GET MOTIVATED WITH DPM PERFORMANCE blog ed 10

I woke up this morning feeling like I needed a big workout. I spent the weekend celebrating my 30th birthday so wanted to work off some cheesecake and beers!

So I cranked up the tunes, hit the kettlebell and this is what I did to get my heart rate pumping. Are you brave enough to try it out?

Swings - 1min
Bentover Row - 1min
Clean High Pulls - 1min
REST 2 MINS

REPEAT x 3

I was smashed by the end of that workout and already feel sore 3 hours later! But I feel awesome and ready to take on Christmas tomorrow!


These words from Zig Ziglar are quite timely. A lot of us tend to indulge in too much food and drink at this time of year so remember this:

"Failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday ended last night."

If you fall off the fitness wagon, today is a new day. Start from scratch and lets get the hunger back.

In signing off for 2007, I'd like to wish you and your family a safe and happy Christmas Day tomorrow and here's to making 2008 your best year yet!

GET ON BOARD - 12 DAYS OF FITNESS!

Monday was going to be my final newsletter for the year, but I can't resist telling you about these awesome Christmas presents that you can get your hands on for F.R.E.E!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Dax Moy, The UK's #1 trainer and Pat Rigsby, one of America's premier fitness business operators, while at my seminar in Florida last month.

They have put together this awesome collection where over 250 trainers from around the world - the cream of the crop - give you the best information to take you into the new year.

Topics range from fat loss, motivation, back injury rehab, improving your golf game etc. Basically every possible fitness topic is covered.

This won't cost you a cent, just click on the link below and get your butt to
www.12daysoffitness.com

we are up to day 9 already, but you can get your hands on all the info from previous days just by scrolling down on the link that will be sent to you each day from Dax Moy.

You won't want to download everything but there are a few that I have downloaded and I encourage you to do so as well. Seriously, what have you got to lose?

Remember, that site again is
www.12daysoffitness.com

Oh yeah, there is one of my products on there too!

see you there!

Fire UP!

POLITICALLY INCORRECT FATLOSS ADVICE!

This is must-read material from Canadian Fatloss expert and a bloke I had the pleasure to meet last month, Craig Ballantyne.

I wish I had of wrote this myself!

Politically Incorrect Holiday Fat Loss Tips By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS http://www.ttworkouts.com/



I was at a big event last week and was reminded howimportant it is to have strategies for this season of high-calorieparties and busy schedules. But I get ticked off by the tired oldsuggestions you find on the Internet or in magazines like Woman's World.



Often the suggestions are lack any substance, because the writers don't want to imply you actually have to make a sacrifice to succeed. They make fat loss sound easy, as if all you had to do was park at the far end of the parking lot and you'd burn all the calories from 5 shortbread cookies.



Well it doesn't work that way...So here are my politicallyincorrect, unique Turbulence Training strategies to help you keep off the holiday pounds.



By the way, I "borrowed" a few ideas from contestants in my Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. The Transformation is rocking with social support and success stories right now, even while the rest of the world struggles with weight gain, these TT users are losing fat over the holidays.



Click here to get started with Turbulence Training for Fat Loss:==> http://www.ttworkouts.com/





Strategy #1 - Green Tea & Almonds
One of the most common tips you'll hear is to "fill up" before you go to a party where there will be lots of goodies.



Unfortunately, most people I talk to have no luck with this tip. Most people still go to a party and eat everything in sight.



But recently TT users have told me that having a cup of Green Tea and one ounce of almonds has helped them avoid holiday cravings better than anything ever before.



The fiber from the almonds reduces appetite while the small amount of caffeine from the Green Tea seems to increase mental alertness and keep you "energized" at the party.
Hopefully that might work for you...



Strategy #2 - Don't waste your time on any fancy cardio programs
Listen, the bottom line over the holiday season is that your success depends almost entirely on your nutrition.



You can't expect to hit the cardio confessional and burn off last night's 2000 calorie smorgasboard. That's a 4-hour workout. Instead, don't get into that situation in the first place.
Here are more nutrition tips:



- Focus on portion control (and if you have no discipline, forgeteven trying to eat just one)- Nix all drinks mixed with calorie-containing beverages, or better yet, just stop getting drunk. Period.- Write down everything you eat to identify your problem spots. Then do whatever you need to do to eliminate your weaknesses. If you don't record your nutrition, chances are you'll miss bigopportunities to change your diet and lose fat.



Strategy #3 - Take care of yourself first.
My friend Holly Rigsby (of http://www.fitmummy.com/) is always reminding busy moms to take care of themselves first, and I think that suggestion applies at this time of year to everyone.



So take a deep breath. Ask yourself as you're running around to please everyone else, "Have you set aside time for yourself"



Be selfish. Make sure you have had some exercise time, some good nutrition, and some rest before overextending yourself and doing too much for other people when you haven't taken care of yourself and your goals first.



Strategy #4 - Get on a roll
This one comes from a TT Transformation contestant who is too busy losing fat to get off track over the holidays.



Don't procrastinate till January 1st. Get started now. Dozens of men and women are doing their Turbulence Training Transformations right now - through the heart of the holiday season.
They aren't waiting for Jan. 1st to show up. They are takingcontrol now, and getting on a roll, and not letting anything (fromwork parties to peer pressure) get in their way.



Strategy #5 - Exercise in short bursts whenever you can
Don't be afraid to dance at your Christmas party. Don't worry, there is bound to be at least one worse dancer than you out on the floor. Have fun and get down!



On a more serious note, here's how to avoid falling off the fitnessprogram during the busy holiday season.



Get your butt out of bed 15 minutes early so you can have 3 minutes to wake up and 12 minutes to do the December 2007 Turbulence Training 12-Minute Workouts.



Get this workout as part of your bonuses when you start using Turbulence Training today: http://www.ttworkouts.com/



Stay healthy and fit over the holidays,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MSAuthor, Turbulence Training



About the AuthorLearn about the "Dark Side of Cardio" in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at http://www.ttworkouts.com/. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines.





His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week.





For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.ttworkouts.com/

GET MOTIVATED WITH DPM PERFORMANCE! blog ed. 9

I don't know about you, but I had a great weekend. Got treated to an early birthday present and spent a weekend that involved a punt at the casino, picnic in the bottanical gardens, harbour jet boat ride (a must do if you feel the need for speed!), harley ride around the beaches and an exciting 30 minutes of cricket yesterday afternoon before the rain set in.

Now, I need to recover from all of that and it's time for me, and for you hopefully, to reflect on 2007. Seeing this is the final Monday morning blog for 2007, I'm going to take this self analysis survey from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich.


SELF-ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PERSONAL INVENTORY
1. Have I attained the goal which I established as my objective this year? (You should work with a definite yearly objective to be attained as a part of your major life objective).

2. Have I delivered service of the best possible QUALITY of which I was capable, or could I have improved any part of this service?

3. Have I delivered service in the greatest possible QUANTITY of which I was capable?

4. Has the spirit of my conduct been harmonious, and co-operative at all times?

5. Have I permitted the habit of PROCRASTINATION to decrease my efficiency, and if so, to what extent?

6. Have I improved my PERSONALITY, and if so, in what ways?

7. Have I been PERSISTENT in following my plans through to completion?

8. Have I reached DECISIONS PROMPTLY AND DEFINITELY on all occasions?

9. Have I permitted any one or more of the 6 basic fears (Fear of POVERTY; Fear of CRITICISM; Fear of ILL HEALTH; Fear of LOSS OF LOVE; Fear of LOSS OF LIBERTY; Fear of OLD AGE; Fear of DEATH?) to decrease my efficiency?

10. Have I been either ‘over-cautious’ or ‘under-cautious’?

11. Has my relationship with my associates in work been pleasant, or unpleasant? If it has been unpleasant, has the fault been partly, or wholly mine?

12. Have I dissipated any of my energy through lack of CONCENTRATION of effort?

13. Have I been open minded and tolerant in connection with all subjects?

14. In what way have I improved my ability to render service?

15. Have I been intemperate in any of my habits?

16. Have I expressed, either or openly or secretly, any forms of EGOTISM?

17. Has my conduct toward my associates been such that it has induced them to RESPECT me?

18. Have my opinions and DECISIONS been based upon guesswork, or accuracy of analysis and THOUGHT?

19. Have I followed the habit of budgeting my time, my expenses, and my income, and have I been conservative in these budgets?

20. How much time have I devoted to UNPROFITABLE effort which I might have used to better advantage?

21. How may I RE-BUDGET my time, and change my habits so I will be more efficient during the coming year?

22. Have I been guilty of any conduct which was not approved by my conscience?

23. In what ways have I rendered MORE SERVICE AND BETTER SERVICE that I was paid to render?

24. Have I been unfair to anyone, and if so, in what way?

25. If I had been the purchaser of my own services for the year, would I be satisfied with my purchase?

26. Am I in the right vocation, and if not, why not?

27. Has the purchaser of my services been satisfied with the service I have rendered, and if not, why not?

How did you go. I know it was a bit long winded so that's it for today.

I'll be making another post during the week so be sure to check back and see what's on my mind later in the week.

Have a great Christmas, be safe and make sure that your 2008 is a bigger and better year then this year. I know I will be striving for that myself!

RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR A FRIDAY AFTERNOON

While I was training a client in a gym the other day, I couldn't help but have a laugh at the "workout" that a couple of pretty boys were having.

There was about 3 blokes hanging around while 1 guy done what some people would call a set. There was an open magazine with exercises (don't know which one) and the weights were as high as you could get them.

Guess you gotta look cool in front of your mates and show how much weight you can throw around right?

Anyway, what made me laugh was that because the weight was so heavy (thereby providing a proper set to maximise muscle gain) the tempo of the weight was so fast and the body was being jerked around so much that the only possible thing that the guy could have got out of it was a sore back - he was doing 1 arm bent over rows.

To top it off, the very next day, I was in the same place at the same time doing my own training blast when the same blokes were all standing around watching 1 guy bench pressing as much weight as humanly possible, as fast as humanly possible on the Smith Machine while being spotted!

Why you need a spotter on a machine where you don't work properly is beyond me.

I give the guys some credit though, they weren't skinny pencil pushers, but imagine what they could be doing if they were training properly and not to look good in front of their mates?

To see why these blokes were wrong, check out this article that I recently had published in The Inner West Courier:

STOP WASTING YOUR TIME: 5 EXECISE MISTAKES

If you are doing any of the following exercises, stop training like a body builder (unless you are one), and watch as you bust through your training plateaus.

# 1: The Leg Extension Machine: For the front thigh (quadriceps). If it is dangerous to someone who has had a knee reconstruction because of the stress it places on the knee, what makes it safe for everyone else to do? This is the biggest waste of time exercise that gym goers do. Don’t follow the crowd.

# 2: Anything on a Smith Machine: This is a machine where the bar is on a guided cable and it allows you to do Bench Press, Squats, Rows etc. It does the work for you so you don’t have to stablise the bar. If you want to train heavy get a partner or trainer. They will spot you and allow your body to actually work. The only good thing this is for is a Recline Row where you use the bar to do a modified chin up. Oh and I forgot, this makes for a pretty good towel rack!

#3: Adductor/Abductor Machine: This one is popular with the ladies. Work lunges in a multi directional movement if you want to train your inner and outer thighs. Like most machines, they create more muscle imbalances as your stabliser muscles are not being used.

#4: Ab Machines: These can place unnecessary strain on your lower back. For best ab exercises use a fitball or hover/plank variations. The Ab Roller is included in this category.

#5: Seated Shoulder Press Machine: I don’t like the angle this places your shoulders at when you press overhead. For the best shoulder exercises use free weights.


I hope you are not making these mistakes in your training regime? You definately won't be if you are doing any of my sessions!

GET MOTIVATED WITH DPM PERFORMANCE! blog ed. 8

The countdown is on: 2 weeks to Christmas! Know, for the first time ever, I am super organised and finished my last bit of Christmas shopping on Friday! How are you travelling? Make sure you don't have the same attitude to your christmas shopping as you do your own training - it will get done one day.

Following on from last weeks posting about dreaming big, I want you to have a think about these words from Zach Even-Esh, from undergroundstrengthcoach.com:

"I want you to start "feeling" what it's like to be in your new body. Yes, the body you
want 3 months from now, 6 months from now, or 1 year from now, you pick the time frame.

You also get to choose how YOU want to look! Don't worry about figuring out HOW you
will look better and feel better. Just TRUST that this is what you need to make it
happen for you.

And YES, you WILL lose that gut! (or whatever area you are targeting)

OK, back to feeling and visualizing.....

Get really detailed here, there are NO rules to this activity with regards to any
limits. There are NO limits if you choose to live this way!

Every single day, preferably a few times each day, go to a quiet area .

Close your eyes and FEEL what it's gonna be like when everyone compliments you on your
arms, your six pack abs, your muscular legs, your ass kickin' new body.

FEEL what it's like to have your wife going crazy over your rock hard body....or, for
single guys....the girls at the beach turning their head every time you pass them by!

(take in mind that this was written by a bloke for men as his target audience but use the appropriate substiution for yourself).

You can do this, you WILL achieve this. Yes, you will have to walk the walk, but if you
can conceive this picture in your mind clearly and vividly, then the body will achieve
this!

Combine this with the power of walking the walk when you eat and train and you WILL
achieve your visions!

Not bad hey - I do something simular when I am out walking. I try and get out for a longish walk at least once a week just to stretch the legs and give me some thinking time. I visualise what things will look like and how my life will be when I achieve my big dream.

Try it out - what have you got to lose?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

This one is for the men reading, or it might be interesting news for your partner, Dad etc.

Pepitas Provide a Powerful Prostate-Protecting Punch
By Kelley Herring

If you're concerned about prostate health, carve a pumpkin. Or at least make sure you eat those seeds.

Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, have been used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) in Europe for centuries. And modern science can now explain why.

The shelled seeds are a rich source of phytonutrients called curcurbitacins. (The outer shell is mainly fiber.) Not only do these nutrients help reduce inflammation in the body, they also reduce the conversion of testosterone to a byproduct called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which contributes to prostate gland enlargement.

But that's only one part of pepitas' prostate-protecting punch. These little seeds are also one of the best sources of zinc - a mineral that helps prevent healthy prostate cells from transforming into cancerous ones.

You can get the prostate-protecting benefits of pumpkin seeds in any season. They make a great snack, and they're available year round in the produce section of your grocery.

Try substituting pepitas for the pine nuts in your favorite pesto recipe for a healthy twist.

TAKE HOME POINT:

Get some pepitas or pumpkin seeds next time you get your groceries and snack on them for great health benefits!


Get out and make it a great week.

What's your excuse?

Fire UP!

TOP 10 EXERCISES FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS!

I've been getting some great comments from readers who see my articles in the Inner West Courier each week.

So, for those of you who are not in there delivery area, here's your chance to see what people have been talking about.

Each week, I'll post something that has recently been published. And for those who read my article in Monday's posting, that is next weeks article, so you've got a heads up!

Enjoy:

For as long as resistance training has been around, there has been an argument over what exercises give you the biggest return on investment and which ones are better left for those who just want to look pretty in their tight training outfits.

To make the list, the exercise must be a compound movement. This means that the exercise uses more than 1 muscle group during the exercise. The more muscles used in each movement the better.

Isolation exercises are a waste of time unless you are a body builder. This may upset some people, but do you want to look pretty doing arm curls or do you want to get results?

# 1: Snatch – My all time favourite but not for people with bad backs or shoulders.

# 2: Chin Ups – Modify to a recline row with your feet on the ground if you can’t support your body weight.

# 3: Swing – An easier version of the Snatch and doesn’t go over your head.

#4: Front Squats – holding the weights in front of your shoulders is safer for you back and works your arms.

#5: Push Up Variations – T Push Ups, decline, incline, uneven, fitball you name it.

# 6: Clean High Pull – Combines a Deadlift with a Calf Raise and Upright Row.

# 7: Clean and Press – Not if you have shoulder injuries.

# 8: Deadlifts – Great for a tight butt and back of legs.

# 9: Box Jumps – Gets the heart rate up and works your legs.

# 10: Burpees: - although not a strength exercise, I had to throw this in. it is a killer!

If you are unsure what any of these exercises are, your gym instructor should be able to help you. Otherwise a simple google images search should do the trick.

GET MOTIVATED WITH DPM PERFORMANCE! blog ed. 7

I am loving this weather over the last 2 days after all this rain! Glad to see that summer is here for today at least!

I hope you had a great weekend and made the most of your time. I tell you, after running around the world and weddings, christenings etc over the last couple of weeks I enjoyed relaxing yesterday and spending some quiet time at home for a change.

Now that we are into the cricket season, I thought I'd use some lines from one of my favourite players, who unfortunately is not playing test cricket anymore. Justin Langer was the typical battler who worked harder than most to achieve what he did during his career.

His book "The Power of Passion" is an awesome read for anyone who is interested in biographies. Even if you are not a cricket fan, I'd be surprised if you don't enjoy this one.

This is one of his pearlers “Dream and don’t be afraid to dream BIG. Not matter what, don’t let anyone steal your dreams from you”.

Here's my two cents worth: Don't be afraid to tell people your dreams, especially the big ones. It helps keep you accountable.

And to prove that I practice what I preach, I'm going to share my big dream with you.

After being at my seminar in West Palm Beach recently I had one of those lightning bolt moments where you know you are onto something big. I have started developing a product that will see me take on the US market! It is going to be massive! So that's my big dream. To create this product (which I'm keeping under my hat at this time), get some of the industries biggest names on board with bonuses, launch it, and see it take over the North American fitness market!

So stay tuned as next year I will be launching it and I have put it out there so you guys can help keep me accountable.

Don't be afraid to write a comment under this blog posting and tell me what your big dream is. Then we can work together to help keep each other accountable.

Don't let fear hold you back!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Instead of my usual article on nutriton, I was in a writing mood this morning, so thought I'd give you some advice, which I am sure you've heard before, but it is always good to get some reinforcement.

DON’T DROP YOUR GUARD

The festive season is the time where everybody starts to relax and wind down after a busy year. The reasons are everywhere – Christmas shopping, Christmas parties, office drinks. You name it there is an excuse somewhere to eat whatever you want and drink too much.

Every action always has a consequence is what we have always been told since we were little. This is no different. The belt buckle usually goes out a notch or two, that loose fitting top is getting more like lycra each week, the energy levels have slumped and the kids are hypo.

Don’t forget the kids eating habits at this time of year as well. Too many soft drinks, lollies, cakes etc will only have them running around like crazy on a massive sugar high. I wouldn’t want to be in your house when you have a few of them on their high!

So my challenge to you is don’t drop your guard. Sure, have fun at this time of year. You don’t have to be a party pooper. But remember if you want to be feeling great come January 1 you have to step up your training regime, don’t let it slide.

If you know you have a big night out planned, add in an extra session that week. Maybe even do a morning and an afternoon session on a particular day. Go into your special function knowing that you can enjoy yourself because you have done your homework during the week.

And as you would say to your kids, if you haven’t done your homework you can’t have any desert!


Get out and make it a great week!

What's your excuse?