The deadlift is one of the greatest exercises that you should perform no matter what your goal is. When performed properly, the deadlift targets your butt, abs, and hamstrings. But what makes this exercise so awesome is that every muscle in your body gets activated throughout the movement.

As per Paula’s request, my buddy Richard Schuller of Decades Younger, and I hit the gym to record a video, which demonstrates how to perform a proper deadlift…

Here are some of Richard’s key tips on how to perform a proper deadlift:

To get the most out of a deadlift, you need to have nearly every muscle in your body involved in the lift. That is why it is very important to have your whole body “tight” when you pull. This will maximize your power output, and lessen the chances for injury.

Your body is much like a hydraulic system. If there is any part that is relaxed, that is where all the force will go, and you will get sub-optimal results. In lifting for power you are recruiting as many muscles as you can. This is the complete opposite of isolation.

When you get into the set position, your shins should be touching the bar, and your body should feel like a giant spring that has been compressed. To get the most effective pull, begin by putting 50-100 pounds of tension on the bar…then pull it. The effect is that you don’t pull the entire weight from a dead stop. Try this a few times with a heavy pull, and you will see that it feels much lighter when you “load” the bar with tension before pulling.

Keep the bar close against your body as you pull up. If the bar drifts away from your body you will quickly lose leverage, and the weight will seem much much heavier. To protect your shins from being scraped by the bar during practice, you can get some cheap soccer shin guards.

You should feel the pull in your glutes, hamstrings, and your abs. If you feel the pull primarily in your lower back, your tail end is too high in the air, and you have probably relaxed some muscles. You will know you have the right form when you feel the pull in the gultes, hamstrings and abs.

Common mistakes are:

1) Rounding the upper back during the pull;
2) Putting the butt up too high
3) Relaxing just before the pull begins
4) Allowing the arms and shoulders to relax
5) Pulling primarily with the lower back

The deadlift is not like other gym lifts where you can practice it often. You should do it a maximum of twice per week. Lifters who train with very heavy weights generally only deadlift once per week. Keep your repetitions in the range of 5 to 8. Three sets should be sufficient for getting maximum fitness benefit from this lift. It will take a lot more out of you than you realize. However, it is one of the very best training lifts ever devised. You will develop a very strong, flexible backside, and very powerful abs by deadlifting. As I noted earlier, it will use every muscle in your body. Best of luck!

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Thanks Richard for those great tips on gaining the maximum benefit from the deadlift, while reducing the risk of injury.

If you enjoyed this post and demonstration, you’ll also enjoy the post How to Perform a Safe and Effective Bench Press.

Richard and I also recorded a great exercise that works your glutes. I’ll be sharing that with you soon.

Thanks for the question Paula. I appreciate it. We’re here to help you achieve the maximum benefit from your efforts.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

Our friend Richard Schuller, authority on fitness for men and women over 60, has been a guest in our home this week and we’ve been having a blast together. At 70 years of age, that “old dog” is teaching this “young pup” some new tricks when it comes to improving strength and performance.

Richie, as my kids like to call him pulled me aside while we were working out yesterday and gave me some great pointers on my bench press. Of course I couldn’t keep these great tips to myself, so today Richard and I pulled out the video camera to pass this great advice onto you.

In this video you will discover the most common mistakes that men and women make when performing the bench press, which opens the door for injuries. Note: The bench press is an exercise that is meant to target your pectoral muscles, yet the way many people perform the bench press they are actually recruiting very little muscle fiber from the pectoral muscles and placing most of the load on the triceps and shoulder muscle fibers instead. That’s why you hear of so many men and women screwing up their shoulders while performing the bench press.

Don’t worry though. After watching this video you will have the knowledge on how to perform a safe and effective bench press that will increase your power and significantly reduce the risk of injury.

Mistakes To Avoid:

Tips On How To Perform The Bench Press Correct:

Advice To Women: If you have been avoiding the bench press I have some words of encouragement for you. This is certainly not just a “Men Only” exercise. When you perform the bench press as Richard and I demonstrated in this video you are actually working your entire body. Your legs are tight, your glutes are clenched, your shoulders squeezed, and you become ‘ONE’ with the bar.

If the Olympic bar at the gym is too heavy for you to lift (45 lbs), you can start with a body bar, which most gyms have. I was using a body bar in the demonstration video above. If a body bar is not available you could start with dumbbells and build up your strength to point where you can lift the Olympic bar and even add weight to it. At the gym that I belong to there are several women who are adding 20-50 pounds onto the Olympic bar while they do the bench press. Contrary to many of the myths out there, these women are not big and bulky. Quite the opposite… they are slender and sexy. Plus they are deceptively STRONG! Trust me ladies, strength will serve you well in life.

Here’s Some Background Info on My Buddy Richard Schuller:

Richard has competed in eight US National Masters Powerlifting Championships, winning one title and finishing 2nd on two other occasions. The highlight of his lifting career came in 2005 where as a member of the US national team, he placed 2nd in the International Powerlifting Federation World Masters Championships held in Pretoria, South Africa. Richard is also a member of the State of Washington Powerlifting Hall of Fame.

I picked up many tips and tricks from Richard during his stay here. He had a great desire in sharing exercises that will help our female readers sculpt a sexy butt. I’ll be sharing some videos of those exercises soon. Be on the lookout

If you are over 60 years of age I recommend that you check out Richards blog “Decades Younger“. It’s a current work in progress, but he is filling it with some great content that I’m sure you will enjoy.

I’d love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the video and bench pressing in general? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comment box below.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

Eating healthy is an incredibly pleasurable experience. You won’t find any bland and boring meals in our house. Every healthy meal that we prepare, has our taste buds dancing! That’s what makes it so easy to stick to a healthy lifestyle.

Here’s a behind the scenes look at another one of our favorite healthy dinner recipes. It’s the main course plus a side dish. By the way, in this video you will see Noelle (7) randomly eating broccoli as a snack. How awesome is that?

Cooking Directions for the Fish:

Cooking Directions for the Broccoli Side Dish:

Serve and ENJOY!

We hope that you enjoy this delicious and healthy family dinner just as much as we do.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

We have a new favorite healthy snack in our home thanks to our friends and partners at Prograde Nutrition. That snack is a Prograde Protein Popsicle and it tastes absolutely delicious. Here’s a quickie video of Angie and Noelle demonstrating how easy it is to prepare this healthy snack. Be sure to check out Noelle’s taste test at the end of the video

Here’s the recipe directions:

NOTE: We used blueberries instead of cherries, but I can’t wait to try the original Prograde recipe with the cherries.

First, take a handful of frozen or fresh cherries: approximately 1/2 a cup (or whatever berry or fruit you happen to have on hand)
1-6oz. container of Greek Yogurt (your flavor of choice)
1 scoop of Prograde Vanilla Protein Powder
1 handful of chopped peaches: approximately 1/2 a cup

Reserve a few chunks of the fruit on the side

Blend the yogurt, Prograde Protein Powder, and rest of the fruit till smooth.

Next, drop the reserved fruit into whatever popsicle containers you have (I used the plastic kind you buy at the grocery store for $1)

Pour the yogurt mixture in over the fruit, and freeze till solid.

Nutrient Breakdown:

Calories: 238
Protein: 28 grams
Carbs: 33 grams
Fat: 0 grams

This recipe made 4 popsicles so you will need to divide those calories by four if you are not eating them all yourself in one sitting That means that each popsicle is less than 60 calories per serving and they are TOTALLY satisfying!

Give this recipe a try today! I’m sure that you and your family will enjoy it just as much as our family does.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott and Angie Tousignant

PS My partners at Prograde Nutrition have the best tasting protein powder that I’ve ever tried. That’s why we love adding it to so many of our recipes. If you haven’t tried Prograde Protein Powder for yourself, we recommend that you do yourself a favor and treat yourself to some today!

There is no question that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is very effective at burning fat and it’s a very time efficient form of exercise. But I believe the greatest benefit of HIIT is the “Fun Factor”. The chances of you ‘sticking with it‘ will skyrocket when you are having fun with your workout program.

Adding to the ‘fun factor’ is that HIIT can be performed in nearly limitless ways. You can easily mix up the interval times as well as the exercises. I feel that one of the funnest ways to perform HIIT is to get outdoors and perform hill sprints. It’s an incredible workout and you can incorporate a great deal of variety within the hill sprint session.

Check out the variety of movements that I incorporated into this recent hill sprint HIIT workout…

In this hill sprint HIIT workout I did:

There was no set time for the interval so I didn’t require a stop watch or Gymboss Timer. The work interval is done going up the hill (as long as that takes you), while the rest interval is done while you go down the hill (as long as that takes you). The only thing that I needed to know was when my 10 minutes was up. I was pretty fried at the end of the 10 minutes. Could I have pushed it to 15 minutes??? I’m not sure. If I dug deep I may have been able to

Mixing up your HIIT workouts is a great way to stimulate a positive change in your physique and your performance. You’ll also experience a significant and positive motivational impact when you add variety to your training, which plays a big role in exercise compliance.

So get out there and have some fun. Find the nearest hill and put the fun back into fitness.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS This hill sprint HIIT workout is just one of 60 fast and fun workouts from the Fat Loss Quickie program. With these quickie’s you’ll never be bored from working out ever again.

Our family spent some time at the park today running around and having fun. While we were there I did a quickie HIIT session on the hill and Angie did a fun HIIT workout on the park bleachers. What made it even more fun was that our son Shayne did the HIIT workout along side Angie.

It was spontaneous for Shayne to join Angie, but it really goes to show the impact that we have on our children. The example that we set is incredibly important to them. Check out Shayne and Angie in action..

Notice how Shayne wasn’t saying, “Awww, do I have to workout? Do I have to exercise?” It was natural and fun. When you’re active as a family time fly’s during the workout. You’re focused on the enjoyment rather than counting down the seconds until you are done.

The movements that Angie did on the bleachers were:

The working portion of the interval may not be as intense as an all out running sprint or all out sprint on a bike, but it really works and you definitely feel it by the end of the 10 minute quickie session.

Because the bleachers are short it keeps the intervals short too. A great way to mix up a bleacher HIIT workout would be to find bleachers of various heights and mix it up throughout the week. Eight steps vs thirty steps will definitely make a difference in your workout and both are great!

The cross-overs in this HIIT session work the inner and outer thighs really well, while the two footed jump can really target your butt and quads.

Give this fun HIIT workout a try and let us know how you enjoy it… and let us know if your family gets involved too. Fitness IS FUN!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS This HIIT session is just one of 60 different quick workouts from the Fat Loss Quickie Program. If you are pressed for time and you would like to add variety to your workout program, Fat Loss Quickie is the way to go!

In today’s Fat Loss Quickie “Day In The Life” video, Angie and I share one of our favorite healthy dinners that our kids also really enjoy. The healthy dinner is homemade Shepherds Pie. I know that there are a variety of ways that you can make Shepherds Pie and today we tried something slightly different. We baked it in the slow cooker instead of the oven. Mainly because it’s so hot out and our air conditioner is already working overtime

Directions:

Cook lean ground beef in a medium a medium saucepan with finely chopped onions and garlic. (We also used ground chicken and turkey with this recipe and it’s outstanding!)

While your beef is cooking boil white potatoes. When your potatoes are soft, drain the water and mash them with skim milk and seasonings of your choice. ( we often boil our potatoes with a few garlic cloves which also get mashed). We haven’t tried this yet, but I’m sure that you could also use almond milk as a substitute for the skim milk and even add some almond butter.

If you make mashed potatoes in a different and even healthier way, we would love to hear about it and have you share it with our readers.

Next… after your potatoes are mashed and lean beef cooked, simply place the lean ground beef in the slow cooker followed by a can of creamed corn and finally add your mashed potatoes on top.

Turn your slow cooker on high and cook for 20-30 minutes.

We have had several of our valued readers ask us to share healthy meals that the entire family will enjoy and this Shepherd’s Pie recipe is definitely one of them as you can tell by the expressions on our children’s faces at the end of the video above

We rarely have any worries about our daughter Noelle. She eats just about any fruit, veggie, or meal that we put in front of her. Yesterday she at an entire bowl of raw veggies that were sitting on the dinner table before we had a chance to get the main course to the table.

Shayne is our picky eater and he does enjoy junk food We have experimented with a variety of meals to find the ones that he does enjoy (or can put up with). We also make sure that he gets the recommended amount of fruit and veggies in his diet. There are only a few fruits and veggies that he likes so we make sure that we are always stocked up on them. As we continue with our Fat Loss Quickie “Day In The Life” videos you will see just how picky he is and what we do about it

I hope that you enjoyed this behind the scenes look into our household and we look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow.

We sincerely appreciate all the questions and feedback that you have submitted to us and we are ecstatic about recording videos in response to your requests.

Have an absolutely outstanding day!

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

Angie and I have a favor to ask of you today. We are about to record a complete week of behind the scenes video, revealing what we eat, some of our workouts, how we get motivated and inspire each other, and how we live an active and healthy lifestyle.

We would greatly appreciate it if you took a moment of your valuable time to let us know if there is anything specific that you would like to see us reveal in our videos to help you achieve the body that you deserve.

We are asking for your help because your answers will allow us to record the most information packed videos possible and provide you with the REAL solution that you deserve.

Thanks a million! We owe you one

Scott and Angie Tousignant

PS When you leave a comment you will automatically be entered into our draw to win a copy of our Fat Loss Quickie program. This is just one small way to show our appreciation for your feedback.

The first episode of Breakthrough With Tony Robbins aired on NBC on July 27th. If you missed the episode you can watch it online at Tony Robbins Website.

Having read some of Tony’s books and listening to his audio programs I was very excited for the premiere of Breakthrough. By the way, Personal Power II is one of my favorite programs offered by Tony. I’ve adopted and implemented some awesome mindset strategies from that program, which have had a great impact on my life.

Maybe it’s because I’ve already been absorbed in Tony Robbins work that I felt a bit disappointed when the show was done. Frankly, I was expecting that it would be much better and really show some of Tony’s strategies in action.

I know that there is only so much that you can cram into one episode and that there must have been a significant amount of editing to fit it all into a 40 minute program, but in doing so, it appears to over-simplify the process that this first couple must have gone through.

The first task that Frank and Kristen had to go through was to skydive. Tony mentions the task, the couple looks scared, but they put their trust in Tony and next thing you know they are jumping out of a plane.

As a viewer, what we see is the excitement and the rush that this couple experiences by stepping outside of their comfort zone. We see the joy and sense of accomplishment that they experience and we see that glimpse of a BREAKTHROUGH!

This is indeed awesome. It was emotional to witness this breakthrough that Frank and Kristen had just experienced and it was a far cry from the life that they had been living.

What’s Missing?

But what the heck happened between “You’re going to skydive” to the time when they actually jumped out of the plane? To me, that’s where the magic occurs. That’s what I was hoping the show would be about. That’s why I feel a bit disappointed and let down.

I also have a concern about the show and how people are going to perceive these breakthroughs. I’m concerned that some people may think that in order to experience a breakthrough in their life it requires something ‘drastic’ like jumping out of a plane. If you are struggling to lose weight is the answer to jump out of a plane? Should you run with the bulls in Spain in order to adopt an active lifestyle?

A tactic like this does serve a purpose… but like I said, what happens in between? What are the action steps? Now I may be writing this prematurely because on Tony Robbins Website he is going to include a 20-30 minute video on some action steps for us, the viewers to follow in order to create our own breakthroughs. I’m looking forward to watching the action steps video from episode one later today.

The less aggressive task (yet still challenging) for Frank was to play in a murder ball game. What I liked about this is that it was broken down into some baby steps. There was a full week of introduction to the game and practice time before he played in an actual game. But again, there was just so much missing and I believe those missing parts are what people really need to see. What the program airs is inspiring, but there’s no real training to help the viewer. Hopefully we’ll get some great action steps to follow in the bonus videos.

I personally thought there was just too big of a jump from seeing Frank not able to exist without someone by his side and feeding him regularly, to watching him wheel himself down the road to the gym and go off on his own for a week.

Breakthrough with Tony Robbins is a nice introduction to Tony’s work and what’s possible. For some people I’m sure that it will have them craving Tony’s programs so they can learn the actions steps and strategies that he must have been practicing with the participants of the show. I’m sure that’s one of the big purposes of the show… to sell more of Tony’s programs… and there is nothing wrong with that.

Although I was a bit disappointed in Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, I will definitely continue watching the show because it is inspiring. I love seeing people step outside of their comfort zone and begin living the life that they deserve. I love seeing the emotion on their faces when they experience a breakthrough. I love seeing the light bulb go off in their head when they realize that they’ve been holding themselves back and that they have the power to push through and achieve their own personal greatness. I love seeing people overcome great obstacles and challenges while adopting an entirely new belief system that is way more empowering.

Now if only Tony would encourage people to watch the show while they ride a stationary bike, do some body weight intervals, or walk on a treadmill instead of adding to more couch time

These are my thoughts about Breakthrough with Tony Robbins… now I would love to hear what you think about the show. Share your thoughts, your likes and dislikes, what inspired you the most, and your takeaway’s.

I’ll end this post with my last two cents…

Giant leaps of faith and huge steps outside of your comfort zone are great, but I would much rather see you take smaller steps outside of your comfort zone on a consistent basis. Focus on progress. Focus on daily growth. Focus on becoming better today than you were yesterday in one small way. Some steps are going to be bigger than others, but all of them bring you one step closer to becoming the best you that you can be.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS If you are looking for a step by step process to help you break through your self limitations, overcome emotional eating, and instill new healthy and empowering beliefs, I highly recommend Program Yourself Thin, which was created by my buddy Jim Katsoulis. It’s outstanding!

Oh my Gosh! I’m now 37 years OLD! I have to admit that the number scares me…I mean, the ‘big’ 4-0 is just around the corner…

I celebrated my birthday this year with many close friends and family. It really was a great day and I did not feel any ‘older.’

Another year older does make me think though about goals and the direction I want my life to take. It makes me realize the many gifts in my life… the people that I cannot put a money value upon. I’ve been feeling extremely grateful lately for the abundance of love, joy, peace, and happiness the fills my home. I have a wonderful husband and two gorgeous kids that have given me so much meaning to my life.

I woke up on my birthday morning to a steaming, hot mug of coffee from my 7 year old daughter. As carefully as she could, she carried the coffee to my side of the bed. She also helped my husband to make my breakfast. I was greeted with shouts of ‘Happy Birthday Mommy!’ and many smiles. I realized, at this moment, that there was nothing else I needed. I had it all right here. I felt loved, appreciated, honored, adored, and cherished.

I had to share this day with all of you because these are the things we take for granted many a day. I want you, too, to take the time to feel grateful for what you have, today, right now, in your life. By doing this, you get yourself into the right mindset to attract more of these positive feelings into your life.

Trust me, there are many days where I feel just ‘blah’ and just confused about what I want out of life. I’ve realized though that those are not questions to be answered. I need to be grateful here and now and from this mindset, direction will follow.

Health and fitness is a HUGE part of my life. When I feel fit, I feel great. Sure, there are days when I feel tired and I don’t want to work out. Actually just now I was relaxing on the couch…just in a funk. I decided to grab an apple and get outside…change the scenery. Wow. My mind is more clear now and I feel like I just got a burst of energy! The apple surely helps too!

Now this is a good moment to write out some goals. A great moment to send out those positive vibes and be grateful for all that I have.

I wish you all many grateful moments too!

Angie – ISSA-C.P.T.