H.I.G.T...advanced training tips.


Muscle has a simple formula, Weight x Intensity = Muscle!

Try this massive fat burning muscle building group.
Repeat all groups three times (Three sets) with no rest between exercises. Rest 1 min between groups. Use challenging to heavy weight for each exercise.

1) Squat 10 reps, with no rest move directly into pull-up 10 reps.


2) Dumbbell bench press 10 reps, directly into dumbbell shoulder military press 10 reps.

3) Barbell standing bicep curl 10 reps, directly into standing cable triceps
press down 10 reps.

You just completed a full body training session and have sent your body into full throttle fat burning, muscle building mode.

AbFitt-

Are you ready for the best body ever?


If you want to take your fitness and fat loss to the next level, without spending more time in the gym—then My high Intensity Group training (also known as HIGT) could be exactly what you're looking for. Its proven & it works.

Before getting into the details, notice that I didn’t say HIGT would be easier, just that it would take less of your time. In fact, the HIGT approach to exercise is very physically demanding and isn’t for everyone. If you have any cardiovascular problems or other health concerns that limit your ability to exercise at very intense levels, or if you are relatively new to AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC exercise or not already in good shape, HIGT is not for you—at least for now. If you have any doubts or concerns about whether it might be safe for you, check in with your medical professional before trying HIGT.

What It Is and How It Works
HIGT is a specialized form of interval weight training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated short intervals of low to moderate rest periods. Because it involves briefly pushing yourself beyond the upper end of your aerobic exercise zone, it offers you several advantages that traditional steady-state exercise (where you keep your heart rate within your aerobic zone) can’t provide:

* HIGT trains and conditions both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. You train your anaerobic system with brief, all-out efforts, when you GROUP TOGETHER MULTIPLE EXERCISES.
* HIGT increases the amount of calories you burn during your exercise session and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover from each exercise session.
* HIGT causes metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel under a variety of conditions. This will improve your athletic endurance as well as your fat-burning potential.
* HIGT appears to limit muscle loss that can occur with weight loss, in comparison to traditional steady-state cardio exercise of longer duration.
* To get the benefits HIGT, you need to push yourself past the upper end of your anaerobic zone and allow your body to replenish your anaerobic energy system during the recovery intervals.

The key element of HIGT that makes it different from other forms of interval training is that the high intensity intervals involve maximum effort, not simply a higher heart rate. There are many different approaches to HIGT, each involving different numbers of high and low intensity intervals, different levels of intensity during the low intensity intervals, different lengths of time for each interval, and different numbers of training sessions per week. If you want to use HIGT to improve performance for a particular sport or activity, you’ll need to tailor your training program to the specific needs and demands of your activity.

General HIGT Guidelines

* HIGT is designed for people whose primary concerns are boosting overall cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and fat loss, without losing the muscle mass they already have.
* Before starting any HIGT program, you should be able to exercise for at least 20-30 minutes at 70-85% of your estimated maximum heart rate, without exhausting yourself or having problems.
* Because HIGT is physically demanding, it’s important to gradually build up your training program so that you don’t overdo it.

* Work as hard as you can during the high intensity intervals, until you feel the burning sensation in your muscles indicating that you have entered your anaerobic zone. Elite athletes can usually sustain maximum intensity exercise for three to five minutes before they have to slow down and recover, so don’t expect to work longer than that.
* Full recovery takes about four minutes for everyone, but you can shorten the recovery intervals if your high intensity intervals are also shorter and don’t completely exhaust your anaerobic energy system.
* If you experience any chest pain or breathing difficulties during your HIGT workout, cool down immediately. (Don't just stop or else blood can pool in your extremities and lightheaded or faintness can occur.)
* If your heart rate does not drop back down to about 70% of your max during recovery intervals, you may need to shorten your work intervals and/or lengthen your recovery intervals.
* HIGT (including the sample program below) is not for beginner exercisers or people with cardiovascular problems or risk factors. If you have cardiovascular problems or risk factors should NOT attempt HIGT unless your doctor has specifically cleared you for this kind of exercise.

Live fit, be fit, ABFITT! Fit /school......




What is your philosophy on nutrition?

10 basic rules.

1. Food should be natural, fresh, pure, and whole.

I only recommend eating whole foods that are left in their natural, un-altered state because these foods are the highest in nutritional value. I try to avoid all processed foods, (especially white flour pasta, white bread, and white rice) but also bad fats, high fructose corn syrup and sugar at all times. Refined foods like white flour and sugar provide no nutritional value and are full of empty calories. PLUS, eating these foods also makes your liver have to work super hard to process it all, which can cause your fat loss efforts to slow down. If the stress on your liver wasn’t bad enough, these “dead foods” (dead because they aren’t living or grow) contain few if any nutrients, and if your diet contains too much of these food types you are at a high risk of being overfed, overweight, and undernourished. So always be sure to eat foods that are “alive” and unaltered by man. Your body can use the natural antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in unaltered foods to keep you healthy as well as keep your body functioning at its peak. If your body isn’t functioning at peak capacity, your training efforts will suffer.

2. Always try to eat every 2-4 hours and be sure to eat 5-7 small meals daily.

By eating smaller meals more frequently you will give your metabolism a boost and essentially burn more fat. This is also a surefire way to increase muscle mass. Of course the macronutrients will vary from person to person.

3. Always eat before you are starving.

This just re-emphasizes rule number 2. If you wait until you are absolutely starving to eat, you will most likely end up overeating, or hitting up a corner store or drive through joint and regretting it later. I also never, ever ever buy foods that are tempting. If you keep foods like cookies, cakes, and chips out of the house and office you will be less likely to cheat and blow your diet.

4. Always prepare your meals in advance.

Eating 5-7 meals daily every 2-4 hours is not easy, especially if you have a busy schedule. If you plan your meals in advance though, you will have prepared healthy food to eat throughout the day and be less likely to eat something unhealthy if you get a food craving. I usually take one day out of the week (typically on the weekend) and prepare all of my meals for the week ahead.

5. Keep variety in your diet.

Any diet is boring without variety, but even more importantly, when we lack nutritional variety we can’t supply the body with all of the nutrients that it needs to remain in optimal health. Most diseases are associated with a nutritional deficiency of some sort so it is very important that we add variety to our diet so that we get the full spectrum nutrients that we need to remain healthy, grow, and improve our physiques. In order to make progress and remain healthy it is important to eat enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats daily. However, each macronutrient should be eaten in the correct amount at each meal, and you should not eat the same foods everyday. Eating the same foods in excess can cause nutritional deficiencies because this means that other foods are not used in sufficient variety in the diet. Many bodybuilders and amateur lifters fall into the chicken, broccoli, and sweet potato every day trap. Your body will never recover and grow if it is lacking the essential nutrients that it needs, and the best way to get the full spectrum of nutrients is by mixing up your diet.

6. Never fry foods or use heated oils to cook food.

Foods that are cooked in oils and/or fried are cooked at high heat. This high heat food preparation process is dangerous because it lowers nutritional value and makes food almost impossible to digest. Cooking using heated oils and frying is also a contributing factor to heart disease, hardening of the arteries, and high cholesterol. This means you should also avoid heated healthy oils as well.

7. Eat plenty of fiber.

If you want to remain healthy and improve your physique, you cannot underestimate the importance of dietary fiber. Fiber improves digestion, keeps bad cholesterol levels down, and provides satiety which will keep you feeling fuller longer. I cannot emphasize the importance of dietary fiber enough. 20-25 grams daily is recommended.

8. Let nature work it’s magic to help you heal and recover.

We tear our bodies down when we train. In order to recover and keep our bodies steadily improving we must eat properly, get enough sleep, and supply the body with the nutrients that it needs to repair tissue.

9. Maintain an 80% alkaline and 20% acid ratio.

Proteins and starches are acid, most vegetables and fruits are alkaline. Just about all of the metabolic wastes of the body are acids so we need to eat alkaline forming foods like fruits and vegetables to neutralize these acid wastes. Acid wastes are especially dangerous because they are believed to cause a variety of health problems and chronic diseases.

10. Drink plenty of water.

Because our bodies are over 70% water, drinking enough water is very important. Water helps prime the body for fat loss, as well as flush out harmful toxins. Not drinking enough can lead to a water imbalance in the body, which can increase your risk of disease and dehydration. Be sure to drink between 64 and 128 ounces of water daily.

Where does your motivation come from?


I have always been motivated from within. I’m the type of person where if I set a goal, I’ll do whatever I can to make that goal become real. Of course I’m not superhuman and I have bad days just like anyone else where I’ll feel lazy, lethargic, and won’t feel like training or eating clean. There are days when I say to myself…oh you can take today off, you don’t feel like it and deserve a break or…oh just a few cookies wont hurt…you are already in great shape.

But in order to be successful, I mean successful in anything, not just fitness stuff, you have to make sacrifices and you have to want it deep down. You can't light a fire under someone that doesn’t really want something…chances are they will be pumped up about it for a short while, and then lose interest. Nothing worth doing will ever be easy and if you don’t want it bad enough to work hard for it, you’ll never get it.

Most people fail in the gym because they give up once they realize how hard they have to train and how often you need to eat clean foods in order to be successful. The few that persevere and keep grinding are the ones that are rewarded with success. Quitters are always left wondering “what if”, and that sucks. That is the difference between an average physique and a great physique. The men and woman with the great physiques just want it more, they are more disciplined, and it shows.

MY TRAINING: Weights & Boxing....

Most of my training is based around H.I.G.T & compound movements with little to no rest periods. I try to be creative in the gym and like to have variety in my training. I do just about a little of everything. When I train, I always try to go as hard as I can, as fast as I can, and as heavy as I can. I like to train with maximum intensity and focus every time I train. I leave it all in the gym.

Laws of leanness II, Simply shredded & fight ready.

Most training programs play it on the safe side, assuming that people will only push themselves so hard for so long. Well here at ABFITT, my motto, our motto is a simple one. Live fit, be fit! What that means is nothing worth having comes easy. A fit, strong, lean, muscular, fat free body comes with a price. How much in sweat and time are you willing to pay?

Introducing H.I.A/A.G.T.....high intensity anaerobic/aerobic group training, the little brother with an attitude to H.I.G.T!


This training routine is on opposite days of weight training days.

Group one
3 min skip rope
25 close grip push-ups
10 dumbbell squat-presses (challenging weight)
15 dumbbell squat-presses (half of previous weight)
30 second rest

Group two
1 1/2 min skip rope
25 wide grip push-ups
10 dumbbell squat-presses (challenging weight)
15 dumbbell squat-presses (half of previous weight)
1 1/2 min skip rope
30 second rest

Group 3
1 min skip rope
25 close grip push up
1 min skip rope
10 dumbbell squat-presses (challenging weight)
1 min skip rope
15 dumbbell squat-presses (half of previous weight)
30 second rest

Repeat all three groups. For a total of six sets.....

Live fit, be fit, ABFITT! Fit facts....





Get Rid Of Fake Food & Go For Fiber!

* “Cut out all refined grains and highly processed foods like crackers, white breads and baked goods. They’re generally filled with empty calories and offer little nutritional benefit. In the form of food, aim for 20-25 grams per day of fiber. Fiber = fullness, a real aide in weight loss. Look for whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, peas), vegetables and fruits. For breads, get sprouted wheat, whole wheat or seeded rye; for pasta 100% whole grain; for rice – wild rice or brown rice; for dessert try 1 ounce squares of dark chocolate (at least 60%) which contain healthful flavonoids and other compounds beneficial for your heart.”

Eat Often!

* “Everyone, regardless of weight or health goal, should be eating every three hours. It’s better for digestion, metabolism and energy, to say nothing of mood and your body’s efficiency. Don’t try to starve yourself into weight loss. It doesn’t work. You have to eat to lose.”


Work Out!

* “Strength training is fundamental to any successful weight loss/muscle building management program. Emphasize burning fat and building muscle and you’ll look better, feel better and be stronger. Additionally,for woman 

Some critical things to remember:
Don’t forsake strength training for endless cardio – it doesn’t work! You have to convert your body into a fat-burning machine, and that happens with strength training, not hours and hours of cardio. The longer your cardio training goes your body begins to burn your most prized fat burning tool you own, MUSCLE. If you’re taking more than an hour to do your workout, it’s probably not efficient.


Sleep!

* “Don’t forget to start getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Insufficient sleep can affect weight loss efforts.”


Stay Hydrated!

* “Drink at least 8 (8 oz) glasses of water daily. Water is critically important for metabolic processes, and dehydration affects your energy, mood, skin and demeanor.”

Laws of leanness, Richard Seymour's fit school.


Lets Begin

Most think of altering the metabolism as “boosting it,” but there are things you can do that also change the way the body handles food. For example, simply by taking a fiber supplement, you can alter the way your body handles carbohydrates. Fiber stimulates carbs to bypass fat storing pathways, which in turn means they ultimately head down other pathways for muscle fueling or building. There you go – a simple nutrition step to modify your metabolism. Here are a few steps you can take to cut up and lower your bodyfat. Coupled with controlling your calories, they can transform your metabolism and help you get shredded.

1 Increase Your Protein

If you struggle with bodyfat, you should stress protein–more chicken, eggs, fish, beef, low-fat dairy and protein powders. Why? Not all calories–carbs, protein and fat–are equal in their efficiency to be stored as bodyfat. Protein exerts a greater metabolic-boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle, which helps keep the metabolism (calorie burning) elevated. Protein also helps to keep hunger down, which assists you in holding down your calories without losing your mind. Aim for 1 1/2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily spread over five, six or even seven smaller meals.

2 Manipulate Your Carbs

Carbohydrates help retain muscle (and muscle is a metabolic booster), yet they can also stimulate fat storage. Following a modified low-carb diet–three consecutive days of consuming 100-125 g a day, followed by a single day of taking in 300-400 g, offers muscle support minus the fat storage. How so? When you eat fewer carbs and replace those carbs with protein, in general, the body ramps up fat-mobilizing enzymes and hormones resulting in accelerated fat loss. However, a prolonged period of lower carbs can leave your muscle looking flat, since glycogen (the storage form of carbs in muscle) pulls water into the muscle. When you go low carb, the muscles get depleted of their glycogen and lose some water and therefore their fullness. Therefore, load back up on carbs every fourth or fifth day.

3 Stack Carnitine, BCAA’s & Caffeine

Cardio is a good way to trigger fat loss. The ideal time is after workouts, as research shows that you burn more fat when you do cardio after a weight workout. However, another good time, to do cardio is in the morning before eating. Why? That’s when sugar levels in the blood are eat their lowest. If you perform cardio when your blood sugar and insulin are low, fat burning is maximized. One drawback: cardio can burn muscle. Using 5 g of branched chain amino acids, 1-3 g of carnitine and 200-400 milligrams of caffeine 30 minutes prior to cardio helps block muscle breakdown, preserves metabolic-driving muscle tissue and boost hormones that break down bodyfat. The supplement combo can even preserve testosterone, the muscle-building hormone that often declines with cardio activity.

4 Eat More Fish

When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss. One study revealed that dieters who ate fish on a daily basis lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week. One possible reason–omega-3s are thought to make the receptors on fat cells more sensitive to the fat-liberating effects of norepinephrine (also known as NE), a main fat-burning hormone. In other words, fish fat makes NE work better. The other possible reason is that omega-3s tend to promote the storage of carbohydrates into muscle as muscle glycogen. If carbs are kept busy producing glycogen, they cannot stimulate or participate in the fat-storing process.

5 Take Creatine For Cuts

Creatine–the muscle-building supplement–can also aid fat loss. Creatine exerts an increase in metabolism when combined with weight training, to the tune of 100 calories a day. So, make sure you get in 3-5 g with your pre-and postworkout meals.

Boxing back in Allentown PA



The Allentown Boxing Gym is Getting Ready to Face the Reading Boxing Gym for a Showdown at the Roadway inn here in Allentown, PA on February 27,2010. We need the support from our local boxing fans. Tickets can be purchased by calling or e-mail. You can also stop by the Allentown Boxing Gym at (402 Ridge Avenue) from 4:00pm till 9:00pm Monday through Friday and Saturday 10:am till 3:00pm

Thank You
Luis Melendez

(484-860-5162) or atownboxingluis@gmail.com, lmelendez65@gmail.com