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physique with sensible eating and workout strategies. Weight training and
dieting can be demanding activities, however, so it is highly recommended
that you consult your physician and have a physical examination prior to
beginning. Proceed with the suggested exercises, nutrition strategies and
routines at your own risk.
Introduction.........................................................................................................4
Preface.................................................................................................................8
When you've been at this working out thing as long as we have, you
begin to think you know it all—and that's when you can get into trouble.
You should never stop learning. That lesson hit us over the head hard
a few years ago when we finally discovered key "secrets" to getting in
ultimate shape quickly—but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
As fate would have it, the legendary trainer passed away (we really
miss his visits), and his wife asked if she could store much of his
belongings at the IM warehouse. The publisher okayed it, and in came
furniture, crates of trophies the trainer had won, pictures that hung in his
gym and boxes of dusty, old documents and log books. That last item
was most intriguing because here were the exact workouts and methods
he had used to get
those incredible
results he always Buried treasure. The
talked about. key to rapid physical
transformation was
here, written in
While the training manuals that were
guru was alive decades old. --------->
we never tried
his moderate-
weight, high-fatigue
method—that's
because, as we said,
everyone "knew"
real results were all
about pushing more
weight. And we had
the chronic aches,
pains and injuries to
prove it, including
bum shoulders,
tweaked knees and backs that would go out for no reason. Funny that
the old-school trainer had none of those problems, even in his 80s. That
got Steve thinking....
He began pouring over the dusty notes and routines outlining the
trainer's transformation methods he used on Hollywood actors and star
bodybuilders alike. A light bulb went off. Steve realized that the current
science, like triggering fat-burning and muscle-building hormones via
muscular fatigue, backed up the trainer's methods. Steve began to
experiment in the gym with some of what he found in the dusty notes,
The eventual results were incredible. The pieces fell into place and
Steve realized exactly how and why his slightly revised version of the
trainer's methods worked so quickly—it hit the muscles completely
with cumulative stress to reach the growth threshold, and it produced a
hormonal cascade that burned fat like a blowtorch.
—————— Steve's results were some of the best he'd ever had—staying leaner
With the and getting more muscular with much shorter, less painful workouts.
Focus-4 Becky began using it, and she too was shocked at her quick progress. It
Exercise wasn't a fluke. We had others try it, from 20-year-old college students to
protocl, F4X 50-year-old grandmothers—and each one reported stunning progress—
for short, our all with no joint stress—in fact any residual joint pain disappeared. And
workouts lasted 30 minutes to an hour, no longer. (The trainer insisted
metabolisms
those short workouts were necessary so key hormones stayed at full-
are stoked 24/7 throttle and the metabolism would burn white hot.)
and joint aches
and pains With our version, which we call the Focus-4 Exercise protocol, F4X
are a fading for short, our metabolisms are stoked 24/7 and joint aches and pains
memory—plus, are now fading memories—plus, we're keeping lean, hard physiques all
we're keeping year long. We're both over 50—and loving life. Our only regret is that we
lean, hard didn't discover the F4X system sooner, but now we can pass it on to
you.
physiques all
year long. Weight training is a miracle activity, as you'll see, and the F4X body-
reshaping system is the ultimate way to get all of its fat-burning, muscle-
building, anti-aging benefits in quick, safe, health-charged workouts—
but we're still learning and still refining it.
Look around. Why are so many people in terrible shape? The problem
for most is time. The older we get, the faster time moves—or so it seems.
There's just not enough left to improve our bodies and health with
exercise. (Don't let that word scare you; it doesn't take as much as you
think—most people do it wrong and it takes too long.)
We'll show you that there is time—in fact, you can turn back the
clock—and the time is now! You need to ditch the
Steve.
misinformation and take action—using an efficient,
on-target method. And that's what the F4X system
is; as you'll see, it doesn't require a lot of time in the
gym or complicated diets (you can often eat what you
want).
A passion for life is a direct link to happiness. And you can double or
triple that happiness quotient by being healthy, fit and muscular. Muscular?
Yes! Don't let that word throw you, especially if you're
female—women need plenty of muscle—for feminine shape
and health. (Becky is a prime example; she strives for it.)
The key is muscle—no matter what your gender. The more you can build
naturally, the healthier you'll be. And you'll look fantastic; no, not like a
gigantic bodybuilder—unless you’re that one-in-a-million genetic anomaly.
The truth is that more than 99 percent of women simply don't have the
hormonal profile or muscle fiber density to build big, bulbous muscles—
and most men are limited as well. So don't be a afraid you'll “look like
Arnold.” Yes, most men will be able to build “big” muscles—and some
can take it toward being Arnold-esque, genetics willing and work ethic in
More muscle will give you a body you can be proud of—more self-
confidence, extra drive in your daily life and business or school and never
embarrassed to strip down at the beach or pool. You'll have a feeling of "I
can conquer anything." It will also help you burn more fat, one more reason
muscle leads to a leaner, healthier you.
Whew! Lots of good stuff to spark your get-up-and-go to let the GH flow.
Are you ready? Let's stop the decay and start to grow with F4X.
—Steve and Becky Holman
So let's not beat around the bush; just what is the F4X system? It's
a method of training based on one that has been lost and collecting
dust. The reason it's been "lost" is because of the emphasis on
intensity, which most trainees equate to heavy, joint-jolting workouts.
The sarcoplasm is the fluid surrounding the myofibrils, and that "energy”
juice contains mostly mitochondria, where fat is burned (your internal lean
machines), glycogen (from the sugar in carb foods) and ATP (an energy
source from creatine). Here's the difference:
The 40 seconds of tension time and shorter rests between sets also
produce more muscle burn, which is a key to growth hormone release.
——————
We've already discussed the miraculous fat-burning, anti-aging effects of
As you GH; remember that muscle burn will get your GH to churn. (Can J Appl
recover Physio. 22:244-255; 1997)
from your
workouts, Now as far as the myofibrils are concerned, a weight heavy enough
your body to inflict a bit of trauma on those power-generating strands is key. That
continues to trauma is microtears (soreness), and repair of those small tears requires
energy. Your body fixes the slight "damage" over a period of days, and
burn fat 24/7.
while it does that, your metabolism is stoked and you're burning more
How great is calories, even at rest. That's right, as you recover from your workouts, your
that? body continues to burn fat 24/7. How great is that?
It's precisely why F4X training can work so extremely well to build you a
new muscular body and burn off fat in record time. It's like turning fat into
muscle!
We've found four sets per exercise to be optimal for getting at both the
myofibrils and the sarcoplasm. What if you do more than four? The more
sets you do, the lighter the weight must be to allow the extra sets—and
that's more of a sarcoplasmic stimulator, with less effect on the myofibrils.
If you get 10 reps on your last set, slightly increase the weight
at your next workout—or go for 11 reps on each set, denoted
as 4 x 11.
Your tempo for all sets should be one second to lift and
three seconds to lower. That will make every set last
around 40 seconds, perfect for balanced stimulation of the
muscle fibers and to fortify the fat-burning mitochondria as well
as trigger a growth hormone release.
If you've never lifted weights before—or it's been a long while since you
have, like high school—you need to break in easy. Don't let impatience and
over-enthusiasm set you back. Getting too sore is no fun and has caused
many people to quit before the magic happens—they never get
that incredible buzz of spectacular body-transforming results.
Still, none of your sets should be tough in the beginning. The 10th rep on
the second set should be mildly difficult but not a struggle. If you feel it begin
to get too difficult, stop.
With the F4X LEAN Workout you'll work out three days a week, Monday,
Wednesday and Friday, with only four basic exercises per workout. This ——————
handful of key moves will train all of your major muscle groups: You'll work
out three
1) Squats (dumbbells at sides of thighs) days a week,
2) Incline presses or flat-bench presses or pushups (on knees or toes)
with only
3) Bent-over rows (two-arm version or one arm at a time)
four basic
4) Dumbbell upright rows
exercises per
workout—
After two weeks at two sets, progress to three sets on each, resting 40
less than 30
seconds between sets. So at week 3, go to 3x10—and now push hard on
the last set—to muscular failure. minutes per
session.
After another two weeks, week five, up it again to four sets on each
exercise if you can, still with 40-second rests, last set to failure. If four feels
like too much, stick with only three for as long as you need to.
You can stay with this workout for as long as you like. It's the bare
minimum we recommend for those who want to build some muscle and get
an overall health effect from lifting. Some cardio on your off days or after
your weight session is an excellent extra for fat burning, but keep in mind
that this workout has built-in cardio—you will breathe rapidly.
The F4X LEAN Workout is also an excellent alternate if you're using one of
the more extensive F4X programs in this e-book and you're short on time.
It's a perfect go-to abbreviated session that hits just about every muscle.
Becky uses it a lot so she doesn't feel guilty about missing a workout.
1 Squats.
2 Incline
presses -->
or bench
presses
(barbell or
dumbbells)
OR
OR you can
do pushups,
on toes or
on knees.
4 Dumbbell
upright rows.
OR if you
have lower-
The F4X Method: Pick a weight with which you can get 15 reps... back issues
Set 1: Do 10 reps; rest 30 to 40 seconds do one-arm
rows...
Set 2: Do 10 reps; rest 30 to 40 seconds
Set 3: Do 10 reps; rest 30 to 40 seconds
Set 4: Do as many reps as you can*
*If you get 10 on set 4, slightly increase the weight at your next
workout or go for four sets of 11 reps (4x11).
3) Progression: When you can get 10 reps on your last set that you
push to failure, add a small amount of weight to that exercise at your
next workout—or try to get 11 reps on all sets.
A: You can rest one to two minutes between exercises. It's good to catch
your breath before training different muscle groups. By the way, for F4X
training, wear a watch with a second-hand so you can time your rests.
A: You can do as many sets as you like—two, three or four—but push the
last set in the sequence to failure. Keep in mind that you should try to push
yourself slightly to make it to the next level of fitness; however, if you stay
at two sets for six months—or forever, for that matter—it is better than not
lifting at all. You will get benefits even from doing only two sets, just make
sure the weight is challenging and you push your last
set until you can't do another repetition.
A: If you're a rank beginner, you can do freehand squats, holding the back ——————
of a chair for balance. Follow the F4X protocol, with 35 seconds between The F4X
sets and the three-seconds-down-one-second-up cadence. Follow that with system is
wall push-aways. That's essentially pushups leaning against a wall. Once perfect for a
again, use the F4X method... tandem team
because while
1) Freehand squats—hold the back of a chair for balance
one trainee
2) Wall push-aways—pushups leaning against a wall
does his or
For push-aways you should gradually be able to move to pushups on the her reps, the
floor on your knees, and then standard pushups—eventually; don't rush it. other rests
about 40
For squats you will get stronger more quickly, and we suggest you get seconds.
a couple of those small shopping bags they give out at boutiques—or at
Starbucks—usually with twine handles. You can add canned good to those
bags—and now you have a set of “weights.” Be sure you use identical items
in each bag. Hold one in each hand at the sides of your thighs and squat.
Those makeshift weights will also work for the other two exercises in the
F4X LEAN Workout as well—bent-over rows and upright rows. Once again,
on all exercises lift in one second and lower in three seconds.
That makeshift home weight set will work for quite a while, maybe even
forever if that's as advanced as you want to get. We highly recommend you
get selectorized dumbbells and an adjustable bench eventually. More on
that, as well as a more extensive workout with that equipment, coming up.
If you only have time for one F4X sequence, choose squats. That exercise
works the largest muscles on your body—thighs and glutes, or butt—so that
move will make you more breathless and create the largest glycogen deficit,
keys to fastest fat loss.
You may have heard—or read in one of our special reports—that herbs,
like ginger, nutrients, including selenium and vitamin C, and foods, like
cherries, can all have positive effects on your joints and help relieve pain.
Bit did you know that food allergies can be the cause of inflammation that
leads to joint pain, a biggie being intolerance to wheat
products.
Something less severe than celiac and more common is wheat intolerance.
According to Jamison Starbuck, N.D., “Wheat-intolerance people have no
symptoms when they eat barley or rye, but ingesting wheat often leads
to such complaints as indigestion, bloating, canker sores, constipation,
headache, sinusitis, respiratory problems, insomnia, joint pain and fatigue.”
Celiac disease stresses the immune system and drains energy; wheat
intolerance produces symptoms only when someone eats a lot of wheat-
laden food. If you experience any of those symptoms, you may want to try
eliminating wheat products from your diet. Many nutritionists believe that
wheat is a big player in numerous symptoms of ill health, including joint
pain. (The book Wheat Belly by William Davis, M.D., has more on all of the
above—a very interesting read.)
If the pain is on the inside of the joint, it's called “golfer's elbow.” The
exercise to help alleviate that is wrist curls with a barbell or a dumbbell.
Place the length of your forearm along your thigh with your palm facing up.
Lower your hand holding the weight down below the plane of your forearm,
and then bend, or curl, it up.
You can work both arms at once with dumbbells or one arm at a time. You
can also use a barbell, placing the lengths of your forearms along the tops
of your thighs or on a bench. Perform a three-set or four-set F4X sequence,
striving for 12 reps per set.
In the meantime
you can use a
Rumble Roller to
get some relief. It's
a knobby cylinder
on which you roll
your lower back. The
principle behind it is
myofascial release,
a type of massage
that focuses on
correcting restrictions of movement. You can use it on your legs, hips and
even torso. Just assume the correct position and roll away your pain.
You must use very light weight on these—in fact, if you do them
at home, you could start out with a novel or some other fairly large
book—but not too large. Simply sit on the floor next to a chair or
ottoman, prop up your elbow so your upper arm is perpendicular
to your torso and your forearm is vertical. Then rotate your forearm
forward until your arm is parallel to the floor, pause, then raise it
back to vertical. (See the photos above.)
Squats are already included, but you can add any of the other exercises
in this chapter, depending on what joint you need to strengthen. You could
add wrist curls and/or reverse wrist curls for your elbows or semi-stiff-legged
deadlifts for your lower back, etc.
Okay, time out. Before we give you the next level of weight training,
we want to give your motivation a boost. After all, weight training can be
intimidating, but make no mistake: Lifting weights is very, very important
as you age—in fact, it's crucial. Don't take our words for it. Here's a quote
from "Barbell Training is Big Medicine"
by Jonathon Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., an
emergency physician (full article published
at StartingStrength.com) that you should
read if your drive ever begins to subside:
Most people think that lifting weights is only for building muscle;
however, it's also one of the best ways to burn fat. Let's go back to Dr.
Lodge (from Younger Next Year):
“The wave of repair and regeneration goes on for hours after [muscle-
taxing] exercise, and your body runs in high gear the
whole time, burning extra fat to replenish the energy
in your muscles, to rebuild glucose stores and the
tissue.... You burn far more fat recovering from [this
type of] exercise than you ever will on the treadmill. It's
the great hidden trick to weight loss—stepping out of
the gym, but still running your metabolism hard for the
rest of the day.”
If you feel you need cardio, in addition to what your F4X weight workout
gives you, it's a good idea to continue keeping your heart rate up right after
your lifting session or you can do extra cardio on your off days. Right after
a workout is when your blood is clear of sugar—you burned it all off lifting.
That means your cardio will tap into bodyfat stores almost immediately.
Luckily, our F4X System, with its short rests between sets, has a
built-in cardio component. The bigger the muscle group, the more
that's true. Training your upper legs will get you sufficiently breathless.
That's a good thing for heart health and fat burning. Lifting moderate
weights is also good for your joints, as we've mentioned. Still, you
can benefit from extra cardio—maybe twice a week.
So with interval cardio you are alternating fairly hard anaerobic work,
sprints, with brief active recovery. If you think about it, that’s exactly
what you’re doing when you train with the F4X System—a burst of fairly
intense lifting followed by brief periods of recovery.
There's nothing more motivating than seeing the before and after photos
of someone who made a big change. But what motivated Becky was not
someone else's pictures but seeing exactly how she looked in a bathing suit
(photo below) after slacking on her workouts for a decade to raise our two
daughters. Hear her:
“On top of that, clothes can help reinforce the denial. Throw on
a baggy shirt and some jeans, and, see, you don’t look fat at all.
Amazing. It’s so easy to hide it—even from yourself. And men do it
too. It’s hard to deny the truth, however, when you see a photograph
of yourself in a bathing suit head-on. Now, that’s a slap of reality—
and in my case the reality was worse than anything the folks at ‘Fear
Factor’ could dream up.”
1) Walk. Adopt a dog from the pound and walk it every day (I have
two, and I love them dearly). If you can't get a dog get out and walk at
least a few blocks as often as possible.
4) Get more fiber. Increasing your vegetable intake will help, but
also go for fibrous fruit, like apples and pears, beans and nuts.
6) Don't skip meals. You need to keep your metabolism stoked not
starving. A little protein is key.
7) Have sex multiple times a week. Hey, Steve put that one in,
but he's right. Intimacy helps improve your health and well being.
8) Brush your teeth early in the evening. That can help prevent
you from eating junk at night.
We want to repeat that the F4X LEAN Workout performed three days a
week can work wonders for you the rest of your life. But if you're like Becky
when she was transforming her body, you'll want to graduate to something a
bit more extensive to speed up the process. The three-days-per-week mix in
this chapter is an excellent step up.
With the program in this chapter you still train three days
a week, but these are not full-body workouts—at least not
in the strict sense. You will train multiple muscles at every
workout, but not directly, and you'll use different exercises.
For example, your arms appear to be getting only one workout a week,
on Wednesdays when you do curls for biceps and pushdowns for triceps;
however, your arms also get hit on Monday and Friday with bench presses,
pulldowns and rows because those are compound moves—multiple
muscles working together, including your arms. This is a great program, one
that Steve has used and Becky as well, during her transformation.
Monday Poundage
Barbell or dumbbell
squats, 4 x 10
Leg extensions, 3 x 10
Semi-stiff-legged
deadlifts, 4 x 10
Leg curls, 3 x 10
Bench presses, 4 x 10
Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10
Pulldowns, 4 x 10
Machine rows, 3 x 10
Dumbbell upright
rows, 4 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest
40 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated
number of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get
10, add weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower
it—four seconds per repetition.
Wednesday Poundage
Barbell or dumbbell
squats, 4 x 10
Standing calf
raises, 4 x 10
Dumbbell upright
rows, 4 x 10
Concentration curls
or barbell curls, 4 x 10
Triceps
pushdowns, 4 x 10
Wrist curls, 3 x 10
Kneeups, 3 x 10
Crunches, 3 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest
40 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated
number of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get
10, add weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to
lower it—four seconds per repetition.
Friday Poundage
Barbell or dumbbell
squats, 4 x 10
Leg extensions, 3 x 10
Leg curls, 4 x 10
Standing calf
raises, 4 x 10
Incline dumbbell
presses, 4 x 10
Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10
Pulldowns, 4 x 10
Machine rows, 3 x 10
Dumbbell upright
rows, 4 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 40
seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated number
of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10, add
weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower
it—four seconds per repetition.
4) When you can get 10 reps on your last set that you push
to failure, add a small amount of weight to that exercise at your next
workout—or try to get 11 reps on all sets.
6) You can stick to this program, rotating in the F4X LEAN Workout
when time is tight—and get excellent results for the rest of your life. In
other words, you don't ever have to do more than this to get
amazing physique-transforming, fat-blasting, anti-aging effects
of lifting—and for many the four exercises in the F4X LEAN Workout will
be sufficient. [Note: If you're interested in an advanced program, see the
BUILD Workout in the last chapter of this e-book.]
That's great news because keeping testosterone levels up is good for both men
and women. It helps you burn fat, bolsters your immune system and, oh yeah,
jacks up your libido. And to get it, you don't have to lose your lunch.
"As predicted, the arms trained with legs achieved an increase in the biceps
peak—while no changes occurred in the arms trained alone. The arms trained
with legs also had greater relative improvement in biceps curl strength than the
arms trained alone as well as other favorable muscle adaptations.... Studies
suggest that training large body parts before smaller ones increases the smaller
body parts’ growth; however, the opposite is not true—if you train legs after
arms, you will see no benefits.”
Kneeups. Lie on your back on a bench. Raise your legs as you bend
your knees and pull your thighs into your chest. Your hips should curl up off
the bench as your knees come into your chest. Hold for a count, then lower
and repeat. You should eventually go to a slant board, with your head at the
high end (pictured far right).
Incline
kneeups.
When you're first starting out, commercial gyms may intimidate you. Or
maybe you just don't have the extra time to drive there, park, work out and
drive home. Or perhaps you just like the convenience of working out in your
own house (hey, go ahead and train in your underwear; who's going to see?).
Monday Poundage
Squats, 4 x 10
Semi-stiff-legged
deadlifts, 4 x 10
Bench presses, 4 x 10
Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10
Undergrip rows, 4 x 10
Stiff-arm kickbacks, 3 x 10
Incline rows, 3 x 10
Upright rows, 4 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest
40 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated
number of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get
10, add weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower
it—four seconds per repetition.
Wednesday Poundage
Squats, 4 x 10
Upright rows, 4 x 10
Lateral raises, 3 x 10
Concentration curls
or standing curls, 4 x 10
Kickbacks, 4 x 10
Wrist curls, 3 x 10
Kneeups, 4 x 10
Crunches, 4 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 40
seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated number of
sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10, add weight
at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower it—
four seconds per repetition.
Friday Poundage
Squats, 4 x 10
Semi-stiff-legged
deadlifts, 4 x 10
One-leg calf
raises, 4 x 10
Incline presses, 4 x 10
Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10
Undergrip rows, 4 x 10
Stiff-arm kickbacks, 3 x 10
Incline rows, 4 x 10
Upright rows, 4 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 40
seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated number of
sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10, add weight
at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower it—
four seconds per repetition.
Semi-stiff-legged deadlifts
• Keep a slight bend in your knees and your back flat throughout
the movement.
• Lower the dumbbells to midshin level, keeping
them close to your legs.
• When you reach midshin level, reverse the
movement with no bounce.
• Don’t pause at the top or bottom.
Flyes
• Keep a slight bend in
your elbows at all times.
• Lower the dumbbells out
in an arc till they are on the
same plane as your torso.
• When you reach the
stretch position, reverse
the movement with no bounce (do not pause).
• Pull the dumbbells back up over your chest; pause and squeeze your
chest for a count at the top of each rep.
Kickbacks
• Keep your upper arms as motionless as possible
at your sides.
• Hold at the top for a count to contract your
triceps.
• Don’t pause at the bottom.
• You can do these one arm at a time or with both
arms at the same time.
Lateral raises
• Start with the dumbbells
touching in front of your thighs.
• Keep a slight bend at your
elbows and lean slightly forward.
• Raise your arms till the
dumbbells are almost at shoulder
level.
• Hold for a brief count at the top.
• Don’t lean back; stay leaning slightly forward and focus on lifting
your elbows.
Undergrip rows
• Take a
dumbbell in
each hand,
bend over
at the waist
and extend
the ’bells at
arm's length
below your
chest with If you have
lower-back
your palms
issues, train
facing away from you (curl grip). one arm at a
• Bend your elbows as you pull the time...
dumbbells up to your upper abdomen;
no pause at the top or bottom.
Incline rows
• Take a dumbbell in each
hand, palms facing back, and
support your chest on a high
incline bench.
• Bend your arms at the
elbows as you pull the
dumbbells up to your chest,
no pause at the top or bottom.
•You can also do these without a bench, bending over at the waist and
maintaining your torso at slightly higher than 90 degrees.
Concentration curls
• Keep your upper arm stationary
throughout the movement.
• Don’t pause at the bottom.
• Pause at the top for a count and flex
your biceps.
• You can also do these seated with
your working arm braced against the
inside of your thigh.
• If these are awkward, do standing
dumbbell curls instead, curling the
'bells simulatneously.
Even better, a Power-Block set and an adjustable bench is all you need
for a killer home gym! You can do the F4X LEAN Workout or the entire All-
Dumbbell Workout, and with the F4X method you don't need excessive
poundage.
Now, most of the time when we say “carbs,” we’re primarily talking about
high-glycemic carbs like candy, chips, pastries, desserts, bread, pasta and
so on. These are also known as white, processed or "fast" carbs.
If all you do is sit at a desk all day, then go home, eat and watch TV, you
need less than 150 grams of carbs a day for energy. You're not training your
muscles, so you don't create a glycogen deficit. That means most of the
remaining 250 grams of carbs you eat feed your fat cells (and can clog your
arteries, as you'll see).
And even if you do work out hard, your total musculature and liver only
house about 400 grams of carbs total—that's in your entire body. If you
deplete, say, 150 grams in any one workout, you only need around 250
grams a day, if that, to stay in a healthy balance and replenish muscle.
Remember, that's for someone who works out. Most people don't lift
anything heavier than a Coke can and are getting two to three times that
amount! No wonder obesity is out of control.
You also want to vary your carb intake almost every day—we call it
zig-zagging—and up your protein intake so you preserve and rebuild your
muscle tissue and stoke your metabolism. Some protein at every meal
is a good rule of thumb. A bit of fat every so often is also good, primarily
essential fatty acids found in fish, nuts and olive oil, to maintain hormones
and enzyme function. (Nuts are a great snack, but you shouldn't eat more
than a handful at any one sitting.) Don't fret; sample diets are coming up.
In between those big meals your blood sugar dips once insulin sweeps
the sugar to your fat cells for storage. Now you get cravings and either
satisfy them with more food, usually junk to trigger more insulin and fat
storage, or you resist and don't eat. Neither choice is good.
If you don't eat, your body goes into starvation mode and burns a bit of
fat, but mostly it throws muscle into the energy furnace. Why? It believes
muscle is expendable—so it's the first to go when there's a famine. And
that's what your body thinks is happening—the start of starvation.
Sure, most basketball players are thin, but you'd think they'd be
shredded with extreme muscle definition and abs for days? But almost
every player has a layer of fat and not a lot of muscle definition. The reason
is diet and meal scheduling.
Most eat the normal three meals a day, and pretty much gorge at each
of those to make up for the calorie deficit they create with all that running
around. As we've explained, gorging promotes insulin
surges and fat deposition, so they retain a layer of fat.
Steve's father is a good example. He was skinny all his life until the
middle-age spread hit. His solution: One meal a day at lunch (and, of
course, he didn't exercise). The result: A big gut with small, weak muscles.
He wouldn't listen to reason, continued his one-meal a day plan and
retained his six-months-pregnant, or skinny-fat, look for his entire life—while
eating only one meal a day! (He drank too, which didn't help, but we'll have
more on alcohol and its effects later—not all are bad and you don't have to
give it up completely, unless you're an addict.)
Understand this basic fact: When the starvation mechanism kicks in, your
body will usually shovel muscle into the energy furnace. As far as your body
is concerned, muscle is expendable; it’s denser than fat, so off it goes. You
must do things—like lift weights and get smaller protein-charged feedings
throughout the day—to convince your body that it needs to hold onto
muscle and jettison the fat like the true ugly excess baggage that it is.
Okay, so having five to six smaller protein-based meals a day is the best
way to lose fat and build muscle. Sure, you’ve probably heard that, and
you may believe it, but have you tried it? You have to make it a priority.
Understand that it’s the only way to continually provide your body with the
elements it needs for building muscle, revving your metabolism (more on
that in a moment) and keeping your blood sugar stable to prevent cravings.
That's metabolic boost #1: With more protein you’re actually stoking
your metabolism as well as building and maintaining muscle. And get
this: The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest.
Metabolic boost #2: Higher-protein diets help maintain thyroid hormone,
your metabolism governor. It all adds up to more metabolic momentum that
converts bodyfat to energy. (J Nutr, 133:411-417; 2003)
——————
Wow! That all sounds great, but don’t fall into the trap of trying to eat all It's very
protein all the time. Carbs are important too. If you eat too much protein and important
not enough carbs, your body has to convert protein to glucose for energy. for you to
As we've said, glucose helps your muscles function as well as your brain. If
eat protein-
you limit your carbs too much, your body must convert protein to fuel, which
is called gluconeogenesis, and that results in waste products, too much of
based meals
which can be toxic. throughout
the day and
Bottom line: It's very important for you to eat protein-based meals include some
throughout the day and include some good carbs in most of them. Small good carbs in
meals spread over the day allow you to eat fewer carbs at any one meal— most of them.
and smaller meals with fewer carbs will limit or eliminate surges in fat-
storing insulin. (Diet examples are coming up.)
Also remember this: Eating large meals with more carbs not only
causes bodyfat accrual via insulin, it can also lead to heart disease. What?
Emerging research shows that when you eat too many simple carbs, excess
is converted to triglycerides so it can be stored as bodyfat. Triglycerides are
what scientists have determined causes blocked arteries and heart disease.
Double yikes! No wonder heart disease and obesity are rampant.
—————— A second gene, nicknamed the “Grim Reaper,“ turns off the Sweet
Researchers Sixteen gene and accelerates the aging process. One of the most
determined interesting findings is that insulin helped activate the Grim Reaper gene—
another reason you want to minimize insulin surges.
that there are
ways we can From those findings the researchers determined that there are ways we
turn off the can turn off the Grim Reaper gene without any genetic re-engineering.
Grim Reaper Because it’s turned on by insulin, the first step is to avoid large meals
gene.... The and simple carbs, both of which produce excess insulin. Next is exercise,
first step is to which increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin—you need less to clear
avoid large sugar from your bloodstream, which means less pancreatic stress (your
meals and pancreas secretes insulin). Exercise also bolsters your immune system.
simple carbs,
The low-insulin/longevity connection may be the reason diabetics often
both of which have shorter lifespans than nondiabetics—diabetics require frequent
produce insulin injections, which would turn on the Grim Reaper gene.
excess insulin.
The one time you can use an insulin surge is right after your workout.
Studies show that at that time insulin drives postworkout carbs to muscle
tissue, not fat cells. As we've mentioned, training with weights uses up
lots of glycogen. Eating some fast carbs (sugar) immediately following
a workout causes your body to release insulin so the glycogen stores
can be replaced quickly and efficiently. It's the perfect time for carbs.
In fact, some new studies show that chocolate milk is almost a perfect
postworkout elixir because of its mix of fast carbs (sugar) and protein.
The amount of postworkout carbs you need can differ. Steve can get 60
grams without ill effects. Becky, being lighter, stays at 40 grams. The diet
we helped John create has him take in only 20 grams because he's more
carb sensitive. And we all include protein to insure that we build as much
muscle as possible after every single workout.
We're talking about what we do, so let's get more specific. Here are how
our diets look most of the time...
Keep in mind that in lean shape Steve weighs around 200 pounds,
Becky weighs 135 to 140 and John weighs around 210. You'll notice a few
commonalities with each of our diets:
To get leaner, carbs can be gradually reduced over time. For example,
when Steve is going for maximum leanness, he will delete his morning glass
of orange juice and night time wine (most of the time) or reduce the carbs
and increase protein in his postworkout drink (two scoops of Recover-X and
one scoop of straight protein). Becky and John will reduce fruit and/or rice.
Then on Sunday morning we're free to eat some waffles with the kids or
even go to brunch with friends—complete with dessert if we want it. But by
Sunday afternoon, we're sick of the freedom and craving a return to healthy
eating. (Sometimes we will also allow ourselves a dessert on Wednesdays
as well, but nothing excessive.)
The Victory Day is not only a mental break, but it's good for your goals as
well. Your body gets used to anything if you stick to it long enough, and that
slows your metabolism. We won't bore you with the technical reasoning—
but it has to do with hormones like leptin.
Just understand that when you "shock" your system with the occasional
influx of calories at one time—not all the time—your metabolism increases
to kick start your "furnace" into high gear again, preventing stagnation.
Ah, three workout days and three nonworkout days, but there's
one day left—and that's your Victory day, when you're allowed
to splurge somewhat. You'll no doubt exceed your normal carb
intake, and that's fine. A surge in calories and carbs will keep your
metabolism humming along—as long as you don't go crazy with too
much food, especially all at once. Overloading your system will cause
fat deposition, don't kid yourself. It's like trying to overfill your car's
gas tank so you can go farther. That doesn't work; it just spills over—
much like excess carbs at a meal spill over into your fat cells.
Q: I have a hard time eating the same things every day. Are
there any options?
A: Becky is the same way, so here are some of her alternate meals. They
will work for men too.
Q: Shouldn’t I cut out all milk and other dairy foods when I’m
trying to get lean?
——————
A: Only if you're allergic. New research finds that milk and other Six months
dairy products can reduce your fat cells’ tendency to store calories.
later all the
Michael Zemel, chairman of the nutrition department at the University of
Tennessee in Knoxville, is one of the leading researchers delving into the
subjects had
phenomenon. In one study he put 32 people who needed to lose weight lost weight,
on reduced-calorie diets, but some of the diets included three to four but those who
servings of dairy daily. were eating
dairy lost 70
Six months later all the subjects percent more.
had lost weight, but those who
were eating dairy lost 70 percent
more—about 19 pounds of fat
compared with only 11 pounds in
the subjects who didn’t eat dairy.
Zemel says the reason is that when
there’s plenty of calcium in the
blood, fat cells get the message to
quit storing fat and start burning it.
On the other hand, when calcium
levels are low, the cells hoard fat.
Also understand that drinking alcohol lowers your blood sugar; it doesn’t
raise it the way a meal does. So drinking alcohol with no food in your
stomach will get most people ravenously hungry. That’s the reason for all of
those bowls of chips and pretzels at your local bar. When people drink, their
body tells them to eat. A healthy meal before will help.
If and when you drink, do it early in the evening, as it can disrupt your
sleep if you have it too late—after eight. If you're really trying to lean out
fast, having a few drinks on cheat day is okay—but try to keep it at one or
two days a week only.
Supplements are not mandatory for success on the Old School, New
Body program, but they can speed results and make eating right more
conventient. That's especially true of protein supplements.
We mentioned that a good rule of thumb is about one gram per pound of
bodyweight, and that should be spread
out over the course of your day. So if
you weigh 180 pounds, you should strive
for 180 grams of protein per day, give or
take.
There are many good meal replacements out there, so check around.
Labrada Nutrition's Lean Body is also excellent.
•It turns out that BCAAs appear to promote the fat-to-muscle activity of
growth hormone and testosterone.
A: That can happen on low-carb diets because most dietary fiber ——————
comes from carbs—fruits and vegetables. Our diets are medium-carb, so You'll look
you shouldn’t have that problem. We often include oatmeal in the morning, completely
an apple at lunch and cruciferous vegetables in the evening. The balanced different if
calcium-magnesium mix in our meal replacement supplement also helps— you lose 10
if you don't use one, you can take calcium-magnesium capsules. pounds of
fat and add
Nevertheless, everyone’s system is different, and even we run into it
now and again. For insurance we sometimes use psyllium husk powder 10 pounds of
at night. Two tablespoons in a protein drink or in water will keep things muscle, but
moving, and it will also help fill up your stomach more to decrease you'll weigh
appetite. So if you tend to get hungry at night, psyllium husk powder can exactly the
help keep you regular and curb cravings. same.
When you lose fat and gain muscle, you redistribute your weight. In
other words, you’ll look completely different if you lose 10 pounds of fat
and add 10 pounds of muscle, but you’ll weigh exactly the same. Think
A: Say you eat a meal that contains 360 calories, 32 grams of carbs, 40
grams of protein and 8 grams of fat. What are the percentages? Here’s
how to figure that out:
——————
“What you 1) Convert grams to calories. There are four calories in every gram of
really need is protein and carbohydrate and nine in every gram of fat.
lean muscle 32 g. of carbs x 4 calories = 128 calories from carbs
mass to burn 40 g. of protein x 4 calories = 160 calories from protein
off more 8 g. of fat x 9 calories = 72 calories from fat
calories, and
2) Now divide each of those figures by the calorie total:
keep insulin
128 carb calories ÷ 360 = .35 (or 35%)
from driving
160 protein calories ÷ 360 = .44 (or 44%)
more fat into 72 fat calories ÷ 360 = .21 (or 21%)
fat cells.”
—Jon Benson Your New-Body, Supplement-Free Shake
Q: What if I can't afford supplements? Is there anything I can
eat between meals to keep my blood sugar steady so I don't go
into famine and burn muscle? How about after a workout?
A: These can be hit or miss, but one we’ve tried and do like is GH Stak.
Remember, you want to do everything you can to increase GH naturally
because it helps burn bodyfat and synergizes with anabolic hormones like
testosterone to make your muscle-building efforts more productive.
Because your stomach should be fairly empty when you take it, we prefer
to use it it before bed. If you eat your last meal around 7, taking GH Stak
around 10 should be fine.
You may also want to try taking fish oil. The omega-3 fatty acids
have been shown to help skin and hair quality and can also ward off
inflammation, which is connected to multiple diseases including cancer
and cardiovascular problems. Those properties may be why omega-3s can
help relieve depression too.
If you lift weights consistently and use the above recommendations, you
should get a testosterone boost—evident by a rise in libido. If not, see your
doctor about hormone replacement therapy. HRT can restore your T to
normal levels.
——————
Lifting weights
Menopause Malfunctions
is one of the
best things Q: I'm an over-50 woman just reaching menopause. What can I
you can do do about the bloat, hot flashes, back pain and general fatigue.
throughout
A: First, assuming you've talked to your doctor and he or she has done
your life to
everything possible for you, get on the OSNB program. Lifting weights a
keep your few days a week with the F4X System will increase your growth hormone
body lean, and help balance your other key hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
healthy, Not to keep harping on it, but lifting weights is one of the best things you
energetic and can do throughout your life to keep your body lean, healthy, energetic and
firing on all firing on all cylinders. Of course, you need to eat right most of the time as
cylinders. well.
You gotta be persistent and patient. Your new body won’t sprout
overnight. It takes time (but not as much as you may think). That means you
have to enjoy the ride if you’re going to stick with the Old School New Body
program and reap its incredible benefits throughout your life. In other words,
you must do what it takes to keep yourself hitting the gym on a regular basis
and eating correctly most of the time.
——————
Look within yourself and be honest. How many days a week will you
Working out
work out? How much time are you willing to spend in the gym or training
at home? If you prefer short workouts or you simply don’t have time for the consistently
more elaborate routines, use the four-exercise F4X LEAN Workout. Even is all about
if you only do it twice a week, you will make some progress, and that may health,
motivate you to work out more often and/or move to a more extensive longevity,
program. independence
for the
Then again, some people thrive on a daily routine. If that's you, exercise
duration and
every day. For example, if you are doing the F4X LEAN Workout, use it every
day, but every other workout do only two-set or three-set sequences with
overall quality
the same weight you use for the normal four. That will make the workout of life, not just
stimulating without being intense—you'll get blood to the muscles and feel looking better.
invigorated without overtraining.
So Monday you would do the weight workout with four sets for each
exercise, last set of each sequence to muscular failure; Tuesday with two
sets, zero sets to muscular failure; Wednesday with four, last set of each
sequence to muscular failure; Thursday, two, zero sets to muscular failure,
and so on. Another option is to do weights on one day and a cardio session
on the other. Do whatever keeps you keeping on!
If your workouts ever get dull, don’t hesitate to change things. And if you
feel like you’re dragging, don’t be afraid to take time off to recharge your
batteries—but always return to it. Don't quit!
It can also be easier to stick with it if you have a partner. Find someone
to depend on and who can depend on you to be there for the workouts.
They should have the same goals as you
and be dependable—no slackers who
miss more workouts than they make. By
the way, the F4X method is perfect with
a partner—you do your set, which lasts
about 40 seconds, then your partner
does his or her set. You just go back and
forth until you complete the designated
number of sets in the F4X sequence.
“Danny would use the same weight on all his sets and do five sets of 12
reps. That meant the first two sets were not-to-failure sets, but by set three
he was close, and sets four and five were a fight to get the 12 reps if at all. He
rested 45 to 60 seconds between those sets. Once he could get 12 reps on
all five sets, he would increase the weight at the next workout. Danny thrived
on [this density training], and he equated the sets to knocking off the soldiers
[fast-twitch muscle fibers] one by one with each rep of each set.”
Danny usually did five sets, not four, per exercise and he used more
exercises for each muscle group than what is prescribed in the next chapter;
however, you should use the advanced program outlined as a starting point
after you have had at least six months of consistent, basic weight training.
It's one of the most efficient, productive bodybuilding-style workouts around
based on sound science, as you'll see...
Most trainees will do fine with either the F4X LEAN Workout or the F4X
SHAPE Workout; however, some may want a more advanced program—
even if it's just for a few weeks. Positions of Flexion is a very thorough
program Steve developed with the help of college researchers and other
experts when he was in his 20s that took his physique to new heights—and
he still uses it today in his 50s.
Synergy. This is muscle teamwork, and it’s the reason the big, basic
exercises like squats are so effective at building muscle quickly. A number of
muscles work together so you can drive up heavy poundages. For example,
during the bench press the pectorals (chest), triceps and deltoids work as
a team to generate the most power possible. The human body is designed
to function in this manner, which means that compound, or multi-joint,
——————
exercises are the best movements to start with.
You work the
Fiber recruitment. By incorporating an exercise that puts the target target muscle
bodypart in an slightly overextended, or stretched, state, like flyes for chest, through its
you can better activate what's known as the myotatic reflex. When the full range of
muscle is stretched, the nervous system sends an emergency response motion—no
signal to the brain and a maximum number of muscle fibers are recruited. stretching
Using this prestretch reflex can help you get to fibers you couldn’t recruit sessions
with other exercises. For example, after you do bench presses, you move
necessary—
to dumbbell flyes, a stretch-position exercise for your pecs, to jolt reserve
fibers into action. Stretch has also been shown to improve and multiply and you get
anabolic receptors on muscle. better overall
muscle and
Peak contraction. Now that you have the majority of the fibers’ strength
attention, you use an exercise that puts the target bodypart in a position gains.
to contract against resistance, with resistance occurring through the
entire stroke for tension and occlusion, or blood-flow blockage. That puts
an exclamation point on your size-building routine. If you remember the
discussion about the muscle fibers' sarcoplasm, that energy fluid gets
major expansion with these exercises—once the set is finished, a tidal wave
of blood rushes in for a tremendous skin-stretching pump. For example,
after bench presses (midrange) and flyes (stretch), you end your chest
routine with cable crossovers or machine flyes—continuous muscle tension
throughout.
In some cases one exercise hits two of the three positions. For example,
you could consider machine flyes as both a stretch- and contracted-
position chest move. Do those after bench presses and you have a very
efficient and effective full-range pec program with only two moves. You’ll
see other examples in the upcoming program, but we usually prefer three
exercises to get more volume for each muscle.
Exercise Poundage
M: Incline dumbbell
presses, 4 x 10
S: Flat-bench flyes, 3 x 10
C: Cable crossovers, 4 x 10
M: Pulldowns, 3 x 10
S: Dumbbell pullovers, 3 x 10
C: Stiff-arm
pulldowns, 4 x 10
M: Machine rows, 3 x 10
C: Bent-arm bent-over
laterals, 3 x 12
M: Incline kneeups, 4 x 10
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest
40 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated
number of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10,
add weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower
it—four seconds per repetition.
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest
40 seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated
number of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get
10, add weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to
lower it—four seconds per repetition.
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 40
seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated number
of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10, add
weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower it—
four seconds per repetition.
Pick a moderate weight with which you can do 15 reps, but only do 10; rest 40
seconds, then do 10 more, and so on until you complete the designated number
of sets. Get as many reps as you can on your last set, and if you get 10, add
weight at your next workout.
Rep speed should be one second to lift the weight and three seconds to lower it—
four seconds per repetition.
I will no doubt use F4X-style training for the rest of my life. It's that good!
Tri-X method: This makes each set a different tempo, usually in a three-set
sequence—still using 30 to 40 seconds between sets, your same F4X weight on
all sets:
Set 1: X-centric, lift in one second, lower in six—go for eight to nine reps.
Set 2: X-plosive, which is standard tempo, lift in one second, lower in three.
Set 3: X-celeration, which is 1.5 seconds per rep (speed)—go until failure.
Warning: Stay in complete control of the last fast set, as it's the most
dangerous; do not throw or heave the weight. Keep your tempo quick but
smooth. Those "speed" reps have been shown to bring in dormant muscle
fibers—they are like a wakeup call for new growth. Keep in mind, however, that
it's a very advanced way to train to trigger new muscle gains. Good luck!