http://www.venusindex.com Muscle shaping and conditioning for your best body Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:52:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Have you been wondering what your BEST YOU would look like? Have you gotten lost in the mountains of diet and fitness information, only to keep stagnating and never getting the sleek, sexy body you know will turn heads? If so, this Venus Index Podcast is for you. John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon no John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon askbradhoward@gmail.com askbradhoward@gmail.com (John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon) 2010 Adonis Lifestyle LLC The Women's Podcast For Perfect Shape and Tone health, diet, nutrition, women's health, women's fitness, eating, looking great, exercise, perfect shape, toning http://c2536502.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/144X144.jpg http://www.venusindex.com http://www.venusindex.com/restrained-eating-vs-calorie-restriction/ http://www.venusindex.com/restrained-eating-vs-calorie-restriction/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:52:58 +0000 John Barban http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1364 http://www.venusindex.com/restrained-eating-vs-calorie-restriction/feed/ 0 http://www.venusindex.com/dont-compare-yourself-to-others/ http://www.venusindex.com/dont-compare-yourself-to-others/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:11 +0000 Admin http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1254 http://www.venusindex.com/dont-compare-yourself-to-others/feed/ 0 Venus Index,venus index contest,Venus index Transformation Here is an interview with Kim. Kimberley placed 4th in latest Venus Index Contest in the Open category. - Check out her pictures: - Kim placed in the last contest, so she wasn't new to competing. She is actually the first girl to do two a back to... Here is an interview with Kim. Kimberley placed 4th in latest Venus Index Contest in the Open category. Check out her pictures: Kim placed in the last contest, so she wasn't new to competing. She is actually the first girl to do two a back to... John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon no 45:59 http://www.venusindex.com/life-isnt-fair-deal-with-it/ http://www.venusindex.com/life-isnt-fair-deal-with-it/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:00:21 +0000 John Barban http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1343 http://www.venusindex.com/life-isnt-fair-deal-with-it/feed/ 0 http://www.venusindex.com/fitness-model-tries-venus-index/ http://www.venusindex.com/fitness-model-tries-venus-index/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:00:56 +0000 Admin http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1274 http://www.venusindex.com/fitness-model-tries-venus-index/feed/ 0 Venus Index,venus index contest Today we have an interview with Katia Rice who placed fifth in the Open category in the latest Venus Index Contest. - Check out her pictures: - Katia started doing fashion modeling photoshoots and shows a while back. It was entertainment for her. Today we have an interview with Katia Rice who placed fifth in the Open category in the latest Venus Index Contest. Check out her pictures: Katia started doing fashion modeling photoshoots and shows a while back. It was entertainment for her. She was working out, had a trainer and was quite happy with the results. She was both healthy and in shape, so everything was going great for her. Then she went to a fitness competition and was absolutely stunned and inspired by this different world. Everybody was in phenomenal shape. She wanted to be more like those girls. She was very motivated and excited. Excited might not be a strong enough word considering that in a few weeks she did her first live fitness competition. She took advantage of what she learn and continued preparing for another show which she won. She also met a fitness model Allen Elliot and he explained to her what he was doing with the Adonis Index, Katia loved that system and the theory behind it. And like she said, Allen has great presence and looks amazing, so that made her even more interested in the system. And then he told her about the Venus Index and how it works. Allen explained to Katia that this system would help her prepare for her next bikini competition, because it's all about proportions and that's what matters in those contests the most. So Katia decided to use her time in the "off season" and give the Venus Index system a try. She followed only this system, because she wanted to see how it would transform her body. She didn't over complicate things by following several programs at once, just this one. And this worked out quite well. The main challenge for her was actually training alone. She never trained alone in her life and wasn't very confident on her own in the gym, even though she knew her way around the weight room pretty well. It was really hard for her to just pick up the weights and work out alone, because it was relatively new for her without a trainer or someone else around. However, the Venus Index systems were pretty easy to follow, she was familiar with the exercises since she had a trainer before, so once she got comfortable with working out alone the game was on. Venus Index was a big confidence booster for her, for the first time she followed a program all by herself, and following it as written, no modifications or tinkering. And the results are amazing, she was very happy with the after pictures. From a diet stand point, she stuck to her old proven approach and followed a high protein diet with lots of veggies, fish and oatmeal. She doesn't like counting calories, but since she was already lean and knows how to maintain her shape, this wasn't necessary for her, so this diet structure alone was enough. Katia thrives with structure in her diet routine. The goal that Katia went for was built around proportions, because that’s what she gets judged on. The bikini competitions aren't about weight, it's all about shape and proportions. So even if you stand next to a girl that is two inches taller and ten pounds heavier, you will still get judged by the same criteria - proportions. It's all about what your shape is like on your frame, which is exactly what the Venus is all about. And Katia is not only competing in bikini, but she still does fashion modeling as well. You will also see her in the future Venus Index Contests. Now, let's say you want to get into fitness or fashion modeling, what do you need to do and know to get there? Are you considering getting into fitness modeling? Here are some tips: The first thing you have to do is link up with people that are in this particular industry If you want to do a fitness competition then finding a personal trainer is not enough. It has to be someone who is familiar and has some experience with fitness contests, those are two totally different things Learn posing, John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon no 18:36 http://www.venusindex.com/responsibility-vs-blame-do-you-know-the-difference/ http://www.venusindex.com/responsibility-vs-blame-do-you-know-the-difference/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:10:36 +0000 John Barban http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1273 http://www.venusindex.com/responsibility-vs-blame-do-you-know-the-difference/feed/ 0 http://www.venusindex.com/make-it-simple-make-it-work/ http://www.venusindex.com/make-it-simple-make-it-work/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00:01 +0000 Admin http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1225 http://www.venusindex.com/make-it-simple-make-it-work/feed/ 0 Venus Index,venus index contest,Venus index Transformation Today we have an interview with Michelle Acorn. Michelle placed sixth in the latest Venus Index Transformation Contest. - Check out her pictures: Michelle Was Ready to Give Up The Venus Index system was completely new approach to her and... Today we have an interview with Michelle Acorn. Michelle placed sixth in the latest Venus Index Transformation Contest. Check out her pictures: Michelle Was Ready to Give Up The Venus Index system was completely new approach to her and a pretty shocking workout style. She never tried anything like it, the workouts were challenging and the diet simple, completely contrary to what she did in the past. Michelle worked out in the past, but it wasn't a priority. And from a fat loss stand point, she never dieted in her life, always just looking for better and faster way to lose weight. She never found a good plan and never stuck to any program. Well at least until her co-worker sent her an email with a link to a previous VI contest. Looking at the girls' transformations was a huge wake up call for her. While she'd lost a few pounds in the past, it always got to a point where she stopped. She was giving up, so the Venus Index came exactly at a right time. Michelle decided to enter the contest, she saw it as a way to stay motivated and have some accountability. Once she checked the program and saw the rest of the amazing transformations, she bought it and started right away. And after a few weeks of training she added Eat Stop Eat fasts and started paying more attention to her diet as well. It's All about Calories Fasting helped her understand that in order to lose weight meal timing or food choices didn't matter, it's all about calories in and out. At first fasting scared her, her mind was playing with her and trying to convince her that it's not a good idea, however she gave it a shot and to her surprise discovered that she felt fine and didn't crave any food during the fast itself. It took her as little as three fasts to get used to them. After that she practiced intermittent fasting once a week and on the non-fasting days decided to shoot for 700-1000 calories a day. This worked really well for her. Fat loss is really just a matter of eating under your energy expenditure. The mix of food and the choices are entirely up to you and your own preferences and lifestyle. Sure it's probably not a good idea to eat only pizza, because you would probably not enjoy having just a few slices for the whole day, however you can still have some tasty snacks. For example Michelle was snacking on her kids' 100 calorie snacks, she just kept the amount low. At the end of the contest she stopped fasting and upped her calories a bit. This is the theory behind the Transformation Diet. Here is the thing, most people start dieting slowly, and cut their calories even more when they are closer to contest shape. However, this often times leads to a lack of energy, tiredness, moodiness and all sorts of other unwanted effects. your body can handle a limited amount of systemic stress before you push it over the edge. And this is exactly what most people experience before the end of the contest, and that can lead to a rebound. Believe it or not many fitness models gain as much as 30 pounds right after their contest. What's the point of that? Having a great body for two weeks while feeling like crap to get it? And then immediately rebounding and being out of shape for the rest of the year? No, thanks. There is a better way. The way that Michelle has done it and how the Transformation Diet is designed. Diet the right way from the beginning and quickly get to your ideal bodyweight, once you are there, increase your calories intake to maintenance or BMR and have energy for the final weeks as you become leaner and leaner. This will also prevent you from rebounding afterwards. Workouts Must Be Challenging Michelle did the VI workouts phase one and was pretty sore in the beginning, but after a few sessions she could handle the workouts pretty well. And that's just how it works. If you are not used to a well-designed workout, the first few weeks might be pretty challenging, John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon no 12:31 http://www.venusindex.com/learning-your-capacity-for-change/ http://www.venusindex.com/learning-your-capacity-for-change/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:08:14 +0000 John Barban http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1241 http://www.venusindex.com/learning-your-capacity-for-change/feed/ 1 http://www.venusindex.com/best-shape-in-50/ http://www.venusindex.com/best-shape-in-50/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:09 +0000 Admin http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1207 http://www.venusindex.com/best-shape-in-50/feed/ 0 Venus Index,venus index contest,Venus index Transformation Today we have an interview with Roberta Saum, who placed second in the last Venus Index Contest in the Open category. - Check out her pictures: - Roberta never tried any program specifically designed for look. Today we have an interview with Roberta Saum, who placed second in the last Venus Index Contest in the Open category. Check out her pictures: Roberta never tried any program specifically designed for look. She was running everyday and lifting in the gym, just following some advice from the guys she knew. Her training plan was pretty similar to a bodybuilding split - chest on Monday, legs on Wednesday and so on. She was doing mostly what the guys were doing, not really thinking about training for a specific shape. She was pretty strong though and over the years she build significant muscle mass. Training combined with running also contributed to pretty good conditioning. However, she wasn't in the shape that she would like. She was stuck and was doing the same stuff day after day and not getting the results she was after - a slim, toned, feminine physique. Venus Index Changed Everything Venus Index is completely different from anything Roberta ever done. Before VI she usually trained for about 30 minutes without any structure that would be getting her towards any specific goal, it was basically lifting to stay fit. This is why she loved the VI workouts, because there is more than one group of muscles trained in every session and it's designed to get you to a specific goal - perfect Venus Index shape. Not having a training plan designed to get you to a specific body shape that is attractive is a pretty common problem and it's more common for women than men. Most women just do cardio and abdominal training while they are at the gym. Then there is a small fraction that lift weights, but it's usually in a manner that doesn't focus on bringing certain muscle groups up and supporting the feminine shape. Only a few women like bikini model competitors actually know how to approach strength training to build a specific looking body. You have to focus on training your body in a way the accentuates your shoulders and hips and minimizes the look of your waist. This requires some thought and variety with your training program, rather than following a male bodybuilder pattern of individual muscle group splits. If you can keep your waist down and work on your hips and shoulders, then you will be moving towards the ideal VI shape. The look is not the only thing you will build with the Venus Index. A interesting 'side effect' that Roberta experienced was a strength and endurance boost. Her running significantly improved since she started training with VI. And while the purpose is the look first and foremost, you will also experience an increase in your strength and conditioning. Roberta also proved that you can do significant work on top of the regular workouts. While she was focusing mainly on building the shape, she didn't give up the running. She still ran 5-6 miles four to five days a week. The combination of running and lifting with VI really worked for Roberta. The only thing that changed was that she no longer puts her running first. Now it always comes second after VI training. It's Okay to Eat Less Food and Feel Slightly Hungry After reading the Eat Stop Eat protocol, Roberta learned to deal with hunger pretty quickly. She started to understand that it's a signal that her body is losing fat and that if she grabbed something to eat like she did before, she would actually be halting her fat burning while her body digested her latest meal. She never had a problem with overeating, but still she never realized how much food she was eating. And that's pretty common. If you don't really watch what you're eating and just go through life 'winging it' on your diet you could end up gaining a few pounds each year, but those few pounds may easily turn into 8, 10 or 15 pounds every couple of years. You see, most people are not obese. The reason for weight gain, is not constant overeating, or medicating with food or some metabolic issue. Most people are perfectly fine. John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon no 45:15 http://www.venusindex.com/from-atkins-to-venus-index/ http://www.venusindex.com/from-atkins-to-venus-index/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:06:46 +0000 Admin http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1190 http://www.venusindex.com/from-atkins-to-venus-index/feed/ 0 Venus Index,venus index contest,Venus Index Workout Today we have an interview with Carrie Gleason. Carrie was third in the last Venus Index Contest in the Open Category. - Check out her photos: How to Work Out to Get an Ideal Body When Carrie first saw her pictures she couldn't believe what she ... Today we have an interview with Carrie Gleason. Carrie was third in the last Venus Index Contest in the Open Category. Check out her photos: How to Work Out to Get an Ideal Body When Carrie first saw her pictures she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She literally asked herself whether that's really her. And that happens to a lot of people after a transformation. Your body changes faster than your mind. It'll actually take a while for you to accept and believe it's really you, especially if you were used to something completely different for the past twenty years. Carrie always felt confident in her clothes and felt like she looked good, but she wasn't that comfortable in a bikini. This is a pretty big difference. Clothes can help you show your body, but also hide certain areas that would be exposed otherwise. You could say it feels 'safe' in clothes. If you are not a Victoria's Secret model who is used to spending her days in lingerie in front of a camera, you can go years wearing the same clothes not realizing you have gained some weight. And like Carrie said, she wasn't overweight, but she just didn't have that slim waist and toned body she has now. The Venus Index finally gave her confidence to feel great and sexy in a bikini again. She always focused on weight and didn't think of specific measurements or exact measurable goals. In her own words: "That's what I love on the Venus Index, it's not about the weight, it's all about the proportions and shape of my body". And that is the point, you can build a body that is ideal and attainable for your height, instead if trying to attain the body of a genetic freak fitness model. Carrie loved the fact that she can basically design her body and use specific workout structures to reshape it. The Venus Index is about getting to a specific, measurable goal that comes from a mathematical formula that is based on your height NOT weight. She always felt she needed to improve a bit, but thought that the best way to get in shape is by spending countless hours doing cardio and hundreds of crunches. In high school she did sports like every other girl and since she wasn't exceptional in any of them she decided to start exercising to keep her weight in a healthy range. She started going to the gym, but really to do just running on a treadmill and stair-master. She thought that lifting weights would cause her to grow and become big and bulky. There is this common misconception that lifting weights will somehow turn you into some freak and you will look like a female version of hulk or like some female steroid enhanced bodybuilder. That is not what really happens. A woman's body is different from a man's and you can't build the same muscle size as men even if you wanted. Female bodybuilders who desire the same muscular development as a man start taking drugs to take it to that level...and that is where it gets ugly. For you weight lifting is just a chance to tone your body into its natural and most attractive and healthy shape. This is where the Venus Index comes into play. The most attractive look is the hourglass shape. This realization probably doesn't come as anything new to you. Well, the best advice is usually the one you already know. Take a look at your training, do you train in way that supports this fact? When Carrie got over her disbelief that "weights equal big muscles", she approached it from the wrong starting point. She did what all the magazines told her to do, training one muscle group per day the way advanced male bodybuilders would train. Your Workout is really a tool for you to tone and shape your body, if you want to achieve the ideal, you need to pursue the hourglass shape and this requires a specific workout structure. Like Carrie said, now she is lifting weights for a reason, not just randomly throwing them in however she likes. The workout suddenly has a purpose! John Barban, Brad Howard, Brad Pilon no 42:13 http://www.venusindex.com/bcaas-fasting-and-autophagy/ http://www.venusindex.com/bcaas-fasting-and-autophagy/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:10:37 +0000 John Barban http://www.venusindex.com/?p=1202 http://www.venusindex.com/bcaas-fasting-and-autophagy/feed/ 0