Advanced Burpee For Extreme Fitness

If you've done the Fat X Program, or have done a stint in prison, you've probably done the exercise known as the burpee.  It's one of my favorite exercises because of it's versatility and use of multiple muscles.  There's a basic way to do them, but you can also tweak it a bit to make it more intense.  

If you've gone through the Fat X Program a few times and you're ready to  enhance your fat burning results and fitness level a bit, try doing the advanced burpee instead of the basic burpee in Fat X Workout 4 and Fat X Workout 10.

Here's a short video of me doing the advanced burpee I shot last Friday during a quick fat burning cardio workout.

By the way, if you're near Pasadena, California, I will be hosting an advanced burpee contest the Sunday before Thanksgiving weekend as a way to motivate people to get in great shape.  I'm putting up $200 of my own money as a prize.  I'm working on the details and will post them soon.  

My Secret Fat Burning Green Tea Recipe

If you've been following Fat X 101, you know that I'm a big fan of green tea, not just for fat burning, weight loss and fitness purposes, but for overall health.  I also like the slight energy boost I get from it. 

Anyway, it's a pain to make on cup at a time, so I usually make a big batch that last me 2-3 days.  Here's my secret recipe or actually, it's just more of a trick to how I do it:

Step 1

Boil about 24 ounces of water.

Step 2

Turn off the heat and place 10 tea bags of green tea in the water.  Let it steep for an hour or more.

Step 3

Pour that into a gallon jug and then fill the rest with purified water.

Step 4

Pour 1 packet of lemon flavored Crystal Light.

Step 5

Refrigerate for a few hours.

Step 6

Enjoy it throughout the day.

Green tea isn't a magical fat burner, but studies have shown that it will help you increase you metabolism.  Increasing your metabolism is essential if you want to burn the fat and lose that excess fat weight.  

How Important is Keeping Track of Results? Q&A of the Week

Every week I answer a question or questions that are sent in to me regarding fat burning, weight loss, diet, fitness and or the Fat X Program (FX12).  This week's question was e-mailed in and is in regards to using the workout guide/manual.

Hey Coach!
I'm starting the Fat X Program on Sunday and I was wondering how important it is to keep track and log in the numbers as I go through the program?  Should I download the workout guide and manual?

Toni

Toni, tracking results in any venture is extremely important in being successful.  The numbers are used to evaluate progress and to have a goal and something to shoot for as you move forward.

 Yesterday, I just happened to mention to my FX Boot Camp clients that fat loss will follow fitness. I wanted them to understand that  you must get more fit, so that you can lose fat weight optimally. Yesterday was their fitness test. I give them the same workout routine on the last day as the first and show them their numbers.

If you're doing the Fat X Program, the workout guide/manual will help you keep a log of what you're doing so that in the future you will push yourself to get more fit by besting those numbers.  It's only a few bucks so I would definitely suggest that you download it.

FX Boot Camp in Pasadena

The next entry point into my  FX Boot Camp in Pasadena California will be next Monday February 14, 2011, .  If you're ready to burn the fat, get fit and or lose weight, then come join me and the other FX'ers to help you get to where you want to be in you fitness and fat loss journey.  

I keep my class sizes small so you need to reserve your spot A.S.A.P.  Unlike other boot camps, I use a more effective high intensity interval anaerobic training method.  It's very similar to the Fat X Program, only adapted to be done in a small group environment.  

I conduct my FX Boot Camp at my residence in Pasadena, so you get a great workout without an audience!

Here's a photo album of my FX Boot Camp.

Small Goals, Big Progress!

"How do you eat an elephant?  One small piece at a time!"  That's one of my favorite sayings.  When it comes to fat burning, fitness or weight loss, goal setting is one of the most important aspects of short term and long term success.

One of the major reasons most people give up on their fat burning, fitness and weight loss journey is because they set their eyes on a big goal, but forget that to get to that big goal, small goals have to be accomplished first.  Let's say for example you want to lose six inches around your belly.  The best way to accomplish that is to set a 1/2 inch goal a week.  That can easily be accomplished (my private clients usually lose 2-3 inches on the Fat X Program).  Since a 1/2 inch is very doable, every week when you hit the 1/2 inch mark or more, it will only motivate you to keep going.  This is opposed to what normally happens.

Normally, someone would make that six inch goal and when they don't lose most of it really fast, they get frustrated, give up and go back to their old habits. Usually claiming that nothing works for them.

Frustration with progress can lead to making big mistakes.  Avoid getting frustrated by making those small goals achievable and use that success to build momentum in your fat burning, fitness and weight loss journey.

Download the Fat X Workout Guide/Manual and get a jump start on your journey!

How To Prioritize Grocery Shopping? Q&A of the Week

Every week I answer a question or questions that are sent in to me regarding fat burning, weight loss, diet, fitness and or the Fat X Program (FX12).  This week's question was e-mailed in and is in regards to using a the diet and prioritizing grocery shopping.

Hi Coach!

I ran across your fat burning program about a month ago and have now decided to try it.  I have downloaded the workout guide/manual and all I need now is to grocery shop.  Any tips on how to prioritize my shopping to get the best fat burning results?  I'm motivated and ready to burn the fat I've gained these last few months.

Thanks Coach!

Thomas

Thomas, as far as prioritizing your grocery shopping, the best tip or trick I can give you is to follow the Fat X Diet protocol.  Basically, buy your vegetables first, then your lean protein sources, fruits, nuts and finally, things you might crave in small portions.  

If possible, buy everything you need for the 12 days all at once.  Then concentrate on only eating from those rations.  It's amazing the results people get when they follow that one simple tip.  Good luck!

Make Breakfast Fat X Approved

I was speaking with a client yesterday and she had a good suggestion for Fat X 101.  She said I should give tips and tricks on how someone can make an average meal, a Fat X Diet approved meal.  Breakfast is usually a problem meal for someone that is trying to keep a healthy or healthier diet. Let's take a look at a common breakfast meal and how we can make it Fat X approved so you can stick to your healthy diet, burn the fat, lose the weight and get fit.

A pancake, egg and bacon breakfast is a common breakfast that can easily be made into a Fat X approved meal with a few adjustments.  Here's an example of the adjustments that can me made to make it healthier, and Fat X approved so that you can continue to burn the fat, lose the weight and get fit.

Typical Breakfast     Fat X Approved                           

 2-3 Pancakes 1 Pancake (whole wheat)

1/4-1/2 Syrup Strawberry Jam/Preserve 

3-4 Eggs Egg Whites

3-4 Bacon Strips Lean Ham Strips

Coffee or Orange Juice Green Tea or Coffee with Sugar Substitute

                                                        

With the Fat X approved version you you're cutting excess calories and sugar, while adding nutrition and keeping the protein content up. These small changes will help you stay on a healthy/healthier diet and help you lose that unwanted body fat short and long term.

Diet Confusion and The Fat X Diet

When someone wants to burn fat, get fit and or lose weight, they usually say they're going on a diet.  What's misunderstood is that the term diet does not just apply to when your trying to burn off excess body fat, get fit or lose unwanted weight. You're actually always on a diet.  It's either a healthy diet, an unhealthy diet or something in between.  The term diet describes what it is that you're eating.  The confusion lies within the goals of your diet.

If you're eating a bunch of junk food throughout the week, guess what?  You're on a diet.  It just happens to be an unhealthy diet, and it's most likely going to be a weight gaining diet(fat gaining).  Most people are unaware that a weight gaining diet is their diet.  So it's time to stop thinking of being on a diet, and start thinking of how you can make your diet healthier, or at least focused in the direction of accomplishing your goal. 

There's all kinds of complicated ways of changing your diet to achieve weight loss that are out there.  You can count and keep track of every single calorie, deprive yourself of certain foods, eat only this or eat only that, but eventually the more complicated your diet is, the more of a chance you won't stick with it.

With the Fat X Diet, the goal is to simplify the process of thinking about food and eating for the goal of fat loss.   The Fat X Diet is actually a philosophy more than a strict form of dieting.  It's about accentuating the foods and nutrients that will help the process of health and fat loss, without overcomplicating the subject.  The purpose of the Fat X Diet is to help you force nutrients into your diet that will make your diet healthier then what it's been and in turn help you burn fat and lose weight short and long term.

For examples of what I consider healthy or at least healthier than average meals, check out my Fat X Approved photo album on Facebook.