There are quite a few guys who simply have trouble packing on the lean muscle mass. Whether their hormonal environment isn’t quite as favourable or genetics was just out to get them at birth, one thing is for sure and that’s that they need to follow a slightly different set of weight lifting methods than those who seem to grow muscle overnight.

Luckily for you, you’re taking the time to do your research about weight lifting so you won’t be destined to a life where it seems like a strong wind might knock you over.

First, one of the key factors that skinny guys need to remember is that they must avoid volume work at all costs.

Rule #1:

Get in the gym and get out! That should be your motto from this day forward. Repeat it. Breathe it. Live it. Weight lifting is a calorie expensive activity and you need all the calories you can get at this point. If you are burning it up in the gym every single day, how do you expect to grow? You won’t.

You grow when you are resting and generally, the skinnier you are, the more rest you are going to need.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should park it on the couch for a few days in between your workouts. It simply means that each weight lifting should not consist of set after set after set. Followed by a rest break to talk to that hot receptionist and then back to another twenty sets.

No, you’re workouts need to consist of ten-twelve or fewer sets where you are pushing yourself to the MAX. There is no room for sissy, light-weight work in your weight lifting program.

Which brings us to Rule #2:

Ditch the isolated exercises. Who needs them? You certainly don’t.

If your workouts normally include bicep curls, followed by tricep kickbacks, followed by leg extensions, followed by chest flys, followed by… you get the picture, you’ve got to change this pronto.  Remember, you’ve only got so much time you are allowed to be in the gym for. Don’t you want to get the biggest bang for your buck?  Likely you do, so that means focusing on compound lifts only. This includes weight lifting exercises such as squats, bench presses, deadlifts, rows and military presses.

Become friends with those exercises and you will have new muscles in the picture soon enough.  Toss the five day split program, get yourself on a good upper/lower or full body workout program and you have found the key to unleashing new muscle mass.

Now onto the next significant point. Cardio.

Rule # 3.

I know, I know, you want to be big, but you don’t want to be fat.  Let’s not worry about that at this point, because you and I both know you are a long ways from fat.

Gaining fat weight is going to be more a concept of diet than anything else so as long as you are being smart in the kitchen, you don’t need to perform hours of cardio to remain lean. Cardio is just going to further burn off precious calories that could have gone towards building you new muscle mass. For you, calories are a hot commodity and should not be spent on the treadmill.

If you want to keep up some cardio for general health sake, fine, but limit this to two or three twenty minute sessions per week – TOPS. And make it low to moderate intensity as well.  The only place you are to be intense is in the weight room.

This leads to rule #4.

REST! You’ve put in your effort at the gym, fed your body with some good food and now what? Plans to go out partying all night with your buddies? You might want to rethink that.  While you definitely want to maintain your social life while trying to gain weight – and you should – it should not come at the sacrifice of sleep.

Sleep is prime time when it comes to your body repairing itself and growing stronger so short-circuit sleep and you are short-circuiting your results. Just don’t do it. Period. It’s that simple.

Get ready for rule #5.

Technique.  Ever seen that guy in the gym who is hoisting so much weight on his barbell for barbell curls that it looks like he’s got more momentum going on than the Gravitron at the fair? He’s pretty much working every muscle in his body except his biceps. Not so beneficial.  Not only that, but give him two weeks and a hundred bucks says he’s out with back pain.

You must maintain proper form throughout your weight lifting, not only to prevent injuries but also to see the muscular gains you are looking for. If you cheat form, you are only cheating yourself.  If you don’t know what proper form is yet, book a session with a trainer or find yourself a spotter who can help you.

And now, bonus rule #6

Find a mentor.  You want someone who’s been there, done that. They used to be a skinny bastard just like you and they’ve managed to overcome the curse and now tip the scales and dominate the weight room.  This guy will do wonders for your motivational levels. Don’t feel like lifting? Have a good look at his body.  You’ll want to pick that weight up after that. Furthermore, he can let you in on some of his tried-and-true secrets that just might be key for you as well.

So to sum up your new approach to your weight lifting sessions – get in, train hard and with proper technique, get out, eat and rest. Repeat this process over a few months without getting distracted or becoming too much of a party animal and you will make this the year you change your dreaded skinny image.

Your friend

Carlos Larsen,

Always remember that you can do anything you put your mind to. Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.

Almost everyone wants to lose some excess fat on their body somewhere. For the vast majority, they’re looking to lose belly fat and they want to lose belly fat fast! Whether you want to admit it or not, most of us spend far too many months of the year overeating and then scramble at the first sign of warm weather in order to remove what’s accumulated over the time. Unfortunately, if you’re trying to learn how to lose belly fat, it’s not exactly a quick fix.

The problem most individuals run into is they overlook how difficult it can be to lose belly fat off their body. If the truth be told, a fat belly is probably one of the hardest areas to successfully remove because it’s made up what is known as ’stubborn’ fat.

You’re body is actually physiologically slightly different when it comes to fat around the abdominal region. What’s the reason for this? Primarily, it’s the first place we tend to store fat and where body fat is needed for protection the most – to protect the organs and internal structures.

As such, your fat belly is going to do everything it can to hold onto it. Not a good situation in your quest to lose belly fat.

In order to outsmart this, you’re going to have to work really hard. That’s not to say it can’t be done – it most certainly can, you just have to have realistic expectations about the time line you will achieve this goal over and how much effort you’ll have to put in.

First things first, lets talk about exercise to lose belly fat. First, hit the weights. When lifting, be sure you are lifting as heavy as you possibly can, as this is what will ramp up your metabolism the highest. You want to shoot for the 6-10 rep range, as this is most appropriate for metabolic effects.

Second, get that cardio up there. Don’t do hours on end though, focus on doing sprints. In fact, better yet is to sprint first, then do more steady state cardio afterwards. This will help to release the fatty acids from the tissue (mobilize them) and then burn them off during the steady state cardio. This type of set-up can be far more effective at getting that stubborn fat off your body than doing a typical cardio session is.

Lastly, check over that belly fat diet. Too many fat or carbohydrates calories will slow your progress, while protein, generally speaking will help due to the fact the body burns more calories just digesting it.

This can be taken too far though – there is no need to exceed 1.5 grams per pound of body weight, but keeping it up around that level is your best approach. Then, fill in the remainder of your calories with carbohydrates around the workout period and fat during the other times.

As long as you are patient with the process and continually push yourself in the gym, there is no reason why within time, you can’t be sporting your own set of six-pack abs.

Fitness Model Interview On Fat Loss

But how beneficial is Fat Loss For Idiots? Understanding some common dieting myths is important to determine whether this program is worth its salt. First, if you read their premise, they state that if you eat 2500 calories a day, your body will adapt and stop burning 2500 calories a day. Well sorry folks, but that just is not correct. If your body adapted to burning off however many calories a day you are eating, how do you think you got fat in the first place? Your body certainly did not adapt to those calories – what makes you think it will adapt to the ones this program tells you to eat?

The bottom line is that if you are looking for a smart way to lose fat, you will need to create a caloric deficit. Your Six Pack Quest does this. By reading through it, you will get access to a metabolic calculator to determine the optimal number of calories your body needs to guarantee fat loss, without feeling like you’re starving. Sure, if you have been on a starvation diet, you will need to up the calories – and when you do, you’ll find you do actually lose weight! But if you are currently eating thousands of calories, your body will not adapt to burning those off. You need an action plan that works – Your Six Pack Quest will lay it out for you in easy to understand terms that anyone can follow.

Next, when looking at the Fat Loss For Idiots program, they downgrade exercise stating that it doesn’t ‘matter’ when it comes to gaining or losing weight. How can exercise not matter?! Study after study has shown that dieters who combine exercise with their dietary efforts show a much higher rate of fat loss, rather than a mixture of muscle and body fat. Do you know what happens when you lose both muscle and fat? Your metabolism slows down. So sure, you’ve lost weight but now your natural metabolic rate is slower meaning you have to eat less for the rest of your life! Is that something you want? A diet of rabbit food forever? Didn’t think so.

Your Six Pack Quest will show you how to exercise productively, where you aren’t spending hours in the gym, but you are getting results. Doing so will help you retain that crucial muscle mass, thus helping keep your metabolism revved and make maintaining your weight loss a piece of cake.

So, instead of falling for another gimmicky plan that promises rapid weight loss (they claim 9 pounds in 11 days – which will be mostly water anyway), opt for a plan that combines both a healthy, long-term way of eating with healthy exercise that doesn’t feel like torture. Your Six Pack Quest offers meal plans just as Fat Loss For Idiots does, but it takes things one step further – you’ll also received detailed exercise descriptions and plans for a variety of exercise needs, a workout DVD, a virtual trainer, supplement information, along with continuous updates on all the latest on the research front related to fat loss. It really is an all inclusive program that will address all the factors that contribute to weight gain – not just diet alone. Remember, losing weight should be a lifestyle approach, not just changing what you put on your plate.

Carlos Larsen

Notice that I tell you exactly what to eat and what times but I do not reveal how many calories are in each meal or the daily carb, protein and fat percentages.

Consider this an upside down approach to nutrition and thinking.  I want you to discover the power of creating the right hormonal environment in your body to induce change in body composition.  The key principle to my nutrition programs is “balanced nutrition.”  Balance is the key to healthy nutrition and a sexy body.

I believe that my nutrition programs are so powerful because they create a desirable hormonal response in your body.  For the next 3 weeks I want you to think hormonally, rather than calorically.

Here is your advanced fat loss nutrition plan:

7:30 am Breakfast

Vegetable Omlette and fruit:

8 egg whites, extra large

4 cups of vegetables

1 and 1/3 tsp olive oil

1 orange

11:30 am Mid Meal

Home made protein shake:

1scoop of natural chocolate whey protein powder

1 cup of milk

1 tps of natural peanut butter

1 large banana

2:30 pm Lunch

Tuna Melt Sandwhich:

1 can of tuna or salmon

2 slices of whole wheat bread

1/2 cup of graded cheese

3 cups of steamed vegetables steamed

1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp of balsamic vinaigrette

5:30 pm Dinner

Steak and potatoes:

5 oz extra lean beef

1 1/4 cups of potatoes, mashed

2 tsp of olive oil

1 tsp of balsamic viniegrate

3 cups of vegetables

8:30 pm Snack

1 cup of cottage cheese, low fat

1 grapefruit

1/2 orange

1/2 apple

2 tbsp of mixed nuts

**Remember to drink at lest 500-750 ml of water with each meal.

Carlos Larsen

Loose that fat today and get shredded with Vince Delmonte’s Fat Loss Nutrition Guide

It’s simple to suggest eat less, exercise more and you’ll lose fat.  Unfortunately this advice does not explain why your friend can indulge in pizza and beer and stay shredded all summer while others need to put a microscope under every food that enters their mouth.

As you know, not all metabolisms are created equal and research has proven that some of us can burn fat faster than others.  If you feel like you’re doing everything right but still unable so shed those last few pounds then let one of the following advanced fat burning tips and tricks below work for you.

Here are 23 of the exact secrets I used to cut 23-pounds of fat in 10-weeks that lead to the photos on this page.   Getting shredded can not be left to chance with the mentality that you hope it works.  In order to shake the last few pounds of fat you must combine as many of these techniques as possible so that you experience a huge difference in the mirror.

1. Follow a specific, pre-set nutrition plan so that you know exactly what you’re supposed to eat and what times and in what amounts.  You will be less likely to cheat and more likely to follow your plan. Print it out and post it on your refrigerator.

2. Read labels because you must be precise about your food intake and ensure your food plan matches exactly with what you’re consuming or how in the world can you help yourself?

3. Get your body fat measured and plan to lose 1% of it each week.

4. Tweak, re-evaluate and re-tweak. If you’re not losing, tweak ONE variable for the following week while keeping everything else standardized. Re-evaluate your progress and continue this feed back loop each week.

5. When tweaking a variable in your training, make small changes instead of big ones.  For example, add one extra 45-minute cardio session next week if you plateaued, not 3 extra cardio sessions. If you’re doing 2 interval workouts, add a third.

6. Did I say small changes are responsible for big changes?  If you’re eating 2 slices of whole wheat bread on meal one, drop it to only 1 slice instead.  Dramatic nutrition or cardio changes is unnecessary.

7. Plan to raise your caloric intake one time every five days, minimum.

8. Start doing interval training and build up to at least three 20-minute workouts at 85% intensity.

9. For interval training, rely on the classic and effective 1-minute hard followed by 1-minute easy protocl for a total of 10 intervals.

10. Incorporate steady-state cardio on a empty stomach before breakfast. If you’re on a ultra low-carb diet then this is not necessary however “regular” cardio in a fasted state can help your body to resort to using more fat for fuel.

11. Drink a big black cup of coffee or have an espresso before you do fasted cardio before breakfast.

12. Incorporate muscle-saving supplements like creatine and branch chain amino acids with a liter of water before you do your cardio in a fasted state in the morning.

13. If possible, perform your weights in the evening and perform your cardio in the morning.  This requires more dedication but can be very effective in the final 4-weeks before your “deadline.”

14. Train hard with weights and train often.  Be prepared to move from 3-days or 4-days of weight training to at least 5-days of weight training a week.

15. During fat loss, the details of the workout are not as important as muscle building.  Focus on intensity and finishing the workout knowing you held nothing back.

16. Keep rest periods between 30-60 seconds.

17. Don’t worry on the length of your workouts, even if they last up to 1.5 hours.

18. Don’t plant to eat perfectly without any unplanned cheat.

19. Eat as many fibrous vegetables as possible like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and/or asparagus to name a few.

20. Eat your first meal earlier than you are currently eating it now.  Having your first meal around 6 am and your last meal around 6 pm works the best for the majority of people.

21. Treat your weight training workouts as if you’re trying to build muscle. Keep the weights heavy to keep your muscle mass and maintain your metabolism.

22. Only bring food items that appear on your meal plan into your home.

23. Set a deadline for the day you want to be shredded and ripped.

Just one of these tips above could be the game-changer to get shredded at last. Your instincts will tell you which ones to begin leveraging starting today.

Feel free to add your own tip below or elaborate on any of mine or ask questions.

Carlos Larsen

Don’t get me wrong – adding muscle to your body is an excellent way to keep off the fat but it’s not the only solution as many fitness experts would have you believe.

A key mindset in conquering the battle of the bulge is to understand that fat is stored energy. That’s it.  Don’t give it the respect it deserves by labeling it with terms that imply it’s indestructible, stubborn and won’t go away.  The secret is to accept the fact that burning fat requires a lot of quality energy expenditure.

That means you have to work!

Today I want to share two free weight training workouts from my coach Vince that will teach you how to burn fat off your body, instead of attempting to starve fat off your body. The weight training workouts below will force your body to dig deep into your energy stores to get the work done.

You can rotate these two workouts every 24-hours to give you a feel of what I’m talking about.  If you’re a beginner, 1-2 sets will work you.  If you’re more advanced, you’ll need 3-4 sets or you can add this combo to the front or end of your current workout.

Click here to watch weight training workout #1

Click here to watch weight training workout #2

Here is a summary of the key elements in these two mini weight training programs:

-> create A LOT of lactic acid

-> create an oxygen debt

-> train while FATIGUED

-> prioritize compound and functional exercises

-> keep the weights as HEAVY as possible

-> keep the rest periods SHORT

-> aim for the upper end of the rep range

-> keep the volume and length of workout longer

-> pair up non related body parts each workout

Last summer Vince Delmonte put together a revolutionary new system of 6 structured and progressive sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your stomach from soft and flabby to firm and cut in 6-months.

You can read more info at

–http://www.YourSixPackQuest.com

I recommend you try out the 3-Day Metabolic Boost Program before attempting the 4-Day Metabolic Extreme Program or the 5-Day Metabolic Overdrive Program.  Each one is 16-weeks along and builds upon the previous phase in intensity and volume.

I would be curious to hear about your biggest fat loss struggle.  What is one training or nutrition area I could specifically help you with?  Post your comments below and I’ll respond in future newsletters or personally below.

To your six pack quest,
Carlos Larsen