An Original Venus Who Never Gives Up

Today John talks to Tina Roman who placed sixth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Tina Roman before pictures

Tina Roman before the contest

Tina Roman after pictures

Tina Roman after the contest

A tenacious original Venus knows how to stick with the program

Tina is one of original women to try out the Venus Index Workout when it first came out.  She has stuck with it since the beginning.

She got an email from Craig Valentine regarding Eat Stop Eat and that is how she found the Venus Index Workout by John Barban.

Like many of us Tina did the yo-yo on a variety of diets finding most of them complicated and unsustainable.  Tina found the biggest key in the Body Centric Eating Manual which is part of the Venus Index.  No one ever told her she was simply eating too much for her size.  She finally learned something that made sense;  the truth about calories.

Life is not fair but she realized that she had to stop eating the same size portions as her husband.  Portion sizes are designed for 6 foot tall men.

Tina really liked the goal setting metrics that are part of the Venus Index program.  This made sense to her.

Mindset is 90% of the battle

Tina had never had a problem with exercise, in fact she worked really hard and couldn’t seem to lose the fat.  She joined several Venus Index transformation contests and found that with each contest she dropped more weight each time.  Tina found most of the battle to be the mental mindset.  The contests and the Venus Index Community helped her get the mindset she needed to succeed.

Tina also found the the unsensored podcasts to be educational and motivational and attributes much of her success to listening to them.  It didn’t take long for her to want “all in” with the Immersion program.  She sees the value of investing in yourself and deciding you are worth it.

Tina's constant commitment to Venus Index brought her this far!

Tina a few months before the first ever Venus Transformation contest compared to finishing her last contest (VT6).  She has done a fantastic job!

Advice from Tina:

 

Read what Tina wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I was always the thin girl in high school, no more than 100 lbs soaking wet. I started weight training to avoid “girls” gym  … Continue reading here.


Listen to Tina’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

What Is Maintenance?

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic:  Maintenance

What is maintenance?

What is maintenance?

What is maintenance?

The real answer is that you’re never actually just sitting in one spot at the exact same weight, and body fat %. You’re always fluctuating a little bit throughout the day, and throughout the year.

Maintenance is more of a transient state that you can dip in and out of when you you’re not necessarily trying to gain more muscle or burn more fat.

You can ‘hold’ and maintain a certain level of body fat and muscle for a given length of time and then get ready to push it hard again.

The step-wise progression

In all the body transformations I’ve ever seen it’s always a step-wise pattern. This means you will improve for a given amount of time. Then you’ll need to take a break. Once you feel ready you can push forward again. The amount you move forward is dependent on your goals and how hard you expect to push things.

Thinking about maintenance is also about managing expectations and where you expect to go based on the energy you’re putting forward.

Moments of maintenance happen for many reasons including lifestyle factors, seasonal changes, periodic moments of being sick, generalized stress.

For example over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season you may simply set a goal to just make it from November to January without gaining fat mass.

In this case you’re actually working to just maintain, and you’d probably have to consider it a win just to make through the holidays without gaining fat.

Maintenance is a mode you go into throughout the year, and it’s normal to go through phases of muscle growth vs muscle maintenance and fat loss vs maintenance.

In this podcast we discuss what maintenance is, how to define what it is and how often you should expect to be in maintenance mode.

-John 

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How To Become A Beautiful Beach Mom

Today John talks to Lisa Stout who placed tenth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Lisa Stout before the contest

Lisa Stout before the contest

Lisa Stout after the contest

Lisa Stout after the contest

A stay at home mom can make it work

Lisa was looking for a jump rope workout routine and found one on Rusty Moore’s Fitness Black Book website.  Rusty had good things to say about the Venus Index Workout so Lisa decided to try it.

She wanted a workout she could do at home while raising her three young children.  Lisa liked the three day Venus Index routine and the fact that all she had to do was follow the well laid out plan by John Barban.

For diet Lisa just followed the calorie estimates listed in the Venus Index program and did a little fasting.  She found she could skip breakfast and didn’t have to eat if she was not hungry.

Even though it was scary for her, Lisa joined the transformation contest to challenge herself.

Lisa found the Venus Index Community helpful because of the fact that it’s all women and that age was not a factor.  She noticed there were plenty of women over 40 years old and busy moms who were successful at their fitness goals and didn’t go to crazy extremes to get there.

 

You don't have to be a fitness model to be confident in a bikini

You don’t have to be a fitness model to be confident in a bikini

You don’t have to be a fitness model to feel confident in a bikini

The contest results were announced on Lisa’s 40th birthday and she was thrilled to have placed in the contest.

Lisa is especially happy because she loves to play at the beach with her kids.  She likes feeling confident in a bathing suit and being able to move and stay active with her children.

Even though her weight and measurements stayed the same, Lisa changed her shape significantly by following the 12 week Venus Index Workout and managing her calorie budget.

Lisa is inspired to try new physical activities and stay fit because of her accomplishments.

Links from the interview:

Advice from Lisa:

 

Read what Lisa wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I finished all twelve weeks of the workout this time. Hooray for me.  The last two weeks
were the most difficult and  … Continue reading here


Listen to Lisa’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

The Creation of a Masterpiece: The Venus

Re-framing Fitness

One thing that eluded me throughout my fitness history was a concept that could have saved me from the beginning. You see most people go to the gym to work off their “eating failures.”  If I could have re-framed what the gym was about, it could have saved me years in getting to the body of my dreams.

venus_goddess_black_236832_l

You choose your statue’s look

Carve and Sculpt at the Gym

The gym is to build muscle and sculpt your body. Period.

I compare it to the carving of a statue. Without weight lifting, you are a blank piece of marble, just another stone in the quarry, nothing unusual.  The beautiful statues that are preserved in museums and studied by scholars the world over all have a sculptor who took time to carefully carve each muscle, getting each angle just right.

The artists used the Golden Ratio which is exactly what John Barban designed into the Venus Index Ideal for goal setting metrics.

This is what weight lifting can do for you- build each muscle until your physique is just right. You can even take down a prominent muscle group if you need to. The end result is a beautiful, well-sculpted body that is pleasing to the human eye.

Showcase your Work with Calories

Your calorie intake is akin to a sheet that covers the statue. It does not matter how much sculpting and time you have put into your statue, you cannot see the details beneath a sheet.  So until you get your intake in check and start bringing down your body fat percentages, that physique is going to be hidden underneath the covering.  As your body fat percentages come down, details will slowly start to show through the covering- collar bones, then bicep muscles, some veins, abs, etc.

Calories are King

Let me re-emphasize that you cannot out train a bad diet. A friend of mine once jokingly said that it takes her 30 hard minutes on a treadmill to burn 300 calories and about 30 seconds to inhale 300 calories of chips.

Do not mix the two:

  • the gym is for sculpting
  • the food is for showcasing the work.

Brad Pilon calls this “Fat Loss Divide and Conquer”

We do not work out to burn calories here at Venus Index, we workout to build our best bodies.   Once I sorted this out I found my success.

Liss found her Golden Ratio Venus Ideal by using the Venus Index goal setting metrics

Liss found her Golden Ratio Venus Ideal by using the Venus Index goal setting metrics

At some point close to the Venus Index Ideal, women usually find a happy medium where they have their best shape.  The “best shape” can be highly individual and is a level that fits your lifestyle; it is different for each person.

This is when your best attributes are showcased, and your calorie intake does not feel restricted.

That is what living at Venus Index should feel like- an everyday Venus.

-Liss

 

Learn To Love The Gym By The Power Of Habit

Today John talks to Jessie T who placed Fourth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Jessie's pictures before the contest

Jessie’s pictures before the contest

Jessie’s pictures after the 12 week contest

It takes awhile for the mind to catch up with the body

Jessie tells John she still remembers herself as over weight with long curly hair.  She has a hard time recognizing herself in the mirror with short hair and being fit now.

It takes a while for the mind to catch up with the body.

She likes what she sees in the mirror now and was thrilled when she first started seeing her own ab definition.

Jessie said she would not have joined the contest if it were not for the Venus Index Community Forum. She said it was the best thing she ever did for herself.

The contest got her motivated to do the Venus Index Workout even though she hated the gym and with it she got amazing results.

All that matters is calories

Like many of us Jessie tried several different eating styles and did not get that all that matters is calories.

She found that most of the diets she looked at seemed to cater towards people’s desire to eat as much as they want;  all the fruit they want or all the fat and protein they want, and the list goes on.

She spent a lot of time finding many ways that did not work.  On some diets she was hindered by restrained eating.

She was sold on the program when she heard John and Brad talk about how there is no secret to weight loss;  eat what you want, just less.

Jessie loved Brad Pilon’s article “Fat Loss Divide and Conquer“and found she loves to fast.

She hated the gym, but now Jessie is a regular there known by name

Jessie had a bad experience at a gym once as so she hated the gym and didn’t really know how to lift weights.

After doing the Venus Index Workout she is not afraid to lift heavy and became a regular at her gym and now they know her by name.

Jessie didn’t have to stop running and in fact completed a half marathon during the contest.  She found that it does not matter if you do cardio or not.

She stopped doing cardio at the end of the contest and it did not hinder her weight loss progress.

Jessie was thrilled when she finally saw her own ab definition

Jessie was thrilled when she finally saw her own ab definition

Pick one thing, the power of habit

At one point after reading all the insane contradictory information in the diet and fitness industry Jessie realized she was paralyzed by analysis.

Once she joined the contest and focused on the workout and calories she realized that one victory spawns another and it starts snowballing into the rest of your life.

One good habit leads to the next as described in a book she read called The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

During the holidays she found if you just pick one thing to keep you on track it really helps.  She never stopped her workouts during the holidays and that kept her on the right path to success.

It is part of the power of habit.

She found that by doing this she learned to be consistent.

Links from the interview:

  • Eat Stop Eat – Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices
  • Original Venus Index Workout – Workout program for women that’s responsible for the most amazing transformations online
  • Venus Index Community – Friendliest and most supportive women’s only fitness community on the Internet

Advice from Jessie:

Read what Jessie wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

VT6 after photos and essay 250 words is by far not long enough to say all the things I
want to say about my experience. So I will simply share the lessons I realized …Continue reading here

Listen to Jessie’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Nutrition & Training: Flexible vs. Structured

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic: Nutrition & Training: Flexible vs. Structured

Are you a type of person who needs a meal plan for every day or can you handle more loose structured way of eating?

Are you a type of person who needs a meal plan for every day or can you handle more loose structured way of eating?

When it comes to nutrition & training advice, how much structure is best for you?

Our last episode was on optimal vs. practical training and today John Barban & Brad Pilon take this topic a bit further while discussing flexible vs. structured training and diet.

As stated in our last article with the rise of obesity it’s safe to say that an emergency is on our hands when it comes to our health and we must take action.  But what nutrition & training advice should we follow to become consistent obtain successful results?

The information on diet and fitness becomes more and more daunting. From nutritional strategies consisting of: macro/micro nutrients, slow/fast proteins, what foods are good, what foods are bad, and the highly controversial thoughts on meal timing, a person could become easily overwhelmed.

Things aren’t much better on the training side of the house as we are faced with a myriad of factors to take into account. Ranging from: Workout Intensity, Volume, length of actual workouts, and the rest/recovery period.

While some structure is necessary how much structure do you actually need?

At what point does too much structure hinder or stop your progress?

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:

  • With consistency, effort, and patience anyone can change their look significantly in one year
  • Why structured metric goals along with a more relaxed approach to diet and fitness makes you successful
  • How to determine the level of structure you need
  • How the structure you need is a continuum
  • How fitness products sell too much structure with goals that are too vague
  • How Top Level athletes follow extremely strict regimes for a specific purpose that is unsustainable to the average person
  • How too much structure and restrained dieting will slow down your progress
  • How there is a minimal amount of structure needed for each individual
  • For diet the first level of of structure should be how much you eat
  • People spend so much time on diet structure that they miss the point that what matters is how much they eat
  • How to manage your diet so that it is less structured
  • How to manage your training so that it is less structured

 

Transform Your Mind And Your Body By Keeping It Simple

Today John talks to Deanne Hernandez who placed first in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

deanna-hernandez-befores

Deanne before the contest

Deanne Hernandez - 1st Place - After Photos

Deanne Hernandez – 1st Place – After Photos

At the beginning of the contest Deanne did the Venus Index Workout but tried to eat gluten free because it sounded like a good thing to do.  Like many of us she was eating a certain way for no particular reason other than it seems to be the latest fad.  She realized she could not lose weight because she was still eating too many calories.  Her weight stayed the same during the first eight weeks of the contest.  She did not take her diet and calories seriously enough.  Then she got really motivated and kicked into gear, got motivated, got her correct mindset, took a good look at her calories, and ended up with some amazing results. You can change the way you look.  Deanne also decided to get involved in the Venus Index Community Forum and that helped her a lot.  She didn’t realize how much support and information was available there.  She highly recommends others to get involved there to help with your success.

Stay Motivated

Deanne realized that the process was mostly about mindset.  Like most of us have also learned she found she needed mindset techniques like cause and effect; “If I do this than what?”, and “You either do it you don’t.”  She decided she needed the contest with the end date to help keep her motivated.  She said the contest was the best thing she ever did for herself.  She realizes now that what she learned how to do during the contest is something she can do for the rest of her life.

Deanne loved listening to the previous contest winner interviews and loved to imagine herself looking like the pictures of Alisha.  Not only did the process transform her body but it transformed her mind.  She had spent most of her life with a poor image of herself and a lot of negative self talk.  The process she used during the contest and listening to Olya’s interview helped her stop the negative self talk.  She started treating her workouts and diet as gifts to her body.  She now treats herself with kindness and respect.

Knowledge Is Power

Deanne learned that managing the correct amount of calories, Eat Stop Eat, and eating foods you like were the keys to successful weight loss for her.  She learned the truth about calories from the Venus Index manuals and from the Venus Index community.  Deanne learned that the process was simple but not easy.  She decided to keep it simple and tune out all of the conflicting information that comes from the diet and fitness industry.

Keep It Simple

Deanne really liked April’s interview and the plan for doing the VI workout lifting weights three days a week.  Even though more advanced weight lifters can do the workout more days per week the three days per week kept it simple for her.  She decided she would do something every day.  Mostly she paid attention to her activity level for the day and tried to make sure she was taking 10,000 steps.  She walked while she listened to the Venus Index podcasts and that made it fun and enjoyable for her.  She decided that if she did not feel like exercising she would just do it anyway, even if she decided to make the workout easier or lift lighter.  Even on the days she decided to do an easier workout she found that once she got going she felt like pushing herself hard and it felt good.  She found that by doing this she learned to be consistent.

Deanne_After

Look what being consistent and motivated did for Deanne. She looks fabulous.

Links from the interview:

  • Eat Stop Eat – Diet Lifestyle protocol designed to help you to lose fat and regain freedom in your food choices
  • Original Venus Index Workout – Workout program for women that’s responsible for the most amazing transformations online
  • Venus Index Community – Friendliest and most supportive women’s only fitness community on the Internet

Advice from Deanne:

  • Don’t wait, Do something NOW.
  • Keep it simple
  • Figure out how many calories you need and go from there
  • Join a transformation contest
  • It is mostly about mindset
  • Set a goal with a date
  • Even if you don’t feel like it do an easy exercise
  • Exercise as a gift to your body
  • The process is simple, but not easy

Read what Deanne wrote about her experience with Venus Index:

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the difference between success and failure was education. That idea now makes perfect sense after completing VT6. My failure in weight loss was completely due to my lack of education about the way the human body works. I was an overweight child, and my fittest years being in early college when I was the most active. After college, my weight crept on me and I went through …Continue reading here

Listen to Deanne’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

Infomercial Workout Junkie Discovers Venus Index

Here’s your new interview with one of the contestants from the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Today John talks to Sheila Kibe, who finished second in our most recent transformation contest.

Check out her stunning transformation pictures:

Sheila Kibe - 2nd Place - Before Photos

Sheila Kibe – 2nd Place – Before Photos

 

Sheila Kibe- 2nd Place - After Photos

Sheila Kibe- 2nd Place – After Photos

 

Read Sheila’s experience with Venus Index in her own words:

At the beginning of 2012 I was doing what I always do, searching for a workout program to help me lose the weight I had gained the previous year. Every year it was the same goal and that was to reach 135 lbs by my birthday in October.
The only difference was that this was my fortieth birthday and I wanted to enter my forties’ in the best shape of my life. I have spent the last 17 years since having kids trying to lose weight. So working out and dieting is nothing new for me. Some years I had success but it was like a roller coaster up and down.
This year when I stepped on the scale I weighed 173 lbs and I decided that it was time to take control. I spent January through May doing different exercise programs but only managed to lose 13 lbs, how pathetic is that?!? I was busting my butt with cardio and I didn’t seem to make any improvement in the appearance of my body.
I realized that my eating was a major issue and I started searching online for how low I could go without putting my body into “starvation mode” and that is how I happen to come across the Venus Index. I listened to a short video that intrigued me and I then purchased VI 1.
I started on June 17th at 160.5 lbs and my first week was just getting through the fasting and then the 2nd week was when I started the actual workouts. From that point on, I never looked back and I never strayed. 6 months later, I am 50 lbs lighter and 37 lbs of that was lost through using the Venus Index and Eat Stop Eat.
And the best part was that not only did I meet my goal but I surpassed it and weighed in at 131 lbs for my 40th birthday. The best birthday present ever!

Tips from Sheila:

  • Be open minded to Intermittent Fasting (IF) , you will not go into “Starvation Mode”
  • Pay attention to your  calories and manage them accordingly. You maybe consuming more than you think you are
  • Take several rounds of pictures during your photoshoot, to ensure that your lighting captures your physique at it’s very best.
  • The  benefits of doing a Water Load prior to your “After Photos” maybe cumbersome at first but the results are worth it.

Sheila’s Workout and Nutrition Plans:

 Venus Index Phase I

Eat Stop Eat

 

 

Listen to Sheila’s interview here, and please “like” it when you’re done:

 

The Downfall of Hero Worship

Here’s the next episode of the UNCENSORED Podcasts Season 2.

Today’s topic: The Downfall of Hero Worship

 

How does Hero Worship skew the reality of our physique goals?

How does Hero Worship skew the reality of our physique goals?

Bigger, Faster, Stronger… but at

what cost?

In the world of entertainment and sports, performance means everything.  So much so that the individual’s who have achieved a superior level of performance in their respective profession are often referred to as a “Hero” by fans and followers alike.

There is no doubt that they have dedicated a tremendous amount of time & effort into becoming the “very best” at what they do. Although this is quite admirable, is it wise to compare ourselves to our favorite hero?

This podcast is unique, because it was spurred from another podcast in which Joe Rogan (from The Joe Rogan Experience) in a highly controversial interview with Victor Conte (from the BALCO scandal) , reveals the widespread use of doping and performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in entertainment and sports.

This is one of the many examples in which the  views and opinions of our favorite heroes have become jaded once discovered that PEDs played a role in their success.

So…How does Hero Worship skew the reality of our physique goals?

These questions and much more will be answered in John Barban’s & Brad Pilon’s discussion on “The Downfall of Hero Worship.”

They will provide further insight and analysis into this growing investigation of PEDs and what it means for the person whose looking to improve upon their physique.

In today’s UNCENSORED training, you will also discover:

  • Why your favorite hero should serve as a source of inspiration, not imitation
  • Why self-diagnosing will become more prevalent as science and technology develops
  • What are the benefits of Vitamin & Mineral Profiling
  • How genetics play a role in achieving optimum performance
  • The impact of The “Use or Lose” Mentality on entertainment & sports
  • How different athletes’ are tested depending their sport
  • The Culture Difference between “Bodybuilding” and “Entertainment/Sports Performance”
  • If strength will help determine your looks
  • How to determine your ideal Body-Image Model
  • What are some of the benefits of a Transformation Contest
  • The psychological impact of taking progress pictures and undergoing a photoshoot

IMMERSION Clients May Login and Download Podcast Here

Not a Venus Index IMMERSION client? Click here to find out more… and hear a weird story too

 

Phi-Life Series: Muscle Building & The Anabolic Continuum

Today we bring you another podcast from our phi-life series.

Phi-Life is a series of podcasts where John Barban and Brad Pilon discuss their ideas and concepts on the topics of muscle building, fat loss and health. In a nutshell they are just thinking out loud and recording it for your benefit.

Today’s topic: Muscle Building & The Anabolic Continuum

iStock_000022799661XSmall

Where are you in the Anabolic Continuum?

 

Muscle Building is one of the most elusive goals of  bodybuilders and gym-goers alike.  Furthermore, it has puzzled scientist’s in research studies who have been unable to effectively control and/or determine the results of a muscle-building research study.

When it comes to muscle building, it’s important to identify where an individual is in the Anabolic Continuum.

The Anabolic Continuum takes into account the several factors that determines your potential for muscle building. A few factors for example are: height, weight, age, and years of training experience.

Your ability to build muscle follows a very logical progression. Specifically, with your response to weight training.

Today John Barban and Brad Pilon will discuss further intricacies of the Anabolic Continuum, as well as provide some tips and suggestions to ensure you remain on track for your training and muscle building goals.

 

You will also learn and discover:

What are confounding variables and how they can impact a research study

The difference between responders and non-responders in research studies

How to predict your lean muscle mass

How to determine where you are on the anabolic continuum

Are you in the right place in your weight training life

Is there a specific way that you should be training

What are the knowns and unknowns when evaluating an individual for a research study

Listen to the podcast here:

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