Now that you’ve made the commitment to starting an exercise program, the next step is choosing a gym that you will feel comfortable going to on a regular basis. If it isn’t, chances are you aren’t going to stick with any type of regular exercise plan and will eventually just stop going altogether. By being sure your gym is a good fit for you, you help take yourself one step further to realizing your health and fitness goals.

Keep in mind that if a traditional gym isn’t for you, you can definitely set up a home gym with smaller equipment and where you can get complete workouts all in the privacy of your surroundings. However, when it comes to getting a helpful spot or using the latest equipment, a commercial gym is the place to be.

1. Location, Location, Location

Sounds like your buying a home but who really wants to spend thier precious time driving to and from their gym when they could be done half their workout by then?

After a long day of work you are not going to want to spend a good hour fighting traffic, another hour working out, and then another half an hour driving home. Think about either choosing a gym that is located close to your house or else on the drive to or from work. This is a great option since if you have to pass by it every day, you’ll be reminded of the fact that you should be working out if you choose to skip it.

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It’s usually a tough balancing act between losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. The reason being is the opposite demands these goals impose on our bodies.

To build a lot of new muscle tissue, your body needs energy. In the simplest terms, you’ll need to consume more calories than you’re burning each day. To lose fat, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn.

If you do try to do both things at once, your progress towards either goal will be so frustratingly slow that it won’t be long before you say “screw this” and throw in the towel.

Wouldn’t it me amazing if the energy your body needs to build new muscle tissue came from stored fat? Unfortunately, when your body is in a predominantly catabolic state (which it will need to be if you want to lose fat), gaining muscle is not its main priority.

I’m not going to bore you with the countless studies that illustrate the notion of eating more for building muscle and eating less for fat loss. They’ve been discussed, debated, and written about at great lengths.

What we need to determine is the appropriate course of action for burning fat and then gaining muscle?

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After speaking with Vince DelMonte last week (click here for Part I of our conversation), we now know why building muscle is the fastest way for men and women to burn fat, and get incredible looking bodies.

But can building muscle also save your life?

[Have you ever tried rock-climbing? Bloody hard, but a great test of your mind and body. Give it a whirl at an indoor facility first, before you attempt anything remotely close to the picture above!]

Here’s what Vince had to say in a follow-up conversation:

Vince: Most men follow my No Nonsense Muscle Building program because they want to get huge muscles and impress the ladies. Most women want to lose weight fast, and impress the men.  But lately I have had so many clients register because of the massive health benefits associated with having more muscle.

Me:  You mean like those bodybuilders I see on in the workout magazines?

Vince: Absolutely not. Most of those guys are on some sort of drugs and I would never recommend that.  It is very dangerous and totally unnecessary.

Me:  Okay good, because I would have to buy a whole new wardrobe, yikes! So how can muscle be so healthy?

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Watching the finale of Biggest Loser last night was inspiring. No need to recap, just find it on TiVO and you’ll be amazed at the transformations. But one thing that the audience should not gloss over is the end goal. As in, there is no end goal:

It’s a lifestyle!

[Congrats to Jerry Hayes for winning the at home portion of Biggest Loser. At 64, he was the show’s oldest contestant ever. He was eliminated early in the competition but continued to lose weight after the show going from 369 to 192 pounds, a loss of 177 pounds, or 47.97 percent weight loss. Look at the intensity in Jerry's face!]

If you want to burn off fat and keep it off permanently, there are a few things you absolutely must do (ie. build muscle), and a recent study from Wake Forest University has just uncovered another one.
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As many of you know, weight training is my main exercise activity when it comes to fat loss. However, training with equipment such as dumbbells and barbells properly is known by very few. If it was easy then you would see a lot more muscular and lean physiques on the streets.

Before you learn how to weight train properly, it is critical that you learn these five weight training tips before you even begin to start hoisting heavy objects above your head.

1. Goal Setting

“Inch-by-inch life is a sinch. Yard-by-yard life is hard.” Words made famous by Vince Delmonte himself. Treat your goal setting the same way. Do not expect to be on the cover of Men’s Fitness by next summer. Decide how much muscle weight you wish to achieve in three months. Six months and one year. Decide where you wish to finish and work backwards. Creating a powerpoint presentation with your favorite physiques also helps reaffirm your journey. (more…)