FIGHTING FIT....FOR SPORT & FOR LIFE...USING H.I.G.T AND BOX FIT!!!

For years I have been advocating the importance and subsequent health benefits of weight training. Athletes as well as your average fitness fanatic have the potential to enhance performance by supplementing their programs with my H.I.G.T training and combining it with a boxing for fitness program. So, why have boxers been reluctant to realize the importance of resistance training? Maybe it's because they will get too big, and slow or lose all of their flexibility. All complete untruths and myth. Let me share a secret with you. Functional muscle will make you faster, hit harder and dominate your sport or life's day to day tasks.

The movements you make are the result of a muscular contraction. Increasing the size of the functional unit of muscle tissue (myofibril hypertrophy) will result in faster more powerful movements. As far as getting big is concerned; this is not a simple or realistic task for anyone not specifically wanting to increase body composition. People that become large from weight training put a great deal of effort in attaining maximum muscle mass. This requires large amounts of food and specific training. This simply does not happen by accident, you can not use the excuse you don't want to get big, you wont! If getting big was as simple as just lifting weights everyone who spent endless hours in the gym would look like bodybuilders. On top of the dedication and hard work proper genetics must also be present to display high levels of muscularity and mass. However genetics alone does not determine your end result.

The proper training program for boxers emphasizes neural training and myofibril hypertrophy. This does not cause significant gains in muscle mass. (Boxers are not bodybuilders; therefore they should not train like bodybuilders). Weight training that involves full range movements has been shown to increase flexibility. Yes , there are people who weight train that are inflexible, but there are also people who have never seen a weight that are inflexible. Incorporate a proper stretching program with your weight training and your flexibility will probably increase. Boxers, don't get to carried away with being flexible. Boxing does not require a great deal of flexibility. Boxing does require adequate flexibility. Excessive flexibility is detrimental to force production.
High reps and light weights are the chosen weight training method for most boxers. This is the complete opposite of what the weight training regimen should look like. High reps and light weight do little to improve absolute strength and speed-strength . This too often used method of weight training is a form of muscular endurance training. Done on occasion this regimen would be fine.

When you hit heavy bags, run, jump rope, etc. you are performing muscular endurance work. When you step in the weight room it's time to switch modes. Boxing is a sport that requires the development of multiple motor qualities. Speed, strength, and endurance are all motor qualities that must be developed in boxers.

As I said earlier traditional boxing training develops muscular endurance, as well as coordination, and skill. The goal in the weight room is to increase absolute strength through the use of heavy weights, and to increase speed-strength by moving moderate to heavy weights at rapid speeds. The top priority in training is to increase absolute strength, speed-strength as well as burn fat and build a lean muscular body... is the stimulation of fast-twitch muscle fibers. This is done through bouts of high intensity weight training. Again I feel my H.I.G.T program is a form of training far superior to other training programs. Keep in mind high rep, light weight work does not recruit fast twitch fibers. Never has never will! This type of training recruits slow twitch and what over time amounts to very little result and overall change in body composition. I hear all the time "I just want to be tone, not big". This is simply the thought process of an in-experienced athlete of client, still the general public as well as fighters are so reluctant to embrace this truth. Mainly do to years of mis-informed trainers feeding them the the wrong information the wrong body science, since an early age.
In close, let me challenge your way of thinking and training. Embrace this type of training to improve your skill at any sport or your general fitness.

Richard

Peas, please!

If you don't eat peas, you don't know what you're missing. So let me tell you. They are delicious (like beans but sweeter and with a firmer consistency - as long as you don't cook them into mush). And they are a terrific source of vitamin A (bones, teeth, skin, fighting infections) C (healing wounds, boosting immunity, cancer protection) and one cup of peas has almost as much protein as two eggs, making it a perfect compliment to soy for vegans and those who are looking to get enough protein while cutting back on saturated fat intake.

I keep frozen peas handy to zap in the microwave (they're great with seasoned toasted almond slices or Parmesan cheese) and love to get the English peas in the pod at the local farmers market when they're in season.

For those of you who are statistics geeks, here's a complete rundown of their nutritional content: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2520/2

For the rest of us, just know that they're yummy, cheap, super quick and easy prep and a powerhouse of nutrients.

WANT A BODY THAT COULD GRACE THE COVER OF ANY FITNESS MAGAZINE? WELL THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!

When combining strength training programs, such as my H.I.G.T ( see older posts for description ) and boxing workouts like Boxing for fitness. What in fact you have is the recipe for a well defined, strong & shapely, head turning physique. As a fighter I can tell you first hand in the old days mixing weights and boxing was as forbidden as drinking & driving is today. You just don't do it, period!
Well science has come a long way since those days and we now know how beneficial weight training and to be more specific, high intensity training is to our overall mental and physical well being. I like to say "fitness is the true fountain of youth". Personally I find cardio training on treadmills and long runs extremely boring. Not to mention as soon as you stop the run you no longer burn calories or fat, as with weights and boxing, (anaerobic training) you continue to burn calories hours after your workout. So I choose to follow up my H.I.G.T program with boxing. Being a former pro fighter I understand the training and how to apply it, in order to specifically benefit my body type, as I do for clients.
Not to mention boxing is simply put, fun. A host of benefits are achieved with each session. Greater hand eye coordination, speed and reflexes. A core workout unlike any ab exercise created. The list goes on and on. Now remember..high intensity weight training first, immediately followed by my boxing for fitness training. Your on your way.

Richard

The Red Zone

If you're trying to lose body fat and you've already implemented the major recommendations I've listed here (eating small, frequent meal/snacks of nutrient-dense food; following a balanced, challenging and progressive fitness program) it may come down to how you eat in the last third of the waking day.

What makes the last third of the day so important? Well, the closer you get to bed time, the more influence the calories you take in will have on your daily equation (in versus out or eaten versus burned). So, while it's not that easy to create a 500 calorie shortfall (which equals a pound of fat loss each week), it's very easy to consume 1500 calories too many (a few slices of pizza and a couple of beers will more than cover that margin.)

If you did the quick math in your head just now, you know that three days of being good can net out with one "whoops!" day to leave you with a big goose egg for the four days - no weight lost after more than half a week of being on your best nutrition behavior!

What's frustrating for many people who are working out hard and eating pretty clean and light during the week, but get a little crazy over the weekend, is that you can easily counteract the effects of the week with a weekend of indulgence.

I tell my clients to have a mid or late afternoon snack with fat, fiber and protein (fruit and a cheese stick or small hand full of nuts are good choices), then have a big glass of water immediately before dinner (rather than with dinner) and keep dinner a small portion (roughly equal to about two fists) of 2/3 veggies and 1/3 lean protein. Then no more calories after dinner!

If you do that, you'll start to see that stubborn fat finally hit the road.

Crunch!

On Saturday, about 11:40am, my friend, client and singing partner Colleen and I were on our way to perform at the local American Cancer Society Relay For Life event. We were stopped at a traffic light waiting for it to turn green when we heard screeching tires and saw, through my window, a Jeep Cherokee take the turn onto the street we were on too wide and too fast. He came straight across the island, took out the traffic light and smashed into the car to our left (we were in the second left turn lane), and that car into ours before hitting one more car in the oncoming traffic as he crossed the road and finally stopped. It was scary but everyone was OK. Most importantly, the little boy (2 or 3, perhaps) in the car seat on the impact side of the car that took the first, and worst, hit, was not injured.

The whole thing seemed surreal and it took us about an hour (after finishing up with the police and calling the organizers of the event to say we couldn't make it) to finally settle down and get on with our day. What stays with me about this are three things:

1. When you see an accident, you're glad it wasn't you. When you're in one, you're glad it wasn't someone else.

2. I'm very grateful that I'm physically well-conditioned and that it wasn't more serious. When you can walk away from something like that, you get a reminder of how fortunate you are to have all your parts in good working order.

3. Things like this happen to people every day. It's good to feel true empathy for someone who has experienced the same thing. The only way to do that is to experience it yourself.

My family has been out of state this past week, so I'd planned a trip to Half Moon Bay (south of San Francisco on the CA coast) the following day. Briefly I considered skipping it since it can be a tricky drive with lots of twists and turns on a narrow road and I was frankly a little gun-shy. But I went anyway and it was a terrific day - very peaceful and beautiful, especially when the fog cleared.

Life is precious. Sometimes we need a little reminder.

LEAN FOR LIFE...HIGH INTENSITY GROUP TRAINING. THE FUTURE OF EXERCISE!!

The structure of your training program is vital to building lean muscle tissue, burning more calories, and losing body fat. High intensity group training allows for two very crucial components to be satisfied in your quest for a lean, muscular, fit body. Building muscle and burning fat! The concept of this is simple in explanation yet very difficult in execution.
My H.I.G.T program requires you to stick with some key elements that can not be changed. Two exercises of different muscle groups performed in a super-set fashion to complete one set. Little to almost zero rest between sets with max rest periods being no more than thirty seconds. You never lift lighter weights, you only strive to lift heavier loads each set.
High intensity group training means doing the prescribed exercises as fast and as heavy as you can. Training this way does a host of positive things to your body. One important reaction is the activation of fast twitch muscle fibers that are metabolically less efficient. They use more calories than type 1 fibers because more are recruited to lift heavier loads explosively.
Using minimal rest intervals between sets increases growth hormone and adrenaline levels into the stratosphere. Doing so in return increases the amount of calories burned during each set. Muscle is one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body. What all this means is simple, training this way forces you to build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you are burning all day. Importantly, muscle is denser than fat so your body looks lean and fit.

Soft Landing; Soft Lift-Off

There are basically three aspects of quality execution when it comes to strength training:

1. Posture (correct positioning of the stabilized portion of your body, i.e., keeping your body straight while doing push-ups)


2. Bio mechanics (maintaining the proper line of full-range movement throughout the lift)


3. Fluidity (slow, controlled, even rhythm movements)


By far the least frequently observed by strength trainers, in my experience, is the last one. It's common for people lifting weights to swing or bounce the weight, and the most flagrant violation of the rule of fluidity is at the transition point, or the point at which you change direction. The incentive to get a quick start on the positive (more difficult) phase of the exercise is that doing so allows you to handle more weight, squeeze off more reps, or both. But that's always at the expense of the joints. Is that what you really want to do?


When you are releasing the weight (the less difficult phase of the movement), be sure to slow down progressively as you approach the transition point (landing). You should try to make the actual stopping point as subtle as possible for maximum safety and effectiveness. Then when you begin the positive phase (lift-off), just reverse the process, initiating the movement as gently as possible. Lifting this way will ensure get the absolute most out of the exercise, and save your joints from injury at the same time.

Be advised, though, that you will not be able to handle as much weight as you did with less strict form. Get over it and drop the load to what you can handle executing this way. You're much better off in terms of safety and effectiveness.

And that's what's really important, isn't it.

RICHARD SEYMOUR'S FIT/SCHOOL

RICHARD SEYMOUR'S FIT/SCHOOL..nutrition

FACT: Creatine and whey protein combined boosts lean muscle mass, Both are popular gym supplements and both have been studied and scrutinized more than any other health supplement. Creatine works by increasing muscle creatine phosphate levels and stimulating protein synthesis ( the building of a larger + stronger muscle ).
Whey protein taken both before and after training increasing amino acid availability( building blocks of protein ). Combine the two supplements along with smart eating habits and plenty of good sleep and you've assured your body has the key elements for repair and recoup. Now your ready for tomorrow's workout.

Richard Seymour

HIGH INTENSITY GROUP TRAINING......my passion explained

In recent weeks many different topics have been discussed, from motivational tools, eating habits, supplementation and training principles. However I do not want to stray to far from the reason I started this site to begin with. My training program H.I.G.T ( high intensity group training ) and it's five principles. Something I believe so strongly in I wanted to share it for free with all of you. Developed, molded, every detail scrutinized to be efficient, effective and results oriented, period!. Evolving from the perspective that unconventional is conventional, its difficult but this is why we do it! You will physically be tested, challenged then tested again. Everything you have been told you cant do you will do and progress and be better today than you were yesterday.
In the coming posts I want to discuss with you the five principles behind H.I.G.T and how these principles apply to the training program. I developed this program to simply produce results. A hard lean muscular body with a finely tuned machine like metabolism. When I begin to train someone with H.I.G.T, I always explain "there is a method to this madness". Every exercise grouping, every rep, every bit of rest between exercises has been planned and serves a very specific purpose. I believe my H.I.G.T program and it's principles are way advanced and the future of exercise. This I promise you.

Richard Seymour

FRIENDS IN FITNESS

Check out the news section from my friends in South Africa, at http://www.gasparinutrition.co.za/ Abfitt has now linked up.

Four Steps

I'm very interested in inspirational, thought provoking material, so I read that stuff constantly. But I also love movies. Perhaps the most consequential movie I've seen this year is one few people are aware of, called "Living Luminaries: On the Serious Business of Being Happy". One of the presenters in the movie is someone I'd never heard of before named Matthew Kelly. In the movie, he talks about four areas of the human experience that define us as a species:

1. Physical

2. Intellectual

3. Emotional

4. Spiritual

He suggests that there are simple steps we can take to cultivate each area, and, essentially be much happier. His recommendations include reading a good book for at least 10 minutes a day (intellectual), giving priority and focus to your relationships (emotional), taking a few moments each day in silent contemplation to reconnect with yourself and your source (spiritual) and, of course, regular exercise, healthful eating and adequate sleep. He says we all know how to do these things but we don't do them because we're too busy trying to be happy!

That makes a lot of sense to me.

So what does it take to actually follow these few simple steps? Discipline. That word may intimidate or even repel some, but as Kelly puts it "Discipline doesn't stifle us, it refines us."

Starting to apply that discipline in a single area that could use some attention in your life could make a real impact on your own sense of significance.

I know which one I'm adding starting tomorrow...

Moving Forward

If your program isn't advancing you toward your objectives, it's time to make some changes. Often a program is unbalanced (too heavily focused on cardio, strength or flexibility at the expense of the other modes). Another common weakness of some fitness programs is improper execution, which diminishes both safety and effectiveness. I've written about both of these problems before, but today I'm talking about something even more basic.

A program may be ideal on paper, but for you, it just might not be the best fit. The thing is that finding a good fit for both your current objectives and lifestyle is a critical element in determining your chances for success. Do you prefer to work out in the morning? Is noon or after work better for you? Are you a gym rat or do you need to be on your home turf? Does the fresh air and sunshine of the great outdoors call to you or do you need to have air conditioning (or heat) and fluorescent lights to hit your target heart rate? Is working out with a partner going to motivate you more or are you more likely to achieve your personal best in solitude?

These questions are not trivial. We were meant to evolve, and the right fit for you, wherever you may be in the process is the singular key to moving forward.

To be able to do anything in your life with commitment and conviction, it has to be right for you. And nobody else can decide that for you.

So listen to your heart and see what makes it beat best.

YOUR FITNESS, YOUR HEALTH...TRAIN WITH INTENSITY.

After my recent article titled "Friends in fitness, friends for life" wherein I talk about a group of friends all in their forties and all extremely fit, along with recent attention for athletes including forty-something big wave surfer Laird Hamilton, forty something Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, and thirty seven year old professional world champion boxer Nate Campbell, as well as my own recent decision to re-enter professional boxing at the age of thirty seven (more than ten years removed since my last fight), I began to do some research. Research on the aging athlete and how aging and your average trainer are affected. So, I found out a few really interesting things, all from the very reputable John's Hopkins University.
Without going into the many issues that surround the ageing athlete and your average ageing fitness fanatic I will just get to the study's results and not into it's details. The study found that, although certain biological factors of ageing do play a role in diminished skill level, overall fitness, and performance, the main factor contributing to these declines was simply "intensity;" the lack of it as we age. I love it. We get complacent and slow down. Proven by the athletes mentioned above, if we keep our training intense, all out, and keep challenging ourselves in the gym, we can prolong our fitness, continue to build lean muscle, get stronger, and yes- still compete competitively even on a professional level way past what science calls our "athletic prime." Its the mind-body connection. If you believe it, you can achieve it.
Programs like my H.I.G.T focus on intensity at all times and provide the tools to get better, stronger, faster, and perform on a higher level in sports and in life. H.I.G.T allows us to do this even as we age. I am thirty seven, I plan on heading into my forties fit and healthy and when I reach fifty I want to get even better. Sixty....well just look out.

Flat Belly Recipe: Pita Chips with Cottage Cheese

This is something I eat with the kids because it's quick, fun and healthy. It's super simple:

Take about a tablespoon of oil-packed, Julienne style sun dried tomatoes (in the produce section of most grocery stores) and cut them up into smaller pieces (about the size of an orange seed). Mix them into two cups of Knudsen low fat cottage cheese to make a tasty, high-protein dip. Get Stacy's pita chips and dig in! The kids will love it (so will you) and is you add a fruit or veggie (we dip cauliflower and broccoli in hummus), it makes a complete meal.

Enjoy!

LEAN FOR LIFE....SCULPTED ABS

Flat stomach, tight abdominals, ripped six pack abs - we all dream about that. In fact "how to get great abs?" is the question fitness trainers hear most often.
Of course this question is phrased differently depending on the personal situation; men would like to know how to get a six pack while women are interested in how to get a tight sexy stomach. Nevertheless, the answer stays the same: strengthen your abdominal muscles and lose your belly fat.
True, it sounds simple. Then why do so many people have problems achieving the great abs they want? So often we hear men and women complaining that they do hundreds of sit-ups and crunches a day, have tried every diet out there and still can't get great abs. Obviously those men and women are doing something wrong. What they fail to understand is that the secret to a flat stomach and ripped six pack abs is NOT hundreds of reps of abs-specific exercises. Surely getting defined abs requires working out. You will have to train your abdominal muscles in order to build up their strength and endurance but in order to actually see them defined you will have to lose all the belly fat that is covering them, and that in fact is the harder part because counting solely on abs exercises will not get you there.
The formula for achieving great abs is simple: proper nutrition + a quality full body training program. I recommend my H.I.G.T ( high intensity group training program ). *Note: Not recommended for beginners.
It is very important to understand that you cannot have a flat stomach or a well-defined six pack without any of these two steps.
The first step you should take is to get control of your diet and clean it up. It is time to realize that no matter how hard you workout, you simply cannot out-train a lousy diet.
The second step is to stop wasting your time trying to "spot reduce" with abdominal exercises. Focus your workouts on the intensity of your exercises and work the body as a whole. This is the only way to get the best metabolic response and lose the body fat covering your muscles for good. Remember, train the body using multi-joint exercises, train with intensity, and make good practice of eating quality foods. A life time of crunches wont get you to the abs you want, however these simple training strategies will have you on your way.

It's a Choice

I love the NBC's "The Biggest Loser". I'm fascinated by the willingness of people to undergo such a dramatic and challenging experience and expose themselves to the world as it plays out. These are people who have let their lives and habits spin so far out of control that their long-term health, and, in some cases, their very lives are in danger.

As a trainer, it gives me some valuable insight into what it takes to get to the point where you would isolate yourself from your family and friends for three months and submit to some of the most grueling physical and psychological challenges imaginable because it's just that important to you.

These folks are literally awe-inspiring.

The most recent season yielded the first female winner (loser). Ali Vincent lost over half her body weight (112 lbs) and gained a confidence and sense of self-determination that was truly remarkable to watch evolve.

There's no magic potion, pill or exercise gadget that can create a sustainable, comprehensive, body-mind-spirit transformation like this. It's all heart, folks. It's a choice, pure and simple. Living well all comes down to how much it means to each one of us.

How much does it mean to you?

Spread Out (and mix up) Your Protein Sources

I'm often asked how I feel about supplements, especially protein. As a general rule, I try to get all my nutrients from dietary sources, rather than supplements. Why? Here are three good reasons:

1. The body absorbs and assimilates nutrients better if they come in the form of food.

2. You're much less likely to have excessive intakes of particular nutrients this way.

3. There are almost always complimentary nutrients in the foods rich in other nutrients.

Protein is a good example of #3. Meat sources are generally a great source of iron, while dairy sources tend to be rich in vitamin D and calcium. Soy is a great source of phytonutrients (chemicals believed to fight conditions like heart disease and promote general good health).

Besides, with taste and texture variations, you're more likely to consume a variety of foods than to be limited to just a few.

Additionally, it's a good idea to spread protein sources out evenly through the day. This helps stabilize blood sugar and keeps the new protein available for the body to use it as it needs it for production and maintenance of muscle, bones, skin, cartilage and blood.

Here are some of my favorite sources: http://45yearold6pack.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-favorite-protein-sources.html

THE MIND/ MUSCLE CONNECTION

Brain-power is vitally important. After all, our brain dictates how we feel and consequently it has an impact on our motivational state and subsequent training intensity levels. Weight and aerobic training hold significant benefits in terms of mental well-being and intellectual acuity. The brain is responsible for the processes underpinning many of our day to day actions, from completing a set of bench presses to planning one's training program.
It is important, therefore, to keep our brain in great shape to get the most out of our training. Furthermore, brain health and training seem to be symbiotically related in that daily exercise appears to be one of the best methods of enhancing brain health and adequate brain health ensures that we are better able to train.
Indeed, exercise has been shown to improve psychological well-being, memory, and learning through many different processes. From a bodybuilding perspective, improvements in brain health can enhance concentration, motivation, memory, emotions and reflexes - all essential for an optimal training experience, and greater quality of life overall.

GET STARTED, GET FIT!!! A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

If you want to lose fat or change your body, one of the most important things you can do is lift weights. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down. If you've hesitated to start a strength training program, it may motivate you to know that lifting weights can:
Help raise your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long.
Strengthen bones, especially important for women.
Make you stronger and increase muscular endurance.
Help you avoid injuries.
Increase your confidence and self-esteem.
Improve coordination and balance.
Getting started with strength training can be confusing--what exercises should you do? How many sets and reps? How much weight? The routine you choose will be based on your fitness goals as well as the equipment you have available and the time you have for workouts.
The Basics
If you're setting up your own program, you'll need to know some basic strength training principles. These principles will teach you how to make sure you're using enough weight, determine your sets and reps and insure you're always progressing in your workouts.
Overload: To build muscle, you need to use more resistance than your muscles are used to. This is important because the more you do, the more your body is capable of doing, so you should increase your workload to avoid plateaus. In plain language, this means you should be lifting enough weight that you can ONLY complete the desired number of reps. You should be able to finish your last rep with difficulty but also with good form.
Progression. To avoid plateaus (or adaptation), you need to increase your intensity regularly. You can do this by increasing the amount of weight lifted, changing your sets/reps, changing the exercises and changing the type of resistance. You can make these changes on a weekly or monthly basis.
Specificity. This principle means you should train for your goal. That means, if you want to increase your strength, your program should be designed around that goal (e.g., train with heavier weights closer to your 1 RM (1 rep max). To lose weight, choose a variety of rep ranges to target different muscle fibers.
Rest and Recovery. Rest days are just as important as workout days. It is during these rest periods that your muscles grow and change, so make sure you're not working the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. GET STARTED, GET FIT!!! A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

Quick and Dirty Measurement: Cardio Workload

Here's a great way to determine how hard your heart and lungs are working: How deeply and rapidly are you breathing?

Using the "Talk Test", breathing that allows you to easily carry on a conversation but struggle to recite poetry or say the Pledge of Allegiance puts you at about a 5-6 level on a simple 1-10 relative scale (10 = As hard as you can go; 1 = Very easy).

If you're challenged to keep up a normal exchange, perhaps grabbing a breath every word or two, you're at a "7" or 70% of your capacity. When you're really fighting to spit out a syllable or two with each breath, it's 8-9 level.

Remember that there's an inverse relationship between how long you exercise and how intensely you can work out. At a "7" you may be able to go, depending on how accustomed you are to exercise, 45-60 minutes. An 8-9 level should wipe you out in 20-30 minutes, tops.

Use this scale (Rating of Perceived Exertion, or RPE) to guide you in your cardio workouts, and remember, if you want to burn calories and improve your endurance, it's the breathing that counts.

A Closer Look

I spent most of yesterday helping someone important to me through an experience that can be pretty difficult and nerve-wracking. Because of some troubling and persistent symptoms, and because we've known at least three people who have passed unexpectedly from conditions that began with similar symptoms, an exploratory procedure was performed.

When someone you care about goes through something like this, you want to be there and do what you can to support them, although you feel pretty helpless, since the real work is in the surgeons' hands, literally. The after effects of general anesthesia are pretty odd as well so coming out of that and feeling lucid and clear is elusive for a while. It's a strange thing to witness. Of course, the medical professionals never tell you more than you need to know, responding to specific questions with well practiced cheerful ambiguity, followed by a gentle reassurance that there will be more to know in a few days.

The whole thing reminds me how much that affects our health is beyond our control, which, in turn, makes me that much more serious about attending to what I can that IS within my control with a sober, deeply respectful attitude.

It's a treasure we have at our disposal, this magnificent apparatus we call our body. It's also a profound responsibility we have to ourselves to do whatever we can to keep it in good working order, for ourselves and those we love.

Don't you think?

RICHARD SEYMOUR'S FIT/SCHOOL...MUSCLE FUEL

Lifting weights and doing cardio vascular exercises is only half the battle. Eating is the other half. Here are some smart tips.

• Eat breakfast every day. Fill up on fruit, along with some carbs and protein (an egg-white omelet and whole-grain toast, or oatmeal with walnuts and almonds).

• Don’t go hungry. Avoid going longer than three hours without some food (snack on nuts, fruit, energy bars or my favorite- a protien shake).

• Eat within 45 minutes to two hours after a tough workout. Choose foods that contain mostly carbs, with some protein thrown in (nuts, a protein shake or bar, peanut butter and whole-grain bread, yogurt and fruit).

• Eat slightly more than normal. You need to eat more calories than you burn all day to build more lean body tissue. You can figure out exactly how much to eat by tracking what you eat now and adding 250 to 500 calories more each day.

Stick with these basic rules, and you're on your way.

Richard-

SIX HABITS FOR A SUMMER SIX PACK

If you can't see your abs, don't assume it's because you're missing out on a magical abdominal exercise or secret supplement. Blame your mindset.

You see, losing belly flab is a boring process. It requires time, hard work, and most important, dedication. Take the right steps every single day, and you'll ultimately carve out your six-pack. But if you stray from your plan even a few times a week — which most men do — you'll probably never see your abs.

The solution: six simple habits, which I teach to my clients to help them strip away their lard for good. Think of these habits as daily goals designed to keep you on the fast track to a fit-looking physique. Individually they're not all that surprising, but together they become a powerful tool.

The effectiveness of this tool is even supported by science. At the University of Iowa, researchers determined that people are more likely to stick with their fat-loss plans when they concentrate on specific actions instead of the desired result. So rather than focusing on abs that show, follow my daily list of nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle strategies for achieving that rippled midsection.

The result: automatic abs.

1. Wake up to water

Imagine not drinking all day at work — no coffee, no water, no diet soda. At the end of an 8-hour shift, you'd be pretty parched. Which is precisely why you should start rehydrating immediately after a full night's slumber. From now on, drink at least 16 ounces of chilled H2O as soon as you rise in the morning. German scientists recently found that doing this boosts metabolism by 24 percent for 90 minutes afterward. (A smaller amount of water had no effect.) What's more, a previous study determined that muscle cells grow faster when they're well hydrated. A general rule of thumb: Guzzle at least a gallon of water over the course of a day.

2. Eat breakfast every day

A University of Massachusetts study showed that men who skip their morning meal are 4 1/2 times more likely to have bulging bellies than those who don't. So within an hour of waking, have a meal or protein shake with at least 250 calories. British researchers found that breakfast size was inversely related to waist size. That is, the larger the morning meal, the leaner the midsection. But keep the meal's size within reason: A 1,480-calorie smoked-sausage scramble at Denny's is really two breakfasts, so cap your intake at 500 calories. For a quick way to fuel up first thing, I like this recipe: Prepare a package of instant oatmeal and mix in a scoop of whey protein powder and 1/2 cup of blueberries.

3. As you eat, review your goals...

Don't worry, I'm not going all Tony Robbins on you. (I don't have enough teeth.) But it's important that you stay aware of your mission. University of Iowa scientists found that people who monitored their diet and exercise goals most frequently were more likely to achieve them than were goal setters who rarely reviewed their objectives.

4. ...and then pack your lunch
Eat smartly, choosing good healthy foods
A premixed protein shake saves time and assures the protein needed to build lean muscle

5. Exercise the right way

Everyone has abs, even if people can't always see them because they're hidden under a layer of flab. That means you don't need to do endless crunches to carve out a six-pack. Instead, you should spend most of your gym time burning off blubber.

The most effective strategy is a one-two approach of weight-lifting and high-intensity interval training. According to a recent University of Southern Maine study, half an hour of pumping iron burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-per-mile pace for the same duration. It has the added benefit of helping you build muscle. What's more, unlike aerobic exercise, lifting has been shown to boost metabolism for as long as 39 hours after the last repetition. Similar findings have been noted for intervals, which are short, all-out sprints interspersed with periods of rest.

For the best results, do a total-body weight-training workout 3 days a week, resting at least a day between sessions. Then do an interval-training session on the days in between. To make it easy on you, I've created the ultimate fat-burning plan, which appears on this month's workout poster (see below).

6. Skip the late shows

You need sleep to unveil your six-pack. That's because lack of shut-eye may disrupt the hormones that control your ability to burn fat. For instance, University of Chicago scientists recently found that just 3 nights of poor sleep may cause your muscle cells to become resistant to the hormone insulin. Over time, this leads to fat storage around your belly.

To achieve a better night's sleep, review your goals again 15 minutes before bedtime. And while you're at it, write down your plans for the next day's work schedule, as well as any personal chores you need to accomplish. This can help prevent you from lying awake worrying about tomorrow ("I have to remember to e-mail Johnson"), which can cut into quality snooze time.

Elle McPherson Shows Us She Is Still A Supermodel

At the age of 43 and after two kids, supermodel Elle McPherson still looks better than some women half her age! Showing off her body in a bikini on the beach in her home country of Australia, Elle tried her hand at surfing, and claims it keeps her and her husband in shape.

RICHARD SEYMOUR'S FIT/SCHOOL

FACT: There's a window of about 30-60 minutes after a workout when your body is most receptive to nutrients. This, simply put, is the single-most anabolic time period of the day. Miss this opportunity and you're spinning your wheels. Refuel and rebuild your body with quality whey protein (25-35 grams), creatine (5 grams), amino acids (branched chain), and carbs (70 grams).

FACT: Skipping rope at about 80% mhr for about 10 min. will burn the same amount of calories as running for 30 min.

FACT: Muscle hypertrophy requires muscle tension, anabolic hormones and growth factors, calories, amino acids, and rest between training. Miss any of these factors and results will elude you.

Train smart!