The Truth on Staying Motivated

The week is winding down and I know how that goes, you start eating badly, slacking at the gym…etc. Here’s a little motivation from none other than Sylvester Stallone in Rocky!

 Video: Rocky Training!

No one said it was easy!

The Truth on Ab Workouts #1

Today we will be doing abs baby!

I feel abs have to be done at a fast pace with supersets and constant pressure on them.  That way it will not only make your workout that much more effective but will burn more calories thus helping shred up your midsection. The actual time spent in the gym should be around 15-20 minutes tops if done correctly.

Decline bench crunches supersetted with a rope pull downs exercise

Start by doing 20-25 decline sit ups to the point of where you feel your stomach tightening up then come back down and touch your back to the mat and then repeat it. Continue this for 25 reps and then bang out 10 reps to each side squeezing the tension as we talked about before going side to side.

Jump off the decline bench and run over to the pulleys and set the weight needed. Get on your knees reaching up to the rope and pull it down to your midsection creating that tight feeling as you squeeze the tension.

Repeat both procedures until you have done 3 sets of each. One set taking about 5 minutes or less when done correctly.

Leg raises off the floor supersetted with hanging leg raises (May sub with sit-ups)

Start by lying on the floor raising your feet about 5 inches up and holding for about 25 seconds and then bring them down for a short rest.  Do this 5 times. Slowly work yourself up to where you can hold it off the ground for about 60 seconds or more keeping that constant pressure on the abs. Jump off the ground after doing this 5 times and start hanging leg raises.

This is a hard one to do and takes time to master. Start by hanging from a cross bar and bring your legs up to a tuck position and then lower back down. Do this about 10 times or more based on your experience doing this. If you’re a rookie, then go slow and work yourself up to doing 3 full sets of these.If your really want to go hardcore as I do then grab a 25lb plate and place it in front of you and do your sit ups off the decline bench!! 3 sets of 25 reps. No joke if done right!

Keep In Mind

That should be more than enough needed for abs during one gym session. The key to abs is the squeezing and of course your diet. Also, always feel the exercise, don’t just throw the weight around and run from machine to machine.

Comments

Write to me if you have any questions or comments about any of these. I always want to hear from the Truth Army!

Just check your egos at the door and put away the idea that heavy weights and screaming make the person a bodybuilder. A bodybuilder is exactly what it means BODYBUILDER! You are there to build up and sculpt your body. I see the body as a piece of art and each time you train you are creating and recreating that masterpiece of art until one day you will look in the mirror and say “WOW!” In some peoples cases they look in the mirror and say “OH SHIT” I think I need a trainer! No problem, that’s why The Truth is here!

The Truth About Holiday Eating

Hello everyone it’s that time again for us to talk about the ins and outs of dieting. I bet everyone has just gotten done with Thanksgiving and all that tempting food involved. Lets go over a couple ways to avoid those extra 5lbs of dead, unwanted weight.

That is unless you’re like me and eat as much as your stomach can fit during the off-season. I normally get to about 205, which is 30 lbs over my competition weight of 175-176 at show time. So there is a lot of room in this belly and as they say a lot of junk in the truck. But you better believe this is gone when I finish dieting for shows.

Here are some tips to avoid the potato chips and pre meal junk food usually passed around while sitting around the TV while watching football and listening to your in-laws say the same things over and over again! If you feel me out there give me a HELL YEAH!

Snacks

If you have that choice opt to for the vegetables (such as carrots, broccoli, or celery) do it! Unsalted peanuts and cashews are also good. Most people serve the ones loaded with salt, which will affect your sodium levels so be mindful of that. It’s typical to bring a plate to whomever’s house you are celebrating with, so a great way to keep yourself on track is to bring a snack that fits your criteria to share with everyone.

Stay Hydrated

Drink lots of water or unsweetened iced tea between meals. The more you drink the less room you leave for garbage. This will also act as a mild diuretic and cause you to have several trips to the bathroom to relieve yourself of excess water. Not a bad thing at all. This will fill you up enough to eat just enough turkey, and side items to be polite and still maintain your diet.

Curb Your Appetite

If your sitting around and you know dinner won’t be served for a good 2-3 hrs and water isn’t doing the trick, take a New Whey Liquid Protein Vial. Slowly drink it before or while there. This will help curb your appetite and give you the proper nutrients you need for the day.

Portion Control

When you actually sit down and start to manhandle the food, I mean, serve your self, think of a hand full as the measuring stick. For example, the palm of your hand holds about 5-6 ounces. Measure the food by this. Now don’t reach into the mashed potato bowl and squeeze out a palm full! Do it visually. Limit the gravy to as little as possible and don’t soak your food.

Choose the Right Food

Eat as much vegetables as you want. It’s just roughage in the body and the vitamins and nutrients will be used up by the body and the rest will be discarded at a later time. It’s always better to load up on greens especially if you’re dieting. Remember those days way back when your mother use to yell at you to eat your vegetables so you’ll grow up to be big and strong!!! YEAH BULLSHIT. She should of said eat more protein and you'll grow up to bigger and stronger then the little boy down the road eating his vegetables. What I’m saying is, you need those veggies to be healthy and balanced, but to get big like me, protein is the way to go!

Sweet Tooth

Deserts. Yummy this is the best time around the table during the holidays. Look for something light like apple pie or fruit. This is a tough one to avoid so take smaller portions then you normally would especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

Comments

What are your favorite holiday snacks? I’m not talking about Twinkies and French fries, I’m want to know what healthy snacks keep you on track and what keeps you motivated during the holiday gluttony that goes on?

Until next time Truth Army!

-The Truth

Truth Thursday: The Truth About Life

Ten quotes to follow in your daily life:

“Only the strong survive.”

 “Life is short so live each day to the fullest.”

“Smile, its contagious.”

“Don’t ever under estimate anyone.”

“If you think you cant do it you most likely cant!”

“Never give up!”

“Family is forever!”

“The sun will come out, tomorrow.”

“Because I said so!”

“Those who work hard will be rewarded.”

What are some quotes YOU live by Truth Army?

Workout Wednesday: The Truth About How to Act at the Gym

I think we need to start with gym etiquette before we get into workout ideas and routines so you don’t get your heads ripped off by a guy like me who is totally into my routine and doesn’t have time for ignorance or stupidity. Some people don’t know better so if you’re one of those people learn now with five rules to live by at the gym:

Cleanliness

Always bring your self a towel so you don’t sweat all over the equipment or on the bench. This is common courtesy that you would expect from your fellow humans. But there are the few who apparently think they don’t sweat and when they get up leave huge puddles of swamp ass on the seat or bench. Why?

Hygiene

Brush your teeth and spray some deodorant on before walking into this wonderful closed environment we call the "GYM" and I call HOME! You can say this too if you have trained as long as I have. My point being, I don’t go to your house and stink up your place so don’t do it in mine!

Space

Now this one is one of the worst and I see it happen all the time. You happen to be using a piece of equipment or standing there doing an exercise and some nucklehead walks right up on top of you and invades your space! You look to your left and you look to your right and there is enough area to land a plane on but no…this person has to be in your lap. Again I ask myself why? Just remember to give your fellow gym rat the space needed to breath and you will never get that nasty- I am going to knock you out with my dumbbells look. It could save some of you your lives!

Equipment

Next, please pick up your own weights and put them back were they belong. Unless you’re Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler you have no excuse to leave the weights or the equipment on the floor! I’m not your mommy or daddy who needs to clean up after you!

Grunting

Last but not least, THIS IS FOR ALL THE GRUNTERS WHO YELL AND GROWL. If you are going to do this make sure you have more than 135 lbs. on the bench press brother if you’re going to have me and everyone else look at you- please...make it worth my time!

If you can follow these basic rules you are ready to work out. Has any of this stuff happened to any of you? If so, tell me about it. Also, leave me a comment with your gym etiquette peeves for those knuckleheads that don’t know. Until next time, chow.

The Truth