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Once upon a time, it was all about calorie counting and nothing else mattered. Now, we’ve stepped things up a notch. While some people might roll their eyes at yet another fad that has been introduced by the weight loss industry – this isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to weight loss programs. They are gaining some real authority in the industry, and it’s for good reason. Through today’s article, we will take a look at just what these programs involve, and some of the best ones on the market for you to try.     What is a weight loss program and how does it work? Well, a weight loss program does exactly as the name suggests – it gives you a program to lose weight! As simple as it might sound, this is the basis of one of these offerings. A lot of them will tend to provide a weekly food menu, and combine this with an exercise regime, to help you along your way. Of course, this is a weight loss plan in a very basic format and it’s worth mentioning that they all run very differently. It means that some of them might be very strict with the food and dietary recommendations, and even tell you the exact ingredients to turn to and the day to do this. Others meanwhile will work more with a numbers game; allowing you to decide what foods to eat so long as they satisfy the nutritional requirements that the plan has set. Of course, when we use the word “strict”, you shouldn’t become too worried. Sure, these plans can be tough, but at the same time they have been built to be rewarding so that you ultimately stick by them. There will be times where it feels all-but impossible to stick to the dietary recommendations, but the people behind this program will then throw a reward in to make sure that you keep going.   What are the documented benefits? As you may have gathered by now, weight loss plans are certainly not equal. Each will have different offerings, and this means that it can be difficult to pinpoint exact benefits. As such, we’re not going to suggest that they help you burn more calories or anything else related to specific body goals. Sure, some of them might do this, but others might for example concentrate on helping you put together an exercise regime. What we can say about these weight loss plans is that they provide a structured meal or exercise plan, and this can be invaluable for a lot of people who need that direct plan to stick to. Not only that, but many of the modern weight loss plans are quite community focussed and will have a bank of other people in a similar position to you, usually at the other end of a forum. Alternatively, many have the experts available online or over the phone as well, which can help your plight. Finally, the majority of weight loss plans will give you a way to track your progress. This, coupled with the regimented way in which these programs work, mean that they tend to help people realize their weight loss goals much quicker than other methods.   What are the most reputable weight loss programs out there? As you may have guessed, this is an industry which has grown substantially over recent years. It would be fair to say that there are five main players in the industry at the time of writing, and we will now break each one of these down to give you a fair comparison.   Weightwatchers Out of all of the programs that we look at, Weightwatchers is arguably the most renowned in the world. It’s a huge brand, for the simple reason that it has been proven to work very well. When we speak about working well, the company are quite open about expectations. They say that you should expect to lose up to two pounds per week, which will make a phenomenal difference to your body. With Weightwatchers, everything is on the menu. They operate on a points structure, and even have 200 foods in their system which don’t have any points attributed to them. In other words, you can eat as many of them as you want and still reap the rewards. As well as inspiring your diet, Weightwatchers will also provide you with personalized fitness goals. Weightwatchers currently have a really attractive joining offer. There’s no joining fee, they will give you a month of the service free of charge as well as giving you a complimentary Blue Apron box.     Probody Probody is another big brand and its reputation has only been growing over the last few years. It works in a much different, but very effective way, to Weightwatchers. It works by providing you a set of guides, videos, reports and tools to hand you plenty of weight loss data. Ultimately, Probody facilitates a flexible approach to weight loss. Using their tools and data, you can work out which foods and exercise plans are going to work the best for your body. Probody make no secret of the fact that they are big on data, with their calorie tracker for example being the largest on earth. It means that whatever food you put into your mouth, there’s a high chance you can find out its nutritional values in a flash. Probody has a free version, but even if you want to unlock everything including the videos, reports and tracker you will still pay just a one-off $37 fee. Visit the official Probody website to learn more!   Visit the official Probody website to learn more!   Jillian Michaels’ Program Next on the list is the Jillian Michaels program. For those unaware, Michaels is a high-profile personal trainer who has released books and appeared on umpteen television programs. In other words, she knows her stuff. The program will hand you personalised workouts, meal plans and tracking tools. All of this occurs in an easy-to-use app, which has won awards on the Google Play and Apple App stores. This is a program which is full to the brim of real-life stories, of people shedding the pounds. Some of these individuals have lost hundreds of pounds – all by sticking to the program they have been given. If you join the Jillian Michaels plan today you will pay $14.99 for just one month. You can save as much as 45% on this if you buy for 12 months, with this retailing for $99.99. For those of you who want to try the program for a short time, the product is available as a free 7-day trial as well.     Kayla Itsines This next plan has also been put together by a personal trainer in the form of Kayla Itsines. The community that Kayla Itsines has formed is certainly impressive and you will be part of thirty million other people who are following her philosophies. Suffice to say, she must be doing something right to attract such a community! Itsines has tried to make things has versatile as possible by offering two programs. The workouts are 28-minutes in length, making them ideal for anyone who is short of time. The program is priced at $19.99/month, or you can save by switching to a $119.94 annual package.     Di.et Finally, Di.et will cover all elements of your fitness regime in a bid to stay slim. et will tackle every element of staying healthy. You will be handed guides on your diet, your workouts, your supplements and your maintenance. The last one here is pretty important – it will tell you how to keep things going as others start to fall back into bad habits. Some of the past results with Di.et are hugely impressive. The product claims that it will help you lose up to 15 lb of body fat in 15 days, which in turn translates to as many as two dress sizes. The product is priced at $45, which is more than half the price of the standard $99. In addition, they offer a hugely generous 75-day money-back guarantee. Visit the official Di.et website and learn more!   Visit the official Di.et website and learn more! ...

It doesn’t matter what year we are in; weight loss is always going to be a hot topic. Whether it is now or in 50 years, it’s almost become human nature to find out ways to curb that waistline and ultimately look a whole lot better. Of course, technically there are ways to make this easier. For the purposes of today, we are not going to focus on calorie counting and all of the other “standard” methods that can help you lose weight. Instead, today is all about steroids and which ones can specifically help you in your battle to make the scale look better. Following on from the above, let’s now take a look at three steroids which are worth their weight (pardon the pun) in gold when it comes to cutting the fat.     Option #1 – Anavar Also known as Oxandrolone, this is actually the mildest steroid on our list so far. If you are in the market to bulk, it’s certainly not going to work, but as we’re going to assume that most of you are in the cutting category it is a really impressive steroid. The reason behind its effectiveness is its anabolic rating (this is probably related to the choice of name as well!). It means that as you battle to lose weight, your muscle will be preserved. Not only that, but Anavar has been found to decrease the effectiveness of stress hormones in your body, and this is significant as these hormones can be responsible for making excessive amounts of fat accumulate. There is plenty more when it comes to this steroid as well. Anavar can boost your red blood cell production and this is crucial for those of you who train. It means that even more oxygen and nutrients are going to be delivered to your muscles, which can make them work harder and for longer. For those of you who are battling to rid yourself of belly fat, there is more good news. A study compared Anavar against testosterone and natural weight loss techniques, with the results highlighting that the other two options gave participants more subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat. There is of course one problem (and this relates to all three of the steroids we will cover today). Anavarol is a steroid and as such, does carry side effects. We will talk more about this later, but on a more positive note there is a legal alternative available. This goes by the name of Anvarol, and is marketed by Crazy Bulk. It can be broken down as follows: Anvarol is completely legal and made from natural ingredients. This means that you are just not going to suffer from side effects when taking it. Despite the lack of side effects, prepare yourself for huge bursts in power and strength, as well as bigger and denser muscles. There’s no need to worry about nasty needles here – this is a capsule-based product that won’t impact your day-to-day life. CrazyBulk will ship this product completely free of charge. It tends to retail for $85.   You can Buy Anvarol directly from the merchant by clicking here.   #2 Winstrol Next on the list is Winstrol, or as some as you may know it as, Stanozolol. If you are in the market to lose weight and gain that elusive muscle, this should be your product of choice. The big difference between Winstrol and Anavar is the emphasis on the muscle-factor though. In short, Winstrol is much more potent, and it will work to boost the amount of nitrogen that your muscles retain, as well as make protein synthesis more efficient. Another impressive part of Winstrol is the way in which it will make more free roaming testosterone in your body. In other words, there is more testosterone available which can be used for muscle growth and fat loss – and obviously this is a pretty significant point. We don’t need to shout from the rooftops about the problems that this product has though – the side effects are the same as the previous steroid we looked at. It means that there is space for legal alternatives, and this is where Winsol steps into the picture: Winsol is another safe steroid developed by CrazyBulk, who are now the market leader when it comes to this niche of the fitness industry. Again, safety isn’t an issue, it’s comprised of natural ingredients meaning that your health isn’t going to be at risk in the slightest. All of the above doesn’t mean that the results are compromised. On the contrary, you can expect harder muscles and reduced body fat – all whilst relying on a capsule-based product. Shipping for Winsol is completely free and the manufacturers will usually provide a buy 2 get 1 free option.   You can Buy Winsol directly from the merchant by clicking here..   #3 Clenbuterol Funnily enough, this final product on our list isn’t actually a steroid. Nevertheless, Clenbuterol is performance enhancing – and this is sufficient in our eyes. Millions of people around the world have tapped into its benefits. For weight and fat loss, it’s up there with the best. It is one of the best thermogenic fat burners in the world. By this, we mean that it will boost your body temperature, which will in turn increase your metabolism and allow you to burn more calories. There are other benefits of Clenbuterol as well. For example, it can suppress your appetite, meaning that you are not going to be gorging on all of the wrong foods. It will also boost your energy levels, meaning that you can work harder at the gym and burn even more calories. In short, it ticks so many boxes when it comes to weight loss, that it really doesn’t matter that it’s not strictly a steroid. Unfortunately, there is another similarity with Clenbuterol and steroids – the side effects. Again, they exist, which is why legal alternatives have entered the market. Clenbutrol is one of these, and can be highlighted as follows: Clenbutrol is again brought to market by CrazyBulk. It is completely safe to take, with no reported side effects. The product will help you burn fat through the exact same way in which the “real” alternative Clenbuterol works. In other words, expect increases in energy and your fat to disappear thanks to its thermogenic qualities. Don’t worry about needles or prescriptions here – this is a capsule-based product that can be bought off the shelf. Like most of CrazyBulk’s products, expect free shipping, multi-buy offers and more from the market leader.   You can Buy Clenbuterol directly from the merchant by clicking here.   Are there any side effects to these steroids? Something that we mentioned throughout today’s guide was that side effects tend to occur with all of the real steroids. Unfortunately, these don’t tend to be “minor” adverse effects either. For example, acne and hair loss can just be the tip of the iceberg, with cholesterol issues and high blood pressure being a couple of the more serious points. It has to be said that Anavar and Winstrol are both much less harmful than Clenbuterol in this regard, but the side effects still exist. For those of you wondering if it’s best to turn to an injectable form, this is something that we wouldn’t recommend either. In the case of Winstrol, it doesn’t matter how you consume it, you are still going to be putting your body under undue pressure. This is the reason we have preached legal steroids through this guide. They work in the same way, but the fact they are comprised of natural ingredients means that they are so much safer for your body. ...

It’s one of umpteen buzzwords that seems to dominate the health and fitness industry nowadays, but in truth there’s plenty of reasons why calorie deficits are so popular. In short, it’s one of the very few methods out there that will scientifically work, every time. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you focus on having a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. So, what exactly is a calorie deficit? Every day we consume ‘x’ amount of calories in terms of food, while we also spend ‘x’ amount of calories through everyday activities and exercise. The problem is, most of us have a calorie surplus as we consume more than we burn. The result of this is that these additional calories are stored as fat. A deficit, on the other hand, is when you are burning more than you are consuming. In turn, your body needs more fuel, and gets it from any fat you have on your body. In terms of some hard and fast numbers, it can make for tricky reading. After all, to lose just one pound of fat in a week, you’ll need to cut around 3,500 calories. On its own, that figure is of course very high. However, split it into the course of a week and it’s just 500 calories per day. So, this is all well and good and in an ideal world, we would all be targeting this calorie deficit. Of course, it’s yet another one of those healthy techniques that is easier said than done and to add another level of complexity into the situation, it gets even tougher to maintain if you are training! Bearing this in mind, we have penned today’s article. Let’s now take a look at some of the ways you can maintain a calorie deficit whilst maintaining your normal life.     You may have to alter your training choices If you are the type of person who trains at super-high intensities, with very few rests, now might be the time to reconsider your options. This is for the simple reason that your energy reserves are unlikely to last long, and your overall training benefits will decline. Instead, there should be a greater emphasis on quality. Try and opt for a lower number of sets, and ensure that you schedule as many rest periods as possible. This will at least allow you to conserve energy, so that your next set can be performed with as much energy expenditure as possible.   It might all relate to meal timing One of the best ways to help you “cope” through a calorie deficit is about timing your meals appropriately. As we all know, one of the best fuels for the gym and your exercise regime is carbohydrates (ones of the complex variety, to be precise). It means that you should do your upmost to put together a pre-workout meal that contains them, with the result of this being that your muscles are provided with plenty of glycogen to give them help when they need it the most. One of the big problems about calorie deficits is that it’s much more likely for your muscles to lack glycogen. The consequence is that your performance will suffer, so consuming a pre-workout meal as above is one of the best ways to mitigate this problem. However, your meal timing isn’t just about before you work out. In addition, you need to be considering what to eat after your work out. This is all because muscles take time to recover, and when they don’t have much energy this recovery phase takes even longer. So, what should you turn to? This time, carbs are off the menu, and in their place comes whey protein. If you can turn to this alongside digestive enzymes it will be absorbed into your muscles at a much quicker pace, and your body can reap the rewards.   The power of supplementation We have almost touched upon the idea of supplements in the previous section, when we started to talk about whey protein. In truth, this is only the tip of the iceberg, and to get the most from your calorie deficit period you should be looking to stock up on supplements. Before your workout, make sure you turn to taurine and Creatine HCI, both of which can stimulate you mentally. Another option comes in the form of Beta-alanine, which performs the job of keeping your muscle carnosine levels stable during training. Some athletes can also favor L-citrulline as this has been found to boost the flow of oxygen, and again make your muscles work that little bit harder when they are without the energy that they are perhaps used to. As you can see, supplements are something of a minefield, and if we were to hone in on specific ones we would choose Track and Trail. Both are brought to the market by Black Wolf Workout, with the former being the male version and Trail is for females. To break the product down specifically: The products are able to increase your energy levels, make you work harder during workouts and even boost your focus. They are designed to be taken before working out, meaning that you get a lot more out of your subsequent session. Unlike some products, there are no fillers here, and the product takes advantage of all the proven ingredients such as L-leucine, L-isoleucine and BCAAs. It even contains protein to help you recover afterwards! Both products retail for $44.95, which is a $10 discount from the standard price. Click the images below to enlarge and see the ingredients:   Click here to check out the Black Wolf website for more information   Black Wolf Pre-Workout Supplements Reviews Click here to check out the Black Wolf website for more information   Have we mentioned the H-word yet? We’ve spoken about your food and supplement intake, so hydration is next on the list. The fact that hydration is a crucial component of any person’s basic health means that during training, especially during a calorie deficit, it’s also really important to get right. Even if you are slightly dehydrated, the amount of blood that is distributed through your money immediately drops. This can have a monumental effect on your exercise, as you’ll be without that elusive oxygen required for your performance. It’s worth mentioning that the most important period of the day when it comes to hydration is when you wake up. Your body has been without water for as long as eight hours, so making sure you drink at least half a gallon of water at this point is paramount for your training success.   It can all come down to shut-eye Something else that is regularly covered in the media nowadays is sleep (or the country’s lack of it). As soon as your calorie intake decreases, sleep becomes an even more important factor in your life. This is because anabolic hormones tend to be at their highest as you sleep, meaning that you recover better. Ultimately, the longer you sleep, the greater chance you give this of happening. Something else which occurs during your sleep is the recovery of the central nervous system. This is crucial to your training, as it’s effectively what powers your performance when you start to work out. As such, make it your priority to supercharge your sleep schedule. Perform the classic tips, like stopping coffee in the afternoon, avoiding blue light and blacking out the bedroom, and watch the performance of your workouts soar. ...

It’s the question that is on the tip of most tongues nowadays; how exactly do you burn body fat? Fortunately, the health and fitness industry is absolutely full to the brim of experts who know what they are talking about. Something that’s even better is that the experts we’re about to cover don’t just talk about fads; they are established public figures who also have official qualifications in the health area. Bearing this in mind, let’s now take a look at some of the best suggestions that the most renowned health and fitness experts around the globe have when it comes to fat loss.     Andrea Metcalf: Stay hydrated First on the list is Andrea Metcalf and the fact that she is a best-selling author should make her advice completely validated. She is the woman behind Naked Fitness, while she also has the official accreditations behind all this through an exercise science teaching degree and several other certifications. Her advice is simple; consume more water. This is something that is drilled into us from an early age, but Metcalf’s advice has some real substance behind it. She says that due to the boosts in energy that additional water to the body provides you, it’s something that can be invaluable as you bid to drop the pounds. Suddenly, just through a little extra hydration, you’ll find it easier than ever before to burn through calories.   Christine Bullock: Turn back the clock Next on the list is Christine Bullock and if you have ever turned into Fit for Fashion TV, you’ll know all about her. She is a judge on that television show, while her 20-year career in the health and fitness industry has seen her do everything from claim certifications to launch hugely popular DVD series’. Bullock says that if she were to pick a suggestion to help you lose body fat, it would be to just turn back the clock. In other words, live like you would have had to do a century ago. This means walking to places such as the grocery store, and turning to fresh food, in a bid to bring the natural-factor back to your life. Ultimately, it will result in burning more calories, and better quality food entering your body.   Ashley Borden: Stay in good circles The third member of our list is Ashley Borden, who is one of the most famous personal trainers in the world and has an abundance of high-profile clients. In addition, she has the ‘#1 Workout DVD’ award from Fitness Magazine, amongst a whole host of other accolades. Like a lot of the advice that is being focused upon today, Borden’s idea is pretty simple. It’s all about making sure that the circle you are in is on the same page as you. In other words, everyone is on the same wavelength and you are not going to be dragged down by unhealthy eating (and most probably, drinking) habits.   Kathy Smart: Ditch the scales This is another individual who will be well-known amongst most of you. While she might be a best-selling author, the fact she also hosted the first ever gluten-free show to don North American TV screens says everything about her reputation. If we turn to her advice, she says that one of the worst things you can do is focus on the weighing scales. These can paint a completely inaccurate picture of your situation – as they don’t take into account your fat levels. You might think that you aren’t dropping your fat levels, when in reality you are and it’s your level of muscle that is making the scales stay constant.   Gina Aliotti: Be creative Gina Aliotti is the next expert on the list, and happens to be the co-founder of DevotionNutrition.com. As well as this, she has a bachelor’s in food and nutrition and is a certified personal trainer, meaning that she holds all of the official documentation as well as being in the public eye. She recommends simply being creative with your cooking. She says that a lot of people fail with their dieting because their food is simply too boring. Instead of this, try and negotiate your cravings with creative means to cook food. Experiment with new flavors, and try and unleash senses that allow you to enjoy such food in a completely guilt-free manner.   Susan Irby: Ditch the alcohol The next expert comes in the form of Susan Irby. With over 15 years of experience in this industry, she certainly has the history. Like a lot of the experts on our list, she has been largely in the public eye thanks to her appearances as a television host and also an author. According to Irby, alcohol is a big reason why people just can’t drop their fat level. Of course, this is something that most people are firmly aware of, but Irby says that you really should look to limit your intake to a maximum of two drinks per week. To do this, tap into something like cucumber mint water. While this might not provide the “kick” that accompanies alcohol, it does refresh your taste buds and hydrate you in a more exciting way than water will. It’s obviously completely natural as well.   George Allen: Jump on the protein bandwagon For anyone who keeps tabs on popular health and fitness blogs, you’ll probably be fully aware about George Allen. This is the co-founder of MensAnswer.com, although he also has a bachelor’s degree in  nutrition/dietetics and a master’s degree in nutrition science which certainly helps matters. Allen advocates tapping into protein sources as much as possible. This is something that should become a permanent habit. Protein is something which helps you build muscle (and replace that fat), but an indirect benefit of it is that it can make you feel full for longer. Ultimately, you are less likely to dive for the cookie jar.   Liam Burgess: The importance of meal prep With an ACE certification and as an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder and also being an established author in some of the best fitness magazines around, it would be fair to say that Liam Burgess (co-founder of UseLegalSteroids) knows what he is talking about. In relation to burning fat, he says that the best advice is to stay on top of your meal prep. Always be mindful about what you can do to eat healthily, and how you can use time to your advantage. In other words, try and plan your meals several days in advance, just so you don’t fall into the trap of being in a rush to put a meal together. Usually, when this happens, you’re asking for trouble. ...

It’s one of the most frustrating parts of exercising. You keep pushing your body, making that elusive progress, only to hit a brick wall because of muscle soreness. It’s a problem that most certainly affects some of us more than others but once you do fall into the category, even getting out of bed can be a chore in itself. Fortunately, there are suggestions that you can take on board in a bid to stop succumbing to the effects of muscle soreness. Sure, it might still happen, and the fact that elite athletes still suffer from it means that nobody is ever going to be immune from the effects. However, there are various mistakes that are ever-so-common, and through the course of this guide we will take a look at the biggest three to hopefully ensure that muscle soreness is no longer dominating your post-training days.     Mistake #1 – You pick and choose your exercises, by day Let’s start with a mistake that is most commonly seen in January. In other words, it’s a bit of a newbie mistake, which tends to be made by those guys who have made their New Year’s resolutions and are hitting the gym with a “bang”. If you are the type of guy who arrives at the gym and picks and chooses different exercises every day, this is the reason your muscles are sore. Sure, we’re all for adaptation, the process of changing your routine to promote further muscle growth, but there are times when this adaptation can be just too much. Changing your exercises every day falls into this category. This might be a strange concept to get your head around. After all, if your muscles are sore from completing an exercise, how are you going to complete it again? Well, try as you might, you simply have to, even if it means having a little time off (whether it’s a day or two). Your body needs a bit of time to get used to exercise movements, and once it has done this you will kiss goodbye to any soreness you may have once experienced. Some of you might struggle with this mistake, as there’s most certainly a fine line that needs to be met. You need to be providing different stimuli to your muscles, but not on such a regular basis that you are left with sore muscles after each and every session you complete at the gym.   Mistake #2 – You cheat when it comes to your form If you have performed any sort of research on working out, you have most probably come across the importance of form. The general advice is that if you’re not lifting correctly, you’re doing no good whatsoever to your muscles. In fact, you’re probably just increasing the chance of injury. The best advice is to lift less, but do it with perfect form, in a bid to make those elusive gains. Despite form always being in the instruction manuals, you can walk into any gym in the world and see guy after guy performing exercise after exercise completely wrong. Most of the time these mistakes will come in the form of swinging the weight, rather than lifting, while another common problem is placing too much pressure on your back. In short, it doesn’t look good, and it most certainly doesn’t do any good either. As well as all of the above, bad form can also cause plenty of muscle soreness. This also has a knock-on effect when it comes to your future routines. If you find yourself exercising muscles which are susceptible to aches, there’s a very good chance you are going to “cheat” and place the resistance on those muscles which aren’t sore. This simply exaggerates the problem, and leaves you even further behind in the process. Remember, gyms are full of mirrors for a reason. Sure, some guys like to pose in them, but on the whole they are there to aid your form. Use them wisely, and keep checking to make sure that your body is in the right position for an exercise, and you are tapping into the right muscles when you follow through with the movement.   Mistake #3 – As soon as soreness arrives, your activity drops Like the other mistakes we have spoken about, this next one can almost be understood. After all, if you are suffering from muscle soreness, the last thing you want to do is use the affected muscles, right? Well, as much as it might hurt, it’s time to battle through the pain barrier and at least try and exercise the joints in question. There’s a common saying in the fitness industry and it goes by the name of “motion is lotion”. It means that without this motion, your aches and pains are just going to be amplified. So, where specifically should you be moving? Well, the best advice is to focus on the joints which are situated both above and below the muscle itself. For example, in the case of your quadriceps, you should be looking to keep both your knees and hips completely active. At this point we should highlight that we’re by no means suggesting that you should be putting a monumental amount of stress on these joints – just a little will suffice just nicely. Light exercise is all you need in this regard and the upshot of this is that muscles won’t become stiff, which is one of the primary reasons why pain from soreness arrives anyway. When we talk about light exercise, don’t consider anything more than a walk or slow jog for twenty minutes. Obviously, the nature of the exercise is going to vary depending on the affected muscles, but in the case of the quads a run is going to be completely suitable. In fact, this light exercise will even cause a rush of endorphins, which should provide some rest bite from the immediate pain you are experiencing from the soreness anyway. ...

Supposedly, it’s New Year, new you. Unfortunately, all we are hearing is New Year, same excuses. This might be the period of the year where the gyms are full to capacity, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that everyone is throwing themselves into their new regime. On the contrary, some guys just can’t wait to make up the next excuse on why not to go – and this is where today’s guide comes into the picture. We have put together the seven most common excuses when it comes to avoiding going to the gym. Suffice to say, if you can get over these, you’ll do your chances of long-term improvement the world of chances. Let’s jump straight into the list.     “My gym is too busy and I don’t want to queue” In some ways, this is a legit excuse. After all, who wants to drag themselves to the gym after work, only to see that they’ll be waiting in line for the next piece of equipment. Unfortunately, particularly at the turn of the year when New Year’s resolutions are out in full force, this is something that regularly happens. However, in reality, this isn’t something you should be using to halt your fitness plans. It’s certainly frustrating, but don’t try and fool yourself and suggest there are no other options on the table. The likes of squats, pushups and pull-ups aren’t just adequate replacements – they are some of the best exercises you can do anyway. You can do these in a spare corner of your gym (it will certainly have at least some free floor space) or even your own home. Either way, let’s abandon this excuse once and for all.   “My schedule is too tight to work out” Sure, life seems to have gotten busier. At the same time, we aren’t buying that you don’t have ten, lonely minutes to spare to have a quick workout. You might question whether or not really it is enough, but give us time. There’s been a huge development in the fitness industry over recent years, and it’s been going by the name of HIIT. Short for high intensity fitness training, this sort of training only needs around ten minutes to be truly effective. “Truly effective” means more worthwhile than lots of traditional exercise which has been drilled into us for so many years, as well. As long as you have a spare corner of your home, you’re good to go with this one. You don’t even need a gym.   “I look good anyway, it’s fine to miss a few days” Firstly, it’s completely fine to skip a day. In fact, if you don’t, your body is going to tell you in the very near future that it’s time for a rest – and it won’t be pleasant. However, suggesting that you’re looking too good to workout is bordering on laughable. Unfortunately, this is proving to be something that’s increasingly common, with experts even coining their own phrase; the genetic invincible effect. It basically sums up those who don’t decide to take their health seriously as there are no signs of obesity. Let’s remind you that it’s also usually these people who face problems down the line. So, feel free to skip a day, but any more than this you are asking for trouble. Missing sessions will become a habit, and that’s the last thing that you need. Trust us.   “I’m not sleeping enough to go to my workout” You can probably guess our response when it comes to this next issue. Go to bed earlier! In all seriousness, if you haven’t slept enough there’s every reason that you shouldn’t go to the gym. Countless studies have shown that a lack of sleep isn’t just going to impact the workout itself, but also for the whole day and your muscles just won’t repair as efficiently as they normally would. The crucial part of this excuse is defining just how much is “enough” sleep though. If you’ve only managed two or three hours, you’re right – don’t go, it’s going to do more harm than good. If on the other hand you are doing it so you don’t have to set your alarm at the weekend, this is questionable to say the least and a completely invalid excuse.   “I’m injured” Just like a lot of the excuses we have mulled over, we will exercise a degree of caution whilst talking about this next one. After all, injuries need to be taken seriously and if you do have a genuine one, you need to sort it as a matter of urgency. If this means that you’re not going to visit the gym, then so be it. However, there are different types of injuries. Something that’s often confused with an injury is a “pain”. This pain doesn’t have to be necessarily bad, it might be because you are just a little sore from the previous days’ session. In short, this is no excuse. Even if you’ve pulled your glutes, let’s not forget that there are exercises which can affect other areas of the body. There’s nothing stopping you from performing pull-ups or pushups, and being completely unaffected.   “I just don’t feel like going” Let’s now proceed to the lamest excuse in the book. Firstly, we should applaud you in some ways, as admitting that this is the real reason is something that far too many people aren’t willing to do. We do have some sympathy with this excuse, as it’s a very hard rut to get out of if you just don’t like and generally don’t want to go to the gym. We are going to leave you with the results of a study which will hopefully fine-tune your mind a little. In 2017, a study in Frontiers in Psychology concluded that people who placed their future as a priority were benefiting from a solid exercise regime. As such, before you give yourself the opportunity to hand this excuse in, start to think about your future and the true ramifications of “not feeling it”. Is it worth obesity or other health problems later down the line? Additionally, if you really don’t feel like your current exercise regime, what is stopping you from changing things up? If you don’t like cardio training, why not try weights? And before you ask, both can help you with weight loss if that’s your end goal.   “It’s raining” We’ve purposely saved the very best excuse until the end. Hopefully you don’t fall into this category, but some guys just won’t make the effort to go to the gym for the simple reason that it’s too cold, or wet. Of course, it might be that little more difficult to get out from under the covers, but in reality this really is a wet excuse (pardon the pun). Sure, it’s hard to get out of bed when the temperature drops, but let’s direct you over to a study in 2017. This was based on soldiers who were ski-marching in the Arctic and it was found that they were burning more calories than any other military exercise of a similar intensity. In simple terms, you’ll burn more calories when it’s cold, so get out there and do it. ...

It might be a new year, and it might be the time where you think that your fitness goals finally click into place, but it’s also the time where you need to ask yourself if they are really going to happen. Or, as every year has it, are the same mistakes going to creep in and you’ll be back to square one quicker than you know it? Unfortunately, far too many of us make fantastic-sounding New Year resolutions, only to see them fly up in tatters by the end of January. If you do fall into this group, the only consolation we can offer is that you’re certainly not alone, and we’re going to try and do everything we can to help you pass those first few milestones. Following on from the above, we have put together the following five points. These points will now look to address some of the common obstacles that hinder the typical person starting a fitness routine in January, and hopefully mean that your short-term plans can be extended indefinitely.     Don’t forget about the smaller goals In the process of setting your big goals for the New Year, many people simply forget that these need to split into smaller segments. Sure, it’s going to be almightily satisfying if you manage to achieve your goal when the end of the year strikes. In the period before then though, things could get frustrating. Most days you are going to wake up realizing that you’re nowhere near your end goal, and you have a long time before you get anywhere close. In some cases, let’s not forget, that you might have to weight nigh-on twelve months to reach that elusive target. This is why it is crucial to split down the goal into smaller goals, so you can work on the back of the motivation needed to complete them. As well as the above, some people will decide that a big goal is just too difficult to achieve on its own. For example, if you were to lose 40 pounds in a year, it sounds a huge figure. However, if we were to tell you that you only need to lose between three and four pounds a month, suddenly things start to become easier and your motivation levels should rise as a result. Remember, when it comes to setting goals, always go with the SMART principle. This is tried-and-tested, and places a big emphasis on everything we have spoken about in this section.   Buy into the era of the selfie To say that we’re in the era of the selfie would be a gross understatement. For some of us, it’s the photo which actually dominates our day-to-day life. However, when it comes to fitness they actually serve a very good purpose. For years we have been used to relying on the scales, but now might be the time to ditch this approach and turn to your trusty mobile phone. By taking regular selfies, you will quickly see visual evidence of where your weight loss journey is heading. This can turn out to be much more revealing as well, for the simple reason that the scale might read higher, even though your fat levels have dropped. A selfie meanwhile can show your tone a little more, and generally make you feel better about yourself. If you want to take things a little further, don’t hesitate to upload these selfies to social media either. This will immediately provide some accountability to your actions, while there was also a study in 2013 which showed that those people who added their fitness progress to Twitter actually lost more weight than those that didn’t. As such, it’s one of those matters where the science does the talking as well.   It’s time to team up Going to the gym with your friend might seem a little too social, but there are huge benefits in opting for this approach. It’s all about having a degree of accountability. When you wake up in the morning, and everything rests on you, you won’t be letting anyone else down when you roll back over and go to sleep. When there’s a buddy waiting at the gym, such actions are far less likely to happen. This isn’t something which is purely based on theory either. A report in the American Society of Training and Development went as far as saying that by having someone with you during your workout progress you have 95% more chance of reaching your fitness goals. Clearly, this is a monumental difference. Of course, you’ve got to be quite selective of who your training buddy actually is. If it’s someone who is going to let you down, or someone who will always accept any excuses you throw at them, it’s probably a sign that they are not going to be suitable for this role. Instead, it needs to be someone utterly proactive who is really going to raise your game, and bounce off you.   The 90 day factor It doesn’t matter who you are, competition tends to bring the best out of people. Of course, you might be the type of person who doesn’t like engaging in competition but even if you do fall into said category, it’s time to battle on and try to agree to this next suggestion. The basis of it is to schedule some form of competition around 90 days after the turn of the New Year. This is the optimum amount of time to provide yourself with the adequate motivation to plough on and continue with your fitness goals. By having this in the diary, you are far more likely to keep going and attempt to conquer your ambitions. However, there is a word of caution. It’s recommended to book in this event within the first week of January (or the earliest time possible). If you leave it later, you run the risk of not even having the motivation to book the event, never mind take part in it.   The one big workout a month challenge If you’ve managed to work out consistently for a few months, you need a round of applause. There’s just one problem with this; you are probably going to start to get burnt out soon. In other words, the workouts which have served you so well over time will soon become boring, forcing you to lose interest and the rut to set in. As such, a solution is required. You need to try anything and everything to spice your workouts up, just so the boredom factor doesn’t come into play. One such idea is to invest in one big workout every single month. We don’t mean a heated gym session, or anything else that is remotely similar to your normal surroundings, but rather something that is completely out of the ordinary. To coin a few examples, it might be rock climbing or an obstacle course. Both of these options have something completely unique about them, whilst challenging your body immensely. At the same time, they aren’t something that you are likely to participate in every week, which is where they can step in and rescue you from your boring routine. ...

As any exercise enthusiast will tell you, January is the worst month for going to the gym. It’s absolutely rammed full – with queues for machinery just adding to the misery. It’s full of people who are aiming for the “new year, new you” phase, and finally looking to get into shape. If you fall into said category, this guide is for you. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with starting a gym routine, and you will reap so many rewards if you stick at it. However, in order to do so, you really need to avoid some of the common pitfalls that plague so many new members. Through the course of this guide we’ll mull over some of these mistakes, and help build you build a “new you” the right way.     Stay away from the modern toys Nowadays, gyms are full of modern toys. For the established gym enthusiast, this isn’t a problem. They can resist when necessary, and turn to them on the few occasions its required. For the newbie, this seems hard to achieve though. They will be desperate to try the shiny new machines, and opt for these over free weights and established exercises that are guaranteed to help them get in shape provided they persist. When we talk about this new equipment, we’re referring to the likes of TRX belts and other “modern” stuff. Sure, there’s a place for these, and they can work well in some workouts. For the new person going to the gym though, there are far more powerful tools at your disposal which can really supercharge your progress. The likes of squats and deadlifts are tried and tested – so make sure you turn to them. The fancy equipment and exercises meanwhile, is designed for those established pros who need to tap into new stimulus in a bid to enhance their performance. When you get to said stage, then is the time to turn to them. For now, stick to the classic movements – they will serve you well.   Your phone is your worst enemy In the age of the smartphone, you might not believe us. But please, leave your phone away from the gym floor – as it’s not doing you any favorites whatsoever. In short, it’s an out-and-out distraction. Receive a text message from your significant other? You need to respond. See the latest breaking news story on the sports app? You need to check it. Such distractions aren’t going to do you any favors and will stop your focus. Let’s not forget that it’s not just you who suffers here, but everybody waiting for that piece of equipment you’re hogging due to phone-abuse. At the same time, the gym isn’t a place for chatting. If you’re on the phone and exercising, we can bet that you really aren’t getting the most out of your session.   Arriving as a group isn’t cool Every so often you will see groups of guys hitting the gym, cycling through the loud jokes between sets and generally making the gym aware of their presence. This presence is by no means positive though; people aren’t looking at them for their amazing ability to bench press huge numbers, it’s for all the wrong reasons. Sure, the gym can be a social environment, but there are limits. Big groups just don’t work, and you’ll also find that there are individuals in said group who are happy to dish out plenty of advice, despite their poor shape. In short, it’s just not giving you any benefits whatsoever. Going with a buddy is fine – studies have shown that this can actually help. Anything more than this is overkill though, and will hinder your progress.   Start your new year resolution with good form If going to the gym is your new year’s resolution, at least make sure that you are implementing good form. It’s all-too common to see guys hitting the gym for the first time and just trying to cram as much weight on as possible. The result of this is form which is absolutely terrible; you’ll be rocking, swinging and doing everything with the weights which makes you something of a laughing stock. Also, let’s not forget that this isn’t going to make you stronger – it’s just going to enhance the chances of picking up an injury. Instead, opt for lower weights, but learn the form. Watch videos, talk to the right people, and just make it your goal to learn the correct way to do the exercises – rather than be the clown with the big weights.   What is your goal? Finally, let’s talk about one of the big problems that plague everyone at the gym – but it’s going to affect newbies even more and really impact their motivation levels. So many people just rock up to the gym without really knowing what they want to do. What are your goals? Do you want to lose weight? Build muscle? Let’s get these goals down to a tee before we go any further. If you don’t do the above, you will cycle through exercises without really knowing where you are going. How will you know if it’s been a good session? What will you think after a month of going to the gym? To tackle all of this, it’s time to come up with a plan. Some of you might turn to a personal trainer, but if you do opt for this approach at least do some research and find a good one. During new year, there are far too many amateurs doing the rounds which aren’t going to help in the slightest. Or, do-it-yourself. Just because you have little past experience in the gym, doesn’t mean to say that you can’t devise a plan of action. There’s now so much material on the internet, that it’s almost inexcusable not to go alone. Or, just talk to friends – but let’s reiterate that these friends need to be in-the-know, not just guys who think they know what they are talking about. ...