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• Muscle Building Plateau BUSTER

  Posted: December 22, 2011

  

  The Muscle Building Plateau – One of the most frustrating things that most people will face if they’ve worked out the same way for any length of time (greater than 1-2 months) is the tendency to fall into a rut and see muscle building and/or fat loss come to a screeching halt! You know what I’m talking about…because you’re either experiencing it now or have at some point in your training. It’s the dreaded “PLATEAU”.

  What’s ironic is that because it’s so common, it has earned the “PLATEAU” description and in some weird way almost becomes an acceptable reason for why you aren’t getting the results you deserve to for all your hard work. It’s not much different than the word “genetics” as it relates to the ONLY reason you’re big (or not)…fat (or ripped). Truth be told. They are both excuses!

  

  As you’ll see in the case of “TEAM ATHLEAN” member Henrik Andersson, he didn’t believe in PLATEAUS…wasn’t about to blame genetics…none of that. Instead he worked hard each and every workout, followed A-X as if it was religion, and was rewarded with progress from literally his first to his last workout. When was that last workout? Well yesterday. You see…Henrik is STILL following ATHLEAN-X almost a year after his first round of the program? Why? Because it KEEPS WORKING.

  When I designed A-X I set out to create a program that could truly be a LIFETIME program option for my followers. With built in challenges (to ensure that whoever is doing the program constantly HAS to push themselves in order to test higher than they did at a previous point in the program) and rules in place that will constantly push you to new strength levels on virtually every lift, it became not only possible to do this but to do it with an effectiveness that hasn’t been accomplished in those other programs that often leave you looking for something else just weeks later.

  Henrik shows that with the right plan…anything is possible. Most of all, he shows that with a plan that balances “REST AND RECOVERY” with intense but brief workouts…anything is probable!

  Stop feeling as if “plateaus” and “genetics” are acceptable reasons for not getting results from every single workout you do. Start seeing how “training like an athlete” can unlock your true potential, and allow you to put away the excuses forever. Welcome to ATHLEAN-X Training. I look forward to featuring your pictures in this very blog just 90 days from now! Get started on your ATHLEAN-X transformation for 2012.

  
  

• We Interrupt This Broadcast…To Workout!

  Posted: March 14, 2011

  

  We Interrupt this Broadcast for an important announcement….

  One of the most commonly cited excuses (I mean…reasons) given for not working out is…”I just don’t have the time“. With the hectic pace that we all find ourselves in these days juggling career, family, health and hobby it’s an understandable complaint…BUT, not good enough! Why? New research was just released that states the average person watches 35 hours of television a week!! 35 H-O-U-R-S!! Read more »

  
  

• Finding Motivation in…Your Earbuds (Top 10 Workout Songs)

  Posted: March 8, 2011

  

  I have to admit guys. It’s not EVERYDAY that I feel like I’ve got the energy to put in my best effort to get an incredible workout in. I know…to some this may come as a shock, but to most…you’re probably thinking “whew…that makes me feel better”! The fact of the matter is that sometimes I’m just plain tired and my late hours spent writing my blog (which I love doing by the way!) can tend to catch up with me! So what do I do? For me, skipping workouts is NOT an option. I just don’t feel like it’s the answer (unless you’re sick of course or that you’re following some other training program that never gives you a sensible day off to recover!)

  So instead, I turn to one of the most instant forms of energy I know. No…not some crazy 1,3 Dimethyl loaded preworkout supplement (more on my thoughts about this latest rage in a later post). No, I’m talking about a more “natural” form of motivation and inspiration…..MUSIC! Read more »

  
  

• The Dr. DRE Way – Be Inspired To Build Lean Muscle at ANY Age!

  Posted: March 2, 2011

  

  While watching the Grammy’s a couple weeks ago I was shocked to see what I thought to be the Incredible Hulk come striding onto the stage to rap alongside Eminem. While it wasn’t Dr. Bruce Banner…it was a Dr…Dr. Dre. Or at least, who the television was telling me was Dr. Dre! You see, growing up, the Dre I knew of started out as the skinny guy with the bad attitude in the 80′s…transformed into the pudgy guy with the bad attitude in the 90′s….and then lost the attitude and apparently the keys to the recording studio at the turn of the century as he disappeared for 10 years only to make his return to the hip hop scene just months ago! Read more »

  
  

• THE ATHLEAN-X BEN MAY INTERVIEW – PART II

  Posted: September 30, 2010

  

  Picking up where we left off the other day…recently crowned “Mr. X” of the Year, Ben May and I sat down to answer ALL of YOUR questions.  The interview continues today with Ben discussing:

  - Which supplements he chose to use (and felt worked their magic) and which he avoided during his 90 day journey!

  - His tactics for overcoming any perceived challenges of not having access to some of the USA specific items in the meal plans.

  - His #1 tip for building lean muscle that YOU CAN USE in your next workout that he credits for his major suXXess on the program.

  - How he managed any alcohol intake (and not letting it get in the way of his results) while on the program!

  - And more!

  You can watch it all right here by clicking on the video below.  Remember, as these are fairly large videos…please give it a few seconds to load.

  Be sure to catch Part III of the “MR. X” Interview coming up on Friday and stay tuned for an exciting announcement at the end! If you’re not already part of TEAM ATHLEAN you’re going to want to do so to be part of this!  You can join today by picking up your copy of the hottest fitness training program in the world right now! Check out what the AthLEAN-X Training System can do for you by CLICKING HERE.  Join not only “Mr. X”, but also MMA superstars, NFL players, MLB players, professional underwear models (yep…very true!) and SWAT Team members have used to build ripped, athletic muscle while maintaining explosiveness and athleticism.

  Til Then….

  Stay Strong,

  Jeff

  
  

• THE ATHLEAN-X BEN MAY INTERVIEW – PART 1

  Posted: September 27, 2010

  

  Not since the Beattles Invasion from has the arrival of someone from the UK created such a stir!  OK, well…that may be a slight exaggeration there!  But seriously, as you guys have proved…Ben May and his amazing transformation have rightfully deserved a lot of attention in the past few days.  As the newly crowned “MR. X” of the Year, I figured what an amazing opportunity it would be to have you be able to ask Ben YOUR questions.

  As I’ve said here many times, it’s great to be able to inspire you out there to take action on your fitness and to create completely different physiques than you find yourself in today by doing the most cutting edge and effective workouts that I can put out there for you.  However, that said, sometimes I know you feel that all of this comes way too easy to me (given that after all, it’s something I do for a living!).  While I definitely don’t agree that it comes easy (because I certainly still train my butt off all the time…as witnessed by the borderline insane attack of the hill from hell last week!), I do think that it is a great benefit to be able to learn from others who sit in the same position as you, trying to burn fat and build muscle as quickly as possible....and possibly being brand new to AthLEAN Training.

  That person was Ben.

  As you’ll see in Part 1 of this interview, Ben talks about what made him decide to start AthLEAN-X Training the very first time he saw it, what modifications he made to his diet and nutrition RIGHT AWAY and was able to sustain for the entire 90 days, and what he had been doing before AthLEAN-X to try and keep in shape (but was unfortunately failing).  Without any more delay.  Let’s get the answers straight from the mouth of “Mr. X” as we start part 1 of the three part series this week.  Don’t forget to listen to all three parts as there is a big announcement coming at the end of the interview as well!

  PS.  In addition to the interview, you’re going to want to watch the two crazy videos that Ben and I shot over the weekend that I’m going to be posting to my youtube channel this week.  First up will be an insane modification to one of the abs exercises in the AthLEAN-X Training System that makes it even harder….yes harder!  And finally…later on this week you’ll see my answer to Ben’s question of “What kind of AthLEAN-X workout could I do if I wanted to get ALL my muscles trained in just 20 minutes or less?”  Ummm Ben, you may be sorry you asked  Stay tuned!

  
  

• ARE YOU TOO OLD TO WORK OUT?!?

  Posted: September 16, 2010

  I must get the question sent to me at least 15 times a week.  “Jeff…am I too old to start AthLEAN-X Training?” It’s a fair question.  After all, in our society people have been made to feel that your aging is a form of a death sentence for crying out loud.  What’s that?  You turned 40?!?  Time to start picking out a casket!  C’mon, it’s time to snap out of that type of thinking and start LIVING life to the fullest yet again. There’s no better way to start doing that than to FEEL your best each and every day…and it starts with your strength and health!

  It is my honor and pleasure to introduce everybody to Hugh Van Liew.  That’s Hugh on the left.  Hugh has been following the AthLEAN-X Training System now for almost 8 weeks and has been doing an incredible job to say the least.  He’s managed to drop some excess weight from around his midsection that he swears had just seemed to be stuck there forever…and totally and obviously defies the logic that you can’t BUILD muscle as you get older.  Check out those arms!

  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention….Hugh is 80 YEARS OLD!!!!

  That is 8 freaking 0 years old people!!!

  Just goes to show that age truly is a state of mind. I happen to have been blessed to have grown up with a grandmother who felt the same way about life.  Nothing stopped her and nothing slowed her down.  Even today at age 84 years old she’d be confused for a 60 something year old!

  The key to her success was staying active and keeping a youthful mind.  If you think that you’re NOT SUPPOSED to be lifting weights as you get older (because that’s only something that “younger” people do) then you’ll fulfill that prophecy and FEEL OLD!  On the other hand, if you think that as long as you’re feeling good, are in good health and have the ability to keep yourself feeling that way by engaging in regular exercise….then whey the hell not?!?

  Remember….age doesn’t make the rules…it gives you a reason to break them!

  Stay Strong,

  Jeff

  Time to break the rules with the AthLEAN-X Training System.  Do your genetics say you can’t build muscle?  Time to artificially rearrange your DNA with AthLEAN-X!  Does years of having to deal with stubborn fat around your middle condemn you to a life of never being able to finally get rid of it?  Nope…not if you’re following the right meal plan/exercise combo.  Do you feel that certain exercises are reserved for only those that are athletic enough to pull them off?  Not anymore….AthLEAN-X builds your athleticism from the ground up even if you don’t have any to start!  CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED TODAY

  
  

• TOO OLD TO BUILD MUSCLE?!?

  Posted: August 9, 2010

  One of the most common questions I get, particularly from those guys in their 40′s, 50′s and beyond who are looking for a workout program to follow that will work WITH them instead of AGAINST them is…..“Jeff, should I even bother or am I just too old to build muscle”? While I am fully prepared to offer an educated response to this question (having answered it at least 500 times now in my life!), the thing is….this one always gets me a little upset.  No, not in the way of being angry….but more so legitimately saddened by the thought that there truly are some guys out there who think they don’t DESERVE to look GREAT beyond a certain age or something! I have always firmly believed that age (just like bodyweight, the amount of weight you lift, how fast you can drive your car, etc) is just a number!

  Don’t believe me?  Check out the new movie coming out this week called The Expendables.  The cast is filled with 50+ year old “former” action heroes.  Why do I say “former”?  Because one look at the trailer and it looks as if these guys never went away to begin with…having just picked up kicking butt from where they left off the last time we saw them star in an action movie (for some…10+ years ago)!  Ummm….someone forgot to give these guys the message that they’re too old to be doing this!

  But do you see my point?  The point is….they’re not too old, and neither are YOU! It is quite possible to build new muscle at ANY age!  As a matter of fact, studies have shown that while greater care has to be taken during the process to avoid excessive muscle breakdown and overtraining, it is still possible to build pounds of new muscle well into your 80′s!!  Yes…you’re 80′s!!  Still wondering if that 45 year old body of yours is ready for a trade-in?

  It’s just that you need a sensible approach to getting the job done.  That said, while I have a tremendous amount of respect for a certain spokesman for a certain “other” 90 day training program (and the incredible physique that he displays at his 50+ years of age), I don’t have the same high regard for the program itself.  Many a male has come up to me, frustrated and run down after attempting the program and being unable to put on any significant muscle size.  As a matter of fact, they’ve lost size during those 90 days.  The problem?  Too much being asked of the body.  While I said that it’s certainly possible to gain new muscle at any age, it doesn’t mean that you can abuse your body and it will still readily respond.

  As a matter of fact, the older you get the more care you must take to ensure that you do get consistent muscle growth.  Workouts have to get shorter not longer.  Intensity has to get greater….not less!  Exercises have to become more varied not remain the same month in and month out. Meal plans have to become easier and not more complex and time consuming.  The body has to be challenged functionally and not just in the nonfunctional ways that rigid gym machines provide.  This and so many other factors contribute to the success of a 40+ year old guy being able to not only just put on muscle, but to defy popular opinion…and add significant muscle (and burn significant amounts of fat as well!) consistently year in and year out!

  Does this type of program exist?  Well…of course it does.  And it’s called the AthLEAN-X Training System.  It’s my answer to all of my guys out there who have asked this critical question of “Am I too old to build muscle?”…knowing that if I were to let them find their own answer they would eventually succumb to the belief that they were since the workout answers at their disposal would have made them feel every bit their age and no less discouraged.  That’s garbage and simply not true.

  So with that guys…lets form our own version of the “X” Pendables!  I’m currently accepting applications for my “senior” most group of guys that are doing AthLEAN-X and kicking a#&!

  I know of some of you already!  But I want to hear from ALL of you!  Send me your suXXess stories and become part of the AthLEAN “X”Pendables! We’d love to hear from you and we’d love to use your stories to inspire others like you who have asked the question and might have been ready to give up working out forever…until that is…you proved that it’s never too late!  Really looking forward to hearing what you’ve got to say!

  Stay Strong,

  Jeff

  PS.  Maybe when they film the sequel to The Expendables….I’ll nominate my crew of  Team AthLEAN X-Pendables vs. the Stallone led crew and you guys can all battle it out on screen to settle the score as to who’s  more fit?  I’ll put my money on my guys any day of the week (even though in the back of my mind I’ve got a sense that Stallone will be doing action movies into his 80′s for crying out loud!).  That said, if you’re looking to get a head start on the right kind of program and are now fully convinced (as you should be) that it’s NEVER TOO LATE TO START, then CLICK HERE to get the AthLEAN-X Training System! This is the only program developed by an actual trainer to elite celebrities and athletes, a physical therapist with an understanding about injury prevention, and an innovator when it comes to exercise selection (so that even after years of working out or thinking you’ve seen it all)…always bringing you unique ways to keep your body guessing (and growing) well into your 50′s, 60′s, 70′s and beyond!

  
  

• HOW LEBRON'S FUTURE CAN HELP YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS!

  Posted: July 9, 2010

  

  OK, so maybe this is a stretch…but with Lebron James just finishing announcing that he will be making his way to South Beach this October to play for the Miami Heat, he just threw upon his already huge shoulders a whole new level of expectations (if that’s even possible for the guy that many think is the greatest player in the game today).  By completing the mini version of the “dream team” by signing just a day after buddies Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade joined forces, Lebron has now placed the target squarely on the backs of the Miami Heat franchise as the team to beat in the NBA.  Don’t believe me?  They already have computer projections predicting the Heat to finish 69 and 13 next season!! I kid you not.  Rumors however that crosshairs would be sewn into the Heats logos are not true….yet!

  The point of all of this is, that while in Cleveland…Lebron James had the opportunity to shine and excel and nearly took his team to a championship.  He failed to do so however.  The reaction to all of  this in Cleveland was….”oh well, he tried and he played well.  We’ll get em next year”.  Ummm, not going to work from now on.  It’s put up or shut up time now.  If Lebron and the Heat don’t win next year…and by that I mean win it ALL, then the year will have been a disaster! How’s that for pressure?

  He’s elected to put himself in this position.  He would have been doing the same thing had he decided to come play for my nearby Knicks as well, since in New York he wouldn’t have ever had a bigger spotlight.  As Alex Rodriguez can tell you, it isn’t easy being a star in the Big Apple!

  So what does all of this have to do with YOU?  I’m glad you asked.  A lot!  Think about how many times you may have quietly and privately decided to yourself that you were either going to start a new diet or workout plan? Raise your hand if you might have decided this about 50 or more times in your lifetime.  Ok, now…consider how many of those times that you thought of it did you actually follow through and actually start it, let alone complete it?  Probably not too often huh?  The reason for this lack of action was the absence of accountability!

  Accountability is quite possibly the biggest motivator that we have to get things done. When we feel that others “expect” a certain performance of us (whether it be on the job by our bosses, in a relationship with our spouses, or on the court or field as an athlete) we tend to put more effort in, give up less and t0ugh things out more when the temptation would normally have been high to quit.  Why?  Because we don’t want to let others down or make them look at us as failures.

  So what can you do to take advantage of this?  Well….next time you decide you’re going to start a workout program (like AthLEAN-X) or begin eating healthier do just one more thing before you start.  Tell somebody. As a matter of fact, tell two or three people.  Tell your family, your friends, the local newspaper!  Tell anybody.  What this will do is put the significance of your goals on an entirely different level.  Now, you’re not just challenging yourself to stick to your plan, but you’re challenging others beliefs in your ability to stick to your plan.  It’s a whole new game.  With this one little added step you go from the Lebron James in Cleveland to the Lebron James in Miami…in the fitness world of course.  You’ll find out quickly how serious your intentions are to get fit.

  By raising accountability you are voluntarily putting that target on your chest, but this can be just what the doctor ordered to finally get you over the hump.  Like it or not, we are usually driven by criticism.  Haven’t you ever been called something or labeled as something that you felt was just blatantly wrong?  What did you do?  You fought like hell to prove that they were wrong.  Without ever having heard that criticism, you may have never gotten the motivation you needed to kick start your action.  Well, by telling those around you that you are beginning your body transformation you are basically slipping on a number 23 Miami Heat jersey!  What happens next is up to you?  Will you rise to the occasion and finally succeed at something that to this point has been a struggle or will you fall short of your goals yet again?  It’s in your hands.  Lebron likes his chances.  Armed with AthLEAN-X, its day by day meal plan and a bit of accountability to succeed…I like yours even more!

  Stay Strong,

  Jeff

  Challenge yourself to accomplish things in the next 90 days that have been a struggle for you for years.  Commit yourself to becoming just a little bit fitter, a little bat stronger, and a little bit more muscular every day and in three months from now, using the AthLEAN-X Training System…you’ll be sitting on top of YOUR world, like Lebron is in his.  For more details about the program CLICK HERE.