With a zillion diets and even more workout plans than you can shake a dumbbell at, it is no wonder that so many well meaning folks get confused when it comes to getting in shape and burning off the belly flab…fast.

Today, I want to share 4 comprehensive keys with you that pretty much sums up what all of us need to do to get lean and stay lean for life.

It doesn't get any simpler than this…simple is good, simple works!

TOP 2 WORKOUT TIPS



* Be Efficient, Be Effective with total body workouts: Forget "leg day". Forget "chest and triceps day". This approach is outdated and not nearly as productive as using full body training for fat loss and fitness. This could mean doing a five-exercise circuit (designed to work your entire frame) at least three times per week. Within each session, you will alternate between 50 seconds of peak intensity effort and 10 seconds of rest for each a double-leg (ie: squat), push (ie: push-up), single-leg (ie: lunge), pull (ie: row), and core (ie: plank) exercise. Perform up to 4 continuous rounds without rest for a 20-minute total body fat slammer workout.

* Use the Power of Intervals: It is a scientifically proven fact: interval training is will burn nine times more body fat than ordinary exercise and elevates metabolism for up to 48 hours following your workout. Perform cardio intervals on non-strength training days three times per week. Selecting your cardio exercise of choice, alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest and repeat this 30 second interval eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat for up to 20 total minutes. This routine works best with a body weight cardio exercise like running in place, jumping jacks or jumping rope.

TOP 2 DIET TIPS



* Get up, eat early and frequently: Don’t wait around and skip the chance to jumpstart your metabolism with the proper fuel for your lean, mean sexy machine. Eat immediately upon waking and then every few hours to starve body fat (burn) and feed muscle (build). By continuously stoking your metabolic furnace, and eating some high quality animal protein (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) at every feeding, you'll also keep your metabolism cranked up all day and prevent binge eating later in the day. (Yea, I know…that “late-night” snacking sounds familiar, I was once guilty!)

* All Carbs are NOT created equal: Eat an unlimited amount of fibrous, nutrient dense green veggies to fill your belly both during and between meals. To ramp up fat burning performance, try to limit fruit and other carbohydrate consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout when your body is looking to soak up those particular starches and sugars.

Implement these easy to follow guidelines today and you’ll start building a newer, leaner beach-ready body you can be proud of…I'll bet my organic omega-3 eggs on it!

First off, I hope everyone is having a terrific and healthy March…the weather is awesome, but one thing is for sure:

Summer (aka ‘swim suit & bikini season’) is approaching fast. Are you ready?



One of the best ways to get your mid-section looking strong and sexy is by doing high intensity workouts using full body exercises. One of our favorite camp traditions is to include a “finisher” to our already smokin’ workout…something to really ramp up fat loss to start showin’ off the abs.

Oh, and here’s a secret...in our camp workouts, you will NEVER...EVER do a traditional sit-up. Pretty cool, huh? ;)

Check out 3 of the best “ab” exercises that aren’t typically known as “ab” exercises at all…see what I mean here:



Alrighty...let's expose 2 of the biggest "ab exercise" myths on the planet:

Myth #1: Doing ab exercises will make you get six pack abs.

WRONG!

Fact: This is a complete misnomer and one that’s been around forever, and yet...walk into any commercial gym, and what do you see? Misguided folks plugging away at the crunch machine in hopes of revealing the magic 6 in the mid-section.



Let's cut to the point. The most important thing to do, is to GET RID of the fat surrounding your belly. That will reveal the Holy Grail of Abs.

Bottom line: No amount of crunches or sit ups are going to get you to burn fat around the belly. And since there is no such thing as spot reduction, the best way to get rid of belly fat is by doing high intensity exercises that helps boost your metabolism and burn fat throughout the day. Got it? Good. Now check out #2.

Myth #2: Side bends/oblique twists will thin and trim your waist.

WRONG!

Fact: If you are stuck on the crunch or ab/oblique twisty machine thing at the gym...stop it - for fat loss and revealing your slim and trim abs, this is a waste of time.



You want to spend a little extra time training your abs for strength and endurance, go right ahead.

But focusing on this for fat loss? Forgettaboutit.

Bottom Line: The only way to a lean out and thin your waist is by scorching the fat around your belly.

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Oh, by the way...we are about the launch the next phase of boot camp, and the deadline to secure a Free 2-Week Trial is looming...so if you are ready to start
your body transformation...get off your tail and shoot me an email (curtis@arizonafitnessbootcamp.com or call 480-981-6877 to save a free spot today!

A 20-minute, no gym required, fat-burning workout guaranteed to help you look and feel totally amazing on the most important day of your life!

The date is set; your dress is ready…now it's time to transform into the strongest and sexiest bride on the planet. This program is specifically designed to help you do exactly that.

Slim down to create lean, strong abs with slender shoulders. Sculpt toned arms for your dream walk down the aisle and as an added bonus, this will have you bikini-ready for the honeymoon too!

You will perform 3 total body workouts per week alternating
between Workout A and Workout B and taking at least 1 day of rest
between workouts (e.g. perform on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday). The beauty behind these whole body workouts is that they
use total body exercises that work your arms, legs, and abs at the
same time. The result? Maximum fat loss and lean muscle growth so
that you both lose inches in AND add definition to all of the right
places.

To ramp up even greater fat loss, I've included a bonus cardio finisher. No treadmill needed…just your body weight and 4 minutes of high intensity intervals to scorch off 9x more fat than drudging away with a long, slow cardio session.

Time to get Strong and Sexy for your big day!

Workout A

5-Minute Total Body Warm-up: Perform 10 total reps in a slow, controlled tempo for each exercise in the exact order listed in the prescribed circuit

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- 20 Minutes: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Exercise #1: Dumbbell Curl + Squat to Press
Exercise #2: Single Leg Hip Extension Hold + Dumbbell Chest Press Combo
Exercise #3: Dumbbell Swings
Exercise #4: Single Leg Wall Sit + Dumbbell Curl to Narrow Press Combo
Exercise #5: Dumbbell Push Up Rows

*Please note it is highly recommended to use a pair of sturdy hex dumbbells, ones that will not roll once placed on the floor. Most women will begin with 8-15 pound dumbbells, starting with a manageable weight and work your way with perfect form, control and technique.

BONUS: Cardio Interval 4 Minute Finisher
You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest by performing the body weight cardio exercise listed below. You will repeat this 30-second set up to 8x for 4 total minutes.

Body Weight Cardio Exercise: Stationary Sprinting (with or without a Resistance Band)
Resistance Bands found here: http://www.resistancebandtraining.com/html/store.html

For a complete video demo of all of these exercises, please click the link below (or
copy and paste it into your browser):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeryKoRlDE0

Workout B

5-Minute Warm-up: Perform 10 total reps in a slow, controlled tempo for each exercise in the exact order listed in the prescribed circuit

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- 20 Minutes: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Exercise #1: 1-Arm DB Sumo Deadlift + Curl to Press
Exercise #2: DB Squat Thrust + Push-up
Exercise #3: DB Alternating Lunges + Curl to Press
Exercise #4: DB Alternating Single-Leg RDL + Row
Exercise #5: DB T-Push Ups

*Please note it is highly recommended to use a pair of sturdy hex dumbbells, ones that will not roll once placed on the floor. Most women will begin with 8-15 pound dumbbells, starting with a manageable weight and work your way with perfect form, control and technique.

BONUS: Cardio Interval 4 Minute Finisher
You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest by performing the body weight cardio exercise listed below. You will repeat this 30-second set up to 8x for 4 total minutes.

Body Weight Cardio Exercise: Ice Skater Jumps

For a complete video demo of all of these exercises, please click the link below (or
copy and paste it into your browser):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7zy1BiNwzY

In addition to the right blend and intensity of workouts, a bride-to-be cannot ignore a proper nutrition blueprint in order to get the job done. It’s undeniable that this key element is 80+% responsible for sculpting a leaner, stronger and sexier physique. The following nutrition guidelines will help you do exactly that. Don’t be surprised to see losses of 2+ pounds of ugly, unwanted body fat per week and a reduction in at least 1 clothing size per month. But remember to keep the focus where it should be and that is improving overall health, body composition, and performance, NOT just weight loss!

The Strong and Sexy Bride Mentality:

EAT to Fuel Your Metabolism and Lose Fat (NOT Weight)

Nutrition Tip #1: Drink Up!

Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. A dehydrated bride (or anyone for that matter) cannot effectively lose body fat!

Drink at least 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity to maintain optimal performance and to prevent dehydration during your workouts.

Consume at least 3 servings of antioxidant-rich hot green tea per day to boost your immune system and accelerate recovery from vigorous exercise. Sorry, this does NOT mean drinking bottled or processed tea. Loose leaf or tea bags only.

Nutrition Tip #2: Start Eating Earlier and More Often:

Eat immediately upon waking and then again every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day. This is a staple for any solid fat loss nutrition plan because it allows your body to starve the fat and feed the muscle, optimizes performance, and prevents your body’s starvation signals from going off, which are true indicators that will dramatically decrease the body’s ability to shed the blubber.

The dietary breakdown is 3 total meals per day consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, 3 total snacks/day consumed between meals and before bed, and workout nutrition in the form of a protein or amino acid supplement consumed around your training sessions. Snacks are typically about half the caloric value of meals.

Nutrition Tip #3: Always Focus on Essentials For Life:

Consume a wide range of organic lean proteins of animal origin at each feeding, usually a typical fist-size helping will suffice. Protein is not only the only macronutrient responsible for building and repairing that lean, sexy muscle but it also allows your body to best starve its unwanted fat stores. In addition, the sheer consumption of protein elevates metabolism and burns calories through the thermic effect of feeding since protein is requires your body to use way more energy (calories) to digest, as opposed to fat or carb grams.

Consume a wide range natural fats at each feeding (olive oil, coconut oil, beef, salmon, whole eggs, avocado, mixed nuts, flax, full-fat cheese, etc.). Sufficient dietary fat intake is critical to beneficial hormone production, which allows for optimal fat loss. Furthermore, your body cannot optimally burn stored body fat without a sufficient amount of healthy dietary fat.

Consume a wide range of fruits and veggies at each feeding (with a special emphasis on green veggies). A great rule of thumb when it comes to produce is to consume at least one green item AND as many other colors as possible at each and every meal to get the most health benefits.


Here is a Sample 1 Day Menu:

Breakfast at 6am: Scrambled Omega-3 Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon
Mid-Morning Snack at 9 am: Mixed Raw Nuts and Fruit/Veggies of Choice
Lunch- Noon: Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad
Mid-Afternoon Snack at 3 pm: Full-Fat Cheese and Fruit/Veggies of Choice
Dinner at 6 pm: Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
Pre-Bed Snack at 8 pm: Strong & Sexy Power Bowl:
Mix of Full-Fat Cottage Cheese, Protein Powder, Flax Meal, and Raw Nut Butter


Nutrition Tip #4: If Nothing Else, You NEED These 2 Supplements:

- Take a daily whole food based multi-vitamin for your gender. Ensuring adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is essential for your body to function optimally, especially for people who struggles to get at least 8-12 servings of fruits and veggies per day.

- Take a high quality essential fatty acid (EFA) or fish oil supplement. Omega-3 fats found in fish oil are scientifically proven to increase metabolism and generate increased fat burning, besides having a host of other benefits like preventing cancer, reducing inflammation and joint pain, enhancing skin and hair quality, etc.

Nutrition Tip #5: Think Fiber First When It Comes To Carb Choices:

- It is critical to focus on carbohydrate quality FIRST and then quantity SECOND. In terms of quality, all carbohydrates (outside of dairy) that you eat should contain AT LEAST 3 g of fiber per serving and offer LESS THAN 10 g of sugar per serving. In terms of quantity, we have found most females achieve the best fat-burning effects by limiting their total daily carb intake to 50 g or less, NOT including their unlimited daily fibrous carb intake from green veggies (fruit can be used in moderation) nor the trace carbs from protein and fat foods.

- To ramp up fat loss, use the following Carb Adjustment Blueprint as outlined below (in the exact order) listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your quest to get into that dress:

Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars found in food choices with ONE ingredient (e.g. fruit, honey, etc.). This will results in much more even blood sugar levels in your body, the key to maintaining high energy levels and burning fat.

Step#2- Limit all 100% whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast. Your body best handles these types of carbs at these times without excessive risk of this energy being stored as fat.

Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies. Fruits and veggies are the most nutrient dense carbs loaded with tons of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and tummy-filling fiber, making them the staple of any good fat loss meal plan.

Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies (or any other veggies BESIDES corn, peas, carrots, and potatoes) to weed out any remaining unwanted sugar (fructose, fruit sugar) that will prevent your body from maximally using stored body fat for fuel. Green veggies like broccoli, spinach, dark leafy lettuce, green beans, asparagus, etc. have the most figure friendly benefits of any carbohydrate on the planet. Try for organic versions of said items. These can also be consumed in an unlimited amount throughout the day to keep you full and satisfied.

That's it….the top 5 keys to fitness nutrition success to help you look and feel the best on the biggest day of your life. And remember, it’s not about weight loss - it’s about changing your body composition, being as healthy, strong, and sexy as possible by shedding inches in all the right places!

Working with many clients over the years, I have found one of the most important pieces to getting them fantastic results is incorporating a deadline, setting a firm date for which you must have achieved your fitness goals. There is no better example of this than with a new bride to be. Now that the question has been “popped”, the ring is on, the date is set and dress is bought. Things are getting serious and it’s amazing what happens to women when it finally hits them – the most important day of their life is coming. They’re now ready and willing to do whatever it takes to feel strong, look sexy, fit into their dream wedding dress and inspire the “wow” factor in all those who witness the most important day of their life.

But a bride still needs an effective and most importantly, efficient exercise blueprint in order to get the best results in the shortest amount of time. We need to sculpt muscle in all of the right places (with a particular emphasis on the upper body, shoulders and arms) and burn fat in all the right places (think hips, thighs, and muffin tops). The following training guidelines will help you do exactly that. Don’t be surprised to see losses of 2+ pounds of ugly, unwanted body fat per week and a reduction in at least 1 clothing size per month. But remember to keep the focus where it should be and that is improving overall health, body composition, and performance, NOT just weight loss!

The Strong and Sexy Bride Mentality:

You MUST Train to Elevate Metabolism and Lose Fat (NOT Weight)

Exercise Tip #1 - Get Strong and You Will Get Lean:

- Fact: Strength training strengthens muscle and bone leading to increases in lean body mass that increases RMR (resting metabolic rate), the number of calories your body requires to function on a daily basis regardless of activity. In other words, strength training will crank up your metabolism so that you will be burning more stubborn fat every minute of every day/365. Now that’s efficiency!

- Fact: Most people who strength train will typically perform straight sets of the same exercise with super long rest periods in excess of 2-3 minutes. (Think the outdated protocols of doing “3 sets of 10”). Rather, cut your workout time in half or more AND accelerate fat burning by performing alternating sets of non-competing exercises with short rest periods between sets. For example, perform an upper body exercise, then a lower body exercise, and then a core exercise in a timed interval circuit fashion. This will allow for full recovery for each exercise since you are resting your upper body while performing lower body and core exercises and so on. Furthermore, shorter rest periods allow for both the completion of more total work during every workout and also create perfect hormonal storm for optimal fat loss.

- Fact: For best results, perform 3 total body strength workouts per week with at least 1 day of rest between workouts. See below for a Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout:

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Strength Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body workout. Be sure to switch between the 2 exercise options within each category for best results:

Exercise 1: Squats OR Deadlifts
Exercise 2: Push-ups OR Dips
Exercise 3: Lunges OR Single-Leg Hip Extensions
Exercise 4: Rows OR Pull-ups/Curls
Exercise 5: Front OR Side Pillars/Planks

Exercise Tip #2 - Intervals Burn 9x More Fat Than Slow, Ordinary Cardio:

- Fact: With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of quality driven-exercise (correct form, technique). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals will work best and be most efficient). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat AND lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative (going slower for longer periods of time…think boring, slow cardio).

- Fact: The Japanese “Tabata” study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes! So what’ll it be: 4 minutes or 45 minutes?

- For best results, perform 3 cardio interval training workouts per week on non-strength training days. Below is a sample Cardio Interval Training Workout:

20-10 Tabatas- You will alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10s of rest. You will perform this 30-second set up to 8x for 4 total minutes followed by a 1-minute rest and transition. Perform this 5-minute sequence up to 4x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio machine of choice (spin bike, etc.) or by alternating between body weight cardio exercises like stationary sprinting, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, mountain climbers, etc. for the ultimate in-home workout!

Exercise Tip #3 - Use Blubber Burning Cardio to Speed Up Results:

- Fact: Steady state (or low to moderate intensity cardio – think: light jogging) aerobic training does have its uses in conjunction with a strength training and cardio interval training base. Aerobic training is of low to moderate intensity in nature and burns a larger proportion of fat per effort than sugar. On the other hand, strength training and high-intensity interval training rapidly eats up your body’s sugar stores thus forcing your body to use fat for fuel in the recovery from exercise.

- Fact: By performing some low to moderate intensity cardio following your strength and/or cardio interval training workouts you can accelerate the fat loss process. More specifically, 5 minutes following high-intensity exercise your body dumps stored triglycerides (fat) into your bloodstream, making it the perfect time to do some aerobic training to eat up that fat before it gets sent back up for storage in your tummy, arms, abs, etc.

- Let’s call this extra steady-state session “blubber burning cardio” and we’ll recommend a maximum of 20 minutes for this. Steady-state speed can be described as going as fast as you can without stopping…and you could probably hold a mild conversation during this level of exertion. This extra work can really accelerate the fat burning process, specifically for those trouble spot areas like the abs, hips, and thighs!

Exercise Tip #4 - Use Total Body Exercises to Sculpt An Amazing Upper Body:

- You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out most brides are concerned about their upper body, shoulder and arms when it comes to their wedding gowns, since so much of this area is typically exposed. But, doing a bunch of single-joint, isolation exercises like bicep curls or triceps extensions is not going to do the trick. Spot reduction is a myth - no number of triceps kickbacks will ever banish the “jiggle-arm syndrome” many women struggle to rid themselves of.

- Rather, you should focus on performing compound, multi-joint movements that work as many muscles in your body as possible (including your arms and shoulders) for best results. Not only do compound exercises allow you to use heavier loads which stimulate maximal lean muscle gain (think push ups over triceps extensions), but they also burn mucho calories and create the optimal hormonal blend for burning the fat covering those strong, toned muscles!

- To take it to the next level, use total body exercises exclusively in your workouts. Whole body movements that work your upper body, lower body, and core at the same time will allow you to get lean all over in addition to ensuring that you are working your upper body during every moment so that you are ARM-ed and ready for the big day. For example, instead of just doing shoulder presses, do a squat to shoulder press move. Be sure to check out “The Official Strong and Sexy Bride Workout” for some sample workouts using the aforementioned total body exercises- they will rock your world!

Exercise Tip #5 - Recovery is Paramount:

Though this may be the most obvious tip of all, it is of paramount important. Recovery from exercise is where all of the beneficial changes from high-intensity training occur. Don’t forget, a tough workout actually causes small micro-tears in your muscles that stimulate growth and repair. If all you do is work hard and break your body down this can lead to overtraining issues that may result in you hobbling down the aisle on the big day - not a sexy look!

Invest in yourself with a personal massage therapist - in the form of a foam roller, that is. It’s cheap and easy to use. Go to any local sporting goods store or go online. Simply spend at least 5 minutes post-workout performing 5-10 rolls on the most tender and sore areas of your body, with a specific emphasis on your hips and thighs and your upper/mid back area. Pay even closer attention to your outer thighs. At first, this may cause a little discomfort, but like any strong massage, don’t worry…it’s a good hurt!

This corrective self-massage both lengthens your muscles and improves tissue quality, preventing nagging aches and pains in your joints that can leave you on injured reserve in your strong and sexy bride quest. Furthermore, self-massage brings blood flow and nutrients to your muscles which accelerate recovery and reduce soreness from high-intensity exercise.

By the way, if you don’t have access to a foam roller, you can also use a tennis ball or even a rolling pin to achieve relatively the same effect.

There you have it…the top 5 keys to fitness workout success to help you look and feel the best on the biggest day of your life. And remember, it’s not about weight loss - it’s about being as healthy, strong, sexy and stunning as possible by losing inches in all the right places!