Eat More!

Written by E.J. Reeves

Proper nutrition is critical for 6-pack abs, but diet is such a nasty word. Hunger pangs and depravation are thoughts that run through our minds when we think of cleaning up our eating habits.

It does not have to be so. I believe when you consistently add good habits, bad habits diminish. So I tell you to eat More Often/Protein/Fish/Vegetables/Eggs/Grain.

Eat more often: If you do nothing except to take your present calorie intake of 2 or 3 meals to 5 or 6 smaller meals you will lose fat. Your body conserves energy (calories) when it has no food for extended hours. Then when you eat a large meal it automatically stores as much of that as fat as possible.

A furniture salesman once told me he had a coffee and muffin for breakfast with the same at lunch. His day was hectic and proper nutrition had to wait till the evening meal at home. This man was obese, all from one hefty meal.

Eat more protein: At every one of your 5 or 6 mini-meals, eat some protein. This includes skinless chicken, turkey and center cut pork loin all of which are good choices. Protein builds muscle. It also helps to curb our appetite. Adding some lean protein to our daily nutrition will do a body good. It may also displace some starch, carbs and fat.

Eat more fish: I love my salmon and trout! These cold-water fish have heart, friendly, fat burning fats. Yes fat that cleans your arteries and burns your body fat. Be careful to introduce small quantities of these fish. The high fat content may play havoc with your bowels. One or two portions a week to start then work up to 5 or 6 broiled fish dinners a week.

Eat more veggies: Mom was always after us to eat our veggies and it was sound advice. Fibrous carbs from broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, spinach, celery, and the like are a slow but steady source of carb energy that does not easily convert to fat on your belly. Learn to love raw or steamed veggies for a washboard waist. Fresh asparagus spears or brussel sprouts steamed just enough to cook, taste just like candy to me. Try a little at a time, eventually your taste buds will discern the subtle flavors in veggies.

Eat more eggs: Bodybuilders of old use to eat a dozen eggs or more everyday. This was good for the muscles, but may have raised cholesterol levels. That is not necessarily so today. I recommend egg whites (yes I throw the yolk away) 6 to 9 a day as snacks or with salads. Eggbeaters have egg whites only that along with low fat cheese make a mean omelet. The best whole food protein is the egg.

Eat more grain: Oatmeal, cream of wheat, barley, Red River cereal, etc. provide a steady stream of carb energy. That’s not all. They move things along. Yes, that’s right, bowel movements. The faster you expel digested food the better. Better for your health and for your 6-pack. So there you have it, EAT MORE!! No the candy bar by that name, but more good food!
Develop a taste for the wholesome by adding good choices as the ones above.
Good habits displace bad, like light dispels darkness!

Feedback

Hi E.J.,

I've been shopping around for some time for chin up/dip bars for some time. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the stability of your cantilever design while doing one armed "negatives". That is, a regular ascent with reverse (chin-up) grip and a controlled one armed descent. Please let me know at your earliest convenience,

-Kurt

Hi Kurt,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I have been out of town. A couple of months, back a 62 year old who did one arm chin-ups and wrote articles for Dragon Door Publications phoned me about one arm chin ups on the perm bar. He bought a perm bar and uses it for negatives. I tried training one arm and found even negatives were too difficult for me. This fellow, I forget his name, weighs 135 and I weigh 160. My max weight for a two arm chin up is an additional 105 lbs. on the vest.

I don't have any experience training with the cantilever design using one arm. This design is very stable and I presume that if your weight is centered it will work fine. Drop me a line on how your training is doing for one arm chin ups.

-E.J.

Hi E.J.,

I'm Al, I've emailed you before. I have a question for you. Did you really build all that muscle on your body just by doing pull-ups and pushups? What's the secret? What was your routine? Since you emailed me last time (about 6wks ago), I've added some size (thanks to the routine you gave me), including an inch to my arms just by pull-ups and pushups, although my weight remained the same at 125lbs. I recently also discover the navy seal workout which is basically pullu-ps and pushups, what's your take on the navy seal workout? Do you think doing my pull-ups in pyramid sets (ex. narrow grip 1-rest-2-rest-1, then wide grip 1-2-1)are more beneficial than regular sets?

-Al

Hi Al,

Glad to hear you have made progress and have gained some muscle. The secret to a good body is consistency and cycling your workouts every six weeks. Pull ups and dips are the foundation for my upper body workout. You are using all your body weight against gravity. I also use a vest (prototype) with up to thirty lbs. for reps of five and six or seven sets. No matter what you do if you invest thirty to forty minutes three times a week doing mostly chins and dips and then every six weeks change weight, order, reps or something you will see consistent progress in your upper body. When you start your six week cycle make sure that the first few workouts are easy, then each workout gradually increase intensity til you peak in the six week at all out.

The navy seal workout the way I understand it is more for endurance rather than size or strength. Doing five to eight reps per set and four sets is the way to build size. Doing three to five reps per set with extra weight builds strength.

-E.J.

You can e-mail E.J. your questions or comments at info@easyeffort.com

Copyright © 2002 by E.J. Reeves All rights reserved.

Why buy from EasyEffort

We believe our products and service are unmatched by anyone you may find in the marketplace.  Our goal is greater than product and service.  Our goal is to help you achieve your fitness goals.  That is why EasyEffort's president E.J. Reeves works out hours each week perfecting chin up and dip routines you can do at home.  

Return policy

If for any reason you are not totally satisfied with your bar, you may return it for a refund of the purchase price minus S&H. Please contact us for returns at 1-877-608-3279.

Orders

To order call Toll Free at 1-877-608-3279 or order online.