Mass on the Back

Here is a post for those of our readers who are interested in perusing or are already bodybuilding at any level. This is a personal interest of mine and I wanted to make sure to direct a few posts at my fellow peers. However, this is an important post for all our readers, no matter what your goals.

People often take for granted the importance of a well developed back and legs (In a previous post we discussed the importance of legs). Of course, to achieve proper symmetry and proportion everything is important, but a big set of legs and a thick back is what separates the men from the boys (Remember, you can never be too wide).

Here is a low volume but a very high intensity back workout that will help to increase strength and build mass in your back.

Back Routine:

Machine Pullover: Works the lats without activating the biceps (could be substituted with dumbbell pullovers)

• 1st set- 10-12 reps (warm-up)
• 2nd set- 10-12 reps (moderate strain)
• 3rd set- 8-10 reps (to failure)

Hammer Strength High Row: Arch the back to better contract lats. Could be substituted with close grip pulldowns

• 1st set- 10-12 reps (moderate strain)
• 2nd set- 8-10 reps (to failure) 

Bent Over Row: Adjust your body so you are a little above 90 degrees

• 1st set- 10-12 reps (warm-up) not mandatory
• 2nd set- 8-10 reps (moderate strain)
• 3rd set- 6-8 reps (to failure)

Seated Cable row: Arch you back for this as well. Could be substituted with hammer strength row

• 1st set- 10-12 reps (moderate strain)
• 2nd set- 8-10 reps (to failure)

Partial Deadlifts: Go down to about mid-chin to keep stress strictly on the back

• 1st set- 6-8 reps (moderate strain)
• 2nd set- 6-8 reps (to failure, once you break form drop the weight)
• 3rd set- 4-6 reps (if you really feel good go ahead and do this)

This might be atypical to traditional workouts comprised of 4 sets per exercise and higher reps, but trust me, if you go to true failure and keep your form honest, this workout will do the trick.

-Fazoo Fitness

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Fazoo Fitness!

Thanksgiving is here and gluttony is around the corner. Now lets be honest, Thanksgiving is certainly one of the best holidays of the year, you get to spend time with your family and friends and you get feast like there's no tomorrow. Well actually there is a tomorrow, but most people don't think of that while their lathering their heaping of butter mashed potatoes in salty gravy or sampling the decadent assortment of pies brought by extended family. These aren't the healthiest foods, particularly if you feast anything like we do at Fazoo Fitness.

That being said, Thanksgiving only comes once a year. In my opinion, you can certainly use that Thanksgiving dinner as your "cheat meal." Eat all (well not all) the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie (try to keep the pie to a single piece) and anything else you typically enjoy for this wholesome holiday meal.

Don't overdue it, but remember your system can use a periodic shock to keep it running smooth. if you want to stay health conscience this holiday, stay away from the finger food early in the day as you will end up consuming more calories than you realize. This means if your helping out in the kitchen, try to resist sampling before the big meal. Also, keep the sweets to a minimum! I know its hard, but just a piece should satisfy that sweet tooth.

So let yourself live a little this Thanksgiving and don't feel guilty about it the next day. Look at it as one more reason to go even harder and be more determined next time you hit the gym.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Fazoo Fitness! We'll see you after the holidays.

-Fazoo Fitness

Thank You for Your Support!

Today marks 2 weeks since operations here at Fazoo Fitness began and we are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we have received over our blog. We appreciate all of you following us on twitter, reading our blog, and giving us feedback on our posts. We look forward to everyone's continued support as we build our community here at Fazoo Fitness. 

With that said, here is what you can look forward to from us in the future:

• Bi-weekly Fazoo Fitness articles that will cover interesting and informative nutrition and/or exercise subjects and misconceptions.
• Daily links to helpful articles that will cover exercise programs, diets, health issues, etc.
• A Weekly summary of interesting topics from that week, just in case you missed anything!
• Once a month, we will wrap up with a list of our favorite fitness resources and let you in on some industry secrets.

Thank you for the support! Fazoo Fitness is all about building community and we are excited for the journey ahead. 


Please don't hesitate to let us know what you would like to see from future posts.


-Fazoo Fitness

Chicken Tortilla Wrap Recipe

Here is a great tasting and well balanced meal that will provide you with the right amounts of protein, carbs, and fat. Courtesy of Rob Riches, one of the leading fitness models in the industry and a personal favorite of mine. Best of all though, its quick and easy to make:

(In fact, I Just had this about 10 minutes ago)

Main Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast- 4-6 ounces
• Ezekiel tortilla wraps- 1-2 (can also use brown rice tortilla wraps or whole wheat tortilla wraps)
• Spinach Leaves, Lettuce (any combination of vegetables will work)
• Avocado

Process:

• Grill or stir-fry about 4-6 ounces of chicken. After cooking, cut the chicken into small strips or pieces so as to make it easier to wrap.
• On a tortilla wrap-- or 2, depending on your carb intake-- spread spinach leaves and lettuce; although you can add any vegetable you'd like here. (Note: if you use peppers, onions, etc. you may want to consider stir-frying them with the chicken to enhance the taste). You can also consider adding some low-fat shredded cheese to the tortilla wrap if you wish.
• After adding the ingredients, put the tortilla wrap in the microwave until it becomes soft enough to fold without breaking (approximatley 60 seconds).
• Take it out and add about 1/6 of an avocado and the chicken strips.

Its that easy! I hope you enjoy your quick and easy meal!!!



-Fazoo Fitness

Who doesn't love a leg day?

Legs are your foundation, your base if you will, and probably the single most important thing to work on. However, you probably wouldn't know that from just walking into your average gym and taking a look around. Most people have a tendency to neglect their legs, and focus almost exclusively on their "glamour" muscles (i.e. Chest and Biceps). In today's post, I'd like to share to a leg workout with you that will leave you crawling home and most importantly help round out your physique.

Leg Routine:

Leg Extensions: To warm up your muscles and joints.

• 1st set- 15 reps (warm-up)
• 2nd set- 12-15 reps
• 3rd set- 10-12 reps
• 4th set- 10-12 reps 

Note: Pause a little at the top to really feel the contraction.

Leg Press:

• 1st set- 12-15 reps
• 2nd set- 10-12 reps
• 3rd set- 10-12reps

Note: Bring your legs down to at least 90 degrees.
 
Hack Squat:

• 1st set- 12-15 reps
• 2nd set- 10-12 reps
• 3rd set- 10-12 reps

Note: Again, like squats, go down to at least parallel.

Lying leg curls:

• 1st set- 10 reps
• 2nd set- 6-8 reps
• 3rd set- 6-8 reps

Note: Control the negative and try to feel your hamstrings peak.  

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts:

• 1st set- 6-8 reps
• 2nd set- 6-8 reps
• 3rd set- 5-7 reps

Note: Keep a slight bend at your knees.

Standing Calf Raises:

• 1st set- 15-20 reps
• 2nd set- 15-20 reps
• 3rd set- 12-15 reps

Note: Pause at the top to feel the contraction.

Seated Calf Raises:

• 1st set- 15-20 reps
• 2nd set- 15-20 reps
• 3rd set- 12-15 reps

Note: Same thing here, pause at the top and stretch at the bottom to feel the full effect.


There you have it! This workout is sure to leave you feeling utterly exhausted and possibly enfeebled. Make sure to always bring your intensity to the gym, don't just go through the motions. Enjoy!

-Fazoo Fitness

Here's the Facts on Nutrition Facts

More and more people are making the decision to establish a healthy diet. This means that people are becoming more conscious of what they eat, taking the time to look at the nutrition facts before they make purchases at the grocery store. Oftentimes however,  people don't really know what they should be looking for on a nutrition label. Most people just look at how many calories there are--which is obviously very important--but you should be looking at far more than just calories.

The following is an explanation of what your actually looking at on that label, from top to bottom:

Serving Size: This is very important as this is what all the nutritional information is based on. Be sure to always note the serving size first, without this context everything else is essentially pointless. For example, if it says 100g that means a 100g of the food item will give you everything that you see on the label. Therefore you need to make sure to adjust the rest of the numbers to match your own serving size.

Servings per container: Pretty self explanatory, this tells you how many individual servings (based on serving size) are in the entire product. For example, if it says 4, that means that there are a total of 4 servings in the entire product.

Calories: Most if not all know what calories are. Just remember, it all essentially comes down to calories in and calories out. This is an important thing to keep in mind no matter what your fitness goal.

Calories from fat: Pretty pointless in my opinion, it is just the amount of grams of fat multiplied by 9 (9 kcal per gram of fat). So if something has 10g of fat, then calories from fat will simply be 90.

Total fat: This is the amount of total fat per serving. This includes saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat. Like I said before, fat has 9 kcal per gram, so watch out for high fat content. Saturated fat and trans fats are know as the "bad" fats. Although, some saturated fat in your diet is necessary, about 10% of total fat. Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated are also subsets of total fat, these are considered "good" fats.

Cholesterol: This is something that most healthy individuals should not really be concerned with, however, it is still wise not to overdue it.

Sodium: Sodium in moderation is necessary for your body to function properly, but too much can be costly to your health. Typically, people get enough or too much from their diet already, adding extra sodium (i.e. salt) is almost always unnecessary.

Total Carbohydrates: This is very important when analyzing a nutrition label. It tells you how many carbs are in each serving, and more importantly what the carb source is; whether it be a simple or complex carb. Carbs equate to 4 kcal per gram.

Dietary Fiber: This is one of the few things that you would prefer to be high when looking at the nutrition facts. This helps slows down the process at which the carbohydrates are digested.

Sugar: High sugar typically mean faster digestion, which is something you DO NOT want from your carbs.

Protein: Another thing you would prefer to be high. Protein plays an important role in the functioning of muscles, glands, organs, etc. Protein equates to 4 kcal per gram.

Daily Value %: In my opinion, this is another value that is completely pointless. Mainly I feel this way because it only applies to a 2000 calorie diet, but also because the FDA requirements for fat, carbs, and protein is absolutely ridiculous. They recommend a fat-carb-protein split to be 30-60-10, which will not help you burn fat or gain muscle effectively. (Read more on Macros)

I hope this will help you have a better understanding of how to read a nutrition label. Knowing what you are putting into your body is the first step to achieving your fitness goals.

In a later post, I'll help you analyze what to lookout for in the ingredients portion of a label.

-Fazoo Fitness

What's your Speed? Finding the Right Cardio Intensity

People often ask which is better, high or low intensity cardio? Truthfully there is no right answer for every person. Ultimately, it comes down to whatever works better for you. That being said, there are a few times when you might want to consider doing a low intensity cardio session rather than a high intensity cardio session, and vice versa.

When should you do low intensity cardio?

• If you are trying to put on muscle and have a hard time putting on weight, you’re whats known as a hardgainer. I would stick to low intensity cardio workouts in order to limit the calories you burn.
• If you are someone who prefers doing cardio in the morning while on an empty stomach, you should keep your intensity low.  If you do high intensity cardio you risk losing too much muscle.
• If you are already on a low calorie diet, high intensity cardio might stimulate your appetite too much resulting in increased temptation and cravings.
• If you are on an intense weight lifting program, high intensity cardio might be too much stress on your body. Your muscles need to recover!

When should you do high intenstity cardio?

• If you don’t have a lot of time to be at the gym, high intensity cardio is a great way to get a fantastic workout in a short amount of time.
• If you are looking for a highly efficient way to burn off stubborn fat, increasing your intensity will help your body burn those extra calories.  
• If low intensity cardio is just way too boring for you to do! I’m serious, it can get boring, so step up your intensity from time to time.  
• If you have a slower metabolism and want to keep fat gain to a minimum, while still eating a surplus of calories, you have to maintain a high intensity cardio program.

Personally, I feel like combining both methods of cardio can be very useful both physiologically and psychologically. Varying your routine breaks up the monotony and helps keep things fresh.

-Fazoo Fitness

Counting Calories: How to measure your macros?

Most people aren't really sure exactly how many calories they should be eating. This is usually because most people don't have the correct information to base their calorie intake off of in the first place. This extends to how much fat, carbs, and protein they should be eating as well. Obviously this is going to be different depending on whether you want to lose weight or gain weight, but it will also be different depending on your metabolism, your body type, how much you move throughout the day, etc. As you can see, their are multiple factors that determine what will ideally work for you, however, I will present you with a general guideline that works for most people from which you can simply adjust and edit your intake depending on the results that you see over time (after a few weeks). DISCLAIMER: If you are significantly overweight or have a pre-existing medical condition, consult a doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.

Your macros for muscle gain will consist of the following:

Split- 20-50-30, which means 20% fat, 50% carbs, and 30% protein

• Calories: 16-20 kcal per pound of body-weight- Those individuals who have slow metabolisms might want to keep it on the low end, whereas, those individuals with a faster metabolism will want to keep it towards the upper end.
• Fat: break-down should consist of 30% of protein or 20% of total calories- some fats will come naturally with the food you eat, if you need to add more fat look for natural sources like nuts, oils, avocados, etc.
• Carbs: 2-3 grams of carbs per pound of body-weight or 50% of total calories- Keep it to 2g if you have a slow metabolism and up towards 3g if you have a faster metabolism.
• Protein: 1-1.5 grams per pound of body-weight or 30% of total calories- This is an absolute must to gain muscle. Depending on your training intensity you might want to shoot toward the upper end of 1.5g.

(For more information on what types of foods you should eat check out "Keep it Clean; What goes into a healthy diet")

For example if you are 200lbs and have a fast metabolism:

Calories- 3600
Fats- 80g
Carbs- 450g
Protein- 270g

For fat loss its going to change a little bit:

More trial and error comes into play here due to varying differences in the amount of cardio logged per week and your metabolism.

Split- 20-40-40, meaning 20% fat, 40% carbs, and 40% protein

• Calories: 15 kcal per pound of body-weight- Start here, although you may need to lower it depending on your progress. You will however, automatically lower your calorie intake when reducing carbs, which you will see later.
• Fats: break-down should consist of 30% of protein or 20% of total calories- This may be higher depending on whether you reduce carbs overtime.
• Carbs: 40% of total calories- If you are not seeing the results that you want, drop your intake by 30g of carbs for the following week.(Reducing by more than 30g at a time could result in negative side-effects, including muscle loss and fat gain.)
• Protein: 1-1.5 grams per bodyweight or 40% of total calories- This might become higher depending on how much you reduce your carb intake. 

For example lets use the same 200lb person (metabolism is NOT important at the beginning, I recommend everyone starting at this level)

Calories- 3000
Fat- 67g
Carbs- 300g
Protein- 300g

Now, if you do not see results, lower your carb intake and adjust your macros accordingly:

Calories-2880
Fat- 67g
Carbs- 270g
Protein- 300g

This type of dieting is often used by competitors to slowly lose stubborn belly fat without sacrificing too much muscle. This is a healthy and effective way to lose fat and will steer you away from gimmick weight-loss diets and keep on track.

We encourage our readers and members of the Fazoo Fitness community to always approach your diet in a healthy and natural way.

What are your goals? What diets have you tried/ have they worked?

-Fazoo FItness

Everything You Thought You Knew About Carbs

Carbohydrates are often misunderstood because of the constant contradictory information; some people say you need carbs in your diet and others tell you to cut carbs out or that they're overrated. So which is correct? Should you eat carbs or not? Actually, they're both correct! The answer depends on your goals and consequently the diet that goes along with those goals. If your goal is to build muscle then carbs are going to be your best friend, however, if you are trying to lose fat then you might want to try to cut down on the carbs.

For muscle gain, sufficient intake of carbohydrates is necessary for your body to be able to generate the required energy you need to lift enough weight so that you stress your muscles. This is necessary in order for them to grow. Carbohydrates are quintessential for muscle growth as they assist protein in making sure your body does not enter into a catabolic or muscle-wasting state. So, when should you have carbs? You should try to plan most of your carb intake in the morning and post-workout, a sufficient amount should also be consumed before your workout as well. Keep in mind that you should ideally try to taper down your carb intake towards the evening and before bed. How many carbs should I be eating? The general rule is to keep carbs between 2-3 grams per pound of bodyweight. This should allow you to gain muscle without putting on excess fat.

For fat loss, your carb intake is a little different. You're going to want to have no more than 40% of your total calories consisting of carbohydrates, of which your total calories should be based on 15 calories per pound of body-weight. So if you are 200lbs, your daily calorie intake will be 3000 calories, which means you should have approximately 300g of carbs. if you do not see any result within 2 weeks, you should adjust your total carb intake. This adjustment should be made by no more than 30g, anymore than this and you risk the possibility that your body will compensate the loss by storing fat. With weight-loss you should restrict your consumption of carbs to your morning meal, pre-workout meal, and post-workout meal. This will decrease your chances of adding any fat.

Although carbs tend not to have as many fans as their nutritional counterpart protein, they are just as important. In order to maximize your benefit, make sure you adjust your carb intake to in order to meet your goals.

What are your goals? What's is your favorite source of carbs?

-Fazoo Fitness

Worked to Death: The Plight of Over-training

The more you exercise the more weight you lose, right? WRONG! Over-training is one of the main reasons why many people hit plateaus. This applies to training of all kinds, whether it be weight loss, strength gains, etc. This can sometimes even have an adverse effect on the body resulting in weight gain or loss of strength.

So how do you make sure your not over-training? One way, is to ensure that your body is receiving sufficient rest. Some of you might have heard the expression--oftentimes used in bodybuilding--your results come from outside the gym. That statement applies to any exercise program, not just in bodybuilding, so when your trying to bulk up, lose weight, or train for a triathlon, rest becomes one of your main concerns.

Your body needs to recover and you can only let that happen if you get sufficient rest. This means getting a good nights sleep but also it means understanding when your body needs a day to recharge. So don't be afraid to take a day off during the week, it can actually help more than you think.

How often do you train? Are you getting enough rest?

-Fazoo Fitness

The Art of Ab-domination: Sculpting a 6-Pack

Who isn't looking to get those beach-ready abs that leave people doing double-takes? Well believe it or not, they're easier to get than you might think. The key is to combine a "clean" diet with a well planed ab routine. First off, understand that your abs will not show if you do not have a low enough body fat percentage, typically this tends to be around 10% for men and 14% for women.

From personal experience, I have found that hitting your abs "hard and fast" is a much more efficient way of developing them. For example, use a circuit to incorporate an exercise for your lower abs (hanging leg raises), an exercise for your obliques (V-twist), an exercise for your intercostals--which are those finger-like muscles underneath your chest (side crunches), and finally your upper abs (high cable crunches). You can also work your transverse abdominus by doing a stomach vacuum.

In order to hit your abs "hard and fast," incorporate those four movements and perform them in a circuit. Perform a total of 3 circuits with minimal rest-time in between each circuit.This will efficiently work your abs by minimizing rest time and also allow you to finish your ab workout in under 15 minutes.

Oftentimes you'll see those people in the gym doing thousands of crunches in hopes of getting that 6-pack they've always wanted, but the truth is they're wasting their time. Check out Sample Routine and see samples of effective ab routines.

Remember to continuously change your ab routine by doing different exercises, but make sure you always hit the lower abs, upper abs, and obliques with every routine. Now go out there and get those washboard abs!

What are your favorite ab exercises?

-Fazoo Fitness

Keep it Clean; What goes into a healthy diet?

You always hear about the importance of eating "clean" in maintaining a healthy diet and helping you to achieve your fitness goals, but what does that really mean?

Essentially, eating "clean" is a delicate balance of consuming the correct amounts of proper carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This means cutting out refined carbohydrates, for example white bread, white rice, pasta, sugary cereals, and of course sweets. Instead of these refined carbohydrates, what you want to be eating is complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, ezekiel bread, brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes.

The proper consumption of complex carbohydrates must also be paired with correct sources of protein and fat. When looking for protein sources, make sure to pick lean sources of meat, such as chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, fish, and eggs. As for fat, keep to the basics; foods like natural oils, avocados, nuts and nut butters are all great sources. However, keep in mind that fat is 9 calories per gram, whereas carbohydrates and protein are only 4 calories per gram. Consuming fats is an essential part of a healthy diet, but you want to make sure not to put too much fat into your diet.

In a future post I will explain the importance of carbs, fats, and proteins and how much of each you should have, but for now you can check out our Sample Diet for Lean Muscle Gain, which you can use to compare to your current diet.

Do your best to really focus on eating "clean" as it will skyrocket your progress toward achieving your goals, no matter what they are! When you eat clean, you are providing your body with the nutrients it needs to perform. Fueling your body properly will allow you to actually utilize what you consume and will give you what you need to take it to the next level in your training. It's tough to continuously eat clean, so don't be afraid to fit in a "cheat meal" every now and then to keep you focused on the task at hand.

So, next time you go food shopping try to include the foods I mentioned above, and be creative with your meals!

Tell me about what foods you include in your diet? How do you stay on track with your fitness goals?

-Fazoo Fitness

Jumpin' Out the Gym

Growing up did you ever wish you could dunk?

In order to increase your jumping ability you need to be able to create more power. As you may or may not know, power is the rate at which work can be performed. What this means is that first you must increase your force output, then you must increase the distance at which you are applying the force, and finally you must decrease the time over which the movement is performed.

Now, down to what you actually care about! Here is how to increase you vertical jumping ability:

Quad Strength
The best way to do this is by increasing your squat strength. When you do squats, your going to want to go down to at least 90 degrees. Also, you might want to incorporate single leg squats on a machine to evenly distribute the strength between both legs. Keep your reps pretty low, around 6-10 reps, because your trying to increase your total strength and power.

Calf Strength
Surprisingly, this is oftentimes overlooked when wanting to increase your vertical jump, but your calves are critical to the process, giving your body its final propulsion into the air. Ironically, this is actually pretty easy to train. When working calves, shoot for 10-15 reps, as they tend to require more volume in order to grow.  Make sure you get a really deep stretch on the bottom and pause for a second at the top of the movement, this will enable you to engage your entire calf. Standing calf raises, seated calf raises, and calf presses will be enough to increase the strength of your calves.

Hamstring strength
Lying leg curls and seated leg curls for 5-7 reps will increase the strength  of your hamstrings. You do not necessarily need to prioritize your hamstrings, but you should be concerned with the entire leg in order to really benefit yourself as much as possible.

Flexibility
Often overlooked, flexibility provides leverage for your legs when jumping. It is important to increase your flexibility in your quads, hamstrings, calves, and hip flexors. Make sure to leave static stretching till after your workout and perform dynamic stretches before your workout.

Jumping Skills
Perform this on separate days of weight training.

Lunge jump: Start in a lunge position, then jump in the air and switch legs.
Box Jumps: Jump onto something a foot or two high, then jump off and continue.
Ankle hop: Jump with only your calves! So, don't bend your knees and try to jump onto something small using only your calves.
Stationary jumps: Jump as high in the air as you can, try to bring your knees to your chest.
Single leg jumps: Similar to the lunge jump, but your actually moving forward and only one leg is on the ground at a time.
If you introduce this routine, incorporating 3 days dedicated to lifting and 3 days for jumping drills, you'll be dunking in no time!

-Fazoo Fitness

Chiseled Chest and Bulging Biceps (A Sample Routine)

Disclaimer: Most guys tend to train their chest and biceps more than anything else, in an effort to expedite the process of becoming more physically attractive. I want to be sure to clarify before this post, you should be working your ENTIRE body in order to build symmetry and achieve that overall look. A well rounded exercise program is the most important thing when wanting to build a healthy and appealing physique. So don't forget to give each body-part the proper attention it deserves.(In a later post i will go into specific detail about the importance of training each body-part)

Now onto to the good stuff: how to make girls stare at your chest and biceps.

A few things to keep in mind:

• This is a routine that I have used and that has worked for me.
• I constantly change my workout to keep my body guessing, so this is just one sample routine. At the same time I don't change it up too much, because i like to be able to keep track of my strength gains. 
• Use weight that will make you work for 6-12 reps. In this sample, I have added the weight I use in order to demonstrate the principles behind the routine. You should increase or decrease the weight depending on your strength level.
• With each set progressively increase the weight.

Chest:

Incline Barbell Bench Press

1st set- 135lbs- 15 reps (warm-up)

2nd set- 225lbs- 10 reps

3rd set- 250lbs- 8 reps

4th set- 275lbs- 6 reps

Note: Often times people forget to work the NEGATIVE, or simply don't know that they should be. Instead of just dropping the weight, focus on slowly bringing the weight down and exploding up. Also, no need to lockout when benching, stop right before you lockout and work the negative.

Incline Dumbbell Fly

1st set- 50lbs- 12 reps

2nd set- 60lbs- 10 reps

3rd set- 70lbs- 10 reps

Note: Focus on contracting your chest at the top of the rep and try not to pull with your arms. 

Smith Machine Flat Bench Press

1st set- 135lbs- 12 reps

2nd set- 225lbs- 10 reps

3rd set- 315lbs - 7 reps

Note: Same thing applies here with respect to the negative, slowly lower the weight and explode up (the weight of the bar on a smith machine is usually about 20lbs, so keep that in mind when calculating your weight)

Cable Crossovers

1st set- 40lbs- 15 reps

2nd set- 50lbs- 12 reps

3rd set- 60lbs- 10 reps

Note: Weight is per stack on each side. In this exercise, similar to Incline Dumbbell Flys, really focus on the contraction of the chest.

Biceps:

Barbell Curls

1st set- 45lbs- 15 reps (warm-up)

2nd set- 75lbs- 12 reps

3rd set- 95lbs- 10 reps

4th set- 115lbs- 8 reps

5th set- 135lbs- 6 reps

Note: Make sure to control the negative and contract at the top of the rep.

Alternate Dumbbell Curls

1st set- 30lbs- 12 reps

2nd set- 40lbs- 10 reps

3rd set- 50lbs- 8 reps

Note:Start with your arms at your side and your palms facing you as if your going to start a hammer curl. As you curl up, twist your wrist so your palms face the ceiling. You should be able to feel your biceps flexing. Make sure to twist your wrist a little at the top of the movement to get a better contraction.

Close Grip Low Cable Curls:

1st set- 120lbs- 10 reps

2nd set- 150lbs- 8 reps

Note: Same thing as barbell curls, control negative and contract at the top.

There you have it! This routine is for sure going to leave you pumped and get you one step closer to achieving your desired look.

-Fazoo Fitness

Lets Talk About Sleep

If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, eating and exercising aren't the only things that you should consider. One of the most important things, that is oftentimes overlooked, is sleep. Sleep can single-handedly completely undue all of your hard work in the gym and all the effort you spent trying to eat well. This gives you an idea of how important sleep really is!

Sleep is important for many reasons:

• It repairs muscle tissues and replaces dead cells.
• Energy used by the body while sleeping is much lower, which is important because it gives your body time to relax and recover.
• Last but not least, it also allows your brain to recharge.

So, how do you know if your getting enough sleep?

I've heard recommendations of getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night, I've also heard 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Personally, I believe that all you really need is 6 hours of sleep to sufficiently restore your body with energy and to properly help your body recover. That being said, depending on who you are you might want to get more. Some people find it harder to function on just 6-7 hours of sleep and need more sleep, that's perfectly okay. Just make sure you're not sleeping more than 10 hours! Oversleeping may have a negative effect on you by disrupting your body's internal clock. The same can be said for under-sleeping, make sure your not sleeping less than 6 hours. That being said, as a student in college I understand that their are days that its just not possible to get a full nights sleep. If one day you are just really busy and have to go to sleep late and have to wake up early, you don't have much choice. Try to take a 20 minute nap during the day, which can help you recover. (Do not abuse napping during the day by taking long naps, it might affect your ability fall asleep at night.)

So to conclude, make sure you're getting 6-10 hours of sleep every night because it does much more for you than people give it credit for. Also, be sure not to stress if you only get 5 hours one night because it took you forever to get to sleep or you had to get work done. It's not a big deal if ONE night you don't get as much rest as you would've liked, just try to not to do that on a regular basis.

-Fazoo Fitness

To Run or Not to Run

Today being the ING New York City Marathon we wanted to give you some tips about running:
There are a lot of misconceptions among the general public about long distance running. We are sure you've heard at least once that the more you run the more fat you'll burn! FALSE! Despite what many people think, running long distances is not always the best way to burn fat and lose weight. So what should you do? You are much better off incorporating intervals into your running program for more effective results. These intervals consist of stages of all-out effort followed by a period of rest. This will allow you to burn more fat in a shorter period of time.

The fact is that long distance running will only be beneficial for weight-loss for a short period of time. In order to continue making your running workout effective you will need to run increasingly longer distances, which can intern lead to muscle break down. To avoid this, you're better off not worrying about whether you're running in the "fat-burning zone" and instead try to incorporate simple high-intensity interval training techniques into your cardio workout.

Long distance running is also not ideal for increased muscle strength in the legs. In fact, the more you run long distances the more slow-twitch muscle fibers you will build up in your legs. These slow-twitch fibers are well suited for endurance athletes but not suited for strength and explosion. This can easily be seen when observing sprinters, whose legs are very strong and defined due to the fast-twitch fibers developed in their legs. These fast-twitch fibers allow them to achieve higher top speeds and ultimately give their legs the explosion necessary to sprint short distances.

So, unless you are training for a long distance race, like the ING New York City Marathon, you're better off keeping your runs restricted to short distances and interval training. Make sure to keep the intensity high and give it everything you've got, leave nothing behind. For an example of a great interval training workout that is sure to leave you feeling burned-out, check out my post, "A Great HIIT Workout."

-Fazoo Fitness

Cheat Meals

Cheat meals are often times misunderstood! Most of the time people feel guilty eating something that is not "clean" or feel as though all their hard work during the week will be a waste.
Lets be clear though, cheat meals (as long as you keep it to one meal) can actually benefit you both psychologically and physiologically! Psychologically a cheat meal will help by allowing you to give into your temptations and have that meal you've been craving. While, physiologically it will let your body alleviate the monotony of clean eating and allow your body to digest something different (i.e. not brown rice and chicken.)
Specifically it will help you:

• Increase and/or recharge your metabolism
• Refill your glycogen after hard lifting sessions
• And give yourself something to look forward to...

A few things to keep in mind when cheating:

• Try to keep it to one meal and NOT an entire day
• Make sure to make it your last meal of the day, so you don't end up cheating the rest of the day
• And try to have it the night before a very hard lifting day (for example i do it before legs, you could also do it before back)

You are now free to eat whatever you want and as much as you want (within reason)! Of course, if you want to still be somewhat conscious of what your eating when you cheat, opt for foods high in protein and fat that are low in carbs. So don't be afraid to go out on a Saturday and have dinner with your friends.

-Fazoo Fitness

To learn more about eating clean check out Keep it Clean; What goes into a healthy diet? or check out our Sample Diet (Lean Muscle Gain).

A Great HIIT Workout

Those looking to burn the bodyfat but want to make sure that you are maintaining your hard earned muscle, here is a great (and short) workout:

Find an area where you have room to jump (in place). When jumping try to jump as high as you can, bringing your knees to 90 degrees. Don't worry about using your arms to help you jump as it will make you more explosive

Jump for 10 sec
Rest for 10 sec

Jump for 20 sec
Rest for 20 sec

Jump for 30 sec
Rest for 30 sec

Jump for 60 sec
Rest for 60 sec

Then pyramid your way back down to 30sec, 20sec, and 10 sec jumps. Rest for 2-3 minutes. Do 2-3 rounds of this and I am sure you will be burned out.


-Fazoo Fitness