Eating on the Road: Nutritional Travel Strategies

I am in Quebec City airport right now waiting for my connecting flight to Toronto for my weekend Mastermind meetings for Dad Fitness.

Hopefully I don't encounter any flight delays as there is a snow storm forecasted to hit Toronto sometime tonight and tomorrow!

So seeing as I am on the road I have a great article that I wanted to share with you from Dr. John Berardi.

Eating on the Road: Nutritional Travel Strategies
by Dr John M Berardi, CSCS

More and more the biggest challenge my clients face is sticking to their nutritional plan while on the road. Therefore in this article, I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 favorite strategies for maintaining your nutritional discipline when traveling.

Strategy #1 — Location, Location, Location
If you’re planning to take to the road for sport or for business, your first item of business is this—ensure that everything you need is in close proximity to where you’ll be working or playing. Location is key.

So let’s say you’re going to a week long conference at the Indiana Convention Centre and RCA Dome. Well first, get on the internet and find all the hotels nearest the Convention Centre. Next, give these hotels a call to find out where the nearest grocery stores, restaurants and gyms are located. Pick the hotel with the best combination of nearby resources. This way, even if you don’t get a rental car, you can easily walk or cab to your fitness and nutritional havens.

Skip this strategy and you’re giving yourself big excuses to skip workouts, miss meals, and make poor food selections while on the road.

Strategy #2 — The Penthouse Suite?
While you don’t necessarily have to stay at a 5 star hotel or choose the penthouse suite, one great strategy for you road warriors is to choose a hotel chain that offers rooms/suites with kitchens or kitchenettes. If you know a nice kitchen set-up is waiting for you, you won’t have much difficulty sticking to your meal plan.

Just have your cabbie drop you at the grocery store on your way from the airport. Once you get to your hotel room you can rest assured that you’ll be able to eat as well as when you’re at home.

If you’re looking for a good hotel chain, Marriott Residence Inns are a nice
choice. You can find other hotels that meet your needs as well. I recommend Marriott because my clients have always had great experiences with them.

Now, if you absolutely can’t find or afford a hotel that has a kitchen or kitchenette, make sure that your hotel room has, at the very least, a refrigerator (most do). As long as you’ve got a refrigerator, you can stock your hotel room with good snacks. My athletes and I pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, bottled water, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, regular cheese, natural peanut butter, whole grain breads and mixed nuts on our way into town and snack on these during our weeks on the road.

Strategy #3 — Can You Ship Egg Whites Next Day?
Here’s a great strategy I picked up former client and current good friend, Austin. This guy is a bona fide road warrior himself and has a ton of great strategies for eating on the road. Instead of going shopping when he gets to town, Austin actually ships his food and supplements via UPS or Fed Ex.
He gets a medium sized cold shipping box, loads it up with ice, protein powders, fruits and veggies, mixed nuts, legumes, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, cooking pans, utensils, shaker bottles and non-stick cooking spray and ships it to his hotel before leaving home.

By doing this, Austin doesn’t need to worry about where grocery stores and restaurants are located. As soon as he arrives in town, he’s good to go—nutritionally, at least. All he needs to find is a gym and he’s set. Again, although the shipping option may seem a bit pricey, you’ll end up saving money on restaurants and the price may work out in the end.

Strategy #4 — The Big Cooler
Here’s another strategy I picked up from my buddy Austin that helps ya’ transport both luggage and groceries simultaneously for shorter trips that might last only a day or two.

Pick up a big cooler with an extendible handle and wheels (much like the wheeled luggage so popular nowadays), put a little partition down the middle, and you’ve got a ready made combined cooler/suitcase that can act as a carry-on. Put your cottage cheese on one side and your drawers on the other!

Strategy #5 — What’s On The Menu?
If you decide to have others prepare your meals for you when on the road, make sure you use Strategy #1 above to find out where the restaurants nearest your hotel are located. Next, visit them on the web for downloadable menus. If they don’t have downloadable menus, call them and ask them to send a menu over to your hotel for when you arrive.

By having the restaurant menus, you’ll know exactly what types of food you can have access to at all times. Also, when dining with a group, you’ll be able to suggest places that conform to your nutritional requirements.

Strategy #6 — You Don’t Have To Order From The Menu
Here’s a hot tip that most people fail to realize. Most restaurants can easily provide a meal custom to your specifications even if it’s not on the menu. So don’t become a slave to the menu offerings. Ordering a specific number from the menu is almost always a recipe for disaster unless the menu is designed for "healthy eating" or whatever the restaurant is calling it. Most normal dishes have too much fat and too many processed carbohydrates for most body-conscious individuals.

Instead of ordering an item directly from the menu, either ask for an item that you like prepared without the sauces or high carbohydrate portions or simply ask for a portion of protein and a few servings of vegetables and fruit on the side. Remember, you’re paying top dollar for your meal and you’re about to tip your waitress. So don’t feel bad asking them to meet your needs, uh, nutritionally, that is.

Strategy #7 —Protein and Energy Supplements
Using some combination of the strategies above, you should be able to ensure that good meal options are always around the corner. But sometimes when you’re on the road it’s impossible to slip back to your room or to get to a restaurant.

For times like this, you’ll need to consider a few supplement options.

ypically, when at home I only use 1-2 scoops of protein powder per day, but when on the road, I may use up to 6 scoops if necessary. Protein choices are both hard to come by and more expensive than other options. So increasing your dietary energy with protein powders is a good fall-back option.

Strategy #8 — Powdered Veggies
Normally, at home, I get about 10 servings of fruits and veggies per day. But when I’m on the road that amount is usually reduced to somewhere around 2-4 servings unless I’m very conscious of my intake. A great way to make up for this reduction in my micronutrient intake is to use a powdered vegetable supplement such as Greens+.

If I’m on the road, these products help make up for the deficit I may be experiencing. An added bonus is that I seem to better digest my protein supplements when adding some greens+ to my protein shakes.

Strategy #9 — Homemade Bars
If you’re not into drinking numerous protein shakes per day, another great option is to bring some homemade snacks with you. In fact, homemade protein/energy bars are a fantastic alternative to the mostly crappy, store bought, sugar laden, artificial ingredient containin’, protein bars.

Strategy #10 — Sleep Pills
Jet lag, time zone changes, unfamiliar sleeping environments, poor nutrition, altered exercise habits, and the stress associated with big business meetings or competitions can all really impair your ability to get adequate rest when on the road.

Following the previous nine steps will help you take care of your nutritional intake. Making sure not to skip workouts will also help. So will the addition of a ZMA supplement. While research hasn’t provided direct evidence to support a relationship between zinc and/or magnesium status and sleep quality, most ZMA users find dramatically improved sleep quality when taking this supplement. Three capsules before bed should do the trick.

If you’re going to be successful in maintaining a good nutritional plan, no matter what the circumstances, you’re going to have to plan for the unplanned and display adaptability to all circumstances. The guidelines included in this article should help get you thinking about how to become a successful road warrior.

SEE ALSO:
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Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Dad Fitness Top 10 Tips to Change Your Body

Things are quiet in the house this weekend with my wife and baby daughter gone out of town to visit family.

So I headed to the gym bright and early on this Saturday morning.

Today was Workout B or lower body from the book Built For Show.

It was a high rep day of all 12 reps of front squats, step ups and abs.

Even though the weights were light, the short 45 sec rest periods were hardly enough time to catch my breath.

This was definitely a short and intense fat burning workout!

That's it for today, gotta go get ready to pack for my business trip to Toronto.

But before I go I will leave you with the what I like to call the

The Dad Fitness Top 10 Tips to Change Your Body

If you just followed these 10 tips on a consistent basis, you can transform your body to tip-top shape.

1. Perform cardiovascular/aerobic exercise 3-5 times a week

(To get a lean physique you need to be doing some cardiovascular exercise, shorts intervals work best to increase your metabolism and burn fat)

2. Exercise at a high intensity

(If you can read a magazine while your doing cardio, you are not working hard enough! Imagine how fast you would run if you were being chased by a bear, thats how fast you should run.)

3. Perform weight-training 3 times a week

(Every 2nd day works great for weight training to allow for rest and recovery)

4. Exercise for 30-60 minutes per session

(The shorter your workouts are the more compound movements you should be doing. Supersets are also great to get a good workout done in a short amount of time)

5. Keep it real! Eat natural foods, avoid processed foods

(If it comes in a box or package don't eat it. Even if it says healthy on the package its still not great for you. Real healthy foods don't need to have those labels, ever see an apple with low fat marked on it? Just think if a caveman had access to it you can eat it. ex. meats, berries, nuts, fruits and vegetables

6. Don't skip breakfast

(It's called break-fast for a reason. Its breaking the fast your body undergoes during sleep. Start the day off right with a good breakfast.)

7. Eat 3 nutrient dense meals and two small snacks each day

(Most people don't even eat 3 meals a day. Start working on 3 meals first, then add two snacks in between the morning meals and afternoon meals.)

8. Eat at least 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables each day

(Again most people don't eat this much, so make this your minimum, you can't eat enough fruits and veggies)

9. Drink at least 1 liter of water each day

(Have a glass of water with every meal and snack, as well as first in the morning and last at night)

10. Organize your time (exercise, work, family, friends,)

(Organize and prioritize your workout, work and family obligations to achieve those goals you have written down. You did write them down right?)

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

My Wife Left Me!

Yes, you read that right. My wife took our 6 month old daughter Matea, packed her bags and left me!

...to go and visit her sister in New Brunswick for a week.

This is the first time daddy's little girl will be away from me since she was born.

I certainly miss them both so much already. But was just talking to my wife and they arrived safe and sound which is what really matters.

As for me I will be heading out of town on Sunday to attend a weekend mastermind meeting in Toronto with Craig Ballantyne, Men's Health expert and creator of TurbulenceTraining.com

It will be a weekend of networking with 10 other fitness professionals to enhance and grow our fitness businesses to help more people worldwide get fit for life.

No matter how much you think you know or what fitness level you may be at, always strive to learn more from the top experts in the health and fitness industry.

Don't try and design exercise programs for yourself if you don't have the experience and expertise to do so. Even myself as well as lots of the top trainers in the world look to other trainers in the industry to design exercise programs for them.

I also do the same every now and then and use workouts from other top trainers because they say the hardest person to design an exercise program for is YOURSELF!

Let me do the work for you and start using professionally designed fat burning workouts that are designed for busy dads.

Click this link to==>Download 16 weeks of fat burning workouts

...Tonight I will be heading to a buffet dinner with some friends.

So I thought I would share with you an awesome tip when you are attending any holiday buffets this Christmas.

It's actually from a great book called "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think"

It's called the Rule of Two. You can choose anything you want at the buffet, but you can never have more than two items on your plate. If you want to load it up with nuts and cake, go ahead. If you want to go back for seconds and load it up again with chips and carrots, go ahead.

Although this sounds like a recipe for disaster, it actually works quite well for people for three reasons:

• You tend to take the two types of food you want most. People who love desserts don't work their way up to desserts. They'll start with the desserts, and then stop.

• You tend to not overfill you plate. Putting only two things on our plate helps keep our serving sizes somewhat small because we psychologically don't want to overload on a particular item.

• You tend to not go back more than two times. In one study did on the Rule of Two, 83 percent of people only made one or two additional returns to the buffet.

This morning I also had a great workout at the gym. It was short and intense and was a high rep day with short rest periods of 45 secs!

That's it for today I am heading outdoors to start putting up our Christmas lights!

PS. If you feel like you ate a little too much yesterday and want to get back on track you can get your workouts instantly at DadFitness.com so you can burn off those extra calories.

...Or if you are like me and love the convenience of online shopping from the comfort of your own home the Dad Fitness System is just the thing to give to someone who is also a busy dad looking to get in shape in the New Year.




Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

3 Steps To Building Lean Muscle

The Weight Training Triangle
-The Secret to Building Maximum Muscle
by Sean Barker,CPT
=============================================

The process of building muscle is pretty simple. It's so simple actually; that people have a hard time believing how they can train less and grow more.

Find out the secret to building maximum muscle in minimum time.

I like to refer to the whole process of building muscle as the Training Triangle. It is basically the 24 hour a day process that your body will be undergoing when you begin weight training. It has three components, Training, Nutrition, and Recovery, each one no more important than the other. If one of these is not given 100%, the Training Triangle begins to crumble.

Weight Training is about stimulating muscle growth, plain and simple. It only provides the stimulus for your muscles to grow. Muscles DO NOT grow when you are in the gym. The other two corners of the Training Triangle take care of that. Weight Training exercise provides overload to the muscles, breaking down the muscle tissue on a microscopic level. It responds when subjected to levels of exercise beyond what it is accustomed to in order for an adaptation process to occur. The human body then attempts to adapt to this stimulus by getting stronger and growing more muscle tissue. This is where the next corner of the Triangle takes over.

Nutrition is the next vital step in the Training Triangle. Through eating the proper foods you supply your body with the nutrients it needs for energy replenishment, cell growth and repair, as well as the basic metabolic functions your body undergoes on a daily basis. Back in 400 B.C., Hippocrates said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." Today, good nutrition is more important than ever. At least four of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.--heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes--are directly related to way we eat. Focus on eating lean proteins such as chicken, beef, pork and fish. Get lots of of fiber and antioxidants through fruits, veggies and 100% whole grains. Consume healthy omega 3 fats daily such as olive oil, flaxseed oil and fish oil. The key components to good nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle are balance, variety and moderation.

Recovery is probably the most neglected step in the Training Triangle. It is a fantastic feeling to be motivated and have a gung-ho attitude when beginning a weight training program, but some control and moderation must be included with that eagerness in order to see results. Remember the story of the tortuous and the hare? The lesson was that slow and steady, wins the race. Society has conditioned us to think more is better. But, in terms of weight training and building muscle, training too often can bring any gains to a screeching halt, as well as increase chance of injury and adrenal burnout. Rest and recovery is essential for maximum muscle growth. During recovery we build muscle in response to the stimulus we created while training. If you fail to take adequate recovery time into consideration, you will be greatly limiting your results.

The Training Triangle is the foundation of any successful weight-training program. Understanding each element and its importance, will directly dictate the results you will achieve.

...As for me, it looks like I am finally kicking this cold to the curb and had a great workout today.

Today I continued with my buddy Nate Green's Built For Show workouts.

I am rotating through upper body and lower body workouts found in his "Fall Season" workouts.

Workout A- Upper Body
Workout B- Lower Body

I felt strong and focused today in the gym as I pumped out rows, db bench presses, chinups, shoulder presses and some abs work.


Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Lower Body Workout

After being up since 4:30am this morning with little Matea as she has the sniffles as well, I managed to hit the gym this morning around 9am.

Despite feeling all stuffed up in the head I wasn't feeling too bad. Let's hope I am kicking this cold to the curb!

I did Workout B of the Fall workout in Nate Green's new book Built For Show.

It was a short and intense lower body workout and went pretty well. I found it a little hard to recover in 60 seconds between sets as my breathing capacity is not 100% from the cold.

I will rest up this weekend and I am looking forward to getting back to my Dad Fitness Workouts.

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Chicken Soup Diet

Well, we have officially gone 3 for 3

First it was my wife who came down with the cold.

Second it was me who picked up the cold.

Now, our 6 month old daughter Matea has it!

...I won't be surprised if I start hearing Hokey Pokey Elmo coughing.

No Dad Fitness workout for me today. I have a workout planned for tomorrow morning but I will see how I feel.

All day today I am home taking care of Matea as my wife is at the office.

But I have a secret weapon. My wife's homemade Chicken Soup!

Here is the SECRET recipe.

Dad Fitness Chicken Soup

- two boneless chicken breasts
- 4 or 5 stalks of celery
- baby carrots
- small onion
- can of crushed tomatoes (I like the Almers Chilli or Italian type)
- cup of brown rice
- cup of whole wheat macaroni noodles
- either a carton or two of chicken broth OR a package of Lipton Chicken noodle soup mix
- savory, oregano, salt and pepper

First, chop up the chicken into really small cubes and fry it up in the bottom of a big pot with the onions, olive oil and sometimes a little butter.

When the chicken is done, scoop it into a bowl while leaving as much juice -oil on the bottom of the pot. Then put all the veggies (onion, celery and carrots - finely chopped) in the pot and cook them until they are soft (you might have to add some more oil, or even a little water to help steam and soften the veggies).

Once the veggies are done put the chicken back in the pot with the veggies and cook - toss it for another couple of minutes, adding salt and pepper. Once you're sure everything is cooked, add the chicken broth (or lipton soup mix and water) to the pot. I like to use two cartons of chicken broth instead of the lipton soup mix, but both taste good.

Once everything is boiling add the tomatoes... rice and noodles and keep it boiling - simmering. Also add the savory and oregano... more salt and pepper to taste.

After 20-30 minutes the rice and noodles will be cooked and you a have a great pot of soup. You might definitely have to add water... probably lots of it... cuz the rice and noodles absorb a lot. If you do add lots of water, keep tasting to see if you need more salt - oregano, etc.


Mmmm..I should be feeling better in no time.

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Show Must Go On...

I managed to push myself to the gym this morning despite feeling a little under the weather. Sniff...sniff

Now that my thumb is feeling better again after a few days rest, I am fighting off a nasty head cold!

After my wife getting the same cold last week, I knew it was going to be hard to avoid catching this.

I feel the most for our 6 month old baby daughter Matea as she has no choice but to be surrounded by the both of us. I really hope she don't end up with it as well!

After slowing getting up after a night of tossing and turning I brewed a hot cup of green tea and had a bowl of hot oatmeal with blueberries.

The workout I did this morning was a workout from one of the youngest and brightest trainers in the industry, Nate Green.

Nate just sent me an advanced copy of his new book, Built For Show.

I haven't had a chance to read through the book yet but decided to give one of the workouts a try this morning.

I started with Workout A of his "Fall" training program.

Don't let the title of his book fool you. Even though Nate who is only 23 years old wrote this book for young guys who want to look good for the ladies, it has actually gives you state of the art workouts for any one of any age that will have you building lean FUNCTIONAL muscle while stripping away bodyfat.

I will post a complete book review for Built For Show when I read through it.



To get Nate's new book
Click Here==>Built For Show

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Dealing With Injuries

As I stay out of the gym this weekend due to my nagging thumb injury here is a fitting article for some weekend reading.

Dealing With Injuries
by Sean Barker,CPT

Anybody who has been active in sports or weight training in particular for a number of years had to deal with an injury at one time or another. Whether it's a small muscle strain or a broken arm or leg. It usually swipes the rug out from under us right when our training is in its prime.

This is when you should draw upon your years of experience and "bite the bullet". You just have to accept what has happened and do whatever you have to do, for as long as it takes to let it heal and repair. Depending on the severity of your injury, you probably can work around it to be able perform some type of low intensity exercise. If you have to stay out of the gym all together for a couple of weeks or even a month so be it. You have to look at the long term.

If you have been training for years and plan to for as long as you can and have to take a month off, don't worry. That one-month which you have to stop training doesn't really mean much in the big picture if you have been training for years and will continue to train after your injury. If you can perform some type of exercise, even if it's only walking, do it. Your getting your body moving, your blood flowing, and it helps to clear your mind. An injury is just as much as a mental setback as it is a physical setback. It's the people who remain mentally strong and positive during injuries that recover faster and get back to fighting shape and sometimes even better they were before the setback.

So do whatever you can to avoid injury in the first place, but if it happens look at it as a challenge not a setback...

The best insurance against common injuries is building functional lean muscle mass. The best way to do this is by using short Dad Fitness Workouts.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Ben Franklin

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Improv Workout

Today I headed to the gym knowing that things might not go as planned.

My strained left thumb that I had a few weeks back has come back to haunt me.

I was scheduled to train Chest, Shoulders & Triceps today but didn't get very far with that. As soon as I tried to warm up for Incline Barbell Bench Presses I knew it wasn't good.

I couldn't even stand the pressure of the 45lb Olympic bar pressing against my thumb. I then tried to salvage the workout by trying different angles with barbells dumbbells and even variations of pushups.

Gripping any bar or even dumbbells were out of this question. I could manage some back pulling exercises using a thumbless grip. Also some pushup variations were ok as long as I kept the pressure off my left thumb.

These are the exercises I managed to do with out much pain.
3 sets each 10-12 reps

Wide-Grip Front Pulldowns supesetted with
Block pushups with feet elevated on swiss ball

V-Bar pullups supesetted with
Regular pushups with feet elevated on flat bench

Rope upright rows

Rope overhead tricep extensions supesetted with
Rope cable pushdowns

I got a busy weekend of Dad stuff (birthday parties, etc.) with baby Matea so I will see how I feel as the weekend progress for my next workout.

I would give this workout 1 thumbs up! lol

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Gut-Busting Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

For dinner last night I decided to try a new recipe I found in Men's Fitness Magazine.

It turned out pretty good. The ww buns I used were really small so I had two!

THE GUT-BUSTING PHILLY CHEESE STEAK SANDWICH

This man-size sandwich from Jessie Price, co-author of Eating Well:
Comfort Foods Made Healthy, packs just a fraction of the fat and calories
found in its traditional counterpart.

WHAT YOU NEED

2   tsp extra-virgin
olive oil
1   medium onion,
sliced
8   oz mushrooms,
sliced
1   red or green
bell pepper,
sliced
2   tbsp minced
fresh oregano, or 2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1   lb sirloin steak, trimmed and
thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1   tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced hot banana peppers (optional)
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3   oz thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone
cheese
4   whole-wheat buns, split and toasted

TO MAKE [1] Heat oil in a large nonstick
skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions
and stir until brown, 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms,
bell peppers, oregano, and black
pepper and stir until the vegetables are soft,
about 7 minutes. [2] Add sirloin and salt and
cook, stirring, until the beef is just cooked
through, about 4 minutes. [3] Reduce heat
to low; sprinkle the vegetables and beef
with flour; stir to coat. Stir in banana peppers
(optional) and broth; bring to a simmer.
Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on
top of the vegetables and beef, cover, and let
stand until melted, 1-2 minutes. [4] Divide
into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the
melted-cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion
onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.
Serves 4.

PER SANDWICH 440 calories, 45 g
protein, 31 g carbs, 15 g fat, 5 g fiber

COPYRIGHT 2008 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

I also had a short and intense Dad Fitness leg workout this morning.


Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Breakfast in 60 seconds...

My gym is closed today so I am home playing Mr. Mom as my wife is gone to the office for the day.

Will Hokey Pokey Elmo keep up? We'll see...




So with my hands full this morning I had breakfast in 60 secs.

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Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Back and Biceps For Dad

Today was Day 3 of my current Dad Fitness workout program. This workout program focuses on building maximum muscle in minimum time!

I had a strong and focused Dad Fitness Workout this morning.

Deadlifts
Pullups
One Arm DB Rows
BB Curls
DB Curls
Shrugs

2-3 sets, 4-6 reps. That's the best rep range for maximum overload. Overloading the muscles with short intense reps and sets is the best way to build lean muscle in the shortest amount of time.

For days when you are really short on time. Here is a short upperbody superset you can do in 15 minutes!




Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

No Dad Fitness Workout for me today but I have a great article to pass on.

Sit back and see how many of these mistakes you make when you are in the gym.

The Classic Things You Will Do
In The Gym To Shoot Yourself
In The Foot

By Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems
Creator of the Escalating Density Training System

Editor’s Note: Anyone who trains seriously should print this article out and memorize it. Charles Staley has been around the block a few times and he knows what mistakes you are going to make before you make them. Read and learn…

Former World karate champion and popular action star Chuck Norris was once asked if he ever made mistakes, upon which he replied “no.” Seeing the surprised and somewhat incredulous reaction of the interviewer, Norris continued by explaining that sure, he makes mistakes all the time, but only once. Norris’ feeling was that if you learn from your mistakes in order to avoid making the same ones again in the future, they really didn’t count as mistakes.

We all like to take a certain amount of pride in doings things right. However, let me assure you, even the smartest, most dedicated trainees make lots of mistakes on an ongoing basis. That’s why even the best athletes have coaches. In fact, the better you are, the more important it is to have a skillful coach - someone who’s been down the road you’re traveling and who can point out the various obstacles along the way.

Allow me to be your coach for a moment…

If you can intuit the logic in my argument, I’d like you to allow me to be your coach for a moment as we explore the various errors that people make in their quest for physical perfection, and how to either avoid them in the first place, or to learn to substitute more productive habits and behaviors in the future.

What follows are the ten most common and also most significant mistakes that well-meaning gym rats make day in and day out. Odds are, you’re guilty of at least three of them, no matter how disciplined and careful you are.

So please read on, because the information in this article may save you enormous amounts of time and energy as your pursue your training goals.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER ONE: NO GOAL

All good plans start with a clear, concise picture of the desired objective. In stark contrast to this, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been setting up on a particular station in the gym when I overhear a conversation like this on the machine next to me:

“So, what ya wanna work today?”

“Dunno, maybe chest?”

“Ummm, I guess so. Tryin to remember when I did chest last. How about arms?”

“OK, cool, what exercise ya wanna do first?”

And on it goes as I shake my head in a combination of amusement and pity.

When’s the last time you jumped in the car and drove without knowing where you were going? Never? OK, then when’s the last time you did a workout without having a crystal-clear objective? Always? I thought so.

Escalating Density Training is a better alternative:

Each workout, you’ll pull out your training log and find your most recent workout of the same type. For each PR Zone, you’ll note the weight load you used and the total repetitions you achieved.

You now have a specific objective for your next workout: perform more total reps with the same weight in the same period of time. It’s not easy, but it is simple and brief (hey, two out of three ain’t bad huh?).

Additional suggestions:

1. Make sure your training journal is durable and functional, regardless of whether or not you use a spiral-bound notebook, tracking software, or some other form of record-keeping.

2. Challenge yourself by aiming for big numbers each workout - the only difference between successful people and everyone else is the size of their goals. Make sure your goals are worthy of your complete dedication.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: SACRIFICING QUALITY TO QUANTITY

This is both the most common and most costly mistake that most gym rats make.

More isn’t better. BETTER is better! Here’s a common example of the quantity-mindset at work:

The typical trainee who can do 4-6 chin-ups and who wants to do 10. Typically, he’ll simply try to add another rep every time he does chin-ups (increasing quantity).

Better way: to decrease quantity by dropping down to sets of 1-2 reps. You’ll be less fatigued, and therefore more able to recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have the best potential for size & strength gains.

Bottom line: Make sure you do something well, before you do it more.

Tips:

1. If you’re not happy with your technique on a particular workout, shoot for a minimal increase in total reps the next time out, and focus your energies on improving your technique instead.

2. Always strive to move weights as fast as possible on the concentric or positive phase of each lift, particularly at the beginning of the stroke. More speed means more tension, which means better results.

3. More intense efforts require even more attention to active recovery.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER THREE: FATIGUE SEEKING

The way to assess the effectiveness of a workout (or training system) is by the degree to which it improves the qualities and/or abilities you’re trying to develop, not by how much pain it produces.

If your primary goal is to be sore, why not consider taking a job as Lennox Lewis’ sparring partner? Muscle grows when you gradually force it to perform more and more work in a given time frame from workout to workout. This requires managing fatigue, not seeking it.

Escalating Density Training features built-in mechanisms to ensure optimal fatigue management, including both innovative loading parameters to active recovery measures such as post-workout cryotherapy. EDT also recognizes that each individual has unique recovery capacities and allows for individualization within the overall EDT training structure.

Suggestions:

1. Focus on achievement, not the after-effects of your efforts.

2. If you’re sore, it is in fact a sign that your muscles are in a repair state — do not train on sore muscles. Instead, wait until you have one full day of no soreness before training the same muscles again.

3. When in doubt, aggressive personality types should err on the side of doing less, whereas more tentative individuals should err on the side of doing more.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER FOUR: TRAINING IN PAIN

In my opinion, the timeworn expression “no pain, no gain” is at the root of a lot of bad training decisions. Pain is your body’s signal to you that something is wrong. Pay attention! Adjust your workout accordingly, and, most importantly, if you have pain that lasts more than a few days, seek medical attention!

It’s amazing to see how many people, upon experiencing an injury, simply think “Well, I guess I can’t bench anymore, but maybe I can do incline presses.” Before long, you’ll find that you’ve “painted yourself into a corner” like a lot of the older guys you see who can now do only 2-3 exercises without pain!

Please take note of the following suggestions:

1. Pain that diminishes or disappears after the warm-up should still be taken seriously. The reason is that your body releases histamines during your early sets, which are a natural painkiller. You may be doing yourself harm without knowing it.

2. If you experience sudden, sharp pain in a joint during a workout, stop immediately and apply ice to the area. If you do not experience considerable improvement within a few days, seek medical attention.

3. A feeling of tingling, numbness, or “pins and needles” in one or more extremities should not be ignored- seek medical attention promptly.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER FIVE: EXCESSIVE FOCUS ON LOAD

I’ll never forget the day when, minding my own business at a place called Iron Gym in Goleta, California, a young guy, weighing maybe 165 pounds, asked me if I could spot him on incline dumbbell presses. Although my general premise is that if you need a spotter, you’re moving the weights too slowly and should lighten up, I agreed to lend my services anyway.

As I follow the guy over to his station, I noticed a pair of 110-pound dumbbells laying on the floor next the bench. “Hmmm” I thought. “Wonder what this guy is up to?”

I soon found out. To make a long story short, he asked me to hand him the dumbbells one at a time, and after that, I got the unexpected workout of my life as I helped him through 4 forced reps, where I estimate that I lifted about 75 percent of the weight on the first rep, and about 95 percent by the fourth rep! Not all was lost however - that was one of the best trap workouts of my life.

Look, my point in all this is, the amount of weight you can lift does matter, but it isn’t the only consideration by any means. A lot of guys for example, will do almost anything to lift more weight, including using powerlifting support gear, significantly reducing the range of motion, and/or using a training partner to help them complete the lift. In each of these examples, you really didn’t lift more weight at all - you just appeared to have lifted more!

When you train EDT style, your target weights are clearly defined: choose a weight load that equals or approximates your 10RM for each exercise - in other words, a weight you can lift for 10 reps but not 11. Then, at the beginning of each PR Zone, you’ll lift that weight for sets of 5, and over the course of the PR Zone, you’ll gradually shift to 4 reps, then 3, 2, and finally, singles, as your fatigue levels elevate.

You may rightly question the logic of performing only 5 or less reps with a 10RM weight, so let me explain the reasoning behind this: the training effect you’ll gain from lifting any given weight is a factor of not only the load, but also the speed with which the load is lifted.

Think of it this way: if I place a 10-pound weight on your foot, no problem. But, if I drop that weight on your foot, big problem! In both cases, the weight is the same, but the speed is different. When you lift a weight as fast as possible on the concentric (or “positive”) phase of the lift, you put more tension on the muscles than if you lift it slowly. This allows you to get more done with less weight. It makes your efforts far more efficient, which is the whole point of EDT.

Tips to Consider:

1. Your chosen weightloads should enable “brisk” sets of 5 at the beginning of each PR Zone.

2. The difficulty of loads selected in antagonistic exercises pairings should be as similar as possible.

3. The selected weightloads should allow between (approximately) 60 and 75 repetitions for each exercise within a 15-minute PR Zone

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER SIX: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON STRENGTHS

Just because you’ve heard it a gazillion times doesn’t make it any less true: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

And from my experience, a strength overused becomes a weakness.

Consider the following tips:

1. Determine if your weak link is correctable or not (short arms, for example, may be undesirable for a deadlift, but nothing can be done about it). Focus on correctable weaknesses.

2. Make a list of all the major muscle groups, and then rank them from 1-10 in terms of your own development. Next, take the two lowest-scoring muscle groups and allot one training day a week where you work only on these muscles.

3. List your five least productive habits. Consider how you might substitute more productive habits in their place.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER SEVEN: INSUFFICIENT DIVERSITY

I’m never asked, “What’s the best food,” but I’m always asked, “What’s the best (exercise, workout, time of day to train, etc.).” There’s no such thing as one best food because no single food has all the nutrients you need. Similarly, no single exercise or program can be all things to all bodies. The best program is the one you’re not doing, and here’s why:

1. The effectiveness of any program depends on the degree to which it challenges your body. The problem is that familiar stressors are less challenging, because the body habituates (habituation is the gradual reduction of a response when an initially new stimulus is repeated over and over) to them. Every time you repeat a training program, it becomes less effective.

2. All programs and methods have both negative and positive aspects, no matter how well designed or specific. Too much time on one program, and you’ll demonstrate a tendency to habituate to the positive aspects and accumulate the negative ones. For example, if you perform barbell bench presses every week, you may develop an imbalance between the front and rear deltoid muscles, despite the fact that you are not getting stronger on the exercise.

3. Unchanging training routines lead to overuse injuries. Athletes are particularly vulnerable, since their training tends to become more and more specific over time.

People tend to be creatures of habit, but even good habits have a downside as we’ve just seen. Be sure to provide for enough variety so that your workouts remain challenging and therefore, productive.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER EIGHT: LACK OF CONTINUITY

While variation is important, so is continuity. Getting stronger is largely a matter of “motor learning.” And this requires repetition, just like any other kind of learning.

If you change exercises every single workout for example, you never get enough practice on any single exercise to get better at it. Similarly, if you misinterpret the classic texts on periodization, you might make the mistake of training for muscle hypertrophy for 6 weeks, and then maximal strength for 6 weeks, reasoning that maximal strength training is potentiated by a prior phase devoted to hypertrophy development.

The only problem is, by the time you’re 4 weeks into the strength phase, you’re 4 weeks away from the last hypertrophy workout, which means the quality you worked so hard to develop for 6 weeks is now rapidly fading away as you focus on another objective.

Consider these tips:

1. One way to strike a good balance between diversity and continuity is to change half of your exercises every 4 weeks.

2. Generally, exercises which utilize (relatively) large loads and multiple joints (such as squats and deadlifts, for example), are more difficult than “isolation” exercises, and therefore, should be practiced on a more continuous basis in order to maintain your expertise.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER NINE: POOR BIOMECHANICS

You can learn a lot from observing others, sometimes by looking at what they’re doing right, but just as often, by noticing what they do wrong. And if you use the latter category of learning experience, you’ll find most gyms and health clubs to be a wealth of educational opportunity!

Allow me to relate one such example from my own experiences in order to make a point about proper lifting technique: This one goes way back, probably about 1984, in a small gym called (I believe) Northern Dutchess Health & Fitness in Red Hook, New York.

Two young guys were (for some reason) spotting each other on standing barbell curls. They were both using loads that were far beyond what they were capable of lifting, and every single rep required intense partner-assistance and the most horrendous physical contortions you can imagine in order to complete each rep.

Over a series of weeks, I witnessed these two guys perform that same workout over and over, and I began to joke to myself that they must have been Russian sport scientists who had devised a stealthy way of protecting their secret techniques — each rep required equal contribution from each partner, making it impossible to determine who was the lifter and who was the spotter!

OK, all humor aside, here are some insights and suggestions on good lifting technique:

1. Generally speaking, if you’re lifting a weight correctly, you’ll feel tension through the target muscle but no pain or discomfort in the associated joint.

2. Your movement should be precise and consistent from rep to rep, almost like you are a machine. If you find yourself “shaking and quaking” under the weight, it’s probably too heavy relative to your current abilities.

3. If it looks wrong, it probably is. For example, if the bar isn’t parallel to the floor when you squat, deadlift, or bench press, it means you’re applying more force with one limb than the other.

4. Lift light weights as if they were heavy, and heavy weights as if they were light. For example, if you can’t lift a 300-pound bar over your head to put it on your shoulders in preparation to squat, don’t do it with an empty bar either. Every rep you do should be viewed as an opportunity to perfect your technique.

CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER TEN: TOO MUCH AEROBIC EXERCISE

Regular small doses of steady-state exercise can actually improve recovery, but too much can sap your strength and lead to muscle wasting.

If you compare the physiques of 100-meter sprinters against long distance runners, such as marathoners, you’ll see that sprinters are just as lean (if not leaner) than their aerobic counterparts, even though they do little to no aerobic exercise.

Extensive and frequent forays into the aerobic zone can cause your body to lose muscle (since muscle weighs more than fat, it is the body’s preferred tissue to cannibalize in the interest in lightening the load).

If you’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to lose 10 to 20 pounds of unwanted fat, think of resistance training as the core of your program, and aerobic exercise as the supplementary activity - not the other way around.

Tips:

1. If you feel deprived if you can’t ride your bike or go out for a run once in a while, consider doing anaerobic intervals instead of aerobic workouts performed at the so-called “target heart rate“ - research shows that interval training burns far more calories than aerobic exercise.

In fact, if you want to jump on your bike or rowing ergometer (for example), I’d suggest you exercise either below the target heart rate (which will facilitate faster recoveries) or above it (which will facilitate greater body fat oxidation).

2. Don’t jog or run when your legs are fatigued from resistance exercise.

3. Vary the content of aerobic exercise rather than doing the same activity every time. Your cardiovascular system doesn’t know which muscles are creating the demand.

Learn More About EDT Training!

Charles Staley’s training package "The Complete Video Guide To Escalating Density Training" is available now!

Click here to learn more
and get your copy today!

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About The Author

His colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results. His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing demeanor have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show.

Currently, Charles competes in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit, with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s World Championships.

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Worlds Strongest Man?

No it's not me, but I did have another intense workout this morning.

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps was blasted this morning and I was out of the gym in less than an hour.

That's it! My Dad Fitness Workouts are done for this week. So I have the rest of the time to live my life and enjoy time with my family.

Start Living Your Life while Getting the Body You Want
Click Here==>Download Dad Fitness Workouts

As for the World's Strongest Man.

Remember your heart is your strongest muscle!

This guy has HEART, check it out.



Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

You Don't Know Squat

I had a heavy and intense leg workout today.

Started off with the ultimate leg and whole body exercise, basic barbell squats.
Everything was 2-3 sets, 4-6 reps, except for abs which I keep in the 10-12 rep range.

Focus on building lean muscle even if you want to burn fat.

Squats
BB Lunges
Stiff Led Deadlifts
Standing Calf Raises
Cable Crunches
Incline Crunches

You Don't Know Squat - Squats Are King For Building Muscle
by Sean Barker, CPT

Most people will complain about not being able to put size on their lower body and these people are usually the ones if they even do work legs regularly; it's endless sets doing quad extensions and half rep leg presses. These don't even come close! You have to remember that your lower body carries half of your body's entire muscle mass. Your glutes is also your your body's largest muscle.

Hey, squatting is hard. Especially starting off they are challenging to learn and awkward. Then when you get up to 300, 400 lbs plus on the bar they are quite intimidating. Again, they are hard work. But this is why they are the most effective exercise for your entire body that you will ever do.

So learn to do them correctly, learn to go heavy and learn to go deep. This question had many debates of how low should you go? I believe the most effective depth for complete muscular overload and control when squatting is to go down until your quads just go below parallel. Once you master the physical aspect of this exercise, then all is left is to overcome that fear of the intense effort that is required.

Never sacrifice form and depth for a heavier weight especially with this exercise. The nature of this movement can allow some impressive poundage's and can increase chance of injury if your form is not correct. Gradually try to add a couple pounds to the bar each week and before you know it you'll be on your way to achieving the awesome leg development you're after.

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

New Dad Fitness Column at TheFatherLife.com

I had a great Back and Biceps workout this morning.

I love getting back to basics with my training. 2-3 sets per exercise, 4-6 reps per set.

Remember the best fat burner is MUSCLE and the best way to build lean muscle is workouts like those found in Dad Fitness.

Short, intense workouts done only 3 times a week!

Deadlifts
Pullups
One Arm DB Rows
BB Curls
DB Curls
Shrugs

Check out my new column article at TheFatherLife.com!



Read article here==>Thanks Dad

Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

The Top 8 Fat Loss Tips For Men

No Dad Fitness workout for me today. I will be hitting Back & Biceps tomorrow morning at the gym.

You got questions? Well I got answers!

Here are The Top 8 Fat Loss questions I get asked by busy dads.

1. What is the biggest mistake men make when trying to get 6 pack abs?

Not following a set plan. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!”

If getting 6 packs abs is a goal, then do what needs to be done to reach that goal.

This involves following a plan of consistent workouts that rev up your metabolism and burn calories and following a structured meal plan 90% of each week. You don’t have to be perfect, but 90% will get you results and allow you a little wiggle room. For example, 6 meals a day for 7 days is 42 meals. To make sure your getting 90% compliance, this allows you to mess up 4 of these 42 meal or snacks during the week.

Keep track of each workout and each meal. If your not keeping track of these things you are just spinning your wheels.

Would you just go out and spend money everyday and not look at your bank account?

2. Do I have to give up alcohol to get rid of that "beer gut"?

Just remember that it all boils down to calories in vs calories out. Booze is just extra empty calories. If your gut is truly a “beer” gut then staying away from beer will eliminate all those excess calories. Just 6 beers add up to a whopping 900 calories! That’s almost half of your total daily calories requirements.

Plus drinking also stimulates your appetite and lowers your inhibitions so you are more likely to chow down on those chicken wings or pizza after a couple beers.

That’s why the first thing they ask you at a restaurant is “do you want a drink?” because people will eat more when they drink.

If maximum fat loss is goal just cut out alcohol for the short term until you reach your goal. If you can’t do that, you have another problem that you should deal with first.

3. What are your top 10 foods to lose fat fast?

1. Fish
2. Chicken Breasts
3. Lean Beef
4. Eggs
5. Spinach
6. Bell Peppers
7. Broccoli
8. Oatmeal
9. Mixed Nuts
10. Fruit

4. Do you need to do cardio to burn body fat? If so, what kind of cardio is the most effective?

You don’t have to do cardio in the traditional form of what most people think to burn fat. People were burning fat long before treadmills and stationary bikes.

You just need to do high intensity exercise that revs up your metabolism each and every workout. Basically if it’s hard, it burns lots of calories! This is the most efficient way to burn calories as bodyfat. You could run, sprint, swim, lift weights, do supersets with weights. Keeping track and shortening your rest periods between exercises is an awesome away to burn calories and increase your conditioning.

Remember you don’t really burn much fat when you are actually exercising, except for a small amount of fatty acids that are in your bloodstream.

It’s the calories your body burns during the other 23 hours of the day that count. With exercise and a clean diet you will put your body in a caloric deficit which is still the ONLY proven way to melt off that unwanted fat.

5. Is it necessary to do endless crunches to build your abs?

Absolutely not!

Would you do 100 reps of bicep curls do develop your arms?

No, you would you use a weight that is challenging.

Performing compound free weight exercises like squats and deadlifts will work your abs better than lying on your back doing endless crunches.

For direct ab exercises, stability exercises like planks and side planks are great to increase core strength. To increase the difficulty perform these on a stability ball or remove one of your bodies pillars ( one leg or arm off the ground).

To develop those 6 pack muscles also do weighted exercises like the cable rope crunch, (I know its called a crunch…) and seated bench leg lifts with a dumbbell between your feet. Keep the reps between 8-10.

6. What is the best exercise to lose belly fat?

The best exercise to lose belly fat is…

The one you are going to do to consistently and intensely!

No matter how good the exercise is at burning calories or building muscle, if you don’t do it you won’t achieve the benefits.

But to answer the question, any movement that involves the most muscles and gives you “the best bang for your fat burning buck”

If I had to choose I would probably choose the barbell deadlift, as it pretty much uses every muscle in your body to perform correctly. You can do it with heavy weights for lows reps to build muscle which in turn burns fat or you can do it with a lighter weight and do higher reps which will challenge your cardiovascular system.

7. Can busy dads lose those unwanted pounds in just 3 hours a week?

Providing the workouts are structured to provide maximum afterburn to burn calories and a structured diet is followed that is less than their caloric maintenance level, then yes it is possible.

My Dad Fitness workouts provide these two key components in only 3 hours a week because of the combination of high intensity weight training and supersets and high intensity cardio interval training.

30 minutes of resistance exercise followed by 16 minutes of intervals gives you maximum muscle building and fat loss in only 3 hours a week.

Combined with a healthy diet of 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, busy dads are losing those unwanted pounds in the shortest amount of time so they can get on with their life and spend time with their family.

8. What is the SECRET about getting six pack abs?

I am sure you heard the famous quote "Knowledge Is Power" right?

Well, guess what, I believe that’s a bunch of crap!

If that were true most people walking around these days would be in
awesome shape with lean hard 6 pack abs.

But we all know that’s not the case.

Even though most people already know you have to eat healthy and
exercise to get in shape.

So they have the KNOWLEDGE, but do they have the POWER?

Only if they take ACTION

That's because "Applied Knowledge Is Power!", see the difference?

So if that is the secret, I am letting it out know. Take action.

You have the knowledge.




Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com

Build Shoulders Like Frankenstien

Matea ready for takeakeoff

Last night went well with our little honey bee as we took her around trick or treating to mostly family and close friends. I think we hit about 10 houses and the back seat was full of goodies for Matea. Mostly baby items like baby food, books, bibs and teethers as she is not old enough to eat any real treats.

I headed out to the gym this morning to burn off a few extra treats in a balmy -15 deg Celsius with 50kmh winds!

Gotta love Northern Canada, eh?

We have actually been lucky this fall as usually we are covered in snow by Halloween.

This was my Dad Fitness workout for today.Finished in one hour exactly.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Flat BB Bench, 3 sets of 4-6 reps
Incline DB Bench, 2 sets of 4-6 reps
Chest Dips, 1 sets of 4-6 reps
Seated BB Shoulder Press, 2 sets of 4-6 reps
Side Lateral Raise, 2 sets of 4-6 reps
Lying Tricep Ext, 2 sets of 4-6 reps
Cable Pushdowns, 2 sets of 4-6 reps

Here is a great Shoulder superset to build wider shoulders.




Sean Barker, CPT

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at www.dadfitness.com