Venus Index Workout

VT12 Contest deadline is quickly approaching – Get ready for Amazing

November 18, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

A few of the previous contest winners.

Get ready for AMAZING!

Will you be next?

Get your final entries in by midnight Eastern time November 24th.

Use the contest entry form (the same that you used to enter the contest).

We’ll need from you:

front pose
back pose
side pose
newspaper pose
up to 15 cover pictures of your choice
your 250 word or more essay (please include your age in the essay)

and your measurements:

height
weight
shoulders
waist
hips

We are looking forward to the amazing results of your hard work.

Coach Roberta

If you have any questions or problems with uploading your pictures email me: roberta.saum@gmail.com

Filed Under: Contest Tagged With: goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation, transformation contest, venus index contest, Venus Index Workout

Venus Meets up in Vegas

August 15, 2014 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

All of these ladies have completed the 12 week Venus Factor

This past weekend, Venus members from around the world met up in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada on the strip. We enjoy each other so much in the community, so we knew we would have a blast in real life! We put a heads up in the forum about 6 months ago, and I could hardly wait until it was time to go!

Enjoying a night out on the town

Beth Roberta Julie All born 1961 and all graduated 1979

Beth, Roberta, and Julie – Class of 1979

Bonding

As crazy as it sounds, we make some pretty tight bonds in the Venus forum. We are from all over the world and completely different walks of life, but driving change puts us on a similar path. We all struggle and we all have to find our own way. The forum is our life line and there is always someone there with a lending hand or a sympathetic ear. The people that help us find our way become part of our story and meeting in person only makes those bonds stronger. Not everyone could make it of course, but we shared pictures and stories that included them and we hope to see them down the road.

Even several husbands accompanied their Venus wives to Vegas

Kimberly and Coach Roberta at sushi dinner

Personal Support

Many of us email, call, and text one another- making bonds deeper than just diet and fitness. We can lean on each other for family, relationship, work, and emotional issues. We KNOW each other so getting together in person is easy, we just click like we have always been “real life” friends.

Coach Liss, Coach Jenny, and Coach Lita

Post dinner dessert spot!

Making Memories

Our time together was special. What I enjoyed the most was getting to see everyone’s facial expressions, having eye contact, and hearing vocal tone and laughter. The hugs were pretty great too!

Post training at the boxing ring in the Cosmo gym

Leora Mike Eri Roberta with Randy's Navy buddy wife and friend

Enjoying lunch

The Life

We shared some great conversations and enjoyed fabulous food and drinks. We fit in a few workouts and some time relaxing by the pool. Some days we all went our own ways in smaller groups, but we always met up for dinner. It was a whirlwind, but so worth it to get to have a little time IN PERSON with friends and co-workers. Next year cannot come fast enough.

In a limo headed to dinner- Coach Jenny, Coach Liss, Beth, and Tammy

Filed Under: Meetups Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, Meetups, The Venus Factor, Venus Index, Venus Index Workout

Venus mom Erin says “Just do it!” regarding the Venus lifestyle for fat loss

July 7, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Erin says “Do it. Just put your mind to it, and do it. You will surprise yourself at what you are capable of; you are stronger than you think.“

Erin Martin came in seventh place in our Venus Transformation contest VT10

Erin’s own words regarding the Venus Factor:

What Venus means to me:

I was postpartum with my second child and struggling to lose the weight on traditional diets. I was able to lose the pregnancy weight but eventually stalled. I was still overweight and really unhappy with how I looked, I was self conscious and uncomfortable in my new maternal body. Same story, different girl.

My husband found Venus by chance, he watched the video and told me he thought I should take a look. I was reluctant, I didn’t want a gimmick, or fad, or pill, after all I’d come this far on my own, “doing it right, with diet and exercise.” I just needed to keep going and add more cardio. With two small children, adding even more cardio, and possibly a new stroller, wasn’t all that appealing. After a day or two I sat down and watched the Venus Index video, and was intrigued. The theories made so much since to me, I finally felt like I understood what was going on with my body. I really appreciated all the science and research John and partners put into the system, and shared so openly. It’s actually what “sold” me.

I joined Venus in November 2013, and started the contest in Jan 2014 to keep me focused. As of today I’ve lost a total of 74 pounds on my journey, the last 20 pounds of which, are thanks to VI. I have learned so much about my body, how I respond to food and what I actually need. I’ve learned how to control things through eat stop eat, intermittent fasting, weekly caloric control, when to eat low, when to eat up, and book-ending special events. I’ve learned how my body responds to exercise, and it’s OK that I hate cardio. I do three to four Venus workouts a week, in 30-45 minutes depending on the day, and that fits into my life. That’s what makes Venus my lifestyle, it is adaptable, it is flexible, and I am in control. I can now balance food, exercise, work, children, and social events; navigate emotions, motivations, relationships, and negativity with confidence. I have confidence and comfort, not only in my appearance, but in myself and my abilities. I am Venus.

Questions and Answers with our Venus winner Erin

How did you find the Venus Factor?

My husband actually found Venus for me. He knew how much I’d been struggling with hitting plateaus despite doing “everything right.” He watched the video and encouraged me to as well. I was very hesitant because I didn’t want some gimmick, pill, or fad. I’d been working at a healthy weight loss for over a year, after the delivery of my second child. Well, I obviously watched the video.

What aspect of the program was most beneficial to you?

Being in health care, I felt I had a pretty good understanding of nutrition and how the body works. The science behind why women get stuck, and how to fix it with “eating up” and keeping leptin at optimal levels was the most beneficial. I’m the type that “needs to know why”, and because the program made since to me, I was able to stick to it and be successful.

Did you like the Venus workout?

Yes. I am unable to do massive amounts of cardio, so finding a way to exercise that I actually enjoyed was great. I like that I can do the program at home while my children nap.

Which workout(s) did you use?

I started with the 12 week program, then progressed to the final phase work out series. I am now doing the advanced strength series.

What kept you motivated?

Keeping motivated to reach the “goal” was easy. I looked and felt better, so I just continued to push myself to be the best me I could be. I entered the contest to keep on track. Now, while figuring out maintenance, I’m having a harder time figuring out my motivation.

Do you have a particular style of eating?

No. I don’t think the way I approached the program fits into any one particular style of eating. I use concepts and values from each style and made them fit with what is important to me. The biggest key for me, is being aware of calories. When I first started counting calories, in October 2012, I was shocked at what I was blindly putting into my mouth. I was easily eating 3000 calories. I’ve always felt that I had a pretty healthy diet, but I lacked portion control.

I was actually very surprised that eating “clean” and “whole foods” were a thing. It’s the way I was brought up. We eat very little processed foods. We did however, fall into the trap of eating out too often while I was pregnant and undoing some of those habits became difficult. Now, I cook 5-6 nights a week, and eating out is for special occasions. I typically do a daily 18 hour fast, eat “low” during the week and eat up on the weekends. If I know we have a function or “big” weekend, I will incorporate 24-hour fasts to maintain my weekly caloric budget. The most important meal in my household is dinner, we eat as a family and I budget my daily calories around that meal, and always eat dinner.

Did you use the undulating diet protocol? If so how did it work for you and did you make any modifications?

The first 12 weeks I followed the protocol. Well I guess only the first 10 weeks, exactly as written. The contest started in what would’ve been my 10^th week, so I started over, week one, day one on the first day of the contest. I was amazed at the differences I was seeing in my body, not only composition, but in how I felt. At first, eating 1000 calories was very hard, but I got used to it quickly. I stuck with the undulating protocol, extra fat, extra protein, through out the contest. I did not “eat up” carbs because of the photo shoot, and my body bloats in reaction to extra carbs. At that point I was eating as low as I could with one eat up day every 5 or 6 days. I’d never go more than 6 days without a maintenance day. I usually followed a maintenance day with a fast.

Did you use any supplements?

Yes. The last three weeks of the contest I used leptiburn, prior to that, nothing other than protein powder/shakes to help me meet my daily protein number.

Did you use the online community and how was that experience?

In the beginning I did use the community. I was able to get help answering questions, get support, and I even tried blogging a few times. You need to offer support to get support and I just wasn’t that involved. I really “lost interest” after the first of the year when so many women joined and after the 400^th “is this real” question, I stopped utilizing it. I still listen to podcasts and read the Venus blog however.

Did you find support with friends and family?

Yes, for the most part. My husband was my biggest cheerleader. He knew how uncomfortable I was in my body and enjoyed watching me take control. He encouraged me and loved that I was becoming excited about the changes I was experiencing and comfortable in my own skin again.

What was the hardest obstacle to conquer?

Negative attitudes and comments. They were hurtful and two fold, sabotaging and made me think was I really THAT bad before! Second was figuring out how to fit lifting into my life when I started working again. Making ME a priority.

How did you feel about your final pictures?

I was a little disappointed. I didn’t come out quite as I’d hoped. I practiced my poses in the mirror, and even brought a mirror with me to the shoot, but dang, posing is HARD!! It’s really difficult to get that strong, yet relaxed look. My neck tendons are apparently connected to my abdomen. I am much happier with the pictures I took for the cover. I was able to look fit, but relaxed. It was very exciting to “see” what others saw. I was proud of myself and felt “Hot” for the first time in a very, very long time.

Is this a lifestyle you will continue?

ABSOLUTELY! I really enjoy lifting, truly enjoy it. I like feeling strong. I like looking strong. The eating portion will always challenge me, but I know that if I falter, it’s not the end of the world. I have tools to prepare for big events or make up for a goof, if I need. I can participate in social eating without feeling bad. The tertiary style of eating, as John calls it, perplexes me, and will for a while. If I am not cognizant of what I’m eating, I easily overeat. I’ve actually over eaten to the point of true discomfort. I’m slowly learning my lesson. I’m slowly learning to feed my body, not my taste buds!

What is your best advice for other Venuses?

Do it. Just put your mind to it, and do it. You will surprise yourself at what you are capable of; you are stronger than you think. The 12 weeks are going to go by either way, you might as well focus those 12 weeks on doing something beneficial for yourself. If you are doing the contest, my advice is practice posing. No matter how silly you feel, practice. Get the muscle memory, so that your pictures will turn out how you hoped they will, and how you envisioned them.

How to Break the Weight Loss Stall or Plateau; with Coach Liss

June 6, 2014 by Liss Graham Leave a Comment

Coach Liss and Coach Jenny are here to help you break a plateau

Coach Liss and Coach Jenny are here to help you break a fat loss stall or plateau.

What is a fat loss plateau?

A stall or fat loss plateau happens when you have been “on plan” for at least 21 days and have not seen any movement in the tape measure or the scale.

Remember that a change in metrics or inches is just as much progress as a change in the body weight scale. Celebrate that and trust what you are doing.

If the time span has been less than 21 days, then you need to be patient and keep working. Fat loss is not linear. It does not directly correlate to our calorie expenditure; instead fat loss seems to come in chunks. We call it the “whoosh” in Venus. All we can focus on is nailing our calorie and workout goals. The fat loss will come in time if we nail those two things.

Fat Loss Troubleshooting

When things flat line and stall, be honest with yourself. Have you really been “on plan”? If you have followed the plan to a T, then here are 3 things you can do:

M.E.T.

Measure everything

For maintenance, eyeballing portions is just fine. But being in a caloric deficit is a different beast. Everything that you eat should be weighed or measured. There are too many other uncertainties to worry about, the amount you eat should not be uncertain. Control what you can control.

Compensate for Error

You need to take off 15% from your calorie goals to account for error. Basically, there are many common errors in any food that you intake outside of our measuring control. It can range from the fruit sugars varying each harvest to packaged food containing 52 grams instead of 50 grams of material. Taking off 15% off a calorie goal to account for error is a good idea.

Tastes, Bites, and Licks

We all do it. Our kid does not eat their last nugget, so we do instead. Licking the peanut butter off the spoon, waste not and want not. Tastes, bites, and licks can add up fast- one to two hundred calories a day in a snap. If it goes into your mouth, you must count those calories. Be honest with yourself.

The final caveat – below median

When all else fails, you might be that bottom 25% that fall below the average calorie recommendation in our calculator for your height. If you do M.E.T. for 21 days and you do not lose either in metrics or mass- then that is a sign you may be below average in RMR (resting metabolic rate) for your height. I happen to fall in this area, by the way. A good tip off that is that you have longer legs than other women your height. Having longer legs also means that you have a shorter torso which means smaller organs which account for most of your RMR.

Just Keep Going!

The good news is that you can get to the bottom of a plateau or fat loss stall. Just be patient and keep going. Trial and learning from errors is key.

A Venus coach is a helpful tool during frustrating times like a plateau. We have lived through them, and helped trouble shoot issues for other women just like you. If you have a tricky situation or just need accountability, a coach might be just what you need.

Remember to keep going, you can do this!

If you want a Venus Premier Coach <<– Sign up here

PS You don’t have to be in a contest to get coaching.

Filed Under: change, fat loss, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, body composition, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, The Venus Factor, Venus Index Workout, working out for shape

VT10 12-Week Transformation Winners Announced

May 5, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

The VT10 results are in and the transformations and final pictures are simply amazing!

One thing I love about the focus for women in the Venus program is “The focus is proportions and shape (rather than weight loss at all costs or building muscle like a guy)” – John Barban.

Congratulations to everyone who entered and finished! This took hard work on the part of everyone and it shows.

Here are the winners:

First Place – Valerie Pallister

Through the Venus program I have learned how to eat in a way that I can maintain in my real life. I have discovered that I really enjoy weight and resistance training. It has taken the place of my missing running activities and I couldn’t be happier with my results!

Second Place – Bonnelyn Thwaits

I have made friends from all over the world. A simple encouraging word is enough sometimes. Sometimes I fell on my face, but I learned a new motto, always stumble forward. Is it a transformation?
I think it is a discovery, and Venus Index is the treasure map.

Third Place – Heather Norris

I’ve discovered that even though my body has changed from child birth I’ve never developed the muscles in my abs like I have with the Venus workout. I love feeling confident in the clothes I wear and the compliments I get from my family and friends.

Fourth Place – Wendy Becker Schmidt

I am DONE with starting over. This is the first time in my LIFE that I have “after” photos. I am SO proud of the progress I have made over the past 12 weeks and thrilled that I have FINISHED a fitness goal that I set out to complete. I feel confident, invigorated and strong.

Fifth Place – Michal Gansad

I already consider myself a winner for life, as long as I stick to VI practices. Golden ratio is within my reach, and I am a winner. I also want to share that I do all my work outs at home due to having a baby and still breastfeeding.

Sixth Place – Diana Gann

I gained 50 lbs with both my pregnancies! I can now say that at the age of 32, and as a mom of a 4 year old and a 9 month old, I look the best I’ve ever looked. I’m the best me I’ve ever been and this is just the beginning. I worked hard for this and I’m so incredibly happy I did. There’s no stopping me now. Thank you Venus Factor. What a blessing you have been!

Seventh Place – Erin Martin

I hate cardio. I do three to four Venus workouts a week, in 30-45 minutes depending on the day, and that fits into my life. That’s what makes Venus my lifestyle, it is adaptable, it is flexible, and I am in control. I can now balance food, exercise, work, children, and social events; navigate emotions, motivations, relationships, and negativity with confidence. I have confidence and comfort, not only in my appearance, but also in my abilities and myself. I am Venus.

Eighth Place – Pam McCawley

As of today, my 50th birthday, I’m in the best shape of my life. It honestly sounded too good to be true. Eating what my family is eating had been non-existent for 4 years. The freedom within this has drawn even my older children to it.

Ninth Place – Vicki Powers

I can honestly say that at 51 years old I have never looked better, and my level of fitness has never been more balanced and rewarding. Twelve weeks later and I’ve got to say, I have honestly realized the results for which I have worked diligently (and all of my adult life)! I have been an avid exerciser and activity enthusiast since I was 16 years old. After chasing the carrot for nearly a lifetime, I finally feel the health and vitality I now communicate externally is a true reflection of my internal healthy efforts.

Tenth Place – Ana Gomez

As a cancer survivor, I know that exercising can help me live longer. I am 60 years old and never imagined feeling healthy at this age, knowing that this lifestyle will help me feel and look better. It’s a dramatic change for someone who never visited a gym before. How I feel after every workout has made me become addicted. Today, workout is priority – my life and my days are planned around my 60-minute workout. I feel empowered!

VT-11 Starts May 19, 2014 and ends August 11, 2014

There will be a new entry form for entering so keep your eye out for John’s email on how to do this SOON!

Filed Under: Contest, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, Venus Index Workout, weight training, working out for shape

Get Rid of Weight Loss Fallacies Once and For All!

March 31, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

“I now weigh 142 pounds and it just keeps coming off! The compliments come from people every day. I am a more confident and outgoing woman now. I do not want this journey to end! I will continue to strive toward my Venus Index Measurements. I love the Venus Factor program! Anybody can do this! Thank you for changing my life forever!”

Melissa Drachenberg placed Ninth in our VT-9 Venus Transformation Contest.

Melissa is very busy with her exciting and successful life, but she had a lot to say about how the Venus Factor program worked for her, in her own words:

The twelve-week contest was beginning and I felt confident enough to join. Just four weeks prior to the contest, I became a Venus member. I was 170 pounds when I joined. By the time the contest began, I had already lost eleven pounds and I could see a big difference in the way my clothes fit. I was still very uncomfortable taking pictures and knowing other people would be looking at them for this contest. I was wearing a size 12-14 pants at the time. The excuses of, “weight comes with age” and “it’s a lot harder to lose weight now that I’m in my 40’s,” had to stop!!!!!

It is important to know that this twelve week contest was a contest I did for me and not for anyone else. I didn’t join to win or impress other people. I joined to see my very own progress and change in twelve weeks. Every week I lost about two pounds and if I didn’t lose pounds, I lost inches. I faithfully counted calories, ate two meals a day, and did my three workouts a week. For the longest time I did not buy new clothes because I knew I wouldn’t be in that size for long and I didn’t have the money to waste. Belts became my best friend. Just recently, I finally went and bought clothes because I felt I looked frumpy with my baggy clothes. I am now into a size 6-8 pants. Never have I been this size! The measurement change has been just as amazing!

I now weigh 142 pounds and it just keeps coming off! The compliments come from people every day. I am a more confident and outgoing woman now. I do not want this journey to end! I will continue to strive toward my Venus Index Measurements. I love the Venus Factor program! Anybody can do this! Thank you for changing my life forever! 🙂

Height 63”

Start: Weight 159 pounds, Shoulders 44”, Waist 33”, Hips 43”

End: Weight 142 pounds, Shoulders 39”, Waist 29”, Hips 37”

Congratulations on your success Melissa. We at the Venus Factor wish you all the best, we hope you are proud of your success, and we are very happy for you!

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Filed Under: transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: body composition, diet for weight loss, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, transformation contest, Venus Index, venus index contest, Venus Index Workout, weight loss, weight training, working out for shape

Danielle found fat loss success using freedom of choice with food

March 10, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

I found the key to my success this time was John’s secret of “never let them see you sweat”. I never complained about dieting or bragged about hitting the gym 5-6 days/week. Instead I made it a personal journey and made sure to still enjoy social eating with my friends (within reason).

Danielle placed Fourth in our VT-9 Transformation contest.

Here is what she has to say in her own words:

“Wow, I can’t believe I made it through the 12 week challenge! I entered the contest late (on a Thursday instead of Monday), so technically my last day is Thanksgiving. I’m really proud of myself for making it all 12 weeks because I usually lose resolve around week 4 of any other diet plan.

I found the key to my success this time was John’s secret of “never let them see you sweat”. I never complained about dieting or bragged about hitting the gym 5-6 days/week. Instead I made it a personal journey and made sure to still enjoy social eating with my friends (within reason).

I realized that in the past social pressure from friends (“you don’t need to lose weight; you’re fine the way you are”) has really steered me off course. I know they love me and mean well, but my fitness and health goals are important to me. Both my jobs are in healthcare and it’s very hard for me to encourage good diet choices and daily exercise to my patients and students when I know I’m not doing the same in my daily life.

Beginning stats:

Weight- 182.4lb

Arms- 13″

Thighs-24.75″

Waist-34″

Hips-44″

Shoulders-45″

Ending Stats:

Weight-164.6lb (-17.8lb)

Arms-12″ (-1″)

Thighs-23.2″ (-1.55″)

Waist-32.3″ (-1.7″)

Hips-40.3″ (-3.7″)

Shoulders-42″ (-2″)

I’ve still got a way to go, but I’m on the right path!”

I started the Venus program in September 2013 at the urging of my mom. She said “This is it! We’ll never have to try a yo-yo diet again!” Of course I was skeptical having been through the rigors of numerous diet and/or exercise programs that promised the “perfect” body over the years, but I figured I hadn’t seen a program quite like this before so why not give it a try? Plus, the VT-9 contest was gearing up and I love a good competition 🙂

I found that even though I was stressed out with being a full time nursing student, working part time, and being a new wife the Venus program was simple to follow and fit very naturally into my lifestyle. I was worried that I would lose my resolve around week 4, as that was what usually happened with past diets, but I just kept telling myself that I would be so happy at the end of the contest, not because I thought I’d place, but because I figured the new body at the end of the experience would be totally worth a few hunger pangs along the way.

Being a nursing student at the time, all I did was study the body and disease processes all day long. I think that most people acknowledge the role of lifestyle choices (namely food and exercise) in preventing disease…but that doesn’t prevent most of us from indulging more than we should. A lot of the patient education we do is coaching our patients on healthy eating choices and increasing their weekly exercise totals no matter what disease process they are working through.

I felt like at the end of the day I didn’t want to be a hypocrite! How can I know the “right “way to eat and exercise, teach this to others daily, and then not be an example of it myself? On top of that, me and my husband wanted to start a family in the near future and I did not want to increase my chances of having birth complications or adverse health complications for my future children by being overweight during pregnancy. Also, I want my future children to have a happy, confident, healthy mother who doesn’t model yo-yo dieting as the “norm”, but models balanced eating to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Venus program has given me the confidence that I can do that! 🙂

I’m happy to report that I’m 30lbs lighter…and pregnant with our first child! I miss my Venus sisters on the blog, but I know they will be excited when they hear the news!

-Dani

You can find Dani’s blog in our online Venus community for inspiration.

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Filed Under: Contest, Diet, Uncategorized Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, becoming a venus, body composition, bodyfat, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, Venus index Transformation, Venus Index Workout, working out for shape

What equipment do you need for the Venus Factor Workout?

March 7, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Shannon is a young mom who lost 50 pounds
and is in the best shape of her life.

The Venus Factor workout can be done at home, or at a gym

The workout is designed for all levels; beginners to advanced

The beginner workout is one hour for three days a week.

If you are a beginner and new to exercise you can break up the sessions. For example you can do one set of everything and that would take 20 minutes a day.

Everyone starts somewhere. All that matters is that you start and then build up your strength from there. You can also modify exercises to your own level, you can do pushups against a counter until you build strength, or start them on your knees.

No matter what your level you use the correct size dumbbell weights for you and then work your way up. It does not matter what weights someone else uses. All that matters is that you start at your own level and build your own body and your own strength.

Sometimes when you are just starting you can do the exercises with no weights, and you can hang onto something to help keep your balance if you need to until you build up strength.

What you will need:

Dumbbells; 1 pound up to 25 pounds
Stability ball
Sturdy step up block
Sturdy flat bench

Optional:

Kettle bells
Ab wheel
Barbell
E-Z curl bar

Shannon is one of our veteran Venuses who has lost weight and also maintained her new shape with the Venus Factor for several years now. She recently started a thread in our online community explaining the workout equipment she purchased for her home.

Here is more information regarding our workouts:

What about doing other workouts along with the Venus workouts?

We encourage you to do all the exercise you enjoy. The three day a week Venus workouts are perfect cross training for many activities. I have found that the Venus workouts improved my running performance. Recently I found that my strength gained with the Venus Factor workouts were put to the test.

The Venus workout is designed for women to improve the female physique. It also has the added benefit (like any other lifting routine) to improve bone density, health, strength, endurance, and functionality. For many women other more cardio intense workouts might cause extra fatigue, stress, and hunger.

I described a recent workout experience where I experienced increased hunger and inflammation, and I’ve also experienced “compensating for the increased energy expenditure by being less active throughout the rest of the day” when I was training for marathons and ultra marathons.

If your goal is to lose fat, the longer more intense cardio workouts might contradict that goal.

Shannon’s in-home gym setup

1.Dumbbells-Some people like adjustable ones. I do too, but I prefer something like a PowerBlock or Bowflex adjustable DB set because I don’t like changing weights on and off a bar with clips when super-setting two exercises back to back. If you want to make it easiest without any need to switch, get solid dumbbells of varying sizes. I would not buy anything smaller than a 5 unless you are totally new to working out. You will outgrow 2’s and 3’s very quickly.

Hopefully you have some idea where to start. If you are totally new, maybe 5’s, 8’s, 10’s, 12’s? For back and chest exercises, you may need to go heavier. As you need more, you can buy heavier DB sets. If you have a husband who also works out, you may end up with quite a lot of DBs. We eventually bought a rack ($200) after keeping them on an old coffee table for years! This is in no way required but if you end up buying a set off craigslist, I’ve noticed people selling sets with racks included, it’s a nice to have for organization.

Shannon’s in-home dumbbell rack

Some kind of step or bench for step-ups. An aerobic bench step, or a basic but stable weight bench. The bench will also be useful for chest presses and one-arm rows and other exercises. If you don’t have a bench, you can step up onto something stable like a bottom stair, use a yoga mat for chest presses, and rest your hand on a chair for one-arm rows. Keep in mind at the highest, the highest step you use should probably be about knee height for you (I remember Denise saying that at one point and it definitely works much better for me not to try to step too high.) So while my husband uses the flat bench we have, I use a shorter bench for step-ups.

3. Stability ball. These are pretty cheap and around new years you can pick one up for under $10. They look to be around $20 on Amazon. Read reviews as I’ve found some of the pumps can be less than durable. Be sure to get one that is appropriate for your height, they will say a certain size “For heights 5′ to 5’5”, etc. And never stand on one. One of our stability balls is blue and visible in one of the pictures.

If you are getting into the work out at home thing, as we have been doing over the past 13 years, you can accumulate quite a bit of stuff making your home workout area just as good as any gym. Mind you, we haven’t paid for a gym membership in over 13 years…nor have we used this equipment consistently all the time we’ve had it, but have been using most of it very consistently for about 4 years now.

We have a half cage squat rack, which my husband Brian is using for floor bench presses in this picture. It cost us maybe $400 for the cage + barbell weights over 10 years ago. It has a pulldown attachment and seated row attachment and you can use it for barbell squats, bench presses with a bench, use the bar for inverted rows or elevated push-ups, bent over rows, and various other barbell exercises.

We have a half cage squat rack, which my husband Brian is using for floor bench presses.

To the right of the cage, you can see the PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells on a stand that we picked up used off Craigslist for a total of $150 (new PowerBlock DBs + stand are $800 total on Amazon).

In the following picture you can see our poor neglected elliptical and upright bike. They don’t get a lot of use…To the right is a blue incline bench we picked up off Craigslist for $75. It goes from sitting straight up (I use it for step-ups at this height as it’s perfect for me at 5’4.5″) to pretty far inclined for seated incline presses, curls, etc.

Our poor neglected elliptical and upright bike. They don’t get a lot of use…To the right is a blue incline bench.

Finally, a flat bench we picked up for $50. Technically it’s an ab bench but we just use it as a flat bench for various exercises. Brian uses it for step-ups as he’s taller than me (5’10”).

Technically it’s an ab bench but we just use it as a flat bench for various exercises.

We also have a doorway pull-up bar with resistance bands I’ve used for assistance when working up to these. Bands called FitCords (you can get them on Amazon) work well, and you can search band assisted pull-up on Youtube for a video of how to do pull-ups with bands. We also have a TRX which I use occasionally for push-ups and inverted rows and a kettlestack handle which allows you to use standard weight plates to make kettlebells of various sizes depending on your needs. I don’t do much with those right now but they’re good for variety.

Anyhow, hope that is helpful to give you a vision of what you can do at home given some space and investment! Gym memberships vary it seems from $10 a month to higher. If you prefer working out at home and have a room or half a large room to dedicate to it, you can definitely apply that membership money instead to giving yourself a nice workout area. The mirrors we have are inexpensive ones we bought and mounted, and some are mirrored plastic film stretched on frames. I like having plenty of mirrors around for checking my form and admiring my Venus body.

Happy workouts, all!

-Shannon

Shannon’s Venus online profile

About her home gym Shannon says “Working out at home can provide you great flexibility, especially if you have kids. For me, the barrier of getting to the gym was just too high when I started back to working out regularly in mid-2009, and I was pretty unhappy with my body such that I would not have felt good about getting into workout clothes in a new gym environment. With my home gym, I could get up early, grab some coffee, stumble down the hall and get going without the need to pack or get into a car, etc. It’s been a life saver for me!”

I’ve found I mostly like to go to a gym but I’m also setup to workout at home. Sometimes we get snowed in and it’s nice to have both options.

So what about you? Do you workout at home are at the gym? There are pro’s and con’s. We would love to hear your comments.

-Ro

Filed Under: Exercise, Shape, Uncategorized, Weight training Tagged With: Anything Goes Diet, Bobbie Carper, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, The Venus Factor, Venus Index, Venus Index Workout, weight training, working out for shape

What about the Set Point Theory? Uncensored podcast

March 5, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Is the Set Point Theory true?

What the set point theory suggests is that a person’s body, metabolism and caloric drive strive to maintain a specific preset weight. This means if your preset weight is high and you lose weight, your body will just try always try to gain it back.

Today John and Brad talk about this theory and answer the following questions:

What is concept of a set point theory?
Is it one sided?
How does it fit in with your fat loss process and maintaining your shape?
Do you have to accept the fact that your body needs to be at a certain weight?
Are you doomed to stay at a certain weight?
What is the set point theory based on?

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(If you are using Venus Index Mobile, go to the left menu -> My products -> right menu -> Uncensored Season 3 -> enjoy, you can assign star to add it into Favorites for easier access next time, if you don’t have access to Uncensored Podcasts you can purchase Immersion Package inside the App Shop)

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Filed Under: Diet, fat loss, Uncensored Podcasts S03 Tagged With: Adonis Index, Anything Goes Diet, body composition, bodyfat, brad pilon, diet for weight loss, Eat Stop Eat, goal setting, john barban, The Venus Factor, Venus Index, Venus Index Workout, working out for shape

The scale does not matter when you have a stunning female shape! Uncensored podcast

February 19, 2014 by Roberta Saum Leave a Comment

Carla has a stunning shape!
It is a perfect Venus Ideal shape which she got using Venus Factor.
You can have your own perfect ideal shape here too!

In today’s uncensored podcast John and Brad talk about the Venus Index Ideal shape, why it matters more than the body weight scale, and when it’s time to ditch the scale. The body weight scale is a necessary tool when you need to take corrective action for being over weight, but once you get to a healthy body weight – typically for females that might be 30% body fat or less, it is not so useful as a tool. In fact, it might be hindering your progress.

Proportions and shape matter more than the numbers. It is the look that is stunning, not the number. See that picture of Carla? It does not matter what she weighs or what size clothes she wears. She happens to have the Venus Ideal measurements and shape. Some of us have our best shape and the measurements don’t EXACTLY match the ideal – but they are close, and the look and proportions are still stunning.

We all have our unique gifts regarding our shape, and everyone can have a chance to achieve their best and most stunning look. When you do, the measurements will be very close to the Venus Ideal.

I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did. John and Brad plan to do more of these podcasts specifically for us ladies and I can’t wait to hear what they have for us in the coming year.