Real SOLUTIONS Readers Speak Out

Training Tips and Tools for a Strong Body

Dear Real SOLUTIONS,

I want to thank you for the articles about the chest and shoulders by Christopher Ball. For many years, I have had problems with my shoulders and did not know why. Though I did not have the hunched look (my shoulders weren't rolled forward), my shoulders did seem protracted. I am now doing strength-building exercises for my rear delts at the beginning of my shoulder workout. It has now been a month since I changed my program, and I have no pain in my shoulders. Shoulder pain used to plague me, especially when doing my martial arts. This problem is now gone thanks to you all at Real SOLUTIONS.

With gratitude,
Tony Stephenson
via email

This is the best magazine I have ever read. The links in each issue are great, especially those that show the exercises. Keep up the good work! I now have the proper tools to work with when it comes to my exercise routines. Thank you and continued success to you.

J. Rodriguez
via email

Dear Real SOLUTIONS,

I have suffered from bad shoulder pains in the past and never understood why. FINALLY, Chris keyed me in to where the problem was stemming from.

His recommendation hit the nail right on the head. I stopped working my anterior delts altogether, unlike my old lifting regimen where I worked them religiously. Secondly, I hit the rear delts and rhomboids hard. My posture began to shape up, my shoulders were pulled back, and my thumbs pointed forward for the first time in my life, and my chest became noticeably larger! The last and most important key was working those rotator cuffs.

Putting all the pieces together makes all the difference in the world. Thanks, Chris, you made a big difference in my training! I can now proudly say I am injury free.

Sincerely,

Nikolaus Herold
via email

Hi all,

First, I must say thank you for your unbiased dedication to people looking to go that one step further to be their best.

I originally started on my quest with the Body-for-LIFE challenge and saw great results (104 kg down to 91 kg, 33% fat down to 19%, diabetes type 2 now not an issue—at all!!).

Once finished, I began looking for more and found Shawn's ABSolution and through that Nutros.com. While Body-for-LIFE was my start, ABSolution, Nutros.com, and Real SOLUTIONS have been my continuing guide to refining and developing my "life plan."

One of my big problems recently has been shoulder pain during biceps workouts and certain chest exercises as well as shoulders. Over the past four months, I have seen chiropractors and therapists in an effort to determine my problem. All seem to know their field, but none have really helped, until I saw a massage therapist who commented that I had an overdeveloped chest and front delts, with weak rhomboids and rear delts.

While this was by no means the solution, it did put me on the right track and has made me aware of what I need to look out for.

This morning I logged on and saw that new articles were up on the Real SOLUTIONS site, and one was talking about Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and provided a link to more info, which has now got me excited. I am now armed with information on how to treat my TOC and shoulder pain by focusing on my weak points and posture rehab.

Thank you! I am constantly being motivated further by information I find here and want to say thanks for the accessibility you give of yourselves to others like myself (all the way over here in Australia!!).

I have a long way to go to achieve my goals, but I'm sure I have the means to get there with the help of all of you, and I too am hoping I can give something to others someway, somehow in the future.

Many thanks and keep up the fantastic work.

Sincerely,
Andrew Jose
(Adelaide, South Australia)
via email

Thank you very much for taking the time to send us your positive feedback! We really appreciate it. You can expect to see more of these highly informative articles from Chris on training to come, so be on the lookout.

A Personal ("Passionate") Response

Dear Stephen,

I must admit, I am extremely impressed and a bit amazed that you have taken the time to craft what, at first, I thought was another general email to your list, then thought was a "form letter" response to my feedback email, and then saw it for what it was—a pointed and informative reply to my specific question! Pardon my surprise, but that just doesn't happen that often!

Your magazine is an excellent resource (as is the 8-week follow-on program to the terrific Free Maximum Growth program I finished two weeks ago!) and an important part of my ongoing work to continuously improve my body and my health.

Again, thank you for taking the time to reply personally. That just reinforces the way you seem, through your editorials, to genuinely care about your readers as more than just someone to push product and subscriptions to...

An appreciative reader,
Tom Palermo
via email

Battling for Ephedrine

Your reference to the death of ephedrine in the 7-Keto article still gets me angry at the recent decisions by the FDA. I find nothing, nothing compares to ephedrine. I resent the publicity over the death of the Baltimore Oriole pitcher Steve Bechler. He was out of shape, dehydrated, and took more than the recommended dosage (more is better, right?). He even had a pre-existing heart condition, but they blame it on the ephedrine because it was found in his system. (They never said exactly how much.) I also resent his parents for their recent lawsuit of $600 million.

Education and labeling should have been the key to keeping this product on the market. There are still a lot of dangerous products being sold over the counter (cigarettes for one). I did not use ephedrine for weight loss. I used it once daily before my workout. What a difference. It never made me hyper or jumpy, and my blood pressure never went more than five points higher (systolic or diastolic) when I used it. I might try other supplements, but nothing compares to ephedrine.

There is also no real evidence (other than the sensationalism of the media and the pressure of the public) that ephedrine was dangerous and was a direct cause of the deaths of 150 people. Ephedrine is the sacrificial lamb. How many other supplements will fall under the FDA's axe? Maybe "big brother" will someday say 7-Keto is dangerous if it is found in someone who dies. Just a thought.

Bob
via email

Dear Bob,

I really appreciate you taking the time to send us your feedback! I like that you have an opinion—and a strong one at that—it shows you care to learn and express your knowledge. That's fantastic!

In my opinion, it's hard to compare anything to ephedrine. There's really nothing else like it. The closest herb would be Coleus forskohlii, which produces a similar end result (break down of fat cells), but simply takes a different path in your body (one which does not cause central nervous stimulation).

There are several alternatives that you might try, if you're looking for real energy or that pre-workout kick. Even straight caffeine can do the trick (and, as you know, it burns fat too!).

I'd suggest, if I may, that you take the time to read one of my recent eBooks called Fat-Loss Supplements Under the Microscope. It's free to download and will give you every bit of information you need to know on today's top fat-burning supplements (not products), so you can make a wise decision, if you choose. It's here: Free eBook: Fat-Loss Supplements Under the Microscope.

Good luck! And, once again, thanks for your comments. We appreciate them.

Sincerely,
Stephen Adele

Sour on Sweeteners

I enjoy your newsletters and your thoughts, comments, inspirations, etc...THANKS! I'm going to start your (and Shawn's) 4-week blitz in a few weeks...I'm excited!

I was an engineer before I became a chiropractor, so I've always been interested in science, as I know you are...in fact, your most compelling argument for using Meta-CEL was it's based on science...

Something has been bothering me, though, about meal replacements...everywhere I look there is sucralose (Splenda), which has potentially dangerous side effects...

So I ask you: are you willing to investigate the science of sucralose? And, if you find it unacceptable, will you share your findings with industry leaders, like Shawn and Bill, to use their influence to help change the ingredients in MRP's? I always liked Myoplex, but it's got sucralose...is there an option? I think if we all work together, we'll have a chance.

Here are a couple of links to get you started:

Mercola.com

TheEarthCenter.com

Xylitol might be a great alternative...it's fruit-derived, but it's a food. Stevia might also be a candidate...it's a root.

Stephen, there's got to be an answer to finding truly healthy meal-replacements/ready-to-drinks! They've all changed lately to low carb in response to consumer demand (Atkins, etc.). I think if consumers knew the truth about sucralose, they might demand something else. But I might be wrong: look at NutraSweet!

Anyway, thanks for listening and at least considering the possibility. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks again for your support.

Vince Campbell, DC
via email

Dear Dr. Vince,

I really appreciate you taking the time to send me your feedback. We like to hear it—whether positive or negative!

You're absolutely right, most MRP's are "making the switch" and turning to Splenda (brand sucralose) instead of aspartame. While I and millions of other fitness-minded people believe it's a healthy move, some people do not. But I have done my fair share of research, and I'd say it's as safe as any other alternative out there.

While there are less studies on sucralose than, say, aspartame, the fact is there are still 19 HUMAN studies. Which, when you think about it, is much more than nearly every dietary supplement on the market (with the exception of creatine and vitamins C, E, and A).

Here's what I suggest... I would carefully read Christopher Ball's article "How Sweet It Is." In there, he reviews sugar and all of its alternative sweeteners. He even breaks down how they react once ingested and covers the number of studies on each substance.

It might just come down to personal preference in the end.

Best of luck to you,

Stephen Adele

Healthy without a Pill

Hmmm... well, I can't say I'm an expert on anything or a scientist. But, I wonder if you guys think you can lose weight just from the following three simple things:

1. Increase of Activity (exercise)
2. Healthy Diet
3. DETERMINATION and PATIENCE

I keep fighting against the thought that I need some pill to help along the process during my now "tweaking" phase of body transformation... I KEEP telling myself to be patient and keep on going with intense exercise and proper diet... because I DO SEE progress and feel progress without pills or supplements... (In 12 weeks, I lost 50 lbs of fat without a pill.)

Why do we need a pill? Is it for those people who just don't want to wait (impatient)? Or for those people who don't want to put their ALL into this? Is it for those who want to fudge on their eating habits or be slackers in the gym? Or is it to profit commercial businesses that sell the products?

I don't see the point to a pill... regardless if it works or not... In my opinion, it's the bad habits of neglecting healthy eating and an inactive lifestyle that puts us into the obese category here in America... Plus, to know I've EARNED my fit body instead of some pill giving it to me works on my emotional "fitness" also. Why a pill?? WHY? I just don't "get it."

Jeffrey Howe
via email

Jeffrey,

How right you are! There is no magic pill that will transform your body without the three key elements you mentioned.

1. Increased Activity
2. Smart Eating
3. DETERMINATION and PATIENCE

Yet many people do hope for a magic pill that will allow them to eat all they want, stay physically inactive, yet avoid obesity and all its devastating health consequences. It's just not possible. (Besides, as you said, there's a tremendous emotional gain if you transform your body with intense training and smart eating.)

However, there are some supplements that can offer a tremendous boost. No, they aren't magic bullets. But they may help your body recover faster (e.g., glutamine), make it easier to eat smart (e.g., MRP's), increase your metabolism (e.g., Lean System 7), or gain muscle (e.g., creatine or Meta-CEL). Yet none of these supplements will make any real difference if we don't transform our eating and exercise patterns.

Remember, supplements are just that... a supplement to your nutritional and exercise practices. While they are not the ultimate, end-all solution, they do provide hundreds of thousands of people with a way to help them reach their body goals, faster.

Thanks for your passionate comments and congratulations on your tremendous success so far!

Website Rocks!

Hey guys, this [new Real SOLUTIONS] website rocks! I like the color and layout. It is very simple to use and easy on the eyes! You guys and gals just keep improving!

Keep up the great work,
David
via email

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