The Infonian

But can the same response be triggered without actually putting ourselves in mortal danger? Is it possible to “flip a switch” and move our bodies into that heightened response, “ready for battle” state at will? Lots of people say that it can be done, using nothing more than the power of our own minds. According to them, all it takes is plenty of discipline and lots of practice.

Epinephrine is temporarily elevated when we exercise at very high intensity levels, which is one of the reasons an intense lifting session can feel so good. At these levels though and with normal training, it’s usually enough to make us feel good but not enough to have a significant impact on strength. But if you could control that “adrenalin rush” and bring on an intense burst of epinephrine at will-making the body’s energy reserves instantly available-it could really give you an incredible burst of strength for a maximum lift attempt.

There are a number of ways to create an adrenalin (epinephrine) rush in the body without putting yourself in mortal danger. One method is train yourself under conditions that cause your body to release epinephrine. This can mean intense training sessions that push you out of your comfort zone. The keys here are to focus on short bursts of intense training that are outside of your normal comfort zone-this is important. When we’re lifting a weight that we know our bodies can handle, the body doesn’t need to release that extra burst of epinephrine-fueled energy. It’s when we’re training in “uncharted” territory that our bodies will have the incentive to give us the boost we need.

Some say that proper breathing techniques can be taught that induce an adrenalin rush. One of these strategies says that learning to control your breathing and matching it to the intensity of your workout can facilitate an adrenalin rush in the body. The theory here is that when we “breathe normally” during an intense training session, our breathing lags behind and the cells wind up with an oxygen deficiency, putting the body somewhat behind the power curve.

Practitioners of this technique say that by matching our breathing-that means breathing hard and deep-to the intensity of our workout from the onset, we can trigger an adrenalin rush. Learning to do this properly will of course require lots of discipline and plenty of practice. You can start by ensuring that you are breathing properly in everything you do. The normal human tendency is to hold our breath when exerting ourselves-for example, doing something as simple as getting up from a chair. When walking, match your inhaling and exhaling to your step. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. The point is to learn to coordinate your breathing with your body’s motions.

Visualization is another strategy that some experts say can be used to induce an adrenalin rush. There is an entire school of thought related to visualization techniques, with much of it coming from the martial arts world. Though in any situation, the methodology is essentially the same. It’s more complex than it sounds but it boils down to visualizing a previous scenario that triggered an adrenalin rush. It’s not just thinking about it though-it entails actually reliving every aspect of the situation in your mind in an effort to induce your body to release bursts of epinephrine into the bloodstream to boost performance.

While the thought of an adrenalin rush for a max lift attempt is appealing, it’s not something that everyone can do. Like I said early on, developing the ability to bring one on requires a lot of discipline and even more practice. And though not easy, it can be done. It’s important to note though that excessive, long-term releases of epinephrine into the bloodstream will diminish its effectiveness (your body gets used to it) and could lead to health problems. Remember the saying “all things in moderation.” But if you think you’ve got what it takes, it certainly is something that you can learn to do.

Author: Mike Westerdal

If you’ve read more than two articles I’ve written then you should know that I favor unconventional training methodologies that push and challenge both body and mind. I firmly believe that this is the only way to get really big and hit your goals. From that perspective DoggCrapp Training (a.k.a. DC Training) definitely fits the bill. This incredibly intense program includes heavy progressive weights, lower volume/higher frequency of body parts trained, high intensity/rest-pause training, extreme stretching, a high protein diet and periodization (“blasting” and “cruising”). Here are the basics: Lower volume/higher frequency:

In most training routines you train each body part once a week doing 3-4 different exercises per muscle group. With DC Training, you only do 1-2 exercise per muscle group per day but you’re hitting each muscle group twice every 8 days. The lower volume of exercises means that your body can recover more rapidly, which in turn allows for a short turnaround between training sessions;

Exercise rotation:

The base program runs on a cycle hitting every body part 2 times every 8 days. It’s not as complicated as it sounds-you start by picking 3 exercises for each the various muscle groups like this: chest, back (width), back (thickness), delts, triceps, biceps, forearms and calves, hamstrings and quads. You do only one of those exercises per muscle group per workout but then you rotate to the next exercise in the following workout. Remember though that you’re doing each exercise 3 times to total failure in each workout so don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s easy. Here is what a sample routine might look like:

Monday: Chest, shoulders, triceps and back (width and thickness);

Wednesday: Biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings and quads;

Friday: Chest, shoulders, triceps and back (width and thickness);

Monday: Biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings and quads;

So you can see how every 8 days you’ve cycled through each body part twice, doing a different one of each of the 3 exercises you’ve chosen per workout. Keeping a training journal can keep you organized and help keep track of where you are in the training cycle;

High intensity/rest-pause training:

DC Training demands intensity. To begin, you do 2-5 warm-up sets (lighter weight) before the first set is performed to failure followed by 10-15 deep breaths before performing another set to failure. This is again followed by 10-15 deep breaths and then a final set to failure before moving on to the next exercise or muscle group. The goal is to explode on the uplift and descend with a controlled negative of about 6-8 seconds. You’ve got to be prepared both mentally and physically to take on Rest-Pause training though because instead of taking a one or two minute break between sets, you’re only resting for 20-30 seconds between each one;

Extreme stretching:

Stretching is an important part of the recovery process in DC Training. There are specific stretches for the chest, triceps, biceps, shoulders, back, quads, hamstrings and calves;

Diet:

The DC Training diet is very high in protein with a recommended intake of between 1.5 to 2.0 grams per pound of body weight;

Periodization:

The “blasting” phase is 6-12 weeks of high intensity, all-out training followed by a “cruising” phase of 10-14 days of maintenance training before repeating the cycle once again;

One of the nice things about DC Training is that it leaves plenty of room for customization. For example, instead of Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Monday, you could do Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday but split the workout into 3 parts in order to shorten your training sessions (great if you’ve got a hectic schedule). Day 1 could include chest, shoulders and triceps. On Day 2 you could train biceps, forearms and back (width and thickness) and on Day 3 you could work calves, hamstrings and quads. This cuts your workout down to about 35 minutes including stretching but still has you hitting each body part twice in 9 days.

A lot of guys have had phenomenal results following the DC Training program. If you’re going to do it though, be prepared to really commit yourself to doing it right. DC Training requires you to push your body as far as it can go and then some-that’s why it works. To get the best results you’ve got to be prepared to give it your all and make it a really intense workout, pushing on for one more rep even when your mind and body are screaming “No!” If not, you’ll just be wasting your time.

Author: Mike Westerdal

Fat loss for you? Well, you may be contemplating buying the latest ab buster gizmo on the market just to get rid of that fat belly. Before you do, you might want to read this information. The truth is these machines will not bust the fat off your midsection, hips, or thighs like they claim.

How you Gain Weight

The idea that you can lose fat from a particular body part by targeting that part with intense exercise is not a new one. Someone always claims to have the miracle movement that will leave you with six-pack abs. That, my friends, is simply not true.

We gain weight based on body type, age, gender, and genetics. The base reason we gain fat stores is that we consume more than we burn, however where that fat is stored is affected by the above-mentioned reasons.

We all have a different body type, some are heavier on the bottom, some in the middle, and others on top, and still others gain weight all over equally. This type of localized weight gain is determined at least in part by genetics. If your mom carried a lot of weight on her hips, the chances are good that you will as well.

Other things like child bearing can also affect where the weight is stored. Needless to say, fat settles where it will based on factors that you have little control over.

How Exercise works

Exercise works by increasing your metabolism; this in turn creates increased caloric burn. When you have burned all the calories consumed in a day this burn will then shift to the stores of fat on your body. However, they will not turn to specific areas just because that is the area being worked.

Abdominal machines, thigh masters, and all the other gadgets you can buy will do only one thing strengthens the muscle underneath the stores of fat. Moreover, guess what, you are not likely to be able to see the difference until the over lying fat is removed.

To remove it you will have to do high intensity work outs and watch what you eat. That is the secret pure and simple. Can the machines help you? In a limited fashion only, when you strengthen any muscle group it is a good start, but you will have to couple it with other measures to see the fantastic results you were hoping for.

Conclusion

When you want to lose weight look at it as a process. You must eat less, exercise more and increase lean body mass. All of these things are accomplished by a well-rounded diet that includes all the major food groups, increased activity, and weight training.

There are no magic bullets to weight loss, no pill or gadget that is going to make it easy for you. It will take work and dedication to a lifestyle change. When you accomplish this, you will feel and look amazing. A healthy fat loss diet balances your mood and gives you the energy you need to exercise.

The Fat Loss 4 Idiots diet generator gives you meal combinations for 11 days followed by a break of 3 days. Eat what you want during the break. Another 11 days course begins and you end up losing 9 pounds per course.