Review of Workout 1, Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0

Today Workout 1 of Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0 was released as a free workout for anyone who wanted to try it. That decision took me all of two seconds! I loved the original program (link to a recent post on that below).

I did the workout tonight at my gym. Let me just say, this is not for wienies. It's deceiving on paper, don't let it fool you. The workout is designed in 4 zones: Strength, Transition, Burn and Metabolic. You do them in that order. The Transition zone is nice in that it makes you think you're going to get a break, but the upper body work doesn't let up. By the Burn zone you will be coming up with foul words to describe it. Expect the Metabolic Zone to finish you off. All I can say is thank goodness for the 90 seconds of recovery.

I loved the Zone concept and my face is actually still a little red. The only way I know to describe it is that it's one of those workouts that makes you think if you're not burning fat now, nothing will.

I'm anxious to see if we get any more teasers before the whole program is released. I'll be waiting in line to get it. Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Roussell have become quite a pair and deliver a mean program. As good as the first one is, I'm thinking this one is definitely going to be a new and improved version.

I'll continue to post and will be sure to let you know of any other releases.

If you've not gone to the site to get your copy of the free Workout 1, you can do it here.

This post contains an affiliate link. Please see my disclosure statement.

Related Posts:

Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0

Free Workout from Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0

Okay, Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0 is on the way! You can check out Workout 1 from the program free by clicking here. It looks really good to me. I'm going to do it tonight and will post about it afterwards. Remember, this is not for the faint of heart! The workouts never look like it on paper, but you will see when you do it. The great thing is that you don't have to spend hours in the gym. You get in, hit it hard, and get out. For some of you, it might even seem at first like you're not doing enough work. Don't be fooled! More to come, I anticipate the workouts and meal plans for this one will be stellar. I recently posted about the Original Warp Speed Fat Loss which is a tremendous program. You can check out that post here. Let me know if you try it, leave a comment!

This post contains an affiliate link. Please see my disclosure statement.

Can You Spot Me on This Lift?

I've always loved to people-watch. The gym is a classic place for it, but when I'm working out by myself I like to hit my rhythm and shut everything else out. When I successfully hit that zone, my own Dad could be using the bench next to me and I wouldn't even know it. For some reason though I've been a little distracted lately and more aware of what is going on around me. I have to say, it's entertaining to say the least. It's been a long time since I've been on a cardio machine in the gym for any length of time, but I'm really tempted by it because I think it may be the best view in the house.

One of my favorites is to watch the dynamics that occur when someone asks to be spotted. Both parties are fun to watch. The person asking for a spot always seems to look around and ask the biggest guy in the room. The assumption is that because he's a big guy he can either remove the weight as a rescue attempt, or he actually knows how to spot (two completely different things). The other thing I've noticed is that no one ever asks for a spot on anything but a bench press. This is interesting because it ignores the fact that a significant amount of damage can be done by dropping dumbbells on your face, or hitting yourself in the head with the bar on a skull crusher. I honestly don't ever see anyone squat with a bar outside of the Smith machine even though we have a really great rack for it, so no spotting there. The other thing I rarely see is anyone asking for assistance with dumbbells or bars for loading to start position and unloading. What can be seen on a regular basis is dumbbells dropping to the floor from extended arm positions, such as behind the head on a pullover or from the extended arm position on a fly. That seems like a good method for a shoulder injury!

Back to the bench press. The big guy who has just been asked for a spot (usually acting annoyed) takes his place behind the bench. Sometimes he is watching, sometimes he's looking around. Then on the last uneven rep being gutted out, he places one hand in the center of the bar with an overhand grip to guide it back to the rack. Now, in all honesty, I've never seen an accident in the gym. I'm not sure why. Perhaps we're not lifting heavy enough to really push outside of the safe zone. Even so, if we get sloppy someone is going to get hurt. It's a good thing to know a few basics on how to spot someone for moves that are going on over the head or face.

Here are some suggestions for spotting:

Don't spot someone on a power move. You're probably not going to see explosive power moves such as cleans and snatches in your average gym. Ideally they would be performed on a platform or an adequate designated space in the case of an incomplete power move. This would allow the lifter to push the bar forward (and the body backward) to let the bar fall to the floor if necessary.

A tip when spotting on a squat or lunge from a rack is that the person should step backward at the beginning of the set and forward at the end of the set (never stepping backward at the end of a set to try to re-rack the bar). If two people are available, place a person on each end ready to grab the end of the bar. This takes a little more synchronization.

An essential component when spotting any move is communication between the lifter and the spotter. Cues for assistance with loading to start, needing help during the lift and unloading after the set should be determined before the set begins. If you're spotting an experienced lifter, you will take some verbal abuse if you randomly touch or grab the bar!

For spotting a bench press, make sure your feet are firmly planted, your knees are slightly flexed, your back is flat if bending forward and you're ready to grip the bar with an alternated grip (one overhand, one underhand), about shoulder width apart, if necessary. This gives you the best positioning to secure and handle the bar in case of lifter fatigue resulting in an incompete lift. The same technique could be used for skull crushers or overhead tricep extensions with a bar.

Exception: Spotting not needed if bar is imaginary.

If spotting someone during a dumbbell chest press, don't try to grab the weight or the lifter at the elbows. Instead, be ready to grip the lifter's arms at the wrist or forearms. This places the spotter's hands closer to the weight itself and may keep the arms from falling to the sides in case of failure. The same technique might be used for spotting overhead dumbbell presses or flyes.

If in doubt, spot each other! Frequently we feel that we don't need spotting until we get into the really heavy stuff. That may be true in many cases, but a 3 pound dumbbell can knock a tooth out if your arm fatiques. The point is safety. Ask to be spotted, and learn to spot. A big guy might be able to pull a weight off of you, but a smaller person who uses even basic technique may be able to safely spot you. Better safe than sorry.

How To Do a Bear Crawl

If you're trying to come up with something different to add to your workouts, consider the bear crawl. It would be a perfect fit in your conditioning work immediately following a resistance training (weight) session or on your non-strength days. Just a word of warning that they are quite beastly!

Bear crawls require you to move your body through space, which is a good thing. That is one reason why you will hear that exercises like squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, and push-ups are king. Moving your body through space with power requires more work. Bear crawls demand some coordination, which also expends energy. Concentration will help you do the move well. You may be surprised at how fast it will crank your heart rate up or knock the wind out of you.

Find a large open space or a clear straight path. On hands and feet, you will move foward just like a bear would. Remember, this isn't downward-facing dog on the move. Your knees should be slightly bent in order to keep your butt low and even with or slightly higher than your head. Your back should be relatively flat, not necessarily arched, but definitely not rounded. Brace your abs. Keep your head up or slightly neutral (you need to see where you're going).

My 9 month old grandson does this well when he doesn't like a hard surface on his knees!

One option is to add bear crawls as part of your metabolic circuit. Another option is to add them as a relief move several times in between your other exercises. They would be great for interval work, or even in between specific core work. You can bear crawl for time, or bear crawl around the gym or other pre-determined large space in a circle, or bear crawl down and back a straight path. Keep moving. This requires some guts because you are going to look stupid.

If people laugh, invite them to join you. They may:

a. not join you out of fear of looking even worse

b. join you and immediately stop laughing

c. join you, hang with you out of pride and curse you the next day

d. Both b and c.

Chances are they will stare and marvel while they continue their hour-long-or-more cardio session while reading a book. Then you can laugh all the way to the car knowing that you actually left some fat at the gym.

Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0

I'm hearing bits and pieces that there will be a Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0 coming out. I don't know the timing but believe that Mike Roussell and Alwyn Cosgrove are already testing it. This is so exciting! I did the current Warp Speed Fat Loss and it definitely gets the getfitwithkelley stamp of approval. Quite frankly it's the leanest I've ever been. As I look back on that experience I realize there are several concepts from it that I continue to use on a daily and weekly basis. I expect the 2.0 version will be a great compliment to the original and it will be a definite addition to my fat loss tool box! You'll be able to find more information here as soon as I know the details!

If you are on a fat loss path and haven't worked through Warp Speed Fat Loss (1.0) I would recommend that you do it! It is a downloadable ebook, but not one of those I've-already-heard-all-this-information-before skimpy ones. You will receive instructions in great detail including Q&A sections and access to the creators in various formats. Resistance training, interval training and meals are already mapped out for you, which is very convenient. I found this part helpful because I never had to figure out my own workouts and I could plan ahead at the grocery. I did this during a very busy time in my life, so being able to just mark my calendar and batch my meal prep was a real necessity for me at the time. Sometimes I would not want quite this much structure, but this 28 day program is perfect for launching your fat loss efforts, blasting through a fat loss plateau or putting finishing touches on your quest for leanness. I will personally be repeating this program periodically for these very reasons.

You never have to wonder what you're going to be doing on a given day. For best results you should follow the workouts exactly. The best part about the training plan is that they include fresh new combinations of classic, effective exercises with some cool new stuff added. The required equipment is typical and accessible for most everyone who has access to a gym (such as dumbbells, bench, stabilty ball). The brain behind this is Alwyn Cosgrove, and you can't go wrong there. He doesn't mess around. You will be doing some work every day, but only about 3 days a week would you have to go to the gym; the other work can be done at home. You won't be spending hours working out either. Each workout is designed to be completed in an optimal amount of time. He also explains the process of fat loss very well in the materials, so you have some understanding of why you're doing what you're doing. I believe in knowing why. The explanation of why so you can learn coupled with the brainless schedule of knowing exactly what to do is a perfect combination.

The meal plans are creative and helpful in the very same way. You're given exact meals to follow, but the strategy is explained. No worries though, there is an entire list of what and how to substitute for items you don't like. The meals and workouts fit like hand in glove because they are designed to work with each other. This also removes the guesswork, so you can push right through and concentrate on eating and your workout time. Another great feature is that you are instructed on how to alter your meal plan as you drop weight/fat and it's all provided for you. The creative genius behind the nutriton plan is Mike Roussell.

One thing to remember is that this is a focused 28 day plan. That means you should not get this plan and decide you're going to do it for the next 6 months, your body and your mind will need a break. The good news is that you can stick with it for 28 days. It feels like an end in site to the intensity. But the trick is to learn from it so that you can appropriately transition your new habits into a maintenance phase. That's the hardest part. I'm happy to help in any way possible.

Well, obviously I'm a big fan, but I wouldn't suggest something to you that I hadn't done myself (or tried on my husband) and believed in. I would recommend doing Warp Speed Fat Loss while we're waiting for version 2.0!

I've also heard that there is an Afterburn/TRX hybrid in the mix. Maybe it's one and the same, or maybe that's different altogether. I'll be keeping an eye out for that too!

This post contains an affiliate link. Please see my disclosure statement.

Related posts

Training and Nutrition Plans for Fall

Meal Plans or Guidelines?

Afterburn II Review

TRX Fit Deck

Drink More Water

Do you get enough water each day? Before you say yes, record your beverage intake for the next few days, or even over the weekend. You may be surprised. It's not uncommon to have coffee in the mornings, soft drinks or tea mid-day, and more soft drinks or wine at night. There are so many drink choices out there, the next thing you know, you can actually go days without having much water or maybe not any at all. Okay, I know what you're thinking. Food contains water, and all beverages contain some water, so your body is being replenished, but what I'm talking about is pure, plain, filtered, clean, unadulterated water. Not anything special in a bottle, not the questionable stuff we get from the tap, not even the flavored type with stuff added to spizz it up. What if we're just assuming that because our bodies keep functioning we're getting enough water, and besides, with all the beverages to choose from, who wants plain water? Are we consistently asking our bodies to compensate and function with less water than they actually need?

It's really not possible to set a standard for every person in terms of daily water intake. You have to assess your water intake and do some experimenting. You will see lots of recommendations out there, but the truth is, it varies from person to person and even from day to day. Your environment, sweating, activity level, food intake and body size are just a few of the factors that can impact how much water your body needs. Even sedentary people may need an average of 1.5 to 2.5 quarts of water a day to replace general losses. In addition, you can't always base it on thirst. Sometimes by the time you feel thirsty or your mouth is dry you are already dehydrated, at least to a degree.

There are multiple reasons for making sure your body has adequate water every day.

Four or five years ago when my husband stopped drinking regular soft drinks, he lost 8 pounds almost immediately. He didn't drink them excessively, but he drank them daily and rarely drank water. Now he drinks about a gallon of water a day on a consistent basis and has a periodic diet soft drink, usually when we're eating Mexican food, a favorite treat for us!

Water can also help with excessive dry, rough, skin. For sure there are some specific dry skin conditions, but have you ever noticed how you can put on lotion over and over and your skin seems to absorb it but remain dry? Water will help your skin from the inside out.

A very powerful benefit of having enough water in your system is your ability to perform during exercise. Your performance can be impaired by many factors, such as inadequate rest, overtraining, lack of focus, and inadequate hydration. I can tell by the time I finish my warm-up whether or not I am hydrated adequately. Your body requires water for all of it's essential functions, so pushing it in the gym while dehydrated is not going to support the performance you want for fat loss or muscle building. (The replenishment of electrolytes, etc. during and after strenuous or lengthy exercise marked by copious sweat loss must be considered but that's a topic for another day).

Have you ever been rummaging around in the pantry or refridgerator looking for something to eat? You're not exactly hungry, and you don't really know what you want. Maybe you're just thirsty. Drink a tall glass of water and see what happens.

What if instead of drinking all sorts of fluids and trying to remember to drink water, we turned the process around and chose water for our primary beverage? Then we could supplement with something like green tea for flavor. On top of that, we could have our favorite diet soda, a specialty coffee, a relaxing glass of wine as a treat. Imagine how good those things would taste then?

When I decided to make water my primary drink, I had to develop a taste for it. I found that I liked the taste of filtered water. I'm still not crazy about water in restaurants, so I will usually add lemon or lime there. Sometimes I would add artificial sweetener too, but weaned myself of that and now I drink it totally plain. I also discovered that I prefer room temperature water over ice water. Eventually I bought a water bottle and started carrying it around with me, sipping throughout the day. It didn't take long to become a habit I really enjoy.

My new SIGG water bottle from Target. My other water bottle is BPA-free plastic.

How much water do you drink? What were your tricks for getting more water in your daily intake if you don't particularly care for water? I'd love to hear about it.

I a SIGG water bottle in my Amazon store. Please see my disclosure.

Do You Eat Better Than Your Dog?

One of our golden retrievers will be 14 years old in a few days. She is a sweet girl and has had multiple health issues over the years, including hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, severe ear infections, skin infections, fatty lipomas, cataracts, hematomas, hot spots, weight loss and gain, oily skin, GI upsets, hair loss, food allergies and skin allergies. At one point she was allergy tested. Am I the only one that owns a dog that is allergic to cats? I remember one attempt included changing her food bowl from plastic to stainless steel in case that was it. We also had her on various types of prescription food, including crazy mixes of alternative sources of protein, because she was likely allergic to chicken (and every other source of normal sounding protein). I'm sure I'm leaving something out, and I'm also pretty sure one of our vets is floating around somewhere on his yacht named Miss Molly about now.

Approximately 5 or so years ago Molly was in the worst shape of her life. We were battling so-called allergies year round. She was getting dipped in some funky chemical every week and taking allergy shots weekly, along with various meds and antibiotics. Her feet were almost bare from licking and biting them, she had about 7 hairs total on her scraggly tail, she was blowing out her undercoat, her hair was changing color and her skin was oily and stinky. We could bathe her and by the time we had her dry she was stinky again.

Around that time we went to a regional dog show to see a dog in our family compete. We got to meet the breeder of these beautiful German Shepherds and began hearing about the way he fed all his dogs. We went with him the evening before the show to let his dogs out. Keep in mind it was the middle of summer, and while they had been bathed before arrival and were in an air-conditioned vehicle for the night, they still were kenneled and in close temporary quarters. Being the dog lover I am, I was in heaven and had to touch and play with every single dog that night. What I immediately noticed was how soft their coats were and that they were not stinky whatsoever!

He fed them a preservative-free, fish-based dry food combined with fresh people food! He obtained the dry food from a breeder in Spring, Texas who had developed the formula after being dissatisfied with other commercial foods available for dogs. (I'll provide sources below). He did food prep each week so it wasn't overly burdensome.

Back home, we knew it would be some trouble to cook for the dogs, but our Gracie was getting kind of hefty and poor Molly was pretty much dying on the vine. We took another look at that special brown-colored styrofoam dog food Molly was eating. What did we have to lose? We contacted the breeder and got all the resources and information for the diet.

Here's what we started feeding them (and still do):

• A fish-based, preservative-free dry dog food
• Boiled chicken breast
• Steamed carrots
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Cod liver oil
• Fresh garlic
• A vitamin/mineral powder supplement
• Fat free plain yogurt
• Once a day they also get green beans

Within 4-6 weeks Gracie had trimmed down and we saw drastic changes in Molly. Her tail hair grew back and her feet had hair, even between her toes. Her coat was thick and full, her skin was oily and she wasn't stinky. Her weight leveled out, her ears cleared up, her skin was less itchy and she had more energy. We couldn't believe it.

So where am I going with this? While we had started feeding our dogs this great healthy diet we were still unprepared for our own meals. Often we would feed them, talk about how great they were doing and then look at each other and say "what do you want to eat?". You can imagine we frequently ended up in restaurants or making other convenient but unhealthy food choices. It hit us about the same time: our dogs were eating better than we were!

Gracie and Molly, so neglected!

Here's what Jack LaLanne had to say about what he fed his dog Happy so many years ago:

 

Dog lovers: do your dogs eat better than you? What about the rest of their care? Do you take time to give them fresh water, exercise, timely feedings, plenty of rest and love but neglect yourselves in these very important areas?

Water, exercise, whole fresh food, rest and love. Wow, what's good for the dog is also good for the human!

Resources:

Heidelberg German Shepherds

www.heidelberg-usa.com

Keystone German Shepherds and Kennels

www.keystonegermanshepherds.com

We purchase products from Heidelberg German Shepherds and Keystone German Shepherds and Kennels. We do not have an affiliate relationship. Please see my disclosure statement.

It's the Fourth Quarter

I can't even believe it and yet October 1 is here already. The fourth quarter is here! In a recent post I talked about training and nutrition plans for fall. Too many times we start back in the school routine and next thing we know we're into the last three months of the year. This can be a busy time with lots of festivities and holidays that can literally wreck your training and nutrition. It does not have to be that way!

For some reason this year I am more motivated than ever to combat the external forces that can derail even the best laid plans. If you don't have a plan yet, now is the time to put one down on paper and tap into the support that will help keep you on course. It's not enough to think about what you will do, telling someone else that will help you or at least hold you accountable makes it real. This is a very personal issue for me as I tend to "go with the group" and next thing I know I am off track and disappointed with myself.

How many times have we loosely flown through this time of year only to be really bummed out by the end and have to focus yet again on the very same resolutions? Does this really work? I always enjoy the great burst of energy and the hope of new beginnings at the start of each new year, but waiting on that and expecting it to magically fix my issues and focus isn't the answer.

I'm convinced in order to be healthy and fit and really live life to the fullest we must get to the point in which we're consciously making the best possible choices every opportunity, every single day. It has to be a lifestyle if it's going to work. It doesn't have to be obsessive or selfish or fanatical. In fact, if we're doing it right, it probably will simplify our lives to a great extent.

Will Halloween candy, fall feasts, Christmas parties and treats, big family dinners, and out of control schedules sabotage you again this last quarter of the year? I hope not. Today is a good day to start a new way of thinking and living that can be maintained. I'm putting a lot of energy into it this year to see what I can accomplish.

We have so much to be thankful for and so many resources at our disposal. I hope we can start now so we can enter 2010 in good shape with grateful hearts, ready to take on a fresh new year!

If you need an accountability partner, a training program recommendation, a reality check on your eating, I'm here. Feel free to email me anytime.