My Busy Week w/ Body Weight Workouts

It's been a while. I've been really busy and to be perfectly honest, exhausted!! I was supposed to take last week off from work to take care of my 3 month old son.

A major project came up and I ended up working AND taking care of my son. I must say I have a new appreciation for stay at home mothers now!!

During the week I found out I finished third in the Turbulence Transformation Contest 5. I'd like to thank all of you who took the time and voted! I'll have a post soon as to why I think you should join the Transformation Contest 6!

Since I was so busy playing Mr. Mom and with work, I delayed my entry into the Transformation Contest 6 and plan to take my entry pictures (along with my wife) until tomorrow.

However, I did try to keep to my healthy lifestyle even though I was busy. I was able to do the Turbulence Training Body Weight workouts. The body weight workouts were a great way to stay active and get my workouts during the week.

They still included super-sets, but I was able to do them around my house with my son watching! I did my High Intensity Interval Training at night once my wife came home. I ran sprints throughout my neighborhood a couple times and did intervals on the heavy bag.

Overall the Turbulence Training Body Weight workouts were a great way for me to quickly get my workouts in while I was busy watching my son and getting my work done.