the contemporary shopping lifestyle

Step One: Choose 3-5 exercises that work the entire body.

Sample Combinations:

Combo #1:

• Reverse Grip Row
• Romanian Dead lift
• Push Press

Combo #2:

• Back Squat
• Power Clean
• Push Jerk

Combo #3:

• Bench Press
• Hack Squat
• Bent Over Row

Step Two: Choose a Low-Frequency Training Schedule

Sample Training Schedules:

Option One:

• Train once every three days

Option Two:

• Train three days a week, either Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Friday

Option Three:

• Train every other day

Step Three: Choose Rep/Set Scheme

Sample Rep/Set Schemes:

• 3-4 sets of 5-8 repetitions
• 4-7 sets of 5 repetitions
• 8-12 sets of 3 repetitions

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

We’ve been brainwashed to believe we need expensive gym memberships or fancy equipment to improve our health and physique. Nine months ago, I launched my site ShahTraining.com to debunk this myth. I’m going to take everything that I’ve been talking about in the past few months and let it all loose right here. In this post, you’ll learn how to lose fat without needing to go to a gym.

Element One: High Intensity Exercise

High intensity exercise is simply exercise that raises your heart rate to upto 75% of your maximum heart rate. To find your maximum heart rate, simply subtract 220 from your age. A 20 year old will have a max heart rate of 200 beats per minutes. Intense exercise for a 20 year old means that his heart rate will be raised somewhere between 150 to 200 beats per minute.

In order to effectively lose weight with bodyweight training, you need to exercise at a high intensity. So the question you need to ask is: How can I raise my heart rate to above 75% of my maximum?

Before I show you the methods, let me first make sure you know how to perform bodyweight exercise. There are only two exercises that you will need to know how to perform: the pushup and the squat. Please click on the following links if you do not know how to properly perform either of these movements:

The Push-up Workout Program for People Who Can’t do Pushups
Bodyweight Squat Basics

Now, onto the methods:

Method One: Descending Reps

A descending rep workout is where you alternate between two or more exercises and gradually reduce the number of reps performed per each exercise. Here is a sample workout:

• Push-ups 25 reps
• Squats 50 reps
• Push-ups 20 reps
• Squats 40 reps
• Push-ups 15 reps
• Squats 30 reps
• Push-ups 10 reps
• Squats 20 reps
• Push-ups 5 reps
• Squats 10 reps

Method Two: Rounds for Time

Develop a circuit with two exercises, and perform multiple rounds of the circuit. Time the entire workout, and attempt to beat your time the next time you perform the workout. Here is a sample workout:

7 rounds for time:

• Push-ups 15 reps
• Squats 30 reps

Method Three: Rounds within a Given Time

Choose a time frame say, 20 minutes, and perform two or more exercises in a circuit for as many rounds as possible. Here is a sample workout:

Maximum rounds in 20 minutes of:

• Pushups 15 reps
• Squats 30 reps

Element Two: Balanced Diet

I am completely against extreme dieting technique. I’d rather eat junk food than starve myself. Yes, I said. Put something in your digestive system.

The question remains: What do I put in it?

Here are a few rules to follow:

The majority of your food should come from the following four groups of food:

1. Nuts
2. Beans
3. Fruits
4. Vegetables

Now, I said majority, not exclusively. These four are groups that people don’t get enough of. Most people do not eat any sort of nuts and eat a very limited amount of fruits and vegetables. Not wonder their physiques are bad.

Second rule is to stay away or limit the four “White’s”

1. Sugar (which is White)
2. Salt (which is White)
3. White Bread
4. White Rice

There you have it. Two simple rules to jump start your fat loss plan.

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. He is currently going through his own personal physical transformation. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

Stocks are down, the banking industry is in peril, and many industries are suffering the brunt of Wall Street’s greedy ways. I don’t know much about finance, but I do know one thing: The Health Industry is Still Making Money!

I’m talking about all those people that tell you high fructose corn syrup is healthy for you and that dairy is the key to losing weight. I’m talking about all those people selling electronic weight belts and claiming that the latest aerobic dance video is what gave them their huge bodybuilder physiques. I’m talking about all those people that lie through their teeth and make you believe they hold the secret to your health.

I’m really concerned about the way the health industry is treating all of us. America spends the most money on health insurance, but is also one of the sickest. Why? Because we complicate things. We keep putting what I like to call “barriers” to our goals. Exercise and nutrition really isn’t as complicated as all these so-called fitness experts claim to be.

Simplify your Fitness

You think I’m kidding? You think you need to really go to a four-year college and get a $1000 fitness certification in order to figure out how to drop weight and build muscle? Well, I’m going to prove your wrong. I’m going to teach you guys one exercise that you can do for the rest of your life that’ll help do just what I mentioned earlier. Ok, lemme repeat: Drop Weight and Build Muscle.

The Burpee is a funny name for an amazing exercise. This exercise alone works your chest, shoulders, arms, legs, and abs. The Burpee is basically a combination of a push-up and a squat jump. Here’s how you perform a Burpee:

• Stand straight up with feet shoulder-width apart, chest up, and back straight.
• Squat down and place your hands on either side of your body, palms down on the floor.
• Now kick out your legs so that you are now in a push up position.
• Perform a pushup, then bring your leg back in so that your knees touch your chest.
• Lift your palms off the floor and explode into a squat jump.
• When you land, quickly drop down into a squat position, and repeat.

The 50-Burpee Challenge

I ran my client Dheeraj through the 50-Burpee challenge because currently his primary goal is to improve his lower body strength and size. I thought it would take him 7 or 8 minutes to perform 50 burpees, but instead he was able to complete them in 4:52.88. That’s under five minutes! He could barely walk back to his car after that workout.

So, if 1) you no longer want to buy into all the infomercial products and false information in the media, 2) need help adding strength and size to your legs, or 3) want to try something new, then try out the 50-burpee challenge and let me know your time.

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. He is currently going through his own personal physical transformation. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

Here are just 10 reasons why it is dangerous to be obese:

1. For every 11 to 18 pounds of fat gain, a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes is twice as high of individuals who are of normal weight and have not gained any weight.
2. Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of death in both the baby and the mother.
3. Individuals who are obese (BMI greater than 30) have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of premature death from all causes, compared to individuals with a healthy weight.
4. High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight.
5. Atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, which may lead to the formation of an arterial blood clot, is an important pre-condition of many strokes and is associated with a high-fat diet, raised blood pressure and lack of exercise. Thus, obesity is now considered to be an important secondary risk factor for strokes.
6. Over 80 percent of people with diabetes are overweight or obese.
7. Women who have gained more than 20 pounds between the ages of 18 to midlife double their risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer, compared to women whose weight remains stable.
8. Studies show that obesity is an important risk factor in liver disease, and show a strong correlation between body mass index (BMI) and the degree of liver damage.
9. The risk of gallstones is approximately 3 times greater for obese patients than in non-obese people.
10. Studies show that obesity is a strong predictor of symptoms of osteoarthritis, and show that the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases with every 2-pound gain in weight.

I’m hoping those are enough reasons for you to finally do something about your lifestyle and start losing some weight.

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. He is currently going through his own personal physical transformation. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)

References:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/consequences.htm
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_consequences.htm
http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/risks-of-obesity.htm

Often times I will find myself saying the following two phrases while trying to motivate someone: “Turn on that Mental Switch,” and “Unleash that Animal within you.”

If you didn’t already know it, we are all animals. Yes, human beings are sentient beings, but that does not mean that we let our minds and bodies go to waste. We as a race have been able to accomplish amazing things with our body and mind, however the “layman” or the average guy still goes to a 9-5 job, does what his boss tells him to, and is amazingly unhappy.

This unhappiness (in my view) is directly linked to a lack of challenge. We are always “fed up” with life’s problems, and “fed up” with our inability to pursue our dreams. But in reality, we are afraid of pursuing our dreams. I am at a very delicate age in my life where I’m supposed to be pursuing a position in a large company where I perform some sort of grunt work for a high salary and stay there for five years “just for the experience.” Well, I won’t have any of that. I’m not doing anything “just because everyone else does it.”

Yesterday, I was talking to a certified personal trainer and we were disagreeing on training methodologies. He kept talking and talking and talking about things I already knew about but did not agree with it. At one point I said: “But just like with the rest of my life, I always ask myself, do I really believe in what I’m doing or am I just doing it because it’s a system that’s been in place and works.”

To that statement, my friend responded, “But what does belief have to do with anything? Working out is a tool, nothing more or less, to what your goals are.”

That is exactly where I disagree. In reality, any program will work for you if you believe in it enough and are consistent with it. You will get your six pack if you stay on that machine long enough and actually work hard as opposed to talking on your cell phone and complaining how you are unable to achieve your results.

That is why I spent 6 months bodybuilding with nothing to show for it. I did not believe in the routine and so I was bored and was probably doing half the things wrong. Something like Crossfit, on the other hand, makes perfect sense to me because of my martial arts background. I bet you if I walked into the dojo right now, my Sensei would be blown away with my level of conditioning. If I were doing bodybuilding for the past two years, then I would go in there and get my butt kicked by a complete beginner.

What are you doing with your life?

So, yes the phrase “different strokes for different folks,” holds water. But if that’s true, then why the hell are all of us doing the same exact things? Why are we all going out and getting internships in companies we don’t want to work in and are unhappy? Why are we all working at restaurants waiting tables when our real passion is acting? Why are we all listening to our bosses when we have better ideas than he has?

The other day one of my friends had a very interesting note on Facebook. She listed out all the things that she wanted to do growing up. Here was my response to her note:

Hey, you can certainly follow through with all of those, but you don’t need to hit them one by one. For example, here are some of the skills I use with Shah Training:

1. Writing - Writing my posts
2. Film - Filming and editing my videos
3. Marketing - Marketing and promoting the website
4. Business - Expanding and developing Shah Training into a brand and business
5. Acting - As a brand, I need to develop and show off a personality. I’m just not another “gym” I’m a person with a message
6. Athlete - All my workouts are athletic in nature
7. Teaching - Personal trainer, speeches, and writing
8. Fighter - Although at this point i do not want to be a pro fighter, I do incorporate a lot of fight training into my workouts and see it as a great way of getting n shape
9. Psychologist - There is an element of “fear” in my workouts, and so my trainees go through a lot of psychological s**t that helps them break through to a whole different level of living. Also, I consult my friends with problems.

So yeah, basically I’ve combined a whole bunch of skills into one. When starting this site, I just wanted to incorporate writing, my love of fitness, and marketing into a project. All the other skills just sort of came into effect as time went on.

Good luck!

So my point to my friend was that you CAN do everything you want in life. You just have to be creative, have an action plan, and hang in there when things get tough.

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength and Fitness Consultant specializing in developing practical, sustainable fitness solutions for his clients. He is currently going through his own personal physical transformation. His thoughts, ideas, and philosophy can be found on his website, ShahTraining.com. (Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/shahtraining/UQuk)