It's getting to be that time of year. Before you know it summer will be here. Heck, it's already Spring Break for some folks. Seems like just yesterday it was January 1st and everyone was making their New Year's Resolution. Well, hopefully YOU didn't because you know a flimsy "resolution" doesn't get you anywhere.
You know it takes much more than that. You know you need:
Written goals
A solid exercise program
Social support
Discipline
Patience
Sacrifice
A burning desire to succeed
Changes in your lifestyle
Education
Proper nutrition
In other words, you know you need to GET REAL about fat loss. You know it makes no sense to fall for the same old miracle promise or "easy" solution. Whether it's January 1st or Bathing Suit season doesn't matter. The proven approach to looking great on the beach is good old fashioned effort.
Look, in one way my life would be a LOT easier if I just lied to you and sold you a bunch of empty promises. Sure, it would make earning a living super easy. Most people are happy to spend their hard earned money on the latest miracle pill or potion. But I wouldn't be able to look at myself in a mirror. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. And that's why I'll never be the one to lie to you about what it takes to transform your body.
Do the right thing this Bathing Suit Season. Use it as a catalyst to really change your life. I'd be thrilled to help you. I'd love it if you'd place your trust in me and let me show you the right way to do things.
If you arm yourself with the right knowledge and approach this with a great attitude you'll NEVER have another Bathing Suit Season nightmare again.
Yours in health,
Lee
www.corefitnessconcepts.com
www.corefitnessbootcamps.com
PS - If you want to make the nutrition aspect of fat loss simple then you need to get on board with my friends at Prograde Nutrition. They're like me; they don't sell miracles in a bottle. They sell real nutrition that supports your fitness and fat loss goals. You can save a lot of loot with their combo packs. Check out Prograde Nutrition here. http://corefitnessconcepts.getprograde.com/combos)
For most people Valentine’s Day is an excuse to hook-up and eat chocolate. Well that sounds good to me too, but can't we can be more creative than that! Why not mix things up this V-Day with a fun workout you can do in the comfort of your home with your significant other?
Today I am going to talk about the concept of partner training. Partner training is essentially a workout that involves performing joint exercises with at least one other person or more. There are a ton of benefits to partner training, including:
1.) Social Support and Accountability
2.) Little to no Equipment Needed
3.) Provides a Ton of Variety
4.) Breeds Competition and Drives Better Results
5.) It’s FUN!
Partner training definitely spices things up in our boot camps from time to time. The inner freaks seem to come out of the woodwork whenever people workout with someone else- you are simply pushed to the limit and there is no better way to make your body change and break out of a frustrating training rut. My clients and I always joke that we hear the most ridiculous grunts and animal sounds during partner workouts, ha!
But, being that it’s the most important holiday of the year (yep, I was laying down some serious sarcastic undertones there), let’s make today’s partner training workout a little more intimate if you will.
So grab your luv-ah and try this bad boy out!
The Valentine’s Day Workout for Couples- Tabata Style Partner Training
This 20-minute total body partner workout will consist of all body weight-based exercises. For each exercise at each outlined station below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest and transition before moving on to the next station listed:
Station#1- Partner Push-up- High Five each other
Station #2- Stationary Lunges- Static or Dynamic
Station #3- Partner Plank Circuit, (Front, Side x 2, Back)
Station #4- Partner Squats- Static or Dynamic
Now go ask someone to be your valentine and rock it out! They say that sweat-driven pheromones are one of nature’s most powerful aphrodisiacs… you tell me ;)
Whats next, how a deep tissue massage at the spa, followed by some steaks and vegetables on the grill.
Lee
How many of you would love to have a nice flat tummy or even a six pack. However you have been doing crunches and situps forever and not seen any results?
“I do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups a day and I still have a flabby midsection. What gives?”
Before I show you how to achieve the coveted Six pack Abs, lets talk about some of the many myths that are out there.
Myth#1- Weight loss is the key to seeing your abs
WRONG!
The real key to achieving amazing abs is losing Body Fat not weight loss. Our goal is to build a body that has low fat mass and high lean body mass (water, muscle, bone etc.) This will maximize your metabolism which will burn Body Fat super fast, thus improving your body’s composition. By improving body composition you will put yourself in the best position to rock that coveted six-pack.
So if you lose 17 lbs on the scale at the expense of losing some lean muscle mass in the process you will end up slowing your metabolism, decreasing performance, and losing that good looking muscle tone. But if you lose 17 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or gain lean muscle mass you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose primarily body fat.
The scale has far too many variables to account for, that lead to frequent fluctuations such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. I firmly believe one should NOT keep a scale at their home- it is such an anchor, particularly for women. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.
Myth#2- Do lots of abs work to preferentially burn off stomach fat
WRONG!
I have said it before “We cannot spot reduce” We can do crunches all day everyday and still have all those extra inches on our midsection. Think about it, if that were the case we would expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and Body Fat elsewehere on their bodies.
See, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best bet is to focus on burning as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work to please the abs training Gods.
Myth#3- Crunches and Sit-ups are the best exercises for your abs
WRONG!
Lets look at the function of your tummy muscles. The actual term for your six pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. The actual function of these muscles is to prevent hyper extension of the spine, not to flex forward over and over again.
Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.
So, we focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these inner ab muscles is the key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention, yet another benefit to performing pillars over primitive crunches and sit-ups that often cause unwanted neck and back pain.
Myth#4- Do lots of long-duration cardio to burn the fat covering your abs
WRONG!
Both scientific research and real world case studies show that low intensity aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body resistance training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise. Please note that you can perform both resistance interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds. More on this to come!
So here we go
The Anti-Crunch Six-Pack Abs Blueprint:
Step#1- Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can see them
A.) Eat to lose fat and elevate metabolism
- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.
- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day (3 meals, 3 snacks- half the size of your meals, workout nutrition)
- Focus on a wide range of organic lean proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies
Sample One-Day Menu:
Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon
Mid-Morning Snack- Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Lunch- Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad
Mid-Afternoon Snack- Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice
Dinner- Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash
Pre-Bed Snack- Protein and Flax Shake
- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender and an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement
- Use The Carb Reduction Blueprint: Use the following step by step process in the exact order listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your six-pack abs quest
Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars
Step#2- Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast
Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies
Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies
Step#5- Use strategic carb and calorie cycling to take your body to next level (my clients and I have had great success with this but it is beyond the scope of this article)
B.) Train to lose fat and elevate metabolism
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- Perform Total Body Circuit Strength Training
Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)
50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body workout:
| Exercise# | Exercise Category | Exercise Variation |
| 1 | Double-Leg: Bilateral Hip-Dominant | Hip Extensions |
| 2 | Push: Horizontal Push | Push-up Variation |
| 3 | Single-Leg: Unilateral Knee-Dominant | Single-Leg Wall Sit |
| 4 | Pull: Horizontal Pull | Body Weight Rows |
| 5 | Core: Linear Stabilization or Trunk-Dominant | Upper Body Twist Variation |
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday- Perform Cardio Interval Training
Sample Cardio Interval Training Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)
30-30’s- You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 s of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio machine of choice (airdyne or spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body weight cardio exercises for the ultimate in-home workout:
| Exercise# | Body Weight Cardio Variation | Body Weight Cardio Exercise |
| 1 | Linear Locomotion Emphasis | Stationary Running |
| 2 | Lateral/Rotational Locomotion Emphasis | Jumping Jacks Variation |
Step#2- Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION
Below is one of my boot camp client’s favorite (and most hated) core workout. It involves no crunches or sit-ups by using all pillar stabilization exercises. Once you master these killer moves and follow everything else I previously listed above, you will have a sweet pair of rock hard abs to show for it… I guarantee it!
The Power to the Pillar Workout- Tabata Style
This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on pillar stabilization. The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.
For each exercise below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one minute rest and transition before moving on to the next exercise listed.
Your goal to achieve maximum results should be to maintain a straight line with your body. Consiously pull your belly button in towards your spine. Engage your Glutes.
Exercise#1- Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#2- Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#3- Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Exercise#4- Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)
Today is the dawn of a new age in core training and it is my sincere hope that you take this killer information and run with it.
Phoenix’s Most popular Personal Trainer Explains How to Turn Your Fitness Resolutions into Real Results
Over the past 5 years I have had the privilege of helping many people realize their Health and Fitness goals. I know how help people lose lot’s of ugly unwanted body fat in double fast time. Please make no mistake though, the big reason is because of my systematic fat loss training and nutrition program. I have spent thousands of hours of research and trial and error and many successful clients as real world case studies, to prove that the system truly does work. But today what I want to talk about is something that is much more powerful that must be set in place before you can start on your fitness program.
So, let’s jump into it. What do you think is the real secret behind any client’s success? Well, if you think it was yours truly’s training and nutrition system, then your answer is wrong. Yes I am proud of what I can offer, but unfortunately it’s useless if someone is unwilling to start it AND Stay at it, right? That why we are now talking about this. A week ago I am sure you were all excited to get back into the gym and burn off those holiday pounds. How are you doing now? It’s not a lot of fun sharing the gym with the other thousand or so of equally motivated people, (don’t worry they’ll all be gone in Feb, will you??). Maybe you already skipped a workout. So what do we need to really keep going. We know that the results will come over time, so why do we give up so soon. The most important component of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main focus of this article today. I am going to literally walk you through an initial consult and three step goal setting process. This is so important to weight loss success that I now require it for any new client to be considered for joining our program.
Before I get into this goal setting process, I just need to get something off of my chest. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it and frankly if you are one of those people, please do us both a favor and stop reading this article and go buy another useless weight loss book or pill because I simply cannot do anything for you. I can only truly help people who want to learn. I simply cannot help people who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the hell it is that they actually want to accomplish. The bottom line is that the most successful people, I have met and I don’t just mean my weightloss clients, I am talking some of the most successful business people in Phoenix, are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get to it!
Step One- The Why: Why do you want to do this?
This is where it’s time to get real. In almost every initial consult I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:
“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”
No thanks, I am not buying it. Sure, I know they want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their morning workouts in or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).
Let’s face it: everyone of us, including YOU and me, wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve one’s appearance is the most powerful motivator there is. This shouldn’t be such a big surprise since the main life mission of humans, or any species for that matter, is to procreate. This is instinctual. And obviously, looking better makes this more of a reality.
So, after a little digging, I try to find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their emotional tie or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to go to the pool in the summer with their shirt off and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their favorite pair of pants that they haven’t been able to get into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put for their best image at work. And of course, my personal favorite is preparing for big events such as vacations, weddings and anniversaries, that have built in deadlines. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit for your Carribean Cruise, or get off the plane in California when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new sexy look, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works! This is the stuff that gets people jacked up and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, I just shared with you verbatim the exact “WHY’S” of some of my own clients.
So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are your physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is easy my firends.
Step Two- The What and When: What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish it by?
So we already figured out the obvious: you want to look better and maximize your sexy! So, now we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this subjective dream.
Well, from a logistics standpoint and keeping things as cost effective as possible, there are three major ways I track “look better” progress with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:
1.) Body fat Percentage: The most accurate way to track a persons success. I typically use a hand held meter. This is quick and easy. Most importantly non invasive. I have found most people to do better When we track there Body Fat every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the if this is just to de-motifying , then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.
2.) Dress/Pant Size: This is probably the most simple and effective unused method of tracking whether or not you look better. I think it’s safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Your best bet is to also select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get into since that is the true end goal in mind. I tell my clients to assess how they are fitting in their preferred dress/pant size tracker on a weekly or bi-weekly basis since our clients that follow our program exactly as outlined typically lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until they get to their ideal dimensions). For those of you would want to argue that every outfitter has different sizes, well that’s a mute point if you use the same pant or dress size to track. There’s nothing more powerful than being to literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that use almost rip when you put on.
3.) Digital Pictures: Pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. They key is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending me nude pictures of yourself, please, ha (though you can keep these for yourself to track if you’d like). Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in a dress or pair of pants, maybe even a swimsuit or shorts. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your abs to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. You might feel a bit embarrassed at the start and maybe you want to keep the pictures to yourself. But as time progresses, the clients whom I’ve transformed that failed to take before pictures in the past have nothing but regret about it. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. We tell our clients to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until they reach their goal(s).
Step Three- Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks: What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?
Now that we know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of really seeing the success you want, based on your own personal schedule.
In general, the number one thing I hear is that people are too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to get their workouts in or make their meals. Well, I don’t care how busy you think you are, there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if your re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. Make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your dream body) then you better make that appointment.
Here’s some bad news guys. Another big obstacle is alcohol. I know many of you like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, you need to decide, what’s more important to you, looking sexy or getting hammered. The choice is yours. Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. But know this, lean people just don’t get wasted unless they are genetic freaks. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.
Lastly, many people deal with boredom,binge or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break your bad habits.
At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks our clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them. And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. The clients who have had the most success with us have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. This is so critical, especially since most of the poor food and drinking choices that may sabotage your progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friends and family. If they are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success you desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.
