***NOTICE - My blog has moved. You can continue to find my blog postings over at www.tylerrobbinsfitness.com ***

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Day 285 - Weekly Newsletter

Hey Everyone!

How is everyone doing with their health and fitness goals? If you are looking for a spark or something to get you engaged and moving again, let me know! Remember that health and fitness is a life-long journey. This is not something you do for 90 days and then go back to your old ways. Living a healthy life requires time, commitment, and dedication! If you have fallen off the horse, fine. Dust yourself off, get focused, get some motivation, and get back on!

For those of you who have been sticking with it, good for you, you are having an influence and impact on the ones around you more than you know!

A couple things this week.

1. I have had some great interest already for the Shakeology samples. I have sent a bunch out already to many of you reading this e-mail. Please, if you are receiving a sample from me, let me know when you get it so that I know you have received it alright. Then, give it a shot and let me know how you like it. If you haven't requested a sample yet, and would like one, e-mail me so that I can send one to you!

2. I don't know if you folks read the Beachbody newsletter or not, but Steve Edwards (Beachbody's fitness adviser) is a regular contributor, and almost always has something worthwhile to read. This week's edition is no different. Have a read below:

5 Reasons You Could Be Gaining Weight

By Steve Edwards Nothing taps your panic button quite like gaining weight, especially when you're on a weight loss program. Unfortunately, it's an inevitable fact of life. Luckily, you've got me here to tell you that, as long as you're following a solid program, results will come. It's a physiological certainty (unless you have an underlying issue, like hypothyroidism).
I realize this might take further convincing, considering our instant-gratification society. But this ain't my first weight loss rodeo. I've seen almost every scenario you can dream up, most of which were solved by patience. That said, there are some strategies you can use to ensure you're getting the most out of both your diet and exercise program. Let's tackle five of the most common weight loss conundrums.
Woman on Scale


  1. I'm following the program perfectly. Why isn't it working?! Cortisol is a word you should become familiar with, as it's a key factor here. You've probably heard that it makes you fat, but you have no idea why "they" say that. What is cortisol? It's actually a performance-enhancing stress hormone that serves an important function in survival situations. Unfortunately, when we force too much daily stress on our bodies, we shift into a state of chronic cortisol release. This can cause us to store excess fat as a survival instinct. While it sounds pretty dire, it's generally only a serious problem in those with poor lifestyle habits.

    The beginning of a diet and/or exercise program, however, is a survival situation. In a very simplistic sense, your body releases cortisol, which, in turn, causes excess water retention to help you rebuild broken down muscle tissue. While this is cortisol functioning properly, it does lead to a period of water weight gain as you adjust to a new program. It's nothing to worry about. By following a solid plan, your body will adapt by repairing this muscle tissue. This results in an increase in your metabolism and leads to weight loss if that's your goal.

    The trick is that there is no hard line on how long this adaptation takes. It's based on your individual parameters. Just rest easy in the fact that it will happen, unless you force it not to, leading us to . . .
  2. Woman with Small PortionI'm barely eating. Severe undereating causes cortisol release, as it's the definition of a bodily emergency. Beachbody® offers many kick-start (or express) eating plans where you undereat for a few days, but you're always encouraged to get back to a solid maintenance calorie level quickly. A short period of strategic undereating with proper hydration will help your body dispense of unneeded food (most of us chronically overeat) and regulate bodily functions. Go too long, however, and chronic cortisol release is the result.

    This is a tough situation because our natural reaction to weight gain is to eat less. When you're exercising, it's important to keep your eye on workout performance, as opposed to how much weight you're losing. You should be eating enough so that your daily workouts improve over time. As long as that's happening, your body is adapting, your metabolism is increasing, and you will lose weight provided you also don't overeat.
  3. I've been doing hard workouts for weeks. On the performance theme, you need to continually improve, which is why workouts get harder as you move through any of Beachbody's programs. It's also why we add resistance (via added weight or gravity, as is the case with jumping) to workouts. If you're doing the same workouts at the same intensity constantly, you are not forcing adaptations that lead to changes in your metabolism. This is called a plateau.

    A plateau, technically, isn't gaining weight—it's remaining the same—but a proper diet and exercise program should continually force improvements (in the form of adaptations). Otherwise, your metabolism won't continue to increase, which is the goal of most weight loss programs.
  4. My friend and I are doing the exact same thing and she's losing. Back to adaptation. We all react differently. The only absolute is that our bodies will change over time with a healthy program. A fitness rule called the Specificity of Adaptation states that it takes the body between 3 and 12 weeks to adapt to new stimuli, which is a very broad range. This is why it's vital that you stick to your program and not change it repeatedly based on your daily results!

    In our test groups, two-week results have almost no bearing on who does best in the end. In fact, many people that undereat early and get off to a fast start will stagnate, while those who stick to the plan and eat as advised will start slower but train harder over time, leading to rapid weight loss as the program wears on.
  5. Woman with Small PortionI lost weight for a while but now it's stopped. For ages on the Team Beachbody® Message Boards, this was our most frequently asked question. You eat less to lose weight. Things are going great, but suddenly you plateau—or start gaining. Odds are, your metabolism has slowed down in order to deal with the decreased calories. You're starving your now fit body, so it's doing what it needs to do to survive. The answer to this problem is pretty simple: eat more.

    Again, this is a tough sell, so here's an example. One of our early Success Stories lost 40 pounds during a round of Power 90®, eating only 1,200 calories a day. He then stagnated for a long time and was very resistant to eating more, fearing it would kick-start a regression. We talked him into adding calories until, finally at around 2,000 calories, weight loss resumed. It then became so rapid he dropped through his goal, and about 20 pounds below, until finally, at around 3,000 calories, he leveled out. Then a daily diet of around 3,500 calories a day got him to a ripped 175.
So the moral of today's lesson is to trust your exercise program—at least if it's a Beachbody program. We've been doing this a long time and we know what works. There are no magic bullets. Body transformation is based on making consistent, healthy lifestyle changes. Do that and you'll never need to ask yourself why you're gaining weight again.
My blogs from the past few days:

Body Beast Build: Legs Complete Review
Motivation Saturday
Body Beast Days 34-38
Cross Training and Periodization
Training Principles
Body Beast Build: Back and Bis Complete Review

Everyone have a great week! If you need anything, you know how to reach me, talk to you all soon,

Quote of the day:
"Difficulties mastered are opportunities won."
~Winston Churchill


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Day 284 - Body Beast Build: Back and Bis Review


Quote of the day:
"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work."
-Mark Twain


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Day 283 - Training Principles

Specificity

In short, specificity refers to the training modalities aimed towards a specific sport or action. This is extremely important when an individual wishes to train for their desired sport or event. When training specific movements, an individual should try to mimic their sport-related movements and actions as much as possible. For example, if a baseball pitcher wishes to increase their throwing velocity, they need to of course strengthen their shoulder and arm, but also train to increase their angular velocity as well. A strong arm does not necessarily allow you to throw a baseball at a high speed, you would need to specify your training to increase that arm/ball speed.

Another aspect that is involved in specificity, and a topic that I have discussed before deals with athletic periodizational training. Athletes generally compete in sport seasons that they can target their training schedule around. For example, after a sport season has completed, an athlete will usually go into a short recovery or "off" time. They will then get back into a training schedule based on how long they have until the next season starts. Early training usually involves a lot of strength and endurance training, but as the training schedule progresses closer and closer to the sport season, this is when the athlete begins to specify their training more and more in order to increase their sport-specific skill set.

Overload

Overload refers to the workload being applied to an individual. Some may refer to this as "progressive overload" which essentially means that you need to continue to challenge your body in new ways in sequential training session in order for the body to continue to adapt and improve over time.

Exercise causes micro tears and damage to the body which is then rebuilt and repaired with proper diet and rest in order to become stronger for future use. In order for this to continue to happen, the body must continually increase its workload in order to continue the adaptation process.

Progression

Progression is related to overload in the fact that an individual needs to continue to progress with their training by increasing their workload in a number of ways. Workloads can be progressed in a number of ways such as shortening rest periods, increasing resistance loads, increasing workout durations, etc. all based on an individual's specific training schedule.

When combining all three of these training principles, a highly effective training schedule can be created for an individual based on their goals and aspirations to create faster, stronger and sometimes bigger muscles to perform better and more efficiently or fatigue-resistant.

Quote of the day:
"Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating."
~ Denis Waitley

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Monday, January 28, 2013

Day 282 - Cross Training and Periodization

Cross training is an important training principle for anyone looking to get in shape or stay fit. Everyone from professional athletes to average Joe's can benefit from it. For those of you that do not know what cross training is, let me explain. Cross training is essentially training your body physically in a wide array of activities crossing or covering many types of actions or movements.

Cross training maximizes fitness gains for all who use it for many reasons. Traditionally, when someone trains for a specific event, they use a practice known as specificity. This relates to the fact that you train for what you do. For example, a baseball pitcher is going to train his arm and shoulder muscles so that they can become stronger and faster so that they can have maximum throwing power and control.

The downside of specificity training is that often times you create muscular imbalances. Muscular imbalance, if used over long periods of time can lead to injuries for a few reasons. Firstly, certain parts of your body can become faster or stronger than other parts, putting much greater stresses on certain tissues and joints. The other reason is that unused muscles over time begin to atrophy (break down) as your body basically follows a "use it or lose it" principle.

So back to the baseball pitcher for a second. Throwing a baseball involves significant angular velocities at the shoulder, not to mention tremendous arm extension power at the elbow. The muscles involved here are all of the muscles that encapsulate the shoulder joint, but also the triceps to extend the arm. Antagonist muscles act as a braking mechanism to try and prevent injury. In the throwing a baseball example, if the triceps are extending the arm at a high velocity, the biceps work as a brake in order to make sure the arm does not extend further than it should. So a pitcher training only his triceps and not his biceps is increasing his/her likelihood of injury. That is just one small example of how cross training can aid all types of athletes.

More and more studies are being conducted and are finding that distance runners are benefiting from forms of cross training like plyometrics and heavy leg-resistance routines. For a while, it was generally thought that adding muscular size would create slow muscles, so distance runners were avoiding heavy resistance training to their legs in fear of creating slow legs. Not the case, as a properly designed strength program has been proven to shave minutes off of their times!

For the average Joe that is just looking to stay in shape, cross training should be your primary source of training. You should partake in a wide variety of exercise movements, sports, intensities, etc. to train as many different body parts, energy systems and interests as possible. It is when you begin to train for a specific event that you should begin to look at specificity.

This is how the pros do it. A proper training program should be broken up into cycles, also known as periodization. The shortest stage of periodization can last a few days to a few weeks and it is called a "microcycle". After that is a "mesocycle" which can run you anywhere from several weeks to several months. Finally, the "macrocycle" can run from several months to several years! Macrocycles are usually used by Olympic athletes that plan out a 4-year plan between Olympics.

The whole goal in peiodization, especially for athletes, is that you want your body to "peak" in performance at the right time, which is right at competition. For example, let's take a look at a professional football player. As soon as the season ends in January/February, he will probably take a few weeks rest to let his body recuperate after the grueling season. He will then enter a training program that initially starts out with heavy cross training. This will involve total-body resistance training, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning using such things as Plyometrics, power weightlifting, etc.

As the season draws nearer and nearer, his training begins to become more specific and more power-oriented, not to mention training camp will start and his skill-specific training will start to take more and more of his time. All of his training leading up to the season gets more and more specific as he nears closer to first day opening kickoff, his cross-training initial stage is what was one of the most crucial stages of his development because it allowed him to develop a strong, athletic base. The principles and training modalities used at the beginning using total-body conditioning creates a strong basis of fitness to then build on with power moves and skill-specific training.

If you are a runner, try some heavy, leg resistance training. If you are a hockey player, play some soccer in the off-season, etc. By training in multiple athletic movements and events will make you a more well-rounded and injury-resistant person!

Quote of the day:
"You’ve got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It’s called perseverance."
~ Lee Iacocca


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Day 281 - Body Beast Days 34-38


Quote of the day:
"Difficulties mastered are opportunities won."
~Winston Churchill


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Day 280 - Motivation Saturday

I love the motivational/promotional videos Tough Mudder puts out. Here's their latest:


Quote of the day:
"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
~Chinese Proverb

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Friday, January 25, 2013

Day 279 - Beachbody Body Beast Build Legs Complete Review


Quote of the day:
"He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty."
~Lao Tzu

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Day 278 - Weekly Newsletter

Hey Everybody!

I hope you are all continuing to press play and stay active and eating healthy! If it is as cold outside where you are as it is where I am, hopefully you are staying warm as well. Nothing keeps your body warm like a good workout ;-)

A couple things I want to touch on this week.

1. I have ordered a box of sample packets for the new and improved Chocolate Shakeology flavor from Beachbody. I have advertised on Facebook, but figured I would throw out the invitation in my mass e-mail as well, as not everyone is on Facebook. For those of you who don't know, Beachbody had changed the chocolate formula a little while back to try and improve the overall nutritional value of it. Well, unfortunately many folks disliked the taste, so Beachbody listened to its customers and have now come back with an even newer formula (now 3rd generation I guess you could say) that is getting some pretty remarkable reviews!

I have been using the chocolate Shakeology for a few months now and am one of the few who actually enjoys the taste, so I am excited to give the new flavor a try.

If you would like to sample the new chocolate Shakeology, please send me an e-mail with the name and address you would like me to ship the sample to, and I will get one out to you as soon as I can. All I ask is that only serious inquiries ask for a sample. If you are serious about wanting to try Shakeology because you may want to order some in the future, then I am more than happy to send you one. I am sending this samples out free of charge to you, paying out of my own pocket.

2. Beachbody's Top Coach of the year for both 2011 and 2012 has released his 6-steps to a successful Beachbody Coaching business. For those of you who don't know Coach Wayne over at TeamRipped.com, you should go check out his story, pretty remarkable stuff! Tyler Robbins Fitness is directly affiliated with Coach Wayne and his team, so I, along with all of my Coaches have direct access to this training. If you have thought about becoming a Coach in the past, this is the time to do it! I have the training tools available to me and will send them to you if you sign up as a Coach under me or any one of my personally sponsored Coaches.

Here are my blogs from this past week:

Body Beast Day 26 Bulk: Shoulders
Motivation Saturday
Body Beast Build: Back/Bis "Build Phase" Progress
Body Beast Days 28-32
Body Beast Build: Shoudlers "Build Phase" Progress
Body Beast Build: Chest/Tris Complete Review

Other than that, I hope everyone has a great week. Remember, if you would like a Chocolate Shakeology sample, let me know!

--
Tyler Robbins


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Day 277 - Body Beast Build: Chest/Tris Complete Review


Welcome to Body Beast, Beachbody's hypertrophy, or mass-gaining program. The first workout in the standard schedule is Build: Chest/Tris

Initial Thoughts

My chest has always been a trouble spot for me for building mass, so I was excited to give this one a shot. Not only that, but if you are at all familiar with Beachbody's other workout programs like P90X, Insanity, P90X2, Asylum, etc., many of those programs mainly use pushups for chest exercises. This workout breaks that mold and uses dumbbells to Beast your chest up.

Equipment Needed

Dumbbells

Bench or Stability ball (I highly recommend getting yourself a bench)

I like having a towel nearby to dry off my hands when resistance training

Worksheets are very important in these workouts, as with any exercise program. With the Beast, you are really aiming to stick to very specific rep counts for a reason, so you will want to make sure you make intelligent weight selections.

Pros

This may be an introduction into old-school weightlifting for a lot of folks, which may be a great change of pace and a breath of fresh air.

The advantages to having these workouts on DVD, is that the pacing is set up for you. All of the breaks are timed for a specific reason to target a metabolic demand in your muscles and increase the likelihood of hypertrophy, or muscular growth.

The trainer Sagi can be pretty motivating at times, and the music is pretty awesome as well, if you are into "rock" music.

Cons

The warmup and cool down is VERY short and almost non-existent. For those of you coming off of P90X, P90X2, or Insanity need to remember that this is a bodybuilding program. The actions themselves are (for the most part) intended to warm the muscles and stretch them through their full range of motion.

Not only that, but nearly every exercise starts with a set of 15 reps. This is a great way to get blood flowing to the muscles and prepping them for the higher-weight sets.

Having said all of that, the cool down and stretch is not very good at all. I find not only the duration, but also the stretch selection to be very poor. I usually just perform stretches on my own based on my own knowledge.

Also, I can see Sagi and the cast being a bit 'much' for some of you out there. I don't mind their attitudes and nature, but I also don't mind Tony Horton either, and I know how much he gets on other people's nerves.

Difficulty

I will touch on this later in the review in the "Advice" section, but just let me say now that weight selection is absolutely VITAL to your success in this program. I believe your weight selection in this program is even more important to your success than something like P90X.

Having said that, once you reach a point where your weight choices are spot-on and you are hitting your 'max' on the last few reps of every set, this routine will have you whimpering by the end! The pacing, structure, and exercise selection is great in my opinion at hitting the chest and triceps hard!

The first few times I did this routine, I had to do some of the pushup sets on my knees. I can't remember the last time I was forced to doing pushups on my knees...

5/5

Workout Design

For those of you who are familiar with the P90X/P90X2 workout structure, you will enjoy the change of pace here. Rather than doing 20 straight sets of exercise, or 10 sets repeated, Body Beast uses what is known as "Dynamic Set Training". This workout uses a combination of Single Sets, Super Sets, and Giant Sets.

Single Sets are single exercises, completed with various repetition goals. For example, you will do a flat dumbbell chest press for 15 reps, a quick break, repeat with a goal of 12 repetitions, one more quick break, and then one more set with a goal of 8 repetitions.

Single sets tend to finish off with a "Drop Set", which is where you do 8 reps with one weight, then drop down in resistance by a bit, and do 8 more reps. A lot of these principles are not re-inventing the wheel by any means, but are using old school bodybuilding techniques.

Super Sets are two exercises done back-to-back, also in a progressive manner. So for example, you may do an incline chest fly for 15 reps, immediately followed by an incline chest press for 15 reps. A quick break, then repeat the 2 for 12 reps similar to what you see in a single set.

Giant sets are the same as Super Sets, but with 3 exercises back-to-back-to-back instead of 2.

The workout progresses through working the chest for the first half of the workout, followed by triceps work for the 2nd half. Warmup, cooldown, and a crushing workout to both your chest and triceps all, in under 50 mins!

4.5/5

Advice

Weight selection is absolutely the most important factor for the Body Beast program.

There is a very specific reason to the breakdown and structure of the workouts. By aiming for 15, 12, and 8 rep sets, with little break in between, you are not only trying to create a very specific demand within your muscles, but you are also maximizing your muscles' potential with less overall resistance needed.

On a good day, I can curl 45-50lbs for 8 reps, for example. In Body Beast, the bicep curl sets, I struggle to hit 8 reps with 35lbs!

Luckily, as I progress through the program, you all can follow my videos and progress and can use me to help you with the program as well.

Overall Score

A great start to Body Beast, and a great workout for your Chest and Triceps. A few minor problems here and there, including a poor cool-down and stretch, but overall a great workout that gets you in an old-school weightlifting sort of mood.

9.5/10
Quote of the day:
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."
~ Aristotle
Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Day 276 - Body Beast Build: Shoulders "Build Phase" Progress

Below is the improvement I saw on Build: Shoulders throughout the "Build" phase of Body Beast. I find my shoulders have always been a bit of a 'weaker' point for me. I feel as though I have pretty good endurance, as I can usually lift lighter weights for many reps, but once I start going up in weight, my strength wanes pretty quickly. I also feel like I have reached a plateau with this routine, as I can't seem to up my weights any further.

I have heard that Bulk: Shoulders is a great routine to break through a plateau and up some more weights for the shoulders, so I look forward to changing things up!

Build: Shoulders

Shoulder Press

Day 4
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x25lbs
12 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x40lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs

Lateral Raise

Day 4
15 reps - 2x5lbs
12 reps - 2x8lbs
8 reps - 2x10lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x10lbs
12 reps - 2x15lbs
8 reps - 2x20lbs

Upright Row (I used dumbbells)

Day 4
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs

Underhand Press (I used dumbbells)

Day 4
15 reps - 2x15lbs
12 reps - 2x20lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs

1,1,2 Front Raise

Day 4
15 reps - 2x5lbs
12 reps - 2x8lbs
8 reps - 2x10lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x8lbs
12 reps - 2x10lbs
8 reps - 2x15lbs

Rear Delt Raise (I did the "Pinky Fly" version from Tony Horton's 1on1 Diamond Delts)

Day 4
15 reps - 2x5lbs
12 reps - 2x8lbs
8 reps - 2x10lbs


Day 20
15 reps - 2x10lbs
12 reps - 2x15lbs
8 reps - 2x15lbs

Standing Dumbbell Shrug

Day 4
15 reps - 2x40lbs
12 reps - 2x50lbs
8 reps - 2x60lbs
8 reps - 2x50lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x45lbs
12 reps - 2x50lbs
8 reps - 2x60lbs
8 reps - 2x50lbs

Dumbbell Scap Trap

Day 4
15 reps - 2x30lbs
12 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x40lbs

Day 20
15 reps - 2x35lbs
12 reps - 2x40lbs
8 reps - 2x45lbs

Sagi Six-Way

Day 4

12 reps - 5lbs
8 reps- 8lbs

Day 20
12 reps - 8lbs
8 reps - 10lbs

A couple of thoughts: I find this routine tough because it covers so many areas of the shoulder. Not only that, but it incorporates both pushing and fly-type moves so your shoulders get quite the burn if your weight selection is spot-on. Having said that, it is so hard to improve in weights (in my opinion) on the fly exercises because with straight arms, you can't move a whole heck of a lot of weight.

For the rear delt flies, I use Tony Horton's version instead of Sagi's. I do this because I feel by raising the hands perpendicular to the ground (rather than parallel), the back of the shoulders get more work rather than between the shoulder blades.

My dumbbells only go up to 60lbs. I could've used more for the standing shrugs...will have to save up my monies.

Don't be afraid to use heavier weight than Sagi and the other guys on the Scap Trap move. I am not sure why they use such light weight. I am assuming I was doing the exercise correctly, so in that case, I needed much heavier weight than what they were using.

Quote of the day:
"The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools."
~ Confucius

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Monday, January 21, 2013

Day 275 - Body Beast Days 28-32


Quote of the day:
"He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty."
~Lao Tzu

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Day 274 - Body Beast Build: Back/Bis "Build Phase" Progress

Here is my build phase progress for Build: Back/Bis. I felt like this was the toughest routine in the build phase to increase resistance by large amounts. I was able to increase weight a bit for the back work, which I think caused the biceps to struggle a bit towards the end due to their involvement in the back exercises.

Also, the pacing of this workout is just crazy! The Close-Grip Chin-up sequence comes at you immediately following the Giant Set of rows, and reverse flys. Definitely the toughest sequence in the bunch!

One other thing to note. My "assisted" pull-ups and chin-ups were done using Beachbody's Pull-up assist. I highly recommend this thing, it works great to keep good form while assisted you where you need it.


Build: Back/Bis

Deadlift

Day 3
15 reps - 2x30lbs
12 reps - 2x40lbs
8 reps - 2x50lbs
8 reps - 2x40lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 2x40lbs
12 reps - 2x50lbs
8 reps - 2x60lbs
8 reps - 2x50lbs

Dumbbell Pullover

Day 3
15 reps - 30lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 50lbs
8 reps - 40lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 40lbs
12 reps - 50lbs
8 reps - 60lbs
8 reps - 50lbs

Pull-up

Day 3
10 reps
10 reps
6 reps, 4 assisted reps

Day 19
10 reps - 10lb vest
10 reps - 10lb vest
10 reps - 10lb vest

E-Z Bar Row (I use dumbbells)

Day 3
15 reps - 2x25lbs
12 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 2x30lbs
12 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x40lbs

One-Arm Row

Day 3
15 reps - 30lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 50lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 40lbs
12 reps - 45lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Reverse Fly

Day 3
15 reps - 10lbs
12 reps - 15lbs
8 reps - 15lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 10lbs
12 reps - 15lbs
8 reps - 15lbs

Close-Grip Chin-Up

Day 3
8 reps, 4 assisted reps
4 reps, 3 assisted reps
5 assisted reps

Day 19
10 reps - 10lb vest
10 reps
8 reps

Seated Bicep Curl

Day 3
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

1,1,2 Hammer Curl

Day 3
15 reps - 2x10lbs
12 reps - 2x15lbs
8 reps - 2x20lbs

Day 19
15 reps - 2x15lbs
12 reps - 2x20lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Neutral E-Z Bar Curl (I used dumbbells)

Day 3
15 reps - 2x25lbs
12 reps - 2x30lbs (8 reps), 2x25lbs (4 reps)
8 reps - 2x30lbs (ugly)
8 reps - 2x25lbs (ugly)

Day 19
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

This is a very humbling routine, especially those of you who are coming off of P90X/P90X2. I would consider myself to be pretty good at both pull-ups/chin-ups and bicep curls, but you really need to lighten your loads on this one and expect less reps on pull-ups/chin-ups. The pacing of this routine just destroys you!

Quote of the day:
"Kites rise highest against the wind; not with it."
~ Winston Churchill


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Day 273 - Motivation Saturday


Quote of the day:
"My suggestion would be to walk away from the 90% who don’t and join the 10% who do."
~ Jim Rohn

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Friday, January 18, 2013

Day 272 - Body Beast Day 26 Bulk Shoulders


Quote of the day:
"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities, and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
~Harry Truman

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Day 271 - Weekly Newsletter

Hello Everybody!

Wow, January is already half over! I hope you are all either staying active and leading healthy lifestyles, or at least planning to get started real soon. Remember that your body is the only one you have, so eating healthy and exercising should be just as much of a full-time job as, well, going to your full-time job!

I want to talk to you all quick about goals. Most importantly, setting them. If you haven't already, start setting your sights on a goal(s) you wish to accomplish in 2013. Ideally, goals should not just come at the start of a new year, but realistically, most people find that the start of a new calendar year is a great time for a fresh start.

The problem with the goals of most individuals is that they lack any real meaning or purpose. The more specific you are, especially with time frame, the more likely you are to take the necessary steps to put accomplish said goals.

For example, one of the most common 'goals' people have at the start of the year is, "I want to lose weight." Great. Fine. But when you think about that, what does it really mean? Do you want to lose 1 pound? 2 pounds? 100 pounds? When do you wish to accomplish this by, tomorrow morning? Next year?

Pick something in your life right now that you either wish to accomplish, or remove from your life and act on it now!

A better goal would be, "I want to lose 20 pounds before June!" Awesome! At least this gives you a focus and a better idea of how to structure your plan of attack. Ok, so you have 21 weeks until June. That is a 1 pound per week. Now you can focus on how much exercise and how many calories it takes to cut from your diet in order to reach that goal.

For myself, I have a few goals already penciled in for this year. First, my wife and I are competing in Tough Mudder in May again. Once I finish up with Body Beast, I will get back to functional training and getting ready for the event. After that, I wish to compete in the World's Toughest Mudder again in November, so, my training schedule will start to take shape once May is over.

If you are looking for inspiration, think of an event that you wish to complete your goal by. What's nice about events, such as Tough Mudder, is that I have paid my admission already. The date and time of the event is set. Now, I have to train for it, or else I have just pissed my money away. Find something that interests you and go and do it.

Enough rambling, here are my blogs and videos from the past week. Everyone have a great week. Please remember that my job (and goal) is to help all of you, but I can only show you the door, you must walk through it. Talk to you all soon,

Body Beast Days 17-21
Motivation Saturday: Pumping Iron
Body Beast Day 22 Bulk Chest
Body Beast Day 23 Bulk Legs
Body Beast Day 24 Bulk Back
Body Beast Day 25 Bulk Arms

Quote of the day:
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
~Thomas Edison

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Day 270 - Body Beast Day 25 Bulk Arms


Quote of the day:

"Never look back unless you are planning to go that way."
~ Henry David Thoreau


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Day 269 - Body Beast Day 24 Bulk Back


Quote of the day:
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."
~ Herman Cain

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Monday, January 14, 2013

Day 268 - Body Beast Day 23 Bulk Legs


Quote of the day:
"There is no such thing as failure. There are only results."
~ Tony Robbins

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Day 267 - Body Beast Day 22 Bulk Chest


Quote of the day:
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Day 266 - Motivation Saturday: Pumping Iron

Not sure if everyone is aware of this or not, but you can actually catch the movie "Pumping Iron" in its entirety on Youtube. It is a pretty cool movie to watch and see the aura surrounding bodybuilding in the 70's, not to mention Arnie's younger self. There are some pretty memorable scenes, enjoy!


Quote of the day:
"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it."
~ Debbi Fields

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Friday, January 11, 2013

Day 265 - Body Beast Days 17-21


Quote of the day:
"The best motivating is self-motivating.The guy says,"I wish someone would come by and turn me on."What if they don’t show up?You’ve got to have a better plan for your life."
~ Jim Rohn
Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Day 264 - Weekly Newsletter

Hey Everybody

We are now over a week in to 2013. Can you believe that most people give up on their New Years' Resolutions within the first week? I trust (and hope) that all of you are staying active and healthy, and are a shining example to those around you!

I just finished up with Day 21 of Body Beast this morning and am already seeing some pretty remarkable results. I am up about 7lbs and am already noticing some pretty significant size increases, especially in my chest and arms. Tomorrow I start the Bulk Phase of the routine.

Just in case you have missed any of my blogs, here are my blogs from this past week:

Tyler's Workout Music Part 2
Motivation Saturday
Body Beast Days 12-15
Body Beast Build: Chest/Tris "Build Phase" Progress
Tyler's Workout Music Part 3
Body Beast Build: Legs "Build Phase" Progress

If you haven't already, make sure you "Like" my Facebook page (link below) as I will hopefully be announcing a new contest soon. I usually run my contests through Facebook as that is the easiest way (in my opinion) to reach so many of you folks at once.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please do not hesitate to ask, I am here to help all of you! Have a great week, talk to you all soon,

Tyler Robbins
Independent Team Beachbody Coach
tylerrobbinsfitness.com
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

2013 Challenge Group - Team Fitness for Life

Quote of the day:
"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
~ Bruce Lee


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Day 263 - Body Beast Build: Legs "Build Phase" Progress

Below is the improvement I saw on Build: Legs throughout the "Build" phase of Body Beast.

The resistance listed includes the entire weight used, including wearing my 20lb weighted vest (where applicable) as well as adding up weights in both hands (again, where applicable).

Build: Legs

Sumo Squat

Day 2
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 60lbs (did a few reps but then dropped to just the vest because I felt like I nearly pulled my groin)
8 reps - 20lbs

Day 18
15 reps - 45lbs
12 reps - 55lbs
8 reps - 70lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Alternating Lunge

Day 2
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Day 18
15 reps - 60lbs
12 reps - 80lbs
8 reps - 100lbs

Step-Up to Reverse Lunge

Day 2
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Day 18
15 reps - 40lbs
12 reps - 60lbs
8 reps - 80lbs

Parallel Squat

Day 2
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Day 18
15 reps - 60lbs
12 reps - 80lbs
8 reps - 110lbs

Bulgarian Squat

Day 2
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Day 18
15 reps - 50lbs
12 reps - 60lbs
8 reps - 80lbs

Straight Leg Deadlift

Day 2
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 40lbs
8 reps - 60lbs

Day 18

15 reps - 60lbs
12 reps - 70lbs
8 reps - 80lbs


Single Leg Calf Raise

Day 2
40lbs - 22 reps
40lbs - 18 reps

Day 18

70lbs - 12 reps
70lbs - 12 reps


Seated Calf Raises

Day 2
20lbs (each leg) - 15 reps
20lbs (each leg) - 15 reps

Day 18

50lbs (each leg) - 14 reps
50lbs (each leg) - 14 reps


In & Outs (Crunchy Frog on bench)

Day 2
20 reps
20 reps

Day 18
25 reps
25 reps

I also focused on perfect form throughout the routine, every week. My legs were incredibly sore for many days after the first round of this routine, but every time I did the routine after that, there was virtually no leg soreness the following days.

Quote of the day:
"Fortune favors the brave."
~ Publius Terence


Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Day 262 - Tyler's Workout Music Part 3

I get requests all the time from people, asking what music I like to workout to. Some requests come from those who watch my Youtube videos, others just like to expand their workout music libraries (as do I), so are looking for music inspiration.

Before we get started, I just want to list a few disclaimers:

1. Music selection is based on personal taste. I do not want to hear about how much your music is better than mine. This is what works for me and what I enjoy.

2. Some of these songs have strong language and cursing. If that is not your thing, you can usually search for "clean" versions. I am usually a fan of the music and beat, not necessarily the strong language, so you can still enjoy a song without all the F's, B's, S's, etc.

3. This is the list I have come up with at the end of 2012. My music selection usually varies from month to month, as well as what I am currently training. For example, some songs are better for running, some are better for throwing weights around. What is on my list today may not necessarily be there in a few months from now.

4. This list, as well as subsequent lists are in no particular order. I don't really have one favourite song of all time, just a bunch of favourites, so don't read anything into the order of the list.

Here is today's list:

1. No Church in the Wild - Kanye West & Jay-Z (feat. Frank Ocean)
2. Pornstar Dancing - My Darkest Days (feat. Zakk Wylde)
3. Psycho - 50 Cent (feat. Eminem)
4. Red to Black - Fort Minor
5. Renegades of Funk - Rage Against the Machine
6. Righteous Smoke - Monster Truck
7. Self vs. Self - Pendulum
8. Space Lord - Monster Magnet
9. Thunderstruck - AC/DC
10. Won't Back Down - Eminem (feat. Pink)

Quote of the day:
"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it."
~ Debbi Fields

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Monday, January 7, 2013

Day 261 - Body Beast Build: Chest/Tris "Build Phase" Progress

Below is the improvement I saw on Build: Chest/Tris throughout the "Build" phase of Body Beast. I am quite happy with how I progressed in this first phase!

Build: Chest/Tris

Dumbbell Chest Press

Day 1
15 reps - 2x30lbs
12 reps - 2x40lbs
8 reps - 2x50lbs
8 reps - 2x40lbs

Day 17
15 reps - 2x30lbs
12 reps - 2x40lbs
8 reps - 2x60lbs
8 reps - 2x45lbs

Incline Dumbbell Fly

Day 1
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs

Day 17
15 reps - 2x25lbs
12 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs

Incline Dumbbell Press

Day 1
15 reps - 2x25lbs
12 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Day 17
15 reps - 2x30lbs
12 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x45lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs

Close Grip Press

Day 1
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x30lbs

Day 17
15 reps - 2x25lbs
12 reps - 2x30lbs
8 reps - 2x40lbs

Partial Chest Fly

Day 1
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x20lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs (7 reps)

Day 17
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Decline Pushups

Day 1
8 reps
8 reps
6 reps

Day 17
15 reps
12 reps
8 reps

Tricep Extensions

Day 1
15 reps - 2x15lbs
12 reps - 2x20lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x20lbs (6 reps)

Day 17
15 reps - 2x20lbs
12 reps - 2x25lbs
8 reps - 2x35lbs
8 reps - 2x25lbs

Single Arm Kickbacks

Day 1
15 reps - 10lbs
12 reps - 15lbs
8 reps - 20lbs
8 reps - 15lbs

Day 17
15 reps - 20lbs
12 reps - 25lbs
8 reps - 30lbs
8 reps - 25lbs

Tricep Pushups

Day 1
15 reps (on knees)
12 reps (on knees)
8 reps (on knees)

Day 17
15 reps
12 reps
8 reps

Dips on Bench

Day 1
10 reps, break, 5 reps

Day 17
35 reps, break, 15 reps

In & Outs (I did crunchy frogs on bench)

Day 1
30 reps

Day 17
60 reps

I also focused on perfect form throughout the routine, every week. My strength went up in most areas, but the most improvement is seen in my stamina. I was able to keep (or improve) my strength throughout the routine every session.

Quote of the day:
"Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you."
~ Anonymous

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Day 260 - Body Beast Days 12-15


Quote of the day:
"I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big."
~ Donald Trump

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Day 259 - Motivation Saturday


Quote of the day:
"The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can’t do."
~ Dennis Waitley

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Friday, January 4, 2013

Day 258 - Tyler's Workout Music Part 2

I get requests all the time from people, asking what music I like to workout to. Some requests come from those who watch my Youtube videos, others just like to expand their workout music libraries (as do I), so are looking for music inspiration.

Before we get started, I just want to list a few disclaimers:

1. Music selection is based on personal taste. I do not want to hear about how much your music is better than mine. This is what works for me and what I enjoy.

2. Some of these songs have strong language and cursing. If that is not your thing, you can usually search for "clean" versions. I am usually a fan of the music and beat, not necessarily the strong language, so you can still enjoy a song without all the F's, B's, S's, etc.

3. This is the list I have come up with at the end of 2012. My music selection usually varies from month to month, as well as what I am currently training. For example, some songs are better for running, some are better for throwing weights around. What is on my list today may not necessarily be there in a few months from now.

4. This list, as well as subsequent lists are in no particular order. I don't really have one favourite song of all time, just a bunch of favourites, so don't read anything into the order of the list.

Here is today's list:

1. B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down
2. Lose Yourself - Eminem
3. Blood Sugar - Pendulum
4. Mein Land - Rammstein
5. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
6. Burn it to the Ground - Nickelback
7. My Curse - Killswitch Engage
8. Chop Suey - System of a Down
9. My Life (feat. Eminem & Adam Levine) - 50 Cent
10. Down on Me - 50 Cent

Quote of the day:
"I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!"
~ C.J. Walker

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Day 257 - Weekly Newsletter

Good Morning Everybody, and Happy New Year!


Well, here we are, the start of a brand new year. This is the time of year when so many people decide to start over. This is the time of year when so many want to overhaul their lifestyle and get back to (or start) healthy living.

I think my quote of the day today is so fitting for this time of year:

"The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer."
~ Nolan Bushnell

I am here to help you create and achieve your goals. I was sick and tired of the direction my life was heading just a few years ago, so I decided to make a change for the better and haven't looked back since! Now I want to relay that motivation and inspiration to the rest of you!

On a personal note, I have been plugging away at Body Beast. I just finished up day 14 this morning and am already noticing some pretty impressive size and strength gains. I think you are all going to be pretty amazed at my transformation by the end of this program.

Here is my day 7-10 progress video.

Also, in case any of you missed it, I am looking for dedicated, motivated, (insane) individuals who may wish to join me at this year's World's Toughest Mudder...

Finally, if any of you have been on the fence about becoming a Beachbody Coach, this is a tremendous time of year to finally sign up. So many folks around you, friends, family, etc. are looking for motivation and inspiration to get them active and leading a healthier lifestyle. If you are interested in sharing your experiences with them, e-mail me back for further details.

Everyone have an awesome day, talk to you soon!

--
Tyler Robbins



Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Day 256 - Tyler's Workout Music Part 1

I get requests all the time from people, asking what music I like to workout to. Some requests come from those who watch my Youtube videos, others just like to expand their workout music libraries (as do I), so are looking for music inspiration.

Before we get started, I just want to list a few disclaimers:

1. Music selection is based on personal taste. I do not want to hear about how much your music is better than mine. This is what works for me and what I enjoy.

2. Some of these songs have strong language and cursing. If that is not your thing, you can usually search for "clean" versions. I am usually a fan of the music and beat, not necessarily the strong language, so you can still enjoy a song without all the F's, B's, S's, etc.

3. This is the list I have come up with at the end of 2012. My music selection usually varies from month to month, as well as what I am currently training. For example, some songs are better for running, some are better for throwing weights around. What is on my list today may not necessarily be there in a few months from now.

4. This list, as well as subsequent lists are in no particular order. I don't really have one favourite song of all time, just a bunch of favourites, so don't read anything into the order of the list.

Today's list is the Linkin Park edition. I think it's safe to say Linkin Park is my favourite band. They have some great tunes for workouts as well as when not working out. I have so many songs on my playlist from them, I figured I would do 1 list with strictly their music.

1. Blackout - Linkin Park
2. Bleed it Out - Linkin Park
3. The Catalyst - Linkin Park
4. Don't Stay - Linkin Park
5. Faint - Linkin Park
6. Given Up - Linkin Park
7. Hit the Floor - Linkin Park
8. In the End - Linkin Park
9. Lost in the Echo - Linkin Park
10. Nothing to Lose - Linkin Park

Quote of the day:
"The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer."
~ Nolan Bushnell

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Day 255 - World's Toughest Mudder Recruitment


World's Toughest Mudder 2012 is an easy choice for one of my proudest moments of 2012. I trained all year long, first for Tough Mudder Toronto back in August, and then for the World's Toughest Mudder in November.

Although I am proud of my performance at World's Toughest Mudder, I can't help but feel as though I want to go back and compete again, to do even better than last year. Since I have never competed in an event like this before, I definitely learned a thing or two, which should allow me to prepare for 2013's event!

The goal of this blog is to not only announce my *very early* plans to compete in the 2013 World's Toughest Mudder, but I also want to throw out the word to all of readers and friends online, to see if anyone is willing to come along for this life-changing journey with me, and compete alongside one another in true Mudder spirit!

So, the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want to make 2013 your most memorable year yet? Here is how you get started:

Here is the eligibility requirements from this year's event:

WTM 2012 Eligibility

Before you consider entering World’s Toughest Mudder, you must understand that only those in extreme PHYSICAL and MENTAL condition should even think about this. Not only will you need to be mentally prepared for what you’re signing up for, but you also must earn an entry code by qualifying in one of the ways outlined below.
  1. 2012 Tough Mudder Participants – Complete a 2012 Tough Mudder course (or Florida 2011) in the top 5% of participants on that day. You can report your course time in the first week after the event you run to see if you qualify. Of course, this is self-timed since normal Tough Mudder events are not races, but real Mudders know that lying about something like this is lame.
  2. Wildcard Applicants – Submit a wildcard application to enter on this form. Wildcard applicants are chosen and given an entry code to compete based on eligibility and space available. Tough Mudder reserves the right to only release entry codes to wildcard entrants that we believe have earned it.
  3. 2011 WTM Participants – Anyone badass enough to have participated in WTM 2011 will be given an entry code and treated with utmost respect for returning in 2012.
Probably the easiest (or hardest) way to qualify is to sign up for a regular Tough Mudder event, train for it, succeed at it, and enter your time following the event. Hopefully you will then be a part of the top 5%. I am also here to help you train and be prepared to finish in that top 5%.

Once you have qualified for the 2013 World's Toughest Mudder, let me know, and we can work together to train and prepare for this year's event.

Ideally, I would like to have a team of 4 participants (male or female). 4 is the minimum number of participants to be considered a "team", but more than that may become cumbersome. I may allow 5 or 6 teammates, but 4 is ideal.

Please be forewarned, the World's Toughest Mudder is not for the faint of heart. It requires some serious dedication and determination to succeed and survive.

"World’s Toughest Mudder is the culminating event of the 2012 Tough Mudder Event calendar and takes the concept of being a Tough Mudder to a whole new level. This extreme competition puts the world’s most hardcore Mudders℠ through a grueling 24-hour challenge designed to find the toughest man, woman, and 4-person team on the planet. When the mud settles on November 18th, a select few winners will have bested 500,000 other Mudders worldwide for the right to call themselves the World’s Toughest Mudders!"

So, if you are interested, e-mail me as soon as possible to let me know you are interested, tell me what 2013 Tough Mudder event you are planning on competing in, and what your early plans are to achieve your goal of qualifying for the World's Toughest Mudder. We will then work together from there!

2013 is the year...

Quote of the day:
"There is no royal, flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it. For if I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard."
~ C.J. Walker

Check out my new Website: tylerrobbinsfitness.com