Caffeine Works...Here's How

 

Caffeine

A main component of coffee and tea, caffeine is the most common thermogenic, showing up in most fat-burning formulas and energy drinks.

Caffeine works in several ways. It increases epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), which is a potent hormone that dismantles stored body fat. Caffeine may also act centrally by decreasing caloric intake. Another consistent effect of caffeine intake is that users perceive exercise as less strenuous, which could be due to caffeine’s role as a potent adenosine receptor antagonist. Caffeine intake also increases the use of fat during rest and exercise. In fact, moderate caffeine intake is associated with improved long-term body-weight regulation and health.

Take home: Caffeine levels peak 30–120 minutes after ingestion and boosts metabolic rate by about 13% over that time period. And despite some embellished warnings about caffeine, moderate intake is very well tolerated in healthy people. Go with 100–300 mg of caffeine in the morning and the same amount one to two hours before your workouts.

Sonny Brown From The Gold Coast, Queensland Australia, Living A Fit Life!

 Q:  No introductions needed down under but for some of our US readers can you give us some background on yourself...

 SONNY BROWN:  I am 26, 5,8 and weigh 79kg. I live on the Gold Coast in Australia. I am lucky enough to live over the road from the beach. I live for fitness and surfing. I love sharing my knowledge to help others achieve the body they thought they couldn't.


 Q: So what does the new year have in store for Sonny Brown? Any upcoming contest's or new projects in the works?


 SONNY BROWN: This year is going to be huge!! My partner and I own a business called Greater Health. We have over 20 athletes we are preparing to compete in 3 months from now from bikini to fitness model. I will be competing in June in The Asia Pacific Fitness Model championship. Roughly ten days later I will be leaving Australia to compete in America with the WBFF
 http://wbffshows.com/

Q: Any plans on working or competing in the USA?

 SONNY BROWN:  I'm coming : )


Q: let's talk your personal view of living a fitness lifestyle, what does that mean to you and how do you ensure success.


  SONNY BROWN:  At the age of 16 I was an Australian champion body boarder. I was following a pro junior tour and was sponsored by the best company's in the business. I found I lost site of my goals as i grew older. I found myself working a very well payed job by the age of 19 but i wasn't happy. I was missing something big. I continued with self abuse and working a job I didn't believe in. I joined a gym at 21 and I have never looked back. Fitness has become a lifestyle for me. I cant go a day without thinking of training. I love being in great shape it exceeds any other high ever. Fitness is whatever you want it to be, for me it is simply the answer to all.


Q: Can you take us through a day in the life of Sonny Brown as it relates to fitness. How you manage work, your fitness and nutrition on a daily basis.


 SONNY BROWN: I train twice a day so I usually make my way to the gym that I train and work out of around 8am. I train abs or do some fasted cardio depending on what my goals are at the time. I will head home eat my first meal as well as prepare my food for the day. I then answer all emails and cover Facebook etc. I head back to gym for roughly 1pm train my weight session finishing in time to train anywhere from 3 to 5 clients.

  
Q: I have seen tremendous responses to your " you tube " video's posted on your FaceBook page.  Fan's seem to appreciate your current conditioning & find them very helpful. Can you talk about your nutrition & supplementation. Can you give my readers a detailed day of what your diet/nutrition is like. Any foods you must have and supplements you believe in?


  SONNY BROWN: I believe that nutrition is the key to results both in and out of the gym. I personally like to mix my food sources up depending on what my goals are at the time. Here is a look at what I eat:

NUTRITION:
Meal 1: 50g oats, 50g berries and 40g Syn Tec Glyco Whey
Meal 2: 40g Syn Tec Glyco Whey 35 almonds
Meal 3: Wholemeal organic wraps,avocado,chicken or lean meats i use low fat cheese (pre workout meal)
Meal 4: 200g meat or fish 250g sweet potato
Meal 5: Syn Tec Glyco Whey 40g 35 almonds
Meal 6: Eggs and Broccoli

   I have also been using a method were after training muscle groups I"m wanting to bring up I add extra calories and carbs post training. I use this method as my cheat meal it allows me to keep body fat low whilst feeding the muscle and my brain some extra foods from different sources. I love sushi and peanut butter chocolate ice cream. As a natural athlete I feel supplementation is essential. I have had great results using Syn Tec, BCAA, beta alaninine, arginine and CLA. In the past when carb cycling i feel flat. I have added the above and had a great full and vascular look even when doing super low carb days.



Q: Being a fitness professional requires your body fat levels to be low year round for photo shoots and such, how do you manage to keep your body fat levels at a manageable level to be ready to shoot?


  SONNY BROWN: I believe this is the hardest part of wanting or trying to be a fitness professional. I personally find that staying 3kg away from my shoot or comp weight is the best way to gauge it all. If you want to be the best you have to set the bar high. Im sitting here now writing this hungry. Why you ask?! Because that is the difference between getting a call to shoot in five days and nailing the condition. Or showing up and the photographer saying "we should of called the other guy". Choice is simple how bad do you want it?!



Q: What is your current weight training split like?


  SONNY BROWN: I currently weigh 79kg I dont have a structured split but this is what I am currently doing with my weight training:

TRAINING:

 Monday: Chest and abs
Tuesday: Quads and calves
Wed: Biceps and abs (am) Triceps (pm)
Thur: Hamstrings and calves
Fri: Shoulders and back
Sat: Abs



Q: Can you give ABFITT readers a few important tips leading into this new year who are looking to achieve their best body ever?


 SONNY BROWN: I believe results are based around your relative goals. I believe the best way to get the most out of your training and nutrition is to set achievable goals. For some of my clients who struggle to eat clean five days a week i set them two cheat meals a week. Does this mean getting lean happens slower, yes. But in the long run they are killing it. If they had eaten clean for four days then failed on the fifth this leaves them disheartened, down and not believing in themselves. Set yourself goals that you can smash not goals that are a world away. This way you are doing what your promised yourself. That is you achieving results!!



Q: Thank for taking time out to chat with ABFITT, Sonny anything you would like to leave us with?


  SONNY BROWN: Believe in your ability to change anything you want in your life. We all have the power to live our dreams. Hard work will be the basis of it all but you will be left with a sense of pride and achievement. That is you walking out of your door everyday feeling on top of the world. Have a huge 2013 it's your year........ ( Visit Sonny Brown's Fitness page on Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/sonnybrownfitness?ref=ts&fref=ts

                                       


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Rising National NPC Physique Star Dave Kantrowitz Talks with ABFITT

Rising Physique star  Dave Kantrowitz ready for big things in 2013.

Q: Dave Happy New Years and thanks for starting the year with ABFITT. Can you give us some background on yourself... (stats) contest weight etc...

Thanks Rich, same to you. I am very honored to kick off 2013 with ABFITT! I am a 23 year old National Level NPC Physique Competitor from New York. I am also a personal trainer, physical education teacher, and health education graduate student.

Physical fitness has always been a passion of mine and I really enjoy competing, networking, and creating new contacts within the industry.

I stand 5'7.5'' and weigh in at 170lbs. My contest weight is usually closer to 160lbs at ~3% body fat.

 

Q: So what does the new year have in store for Dave Kantrowitz? Any upcoming contest's or new projects in the works?

2013 is going to be a really big year for me! I have a lot of shows planned along with completing my Master's Degree this may. I will be competing in the 2013 Arnold Classic, Metropolitan Championship, Kemper Classic, and then all of the National Level Competitions until I attain IFBB Professional Status.

Q: Can you give us some of your past competition placings?

2012 Was my first year competing as a physique competitor in the NPC and I competed in 6 shows.

NJ State Championships: 2nd Place Physique A

Brandywine Cup: 1st Place Physique A

Brooklyn Grand Prix: 1st Place Physique A

NY Grand Prix: 1st Place Physique A and OVERALL PHYSIQUE CHAMPION

East Coast Championship: 3rd Place Physique A

National Championship: 16th Place Physique B

 

Q: let's talk your personal view of living a fitness lifestyle, what does that mean to you and how do you ensure success.

A healthy lifestyle, to me, is about balance. Aesthetics are attainable through nutrition, training, and proper rest. However, being able to balance all of that with work, family, friends, and social activities is what is most important.

I always make sure to take time out of my day to see those who are important and supportive of me and reach out to anyone who asks for my advice or help for anything. I have found that this type of balance makes it way easier to sustain a stable and active life.

 

Q: Can you take us through a day in the life of "Dave" as it relates to fitness. How you manage work, your fitness and nutrition on a daily basis.

My life is run by a series of alarms set on my cell phone (not kidding). I need that structure to make sure that I stay on time and on point with my diet, work, and general lifestyle

6am- wake up and hit 30 minutes of cardio

7am-  meal 1

8:30am - get to work

10:30am- meal 2

1:30pm- meal 3

2:30pm- head to the gym

4:30pm- meal 4

6pm- meal 5/dinner with the family/friends

9pm- meal 6

11pm- meal 7 and sleep

Q:  Can you give my readers a detailed day of what your diet/nutrition is like. Any foods you must have and supplements you believe in?
 

My diet is very strict as well as my supplementation. I have been fortunate enough to have two great sponsors in Athletic Xtreme and A1supplements who have taken care of me very well and help supply me with all of my supplemental diet needs! Because I am out of the house most of the delay I rely heavily on whey isolate shakes to consume adequate amounts of protein

Supplements

Athletic Xtreme- LeanFX, MassFX, HardFX, AXcell (BCAA)

AI- Glycobol

Eat the Bear- Pure Whey Isolate

Diet

Meal 1: 1/2 cup oats, 8 egg whites

Meal 2: 50g isolate shake

Meal 3: 6oz chicken, 6oz green beans, 1/2 large sweet potato

Meal 4: 50g isolate shake

Meal 5: same as 3

Meal 6: 25g isolate shake

Meal 7: 25g isolate shake with 1tbsp natural peanut butter

Q: Being a fitness professional requires your body fat levels to be low year round for photo shoots and such, how do you manage to keep your body fat levels at a manageable level to be ready to shoot?

I maintain a consistent diet, training and cardio schedule to maintain ~5-7% year round before dropping to ~3% for competition. By doing so I find that I am never rushed or pressured to get back into shape and avoid unhealthy living patterns

Q: What is your current weight training split like?


  I change up my exercises every week but my split typically follows a standard isolation style training regime

WORKOUT

Day 1: Chest

Day 2: Back

Day 3: Shoulders

Day 4: Cardio and abs only

Day 5: Arms

Day 6: Legs

Day 7: rest

Q: Can you give ABFITT readers a few important tips leading into this new year who are looking to achieve their best body ever?

When setting goals and objectives, you must be realistic. Losing 20lbs in a month is possible, but it is not maintainable and definitely not healthy. Pace yourself, do your research and train hard...it will pay off. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will you!!

Q: Dave anything you would like to leave us with? How can readers keep up and follow you?

I like to stay in contact with all of my friends/supporters as much as possible but the best way to reach me is definitely via social media

Website:   http://kantrowitzpe.wix.com/dkphysiquebsite:

Instagram: @davekantrowitz

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/davekantrowitzphysique

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments you have, or just reach out to say hey! I appreciate all the support and look forward to a great year in 2013!

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Introducing To American Fitness Fans, Ben "The Blue Print" Noy

 Putting US Fitness competitors on notice and bringing a whole new package along with him, meet UK's Ben Noy. Ben Noy is a top international fitness model and sponsored athlete with publications and magazine covers around the world. He started through fashion/commercial/underwear modeling where he worked for all the big names. Ben is also a spokesman for two charities (Down Syndrome Association and Bowel Cancer Association), runs his own online fitness support and life coaching website and has his own clothing brand and exclusive abs and fitness DVDs!

From a young age, Ben has developed a comprehensive and valuable sporting background with success to a high level in various natural bodybuilding, marathons/athletics, football, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and Thai boxing. His strong background has brought him to be a well-rounded, experienced and established celebrity personal trainer also renowned at the Reebok Sport Club in London, where he trains a huge range of high-end clients. Let's get to know this fitness inspiration in my exclusive one-on-one with Men's Health and Ab's of the Year 2011 Ben Noy. 


 Q:So what does the new year have in store for Ben Noy? Any upcoming contest's or new projects in the works? Any plans on working or competing in the USA?

Ben Noy:  This year I will be competing In the US and alongside bringing out a lot more products including more DVDs etc...As I feel I've reached my peak in the UK, the US is my next stop....

 Q: let's talk your personal view of living a fitness lifestyle, what does that mean to you and how do you ensure success.

Ben Noy: Preparation + opportunity + determination= Luck&Success

 Q: I had a tremendous response to a you tube video I posted of you talking "Ten pack abs", surprisingly the overwhelming number of inquiries were about your nutrition & supplementation. Can you give my readers a detailed day of what your diet/nutrition is like.  Being a fitness professional requires your body fat levels to be low year round for photo shoots and such, how do you manage to keep your body fat levels at a manageable level to be ready to shoot?

Ben Noy: My diet varies weekly, I don't tend to get much time annually to put on size as I don't have a off season as such due to the high demand in fitness shoots! So my aim, is to gain as much lean mass as possible whilst maintaining very low body fat! I manipulate my carbs and fats to feed my body and shock my system but I tend to eat the things I fancy but make sure I get all my nutrients


Q: What is your current weight training split like?

Ben Noy: Again, I tend to varie my training routines to keep my muscles guessing but generally it varies from high rep isolation to slow compound movements...due to keeping my nutrition in control I fuel my body more on the more active training days & heavy training days.

Q: Give ABFITT readers a few important tips leading into this new year who are looking to achieve their best body ever?

Ben Noy:  Knowledge is the key...its a science after all! Keep your veg high for fiber and fuel your body the most (high carb) first thing in the morning, pre-workout and post workout!!! The sooner you realize it's all in your control the quicker the results will follow...learn your body and the rest will follow!!!

Q: Can you give us the names of people, company's and projects you have been involved in.

Ben Noy:  PlayBoy, Aussie Bum, Diet Coke campaign, D&G & Dolce Underwear campaign, Daily Star, 69 magazine, The sun, Muscle&Fitness Magazine, Flex Magazine, Musclemania & Men's Health Magazine just to name a few of many. Also I can't Mention names due to confidentiality but I have worked with some celebs as a Pro trainer at Reebok UK.

 Q: How about some contest results.

Ben Noy: Competitions I have won.....Britain champion, European and commonwealth champion and pro card winner, Abs Uk, Abs of the year '11, Abs of the world and a few more.

Q: How can we keep up to date with Ben Noy?

 Ben Noy: General network connections

Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/bennoyofficial

Twitter: @bennoyofficial
 Instagram: bennoyofficial

 Website: bennoy.co.uk

 YouTube channel     comingsoon:bennoyofficial

Q: Ben I understand fitness is not your only passion.

Ben Noy: Charities I represent (spokesman),  DSA - Down syndrome association & BCA - Bowel cancer association

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Q:  Ben anything you would like to leave us with?

Ben Noy: Believe in yourself, you build your own future. Be positive and focus on one muscle group per work out (growth), don't spend hours @ the gym, don't train your jaw line by talking all the time as you need to keep your rests short (ripping out), stay hydrated for so many reasons and try and keep a diary of your food to learn what works for you...Rome wasn't built in a day, keep @ it peeps!!!!  Cheers, Ben Noy

                  

METABOLIC SUPER SETS (H.I.G.T) STYLE!

METABOLIC SUPER SETS (H.I.G.T): At the end of my training week I like to do a full body workout. I superset a group of compound movements in a circuit fashion. I call this H.I.G.T (High Intensity Group Training) and started doing this in 2004. I was working with a helicopter company fighting wildfires in remote area's. Time was limited so I needed to create an effective and fast routine. What eventually evolved into one hell of a workout.

3 sets of each H.I.G.T group. 5-25 rep range, Each group is performed without rest in between exercises. Once all exercises are complete rest 2-3 min ( more or less) then repeat until all sets are complete. Use weight relative to your strength and conditioning level.

Round 1: Incline push up (alternate hand positioning each set) >dumbbell squat press> wide grip pull up> Alternating One arm dumbbell plank rows>medicine ball ab twists feet elevated off ground.

Round 2: Barbell squat>bench press>dead-lift>25LB plate explosive squat jumps...hold one in each hand.
NOTE* ( I like to use a smith machine to go (heavy low reps) if no training partner is available)

Round 3: Medicine ball close grip incline push up>speed rope 1 min> one arm dumbbell snatch> Bent over barbell row!!!!

This is a great workout to completely drain muscle glucose and to mix up your training. I usually follow this with heavy bag work. the fighter in me never goes away so I always incorporate my love of boxing into my routines.