Burning fat and losing weight is hard enough. But for most of us, losing those last 10 or 15 pounds – and keeping them off – seems nearly impossible. And let’s not forget that we want to keep the muscle we’ve built along the way, right?

OK, time to drop the word “nearly” and just call it impossible?

Not so, says personal trainer and fitness blogger Chad Howse.

Chad has a great personal story of his own which includes boxing and putting functional muscle on his skinny frame, but today he stopped by to share 3 tips for burning fat and how he went from fighting at 165 lbs to 152 lbs without sacrificing any muscle.

Here are Chad’s tips for dropping those last pounds and making sure they stay gone. (more…)

It’s not easy losing weight – at least for most of us – which is why fat loss is always a mainstream topic being talked about on almost every talk and news show (Larry King with Carnie Wilson and Jillian Michaels last week was the icing on the cake!). Most of you reading this probably want to burn up that fat and uncover your abs sooner rather than later.

Who wouldn’t want a midsection that looks like a cheese grater?

[This pic is for anyone stuck shoveling snow this past week. Must go somewhere sunny very soon!]

NOTE: I would’ve used the old “washboard abs” metaphor but I think it’s time to retire that one since anybody under the age of 30 probably has no idea what the hell a washboard is?

So to get you on your way to burning up the fat around your belly, here are five crucial fat loss tips to help your diet and exercise regimen for the new year: (more…)

All too often I hear war stories about guys who had their back go out numerous times during free-bar squats. It may be because their body is not built for it or more likely it is due to their idiotic obsession with squatting 500 pounds and being proclaimed a “huge monster” for doing so. Forgive me for going
with the later assumption.

[Even the King of the Jungle needs a rest. Traditional squats move over, it's time you had some company on lower body exercises]

Now I’m no doctor but having that kind of weight straddling your neck and shoulders just screams serious injury and compression damage to you spine. But let’s dig into the research because it’s somewhat surprising…

Do Squats Lead to Back Injuries?

For such a basic exercise movement, squatting sure stirs the pot regarding its risk to lower back injuries with personal trainers and scientists alike.

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We’ve all had our fair share of stressful moments in life. Looking back, some events may seem silly now (a grade 10 science exam, who cares about memorizing the periodic table?) while others were monumental like a driving test or your first job interview.

It doesn’t get any easier as we grow older with financial burdens, relationships, or a loved one’s illness making life particularly challenging and frustrating along the way.

[Oh my god... this poor girl is so stressed her tongue turned into a...remote control? What the hell is that thing?] 

The idea for this article was conceived during my last trip to the grocery store and walking by the magazine stands. September is “back-to-school” season in most parts of the world and there was no shortage of article headlines talking about stress: how to cope with stress or try these stress blasting workouts or the best stress busting exercises uncovered and well… you get the picture.

The Reality of Stress and Weight Gain

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I use the term “Interval Training” quite a bit on this site when discussing exercise strategies for fat loss. However, up until this post I’ve done a poor job in describing what the hell “Interval Training” really is.

If you’re someone who loves the fancy cardio machines and spends entire gym sessions in hope of burning loads of body fat, I’d suggest you pay special attention. What you’ve been doing up to this point may be sabotaging your fat loss goals while wasting colossal amounts of time!

[Long cardio sessions remind me a lot of this tricycle. Old, boring, and an inefficient way to get around the neighbourhood. Time to graduate to two wheels and start training more effectively with Interval Training.]

What are Intervals?

They are brief, high intensity periods of exercise (where you work out as intensely as you can), alternated with active recovery periods, (where you slow down just long enough to catch your breath).
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If you workout or exercise at your local gym you’ve probably heard this question pop up in between sets a number of times:

“What is the best exercise to isolate my biceps?”

Really this question is about building huge biceps using the dated bodybuilding term “isolation”, but that’s another point in another post.

When I heard this question for the umpteenth time this past week it really disturbed me because people are still missing the true benefits of resistance training and building a stronger body.

[Smashing a tennis ball like Tennis Pro Ana Ivanovic requires more then just one isolated muscle.]

Does Muscle Isolation Really Exist?

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Training biceps is fun, especially for guys. The feeling of curling a weight and the ensuing pump after just one set feels pretty damn good.

But there are downfalls.

Let me explain using my informercial voice:

Tired of standing in line for the preacher curl machine? Or the bicep cable curls machine? I know I am.

Working out at your local fitness centre can be awesome and frustrating in the same workout session. Awesome because you have a ton of fitness resources under one roof but also frustrating when the number of bodies out numbers the equipment.

[A crowded beach always beats a crowded gym... Except maybe the one above! Honey, where are the towels?]

I know the most common suggestion I hear in response to crowds in the gym is to pack up and try a different time of day.

Without dropping a couple of choice explectives, I’ll say “forget that“!

You are at the gym to train for a limited period of time so train you shall. Also, what if this is the only time of day you can make it to the gym?
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The time, or rest between sets, (a series of exercises done consecutively i.e. he did 4 sets of 10 reps on the bench press) is an important factor in your ability to complete a workout.

Very often the question raised on the gym floor is, how long should I wait after completing a set to start another set?

The answer is: It depends on your goals.

[Do you frequently spend your rest periods looking at yourself in the mirror or at the hottie on the treadmill? Stop! Focus on the time between your sets and you'll get more done (fat loss and muscle building) in less time!]

More Rest For More Strength

For example, when I’m training with Vince DelMonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building program, I’m looking to increase my strength and build muscle so the rest period is a bit longer – up to three minutes for exercises like squats and heavy dumbbell work.

Less Rest for Fast Fat Loss?

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I can’t think of two sports that require high levels of strength more than Football and…. Gymnastics. Sorry, were you expecting me to say Baseball, Hockey or some other main stream sport instead?

If you’ve ever seen a gymnastic event like the rings, you’ll see competitor after competitor subject himself to moves like the Iron Cross (see pic below) or the Lever and think he won’t be able to dress himself the next day without copious amounts of A535, then you know what I’m talking about.

Strength is the key in both sports but you probably couldn’t find two activities that go about achieving it in more different ways.

Football players spend their winters in the gym throwing around massive amounts of iron. Thousands of reps later and callous sweaty hands generally gets the job done for them.

What about Gymnasts?

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Welcome to the Gun Show” or ”The Beach is That Way” or how about ”I’m Busy Sculpting My Guns“.

There is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames. When looking in the mirror, every guy imagines a set of bulging biceps. Yes, I’m guilty too!

The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 8 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even a quarter of an inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an obsessive habit in the gym. I’ve seen guys spend entire gym sessions bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror thinking they are somewhat special.

”

[Thought you'd see some bodybuilder dude with 24" pythons and a fake tan? Very few athletes and so called bodybuilders sport the muscular definition of Rafa Nadal's arms.]

Even more hilarious is seeing guys buying and wearing tight t-shirts in the hope of making their arms “look” bigger. Kinda of sad, but the allure of strong, mountainous biceps will never go away and why should it?

After all, they are a man’s most prized possession and one of women’s most desired body parts on a man!

But if every guy is obsessing over their biceps and dedicating entire training sessions with classic bodybuilding techniques such as forced reps, drop sets, and 21’s…. why do they still have little to show for their efforts?

Let’s examine five of the most common problems with bicep training:

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