Fitness Exposé

Bodybuilding Secrets Exposed

You are here: Home / Blog

Beef Recipes for Muscle Building

By Leave a Comment

_beef-bb

I happen to love beef. It is an amazing protein for building lean muscle. I eat as much beef as I am able to, but I use lean beef. Here are some recipes to help you do that.

Taco Salad

Ingredients

1 lb Lean ground beef
1 Onion, chopped
1 cup Water
1 large head Romaine lettuce, chopped
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1 cup Low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Catalina dressing (optional)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, Fat-free sour cream or Low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup Salsa
2 large Whole wheat soft tortillas

Directions

Brown the meat and onions in a skillet. Stir in the seasoning mix with water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium heat for three minutes.
Bake tortillas for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large bowl, combine lettuce and tomatoes. Top lettuce with meat, then layer salad with cheese and small pieces of baked tortillas.
Drizzle salad with Catalina dressing and serve with Greek yogurt, (or sour cream or cottage cheese) and salsa.
Serve. (makes 6 servings)

Beef Burger

Ingredients

1 lb Extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup Onion, minced
1 crushed Garlic clove
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup Oats
2 Egg whites
Spinach leaves
Tomato, sliced
Pickle or Cucumber, sliced
Mustard
Low-sugar Ketchup
4 Whole wheat burger buns

Directions

In a bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, oats and egg whites.
Form mixture into patties and then place on a grill or broil for 5-6 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside.
Remove and serve on top of a whole wheat burger bun.
Top with spinach leaves, tomatoes, pickles, low-sugar ketchup and mustard. (makes 4 servings)

Beef Soft Taco

Ingredients

1 lb Lean ground beef
1 package Taco seasoning mix
1 Onion, chopped
1 cup Water
4 Whole wheat soft tortilla shells
1/2 cup Fat-free Sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup Salsa
1/4 cup Low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
Diced Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes (or any other desired vegetable)
Shredded lettuce

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat.
Stir in the taco seasoning mix and water and let simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Once cooled, spoon beef into soft tortilla shells and top with sour cream, salsa, cheese, shredded lettuce and diced veggies.
Wrap and serve. (makes 4 servings)

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Monday Madness: HIIT Harder for Fat Loss

By Leave a Comment

_hiit-harder

HIIT cardio is heralded as the best way to burn fat without doing hours and hours of cardio. I would have to agree with all of the kudos given to HIIT cardio, but I feel most people do not do it correctly. In today's Monday Madness I am going to take a look at the 5 ways you can HIIT harder and increase your fat loss.

The HIIT Cardio High Interval Should Almost Kill You

When you complete a high interval while doing HIIT cardio you have to just about kill yourself. I don't mean literally of course, but when you finish the high interval you should be breathing very hard and you shouldn't be able to talk. If you can talk then you didn't do the high correctly. The high should tax you enough that you almost feel like you can't go any further. That brings me to the rest period.

The HIIT Cardio Rest Interval Should Allow Recovery

After you complete the high interval you need to recover. Use the HIIT cardio rest interval for that purpose. Take as long as you need to recover. It isn't a good idea to start another high interval before you have recovered. It only encourages you to not go as hard as you can.

Don't Always Do HIIT Cardio on a Machine

I switch things up by doing very heavy farmer carries or running sprints in my neighborhood. Just like it is necessary to change up exercises in order to get maximum results, cardio needs to be changed up as well. Your body will get used to any one singular approach if used for too long. Keep it guessing.

Don't Do HIIT on a Weight Training Day

This one is very important. HIIT cardio is supposed to make you work at your highest possible level. You can't do that if you've exhausted your body with weight training earlier that day. At the same time, HIIT cardio will stress your body enough that you won't be able to lift as well later. Do your HIIT cardio on a day when you are not lifting. If that is not possible, do it at least 8 hours apart from your weight training session.

Vary the Length of Your HIIT Sessions

Many people get stuck on a total amount of minutes for HIIT cardio. I say you should vary the length of your HIIT sessions. Do some short, medium and long sessions. You can extend a session by doing some steady state cardio at the back end.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Revisiting Why I Like Budget Gyms

By Leave a Comment

_budget-gyms-revisted

Not that long ago I shared a rante on why I like budget gyms. I am revisiting those comments because I have slightly changed my opinion and wanted to share it here. Some people will not believe the things I am about to share, but I promise you they are completely true.

The Pro's of Budget Gyms

Today everything is so expensive and that includes gyms. To me this is the main reason to consider a budget gym. While price generally tells us the quality of what we are buying, that isn't always the case with gyms.

You can save a substantial amount of money by joining a budget gym.  I was paying $38.50 a month at a huge commercial gym, 24 Hour Fitness, and found that the equipment was constantly broken and yet my membership fees kept rising. When I had the chance to join Fitness 19 I took a careful look at what they offered. To me, the equipment offering was almost exactly what was offered at 24 Hour Fitness, but I was able to get an all club membership at Fitness 19 for just $12 a month.

The Con's of Budget Gyms

This is where you have to be very careful–your examination of the con's of budget gyms. Most people who lift know that Planet Fitness has a lunk meter that they set off when someone grunts, but I recently discovered that Chuze Fitness, a California and Arizona based gym chain, has a similar rule. I was on a tour of a Chuze location just yesterday and there was a sign on the wall that said:

If you are grunting you had better be giving birth!

I was simply amazed. At the same time, it didn't surprise me at all because with the available equipment, it wouldn't be necessary to grunt. They had no barbells in the entire place and the dumbbells went up to 70 lbs. and no higher.

Planet Fitness actually gives pizza out to members.

These two budget gyms, Planet Fitness and Chuze Fitness, both claim they do this to make the “normal person” more comfortable. I say that is a bunch of bull crap. They do it to be different. Beware of these things before you join.

On a side note, the Chuze Fitness I toured was the cleanest gym I have ever been in.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Saturday Sharing: Get That Cardio Done!

By Leave a Comment

_ss-get-cardio-done

For those of us who don't shed fat easily, cardio is an essential aspect of our training program. Despite how essential it is, I personally have issues getting it done and I am sure many of you do as well. How can we all manage to get our cardio done?

Cardio is a necessary evil. I know this. When I successfully lose fat it is because I am getting my cardio in. I am not lucky enough to be able to just lift and lose fat. This knowledge alone should change my mindset enough to get the cardio done, but it doesn't. So why is it so hard for me to get the cardio done?

Like many people, I find cardio to be extremely monotonous and boring. Because of this I need a strong strategy for getting the cardio in. While this is still a work in progress, the following plan is how I get that cardio done.

Entertainment Gets It Done

I have come up with the idea of creating playlists for specific types of cardio. I then listen to this music to help pass the time. It distracts my brain and keeps me from thinking about how boring cardio is. Additionally, I use Netflix to help pass the time while on a longer cardio session. I bring my iPad with me to the gym (I visit the gym for the specific purpose of doing cardio) and watch television shows to pass the time.

Extra Time Gets It Done

We all have downtime where we can use it for cardio. My son has soccer practice each week that lasts 90 minutes or more. I like to use that time to get the cardio done. In addition, he generally has a soccer game every weekend. We have to get to each game one hour prior to game time. I use that time to get some cardio done. A short jog is a great way to pass the time and get the cardio done.

Goal Setting Gets It Done

Make sure you have fat loss goals and that you keep them at the front of your mind. Review them regularly. These goals are going to inspire you to get your cardio done.

Just Get It Done!

It is important to have a strategy because nobody really likes doing cardio. A good strategy will make it so you get it done. It has been working for me of late. I find it much easier to stick to the plan. I am now shedding fat at a faster rate than ever before. It is amazing and fun at the same time!

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

Monday Madness: Absolute Ab Training

By Leave a Comment

_mm-ab-training

Ab training is something often overlooked or misunderstood. I have gone in many directions with it. I have now come to believe that an intense training is necessary to strengthen this area of our body. Today I present Absolute Ab Training, a system that uses intensity and volume to work your mid-section and strengthen your core.

The Program

This program uses 2 exercises each session at the end of a weight training session. It hits you twice a week. The key is to use intensity and to vary that intensity throughout the program. Pay attention to the routines that follow. They are grouped in cycles that you must adhere to in order to see the results you want. These cycles assume you are training 4 days a week.

Absolute Ab Training Routines

Cycle 1

The key to Cycle 1 is to hit your abdominals with a strict number of sets and repetitions. You will add weight as you are able to complete all the sets with the prescribed repetitions.

Day 1

Exercise Sets/Reps
Floor crunches 3×12
Weighted Crunches 3×15

Day 3

Exercise Sets/Reps
Hanging Knee Raises 3×15
Bicycles 3×15

Cycle 2

The key to Cycle 2 is to add volume. You are going to do the exercises in a manner that causes you to aim for a certain number of repetitions in the fewest number of sets (AFSAP). This will force the volume because you are going to hit your repetition numbers no matter what, even if it takes you 5 or more sets.

Day 1

Exercise Sets/Reps
Floor crunches 40 reps AFSAP
Weighted crunches 40 reps AFSAP

Day 2

Exercise Sets/Reps
Hanging Knee Raises 36 reps AFSAP
Bicycles 36 reps AFSAP

Follow Up

You have seen a glimpse of my program. It works. You will find that varying intensity the way I show above will really give you a burn in your mid-section.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

New eBook!