Ex-Fit classes are designed to make each participant the fittest version of themselves. Every class will be completely different, and participants will never know what is going to be thrown at them until they walk into class that day. Each class will feature a general overview as well as demonstrations, and practice with the new exercise. We will then finish up the class with a circuit training exercise meant to use the newly learned skills along with other exercises designed to help each participant in developing a total over all fitness level.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Setting Goals
Everyone thinks that setting
goals when it comes to healthy lifestyles need to be weight loss goals (ie lose
X number of pounds). While those are a great goal to strive for, many people
fail on those because it can prove frustrating and generally speaking people
expect to reach these goals in the shortest time frame possible. It does not help that shows like the
Biggest Loser, I Used to Be Fat etc. set a horrible example for what people
should expect from weight loss. Unless you are financially set and can afford to
workout for almost 8 hours a day and can afford the cost of nothing but healthy
options you should not base your goals off of what these contestants pull
off. Here are some key concepts to
remember when setting your goals!
-SET GOALS THAT ARE SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE:
"I will look really good on the beach" doesn't really give you anything measurable or specific to work on. What exactly is "good"? Think more along the lines of, I will lose X amount of body fat, X amount of pounds but set these goals in a realistic time frame.
-MAKE YOUR GOALS CHALLENGING BUT REALISTIC:
Goals must be big enough to inspire, but not so big that you get frustrated with the impossibility of accomplishing these goals. Saying that you will lose 100lbs in 6 months is an extremely lofty goal. That goal would mean dropping over 4lbs a week consistently and what happens when you don't lose 4lbs? You are automatically in catch up mode! Now saying something like I will lose 100lbs over the course of 1 year, now only puts a 2lb a week weight loss in front of you and makes it sound that much more attainable.
-SET SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM COMPONENTS:
Think daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and LIFETIME! This way you are creating milestones along the way and gives you something to be proud of while you are on your journey! Your short term goals should be BEHAVIORS, not OUTCOMES (see below), think TODAY I will make it to the gym for 1hour, this week I want to make it 5 times to the gym, and by the end of the month you are on a schedule of getting to the gym X amount of times! OR I will eat 5 meals a day, X amount of vegetables etc.
-BEHAVIORS NOT OUTCOMES:
BEHAVIORS: based on something you can directly control and do yourself
OUTCOMES: based on the end product of a series of behaviors
The first goal you want to setup is your behavior goals. The goals you have direct control over. First setup your daily goals: I will eat x amount of meals, I will drink x amount of water, I will go to the gym for x amount of time. Secondly setup your weekly goals: I will go to the gym x amount of times this week, I will stay on my meal plan for the entire week. The more of these goals that you hit the easier it should be to reach your outcome goals: Losing x amount of weight, x amount of body fat etc.
-TELL SOMEONE ABOUT YOUR GOALS:
Once you set your goals, tell someone about them right away and have that person/persons hold you accountable. If no one knows your goals, you can very easily blow them off.
Daily Goals:
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
Outcome Goals:
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________
Thursday, June 7, 2012
WOW!!! It's Been Longer Than I Thought!
So I have been away for awhile, training clients, keeping up with my own training and nutrition, and just life in general has been really crazy! Let me explain.
For any of you that have been following along either through blogs or on Facebook know that I have been considering competing later this year. I $703.32 my "diet" on January 1st and was planning on staying the course until the fall shows. My goal that I felt would keep me on pace for these shows was to be at roughly 190lbs by June 1st (last prep I was at around 200lbs around June 1). Fact is I fell 10lbs short of that goal, but here's the catch! THIS DID NOT PHASE ME, I refused to let the scale defeat me. I was disappointed that I hadn't reached my goal but I was prouder then hell that I lasted 6 whole months with the focus and drive to get myself from around 240lbs to 202lbs when I weighed in the beginning of June. This time at 200 I have realized I am much fuller and muscular then previously at is weight, so I have no complaints.
Here is the part I hope you can all learn from and realize that sometimes you just need a break, just a few days to relax unwind and let your body recover. I went hard for those 6 months that I Watson my "diet" and the last 30 days of it NOTHING felt right y strength was gone, energy and motivation ALL GONE! It was depressing! I didn't want to break the focus or break the streak of working out eating 100% right but I just couldn't do it. I decided to take a break about 3 days before my original cut off, I cut it short on May 26th, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. We had a BBQ to go to that weekend and I just needed a break. So on that Saturday my gf and I let down to a restaurant on the water it was a gorgeous day, I was ready to eat whatever I wanted and I actually indulged in a cocktail which is very rare for me these days. Sunday we had our BBQ and if I told you everything's ate drank etc yu would not believe it, so let's just leave it at that. Monday was a recovery day so my diet was absolutely non existent. Tuesday I felt phenomenal, but I decided to take it easy and I stayed out of the gym. I made the decision to step on the scale for only one reason, which was to see how much damage I had done. To remind myself of why I can not do this on a regular basis. I was up 12lbs which was not a shock, it was expected considering I had not had large amounts of carbs or sugars in months and I definitely over indulged.
On that same Wednesday I woke up felt great and made the call to get back to the gym, I started on a bulking plan with the intent of adding some serious size from now until the end of the summer. I know I will be eating more and I mine as well use the increase in calories to my advantage. I started the new workouts and I am going to be honest I have never felt this worked post workout since I started working out. I am sore again, my strength is coming back thanks to the increase in calories and I just overall feel amazing. The best part of it all is that after that horrible weekend I was back to 204lbs and have been maintaining close to that every week since, I am hoping to stay close to this weight gaining just a little bit each week in an attempt to gain some more mass.
The basis of this story is for people to learn to listen to their bodies! It will always tell you what it needs you just need to pay attention to what it's saying. You need to be aware of the signs and learn your body. Fatigue is natural but when it's overbearing yu need to make the smart decision.
I hope to be back a little more regularly now that things have settled down. If you have any thoughts or questions you would like answered leave a post here or on Facebook and I would be happy to answer it.
Happy training!
For any of you that have been following along either through blogs or on Facebook know that I have been considering competing later this year. I $703.32 my "diet" on January 1st and was planning on staying the course until the fall shows. My goal that I felt would keep me on pace for these shows was to be at roughly 190lbs by June 1st (last prep I was at around 200lbs around June 1). Fact is I fell 10lbs short of that goal, but here's the catch! THIS DID NOT PHASE ME, I refused to let the scale defeat me. I was disappointed that I hadn't reached my goal but I was prouder then hell that I lasted 6 whole months with the focus and drive to get myself from around 240lbs to 202lbs when I weighed in the beginning of June. This time at 200 I have realized I am much fuller and muscular then previously at is weight, so I have no complaints.
Here is the part I hope you can all learn from and realize that sometimes you just need a break, just a few days to relax unwind and let your body recover. I went hard for those 6 months that I Watson my "diet" and the last 30 days of it NOTHING felt right y strength was gone, energy and motivation ALL GONE! It was depressing! I didn't want to break the focus or break the streak of working out eating 100% right but I just couldn't do it. I decided to take a break about 3 days before my original cut off, I cut it short on May 26th, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. We had a BBQ to go to that weekend and I just needed a break. So on that Saturday my gf and I let down to a restaurant on the water it was a gorgeous day, I was ready to eat whatever I wanted and I actually indulged in a cocktail which is very rare for me these days. Sunday we had our BBQ and if I told you everything's ate drank etc yu would not believe it, so let's just leave it at that. Monday was a recovery day so my diet was absolutely non existent. Tuesday I felt phenomenal, but I decided to take it easy and I stayed out of the gym. I made the decision to step on the scale for only one reason, which was to see how much damage I had done. To remind myself of why I can not do this on a regular basis. I was up 12lbs which was not a shock, it was expected considering I had not had large amounts of carbs or sugars in months and I definitely over indulged.
On that same Wednesday I woke up felt great and made the call to get back to the gym, I started on a bulking plan with the intent of adding some serious size from now until the end of the summer. I know I will be eating more and I mine as well use the increase in calories to my advantage. I started the new workouts and I am going to be honest I have never felt this worked post workout since I started working out. I am sore again, my strength is coming back thanks to the increase in calories and I just overall feel amazing. The best part of it all is that after that horrible weekend I was back to 204lbs and have been maintaining close to that every week since, I am hoping to stay close to this weight gaining just a little bit each week in an attempt to gain some more mass.
The basis of this story is for people to learn to listen to their bodies! It will always tell you what it needs you just need to pay attention to what it's saying. You need to be aware of the signs and learn your body. Fatigue is natural but when it's overbearing yu need to make the smart decision.
I hope to be back a little more regularly now that things have settled down. If you have any thoughts or questions you would like answered leave a post here or on Facebook and I would be happy to answer it.
Happy training!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Plateau's
Most of us have
been at a point in our lives when we have made a decision to get into better
shape. To lose weight. To become healthier. For quite some time we are moving along just
fine, and then the next minute we hit that horrible, nasty no good plateau and
all weight loss STOPS! You get
frustrated, you start to slip up and worst of all some of just up and
quit! It is one of those situations were
when the going gets tough the tough get going, you have to gain an
understanding of what your body is going through and why. You have to accept the fact that from here on
out (after reaching a plateau) that things are going to get down, right
ugly. The trick to beating it is
to understand why your body hits a plateau.
Our bodies are
some of the finest tuned machines known to man, and through the process of
evolution or body learns to adapt to any changes we make to it, and in the case
of dieting adapts to the calories that we are taking in and perceives the
consumed calories as being enough to sustain the body. In essence the body learns to function the
same on same on 2000 calories as it once did when we were taking in 3000
calories. Our bodies also become better
able to perform the exercises (workouts) that you have been performing. Which can be a great thing if you are trying
to increase strength or muscle size since the muscles grow as well as get
stronger to accommodate the weight you
are lifting. Quite simply our bodies
became efficient.
Now you're
probably asking yourself how to break through these plateaus and for the novice
exercisers there are numerous options:
1. --
Reduce
Calorie Intake: This option only
holds true if you did not start off to low to begin with. A general rule of thumb in starting to lose
weight is to take your bodyweight and multiply it by 10. (this is a general rule and this is for
people who have no health issues or other variables that could hinder weight
loss.)
2. --Lift Heavier Weights: This option is a great option if you
haven't already began to do so and if your body can handle it. This option has two benefits one you will get
stronger and make your muscles grow.
Muscle takes up less space than fat does and it also burns more calories
per hour then fat does. If you are
worried about getting bulky, you need to drop that mindset immediately! It takes years and years of work to build
serious muscle to the point where you become big and bulky.
3. --Change Up Your Workouts: You body needs variation so on top of
hitting heavier weights make sure to change up the exercises you are doing as
well as the order, rep ranges and sets about once every four weeks.
This not only keeps the body guessing but it keeps you from getting
bored as well!
4. --Change Up Your Cardio: Been doing 30 minutes? Try 35-40 minutes. Been doing the treadmill? Try walking/running on an incline. Switch from the treadmill to an elliptical.
Hitting that plateau is not the end of the
world. It is a pain in the behind but if
you're prepared for it, they can be easy to break right through, and weight
loss should not come to a stop!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
What Motivates You?
Whether its music, a quote, a picture or even just some motivation from family and friends there are tons of ways that people motivate themselves. Above I have mentioned the most common, but what about the things that people never think about?
The Mirror or Pictures - Nothing motivates me more then putting in days, weeks, and months of hard work to see lines and cuts where muscle is popping in the mirror/pictures that I did not notice the week before. It is such an amazing feel to know that you worked your arse off and its finally showing.
The Scale - You can not for one second tell me that jumping on that scale and see the numbers decreasing isn't one of the most satisfying feelings after a long week of workouts, its one of the easiest at home ways that you can track for yourself if things are going right. Personally I would much rather track my body fat but using calipers on myself is not always very accurate and finding someone that is good at using them is sometimes very difficult, so for me its a weekly weigh in every Sunday morning, this is the not the end all be all of my success but I use it for tracking purposes. **Now I know what some of you are going to say, your going to say that this can also be something that deflates you, and your right. You need to take the scale for what it is, and that's a box with numbers. You do not know if you burned off or muscle when you step on it, I put mine in front of the mirror and stare and critique what I see in the mirror before I even bother looking down, and if I see something new I am happy! No matter if you lose 2/10ths of a pound or 5lbs at the end of the day its still moving in the right direction and not the wrong!
Lifting Heavier - Sometimes you set goals for yourself and you do not even realize that you are improving in some other area. There are weeks that I do not see huge results on the scale or in the mirror, but what I may see is an increase in my strength in another area. For example, since I started cutting (using a ketosis diet) I have noticed my energy levels drop in the gym, my lifts dropped and it was something I had to accept considering I was not replenishing my glycogen levels regularly. My max bench press before I started this diet was about 235lbs (I am by no means a power lifter). Since I started this diet, my bench deceased to a level I was embarrassed about before, 155lbs. Over the last few months I have seen this increase slightly on a week to week basis to where I am now back up to 185lbs (drug free). I am sure some of this was my body adjusting to no carbs but to see this increase and feel strong again has made me feel great.
At the end of the day you have to find what truly motivates you. Losing weight should not be the only thing that keeps you going and keeps you motivated.
So let me ask you. What motivates you?
The Mirror or Pictures - Nothing motivates me more then putting in days, weeks, and months of hard work to see lines and cuts where muscle is popping in the mirror/pictures that I did not notice the week before. It is such an amazing feel to know that you worked your arse off and its finally showing.
The Scale - You can not for one second tell me that jumping on that scale and see the numbers decreasing isn't one of the most satisfying feelings after a long week of workouts, its one of the easiest at home ways that you can track for yourself if things are going right. Personally I would much rather track my body fat but using calipers on myself is not always very accurate and finding someone that is good at using them is sometimes very difficult, so for me its a weekly weigh in every Sunday morning, this is the not the end all be all of my success but I use it for tracking purposes. **Now I know what some of you are going to say, your going to say that this can also be something that deflates you, and your right. You need to take the scale for what it is, and that's a box with numbers. You do not know if you burned off or muscle when you step on it, I put mine in front of the mirror and stare and critique what I see in the mirror before I even bother looking down, and if I see something new I am happy! No matter if you lose 2/10ths of a pound or 5lbs at the end of the day its still moving in the right direction and not the wrong!
Lifting Heavier - Sometimes you set goals for yourself and you do not even realize that you are improving in some other area. There are weeks that I do not see huge results on the scale or in the mirror, but what I may see is an increase in my strength in another area. For example, since I started cutting (using a ketosis diet) I have noticed my energy levels drop in the gym, my lifts dropped and it was something I had to accept considering I was not replenishing my glycogen levels regularly. My max bench press before I started this diet was about 235lbs (I am by no means a power lifter). Since I started this diet, my bench deceased to a level I was embarrassed about before, 155lbs. Over the last few months I have seen this increase slightly on a week to week basis to where I am now back up to 185lbs (drug free). I am sure some of this was my body adjusting to no carbs but to see this increase and feel strong again has made me feel great.
At the end of the day you have to find what truly motivates you. Losing weight should not be the only thing that keeps you going and keeps you motivated.
So let me ask you. What motivates you?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Holiday Eating
The holidays are always the hardest time of the year to adhere to a healthy eating lifestyle. With over sized portions and desserts on top of desserts it is very easy to over indulge and even completely fall of the wagon.
Here are some tips to avoid over eating while still being able to enjoy yourself.
Drink Plenty of Water - Everyone always hears to fill yourself up on water before you start eating, so I will not go to much in depth on this one. Basically if your bellies full you are less likely to eat past being full.
Load Up On Veggies, Protein - Veggies and proteins tend to fill you up more then any carbs or fats will, and they are also healthier options. Protein is the hardest macronutrient to break down so your body will be working double time to break it down, therefore burning more calories (this is why most "diets" are high in protein). I do want to caution against any serious over indulgences of proteins since they are so hard to breakdown they can cause havoc on your organs over the long run. Filling up on veggies and proteins is much better then plowing through a whole box or bag of candies.
Stop Stressing Over the Scale - The holidays are not exactly the best times to worry about what you weigh. Being under the high pressure of family and friends who are encouraging you to eat, are going to be tough enough as it is, and eating a little something you enjoy is not going to kill you, just keep everything in moderation and the next time you step on the scale, just remember what you ate that week and stay the course and keep pushing forward. Make sure not to let one week or a few days completely throw you off for the weeks after.
Plan Your Cheat Meal For the Holiday - This is what I do, if i know there is a holiday coming up and I know I am planning for a cheat meal right around that time (I usually do mine on Saturday/Sundays) I will extend it to the holiday for this Easter it worked out perfectly since it falls on a Sunday but for lets just say July 4th it falls on a Wednesday, I will actually push my cheat meal a few days further and plan it for the 4th. This way I am staying on course and pushing myself the extra couple of days to wait really pays off when I do weigh in.
No matter what happens on the holidays do not let it throw you off your game, remember that everyone falls, its how many times your willing to get back up that matters the most! Keep pushing forward no matter what happens, and keep in mind that tomorrow, today will be in the past!'
Happy Easter Everyone!
Here are some tips to avoid over eating while still being able to enjoy yourself.
Drink Plenty of Water - Everyone always hears to fill yourself up on water before you start eating, so I will not go to much in depth on this one. Basically if your bellies full you are less likely to eat past being full.
Load Up On Veggies, Protein - Veggies and proteins tend to fill you up more then any carbs or fats will, and they are also healthier options. Protein is the hardest macronutrient to break down so your body will be working double time to break it down, therefore burning more calories (this is why most "diets" are high in protein). I do want to caution against any serious over indulgences of proteins since they are so hard to breakdown they can cause havoc on your organs over the long run. Filling up on veggies and proteins is much better then plowing through a whole box or bag of candies.
Stop Stressing Over the Scale - The holidays are not exactly the best times to worry about what you weigh. Being under the high pressure of family and friends who are encouraging you to eat, are going to be tough enough as it is, and eating a little something you enjoy is not going to kill you, just keep everything in moderation and the next time you step on the scale, just remember what you ate that week and stay the course and keep pushing forward. Make sure not to let one week or a few days completely throw you off for the weeks after.
Plan Your Cheat Meal For the Holiday - This is what I do, if i know there is a holiday coming up and I know I am planning for a cheat meal right around that time (I usually do mine on Saturday/Sundays) I will extend it to the holiday for this Easter it worked out perfectly since it falls on a Sunday but for lets just say July 4th it falls on a Wednesday, I will actually push my cheat meal a few days further and plan it for the 4th. This way I am staying on course and pushing myself the extra couple of days to wait really pays off when I do weigh in.
No matter what happens on the holidays do not let it throw you off your game, remember that everyone falls, its how many times your willing to get back up that matters the most! Keep pushing forward no matter what happens, and keep in mind that tomorrow, today will be in the past!'
Happy Easter Everyone!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
So Nice
After a whole month of changes, the website is finally complete! The only thing left to do is edit some videos, and get them posted, and then add the music playlists and keep things up to date and BOOM DONE! And now that means I have plenty of time to post more blogs and hopefully post some well thought out articles.
My workouts have been amazing the last few weeks and I have been getting outdoors as much as possible to do them outside since we have had such beautiful weather. Not a whole lot to report on those, I am not out there setting personal records or anything especially in this low carb state lol.
I have to say that I am extremely proud of all of my clients the last few weeks. Even though they say they have not been seeing huge loses on the scale, for the most part none of them have gained weight which is a great thing. Even though the scale is producing numbers, they all seem to report that their clothes are fitting better and they like what they are seeing in the mirror which to me is MORE IMPORTANT then what any scale could possibly tell me, their are to many variables that could throw off that weigh in, eating before hand, more water, what you ate or did the day before, stress etc. If you base all of your goals off what it says you will end up frustrated more time then not! So keep pushing forward no matter what it tells you, and keep checking yourself out in the mirror. There is no bigger thrill to me then seeing a new cut or seeing muscle where I did not see it popping out before.
Keep training hard, and have a good week. I will try and check in later this week with an article, I have been working on something I think you may all be interested in.
My workouts have been amazing the last few weeks and I have been getting outdoors as much as possible to do them outside since we have had such beautiful weather. Not a whole lot to report on those, I am not out there setting personal records or anything especially in this low carb state lol.
I have to say that I am extremely proud of all of my clients the last few weeks. Even though they say they have not been seeing huge loses on the scale, for the most part none of them have gained weight which is a great thing. Even though the scale is producing numbers, they all seem to report that their clothes are fitting better and they like what they are seeing in the mirror which to me is MORE IMPORTANT then what any scale could possibly tell me, their are to many variables that could throw off that weigh in, eating before hand, more water, what you ate or did the day before, stress etc. If you base all of your goals off what it says you will end up frustrated more time then not! So keep pushing forward no matter what it tells you, and keep checking yourself out in the mirror. There is no bigger thrill to me then seeing a new cut or seeing muscle where I did not see it popping out before.
Keep training hard, and have a good week. I will try and check in later this week with an article, I have been working on something I think you may all be interested in.
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