In my opinion, there is no better choice than bodyweight calisthenics for an effective at home workout. You don’t need any expensive equipment, you need only a limited amount of space and you can fit in a quick but highly effective workout around your busy schedule. 

But keep in mind… learning a bunch of bodyweight exercises is no substitute for a complete workout program.  After all, if you don’t know how to put the bodyweight calisthenics exercises together into a comprehensive workout program that systematically progresses you to your goals… you are exercising without a purpose.

Basically, if you don’t have a PROGRESSIVE PLAN for consistent improvement… you are NOT going to improve fitness, burn fat or build the strong, athletic body you desire.

With that being said, I’ve found some bodyweight calisthenics videos done by Adam Davila that I want to share with you.  These are some of my favorite bodyweight calisthenics exercises that I use in my progressive bodyweight workout programs. I think getting a video demonstration is helpful.

Click the links below to go to the bodyweight exercise video and see these exercises in action…

8 Count Body Builders – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Alternating Lunges – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Bodyweight Lunges – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Dive Bombers -Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Jumping Jacks – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Mountain Climbers – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
One Leg Squats – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Ones & Twos – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Push Ups – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video
Squat Thrusts – Bodyweight Calisthenics Video

Give some of these bodyweight calisthenics exercises a try, and I’m sure you’ll find them surprisingly challenging.

When you are ready to organize you bodyweight exercises into a progressive program specifically designed to improve fitness, burn fat and build an attractive, athletic body, here are some recommendations:

Option 1:
Workout Without Weights is my flagship bodyweight workout program. If you like building you own workout programs (following a proven, progressive method), this is for you. 

There are SIX progressive workout programs here that give you the freedom to choose the bodyweight exercises you use from a list of 190 bodyweight exercises.

Just pick the exercises you want to work on, fill in the printable, reusable Workout Journal Sheets… and you’re ready for a great bodyweight only workout you can do at home!

Don’t underestimate the power to achieve your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals using only bodyweight exercises… especially when you follow a PLAN of progression that keeps you improving.

Option 2:

The Ultimate Gymless Workout is for those who want a PROGRESSIVE SERIES or bodyweight workouts where the bodyweight exercises are chosen for them. There are really TWO complete workout programs here… the Optimum Fitness & Physique program and the Above & Beyond program.

First, alternate through the Fitness, Fat Loss and Strength & Size workouts to build the strong, lean, athletic body you’ve always wanted.  Then put your newly developed body to the test with the Above & Beyond workouts.  And did I mention, these workout use only bodyweight calisthenics exercises and can be done in the comfort of your own home?

Remember… progression is the key for any workout to improve fitness, burn fat and build an athletic body.  After all, if you are not progressing then nothing is going to change.  And that means you workouts are nothing more than a waste of time.  So, make sure to put your bodyweight workouts together in a way that keeps you progressing toward the ultimate goal of a strong, lean, athletically muscular body!

As an American, it is easy to get caught up focusing on celebrity workouts and diets.  But as most of you know, I live in Chile with my wife… so I have a little bit more of an international outlook.  So, I don’t want you to forget that there are a lot of different people in the world and we can learn a lot about fitness, health and building an attractive, athletic body by looking outside our own borders.

One such instance is Aamir Khan, a famous Bollywood actor.

Aamir Khan exploded on the workout scene when he had to bulk up for a role in the movie “Ghajini”.  He had to put on a LOT of muscle for this role… and worked his butt off to do so!  You can see in the photo the results of all his hard work.

Here is an excerpt from a website called HealthPuff.com.  You can read the full article here.

——————————————————————-“Mondays – chest and back, Tuesdays – arms, and Wednesdays – shoulders and legs was his workout schedule. Apart from this he was also doing half-hour to an hour cardio and abs everyday. As for abs I read he used to do 1,000 crunches everyday. Aamir Khan always managed to get eight hours of sleep. No matter what time he went to sleep, he did get eight hours of sleep every day which I think is really important because proper sleep gives enough rest to the muscles and helps in muscle growth and you will not get tired easily while workouts.

Aamir Khan credits his physique to diet as well. He had a balanced diet that included one-third fat, one-third carbs, one-third protein, and normal food like rotis, rice, sabzis, chicken and all cooked in 3 spoons of oil. Apart from this he used to have 16 egg whites, fruits, and four lts. of water every day. There was no sugar, no potatoes, no bananas, no red meat, no egg yolks and no fried stuff.

So building good physique revolves around Exercise, Sleep and Diet. All these 3 are inter-related. If you don’t sleep well you will not have enough strength for exercise and if you eat junk food without having healthy diet you develop fat in your body. So the right combination of all the 3 is important.”

———————————————————————-

Aamir Khan’s Body Transformation Video

Here is a video that shows AAmir Khan’s amazing body transformation, that took about a year.  (Most of the video is in English).

Here are some things I want you to keep in mind…

1) This amazing transformation did not happen over night. It took about a YEAR of training, diet and lifestyle changes for Aamir to build this muscular, lean body.  Lots of hard work and dedication works every time!

2) Aamir used a mixture of bodyweight AND weight training during his workouts. This is important, because a lot of people neglect bodyweight exercises and think the only way to put on muscle is with weight lifting.  A mixture of both bodyweight exercises and weight lifting not only builds a mucular, lean body… but is more athletic and performs better both inside and outside the gym.

3) Diet and nutrition played just as much a role in getting the body he wanted than the workout. No matter how good your workout program is, it cannot overcome a poor diet.  So, if you want to put on muscle and cut fat… you need to pay attention to your diet and strike a balance between getting the nutrients you need to perform the workouts and build muscle, and not having a surplus of calories that turn into fat.

4) Aamir made lifestyle changes as well… like getting a lot of sleep and drinking a lot of water.

I have always said that the way to get the high-performance, attractive body you want is what I call the “Fitness Trilogy”.  Basically, you need to find the balance between your physical training, diet and lifestyle.  All three must be aligned if you want to be successful in reaching your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals.

Here is a plan to put on pounds of useful muscle, and burn pounds of unwanted fat…

The Workout: Use Jason Ferruggia’s workout, Muscle Gaining Secrets.  In my opinion, this is the best muscle building workout for a variety of reasons.  But in a nutshell, I recommend this muscle building workout because it is NOT a bodybuilding workout. You not only put on muscle, but you put on USEFUL muscle that makes you bigger, stronger and a better athlete. These workouts have been tested and proven effective in the real world with both skinny guys wanting to get big as well as athletes wanting to improve their strength and athletic skills.

Read my full Review Of Muscle Gaining Secrets and find out why I picked this as the best muscle building workout.  (You’ll also see that I’ve included an incredible BONUS for this workout that you do NOT want to miss!)

The Diet: Just as I don’t recommend bodybuilding workouts for building muscle because they are ONLY focused on making muscles bigger (I would rather the bigger muscles be USEFUL outside the gym as well), I don’t recommend diets just to lose fat.  For the purposes of having a body transformation like Aamir Khan’s, you need a nutrition plan that provides proper nutrition for performance, health and fat loss. A reduced calorie diet that has the only goal of reducing fat is not going to give you the nutrients you need to build muscle or have the energy to get through the Muscle Gaining Secrets workouts.  So, for this workout plan I recommend you use Precision Nutrition.

The Lifestyle: This is easy.  Don’t do anything when not training or eating that goes against what you are trying to achieve with your workout and nutrition plan. As yourself, “Will this help or hurt my training and nutrition objectives?” Do what helps, and avoid what hurts. Simple.  Obviously you are going to want to drink a lot of water and get a lot of rest.

I hope Aamir Khan’s transformation has inspired you to take ACTION and follow a plan!

To recap…

The Lifestyle: Don’t Do Anthing To Screw Up Your Training & Diet

By: Coach Lomax
BestAtHomeWorkouts.com

Here is something I came across that I think is worth looking into.  (Don’t let the name fool you, it is not just for runners).

As you know by now, I am a big fan of workouts you can do just about anywhere, that take less than 30 minutes and that focus on different aspects of fitness.  Well, Runners Yoga is such a program.  Here is a video that explains things better than I could…

As any Professional Athlete will tell you, flexibility plays a HUGE role in both performance and injury prevention. As does balance. Mental focus. And minimizing the damaging effects of stress. And whether you’re a Professional Athlete or an Armchair Athlete, you get the most out of life when you cover all those bases. (Coach Lomax comment: this type of workout is for EVERYBODY.)

By the time you grab your gear … get to the gym or studio … change … do your routine … maybe shower … then get back home … What are you looking at? A couple hours?

Who’s got that much time? Day in and day out? Year after year? Very few of us! Which is why the vast majority of us stop going to the Health or Fitness Club within months of signing up. (The industry’s own figures show this. That’s why they try to sell you that long-term membership up front.) (Coach Lomax comment: As you know, I’m a big fan of workouts you can do at home (just look at the title of this blog!), and I truly believe the fact that you don’t have to go to the gym means you’ll get more out of this workout and use it longer… for more results!)

This is what it will do for you:

• Strengthen and tone every major muscle in your body.
• Build your core strength.
• Dramatically increase your flexibility, head to toe.
• Improve your balance and posture.
• Burn fat.
• Give your cardiovascular system a healthy workout.
• Improve your mental focus.
• And literally melt away stress.

“It’s perfect! As the mother of a one-year old,
thirty minutes is often all the time I can get.”.
Jennifer H. (U.S.)

“The Runner’s Yoga Program is a great complement
to any training program.”
Lynn Kanuka, Olympic Bronze Medal 3,000 Metres
SportMedBC Program Coordinator

“Using the Runner’s Yoga Program 3-4 days a week is keeping me injury free.
And it’s keeping all the aches and pains of my old injuries away.
That’s a BIG deal to me as a martial artist. Not to mention that I’m saving a lot of money I would have spent on physio and massage or acupuncture. I’m convinced this is the world’s most advanced home-fitness program. Thank you!” 
N Tropp, 6th Degree Black Belt (TaeKwon Do, HwaRang Do)
Masters Public Health, ER Physician Assistant

“A perfect combination of dynamic stretching, strengthening and movement control … a culmination of proven tools to achieve balance
both physically and mentally.”
A. McLean, MSc., Registered Physiotherapist

“I really like having the audio recording. I’ve tried videos before and find I
get twisted up like a pretzel. This is much better.”
Meghan O. (Vancouver)

“I hate running but I really like this yoga! I love the beat.
It helps calm my mind and keep me focused. And I’m quite surprised that
I’m actually doing the routine on my own. I’ve tried all kinds of videos and other things but never stick with it. This one I’m doing.”
Marilyn C.

Don’t worry about learning the moves either… they have some cool pictures and descriptions to help you out.  Here is an example:

Click Here To Learn More About Runner’s Yoga

Sometimes finding the fitness and exercise information you are looking for on a blog can be challenging.  Blogs and websites are such busy places.  You start reading one interesting blog post, then another, then another… and the next thing you know you’ve spent hours in front of the computer and there is no time to work out!

This is NOT how you are going to reach your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals!

So, I’ve seperated out a couple sections on the blog where I will be putting some “MUST SEE” info that you don’t want to miss.

Here are some sections you should visit…

Free Reports:  Here I will be putting some great fitness reports to help you reach your goals and learn more about my training philosophy.  While free of charge, they are valuable reports with important info.

For example, the first report is called Bodyweight Exercise Cardio Intervals.  If you are sick of boring cardio workouts… this is for you.  It comes with exercise photos, descriptions and sample workouts!

Free Courses: Here is where I’m going to separate out information you do not want to miss.  If the blog is like a wild party full of action, these courses are like being taken into a room for a private chat.

The first course is called “Unfit To OptiFit” and explains my fitness, fat loss and physique building philosophy in detail.  While most people “think”: they know what fitness is… they are surprised when they go through this material.  This is the place where you can really get into my mind and see why my training programs are so effective.

My Workout Programs:  When you are ready to stop reading about fitness, exercise, nutrition, etc., and are ready to start DOING something in order to reach your goals… you need to follow a PLAN. And that is what I provide you with with my workout programs… a step-by-step plan to get the RESULTS you want with just your own bodyweight and maybe some dumbbells.

I just wanted to bring these sections to your attention so you didn’t miss them.

Now go get in a great workout!

Eddie Lomax

When Daniel Craig walked out of the surf in Casino Royale, he became an instant fitness icon. And as every guys date squirmed in their seats beside them, the little voice in every mans head said, “You need to look like that!” And as a result, there has been much written on the Internet about it.

I’m not going to bore you regurgitating what has already been said. Here are some links to blog posts and articles that talk about Daniel Craig’s 007 Workout:

This Is The Daniel Craig Workout By Simon Waterson

The Film Bond Workout Versus The Real Bond Workout?

For me, I started to admire 007′s fitness in the first big action scene where he is chasing the bad guy up and down (and even through) a construction site. Because you see, true fitness is about your physical ability, NOT how you look! So, if you really care about fitness, you should strive to build Bond-Like physical abilities.

Here’s the good news…

When you improve the abilities that make up a high-level of fitness, you build the Bond-Like body of a hardened super spy!

Ok, before I discuss what my Unofficial 007 Workout would look like I want to answer a question many of you who have seen Casino Royale might be asking… “What’s all the jumping and running in the first big action scene?”

This is something called Parkour. And if you haven’t heard of it, the best way to understand what it is to SEE it in action. Here is a great video that explains Parkour:

-> The first 30 seconds are pretty boring, but then the ACTION really begins!

Pretty cool, right? (Please, don’t try this at home!)

The Unofficial 007 Workout

(Just to make something absolutely clear. I did not train Daniel Craig. And frankly, the only people who REALLY know how he trained for the role of James Bond is Daniel Craig himself and his trainer. This is just a fun exercise of what I think would be a great workout to get Bond-Like abilities and the great physique to go with them!)

Workout Characteristics:

Full Body Workout… none of this split routine stuff bodybuilders are fond of. The fact is, the body needs to be trained as one complete unit if it is to PERFORM as one complete unit. And make no mistake about it, to be a hardened super spy is going to take full body strength, power, coordination and endurance!

Compound Movements… none of these “isolated” movements like biceps curls many people favor. Compound movements work MANY muscles at the same time. (Not only is this a great way to train the body, but it also burns off a ton of fat!)

Combination of Weighted Exercise and Bodyweight Exercise… not gym machines. Bond needs to be ready for anything. This means BOTH being able to move his own body around AND moving weighted objects around. (I highly doubt the villain is going to strap Bond into a gym machine and tell him he has to perform 3 sets of 10 reps… or else!)

Workout at least 5 days a week. Yes, I know… you’ve been told to work out 3 days a week with at least one day rest in between. This comes again from the bodybuilding community that focuses ONLY on maximizing muscle size. But you are not building an inflated bodybuilders body. You ARE building a hard as nails, high-output body of an elite super spy!

Ok, here’s the workout…

Workout A and B.  Do A-B-A the first week and B-A-B the second.  In between workout days, do the Calisthenics/ABS Rounds… so you’ll end up doing some kind of workout 5 times a week.  For the weighted exercises, use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete the reps and sets.  4 weeks.

Workout A

Block 1

Do 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise back to back.  Rest 90 seconds and repeat a total of 3 times.  (So it looks like this: 5 reps of Deadlift, 5 Reps of Bench Press, rest 90 seconds… and then repeat 2 more times)

A) Barbell Deadlift

B) Barbell Bench Press

Rest 90 seconds and go to…

Block 2

Do 10 minutes of Exercise A and Exercise B back to back.  Try to do as many full sets as possible in 10 minutes, only resting as needed.  (Lighten up on the weights here!)

A) Barbell Romanian Deadlift + Curl + Press Combo (5 reps)

B) Burpees (10 reps)

Rest 90 seconds and go to…

Block 3

Do 10 minutes of Exercise A and Exercise B back to back.  Try to do as many full sets as possible in 10 minutes, only resting as needed.  (Lighten up on the weights here!)

A) Dumbbell Snatch (5 reps each arm)

B) Alternating T Push Ups (5 reps each side)

Workout B

Block 1

Do 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise back to back.  Rest 90 seconds and repeat a total of 3 times.  (So it looks like this: 5 reps of Squat, 5 Reps of Bent Over Row, rest 90 seconds… and then repeat 2 more times)

A) Barbell Front Squat

B) Barbell Bent Over Row

Rest 90 seconds and go to…

Block 2

Do 10 minutes of Exercise A and Exercise B back to back.  Try to do as many full sets as possible in 10 minutes, only resting as needed.  (Lighten up on the weights here!)

A) Barbell Deadlift + Hang Clean + Press Combo (5 reps)

B) Dumbbell Swing (20 reps)

Rest 90 seconds and go to…

Block 3

Do 10 minutes of Exercise A and Exercise B back to back.  Try to do as many full sets as possible in 10 minutes, only resting as needed.

A) Pull Up or Chin Up (5 reps)

B) Dips (5 reps)

Calisthenics/ABS Rounds

(These are done on the days between the workout days)

Pick 3 calisthenics exercises and 3 abs exercises.  Do 10 reps of each exercise in a circuit for the time period below.  Rest only as needed.

Workout 1 – 5 minutes

Workout 2 – 6 minutes

Workout 3 – 7 minutes

Workout 4 – 8 minutes

Workout 5 – 9 minutes

Workout 6 – 10 minutes

Workout 7 – 11 minutes

Workout 8 – 12 minutes

Do that workout for a month and I’m sure you are going to be a lot stronger, bigger and leaner than when you started… and ready to take on any bad guy that gets in your way!

While the above workout is good to get you started, if you want to see massive muscle growth you’re going to have to follow a PLAN.

Click Here To See The Best Muscle Building Workout

I love it when gym goers get their butt kicked doing bodyweight only workouts. They use the machines. They do the circuits. They do their aerobic cardio after the resistance workout. “How could something as “simple” as a bodyweight workout test them?”, they say.

The fact is, the vast majority of commercial gym workouts don’t prepare you for the demands of a bodyweight workout. And when a gym member gets their butt kicked by one, they usually go back in the gym to hit the machines HARDER and do LONGER aerobic workouts!

WRONG! BUZZZZ! NO PRIZE!

The only thing that prepares you for the demands of a challenging bodyweight workout (and they can be VERY challenging), is bodyweight training. So, break out of the gym mentality, and wrap your brains around the power of bodyweight workouts. (As a matter of fact, you might consider quitting the gym all together: Read How To Quit The Gym And Get Fit, Burn Fat & Build An Attractive Body).

Still don’t believe me? Take a look at this video. Or better yet, skip the gym (you know you were going to anyway), and give it a try for yourself!

“No Excuses”

I really like this workout. And if you actually tried it, you’re probably hating me for bringing it to your attention. It has some of the greatest bodyweight only exercises:

• Burpees
• Pull Ups
• Bodyweight Squats
• Push Ups

And it uses TIME, not reps! (I use this concept extensively in the Rounds Of Fury workouts in Ultimate Gymless Workout). All in all, a great bodyweight workout guaranteed to make your average gym goer BEGGING to get back in their seated gym machines and biking while reading a magazine and watching CNN on TV.

By now, some of your reading this might be offended. You might go on the defensive and come up with all kinds of arguments to show that gym workouts are better than bodyweight workouts. But I would like to challenge you to keep an open mind. You just might learn something that takes your fitness, fat loss and physique to a whole new level. And it just may be the piece of the puzzle you’ve been missing.

Exercise Is About Movement

Stop all the talk about glutes, abs, tris, lats and all the other muscle groups you think about when preparing to exercise. Start thinking about movements. Specifically, these two movement types:

• Moving your own body
• Moving weighted objects

Now answer this, “Which type of movement is your typical gym machine workout training?” Moving weighted objects, right? Don’t you see how you are neglecting the movement of your own bodyweight around, which also needs to be trained to be improved? This is a big mistake, and the reason gym goers get their butt kicked when challenged with a bodyweight workout.

But Hold On…

If you agree that bodyweight exercises need to be trained, you might be fired up to start doing the above workout. But now that you know that bodyweight exercise deserves your attention, you need to give it the respect it deserves. You wouldn’t jump on one of those gym machines you are so fond of and set it to the HIGHEST weight, would you? No, you’d improve PROGRESSIVELY! You wouldn’t learn to drive by jumping in a car and going full speed… you’d go slow at first. And that is exactly how you should approach your bodyweight training… PROGRESSIVELY!

In order to be able to complete and get the most out of a workout like the one in the video, you need to first build up your muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance. And the best way to do that is to follow a step-by-step bodyweight only workout program designed to systematically improve fitness, burn fat and build an athletic body. Then, when you are stronger, lighter and better conditioned, you can do a workout like the one above and get the most out of it.

If you’ve been neglecting your bodyweight training, don’t think you can start out at an advanced level. (You’ll get your butt kicked and it won’t be pretty!) Even if you’ve been doing your gym workouts, you are not going to be prepared. So, prepare yourself first by following a more structured workout program. Then when you are ready, challenge yourself with more advanced workouts!

Eddie Lomax is the Founder & President of Optimum Fitness Network LLC. and author of Ultimate Gymless Workout. This bodyweight only program is really 2 workout systems: the Optimum Fitness & Physique System and the Above and Beyond Package.All bodyweight workouts are not created equal! Click here to see a video of what is included.

Don’t Let Tightening Your Belt In Tough Economic Times Mean Loosening Your Belt To Accommodate A Fat Belly!

There is no way around it, tough economic times means reevaluating your priorities, cutting unnecessary spending and making sacrifices. And for some of you, this might mean quitting the gym. Because the truth is, when most people figure out how much each gym visit costs… the money spent on expensive gym memberships can be better spent (or is needed) elsewhere.

But don’t think quitting the gym means you have to give up your dreams of building a strong, lean, attractive body. As a matter of fact, if you haven’t already reached your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals in the gym, this can be an incredible opportunity to finally reach your performance, health and appearance goals. Might sound crazy now, but quitting your gym could be a blessing in disguise!

Let me show you what I mean…

The OBVIOUS Reasons At Home Workouts Are Better Than Gym Workouts

There are some obvious reasons quitting the gym and working out at home, so let’s quickly go over a few of them:

• It’s cheaper! Since we started off talking about the possibility of giving up the gym because of the tough economic choices you may be facing, this is a big one. Working out at home is free! This is especially true if you use a bodyweight calisthenics program, or already have access to a set of dumbbells.
• You don’t have to drive to the gym! Who knows what the gas prices are doing? But imagine saving on gas and getting a great workout in the comfort of your own home. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to COMPLETE the workout in the time it takes to get to the gym.
• It’s more convenient! Just imagine not having to fight over gym equipment. Or how about getting through a workout without being interrupted by a fellow gym member. And I know it is more comfortable to prepare for and shower after your workout in your OWN BATHROOM than in the bathroom at the gym.
• It’s less embarrassing! Let’s face it, not everyone that goes to the gym LOOKS like they’ve lived in the gym for the last decade. By that I mean, most people go to the gym because they are out of shape, unhappy with the way they look, perform and feel and need to improve. This makes going to the gym and struggling through your workout in front of others an unwelcomed exercise in humility.

While these obvious reasons to quit the gym may be compelling enough to get you to take action, there are some other reasons that I believe are even more important.

First…

Health Clubs Can Be Downright Unhealthy!

‘Primetime’ Swabs Exercise Bikes, Dumbbells – Find Out What Came Out

Dirty Gyms

Once all the swabbing at the gyms was done, we contacted the centers’ managers to hear what they had to say about the dirty results.

Start sweating: A new bacterial strain may be flexing at your gym
The enclosed gym environment, with its bare skin, sweaty equipment and dirty towels can be particularly kind to the bacterium, which often shows up as skin lesions such as boils

Makes you think, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to go through a disinfecting acid bath after each and every workout. I mean, I want to get fit, burn fat and build muscle, not come down with a disease by rolling around in somebody else’s sweat!

This brings me to another issue all together. Can you even get the RESULTS you want in a commercial gym?

Are Commercial Gyms Are More Concerned With Making Money Than Getting You The Results You Pay For?

This is going to be a hard pill for some of you to swallow. So I’m just going to give it to you quick, like pulling off a Band-Aid. Hold your breath… here goes!

“Doing a Machine Circuit and then 20 minutes of Aerobic Activity is not the way to reach your fitness, fat loss and physique building goals!”

Normally I’d go into a big speech here about how gym machines don’t really train you in any useful way.

I’d say that using gym machines trains you to better use gym machines, but NOT meet the challenges of work, sport and life you face OUTSIDE THE GYM.

I’d rant about how aerobic activity is only the STARTING POINT and to really improve cardiorespiratory endurance you need to increase your work capacity by doing MORE in LESS time.

I might even say something offensive like, “Commercial gyms are temples of mediocrity!”

But I’m not going to do that here. Suffice it to say that the use of machines and the workouts in commercial gyms are designed MORE for allowing the gym to take on more clients, than to achieve your fitness, fat loss and physique goals. Putting you on a conveyor belt of machine training, aerobic cardio and pushing you out the door fits their business model perfectly… but doesn’t deliver on your goals of looking great, feeling better and performing your best!

Let’s look at this from another angle…

	When the boys from the movie 300 wanted to look like ancient Spartan warriors did they say, “Let’s go join the local gym and do some machines circuits while a ‘human rep counter’ follows us with a clip board”? No, they didn’t!
	When Mathew McConaughey wanted to beef up for his role in the movie Reign Of Fire did he strap himself into some shiny machines and do some “cardio” in his “target heart rate”? No, he didn’t!
	When Daniel Craig wanted to look the part of a hardened, super-spy in Casino Royale did he go from workout station to workout station just like the rest of the people at the local gym? No, he didn’t!

The point is, many men are motivated to join the gym because of the actors they see on screen. Yet, by doing so, they are NOT doing anything that will give them similar results. As a matter of fact, they are guaranteeing they won’t look like any of those guys!

And once you figure it out and want to quit the gym, they don’t want you to leave!

Here’s a secret: Myself and other coaches and trainers who sell well thought out workout programs online run into this problem all the time. We slave over workouts to make them EFFECTIVE for building muscle, burning fat or improving performance. We go over every detail, picking the best exercises, choosing the right reps, set and rest periods to get the desired results and structuring the workout to be as efficient as possible. And then when we look at the finished workout, we realize most gym goers won’t be able to do the workout as directed.

• Most effective workouts don’t use machines… which are the majority of equipment commercial gyms have!
• Most effective workouts use bodyweight exercises… which gyms don’t want you to know because you’ll ask, “Why did I join the gym if I can use my own body?”
• Most effective workouts use free weights… which your gym may not even have!
• Most effective workouts creatively combine exercises, sets, reps and rest periods… which are close to impossible to perform in a crowded gym!
• Most effective workouts put you in control… which might not even be ALLOWED in some commercial gyms!

If you can’t perform a proven workout program of your choice in your gym… run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit!

Quitting Your Gym Is A Blessing In Disguise!

We started this conversation because many of you might have to quit the gym in these tough economic times. And while this is an excellent solution to fatten your wallet, don’t use it as an excuse to fatten your waistline as well. As a matter of fact, quitting the gym might be the best thing you could do to finally reach your performance, health and appearance goals. Look, if you’ve actually reached your fitness, fat loss and physique goals by doing machine circuits and aerobic exercise at the local gym, do whatever it takes to pay your monthly dues. Take the kids out of private school! Sell your prized baseball card collection! You are one of the LUCKY FEW!

We started this conversation because many of you might have to quit the gym in these tough economic times. And while this is an excellent solution to fatten your wallet, don’t use it as an excuse to fatten your waistline as well. As a matter of fact, quitting the gym might be the best thing you could do to finally reach your performance, health and appearance goals.

Look, if you’ve actually reached your fitness, fat loss and physique goals by doing machine circuits and aerobic exercise at the local gym, do whatever it takes to pay your monthly dues. Take the kids out of private school! Sell your prized baseball card collection! You are one of the LUCKY FEW!

But if you haven’t reached your goals, look at quitting the gym as an opportunity.

• Now YOU can take responsibility for getting the RESULTS you want.
• Now YOU can finally lose the fat, build the muscle and improve performance like you’ve always wanted.
• Now YOU can do the effective workouts that you COULDN’T do at the local gym!

You might have to give up your gym membership, but you NEVER have to give up your dreams of performing your best and looking great with your shirt off!

Eddie Lomax is the Founder & President of Optimum Fitness Network LLC. He believes there is NO EXCUSE for not improving fitness, burning fat and building an athletically attractive physique. His no-nonsense style of physical training can be seen in his workout programs.  Click here to see his latest workouts!