by Rob on February 2, 2009
So as you can see we are starting to form a pattern here. Legs and shoulders, Chest and Tri’s and Back and Bi’s. This is a pretty simple way to hit all the muscle groups with a 3 day a week schedule. If you are just starting out in the gym or just getting back into training this is a great way to begin. For those individuals who don’t have the luxury of having a trainer or don’t have the knowledge to constantly update and tweek their workouts, sticking to a simple routine for a month at a time is usually a great way to slowly build your library of exercises. Using this website will be a great tool for you to keep updating and furthering your knowledge. Check out the next circuit training by clicking on this link… [click to continue…]
by Rob on January 28, 2009
As you can deduce from the title of this post in today’s circuit training we will be focusing on Chest and Triceps. The reason Chest and Tri’s are so often grouped together in workouts, just like Back and Bi’s are because when you do most chest exercise, like the bench press, the triceps are working as a synergist (helper) along with the pectoralis (muscles of the chest) to create a proper movement. So, because the triceps are already warm from doing a chest workout it just seems obvious to work them on the same day as chest. Check out today’s circuit: [click to continue…]
by Rob on January 26, 2009
In the last post I already covered how the concept of calorie counting works in regards to losing weight. Now lets say for example, you have just figured out that your body burns 2500 calories a day to maintain your weight and you’ve decided to consume 2000 calories a day to shed a couple pounds.
If you incorporate some form of 20 minute cardio or circuit type training into your daily routine, you could burn an extra 200 to 500 calories. Which will leave you with two options: 1. Loss weight even quicker or 2. Eat 200 to 500 calories extra a day. Either way you’re still losing weight.
The one thing all people who have lost weight and kept it off have in common is consistency. You must be consistent with diet as well as your exercise regiment. It’s a lifestyle change. You have to be dedicated to your new way of life or things will never change. And the amazing thing is, things will change.
I had a client once who for the first two months of training didn’t lose a pound. We were circuit training 3 times a week and he was doing cardio on his own 2-3 times a week. And still holding the same weight. We had discussed diet and calorie intake and he had assured me that he was eating properly. Nothing but chicken and veggies. Fruits and nuts as snacks. But still the weight was staying on. I told him he was not in control of his diet somehow and that he should finally consider keeping a food journal. With skepticism he agreed. I was excited to see what the result would be. Was he sneaking food and not telling me about it? I’d soon find out. A week went by and he had tallied his weekly intake. To my surprise he was eating exactly what he said he’d been eating, BUT twice as much as he should have. He had been consuming over 3000 calories a day. The only reason he wasn’t gaining weight was because of our workouts. No joke, the following week he lost ten pounds. He dropped his daily caloric intake to 2000 calories consistently for the next 9 months and lost a total of 60 pounds. Sometimes things just are that simple.
If carrying a food journal is not your thing, there are some free websites that allow you to type in your meals and it will calculate you caloric intake. They will as well factor in calories burned during work outs. Try this Food Journal Website. This is just one site. There are many other free sites to choose from. You should search around and find which one you are most compatible with. If you own the iphone this one is a free application.
by Rob on January 21, 2009
So, we covered the warm up in the last work out, so I won’t take the time to repeat the specifics.
WARM UP:
STRETCHES
1. Hamstrings
2. Calves
3. Lower Back Twist
CORE
1. Crunch with hand on thighs
2. Crunch with twist
3. Bicycles
4. Toe Touches
5. Reverse Crunch
GLUTS
1. Floor Bridges
CARDIO- Same as first workout
CIRCUIT TRAINING #1
Remember we are picking weights that we can comfortably do 15 to 20 reps. If they are too easy, increase the weight and vise versa.
1. Cable Seated Rows- 1st do a warm up set of rows with very light weight and then go into your workout. While seated on the the cable row machine be sure to keep your legs slightly bent and keep you back nice and straight with a slight lean back. You want to draw the cable back on a 1 second count, hold for 2 and release on 4 second count.
2. Reverse Grip Pull Downs- Basically hands are in chin up position while doing pull downs. Again these are in a 4/2/1 count.
3. Lower Back Raises- Your gym should have a lower back raise machine. It will be the one where you hook your feet in, while you lean forward bending over. Then you raise up and hold for 2 seconds. Let me know if this one doesn’t make sense. You are going to do 20 of these.
4. Crunches- Normal crunches. Careful not to pull on the neck. Hold pause at top for 2 seconds then lower down.
REST 1 MINUTE AND REPEAT 1 TO 2 MORE TIMES…
[click to continue…]
by Rob on January 11, 2009
So James in New York has agreed to be my test subject. Currently James is around 280lbs and would like to drop about 50lbs for the summer. James hasn’t workout in some time, but is ready to make a commitment to do at least 3 days a week for the first few weeks to get himself on track. (James feel free to interject anything in these discussions about you) James’ past experiences in the gym mostly center around lifting heavy with the goal of building muscle and strength. Although this is a very common practice in the gym for a lot of guys, lifting heavy is not going to give James the results he’s looking for the summer.
So my plan to get James to trim down is to create a circuit training workout with very little rest between sets as well as a mandatory 30 minutes of cardio per day. He will also have to stretch before and after workouts to decrease his risk of injury. Today is day one so we will be taking it very slow and having James do very familiar workouts. As we move forward I will always be introducing new workouts to the sessions.
Let’s get started…
Day One Workout: WARM-UP
STRETCHES
1. Hamstring- from standing cross one leg in front of the other and hang over. 20 seconds each leg
2. Calves- from standing with hands pressing against the wall in front of you, lean forward, lunge forward with one leg and stretch back calve for 20 seconds. (Always making sure hips are square with wall and toes are pointing forward) **James if this isn’t making sense call me.
Wall Calve Stretch
3. Lower Back Twist- Laying on your back, bring one knee up and place foot on the floor next to knee of opposite leg. Let bent leg fall over straight leg and twist to stretch. Hold and switch. (Take your time. You’re probably pretty tight here)
CORE
We’re going to work for toward doing 100 crunches every warmup. 1 set of 20 for each exercise, but if that’s too much in the beginning, start with 10 to 15 of each.
1. Crunches with hands on thighs. Lay on back with knee up, feet on floor. Push hands from thighs to top of knee.
2. Crunch with twist. Same position, but reaching both hands together to outside of knee. (I’ll post a video soon to make more sense of these)
3. Bicycles. I think you probably know these.
4. Toe Touches. On back with feet as straight up to sky as you can handle. Reach for toes and repeat.
5. Reverse Crunches. Bend both knee and bring them to your chest. Engage abs so to bring knees to chin and lift butt off the floor (slightly).
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg_ygFlWKaU&eurl=http://openskyfitness.com/2009/01/james-its-day-one/&feature=player_embedded
[click to continue…]
by Rob on January 11, 2009
Getting started is without a doubt the most important step to achieving any goal. Step one is defining your goal. Do you want to just loose a few pounds? Tone up for the summer? Live a healthy life style? All of these are legitimate goals. Most of us want all of these things to some degree, so let’s say your goal is to lose weight as well as tone up.
So now that we’ve got the goal in mind lets get started. First you have to get a sense of what you are putting in your body on a day to day basis. Best way to do that is to keep a food journal. Write down everything you consume. From all major meals to a few carrots as a snack. You will need to find your high risk time frames, when you are temped to eat unhealthy. This will give you a tremendous advantage in the long run. You will notice almost immediately how much more conscious you are of what you are eating just by writing it down. So keep track. I will discuss in an upcoming blog what to do next with you diet.
Next is Cardio. Most people say they don’t really enjoy cardio. They think it’s this boring and they just don’t have the patience to sit on a machine for 45 minutes to an hour. The solution to that problem is… keep moving. If you can only stand to do 10 minute on the treadmill then do that. But then move directly to the bike. If that becomes tedious then move on the the olyptical after 10 minutes. Next thing you know you’ve just done a 30 minute workout and burned 500 calories. Congratulations! Another great way to do your cardio and have a good time is take classes. Most gyms offer a plethera of classes from cardio kick boxing to step, boot camp to yoga, etc. At some gyms it seems almost comical how may classes they offer. Personally I like going to all different classes to keep my body guessing.
Now the last piece of the puzzle: Weight Training. This is the part that I think scares people the most. Not knowing what to do in the gym is nothing to be ashamed of. I can’t think of one personal that I know that didn’t have someone teaching them how to work out the first time they went to the gym. It not something some people are just born with. They have to learn the right and the wrong ways just like everyone else. So be patient with your weight training. Don’t try to lift heavy just because the guy on the bench next to you is pushing up 275lb. Take your time to progress. Follow my blog and I’ll lead you in a safe and effective way to get the results you want.
