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Just as there are some individuals who need all the help they can get to raise their motivation level up enough to not miss their workout, there are some who need to exercise (no pun intended) just as much discipline to take the day off from the gym. For some workout-aholics, the idea of taking a rest day just doesn’t sit well with them. They might feel they wasted the day by not working out, or maybe are getting smaller since they didn’t get their pump for the day. We can even admit that we’ve been (and still are) that person. It wasn’t too long ago that we implemented a rest day for the first time in well over a month. "Use your head! Learn the signs that you need to take a rest". However, you really shouldn’t discount how beneficial giving yourself a good 24 hours off can be. In fact, having a little break from the gym can be just what you need to go back and hit it even harder! Don’t forget that you only recover from your workouts while you’re at rest. And while getting enough sleep is certainly the biggest player in that process, sometimes…

How to integrate positive changes into your lifestyle It’s getting to be that time of year again, and you know what that means. In less than a month, New Years will be here, and that means people are going to create resolutions as a means to better themselves. The only caveat there is, about 92% of people end up abandoning them. Everyone goes into these endeavours with good intentions. But they just never seem sustainable, and that’s a shame. Here at marcfitt.com, the only thing we love more than people undertaking self-improvement is watching people succeed at self-improvement! The first thing you need to do when deciding on integrating a positive change into your lifestyle is choose one thing — just one. A lot of times, people will choose a laundry list of resolutions and it becomes overwhelming, usually resulting in them abandoning it altogether. By choosing a single resolution, it becomes much more likely that you’ll stick to it. It’ll be easier to focus on and you won’t have the urge to ditch the notion. There are also a ton of smartphone apps that are readily available to help you decide and stick to changes that you want to…

Marc stretches, and so should you! Anybody who works out is no stranger to the soreness that ensues afterwards. Especially the next day and, of course, the dreaded day-two! There’s a way to reduce that, though! Although it’s good to be sore (that’s a sign you did a good job at the gym), not everybody loves the feeling of barely being able to function the next day. All of you who have done the Lift More: Legs workout know what I’m talking about. Ouch! This is where stretching comes in handy. After your workout, stretching can help to realign your muscle fibers which, in turn, helps to accelerate your recovery process. It’ll also help to reduce lactic acid buildup which aids in preventing soreness felt the next day. The stretching of the fascia will also assist in further growth of your muscles. Stretching isn’t just limited to post-workout, however. Having a good pre-workout routine can assist you in getting warmed up properly, which is a great way to prevent injury during you workout, and allow you to push harder! Marc has a go-to routine he follows when he works out, and it works wonders. Pre-workout: 1. Begin with an active…

Everyone loves to work biceps! And everyone also seems to have their own personal preference when it comes to how they like to work them. There will never be a shortage of exercises you can do to work this muscle (machines and free weights alike). However, in the world of free weights, there are really two pieces of equipment that dominate people’s arm routines — the barbell and the EZ bar.  Everyone has an opinion when it comes to what the more effective bar is, but the truth is, there is no definitive answer. Here’s why. The barbell is a great choice for working your biceps, no doubt about it. When using the barbell, you are forced to take a completely supinated (palms facing up) position, making full use of the exercise. There have been studies showing that you actually do activate more of the bicep muscle when using barbells during the concentric motion of the exercise, as opposed to EZ bars. Barbells do have their drawbacks, though. Due to the nature of the curl, it can be tough on people’s wrists. And that can cause problems. If you’re more focused on the uncomfortable feeling in your wrist, rather than…

We’ve all been there. You wake up and see your alarm clock displaying some hour that urges you to just hit that snooze button — over and over and over again. The initial thought of getting out of your nice, warm bed is literally the last thing you want to do. But today, we’re going to change that mindset. Of course, the hardest part about changing any habit is getting started, right? When you started your fitness journey, keeping consistent was probably one of the biggest challenges you faced. Day after day of giving your all was, to say the least, taxing. But, you got used to it. It takes 21 days to make something a habit. Now, you probably work out nearly every day without having to think about it — it’s just something you do now. You can look at waking up early the same way. It’s going to be tough in the beginning, especially if it’s something you rarely do. But if you channel your motivation to get out of bed at 5:30 a.m. the same way you got it together to hit the gym every single day, you can do this. And with enough time, it’ll just…

When we start something, we always imagine how it’s going to be. But sometimes we don’t believe enough in our vision, because it can be seen as too hard or too big for ourselves. But in reality, nothing is too big. There’s always a way to make it happen. We all fear something, we all wanted to be more than what we are now, or to have more in different area of our lives. But, the percentage of the population who are willing to risk and try is too small compared to the percentage of those who just survive and accept their current situation. If you really want to feel happy, you have to progress in life, you have to see yourself become more, and as you achieve you are on the road to live the life you model. It’s the time now; not tomorrow, not next week or next month. You are what you do, and your actions reveal what your situation is. If you want to be more, then you have to act more. You have to be willing to invest has much as it is needed in time, work, money or whatever is required to get where…

    This week we’ll give you a list of the foods where you can get the best, and healthiest carbs out of. First, we’ll start by saying; carbs are NOT bad! Many people think that to cut, you have to completely cut out carbs… but this is not the case. It's not just about the quantity, but in the quality of the carbs. There are good and bad carbs. The following 5 are suggestions for foods that’ll provide you with a lot of good carbs. Oats You can almost say a staple in the diet of anyone following a diet. Oats are great for breakfast, but also for snacks throughout the day. Not only are the carbs great, but also there really isn’t much negative in them at all. In about half a cup of oats, you get 27g of clean carbs. Marc eats oats whether he is cutting, or bulking. It’s an all around great food. Rice Rice is another great source of carbs. It’s also extremely easy to prepare, and goes well with any meal. You can eat either brown, or Basmati rice, though depending on your goals; you may want to look into the nutrition facts…

This week, we’ll be addressing something we actually delved into a little bit on last week’s live show. These days, there are so many options when it comes to role models. With social media, it’s become even easier to follow their movements, track how they live their life, and imitate that. In some cases, this is just a huge positive, but in others, it’s the opposite. It leaves a ton of room for them to slip up, and negatively influence the people who idolize them. Here, we’ll explain how important it is to not model your life after someone you idolize, and to maintain who you truly are at all times. Don’t get us wrong; having idols and role models is extremely important. Marc looks up to anyone who’s great, and works hard. It helps set an example, and a bar that you can work to reach. It’ll help push you to want to achieve what they have, because you see it’s possible. They aren’t special people, they’re just people who have taken a risk, and worked extremely hard because they understand the value of time. Then again, they aren’t perfect. They make mistakes too, and unfortunately, with the Internet…

When it comes to supplements, their rank of importance really varies. For most people, protein is number one, but after that, it becomes cloudier. Marc believes number two is BCAA. This week’s article will be dedicated to explaining what exactly BCAA is, how it positively impacts your body and results and finally which BCAA product you should take and when. It’s one of the most underrated supplements, so today we’ll set out to give it the recognition it deserves! Ok, well first of all, BCAA stands for “branched chain amino acids.” It’s a combination of three amino acids; leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Usually when you intake amino acids, and even things like protein, they’re metabolized in the liver. With these, the breakdown is actually focused mostly in the muscles. The reason Marc drinks AMRAP (Beyond Yourself’s brand of BCAA’s) while he trains is because of that. They go directly to your muscles and when broken down, give you energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is your main source of muscular energy. That being said, I think it’s clear why it’s useful! It’ll give you energy as you workout, allowing you to push yourself harder, and farther than…