Albert K. Park

                  
       It has no sympathy and it's instincts make it ruthless. It will attack anybody regardless of age, body type, skinny, big, tall, blond, and brunette. It doens't care what you look like or what clothes you have on. It preys on the individuals that have been neglecting their nutrition and ignoring exercise. The weak and the vulnerable. It's name is Cottage Cheese.

                          If you have no clue to what I'm talking about, let me be more specific. It is the sight of visible fat that creates a rippling in the epidermis. Another common name for this fat is called cellulite. The name itself runs chills down my spine. Cellulite is excess body fat that gets trapped underneath the top layer of skin. Sexy right?

                         It is nicknamed cottage cheese because the sight resembles the visual texture of the hard to digest but very healthy cheese. Make no mistake, you don't have to be overweight to become a victim of the unsightly misfortune. You can be skinny and still plagued with cottage cheese. This has become such a common theme in many of my clients that I decided to address it to all of you. Don't worry, you are not completley helpless. You can effectively and aggressively fight back.


                        So how do you fight back? It's easier said then done, no doubt about it but it comes down to Nutrition and Exercise. I'm not writing this to mock you with a "tough it out, Chief!" mentality. I understand it's a difficult sight to see, both overwhelming and shocking. So I'm going to give you some aggressive techniques to knock this bastard out and get you back to wearing shorter shorts and smaller bikinis.

1.) Nutrition:
         Don't worry I'm not going to write out a Diet plan that keeps you from eating everything delicious in this world. I am just going to tell you some things to avoid and why.

- Caffeine
- Salty Foods
- Fatty Foods

          All these foods will cause your body to take on excess water. The excess water in turn engorges the cellulite making it appear to become worse, which it will. Start looking for healthy alternatives to your daily diet. Try incorporating these effective ways to destroy excess body fat and increase metabolism.

- Drink lots of water and avoid high sugar drinks such as juice, soda, sports drinks
- Try eating 5-6 smaller protein based meals a day to increase metabolism and regulate hunger
- Avoid carbs late at night, try eating them early in your day to give you more energy
- Shop for ingredients to make meals, not meals or snacks. Stay on the outskirts of the supermarket.


2.) Workout

        For all you ladies who read through the Nutrition info and just told yourself you already new all of that. Good for you. Now try implementing it into your life. Remember fat loss really is 90% nutrition and 10% training. For all you ladies who just skimmed this entire article to get to the workout, I'm a little hurt. (insert sarcastic smart ass smirk here) I'm cool with that.

         There are two ways I target cottage cheese with all my female clients. Weight training and High Intensity Resistance Training. We incorporate weight training to smooth out the skin. By increasing muscle mass, we not only burn fat but make the area more firm with long smooth muscles instead of fat. The nice thing about weight training is we can target the specific area that is effected.



Ex.
- Cellulite on the back of legs, we target the hamstring
- Cellulite on the butt, we target all the glute and hip flexor muscles

          Next we use High Intesity Resistance Training to tap into the excess stored body fat. This has been to be one of the most effective ways to maximize caloric expenditure. We need to send your body signals that it doesn't need to hold onto all the excess body fat and that we need to get rid of it as soon as possible. The main way we manipulate this process is with increasing the metabolism. Higher intensity work for shorter amounts of time will increase the effects of Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption.  This is basically summed up as the amount of oxygen your body consumes after exercise to return to normal. The process will have a dramatic effect on your metabolism and how your body will repair itself for the next couple of days.

The Workouts:

Workout A - Circuit Training
Perform all exercises before taking a break. Rest 1-2 min then repeat for 2-4 sets.

- Jumping Jacks x 20
- Pushups x 10
- Body Weight Squats x 12-15
- Mountain Climbers x 20
- Front Lunges x 8 ech leg
- Jumping Jacks x 20


                                                                       
Workout B - Tabatta Style Training
Perform each exercise for as many reps as you can in 40 seconds, rest 20 seconds, then perform the next exercise for 40 seconds, and so on until you go all the way through. After the last exercise rest 1 min, repeat 2-4 sets.

- Box or Bench Step ups
- Medicine ball Chest Pass or Pushup
- Running High Knees in place
- Burpees
- Lunges alternating

             Ladies! Now you are equipped with some powerfool tools to combat cottage cheese. Maintain consistency and don't worry, that unsightly cellulite will be gone soon. Take a lesson from men on this one. It's not very common in a lot of guys because they maintain a higher amount of lean muscle mass. We are trying to do the same with you Beautiful women as well. Aim high, Pedal to the Floor, Dream Big and live the Good Life.



    

                         Bosu Balls, Cross-fit, Kettlebells, Spin Classes, and Hot Yoga all dominate our fitness world today. In an industry where fads rule the market and demand attention, it's hard to keep up. It's a constant struggle to keep motivating yourself and to stay inspired. We can not continually rely on the "Next Big thing" to be the logs fueling our fire.

                          I sat daydreaming and thumbing the lid to my Americano in a busy starbucks the other day. The complex array of personalities accompanied by espresso machines working overtime created a difficult environment to concentrate. In the cafe cacophony, one conversation rose above all the noise.


                            A man in his late 20's, revealed his goals for the future to a friend. He was dressed like a J Crew ad and seemed to have is head on straight.

"Yeah times are tough, but I still dream of the same things. A 40 hour a week job, a good 401k, the weekends off, and some paid vacation time."

                             His mirror image of a friend fired back in conversation with words that reassured their goals. They both sighed in agreement.

" I need a house in the suburbs, 2 kids, and maybe a boat. Yeah that would be the life!"

                             My standard smart ass smirk turned into a mean mug as my mind revved at maximum rpm's. I couldn't believe what these two young guys were talking about. They used words like "dream" and phrases like "that would be the life". By no means am I knocking their personal choices in lifestyles and there is nothing wrong with a life filled with comfort. But there has to be something more, right? Passion, drive, inspiration, conviction, you take your pick.

                           It's very possible that I am wired differently. They do say I am a little bit like the black sheep of the family. Maybe I have different blood cells that pump through my veins. Maybe I am missing or have an additional chromosome in my DNA, but their conversation didn't sit well in my stomach.

                           I guess Michelangelo said it best,

              "The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

                          That very moment, in cookie cutter Starbucks, I vowed never to settle for comfort like those guys. I mean, they were practically the same age as me, 23. It echoed in my skull. Strive for unrealistically high goals so when you reach them, you can conquer new ones.

                           This is the same mentality and philosophy we should be taking to training. It doesn't matter what your workout goals are. Whether your striving to become a professional athlete or training to lose 30 lbs. It's more than what lies on the surface. I truly feel that we all have an engraved mindset for self improvement and in a chaotic world, that innate thought process is often buried under bullshit.

                            Why do you workout? Is it to lose 30 pounds and look good in a bathing suit. That's probably what your mind will tell you at first but when you sift past societies brainwash bull, you know that training has the power to change your entire fu*king life. Self-confidence, more energy, health, and a revitalization of that innate vigor for life. These things are the very ingredients that sustain us all.


                            I honestly feel bad for the next person to ask me "Why are you training so hard?" or "What are you training for all the time?" because I'm going to lay it down hard with a chip on my freaking shoulder. There are only a few things in this world that I can fully take pride in and put my personal stamp of approval on. In order is God, Family, Friends, Health/training, and your Legacy. These are the very things that ignite the explosion in life for me.
                             Training has climbed the hierarchy mountain to become a lifestyle and not some hobby like collecting snow globes. No offense. I train to maximize my potential mentally, spiritually, and physically. Have you ever been stressed out and decided to go for a run, only to find that you have a certain peace after you physically drained yourself. Or have you ever been on an endurance testing hike, to find yourself standing at the top, overwhelmed with a strange feeling of Joy. It's what we were designed to do, hence the "hunter and gatherer" description of homosapiens. Our bodies are designed to chase down meat and gather food up to 10-12 hours a day in order to survive. Without this physical stimulation we lose something.


                            Don't even let my hierarchy chart influence your thought process. Reject the media's consistent pursuit of defining your reasoning behind working out and training. You need to define your own philosophy for training. It needs to be dangerously personal so that inconsistency and set backs aren't an option.

                           To the two guys I eavesdropped on, I want to sincerely thank you. Next time both of your coffees are on me. Your conversation reassured the way I live my life. Your comfortable vision poured gasoline on my fire and refocused my aim even hire. Your perception of "the good life" reinforced my pedal to the floor mentality. Go big or get the fu*k out of the way.

The innate drive is there, it's just under all the bullshit.


                     

1. Park further away

"Are you still going out for your run in the rain? "

           "Yeah"

"Really! How does that thing do in the rain?"

           "I don't know, I guess I'm going to find out!"

      All I have to say is that is pretty awesome. I don't think I would even go for a jog when it's raining outside but the least I can do is start parking a little farther away since I got the legs to walk.

2.Take the Stairs

3. Wash Your Car
Next time you decide that you need a car wash and grab your keys to drive to closest Brown Bear, Stop! You burn tons of calories washing your car. It's probably why you don't want to do it because it's hard. Just suck it up and enjoy the fact that you are getting a calorie burning activity in.

4. Walk at Lunch
I got this idea from a friend of mine. After eating her lunch at work, she will, with a co-worker, just take a walk around the area. Not only does it give you a time to get out and breathe some fresh air but you will be able to use it to relieve some stress while burning some extra calories. Take this time to recharge before you had back in to work.

5. Commercial Break Planks

Whenever I am at home and just watching some espn, buried life (a pretty good new show I like), or whatever other show you enjoy, I take the commerical breaks as prime time opportunities. Use this time to lower yourself into a plank and work on some core stability. Go 30 seconds on each side, then on the front. Usually there will be 2-3 commericals if not more each show there is 2-3 sets for you.

         I hope you can adopt some of these things into your everyday life to help you burn some extra calories. If not, maybe it can give you some more ideas on how you can find ways to burn more calories, I would love to hear your ideas, just post them or send me an email.

         
   Along with lifting big ass weight and training your ass off, we all know that eating like a bad ass is more important than anything. Despite how much you lift like a bad ass, if you eat like a junior high girl, your not going to feel or see any changes.

             Most of us all know that lean meats and healthy carps are vital. Chicken, lean beef, turkey, tuna, buffalo, salmon...etc.etc. So in the pursuit of tyring to find the X-factor/Bad Assness in nutrition, I had no choice but to draft #1 overall, this green.

                      Before my childhood was rocked by the super ripped mutant figures of X-men, G.I. Joe's, and WCW/WWF wrestler, there were only cartoons. Most cartoons didn't really portray any abd ass characters, except one man. He beat up the bad guys, was in the military, had tattoos, and got all the chicks. His name was Popeye. Don't you ever forget this OG. (origianal gangster)

• Spinach posesses 2 compounds that you don't want to live without. Beta-ecdysterone, which has the ability to aid in muscle size and strength. Also this grean leaf contains octacosanol that promotes strength.
• If your a nutrition label reading freak, nothing wrong with that, let me make it easy for you and break it down. A single 3 ounce serving will contain 20 calories, 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs, 0 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber.
• 3 cups of this super green stuff will contain up to 3 mg of iron. Try eating it with foods higher in content of vitamin c for easier absorption.
• What do all the supplements out there have in common besides creatine? It is probably a high dose of amino acids and glutamine. Glutamine helps in raising growth hormone levels and increase levels of protein-synthesis, by boosting leucine in muscle tissues. It will in turn decrease muscle breakdown and help keep a healthy immune system.

Are you a pick eater and won't eat greens?

                Stop acting like a child! This stuff is a legal growth hormone and it's good for you. When you are trying to become a real bad ass, you stop eating for taste and start eating for fuel. You need to start eating things that are going to help you train hard, look good, melt fat off your body, and help you get strong. Start eating this stuff RAW! as a salad. By throwing on some chicken, fresh furit, and a light olive oil based dressing, it will go down easy and fuel you up faster than you can say " I need to stop eating like a junior high girl!" - Good Luck!

                      The other day I was reading in the latest Men's Health that when surveyed, women said that their favorite body parts on a man were in the following order:

4. Butt
5. Chest

                        This is good information to know guys but, what the surveyors and most women don't consider is how you get them to notice all this stuff if your not walking around in a t-shirt and shorts all the time. After all I live in Washington and it rains half the damn time. Our typical outfits include a pair of jeans and Rain jacket of some sort.

                          So how do you get women to notice you before you can shed your jacket and show off your guns and 6 pack?

                            How do you turn heads in a North Face Denali or your zip up hoodie?
Heres HOW.......................

The Theory:
             I have a friend who lifts weights a "little" but doesn't have big arms, calves, or even comes close to having a 6 pack. More of 3 pack. But when he puts on a jacket, it's like an optical illusion and appears to be a gym rat. Why? This skinny fu*ker has been genetically blessed with some broad ass shoulders and girls notice this. When he sheds the jacket and reveals himself in a t-shirt, the illusion is done but nonetheless, he gets some attention walking down the street. So there it is, big ass shoulders can be the X factor.

            You have to be able to show off what you got even underneath all your layers. After all, being bad ass doesn't just follow the seasons. We need to lose societies stereotype of only being in shape for summer time. Sometimes you need to be able to show what you got even underneath a suit, something I have to wear most days.

          So listen up Mofo's. Bad Ass Shoulders and Monster traps are going to be seen from 50 yards away from even underneath a suit and an overcoat. It's going to turn heads before you can shed the jacket to show them the goods. Think of it as, foreplay.


        How Do We Get These Bad Ass Shoulders


                        So try going heavy for 4-6 reps of 5-6 sets. If you have shoulder issues, try keeping the dumbbell in a neutral position with your palms facing your ears all the way through the movement.


Upgraded Variations
1.) Alternating Press: With alternating presses, you want to maintain one arm locked out until the other arm goes through the complete range of motion. Going down then back to the locked out position. Try to develop a rhythm.

2.) Get Your ASS up!: I stopped doing presses sitting down completley once I could go heavy enough standing. By standing up you activate so much more of your body especially your abs. A lot of guys will have some sharp back pain, try squeezing your butt to activate strong spinal support. Your back is probably not the issue but more of your form. 

-Also don't forget to try variations with no bounce/help from the legs and with a little bounce from the legs.

3.) Incorporate into a Complex: I don't usually do regular military presses with the barbell since suffering from some shoulder problems unless it's put into a complex. The basics of a complex is simple. Choose 5-8 exercises that can be performed with a barbell, complete all exercises before dropping the bar with the same amount of reps for all movements, repeat for desired sets.

Sample Complex with Military Press
1. Front Squat
2. Military Press
3. Bent over Row
4. Dead lift
5. Back squat

All for 8 reps, repeat for 3-5 sets, rest 1-2 min in between sets

Timed Shrugs
          Most guys shrug heavy and get to a point where they can't see any new results or lift any more weight. Some call this dreaded point a plateau. Do you know what I have to say about Plateua's? Fu*k Plateau's.

            This is an awesome exercise to use with the barbell or dumbbells for shurgs. I prefer dumbbells because it allows a more complex motion by trying to get your shoulders to touch your ears. Don't take that as an excuse to lift lighter, still go spine crushing weight here.

           Start off with 20-30 seconds on the clock, have your training partner time you, it's easier to stay honest and push yourself this way. For the entire time you are going to perform perfect from shrugs as fast as you can. We are working the idea of time under tension, meaning the time your muscles will stay under tension even when they aren't fully contracting. Also fast twitch fibers will be worked in the traps, something not done very often.

Ex.
2-3 sets of 20-40 sec dumbbell shrugs. (Perfect Form)

Plate raise superset with lateral fly

            This is a great finisher to help fully exhaust the shoulders to promote increased muscle growth, so don't do this in the beginning of training your shoulders. With a 45 plb, sit down. Yeah I said it sit down, on the edge of a bench and with a straight back and locked out arms raise from the down position until the plate is directylin front of your face. The plate should be falling between your legs. Perform 10-12 reps here.

             As soon as you get done, drop the plate and grab some dumbbells to perform lateral flys. Maintain a straight back with now bouncing motion and perform for again 10-12 reps. It is important to have no rest between these two movements as it will increase exhaustion.

 Closing:
               Big shoulders can help you complete your Bad Ass look. No we're not meat heads, we are the few individuals out there trying to improve ourselves everyday. If that means Big Ass Shoulders and Monster Traps, so be it. Let them talk. At least they will be talking about YOU! Until next time, stay focused, train hard, reap the rewards.