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How to Make the Most of Your Training Program
Laying The Groundwork For MET Success
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result
of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” Colin Powell
Your MET program is going to change how you look and how you feel about yourself.
The program’s precision diet, maximum efficiency physical training routines
and absorption-enhanced nutritional supplements work together in a powerful
way to speed you on your way to the physique you’ve always dreamed of, and
many people have proven it’s effectiveness. Your level of success, however,
depends on your commitment to integrating these three basic components into
your daily life. This means laying down a successful daily plan and developing
a few powerful new habits.
In six short weeks, you will have completed one full MET rotation, or cycle.
If you make weight training your top priority during those six weeks, you
will see changes. Then you can choose to take a week off, and then continue
forward like this in six-week cycles.
Keep in mind, however, that human beings are creatures of habit. Change can
be a real challenge, especially when we’re talking about such fundamental
changes as eating habits and exercise patterns. Just think of all the millions
of people who make resolutions every New Year to lose weight and get in shape,
and then give up on those goals after a few short weeks, or even days! The
MET program is proven and it works. But, it will only work for you if you
adopt the targeted diet and commit 30 minutes a day to the Maximum Efficiency
Training Program as it is laid out in the lessons (see www.bodyfitness-uk.com).
This doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be easy if you have:
- A strong desire.
- Everything you need to get started.
- All your MET Tracker Sheets in a binder as your training journal
(avai"?lable for free to readers of BodyFitness at the website
mentioned above).
- A clear understanding of the MET scientific underpinnings from
the lessons (for review, again see the web site mentioned earlier).
My goal is to get you off to a strong start and show you how to avoid unnecessary
stumbling blocks that might throw you off course.
A Strong Desire
You’ve been thinking about making a positive change in your physique for
a long time, but you haven’t done it yet! Why not? Maybe you haven’t been
clear as to how to do it, or believed you could succeed. Maybe you’ve been
fooling yourself by avoiding looking at your body in the mirror. Maybe you’ve
tried to diet or exercise but life got in the way, or you didn’t have all
the components to make it work. All these stumbling blocks work against maintaining
a desire strong enough to carry you to your goal.
However, when you have all the components in place, when you take an honest
look at yourself as you are now and compare it with the YOU that you know
you can be, and you believe in every cell of your being that you can accomplish
your goal, desire strikes! And with the reinforcement that comes from this
column and the hard core MET training instruction from John Simmons, Greg
Colley and many others in the Top Trainers Network column every issue, it
remains strong.
I encourage you to not only take a look at yourself in the mirror, but to
actually get out your camera and take a photograph of that mirror image and
put it in your MET Photo Tracker (see www.bodyfitness-uk.com). I know for some
of you, you may not want to see a photo of yourself in your present condition,
but that photograph and the others you’re going to take as you progress
toward your goal is going to be one of the most important motivators you’ll
ever find to keep your focus st"?rong and for sticking to the program. Be sure
to get your MET photo tracker sheets and include them in your MET journal,
available at the above website. It is part of your blue print to physique
transformation and it’s yours at this time to use FOR FREE so please… do
it! You’ll thank me for this as the months unfold.
Body, and body fat, measurements are another great motivator as you progress
with the program. You want to know how you measure up now against your ideal,
but even more importantly, you want to have a bench mark in your MET Tracker
Sheet against which to measure your progress.
So, take a cloth measuring tape and measure the circumference of your chest,
upper arms, waist, hips, thighs and calves. As far as body fat is concerned,
accuracy is less important than consistency. If you have a body fat test kit,
measure your own body fat each time you take your measurements; otherwise,
find a competent technician who will be available to retest you on an ongoing
basis. Don’t switch technicians if you can avoid it, because there may be
significant differences between readings done by two equally qualified technicians.
Once this is done, record your measurements in your MET Training Journal.
“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be
prepared to take the helm.” Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906), Norwegian
playwright
Everything You Need to Get Started
You’re going to need to purchase a few things to get the program working
optimally. You might as well buy them up front so you don’t lose time while
you’re working the program. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A food scale and measuring cup: to regulate the amount of food
you’re giving your body.
- Plastic containers: it is common practice among the top pros
to have at least a week’s supply of three-compartment meal trays,
a shaker-bottle (to mix your UDA+ protein shakes), a plastic water
jug and"? a cooler to store and carry your food.
- A large, multi-compartment pill tray to hold your individual
supplements.
A Plan You Know You Can Work
You will see results from the MET program right away as long as you work
the plan. Here’s all you have to do:
1. Using your MET goals tracker sheet set your goals in advance.
How are you going to maximize your time and results while you’re working
the program if you’re still trying to figure out what your goals are? You
need to know where you’re headed and make a commitment to fitting your new
physique transformation and self-development plan into your already busy schedule.
(How do I know you’re busy? Hey, who isn’t?)
2. Follow a regular schedule.
This pertains to both the diet and exercise components of the program. The
quicker you can establish regular times to eat and exercise, the easier it’s
going to be for you to stick with your program. A regular schedule will put
you on “autopilot” within a few days.
Adhere to a regular meal schedule. Set yourself up to eat small meals at
regular intervals every day, for example, at 6:30am, 9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm,
6:30pm, and (optionally) 9:30pm. We all work on different internal and external
clocks, so set a schedule that works for you. Once you establish a consistent
pattern you’ll know exactly when it’s time for your next meal, so your mind
will be freed up to focus on work, play, or whatever you’re doing.
3. Design a schedule that fits your life.
Since exercise is one of the key components of the MET physique transformation
process, you’ll want to be sure to make it top priority. To avoid being thrown
off track I recommend you set aside a specific time slot of 30 minutes each
day, to go to the gym and perform Maximum Efficiency Training workouts. And
let nothing and no one interfere with that 30-minute commitment you "?at least
owe yourself that! If you don’t do it your program will obviously be less
effective. If you follow a set schedule of workouts for the entire six weeks
of your initial program, you’ll grow into the habit of automatically prioritising
it. You’ll be amazed at the difference when you look back and compare your
results to what you used to achieve in the days when you let meaningless activities
take precedence over your goals for yourself.
4. Personalise your diet in advance.
Once you begin the program, you want to sail full steam ahead without any
complications. Believe me, it can complicate matters if you suddenly realize
the week’s worth of food you’ve prepared isn’t palatable. I suggest you begin
cooking and storing and tasting the food you plan to eat on your diet
a week or two before you actually launch your program. This way you’ll know
in advance what foods you like best, how you like them seasoned, which foods
reheat best, how many days’ worth of food you can fit into your freezer, etc.
By the time you’re officially ready to start you’ll be an expert at preparing
meals you like to eat.
5. When starting out, measure and weigh your food - don’t eyeball the portions
Your body requires sufficient nourishment, but it doesn’t need excess. To
assure that you’re getting the amount of food recommended in the MET diet
program (see “Diet Nutrition and Change” at www.bodyfitness-uk.com),
I recommend measuring your food at the beginning. Trying to guess or approximate
the correct amounts of food to eat and not carefully weighing your food in
the early days of the program could sabotage your progress. If weighing your
food is a bit too much for you, you will soon learn about an alternate method
that, although it won’t give you exactly the same results, will keep you within
10-15% of your target. In any case, you won’t "?have to weigh your food for
long. By the end of the second or third week you’ll be able to “eyeball” your
food portions with amazing accuracy.
6. Set yourself up for convenience.
Planning ahead will make it easy and convenient to stick to your program
at home, at work, or out in the world. Cook up a week’s meals at a time, in
advance. This only takes about three hours! Having meals readily available
makes it easy and convenient to eat several small, healthy meals each day.
Hardly anyone has the time to cook a multitude of small meals every day, and
if you don’t cook your meals beforehand you are likely to skip meals and then
binge on whatever you can get your hands on. Making it convenient to eat small
meals is one of the primary keys to sticking with your diet plan
Take your food with you to work, to meetings, even on flights. The best way
may be to place your food in a three-compartment tray and put it in a portable
cooler with your water, UDA protein powder and seasonings. This makes it easy
to stay on your diet anywhere you go. You’ll save time and money, and since
you already know what you’re going to have for lunch, your mind will be freed
up to focus more efficiently on your tasks. You can heat up your meal or mix
up a UDA protein meal replacement shake in minutes, and save the money you
would have spent going out to lunch or dinner.
I recommend that you take an extra UDA protein meal replacement shake to
work with you to store at your desk. Instead of succumbing to cravings for
junk food, you can easily reach into your desk, grab the container of protein
powder and quickly mix up a meal.
UDA protein meal replacement drinks by Venice Beach are such a convenient
source of nourishment that you will soon consider them the cornerstones of
your successful program. You may find it easy to get into a rhythm of eating
five or six small meals on workdays, but"? challenging to carry that rhythm
over to your days off. The key is to maintain the same strategy you use on
workdays: set up your meals in advance in the refrigerator and if you go out
pack your portable cooler just as you would if you were going to work.
7. Schedule your training around your work schedule.
To avoid fighting peak hour traffic, on weight training days I recommend
you take your workout clothes to work with you and then go straight from work
to the gym. Or train in your lunch hour, making good use of the time you save
by eating your prepared meals instead of going out to lunch.
8. Avoid dining out.
Following a clean, “muscle building” diet does not always lend itself to
eating in restaurants. Yes, some restaurants do offer healthy food, but eating
out may impede your progress because restaurants are not set up to facilitate
measuring and weighing your portions, and also because you can rarely be sure
they haven’t cooked the food with unhealthy oils, butter or additives like
MSG. So, as much as possible, stick with your home-cooked meals.
Once you have completed the basic program and are in your Maintenance Program,
I’ll show you how you can eat out occasionally and still retain 85-90% of
your desired results (keep reading this column!!).
9. Devise a system of reinforcement
Here’s where the photos and body measurements come in. Looking back at your
“before” photograph and measurements in light of your ongoing progress can
only reinforce your commitment to prioritising diet and weight training. It
also helps to work on a “buddy” system. I suggest you look for a friend or
co-worker to do the program with, so you can cheer each other on and team
up to find creative solutions to whatever obstacles may arise. If you don’t
know anyone who can to do the program it can be helpful to ask a friend to
be your informal cheerleader and sounding "?board.
10. Track your progress
Day by day, keep track of the body parts trained in the calendar section
of your MET Progress Report available from the website mentioned earlier.
If you trained back, triceps and biceps on Monday then write, “back, triceps,
biceps” in the box marked Monday and continue in this way for each day of
the week. You can also put a check mark in the box for each day you stay on
your diet. At the end of the week, look over the calendar section to assess
how you’ve done.
Keeping track of your diet and exercise in this way will allow you to accurately
assess your progress. If you see filled boxes each week, your program is on
track. If on the other hand you see a bunch of empty boxes, you will have
to admit that you have not been very faithful to either the training or the
diet. Don’t beat yourself up for lack of commitment! Instead, renew your commitment
and begin again.
11. Have a clear understanding of the MET scientific underpinnings
Once you understand the role the MET absorption-enhanced supplements play
in helping you reach your program goals you will never want to miss taking
them. When you do an intense workout your body responds by releasing cortisol,
a catabolic hormone that impedes the release of growth hormone (GH). These
cortisol spikes also break down muscle tissue, suck amino acids out of your
muscles, and lower your testosterone levels by releasing ACTH. If left unchecked,
they will actually block or substantially reduce your muscle building potential!
Supplements can enhance the results of any exercise program.
Studies prove that supplements containing the powerful components
found in Absorbal, like Venice Beach’s Primestrin+, VMA, ADL3, Fats
Out Rx and Car"?bs Out Rx, increase absorption of the key active
ingredients by up to 250% or more! You’d have to take nearly three
times as much of another product just to get close to what one serving
of these second-generation products will deliver!
Second-generation absorption-enhanced supplements are key!
The MET strategy for reversing the effects of cortisol, boosting testosterone
and GH levels and boosting the immune system when on the program involves
the use of ADL3 and Primestrin+.
To control cortisol secretion and help you maximize your recovery and muscle
production potential, ADL3, a potent anabolic (non-hormonal) agent, combats
cortisol secretion, minimizes muscle breakdown, enhances protein synthesis
and nitrogen retention and stimulates the body’s immune system. Primestrin+,
which is also used by lifters to build muscle mass faster, is a bioactive
thermonutrient-enhanced anabolic activator. It contains a variety of highly
concentrated compounds that increase both GH and testosterone at the same
time! This staple muscle builder also contains a very potent form of Bulgarian
tribulus terrestris, an herb shown to increase testosterone levels by maximizing
blood flow to the testes.
Is Primestrin+ the only product that uses tribulus terrestris? Of course
not. What you need to know, though, is that many of the other companies marketing
this herb use too little of the active ingredient to affect serum testosterone
levels. For the Primestrin+ formula, Venice Beach Nutritional/Muscle Research
uses almost 2000 pounds of tribulus terrestris to make just 40 pounds of the
active ingredient! With this formula you can be sure the herb is actually
increasing your testosterone levels without any additional components that
can cause physiological harm. Primestrin+ also contains acetyl-L-carnitine
to enhance “good cholesterol” and raise testosterone levels, along with a "?
powerful natural component called ProStat HGH to further spike GH. And it
backs all of these potent agents up with Absorbal, to make sure that what
you’re taking is being absorbed fully. By the way, I hope you’re not missing
out on the fact that it does all this naturally, without exposing you to the
dangers of synthetics.
ADL3 and Primestrin+ work synergistically as part of an overall ergogenic
strategy to give you the ultimate results from your training program. What
does that mean? When elements work synergistically they enhance each other’s
potential for producing results. Allow me to illustrate: while Primestrin+
will heighten your testosterone and GH levels, unless the cortisol spikes
that are your body’s natural response to increased training are impeded, the
cortisol will turn around and reduce GH and testosterone production (in some
cases up to 50% by releasing ACTH) and reduce your muscles’ ability to absorb
amino acids. By itself, your Primestrin+ will have a strong effect. However,
when the cortisol blunting effects of ADL3 come into the picture, it allows
the Primestrin+ to work incredibly well. Remember, Primestrin+ boost both
GH and testosterone. GH’s muscle building effects are reduced when cortisol
is high, so a strong cortisol blunting compound like ADL3 can really help
to amplify the muscle building process.
The importance of using targeted supplementation to manage cortisol while
you’re on the program cannot be overstated. The combination of Venice Beach
Primestrin+ and ADL3 will maximize your growth potential by boosting your
testosterone, GH, and immune system naturally to allow you to get the most
out of each and every MET workout!
Also, as a side note, when physique transformation is your goal, the ideal
beverage to consume with meals is Ultra Diet Fuel Tea by Venice Beach, because
of its ability to melt away stubborn belly fat. It can also be"? used before
training to enhance concentration, further strengthen immune function and
boost fat burning by two-and-a-half times over regular beverages like green
tea.
“You see, in life, lots of people know what to do,
but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough!
You must take action.” Anthony Robbins
CONCLUSION
The MET program will work for you to the degree that you set yourself up
to incorporate the positive new MET diet and weight training system into your
schedule. It’s not difficult; it just takes a bit of forethought and the commitment
to follow through. Others have experienced huge success and self-mastery,
and there’s no reason you can’t do it too. Be prepared for the admiration
you’re going to receive from people who’d love to look as good as you, but
choose not to go that extra mile!
“There never was a winner who wasn’t a beginner.”
Denis Waitley
Editors Note: For more information on second-generation Venice Beach supplements
like Primestrin+, ADL3, UDA Protein and Ultra Diet Fuel Tea and
for MET Tracker Sheets go to www.bodyfitness-uk.com, www.olympus-sport.com or call 0845 6066
126.
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