My workout program for the next 4 weeks.

Monday: 
Glycogen depletion workout - The idea behind this workout is to train with light weights, high repetitions with very little rest so that body's glycogen levels drop. When this happens, and the amino acid levels are kept high using protein intake, the body loses fat very quickly.

Superset: Flat DB bench press + Pull ups - 4 sets of 8 reps each.(1 warm up set)
Superset: Leg press + leg curls - 4 sets of 12 reps each.(1 warm up set)
Superset: Seated rows + Skull crushers - 4 sets of 10 reps each.
Abs: Roman chair sit ups, crunches and hanging leg raises - 2 sets each to failure.
Cardio: 15 minutes low intensity cardio on the treadmill.

Tuesday and Wednesday:
15 minutes High Intensity Interval Training, I will use Turbulence Training for this.

Thursday:
Incline DB press: 4 sets of 6-8 reps.
Dead lifts: 4 sets of 6 reps.
Front squats: 4 sets of 6 reps.
Pull ups: 3 sets of 10 reps.
Parallel bar dips: 3 sets of 8(with weights)
Weighted crunches - 3 sets of 15 reps

Thursday post workout until Friday afternoon is a high carb day. Rest of Friday will be maintenance calories.

Saturday:
Similar to Thursday's workout, but instead of Front squats, I do regular squats and instead of deadlifts, I do bent over rows.

Sunday: Turbulence Training again.

Except my high carb days(Thursday post workout to Friday lunch), all other days are low carb days, but not too low. I'll keep it below 150 grams carbs per day. Protein will be at 200 grams per day atleast. 10 gms fish oil per day and creatine in my pre and post workout shakes.

I'm at 192 lbs right now, at about 11 % body fat, goal is to get to stay at the same weight but drop bodyfat to about 7 %, and this is exactly what the above workout plus diet plan is meant to do. Lose fat, gain muscle. Isn't that everybody's goal?! Guess what, its possible.
Lose fat from the low carb days and prime the body for growth when I increase calories drastically on Thursday and Friday.

Whats in your fridge?

You are what you eat. Eating right can be easy or difficult, it all depends on what we let ourselves get used to.
In the United States, based on the IHRSA/ASD Obesity/Weight Control Report states that about 63 % of Americans are obese. That's unbelievable but true!

Why are these people obese? Because they've got used to eating the wrong things and not exercising.
Lets take a look at whats in my fridge:

1. Frozen chicken breasts
2. Ribeye steaks- lean cuts.
3. Salmon fillet.
4. Lucrene and Activia yogurt - which I use for dessert.
5. Coke Zero cans - cant live without them :). I also have some diet sprite.
6. Eggs
7. Milk
8. Condiments like Mustard, A1 steak sauce, wasabe, etc.
9. Vegetables: Broccoli, Onions, Tomatoes, carrots and Bell pepper.
10. Mozarella cheese - which I use on omelets sometimes.
11. Fruit - Apples and bananas are a staple, I also get strawberries sometimes.
12. Ham - For the omelets again.

I also have the occassional ice cream or cheese cake in there. Other stuff in the kitchen include:
Tuna cans, Multi-grain wheat bread, Peanut butter and the like.

But thats it, simple but there's enough variety there to not get me bored with what I'm eating.
Also, if you eat out frequently like I do, dont let it destroy your diet plan. Most places have an
entree which is a meat + veggies combination. You can still have the occassional indulegence though,
mine's sushi!

There you go. Now tell me, whats in your fridge?

5 little things which make a difference

I'm sure most people have their fitness on their list of new year resolutions.  However, a common complaint I hear is the lack of time. Most of us do not have the time to spend many hours in the gym every week. So to these people, I'd like to point out little things they can do to stay fit without even having to step into the gym.

1. Stairs: We've all heard it before. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. This seems so trivial but it really does add up. Stairs are everywhere, so climb them! Not only do you burn calories, but it also tones the legs.

2. Watch the liquid calories: Most people quit soda trying to get "healthy" and replace it with "health drinks". So they pick up gatorade or Vitamin water or an Odwalla drink. The problem is, these drinks are almost completely full of sugar and in some cases, have more calories than a can of coca-cola or pepsi. So want to pick up a healthy drink? Pick water. Or just pick a diet version of your favorite soda.

3. Avoid late night eating: If your diet is full of excessive late night eating, too much rice, and high-sugar meals, YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT. Eat your last meal atleast 2 hours before bed time, and keep the carbohydrate and fats low for that meal.

4. Stay hydrated: Most people do not even drink 2 liters of water per day. Fat cells are harder to be metabolized when the body is dehydrated, and the body retains water when dehydrated. Making it a point to drink atleast 1 gallon of water per day will help flush out toxins, keep the metabolism healthy and keep skin healthy.

5. Workout at home: An efficient training program like Turbulence training by Craig Ballantyne can be practiced anywhere, even at home. Take 15-20 minutes of your day to do a quick workout. This will not only increase your energy level for all your other activities, but it will jump start your metabolism to burn more calories even when you are not doing anything!

There you go. 5 simple things anyone can do to stay in shape. Remember, when it comes to health and fitness you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be consistent.

Track your progress

Writing down goals works. Like Johny Depp says in the movie Blow:
"Life passes most people by while they are making grand plans for it".

Dont be that way. Research shows people who write down goals are 75 % more likely to achieve them.
Ask anyone what their new year resolutions are getting into shape would be on the list. Gyms are crowded in the first week of January but empty by the last week of that month. Why does this happen? Either we dont have a plan at all or dont keep track of our progress.

I've been looking at Fitbook, a 12 week planning system to reach your overall fitness goals.
I like it because:

1. Its goal oriented.
2. Weekly planning and daily tracking facilities.
3. Its portable. Can be carried to the gym.

Its really cheap and sold on bodybuilding.com, check it out here.