For multiTRIM information, go to: multiTRIM.

Pounds Lost: 54.8

The very important, never-to-be-forgotten bottom line is this: Do you stay on trend?

Long Range Goal

By trend, we mean that long sloping line you draw from where you are starting out to the goal you are aiming for. All you do, all the calories you count, all that sweating on the treadmill, all those brisk walks and gallons of water you  consume have only one aim in mind: Stay on Trend so that you indeed will hit your long range goal.

Holidays

All major holidays have one common denominator: Food. Calorie-rich food. In massive quantities. The American tradition is to go unconscious from over-eating in front of a Thanksgiving Day football game. Not to do this might be considered suspect in some quarters.

Staying on diet on these occasions may be seen as outright treason.

Okay, we exaggerate. But the point is: You are not wearing the equivalent of a dietary chastity belt. The Diet-Police is not going to arrest you for eating a scoop of ice cream, and the Diet-Jury is not going to find you guilty of Christmas ham violations. Living is allowed.

Ease Up—Don’t Let Go

When you want to enjoy some of the culinary holiday cheer, remember this: You may ease up on your calorie counting and strict dietary regimen, but don’t let go of your overall goal and the trend that gets you there.

By all means, enjoy some excellent mashed potatoes, but stick to moderation, and return to your stricter regimen the moment the special event is over.

That way, even if you gain a pound or two one week, you will quickly lose it again, and more, and so continue down your plotted trend.

DJIBOUTI, Djibouti - Soldiers of the Djiboutian army stand in formation prior to the start of a multi-national, Eastern Africa Standby Force Field Training Exercise (EASF FTX), November 30, 2009. Ten Eastern African nations are participating in the exercise, which is designed to test their operating capabilities. (Photo by Master Sergeant Carlotta Holley, CJTF-HOA)

Read the story here.

Monday morning started out like many other Mondays… sleepy.  When I pulled myself out of bed after snoozing for a good 30 minutes I took Joe for a morning walk.  Once home oats were in order.

I had a nice bowl of oatmeal with raisins peanut butter and almond butter.  The best of both worlds!

Lunch turned into a 3 part meal.

Act 1: lovely left over butternut squash soup topped with sliced almonds.

Act 2: herb turkey, spinach and cranberry sauce sammy on a squash wheat roll

Act 3: carrot (dessert??)

I love the crunch of big ol’ carrots.

Once I got home from work I knocked out my push ups for Week 3.  They’re starting to get pretty difficult as the numbers increase but to get to the 100 I’ll just have to keep doing them 3 days a week like I’m told.

Dinner was a recipe my dad sent me – Sweet n Sour Chinese meatballs.  Mmmmm they were yummy.  Along with the meatballs we had a mixture of veggies (carrots, asparagus, broccoli and bell peppers), pineapple and wild rice (or what my dad likes to call dirty rice).

Doesn’t look dirty to me, just delicous as it was.  I made enough rice to feed at least 10 so I’ll probably be eating rice with along every meal the next couple days.

Wild rice is definately my new fav.  It’s much easier to cook since you cook it like pasta.

What’s your favorite kind of rice?

The blizzard, as promised, is another story. Vanessa and I were meeting this weekend for my weekly CC run. She had decided to invite Heather along this weekend too. We all three now ran with packs. Our packs contained (typically): dried fruit, chocolate, space blanket (1 or 2), dry socks, mittens, bottled water, 2 sterno cans, and a throw away phone.

This particular Saturday, they had been calling for some snow, and a blizzard to begin later that night after midnight. We decided that running on Saturday would be preferential to Sunday, due to conditions. Snow has never slowed us down and our bodies bear this fact out. Our toned, muscular, tight bodies are so fit, that we actually look like a father and his 2 daughters out for a run (the family that runs together…).

We set out in the light snow fall and ran a little deeper than usual into the forest. We were in search of a stand of pines that would offer a little more protection from the weather than usual, as the snow was beginning to thicken. We found the covey of dove that roost in the pines and followed them toward their homes. The area was quite secluded, even for this area of the forest and we decided to mark this area in our minds for future use. As we began to set-up camp, H produced a small pop-up tent that would sleep 2 quite comfortably and 3 cozily. We all grinned at her fore-thought. First a blanket on the ground and then the tent, with the final 5 blankets (we all brought 2) for our comfort inside the tent.

H stated that the only requirement for entrance into the tent was nudity. We must strip outside and enter total nude. Once inside, we would make our own heat. We made love to each other for 5 hours, lost in the silence provided by both the seclusion and the falling snow. Exhausted, we napped for an hour and then I awoke, sensing something wasn’t quite right. The silence was too much and I peeked out to look around. The snow was at the top of the zipper!! It was only 3 pm and we were already under blizzard conditions!

I alerted the others and we used my phone to call out. I told my wife I was on my normal CC run and was snowed into the woods. I had provisions and shelter (she knew I always prepared for the weather) and would be fine for as long as it took to get out. I told her I would call for help if I found myself in need. She seemed OK with this (I didn’t know that she and the trainer I hired were cozy.) and would await my call or arrival.

H phoned home and tried the same approach with her parents. Her father seemed OK, knowing she was with V, but her mother seemed panicky. She tried several times to assuage her mother’s fears and keep her from calling a rescue team, but her mom could not be calmed down. She finally told her, “Mom, we’re in the forest, in a tent, with an older man. He runs with us to keep us safe, and today we are glad he is with us. Would you please just put Daddy on and I’ll tell him so he can explain it all to you, OK?”

H tells her dad the whole truth. I hear him tell her that he isn’t pleased about it, but can’t do anything about it since she’s almost 19 now. He’s a little disappointed at her choice but can’t find any other faults, as her grades have been straight A’s and her track training is exemplary. He does ask to speak to me. He expressed his extreme displeasure and almost threatened me. I explained almost the whole story to him (took half an hour) and he saw some of his daughter’s treachery in it. He thanked me for my honesty, and made an unveiled threat: “Don’t hurt her, and don’t get her pregnant, or you WILL be sorry.”

V called home and only her mom was home, as her daddy was away on business (as usual). She took the straightforward approach, as she was nearing 20, and told her mother that she was with her 50 year old lover and another girl, having raunchy three-way sex in a tent, snowed-in, in the woods. Her mom said, “Enjoy yourself honey and call me if you need my help. I understand your need for this, because I did that too, but do be careful hon.” I asked to talk to her myself and she agreed.

“I don’t love your daughter, but love to have sex with her. She is very open to any and all H and I want to try. If you are anything like her, I’d be interested in helping you pass a night or two away when your husband is out of town.”

“Be careful kind sir, I may take you up on that.”

“I hope so, and maybe even make it a family affair.”

“Vanessa is old enough to decide that for herself. I won’t stop her, but I won’t ask her to, either.”

After our conversation, I end the call and we talk about the mess we’ve shared with our families. V would like to try the mother-daughter thing with me and H is just glad she won’t have to see a guardsman peering in her tent in a few hours. I take H in my arms and hold her, while V kisses her pussy. H turns to face me and we kiss deeply. V’s face is still buried in H’s pussy and her tongue is having the desired effect. I feel H’s breath coming in short jags as V is bringing her to a release she so desperately needs. All thought of the phone calls disappears as her orgasm wipes her mind free of all tension.

After she calms some, she insists on giving V the same attention. As she gets up on hands and knees and then leans into V’s crotch, I put my tongue in her very wet pussy and slake my own thirst for her. Just watching V, lovingly get H off, made me very horny. Now as H is pleasuring V, and my own thirst is quenched, I get up on my knees and plunge my very stiff cock, deep inside her swollen, wet, pulsing pussy. Every stroke of my cock drives her tongue into V’s pussy. It’s almost like I am fucking V by proxy.

As I’m stroking H and watching as she feasts on V, I can’t help but imagine replacing H with V’s mom. She seemed sincere enough about allowing me to be her companion, but very non-committal about V joining in. After our short session, we lay side-by-side and caress one another and make small talk.  I asked V what she thought about my talk with her mom. V said, “I’ve seen mom nude before and wondered what it would be like. H and I have been together for 5 years now (I am surprised at this revelation.) and it is a thought that has wandered through my sick mind a few times. I’m just wondering if it would be possible to include H in one of those trysts.”

“Look, I don’t know what your mom even looks like.”

“Here, look, I have a photo.”

She looks like a mature version of V, not like 20 years older, more like 10 years older. Definitely a hot MILF. “OMFG! Your mom is a hot ass babe! I see where you get your looks and body!” V blushes at my comment and then says, “Yeah, she is hot. Even H wants to dive between her legs.”

H is blushing and I tell her that we’ll try to make it happen before the end of summer. Then we settle back for a long night of fucking and sucking and fingering and kissing. Day rise brings more snow and another round of phone calls. All parents are relieved that their girls are OK. I spoke to H’s mom this time and she told me to stop by some day so we can discuss “future” arrangements. I agree to this especially after having seen her photo in H’s wallet. H is blushing now as I hang up and immediately place my tongue inside her pussy. I bring her to a thundering orgasm that causes the dove to flutter in the limbs above.

The snow finally stops around 4 pm on Sunday. By my measure, we got 30” of light fluffy snow. We agree to try to hike out tomorrow morning after calling our families. We sleep that night, nude, nestled together for warmth. Mid way through the night, I awaken with a raging hard-on and insert it inside V’s pussy in front of me. She wakes up to an orgasm and wakes H up too. H says she is jealous and wants some of that too. I roll over to find her pussy ready for me. I fuck her until she cums and then I quickly enter her ass. I stroke in and out slowly, allowing V time to get over here to feast on H’s pussy while I continue to fuck her ass. I feel my cum beginning to flow and spurt after spurt fills H’s ass. I pull out and V eats the cream pie from H’s ass. She then snowball’s some of it to H.

I want to go home, but I don’t want this to end. I know we’ll have more fun, but there comes a point in time when you just need to rest. I lost count of how many times I came that weekend, but I know my dick was raw from use and ready for a little rest. The girls were in need of rest also and our food was dwindling.

The next morning, we made our calls, packed up camp, and headed out. The night wind and the morning sun had helped to make our trek a little easier by making the snow a little shallower. We also located a trail where deer had moved and pushed out some snow. We arrived out of the woods in just under 4 hours. We were met by V’s mom and taken to our prospective homes. First H, where I met her mom and dad; then we went to V’s house. Her mom (Carly), insisted on my coming in for some hot tea.

We talked a little and discussed likes and dislikes. Then Carly asked me to see her in the office. I joined her and she asked me one question, “Did you use protection?”

“No. I’m sterile and clean.”

“OK, I don’t want my baby having a baby. And one more question: will you eat me right now?”

“Sure, but my dick is really raw from the use this weekend so it will be of no use to you yet.”

“That’s OK, I just need to get off, properly.”

I feast on this woman’s freshly shaven pussy and bring her to 3 orgasms before taking my leave to go home. We agree to meet soon for some real action. I arrive home to my loving wife who offers up a bear hug at my safe return and a large, long kiss. The rest of the day is spent in the bathtub for 2 hours and then lying on the davenport watching the TV and the snow reports.

Your personal Enhancement Exercises Program!

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Period there is a period of cool, warm yourself down as an important issue like this. The muscle in your penis is similar to the other muscles in your body. To have the muscles bigger much work out is necessary, that has to be properly systematisedIt is the same thing when it comes to your penis, if you don’t do anything then you won’t have anything. To get the size you want,exercises along with male enlargement supplements will help you. Your penis must be trained to increase blood flow. Exercises are used to increase the blood flow to your penis With careful planning and persistant training, you can get a larger and harder erection. People have dismissed the efficacy of penile exercises without evaluating the facts. The penis exerises performing by one form are doing very long time. To force parts of the human body to change size and achieve a new look,Primitive tribes are still using weights, various objects and exercises . Paduang tribal women use metal rings to increase the length of their neck whereas some tribal men put weight on their earlobes and lips to lengthen them. Because they thought it looked sexy, wealthy Chinese women bound their feet. With all of that happening it is easy to see why the penis was ignored.

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Sometimes penile size does matter
Do not consider Surgery if you need to Increase your penile Size

I did a killer workout at the gym today!  As scheduled, I did my lower body weights workout, as well as abs/lower back, 15 minutes of hard cardio and some stretching.

I have been doing the following butt/leg workout for a while now and I’m starting to notice a bit of a lift in my rear view (or rather, my husband has noticed!)  I am a true weights gal, and I love to lift heavy!  I change up the order of the exercises too for variety.  I do eight reps and three sets each.

V- squat:  45 lbs plate on each side for a total of 90 lbs

Lunge:  10 lbs in each hand (20 lbs isn’t much, but I find these really hard!)

Straight-leg deadlift:  55 lbs barbell

Leg curl on the machine:  80 lbs

Inner thigh machine:  170 lbs

Outer thigh machine:  190 lbs 

The gym was really crowded today which I love.  I find it so inspiring to see people of all shapes and sizes doing what they can to stay healthy.  I am a stay-at-home mom, but a lot of people at the gym were on their lunch break from work.  I really admire them!  I find it hard to stick to my healthy living plan during the Christmas season, but seeing all these people making the effort too really gave me a boost.

Good Afternoon!

I went on a little run this morning just to get some exercise. I ran for a little over 30 minutes. I run so much better on a treadmill. Being able to control the speed and incline just makes me feel more in control of my run. I found a nice little park that has mile markers labeled, however, so I might run that tomorrow and actually calculate how many miles I did.

Once back to the apartment, I did some abs (have I mentioned how much I despise ab work?) and showered.

Lunch was:

• sliced gala apple with cinnamon
• sandwich thin with mustard, oregano, spinach, turkey

and…

I couldn’t find hummus at the grocery store yesterday. Usually, I put hummus and turkey on my sandwiches but they are both so high in protein (and ahem, calories) so I really should pick one or the other. This week, I am trying to look a little closer at everything I put in my mouth. I don’t want to go into this holiday season already feeling heavy and I kind of am.

I am so petite that I really need to look closely at every additional portion, extra tbs of peanut butter, handful of nuts, splashes of milk, etc because they really add up and show easily on my small frame. It sounds very ED like but, I want to be able to enjoy this holiday season and not always freak out about getting to the gym. So, if I spend this week being a little more mindful of my bites, I’ll be able to enjoy those christmas cookies and egg nog. I think I got a little sloppy in my diet when I was home for thanksgiving. I was exercising the same amount but I exercise for my mindset mostly. Sometimes I use exercise as a crutch though. As in, “Pie? Sure, why not!” Sometimes, I think if I was not able to workout (like if I got injured) I wouldn’t eat that stuff at all. Or, I’d try and just have a bite and move on with my day. Ugh. Why couldn’t I have been born 5′10 instead of 5′2?!

Listening to Christmas music and drinking black coffee currently. I need to put on my face and keep chugging this coffee. I am feeling kind of drowsy today, ugh. No reason for that I got enough sleep!

Hopefully my meetings will keep me awake?

Alison

Another mid-morning run, only the weather isn’t as nice. It’s Saturday and the temperature is closer to 45 today, but at least it is seasonable, seasonably breezy, slightly overcast and a dampness in the air.

Heather and I have been in contact via the 2 throw away phones I purchased the day after our first meeting. Untraceable, so there are less tracks to cover up. Too cold for a dip in the stream today, but never too cold for sex, besides, there are other methods of refreshing one’s body in today’s world.

I see her on the track, warming up for our run. She has the same outfit on, except there is a small pack on her back. As I join her on the track, she tells me she has warmer clothing in the bag and one of those space blankets, just in case. “Just in case?? Like if we get caught in a freak snow storm?” She laughs and says, “No silly, in case you can’t warm me up enough and we need a little extra warmth!”

I tell her about my wife and her new goal. She is pleased I want to help her and asks why I stay. I shrug and reply that it must be the companionship I crave, and can’t bear to leave her because of it. She thinks I’m too sweet by staying and offers to be my companion if I need one. I thank Heather for her offer but think that she would tire of an old man like me longing for a more comparable mate in a few short years. “We’ll see about that.” She states matter-of-factly.

Warmed up, we head for the forest. No one sees us enter and no one questions our motives. We return to the spot we originally stopped. She removes her pack and withdraws the “blanket” and spreads it on the ground. She tells me she’d like to perform a strip tease for me today and then, if I allow her, she’d like to undress me, with her teeth. Intrigued by the pictures she’s creating in my mind, I agree.

Her dance begins with soft music coming from her iPod speakers and the undulations of her tiny body have me at attention in no time. Her clothing moves in such a way to allow her naked body to play peek-a-boo with me. A nipple here, a pussy lip there, then an cheek of her ass is in full view. She has only a tank and shorts on! It takes her half an hour to strip fully nude, and she only had 2 articles of clothing on! I’m aching hard and she tells me to lie back and she will begin to undress me. Her teeth grasp my tee shirt hem and she pulls it over my head. Her mouth returns to my waistband and she gently kisses my erection through the fabric.

Her tongue lifts the waistband and she grabs it with her teeth. She drags it just until I spring free and then she asks me to roll over. I feel her tongue on the crack of my ass as she grasps the band in her teeth and she pulls it to my knees. Then she pulls them off. Heather tells me that today its my turn for the full treatment, so lay back, close your eyes and enjoy.

Her tongue skillfully traces my entire length. I feel her go from tip to balls and then she continues to the little playground beyond my balls. She is crafty in her skills to the point of making me oblivious to my surroundings, the chill of the air, the noise of the forest, the light breeze playing through the branches like little macaws swinging in a rain forest. Her actions keep me focused entirely on my pleasure. My nostrils detect pussy nearby. I reach out my tongue to taste her wet pussy and am rewarded with sweet nectar, only… It isn’t hers! I open my eyes and see one of the other girls from the track team! They giggle as I continue to taste her.

We take a short break and I learn her name is Vanessa and she turned 18 last school year.  She was held back in third grade and that’s how it is. She is the team’s relay anchor and a strong runner, not to mention she’s also the school’s valedictorian. Vanessa tells me that she saw Heather go off with me last week and she knows how long it takes to run the CC course. We were gone too long and she grilled her for the details. Now she wants a turn. I feel like a baton in a relay race…only neither runner is letting go.

Without boring the reader with all the details, suffice it to say that a fantastically fun time was had by all. H and V both had their fill of orgasms and my cum. We’ve worked out a schedule whereby I spend every other weekend with either H or V. This allows them their periods without compromising the time I want to spend with them. Either can ask the other to join in the fun at any time.

Over the remainder of the school year, I have copulated with one or both of these beauties in all types of weather: snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, blustery, a blizzard (that’s another story) and a lot of very nice weather also. The blanket makes a wonderful tent and has protected us through many storms. H never tired of my company and V desired mine over the boys of her grade. Summer came and went, and they both attended Ivy League colleges, thus ending my running in the woods.

Oh, I still take the same run, but always alone. When the holidays arrive, I am able to rendezvous with either, both never both. Our passion is intense, but not the same as during the school year. There’s just something about the thrill of being deep inside a high school girl, knowing that less a year ago, she was jailbait.

Morning!  So, I know I left off last night with a little bit of a teaser…here’s my big news:

I worked out yesterday with Nicole from last season’s The Biggest Loser!!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that there was a TV show taping at my gym (turns out it was the Biggest Loser “Where are they now?” special!), and, while I missed out on seeing the taping, I did bump into Damien from The Biggest Loser (Nicole’s husband and teammate) that day on the elliptical, which was so cool!!  I’m a wimp when it comes to approaching people, so I didn’t say hello to him, but over the course of the past couple of weeks I’ve seen him and Nicole a bunch of times at the gym.

Last night, I decided to take a new class at the gym called 24 S.E.T.  The class combines cardio moves with strength exercises (think lunges on a step with bicep curls), and is quite a workout; my arms, legs and abs are ALL sore today!  I don’t do nearly enough strength training, so adding this class to my weekly workout schedule is exactly what I need. 

Anyways, Nicole was teaching the class last night, and after she soundly kicked my behind – very nicely, of course! – I got up the courage to say hello and let her know how awesome she is.  We chatted about her weight loss, my weight loss, running, half-marathons vs. full marathons (she just finished her first full marathon!), my blog, our weddings and a bunch of other things. 

Not only does she look AMAZING (here she is trying on wedding dresses a few months back), but she’s also incredibly sweet and SO enthusiastic about staying healthy and helping others reach their fitness goals!  We might be taking some classes together in the future – I’m trying out Damien’s water aerobics class on Wednesday! – and hopefully will run together too as we both train for the 2010 NYC Marathon.  I’m so excited to have such an inspiring new workout buddy!

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s a bakery chain in the city called Crumbs that makes the most delicious cupcakes in the world – even better than Magnolia, in my opinion!  Their “cupcakes” – and I really have to use that term loosely – are approximately the size of my head, and weigh in at around 700 calories apiece!  Talk about a treat you have to plan for…

Unfortunately for me, there’s a Crumbs has a location around the corner from my gym, and I have to pass it on my way there and on my way back home.  I’ve got pretty strong willpower when it comes to most treats, but you can only walk past a bakery so many times before you’re compelled to buy something!  Yesterday was that day for me. 

I told myself that I’d workout, then treat myself to a cupcake on my way home, completely ignoring the fact that I’d have to spend about 2 hours at the gym working out HARD to break even calorie-wise for the day.  After my cardio/strength class and a great talk with Nicole, however, the cupcake idea totally left my mind.  I didn’t even realize I forgot to stop at Crumbs until I got home!  It was a great lesson in delayed gratification for me. 

Clearly, I didn’t really want the cupcake that badly last night; if I did, I would have remembered to stop on my way home.  I was bored and tempted by something sugary and delicious, that’s all.  There’s nothing wrong with having something indulgent on occasion, but it should really be something delicious and special.  I’m not going to spend extra time in the gym just so I can have a stale vending machine candy bar, but I’ll gladly run a few extra miles for vanilla crème brulee, you know?  Life’s too short to drink cheap alcohol or eat less-than-awesome desserts!

What is your favorite indulgent treat?  How do you fit it into your healthy lifestyle?

I assembled an exercycle today. This turned out to be surprisingly easy (it took me less than an hour). I am just not sure though whether it’s good news or bad news for my heart rate:

November 15, 2009, I’ve started “walking” again in the morning. This thing is one of those in my “procrastination” list for a very long time (say 2 years!) It’s always in my goal, but never came around it until on the 15th of Nov.

Without plan, without preparation, without further ado, I just wore my running shoes (now flaky), put my early-riser little girl Aliya on her stroller, picked up the camera, and just walked. I followed the same road to old playground at the back of the village. There, I realized how nice it is to walk again and castigated myself for not doing it so soon….

The benefits are limitless…
I have relaxed moments of thinking…
it seems my mind is clearing of “cobwebs”…
my nerves is calming down
i can feel i can face the day with more confidence and enthusiasm
my rubber shoes are now put into use
regained “smile-back” relationship with my neighbors
the air is fresh and it’s good for my lungs
my belly is sweating (where I put a tight band)
the physical workout is good for my heart
I am working on my photo-shooting
Aliya is enjoying the scene and seen a lot of “tek-tek” (roosters)
and I love every minute with my little girl Aliya!

So, the following day, we did again… and the next day, we walked again… and so on and on….

Great!

If you are watching your waistline this holiday season, visit the web site addresses listed below for helpful dining tips. You won’t have to give up your favorite foods!

1. 9 Tricks to Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain: http://www.lime.com/health/fitness/story/22303/9_tricks_avoiding_holiday_weight_gain

2. Healthy Treats for the Holidays: http://liverightlivewell.com/feature/healthy_holiday_treats/index.html

People’s lives are getting busier and the old saying ‘there’s not enough time in the day’ is truer now than ever, this, obviously leaves less time for people to enjoy their hobbies, the gym being one of them. So how can you spend less time at the gym yet still get the intensity that you feel from a longer 45 minute to one hour workout your used to?German volume training is a way of cramming lots of volume into your workout in a much shorter space of time, but be warned, it will hurt!

‘GVT’ or 10×10 as it is commonly referred to is very simply doing ten sets of ten repetitions of an exercise, there are other, more advanced variations of this which I will cover at some point soon, it is a great way of ’shocking’ your body and many fitness experts will tell you that the best program for you is the one your not currently on – i.e, keep your body guessing. This technique will smash your muscle in a ten minute time period and force you to recruit every last muscle fibre to shift the weight. Another perceived advantage of GVT is that you are going to be hitting a lot of slow twitch muscle fibers, instead of just fast twitch as you would be when using longer rest periods between sets.

Strictly speaking a proper 10×10 workout should last around ten minutes and be VERY hard!You will get pretty crazy muscle pumps the first few times you undertake this type of training and on certain body parts, such as the legs – you will be in a lot of pain for a few days after!It has been used by many bodybuilders throughout the years to shock their body, coming from Germany rather unsurprisingly and you will need to be in taking a LOT of calories for this type of training to be of benefit for you.

So here are the German volume training rules:

• Ten sets of ten reps

• 30 seconds rest between sets

• Same exercise

Simple, huh?If done correctly, you should only be able to push out about 7-8 reps by the time you reach the seventh set, the first 1-4 sets will probably feel too easy but don’t worry the pain will start to hit in around the 6th set!If your still going strong and hitting out ten reps at this point then the weight is too low and you should jot down what weight you will use next time. This is all about intensity so you be the judge of how hard you are working, by the last few sets you should be on your knee’s!

The good

• GVT will smash your muscles!it’s all about intensity and you will be cramming a lot of work into a short amount of time, remember your muscles don’t know how much weight they’re lifting, they just respond to intensity and stress, so there is no reason to be sat in a gym for more than an hour in front of a mirror, you’ll probably be doing more harm than good.
• Avoids stress related injuries and aggravations, you will be lifting relatively low weight compared to your one repetition maximum so there is minimal risk of injuring yourself or tearing your damaged shoulder, etc. However you are still managing to cram just as much intensity and muscle fiber ‘damage’ as you would by doing a standard training program

The bad

• These programs should only be run for a short amount of time, I would say two months max, your body will quickly adapt to this sort of training and gains will plateau quickly, it’s great for just shocking your body after a long period of training
• BOREDOM!ten sets of ten reps is just plain boring, if your someone who likes a good pump or in the ‘no pain no gain crowd’ then you’ll have no problem with this sort of training, but it can get extremely boring very quickly, and when you are bored, you don’t work out to your full potential.

The ugly

Sorry Ian!I’ll be posting an example GVT program this week for you to try out, stay tuned….

Take a walk through any gym, and you’ll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put people in danger. And mistakes that are just plain stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common blunders, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren’t able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won’t force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you’ve been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember – if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake 3: You don’t warm up

Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time – they’d rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don’t realize is that a good warm up will allow you to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake 4: You use bad form

Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that you aren’t concentrating on the exercise, or you’re trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form almost always results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you’ll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake 5: You workout alone

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, your trusted source on fitness. I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results – without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes

There's that darn scale again...

OK, I put off weigh-in for a day, hoping … but it’s true. I did gain back over a pound over Thanksgiving weekend.

Wk Zero     199.6     31% body fat      42.5% body water

Wk One      196.2     29% bf                43.5% bw

Wk Two      197.6     30% bf                43% bw

But I FEEL better and stronger after 5 days of stall mucking/horse feeding during the past week. So I’m not discouraged. I’m ENcouraged.

Plan:

1. Ramp up the home routine to not only keep the condition I’ve gained, but make further progress.

2. Resume healthy eating (Thanksgiving leftovers are almost gone. How many of you are members of the Clean Plate Club too? Isn’t that guilt a killer?!)     

3. Increase water consumption / play the waiting game (see post #5 of Nov 20).

‘Til tomorrow — Stay confident and resolute!

VOTE FOR MAXWELL http://hhofdogcontest.com/dogs/maxwell-pitts-nov-28

VOTE FOR JELLIE http://hhofdogcontest.com/dogs/jellie-pitts-nov-28

Thank you

As a parent, I always think about setting examples for my kids.  Since I do believe that playing sports is important to teach kids teamwork, coordination, social skills, and competitive skills, I think this is a key question.  Sports is an integral part of our society.  I see three potential role models for kids around sports:  [Also, over time, I think that kids peers can become role models or certainly older kids.]

1. Parents
2. Coaches
3. Professional Athletes

While I think there are some great professional athletes who can serve as role models (e.g., Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods), there are a lot that aren’t due to drugs, violence, unsportsmanlike conduct, gambling, cheating, and financial mismanagement.  And, that’s a very hard thing to control.  We’re always (IMHO – in my humble opinion) going to pay to see the best even if they’ve used steriods or have control issues. 

As parents, we have the most control over ourselves.  We can make sure our children see us play sports and exercise.  We can stress the importance of this.  We can help them learn sports and make sure they take away lessons from their playing – e.g., winning isn’t everything.  [One interesting observation that I've had is that athletes make good sales people because they know how to keep trying and get focused even after a loss.]

But, the one I struggle with is coaches.  Sometimes you may have control over the coach, but they can be a very powerful influence on your kids.  They spend hours with them and provide guidance.  There are some things that you obviously don’t want in a coach – too demanding, not demanding enough, someone who encourages winning at any cost.  But, what do you do about the coach that is very smart and understands how to play, but isn’t in shape at all?  They can’t even run down the field with the kids.  What type of image does that give the kids?  It seems mixed to me, but maybe I’m wrong. 

[Note: I was originally going to call this "Fat Coaches", but I think there are plently of overweight people who are athletic.  But, I'm not so sure about this guy above or some other coaches I've seen.]