"Why didn't I think of that!" This is exactly what I thought when reading this "hack" in Tim Ferriss's new book, The 4-Hour Body. Instead of a book review, I would rather talk about a clever strategy Tim talks about on page 105-107. This is by far my favorite part of the book, because it really makes a lot of sense. I could see how this little tweak could make a difference over time when it came to gaining muscle and losing body fat.

[What if a brief exercise of 60-90 seconds, made it less likely that this dessert would get stored as body fat? That is exactly one of the things Tim Ferriss explores in The 4-Hour Body].

Brief Muscular Contractions a Few Minutes Before You Eat?

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I love carbs, which is why I could never be 100% Paleo. I do eat Paleo meals and even occasionally have low carb days, but I can't imagine a world without carbs. I enjoy gummy candy and red vines when watching movies and this is a habit that I don't want to break. Anyway over the past 20 years I have learned a few carb strategies that allow a person to eat tasty carbs without putting on a bunch of excess weight. This stuff isn't ground breaking or anything, but I know it doesn't hurt to be reminded of these effective strategies. I will create a list of tips and put the ones that have helped out the most towards the top. Of course, I would love to hear your thoughts as well in the comment section.

[This my latest candy of choice. They are kind of sick and good all at the same time. A slightly weird chemical flavor, but the texture is outstanding! This is for more advanced gummy connoisseurs, who are ready to move on past Gummy Bears and Swedish Fish.]

A "Thanks" to All of the Fitness Guys Who Have Come Clean

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So I believe that wheat allergies are nature's cruel joke. By no means am I an expert on this subject, but I have just done a bit of research. I began noticing that I would get a runny nose after certain meals containing wheat along with blood shot eyes. It isn't like I would eat a meal with wheat and feel terrible, but just bad enough to be slightly irritating. Another thing I noticed was feeling tired after a wheat heavy meal. I chalked this up to having too many carbs, but noticed a stronger reaction to meals where the carbs were made with wheat or flour.

[If you glance in the mirror and you look a little like this after chowing down some crackers or eating a snickerdoodle, then you might have a wheat allergy. If you don't have a wheat allergy...you at least need to change something, because this isn't a good look.]

"I Love Gluten. Let Me Count the Ways…"

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I have never met anyone who stays as lean as Martin Berkhan does year round. In fact, most people think it is near impossible to stay below 6% body fat for more than a few days at a time. Martin has held at a steady 5-6% body fat for three years straight! Many people will immediately think it is just do to great genetics or a naturally fast metabolism, but they would be wrong. He was a chubby kid growing up and simply figured out a methodology of staying lean without depriving himself of good food. He outlines these methods on his outstanding blog, Lean Gains. Here is an exclusive guest article he wrote for Fitness Black Book.

[Yeah, I probably overdo the fire effects on this site. I just couldn't resist with the word "scorch" in the title.]

-by Martin Berkhan

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Have you ever noticed that there are two entirely different health movements with very little crossover? There is the group of organic whole foods consumers and the group of people who buy health and fitness supplements. I used to be much more familiar with the typical GNC type of supplements, but didn't know squat about things like Kombucha, Cod Liver Oil, Spirulina, etc. I think both groups have some positive things to offer and I would like to explore that in this post. Note: I was going to name this article "Whole Food Stores vs Supplement Stores", but how boring is that? Plus, then I couldn't put up this sweet pic! (said in the voice of Napoleon Dynamite).

["Hey Man, check out this mean batch of Homemade Hummus!" ... "Bro, how many more sets you got left on the bench?"]

I Was GNC's Best Customer at the Age of 17
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I've been getting a ton of questions about Eat Stop Eat and The Warrior Diet and which is better. I've been using intermittent fasting steadily for 2-3 years (can't remember exactly when I started). I began with The Warrior Diet and it worked to a certain extent, but something didn't quite "feel" right. While I think The Warrior Diet was a groundbreaking book and it was the first book to bring intermittent fasting to the masses, I believe Eat Stop Eat is a more effective and healthy way to drop body fat. In this post, I will give you my experiences with both methods and explain crucial differences between these two ways of eating.

[I was actually searching for a picture of warriors or gladiators, but found this brutal photo instead. When will the violence end? Can't we all just get along!]

My One Meal Per Day Warrior Diet Post Has 1,371 Comments!
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Low carbohydrate diets have received a lot of press the past few years. For someone who grew up under the "fat is bad" mindset, this took me a while to grasp. Although I look and feel much better when I eat fewer carbs, I know that this isn't the case for every single person. I'm the first to say that a one-size-fits-all mentality doesn't work when it comes to dieting. I will make a case for eating a less carbs than are in the standard western diet, but you can do so while avoiding extremes.

[For many years, fat used to be considered the devil. These days many people consider carbs to be harmful. Although I tend to lean towards the Paleo and Primal way of eating, I don't think carbs are evil. The key is to find your "sweet spot" and adjusting up or down depending upon your goals.]

A Study Comparing Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diets
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