Hi Everyone,
Today's post is for those who might be new to a gym or for those who are just plain clueless.
There are things that you should and should not do in a gym, and I wanted to share some of those things with you.
1. Clean your workout clothes after each use. No body likes to smell B.O from 2 week old clothes!
2. Bring a towel to wipe the equipment. You are going to sweat in the gym, but no body likes to sit or lay down in your sweat!!
3. Be aware of your surroundings. Gyms today are very "dynamic". Many people are walking around lunging, throwing medicine balls or swinging ropes. Be aware of what people are doing around you as you walk through the gym. I can't tell you how many times people have just about walked into me or my client as we were performing an exercise.
4. Don't drop the weights. If you can't control it down, it is to heavy. I don't care how big or strong you think you are!
5. Share. If you notice people waiting to use a piece of equipment you are using, offer to let them "work in" while performing multiple sets of an exercise, especially if a certain machine or piece of equipment is limited.
6. Un-rack machines and put away dumbbells. Not everyone is as big and manly as you!
7. Cell Phone usage. Don't sit on a machine and talk on the phone, as a matter of fact, unless your wife is 9 months pregnant and ready to pop don't talk on the phone at all on the exercise floor. And Bluetooths! Not only do you look crazy by talking to yourself, but you also tend to talk louder which is even more annoying. As far as i am concerned bluetooth headsets should not leave your car. You don't look important by wearing it around all the time, you look silly!
8. Spotting. When you notice someone struggling, spot them. Nobody likes to crush themselves with a bar......... USC football player ring a bell! And if you don't now how to spot correctly ask somebody!
9. Don't stand in front of the dumbbell rack and exercise. Get your dumbbells and move to an open space or to a bench. Allow others access to the dumbbells.
10. Wear appropriate clothing. Those too tight coaches shorts from the 70's need to stay back in the 70's.
11. Don't smoke cigarette anywhere near the gym. Most of us come to the gym to stay healthy. We don't need to smell your cigarette smoke while walking through the parking lot.
12. Locker room talk. While in the locker room, don't try to hold a conversation with me if your are buck naked! I promise I am not being rude, I just won't talk to you.
13. Grunting. A little grunting is OK, but lets not get crazy here and try to get everyone to look at you. No one likes a screamer in the gym.
14. Staring. Guys, it is OK and normal to sneak a peak at the ladies, but when that peak drags on for a while it becomes a creepy stare. Don't do it! If you are trying to watch somebody to learn an exercise, ask, don't stare.
15. Flip Flops. Now I know most shoes that are worn to the gym do not have steel toes, but with heavy weights rolling around and being dropped by people that want to look cool, do you really want your little piggies exposed. Besides, you are at the gym not the beach! Safety aside, it just looks silly. And without knowing you, I can tell that never work your lower body, or integrate movements. I would actually rather see someone train barefoot, that way they at least will have better stability than training in flip flops.
Ahhhh.... I feel better for getting that off my chest. I am sure I will think of many more.
If you have any good ones that I forgot, leave me a comment below.
Until next time,
Living life with No Excuses.........No Regrets!
Scott
Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tis the Season to Give Back....... St. Francis House
Merry Christmas Everyone,
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas spending time with their friends and families.
While many of us are very fortunate and have more "things" than we really need, this is a great time of year to think about those who do not have anything at all.
This year my family decided we should start a new tradition to give back and pay it forward during the holiday season.
As part of our Christmas eve activities, our family put together nice little bags filled with warm socks or beanies, a bible, and a candy cane that we would pass out on Christmas morning to the homeless at St. Francis House. Then on Christmas morning we all went to the St. Francis house to help serve meals. It was a great experience for myself, as well as my 6 year old son to give back to those that really need it. It was also very special to see Jacob give 3 of his toys to some little kids that probably did not get anything for Christmas.
So, nothing fitness related today, I just want to encourage you all to take some time in the upcoming year to give back and pay it forward. And remember, as a parent, it is your responsibility to teach your children compassion and provide them with opportunities to give back to the less fortunate.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2011.
Living Life with no excuses........No Regrets
Scott
Friday, December 17, 2010
"12 Days of Christmas" The Workout, 2010 Edition
Hi Everyone,
Well, it's that time of Year again. Time for my annual 12 Days of Christmas workout.
Enjoy!
Living Life with No Regrets......No Excuses!
Scott
Well, it's that time of Year again. Time for my annual 12 Days of Christmas workout.
Enjoy!
Living Life with No Regrets......No Excuses!
Scott
Thursday, December 9, 2010
"Why you can't lose weight."
Hey Everyone,
This a a re-post guest post from a guest post........... did I confuse you already? I got this from Mike Boyles blog, but it was actually written by Brandon Alleman.
This is an interesting read regarding why you might not be losing the weight or increasing your performance like you want. There are some good points here, take out of it what you want and enjoy.
Living Life with No Excuses.........No Regrets!
Scott
Here is a guest post from Brandon Alleman.
In response to e-mails requesting it, here are my Top Roadblocks to effective weight loss:
Why You Can’t Lose Weight
1. Poor relationship with food.It does not matter what you are eating or when you eat it, if you have a poor relationship with food, you are not likely to be able to lose those extra pounds. Get in touch with your Self and your food. Develop a healthy relationship with food first, then worry about the rest of this list!
2. Poor nutrition.You will never out-train bad nutrition! Stop cutting calories, stop skipping meals, stop eating processed foods, and seek the services of someone, like yours truly, who can coach you on how to determine how you should be eating. Basically, stop eating C.R.A.P. Yes, that is actually an acronym (courtesy of Dr. Sherri Rogers) which stands for C = caffeine, cola, and corn. I actually added corn to the C list. In my experience, a large percentage of people are intolerant to corn when tested accurately with blood tests. Corn is universally contaminated in the U.S. and is almost completely genetically modified at this point and is nutritionally bankrupt. It is also the most highly subsidized crop in the world. You can find corn in batteries and diapers – yes, I am serious. How ridiculous is that?! R = Refined food and white rice; A = additives and alcohol; and P = processed foods and pasteurized dairy. All of these foods will serve to make you fatter and I do not care how much ex
ercise or cardio you do – you cannot out train bad nutrition.
3. Wrong exercise.Many people are over exposing themselves to cardiovascular exercise and are simply overtraining. Remember, “work out” means that you have to expend energy to get the job done. If you are already running on empty, working “out” will only serve as an additional energy drain on the system.
4. You are doing way too much cardio.I have a previous post on the detrimental aspects of traditional cardiovascular training. An over reliance on traditional cardiovascular exercise will actually create a hormonal environment that is not conducive to building muscle and/or losing fat. You can read my post on the detrimental aspects of cardio here http://conscioushealthandperformance.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-cardio-sucks.html
5. You are cutting calories or skipping meals.Consider this when using calorie cutting to achieve your weight loss goals: Within 24 hours of going on a low calorie diet, which is defined as eating less than 2000 calories per day (according to the World Health Organization), you immediately deplete your brain chemistry and have been shown to increase fat storing (lipogenic) enzymes in the body. This is particularly important for females who already have 3 times the amount of fat storing (lipolytic) enzymes as fat burning ones. Any changes in brain chemistry will lead to cravings, usually for sugary food items. Low calorie dieting is especially damaging for anyone with a history of depression, anxiety, eating disorders or alcoholism. Remember, all of this occurs after a single day. In many cases I can run Functional Lab assessments to determine how nutritionally depleted my clients are. Anyone with a history of chronic yo-yo dieting, calorie restriction, or long-term use of most medications is likely to have severe nutriti
onal deficiencies.
6. Poor attitude and/or stinkin’ thinkin’.
You must have a positive frame of mind when making nutritional and lifestyle modifications if they are to be part of a lasting change. If you start a new exercise or nutritional program with a poor attitude and thoughts of what you are giving up or losing by making the necessary changes, you are doomed from the start.
7. Lack of Quiet Time.Quiet time is necessary for introspection so that you can get very clear about what you want and why you want it. No quiet time means you have no time for introspection, which means all you are doing day in and day out is pouring yourself out. This will lead you to being very fatigued. I recommend sitting quietly in a dark room (alone) and just breathe and be a witness to your thoughts for at least 20-30 minutes per day!
8. Adrenal fatigue.The adrenals are linked to the function of nearly every major physiological system in the body. If they are wiped out due to chronic stress of any kind, you will have a hard time losing weight despite even the best nutritional and exercise efforts.
9. Thyroid Dysfunction.The thyroid is a key regulator of metabolism. When dysfunctional, this gland will serve as a major roadblock to weight loss success. The function of the gland is also related to the function of the adrenals.
10. Hormonal Imbalances.Forget about losing weight in the presence of hormonal issues. It simply will not happen.
11. Poor Detoxification Capacity.The body stores toxins in fat. If you have a history of eating the Standard American Diet (loaded with toxins), your detoxification system is likely overloaded. With that, you are likely to not have the nutrition on board to run the primary and secondary detoxification pathways efficiently. When this is the case, the body will not allow you to burn fat to prevent the further overloading the detoxification system. This is obviously not good for your fat loss goals.
12. Poor Sleep.The body handles its physical and neurogenic/psychogenic repair during the hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Poor and disrupted sleep can lead to issues in virtually any physiological system in the body. Poor sleep can also lead to over consumption of carbohydrates, stimulant (caffeine, sugar, etc.) cravings, fatigue, and poor mood to name a few. These will all sabotage your weight loss efforts.
13. You have no purpose.It has been my observation that those individuals who view their life as connected to the world as a whole and view their life as one with meaning and purpose have a much easier time losing weight when given the correct advice for accomplishing that task. If you do not have a clearly defined purpose for the use of your life’s energy, you will be dealing with chronic stress everyday -even if you think you are not! That stressor can easily sabotage weight loss efforts.
14. You make poor choices.Many people simply do not know the proper nutrition and lifestyle choices to make when it comes to trying to lose those extra pounds. They may have no real issues in the above-mentioned areas, but they simply make lousy choices on a daily basis and no one has taught them how to make better ones. You can often find these people running from place to place, doctor to doctor, and on and on – trying to figure out what is “wrong” with them. The only thing wrong is that they have made a series of rotten choices and need to learn to make different ones. Remember, the definition of insanity according to our good friend Alert Einstein is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Well, there you have them (in no particular order I might add). My top reasons you are not losing weight. I look forward to your comments, e-mails, and posts.
Love and Chi,
Brandon Alleman, CHEK 3, HHP
----------------------------------------------
Yours in Strength,
Mike Boyle
www.FunctionalStrengthCoach3.com
This a a re-post guest post from a guest post........... did I confuse you already? I got this from Mike Boyles blog, but it was actually written by Brandon Alleman.
This is an interesting read regarding why you might not be losing the weight or increasing your performance like you want. There are some good points here, take out of it what you want and enjoy.
Living Life with No Excuses.........No Regrets!
Scott
Here is a guest post from Brandon Alleman.
In response to e-mails requesting it, here are my Top Roadblocks to effective weight loss:
Why You Can’t Lose Weight
1. Poor relationship with food.It does not matter what you are eating or when you eat it, if you have a poor relationship with food, you are not likely to be able to lose those extra pounds. Get in touch with your Self and your food. Develop a healthy relationship with food first, then worry about the rest of this list!
2. Poor nutrition.You will never out-train bad nutrition! Stop cutting calories, stop skipping meals, stop eating processed foods, and seek the services of someone, like yours truly, who can coach you on how to determine how you should be eating. Basically, stop eating C.R.A.P. Yes, that is actually an acronym (courtesy of Dr. Sherri Rogers) which stands for C = caffeine, cola, and corn. I actually added corn to the C list. In my experience, a large percentage of people are intolerant to corn when tested accurately with blood tests. Corn is universally contaminated in the U.S. and is almost completely genetically modified at this point and is nutritionally bankrupt. It is also the most highly subsidized crop in the world. You can find corn in batteries and diapers – yes, I am serious. How ridiculous is that?! R = Refined food and white rice; A = additives and alcohol; and P = processed foods and pasteurized dairy. All of these foods will serve to make you fatter and I do not care how much ex
ercise or cardio you do – you cannot out train bad nutrition.
3. Wrong exercise.Many people are over exposing themselves to cardiovascular exercise and are simply overtraining. Remember, “work out” means that you have to expend energy to get the job done. If you are already running on empty, working “out” will only serve as an additional energy drain on the system.
4. You are doing way too much cardio.I have a previous post on the detrimental aspects of traditional cardiovascular training. An over reliance on traditional cardiovascular exercise will actually create a hormonal environment that is not conducive to building muscle and/or losing fat. You can read my post on the detrimental aspects of cardio here http://conscioushealthandperformance.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-cardio-sucks.html
5. You are cutting calories or skipping meals.Consider this when using calorie cutting to achieve your weight loss goals: Within 24 hours of going on a low calorie diet, which is defined as eating less than 2000 calories per day (according to the World Health Organization), you immediately deplete your brain chemistry and have been shown to increase fat storing (lipogenic) enzymes in the body. This is particularly important for females who already have 3 times the amount of fat storing (lipolytic) enzymes as fat burning ones. Any changes in brain chemistry will lead to cravings, usually for sugary food items. Low calorie dieting is especially damaging for anyone with a history of depression, anxiety, eating disorders or alcoholism. Remember, all of this occurs after a single day. In many cases I can run Functional Lab assessments to determine how nutritionally depleted my clients are. Anyone with a history of chronic yo-yo dieting, calorie restriction, or long-term use of most medications is likely to have severe nutriti
onal deficiencies.
6. Poor attitude and/or stinkin’ thinkin’.
You must have a positive frame of mind when making nutritional and lifestyle modifications if they are to be part of a lasting change. If you start a new exercise or nutritional program with a poor attitude and thoughts of what you are giving up or losing by making the necessary changes, you are doomed from the start.
7. Lack of Quiet Time.Quiet time is necessary for introspection so that you can get very clear about what you want and why you want it. No quiet time means you have no time for introspection, which means all you are doing day in and day out is pouring yourself out. This will lead you to being very fatigued. I recommend sitting quietly in a dark room (alone) and just breathe and be a witness to your thoughts for at least 20-30 minutes per day!
8. Adrenal fatigue.The adrenals are linked to the function of nearly every major physiological system in the body. If they are wiped out due to chronic stress of any kind, you will have a hard time losing weight despite even the best nutritional and exercise efforts.
9. Thyroid Dysfunction.The thyroid is a key regulator of metabolism. When dysfunctional, this gland will serve as a major roadblock to weight loss success. The function of the gland is also related to the function of the adrenals.
10. Hormonal Imbalances.Forget about losing weight in the presence of hormonal issues. It simply will not happen.
11. Poor Detoxification Capacity.The body stores toxins in fat. If you have a history of eating the Standard American Diet (loaded with toxins), your detoxification system is likely overloaded. With that, you are likely to not have the nutrition on board to run the primary and secondary detoxification pathways efficiently. When this is the case, the body will not allow you to burn fat to prevent the further overloading the detoxification system. This is obviously not good for your fat loss goals.
12. Poor Sleep.The body handles its physical and neurogenic/psychogenic repair during the hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Poor and disrupted sleep can lead to issues in virtually any physiological system in the body. Poor sleep can also lead to over consumption of carbohydrates, stimulant (caffeine, sugar, etc.) cravings, fatigue, and poor mood to name a few. These will all sabotage your weight loss efforts.
13. You have no purpose.It has been my observation that those individuals who view their life as connected to the world as a whole and view their life as one with meaning and purpose have a much easier time losing weight when given the correct advice for accomplishing that task. If you do not have a clearly defined purpose for the use of your life’s energy, you will be dealing with chronic stress everyday -even if you think you are not! That stressor can easily sabotage weight loss efforts.
14. You make poor choices.Many people simply do not know the proper nutrition and lifestyle choices to make when it comes to trying to lose those extra pounds. They may have no real issues in the above-mentioned areas, but they simply make lousy choices on a daily basis and no one has taught them how to make better ones. You can often find these people running from place to place, doctor to doctor, and on and on – trying to figure out what is “wrong” with them. The only thing wrong is that they have made a series of rotten choices and need to learn to make different ones. Remember, the definition of insanity according to our good friend Alert Einstein is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Well, there you have them (in no particular order I might add). My top reasons you are not losing weight. I look forward to your comments, e-mails, and posts.
Love and Chi,
Brandon Alleman, CHEK 3, HHP
----------------------------------------------
Yours in Strength,
Mike Boyle
www.FunctionalStrengthCoach3.com
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The "Travel Workout"
Hi Everyone,
Tonight I am writing you from my hotel in Maitland, Florida where I am attending a "Nutrition for Fitness Professional" workshop by Dr. Jane Pentz. It is about 11 pm and I just finished my hotel workout while watching the ACC championship game.
In the next couple of days I plan on posting some great nutrition tips that I have been learning, but tonight I wanted to share with you my hotel workout that I just completed.
This is a great 20-30 minute workout that you can do anywhere and requires no equipment. It is done in a "ladder" format, which means you start with 1 rep of each exercise in the circuit, then do 2 reps of each, followed by 3 reps of each all the way up to 10 reps of each exercise. You will complete the entire ladder non-stop with no breaks or rest.
Here it is....
1. Prisoner Squats
2. Lunges
3. Pushups.
After you complete the ladder of the above exercise you will then do my "crunch complex". Complete 3 rounds of the crunch complex.
1. Toe touch crunch, 16 reps (8 each leg)(lay on your back with you arms reached over head and legs out straight. As you crunch pull one knee towards your chest and reach for your toes with your hands. Then extend back out and repeat with the other leg)
2. Supine knee extensions, 15 reps (lye on your back with your hands resting under your butt. Pull both knees to your chest, then extend your legs straight out until they are about 8- 10 inches above the ground. Then pull your knees back in towards your chest. Be sure that your back does not arch)
3. Plank hover, 30 sec.
Enjoy this workout no matter where you are to stay consistent with your training!
Living with No Regrets........ No Excuses!
Scott
Tonight I am writing you from my hotel in Maitland, Florida where I am attending a "Nutrition for Fitness Professional" workshop by Dr. Jane Pentz. It is about 11 pm and I just finished my hotel workout while watching the ACC championship game.
In the next couple of days I plan on posting some great nutrition tips that I have been learning, but tonight I wanted to share with you my hotel workout that I just completed.
This is a great 20-30 minute workout that you can do anywhere and requires no equipment. It is done in a "ladder" format, which means you start with 1 rep of each exercise in the circuit, then do 2 reps of each, followed by 3 reps of each all the way up to 10 reps of each exercise. You will complete the entire ladder non-stop with no breaks or rest.
Here it is....
1. Prisoner Squats
2. Lunges
3. Pushups.
After you complete the ladder of the above exercise you will then do my "crunch complex". Complete 3 rounds of the crunch complex.
1. Toe touch crunch, 16 reps (8 each leg)(lay on your back with you arms reached over head and legs out straight. As you crunch pull one knee towards your chest and reach for your toes with your hands. Then extend back out and repeat with the other leg)
2. Supine knee extensions, 15 reps (lye on your back with your hands resting under your butt. Pull both knees to your chest, then extend your legs straight out until they are about 8- 10 inches above the ground. Then pull your knees back in towards your chest. Be sure that your back does not arch)
3. Plank hover, 30 sec.
Enjoy this workout no matter where you are to stay consistent with your training!
Living with No Regrets........ No Excuses!
Scott
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