New Breed Fitness Blog

A Different But Fun Way For Cardio

2011-07-17T15:21:00.003-04:00

With the weather outside being as nice it's a great idea to take advantage of it by doing cardio outside like hiking, biking, outdoor swimming etc. I however have a different type of cardio that passes time quickly and works very well.

First off, you need a medicine ball and lots of open space like a sports field or your backyard if it's large enough. The ball doesn't have to be heavy. A three pounder would work well for some to begin with. Remember, this is for cardio more than strength.

Now to perform this cardio, all you have to do is throw the ball and jog to it right after you throw it and repeat for whatever your time goal is. You could also walk to the ball if the jogging is too intense. I would wear a watch to keep track of time.

Now for the throwing part, there are many different throwing techniques to use which help keep this exercise from being boring.

Overhead Squat Throw- Holding the ball with both hands in front of you, squat down with your arms straight and explode up starting with your legs and toss the ball over your head.

Overhead Extension Throw-Start with your hands holding the ball over your head. Keeping your upper arms from moving, bend your elbows so the ball should be behind your head and extend your arms and release the ball.

Chest Pass Throw-Hold the ball with both hands lined up with the middle of your chest. The ball should be touching your chest at the starting position and with both hands, throw the ball straight forward.

Angled Chest Pass- Hold the ball with both hands lined up with the middle of your chest. The ball should be touching your chest at the starting position and with both hands, throw the ball up on an angle. Imagine you are trying to throw it over a wall that is a foot or two taller than you.

One Arm Press Throw-Pick the ball up with both arms and decide which arm you want to throw with first. Grab the ball with the side you choose to throw with first and start with the ball beside your head with your elbow bent at a 90 degree angle. Push the ball up in the air then repeat with the other side.

Be sure to take your time while performing these throws and keep your core area tight. And if it's hot outside, be sure to stay well hydrated. Hope it's makes cardio fun for you if it's not already. Enjoy the summer.

No Time for the Gym. What Should I do?

2011-06-14T12:52:00.002-04:00

Everyone has those days where their entire day is full of things whether it be work, family, errands, whatever and won't be able to fit in the gym or go for a walk or something along those lines outdoors. And then when they are finally done with everything, they have to hang out at the house for a family nights, help kids with homework or have homework of their own to take care of, a favorite show is on whatever it may be. Some may even be too exhausted to get changed and head over to the gym. That's a good excuse but there are ways to work a LITTLE bit of exercise in. Below will be ideas of how to get some exercise in.

Say you finished your day and have dinner and prefer to stay home after finishing and watch your favorite show. You could easily run in place while watching your show. That would be awesome to do because then your cardio session won't be boring. May not be as intense as running on a treadmill but it's better than nothing. If your show has commercials, you could do sit ups, push ups, body weight squats, back extensions etc. during the commercial until the show comes back on. Heck, you could even do those exercises while watching the show or bring some weights into the TV room and perform some exercises. This could also be done if you are too exhausted to go to the gym or go outside.

Say you're stuck with some extra work from your job. That sucks and will probably have you all stressed out but don't worry, not only will these ideas help you get some exercise in but will slightly lower your stress. Work on typing up your work project and time yourself for every three to five minutes, stop working and hit the floor for sit ups, push ups, back extensions, or perform some dumbbell exercises for three to five minutes. Alternated between the two. If it's a big project and you need more time, work for 10 minutes then go to a three minute exercise round. If your project requires you to come up with a proposal of some sort, try the jogging in place and when the idea hits, go right to the computer then go back to the jogging in place. Some laugh but running or any other type of exercise could get some people to think better. Obviously, this won't work for every career person but hopefully this gets them thinking of ways of their own.

It's family night to do homework, watch movies, play games and have all sorts of fun. NICE! These ideas will not only help you, but your family as well. First is getting the children to finish their homework. Most slack like myself many years ago. Give the children something to look forward to doing so they want to finish there homework and get right to it because face it, if you're help your child with homework, you are also not doing anything physical which will make it just as boring for yourself. Plan a night where you have a family night outside after they finish their homework whether it be a sport like basketball, baseball, or even games like tag, running, biking, or hiking. I'm sure everyone has their own game they like to play but as long as there's movement, it works. You could even team up with other families with those activities as well. If you have a family movie night, try doing the running in place, sit ups, push ups, etc. during the movie. I'm sure your family wouldn't mind if you exercised during the movie as long as you don't grunt, slam the dumbbells, and such. You can even have your family join along too.

You're probably sitting right now thinking that's not as intense as the gym and I will flat out tell you, it's not but it's better than nothing. Any little bit of exercise will beat sitting on your A$$ and typing up papers for work or watching TV any day. Hopefully this has opened up ways for you to get some exercise in on days you can't make it to the gym or do your normal exercise routine.

Best Training for an Athlete!

2011-01-03T21:29:00.003-05:00

First off, Happy 2011. The new year is here and hopefully you have decided to get off your a$$ and work toward your goals and stay with them through the good and the bad.

The first blog of the year here will be for you athletes who think your going to be awesome just using free weights and working on skill drills and such. Now for some that works well but I say if you're an athlete, you need to train OUTSIDE of the weight room sometimes. I am a personal believer that strongman type training is a lot better for athletes building greater explosiveness and hitting fibers that normally don't get hit using free weights. There's a whole variety of exercises like farmers walk, tire flips, trailer drags, plate carries, and many more to hit all the muscle groups in the human body. Equipment could vary as well such as chains, cinder blocks, a tire weighing anywhere from 100-300 lbs. or even more. As I've said before, in this game there isn't any rules.
Different athletes could benefit from this type of training but in my opinion, football players will get the most benefit do to how physically tough and explosive you have to be. All athletes could notice a difference in full body strength and power, speed, jumping, overall athleticism, and toughness. Trust me if you think you dominate the iron, try this and say it's easy.
Now don't get me wrong, free weights work great too but it's good to mix things up. It'll shock your muscles as well as change things up in your routine keeping it fresh and not making you bored.
Now for any athletes interested in giving this type of training a try or have any questions, send me an e-mail and I'll gladly help you out. Thank you and have a great New year!

Warming Up for the Winter

2010-09-26T13:02:00.002-04:00

Winter is on it's way and the one thing that's a must not only in the winter but all year round in the gym is to warm up. People think of it as a waste of time and feels it does nothing for them but there's important things they don't know.

You come to the gym and plan to hit them weights hard and get a good workout in a short amount of time so they go right into their workout without warming up. That's understandable especially for those who work a lot of hours but they don't understand that warming up doesn't have to burn up a half hour or so. Warming up could be done in as short as five minutes for some people.

Some people also feel that they won't get an jury while working out and feel warming up won't make a difference. Truth is, it WILL. A key reason for warming up is to prevent any injuries from occurring. Think about it, you go for a workout and have your routine planned for the entire day and week and end up injuring yourself. Then you can't workout until you recover. Some injuries could take months to recover from which means months out of the gym which equals a physique you probably won't want. I'd rather take a few minutes to warm up then sit on the sideline for months.

Warming up could be done in many different ways. You could walk on a treadmill or another cardio machine for 10 minutes before you workout followed by some stretching. You could perform a light set or two of the exercise you are about to perform before you start a real set. You could do rotator cuff exercises for five to 10 minutes followed by some stretching before you train your upper body. While doing any of those strategies, a sweatshirt or long pants could help you get warmed up quicker. Everyone has a different way of warming up and getting blood into the muscle group they are going to train.

With all this information you have gathered, hopefully you will warm up before every workout if you don't currently. It should be taken serious year round but should have extra attention during the winter when your muscles are colder and at more risk of an injury. Stay warmed up and injury free.

Why Can't I Grow?

2010-05-02T17:36:00.003-04:00

This is a question asked by tons of people who spend A LOT of time at the gym daily. Some go anywhere from two to six hours sometimes . I too was one of those thinkers when I first started and I will tell you there were NO results what so ever. I was in the gym too long overtraining and worse of all, starving my body of important nutrients through out the whole time I was at the gym. I also would train six to seven days a week. My training has changed A LOT since then.

Now a days, I train four maybe five days a week. I now train about one to one and a half hours. Since then, gains have come. I learned a very valuable thing that I would like to share with you and that is you grow outside of the gym. Inside the gym is where you break down the muscles so you can afterwards, feed your body important nutrients to start the recovery process. The most popular product to use post work out is whey protein. I personally love whey protein isolate or hydrolysate with some antioxidants and glutamine and sometimes creatine. Now that's the start of the recovery process (postworkout) but the most valuable time to recover is when you're at sleep. Eat proper foods through out the day and night to add some more nutrients to the system so when you go to sleep the muscles will recover and grow properly. Six to eight hours sleep is ideal. It's also a good idea to take a couple days off during the week to fully rest your body. It's not only essential physically but mentally too. Not to mention, it's kind of hard to fit time in to workout daily for most. On your off days, you could throw in a little cardio whether you are bulking or cutting. That could also lead to faster recovery by delivering blood flow full of nutrients through the body.

In order to achieve more muscle size and strength, rest, proper diet, and good supplementation are more important than just working out at the gym.

I Need a Gym to Change My Physique

2010-04-13T07:47:00.004-04:00

A LOT of people are under the impression that they need to buy a gym membership in order to change their physiques. Yeah a gym will have loads of different exercise equipment but is it a must have? Absolutely NOT.

Don't get me wrong, it is great to have a gym membership for numerous reasons. First off, you have access to many different exercise machines. Exercise variety is great for training. Keep the body guessing and results will come. You also have more motivation when you are at the gym. Seeing a bunch of people work hard sometimes inspires others to work hard at the gym. If you are experienced with fitness and have the time and the money for a gym membership, you should definately consider getting one.

A gym membership may not be the best idea for some individuals. A lot of people don't have the time to get to the gym because of work, family, etc. Some people can't afford a membership. Some are even intimidated by the gym environment. If you are one of these people, don't panic and read below.

A set of adjustable dumbbells or barbells are all you really need to achieve the physique you want. Yes you read correctly, you only need a set of adjustable weights to achieve your goals. You can perform numerous exercises using an adjustable set hitting every muscle in your body. You can even use your own body weight for certain exercises as well. Some think the machines sold in stores are great but in my opinion, they cost too much for what they are worth and most just end up collecting dust and taking up space. One problem that may occur with having your own weight set is you may not know how to perform any exercises. That's where a trainer comes in handy. Don't be under the impression that you have to have a trainer forever you can simply hire a trainer for a month or so and you will learn how each muscle is worked and how to perform each exercise correctly and safely. If you're told differently they are full of sh*t!! The only reason to have a trainer for a long period of time would be if you have certain injuries or have motivational issues.

I hope this entry has helped you realize that a gym membership is good to have but not necessary. If you are looking to buy a machine for your place, I hope you learned a set of adjustable free weights would be a better and cheaper investment. If you are one of those people with or without a gym membership that has no experience exercising, consider hiring a trainer to prevent any injuries and to educate yourself on exercising properly.

I Don't Workout

2010-03-28T12:12:00.004-04:00

You will hear a lot of people admit that they don't workout and are proud of it. These are the type that usually are just trying to hide an excuse to not do anything exercisewise because:
1. They think they are healthy no matter how they look or eat.
2. They are nervous because they wouldn't have an idea of how to exercise properly.
3. They are saving money and don't want to spend the money on a gym membership, equipment, or a trainer.
4. They don't realize the great effects working out will do for them long term but instead look for results instantly.
5. They don't want to go through soreness that people get after working out.
6. They are too tired after work and want to relax.
7. They are not training for any sports.

These are the main excuses that lead to that question. What they don't understand is that exercise can easily fit in their lives. You don't have to go buy a gym membership for 500 a year. You don't have to wokrout two hours a day after a long day at work. You don't have to be an athlete to workout. You won't get reults instantly but will if you keep with it.

Whether you think you are healthy or not, you should still exercise. If you are already healthy, you will maintain the health staus you are currently at if you exercise. If you think you are healthy but don't look it in the mirror or in other peoples eyes, you should exercise to improve your physique so you are healthy inside and outside.

You should never be nervous working out in front of other people. Everyone who started working out didn't know how to do many exercises properly but in time learned. Watch how other people perform the exercises or for more professional help, hire a personal trainer. You learn more with experience.

Exercising doesn't have to cost so much money. You don't need a membership or a trainer. You can easily exercise by walking around your neighborhood. Perform some push ups, sit ups, bodyweight squats, etc. at your own home. You can even buy a cheap little 10 pound dumbbell kit and perform exercises with those too.

Exercise should be done to help you in the long term not just for a couple weeks to look good at the beach. Why ruin the physique and the good health you worked so hard for? You should exercise and diet good all year round not just to look good and fell good but for better overall health. If you are one of those who only exercises in the spring to look good for the beach, wouldn't it be easier if you were in good shape to begin with? Think about it, stay lean and healthy all year round exercising and eating clean, it would be easier to cut (tone) up your body come beach time right? Remember though your overall health is more important and it will help with health problems that could occur.

The soreness factor is what scares most. It's a normal thing we all go through and in time, you will love it believe it or not. It may not even occur after a certain amount of time. It lets you know that you worked hard at the gym and that's why most love it after a while. If it bothers you that badly, ice will help but it is something you should work through through out the day even if it's touch on your day. Stretch after each workout to possibly lessen the soreness in that muscle group.

Work long stressful days at work? Don't want to have to workout an hour more because your energy is low. Believe it or not, exercise will help increase your energy levels over time. Not to mention as little as a half an hour a day would even be beneficial to you. And one thing that most stressful workers will like to know is that exercise is a great stress reliever. I'm one of those stressed out workers and let me tell you, the time I'm exercising, I'm free from all the drama or whatever from working. If I didn't exercise, I'd go crazy with all the stress I go through.

Not an athlete? It doesn't matter if you compete or not what matters is how you feel and how your health is. Athletes work hard not only for their own health but for the sports performance. You on the other hand should workout for overall health, stress relief, energy, and to feel good about YOU. You can even consider yourself an athlete if you exercise daily just consider weightlifting or running etc. your sport.

I hope this gets those that think it's okay not to workout to think twice about their feelings towards excercise. This is something very important not just for certain people but EVRYONE. Go out and make a difference in yourself whether it's buying gym equipment for the house, walking around the nieghborhood, buying a gym membership, hiring a trainer whatever and starting feeling good about yourself and your health.

Determination and Hard Work. Got it? Do it?

2009-02-10T09:59:00.004-05:00

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

2008-04-12T10:50:00.000-04:00

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?

2008-04-09T15:59:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-03-05T16:25:00.003-05:00

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?

2008-01-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-10-19T12:22:00.000-04:00

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.

Healthier Lives for Children

2007-10-08T12:20:00.000-04:00

Today, many children are obese in this world. There are many reasons for that such as video games, television, choosing unhealthy foods, lack of outdoor activity, and lack of knowledge. By lack of knowledge, I mean children need to learn and understand what a healthy lifestyle is and know the importance of living one.

Children need to be active, like playing sports physically not by some using a computer or game system. It's also not a bad idea for children to start learning weight training basics like the concepts of lifting and most importantly, the proper technique for each exercise you teach them. In my opinion, the age to start with this should be around 10-12 years of age. Kids just need a simple little program like one exercise for a muscle group and do a total body workout about three times a week. Be sure to supervise your kid and make sure he or she is not lifting heavy weight because that will do damage to their growth plates, therefore stunting their growth. With some weight training, children will notice stronger muscles and bones, better athletic performance, better cardiovascualr health, and lower bodyfat and choletserol levels.Keep it light and simple.

For a fun workout, a child could be trained with a medicine ball where they will be throwing and catching a ball and working their muscles at the same time. And always have some cardiovascular activity like walking to the park, running, or bicycling. Children could do this type of stuff including sports at any age.

Now onto another aspect to battle childhood obesity, proper nutrition. Today, kids are into the unhealthy foods and drinks such as pizza, fries, potato chips, soda, etc. This stuff should only be eaten in moderation. Children also should be drinking enough water throughout the day. Keep the sugar and fat intake low. It's important to have a variety of healthy foods daily. With the everything added together (physical activity and proper nutrition) many children could stay clear of obsesity or possibly even get out of obesity and live a healthier, safer, and better life.

For parents, set a good example for your children and live the same lifestyle (healthy, physically active) so your kids follow you in your footsteps. Teach them now so they can fight against obesity and WIN!

Mistakes and misunderstandings of weightlifting

2007-10-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

Weightlifting is very important to have in your fitness routine. It helps with muscular strength, stronger bones, builds lean muscle mass and decreases fat mass, and could also help with the posture of the body. Combine that with good nutrition, stretching, and cardio and you will get the results you want quicker as opposed to doing just one of the four. The only thing with weightlifting is people tend to make mistakes and misunderstand it. Here are some mistakes and misconceptions people make with weightlifting.

Problem 1: You're weight hasn't changed since you started.
Answer: That's nothing to worry about because your body is adding muscle mass and burning the fat. It won't be huge bulky muscle so women, don't be afraid you'll get big. When you start weightlifting, don't even go by the scale. To measure your results, go by the way your clothes fit or use a measuring tape.

Problem 2: The same muscles are trained in two or more consecutive days.
Answer: For your muscles to recover and grow they need rest. Some believe your muscle grow in the gym but the truth is you're breaking the muscle down when you are lifting so when you go home and rest, the muscle grows. Of course you will need good nutrition as well for the muscle to grow. You can mix your muscle groups up any way you want. You could train your pulling muscles (back, biceps) one day, pushing muscles the next day(chest, triceps, and shoulders), and then the next day train legs then have the next day off as a rest day then repeat the cycle.

Problem 3: You use the same routine.
Answer: Always change up your routine. Don't stick to the same exercises, machines, repetitions, and even order of your workouts. I've seen people where I could tell you exactly what workouts they will do in the exact order. By doing that, you will become bored and could possibly lose interest in lifting. And the more you change up your routines, the better your muscles will respond and grow. Try to trick your body by changing your routines every two-four weeks. Try switching from free weights to machines for certain exercises or hire a trainer to plan your workout for you.

Problem 4: You don't use proper form with the exercise.
Answer: A lot of people make this mistake because either they are just worried about getting a weight up to impress someone or they don't know the proper technique for the exercise in which they should hire a trainer to help critique their form. Improper form could lead to many different injuries. Always keep your abs tight when performing an exercise and don't swing or arch your back. If in doubt, ask a trainer at your gym.

Problem 5: You let your ego take over.
Answer: People like to impress others with how much weight they do even if it is done with terrible form. Not only could that lead to injury but it also won't help you at all with muscular strength at all. A lot of people swing the weight up while performing biceps curls and act like they are strong for doing a certain weight. The truth is, it wasn't your biceps that lifted the weight, it was your whole body. Do a weight where you can keep good form throughout the entire set and focus on the muscle contractions. If you could do extra repetitions than you were aiming for, increase the weight slightly. Don't increase the weight too much each set. Like if you were doing bench press, you should add about five pounds each set unless your last set was very easy then you could try to add 10. Always leave your ego at the door when you come into the gym.

Problem 6: You think weightlifting itself will help you achieve all of your fitness goals.
Answer: It will help but you need to add cardio into your program to help with fatburning, and heart health as well. You could walk, run, cycle, and even boxing. It is best to do cardio after you have weightlifted because you will be burning fat if it's done after. You should also consider changing your diet around too by eliminating junk foods and replacing it with healthier foods. And add some stretching in to help with flexibility and lower your chances of injuries. It could also help improve posture as well. You should stretch in the beginning or the end of the session and could even stretch in between sets to get the knots out of the muscles. Be sure you got blood flow going through the muscles before you stretch.

Problem 7: You don't warm up before you lift.
Answer: The point of warming up is to get some blood flow to your muscles and to lubricate your joints to prepare them for lifting. Many people have different ways of warming up. Some run for five minutes then stretch. Some people would do a couple of light sets of the exercise they were going to do before they do their heavy (working) sets.

Problem 8: You don't finish your workout with a cool-down.
You want to cool-down to lower your heart rate and to prevent any pooling of the blood, which could lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. Walking is a great way to cool down. After about 5-10 minutes of walking, follow up with some stretching and hold each stretch for 10-20 seconds.

Problem 9: You lift weights everyday.
As said before, your muscles need rest. You should take at least one to two days off during the week. Weightlifting everyday could lead to over training. You will know you're over training if you notice your muscular strength decreases, blood pressure increases, you lack motivation to workout, and you may experience problems sleeping. Be sure to take a couple days off during the week and if you are a really hardcore fitness person, you could go for a little walk on the days you take of from weightlifting so you're getting some exercise in.

Problem 10: You think because you are lifting, your results will come within a few weeks.
Not true. It could take anywhere from a 1-3 months before you see any results. Everyone's body is different so if you hear someone say it only took them a month to notice results, it doesn't mean it will take you a month to notice results. Just be patient and stay motivated and your results will come. Pay attention to your clothing measurements to see your results and listen to what certain people say. The chances are the people that see you everyday won't see as much of a change in you as opposed to people who see you once in a while. The ones who see you less will notice your change the most. And don't forget to see if you have increased in lifting weights as well to see your strength gains too.

Creatine

2007-09-23T21:43:00.000-04:00

Creatine, is a very popular dietary supplement on the market today. It is highly advertised in every health nutrition store around and is also highly advertised in all muscle magazines and even some television commercials. Here are the facts behind the name of creatine that most wouldn’t know.

The purpose of creatine is to help any type of athlete that needs quick, explosive energy to improve in performance or strength. It is also known for increasing muscle mass and size. Creatine is made and sold in many different forms such as, capsules, chewable, serum, and in powdered form. Creatine is made from mixing sodium sarcosine and cyanamide in a heated water bath. Creatine is not recommended for anyone that has any kidney problems or diabetes but if someone with those problems were to take creatine, they should get checked out by their doctors to make sure that their health will not be at risk.

“ Creatine is an amino acid. The use of creatine helps restore energy. It is also a form of phosphocreatine ( creatine phosphate) which is an important store of energy in muscle cells. During intense exercise lasting around half a minute, phosphocreatine breaks down to creatine and phosphate, and the energy used to regenerate the primary source of energy, adenosine troposphere also known as ATP. Output power drops as phosphocreatine depleted because ATP cannot be restored quick enough to meet the demand of the exercise. It follows that a bigger store of phosphocreatine in muscle should reduce fatigue during sprinting.” (R B Kreider http://www.sportsci.org/).

Creatine is good in many different ways. It has proven to help increase muscular strength. It also helps improve your physique. It is a natural supplement that is already made in the body. It is what helps today’s athletes become better performers except for those athletes who participate in sports that require endurance. Strength training and sprinting are the events that will enhance as the creatine supplementation keeps on going. And creatine helps improve energy levels and recovery. Muscle that is full of extra creatine increases the regeneration of phosphocreatine rate immediately after doing workouts such as sprints.

“The sports performance benefits of creatine are limited to activities requiring short, all-out bursts of power, such as: jumping, swimming, sprinting, and high intensity weightlifting.” (http://www.acefitness.org/).