We put in a training session today down in the training dungeon and got some of it on film including this short clip about how to adorn your home gym with powerful motivators.  Check it out:

Home Gym Motivation Tips

To your success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

Kyle Battis, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

P.S. How do you get motivated for training in your home gym? Post your comments below.

My coach, Scott Sonnon, posted a very cool video on youtube that I would like to share with you today. It’s just a quick demonstration of him performing his daily personal practice. Most of the movements are considered joint mobility exercises.

(*Note: If you haven’t caught all of the posts in the joint mobility series here at FatBurningBlog, click on the title of this post and scroll down to see a list of the other posts we have put up - but make sure to watch the video in this post first!)

One philosophy that Sonnon and I share is that a beautiful physique comes as a by-product of abundant health. Sonnon seeks health first, and you can tell in this video that this route naturally produces a lean, powerful body that reminds me of a Greek sculpture.

Let me tell you up front that the bottom line when it comes to joint mobility and fat loss is that having a full range of motion at each joint is paramount to fat loss success. I can’t say enough about the benefits I have experienced using this type of training, and I sincerely hope that you are inspired to try it out and realize first-hand how powerful joint mobility truly is.

Along with the joint mobility exercises, you’ll also see Sonnon performing some vibration techniques, some of which I use in my own training. I do get a lot of funny looks when doing these in my yard or at the local YMCA, but the benefits are unquestionable - and I’ll take better health if it only costs some smirks and chuckles from my wife and strangers. I just mention it so that you don’t confuse them with some third-world Shaman ritual - these vibration techniques are not religious by nature, only scientifically-based strategies for relieving tension and stress. Sure, they look a little funny, but they are super effective!

Sonnon FREE TO MOVE Joint Mobility

I wanted to post this because I’d like you to see how truly amazing a daily personal practice can become with consistency. Scott is the creator of this program, and has been using it daily for over a decade himself - so it makes sense that he is a master of his own movement. He is one of my greatest inspirations, and I hope that his movement mastery grabs your attention as it does mine.

I want to encourage you that you can achieve any manner of mastery if you put your mind and effort into it daily. The last thing I want is for you to assume that these movements are unreachable for you. You can move with grace and fluidity, flow! But it must start with a daily personal practice. The exercises in the video are considered advanced versions of the beginner levels. There is nothing outlandish about these movements when you understand that they are just the next level of sophistication - just the next logical step that anyone will reach with practice. Almost all of the exercises in this video are taught extensively in Scott’s joint mobility DVD program Intu-Flow.

You can read my review of Intu-Flow by clicking here.

Or visit Scott’s site directly at http://www.rmaxi.com/products/ifcomplete.htm

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you have ANY questions about joint mobility, Intu-Flow, or Sonnon, please let me know using the comment feature below. I would be happy to help!

While we have been on the subject of organic foods and buying from local farmers, I thought it might be fun to film a short clip showing you our home garden. This is the first season that my wife and I have tried to grow any food ourselves. We still buy from farmers markets, but it’s been fun growing some of our own fruits and vegetables. The veggies get bigger every day!

Some of the plants were grown right from seeds, and others were bought having already been started. Here’s the process we followed to prepare:

1) We pulled out all of the plants from the previous garden.
2) Tilled the ground
3) Mixed in some manure that we got from the gardening center at our local hardware store
4) Gave the vegetable bed a good edge, and put up a short wire fence to keep the neighbors dog from running through
5) Planted all seeds at the appropriate time of season
6) Planted all plants at the appropriate time
7) It was watered frequently depending on how much rainfall we’ve had.

* We picked our first vegetables for lunch today (only the green beans are ready so far - but we’ve got quite a bit growing!)

Tour Our First Home Garden

We planted this garden for so many reasons, but mostly because we thought it would be fun. We have learned a lot, and are prepared to plant a larger garden when we are ready. Plus we’ll be enjoying organic food for awhile later this summer. (the fruits of our labor!)

If you have a place to grow a garden, even just a small one, I highly recommend starting one up (my mother grows tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini in a 5×5 box garden). It can be simple - maybe you could just start with herbs, and see how you like it.

Treat it as an honor to take more personal responsibility for your health, and thank yourself for caring enough about your health and those around you to take a step towards healthier eating.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If you have a home garden and have some beginners gardening tips, you are more than welcome to post your comments below. I’m sure I could use some pointers!

P.P.S. And if you don’t have a home garden and have some questions, let us know and we’ll see what we can do. I can’t promise any expert advice, but maybe someone else can

I was just doing some Youtube surfing, and I stumbled on this video by one of the Burn the Fat: Inner Circle members. “KaliLilla” uploaded an awesome video demonstration of how to cook one of Tom Venuto’s famous fat loss friendly recipes - the apple cinnamon oatmeal pancakes. She did such a great job, I just HAD to share it with you!

Kyle and I both believe very strongly in Tom’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle system - and I’m very happy that people like KaliLilla are spreading the good word about this awesome program.

If you’d like to learn more about the best selling fat loss program since 2003, click here.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. To join the fat loss support community where Tom Venuto is constantly adding new recipes and members like KaliLilla share their experience with exercise, nutrition, and fat loss, check out www.burnthefatinnercircle.com

Maybe you’ve noticed a couple of recent changes on the blog, including a new product reviews section tab at the top of our header. Kyle and I are hoping to continue to find and review programs that can help you with your fat loss goals - and probably some that can’t help you too. We are always trying out new programs to see what is available, and we would like to help you cut through marketing hype and find the programs that really do work for fat loss.

Not too long ago, I posted a series of articles and training video’s about joint mobility training and how it enhances a fat burning program. In case you missed them, you can find the links to the series below this post. (*You’ll have to click on the post title to get to the dedicated page for this blog post to see the joint mobility series)

My opinion on joint mobility training is that everyone will benefit from this - it’s a process of recovering, coordinating, and refining all basic human ranges of motion. Who couldn’t benefit from that? And improved range of motion is literally just the beginning - after a few weeks of practice you’ll notice you’re experiencing Deep Relaxation, Whole Body Tension Release, Increased Focus & Concentration, Heightened Sensory Awareness, Superior Athletic Performance,and Bioenergy Amplification.

Even though joint mobility is VERY different from stretching, in a way, it’s the new stretching here in America. It’s emerging fast as a powerfully effective, movement-enhancing, injury-proofing, light exercise method.

The original joint mobility program introduced in America was called Warrior Wellness, by Coach Scott Sonnon. Intu-Flow is the system that grew out of the refinement of Warrior Wellness - it’s an adaptation of the former program. If you haven’t already, check out my review of Intu-Flow here:
http://www.fatburningblog.com/Intu_Flow_Review.php

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. If there are any programs you’ve been thinking about purchasing, and you would like either Kyle or my opinion on them, please let us know below.

Having worked in health clubs as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, and having spent the last 10 years in various gyms, clubs, fitness centers, (etc.) I’ve seen almost every method of madness possible in these equipment-packed facilities. From guys trying to do near-max lifts on the adductor machine, to women jogging on a treadmill for 2 hours. While I am very happy that so many people utilize their local health club to burn fat and improve their health, it is a little disconcerting seeing some things so frequently misused in the health club.

Of course, you can’t just walk up to someone, introduce yourself as a fitness professional, and show them a more appropriate way to exercise. There are plenty of guru’s at most health clubs that are more than happy to share their “expertise” anyway. I’m sure your health club has at least one guy that knows everything there is about all training goals, and he probably makes it a point to tell everyone what they are doing wrong. That is just plain annoying!

I believe that there is actually no WRONG way to train - only methods of training that are misapplied. Here is my list of common mistakes I see in the gym for people who are training for fat loss:

1. Not training with enough effort. This one is more common with women than men, and it is usually because women are very conscientious about performing exercises with excellent technique and don’t want to risk poor technique for more effort. The problem usually stems from confusing exertion with discomfort. For those training for fat loss, strength training should be very exerting, but not painful - and it’s important to distinguish between the two. Lifting weights should be difficult, and there is no other way to make progress other than to train hard.

If you find that you’re training with sets of very high reps, or you’re using weights that feel easy - then my advice is to pick up some heavier dumbbells, or load up the barbell with another plate. A good rule of thumb is to select a weight that allows you to perform the target repetitions, and have enough energy for ONE last rep. For fat loss, stick with sets of 6-15 repetitions, depending on your training experience.

2. Spending way too long on a cardio machine. Cardio exercise is so invaluable for those with fat burning goals, and it is one of the best things you can do to ensure you’re burning more calories throughout the week. Now, a cardio workout for fat loss should very seldom last longer than 60 minutes (unless there are special circumstances like you are training for an endurance sport). In fact, I think that most people can get all of the fat burning potential from their cardio activity in 30 minutes or less. Again, we’re back to the level of exertion that is necessary for fat loss progress. Cardio workouts should be very challenging - each and every session. It is totally possible to fully exert yourself in 30 minutes time - and maximize the calorie burning potential possible. Longer training times should be used to build your work capacity.

If you are spending more than an hour doing cardio, or if you are at a plateau in your fat loss progress, then shortening your cardio sessions and concurrently increasing the intensity of your performance will likely super-charge your fat loss. Also, make it a point to set a new personal record every time you do cardio. Whether it is doing it for a little longer time, at a higher intensity, or using intervals - always strive to improve.

3. Training only a few sections of the body. All right, this one is usually for the guys. Too many times, I have seen guys come into the gym several times a week and do the same exact workout. They will come in and hit the bench press, and mind you from every angle possible. Then, they will move onto pec flyes! Afterwards, they might do some arm-specific training - usually a lot of different bicep curl variations. These guys who want to get lean and mean don’t understand that fat loss (and building muscle) is a systemic process. The ENTIRE body must be involved with fat loss to succeed. Just training arms and chest is, in reality, short-changing yourself. A very small percentage of the body’s muscle mass is in the arms and chest (maybe this is why many men feel the need to train them the most). Actually, about 60-70% of the body’s muscle is located in just the legs. Now, we all know that our muscle largely determines our metabolism, and how many calories we burn naturally. Wouldn’t it make sense to train all of our muscles to boost the metabolic disturbance?

If your goal is fat loss, then it would behoove you to start training your entire body. You don’t have to do it all on the same day - but make sure you’re not forgetting anything. You want a body that is not only lean and mean, but also well proportioned and aesthetic. It would be advice well taken if you started doing compound movements like deadlifts, squats, cleans, jerks, vertical and horizontal pressing, and vertical and horizontal pulling.

Train hard, eat smart, and always seek improvement!

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

I got word of this report from another blog I frequent, Diet-Blog.com.

These are the crop prices from 2007-2008, you’ll notice that everything has increased in cost. There are some foods that have decreased in cost though: oranges, pears, tangerines, carrots, and cucumbers. For the most part, however, foods cost much more this year.

Meats have stayed about the same, except frozen turkey which has increased 9%. Dairy products have gone up in price substantially though.

If you’d like to learn more, visit the Cattle Network.

I’ve noticed that buying from local farmers is now, sometimes cost equivalent to buying from the local grocery store. Talk about a complete 180° from a few years ago!

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

Ever in a pinch for getting in some good nutrition, and only have a minute or two to prepare a meal? Enter the smoothie. With a little bit of creativity, these can become great tasting, nutrient dense meals that can be prepared in less than 5 minutes.

There is so much leeway with a recipe like this, that there are virtually limitless combinations of ingredients, which ensures that each shake always agrees with your taste buds. Here is a standard template that I use when making a high protein, whole foods smoothie.

Banana Berry Nut Smoothie

• ¼-½ cup water or milk as a base
• ¼-½ cup plain, nonfat yogurt
• ¼-½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
• ½ serving of whey vanilla protein powder (between 10-20g)
• 2-4 tbsp dry oats
• 1 medium banana
• ½-1 cup of mixed berries - blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp of mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.)
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp of flax meal (ground flax seeds)
• (optional) honey or splenda as a sweetener, go light on this stuff
• 4-6 ice cubes for texture and that “chilled feeling”

Put all ingredients in a blender, in the listed order, and blend on high for one minute. This simple recipe packs a lot of protein into one meal along with some complex carbohydrates, fiber, and plenty of healthy fats.

Remember that liquid meals like this should be used out of necessity and for convenience reasons - not as a cornerstone of a meal plan. Whole foods smoothies are usually packed with calories and will leave you feeling hungry not long after finishing. Whole foods are always a better option, and when eaten from solid form, instead of liquid, more of the nutrient value will be digested and absorbed into the body.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. Do you have any favorite shake or smoothie recipes that you would like to share with other fat burning blog visitors? Please leave your recipes and comments below.

There has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding joint mobility programs lately, and it’s easy to get a little confused for those who want to apply this to their fat loss goals. This mini-article will help to explain some of the finer points of joint mobility training, so that you know how to best utilize this for your fat burning program. Read on for some common myths about joint mobility.

Read the rest of this entry »

I promised you a video progression on intermediate foot and ankle joint mobility exercises to keep you healthy and help you with your fat loss goals, so here it is. If you haven’t tried practicing the beginner versions yet, please reference this video article here: Beginner Level Ankle Joint Mobility

If you are ready for a more challenging variation to get a little deeper into the soft-tissues, and give your joints a full washing - to prepare you for fat burning activities, then check out this new clip:

Intermediate Ankle Joint Mobility Preview

My recommendations are to do this as an ankle warmup prior to walking, jogging, or bicycling. This is also a great progression to use when you will be doing squatting or lunging activities, or any lower body intensive training at all. It can also be done as part of a morning wake-up to start your body “fresh” for the day. And it is especially useful after training, as a cooldown, to decompress the joints and restore nutrition to those areas which will aid in your recovery. The most important thing is that you actually do it - a little bit of practice everyday will go a long way.

Keep in mind that the intermediate level isn’t necessarily better than the beginner level. In fact, you can receive full benefits from the exercises in the beginner routine if you need to recover any of your range of motion. The intermediate version is a means of sophisticating the movement to allow you to increase your coordination. It is not something to seek after as a goal, but something that you should allow to happen as a by-product of your consistent practice of the beginner level movements. You will eventually notice that your body wants more movement - almost as if your movement is ready and waiting to “grow.” It’s an intuitive process, which is why it is imperative that you are entirely focused on each joint mobility exercise you are doing - completely in the moment with no distractions. This is how training for fat loss should be anyway - an active process that you are consciously aware of.

Try out the exercises and let us know if you need any help!

To your health and success,

John Sifferman, NSCA-CPT

P.S. The beginner and intermediate levels are just the beginning. Scott Sonnon’s Intu-Flow program is a four-level complete system for movement health including advanced and mastery level exercises respectively: http://www.rmaxi.com/products/intu-flow.html