Is The Alpha Male Extinct?

Listen to my FitTalk Interview with Rick Collins - Is The Alpha Male Extinct?

Alpha Male Challenge
co-author Rick Collins

www.alphamalechallenge.com

Men, are you a true Alpha Male? Ladies, is your husband/boyfriend a true Alpha Male or, if you’re single, are you looking for an Alpha Male? Is the Alpha Male extinct?

What does this mean? In America today, men are fatter, sicker, more stressed, and less rested than ever before. Too many men have slipped from “alpha” to “beta,” and average testosterone levels are dropping at an alarming rate. In other words, American men are losing their masculinity.

Alpha Male Challenge is a revolutionary 10-week transformation program designed to not only rapidly build muscle and lose body fat, but to build a better man, inside and out. This is a straightforward instruction manual to build the kind of man these hard times demand: ruggedly powerful and supremely confident; traditionally manly but with modern enlightenment. Not just a guy whose muscles look heroic, but one who feels heroic.

I had the opportunity to talk with Rick Collins, co-author of The Alpha Male Challenge about what a True Alpha Male is and how you can BE a true Alpha Male.

Rick is a celebrated personality in the bodybuilding, fitness and nutritional supplements industry. He has degrees in psychology and law and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (National Strength and Conditioning Association).

He is monthly legal columnist for the internationally circulated Muscular Development magazine and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Muscle & Fitness magazine, is a principal in the New York law firm of Collins, McDonald & Gann, P.C, and legal advisor to the International Federation of Body Builders and the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

I enjoyed reading the Alpha Male Challenge, and, as a self-proclaimed Alpha Female and Fitness Professional, I know that this book is written by guys, for guys, but I’ve got to admit, I just couldn’t help taking the Alpha Male Challenge myself and I am enjoying the workouts and seeing great results. There is some great information in this book that I can certainly use with the male clients I work with. The workouts in this book are clearly designed with men in mind, and anyone, any age can do the challenge. The book is meant to inspire people, men In particular, to improve themselves.

The title of chapter 1 is called “The Decline and Fall of Manliness”. According the the authors, James Villepigue and Rick Collins, men have changed culturally over the years. Rick said on my show that guys are in a state of confusion as to masculine excellence is all about with the reign of the “metro-sexual”. The fundamental qualities of what make men “manly” were getting confused.

Not only are men losing their manliness sociologically, but physiologically as well. There was a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metaboliosm in January 2007 which provided evidence of a new physiological de-masculinization of the modern man. The study compared testosterone levels of three generations of men in the 80’s, 90’s and new decade and the news was quite troubling. Their study found that of the age-matched subjects, the men in the 80’s had higher average testosterone levels than the men of the 90’s, and the men of the new century have on average the LEAST testosterone of all. Simply put, testosterone levels are going down.

Testosterone is not just about your libido

Testosterone is a more than a hormone that makes men manly. Testosterone influences psychological factors such as mood, memory, libido, assertiveness and confidence. It also affects physiological factors such as cholesterol levels, blood sugar which means equates to body fat and obesity.

Sociologically, our male hero’s have evolved over the years. Back in the day, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum epitomized the true Alpha Male, The 80’s had Sylvester Stallone (Rambo) and Arnold Schwarzenegger as our action hero’s. Today, there really isn’t a truly “manly” American movie star and Johnny Depp certainly is not what I would call an Alpha Male.

According to Rick, there clearly is a cultural and physical downward spiral of manliness which inspired the writing of this book.

The authors developed a system for you to find out what your current Alpha Factor number is with the AlphaMale Scale™. At the end of the 10 weeks, you will revisit The AlphaMale Scale™ and discover that your Alpha number went up. You can quickly the express version of the AlphaMale Scale™ by visiting: http://alphamalechallenge.com/male_scale.php

The Alpha Male Challenge is not just a diet and exercise program, but a plan, a blueprint, that has a psychological aspect to it to “bring manly back”.

Alpha Attitude

One of the key aspects to the Alpha Male Challenge is “Alpha Attitude”. It’s what makes a guy a hero. What makes him his best. What makes him a leader. Alpha Attitude are inner innate qualities that can be developed. The book covers the “4 C’s” – Confidence, Courage, Commitment and Conscience.

Alpha Archicture

The book as 27 workouts that are all different and should not keep you in the gym longer than an hour. The workouts are fun and challenging and designed for different fitness levels. The exercise can be done at home or in the gym. Alpha Architecture is the part of the book that provides you with what I call a true “game plan”, so that when you walk into the gym, you know exactly what your goals are making your workouts more efficient. The workouts designed in “Alpha Waves”. A specific result will be achieved in each wave such as increasing endurance, lean muscle, increased strength and explosive power. In each wave you are building up for the next wave and continuing to improve on the benefits of the previous wave.

Work Heart, Play Heart

Another part of building your Alpha Architecture is a program the writers created called Work Heart, Play Heart. This is a cardiovascular system that does not require endless hours on a treadmill. Instead, you earn points making simple beneficial choices such as taking the stairs over the elevator or parking at the far end of the parking lot rather than finding the closest parking spot to the door.

Alpha Fuel

Alpha Fuel covers the nutrition portion of the book and I can tell you that the foods aren’t weird and that no, you won’t be on a diet of rabbit food, tofu and soy. You are eating NORMAL food, however, you will be more conscious of the foods you eating consuming QUALITY calories that are nutrient rich. You will be eating less processed foods, more sources of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. The book also has some great recipes that are quick and easy to make.


To help further simplify things, there is the “Handshake Diet” taking all the guess work out of portion control by measuring a portion with the size of your hand and supplementing your diet with a whey protein shake which is a quick, easy, convenient way of ensuring you’re getting your daily protein intake which is essential for building lean, healthy, fat burning, muscle.

The Alpha Male Challenge is a call to action for men. It is designed men to become healthier, fitter and just, better.

If you’re on Facebook, search Alpha Male Challenge and join their Fan Page www.facebook.com/pages/Alpha-Male-Challenge or visit the website www.alphamalechallenge.com

Order your copy of the book today

Simple Weight Loss Tips

Listen to my FitTalk Interview with Jen Hendershott
Weight Loss Made Simple

Simple Weight Loss Tips

with Jen Hendershott
http://budurl.com/jenhnutrition




I had the opportunity to trade weight loss tips with two time Ms. Olympia and Ms. Fitness International, Jen Hendershott on my FitTalk show.


It’s certainly no secret that as a country, we are very unfit and very unhealthy. Not a week goes by that we don’t hear about the growing obesity rate in this country. Most people say they are unhappy with their weight and wan to lose weight and make the mistake of looking for a quick easy fix which in most cases don’t work. Jen and I agree that people tend to make weight loss more complicated than it really is, don’t get the results they want and give up.


We’re overworked, underpaid, and very stressed and we’re always looking for the quickest, easiest, solution to everything. When it comes to weight loss, the cold hard truth is that there really isn’t a quick fix. If there was, someone would be a multi-millionaire for inventing it and obesity wouldn’t be an issue.


In addition, the obesity rate among children is rising. Children are watching and observing what you do. They learn from you and develop lifestyle habits from the adults in their lives. Not only do you need to start developing better habits for yourself, but also for our children.


When it comes to weight loss, knowledge is power. We’re simply uneducated about nutrition and it really isn’t taught in the schools. One of the easiest things you can do to start making changes is to start a food journal and track everything you eat and drink for 5 days. At the end of the 5 days, look at your journal and see how many sodas you drank. You’ll also see how many meals you ate came from a restaurant or drive through. Ask yourself of all the choices on the menu, did you make the best choice? By looking at this snap shot of your habits, you can get a clear picture of what you chose to eat or drink, identify what choices you made were unhealthy, and give some thought about better choices you can make.


If you and your children are drinking too much soda and want to cut back on it and have your children drink more water, you can add Crystal Light or Sugar Free Kool Aid to your water.


It’s a matter of making small steps towards better habits. Jen came up with a simple suggestion that you can do to develop better eating habits and turn it into a lifestyle instead of a temporary fix. Jen suggested making 8 major changes in 8 weeks. Every week, pick a new good habit to replace a bad one.


For example, Week 1 you won’t skip breakfast and get into a habit of having breakfast every day. It can be something as easy as a protein shake with a piece of fruit.
Week 2: Prepare a healthy lunch the day before so you don’t have to eat fast food. At the end of the 8 weeks, you’ll have 8 new habits that will stick for life.


Another simple thing you can do is be pro-active about your diet. Jen’s motto is “Your cooler is your purse”. If you fill a small cooler with healthy snacks such as apples, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese, almonds, etc. you will always have something nutritious to snack on throughout the day.

My simple suggestion is to pre-cook all your meals once a week. I do this every Sunday and it takes me about 90 minutes. When I come home and I’m tired or in a hurry, I can heat up one of these meals very quickly.


Of course, there are times when you have to get something “to go”. Rather than hit a drive through, I will go into a local supermarket and pick up a rotisserie chicken and salad in a bag. I’m literally in and out of the store in the same amount of time it would take for me to place my order at the drive through. This is a low cost, healthy meal that can also quickly feed a family.


Another habit you can develop is regular exercise. Set aside at least 30 minutes a few days a week to exercise and give it a chance and realize how good you feel. Exercise helps you feel strong and empowered. When you feel empowered, you do things which make you feel successful, happy and creates self confidence.


I had created a Vision Board of my role models and images that represented a healthy, fit, body along with pictures of treadmills, dumbbells, spin bikes, healthy foods, etc. I would look at these images every day and was inspired and motivated by them. When I went to the gym, these images would be in my head which helped fuel my workouts.


If you are looking to learn everything over a weekend, Jen has created a program that she has been touring the country with over the past few years called PHAT Camp. PHAT camp is a camp designed for women who want to learn about being the best they can be. It’s not just for fitness competitors. People of all ages, shapes and sizes attend the weekend long camp. Jen has had participants as young as 13 and as old as 70 attend camp. Jen teaches you creative ways to make cardio more fun, you will learn exciting new exercises, and so many great ways to eat and cook healthy. Learn things you didn't know and get your questions answered. This is something I highly recommend that will get you motivated and on the right path. To learn more about Jen’s PHAT Camp, visit her website: http://budurl.com/jenhnutrition You will also find exercise DVD’s and other products that can help you reach your goal.


You really don’t need to get hung up on counting calories. Focus on eating foods that are what I call quality calories. Foods that are rich in nutrients and are as natural as possible. Avoid foods that are loaded with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Be aware of the sugar content in the foods you eat. Read the nutrition labels. If you do these simple things, the weight will start to come off and you will start to feel better.

Incorporate strength training and cardio along with improving your nutrition and you’ve got the basic, simple formula for weight loss.

Your Sexual Health and Fitness

Your Sexual Health & Fitness on Fit Talk with ShariFitness

Click on the blog talk logo to hear the show

Dr. John Stripling
www.striplingcenter.com
678-356-2000
Center For Sexual Health & Education
www.bestsexualadvice.com
888-LOW-DESIRE



Your sexual health and fitness was discussed on my radio show with Dr. John Stripling. Dr. Stripling is a board certified Urologist who specializes in Sexual Medicine. Dr. Stripling is a member of the American Urological Association, the Sexual Medicine Society, and the International Society of Women's Sexual Health. He is also the co-founder of the Center for Sexual Health and Education in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Palm Beach. He has been in private practice in the Atlanta area for over 20 years and is a frequent speaker on Sexual Medicine Topics on Radio and Television.

We hit all the topics, Testosterone, Andropause, Menopause, Sex Drive, Testosterone Supplementation, and how your health, fitness, wellness and lifestyle plays a role in your sexual health, sexuality and sexual performance.

Ladies, if you thought we had “issues” men have them too.

We started the show off by talking about Testosterone or “T”. Dr. Stripling explained that it is the sex hormone that creates desire in both men and women. It is produced to a small degree in women in the ovaries and adrenal glands, and in men, it is produced in the testicles and to a smaller degree, the adrenal gland.

Your “T” levels climb as you reach puberty and remain high in women until they hit puberty. As a man reaches his early 30’s, his testicles start decreasing the amount of testosterone he produces. For men, if they have low testosterone, they experience Andropause, which is a gradual decrease of testosterone. Your lifestyle plays an important role in keeping your testosterone at a good level and is influenced by strength training exercise and the things you eat. A poor lifestyle can decrease testosterone levels. According to Dr. Stripling, weight training is CRUCIAL in keeping Testosterone levels up.

How does a man know if he is experiencing low testosterone? Testosterone levels are highest around 8 a.m. and lowest around 6 p.m. Generally speaking, you should wake up in the morning with an erection. Other signs of having low testosterone levels are fatigue, irritability, low sex drive, low self esteem and mild depression.

The conversation then moved on to Testosterone supplementation. I asked Dr. Stripling about receiving Testosterone from a Doctor or buying one of the popular over the counter testosterone supplements for your local supplement store.

I learned from Dr. Stripling that Testosterone given orally can be damaging to the liver or increase cholesterol. The best way to receive testosterone supplementation is in a gel you rub on your or you can get testosterone injections.

Most over the counter supplements are made in China and there are a lot of impurities in the product. Studies show that the active ingredient varies from 0 to 200 times what they say it is. Some even have an illicit form of Viagra or Cialis in them. You want to make sure you are buying a quality product from a reputable company.

DHEA is recommended for a man who still wants to have children. Testosterone can suppress sperm count. Dr. Stripling recommends 25 mg of DHEA times a day.

Sexual Health Issues – Erectile Dysfunction, Obesity, Diabetes and the “Hidden Penis Syndrome”.

As a Urologist, Dr. Stripling is very well versed with Erectile Dysfunction. Interestingly enough, Erectile Dysfunction is a canary to heart disease. A study showed that men who showed up at a hospital for a heart attack had begun experiencing erectile dysfunction 5 years prior to the heart attack. Dr. Stripling said, “A doctor that gives you Viagra and sends you on your way is doing you a disservice”.

Diabetics can have problems retracting their penis which can become dangerous because you can’t clean it and can possibly develop penile cancer from not keeping the shaft clean. When a man gets a pad of fat around the penis, it literally works the skin of the shaft up so what is really exposed is much less. Fat eats away at the penis. If you want a longer penis, you need to lose weight to gain length. If you are 25-30 pounds overweight, you are at risk of “buried/hidden penis syndrome.” As you get more and more obese, less and less of the shaft is visible and appears smaller and smaller.

Once again, it all goes back to exercise and diet to maintain good Sexual health.

To learn more about Testosterone, Andropause and your sexual fitness, the following books are recommended.

Did you know that Hypnotherapy can help you Lose Weight, Improve Your Workouts and Diet?

Did you know that Hypnotherapy can help you Lose Weight, Improve Your Workouts and Diet?

Yes, it is amazing and true. I had the pleasure of interviewing Clinical Hypnotherapist, Steve G. Jones, M. Ed on my on line radio show, Fit Talk with Shari Fitness.

We discussed this very intriguing topic and was surprised to learn as much as I did about this. Hypnosis can help you to overcome limiting beliefs such as poor self image, which, in the sub-conscious mind, causes self-sabatoge. When it comes to achieving anything you want in life, you need to believe in yourself and let go of the idea that you are unworthy or losing weight.


With someone who has already begun or has been consistent with a diet and exercise program, Steve explained that hypnotherapy helps to reinforce keeping up with a healthy lifestyle and not fall off the wagon.


The conversation got really interesting when Steve spoke about how you can increase muscle mass which begs the question to be asked, how can WORDS make muscles bigger???? Research shows that you can increase muscle mass with words. You can cause physiological changes in the body simply through telling the brain where to direct that power. This concept also applies to getting the body to heal itself.


All in all, I can honestly say that this was a really good show and I was very impressed with my guest, Clinical Hypnotherapast, Steve G. Jones.


To hear the show, click on the Blog Talk Radio Logo.




Click here to view Steve's website and to learn more about him ----> Better Living Through Hypnosis .


Steve G. Jones