Stop making that liver quiver...

First, I will caveat: I am not a certified nutritionist or a doctor! 

Now that I have that out of the way, some of you may have tried every fad diet in the world and wonder why you can't loose weight. You count calories, eat "health" foods, and try everything in the book that is supposed to work. Have you ever thought that there must be something wrong with those diets and the items you are consuming on a daily basis? There two things I think that, if everyone really understood them, would really help people to control their eating and fat. Those two things are your liver and insulin. This time I am going to give you a little bit of information about your liver. 

Your liver has two main functions: filtering toxins and processing fat. Just like a man with two jobs, the more time you spend doing one, the less time you spend doing the other. So, if we constantly give our bodies toxins the liver has to filter then it has little time to process and get rid of fat. Hence, we reduce our bodies ability to burn fat. 

Now, when I use the word toxins that refers to anything that your body cannot process. If you look at the label and see a lot of chemicals, even when it is "health" food. Your body cannot use or process it. This stuff has to be filtered through the liver! That includes preservatives used in canned foods! Don't be surprised but even items like soy products and whole wheat bread are extremely processed. Also, anything with artificial sweeteners, no matter how healthy it may seem, can be put into this category. 

Now, how do you beat this without having a PhD in nutrition? Try eating fresh food made of one thing like broccoli, steak, chicken, and rice. You can combine these foods to make healthy meals. One great example is a hamburger made out of 100% ground beef, lettuce, onion, tomato and 100% grain bread. 

Now, I will say that, in this day and age, it is extremely difficult to totally rid yourself of processed food. However, when you can, avoid them! In my own diet, to maintain muscle mass, I use protein powder which definitely has some portions that cannot be processed. However, the rest of my day consists of eggs, lean meats, fresh veggies and some fresh fruits. 

Finally, you can't say that you will start eating none processed food and forget all the other tenants of healthy eating but this is great place to start changing your lifestyle! You may ask, how do I know it works? Well, hours of reading don't hurt, and, second, experience! Not only for myself but for quite a few others who listen to recommendations from Team SideMeat! 

DO YOU

-SideMeat

One of the most inspirational fitness videos I have ever seen.

Never underestimate yourself. Never give up. Take 5 minutes to watch this and motivate yourself to DO YOU and, maybe, help someone else do them. I felt blessed to watch this and thankful that this gentleman and Veteran shared his story. This should serve to anyone doubting their own ability to make a change as a sign, an example, or maybe even a calling.....just believe, plan, and go!

Arthur's Inspirational Transformation

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Get those wheels of steel!

I just did legs with this guy ------------------------------------ >

After winning the Charlotte Cup last week, Derek is doing the Jr Nationals in a couple weeks and he wanted someone to hit the wheels with. I gladly volunteered to do work. You want to burn them up? Try this:

One-legged Cable Kickbacks 2 x 20 each leg
One-legged Cable Extensions 2 x 20 each leg
Split Squat (rear leg elevated) 3 x 15 each leg
Walking Barbell Lunges 3 x 10 each leg
Squats 20, 15, 10, 20+
Superset:
     - Lying leg curls 20, 15, 10
     - Hip Adduction 3 x 15
Single Leg Extension 3 x 15 (leg to leg, no breaks) x 2
Stiff Leg Dead Lift 3 x 15

Some points of emphasis on a detail workout like this are to really use your glutes (butt muscles) on the cable exercises. Part of learning to train as a bodybuilder is learning how to use and contract very specific muscles. If you can't feel it in the muscle you are targeting then drop the weight and work on technique.

When doing the Split Squat elevate your rear leg on a step. For most people a bench is too high and cause them to lean forwards too much. It is essential to maintain good posture so this does not become a lower back exercise. If you have that "Slumpbody" you will feel this exercise in your back as you will bend at the waist instead of squatting. The more you maintain an upright position the more it hits those legs. They had a machine similar to a Shrug Machine we used which was pretty cool. If your gym doesn't have this use dumbbells.

On the Walking Barbell Lunges take nice big steps and get low. Your front knee should not extend past your toe. If it does you need to take bigger steps!

On the squats we hit ROCK BOTTOM. Put those cheeks on the floor! After all the pre-exaustion we didn't need to go ultra-heavy. Derek is competing at light weight so, right now, we are both well under 180. We decided to use 135, 225, 315, and 135.

Lastly, keep your pace. For the most part, Derek and I went I go, you go on every exercise. This keeps the pump and also serves as a little additional cardio!

Try it out and let me know what you think.

DO YOU

-SideMeat