L Armstrong

I got this in my email....


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Beginning-Bodybuilding e-Newsletter
What Every Beginner Should Know But Probably Doesn't
October 13, 2006

Brought to you by Marc David of
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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Beginning Bodybuilding Q & A
with Marc David

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The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 1

All About Abs

What You Really Need to Know About Abdominals:
Two Key Concepts You Must Meet to Let Out the 6 Pack

Introduction - Understanding the Abdominals

Congratulations!

You are about to learn about a region of the body that
almost everybody wants but somehow the secrets escape
them. The weight loss industry may be a billion dollar a
year market but a close second is all the late night
infomercials about abs, 6 packs, 6 second abs and how to
get ready for the beach and show off that region.

When it comes to abdominal training there are two basic
areas of confusion. First, the myth exists that a
'specific' region exists like the 'lower abdominals.' Many
people will claim their upper ab region is developing just
fine but the lower abs are not responding to training.
They are looking for a magic lower ab exercise that will
target that region. If you do a search for any muscular
images of the abdominals, it's clear that the rectus
abdominus (a long winded name for the abs) is just a single
muscle running from the sternum to the pelvis. These
'lower abdominals' simply don't exist.

The reason the lower region seems to be less responsive to
training is that it is a natural fat storage area! Simply
put, your entire ab region is probably responding to
overall training but the lower region is simply not showing
because it is covered up by a layer of fat. That area just
happens to be the place that fat is the last to go.
Very simply, the lower abdominal area is benefiting from
your crunches and reverse crunches. The problem is, you
just can't see it!

TEST: If you don't believe this then try this simple test:
lie down on the floor in a typical crunch position. Place
one hand on your lower abdominal area and the other on your
upper abdominal area. Now perform a slowing crunching
movement. You will feel both areas contract simultaneously
as you curl up.

The second area of confusion revolves around exercise
selection. Almost everybody still continues to perform
hanging leg raises, knee-ups or similar exercises in an
attempt to target the 'lower abs.' While these exercises do
affect the abdominal area, they are not the best
selection.

It's easy to clear up this exercise selection confusion if
you understand the differences between the hip-flexion and
trunk-flexion. A muscle called the psoas and related
muscles (this is located deep against the spine) are
responsible for hip-flexion while your abdominals are
responsible for trunk-flexion.

Hip Flexion: Occurs when your lift your knee (or knees)
towards your chest. For example, when you do a hanging
knee-up, you will feel a burning sensation in the lower
abdominal region (this alone convinces most people it's
working that area). What is actually happening is the
psoas is being stressed. You'll never be lean enough to
see this muscle! Of course the abdominals are involved in
this exercise for stabilization but it's not the primary
muscle and so it's not the most effective. Other concerns
revolve around the psoas being overworked that can lead to
back problems.

Trunk Flexion: Occurs when you perform an exercise where
the pelvis and sternum approach each other during the
movement. At this point, you are in a state of maximal
trunk flexion. Going any further and you'll engage the
psoas muscle and you will be using hip-flexion (like in a
full sit-up). When you train your abdominals you need to
flex (or contact) your trunk.

FACT: For effective abdominal training, stick with trunk
flexion movements (crunches and reverse crunches).

This series will focus on trunk flexion exercises so that
tension is directly on the abdominals as that is the
primary muscle we want to work. [Other muscles involved in
stabilization will be involved but will not be the primary
focus.]

That's all! The abdominals are just a muscle like
everything else. There's nothing special about them that
makes them any harder to obtain or develop then any other
muscle group. Still, there are thousands of messages on
community forums and fitness gurus everywhere get hundreds
of messages a day regarding this. Not to mention the
countless ab technology products that appear in stores
every year promising a faster, easier way to get ripped abs.
The purpose of this report is to tell you exactly step-by-
step what you need to do to get ripped abdominals.

The Myths of Ripped Abdominals:
Countless crunches
Working them out every day
Strange machines or dangerous exercises
Fad diets
Fat burner pills
Marathon cardio sessions
Targeting lower and upper regions

The Secret of Ripped Abdominals:
Low percentage of body fat
Having the muscle to show

Did I just blow the end of the story for you? Hopefully
not.

Key Concept #1: You Must Have a Low Percentage of Body Fat
For starters, if you have a layer of body fat covering the
region, you will never be able to show the abs. For men,
this is the LAST place the fat will disappear from which
makes it the hardest body part to show.

You "get abs" from reducing your body fat and you reduce
body fat mostly through diet and cardio..

And yet, somehow this concept escapes people. In order for
the abs to show proudly, you must have a low percentage of
body fat! There's really not a whole lot more to it.

Men: 10% or lower
Women: 15% or lower

Why is that so difficult for most people?

Simple. In order to get your body fat that low you must
be absolutely focused on your diet and fat burning
metabolism. 99% of people (including myself) are not as
perfect on the diet as to burn off our natural body fat
stores. So in order to get rid of that last layer, you
must burn off the last remaining body fat stores. And to
do that you must have great nutrition habits (above and
beyond just being active).

Key Concept #2: You Must Have Abs to Show

First off...

If you are 110 lbs and just skin and bones and 3% body fat
but no muscle really, then it's not a surprise why your abs
aren't popping out every time you take off your shirt.
There are a few people I've run across that are well below
the 10% body fat limit and yet they are puzzled when their
abdominals don't show. That's almost as easy as 1+1.
You MUST have abs to show!

You can have a low body fat percentage but if you don't
have anything to show, you'll just see a flat stomach
(which is good) but no definition and certain no 'packs.'
There are also individuals who have 15% body fat but their
abs are so developed they can show off a 4-pack. While
they don't have that low of a body fat percentage to
classify as 'ripped' they do have great development and
certainly the muscle is there. Just think what it might
look like on them if they were to be 10% or lower?!

That's where ab exercises come into play. Performing key
abdominal exercises is a key to developing the trunk region
to the fullest. Many people are looking for the illusive
lower ab exercise or performing exercises they believe to
target a certain region but are really working the wrong
muscle. Having abs is as simple as doing the right core
exercises. That will be part of the 6 months of ab
training at the end of this series.

Now that you understand some key concepts in order to get
the abs to show, let's figure out how to eliminate that
annoying layer of fat around them...

Stay tuned for Part 2 that will discuss why nutrition is
90% or More of Your Success.

If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal
Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to
Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com

Thanks very much!

Best regards,
Marc David

Beginning-Bodybuilding e-Newsletter
What Every Beginner Should Know But Probably Doesn't
October 20, 2006

Brought to you by Marc David of
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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Beginning Bodybuilding Q & A
with Marc David

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A Personal Note from Marc David

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Even with so much information available on the Internet
today, there's almost an information overload! My hope is
that this publication is a sort of beacon leading you in
the right direction.

If you want to leave me a comment on this (I love to hear
from subscribers) drop me a quick reply to let me know how
I'm doing or better yet, just call this number and leave a
message.

Guest Comment Phone Line: (214) 615-6505 ext 3194

You'll have a full 20 minutes to let me know if what I'm
doing is helpful or what else I can do to make this
something you just can't wait to read. Your feedback is
very important to me.

Now let's move onto Part 2 of the abdominal series.
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The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 2

All About Abs - Nutrition

First Class Eating Habits = First Class Abs
90% of Ripped Ab Gurus Have Fantastic Nutritional Habits

Why Nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success

Let me explain this particular concept as it seems that the
current direction is to buy fat burning pills, ab machines
and do daily training. The problem is with all that
training and other facts is they will never have as much
influence on the layer of fat covering your abdominals as a
good metabolic meal will that helps your body burn away fat
every day.

Turning your body into a fat burning furnace should be your
#1 priority.

Eating 5-7 meals per day is critical in order to make your
body a calorie burning machine; you must supply it with 5-7
small but frequent meals. The reason you do this is
because you will be continually burning calories to utilize
the food. Be cautious of portion size. Eat too much of
anything and you'll never see those abs!

The more meals you have, the more your body must use energy
to burn it. It's like a furnace. You will RAISE your
metabolism simply by eating more frequently.

You see if your nutrition isn't nearly perfect, your body
will always store some fat. And that fat will most likely
be kept in the abdominal region. The only way to get to
the sub-10% body fat region is with rock-solid nutrition.
Countless people cannot do this. Their eating habits are
never correct, they don't track what they eat and they do
not have the discipline necessary to eat correctly all of
the time (with some cheat meals in there of course). The
group of people who can do that are competitive
bodybuilders.

Does this mean you can't do it? Heck no! You just need to
be acutely aware that having a ripped abdominal region is
about a low percentage of body fat. To get that low, your
nutrition needs to be impeccable. The more disciplined you
are, the more fat you'll burn and the more muscle you'll
keep. The lower your body fat becomes, the more your abs
will show.

It's just that simple but it's not that easy. In the next
few steps, you are going to learn exactly what you need to
do in order to turn your body into a fat burning machine.

Step 1: Calculate How Many Calories a Day You Need to Lose
Fat

Listen, figuring out how many calories a day you need to
lose weight really isn't too hard. And with the formula I'm
about to give you plus a very cool website, you can easily
track where you are and what you need to do daily to reach
your goals. So lets' begin!

IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, THEN LOSING, MAINTAINING
OR GAINING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!

Step 1:

Take your current body weight in pounds (lbs) and multiply
by 11.

Example: 194 lbs x 11 = 2134 calories
This is what I need to just keep what I have, without
moving. But remember, you do move. So you have to then
calculate your metabolic factors into this... so off to step
2...

Step 2:

Figure out your metabolic factor according to the table
below.

But first, some definitions to help you determine where you
might fit in:

Slow Metabolism: You basically look at food and you seem to
put on pounds. You can gain weight by eating salads but
it's difficult to lose the weight.

Moderator Metabolism: You can gain weight if you try. You
can lose weight if you try. You really don't have trouble
losing weight depending on what you want to do.

Fast Metabolism: You are the skinny guy or gal who can eat
*ANYTHING* and it makes no difference. Gaining weight is
difficult. Losing weight can happen overnight. Just by
watching T.V. you seem to shed pounds.

Metabolic %

Under 30 years old
Slow Metabolism- 30%
Moderate Metabolism- 40%
Fast Metabolism- 50%

30-40 years old
Slow Metabolism- 25%
Moderate Metabolism- 35%
Fast Metabolism- 45%

Over 40 years old
Slow Metabolism- 20%
Moderate Metabolism- 30%
Fast Metabolism- 40%

Example: 2134 calories x 35% (33 years old and with
moderate metabolism) = 746.90

I took my calories needed above just to sit here and not
move and multiplied it by my metabolic factor and I find
that I need an additional 746.90 calories because of my
specific metabolism.

Step 3:

Put it together.
2134 + 746.90 = 2880.90 calories
I need 2,880.90 calories to maintain my current weight with
my current activities.

Note: You can also adjust your metabolic factor if you do
something that might take you to the next level. If you are
a moderator metabolism person but you do distance running,
it might make more sense to put your self in the fast
category since you burn a lot more calories.

Step 4:

Lose Weight: I would take 2880.90 - 500 = 2380.90

Note: 500 calories a day is just a general term everybody
uses to say that adding this amount is within safe limits.
Eat too much, and you end up storing fat. Cut too many
calories and your body just goes into starvation mode and
ends up retaining more fat. 500 is a safe, recommended
guideline. You can also eat 15-20% below your maintenance
calorie levels to get a more accurate and aggressive plan.
Avoid eating below 20% for very long as your body's will
start to slow down.

Step 5:

You must track what you are eating so you'll know if you've
made your goal for the day. And tracking food does not have
to be complicated with weights and scales.

It's a shame that so many people just start training and
never figure out what they need to eat daily to reach their
goals.

You can keep doing the math over and over as you reach a
goal.

Step 2: Calculate How Much Protein You Need a Day to Keep
Muscle

Often overlooked, protein is the key component to building
muscle but keep in mind; it's also the same fundamental
that will help you keep muscle. What this means to you is
that if you get enough protein during this 'cutting' phase,
you'll burn more fat and keep more muscle. You want to
keep as much muscle as possible because you want those abs
to show.

As discussed before, having a low body fat percentage is
core to the ripped effect but having abs to show is common
sense. Protein has many functions that you've learned
about in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding,
one of which is to help promote and maintain muscle.

Step 1:

Take your body weight in pounds
Example: 194 lbs

Step 2:

Find your body fat %
Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below)

Step 3:

Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat
Example: 194 lbs - (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54
lbs of lean body weight

Step 4:

Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14
Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day

Step 5:

Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and
that is what your protein target is for each meal.
Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal
As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body
weight will require a lot more protein. And a person who is
286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein
if their percentage of body fat is 35%.
But why use 1.14 for protein requirements?

The RDA recommends .75g of protein. But that's been shown
to be too low for active athletes.

Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a
bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not
to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories
which can lead to fat gains.

1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active,
healthy adults. This range will help build muscle but not
lead you into a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust
within that range if you feel you need more protein.

Step 3: Divide Up the Calories in 5-7 Meals Per Day (Ratios)

At this point you know how many calories a day you need to
burn fat and how much protein you need to maintain the
muscle. Your goal is to burn fat, not lose weight and
certainly not lose muscle! What's next?

Just divide up your daily calorie requirements by 5-7 meals
a day in order to determine the calories per meal and your
protein goals.

That might seem like a difficult tasks but once you start
using some type of fitness tracking program (like FitDay)
it becomes very easy to hit your targets and understand
portion control.

If you don't track what you are eating, then dividing this
up will be nearly impossible unless you eat the same things
every single day (boring).

There's nothing fancy to this step.

Preparation Ideas:

* Grocery shop for the entire week so you have an ample
supply of food

* Prepare things in bulk so putting together meals is
quick and easy

* Use Tupperware as it's easy to clean and easy to control
portions

* Use the grocery list from the Beginner's Guide to pick
and choose foods that are proteins, carbohydrates and good
fats

Step 4: Review the Nutritional Fundamentals

On page 68 of the Beginner's Guide there are some
nutritional fundamentals that you must master overall in
order to get your nutrition dialed in and it working for
you. When you turn your body into a fat burning furnace
you need to review these key concepts.

* Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level.
If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit, then do not
keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to
maintenance or maintenance +10-20% 1-2 days per week.
* Getting your ratios correct (50% protein, 30% carbs, 20%
fats)
* Eating 5-7 meals per day
* Having a lean protein source with every meal
* Getting the good fats and avoiding the bad fats
* Drinking enough water
* Eating as many natural and unrefined foods as possible
* Keeping your total fats and saturated fats low. A
little bit of good fats (seeds, flax, fish) is better then
a no fat diet. Refer to page

Stay tuned for Part 3 that will discuss Ab training and the
question that everybody wants to know - How Many Times Per
Week to Train Abs?

If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal
Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to
Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com

Thanks very much!

Best regards,
Marc David

MAKE COMPASSION YOUR FASHION & SAY NO 2 FUR

kenwood

i not readying all of that. i not dare, too many words.

Brolly

Hahahahaha

Age:18
Weight:191lb, Height:5"11
Bench:315lb

TJ Cline

Sent it back...it is pure shit, and never post cut and paste crap here ever again.

Valias

It's times like this when i'm chowing down on my ham cheese tomato onion toasted sandwhich and sipping my protein, that i don't care even slightly about abs.

Witchblade

What's shit about it? It seems pretty basic to me.

My Linkdump [LSFW]
IM Official FAQ [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Nate K

I think hanging leg raise or gorilla knee ups are the best abdominal exercise there is.

kenwood

i agree. i never do anything to actaully target the abs(crunches, rev crunches, etc) i just let the compound shit take care of it. but if i ever do anything its usually hanging leg raise, gorilla knee ups, or decline weighted situps.

L Armstrong

Well i am sooooo sorry if you think it is 'PURE SHIT'!!

I won't bother passing info on next time!

I thought it might be useful to some newbies, but you are obviously all experts here.

.....And since when is it a crime to cut and paste?...you can see where the info came from!

MAKE COMPASSION YOUR FASHION & SAY NO 2 FUR

kenwood

maxpro2

How about we summarize this dumb as shit post with:
1) Diet
2) Compound exercises

vortrit

Haha. That's classic. It's going in my sig.

danchubbz

pretty basic but a decent enough, like u said could be helpful for newbies.

Plateau_Max

I don't think it's pure shit but if you spend one week on these forums you'll have heard this same thing 3 times already. And probably in less words.

"Years of hard work for only a single moment of perfection is a worthy trade." - Myself

TJ Cline

What shit is taking a 100 word paper and stretching it into 5000 words. More is not better most of the time esp when teaching something basic and simple like that.

Witchblade

Ah, you're saying the write-up sucks, but the content is good. True. Can't argue with that.

My Linkdump [LSFW]
IM Official FAQ [WORK IN PROGRESS]

L Armstrong

Well i didn't write it, i just thought i would pass it on for those who like a long read ;-)

MAKE COMPASSION YOUR FASHION & SAY NO 2 FUR

TJ Cline