Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 05:26 PM EST [General]
Do you wish you had the lean, toned abs you see on fitness magazine models? Do you do crunches religiously, but fail to see your stomach improve? You're not alone. Most Americans would like a tighter midsection, but find it difficult to figure out how to get those perfect abs. But toned abdominal muscles have a more important purpose than simply looking great. Strong, fit abdominal muscles have many health benefits, because they are part of your core body strength. They prevent pain or injury to the back and neck, and support your body to keep it well-balanced. Your core, which includes your abs, hips, and lower back, is the root of all other movement. If your core is weak, your body is weak and liable to injury. The core stabilizes the spine, so a strong core is important for nearly all movements.
To get your abs in shape, you can:
Start small: Don't overwhelm yourself by making a huge change in your lifestyle all at once. Start small-try eliminating dessert, adding 10 or 20 crunches to your before-bed routine, or refraining from eating after 7 pm. The results you can see from starting small can become the motivation you need to make bigger changes, like starting a more serious diet, hiring a professional trainer, and ramping up your exercise routine.
Watch your diet: Whether you want visible "six-pack" abs or you just want a stronger midsection, the first thing you must do is change your diet. Diet is a key component of any shaping-up program. Many people have stomach muscles hidden beneath layers of fat or flab. Watch the inches come off your waist when you change the way you eat. To help your abs show, follow my fat burning diet principles for carb control.
Focus on form: Instead of doing crunches by the hundreds, focus on doing them slowly, with perfect form. Your body will get a better workout than if you had done a lot of reps without worrying about proper form. If you're not certain whether you're doing it right, ask someone else at your gym, or set up a session with a personal trainer.
Get professional help: You don't need to use a professional every day, but when you begin a new exercise plan, it's a good idea to start by spending an hour or two with a personal trainer. Expert advice can help you feel certain that you are getting the most benefit out of a routine and that you are using proper form. Your trainer will also be able to suggest more specific exercises that will target the areas you need to develop. For best results, meet up again after a few months so you can get a few more pointers and measure your progress!
Buddy up! Getting support from friends is always a motivation to stick with your diet and exercise routines, but a friend who is willing to go the distance with you? Now that's a real friend. For a little extra motivation, find someone who is willing to stick with a diet and exercise program with you. Meet up with your buddy at the gym, go for walks at lunch with a co-worker, or simply keep in touch by phone to help each other stay on track.
TIP! For more information on how to have the fit, fantastic body you always dreamed of, contact me via my wired page or call me at 407-927-FLEX (3539) and schedule an informative fitness and nutrition consultation with me. Cost is $75 but comes with an unconditional money back guarantee, so you have nothing to loose and tons to learn.
A very critical component of any fitness or weight loss program is weight training. Muscle is the tissue in the body where fat is burned, so the more muscle tissue you have, the more fat you will burn, even at rest. And a critical component of a strength training routine is variety. It is easy to fall into a weight training rut, doing the same old routine of favorite exercises day in and day out. Too much of the "same old same old" can be the enemy of effective physical training. The key to successful training lies in varying the training stimuli.
The most effective way to add variety to your workouts is through periodization, which means making systematic changes to your training at regular intervals. Periodizing your strength workouts can help you avoid plateaus, prevent injury and make greater gains in strength, power, muscular size and endurance, and athletic performance.
The Right Kind of Changes A qualified personal trainer can design a periodized strength training program specifically for your needs, so, if at all possible, enlist the services of a professional when developing your program. Here are some additional tips to help you succeed:
1. List Your Goals and Plan to Achieve Them Over Time. A typical way to plan your program is to set goals for one year and goals to achieve approximately every three months. If you have several goals, you and your trainer will need to decide which to prioritize.
2. Don't Try Too Much Too Soon. Before you begin a periodized program, complete four to 12 weeks of basic training. Use this training to develop general conditioning and practice proper form and technique.
3. Change Your Exercises. Many fitness experts (myself included) feel that you should change your program at least every four to six weeks for maximum effectiveness. The muscle groups to be trained (based on your goals) should determine the type of exercises you perform
4. Change the Exercise Order. Plan the order in which you do your exercises as seriously as you plan the exercises themselves. Try alternating between muscle groups - that is doing bicep curls followed by knee extensions. Or try "stacking" all the exercises for one muscle group (performing them consecutively.) A third possibility is to start with the exercises of greatest priority to you and follow them with the exercises of least importance.
5. Change the Number of Sets. Not all exercises require the same number of sets. Prioritizing your goals will help you determine which muscle groups or exercises need the most attention, and which need simply to be maintained.
6. Vary the Recovery Time. Your greatest physical gains are made during recovery, when your body makes the adaptations needed to support further physical development. The length of your rest periods should be based on your training goals. Short rest periods (less than a minute) are normally used when the goal is to build muscle endurance; long rest periods (more than three minutes) are used when the primary goal is to increase strength and power.
7. Change the Resistance Load. There is no consensus on what combination of reps and weights will yield the best training results. However, popular combinations include pyramid training which consists of decreasing the number of reps per set as the weight increases, and then increasing the number of reps per set as the weight decreases, and vice versa. Keep in mind that your genetic makeup plays a large part in determining your ability to lift heavy weights.
8. Evaluate Your Progress Every Four to Eight Weeks. Keep a detailed record of your workouts, noting exercises performed, number of reps and sets, amount of resistance and length of rest periods. Monitor your results.
9. Be Flexible With Your Training. Remember, be prepared to change your workouts to accommodate personal circumstances such as illness, mood, soreness, etc.
10. Give Purpose to Every Workout. The more carefully you plan your weight training program, the more meaningful, exciting and effective each session will be.
Have a great month and remember - THE ONLY GOAL YOU CAN'T ACCOMPLISH IS THE ONE YOU DON'T GO AFTER.
Well after 3 false labor attempts, my daugther finally had her baby boy. Jayden Adriene Cunningham, was born 5lbs 7oz on this past Sunday at 3:13. I am officially a grandfather. It feels a bit wierd because although I am almost 47 years old, I don't feel or look my age. Now I can't wait to here him call me Grandpa. Life is good!
I uploaded more funny videos. Do me a favor and rate them. I have more to put on so, I only want to leave the funniest one one the site. Get ready to laugh your ass off!
O.K. .....I know that the holiday season is still a few months away, but this article is far from premature. As a matter of fact, I am writing this article at the perfect time. Your children go back to school soon and you can shift some of the attention on yourself. This information may target parents, but everyone can benefit from it.
I have retired from the professional bodybuilding stage about 7 years ago now, and I can still recall planning my journey to achieving the body that I wanted. I would mark the date on my calendar and plan accordingly. What I want to suggest is that you do the same. Use the fact that school returns to session as a spring board to ignite your fire to transforming your physique for the holidays.
If you implement the simple steps that I suggest below, 12 weeks from your start date, you will sporting a leaner, healthier and more attractive body for the holidays. Best of all, you won't have to worry about gaining too much weight and starting over from scratch on New Years' Day.
Step: 1 - Pick a start date
You must give yourself a deadline. This will give you a hard timeline to keep you focused.
Step: 2 - Spread the word
Tell your friends and loved ones of your quest for physical excellence. They will be your source of accountability.
Step: 3 - Acknowledge your WHY
Ask yourself (out loud) "what is the reason or reasons that you want to start this quest". For example: "I want to look good for family reunion on Thanksgiving", "I don't want people to ask me if I'm pregnant anymore", or "I am tired of being unhealthy" or "I want to feel good when I look in the mirror", and so on.
Step: 4 - Change your eating habits
What I am about to tell you is so vital to your success, you may want to read it twice. You must eat a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate and a fibrous carbohydrate, every 3-3.5 hours. Start by eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, including those three components. When, and only when, your body begs for more food, add a meal. Then another meal and so on. Have equal portions of each about the size of the palm of your hand. This will keep you blood sugar stable and put your body in a state to burn fat 24/7.
Step: 5 - Start a resistance training program
As you better your eating habits, you must conserve and build you lean muscle tissue. The only want to do so is to exercise. You can join a gym, or train at home. Just make sure that you make you muscles work. The resistance can be your own body weight or iron weights or rubber tubing or bands. Whatever your choice, do at least 2 30 minute session a week. If you want to do it from home, I strongly suggest that you take a look at www.fastworkouts.net.
Step: 6 - Do your cardio training too
Doing cardio is important too. Not just regular cardio though. You must do "interval training" cardio. This form of training boost your metabolism like crazy for hours after you're done. Simply put interval cardio, involves a moderate pace, followed by a short (maybe 30-60 seconds) speed increase and then return to a slower pace. Do this cycle for 15-20 minutes. With a 5 minute warm up and cool down, you can say goodbye to long, boring cardio sessions.
Step: 7 - Follow through
This is where people fall short. Don't be a victim of lack of follow through. Be patient and committed to your goals. In 12 weeks you will be glad that you did. Remember, this is a journey. It will take time to get there, so keep your eye on the ball!
There it is. The SECRET! I tell people all, getting fit is not rocket science. As you can see, this is very simple. I do think that if you want to get more motivation and or help, you should first give me a call and set up a consultation. Just sitting with me and absorbing more knowledge, will aide in your success. Notice that I did not say hire me. If you'd like to, we can discuss that option, but I think that everyone should get the knowledge from someone who has been there to help start the journey. If not me, some other fitness professional with experience. I just know that winning the Mr. America title, makes me more that qualified. J If you want my help, you can let me know via my wired page of this email address. (bodbytodd@yahoo.com)
Whether you exercise by lifting weights, jogging, walking, swimming, tennis, or any other activity, you can improve your workout and extra calorie burning by taking the time to warm up first.
Warming up will help prepare your muscles and will loosen and lubricate your joints for the activity you are about to do.
A proper warm-up can also help you burn more calories by ensuring that you don't tire out too soon. The secret to the extra calorie burning is that by warming up and preparing the muscles for exercise, your muscles will be better prepared to handle the workload of the activity.
In a recent study, exercise that was preceded by a warm-up period produced less lactic acid build-up in muscle and blood. Lactic acid is what causes that burning sensation in your muscles that makes you want to call it quits. By being able to exercise longer and avoid getting tired sooner, you will in turn burn more calories!
Now that you have this valuable information, put it to good use. Start or re-start your fitness program. I strongly suggest that you seek the help of a qualified fitness professional. This will increase your odds of a successful outcome.
If you would like my help, let me know and I will help you transform. Have a great weekend.
I meet a lot of females who say, "I don't want to lift weights because I don't want huge bulky muscles"
Fact:
Lifting weights will NOT make you big and bulky. Building muscle by lifting weights is an integral part of the weight loss process. The amount of muscle mass you carry is the biggest changeable factor that affects your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the rate at which you burn calories. By increasing your muscle mass, you increase your BMR, which means you will burn more calories daily, thus improving your chances of losing weight.
Building muscle is not a quick and easy process. Bodybuilders (men and women) spend years in the gym lifting very heavy weight in order to achieve their look, so there is no need to worry about developing a similar physique.
The biggest factor that will affect your ability to grow muscle is the amount of testosterone in your body. Since men generally have about 30 times more testosterone than women, and men do not have a difficult time building muscle, then you can rest assured women will not "bulk up" by lifting weights.
A proper exercise program should consist of cardiovascular exercise, resistance training (lifting weights), and flexibility training. Women who lift weights in addition to cardiovascular exercise will build muscle while simultaneously losing fat through this process, cardio training, and proper nutrition. The end result will be a tighter body, reduced body fat, with enough definition to still make you feel like a woman. Please read that statment again. The end result will be a tighter body, reduced body fat, with enough definition to still make you feel like a woman.
Consult a Certified Personal Trainer For Better Results!
You don't. But understand that calories do count, no matter how many diet programs tell you that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight.
But if you are eating smaller meals of whole, real foods from the earth, you are generally going to naturally eat the correct amounts and results happen.
2. You Can Spot Reduce Fat off of a Certain Area of Your Body
Not so. Your body will lose weight when and where it wants to, but I promise that loss will be in symmetry and balance with your genetics.
So exercise appropriately and your body will determine where it wants to change first.
No number of ab blasters will reduce tummy fat faster than any other exercise!
3. Resistance Training will Make You Bulky
It ONLY will if you are eating too many calories. Plus, if you are a female, know that it is up to 30X easier for a male to gain muscle than it is for a female!
Recently I had an athlete in the studio (a female) who has been working out hard and has been losing too much muscle. I had to increase her calories to spare her muscle and continue losing fat.
Because of my experience as a professional bodybuilder and figure judge, I know how to train females so that you won't get bulky, rather lose fat only, by eating supportively and exercising appropriately.
4. You Can Tone Your Body with High Reps/Low Weight
I don't care what weight you use, but you do have to work hard enough with the weights that you reach muscle failure.
Simply put, you can use lowered weights, but you have to use them in such a way that it creates muscle confusion and fatigue.
5. You Can Get a Six Pack with 1000's of Crunches.
An ab routine should be a part of your workout. However, just that alone isn't enough.
Remember, supportive nutrition, proper cardio and consistent resistance training is the formula.
THAT will get you six pack abs!
6. You Must Restrict Carbs to Lose Fat
This is what we thought about fat back in the 80's.
MODERATION is the key!
A proper balance between lean proteins, fibrous carbs and appropriate meal timing is the best method without halting your metabolism and progress.
7. You Have to do Cardio for Fat Loss and Heart Health
Although a cardio routine should be a part of your workout, it isn't all that you should do.
Research shows that strength training is more effective for heart health and longevity than cardio. But we've known that for a while. Remember, the heart is one big muscle.
Work to fuse cardio and strength training together into one workout, rather than separating them.
Want a sample workout?
Try this tomorrow:
5 rounds
15 Push Press 15 Squats 15 Dead Lifts 15 Crunches Run 400 meters
Here is why this workout would be effective:
You are using big muscles and therefore burning more calories
Very low rest, generating fat loss and metabolism boosting hormones
Short amount of time - get it done!
Fusing cardio with strength training
That's all for now. Have an awesome weekend and I will speak to you soon. Also, remember, I am here to guide you. All you have to do is ask.
If you are like me and find that you sit in front of a computer the majority of the day, there are many habits you can choose to create that prevent your metabolism from slowing and your body from "forgetting" to burn more fat.
1) Get Active- If you are not active your metabolism will SLOW - causing your body to store MORE Fat and Burn LESS Fat. To keep your metabolic rate at a healthy fat burning level you need to keep yourself active every day. No, this is not as difficult as you think.
If you sit all day, schedule time to move every hour. If it is not possible to leave your desk, then simply stand and stretch, do a couple body weight squats, or even a few push ups - a mere 3-5 minute- then get back to work. If you have the flexibility, then plan a good 5-10 minute "Active Break" for yourself. Not only will this keep your metabolism humming, but is also a great break to refresh your focus and eve help you de-stress.
Benefits ALL around...so make a point of Every Hour - Move Your Body.
Outside of work, no reason why you would continue a seated routine. Turn off the TV and the video games and get outside - go for a walk, find a hobby or pick up a sport. Life has too much to offer by staying couped up inside on our bottoms - this is especially true if you have children.
2) Skipping meals? Eat Every 3-4 hours- Missing meals can be just as damaging to your metabolism as eating large, high caloric meals. You need to make sure that you are eating smaller portions more frequently - food if fuel, your body needs to be refueled often in order to keep your metabolism humming.
3) Avoid Processed Foods- Empty Calorie, Sugary foods have a low nutritional value, are high in calories and digest easily. This means that less calories are burned in the digestion process and more calories are stored as fat as your blood sugar levels rise and fall too quickly. Trade these metabolism saboteurs out for whole, natural foods. Great snack option: Granny Smith Apple and 1/4 cup Almonds.
4) Watch Your Portion Sizes- Larger meals contain more calories than your metabolism has a need for. Therefore, there is an increased likelihood that additional calories will be stored as fat. Keeping a food log for 3-5 days is a great way to foster awareness of the amounts of foods we eat on a daily basis.
5) Effective Exercise - As I have mentioned above remaining active and avoiding a completely sedentary lifestyle will prevent your metabolism from slowing down. However, increasing the intensity of your exercise routine can significantly metabolic rate. Follow and effective exercise plan at least 3 times a week.
Keep in mind... ~ More is not better. ~ It is not about how many calories you burn while you exercise, but how many calories you burn for the next 24-48 hours. ~ Choose exercises that boost the heart and soul of your metabolism: Resistance Training and Intervals.
Why not begin with a 12 week step by step system that is guaranteed to maximize your metabolism and help you shed unwanted pounds of fat 24-7! Contact now and experience my Rapid Results Program. Now is the time to get in shape for the class reunions, office parties and holidays.
Congratulations I'm glad he finally arrived. You need to put up some pictures of you and Jayden. Isn't it cool now you will be getting Happy grandparents day cards.
Send Message
Add Friend
Block User
Congrats Grandpa! He's adorable too. My nephew still looked like an alien at 6 days.
Bernadette11:15 PM EST