Just keep doing!

Don't quit... Do it!

Simple Gym (or Home Gym) Workout

As I have been walking around my local gym, I've begun to notice a lot of people that go in with no idea what they are doing. By spending too much time deciding on what your next exercise is going to be, you can reduce the effects of the workout. It's primarily a dumbbell workout, for those of you that prefer to work out at home.

Dumbbell Chest Press

Reverse Fly from a Lunge

Incline Flys

Bent Over Row

Weighted Squats

Upright Rows (Barbell or Dumbbell)

Concentration Curls

Overhead Press (Barbell or Dumbbell)

Overhead Triceps Extension

Weighted Lunges

Crunches (Max Reps)

Reps and Sets vary depending on your own abilities. I suggest starting with two sets, assess your condition and if you have the energy to keep going, complete another set. The rep count for each exercise should vary between 8 and 15 reps. 8-10 for size gains and 12-15 for a good fat burn. Take short 30 sec breaks between each exercise and a 2 min break after each set. 

Modify, Modify, Modify!

With almost any exercise in which you use your own body weight as a source of resistance, moves can be modified to either intensify or lessen the intensity of an exercise (for beginners). For example with a push up, if you drop to your knees it lessens the intensity of the movement, but if you raise one leg or place your feet on a higher elevation, it makes the movement even more intense. So let's take the exercise regime I posted yesterday and modify it to intensify it:

Max Rep Push-ups - Place feet in a chair or on a step or raise one leg and switch the raised leg every 5 reps

Max Rep Lunges -Place the rear most foot in a chair (aka Bulgarian Split Leg Squat)

Max Rep Chair Dips - Raise a leg, switch raised leg every 5 reps or place feet in a chair.

Max Rep Burpees or Squat Thrust- Your choice (here we removed basic squats for these more intense moves)

Max Length Plank  

Max Length Superman 

If anyone has any suggestions or other ways people could intensify these moves please share!

Now for those that need the less intense moves because they can't handle them or they have some medical condition try these:

Max Rep Push-ups - do the push ups off of your knees, 

Max Rep Lunges Right Leg - only go half way down and keep a chair nearby to help you back up.

Max Rep Lunges Left Leg

Max Rep Chair Dips - keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle when at the top of the dip.

Max Rep Squats -Half squats.

Max Length Plank -Plank from your knees. hold it as long as you can with good form
15 Sec. Superman - 

Again if there are any suggestions, please share!

Simple Workout for Beginners with No Equipment

We all have to start somewhere. If you're just starting and feel intimidated by the "Big Guy" at the gym, you can always start out at home. Most beginners can make excellent improvement just by doing basic calisthenic exercises. Note, when I say beginner, I mean Beginner! I mean the guy that wakes up one day and says to himself "I'm sick of being fat! I'm sick of being lazy! I'm sick of wasting my life watching TV, and vegetating on this couch!"

If you fit this profile or if you don't have time to go to the gym try this simple workout:

Warm Up:

15 sec. march in place

15 sec. jog in place

30 sec jumping jacks

Workout:

Max Rep Push-ups - If you can't do a basic push-up then do a push-up off of your knees

Max Rep Lunges Right Leg - Don't take it so deep that you can't get back up

Max Rep Lunges Left Leg

Max Rep Chair Dips - Straight leg if possible, if not bent knees will make the move easier

Max Rep Squats 

Max Length Plank - Hold as long as you can and still hold your self with good form.
1 Min Superman - Lie on your belly and hold your hands in front of you in Superman's famous flying pose. Sweep them to your sides and raise your upper body off the ground. Slowly alternate positions every 2 to 3 sec.

Repeat this 1 or 2 times 

Cool Down:

30 sec light jog in place

30 sec march in place

Stretch

Best of Luck!

Resolutions?

Are you making your New Year's Resolutions?

Not me!

Only about 92% of the people that set New Year's Resolutions actually keep them and make the desired changes. So, don't be part of the 92%, Be part of the 8% and make that resolution a COMMITMENT! Need some motivation? Find a work out buddy. Work out together and be each other's motivation and strength. If you don't have a workout buddy and do have an iPhone, try GymPact. It is an app I recently discovered. GymPact uses money as a motivation. Through GymPact you make a commitment or a "Pact" to workout a specific number of times per week. If you do not meet your workouts by sunday, you will be charged $5 or more depending on what you agree to. But that's not all GymPact does for you, if you complete your workouts, you get paid $0.50 to $0.75 for each work out. 

Find out more at:

Start with $5 credit!
www.gym-pact.com

Best of Luck!

Fresh Start

So... Here we are. It's a brand new year, and we are all off to a fresh start. With the holiday's behind us, we can all make new commitments to eat healthier and work harder to achieve our fitness goals. So, good luck to all on their journey to a new body!

Happy New Year!
(kinda late, I know)

Merry Christmas!

As I sit here and watch the snow fall, I am contemplating all of the things I did over the past year. Did I accomplish the things I had set out to accomplish at the first of the year? Not all of them, but one personal accomplishment in particular comes to mind. I started and completed my personal trainer's certification. I accomplished a dream! After years of searching for the career of my dreams I finally found it. I found a career in which I can apply both my passion for helping others and my love for fitness. The best feeling I have ever felt is to have one of my clients tell me about their progress.

So having achieved a dream of mine, have you achieved one of your own?

Merry Christmas!

Oooh.... The Cardio Devil!

Is cardio necessary?..... Yes!

Cardio is extremely necessary. If you have a Camaro with a Cobalt engine in it, is it still a Camaro? No, it wouldn't. It would be a cheap knock off and not worth what you're going to have to pay for it. The same goes for your body. If you have a body that is cut and lean does that mean that its in great shape. No, because it's motor may not be at its peak performance. 

Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart by increasing the heart rate. A good session of cardio should last at least 30 to 45 minutes. By strengthening the heart, we condition it so that it doesn't have to work so hard. Just like with anything else, if you don't have to work hard at something then you can work at it a whole lot longer. 

If cardio gives you problems, I would suggest joining group cardio classes. I love Cardio Kickboxing, but there are other's out there too. Zumba, Aerobics, any form of dance or martial arts. Cardio can be fun, you just have to make it that way. 

No Membership Required

Many beginners stress over going to a gym. Sometimes the intimidation of working out around people that are in shape, gets to them. Some feel that they will laugh at them, among many other lines of silly, yet debilitating thinking. The solution is super simple!

Work out at home!!! :)

Its really that easy, especially for beginners. Most beginners can you their own body weight to make excellent gains at first, particularly those who's goals include losing weight. Push ups, crunches, chair dips and plenty of cardio can make a great work out. If you are serious about becoming fit and not going to a gym, try this:

Set up a room or a storage space for your equipment. A room large enough that you have space to move and not hit or break anything. If you don't have a room in your house then find a place you can store your equipment and use your living room.

As I said, you can make a good workout from little to no equipment, but I strongly advise purchasing a set of dumbbells. I wouldn't expect anyone to go purchasing a $1000 set of 5 -90 lb dumbbells. Purchase what you need and you can get the rest later once you start improving.

Research good home workouts. I personally prefer Beachbody.com. They have many great workouts with some awesome trainers such as P90X, Turbo Fire, Insanity, Body Beast, and several others. Do your own research and find one that fits you. 

Now we've got everything set, its time to work hard. Before every work out make sure you have all of your equipment handy. Keep water close and a towel, because we are going to sweat. 

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Holiday's

Happy Holidays!

Regardless of what Holiday you celebrate this winter, I hope it is great and the best yet! One worry I have come across with many people is, "Do I have to diet through the holidays?!"

The answer is yes, but have no fear, there is yet hope! When dieting through the holidays, it's okay to cheat on holiday dinners. Just be sure to stick to your diet plan on other days so as not to stunt your progress too much through the winter season. We've all worked way to hard to achieve what we have achieved to blow it in a couple of weeks. 

So Merry Christmas to all, and good luck to you in the upcoming New Year!