Stopped Smoking Cant Sleep

April 8th, 2008

First and foremost I understand that you are running a business so let me know how to join your forum or what the fee is for one on one advice but I have been training like a madman especially on the cardio side but I don’t know what’s up I should be dropping like a rock every night I don’t know if it is the lack of nicotine or narcotics but I cant sleep I have been averaging about 2 to 3 hours a night can you recommend anything.

(Name Withheld)
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The Short Cut To Rapid Results With Your Workouts

November 28th, 2007

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JTF Fitness Newsletter
From Ray Burton
November 18,2007
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You can slice it however you like but if you are
taking it easy in the gym, results will be slow or
worse, nonexistent. The shortcut to seeing rapid
fat loss and increased muscular definition is
intensity.

Let’s look at some of the ways you can same time
in the gym and start seeing quicker results by
going over a few intensity techniques that I love
to use with my personal training clients. After
that, I will show you how you can fit them into a
simple schedule that will still give you a life
outside the gym.
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MMA Training or Weight Lifting

September 8th, 2007

Hi Ray!  My question concerns training routines.  I know that I’m over-analyzing, so I just need some direction:

 

I’m 6′1″, 330lbs, and 40% body fat.  What I’m going to do is drop down to 215 lbs and 8% body fat.  Ultimately I want to have a physique as ripped as a bodybuilder but with the conditioning of an MMA athlete.  I’ve purchased and read your book, so I know I’m on the right track but

 

I need your feedback on something:

 

Given my current condition I feel that I should put most of my emphasis on maintaining the muscle I have and burning the fat.  In one of your articles you gave a routine by Randy Couture which I would like to use as the first routine I start with.  What do you suggest?

 

 Answer From Ray:

Good questions and thank you for purchasing “The Body Transformation” (used to be fat to fit). If you really feel that your motivation would be through the roof with the Randy Couture workout then go ahead and do that. However I do feel that at 6′1” and 300 pounds you would make the fastest progress on the full body routine with separate cardio like in my program.

 

The reason for this is that in order to do the MMA program you need to have a pretty high level of fitness just to be able to make it through. Also, the MMA workout is not the best for keeping your muscle mass. Its mostly for conditioning. A nice compromise would be to do the full body workout from the book on Monday and Friday and the Randy workout on Wednesday. That way you would get the best of both worlds AND keep your body guessing.

 

Both are very good but I would still prefer that you do the full body workout just so that you can get stronger and more conditioned for the routines that build on it later in the program.

 I hope that helps you out and great question. Remember, the best workout is the one you do!

How To Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals

September 5th, 2007

Once you have set your lifetime weight loss goals, the best thing that you can do is narrow it down into a plan of smaller weight loss goals that you need to complete if you are to reach your lifetime goals.

From there you can just shorten your overall goal spans for example, you set a 5 year plan, 1 year plan, 6 month plan, and 1 month plan of progressively smaller goals that you should reach to achieve your lifetime goals.  Each of these should be based on the previous plan. It is the best way to begin to achieve a lifetime that is filled with and results in a life without any failed wishes. It results in a life without regret and a bunch of “If onlys”.

By starting out slowly with the smaller workout goals, you are giving yourself the chance to realize and work on achieving the goals that you set out to.

You also have to realize that some things simply take time. Trying to skip steps or rush through processes that need to be done usually ends up in failure. From that failure, you either get discouraged or have to start all over again doing it right. In rushing through and trying to achieve your weight loss goals quickly you will likely miss a few key aspects that can really change the outcome.

 To desire something without being willing to be burdened by the trouble of acquiring it is as a common weakness in all things that are fitness related. This is where the snake oil salesmen still make their money today. Promising whatever weight loss or physical goals you want with no effort. Heck, in truth, even leisure can’t be enjoyed unless it is won by effort. Anyone that has spent a month on vacation doing nothing knows that eventually, you feel like you want to do something! If it hasn’t been earned by work, the price has not been paid for it.

Finally set a daily “to do” list of the things that you should do today to work towards your smaller weekly weight loss goals. This is the kind of action that will eventually add up to the final positive result of a successful ultimate goal. The body you want.
In the early stages these smaller daily goals may be to read books and gather information on the technical side of weight loss. The actual “how to” of it all. This will help you to improve the quality and realism of your goal setting and in effect; make it easier to achieve them.  You also have to review your plans, and make sure that they fit the way in which you want to live your life.

Once you have decided what your first set of smaller plans will be, keep the process going by reviewing and updating your to-do list on a daily basis. Plans will change as your knowledge of the subject increases. This is especially true for weight loss and fitness. You have to periodically review the longer-term plans, and change them to reflect your changing priorities, knowledge and experiences in your life.

When You Achieve A Weight Loss Goal:

When you have achieved a small weight loss goal, you have to take the time to enjoy the satisfaction of having done so. Absorb the experience of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards your ultimate weight loss goal.  If the goal was a significant one, you should reward yourself appropriately.  Think of it like this, why would you choose to ignore any accomplishments that you have made?

Use positive reinforcement and use the success of this small goal to spur you onto even greater progress.
With the experience of having achieved each goal, you should review the rest of your weight loss goal plans and see them in the following manner:

If you achieved the weight loss goal too easily, make your next goals harder.

If the weight loss took a disheartening length of time to achieve, make the next goal a little easier.

So what do you do now? Get started making some plans!