I have no words for this ending.....

“I got muscle in my group fitness class..” ... said no person everrrrrrrrrrr!!! (go ahead shoot your arrows...)

Before the weekend hits, I want to set something straight: (not sure what's special about this weekend, but that sounded good)

For real results, you need to build muscle. And to build muscle, you need to damage it during your workout, so that it can ‘regrow’ afterwards. Yes I said, ‘damage’… stay with me here…

During this ‘regrow’ after your workout, it’s the intention to have your muscle grow back stronger and bigger. That’s one of the main purposes of working out, aside from burning calories during the workout.

During your workout you’re tearing muscle down. When you eat & sleep you rebuild. But you will only ‘regrow’ and rebuild your muscle if you:
-> Drink a protein shake within 15 minutes from finishing your workout
-> Push heavy weight in the first place (with proper form)
-> Have a complete meal within 60 min after finishing your workout
-> Be nice to others. Don't be like Justin Timberlake, only inviting 2 of the N-Sync members for his wedding with Jessica Biel, that's just mean.
-> Drink at least half a gallon water (aim for a gallon and fail forward)
-> Get at least 7 hours sleep. No more Jay Leno (does anyone watch him anymore-really?), go to bed. Live like a European in America, it’s a beautiful thing.
-> Reduce stress to a minimum. Have a 7 month emergency fund set up. And cut out all vampires from your life, especially if they like to get drunk a few times a month.
-> Eat clean. No more drive-thrus.
-> Stop saying dumb things like “I want arms like that” or “I want legs like hers”. Be grateful, happy with what you have. I can guarantee you that your absolute WORST day is someone else’s dream come true.

If you do all this properly, you will gain muscle. Gaining muscle is GOOD. When you gain muscle, you increase your metabolism for throughout the day, so that your Calories OUT goes up not only during your workout, but also afterwards..

This is why I’m big-time anti-marathons. Unless you’re on a bouncy treadmill, running long-distance breaks muscle down like no other. Yeah you’ll burn calories while running, but you’ll lose muscle as well – the OPPOSITE of what you want. (unless you are running marathons for competition, a challenge or for a specific purpose)

Big time risk of getting ‘skinny’ instead of ‘Warrior-like’.

And to all guys -> when a fire breaks out, most brunettes choose the warriors over the skinnys to carry them to safety. Blondes too I think.

To girls -> skinny is extinct. Come on, it’s 2013 and it’s about c-shapes, strength, and legs that have ‘content’.  Ribs and bones are only good if you are at a barbecue joint!

So you break down muscle while you workout. That’s why every workout should be 45-60 min max of INTENSITY – you don’t want to damage your muscle for too long. Build muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle.. a little more muscle!

To all ladies: I want you to read that sentence a couple times – or as many times you need to become comfortable with the term. Muscle is good, it’s your friend. And this email serves as my retirement from telling you that muscle does not make you bulky...

In other words, this is the last time I’m saying it: Excess bodyfat makes you look bulky. And excess calories give you excess bodyfat. No other way to explain it.

Therefore, CALORIES make you bulky…. Calories IN vs Calories OUT

Nutrition 101... If you have a foot long meatball parm sandwich, chips fand a diet coke or lunch, you’re giving yourself too little ‘wiggle room’ for all other 5 meals you should be eating throughout the day… and you’re very likely to overeat throughout the day.  But the Diet coke did help....yes, sarcasm intended.

‘Overeating’ here means that your Calories IN from waking up to bedtime exceeds your Calories OUT.

One more time:
IN more than OUT – you gain weight.

IN equals OUT – you stay the same.

IN less than OUT – you lose weight (provided your deficit is reasonable and not all week long, avoiding the starvation response).

See, I’m slightly fired up here – because after my last email on this a while ago where I wrote about most group exercise / fake weight classes being ineffective for fat loss, I get this reply from a girl:

“But Greg, the classes at your gym are great, why are you knocking them, I take body sculpt, spin and the Zumba group exercise classes, they are a great workout because people sweat, and one of my friends actually lost 30lbs while doing them.”

Going forward I will reference “Prancercise” as my “fake workout” exercise of choice here. (thanks Mariea). More on “Prancercise” later…. A lot more, so grab a tissue and some popcorn for later...

To debunk this nonsense about sweating and classes:
-1- Sweat is not an indication of a good workout, it is your body’s way of ‘cooling you down’ when you get hot. Some people sweat more than others, and it has little to do with whether your workout is effective.  It is an indicator of relative intensity, in my opinion.  I use 'relative' because intensity to everyone is totally different.

-2- Anyone can lose 30 lbs by reducing their calories IN.. i.e. going on a diet. If you’re disciplined and eating 500+ calories less than what you burn off everyday for 6 days a week, you’ll lose 1 pound per week. REGARDLESS of what exercise program you do. Your exercise program serves to increase your Calories OUT.

Therefore, weight loss is not an indication of a good workout either. It’s your definition, inches, sizes, strength, energy, and butt that defines your workout. Look, I must write this. Because I want to save your day, literally. I want to save you TIME. Let me explain why...

The #1 thing that separates the successful (exerciser or business people) from everyone else is.. how.. they .. manage.. their.. time, let me repeat that slowly....how..... they..... manage..... their...... time.

Everyone has the same 24 hours in the day. Warren Buffet has 24 hours. Jay Leno has 24 hours. And even Kanye West has 24 hours, 10 of which he spends with Kim, 10 of which he brags about how much money he has and 4 of telling others how good his lyrics are. What puts you ahead or holds you back, is how you spend your time. Time management is HUGE.

Huge as in Kim’s butt huge.

Now if you look at the Prancercise workout versus a Real workout… Prancercise being aerobics & dancing, versus resistance training explosive movements, resisted/uphill running, plyometrics, anaerobics, and INTENSE cardio.  Then you’re better off spending time doing a real workout. Prancercise is like Spanks. It feels good at first, then what...?, but in the end you’re just as flabby.  Resistance makes you stronger. You can’t expect to see results from Prancercise like stuff, there is no real resistance involved.  It’s aerobics. And “trying to lose fat with aerobics is like emptying the ocean one shot glass at a time.”  Your body grows when you are uncomfortable, Your body grows when you put it through resistance, and Prancercise stuff does not provide ample resistance. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Prancercise for it’s place on the fitness ladder. It is on the first step; that is the “hilarious and are you crazy” step.

Prancercise is an awesome way of ‘getting started’ for guys and girls that:
- have not worked out in 22+ years
- have one leg
- like to drink a lot
- enjoy a good ab workout due to laughing so hard

In all seriousness, “something” is always better than “nothing”, just not Prancercise stuff. And true success is not for everyone, some just want to 'move'. And one of the worst phenomena in the world is when fit people make fun of the unfit for ‘trying’.  It just hurts to me to see these unfit people ‘trying’ and truly believing they are going to see real results. It just won’t happen with aerobics. 

Richard Simmons never had a 6-pack.

or did he?

As old school as it may seem, old time weight lifters and bodybuilders are on the cutting edge. I once heard one of these old timers say, “Anyone wanting to improve their body is a bodybuilder. And I’ll lift weights till the day I die.”

So as a group, let’s start being weight lifters and bodybuilders… or Warriors. In the good sense of the word. Not meatheads, but renegades that keep their eyes on the prize and live, eat, and breathe fat loss. You can do it – I believe in you, and if there is anything you need just let me know.

Ok, I know you are dying to know, “What is Prancercise?” I actually have no words to describe it, check it for yourself and click the word Prancercise below….

Prancercise….

http://www.lakesidefitnessclub.com/group-fitness/prancercise.html

Yours in health - and laughter,

Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.

"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

Outside your comfort zone?

People always ask if I'm afraid or scared to try or do something.... I guess there is always some inhibition on something "outside your comfort zone" or something "challenging," but how do you grow if you don't challenge your limits....?

In short, my answer is nope never ever; but what I am afraid of is not trying or doing it and the feeling of regret later.  Do you ever wonder if you could have done "this" or "that" or even not done "this' or "that".....

Too many people are afraid of failure; but isn't not trying or doing something failure of what you could do or could become?

You've heard me say hundreds of times that nothing is difficult, it just takes time, and that is the truth. Prove me wrong and try something "outside your comfort zone" or something "challenging" and stick with it!  Because it's the start that stops most people, and if you don't quit, you can't fail!  It just may take you a little longer than some.

Get inspired and do something new today!

Regards,

Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.

"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

Who did it?

Once upon a time, there were four people; their names were Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody.  

Whenever there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do "it".  Anybody could have done "it", but Nobody did "it".

When Nobody did "it", Everybody got angry because "it" was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Somebody would do "it", but Nobody realized that Nobody would do "it".  So consequently, Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.

Michael Jordan once said, "I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot. Why? Because when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result.  Some people get frozen by that fear of failure. They get it from peers or from just thinking about the possibility of a negative result. They might be afraid of looking bad or being embarrassed.  I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it. I don't believe you can achieve anything by being passive.  I'm not thinking about anything except what I'm trying to accomplish. Any fear is an illusion.  You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there.  What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success.  If it turns out my best isn't good enough, then at least I'll never be able to look back and say I was too afraid to try.  Failure always made me try harder the next time."

Maybe that's where the "Just do it" slogan came from.....?  I've learned that there are do-ers and don't-ers, everyone falls into either category, you either do something or you don't.  Some make excuses why they can't or won't, but in reality if you don't do "it" "it's" just not that important to you, anything is possible, "it" just takes time; don't believe me... spend 10,000 hours practicing or doing "it" or doing things to get you better and I bet you will have success. 

See for yourself, Google "10,000 hour rule" and you will see.....

How important is "it" to you?

Regards,
Greg



Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

What a Jackass!!!!

Are you a Jackass?  I know you can surely be one!

I hope you are, I am……

no, not this kind.......

this kind.

Once upon a time there were these two farmers, one day they were looking in the horse barn at an old mule named Fred they had used for plowing over the years.  One farmer said to the other, “man that old Jackass ain’t no good anymore, we need to get rid of him.”  So they decided to get rid of that old mule; they took it out to an empty part of the field and dug a big hole, pushed him in and started filling in the hole.  As you can imagine Fred was freaking out because he knew he was going to be buried alive.  Every shovel of dirt landed on that old mules back, weighing him down as well as it started to fill up the hole; yes, the mule was being buried alive.  But then, just like it has done over the years, the old mule started to devise a strategy, and as usual, Fred came up with a plan.  The old mule put his age and wisdom to use, it figured out that with every shovel of dirt that hit him he would just shake it off and let the dirt fall to the ground and step up on it.  With every shovel of dirt came another shake and another step, and another shake and another step, soon the strategy worked, the old mule was standing at the top of the hole, stepped out and walked away……

As the old mule walked away it turned to the men and said, "Who’s the Jackass now?" (Yes, Fred the mule could talk, didn't you ever hear of a talking mule? - it's Mr. Ed's cousin)

Too many people today forget that they can always shake it off, step up and move forward.  So, the next time there is dirt thrown on your back, shake it off, step up and move forward.

Remember, anything is possible, yes anything, it just takes time!

Regards,
Greg




Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

I've Got 99 Problems....and it's not fitness related.

I've got 99 problems...... !

For most, especially the you younger ones you may immediately think of Jay-Z and his 99 Problems song.... "If you're having girl problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a ........." but in this case it's a different song.

It's a Greg-D song!  "If you're having life problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but I changed my outlook and attitude and I've won!"

A lot of people complain, a lot of people blame others, a lot of people want a short cut, a lot of people forget that life takes work; and a lot are not willing to put in the effort for what they want, so they complain, point fingers and blame others.  Over the years, I have sat in on as well as given many presentation; on fitness, on management, on motivation and other topics.  I also am a big reader, I always have a book with me that helps "educate" me, and by education I mean teaching me and helping me do something, get better at something or simply remind me of what I have forgotten.  People ask me what I read and who my favorite author is, but I really don't have one, there are way to many great ones and everyone has their own style and story to tell.  But if I had to narrow it down, I'd say my John Wooden books are up there, and my Daniel Coyle books are up there as well.  With this wisdom I have gained over the years there have been a bunch of "constants"  that I always seem to run across from these successful people, these "constants" show up in almost every book and presentation.  They are my 99 problems - "constants" that I feel today we fail to do and we neglect everyday.  I've gone through my notes, endless pages and reviewed my presentations and listed 99 "constants" that we all should review and remember!
After you read this take a second to print it, then go through the list and write down next to each line if you are doing this and when the last occurrence was, I bet you won't use much ink but I hope you do.  So challenge yourself to use a lot of ink, everyday!

These 99 words apply to EVERYTHING, EVERYDAY, IN EVERY situation!  Do these as much as possible and you too will be a music mogul and you can sing, "I've got 99 problems eliminated".

Show up.
Pay attention.
Ask questions.
Less talk.
More action.
Help others.
Keep smiling.
Remember birthdays.
Be prepared.
Work hard.
Work smart.
Play hard.
Buckle up.
Be kind.
Keep learning.
Call home.
Avoid addictions.
Take risks.
Be careful.
Work out.
Don’t cheat.
Spend less.
Save more.
Laugh more.
Worry less.
Be patient.
Take breaks.
Be true to yourself.
Stay curious.
Stop whining.
Say, “Thanks.”
Be trustworthy.
Trust others.
Accept challenges.
Challenge assumptions.
Don’t smoke.
Be punctual.
Eat healthy.
Listen carefully.
Plan ahead.
Correct mistakes.
Avoid perfectionism.
Stay focused.
Follow through.
Create memories.
Inspire others.
No excuses.
Don’t procrastinate.
Don’t quit.
Love.

Someone recently asked my if I make money on my blogs and if I don't why do I do them..... No to the first part, and as #11 and 12 go from the constants above, I also consider myself as one of the "others."

All the best,
Greg



Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

How to Get Rid of Cellulite

Today let's talk a little about cellulite.  aka “Cottage Cheese."  Cottage Cheese: Good when it’s a late-night snack - Bad when it’s in your legs.

 

Bad vs. Good

 

We all know that your diet determines your body, and the biggest effect your exercise will have on fat loss is to increase your Calories OUT..

But still, I’ve seen girls go harder than Bruce Willis and still have cottage cheese in their legs......

So here are some tips..

If you’re doing everything right, and you still have those goosebumps on the backside, then maybe you want to follow my plan…..

FIRST -> Know that 99% of all men still love you. Men love legs like fast cars, motorcycles, steak and leather jackets!  And prob in that order too!  (I'm sorry for you if you have that 1%'er...)

SECOND -> Think about maybe taking caffeine pre-workout.  But only if you’re lifting heavy and taxing your muscle.  In other words, only if you’re actually going to use the extra energy it gives you.  Then the caffeine will use your fat storage for energy (instead of carbs or muscle)

THIRD -> Arch your back, squeeze your butt, and lift heavy on Squats, Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlifts, Step Ups, and Glute Bridges and lift heavy, and lift heavy and finally lift heavy.  These are pure Straight Up Booty exercises, and they all focus on the hip extension.

 

FOURTH -> Fats over Carbs.

You’ll always want more carbs than you need.... so eat fats instead.  Low-carb environments are ideal for fat loss as insulin is low.  The quickest way to get fat is to overload on carbs. I guarantee if you eat no more than 75 grams of Carbs per day for the next 2 weeks you'll be leaner.  Just don't stick with it for too long or you'll lose muscle in the process.

FIFTH -> Eat phytoestrogen.

These are found in leafy greens.. like Kale, Spinach, Broccoli, Asparagus.  And they ‘stick’ to your estrogens and push them out of your body (remember, testosterone builds muscle and burns fat.. estrogen does the opposite).

Veggies all day. Eat them all day long.  And chew them thoroughly.  Then sing the veggie song, to the beat of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long”: “Love you. Touch you. All day long. Baby. Give me those veggies! All day long..”

SIXTH -> Don’t even THINK about lipo.

You can’t ‘spot reduce’ fat. Fat loss always happens over your entire body.. and the fat loss process starts at different places for everyone.  (some people lose fat in their stomach first, some in their face, it’s just how it is.. and nothing to worry about)….and no that 3 payments of $19.95 cream does not work.

Just realize that the only way to spot reduce fat is through lipo. And that’s a quick fix.  And you don’t do quick fixes. Oprah does. And she, looks……. yeah.

SEVENTH -> Take Amino's

Take amino acids in supplement form either in between meals, or before you start working out.  Amino Acids are like marriage counselors.. they keep things intact.  In this case, your muscle.  When you're on a calorie deficit to burn the fat, you'll lose muscle.. unless you lift heavy, get your proteins, and take amino's.

I'll leave it with these 7 tips for now. If you have any questions just get back to me. I'm very busy at the moment with all this SPRINTING stuff going on, but I'll do my best to get back to you asap.

Lift Heavy and eat. Get that sweet potato that you deserve, do your sprints, and lift more than anyone would ever expect of you!

Yours in health,

Greg

Greg DiRenzo, M.S.
Lakeside Fitness Center
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"

3 questions for you..

The other day I had a consultation with a potential client and as usual, nutrition came up, and she showed me her entire week of food journals.

The good part was that she was very honest and wrote EVERYTHING down she had eaten…

... the bad part was that there was nothing healthy on there. I’m talking pizza, hot pockets, beer, coffee, cinnamon buns, chimichangas, etc, etc. So I advised her what to do to get on track, and kept it nice and simple for her to make it easy to take the next step.

Then I asked her if she had any questions.. and she started asking me really “advanced stuff”.. (that was sarcastic…)

“Should I go for grass-fed beef instead of regular beef?”

“When should I take my chia seeds?”

“What do you think of the lemon cleanse?”

“Which fat burner do you recommend?”

.. and other questions like that. And to me this didn’t make any sense at all.  I looked at her amazed and shocked, then I politely said, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME OR ARE YOU NUTS?”  I was serious! (and oh yeah, thats a plug for my book - let me know if you want a free copy)

We just went over a program and no where did we discuss anything she had asked me!  I started looking around for the camera crew because I felt like I was being “Punk’d” or for us old timers, maybe even on “Candid Camera.”  I was ready to grab a barbell and my leather jacket so I would look cool on TV!!!

Because, if you don’t even have the basics right, how can you step to the next level?  So I told her what I’m about to tell you:

You HAVE to know where you currently are in order to know what to do next.  What I mean is.. if right now you are not eating vegetables every single day, then my advice is simple:

Start eating vegetables.

I don’t CARE if they’re organic or not. The most important thing you can do is actually eat them.  Just like working out, the most important thing is to start - no matter what you do, the universe will reward your DECISION to take action.  I learned something a long time ago and it goes like this:  “it’s the START that STOPS you,” think about that.  Most of us stop something before we start it, because “it is too hard” or “it is too difficult” or “I’ll never do that for that long”…. And more BS excuses like that.  For Pete’s sake, just try it, just START something and you will see you can do it.  You will see that after “Day 1” it’s easy, just repeat “Day 1” on “Day 2” and so on…..

So, eat vegetables for 21 days straight.. make it a habit.. THEN we can start talking about the "next level" stuff.

Know what I mean?

Get the basics down first.

So with that said, here’s a little audit you can do right now for yourself to see where you are.

I’m going to ask you 3 simple questions, and if you can answer

“yes” to all three, then you have a foundation..

-1- Do you get at least 2 servings of vegetables EVERY single day?

-2- Do you drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water EVERY single day? (even if you eat 100% perfect, nothing matters if you’re dehydrated)

-3- Do you do some type of exercise EVERY single day? (anything at all-even a walk)

If you answered ‘yes’ to all three questions, then that's awesome. If you didn’t, then just remember....

“It’s never too late to become what you might have been”

(one of my favorite quotes)

Take it one step at a time. Skip the ‘shiny objects’ that you see in the media and just keep it simple :)

Hope this made sense!

Yours in health,
Greg


Greg DiRenzo, PhD
"Small Hinges Swing Big Doors"