No-nonsense best of the best diet and exercise tips to lose fat and build lean, defined muscle without spending hours in the gym. These are Not Your Average Fitness Tips.Tumblr (3.0; @bestworkoutroutines)http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/So I just stepped on the scale for the first time in over a month. Guess what happened? For all intents and purposes, nothing. My weight was down about 1.5lbs but that could easily be water fluctuations. Body fat and muscles mass were exactly the same. What’s my point…once you reach your goal, you can spend less time obsessing about diet and exercise. Does that mean you give up and start eating like crazy without exercising…absolutely not! It does mean that you have the optio<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/my-fitness-routine/sample-workout-routine-diet-plan">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/28944429036http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/28944429036Tue, 07 Aug 2012 20:27:19 -0400A couple months ago I decided to buy a weighted vest. It was a purchase that was long overdue. If you’re at the point where you’re doing 20+ reps for bodyweight exercises or would like to burn some extra calories during cardio, then it might be time to perform weighted vest workouts. I’ve been using a 40lb weighted vest to increase the difficulty of pushups, pull-ups, dips, and inverted rows. Obviously I’ve had to significantly reduce the number of reps I’m performing, but that<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/weighted-vest-workouts">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/28374934861http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/28374934861Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:52:21 -0400Good news for all of you who are looking for a new fitness routine to get ripped…my buddy Clint from Crude Fitness recently released his first book, Reveal the Steel. It’s packed full of diet &amp; nutrition tips, mistakes and misconceptions, and a 4 stage training program. In fact, the vast majority of Clint’s tips are similar to my philosophy, especially the dieting strategies. The training routine is solid as well. It’s highly detailed allowing you to follow it exactly as outlin<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/reveal-the-steel-interview-clint-nielsen">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/27406194371http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/27406194371Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:48:51 -0400While I posted my initial Visual Impact Cardio Review a couple months ago, having recently completed the program I can now offer a more complete assessment of some of the highs and lows. Unfortunately I can’t provide a full overview of results since I was using the program to limit fat gain while trying to add muscle. Frankly, given my goals, I could have shelved Visual Impact Cardio until a later time and just adjusted my diet accordingly. However, I was excited to test out a new routin<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/visual-impact-cardio-results-preliminary-assessment">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/26835470211http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/26835470211Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:52:18 -0400I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Olympic-trained athlete and fitness expert Amanda Russell. Amanda focuses on helping people achieve a lean look through her intense AR Program. She’s already gained quite a following on her website and YouTube page where she hosts weekly mini-shows filled with diet, health and fitness tips, along with a new and free equipmentless workouts every Tuesday and Thursday. Highly engaging with exceptional content, she was recently selected by GOOGLE a<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/interview-youtube-fitness-star-amanda-russell">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/24850074046http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/24850074046Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:22:40 -0400My fellow fitness blogger Mark Kislich was kind enough to do an interview for my site. Mark trains Olympic and other elite athletes so he knows how to make the best even better. He’s adapted and applied his training methods to help “ordinary” people get in great shape, too. Mark, can you start by giving us a brief background about who you are and what your philosophy is? Heya Dave, well first I’d like to take this opportunity and say thank you! I appreciate the interest, than<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/10-questions-olympic-performance-coach-mark-kislich">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/24002538040http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/24002538040Tue, 29 May 2012 12:51:01 -0400It might sound easy, but staying in shape can be just as difficult as losing fat or gaining muscle. In a way, it’s more motivating to have a set goal and clearly defined approach. The problem is that you can only keep a laser-like focus on your diet and exercise program for so long. At some point, you should return to reality and enjoy yourself a bit. Ironically, easing up a bit will help your body and mind recover and allow you to push harder again in the future. Pushing too hard fo<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/my-fitness-routine/staying-in-shape-maintenance-workout-routine-diet-plan">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/23511633068http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/23511633068Mon, 21 May 2012 20:18:18 -0400If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I’ve been documenting my Visual Impact Muscle Building results. Now that I’ve completed the program, I’d like to review my journey and some of the things I learned along the way. There isn’t much I’d do to improve the program, but perhaps my experience could help some people with any potential hurdles they may encounter. Author Rusty Moore is pretty good about answering questions on his Facebook page, but I’m happy to o<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/complete-visual-impact-muscle-building-results">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/22069468488http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/22069468488Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:51:33 -0400Over the past two decades I’ve been interested in fitness, I’ve learned a lot. However, I think I’ve learned more lessons from my fitness blog over the past two years than in my previous experiences. Much of this knowledge comes from the research I do to write articles. That being said, the questions that readers ask and experiences they share are truly eye opening. Here are a ten general fitness lessons. 1. One size doesn’t fit all Not every workout routine or diet program wor<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-fitness-tips/ten-lessons-learned-my-fitness-blog">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/20933946810http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/20933946810Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:24:53 -0400Rusty Moore has created some of my favorite workout routines so I was pleased when he finished writing Visual Impact Cardio. In a way, this has been an accumulation of over 2 years of work. Rusty’s original cardio course, Treadmill Ninja Master, provided some excellent tips on performing cardio. That evolved into a more complete cardio course that he included with Visual Impact Muscle Building and Visual Impact for Women. Now he’s taken all that knowledge and put together what has to<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/visual-impact-cardio-review">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/19954087551http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/19954087551Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:51:46 -0400I’m currently in the process of choosing a new workout routine. I generally like to change things up ever 6-8 weeks which is why the 3 phase approach of Visual Impact Muscle Building was so appealing to me. While I could just cycle through the program again, I’ve decided that I want to try a different approach to see what type of results I’ll get. So what should you consider when choosing a workout routine? Here are the guidelines I’m using. Goals It’s important to choose <p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-fitness-tips/choosing-workout-routine">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/19370963250http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/19370963250Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:23:33 -0400After a highly successful Phase 1 of Visual Impact Muscle Building, Phase 2 wasn’t quite as impactful. However, the blame falls squarely on my shoulders rather than on the inadequacy of the program to generate results. Phase 2 is focused on a mix of sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and myofibrillar hypertrophy. In other words, the goal is to get bigger and stronger. I certainly got bigger and stronger…the problem is that I also gained fat in the process. The reason for the fat gain is simp<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/visual-impact-muscle-building-results-phase-2">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/17325275468http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/17325275468Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:19:14 -0500As the year comes to a close, I thought now would be a good time to review my favorite workout programs and diet plans. So what are the key components of the best workout programs and best diet plans? In general, I think any good program provides some background and guidance as to why it is effective. That should in turn help the reader understand and even construct their own workout program or diet plan. Additionally, I find that the best workout programs and best diet plans lay out a r<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/best-workout-programs-best-diet-plans">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/14625118821http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/14625118821Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:33:51 -0500I’ve long advocated Visual Impact Muscle Building as the best way to gain muscle mass. After successfully going through the program a while back, I decided that now was the appropriate time to tackle it again in full force. You can read my complete Visual Impact Muscle Building review but the brief overview is that the program is a 3 phase approach focused on strategically gaining muscle in the right places while avoiding fat gain. Phase 1 is all about sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. This in<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/visual-impact-muscle-building-results-phase-1">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/14010382891http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/14010382891Sat, 10 Dec 2011 06:42:21 -0500If you’re looking for a way to gain lean muscle mass, then I highly recommend Martin Berkhan’s Leangains Guide. While my work and family schedule prohibit following all of Martin’s recommendations, I’ve recently tried to implement as many as possible from the Leangains Guide. Most people will have a hard time believing that a diet centered around intermittent fasting constitutes the best muscle building diet plan, but I’ve seen excellent fat free muscle mass gains when pairing the <p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/intermittent-fasting/martin-berkhan-leangains-guide-the-best-muscle-building-diet-plan">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/13569891989http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/13569891989Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:44:58 -0500I’ve been a long time advocate of intermittent fasting weight loss approaches. While my experience and the experience of others clearly show how effective intermittent fasting for weight loss can be, the results and research from Dr. John Berardi go one step further. For years, Dr. Berardi has eaten meals every 3-4 hours and helped 100,000+ clients lose weight by doing so. He decided to experiment with intermittent fasting after reading numerous success stories. As a researcher, Dr. Be<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/intermittent-fasting/intermittent-fasting-to-lose-weight-results-john-berardi">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/13168745722http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/13168745722Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:32:33 -0500It’s a sensation many people experience one time or another…feeling hungry after exercise. Personally there are days I feel like a bottomless pit after exercising. Other times I lose my appetite and don’t feel hungry after exercise at all. Are the calories burned exercising going to waste on those days when I do eat a lot? Am I suffering from the “reward syndrome” where I feel like I can eat more after exercising because I burned more calories than normal? These are common qu<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-fitness-tips/feeling-hungry-after-exercise">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/12816723086http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/12816723086Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:09:11 -0500Over the past couple months, my fitness routine has included many of my favorite strategies to get six pack abs. Combining a clean diet with ample strength training and cardio has allowed me to significantly reduce my body fat to a level I have never been before. As such, I’d like to share my six pack abs workout routine and diet plan. Additionally, I’d like to review some of my preferred six pack abs exercises. While I can’t guarantee you’ll see the same results as me, I hope th<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/six-pack-abs/pack-abs-workout-routine-diet-plan-exercises">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/12200023089http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/12200023089Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:38:15 -0400The original Convict Conditioning book was one of my favorite resources on bodyweight exercises. So how does Paul Wade’s Convict Conditioning 2 measure up to the first book? It certainly isn’t as game changing as the “Big 6” progressions but there are some good recommendations on improving forearm, lateral, neck, calf and joint strength. The caveat here is that Convict Conditioning 2 isn’t for the average fitness enthusiast who just wants some strength training and muscle buildin<p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/best-workout-routines/convict-conditioning-2-review-paul-wade-advanced-prison-training-tactics">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/11874974212http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/11874974212Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:24:05 -0400Most people have heard how omega 3 essential fatty acids supplements like fish oil can help improve your health. What are essential fatty acids though? Should you take essential fatty acids supplements or simply try to get enough omega 3 fatty acids from fish and other food sources? Just what is krill oil and are there any health benefits of krill oil vs. fish oil? I’ll tackle these and other questions. What are Essential Fatty Acids? Essential fatty acids include omega 3s and omega <p><a href="http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/health-and-nutrition/krill-oil-benefits-essential-fatty-acids-supplements-improve-health">Read more &#8230;</a></p>http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/11592429370http://bestworkoutroutines.tumblr.com/post/11592429370Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:22:38 -0400