How do you know if the “pro” you’re working with is an actual pro?

No one likes to be tricked.  The problem is you probably don’t know it.

There’s got to be something about yourself you’d like to improve upon.  Maybe it’s that spare tire around your mid-section.  Maybe you thought about acupuncture or massage to work out that tightness.  It’s not uncommon for people to look for help when it comes to “fixing” themselves.  Many have looked into help from the “pros” when they couldn’t a the picture on the cover of Maxim or Muscle and Fitness.  You’ve tried every diet and fad in the book and fell right off the wagon.  Somewhere along the line you may (or may have) wandered into the nearest muscle-head gym or “wellness” facility for help.  You place all your trust in the “professional” hoping for once you’ll get the results you’ve waited so long for.  How do you know the service and information you’re getting is valid?  You don’t.  You assume that because you are in a facility that’s reputable only qualified professionals work there.  You couldn’t be more wrong.  The trick is on you.

Contrary to what you might be thinking, personal trainers in most cases are great people who work really hard.  They don’t have ill intent and aren’t “tricking” you on purpose.  They are likely just people trying to make a living doing what they love.  The trick lies in the business aspect of how wellness facilities operate.  Personal trainers are a dime a dozen because the requirements to become one are not strict and trainers do not make much money.  From a business standpoint, a facility is going to pay a trainer as little as possible to maximize profits.  For liability reasons, centers require a certification, but rarely ask (or care) what certification or experience a trainer has had.  Personal training is expensive and a trainer keeps but a sliver of the profits considering they do all the work (especially if a trainer is extremely proactive with their own marketing).  Most facilities don’t pay for a trainer’s marketing, but reap the rewards of it.  Not only do facilities and their owners get monthly memberships dues, but a large percentage of the training profits for no loss or risk whatsoever.  Nice.

The rare qualified, educated professionals who do build up clientele usually leave local facilities to start their own companies (they realize they can make more on their own and pocket 100% of the profits).  Or, the cream of the crop move on to greener pastures for more money in specialty fields.  The rare qualified career trainer stays because he or she is passionate about the field and has poured blood, sweat, and tears into the process.  You will have to look for these rarities.

While there certainly are professionals out there who know their stuff, they undoubtedly represent the minority.  You must learn how to distinguish between the true professional, and the idiot posing as one.  These are key points to keep in mind as you seek the professional that fits you:

1. Personal training credentialing is a crap-shoot. There are seemingly as many certification organizations as there are trainers, and most often a client has never heard of any of them.  The certification process is as follows.  Someone wants to be a personal trainer.  The person pays a fee to a company (who by the way is also a competitive business) to take a test.  If the person passes (even after failing five times first), they are a trainer.  Presto! Instant pro.  What about experience?  It doesn’t matter.  What about education?  It doesn’t matter.  Certifications are also a dime a dozen.  Make sure your trainer has a reputable one.  The most prestigious ones are ACSM, NSCA, ACE, and NASM to name a few.  Although most personal training certifications do not require a degree in the field, some do.  Some also offer specialty certifications for the educated, qualified professionals.  All organizations are not created equal.
2. A facility’s only real requirement is that a trainer is “certified”. That’s it, and that’s all.  Wellness facilities are businesses first.  This means they worry about their bottom line before they worry about validity or true quality (not perceived quality).  This shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Every company does this to some extent.  Why do you think that when you call Microsoft you speak with a representative from India?  It is cheaper for them to do this.  The same goes for the fitness industry.  They will pay as little as possible, even at the expense of the customer and quality.  Experience is not required.  How would you like to be the test subject for a new trainer?  I thought so.
3. Personal trainers don’t make that much money and some even make a small hourly wage (unless you are an ace who’s a well-seasoned veteran in the business—and this is RARE.  Most trainers have been trainers for two years or less.  Ones who have successfully built clientele have likely started their own business or moved into other more profitable areas).  Before becoming a trainer, most have likely had some boring low-paying job and likely took up training thinking it would provide a better career path.  The professionals with a plethora of experience and degrees are elsewhere.  New trainers are likely struggling.  They struggle because they aren’t qualified enough to work elsewhere.  Make sure he or she is formally trained (and they didn’t just read and book and take a test).  Ones who are will climb quickly.
4. Even if a personal trainer appears fit (which isn’t always the case), all this means is that they can train themselves, not necessarily you. Most train others the way they train themselves.  You need to make sure that your trainer is versatile and knowledgeable in other areas of training.  Ask questions.  Health professionals with degrees have likely had training in many areas.  Those that are gym-rats and decided that they might as well pump iron for a career likely have worked only on their goals.  A male body-builder who lives on Muscle Milk and is always covered in chalk has probably not worked with a 60-year-old woman with arthritis and osteoporosis.

How to properly solicit the help of a health professional:

1. Look for a bio on the personal trainer or health professional. Most facilities have a “bio wall” somewhere.  This is something good to look for.  Having a degree is nice, but having a degree in chemistry isn’t going to do much for you as a personal trainer.
2. Ask your trainer or professional what his or her credentials are. There is nothing wrong with this question.  If they are qualified they will usually be happy to showcase their qualifications and skills.
3. Ask them how much experience they’ve had (and where). This is the simplest yet most forgotten question.  Don’t be a test subject.  Even as a fresh graduate, most have done internships or been required to train as part of the degree process.  Getting experience (even a little) isn’t that hard.  You don’t want to train like a body-builder when you’re trying to lose weight and tone.
4. Learn about the assessment process. Crappy trainers don’t give assessments.  Ask how he or she assesses and re-assesses your progress, and how often.  Assessments should include tests that provide concrete data so you can see (on paper) how you measure up, how realistic goals should be set, and if you are getting results.  Aside from the subjective review of the friendliest mirror one can find, there is no way to track progress (body fat percentage, cardiovascular endurance, BMI, etc.) without collecting data.  This is the most basic determination if a trainer is worthwhile.

As expensive as personal training is, with the condition of the nation’s economy, and with never-ending turmoil in regards to healthcare reform, one should most certainly research and educate oneself.  Beware of fads and marketing ploys.  Businesses run as such and focus primarily on maximizing profits.  Supplements are not FDA approved, and most contain the same or similar ingredients (caffeine).  If you rely on pills and potions you are almost certainly setting yourself up for failure.  Most are proven to fail (despite the clever bombardment of commercials painting a different picture), and many, even years later must combat contradictory reports indicating effects detrimental to one’s health.  The best defense is a good offense.  The best offense is education.  There are good trainers out there—but you have to look.

Okay, I’ve failed you all again. As much as I enjoyed my first pilates class, I never went back. I did pull off a brief stint at an ROTC training class, but quickly found that it was not a sustainable form of exercise for me – I was in constant pain for the next four days. I had to crawl up the stairs on my hands and knees. Yeah, it was bad.

So in the spirit of trying new things, I thought I’d take this opportunity to explore some other fitness options, just to mix it up a bit. Most gyms, clubs and campus fitness centers offer a wide array of classes. From cycling to hip-hop dance, yoga to hiking, these classes give wannabes like me the chance to try out new, more interactive forms of exercise. They also seem more fun than the basic strength-building options, and less intimidating to fitness newbies like me. Try one of these standard fitness classes first – then experiment with the more “wild” alternatives!

Cardio Kickboxing: According to my college’s wellness site, cardio kickboxing helps you “work up a sweat by kicking, blocking, and punching your way through class.” Kickboxing has the added benefit of learning basic self-defense techniques, but it also seems like classes would be really intense. It’s probably something to work up to, not necessarily the best choice for beginners.

Step: For fitness traditionalists, step classes offer a no-nonsense approach to building and toning your muscles. You’ll increase your endurance by learning basic choreography to fun, energizing music. And because most gyms and clubs offer multiple levels of step classes, step is a great activity for those of us looking for a specific fitness track to follow.

Water Aerobics: These classes focus on building endurance and toning muscles. Unlike other fitness options, though, the water component creates a no-impact environment (which means anyone can do it). Most water aerobics classes take place in the shallow end of the pool, so you don’t need to be a strong swimmer to get involved. But for those looking for an added challenge, many gyms and pools offer a deep water alternative.

After browsing my list of options, water aerobics seems like it would be a great fit. Feeling sore after exercising gives me another excuse to avoid going to the gym, but water aerobics is a low-impact activity that seems like a lot of fun. I’ll try it out and let you know how it goes.

What types of fitness classes have you attended? Which ones would you recommend?

[Photo courtesy of womansday.com]

Wow! what an energy level today at the Asia Fitness Convention at Centara Convention Center.

Delegations of  Fitness Business Professionals  from 7 different nationlities together celebrating the great impact of motion and exercise in our lifes.

Orangised by FIT and Asia Congress, the Asian Fitness Convention  2009 is offering workshops for professional Fitness Expert as well as for you and me just having fun exercising and exploring new forms of fitness and movements.

Have a look for yourself and might find the exersice form you have been looking for!

The Asian Fitness Convention is still on until Sunday and even if the workshops are mainly booked out there is always one or the other space available to participate!

Photo provided by RS Lindner

This might shock some people.  The goal of exercise is muscular fatigue.  Many don’t seem to understand this concept.  When one exercises, especially when resistance training, muscles are actually being damaged.  Soreness is a result of this damage, and the burning sensation during exercise a result of lactic acid build-up in the muscle.

Muscle does not increase in size or improve in tone during a workout.  This happens during rest.  Rest is important because this is when muscle recovers and gains are made.  Therefore, when one exercises too frequently without rest, the body is perpetually damaged and can never repair and improve itself. Similarly, when muscle is not appropriately fatigued it never has a reason to grow because muscle fibers are never fatigued enough to become damaged (this is the goal).  This fatigue is a stimulus for growth and exercise the catalyst.  Fibers almost never grow in number.  They only grow in size.  The way bone regenerates after it is broken is analogous to muscle building.  After a bone repairs itself it is slightly thicker and stronger than it was before.  The processes are not the same, but this helps convey the idea.

When a person stops at a specific number of reps when they could actually do more, they are not appropriately damaging the muscle for maximum benefit. The entire goal of a workout should be to shock and confuse the muscle so it never adapts, has reason to grow, and never reaches a plateau.  A muscle grows only as it needs to.  Fibers increase in size when loads are performed that the muscle is unaccustomed to performing.  The body compensates for these load requirements by increasing muscle in that specific area.  People reach plateaus for this same reason.  Their bodies have become accustomed to a particular movement (if the exercise routine hasn’t been changed in a while), and thus their muscles no longer have a reason to grow.  The muscle is not “shocked”.  If one has been using the same routine for months (or longer), it is likely your muscles are bored with the movements, have compensated and adapted to them, and are no longer stimulated to grow.

Women are sometimes reluctant to perform intensely because they often fear appearing more masculine.  If she trains correctly, this won’t happen.  Each method is an entirely different way to workout even though they both require a certain level of intensity.

Photo provided by RS Lindner

There is often much debate and confusion about the quickest way to reach one’s fitness goals…at least among non-professionals.  The people that seem to concur most often are the professionals (with formal education) because they utilize the latest research.  The last person one should listen to is the self-proclaimed guru marketing a product and whose first goal is profit.  The confusion begins when a consumer hears numerous different things from numerous different sources claiming they have the secret formula for magazine-cover bodies.  Here are some ways to get to your goals that are based on what is actually proven (by research) to work:

Fatigue the muscle. This means pushing yourself.  Females are reluctant to do this because many fear that by pushing themselves they will look more masculine—not if you train correctly.  Whether you are looking for basic tone or you are lifting for power, fatigue is required (that’s the whole point).

Shock the muscle. This isn’t exactly the same as fatiguing the muscle (although you can accomplish both simultaneously).  Your body adapts to exercise.  This means that after a period of time your body will reach a plateau.  The most common reason for a plateau is that your muscles have become stale.  In other words, your muscles have become “used to” the movements and have no reason to improve.  Physiologically, your muscles only improve if they have reason to.  This means applying loads or performing movements they are unaccustomed to.  Muscles compensate for the increase strength requirement by increasing muscle mass in that area.  To prevent a plateau, change your workout routine relatively frequently.

Interval train. There is a plethora of research that now supports the use of interval training as the most effective means of fat burning.  If your goal is improved performance (not fat burning), that’s a different story.

Jump-start the metabolism. The best ways to jump-start your metabolism are to eat more frequent smaller meals that are balanced (in terms of carbohydrates, protein, and fats), and to avoid “starvation mode”.

Perform your cardio at the appropriate times. This means either first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (if your goal is fat burning, not performance), and preferably not after you have eaten (at least 2 hours).

Have a plan. Do not meander through the gym like a lost puppy.  Know what you’re doing.  Have a preconceived program specific to your goals that you can track (via fitness assessments).  Know how many sets and repetitions you are performing and why.

Between classes, clubs, and work, my days start early and end really, really late. My stress levels are so high it’s no surprise I often choose ice cream over vegetables and Degrassi (shh, don’t tell!) over gymming it up.

So when I do finally muster up the energy to make it to the gym I know I have to make it count. I don’t want to waste any time so I’ve started streamlining my workout by doing exercises that combine cardio and weight training. The cardio aspect gets my heart rate up, allowing the strength training exercises to burn more calories and be even more effective.

I’m all about the multi-tasking and after this workout I feel stronger and skinnier and happy. In fact, I can feel the endorphins kicking in already…

Jumping Lunges
Don’t settle for typical lunges if you want a great butt! Speed up the process by doing jumping lunges. These will spike your heart rate while also toning, so you’ll see results a lot faster. I usually do these in one-minute intervals with a 30 second break between.

How to:
1. With your hands on your waist, lunge forward with one leg.
2. Jump, pushing off both feet and switching your legs in mid-air.
3. Land in a lunge with the opposite leg forward.
4. Repeat.

Up-Downs

Ladies, if football players can do these, we can too. Up-downs burn some serious calories; give you a great ab, arm and leg workout, and can provide some amusement for your lazy roomies. Make them join you, or have them call the shots, boot camp style. Start off doing Up-downs in one-minute intervals and work your way up.

How to:
1. Start by running in place.
2. Every ten seconds, drop to the ground in a push up formation and push yourself back up to your feet.
3. Keep your abs engaged and repeat!

Jumping Squats
Squats work wonders on your butt and legs. Make them even more effective by adding a burst of cardio!

How to:
1. Start with your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Squat, making sure your knees are lined up right over your ankles, then jump up.
3. When you land, sink immediately into another squat and repeat.

Bring ‘Em Overs
These might look a little funky to strangers, but you’ll definitely feel it in your abs and legs after!

How to:
1. Bring your arms up by your chin, like a boxer. Stand with your feet together.
2. Grab a nearby stool or pretend there is one in front of you (should be a little lower than your waist).
3. Extend your leg out and bring it over the stool, so it ends up on the other side. Keep your abs tight!
4. Follow with the other leg, so both legs end up on the other side of the stool. Repeat, back and forth across the stool.

Good Mornings
This move is a bit harder than the others, but it gets your whole body moving, while specifically working your abs and legs! If this is difficult, try doing just a few. You will begin building up the muscles and you’ll be able to do more in no time.

How to:
1. Lay down on your back, legs and arms fully extended along the floor.
2. Keeping your arms extended straight upwards, use your abs to roll upward to a crouch, and then to a standing position.
3. Keeping your arms extended over your head, sink down into a crouching position and roll back to the starting position.
4. Repeat!

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Kom på att jag glömt bort att visa min nya hårfärg. Vi bytte lite behandlingar med frisörtjejerna så vi fick håren fixade, alltid kul!

Jag valde en rödlila toning som heter 5.15 Cappuccino, och den kommer ifrån L´Oréal Professionell.

Jättesvårt att få en bra bild inomhus eftersom året blir illrött när man använder blixt. i dagsljust är det mörkt, och då drar det mer åt det lila hållet. Skitsnyggt!

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Now that my Cancer Research 10k Run is over I have found myself trying to pick up my regular training again. I have a really good book by Anita Bean called ‘Six week workout – Better body’ which has helped me to produce a programme for the gym. Also, I found a website that has some blank workout cards to download to build your own programme: http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/WorkoutLogs.html or you can find a programme that suits what you want to achieve: http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

I have spent most of my time trying to get back into the routine of exercise again as it can be so easy to fall into the trap of just rolling out of bed and having breakfast whilst sitting at the computer and surfing the Internet. I found that I was feeling lethargic and by the time I got to work I was already tired.

Now, I go to the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for weight training using the weeks 1 and 2 exercise programme from Anita’s Better Body book. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays I have been using my dumb bells at home to complete some basic exercises. This has been great so far and I feel I can think about increasing either my reps per set or the weight for some exercises. I wanted to feel comfortable again in the gym before moving onto the programme for weeks 3 and 4.

Going to the gym serves many benefits, not just improving health and fitness levels, toning muscle and body but also I have found that it gives me plenty of thinking time. I have felt that my time is better used going to the gym especially in the morning as before I thought I could do something useful on the computer before going to work but just felt tired from looking at the computer screen.

Also, I can have some time for thinking over things – planning or sorting stuff out in my head about work or other issues – time that is spent doing these things makes me feel more prepared for my day. I have increased my overall fitness levels and have increased energy for the day. My day job is very tiring both physically and emotionally, so time improving my fitness and helping me to think over stuff has helped a great deal. I arrive at work more prepared and ready for the day.

Now I feel I need to look at the things I eat – on the whole, as a Vegan I eat very well and I believe it is very hard to eat badly – you have to work hard at it as most things we tend to eat contain many of the things we need to keep us healthy. But, for me as for anyone else, it is those ‘other’ things you eat that have either good or bad effects on ones health. I drink a lot of coffee and tea during the day, maybe three cups of coffee and three cups of tea – more at the weekends. Added to that I eat plenty of biscuits, maybe three each time I have a tea or coffee.

So, time to set tough targets here: only eat biscuits on the weekend – but not as to catch up on the biscuits I did not eat during the week. Drink either herbal tea or water during the day instead of tea or coffee – maybe save this for a treat at the end of the day. I think that will be a tough one to achieve and will require me to alter my thinking on the tea/ coffee break time I have during the day. But, you don’t know until you try I guess!

This week I will also be introducing more cardio workout, maybe the treadmill or cross training on the days I am not doing the weights to start with. I only have limited time in the gym as it opens at 6.30am and I like to be in work by 8.00am or 8.15am.

Watch this space for my progress!

From EverydayHealth.com:

Q: According to my workout program, next week I should be ready to increase the weight of my dumbbells and reduce the number of reps for each exercise. The problem is, the next heaviest set of dumbbells at my gym is too heavy for me to complete the entire set of reps. What should I do?

A: A good gym should have dumbbells that increase in weight by 2.5-pound increments up to 25-pound weights. If you are reducing the number of reps by 5, which is what I recommend, and increasing the weight by only 2.5 to 5 pounds, you should be able to get through all of the reps for the exercises. If you start to feel that you can’t do the last few reps, you can go back to the lower weight you were using over the previous couple of weeks.In general, you should pick a weight that’s heavy enough that you can just barely complete the prescribed repetitions with perfect form….for the rest of the answer click here!

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/prashant_zi/281907152

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, close to 11 million Americans are enjoying its health benefits. We have heard that yoga-practice can have numerous health benefits for a person’s mind, body, and spirit. So let’s find out the main benefits of yoga.

For people who are in a healthy state, yoga works to:
* Increase Flexibility
* Increase Strength
* Muscle Toning
* Increase Strength of Ligaments and Tendons
* Complete Detoxification
* Increase Circulation and Lubrication within Joints
* Massage and Stimulate All Organs of the Body
* Quiet and Focus the Mind
* Integrate Mind Body and Spirit
* Creates a Balanced Sense of Being

For those suffering from illness, yoga therapy can help manage and/or alleviate:
* A Wide Range of Digestive Disorders
* Chronic Pain
* Spinal Degeneration
* Arthritis
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Diabetes
* Asthma
* Heart Disease
* Stress
* Thyroid Disease
* Hypertension

Other benefits of yoga:
Some studies have suggested that yoga may have a positive effect on learning and memory. Other researchers have been studying whether yoga can slow the aging process, increase a person’s sense of self-acceptance, or improve energy levels.

Nevertheless, as we can see, there is an abundance of anecdotal claims for what yoga can do. Go to any yoga studio and listen to students after class.
The only way to be certain of all that yoga can do for you is to try it for yourself and see.

“For this workout you’ll need a roman chair, a set of 5 pound weights, 10 pound weights, and 12.5 pound weights, a Bosu ball, an incline bench, a cable machine, a pull-up bar, two resistance bands, a mat and a partner.”

WTF?

Whenever I see workouts in magazines/online that tell me that I need 23,494,201 pieces of equipment to get a full-body workout all I think is, “I’ll stick to the elliptical thankyouverymuch!” But while the elliptical is a great cardio workout, it’s not enough to get into shape and stay healthy. A girl’s gotta lift some weights.

But where? And how?

Typically, the weight room on college campuses is the “man’s domain” (as we control the cardio machine kingdom), so walking in there – never-mind actually using different machines while frat guys look on with tongues hanging out – seems less than appealing for many women. You think I’m gonna do some squats while that meat head looks on? No thank you.

And that’s pretty much why I designed this workout. The routine hits all the important areas of the body and doesn’t require a lot of time, equiptment, or beefy guys staring at you as you fumble with the inner/outer thigh machine. All you need is one flat bench and a set of weights, anywhere between 5 and 15 pounds depending on your strength level.

I recommend starting with the biggest muscles (legs) and then moving on from there, but the order is totally up to you!

Weighted step ups
Works: hips and thighs

Grab one of your weights in each hand and stand directly in front of your bench. Step up with your left foot, then your right, then down with your left, then right. Repeat 12 times on the left side for one set, then 12 times with your right leg leading. Do three sets of 12 on each side.
Expert modification – switch step-up leg after each full up and down motion. Also, add a bicep curl while standing on the top of the bench for an added challenge.

Weighted lunges with one leg up on bench
Works: hips and thighs

Place your left foot on top of the bench, right foot lunging straight behind you (far enough back that your heel is in the air), and a weight in each hand at your side. Dip your right knee toward the ground as if in a lunge, and then come up. Repeat 12 times per side, three sets per side.

Weighted calf raises with stability challenge
Works: calves and abdominals

Stand atop the bench with a weight in each hand at your sides. Your heels should be hanging slightly off the back edge of the bench. Dip your heels down below the line of the top of the the bench, and the slowly rise up onto your toes. It will be hard because the bench is squishy! Flex your core to keep your balance, and repeat 12 times, three sets.
Even harder: Challenge your core by lifting one foot off the bench and doing raises on only one foot. Alternate sides.

Chest press
Works: chest

Lay flat on the bench on your back with a weight in each hand. Bring elbows to 90 degree angles at your sides, in line with your head, palms facing up. Press up slowly and bring weights toward each other. Lower. Repeat 12 times and three sets.

Standing bicep curls/hammer curls
Works: biceps

Standing with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart, take one weight in each hand and place arms at your sides with elbows at 90 degree angles, palms facing in toward each other. Slowly raise weights at the same time toward your shoulders, keeping elbows close at your sides. Lower to 90 degrees, not going any lower. Repeat three sets of 12.

Triceps extensions
Works: triceps

Stand behind the bench, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, shoulders back and tummy held taunt. Join both hands behind your head holding a weight, arms at 90 degree angles. Slowly straighten your arms out above your head, and then return to the starting position, not going past 90 degrees. Keep the area from your shoulders to your elbows completely stable. Repeat for three sets of 12.

Ab pusher
Works: abdominals

Lay face up on the bench with your legs straight up in the air. Holding one weight with both hands, arms straight above your head and parallel with your legs, lift (don’t’ curl) your shoulders up to the ceiling, pushing the weight upward toward your feet. Be sure to keep your abs pulled in and tight, and be sure to press upward toward the ceiling, rather than curling your neck. Three sets of 12.

Leg throws / up-downs
Works: Abdominals

Lay flat on your back on the bench, with legs straight up in the air. Place your hands behind your lower back or your booty. Slowly lower your legs straight down so they are in-line with the bench then lift them back up. Lower them again, this time off to the left, then lift them back up. Lower again, this time to the right, then back up. Repeat 12 times or as many as you can do!

Weight training is really important, and now that you have a quick and easy workout, there’s no excuse to skip it. Not only does it increase your metabolic rate, but it can help prevent osteoporosis, increase lean muscle mass, help to prevent injury (when you stumble, maybe drunk), improve your balance (in 4’’ heels or otherwise), enhance your physical and mental health, and help you to feel better and look better!

Sounds worth it to me!

My sister told me about these guys when she had a go….she loved it!

Do you recognise anything here?

I work in a gym and I do!

If nothing else, these should make you smile (I cracked up at the “babys head” line!)

]]> http://awesomeape.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/really-simple-big-or-not-and-strong/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:44:08 +0000 awesomeape http://awesomeape.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/really-simple-big-or-not-and-strong/

If the previous workouts, information or exercise selection boggled your mind too much. I feel for you. However, I do have a really simple Awesome Ape workout that will add hoons of strength – and size if you want it.

In short, you will look hard as nails and big as an APE, an awesome one, if that’s what you want.

Read on.

You want to be an Awesome Ape?

Exercises;

1a)Squat / Leg Press

1b)Deadlift

2a)Bench Press / Dip

2b)Standing Press

3a)Barbell Row

3b)Chin Up

Week 1

Mon + Fri choose the a) exercise of each (alternate exercises as you see fit where there are two listed)

Wed – choose the b) exercises of each

Week 2

Mon + Fri – choose the b) exercises

Wed -  choose the a) exercises.

Strength – lift your 5 rep max 15 times in total with plenty of rest as you go. Avoid fatigue.

Strength and Size – lift your 8 -10 rep max 25 times in as shorter period of time as possible. Rest only as long as you need to allow further reps, be it 1 or 5. Oh an eat lots too.

Simple.

From EverdayHealth.com:

Q: I really like how my quads and hams have started tightening up, but my inner thighs have a long way to go. Any suggestions for exercises that will help this area?

A: Sadly, this is where your body chooses to deposit its fat. Genetically speaking, your body is predisposed to carry weight there, so that will be the last place it’s going to come off. The best thing you can do is watch what you eat and keep training. This will help you lose weight in general — and eventually those problem areas are gonna have to give!

That said, if strengthening the muscles in this area is the goal, I prefer old-school Jane Fonda leg lifts. They target the muscle you want to hit without creating bulk. I know this isn’t exactly the answer you’re looking for, but it’s the truth, and if you stay the course, your inner thighs WILL tighten up. Just keep doing what you’re doing!

Jillian Michaels

Awesome Ape agility. This is very useful to have.

Although the previous workouts mentioned;

Simply big and strong

Big and strong with variety

Simply strong and toned

Strong and toned with variety

Won’t directly enhance your agility in anything other than the agility needed to perform those movements contained within the workouts themselves, they will provide you with the structural strength and ability to be agile in other areas of life. Without adequate strength, nothing is possible. Strength is the key to all successful physical endeavours.

If  you have a specific sport that you need to be agile for then this page will provide you with little help – the best agility training you can do for your sport is…..the sport itself. Nothing more needs to be said about that.

If however you just want general agility in life then read on. These are some useful tools to have under your belt for everyday life.

Jumping – practice jumping, standing long jumps, jumping onto boxes of varying heights, one leg jumping, quiet landing jumps, jumping over things, onto objects, through objects, jumping to rolling, jumping to climbing etc. Use your imagination.

Climbing – pullups, clapping pullups, monkey bars, walls, trees, ropes and anything that challenges your mind and body. It’s that simple. A variety of tasks that require multiple movement planes and speeds.

Fighting – take some self defence classes, learn new movement patterns, become proficient at moving in as many different directions and ways as possible. Be confident in your ability to hit and to defend. Become an all round person.

Throw and Catch – Find an open space and a friend if possible, play catch, one handed, two handed, use different throwing and catching implements. Throw high, throw fast, slow, low, hard, soft. Make yourself and your buddy jump to catch, roll to catch – have fun and play. You will be surprised at how agile you can become with this alone.

Sets and reps? None, just play around for as long as you want – five minutes or 50 minutes matters not – enjoy your time doing this.

Agility is quite specific to your activity, play like a child and explore your full physical ability, not just in the weight room – get outside and play.

If you haven’t got a skipping rope out in years, do it. Haven’t played basketball since school, do it.

Express your body in as many ways as possible. Apes play as well you know. Now go wrestle with a friend or lover and become an Awesome Ape!

Epsom Personal Trainer

As with the routine from Simply strong and toned you will need to work in a circuit style to keep local muscular fatigue low and prevent size stimulation.

All that differs in this varied routine is the exercise selection.

The same rules apply. Lift heavy but avoid too much total volume and fatigue. Keep calories on the low side – you do not want a calorie surplus.

Understandably so, many get bored or lose motivation with the same group of exercises. I do. Besides which, variety can and most likely will in most cases allow for further future progress.

Some common sense is required with any programme, when switching out exercises for another. A bench press with a barbell is a pushing exercise, switch it for another same but different exercises like machine chest press or better yet a dip – same muscle groups used more or less but a different movement, which is refreshing for the mind and body.

7 main areas of the body to focus on;

Hips and thighs

Back

Chest

Shoulders

Arms

Abs

Neck

Exercises that cover those areas;

• Squat / Leg Press / Deadlift / Pistol / Squat jump / Front Squat

• Pull Up / Chin Up / Barbell Row / Machine Row / Clapping Pull Up / Shrug

• Barbell Bench Press / Machine Press / Incline Dumbbell / Dip / Dumbbell Bench / Incline Barbell Bench

• Military Press / Upright Row / Dumbbell Press / Machine Press / Armpit Row / Side Raise

• Barbell Bicep Curl / Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curl / Reverse Curl / Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Ext / Skull Crusher / Cable Pushdown

• Situp / Toes To Bar / Knees To Elbow / Broad Jumps / Frog Crunch / Windscreen Wipers

• Neck Flexion / Neck Extension / Next Lateral Flexion / Neck Rotation

Use one exercise from each of the seven sections (apart from arms – pick one for each biceps and triceps), abs and neck are optional areas as they get worked with all the other areas.

Work with the same rules laid out here – all that is different with this variety routine is the exercises selection.

Epsom Personal Trainer

If size is not on your agenda but being strong, lean and toned is, then this page will get you there.

All that differs is the total amount of work done per exercise and the amount of fatigue you build up.

The lesser work load and lesser fatigue allow for less damage/fraying to occur and thus less growth.

The tension the heavy weights put upon the muscle allows for strength to be gained and the muscle will therefore become very toned and tight. Awesome.

Oh one other thing – keeping your calories lower will also prevent growth to occur – so if you really are worried about getting too big, watch the amount you eat. Excess calories will allow muscle building to happen, without them, not alot of growth can occur even if you did stimulate it.

Movements;

Squat

Bench press

Barbell row

Armpit Row (pull dumbbells as high into your armpit as possible)

Over head dumbbell triceps extension

Barbell bicep curl

Situp

Workout;

Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row, Sit Up, Armpit Row, Overhead Dumbbell Extension, Barbell Curl.

Select a weight that is your 5 rep max for each of the movements and complete a total of 5 reps of each exercise before you move onto the next (all 5 reps can be done with a rest between if you prefer – this allows for an even lesser build up fatigue but the cardio effect will be diminished). Do not rest between exercises – this will keep your heart rate high. Avoid fatiguing the muscle group working – the build up of fatigue  (structural – remember the rope?)and waste products is vital to the growth process – avoid it if size is not your goal. Once you have been though all the exercises once – do it one more time. By the time you return to the squat again (and all other moves too) the fatigue in your legs will have dissipated enough to reduce a large portion of the heat induced fatigue that allows for the growth inducing micro tears to occur.

This should take no longer than 30 minutes if you are pushing hard enough.

For week two use your 8-10 rep max and aim for a total of  2 circuits and in week three use your 10-12 rep max and aim for a total 2 circuits. Keep records if you need to.

KEEP LOCAL MUSCULAR FATIGUE LOW TO AVOID GROWTH. FEELING FATIGUED IN YOURSELF IS FINE – YOU’RE WORKING HARD! The circuit style of this helps fatigue management.

Repeat this cycle twice at most before you take a week off. Muscles will adapt, scar and stiffen and results will be hard to come by. Get a massage.

If you tire of these movements and need a change then see the routine;

Strong and toned with variety

Epsom Personal Trainer

Understandably so, many get bored or lose motivation with the same group of exercises. I do. Besides which, variety can and most likely will in most cases allow for further future progress.

Some common sense is required with any programme, when switching out exercises for another. A bench press with a barbell is a pushing exercise, switch it for another same but different exercises like machine chest press or better yet a dip – same muscle groups used more or less but a different movement, which is refreshing for the mind and body.

7 main areas of the body to focus on;

Hips and thighs

Back

Chest

Shoulders

Arms

Abs

Neck

Exercises that cover those areas;

• Squat / Leg Press / Deadlift / Pistol / Squat jump / Front Squat

• Pull Up / Chin Up / Barbell Row / Machine Row / Clapping Pull Up / Shrug

• Barbell Bench Press / Machine Press / Incline Dumbbell / Dip / Dumbbell Bench / Incline Barbell Bench

• Military Press / Upright Row / Dumbbell Press / Machine Press / Armpit Row / Side Raise

• Barbell Bicep Curl / Incline Dumbbell Bicep Curl / Reverse Curl / Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Ext / Skull Crusher / Cable Pushdown

• Situp / Toes To Bar / Knees To Elbow / Broad Jumps / Frog Crunch / Windscreen Wipers

• Neck Flexion / Neck Extension / Next Lateral Flexion / Neck Rotation

Use one exercise from each of the seven sections (apart from arms – pick one for each biceps and triceps), abs and neck are optional areas as they get worked with all the other areas.

So long as all the rules here are adhered to these will make you grow bigger and stronger.

For the best of both worlds (strength and cardio) you should superset two of these body sections where equipment allows – use your imagination and common sense. Don’t superset exercises that will cause the next lot to suffer i.e. squats and curls first would take away from back exercises that came after as the arms would be pre-fatigued. Be an Awesome Ape not a numbskull one. Think.

Work with same rules laid out here – all that is different with this variety routine is the exercises selection. The weights and reps should stay within the same guidelines as Simply BIG and strong

Epsom Personal Trainer