How to Grow Wings or Get a Wide Back41.2 lbs LOSTso farFebruary 28, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 10 comments
The ultimate goal for many men is the V-Shape. The V-Shape is created with broad shoulders and a small waist. You learned how to build broad shoulders with this post. To get a small waist, you simply need to follow some of the great weight loss advice here at Fat Man Unleashed. However, what is often forgotten in the quest for the V-Shape is the wide back that connects the shoulders to the waist.
Latissimus Dorsi
The latissimus dorsi (Lats) is a large, fan-shaped muscle that starts out wide at the level of the shoulders and ends medially at the level of the pelvis. Your Lats are the biggest muscle of your back and your upper body. We often forget about Lats because they are difficult to see in the mirror. Out of sight, out of mind.
The Lats are often called “wings” because when they are very wide, they actually look like wings. However, they look more like bat’s wings and less like bird’s. Your Lats perform many actions, but their main function is to bring your arms closer to your body.
Weight Loss
Along with giving you a V-Shape, training your Lats will also help you lose weight. Building these large muscles will boost your metabolism and turn you into a 24-hours-a-day fat burning machine.
Other Benefits
Larger, wider and stronger Lats can also help you:
- Throw harder
- Punch harder
- Pull harder
- Swim faster
- Climb faster
They can also help improve your posture and make your waist appear thinner.
Growing Wings
The two main ingredients to bigger and stronger muscles are diet and exercise. They are equally as important. Exercise breaks the muscle down and diet build them back up. To build larger or stronger muscles, you must eat enough calories and enough quality protein.
A wider back is a larger back. To build large muscles you should do 3 sets of an exercise with rep goals of 10 -12. The best exercises for a wide back are:
- Wide Grip Pull Ups
- Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs
- Wide Grip Bent Over Rows
- Wide Grip Seated Rows
Along with diet and exercise, you will need to sleep 7- 9 hours every night and drink plenty of fluids. You cannot grow wings over night, so be patient. With perseverance you will get there.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Running is Overrated41.2 lbs LOSTso farFebruary 25, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 17 comments
Being a weight loss expert is similar to being a priest. People are always confessing their weight loss sins to you. When I am at a party, people often proclaim to me that tomorrow is the day they are going to start losing weight. I don’t mind listening because weight loss always starts with a proclamation. What I don’t like are the tactics. 6 times out of 10, the person will tell me that they are going to lose weight by eating less and running more. Everyone believes that running is the key to weight loss. I disagree. I believe that running is overrated.
Running
Running is a great exercise:
- It burns many calories. A 150 pound person, running five miles per hour for an hour will burn over 600 calories.
- It strengthens your cardiovascular system. A strong heart leads to a long life.
- It is cheap. All you need are some clothes and a pair of sneakers. In some communities, the clothing is optional.
- You have multiple venue choices. You can run around a neighborhood, on a treadmill, up a hill, on an indoor track, on an outdoor track, up stadium steps, on the beach, or up the Rocky steps in Philadelphia. The list goes on and on.
- You can even run to build relationships. There are social networks all about running. They have magazines, websites, forums, social groups, and dating services dedicated to running.
Dr. Kal Does Not Run
There are a multitude of running benefits. Running is great. However, I don’t run. I have never run and I will never run. I don’t run because:
- Reason #1 - Running can be very hard on your knees. However, so can being overweight or obese.
- Reason #2 - I don’t like running
I am a firm believer in not doing exercises that you do not enjoy doing. It amazes me when people who despise running, force themselves to do it. I think they believe that running is an acquired taste like beer.
Choosing an Exercise
I understand the fascination with running. There are not many activities that offer all of the benefits that running can. However, you can only reap these benefits if you actually do the running.
If you dislike an exercise, you will not do it regularly. To lose weight and keep it off, you must find an activity or exercise that you see yourself doing over the long haul. You will burn more calories running than walking. However you will burn more calories walking three hours a week than you will running one hour a week.
To lose weight and keep it off you should increase your activity. However, that activity need not be running. Experiment with different activities, find one you like, and do it as often as possible.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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8 Highly Effective Cold Prevention Strategies41.2 lbs LOSTso farFebruary 14, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 37 comments
It seems as if everyone I know is sick, getting over being sick, or about to become sick. Many of these people turn to me for advice. They ask me for drugs and cures. I tell them all the same thing: drink fluids and get rest. Those two simple actions will speed-up your recovery. However, while you are recovering, you will not eat properly or work out regularly. This will slow down your weight loss.
Losing weight is already a slow process and we don’t need anything else slowing it down. If you could avoid getting sick, you could lose more weight. In this post, I will give you some tips to help prevent you from getting a cold and keep you losing weight.
Top Eight Cold Prevention Strategies
1. Wash your hands - The world we live in is filled with viruses and bacteria that can make us ill. Your hands are no exceptions. Wash your hands often to keep them clean. If you cannot wash them, at least use some hand sanitizer, such as Purel.
2. Avoid contact with people - People have germs. People don’t wash their hands. People cough and sneeze all over the place. Avoid crowds. Instead of shaking hands, try bowing. They do it in Japan. Instead of regular hugs, try virtual hugs. They don’t feel as nice, but they are germ-free.
3. Keep your hands out of your face - We have already discussed the germs and viruses on your hands. You cannot wash them continuously, so in between washings keep your hands out of your face. Your face is an open portal to your insides. Keep the germs away from your portal.
4. Drink water - Drinking more water is my answer to everything. Water will help clean out your body and keep it clean. It will also keep your body functioning at 100%. You should drink at least (eight) 8oz glasses of water everyday. This will also help you lose weight.
5. Eat your fruits and vegetables - There are phytochemicals and antioxidants in fruits and vegetables that can help strengthen your immune system and prevent diseases. You should eat at least four servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits every day.
6. Multivitamins - If you are not eating all of your fruit and vegetable servings, you should take a multivitamin to ensure you are getting all of the vitamins your body needs to function properly. Take a simple one-a-day multivitamin everyday.
7. Stay warm - Being cold weakens your immune system and makes your body more susceptible to illness. Look at the day’s temperature at weather.com before leaving your home. Wear layers in and out of your home when it is cold.
8. Relax and rest - Stress weakens your immune system. You can reduce your stress levels by relaxing and getting more sleep. Sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy immune system. Sleep will also boost your recovery time if you become ill.
Getting a cold can derail your nutrition and activity plans. However, if you follow the strategies I laid out for you, you can prevent this from happening.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Viagra - The Legal Performance Enhancing Drug41.2 lbs LOSTso farFebruary 7, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 6 comments
Every time I turn on ESPN, I hear something about performance enhancing drugs. Typically, it’s something about some Senator wasting millions of tax payer’s dollars investigating whether or not some millionaire athlete used steroids or human growth hormone to boost their stats.
These public officials obviously do not know about the millions of drug-dealers and drug-abusers roaming the streets of countless inner-cities in the United States. They are more concerned with Barry Bond’s home run numbers than innocent children getting shot by a drug-dealer’s stray bullet. OK, time to get off the pulpit.
One day while watching a commercial for Viagra, I thought to myself: Now there’s a real performance enhancing drug.
Viagra
For those of you who live in a box, Viagra is a prescription medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. A man needs a certain amount of blood flow to his penis in order to maintain an erection. Men with an erectile dysfunction cannot maintain this needed blood flow. Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra work in similar ways to increase the blood flow to the penis. In other words, when a man cannot perform, he pops a Viagra and it enhances his performance.
These drugs do work for most men. However, they are expensive and have potential side effects. The good news is that these medications can be completely avoided by most of the men who need them.
Erectile Dysfunction
There are many causes of erectile dysfunction. However, most of these causes are physical.
Some common physical causes of erectile dysfunction are:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- High Blood Pressure
- Atherosclerosis
- Heart Disease
- Smoking
All of these conditions are preventable with lifestyle changes or weight loss. In other words, you can prevent and sometimes cure erectile dysfunction by losing weight, eating a healthy well-balanced diet, exercising and not smoking.
So, the next time you think about ordering a Number One supersized from McDonald’s, remember the performance enhancing drugs you will be forced to take. I personally love Big Macs, but I don’t love them that much.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Become An American Gladiator41.2 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 31, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 4 comments
It seems like the major television networks and movie studios have run out of ideas. Instead of coming up with original ideas, they are now simply recycling old movies and television shows. They brought back:
- The Terminator
- The Bionic Woman
- Knight Rider
- Rambo
- Rocky
I can’t wait until they bring back the A-Team, Air Wolf, and the Golden Girls. One of the most interesting shows that they have brought back is American Gladiator.
American Gladiator
The men and women on American Gladiator have huge muscles and they look like they are zero percent body fat. At first glance, I thought they all were on steroids or some other performance enhancing drugs. However, the network reports that all gladiators are tested for illegal drugs.
Gladiators Ready
I only watched the first episode of the show. It’s not the type of show I need to program into my Tivo. However, after watching the first episode I asked myself: How can I look like an American Gladiator?
Before I continue, I would like to apologize. I know that Israel has readers who do not live in America and I hope this post does not offend them. However, Canadian Gladiator or Australian Gladiator just does not sound as good as AMERICAN Gladiator.
How To Look Like An American Gladiator
The keys to building large muscles are strength training, eating an adequate amount of protein, and consuming more calories than you burn.
The keys to burning fat are strength training, eating an adequate amount of protein, and burning more calories than you consume.
I know some of you want to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. However, this is very difficult to do and maintain. Instead you should focus on burning all of the fat you want to lose while maintaining the muscle mass you already have.
When you get to your desired body fat percentage, switch your focus to building lean muscle mass. When you have reached your goal, you will look like an American Gladiator.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Super Bowl Party Versus New Year’s Resolution41.2 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 24, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 15 comments
Okay, the Super Bowl is set. Israel’s New York Football Giants versus the undefeated and unstoppable New England Patriots. I don’t think the Giants have a chance, but I didn’t think they could beat the Buccaneers, the Cowboys, or the Packers.
Now that you know who is in the Super Bowl, you need to make plans to watch the game. You have three choices. You can:
- Attend someone else’s Super Bowl Party
- Throw your own Super Bowl Party
- Stay at home and watch the game all by yourself
I hope none of you are planning on choosing Choice #3. If you are, I invite you to go to Israel’s house to watch the game. Just don’t tell him I sent you.
Some of you are excited about the Super Bowl itself. Some of you are excited about the commercials. However, many of you are excited about the food you are going to eat. Many of you plan to eat junk foods and fast foods, but you don’t have to. With a little creativity, advanced thinking, and a few substitutions, you can turn an unhealthy Super Bowl Feast into a healthy Super Bowl Feast.
I will give you some examples, but you should think of your own also.
Healthy Substitution Ideas
- Drink light beers instead of regular beers
- Drink diet sodas instead of regular sodas
- Eat non-breaded buffalo wings instead of breaded buffalo wings
- Eat salsa instead of sour cream based dips
- Eat baked tortilla chips instead of fried
- Eat oven-fried chicken instead of pan-fried chicken
- Eat sandwiches made with lean meats, mustard, and whole wheat bread instead of sandwiches made with fatty meats, mayo, and white bread
- Eat South Beach Diet Pizzas instead of delivery
- Eat pizzas made with whole wheat crust and 2% mozzarella instead of pizzas made with white crust and regular fat mozzarella
- Eat sweet potato fries fried in canola oil or Terra Chips instead of regular French fries
- Use hot sauce/Tabasco sauce instead of ketchup
- Drink water or crystal light instead of juice
- Eat lean turkey burgers instead of beef burgers
The possibilities are endless. Just take your favorite foods and find a healthier option with fewer calories, grams of “bad” fats, and grams of “bad” carbs. And if you are going to someone else’s party, take some healthy options with you so you have something to eat and drink.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Carry The World On Your Shoulders41.2 lbs LOSTso farJanuary 17, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 15 comments
This is the first of a new series of weekly posts by Kalvin C. Chinyere, M.D. (Dr. Kal). Along with being a Doctor of Medicine, he is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health and Fitness Instructor and personal trainer. To top it all off he was once a fat bastard, man boobs and all. Don’t believe me? Keep reading. Having been there and done that, he is now ready to unleash his years of knowledge upon us all.
And now back to our regularly scheduled post…
When it comes to upper body workouts, everyone is always focused on chest. Everyone wants big pecs. When I tell another guy that I lift weights the first question he asks is: How much do you bench? I always answer the question, but in my head I’m thinking: Who cares?
I spent most of my late teens and early twenties with “man boobs” big enough to fill a C cup. So, having a big chest is something I’m really not interested in. What I want are big shoulders.
If you lift weights to improve your physical appearance and you are a man, shoulders should be at the top of your list of muscles to build.
Broad Shoulders
When you put on your shirt, tie, and slacks, no one can see how big your chest, back, arms, or legs are. However, they can see how broad your shoulders are. So, unless you decide to start wearing really tight shirts, shoulders should be high on your priority list.
Broad shoulders tell a woman that you are strong. Consciously and subconsciously, she is attracted to that. She is attracted because she believes that if she were attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, you could save her. The truth is, if my woman were attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, I would probably trip her as I run away.
Broad shoulders also tell a man you are strong. Consciously and subconsciously, he fears and respects that. He fears and respects you because he believes if he were to fight you, he would lose. The truth is, if a man were to try and fight me, I would just pull out my Taser. Then all you would hear is: “Don’t tase me bro.”
Finally, broad shoulders are important because they make you appear thinner. How thin you look depends on your shoulder to waist ratio. The higher this ratio, the thinner and fitter you appear. So, if you can’t get your waist any smaller, focus on getting your shoulders broader.
How To Get Shoulders Like Boulders
My favorite shoulder exercises are:
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: Front and Lateral Deltoids
- Lateral Raise: Lateral Deltoids
- Bent Over Lateral Raise: Rear Deltoids
- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: Front and Lateral Deltoids
A little note on the Barbell Shoulder Press/Military Press: Please do not “hit it from the back”. Meaning, do not attempt the variation where you allow the barbell to go behind your head. Doing this adds no benefit and can potentially damage your shoulders.
Now you are ready to carry the world on your shoulders, so go and do it.
Dr. Kal is weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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