But, not everyone is focused on fat loss all the time; sometimes, we’d like to know how to build a bit of mass, or just improve the look of a body part without increasing size–even if we don’t have a lot of time.

And this is never more true than when it comes to arms.

Guys, have you ever looked at a guy with really big biceps and thought, “wow, he must have great genetics”?

Ladies, have you ever looked a woman with toned arms and thought, “completely natural, she doesn’t work out?”

I’m guessing no.

That’s because, unlike many other body parts, arms aren’t something that people view as natural: they’re something we consider the product of hard work and time under the iron.

I believe anyone can have really great arms, even if they don’t really train correctly (as evidenced by the guy with big guns and tiny legs).

However, if you DO train correctly and have a well proportioned body, a good set of arms can be the cherry on the sundae—and, thankfully, it’s really not hard to do.

That’s true even if you have less than 20 minutes to hit the gym, especially if you have the right plan.  This plan—because with this 15-minute arms workout, you’ll be able to get in, train your arms, and get out in less time than it probably takes you to drive to the gym.

If you’re looking to make the most of your week, this is a great workout to throw in at the end of a leg session, or sprints, or even on a planned off day.

The workout consists of three supersets for your arms; each intended to hit the muscles differently, recruiting different muscle fibers and prioritizing different functional aspects of each of the muscles.  By alternating exercises for biceps and triceps, you manage time and rest periods more efficiently.

Workout

Superset 1 – Big, Heavy Compound Movements.  These exercises involve multiple joints and muscles, so you’ll be strongest here. The heavy weight force you to recruit fast twitch muscle fibers; these recover quickly, so rest is kept brief.

Perform 5 sets of 5 reps using heavy weight, resting 30-45 seconds between exercises.  After your last superset, rest 30 seconds and move to superset B.

A1) Neutral Grip Chin-Up
Sets: 5
Reps: 5

A2) Neutral Grip Floor Press
Sets: 5
Reps: 5

Superset 2 – “Moderate” Compound Movements.  These exercises are more isolation based, but still recruit other muscles.   In this case, in addition to hitting your bis and tris, both of these will hit your shoulders and traps, helping you beef those up as well.

Perform 4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, alternating with only 10 seconds of rest in between.  After your last superset, proceed immediately to superset C.

B1) Barbell Drag Curl
Sets: 4
Reps: 8

B2) Dips
Sets: 4
Reps: 8

Superset 3 – High-rep isolation movements. This last superset is going to be as close to isolation as you can get while still providing maximum muscle building variety.  Both movements work the target muscles intensely; however, they also put a lot of mechanical stress on the muscles of the forearms.  This superset will help complete the look of you arms by developing the lower arm and strengthening the grip.

Perform 2 sets of 15 reps for each exercise, alternating with 20-30 seconds of rest in between.  After your last superset, proceed to the mirror and flex for 2-3 minutes.

C1) Zottman Curls (dumbbell)
Sets: 2
Reps: 12-15

C2) Reverse Grip Overhead Triceps Extensions (barbell or cable)
Sets: 2
Reps: 12-15

A nice set of arms looks good on anyone. It helps the guys look stronger and the girls look sexier. And, of course, the other way around.

Great guns come with a price: time and energy; thankfully, with the right set up, you can minimize your investment, and still see maximum results.

So!

I want to end with a controversial question: what do you think is the BEST overall exercise for biceps–and then for triceps!

Leave your responses below…60 COMMENTS and we get another workout this week!

It’s impossible not to notice trends in the fitness world.

The majority of these—like the shake weight, for example—last for a year or so and then are either forgotten or shoved underneath the bed next to the dust balls and discarded dirty underwear.

But some trends are beneficial—they work so well that they become staples in the training programs of thousands of lifters.

Take weight-training circuits, which I’m very fond of for fat loss.  These are becoming so popular that now we’ve got a term for them—we call this metabolic resistance training.

Essentially, MRT is training with weights in a way that challenges you metabolically, mainly through the use of circuits.

This is so prevalent that now we’ve got subdivisions of MRT, which are becoming equally trendy. And one of these types of MRT is complexes, which are incredible for fat-loss.

I love complexes so much that I included them as part of the training protocol in my two latest programs, the Super Hero Workout and Fat Loss Forever. When programmed properly, they have the potential to strip off fat faster than nearly any other protocol. (When half-assed or shoddily constructed they…well, don’t.)

And today, I’m going to teach you how to build them.  That’s right: This article will teach you how to set up your own advanced complexes to burn the most fat without screwing up and hurting yourself.

NOTE: For those who own SHW or FLF, this article is perfect—it’ll allow you to modify the existing workouts, and write your own allowing you some variance in depth in the programming.  For those who don’t have either of those programs…once you design some complexes, you’ll probably buy them =)

Wait…

What’s a Complex?

Ah, yes, 0f course.  Some of you might now know what these are—so let’s cover the basics.

It’s pretty straightforward: cycle through a series of exercises without putting the bar down, transitioning smoothly from movement to movement, and performing all the assigned reps on one exercise before moving to the next.

Personally, I’ve always it’s a pretty basic concept, and that great complex design would be common sense…however, I was recently proven wrong.

I was in the gym and saw a student athlete muscle his way through what I can only assume was his version of a home-brew complex. (And by that, I mean he would do a bunch of reps on one exercise, and then a bunch on another, with no real thought to the order.)

Despite the great examples that can be found, I still see people absolutely ruining themselves in the gym.

Here’s the issue.

Efficacy vs. Expediency

When looking at complexes, and what makes one “good” or “bad,” it’s important to keep in mind the goal: to create fast-paced, interval-type weight training workouts designed for fat-loss. This is a good thing, and truth be told, these type of workouts make up a good part of my clients’ programming for fat-loss.

Overall, the idea is to do as much work as possible in the shortest period of time, focusing on training speed and density.

However, when people randomly throw exercises together to create a complex, they’re often not really paying attention to anything other than the idea of complexes. They’re too focused on doing more work in less time to lose fat and haven’t even considered if the exercises they picked were effective.

Let’s say you have a guy doing the following complex:

• Deadlift
• Power Clean
• Front Squat
• Overhead Press

He’s doing a lot of big movements, but is he really getting much out of some of them? Hopefully the deadlift is his strongest movement, but he can’t really use a weight that’s challenging since he’s limited by the overhead press, which is undoubtedly weaker.

In terms of “doing a lot of stuff” in not a lot of time, this guy is on point. He’s very expedient. But he’s missing out on a lot since the complex isn’t very deep in terms of efficacy. It’s simply effective as it could be.

But if this guy used a different set up, he could work with a weight that’s challenging for all parts of the complex and would get significantly better results.

Complexes 2.0

Here’s where a lot of coaches and I part ways. Many trainers who prescribe complexes are OK with the notion that your weakest exercise limits your strongest one. I consider it a limitation of basic complex design that can be completely eliminated with a bit of forethought and some ingenuity.

Going back to the example above, the weight is incredibly light for our guy to deadlift, but perfect for the overhead press.

Popular training literature suggests that we shouldn’t care about that, since the complex is not intended to challenge you in the same way that traditional weight training is. That is, an overly light deadlift is of no concern, because we are deadlifting just to lose fat.

I’m calling bullshit.

Instead, what if we did twice as many deadlifts as overhead presses or only used exercises where the weight was appropriate for the same number of reps on each?

What I’m about to show you aren’t regular complexes. They’re advanced. Or as I like to call them, Complexes 2.0—they are designed according to specific rules in my system, and that system makes them more effective.

But first, let’s look at some of the problems with current complexes.

1. IMPROPER EXERCISE ORDER.  I can’t stress enough the importance of properly ordering exercises for maximizing the effectiveness of your complexes. Throwing presses, cleans, squats and deads together in any haphazard order is silly.
2. TOO MUCH FOCUS ON UNIFORMITY OF REPS.  I have no idea where it came from, but there seems to be some unwritten rule that when you perform a complex, you need to do the same number of reps for each exercise. Sure, it’s one way to do it, but it’s only effective if that same weight is equally challenging on all of the selected exercises.To be clear, I use this method in the complexes in my mass-market programs—unless I actually know an individual and their strength levels, I can’t design a more advanced complex for them (you’ll see why below).  This is a good method, but it can be made better.
3. IMPROPER EXERCISE SELECTION It’s always going to make for a more effective workout if the weight be equally challenging on all exercises. So if you’re not going with a variable rep method like I mentioned above, it’s better to select exercises that require an equal level of intensity to perform.

Roman’s Rules

for Designing Complexes

Rule 1: When Arranging Exercises, “High Skill” Exercises Come First.

Exercises should be performed in a descending order from the most demanding to the least demanding. I mean, why the hell would you put a hang clean in the middle of your complex? Also, by “demanding” I don’t just mean the hardest exercises. I mean those requiring the highest level of technical proficiency.

High skill exercises include the Full Clean, Full Snatch, High Pull From the Floor, and Overhead Squat.

Moderate skill exercises include the Hang Clean, Hang Snatch, High Pull From the Hang, Power Clean, Power Snatch, Push Press, Deadlift, and Front Squat.

Low skill exercises include the Bent-over Row, Overhead Press, Lunge Variations, Back Squat, and Dumbbell Squat.

Rule 2: Use a Non-competing Exercise Order.

Non-competing exercises are those that don’t rely on the same muscles. The benefit of this protocol is simple: while one group is working, the others are resting. Given that complexes work with series of muscle groups at once, don’t get too hung up on specifics here. Generally, try to alternate a pushing exercise with a pulling exercise, or an upper body movement with a lower body one.

Rule 3: Don’t Select a Weight Heavier than Your 10RM on Your Weakest Exercise

This is generally in place for beginners who haven’t done complexes before. I believe that complexes should be short. The entire draw is that they’re brutal but brief. By imposing a 10RM weight limit based on our weakest exercise in a given complex, we ensure that the complex will generally stay in the area of 6-8 reps, which I believe is the most effective range.  And, for noobz, allows for form to stay tight.

Methods of Complex Execution

Given everything I’ve told you about the right and wrong way to set up complexes, it seems reasonable that there are some contradictory ideas, especially if you’re used to the “old method” of just doing random exercises in a random order for a pre-set number of reps.

Instead, here are two advanced methods for extreme masochists looking for extreme fat-loss.

REP-BASED METHOD: Select exercises you can do for roughly the same number of reps with a given weight. Assume you want to do complexes with roughly 5-6 reps. Choose a series of exercises that you can do for roughly 12 reps (not your 12RM) with the same weight, and set up your complex according to the rules.

WEIGHT-BASED METHOD: Select the exercises you want to perform in the complex as based on the above rules. Then, test your absolute max number of reps on each exercise. For the complex, do 50 to 60 percent of your max number of reps for each exercise. In this way, you might get a complex that requires you to do six overhead presses followed by 12 front squats followed by eight bent-over rows.

Both of these methods are highly effective. Here are a few examples to get you started.

Sample Complex 1 — The Rep-Based Method

Here’s a complex I’ve been using for both my athletes and myself. (I’ll use myself as an example.)

I selected exercises I’m about equally strong on, could do for 12-15 reps, and chose a weight of 175 pounds. For me, those exercises were:

Power Clean (can normally get 15 reps without a problem…but I don’t do it often. Because it sucks.)
Front Squat (15+ reps for multiple sets)
Bent Row (12 with perfect form, usually for 5 sets)
Push Press (12 but the last rep is a struggle)
Stiffy Leggy Deady Lifty (normally can do multiple sets of 15-20)

It’s only five exercises, but I’m using the same fairly heavy weight for each. Now, I’m not the strongest guy in the world, but for me, this was absolutely brutal.

Note the order of exercises: I started with the one that required the most technical skill. From there, I alternated non-competing muscles. Generally I go upper/lower, but in the case of moving from the bent-over row to the push press, it’s obviously just moving from a pulling exercise to a pressing one.

In terms of number of reps, I normally aim for about six to start.  I’ll do up to six rounds of this, with 90-120 or so seconds of rest in between.  This is pretty basic.

However, we’ve done all sorts of fun variations at my gym including:

• Descending pyramids (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) with 45-75 seconds rest in between
• Descending-Ascending Pyramids (4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4). Rest periods are 90s, 60s, 45s, 20s, 20s, 45s, 60s

Keep in mind there are dozens of ways to set up your rep protocol.

Sample Complex 2 — The Weight-Method

This is a complex designed for one of my female soccer players. Lauren is dedicated, strong, and never complains—the kind of client that makes me love my job.

For her complex, we set the weight at 55 pounds and pre-tested her maxes for the following exercises:

Here’s how we set it up:

In this example, Lauren is obviously weakest in the bent-over row. If we were to follow normal complex protocol, we’d just do the same number of reps for each exercise, most likely five reps.

But in this case, she could do nearly twice that number of reps on almost every other exercise. Sure, the old method would still be moderately effective for fat loss, but with these adjustments we have optimized it.

Instead of being limited by her weakest exercise, we have set things up in a way that challenges Lauren supremely on every part of the complex.

Rather than focus on arbitrary prescriptions for reps, we allow for a little leeway and have to think a bit more during the complex. It’s harder, more involved and infinitely more effective.

Finally, once again, please note the order of the exercises: we start with a highly technical exercise (Full Snatch) and then proceed to work non-competing body parts. This allows Lauren to recover faster and continue to work harder. Overall, the entire complex becomes more efficient.

NOTE: if you’re going to go with this method, it’s important to mimic and measure “game time conditions.”  That is, test your maxes for each exercise in the order you’ll do them in the complex.

Take Lauren for example: maxes were tested in the exact order of the complex, with 3 minutes of rest in between; so, while she can obviously get more than 17 reps on the back squat with 55 pounds under normal circumstances, after she’d done snatches (descending into the bottom of a squat) and reverse lunges, her legs were a bit tired.

Closing Thoughts

Sure, you can probably drop a good deal of fat with “regular” complexes; after all, they do force you to do a lot of work in little time.

However, if you want to take your fat loss to the next level or challenge yourself in a whole new way, why settle for just expediency?

Instead of just tossing a barbell around, put in a few minutes of planning, follow the rules and methods described above and make your complexes both expedient and effective.

Okay guys, time to sound off–what’s YOUR favorite complex?  If we get 60 comments, I’ll be back tomorrow with another training post!

In the last article about intermittent fasting, I gave you a brief primer on the practice.  In that article, we covered a definition of IF, as well as some of the general aspects of practice that are consistent along various types of IF.

To briefly summarize, let’s look at what IF is – essentially, abstaining from food for a predetermined period of time, ranging from as little as 16 hours to as long as 36 hours (sometimes longer, just not generally in practices in the fitness industry).

The benefits of IF vary from hormonal management to caloric reduction and decreased hunger, and which benefits are prioritized will be dependent on which “type” of IF you use.

In this article, I’ll give you a complete analysis of the most popular IF styles currently discussed in the fitness world, benefits and drawbacks, as well as my own personal experience.

Given that the most obvious difference between each of these methods is the length of the fasting period, that is how I’ve organized them; below, you will find each listed from longest fast to shortest.

Got it?

Great.  Let’s get going.

Feast/Fast

SUMMARY: The feast/fast model, which I’ve been using consistently for close to 8 years, is my own small contribution to the fasting community, although its inception had nothing to do with the benefits of fasting.

Some time around 2004, I noticed that while I was getting a ton of benefit from cheat days in terms of fat loss and mental reprieve, the “digestive aftermath” wasn’t pleasant.  If I cheated on a Sunday, I would pay for it Monday in terms of intestinal distress.  Not only would I be in the bathroom more than I wanted, but my stomach would hurt and eating was a huge chore.

I had come from the old school bodybuilding mentality of, “if you fall off the wagon, get right back on, immediately.” The old way of thinking essentially stated that even if you had a cheat meal/cheat day, if you didn’t go back to your regularly scheduled meals, you’d do more harm than good.  In my case, this meant a bowl of oatmeal and several eggs first thing in the morning.  After a night of eating pasta, ice cream, brownies and steak (yes, all at once), this last thing I wanted to do first thing in the morning was eat.

After some time, I discarded the bodybuilding “rules” and started pushing my first meal of the day back by a few hours…then a few more.  Eventually, I stopped eating altogether.

Any my results got even better.

This eventually worked its way into the way I practiced Cheat Your Way Thin, and, from there, the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet.

I’ve written about this both here and here, so let’s move one.

BENEFITS: When I started looking into fasting (mainly to justify my not-eating), I came across a few different reasons why the feast/fast worked so well; some had to do with fasting, obviously, but there is some stuff that has to do specifically with the cheat day as well.

Like any style of fasting, removing food for an extended period of time can lead to fat loss, because it often leads to lower caloric intake. Pretty simple.

However, the reason this works well is because it’s coming on the heels of a cheat day.  Again, I’ve written about this before, so I’ll be brief.

The abridged version: when you’re dieting, leptin levels drop, which slows down fat loss. When you overfeed (cheat), leptin levels get bumped back up, increasing rate of fat loss.  Putting a fast fat after a cheat, therefore, does two things:

1. Prevents any fat gain from the caloric spillover of eating, oh, I dunno, 14,000 calories worth of ice cream by creating an immediate deficit.
2. Elevated leptin levels from the cheat prevent stagnated fat loss, allowing the hormonal benefit from the fast (explained HERE) to proceed uninterrupted.

More than anything, this is just a practical approach, and was created to alleviate discomfort. I started using this method before looking into science of any kind; it just happened to work.

DRAWBACKS:  There are a few here.

There first is that in order for this to be applicable, you have to have a cheat day—can’t exactly do a feast/fast without the feast.  Some people don’t like cheat days (I know, weird, right?). I made a pretty compelling argument for the inclusion of cheat days here, but if you don’t like them, you don’t have to use them.

From there, the main drawback is that you’re really looking at a 32-36-hour fasting period.  If your last meal on your cheat day is before bed (assume 10PM) on Sunday, and you don’t eat at all on Monday, your first meal is breakfast Tuesday morning.  For a number of people, this has proved to be a pretty difficult thing to do.

I believe that with some practice just about anyone can abstain from food for an extended period of time with little discomfort, but for a lot of people, the idea of going without food for a day and a half is a bleak proposition.

For these people, I let them keep the training wheels on for a few weeks: I’ll allow people a small dinner on Monday night, to take the edge off of the hunger.  This won’t detract from any of the hormonal stuff, it just adds in some calories where there weren’t any before.

HOW (AND WHEN) I USE FEAST/FAST: I am a big fan of cheat days, so I use this method nearly every week.  I like my cheat days to coincide with Sundays—because, call me crazy, but I like wings and nachos when I watch football.

This means that Mondays, I don’t eat AT ALL. I think this is a good fit for most people – Monday happens to be the busiest day for most people (myself included), and so if ever there was a time where it helped to free up a few hours by not eating, this is it.  Also, since people are busier, they tend not to realize they’re hungry.  Overall, this is a fantastic combo that works very well for most people.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:  Again, this is my method, so I can’t really be objective here, but it’s worked well for me in the past, and all of my clients who have tried it.

24-Hour Fast (aka Eat-Stop-Eat)

SUMMARY:  A 24-hour fasting period is essentially what it sounds like: if your last meal is at 8pm on Monday, then you simply do not eat again (at all) until Tuesday at 8pm.  This can be done 1-3 times per week, with 2 being the most common iteration.

It’s impossible to talk about 24-Hour fasts without talking about Brad Pilon and his book Eat-Stop-Eat, which is the definitive book on this style of fasting.  ESE has been around for several years, but Brad continues to publish updated versions with more science whenever he can.  It’s a well-researched book that also happens to be well-written.

Brad was one of the first people talking about IF, and his approach to it is one of “lifestyle, not diet.”  Brad discussed much of this in an interview I did with him, which you can read here.

BENEFITS: The 24-hour fast works well for a number of reasons. The first of these is that it is easily adaptable to any lifestyle, and it’s very hard to screw up.  The only rule is “don’t eat” for 24 hours.  As mentioned above, this is much easier than a 36 hour fast, especially for those new to it.

Secondly, like most methods of fasting, the abstinence from caloric intake for large periods of time is going to be a large part of the reason for success.

For example, if you generally eat 2,000 calories every day, that’s 14,000 calories over the course of a week.

If you remove two of those days, you’re eating 4,000 calories less.  Without any other changes to your lifestyle, you’d be on pace for over a pound of fat per week. Even if you “compensate” and eat a little more on the days you’re not fasting, you are still going to wind up with a fairly substantial caloric deficit.  Add in some exercise, and it’s not hard to see consistent weight loss.

Caloric manipulation aside, this style of fasting works incredibly well because of the affect that fasting has on your overall hormonal environment.

More specifically, when we talk about fasting, we’re really going to talk about two hormones: insulin and growth hormone.

With regard to insulin, it seems that the less often you eat, the less often you raise insulin levels.  This is not surprising, obviously.  It’s even less surprising that this would lead to fat loss, since we know that chronically elevated insulin levels make it very difficult to lose fat.

Therefore, if you’re eating less often, you’re going to have less insulin issues—even if you’re eating the same foods in the same amounts.  (This, by way, is a pretty strong argument against the popular frequent feeding method of 5-6 meals per day).  However, while fasting and infrequent feeding helps to control insulin and keep it low, that’s not enough to stimulate fat loss…unless growth hormone is present.

That is, if insulin AND growth hormone are both low, there isn’t a huge effect on fat loss.  And so, while insulin management is important, growth hormone management is even more important.

Which brings us to the very predictable point: The effect of fasting on growth hormone is incredibly important.

Your body releases GH pretty consistently, but researched has shown increased secretion of growth hormone in three specific instances:

1. During/immediately after sleep
2. After exercise (as little as 10 minutes)
3. During and immediately after a fast

Looking at these three things—all of which are thoroughly discussed in Pilon’s Eat-Stop-Eat—it’s not hard to come up with a “best of all worlds” scenario.

If you produce a lot of GH while sleeping, and you product it while fasting, then the obvious way to combine these is to continue fasting after you wake, allowing for prolonged GH secretion; from there, exercise will allow for increased production in addition to your prolonged secretion.

Overall, this maximizes both the presence of GH and its effect; and in addition, the elevated GH in combination with the low insulin is a deadly one-two punch to your body fat.

Finally one of the main benefits of both this style of fasting and the book itself is the incredible flexibility of the program and the ease with which you can adapt it to your lifestyle—you can fast any day you like, and can move it around at will to suit your social life, which is important.

DRAWBACKS: There aren’t many here.  The main problem that clients of mine seem have here is that 24 hours seems like a long time to go without food; however, this is not unique to 24-hour fasting.

That said, there are some people who seem to have genuine problems with abstaining from food for significant length of time—in particular, people with low blood sugar seem to have an issue.  If you fall into this category, you may want to tread lightly.

The only other real problem here would be for people who don’t want to miss out on post-workout nutrition but find the need to train on fast days.  This can be alleviated by either moving your workout to the end of the fasting period, or simply scheduling your off days and fast days to coincide.

HOW (AND WHEN) I USE 24-HOUR FASTS: This is a style of fasting I tend to use when I get very busy and have to train in the evenings.

Also, I use this pretty much any day when I have to go out to a large social dinner and am not going to be watching my diet.  For example, if I am going out on a Friday night, I might make my least meal Thursday at 8pm.  Then, at dinner Friday, I’ll get to eat a lot of food, perhaps enjoy dessert, and be fine, even if I go out after and eat again.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: While this type of fasting is suitable for more than “damage control,” it works well for me in an occasional fashion. However, for many of my coaching clients, this is a sort of “every other day” approach that works well with them.

More than anything else, I frequently finding myself referring people to Pilon’s book as a an IF primer, and a good resource for understanding a lot of the science behind why fasting work, and I’ll make that recommendation here: check out Brad’s site and book for more info.

20-Hour Fast (aka Warrior Diet)

SUMMARY:  The Warrior Diet was the first type of structured fasting that I tried.  I initially read about it in an interview with the author, Ori Hofmekler on T-Nation back in 1999. I tried the diet for the first time in 2002.

Simply, the diet is, in theory, a 20-hour fast followed by a 4-hour feeding period; as the name implies this is inspired by the nutritional habits of the warriors of antiquity, who certainly weren’t in the habit of eating six meals per day.

Instead, warriors in cultures ranging from Roman centurions to the Spartan elite subsisted on one to two meals: a large meal in the evening and (sometimes) a small meal in the morning; according to the author, that is.

The diet itself is modeled after this type of eating schedule; however, it’s worth noting that this is often criticized for not being “true” IF.

That is, in most cases, while having a small breakfast and a large dinner will probably work for weight loss, there may only be 8-10 hours between them…which, some people posit, isn’t long enough to get the benefits of fasting.

Moreover, during the fasting part of the day, the diet allows for mild consumption—you’d be allowed to eat a few servings of raw fruits and vegetables, and a few servings of protein (protein shakes included) if needed/wanted. These are kept quite small. Having said that, some fasting purists understandably maintain that Warrior Dieting, should you choose to exercise these options, is not fasting.

In practice, however, most people skip the small meal and simply have one large meal at the end of the day.

BENEFITS:  Much like a 24-hour fast, a 20-hour fast allows you to reap the hormonal benefit of increased growth hormone.  And, like all fasting, generally will result in fewer calories being consumed.

The benefit that is unique to this type of fasting is that you’re generally eating one large meal and, therefore, the make up of such a meal isn’t as important as you might think; as long as you get adequate protein, you can eat “junkier” foods and still do well.

Moreover, having only one meal makes life pretty simple, and less thinking means less screw-ups.

DRAWBACKS:  On the flip side of that coin, once again we’re running into the issue of hunger; and again, this isn’t unique to Warrior Dieting.

The main drawback in my experience comes from the meal itself—trying to get all of your calories in a single meal means that meal is, by necessity, quite large; so large, in fact, that eating it often leads to discomfort.  This is why many people turn to less wholesome foods: getting in 2000 calories of chicken, veggies and rice isn’t nearly as easy as getting it in chicken wings and French fries.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: A generally good dietary practice, and certainly easy to follow.

One criticism often made is that the points are made via story and anecdote, with very little in the way of scientific evidence to support the arguments. While some IF authorities dismiss the Warrior Diet based on that, I feel it should be respectfully acknowledged, given that it was the book that got people taking several years back.

Moreover, while the book does lack in science, it’s truly an enjoyable read. The author has a very engaging writing style and adding to the fun is the fact that he was an editor for Penthouse.

16/8 Fasting (aka LeanGains)

SUMMARY: Popularized by Martin Berkhan, Leangains or 16/8 is a style of IF where the fasting period is 16 hours, and the feeding window is shortened to 8 hours; during this time, users may eat as few meals as they like, with the most frequent iteration being three meals.

Designed specifically with training in mind, and mean to to be used for such, the 16/8 method has specific post-workout suggestions and recommendations, and, in nearly all ways, is the most sophisticated form of intermittent fasting.

Berkhan is great in terms of showing his research, his clients get excellent results, and, if the rumors are true, he is one of the few people aside from myself who liked Final Fantasy 6 better than the inferior but infinitely more popular FF7.

BENEFITS: In addition to having all of the benefits inherent in other types of fasting, the 16/8 methods is a stand out because it offers an advanced level of hormonal management.

While something like 24-Hour fasting or Alternate Day Fasting will give you these benefits, these methods are not for daily practice, whereas 16/8 is.  This means that you arte going to have a daily increase in GH, which leads to greater effects.

Moreover, daily practice (obviously) means that you’re eating the same way every day; this means that you don’t experience ups and downs in hunger, as with some other forms of fasting.  (Put another way, some people experience difficulty with fasting for 24-36 hours because they do it infrequently; not an issue with daily practice).

Going from there, there is also the benefit of hunger management. A number of studies have recently shown that larger, infrequent meals are better for satiety than small, frequent meals—so you’ll be fuller, longer.

DRAWBACKS: There are very few drawbacks to this style of IF, and these mainly come from scheduling. You see, from everything I’ve seen and read, the LG protocol is MOST effective if the workout is performed in a fasted state, and the meal that breaks the fast is immediately post workouts.

For some, execution can become a little impractical; for most people, adhering to that simple rule forces them to shift the feeding window to inconvenient times.

I find that most of my clients are able to workout either in the morning (roughly 6am, before work) or in the evening (6pm), after work.

Given that we want to have a 16-hour fasting window that ends with the PWO meal and begins an 8-hour feeding window, you can see how either of those times present some issues. For example, let’s look at 6am. In order for this to work as your first meal, your last meal is going to be at 4pm (allowing you to fast for 16 hours for your next feeding window).

Right off the bat, I see three (theoretical) problems arising here.

• This first is that having your last meal at 4pm can present some social issues, at least if you ever want to have dinner with your friends or family. (The exception is Sunday “dinner” in any Italian household, which for some reason inexplicably begins around noon and ends just after sundown.)

• The second is that your feeding window is going to coincide almost minute for minute with your workday, making it difficult to eat your meals, let alone enjoy them.

• The third problem is that a good number of you fasting hours are after your feeding hours have ended. I’ve said in other articles that in my experience, it’s often very clients who try to have  ‘cutoff’ time for eating aren’t successful.

That said, if you’re looking to try 16/8 and can only work out in the AM, it’s certainly doable, just be aware of this going in.  And, of course, this “problem” is really only applicable to certain people.

Like any other style of eating, make it work for you—within the rules of the system.

HOW (AND WHEN) I USE 16/8: This style of fasting fits very well with my life, because I work from home.

For me, it’s very easy to plan my meals and workouts around one another, and making last minute changes isn’t a problem.

Most days of the week—usually Wednesday through Saturday—I do some form of 16/8.  I like to workout anywhere between 12 and 2pm, so I just judge my last meal the night before based on when I’m going to train the next day.  Sometimes I’ll wind up with an 18 hour fast instead of 16, but, again, this is really no big deal.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This is probably the most refined style of IF, in terms of both intention and execution. While most fasting is effective mainly because it prevents you from eating, the Lean Gains style is really about making your hormones your bitch. Which is awesome.

This style of IF is best for serious folks and those who are already lean; and, again, this is the ONLY style of IF that was designed specifically with fitness-oriented people in mind, and therefore yields exceptional results for folks who train consistently.

It’s worth mentioning that Berkhan is one of the guys most responsible for the “IF movement,” and spent years arguing against ideas that many fitness pros (myself included) thought were “fact.”

All in all, he (along with Pilon) is a big part of the reason guys who weren’t talking about IF last year are talking about it this year. So, while he didn’t invent IF, I feel I should give him a wi-five.

If you haven’t already, please check out his site here.

WRAPPING UP

That’s about it!  You now have a very firm overview of the most popular types of Intermittent Fasting, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each.  If you’re looking to try an IF plan, simply choose from those above, and read up on them.

While all of them are effective, the most important thing is to choose the one that fits in best with your lifestyle, and give yourself the greatest advantage.

One final point: specifically because IF is not a diet, it lends itself well to nearly anything that is a diet. That means that you can practice intermittent fasting regardless of your nutritional restrictions or preferences—it doesn’t matter if you’re a low carb-er, a Paleo dieter, lactose free, vegan, or anything in between; you can simply apply the IF system of your choice to your current diet.

This is because intermittent fasting is a way of eating, a nutritional lifestyle that will allow you to reach your goals in an efficient and convenient manner, and then hold onto your physique one you achieve them.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you’re interested in the hottest Intermittent Fasting program on the web, check out Fat Loss Forever – it contains ALL of these benefits and more.

Okay, time to sound off! If you’re NEW to IF, leave ANY questions below.  If you have done IF before, leave your experience – let’s here it!

You’ve probably experienced the frustrating fat loss phenomenon before.

You exercise, eat healthier and lose weight…and then suddenly your success stops.

Your solution? You exercise more, diet harder, or combine the two and expect to bust out of your plateau. Only nothing happens.

The reason: At some point, just thinking about “calories in versus calories out” isn’t enough.

Your better-body goals are dependent on the type of deficit you create. You see, once you’ve hit a fat loss plateau or when you’re trying to lose the last few pounds, fat loss becomes a game of hormonal balance. And if you’re not taking the right approach, your metabolism slows and it becomes harder for you to transform your body.

That’s why I created Final Phase Fat Loss. It’s an inside look at what really plagues “real” people’s bodies, while making sure you’re never on a diet that’s so severe that you halt your progress. (this is what typically happens)

Your hormones can cripple your physique. They don’t just determine IF you gain fat—they determine where you gain it and whether you’re able to lose if from those areas.

This is why “problem” areas exist. They are a result of your hormonal environment, and they can force your body into particular fat storage patterns.

Consider this your guide to understanding why you store fat in certain areas, and the hormones that are to blame.

THE PROBLEM: BELLY FAT

Without question, the most common type of regional fat storage is belly fat. Abdominal fat storage obviously has a lot to do with your diet and overall body fat level; but outside of that, it’s all hormones.

The villain: Cortisol—oftentimes referred to as the stress hormone. When your body is under any type of stress—whether emotional or physical—your body produces cortisol, which encourages the storage of belly fat. That means while drinking less or sleeping more can help, it’s not the end-all solution that crushes your belly fat.

What you really need is resistance training; but any type of exercise won’t do.

Remember: cortisol is produced by physical stress, and exercise is actually one of the primary means through which your body will produce this sneaky little hormone. More specifically, long-duration cardio and extended lifting sessions are what produces the most cortisol. It’s the reason why so many runners end up looking “skinny fat.” Sure they lose weight—but their cortisol remains elevated and they still look fat.

Instead, short, intense training sessions using a particular type of training modality will help to counteract the effects of cortisol; both the muscle-wasting effect and the cortisol related belly fat storage. The result: You’ll not only lose weight, but also melt body fat in record time.

THE PROBLEM: FAT IN YOUR LOWER BODY

One of the most common types of fat storage that we see in women is the “pear shape” – fairly thin on top but heavy on the bottom (and IN the bottom, if you know what I mean).This type of fat storage is also heavily dependent on the female sex hormone estrogen.

High levels of estrogen are awesome for enjoying the Vampire Diaries and makin’ babies, but terrible for fat loss, which is why women usually have more trouble losing fat than men. However, anyone—male or female—with high estrogen levels will have trouble losing fat, especially from the lower body. In essence, the higher your estrogen levels, the greater the likelihood you’ll store fat in your lower body; mainly in your hips and thighs.

And yes, it IS possible for men to have high estrogen levels. Unfortunately, outside of having to deal with a declined rate of fat loss and lower body fat, these guys ALSO have to deal with the ignominy of man-boobs.

Fortunately, you can offset the negative impact of estrogen with certain types of training. In addition to helping you lose fat stored in the lower body, these specifically designed workouts will also be great for fat loss in general. Essentially, they’re great for burning calories and for shedding lower body fat through estrogen management. Combine the two and the result is rapid fat loss, with a heavy concentration on lower body fat stores.

THE PROBLEM: LOVE HANDLES

Probably my least favorite incarnation of regional fat storage is love handles and lower back fat. Even when I am in lean condition – I’m talking shredded pretty much everywhere else – I store some fat in my love handles and lower back. It used to take me an extra 3 weeks to get rid of it!

The reason I tend to store fat this way is because of how my body reacts to certain hormones, and because of the effect those hormones have on fat storage. The degree to which you are able to process and respond to glucose (sugar) in your body is called insulin sensitivity. The higher this is, the easier and more efficiently your body utilizes carbohydrates for energy, and the less likely you are to store carbs as fat.

On the other hand, insulin resistance is the opposite; you don’t deal well with carbs. And anything other than a low carb diet pretty much means you’re going to store more fat.

The good news is that insulin resistance (and the resulting regional fatness) can be mitigated with certain types of training. For example, with careful planning and workout progressions, you can start to whittle away at your love handles and lower back fat while you increase insulin sensitivity.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

While this knowledge alone can arm you for combat and allow you to get incredible fat loss results, there are even more specific information that you can use to take your results to the next level.

These tactics and strategies are based in science so new and so radical that it may seem pretty “out there”–but it’s in fact is the kind of cutting edge science I live for. And I want to share it with you…if you’re ready.

That’s why I created the Final Phase Fat Loss system – because when this sciences is leveraged, you can address these hormonal issues, and lose fat from the specific areas they plague.

And, to help you combat these hormones, I’ve put FPFL on sale for over 50% off–because I love you like that.

I just want to mention that FPFL isn’t just a “workout routine” – it’s a complete system of 8 individual components, each addressing a specific part of your programming.  In addition to some of the best fat loss information ever, I’ve covered everything from training sheets to supplementation to videos of all the exercises.  All you have to do is follow the steps.

Remember, all my programs are backed my a super-ridiculously-awesome 60-day money back guarantee, so if by some crazy fluke you don’t get results you want, I give you some money, an apology, and my first born.  (Or 2 out of those 3.)

So, what are you waiting for?

Click here to pick it up for an all-time low price of 52% off.

Questions about the program?  Drop them here and I’ll give you all the help you need!

Already have FPFL?  Leave your feedback below and let anyone considering it know how awesome it is!

Here’s to your success in 2012!

-Roman

Well, we’re coming to the close of another year—and, if the Mayans are to be believed, pretty close the end of existence—so I thought it would be a good idea to do a fun post and keep things interesting.

2011 was a pretty big year for ol’ Roman, and a lot of the things that I’ve long wanted to accomplish came to fruition.  Some of them were the result of a lot of hard work and planning…while others just fell into my lap.  Both are great, in their own way.

It’s important to note upfront that as I look over this list, the thing I’m struck most by is how very little I am responsible for.  That is, while all of these things are either achievements to be proud of or events and memories I’ll cherish, I can’t really take credit for any of them.

You see, every item on this was the result of either leveraging a connection, or simply being gifted with an opportunity.  And those connections and opportunities, as much as I’ve worked for them, belong to you as much as they belong to me.

I have you—all of you—to thank for helping me develop my business to the extent where, in 2011, I’m considered for things I wouldn’t have been in pervious years.

The growth of my business and the growth of my presence are indelibly tied together, which means that every time you link to this blog, or retweet something I’ve written, or like one of my ridiculous Facebook posts, you help me take a step further along the road.

You help me with every thing that I do—just by being part of the Roman Empire.

And so, this list is dedicated to you, and it’s with the utmost humility that I ask you to accept my thanks, and beg that you take credit for whatever small glories have yet or will soon attach themselves to my name. Therefore, when you read this, I ask that you view this not as a list of moments celebrated with braggadocio, but rather as a list of things that are acknowledged to be as much yours as they are mine.

Without all of you and your support, I wouldn’t be where I am, and I would have no shot at getting to where I’d like to be.

I should mention that these things aren’t listed in any particular order, and I would hazard to say that the list is incomplete. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at some of the highlights of 2011, and the #RomanEmpireExpansion.

We Released Some New Products

It’s fitting that I should start here, because, after all, writing kick-ass programs is how I make a good part of my living.

I very intentionally say “we” here, because, as it happens, all of my programs were partnerships of some kind.  Final Phase Fat Loss is a partnership with Joel Marionz, at least during the launch—I created the product and he helps with the marketing.

FPFL Bodyweight Edition is a partnership between Adam Steer and myself, while Final Phase Abs is joint venture with Dr. Kareem.

Finally, the breakout program of the year (at least from my view) is the Super Hero Workout, which I co-authored with Matt McGorry.

All of these programs were successful in every regard: not only did they sell well, but more importantly, they’ve all received rave reviews and have helped people hit their goals.

It’s hard to really think about which is the biggest success, because that depends on your qualifier. However, if I had to choose one, it would the Super Hero Workout—if only because it was entirely a labor of love. Although the workouts weren’t something I’d been using for years (as in FPFL), I got to unite two of my loves: training and nerdery.

In terms of training, I finally got to address muscle building, and was also able to design a program based on progression and periodization. That was awesome. More personally, the comic book aspect of the program made it one of the most fun things I’ve ever worked on; truly, I enjoyed every part of creating it, from writing the workouts to selecting a comic book font that was just right.

Again, the most important thing is the outpouring of support I’ve received, and the emails talking about results and thanking me.  So, to thank you, I’m running a super sneaky sale on Super Hero.

So sneaky you can’t even see it.  If you go to the page, the price will be listed at 87. HOWEVER, when you click add to cart, the price will be 47 bones.  It’s like a sneaky Easter egg trick in a video game.

And, the only way to know about it is to read this blog.  So, just my little way of thanking you for reading and being awesome.

If you don’t have it, now’s the time to pick it up.

I Became Batman’s Personal Trainer (Sort of)

Speaking of Super Heroes, this is a cool little highlight from 2011.  Because of the success and attention SHW got, I became known as the super hero trainer.  Okay, not really.  I became known as the trainer who probably knows the most about comic books because I was (am) a big nerd.

Which is basically the same thing.

Anyway, Men’s Fitness asked me to look over Batman’s workout and critique it.  Yes, the real Batman’s workout.  Which makes me his trainer.

Here’s the deal: a book called The Batman Files was released earlier this year.  The book is almost like Bruce Wayne’s scrapbook; it begins with drawings by young Bruce and continues through his war on crime.  It’s filled with newspaper clippings, crime scene photos, schematics, and Batman’s notes—including those on his workouts.

That’s where I come in.  I was asked to review the workouts on behalf of MF.  I should note that this book is published by DC Comics, so, depending on which Batman storyline you follow, this is actual canon.

That having been said, the workouts were written by someone who doesn’t really understand physiology as it applies to training, and thinks that having an iron will is enough to become super human.

Here’s a look at the workout:

And here’s my review on MF.

This workout is ridiculous.  On his “off” days he’s running 20 miles at an elite level.  I tore the workout apart, because personally I don’t think it’s possible for a mortal man, even one who has all the money and steroids* in the world.  Most importantly, this type of training just doesn’t leave him any time for actual crime fighting.  Personally, I think if he reduces the volume by half and the frequency by two days, it’s a better fit.

So, take it from Batman’s personal trainer: don’t try the workout at home.

If you’ll forgive me for a mini-rant, I believe the draw of Batman is that he IS a normal guy, at least at his core.  Batman makes us think that you don’t need to be born with super powers, or be a mutant, or even get bit by a spider—he does all of the amazing things he does while limited by his humanity.

Batman embodies possibility.  We’re all drawn to him, in a certain morbid way.  To use one of my favorites quotes from author Neal Stephenson, Batman makes us feel, “that under the right set of circumstances, [we] could be the baddest motherfucker alive.”

We’d all like to think that if we had billions of dollars and our parents were gunned down, we’d train our whole lives and be like Batman.  However, we understand we’d still have limits—or else we’d want to be Superman.

That’s what makes him appealing, and it’s sticking to that realism that makes Christopher Nolan’s interpretation so compelling.  And, by the way, Nolan agrees with me so much that Batman’s ailing physical form with be a plot point in the Dark Knight Rises.  The movie takes place 8 years into the future, where a “less physically fit” Bruce Wayne is pushed to his breaking point by Bane.

*Note: if you think it’s insulting or outlandish to suggest that Batman is on steroids, you’re either delusional, or you simply don’t know anything about the goddamn Batman.  He’s out there Batmanning seven days a week, and as a vigilante he’s literally breaking the law every time he dons the cowl.  Do you honestly believe that Batman is going to let either legality or the moral vagaries of steroid use impede his quest for justice?  Of course not, because, as mentioned, he is the goddamn Batman, and his entire life is about sacrificing for the greater good.  So, yes, Batman is juiced up, and no, understanding that shouldn’t make you like him less, because it sits in complete harmony with the rest of his character.

I Got Published…Everywhere

At least that’s what it felt like.  As you know, writing is the larger part of my passion for what I do.  I’ve always said that writing is one of the more satisfying forms of masturbation, and I believe that.  I also believe that in a lot of ways, you can make a comparison between writing and sex: it’s always exciting to (ahem) break new ground.

To that end, one my focuses this year has been breaking into new publications, instead of just writing more articles for places I’m already established.  Oh, of course, I wrote a few great articles for T-Nation and the like, but recently I’ve been aiming elsewhere.

This year, I had a series of 15-minute workouts published in Men’s Fitness, was interviewed about sleep for Men’s Health, wrote a piece on digital publishing for Speaker Magazine, and even popped up in Fast Company talking about fitness trends.  This is all supremely gratifying, because it implies that the perception of my expertise is growing beyond fitness, and now encompasses aspects of business, marketing, and even publishing.  It’s really incredible.

One of the biggest developments has been a partnership with AskMen.com—I am writing for these guys about three times per month, exposing me a whole new (and very large) audience.  The best part is, AskMen allows me to re-purpose some of my old content, which means that I can give great info that I’ve written over the past two years and use it, rather than just let it sit on the back burner.  (I’m sure there’s another joke about sex there, but I am taking the high ground on this one.)

I’m breaking out of fitness and into more mainstream media outlets, as well.  In addition to Fast Company, I’m currently working on a piece with Details magazine.

Speaking of Mainstream Media, I Was on TV

It’s funny how life works.  One of my New Year’s Resolutions in 2010 was to have some TV appearances in 2011.

Well, in late January of 2011, there I was, on TV discussing hormones.  Not two weeks later, I was on TV for Men’s Health.

I’ve detailed each of these appearances in their own posts, but suffice it to say that they were both fun experiences.  I’m looking forward to more like this, and will be pursuing a lot this year.

As a complete aside, since we’re on the subject of TV, I was actually called by the production company that handles the Biggest Loser, sometime in March of last year.  They asked me to submit a tape, and we went through a few rounds.  As I understand it, I was in the final running to replace Jillian Michaels, but at the last minute they chose Anna Kournikova.

I know, what a cliché move right?  Dumping the busty brunette for a hot blonde right before the big dance?  Jeeze, I felt like they ruined my prom.

Okay, not really. I understand the direction they went in, even if it didn’t work out.  The point is that some of the previous TV exposure created an opportunity, and it was cool to be considered.

While I am not on the Biggest Loser, I do have big plans for TV, so I’ll keep you posted.

I Was on a Freakin’ BILLBOARD

While we’re on the subject of exposure, let’s talk about this ridiculous experience.

Yeah, I was on a billboard.  In Times Square of all places.  Check it.

This happened because of YOU.  You and your votes, that is.  Here’s how it happened: a start-up called About.me was purchased by AOL, and in order to bring some media attention for the company, they decided to purchase ad space on a digital billboard in the heart of Times Square.

So, to fill the billboard they held a contest to determine what profiles we be featured.  Long story short, you voted for me, and I was in the top ten.

I cannot tell you the surreal feeling of walking through and seeing myself up there.

Fun story: way back when I first started fitness modeling, I remember telling a few of my friends how some of my shoots went.  We were 21 and this was at a poker game at my buddy Mike’s house.  Some guys were supportive, and others…well, not.

I got a lot of “oh, that’s gay!” and some “don’t quit your day job” type stuff.  Mike, in particular, was not supportive.

My ego retaliated with a bold claim of, “oh yeah?  Fine, haters.  But one day I’ll be rockin’ a billboard in Times Square and you’ll all dying to play the Eric to my Vince.  I will happy receive your apologies.”

Or something like that.

It’s crazy that such a moment has come and gone.  Of course, I thought it would be a paid gig for some underwear company, but I’ll take it.  As it happens, Mike and I no longer speak (he had a negative energy, as you may have imagined), but I’m still very open to the apology…hater.

Anyway, I have to thank a few people:

Jason Lengstorf, my web designer, who put the profile together in a way that I couldn’t have.
Diana Levine, an incredible NY based photographer who took the picture I wound up using in the profile (and some I used in magazines).
Heidi Vance and the About.me team.  Heidi was my contact and a pleasure to work with; she really outdid herself organizing the event.

Thanks to those people and everyone else for the help on that one.

Men’s Fitness Spotlight Trainer for December

This is sort of like “Trainer of the Month” but “spotlight trainer” sounds less like a centerfold (to my great disappointment).

Sean Hyson, the fitness editor and Chief Bad-ass at Men’s Fitness was gracious enough to inform me that I’d been selected for this honor while we were at dinner together, and stuffing ourselves full of fried chicken and waffles at Southern Hospitality.

It’s a very cool accolade, and affirms that in addition to a piercing gaze and an uncanny ability to network, I also know what I’m talking about.

Unless he selected me simply because I bought him fired chicken and waffles. In which case it’s a ringing argument for cronyism.

Either way, it was awesome, and I got to share three of my best overall fitness/lifestyle tips.  Here’s a picture.

Those are pretty good tips, so write ‘em down or something.

I’m Like, Influential and Shit

Officially, that is.

In 2011, John Romaniello was honored to be included on a list of people who like talking about themselves in the third person.

Wait, that isn’t correct.

It was a list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness (which has a lot of capital letters so, clearly, is very important).  Compiled by health start-up Greatist.com, this list includes people like Craig Ballantyne, who is awesome, and Jillian Michaels, who is not.

The point is, this is a very solid assemblage of talent and I’m happy to be included, despite the fact that I will have to murder some of my best friends in order to get to the top of the list.

For those keeping score at home, I came in at number 45; so, if I may paraphrase the great philosopher 50 Cent, that means there are 44 motherfuckas who better watch they back, fool.  I think 50 Cent said that.  He may have also said something about magic sticks, but I forget.

I Went to India with Tim Ferriss and Watched Him Vomit for Four Days Straight

Once again, I wrote an entire blog post on this. 
However, it was a truly interesting experience, and certainly one of the highlights of 2011.  I got to meet some really interesting people (shout-out to Mark and Camille), as well as become exposed to a culture radically different from my own.

Unfortunately, Tim and his girlfriend fell ill, and a chunk of the trip involved caring for them when it seemed certain that if the microbial infection didn’t kill them, the hospital would.

That said, it was good overall.  And, I got to spend quite a bit of time with Tim, which led discussions about everything from Dungeons and Dragons to Intermittent Fasting.

Leading us to…

I’m All Up in This App, Yo!

Speaking of Tim Ferriss, I’m being featured in his new book, the 4 Hour Chef.  But that’s not until next year, and we’re talking this year.

Well, his Holiday Teaser app for iPad (and Kindle Fire) features me as well.  More to the point, it features my Intermittent Fasting synthesis as well as some of my workouts, including video me working through a barbell complex.  It also features a bunch of tasty recipes for everything from mashed cauliflower (better than it sounds) and tequila hot chocolate (every bit as good as it sounds).

That Christmas Countdown calendar in the upper left hand corner is all my stuff.  So, download it, cause it’s free.

The best part, I think, is that Tim opens by discussion a rant of mine about Dungeons & Dragons.

Tim is a stand-up guy and this book going to be pretty huge, so being featured in both the book and the app is really awesome.  It’s going to bring me some more exposure, which, in combination with a number of other projects, will create even more opportunities.

Since I’ve become known for Intermittent Fasting of late, I suggest you download the app.  Plus, it’s free.  (Note: I’ll be releasing my entire IF protocol in an ebook within the next few weeks.  If you don’t want to spend $700 on an iPad, you can grab it for less than 1/10^th that soon.)

Which reminds me…

I’ve Become Known for Intermittent Fasting

This was sort of a surprise.  However, I have spent over a year now experimenting with just about every form of intermittent fasting available (article coming soon), and word gets around.  Still, it was a shock that I had such a tremendous response to my blog.

I’m truly looking forward to releasing that program, because I know you’ll get a lot out of it, and it’ll bring my theories out into one place.

Keep in mind, I didn’t “invent” IF.  I didn’t popularize it, either.  It simply crossed my desk and I’ve gotten into it; I don’t take credit for anything other than my own synthesis.  Then again, no one invented “not eating” – and it’s ridiculous that people argue about which style of not eating is the most effective.  The fact that I think it’s ridiculous may be one of the reasons that I’ve become more known for it, simply because I am not beholden to any one “style.”

I’m generally not dogmatic, so I feel that, when it comes to a subject that draws strong reaction *cough Tim Tebow on the Paleo diet training crossfit while driving an electric car and using artificial sweeteners cough cough*, a more moderate voice tends to be appealing.  Or, as one of my Facebook readers it, “you’re not an asshole about it.”   Awww, you sweet-talker, you!

Whatever the case, I’m really looking forward to talking more about IF in the coming months, and even more so to helping the new people IF is bringing into the Empire—which is actually a lot.  In point of fact, “intermittent fasting” is now the number one search term that brings people to my blog, ranking above my own name.  This is not surprising, as I am ranked number one on the Big G for that term.

So, keep an eye out for LOTS of intermittent fasting stuff in the very near future.

The Big One…Time to Write a Book

I mentioned in a previous blog that I was going to branch out from digital publishing and write a print book.  Not just any print book—a best-seller.

Bold words, but I’m confident in them.  The first step is complete: I’ve written a kick ass book proposal with my co-author, Adam Bornstein.  Roughly 45 pages of epic epicness, we poured some extra awesome sauce on it with the help of our literary agent, Scott Hoffman, of Folio.

As you might imagine, I can’t currently talk too much about it.  However, I can tell you that the book is geared towards men (don’t worry ladies, there will be a second book for you), and the thrust is using various training and diet methods to maximize every aspect of your life, starting with fitness.

We start shopping it around during the second week of January, so fully expect some updates.

MOST Importantly…My Clients Got Incredible Results

My clients absolutely killed it in 2011.  It was incredible how many people had truly astounding results.

Clients like Andrew Edwards went from lean to leaner, getting from 17% body fat to 8% while getting stronger.  Skeptic turned evangelist Colin Wilson lost just about 60 pounds, getting to 9.9% body fat without losing any of his impressive strength.  Dudes like Gary V; despite the fact that our schedules sometimes forced us to take entire months off from training, he has made incredible progress—the guy can now bang out pull-ups and chin-ups for multiple sets of 10.

Ladies like Mel Caporn and Jen Graham saw their abs—impressive for a woman of any age, but both of these women are in their 40s.

Then there are guys like Claudio Espinoza—guys how have radically changed their lives along with their physiques.  Guys, like Claudio, who have become very dear friends in the process.  And of course, there are newer clients like Daniel Ketchell and Matt Somero; clients who are making strides in their physique who went out of their way to send very thoughtful Christmas gifts.

I can’t possibly mention everyone, but please know that I love you all, and that I’ve read every single email and smiled at your results.  Helping you has been the great honor of my life, and I can’t wait to continue in 2012.

Miscellaneous and Housekeeping

There were SO many more that I’d love to write about: taking business coaching clients; being asked to speak at events; getting invited to watch Jets games in the ultra-VIP Green Room at the Meadowlands; coming up with new product ideas every week.

Unfortunately, you don’t have the time to read much more, as this post has gone on way longer than it should have.

I just want to say again that I truly appreciate you all, and that I recognize how instrumental you are in the above achievements, both great and small.

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to helping you in 2012.

Roman

Okay, what are some of YOUR accomplishments in 2011?  Both fitness and otherwise.  You’ve helped me, so now I wanna hear how I’ve helped you.  If we get over 75 comments, one person will be randomly selected to win an RFS tshirt.

INTERMITTENT FASTING may well be the most discussed dietary concept on the Internet right now.

Like many other “breakout” diets, intermittent fasting (IF) is growing by leaps and bounds; however, unlike most of the other diets, IF is gaining ground despite that the practice challenges many long-help assumptions about nutrition.

In fact, practicing IF forces you to eat in direct opposition to those assumptions, and that—along with the results—it what’s generating all the buzz.

Before we get into the why and the how, let’s first discuss the basics of the what.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

The most accurate definition is the simplest one: IF is merely alternating intervals of not eating (fasting) with times where you are allowed to eat.

Or, to use IF parlance, you alternate a fasting period with a feeding window.  How long each will be varies depending on which “type” of IF programming you select—and there are several.

Each method of intermittent fasting will be discussed in a later article, but for now, it’s enough to mention that the differences come from expanding the fasting window.  The fasting period on specific plans can range from 16 hours all the way up to 36 hours (with several stops in between), and each of those specific plans will have benefits.

It’s also important to note that every one of us does some form of fasting, whether you realize it or not.  The least technical-while-still-being-accurate definition of fasting is simply “not eating,” so anytime you’re not eating, you’re fasting.

Most of us aren’t on a structured timetable of meals where the window of fasting is constant, so rather than fasting intermittently, we’re fasting haphazardly—and there’s no benefit there.

The exception for most people is sleep.  When you’re sleeping, you’re fasting; therefore most of us have a fairly rigid fasting period of 6-8 hours per night, until we eat in the morning.  It is for this reason, by the way, that our morning meal is called “breakfast,” as you are literally breaking your overnight fast.

Which brings me to my next point.

The Most Important Meal of the Day? Intermittent Fasting Science Tackles the Insidious Scourge of Breakfast!

Breakfast is sort of a hot topic in the IF world, and in fact seems to be the first point of contention for people looking in on intermittent fasting from the outside.  Don’t we need breakfast?

Intermittent Fasting proponents tend to say no…which flys in the face of much of the dietary advice coming from every authority from Registered Dietitians to MDs.  IF peeps don’t give a shit, though, because these dudes hate breakfast.

Here’s why: for years, we’ve been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  In fact, many people are often scolded by their physicians for skipping breakfast—particularly people who are embarking on a plan to lose weight.

There is some credence here, by the way: a study conducted in 2008 showed that participants who ate a calorically dense breakfast lost more weight than those that didn’t.  The espoused theory for the results was that the higher caloric intake early in the day led people to snack less often and lowered caloric intake overall.

The value of that study has been questioned for many reasons, not the least of which is that despite the fact that roughly 90% of Americans eat breakfast, close to 50% of Americans are overweight.  If eating breakfast is the first step to weight loss, then something else is going wrong.

More evidence seems to support the breakfast idea, though. There are some epidemiological studies that show a connection skipping breakfast and higher body weight.

Of course, proponents of the breakfast theory are quick to suggest that most people are simply eating the wrong breakfast, as quick n easy meals like Danishes and doughnuts, which can lead to weight gain.

However, the crux of the breakfast study is ultimately that a larger breakfast leads to lower overall caloric intake. That is, the argument for a larger breakfast ultimately boils down to energy balance; if that study is reliant on the position that weight loss comes down of calories in versus calories out, then the make up of the food shouldn’t matter.  If we’ve learned anything from Mark Haub’s Twinkie Diet, it’s that you can eat garbage and lose weight; clearly, something else is going on.

The only real argument that breakfast crowd have is insulin sensitivity.  As a very basic note on what this is and why this matters the more sensitive your body is to insulin, the more likely you are to lose fat and gain muscle.  Increasing insulin sensitivity almost always leads to more efficient dieting.

Getting back to it, supporters of eating breakfast declare that as insulin sensitivity is higher in the morning, eating a carbohydrate rich breakfast is going to have the greatest balance of taking in a large amount of energy without the danger of weight gain.

Intermittent Fasting Guys HATE This Movie, And This Breakfast Eating, Insulin Resistant, Rag-Tag Group of Mismatched High School Archetypes.

This brings us back to IF.  You see, insulin sensitivity isn’t higher “in the morning”; it’s higher after the 8-10 hour fasting periods you experience if you sleep.  Or more specifically, insulin sensitivity is higher when glycogen levels are depleted; as liver glycogen will be somewhat depleted from your sleeping fast.

Intermittent fasting takes that a step further: it seems that extending the fasting period beyond that 8-10 hours by skipping breakfast (and therefore further depleting glycogen) will increase insulin even further.

Insulin sensitivity is also increased post-exercise (due to further glycogen depletion in addition to other mechanisms), and so I feel it makes to most sense to compound benefits by training in a fasted state and then having a carbohydrate meal or shake, maximizing the already potent effect of your para-workout nutrition.

Ultimately, this all means that there’s nothing special about breakfast and no need to eat first thing in the morning—the first meal you eat to break your fast will be exposed to the benefits of increased insulin sensitivity.

On the other hand, I’ll take my tongue out of my cheek long enough to say that there’s nothing inherently evil about breakfast, either; that is, even if you practice some form of fasting, you can still eat breakfast.  Remember, the more important part is the length of the fast, not the time of the fast.  Skipping breakfast just happens to be the easiest way to implement a fast.

A discussion that mentions skipping breakfast—or any meal, really—will invariably lead into a discussion of meal frequency, which leads me to my next point.

On Frequency: Intermittent Fasting Crusaders Battle the Myth of Six Meals

And now we come to the It seems that over the past 15-20 years, hundreds of diet books have been printed, and no two were identical.  In fact, some of them have been in direct opposition to one another.

Calorie-restrictive plans like Weight Watchers certainly don’t agree with plans like the Atkins diet, the first iteration of which allowed dieters to at all they want, as long as they kept carbs low.

Similarly, carb conscious plans generally call for products like yogurt or cottage cheese to be used as portable sources of protein, but many plans to reject dairy products altogether.

Despite the incredibly disparate natures of so many of these diets, the one thing that has been consistently suggested in most books published over the past 20 years is the frequency of meals.

If you’ve read a diet book, seen a nutritionist or hired a personal trainer at any point during that time, you’ve probably been told that in order to lose weight, you need to eat 5-6 small meals per day.  (Note: this suggestion is sometimes phrased as “3 meals and 2 snacks.”)

This style of eating, commonly referred to as the frequent feeding model, is popular with everyone from dieticians to bodybuilders, and has been repeated so often for so long that it’s generally taken as fact.

Which it isn’t.

In fact, the reputed benefits of eating small meals more often have never been scientifically validated.

The first and most commonly cited of these is that eating frequently “stokes the metabolic fire.”  Put less colloquially, the theory suggests that since eating increases your metabolic rate, the more often you eat, the more your metabolic rate will be elevated.  That’s true, but it doesn’t lead to more fat loss—in fact, it’s been scientifically borne out that there won’t be a difference at all.

When you eat, your metabolic rate increased because of the energy required to break down the food you’ve taken in.  This is called the Thermic Effect of Food, or TEF.  So, while you’re be experiencing energy expenditure due to TEF every time you eat, the net effect is no different regardless of how many times you eat, as long as the total amount of food is the same.

You see, TEF is directly proportional to caloric intake, and if caloric intake is the same, at the end of the day, there will be no metabolic difference between eating 5-6 meals or 2-3.  In fact, as long as the total calories are the same, you can eat ten meals or one meal, and you’ll still get the same metabolic effect.

Further, one study has shown that eating more frequently is less beneficial from the perspective of satiety, or feeling “full.”  Which means that the more often you eat, the more likely you are to be hungry—leading to higher caloric intake and eventual weight gain.

Intermittent Fasting guru Martin Berkhan has summarized this study, it’s meaning, and the effects of such things quite well, but suffice it to say that it seems people who eat larger meals less frequently take in fewer calories and are more satisfied doing so.

A smaller number of meals obviously fits well into fasting protocols—if you are condensing the amount of time you’re “allowed” to eat into a small window of 4-8 hours, having more than 2-3 meals becomes impractical at best and impossible at worst.  My clients who practice IF eat 3 meals (not counting a post-workout shake, which they consume on days they train with weights).

Calories, Hormones, and Eternal Life (Okay, Not Really): The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Obviously, above and beyond the debunking of long-believed myths, there are numerous benefits to Intermittent Fasting that make it so popular.

Firstly, as we’ve established thus far, people who practice IF eat less frequently.  In addition to feeling hungry less often, and more full when they do eat, these people benefit in terms of practicality and logistics.

After all, eating fewer meals means fewer meals and/or buying fewer meals.  In addition to saving you time (and, probably, money), this also means that you exposed to flavors less often, and are therefore less likely to get bored and eat something you shouldn’t.

We’ve also mentioned that eating less frequently tends to result in eating fewer calories overall, but that’s a pretty important point so it bears repeating: eating less frequently tends to result in eating few calories overall.

And speaking of caloric restriction: that brings us to another benefit.  IF plans that require full day fasting drastically reduce your calorie intake, so if you are using a style of IF which requires you to fast for 24 hours twice per week, you’re reducing your food intake by about 30%.  It’s not hard to see how that would lead to weight loss.

Going a little further, by restricting calories, you’re forcing the body to look elsewhere than the gut for energy, which can encourage cellular repair. That is, a cell will turn to its own damaged proteins for energy.  While that cycle would be bad in the long term, keep in mind you’re only fasting for “brief” periods; when you eat again the cell will use the new cell-stuff replace the old cell-stuff that’s been consumed.  All told, this phenomenon—which, again, stems from caloric restriction—can generally help prevent both disease and age.

For something more specific: one study out of the University of Utah showed that people who fasted just one day per month were 40% less likely to suffer from clogged arteries.

While there’s certainly a lot to be said for caloric restriction, it’s important to keep in mind that intermittent fasting isn’t just about eating fewer calories—there are also hormonal benefits that lead to improved body composition.

For starters, there’s the improved insulin sensitivity that comes with fasting, especially when paired with exercises, as we’ve covered; however, fasting has other hormonal benefits, including (but not limited to) an increase in the secretion of growth hormone (GH).

Growth Hormone has a myriad benefits—a discussion of which in full is beyond the scope of this writing—but for our purposes it’s enough to say that the more GH your produce, the faster you can lose fat and gain muscle.  Additionally, GH tends to offset the effects of cortisol, which is (in part) related to belly fat storage; so it seems likely that fasting can help you lost belly fat, at least indirectly.

Still not satisfied?  Well, if you need another benefit, fasting reduces inflammation as well, which can have implications for improved immunity as well as increased fat loss.

Wrapping Up: 

The most important thing to remember about Intermittent Fasting is that it isn’t a “diet” —it’s a way of eating, a nutritional lifestyle that will allow you to reach your goals in an efficient and convenient manner, and then hold onto your physique one you achieve them.

Of While IF isn’t for everyone, nor is it a perfect plan, it’s certainly an effective way to lose weight.

In addition to the hormonal benefits inherent in the practice, you’ll also feel more satisfied with your food, feel hungry less often, and probably save some money on food!

Moreover, you may live longer…if, you know, you’re into that.

So, even if you never try IF, you can at least appreciate that it’s forced the industry at large to re-evaluate the “truths” we tend to cling to.

Perhaps it’s for this reason that Intermittent Fasting seems to be generally received with appreciation and acceptance, while low carb diets, Paleo eating and the “Twinkie diet” all have people on both sides of the line either praising or lambasting them.

That is, Intermittent Fasting is well received once people see the research—and there’s a simple reason for that: it works.

Next time, we’ll discuss the various methods of intermittent fasting, touching on the theories and reasoning behind each protocol, as well as the fitness professionals popularizing each on.

UPDATE: Part Two: Intermittent Fasting 201, gives you a breakdown of the most popular forms of intermittent fasting.
If you’re interested in the hottest Intermittent Fasting program on the web, check out Fat Loss Forever – it contains ALL of these benefits and more.

AND…. if you pick it up during the launch period…you still get access to the Rapid 10-Day Meltdown.

Okay!  Time to sound off!  In part two, Intermittent Fasting 201, I give a break down of YOUR favorite forms of IF, but I need to know what they are.  Let’s get 100 COMMENTS talking about your thoughts, experience or criticisms of Intermittent Fasting – and I’ll be back detailing in part 2!

As promised, we’re continuing with the series of 15-minute workouts–and today, that brings us to legs.

With only 15 minutes of time, it’s difficult to imagine that one could get a great leg workout.  What about one that can increase strength, speed, power, and muscle size?  Impossible? Not remotely.

Ah, but patience, patience.

Before we get to the workout, I want to share a quick story.

One the best parts about living in NYC is that you tend to have access to nearly everything.  On the other side of that coin, nearly everything has access to you.

What I mean is that when it comes to being a part of the fitness scene, NYC is a great place to be, particularly with regard to building relationships with people.  You see, much of Big Time stuff from the industry happens here, and this is where a lot of the larger fitness magazines are headquartered.

Of course, this allows me to be a part of such magazines in ways that I wouldn’t have the chance if I didn’t live here–and it just so happens that one such opportunity presented itself with regard to this very workout.

As I mentioned, all of these 15-minute workouts were published by Men’s Fitness. Well, a few weeks after I submitted this workout, I got a call from Sean Hyson, the fitness editor.  Sean asked me if I’d be willing to come down to the studio and “tech” the photoshoot for the article.

That is, to come down and make sure the model was doing the exercises correctly. Of course, I immediately knew that I was being offered a courtesy–Sean himself is very capable of doing this, but invited me to allow me to be part of the process.

Needless to say, I went and it was pretty cool.  I’ve written for a lot of publications (and modeled for some), but I’ve never had the chance to be part of the shoot for anything I had written.  An enjoyable experience, and one wouldn’t have had if not for living where I do.

On the right, you see a picture of me correcting the form of model Luke Guldan.  Why on Earth it look like I’m grabbing his crotch, I have no idea–I was actually telling him how to position his hips.  But, this photo is way funnier.

Anyway, let’s move on to the leg routine.

For this workout, we’ll be employing a unique training method of pairing exercises using heavy loads with un-weighted explosive exercises.  This is a contrast method that allows for increased fiber recruitment due to something called post activation potentiation (PAP).  Potentiation is the act of making a movement more efficient by pairing it with a previous activity.

For the specific purposes of this program, this means that by alternating the heavy exercises with the explosive exercises, each time successive heavy set becomes more effective than the previous one.  In just a few sets (and just 15 minutes) you can actually stimulate as many muscle fibers as you can in a traditional length leg workout.

Additionally, this technique has been useful not only for increasing strength and size, but has also been effectively used to increase sprinting speed and jump height.  That is, it makes your legs more efficient at nearly everything.

The Workout

Circuit A – Perform 2 sets of squats, resting 60 seconds in between them. Immediately after your second set, perform the jump squat for 60 seconds. After your jump squats, rest 60 seconds and perform another set of squats, immediately followed by another 45 seconds of jump squats.  Rest 90 seconds, and repeat this circuit.  After the second circuit, proceed immediately to B.

A1) Barbell Squat – 2×5
A2) Jump Squats – as many as possible in 90 seconds. Rest 45 seconds.
A3) Barbell Squat— 1×5
A4) Jump Squats – as many as possible in 30 seconds.
Rest 90 seconds and repeat.

Circuit B – Perform 3 sets of standing barbell calf raises, resting 30 seconds in between them. Immediately after your second set, perform explosive standing calf raise as fast as you can without weight.  Rest 60 seconds and another set of barbell calf raises, immediately followed by another 30 seconds of explosive calf raises.  Rest 30 seconds, and perform one more set of barbell calf raises.

B1) Barbell Rocking Calf Raises – 3×6
B2) Explosive BW Calf Raises – as many as possible in 90 seconds. Rest 45 seconds.
B3) Barbell Rucking Calf Raises – 1×6
B4) Explosive BW Calf Raises – as many as possible in 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds.
B5) Barbell Calf Raises – 1×6

There you have it – 15 Minutes to Bigger, Faster, Stronger Legs.

And remember, if you’re looking to get bigger, faster and stronger in general, do yourself a favor and pick up Jason Ferruggia’s Rampage 2.0, which is on sale this week.

Now, there’s good news and better news.

Again, Ferruggia is  the Chief Training Adviser for Men’s Fitness; so if you liked the leg workout, remember that he signed off on it before it went to print.

If you’re one of those crazy people who likes getting crazy good programs for a crazy low price, you can check it out here.

Okay, sound off–what are your TOP FIVE favorite leg exercises?  Let’s get just 50 COMMENTS, and I’ll post part 3–my 15 minute ARMS workout–on Friday!

I’ve got some cool stuff for you this week—a series of workouts that I’ve used with my clients and myself.

More to the point, these workouts are so effective that they’ve been published in a series in Men’s Fitness.

I’m publishing them here on the blog so that you can enjoy and benefit, whether or not you read the magazine.  (But you should!)

Each one of these workouts focuses on a single body part…which is why each of these workouts only takes 15 minutes.

Seriously.

I’m going to hook you up with bad ass workouts that you can use to train and progress, even when time is an issue.

To start off the week, I’m going to get us going with my favorite body part: shoulders.

Now, we’ve all heard the expression, ‘shoulders make the man,’ and to some extent that old standby still applies. Although big arms and a great midsection are often lauded as the hallmarks of an ideal body, the simple fact of the matter is that you spend most of your time in clothes, and no one can see those body parts all covered up.

Not so with shoulders. A good set of wide, dense, well developed shoulders is visible through any article of clothing.

For guys, such development stretches your t-shirts dangerously across your upper body at the bar, and makes you stand out in the boardroom even in the most mundane of suits.

For women, developed shoulders help facilitate the look you’re going for—after all, shoulders are the top half of the lauded hourglass. Bringing up the top will make your waist look smaller, and create symmetry with your hips.

If you only have 15 minutes to train your shoulders, the following workout is exactly what you need.

Consisting of four of the best deltoid exercises in the world, this training program will target all facets of shoulder development: strength, size, stability and even overall shoulder health.

Exercises:

1) Push Press – the ‘big daddy’ of shoulder movements, the push press is a standing overhead press where you use leg drive to propel the weight explosively upwards.  Explosive exercises are incredible for developing strength and speed; in addition, they allow you to use more weight than with a non-explosive movement.  In the specific case of the push press, this will allow for greater mass development of the entire deltoid muscle group.

This video show me doing it with dumbbells (and sweaty armpits), but in an ideal world, you’ll do this with a barbell.  And make sure you load it up with some weight, dammit!

2) Half-Bent Lateral Raise – This exercise is a cross between a traditional lateral raise (which is intended to target the medial delts) and bent over lateral raises (which target the rear deltoid).  With this variation, you bend at the waist to an angle of 45 degrees—this will place maximal stress on the medial deltoid while taking the anterior (front) out of the movement.  As you fatigue, the oft-neglected rear deltoid will kick in to assist, making for a much more effective variation of the exercise.

3) Y-Press – Using dumbbells, press the weights up and out at a 45 degree angle—at the end of the rep, you’ll resemble the letter Y.  Doing so requires a lot of the unsung heroes of shoulder training to fire and develop.

Unlike a traditional dumbbell overhead press, a Y-Press forces a good number of posterior muscles to fire in an attempt to stabilize the weight.  Over time, this will increase both strength and stability, helping to prevent injury as well as add to flexibility.

4) Overhead Barbell Pass – Also known as the alternating javelin press, this is one of the most technically and innovative shoulder exercises I’ve come across.  Perform it by holding a barbell lengthwise (see ‘javelin press’) and pressing upwards, passing the barbell from one hand to the other while it is directly over your head.

Much like the Y-Press, the Overhead Barbell Pass will depend heavily on the engagement of stabilizer muscles surrounding the shoulder to be successful.  In addition, because you are holding the barbell in this fashion, the Overhead Pass also increases balance, stability, and grip strength.  Finally, because this qualifies as a unilateral exercise, the Overhead Barbell Pass recruits a tremendous amount of High Threshold Motor Units (HTMUs) which have exceptional potential for growth—meaning that the Overhead Barbell Pass is also great for increasing size in a hurry.

Here’s the workout:

A) Push Press
Sets: 3
Reps: 8
Rest: 60 seconds between sets

B1) Half-Bent Lateral Raise
Sets: 2
Reps: 12
Rest: 30 seconds, then proceed to B2

B2) Y-Press
Sets: 2
Reps: 15
Rest: 30 seconds, then return to B1. After your second set, rest 90 seconds and proceed to C

C) Overhead Barbell Pass
Sets: 2
Reps: 6-8
Rest: 60 seconds between sets.

There you have it: your key to bigger, stronger and healthier shoulders—all in just 15 minutes!  Try this workout if you’re crunched for time, or if you just need to shake things up a bit.

Oh, and by the way. . .

If you’re looking for a full workout to increase size and strength that will actually make your shoulders healthier instead of screwing them up (like most programs), check out Jason Ferruggia’s Rampage 2.0.

Now, there’s good news and better news.

The good news is that Jason is one of the most legit guys in the business (most of his clients pro athletes, pro wrestlers, and other trainers) and his programs are incredible. Jay is actually the Chief Training Adviser for Men’s Fitness; so when I write an article for them–like the one posted above–it actually has to get his approval before it’s published.  (Like I said, he’s legit.)

The better news is that he evidently has no idea just how famous he is, so he’s silly enough to sell his program for a mere $27.  Soooo you definitely want to look at that before he smartens up.  You can check it out here.

Anyway, time to sound off!

What are YOUR favorite shoulder exercises–and better yet, how do you set them up for the fastest and most efficient workouts?  Let’s get 60 COMMENTS and I’ll be back later this week with another new workout!

It all starts and ends with Arnold. 

I don’t care what anyone else says, the simple truth is that none of us in this industry would be where we are (or even what we are) if not for Arnold Schwarzenegger.  If the top trainers in the world are the Fitness Aristocracy, then Arnold is the King at whose throne we still kneel, and to whom we must pay tribute.

Although much of what Arnold practiced—and preached—as a bodybuilder wasn’t accurate, his physique clearly showed he was doing something right and led him to success time and again.

That physique was only part of the reason for his success.  Arnold rose to the top because of his character: his work ethic, his sheer force of will and even his admittedly Machiavellian tactics led him to victory as a 7-time Mr. Olympia.

As you well know, The Austrian Oak used that legendary charisma to jump from the bodybuilding stage to the Silver Screen, becoming one of the most prolific movie stars in history, redefining the idea of what it meant to be an action hero in the same way he redefined fitness.

And it was on the Silver Screen that Arnold first became known to me, and first began to shape my life and my worldview, setting me up for success.

Long before I planned on entering the fitness industry, I was learning from Arnold; learning thing that would be applicable to fitness, business and life; learning lessons that would eventually lead me to the success I currently enjoy—and I learned them from Arnie’s movies.

You see, unbeknownst to many, Arnold’s films often incorporate aspects of his personal worldview.  Usually just a small scene or a line is enough to communicate a level of perspicuous insight that is truly breathtaking.

By careful examination over repeated viewings of Schwarzenegger’s filmography, I was well prepared to chase success.

Now, I have distilled that wisdom into this list, so that you to can benefit from the serene sagacity, the astonishing acumen, the wondrous wisdom of my mighty mentor.

Presenting, for your consideration:

the Wisdom of Arnold.

In Order to be Successful, You Must Define Your Goals

Success means different things to different people.  Some people define it by money, others by achievement and recognition, others by experiences or freedom to accrue them.

Whatever the case, it’s important to know what success means to you and how to define or quantify it so that you’re not stumbling aimlessly.  Before you can reach a goal, you must first know what it is.

I learned this from Arnold in the first movie I ever saw him star in: Conan the Barbarian.

A young boy of just 6 years old, I sat in front of the TV set and watched as Conan was asked,  “what is best in life?”

The young barbaran, lifted his chin proudly and stated:

That’s it.  By stating what is best in life—what he considers to be the pinnacle of success in Barbarian culture and in the eyes of Crom—Conan lays a straight path before him: to achieve greatness, he simply needs to do three things.

Now, while I don’t necessarily want to leave a field of bodies in my wake, I immediately understood the point of this scene, and it has guided me in everything I have ever done.  For every undertaking, I have set goals that define success.

In order to consider myself a successful bodybuilder, I needed big arms.  I decided that “big” arms were 17 inches or greater, and so I built 17.25 inch arms.  I knew what I needed to do, so I did it.

At the time I started my first business, I defined success in terms of both money and what it bought me.  I decided a successful business was one that earned 6 figures, and so I worked until I earned that much and more.

When I transitioned into writing full time, it meant getting published in every magazine I thought was worth my time.  I knew which ones I wanted, so I went after them.  And now, magazines chase after me to write for them.

Success in my current business means a lot of things to me.  I no longer define success by money.  To me, success means building a platform that I will leverage to put myself in a new position, and from there, help as many people as possible.

Success means writing a book.  A print book.  It means that my mother can walk into Barnes & Noble, see my book on the shelf, and feel validated for spending money we didn’t have on my education.

Success means writing that book and getting a ridiculous advance from a publisher—not because the money is itself is important, but because the large advance will mean that the publisher recognizes how fucking awesome the proposal they’re looking at truly is.

Those things are goals, and they are necessary according to my definition of success.  And because I defined them, I’m working on achieving them: I just finished my book proposal, and I have a number in mind for my advance.  If I don’t get it, I’ll make the proposal even more amazing, and then I’ll hit my goal.

Quite frankly, in the long run, means television and mainstream media.  I know what I want, and I’m going after it.  This means that I’ll be leveraging my online presence and my upcoming book(s) to show the people in charge of such things that they want to get on board with me.

I have goals defined, which means I know how to achieve them.

I may never get to hear the lamentation of the women, but, hey, you can’t have it all.

Enjoy the Process

The journey to success—however you define it—is usually a long one.  Now, I’ll be the first to say that I think goals are extremely important, and there is great satisfaction in achieving them, but if the only happiness you get is from accomplishing your task, then chances are you aren’t going to be happy that often.

Arnold certainly knew this.  Obviously, the man thrived on success and worked his ass off to win championships, but he also enjoyed the journey. Arnold found ways to enjoy the process of transforming his body into a championship physique.

This is best evidenced by this clip from Pumping Iron, where he famously compared training and getting a pump to having an orgasm:

This may be the most important lesson I learned from Arnold.  In terms of training, I loved hitting milestones like a 350-pound bench or a 650-pound deadlift, but I never would have gotten there if I didn’t enjoy training for those things; some of the most fun I’ve ever had was when I was trying to get there, and had some failures along the way.

Along business lines, it’s great to have a successful product like the Super Hero Workout—releasing it, watching a few sales roll in, and making “teh monieszz” are all fantastic. But those are aspects of having achieved the goal—and if you know me at all, you’ll quickly realize that the process of creating the product was by far the best part of the experience.

I enjoyed every part of the process from writing the workouts and getting jazzed about testing them on my self and clients to selecting the exact “comic book” font that I would use in the book itself.

And because I enjoy the process, the result is better.  Focusing in goals gets you to the finish line, but it doesn’t allow you to finish as well.  I know a lot of online fitness people who focus on the end result of creating a program, and personally I don’t think their products stand up.

It’s not that the products aren’t good—it’s just that they aren’t as good as the could be.  These folks don’t enjoy the process, and so that prevents them from putting as much of themselves into their books as they might otherwise.

And so, I always remember to take a step back and enjoy the process.

This has been immeasurably helpful lately.  With my career taking off and new opportunities presenting themselves every day, it’s hard not to start focusing on goals—“what’s next?” is a thought that’s almost impossible to escape; however, thanks to Arnold, I never forget the important of stepping back and simply appreciating where I am, the steps I’ve taken to get there, and enjoying the moments that will add up to a successful life and career.

You are Who You Surround Yourself With

This is a concept that nearly everyone in business tends to understand naturally.  To put things more quantifiably, the thoughts is more often expressed as, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

I first learned this when I saw the group dynamic of Arnold and his friends in Pumping Iron.  Simply put, Arnold was the best and trained with the best.

In nearly every picture i’ve seen of Golden Age bodybuilders training, they’re in groups; hanging out, having fun, getting strong.  Making each other better. Pushing each other forward–and that starts with the King.

His willingness to be social and his focus on surrounding himself with people who could help him get to the next level is one of the most obvious things about his personality.

Arnold was always around other bodybuilders, and knew what his strengths and weaknesses were relative to theirs—on stage, he was the consummate politician, showcasing his strongest parts and hiding what he lacked.  This skill was cultivated by spending time with the best; in the case of bodybuilding, that also results in being aware of the competition.

Contrast this with Lou Ferrigno, who trained with a group of guys who weren’t fit to hold his towel.  Sure, Louie had a great physique, but because he was never in competition in his training, he failed when it came time to step on stage.

Working with people who are on your level or better makes you work hard to be better—or in Arnold’s case, to be the best.

In my business, this is something you cannot help but notice–it’s no accident that the best trainers in the world wind up being friends with one another.

If you follow the Twitter accounts of the top guys in the industry, you’ll regularly see guys Eric Cressey, Jason Ferruggia, and Joe Dowdell—as well as a host of others—exchanging everything from ideas and article links to good-natured ball-busting and inside jokes. These gentlemen are intent on getting better, and so they gravtitate towards one another naturally.  Over time, friendships invariably form.

I learned early on that if I wanted to be the best, or among the best, I had to surround myself with the best.  It’s for this reason that I travel to San Diego to attend meetings and masterminds, to network and exchange ideas.

Guys like Craig Ballantyne and Joel Marion know this, which is why they teamed up to create their new program 24/7 Fat Loss—because they make each other better, they’ve created something amazing.

Understanding this lesson has helped me rise to the top of the industry while picking up friends along the way.

Sometimes, the End Justifies the Means.

Now, I’m not really into Machiavellian theory on the whole; I find it lends itself to some pretty reckless decision-making.  That said, there have been times when I felt that I needed to pursue something to the fullest extent of my ability, regardless of consequence.

Arnold knows this.  Sometimes, you need to threaten a guy.  Sometimes, you need to kill him.  And sometimes, you need to say you’ll kill him last…and then kind of go back on your word.

While I’m not guilty of dropping anyone off a cliff, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t dropped people in other ways.

When I first began to transition into the online fitness world, I knew it would require some sacrifice, and that there woudl be consequences; I also knew that it was the next necessary step in the evolution of both my business and my personal growth—and so I pursued it with the ardent fervor of my whole heart.

I hit the gas and worked at a breakneck pace for about 8 months.  At this time, I was training about 40 hours per week, and the manager of a busy facility.  Essentially, I went from working two full time jobs to working three.

Obviously, that kind of workload puts a damper on your personal life. I stopped hanging out with most of my friends, broke up with the girl I was seeing, and essentially withdrew from my life.  Even as I was doing it, and seeing the consequences, I pulled further and further away.

As I worked longer and more ferociously, my time was less and less my own.  The friends I saw infrequently got (understandably) pissed and pulled back.

In the end, I achieved the success I was looking for, but at a price: my circle of close friends had dwindled from twelve to three—I learned not one, but two lessons.

The first is that anything great requires great sacrifice, and sometimes you just need to be okay with the fallout on your way to success.  As a general life plan, this is selfish and will do more harm than good, but for short bouts of dedicated time, this works well.

The second is that you can sort your friends from your acquaintances by who is willing to let you back into the fold after you fall off the face of the Earth for the better part of a year.

Arnold decided that dropping Sully off the cliff was a price worth paying to advance his quest, just as I now realize that certain relationships (which I now understand were superficial) we an acceptable needed to serve as a sacrificial offering to the Gods of Success.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

There’s a scene in the movie Commando that cracks me up every time.  And I want to share it with you.  But first, let’s talk about how it helped me.

When I first started training clients, I was like most beginning trainers: meticulous to a fault.  I had a very rigid plan; a specific program where I was going to do specific exercises in a specific order.  I didn’t want to deviate from the exercises or the order because that would compromise the efficacy and the integrity of the Almighty Plan.

The problem was, I was working at a busy gym; and as anyone can tell you—even the best laid plans quickly go awry in a place like that.

I would leave one station to go to the next perfectly planned station only to find that some other person had the audacity to be using the piece of equipment I needed.

What the hell? Were they serious?  Didn’t they know that I had carefully constructed this workout using specific methods and dark magic, and that they were screwing it up?

Of course they didn’t.  So, instead of telling them why they were the worst person in the universe, my client and I did the only thing I could think to do: we waited.

Yes.  We waited until the equipment was free to use it…because we obviously couldn’t do something else.  After all, it as a PLAN!  It was perfect!  Change it!? Are you kidding me?  I wrote the damn thing in pen for heaven’s sake!

I would get so stressed out about it that I started to hate training.  It was always a battle.  I thought that great trainers must all work in private studios.  I lost a lot of sleep over this.  (Hey, gimme a break—I was like 20 years old and two months on the job.)

Thankfully, as I was still in the throes of trying to figure this all out, I happened to catch Commando on TV, and I was saved.  Once again, Schwarzenegger would step up to teach me a lesson in one of the most ridiculous scenes in movie history.

Arnold—as Special Forces commando John Matrix—is in the process of storming the island stronghold of the Bad Guys who have kidnapped his daughter.

Matrix is kicking some serious ass, but gets backed into a corner, runs out of ammo, and needs to hide.  Incredibly, there is a tool shed nearby, and Our Hero is able to take shelter.

The baddies blast it with their machine guns, filling it with bullet holes.  Assuming Matrix is dead, they decide to investigate.

WRONG!

The first soldier opens the door and walks in, and—holy shit!—gets stabbed in the chest with a fucking pitchfork.  I’m not kidding.

From there, our boy comes out like a whirling dervish of death—only because he has no guns, he continues to wield the contents of the tool shed, using everything from machetes and axes to saw-blades flung like freakin’ shurikens to do his grisly work.

No paltry words of mine could ever do justice to this epic piece of cinematic brilliance, so here’s the clip:

Soldiers fall by the handful to the mighty Matrix, and he takes up their guns and continues on his way to his daughter.

Believe it or not, this scene—as hilarious as it is—helped me to become a better trainer.

I realized that my job was to give my clients a great workout and get them results, just as Arnolds was to save his daughter.  It didn’t matter what I had to do or how I had to deviate from my plan, I needed to do my job.

Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention, and so from that day, I learned to be more fluid when I trained.  Barbell wasn’t available?  No problem, we’ll use dumbbells for a set.  Someone hogging the pull-up bar?  It’s fine, we’ll come back—for now we’ll do lunges.

I learned to replace exercises, having a general awareness of what equipment was free, and understand programming on a deeper level that allowed me to train my clients more efficiently.

If I hadn’t learned all of this this, I would have failed my clients and myself.  Even if I had managed to be successful in a gym setting, I wouldn’t be able to create the kinds of workouts that I do—I certainly wouldn’t have been able to create the kinds of metabolic circuits you’ll find in the 25^th Hour.

Just as Matrix somehow fought his way out of a bullet riddled tool shed, I eventually fought my way out of my self-imposed ineptitude, becoming a much more successful trainer in the process.

Business Should be Done with A (Ridiculous) Handshake

Last but most certainly not least, Arnold gave me insight on how to choose both friends and business partners—and those are often the same people.

As most successful people can tell you, you have to make friends to do business.  And, all other things being equal, people want to do business with their friends.

In my experience, your true friends are the once you can be yourself with—the ones you can be an idiot with, quote movies with, make fun of.  Your friends will bust your balls and call you out on your shit, but always be there to go on an adventure with you.

Well, Arnold knows his friends by the strength of their handshake:

Anyone who lets you call them a son of a bitch and is then willing to mid-air arm wrestle with you upon sight is probably a guy you can go into battle with.

If you can’t be foolish with someone, you can’t do business with them, because good business often involves a lot of foolishness.

More importantly, if you feel you can’t do business with a simple handshake—with or without the bicep flex—you probably shouldn’t do business with them.

I could go on and on, but this post is long enough…

Okay! What lessons have YOU learned–from movies, tv, books–that have helped guide your life and your world view?  Teach me, folks, I need all the help I can get!

Or, if you can’t think of anything, just post your favorite Arnold movie!

Let’s get just 80 COMMENTS, and I’ll be back with some workouts later in the week!

I’m a generally happy guy.  I enjoy my life, love my job, have a few hobbies, and am blessed with the best friends in the world. 

More than that, I try to make it a policy to appreciate everything that life, has to offer, and help others do the same.  I like to cheer people up, help people out, and follow the Mantra of Bill and Ted: “Be Excellent to Each Other.”

I find that living this way allows me to be happy about 95% of the time–damn fine ratio, I think.

Like anyone else, though, I have bad days; sometimes, terrible days.  Days when maybe things go wrong, or don’t work out as planned. Hell, even days when I just get up on the wrong side of the bed and walk around being grumpy for three hours for no apparent reason.

Happens to the best of us.

While I can’t avoid bad days altogether, and I’m certainly not capable of preventing real problems from cropping up, I can do better at minimizing the frequency of such days, and the impact each one has.

And so can you.

To help you, I’ve got this handy list of ways to make the bad days seem…well, not so bad.  Things you can do and ways you can cope, just little “tricks” to help brighten a day that seems a bit gloomy.

This isn’t my normal fitness schtick, but it’s something that has been of great value to me.  I hope you enjoy it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Roman’s List of Day-Brightening Awesomeness

1) Call Your Mom 

You may have surmised that I’m a bit of a momma’s boy—which is why I’m putting this one first. My mom is absolutely the most important person in my life, and one of the main driving forces behind everything I’ve done and everything I hope to achieve.

On the other hand, she’s also a royal pain in my ass. I’m not sure if you’ve ever met an Italian mother, but they wield guilt like a Samurai wields a Katana.  Anytime she calls me, I assume she’s going to scold me for not calling her, or to tell me that the chicken cutlets she made went to waste because I didn’t come over for dinner. 

That said, no one loves you like your mother.  Anytime I’m having a problem or I need advice, Momma Roman is there to lend an ear.  More importantly, anytime I’ve been down in the dumps, she’s helped to give me perspective, offer support, or just make my favorite dinner. 

My mother is the strongest women in the world, who raised two children by herself, worked her way up several ladders with no college degree, and instilled in me the value of hard work.  She’s also exceptionally wise and empathetic; when it comes to helping me out, she knows how to speak my languabe. If I’m depressed, she gives insight beyond the typical clichés, and helps me understand how to either get over it, or get my head out of my ass and fix it. 

And the best part is, even if she can’t help directly, she makes me some meatballs, and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so bad. 

So, seriously—if you need a pick-me-up, give your mom a call.  Thanks, Momma Roman.

2) Make up Your Own Rules, Leave a Mark 

I do this all the time.  I decide, you know what? It’s time for the world to be just a tiny bit different.  And so, I make up my own rules.  Start a trend. 

For example, last year I decided that the word “bro” would not be pronounced “bru.”  A small change, but one I think needed to be made.  It’s caught on in fitness circles, and somehow it worked it’s way onto the Jersey Shore.  Okay, that wasn’t really my intent, but it happened. 

Along other lines, I have decided that the high-five is now obsolete.  As technology advances, so too must social interaction.  To that end, I have been giving people what I call a “wi-five.”  This is a wireless high five—basically, it’s a high five where you don’t touch (wireless, get it?).  And because it’s wireless, you can send a wi-five through text or email, or, in the case of my friends, give them from across the room while out at a bar. 

It’s epic.  Change the world—leave a mark on society.  Change a rule.

3) Workout at a Different Gym

This one is more fitness related, obviously, but still very relevant. No matter how good the program you’re using is, sometimes you just hit a “rut.”  You can get a bit bored. 

Now, the instinct for many people is to switch programs—but you know better, because you read my blog and you know that program hopping is a cardinal sin in the Book of Roman. 

So, if you can’t switch programs, what do you do? In my experience, if you want to brighten up your training program (and your day), the easiest way to do it is to workout out somewhere else. 

Hitting a new gym for the day is always cool – the set up is different, the atmosphere is different, the whole experience is different. It’s change of pace that often leads to a better workout.  If you need to jazz up your workout, get a guest pass at a new gym.

4) Catch Up With an Old Friend

One of the unfortunate truths of life is that as we get older, we grow apart from people.  We get busy, our lives go in different directions, we get wrapped up in work or relationships.  But, just because you don’t hang out, it doesn’t mean you don’t care, and that’s never more apparent then when you actually get together with old friends.

Recently, my buddy Rob was having a rough go of things, so I hopped in the car and drove from NYC to Fairfax, Virginia to hang out with him. I cursed him every second of the way because of the traffic, but when I got there and saw how relieved he was to see me, it was all worthwhile.  Rob and I go back about 13 years, and hanging out and retelling stories and sharing private jokes was one of the best days I’ve had in a while.  We laughed for about four hours straight. 

Now, you can’t always free up enough time for a 7-hour drive, but I wager you can free up 20 minutes for a phone call.  Even if you stalk someone on Facebook and have a general idea what’s going on in their life, call someone you care about but don’t see often, let them know you’re thinking about them, and just be an awesome friend. 

It’ll brighten your day, and probably theirs.  Double win.

5) Employ Energy Osmosis

Just so we’re on the same page, Osmosis is movement from high concentration to lower concentration.  In this context, I’m talking about the movement of personal energy. Some people are just electric—they have the highest concentration of personal energy imaginable.  You probably know someone like this—they just exude energy and passion.  I’ve been told that I fall into this category, and I used to believe that…until I met Gary Vaynerchuk. 

This guy outstrips me by a mile when it comes to energy. 

I train Gary at 7am, which means I get up at 530 or so to be there on time.  Often, I grumble as I reluctantly drag myself out of bed, but by the time I’m done with our session, I am on top of the world.  Even on those days where I’m stressing about something unrelated to early mornings, Gary’s energy and exuberance is contagious—it moves from Gary’s extremely high concentration to my own slightly lower concentration.

People like Gary are priceless; so if you know someone who fits the bill, put’em on speed dial for days when you need brightening.  The best part is, people like that get joy out of helping people. Double win AGAIN.

6) Help Someone

In keeping with the last point, you can switch it and give your energy or knowledge to someone else.  I recently posted on my Facebook that there is absolutely no better feeling than helping someone achieve their goals.  I truly believe that with.  I’m never more satisfied than when someone achieves a goal, and I was a help to him or her along the way. 

This is certainly true with my fitness coaching clients and the people who use my programs—their successes are my successes and I get so much out of hearing about them.  When my coaching client Andrew Edwards posted on my wall that he hit a PR of 225 on the front squat, it felt better than any time I personally hit PR.  It’s so weird how that works. 

Along other lines, I get tremendous satisfaction with my one of my new passions: working with my Business Coaching clients.  It’s crazy just how much enjoyment I get out of helping people take the next step with their businesses.   About a week ago, I had lunch with Liz DiAlto, an awesome NYC-based trainer who works with a lot of women, getting them ready for everything from red carpet stuff to weddings with her Tighter in 10 systems.

Chatting with her about how to build her brand (and why she should) got me psyched; in addition to knowing she’d do well by taking my advice, I was also impressed by her existing skillsets: Liz is smart, drive, has excellent salesmanship, and, as a CSCS, knows her shit about training.  She also gets cool points because she trains Suzanne Johnson, the wife of NY JETS owner Woody Johnson.  Score! 

Between Liz and my new Business Coaching client, Sirena Bernal, a Boston-based nutrition expert and lifestyle specialist, who I am helping to transition into the online fitness realm, I see limitless potential.  Both of these women have said they aim to be the “female version of Roman.”  I have no idea what that even means, but I’m pretty sure it’s awesome. 

Overall point being: if you’re not already helping someone, do so.  Helping others and helping yourself (emotionally) cannot be separated—being a coach, a teacher, or a friend is simply too satisfying.  Which means that the act helps them, you, the world, and Unicorns.  Quadruple win!

7) Take a 9-year Old Sick Day 

Best. Idea. Ever. 

Sometimes, even though I workout from home and ostensibly make my own schedule, I need to take a mental health day. It’s cool, but even that can be stressful—after all, it’s not like the world stops because you do.  For entrepreneurs, and anyone whose job is task-oriented instead of time-oriented, missing work means your work doesn’t get done, so you stress even more about missing it. 

Not like when you were a kid.  God, remember when you were a kid, and you stayed home from school?  That was it.  You just relaxed and got better.  Kids have it made.

So, I decided that’s the way it should be done. 

My thought was that if the problem with not enjoying your sick day is because you’re an adult, stop being an adult for the day.  Seriously.  Not, when I take a “sick day” I mimic the sick days of my youth. 

When I was a kid and I missed school, I’d sit in my bed, play video games, and watch the same three movies, over and over and over and over.  From the time I was 5 until I was 12, I never deviated from my pattern.  I’d watch the Karate Kid, the Goonies, and the Monster Squad.

What’s the Monster Squad, you ask!? Well, it’s a lot like the Goonies, only instead of a rag-tag group of kids facing off against pirates, it’s a bunch of misfits squaring off against Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy and other monsters. 

If you’re thinking, “that sounds dumb” you are fucking WRONG. 

It’s awesome.  Here’s a trailer:

Anyway, whenever I’m sick or just need a day off, I create a day as close to I can, and I’ve found it’s the cure for both stress and the common cold.  In fact, I had a 9-year old sick day just two weeks ago, and this movie was still great.  Wolfman, my friends, has got nards.

Next time you need to check out of the world for the day, do it like a kid and you’ll never look back.

Check Out Your Yearbook, Bru

Oh, man. Yearbooks. I can’t even describe the hilarity contained in there.  Yearbooks can cheer you up for any number of reasons, and they only get better with age.  If you want to cheer yourself up, just crack open your high school yearbook and get ready to laugh. If you’re a masochist, just go through and look for the candid shots of yourself, just being an idiot teenager. 

The last time I was moving, I happened to thumb through my Senior Yearbook as I was packing up—and there I was, in my mock turtle neck, fleece vest and cargo pants, looking for all the world like I just stepped out of an N*Sync video.  I laughed so damn hard that any stress from the moving process melted away. 

From there, I checked out some of the notes left by friends, and got to reminisce a bit. Hard to be grumpy when you can’t stop laughing at yourself.  And no, I won’t show you pictures.

9) Think Back to Old (Resolved) Problems

This may sound a bit girly, but I keep a journal. It’s true. I don’t write in it every single day, but when I do I try to be detailed. I started doing this because it one day occurred to me that if I am willing to keep training logs and record every single workout I’ve done over 15 years, I should probably document some other important things in my life.  Besides, all great men keep journals, from Aristotle to Ben Franklin. 

Anyway, one of the advantages of journaling is that you have the ability to look back and sort of “re-live” past events, only with the benefit of perspective.  Recently, whenever I’m having a problem—as in, an actual problem, something more than just a rough day—I find it helpful to go back and read through some of the problems I had 6 or 7 years ago. 

There were some moments of real confusion, where I felt completely unsure of a number of things, all at once.  I went through a terrible break-up, didn’t know if I was on the right path, and was generally questioning most things in my life.  In short, I was 23. 

Now, you’re probably thinking, “aw, c’mon, Roman, you were 23, how bad could your problems have been?”  Well, that’s kinda where I’m going with this.

Looking back at it, some of what I wrote about doesn’t seem like a big deal, and on some level I start to wonder if I was in the emotional throes of youth, prone to fits of melancholy and dramatic exaggeration.

However, I guess my point is that they sure as hell seemed bad at the time; in fact, looking at journals, there are moments when—between the angst and the pontificating—I can sense some legitimate pain.  That was a dark time for me. 

But, I got through it. More importantly, looking back at it me gives me no choice but to acknowledge that I got through it. 

At this point in my life, when I feel so sure of myself and my future, when I no longer question if I’m on the right path, I still run into problems; and, yeah, some of them seem bad.  And when they loom large and start to overwhelm me, I re-read the old journals and just reevaluate.  If confused-23-year-old Roman got through his problems, then capable-old-man-who-can-usually-handle-his-shit Roman can get through his, too.  I guess it’s just way of reaffirming that—no matter what—this too, shall pass.

And so, if you’re going through a rough patch—if you’re having a truly, truly shitty day—I encourage you to think back to the worst time, the worst day, and understand that you can get through it.  You have before.

10) Play with a Puppy 

I probably don’t need to explain this. Puppies are awesome.  Puppies make you happy (they’ve done studies). 

If you need to get cheered up, just drive to a pet store and play with a puppy.  Walk in and say, “I have come to play with puppies.”  The guy at the shop will set you up, just tell’im Roman sent you.  He’ll know. 

Trust me, you cannot have a bad day after playing with puppies. 

Just look at this picture:

I don’t know who this chick is, but just look how freakin’ happy she is. 
She’s like, “OH MY GOD I LOVE PUPPIES!
I AM SO FUCKING HAPPY RIGHT NOW!1!!”

Woah, hold on there! There’s no need for that type of language.  Especially not in front of that puppy.  Seriously, calm down, lady.

Anyway, go play with a dog or something, it’ll make your day awesome…er.

11) Make a List of Ways to Brighten Your Day

You know, just making this list brightened my day up.  It’s a great way to put yourself in a good mood and remind yourself to take things lightly.  Above all, this was fun. I recommend it =)

Speaking of which…

That’s your homework!

I want 50 COMMENTS, so leave your TOP tip for helping to brighten a day, create a smile, and just make life more awesome.

BEST comment gets a Roman Fitness Systems T-shirt!*

*note – sorry ladies, currently I only have sizes medium through XL.

Roman