Healthy Chicken Marsala

Why head to your favorite Italian restaurant to indulge in the rich, lemon-garlic-and boozey flavors of Chicken Marsala, when you can make a healthier version at home that tastes just as good?! This recipe is unbelievably easy to make, and so full of savory goodness that you’ll want to make it twice for dinner and at least once for lunch.

Healthy Chicken Marsala
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2? thickness
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the flour, then shake off excess flour.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, then add the chicken and cook it until browned. Set the chicken aside.  Add mushrooms, wine, broth, and juice to pan; turn the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Whisk 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into the sauce to thicken it. You can add additional cornstarch in 1/2 teaspoon increments to the sauce to obtain desired thickness. Return chicken to pan, turning to coat well. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with parsley

 Developing dynamic and explosive pull up strength

First off, you will need to develop explosive and dynamic Pull Up strength.  From now on you must train yourself to explode up from a dead hang position when you perform all your Pull Ups.  No more lazy, slow Pull Ups to your chin; our goal is much, much higher!

To begin, place your palms in pronated Pull Up position (palms facing away from your body) slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and wrap your thumbs around the bar.

Then, take two deep breaths and PULL UP – as high and fast as you can go – NOT to your chin, but aim to pull the bar ‘down’, launching you chest past the bar and as high as you can go!

While you learn, it’s OK to just do two or three explosive Pull Ups and you can also swing/kip your knees up towards your shoulders with speed for assisted momentum.

When you start, you may only be able to explode up to your neck region.  But after a while you will be able to get higher and higher!  As you develop explosive Pull Up strength, you will be able to get the bar to your chest; then your navel; then your thighs!  Not only will you feel the muscular intensity in your triceps, lats and rear delts, but your hand and forearm strength will also multiply.

Once you can do ten fast, explosive pull ups to your chest, then begin to aim your torso higher – aim to explode right up to your lower pecs.  Shoot for at least tend good high, fast pull ups to your lower chest.  If you can launch high enough to get bar to your abs, even better!  You will now be ready to tackle Stage 2 of Muscle Up training.  Excellent!

Tip:  You can attach small weights (1-5 kg) in a weight vest or back pack to add intensity to your training, but only after you can do 5 explosive Pull Ups.

 N.B: try this and get some fun enjoy!!

The Best Way To Get Your Muscles Up Faster !!!!

Ballistic bodyweight bar training for superior strength and stamina is exploding in popularity, in parks and outdoor gyms all over the world.  An infinite array of intense exercise variations has fuelled a global phenomenon on the internet, with top bodyweight professionals attracting millions of views and inspiring a generation of fitness fanatics.  Now you do it too.  Fantastic!

One of the most impressive and famous bodyweight moves is the Muscle Up, a dynamic and intense extension of the ‘regular’ army-style pull up.

“The Muscle Up involves an explosive pronated-grip pull up to launch your torso high over the bar to height with a seamless transition to holding your body with straight arms on top of the pull up bar. “

Over the last few years, the modern Muscle-Up has rocketed to international fame as an iconic strength move due to the innovative You Tube training clips of American bodyweight masters such as the incredible Zef from Brooklyn and the shredded Hannibal from Queens in New York.

The current Official Guinness World Record for Muscle Ups is held by local Bondi boy (and ex  – Special Forces soldier) Jarryd Rubinstein, who was sufficiently inspired to go out and bust out 26 fast, fluid Muscle Ups, smashing the previous record of 21 reps set by a Chinese Olympic gymnast.  The Muscle Up World Record rules set out by Guinness are very precise and stipulate strict form, disallowing kipping or swinging the knees for momentum or resting at the top of the bar between reps.  Jarryd’s World Record of 26 Muscle Ups is a now a YouTube sensation and has stood for three years, despite many concerted attempts to break it by amazingly strong crews from all over the world.

With such popularity within the fitness community and cultural recognition online, many fitness enthusiasts are now inspired to learn how to bust out a few smooth, strict Muscle Ups.

Of course, the Muscle Up is not only an impressive ‘trick’; it is a full-on example of body control and truly functional human strength that stuns people who have only ever seen or done ‘regular’ pull ups!

trying and get some fun !!!!!  FBD.Inc

7 Things Anybody Can Learn From a Bodybuilder

Bodybuilders spend years and years of their lives focused on perfecting the human body through proper training and nutrition. You, on the other hand, might not have an interest in the sport of bodybuilding, but do want to know the secrets to six-pack abs, a wide back, and rounded shoulders.  

1. TRAIN IN PHASES

If your fitness goals are to get strong and build hard, visible muscle, then you’re going to want to train in three phases according to Heath. Strength, conditioning, and a blend of the two that works for you. “If you can get to the gym 4-5 days a week, that would be perfect,” he says. “You can still do chest/tri's, back/bi's, legs, shoulders, and make the fifth day a cleanup day, meaning focus on body parts you may be weaker in." Check out Heath’s guide to finding your best muscle-building routine.

• PHASE 1: STRENGTH

3 work sets per exercise

5-7 reps

4-6 weeks*

*Optional: increase weight at 3-4 weeks

• PHASE 2: CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING

3 work sets per exercise

12-15 reps

4 weeks

• PHASE 3: GROWTH

3-4 work sets per exercise

8-12 reps

4 weeks

2. APPLY CONSTANT TENSION TO WEIGHTS

There are several ways to enhance the quality of a workout, and some changes can even be made during each rep. “Constant tension should be applied to the last five reps of every working set, meaning, do the first 5-6 reps normal tempo, and the last few reps should be held for at least two seconds at the peak of the contraction,” says Heath. “This allows your muscles to have more time under tension and you work different muscle fibers.” Hold the weight at the top for a maximum pump.

3. DO CARDIO YEAR-ROUND

Bodybuilders do cardio training such as running and using a StairMaster StepMill to burn fat and make their muscles more visible. “Do cardio throughout the year at least three days a week for at least 30-40 minutes, whether it be first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or after a post-workout protein shake,” says Heath. “Cardio won’t kill your gains as much as you think, you’ll see how much muscle you really have.” Break a sweat to stay lean 'round the clock.

4. DROPSETS ARE KEY

Heath suggests incorporating dropsets into your training routine by immediately decreasing the weight and repping out again to failure. “Dropsets overload the muscle with shorter rest periods and increasing volume which you need to grow,” says Heath. “That overload improves your body’s abilities to utilize more nutrients, natural growth hormone, and natural testosterone into those areas and makes the supplements you take more effective.” Heath’s favorite way to do dropsets is on a pin-loaded machine since it’s faster to switch weights.

5. ORGANIZE YOUR DIET

When it comes to finding the right meal plan, you have to start somewhere. Start with writing down what you eat in a food diary, calculate the calories you’re consuming daily (ex: 3,000 without protein shakes), and break those up into six meals (ex: 500 calories each), says Heath. Then, choose a macronutrient ratio. For example, the 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat ratio is what Heath used to get bigger when he first started bodybuilding. “Buy a food scale, learn how to use it, and you may even have to learn to use the metric system, like grams instead of ounces,” Heath says. “You need to train your body to process food quickly, so eat every three hours.”

6. PROTEIN POWER

Heath says to consume 1.25-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight for growth and he never exceeds a 1:1 meals to protein shake ratio, meaning if he has 3 shakes, he’ll have 3 meals. He suggests if you’re going to drink protein shakes, drink two and have four meals. Also, increase your protein consumption and decrease carbs to look lean. “Once I got to a certain size, I wanted to get leaner so I got to 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% protein.”

7. TAKE PROGRESS PHOTOS

The best way to know the real progress you’re making is by recording it on video or taking photos. “Photos mean everything because if you can take them in the same areas and in the same poses, you’ll see your strengths and weaknesses clearly,” says Heath. “Revise your training and diet programs to eliminate weaknesses.” Keep a file of your progress to see just how far you can take your fitness.