What's up with all the Fake Natties?

This video is going to be rather different than most I make for you guys but I wanted to address a rather sensitive topic that seems to be a bit too common on YouTube when it comes to anyone who has that muscular lean look. Most often it has to do with body builder types that are not super big or too small, the ones that fall into that middle size grey area, and often times get accused of taking sports enhancing drugs like steroids.

I'm not trying to say that there are not people out there like this that claim to be "Natty" or "Natural" and in fact are actually taking steroids, but to simply accuse someone who has built up their physique while keeping their body fat percentage low is really not fair! The reality is that very few people have the drive and will power to achieve a physique that takes long hours in the gym, sticking to a very strict diet and giving up many daily treats others are not willing to give up in order to achieve what most people can not.

Speaking from my own experience, I work very hard to stay lean and toned, and for me it has become a way of life. Even when I was 6 foot 1 inch tall and 175 pounds I was at times accused of taking steroids because I was apparently too shredded and vascular to be natural! Now that I'm around 195 pounds and getting to a similar lean body mass, the accusations will only get worse. How else could I gain muscle and stay lean, right? It couldn't be the 6 days a week of training with most days consisting of two workouts per day? Or perhaps the constant mental and physical effort to lift heavy and push myself harder and harder each workout? What about the daily monitoring of exactly how many calories I burn and how many quality calories I need to eat to gain muscle without the fat and Lord knows most of the food everyone else eats is simply not on my menu.

Anyways, enough ranting for now. I simply wanted to point out that it is really easy to point fingers at people because you feel they have done something that you can not achieve. Unless you have walked in their shoes and seen exactly what they have had to do to get to where they are, then it is simply unfair to assume it must be steroids. If that person has taken a shortcut along the way then they have to live with that reality.

Watch my YouTube video where I talk about this subject in detail:

How Many Reps & Sets Do I Need to Do - Back to the Basics

Another Back to the Basics Video for you! Many people starting out or even who have been lifting weights for a while question how many sets, how many reps in each set and also how much weight they should be using...

It' really hard to tell you exactly how much weight to use because everyone has different levels of strength and endurance but you will find out quickly by figuring out how much weight you need to use to hit each target amount of reps in your sets. Too heavy and you will not get enough reps, too light and you will do too many reps. You will need to play around a bit but over time you will figure it out.

In this How Many Reps & Sets Do I Need to Do  video, I focus mostly on using a 4 set system with incremental loading of weight and a lowering of the reps with each set. Usually my starting set I will try to hit around 15-20 reps, my second set will be around 10-15 reps, my third set will be around 8-10 reps and my forth ending set I will shoot for 6-8 reps with a drop set to end this last heavy rep set. (A drop set is when I keep lowering the weight and pump out another 3-5 more reps to really tire out the muscles).

I also talk a bit about the pros and cons of lifting really heavy weights with less reps versus lighter weights with more reps and how this relates to body builders and power lifter types in general.

The bottom line is this - you directly get back what you put into your workouts. So more importantly than how many sets, how many reps, how long you workout, how much noise you make... If you give 100% and use all your intensity in your workouts, you will get very productive workouts and will start seeing results. Don't fall victim to making your workouts a routine that becomes easy and unchallenging. Always push yourself to do better, either try and hit more reps than before using the same weight or more weight than before with the same amount of reps.

I hope you find this information useful and if you do, please share my YouTube Videos and Website with others who may also enjoy them :)

Palomar PaloVia Skin Renewing Fractional Home Laser Review

I spoke briefly a few videos back about my Palomar PaloVia Skin Renewing Fractional Home Laser and wanted to share some information about this interesting in home skin renewing laser system.

I have been using it for about 2 weeks so far and it is really hard to say exactly how it's working because at this point I am using it every day and it does beat up the skin to some degree causing a mild sunburned looking effect that for me I find tends to irritate the area and cause a bit of swelling and of course redness. Once I am done my full month cycle of everyday use and let the skin take a rest, I will really know if there is a significant improvement or not. By the way after the full month of everyday use, I will only be required to use the Palomar PaloVia Home Laser only twice per week on each area I plan to treat.

Keep in mind the Palomar PaloVia Laser is intended to be used for the under the eyes and crows feet areas but many people have used the PaloVia Laser for other areas of their face. I have also been using mine on my forehead wrinkles.

If you're interested in the next best device (since the PaloVia is no longer for sale), then checkout the Tria Age-Defying Laser system.

Here is some more info about the PaloVia Skin Renewing Fractional Laser taken directly from their website:

What is the PaloVia Skin Renewing Laser?
The first FDA-cleared, at-home laser clinically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes.

What are the advantages of using the PaloVia laser?
The PaloVia laser allows you to proactively reverse the signs of aging – in the privacy and comfort of your own home. No costly appointments. No travel time. Just 3 - 4 minutes a day, whenever it works for you.

Who developed the PaloVia laser?
Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc., a leading manufacturer of cosmetic lasers for dermatologists and plastic surgeons.

How does the PaloVia Skin Renewing Laser work?
Unlike lotions and creams, which are most effective on the skin's outer layer, the PaloVia laser also works below the surface where wrinkles form. It generates short pulses of micro-fine laser light that penetrate deeply into the skin's sub-layers, treating the skin's aging support structure. Then the body's natural healing process sweeps away older, damaged tissue and rebuilds it with fresh, new collagen and elastin, helping skin look smooth and youthful.

What is non-ablative fractional laser technology?
Non-ablative fractional lasers generate short pulses of micro-fine light, which can be manipulated by size, energy, spacing and depth. Unlike ablative lasers, which remove the top layer of skin and part of the sub-layer, non-ablative fractional lasers keep the outer layer of skin in place, for faster healing and recovery.

How does the PaloVia Skin Renewing Laser compare to professional treatments?
The PaloVia laser is clinically tested and FDA-cleared for the at-home treatment of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. To understand the science behind the PaloVia laser, visit Why It Works. Or see how it compares to professional treatments on important dimensions – such as convenience and cost.

Professional fractional lasers are used by medical professionals for a wide range of treatment options. For more information about professionally administered fractional laser treatments, please contact a licensed aesthetic medical professional.

The PaloVia laser is clinically tested and FDA-cleared for the at-home treatment of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. To understand the science behind the PaloVia laser, visit Why It Works. Or see how it compares to professional treatments on important dimensions – such as convenience and cost.
Professional fractional lasers are used by medical professionals for a wide range of treatment options. For more information about professionally administered fractional laser treatments, please contact a licensed aesthetic medical professional.

Checkout the PaloVia FAQ for more info...

LTRob It's My Midlife Crisis - QUEST4FIT - Give Away Challenge - Pushups - Pull-ups - 400 Meeter Run

A while back I did a joint interview with LTRob from "It's My Midlife Crisis", well he is sponsoring a Give Away Challenge to win some free stuff over on his YouTube Channel along with another joint sponsor Craig Neiderheiser from QUEST4FIT.

Anyways the challenge goes as follows... 

• Run around a 400 meter track and try and get your fastest time.
• Do as many "strict" Pushup as you can.
• Do as many "strict" Pull-ups as you can.
• Now take your 400 meter track time and subtract your total Pushups and Pull-ups from your track time.
• Girls get to double their Pushups and Pull-ups to make it a more even playing field.
• Old dudes should also get a handicap but no can do :(

So I took part in this Give Away Challenge sponsored by LTRob and Craig Neiderheiser and gave it my best in support of all participants so make sure to checkout the Original YouTube Video Challenge and watch the other video entries posted in the comments section.

Along the way I tore both calf muscles which clarified beyond the shadow of a doubt that running is not for me anymore :)

Enjoy my Entry...

What do I eat Day to Day Plus My General Eating Tips

I really think you need to watch this video and yes it's a long one at close to a half hour in length but there is a lot of info that I have accumulated form personal experience and also learning from other very successful people who have done their research and taken the steps to figure this information out.

Of course this is all my own personal take on eating but so far it has worked for mer pretty well and I have seen similar approaches work for many others.

The main points I talk about in this video are: 

• Details on my personal diet for when I am cutting, bulking and maintaining body weight.
• What is a good ratio of protein, fat and carbs.
• What kind of carbs to eat and who should be eating carbs and how much carbs do you need?
• Is brown rice better than white rice and what about grains lie breads and pasts?
• How often do you need to eat and how many meals per day is really required?
• When to do a carb refeed to get past diet plateaus.
• When to implement a fast or Intermittent Fast (IF).