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Preparing For Your Contest Photo Shoot – Part 1: Posing Practice

March 13, 2013 by 6 Comments

The deadline for the 7th Venus Index Transformation Contest on April 15th is quickly approaching.  This article is part of a 3 part series to help gear you up with ideas on how to make your photo shoot fun and successful.  We will cover posing practice, lighting, photography, scene setup, water load and deplete, bikini and shoe selection, tanning and other grooming ideas.

Preparing for your contest photo shoot – Part 1: Posing practice

When it comes to taking good pictures getting in shape is only part of the equation; it is the most important part but you still have to learn how to “present yourself” once you get there.  Posing is something you should start practicing now if you want successful pictures.  It takes some effort and can be tiring.  Like most “training” it works well if you can spread it out over time so you can rest in between sessions.  This gives you time to mull things over and come up with creative ideas to try out for the next session.  Always try to end your sessions on a positive note.

We already have a tutorial with Loren Jacobson and an interview with her; there is much to learn from Loren’s experience and wisdom.  I’ve tried this type of posing with a group of competition girls and it is hard; it takes practice.

One of the very first Venus contest winners, Alisha McGinn, did a phenomenal job with with taking pictures.  She took first place in two contests.  You can see the pictures and listen to what she did to make them so awesome during her interviews for the 1st Venus Index Transformation Contest and the 3rd Venus Index Transformation Contest.

Alisha is one of the first pioneers of the Venus Index program and her driving force, dedication, and trust in John and Brad have enabled most of us to enjoy new features of this program like the Reverse Taper Diet of which she is featured on the cover.

Alisha did so well on her photo shoot that her picture is featured on the cover of the Reverse Taper Diet manual

Alisha did so well on her photo shoot that her picture is featured on the cover of the Reverse Taper Diet manual

The Reverse Tape Diet manual and calorie calculator are included with the Immersion product.

Mandatory poses

You will need to take a mandatory front, side, and back photo, arms down, just like the before pictures you submitted.  These are for comparison but you want to make these look nice and show your best.  Once those are done you can be as creative as you want.  You can submit 10-15 photo’s if you wish.  You need the current days newspaper front page in a photo with you for each outfit and scene, they do not have to be in a “posed” picture.

Gather up photo examples

Spend some time finding pictures from magazines, supplement packages, advertisements, and internet searches and save or print them.

Here are some examples of pictures found online, in magazines, and even supplement packaging

Here are some examples of pictures found online, in magazines, and even supplement packaging

Practice imitating the various poses in front of a mirror.  Try it from various angles and you might find your right side or left side is better.  You will find that some poses look awesome on the model in the picture but not for you, or that with your physique it looks better with the same pose slightly modified, or even greatly modified.  This is where spending the time practicing will pay off.  Once you practice many different poses you will find the ones that look best for you.

Practice with a camera

Once you decide on poses that look best on you try them with a camera.  Lighting is important and we’ll get to that in part 2, but for now practice with a camera because you might find the poses need a few more adjustments.  Things are slightly different in the camera lens and on the actual photo.  If possible try taking the pictures in various light settings to see what looks best for your look on camera.

It is really important to practice with the camera whether you ultimately take the pictures at home or with a professional photographer.  If you choose to use a professional photographer you will want to know ahead of time what poses present yourself the best.  Many photographer’s may not be able to help much with posing or know what gives you your best look.

Change up the lighting

Try the same poses in different lighting if possible;

  • inside and outside
  • morning
  • middle of the day
  • sunset
  • sunlight streaming through a window
  • a lamp or two placed in various places around you
I practiced by copying online fitness model poses

I practiced by imitating online fitness model poses and experimented with lamp placement

Try different facial expressions

Some poses look best with you looking away, others look better with you looking into the lens as if you are looking someone in the eye, smiling or otherwise communicating to them with your expression.  Some girls can get away with a pout or sexy look while others look better with a simple smile.  Older women like myself usually do better with a smile while we might have done okay with a more pouting look in our younger days.

Have fun trying out new poses and expressions!

Have fun trying out new poses and expressions!

Try different stances

Front poses are usually best offset slightly with a kind of twist to show more of an hour glass shape, but you don’t have to follow any rules.  Find what works best for you.  I ended up doing some pictures offset and some straight on.

On the left; an offset stance with a slight twist shows of an hour glass. One the right; straight on. Try each.

On the left; an offset stance with a slight twist shows more of an hour glass shape. On the right; straight on. Try each if you want.

The back view pose

I found this pose to be the hardest.  In fact I spent a least an hour getting this one photo.  My extremely patient friend Judy helped me.  I emailed her what I had and she said “No that needs work”.  Then she pointed me to a fitness contest website (BodyBuilding.com IFBB Arnold Classic) with professional fitness models to attempt to imitate.  I took Judy’s advice and tried to imitate images from my computer screen.  I snapped some pictures, emailed her, and waited for her response.  She responded with feedback on what to improve and we repeated this process at least 10 or more times.  It was frustrating,  hard, and tedious but I am very grateful for the help I got from Judy.  It is a difficult pose but with practice you will see how you need to arch your back, set your head, neck, and shoulders.

I found the back pose to be the hardest but well worth it in the end

I found the back pose to be the hardest but well worth it in the end

 

Enjoy your own progress, your own physique, and have fun!

Most of all have fun and enjoy the progress you have made with your shape.  The end of the contest is only five weeks away.  If you have been consistent since the beginning you should be seeing some progress so enjoy those hard earned victories now while you keep moving toward your goals.

Do not compare yourself to others

One key thing to remember when using fitness model photo’s like this is to not compare yourself to them.  You have your own beauty, your own physique, your own gifts, and you have no idea what the model did to get her look.  The pictures are just examples for trying to figure out what poses bring out your best shape.  Do not aspire to be them; aspire to be the best you possible.

On Friday we’ll cover part 2;  Photography, lighting, photo scene selection and setup.

-Ro

 

Filed Under: Contest, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How To Survive Years Of Fad Diet Yo-yo’s And Finally Succeed.

March 11, 2013 by 4 Comments

Today we get to read what Lori Anderson wrote about placing eighth in the 6th Venus Index Transformation Contest.

But first, check out her transformation pictures from the 12 Week Contest:

Lori Anderson before and after the 12 week contest

Lori Anderson before and after the 12 week contest

More of Lori before and after

More of Lori before and after

Lori experienced what many of us have experienced; falling into the trap of complicated fad diets and regimented workout programs only to end up in a perpetual yo-yo that can go on for years or even decades.  Sometimes it is embarrassing for us to admit all the various ways we tried that did not work.  In the end, with the right tools, we can be stronger.

Why? Because depriving yourself of foods you love and over complication is not sustainable.  In Lori’s own words we will see how the Venus Index Workout and Eat Stop Eat finally helped Lori to succeed in her diet and fitness goals.

In Lori’s own words:

Donuts don’t make a people fat, people make themselves fat. The power is not in the object, but the person. Making this connection with my work-outs and eating habits helped me realize that I was the only person going to give my self the body I desired, not a protein bar or meal timing.  It took a lot of messing up before I realized this liberating principle … Continue reading here

Filed Under: change, Contest, Interview, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Running To Stay In The Same Place?

March 1, 2013 by 1 Comment
Are you running to stay in place?

Are you running to stay in place?

Life sometimes gives us setbacks

How many times have you heard someone say that they got sick and so inevitably the weight started to pile on? Yup, we all nod in agreement. It’s not your fault. It’s too bad about that but of course you became over weight when you:

  • broke your leg
  • had to take care of your sick relative
  • traveled 7 months of the last 12
  • <insert your situation>

Life will throw you curve balls. Regardless of the reason, just because you’re not able to exercise, gaining weight is not inevitable.

Because in order to maintain how much you were eating you exercised.

Since you had a valid excuse for why you could not exercise, you had every right and reason to gain weight. Right?

Do you tell yourself this story? It’s hard not to. Anywhere you turn, including the news, movies, fiction, even supposedly scientific books, you will find the perpetuation of this myth: You have to work it off.

The flaw with this logic is the minute you hit a setback, if you habitually eat the same amount, you will gain weight and you will believe it’s out of your control.

Illness is no excuse

Your next setback is waiting to happen.

It happens to all of us.  It’s a matter of when.  What will be your plan?  You can learn to handle the situation and maintain your weight.

How fast are you “running”?

Have you read “Through the Looking Glass”, the sequel to “Alice in Wonderland”, by Lewis Carroll? A famous quote from The Queen has always resonated with me:

“Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

The fact is that simply maintaining is work.

You can’t over exercise too many calories, but you can learn to eat within your correct maintenance calories which are dictated by your height, gender and activity level.

The sooner you learn how much your body actually needs each day to maintain with your current lifestyle constraints, the better prepared you are for life’s setbacks.

This year I was broadsided by illness that set me back for two months, I could not work out at all. After that, I began the arduous process of regaining my strength.

Do you suppose I piled on pounds of fat?

No indeed, I did not.

And why is that?

Because I have a very clear idea of how much I need to eat to maintain my weight.

When I was forced to drop the gym habit, I simply cut back a bit on calories. I didn’t cut back as much as you might think. I just made small changes. A little less here, a few missed breakfasts, ice cream less often.

I made simple changes and I watched my waist metric. Without the ability to lift weights I simply had to eat less.  Every time the tape measure started to increase, I made a few adjustments to keep it in check. I rested, got well, and got the mental mindset to get back in the gym.

Every single time you have to start the gym habit again, it does require some discipline. The good news is habits don’t ever go away; they lie dormant.

The first week I was very sore. I had to talk myself into showing up for the first 3 weeks.  I eventually built up the strength to do the Venus Index Workouts.

We all have illness now and then

In November, my whole family got broadsided by a virus that was sweeping the town. I lost 10 pounds in one week.

I’ve never been more grateful for the simple fact of health and a strong body. To honor this body, I will not overfeed it or overwork it.

I will instead eat what I need. No more, no less.

I found myself faced again with the need to build strength in the gym. I “ran” to stay in the same place (not overeating in order to maintain) when I was sick. Now I am “running faster” (lifting heavy) in order to get my muscles back into the shape I like.   I follow Brad Pilon’s “Fat Loss Divide and Conquer” rule.

What about you? Are you making excuses or are you “running” towards your goals in whatever way you are currently capable?

 

Filed Under: Bodyfat, calories, Diet, Exercise, Health, Metabolism Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

An Original Venus Who Never Gives Up

February 25, 2013 by 1 Comment

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:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: calories, change, Contest, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How To Become A Beautiful Beach Mom

February 18, 2013 by 1 Comment

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:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: calories, change, Contest, Exercise, Interview, transformation, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Nutrition & Training: Flexible vs. Structured

February 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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

 

Filed Under: calories, change, Diet, Exercise, stress, Uncategorized, weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Transform Your Mind And Your Body By Keeping It Simple

February 4, 2013 by 3 Comments

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:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: Contest, Interview, Podcast, transformation, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stop Wasting Your Time: How Women Shortchange Themselves at the Gym

August 31, 2012 by 5 Comments

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in gyms over the years has seen the same patterns repeated over and over again.

I’ve been training since the Nixon administration and I’ve seen  every diet/exercise craze, new fad and latest greatest equipment/program that has rolled down the pike since the 70’s.

I’ve even tried a few of them too.

The natural human proclivity for novelty makes us all suckers for the next new thing.

What really works to produce results seems to be a mystery to many women, even though they crowd the gym in droves.

Escape the Average Treadmill Physique

Because there are so many choices and so many people marketing their various programs/diets/workouts like religious cults, it leads to confusion for the average woman.

The bigger  problem is that most women  have no clue what they want out of their workouts and are scared to venture into the  free weight area of the gym. They listen to conventional  fitness wisdom peddled by the media and spend endless hours at the gym plodding away at steppers, treadmills and bikes.

They crowd in the studios doing zumba, pilates, yoga, bootcamp and all kinds of other “fun” activities. They think this will produce “visible results”.

Occasionally, they may see some random improvement.  I  plead guilty to falling into this trap in the past. Cardio has it’s place and purpose from a point of  health but endless cardio does not equal weight loss and a better body.

Next time you are at the gym take a look at  the women and men slogging away on the stairmaster or bikes and ask yourself if they have a body you would want.

Chances are the answer is no.

Big Fat Lie: “I Have these Arms from Lifting Itty Bitty Girly Weights”

Another thing I’ve seen at the gym is women piddling around the weight machines with no real purpose or program. Paraphrasing Martin Berkhan, this is a bad case of Fart-around-itis  (the original term is not appropriate for family publications).

I occasionally see women in the free weights area doing a few sets of flies, presses or rows with 5 & 10 lb weights. Occasionally,  I will see a  woman lifting  heavier weights. Usually a college athlete.  It’s so uncommon, I take notice.

Woman Lifting Heavy

Do you want to get in shape? You have to lift heavy, period.

Which brings me to my big question.

Why do women shortchange themselves in the gym?

Why are so few lifting weights that can actually give them results and a body that people would envy?

There are a lot of cultural issues that come in to play here.

I suspect that most women are afraid to go beyond their comfort zone and have preconceived ideas about weight training and femininity. I also think that women have no clue how strong they really can get and lack the self confidence to find out.

Have a Clear Measurable Goal

So we get to the heart of the problem.

Ask yourself this question: What is my goal?

If it not something that is clear and measurable you will be wasting your time.

Things like  “getting in shape” getting “fit” or losing a few pounds seem like goals, but they are really pretty nebulous and hard to define. It’s like people saying they want to be healthier. The definitions of “health”  being “in shape” or being more “toned” are varied and subjective.

Even losing  scale weight,  while measurable does not always yield a more attractive  body.

Many women are in a “normal” BMI range, yet over fat and under muscled. Losing 10 lbs will not really help if you do not work on increasing or maintaining muscle mass.

If you have small underdeveloped muscles and you  lose 10 or 15 lbs you will  be smaller but still look soft and undefined. Muscle creates shape.

That’s what separates “hot” from NOT.

Do What Produces the Best Results for the Time You Put In

This is where women shortchange themselves and fail.

They do endless cardio and fitness classes thinking that it will “tone” them and make them look “hot”. They go and do  a couple of  light sets on weight machines. Or they pick up some 5 or 10 lb dumbbells and do some kind of weight training without a clue of what they are doing and  are clearly NOT challenging themselves in anyway at all.

Result is: no noticeable results!

Challenge Yourself and Use Heavier Weights

pudgy stockton pressing overhead

Look, Ma: Big Weights & No Bulking.
Great Results: Old School Style.

Big news flash: Women will not get big and bulky using heavier weights. You do not have a Y chromosome and lots of circulating testosterone, so you will not build huge muscles. Not now, not ever.

The women and men you see in bodybuilder magazines and competitions use  anabolic steroids and lots of other drugs you’ve never heard of to look the way they do. Lifting heavier weights will NOT make you look like that.

“But I get bulky if I lift something bigger than a  pink barbie bell” you cry.

Reality check: bulk is fat.

That blanket of adipose that covers your  scrawny little muscles is the source of the “bulk”. Lose the fat  and there is no “ bulk”. Losing fat is a question of  appropriate caloric intake for your height. You need a lot fewer calories than you think. If you are not losing fat you are eating too much.

Yes, I know, not what you want to hear.

Apparently most of people I see in public are not eating less. Which explains the expanding pant sizes and need for bigger hospital gurneys.

Define your goals.

Let’s face it, unless you are a competitive athlete,  your goal  is probably to  look better in a bathing suit. Your definition of better. If you need to lose fat, you will have to control your calories and eat less. Doing an hour of stair stepper and then drinking a 600 calorie juice smoothie will not lead to fat loss unless you are 6’4”.

Use cardio to condition your  cardiovascular system, not to burn excess calories. The actual caloric burn from most exercise is rather modest. Not the 900 calories the stairstepper/treadmill/ machine thingie says. Those are fantasy numbers.

Lift heavier weights.

Preferably  free weights, not machines.

You will build muscle by repeatedly creating strong contraction against greater resistance.

So use enough weight to create that required resistance.

At the minimum you need to lift at a threshold of 40-50% of your one rep max on any given exercise. This will vary but chances are if you have not gotten good results in the past with weight training you are not lifting enough weight.  3 sets of 10 reps with 5 or 10 lbs will not produce any results unless you just stepped out of a prison camp or famine or you are 90 years old and in a walker.

You  also need  a good program that gives proven physique results.

Venus Index is designed to give you a balanced symmetrical shape that is  universally attractive and healthy looking. It works for all figure types because it is based on the  universal proportion found in nature   (fibonacci’s number). Every woman wants to have a balanced hour glass shape. That is considered attractive in all cultures and throughout history.

It is a prime indicator of youth, health and vitality.

Even if you are not 18 years old, you can have a great body at any age if you do the necessary work in the gym.

If you are over 40, 50 or even 60, a youthful, lean strong body makes you younger and healthier.  And another news flash: It does not require hours a day in the gym or on a treadmill.

Working out longer is not necessarily better. You can do marathons and spin classes ‘til hell freezes over and not look good in a swimsuit.

More is NOT always better. Better is better.

Lifting ‘til you puke or working out ’til you drop does not equal great results.

Targeted programs give real results with no photoshopping needed. Just real results for real women with busy lives who are willing to do the work.

The Cliff Notes:

  1. Have a clear measurable workout  goal
  2. Consider what gives the best results for the time put in. More is not better. Better is better.
  3. Challenge yourself with heavier weights
  4. Choose a good program that will give real results. Venus Index fits that bill.

 

Filed Under: Bodyfat, cardio, change, Exercise, fat loss, Health, Shape, transformation, Uncategorized, weight loss, Weight training Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Weight Training and the “Afterburn” Effect

June 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Weight training and cardio training are primarily used for two different purposes. We do weight training to build muscle and strength and shape our bodies. We do cardio training for the overall cardiovascular health benefits as well as for the extra calorie burn.

 

It’s become common knowledge that cardio only really increases the calories burned during the exercise session itself. There is a belief that weight training can increase your calorie burn throughout the day from the increased metabolic activity of added muscle. This second effect is greatly overstated as each pound of added muscle only requires approximately 5 calories per day.

There is however a third form of so called metabolic elevation that gets mentioned in the fitness media and that is the Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) after high intensity workouts. This is commonly referred to as the ‘afterburn’ effect and there is even research to suggest such an effect happens up to 48 hours post workout.

But before you go out and start doing maximum lift workouts the specifics of the research that shows this result must be examined. Upon closer look you’ll find out that much of the claims you hear about in the fitness industry aren’t exactly what they appear to be.

In today’s podcast, we’ll discuss where the EPOC and elevated metabolism claims come from and discuss if they’re applicable to you or not. We’ll also explain how easy it is for the fitness media to misinterpret research and send people on a wild goose chase of the ‘best’ workout, when in reality it doesn’t really exist.

John

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Filed Under: Podcast, Uncensored Podcasts S01 Tagged With: , , ,
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