Quick Full Body Workouts: The 100 Burpee Challenge

Are you looking for a way to get a quick full body workout on a daily basis for the next 100 days? How about getting in spectacular condition in the process with nothing but your own bodyweight?

You need the 100 burpee challenge. The rules are simple: start with one burpee on day one, two burpees on day two, and keep going 'till you hit 100 burpees on day 100. If you miss a day, you can make it up, but you've gotta double up the next day. Not so fun, because burpees pretty much suck. Also, you don't have to do them all at once - you can break your daily total up into manageable chunks if you have to.

I won't claim to have come up with this idea myself; if you google '100 burpee challenge', here's the first site that comes up:

http://100burpees.blogspot.com/

A blog detailing one person's 100 burpee challenge journey. Gives you a good idea of what to expect if you're planning on going for it.

Another thread on the CrossFit discussion board that explains the challege a little further:

http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=44867

Oh, and one more thing - here's what a proper burpee should look like:

Take the 100 burpee challenge and in just over three months you'll be in great shape, probably have a little less body fat and a little more muscle, but most importantly, you'll be in the elite company of those who've completed the 100 burpee challenge.

Who's in?

3 Books To Help You Reach Your 2010 New Year's Resolutions

Whether or not you buy into the idea of New Year's Resolutions, it's still a great time to reflect a bit and set some personal and professional goals for 2010. As you wind things down this week, I'd like to share with you three books that have changed my life - and that can help you move towards your 2010 goals - fitness related or otherwise - a lot more effectively.

Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins

This book literally changed my life as I'm sure it has for thousands of others. It's my #1 source of instant inspiration; Tony Robbin's passion for life shines straight through in his writing. This book is really about taking control of your life - he talks about everything from belief systems to how to make fast change in any aspect of your life to the power of positive thought to taking a closer look at your life values. It's simply fantastic. Much of the info about making positive change is perfectly suited towards to fitness - related goals, too.

Click below for more details, reviews, and to order:

Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!

I also recommend following Tony on Twitter - you can do so here.


The Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

Tim Ferriss is a serial entrepreneur, world-famous author and Renaissance man. In the Four Hour Work Week, Tim talks about setting goals for yourself so that you're getting what you truly want out of life, how to leverage your time, how to delegate tasks, how to travel the world and 'fill the void' once you've achieved your goals - it's all here. Such a unique book and perspective, those of us with an entrepreneurial spirit can't help but be a bit tantalized.

Even better, an expanded and updated version was just released a couple of weeks ago - it's got case studies that have come about since the book first published in 2007, templates, how to suit 'lifestyle design' principles to unpredictable economic times, and the latest tips and tricks.

Click below to order:

The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content.

You can also check out Tim Ferriss's blog at fourhourblog.com.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

One of the first books I read years ago about positive change and how to be a more effective person and live a more fulfilling life. According to the book's back cover, "Stephen Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity ..."

This is another book that has profoundly influenced the way I live my day-to-day personal and professional life. He goes through habits like how to be proactive, how to set goals for your self and set up a personal mission statement, and how to prioritize the truly important things in your life. It's a classic of personal development and a must-read if you're serious about reaching goals you've set for yourself.

Click below to find out more:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People


I truly believe I wouldn't be the same person that I am today if it weren't reading these books. I highly encourage you to pick up one or all three - you really can't afford not to!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe to the No Gym? No Excuse! newsletter for more great content like this delivered straight to your inbox - just pop your name and email in the box in the upper right hand corner to sign up. As a free gift, you'll also get a free seven day workout plan and some quick and easy meal ideas - so what are you waiting for? Sign up already!

Full Body Exercises Without Weights

Group Burpees?

If you're stuck without any equipment or just want to add a little variety to your existing routine, body weight training can be a powerful way to get a quick, efficient, and productive workout. Particularly if you're trying to lose fat and improve you cardio conditioning, you'll want to pick exercises that target all your major muscle groups for maximum efficiency. Here's three of my personal favorite full body exercises you can do without weight:


1. Body weight squats

This is one of the most basic - and most important - body weight exercises. One of the first things I teach new clients is how to squat properly. Getting this exercise down pat is a pre-requisite for moving on to more advanced body weight movements.

Start with your feet between hip and shoulder width apart. Drop the hips back like you're sitting in a chair. The spine is lengthened and the chest is up; pause for a moment at the bottom and drive thru the heels back up to standing position.

Everyone can do more of these. Get up in the morning and start your day with 20 body weight squats. Do them for a warm up before your workouts. Do 100 as quick as you can. Just do more!

2. Burpees

Start in a standing position. Put your hands on the ground and kick your feet back into push up position. Do a push up and jump back up to your feet, jump in the air and clap your hands above your head. The first time you try this one you're almost guaranteed to be smoked!

One way to work burpees into your routine and to take your overall conditioning to the next level is the 100 burpee challenge: you do one burpee on day one, two burpees on day two, three burpees on day three, and continue in this fashion until you reach 100 burpees on day 100!!

3. Mountain climbers

Start in a push up position for this one. Alternately bring your right knee to your chest and left knee to the chest. Try performing 50 reps for time as fast as you can to finish off your next workout.

The burpee, the body weight squat, and the mountain climber are three of my favorite full body exercises without weights. If you'd like to learn how to do more exercises like these, and receive a free 7 day sample workout using kettlebells, dumbells, and your own body weight, be sure to visit http://nogymnoexcuse.com!

Kettlebell Swings For Fat Loss: Cardio on Steroids

The Kettlebell Swing is hands down one of the best fat loss exercises around. Let's quickly review the exercise first, and then we'll combine it with a couple other elements for a killer fat-burning workout.

How To Do A Kettlebell Swing

One of the most important things to keep in mind when doing your swings is that the exercise is a hike pass and hip snap, not a squat and front raise. This is one of the most common mistakes and mis-perceptions of the kettlebell swing. Your arms should be loose like ropes to do their job; it's a lower body driven exercise. For a more detailed description, see this article about the swing.

Now, to maximize the fat loss effects of the kettlebell swing (although just a few sets of swings on their own is a pretty darn good workout), we're going to combine it with a few other simple exercises into the following circuit:

1. Run 1/4 mile (1 lap around a track)

2. 10 Burpees

3. 20 kettlebell swings

To get the most out of this workout, run the 1/4 mile fast. This isn't a jog - it's a sprint. You'll get as much out of this workout as you put into it.

10 burpees are up next. Just in case you forgot, this is what a burpee looks like:

Finish with 20 swings. Repeat this circuit three times, resting as little as possible.

If your current cardio workouts lack intensity, add this one into the mix a couple of times a week to take your fat burning efforts to the next level! Also, if you liked this article, be sure to check out kettlebellbasics.net to learn how kettlebell training can help you reach your fat loss goals in record time!

Tabata Front Squats

Tabata front squats are an incredibly tough exercise - they torch your legs and shoot your heart rate through the roof. I finished off a group training session with these today - it was a truly horrible experience for all involved - that's why I'm sharing it with all of you :)

The 'Tabata' method, just for a quick review, is a simple interval protocol. It involves twenty seconds of all-out work, ten seconds of rest, and is repeated eight times. Then puke, fall down, pass out, etc. I wrote more about the Tabata method in this post.

You can do Tabata intervals with just about any exercise that works a bunch of major muscle groups at once - push ups, squats, pull ups, sit ups, etc.

I picked front squats because holding a weight in front of you makes the standard squat a lot harder, and additionally, it's easy to get out of if you hit failure - you can just drop the weight to bail out.

Do Tabata front squats as a finisher at the end of your next leg day and let me know how it goes for you! :)

Eating To Gain Muscle On A Budget

Being a little short on cash can make it tough stay on your muscle gaining meal plan. Getting enough protein can be especially tough when you've got limited funds. You do have some options, though: I've put together a list of cheap, good quality protein sources to help you out. I relied on these a lot myself back in my college days when I was big into building muscle but didn't have much money to spend on stuff like steaks and chicken breasts.

Here are some cheap protein sources you could try:

-Milk
-Eggs - whole or egg whites
-Beans and Rice (mixed together make a complete protein)
-Canned Tuna
-Whey protein is actually pretty cheap if you compare it to things like steak and chicken

If you're an average-sized guy, and you're trying to build muscle, you probably need somewhere around .7 - .9 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Let's say your protein requirement is 150 grams a day just to make it even. You could probably get that much protein from the sources I've listed above for under $4 a day. Add in some oatmeal and a piece of fruit in the morning, some whole wheat bread at lunch time, maybe some tortillas to go with your beans and rice, some veggies to go with every meal, have your protein shakes in between, and you're good to go for $6 or $7 a day.

Here's a sample meal plan just for kicks:

Breakfast

2 whole eggs, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 banana

Mid-Morning Snack

Whey Protein Shake

Lunch

2 Pieces Whole Wheat Bread
1 can tuna
2 tbsp light mayo
1 Apple

Mid-Afternoon Snack

Whey Protein Shake

Dinner

1 cup black beans
1 cup brown rice
3 small corn tortillas
Small salad w choice of dressing
Hot sauce to taste

I hope these ideas can help you reach your muscle gain goal without breaking the bank. For more great meal and snack ideas and a free 7 day workout plan, be sure to sign up for my newsletter! Just enter your name and email address in the top right hand corner of the page.

The Best Type Cardio For Fat Loss

This Guy Might Be Taking His Cardio Training
A Little Too Far ...

Have you ever wondered what the best type of cardio for fat loss is? I'll spare you the details and give you the short answer: there isn't one!

The best kind of cardio for fat loss is whatever kind satisfies the following factors for your particular situation:

1. Frequency

This is how many times per week you're doing your cardio. This variable would be adjusted depending on your goals. If you're trying to lose fat, you probably need to be doing some type of cardio five or six days a week - if your goal is to gain muscle, you might only be doing your cardio two or three times per week, if you're doing it at all.

2. Intensity

This is how hard you're working. One of the best ways to monitor this is by keeping track of your heart rate - although the 'target heart rate range' concept can be a little inaccurate and even misleading. This would also refer to the 'type' of cardio workout you're doing - intervals, steady state, etc. Click HERE for a more detailed article on how to program your cardio workouts.

3. Time

How long you're doing your cardio for. This one is, again, going to vary depending on your goals. For fat loss, many of my clients have had success doing 2-3 longer 'steady-state' sessions per week and 2-3 'interval' sessions per week. Again, for a more detailed description of these things, check out this article.

4. Type

What type of cardio you're doing; that is, eliptical, stairmaster, treadmill, rowing machine, etc. It's a good idea to change this up every once in a while for a variety of reasons - to prevent your body from adapting, to prevent overuse injuries, etc.

5. Enjoyment

This is a really important one - you have to enjoy your cardio program to stick with it! This is so critical for sticking with a program for the long haul. Do yourself a favor and find something you actually like (at least a little).

In short, the 'best' type of cardio for fat loss is one that you can achieve the proper intensity with and one that you enjoy. It's also important to change the type of cardio you're doing periodically. And don't forget to think outside the box a little - body weight training and kettlebell workouts can give you a hell of a 'cardio' workout.

For more great cardio ideas and a free 7 day workout plan to get you going, make sure to sign up for the No Gym? No Excuse! newsletter - just pop your name and email in the box on the upper right hand corner of the page!

And good luck with your fat loss goal!

Muscle Milk Review

Having personally tried a lot of different meal replacement drinks and protein powders over the last ten years or so, Muscle Milk is my favorite of them all. It tastes great and has got a perfect balance of protein, carbs, and fat for my personal goals. Of course, there are also some things about Muscle Milk that make it less than desirable for some people; I'd like to discuss both the positives and negatives to help you make an educated decision on whether Muscle Milk is right for you.

First, the taste of Muscle Milk is far superior to any other protein powder or meal replacement I've ever personally tried (and like I said, I've tried too many different brands to count). Blend up the vanilla flavor with 2% milk and some ice and it literally tastes like a milkshake. Additionally, there are a great variety of flavors of Muscle Milk to choose from, with flavors ranging from blueberries and cream to chocolate chip cookie dough - they've got a flavor to appeal to nearly everyone.

Another positive of Muscle Milk is that it's got a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat. They've altered the formula recently to include less fat and a little more carbohydrate - the breakdown for a single scoop of cookies n' cream muscle milk is 150 calories, 6 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of protein. You could add a piece of fruit to your shake and have a nice zone-friendly meal.

A thorough review would of course not be complete without a discussion of the downside of the product. For one thing, the fat content may be a bit higher than many people desire. However, it is important to keep in mind that the fat in Muscle Milk comes from Medium Chain Triglycerides, which, according to the Muscle Milk product page on bodybuilding.com, are more likely metabolised as muscle energy and heat than stored as fat.

Also, if you're going for extreme convenience, a shake might not be the best option for you. A protein bar is something you can grab and eat even if you're on the run - a shake takes a little more preparation time. What I personally do is just take a shaker cup with me with the powder in it, mix it up with some water, and drink it down. It might not taste quite as good as if you were to mix it in a blender but it still does the job.

Another important thing to note is that you don't have to include meal replacements or protein in your diet; it's just an easy and convenient way to get the protein you need. If you're a big guy like me, getting 200 or so grams of protein a day can be tough to do from solid foods like chicken breasts and tuna - so a protein shake makes life a lot easier.

So, Muscle Milk is a great option if you want a great tasting meal replacement drink. Although the fat content is on the high side, and mixing up a shake is a little inconvenient, I think the quality of the product more than makes up for it. To order a jug and test it out for yourself, click the picture below to go directly to the Muscle Milk order page on bodybuilding.com:

P.S. I personally order my supplements through bodybuilding.com which is why I'm recommending them. Their prices are highly competitive, they have super fast shipping (you'll get your order in 2-3 days), and the customer service is great. Good luck reaching your fitness goals!

Can You Lose Weight With A Vegetarian Meal Plan?

Here's something that sounds like a good idea but doesn't usually end up working very well: weight loss on a vegetarian meal plan. I personally know quite a few people who've tried and ended up struggling with this.

The good news is that losing weight while eating vegetarian is absolutely possible, even easy - there are a few key factors, though, that play a big role in your success. Here are a few reasons why people frequently have problems with this approach, in addition to some of the benefits you might see from going 'veggie':

First, from what I've heard and what I've observed in working with a decent amount of vegetarian clients, vegetarians actually tend to eat a lot of processed foods that are high in sodium and sugar and low in vitamins and minerals. This might seem a bit contradictory, as the word 'vegetarian' sort of implies that one would eat a lot of vegetables :) Eating a lot of highly processed foods often actually leads to increased calorie intake and weight gain.

Second, without a plan of attack, a vegetarian can easily end up with a bad balance of protein, carbs, and fat, and an un-nutititous diet. You end up with inflammation, acne, congestion, digestive problems, low energy - all not good.

Third, if you're relying on highly processed, easy to prepare meatless foods, you don't get a lot of variety. This type of diet for a lot of us is really hard to stick to. This is another reason many people fail at weight loss when trying to go 'veggie'.

However, if you know how to build a vegetarian meal plan properly, it can work very well for weight loss. Eating this way can be cheap, easy, and super healthy.

I came across a great package that does most of the work for you with regards to planning and preparation. The program is called 'Easy Veggie Meal Plans'. The program was created by California nutrition expert Kardena Pauza. Here's a quick list of what it includes:

• A 90 day Meal Plan of vegan meals that save you time and money
• A 'Veggie Lifestyle' Book with everything you need to know about living the vegetarian lifestyle
• Two audio tape 'coaching calls' to keep you from falling back into to your old eating habits and resist the 'haters' who try and talk you into eating meat again
• A recipe book of raw food smoothies

So, a vegetarian meal plan can actually work for weight loss if you do it right. Focusing on the right foods, having a plan of attack, and making sure to get enough variety in your diet are all keys to success. If you're ready to take action and start making progress towards your weight loss goal the vegetarian way, click here to go to easyveggiemealplans.com!