I just recently had an epiphany when thinking about two different topics for my blog when I realized that they were actually intertwined and should be tied together to facilitate your exercise and fitness programs!
First, people always ask me what they should be doing with their exercise programs. Almost always, I end up telling them to stop doing whatever it is they’re doing 1st, then we’ll talk about what they need to do. Remove the time and energy wasters, THEN worry about adding on. If you continue to do the things that aren’t working (and obviously, they aren’t working or you wouldn’t be asking me for my advice) you’ll still be wasting time and spinning your wheels no matter what else you start doing that’s new.
Secondly, I noticed that a) most people make resolutions that they never stick to, and b) these resolutions are all things they are going to “do”.
So I took these two observations and combined them into a list of New Year’s resolutions for you:
Here are the top 10 things you need to STOP doing in ’10 to fully achieve your exercise goals, and start to look and feel like the clients at The Training Rim! (If you already are a client – pass these along to your friend who still goes to mega box gym and doesn’t know any better!)
In 2010, you resolve to:
1. Stop doing cardio.
Seriously, enough already. It doesn’t reduce body fat and it doesn’t make you healthy. In fact, it’s going to hurt you. If that’s your thing, great, godspeed to you. But if you’re doing it because you think it’s good for you, for the love of God please stop.
2. Stop stretching your spine.
Flexing, extending and rotating the spine will injure you, period. There isn’t a respected spinal researcher in the world who will tell you differently. Your back doesn’t need to be stretched, twisted or strengthened – it needs to STOP MOVING. Go work on your hip mobility, please. Your back will thank you.
3. Stop thinking the biggest loser is real.
It’s enjoyable TV, nothing more. No, you shouldn’t be doing ANYTHING they do on the show. They do what they do to get you to watch – NOT to get people healthy.
4. Stop thinking the PX90 or any other flavor of the week is anything but a sales gimmick.
How many infomercial fads have to come and go before you realize there really isn’t some new secret gimmick or tool to buy to help you. C’mon, now…
5. Stop thinking you know what you’re doing.
I’ve been a trainer for 10 years, exercising for 20. I have a Masters Degree in Exercise Science. I learn something new every day in regards to human movement. Things I did a few years ago, I don’t do anymore because now I know better. Do you know what all this means? You will never – repeat NEVER – have it down, know what you’re doing, etc. You may know more than you used to know, but you still have a long way to go. We ALL do.
6. Stop telling yourself “carbs” are bad.
Your body needs carbohydrates. One of our trainers, Dina is a vegetarian, so by definition 100% of what she eats are “carbs”. Dina has less body fat than an aluminum pole. End of discussion.
7. Stop expecting results when you barely ever exercise.
My next blog is on this topic, so more to come. Short version: If you don’t plan on consistently exercising for a long period of time, you will NEVER get results.
8. Stop thinking you don’t need a trainer.
I need a trainer. I jump into our small group sessions all the time and I’m amazed by how better and more efficiently I perform when I’m guided by a knowledgeable professional.
9. Stop doing crunches and sit ups.
Revisit #2. Your abdominal muscles ARE NOT DESIGNED TO MOVE YOUR SPINE – they are designed to hold your spine still. Then on top of that, you’re not burning any calories and you’re more likely to add muscle, and therefore adding size to your mid section. No, crunches are not “core work” – they are stupid.
10. Sitting on machines.
My God, seriously, GET UP! Who ever came up with the idea that sitting on a machine or bench is a better choice than supporting your own body weight? I just came from a big box mega gym and I counted 77 people working out. ONE – yes, ONE - person was not on a piece of equipment, bench, cardio machine, etc. She was working out ON HER FEET with some dumbbells and body weight exercises. Guess who had the best body in the gym?
Don’t hesitate to email me if I forgot one: thetrainingrim@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
What Horse's Arse did that?!?
We are HUGE on always asking "why?" around here. We will NEVER perform exercises or programs simply because other people have done them forever. I.e., we haven't done crunches here for years. Why should we? Because other people say so? We haven't done crunches for years and all our clients and trainers agree we have stronger abs since eliminating crunches.
Along those lines, here's a quick story on why you should always ask "why?" It has a great lesson on choosing exercises and in life in general.
(Courtesy of Alwyn Cosgrove, one of the most respected trainers on the planet):
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used? Because that’s the way they built them in England and English expatriates designed the US railroads.
Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.
Why did ‘they’ use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagonwheels would break on some of the old long distance roads in England, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing… Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
Bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder ‘What horse’s ass came up with this?’, you may be exactly right.
Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses (Two horses’ asses).
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.
These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah.
The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.
The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse’s ass.
Along those lines, here's a quick story on why you should always ask "why?" It has a great lesson on choosing exercises and in life in general.
(Courtesy of Alwyn Cosgrove, one of the most respected trainers on the planet):
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used? Because that’s the way they built them in England and English expatriates designed the US railroads.
Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.
Why did ‘they’ use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagonwheels would break on some of the old long distance roads in England, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing… Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
Bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder ‘What horse’s ass came up with this?’, you may be exactly right.
Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses (Two horses’ asses).
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.
These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah.
The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.
The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse’s ass.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Stockings, Crack and The Training Rim
Every now and then that little light bulb goes on over my head and I say, “Hmmm…now THAT’S interesting.” This happens far less frequently as the aging process takes it course, but as they say, even the Mona Lisa is falling apart.
One of my clients once referred to my facility as “like crack” for her. She just loved the energy and feeling she received when she came and had to get more of it.
Then that light bulb went on…
Over the course of history, society has been altered dramatically by products simply being re-packaged. Someone took an already existing product and found a way to alter it slightly to make it even better than its original form. And when I say “better”, I mean similar quality and less cost.
I’ll give you two examples:
1. Nylon stockings:
There was a time long, long ago when silk stockings were the only type of stockings that existed. The problem was that although they looked and felt great (so I’m told), they were ridiculously fragile and expensive. Not a good combination unless you were extremely wealthy.
Then some dude invented nylon stockings. Looked good, felt good, and were durable and inexpensive. All of a sudden, a luxury item was affordable to the masses.
2. Crack Cocaine:
There was a time when cocaine was a very chic choice among those who used illegal drugs. I remember being a kid when it seemed like a day didn’t go by where there wasn’t a pro athlete, movie star, model, etc that wasn’t in the news for having a cocaine problem.
But again, as much as people liked cocaine, it was a very expensive option if recreational drugs were your thing. Hence, pro athletes and movie stars being pretty much the only users.
Then someone came along, took cocaine, mixed it with a few other things and invented crack cocaine. Crack was a much less expensive, but just as potent option.
Again, a luxury item for the masses.
Of course the impact this had on our society in terms of crime issues is the NOT point of my writing this. The point I’m making is like nylon stockings, someone figured out a way to bring what was once a luxury item and make it affordable to almost anybody.
So what does this have to do with exercise?
The fitness and exercise industry are in the EXACT SAME SITUATION as the stocking and illicit drug industries were years ago.
Gym memberships are inexpensive but they don’t work. If you think they do you’re not paying attention.
One on one personal training can be expensive. Especially if you go to the mega chain gyms of the world where $80 per hour is the norm to work with a trainer with very little education and experience.
Enter small group personal training.
Small group personal training brings the luxury of personal training at a very affordable rate.
If you haven’t experienced our small group sessions, here’s what it’s like:
At each session, you’re instructed and guided by a trainer. Every exercise, repetition, set, tempo, etc is chosen for you. And you are watched like a HAWK to be sure you’re doing the exercise correctly.
The only catch is that you’ll share the session with 2 or 3 other people on average. Which incidentally, research has shown INCREASES your chances of reaching your goals.
You get the benefits of a personal trainer – so what about the cost?
The cost is something that over 90% of us can afford. You know how I know that?
Because small group training with us costs less than what most of us pay for cable TV. And over 90% of the people reading this have cable TV.
A personal trainer starting at $129 per month.
Luxury for the masses baby, luxury for the masses.
Author's note: Some of the above information was borrowed from Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt - two brilliant guys and the authors of "Freakonomics". A great book if you haven't read it.
One of my clients once referred to my facility as “like crack” for her. She just loved the energy and feeling she received when she came and had to get more of it.
Then that light bulb went on…
Over the course of history, society has been altered dramatically by products simply being re-packaged. Someone took an already existing product and found a way to alter it slightly to make it even better than its original form. And when I say “better”, I mean similar quality and less cost.
I’ll give you two examples:
1. Nylon stockings:
There was a time long, long ago when silk stockings were the only type of stockings that existed. The problem was that although they looked and felt great (so I’m told), they were ridiculously fragile and expensive. Not a good combination unless you were extremely wealthy.
Then some dude invented nylon stockings. Looked good, felt good, and were durable and inexpensive. All of a sudden, a luxury item was affordable to the masses.
2. Crack Cocaine:
There was a time when cocaine was a very chic choice among those who used illegal drugs. I remember being a kid when it seemed like a day didn’t go by where there wasn’t a pro athlete, movie star, model, etc that wasn’t in the news for having a cocaine problem.
But again, as much as people liked cocaine, it was a very expensive option if recreational drugs were your thing. Hence, pro athletes and movie stars being pretty much the only users.
Then someone came along, took cocaine, mixed it with a few other things and invented crack cocaine. Crack was a much less expensive, but just as potent option.
Again, a luxury item for the masses.
Of course the impact this had on our society in terms of crime issues is the NOT point of my writing this. The point I’m making is like nylon stockings, someone figured out a way to bring what was once a luxury item and make it affordable to almost anybody.
So what does this have to do with exercise?
The fitness and exercise industry are in the EXACT SAME SITUATION as the stocking and illicit drug industries were years ago.
Gym memberships are inexpensive but they don’t work. If you think they do you’re not paying attention.
One on one personal training can be expensive. Especially if you go to the mega chain gyms of the world where $80 per hour is the norm to work with a trainer with very little education and experience.
Enter small group personal training.
Small group personal training brings the luxury of personal training at a very affordable rate.
If you haven’t experienced our small group sessions, here’s what it’s like:
At each session, you’re instructed and guided by a trainer. Every exercise, repetition, set, tempo, etc is chosen for you. And you are watched like a HAWK to be sure you’re doing the exercise correctly.
The only catch is that you’ll share the session with 2 or 3 other people on average. Which incidentally, research has shown INCREASES your chances of reaching your goals.
You get the benefits of a personal trainer – so what about the cost?
The cost is something that over 90% of us can afford. You know how I know that?
Because small group training with us costs less than what most of us pay for cable TV. And over 90% of the people reading this have cable TV.
A personal trainer starting at $129 per month.
Luxury for the masses baby, luxury for the masses.
Author's note: Some of the above information was borrowed from Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt - two brilliant guys and the authors of "Freakonomics". A great book if you haven't read it.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Race Horse vs. The Bear
I was recently the guest speaker at a business networking luncheon. I chose and spoke of the topic “Fat Loss Secrets” because typically losing body fat is the only universal topic among all people who exercise. (I’ve yet to have anyone approach me on how to ADD body fat…) And given the status of our society, apparently there are secrets.
As is my habit, I ventured off into the bio-mechanics and physiological mumbo-jumbo jargon of which most people could not care less. As a result, I told my audience to simply always remember the analogy of the race horse and the bear.
It must have worked because I received a ton of compliments after the speech and a flood of emails later on telling me what a great analogy it was and how it was going to help people stay on track with their training.
Additionally, because it seems I’ve received so many questions regarding cardio training and eating questions lately I decided to post this, knowing it will help on both counts. So with advanced apologies to those who may have heard it before…
Think about how race horses exercise. They sprint as hard as they can for as long as they can, which typically is only for a minute or two. Then they rest. Then they repeat that process again and again. As they become better conditioned, they either run faster, or shorten the rest periods. They don’t increase the duration of their running sessions.
Now think about how a race horse eats. It nibbles on grain, oats, etc ALL DAY LONG. Given the physical size of race horses, oats and grain don’t seem like very much. But they’ll ingest their food in very small portions spread out throughout the day.
Now let’s turn to the bear. They lay around for months at a time. Then they meander around a country side for long periods until they find a stream. When they find one, they park themselves in it.
Then the bear will stand in the stream and swat and eat every fish that comes by until the bear can barely stand anymore from being so full. Then he’ll wander back and lie down and repeat the process over and over.
Have you ever seen a race horse up close? If you haven’t, it’s alarming how strong, and muscular they are with absolutely ZERO body fat. I’ve never tried to pinch one, nor do I recommend it, but I doubt you’d be able to.
Remember what a bear looks like? If anyone tells you that you look like a bear, trust me, it’s not a compliment.
And I’m not even going to get into the discussion of WHAT they’re eating: grains, oats (OH MY GOD! NOT CARBS!!!) for the race horse and fish (pure, lean protein) for the bear. Reason #563 my head explodes when people tell me they need to “watch their carbs”…uuggghhh…
Again:
Short intense training + portion control = ripped.
Long slow training + gorging = fat.
Here endeth the lesson:
As is my habit, I ventured off into the bio-mechanics and physiological mumbo-jumbo jargon of which most people could not care less. As a result, I told my audience to simply always remember the analogy of the race horse and the bear.
It must have worked because I received a ton of compliments after the speech and a flood of emails later on telling me what a great analogy it was and how it was going to help people stay on track with their training.
Additionally, because it seems I’ve received so many questions regarding cardio training and eating questions lately I decided to post this, knowing it will help on both counts. So with advanced apologies to those who may have heard it before…
Think about how race horses exercise. They sprint as hard as they can for as long as they can, which typically is only for a minute or two. Then they rest. Then they repeat that process again and again. As they become better conditioned, they either run faster, or shorten the rest periods. They don’t increase the duration of their running sessions.
Now think about how a race horse eats. It nibbles on grain, oats, etc ALL DAY LONG. Given the physical size of race horses, oats and grain don’t seem like very much. But they’ll ingest their food in very small portions spread out throughout the day.
Now let’s turn to the bear. They lay around for months at a time. Then they meander around a country side for long periods until they find a stream. When they find one, they park themselves in it.
Then the bear will stand in the stream and swat and eat every fish that comes by until the bear can barely stand anymore from being so full. Then he’ll wander back and lie down and repeat the process over and over.
Have you ever seen a race horse up close? If you haven’t, it’s alarming how strong, and muscular they are with absolutely ZERO body fat. I’ve never tried to pinch one, nor do I recommend it, but I doubt you’d be able to.
Remember what a bear looks like? If anyone tells you that you look like a bear, trust me, it’s not a compliment.
And I’m not even going to get into the discussion of WHAT they’re eating: grains, oats (OH MY GOD! NOT CARBS!!!) for the race horse and fish (pure, lean protein) for the bear. Reason #563 my head explodes when people tell me they need to “watch their carbs”…uuggghhh…
Again:
Short intense training + portion control = ripped.
Long slow training + gorging = fat.
Here endeth the lesson:
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