Nearly all of us that care about our fitness seem to function in streaks. We will nail the diet and workouts for a few weeks, then we will slip for a few, then again get frustrated with ourselves enough to get motivated to get back on the diet. This seems to be the ebb and flow for 99% of everyone, not just in fitness, but in life in general. There’s an emotional component to this that makes it nearly inevitable, and I’ll explain. If we can understand why this happens, it wil

Cardio training, in all of its forms, is more or less synonymous with fat loss and getting “fit”. Walking, running, aerobics, stair-steppers, bike, stationary bike and many more all constitute the loose term of cardiovascular training. When someone wants to lose weight or “get fit” they tend to do two things automatically, they diet and do cardio. This is with good reason. The way cardio works is very straight forward. The increased activity taxes the body and causes it to bu

Low/no carb diets have become incredibly popular..In fact, the vast majority of weight loss/get fit diets incorporate some form of extreme carbohydrate restriction. And this is for good reason, it works. Carbohydrates are by far the most usable and easily burned energy source between the three (carbs, fats, proteins). So by restricting them, we limit our bodies quick access to an energy source, thus in order to function, it forces our body to turn to fat, body fat and convert

Quite an unusual phenomena that several studies have confirmed as of the recently is that the mean testosterone level in men (of the same age) has been decreasing over time. Studies have ..”revealed a “substantial” drop in U.S. men’s testosterone levels since the 1980s, with average levels declining by about 1% per year. This means, for example, that a 60-year-old man in 2004 had testosterone levels 17% lower than those of a 60-year-old in 1987. “ Lower testosterone is associ

Ketogenic diets have become very popular for their ability to increase the body’s usage of fat for energy. A ketogenic diet is essentially a diet strategy that is high in fat and extremely low (or even no) carbs. This type of diet has many other benefits such as insulin regulation, improved cholesterol, and even mood stabilization. The ketogenic diet essentially works by providing an extreme lack of carbs, but an abundance of fat. As an adaptation, the body is forced to use

Get a smaller midsection! Here’s how to do it for good! Getting a smaller stomach and midsection is something pretty much everyone wants. In bodybuilding competitions, the smaller your waist, the better you are going to do, pretty much without exception. The smaller the waist and stomach the more contour of the physique, the better lines and the more aesthetically pleasing physique. The top few competitors in every division are also those with some of the most compact waistli

Two types of breakdown occur from weight training that are hugely important to athletes. One is muscle breakdown, which we are all familiar with. This is the muscle soreness, swelling and pain that we all get in the hours and days after a good workout, often referred to as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Muscle breakdown and muscle trauma are ultimately what is responsible for muscle growth and improvement. Once the muscle is damaged after an intense workout, the body r

Playing the “I just don’t have good genetics is all” card is one of the most common and defeating excuses you hear in the fitness community for those who haven’t achieved their goals. But in fact, the genetics you are born with do play an enormous role in what type of physique you are capable of developing. Researchers are just now identifying exact genes responsible for predisposition to storing body fat, ability to gain muscle, strength and many more. Many of these genes, i

Contact me at stevemarteski@yahoo.com for complete information on restoring and repairing your metabolism. What is Metabolic Damage? Metabolic damage, or adaptive thermogenesis, is a condition in which the body undergoes a complex set of adaptations to an intense and/or prolonged caloric deficit. As a result of an extended restricted diet and usually in conjunction with increased workouts and cardio, essentially, the body enters a ‘starvation mode’ and attempts to conserve ev

The normal dieting code for physique athletes is to adhere to a cycle of cutting for show prep followed by bulking in the off-season to fill in weak points and add extra muscle. Even those who don’t necessarily compete generally go through this process simply because it is very difficult to stay lean all year round. Further, staying extra lean for too long often comes at the expense of muscle mass. While bulking can be enjoyable as we can eat many of the foods we aren’t usual