For the men who’ve lost their boyish charm.

For the dudes who’ve had it tough.

And for the guys who’ve had enough.

What exactly constitutes as being a man? The answer to this question used to be brain dead simple a long time ago… in fact it could just be based on where or not you had a pair between your legs. Yet in today’s world where we have homosexuality, sex changes and cosmetic surgery… it’s a lot harder to answer. I ain’t saying there’s anything wrong with being gay or getting a sex change, that’s personal choice. But the true definition of a real man has been wildly distorted. There are too many variables, and therefore too many opinions. A single mom who raised her boy up to be a provider and the perfect gentleman might answer the question differently than a grandpa who was a war veteran.

So here, today, I will give you my thoughts on what it means to be a real man… along with some pointers on how to change your ways in case you’ve been turned into a walking, talking vagina.

(Ladies, you should have a quick read-through as well)

Stop Blaming Others & Quit Your Whining

Let me be blunt – when you fail at something, there is no one you should blame but yourself. A real man is a born leader and a leader takes responsibility when shit hits the fan. There should be no finger pointing, explaining or covering up. You shut up, own up and fix the situation if possible. If not, you just try your best.

Whining about your problems to your buddies is unacceptable (asking for advice is different).

If you were beaten, lose like a man. If you achieved victory, win like a man. Accept the reality of the situation and move along with your life… it’s not a big freakin deal.

I get plenty of emails from guys explaining the hell-hole they’re in. Or in other words, why they’re fat and miserable… and surprise, surprise, it’s almost never their fault. Someone else is always to blame. If you’ve let yourself go and now resemble a ball of lard, don’t bitch and whine and go sue Mcdonald’s because of the fat content in their burgers. It’s your own fucking fault… and the sooner you own up to it, the sooner you’ll get to where you want to be.

Oh and don’t try and find a way out of this either, because even in the most extreme and sensitive situations, it’s still your fault for letting yourself go. Let’s say, god forbid, a close friend or relative passes away. This would surely be a tough situation for anyone to be in, but let me ask you something… Would you stop brushing your teeth every morning? No. Would you stop taking showers? No. So then why the hell would you stop taking actions that benefit your health? It should be just as important.

Instability Is Not Manly

Too many guys are an emotional wreck these days and it pisses me off when I see a grown man act like a little bratty bitch on PMS. In fact, that’s an insult to bratty bitches everywhere… I doubt that even they are this emotionally unstable. I mean really, guys these days lash out, get angry and throw a sissy tantrum when they experience the slightest upset in their reality.

A girl blew off the date? I guess it’s time to throw your cell phone across the room. Grrr.

Didn’t get the job? Time to cry like a baby.

Your girlfriend won’t fuck you tonight? Time to feel sad and assume you’re not loved…

Give me a god damn break. As the species which has a higher level of testosterone, having rage and anger spikes is natural for men… but as a real man of today’s society, acting on these urges means you’re no better than an ape. Men are supposed to be the foundation of leadership others can lean on. The grass roots that others can rely and build on. And most of all, they are supposed to be the cushion when their woman losses it, and needs someone to fall on.

If I were to give you an imagery of what it means to be a stable man, think of a massive rock in the middle of the ocean. The water surrounding the rock is the female energy. When a storm hits and massive waves thrash against the rock, it’s not phased one bit. It’s solid, stable and can out last the rough waters till the storm dies away and the sunshine hits. That rock should be you.

Stand Up For What You Believe In

I don’t care what your beliefs are in this world… whether you’re a Sunday, Church-going Christian and a devoted family man or an Atheist that follows the life philosophy of sex, drugs and rock and roll (guess which one I am). Stand up for your beliefs without worrying about what others think of you. Too many men resemble a dirty, stank ass doormat – they let people walk all over them and aren’t solid enough to stand up for themselves when challenged. It’s kind of like watching a pinball, constantly being smacked around all over the place, only the points resemble the level of your dignity and instead of gaining them, you are losing them rapidly. Ding-Ding-Ding! We have a loser!

Now, if you don’t have any beliefs in this world, you are even worse off than the pinball man. Put your stupid life on hold, shut your pie hole, grab a piece of paper and write down the following “I believe…” and then underneath that, in bullet point form, write down everything you believe in and everything that is dear to you.

Do you believe in kindness? Cool, write that shit down.

Do you believe in an eye-for-an-eye? Good, make sure that’s on the paper too.

Once you have that list, repeat it to yourself day after day and be sure to practice what you preach. If you believe in kindness and see an old lady struggling with her groceries and you just decide to walk away, then you’re a pussy. Worse, you’re a fraud. So don’t write down anything you won’t act on.

Stop It With The Gentleman Bullshit

I might be a jerk, but I’m not an asshole. People disagree with me, but I still stand up for my opinions. So if you throw bullshit my way, don’t think I’ll suck it up politely like a gentle-man. Because what am I? I’m a man. Period.

A gentleman walks a woman down the street, asks her where they should eat, opens the door to the restaurant, seats her down, tells her that her dress is looking “lovely”, asks for what she’s having and then orders what he thinks might be socially acceptable and considered “normal”. When he drops her home that night, he’ll be sweating his balls off wondering if it’s OK to go in for a kiss because of course, no gentleman can handle being rejected. Best case scenario – a peck on the cheek.

Lame city.

A man on the other hand, grabs a woman’s hand spontaneously, says “let’s go over there, it looks awesome”, walks her down street, making sure he’s directly facing the direction of traffic should they get hit, opens the door for her, seats her down, leans into her ear and whispers “you’re looking so damn hot in that dress”, asks her what she’s having, and then orders a giant steak and a beer because that’s what he felt like eating. He then continues to play a fun game of footsies and teases her to no end by telling her she’s got a lil something on her face… which of course she doesn’t. When he drops her home that night, he’s spinning her around and go or no-go, he’s going in for the kiss. He’ll put his balls on the line and be completely transparent and open about his desires as a man.

Can you spot the difference? Because it’s a big one.

In the Pussyfication of America, R.M.Lavengood states:

“To all the Pussy-boys clinging to their wives apron strings (purely an expression cause today’s women don’t need an apron to make a frozen microwave dinner) waiting for the wife to give them permission to speak because mom packed their balls in a jar and put them on the shelf next to his dad’s, never to be seen again……Shut the fuck up”

… and I couldn’t agree more. Women have lately been wondering where all the real men went… and the answer is that they didn’t go anywhere, they’ve transformed into wussies. And this is my attempt to bring them the hell back. Why? Because the last thing I need during a guy’s night out is an overgrown cry baby who’s had a pedicure, his eyebrows perfectly shaped and doesn’t have the balls to have some real fun.

Later, chumps

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

It’s a new day and I got a new pre-workout supplement for you to chow down on. First off, hats off to the marketing team. I’m not really sure why, but the name “one more rep” just sticks. The packaging is also pretty sexy to boot, so when it comes to visual stimulation… this stuff will get you excited in your pants (or panties).

Before going further, let’s hear the official word from the company

Product Details:

There are other so called strong and concentrated pre-workout formulas. They say 1 scoop per serving on the panel yet tell you to take 3 scoops. How is that strong? How is that concentrated?

This is real simple. One scoop of 1.M.R equals one serving. No tricks. One scoop. One insane workout! Now that is what I call EXTRA STRENGTH!

Go ahead make everyone stare. 1.M.R™ is what separates you from everyone else. It’s what helps make your muscles stronger, veins wider, and reps shorter. Boost your energy and maybe, just maybe you have what it takes. This is an energy driven formula.

Hmm, not very explanatory in the sales copy are they? Let’s move on.

First Impressions:

So, we established that the visuals are all great. Let’s get down to the ingredients and see what’s up. First thing you need to know is that the formula used for the tablets is slightly different than the formula used for the powder. The major difference in ingredients being caffeine… while 1 serving of the tablets (4) contains 250mg caffeine, the powder contains a whopping 300mg. The next ingredient is Beta Alanine, which the powder has but the tablets don’t. And after that we have L-Leucine, which the tablets have but the powder doesn’t.

From the looks of it, this thing is shaping up to be a slight mishap. Beta-A is an important ingredient… one which I think every pre-workout formula should have. Not only is its effects noticeable as fuck, but it actually works. So I’m not sure how they expect to provide a similar experience with the tablets, considering it’s marketed under the same name.Then there is L-Leucine, a BCAA that is known to be the one which is primarily responsible for muscle protein synthesis. How can you leave that out of the powder? Absurdity.

What I did like about both versions of this product is how they decided to use creatine monohydrate. We obviously don’t know how much since its a proprietary formula (and my guess is not much) but hell, its better than CEE that’s for damn sure.

Real World Results:

I’ll start off with the tablets, which were pretty big. So if you can’t handle big pills, it’s going to be a bitch to throw down all 4 – don’t say I didn’t warn your ass when you’re choking to death. After taking the four tablets, I waited and waited and after about half an hour, felt a lil something-something. It wasn’t enough to blow me away, but it wasn’t too shabby either. The energy was comparable to a can of Redbull and it got me through my late night workout just fine. But the product provided no extra pumps or any other aspects of insanity that are marketed. Satisfactory at best.

Few days later, I needed a kick in the ass after a long and tiring day, which meant it was the perfect opportunity to test out the powder… and so I did. I didn’t have a chance to try out the Blue Raspberry flavour since all I had was Lemon Lime. Still, in terms of taste it was pretty good for a supplement. The best way to describe it would be a glass of slightly over-sweetened lemon aid. Not bad, not bad at all.

In terms of mix-ability, I was highly surprised. I poured the powder in my shaker cup along with water and ice cubes and the shit just turned into a nice little cocktail. No real clumps or any of that bullshit to report. Two thumbs up so far… but what about the performance?

Well, Russell Peters would call it “Mind blasting”, but I call it “fantabulous”. Truth be told though, were you really that surprised? I mean comon. It’s got 300mg of caffeine coupled with Beta-A, which has known to deliver in the past. So if anyone was expecting anything less than absolute fireworks, they are out of their fucking minds. Either that or their tolerance is at a ridiculous level.

Let me just say that if you’re a beginner, intermediate or even consider yourself slightly advanced, take half a serving 30 mins before a workout and the other half during the workout. Or just take half a serving and be done with it. I took an entire serving at 11pm and didn’t hit the sack till 4:30am, and I’ve been testing supplements for a while so I’m not exactly caffeine sensitive. The effects actually dwindled by about 4am, after which some green tea and 200mg of magnesium helped me doze off. If you take this in the morning… shit will be bonkers.

The workout also went great. I personally felt no real jitters, but I can see a noob taking this and jumping of walls and shit, so assess your tolerance levels. And as for the crash, well yes there is a slight crash. Its not enough to drop you, but you’ll definitely feel the effect dying down.

Conclusion:

So now I’m in a bit of a fucked up situation. We have one product that is splintered off into two different delivery methods. One delivery method works, and the other is nothing special… so what the hell do I rate this? Should I average out the two scores or not. Hmm.

After pondering on this during my morning dump, I realized that I really wouldn’t put my money down for the tablets, so I’ll give them separate ratings. But first, let’s address the cost issue. At $44.99, you get 30 servings with the tablets ($1.50/serving) and 28 servings with the powder ($1.60/serving). So it’s not super expensive, but it’s not that cheap either. However, if you look around you can get the powder for as little as $1.25/serving. Check the link at the end of the review.

So, back to the ratings. I give the tablets 2 out of 5 stars, but the highlight of this review was the powdered format, which gets a solid 3.5/5 stars. Besides the original MuscleSpeed, I think this is the highest rating I’ve given for a pre-workout formula… mainly because it’s crazy. And hey, if you’re not crazy, you can take only half a serving and make the stuff last twice as long. How can you argue with that?

Cheers.

Liked The Detailed Review? Want More? Support the site by getting your very own bottle of 1MR for 33% off:

>> CLICK HERE!

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

1. You’re playing it too safe

You’re a coward, a wuss, a puss and aren’t pushing your body to the limits it’s capable of. You lift the same shit day in and day out and worst of all, you do the exact same workout day in and day out. Just because a particular routine worked a few months back does NOT mean it will keep working. Recall that I said everything works at least once. You also gotta push your boundaries, you need to feel the fear… and lift it anyway. Then just as you start to get comfortable with your new routine, BAM! Switch it up again.

Keep your body guessing. Keep your mind challenged and keep your fear buried under a pile of victory. An average gym-goer will spend 144 hours per year inside their chosen club… and that’s IF they are consistent (more on that below). So if you’re not pushing yourself every time you step inside the sanctuary of iron plates, then you’re wasting your damn time. It’s as simple as that.

2. You’re overdoing it

While 144 hours per year sounds like a big number, it only amounts to 3 times per week in one hour sessions. But if you’re over obsessed and going 6-7 days a week and you’re NOT a pro bodybuilder, then seriously… get a fucking life. This is a huge problem for people(guys?) who want to gain size and strength… they go every day and don’t give their bodies ample time to recover.

It’s not just your muscles – your nervous system needs a minimum of 24 hours to recover also. It’s what controls your muscles. So if what controls your muscles is getting banged up day in and day out, you can bet your ass that your progress will stall. You’ll be spinning your wheels in one spot and will go absolutely no where. A good rule of thumb is to take 24-36 hour breaks in-between your sessions while keeping nutrient intake rock solid. Some might even need to train less than that. Remember, less is more!

3. Your eating habits are garbage

When I’m training someone and their progress isn’t up to snuff, or if they aren’t making improvements at a rate which I think is normal… then 90% of the time I can spot the problem just by looking at their food log. Imagine that, these people are doing what I told them to do in the gym, which means they are doing training programs that are tried and true, but just because they are slacking in the nutrition department, their progress is hampered.

So think about your goals for a second… do you want a ripped six-pack? yes? Then what you eat better be up some good stuff. Are you eating foods that you like, or foods that like you? I’m not saying you have to eat raw broccoli and chicken breasts day in and day out, but you better not be choking down McNuggets and a large Coke every opportunity you get.

4. You don’t know what the fuck you’re doing

Bosu balance balls, ass machines, groin machines, vibrator pads… you really think you’re getting somewhere by wasting your time on these? If you do, you’re out of your god damn mind. Think about how your body works for a second – it’s one big unit. When you lift a heavy ass box, you aren’t just using your biceps… you are using your legs, lower back, biceps, forearms and every stabilizer muscle in your back that you could think of. I don’t have an EMG machine handy but shit, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that 90% of the muscles in your upper body are being used.

So why the hell would you do isolated one arm bicep curls using a cable machine?! Makes no sense. Your body is meant to move as a unit, therefore you should train it as a unit. Then once you’re strong enough, you can go ahead and work on your weakest link and do some dumbbell curls.

Another problem is technique. I don’t over-criticize or over-analyze technique too much… and those that do haven’t lifted a weight heavy enough to save their life. So why don’t I over-analyze things? Well the reason is simple – there is an inverse relationship between the cleanliness of technique and the amount of resistance you push. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using light weights to perfect  your technique as much as possible.

I know, I sound like a contradiction… what else is new? But let me elaborate. Take the bench press for example. Too many people run their mouth about how straight your wrist should be, the distance the bar should drop, the position of your feet, the angle of your back arch, if you should back arch, distance from the rack, and on and on. So unnecessary.

Trust me, when you have a bar with double your body weight worth of plates over your fucking face… you really cant be thinking about these little things, which is why your technique should be GREAT with lighter weights, so that when you lift heavy, it will be good-enough. What’s good enough? Basic shit like have your feet firmly planted, don’t lower the bar below a 90 degree bend in the elbow and exhale like a mofo during the press. That’s it!

5. You lack the ability to focus

When you’re in the gym, it’s no time to chit chat with old pals or update your Twitter status. Make sure you’ve got a plan, are tracking your progress and are pushing yourself further and harder than the last time… and the only way to push yourself at a higher level is to have focus. A tunnel vision that is honed in on your task at hand.

6. You are hideously inconsistent

The blue moon shines more often then you hit the gym and I have a better chance of seeing Halley’s comet fly by then of seeing you track your progress. In other words, you are just not consistent enough. Thinking that going to the gym for a week or two is going to get you into the shape you’ve ALWAYS wanted is so insane in the brain, I just don’t know where to being.

And it doesn’t have to be in the gym, it could be the at-home workouts. The fact of the matter is that you need to keep at it. You don’t make a snowman by clumping a bunch of powder every few weeks in the hopes that it will be tall enough… winter will be over by then. You pick a day and start small, but you keep rolling that shit till its the size of a horse’s ass. It might take you a whole day, but the consistent effort will pay off.

Anything spectacular that was accomplished during the existence of the human race has been over a long(er) period of time… so I’m not sure why we have such an instant-gratification attitude towards everything. Things like the Egyptian Pyramids and the Great Wall Of China took decades… centuries even. But it all started with laying down a single brick. Then another one top of the that, then another on top of that until you have something that people admire even after thousands of years.

Now I’m not saying it will take you centuries… but you get the point. There are some people who strike success due to factors such as luck, chance, risky shortcuts or a rare bold move… but these things don’t always deliver. The only known way of achieving success 100% of the time is through consistency. Bar none.

That’s all I got for today… now go make something happen.

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

I know, I know, I could give 50 cent a run for his change but lets get down to business. Kre-Alkalyn is a type of creatine that I’ve been using for a while. Hardcore nerds say that this type of creatine isn’t really backed by real studies and that you should stick to the original stuff – monohydrate. Well do these tools know that Kre-Alkalyn is monohydrate? Just buffered… perhaps with baking soda? Who knows.

Others say that the theory behind Kre-Alkalyn is truly sound. Me personally, I’ve stopped arguing and found a middle ground. (Man, my flow just can’t be stopped today)

Product Name: Kre-Alkalyn EFX Pro
Company: All American EFX
MSRP: $39.99 [CLICK HERE FOR 60% OFF!]
Availability: High (Stores & Most Websites)
Servings: 45 for most people, 90 for noobs.

On with the official description…

Kre-Alkalyn® EFX PRO a very novel concept in creatine supplementation. It supplies your muscles with energy for more intense training while giving you pinpoint focus, alertness and intense drive. It‘s powered by Kre-Alkaloid™, a new “super compound” developed by All American EFX. This unique formula synergistically supercharges your muscle cells while simultaneously activating targeted areas of your brain.

First Impressions:

The bottle and packaging look just like the other products in the Flex Wheeler series. Classy blue colors with elegant packaging design make this one stand out. Looking at the ingredient profile we find that each capsule contains 1275 mg of total goodness. This goodness consists of Kre-Alkalyn and a caffeine compound made from 3 teas (black, green and white).

AAEFX was kind enough to tell me that it contains about 80mg of caffeine so using the power of subtraction, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you’re getting 1195mg of creatine. Hmm, seems a bit on the low end, as one capsule is the recommended serving but no one is gonna stop you from taking 2 are they? Didn’t think so.

I guess the only drawback I see about this product is the actual capsule size. To cram a reasonable amount of creatine along with caffeine, they had to use a big pill. I believe the size is a “000” … but I could be wrong; it might be a double zero. Still, the fact remains that if you aren’t used to swallowing bigger pills, then this will cause you some problems. Train that gag reflex boy, this shit is the size of a god damn Mattel toy!

Real World Results:

Well, what the hell do you want me to say? It’s Kre-Alkalyn creatine (which I’ve been using for a long time) mixed in with a bit of caffeine, so how do you think it’s gona be? It’s fabulous. But… and it’s a big, well rounded “but”… only if you take 2 capsules. When I was talking with Brian Andrews (President of AAEFX), he assured me that the quality of caffeine used in this product is of extremely high quality and that “less is more”. I have no doubts that the quality is high… he’s a straight forward man and I got every right to believe him.

However, 80mg is 80mg. If you hit the gym hard, then you’re probably used to taking 150mg of caffeine at the minimum… which means with one capsule  you won’t feel shit. Or maybe you will? But I sure as hell didn’t. When I took two however, things were glorious, just like a double rainbow. The energy is good, and what’s weird about it is that unlike most caffeine products that either hit hard then carsh hard or hit hard then taper off, this one tapers in and tapers out. You won’t remember when and how you started to feel more alert, you’ll just feel alert. And about an hour and a half later you won’t notice when the caffeine effect went away, you’ll just know that it did.

This pill is like a sneaky little ninja. I’m not sure how I feel about that, personally I LIKE when supplements hit me hard then taper off, it’s just something I’ve gotten used to, but that’s all personal preference. Some of you may really like this smooth energy transition. The fact is that when taken in the right dose, it works.

My workouts were pretty kick ass too. They were nothing over the top, just the same, solid and consistent awesomeness you can expect from Kre-Alkalyn.

Conclusion:

Not much else is left to say, I recommend you pick up a bottle hit the gym and just lift away. The cost per serving isn’t too shabby either since most of you won’t need to take 2 servings ALL the time so realistically, you’ll get about 55 servings out of a bottle. At $39.99 that sets you back at 72cents per serving. And that’s just MSRP, if you know where to look (see link below) then that price will drop to about 45cents per serving. You really can’t ask for much more than that.

I’m giving Kre-Alkalyn EFX a solid 4.2/5 stars… a much better effort then their last product I reviewed.

Liked The Review? Want To See More In The Future? Be A Sweet Plum And Support The Site – Click Here To Get Kre-Alkalyn EFX For 60% OFF MSRP!

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

First, let’s talk about this name, “Newtopia”. It’s quite possibly the worst name for a weight loss system I’ve ever heard. I don’t know about you, but to me, Newtopia sounds like a drink. A strong alcoholic drink which has me on my ass after a hard night of partying if possible. Either that or some hippie board game… Newtopia – where the game pieces are shot glasses and you see weird shit from playing too much! Wait, do hippies drink? Probably not. Who cares, moving right along.

Once you get past the name, curiosity strikes and you visit their website to see what the monkey business they’re up to. Since you’re reading this, I’ll save you the trouble and explain how it works (at least from what I understand, and if I’m wrong… then bite me). What you do is pay Newtopia $129 for a “personalized profile” which includes an assessment, lifestyle profile, genetics testing, 2 personalized coaching sessions (through web chat I’m guessing) and a program review. Most of this shit is all fluff… I mean if you’re paying $129 for someone to assess your ass and babble with you over a webcam, then you’ve got some mental issues. The money really goes towards genetic testing.

You’re Gonna Test My Jeans?! Rad!

Their genetic testing works like this – they take your saliva, send it to a lab and after 10 days you’ll  be presented with your genetic profile, genetic tendencies and even your mannerisms (wtf?!). Armed with this knowledge, they will create a diet plan for you, online coach you and so on and so forth. How accurate is this genetic testing? I can’t say for certain, but I ain’t paying a hundred-and-twenty-fucking-nine dollars to find out that’s for sure. Still, it looks interesting and could reveal things such as food groups which may not suit you.

Let’s Re-Think This…

Here’s the problem with their model though – in those 10 days in which a normal person would wait for their results, I could help a person drop 3-5lbs, and it’ll cost em HALF of what Newtopia is asking. Truth be told it’s not just me, any competent trainer could help you achieve this. The crazy thing is that it doesn’t stop there, oh no. That $129 is just for the genetic testing and the assessment hoopla… after that you have to pay a monthly fee to keep the service going, and judging from what’s included, I’m guessing it’s gonna scare the wallet. I mean think about it, they send you a wireless pedometer, a wireless scale and assign you a dedicated coach(s) whom you can, apparently, ring up “on demand”. All of that can’t be cheap. [UPDATE: The system works out to $7/day - that's $210 per month! I love it when I'm right. Which is like, all the time.]

Going on a tangent, I think I would ring up my “assigned coach” at 2am and ask if it’s ok to eat a nut-much salad. Just to get my money’s worth. But that’s IF I was out of my mind and paying so much money for results that can be had for so much less.

It’s Got It’s Uses

It’s not all bad though… the pricing might seem ridiculous but I am a huge believer in E-Training. I believe it’s the future and that’s why half my business is based on this model. I know the benefits of constantly having someone there, pushing your ass when necessary first hand… and if you’d like to experience these benefits, give me a shout, failure isn’t an option. I also love technology and personally own a wireless scale, so credit goes to Newtopia for implementing useful tools.

Then there is the fact that there are people who need this kind of specialized testing before they start their weight loss routine – issues with diabetics, thyroid etc. But for everyone else? Give me a break. You don’t need to get your genetics tested… people have been losing weight successfully for years and kept it off through intelligent training programs while building habits under the guidance of a trainer who knows what the fuck they’re talking about.

These new systems that keep coming out always try to get all fancy and shit and that’s precisely why I don’t think they’ll ever work as well as intended. Do you know what happens when you build a machine with more parts than necessary? The reliability nose dives because there is more shit that can go wrong.

The shortest distance from one point to another is a straight line… and that’s the approach I take to fitness. It’s only when I encounter obstacles that I start to get all fancy and take little u-turns and whatever the hell is necessary. Trust me on this though, you don’t need to test your spit in a test tube, a general fit test will do just fine and so will a well-thought out nutrition plan. Newtopia is trying so hard to justify it’s price that to me, it seems like an overkill. I’ll give them one thing though… at least they aren’t as ridiculous as Slimband!

- FitJerk

This article is merely an opinion of FitJerk.com and exercises the right to free speech. FitJerk is in no way affiliated, related, associated nor has he ever mingled with Newtopia™ or any of it’s members. All images belong to their respective owners that hold the copyright. So greed infested lawyers… find someone else to fuck with. We hear your nutritionist puts out.

Content Originally Written By FitJerk For www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face.

Discuss: I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this new system, would you cough up $129 and spit down a test tube to see which salad is right for your genes? Speak up and show me you’re alive.

The first one I’ll be covering is the Muscle Up, which I believe is one of the best upper body exercises you can do… if you can pull it off. Incorporated into a routine, muscle ups will chew you up and spit you out the other end. No fucking joke. You think you’re strong? Baha don’t make me laugh. You aint’ seen nuthin’ yet!

Exercise Name: Muscle Up
Prerequisites: Pullups (15), Dips (15), Jump pullup to cast on bar
Difficulty: Hard
Muscles Worked: Biceps, Tricpes, Lats, Shoulders, Chest

A muscle up is basically the evil combination of a pullup and a dip on a straight bar. Gymnasts do it all the time in their conditioning programs but even then, many of them have to break it down to complete a rep. What we want to get it is one continuous motion.

Assuming you have the prerequisites down, the best way to start it off is to do a normal pullup till you chin is touching the bar. Then lower yourself down at gravity’s pace and quickly “kip” your next pullup as fast as you can. This kipping motion will give you enough speed and height to get your chest is above the bar, then its just a matter of pushing yourself up. One complete, continuous rep. Nice.

The only problem is that it’s hard as fuck! Kipping on normal pullups is something I generally recommend against since we want a controlled rep which will recruit the maximum number of motor units… giving us awesome arms and a killer back. However, for a muscle up it’s practically required.

Now assuming that you didn’t run away after reading the prerequisites required for the muscle ups, I’m going to explain how you can work towards getting this down. Obviously, pullups and dips is something you’ll have to work on, but in the mean time, find a bar that is about a foot higher than you are. Then do a pullup while simultaneously jumping upwards and you will have enough force to get your chest over the bar, at which point you can come down. No need to complete the rep. This motion of getting your chest over the bar is the bottle neck in a muscle up… once you can get it up there, the push becomes easy as hell so make sure you master it.

And there you have it, one of the hardest exercises to pull off. Just to give you an idea of what a challenge this exercise is, the Guinness World Record for the most muscle ups done consecutively is only 26. For pullups? 62… held by Stanford Apseloff.

Cheers.

Note: I’ll be releasing a tutorial video on this as soon as I can since pictures won’t do this exercise much justice. In the mean time, I’ve thrown in the world record video below… try and spot out the phases of the exercise.

- FitJerk

Content Originally Written By FitJerk For www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. Doing so is a violation against copyright law.

With summer and beachwear starting to taking over across the country, many people have decided that it is time to get in shape [FJ: For those that are still doing this, please stop waiting till summer to get in shape… that’s retarded. Get started in winter so that when summer hits, you’re sexier than ever]. The first thing you need to do is come up with an intelligent fitness plan. This can be done on your own or with a bit of help. Then the question arises: should you try to reach your goals alone or should you find a group to get fit with? While there are some exceptions, most people thrive and tend to be more successful with group support by their side.

If you are thinking about beginning an exercise regime, it is time for you to consider whether you want to go at it alone or pair up with others.  First, honestly evaluate your personality traits and think about what you would expect from an exercise buddy or a group of them. If you have a very strong personality, are self-disciplined, and tend to be independent in other areas of your life, you should apply this to your workouts as well.  However, working out alongside a friend is extremely beneficial for the vast majority of people for multiple reasons.

First, joining up with a group for exercise involves a commitment.  When you make a fitness plan with someone else, it becomes much more difficult to break your commitments because that entails letting down the other person as well as yourself [FJ: This is a very valid point. The last thing I wanan do is let my workout partner down because I’m feeling lazy]. If, on the other hand, no one is paying attention to your attendance at an exercise class or taking note if you finish your morning jog, it is much easier to reduce your activity as no one questions you about your decision.  When this happens frequently, people who are working alone towards fitness goals tend to quit early in the game.

When evaluating potential exercise pals, be sure to be open and honest about your expectations.  Avoid pairing up with individuals who have tendencies to shirk last-minute on commitments.  When you are trying hard to make a gym visit a regular part of your routine, it can be very discouraging to get a call from your friend, letting you know that they will not be joining you.  Therefore, choose with success in mind.

Secondly, social ties are essential for overall good health.  Even if you just exchange a few words during your daily exercise regime, regular contact with other people helps you build relationships.  You can also use it as a great way to stay in touch with friends, especially if part of your routine involves activities where talking is possible.  Chatting about the latest events in your lives makes the time fly by.  Furthermore, it keeps your mind off the physical work and lets you get greater enjoyment out of the time spent exercising. That’s if you can catch your breath for long enough to string a sentence together!

In addition to providing company and helping you make a better commitment to a regular exercise regime, setting goals with a friend can also affect your eating habits.  Consuming food is by nature a very social event.  Making small changes in your diet is much easier if it is done alongside household members or close friends.  You can experiment with new recipes, and make a greater effort to cook at home.  This will reduce your intake of highly-processed, unhealthy foods so that you can both reach your goals to get in shape.

FJ’s Additions: While Robert makes some great points, there are a few more I wanted to add. First thing you need to know is that competition is a beautiful thing, so don’t fucking hamper it! If you’re working out with a partner, make sure you guys challenge each other and push each other every time. If you are in a group, try and be the best… do the extra 5 pushups or run that extra mile. It will only benefit YOU in the long run.

“But FJ, I’m not competitive by nature!”

Then get competitive until it becomes natural! It’s not so damn hard, just try and do more than the other guy or gal. You don’t have to be a jackass about it, but being competitive while being humble will bring a good vibe in the gym. A good example of this is the recent explosion of CultFit, I mean… CrossFit. While I don’t agree with all their methods, I do like how they group together and push each other. You can just see it, the energy in the room is high… and who doesn’t want to be a part of something like that?

Now let’s talk about reliance. While working out in a group or with a buddy is all awesome and shit, don’t you dare become reliant upon them. If they can’t train with you on a particular day for some reason, you should still have the motivation to go and take care of business! While I love working out with my partner, I don’t need him. I’m just as competent and contempt on my own. If you don’t think you can do this by yourself, then train yourself to. Take one week out of every month where you do shit on your own. Developing this type of independence in the gym will go a long, long way.

- FitJerk

Content Originally Written For www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. If you are reading this on any other site besides www.fitjerk.com , then it has been stolen!

Today though, we are going to look at a product that helps you track one of those important three factors: weight! Now a normal $20 bathroom scale is usually sufficient, but this is the 21st century, so we need to step up our game! When it comes to technology… I’m truly all for it. This high tech scale is called BodyTrace.

Product Name: BodyTrace Internet Scale
Company: BodyTrace
MSRP: $59.99 OR $9.99 with subscription plan
Availability: Low (Online Website(s) only)
Warranty: 1 Year

So what’s so special about this scale? Well first of all it’s fully digital, which means you can measure your weight accurately to the tenth. Now you might think that this type of accuracy is an overkill, but when you see that you’ve dropped from 165.8 pounds to 165.2 in a single day… you know you did some WORK – which is always good.

Official Description & Product Claims

The BodyTrace eScale and Website is a complete package for all of you who take their health seriously. By tracking your weight you can ensure a healthy lifestyle and your fitness or weight loss goals can be achieved in an efficient way.

The eScale is a bathroom scale that wirelessly uploads and displays your weight & BMI at the BodyTrace Website.

First Impressions

After I received the box, I was glad to see that adequate foam protection was used to keep the scale safe and everything visually looked solid… at least for the time being (more on that in a minute). The scale itself is very elegant with the glass top and thick border. It’s just got this high tech look to it and will fit nicely in almost any bathroom, or room for that matter.

It’s powered by six AA batteries and the display readouts are in bright red. I would have preferred if the scale came with a removable/rechargeable battery pack but on the plus side, batteries are included and they do last for quite a while. I’ve been using this for months and it’s still going on the original 6 I got in the mail so that’s always a good thing. Although this scale literally works out of the box without any configuration needed, it would have been nice to receive a user manual. This is the first product I’ve seen that doesn’t come with one… which I found very, very odd (to their partial credit, the website does have an on-line manual but that feels like corner-cutting to me).

When your scale ships, you are also sent an email that takes you to the site and allows you to set up your online profile (which is private and protected by a password so don’t worry, no one will know how overweight you are). This will allow you to log in and track your progress using charts and other tasty numbers.

Your scale is automatically pre-configured when it ships… the whole system works beautifully together without any hassle. Awesome Sauce. (On a side note, if their proprietary online software doesn’t float your boat, BodyTrace also syncs up with DailyBurn. Just email BodyTrace and they will help you set it all up within minutes… even more awesome sauce!)

Now when you think of an “internet scale”, you’re probably thinking that it requires an internet connection… in this case, wifi. But you’d be wrong. This scale uses cellphone GSM technology to submit data to your online profile. In my opinion, this is a decent choice because you can pretty much use this scale anywhere in the world and if your internet is down, you don’t have to worry about it NOT working since cellphone towers have extremely rare failure rates.

However, I WOULD have preferred that it came with a wifi option. I think BodyTrace should sell a top of the line scale which has wifi + GSM and a normal scale with just GSM to let the user decide (I’ll talk about why below).

So how much does this new age fitness gadget cost? Well there are 2 ways to go about it:

1. You can buy the scale outright for $59.99 and with it you will get one year free subscription to the online tracking software ($5.99/month thereafter).

2. If the first option doesn’t suit you (or if you’re strapped for cash), you can pay just $9.99 for the scale but you need to commit to a one year contract ($9.99/month). Once the contract expires, the cost of the online tracking software is the same as the first option – $5.99/month.

Overall I think this is quite reasonable and pretty damn flexible since competing scales that use only WiFi cost well over $100.

Using The Scale

My experience with the BodyTrace scale started as a bumpy ass ride. When my scale first came, it seemed to work fine. All I had to do was tap it to turn it on, wait for itself to zero, step on it and viola! It took my weight and instantly sent it to my online profile, but after a few days it started showing a bunch of errors and shit. Then when it did work, it couldn’t get a cell reception and/or would not send the data to the online profile.

Being a curious little monkey that I am, I just opened up the sucker and found that the PCB had come lose, so I popped it in and everything was gravy… but only for a few days. Then the scale just went bust. Every time I turned it on, it was frozen with some stupid error… my friend said I was too fat for it. What an asshole, hurt my feelings and shit. Anyways, the good news is that the customer support at BodyTrace is top-fucking-notch. They didn’t hesitate, haggle or ask me too many questions, they just rushed me a brand new scale and didn’t even ask for the old one back! Respectable.

We weren’t able to figure out what the exact problem was with the old one, but BodyTrace did insist that every scale is thoroughly tested before it’s sent out and that my problem was the first of it’s kind. Fair enough. The new scale arrived in like 2 days and worked a whole lot better.

I found myself stepping on the scale wayy more often that I would have with my original bathroom contraption because I loved the way I could visually see my progress (or in my case, the maintenance phase). The online profile is also very easy to use, and works really well when viewed on the ipad or any cellphone browser. I did however have a few complaints: first, you cannot upload a custom avatar, you have to pick from a specified group. This is odd because you CAN upload pictures of yourself to see how you’re coming along. Second (and this is huge) is the macronutrient ratio suggestions. Jokingly, I had made my goal 200lbs and the nutrient recommendation I got was absurd, take a look…

Don’t get me wrong, this type of carb/protein ratio will get me to 200lbs but I’ll be fat as fuck. A ratio of 4:1 is unacceptable and this needs to be fixed because people will follow it and will look softer than a Tellytubby.

Third, there is no ability to manually add your data should the reception or data sending fail. The software has the ability to remove measurements but from my experience, I found that the system was smart enough to not need this option (more on that below). Other than these quirks, the online thingamajig is recommended.

Now let’s visit the core technology of this scale – GSM. Because there is a SIM card in the scale, it will (just like any regular cellphone) lose reception depending on the placement in your home. While there is no official signal strength indicator, the scale does say “ERR CELL” when reception is lost and I found that the basement and rooms with thick walls were problematic.

So what happens when the scale has no reception? Well what it does is store your last recorded weight into memory and the next time you use it with a reception, it will send along the previously memorized data in order. It’s a nifty feature in theory but I found that it only worked 60% of the time… which is why I think this scale would benefit hugely with a WiFi connection as a backup.

False Negatives

One feature which did work well was the scale’s ability to omit odd fluctuations and false negatives. After using it for a few weeks, I guess the scale “knew” me quite well. One day I decided to fuck with it and put my friend on it (who is 30lbs heavier). While the scale itself didn’t behave any differently, the online software was smart enough to detect this odd fluctuation and it never showed up on my progress graph, keeping my record un-harmed. Nice.

This feature will come in very handy when there is more than one person living in the house and they want to check their weight everything now and then.

Conclusion

I like how the BodyTrace is so easy to use right outta the box, but it isn’t without its quirks. The thing desperately needs wifi, there is occasional loss of reception (could be because I’m in Canada), the online nutrition suggestions are a bit whack and most annoying of all is that even when you do have reception, it sometimes fails to send the data (not sure you can blame this one on my location… it’s not like I’m in Yukon). 

On the other hand, the online tracking software is smart enough to omit useless fluctuations, has a food tracker and will allow you to post pictures, links and notes, will allow syncing with twitter (should you choose) and works nicely on portable devices such as the iPad or a smartphone.

Then there is the fact that it’s reasonably priced and has some really honest people backing the product. I’ve had quite a few email exchanges with the President and I can confidently say that you’ll be in good hands. The customer service that you get on the back end is just as important as the product itself. The overall product experience is pretty good.

So taking everything into consideration, I’m giving the BodyTrace an overall 3.8 stars out of 5. The beauty of online software is that feature updates can be applied within weeks and should things improve, so will this rating.

[UPDATE]: BodyTrace confirmed that the scale is only sold in the USA for proper GSM coverage and that I was a special case (duh!). So while the reception in Canada was off and on, potential US buyers should know that reception problems and data loss in their region is rare. To me, this makes sense and props to BodyTrace for clearing that up as quickly as they did. They are also looking into the software feature updates I mentioned so let’s see what happens.

Cheers.

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – This post is NOT to be republished without author consent. If you are reading this on any other site besides www.fitjerk.com , then it has been stolen!

But what can you do, you have to give credit where credit is due. Thirty seconds after they walked towards each other, Fedor utilized his ridiculous skill at timing punches and dropped Werdum to the floor. Like a shark that smells blood, he then dove towards the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and started to pound away… but this was his greatest mistake. Werdum quickly isolated an arm and went for the armbar. Which seemed like it failed horribly… then outta NO WHERE Werdum switches to a triangle and in a blink of an eye, Fedor is on his fucking knees, forced to sniff the Brazilian’s balls.

As a fan I was speechless, as a martial arts practitioner, I could clearly see Fedor utilizing defence techniques to keep his airway open but the triangle was wayy to tight. I could tell. I’ve been in that position and it’s not fun. After what seemed like forever, you see Fedor’s hand come up by the side and give a swift and precise tap to Werdum’s thigh. Bam. One tap was all it took and Big John Mcarthy broke up… I pretty much fell outta my god damn chair.

After an entire DECADE, Fedor Emelianenko suffers his first true loss… and boy oh boy, do the idiots that are on Dana White’s cock start to roar. Here are a few of the idiotic Twitter comments… I’ll hide the names to protect the not-so-innocent…

“Danawhite was right all along, how do you feel now Fedor lovin faggots!”

“haha, Fedor just fucked up his only chance of joining the UFC!”

“Fedor should have retired a long time ago”

“hey (name), looks like your boy Fedor just got fucked up tonight!”

Pfft… those morons need shut their over-excited pie holes. I mean I get it, people like to see nothing more than the top dog go down in flames, but this shit is ridiculous. It was his FIRST loss. Dana White, you shouldn’t be smiling… Fedor will still fuck Lesnar up given half a chance and “UFC only” fans need to get their head outt their asses. Also, contrary to popular belief, Fedor was not the victim to his own hype… he didn’t see himself as a big shot which is why after his loss, the viewers got to see the most humble human being on the face of the planet.

In my opinion, Fedor did not “fuck up his chances of getting into the UFC” nor did he screw up his career. MMA is unpredictable, anyone can get caught at anytime for any reason. You duck instead of weave? You’ll wake up in the hospital with a busted jaw. Knowing that, it should be a clear testament to his skill when you think about how The Last Emperor went an entire decade without losing a fight.

Unless Fedor says that he is hanging up the gloves for good, don’t believe the bullshit that is being spread around. Fedor will be back better than ever and maybe, just maybe us true MMA fans will live to see the day he downs Lesnar.

-FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – Content not to be republished without author consent.

So when I got an email from a reader asking what I think of Dave Batista joining MMA and whether or not he’s taken steroids… I just had to turn that into a post.

First up, let’s talk about the recent surprise – the fact that he’ll be joining Strikeforce and will now pursue an “MMA career”. Personally, I think this decision is completely fucking foolish. Just because MMA is a relatively new sport in the process of blowing the fuck up globally, every chump thinks they have what it takes. The harsh reality is that they don’t! Let’s take a look at the cold hard facts here – Batista is 41 years old, 290lbs and outside of recreational martial arts has no real fight background to stand on. You don’t start your fucking MMA career at 41… you end it. Now some might say that Batista can do it because he was a WWE super-star and that makes him athletic. I agree with that, and this might make the process of picking up Jiu-Jitsu a bit easier but still… you just cannot beat raw experience.

Although most UFC champs are seasoned veterans with lots of experience… there is one exception, Brock Lesnar. This guy was another WWE wrestler who came into the MMA game and just soared to the top. Personally I think it was bullshit how he got the title shot so quickly but it is what it is… Brock is the current heavyweight champ. So if one former WWE wrestler can do it, so can Batista, right?

ERR! Wrong. First of all, Brock is not only immensely more talented and athletic than Batisa, he also has a real armature wrestling background – and most critics would say that wrestling is the best background to being your MMA career in. On top of that, Brock is 33 while Batista is 41… and trust me, in the MMA game, 8 years makes a huge difference. If Brock keeps training till he’s 41, he’ll be an absolute monster and will probably retire as a Hall Of Famer.

So in short, when it comes to becoming an MMA superstar, Batista stands no chance. I hate sounding pessimistic, but reality is reality. At most, Strikeforce will use his WWE fame to draw a huge crowd for a short period of time but when it comes to making a “career” out of MMA? Ha! He needs to get a reality check. Actually, he might get one when he gets the shit beat outta him by a legit opponent.

MMA Athletes Get Tested

Which brings me to my next point – MMA athletes have to pee in a cup (drug testing for those that haven’t caught on yet). And do I think Batista took performance enhancing drugs? Uh… HELL YEAH! So how is he going to get around this? Obviously one way is time off. Being off drugs for a while and detoxing yourself will help but then you have to ask yourself, how much strength and muscle mass will he lose? Well my educated, professional guess is QUITE A BIT.

The WWE is one demanding ass environment. You have to look big, perform big and therefore recover faster than nature intended. You just cannot hope to keep this up naturally… a bit of “pharmaceutical” help is needed.

In the end though, the real world never seems to align with predictions or logic and everything I said might be absolutely bullshit. Critics and “experts” discuss and predict every MMA fight before they happen but they never go down the way you thought they would. The two strikers who were supposed to put on a stand-up battle somehow end up on the ground. The grappler who was supposed to make the kickboxer tap-out like a little bitch gets knocked the fuck out. MMA is just too unpredictable to accurately predict an outcome… which is why it is one of the worst sports to bet on.

I think it’ll be extremely interesting to see how Batista does in MMA. The cards are definitely not stacked in his favor as far as I’m concerned but you never know… plenty of men in the past have succeeded when no one thought they would. I’ll definitely be watching his first fight like hawk, you can bet on it!

- FitJerk

Originally Written By FitJerk for www.fitjerk.com – © 2010 All Rights Reserved – Content not to be republished without author consent. All images are the property and copyright of their respective owners. Watermark intended for descriptive purposes only.