Being Obese and The Swine Flu

Well, it is happening:

Swine flu is beginning to really take hold.

Not just in the United States, but all over the world.

But that's not the scary part...

... the scary part is the fact that being obese OR overweight has now been directly linked to DYING from the swine flu.

My friend Jon Benson put together a 5-minute video that documents these findings.

This is freee for you to view -- and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Go here --

click to watch Obesity and Swine Flu

Folks, we have to get a grip on this.

And believe it or not, it starts in your kitchen.

Watch the video to find out what to do.

Thanks Jag252

Exercise Muscle And Fat Loss: Does Exercise Make You Smarter

Exercise And The Brain

[ Editor's Note: Fitness author Jon Benson shared this letter with me and gave me permission to share it with you. ]

If you ever needed another good reason to exercise, I've got one for you:

Exercise makes your brain bigger.

Actually this isn't entirely accurate. To be more specific, exercise was found to increase brain size slightly, but far more important to increase "spatial reasoning."

This is the ability to recognize patterns, remember phrases, numbers, and so-on. This was discovered by researchers at the Universities of Chicago and Pittsburgh.

It is also one of the most important factors to the prevention of Alzheimer's and dementia.

My mom suffered with dementia the last ten years of her life. But unlike most dementia patients she was fully functional thanks to exercise. She drove and had a mind that was unbelievably sharp right up until an accident injured her beyond the ability to exercise.

After that, she mentally went downhill rapidly. Thankfully, she passed in peace... and she had ten wonderfully active years thanks to her willingness to take up weight training at the age of 71.

She eventually walked up to 3 miles per day and trained in the gym 3 days per week.

That kept her mind sharp, along with fish oil and N-Acetyl L-Carnitine, a wonderful brain nutrient.

Once again, we see the power of exercise. It increases the QUALITY of your life.

Quantity is no where near as important to me as quality.

The links at the bottom of this newsletter are to my books on exercise. Pick the one that appeals to you most and take action.

Your brain will thank you, as will the rest of your body.

One of the best ways to start exercising when you are over 40 is by using the routines covered in "Fit Over 40".

This book profiles 53 different men and women, age 40 to 80, all sharing their workouts, nutrition plans, and mental empowerment techniques.

It is a MUST-HAVE for anyone wanting to begin exercising or improve their level of fitness after the age of 40.

For a freee fat-burning course from Fit Over 40, go here --

Fit Over 40 <--- Freee Fatburning Course

7 Minute Muscle short effective workouts for adding lean muscle

Exercise Muscle And Fat Loss: Lack Of Time To Workout?

So here's the million-dollar question:

"What's the number one reason people don't work out?"


Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhapsthey lack the ideal workout plan?

Nope. It's TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.

"We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn't [exercise] and the most commonlycited barrier to exercise is lack of time." This quote comes fromexercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised "traditionally" --90 to 120 minutes per day -- with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.

That's a whopping one hour per week folks. My 7 Minute Muscle plan calls for five workouts with resistance five days per week plus 9 minutes of a specific cardio protocol two-three days per week.

If you do the math, that's about an hour per week as well.

This is the "Level 1" workout. There are three levels depending on your goals and exercise tolerance.

Find out more here --

7 minute muscle <--- brief is best!

Back to Gibala's study:

In just two weeks both groups showed improvementin both exercise performance and oxygen uptake.(Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.) The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement.

Why?

Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity -- exactly how I suggest you train. This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.

However, there is a catch:

Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace. Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, "I'm being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!"

The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favor of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.

You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.

Finally, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time. I devote an entire chapter to that in

"7 Minute Muscle." You can read more here -- 7 minute muscle <--- brief is best!

Just remember these three key points:

1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.

2. Workouts can be short and very effective.

3. The body goes where the mind directs.

Until next time, Train Smart.

Sincerely, Jon Benson Author,

7 Minute Muscle
Best-selling author of "Fit Over 40" and
"The Every Other Day Diet"

How To Get The Strength And Physique Of A Gladiator

Barbell Training for the Strength and Physique of a Gladiator

All you need is a barbell for this workout. Simplicity is often the name of my game, but my priority is getting results fast, and you’re about to experience exactly how to get fast results in developing strength endurance, power endurance and speed!

These exercises are very basic and can be done with the help of a partner or by placing your barbell on milk crates or a few cinder blocks in place of power racks, especially if you’re training in your own home. Your resources don’t need to be anything fancy as you’re about to see.

You will not be training with traditional bodybuilding methods. Instead, you will perform a high number of sets with low reps and minimal rest time. This method is what produces strength and power endurance. The exercises you’re going to perform are the following:

1 - The Zercher Squat

Zercher Squat – wrap a towel in the center of the barbell, using double underhooks, place the crook of your elbows under the barbell, and perform deep squats. Your posture must remain upright and your elbows should remain high. Do not allow the weight to pull your posture down or pull your hands down. Choose an appropriate weight allowing for perfect technique. This movement is awesome for developing takedown strength and overall full body strength. Your upper body will work extremely hard just to keep the barbell in position and of course your legs will be working hard to move that heavy barbell!

2 - Towel Deadlift

Towel Deadlift – Every 2 – 3 workouts you will switch from the zercher squat to the towel deadlift. This will avoid burn out in either movement and still works a similar movement. This is a great way to continuously keep improving strength while avoiding overuse injuries. The towels can be grabbed or wrapped around the bar. Both are excellent for grip and full body strength.

3 - Floor Press

Floor Press – Great for developing pushing strength from your back. If you’re weak on your back, get strong here. This will develop pushing strength and power helping you escape your hips and create angles from the bottom, ultimately making you a better submission specialist from your back! There should be no bouncing of the bar off the floor. Lower the bar slowly as if it were going to touch your lower chest, once your triceps touch the floor, blast the weight upward! Arm Bars anyone?!?!

4 - Barbell Row with Towels

Use the towels if you want added grip work. Wrap the towels around the bar or hang the towels around the bar, each of which give you a different grip and pulling effect. Grips can be overhand or underhand. Keep your low back neutral and your upper back flat, NO rounding allowed. If you round out your back, lighten up until your form is perfect. Your lower body will also work just to stabilize your upper body so this is truly a full body exercise. Pull the weight towards your low abdomen and squeeze your shoulder blades together. This is excellent for developing pulling strength, a must in all combat sports.

5 - Barbell Cheat Curls

Barbell Cheat Curls – No one ever would expect me to encourage these, as many equate this movement to bodybuilding training. This exercise is going to look like a barbell hang clean, except with a reverse grip. It will develop hip power and strength in your entire upper body. Don’t knock these, they work, especially when you push for HEAVY weights! They will also work your hands and grip very intensely, a critical aspect in any type of combat sport using gi as well as no gi.

Here’s your Barbell Gladiator workout:

* Exercises A & B are performed back to back. As your work capacity improves, you should aim to have zero rest through each superset!

1A) Barbell Floor Press 6 x 3 – 5 reps
1B) Barbell Zercher Squat / Towel Deadlift 6 x 3 – 5 reps

2A) Bent Over Barbell Row with Towels 3 x 8 - 12 reps
2B) Any Push Up Variation 3 x Max Reps

3A) Barbell Cheat Curls 3 x 5 reps
3B) Any Abdominal Exercise 3 x 20 reps

You don't need to be a gladiator to have the of one but it sure is sweet.
strength, stamina and ripped physique

Muscle Building And Fat Burning Together?

I just received this article from Jon Benson and HAD to share it with you.

It really opened my eyes to what is possible.

Let me know what you think, okay?

Joseph

---------------------------------------------

How To Gain Muscle And Burn
Bodyfat At The Same Time

by Jon Benson


What is your "big dream?"

I have two:

-- To make an impact on the lives of over 10M people before I die;

-- To have a family that's mobile so I can live in many places.

Not bad, right?

Want to know a "third" dream of mine? One that I saw become a reality a few years ago?

To gain muscle AND burn bodyfat all at the same time.

It's like a pipe-dream that somehow worked its way through the pipes and into my gym.

It is not easy, granted, but you can do it.

Almost anyone can do it.

You just have to train and eat in a very specific way.

Listen: You do NOT want to just "burn bodyfat" or god-forbid "lose-weight"... that will not give you the body you want.

You absolutely MUST shape your muscles, tighten and tone, and burn bodyfat.

And you can do it at the same time.

Most pros disagree with me. They think it is metabolically impossible to gain muscle while in a state of low-calorie dieting.

They are wrong.

Here's an article I wrote on this topic. I hope you enjoy it.

To save you time, I put a link to the online complete version of the article below...

- - - - -

I remember a friendly argument with my co-author of Fit Over 40 Tom Venuto. It all started when I told Tom how I was eating and training for my last peak. A peak is where you lower your bodyfat and try to maintain as much muscle mass as possible.

"There's just no way I could ever get in shape eating and training like that," says Tom. "Sure you could man...what are you, a mutant?" Tom fires back, then me, then Tom....and so it goes. (I really didn't call Tom a mutant. That was creative liberty.)

So why are so many fitness pros like Tom freaked out about my training and nutrition plan? Simple: I claim it burns fat while building muscle at the same time. Every time I read an article by some doctor or expert claiming it's "biologically impossible" to gain lean muscle mass on a hypocaloric diet (a diet low in calories) I just laugh.

I do more than make claims--I have proved this to be true many times. I've had my bodyfat hydrostatically measured during several peaks. In all but one I showed an increase of muscle mass and a decrease of bodyfat during a 12-16 week period. The one time I didn't show an increase in muscle mass when was I was training the most in the gym. That may not make sense right now, but it will in a moment.

Article Continued Here -- Muscle Building And Fat Burning At The Same Time