This post is to give you every bit of detail you need to join the challenge, submit info, and ultimately succeed at your goals.

1. What is the challenge and where do I sign up?

This challenge is about defining your goals in ways that have nothing to do with a scale. This challenge involves the use of pictures or video to gauge performance success. The goal is to remove your dependence on the scale. Since this is a contest challenge, if you desire to take part in it officially, you can win a bunch of cool prizes.

You can sign up and get a free download guide by going here. => Screw The Scales.com

2. Is there a guide or manual I can read more about this?

Yes. Get the free 5000+ word guide by going here. => Screw The Scales.com In the guide, you will learn important tips and lessons on why using the scale is pointless anyway. You don’t have to pay a thing or be a member to get it.

3. I want to join the challenge, what do I do?

First, to officially join (because remember, anyway can toss the scale into the garbage) you have to be a member. You can click from the screwthescales.com page or simply go to => http://www.leighpeele.com/members.html to become a member.

4. I am a member, what do I do next to join this challenge?

a. Make sure to read the Screw The Scales download.
b. Figure out the goal you want to achieve. If you have any questions or want advice, feel free to post in the forums.
c. You have between January 30th and Febuary 6th to post your goal, picture/video, etc in the Screw The Scales – The Before Thread.
Format example:

1. Username/Name -
2. Goal -
3. Picture/Video Link -

d. In 8-weeks from there, you have from March 26th till April 2nd to provide your “after” progress pictures. You will put it in the Screw The Scales – The After Thread

Format

1. Username/name -
2. Goal -
3. Picture/video links (before)
4. Picture/video link (after)

5. Do I have to show my face?

No. You can keep your identity private.

6. What if I can’t do video, but I have a performance based goal?

If you can’t do video of your performance goal or if it is something that is difficult to video, then you can do the following.

a. Take a picture at the end of your performance holding up the date and your performance achievement.
b. Make sure you have a witness to the even in the picture with you. If can be your husband, a friend, coach, etc.
c. When you finish your 8-weeks, repeat the photo with the date and a witness.

The reason this isn’t just an honor thing is because I want you to take this serious, just as if it were an event.

7. Can I email you the pictures/video? I just want accountability.

Yes, but understand it will be shared with other members if you are desiring a prize. So, hide your face or anything you don’t want seen. If it is just for accountability, then please state “accountability only” in your email and nothing will ever be shared.

8. Is There a program I can follow for fat loss?

All members get access to the following programs.

6C Beta – Resolution Solution
Home Gym And Dumbbell Program (formerly Lean Being – Weights)
Suspension And Bodyweight Program (formerly Lean Being – Original)

You can find all of these program in the Training Programs section.

To recap:

• 8-weeks.
• Over 1000.00 in prizes for two winners.
• Saying screw it to the scales and hello to result.

Screw The Scales challenge starts January 30th. Go here to find out the details.

.

Some of you may be aware that aside from my devotion to training and nutrition, I carry a competing level of devotion to music. I not only seek out music, but I also create it. Over the years, I have collected guitars, keyboards, pedals, software, microphones, etc. You name it and I’ve dabbled in it on some level. My primary abilities rest in vocal work and guitar, with sampling and electronic work close behind.

It is safe to say mastering instruments and the creation of music are extremely difficult. It takes a high level of desire and music knowledge. It takes dedication, technique, and education.  I, like most who start out in music, was self-taught. Aside from chorus work with my school, I never saw the walls of formal music education. I wish I had, but it wasn’t in the cards during my youth. As I got older, I cared a lot more about the art and integrity of music (whatever that means) than my technical expertise. I had this idea that music shouldn’t be organized and rigid. It should be free. To make a long anecdote short, as the years went by my creative desires didn’t match up to my technical ability. There were things my heart and mind wanted to express, but my hands wouldn’t allow. The result often left me frustrated and ultimately not achieving the success I wanted.

What is the moral of the story? Never forget the importance of the doing things right the first time.

Greg’s Story

If you didn’t know, sometime in the next year or two I will be releasing 16 stories based on my clients.  It’s called “Desperate To Lose” and was born one night during a pretty intense personal event. Each story has its own lesson and client their own journey. Not everything is full of rainbows and sunshine. Through my training time, I have experienced new life, death, and unstoppable desire.  At this point, I have written 20 of them, and will narrow it down to 16 to share in that release. Greg’s story is one that will not make the book, but I think will be fitting for this situation. Here is a snippet of that material:

Greg is just about as stubborn as an individual can get. I don’t say was, because he still is. If Greg had a nickname, it would be “delusions of grandeur.”  I would have called him DOG for short, but I feel that is being to mean to dogs. They have more common sense than Greg does. When my dog reaches an object he can’t clear, he goes around it. When Greg reaches an object he can’t clear, he goes through it and falls flat on his face.

Contrary to my tone and statements, I like Greg. He is a swell guy and we had a hell of a time hanging together outside of the gym. But, inside the gym, he was an idiot. Greg was full of piss and vinegar as my southern heritage would say. Country boy to the core, he stood around 5’11, 192 pounds, and roughly 16% body fat. There was nothing overly impressive about his body composition or much in the way of physique building. He wasn’t exceptionally strong for his size or training years. Greg in the gym was the precise definition of mediocrity.

You might be thinking “Geez, take it easy on the guy.”  “Is this how you talk about your clients?” Understand, this has a happy ending and Greg would now say the very things I am saying about his formal self. In the beginning, Greg wasn’t my client, he was a fellow gym goer at a facility I was helping. Mostly, I am using this strong language and discourse as a warning shot being fired into the air. It is an alert to anyone who relates to Greg (and don’t assume that you women can’t).  I have no reservations about being blunt.

The reason Greg was approaching new heights in mediocrity was because everything he did, he did wrong. When he trained, his form was wrong. When he ate, he ate wrong. His supplements were wrong, his attitude was wrong, and his ego got him in loads of trouble. For example, when Greg went to do an RDL, he didn’t only try to lift weight he wasn’t ready for, he lifted weight on his toes with a caved chest. It’s a wonder he never popped a disc.

Greg was doing what a lot of people do in the gym and often increased postural problems, worked at the wrong levels of intensity, and was void of any proper form or firing.

Outside of the gym, things were not much brighter. Greg’s diet consisted of eating out and mass consumption of low nutrient value items. He seemed to justify it because he took a hundred dollars worth of “muscle building” and “fat loss” supplements a day. The laughable part is a simple multivitamin didn’t even make the list. He had no method of measure for intake and finished off each day looking more like a bloated pig than someone making advanced in their body composition. But don’t worry, he had his muscle milk.

One Thursday night, I went to the gym to get a quick session in. Greg was there and doing a seated row when I walked in. He would fall and slump forward with every release and jerk back with every contraction. It would have made sense had he been a slave shoved under an ancient boat made to row with guards whipping his bare back skin. But, there Greg was in an eighty-dollar under amour shirt and I didn’t notice any slave drivers around him. I decided I couldn’t take it anymore and said, “Jesus Greg, I can’t take looking at your sloppy ass form anymore. You do realize you aren’t going to get anywhere rowing like that, in a boat or gym, right? Get up.” Greg got up. I sat down and proceeded to explain to Greg the proper mechanics of the row. I also explained to him why he should be doing the row in the first place.

Surprisingly, Greg was receptive.  He went through the proper rowing techniques, decreased the weight and made immediate improvement. He made an extremely powerful and often understated comment. He said, “This feels good.”

A training session shouldn’t leave you searching for your spine on the gym floor. Too often we are seeing people spouting a “Puke hard, move heavy, or go home!” attitude. While that type of training has its place, the guys that do it right, know every training session shouldn’t be that way. The guys that actually know what they are doing know conditioning, muscle building, and strength is made over time and in phases. There is a time and a place for pushing the limits, and those who do it right already knew how to do it light.

For a short stint, Greg and I worked together on bring him from the comfort of mediocrity to the beauty of exceptionalism. We tackled his mobility, recovery, form, and nutritional habits in a crash course 14-week period. Greg went from being “that guy” in the gym people looked at and laughed to “that guy” people looked at and wanted to be. Without much of a pause, Greg went from being an average chump to being a 9% body fat man. All because he started doing it right.

–

The Goal For This Challenge

There are some members who are still failing to understand what I feel are some basic principles and habits. There are lots of questions about mobility, training form, measurement, etc. Rather than you being dependent on the mercy of the forums (or worse, mainstream media), I determined I would take this challenge and provide you with education. I will also reward you for taking part in that education.

This is exciting because for the next 12 weeks we are going to focus on new education regarding your goals.  The result will leave you prepared to face the world of fat loss and training on a new level. I am not naïve and know I am not always going to have your attention like I have it right now. I am taking it for all it is worth. Instead of throwing a workout program at you, one that you will trade-in 4-weeks down the road, and then another, I am going to educate you on what you need.

At the end of these 12-weeks, if you complete all the modules, you will know more than most trainers know. Yes, I didn’t say most laymen, I said most trainers. You will shoot laymen out of the water. After all, we have star celebrity trainers on national television explaining things so horribly wrong, I don’t know where to begin. These are trainers who have board status with certification agencies. It’s painful.

You will know more and be better for it. You will look better for it. You will feel better for it. Do it right, and you will succeed better because of it.

Challenge Requirements To Win Prizes

1. You must be a member of Leighpeele.com

2. In order to check-in you must complete the following:

• a. 7000 steps daily (exception for injuries if stated publicly)
• b. Be taking part in a body or weight resistance training program (not just cardio). It doesn’t have to be mine, but you need to be training.
• c. Complete the education module for that week (read further to find out about the modules).

3. In order to win a prize you must check-in on the forums. You are only eligible for the prize of the week for the week you check-in. If you check-in all 12-weeks you will be eligible for all 12 drawings.  If you check-in 1 week, you will only be eligible for that week and so on.

Check-In

1. Check-in will be every Monday on the forums in the log section. You will get an email the night before as a reminder if you forget. If you are not on the email list, please contact us at support (@) leighpeele.com and with subject “members email list” and the email you wish to be notified at. We will take care of it from there.

2.  You will check-in on the forums or through email. You will simply write “Did it!” if you completed the challenge requirements. That will formally enter you for the drawing. This is an honor system challenge.

3. Wednesday after the check-in there will be a drawing for the people who checked-in.  Each week a winner or winners will be announced.

When The Challenge Starts And Ends

Start Date: September 19^th 2011

End Date:  December 12^th 2011

You will have your first check-in on September 26^th 2011. You do not have to do anything to say you have entered the challenged, but you are more than welcome to drop a line in the challenge check-in thread.

Your first education module and steps will start on September 19^th 2011. From there everything you do for that week counts.

Education Modules

Each week I will release a module on a different topic. You can find these modules here. These topics will cover issues ranging from exercise to lifestyle education. They will be delivered on a weekly basis in the form of an article, audio, video or the combination of all three. They will also have assignments for you to ensure proper use and understanding of what you have learn. The best part? These modules will be short and concise, so you do not feel overwhelmed. You will have an entire week to look over the material before the next module. It is important you do your education, because it is part of the challenge and checking in.

Here are the names of the modules (in no particular order):

1. Maximizing Mobility

2. Macronutrient Strategies

3. Static Stretching Factors

4. Lethal People

5. Core Targeting

6. Exercising Deficits

7. Progression Mythology

8. BYOR (Bring Your Own Results)

9. Deficit Muscle Building

10. Tissue Release

11. Lessons In Muscle Activation

12. Essential Recipes

You will find these module updates listed here.

FAQ

What if I know about (x) subject already?

You may think you know everything about the subject or topic, but you might find there is a surprise or two in there. Even the highest level of coaches still go to seminars and educate themselves on topics and talk further. There is almost always a deeper level or a way of saying things that helps you understand. In short, take the few minutes out of your week and focus on it anyway.

Why do I have to take 7000 steps a day? I already train.

The amount of steps we take in a day is extremely important to the lifestyle we live and how much caloric expenditure we get in a day. For a 155lb woman, 7000 steps barely equals 350 calories in activity if just walking. 7000 steps is extremely low in the grand scheme of things and is the least you can do.

What if I don’t have or can’t wear a pedometer?

If you know without a doubt and with 100% honesty you are hitting those steps and have previously tracked your steps and know your habits haven’t changed, then I am fine with you estimating your steps. This is an honor system. You are the one who loses out, not me.

What if I have a day where I am sick or legitimately can’t hit my steps? Can I still check in?

Of course, this is about the overall attitude and loyalty to the challenge. I am not going to penalize for a “day out of school.” Again, only you are cheated if you lie or don’t do what you should, not me.

What if I have questions about one of the module?

Great, just post them in the forums!

So, all I have to do is check into this thread and type “Did it!”

Yes, it is that simple.

If I missed weeks, can I still check in for the weeks I didn’t miss?

Yes. Each week is a “fresh start” for drawings and check-ins.

What will be some of the prizes offered?

TRX Training Systems, Cash Prizes, Gift Cards, Books, Videos, And More!

–

To Join The Challenge

Become a member of Leighpeele.com right now and go to this page to download your material.

If I Am Already A Member Of LeighPeele.com

Go to this page to get your material.

Episode 47: Ask Leigh – Don’t Think, Just Do It Subscribe to Itunes / MP3 Downloads/ (Google Chrome RSS Extension Here)

Note – If you are not receiving subscription updates, sometimes you have to self-activate it. Here is how.

1. Go to itunes

2. Make sure you are subscribed

3. In your library there should be a section called “Podcast.” You should see the cover of Ask Leigh in that section. “Right Click” on the cover and select “Update Podcast.” You should see the files start to download.

News:
Water Manual
Format Change
Updating Podcasts

Topic: I discuss the important of action. Not thinking, just doing.

Books to get: Fat Loss Troubleshoot

Want to be a Leighpeele.com member? >> Join Here <<

Reviews/Subscribe If you are a member of itunes please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast to help move it up in the charts some.

Non-Itunes Users: You can download all the MP3′s above using the “MP3 Download” Link. It opens up the RSS feed. If you are on Google Chrome, you can use the google chrome extension.

A few years ago, I wrote The Water Manual for individuals to understand water and methods of manipulating it. I gave it a quick polish and a slight updating. I also got inspired to add more detail about water and these issues into the new Metabolic Repair Manual (MRM) update. For the most part, this manual looks at the basics of what water balance is in the body and how people manipulate it for good (or bad).

Why Beta?

-I will have it professionally edited with the release of the new updates coming with the new books.

-There might be some slight changes. Anyone who gets it will get the updated and professionally edited version.

-The information is error free, but there might be slight grammatical issues.

Preview Excerpt Of The Water Manual:

I am going to give you a brief overview of what our basic water system and response in the body looks like. Over the course of this manual we are also going to discuss:

1. How water is relevant to the body.

2. The impact of hormones and electrolytes.

3. Potential pitfalls and problems with water during dieting down.

4. Water’s role in visual body composition

5. General methods of people’s manipulation of water including sodium, carb, and water loads. This includes specific health risks.

Your Body And Water

A huge amount of your body is made up of water. Lean muscle tissue and blood contain approximately 80% water. A fat cell contains varying amounts of water. If the fat cell is filled with triglycerides, varying sources state water can read as high as 25% to as low as 8% in a cell. However, if the fat cell empties, it can contain a high percentage of water upon refill. I will discuss this later.

Water helps transport nutrients, oxygen, and waste products in and out of cells. It is necessary for all digestive, absorption, and circulatory functions. Water is needed to regulate the body’s temperature and to provide energy. It also helps moisten skin, regulate hormones, emotions, and maintains normal electrical properties of cells. If your body drops even 2% of its water storage, you start to function worse, feel fatigued, and are more prone to health problems. Simply put, no water in the body equals a lot of distress.

Water In, Water Out

Water is taken into the body mostly by means of liquids and food. The body turns around and loses water through perspiration, urination, and breathing. Since this loss occurs daily you need to replace the water lost on a daily basis.

On the flip side, we output water through a lot of different areas and hang on to it in some places too. For example, all the juices getting secreted by our digestive system (bile, gastric, acid) get reabsorbed or recycled. However, every day we release water through sweat, bowel movements, breathing, and urination.

The bare minimum medical requirement for the average person is 2500ml a day. To be honest, this is rather outdated and studies have shown with increased pollution and toxicity effects in the environment that our water level needs to be raised much higher. Your location of the earth, time of year, training type and more can effect what your minimal requirement is. Because of this, the general “8 glasses a day” or even bodyweight style measurement can’t be used with any true accuracy.

Electrolytes

Electrolytes conduct electricity (positively and negatively charging ions) and are found in body fluid, tissue, and blood. Chloride, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, phosphate, sodium, sulfate, and potassium are the principal electrolytes in your body. It is vital for the balance of electrolytes in your body to be maintained because they affect the amount of water in your body, blood pH, muscle action, and other critical processes. For example, the movement of ions and water is part of the process that produces sweat. If you are too low in sodium and chloride, you cannot utilize your ions properly. This will cause you a problem with decreased production of sweat. The level of any electrolyte in the blood can become too high or low easily.

Sodium is the most common electrolyte to become easily unbalanced. Other common electrolytes you may have a problem with are calcium and potassium. Common sources of dietary electrolytes:

• Sodium-Table Salt, Packaged and Process Foods, Condiments
• Potassium-Dried Fruit, Regular Fruits, Meats
• Magnesium-Beans, Peas, Greens, Nuts
• Calcium-Dairy, Greens, Legume
• Phosphorus-Dairy, Eggs, Fish, Nuts
• Chloride-Table Salt, Packaged Foods, Raw Veggies

Water Retention and Balance

One example of electrolytes being out of balance is water retention or edema. Common thought is that all water retention is cause by an increase in sodium. While too much sodium may be a frequent occurrence in the average individual, it is the lack of balance that is the problem. At any given moment all of those electrolytes and water have to be in the proper ratio in order for you to be functioning at your optimal level. Most simply restrict sodium, and this can have disastrous effects to your health and physical appearance. It is better science to increase other electrolytes and water than utilize extreme restriction.

When it comes to mastering the art of what is behind water retention, I can assure you it’s a mind-numbing subject full of variables. There is no one route to water retention. The only absolute about water retention is — there isn’t one. I have repeatedly worked with people who were loaded down with pounds of ‘permanent’ water weight because of the effects of retention and it can be disheartening and even painful. I assure you, it can be removed, but if you don’t know what you are doing you can become water’s play thing, quickly.

When your fluid balance is a steady in-and-out, you will generally not have signs of deficiency. If there is a problem with your fluid balance, you will receive signals to intake fluid in order to get your body back on track.

How To Get The Water Manual

There are 3 ways:

1. All members of Leighpeele.com will get a download for the next 30-Days only. After that, it will only be available as a bonus with the new release of the updated editions of the Fat Loss Troubleshoot (FLTS) and MRM. I will remove it after 30-days, so get it now along with forum support, cookbooks, and more. You can find out more by going to to this page.

2.For 7-days only, I am going to offer it as a bonus with the FLTS. If you don’t already have the FLTS and have been waiting to get it, you can get the bonus manual sent to you via email with your purchase. You can find more information about the FLTS here.

3. Previous owners of the FLTS package with the Water Manual who signed up on the notification list will get the manual free via email link. If you aren’t on the list or unsubscribed, I have no way of getting it to you.

In short, you can become a member, get the FLTS, or simply check your email.

Episode 46: Ask Leigh – The Binge Series – After The Binge Subscribe to Itunes / MP3 Downloads/ (Google Chrome RSS Extension Here)

Note – If you are not receiving subscription updates, sometimes you have to self-activate it. Here is how.

1. Go to itunes

2. Make sure you are subscribed

3. In your library there should be a section called “Podcast.” You should see the cover of Ask Leigh in that section. “Right Click” on the cover and select “Update Podcast.” You should see the files start to download.

Question: This is part 3 of a 3 part series on binging. This final part looks at what to do after the binge has taken place.

Books to get: Fat Loss Troubleshoot

Want to be a Leighpeele.com member? >> Join Here <<

Reviews/Subscribe If you are a member of itunes please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast to help move it up in the charts some.

Non-Itunes Users: You can download all the MP3′s above using the “MP3 Download” Link. It opens up the RSS feed. If you are on Google Chrome, you can use the google chrome extension.

Episode 45: Ask Leigh – The Binge Series – During The Binge Subscribe to Itunes / MP3 Downloads/ (Google Chrome RSS Extension Here)

Note – If you are not receiving subscription updates, sometimes you have to self-activate it. Here is how.

1. Go to itunes

2. Make sure you are subscribed

3. In your library there should be a section called “Podcast.” You should see the cover of Ask Leigh in that section. “Right Click” on the cover and select “Update Podcast.” You should see the files start to download.

Question: This is part 2 of a 3 part series on binging. This 2nd part looks at what to do when in the midst of the binge and more about how to keep it from coming on.

Books to get: Fat Loss Troubleshoot

Want to be a Leighpeele.com member? >> Join Here <<

Reviews/Subscribe If you are a member of itunes please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast to help move it up in the charts some.

Non-Itunes Users: You can download all the MP3′s above using the “MP3 Download” Link. It opens up the RSS feed. If you are on Google Chrome, you can use the google chrome extension.

Episode 44: Ask Leigh – The Binge Series – Before The Binge Subscribe to Itunes / MP3 Downloads/ (Google Chrome RSS Extension Here)

Note – If you are not receiving subscription updates, sometimes you have to self-activate it. Here is how.

1. Go to itunes

2. Make sure you are subscribed

3. In your library there should be a section called “Podcast.” You should see the cover of Ask Leigh in that section. “Right Click” on the cover and select “Update Podcast.” You should see the files start to download.

Question: This is part 1 of a 3 part series on binging. This first part looks at how the binge starts and what can take place physically and emotionally.

Books to get: Fat Loss Troubleshoot

Want to be a Leighpeele.com member? >> Join Here <<

Reviews/Subscribe If you are a member of itunes please leave a review and subscribe to the podcast to help move it up in the charts some.

Non-Itunes Users: You can download all the MP3′s above using the “MP3 Download” Link. It opens up the RSS feed. If you are on Google Chrome, you can use the google chrome extension.

The purpose of the beginner files are to provide members with a simple and brief answer to common questions. This is not an in-depth overview on the topics. It is kept to bullet points and tips for those who want the answers, but don’t have the time for the “why” behind them. Feel free to use these posts as reference with a question or to help other members by linking to these posts.

This content is for members only. If you are a member, sign in on the side bar. If you are not a member, you can join by going here.

This week, I am unveiling a new cookbook for the members called EXTREME SALADS! I know the name is a little loud, but it allows the man folk to feel comfortable in buying a salad book. That and the fact that there is literally a platter of meat and eggs in this book.

All total, there are over 35 recipes! We have hot salads, chicken salads, and even pizza salads. We found ways to add quality nutrient content to every section, including the dressings. On top of that, all of the recipes are broken into macros, calories and even weight measurement. There is nothing these cookbooks don’t offer for the home cook trying to eat healthy.

How Do I Get The Cookbook?

You have 3 options.

1. You can become a member of leighpeele.com and get it along with tons of other goodies once you become a member.

2. You can buy it on it’s own at Bodybyeats.com. No membership required.

3. You can get any cookbook you want at Bodybyeats.com and get the membership and cookbook free as well.

Note: If you are a member, sign in and head to the Cookbook/Recipe section to download the book.

High Protein “Ranch” Dressing

I don’t know about you, but I have walked down the dressing aisle and tried almost every single one of those dressing. The fancy dressings, aged dressings, calorie-free dressing (aka – OMG, save me and never make me taste that again)…

One of the things missing in a lot of these healthy dressings is the addition of protein. The funny thing is, it is so easy to up the protein content to a lot of popular dressings. On top of that, they usually just remove fat content and up the carbs. Now, I am not a carbphobe, nor do I hate fat. But, if you are going to remove the fat and you want to keep any thickness, you have to increase fiber or protein. Since people don’t really want grainy dressing, protein is the best macro to increase here. By doing that, we still get a heavy and creamy texture.

Eat This, Not That Moment

Two tbsps of regular ranch dressing is roughly 140 calories. Two tbsp of my ranch dressing is under 25 calories! This recipe gives you 5x the amount of dressing for the same calories. How about that to dip your carrots in!

100g Fat Free Fage Yogurt 0%
70g Fat Free Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
1/8 tsp Dill Weed
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Water

1. Mix all items in the bowl and stir. Add water for desired
consistency/thickness.

Stats – For THE WHOLE BOWL (yes, it is a bowl of dressing!)

Kcal – 115 Protein – 16g Fat – 0g Carbs – 12g