Workout Routine | Women | Men

     When you start an exercise program, no matter what the reason, you are often given plenty of advice from friends, family, trainers, group fitness instructors and doctors. Out of these hundreds of suggestion all given with the intent to help out, one that commonly shows up is “make sure you are drinking enough water”. This is a great piece of advice and though it is usually in reference to needing more water when you exercise, there are many more reasons to drink water than for just pure hydration sake.      There are so many residual benefits to being properly hydrated that many people tend to just pick one benefit and stick to that as their reason to drink water, however, we would be doing proper hydration an immense disservice by not talking about all of the benefits it has on the body - especially the effect water has on aiding weight loss.      Many of the benefits that I am going to talk about below are related to any fluid that hydrates the body, but it’s important to real

Eggs are a great way to start your day. They are such a nutritious and affordable source of good quality proteins and fats. Eggs are nutrient-dense and they're fantastic for rushed breakfasts in the morning if you're looking for a quick, inexpensive protein source. Another breakfast favorite:  Wholesome breakfast burritos: Perfect on-the-go breakfast What's also important for optimum health and taste is the origin of eggs. When possible, always choose pastured eggs instead of regular or even organic. Eggs from free-range pastured hens have up to 3 time more omega 3s, calcium and other essential nutrients which are absent in conventionally raised chicken. As we said eggs are quite an affordable food so put this ingredient into your “must buy organic” list and enjoy this nutrient-dense product in all its lovely variations. What’s more, due to their high content of nutrients, pastured eggs are much more satiating, so maybe you will feel full after 2 instead of 4. You can c

Not only is this hearty salad full of nutritious ingredients, it’s also packed with flavor. To begin with, barley, an antioxidant-rich grain with plenty of fiber, creates a satisfying and slightly nutty base for the salad. Hulled barley, which is used here, is higher in fiber than pearled, but either is a healthy choice. Bear in mind, cooking the hulled barley will take a bit longer than pearled, so make sure to factor this into your cooking time. Since barley is a source of wheat, it is not gluten-free, however the recipe can easily be made so by swapping the barley for another whole grain, such as quinoa, millet or teff.  Once the vegetables and barley are cooked, they are married together in a bright and vibrant green dressing of fresh, fragrant herbs. Any mix of your favorite herbs will work well, but equal parts mint, parsley, basil, and dill is a beautiful combination.       If you’re pressed for time, this recipe can be made in parts in advance; you can cook the barley, roas

Avocados have a wealth of nutritional benefits. They are high in mono and polyunsaturated fats, a great source of fiber, and high in potassium and Vitamins Foliate, E, and C. Learn more about it’s health benefits and find out how many calories are in an avocado . Guacamole is an extremely versatile, extremely tasty way to reap the health rewards of this delicious green fruit. This easy recipe is very good for you and completely free of any additives or preservatives. Here are just a few of the health perks; • The tomatoes are notorious for lycopene (a superstar in cancer prevention), they are a low calorie fiber source, and are high in Vitamins C, K, A, manganese and many more. • The raw garlic used in this recipe adds flavor without adding sodium, plus it works as a potent antioxidant and anti-fungal, and also acts as an effective and natural antibacterial within the body. • Fresh cilantro is another natural antibacterial, and it is very high in antioxidants. • Onion, especially raw

The real pizza lover knows that the best quality pizza is always made at home. The key elements, that you should make sure you buy of high quality, are tomato sauce and mozzarella. You can make your own tomato sauce by just blending peeled tomatoes but there are some great brands that are offering clean tomato sauce made with nothing but red fruit and some salt. Opt for this instead of ketchup or other processed items. You will be surprised by the taste you bring in! Next, you need real, good quality mozzarella. It is a traditional Italian type of flavorful fresh cheese that melts beautifully when baked. Of course you can experiment with different types and find your own preferences.  More recipe videos:  Healthy packed lunch idea - Quick & easy to-go lunch And finally – olive oil. Freshly baked homemade pizza is just crying for a little drizzle for extra flavor, healthy fats and nutrition boost. Always choose cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil in order to get all the benefici

Years ago, if you asked me about cheat meals and cheat days, I would have said they were beneficial for helping you stick to your diet and reach whatever goal (typically losing fat ) you set out to reach. Back then, I was regularly recommending this “cheating” approach to others, providing guidelines for it in my articles, and using it within my own diet on a regular basis. But now?  I do not use or recommend it at all . Here’s why, and the much better approach I’ve been recommending in its place. What Are Cheat Meals And Cheat Days? You know how most diets require you to avoid eating certain yummy foods? For example, typical junk food (e.g. cookies, chips, candy, ice cream, cake, sugar , etc.) is almost always off limits. On certain “ clean eating ” diets, foods like white rice  and white potatoes might also fall into the off-limits category. The same is true of carbs on a low carb diet , fat on a low fat diet, grains on a Paleo diet, and on and on and on. Regardless of the diet yo

Who says that dessert has to be unhealthy? I argue that some of the most delicious, guilty tasting foods out there are also some of the healthiest. This homemade banana ice cream recipe is one of those examples where something that tastes like a dessert is actually really very good for you. This easy ice cream recipe is free of any unnecessary sugars or unhealthy additives. Thanks to the banana it also serves up a good dose of fiber, manganese, potassium, and vitamin B-6, which is great for cell growth, muscle reconstruction and tissue repair. Here’s what you need to make this treat A Blender Bananas (roughly one for each bowl of “ice cream”) One or more of the following healthy toppings (pick a favorite or two): • Any kind of diced nuts; walnuts or almonds are best – Nuts add protein, fiber and a variety of vitamins, depending on which type you choose. • A couple of small pieces of dark chocolate – Dark chocolate has antioxidants which have been shown to help fight off cancer; the h

As you probably already know, I wrote a super comprehensive (and awesome) guide to creating the workout routine that is best for you. You know, this: The Ultimate Weight Training Workout Routine Since finishing that workout guide, I’ve made a few brief mentions of the fact that I was working on an equally comprehensive (and awesome) guide to creating the diet plan that is best for you. Well, guess what? It’s here. Allow Me To Introduce… The Best Diet Plan The Best Diet Plan is a step-by-step guide to creating the diet that is perfect for you, your body, your specific goal (losing fat, building muscle, etc.), and your exact dietary needs and personal preferences. It covers everything from ideal calorie, protein, fat and carb intake, to what to eat before and after your workouts, to supplements, to cheat meals , and so much more. Check it out and let me know what you think: The Best Diet Plan Basically, if you want to improve the way your body looks, feels or performs in any capacity,

Not too long ago, I covered how to lose fat . The thing is, there’s a second important topic that always needs to be covered right along with it. And that is: how to lose fat WITHOUT losing muscle . Wait… what?!?!?! Did I just imply that you can lose your quite hard-earned lean muscle mass while only trying to lose your ugly body fat??? Yup, I sure did. It’s happened to me and countless others plenty of times, and it can definitely happen to you. To understand why and how this is possible and (more importantly) how to prevent it from happening, you first need to understand an important fact… Weight Loss vs Fat Loss: It’s NOT The Same Thing! People often say they want to lose weight . This is sort of a dumb statement, because “weight” can be a few different things. For example… water, glycogen, muscle or fat. Hell, you can cut off a leg and you’ll lose “weight” just fine. In reality however, what most of us want to lose is fat, NOT muscle. Now, despite some of the crazy things you may

Do you bench press? Cool. With a barbell? Also cool. Here’s another question for you… do you always have a spotter? I do not mean only sometimes, or just when you’re going extra heavy. I’m talking about ALWAYS, as in every single time you bench press? If so, awesome. You’re smart. But if not, there’s something that can happen, and it’s something that I’ve seen happen first hand dozens and dozens of times over the years. In fact, it’s even happened to me on more than one occasion. You Might Get Stuck Now, if you’ve been training in a typical public gym long enough, you’re probably seen it happen before. Hell, it may have even happened to you at some point too. And if it hasn’t, I can almost guarantee that the possibility of it happening has crossed your mind at least once. And let me tell ya… getting pinned by a heavy barbell on the bench press when you have no strength left to push it back up AND no spotter standing by to pull it off you sure as hell ain’t fun. That second when you l

< data-transition="slide"> Welcome to A Workout Routine ! The goal here is quite simple: to provide you with everything you need to create the workout routine that is BEST for you. Skip the intro and get started… Create My Free Workout To do this, I’ve put together a completely free step-by-step guide that will walk you through every aspect of building the workout program that will work best for your body, experience level, schedule, preferences and specific goals. Which means, if you want to… Build muscle. Lose fat. Increase strength and/or performance. Improve your health. Look great naked. Or all of the above. …then I’m going to help you create the workout routine that is custom tailored for reaching that goal as quickly and effectively as possible. That means that the workouts you design, the exercises you select, the training split and schedule you set up, the weight training (or cardio) volume, frequency and intensity you plan to use, and more. I’m going to sho

Below you will find 3 versions of my own beginner workout routine that I most often recommend to beginners with any weight training goal (building muscle, losing fat, increasing strength, etc.). If you haven’t already done so, be sure to read my intro into beginner workouts and routines to confirm that you ARE indeed a beginner and to learn what the main guidelines and goals of a beginner workout routine truly are. With that out of the way, let’s get to what you came here for. Here are the full details of the program I simply refer to as The Beginner Weight Training Workout Routine . The Schedule The first thing you need to know about this program is what weight training split and weekly schedule it will use. If you’ve ever read any article I’ve ever written about weight training frequency, splits/schedules or just beginners in general, then you definitely know what split we are going to be using. I’m of course talking about the 3 day full body split , which is by far the most highly

After the full body and upper/lower splits, the push/pull/legs split (aka PPL) is one of the next most simple, popular and proven workout schedules around. It’s also one of the most intelligent and effective… assuming of course it’s actually done right. There’s a few different versions of it that can work well, and a few different ways to structure it over the course of the week (some of which are definitely more or less ideal for certain goals and situations than others). So, let’s now cover all of this and more… What Is The Push/Pull/Legs Split? The push/pull/legs split is a weight training schedule that revolves around splitting the body up into 3 groups: upper body pushing muscles, upper body pulling muscles and legs . Each group is then trained separately on its own workout day. The “push” workout would train all of the upper body muscles that are involved in pushing exercises. This primarily includes Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. The “pull” workout would train all of the upp