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How To Lose 10 Pounds
Just recently I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow fitness professional
named Mike Geary of TruthAboutAbs.com (insert aff link). Now Mike is a
well-known expert who deals exclusively with the most effective strategies
for losing stomach fat so that you can finally uncover those elusive six pack
abs that everyone desires.
Some of Mike's strategies deal with nutrition aspects and others deal with training techniques,
but I was impressed to see that Mike has put together one of the most comprehensive
resources for dealing with all of the aspects necessary to finally get rid of that nasty belly fat
for good.
The key is that Mike focuses on the REAL techniques that are going to get you lasting results,
and teaches you how to avoid all of these "quick-fix" scams and gimmicks that are all over the
infomercials and the internet these days.
Several of the mistakes that Mike see's every day where people are going wrong in their fat
loss attempts are:
1. Most people are wasting too much of their time doing hundreds of reps of ineffective
crunches, situps, and other "abs pumping" exercises in their attempt at losing stomach fat.
Mike has discovered that there are certain highly effective exercises that stimulate your
metabolism much better, and increase your fat burning hormone levels much more. These
exercises that Mike outlines are the best of the best for getting a lean, chiseled body.
Surprisingly to most, the majority of these most effective exercises for stomach fat loss are
NOT "abs-specific" exercises. Not only that, but Mike shows you how to combine and
sequence them to get the best metabolic and fat loss results possible, changing the shape of
your entire body.
2. Most people are wasting way too much time doing hours upon hours of boring monotonous
cardio routines.
Mike has researched this topic extensively, including an entire course he's taken comparing
different modalities of cardiovascular exercise. After all of this research, we've come to the
conclusion that the majority of people out there are not doing the right types of cardio
exercise. In fact, most people may actually be inadvertantly decreasing their metabolic rate by
doing too much of the wrong types of cardio!
The strategies that Mike reveals in his program go beyond "interval cardio" too.
3. Most people are failing miserably with fad diets.
Mike reveals exactly why most low-carb or low-fat diets are actually working against what
your body needs to become lean and ripped and maintain it for life! Mike shows you exactly
how to stop falling for the gimmick diets and finally develop a truly healthy eating style that
you can actually enjoy for life without being overly restrictive. It's actually easier and more
enjoyable than you believe!

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Go to Mike's Truth about Six Pack Abs site today and discover the exact system that Mike is
using to help thousands of his clients from all over the world get leaner than they've ever
been before. This system will help you to lose that stubborn stomach fat that has plagued you
for years, so you can finally get that sexy six pack that you've always wanted.
Here's the site:
http://HowILost10.com
The Importance of Physical
"Variability" in Cardio
Exercise
Your Cardio Workouts may NOT be helping you unless you incorporate a high range of heart
rate shifts in your training
Are you a cardio junkie? Everyone seems to think that "cardio" is the best way to get in
shape and lose body fat. I'm going to show you with this article why I disagree!
It is quite common to hear fitness pros, doctors, and other health professionals prescribe low to
moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose
weight. Most often, the recommendations go something like this:
"Perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times/week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate
level"
Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the “hamster on the wheel” doing endless
hours of boring cardio exercise, I’d like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates
that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it’s cracked up to be.
First, realize that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in bursts of exertion followed by
recovery, or stop-and-go movement instead of steady state movement. Recent research is suggesting
that "physical variability" is one of THE most important aspects to consider in your training.
This tendency can be seen throughout nature as most animals tend to demonstrate "stop-and-go"
motion instead of steady state motion. In fact, humans are the only creatures in nature that attempt to do
“endurance” type physical activities such as running long distances at the exact same speed the whole
time.

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Most competitive sports (with the exception of endurance running or cycling) are also based on stop-
and-go movement or short bursts of exertion followed by recovery.
To examine an example of the different effects of endurance or steady state training versus stop-and-go
training, consider the physiques of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters carry a physique that is
very lean, muscular, and powerful looking, while the typical dedicated marathoner is more often
emaciated and sickly looking. Now which would you rather resemble?
Another factor to keep in mind regarding the benefits of physical variability is the internal effect of
various forms of exercise on our body. Scientists have known that excessive steady state endurance
exercise (different for everyone, but sometimes defined as greater than 60 minutes per session most
days of the week) increases free radical production in the body, can degenerate joints, reduces immune
function, causes muscle wasting, and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can
potentially lead to chronic diseases.
Highly variable cyclic training
On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training has been linked to increased antioxidant production
in the body and an anti-inflammatory response, a more efficient nitric oxide response (which can
encourage a healthy cardiovascular system), and an increased metabolic rate response (which can assist
with weight loss). Furthermore, steady state endurance training only trains the heart at one specific
heart rate range and doesn’t train it to respond to various every day stressors.
On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training teaches the heart to respond to and recover from a
variety of demands making it less likely to fail when you need it. Think about it this way... Exercise
that trains your heart to rapidly increase and rapidly decrease will make your heart more capable of
handling everyday stress. Stress can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to increase rapidly.
Steady state jogging and other endurance training does not train your heart to be able to handle rapid
changes in heart rate or blood pressure.
The important aspect of variable cyclic training that makes it superior over steady state cardio exercise
is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. That recovery period is crucially important for the
body to elicit a healthy response to an exercise stimulus. Another benefit of variable cyclic training is
that it is much more interesting and has lower drop-out rates than long boring steady state cardio
programs.
To summarize, some of the potential benefits of variable cyclic training compared to steady state
endurance training are as follows: improved cardiovascular health, increased anti-oxidant protection,
improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, increased muscularity (versus
decreased muscularity with endurance training), increased residual metabolic rate following exercise,
and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life’s every day stressors.
Sports Workouts and Sprinting
There are many ways you can reap the benefits of stop-and-go or variable intensity physical training.
Most competitive sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, racquetball, tennis, hockey, baseball,
etc. are naturally comprised of highly variable stop-and-go motion which trains the heart through a
MUCH wider heart rate range compared to just steady walking or jogging.
Doing swimming workouts in a variable intensity fashion may also be more beneficial than just
swimming for a long duration at the same speed. Same goes for bicycling -- that is why mountain
biking, which involves extreme ups and downs at various intensity levels may also be more beneficial

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than just a long flat steady pace bike ride.
One of the absolute most effective forms of variable intensity training to really reduce body fat and
bring out serious muscular definition is performing wind sprints. Wind sprints can be done by sprinting
at near max speed for 10-30 seconds, and then taking 60 seconds to walk for recovery before your next
sprint. 6-12 total sprint intervals is usually a very challenging workout for most people.
In addition, weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery
periods. High intensity interval training (varying between high and low intensity intervals on any piece
of cardio equipment) is yet another training method that utilizes exertion and recovery periods. For
example, an interval training session on the treadmill could look something like this:
Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog
Interval 1 - run at 8.0 mi/hr for 1 minute
Interval 2 - walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes
Interval 3 - run at 10.0 mi/hr for 1 minute
Interval 4 - walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes
Repeat those 4 intervals 4 times for a very intense 20-minute workout.
Also, don't overlook other great ways to incorporate variable intensity cardio training by using a jump
rope, a rowing machine, stairs running, or even outdoor hill sprints.
The take-away message from this article is to try to train your body at highly variable intensity rates
for the majority of your workouts to get the most beneficial response in terms of heart health, fat loss,
and muscle maintenance.
Full-body strategically-designed resistance training programs along with
high intensity cardiovascular training programs guaranteed to strip off body fat when
combined with a healthy diet are included in my book The Truth About Six Pack Abs. If you’re
serious about getting lean for good, this book is a must-read.

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5 Reasons that I Think Treadmill and Elliptical
Machine Workouts are a Waste of Time
Now that I pissed off all of the treadmill and elliptical machine worshipers... let me say that if
you truly enjoy mindlessly pumping away on a treadmill or elliptical (or exercise bike for that
matter too), then by all means, keep doing what you enjoy, because enjoying your exercise is
one of the most important aspects to sticking with any exercise program...
However, don't say that I didn't warn you that you were wasting your time with all that
mindless cardio machine boredom.
If I haven't mentioned it before, I don't believe in cardio machines, and to be quite honest, I
don't think I've personally used a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike for at least the last 7-8
years or so.
As a matter of fact, I don't even use cardio machines anymore for warmups before a workout
(I did before occasionally)... Nowadays, I prefer to do dumbbell or kettlebell snatches and
swings mixed with bodyweight exercises as the perfect full body warmup at the beginning of
my workouts.
So why do I have such hatred for cardio machines? Well,
here are 5 reasons:
1) Treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes are mind-blowingly BOOOORING! Personally, I
can think of a million things I'd rather be doing than pedaling my way to nowhere!
2) Mindless steady state cardio exercise while watching TV or reading creates a mind / body
disconnect resulting in poor results from your exercise routine. Instead of reading a gossip
magazine or watching a cheesy reality TV show on the TV screen in front of the cardio
machine, a REAL workout consists of actually having your mind engaged strongly in what
your body is doing!
3) I've seen studies that indicated that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor
running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running,
slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, etc.
...although I never recommend just "jogging" anyway (or as Ron Burgundy would say,
"yogging") ... Instead, variable intensity walks / runs or sprints are so much more effective,
training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of just the same pace during the entire
workout. I choose to do a lot of hiking up mountains and also wind sprints, but never steady
state jogging.
4) Treadmills and ellipticals are ridiculously expensive and a waste of money for people that
workout at home... there's so many better options for home workouts you could have spent
your money on rather than wasting it on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.
The perfect home gym setup is MUCH cheaper... there's no reason you need anything other
than a jump rope, bodyweight exercises, a few dumbbells, stability ball, maybe a few

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kettlebells (if you want to get fancy), and perhaps high tension bands for some more variety.
And of course... the great outdoors has some of the best workout options of all... hiking,
mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, sports, and more!
5) Treadmills and elliptical machines are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to
other options. The metabolic response is much lower compared to the types
of workouts ideas that I describe below. Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts
when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually
stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater
extent...
So what are the alternatives to treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical trainers? Here
are TEN of my favorite types of alternative workouts:
1. jumping rope - great mind-body connection - try speed jumping, crossovers, and
double jumps once you get skilled at it. An amazing metabolic exercise with one of the
cheapest pieces of equipment available. There's a reason that every world class boxer
uses this exercise!
2. kettlebell training - nothing will get your heart pounding like high repetition KB swings
and snatches or clean & presses (can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer
KBs). Personally, I think one of the most intense body changing exercises ever
invented are double kettlebell snatches (snatching both kettlebells at the same time
overhead from the floor).
3. outdoor wind sprinting (the ultimate exercise for a rock hard ripped body... just look
at the chiseled powerful bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the
weakling withered physique of a typical marathoner... nuff said! I generally do wind
sprints 2-3 days a week during the warm times of the year, and I'll do something such
as 50 yards, 60 yards, 70 yards, 80 yards, 90 yards, 100 yards, and then repeat (with
about 40-60 second rests between sprints). By the way, for the international folks, a
"yard" is just slightly shorter than a meter.
4. hill sprinting - yet another classic exercise for a rock hard lean and powerful body! I
like to do 30 yard sprints up a steep hill and then walk down and repeat a bunch of
times for maybe 20-30 minutes. Amazing workout.
5. The rowing machine - ok, I don't really lump this in as a "cardio" machine like
treadmills and ellipticals... I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body
workout that actually uses resistance... The best results come from using variable
speeds and really pulling hard to challenge your body.
6. Sprint style swimming workouts - a more muscular workout than steady state
distance swimming... I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint style
swimming -- this is the same concept as sprinting vs jogging but in a pool instead. It's
all about intensity!
7. heavy bag punching / kicking workout, speed bag, rebound bag - all are great
forms of training and much more interesting than boring cardio machines. These
exercises are also great examples of exercises that require an intense mind-body
connection, which is missing in boring cardio equipment like treadmills and elliptical
machines.
8. shadow boxing - This is an awesome workout, but if you're shy, this is best saved for
your home workouts since you'll get some crazy stares doing this at a typical gym from
people who think they're "too cool" for stuff like this.
9. dumbbell circuits -- This is a super metabolic type of workout that involves alternating

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between various full-body multi-joint exercises to get a crazy fat-burning workout in minimal
time. A good example would be alternating between dumbbell lunges, overhead presses, bent
over rows, step ups, and squat presses all with minimal rest between.
10.bodyweight training - bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, jumps, bear crawls,
mountain climbers and jumpers, planks, and the list goes on and on. Another example
of great mind-body connection and much more metabolic type of training than
treadmills and ellipticals. My fitness buddy, and world class trainer, Craig Ballantyne has 101
killer bodyweight exercises formulated into awesome fat-burning workouts here.
Well, I hope this article helps give you ideas on how you can get away from all of these mindless and
ineffective treadmill and elliptical trainer machines (and exercise bike) workouts that are just wasting
your time and energy that could be better spent on more effective workouts.
If you want maximum results, it's all about your intensity levels and also your mind-body connection...
and that all important mind-body connection is usually missing when it comes to elliptical and
treadmill workouts, that most people do while watching TV or reading.
Full-body strategically-designed resistance training programs along with
high intensity cardiovascular training programs guaranteed to strip off body
fat when combined with a healthy diet are included in my book The Truth
About Six Pack Abs. If you’re serious about getting lean for good, this book
is a must-read.