The food we eat comprises about 80% of our success or failure with any fitness plan. Whether your goal is to lose weight or gain better flexibility, the information at your disposal on Lee’s blog is vast and the result of years of expertise within the fitness and nutrition fields. I strongly urge you to browse the articles, as there is something for everyone at every fitness level. Lee has also made an incredible exercise and nutrition resource available to you free of charge, so be sure to check out his Lean Body Trainer.

Today, I’m going to dive into the benefits of avocado – the sometimes forgotten, strange looking fruit that is considered to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Once upon a time, avocado was once considered a luxury food, available only to royalty.  Today, California leads the country by growing 90% of the avocados purchased in the United States. High in monounsaturated fat, which helps keep skin nice and tight, promotes a strong heartbeat and helps ward off arthritis and reduce inflammation, avocados deserve a place on our plates.

Here are some quick facts -

- One serving (1/5 of whole avocado) has just 5g of fat (monounsaturated)
- Avocados are called Alligator pears because     of  its pear-like shape and green skin
- Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin C, K, folate and B6.
- Avocados are sodium and cholesterol free.
- A single avocado tree can produce about 500 avocados each year.
- To reduce oxidation (browning) of a sliced avocado, sprinkle lemon juice on the exposed flesh and store in a plastic bag.

Check out this quick video on preparing and peeling avocado from the California Avocado Commission.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tips on making avocado a regular part of your eating plan -

- Chop avocado as a garnish to your black beans
- Mix avocado, cilantro, lime juice, red onion and salt and pepper for a twist on traditional guacamole.
- Mash a wedge of avocado and use as a sandwich spread instead of mayo or mustard.

Lastly, here is a recipe for Avocado and stuffed Artichoke Tortillas also by the California Avocado Commission.

by Jonathan Lawson

We’ve all been sidetracked from our fitness goals at one time or another.  Having been involved in this industry for over two decades, I’ve heard my share of excuses, too.

These excuses are usually pretty legitimate on the surface, but often boil down to one of two things.  A lot of times it’s just time management, but more often than not it’s a lack of motivation.  Frankly, the time management problem usually evolves from a lack of motivation, too, so I guess there’s really just one reason we get sidetracked.

It really boils down to the fact that if you want something badly enough, you’ll make the time and you’ll make it happen.

I can speak about this from first-hand experience.  When I first started bodybuilding my enthusiasm was extremely high.  I started seriously at 18-years old and did my first competition at 19, and the results and feedback I got caused my motivation to sky rocket. After my second contest at 20-years old I lost the edge because of a few reasons and both my training and nutrition suffered.  At 21, however, I started working at IRON MAN Magazine and the fire was stoked again.  I did a couple of more bodybuilding competitions and then continued with yearly photo shoots after that, so the fire burned at full-force for several years.

Then I got married, had a son, moved half way across the country and had a
career change.  I’ll be the first to admit that my fitness goals got sidetracked.  I was still training pretty hard, but nutrition was slipping a bit and I didn’t have an actual goal I was working towards.  That’s the  big key.

Then I went and broke my foot, or at least most of the toes in one foot.  That took me completely out for a few weeks, but proved to be a blessing in disguise… or at least that’s how I’m looking at it.  The time off helped remind me of something I already knew from years past.  There is only one thing you need to stay motivated.  GOALS.

There are plenty of ways to keep your training from getting stale, but really only one way to stay motivated, and it’s something you have to find from within yourself.

Having solid and defined goals is the biggest key to your success in the gym, but also in almost every aspect of life.

Next time you’re feeling like you don’t have the time or energy to get to the
gym, try sitting down and being honest with yourself.  Analyze the reason you workout, and if you don’t already have a goal, set one.  Make it realistic and set a timeline.  Whether it’s a bodyweight, a certain look you want to achieve, a best time or a strength goal.  If you don’t have something you’re working towards then you’re likely just going through the motions.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t workout if you don’t have goals.  Some people are perfectly happy working out just to work out or for the general health of it, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  If you find it hard to get it done, however, it’s likely because you’re not working towards something specific.

I went from having very specific goals every year for almost two decades to not having something solid to work towards for the past several months.  Now that I’m back on track it has helped prove to me that the mind plays just as important of a role in physical fitness as training or nutrition, and possibly even more.

About the Author
Jonathan Lawson has been working in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years; weight training for 21 years, competed in numerous bodybuilding competitions, worked for IRON MAN Magazine for 17 years, co-owns X-Rep.com where he has co-published over 15 e-books and writes a daily training blog.  He has appeared on the covers of, and been featured in, dozens of international magazines, books and e-books.

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“I want to lose weight and eat better”. Most of us at some point or another are guilty of reaching for those cleverly labeled “diet “ products thinking it’ll be a safe ticket to weight loss. Most of those products are labeled to make you think there’s a shortcut to “skinny “without any real sacrifice.  The truth is, in order to really lose the weight and change your body the healthy way, you need to feed it the right nutrition. Yes…feed it Unfortunately, the path to a skinnier you is full of pitfalls that can easily set you back.  Losing weight is a daily habit of eating good foods in balanced portions and is an overall lifestyle decision.

Read those nutrition labels! And, on everything you purchase! Use a careful eye for marketing of products called “diet”, “weight control”, “low calorie”, or “low fat”. Many of these products have a secret weapon against your weight loss success…sugar. It’s amazing how many food items, diet or not, are loaded with sugar or sugar substitutes. I was disheartened to learn that most artificial sweeteners still stimulate insulin release by the body, thereby leading to “storage” – not ideal for weight loss. A natural alternative to sweeteners are Stevia or Truvia …derived from a plant and do not stimulate insulin release – yay…or I should say “sweet!”

Serving size awareness! Look at the serving size when evaluating nutrition contents of the food. Often times 1 serving may not seem too bad but if you eat the whole item…is it really 2 to 3 servings? And, look up the calories and nutrition info on foods you order, like fast food. Even sandwiches and that “healthy” salad can contain up to 1000 calories!

Don’t skip meals! It’s easy to miss a meal especially breakfast. I used to be an “I’m too busy for breakfast” person and never knew how important that meal was for my metabolism. After a good night’s sleep, your body needs a fuel source for energy. Breakfast will help boost energy and metabolism as you start your day. Skipping this morning meal actually can reduce metabolism which is not a good thing if you want a lean body. Of course, when choosing a breakfast meal, avoid sugary, dessert breakfasts and feed your body with protein, whole grains and fruit.  If “we are what we eat”, then I want to eat great food to work towards a great body It is equally important to eat frequently, as in every 2-3 hours, to maintain a healthier weight.  By eating more frequent (smaller portion) meals, your body will run with a better metabolism and stable blood sugar which results in better weight loss and more energy.  (See a sample diet plan here: Burn Fat and Tone Up Sample Diet)

Watching TV with my kids this week, I noted at least 3 snack or junk food commercials between each show.  The commercials marketed “healthy snacks” yet the items, such as granola bars and fruit snacks, are again loaded with sugar and contain little nutrition to properly “fuel and keep you full.” Again, the marketing and advertising of food today can lead you into unhealthy cravings and eating habits so beware Pick snacks with a higher protein, less sugar to help control hunger.

Healthy eating is all about making smart choices throughout the day with what food you put in your body. Avoid these common food mistakes and the result will be a healthier, leaner you

Dr. Jennifer Hennessey, DVM, CVJ

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by Lee Labrada

Do you have big, broad, rock-hard shoulders that command attention in and out of the gym and bodybuilding stage? If so, congratulations, as in this article you’ll discover a new bodybuilding shoulder routine that can help you build even more impressive delts!
On the other hand: If your shoulders could use some work, you’re also in luck ’cause I’m about to reveal an intense shoulder routine that will help you turn your shoulders… into boulders!

But first, here’re the basics of my entire routine to help you plan your shoulder workout:

Workout frequency: 2 days on, 1 day off, 1 day on, 1 day off

This means I workout for two days followed by one day of rest. Then, I workout another day followed by another day off. Then I repeat.

I never train with weights more than two days in a row because I find that I build muscle faster if I have enough time to recuperate. (If you’re not making steady gains with your program try adding a few extra rest days each week. You may actually gain more by training less!

Okay, here’s how my typical bodybuilding workout schedule looks:

Day #1: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Day #2: Back/Biceps/Abs

Day #3: Rest Day

Day #4: Quads/Hamstrings/calves

Day #5: Rest Day

Then repeat

Now, you can certainly adapt this workout schedule to fit your specific needs. For example: If you want to take off the weekend from weight training (and many people do) then try 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off. Then repeat. This way you’ll have Wednesday along with Saturday and Sunday off each week. (The extra day of rest may be good for you!)

How To Make This Workout As Effective As Possible

Moving along, here are 9 things which you must do to make this workout as effective as possible:

1. Obtain a training log and use it to track your workouts.

2. Use as much weight as possible for the number of prescribed repetitions in each exercise.

3. Perform each set to failure.

4. Strive to increase your training poundages slowly each week.

5. Keep the total length of your workouts to 60 minutes or less (including initial warm-up.)

6. Use strict form on all exercises.

7. Minimize stress and rest completely on days off. Try to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

8. Follow a proper nutrition and supplementation program. (Tip: check out the diets presented on the goals page: http://www.labrada.com/yourgoals)

9. You can use a pre-workout drink like Super Charge! or Stim Force for an absolutely intense workout.

Got it? Good. Now here comes the meat and potatoes of this article!

Shoulder Exercises:

* Use a 3-1-2 tempo (three seconds to lower the weight, one second pause at top of movement, and two seconds to raise the weight). This is important!

* Take between 1-2 minutes rest between sets.

* If you’re going to complete failure, you will need to reduce the training poundage by 10% after each set, in order to manage all the reps on the next set.

* If you’re just getting started, drop one set from each exercise and concentrate on form instead of going for the heavy poundage. (You’ll thank me later!)

Shoulders Exercise #1: Lateral Dumbbell Raises:

After warming up, perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions to failure.

On the last set drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest. (It hurts, but boy does it work!)

Tip: Lean slightly forward just enough for dumbbells to clear your side; bend arms slightly and raise dumbbells to a point just above the shoulders. Keep dumbbells facing forward by rotating your hands so your little finger stays higher than the rest of the hand.

Avoid: Cheating or swinging throughout the movement.

Shoulders Exercise #2: Upright Rows: (By using the traps as a secondary muscle we can fatigue the deltoids even more now that they are warmed up from the side laterals.)

Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

On the last set drop the weight and do another 5 reps without rest.

Tip: Use a grip that leaves six inches between your hands. Keep the bar as close to your body as possible. Pull upper arms out to the side so your elbows point towards the ceiling and the bar comes up to your chin; then lower slowly.

Avoid: Locking your knees or using a stance where your feet are too close together.

Shoulders Exercise #3: Dumbbell Shoulder Presses: (Dumbbells provide a better range of motion and incorporate the shoulder stabilizers into the movement.)

Perform 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

On the last set, drop the weight and do another 4 reps without rest.

Tips: Press the weight directly above the head and keep your back in a fixed upright position.

Avoid: Letting your wrists wobble with the weight; keep them fixed.

Shoulders Exercise #4: Bent Over Laterals: (An excellent mass developer for the rear deltoids.)

Perform 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

On the last set, drop the weight and do another 4 reps without rest.

Tips: Lower the weight slowly and make sure that you choose a weight that you can control at all times.

Avoid: Jerking the weights up and down. Keep control of the movement at all tomes.

So there you have it! Follow this program along with a quality nutrition and supplementation program and you’ll be on your way to broad and muscular shoulders!

Now go get ‘em!

Yours for a Lean Body,

Lee Labrada

Your Lean Body Coach™
Houston, Texas

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Comparing yourself to others does not “serve” you or your ultimate good.

In order to be your best “self”, the only person you need to “obSERVE” and be concerned with is Y-O- and U. In order to be able to give yourself an ACCURATE assessment, you must “SEGREGATE” from the “aggregate”. It does not matter what other people are doing, for the only one that you have responsibility for improving is YOU! The best form of PROGRESSION requires the “recognition” that YOU are your only “OPPONENT”. It is up to you to BE ACCOUNTABLE for your “private” ACTIONS without allowing “outside” distractions…

“To ensure your ADVANCEMENT’s “survival”, you must remember that YOU are your only “rival”…Put yourself to the “test” to ACHIEVE a daily “personal BEST””  -LCF-
When you “strategize” for individual ADVANCEMENT, never “compromise” this necessary ENHANCEMENT by comparing yourself to everyone else. Remember that in order “SIZE UP” your “COMPETITION” and see where YOU “stand”, the only effective way to do this is to take your OWN “measurements” FIRSTHAND. In order to be able to look at yourself with admiration and DEFERENCE, you do not require any other point of “REFERENCE” than your own view…

“In striving to be “more”, simply aim to be BETTER than the YOU from the day “before” -LCF-

“Make sure that your efforts “STACK UP AGAINST” the ones from the day “prior”…and then make that “heap” a little HIGHER” -LCF-

“To make the “vision” of the OPTIMAL you “clearer”, only “MEASURE” yourself against the person staring back at YOU in the “mirror”. Remember, the true “WIN” of this day in and day out “trial” is if the reflection that stares back at you is “wearing” a SMILE…

“HOLD A CANDLE” only to YOUR “face” in order to effectively “illuminate” your “brightest” GRACE.” -LCF-

DREAM. INSPIRE. MOTIVATE. ENCOURAGE.
Stay motivated!

LCF

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by Lee Labrada

Hi Folks,
Today I just want to share with you a quick and easy to prepare black beans recipe.   I usually make a double recipe as everyone likes them!

Ingredients

29 oz can of Goya black beans
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion
1 small green pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 bay leaves
1/4 tablespoon oregano
Pinch of ground cloves
1/8 tablespoon cumin
1 cup water

Preparation Instructions
1) In large pot add olive oil and heat.

2) Add everything except black beans to pot and sauté until onions and peppers are soft.

3) Add beans plus 1 cup water, stir together and smash beans with large spoon about 5-6 times. This will thicken the beans as they cook.

4) Bring to a boil and immediately turn to low and cook covered for 1 hour, occasionally stirring.

5) Let cool before placing in Tupperware or eat hot, always better the next day!

Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Yours for a Lean Body,

Lee Labrada

Your Lean Body Coach™
Houston, Texas

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by Damon Armani, Member of the Labrada Research & Development Team

I’m going to assume that you are fairly new to taking supplements.  Maybe you’ve tried protein powders, nutrition bars, creatine, etc…  And I’m guessing that you have taken multi-vitamins for most of your life.  In addition, if you are (or were) overweight you’ve probably tried several of the popular fat burners on the market.  If underweight I’m sure you have tried a few of the different weight gainers available.  It seems like the majority of people who take supplements will do so in order to:

1. Lose weight
2. Gain weight
3. Improve their health

Additionally, you may have tried individual items like Vitamin C, E, D, etc….. to boost your body’s immune system.   Every day there is a new “miracle ingredient” reported in the news designed to improve your ability to think, lose weight, recover from illness, or assist in preventing many of the diseases our bodies are prone to acquire over the years.

But here you are, entering the world of Mixed Martial Arts and it seems like every famous MMA competitor has a supplement company endorsement.  All the popular magazines feature ads with supplements promising to increase strength, power, speed, recovery or endurance.    In addition, “steroid replacements” are advertised as alternatives to the illegal drugs that competitors are constantly reported to be on.  Many products claim to actually be steroids.   Most of these products are actually herbs with fancy names or common dietary ingredients that are using their “chemical names” to give the appearance of being a powerful drug.  Sending your hard earned money to a company selling you a product like that is the same as holding the money up and lighting a match under it.

On the other side of the issue we find “old school” or conservative minded trainers/coaches/athletes that will tell you all you need is a good diet and proper training in order to develop your technique.   They will say that there is no supplement that will make up for poor training technique or a bad diet.   Their position is that hard training and proper eating is all you will need in order to improve your strength, speed, and endurance.

While hard work, proper training and a great diet are all part of a sound program in order to improve technique and performance, there is certainly a place for the strategic use of supplements.

The goal of proper training in order to improve your technique is to increase your skill level.  But before you can throw that first punch, land that first kick, or choke out your opponent, your body must first acquire the energy to move.   Movement requires energy.  So the goal of performance nutrition is simply to optimize your body’s ability to replenish its energy during training sessions and competition.

What Supplements to Take?

So now you’re ready to find out which supplements to take, right?  Before choosing which ones to use, we will need to take a quick look at how our muscles are fueled.  A basic review of exercise physiology indicates that wrestlers and sprinters (close relatives to grapplers) will utilize a 90% Anaerobic/10% Aerobic contribution of “energy production.”  So our focus should be on a supplement regimen that will maximize the body’s ability to produce energy mostly in anaerobic conditions.

1.FOX, E.L. et al. (1993) The Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport. 5th ed. Madison: Brown & Benchmark

A quick look at bioenergetics shows us that muscle cells store limited amounts of ATP (which is the “immediate” source of energy for muscular contractions).   Muscular exertion requires constant replenishment of ATP.  Failure to meet the energy requirements in your body results in fatigue.  This is why you “gas out” during your training….or your muscles fail during lifting exercises

Here is a simplified “timeline” overview of how your muscles are fueled:

2. MATTHEWS, D. et al. (1971) The Physiological Basis of Physical Education and Athletics. Philadelphia: Saunders

In part 2 we will start to look at ways we can enhance endurance through the proper use of performance nutrition and supplementation.

About the Author
Damon Armani is a consultant to the sports nutrition industry and is a member of the Labrada Research & Development team.   Having been an avid weight trainer for over 30 years, he has competed in power lifting and is a 3 time Collegiate  Martial Arts Champion.  He continues to research novel compounds and assist in designing cutting edge formulas for his clients.

Omega-3 oils are important for all of us to take. They are considered essential since we can’t make them in our bodies and they make us healthy.

As we age and stress our body stores more Omega-6. We need to constantly ingest more Omega-3s to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and help fight cancer and about a 1000 other benefits.

Krill is seafood that represents the largest biomass on the planet Earth. It is estimated so large that if you round up every fish, animal, bird on the planet, they would be only 1/3 the size of the krill. Krill naturally makes phosphorylated Omega-3.

Phosphorylation is important since it absorbs 3-10 times more efficiently than standard fish oil. That’s less pills and cost for the same benefit.

Neither krill oil nor fish oil, have any effect on insulin and therefore, is not harmful to diabetics. Many marketing concerns are related to mercury levels in fish oil verses krill, but the actual difference is quite difficult to determine. Larger fish always have more mercury according to the literature. Processing is necessary through distillation to remove other contaminates including mercury.

As a nutritional writer, I am always supporting the issue of raw foods and here is no exception. I would have to say that krill wins out. Fish oils can be phosphorylated, but it is not a natural process like the krill. Just check the label to see if your Omega-3 has phosphorylation to assure the best absorption.

The benefits of fish oil hasn’t been around very long, it wasn’t until the 1970’s that scientist have isolated the chemicals in the fish fat and found some of the health benefits.
Today the healing power of these fatty acids is staggering. Fighting cancer, boosting immune systems, fighting cardiac disease, stopping many mental disorders and Alzheimer’s disease and reducing many types of inflammation (including those with concussions) is just the short list of what Omega-3s can do.

The entire topic can get complex, but the key here is to get more Omega-3s in your diet.
Marketing from vitamin companies has left a huge question mark on the minds of most consumers. False claims of superior products are difficult for legitimate manufactures to overcome.

When you look on the internet or do some label inspection, it is difficult to make the choice. There is no question that eating natural sources of fish oil is the best way to obtain Omega-3s, but eating enough seafood is not feasible and so supplementation is critical and necessary.

It is possible to contact any nutrition manufacturer and ask for a “certificate of analysis”. A proof of quality is normally on the website or available from any good fish oil producer. Make a phone call and if they don’t know what you are talking about with a certificate of analysis, hang up the phone and move on to another producer.

Every manufacture of fish oils is under the eye of the Canadian based IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards). Each company is rated with a 0-5 star rating and so it is simple to look for that all important and difficult 5 star rating.

Quality manufactures will add stabilizers that help with absorption. The smell test is also important and no fish or krill oil product should have any scent of sea life to it.

Some individuals feel that they can obtain Omega-3s from eating plants alone, but the body takes a 15-16 chain fatty molecule and manufactures it into a longer 18-20 sized lipid. As you get older, the bodies’ ability to do that molecular lengthening is weaker and so fish based Omega-3 become highly necessary for someone over the age of 50.

The need for these oils doubles with each decade of life since the average American 65 year old has an Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is around 20:1 and should be more like 1:20.
So eat your almonds and flax seeds, but remember to get a good quality seafood based phosphorylated Omega-3 to keep you healthy and fit.

Yours in Health!

Dr. David Ryan

Columbus Chiropractic Center Director

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Hey LABRADA Fans!! April “showers” have brought MAY “POWERS”, so get ready to POWER through this WORKOUT!! Do not disMAY, for it is LEG DAY!!! WOOOHOOOO! Let’s get to training!!

LCF’s TOTAL LEGS Workout! (Focus: HAMS/GLUTES/HIPS) *Make Every Rep Count*

*Indicates the number of reps PER LEG!  

**Keep in mind that this is what personally works for me ~ It is obvious that I like to include a lot of exercises in my workouts!  :)  If you prefer to train using only three or four exercises, you may choose which exercises you would like to perform from the list, making sure to hit ALL parts of the back.

***Also, Please keep in mind that this workout is more advanced, so if you are just starting out, you can perform standard sets (without the drop) and remove the super sets, if necessary. If you remove the super sets, just complete each exercise individually before moving on to the next.

Get to training! Good luck and have fun!

DREAM. INSPIRE. MOTIVATE. ENCOURAGE.
Stay motivated! 

LCF

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