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The “Yacht Bod” Workout Philosophy

Do you ever feel like the fitness industry doesn’t get it?

To me, the fitness industry feels like it is led by former high school jocks…

Personal trainers who are impressed by bodybuilder physiques and MISTAKENLY believe everyone else is as well.

“You see the traps on that guy?”

“I wonder how much that guy deadlifts?”

“That girl is shredded!”

I know better.

I’ve been an advisor to fashion models and have been teaching how to get a slim and defined physique for over a decade.

I’ve never had a great term to describe the type of physique I help people achieve until recently.

About a year ago I came up with the term “Yacht Bod”.

I used to use terms like Hollywood body, but that is confusing

Superhero movies are now geared towards bodybuilder levels of muscle.

Without going into a long explanation, people seem to understand what I’m talking about when I say yacht bod:

A Yacht Bod is a slim and defined physique that isn’t overly muscular. It’s a sophisticated physique that looks equally stunning in dress clothes or a swimsuit.

Men and women in James Bond movies come to mind.

I know there is a segment of the population that appreciates this classic slim and fit look as well.

A quick analogy:

If most fitness approaches were music, they would be a song by Drowning Pool, Korn, or Disturbed.

My Yacht Bod approach is like a classic Sade performance.

This classicly slim look may or may not resonate with you.

Some people are looking to get “swole” or “jacked”, others want super wide lats to get an exaggerated v-taper.

There are countless websites that will teach you how to get big.

If maximum muscle is the goal, my website isn’t the ideal place for you.

I’m a ’70s and ’80s kid.

Before Arnold movies took off in the mid-’80s, most men were after a slim “GQ” magazine physique and women a sleek “Cosmopolitan” magazine build.

This is a timeless physique.

A slim and light physique also ages better.

As you reach your 30’s and beyond, excess mass begins to get pulled down by gravity.

Your physique can begin to sag.

If you want to look great as you get older, I highly recommend tightening up and streamlining your physique NOW.

  I have a FREE 5-day email course which teaches the basic principles of how to accomplish this.

I call it “Fitness With Style”.

Enter your email address to get immediate access to this 5-day email course.

Feel free to share this page, because…

Friends don’t let friends get bulky

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

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3 Unusual Breathing Techniques to Supercharge Your Workout

There is a serious chance that I would skip this article if I stumbled across it on the internet.

When people speak about breathing, I get a weird image in my head.

I picture being stuck at a “spiritual breathing awakening retreat”. A place where people make uncomfortably long eye contact when you meet them and have names like Essence or Divinity.

… and one of our instructors is a skinny heavily bearded guy sitting on the grass with legs crossed in the lotus position with his eyes closed.

The air smells of patchouli oil.

We are his students and he is teaching us something like how to breathe in the good energy with every breath and how to exhale away our inner demons.

There is incense and bell ringing involved too.

In my nightmare, out of the dozens of people at this retreat, I’m the only one NOT buying it.

I also have a strong sense that this is soon going to involve awkward nudity.

I’m 99% certain that all of these retreats end the same way: Sitting in a yurt… naked, in a circle, holding hands and crying.

I don’t want to wind up in a naked in a yurt!

We won’t be doing that here.

We are going to talk about breathing without being exposed to strange body hair patterns of others.

I honestly haven’t paid too much attention to breathing while working out.

Typically the fitness advice is to breathe in when lowering a weight and breath out when doing the positive portion.

This isn’t terrible advice, but…

There are ways to breathe that will deliver more oxygen to the muscles and give you greater performance (strength, endurance, fat loss, etc.)

Here’s what is interesting…

The way to accomplish this is completely counterintuitive:

You will want to breathe LESS, in a strategic way, to greatly improve oxygen delivery to your muscles.

I’ll talk about that in a sec right after a short music break (I always like a music theme in my articles to break up the text into bite-sized chunks).

The music theme for this post is live indie electropop performances from the studio of my local radio station, KEXP.

Most of these are better than the original album recordings.

Let’s talk about breathing less.

I kind of feel like I’m late to the party on this one. Friends of mine have been telling me that I need to read a book called The Oxygen Advantage, since 2015 when it was released.

I picked up the Kindle version and it quickly hooked me in.

It goes deep into breathing, but I want to talk specifically about breathing during exercise.

Here’s are some quick bullets.

The primary stimulus to breathe is to get rid of CO2 (carbon dioxide) NOT take in more oxygen.

The blood is almost always fully saturated with oxygen.

Carbon dioxide plays a key role in releasing oxygen from your blood to reach your muscles.

When you breathe too much, carbon dioxide gets released from the body too quickly to do its job, so your issues, organs, and brain don’t get adequate oxygen.

As explained in detail in the book, most of us are chronic overbreathers.

Our vital organs, muscles, and brain aren’t getting as much oxygen as is optimal.

I was slightly skeptical when I read all of this, but the author points out that this CO2 and oxygenation of the tissues in the body is explained by the Bohr Effect.

I thought about this some more.

You can hardly notice a fit person breathe when they are walking or doing a light activity, while the breathing of an out-of-shape person is almost always noticeable.

If a person is breathing hard at walking speed, they most likely aren’t as efficient with their breathing as a fit person who isn’t challenged.

Light breathing is key to performance.

Again, I know that this all seems counterintuitive.

I wasn’t a believer until I tried some of the breathing techniques we will go over.

The key to lighter breathing during ANY activity is to build up your tolerance to carbon dioxide (CO2).

Remember…

When you hold your breath, the thing that makes you eventually breathe is the need to get rid of CO2.

Excessive breathing during exercise or at rest is caused by:

A low VO2 MAX (Aerobic Capacity). Here’s an article I wrote on increasing your aerobic capacity.

Having a low tolerance for CO2. Your body’s reflex to breathe out happens too quickly.

Note: These are correlated. Studies have shown that athletic performance, during increased carbon dioxide and reduced oxygen pressure, can improve VO2 Max.

The 3 methods I’m going to discuss here are all about building up your tolerance to CO2 while simultaneously delivering more oxygen to your muscles.

Let’s get to it.

Breathing Technique 1: Breathe Through Your Nose as Much as Possible During Your Workout

I first read about the benefits of nasal breathing in Joe LoGalbo’s course, Anabolic Running.

We really were meant to breathe through our noses and doing so gives you several advantages.

When you breathe through your nose, air reaches the deepest part of your lungs. Breathing through the mouth activates your upper chest and the air typically just reaches the top part of your lungs.

Nasal breathing removes a significant amount of the germs and bacteria from the air you breathe in.

Nasal breathing keeps the mouth hydrated. Mouth breathing dries the mouth which causes bad breath as well as an increase in the occurrence of cavities and gum disease.

Nitric Oxide is released from the nasal passage into the deep parts of the lungs where it reaches the blood and can positively affect the body.

Exhaling through the nose takes longer than through the mouth, so CO2 has more time to do its job of oxygenating your muscles.

In nature when an animal is breathing through its mouth it is a sign of sickness.

I have a beautiful cat named Violet.

I would take her to the veterinarian immediately if I noticed that she was breathing through her mouth.

(Warning: This house is protected by an attack cat.)

If you can get in the habit of breathing through your nose when working out, you will build up your tolerance to CO2.

Over time this will allow your muscles to perform at a higher level while simultaneously increasing your aerobic capacity (VO2 Max).

You have to gradually work your way into this.

Don’t force yourself to breathe through the nose for your entire workout, when you first attempt this.

Just maybe start out with nasal breathing on your easy sets.

As you adjust, you can add this to you more intense sets.

I’m to the point now where I do about 75% of my sets while breathing through my nose.

What I noticed at first…

My nasal passage was getting irritated.

This was because I will still breathing too hard, which leads me to the next tip.

Breathing Technique 2: Breathe as Lightly as Possible as You Increase the Intensity of Your Training.

As you improve your tolerance to carbon dioxide you will be able to calmly breathe even under intense efforts.

This makes a lot of sense.

I live at the bottom of a steep hill and I have no problem walking to the top without getting out-of-breath. I have seen others who are breathing so hard that they can’t even talk after reaching the top.

I think some of this is VO2 Max.

I also believe that people who don’t do a lot of cardio training typically are too sensitive to CO2.

Their bodies are accustomed to breathing hard at the first sign of any physical effort.

If you can master the ability to take in a little less air than is comfortable, you will quickly improve your CO2 tolerance.

What you will find is that by doing this, you will breathe in a much slower and more relaxed manner while at rest.

Things like slow walking won’t even begin to challenge you.

This is a quick hack to feel like you are in better shape… and it happens quickly.

The final tip takes this to the next level.

Breathing Technique 3: Practice This Nose Unblocking Breath-Holding Exercise During Light Cardio.

I became more of a mouth breather after having allergies that lead to nasal congestion.

Since my nose was blocked, I wound up breathing through my mouth.

What I have come to find out is that the nasal congestion becomes worse the longer you breathe through your mouth.

The author of The Oxygen Advantage has helped countless people overcome even pretty severe cases of nasal blockage by gradually introducing this nose unblocking exercise.

How to do the nose unblocking exercise:

Take a small, silent breath in and a small, silent breath out through your nose.

Walk as many paces as possible with your breath held to create a strong air shortage (without overdoing it).

When you resume breathing, use only your nose and calm your breathing immediately.

Your first breath will be a bit bigger than normal, but make sure and calm your breathing by your second or third breath.

If you can’t recover your breath in 2 to 3 breaths, you have held your breath too long.

Wait for about one minute and repeat… do this for 5 to 6 times with one-minute normal nasal breathing in between.

I actually like to start my cardio like this now. I walk for about 10 minutes and do this exercise.

Not only does it open up the nasal passage, it really helps build a tolerance to CO2.

I typically just do these every other workout and in just that short time have found that this has drastically improved my ability to breathe through my nose.

Ideally I would recommend picking up The Oxygen Advantage if you want more details on how and why this works.

Summary:

Ideally the goal is to breathe through your nose as much as possible.

When you do this, your breathing is deeper, in that the air reaches the lowest part of your lungs (unlike mouth breathing).

When efforts are intense…

Your natural instinct will be to breathe hard through your mouth. If you can purposely breath in a calm way and through your nose, your body and workouts will benefit.

I’ve only been using these methods for the past few weeks and already noticing benefits.

The calm nose breathing during intense training opens up the airways and makes nose breathing during rest automatic.

Mouth breathing is bad for your breath, teeth, and body.

These 3 breathing techniques will improve your workout performance and turn you into a natural nose breather.

Give them a shot.

Cheers,

-Rusty

As a former fitness coach to fashion models, I can teach you how to increase muscle definition without adding size.

Click Here to check out my premium courses.

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Test Optin

Increase Muscle Tone Without Bulk – Free 5 Day Email Course “Fitness With Style”

Tips from former Fashion Model Fitness Coach, Rusty Moore.

Send it to Me!

Increase Muscle Tone Without Bulk – Free 5 Day Email Course “Fitness With Style”

Tips from former Fashion Model Fitness Coach, Rusty Moore.

Send it to Me!

Increase Muscle Tone Without Bulk – Free 5 Day Email Course “Fitness With Style”

Tips from former Fashion Model Fitness Coach, Rusty Moore.

Send it to Me!

Increase Muscle Tone Without Bulk – Free 5 Day Email Course “Fitness With Style”

Tips from former Fashion Model Fitness Coach, Rusty Moore.

Send it to Me!

Increase Muscle Tone Without Bulk – Free 5 Day Email Course “Fitness With Style”

Tips from former Fashion Model Fitness Coach, Rusty Moore.

Increase Muscle Tone Without Bulk – Free 5 Day Email Course “Fitness With Style”

Tips from former Fashion Model Fitness Coach, Rusty Moore.

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The Whoosh Effect – Losing Fat Before Losing Weight

The Whoosh Effect – Losing Fat Before Losing Weight

The “whoosh effect” describes an interesting hypothesis about a delay between actual fat loss…

…and when we OBSERVE that fat loss.

It’s a lot like gazing into the night sky looking at the stars.

The light was “released” from those stars a long time ago, but we don’t experience that event until the light reaches us.

Millions or even billions of years later.

When I was 16, stargazing involved listening to The Cure and sharing a clove cigarette with Rhonda (we may or may not have held hands).

The song “Close to Me” would come on…

I’d look at Rhonda and tell her about how insignificant we were in this massive universe.

My Astronomy Game was strong back then!

How could she possibly resist?

I should stop with the Rhonda references.

I just find it funny to talk about her 30+ years later.

We only dated for 10 weeks.

10 weeks of teen romance that felt like a supernova explosion.

(Don’t be jealous.)

I’ll discuss the whoosh effect in great detail after a music break.

The music selection for this post is my favorite creative music mashups I’ve found on Youtube.

(This makes me so happy. It almost seems like Trent Reznor is singing a duet with Carly. How could something be wrong when it feels so right?)

Fully understanding the whoosh effect will help you avoid a lot of frustration when you are trying to get lean.

I first read about this almost 10 years ago.

What is the Whoosh Effect and How Does it Affect Weight Loss?

I give credit to Lyle McDonald.

I could be wrong, but I believe he is the one who came up with the HYPOTHESIS of the “whoosh effect”.

Here’s a link to his original article.

Of Whooshes and Squishy Fat

An excerpt from that article:

Back during my college days, one of my professors threw out the idea that after fat cells had been emptied of stored triglyceride, they would temporarily refill with water (glycerol attracts water, which might be part of the mechanism).

So there would be no immediate change in size, body weight or appearance. Then, after some time frame, the water would get dropped, the fat cells would shrink.

A weird way of looking at it might be that the fat loss suddenly becomes ‘apparent’. That is, the fat was emptied and burned off days or weeks ago but until the water is dropped, nothing appears to have happened.

I have absolutely experienced what he describes here, as have countless people I’ve trained over the years.

(This is a true mashup masterpiece. Stevie Wonder’s vocals fit perfectly with The Clash. This vintage video is hilarious too. The dance moves and clapping is all perfect.)

What I like about Lyle’s article?

He points out that he has been looking for scientific research to back this for 20 years, but still hasn’t come across a study that fully explains this idea of rapid water release from fat cells.

His hypothesis makes a lot of sense to me.

Your Fat Will Begin to Look a Little Lumpy and Feel Squishy

If you are in a calorie deficit, working out regularly and still not losing weight?

It is possible that you have lost body fat, but it simply has been replaced by water.

When this happens?

Your problem areas will have softer, squishy fat feel and sometimes even a slightly lumpy appearance.

BUT

Your weight on the scale will be the same.

You have lost fat…

…but won’t observe that fat loss until the water is released.

(This one primarily just uses the guitars from Iron Man, but still funny. It fits surprisingly well with this particular Taylor Swift song.)

Lyle believes fat cells fill with water after they release fat, in order to stay their same size.

It’s an efficiency thing.

When your body stores fat, it is easier to store that fat in a fat cell that is already expanded (from water in this case).

Remember…

Your body wants to store excess calories as fat as easily as possible.

It’s better for survival.

It doesn’t understand that Body Glove zipper swimsuits from the 80’s are making a strong comeback.

…and storing fat is messing with your swimsuit dreams.

Ladies, please make these swimsuits a thing again (big fan).

Your fat cells will basically hold onto this water until it doesn’t seem likely that you will be storing fat again soon.

(Two legendary dance songs released 25 years apart. I like them mixed together much more than listening to either separately.)

So when does this water get released?

Here are some things that can possibly trigger the release of that stored water.

How to Trigger the Whoosh Effect

So you have squishy fat and whoosh effect symptoms.

AND

Veronica and Tammy are throwing a pool party.

“Everyone who is anyone” is going to be there and this party is happening in next week (OMG).

You want to look you best.

How do you force a whoosh?

Lyle has observed that increasing your carbs and lowering the intensity of your training CAN do the trick.

Alcohol can also help, since it is a mild diuretic.

(Here’s a recent article I wrote about alcohol and fitness.)

I’ve noticed that people often look better after a night of higher calories and a few drinks.

The carbs fill up the muscle with glycogen.

(The top comment on Youtube under this video was “Sikh and Destroy”. I can’t improve upon that comment. Too funny.)

We have known this for years…

…but it is possible that the carbs release that stored water from the fat cells too.

This used to frustrate me when consulting models before photo shoots.

They would look WAY better 2-3 days after the shoot.

Sometimes it pays to relax.

What is the Keto Whoosh?

The keto diet whoosh is the same as the regular whoosh effect.

Water is held in the fat cells and released at a certain point, but the keto diet whoosh can be pretty substantial.

One of the things that can trigger the whoosh effect is eating carbs.

Since carbs are limited when following a ketogenic diet the body may be holding more water in the fat cells than following a normal diet.

Here’s how to bring on the whoosh effect if you are following a keto diet plan?

Simply have a cheat meal or cheat day once every 3-4 weeks, where you include carbs.

Yes…

It will take a while to get back into ketosis.

But…

Your body should release water from the fat cells and you will look lean.

Is the Whoosh Effect Real?

Remember…

This hypothesis hasn’t been proven by research (yet).

Many of us believe Lyle is correct and that the whoosh effect science is solid.

The main takeaway is that it is possible that you are losing fat and simply haven’t observed it yet.

Most likely your diet is working.

You just need to be patient to see the results.

(I love Nine Inch Nails mixed with trendy pop music. These songs don’t mix quite as smoothly as that first video I put in this post, but these videos are great together.)

Those fat cells are sitting there partially full of water.

They just want you to relax and order a large beer and a plate of nachos.

Okay, maybe that isn’t entirely accurate. Just don’t freak out if you are putting in a decent amount of effort to get lean, but haven’t noticed any changes.

This happens to everyone.

Well, probably not Rhonda.

…but you get the idea.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

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Best Jump Rope Workout for Fat Loss | 15-Minute Weight Loss Routine

Best Jump Rope Workout for Fat Loss | 15-Minute Weight Loss Routine

Jumping rope is a big-time calorie burning exercise.

We are talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 calories per hour (not that any normal person could last that long).

So… when is the last time it was part of your exercise routine?

Most people probably only have experience with skipping rope in P.E. class in Elementary school.

(If the last rope you jumped looked like this, there’s a chance several decades have passed since you have skipped-the-rope.)

We have a corner of our gym with mats and a couple of jump ropes.

Few people last more than a minute or two.

Jumping rope as an adult is a whole different deal.

I tried jumping rope about 10-12 years ago for the first time as a full-grown adult.

I did it for about 10 minutes and could hardly walk the next day.

My calves were destroyed.

Speaking of walking?

Here’s some vintage 1983 footage of one of my favorite songs by The Cure… The Walk.

(Obvious lip-syncing and the cage dancers look like they are wearing prom dresses. Gotta love the 80’s!)

Jumping rope works your entire body and exposes weak points.

I wasn’t just sore in my calves.

I actually felt it in my obliques too (an area that I have a hard time feeling when I do normal ab workouts).

It makes sense why it is such a popular exercise for boxers.

It firms up your entire body…

…and it does make you feel lighter on your feet as you become proficient at it.

So what type of jump rope should you get?

Choosing & Adjusting Your Jump Rope

I recommend starting with a “speed rope”.

These are available at most sporting goods stores (or Amazon) for around $15-$20.

It will look something like this.

Almost all of these are adjustable.

Note: If you are into commercial-level advanced jump ropes, Crossrope is the premium solution in the fitness market.

How to correctly adjust your jump rope:

Place your jump rope on the ground

Stand on the midpoint of the rope (an equal distance between the handles)

Grasp the handles and pull them to your chest while standing on the rope

The top of the handles should reach about 6 inches below the collar bone (not as high as the collar bone or as low as the upper abs)

If in doubt, start a bit longer than this and shorten the rope as you get more experienced.

The 15 Minute Jump Rope Routine

Before you tackle the 15 minute routine that I’m going to outline below you have to learn the skill of jumping rope.

The big mistake I see beginners make is a “double bounce” between rotations.

It’s actually not a mistake…

…it is that this little double bounce allows a brief rest for their core and calves.

They don’t have a high enough level of fitness to jump cleanly in between each rotation.

Here’s a video that demonstrates the proper way to jump rope, along with some tips and common mistakes.

A good 15-minute routine is pretty easy to setup.

I’ll give you three levels examples.

Jump Rope Workout 1

This one is good for maximizing speed and explosiveness. The goal is to eventually learn how to do “double unders” for at least part of the 30-second sprint portion.

1-minute slow jumping warm-up

1.5 minute of rest

30 seconds fast jump

Alternate 30 seconds of fast jumping with 1.5 minutes of rest for a total of 7 times (14 minutes).

Double unders are a combo of conditioning and timing.

Here’s a video with some tips on how to get the timing down.

These take a little bit of practice to master.

Do as many as you can and finish off the 30-second rounds with “alternating foot jump” technique.

Here’s a workout using just this technique

Jump Rope Workout 2

This workout builds a bit more endurance.

It is also good if you aren’t able to do double unders well. It’s still intense and burns a good amount of calories.

1-minute slow jumping warm-up

1 minute of rest

1 minute of fast alternating foot jump

Alternate 1 minute of alternating foot jump with 1 minute of rest for a total of 7 times (14 minutes).

Really challenge yourself to push the pace during the 1 minute of jumping.

Once this ceases to be a challenge, simply introduce some double unders in with alternating foot jumps.

Follow skipping rope with some walking for a little fat burning bonus.

In my cardio course, I recommend that you follow intense HIIT type of training with 15-20 minutes of walking (when time allows).

Intense exercise like HIIT is good for releasing fat from fat cells.

Slow and steady cardio like walking is good for using it for fuel once it has been released.

Here’s a diagram I made demonstrating this.

It’s a bit more complicated than my diagram shows but gives a general idea of the principle.

You could also follow the jump rope intervals with 10-15 minutes of really slow and steady jumping.

You don’t have to do either…

…but Everything Counts!

(This is my favorite Depeche Mode footage. It’s from 1983 and they all look about 16. The German audience shows ZERO enthusiasm here.)

Experiment with the 15 minutes of jump rope intervals.

There isn’t an exact work and recovery period that you must follow to get results.

Studies show HIIT is effective for fat loss, but a lot of different length intervals work well.

The idea is to push hard during the work portion… rest… then push hard again.

If it becomes easy, simply reduce the rest portion or increase the work intensity.

You can also jump slowly instead of resting completely.

…but that is rough to maintain for 15 minutes.

One word of warning.

You may want to simply jump slowly for 5 minutes for 1-2 weeks to condition your body for this type of exercise.

5 minutes jumping rope feels like 30 minutes.

It’s weird, but time actually does slow down as soon as you begin twirling the rope.

Give it a shot.

-Rusty Moore

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source https://visualimpactfitness.com/jump-rope-workouts-for-fat-loss/

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How to Maintain Muscle While Dieting

How to Maintain Muscle While Dieting

I think most people realize that diet alone won’t create the best version of their physique.

Calorie deficits created by dieting, ALWAYS lead to weight loss.

BUT

If the weight loss is a combo of muscle and body fat?

The result is a mediocre transformation.

Calorie Deficit + Resistance Training = Magical Transformation

Resistance training sends a signal to the body.

This signal is an instruction for the body to keep muscle tissue.

Without this signal the body will draw from both muscle tissue and body fat when dieting creates a calorie deficit.

When you see Weight Watchers style transformations, it is mainly weight loss through diet alone.

I think Weight Watchers is awesome by the way.

It has helped countless people.

BUT

To reach exceptional levels of health and fitness you can’t leave out resistance training.

Any form of resistance can work.

I like commercial gym equipment, but there are a bunch of other options that can work as well.

How much resistance training do you need?

It doesn’t take much.

We will discuss that in a sec…

…but first a music video break.

The music theme for this post will be pop music cover tunes with a twist.

BBC Radio 1 in London has a feature they call “Live Lounge”.

Musicians come in and play their own hits, then perform 1-2 current popular songs by other artists.

It’s all recorded live…

…and they typically go all-out with these cover songs and play them as if they are their own hit song.

Kings of Leon performing a little Selena Gomez.

“Cause all of the downs and the uppers. Keep making love to each other. And I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying… but I… Can’t keep my hands to myself.” – Selena Gomez Kings of Leon

When you are dieting you wind up taking in fewer calories.

Which means fewer nutrients for recovery.

Because of this, you need to reduce lifting volume.

How much can you cut back on volume?

“The 2/3 Rule”

  The general idea?

You can maintain fitness by cutting out 2/3 of what it took to get there.

It would be less confusing to call this the 1/3 rule.

You can maintain with 1/3 of the actions it took to improve.

This rule applies to strength, muscle mass, and VO2 Max.

It takes a lot less effort to maintain than it does to improve.

Here’s the important part.

Volume can be cut by 2/3, but INTENSITY must be maintained.

No need to increase the intensity…

Just lift using the same weights it took to reach your current strength levels (increasing the intensity is just as bad as lowering it).

Note: I don’t think you can maintain muscle forever off of super low volume, I have seen it work well for 2-3 months. More long-term studies need to be conducted.

Craig David improving upon a Justin Bieber hit.

A little work goes a long way once it comes to muscle maintenance.

I still recommend getting in daily exercise (when possible).

Muscle size and strength is just one element of health.

Long-term health requires daily movement.

The majority of us simply don’t get enough exercise…

…and technology is making it worse.

This doesn’t have to be an official gym workout.

I like to hit the gym Mon-Fri.

…even when I’m in maintenance mode.

What does this look like?

Here’s a template that works well.

Mon: Back, Chest & Cardio

Tue: Shoulders, Legs & Cardio

Wed: Abs & Cardio

Thu: Back, Chest & Cardio

Fri: Shoulders, Legs & Cardio

Sets and Reps: Only one exercise per muscle group using 4-5 sets per exercise. Use similar rep ranges and intensity levels it took leading up to maintenance.

No direct arm work? Biceps and triceps get worked hard enough working back, shoulders and chest. If you are paranoid of muscle loss throw in 2-3 sets for bi’s and tri’s.

Cardio every workout? The resistance training in this example is so brief that it is super easy to fit in 20-45 minutes of cardio. Intensity levels vary from walking to intense HIIT style intervals.

What type of diet setup helps maintain muscle?

I’ll cover that in a sec.

Right after Bastille covers a Miley Cyrus tune.

“Red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere. Hands in the air like we don’t care. Cause we came to have so much fun now. Got somebody here… might get some now. ” – Miley Cyrus Bastille

I like to keep diet as simple as possible.

Keep calories low enough to get into a deficit.

Try to get around 100 grams of protein per day.

Eat mainly unprocessed foods.

Does 100 grams of protein per day sound WAY too low?

Studies have shown people GAINING muscle on less than .3 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.

(That is around 50-60 grams per day for a 180 pound man.)

Brad Pilon has a good article about this:

How Much Protein Do We Really Need to Eat?

Obviously, an elite bodybuilder would need more than that.

…but my articles and courses aren’t aimed at bodybuilders.

My courses help people become slim with muscle definition.

How many calories per day should you aim for?

If fat loss is your goal…

A good starting point is to AVERAGE 12 calories per pound of bodyweight per day.

If you know that you are going to go above this on the weekends?

…simply eat less Mon-Fri.

This is just a starting point.

If you aren’t losing weight, reduce your calories a bit more.

Final thoughts:

Based on all of the studies I’ve read it seems that even a small dose of resistance training maintains muscle.

…even when calorie intake is low.

…even when protein is low.

Resistance training sends a powerful signal for the body to keep muscle it has.

As long as nutrition minimums are met…

Your body will hold onto muscle with a bit of resistance training.

So go lift something!

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

The post How to Maintain Muscle While Dieting appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

source https://visualimpactfitness.com/how-to-maintain-muscle-while-dieting/

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The 3 Day Military Diet Plan: Lose 10 Pounds With Reviews and Results

The 3 Day Military Diet Plan: Lose 10 Pounds With Reviews and Results

How did the Military Diet stay off of my radar?

I know… a really bad pun, but today is the first time I’ve heard of this unique diet plan.

The diet claim?

“A fast way to lose up to 10 pounds in 1 week.”

I’ll cover the whole thing in this article, along with my opinions, testimonials, results, etc.

I’m NOT here to shoot this down…

…or prove how smart I am by suggesting my “superior” approach to dieting.

The main part of the diet only last 3 days.

The Military Diet grocery list and menu is kind of funny.

Not in a bad sense.

It just looks like a diet my grandparents would come up with in the 30’s or 40’s.

(One of the meals is cheese and saltine crackers with an apple, which is EXACTLY how my grandparents ate.)

Before I get to the 3-day Military Diet menu, here’s a little music break.

The music theme for this article is rock tunes sung by an all-girl choir.

In this case, the choir is Scala from Belgium.

(I need to visit Belgium and see this group perform live while I sample some of the world’s best beer.)

One of the meals is toast and tuna.

I lived off of toast and tuna one summer during college.

I’m not saying this is ideal, but I was broke and could feed myself on $3-$5 per day.

I stayed lean and felt great, but didn’t look forward to meals.

Another item in the Military Diet menu is hot dogs.

When I was in elementary school, my family didn’t have a lot of money.

During that time I can remember eating a lot of Top Ramen, mac and cheese, fish sticks, and hot dogs.

As I got older, my dad got promotions at his job and money wasn’t as tight.

…but I remember eating like this until around middle school.

I also think that in the 70’s a lot of families simply ate this type of stuff.

Day 1 of The Military Diet Plan

Breakfast:

1/2 Grapefruit 1 Slice of Toast 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter 1 cup Coffee or Tea

Lunch:

1/2 cup of Tuna 1 slice of Toast 1 cup Coffee or Tea

Dinner:

3 ounces of Any Type of Meat 1 cup of Green Beans 1/2 Banana 1 small Apple 1 cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

Calories for the Day: Approximately 1400

I can’t see just sticking to 1/2 a banana.

Just buy a small banana and eat the whole thing.

Also…

Toast isn’t poison, despite the what the current health and fitness articles would have you believe.

Time for another Scala performance.

(Creep never sounded so good, and it’s funny hearing the girls swear in harmony.)

For dinner on day 1, you get 3 ounces of any type of meat.

That is a pretty small amount of meat.

I’d probably go with something like slices of salami (also an old school 70’s snack to go with the theme).

Here’s the next day’s menu.

Day 2 of The Military Diet Plan

Breakfast:

1 Egg 1 slice of Toast 1/2 Banana 1 cup Coffee or Tea

Lunch:

1 cup of Cottage Cheese 1 Hard Boiled Egg 5 Saltine Crackers 1 cup Coffee or Tea

Dinner:

2 Hot Dogs (without bun) 1 cup of Broccoli 1/2 cup of Carrots 1/2 Banana 1/2 cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

Calories for the Day: Approximately 1200

About 5-6 years ago I decided to start my day with 2 poached eggs, 2 pieces of toast and a coffee.

I had been doing intermittent fasting for a few years straight and needed a break.

This breakfast worked well for me.

It did give me steady energy to last until my workout at 3:30.

Now I start the day with low fat carbs. I know this isn’t a popular approach, but I explain why in my article, Are Carbs Making Us Fat.

I do fine physically with intermittent fasting, but my brain isn’t sharp after fasting for too long.

This small breakfast had low enough calories to keep me lean as when I was fasting but allowed me to do much better work.

I have never had a dinner with hot dogs and broccoli.

…but vanilla ice cream seems to be an appropriate dessert for a hot dog meal.

The final day completely looks like it was devised by my grandpa.

I love it!

Day 3 of The Military Diet Plan

Breakfast:

5 Saltine Crackers 1 slice of Cheddar Cheese 1 small Apple 1 cup Coffee or Tea

Lunch:

1 Hard Boiled Egg 1 slice of Toast 1 cup Coffee or Tea

Dinner:

1 cup of Tuna 1/2 Banana 1 cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

Calories for the Day: Approximately 1100

I’m guessing the banana acts like a chaser to get the taste of tuna out of your mouth.

I overdosed on tuna in college, so have a tough time with it now.

The breakfast would take serious self-control for me.

Cheese and crackers are like a drug.

It would be tough to stop at just 5 crackers and one slice of cheese.

Here’s one last Scala performance.

(Simply one of the best songs ever written.)

Who created the Military Diet?

It’s kind of a mystery.

It was just a small blog with a few pages created by someone, sharing a quick weight loss hack that worked for them.

The thing went viral and now it is one of the most highly searched diets online.

The Military Diet calories come in at about 800 – 1,100 calories per day.

It works for weight loss because this puts most people into a calorie deficit.

What I like about it?

It is a budget-friendly way for someone to drop weight quickly.

Military Diet Grocery List for 3 Days

2 Bananas and 2 Apples 1 Jar of Peanut Butter 3 Ounces of Meat 1 Carton of Eggs 1 Grapefruit Coffee or Tea 3 Can of Tuna (in water) 1 Head of Broccolli Whole Wheat Bread Cheddar Cheese 1 Pack Hot Dogs Cottage Cheese Saltine Crackers Vanilla Ice Cream Carrots Grean Beans

This is just 16 different items and is will last you all three days of the diet.

As you can see, it is a super inexpensive diet to follow.

Before & After: Military Diet Results and Reviews

I was curious to see what type of results people go while following the 3 day military diet plan.

I searched on Youtube and found a few good ones.

This woman lost 9 pounds in 3 days following the military diet plan.

She jokes that the website claimed 10 pounds…

…and she “only” lost 9 pounds.

Obviously, she is thrilled with the results.

This woman lost 5 pounds in 3 days and has a Vlog which shows what to expect.

I like this video because it shows that not everyone will lose 9-10 pounds following the Military Diet plan.

There are a lot of variables that come into play.

Age, sex, current weight, etc.

This young woman was already skinny and still lost 7 pounds in 3 days.

Lot’s of times these, aggressive diets like the Military Diet plan only work when someone has a lot of weight to lose.

This young lady was already pretty darn lean but still lose weight on this diet.

How does this diet work for men?

This guy lost almost exactly 10 pounds in 3 days on his first round of trying this diet plan.

He was psyched!

In the video, he explains that some of this weight loss is water weight.

This is always the case when it comes to rapid weight loss like this.

This is still an impressive amount of weight loss.

Want another diet plan that will allow you to drop 10 pounds quickly?

A lot of people are dropping 10-15 pounds eating nothing but potatoes for 3-5 days.

I explain exactly how to do this in this blog post.

The Potato Hack for Rapid Fat Loss

This blog post recently went viral after Kevin Smith (from the movie “Clerks”) lost close to 50 pounds in 6 months with an all-potato diet.

I like this diet because it is healthy, cheap and easy.

The Military Diet plan is awesome because the health and fitness industry has become kind of snotty and expensive.

This diet is the EXACT opposite.

I think it is awesome that someone shared their unique and slightly odd combo of foods.

In a world of ketosis, gluten free, paleo, etc…

I love it that this type of diet also went viral.

Instead of bulletproof coffee?

A piece of toast and coffee!

A proven bio-hack my grandparents used long before most of us were born.

To whoever created this diet…

Thank you.

This whole thing makes me smile.

Sincerely,

-Rusty Moore

The post The 3 Day Military Diet Plan: Lose 10 Pounds With Reviews and Results appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

source https://visualimpactfitness.com/the-military-diet-plan/

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Using Exercise to Decrease Your Appetite

Using Exercise to Decrease Appetite

Ugh—> scientific studies.

After doing this fitness writing thing for 10+ years, it never ceases to amaze me when scientific research comes up with conflicting results.

I can prove almost any point…

…by cherry picking studies that back my beliefs.

How does exercise affect your appetite?

I personally crave less food after exercising.

Some people get ravenous after exercise.

So what gives?

Does exercise increase or decrease appetite?

The research isn’t clear on this. 

There are several studies finding that exercise increases appetite… and several finding that exercise decreases appetite.

I see a few patterns when it comes to exercise and appetite.

Most of us would like it if exercise decreased their appetite.

I DO think it is possible.

The focus of this post?

Viewing exercise as an appetite suppressant.

Before I dig into all that, here’s a killer tune.

*The music theme for this blog post will be live performances at the KEXP radio station here in Seattle.

Starting with HÆLOS <—Love this group.

I want to start all of this with a disclaimer.

After 30 years of observation and experimentation, these are the tips that have worked well for me… and the majority of people I’ve worked with directly.

Give them a shot.

If they work for you?

Move forward with them.

If not?

Experiment and “dial in” a method that works best for you.

Optimum fitness is a lifelong experiment.

As soon as you think you have your body mastered?

Your body changes.

Lower body weight means you require less calories.

Muscle growth can plateau.

As you get older hormone levels decline.

Then there’s pregnancy, menopause, etc.

Even good exercise templates need to be personalized.

This is why I encourage tweaks to my fitness programs.

Same with the tips in this post.

…which I’ll share with you after this performance by The xx

People like articles with numbers.

Since people on the Internet have spoken…

I’ll number these bad boys.

Tip 1: End Your Workout With an “HGH Flush”.

  I have written quite a bit about this over the past 10 years.

What is an HGH Flush?

It is referring to the appearance of your skin after intense HGH-producing exercise.

There are a bunch of workouts that can accomplish this.

The goal is to train in a way that makes you short of breath and where your skin is radiating heat.

Think cardio intervals, bodyweight intervals, CrossFit, etc.

Why boost natural HGH production?

HGH helps the body burn fat, maintain strength, etc.

The boost from exercise isn’t huge…

…but any increase helps.

There is also an appetite suppressing effect of this type of exercise.

The more intense the exercise, the less ghrelin (hunger hormone) the body produces.

Body Temperature… is now thought to play a large role in hunger suppression.

Here’s the idea:

Core temperature gets raised during intense exercise.

Blood flow gets redistributed to the muscles and skin.

Digestion is shut down until blood flow normalizes and the body cools down.

During this 1-2 hour period the body craves less food.

After this 1-2 hour period you WILL get a short surge where you do crave food again.

This increase in hunger should pass in 15-20 minutes.

I sip on a large cup of green tea during this “hunger window”.

This works really well.

When possible try to leave the gym in an HGH flushed state.

My total workout time is about 60 minutes.

30 minutes lifting and 30 minutes of HIIT cardio.

It doesn’t HAVE to take this long.

Here’s a post I wrote that discusses time and fitness goals: The One Minute Workout.

Lot’s of ways to accomplish this.

“Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks now. Let me kick it like it’s 1986 now. Might be over now, but I feel it still.” – Portugal. The Man

Just work to get past the short window of hunger that happens 1-2 hours later.

Hot tea works for me.

Experiment with other NO-calorie or LOW-calorie options.

Tip 2: Avoid Workouts That Make You Excessively Sore

  (If fat loss is your goal.)

It turns out that the body craves more food when it is in repair mode.

The hunger increase doesn’t happen the day of the workout.

The big increase in hunger happens the day after.

Here’s what I have witnessed.

The larger the muscle breakdown?

The larger the increase in hunger.

Don’t take my word for it.

Pay attention to your eating habits any time you experience more muscle soreness than normal.

My guess is that these are the times when it is toughest to stick to your diet.

When I have coached a client for fat loss…

The goal was to do everything in my power to ensure that their workouts didn’t make them too sore.

This is the way my courses are designed as well.

In my opinion…

Sore muscles and fat loss diets do NOT mix well.

If fat loss is your goal?

Train in a way that increases strength…

…without breaking down the muscle too much.

Here’s a post I wrote about how to do that:  Gain Strength Without Excess Size

If gaining muscle quickly is your goal?

Then blitzing and breaking down the muscle is a solid approach.

Just watch out for fat gain from the increased appetite.

Tip 3: View the Act of Exercising as the Reward

  Many people, who have a tough time losing weight, reward themselves for exercising.

…and more often than not that reward is food.

If you are Intrinsically Motivated to exercise?

You don’t need a reward.

The exercise IS the reward.

This is a pattern I see for long-term success in any field.

The ACT is the REWARD.

Here’s a final music video that demonstrates this concept perfectly.

Watch Macklemore & Ryan Lewis here in 2011.

Before they had a hit single on the radio.

Before their first album was released.

Before the general public had heard this song.

No guarantees that they would ever make it big.

… but Macklemore’s enthusiasm is insane here.

You can tell that he finds joy in performing his art.

This footage makes me smile.

People who find exercise rewarding on it’s own, tend to have an easier time losing body fat and staying lean.

It’s a mindset thing…

…and maybe the most important of the 3 tips.

Find a way to enjoy exercise as much as Macklemore enjoys performing in this video.

Sticking to your diet will become easy.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

The post Using Exercise to Decrease Your Appetite appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

source https://visualimpactfitness.com/using-exercise-to-decrease-your-appetite/

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Filling Foods for Weight Loss

10 Filling Foods for Steady Weight Loss

I have a love/hate relationship with list articles.

The content is easy to digest (and easy to create), but can lack “flavor” and seem a little sterile at times.

So…

I’ll create a list article based on this imaginary scenario:

“You want to lose weight and can only add 10 different foods to your shopping cart. Which foods do you choose and why?”

My choices are slanted towards filling foods.

In 1995 a study tested 38 different foods for how filling they were per 240 calorie serving. Here’s the satiety index (opens in new window) of these 38 foods.

Most of the foods that made my list score high.

…but depending upon your tastes, you will probably have a slightly different list of 10.

Here’s my list in no particular order.

1. Boneless Chicken Breasts

  In my opinion it’s hard to beat the flexibility of boneless skinless chicken breasts as a protein source.

A lot of people favor steak over chicken.

…especially since the Paleo movement.

Here’s where chicken breasts come out ahead.

150 grams of protein from chicken breasts is about 700 calories.

150 grams of protein from steak is closer to 1,300 calories.

I’m NOT saying that beef is unhealthy.

I get it.

…but for weight loss, chicken breasts make it easier to create a calorie deficit.

Beef gives a lot less wiggle room for extra calories in your diet.

May I suggest this bass guitar focused 80’s synth-pop song to go along with your boneless chicken breast?

2. Eggs

  Eggs are a cheap and flexible protein source.

I typically keep a carton or two in my fridge.

My bachelor cooking skills include endless variations of Huevos Rancheros.

Here’s the recipe:

4-5 eggs

Literally ANY leftover food

A bunch of salsa on top

Heat a large pan on medium, throw in some butter. Mix in any random leftovers along with the eggs.

Serve on a plate and drench with salsa.

Note: I realize that this isn’t legitimate Huevos Rancheros, it just makes my strange egg and salsa concoction sound MUCH fancier than what it is.

3. Potatoes

  Potatoes are a pretty badass food.

In fact…

I wrote an article about a while ago about The Potato Hack, which is a diet where you eat nothing but potatoes.

The low carb’ers aren’t fans of potatoes.

BUT

Per calorie potatoes are one of the most filling foods.

What I like to do is bake 5-6 Russet potatoes in the oven on Sunday night.

Throughout the week, I’ll pull one out of the fridge and slice up and fry in a pan of coconut oil to make fries to go along with my chicken breasts.

If I want to go a little more low-cal?

I’ll slice up the cooked potato and sprinkle with pepper, then broil in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

In my opinion, avoiding potatoes is a MISTAKE.

4. Coconut Oil | Butter

  Yes, I realize two items are listed here.

Either will work for cooking.

I COULD get by with just one.

The most important thing to remember about fats is this:

Processed foods have an unhealthy ratio of OMEGA 6 fats.

Omega 6 fats aren’t unhealthy on their own…

It’s just that we are getting 10-20 times the amount nature intended if we eat a lot of processed foods.

If you cook with vegetable oil, you are adding to this problem.

Go with butter or coconut oil instead.

Note:  If you can’t stand the taste of coconut, look for refined coconut oil. I assumed unrefined meant healthier… refined is just as healthy and has a higher smoke point (with very little flavor).

5. Bags of Frozen Vegetables | Salad

  Why do I choose bags over fresh vegetables?

For me, there is less waste with frozen vegetables.

Half the time when I buy fresh, a lot of it goes bad before I get to it.

When they are fresh, it feels like the vegetables are pressuring me. “Cook us or we are going to die!”

Fresh Vegetable Bullying <— the struggle is real.

With frozen vegetables, a serving for me is half of a bag. I can eat half and leave the rest in the freezer.

Bags of salad are just about convenience.

I can dump a full bag into a large bowl and eat along with my dinner.

The chef highly recommends this MTV music video from 1983 to add a little flavor to your salad.

6. Quinoa

  The pronunciation of this word irritates me.

ALMOST as irritating as the correct  pronunciation of  ORANGUTAN (they need to add a “G” to the end of this word).

I fully believe there is in alternate universe where this word is spelled ORANGUTANG.

I’m from that universe and somehow wound up here.

So why did quinoa get added to my list?

I’m a steamed rice addict.

I could easily eat 3,000 calories of steamed rice each and every day.

Quinoa is simply a slightly healthier alternative to steamed rice… and I have better self control with quinoa.

If steamed white rice was lower in calories, I’d eat it with every meal.

Maybe it IS low-cal in the alternate Orangutang Universe.

These poor animals just want their “G” back.

7. Greek Yogurt

  I have a sweet tooth, and certain brands of Greek yogurt have a lot of protein per calorie.

I buy quart-sized containers of Dannon Light & Fit Greek Vanilla.

You get 30 grams of protein per 300 calories.

That is a great protein ratio for a snack.

8. Apples | Oranges

  The state of Washington grows 58% of the apples consumed in the United States.

As a resident, I know apples.

You won’t get anything better than Organic Honeycrisp Apples.

I know I’m talking to an amatuer when some tells me Fuji apples are best.

If a Fuji is the BMW of apples, then Honeycrisps are a Bugatti.

They are a great diet food too.

A large apple is filling for being only about 100 calories. 

Oranges are a solid choice as well.

(Cheaper than Honeycrisps and have a high satiety index.)

Honeycrisps are classy… like 80’s pumping bass mixed with piano.

9. Cottage Cheese

  Cottage cheese is another solid protein source that is low in calories.

I buy the large quart-sized containers.

It is a slow digesting source of protein that makes it an ideal pre-bedtime snack.

A Honeycrisp apple and a cup or two of cottage cheese makes for a quick small meal, that can keep you full for quite a while.

I know I have SAID THIS BEFORE, but I’d stick to non-fat to keep the calories down.

10. Popcorn

  Air Popcorn Makers became a huge thing in the late 70’s.

As a kid we’d stay up on Friday night to watch The Love Boat followed by Fantasy Island.

Pretty much everyone watched the exact same TV shows back then.

…and we all went nutty with the Air Popper.

Air popcorn is old-school, but a seriously effective diet food.

A 1/4 cup of unpopped popcorn is only about 200 calories and fills up a large bowl when popped.

I like to put Frank’s RedHot or sriracha sauce on it now.

Air popcorn… the Blondie of diet food (ahead of it’s time and yellow).

I didn’t include condiments in my grocery list.

Here’s why…

In this alternate universe condiments simply appear in my fridge and in the cupboards.

I swear I never buy salsa, but I never run out.

I somehow MANIFEST vinegar dressing, pepper, and sriracha.

This stuff just appears in my life.

Possibly a message from the orangutanG dimension.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

The post Filling Foods for Weight Loss appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

source https://visualimpactfitness.com/filling-foods-weight-loss/

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One Minute Workout Review

The One Minute Workout | Martin Gibala

I’ve been fascinated with time since college.

Back when I attended the University of Washington I took a lot of boring classes.

…but there was one class that BLEW MY MIND.

It took me by surprise.

I needed a few science credits.

…so I took an advanced astronomy class.

I didn’t even know exactly what branch of astronomy we were going to cover, until the first day of class.

I walk into a classroom of only about 10 people.

After we sit down the professor turns an hourglass over on his desk.

“I bet you guys think I’m going to teach you about the stars. We will touch on that, but I’m going to teach you something much more fascinating.”

“The misunderstood concept of time.”

I also have some good news for you. The textbook for this course will be a cheap paperback book, you can pick up at almost any bookstore for about ten bucks.”

“Are you guys familiar with Stephen Hawking?”

Our entire class was about the book A Brief History of Time

I took this class just 3 years after the book came out.

The physics and astronomy buildings at UW were full of people buzzing about this book.

The class was so awesome!

Some days we would have 2-3 professors trying to help us truly grasp the concept of the 4th dimension.

Other days we would get guest lectures from leading scientists who would discuss black holes, wormholes and time travel.

I would have stayed in college if every class was like this.

Recently, I had flashbacks about this class.

It happened when I watched Interstellar.

I LOVE this movie.

It got mixed reviews.

…and some people get nitpicky with the science behind it.

BUT

I’m a TIME junkie.

I like movies about time-travel, the theory of relativity or anything along those lines.

Love the movie Inception as well.

We live in such an exciting time.

With the help of computers and AI…

Our knowledge about everything is growing at a geometric pace.

I do think…

Things are going to get WEIRD in a few years.

Speaking of weird (and awesome)…

A clip from Vanilla Sky, another favorite movie of mine (set to a killer tune by Radiohead).

The crazy thing about a lot of these movies?

…is how science “fiction” is temporary.

FICTION is turning into NON-FICTION.

At an accelerated pace.

Vanilla Sky came out 16 years ago and just recently I’ve read articles where some are predicting that our consciousness will eventually be able to be downloaded “into the cloud”.

Say what you will about Tom Cruise.

…but his movies are good at predicting things.

Another example?

In 1986 Tom Cruise wore a bomber jacket and drove a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle in the movie Top Gun.

Within six months…

The streets were filled with guys wearing bomber jackets driving crotch-rocket motorcycles.

The bars were filled with young men trying to pick up women by singing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling”.

Another Tom Cruise prediction!

Let’s discuss TIME… as it relates to fitness.

A book was released last week called, The One Minute Workout.

I was skeptical at first.

The title seemed like a scammy marketing tactic.

…but then I saw who wrote it.

A leading scientist in the field of VO2max studies (aerobic fitness).

I’ve been a VO2max fanatic ever since I did six months of deep non-stop research for my cardio course.

Make no mistake about it…

Increasing VO2max is the exercise equivalent to traveling at the speed of light.

It slows down the aging process.

People obsess about being lean.

I used to be one of those people.

I still want to stay lean.

…but as I grow older the focus is switching to two things.

Increasing VO2max

Maintaining Strength

The One Minute Workout book, for me, is simply a reminder to get back on track when it comes to VO2max.

It is a kick in the butt to get back in the gym and work up a sweat on the stepmill or treadmill.

To once again IGNORE the trendy idea that “cardio is dead”.

…and do what I know is right.

As the author puts it:

“Scientists have realized that VO2max also turns out to be an important indicator of a person’s overall health – a kind of ‘magic number’ that goes a long way towards predicting how long you live and your risk of developing chronic diseases. It’s probably the most important metric you have.”

Why is this book titled The One Minute Workout?

It’s based on an interval training protocol that got surprising results.

Sprint for 20 seconds

Walk for 2-3 minutes

Sprint for 20 seconds

Walk for 2-3 minutes

Sprint for 20 seconds

The work part of this interval protocol is just one minute.

This interval was part of a study showing that if intensity is high enough… time can be reduced.

This isn’t the recommended interval workout that the author recommends.

It just proved a point.

…that VO2max can get improved in a number of ways.

High intensity allows you to compress time.

The faster you sprint.

The harder you pedal.

When your workout approaches the speed of light?

Time ceases to exist.

Okay… not really possible, but a fun metaphor nonetheless.

If you get one thing out of this article…

VO2max should be a priority if you want to live a long life.

Whether you approach the speed-of-light with your training.

…or add a time element at a more moderate intensity.

Increase your VO2max to slow down aging.

We’re still a few years away from Interstellar technology.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

The post One Minute Workout Review appeared first on Visual Impact Fitness.

source https://visualimpactfitness.com/one-minute-workout-review/

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Diet and Depression Study

Diet and Depression | New Scientific Findings

Depression is different than being sad.

I can’t remember where I read this definition of depression versus sadness, but it’s a good one:

Depression isn’t being sad when things are going wrong. Depression is being sad when things are going right.

We all experience sadness.

We need this emotion.

Tough and gloomy times make our victories feel so much better.

Without SAD, there would be no HAPPY.

Sometimes sadness is an indicator that we need to change something.

Other times sadness is a result of a tragic event.

Either way…

Once positive things happen, or once enough time passes, we should become less sad.

…and eventually happy like this little guy.

Sadness is normal.

It is part of life and nothing to be ashamed of.

Here’s a wise quote from an unlikely source.

“There are going to be peaks and valleys in everything – in your marriage, in your job, in your life. So just enjoy the peaks and ride out the valleys. Just try not to do anything too rash.” – Ricky Schroder

Depression is different.

The peaks in life don’t come with happiness or enjoyment.

Good things fail to improve your mood.

“On an island in the sun, we’ll be playing and having fun… And it makes me feel so fine, I can’t control my brain.” – Weezer

Talking in detail about the CAUSE of depression is beyond the scope of this article.

I used to think it was just a chemical imbalance in the brain.

It goes beyond that.

Here’s an outstanding  multi-page article about depression

The most interesting thing about this article?

The finding that depressed people dream 3X as much as non-depressed people.

Note: I have no idea if the dreaming theory of depression is correct. I just know that antidepressants only work for a percentage of those who take them, so we need alternatives.

Depending upon which studies you examine…

It appears that rates of depression have increased each and every year for the last 50-80 years.

This brings us to the main point of this article.

What if changing your diet could help with depression?

Is the increase in depression caused by the increase in processed foods?

It’s a strong possibility.

Chips are my biggest weakness.

Have you tried Doritos Roulette?

It’s Nacho Cheese flavor mixed in with a few Extra Spicy. It is pretty funny to watch someone with wimpy tastebuds eat a spicy one.

Maybe eating ANY tortilla or potato chip is like playing roulette.

We know they aren’t healthy for your body.

…but there is a strong possibility you are also playing roulette with your mental health.

Interesting Findings of a NEW Clinical Trial

On January 30, 2017, The Smiles Trial was published.

This research demonstrates that people with depression can improve their mood by eating a healthier diet.

This is actually the very FIRST study of its kind.

Every other study in the past has been questionnaire-based.

(Time for a happy song.)

“We’re jammin’. To think that jammin’ was a thing of the past. We’re jammin’. And I hope this jam is gonna last.” – Bob Marley

Here’s how the study was set up:

67 moderately to severely depressed men and women

Half were put on a modified Mediterranean diet

Half were required to attend social support sessions

The result?

Everyone’s depression symptoms were graded before and after the 12-week study using a scale called MADRS (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale).

This rates mood from 0 to 60 (with 60 being severely depressed).

The Diet Group: The average MADRS score improved by an average of 11 points… 32% had scores so low they no longer met the criteria for depression.

The Support Group: Average MADRS score improved by an average of 4 points… 8% had scores so low they no longer met the criteria for depression.

Really positive results for the diet group.

The support group improved as well, just not as much.

I’m guessing a combo of diet and support would work best.

Another study in favor of the Mediterranean Diet.

I’m not a huge fan of following a labeled diet, but if I was forced to choose… I’d probably go with the Mediterranean Diet.

Whole foods are good for the brain.

…and I’m not just talking about depression.

Processed and refined foods contribute to insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is tied to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Food really does have drug-like effects.

Your diet has effects WAY beyond just looking good in a swimsuit.

This study is just another reminder to put good food into your body.

(Time for another happy song.)

One of my very first memories was around the age of 3-4.

…hearing my Mom and Dad singing along to this song on the radio, in the front seat of our car (red Chevy Nova I think).

Karen Carpenter’s voice is a once-in-a-generation thing.

The voice of an angel.

Corny, but always puts a smile on my face.

I’m not a psychologist.

I do have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.

Which is really just an intro to the subject.

I’ve been a lifelong student of psychology…

BUT

If you are severely depressed, seek help.

If you are just in a funk or mildly depressed?

Try cleaning up your diet and adding in a consistent exercise routine.

There’s a good chance that it could help.

It certainly can’t hurt.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

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Muscle Memory is Real | New Research Confirms

Muscle Memory is Real | New Research Confirms

For a long time, we have suspected that muscle memory was a real thing.

Gaining strength and muscle the first time around can be difficult.

Regaining strength and muscle is much easier. Our experiences in the gym back up the idea of muscle memory, but there hasn’t been convincing scientific research backing this concept.

Until now…

I’ll discuss this new research after a quick music break.

The music theme for this blog post? Killer trance & house tunes from around the year 2000.

The year 2000 was almost 20 years ago.

Hard to believe.

A few days ago my friend Tim Steele sent me a link to a new review paper published on January 25th, 2019.

Tim is author of the Amazon Best Seller, The Potato Hack.

He’s busy writing another detailed book that will definitely become an Amazon Best Seller.

He doesn’t have time to write about this paper.

…so I’ll run with it.

Here’s the title of the paper (link):

Skeletal Muscles Do Not Undergo Apoptosis During Either Atrophy or Programmed Cell Death-Revisiting the Myonuclear Domain Hypothesis

I want to simplify the findings as much as possible.

Let’s talk about muscle growth.

Here are some nerdy bullet points:

Muscle cells have more than one nucleus.

Each nucleus can only support a certain amount of sarcoplasm when a muscle grows.

If that nucleus reaches capacity then new nuclei will be added to the muscle cell in order for it to continue to grow.

So…

When a muscle grows, the number of myonuclei increases within each muscle cell.

It used to be believed that when a muscle shrank that the myonuclei would die and decrease over time.

New research suggests that once you gain these nuclei in your muscle cells, you retain them for life.

Kind of like my love for Susanna Hoffs.

[Susanna, I don’t hear your music anymore but my Eternal Flame for you will never die.]

About 10 years ago…

I remember reading a study that came to the conclusion that myonuclei stuck around for about 2-3 months after muscle atrophy (muscle loss).

Short layoffs were fine, but…

It was thought long layoffs resulted in loss of the nuclei within the muscle cells.

Why did we think this was the case?

Researchers once believed that we lost myonuclei because they had a hard time telling the difference between myonuclei and other types of nuclei within the muscle.

“Muscle is a complex tissue with many different cell types, and one of the problems in the field is how to specifically identify the myonuclei for study”.

With time comes technology.

We now have the tools to measure myonuclei accurately.

Modern cell-type-specific dyes reveal the fact that myonuclei stick around.

Also…

Muscle memory goes beyond what is happening in the muscle fibers.

Your nervous system plays a strong role.

I cover this extensively in this article.

Strength Without Size | High Voltage Lifting

This article explains how gaining strength can increase “true muscle tone”.

Gaining strength is in some ways like swinging a golf club.

The more you repeat that activity the more you reinforce those neural pathways.

I consider this a type of muscle memory as well.

So…

What can you do with this info?

If you have ever been strong with true muscle tone this is incentive to train to get back to that point.

It should be easier the second time around.

I also HIGHLY recommend training hard when you are young… to gain a bit of muscle, strength and muscle tone.

My Women’s course and Men’s course…

…teach how to gain an ideal amount of muscle quickly, then how to maintain muscle size while increasing “true muscle tone”.

If you are 35 or under?

Your hormones and recovery ability put you in the ideal place to build base muscle.

Don’t waste this window of opportunity.

If you are over 35 and have EVER been in great shape?

And…

Now you are out of shape.

Your myonuclei have been waiting for you! 

They have been loyal to you for years.

Don’t let them down.

They want to make you pretty again

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

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Calorie Burning Workouts

Calorie Burning Workouts that are Effective for Fat Loss

So far I have covered the history of HIIT, Metabolic Resistance Training, and how underwhelming EPOC is for most types of exercise.

I also have recommended that you focus on calories burned during the workout and think of anything after the workout as a “bonus”.

(Here are links to part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4).

At this point there is still a ton to learn when it comes to calories burned after a workout. 

With the way we are currently measuring it, it doesn’t look like a significant amount of calories are burned after a workout is completed.

There are a couple isolated studies that show promise, but the bulk of research make it look less than what we have been led to believe.

In my opinion, relying on the “afterburn effect” is a gamble.

You might burn enough extra calories after the workout to get as lean as you desire…

…we just don’t know enough about it right now to bet on it.

With that in mind, how do you burn a lot of calories during your workout?

There are countless approaches, so I’ll just cover a few.

*** Lifting weights for hours each day with no time limits.

The movie Pumping Iron is a prime example of this. Arnold and the bodybuilders back then lifted weights for 2+ hours per day.

These guys got lean without cardio or anything resembling MRT. The calorie burn was massive each day due to the crazy amount of volume.

*** A large amount of work compressed into a shorter time-frame, by reducing rest periods.

For this approach to work best, I’d recommend sets to last around 40-60 seconds. This will ensure the lactic acid system gets worked…especially with short (30-40 second) rest periods.

This approach burns a lot of calories without cardio or HIIT.

*** Working one muscle group while a different muscle group is recovering.

This is an even faster way to burn calories compared to simply shortening the rest periods between sets. This approach practically eliminates rest periods altogether and is the best if lack of time is an issue.

When lactic acid is clearing out of one muscle group, you are building it up in another. A steady flow of calorie burning for the entire time you are training.

A lot of these approaches will string together a few exercises back-to-back, followed by short rest periods.

This is probably what most people envision when hearing the term Metabolic Resistance Training.

*** Strength training followed by HIIT.

This is my preferred method. It is also the method I teach in all of my Visual Impact Fitness Courses.

I like training for maximum tension and hard muscle contractions with each set and rep.

This creates dense, angular muscles without adding a lot of excess size. Great for men and women who want to get in exceptional shape while still fitting into stylish clothes (my specialty).

When rest is cut too short, the nervous system won’t be able to deliver maximum voltage to the muscle being worked on the following set.

Because of this…I prefer to spend 30-45 minutes doing low rep strength training with a lot of rest between sets, followed by 15-30 minutes of HIIT for calorie burn.

The downside to this is that workouts will take longer than time-compressed metabolic resistance training workouts. The upside is that you will gain strength and density better with my approach.

There are countless effective workout variations for fat loss.

This has been a pretty in-depth 5 part article.

I’d like to end it with a few guidelines…

Guidelines to Follow if Fat Loss is Your Goal.

If workouts are short, you need to make sure intensity is high. It is best to push close to or above the Lactate Threshold for as much of the workout as possible. Metabolic Resistance Training circuits are probably your best bet in this case.

If your workouts are focused on strength and density, add 15-20 minutes of HIIT afterward for calorie burn. This is the approach I use in all my courses because it allows you greater control of the look of individual muscle groups. This will take more time than a typical MRT workout.

If you are trying to lose fat while building a bodybuilder style physique, make sure your sets last 40-60 seconds alternated with brief rest periods. This is a way of pushing the Lactate Threshold and burning calories while working the muscles hard. This will build (or at least maintain) muscle while burning body fat. No need to do cardio with this approach.

If you prefer less intense workouts, you will have to increase the length of your workouts to burn the same amount of calories as a more intense workout. Walking at a moderately fast pace burns calories and will help you lose fat, but it burns less calories per minute than MRT. The less intense you train, the longer you will have to train.

If you are training intensely, dieting hard, but still want to lose fat at a faster rate…you can always add in walking. Walking doesn’t burn a ton of calories per minute, but it is a way to burn extra calories without messing with your recovery. If time permits and you enjoy it, you can add it to any of the approaches suggested above.

This is not even close to an exhaustive list of fat loss approaches. I could outline out dozens of other scenarios for losing fat.

Also…

We still have much to learn when it comes to the Afterburn Effect.

The good news is we know that uncomfortable interval-style training burns a lot of calories…and is an efficient way to train.

It may or may not produce the a large amount of EPOC…

…but it does get the job done for burning calories to get lean.

I will add updates as more is discovered about the Afterburn Effect.

I’ll revisit this post every few months and add updates as needed.

Science still has a long way to go to figure out how many total calories are burned from various activities.

If we had everything figured out, there would be no need for research.

I’m excited to see what we learn over the next 10+ years.

Cheers,

-Rusty Moore

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When to Quit a Workout Program

When Should You Change up Your Workout Routine?

I feel like a human lab rat when it comes to workout routines.

I’ve belonged to a commercial gym for the past 29 years.  During that time, I’ve tested out a variety of radically different workout programs.

More often than not, they don’t work as well as my go-to programs.

…but we all need variety.

I’m currently about 1/2 way through trying out an approach where I lift weights just one time per week.

My strength is up, but I’m looking a bit “skinny fat”.

I planned on sticking with this new program through the end of December and give it a full 8 weeks…

…but I’ve changed my mind.

“My mind has changed, my body’s frame, but god I like it. My heart’s aflame my body’s strained, but god I like it.” – TV On The Radio

The current workout I’m following isn’t a fit for me.

It’s outlined here (opens in a new window).

It neglects an important psychological benefit of training hard a few times per week. I simply feel more positive with frequent training.

I became a little lazy and apathetic with 1 workout per week.

I have had a hard time motivating myself this past month.

↑ Click Me for some Pineapple Express gold (NSFW)

My body craves an intense challenge more than once per week.

Yesterday, I tried to do a pretty moderate cardio workout on the stepmill after lifting weights.

I had an extremely tough time completing 20 minutes.

In just 4 weeks, I’ve become out-of-shape aerobically.

When my aerobic conditioning is good, I feel more alive.

Richard Branson lists keeping fit as his #1 secret to productivity.

It gives him energy to accomplish more during the day.

Branson’s exercise of choice is kitesurfing. 

I do think the one workout per week could work for someone with a physically active job…or someone who plays a sport a few times per week, etc.

If you sit at a desk like me, you are probably going to need more.

So when should you quit a workout program?

It’s a simple answer:

When the results you are experiencing are significantly slower than a program you have used in the past.

It’s just logical…

…if you know there is a better option, use that one instead.

Quitting isn’t always a bad thing.

An End Has a Start is a song title that captures this perfectly…

“I won’t disappoint you, as you fall apart. Some things should be simple…Even an end has a start.” – Editors

If your workout program isn’t a good fit for you?

Move on!

The older I get, the more I understand the importance of time.

Life is too short to be skinny fat!

Note to self: Probably a bad slogan for a motivational poster.

Don’t start a workout program that is obviously a bad fit for you.

I enjoy going to the gym, so limiting this was a bad idea from the start. I also sit at my desk during the day. If I don’t get in a few intense workout sessions I quickly become out-of-shape.

Some people like the less-exercise-and-less-calories approach to getting lean.

I do better with more calories and more exercise.

I definitely know that now!

Life is too short to miss champagne brunches (better slogan).

I realize most of this stuff is obvious, but this is just a reminder.

If you hate the gym, don’t begin a program that requires you to spend a lot of time in a commercial gym.

If you like free weights, it’s probably best that you avoid programs that focus 100% on bodyweight exercises.

If you love to run and get good results from it, there is no need to use a circuit training program to get lean.

etc.

It’s fine to test new approaches, but only stick to these tests if they show promise after 3-4 weeks.

Every program that has worked well for me, showed promise within a few weeks.

It doesn’t matter if they worked wonders for anyone else.

The only programs you should stick with are ones that work for YOU. 

I tend to stick with losing strategies for too long.

I don’t want you to make that same mistake.

One last thing…

This is my last post of the year so I’ll end with a legendary song. 

I think this qualifies as “legendary”.

The best live performance of one of the best Rock songs of all-time.

Enjoy your holidays and see you in 2016!

Sincerely,

-Rusty Moore

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How Aerobic Fitness Speeds Up Fat Loss

How to Raise Your VO2 Max to Burn More Body Fat

I am going to admit something.

For the past 6 months, I’ve been stuck with 10 more pounds of body fat than I would like. Now that I’m more than 1/2 way through my 40’s, fat loss has become a bit more complex.

It was so much easier a decade ago:

At 35 I injured my back before a beach vacation in Mexico.

I had 10 pounds to lose, but couldn’t do any cardio because it was almost too painful to stand. I got really lean with a strict diet and minimal weight lifting over the course of 60 days.

Now that I’m 46, diet and lifting alone doesn’t cut it.

…and simply adding in walking doesn’t get the job done either.

I’m guessing Kylie Minogue feels my pain.

Walking obviously worked well for her back in 2001.

A video from 15 years ago when Kylie was just 32 years old.

No doubt she has to push harder these days to keep lean.

(I’ve been trying to find an excuse to work a Kylie Minogue video into my blog for quite a while…and just remembered she has a video where she walks around the city. Don’t judge…you know you love it!)

Hitting a fat loss plateau is frustrating.

You drop your calories down.

Workout 3-5 times per week.

Do a bit of cardio.

You still aren’t losing weight?

I have a REALLY good idea of what your problem could be. It’s an overlooked aspect of training in many workout programs.

Raising your VO2 Max (Aerobic Capacity).

Back in 2010, I wrote an article on my old blog about a fascinating new study on fat burning.

This study compared fat loss differences between individuals at different fitness levels (as measured by VO2 Max).

The finding was that those with a higher VO2 Max burned more fat and got more out of exercising than people who were less fit.

US News summed it up well in this quote:

“After running on a treadmill for 10 minutes, people who were relatively more fit had a 98 percent increase in the breakdown of stored fat, sugar, and amino acids, while less-fit people had only a 48 percent increase.

The very fit had the biggest difference of all. Blood samples taken from 25 people before and after they ran the 2006 Boston Marathon found a 1,128 percent increase in some key metabolites.”

Aerobically fit people have an easier time burning body fat.

…but you don’t just have to stick to traditional cardio to increase VO2 Max and get aerobically fit.

CrossFit is an example of an activity that drastically raises VO2 Max.

There are two CrossFit gyms within a mile of my house…

Pretty much ever time I drive by I see nothing but ripped young people. It definitely gets results!

I just believe the injury risk is too high for some people. 

My cardio course is aimed at greatly increasing VO2 Max using nothing but cardio machines in a commercial gym.

You certainly don’t have to train in a commercial gym.

…I just like having access to a large variety of equipment.

So why have I been stuck with 10 pounds of body fat to lose?

It is absolutely because I let myself get out of shape aerobically. I have stopped using the principles I teach in my cardio course about increasing VO2 Max.

A magical “Old Man” performance by Neil Young.

Are you over 40 and want to be lean? You cannot afford to have a low VO2 Max.

Younger people have hormonal advantages that you simply don’t have anymore. Raising your VO2 Max is how you make up for this hormonal gap.

Again…it doesn’t have to be on a cardio machine (although that is what I prefer most of the time).

It can be accomplished with weights, body weight, jump rope, etc.

In Part 2, I’m going to discuss how to use intervals and the ideal work-to-rest ratio of these intervals…for improving VO2 Max.

Click Here to Continue…

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How to Get Fit Using Interval Training

When I bring up the term aerobic capacity (VO2 Max) a lot of people picture a marathon runner with little muscle mass or muscle definition.

I get it…

(Here is the link to part 1 of this article.)

Doing extended daily sessions of intense cardio, day-after-day and year-after-year will definitely burn muscle.

That is NOT the strategy I’m going to discuss here.

I’m going to outline a way to increase your VO2 Max with a higher than normal volume of cardio intervals for 8 weeks…

…with the ability to maintain that level of conditioning with just 1-2 cardio sessions per week.

Since we’re talking cardio and cardio reminds me of the 80’s?

An 80’s vintage MTV video is called for.

How much work does it take to increase your VO2 Max?

Well, there is what is called an “easy adaptation phase” that happens at around 8 weeks of doing VO2 Max training 3-4 times per week.

Improving past this point to your highest potential can take a much more sustained effort over a period of 8 to 18 months.

Maintaining VO2 Max?

Peak aerobic power can be maintained even when training is reduced by two-thirds. There are studies showing that runners and swimmers have cut training back by 60%, 21 days before a competition…with no decline in VO2 Max.

Speaking of studies…

For those who enjoy scientific studies, here is a link to a monster 648 page book covering all of this.

Don’t have time to read 648 pages?

This post will only take 3-5 minutes to read. Okay, maybe around 15 minutes if you watch all of the awesome 80’s videos.

“I remember hating you for loving me! Riding on the metro oh oh”.

What type of effort increases VO2 Max?

You can increase aerobic capacity simply by doing an activity like running or biking often…or you can use intervals.

Researchers have found that 2-3 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic effort that is followed by 1-2 minutes active rest is what really challenges your VO2 Max system.

Here’s a sample VO2 Max cardio machine workout:

5 minute jog to where you are moderately challenging your aerobic capacity.

2 minutes of walking.

3 minutes fast jog/running pace.

Alternate 2 minutes of walking with a 3 minute fast jog/running pace for 30-40 minutes.

Why long intervals?

Anytime you perform an activity that makes you breathe hard afterward it is potentially increasing your VO2 Max.

Short intense intervals cause you to breathe hard afterward, but the limiting factor is normally your anaerobic and lactate system.

…they still help to increase VO2 max, but not as directly as longer intervals.

To maintain muscle I recommend a mix of short and long intervals.

Both of these work your VO2 Max, but spending too much of your time doing longer aerobic work can burn a bit of muscle.

My advice is to limit the longer interval sessions to 1-2 times per week…and mix in 3-4 days of shorter intervals (or metabolic conditioning work with weights, body weight circuits, etc.)

My other advice?

Watch this awesome old school MTV vid!

For two months do 4-5 interval sessions per week

Make sure at least one of these is of the longer variety (like the one I outlined above).

Once two months are up it has been shown that aerobic conditioning can be maintained with just one solid 30-40 minute VO2 Max session per week.

At this point you can just maintain your aerobic conditioning.

With an improved VO2 Max, your body should be able to get more fat burning love from resistance training, walking, etc.

Warning: Your body might hold onto a little bit of extra water during the 2 months of frequent intervals. This is a cortisol response from pushing hard.

Once you dial back cardio, your body will release excess water and will reveal your full sexiness.

One of my go-to Karaoke songs…so tacky and awesome.

What if this VO2 Max stuff barely makes a difference?

That is a possibility.

Most of this stuff is an inexact science. Seriously…we still have so much to learn when it comes to the human body.

The worst case scenario?

You will burn a bunch of calories over the next two months and if your diet is reasonable should be at least 5 pounds lighter.

You will also be able to go hiking and do other activities without being out of breath and feel like you want to puke.

You will actually be fit…not just look fit.

What a novel concept

Sincerely,

-Rusty Moore

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