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Fitness Trainer - Five Questions to Ask

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Steven Godlewski

The main obstacle to staying on track with a fitness program is losing motivation. People are just starting an exercise program can find themselves quickly tired of the same routine. Keeping exercise appealing and maintaining a good fitness perspective is key to long-term success.

If you have to watch the exact same episode of your favorite television show every day for the rest of your life, you would probably be banging your head against the wall by the end of the week. You would change the channel, pick up a book, or do anything you could to avoid something you once enjoyed.

Yet, many people starting on a fitness program feel compelled to follow the same routine, day after day after day, and consequently fall off the exercise wagon.

Most people would want the services of a fitness trainer in order to provide them the different portions of the fitness program in a livelier style.

Fitness trainers are actually experts in analyzing and creating a fitness program that is right for you. They are the ones who will calculate your appropriateness to a certain program with regards to your “fitness level,” create the program according to your specific needs, and keep you stimulated and inspired by giving you activities that will not bore you.

But then again, as with other entities included in the fitness world, not all fitness trainers are created equal. They may vary from the different trainings that they have, the health education they have acquired, and the skills that they have learned.

It is important to consider some factors that will determine if a certain fitness trainer is right for you. Here is how to find the fitness trainer that fits you:

1. The Fitness Trainers Certification. Like any item or product, the quality is sometimes measured and determined through the certification. Before you choose your fitness trainer, it is important to verify if the trainer is duly certified by a highly regarded fitness association.

It is also best to choose a fitness trainer that has a CPR certification or first aid qualifications.

2. The Fitness Trainers Education/Trainings. Be sure to choose a fitness trainer who had acquired an adequate training and education as far as health and physical fitness is concerned.

Even though it is not necessary, fitness trainers who have acquired education connected to physical fitness or any other related field will definitely have an edge over the others.

3. The Fitness Trainer should know how to give the right attention. A good fitness trainer should know how to provide his or her client an undivided attention whenever their session is going on. In this way, the trainer will be able to focus more on the details that need attention and offer immediate considerations.

4. The Fitness Trainer should know how to track development It is best to choose a fitness trainer that knows how to track his or her client’s progress as far as fitness is concerned. In this way, the trainer will be able to generate new activities and trainings designated for a particular result of the client.

5. Does your Fitness Trainer have a Good Personality? Since you will be dealing most with your fitness trainer, it is best if you will look for somebody with a compatible personality, somebody whom you can be comfortable with.

The services of a fitness program center and the contributions it can give you while working out on those belly fat, are, indeed, one of the best help that you can get from a professional person who knows what he is doing.

It is best to choose the best fitness trainer who can give you the best fitness program services that you need so that you will never get bored again.

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Weight Loss Pills – How to Gain and be Safe

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Lesley Lyon

Weight loss pills have become popular in the past several years. There are two basic types of diet pills or weight loss pills - ‘prescription’ and ‘non-prescription’ pills.

Prescription Pills :

Prescription weight loss pills are treated like drugs. They require FDA approval and are closely regulated. Some examples of this type of weight loss pills are Xenical (Orlistat), Meridia (Sibutramine) and Phentermine/ Fentermine. To prove their effectiveness in weight reduction, these pills are subjected to a range of clinical tests typically for monitoring health risks and side effects.

Non Prescription Pills

The Non-prescription weight loss pills are also called as weight loss supplements. These drugs can be purchased over the counter as they are subjected to minimal FDA regulation only. Some examples of this type of weight loss pills include pills from Metabolife™ and Herbalife™ as well as fat-burners, herbal weight loss pills, stackers, other sports or diet supplements.

The difference between prescription and non-prescription weight loss pills is becoming narrower. Since some types of non-prescription pills can be just as powerful or dangerous as weight loss drugs. Exception is that these types of weight loss supplements are not regulated similar to prescription weight loss pills. Hence they can be more dangerous if anything. The FDA has issued warnings recently about weight loss supplements that contain ephedra. Hence, many drug manufacturers are now declaring as ‘ephedra-free’ by removing ephedra from their weight loss pills.

Who can benefit from Weight Loss Pills?

Prescription weight loss pills are designed specifically for the treatment of obesity rather than mere weight loss. Despite health risks and side effects, the use of weight loss pills is justified, as obesity is a serious condition associated with serious health risks. Weight loss supplements or Non-prescription weight loss pills should be viewed in similar light.

Do these Weight Loss Pills work?

The answer is both Yes and No. With a proper exercise program and diet in conjunction with medical supervision, weight loss pills or weight loss supplements can be effective in the short term at least. However the benefits may quickly wear off as the body adjusts rather quickly to many weight loss pills.

Weight Loss Trials of Pills clinically:

Clinical weight loss trials demonstrate that by using weight loss pills alone, long term weight control is not possible. A combination of improved diet and physical activity is to be maintained in the long term to maintain weight loss successfully.

Consult your doctor before taking weight loss pills:

You should obtain information from your doctor about the possible dangers and side effects of weight loss pills before taking any weight loss pills.

Side Effects of taking weight loss pills:

Weight loss pills become less effective as time progresses like most drugs and can lead to addiction. If you feel any of the following side effects, taking the pills should be stopped immediately.

Irritability

Anxiety or nervousness

High blood pressure

Insomnia

Heart palpitations and Heart attack

Tightness in the chest

Vomiting, constipation or constant stomach pain

Diarrhea, Fever and Head aches

Dry mouth

Dizziness

Profuse sweating

Blurred vision

Hair loss

Urinary tract problems

Disturbances in sex drive and menstrual cycle.

The long-term effects of these weight loss pills are not known and how they interact with other medications is also not clear.

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Weight Loss Pills

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Mercy Maranga

The weight loss is the process of losing body weight, typically by losing fat. The weight loss can be achieved by consuming low-calorie diets and completely expending the consumed calories. There are different methods to achieve weight loss. It can be achieved by reducing the amount of food consumed, increasing physical activity or a combination of the two. The experts recommend a combination of healthy eating patterns and regular physical exercise for a healthy weight loss.

The Weight loss can also be achieved by surgical methods. Liposuction removes targeted area of fat and tissue

while bariatric surgeries can result in large weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach or reducing the

of food energy. The surgical and drug options may have serious side effects.

Weight Loss Pills or drugs: The weight loss diet pills are one of the methods of losing weight. The Weight loss

pills are medication or drug that helps losing weight. The Weight loss pills may also be termed as anti-obesity

drugs. The anti-obesity drugs include all pharmacological treatments intended to reduce or control weight.

The weight loss pills or anti-obesity drugs may be prescribed or herbal drugs or chemicals that decrease

appetite and/or increase physical activity, such as fenfluoramine, ephedra, nicotine or cocaine.

As these drugs are intended to alter one of the fundamental processes of the human body, the weight

loss drugs are medically prescribed only in cases of morbid obesity, where weight loss is life-saving.

The Weight loss pills or Anti-obesity drugs operate through one or more of the following mechanisms:

* Suppression of the appetite.

* Increase of the body’s metabolism.

* Interference with the body’s ability to absorb specific nutrients in food

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What are the Dangers and Problems of Rapid Weight Loss

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Donovan Baldwin

People searching for weight loss programs and diets today seem to be searching more for rapid weight loss than permanent, healthy weight loss. Unfortunately, it is a fact that quick diet weight loss programs are seldom without their dangers, and their results usually range from erratic to nonexistent.

I would advise anyone seeking to lose weight to substitute the term ‘healthy weight loss program’ for ‘rapid weight loss program’. I hope, the following short discussion will explain my position to some extent.

You, like so many others in today’s society, are concerned about losing weight. Like so many others, you are looking for some sort of rapid weight loss program or plan. Rapid weight loss, also often referred to as quick weight loss or fast weight loss, involves, as its name implies, losing weight in a short period of time. Claims of such programs often cite fantastic results in anywhere from two to seven days.

In the United States, approximately two-thirds of the adult population is overweight or obese, and hundreds of thousands of these Americans are understandably interested in rapidly losing that unwanted weight. Many simply wish to lose weight before an important event, like an upcoming vacation or a wedding, while others are willing to accept the fact that permanent, healthy weight loss is a lifetime commitment.

While it is certainly simple to understand how you can want to lose weight as fast as possible, to tell the truth, you really need to proceed with caution. Although it is possible to lose weight, or at least a small part of it, in a relatively short period of time, you should realize that there are dangers and problems associated with doing so.

One of the many dangers of rapid weight loss is simply that which is inherent in some of the many measures that some people take. For instance, it is common to hear of individuals who have decided to fast, i.e. not to eat, while trying to achieve a rapid weight loss goal. Going without food, for even a short period of time, can be dangerous to your health. It deprives you of many nutrients necessary to health and will shortly cause your metabolism to slow down. At that point, initial weight loss will cease if it hasn’t already. At some future time, when you return to your normal consumption of calories, as most dieters do, your body will burn fewer of the calories you take in, and the excess will be stored as fat…more fat than would have been accumulated before the rapid weight loss program.

This results in a condition in which the person now weighs more than they did before the weight loss program or diet. They attempt to lose the weight by going back on the same diet or a similar program. This time, the weight loss is harder to accomplish, the basic metabolic rate may diminish more, and the person will eventually go off the diet and gain more weight! This is a cycle often referred to as yo-yo dieting, and, as you can see, it is a self-defeating situation.

During an extreme diet, one in which as little as two to three pounds a week are lost, the dieter can experience the loss of lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass is the ‘incinerator’ which burns excess calories, and its loss can only make healthy weight loss even more difficult. Additionally, with less lean muscle, the person is less likely to feel like engaging in activity which could help burn fat.

While an actual rapid weight loss ‘danger’ is relatively small though quite genuine, the results, or lack of same, when combined with the loss of needed nutrients do not really seem worth the effort or risk. However, be aware that in the presence of some clinical conditions or while attempting to achieve rapid weight loss through extreme measures, the danger to health, and even life itself, can be quite real.

A WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTION

A better alternative to simply ‘going on a diet’ is to cut back on the food that you do eat, particularly empty foods such as those sweetened with sugar, or heavily processed foods, or to just make sure that it is healthy foods which you are eating. Through limiting of your calories, you ought to be able to accomplish some sort of weight loss in the time that you were wanting to. However, it is very important that you do stick to a healthy eating and living plan.

EXERCISE AND HEALTHY EATING AND LIVING

Along with healthy eating and living practices, another important component of weight loss should always be exercise. Unfortunately, many individuals do not realize that it can take up to one week or more to notice any signs of results from exercise, and very obvious results will possibly take weeks or even months. However, in the long run, exercise, combined with sensible diet, proper hydration (plenty of water), and rest will result in a more permanent and more healthy weight loss experience.

Note, by the way, that those beginning an exercise program, particularly one which includes a strength training component…as it should…might actually notice a small weight gain at first. This is perfectly normal and is merely the result of adding lean muscle mass, which is healthier for the body, and this will help burn fat and calories. The scary part for the individual is that lean muscle mass often increases faster than they are losing fat, hence the temporary weight gain.

With all that having been said, the good news is that the more weight you need to lose, the sooner it is that you may actually start seeing results from a combined program of regular exercise and healthy eating and living.

While exercise should certainly be a major part of any plan for losing weight in a healthy and permanent manner, it is very important that you not overdo it. This is especially important if you haven’t previously had a regular exercise plan. Running on the treadmill for two hours, instead of twenty minutes, may burn fat faster, but, at the same time, it may also land you in the hospital. It is much better to begin at an extremely safe level and gradually work your way up to more difficult workouts than to start at some higher point just because you can and either give up because maintaining that pace is just too difficult, or because of some exercise injury.

DIET PLANS AND WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCTS

Another problem that should be considered when discussing rapid weight loss, is the taking of medications or weight loss products…particularly those sold off the supermarket shelf or through some magazine ad or an Internet website. The good news is that while some of these products do work a little, and some are even safe, you may not be able to tell what you are getting for your money or what it will do to your health in the long run. These products, such as the Alli diet pill, work best, if at all, when used in combination with a regular program of exercise and proper nutritional practices anyway. If, however, you are already doing that, it is fairly certain that you are losing a safe amount of weight at a healthy rate without having to pay for an additional helper which has no permanent health benefit and stops working as soon as you stop using it.

If you think you are interested in using a weight loss product, like a diet pill or a cleanse, to help you lose weight, it is important that you do the research first. This should, at the very least, involve reading reviews of the product to learn about its effectiveness, and discusing it with a qualified healthcare professional.

It is extremely important that you proceed with the utmost caution if trying to achieve rapid weight loss still appeals to you. Although unexpected events or appearances will occur without much notice, most individuals have at least a month’s worth of time before attending a large event such as a wedding or even going on a vacation to someplace where they wear bikinis all day. As soon as you become aware of your upcoming event, you are advised to start trying to lose weight then in a healthy and sensible manner, if you are interested in doing so.

An even better tactic might simply to be to adopt a healthy lifestyle of proper nutrition combined with exercise. Then you won’t ever have to worry about such events, and you won’t have to ‘diet’ or try some other means of achieving rapid weight loss.

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The Pitfalls of Weight Loss Programs and Diets

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Antonio LeMaire

Most diet and weight loss programs have a depressingly high failure rate, with people either never reaching their weight goals or reaching them and regaining all the weight they lost (and sometimes more) in about one year.

Getting the weight off fast is so desirable that many of us are willing to sacrifice health and ignore common sense in the hope that some new weight loss program or scheme will work. This pipe dream can unfortunately outweigh the negative consequences. So let’s examine the downside of dieting.

What Is An Unhealthy Weight Loss Program?

* Any weight loss program that is not nutritionally sound;

* One that works against what the body naturally needs like vitamins, minerals, and a minimum number of calories a day;

* One that requires you to go without eating (for example, fasting or meal replacement drinks);

* One that puts your body into an unnatural state, such as starvation or ketosis.

Your body can only lose a few pounds a week on a consistent basis. If you lose more than that initially, it’s likely just water loss. So any weight loss program that promises you will lose five pounds a week, or 25 pounds in 3 weeks, is guaranteeing you will be losing water and muscle mass not fat.

Almost every popular weight loss program out there falls into one of the following diet categories: low calorie diets, meal replacement drinks, packaged foods, unbalanced nutrients, and ketosis diets. Let’s see how they stack up.

LOW CALORIE DIETS

Whenever you drastically reduce your calories, the body enters an unnatural state and its defenses kick in. So when calories drop below, say, 1000 calories a day, your metabolism will shut down in an effort to conserve energy. And weight loss with a sluggish metabolism is very difficult.

Your body will start using muscle tissue to provide energy, which again leads to a decrease in the metabolism. Taken to an extreme, the body will break down its vital parts (such as the heart muscle) trying to meet its energy needs.

In addition to these drawbacks, trying to maintain the weight loss over time is nearly impossible because your body is now used to making do with very few calories. Going back to “normal” eating causes the weight to pile back on.

For this reason, low cal weight loss programs rarely work over the long haul.

MEAL REPLACEMENT DRINKS

One of the most unnatural things for your body is to go without solid food, which is what meal replacement plans ask it to do. Some people think that dieting will be easier if they aren’t confronted with daily food choices and the pounds will just fall off. This may be true while they are on the liquid diet. But what about afterwards?

Where will the good eating habits come from after you’ve lost the weight? This is something that takes time, practice and knowledge. Dieters need to establish a healthy attitude towards a life-long eating plan. And no “fad” weight loss program or liquid lunch can help you with that.

Getting hooked on meal replacements can become a destructive way to view food. It often leads dieters to fear food or binge to “feed” their cravings after a long period of deprivation. And that’s just the psychological side of the equation.

The lack of fiber in such weight loss programs can be a threat to good physical health. And when the body is denied enough solid food, the intestines go into overdrive absorbing calories and nutrients. This helps you during the diet period, but later it makes it much easier to regain the weight.

Another yo-yo weight loss program that hurts you in the end.

UNBALANCED NUTRIENT PLAN

Be cautious about any weight loss program that has strict rules about good foods and bad foods. Sure, high fat and high sugar foods might be considered bad for the waistline, but moderation not abstinence is key to success.

Why? Because eating the same foods every day (say, grapefruit or high protein meals) is going to result in two things: nutritional imbalance and boredom.

All foods are made up of the same nutrients in different amounts: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. It is the right proportion of these nutrients that will bring about weight loss - not the avoidance of “bad” foods and the consumption of only “good” or magical foods.

In the world of dieting, no one food or nutrient group is magical. Variety and moderation are the keys to a healthy diet and a successful weight loss program.

PACKAGED FOODS

To stay at your ideal body weight, you have to learn how to make proper food choices. By following a packaged food weight loss program you are postponing the inevitable, and spending plenty of $$$ in the process.

Another problem with this kind of weight loss program is that the foods provided are not always healthy. Read the package label and you will see chemicals, preservatives, sodium, sugar and saturated fats. And when all you can eat is packaged food, how do you plan meals with other people? Going out to restaurants and parties and enjoying family meals becomes a big hassle.

Your weight loss program then becomes a burden, not only to you, but to those around you.

KETOSIS DIETS

Ketosis has been defined as:

“An abnormal condition marked by excessive production of ketone bodies. Often caused by high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins diet.”

Atkins and certain other weight loss programs are based on the principle of restricting carbohydrates to the point that the body enters into ketosis. On the surface, a ketogenic diet seems to work for two reasons: First, you’ll lose large amounts of weight, which is very pleasing to the dieter. Secondly, you don’t experience hunger.

But there are serious drawbacks. Your weight goes down due to water loss (which occurs when you restrict carbohydrates) and a loss of lean muscle tissue. This is NOT true, lasting weight loss.

The loss of appetite comes from having ketones building up in the body, which can harm your health. Side effects of a ketosis weight loss program can include fatigue, kidney stones, gout, and muscle loss. The longer you follow such a diet, the greater the risk to your health.

Clearly not a wise choice of weight loss program, not for the short term or the long.

WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM QUESTIONNAIRE

There are always new weight loss programs coming onto the market and going in and out of style. To evaluate if a weight loss program is healthy and sensible for you, ask yourself the following questions:

* Is the plan nutritionally sound?

* Will it help improve my weight, metabolism, cholesterol level, blood pressure, energy level, and general health?

* Will I be eating real food and not have to buy special formulas, drinks, etc?

* Will I be eating a wide variety of foods rather than just a few “diet” foods?

* Am I allowed to have some treats and eat my favorite foods?

* Can I eat out in restaurants, have a glass of wine with dinner, or some dessert?

* Can I follow this weight loss program without it interfering with my lifestyle?

* Can I lose weight without feeling hungry?

* Will l develop eating habits for life-long weight control with this weight loss program?

* Is this the last diet I will ever need to finally reach and maintain my ideal weight?

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Blast Away Fat and Get Your Abs, Chest, Shoulders, Back, And Arms in Their Best Shape Ever Using Multi-joint Exercises

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Steve Hochman

Let’s face it, we all want to be in shape and catch someone’s eye. None of us like putting on our clothes and seeing our tummy hang over our jeans or our arms looking like a set of bat wings. With multi-joint exercises, you’ll be able to blast away fat at record speed, as well as get your chest, abs, shoulders, back and arms into the best shape they’ve ever been in your life.

When you want to find a way to build strength and fire up your metabolism to burn away all that fat, it is best that you concentrate your exercise routine on including exercises that deal with many joints at the same time. With a perfect foundation, you’ll be able to add lean muscle as well as burn fat. To do this, it is very important to know many single-joint and multi-joint exercises.

What exactly is the difference between single-joint and multi-joint exercises?

Single-joint exercises usually work and engage muscles that surround and focus on one moving joint. An example of this would be a bicep curl because it only moves the elbow joint. Multi-joint exercises are those that engage in rotation around many joints. Multi-joint exercises are said to stimulate how our body both works and plays. Many of our daily movements require multi-joint exercises.

This is precisely why we need to use multi-joint exercises, simply because they determine how our body works and moves. With daily activities, our bodies don’t just use one muscle or one joint at a time. Something as simple as walking is a multi-joint activity. Though walking isn’t complicated, it involves every joint and muscle in our lower extremities.

Why are multi-joint exercises important in a regular exercise routine?

1. Time efficiency. Multi-joint exercises are able to save you time that you have to spend in the gym working out. Because these exercises are able to allow you to engage in many muscles and joints all in the same exercise, you are able to work more of your body, decreasing the amount of time you have to spend.

2. High metabolic cost. That’s right! Doctors have even been able to prove that multi-joint exercises get our metabolism working 30 to 40 percent higher. As you work more muscles at the same time, you are able to burn more calories while your metabolism rates are high and pumping.

3. Helps to train our neuromuscular system. Having a steady and healthy neuromuscular system is able to improve our balance. Whether you plan on walking across the tightrope in the circus or just walking down the street, balance is important. Because multi-joint exercises use many muscles and joints at the same time, your body learns how to work together with the many parts that makes it.

4. They’re more fun. Who said working out couldn’t be fun? With multi-joint exercises, you are able to tone and shape your body while having fun with it. You don’t have to stick to the boring sit-ups or crunches. With multi-joint exercises, you can take pleasure in doing simple exercises while adding a little spice to them.

5. Variety, variety, variety. We all want to be able to have some sort of change in our lives. Start with your exercise program! If you incorporate multi-joint exercises into your routine, you are able to do many different types of exercises each day. Change and variety is good, especially if you want to have fun while getting into shape.

Here are some effective multi-joint exercises:

Squats: Squats, as dreaded and boring as they may be, help to build powerful and strong thighs and hips as well as toned a toned back, shoulders, arms, and chest.

Deadlifts: This exercise uses joints throughout the whole body. They are able to work both your lower and upper body muscles.

Leg Presses: These exercises are used to work the hamstrings, quads, and your glutes. With these, you’ll be able to have toned legs and a firm butt!

Front, Side or Reverse Lunges and Stepups: These exercises are able to work each and every leg muscle. These can get quite boring, so try doing all three types of lunges. A lunge requires you to drop your knee 90 degrees to the ground.

Bench Presses, Dips and Pushups: All of these exercises add muscle to the shoulders, back, and chest as well as the triceps. They are able to work most of your upper body muscles.

Overhead Presses: These exercises are great for working out your triceps and shoulders.

Pulldowns, Pullups, Barbell Rows, and Dumbbell Rows: As you do these exercises, your back and bicep muscles will grow. You are able to work out your back as well as your arms.

Upright Rows: Upright rows are great for exercising the shoulders as well as the upper back.

So when you really want to blast away fat and get your abs, chest, shoulders, back, and arms in their best shape ever then consider using multi-joint exercises.

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Weight Loss Diet

Saturday, December 20th, 2008

Mercy Maranga

The word ‘Diet’ literally means the usual food and drink that a person consumes during the course of a day.

The practice of consuming a diet in order to lose weight is known as ‘Dieting’.

The term ‘Dieting’ is usually used for losing weight but it is also used in some

cases to gain weight or to regulate the amounts of certain nutrients entering the body.

The diet that facilitates losing weight is known as the ‘Weight Loss Diet’.

The ‘Weight Loss Diet’ is also referred to as obesity diet or reducing diet.

The term ‘Weight Loss Diet’ is sometimes confused with ‘Fad Diet’.

Fad Diet is the diet that promotes a restricted eating-plan or certain liquid foods lacking

sufficient food value is termed as Fad Diet.

The fad diets are very low in calories so they

cause quite fast weight loss. However, quick weight loss may not be healthy and - in most

cases - is not fat loss. It is actually water-loss which is quickly regained when the dieter

resumes normal eating. The fad diets are considered unhealthy. The common examples of Fad diets include the

Cabbage Soup Diet and the Grapefruit Diet.

Good Weight Loss Diet: The diet that helps losing weight in a positive manner is a good Weight Loss Diet.

It does not reduce the energy. A balanced low fat diet is considered as the best weight loss diet.

A balanced low fat diet is high in healthy carbohydrates, low in fat and moderate in protein.

A good Weight Loss Diet should be rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are specially

recommended for weight control and preventing diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

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Weight Loss Diet: 5 Tips to Loosing Weight Through Diet

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Mark M Morris

A weight loss diet is often considered as an essential means of shedding your extra kilos. In case you happen to be obese and are looking for a suitable solution to loosing your excessive fat, you need to look forward to a suitable weight loss diet. Weight loss diets are supposed to be effective as they are natural and can be implemented from home with ease. At the same time, weight loss diets also involve the need for you to research well before taking in any dietary caution. Well, let us now study some of the important reasons on how weight loss diets can actually help you shed your excessive fat with ease.

It Is A Natural Process

The biggest advantage of using a weight loss diet plan is that it is completely natural and free from any harmful side effects. As compared to the usual “over the counter” medications, the weight loss diet plan is supposed to be an effective means of shedding your excessive kilos with ease. A healthy weight loss diet ensures that you regularize your metabolism the natural way and avoid the intake of harmful medications for doing the same.

Healthy Weight Loss Diet Is A Fast Acting Formula

Most people are of the belief that a fast weight loss diet is non-existent in nature. Well, this is not true. If you wish to achieve rapid weight loss, then there is a fast weight loss diet as well. You can simply opt for it and achieve your weighty goals at warps speed. Through the means of valid antioxidants and dietary fiber, not only can you achieve your weight related goals with ease, you can also manage to maintain a healthy skin tone as well. Likewise, as compared to most fat reducing pills, a weight loss diet plan is supposed to work at a faster pace.

Diet For Weight Loss Is Permanent

In case you are overweight and you are looking for a permanent solution for your weighty goals, you need to try and adopt a suitable diet for weight loss. While a vegetarian formula is supposed to be the fastest acting formula for shedding those extra pounds, you need to first turn vegetarian in order to adopt it. Vegetarian weight loss diet is therefore considered to be a permanent solution to your weight loss goals and it can be followed with ease. On the other hand, if you use fat loss pills and related “over the counter” medicines to achieve weight loss, the chances are that you may achieve short term results and loose out on your long terms goals. Hence, it pays to stick to a diet solution program.

Weight Loss Diet Program Is Affordable

The biggest advantage of using a weight loss diet program over any other means of loosing weight is that, it is affordable in nature. While dieting pills are considered to be expensive, weight loss diets are considerably less expensive and easy to manage. Moreover, they are permanent solution to your weight related goals. Hence, if you wish to reduce your weight and maintain the lost weight for ever, it is always advisable that you choose to remain with a rapid weight loss diet.

It Does Not Involve Any Professional Assistance

As compared to the traditional methods, which include making use of a gym and taking pills to reduce weight, a rapid weight loss diet does not involve the need for professional coaching. It does not include the need for a trained nutritionist or a personal coach as well. You can simply achieve your goals through the means of a well written manual.

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Achieving Your Dream Body - the Truth About Personal Training

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Zach Hunt

Training Success: A majority of people who attempt to start an exercise plan fail to get started because they lack the motivation to start a fitness plan.

Many people feel that they are stuck in the body that they have and they believe that there is no way that they can get into shape and improve their physical look.

This is certainly not true.

Personal Training Secret #1: Gaining That Motivation

Firstly, it is important to look at yourself in the mirror to gain that motivation required for personal training.

While you are looking in the mirror, think of the following:

I can get into shape

I can drop those pounds.

I can become a happier person by getting into shape.

I can motivate myself to start a fitness plan.

I can improve my health.

Finding the motivation to start personal training is important.

Personal Training Secret #2: I Can Get Into Shape

You will never gain the motivation to start a fitness plan if you believe that you will not be able to get into shape. Since the idea of working out is based on the fact that you are trying to get into shape, you will be less likely to start a fitness plan if you believe that you can’t get into shape, which is why Personal Training is so important.

By believing that you can get into shape, you will have an easier time gaining the motivation necessary to complete your fitness goals.

Personal Training Secret #3: I Can Drop Those Pounds

If you believe that you will exercise and not lose the weight, then you are making a big mistake. You will not be motivated to start exercising if you believe that it is impossible to lose the weight.

It is important to remember that if you start exercising, you will automatically start to lose weight.

Personal Training Secret #4: I Can Become A Happier Personal By Getting Into Shape

Yes, many people believe that exercising will cause them to become sad. This is not true. You can remain happy while exercising if you find the exercise regiment that is right for you. Additionally, you can improve your level of happiness by using a combination of mental and physical health techniques which you can learn through Personal Training.

Personal Training Secret #5: I Can Motivate Myself To Start A Fitness Plan

If you don’t have faith that you can motivate yourself to start a fitness plan, then you will never start a fitness plan. Simply, you must believe in yourself that you can be successful at improving your level of fitness.

When you can reach your fitness goals, you will feel better about the rest of your life.

Personal Training Secret #6: I Can Improve My Health

Finally, it is important that you believe that you can improve your health. By starting a fitness plan, you will really be adding years to your life and start getting healthy. Starting a Personal Training plan is something that you need to do and knowing that participating in a fitness plan will add years to your life, you will be even more motivated to complete your goals.

Use That Motivation For Personal Training Today Well, now since you have the motivation to start and finish your fitness goals, it is time for you to put your wishes into action.

Get started today by visiting your nearest personal training coach and put that motivation to use.

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Ultimate Abdominal Personal Training Programme

Monday, November 24th, 2008

Nick

Why don’t you step into my office for a second and give me the truth. As interested as you are in health and fitness, as enjoyable and satisfying as it may be for you to run quickly or lift an impressively heavy weight, the real reason why most of you read my regular personal training column here at AskMen is because you want to look good naked. Sharp clothes and a good patter may bring confidence, but there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like the security of knowing that you actually look even better out of your clothes rather than in them. If the wares that you can display are tight, taught, and trained then your confidence is sky high.

Because the eyes are drawn instinctively to the centre of the body it comes as no surprise that the key physical component to looking good naked (or at least the key component that it isn’t at God’s mercy in the genetic endowment lottery) is having a well developed set of abdominals. An impressive six pack sets you apart from the beefed up puddings we inevitably find waddling around every gym in the country, and indicate the strength, speed and leanness that is the hallmark of every notable body ranging from the likes of Brad Pitt and Daniel Craig right through to the young Schwarzenegger in his bodybuilding pomp. In fact if you want an interesting lesson in the oft debated “ideal physique”, you can do no better than look at the most physically awe inspiring body I myself have ever witnessed – Michelangelo’s sculpture of David:

Although to the modern eye, the David sculpture may not be the most heavily muscled or even “ripped” physique in existence, the proportions are perfect and the midsection musculature notably developed from top to bottom, from the intercostals, right down to the obliques. As a personal trainer I am aware that this is the proportion if physique that most of my personal training clients are aiming for.

An Abdominal Anatomy Lesson

Although we commonly refer to them as “nice abs”, any one of you who has strived to develop an outstanding six pack will appreciate that it takes far more than doing a few sets of crunches tagged onto the end of your workout.

First of all the abs aren’t merely the “abs”. A great looking (and physically strong) midsection comprises of the rectus abdominis (the six pack muscles) that is responsible for flexing the lumbar spine and depressing the ribcage; the external obliques (the muscles that sit just over the iliac crest) that compress the abdomen and that the contraction of one side only bends the trunk laterally to the contracted side whilst rotating it to the opposite side; and the external intercostals (the muscles that sit over the lower borders of the ribs) that stabilise the ribcage during any trunk movement.

An appreciation of abdominal anatomy should help you to construct the right training programme to achieve maximum development. What makes a well defined and developed midsection look so impressive is that there is a lot of visual stimulus for the eye to be drawn to, so my experience has proven time and again that working abs from a multitude of angles is always the best way to go for maximum results in minimum time.

Quick Fix Six-Packs

Normally I make a point of stressing that success in the gym and with a personal trainer is all about paying your dues, and doing everything right time after time. Well just for once I am going to appeal to the quick fix merchants amongst you and reveal that it takes just 6 weeks of intensive training to develop your abdominal muscles to their full potential. Yes that’s right. Six weeks is all it takes. That isn’t a typo.

Now I should make myself clear, that is six weeks of gut busting (pardon the pun) all out effort where you train your abs 3 times a week for 20 minutes at a time with an intensity that would make Michael Phelps wince. But if you think about it, that is only 6 hours work for a lifetime of rippling abdominal development. After that your basic weight training movements such as squats, dips and chin ups should provide more than enough stimulus to maintain your new found midsection muscles.

And how do you achieve this miraculous feat? Not by doing 1000’s of sit ups that’s for sure! Contrary to popular belief (one still put out there by mnay misguided personal trainers) the abdominals are composed primarily of fast twitch muscle fibres, which means that they have the potential to grow quickly and respond best to rep ranges in the 8-12 bracket with a total time under tension (individual set duration) of 30-40 seconds. What works best then is to pick a series of midsection exercises (7-10 different movements) with resistance that allows for a 30-40 second set duration and then move from exercise to exercise in one giant set, resting for 15-30 seconds between sets, and 2 minutes between each individual giant set for a total of 3 giant sets.

Six-Pack Programme

The following is an example of a highly effective abdominal training programme that I myself used for a recent photo shoot. The proof of the pudding is always in the eating and this programme that I am about to give you produced the photo below of my own midsection:

Hanging Garhammer Raises – 25 reps / 1010 tempo (1 second down / 0 seconds pause at the bottom of the movement / 1 second up / 0 second pause at the top of the movement)

Hang from a chin-up bar and then raise your legs so that they are parallel to the floor. Then and only then do you start the exercise by curling the trunk up. Yes, this will be a limited range of motion, but that’s why you do high reps in order to keep the time under tension within the appropriate parameters. The better you become at this exercise the straighter you should have your legs. Top athletes of mine perform 50 straight legged hanging Garhammer raises in succession!

Weighted Crunches on a Swiss Ball – 10 reps / 2012 tempo

While lying on a Swiss Ball and holding a dumbbell on your chest, curl yourself up. Ensure that you place the ball under your lumbar region (between the hips and the rib cage basically).

Decline Leg Raises – 10 reps / 4010 tempo

Lie on your back on a decline board and then raise your legs until they are perpendicular to your body then shoot your hips up to form a bow shape from head to toe. Slowly lower your body staying as rigid as possible.

Praying Mantis – 10 reps / 4010 tempo

Kneeling on the floor, place your forearms in front of you and parallel to each other across a Swiss Ball. Draw your tummy button inward and slowly roll forward whilst keeping a neutral spine. Go as deep as you can whilst keeping perfect spinal alignment. The key point with this exercise is to roll forward as far as possible without losing your original back angle. If your lower back starts to sink down at all then you’ve gone too far.

Medicine Ball Curl Ups – 15 reps / 10X0 tempo (”x” means explosive!)

Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Have a partner throw a medicine ball into your hands as you curl downwards, and as you curl (quickly!) upwards simultaneously throw the ball back to him.

Prone Jack Knife on a Swiss Ball – 10 reps / 2011 tempo

Place your hands on the floor with your feet on a Swiss ball in a regular push up position. Draw your knees into your chest whilst trying to limit spinal movement. Think of drawing your hips up towards your knees.

Incline Russian twist – 15 reps / 2010 tempo

Sit in an incline sit up bench and do a half sit-up so that your lower back is off the board. You must strive to maintain that position during the whole exercise. Then rotate your torso from side to side. The arms are fully stretched out in front of you and they should move — only the trunk is mobile. Really dig deep and try for the longest range of motion possible.

Low Pulley Reverse Crunches – 10 reps / 2012 tempo

Attach a looped rope or weight belt to the low end of a cable pulley. Lie on your back in front of the machine and hook your legs through the loop. Ensure that your knees are bent and that the loop is resting securely on your lower thighs. It also helps if you try to place hands under your glutes.

Exhale, pulling your knees toward your chest as you contract your abs. Keep your spine flat to ensure the lower abs are doing most of the lifting

Eccentric Leg Raises – 15 reps / 10X0 tempo

Perform regular leg raises but at the top of the movement have a partner explosively push your feet downwards and towards the floor. Do I have to tell you that you must resist this manfully? And yes, by this stage you should be feeling weak, in burning pain, and be ready to curse me and my descendants for at least the next three generations. Especially when you realise that you have 2 more of these giant sets to go…

Personal Training Abdominal Cheat Sheet

Here are a few pointers to aid in isolating the upper abs so that the hips and other associated muscles don’t take over, as so often happens with regular sit-up type movements.

1) Adopt a convex posture and place the chin on chest – this preloads the abdominals making them work more effectively and harder.

2) Turn the feet in and push your big toes together – this neutralises the psoas and adductor muscles ensuring that you correctly emphasise the abdominal muscles themselves.

3) Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth as this activates the abdominal muscles.

The same principles hold true for lower abdominal exercises except that a flat spine position should be adopted.

“You can’t flex fat”

Awh, you knew this one was coming. All the stomach muscles in the world are utterly useless at impressing unless they can be seen. Ditch the doughnuts and cheese sandwiches, go to some of our earlier articles on BioSignature Modulation, and be prepared to exert self control. There is no substitute for discipline, especially if you really do want to look good naked.

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