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Trainer's Blog
Follow my blog for a constant stream of great fitness tips and information.
Follow my blog for a constant stream of great fitness tips and information.
Runners don’t usually like (or at least agree with) lifters and lifters don’t usually like runners. Why? Maybe it’s got something to do with each party thinking that they are the one stop shop, they have it all figured out, their sport gets the best results and that the other group is just a bunch of meatheads or sissies. This thinking is not exactly the most scientific, objective and/or productive approach to this debate.
I personally hate running. The Marines made me do it and I love my Marine Corps – but I still hate me some runnin. Maybe it’s because I'm lazy. The way I see it, if it’s gonna take more than 3 hours a week to stay fit, I don’t want anything to do with it. I’ll just be fat, avoid the subject when brought up, pop 12 pills every day and wear black like the rest of the country. Luckily for me, it doesn’t have to be that way (thank God…).
There’s an answer for all you runners out there that want a great physique but cant seem to get it from running alone and that answer is to cross train with free weights.
That last sentence is likely where I lose about 95% of you die-hard runners out there. No problem. You don’t want to and consequently can’t be helped anyway. You will be the ones to pay for the orhto doc’s yacht.
Again, if you must run, the solution is to cross train running with weight training. This approach will...
Group stretching classes, on the other hand, do equal punishment.
I feel bad for people who don’t know how to train. I see them every day, and many are not in the gym. Many people think being “in shape” requires doing cardio in 100+ degree weather, or wearing a sweat suit to lose weight, or running every day (ugh…), or doing anything that is unpleasant. It almost seems that in our modern-day world, fitness equals punishment. The old saying “If it tastes good, it’s not good for you” seems to have spread into the fitness world, so now people think “If it makes me miserable, it must be good for me.” Thankfully, this is not so.
You see, I don’t think fitness, or being in shape, needs to be a miserable lifestyle. In fact, I’m passionate about my training and, because of that, enjoy it immensely, and I believe everyone should be passionate about their chosen form of exercise, as this will give you the best chance at success. If you enjoy it, you will do it, and do it well. If you don’t enjoy it, do something else, but do something. Some people are yoga people, others love walking (hopefully with their dog), while others are passionate about swimming. Do what you enjoy and do it as much as your schedule and energy levels allow.
That being said, I’m not just going to wax philosophical on you. I’m here to give you my recommendations on how to be fit. I believe that the best way to be ...
“The most effective way to maintain quality of life as we age” is how Dr Bruce Craig decided to phrase how he felt about weight training for seniors (60+ year olds), or as we call them in the industry, "mature athletes". The scientific research is crystal clear. Far as maintaining strength, lean muscle mass, good/upright posture, independence and an overall high quality of life goes, nothing beats the addition of weight training to a physical fitness regimen.
When we think of strength training, we often overlook the less obvious benefits of training with resistance such as improvements in balance and mobility, increases in bone density and an overall improvement in self-image and esteem (seniors.gov).
For those of you that have yet to experience the potential debilitating effects of aging, the American College of Sports Medicine tells us that weight training has been shown to effectively help prevent and even reverse the loss of lean muscle mass, specifically Fast Twitch muscle fibers responsible for strength and speed, allowing us to live independently longer – if not indefinitely!
Look, nobody wants to get old. The unfortunate reality is that its going to happen anyway and we all have to go through it. The good news is that we don’t have to lose our independence, be debilitated by joint pain or allow our quality of life to suffer. There is something we can do about...
If you have ever stepped foot in a gym you’ve seen someone doing biceps curls. Or bench pressing. A little known fact: Monday is officially Bench Press Day, and in fact, the week should go; Benchpressday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. All this to say; most people have a misconception regarding what effective weight-lifting is. Well, I’d like to tell you what the most effective and efficient use of your time in the gym is, and try to deter you from being another bench press and curl enthusiast, or, if you’re a woman, a leg press and leg curl enthusiast. Don’t get me wrong, any activity inside or outside of a gym is good, but I want to show you what is BEST.
Now, I know why you do nothing but bench press and curl, or why you do leg extensions and leg curls. You do them because you want to have a big muscular upper body or nice toned legs, respectively, and you believe that those movements are the best way to achieve those ends. The truth is that the best way to improve your upper body is by doing the big movements such as Bent-over Rows and Pull-downs for the back and biceps, and Bench Pressing (yes, bench pressing...) and Military Pressing for the shoulders, chest, and triceps, and the best way to improve the legs is also with the big movements, such as any variation of the squat or deadlift and single-leg movements like lunges. These movements allow you to handle the heaviest weight possible for those...
The type of gym you join is important. If you join a room filled with morons and useless “weight training machines”, you’ve not joined a gym, you’ve joined a money pit that’s gonna cost you not only in gym membership and hidden fees but in the potential savings (hospital visits, health insurance, etc.) you can get from improving your health not to mention the potential improvements in life quality that come from bettering your fitness and performance (fat loss, strength, balance, coordination, etc.).
Think you’re gym is a solid candidate for the "Best gym in the area" award? The following is how you can tell whether the fitness facility you’re considering joining or currently a member of is a great place to lift weight and achieve your goals or a fitness, performance, motivation and money black hole:
