My first impression of Joel: what a goomba.

Joel is very tall,has a slight side-to-side shuffle, and has one of those laughs that make you laugh even if whatever you’re talking about is not funny.  When we went to Las Vegas back in April, I believed we laughed for 5 days straight.

Back in NYC, I think he he introduced himself as, “Hey, I’m Joel Marion, 2001 Body-for-Life Grand Champion for ages 18-25.”

Maybe he didn’t say the ages 18-25 part but he did introduce himself as “I know something that you don’t know” energy about him.

My second impression of Joel: this guy is pretty cocky.

Pretty ignorant and shallow of me eh?

Over the course of the next few hours I came to realize that Joel was anything but an “ordinary guy” — and certainly not cocky but still a bit of a goomba.  Over the last few months he quickly became one my best friends and respected colleague with whom I’d exchange ideas daily.

In the months that followed, I watched as Joel became a online fitness celebrity, famous for developing a fat loss system that’s been introduced in his book, Cheat Your Way Thin.  Joel has tirelessly researched and experimented with various theories in hopes of turning “good” into “optimal” and there’s no better example of this than his dedication to helping you succeed a better way.

Joel is helping me get my book published and more recently has helped me with my diet the past three weeks since visiting him at his home in Tampa, Florida.

Joel and I in Tampa on October 29th

More accurately, Joel has helped me incorporate overfeed days/cheat days/treat days or whatever you want to call them into my diet (every 5 days for my upcoming goals).

The results?  I’ve gone from 203 pounds to 197 pounds – three weeks to the day and I’ve gained two pounds of muscle according to my body fat pincher.  Overall, I look bigger than three weeks ago.\

In my girlfriends words when I revealed the goods, “Holy!” (Jaw dropped at the same time).

What am I training for?  A photo I’m doing in the Dominican Republic this Monday November 23rd while at a wedding with my girlfriend.  Pictures will be posted soon.

I’ll take pride that I used my own training programs and am one bad ass mo fo when I train but Joel’s helped me crush through the final phase of fat loss using the exact plan you can pick up, half-price, on Tuesday November 24th at 12pm EST.

The pre-sale lasts for 72-hours only so I hope you are ready to go this Tuesday.

You should also know that I’m giving away The Ultimate Cheat Workout I filmed yesterday if you order your copy by clicking on this link:

http://www.HolidayTreatPlan.com

NOTE: This is ONLY available if you order through the link above.

Joel’s Not Messing Around…

Joel’s passion, and having spent the last six years of his life researching and developing the book is impressive. And I suggest that you get your facts straight before entering a conversation with him on leptin because  here is his common response (in person) when I asked him every question you’ve had about the program:

“Dude, (bursts out laughing), I’ve answered that question 1000 times already in every form of print media and during a twenty-city national radio tour.  I have over 200 research papers to counter any argument you throw my way.  This stuff is for real man and I have the results to prove it.

Even Tom Venuto interviewed me on my program and that was the toughest  interview of my life but after the call Tom said, ‘I’m a believer.’”

If you know Tom, that’s impressive!  Although I love Tom, just because Tom is a believer does not mean you should believe too.

My advice: Don’t believe ANYONE (not even Joel or I) by reading about it, ultimately you must learn from doing.That’s my motto for life.

You can do that on Tuesday November 24th and today you can learn more about it with the interview I just posted.

Holiday Treat Plan: An Interview With Joel Marion

Vince: People think the name of your book, Cheat Your Way Thin, is “nonsense” and as you know, I’m a no nonsense kind of guy so what would you say to someone who instantly thinks this is just marketing hype?

Joel: “Cheating” to lose fat faster is about as counterintuitive as it gets, but when you understand how the body works, it couldn’t make more sense. On the surface, no sense, or “nonsense”, but when you truly “get it”, it’s like the biggest “Ah ha” moment you’ll ever have. It finally “clicks”.

As I’ve shared in my past few updates and in the articles that you’ve posted on your blog, it’s really all about keeping your body happy. Typical dieting works against your body. When you restrict calories 7 days a week, week after week, month after month, your body “retreats” and makes it more difficult for you to lose fat as a starvation protection mechanism. Fat burning hormones plummet, metabolism slows, and losing fat becomes extremely difficult and slow. Simply put, your body doesn’t know you’re “on a diet” trying to shed body fat. The only thing it knows is that you aren’t eating enough calories, and to your body, that’s a big, red flag.

Fortunately, you can override this “starvation” response by periodically, strategically eating high carb/high fat/high calorie foods (and yes, that means pizza and ice cream). While it takes about a week of dieting for your body to “catch on”, it only takes one day of overfeeding or “cheating” to reset metabolism and keep the fat coming off. The rest of the diet is extremely strategic surrounding each cheat day, but that’s the major premise. Keep your body happy, and fat melts off. “Deprive” it, and your own body becomes your worst fat loss nightmare.

Vince: So the book has been out for 6 months, but I know you’ve been working with this approach for well over 6 YEARS. What has been the biggest feedback from fans?

Joel: People love the fact this is a program that focuses on what they CAN eat, instead of every other restrictive approach that simply tells people over and over again what they CAN’T eat. It’s DOABLE. And the fact that they use pizza to strip away fat faster than they ever could with restrictive dieting certainly hasn’t brought in any complaints.

Vince: What has been the most popular email and concern you have received from prospects of your program and what was your reply?

Joel: There is always a select group of “hardcore” people or “naturalists” that are against eating anything that would be considered “unhealthy” and are looking for ways to manipulate the anti-starvation hormone “leptin” without eating cookies, french fries, etc. For them, we teach them why these foods work, and then have them mimic those qualities with other foods.

Foods like pizza, ice cream, and french fries work extremely well because they combine very high glycemic carbohydrates with fat. That combination right there breeds a massive surge of insulin, which believe it or not is exactly what we want to achieve on cheat days to reverse the negative physiological adaptations of dieting. Truth is, you don’t need to eat cookies if you prefer not to (personally, Double Stuff Oreos are a staple food on my cheat days, but to each his own. I actually “unscrew” two Double Stuff Oreos and then put them back together to make Quadruple Stuff, but hey, maybe that’s just me). Anyway, you can achieve the same effect with “cleaner” foods like a huge plate of pasta with meatballs, bread & butter, lasagna, etc. The key is following the rules of high carb/high fat/high calories.

Vince: You get any hate mail yet?

Joel: Yet? I started getting hate mail before I even wrote my first article on the subject back in 2003. With success, it just gets worse. But you know what, I get A LOT more “love” mail from people who actually put their faith in the program, acted, and saw amazing results. The haters hate (without ever giving it a try), and the action takers get results.

Vince: LOL.  No kidding eh – I find that foolish.  I think people are scared of the specific foods we use to capture their attention (like pizza, ice cream, french fries, etc) and that raises instant fear and disbelief. What is your response to folks who claim that your approach is unhealthy?

Joel: You know, I get this concern from a select group quite a bit actually, but let’s think about this logically. The end result of using my program is significantly lower levels of body fat. So, let’s say someone uses it to lose 20 lbs. The health benefits of having 20 lbs less fat are immense. Cholesterol levels improve, blood pressure, and a bunch of other markers.

On top of that, we use strategic exercise. Because of this, cholesterol levels , blood pressure, and other markers improve.

Further, we are eating “clean” 85% of the time. To have a single day of induglence, even if you eat the worst stuff (which as I’ve mentioned previously, you can easily mimic the effects with “cleaner” foods so long as you combine carbs and fat), it’s not going to negate doing EVERYTHING right the 6 other days.

People can expect every health marker to improve, and that’s in addition to looking better than they ever had (not to mention actually being able to stick to a diet, the diet being liveable and doable, and enjoying the process).

Vince: Am I eating bird food on the other days when I’m not cheating?

Joel: If by “bird food” you mean tender steak, fish, shrimp cocktail, rotissiere chicken, pork chops, loads of sweet, juicy fruit, huge salads, pasta, potatoes, sandwiches, and about a hundred other flavorful choices, then yes, it’s very much like “bird food”.

Vince: That’s what I’m talking about home boy! How is the Holiday Edition different than the version you released last year?

Joel: It includes the original program, but it has several “holiday” related bonuses, such as the Holiday Cheat Calendar which gives people a day by day blueprint for how to approach this holiday season while having every single day as a Cheat Day, never missing a holiday meal, party or dessert, and LOSING fat over the course of the next six weeks. Beyond that, it contains all the specs of the regular program as well, so you can always reference it again at a later date and be good to go, even if it’s July of next year.

Vince: Anybody this program definitely not for?

Joel: If you’re stuck in the mentality that you have to sacrifice and deprive yourself to lose weight and just can’t “believe” that you can use your favorite foods to lose weight faster (despite the overwhelming amount of science I’ve shared to support my approach), then this program isn’t for you. If you’re looking to get crazy fast results while eating your favorite foods, then this program will be a godsend.

Lastly, if you have pre-existing medical conditions, of course, you should listen to your doctor and go with his or her advice.

Vince: Last one browksy. What kind of results should action takers expect? You have 100x more fans than skeptics… lets focus on the positive people who are actually going to take action, follow the system and get killer results.

Joel: It really is dependant on your starting point. As you know, those with a lot to lose tend to lose faster at first, while those who are losing the “last 10″ a bit slower. Bottom line, I’ve had people use this approach to get ridiculously lean for a photo shoot (like you’re doing now), and other people who have lost 40, 50, and even 100+ lbs on the program. For the average person with about 20 lbs of fat to lose, I would expect they’d easily be able to lose the vast majority of that DURING this holiday season (while everyone else is out there stuck gaining weight, wondering how you’re chowing down at every holiday party and actually LOSING weight).

END OF INTERVIEW

I did my best the last few days to address as many of your concerns for a number of reasons:

1. I understand you’ve heard me say, “Eat healthy and avoid junk…” and this appears that I have abandoned my beliefs and have betrayed you.  I have not – I am learning just like you and with new experiences, reading and testing, I have discovered new things and am sharing them with you.    Cut a brother some slack – I’m 29 years old.  Did you know everything when you were 29?  Do you know everything right now?  I respect a saying that says, You don’t know what you don’t know. Right?

2. This program is bad ass. It works if you work the plan.  Read that last sentence ten times.

3. Here is my formula for overcoming fear: Knowledge + Action = Overcoming Fear. Ultimately you will not know if this is the real deal unless you try it.  That’s for YOU to decide.  I’m not twisting any arms.  I’ve got a six pack and my girlfriend loves it so I’m not losing sleep at night if you don’t have yours. I’m not interested in helping people who don’t want to help themselves. Makes sense, right?

4. I think 3 reasons are good enough.  I’m off to the Dominican Saturday at 5am and have a killer video of me eating a cheat meal so stay tuned for that and remember to pick up my program by clicking on this link:

http://www.HolidayTreatPlan.com and forward me your receipt with the subject line, “Send Me The Ultimate Cheat Day Workout Bonus Video” to vincedelmontefitness@yahoo.ca and I’ll hook you up with a video I shot yesterday of my cheat day workout.

I know you’re going to want it.

Have an amazing weekend.  Onward and upward!

Vince

P.S. Post questions below if you have them.

By preventing leptin levels from dropping too low you’ll keep your metabolism soaring which means you’ll be burning fat all day long.  Have a close read over the valuable information below because it will show you what “dieting” should really be all about.

NOTE: Please read the comments from the blog post yesterday because the man-of-the-hour, Joel Marion in the flesh took the time to read your questions and give extremely detailed responses.  Do not read any further below until you understand how this important hormone – leptin – works.  I promise it will be worth your time extremely helpful for your fat loss goals.  If you need clarification on anything mentioned don’t hesitate to post below.

Click HERE to read the most important hormone you never heard of. (page opens in new window)

Below in another article from Joel that I have posted with his permission.

A Double Dose Of Metabolism Protection: Strategic Carbohydrate Cycling

Without a doubt the most important thing you can do while attempting to drop body fat is to maintain high levels of leptin day in and day out.

With Cheat Your Way Thin, we accomplish this via two different means:

First, every so often we use strategically timed periods of overfeeding or “cheating” to restore leptin levels to baseline. These full-blown cheat sessions are almost magical when it comes to interrupting the starvation feedback loop, preventing your body from “turning against” your dietary efforts and putting the kibosh on fat loss.

In addition to strategic cheating, we also use strategic carbohydrate cycling throughout the week in order to safeguard against falls in leptin and other fat burning hormones even on “diet” days.

If you paid close attention to yesterday’s article, you remember that leptin and carbohydrate have VERY strong ties. I even shared a study in which leptin levels were maintained during an all out fast (no food whatsoever) by simply maintaining blood glucose and insulin via an IV drip. Wow.

I’ll clean that entire plate on my cheat, I prefer to call “treat” days

When It Comes To Leptin, Carbohydrates Are KING

But, just like with cheating, you can’t just eat a boatload of carbs every day and expect fat to magically melt away. It’s all about strategy.

So here’s how we do it.

After a Cheat Day, when leptin is extremely high and the body is incredibly primed to burn fat, we go with a low-carb approach. By going low-carb here, we can fully take advantage of the fat burning environment that the Cheat Day created. The end result – total fat loss domination early in the week.

Unfortunately, you can’t get away with this forever as leptin will inevitably start to drop off in the face of a daily absence of carbohydrate.

So just as leptin begins to drop off mid-week, guess what we do? Yep, add more carbohydrates—the influx of blood glucose and insulin push leptin back up and communicate with the brain that everything is A-OK. Then, toward the end of the week once the body begins to adapt again, we up the carb ante once again.

In addition the Cheat Days, the weekly carbohydrate progress of low to moderate to high ensures that you never go a single day without a body primed for fat loss.

With regular dieting, come week two you’re metabolism is already beginning to suffer.

Do you see how strategic this is? Do you see why this works so well?

It’s everything “typical” dieting isn’t.

Oh, and here’s another benefit of carbohydrate cycling ==> extreme variety.

Diets for the most part are BORING. Same foods every day. Not so with Cheat Your Way Thin – the menu is literally ALWAYS changing (and that’s in addition to being able to eat whatever you want on Cheat Days). Have a steak in the beginning of the week, a large fruit salad mid-week, and then pasta toward week’s end. It’s ALL fair game. We limit nothing, and frankly, you don’t have to.

I will eat this entire box of pizza on another one of my treat meals

Oh, and did I mention just how HUGE all of this is psychologically?

Think back to those feelings of guilt and failure you experienced when you first “cheated” on your diet.I remember feeling like a failure and so disappointed with myself . Never again. Now when I cheat, it’s planned. And each time I do, I walk away knowing that I just accelerated my progress.

Frankly, it doesn’t get much better than knowing that you just used your favorite dessert to speed along fat loss.

Anxiety? Nope. When cravings arise, there is major comfort in knowing that you’ll be able to enjoy that very food in just a few short days when your next cheat session rolls around.

Simply put, strategic cheating solves the dietary dilema by providing you with powerful metabolic benefits and perhaps even more powerful psychological ones.

Feelings of discouragement and decreased motivation? Definitely with other diets, but with Cheat Your Way Thin, you’ll actually be excited to step on the scale week after week to view the consistent, steady progress that regular, strategic cheating yields.

Are you ready to experience just how enjoyable dieting can be? Are you ready to LOSE 10-15 lbs this holiday season (while everyone else is stuck gaining those 10-15 lbs)?

You’re witnessing the best place in Canada – Tim Hortons – they are the KING of baked goods and I’ll devour at least half a  dozen of their donuts on my cheat days.

On Tuesday, November 24th, the less than half price PRE-SALE for the Cheat Your Way Thin Holiday Edition will open up exclusively to those who downloaded the Holiday Fat Loss Black Book. And even if you missed out, I have inside-hook ups with Joel and will get you in on the half-price sale because on November 28th, when the book goes on sale to the general public, the price will literally more than double. I appreciate you reading my blog and as valued  subscriber, I will be sure to take care of you with a huge discount come November 24th.

And I want to help you in the mean time so please post any questions, specifically on carbohydrate cycling, below.  If you have questions on leptin – click here to post your questions.

Vince

Next week I’m going to telling you about the number one nutrition program this year called Cheat Your Way Thin (Holiday Edition) which will be released next week by fitness author Joel Marion.  It’s absolutely necessary that you read this article because it’s critical information that you understand the principle behind the Cheat Your Way Thin program.

I got to hang out with Joel for four days while I was in Tampa Florida visiting him and one of the hot topics of our conversation was accelerating my fat loss goals to get me shredded for my photo shoot next weekend in the Dominican Republic.  After a bit of arm-twisting I agreed that I would try out his nutrition program instead of my own.

After you see the pictures next week you can decide for yourself if it works.

For now, with Joel’s permission, I’ve posted a recent article I would like you to read and then post your questions for Joel and I to respond to – I’m sure there will be a lot so we’ll do our best to answer them all.

Lepti-what?!

It’s name is Leptin (derived from the Greek word leptos, meaning “thin”), and it’s without a doubt the most important hormone you probably never heard of.

You see, leptin was only first discovered just over 10 years ago, and as far as weight loss is concerned, that’s extremely recent.

A leptin molecule looks a lot like a mangled telephone cord.

Leptin’s function? To communicate your nutritional status to your body and brain.

Leptin levels are mediated by two things. One is your level of body fat. All else being equal, people with higher levels of body fat will have higher leptin levels than those with lower levels of body fat and vice versa.

Because leptin is secreted by fat cells, it makes sense that under normal conditions there is a direct correlation between leptin levels and the amount of fat you are carrying.

Unfortunately, when you’re attempting to lose fat and begin to restrict calories, conditions are anything but “normal” and the body responds accordingly by lowering leptin levels.

This is because the second mediator of blood leptin levels is your calorie intake. Lower your calorie intake and leptin will fall, independent of body fat.

So, yes, you can be overweight and still suffer from low leptin levels – just go on a diet.

So what happens when leptin levels fall and why the heck does it matter?

Again, under normal conditions leptin levels are normal and the brain gets the signal loud and clear that nutrition intake is adequate. Metabolism is high and the internal environment of the body is one very conducive to fat burning.

A body that knows a little something about fat burning.

Until you start dieting.

Go on a diet and leptin levels quickly plummet (by 50% or more after only one week), sending a signal to the body that you’re semi-starved and not consuming enough calories.

This puts the breaks on metabolism and creates a hormonal environment extremely conducive to fat storage. Thyroid hormones (hormones extremely important to metabolism) respond by taking a dive and the abdominal fat-storing stress hormone cortisol skyrockets measurably.

Hello belly fat.

Welcome to the world of leptin resistance

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the appetite stimulating hormones ghrelin, neuropeptide-Y, and anandamide all hop on board to make your life even more miserable.

You don’t have to remember any of those names, just remember that when leptin drops, you get seriously hungry.

Despite having a pretty good reason for its reaction, it’s pretty ironic that our bodies are primed for fat loss at every other time except when we are trying to burn fat.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could maintain high leptin levels and a body primed for fat burning while dieting? It would seemingly solve all of our problems.

But in order to do this, we’d have to somehow keep leptin levels high as we attempt to lose those extra pounds.

How about “supplementing” with leptin?

A couple of problems here: First, leptin is a protein based hormone, which means that it can not be taken orally (otherwise, it would simply be digested). So that rules out a leptin pill.

This leaves the method of “supplemental” leptin administration to injection. And leptin injections DO indeed work, reversing the metabolic adaptations to dieting and “starvation” even while continuing to restrict calories.

In 1996, Ahima et al. used leptin injections to reverse starvation-induced neuroendrocrine adaptations in mice.

“Well, that’s nice and all, but I’m human.” Point taken; research with rodents doesn’t always correlate to similar findings in humans, however…

In 1999, Heymsfield et al. performed a double-blind placebo controlled study analyzing weight loss over a 24-week period in 73 obese humans. Subjects either injected daily with leptin or a placebo (i.e. bogus alternative). At the end of the 24-week period, the leptin group lost significantly more weight than the placebo and a higher percentage of fat vs. muscle.

In 2002, Rosenbaum et al. administered low-dose leptin to subjects (male and female) who had dieted to a 10% decrease in body weight. During the diet period, thyroid hormone levels, 24-hr energy expenditure, and other metabolic markers substantially decreased. The result of the leptin replacement therapy?

“All of these endocrine changes were reversed…”

Thyroid output and daily calorie burn increased back to pre-diet levels.

In 2003, Fogteloo et al. showed that leptin injections “tended to reduce the decline of energy expenditure associated with energy restriction, whereas the tendency of energy intake to increase back to baseline levels in placebo-treated subjects was largely prevented in subjects treated with leptin.”

Yeah, that’s a mouthful. Let me put in simple terms: not only did the leptin group experience less of a decline in metabolism, but they were also less hungry, allowing them to more easily stick to the prescribed diet.

In 2004, Welt et al. reported that leptin given to a group of women with thyroid disorder immediately raised circulating concentrations of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.

In 2005, Rosenbaum and company were at it again, again showing that energy expenditure and circulating concentrations of T3 and T4 all returned to pre-weight-loss levels with regular leptin injections.

So, as theorized, keeping leptin levels high during a diet does indeed solve our dilemma by avoiding the negative metabolic (and perhaps behavioral) adaptations that calorie restriction perpetuates.

The problem?

Daily leptin injections are far too expensive, costing thousands and thousands of dollars per week. So, we can pretty much forget about supplemental leptin as a solution (which is probably moot anyway considering that not too many people are going to voluntarily plunge a needle into their skin daily).

A REAL Solution

Now that we know that leptin injections aren’t going to save us, let’s talk about the possibility of manipulating your body’s natural leptin production.

And I’ve got good news – this can indeed be done, and without involving needles or thousands of dollars. In fact, we’ll swap the injections and mounds of cash out for two things I can guarantee you’re absolutely going to love: more calories and more carbs.

We know that leptin levels decrease by about 50% after only one week of dieting, but fortunately, it doesn’t take nearly that long for leptin to bump back up with a substantial increase in caloric intake.

In fact, research has shown that it only takes about 12-24 hours.

So, the answer to the fat loss catch-22? Strategic high-calorie, high-carb CHEATING.

A strategic cheat meal will boost leptin levels, helping you to lose fat.

By strategically cheating with high calorie foods (and yes, even stuff like pizza, ice cream, wings, cookies, burgers, fries, etc), you can give leptin and metabolism a major boost mid-diet which sets you up for plenty of subsequent fat loss when you resume your reduced calorie eating regimen.

This means greater net fat loss week after week, and ultimately, a much more realistic, maintainable way to bring you to the body you truly want and deserve.

So what’s so special about carbs?

Well, leptin, carbohydrate and insulin have been shown to have very strong ties.

Calories alone don’t get the job done, as research shows that overfeeding on protein and fat has little effect on leptin.

In order to get a strong leptin response from overfeeding, there needs to be plenty of carbs in the mix. In fact, the relationship is SO strong that research conducted by Boden et al. at the Temple University School of Medicine shows that leptin levels will not fall even in response to all-out fasting so long as insulin and blood sugar are maintained via IV drip (16). That’s CRAZY.

Because of this carbohydrate/insulin-leptin relationship, it makes sense that foods combining both carbs and fat (like pizza, burgers, cookies, ice cream, etc) work best for reversing the negative adaptations caused by dieting because of the BIG-TIME insulin response they produce.

But even more importantly, this relationship gives us an indicator of just how important and useful carbohydrates are on “diet” days.

And THAT’S what I’ll be back to talk with you about tomorrow. How we use strategic carbohydrate cycling along with planned cheating in the Cheat Your Way Thin program to  that you never go a single day without a body primed for fat loss.

Stay tuned; our journey continues tomorrow…

…but for now let me know what questions you need answered by Joel and I.  Fire away…

Vince

Until Sunday night they are having a 50% off book launch discount.

http://www.MetabolicResistanceCardio.com <– This is basically my nickname for hybrid training.

As you know, I do not aggressively endorse methods for building muscle and losing fat simultaneously. Instead, I prefer to chase one goal at once but if two reputable coaches I respect are claiming this is possible, it would be ignorant for me to ignore their real world science and results.

I was especially interested in knowing if their “gain muscle and lose fat at the same time methods” could be used in replacement of my post cardio workout and you’ll see specific sample workouts below (question #5) that I’m performing instead of 20-30 minutes of walking on a treadmill etc.  Their workouts are far more stimulating and better for overall conditioning which is why I thought you would be interested in having a look today.  All the info is at:

http://www.MetabolicResistanceCardio.com

Top 5 Lean Hybrid Muscle Building Questions answered by Mike and Elliot below:

1. Is there really such thing as type III muscle fiber?

Like we mentioned yesterday, a Type III muscle fiber is just a cool name for a hybrid type II muscle fiber that takes on traits of a type I fiber.

It’s nothing new. It’s just something a lot of people haven’t heard about.

Early adaptors of this theory included Dr. Len Schwartz who in 1995 coined the phrase “Long Strength”. Dr. Schwartz describes Long strength as “the ability to exert significant strength for an extended period of time.”

John Parrillo-the second proponent of long strength-began having his bodybuilders doing really high intensity cardio. He claimed that doing this actually altered the muscle composition. He called this form a resistance training the “100 rep extended set,” saying that it helped the body to construct more mitochondria-the muscles’ “cellular blast furnaces.” He also says that this increases muscular growth by developing the circulatory pathways that provide nourishment to the muscles.

Ori Hofmekler is the third early adopter of the long strength concept. Ori developed a weight training system that he called, “Controlled Fatigue Training.” According to Ori, this type of training was specifically designed to develop these super hybrid muscles-ones that were capable of generating and sustaining strength for extended periods.

2. Why do we want a type 3 super muscle?

Reviewing what we talked about yesterday we know that Type 1 fibers have a higher mitochondrial density than type 2 thus they are more fuel efficient. Simply put, they burn fat for energy better than the type 2 fibers.

Type 2 fibers usually have a thicker diameter… they are bigger fibers. When they begin adopting the behavior of type 1 fibers by gradually increasing their mitochondrial density they ultimately become even BIGGER in size as well a better at burning fat for energy.

So if you want muscles that are BIGGER, STRONGER, have more ENDURANCE, and are better at FAT BURNING than you’ll want to develop these muscles.

3. How do we get them?

By combining cardio and resistance activities it causes the composition of muscles to transform from predominately type II or type IIb into Type III. By doing this, we are able to push “beyond our genetic limits,” much like the ancient Spartans, Gladiators and Vikings did.

Having more mitochondria in the muscle cells means that more nutrients can be processed, giving the muscles the ability to work considerably harder for longer periods. They’re also able to grow larger and are able to resist getting tired for longer periods.

Knowing this, we can see that the goal of cardio combined with resistance—sometimes known as hybrid cardio is to push our muscles to undergo a reconfiguration and increase the number of mitochondria in the cells.

4. Should I eat for size or fat loss during this program?

The answer to that is…it depends. Sometimes you’ll eat more calories and sometimes you’ll eat less. However nutrient timing is just one aspect of gaining muscle and burning fat.

Nutrition would be such an easy topic to practice and discuss if human beings were as simple as a mathematical equation.

You know… 10 – 3 = 7

But when it comes to the dynamic hormonal and nervous system fluctuations present in the human body… often times

10 – 3 = 478!!

With such various reactions to a broad spectrum of stimuli, the simple notion that calories in vs. calories out determines your fat loss or muscle building results, is a completely ineffective means for determining fitness results.

For example, when exposed to the harsh and threatening demands of prison life, many inmates continue to build thick, lean muscles despite the lack of access to high quality foods, proteins and supplements.

This is due to the highly anabolic state that their bodies are able to maintain when in such a testosterone driven environment. Also, have you ever met a fat person that barely eats? They consume very little calories yet they are obese! This is also due to a hormonal response. It also destroys the notion that lower calories equal less body fat.

Fat loss and muscle building are the result of several lifestyle and nutrition modifications, none more important than the other. All of our daily choices have an impact on our fitness results, not simply how much food we eat.

5. Can I continue my current workout and add Resistance Cardio at the end of my workouts for 20-30 minutes?

Yes that’s a great idea. That’s a hybrid workout in itself. Continue to train with weights for strength, muscle growth and toning. Than instead of doing 30-minutes of traditional cardio on a treadmill or stationary bike add some resistance cardio to your workout to start developing the Type III muscle fiber.

To do hybrid cardio all you need to is combine aerobic and anaerobic (resistance) activities. You can do this by adding dumbbells to your cardio workout.

If you want to go jogging, try wearing a weight vest while doing it. If you want to do something low impact, pick up some kettlebells or dumbbells and walk up a flights of stairs. Interval hybrid cardio using your bodyweight is another good option.

Another idea is to set up a circuit of pull-ups, squats, box jumps and push-ups. Alternate exercises every 20-30 seconds and keep moving. Keep going for 20-minutes. I guarantee you a bodyweight circuit like this will be faster, burn more calories and keep you more entertained. You can mix things up even more by holding each position for five to ten seconds—up for pull-ups and push-ups, down for lunges and squats.

Once the bodyweight cardio exercises aren’t challenging enough you can try a few of these sample Metabolic Resistance Cardio workouts to do at the end of your normal workouts. They are all full body workouts, so feel free to rotate through them, it doesn’t matter which one you pick.

Remember your muscles will already be somewhat fatigued from the weight training session you just performed so you’ll want to use a much lighter weight when doing this kind of resistance cardio after a weight training session.

These hybrid “resistance cardio” workouts can be done with 2 20 lb dumbbells or with a barbell at the gym at the end of your workouts.

No rest between exercises, Take 3-5 mins rest after the circuit and complete 3-5 rounds.

1a. Barbell Back Squats x 5

1b. DB overhead Walking Lunges x 20 steps

1c. Chin Ups x 10

1d. Jumping Burpees x 10

OR

a. DB squat / push press x 20

b. DB lunges x 10 ea.

c. DB renegade rows x 10 ea.

d. Jumping Burpees x 10

OR

a. DB overhead walking lunges x 30 yds.

b. DB Squats x 20

c. Skip Rope x 100

d. Sit Ups x 15

OR

a. BW Squat Jumps x 15

b. DB step ups x 10 ea

c. Explosive Push Ups x 15

d. Knees to Bows (if chin up bar is present) x 10

OR

a. Bear Crawls x 30 yds.

b. Sprint x 30 yds back

c. DB burpee presses

d. repeat 5 times

Here’s one you can do with Kettlebells.

KB Snatches: 5 reps per arm

KB Clean & Press: 5 reps per arm

KB Lunges: 5 reps per leg

KB Squats: 10 reps

KB One Armed Rows: 10 reps per arm

KB Two Handed Swings: 20 reps

END OF INTERVIEW

If you’ve been doing traditional low-intensity cardio post workout for more than a few months I’m going to challenge you to mix things up and incorporate some Metabolic Resistance Cardio post workout which will not only increase your shape but contribute to better fat burning and muscle gains.  You’ll also notice that you develop a more vascular and ripped looked like a MMA fighter with this training.

Click the link below to get their 50% off special before the price doubles Sunday night:

http://www.MetabolicResistanceCardio.com

Have a great weekend.

Vince

Don’t worry, I’ll explain that in a moment and how some proven research supports the concept of developing a “Type III Super Fiber” to aid you in gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time.

I’ve learned a lot from those $120 University text books but when it comes to cutting edge training information they’re often the last to get the “update”.

To be honest with you, this isn’t something you’re going to be reading or hearing a lot about unless you’re connected with some high level strength & conditioning coaches.

To save you from brushing the dust off your old physiology text books lets quickly review what we know about the different muscle fiber types.

1. To keep things simple there are two main types of muscle fibers. Type I and Type II which are composed of Type IIa and Type IIb.

Type I muscle fibers are slow-twitch which means they contract slowly making them great for endurance. These muscles are suited to aerobic activities like long distance running since they don’t fatigue as easy.

Type II muscle fibers are fast-twitch. They contract quicker, but they get tired a lot faster. Sprinters and power athletes usually have a lot of type II muscle fibers.

2. Unfortunately, genetics determine exactly what types of fibers make up your muscle composition. You can’t change the percentages you were born with….

….However what you can do is “reconfigure” muscle fibers to take on different characteristics, somewhat “tricking” your genetics. This is not an overnight procedure and focuses on specific training methods that selectively recruit both types of muscle fibers in the same workout or activity.

Introducing The Type III Muscle Fiber…

While in Orlando, Florida a few weeks ago I got to meet up with a couple strong man coaches, Elliott Hulse and Mike Westerdal who have been hiding away in their gym, perfecting this killer new training system they “accidentally” discovered.

Here’s what they explained to me:

“By combining resistance weight training with cardio training in the same set, we force the thicker stronger Type-II (fast twitch) muscle fibers to behave more like Type-I (slow twitch) fibers.

By utilizing both types of muscle fibers in the same exercise we can actually build a “HYBRID” Type-IIC muscle fiber that has been nicknamed a Type-III.”

Vince, can you translate what those guys told you?

Well let’s think about this for a second. We know that Type 1 fibers have a higher mitochondrial density than type 2 thus they are more fuel efficient. Simply put, they burn fat for energy better than the type 2 fibers.

Type 2 fibers usually have a thicker diameter… they are bigger fibers. When they begin adopting the behavior of type 1 fibers by gradually increasing their mitochondrial density they ultimately become even BIGGER in size as well a better at burning fat for energy.

Look, a Type III muscle fiber is just a cool name for a hybrid type II muscle fiber that takes on traits of a type I. They’re not claiming to have invented a new muscle or anything.

How Do You Develop A Type III Super Muscle That Is Bigger, Stronger And Better At Burning Fat?

Like I mentioned earlier it’s going to take a particular training style. In fact this training mimics the way that our ancestors used to live. They didn’t train with weights one day and run laps the next. No. The kinds of activities they did every day would have been very much like the kind of training that’s ideal for developing this kind of hybrid muscle.

Our ancestors were both muscular and lean and it didn’t result from things they set out intentionally to do but rather, it was a natural byproduct of the way they lived their lives.

They were able to both build muscle and burn fat at the same time without even having to consciously think about. By adopting some of the very same training principles that they employed, modern man can achieve the same results.

To discover how you can tap into your hybrid muscle fibers in order to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously please read more at their website they just opened today at 9am EST:

http://MetabolicResistanceCardio.com

Tomorrow I’ll share some sample workouts that will show you how to gain muscle and lose fat the same time by incorporating both aerobic and anaerobic activity not just in the same training session but in the same exercise.

You’re probably wondering what kinds of exercises I’m going to share. Think about ancient warrior cultures. Things like walking long distances with heavy armor, or rowing big ships, or even swinging large weapons.

How does this possibly relate to our modern day workouts? Trust me there are some exercises you can do at a regular gym or at home that will really tap into all your muscle fibers at the same time. What’s the result? These exercises don’t require any special equipment and the result is a fast workout that burns fat and builds muscle. Stay tuned.

Please let me know if you have questions on this Type III muscle fiber and I’ll answer them through the day.

Vince

P.S. If you’re looking for an alternate way to gain muscle and lose fat meaning that you would prefer to chase both goals at the same time then have a serious look at their new Lean Hybrid Muscle system.

http://MetabolicResistanceCardio.com ==> 50% Off Early Link

It’s not available to the general public until the 15th, but they gave me an early link to share with you because I got all the hook ups

Today I’m going to share some key points you must understand:

Key Point #1: Building Muscle and Losing Fat At The Same Time Is The Exception and Not The Rule

I believe it’s far easier to focus on building ten pounds of muscle in one training phase and then losing ten pounds of fat in the next training phase.  You always get better results separating your goals into different phases, and chasing one goal at once.

Anybody who gains ten pounds of muscle and loses ten pounds of fat at the same time is very lucky and either got extremely lucky, is a complete beginner, has incredible genetics or took a recent visit to a pharmaceutical lab (if you know what I mean).

Key Point #2: Building Muscle and Losing Fat Have Opposing Caloric Demands On Your Body

To pack on slabs of new muscle tissue, your body demands energy. Simply put, your muscles grow on calories so they need to be overfeed.  The opposite applies for fat loss, you need to be underfeed which means you take in less energy than you expend.

If you’re goal is to build muscle than your body will command around 20-25 calories per pound of bodyweight during a overfeeding phase.  If your goal is to lose fat then you should underfeed your body with 10-13 calories per pound of bodyweight.

So a 200 pound male would need about 4000-5000 calories to grow muscle and only 2000-2600 calories to lose fat.  Can you see how building muscle and losing fat at the same time becomes a challenge?

Key Point #3: Building Muscle and Losing Fat Have Contradicting Training Requirements… Kind Of…

To build muscle your training program is going to require longer rest periods, heavier weights, less volume and lower rep ranges.

To lose fat your training program is going to to require shorter rest periods, moderately heavy weights, more volume and moderate-to-high rep ranges.

Both these training programs appear from different planets but here’s the twist…

…they are not. If you understand key point #4.

Key Point #4: Building Muscle and Losing Fat At The Same Time Is All About Strategic Timing

Now it’s my turn to get your brain spinning:

1. What if you did a muscle building workout on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a fat loss workout on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday?

2. What if you apply the training program above and overfeed on your muscle building workouts and underfeed on your fat loss workouts?

3. What if you only overfeed right before and after your muscle building workouts and underfeed the rest of the day?

4.  What if you only overfeed on your muscle building days and stayed underfeed on your off days?

I could easily compile a top ten list but my point is that with strategic timing many of these options above are possible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

The question is: which method above is the most effective?

Lets get another 50 comments below because I want to know which method I listed above or missed, that you think is the most effective one from your personal experience or reading.

Vince

Flavia is in a wedding taking place in the Dominican Republic in two weeks and I’ll be accompanying her as her bodyguard, I mean boyfriend.

If you’ve ever been invited to a pool party, beach or hot vacation then you naturally do a quick mental assessment:

Is my body beach worthy?

Even though I think my girlfriend is a knock out, she would tell you that she would like to be tighter and more ripped.

I’m not complaining.

I would tell her I want to be bigger and more shredded.

She’s not complaining.

Whatever beach physique you’re visualizing, we all want THAT body that drops jaws and is a walking symbol of hard work, dedication and will power.

If you’re like me, you take pride being one of the few people on vacation who is in shape – it makes standing in line at the buffet with all the out-of-shape people all the more satisfying.

For sure, eh?

So we’re looking for some advice today.

Should we have focused on building muscle for a few months then burn the fat?

Or burn all the fat first and then try to gain some muscle afterward?

Maybe we could have done both at the same time?

My belief and strategy has always been:

Chase one goal at once. If your goal is to build muscle and you lose some fat in the process, consider it a bonus. If your goal is to lose fat and you build muscle in the process, consider it a bonus.

I like to chase one goal at once for three reasons:

1. It’s easier to follow one specific diet dedicated to one specific goal.
2. It’s easier to dedicate one specific training plan dedicated to one specific goal.
3. It’s easier to stay focused.

Is it possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?

Absolutely.

Just look at my transformations and the the dozens of success stories on my website who continue to prove this over and over.  Since building muscle and losing fat happens by manipulating hormones, not only calories, many clients experience the best of both worlds.

However, 95% of the time, the majority of clients that achieve both achieve this goal unintentionally.

Meaning, they have no idea how this phenomenal experience occurred.  They did lots of goods things and good things happened.  Some fitness experts would say in all seriousness, “You got lucky!”

There are a lot of factors that go into building muscle and losing fat at the same time:

• Detailed nutrient timing
• Unique weight training protocols
• Advanced supplementation techniques
• Very strategic dieting
• Specific cardio sessions

Plus more.

I wish it was as easy as following a bodybuilding style training program and a fat loss style diet but it’s not as you may be able to testify to.

So Flavia and I want to hear from you today.  What do you think is the best approach to building muscle and losing fat at the same time?

Is it even possible?

What has worked for you, training and diet wise, and what methods were ineffective for you?

The past 10 weeks Flavia and I have been experimenting with loads of brand new dieting and training techniques I’ve never released in any of my programs and going to start sharing them if you can start sharing your own knowledge.

At least 75 comments on my blog and I’ll be back tomorrow to set you up with a free report on how you can eat your favorite foods – including doughnuts, pizza and brownies – to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

No joke.

I have pictures and video to prove it so lets’ get those comments going and this is going to be your healthiest holiday season ever.

Vince

P.S. This picture is of Flavia and I in Siesta Key, Florida while doing some fitness/business stuff.  I’m 203 pounds and 9% fat in that picture.  Three weeks away from the Dominican Republic!

I would never resort to violence… but that’s what I feel like  doing when I just found these fake blog sites are using my after pictures to sell their Acai Berry weight loss miracle supplement.

What REALLY got me mad was that their ads (they usually say “1 Rule To A Flat Stomach – Obey” are running EVERYWHERE, even on porn sites  and I was notified by a reader that they saw my FRIGGIN after pic on a PORN SITE, linking to a FAKE BLOG that eventually promoted the  Acai Berry – which is just glorified and expensive fruit juice you don’t need to waste your money on.

Stay with me…cause I’m
typing fast right now.

These fake blogs are not selling just weight loss, they are selling anything that can be sold in a bottle/pill.  They have infiltrated the entire Internet with Resveratrol products, Colon Cleanse products, Wrinkle “Cures”, Men’s muscle building supplements and more.  If you ever land on a fake blog site, get off FAST.

If you see ANY ads that look like this…

1 Rule of a Flat Stomach – Obey

or
3 Rules of a Flat Stomach – You Must Obey

or

New Jersey Mom Got Skinny by Following 1 Rule

or

Chicago Mom Lost 52 lbs following 2 Rules

Don’t even bother clicking… those are going to fake blogs. My friend Mike Geary wrote a full out article on detecting these blogs which you should read:

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/the-flat-stomach-acai-scam.html Pass that link onto all your friends cause it’ll save you a phone call from them saying, “I just got ripped off!”

You can’t miss these fake blogs on the Internet – they all look  the same and I just learned from inside sources that they are pulling in over 100K a DAY – just from the acai berry.

It’s really upsetting because it’s regular folk who are falling for these fake blogs and the hopes that these miracle supplements (that cost 50 cents to make and sell for $50) will fix all their problems and deliver on it’s hype.

Why are certain people SO friggin stupid?

And it’s not just my pics that have been ripped off – my friend Arnel’s, Holly’s, Brad’s and a few others have been ripped off too and it’s impossible to contact these scum bags to get them to  take them off because they live in foreign countries so the FTC can’t even get their hands on them.

This is why I felt it was
critical to write you today.

First, you know better than to believe that popping some pills or powder is going to shed the inches off like magic.

Long term fat loss comes from training (I hate the world exercise – it lacks intention) and nutrition and lifestyle.  Fat is stored energy that MUST be burned off, not starved off.

Any reputable fitness expert would tell you that too.

Any any fitness expert worth their fees would NOT recommend you lose fat by drinking one food all day long and then eat a “sensible dinner” like the Acai bandwagon promotes.

What Makes This Subject
Really Touchy For Me…

My website clearly states that most supplements DO NO WORK so you can imagine when I even SAY the word “supplements” people start freaking out that I’m a “sell out”, “hypocrite,” “con artist”,  “douche bag”, “Guido” and lots of other interesting names.

Only my Italian friends are allowed to call me a Guido btw.

And I just recently posted a batch of videos I filmed while in Tampa Florida that shared the top four supplements I believe are in the small 5-10% that DO WORK and should be added to a fat loss and/or muscle gaining program.

These are just the BASICS.

I had some fun with the videos to make them entertaining and to give you some simple facts and reasons why I recommended these ones.

Longevity

If you want to sample this product for a free month, just help out with s/h, you can do that through this link: http://vincedelmontefitness.getprograde.com/longevity-free-trial.htm

VGF 25+ (multi vitamin)

Get VGF25+

Workout

Get Workout

EFA Icon

Get EFA Icon

Post your comments and questions below.

For FULL disclosure – I do make a small commission if you order these supplements (Heck, so does your sales rep at ANY supplement store) but I like you to know that I reinvest that back INTO my business to make more FREE videos for YOU.  I believe that’s a fair trade.

There ARE many reputable companies out there and if you have specifics, let me know, but one of the reasons I trust Prograde is because I saw first hand how many hoops they had to go through to meet standards.  I’m sure other companies do the same but I saw, with my own eyes what they had to go through, which was good enough for me.

Post your comments and thoughts and insights on anything I mentioned today on the blog… we’ll talk soon,

Vince

Very short and sweet video sharing an advanced muscle building tip using the 1 and 1/2 technique to build muscle.

Easy to learn.

Difficult to implement.

Perfect to bring up a lagging body part.

Let me know if this was new or not and what kind of videos you want to see more of:

Don’t forget to tell me know what other kind of videos you want to see after watching this one.

Vince

1. Be FLEXIBLE.

Normally I would train on Thursday but I made it a OFF day because of the 14-hour travel day and I KNEW I would have no interest in training as soon as I land and have friends texting my phone to meet up.

I had to adjust my training week to make this happen but it worked out perfectly knowing that I would train Friday morning and Saturday morning.

2. Prepare to SACRIFICE.

You can’t have it all. Stay up late, eat like a King, enjoy some “beverages”, train and come back just as ripped as I left – not going to happen. So instead of doing the club’s in the evening I suggested we hit a show for a change. This resulted in saving some money, not waking up with blood shot eyes, going to bed at a reasonable time, and being able to train at 7am the next morning before our 9am meeting. I did this Friday and Saturday morning – yes, in Vegas! I know – I’m different

3. Set Yourself Up For Accountability.

My favorite part about Vegas is the FOOD – it’s a bodybuilders heaven with all the world-class restaurants and service so when our table was ordering appetizers I knew I needed to announce to my friends BEFORE the weekend got started that “I’m dieting” right now. If I reached for the bread basket my buddy would say, “Aren’t you dieting?” That’s called setting yourself up for accountability. I hate letting myself down so this works for me 80% of the time (No, I’m not perfect).

4. Plan A Fast Day.

Whether I’m cutting or bulking I have been scheduling a 24-hour fast day once every two weeks to re-set my metabolism, break craving and naturally cleanse. My only personal tweak is that I have a whey-isolate protein shake (Precision) with 10 grams of BCAA’s (from Blue Star Nutrition) in the morning before I start.

I find it easier to use a “all-or-nothing” approach, especially when I’m in the airport and the majority of my fast days happen in the airport since I travel 2-3x a month. I ended up spending $24 on WATER by the end of my 12-hour travel day but came home leaner and tighter and totally on track to my photo shoot in 4 weeks. I will say – AIRPORT FOOD PRICES ARE A SIN!

5. Keep A Bigger Perspective.

I know people will say, “Come on Vince… this is extreme!” Extreme results require extreme measures. Vegas isn’t going anywhere and right now “going crazy” isn’t one of my priorities so I had to make Vegas work into MY priorities instead of letting my circumstances win over my priorities. I had to also remind myself that I was NOT on vacation. This was business and just because business took place in “temptation-island” doesn’t mean you get an excuse to give in. Sure, your out-of-shape friends won’t give a rip but how will YOU feel about your decisions?

Let me tell you, the more you give in, the easier it becomes to give in next time. Next weekend I’m off to Orlando for 8-days so this past weekend was a good mental-prep.
How Do You Stay Focused?

One thing: You’ve truly got to be IN LOVE with the bodybuilding lifestyle. 100% commitment is required. Divorce or “taking some time apart” is NEVER an option if you truly want to get the most out of your body. You genuinely enjoy eating healthy, pushing your body, talking fitness, reading about fitness and sharing your passion with others. It needs to become NATURAL which is why you always hear, “It’s a lifestyle.”
Will You Be In Tampa Florida This January?

Did you pick up your ticket for the ground-breaking event that myself and 14 other famous fitness authors and coaches have joined forces on? A 3-day weekend called Transformation Domination LIVE. It’s being hosted by my good friend and fellow fitness author Joel Marion.

It takes place in Tampa Florida this January 16-18th and will be an unforgettable experience for all of those who join us, but I need to let you know there are now less than 24 hours left to save $145.49 on the cost of the weekend with the “Buy One, Get One Half Off” special discount ending tonight.

If you haven’t visited the site to check out the speaker line-up and all the cool things we have planned for you, you owe it to yourself to at least check it out!

http://tinyurl.com/yhtpndc <——- Click HERE

Vince