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AtoZ Fitness Weekly
Newsletter Jan 20 2008
Edition | |
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- In this Jan. 20th 2008
issue:
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- Welcome Message from
Sarah
-
Nick Nilsson's Weekly Fitness
Tips
- Weekly Featured
Recipe
- Ray Burtons
monthly article
-
Marc David's monthly
article
-
Lynn VanDyke's Monthly article
- AtoZ Pick Page
Supporters
- AtoZ Fitness and
You
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Welcomne message from Sarah | |
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Happy New Year !
I hope you had a peaceful Christmas and fun New Year's
Eve. How good were you able to be? I mean, food wise of
course! If you quarreled with a grumpy old relative,
that's none of my business, but how did you fare with
your nutrition?
I know most people will have added a few pounds of
bodyweight over the holiday week. Even with good
intentions and plans, there is just so much tempting
"stuff" on every table, so many parties and informal
get-togethers to attend, it's almost impossible for the
average person to resist and manage to at least get out
at the other end of this week at the exact same weight
they went into it.
Hey, we didn't manage either, so don't beat yourself up
over it. We have so much information, received so many
e-mails on "how to survive the Holiday Season" … in
fact, so many e-mails that they defeated their purpose!
I got sick of them. Surviving? Is Christmas a deadly
virus? Of course not, it's a time of year where we
traditionally splurge and go all out with our food. It
stems from the old days, when there wasn't an abundance
of good foods all year round, when people would walk to
each other's houses for a meal or a coffee/cookie time;
even if they went in a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh,
it was still colder and more physical than jumping into
a warm and cozy car! Wood was chopped to feed the stove
and fireplace, there was no electric stove and central
heating. Therefore, the extra food wasn't as bad then as
it is now. There were also generally more people
gathered to eat that whole turkey, now we are nowhere
near as many at a meal. Families are smaller, the tables
are smaller so we can't even fit more around them, we
don't have enough dishes for more guests …
So we put on a few extra pounds. One week, to undo a
month's worth of clean eating. Catastrophe! Panic
attacks! "I've eaten enough to last me a whole month, I
won't eat anything until February!" Oh no? How do you
propose to do that? By grabbing a glossy magazine with a
tempting title going something like "lose the holiday
fat in a week" and proceeding to telling you to eat
grapefruit all day and every day for a week? Sure you'll
lose the holiday fat that way, but what else is going
down the drain with it? Water, nutrients, muscle …
Want to get rid of the holiday disaster fast and safely?
Sure you do, we all do. It's easy, with the Every Other
Day Diet from Jon Benson and Janice Hauser. You know
we've told you about that book already, since November
in fact. Frankly, if you haven't already picked up your
copy, what are you waiting for? With all the fads and
hoaxes out there, this is the one plan that's really
healthy and working. Want proof? OK, I'll give you
proof, although I am not proud of the first picture, it
does show you that even personal trainers can slip up.
The second picture shows you that EODD does wonders -
combined with some training of course, but I haven't
been doing any cardio at all, just 30 minutes of weights
5 days a week.
You know we
got the EODD on November 12th, and the last
picture is from December 15th. http://eodddiet.atozfitness.com
You can
(should in fact) start with the 7-Day Detox, which is
described in detail in the latter part of the book. This
detox plan is not harsh at all, and is the best way to
start the Every Other Day Diet anyway, even more so
after an overload of unhealthy and often greasy
Christmas foods, washed down with more alcohol than you
usually drink.
If you are
not certain about which weight training program to use,
I'd suggest you have a look at the 8 trainers' compiled
chapters in our AtoZ Fitness Total Body Makeover
available at
http://atoztoptrainers.com
This book will have a second volume added to it,
with three more trainers' chapters, this month. Those
who already own the first volume, will receive a
download link for the second volume by e-mail (yes,
freee!), those who don't own it yet, will have to pay
the added price for the two volumes, but of course they
will also receive free downloads to any future chapters
we add - and we are working with 3-4 other trainers'
busy schedules for added chapters as soon as possible!
I hope I was able to give
you a little kick in the glutes with this first
Newsletter Introduction of the year, and get you
thinking about your nutrition as well as your training.
You only have one body, treat it like it's a treasure,
because it is!
I wish you a happy, healthy,
New Year, and may 2008 be the year that you turned your
life around to the better!
Sarah, CPT
www.trainwithsarah.com
www.healthylivesforyou.com
www.atozfitness.com/sarahsblog | |
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Nick Nilsson's Weekly Fitness
Tips | |
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Secret Training Tip #225 - Barbell Curl Squats - The
Toughest (and Most Effective!) Core Strength Exercise
You Will EVER Do
By Nick
Nilsson
This is my
very favorite core exercise and, trust me, you will feel
why from the VERY FIRST REP. It's a squat, but how you
DO that squat forces the abdominal area to do almost ALL
the work! If you want strong abs, it doesn't matter if
you're a total beginner or an advanced trainer, TRY THIS
EXERCISE.
This is one
of THE best overall abdominal/core exercises I've EVER
found. If you want a stronger core and you want it fast,
THIS is the exercise to focus on. It's tough, but VERY
effective.
The Curl
Squat exercise is deceptively simple...basically, you're
going to do a squat while holding the barbell in the top
of the barbell curl position. That's it!
So what
makes this exercise different from a front squat (where
you support the weight across the front of your
shoulders)? And what makes is so EXTREMELY effective for
training the core (which is the REAL reason for doing
this particular exercise, NOT for working the legs)?
I'll tell
you!
Holding the
resistance in front of your body in the top curl
position takes away the shoulder support that you would
normally get with a front squat. ALL the supporting
tension goes directly onto the muscles of the core,
instead of having much of it being taken up by the
shoulders. ALL your core muscles will have to contract
HARD throughout the entire movement in order to keep the
barbell from falling forward.
The
difference in position may seem subtle, but it's tension
that you have to experience to believe!
This
exercise also helps you to get a feel for how to
properly use the abs during a squat, which is EXTREMELY
important for maximizing your squat strength. Using the
abs while squatting (especially at the bottom of the
lift) is something that does not come naturally and is
very rarely taught or explained to trainers. And believe
me, it has the potential to add pounds to your squat
FAST.
Another
great benefit to this exercise is that your breathing
muscles (the intercostals) NEVER get a chance to relax
during this movement. From top to bottom and back up
(even while you're "resting" at the top), your breathing
muscles are being challenged because of the weight
they're being forced to support.
This can
build up great breathing strength (the term "breathing
strength" may sound strange but watch a strongman
explode a hot water bottle just by inflating it with
lung power and you'll know what I'm talking about!) and
carries directly over to your work capacity in the
regular barbell squat as well as most other demanding
exercises and sports!
How To Do It:
----------------------------
To do this
exercise, all you really need is a barbell, but if you
have access to a power rack, even better. The rack will
make it easier to get into position for the exercise and
will serve to "catch" the bar when you're done.
Set the rack
up so that the racking pins are one notch below where
you would normally set them for squats. The reason you
want to set those pins one notch below is that by the
time you're done with the exercise, it may be very hard
to get the bar up to the height where you would normally
rack the bar! With the racks a little lower, you'll have
an easier time getting the bar back onto them.
Set the
safety rails just above where you normally set them for
regular squats the first time you try this. When you
develop a better feel for how it's done, you can lower
them a little to get the full range of motion.
The weight
should be about the same as what you would use for
barbell curls for about 8 to 10 reps. This is a starting
point - you can add weight as you get stronger with the
exercise.
Step in
front of the bar and hold it in the top position of the
barbell curl. Now stand up, un-racking the bar. Don't
allow your elbows to brace against your midsection. This
will take away from the supporting tension on the abs.
Take a step back and get your feet set.
Now, holding
the bar in that top curl position through the entire
movement, squat down as far as you can then come back
up. You don't actually curl the bar while doing the
squat, you just hold it in the top curl position.
To increase
abdominal stability, you will be holding your breath
during parts of this movement. As you start to lower
yourself down, inhale. Begin holding your breath just
below the halfway point of the squat as you come down to
the bottom position. Continue to hold it until you're
about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way back up.
If you don't
want to or are unable to hold your breath, exhale
through pursed lips (as though you're blowing up a
balloon). Keeping the breath held towards the bottom
will maximize core stability and allow your abs to
function more effectively during the movement. Since
this exercise uses relatively light weight compared to a
regular squat, holding your breath is not nearly as
potentially dangerous.
That being
said, if you DO feel lightheaded at any point in the
exercise, rack the bar and rest. Always use your best
judgment here. The idea is to work yourself in a SAFE
manner.
When doing
the exercise for the first time, it's a good idea to
start with just the bar, no matter how strong you are.
This will help you get a feel for how the movement is
done, where to set the safety rails and how far down you
can comfortably go.
When you're
comfortable, work your way up slowly from there as
fatigue will come quickly. It's a movement your body
will be totally unused to, no matter how many abdominal
exercises you've done in your training career before
this. The muscles of the core will tire before your legs
do. Be sure to keep your lower back arched and tight
while performing this movement.
If you're
able to, go all the way down until your elbows touch
your knees. This will give you the fullest range of
motion. Tense the abs hard, especially at the bottom as
you're coming back up. For extra resistance, pause at
the bottom for a few seconds. This will give you the
best feel for how the abs should be used when squatting.
With this
exercise, having the resistance in front of the body
(similar to when you're doing a front squat) allows you
to keep a more vertical body position. The majority of
the tension WILL go onto the abs, but be aware that
there will also be some tension going to the lower back.
Because
you're holding the weight out in front of you, the lower
back must also contract to help stabilize the spine. As
you keep up with the exercise, your lower back will get
stronger.
COMMON ERRORS
----------------------------------
1. Doing
this exercise after a bicep workout
As you can
imagine, performing this exercise is not going be as
effective if you've just finished a bicep workout. The
biceps will already be fatigued and you'll limit the
amount of weight you can use and how long you can hold
it for. Use this exercise on non-bicep training days, if
possible.
2. Going too
fast
Dropping
down quickly in the squat will put extra stress on the
biceps as you come up and reduce the tension on the abs.
This exercise should be done very deliberately with no
bouncing or fast movements. If you have a tendency to do
this, pause at the bottom for a few seconds to stop the
bouncing.
3. Using too
much weight
Since the
legs are so much stronger, it's tempting to use too much
weight for this exercise. Remember, our goal here is NOT
to work the legs or the biceps but to work the abs. The
legs and the biceps are only here to help push the abs.
If your biceps fatigue before your abs get a good
workout, you need to reduce the weight.
4. Leaning
forward
Try to keep
your upper body as vertical as possible with this one.
It's very similar to a front squat - having the weight
in front of you allows you to stay vertical more easily.
Leaning forward will cause the barbell to shift forward,
which will put more tension on the biceps, causing them
to fatigue prematurely. As you start to fatigue, you
will notice you have a tendency to lean forward. This is
because the supporting abs are weakening. Do your best
to keep vertical. Once you start to move too far
forward, end the set
5. Bar too
close to chin
If the bar
gets too close to the collarbones, you will lose some of
the tension in the abs. Keep it at least a few inches
away to maximize the supporting tension and torque
demanded of the abs. If it comes too close, it may be
tempting to rest the bar on your collarbones, which will
turn it into an uncomfortable front squat.
6. Letting
the elbows brace strongly against the midsection
If you let
the elbows press strongly into the midsection, it will
take away some of the tension on the abs. A little
contact is fine, especially as you get tired, but don't
rely on using this technique or it will make the
exercise less effective.
Letting the
elbows sink in like this will also tend to hunch your
back over, putting pressure on the lower back. This will
in turn pull your torso and center of balance forward,
putting more tension on the biceps, making you dig the
elbows in more! Keep the elbows out front, away from
your body and you'll keep a better body position and do
a more effective set.
TRICKS
----------------
1. Look
forward and slightly up
When you
squat, keeping looking forward and slightly up. This
will help you to keep an arch in your lower back and
keep you from leaning forward. We want to avoid forward
lean as it causes the biceps to fatigue prematurely.
2. Don't
breathe too deeply in or out as you're coming down or
pushing back up
Breathing
too much during this exercise reduces core stability and
can compromise your form. For best core stabilization,
keep your breath carefully controlled. At the bottom,
you can hold your breath for a few moments to get the
most solid stability. As you come up, you can exhale
through pursed lips after you've come about 1/4 to 1/2
of the way. This technique shouldn't be used if you have
blood pressure issues, however, as it does cause an
increase in blood pressure. Keep a careful eye on how
you feel if you do choose to do this - and if you feel
any dizziness, end the set and then don't use this
technique the next set.
3. Pause at
the bottom
To really
maximize the tension on the abs, pause for a few seconds
at the bottom and focus on really squeezing and
tightening your abs hard. As you start to come back up,
try to push with your abs as well. This will help you to
feel what it's like to use the abs to help push out of
the bottom when doing regular barbell squats.
CONCLUSION:
------------------------
If you're
serious about improving core strength, DEFINITELY add
this exercise to your list. It simply one of THE most
effective core strength exercises I've ever found, and
will provide you with dramatic increases in abdominal
stability and strength.
For pictures
and video of this exercise in action, click the
following link:
http://snipurl.com/barbell_curl_squats
If you have any questions about this training tip
or any other fitness information, please feel free to
contact us at betteru@fitstep.com. |
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These health, fitness and training
tips are sponsored by “Fitness-eBooks.com”
http://www.atozfitness.com/dt/t.php?id=129Here
you'll find powerful, innovative training eBooks to help
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Weekly Featured Recipe by
GHF: | |
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Ricotta Pasta
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| Makes: 8 servings |
| Ingredients: |
- 2-1/2 cups
macaroni
- 8 ounces non/lowfat
ricotta cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon
nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons
lowfat cream
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| Directions: |
-
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to
package directions.
- Mix ricotta, nutmeg and
cream.
- Add salt and pepper to
season.
- Toss pasta with Ricotta
cream.
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| Nutritional
Information: |
- Serving Size: 1
cup
- Calories: 400
- Fat: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 20
mg
- Protein: 15 g
- Carbs: 7 mg
- Fiber: 4 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
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 For
a Limited Time you can enjoy
a 30-Day FREE Trial membership
in GHF's award wining Online Fitness
Program!
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Featured
Fitness Article: | |
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Gym goers who
have made me laugh
By the "Musclehead"
If you spend enough time in the gym, you
will see some funny things. Well, if you have my
sense of humor anyway. Some people never seem to
find anything funny happening in their gym, so I
thought I would share a couple of the funnier
things I’ve seen, while teaching some useful
information at the same time.
A couple of years ago I was taking a breather
after a couple of hard sets of calf raises.
Right in front of me were a couple of young guys
who hadn’t even started to shave yet. They were
just normal kids in the gym, not news worthy at
all.
Then I saw one of them grab a set of 35kg
dumbbells and shuffle over to the decline bench.
This got my attention. 35kg is a good weight for
older, stronger guys to be using. These two were
just a pair of skinny kids. Maybe these guys
were freaks? Maybe they just didn’t look
anything special. All these thoughts ran through
my head.
Then as on guy got on the bench, the other
helped him with the weights. He readied himself
and began to move the weights upwards. Or should
I say, they both moved the weights upwards. And
then it happened. He managed to move the weights
up a few inches away from a full extension, then
both dumbbells came crashing down onto his face.
So the great mystery had been solved. These guys
weren’t freaks. They weren’t a super strong pair
of kids at all. They were just a pair of
dumbasses. Which brings me to my point for this
article. Know your limits. It’s easy to think
you’re superman and use heavy weights, but it’s
not going to help you much.
To get the most out of your workouts, you need
to be pushing yourself, but there is a big
difference between pushing just beyond yourself
and pushing way beyond yourself. One is a key to
muscle growth, the other will just result in
laughter. Up to you which one you choose.
So next time you’re ready to choose how much
weight to use on an exercise, think back to this
article. Make sure it’s heavy enough to be a
challenge, but light enough to not make you look
like an idiot and potentially hurt yourself. The
guy’s in my story were lucky enough to get out
with only bruised egos, but I know of other
people who have seriously hurt themselves by
being stupid.
Alright, so if you
thought the last story was good, wait until you
hear about the guy in this story today. It
happened a while ago, but I still remember it
pretty well. In fact, whenever I feel sad (And
that’s not often, trust me) I just think back to
this day and a smile creeps back onto my face.
To be honest I can’t remember exactly what I was
doing at the time, but I remember seeing a
handful of young guys walking around the gym
carrying plates. This definitely caught my eye,
so I had a look at what they were doing with all
these plates.
Turns out one of their buddies thought he was a
bit of a hero. After putting around 1000 pounds
onto the leg press machine, the hero jumped onto
the machine and pumped himself up for the big
push. I would’ve been shocked if he could’ve
actually done this properly, so I still kept my
eyes on him as he began to liftoff.
I’ll give him some credit, he was able to move
the whole heap of plates a couple of inches, but
then he decided he’d had enough, so he began to
move the weights downwards. And this is when it
all began to go wrong. Just before he moved the
safety catches back into place, his knees gave
away and the weights came crashing down, pushing
his knees right into his face.
It was at this point I leapt to the rescue. I
quickly got over there and fixed everything up.
While his bonehead buddies were trying their
best to push the weights back up the rails, I
simply pulled all the plates off one side, so
the idiot underneath could easily push the whole
thing back up.
This guy was also lucky to get away unhurt
(Severely bruised ego), but I’m sure you can see
how it could’ve gone from bad to worse. The
moral to this story (You knew I’d get here
eventually) is to leave your ego at home. Your
ego has no place in the gym. This is some advice
that I was given early on and I’m going to try
to really hit it home with you today.
If you have trouble detaching your ego each time
you go to the gym, try this. When you put your
car keys and whatever else in the locker,
remember to grab your ego and place it there
too. The ego is one of the main causes of
stupidity in the gym, so don’t ever lift a
weight unless you have already dealt with it.
The Musclehead is a natural bodybuilder and the
author of the brutally honest and revealing book
"The Muscleheads Guide to a Godlike Physique".
For more hard hitting information on how to get
the body of your dreams, visit
TheMusclehead.com
If you would like to
submit an article to our readers please contact
submissions@atozfitness.com |
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Hello readers of AtoZ Fitness!
I'm super stoked today because I have been given the
awesome opportunity to write regularly for AtoZ. Let
me tell you, "I love these guys." Lewis and Sarah
are top notch but you already knew that didn’t you?
I'm pumped up today because
I've found some new friends to help out with the
things I have learned being a trainer over the last
14 or so years. I'm sure you will have questions for
me and I look forward to giving you some straight
answers.
So what is going to be
different about what I write versus every other guru
out there? Well, to tell you the truth, I really
don't know. I write answers when I run into
questions. Every month, I hammer on the basics. The
reason for that is because the basics work. Being on
a fancy routine or crazy diet is in no way connected
to the amount of results you will get from it.
It's about heart and intensity.
PASSION. You get out of it what you put into it.
As a matter of fact, if 90% of
the people out there would go back to a full body
routine with a little heart and do it three days a
week with some cardio, there would be a lot less fat
people.
That brings up another thing.
The word "fat". People don’t like it! That's too
bad. You know what you do when you don't like
something or it makes you feel uncomfortable? You
seek a way to change it. That’s what I'm here for.
To help you change.
You're either ready for change
or you are not. When you are, I'm here for you.
So what is the mantra for those
that want tight lean bodies? What are we going to
cover so that you can love the skin you're in? The
fundamentals. Proper nutrition, resistance training
and cardio with a few twists to stave off boredom
and tweak your results.
I'm looking forward to sharing
with you as the new year approaches and we all start
thinking about how we would like to improve
ourselves in the upcoming year. We are all awesome
people, perfect just the way we are, but if you want
to improve the outer shell, I look forward to giving
you my best.
"Every day you wake up, is a
chance to start all over..fresh"
p.s. in the meantime if you
would like to see over 10 great articles Ray has
sent me over the past little while check him out on
the atozfitness article blog where Ray has his own
section
here.
 Ray
Burton is the owner of BuildingBodies Personal
Training in Calgary Alberta, an ISSA-certified
personal trainer, crossfit Level 1, and author of
the Fat To Fit
Diet And Workout Program. Ray teaches you how to
lose fat and increase your metabolism using the
little-known secrets of the world's best athletes
and military personnel. Learn how to get rid of
stubborn fat and turbo-charge your energy levels by
visiting
www.FatToFitProgram.com, home of Fat 2 Fit and
www.FasterLeanerStronger.Com, the Internet's
members-only fat loss and fitness interactive
community.
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Marc David's What Every Beginner Should Know
But Probably Doesn't
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Bodybuilding Quiz: How Motivated
Do You Feel?
Let me make a
prediction...
96.8% of
subscribers who actually are reading
this have wished they had more
passion in the gym. And a full 99%
of those still reading, do not have
their goals written down anywhere.
Why is motivation so difficult? Why
is the #1 question I receive from
somebody who asks, "I know what to
do, but I just need somebody to
motivate me to do it all year
round."
So let me ask
you...
Can you clearly
see your goals that you want to
obtain? No really. Can you SHOW me
what you want to accomplish in the
next 6 months?
Personally, I
always thought that writing down
your goals and to-do's was crap.
Until I took a sticky yellow post-it
and wrote down 4 things I wanted to
accomplish on my website over the
weekend. Nothing fancy at all but
clearly the things I wanted to do.
They were specific, simple and
realistic.
Needless to
say...
I did them all
over the weekend. Moreover, here I
had thought about them for 6 months!
Look... goal
orientation is the key element in
establishing strong motivation.
Let me say that
again - Knowing what you want to
accomplish is key in establishing
the desire to actually do it!
A goal is
nothing more than a stepping-stone
from one goal to another. It is the
bridge between wanting to achieve
something and actually achieving it.
So let us being
with the Six Steps you must do to go
from thinking about it, to actually
doing it.
:: A Goal Must Be Well Defined::
If you have
seen those Red Cross thermometers or
any place that shows some type of
chart with the money received and
the ultimate goal... That is pretty
well defined.
Just think
about it...
What sounds
best to you?
a) I want to
lose weight
b) I want to
destroy 15 lbs of fat and get to 10%
body fat with a year
Please tell me
you picked B. B is clearly more
defined and therefore more
obtainable.
:: A Goal Must Be Stated In
Writing::
Life gets in
the way. My story of wanting to do
just 4 simple things to my own
website that I had the ability to do
just kept getting buried under the
complexities of life and schedules.
Once it was a
simple post-it note on my desk, it
had a magical way of getting done as
I checked off each item. It did not
require any more work on my part but
it was defined and clearly visible.
Everybody says
this right? Even Tony Robbins, Tom
Venuto, Jon Benson, Jeff Anderson,
and the rest of them. But guess
what? Those guys are right. That
is their secret to success. They
write down what they want and once
it is in writing, it gets done. The
rest of us think about it forever
and never really get around to doing
it.
Heck, if you do
not write down a grocery list of
what you want, you will forget
things at the store, get distracted
and make 4 more trips that weekend.
Opps... maybe
that is why I should take a list to
the store. Saves on gas too.
My point is,
your goals MUST be written down.
:: A Goal Must Be Stated In The
Positive::
I am not a
medical doctor of some Neuro-Linguistic
Programming, but I know enough about
the subconscious to know it doesn't
understand negative goals.
Use a positive
mindset when creating a goal. "I
won't eat junk food" is better
stated as "I will eat healthy foods
eat day." Even better is "I will
enjoy eating healthy foods each
day."
Now your goal
is an affirmation which can be used
to kick- start some action!
Rather than
state what you will not do, start
telling yourself what you will do.
:: A Goal Must Have A Deadline
For Completion::
How many of you
get excited about payday? Or an
up-coming vacation? Or even a UFC
fight in Las Vegas? Simple. It is
something to look forward to and
think about. It creates a sense of
urgency in ordering tickets and
getting the hotel if you know you
are leaving on a specific date.
If there is no
real goal for completion, there is
no sense of urgency after a bit and
hence, most people quit the gym
after 6 months. Not only did they
not have a clear goal most of the
time but they had no deadlines for
obtaining anything.
After a bit, it
is just a routine, gets boring and
since there is no deadline to
accomplishing anything, they get
back to life and out of the gym.
:: A Goal Must Have Sincere
Emotional Appeal::
So let me ask
you...
If you do not
really care, how much passion do you
have for that thing? Creating a
goal should be a sincere effort with
something tied to your emotional
desires. Heck if you do not even
care, trust me, your mind will find
a quick way to end that gym
session. An emotionally charged
goal will have a sense of urgency
and that leads to passion to
complete something specific by a
certain deadline.
Passion is the
fuel you are looking for and only
you can create it. Sadly, it is not
available in any gas stations that I
know of... yet.
:: A Goal Must Be Difficult, Yet
Realistic::
With that said,
if it is too easy, it is unlikely
you will give it enough attention to
really focus on it or care. "I'm
going to make it to the gym
tomorrow," is hardly an earth
shattering revelation for most. To
make matters worse...
If it is too
difficult, you will get frustrated
with the lack of progress and your
confidence in actually doing it will
be compromised. That means...
You need to
create goals in such a way that with
a continual, concentrated effort,
you know you can get the job done.
Imagine a mountaintop with a red
flag at the very top. That is your
long-term goal (specific too).
Nevertheless, it is unrealistic to
think you can achieve that in 2
months.
But if you had
little yellow flags along the path
to that red flag, those would be
short term, achievable goals you
could look forward to with a sense
of urgency because they could have a
shorter deadline and time to
completion.
How about
losing 1 lb a week of fat?
How about
gaining 2 lbs a week for those who
are on a bulking cycle?
How about
writing one question and answer a
day for the Beginner's Guide to
Fitness and Bodybuilding? (That is
how I got all 250 pages of my first
book done.)
Short-term
thinking but with long-term
results. If you know, you can get
the job done; your passion for doing
it will rise.
Now go get some
yellow sticky notes!
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Knee
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By Lynn VanDyke, Your No-Nonsense Trainer
One of the most common complaints of athletes, avid
exercisers and couch potatoes is pain in the knees. Pain
is usually a sign of either over use or under use. The
link between knee arthritis and weight training is
something that has recently been discussed and now holds
promising results.
Where’s the pain coming from?
Osteoarthritis is a common condition of aging
athletes. No matter how much or how little exercise they
have done, many exercisers find that their joints and
bones have become worn down by the activity. This can
lead to aches and pains, most noticeably in the morning
when the joints aren’t as lubricated.
As the day goes on, it seems that the pain lessens,
though it is still present. The reason why knee
arthritis and strength training has been studied so
extensively is because the knees have to do so much work
during exercise and ‘real’ life, so they tend to have
more problems creep up.
What’s strength training go to do with it?
While an athlete might try to ease the pain and the
swelling with anti-inflammatory medication, the link
between knee arthritis and strength training shows that
strength training actually reduces the need for such
pills. When patients started their own weight training
regimens at home for a certain period of time, they
reported almost half of the pain as gone from their
knees.
What happens with knee arthritis and strength
training is that the muscles surrounding the knees are
built up by the exercises, leading the knee to become
stronger and less likely to hurt in everyday life. The
joints are better supported and the muscles become
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I recommend following a professionally designed
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How much is enough?
Not only does knee arthritis and strength training
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ways that you can increase the benefits as well. Weights
that are used for this strength training need to be
heavy enough to cause positive stress in the joints and
surrounding muscles. That is, lifting light weights
isn’t the answer. In order to break down the tissues in
order to be rebuilt stronger, the muscles needs to work
hard and consistently.
Weight training at least three days a week (with days
of rest in between) is the general recommendation.
With the newfound link between knee arthritis and
strength training, more people will be able to get back
to their exercise routines and out of their pain.
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About the Author:
About the Author
Lynn VanDyke is a master trainer and
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Her wildly popular ebook,
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Quit Smoking Without
Gaining Weight
One of the most common
reasons for not giving up smoking is a fear of
gaining weight. If you want to give up smoking,
but are worried about putting on weight in the
process, then this information could help you.
It is the nicotine in
cigarettes that speeds up your metabolism - and
keeps your weight down. But, when you give up
smoking your metabolism slows down - and you
gain weight. The secret here is for you to get
more active and change your eating habits BEFORE
you quit smoking, so that you reduce your
chances of gaining weight.
Becoming More Active.
Becoming physically active is the best
way to blast your metabolism and control your
weight. Regular exercise will also increase your
energy, improve your health, and may relieve the
stress due to the lack of nicotine in your body.
Try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
It can be done in short spurts ... 10 minutes
here, 20 minute there - it all adds up! Spend
less time watching television, using the car and
sitting at a computer screen. Simple ways to
become more physically active include brisk
walking, cycling, swimming, going to the gym and
putting more effort into your daily routine.
Improve Your Eating Habits
- Gradually . Changing your eating
habits too quickly can add to the stress you may
already feel as you try to quit smoking. Eating
a variety of foods is a good way to improve your
health. Eat plenty of grain products,
vegetables, and fruits. Choose low-fat foods and
low-calorie beverages, low-fat dairy products,
lean meats, fish and poultry. Reduce foods high
in fat and sugars and low in nutrients.
Support
. You may
also want to talk to your doctor about
prescription medications that are available to
help you quit smoking. Try not to panic about
modest weight gain - it is only temporary
. Accept
some weight gain as a normal result of the
nicotine leaving your body. Know that quitting
smoking is the best thing that you can do for
you and those around you.
At the end of the day, the
health risks of smoking are far greater than the
risks of gaining 5 to 10 pounds. Cigarettes may
keep your weight down - but they do not keep you
healthy. One benefit of quitting however is that
as your body realizes the benefits of not
smoking, your energy levels will increase, and
you will begin to feel better physically. Your
body will soon adjust itself again but the most
important thing is that you will become
healthier, fitter and probably live longer ...
and that's worth giving up for!! |
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Marina
Bradford is from Newtownards in Northern
Ireland and has been in the fitness industry for
13 years as a personal fitness trainer and
weight loss/fitness consultant. She also
teaches various styles of fitness class, such as
aerobics, step, circuits, weight training and
Tae-bo. Once a week she writes a fitness column
called PEAK FORM for "The Newsletter" which
is one of Northern Ireland's biggest
newspaper publications. |
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