Training for Fat Loss

As trainers we see many different clients from all walks of life. However, most clients just want to get in better shape. When you ask them what their goals are, the responses are usually the same "I want to lose weight." A lot of clients have trouble losing weight and keeping it off. So, with this in mind, here a few key points to follow if you want to keep the LB's off.

1. Proper Nutrition is Key. We have a saying in our industry "Abs are made in the kitchen." The gist of it is this, it doesn't matter what you do when you're in the gym, if you're eating fried food and ice cream all day you're not going to lose weight. Simple right? 90% of the results you see are going to be from good nutrition. In fact, you could skip the gym altogether and focus just on nutrition to lose weight. Obviously if you combine the two you'll have a recipe for success.

2. Compound Movements. Compound movements are exercises that use more than one joint. For example, a squat with an overhead press uses more joints than a bicep curl. Why is this advised? Simple really, the more joints you use the more muscles you use and the more muscles you're using the more calories your body will burn. So when choosing an exercise selection make sure you skip rope pushdowns and opt for deadlifts or squats.

3. Get Bigger, Stronger Muscles. Sorry to say but cardio isn't how we build stronger muscles. So, if you want to get bigger stronger muscles (and you do) you're going to have to hit the weights and up the intensity. The problem with cardio is, the more you do it the better you're body will adapt to it. When you train with weights, the better you get at it the heavier the weight gets and your body is constantly being taxed at a high rate. We will come back to this principle in a minute (5)

4. Stop Using the Scale!!! When a trainer talks about weight loss and a client talks about weight loss there is usually a huge disconnect between them. Typically clients want to see the numbers on the scale go down. Trainers aren't really worried about this. Why? Because we don't necessarily want you to get lighter, we want you to lose body fat. You can drop body fat but stay the same weight. The important number you or your trainer should be tracking is BODY FAT PERCENTAGE.

5. Boost Your Metabolic Rate. Your metabolic rate essentially controls how many calories your body burns. So getting it to work at a high rate is essential in long term post exercises fat burning. The days of long duration slow paced cardio are gone. Research has actually shown that short high intensity exercises can help boost your metabolism over a 24 hour period. Try sprinting or running up stairs at the end of your workout for a post workout metabolic blast.

As always a good trainer is highly recommended if you want to see the best results. Check out our website and ask one of our trainers for a FREE Evaluation to get you started.

New years resolutions and gym newbees

First thing is first, if you made the decision to have your new years resolution be getting back in shape or going to the gym more often you made the right choice. Don't let the Facebook memes bring you down. The reality is you took the first good step the hard part is staying on track. Working out and being in shape is really about consistency. Consistency showing up and consistency eating healthy. Everyone needs a little push

Best Fitness Gifts for the Holidays

It's that wonderful time of year again!!! Unfortunately, buying presents can be difficult. What is cost efficient? What is even worth buying? Trying to guess what people want is hard enough, but add in the cost of fitness equipment and you can put yourself in a real bind. Below are a couple of do's and don'ts for this holiday season.

1) Treadmills - Unless your buying for someone who is an avid runner, and I'm talking goes for a run a couple times a week with some consistency, this is the wrong purchase. Let's be honest, a lot of us have the treadmill or bike at the house and basically all it does is collect dust and laundry. Not to mention they can get expensive.

Alternative: Running shoes, gym membership

2) Workout DVD's - We've all seen the infomercials. Get ripped in 20 minutes!!! The truth is a lot of times these dvd's are not for your average joe/jane. Although they do have the benefit of never having to leave your house, most people don't stick with them. A lot of training consistently has to do with accountability. So, if your buying for someone who is motivated enough to train consistently, this may be a good gift. Otherwise, its going to sit with the rest of the dvd's (potentially next to the treadmill) collecting dust. 

Alternative: Personal Trainer 

3) Fit Bits/Running Watches - If your buying for one of those people who are hell bent on having one of these the good news is you have a ton of options. I find that these devices usually aren't worn with any consistency and lack the style to be worn on a daily basis. Unfortunately, thats kind of the point with these things. They really shouldn't be taken off, even when your sleeping.  So, here are a few options to work with.

http://www.wareable.com/fitness-trackers/the-best-fitness-tracker

4) Bands / Medicine balls / Gym balls/ Kettlebells / Dumbells / Foam rollers / TRX straps

All of these items are something you would find in the house of a fitness enthusiast. They are cheap and more often than not they get used. In my opinion, everyone should have this stuff in there house. The good news is they are also relatively cheap. 

Check out this link to browse some options

5) Personal Training - As far as the hierarchy of fitness gifts go, this is at the top. There is nothing you can buy that will help your friend/family member more than their own personal trainer. Typically buying training would be more expensive than most of the above gifts. However, if your on a tight budget, you can limit the amount of sessions you buy or get you and your friend/family member into a group so you can go together.

Group training can be fun and competitive. It also gives you the opportunity to spend some extra time with a special person in your life. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact us and ask about our FREE evaluation!!!

The 3 Easiest Ways To Get Injured In The Gym

A lot of people get injured in the gym despite the fact that working out isn't necessarily dangerous. Usually it's because they are overdoing it or they are performing a movement they are not ready to perform. It's pretty common sense stuff however, our ego always gets the best of us. As always, our ego sweeps the idea of risk and reward under the rug. So what are some of the more dangerous things you can do in a gym? This list might surprise you a bit.

1. Jogging and Sprinting. That's right, as if you didn't hate doing it enough. Turns out running is actually more dangerous then a lot of exercises. Its a bit obvious how sprinting can be on this list. the truth is, performing any maximum output movement comes with risks. Especially when you are working in end range motions of the joint. In this case it usually comes during deceleration. Our hamstrings decelerate us when sprinting so if you haven't worked your way up to this you might be in trouble.

Jogging is a little different. The constant up and down motion causes stress on the joints in the low back, hips, knees and ankles. In addition to this, many joggers run long distances so this repetitive stress could last a very long duration.

2. Box Jumps. This is anothger common sense one. There are two parts of this exercise that we see people get hurt on. First, is missing their jump. Once you leave the ground you better pray to the god of skinny little punks that you stick your landing because if you don't it's gonna get ugly. The other part of this movement is the landing. This is all about force absorption. Typically I teach my clients how to land before I teach them how to jump. Remember, what goes up must come down.

3. Olympic Lifting. Olympic lifting is its own sport and it takes years to master. Learning this sport like any other, takes coaching. Again, like sprinting and box jumps you are attempting to move as much as possible in the shortest amount of time.

So remember to stay safe out there!!! I'm not discouraging people from doing these movements. Truth be told they are extremely useful. However, your most useful ability is your ability to be present. 

As always, if your interested in taking your training to the Next Level, contact us for more details.

Workout Recovery Methods

First and foremost, let me say that I know for most people this concept of recovery is a bit foreign. Maybe you've heard the term before but it's never been properly explained, so, allow me to do so right now. As everyone knows, over time your body begins to breakdown. This breakdown leads to injury and your ass sitting on the sidelines. It's important to make sure you control the rate your body is breaking down at, but also control it's ability to recover. Here are a couple of key points to consider:

First is the workout itself. Not every workout has to be a spartan marathon race to the death. It's not necessary to kill yourself in the gym on a daily basis. This is trendy in the fitness industry right now but it can be dangerous in the long run.

Second is exercise selection. I see a lot of people doing things like box jumps, high intensity weight lifting, Olympic lifts etc. Although these exercises are good to work on perfecting, they can be dangerous if you don't know what your doing. Slow down, drop the weight and learn form!

Third, go for a walk. Sounds to good to be true huh? How could this low level, low intensity, too easy exercise help you? Well, studies have shown going for a walk can help boost your recovery. I won't bore you with science behind it but if your interested check out what Dr. McGill's research has to say on the matter.

Fourth, nutrition is key. You are what you eat and if you think beer and burgers are going to help with optimal recovery you're wrong. Try mixing in some healthy fats and proteins.

Lastly, Get some sleep!! Recovery doesn't happen without rest. So, if you're working late and pulling all nighters trying to pick up the cute chick in the bar, eventually its going to catch up with you. I know she was hot but was she really worth losing gains bro??

As always, an experienced trainer can help you throughout your training process. Check out one of our trainers and take your training to the Next Level.

Choosing a Fitness Program

Deciding to start a new program or change things up with your old program can be difficult. Especially nowadays, with all the info on the web finding a new program is easy but finding the one that is right for you can be difficult.

Typically when I have a new training client walk through our doors there is some sort of evaluation that follows. There are a couple reasons I do this. First off, I find that a great way to build a rapport and learn about a person is to evaluate how they move. If you think you can learn a lot about someone by how they dress, think about how much you can learn by how they move. Everything from where and how they carry their stress, the bicycle accident they had when they were 8 and what sports they played in high school come up during the eval. The other reason is the ability to match a client's needs to their wants in the effort to build a personalized program. Everybody wants the perfect body but sometimes we have to work through some issues to get there. Myself for example, I've had shoulder problems for years so overhead pressing is I'll advised but it doesn't mean I can't do a shoulder workout. At the end of the day a program really comes down to exercise selection. There's a hierarchy and progression to exercise selection. Some times there's even a regression or variant that can be worked in. The best program I've ever done in terms of results was the same program that did more permanent damage to my shoulders. As a young lifter I didn't understand the ramifications of overloading my joints. I was 20 and indestructible, or so I thought.

SO WHAT'S THE BEST PROGRAM FOR YOU?

Obviously I have a biased opinion, but I can honestly say that finding a educated trainer is paramount. I find that the subject matter, the human body, causes a lot of problems. Everybody has a body, so everyone thinks they understand how it works. Although that is true is some cases, most of the time it doesn't work out. Trainers and strength coaches exist for a reason so put them to use and you'll help reduce injuries and see faster results. Check out our link to for "What to Look for in a good trainer." With all that being said , here are a couple of key points to look out for.

1. Does your program match your goals? One of the things I see the most in the gym is people doing the same workout over and over. Most of the time its the people on the treadmill that are trying to lose weight. Don't get me wrong cardio is great but there are more efficient ways to shed fat.

2. Is your program mindful of your limitations? This part is duel pronged so listen up. First of all, I'm sorry to tell you but unless your an expert in the field or a doctor you probably cannot diagnose what your limitations are. So, asking yourself if your program respects your physical and mental limitations is pointless to a degree. But, if you have knee pain and know it, avoiding activities that put additional stress on that joint is advised.

3. Are you seeing results? There is almost nothing more important than this. The fact is if its working and your not in pain then you hit pay dirt.

4. Do you have a long term and short term plan? Chances are a good trainer will ask you what you're long and short term goals are. So, a plan that is built over a year or so should have some sort of progression to it. If you find yourself doing the same routine over and over, whatever results your seeing now wont last.

Again, a good trainer can easily coach you through all of this. Sometimes the amount of information can be overwhelming. Here is a link to some of the top trainers in your area.

What to look for in a good trainer

What to Look for in a Good Trainer

Anyone thats ever been in real estate knows the expression "location, location, location." Well, when it comes to finding a good trainer the expression should be "education, education, education." Lets be honest, there is a metric $#!* ton of bad trainers out there. As someone who owns a gym, teaches a nationally accredited personal trainer course and writes continuing education courses, I can say I've seen the worst of them.

It largely comes down to ego. The "if it works for me it will work for them" mentality is the root cause of this in my opinion. The industry is now flooded with so much information that becoming educated in this field isn't as difficult as it used to be. The science of training has been thoroughly researched and although we don't have all the answers, an educated trainer can make all the difference in the world.

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR?

1. Education. Every trainer at my gym has a college degree in a related field, at least one nationally accredited certification and has gone through our in house education. Despite the stigma, there are very intelligent trainers out there. Take the time to find one.

2. Experience. Ask your trainer how long they have been training and what clients they typically work with. For example, I don't coach Olympic weightlifters. Despite owning Olympic platforms, spending several thousand dollars in Olympic equipment and being USAW certified, I know that Olympic lifting is its own sport that takes years to learn. So when I have someone that wants to learn the lifts, I give them to one of my trainers with the expertise to train them properly. We call it practicing within our scope.

3. Professionalism. Nobody wants the loud obnoxious trainer thats always late to sessions. They will screw up your timeline and ultimately your workout. Chances are if they can't show up on time or carry themselves in a professional manner, theres a lot more that is falling by the way side that you're not seeing.

4. Cost. Money is obviously a big issue. Trainers can get expensive throughout the long haul. With that being said, if you're working with a trainer that's charging you $30 an hour you're probably getting what you pay for. No trainer worth their salt would train someone at that price unless they are doing groups. Don't break the bank but don't go for rock bottom either.

5. Relationships. Ask yourself what kind of trainer do you want. A friend? A mentor? A Drill sergeant? There are a lot of different personalities in the training business. Find someone who will remember your birthday but also keep pushing you. Having a good rapport with your trainer is extremely important. They can tell when you're injured or healthy, up or down, strong or weak, and should be able to adjust accordingly.

Interested in finding a gym or a personal trainer? Contact us and take your training to the next Level.