Some tips when lifting weights.

Photo taken by Joseph Valo III

We all have been there when we first start working out and it seems like a whole new world that you just walked into. At times it can be a little confusing as well if you don't know what kind of machine to work out on and what type of exercises to do. what diet you want to start when you start your and so forth. 

Here are a few Ideas to get you started..

1. Set Goals   These can go day by day and are a great idea to start with and then you can set weekly goals and then monthly and then set a big one for the end of the year. Just keep in mind that the smaller goals are there to help you to achieve your final goal. 

2. Do Your Research  This goes with anything that you do. You can check out the local gyms to get an idea on what all is included with the membership price. Take notice what all is included in the membership as well as how close it is to where you live and what all equipment is there. do you remember earlier when I was talking about what diet you want to do? Well, this is the perfect opportunity do do your research on the different ones and there are a lot of them out there. Don't forget about if you were going to use any supplements this is a great time to research that as well.

3. Have Someone Work Out With You  Just starting out it can be a little confusing as what exercises to do and also when you are working out and need that extra motivational push as well. The other person motivate you when you need to do that 1 extra rep or if you just feel like quitting in the middle of the work out or when you need a spot when you are bench pressing and so forth. 

4. Work On Your Form Having proper form in any exercises will keep you from tearing a muscle, tendon or ligament. To work on your form do the exercises in front if the mirrors and start out with low weight and focus on the movement and and the form. Take the bicep curl for instance: stand with the feet together, knees slightly bent keeping the stomach tight, keep your back strait and keep elbows in. That is just part of the form for that exercise. 

5. Supplements There are many types of supplements out there today from fat burners to vitamins and everything else in between. Knowing what you are putting in your body and what the supplements are doing is a must. Do your research. And the main thing to remember about supplements are that they are to either boost or supplement. So don't go over board with the supplements and read the whole label.

6. Don't Over Do It When you first start to exercise for the first time your body is not use to all the work that your muscles are doing. And you will be extremely sore for about the first week or so. I will take your body about 2 weeks to get use to everything that you are putting it through. The soreness is due to your muscles producing Lactic Acid that helps to break it down to build more. Also don't go so heavy with the weights as well. Start off lifting light and work on your form. when doing Cardio don't over do it as well. But before you start working out consult with your doctor first. It will help you in the long run as well.

Here are just a few tips to get you started. Here is a little fun fact about your muscles that you didn't know. When your muscles contract your muscles uses calcium for the contraction.  A lot of people think that when you go to the gym and work out that you are body building and so forth, but they are wrong. all the work out is doing is causing the muscle to tear. The real body building is done while you are sleeping when your body repairs it's self. 

Well, there you have it. Those are just a few things to keep in mind when you start to work out. Just remember this. As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it. Through hard work and dedication you can and will achieve your goals. Until next time, stay motivated, positive and never give up.

Joseph Valo III: Clear Muscle by MuscleTech :The Review

Joseph Valo III: Clear Muscle by MuscleTech :The Review: Joseph Valo III By now just about everyone has heard about the newest supplement by MuscleTech called CLEAR MUSCLE. When I first he...

Dancing to Back In Time by Pitbull/Big Syphe

        I thought I would show off my dancing side. I love to dance and play music. Dancing is also a great way to stay in shape and to stay flexible too. Here I'm dancing to Pit Bull's Back in time. And how this video got started is my girlfriend Sarah Afshar wanted me to dance to this song. So I decided to record it. Here you go. This is me. I'm a self taught dancer from watching in living color on tv.

                       Here you go Sarah Afshar this one is for you<3
I love you my breathtakingly beautiful chocolate diamond eyed Persian Princess! <3

Clear Muscle by MuscleTech :The Review

By now just about everyone has heard about the newest supplement by MuscleTech called CLEAR MUSCLE. When I first heard of it I was like, Now that's something I would like to try. And then I signed up to test and review products and got this. Wow! I said to myself, " I'm not going to let this opportunity pass me by!" So I put this to the test and I mean "THE TEST!" And to my amazement it did exactly what MuscleTech says it does.

Clear Muscle got it's name from the liquid and the capsule which is also clear. And the muscle part is from keeping your body in an anabolic state through the absorption and synthesis of protein. Clear Muscle is a free acid derivative from Leucine and HMB.

Now let's get to the test that I put it through. There were several: Taking it and doing nothing, taking it and working out without the added protein and then taking it and working out heavy with lots of protein.

The first test showed very little results which was expected.

The second test I noticed some gains and a little definition.

The third test had the greatest results. I noticed a huge difference in strength, muscle mass.

What I got from doing these tests are: the harder you workout and have the ample amount of protein this supplement will help you achieve what you want. But with everything results will very from person to person. If you don't believe me, then try it for yourself.

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who wants to add muscle and get stronger both male and female.

Here are a few links to help you out on some researching this product.
http://www.muscletech.com/products/performance-series/clear-muscle/

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucine

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-Hydroxy_beta-methylbutyric_acid

http://www.gnc.com/MuscleTech-Clear-Muscle/product.jsp?productId=34695106

Clear muscle can be bought at Bodybuilding.com, GNC.com and some other places as well. I'm very pleased with the results I got from the Clear Muscle. If you get a chance to use it, Do It!

As with anything, do your research and remember what you put into it is what you get out of it.

Some workout ideas that are outside the box.

We've all been there... You go to the gym, start your workout routine and notice that you are getting bored with the routine.  But don't know how to switch things up to make it more challenging and fun. One thing is certain. Doing the same exercise over a period of time your body and it's muscles get used to it and you reach a plateau. Switching up the exercises and doing different variants of the exercises will keep things challenging and fun.

There are many different ways to keep things challenging and here are a few ways.

Add a stability ball to your bench press with dumb bells. By doing this, it makes you focus on your balance by keeping your abs tight and helps you with your form.

Use water jugs to simulate dumb bells. The water moving in the water jugs adds added movement where you concentrate on the movement of the exercise.

Here's a favorite of mine... add a deck of cards. The numbers 1-9  equals 5 reps. 10, Jack, Queens, and Kings equals 10 reps. And the Queen of Hearts equals 25 reps.  Aces equals 15 reps.Then the Jokers equals 45 reps. You can use this with any weightlifting and crossfit exercises or any exercises period.

Those are just some of the different things to make your exercises more challenging and exciting. If you need help with any ideas ask someone at the gym. They will be glad to help and have been where you are. All it takes is just a little thinking and your out of the box. Until next time,  stay fit and stay healthy.

Clear Muscle! The review coming soon!!

Recently, I got the opportunity to test, review and sample the supplement Clear Muscle by Muscle Tech. I'm very excited about this review coming soon because this product is one of a kind.

What makes this supplement special from the rest? Why did Muscle Tech call this Clear Muscle? Why is this a one of a kind product? All the questions will be answered and then some.. 

In the review I will be explaining how it works and so on. Right now, I'm alittle over halfway through the testing. So look for the review coming soon. 

Until then, remember that you get out what you put in to it and with hard work and effort you can do amazing things. 

This is how I Lost the weight....

In the beginning I weighed 240 pounds. I never used to be at that weight. I was always around 200 pounds plus or minus a few pounds.  When I started my journey with the weight loss it was hard. I got really sore for the first 2 weeks because of my choices that I had made. but I pushed through it. And now I'm glad that I did. I remember in the past few years after fire calls where I would be going all out the next day I'd be so sore to the point where I was not able to move... 

This was due to not taking care of myself ie.. working out on a regular basis, eating properly and drinking too much beer.  The key to a good diet is eating healthy, all your major food groups in the right portions.  Good nutrition is the key to almost any diet. Second thing is if your a vegetarian  you need twice the protein if you need to bulk up. The third one is sticking to it and keeping the focus on the big picture.  If ya fail which some people do, just go back through and see what threw ya off and try again.

This is how I lost 60 pounds....

Hard work- Nothing in life comes easy.

I did a life style change.
I changed the amount of food I ate, what I ate, when I ate.
I stopped drinking alcohol, Pop, and started drinking water... LOTS OF WATER!!!
Quit smoking..
And became a vegetarian too..

For men who are over 30 yrs of age need to take a test booster also. It helps to speed up the metabolism and boosts over all energy and a bunch of other things too.

REMEMBER: that staying active will be productive in your weight loss journey..


Also consult your doctor before doing any type of exercises....  Doing that, you will be able to get a better Idea on where to start at.

This is what it did as far as exercising...

I walked everywhere I went. Did lots of cardio as well as lifting weights..  I did high reps with low weight..  I cut my food Portions down and ate 2 to 3 more times a day. , Why you ask... You body has a survival mode.. if you eat 1 or 2 large meals a day, your brain and body will interpret that it is not getting as much fuel to properly work. 

Hence fourth your body will store it for later on. Which results in a slow metabolism. Now... if you eat 3 to 5 smaller meals spaced out evenly through the day, your brain and body will think that it's OK to use the fuel to sustain the body.. which will result in a higher metabolism.

In a few days I will go over what supplements I used and the weight lifting routine i used...


REMEMBER:  Through HARD WORK, Keeping FOCUSED, and setting GOALS you can achieve anything!!!!