Living the non-fitness lifestyle can be a game changer for many people.

And using the word “game changer” isn’t a word I use lightly especially in this industry but I’m comfortable with it I’m not referring to any specific workout program, diet, or supplement.

It’s a massive shift in the way most people look at the traditional approach to fitness and the hardcore “fitness lifestyle.”

And if you give it a chance and truly embrace it, it might just change your life.

So here are the 9 habits of living the non-fitness lifestyle.

Note: Be sure to check out #9.

9 habits of living the non-fitness lifestyle

#1 – There’s more to training than heavy weights

Do you even lift, bro?

Um, no not really.

At least not probably in the way you think.

Lifting weights has never been more popular than it is today.

Like seriously.

The popularity of weight training, squatting, bench pressing, hitting PRs is at an all time high and is not going to slow down any time in the near future.

And I’m not saying lifting isn’t cool to just be a non-conformist nor am I saying that this is a bad thing.

Instead I just want to tell you that there’s life outside the gym.

A lot of people have developed this tunnel vision view of what exercise and training is.

There is, believe it or not, such a thing as exercise outside of deadlifts and squats.

Yes, people actually do things like play basketball, go rock climbing, hike, swim, and practice martial arts and don’t live in the gym 24/7.

Shocking, I know.

Kidding aside, I feel a lot of guys have developed this belief that if you don’t lifting heavy weights, you’re not actually working out.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

If you’re going to live by non-fitness lifestyle philosophies, you need to start expanding your idea of what exercise truly is.

Exercise isn’t and shouldn’t just be confined to the gym.

#2 – Stop striving for perfection

So you went out, ate a dozen tacos with extra cheese, did one too many shots of cheap tequila, and threw up in the alleyway dumpster where you also met a local priest doing coke off the back of a $20/hour hooker.

So what?

Most guys living the traditional fitness lifestyle would be beating themselves up the morning, extending their workout by 30 minutes and adding an extra hour of cardio.

Living the non-fitness lifestyle means you just laugh this shit off.

There’s no such thing as perfection.

Do you really think extending your workout the morning after a night of debauchery is really going to fix much?

We’re all human. We make mistakes.

As long as this isn’t a daily occurrence, stop worrying so much.

Stop stressing.

Have some fun and just laugh it off.

#3 – Don’t tie your self-worth to your physical appearance

I’ve been training 3 years….

I built a solid 30+ pounds of lean muscle…

I can do chin ups with 135+ pounds strapped to waist…

I can do dips with 160+ pounds strapped to waist…

I can incline bench press 250 pounds…

My abs have never been more defined…

Why am I still miserable?

This was exactly how I felt a few years ago.

And it was because I tied my physical appearance to my self-worth.

If I saw a guy who had slightly bigger arms than me or could bench press more than me, I automatically got pissed and depressed.

Today I truly don’t give a crap.

Last week I wrote an article Will Building Your Dream Body Make You Miserable? 

Read it.

This is exactly what will happen to you when you tie your self-worth to your looks.

Are there guys who are stronger than me and have better physiques?

Fuck yes there are.

But I don’t spend my days dwelling over why I don’t look like them.

It just doesn’t even register in my brain anymore.

If someone truly judges me because I have small arms or whatever, I know it’s that person who’s the real pussy and has big insecurities with his body.

This is one of the most important habits of living the non-fitness lifestyle.

You can get all the workout and diet stuff down like a clockwork but if all you care about are “numbers” and comparing yourself to others, you’re fucked.

#4 -Be flexible with your nutrition (even MORE flexible than the “if it fits your macros” guys)

Obviously nutrition plays a massive role when it comes to fitness but you shouldn’t be obsessed with it.

Eating 6x per day out of tupperware containers….

Carrying around gallon jugs of water…

Spending 1-2 hours per day playing around in apps like Myfitnesspal to track your macros….

This is exhausting.

As much as people like to tout the “flexibility” or nutrition strategies like IIFYM (if it fits your macros), it still requires a ton of work and isn’t nearly as flexible as some would like to believe.

Since when did having to hit 180 grams protein, 300 grams carbs, and 60 grams fats every single day become the definition of flexible.

I hate being told I can’t eat a cookie because I “ran out of carbs” for the day.

C’mon man…that’s not cool.

That’s why with the non-fitness lifestyle I like to teach something called Macro FLEX Tracking (which I get into a lot more details in Superhero X12) that simply tells you to track overall calories and protein while eyeballing carbs and fats.

And even when tracking cals and protein, there’s no need to be obsessed with it, just try to average out around your target by weeks end.

This reduces dieting stress by 97.32% (scientific fact) and just makes life much more enjoyable.

#5 – Just enjoy eating

I’m not saying you should eat nothing but doughnuts and drink Mountain Dew all day long because you enjoy it.

The majority of what you eat should still be whole, healthy, and nutritious foods.

What I’m trying to say is if you go to your grandma’s house and she offers you some fresh baked cookies but you say no because it’s not “clean…”

You deserve to get kicked in the balls.

#6 – Find hobbies outside of fitness

Getting ripped and looking good naked is cool and all but if you don’t find any other hobbies outside of the gym, shit’s gonna hit the fan.

Soon, every waking moment of your life will be consumed with thoughts of training, dieting, and if you remembered to flex in the last 30 minutes.

Or even worse…you start thinking about other dudes training, dieting, and flexing.

I have spent more hours than I’d like to admit watching other half naked guys on Youtube eat and flex.

So find a damn hobby outside lifting and thinking/watching others lift.

Read a fucking book, learn Parkour, learn knife throwing, collect butterflies, just do something productive that doesn’t involve traditional fitness stuff.

#7 – Find your WHY behind every single thing you do

Everything we do has a reason behind it.

Younger guys lift weights because they want to impress girls.

Older guys lift weights because they want to stay healthy.

Of course these are generalized assumptions, but the point is, everything has a big WHY behind it.

You need to find your big WHY for everything you do.

The big WHY for people living the traditional fitness lifestyle is usually some narcissistic reason:

• “I want to get more girls.”
• “I want to make my ex jealous.”
• “I want to become rich and famous.”

However, the big WHY for those living the non-fitness lifestyle is typically much more intrinsic (doing it for yourself, not others):

• “It makes me happy.”
• “I love the challenge.”
• “I love the journey and the climb of constantly improving.”

Intrinsic motivation will ALWAYS crush extrinsic motivation. Every time.

So find your inner motivation, because without it, you likely won’t last long in this game.

I cover finding your WHY and intrinsic motivation in a lot more detail in Superhero X12.

#8 – Hang out with others who share your same beliefs

They say you are the 5 people you hang out with the most.

So if you start hanging out with a bunch of hardcore bodybuilders then you’re inevitably going to start acting and living a life like them.

But if you start hanging with guys who share similar, more relaxed beliefs when it comes to training, nutrition, and life…

Then you’ll have a much more likely chance of being able to actually live the non-fitness lifestyle.

#9 – Don’t label yourself and others

When you walk into a grocery store, what do you see?

You see labels.

Everything is neatly organized by sections and aisles.

Bread, cereal, fresh produce, meat, seafood, household items, pharmacy, etc…

If you’re a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, then you sure as hell shouldn’t be in the hot sauce aisle of the store.

As a grocery store, this is fine.

We need these labels to navigate and organize the wide variety of items available.

The problem is that the entire fitness industry and fitness culture has essentially become one massive grocery store.

We have the aisles:

• Aisle 1 –  Bodybuilders (self centered, vain, only cares about their looks, thinks they’re superior to everyone)
• Aisle 2 – Powerlifters (super strong, fat, doesn’t care about their health and only cares for getting stronger)
• Aisle 3 – Crossfitters (tells everyone they do crossfit, does paleo)
• Aisle 4 – Runners (never lifts weights, weak, has no muscle)
• Aisle 5 – MMA guys (only wears TapouT shirts, probably bald, has tattoos, wants to fight everyone)
• Aisle 6 – Paleo (does crossfit)
• Aisle 7 – Yogi (hipster, eats hummus and wheat grass all day)
• Aisle 8 – IIFYM dudes (looks down on every other diet in existence)

I could go on and on.

For example, let’s take a closer look at bodybuilders.

Just because someone likes to lift weights and has a lean and muscular build, we shouldn’t automatically label them as a bodybuilder.

We shouldn’t assume they have no life and spends 6 days per week going #beastmode at the gym.

We shouldn’t assume that all they eat is brown rice and chicken breasts 6 times per day, every day.

We shouldn’t assume that they’re selfish, vain, and only care about their looks.

Yet these are all common assumptions people make.

Fitness has become very black & white.

But in reality, it’s incredibly grey.

And you should never make assumptions in the grey area.

Don’t act like you know someone’s entire life story just because they follow a specific workout or diet.

You are not a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, so stop treating others like one.

And fuck, this shouldn’t even be a non-fitness lifestyle habit.

It should be a “how to be a better human being” habit.

Even if you are a self-proclaimed bodybuilder, MMA guy, or yogi…don’t limit yourself inside that box.

If you love doing bodybuilder type workouts, don’t think that you’re “too good” to try something like yoga or even go run a mile.

Try something new, expand your mind, your physical capabilities, and stop confining your life to this bullshit self-imposed label that you or someone else put on you.

I could go on and on about the topic of “labels” but I’ll save that for another post.

Which non-fitness habit do you guys think is the most important? Let me know in the comments below.

The post 9 Habits Of Living The Non-Fitness Lifestyle appeared first on FitMole.

The fitness industry has changed a lot over the past few years.

Not so much the info about training and dieting itself, but more so the culture and mindset of those who workout and diet.

Everyone these days is apparently “bout that life” (the fuck does that even mean)?

If you don’t squat and deadlift, you might as well not workout.

If you don’t track your macros down to the exact gram, then you’re an idiot (because tracking macros is life).

And it’s getting weirder too.

The other day I saw 2 guys at my gym wear sleeveless hoodies.

I’m not one to judge others about their fashion choices and gym apparel, but the sleeveless hoodie is the most illogical piece of clothing ever invented. Someone please explain this to me.

The traditional fitness lifestyle is just too much

Take a look at the following questions and I want you to answer yes or no:

• When you’re not at the gym, do you constantly think about your next gym session?
• Do you constantly compare your physique to other people’s on Youtube, Facebook, or Instagram?
• Do all your conversations and thoughts revolve around pre-workout supplements, squat form, and arguing whether or not someone/something is “alpha” or not?
• Do you constantly day dream about how you’ll look in the future if your arms were maybe 2 inches bigger or if you were 5-10 pounds leaner?
• Are you that guy who brings his own homemade salad dressing (which I can only assume is just vinegar and corn starch) to restaurants in a little plastic tupperware container because theirs is too high calorie?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then there’s a chance that you’re living the traditional fitness lifestyle.

And if you answered yes to the last question, I automatically think less of you as a human being.

This is what I’m trying my best to avoid and help others avoid as well.

I don’t want people to live a life where all they care about is fitness. That shouldn’t be the goal of fitness in the first place.

Working out hard and eating healthy should enhance your life, not consume it.

The hardcore, extreme culture that has taken over the fitness industry is just too much and I believe it’s doing more harm than good.

This is where the non-fitness lifestyle comes in.

Introducing the non-fitness lifestyle: Your ticket to freedom

The non-fitness lifestyle is a movement and the new official mission statement for FitMole.

To those who’ve been following FitMole for a while, a lot of the stuff below might seem familiar but with the non-fitness lifestyle, I finally have a name behind my mission.

Here’s a quick summary of what it means to live the non-fitness lifestyle:

The non-fitness lifestyle is 10% diet, 10% training, 80% mindset

Everyone wants hidden “hacks” to boost your metabolism and “1 weird exercise” to burn 78.912% more body fat but you want to know the real secret to getting the body of your dreams and actually maintaining it for years to come?

Your mindset.

Yeah it’s unsexy as fuck.

It’s probably not what you want to hear.

But for 99% of people out there, it’s what you need to hear.

Why do you think that no matter how well-structured a diet or workout program is, most people fail?

Why do you think no matter how good a personal trainer is, clients typically don’t see any long lasting results?

It’s never the tricks or tactics that produce results, but the person’s mindset and how they decide to execute on the advice they’re given.

The non-fitness lifestyle focuses on the climb, not the end destination

Let’s say I was a hardcore mountain climber (I’m not BTW…not a fan of heights, plus you know, Yetis and goats) and one of my big life goals is to climb Mount Everest.

But what if scientists one day develop a machine that can teleport anyone to the top of Mount Everest in the blink of an eye.

Boom!

All of a sudden, I don’t even need to practice climbing or risk my life to get to the top of Everest.

But would I do it?

Look, I don’t know any hardcore mountain climbers, but I’m guessing most people who want to climb Everest don’t do it just to see the top.

They do it for the journey.

They do it for the struggle and the massive sense of accomplishment.

They do it for the climb.

The same goes for fitness.

In the age of 30 day quick fixes, no one talks about “the climb.”

Everyone is focused on the end results (e.g. that ripped six pack).

The non-fitness lifestyle is all about the climb whereas the traditional fitness lifestyle is all about the end result.

While the end result is great, it’s the climb where you truly grow.

It’s the climb where you learn about what motivates you and where you develop a state of mindfulness. By mindfulness, I mean being fully aware of yourself and your emotions in the present.

I find this to be absolutely critical as too many people dwell too much on past and future events and don’t focus enough on what’s happening in their lives right now.

The non-fitness lifestyle teaches Macro FLEX Tracking (MFT)

Flexible dieting or IIFYM (if it fits your macros) has gotten extremely popular over the past few years.

But its gotten a bit too popular for its own good.

For those that don’t know, the basic premise behind IIFYM is that you’re given a macronutrient (proteins, carbs, fats) target to hit every day, and as long as you hit it, it doesn’t really matter what foods you eat.

In theory, this gives you more “freedom” as to how you approach your diet.

But what I find happens for a lot of people is that they become obsessively anal about hitting their macros exactly “on the dot.”

For example, if someone is told to get 300 grams of carbs for the day, a lot of people who follow IIFYM will stress over getting exactly 300 grams of carbs.

They’ll start eating 1/10th of a rice cake or eat 1/2 a teaspoon of ice cream to finish off their macros.

IIFYM became popular because people viewed it as a way to reduce dieting stress and have more “fun” foods in their diet.

But tracking 3 separate macro variables and making sure everything lines up is the exact opposite of reducing stress.

Most guys just can’t do it without driving themselves insane.

This is why I’m starting to recommend what I like to call macro flex tracking (MFT), which is the even more flexible version of IIFYM.

With MFT, you’re just tracking overall calories and protein while “eyeballing” carbs and fats.

I’ll detail this more in an upcoming article.

The non-fitness lifestyle teaches Minimalist Adaptive Training (MAT)

The Bruce Lee quote sums up Minimalist Adaptive Training (MAT) pretty well.

It’s a more contextual approach to minimalist training.

Most minimalist training programs tell someone to simply to 3 sets of deadlifts plus maybe 2 sets of lunges and call it a day.

But the big BIG problem with this is that you’re not taking into account that person’s goals, experience level, and unique attributes.

A beginner might do fine on a simple minimalist program but an intermediate or advanced lifter will likely struggle progressing on the same program.

More experienced lifters will likely need to throw in more volume and exercise variation to have a well-rounded program suited to their needs.

And just because the routine has more volume or movements, doesn’t make it any less “minimalist.”

This is where I feel the whole minimalist workout trend falls flat.

What’s “minimalist” to one person, might not be considered minimalist to another.

This is why you need to adapt your minimalist training to suit your needs, hence the birth of MAT.

MAT follows the structure of traditional minimalist training (doing what’s needed and throwing out all unnecessary crap) but at the same time, it evolves with person as they become more advanced and their goals change.

UPDATE: Check out this post which covers MAT in more detail.

The non-fitness lifestyle teaches you there’s more to life than being really really really ridiculously good looking

Looks matter.

That’s a fact of life.

If you know nothing about a person, the only thing you can judge them on is there looks. Someone who’s ripped at 8% body fat is going to be treated quite differently than someone who’s 50 pounds overweight.

And while the goal of the non-fitness lifestyle is to make you really really really ridiculously good looking, I don’t want the goal of of achieving perfect aesthetics to take over your life.

I know guys who’ve gone from looking like a Golden Corral cover model to looking insanely ripped and now all they care about is fitness.

They carry gallon jugs of water around everywhere they go, stay in the gym for 2+ hours just to “hang out,” and I’m pretty sure one of them wore a sleeveless hoodie to a funeral.

Point is, don’t let fitness take over your life.

Yes, looking good and being healthy is great but the moment you start living your life just to be fit, is the moment you lose at life.

The non-fitness lifestyle lets you be fit, look amazing, but instead of letting fitness consume you, use fitness to enhance all other aspects of your life.

Start playing a sport, pick up a hobby, spend more time with your family and friends.

Just chill the fuck out.

Let’s rock the non-fitness lifestyle

Look, I’m not bashing on those guys who are super hardcore and passionate about fitness. If that’s you, awesome! Do what you love.

But, if you want a balanced, flexible, no BS approach to fitness…

Or if you’re struggling right now because you stress out too much because of fitness…

Then the non-fitness lifestyle is for you.

I’ll be putting out a lot more articles in the coming weeks on the non-fitness lifestyle, Macro FLEX Tracking, and Minimalist Adaptive Training in the future.

Also be on the lookout for the release of Superhero Shredding 2.0 (an update to Superhero Shredding which is out right now) which will incorporate all these different principles to create the ultimate workout/diet program.

Are you guys ready to start living the non-fitness lifestyle? Or are you already living it?

Let me know in the comments below.

The post The Non-Fitness Lifestyle: A Radical New Approach To Fitness That Will Change Your Life appeared first on FitMole.

Fitness is something I rarely think about anymore.

Which is pretty weird to say since I make my living writing about fitness and selling workout programs but the days of thinking about my workout and diet are gone.

Don’t get me wrong.

I still enjoy training and lifting heavy weights.

I still watch my diet and eat well for both my health and body composition.

But my days of spending 5x per week in the gym, labeling myself as the “paleo” or “if it fits your macros” guy, and just constantly thinking about fitness are over.

Here’s why I’m done with the “fitness lifestyle:”

1) Talking and reading about fitness online is exhausting and makes me feel stupid

Obviously I’m not talking all fitness content.

I’m talking about reading Facebook comments about why The Food Babe is an ignorant pile of crap (which in truth, she is ,but I don’t feel the need to type out a 500 word essay on Facebook to a bunch of people I don’t know just so I can feel better about myself).

I’m talking about watching fitness Youtube videos and feeling like I’m losing 10 IQ points every time because the comment sections are filled with racist 14 year olds.

I don’t need that crap in my life.

These days I just read what I need and take action.

2) I don’t obsess about my looks anymore

“Ugh my shoulders aren’t wide enough.”

“All I need is one more inch on my biceps and my body will be perfect.”

“Maybe…just maybe if I’m 8% body fat instead of 10% I’ll be happy.”

Believe me, no one that’s worth knowing gives a shit if you’re 8% body fat vs. 10% body fat.

And once you hit a certain muscular threshold (typically your first 20-25 pounds), the only people you’re going to impress is more dudes.

This is how I look like these days at 6 ft tall and about 190 and training 3-4x per week:

Am I the most muscular guy in the room? No.

Am I the leanest? No.

Do I give a fuck anymore? Hell no.

I used to give a fuck but then I became a big boy and realized that basing your self-worth on how you physically look just shows how little of a man you are.

If you ever do want to go from 10% body fat to 8% or gain an extra inch in your arms, do it for yourself, not because you think it’ll attract hotter women or more respect and power.

3) I get more time to do other stuff

I never quite understand how some guys spend close to 2 hours in the gym and just “hang out.”If I wanted to hang out with friends I would do it outside the gym where everyone doesn’t smell like sweat and bodily fluids.

I just want to get in, do my shit and get out. #thatswhatshesaid

What I’ve found is that you get so much more free time to do literally anything you want when you’re not obsessed about planning your next workout or diet and doing “meal prep.”

I get more time to:

• Build my business
• Read books
• Think about the future
• Hang out with family and friends
• Play sports (I actually don’t play sports, but if I wanted to, I could)

Ask yourself, what would you do if you stopped obsessing over fitness?

4) I get to enjoy eating again

You know the saying, “Eat to live, don’t eat to live.”

Yeah…screw that.

If I just ate to live, I’d live off Soylent.

But there’s too much damn good food in this world to simply “eat to live.”

While I like to eat for my health and mental and physical performance, I also like to eat for fun.

Nothing wrong with that in my book.

5) Dieting becomes effortless

I view food as simply food.

Don’t get me wrong, I love eating and trying new foods but I don’t obsess over “clean” or “dirty” foods and I definitely don’t put a label on the way I eat (e.g. Oh I’m paleo, bro).

I keep a rough count of calories in my head and loosely track protein, carbs, and fats. In fact, getting enough protein has become pretty effortless due to the “whey chug” trick.

While I recommend beginners to closely track their food intake at the start with a notebook or app, you should be able to get to a point (within a few months) where you’re able to ‘eyeball’ and track your intake in your head.

Knowing your numbers is essential but I don’t recommend stressing over them.

For example, if I know I ate a ton of fats one day, I”ll simply go lower on fats the next day, but I won’t obsess over the exact gram amount.

6) My body hurts less

Every single time I went on a 6-7 day workout split, my body would hate me.

My elbows would start creaking, my knees make this weird snapping sound every time walked, and worst of all, I just felt really really tired.

Hammering my body with heavy weights almost every day would just fry my CNS and I would never feel motivated to lift for the long run.

Now, realize I’m just talking about heavy lifting here. I have no problem lifting 3-4x per week and doing some extra cardio/conditioning work or even play sports on off days.

7) I actually look forward to my workouts again

I had a 3 month period where I did a 6 day per week bodybuilder split.

The first week went well since it was still a new routine.

But after that everything went to hell.

Just knowing that I had to lift 5 days in a row made me want to kill myself.

These past few months, I’ve been training 3-4 days per week using a super simple upper/lower split.

This makes everything much easier to manage and with the extra rest days I’m actually excited to workout and have enough energy to go to the gym.

Calm the fuck down, it’s not that big a deal

The point of this article isn’t to discourage you from being enthusiastic about fitness.

If you love to daydream about your next session to the gym, then more power to ya.

If you love spending your nights tweaking your carb and fat ratios, then that’s awesome. Whatever makes you happy…

But personally, I am so done with the “fitness lifestyle” and the hardcore, “balls to the walls” attitude that so many guys have with fitness.

Do you live the “fitness lifestyle?”

The post 7 Reasons I’m Done Living The “Fitness Lifestyle” appeared first on FitMole.

One of the best books I’ve read recently is called Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson.

It’s more of a business book and how to grow a wildly successful business than anything else (it really has nothing to do with fitness) but the lessons taught are applicable to anyone with ambitious goals, including those who want to transform their physique.

The premise of the book revolves around a concept called “Ready, Fire, Aim” which basically states:

Anytime you want to reach a goal quickly, you simply need to take action first and make any necessary adjustments and correct for any mistakes later on.

Let’s break it down into the 3 separate stages:

Stage 1 – “Ready”

This is the research phase where you begin researching the ins and outs of what’s necessary to reach your goal. In fitness, it might mean reading up on what’s needed for your workout or diet.

If you bought a fitness course (like my Superhero Shredding course), the “Ready” phase means going through the course and absorbing the information.

But the secret to being successful in the “Ready” phase is to not obsess about understanding things 100%.

I’ll go into more detail on Stage 1 later on in this article.

Stage 2 – “Fire”

This is where you charge straight in and take immediate action (i.e. “Fire”). Even if you don’t fully understand the nitty gritty technical details of the workout or diet plan you’re on….JUST DO IT.

Inaction and doing nothing is the worst possible thing in the world.

There will never be a better time than now so pull the trigger ASAP.

Stage 3 – “Aim”

Now that you’ve taken action, you can gradually fix any mistakes you’ve made in the beginning.

But because you’ve already taken action, making micro-adjustments will be easy.

Maybe you screwed up the first 2 weeks and just realized you weren’t getting enough protein, that’s fine, you can make that change now.

You’re already light years ahead of the guy who’s still reading the diet manual, so pat yourself on the back

Getting stuck in the “Ready” phase – The #1 reason for failure

Most guys are stuck in the “Ready” phase.  They spend too much time researching and not enough time doing.

Why? Because it’s a lot easier to read about eating healthy than it is to actually eat healthy.

One of the biggest mistakes I made in the beginning of my fitness journey was spending months and months reading about diet information.

During that time I was very interested in intermittent fasting which I am a huge advocate of now.

I spent about 6 months reading diet books like Eat Stop Eat, The Warrior Diet, and Leangains but I never did shit.

I just kept reading and reading because I thought there was some “secret ingredient” that was missing. I thought there was something out there that I needed to know in order to get started.

But in reality, the only reason I kept reading was because I wanted to avoid putting in the hard work.

Reading is a lot easier than doing as I’m sure you’ll agree.

Trust me, you know enough. There’s no secret sauce

I need to make a statement – YOU KNOW ENOUGH.

Most people know they need to eat in a calorie deficit to lose fat.

Most people know they need to get stronger and eat in a surplus to gain weight.

Most people know that fruits and veggies are good for you and you shouldn’t eat doughnuts in excessive amounts.

The basic premise of losing fat and building muscle is VERY VERY simple.

And yet, people always want to complicate this shit. For some reason they want it to be complicated.

Why?

Hell if I know, but if I had to guess it’s because making something more difficult rationalizes their decision to continue “researching” and stay in the “Ready” phase.

More and more people these days are getting caught up in the “science” of fitness (e.g. the best scientifically proven upper chest exercise for hypertrophy) but spending all day going through exercise research reports doesn’t do shit for you.

Don’t know what hypertrophy means? Awesome, you don’t need to fucking know.

This why a lot of the gym “bros” who seem a lot less educated, statistically, have superior physiques to the guys who just read and read and read.

It’s because they just take action with overanalyzing everything.

I’m not picking on the typical gym “bro” here but you have you admit that it’s pretty funny when the people who get the greatest results are the ones who don’t give as much of a shit about the all the science and theory behind fitness.

But “what if” it doesn’t work?

Last December I had a reader email me. To keep the reader anonymous I’ll be calling him Captain Korea from this point on.

So Captain Korea (like a lot of my readers) emailed me asking what’s the best workout to lose weight. I pointed him to one of the free workouts on my site and told him to do that.

1 day later, Captain Korea emailed me back saying “This looks good, but can I add in 2 extra sets of side lateral raises? I feel like it will work better.”

MOTHERFUCKER!

The workout I gave him was a simple, yet very effective 3-day split.

In Captain Korea’s mind, he was trying to make what was great workout plan much more complicated than it needed to be.

Adding an extra couple of sets wouldn’t have killed him, but it’s the fact that he even thought about it before even doing the workout once is what drives me insane.

If Captain Korea decided to add the 2 extra sets of lateral raises after doing the workout for 4-6 weeks and decided that his shoulders were lagging a bit then that’s totally fine.

Because by then, Captain Korea has already passed Stage 1 (Ready) and Stage 2 (Fire). Adding in the extra lateral raises is an intelligent Stage 3 (Aim) move.

“Ready, Aim, Fire” – The most common path to mediocrity

The majority of guys follow a “Ready, Aim, Fire” approach to fitness and life.

For example:

1. They decide the want to do something such as workout and begin researching and buying workout products. (Ready)
2. They make sure every aspect of the workout is “perfect” by reading forums, blogs, and research reports. (Aim)
3. They finally take action after weeks/months of “fine tuning” their workout plan to perfection only to jump back into the “Ready” or “Aim” phase after a week because they don’t think their plan was perfect enough. (Fire)

As you can see, this approach to fitness and pretty much anything in life almost always leads to disaster and at best, mediocre short-term results.

But once you “Fire” before “Aim,” you’ll discover that your entire life changes and achieving any goal becomes a piece of cake.

How do you approach your goals? Do you follow the “Ready, Aim, Fire” or “Ready, Fire, Aim” model?

P.S. Are you still stuck in the “Ready” phase? Check out Superhero Shredding to help speed up the learning process.

The post How To Use The “Ready, Fire, Aim” Technique To Crush Any Goal appeared first on FitMole.

Do hours of cardio, they said.

Don’t eat carbs it’ll make you fat, they said.

Don’t drink alcohol, they said.

Eat nothing but grilled chicken and salad, they said.

Well you know what I say to all those points – fuck that!

If you want to get in shape for the summer or any occasion, you don’t need to make every moment of it a living hell.

The thing I love about summer is that it motivates people to lose weight and get in shape. It forces a deadline and deadlines are powerful, very powerful.

In fact, the only other time people are so motivated to get in shape is for the New Year.

But if you want to get in shape, you don’t need to do what everyone else is doing.

What if I told you that you could eat massive amounts of carbs and still lose weight?

What if I told you that you don’t need to do any cardio to get lean?

What if I told you that all you need to get in shape is 90 minutes of exercise per week?

What if I told you that you can drink alcohol (and get wasted, if you want) and still burn fat like a machine?

Interested?

This is your rebel guide to getting a summer beach body.

Part 1: The Workout

Like I said, you really only need to workout 90 minutes a week to get a beach body.

So for this workout you will be will be working out 3 times per week, at 30 minutes per workout.

The main goal of this workout is to maintain your muscle mass.

You shouldn’t expect to gain much muscle with this workout unless you’re a complete beginner so please understand that the whole goal is maintenance.

Workout A

• Deadlift – 3 sets x 5 reps
• Weighted pull-ups – 3 sets x 8 reps
• Seated cable row – 2 sets x 6-8 reps
• Hanging Leg raises – 2-3 sets x 15-20 reps

Workout A consists mainly of deadlifts and pull ups.

If you find the conventional deadlift difficult to do, I suggest trying the sumo deadlift (wider stance) first. It’s much easier to do.

As for the pull-ups, if you can do 12 clean reps then start doing them weighted.

Hanging leg raises are pretty self explanatory. Just make sure you’re controlling your body especially on the way down and not swinging around like a damn monkey. If you can’t do hanging leg raises, start by doing lying leg raises.

Workout B

• Incline press – 3 sets x 6-8 reps
• Cable crossovers – 2 sets x 10-12 reps
• Dumbbell/barbell military press – 3 sets x 8-10 reps
• Triceps pushdown (drop set fashion) – 3 sets x 10-15 reps

I personally do the incline press with dumbbells with the bench set no higher than 30 degrees since it’s safer and I feel greater muscle activation, but feel free to do it with a barbell if you wish.

The triceps pushdown can be done with a rope over whatever ridiculous looking metal bars your gym has. My only bit of advice: go slow and controlled. Direct tricep exercises are not power movements so don’t jerk the weight down.

Pushdowns can really screw up your elbows in the long run if you aren’t controlling the weight. So if you know that you’re not handling the weight with your triceps exclusively, then it’s time to lower the weight.

Workout C

• Back Squat/Front squat/1-legged leg press – 3 sets x 6-8 reps
• Dumbbell snatch – 3 sets x 8-10 reps
• Front lunges – 2 sets x 8-10 reps per leg
• Push-ups & chin-ups – superset 2 total sets to failure
• Hanging leg raise- 2-3 sets x 15-20 reps

If you can’t back squat properly, then trying front squatting.

If you still find it hard to front squat, then do 1-legged leg presses.

1-legged leg presses are basically the same as the regular leg press but you do them one leg at a time, with one leg up on the platform and the other on the ground.

Why do I recommend this? Because 90% of people have the nasty habit of rounding their lower back when doing the conventional leg press which is bad for so many reasons.

By keeping one leg on the ground, it will be virtually impossible to round your lower back. Plus, you won’t have to spend as much time re-racking the weights

The dumbbell snatch (video here) is a slightly more technical exercise but it’s quite easy to learn once you start doing it. Just remember to always keep your core tight.

What if I don’t have access to the gym

I’ll be honest, not having access to the gym and heavy weights isn’t ideal. But not all hope is lost.

The next best thing to do is intense bodyweight workouts. One of my favorite bodyweight programs out there now is Bodyweight Burn. Check it out if you’re lacking in the equipment department.

Part 2: The Diet

Next on the list we have diet.

And this will make or break you.

You can lose weight without exercising, but if your diet isn’t on point, you’re dead.

And when it comes to dieting, especially summer dieting, people tend to do extremely desperate things.

Things like buying fat burners and going to detox diets come to mind but I’ll save that for another article.

Don’t be like other people, follow the tips below, become a dieting rebel and make dieting a breeze:

Set your calorie deficit. Once again, this is the cornerstone of any diet. You must eat less than you burn. A crapshoot formula for calculating your daily intake to lose one pound per week would be: Your bodyweight in pounds times 12 kcals.

And remember, this is just a crapshoot. Your intake may very well vary based on your activity level, age, and other factors. Start off with this formula and if you don’t begin to lose weight, then decrease calories by 100-200 per week.

Get your protein. You should aim for a minimum of 0.8-1 gram/lb of bodyweight here. It honestly doesn’t matter where you get your protein, whether it’s from whey protein powder, meat, tofu, etc… You’re not going to make or break your physique based on the source of protein.

Eat some fat. The whole point of getting a healthy amount of fat in your diet is to keep you satiated and to keep your hormone levels in check. So try to get at minimum 20% of your total calories from fat.

Also keep in mind that fat has 9 calories per gram so you can use the following formula below to get a rough estimate your fat intake:

Daily grams of fat formula  = (Your daily calorie intake * .20) / 9

As for carbs… Getting your carb intake is really simple. After you get your protein and fats, just fill in whatever remaining calories you have with carbs. You should aim to eat whole-food carbs like potatoes, pasta, and bread. But of course, don’t forget to have a cookie every now and then.

No food is off limit. This is the rebel guide to summer fat loss, not some typical “don’t starchy eat carbs and avoid red meat” bullshit.

The probability of you succeeding on your diet in the long run depends on you being happy and satisfied. So if you want some pie then have some pie, maybe a slice or two. Just don’t eat the whole damn thing and make sure you don’t go over your calorie limit.

Avoid elimination-based diets. An elimination based diet is a diet that completely eliminates (or almost completely eliminates) an entire food group. Things like ketogenic diets or vegetarian diets come to mind, eliminating carbs and meat respectively.

People especially tend to go on elimination diets when they’re desperate (e.g., getting in shape for the summer) by completely eliminating foods like sugar from their diet.

And this works, but only in the short-term. But what happens after the summer? Are you really going to stop eating sugar for the rest of your life?

Probably not. Most people who do elimination diets tend fall off the wagon after a couple of months only to binge on said eliminated food and regain all their lost weight.

This is why you should never restrict any food from your diet. There’s really no single food out there that has the ability to single-handedly wreck your body.

Surviving BBQs and parties. Don’t be the weirdo at the party that eats nothing but carrot sticks. If you play your cards right, you can regularly go to social events and indulge without gaining weight.

The secret behind this is to simply save or ‘bank’ your calories for the party so by the time you eat you’ll have (almost) an entire day’s worth of calories to play with.

So let’s say you’re dieting on 1800 calories per day and you have a barbecue at night. During the day you would essentially fast, consuming nothing but water and zero calorie drinks (diet coke is okay).

So by the time you go to the BBQ, you’ll have 1800 calories to work with, which is quite a lot. And if you really get hungry during the day, you can have a couple of pieces of fruit or a protein shake but don’t eat more than a few hundred calories.

Track weekly, not daily calories. Tracking weekly instead of daily calories removes a lot of the stress of dieting.

Realizing that you need to hit a weekly calorie goal of 140000 calories/week instead of exactly 2000 calories/day removes a lot of the stress from dieting.

It also allows for a lot more freedom, especially if you overeat a bit on one day. In that case, all you need to do is eat less the following day.

Focus on high volume eating. Eat foods like oranges, apples, chicken soup, salads, and anything else that’s high in water, fiber, and low in calories.

Also if you’re in the mood for some pasta, one food that has been gaining in popularity are shirataki noodles, which are essentially zero-calories and taste “almost” like real noodles. These are great if you want to eat a ton of food and still lose weight.

Grow some big fat balls. I’ll be blunt – you’re going to fail. The chances of you actually starting your diet and reaching the finish line without a single screw up are slim to none.

You’re going to have days where you overeat. You’re going to have days where you want to quit. You’re going to have days where you question yourself why the hell you’re even doing this.

And most people quit when they have those days. They go back to their old lifestyle only to repeat the same thing a year later.

It’s like they say – “If it’s easy then everybody would be doing it.”

Dieting is going to be tough so grow a pair of balls. If you already have balls, grow some bigger ones.

And contrary to popular belief, dieting itself isn’t even time-consuming. It’s just incredibly mentally draining. It’s the constant amount of mind-fucking that dieting causes that will screw you over.

The key to dieting success – keep your mind off dieting. Increase your masturbation frequency, find a hobby (stamp collecting, perhaps)…whatever floats your boat.

Part 3: Alcohol

Lastly we have everyone’s favorite topic, booze.

First off, to answer your burning questions:

Can I drink alcohol and still lose weight? Yes

Can I get wasted and still lose weight? Yes

Happy now? You can very well get wasted on a regular basis if you wish and still lose fat.

And just so you know, I’m not encouraging people to get drunk. But if you’re going to get wasted, at least don’t get fat from it.

But first to acknowledge the non-drunks here: If you’re the type of person who just likes to have a beer or two after work or maybe a glass of wine with dinner then just count that towards your total calorie intake for the day. That’s all.

For everyone else wanting to know how they drink their way to leanness, read on.

This is your game plan if you know you’re in for a night of drinking and don’t want to track calories:

Eat plenty of protein. During the day, eat plenty of protein while limiting carbs and fats. Eat foods like protein powder, egg whites, chicken, beef, and low-fat cottage cheese. Get all your carbs from fruits and veggies.

Only use zero calorie mixers. You can drink as much as you want but don’t add any calories on top of the alcohol you’re already consuming. Avoid things like juices, cream, soda, etc…

However feel free to use diet coke (or any diet soda), zero calorie red bull, or any other mixer that has no calories.

Limit your drinking to once or twice per week. Drinking more than this won’t necessarily stall fat loss. But use some common fucking sense. Drinking so much and getting drunk on such a regular basis simply isn’t good for your health.

Don’t eat while drinking. The real reason people get fat isn’t because they drink too much, it’s because they eat too much crap while they drink. It’s not the shots of Grey Goose that make you fat, it’s the chips and 3 a.m. McDonald runs.

Don’t attempt to fight MMA fighters when drunk. Just thought I’d throw this out there. It’s a bad idea, trust me.

Alcohol won’t wreck your fat loss efforts as long as you adhere to the rules above.

But then again, following a set of rules after 8 shots of tequila isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

Closing thoughts

You don’t need cardio to lose weight for the summer.

Detox diets? That’s hilarious.

You simply need is a sound diet plan without any crazy restrictions plus a simple but effective workout plan.

But on top of all this, you need the mindset. You will fail at least once, maybe twice or ten times before you reach your goals.

Stay persistent and you will come out on top.

Are you planning to lose weight for the summer? Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

The post Workout 90 Minutes A Week, Eat Cookies, And Get Wasted: The Rebel Guide To Getting A Summer Beach Body appeared first on FitMole.

Every year dozens, if not hundreds of new workout and diet programs hit the market.

Unfortunately most of them are crap. Like really really crappy.

And people end up buying this crap because of their slick marketing, shiny packaging, and hot girls showing cleavage.

But this post isn’t about deceptive marketing and crap. It’s about all the non-crap (that is a word…I think).

This post is dedicated to recognizing the best of 2012, the people who have created courses and programs that go above and beyond to providing exceptional value that will change the lives of people.

I have listed the top 10 best workout and diet programs of 2012 below

Note: If you  decide to click and buy through any of the links below, I do earn a small commission. This helps keep my site FitMole up and running. These are all products that I have read and/or used and I recommend them because I know they will help you reach your fitness goals and I trust the people behind them. If you have any questions feel free to email me r leave a comment.

Reveal The Steel

What is it: A strategic ‘4 Stage’ workout program and diet plan to help you burn fat and build muscle.

Who’s it for: Skinny fat individuals, people looking to lose fat while maintaining all their hard earned muscle mass

Why’s it awesome: As you all probably know, the fitness industry is filled with misinformation: shady supplements, photoshopped transformation pictures, and what seems to be an endless amount of studies ‘proving’ that carbohydrates are both good…and bad. Reveal the Steel, written by fitness blogger Clint Nielsen (Cruide Fitness) does away with all of nonsense. He cuts through the clutter with a brutally honest and actionable plan that will help you torch fat, build muscle, and get you in the absolute best shape of your life.

Cost: $47 for the 150 pg  ebook which includes 18 weeks of customizable programming + printable workout charts + free access to the Reveal The Steel Members Portal where Clint provides support

Check out Reveal The Steel here.

Bodyweight Burn

What is it: A intense fat-burning bodyweight workout course that can be done in no more than 21 minutes per day. This course will help you burn fat and get super lean without ever stepping foot in the gym.

Who’s it for: Gym-haters, people short on time or need a break from the gym, bodyweight enthusiasts who want a fun new workout

Why’s it awesome: The majority of today’s bodyweight workouts are nothing more than a bunch of push ups and sit ups thrown together, which as you might expect is not the most fun thing to do. But Adam Steer’s program, Bodyweight Burn is so much more than that.  It goes beyond the boring push up/sit up and brings movements such as rolls, kicks, and even dance moves to help you lose fat and have fun at the same time.

Cost: $47 gets you the Bodyweight Burn workout course  which includes the exercise book + printable wall charts + instructional videos + bonus diet plans + much much more

Check out Bodyweight Burn here.

Muscle Gaining Secrets 2.0

What is it: The long-awaited update to one of the best muscle gaining workout courses in the industry

Who’s it for: Hardgainers, skinny guys, and pretty much anyone looking to gain of solid slabs of rock hard muscle.

Why’s it awesome:  Are you skinny and want to get  absolutely jacked? Tired of your scrawny looking body? Then look no further than Muscle Gaining Secrets 2.0, an update to one of the best-selling muscle gaining books of all time.

Okay, I don’t mean to sound like a cheesy infomercial but Jason Ferruggia’s Muscle Gaining Secrets 2.0 really is one of the best programs out there for skinny hardgainers. But you shouldn’t expect the typical 6 day workout splits that your favorite pro-bodybuilders do. Those don’t work. Instead, expect an well thought out plan that has helped hundreds of guys all around the world gain on huge amounts of muscle in a short amount of time.

Cost: $39 for the Muscle Gaining Secrets 2.0 ebook which includes printable workout charts and 30 days free online coaching with Jay himself

Check out Muscle Gaining Secrets 2.0 here.

LGN 365

What is it: A complete body-recomposition diet, workout, and lifestyle course that will teach you how to well…look great naked for the rest of your life.

Who’s it for: Anyone that’s looking for the definite guide on body-recomposition or total beginner that has no idea where to start when it comes to fitness

Why’s it awesome: LGN stands for Look Great Naked, and let’s face it, that’s why we all do this working out and dieting thing anyway. LGN365, written by JC Deen (who runs JCDfitness.com, one of my favorite fitness) provides a highly effective no bullshit approach to building your ideal body. His course will help you create a mindset so you’ll have no choice but to succeed. You will also learn the most best ways to eat and workout for gaining muscle or losing fat. So whatever stage you’re at – skinny, fat, or anything in between…LGN365 is your answer.

Cost: $85 for the 70+ page fitness ebook which includes the fat loss guide + hypertrophy guide + various macronutrient calculators + healthy recipe book+ exercise demonstration videos + high quality exclusive interviews with leading industry experts (including Leo Babauta of  the infamous blog Zenhabits and badass nutritionist Alan Aragon)

Check out LGN365 here.

Superhero Fat Loss

What is it: A complete workout program to help you build the body of a superhero

Who’s it for: Aspiring vigilantes. People looking to burn fat, increase flexibility, endurance, and athletic performance

Why’s it awesome: Do I really need to say more? This is a workout to help you become a freaking superhero. Just think about it – in a few months time you’ll be conditioned enough to chase purse snatchers, stop bank robbers, jump off 20 foot buildings, and dodge bullets (not guaranteed). Sounds awesome, huh? But if fighting crime isn’t your thing, it’s cool. You can always just use the Superhero Fat Loss program to lose body fat, increase endurance and athleticism, and get in the best damn shape of your life.

Cost: $39 for the Superhero Fat Loss Training ebook which include Female Superhero Training + Superhero Exercise Database + Superhero Quick Start Checklist + much more

Check out Superhero Fat Loss here.

Raising the Bar

What is it: Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about pull ups

Who’s it for: People who like pull ups, chin ups, bars, anything that involves pulling and a bar

Why’s it awesome: Pull ups are fucking awesome. Wanna know even more awesome? One arm pull ups. Wanna know what’s even more awesome than one arm pull-ups? One arm muscle ups. Raising The Bar, by bodyweight fanatic Al Kavadlo has written the first ever guide that’s solely dedicated to mastering the pull-up and all it’s advanced variations. In his book, Kavadlo will teach you how to do your first pull up and work your way up to it’s advanced badass variations.

Cost: $39.99 for the 224 pg. e-book or physical book

Check out Raising the Bar here.

Visual Impact Cardio

What is it: A “progressive cardio system” to help you master the “skill” of losing body fat and blasting through fat loss plateaus

Who’s it for: Anyone looking for a workout to burn massive amounts of calories or someone looking to lose those last 10-15 pounds

Why’s it awesome: Rusty Moore is one of my favorite fitness bloggers of all time. The thing about Rusty is that he REALLY likes going against mainstream fitness advice, so much so that his new program for 2012, Visual Impact Cardio actually recommends people to do old school traditional cardio on the treadmill. Gasp!

But as Rusty explains in his program, cardio is still one the most effective ways to burn the maximum amount of calories (and thus the maximum amount of fat). Through a combination of HIIT (high intensity interval training) and steady state cardio, VIC teaches you how to crush any fat loss plateau and get as lean as you want.

Cost: $47 for the 99 pg. Visual Impact Cardio book + Printable Workout charts and journal

Check out Visual Impact Cardio here.

Eat Stop Eat Expanded 5th Edition

What is it: An updated version to the most popular intermittent fasting guide in the world

Who’s it for: Anyone who is even remotely interested in intermittent fasting, or anyone that wants to try a new nonrestrictive approach to dieting

Why’s it awesome: Intermittent fasting ninja master Brad Pilon has once again expanded upon his intermittent fasting (IF) masterpiece with brand new info on dieting, hunger, testosterone, growth hormone, and autophagy.

Bottom line – Brad has made an amazing book even more amazing. This truly is a must read for anyone that’s even remotely interested in IF.

Cost: $37 ($9 for a 3 day trial and then $27 after) for the 175 pg. ebook

Check out Eat Stop Eat Expanded 5th Edition here.

P.S. You can also read my Eat Stop Eat review here.

Reverse Taper Diet

What is it: A super flexible step-by-step dieting system to help you lose weight and keep it off without any rebound weight gain

Who’s it for: Anyone who wants to lose weight but struggles with traditional diet plans

Why’s it awesome: The majority of diets follow a forward taper structure, meaning the leaner you get, the more you lower calories to ensure continual fat loss. But the problem with this approach is that by the end of the diet, you’re at 800 calories per day and ready die.

Most diets end with you binging your ass off and regaining all your weight within a matter of weeks (days even). The reverse taper diet by Brad Pilon and John Barban is designed to avoid all the nasty rebound weight gain effects and help you lose weight and keep it off permanently.

Cost: $39 (2 payments) for the Reverse Taper Diet Book + Reverse Taper Diet Sofware

Check out the Reverse Taper Diet here.

Fix My Shoulder Pain

What is it: A complete shoulder injury system to assess and fix shoulder pain so you suffer in the gym again

Who’s it for: Anyone who doesn’t want to fuck up their shoulders (aka everyone)

Why’s it awesome: One of the most common gym injuries is shoulder injuries. Caused primarily by bad exercise form on movements like the bench press, plenty of people suffer from shoulder pain.

And as you might expect, a bad shoulder can keep you out of the gym for moths. Fix My Shoulder was created by sports injury Rick Kaselj and with his specialized SR3 Method, he can help reshape your painful shoulder into a stronger, pain-free shoulder.

Cost: $19.99 for the complete Fix My Shoulder Pain system which inclues Segment #1 (Quick Start Tour) + Segment #2 (Shoulder Assessment) + Segment #3 (Fixing Your Shoulder)

Check out Fix My Shoulder Pain here.

———————————————————————————–

And that’s it, guys!

What’s your favorite workout or diet program? Let me know down in the comments.

The post Top 10 Best Workout And Diet Programs of 2012 appeared first on FitMole.

These quotes might range from the genius (“Eat less and move more”) to the stupid (see below).

But today I’m here to put an end to some of the most commonly used health & fitness quotes in the world. These quotes have been perpetuated for years, brainwashing the minds of individuals. It’s time to let the truth reign free.

1. “If it tastes good, spit it out” – Jack LaLanne

I love mangoes. They’re fucking delicious.

I also love steak, sweet potatoes, eggs, and oranges which are all foods most people would agree are “healthy.”

They all taste good. Oops, did I say something wrong?

Is my body going to burst into flames because I ate food that tasted good?

While I respect Jack LaLane for living such an active and fitness oriented lifestyle up until his death, I cringe every time someone uses this quote.

I’m sure LaLanne meant for people to “spit out” more processed foods like chips and cookies, but still…it’s one of the most poorly worded quotes in fitness.

A more accurate quote: “If it tastes rotten, pre-chewed, or poisoned spit it out”

2. “If you’re not, squatting you’re not training”

Who the hell came up with this?

Unless you’re a competitive powerlifter, I don’t understand everyone’s obsession with squats.

Some people seem to have a cult-like mentality with squats, but there are other ways to build up your legs.

Beyond just squats you have: split squats, Bulgarian split squats, leg presses, lunges, and an endless list of single leg exercises.

As humans, squatting up and down is a very natural movement and I believe that everyone should be able to at least squat with their bodyweight, but as for the necessity of super heavy squats – not so much.

A more accurate quote: “If you’re not training your lower body, you’re not training”

3. “An apple per day will keep the doctor away”

Mother…fucker, an apple a day will not keep the doctor away.

The only thing eating an apple gives you is some fiber, Vitamin C, and antioxidants. And don’t get me wrong, these are all good things.

But it’s completely ignorant to believe that eating an apple (or any healthy food for that matter) will prevent you from getting sick, especially if the rest of your diet is bad.

Eating healthy foods like apples could potentially decrease your chances of getting sick, but that’s all it does – decrease the chances.

A more accurate quote: “An apple per day will make your breath smell like apple”

4. “Not all calories are created equal”

A calorie is a unit of energy. It’s a unit of measurement.

Just like 1 pound is 1 pound, no matter what.

This is an undisputed fact. If you can prove me wrong, go ahead. You’ll probably win a Nobel Prize or some shit if you do so.

What people mean to say is “Not all macro-nutrients are created equal.”

By saying this, you’re saying that not all macros (fats/carbs/proteins) are created equal and this is 100% true.

But of course, saying that “not all macros are crated equal” doesn’t sound as sexy and doesn’t sell as well so it will probably never catch on.

A more accurate quote: “All calories are created equal, not all macro-nutrients are created equal”

5. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”

Do I even need to say it?

While the concept of tapering down your calories can definitely work for weight loss and overall health…to tell people that it’s the only way is foolish and ignorant.

Concepts like skipping breakfast and intermittent fasting are foreign to these people who believe this.

Personally I like to skip breakfast, eat lunch like a mouse, and eat dinner like Kobayashi.

A more accurate quote: “Eat however the fuck you want to eat”

6. “Losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise”

When it comes to weight loss, it’s more accurate to say that it’s 95% diet and 5% exercise.

The main purposes of exercising while dieting is twofold – to maintain muscle mass and mental relief.

You should exercise so you don’t lose any of that sexy muscle that shapes your body and because frankly, you’re going to feel like shit if you don’t start moving around.

As for the calorie burn you get from exercising – it’s a bonus.

A person who loses weight on 2000 calories per day almost never does so by eating 3000 calories and burning 1000 calories through exercise. Burning 1000 calories per workout is incredibly hard (see below). It’s much easier to just eat 2000 calories than it is to run 10 additional miles.

A more accurate quote: “Losing weight is 95% diet and 5% exercise”

7. “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet”

I was hesitant to put this on the list because for the average person, it’s completely true.

But at the same time, this quote is technically false.

First, let’s define what a “bad diet” is.

For most people, a bad diet is a diet where you eat anywhere from a 500-2000 calorie surplus in crappy foods.

And for these people, burning 500-2000 calories in the subsequent workout is incredibly unrealistic.

But that’s not to say it’s impossible.

Have you seen the way pro athletes train? If you’re a professional football, soccer, basketball, or tennis player the you could probably afford to eat in a 2000 calorie surplus.

These guys train like crazy. They literally burn thousands of calories, day in and day out. But it’s their life…their job.

Pro athletes are dedicated to training for hours per day. As for the common dude who wants to lose 20 pounds, not so much.

So can out-exercise a bad diet? Technically, yes. But the chances of it happening for most people is incredibly low.

A more accurate quote: “You can out-exercise a bad diet, but the chances are well…shit”

8. “Abs are made in the kitchen”

Ah yes, the infamous kitchen abs quote. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve heard this.

But here’s the truth – abs are not made in the kitchen, they’re made in the gym…in your workout.

The stuff you do in the kitchen, the foods you eat do one thing and one thing only – help you lose body fat.

Losing body fat doesn’t “make” your abs. Losing body fat reveals your abs.

But the stuff you do in the gym – the pull-ups, ab rollouts, cable crunches, deadlifts, and hanging leg raises…this is what actually builds and “makes” your abs.

Ab exercises give your abs definition and density. Without this, you’re just a skinny guy with abs.

And remember the old saying, “A skinny guy with abs is like a fat girl with big tits, it doesn’t count.”

A more accurate quote: “Abs are made in the gym, they’re revealed in the kitchen”

————————————

Do you have any common health & fitness quotes that you can’t stand? Let me know in the comments below.

Photo credit: mhaithaca

The post 8 Common Health & Fitness Quotes That Need To Die appeared first on FitMole.

I want you to look awesome.

I want you to wake up in the morning and not feel like crap.

I want you to look in the mirror and say “Damn, I can’t believe that’s me.”

I want modeling agents to offer you gigs.

I want you to streak naked across town, flaunting your newfound physique.

I want you to be that person everyone at the gym asks for advice.

I want to see your body on the cover of magazines.

I want you to tell me how much money you wasted on clothes because your old ones don’t fit anymore.

I want you to raise your middle finger up high and proud to everyone who said you couldn’t do it.

I want you to stop paying for cholesterol medication. I want you doctor to say your blood work is a-okay.

I want you to build a body that’s so ridiculously hot that it makes your ex cry themselves to sleep.

I want you to be the .50 cal sniper rifle that blows the fucking head off mediocrity.

If you get sent to prison, I want you to be person everyone wants to rape (hey it’s a great honor).

Show me your amazing before and after pictures. I want you to inspire others that it is possible.

Show me your rock hard six-pack.

Smother my face in your tight butt cheeks.

Tell me about how you were ‘the talk’ of your family reunion.

Invite me to the bonfire where you burn all your fat clothes in a giant fiery inferno.

But before all this can happen… you need to put in the work. And fuck me silly, it is A LOT of work. 

You need to have a work ethic that parallels Steve Jobs.

You need to be consistent.

You need to train even when you don’t feel like training.

You need to watch your diet when surrounded by office doughnut zombies.

You need to stop trying to be “just good enough.”

You need to do join the minority of those who are willing to do whatever it takes.

Stop aiming to be normal.

Stop trying to be average.

Stop conforming to society’s standards. Most people are overweight and look like crap, so why stoop to their level?

Stop giving a flying fuck about what others think. Don’t let people tell you that you look ‘fine.’ Your goal isn’t to look fine, your goal is to look exceptional.

Don’t fantasize about having the bodies of Chris Evans and Jessica Biel. Give it your best and put them to shame.

Don’t have time to train? Then make the fucking time. Stop wasting time on YouTube.  Stop stalking people you barely know on Facebook. No matter how hectic your life is, trust me, you have time. You just make shitty choices.

Get your ass to the gym and pay your dues in grunts and sweat.

Also, be realistic. Achieving awesomeness is not an overnight process, no matter what those late night infomercials say.

And let’s talk about desires. If you don’t want this bad enough, then you’re not going to get it. You need to want this as bad as a zebra wants to outrun a lion. Because if your desire for success isn’t strong enough, then even the slightest pitfall is going to destroy you.

The time is now – RISE UP and join the 1% of those who actually give a damn and have a physique that epitomizes success.

So what do you plan to do now? Drop a comment below and tell me how you plan on taking action to rise up and get the body of your dreams.

Photo credits: stuckincustoms

The post It’s Time To Rise Up appeared first on FitMole.

Alright guys, a month has now passed and as promised I will announce the winners to the Top 50 Social Media Fitness Bloggers (currently being fixed…).

Over 1,400 votes have been cast, so thank you guys for being a part of this.

Here are the top 10 winners:

#1 – Nia Shanks

#2 – Rusty Moore

#3 – Mike Fitch

#4 – Sohee Lee

#5 – Greg O’ Gallagher

#6 – Srdjan Popovic

#7 – Martin Berkhan

#8 – Mark Sisson

#9 – Adam Steer and Ryan Murdock

#10 – Mike O’ Donnell

Top Facebook Fan Page

Rusty Moore

Top Twitter User

Nia Shanks

Best YouTube Channel

Mike Fitch

————————————————————————————

Congrats to all the winners. You guys are truly making a difference so keep doing what you’re doing.

The post Winners Announced – Top 50 Social Media Fitness Bloggers appeared first on FitMole.

I’m obsessed with the Audi R8 (pictured above). It is hands down my favorite car right now. I mean, this is a car that I would literally do anything for (except butt sex).

But what does a 6-figure car have to do with getting your dream body?

Well let me put it this way – the amount  of people who actually own an Audi R8 is analogous to the amount of people who have extremely good looking bodies, and that amount is VERY FEW.

Most people who own an Audi R8 are people who worked their asses off to get that amount of money. And people who have extremely good looking bodies are people who consistently train hard and diet.

The truth is most people will never own an Audi R8 and most people will never build a really good looking body. Most people are going to get through life driving nothing more than a Civic and having an average to overweight physique.

But not all hope is lost.

Below I have listed 26 reasons for why you’ll never get your dream body. These are 26 things you need to realize if you’re going to try to transform your body and if you can recognize them while on your journey, you’ll be that much close to getting your dream body and living the life you deserve.

1) You don’t realize how hard it’s going to be

Let’s start it off with the most important reason. Most people simply don’t understand how hard successfully transforming your body is. So until to realize how hard it will be, only then will it be easy.

2) You keep waiting until Monday

Mondays are a double edged sword. On one hand, people are more motivated on Mondays since it’s the start of a new week. But on the other hand, constantly failing and then waiting until the next Monday is bad since it encourages procrastination.

The best thing to do is to start right now.

3) You don’t allow room for errors

Eating an extra slice of cake or missing one workout is not the end of the fucking world (we all know that happens later this year). But most people manage to transform one tiny slip-up into a massive disaster.

If you’re the type of person to binge eat after overeating by one cookie, then you need to stop now. One extra cookie isn’t the end of the world. At most, it will just add a few hundred calories that probably won’t even cause a noticeable difference in the long run.

Just enjoy the damn cookie and continue your diet right after.

4) You’re not eating any protein

Every single successful dieter I know includes a decent amount of protein in their diet.

I’m not saying that you need to eat pro-bodybuilder level amounts of protein, but you should try eat a good amount of protein when dieting and especially if you’re trying to gain muscle.

5) You workout hard… then you eat even harder

Working out is great, but working hard for an hour doesn’t give you a pass to the all-you-can-eat buffet. Many people think that just because they exercise, that they can eat anything they want afterwards.

If your workout burns 300 calories, then you can’t just go and eat a 300 calorie protein bar afterwards. That’s just stupid and it completely negates the effects of  your workout.

Try to view exercise as a bonus to the amount of calories you already burn, but don’t ruin your efforts by eating too much afterwards.

6) You read too much

It’s fine to read fitness blogs and magazines but if all you’re doing is reading and not applying, then you’re not going to get anywhere.

At this rate, you’re going to spend your entire life consuming information without actually applying it and that’s the worst possible thing to do. Even if the advice is complete crap, you’re more likely to succeed if you apply that advice as opposed to someone who just consumes info and does nothing with it.

7)  You drink all your calories

Liquid calories are probably the worst calories to consume, mainly because they’re incredibly unsatisfying. You’ll feel just as full from drinking a cup of juice as opposed to drinking a cup of water.

My advice – skip the liquid calories and stop adding calories to drinks that don’t already have them. If you order a black coffee, then don’t drown the damn thing with sugar and cream.

Drinking your calories is fine once in a while, but don’t make a habit out of it.

8)  You do too much cardio

I’m really not against cardio, but when people do nothing but cardio and especially if that cardio is steady state cardio, then we may have a problem.

Doing too much cardio can increase your appetite, causing you to eat more and if your goal is to build a good-looking body then cardio is not the answer. Try lifting heavy weights and doing sprints instead.

9) You over complicate things

Avoid dairy, don’t eat carbs after 7pm, eat every 2-3 hours… WTF.

Why in the bloody fuck are you making it so complicated?

If you want to lose weight – create a calorie deficit.

If you want to gain muscle – lift heavy weights and eat a little bit more.

Don’t worry about complex and useless stuff like manipulating your insulin levels and muscle confusion. Stick with the basics, they never go out of style.

10) Your internet friends suck

I’m sure you all have that person you know on Facebook. You know, that person who always talks fitness.

That person that always tells the world that they’re going on a diet, but 1 week later they update their status saying that they completely failed. That person that always says they need to go to the gym because they’re fat. That person who does nothing but bitch and moan about their failures.

Yeah… those people aren’t helping you. The only thing that person does for you is bring down your own belief that you can succeed.

Just ignore these people. Better yet, block them.

11) Your real friends suck

True fact – when you try to positively change your life, not everyone will support you.

If you’re trying to lose weight, there are going to be people that will say you don’t need to lose weight or that you look fine and don’t need to change. And chances are, the person saying those things isn’t in the best shape themselves.

Not all your friends or family members will support your goals, so maybe it’s time to reevaluate who you spend your time with.

12) You don’t care about calories

I don’t care what your personal trainer says, I don’t care what your doctor says, I don’t care what your mom says.

Calories matter, and if you can’t accept that fact, then we have a serious problem on our hands.

13) You don’t even know what your dream body looks like

My dream car is the Audi R8, I know exactly what it is and I know exactly what it looks like.

But do you know what your dream body looks like? Do you even have vague picture in your mind?

Every day you should be picturing your perfect body (end goal) in your mind, and if you’re having trouble, here are some calculations for men and women that you can make to help you.

14) You’re always bulking

If you want to get lean and ripped, then you’re not going to get their by constantly bulking. Nowadays, most guys who bulk just end up getting fat.

Don’t use bulking as a way to rationalize eating more food. If done for too long, bulking  can negatively affect your health and let’s face it, it makes your body look like crap.

15) You’re only thinking short term

The problem I have with workout and diet programs that promise 30, 60,  or 90 day results is that it encourages short-term thinking.

I mean, what happens after those 30 days? Most people go into these types of programs with absolutely no game-plan afterwards.

Fitness is an epic journey that starts and ends when your heart stops beating. If you go into this with a short-term mindset, then I GUARANTEE you’re going to fail.

16) You’re not motivated enough

If you want to build your dream body, then you need to find the proper motivation. Without motivation you’re pretty much screwed.

I’m not going to tell you how to motivate yourself because everyone’s different, but if you need some help then watch these videos right now.

17) You think your genetics determine how you look

In most cases, genetics don’t mean crap. Your genes will determine the actual shape and structure of your muscles but they rarely determine your ability to lose weight or gain muscle.

Of course there are genetic disorders that can really mess up your body, but I’m speaking to the majority here.

18) You’ve never tried intermittent fasting

Yes I absolutely love intermittent fasting. I’m not saying that practicing intermittent fasting is a must, but if you’ve been eating 6 meals per day and haven’t had any luck with it, then maybe it’s time to try something new.

If intermittent fasting is something you’re interested in, be sure to check out this post I wrote a while back.

19) You have no support

Some people can’t do anything without support.

In these situations, it’s good to find a group of people who share the same values as you do. One of the most awesome ways to connect now is through Fitrocracy, a social fitness network to track your progress and interact with other fitness buffs.

20) You weigh yourself too much

Weighing yourself every day is quite possibly the worst thing to do if you’re trying to lose weight. When weighing yourself, the scale doesn’t differentiate between how much muscle, fat, or water you have in your body. The only thing the scale cares about is the total amount of weight.

This can be a problem especially if you consume large amounts of carbs and sodium since they both retain water, making you seem heavier than you really are.

My advice – use the mirror to measure progress and weigh yourself once per week.

21) You constantly compare yourself to Ryan Gosling (and other celebrities)

If you haven’t heard already, Ryan Gosling is the most loved man in Hollywood right now. But when guys see Ryan Gosling or any other celebrity, they instantly think that they need to look exactly like them otherwise they’re a failure.

Well that’s too bad because you’ll never look exactly like Ryan Gosling. Even if you manage to get down to his weight and body fat percentage, you still won’t look like him because his muscle structure is different. And let’s not forget that all celebrity bodies are manipulated by professional lighting to make them look better than they actually do.

The only person you can look like is the best possible version of yourself.

22) Your workout routine has no structure

Never go into the gym without a plan.

If you don’t have your routine all planned out, then you’re most likely going to just half-ass it the whole time. If you want real results, then you need a well-structured workout routine.

23) People keep telling you that you look okay

Seriously, why?

“Okay” isn’t good enough.

I mean, unless the person you know is on the border of becoming anorexic, you really shouldn’t discourage the person from improving their body.

Like I said in my ZenToFitness guest post, being successful means drawing positive and negative criticism… the key here is to simply not care what people think.

24) You eat breakfast every day

Eating breakfast every day is the secret to building your dream body… or is it?

Okay, here’s the thing – fuck breakfast.

If you enjoy breakfast, eat it.

If you don’t, skip it.

Never feel obligated to eat breakfast, it’s a god damn conspiracy.

25) You’re lifting light weights to get cut

Light weights have there time and place, but the majority of people (especially women) will benefit from heavy lifting more than anything else. And if you’re dieting, lifting heavy is the best way to preserve all that sexy muscle mass.

26) You don’t realize how ridiculously awesome getting your dream body will be

You know it’s a shame.

Most people want money, exotic cars, and killer bodies but nobody is doing a damn thing about it.

I mean, looking awesome is not impossible. It takes a ton of work, but as long as you have perseverance and make it a priority above everything else, then you’ll have no choice but to succeed.

If you need a list of reasons for why you should get that dream body you deserve, be sure to check out this article.

NEVER GIVE UP!!!

What’s your reason for not getting your dream body? Let me know below.

The post 26 Reasons Why You’ll Never Get Your Dream Body appeared first on FitMole.