Hex Bar vs Straight Bar Deadlifts

The Hex Bar Deadlift Vs Straight Bar Deadlift

Fitness  coaches  have theorized that the trap bar deadlift allows lifters to:
1. Lift more weight
2. Place less loading on the spine, and
3. Get more knee extensor involvement

With the Hex Bar you can keep your shoulders back and chest out promoting a cleaner lift from the ground.. (hips and shoulders raising at the same time).. When a heavier lift is performed with a straight bar your hips tend to rise turning the deadlift into a Romanian Deadlift.

Being taller I find it more difficult to keep picture perfect Mobility for on the straight bar deadlift. With the Hex Bar I feel more engaged in the hips, higher chest and better cleaner lift and drive..

Note.. More rounded shoulders and less drop in the Hips.

vs

I'm Looking for input from my Network of Fitness Coach Family out there

Please share your thoughts..

Sunday Set up.

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Sunday is the day to start planning out the week ahead in order toachieve maximum success in your life and weight loss program.

So it stands to reason that we need to also have the right Weight Loss Grocery List if we want to make our Sunday a true success while planning for the week ahead.

We always need to have a clear and concise plan in life, and if you decide to go to the grocery store without a clear plan: you are sure to fail in your weight loss shopping.

Here are the top 2 things to never do when going grocery shopping while losing weight:

#1 - Shopping Without a Plan and a Map.

Your grocery list should be organized with everything you need, and a plan for how you will go through the store to keep from searching and guessing. 

The grocery store has hundreds if not thousands of pitfalls waiting to screw up your diet success.  Every isle has terrible choices for your diet, and with a plan we can avoid making bad diet decisions.

Start by planning out your meals and schedule for the week.  Make a simple list of everything you will eat for the entire week, meal by meal.

Break the plan down into groups of similar meals, like breakfasts and snacks. 

List everything you you need for each meal and decide quantities. 

You need to also determine what shopping will need to be done during the week so you can buy items that will not last for the entire week uncooked,like fish and meat.

We don't want to stock up on foods that won't last!

Now that you have a meal plan for the week, write your weight loss grocery list out in the order you will attack the store (or stores)...you may need to go to a couple stores to get all the shopping done:

• Discount Grocery Store
• High End Grocery Store
• Organic Grocery Store

So you may need a couple or a few lists, broken down by store section:

• Vegetables and Fruit Section
• Freezer Section
• Dairy
• Meats
• Liquids
• Any Packaged or Canned Products (this should be your most limited section)

When you have completed your list, you will notice that most of theshopping is done around the perimeter of the store.  This is GOOD because the products on the outer isles of the store are the fresh and healthier foods, and should make up the majority of your weight loss grocery list.

This plan will also give you a grocery list of foods that you will need to acquire during the week.  So do the same plan for those days, and plan your time during the week accordingly for added shopping.

#2 -Shopping While Hungry.

Never Go Grocery Shopping While Hungry!

Prepare a solid and nutritious meal before you head to the store so that you are not tempted to deviate from your plan.

It is also best to have something to eat before you even start planning your weight loss grocery list.

This is just like your daily diet where you should never let yourself get hungry, because hunger clouds weight loss diet judgment and places you at risk of deviating from your plan and cheating!

The bottom line is that you always need to have a solid and focused plan starting with your Sunday Grocery List & Success.

Now Go Workout!

20 Superfoods

To build muscle & lose fat, you need a variety of proteins, veggies, fruits, carbs, and healthy fats. Eating protein helps building & maintaining muscle. But it also helps fat loss: protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs/fats.
Eating fats also helps fat loss: your body holds fat if you don’t eat fats. Fruits & veggies contain vitamins & minerals, necessary for recovery from your workouts. And carbs fuel your muscles so you feel full of energy at the gym.
Lots of you struggle to get these foods. Sometimes because you’re too busy or sometimes because you just lack information. This list will help you — 20 super foods you need to build muscle & lose fat.

1. Whole Eggs. Cheap & rich source of protein: 7g/egg. The yolk contains most nutrients: half the protein, vitamins A/D/E and cholesterol to naturally increase your testosterone levels.
Don’t worry about cholesterol in eggs. Dietary cholesterol isn’t bound to blood cholesterol. Read this, this, this & this. If you have bad cholesterol, lower your body fat rather than throwing the yolk away.

2. Fish Oil. Reduces inflammation (joints/skin), lowers body fat and increases testosterone levels. You need 9000mg EPA/DHA per day. Since you’ll probably struggle to get that from eating fatty fish, consider a fish oil supplement.


3. Wild Salmon. One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids that also gets you 20g protein per 100g serving. Farm raised salmon is, however, omega-3 deficient: it’s corn/grain fed. Go with wild salmon.

4. Berries. Strong antioxidants that prevent cancer, heart & eye diseases. Any kind works: cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc. Buy fresh or frozen berries and mix with oatmeal.

5. Yogurt. Contain bacteria that improve your gastrointestinal health. Don’t buy frozen yogurt or yogurt with added sugar and fruits at the bottom. Get plain low fat yogurt. Eat it with berries & flax seeds.

6. Flax Seeds. Source of fiber, protein & omega-3. Grind the flax seeds to get the most out of them. Take 1 tbsp with yogurt & berries before going to bed. Stay away from flax oil: it’s unstable and contains no fiber.

7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 70% monounsaturated fats that protect against heart diseases and cancer. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to your salads. Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil: it contains more polyphenols and tastes better.

8. Mixed Nuts. Contain mono- & polyunsaturated fats, proteins, fiber, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc. Mixed nuts are caloric dense, great if you’re a skinny guy who wants to gain weight.
Anything works: almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, … Peanut butter also works as long as you buy natural peanut butter without added salts/sugars.

9. Red Meat. Protein, vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, creatine, carnosine and even omega-3 if you eat grass-fed beef. Eat steaks & hamburgers from top round or sirloin. Read Dr. Lonnie Lowery’s article on Meat.

10. Broccoli. High in cancer-fighting phytochemicals and anti-estrogenic indoles. Broccoli is also high in soluble fiber and low calorie, helping fat loss. Eat other cruciferous vegetables for a change: cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, kale, …

11. Spinach. One of the most alkaline foods. Spinach prevents muscle & bone loss, but also cancer and heart diseases because of its high nutrient profile. Try one of the spinach recipes I shared a while back.

12. Turkey. If you don’t believe saturated fat is good for you, try white turkey. The leanest beef has about 4.5g saturated fat/100g, while white turkey has close to 0g (that why it’s so dry). Eat turkey with spinach & quinoa.

13. Quinoa. South American “king of grains”. Quinoa is higher in fiber & protein than rice or oats, tastes a lot better and is gluten free. Buy the whiter grain, it’s better quality. Eat it post workout with meat & spinach.

14. Oats. Reduce cholesterol, provide you with low-gi carbs for energy, and high in soluble fiber. Try this post workout shake of whey & oats.

15. Tomatoes. High in lycopene, which prevents cancer. The lycopene in tomato paste is 4 times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. Have pizza or pasta with tomato sauce & olive oil post strength training.

16. Oranges. Vitamin C to fight diseases, magnesium to lower blood pressure, anti-oxidant beta-carotenes, etc. Quit drinking processed orange juice which often has added sugars. Eat oranges or make your own orange juice.

17. Apples. Pectin in apples helps weight loss by increasing satiety. Apples are also the strongest antioxidiant after cranberries (eat the peels). Unfortunately apples are one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits. Go organic.

18. Carrots. Their huge vitamin A content improves eye-health, especially night vision. Carrots are also rich in fiber, low calorie and taste good, even raw.

19. Water. Your body holds water if you don’t drink enough. Drinking prevents water retention, helps muscle recovery and prevents dehydration from strength training. Get a brita filter and drink 2 cups of water with each meal.

20. Green Tea. Strong antioxidant and natural diuretic. Green tea also speeds up fat loss, prevents cancer and improves blood sugar & circulation. Drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee. Real green tea, not the teabags.

Putting it All Together. Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & fats every 3 hours. 2 cups water with each meal. Carbs post workout only. Junk food 10% of the time. Get stronger in the meanwhile and you’ll build muscle & lose fat.

Think Positive..

value of positive thinking. I believe the value of positive thinking is priceless.
Most athletes who are training toward a goal are driven individuals and are highly motivated.
They spend hours investing physical energy in a pursuit to meet their goals.

Learning to channel our mental energies in an effort to improve performance is just as valuable but often overlook. Without a strong mental focus during practice, race performance can end up off track.
Positive energies that should be channeled to help you swim faster, bike harder or run with purpose are misdirected by negative thoughts and images often irrelevant to personal performance.

When you practice positive thinking, it becomes habit and these habits can mean the difference between personal bests or missed opportunities!

First, you need to be positive!

At the most basic level of any training, exercise and nutrition you must posses a positive attitude and outlook.
This translates to heighten performance and physical improvement.

Second, imagery plays a vital role in positive thinking.

Imagine you are on a bike riding into a headwind. What thoughts are running through your head? “Oh my goodness, I can barely pedal, my legs are like lead weights, I will surely die out here!”

No, he would replace those thoughts with positive imagery of a strong confident cyclist in control of his body and bike.
By simply changing or altering the image associated with an activity we can decide to be victorious or defeated. The next time you are faced with a challenging situation, rise to the occasion.
Imagine yourself in control and aware of your athletic expertise.
Remember your best training sessions and how physically demanding they were and how you overcame..

Go to your Happy Place, Adapt and overcome !!

Finally, talk to yourself.

The words we say to ourselves and the little conversations we have in our heads dramatically impact our performance. Self-talk tends to become a self-fulfilling prophecy and if you’re not giving yourself positive talk you can expect negative results, so go ahead, encourage yourself, you deserve a pat on the back.

Strong Mind, Strong Body Article

The biggest mistake I see people make when trying to get in shape is to start exercising and training their physical body without putting much effort into improving themselves mentally. Yeah sure, they still get results and are on their way to achieving their fitness goal, but they fail to realize that building a strong mind will help them achieve their fitness goals easier and in a shorter period of time. Wouldn't you rather have it easier? I know I would rather be able to achieve my fitness goals easier, and I did . It's a great feeling when you achieve the same results of someone else who works out twice as hard as you do. The key here is to train smart, not hard.
Having a strong mind and believing in mind over matter will take you so much further, that you'll exceed whatever fitness goal you had set for yourself by 10 times!
Now ask yourself this question: do you want to stop and be satisfied when you reach your fitness goal, or would you rather go beyond what you previously thought was possible? The correct answer is obvious and if you chose the first answer than maybe you shouldn't read any further.
This is what I suggest for you to do in order to achieve your fitness goals in a fast, yet realistic time period: Everyday before you train your body, have 10-15 minutes of meditation; concentrate on what you want to look like and what you'll be capable of after you've achieved your fitness goal(s).
And after that, take definitive action by training your body while still in that state of mind. To keep yourself motivated each and every day you train, concentrate on the outcome right before you start training and I guarantee that your performance will boost by over 100%. And when you do reach your fitness goals, don't stop. Make some more goals and achieve them the same way you achieved your first goals.
That's exactly how I first achieved and exceeded my fitness goals. Use this information to your advantage by implementing what I've just said into your training.

Water Consumption.

I know the Classic 8 oz of water 8 times a day is the rule of thumb but this is kind of cookie cutter. A 6'4 230 male is going to need more water than a 5'6 Female who weighs 145 lbs. A better way of measuring your water for proper Hydration is half of your body weight in oz of water.

So someone who weighs 200 lbs should drink 100 oz of water in a day. This however does not include the water you loose through sweat when you workout.  If you want to get really picky on this you can weigh yourself before and after you workout, the difference in weight is what you need to drink in addition. So if you are 1 pound lighter at the end of a workout you would need an additional 16 oz of water.

so Drink up and Train Hard my Friends..