Benefits of the Club + Shakeology Challenge Pack

The All New Club Shakeology Challenge Pack

Let's just say SAVINGS and CONVENIENCE is what you get with the ALL NEW Team Beachbody Club + Shakeology Challenge Pack! Get the exciting details below.

March Only Special!!!

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Team Beachbody Club + Shakeology Challenge Pack includes:

1.  3 months Full Access to Beachbody on Demand Digital Fitness Library

2.  10% discount on Team Beachbody purchases

3.  Personalized meal plans

4.  VIP Access to Beachbody Celebrity Trainers

5.  Your very own FREE Team Beachbody Coach =)

6.  Access to the online SuperGym to track your workouts and progress

7.  Message boards

8.  30 day supply of Shakeology (choose your own flavor)

9.  Exclusive Invitation to my VIP Mecca Challenge Group on Facebook!

10.  Workout anywhere as long as you have an internet connection, no more DVDs!

Check out Beachbody on Demand:

Just want Beachbody on Demand? Click Here!

What workouts are included in the Beachbody on Demand Digital Library?
- P90X + Deluxe
- P90X2 + Deluxe
- P90X3 + Deluxe
- P90X One on One, Volume 1
- Insanity
- Insanity: The Asylum, Volume 1
- TurboFire
- Brazil Butt Lift + Brazil Butt Lift Deluxe
- Chalene Extreme
- 10 Minute Trainer
- Hip Hop Abs

*New content and workouts will be added monthly, so there's always something new to try, and you'll never get bored!

Anything else included?
Yes, you'll get "insider access" to HOT releases before they come out. Here are some examples:

- 21 Day Fix, Total Body Cardio Fix
- 21 Day Fix Extreme, Plyo Fix Extreme
- Piyo Sweat
- Focus T25 Alpha Cardio Workout
- Insanity Max 30, Sweat Intervals
- Body Beast Build: Chest and Tris
- P90 Sculpt A

I'm ready, how to I get started?
It's simple, click here to BUY IT NOW!

GET STARTED NOW - CLICK HERE!

Top 10 Reasons Why Women Should Lift Weights

 Reasons Why Women Should Lift Weights

So many woman feel like the only way to lose weight is by doing cardio, but soon find out that yes they can lose weight, but they still have the flab. Cardio is great, but that's only have of the equation.

If you're looking for optimal fitness, longevity, and that lean look, then weight training is essential. It's a misconception that lifting weights will get you bulky. Read on to find out how weight lifting is one of the best methods to burn fat.

Still not convinced? Here are 10 reasons to help you reconsider:

1.  BURN MORE FAT - A study that was done at Tufts University found that when overweight women lifted and pushed weights twice a week, they lost an average of 14.6 pounds of fat and gained 1.4 pounds of muscle. The women who dieted and did not lift weights only lost 9.2 pounds of fat, and had no muscle gain. When you do a program such as the Chalean Extreme Challenge or a 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge, your metabolism is elevated and you continue to burn fat even hours after the workout, unlike a regular cardio workout where you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.

2.  CHANGE THE LOOK OF YOUR BODY - Weight training can slim you down and can give you curves. When you drop only 3 percent of your body fat, that can translate to a total loss of 3 inches off your hips and thighs. And no, you will not bulk up, woman don't have enough muscle building hormones to gain a lot of mass like men do. If you focus on eating clean and create a calorie deficit, you will burn fat.

3.  BOOST UP METABOLISM - Did you know the less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be? It's true! As woman age, especially woman over 40, they lose muscle fast. When you eat healthy without resistance training, up to 25% of weight loss may be muscle loss. Weight training will preserve your lean muscles and keep your metabolism going.

Lifting Weights with P90X - Get Lean!

4.  GET STRONGER AND BECOME MORE CONFIDENT - Lifting weights increases functional fitness. It makes everyday tasks much easier like carrying children, lifting grocery bags, and picking up heavy luggage while traveling. According to Mayo Clinic, when you lift weights on a regular basis, you can be 50% stronger in 6 months. Lifting weights also builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.

Join My 21 Day Fix Challenge Group - Click here for details!

5.  BUILD STRONG BONES - It's been documented that weight training among woman is highly recommended to build and maintain bone mass which will help prevent osteoporosis.

6.  FIGHT DEPRESSION - Just like cardio and low impact exercises such as yoga, weight lifting can also alleviate depression. The endorphins that are released during aerobic exercises are also present during resistance training.

7.  IMPROVE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE - You don't have to be an elite athlete to also get the benefits of weight training. Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all types of athletic events such as obstacle course racing, swimming, skiing, cycling or whatever physical activity that you're involved with.

8.  INJURY AND ARTHRITIS REDUCTION - Lifting weights can improve joint stability, and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training with proper form can also help prevent injuries of daily life and can also improve physical function with people who have arthritis. A study from the University of Wales in Bangor, UK found that mildly disabled participants who lifted weights for 12 weeks increased the frequency and intensity at which they could work, with less pain and increased range of motion.

How To Do P90X at the Gym

9.  HEART HEALTHY - Did you know that more than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the #1 killer for woman over the age of 25. Weight lifting can increase your good "HDL" cholesterol and decreases your bad "LDL" cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure. A study from the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that people who do 30 minutes of weight training each week have a 23% reduced risk of developing heart disease compared to the people who didn't lift weights.

10.  FIGHT DIABETES - In addition to keeping your ticker strong, lifting weights can improve glucose utilization (which is the way your body processes sugar) by as much as 23%. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 16 weeks of strength training can improve glucose metabolism in a way that is comparable to taking diabetes medication. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood, which can reduce complications from diabetes and even help prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place. Pretty cool huh =).

Need help with starting a fitness journey? Check out the Beachbody Challenge here!

Top Beachbody Weight Training Workouts for Women: (Discounted Challenge Links)
- P90X
- Chalean Extreme
- Les Mills Pump
- 21 Day Fix Extreme
- Body Beast

Take the Chalean Extreme Challenge!

Spartan Race Training with Body Beast

Spartan Race Training with Body Beast

I remember when the Body Beast Workout Program was first launched, I was very hesitant on doing the program because it was geared more towards people who were interested in Body Building and Physique Modeling. But the more I looked into the program, it was a lot more than that. It was a program that catered to weight loss, toning up, gaining lean muscle, and even gaining strength for Spartan Races. Not specific to Spartan Race, it is perfect training for any Obstacle Course Racing event which requires a lot of strength to conquer the obstacles. There are different workout schedules to follow depending on your goals, but if you are training for a Spartan Race, then you may have to change it up a little to make sure that you are using the program for not just strength, but also for athletic performance.

I'm not gonna lie, but since I've been doing Body Beast, I rank it up there as one of my favorite workouts along with P90X and Insanity Asylum Workouts, I'm totally addicted to it! What guy do you know doesn't like lifting weights? And that's the thing, it's easy to want to lift more weight with Body Beast, but if you are focused on becoming a faster OCR (obstacle course racing) athlete, then building too much mass with Body Beast will hinder your speed and ruin your PR times. So you now ask "why would I want to do Body Beast then?"

Here are some benefits to using Body Beast for Obstacle Course Race Training:

- Helps you gain strength
- Easy to follow workouts, just add some cardio conditioning (examples below)
- Workouts can be done at home or gym
- Totally customizable depending on your goals

So let's talk about each of these benefits.

Helps You Gain Strength
I think that this is the main benefit for using Body Beast for a Spartan Race or OCR. But just like any lifting program, the question is, how much is too much? Just to keep it simple, if your goal is not to become a Body Builder, then it's really not necessary to lift really heavy. The next question is, how much is too heavy? Well this all depends on you. With Body Beast, a lot of the workouts have anywhere from 3 to 5 complexes, each complex can have a set number of reps per exercise from 8-15 reps including super sets. If you cannot finish all of your reps, then you are probably lifting more than you should. I mean you should always push yourself to add more weight, but remember, we're just building strength and lean muscle, not MASS. Of course the more you continue doing Body Beast, you will soon see that your strength gains go through the roof, just be careful not to build too much mass or else it will again slow your running pace down when you are at a Spartan Race.

Easy To Follow Workouts
That's what I like about Body Beast, because just like the Daily Spartan and Crossfit WOD's, you know exactly what you need to do because it tells you what to do. The only thing about Body Beast is that it is all about lifting (most of the time), and hardly focuses on Cardio Conditioning. So what do you do? You add it in between the Body Beast sets. Here's are some examples:

Ex. 1
During Body Beast Total Body (which is a Full Body Workout) there a 4 circuit sets. The first set includes: Pull ups, Push ups, Squats, and Crunches (2 rounds). What I do is after I complete the circuit of 2 rounds, I will pick up a sand bag and run up some stairs, or if I don't have stairs, then I will just run around the block for 100-400 meters. Other things that you could do in between sets are (depending on the workout):
- Burpees
- Jump Squats
- Running without Sandbag
- Bucket Carry
- Jump Rope
- Insanity or Insanity Asylum Exercises

Ex. 2
During a Body Beast Back/Bis Workout, this workout consists of about 8 sets, each set includes 1-3 exercises with 3 to 4 rounds of lifting reps (from 8-15 reps). After each set, you could add some cardio conditioning such as running, high knees, box jumps etc. Just be careful not to work the same muscle groups every day. If you can only workout 3X per week, then I would do Full Body Workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, then maybe do some running, core focused, and even yoga in between those days. If you need help with this, message me and I would be happy to assist =).

Get the Body Beast Workout Sheets here!

From Home or Gym
I workout at both home and the gym, but I also love doing work outdoors! Body Beast is perfect because you can workout at home, then go outside to do your added cardio conditioning and athletic-based exercises to cater to your Spartan Race goals. The gym works the same way especially if you are using an outdoor gym, or gym with outdoor access.  My gym has an athletic training area, so I will go back and forth from the weight training area to the green training area.

 Just another Spartan Race Success Story using Body Beast

Body Beast helped me build my legs for those elevated hikes carrying sand bags. It also helped with the atlas carry, Hercules hoist to where I can lift heavier weight with less effort. ~Jeremy

Totally Customizable
Although Body Beast has their own workout schedules, and it's highly recommend that you follow it according to your goals, it can still be customizable. For Spartan Racers and OCR Athletes, the workouts should be more customized to your athletic goals, and cardio conditioning and athletic-based exercises should be added in between sets to get the full benefit of Body Beast for Obstacle Course Racing. If you are not skilled with creating your own workouts, then I can assist you with showing you how Body Beast can benefit your OCR strength and running game. Make me your FREE Coach now, click here!

So I hope this helps you understand some benefits of using the Body Beast Workout Program for Spartan Race and other Obstacle Course Racing events. As always, listen to your body, use proper form, and have fun!

Stay active my friends! =) Add me on facebook

For more information on Body Beast and Purchase Options - Click Here!

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Top 5 Reasons Why Being Fit Helps You Travel Better

 5 Reasons Why Being Fit Helps You Travel Better

I wanted to post a super quick blog about this because I've been VAGABONDING since the month of March this year, and I've seen so many travelers miss out on so many photo and video opportunities just because they were just too tired to take a few steps up a mountain, or walk just around the corner because they were out of breath.

Come on guys, you've traveled half way around the world, and you are just minutes from taking a shot of a lifetime, or that amazing waterfall that you've been talking about for two years! Now I do understand that some people are in some unfortunate situations way beyond their control, but let's just say that this post has little to do with, if not anything to do with them. This is about people who are very willing and capable, but they decided to not take the extra steps because of the decisions that they made prior to their trip.

It's a short list, but here goes:

1.  ENERGY - Studies show that when you live a healthy and fit lifestyle, you will look and feel more energized. Granted that you continue your lifestyle whilst you are traveling, you will have the natural energy needed to wake up and start your day without coffee or those toxic energy drinks.

2.  ENDURANCE - When you combine cardio with your strength workouts, your endurance level will go through the roof. Anyone can carry a backpack and a camera up a mountain, but to do it for hours or even days, it takes a lot of endurance. Don't get me wrong, strength is very important, and it all depends on what type activity you are doing. To fully enjoy a long trek or an all day tour, your endurance level will play a key role on how you feel. And we all know that if we feel great, "and not out of breath", we will just have more fun! Adding cardio to your strength workouts will help you make it to the end of the trek to get that money shot that you've been talking about for two years =).

 Morning Run with some Palawan Locals - Philippines

3.  STRENGTH - So here it is! I know that the guys reading this were waiting for this, and you too girls =). Having strength can be the key to either making a trip, or breaking a trip. I've seen people bail out of a mountain hike because they could not lift themselves up over boulders. I've seen people stay on the beach because they said that their arms are not strong enough to island hop with a kayak. I've seen people use horse, donkeys...you name it because their legs weren't strong enough. Having strength will make you feel more accomplished during your travels because you made it to the top of the mountain, it was you that kayaked to 3 amazing islands, and you would have the photos and videos to prove it. Don't just do cardio, make sure that you are doing some weight training, it will go a long way when you finally go on that trip or trek of a lifetime.

 Body Beast Total Body Gym Workout - El Nido, Palawan

4.  HEALTHY - This to me is really the most important. I've seen so many people workout hard, a lot of times way harder than me, then they go and eat a combo at McDonalds. What you eat and your nutrition is everything. If your insides look as good as your outside, trust me....you will have the energy, endurance, strength, and you will be happy. Who wants to do an Elephant Trek in Thailand with someone who is not enjoying themselves just because they either drank too much the night before or they ate a crap ton of junk food for the past week. Eating healthy can get tricky while you are traveling, but trust me, it's not impossible.

Try Shakeology Risk-Free!  70+ Superfoods and more, I don't leave home without it!

5.  CONSISTENCY - And for the grand finale! We can be strong, have energy and endurance, eat healthy, but can we be consistent? The more consistent that we are with all of the above, the better experience you will have during your travels. Traveling should not be an excuse to not workout, and not eat healthy, it should be the every reason why you travel. I've been to a lot of places, I've seen a lot of things, and I've seen a lot of people suffer while they travel. It doesn't have to be that way. Like anything, if you stay consistent big things will come out of it. And this my friends, is the secret sauce!

Island Hopping - El Nido, Palawan

As the P90X Creator Tony Horton always says "Do your best, and forget the rest", that is the advice that I will give all of you. Like anything, travel is a challenge, but it is one of the most rewarding and most educational experiences that you will ever do. Never stop exploring my friends!

Cliff Climbing Taraw Mountain - El Nido, Palawan

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Related Links:
- More travel posts
- Become a Beachbody Coach on my Team
(Get Fit, Get Paid, Be Happy, Get Healthy, Travel with me)
- How To Do P90X At The Gym
- P90X Nutrition Plan
- Free Downloads


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Body Beast Total Body Workout - Makati City, Philippines

Body Beast Total Body Workout - Makati City, Philippines

When I travel, I never make an excuse not to workout. It can get pretty challenging at times, but it's a challenge back home as well, so I try not to make it a big deal when I travel because in all reality, it's just an excuse. So I arrived in Manila, Philippines a couple days ago and the first night I arrived pretty late, so I didn't really do anything but catch up on some Beachbody business stuff. I ended up not sleeping at all since I was still trying to get use to the time change from flying in from the USA into Asia, which is a 12 hour difference. When everyone in the Makati City was sleeping, I was wide awake! =)

By the time I knew it, the sun was up and I was very excited to start my day. The night before, I met this traveler from North Dakota who's family became pretty wealthy in the oil business years ago. The cool thing about him is that he didn't act like he was wealthy, or he didn't brag about coming from a family with money. Just like most backpackers that I meet, he was more focused on what life has to offer through the gift of travel. Through my travels, I have met Harvard Grads to down-to-earth millionaires who have started tech companies, travel blogs etc. while traveling, and we all have one thing in common, travel is the best education out there, and most of the world is totally clueless when it comes to doing something that you are truly passionate about.

 Body Beast Total Body - Slimmer's World, Makati City Philippines

So it was now about 6:00 am, and my travel buddy asked me if I wanted to go ahead and hit the gym, which we talked about the night before. We talked about going at 7am, but heck....we were both up so we decided to start the day! Before taking off, the receptionist gave us a couple guest passes to this gym called Slimmer's World. The name sounded a bit weird, but we took the passes, thanked him, and went out the door. We decided to run to a Gold's Gym which was about 1.5 miles away. We figured that the run would be a good little warm up to our workout. It was pretty fun dodging cars and jeepneys along the way, and made for a nice little obstacle run. We finally arrived at the Gold's Gym on Ayala Dr. (Makati City) and requested a day pass. The receptionist told us that it would be 1000 pesos which translates to about $25 US. Now I've been to a lot of gyms when I travel, and I have never paid $25 for a day pass! I've also been to to a few Equinox Gyms around the world and made use of free passes. I mean the most I've ever paid for a day pass is about $5-$10, and that's in the USA.....so paying $25 for a day pass in the Philippines was totally ridiculous! I started thinking that maybe this girl was starting a business on the side or something lol.

We ended up leaving and decided to check out Slimmer's World (Makati City). Our passes were good for 3 days, and when we arrived at the gym, we were totally impressed. The gym had 3 levels with everything that we needed and then some. Body Beast Total Body was the workout of the day, and we added some strength body weight cardio exrecises in between the circuit sets such as burpees, plyometric jumps, and more burpees =). 

It was an awesome workout, and I am definitely looking to my second visit today! If you are ever in Makati City, I highly recommend that you check this place out. Happy travels and stay active my friends! =)

Need more tips about working out while traveling? Contact me and I'd be happy to share some tips to help you stay motivated! =)

Makati City Philippines - Jeepney

Related Links:
- Body Beast information and purchase options
- Other travel posts


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Body Beast Bulk Chest Workout

 Decline Push Ups "the crazy way"

(One-Legged Decline Plyo Clap Push Ups) Watch Video below!

Today's WOD was Body Beast Bulk Chest at my favorite place to workout, which is the Powerhouse Gym in downtown TAMPA, FL. I had Beachbody Coach Steven, and my buddy Aaron Wagner from Aaron Wagner Fitness join me for this BEAST UP session!

Just to let you know, I am not trying to bulk up, or gain mass, I mainly use the Body Beast Program to gain strength for my upcoming Obstacle Course Racing events, as well as just to stay strong and healthy. Body Beast can be catered to your fitness goals, but is mostly geared towards Body Builders and Fitness Models, but there are different workout schedules to suit every lifestyle. I highly recommend this program!

Let's workout: Click here to get the BODY BEAST WORKOUT SHEETS!

It always begins with a WARM UP which is about 2 minutes:
Jog, arm circles, bending the arms in right angle fashion to warm up the shoulders, a bunch of push-ups, and another light jog.

 

SUPER SET:

Incline Fly - 15/12/8

Incline Press - 15/12/8/8 (drop set)

FORCE SET:
Chest Press w/Rotation - 5/5/5/5/5

PROGRESSIVE SET:
Incline Press - 15/12/8/8/12/15

COMBO SET:
Close-Grip Press to Fly - 15/12/8

MULTI SET:

Decline Push Ups - 15/12/8

(this is where we went a little crazy)

Cobra to Airplane - 10

Russian Twist - 30 sec. 

(we actually skipped the ab exercises lol) 

One Legged Decline Plyo Clap Push Ups 

(instead of regular decline push ups)

And then we decided to do Weighted (45lbs) Decline Push Ups

(of course we were already wasted from the workout)

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

Oh and while we were just minding our own business, we saw these MONKEY BARS, so what would you do? Exactly, so we did them too! =)

 Aaron Wagner - Visit his website here!

 Coach Steven Cartagena - Check him out here!

It was a HELLA workout! Total workout time, hmmmm, not sure, but the Body Beast Bulk Chest Workout alone was about 30 minutes. We also did a 1 mile cool down run. Today was a good day! =)

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Body Beast - Build Shoulders Workout

This was my second WORKOUT OF THE DAY. Earlier I did an online LIVE Shaun T workout to start my day, but I originally planned to do a Body Beast strength workout, so BAM....here's Body Beast Build Shoulders, I absolutely love this workout!

Warm up started with some light jogs, arm circles, and some light lateral raises to get your muscles fired up.

The first exercise was shoulder presses. from 15, 12, 8, then a drop set. Sagi really gets us started quick, no messing around!

From there, we killed some super sets which consisted of lateral raises (15,12,8) and some up right rows with a drop set.

Then comes the giant set  with some under hand presses, (1,1,2) front raises, and some killer delt raises!

Finished strong with another super set of the infamous "Sagi Six Way" exercise, and some tuck & rolls for some shredded abs! Always end it with a cool down stretch =) Total Time: 38 minutes!

I'm ready for my SHAKEOLGY! And going to kill some ribs and grilled chicken, enjoy your July 4th! =)

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