How to do more chin ups is a question that has been asked since man first started exercising. When were kids we got tested on the chin up in gym class and were surely embarrassed if we didn’t place too high amongst the rest of our classmates. The chin up is one of the oldest, greatest and most basic muscle building and strength training exercises in existence.

The great thing about chin ups is that they don’t require any fancy equipment at all. All you need is a chin up bar or a pair of TRX Straps to loop over a tree and you are all set. Bodyweight training has long been a staple in the armed forces and law enforcement and the incredible muscular development of male gymnasts shows just how effective it is. Whenever you use your own bodyweight as the resistance you call upon a greater number of muscle fibers and in turn get bigger and stronger a whole lot faster than you ever could if you were using a machine. Most machines are a waste of time when it comes to building muscular size and functional strength and should be used very infrequently, if at all.

So back to the question, how to do more chin ups? A plateau on chin ups can be very frustrating and the desire to blast through the plateau as fast as humanly possible is only natural. Let’s assume that you have been doing chin ups on a frequent basis and have gotten pretty good at them. You started barely being able to do one and now you are up to eight perfect reps. But you have stalled there and can’t seem to go up. What do you next?

One thing that needs to be noted is that reps on chin ups are harder to increase than a lot of other upper body exercises so you are not alone in your struggle. Over the years I have noticed in my training of hundreds of athletes that you will progress a lot faster on your chin ups if you do not come anywhere near failure when doing your sets. So if your max is eight reps, you should stop at six on each set. Keep that in mind from now on when doing your chins.

Chin ups also seem to respond incredibly well to a period of high frequency and low volume followed by a period of lower frequency and slightly increased volume. So you would do 1-2 sets of chin ups 5-6 days per week for 3-4 weeks straight. Always stay two reps short of failure on your sets. After a month of doing that you will cut back to doing chin ups only once per week for 2-3 total sets. You should notice a big increase in your reps over the next few weeks due to the reduced loading and the super compensation effect.

After doing that for a month, you could try doing a heavy/light approach for the next month, where you train your chin ups heavy one day with added weight around your waist for 1-5 reps and then repping out three days later with no weight. For example, you would do 2-3 heavy sets of 5 reps with a 25 pound plate around your waist on Monday and then on Thursday you would simply do as many reps as possible, with no weight, for 2-3 sets. You could even use a Jump Stretch band to assist you on the high rep day.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas on how to do more chin ups.

Good Luck,
Jason Ferruggia

Jason is a world renowned professional strength & conditioning coach, trainer, lecturer & consultant. And the author of Muscle Gaining Secrets - The Skinny Guys Guide To Lightning Fast Muscle Growth. Click here to get your copy.

Creatine actually does occur naturally in the human body, but for bodybuilders striving for extra muscle gains by hitting the gym and working out hard several times a week, the creatine produced naturally in our bodies simply isn’t enough.

When you start taking a creatine supplement from scratch, you will need to load up for a few weeks first, then move onto a ‘maintainence’ dosage for a couple of months – then take a break for a couple of weeks.

Start by taking around 20grms per day for 1 week, then reduce to 15grms per day for the next week. Then reduce again to 10grms per day for the following week. On the 4th week reduce again to 5grms per day. 5grms per day is the ‘maintainance’ dosage, so stay on this amount for a further 1 to 2 months then take a break for 2 weeks. When you start back on the creatine after 2 weeks just go back onto the ‘maintanace’ dosage of around 5grms per day.  

So how does a creatine supplement help to build muscle?

When we workout, we lift weights by contracting our muscles.

Every single rep requires a muscle contraction or a combination of muscle contractions within certain muscle groups.

Our bodies obviously require energy for each muscle contraction. An essential energy molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is pumped into the contracting muscle via the blood flow. When the muscle has used this ATP energy molecule for a contraction it is stripped of a phosphate molecule and becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate) which then cannot be used for the next muscle contraction.

This is when we need creatine.

ADP extracts the stripped phosphate molecule from the creatine within our bodies and is converted back to ATP which is then used for the next muscle contraction. For a proper intense muscle building workout it is essential that your body delivers enough ATP energy into every muscle during a contraction.

Now imagine how many combinations of  muscle contractions are performed during just 1 workout – several hundreds, times that by the number of workouts per week – it could easily add up to over a thousand. So if your body is saturated with creatine there will be plenty of ATP energy delivered to your muscles during your workouts which is vital for promoting muscle growth. 

This is why a good quality creatine supplement is essential to put your body in an anabolic state of muscle growth.

Click the link below for a FREE offer on a good quality creatine supplement.

One of the most surprising benefits I’ve discovered for being engaged to a gal from the Middle East, other than the vast cultural exchange, is the cooking.

Oh, yes ladies… my gal COOKS!

Which is good since I am a lousy cook. : )

Hanna enjoys it… and she brings a Middle Eastern flair to some really boring fitness/bodybuilding foods that I want to share with you today.

Here’s just two quick tips from Hanna on making the ultimate in “boring” foods — egg whites and tuna (yuck) — taste incredible.

TIP 1:
Lively Egg White Omelette

Let’s face facts: Egg whites suck. At least that’s what I USED to think until Hanna decided to experiment with my morning omelette.

Now I eat this stuff like it was candy.

Here’s what she does:

1. She cooks the veggies separate from the egg whites. You’d think this would be common sense, but I never did it and I’ve seen a lot of people just toss it all in together.

2. Add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil to the veggies. This alone improved the taste tremendously.

3. Add 1/2 egg yolk to the veggies after cooking for 1 minute. This, again, is primarily for taste.

4. Garlic! If you love garlic, here’s your chance. Garlic ROCKS in egg white omelets.

5. Use Pam or another non-stick spray for the egg whites and cook them like you would a normal omelette. Then pour the almost-cooked veggies in the middle. Do the omelette dance.

6. Here’s the SECRET SAUCE… literally. This will sound nuts until you try it:

Shrimp Cocktail Sauce

Okay… Hanna’s bright, but this was an accident. She thought it was salsa. But I’ve NEVER gone back to salsa after stumbling on this incredible treat! I have no idea why it tastes so good, but it makes the omelette.

Try these tips and see if your egg white omelette doesn’t become your favorite meal of the day.

TIP 2:
Canned Tuna Extraordinaire

Again, I have the lovely Hanna to thank for this.

Like egg whites, I used to HATE canned tuna. Now, again, I can eat this every night without complaint.

Here’s what she does:

She cooks the veggies the same way as in the omelette above and then pours the tuna from the can into a skillet. That’s IT.

I’ve never had “tuna ala skillet” before… and I have no clue why this tastes so smooth and delicious, but it does.

If you hate canned tuna for being dry or tasteless, try this. You’ll never go back.

If you want 40 pages of recipes like this… very yummy and VERY healthy… then be sure to pick up my EODD “Favorite Foods” Dieplan.

Here’s more about it:

Favorite Foods Diet + Recipes <-- click.here.for.more

Remember:
Don’t Quit. Get Fit!

P.S. Most of the recipes that come with my EODD book can be prepared in 15 minutes or less… so do not let the clock become your enemy when it comes to getting lean!

And remember: You can eat your favorite foods several days per week on my plan and still get rid of excess bodyweight.

Why give up living when you don’t have to, right? : )

Favorite Foods Diet + Recipes <-- click.here.for.more

Scott Colby, CPT just interviewed me recently for “Fit Pros Against Cancer.” My job: Help give away a TON of free fitness information to his listeners as they called into the show.

And I think I did a pretty good job.

You tell me… ; )

Here’s what we cover in just about 30 minutes…

1. How much fat can you burn (and inches can you lose) in just 6 days?…
2. How to make fatloss “easier” (not ‘easy’… but easier!)…
3. What to do about perimenopause and menopause stress and the fat-gain that comes with it… AND…
4. The “Stress-Free” dietplan for women who fight the “pooch” or who are going through perimenopause or menopause!
5. Is exercise worthless if you sit down while you work?…
6. What about fitness for “seniors”?… Can you gain muscle and shed fat past the age of 60?
7. An inhome exercise that lasts 7 minutes but that can increase the lifespan of women by up to 60%! …
8. The shocking truth about whole grains and disease…
9. The “myth” of shaping/building muscle AND dropping bodyfat at the same time… hear the TRUTH about this once and for all! …
10. How you can have your cake (literally!) and eat it too (i.e. get all the fatburning benefits while still enjoying desserts)…
11. How to “reboot” your key fatburning hormone using nothing more than the food in your refrigerator!…
12. This freee substance uses 90% or more of your calories… and you need more of it… find out what it is!…
13. The “Food Purist” versus the “Food Rebel”… which one are you?…
14. The one thing you can to TODAY without hardly any effort to improve your appearance and your health!…
15. 2 simple exercises you can do at work to remove back strain and improve your abs (yes… ABS!)…
16. Why the “baby boomer” generation is literally being left out of most fitness plans… and a plan that’s perfectly suited for all boomers!…
17. The 1 trick I use to workout without nagging injuries! …
18. Why exrercise decreases 1 critical sex-hormone… and what you can do to prevent it (even increase it!) …
19. The importance of strength over the age of 30 (it’s not what you think… and it’s VITAL!) …
20. And more!

Listen By Clicking The Play Button Below!

Products + Free Video Mentioned In Audio Include…

Several recent studies have pointed to the validity of doing very short cardio sessions (10 minutes) several times a day as being as beneficial… or even better… than one longer session. I agree, assuming you do some form of interval work in your cardio sessions. In fact, unless you want to drop a lot of bodyfat, you can get by with one 9-minute session a day if you do it right.

Quick Start: Try three super-short sessions with at least a 2-3 minute higher-intensity ‘burst’ in the middle. You do not have to go to the gym to do this. You can do this by walking stairs, stepping up and down on a low platform, or even walking outside. Let’s face it: 10 minutes is a lot easier on the brain than 30 minutes… and just as good.

For More Information: When you pick up my book The Every Other Day Diet you’ll have a chance to get my book 7 Minute Body for 1/3 the retail price for a limited time only.

In 7 Minute Body, I cover my personal 9 and 15-minute cardio sessions, my 3-minute abs workout (no kidding… I do not train my abs for more than 3 minutes!) and more.

Watch the presentation on my Every Other Day Diet homepage or just click here now to just pick up 7 Minute Body now.

One of the biggest myths out there is the myth that eating healthy costs too much.

Just the opposite… and I’ll prove it to you in three ways.

#1: Cash

Here’s some sample figures courtesy of my friend Scott Tousignant’s fitness blog…

2 medium size sweet potatoes $1 or… small fries from a fast food joint

2 red peppers $1 or… a can of pop

Bowl of oatmeal with fruit & protein powder $2 or… large bag of chips

6 Chicken Breasts $10 or… a sub combo from a fast food joint

18 eggs $3.50 or… a burger from a fast food joint

2 salmon fillets $15 or… large pizza

Loaded chicken salad (homemade) $3 or… bag of cookies

Large bag of oatmeal $3.50 or… 4 chocolate bars

Not much of a comparison, it is?

Yet the foods on the left would feed a family of two or more for 4-7 days… the foods on the right? 2-3 days if you live through it.

Tips to make the most expensive part of eating healthy — the cost of quality meats — go further include…

1. Use tofu fillers in chicken and beef recipes. Even if you hate tofu, you can barely taste the difference when combined properly.

2. Buy your meats in bulk online. You can find less expensive grass-fed beef and naturally-raised chicken and have it delivered to you if you live near a large city. If not, check the local farmers.

3. Eat meat only 3-4 times per week and use black beans with rice or inexpensive tuna for your other days. I eat tuna cooked in a skillet with lots of veggies and some olive oil almost every night and I LOVE the taste!

My book The Every Other Day Diet has over 40 pages of recipes in it to help you eat healthy and cheap… and you can still eat out and consume your favorite foods several times per week.

#2: Your Health

Do we ‘really’ need to talk about buy new (usually larger) clothes every year or two? Or about the health care costs associated with being even 20 pounds over your ideal weight, let alone more? How about the time you miss from work with excessive colds?

Eating healthy and taking care of your body adds years to your life… and for the record, the years eating poorly takes away from your life, on average, costs each American over 80,000 in medical expenses.

Want to add that to your food budget?

#3: The Big Picture

Anyone who has been fit knows the joy it brings… the freedom you feel from wearing whatever you want… the productivity you see from increased energy… the pace at which you move during the day.

Not only are these gifts priceless, but they are also massive cash-savers. Your productivity alone can add thousands to your bottom line each year, well off-setting any costs associated with eating quality food.

The Bottom Line…

Like any good accountant would suggest, you need to look at your ROI (return on investment) if nothing else.

What does investing in a better body, greater health, and vibrant energy do for your life? How can that actually translate into more income AND less expense?

You will be surprised.

Remember:
Don’t Quit. Get Fit!

P.S. If you want some tips on getting started with shedding that excess weight… go here for a short video… and prepare to take some notes! …

it’s freee….

Weight Loss Tips <— click.here

Caution:

This sounds like a silly question, but it’s really the most important question you can ask:

“What REALLY makes me increase my bodyfat?”

Is it too many calories? Sure. That’s one part. But I know people who can eat 4-5K calories a day and not add an ounce.

Is it dietary fat? Rarely if ever.

Fat is necessary to melt bodyfat. It is true that fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbs, but let’s look at this logically:

40% protein; 40% carbs; 20% fat = 40% fat; 40% protein; 20% carbs

So… no. Increasing your dietary fat does not mean you’ll get fatter…

UNLESS… ready?

Your insulin levels are too high.

Elevated insulin is not only the prime cause of diabetes and a sign of being hypoglycemic, but it’s also the prime numero uno reason people get fat.

And insulin is stimulated most by too many carbohydrates… even the so-called “healthy carbs!”

HOWEVER… ready again?

You can still eat carbs… you do not need a “low-carb” dietplan every day in order to keep your insulin and bodyfat low.

You just have to know what TIME to eat the carbs.

There’s a time and place for everything and carbs are no exception.

I have a presentation here that tells you more about how important timing is and how you can eat your carbs (even sweets) and shed bodyfat…

… here:

The EODD System <--carb-friendly dietplan

That being said:

If I had to cut one thing out of my diet for 1-4 days it would definitely be carbs.

I need fat… fat helps melt bodyfat… and I have trained my body to use its own fat-stores for fuel.

( See how on the linked-page above )

I DEFINITELY need protein… and so do you.

Protein speeds up thermogenesis, or your body’s own fat-burning heat factory.

Protein also blunts your appetite so you naturally eat less.

Some carbs are healthy… and I do not recommend you cut out low-sugar fruits and green veggies… you need that stuff.

But you don’t need grains, breads, etc.

At least for a few days.

THEN… you need them… but only after you do two things.

Find out more here:

The EODD System <--carb-friendly dietplan

Remember: Don’t Quit. Get Fit!

P.S. My favorite “Feed Meal” (that’s what I call meals where I eat a lot of calories and carbs) is this:

Small serving of protein (1/2 my normal serving size) like chicken, tuna, etc.

Brown rice or baked potato

Slice of pecan pie (or Key Lime pie… yum.)

Then later that day I’ll have a few slices of New York-style pizza.

The next day I’m LEANER. It never fails.

The only time this can fail is if you do not set your body UP to receive these carbs and some junk food.

I call this my “Real World Favorite Foods Dietplan.” That’s not the name of my System but it could be! That’s exactly what it is.

I love it… so will you…

The EODD System <--carb-friendly dietplan

There’s not many people who do not want to burn more bodyfat.

If you are in the fat-burning club, then these 5 easy tips are for you:

5 Easy Fat-Burning Tips <— quick tips

Enjoy, and feel free to share this blog post with others.

P.S. If you would rather watch a short video on 3 keys to greater weight loss, then go here:

3 Keys To Weight Loss <— video tips

Abs.

Everyone wants a tighter tummy.

Guys want a six-pack… ladies want a slim, firm waistline… and yes, some want a six-pack too.

Why be sexist? ; )

So needless to say people are freaked out to find that I train my abs in about 3 minutes.

Total.

Here’s how:

7 and 14-Minute workouts <---discount

Let me give you the dirty facts about my abs.

They are the worst part of my body… and one of the best parts at the same time.

The “worst” bit has nothing to do with muscles or even bodyfat most of the time… but SKIN.

Remember, I was obese… 46-inch waist and 38 percent bodyfat.

So my skin got pretty messed up. It never quite recovered from that and I have a “bit” of loose skin around my abs.

Drives me nuts. I may have it removed! ; )

But other than THAT… my abs are pretty good.

Here’s a pretty recent shot (after a workout taken with an iPhone… so hardly a professional shot… but you get the idea… )

This is after THREE MINUTES of ab training done 2-3 times a week.

Let me spell out my thoughts on this:

If you are training your abs longer than 7 minutes a week you are doing something wrong… or you’re just wasting your time.

Sorry to break it to you, but abs develop fast.

It’s the BODYFAT you need to focus on.

Still, you need abs… and my HDT-Style Training in 7 Minute Body and 7 Minute Muscle will get you those abs uber-fast:

7 and 14-Minute workouts <—about HDT

Go watch and read how it works now.

Before you do, let me give you a substitute exercise for one of the three I recommend during my “3-Minute Abs” routine (found in both books on the page above.)

Hanging leg raises… they are the best when done the way I show you in my book.

BUT some people do not have the gym or the straps I recommend.

So do this instead: Leg raises on a Swiss Ball, bench or even off the floor.

Here’s the tip: Raise the legs, pause at the top for 2 seconds and blow ALL of your air out. Contract your abs HARD at the top.

Then and ONLY then lower the legs slowly.

If you do this right there’s no way to get more than 15 reps. I get about 8 before my abs give out!

That’s all it takes. You do NOT need “high reps” to develop your abs. In fact LOW reps work better…

You just need resistance… and my way of training gives you plenty.

This means a LOT less time doing the exercises and a LOT MORE time enjoying the nice set of tummy muscles you’ve built.

Sounds like a plan.

P.S. Here’s the latest for those interested in my ongoing legal issues with selling rights to a publisher.

This concerns YOU as the price for 7 Minute Muscle and 7 Minute Body will NOT be under my control as soon as the contracts are signed.

This was supposed to happen today… but as luck (for you!) would have it, I got caught in Austin traffic at 5:30pm and missed my 6:00 meeting with the publishers.

The president leaves town tonight-Sunday.

SO NOW… I can extend my half-price (more than half-off the Advanced Videos!) for a few more days…

… so go here:

7 and 14-Minute workouts <—discount

P.P.S. In case you’re wondering, this is not a clever marketing ploy… 7MM and 7MB are both being acquired by a publisher.

The recognize the amazing benefits this style of workouts offer anyone at any age… fatburning and muscle-shaping…

Otherwise they would not be writing such a nice check… : )

I bought a Jeep with it. So it’s not making me a millionaire or anything, but it’s nice to have my hard work rewarded!

Even nicer than that, I get the chance to almost give away my “baby” to you if you don’t have it already…

When the deal is done, here is what you can expect to happen:

1. The page below WILL change, and that includes the price… they think the price is not right. (I think that means too low… ha… ; )

2. The specials will end due to the fact they will send millions of people to the site rather than a few hundred thousand (my readers and my] affiliates send about that much.)

3. The book will end up in some bookstore eventually… and that’s FINE unless they want to alter the content… which I have a provision to prevent.

Sorry to ramble on about this, but I want you to know the integrity of the guy sending you emails every day…

Sure, I like to make a living. Who doesn’t?

But I won’t sell my soul to do it.

I won’t give up what I KNOW works to make a buck or two… so that means I maintain TOTAL creative control over these books even after the publishers take over.

In fact I’m negotiating a position WITH this firm so I can make SURE I maintain control… and folks, I HATE working for other people!

But it is worth it… IF I can keep the quality of the materials where they are.

And they are 100% solid.

And right now they are 200% cheaper than normal… so if you don’t know what all the fuss is about with all of this “7 minute workout” stuff (I prefer the 14-minute advanced workouts, which you can get too) …

then hop over here:

7 and 14-Minute workouts <—discount

All this past week I’ve been telling you about this:

7 and 14-Minute Workouts here <---new.page

This is all about how shorter workouts (7-14 minutes) are better for fatloss AND muscle gain than longer workouts.

Naturally this freaks a lot of people out.

When they see me they assume I train for hours a day.

Wrong. I work out about 3 hours a week total in the gym when I’m not preparing for a photoshoot. When I am I increase the cardio… that’s it.

However, I spend HALF the year training about 1.5 hours a week in the gym using my 7 Minute Muscle workouts.

I like training longer, so I mix it up… but the results I get from 7 Minute Muscle are equal OR better than longer workouts so this next year I plan to train using ‘nothing’ but 7MM.

More here:

7 and 14-Minute Workouts here <---new.page

I’ve been getting swamped with questions about one thing in particular:

WHY are shorter workouts better for fatloss?

The secret behind this is a trademarked term (by me… : )

HDT
“Hyper-Density Training”

HDT is the most unique form of density training there is.

Density training is basically more work in less time.

This creates the demand for more energy.

More energy spent = greater fatloss.

More energy demanded = more lean muscle.

All of this in 7-14 minutes per day.

3-5 days per week.

I made a new website about HDT to explain it.

Go here now…

this comes down in a few days:

7 and 14-Minute Workouts here <—about HDT

P.S. HDT works for everyone, even those who workout in their home without weights.

Just by going to the new page you’ll learn how to use the principles behind HDT (freee) to help you with your workouts…

… and you can also get the “last-call” for my System that covers HDT and brevity training in detail…

… for a massive discount…

… here:

7 and 14-Minute Workouts here <—about HDT