Recent Posts

3 Scenarios - Who Burns More Fat?

Posted by Joel Marion on January 29, 2010 46 Comments

In yesterday’s post, we discussed several different ways to create a 300 calorie deficit:

• Skip the morning bagel (-300 calories)
• Walk on the treadmill for an hour and half (-300 calories)
• Perform a very high intensity interval session (-300 calories)

In all 3 instances, the net calorie burn is -300 cals; however, as mentioned in the previous post, scenario 1 sucks, scenario 2 really sucks, and scenario 3 trumps them all–by far.

And today I want to share 3 other “scenarios” with you, with yet another lesson to be learned.

Out of the below 3 individuals, who will burn more fat and achieve better, faster results?

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How Will YOU Burn 300 Calories?

Posted by Joel Marion on January 27, 2010 55 Comments

If you’re looking to shed body fat, there’s simply no getting around the fact that you absolutely must create some sort of caloric deficit.

Any way you look at it, you MUST burn more calories than you consume.

Now, it can get quite a bit more complicated than simple math would have us believe, but the fact remains–a deficit must be in place for fat loss to occur.

But, there are many different ways to create a deficit, some more effective than others.

For example, if you’d like to create an additional 300 calorie deficit per day, you could simply skip your morning bagel (approx 300 calories).  Fairly simple to do, unless you have some weird affinity toward bagels like I do.

OR, you could walk for an HOUR AND A HALF on the treadmill and create the same 300 calorie deficit.

OR, you could do a 10 minute high intensity interval training workout and create the same 300 calorie deficit.

And here’s where things get a little more complicated than the numbers suggest.

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Do you have this ONE thing?

Posted by Joel Marion on January 25, 2010 24 Comments

The New Orleans Saints are headed to the Super Bowl.

Why?

Well, if  you ask me, it all comes down to a single word…a single quality…and the city of New Orleans has it:  Resiliency.

You know, in life, in sports, in just about any and every situation, there are lessons to be learned.  And when it comes learning lessons, I’m an open book. 

If I can learn a life-lesson from a kid (and I have), I’ll take it.  From a sporting event, I’m “all ears”…

It’s funny, but I often watch football thinking “what can I learn from this…?”

For instance, every year Andy Reid teaches me extremely valuable lessons about the art of coaching and exactly what not to do in leadership type situations.  It’s like a full-out anti-leadership education for free — I’ve learned so much over the years.

On the other hand, the New Orleans Saints have inspired me this year, and I hope by the end of this post they’ll have inspired you as well.

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49 Insights from 2009

Posted by Joel Marion on December 21, 2009 53 Comments

Well, since Vince Del Monte pretty much copies everything I do, I figured it’s time I return the favor ;)

Just kidding.  Vince and I are pretty much business partners and we consult with each other pretty much daily, so it’s natural that we get a fair amount of ideas from one another.

The other week, Vince put together a “things I learned in 2009″ post on his blog.  I loved it, and thought it’d be cool to do the same.  Thanks for the idea, Vinny.

Below you will find my list of “49 insights” from 2009.  Take a read through it and then respond in the comments section with your comments and/or 1 thing you learned this year!  Rock on!

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm never stops being (inappropriately) funny.  You gotta love the twisted mind of Larry David.

2. You can have whatever you want in life.  It’s not metaphysical bull shit, it’s simply about believing in yourself and going after what you want full force.

3. Self-imposed limitations will cripple your potential.  It doesn’t matter what other people think is possible for you-the ONLY thing that matters is what you believe you can achieve.

4. Excuses are nothing more than sugar coated self-imposed limitations.

5. Expect failure.  Failure is an inevitable stop on the road to success.  And even in the midst of success, you’ll still fail-get used to it.  Fact is, I still fail-all the time.  The difference is that winners simply keep trying until they succeed, while the majority just give up and fade away.

6. Expect success.  Contradictory to the above statement?  Nope.  I KNOW I will succeed in everything I do and I expect to do so.  I also know that I may have to fail several times first.

7. “Take action” is my new motto.  If you’re not actively “doing” something to change your circumstances, then I’m not interested in hearing your complaints about those circumstances.

8. Being a complainer is still perhaps the most annoying, unattractive character trait.

9. Email is the biggest time-drainer in the world.

10. Short duration, high-frequency training is the most effective way to build muscle.

11. The only thing that matters with regards to overtraining is avoiding central nervous system burn out.

12. Motivation is the best way to assess central nervous system burnout.  If you’re motivated to train, forget about soreness and get your butt back in the gym.

13. Turning something “negative” into something loved is a special skill (i.e. Cheat Your Way Thin ;)

14. Friday Night Lights is the most underrated show on television.  Period.  If you’re not watching it, do yourself a huge favor and go buy every season on DVD.  Today.

15. It’s very hard for me to have a bad day when the sun is out.  Thus, I moved to Florida.

16. Relationships are the only thing that matter in life.  I could have every material possession in the world, but would be completely miserable without the interaction I share with so many “real” people on an every day basis.

17. 48 oz steaks have nothing on me.

18. Eating a healthy, big breakfast may be the most fundamental rule of weight control.

19. 99% of supplements are still bogus.

20. Vince Del Monte has the crappiest laptop in the world for someone who travels non-stop and runs an internet based business.

21. Do not call Craig Ballantyne.  Text or email only.  And if you mistakenly do call, do NOT leave a message.

22. Identifying problems and providing enjoyable solutions is a winning concept to build any business around.

23. Nothing could be more influential in one’s life than having a phenomenal mother.

24. Stay true to who you are and don’t allow past experiences to “harden” or change you-even if it means allowing yourself to be vulnerable (again).  You are an amazing person and someone equally as amazing will love you and treasure you for every single one of those traits (thank you Lisa).

25. Taste buds change. I used to hate salad and seafood; now I can’t get enough of either.  Try revisiting foods you once wrote off-you may be surprised.

26. On a similar note, sushi is actually really good.  Never in a million years would I have thought I would have liked that.

27. Surrounding yourself with and building strong relationships with other passionate, driven people are perhaps the best things you can do for your life.

28. No matter how far you move away, home is still home.

Sometimes you just have to trust your gut and go with it.

29. Find a very small, core group of people to network with and get input from regularly, and keep it small.  Too many opinions = confusion.  Find the “core” people you trust most, and turn to them often (thanks Vinny and Craig).

30. There are much more important things in life than work.  If your job controls your life, change that however you can, or simply find another job.

31. If you have a desire to work for yourself, GO for it full throttle.

32. 10 minutes well invested each day will give you hours of your life back each week dur to increased productivity (and a host of other benefits).  Binaural brain-beat technology (www.UltimateMindEnhancement.com) works; I can’t say enough good things about it.  If you do not own these CDs, buy them.  Right now.  They will change your life and I’ve been saying it for the last 8 months.

33. The “little things” continue to be the most important things of a relationship.

34. Dogs, like children, can be terribly annoying, but quickly become an irreplaceable part of your heart and family.

35. It’s better to spend the money for quality than to try to save a few hundred bucks when buying a flat screen TV for your living room.

36. Mentorship is a must for success.

37. You must be willing to invest in yourself.  The more money I spend to better certain areas of my life, the better those areas become.  WARNING:  This is only true if you are someone who “takes action”.  Spending money doesn’t equal results - taking action on your investments does.

38.  Intensity trumps everything.  You MUST at some point in your workout feel as though you are struggling to continue.  Otherwise, your workout is worthless.  There, I said it.

39. If you don’t have goals, you’ll never achieve anything.  Success just doesn’t “happen”; you need to plan toward something specific.

40. The Philadelphia Eagles will never win a Superbowl with Andy Reid as their coach.  I actually learned this about 5 years ago.

41. If Denzel Washington is in a movie, the movie will be good.

42. Certain books have the power to change your life, even for people who hate to read (i.e. me).  Stop being lazy and start reading (more).

43. Art is pretty cool-even the abstract stuff.  Some of it just flat out sucks, though.

44. People who are not taking steps to better themselves often project negativity onto those who are.  The underlying cause of negativity is almost always jealousy.

45. The more you give, the more you get.  I have straight up GIVEN away more information than ever before this year, and my business has grown exponentially because of it.

46. The mental component of body transformation is more important than the diet and exercise aspects by about ten fold.

47. Going out to dinner 5+ times per week is not only absurdly expensive, but also a fat loss nightmare.

48. The easiest way to stick to your diet while traveling is to go low-carb.

49. YOU are an incredible source of motivation and inspiration for me.  The comments on this blog, the emails I receive, and the opportunities I’ve had to meet quite a few of you in person have been an incredible reminder of the value of what I do, and more importantly, an undying source of inspiration for me to continue to push to be my best.

So there it is, 49 insights from 2009!  What did you learn this year?  Respond w/ at least one “insight” in the comments section below!

Talk to you in the comments section!

Joel

Win my ONE *FREE* Copy of Vince’s DVD Set

Posted by Joel Marion on December 6, 2009 400 Comments

NOTE:  This contest runs through midnight tonight; the winner will be notified via email tomorrow morning.

As you know, due to a few duplicate orders, there were a few extra copies of Vince’s DVD set left over after the SOLD OUT sign went up Friday night.

Well, I spoke with Vince, and he agreed to ”donate” one of those sets for me to give away to one of my subscribers.  I’ll even make sure he includes all the birthday bash bonuses he was offering, and I’ll even give you the bonus I was offering, the Extreme Fat Loss Diet.

Total Value:  $1004.70

But, it’s only being given to ONE person.

(NOTE:  If you already ordered, you can absolutely still enter, and if you win your original order will be reimbursed)

If you want to win the $1004.70 package, simply reply in the comments section below this post (reply form is at the bottom of the page) with the following information:

In 250 words or less, I want you to tell me exactly why you need this package more than anyone else.  Why should I pick you to receive the ONE copy I’ve got over all the other people who reply?

That’s all.

And here’s a tip:  I’ve never been one to have “sympathy” for people who use cost as a reason not to take action on something that will change their life.  As a college kid, I shelled out close to $350/month to hire a mentor that completely changed mine, and it’s the only reason I’m where I am today.  Yes, it required a lot of sacrifice and I worked two different $8/hour jobs to make it happen, but I made it happen (and it changed  my life).  I’m a firm believer in the expression “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.

Anyway, I say that to say this…it’s probably best if you leave the “I can’t afford it” stuff out of your reply and instead focus on other elements that WILL catch my attention.

Tell me why you need them.  Tell how they will change your life.  And most of all, make me believe that you will USE them.

I’ve only got one set and I don’t want it to be given to someone who’s just going to let it collect dust beneath their TV set.  I want an action taker who’s going to use this prize and send me the most amazing testimonial about the results their getting.

250 words or less.

Have at it!

Joel

NOTE:  This contest is now CLOSED, but the DVDs have been re-opened for a PRINT ON DEMAND 24 hour sale to celebrate Vince and Flavia ENGAGEMENT!  I’m also included my bonus during these 24 hours (ends tonight, then the DVDs are off the market for at least a year):

==> http://tinyurl.com/vince-engag-my-bonus

Happy Holidays!

7 Topics, One Post - KILLER Content

Posted by Joel Marion on December 2, 2009 57 Comments

An Extremely Content-Rich Interview with my friend Vince DelMonte, and a special guest appearance from his girlfriend, Flavia!

Vince and Flavia at their recent photo shoot in the Domincan.

Alright, let’s get right down into it, Vinny.  A lot of people work out, few people see real changes from their efforts.  Why do you think so many people fail to see results from the time they spend in the gym?

People are focusing on time spent instead of time invested, and that’s an extremely important distinction. For example, last night I saw this dude in the gym attempting a Bent Over Row.  He picks up the barbell, leans forward about 2 inches, does about ten reps with maybe a few inches of movement, racks the bar, stands up tall and gets some water. No sweat. No noise. No change of facial expression.  Nothing.  I’m thinking to myself, “Go home, man!  Where’s the intensity?  Take up knitting or basket weaving!”

Two problems:

1. Most trainees do not know what intensity looks like. They are a product of their environment and the lack of energy and intensity rubs into their own workouts, whether they are aware of it or not.  After you become a fly on the wall and watch my DVD’s you’ll see and hear what real intensity looks like.  We don’t use professional athletes or scripted models in my DVD’s.  Instead I use real weights, real intensity, real sweat and real effort.

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Sprint To Your Ultimate Body

Posted by Joel Marion on December 1, 2009 128 Comments

In the last update, I presented some serious “wow-factor” research PROVING that both interval training and metabolic resistance training are far superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss. And today, as promised, I’m back with a sample interval training routine that is sure to have you burning body fat like nobody’s business.

A quick recap:

Interval training can be defined as the repeated alternating between higher intensity period of really “hard” work, and lower intensity periods of active recovery (i.e. walking).

Its benefits over traditional cardio include:

• Greater total calories burned (due to the “afterburn” effect)
• Greater fat loss (up to NINE times greater)
• Greater improvements in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness

On to the routine:

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Are you experiencing the AFTERBURN?

Posted by Joel Marion on November 30, 2009 337 Comments

In the last update I talked to you about the massive shortcomings of “slow-go” aerobic exercise for fat loss and began to briefly touch on the benefits of something much more effective - short duration, high intensity exercise.

Simply put, if you are looking for the fastest fat loss results, high intensity exercise is a MUST.

Short duration, high intensity exercise comes in two major forms: metabolic resistance training and interval training. Today, I want to take a DEEP look into the benefits of each.

First up, metabolic resistance training:

As mentioned in my previous post, metabolic resistance training is simply “cardio with weights”, and when speaking of the most effective form of exercise for the fastest possible fat loss, this is it.

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5 Reasons “Slow-go” Cardio Sucks

Posted by Joel Marion on November 28, 2009 314 Comments

Over the next week or so we’re going to be talking quite a bit about metabolic resistance training (i.e. “cardio with weights), but before we do I want to address something that slightly concerned me when reading through the stack of VIP one-on-one consultations in my inbox and many of the exercise-related questions coming in.

Apparently, many people are still stuck doing long duration, low-intensity cardiovascular exercise — yikes!

Here’s the deal: if you’re looking to achieve maximal benefit from the time you put into your workouts, long duration “slow-go” cardio is NOT the way to go, and for many reasons.

Here are my top 5:

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Win a FREE copy of the Cheat Your Way Thin Holiday Edition!

Posted by Joel Marion on November 19, 2009 906 Comments

I’m going to make this post extremely quick and easy.

To enter to win one of FIVE copies of the Cheat Your Way Thin Holiday Edition that I’m GIVING AWAY today, simply reply in the comments section below this post (reply form is at the bottom of the page) with the following information:

In 250 words or less, I want you to tell me exactly why this program is the perfect program for you at this point in your life.  Tell me WHY you NEED access to this information.

Again, please keep your reply less than 250 words, and please, leave finances out of your reply.  This program (via the less than half price pre-sale) will be affordable for literally anyone who wants access to  it.  Anyone.

So, again, leaving the financial stuff out, I want you to tell me, based on everything you’ve learned about dieting over the last 6 updates, why this program is the perfect fit for you.

I will keep the contest open through noon Eastern Standard Time today (Saturday), and then will go through the replies and notify the winners via email later in the day!

NOTE:  THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Good luck!

Joel