Determination and Hard Work. Got it? Do it?

I know it's been a while since I last blogged. Sorry about that. Well about determination and hard work. These two are required to achieve results from exercise and even your everyday life. They both go hand in hand as you will see after reading this blog. Anyways onto the subject. First off, we'll start with determination.

Determination is something you NEED no matter what your doing whether it's fitness related, work related, etc. If you don't have determination, the chances are you will not finish the goal properly or even not finish it at all. I have trained a bunch of people over the years and could tell if the person I am training has the determination or not. Those without it last about two weeks and then stop because results aren't coming quick enough and they don't want to put in the hard work. They learn a new exercise or program and have problems mastering it, then they get up and quit because it's too hard. Those are the people I find to be a waste of time. On the other hand, you got those that have determination who don't stop or quit because things are tough. They keep trying and eventually master the exercise or program. Those are the people who I love to train. When the program gets tough, they work tougher then they would ever imagine to beat the program. And after a month or so of that, they achieve results and keep shooting for new goals.

Now onto the hard work part. Every session you do, hard work is a must or otherwise you are just wasting your time and your trainers as well. Some trainers don't care because they get paid one way or another but I,on the otherhand,would like to see my client work his or her butt off and know they got a hard workout in which in time will deliver great results. Hard Work=Hard Body.

You saw a picture of myself when I did this three month transformation contest and lost 47 lbs. Everyone asked about my "secret" and it was simply determination and hard work. The diet and exercise of course played a role but the determination made me go through my tough diet plan with no issues or cheat meals and the hard work helped me bust my butt in the gym and 5 a.m. morning cardio sessions. I never realized the importance of these two things until I finished this contest and WON. I hope this was a great help for you. And by next month, These pictures should be in muscular development magazine so if you are interested, check it out.

I'm a Featured Athlete

Click on the link to see my picture on the Bodytech website. Thank you.


http://www.bodytech.com/bt/spotlight/personal_home.jsp?id=566&source=CH0804ARN

When to burn bodyfat throughout the day?

What do most people do to burn bodyfat? Cardio? Weights? Maybe even both? Well here's the deal with burning bodyfat. You need to have your glycogen level storage low enough or burned to get to the fatburning stage . What is glycogen? It's a storage of carbohydrates that are used as fuel for exercise. It is found in the muscles as well as liver. To burn glycogen up, you must lift weights with great intensity for about an hour then immediately follow up with cardio because then the only storage left to burn for energy is your bodyfat. Doing cardio without weights will take up to around 30 minutes to even start burning bodyfat. So it is better to add some weights to build some lean mass first, then follow with cardio to burn the fat and get you on your way to a nicely toned physique you desire. You also won't get bored being same machine for almost an hour. There is however another time to do cardio when your glycogen levels are low. First thing in the morning on an empty stomach. For some people this may be hard to do in which case, you could have a whey protein shake with low carbs and then go onto your morning cardio.

There's many cardio choices out there. Biking, running, walking, boxing, jump roping, etc. When I walk on a treadmill, I increase the incline on it so I work the muscles in my legs as well as get a cardio workout which will lead to burning more calories in the long run. With biking, I increase the tension to give the legs a workout and burn more calories too. But overall I have to say boxing is my favorite because my whole body gets in on the workout not to mention a great stress reliever. Remember we are all different so if any of this doesn't work for you, try some other things to make it work for you.

P.S.
When your workout with the weights and cardio is done, you can refill the glycogen levels with carbs in which case, they go to the muscles. I normally use gatorade but everyone has there own preferance.

Getting RIPPED ABS!

Everyone wants to have a nice sixpack of abs to show off. First thing everyone does to achieve that is a bunch of sit ups everyday. For those that do that and believe it will work, it WON'T. To achieve that desired look of A RIPPED SIXPACK you need to have low bodyfat levels for your abs to appear. To do that, have a clean, healthy diet, and exercise regularly with some cardio added about 30 minutes five times a week with a good pace. It is still good to do abdominal exercises but don't just do one, do many different ones and rotate them every workout. This is a muscle you could work everyday however, I recommend working the different abdominal areas every workout so you can work the other part of the abs aren't isn't sore and perform the exercise without pain.
Example:
1: lower abs-leg raises, laying leg raises, knee ins
2: upper/middle abs-sit ups, decline situps, toe touches
3:obliques-side bends, side to side twists, Russian twists

There are plenty of other exercises for the abdominals, these are just a few good examples. You may also work your abs by just keeping your stomach in and tight while you workout so you burn extra calories and strengthen your abs. You may also do these just by standing in line at the grocery store or sitting in traffic going home. All you have to do is let all your breath out, bring your stomache in, and hold tight for about 15 seconds then breath again. You can do this a few times a day, anytime.

But as said before, this is all useless if you don't have a good diet and don't do any cardio. SO GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND WORK FOR THOSE ABS!

The New Year Is Here, Now What?

Well 2008 has arrived. Made any resolutions? How about getting in shape or going to a gym more? For as long as I have been in this business, I've noticed people every year who come to the gym and tell me they have a resolution to improve their body for multiple reasons but the funny part is, they always quit after a month or two. They buy a gym membership, clothes, some even buy big personal training packages at gyms and it all goes to waste because they didn't have any heart, determination, or patience to achieve their goal. All that money for nothing. People must realize it will take a lot of patience and hard work to get the body they want. And they must realize it's not just going to the gym that will help change their bodies, but healthy eating as well. That is why if you're new and don't have too much knowledge of fitness or nutrition, you should hire a trainer at your gym to guide you along the way. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, the price may be a lot for a trainer, but it is worth every penny for the knowledge you take away and can use for the rest of your life. So for all of you who have made a resolution to change your body, stick with it and if you aren't well knowledged, hire a trainer who will without a doubt guide you to your resolution quicker and safer. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

A Great Antihypertensive Therapy

The suggested type of exercise known as aerobic, which is exercise for a long duration while using oxygen, is used in helping people lower their hypertension. Exercise as well as medical therapy are recommended by the World Health Organization and International Society of Hypertension and the National Committee of High Blood Pressure. To lower pressure, exercising three or more times a week is needed according to some data. The duration of the exercise is the most important part in lowering blood pressure. Systolic and diastolic pressures have been seen to drop as a result of aerobic exercise. Blood pressure could be reduced from exercise even if the individual doesn’t notices a change in their body.

Aerobic exercise is not only good for lowering blood pressure, but also good in lowering cardiovascular risks. Cardiovascular problems are a part of as many people as hypertension. Cardiovascular disease could be due to hypertension, but preventable with physical activity although the observation has not been consistent. A risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and hypertension is an elevated heart rate, but is a positive when it comes to training. Aerobic exercise is good with fighting metabolic disorders like hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

An experiment was done on ten males that had hypertension for a short period. None got any medication, and were not smokers. They exercised outdoors twice a week. Throughout 5 months, the people increased in running from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. Diets were not altered during this experiment. Their resting blood pressure didn’t drop too much but their systolic and diastolic pressures were lowered. After some of the subjects stayed with the exercise routine for 3 years, further decreases in systolic and diastolic pressures were noticed. Systolic dropped 16 mm (8.7%) as diastolic dropped 15 mm Hg (14%). This experiment concluded that pressures at rest were lowered after long term aerobic exercise, but others were lowered as compared to what they were before the experiment started.
Not only is exercise used in fighting hypertension, but medications as well. Medications play a dominant role in today’s world for many people. Although it has been shown that aerobic training was more intensive than medications. But drugs do have many worries for people such as, the costs, and side effects. That is why exercise is chosen more often than medications.

People diagnosed with essential hypertension have reduced insulin sensitivity. Physical activities are what determine insulin sensitivity, as weight loss is induced by exercise. A decrease in with insulin concentration is mentioned for possibly being able to lower arterial pressure by aerobic exercise.

Not only does exercise help with lowering blood pressure, but diet plays an important role as well. Sodium intake could influence blood pressure levels as well. Lowering the intake of sodium would reduce blood pressure. Although there was no proof of this through the experiments people went through, but that’s because their diets couldn’t be altered during the entire experiment.

Why Hire a Trainer?

It may cost a lot to hire a personal trainer but if you really think about it, you're not just paying for someone to train you. The sessions may only last for a certain number of weeks, but the knowledge you will have gained is permanent. Sounds like a good deal right? So what are you waiting for?

1. To plan your workouts for you: Ever feel confused as to what workouts to do when you get to the gym?Maybe you're not sure what exercise works what muscle.Or maybe you're too busy to spend hours at the gym and need find an effective training regimen that fits into your schedule. A personal trainer will determine the best routines for you and make sure that you don't get bored.
2. To make you come into the gym: Ever feel like you don't want to go to the gym and decide not to? An appointment with a trainer will motivate you to come to the gym even when you don't feel like it. Plus,working out with a trainer will ensure that you push yourself harder than you would when on your own.
3. Motivation: Some people lack the confidence to begin working out in a gym or to start lifting weights. A trainer is there to give you a boost of confidence and keep you fired up for your next session.
4. Proper exercise execution: Ever feel you're not doing an exercise properly? Have any injuries resulting from lifting weights on your own? A trainer will critique your exercise form so you don't injure yourself and work the right muscle properly.
5. A healthy lifestyle: A trainer can help you to achieve a healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise.
6. Push you farther than you would push yourself: Ever feel you could have worked harder but didn't care to do the extra exercise, set, or even repetition? A trainer will push your body to the point where youknow you had a good workout.
7. Learn more knowledge on the anatomy and physiology of your body: Ever wonder how each muscle group functions or what exercises best train what muscles? A certified personal trainer has a broad understanding of anatomy and physiology and will help you to better understand your body.
8. No more boring workouts: If you hire the right trainer, you will learn some very creative and effective workouts that will keep you from getting bored with your routine. I have created many innovative workouts that are not only highly effective, but refresh and enhance your exercise program.
9. Keep your workouts fun and keep you into exercising: A trainer can keep you entertained while you are exercising so that working out is more fun and less of a chore. Keep in mind that although the time will pass by quick, you will still be getting a great workout.
10. To make sure you are on the right track to your goal: If you haven't gotten any results in a while, atrainer will figure out what you are doing wrong and make changes to your program so that you can get backon track to that body you want.

There are 10 good reasons to hire a trainer. Make an investment in your health, and in your future, and give personal training a try.