Want a new body? Is No Pain No Gain the Answer? Part 4

No Pain No Gain: Fitness Myth or Ultimate Fitness Truth?

By Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

It’s not about injury. That is bad pain. That is stupidity. But do stretch yourself.  You can’t improve unless you stretch yourself. If that’s what some people want – if they just want to “stay fit” – OK fine. It actually doesn’t take that much to stay fit, once you’ve already achieved it.

But what if you want to improve? What if you want a new body? What if you want to change? If that's what you want, you’ve got to push yourself a little. You’ve got to break comfort zones. And if your body is not changing, then I don’t care how hard you think you’re working, whatever you’re doing right now is inside your comfort zone.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.  The statement “no pain, no gain” has been misinterpreted, criticized and labeled a fallacy by many. However, the people doing the criticizing are almost always comfort zoners who haven’t achieved much. Don’t listen to them. Instead, follow the small percentage of people who step out and achieve great things. If you don’t like the sound of it, then say, “No effort, no gain.” We’re still talking about the same thing.

Embrace the discomfort like the champions do. Soon it subsides, you enjoy the benefits of the change and the pain is forgotten. You’ve reached a new, higher plateau of achievement. Enjoy the view for a short while. But be on guard because it’s not long before that higher level becomes your new comfort zone and then its time to press on again.

About the author

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer and best selling author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has been featured in IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Italian IRONMAN (Olympian’s News), Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness, Muscular Development, Men’s Exercise, and Men’s Fitness Magazines. Tom’s hard work, no-quick fixes approach has won him multiple titles in drug tested bodybuilding including Mr. Natural Pennsylvania, Natural New Jersey, Natural New York State, Natural Mid Atlantic States and NPC Natural Eastern Classic championships. More important, tens of thousands of people in 141 countries have used Tom’s Burn The Fat program to lose as much as 253 pounds or just the last stubborn 5-10 pounds and achieve that coveted 6-pack of abs. To learn more about Tom’s all-natural approach to fat burning, visit his site at www.burnthefat.com

Pro Bodybuilder Explores Popular Fitness Concept No Pain No Gain Part 3

No Pain No Gain: Fitness Myth or Ultimate Fitness Truth?
By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com

When you’re talking about the Olympics, or pro bodybuilding or the Super Bowl or a world championship, you’d better believe it’s physical pain, it’s discipline, it’s sacrifice, it’s blood, sweat, and tears - literally. But for most people who simply want to go from unfit to fit, from overweight to ideal weight, it’s not so much about physical “pain”; it’s more like stretching yourself.

How do you develop flexibility? What does your trainer tell you? You stretch to the point of discomfort, but not to the point of pain, right? You get into a position of slight discomfort and you hold it just long enough, then what happens? The discomfort goes away, because the muscle becomes more pliable, and the range of motion is increased.

Each time, you stretch a little further, just barely into the range you’ve never been in before, and eventually, you’re doing the splits. And why do you approach it like that? Because you don’t want to injure yourself. Stretch too far, too fast and your muscle tears.

The elite athletes and high achievers really have to push themselves; they’re going to push their boundaries and test their limits. But if you’re not an elite athlete or seasoned bodybuilder, and you take the advice, “no pain, no gain” too literally, you’re going to end up getting injured.

I always say to my training partner when I watch him cringing during a set and he finishes up with that pained look on his face, “Are you injured, or just hurt?” He knows what I’m talking about. If he says he’s hurt, I say, “OK, good. As long as you’re not injured. Let’s get on with it. Next set.”

About the author
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer and best selling author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has been featured in IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Italian IRONMAN (Olympian’s News), Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness, Muscular Development, Men’s Exercise, and Men’s Fitness Magazines. Tom’s hard work, no-quick fixes approach has won him multiple titles in drug tested bodybuilding including Mr. Natural Pennsylvania, Natural New Jersey, Natural New York State, Natural Mid Atlantic States and NPC Natural Eastern Classic championships. More important, tens of thousands of people in 141 countries have used Tom’s Burn The Fat program to lose as much as 253 pounds or just the last stubborn 5-10 pounds and achieve that coveted 6-pack of abs. To learn more about Tom’s all-natural approach to fat burning, visit his site at www.burnthefat.com

Body-Building Champions Say Use No Pain No Gain Wisely Part 2

No Pain No Gain: Fitness Myth or Ultimate Fitness Truth?
By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com  

Walt Disney once said that he never wanted to repeat a past success. He was always creating something new. They called it “Imagineering.” Disney’s mission was to continuously dream up and create things they had never done before, and look at what Disney has become today.

Here’s a little quote that you should post on your bulletin board, your computer desktop or somewhere you will always see it:

“Do what you always did, get what you always got.”

You can't grow or change by doing what you’ve already done. You’ve got to train just to prevent yourself from going backwards. Maintenance doesn’t occur when you do nothing, maintenance is working to fight entropy, the tendency for things to naturally deteriorate.

Still, most people won’t leave their comfort zones. They won’t do it in business, they won’t do it in their personal lives. They won’t do it in their sport. They won’t do it for personal health and fitness. Why? The answer is simple… It hurts.

By definition, what’s it like outside the comfort zone? It’s UN-COMFORTABLE, right? Change is uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s physically painful, but it’s always mentally and emotionally painful, in the form of discipline, sacrifice, uncertainty and fear.

The maxim, “no pain no gain” gets knocked all the time as if it were bad advice. The fact of life is that you don’t grow unless you’ are constantly stepping outside the comfort zone, and outside the comfort zone is discomfort and pain.

I find that it’s mostly the non-achievers who make out “no pain, no gain” to be a bad thing. But the winners get it. The champions understand stepping outside the comfort zone in a healthy context, so they embrace it.

About the author
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer and best selling author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models. Tom has been featured in IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Italian IRONMAN (Olympian’s News), Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness, Muscular Development, Men’s Exercise, and Men’s Fitness Magazines. Tom’s hard work, no-quick fixes approach has won him multiple titles in drug tested bodybuilding including Mr. Natural Pennsylvania, Natural New Jersey, Natural New York State, Natural Mid Atlantic States and NPC Natural Eastern Classic championships. More important, tens of thousands of people in 141 countries have used Tom’s Burn The Fat program to lose as much as 253 pounds or just the last stubborn 5-10 pounds and achieve that coveted 6-pack of abs. To learn more about Tom’s all-natural approach to fat burning, visit Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

Is No Pain No Gain the Ultimate Fitness Myth or the Truth? Part 1

No Pain No Gain: Fitness Myth or Ultimate Fitness Truth?
By Tom Venuto
www.BurnTheFat.com

No Pain, No Gain. Is this aphorism just a fitness myth and downright bad advice? A lot of people seem to think so. As a bodybuilder with 25 years of training experience and more than two dozen trophies on my shelf, I have another perspective to offer you. Success with your body and in every area of your life is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone and that means embracing pain.

To reach high levels of physical and personal success you must approach your training, and your entire life, as an endeavor in constant growth. The ultimate truth is, you are either moving forward or moving backward; growing or dying. There’s no such thing as comfortably maintaining.

To grow, you must step above past achievements; beyond your perceived boundaries and limits. That means stepping out of the known, into the unknown; out of the familiar and into the unfamiliar; out of the comfortable into the uncomfortable. You must get out of your comfort zone.

The Late Cavett Robert, who was founder of the National Speakers Association, said something I’ll never forget: “Most people are running around their whole lives with their umbilical cords in their hands and they’re looking for some place to plug it back in.”

Most people are scared of the unknown.  They prefer to stay in that womb of comfort.  When the going gets tough; when the effort gets painful, when the work gets heard, they always pull back into safety.  But the extraordinary people do the opposite.  They know they have to get out of the comfort zone, and into new territory or they will stagnate and die. To be continued in an upcoming post.

Ageless Body-Builder Burns Fat

Tsutomo Tosaka, 74 years old, is another example, like Morjorie Newlin, of how you can't let age stop you from doing what you want.   Tosaka recently won first place at the Japanese National Championships in a field of 9 over 70 year olds.   His win made international news. 

He started lifting weights when he was in his 40s and has won many competitions. He says it is easy to stay healthy if you do some exercising.  He's known as Japan's slickest septuagenarian.  He is just AWESOME!

 

I am not into body-building competitions for myself.  I just like keeping myself fit and having more energy.  I love it that lifting weights keeps you young and that you don't have to participate in competitions to look good. 

Body-building is great whatever your age. Weight-lifting exercises do wonders for your self-esteem and well-being.   It also increases your strength.  Furthermore, when you start to get in shape, you feel just great.  Aren't you worth the benefits taking care of your body?

If you’re curious about how bodybuilders eat and train to get so lean, check out Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models.

Body-Builder Champion Great-grandmother at 86

I was recently reminded of the time I first saw an article about the body-builder champion, Morjorie Newlin (yes, that is the correct spelling of her name). I was floored.  I could not believe she was 86 years old.  She had no body fat just lean muscles. She was an incredible woman who started body-building training when she was about 72 years old, because she could not pick up a fifty pound bag of kitty litter.

Here she was, a mother of four with children and grandchildren who wanted to stay independent.  She was also concerned about  osteoporosis at the time.  So she started going to the gym and working out with weights.  Of course, the big known benefits of weightlifting and bodybuilding are the ability to burn fat and build lean muscle.

This fabulous woman entered her first bodybuilding competition in 1992 and won.  For the next 15 years she continued to improve and compete in shows that took her to Germany, France and Italy. She won many competitions throughout her "third" career.  Aside from being mom, grandmom and great-grandmom, she was a retired nurse and health-care administrator.

Her amazing story is an inspiration to all.   So dear readers, no more hiding behind excuses like "I'm too old." It will not work!  I had heard of men who were body-builders at later ages, however, Morjorie Newlin was the first woman I knew of.

 If you’re curious about how bodybuilders eat and train to get so lean, check out Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models.

Easy to Find Top 10 Weight Loss Foods

We have become a society of overweight individuals. So, many people these days are looking for the magic button or pill to burn fat and become lean. When they look for something to help them lose weight, they end up not looking for weight loss foods that are within reach. It may be because, in reality, to burn fat, lose weight and build muscle you have to work at it. It does not happen overnight. It takes repeated effort to have six pack abs. Personally. I don't want six pack abs, just a better body.

So, what happens is that people take the so-called easy way out. The advertising industry is ready and waiting to oblige. There are any number of supplements, drinks, powders and even some trendy exercise equipment out there to entice us. They are say, take this, this is easy. You will lose weight in 2 hours or offer some other fantasy promise. We spend millions upon millions of dollars taking these "quick and easy" cures.

However, they do not all work. Some are even hazardous to your health. Not to mention the amount of time and money the public spends spend trying many of them out.

If you want six-pack abs or just build a leaner body. The only real way to lose weight and burn fat on a long-time basis is to eat foods that are healthy and exercise on a regular basis. There are many foods that help you to lose weight in a safe manner. Then you need to add exercise.

These are my picks for the Top 10 weight loss foods. They are easy to find. They are nutritious, great tasting and you will not break the bank or your health eating them.

My list includes some of my favorites:

• Strawberries, peaches in a smoothie
  
• Blueberries
  
• Grilled Fish with fresh lemon
  
• Broiled Chicken Breast with herbs
  
• Meatloaf with Lean beef or Lean ground Turkey
  
• Sweet potatoes
• Brown rice
• Steamed broccoli with mushrooms and pearl onions
  
• Salad greens
• Tomato slices with fresh Basil on Whole Wheat Bread

There are many more than just 10 top weight loss foods.

Learn more here.