I don’t usually read “Muscle & Fitness” magazine. But it was sitting there at the gym, so I picked it up.

In the latest issue, June 2010, is an article called “1,617 Pounds of Fat Loss Advice”.

The article highlights 17 weight loss success stories. The weight loss per person varied between 17 lbs and 200 lbs. But the really interesting aspect was the path each person took to get to their goal.

David, who lost 75 lbs, credits portion control and preparation to his success. Frank is a moderation guy who allowed the occasional cheeseburger or pizza splurge once per week and still lost 29 lbs. One person did a low-carb diet, whereas another cut out bad fats like meats and butters. Roland from Torrance, CA states that it was overcoming the ‘all or nothing’ mentality that helped him lose 75 lbs. He learned that just because he ate a couple donuts in the morning that didn’t mean his whole day was blown and he should just eat whatever he wanted for lunch and dinner. He says “once I came to accept that every meal stands alone, I was able to stop this cycle”.

The lesson to take away from this article is that there is no sure-fire, 100%, will work for everybody, weight loss solution. Everybody in these success stories worked out regularly, but when asked to highlight their secrets, almost all of them talked about food intake.

I don’t recommend or condone all of the methods used. But I can’t argue with their success. If you get a chance, check out the actual article in the June 2010 Muscle & Fitness.

Here are a few good take-aways:
++Portion control – measure portions out in small containers or use the “1 serving is about the size of your fist” rule.
++Splurge a little – it isn’t about deprivation, but moderation. Allow yourself one small cheat meal per week to get those cravings out of the way.
++Secret snack weapons – have healthy snacks on hand to curtail binging when you get hungry – some suggestions from the article – handful of almonds, cheese sticks, cucumbers, and apples with peanut butter.
++Cut out the obvious stuff – sugar-laden sodas, white bread and pasta, sweets, alcohol. These are all of low nutritional value and packed with sugar and calories. Save these for that once per week cheat meal.

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I was observing a boot camp class here in Austin. The fitness business that ran the boot camp was looking for instructors, so I stopped by to observe and see if it was something I would want to teach.

The class is held at Pease Park here in Austin and is aimed at college students. So on the day I was there, the class consisted of about 10 sorority girls.

The instructor split the girls into two groups. One group was sent to the volleyball sand area to perform walking lunges. I noticed that several of them were hardly dipping down at all into the lunges. So I stopped them and explained that they needed to get that back knee closer to the ground and really dip into the lunges. One girl quickly responded “I don’t want my legs to get bulky; that’s why I don’t go far down”.

I was a little stunned. I know all the myths and urban legends about fitness that circulate, but I honestly thought this whole “women will get bulky muscles if they workout with weights” thing had been crushed. Boy, was I wrong.

So, if you are still concerned that working out with weights will make you bulky, and that running in circles on the treadmill and using light weights (if any) is the path to slimming and toning, check out this article by New York Times health writer Anahad O’Connor. In it, O’Connor cites two studies that blow the “heavy equals bulky” myth right out of the water bringing the author to a simple, but important conclusion: “For better tone, try fewer reps and more challenging weights.”

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For people who lift weights to tone up and slim down, experts say, a regimen that includes a combination of challenging weights and fewer repetitions can help significantly. In a 2002 study, for example, scientists looked at what happened when women performed various resistance exercises at different weights and repetitions (85 percent of their maximum ability for 8 reps, versus 45 percent for 15). Subjects lifting more weight fewer times burned more energy and had a greater metabolic boost after exercise.

Excerpt from ‘Really? The Claim: For Better Muscle tone, Go Lighter and Repeat’

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Will Smith is not only a great actor, but also is a philosopher, lover of life and inspiration. Check out this video where he shares some of his wisdom.

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Does your workout look something like this…”3 sets of chest presses, 8-12 reps each, 3 sets of bent-over rows, 8-12 reps each, 2 sets of crunches, 20 reps each…”?

Most of you probably perform a specific number of sets and reps of an exercise at any given workout. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but there are other options that can increase your workout effectiveness and intensity.

Use time instead of numbers. Drop the sets and reps for a few workouts and perform exercises for specific amounts of time instead.

For example, you could do a leg workout that looked like this: db squats for 30 seconds, rest 20 seconds, forward lunges for 30 seconds, rest 20 seconds, box jumps for 30 seconds. Rest about 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times.

For each work interval, you should complete as many repetitions of the exercise as you can with good form. In other words, keep a quick, but not sloppy pace.

Working out this way keeps you on a set schedule. You will generally make much more effective use of your time with this type of training. Also, this style of training can be more intense since you are attempting to complete as many reps as possible in a specific amount of time. Completing 15 reps in 30 seconds will be tougher than completing 15 reps and taking 2 minutes to do it.

The variations on this basic program are endless: change up the interval times, alternate an endurance activity with a strength exercise, perform each successive round of the circuit with slightly heavier weights for each exercise…

Use your imagination and have fun with it!

Below is a video of a leg workout using the above training technique. All you need are some dumbbells and a timer. Give it a try!

Carpe Diem!

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Sometimes I wonder how many women head to the gym with a workout plan. I should do a survey, but I don’t belong to a gym. Oh well.

Anyway, when you go to workout, do you have your workout already designed? Do you know what exercises you are going to do and in what order? Does your workout support your overall fitness goals?

If not, you should. At least most of the time. But definitely not all the time. Confused yet?

I am a firm believer in blueprints, plans, mindmaps, etc. Every morning I start my day with my Daily Target Praxis so I can pinpoint the tasks I must do that will get me closer to my goals. (If you don’t know what a Daily Target Praxis is, you should check out Mark Joyner’s free Simpleology 101 course. Great stuff!)

Exercise is no different. You can’t get to your destination if you don’t have a route mapped out. Once you know your goal, a proper fitness routine should be designed that meets your needs and supports your goal.

However, plans can sometimes be…well, boring! Ever gone to workout with your program in your hand and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I really don’t want to do this today!’. It happens to all of us, even with a plan that includes plenty of variety, the idea of following that day’s program can make you want to scream.

The solution? Ditch the plan!

Yep. I really mean it. Toss your routine for that day in the garbage and do whatever you feel like at that moment. Were you just dreading the squats in today’s workout? Forget them. If the idea of box jumps gets you moving, do those instead. Follow your gut for a day and do whatever sounds fun.

This is actually a real type of training called ‘intuitive training’. It’s when you listen to that little voice that is telling you that some heavy deadlifts would be just the thing right now even though your workout calls for leg presses and lunges.

I’m not advocating you use this style of training everyday. It should be used selectively when you are feeling unmotivated or are lacking energy. Throwing in a day of intuitive training every 2-3 weeks will help keep your workout routine fresh and keep you motivated.

Carpe Diem!

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This weekend, I went to a Texas Roller Derby bout.  If you have never seen a roller derby, you have to check it out!  It’s a little hard to explain how the game works.  The bout takes place on a banked track and the girls wear the old time 4-wheeled skates.  Basically, one girl from each team, called a ‘jammer’, has to make her way through the rest of the pack to score points.  There is a lot more to it than that, but that is the basics of how points are scored.

This game is not for the weak of heart.  These girls play intense and hard; talk about a kick-butt workout!  Bruises, cuts, fractures, and broken bones are just a part of the game for them.  They put their hearts and souls into it.

Now, I’m not suggesting y’all go try out for a roller derby team to get in shape.  The point to take from this is how important it is to have FUN when you are working out.  You will be more motivated and workout more intensely if you do something you enjoy.  Focus on having fun and the fitness results will follow.

Don’t enjoy the treadmill?  Don’t use it!  Hate the gym?  Don’t go!  Here are some ways you can spice up your workouts:

- When the weather is nice, take your workout outside. Go to a park, grassy field, walking trail or other large outdoor area to do your work out.

- Find a small hill and do hill sprints, lunges, side squats, duck walks, etc.  This is a killer workout!

- Hook up with a buddy and do a challenge workout.  Set up a series of 3-5 exercises, and see who can complete the most rounds in a specified period of time (ie 5 or 7 minutes).

- Find some stairs (in your house, hotel, at the park, outside a city building, wherever) and do stair sprints, plyometric stair jumps, push-ups, lateral squat walks and any other exercise you can come up with on the stairs. Be careful though! You won’t be able to walk up a flight of stairs for the next couple of days after this workout!

- Grab a group and go play some dodgeball or kickball. After each round (or inning) call out two exercises. The team that won that round gets to choose which exercise they do. The team that lost that round has to perform the other exercise. This can be a lot of fun if you pair very different exercises such as lunges uphill and crunches. Which exercise would you choose as the winning team? : )

- Go to a playground and do a full body workout using only the playground equipment.

- Use unconventional equipment for something different: sandbags, kettle bells, car tires and other objects can be a fun way to change up your workout!

- Grab a die and choose one exercise per number. Roll the die and perform the exercise for 12 reps. Keep rolling until you’ve done each exercise at least two times.

These are just some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.  Think outside of the box and have fun with it!

If you have a fun twist to working out, let us know about it by commenting below!

Carpe Diem!

The video above is of a penalty round between 2 players. This was a 2-lap duel, no holds barred, everything goes!

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In my last post, I talked about fitness industry lies and how even some of the most reliable sources of information can often be misleading.  In that instance, I was referring to an article which stated that training with kettlebells will give you “twice the results in half the time”.  Part of that is true, but they left out some important considerations.  If you didn’t read my post, check it out here.

Today, I’m going to bust open another deceiving practice in the fitness industry: using popular fitness myths and twisting them into a marketing ploy.  Here is an example.  A fellow fitness professional here in Texas markets his “Abs Uncrunched” program.  Before I discuss this program further, understand that I think a lot of the information this trainer provides is solid fitness advice.  He recommends short, intense workouts and cardio interval training.  He also provides nutritional advice advocating healthy, unprocessed, natural foods.  Good stuff!

However, I do take issue with his marketing ploy, which directly leads to a glaring weakness in the program.  The myth he is using as his jump off point is of course that doing crunches and other ab exercises will get you a lean stomach…a 6-pack.  This is absolutely a myth.  I’m not arguing with him there.  But what he does is jumps to the other extreme (a common marketing tactic) and has created a fitness program whereby you can get a 6-pack without doing ANY crunches.   EVER!  NONE!

You may lose weight on his program.  Your abs may start showing, but they may also be extremely weak.  On his blog, the ab expert guy has mentioned how you shouldn’t do any ab work that involves crunching (planks and stuff are ok).  He states that the abs are stabilizer muscles and therefore get plenty of work from other exercises.

The abs are stabilizers.  But their main function is flexion of the spine (which is what a crunch does).  In order to keep your abs strong and avoid muscular imbalance that could lead to issues like low back pain, you should include ab work, including crunches, in your fitness routine.

Not a lot.  Not everyday.  Not 1000 crunches.  Planks are good.  But crunches of some form should be in there too, on occasion, since crunches mimic the main function of the abdominal muscles.  I know from experience.  I hate doing ab work, and as a trainer, I know perfectly well that ab work doesn’t help me show off my abs.  So I skip it.  A lot.  Too often.  And the result is always the same…my abs get weak, my low back hurts more…

The bottom line: when you are purchasing fitness products, always beware of the marketing gimmick.  There is almost always one.  It doesn’t mean the product isn’t good, but you should always know the truth behind what you are buying.

There is no fitness product out there that is the final, ultimate answer for all your fitness needs.  Every product has limitations and weaknesses.  Just make sure you jump in with full knowledge before giving up your hard-earned cash.

Here’s is an example of a solid ab workout that you can incorporate into your fitness routine.  You would only do this workout 2-3 times per week.

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There was an article in January/February issue of Fitness Matters about kettlebells.

Fitness Matters is an industry publication for personal trainers.

The article is about the benefits of kettlebell training. It’s entitled ‘Kettlebells: Twice the Results in Half the Time?”

The results were very favorable for kettlebells. The subjects in the test burned over 20 calories per minute which is excellent. At the end of the article, the author notes “it (the kettlebell routine) provides a much higher-intensity workout than standard weight-training routines.” And the research coordinator notes “For people who might not have a lot of time, and need to get in a good workout as quickly as possible, kettlebells definitely provide that.”

This is great, right? Are you ready to go out and buy some kettlebells?

The thing is you don’t need the kettlebells to get the exact same results as found in the research study. Kettlebells are nothing more than dumbbells with a handle. All of the exercises they did in the test can be done with a dumbbell.

But they don’t mention that in the article. They get you all hyped up thinking that if you use kettlebells, you will get these awesome results. Which is true. But it’s not due to any magical attribute of the kettlebells. It is the type of training (short, intense interval training) that was done with the kettlebells that led to those results, not the kettlebells.

Grab some dumbbells and you can copy the exact program. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against kettlebells. I use them myself. They are different and fun.

I just feel that articles like this are misleading.

Unfortunately, this is a common practice in the fitness industry. Results are skewed. Information is twisted a little. Enough so that it isn’t a lie, it just isn’t the exact truth either.

And this article was from an industry publication. Makes you wonder about information you find in the mainstream publications…

Here is a link to the article so you can check out the exact routine that was used in the study. Even if you don’t have kettlebells, grab some dumbbells and do the workout. It will still be effective, I promise.

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