Mike McErlane

Have you seen the M&F Trainer Nutrition?

2010-03-10T20:09:07Z

To all my fellow gym rats and general fitness enthusiasts. Im just a regular guy much like our reader. I work long hours usually behind a desk, writing workouts, managing advertisers, answering the phone etc....The biggest problem I have always had has been my Nutrition. Sure there are many that are available all over the place, but I have certain foods that just dont agree with me so picking a meal plan isn't easy. I didn't go to school to become a nutritionist and quite honestly do not have time in my day to sit and look at all the complexities it takes to create a meal plan. Thats why this program does what some individual cant like myself and it is based off of research provided by Institute of Medicine so its not just the latest fad type of meal plan. Without sounding too gimmicky and too much like a sales pitch, I'll try to be as forthcoming and honest as possible, when I say that we really do practice what we preach here.

Thats why myself and fellow colleagues worked tirelessly to build a system that is so mindless and so easy that it literally teaches you how to eat for exactly what your goals and preferences are. The cool part about this that I really think makes all the difference is that unlike other meal plans this actually grades you on not just your weight control categories of Carbs, fats, and Proteins, but your Heart health such as Cholesterol, Sodium, Sat Fat, Fiber, Vitamin category, and even Mineral category. See below pic for the example.

We finally launched the M&F Trainer Nutritional Program. 2 weeks ago I created my plan. It took me about an hour to get it just right, but now that I have been on it I have lost 8 pounds, my abs are starting to show (Not quite like Stoppani's) but good enough for me and I feel great. I couldn't have imagined that it would actually work so well, and i finally feel like I found the missing piece of the puzzle. My Nutrition

So why do you care? Well not sure if you do. One thing about me is I dont BS people. I could care less if any critic says Im wrong. The only people I do listen to are the readers, users of this site and the fans of the M&F brand. I care about making sure they have the tools they need to see the results they want. Thats what the M&F Brand and the people behind it care about. PERIOD So if you fall into one of those categories trust me when I tell you, make sure to dial in your Nutrition on the M&F Trainer and just see what happens once you do as I did. It does have a monthly fee but thats how we keep the Trainer ad free and pay for the developing costs.

Here's how to get it
Step 1- Signup or login for the M&F Trainer CLICK HERE
Step 2- Click on My Nutrition
Step 3- Get going by inputting all your goals and statistics. Watch the video if you get stuck on how to use it.

BIGGER Triceps with Bands!

2010-02-05T01:29:16Z

We all want the meat-hooks that drape from our rear delts down to our elbows right? Well, there are many ways to get the horseshoe on the back of your arms. The Traditional Triceps exercises are somewhat of a repetitive movement due to the fact that most triceps exercises are single joint exercises, meaning that there is only one moving joint during the movement. If you watched any of Dr. Jim Stoppanis M&F Raw videos you can get a few tips on other movements that can overload the triceps in a variety of ways.

This little secret in the video below is a single joint type of movement we might be familiar with, however by using the M&F Strength Bands you can actually get more benefit than traditional ways of performing the Triceps Kickback. Watch below and see for yourself.

Front Squat- A great lift

2010-01-06T20:25:46Z

The Front Squat is a great exercise to use in conjunction with any Leg routine. It differs from Back Squats in many ways and can help you gain strength in other areas and other lifts. Try it out in your next routine and see the difference for yourself.

I recommend that before attempting this lift that you use just a barbell first to make sure that the position and technique is executed correctly. If for any reason you attempt with heavy weight without mastering the proper form, the results can be more detrimental than helpful.

If you have no idea what amount of weight to start with once you have mastered good technique, try loading the barbell with 50% of your 10 rep max with regular back squats and gauge your strength throughout the rest of the sets. See the video below for a demonstration of this exercise.

Note- in the video the exercise was performed outside of the power rack exclusively for demonstration purposes. It is not recommended to attempt this lift outside a power or squat rack that does not have the bars for self spotting. If you dont have a power rack or squat rack available use lighter weight and if you need to "ditch" the bar make sure that you always "ditch' forward so that the bar does not crush you from falling backwards.

Do you deadlift?

2009-12-14T20:14:39Z

The Deadlift is one of the best movements/lifts/exercises to do if you want to gain size and strength. it is a full body movement, which means that is takes pretty much every muscle in your body to execute it correctly. Even though the majority of the emphasis put on the muscles is to the legs hips and back, once you finish a set you will be more out of breath than an hour of cardio.

The biggest problem most have isnt the fact that they dont deadlift, its that they do it with such horrible form and technique, they either do not get the benefits out of performing the lift as much as they should, or they end up hurting themselves and never deadlift again.

In the video below i attempt to help go over some of the moves to show what proper form should look like so that you can get the benefit without the injury.

VIDEO

Click here for more M&F Trainer workouts

Romanian/Straight Legged Deadlift

2009-11-18T23:52:44Z

TO DOWNLOAD A ROUTINE CLICK HERE

* Step 1 - Sign up for FREE or Login
* Step 2 - Click on My workouts
* Step 3 - Click on M&F Workouts and get going

Speed it up for a Shoulder Warmup

2009-11-18T00:02:12Z

We all know that Barbell Military press is a great way to gain size and strength in your shoulders, but rather than spending the majority of your workout warming up, I have a solution for you to try.

Speed it up. Watch the video for an example.

TO DOWNLOAD THIS ROUTINE CLICK HERE

* Step 1 - Sign up for FREE or Login
* Step 2 - Click on My workouts
* Step 3 - Click on M&F Workouts and get going

A NEW way to BENCH!

2009-10-14T18:09:31Z

TRY This routine. Pulled off of the M&F Trainer

Barbell bench press with Bands- 3×20 (remember to use light free weight)
Barbell bench Press- 3×6
DB Alternating Bench Press- 3×8
Standing One arm Chest Fly With Band- 3×12
Dips- 2×15
Super set with
Push-ups- 2×20

TO DOWNLOAD THIS WORKOUT AND MORE CUSTOM WORKOUTS CLICK HERE

One Arm DB Bench Press

2009-09-29T23:17:56Z

Think your hammies can handle this?

2009-09-21T20:47:49Z

CLICK HERE FOR THE EXERCISES and CUSTOM WORKOUTS ON M&F TRAINER

The POWER CLEAN

2009-07-22T17:25:31Z

For More Exercises and Custom Workouts Programs Click HERE

]]>

name="movie"
value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vdwka_8pavQ&hl=en&fs=1&"> name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> name="allowscriptaccess"
value="always"> type="application/x-shockwave-flash"
allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"
width="425" height="344">

For More Exercises and Custom Workouts Programs Click HERE

A new Tip on Squats

2009-07-15T22:36:29Z

For More Exercises and Custom Workout Programs Click HERE

A little Tip From M&F Trainer

2009-07-07T20:19:53Z

For More Exercises and Custom Workouts Programs Click HERE

Pushing through the Training

2009-07-07T00:11:26Z

Today was a tough day to get motivated to go to the gym, let alone torture myself with another self inflicted leg routines. I always start with a Power movement first and then go for Gold from there.

Power Clean- 3x5
Body Weight Jump Squats- 2x15
Barbell Squats with Strength Bands- 4x8
Barbell Front Lunges - 3x10
Leg Curl Combo with Alternating Step ups- 3x12
Leg Press- 1x Failure

So you can see with the task and hand I really wanted to just put it off and go plop down on the couch and watch some of Stoppani's M&F Raw! Videos.

Either way I took the option to get it out of the way and get going. I changed my attitude and rather than letting the fatigue from the Holiday weekend take its toll on me, I changed my mindset and just go it done. Once i was there though I had a great session. The point here is that all of us who train or have certain endeavors we find ourselves in should always remember to go into everything we engage in with full force and a positive attitude. How else are we supposed to get results if we half a$$ it with whatever we do in life? Any one of you out there reading probably understand this all too well

So the next time you don't feel like going into work, heading to the gym or whatever you find yourself conflicted with just remember 10% of life is what happens to you, and 90% is how you react to it.

M&F Trainer Updates

2009-07-02T07:25:35Z

For those of you who have not yet checked out the M&F Trainer I strongly urge you to do so. The easiest way to get an idea of exactly what its all about, make sure to watch the Welcome video on the Main Home page of the M&F Trainer.

Either way I wanted to give everyone a sneak preview at some of the new updates we are working hard on getting up and running soon. (Hopefully before the end of August) I know these things take time though.

Update #1- In case you have not noticed many of the already 1000's of exercises all have the moving animated images of the exercises with descriptions, tips and muscle groups worked, however we are now incorporating Video for every exercise as well. Each exercise outlined in your workout program soon will also have a video that covers set up, execution, conclusion and benefit of each exercise

Update #2- We will soon give all users the ability to swap their lifestyle and profile preferences anytime so that there is more variation. If anyone feels that they want to train differently than they originally thought at any point just with the click of a few buttons, you will be able to do so.

More updates will continuously be added as time goes on so we appreciate all the good ideas coming in the Feedback section on the M&F Trainer. Keep em comin!

Questions on using the Strength bands

2009-07-01T06:26:41Z

I've been getting a lot of questions, eamils and interest regarding the M&F Trainer and the use of the strength bands. I think its great to get feedback and appreciate some great debate in the forums. I hope I have helped in clearing up a few of the questions regarding the use of the Strength bands.

So here are a few facts why you should use them when you train

Reason #1- The bands provide Increased resistance or linear variable resistance through a muscles ROM. as the bands stretch the resistance gets progressively heavier. In exercises such as the Biceps curl and the barbell Bench press as the muscles get stronger during the movement so does the resistance of the bands which is consistent with the strength curve of the muscle through certain movements

Reason #2- The bands are one of the only ways you can emphasize a specific muscle to develop TRUE Power. Free Weight alone has momentum which limits the amount of speed at which you can move the weight. Since Power= Force X Velocity then true power cannot be aquired in a specific muscle group with Free weight alone. With the incorporation of the strength bands plus the free weight the load (amount of weight), the time (the time spent moving the weight or time under tension), and the Speed ( the rate at which you move the weight) can all be maximized during any given set giving the body the ability to train for True Power.

Of course like anything else this is not a mandatory one way solution to train for everyone. In any exercise or taining session many different variations using many different methods and techniques need to be outlined in a goal specific program. This just happens to be a great solution to train for power, muscle strength and size, which will allow the body to recruit Type 2B fast twitch Muscle fibers within a specific movement in a specific muscle or muscle group.

MM