One of my subspecialties as a trainer is preparing bodybuilders for physique competition.

I trained two competitors who participated in the KY Muscle Classic bodybuilding show this weekend.

One won his class; the other placed second in his class.

Both were part of a seven-member team who began training for the show under my guidance back in May. The other five gradually dropped away as the weeks wore on. Training for a bodybuilding show is hard, and you have to really want it to put yourself through the torturous training and dieting regimen it takes to be successful.

This was the first competition for both guys. They're both excited about doing another show.

And I'm excited about helping them become the best bodybuilders they can be.

Two-Wheelin'

I enjoy bicycling, but haven't ridden much over the last few years because my bike, an old racing cycle, just isn't comfortable any more. The extreme bent-over position puts too much stress on my arms, upper back and neck, making riding more of a chore than a joy.

Decided to put my economic stimulus check to good use and bought myself a new bike. It's a Trek FX7.3, a hybrid two-wheeler with many of the speed and performance features of a racing bike. But the riding position is more upright, making it comfortable for long rides and commuting. It's a cool-looking bike too.

Biking is a great cardio workout and terrific for strengthening the legs too. And I'd forgotten how much fun it is.

With the price of gas skyrocketing, I'm seeing more and more bicyclists on the roads. I'm thinking of using my bike for part-time commuting, especially when I travel to the gym to train clients. It's an easy four-mile ride.

If you're looking for a way to fit more exercise into your life, maybe part-time commuting by bike is the answer.

Get Your Hands Off!

If you're one of the many people I see in the gym holding on to the handrails of the treadmill or hunching over the handlebars of the stairstepper, then STOP!!

Research shows that when you support your body with your arms by hanging on, you lose as much as 50% of the calorie-burning potential of the exercise. You're better off, if you have to, lessening the setting of the machine and not holding on.

So get your hands off, and watch he fat burn off.

How I Eat For Fat Loss

I thought it would be instructive to detail how I structure my eating plan in accordance with my fitness goals.

Right now I'm in a fat-loss phase. My first step was to figure out how many grams of protein I require to maintain my lean body mass. Then I added in a minimal amount of carbohydrate (I find it's best to limit carbs when trying to lose fat) and enough healthy fats to maintain health and energy. Here's what I ate today and will eat every day (with the exception of one cheat meal a week, usually on Saturday) until I reach my goal:

Breakfast: 8 egg whites and 1 whole egg, 1/2 cup (precooked) oatmeal, 8 blackberries, 1 teaspoon fish oil.

Mid-morning: Protein drink: 1 1/2 scoops chocolate protein powder, 1 tablespoon almond butter, water

Lunch: 5.2 Oz (precooked) turkey breast, salad (romaine lettuce, red pepper, bean sprouts, tomato) 1 tablespoon oil and vinegar dressing, 1 teaspoon fish oil

Mid-afternoon snack: Same protein drink as earlier.

Dinner: sautee 2 oz. turkey breast, add mushrooms, red pepper, tomato, 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg, 1 slice swiss cheese. Cook it all up and top with salsa

Late night snack: Protein Drink: 1 1/2 scoop vanilla-flavored whey protein mixed in water, 1 teaspoon fish oil

And there you have it: six healthy food meals every day with calories and macronutrients pre-established, and all foods weighed and measured for precision. And what results am I getting? I'm losing at the rate of one-and-one-half pounds per week, which is a perfect rate of loss to ensure only fat loss while retaining muscle. Notice, too, that I EAT BREAKFAST, center my meals around lean proteins, limit starch to early in the day, and eat six small meals over the course of the day.

A well-thought-out plan, pursued with precision and consistency, day after day after day. That -- not stupid fad diets, "miracle" pills, special "fat-burning" foods,, or wishful thinking -- is what it takes to get results.

"Trying" Is Not Enough

If you're following a solid diet "most of the time" and not achieving your fat-loss goals, maybe it's time to redefine what a solid diet is.

Are you eating 5-6 small meals a day?

Have you or a nutrition expert figured out your daily calorie needs so that you are eating fewer calories each day than your body requires?

Are you eating lean protein with each meal?

Are you minimizing starches, especially as the day wears on?

Are you taking in some healthy fats (nuts, nut butters, egg yolks, olive oil, fish oil, etc) each day?

Are you staying well hydrated?

If you're doing all these things and still not losing, let's focus in on that "most of the time" issue and see how that might be sabotaging your efforts.

A lot of people will follow their diet plan for three or four days and then give in to a binge, thinking that they've "earned" it. In fact, being on-point for several days with a well-designed diet brings you right to the brink of significant fat loss. If you then "blow" the diet by eating too much, you push yourself back to the starting line.

Why? Because 3-4 days of calorie restriction allows your body to use up your body's carbohydrate stores. These are found in the muscle and liver, and it is after these stores are used that the body must turn to alternative sources for fuel -- stored bodyfat. If you now continue the process -- eating fewer calories than you need day after day and week after week -- your body MUST burn its stored fat for energy. This -- day-to-day consistency in following a well-designed diet plan -- is the key to the fat loss you seek.

Persistence Works!

She hired me 3 years ago. At 44 years old, 5 feet 3 and 143 pounds, she was a lifetime exercise enthusiast and in very good shape. Despite owning a body that most women would be very pleased with, she was unsatisfied and wanted the "defined" look of a figure competitor. I tweaked her diet and training, and 5 months later she was down to a super lean 119 pounds.

Personal problems intruded on her fitness goals and, like many of us, she resorted to stress eating. Before long she was back to 140 pounds. As her personal issues receded, menopause hit with full force. Now, nothing that we did seemed to get her bodyweight down. The exercise and diet techniques that worked so well previously had no effect on her altered metabolism.

She visited a nutritionist, to no avail -- we'd already tried everything the nutritionist suggested. Her physician said she should just learn to live with her current body, that she already looked just fine.

But "just fine" wasn't good enough -- she really, really, really wanted to drop that fat.

Again we tweaked her diet, trying a different combination of protein, carbs and fat. She has diligently stuck to the diet I laid out, weight trains twice a week with me, and performs cardio 5 mornings a week.

Finally, the weight is dropping.

If your fitness goals are really important to you, and what you're doing isn't working, try something else. But NEVER think exercise and diet won't work for you. They work for everyone -- especially when customized to your unique needs and goals.

Don't Just Work Out, Work Up

If you've been working out frequently and consistently without getting the results you expect, perhaps you're not adequately challenging yourself.

Sure, getting those workouts in on a regular basis is essential for success, but it's not enough.

Progression is the key.

If you bench-press 120 pounds for three sets of ten repetitions workout after workout, your body has no reason to respond because you keep asking it to do the same thing. Try 125 pounds for three sets of 10, or 120 pounds for three sets of 12.

If you've been running 3 miles in 27 minutes for months now, push yourself to run 3 miles in 26 minutes, or run 3 1/4 miles in 27 minutes.

To improve, you have to push your yourself to new limits. Repeating the same workout ad infinitum is a sure path to nowhere.

No (More) Sweat

I lost a client this week.

He called me a few months ago, desperate to lose weight and get healthy. Eighty pounds overweight, beset with high blood pressure and raging diabetes, he asked for my help because his doctor said he was going to die sooner rather than later.

Within three weeks of working out and modifying his eating, he cut his insulin use in half.

Within a couple of months, he lost 19 pounds.

With results like that, you'd think he'd be sold on the value of exercise and healthy eating.

You'd be wrong.

First, he wanted to cut his thrice weekly workouts down to two. That was fine, I said, but he needed to supplement with some vigorous walking on his own. He complied for a few weeks, and then found reasons not to walk.

He stopped rigidly adhering to his eating plan. One morning he almost fainted in the gym because he neglected to eat breakfast and took insulin anyway. Not smart.

Then he started missing workouts. I began calling him the night before each session to remind him to show up.

Two days ago he didn't show up at all. Didn't even bother to call to cancel.

I phoned him for an explanation. He blurted out something about having misplaced his cell phone and not knowing how to get hold of me. He promised to call to schedule another appointment.

The call never came.

We fitness professionals face an uphill battle trying to get people to understand the importance of regular exercise and healthy eating. Clients like the one described above make our jobs especially frustrating.

Thank God for the clients who appreciate the many positives we add to their lives.