Answer: 8 weeks is time enough to peel about 15 to 25 pounds depending on your work ethic and mental attitude which seems to be a go now. Since you said you have your food under control we will outline a training regimen only.

Start you day with cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This needs to be done if you are using a treadmill at a full incline with a moderate pace of 3 to 3..5 MPH taking long strides pushing through your hips and glutes. Since your job has flexible hours, lunch will be your high intensity training session. We want to affect large muscle groups which require huge amounts of energy.

Using a circuit training system of 5 exercises combined with an aerobic portion:

• Start this thing with bicycle crunches. 50, 25 on each leg gets your heart rate pumping,
• Next, move to reverse block lunges stepping back for 10 reps on each leg. Do each leg individually instead of alternating them.
• Follow those with a clean/press with a light weight for 10 reps.
• Finish the cycle with squats for 10 reps getting the center of your thigh parallel to the floor.
• Now you have 2 minutes of jumping rope.
• Repeat the circuit 5 times.

After work you have another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio similar to your morning session.

The second day begins as the first did with cardio.

Your training session at lunch starts with:

• Hip raises for 20 reps followed by
• Jumping jack pushups. ( your feet spread out as you lower your torso and close back together when you push up).
• Horizontal pull ups for 10 reps are next.
• Deadlifts are the fourth exercise on your list and
• Finish off with dumbbell push/press for 8 reps.
• The cardio blast part of this routine is the burpee for 15 reps.
• You again have 5 cycles of this.

Your PM workout is 20 to 30 minutes of 70% intensity cardio.

Your third training day is a light day.
Do a morning run for 2 miles,
Stretch for 20 minutes at lunch and no late session.

Start the sequence again on day 4 repeating your Day 1 training.
Day 5 repeats Day 2 workouts and
Day 6 is light.
You are off for day 7. You will want it .

Training is not boring if it is challenging. This one is challenging.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: 8 weeks is time enough to peel about 15 to 25 pounds depending on your work ethic and mental attitude which seems to be a go now. Since you said you have your food under control we will outline a training regimen only.

Start you day with cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This needs to be done if you are using a treadmill at a full incline with a moderate pace of 3 to 3..5 MPH taking long strides pushing through your hips and glutes. Since your job has flexible hours, lunch will be your high intensity training session. We want to affect large muscle groups which require huge amounts of energy.

Using a circuit training system of 5 exercises combined with an aerobic portion:

• Start this thing with bicycle crunches. 50, 25 on each leg gets your heart rate pumping,
• Next, move to reverse block lunges stepping back for 10 reps on each leg. Do each leg individually instead of alternating them.
• Follow those with a clean/press with a light weight for 10 reps.
• Finish the cycle with squats for 10 reps getting the center of your thigh parallel to the floor.
• Now you have 2 minutes of jumping rope.
• Repeat the circuit 5 times.

After work you have another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio similar to your morning session.

The second day begins as the first did with cardio.

Your training session at lunch starts with:

• Hip raises for 20 reps followed by


• Jumping jack pushups. ( your feet spread out as you lower your torso and close back together when you push up).


• Horizontal pull ups for 10 reps are next.


• Deadlifts are the fourth exercise on your list and


• Finish off with dumbbell push/press for 8 reps.


• The cardio blast part of this routine is the burpee for 15 reps.


• You again have 5 cycles of this.

Your PM workout is 20 to 30 minutes of 70% intensity cardio.

Your third training day is a light day.
Do a morning run for 2 miles,
Stretch for 20 minutes at lunch and no late session.

Start the sequence again on day 4 repeating your Day 1 training.
Day 5 repeats Day 2 workouts and
Day 6 is light.
You are off for day 7. You will want it .

Training is not boring if it is challenging. This one is challenging.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: 8 weeks is time enough to peel about 15 to 25 pounds depending on your work ethic and mental attitude which seems to be a go now. Since you said you have your food under control we will outline a training regimen only.

Start you day with cardio for 20 to 30 minutes. This needs to be done if you are using a treadmill at a full incline with a moderate pace of 3 to 3..5 MPH taking long strides pushing through your hips and glutes. Since your job has flexible hours, lunch will be your high intensity training session. We want to affect large muscle groups which require huge amounts of energy.

Using a circuit training system of 5 exercises combined with an aerobic portion:

• Start this thing with bicycle crunches. 50, 25 on each leg gets your heart rate pumping,
• Next, move to reverse block lunges stepping back for 10 reps on each leg. Do each leg individually instead of alternating them.
• Follow those with a clean/press with a light weight for 10 reps.
• Finish the cycle with squats for 10 reps getting the center of your thigh parallel to the floor.
• Now you have 2 minutes of jumping rope.
• Repeat the circuit 5 times.

After work you have another 20 to 30 minutes of cardio similar to your morning session.

The second day begins as the first did with cardio.

Your training session at lunch starts with:

• Hip raises for 20 reps followed by


• Jumping jack pushups. ( your feet spread out as you lower your torso and close back together when you push up).


• Horizontal pull ups for 10 reps are next.


• Deadlifts are the fourth exercise on your list and


• Finish off with dumbbell push/press for 8 reps.


• The cardio blast part of this routine is the burpee for 15 reps.


• You again have 5 cycles of this.

Your PM workout is 20 to 30 minutes of 70% intensity cardio.

Your third training day is a light day.
Do a morning run for 2 miles,
Stretch for 20 minutes at lunch and no late session.

Start the sequence again on day 4 repeating your Day 1 training.
Day 5 repeats Day 2 workouts and
Day 6 is light.
You are off for day 7. You will want it .

Training is not boring if it is challenging. This one is challenging.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

answer: To do a regular push-up you need to be able to do a chest press with about 65% of your body weight. So if you weigh 120 pounds you would need to be able to chest press almost 80 pounds. The 8, 10 and 15 pound dumbbells aren't heavy enough to do the job. Instead of using just dumbbells you should consider that a whole lot more muscles other than the pecs are involved. One good exercise to start with would be the plank. It activates almost all the same muscles as a push-up. Simply assume the plank position and hold for 30 seconds to a minute to work your core. Those core muscles are great for posture and strengthening your lower back and abdominals. To work your chest, shoulders and triceps, which are the primary working muscles for push-ups, begin by doing incline push- ups using your bed or sofa. Using an incline reduces the over body weight percentage from 65% down to 45%. If that isn't enough of a reduction do them against a wall. As you get stronger using the incline version, you can reduce the angle slightly every week until you can do them flat. They are a great upper body and a core workout. When you are strong enough you can elevate your feet to make the exercise more challenging. Good luck with it and your desire to join the military.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: To be able to see abs you have to strip off the fat that covers them. This means Eating for Performance and doing the necessary cardio as a part of your training. As for crunches, while they may not be the most effective exercise for building those blocks they are an easy one to begin your training, so your time and effort have not been wasted. Your abdominal muscle is one big sheet of muscle accompanied by intercostals on each side and oblique's which sit below the intercostals. Knowing the function of the abdominals is a big factor in learning how to train them. The function of your abs is literally to pull your pevic bone towards your shoulders so the simplest movement and one of the most effective is the hanging knee raise or, the harder version, hanging leg raise. The difference between the two is the knee raise allows you to bend your knees as you lift your legs. During the leg raise you keep your legs as straight out as you can while you lift. Either version can be done hanging by your hands from a chinning bar, hanging from Ab Slings or from a high ab chair. Hanging from a bar by your hands works your whole body and is the toughest overall to do. The chair version allows you to crunch forward as you lift your lower body upwards targeting your abs more effectively.

1) Do three sets of 15 to 20 reps of hanging knee, hanging leg, or chair, keeping the tempo of the exercise at 2 up 3 down. Fight the impulse to drop your legs instead controlling them down.

2) To hit the obliques and intercostals you can do rope crunches from either a standing position or kneeling. Either way keep your hands on your forehead resisting the urge to pull from your shoulders by holding the rope on either side of your neck. As you pull down, slightly twist right for 5 reps, then left for 5 reps alternating sides until you complete 20 reps. Usually you can increase the weight quickly as you learn the movement, just don't scissor your body downwards using momentum to complete reps.

3) The third exercise will be the plank, This is an isometric exercise that effectively targets the core and will shape you up a bit. Assume the push-up position, or as the army calls it, the front leaning rest position, and lower yourself onto your forearms instead of keeping your arms extended. Maintain a straight line body position from the contact points of your forearms through to your toes. Hold this position a minimum of 30 seconds and up to 60 seconds. Repeat the 3 exercises 3 times resting after the third exercise each cycle.

These exercises accompanied by your performance food selection, water, weight training and cardio should give you the body you want by the time you hit the beach.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: You're exactly right, summer is coming and the unusually warm weather we have enjoyed recently gives us a taste of what's to come. To be ready for it, you will have to eat "clean". A better phrase, which we use at Body Unlimited, is "Performance Eating". You are also correct in your conclusion that eating food from fast-food establishments is off the list with a few exceptions. Though the Egg McMuffin is a healthier choice than a biscuit it is no longer the best fast food choice for breakfast. Subway breakfast uses egg whites on English muffins or whole wheat flatbread. This one is the healthiest choice available now. Chick-Fil-A has the grilled chicken strips on a good salad for lunch. Be stingy using the dressing though.

Eating for performance, or to lose accumulated body fat, is more than that though. You have to forget about white bread, preferably use brown rice and avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

High Performance Eating goes even further than that though. There are no crackers or cold, milk drenched cereals, no pasta, very restricted bread consumption and avoid all processed foods and fried foods when ever possible. Some of you may being thinking, well, what do I eat? To be your best you have to cook and plan. Many will say that they don't have time. If you want it badly enough you will make time. It's that simple. Not every day will go as planned with your food, just make it as close to good every day as possible. Consistency over time will make the difference.

While it is true that you will be eating lean meats like chicken, fish, lean beef, turkey and even venison and eating vegetables by the pound they are not the only things you get to eat. Fruits like local strawberries as they come in season, cantaloupe, blueberries, blackberries, plums, apples and even watermelon this summer are all fine. They are fresh, full of nutritional value and great tasting. Bread is allowed but only the whole wheat or Ezekiel bread in limited quantities. Almond butter or natural peanut butter are good choices for fat sources as are a variety of other raw nuts in limited amounts. The type that are roasted and flavored are not such good choices. Green beans, spinach, green leaf lattice, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, turnip greens, celery, asparagus, broccoli, field peas and black beans are just some of the vegetables that enhance performance and fat loss. Is it OK to eat out? Sure you can but only once or twice a week. Cook food in advance and plan to take food with you whenever possible to prevent you from getting hungry and eaten junk.

Performance Eating can be challenging, especially at first, but it is worth the effort making you feel and look better.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: Wow! 30 pounds is great. Your frustration has come as the weight loss seemed to end. Plateaus can be difficult to accept, especially when you feel like you are doing all you can to get the weight to continue to peel off. Most of the time it does not require more effort or discipline, it simply requires redirection of the same effort you are putting out. Your cardio, so far, has been more conventional, meaning it has been at a certain intensity level for a set time period. You can increase the intensity of what you are doing or increase the time. You can split the time into two training periods if your schedule allows it. You are training in the morning with your cardio, so add an extra cardio session later in the day.

If you are interested in taking your cardio to the next level, then add in a CrossFit/bootcamp style workout a coupe of days instead of your conventional cardio. Using tractor tires, heavy drag sled and logs we can ramp things up a bit. See how many rounds of the following you can complete in 20 minutes. You will flip the tire and then jump into the center and out again, then flip the tire again. Repeat that 10 times. After the tire flips, head to the drag sled and pull backwards 40 yards. Run back that same 40 yards to clean that log 5 times. Finish the round with your feet on the curb and your hands on the pavement to do 10 elevated push-ups. Rollover and knock out 50 bicycle crunches. Rest as needed but remember the idea is to complete as many rounds of this as possible within the 20 minutes.

It's going to be torture but this one will kickstart your metabolism like nothing else you could do. You have done the hard part already getting off the first 30 pounds Keep your food clean, drink your water, train with weights 2 to 3 times a week and maintain your standard cardio. Use this routine to kick things up a three to four times a month.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: Typically we set up a 2 day split with a rollover from week to week. For the first two weeks you will use heavier weights and a lower rep range , from 6 to 10 reps on your heaviest sets which we call density training. During the third week you will use a higher rep range to build a volume effect in the muscles by engorging them with a massive blood flow. This has a positive effect on recovery and challenges your cardio-vascular system.

Day one do chest, back and shoulders together. It's a good idea to superset or at least alternate chest and back exercises. It saves a huge amount of time for you in the gym and produces a great pump between the two muscle groups. Pull-ups are a good start so include them on every other back workout.The other days you can start with pulldowns. Starting your workout with back exercises is a good way to warm up your shoulders before loading them with chest exercises. If you are training alone, use dumbbells as the base for your pressing movements. It's much safer and easier on your shoulders than using the standard barbell bench press. For your back training, every other workout you need to include deadlifts for 3 to 4 sets of 4 to 6 reps per set. This exercise is one of those exercises that just makes you stronger in everything. After doing 4 exercises each for both chest and back your shoulders should be warm so you can jump right into laterals followed by shoulder presses. A point to remember for shoulders is to always include and even start with a rear deltoid exercise every other workout. Making the posterior muscles of the shoulder stronger makes your chest work more stable and protects your shoulders from the stresses chest exercises place on them. Do 4 exercises for shoulder as well. You need to do 2 exercises for abs to finish. This is the first and third workout for week one. During week two you will only do this sequence one time and train legs and arms twice the second week.

For day two you will train legs, biceps and triceps. You need to start with hamstring exercises. They are too often neglected and are very important in stabilizing the knees. Alternate them with calf exercises. These warm up your calves and your Achilles tendons which make squatting easier. Squats and leg presses are necessary for growth so include them in your routines. Lunges are a productive exercise to use as well. Alternate biceps and triceps exercises after legs are done using three exercises for each.

This rollover training helps to keep the training fresh and challenging and should work well with your limited workout schedule.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: Too many people, especially women, have the misguided notion that eating protein will make them gain weight. While it is true that bodybuilders eat protein in large quantities, from one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to as much as three grams per pound of bodyweight. You have to also consider that they are drinking one to one and a half gallons of water as well. Muscle is composed of almost 70% water, about 25% protein and the rest is a mixture of a lot of different substances. So it is true that ingesting large quantities of protein can be used to help gain muscle although it's not the protein itself that causes the growth.

The inverse is also true. If you are not getting enough protein your metabolism tends to slow down slightly. Adding a high quality protein source like tuna, lean beef, chicken, turkey or venison feeds your muscles helping them to repair efficiently after exercise. The key point is high intensity exercise. The more you break down your muscles through training the more protein you can use for repair. This stimulates your metabolism.

Make protein a part of a balanced healthy plan that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables as well.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: While crunches and reverse crunches are useful for working the abdominals they are not the only exercises which work. The plank, which is done by assuming the push-up position but resting on your forearms instead of your hands, is an excellent method to strengthen not only your abs but your entire core. Once you are in position, maintain your body posture with your back in a straight line and hold it for 20 to 30 seconds. If you place the plank in a circuit of exercises or in a tandem pairing with another exercise you can get a good ab workout. Increase the duration of your plank every week and work up to a minute of holding the position.

Most free-weight exercises which are performed in a standing position will work your core and abs indirectly as well. Standing squat/press with dumbells, squats, deadlifts, pushups, cleans, all work your core. Another exercise that requires your abs to contract is triceps pressdowns. You have to tighten your core to stabilize your body position during the exercise.

There are numerous options for your training your abs including variations of the plank like side planks that work your intercostals and obliques indirectly.

Use these exercises and stabilize your body's central core muscles.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: Now is the time to begin training for high school football. The talent pool gets smaller and hard work makes the difference. If he hasn't been training regularly yet then start with 2 to 3 weight training days a week. Split the routine into an upper body day working on chest, back,shoulders and abs. Take a day off then train legs, biceps and triceps. He gets another day to recover and finishes the week with a day of power exercises. These include cleans, deadlifts, dumbbell snatches, push-up rows and plyometric movements to name a few.

Running can be done a couple days a week, at first alternating sprint intervals one day with distance of a mile or so the other As summer approaches, you can ramp that up a bit.

Even with the goals your son has about playing high school football, remember that he is still just a kid. When his school work load is too heavy or if he just needs a break let him have a day off. Don't keep the training too regimented and when he does train make the workouts challenging and fun as well as effective.

One area that is often an issue with middle school athletes is what and when they eat. Too often these kids get up and head off to school without eating breakfast for no other reason than they don't get out of bed in time. Kids need sleep which is when they grow and repair muscle. Their bodies, both male and female, are growing more than at any other time in their lives. They should get 8 hours of sleep a night. Get them out of bed in time to eat something before they head off to school. At school, either prepare them a lunch or make sure they do eat. Sometimes they skip lunch to save their lunch money. Other times they just eat pizza and fries every day. It's better than nothing but not exactly conducive to athletic excellence.

Finally they need water more than Gatorade and soft drinks.

All these,weight training, cardio, healthy food and water are necessary to lay a solid foundation for the move up to the next level of athletic excellence.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: You bet I do. To get a better taste try grilling instead of the frying pan, and if the weather is not permissible, the George Foremen grill comes in handy.

The other part of keeping them from drying out is to cook them a fixed amount time, usually 4 minutes per side, and it doesn't matter if it is on the grill, in the frying pan or using the George Foreman.

This recipe for Asian turkey burgers requires a few minutes of preparation and uses one pound of 93% lean ground turkey:

1. Chop up one small onion and two small cloves of garlic.
2. Shred one tablespoon of fresh ginger.
3. Chop half of a bell pepper,
4. Blend all the ingredients together.
5. Add the turkey along with one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and one tablespoon of soy sauce.
6. Knead the mixture until completely blended.
7. Pat into burgers and cook.

If you want good tasting beef burgers the recipe works for beef as well. Use 93% or even 96% lean ground beef to keep your level of fats low.

To keep your calories further in check use whole wheat hamburger buns or whole wheat pita pockets. Spicy mustard works well with lettuce and tomato.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: The secret to speed other than being blessed with it at birth is to be blessed with at least a little bit of it. If you have a little of it you can take that a long way with patience and hard work. Weight training is essential to producing speed and being more explosive. Strength alone dies not make you faster but having it and developing more of it is an important piece of the equation. Use your strength to develop power and explosiveness. Develop core strength and work on your hip flexors and hamstrings. The increased power and explosiveness enables you to take a longer stride. Making your hams and hip flexors stronger allows you to drive, not float your feet to the ground to push off for your next step.

You also need flexibility. Flexibility opens your stride to cover more ground. Stretch after your muscles are warm. After leg training is completed in the weight room then make your stretch challenging with a trainer to assist you.

Finally, you have to include plyometrics to train new nerve patterns and reaction ability. You want your nerves to be able to fire muscles faster and faster. Recovery is essential for all this to pay off. Proper nutrition is needed daily to insure that your muscles are fully fueled and can recover from both training and competition. Water, protein, vitamins and minerals are all part of the program. Just the weights alone won't do it. It's an integrated program with several essential components which make you improve.

Remember "Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard".

God bless and keep training,
Daryl

Answer: It has long been known that doing ab exercises alone will not build a six pack. Granted the exercises will build the muscles underneath the fat but you need big body movements to excite your metabolism and burn calories. Researchers at Southern Illinois University did an experiment with people doing 14 sets of ab exercises 5 days a week. They did this for 6 weeks. They had measured participants belly fat at the beginning of the experiment. At the end, they had not lost any belly fat or changed their waistline at all.

If you want a smaller waistline and crisp abs then you need to engage large muscle groups with exercises like squats, cleans, dead lifts and lunges to name a few. Also, you need to follow the 80/20 rule for healthy eating. 80% of the time eat clean. The other 20% you can have a light cheat. Do cardio at least 3 to 4 days a week for an additional 20 to 30 minutes to burn more calories, exciting your metabolic system even further. Finally, drink water at least 64 ounces of water daily, not diet soda or Crystal Light.

The best time to train is the time that suits you best. If you are a morning person and can make your schedule work then train in the morning. If your schedule is more suited to afternoon or evening, that's the best time for you. Your best time to train is what works best for you. Working out at a time that is inconvenient won't work for long.

God bless and keep training,
Daryl