Enticing headline, isn’t it?

Well,I got news for ya, this isn’t just for men. This is for all walks of life who are serious about doing what it takes to get chiseled abs and rock hard glutes.

And this isn’t women’s, ahem, I mean, men’s health.

And, as a matter of fact, in terms of traffic, the Chronicles of Strength is now a top 500 blog (not bad in a field of over 130 million competitors! - and to celebrate, we are giving away a free SWAG bag!) and beating the pants off both Men’s Health Australia, and Men’s Health Singapore (at least according to Experian Hitwise).

Suckers.

And to me, it’s no mystery why that is.

Because our content doesn’t suck.

The esteemed professional wrestler Sid Viscious once said that 99% of everything is, well, crap.

He used a stronger word than crap of course.I don't like to use words like that. I have a name for people that use words like that, but I won't say what it is because it isn't very nice.

Well, we are the 1%. And proud of it.

And I’m going to prove it once again by giving you seven tips that don’t suck, actually work, and that you can implement right now for some serious fat burning results. You’ll thank me later…

The thing that sucks about dieting, cutting calories, or cutting carbohydrates is that it only takes about a week for your body to adapt to the caloric and carbohydrate deficit. This is why we experience diminishing returns and ultimately hit those dreaded plateaus.

A lot, not all of it, but a lot of this has to do with our thyroid output and leptin levels. If you want to know more about the nitty gritty scientificals behind what all that is and why it matters, just read my Metabolic Reset eBook.

When we consume less, our body, of course, wants to burn less, and it only takes about a week for it to start doing that.

But we’re not going to let that happen. We’re going to hit the “reset” button.

“Wait. You’re not the boss of me. You can’t tell me what to do!”

You’re absolutely right! You can do whatever the heck you want!

But I hope you’ll choose to do what works and stop wasting your time with what doesn’t.

“But how do I know that it’s going to work?”

Please don’t give me another excuse to put another half-nude and semi-awkward picture of myself online. Because you know I will. Rather, just go read even a few of the seemingly endless success stories that we’ve had over the past year since releasing the Metabolic Reset over at the store page and see for yourself!

“Ok. So how do I hit the reset button?”                                           

You binge! Eat as much of whatever the freak you want for one day a week. This will have insulin oozing out of your eyeballs and fingernails, which typically isn’t such a desirable thing but does wonders for bringing thyroid and leptin levels back to where you want them to be for maximum body fat annihilation.

“Can I eat pizza?”

Damn right. You SHOULD eat pizza.

“Pie?”

So long as it’s coconut cream.

“Really?”

No.

Eat whatever freaking kind of pie that you want.

“Wait, won’t I get fat?”

First off, I don’t even know who you are, but I’m telling you no, you won’t get fat.

Well, actually that depends on what you mean by “fat”.

Will you gain a little bit of fat? Perhaps, depending on how you entered your binge day (more on that later).

But here’s the thing, only losers focus on the short term. Winners see the big picture. If binging once a week will allow you to burn 2lbs of fat throughout the rest of the week, then who cares if the one day of binging has you gain 0.5lb of fat. Because in the long run, you are still down 1.5lbs of fat, if my calculus is correct. Which it is.

So let loose and don’t worry about a thang.

Think about it like this:

What would happen if you lit a match, held it under your butt, and farted?

You’d laugh right? Well, assuming nothing went terribly wrong that is…

You’d laugh, I’d laugh, we’d all laugh. It’d be hilarious, and we’d have a great time. We’d tell all of our friends the next day and probably be the most popular kids in school. That is, if we were still in school, and had any friends to tell about it.

“But what does that have to do with burning fat?”

Absolutely NOTHING!

Except EVERYTHING!

When you binge you have lit the proverbial match and restored life to your once monstrous metabolism. You have reset your metabolism and things are cookin’ again. Fasting—and what will be tip #2 will be the proverbial fart – which will act to EXPLODE the fat-burning process!

You see, after you’ve binged, your body is primed and ready to start burning fat so through implementing a tactical 24-hour post-binging fast and therefore, allowing glucagon and natural growth hormone to surge over insulin (which is one of the many amazing things that happens when you actually don’t eat!), we will tap into our stored body fat and obliterate it!

“So, when can I eat again?”

I like to time it so that I finish my binge on 6pm Friday night, which in turn begins my fast at 6pm Friday night. I then time my workout to be between 3-5pm on Saturday afternoon. That way I can almost go right back to eating once I am done my workout. Notice I said almost. Don’t eat immediately post-workout, as that will halt the fat-burning process.

“What kind of workouts are we talking about? Like those cattle-ball things?”

You mean, kettlebells? Sure. That brings us to tip number 2…

I actually don’t like the saying “train like a man”. Because even though almost every man in the world likes to think they know how to train, very few actually do. I was one of those folks all throughout high school. Then, I got smart and started learning from the best. It’s also when I started getting the best results. Not a coincidence.

Don’t let your ego get in the way of what works.

And don’t believe that if you just work hard enough, then good things will come.

That is the biggest load of crap – whether that advice is directed towards fitness, schooling, business, you name it.

Hard work does not equal success.

I know many, many Americans who work their asses off every day trying to lose weight, yet never do. I know many, many Americans every day who work their asses off at their job, yet still have a rather measly salary. I could go on and on, but the evidence is quite clear that hard work alone is not what pays off.

Effective work is where you want to focus your energy. Working hard for the sake of working hard makes about as much sense as banging your head against a wall hoping to get through it (rather than using the door) and about as much fun, too.

Your first priority should always be to seek out what is effective. What will get you the closest to your goals? Then, work smart and efficiently at what is effective (how can you apply the bare minimum principle to what is effective?).

I don’t value hard work. And neither should you.

I could work my ass off running on a treadmill for two hours every day, and be nowhere near as lean as I am today by spending 40 minutes a day, 2-3 days per week working metabolic conditioning via kettlebell complex training.

Now anybody who has put themselves through the ringer that is my Birth of a Hero program knows that metabolic conditioning is far from easy. It would actually be quite safe to say that the Birth of a Hero may very well be the most painfully grueling and horribly masochistic program you ever put yourself through.

But anyone who has stuck with it undoubtedly knows that it works, and it works damn well.

Good science is repeatable my friends, and that is exactly what the Birth of a Hero is based off of.

Metabolic conditioning is the unrivaled king of rapid fat loss because it will not only help to dump the fatty acids into your blood stream (a process helped along by the adrenaline from heavy lifting), but since you are constantly switching between and utilizing multiple energy systems (phosphagenic, glycolytic, and oxidative), you will also burn those fatty acids off – which to me sounds like the most important part! Doesn’t that sound like the most important part to you as well? Well, most folks don’t take that into consideration.

I have a name for folks like that. But I’m not going to share it because it isn’t very nice.

Heavy lifting is great, but the problem with just heavy lifting for fat loss is the process of re-esterfication, which is when you dump the fatty acids into your blood stream but fail to burn them off so they simply transport back into their cozy little fat cells. The problem with just traditional cardio is that there is little long-term metabolic effect, or EPOC. The Birth of a Hero solves those problems by bringing together the best of both worlds through the pairing of moderate to heavy strength efforts and elevated cardiovascular stress.

Here is the Great Destroyer, one of our finest kettlebell complexes found in the Birth of a Hero. Now, if this doesn’t get you excited to start the Birth of a Hero program, then I don’t know what will!

If you want a cute tight butt, then you need to deadlift and squat.  Heavy.  At least 1x a week.

Or if you just want to be downright strong, then you need to deadlift and squat . Heavy. At least 1x a week.

Here's a bonus tip - If you can deadlift or squat a weight for ten times. It ain't heavy.

And if you really want a sexy, functional silverback behind, then get on our Prometheus Protocol!

So some days you will be lifting heavy, and other days you will be doing your metabolic conditioning. But please don’t bother trying to do a lousy “ab workout” at the end of your training sessions. This isn’t planet fitness or the YMCA. If you want a serious functional set of abs, then you need to get serious about training your core. You owe it to yourself to dedicate an entire session to working every facet of your core’s functionality – such as anti-flexion, anti-extension, anti-rotation, and then of course, flexion, extension, and rotation.

Here is a short compilation of my top ten favorite core training movements. Enjoy.

If you are serious about burning fat, well, then, you have to let your body burn fat, and post-workout is the absolute best opportunity for that to occur. I recommend that you spend 20-30 minutes post-workout going for a brisk walk or performing some other sort of low intensity type of activity, rather than cramming your face full of gummi bears ( you know the type of dude I’m talking about, I know you do! I know you’ve seen the dude that brings gummi bears and jelly beans into the gym! DO NOT BE THAT GUY!) and halting the fat burning process.

Also note, that contrary to popular belief, muscle insulin sensitivity is severely inhibited immediately post-workout due to the micro trauma that has occurred (your muscles actually become temporarily insulin-resistant). So while it is true that insulin is at peak sensitivity post-workout, it is your muscles receptiveness to insulin that matters. Your best bet is to wait 30 minutes post-workout and let those fatty acids continue to oxidize and then have some sort of quick-digesting protein source, such as a whey protein. After about 60 minutes post-workout you may then have your carb and protein meal to start replenishing glycogen.

A pre-workout protein shake is a good idea indeed! This makes sense since increased protein synthesis is metabolically expensive, and a handful of recent studies, LIKE THIS ONE HERE, have brought the proof of this to light!

To summarize - having protein before a high intensity training session increases resting energy expenditure. Increased resting energy expenditure (or REE, if your into whole abbreviation game) is a good thing, if you are looking to lean out. Trust me on this one.

Again, the tried-and-true winner here would be a simple whey protein powder.

In the Metabolic Reset, I give the option of a few different pre-workout drinks – some carb-based, and others protein-based. If your goal is max fat loss, stick with protein pre-workout, not carbs.

If nothing else, swing a freaking kettlebell, dewd. I mean it. If you can’t commit to the Birth of a Hero, fine, no offense taken. But at least commit to twenty minutes of two hand swings, three days a week. That’s it! As far as bang for your buck movements go, the kettlebell swing is quite possibly number one.

Also, take the time to learn how to swing properly. This movement is great proprioception and great for learning how to hinge into deep hip flexion and develop power form the hips. And does it work for stripping of body fat? Yes, it works fabulously well, indeed – so long as you follow my other tips on nutrition that is.

Everybody has to start somewhere, and if you aren’t ready for the Birth of a Hero, then this tip is for you. Just start with swings and progress from there. CLICK HERE for a tutorial I put together a while back to teach you the how to properly execute a kettlebell swing.

One note I want to make is that I have recently seen a lot of people just not give a crap about their shoulder position in the deadlift and the swing. This is unacceptable. Stop hanging off your passive structures.

I have a name for people that hang off their passive structures, but again I’m not going to say it because it’s not very nice.

Here is a clip from a seminar I put on at Millersville University where I teach the proper shoulder position for the swing. Enjoy.

There you have it. Seven quick tips you can implement now for accelerated fat loss. Please post any questions you have in the comment section, or just leave some love.

As always, thank you for your time.

And please lift responsibly.

-          Pat Flynn

I know you want the COS Swag Bag...

As of February, the Chronicles of Strength has made it into a top 500 blog, according to Experian Hitwise. This of course, is a remarkable achievement and a cause for great celebration!

None of this would have ever been possible without all of your loyal and continued support. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for investing your time and health into the Chronicles of Strength.

I promise you I will continue to deliver nothing short of the most reliable, effective, and valuable content.

You will never get any crap from me. I know how valuable your time is, and to show how much I respect that, I will never waste it.

Furthermore, I want to give away some Swag Bags to a few of you awesome readers.

In case you missed the last post the Swag Bag contains the elusive and highly valued Chronicles of Strength T-Shirt, which can be seen in this video HERE, as well as a hard copy of our Birth of a Hero book.

If you want a Swag Bag,  just tell me what you want to see more of on the Chronicles of Strength in the comment section, and I will select two folks at random to receive some COS Swag.

I want to know what YOU want, so speak up, and win some swag!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to tack on the absolute most amount of clean muscle mass possible over the next ninety days following the Prometheus Protocol.

Here are the rules, if you wish to compete for a shot at glory, fame, and a lifetime subscription to our SuperHero Development Program along with a host of other goodies (listed below).

1. Email me directly at HardstyleKettlebells@yahoo.com with the subject line of "Prometheus Challenge". Tell me your name and that you want to be a part of this challenge.

2. Give me yo pics and yo stats - Not just taking anyone's "word" for it. You'll need to get into your skivvies and take some before pics. One profile pic (that's from the side) and one frontal pic (thats from...well, the front). Sure, you can flex... don't be shy.... I will also need your current height and weight. If you have any questions about this, please make them known in the email.

3. You must email my by Friday, April 13th to be eligible. As the official challenge will begin on Monday, April 16th.

What the Winner Gets:

• A lifetime subscription to our SuperHero Development Program
• Our ENTIRE eBook collection
• The highly esteemed and incredibly rare Chronicles of Strength T-Shirt
• Free publicity! An entire blog post dedicated entirely to the winner and his/her success story, a link back to his/her site. Fame, glory, and life as a god-king!

Why YOU Should Take the 90-Day Prometheus Challenge:

Aside from the host of potential goodies that you can win, taking on this challenge will help you to commit towards success! Telling someone else that you are going to do something will suddenly and drastically amplify your motivation and level of commitment, do not underestimate the power of this when it comes to achieving your goals! We have put this challenge together for YOU, and to ensure that you do put on the absolute most amount of muscle mass in the least amount of time possible, so please take FULL advantage of this opportunity. Accountability is a rare thing these days, and we are offering it to you for FREE.

Let the games begin!

Please post any questions, comments, or concerns you may have in the comment section below. Or just leave some love :D

Here's a two minute mobility drill used to assess/improve T-spine mobility and stability at your t-l junction. Enjoy and post any questions below!

Yes.


You CAN put on size with kettlebells. There is no debate about that. But remember, the kettlebell is simply a tool. And in some cases, certain tools may be more effective than others. In a lot of cases, people are simply unable to realize this, which makes them a tool.

:D

So what I’m going to present to you today, is the most effective and efficient way to put on size with kettlebells,if that is what you so desire.

And yes, it is possible to be effective while being inefficient and vice versa.

Effectiveness relates to doing the things that get you closer to your goals and efficiency is about performing a given task in the most economical manner possible (or putting forth the minimum time and effort required completing a given task. Remember the bare minimum rule?)

Don’t be the loser that is incredibly efficient at being ineffective. That’s just silly.

Now realize that when it comes to putting on size, just because you feel like you can do more doesn’t mean that you should! Too often, the biggest mistake that folks make when it comes to trying to add some mass onto their frame, is that they simply do too much. Remember, it’s not about how hard or how often you train, but rather how smart you train, and how efficiently and effectively you are able to recover.

With the Prometheus Protocol, we have undoubtedly subscribed to the “less is more” philosophy.

Except when it comes to eating; where more is certainly more. :)

Here is what you will need for the Prometheus protocol:

1.       Two Relatively Heavy Kettlebells

2.       2 Days a Week to Dedicate to Training

3.       Stock Options in Chipotle

The Prometheus Protocol may very well be the simplest program you will ever follow, as it requires you to train only 2 days a week. Need I remind you however that simple rarely equals easy?

When it comes to putting on size our goal is to elicit a maximal hormonal response (particularly growth hormone, testosterone, and IGF-1).


We will utilize two of the biggest compound kettlebell movements for this:

1.       The Double Kettlebell Front Squat

2.       The Double Kettlebell Clean and Press

Between these two movements, just about every single muscle group in your body will be taxed. Both of these exercises are exceptionally high in neuromuscular activation, and when loaded with an appropriate amount of weight, will indeed elicit quite a remarkable hormonal response.

The program itself as I mentioned earlier only has you training two days a week. DO NOT TRAIN ON CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF THE WEEK! Please allow for at least two days of rest in between each training session.

I do not care whether you perform your sets of front squats or double clean and press first, only that you complete the prescribed amount of sets and reps which are as follows:

Double Clean and Press – 10 sets x 5 reps @ 60-80% of your 1 rep max
Double Kettlebell Front Squat – 10 sets of 5 reps @ 60-80% of your 1 rep max

It’s no mystery that you need to move heavy weight around to put on size. But in order to achieve the best response for muscle hypertrophy we must use a tactical mix of volume, density, and intensity.

Here are the rules:

1. Rest periods between sets should be between 60-120 seconds

2. Use a weight that is between 60-80% of your one rep max. It goes without saying (except for the fact that I’m saying it…) that you should use the heaviest weight you possibly can so long as you are still able to hit the required of reps and keep your rest periods under 120 seconds.

3. If done correctly, each training session should take NO longer than 30-40 minutes.

Now let’s talk about food,  because you are going to need a lot of it.

Now the goal of the Prometheus Protocol is to put clean size on you, not to make you an amorphous lard-ass. Follow these rules in order maximize muscle gain, and minimize fat gain.

1.      Eat only low glycemic carbohydrate sources. You do not need insulin to be oozing out of your eyeballs and fingernails for you to put on size, only an adequate caloric surplus. And yes, even post workout you do not need simple carbs, as insulin is already at peak sensitivity.  Your pancreas will thank you later. (Chipotle burrito bowls are my preferred weapon of choice - brown rice, black beans, chicken, salsa, cheese, and guacamole)

2.       Consume a quick digesting protein source (such as whey protein) 30 minutes post workout, and then eat a meal of protein and carbs 60 minutes post workout to replenish muscle glycogen.

3.       Eat often and to the point of discomfort. I’m not joking.

4.       Fast once a week for 24 hours. Nothing but water, green tea, and/or black coffee. This will not only help to minimize fat gain and allow for an increase in both growth hormone pulse frequency and amplitude, but will also ensure that protein up-take doesn’t down-regulate.

Follow all of the rules that I have presented and I DARE YOU to NOT put on size with the Prometheus Protocol.

Please post any questions you may have in the comment section.

We typically reserve the Two Minute To-Do drills for our newsletter subscribers(which if you aren't on our newsletter then you are missing out on a TON of great content - check out these seven SUPER COMPELLING reason to subscribe! - you'll even get a free ebook out of it!), but this one I feel is of such worth that I just need to share it with everyone. The goal of this weeks Two Minute To-Do is to spend two minutes in the squat position practicing hip rotations. Below is the video. Enjoy. And please post any of your favorite hip mobility drills in the comment section below.

_  Before we get started I must harp on one absolutely crucial piece to the six-pack ab success puzzle. This piece is the foundation upon which ALL success is built, inside and outside of the gym. Without realizing the importance of what I’m going to tell you, then you will surely find yourself on a systematic decline towards inevitable failure.

What I’m talking about is behavioral change. As with any and all endeavors in life, “trying” is simply not enough. It never was. To me, when someone says “I’ll try”, they are telling me that they will make an attempt until things become difficult and then retrograde to what they know to be safe and/or easy. If you truly want six-pack abs, then trying will not suffice. You have to DO. What I want to help you understand is that you have commit one hundred percent to success, otherwise the only outcome will be failure. Micro (and sometimes macro) failures will happen along the way, but it is how you handle those failures that will dictate whether or not your final destination is success or square one.

Secondly, excuses and success are entirely incompatible. Mutually exclusive, if you will. The number one thing you can do before beginning is agree to take FULL responsibility for yourself.

Do these things, and nothing will be able to stop you.

Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Getting shredded (without the use of “special vitamins”) sucks! It’s one of the most difficult and trying tasks you will ever put yourself through, I can promise you that much.

But with just about anything else in life, the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. Getting shredded sucks. But being shredded is awesome.

So if you are unable to fully commit to what I am about to lay out for you, then there is no reason for you to continue wasting your time reading through this post.  Put your computer away now and retreat to your box of devil dogs or whatever your current poison may be.

But if you are ready to make the necessary behavioral changes to ensure your success, then what I’m going to tell you will essentially pave the path to six-pack abs for you. But again, I can only show you the way; it is still all on you to take the journey.

Shredded, sinewy abs are forged in both the kitchen and the gym. Of this, there is no disputation. I have never witnessed anybody out-train a poor diet, at least not to the point of garnering an envious six-pack.

So let’s start in the kitchen and clear up some common misconceptions about eating for six-pack abs.

1.       It’s not all about calories in vs. calories out. There is some truth to the law of thermodynamics, but what we need to realize is that contrary to popular belief humans are NOT machines! If only it were as simple as humans operating “as a function of x or y” then six-pack abs would no longer be desirable because they would no longer be a rarity! This is simply not the case. We are rather adaptive organisms. We respond to stimuli and each of us possibly a bit differently than others. And while calories certainly will play a role in your ultimate success, we now need to consider a few other crucial elements to successfully stripping away body fat.

a.       Thyroid Output – As I stated above, humans are adaptive organisms. This is why diets that rely solely on caloric deficits FAIL because we are able to adapt to them! Our bodies don’t actually want to be shredded! They want to retain some fat as a safety measure. What happens is that eventually there will be a significant metabolic downshift to accommodate for the lack of calories coming in. Specifically this happens when our thyroid begins to produces less of t-3 (triodothyronine) and t-4 (thyroxine) hormones. These hormones are crucial for dictating your basal metabolic rate and play a large role in protein synthesis as well. So what really stinks about cutting calories is that the long-run success rate is very low because of how our bodies adapt to the caloric deficit by actually LOWERING our basal metabolic rate so that we burn less calories throughout the day. Bummer.

b.      Leptin – This hormone is commonly referred to as the “anti-starvation” hormone. Most leptin receptors lie within the hypothalamus, but there are many more throughout the body.  That’s not all that important. What is important is that when leptin levels are high, there is no shortage of leptin binding to their receptors, which tells the brain that you are not starving, food intake is wholly sufficient, and there is little need to store or hold onto body fat. Unfortunately, leptin levels are usually only this high when you are eating often and/or eating a lot which is also not so conducive to fat-burning with all that insulin floating around. Now, when you restrict calories, leptin levels drop – often substantially within the first 72 hours. This is less than desired because now our brain is being sent signals that we are somewhat starving and our body is now more apt to store body fat.

c.       Insulin – Insulin is a transport hormone. It shuttles nutrients to cells. These cells could either be fat cells or they could be muscle cells (I’ll teach you how to make insulin work for your muscle cells later on…). Insulin to a certain degree is also inhibitory of natural growth hormone, meaning the more you spike your insulin through the consumption of food (specifically carbohydrates), the more you inhibit the release of natural growth hormone, which again is a favorable hormone for fat loss. More on the role of hormones and how to optimize them for fat-burning later…

2.       Fat is not the enemy. It never has been. Not at least until the creation of man-made fats such as hydrogenated oils. Read my ketogenic blog post to learn about how a high fat diet can actually make you the leanest you’ve ever been.

3.       Carbs are only partly the enemy. It’s a give-and-take relationship. Too many carbs can and will make you fat. Yet you need carbohydrates to fuel your anaerobic endeavors. I’ll tell you my secret for proper carb selection below…

 

So it seems as if we are stuck between a rock and a sucky place. We need a caloric (even more so a

carbohydrate deficit) deficit to shed body fat, yet we need a caloric (again more so a carbohydrate

surplus) to ensure hormonal optimization conducive to fat loss.

 

So what’s the solution?

 

Concentrated Carb Dosing and My Binge and Purge Manifesto

 

It’s really not all that complicated. Here are three simple rules to follow:

 

1.       Consume less than 100 grams of carbs a day, and target your carbohydrate consumption around your workouts. Meaning, consume slow-digesting and preferably complex/fibrous carbohydrates anywhere between one-and-a-half to two hours before your workout, and immediately post-workout consume quickly digesting (preferably glucose-containing) carbohydrates. This protocol ensures that you control your insulin levels throughout the day and only peak them at the most opportune time, which is immediately after working out! Your muscle cells have priority post-workout, so an insulin spike brought about through the consumption of quickly digesting carb sources (such as vitargo or waxy maize) upon completion of your workout will ensure that the nutrients are shuttled to your muscle cells rather than your fat cells. Awesome. Furthermore, keeping carbohydrate intake relatively low throughout the rest of the day will lay the foundation for a fat-burning environment and the release of natural growth hormone.

2.       One day a week you get to binge. Eat as much as you want. Eat whatever you want. You heard me right. Eat like a pig to shed body fat! Heresy? Sure sounds like it, but let me explain…The goal here is to hit the “reset” button on your metabolism. A huge caloric (especially carbohydrate) surplus can elevate leptin levels and boost t-3 and t-4 hormone output for up to 72 hours. So through the means of a once-a-week binge, we are boosting our basal metabolic rate to ensure that our body does not adapt to our caloric (carbohydrate) deficit that we put ourselves in throughout the week. This is precisely the premise behind my Metabolic Reset eBook (one of four eBooks included in our bundle package). Check it out for the full protocol and meal planning guide.

3.       The day after you binge, you fast. That’s 16 to 24 hours of consuming nothing but water. Now when I first present this idea to people, they are always quite skeptical. “Isn’t that just starving yourself?” is a typical response I get. Let me be very clear; fasting is NOT starving yourself. Fasting is actually one of the most healthful and wholesome activities that you can do for yourself, not only to shed body fat, but to ensure long-term health and longevity. There is no greater detox than a water fast. Think of it as a purification process because when you fast, that’s exactly what’s going on. Your body finally has a chance to rid itself of all the toxins and chemicals that you bring in from eating, and your digestive system finally gets a chance to rest! Furthermore, fasting has been proven to increase lipolysis (that’s fat burning), boost natural growth hormone, and even aid in the prevention and warding off of cancer-causing free radicals. If you want even more of the super scientificals of fasting and learn how to implement the perfect fast to shed body fat, again check out our eBook bundle package.  I’ll repeat, fasting is not starving yourself. A twenty- four hour fast is a wholesome purification process that I recommend each and every healthy person seeking to optimize their health and wellbeing.  I’m not going to lie, however; fasting is tough. You will get hungry. Embrace it! Over time, you will notice it becomes easier, and I will even bet that you’ll begin to enjoy your fasted state – as you will feel more alert and lively! This is due to the nervous system shift that takes place from your parasympathetic nervous system (the one you put yourself in when you eat food and your body is ready for rest and recuperation) to your sympathetic nervous system (which is your alert and lively  “fight or flight” nervous system). That’s right when you are fasted, you are going to enter into a sympathetic nervous system, which will have you feeling attentive and “on the hunt” as Ori Hoffmeckler describes it in his book entitled The Warrior Diet (yet another fantastic read for anyone interested in the benefits of fasting).

Three simple rules. But simple does not mean easy. It takes discipline to follow my Binge and Purge Manifesto, but the results will speak for themselves. Be sure to head over to ABS-SCIENCE.COM and pick up the updated copy of my Metabolic Reset eBook and/or eBook bundle package.

Now let’s get out of the kitchen and head to the gym…

I’m going to lay it out right now; traditional “cardio” training is absolutely NOT the most effective type of exercise for fat loss. As a matter of fact, I would rank jogging (or trudging as most people seem to do) on a treadmill at the bottom of the barrel for effective fat loss training. After all, it’s called “the treadmill to nowhere” for a reason…

If you want to look like an athlete, then you have to train like an athlete.

Meaning you are going to have to pick heavy things up, put them back down, and bust your ass sideways, if you want to make any sort of tangible progress.

Enter metabolic conditioning.

Metabolic conditioning, or “metcon”, has actually been around since the 1960s, I have an extensive blog post on it here! Check it out.

As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to hacking off body fat at an unprecedented rate, I will return to metcon again and again before just about anything else. It’s THAT effective.

Metabolic conditioning, specifically through the use of kettlebell complexes, creates an incredible amount of systemic fatigue and stress on the system. The greater the stress, the greater the potential adaptation, and the faster your body fat melts off. This is quite evidence-based, both anecdotally and objectively.

Metabolic Conditioning = Moderate to Heavy Strength Efforts + Elevated Cardiovascular Stress

Metabolic conditioning work is often short, intense, and unforgiving. Make no mistake, this type of conditioning will test your merit and humble even the most able-bodied athletes. Embrace the pain. Focus on it, and maintain poise under the pressure. DO NOT allow form to falter under fatigue at any costs!

The beauty of kettlebell complexes for metcon work is that they allow you to switch between muscle groups and energy systems so that you do not smoke any muscle group too much at one time, yet keep the system (lungs, heart, kidneys, etc.) working and under prolonged stress.

I could continue to type the hype of metcon until my fingers fall off, but I’d rather you try it for yourself. You’ll be a believer soon enough. And you’ll thank me later…

Oh, and one last thing…

Once the body fat is off, then it’s time to start carving out those abs. I have also included a variety of videos highlighting my personal favorite ab-ripping exercises for developing both a chiseled midsection, as well as a strong and functional core.

You can’t ever say that I don’t give out milk for free. This blog post is one of my greatest compilations of complex and core-strengthening work to date. But if you want to learn how to put it all together (which at the end of the day is the most valuable component), then check out my Metabolic Conditioning eBook or the ABS-SCIENCE eBook bundle package. You won’t regret it. As a matter of fact, I promise you that it will be one of the best investments you have ever made in yourself.

And now for your viewing pleasure… (or pain)…

Post any comments or questions you have below! Enjoy!

Friends,

You've heard me say enough times by now that the push up always has been and always will be one of my favorite full body strengthening movements - and for good reason:

1. It does not restrict the movement of your scapula like the bench press does, ensuring less chance of inflammation and impingement

2. It can be performed anywhere, anytime - no equipment needed!

3. Low density (low rep sets) push ups can and should be performed intermittently throughout the day - you will be amazed how well this develops your chest, core stability, and overall pushing strength

4. You can easily increase or decrease the intensity/challenge of the push up simply by altering the fulcrum/pivot point/leverage - for example elevating your feet and performing a decline push up, or perhaps making it an entirely unilateral movement and performing a one arm push up - 
I dare you not to get strong if you are intermittently performing one arm push ups throughout the day!

I could elongate the list but those arguments should be enticing enough to get just about anybody on the push up bandwagon.

So, for this week's strength tip, I decided to cover how to set up the optimum push up position. Enjoy and post any questions you have below!

Friendly Friends,

I hope you all find yourselves in good health this holiday season.

Here is my gift to you:

A hybrid workout combining a horizontal strength based routine robbed from my FVT eBook and two complexes taken directly from my metabolic conditioning eBook.

Utilize this as a preemptive strike on your metabolism before you wage war on your holiday feast tonight.

ho.

ho.

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...you'll thank me later....

Friendly Friends,

I present to you The Gobbler. Metabolic demolition at its finest. Allows for mass food consumption with minimum side effects.

Three Rounds of Each Complex - 5 reps each exercise

Gobbler Complex 1 -
Deadlift
Bench Press
Pull Ups
Double Clean and Press
Front Squat

Gobbler Complex 2 -
Deadlift
Weighted Dips
Weighted Chins
See-Saw Press
Reverse Lunges


Enjoy.


Gobble Gobble.

_ Shalom my friendly friends of strength,

The ability to tolerate an exceptionally demanding workload, and then be able to recover rapidly need not be a skill exclusively possessed by Robocop.

Which is why I have developed a double kettlebell complex so that you too may discover for yourself just how awesome it feels to possess this super human work capacity.

Perform three to five rounds of the following complex.

Double Swing – 5 reps
Double Clean – 5 reps
Double Snatch – 5 Reps
See Saw Press – 10 reps (5R+5L)
Alternating Reverse Lunge – 10 reps (5R+5L)’

Next up is timed snatch work. Set the clock for nine minutes kids. This one’s dirty.

Minute 1 – one snatch every fifteen seconds – Right side
Minute 2 – one snatch every ten seconds – Left side
Minute 3 – one snatch every five seconds – right side
Minute 4 – burn set – as many snatches as possible in one minute – left side
Minute 5 - Rest
Minute 6 – one snatch every fifteen seconds – left side
Minute 7 – one snatch every ten seconds – right side
Minute 8 – one snatch every five seconds – left side
Minute 9 – burn set – as many snatches as possible in one minute – right side

265lb Deadlift and Beast Single Leg Deadlifts brought to you by Christine Mooney.