Question: I’m age 50 and quite lean. I’m looking to put on mass, will Challenge Complexes do the trick? Heidi
Answer: I’ve maintained my muscle and strength doing complexes. To be honest, it’s difficult to promise that at age 50 (and being a woman) that you’ll put on ‘mass’. I actually won’t make that promise with ANY program at this point in your life. I’m sorry. I’d say if any program would be LIKELY to add mass, this one is a great option. I don’t want to discourage you at all, but I will not make a promise that I can’t keep. When testing this program, my clients leaned out and so it appeared that they became more muscular. But I can’t say that they added slabs of muscle to their frame. I hope that makes sense and you give the program a good try.
Question: How many days do you think I should train? Do you believe in over training? Doug
Answer: I do something every day. When workouts are under 30 minutes I don’t believe you will over train. It depends on your fitness level to start, those new to fitness may do what I call ‘active recovery’ on days when they aren’t doing a short (30 min or less) intense workout. Active recovery could be something like hiking, a walk, recreational bike riding, anything that involves movement. Hope that helps Doug.
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Question: I have a couple of questions about the Challenge Complexes Program
1. Is this a standalone program or is it designed as a finisher to use with more conventional strength programs? I would like a ‘complete’ program at this stage. Is there a progressive program to follow?
2. I haven’t exercised for almost 12 months and am somewhat ‘skinny-fat’. Would this program be the one to change my body composition – strip fat while filling me out? I’m in my early 50s too!
Answer: Challenge complexes is a great choice to help strip fat without doing conventional cardio. It will help burn fat, boost metabolism and build muscle without doing a single moment of boring cardio.
Due to the nature of the program, I suggest using it as a stand alone program or one that you can use on your day off from your other training program to shake things up. I wouldn’t recommend it as a ‘finisher’ style workout. The workouts are intense (if you add load as intended) and you have the potential to injure yourself if you’re fatigued from your workout already. It’s one thing to do a bodyweight finisher, it’s entirely different to do loaded moves. Challenge complexes were created with the intent to load up as heavy as you can on your weakest lift.
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Question: I am interested in your workout programs. I am a 58 year old man and would like to get back in shape. I am a little overweight and I have lost a lot of my strength over the years. So my question is: which of your workout programs would be the best for me? Challenge Fat Loss? I do need to get rid of additional fat I have around my waist. Challenge Complexes? I do want to get some of my strength back but I am not sure how well I can keep up with the videos I have seen. What are your suggestions?
Answer: I’d recommend that you start with Challenge Fat Loss Workouts. They are pretty challenging workouts, but since they’re all follow along, I walk you thru the various ways to modify and intensify, I think you’d feel more supported with these workouts if you haven’t worked out in a long time.
If you’re a confident exerciser, take it easy at first and you could go to Challenge Complexes. You won’t need to do any ‘cardio’ with these workouts and they will help you get lean.
I’m really impressed that you’re getting back into fitness, go slow at first and you’ll be surprised at your progress.
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Question: I’m trying to cut back on sugar, is it okay to eat ‘low sugar’ and ‘sugar free’ foods?
Answer: We all know it’s important to cut back on sugar for obvious reasons. I asked my friend, Yuri Elkaim for his take on ‘sugar free’ and ‘low sugar’ foods. He said: In general, you’re best to steer clear of packaged foods. Mainly because they are made by companies that have no interest in your health.
Case in point – any packaged food that is labelled “low fat”, “low sugar”, “diet”, or any other marker of processing.
Remember this – when a food has had ALL or SOME of its original contents removed, these will need be replaced by another (and usually nastier) additive.
For instance, “sugar free” yogurt and diet sodas may have few calories because they don’t have any sugar but they do have a ton of aspartame and acesulfame K – TWO deadly neurotoxins that account for over 75% of ALL health complaints that the FDA receives.
Read about 3 toxic unhealthy foods that sabotage weight loss <————————
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Question: I know trainers will tell me that their programs are good for a lifetime, but how long do your clients usually stay on the Challenge Fat Loss program and what program do you recommend they go to? I am just trying to plan ahead.
Answer: I don’t think you should continue with Challenge Fat Loss for a lifetime, but it’s a great program to circle around to.
The good news is that if you enjoy this format, if you’re able to train at home with these sorts of videos, I have other programs and I’ll refer you to other trainers that I think are worth it. Programs are very affordable when you get them online. You can see ALL MY PROGRAMS HERE.
I wrote a blog post of my favorite plans from other trainers here 
My mentor Craig Ballantyne has his flagship program, Turbulence Training that’s a great choice.
It depends on your preferences for your next plan, but my Challenge Complexes is a big hit. If you want to get a suspension trainer, you may want to do Suspension Revolution, or a kettlebell is a great tool and you could do Kettlebell revolution.
The best gauge is your motivation and your results. If you find you’re looking forward to your workout and your body is responding, there’s nothing to fix. If you’re mentally tired of it or your body is just staying the same (after about a week of checking), it’s time to switch it up.
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I sent you a recipe for brownies yesterday from my friend Helen. If you missed it, you can find it here. I’m telling you, my son was so pleasantly surprised with these brownies that he even asked me to make them again. I thought I’d share another one of my favorite recipes from Helen.
Peanut butter is a staple in our house. When I was pregnant, I was worried that my babies would be allergic to my dogs and peanut butter and I’d have to leave them on some church step some where. Lucky for them they had no allergies (kidding!).
In any case, I was pleased to find a recipe for peanut butter cookies in Helen’s recipe book. My daughter Hannah loves to bake and it’s great to have a healthy choice for this recipe. Take a look, it’s on page 18 of Helen’s cookbook that you can find here:
Helen has setup a special price to make it easy for you to get her book today.
==> 50% off Delicious, Healthy Desserts <—– special price ends soon
The Heavenly Recipes Guide includes delicious and healthy recipes in 7 categories:
* Itty Bitty Bites
* Bars and Squares
* Mousses
* Pies
* Cakes
* Toppings
While I don’t recommend eating a whole pan of brownies or having dessert every meal, Helen’s recipes allow you to satisfy your cravings without sabotaging your nutrition plan.
Helen has also created some post-workout desserts in her “Perfect Workout Recovery Treats” cook booklet that all have the recommended 2:1 to 4:1 carb:protein ratio for optimal recovery after exercise. You’ll get it free when you purchase during this special, so don’t miss out:
==> Grab the Dessert Angel Heavenly Recipes Guide for 50% off Today
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I was recently in Miami meeting with all my favorite fitness pros.
Any guesses on who the headless man is? How about the cute blonde on his left?
This dude is 6 foot 6 inches tall, almost a foot and a half taller than me. Wow.