.

The other day I posted about some of the latest research related stuff I’m reading so I figured it would only be fitting today to throw down a FREE annual subscription to my friend Shawn Thistle’s Fitness Research Review Service.

.

If you’re a busy strength coach, trainer, or fitness enthusiast and you like to be up on the most recent research so your methods stay on the cutting edge then this is a great way to do just that.  With bright minds like some of my friends Patrick Ward, Carson Boddicker, and Kevin Neeld on the review team you can bet that the reviews are solid.  If you don’t have the time or inclination to read the research for yourself, this service can make it simple to stay ahead of the masses.

.

All you have to do is check out the Research Review Service and let me know in the comments that you want a free subscription for the next year and I’ll do a draw on Monday to award the membership to the winner.

.

On your mark, get set, get it!

.

PS: Since next week is the last week before Christmas I’ll be giving away Nick Tumminello’s Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD, a copy of Mike Robertson’s Single Leg Solution, AND a copy of Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, and Bill Hartman’s Assess and Correct. 

.

PPS: Make sure you come back often so you don’t miss out!

.

.

As most of my frequent readers know, I’m an avid reader of anything and everything to do with fitness and nutrition.  Today I’d like to share with you some of the stuff I think is worth reading this week.

.

1.  Interview with me by Ben Bruno

.

In case you missed this last week, my friend and up and coming strength coach Ben Bruno (his blog seriously kicks ass) interviewed me about training, fat loss, mullets, and everything in between.  I think this is possibly my best interview yet.  Check it out HERE.

.

2.  High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss

.

You’ve probably heard me ranting (as in the interview above) about the relative usefulness of interval training for fat loss.  Well…just today I recieved the email update from The Journal of Obesity and it featured a great review on the research on Interval Training for fat loss by Dr. Stephen Boutcher.

.

His conclusion (for those who don’t feel like reading the whole thing) is as follows:

.

“The effects of HIIE on subcutaneous and abdominal fat loss are promising but more studies using overweight individuals need to be carried out. Given that the major reason given for not exercising is time, it is likely that the brevity of HIIE protocols should be appealing to most individuals interested in fat reduction. The optimal intensity and length of the sprint and rest periods together with examination of the benefits of other HIIE modalities need to be established.”

.

It should be mentioned that the protocol created by his team that uses 8 second intervals with 12 seconds of rest that I described in THIS ARTICLE appears to be the best researched backed interval method for fat loss that I’ve seen to date.  I still think the results are pretty modest and not worthy of the hype intervals get, but if I’m going to use intervals this is the method of choice…for now at least.

.

*Note that this review did not include Dr. Lemon’s latest study which shows similar amounts of fat loss for intervals versus steady state running.  Again…faster, but not necessarily better.

.

3.  Factors that may impede the weight loss response to exercise-based interventions

.

I’ve said before that exercise is often unable to provide much benefit over and above diet alone for weight loss.  However, it is important to remember that individual differences do apply and it does work for some (men more than women), but not others.  This review talks about these differences and makes recommendations on the use of exercise for weight loss.

.

And finally, I want to congratulate Chris Krattiger on winning Mike Boyle’s Functional Strength Coach 3.0 last week.  Chris, I’ll be in touch shortly to get your mailing info.  Everyone else, keep reading.  More stuff to come this week!

.

PS: Please feel free to read the articles above and discuss in the comments below.

.

.

Okay…for the last two weeks I’ve been ranting on about my friend Smitty’s new product Accelerated Muscular Development so I just wanted to let you know that today is the last day to get it for 20% off and save yourself $50 bucks.

.

Who is Jim Smith?

.

.

Admittedly, part of the reason I’m getting behind this product is because my boy Jim is a great guy, buy mostly because he’s completely legit.  He isn’t an armchair coach who’s never trained himself or worked with a single person.  He’s out there in the trenches every single day programming and putting guys (and himself) through workouts just like the ones in Accelerated Muscular Development.  Frankly, I love talking about theory, but we could argue about that for years.  At the end of the day I’m going to trust someone who is getting it done day after day in the real world.  That is why when Smitty talks, I listen.

.

Smitty has also contributed to Mens’ Health, Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, and is a member of the Elite Fitness Q&A staff with previous products sold in as many as 67 countries!!!  In short, Jim knows his stuff.

.

What do you get?

.

Of course, the main reason I’m behind this product is that I think that the material is rock solid and I really enjoyed checking out Smitty’s workouts.  Check out the stuff you’ll get direct by digital download the second you purchase (yes, this means no waiting for shipping).

.

Complete AMD 2.0 System <— I love this!

AMD Power Core

AMD Essential Recovery

2 – 12 Week AMD 2.0 Programs

.
…AND Six Fast Action Bonuses

.

Deadlift 101 Fundamentals Manual  <— I love this!

Deadlift 101 Fundamentals Video

AMD Explosive Fat Loss Manual

AMD Upper Body Training Session

AMD Upper Lower Training Session

Premier Youtube Channel

.

I won’t belabor you with details here.  You can check out Smitty’s Accelerated Muscular Development page and get all the details for yourself.  But let me just say that I’m totally stoked about the AMD System Manual as well as the Deadlift Manual.  These items alone are worth the cost of the product.

.

Frankly, I think if you’re going to give yourself a Christmas present this year, this should be it.  Most importantly, if you’re on the fence, you can try the system for 8 full weeks (read the books, watch the videos, do the workouts) and if you’re still not as impressed as I am you can get a hassle free refund and keep the whole system and the bonuses for your trouble.  Basically, there is no risk. 

.

So I’ll leave it at that.  Smitty is legit.  AMD 2.0 is legit.  If you want access to cutting edge training strategies by someone who is actually in the trenches that don’t require you to workout 6 days per week to pack on mass then I’d highly suggest you check this out.

.

Accelerated Muscular Development  <— Get it now!  The 20% off sale ends TONIGHT.

.

Have a great weekend!

.

.

A couple weeks back my good friend Tony Gentilcore wrote a post about an article that was published recently called the Workout Enigma.  It talked about a study that showed some people actually became weaker and less fit after a 21 week exercise program.  Needless to say, I had to check this out.

.

Today you can check out my full on review on Tony’s blog HERE.

.

Also, don’t forget that there is only one day left to pick up your copy of Accelerated Muscular Development at a 20% discount and comment on the post HERE to grab your free copy of Mike Boyles Functional Strength Coach 3.0.

.

.

Today I just have a few short topics to discuss so I’ll do so quickly and random fashion.

.

1.  A while ago I put a Rotater up for grabs and frankly I don’t have the patience to wait for 100 comments.  This morning I was feeling especially giving and awarded one to Mark, James, and Cheryl for commenting on the post.  Special thanks also out to Chris Melton for giving these away.

.

2.  Recently I’ve been wondering if each person only gained 1 pound each year over Christmas and never lost it through the year could be a contributor to the fact that most people over 30 years old are at least 20 pounds overweight.  In short, the best solution for fat loss is never putting it on in the first place.

.

3.  Fat loss has little to do with learning more about diet and exercise and more to do with barriers.  While this doesn’t sound overly sexy or exciting (or it makes me sound like Dr. Phil), I’m willing to suggest that most people may not know exactly what they should be eating, but they certainly know what they shouldn’t.  For example, we all know veggies = good,  lean meat = good, non processed grains = good, and daily Big Macs = Get Fat.  So WHY do we eat these things?  I sincerely believe that if more people spent more time addresssing these questions they would lose more body fat and be less likely to put it back on.  I’ll be addressing this more in detail in a post soon.  But rest assured this is how I deal with my clients and that if I ever come out with a fat loss product that is exactly where it would be focused.

.

4.  I love funny stuff and THIS is quite simply the funniest thing I have seen in a LONG time.  I literally had tears.

.

5.  A while back I mentioned that I was going to be offering up Mike Boyle’s new book as part of my Christmas giveaway.  Well…I lied.  Instead, Mike totally surprised me by sending me a copy of Functional Strength Coach 3.0 to give away instead!!!  This is a NINE disc DVD set complete with a training manual and additional workouts!  If you want in on this drop me a comment below letting me know you want it.  The draw will happen Friday at midnight so don’t miss this.

.

.

6.  If you’re thinking of picking up my friend Smitty’s new product Accelerated Muscular Development you’d best do so ASAP.  It is currently $77, but if you don’t pick it up in the next day or so the price will jump to $127!  Best of all, Smitty assures me that if you don’t like the product or you aren’t 100% satisfied with the results you can get a hassle free refund for up to 8 weeks.  Frankly, I don’t think you’ll need it since the product is pretty kick ass, but you can rest assured that if you don’t agree you can get your cash back.

.

.

PS: Don’t forget to comment if you want the Functional Strength Coach set too!

.