5 Most Critical changes I've made to improve my personal fitness goals

Everyone wants a trim and fit appearance, period. You never hear someone say "did you see that guys beer belly?, that's what I want" No, you hear about Mario Lopez or Ryan Reynolds lean physique and six pack abs. Then the term Genetics comes into play, "oh they just have good genes, I can't look like that cause of my genes"

While it is true that it is easier for some, that does not mean that it is impossible for all. (Will write a future post on this topic)

Here are 5 changes that I have made to improve my own fitness goals and that I feel will help anyone when applied consistently.

1: Training: Lifting Heavy Weight (close to my max for very low reps) in a Reverse Pyramiad Training Style (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/randy2.htm) 3 days a week.

2: Rest: I used to always feel like one day off from the gym would throw everything out of whack. This is sooo not true. When working out (specifically lifting Heavy) your muscles are taxed and stimulated to grow, but this does'nt happen while your in the gym. While you sleep your body releases growth hormone which helps to repair muscle tissue and begin to grow (which is why 8 hours of sleep is so important).

Lack of rest/sleep on the other hand is extremely detrimental to your progress in the gym. If your muscles cannot be repaired to grow with proper rest, then they won't and you will be spinning your wheels in the gym.

3:Diet: Abs are made in the Kitchen, not in the gym. (this is probably the most truthful statement when it comes to fitness) If you fuel your body properly to grow, you will be amazed at the changes and how quickly they come about. Check out http://www.leangains.com/ or http://www.bodybuilding.com/ to learn more about effective dieting for muscle growth and lean mass.

4: Water: It is recommended that an active individual consume half of their bodyweight in ounces of water. that means a 200lb man should be taking in around 100 ounces of water a day. That's a lot of trips to the bathroom, and for good reason. Flushing toxins out of your body will cleanse your skin and keep you looking youthful as well as decrease the amount of water your body retains due to your sodium levels.

5: Consistency: Anything you do in life that your successful at takes consistency in it's performance. The same is true when it comes to fitness. It may takes some time, but small rewards will be noted on the way to your ultimate goal. You are where you are in life because of consistency and patience.

That's all for now, good luck in achieving your fitness goals.....

Exercise programs for clients following successful cancer remission...

-Recently the wife of a current client of mine asked me: "do you know of any specific training programs for cancer survivors (not breast cancer)?" According to her research for her organization "Cancer can't get me"she had not come across anything specifically for survivors of leukemia or hodgekins lymphoma, but says that results were endless for breast cancer survivors. Being a cancer survivor herself she stated the stress put on exercise from her oncologist, and the wonderful outcomes from her participation in exercise.

Having a background in Adaptive fitness for individuals with disabilities, I knew off hand that surely there are other trainers with a specialty in training post rehab, and that their has to be exercise programs for that specific client market.

I came across several articles detailing the benefits of community based exercise for cancer survivors here:

http://www.healthcanal.com/cancers/25470-Study-finds-strength-focused-community-based-exercise-programs-are-safe-and-effective-for-cancer-survivors.html

here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-survivor/CA00070

and

here: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/exercise-cancer-patients?page=3

to sum up all three articles, exercise is JUST as important for a cancer survivor as it is for anyone else. Of course careful consideration must be placed on program design, just as it would for your beginning exercise candidate without cancer.

To answer my clients wife's question...  "do you know of any specific training programs for cancer survivors (not breast cancer)?" I would now have to answer: There are no specific training programs for cancer survivors, an exercise program should be designed according to that specific clients medical restrictions, fitness level, and goals to safely and efficiently reach their individual goals.


To contact the Cancer can't get me organization call Barbara Keller 703-724-0813

Functional Fitness

As a trainer i hear the term Functional Fitness thrown around a lot, I've read descriptions of the term in many books by well respected fitness authors, and on legitimate fitness websites. I have a totally different view on what this terms means.

My role in therapy and as trainer has always been to provide excellent treatment to my patient/client to maximize their potential for reaching their goals in a safe manner. As a trainer, I have worked with able bodied individuals looking to lose weight and gain strength, young athletes looking to improve in field hockey, and even young men recovering from spinal cord injuries or Stroke.

"Functional Fitness" to me, is helping that individual increase their strength, endurance, courage to perform a functional task that is difficult for them to perform. For my able bodied client with goals to increase strength and lose weight that means designing a workout to increase their functionality....less weight and more strength means improved function, for my young field hockey player that means focusing on endurance and core exercises to functionally improve on field performance, and for my young men recovering from stroke or spinal cord injury that means working on strengthening movement patterns to increase their ability to transfer from one surface to the other, or to be able improve their walking.

"Functional Fitness" can best be described as Fitness that focuses on increasing specific functions of the client to enhance their overall performance.

-Devon