As you go about setting up a healthy eating plan, there are foods you will need to avoid. Eat those foods and chances are you are in for weight gain and digestive troubles, as well as not doing your health any favors.

Which foods make this list? While there are plenty of choices you will want to avoid, there are some foods that are problematic. Let us go over these foods so you can avoid them…

1. Instant/Ramen Noodles. First on the hit list is ramen or instant noodles. While noodles themselves may not seem to be a bad option, the big problem with these is this particular variety of noodle is very high in saturated fat. Check out the nutrition stats, and you may just be surprised. Most people do not realize how much fat they contain.

On top of that, when you add the flavor mix, you also get a high dose of sodium. Pass on these, and it will do your health well.

2. Chocolate Coated Cereal Bars. The next food to avoid on your eating plan is this particular snack: chocolate coated cereal bars. You know the ones – chewy and tender, sweet and savory, or whatever flavor combination being advertised. All in all, these are not healthy choices for your weight loss plan. Why? Merely because they are high in sugar, contain an abundance of processed carbs, and hardly contain any protein at all. These are going to spike your blood sugar levels and cause a wealth of problems for you going forward.

Pass on these and make your protein bars yourself.

3. Pudding Cups. Pudding cups are likewise as problematic. While you can purchase low-fat varieties, these are almost twice as bad. Then you would be digesting a high dose of sugar as well.

Pudding cups contain microscopic amounts of calcium or even nutrition. Simply they are not ideal. If you want to have pudding, create some yourself using skim milk and a low-sugar pudding mix.

4. Fat-Free Cheese Crisps. Finally, watch out for fat-free cheese crisps or chips of any kind. These may once again seem like a good choice as they are low in fat and possibly lower in calories than their high fat counterparts. But don’t be fooled. The bigger issue with these is they are loaded with additives, simple carbs, and artificial flavors.

In some cases, they may also contain a small dose of trans fats, which must be kept out of your eating plan if you are going to sustain optimal health.

There you have four snacks to avoid if you are going to improve your diet plan and see better weight loss results. Get these out of your food choices, and your body will thank you for it.

If there is one thing that is at the top of the list when it comes to High Intensity Training, it is the question of maximum progress. Due to the intensity of going to failure, and beyond, the body can move quickly into a state of over-training. You must understand how to manage your progress. This has led me to creating hybrid routines that incorporate low-stress high intensity techniques while incorporating advanced high intensity techniques that are in many cases high-stress but are super effective for maximum progress in the shortest period of time.

STRESS

Stress is a major contributor to over-training because most do not take into consideration all the different types of stress the body contends with, both good and bad, which affect recovery ability. Lets take a moment to understand in a simplistic way, how the body lays down muscle. But first let’s set some ground rules…

1- The workout must be intense to stimulate muscle growth.

We really do not know what percentage of intensity is necessary to best stimulate muscle growth… is it 80% or 94%… which is it? So 100% is a reasonable place to start because we are asking the body to adapt to something it has never done.

If you do the same thing over and over again, there is no need for change. This is why you see people in the gym that never change!

2- The workout must be brief.

Because we have the ability to increase our strength 400% or more… yet our recovery ability may only increase 50%… we must be ever so conscious of what is minimally required to stimulate an increase.

Since the body is very intelligent, it is not necessary to stimulate over and over again with endless sets or an exercise. It is only necessary to do it once. Any more than is minimally required to stimulate this increase, while putting the adaptive machinery into process, is taking away from the recovery and the overcompensation process, which can only be considered over-training.

Once set of an exercise is all that is required. It is not how many you do but how you do it.

3- The workout must be infrequent to allow the increase.

It is no secret that after you train intensely that something has been taken from you. You can feel it as you leave the gym when you are finished… if you truly trained to failure in an intense workout. Don’t get volume confused with intensity. They are opposites.

This is exactly what has happened. When you take a high intensity training workout, you dig a ditch in your system’s recovery ability. This is a good analogy and will make sense to you.

Since the body recovers as a whole and not by body part, which most trainees still do not realize, the rest required before you lay down muscle is based on a two step process…recovery and overcompensation.

If you go back into the gym before you have accommodated both processes, you are short-circuiting your progress and more than likely moving into a state of over-training.

This process can take as little as 4-5 days for a beginner… to as many as 7-14 days for an advanced athlete. You must first fill the ditch before you can build on top of it. After the ditch is filled, whatever is left, goes into building the mountain or as we say, laying down muscle.

You must first be 100% before you can be 120% or said differently, until you have compensated for the exhaustive effects of the workout, you will not lay any additional muscle down. So how do we know when to train?

THE TWO DAY RULE

This is possibly the most important concept you will learn if you are a high intensity training athlete. Here it is in a nutshell… Once you feel 100%, you feel energetic again and you are your great feeling self, then and only then, insert two more rest days before you go to the gym to perform your next workout.

The reason for this is simple. At 100% you have compensated, but, we are not here to break even are we? No, we are here to make strength and muscle gains up to our genetic potential. To do this we must pay attention and “Ride the Lightning” without getting burned… which brings me to my next subject and that is…

How to incorporate high intensity training techniques while not tipping the scales on stress which will allow you uninterrupted progress

HYBRID WORKOUTS

We hear a lot about hybrids these days.

There are hybrid boats that use motors that are electric, but fueled by a diesel generator which allows a greater reserve of fossil energy while propelling the craft efficiently and speedily to its destination.

There are hybrid cars that do the same and allow greater mileage while not hitting the supply of oil as hard as it would if they were running 500 cubic inch monster motors under the hood. This is not much different then what we are doing here.

What we are doing here is combining a low-stress high intensity technique with infrequent high-stress high intensity techniques that allow for more intense and longer contractions in most cases, thus allowing further adaptation and progress.

As one grows larger and stronger, the body requires a more intense contraction to move it past its status quo into a place it has not been. What must be taken into consideration is this…as implied above, the stronger you become, the more infrequent and brief your workout must become.

Many athletes, because they do not understand how to insert these most effective techniques and read their body properly, usually avoid them because they inevitably over train.

There are many types of intensity techniques; here are a few I like…

Forced Reps

Rest Pause

Omni Contraction

Negatives

Pre-Exhaustion

Contraction Holds

Each one of these go beyond failure and because of that… increase the intensity. However there is a couple that is lower stress than the rest.

I am going to set up an example how you could proceed using a low stress and higher stress technique in a 4 set split routine workout. We will be using:

1- Pre-Exhaustion (Low Stress) – PE is performed by starting with an isolation exercise and moving without rest directly to a compound exercise, thus pre-exhausting the muscle targeted with isolation then using fresh muscle to push the targeted muscle past the point creating an adaptive response.

2- Contraction Holds (High Stress) – CH focuses on either the strongest portion of the movement and/or the fully contracted muscle. We are going to use both here. It is the intense contraction that is the stimulus for muscle growth.

All sets that are not contraction hold sets are brought to complete muscular failure. All sets that are contraction hold sets require a workout or two to experiment with the proper weight in order to safely hold in the specified position. It is important to note that in most cases you will be using much more weight than you would normally use with a set of reps carried to complete muscular failure.

Here it goes…

WORKOUT 1

Chest, Shoulders and Arms

Dumbbell Flies (Pre Exhaust) – 6-10 reps

Incline Smith Machine Bench Press- 3-5 reps (no rest in-between sets)

Smith Machine Seated Press Contraction Hold (an inch below lock out) – 7-10 seconds

(These are performed seated with back supported with safety hooks engaged. Do not lock completely out rather just lift off the pins allowing shoulders and triceps to contract against the weight)

Curl Machine Contracted Hold (performed in fully contracted position) – 7-10 seconds

NOTE: As stated above contracted holds in this fashion employs much more weight than could be used normally for reps, please take the time to move safely into this technique and by all means have a good spotter and safety clips in the rack when you do, this is high stress. If you have any question of your health to perform such a workout, please get checked by a medical professional first.

WORKOUT 2

Legs and Back

Leg Press – 10 – 20 reps

Toe Press (on leg press machine) – 5-8 reps with a 10 second contraction hold in contracted position at top between each rep

Barbell Rows- 6-10

Smith Machine Barbell Row Hold – 7-10 seconds

(Set the Smith Machine pins and safety at mid point between the floor and your waist so that the bar is setting on them before you begin. Bend over and lift off of pins and hold)

WORKOUT 3

Chest, Shoulders and Arms

Incline Smith Machine Bench Press Contracted Hold (1 inch from lock out) 7-10 second

Lateral Machine or Dumbbell Laterals – 8-15 reps

Barbell Curls – 6-10 reps

Lying Triceps Extension – 6-10 reps

WORKOUT 4

Back and Legs

Pullovers (Pre-Exhaust with) – 6-10 reps

Pull downs (palms facing you) – 6-10 reps

Leg Press Hold (an inch from lockout) 10 – 20 seconds

Stiff Leg Dead lifts or Hyper Extensions or Back Machine (i.e. Nautilus) – 10 – 20 reps

As you can see, we are mixing pre-exhaustion with contracted holds which would employ a great deal more weight than you would normally use by just going to failure.

Because of this make certain that you experiment with jumps and weights. A good example would be if you can Incline Bench Press 200 pounds normally, you could more than likely start with 275 or 300 pounds for Contracted Holds, 1 inch from lockout. Also, remember that you do not lock the elbows; rather you barely move the bar off of the pins and hold.

It is imperative that when using a similar routine example as I have given here (I have tested this workout routine for the past 2 months with great results in both size and strength) that sufficient rest be provided.

I would suggest training once (not the whole 4 workouts but one workout) every 5 days to begin with until you go through all 4 then start again, unless you are extremely advanced. If you are you may need to insert extra rest days (7-10) and/or remove one exercise per workout to bring it down to 3 sets rather than 4.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE: Remove the following exercises:

WO1 – Inclines

WO2 – Barbell Rows

WO3 – Laterals

WO4 – Pullovers or Stiff Deads/Hypers

Remember, you are doing nothing more but managing stress here. So manage it as you get larger and stronger and remember to use, The Two Day Rule!

There are many intrinsic and extrinsic factors as to why individuals may exercise. For instance, it is very common that people work out for extrinsic factors such as weight loss, body toning, or mass building. Resistance training has been proven to yield results in each of these areas, if done so correctly and consistently. The challenge many people face when beginning their exercise programs, is the lack of patience in seeing results. In our society, we tend to want things to occur immediately, but results do not always show as quickly as we would like. You should not let this discourage you in your route to better fitness; there are many ways in which you can speed up the process of reaching your fitness goals. Below I have listed 5 reasons why you may not be seeing the results you want and how you can fix these issues.

Poor Nutrition

As important as exercise is for physical improvements, nutrition is just as important, if not more than. You can work out 5-days a week and burn hundreds of calories, but if you are eating poorly between workouts, you will see no results. Your body needs adequate nutrition to refuel itself and poor dieting will not allow it to do so. Eating junk while exercising will only cancel your progress and keep you stagnate in your pursuit of better health and wellness. Eating a well-balanced diet with adequate nutrients, from a variety of sources and in moderation is the best way to get quick results from exercise. If you are not getting the results you would like, it may be time to analyze what you are putting into your body.

Lack of Intensity

Often improvements may be hindered because you are working out at an intensity that is too low to yield the results you are looking for. If you are exercising at a low intensity, weight loss and mass building will be difficult. Although low intensity exercise is beneficial for specific populations and for health benefits, if you are looking to see physical changes, moderate and vigorous intensity are the level you should be working at. Different intensity levels yield different results. The amount of effort you put into the workout may be your downfall. If you are not breaking a sweat or increasing your breathing when exercising, you are doing so at an intensity that is too low for progression. You should feel your heart beating faster than normal and your body should begin to fatigue near the end of your workout. Increase your intensity level and challenge yourself, so that you can reach the goals you desire.

Lack of Consistency

If you are serious about reaching your fitness goals, you should have a schedule for when you are going to work towards reaching them. If you only exercise when you feel good, you may not be exercising as often as is needed. Consistency is key to being successful at anything. If you are not making the effort to get into the gym on a regular basis, you will not reap the benefits of your workouts. Keep in mind that working out regularly is not working out every day. Allow your body to recover but be sure to hit the gym at least 3-5 times a week. Take pride in what you are doing, it will be worth it in the end.

Lack of Patience

Just as eating pizza once will not make you gain fat, working out once will not make you lose fat. These things happen over time and your body must learn to adapt to the load you put on it. Every year I see people begin working out two weeks before spring break, attempting to “get in shape” for the beach. This is due to a lack of understanding on how your body works. Many people believe that at any moment they can change their body without putting the time and effort in to do so. This leads people to have false expectations and eventually turn them away from exercise because they don’t see the results they thought they would. Many settle for excuses like “I can’t burn fat” or blame genetics. They can very well burn fat and drop pounds if they were consistent and patient in doing so. If you have just began working out and are not seeing results, hang in there and stay with it. Everyone’s body responds to exercise slightly differently but your results will come if you are putting the work in.

Lack of Periodization

Mixing up your workouts is crucial to making bodily improvements. Doing the same thing over and over will only allow your body to adapt to the exercise load and become idle. It is vital that you work different muscle groups and increase your resistance load as you gain strength. You should be challenging yourself in the gym and with time, adding more weight or reps. Periodization allows you to shock your body and challenges it. This can be done by decreasing rest periods, increasing weight, reps, the types of exercise, and even the order of exercises. If you have found yourself at a standstill in your progress, try switching up your workout regimen.

In conclusion, I hope that this article helps you pin point some of the reasons as to why you may be experiencing a lack of progression in your workout program. There may be multiple issues with your training so you should examine all areas to find any hiccups that can be fixed.

If you want an answer to this question, just ask an Olympic Weightlifter, and they’ll tell you… Every Muscle!

When you’re lifting, every muscle and every part of the body is called into play. Olympic Weightlifting is not about specific muscles. It’s all about athletic performance, power development, and whole body strength.

If we had to narrow it down, you could say that the following muscles play the biggest part in the process of Olympic Weightlifting:

• Hamstrings
• Quads
• Glutes
• Back Traps
• Shoulders

Olympic weightlifters do tend to build muscle strength and size, especially in the legs and back. But, they build strength in their legs through the squats that they do during the lifting process. The muscles in the back are used as stabilizers during the process.

If you consider the training that Olympic weightlifters go through, that’s probably where most of the muscle is built overall. Practicing the snatch and the clean and jerk will definitely work some muscle groups. But, a weightlifter at this level will be doing considerable training other than pure lifting.

It’s common for weightlifters in smaller weight classes to be strong, but not huge. Some professional bodybuilders will be bigger than them. On the other hand, at the top of the weight classes, those guys can be massive. But again, consider that size is not the goal here, overall strength is.

Momentum and use of joints are a vital part of completing a lift. These are even more important for Olympic weightlifters than other types of competitive lifting. During the lift, the ankles, knees, and hips have to work in conjunction with the muscles or the life will fail. Momentum and speed are essential. The heavier the weight the longer it will take to lift it. It’s lack of speed and momentum that will be more likely to cause the lift to fail.

Trying to use Olympic weightlifting as a means of body building is a mistake. It’s just not going to focus on individual muscle and muscle groups like other types of weight training and lifting will. If you are looking to improve flexibility, speed, and overall strength, then you should consider it. It’s also going to lend strength to your cardiovascular system.

Many people think that Olympic weightlifting is dangerous and on the fringe. You have to follow safety precautions, just like you do with any other sort of training or lifting. But, it can be quite rewarding as the goals are definite and challenging.

To the outsider, the world of nutritional supplements can be overwhelming at first glance. There are so many options to choose from: powders, pills, capsules, gels, rubs, wraps, the list goes on and on! Everybody is coming at you from every angle trying to sell you everything! One of the most contraversial categories of supplement is pre-workout. People seem to be either completely for pre-workout, or completely against it. Some believe that you are “weak” if you “need” something to get you in the mindset to workout.

However, the thing about supplements is they are just that: supplements. They are meant to enhance diet and training, and synergize with it, not stand on their own. Pre-workout capitalizes on your body’s existing energy systems, optimizes them, and then further enhances them. Think of it like pouring fuel on a fire.

Another thing to consider is the hormonal benefit of intense training. The more intense your workout, the more of a release of testosterone and growth hormone by the body in response. Pre-workout intensifies training, which can then lead to more growth in the long term through improved hormonal output combined with the intense diet and training.

So what should you look for in a pre-workout supplement?

Generally, most pre-workouts are stimulant based and have some combination of stimulants, performance enhancing compounds, and nootropics. The lacking products tend to focus on one of these areas and not the others.

For example, there are some products that are 100% pure stimulants. This would include things like caffeine, rawscoline, geranium oil, etc. You feel the energy from the stimulants and have a more intense workout. Studies show that caffeine increases work output.

Some products have great performance enhancing ingredients: fully dosed profiles of beta alanine (3+ grams), and generous doses of citrulline malate which is great for pumps and NO release (this increases GH levels post workout) as well as lactic acid clearance, which means more endurance! These products are great, but sometimes lack the kick that the stim products do.

Catch 22: Stimulant based products give you more intense focus, and energy buttttttt… Pump and performance based products increase blood flow – stimulants are vasoconstrictive and are therefore counterproductive to a pump.

What does this mean? It means that the best products need to be a combination of all categories of products. Strong stimulants, enough to get you going at 5 am and ready to crush it. Moderate performance enhancing products – enough citrulline and beta alanine to provide a functional dose and increase performance significantly (as opposed to mega dosing it).

The final key is nootropics – focus and mood boosting ingredients that synergize with the stimulants and provide an amazing mind-muscle connection. Compounds like choline bitartrate and huperzine A. Choline bitartrate is an acetylcholine source, which means it increases levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain – increasing focus, memory, etc. Huperzine A is an acetylcholinerase inhibitor – it inhibits the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the synapses. So the two ingredients synergize, combined with stimulants provide a long lasting and intense focus.

Always do your research, and if you ever have any questions about the formula of a product, e-mail the manufacturer – if they can’t answer the questions you probably should shop elsewhere!

If you are into weight training, you probably are into neck training as well. You probably would like to build strong traps as well. After all, a thick neck needs giant traps to support it. Along with a good neck program, you need to have a great trapezius workout as well. A good traps workout has to include dumbbell shrugs. When it comes to building your traps, these shrugs offer wider options than barbell shrugs.

What are the Benefits of Dumbbell Shrugs?

When it comes to trap workouts, these shrugs offer the following benefits: 1. It allows individual trapezius isolation, so you can concentrate on growing your traps better. 2. It allows for better movement. You can hold or position the dumbbells outside or in front your thighs or even behind your body. 3. It offers greater or wider range of motion. 4. It allows you to “run the rack” upwards or downwards.

Two Kinds of Dumbbell Shrugs

When it comes to these shrugs, you can consider two versions: the normal and alternative version.

The normal version is typically performed exactly the way you would do a barbell shrug. To do this, you need to hold a pair of barbells. While keeping both the arms straight, slowly raise the barbells towards the ears and then once it reaches your ear, return to the original position. The sets, reps and progression for this are 20, 10, 8, 6 and 6. Do this once a week.

This is definitely great for beginners, but if you would like a better version, a version that allows for better range of motion and traps workout, you should consider the alternate version. This version allows you to perform the exercise while on your knees. This is great if you are suffering from back pain or other back troubles. When you perform this while on your knees, you put lesser strain on your back.

To do this, you need to hold your dumbbells outside your legs. Make sure that you have your palms facing towards each other. This is what you call a neutral grip. Unlike the normal version, this version is geared towards isolation of trapezius muscles. You need to focus on raising one shoulder and then squeezing your trap by trying to touch the barbell to your ear. While you are shrugging one shoulder, the other shoulder should remain motionless while you are doing your routine. Sets, reps and progression for this are 12, 8, 8, 6 and 20 on both sides. Do this once a week.

In order to maximize your training, make sure to keep your chin always tucked towards the chin. Look at yourself in the mirror while doing dumbbell shrugs.

Before Charles Atlas — also known as Angelo Siciliano — became famous by promoting his exercise course called… Dynamic Tension, there have been many old-time strongman that used body weight (isotonic) and isometric exercises.

One of these individuals was Alexander Zass — better known as — “The Amazing Samson.”

(Zass, born in Poland but, lived most of his life in Russia and later on as circus performer lived in Great Britain after 1924.)

The important thing to note about Alexander Zass was how he developed his belief in the application of isometric exercise. Or as he referred to it “Maximum Tension.” He believed this training protocol was superior to any other of the normal training programs used by strongman of his day and that included using weights in the development of physical strength

He understood that isometric exercises not only developed muscular strength but, also strengthened the tendons and ligaments which are crucial to developing strength.

The amazing Samson, who was also billed as “The World Strongest Living Man” was quoted as saying “I aimed first to develop the underlying connective tissues rather than the superficial muscles,” (Taken from His Instruction Manual — Samson Systems and Methods)

He further explained, “I always wanted to develop tendon strength… without tendons, one possesses no control over the muscles and the body… the development of the tendons are the strength to my secret. Muscle alone will not hold back wild horses — but tendons will and do!”

Alexander Zass further stated in his training manual that bodybuilder type muscles were merely an illusion when it came to strength. Although he did not discourage students from developing muscular size — he did instruct them on the practice of tensing their muscles one at a time– then grouping the muscles together and tensing as many of them as possible– all at one time.

In the use of isometric exercises, he outlined 3 distinct methods — and they are as follows:

Freestyle

In freestyle you’re using no devices or appliances you’re just doing freehand isometrics. You are typically just using your own body.

Wall Exercises

In this method, you are using a wall, or even a tree to provide resistance instead of your own body weight or body.

Isometric Exercises Device

Here is the ideal or best way to perform isometric exercises. The disadvantages of both the freestyle and wall exercises is that there’s no effective way to measure your strength gains.

And how do you know you’re using 100% or even 70% power in this exercise? That’s where an isometric exercise device such as the Tensolator or Bully Xtreme comes into play.

These types of bodybuilding contraction devices will allow you not only to measure your strength gains but typically will give you more variety in the type and quantity of isometric exercises you can perform.

The biggest appeal of isometrics is that with a few simple movements and not a whole lot of time you can get a complete body workout — in your home — in your office — or anywhere!

Obesity is a disease in itself, though many people do not recognize it. There are various health conditions that can occur from a person being obese. These include deadly diseases that are chronic like diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and heart diseases. All these have a great link with obesity. It is very important for an obese person to lose weight as early as possible for the person to lead a healthy life, but the method that is used in the weight loss process is also very important. The reason for this is that unless the weight loss is natural and healthy, the person will suffer various side effects from the weight loss process itself.

The common method that is used to lose weight includes the use of various weight loss supplements. There are people who use only methods like exercise and also dieting to reduce their weight. Obesity is a condition that is very resilient and if you have used weight loss methods, you would have realized that the weight loss that occurs with dieting and exercise cannot be retained for a long time. There are many people who have lost a lot of weight through various means and have gained more weight than was lost in quick time.

Hoodia gordonii is one of the best methods that you can use to make sure that the weight decrease that you are able to achieve is lost forever. The reason for a person regaining the weight is that the human mind cannot be satisfied easily and your hunger overtakes you, and you eat a lot which makes you regain your weight. Hoodia gordonii helps you to have decreased hunger drive and this causes the person to progressively decrease the amount of food that is consumed.

Hoodia gordonii is one of the best herbal supplements that are available in the market. Though there are many other kinds of weight loss supplements that are available in the market, they cannot beat Hoodia gordonii. You will in fact be amazed by the results when you are able to have a massive reduction in your weight without the strenuous exercises and also the difficulty associated with going on a crash diet. The weight loss is also permanent making Hoodia gordonii to be the best option for you.

The lack of side effects present in this herbal supplement also makes it the best weight loss method that you can follow. Since it is an herbal product, there are only benefits that can be obtained from consuming this product. There are various antioxidant effects available in this product that prevents the person from various other chronic diseases. The antioxidants in this herbal product also help to neutralize all the free radicals from the body.

The amazing herbal supplement that you consume in the form of a small pill is also a very easy method of losing weight. There is no need to spend long hours thinking of when to do exercises and where to do them. All you have to do is to pop in a pill and you are on your way to have a massive weight reduction.

If you have committed yourself to the Scarsdale Diet programs, you have found then that the protein bread is an important part of the diet regimen. Many who are following the Scarsdale Diet program’s method of weight loss either cannot find the protein bread in their local grocery, or are paying high prices at gourmet grocers for the bread. Here is a simple (but exceptionally good tasting) recipe for the bread.

Scarsdale Diet Program’s Protein Bread

Ingredients:

One-cup warm water

One tablespoon dry yeast

½ teaspoon salt

One-teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

½ cup soy flour

¼ cup gluten flour (gluten flour has much fewer carbohydrates than regular flour. You can substitute high gluten bread flour if you cannot find gluten flour.)

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour.

Place water in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast into to bowl and let stand until yeast dissolves (five minutes or so). Add salt, sugar, and vinegar to bowl. Mix well.

Sift together soy and gluten flours together. Slowly add to the yeast mixture in the bowl.

Sift whole wheat flour and add it to mixture in bowl. Turn mixture slowly until dough sticks together (and not to sides of bowl). If you have a mixer or food processor that has dough hooks, these help tremendously with the mixing.

Lightly flour a board or other surface. Scoop dough into ball with floured hands and place on surface. Knead for five minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place into small bread pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Adjust dough to fit shape of pan (loaf shape). Do not try to touch dough all the way to sides of pan. Cover with slightly dampened towel and set in a warm place (free from drafts) to rise. Let rise for two to three hours until dough has at least doubled in size and reaches top of bread pan.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bake bread in preheated oven for one hour or until light golden brown.

The Scarsdale diet program’s bread will be much denser than regular bread. Cut into thin slices. Keep unused portion in refrigerator.

In order to keep your Scarsdale diet program’s bread longer (or if you would like to make multiple loaves ahead of time); you can double wrap the loaves in plastic (after you slice them thinly); and store them in the freezer. Take what you want out of the freezer, as you need it while following the Scarsdale diet programs.

Toasting the bread before consumption when on the Scarsdale diet programs makes the bread more palatable and easier to eat (the dense bread can be a bit dry and chewy).

If making your own bread is not for you; you can find some low cost options at the grocery. You should look for low fat/ low carb options that are whole wheat (never white) bread. You will lose the most weight on the Scarsdale Diet program’s bread by choosing a bread that has greater than 4 grams of protein and less than 12 grams of carbohydrates.

The Scarsdale diet program’s protein bread is an integral part of the diet. In order to achieve optimum weight loss while on Scarsdale diet programs, you will need to make or purchase the protein bread. The recipe offered here is relatively easy and you will not need a lot of prior baking experience.

Eggs are a very powerful food in general, they are known as a super food, but when it comes to bodybuilding and gaining a lot of muscle mass they are the perfect food to have in your diet. The high protein content and nutrient dense yolk create a perfect food for increasing testosterone levels and gaining muscle.

High protein content

Eggs contain the highest quality protein you can get; the only higher protein source is whey protein. The egg white and egg yolk both contain about the same amount of protein.

Protein is the number one component your muscles need to grow the better the quality the more of it can be absorbed and converted into muscle tissue by your body.

Hormone boosting fats

The egg yolk contains all the fats. Most importantly it contains high amounts of healthy cholesterol. The cholesterol is what will skyrocket your testosterone levels – testosterone is derived from cholesterol. An average egg contains about 200mg of cholesterol. To see noticeable results eat at least 800mg of cholesterol, this equates to about 4 large eggs.

How to eat so many

Cooking a dozen eggs can be time consuming. You can eat eggs both cooked and raw; just make sure either way you eat the whole egg, white and yolk, to reap all the benefits.

When cooking your eggs fry them in coconut oil or butter. Add plenty of fat for scrambled eggs. Boil them or poach them, have them however you prefer.

Add raw eggs to your protein shakes. If you can handle it gulp them down whole on there own.

Extra nutrition

For extra nutrition mainly from the egg yolk, which should be a bright orange or yellow color, if it is pale it usually means the egg isn’t that good quality. To get the best eggs make sure they are grass fed instead of corn fed. Eat organic, free range eggs. You can even get eggs that are omega 3 rich, these are the ones you will want for the most nutrients.

Aim to eat 4-5 eggs for breakfast. Then maybe a few raw eggs in an afternoon shake and then some more cooked eggs before bed. This will give you optimum results, giving your body a constant supply of protein and fats – for muscle growth and anabolic hormone elevation. Combine this with an intense muscle building workout for amazing gains in muscle mass.