Summer Flab to Summer Fab

Right now is the time when everybody starts asking me (that don’t come to the CA) What they should be doing to “mix” it up to break up the monotony of their classes so they are ready for that great black summer cocktail dress, or bikini. Yep, I said it, bikini season is right around the corner. Want to look good for June, July, and August? Here are the easy answers. Kind of, it takes about 4 weeks to feel different, 8 weeks to see changes, and 12 weeks to make “them” ask what you are doing.

 

So here is my:

If this, then do that

 

Nice to meet you! You look delicious!

            Are you really hungry, all the time? STOP trying to eat 1000 calories a day or less. Yes, eating less is a good thing if your trying to shed some weight but are if your now considering having your friends for dinner instead of inviting them over to join you you might have a problem. Hopefully it hasn’t come to that point in time that cannibalism is an option, or that the next time you see a ho-ho or ding-dong your going to own them like the factory just closed (Wait? Didn’t it?) Skinny-fat, is out. Fit is in, eat better calories, and lift. You’ll feel better, be more confident, and hell you can carry your own groceries to the car. (Granted I generally let them do it for me, because it makes me feel special.)

 

Are there vegetables in these vegetables?

            So remember that food pyramid? Take a chainsaw to it. Veggies go on the bottom, you can never have enough of them, they are delicious, they are carbs and did I say you can never have enough of them? Meats are small portions. About the size of the ball of your fist is a good guess-tamate. We tend to over eat our portion sizes proteins here in America. Breads and pastas are not the devil, but when you wrap them fatty goodness they just became the devil. Make your fatty carbs a big fat 0 and your golden (mostly because you just cut 600 calories a day out of your diet). Six-pack abs here we come.

 

Cardio, Cardio, Cardio

            If you started-in full force with your NYE resolution, and you have now taken “ownership” of a spin bike at your gym’s evening class, or treadmill #5 is yours for 15-50 miles a week between the hours of 5am to 7am. Way to get after it like a champ! Change isn’t easy but you might throat punch somebody that is on your kit during “your” hours. (Keep reading if you want more from your training!)

I’m sorry am I sweating on you?

            This conversation starts with. “I’m sorry that you had to be jogging on the treadmill next to me while I do my 12 x 200 meter sprints at a 5% incline. It’s not that I am better than you, it’s that I don’t like this machine, and the sooner I can get off of it the better. Also is there anything interesting in that Cosmo your reading? It’s hard to read when I’m running this fast, and my vision gets a little blurry right before my legs feel like they might instantaneously combust. Whoops, back at it!” Sprint you get more for it, no matter if you feel you look like a fool, you’ll be the last one laughing the pool this summer.

 

Lean, Mean, Machine

            Don’t be angry, be better, and up your cardio with a bodyweight high intensity interval training (HIIT) class. These are all the “rage” right now. Interesting fact is that, any boot camp class or sports style interval training is generally HIIT. The fitness industry moves from fad to fad. Just make sure the fundamentals are sound and your going to rock that dress, and better yet rock your body. (Ever heard of LIIT? No? you should read this next.)

 

Where are the 5# dumbbells?

Want better results from your strength program? Lose the high rep. soup can workout that will “tone” you and pick up some stuff that might make your soul scream a little bit. Unless you have lots of time to do isolated work and your weight lifting is actually a cardio routine in front of the mirrors. Your not doing yourself any favors.

 

Why won’t the guys at the gym stop staring at me when I do squats?

Simple, you upped your game and decided to actually get something for all that hard work. By lifting heavy in sets of 3 to 5 reps. You are getting more for all that muscle burn, like getting strong, and toned (fit). Also those guys that creep you out. The next time you see them squat anything, ask if they need a spot, because they are likely sitting on the bench press bench while they are freaking you out (mostly because they all skip leg day!). It’s an easy nut check for them and you can strut your spandex all you want as you walk out the door.

 

Is there any fruit in this strawberry-coconut daiquiri?

This is really what you’re saying, when you have cleaned up so much stuff already. “Can I have some sugar, with my sugar, wrapped in a diuretic, then garnished with some sugar? Ill have 3 of those thanks.” -> no, just NO!

 

If it’s clear you’re probably in the clear.

Vodka and tequila are probably safe spirits if you’re going to drink. Soda water is a good additive to stay away from a sugary mixer, or one with high salt content. That is if your not just an on the rocks kinda girl. Tequila or vodka on the rocks, will keep your calories in check while not allowing you to unintentionally eat a whole loaf of bread while you are out with your peeps (insert bottle of wine here).

The # 1 easiest fitness hack!

Are you tired of having NO gains?

Working your butt off and NOT losing any weight?

Feeling the pressure of eating ONLY rice cakes and celery?

Hating your stair-mill because you aren’t getting anywhere fast?

Well, I have the easiest solution that NOBODY is talking about, and it makes me kind of annoyed. Most of my day is spent working with hard working youth athletes who have homework, and silly exams, and deadlines, and 4 practices a day. Do you know what is different about them in comparison to you? (I mean other than the 10-20-30-40 years between you?)

Nothing. Not one single thing. We all have jobs, we try to maintain our families from imminent meltdown, eat reasonably healthy, workout, maybe train for a 5k, and not crawl to deeply into a bottle of wine or bourbon once a week. The only difference is this.

 

SLEEP

 

As an adult we look at sleep as OPTIONAL

As a youth, sleep is MANDATORY (Thanks parental units 1 +2!)

Sleep is where we recover, and we clean out our brain of stress, and toxins, and all of the other things that keep us from losing weight, progressing our bodies where we want, and keeps us from being rational people with generally good intentions toward other humans. ( I mean even I get cranky on a 16 hour day on the gym floor.)

If you don’t believe me take a few minutes to watch this video put together by people with PHd’s and stuff!

When you are done watching the video. If you think there is somebody who should read this article to really help them succeed with their New Year’s goals please send it along and ask them to subscribe to our newsletter for my epic material! Or better yet the CA Youtube channel where we post a new workout and training tips weekly!

 

 

 

The Holi-daze of Fitness: It is too good to be true

Beware of easy.

I wish there was some magic pill.  I wish there was some miracle product.

I wish there was some neat little package you could receive in the mail that would be the answer to all of your health and fitness “problems”.

I wish there was, because I’d be first in line to buy it, or first in line to sell it.

But there’s not.

This time of year you will be bombarded with all kinds of information for health products.  There will be all kinds of things you suddenly need, or never knew you needed.

There will be all kinds of advertisements for weight loss pills; there will be infomercials with groundbreaking fitness products; there will be a magazine covers with seductively sweet secrets; there will be gurus with their patented solutions, there will be panels of experts discussing the latest supplement; there will be a celebrity with their current endorsement; there will be companies saying that they have finally found “it”.

Everyone is trying to sell you something.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Everyone is trying to make some money, or make a living.  It is possible, and likely, that some of them genuinely care.

The problem is that many of them don’t.  For the most part, they are more interested in their bottom line, not your health and fitness.

 

As Jon Goodman recently stated, is that “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”  Something to keep in mind whenever you encounter any information source that sells fitness equipment, supplements, or preaches one specific dietary or training approach.”  Of course their way is the right way; it’s their only way.

 

They bank on your desperation.  They count on you having tried other fixes.  Their strategy is playing up and playing on your “failures”.  Their punchlines are the false promises and failed results of other similar products.  They push you into picking up your phone or entering your credit card information one more time.

The substance of their advertisements stem from past promises, not miraculous breakthroughs.  Their science is sketchy, their methods unsubstantiated.  Their positions are nebulous, their premise negative.

“Are you sick and tired of… are you fed up… are you done with… are you ready for… have you heard about… then you have to…”

You’ve tried this, you’ve tried that, and they haven’t worked, now here’s mine.

It’s a cycle founded and fueled by failure and misinformation.  It keeps you coming back for more.

How can that fail?

Ultimately, there is a simple solution.  The magic pill does exist.

However the real solution is not a sexy one to market, and the pill is not an easy one to swallow.

 

  • You’re going to have to work.
  • You’re going to have to make some changes.
  • You’re going to have to be uncomfortable.
  • You’re going to have to set some real, timely, actionable, and appropriate goals.
  • You’re going to have to follow a program that aligns itself with that goal(s).
  • You’re going to have to exercise consistently.
  • You’re going to have to improve the quality of what you put in your body.
  • You’re going to have to focus on the quality of your sleep.
  • You’re going to have to ask yourself and answer some tough questions.
  • You’re going to have to take a good look at your lifestyle.
  • You’re going to have to commit to long-term improvement.
  • You’re going to have to be patient.
  • You’re going to have to work harder.

None of those statements are sexy.  None of those are particularly marketable.  None of those look good in a television commercial.

You can’t buy them packaged in a pretty little box.  I wish you could.  I would buy it in bulk, and mark it up heavily.

But, all of those statements are effective, tried and true.  They may not be what you want to hear, but they are what you need to do.

Yes, you can do it.

Yes, it is worth it.

Commit to making small changes that will add up over time.  For example, commit to exercising consistently before worrying about what the best workout plan is.  Put down or don’t buy the bag of snacks before worrying about what your daily optimal protein or fat or carbohydrate intake should be.

Health and fitness is not a final destination.  There are no shortcuts.  There is no short-term, easy path to achieving what you want to achieve or looking how you want to look.

 

If you need help, find a trainer or coach who knows a thing or two and will help hold you accountable.  Reach out to those who’ve been there or are going through it now.

Especially this time of year, beware of the easy way out.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The Perfect Push-up

The perfect push-up is an upper-body focused exercise with full-body benefits.

There are many variations, but being able to perform the standard push-up is an important ability to have in your fitness toolbox. Whether you’re fairly experienced or just starting out, you can always benefit from increasing your knowledge of the movement, and a lot of practice, practice, practice.

Here we’ll be breaking down the push-up, going over the setup, technique, and major muscles involved. There will also be ways to help you get started, and cues to help make them even better.

We’ll keep it all short, simple, and (hopefully) practical. Then, get after it. The best way to get better at push-ups…is to do push-ups!

 

The Setup: Position yourself on the ground with:

  • Arms straight, with elbows and wrists directly below or just wider than your shoulders.
    1. Think as if you were standing up with both arms forward, and trying to push someone’s car out of your parking space.
  • Press your palms and fingers into the floor.
    1. “Grip the ground”. This helps engage more muscles in your arms and shoulders, and take some of the strain off of your wrists.
  • Legs straight out and close together, toes down.
  • Head straight, so that your neck is not arched up or curved down.
    1. Your gaze is towards the floor, just ahead of your hands.
  • Contract your glutes, quads, and abdominals. One way to help is take a big breath out, trying to make everything tight while doing so.
    1. Think squeeze your cheeks, engage your legs, and tighten your abs as if Superman was about to punch you in the gut.

Now pause, hold here, and check yourself.

Your body should be in, or close to a straight line starting from your ankles, up your back, along your neck, and through the top of your head.

Your hands are engaged and gripping the ground, toes are planted, and everything in between (legs, hips, abs, shoulders) is tight and ready.

This is the “up” position.

Your body is now all straightened out, locked in, and good to go.

 

The Motion:

  • Break from your elbows, and begin lowering your body towards the floor. Your legs, hips, and chest all move together.
    1. Keep everything from the setup nice and tight. Control your movement.
    2. Arms and elbows in close by your body. Think “arms glues to your sides”.
    3. Breathe in (inhale) as you lower down.
  • Bring your chest to, or as close to the ground as possible.
    1. “Graze the ground” or stop just above it.
    2. This is the “down” position.
  • Reach the bottom point, push back up.
    1. Breathe out (exhale) as you push up. Use your breath to help keep your abs tight, and get into a rhythm.
    2. Think “push the floor away from you”.
  • Push yourself back to the starting “up” position.

There is it, one badass push-up! Now reset, and keep going.

Modification:

What if the Floor is (too much): Raise yourself up, elevate your hands

If you’re at home or the gym.

  • Use a wall, side of a bed, back of a couch, armrest, chair, stairs…
  • Use a box, bench, or a barbell set in the squat rack. Adjust the hooks to the right height, set your body in position, and push away.

Wherever you are, just work your way down towards the floor as your strength improves.

Major Movers: Chest, arms, shoulders

  • Pectoralis major (your chest)
  • Triceps brachii (back of your arms)
  • Anterior deltoids (front of your shoulder)

Also Working: Everything else

  • Core
  • Hips
  • Legs

There you have it, the push-up.

Use these steps to help you get that first push-up, and try out these cues to make your push-ups even more effective.

You need to make your body do what you want it to do. Get yourself set up, and practice, practice, practice.

They’ll get better. You’ll get stronger.

One last thing, if when you are done fixing your form for the better and you are looking for more from your fitness we are only a call or email away. If you are not yet one of our bad-ass clients then call or email now to set up the first workout at the last gym you will ever need.
Don’t believe me? Read these…

 

Mind Your Movement: The Plank

Mind Your Movement: The Plank
By: Ian Cutting

The plank is an incredibly effective full body exercise. Planks force you to contract every muscle you have, creating high levels of tension. This tension helps you build body awareness and stability.
They require total body engagement, and emphasize core and hip stability. This translates into improved performance in many other exercises, such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and kettlebell swings.
Learning how to plank correctly will improve your abilities both in and out of the gym, and they are far more than a contest to see how long you can stay propped up on your elbows.

Enter the “hard-style” plank.

So planks require engagement, create tension, build stability, and increase awareness, but what does all of that training jargon even mean? More importantly, how do you planks and how can all of that help you? Well, let’s keep it simple, practical, and break them down so they can help you build yourself up.
The Setup: Make your way to the floor, with your…

 

1) Forearms on the ground, with elbow directly below shoulders.
a. Elbows bent at 90°.
b. There is a straight line from your shoulders, through your elbows, to the floor.

2) Legs extend straight out behind you, and are close together.
a. Toes are down.
b. Knees raised up off the floor.

3) Back and hips are straight, level.
a. Hips are not arrow /\ shaped, pointed up towards the ceiling.
b. Back is not U shaped, sagging down towards the floor.

 

This is the setup. Now, let’s get to all of that fun engagement and muscles and stuff we talked about earlier.
A true, hard-style plank means that every muscle is tight, preventing anything that might knock into you from pushing you around. Your body is a true plank, locked into one solid, immovable position. Here’s how it goes.

The Exercise: You’re all setup. Let’s plank.

1) Squeeze your glutes and core, with everything you’ve got.
a. “Squeeze your cheeks”. Think of your butt eating your shorts.
b. “Rock-solid abs”. Tighten, brace yourself, as if someone was about to punch you in the gut (which, you know, someone might).

 

2) Squeeze your legs, with everything you’ve got.
a. Tighten you thighs (quads and hamstrings), and lower legs (calves)
b. Straighten, squeeze.

 

3) Squeeze your back, chest, shoulders, and arms, with everything you’ve got.
a. Keep your neck and face relaxed.
b. Everything from your fingertips to your toes is now tight and on fire.
c. Breathe normally.

 

Hold this position, with your arms, shoulders, back, core, hips, and legs all tight.
And last but not least, to finish bracing and locking yourself in.

 

4) Try to “pull the floor together”.
a. Pull your elbows towards your toes.
b. Pull your toes towards your elbows.
c. Picture yourself crinkling, folding up the floor beneath you.

 

The plank creates full body tension by forcing you to contract every muscle you’ve got.
Planks alone are an effective exercise and are important to have in your training toolbox.
The principles of a plank (core engaged, glutes tight…) will also help you perform other exercises.
So from now on when are planking focus, and force your body to work. Set up in the correct alignment, squeeze everything you’ve got, and don’t forget to breathe.

If done properly, you shouldn’t be able think about anything other than not passing out, much less be able to hold a conversation.