Lose the fat around the…

If you live in the Atlanta area and are looking to lose fat and inches around the midsection, belly, hips, thighs, or any other body pat I can help.

Through bodyweight exercises, weight lifting , and some hard work I can help you get the body you want and have imagined.

Send you contact info to weightworkout@yahoo.ca to get the help you deserve.

Atlanta Personal Training For Fat Loss of the THIGHS, HIPS, and STOMACH

Nutrition tip of the Week

Mood Eating

Most people eat based on their mood and/or some subjective feelings of hunger. They don't eat based on what their bodies need. Think of it this way: you're about to take a long drive on a stretch of highway with no gas station. Do you fail to stop for gas before you hit the road because you're 'not in the mood?' Of course not. Think of eating in the same way. Eating fuels your metabolic engine. So it's time to start feeling like eating so that you can stop feeling like you're scrawny. by Dr. John Berardi

SEE ALSO: This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Dumbell Whip-Arounds

For Explosive Core Power

Play any sports? Want to improve your performance on the field or in the gym? This simple rotational
exercise will build TREMENDOUS explosiveness that will add yards to your golf drives,
speed to your throws, and build devastating punching power for combat sports.


So who DOESN'T want a stronger, more explosive core. Show of hands...

I've got a GREAT exercise for you for developing explosive rotational power in the core area. This is EXACTLY what you need for hitting a golf ball further, throwing faster and hitting harder - without rotational power, all you've got is the power in your limbs and that's NOTHING compared to the overall power you can generate with your core.

I call this exercise the "Dumbell Whip Around" because that's basically what you're going to do!

This is a challenging core rotational exercise - you're going to be swinging the dumbell around ALMOST like you're swinging a discus to throw.

The key is this...

You're going to use a lot of power and momentum on one side to get the weight moving but, instead of using muscle action on that same side to stop/slow the movement, you'll use the core muscles on your OTHER side to "catch it," then stop it, then whip the dumbell back around to the original start position for another go.

Sounds confusing, but you'll see what I mean. Basically, the reason this works so well for building explosive core power is that because the muscles that start the explosive movement don't have to work to SLOW the explosive movement, it teaches them to explode that much more effectively. There's no deceleration hesitation in the core and you can sling the dumbell around at MACH speed.

PLEASE NOTE: With this one, be VERY sure you don't go too heavy to start with - this is a rotational exercise and if you haven't done much rotational work, you could strain yourself. We don't want that! So start light and work your way up as you feel comfortable! But once you're ready, don't be afraid to use some weight!

For this exercise, you'll need one dumbell. Pick it up in your right hand and hold it at your side. Your feet should be set apart a bit - you're going to be generating force through your legs up into the core - and they need to be apart for stability.

Swing the dumbell back and around behind your body like you're winding up. Keep your knees bent and midsection tight!

Now whip that dumbell around as explosively and as fast as you can! It's almost like throwing a discus (rotational and explosive movement) like you were trying to sling the dumbell as far away from you as possible. Hold on TIGHT, though, as not everybody has concrete walls in their gym like I do...

Now here's the trick - as you whip the dumbell around, "catch" the dumbell in your other hand and use your OTHER arm/side abs to slow the momentum.

The slowing of momentum should take the dumbell all the way around behind you in the other direction.

Now using BOTH hands, whip that dumbell back around the OTHER way to where you started from. Use a powerful push from the left hand and a powerful pull from the right hand (they'll work together on this whip around back to the start position).

Here's the key - the turnaround point. Don't hesitate AT ALL at the change of direction. When you stop the rotation one way IMMEDIATELY and explosively whip that dumbell back around. We're trying to put rotational torque on the core muscles (safely, of course) and that change of direction and momentum is the most important point.

So do your reps on one side (about 4 to 6 reps - explosive movements shouldn't be done for more than that or you start hitting the wrong fiber types and losing explosiveness), then switch hands and repeat on the other side...same movement, direction reversed.

Perform the same number of reps on this side as you did on the first side. I like to stick to just 2 or 3 sets of this one. Any more than that and your core will get too fatigued and it won't be "quality" work anymore, which is critical for an explosive rotational core exercise.

I HIGHLY recommend checking out the video for this exercise to see exactly how the whip-around is performed. It'll give you an idea of the power and speed you should be using when you do the exercise.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Women, Weights are the Way to go

It’s the staple diet of most weight-conscious women these days - a sensible eating program and a regular exercise routine. It makes them feel good about themselves, it keeps them stress-free, and it helps them sleep well each night. Their energy levels are on the up, and they feel able to go from day to day without worrying about putting on weight. They know well enough to attribute this feeling of wellness to the sweat and toil of their daily workout, but mention the phrase weight training and watch them shrink back like they’ve been burned.

It’s a common misconception that most women carry around with them like excess baggage – that working out with weights is liable to give them bulging biceps and well-rounded thighs like those seen on professional body builders. Au contraire, there are various benefits that accrue to women when they start working with weights, some of which I’ve listed below:

Weight training helps build muscles, not the ones that are clearly visible on a body builder’s façade, but the ones that help boost your metabolism. The higher your metabolic rate, the faster you burn the calories you eat. If you’ve wondered how some people you know are able to eat all they want and not gain a single pound, the answer lies in their metabolism – they simply burn all they pack in, leaving nothing to be stored as fat on their bodies.
When you work with weights, you build your strength. Stronger bones and muscles allow you more stamina during the course of your daily routine and prevent the onset of osteoporosis and arthritis, diseases that women are more prone to than men when they hit menopause.
Your body looks so much better because of the toned muscles, a look that does not come with doing just aerobic exercises.
Weight training allows you to exercise specific parts of your body rather than just the whole as with cardio workouts; you can target those areas which are the biggest, like your thighs or abdomen and work on getting them into shape.
An exercise routine with just cardio workouts burns both fat and muscle, which means you end up slowing your metabolism, and one with only weight training does not make your fat deposits disappear. You need combine the both cardio and weights so that you get the best of both and keep your body looking fit and healthy.

Remember to drink lots of water and eat sensibly, a diet high in protein, complex carbohydrates and good fats, when you work out with weights. Don’t worry about looking like a muscular man, because unless you’re on testosterone supplements or anabolic steroids, there’s no way you’re going to get that body builder’s look.


By-line:

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of X-Ray Technician programs. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.


Atlanta Personal Trainer to Help With Weight Loss?


Atlanta area personal fitness coach that comes to you. Contact me here jason@inthegym.info

Monday, August 4, 2008

Why Your Glutes Are Small, Flat and Shapeless…

Body position and posture has a HUGE impact on how you look. Get the inside scoop on how
something as simple as how you stand could be why your
glutes are small and flat (and your back hurts!).


If you're one of the MANY men and women who want larger, firmer, rounder glutes but haven't had much luck in building them, THIS is the article for you.

I know it's popular to say "it's not your fault" about almost anything these days...but in this case, it actually COULD be your fault...and you don't even know it!

You see, something as simple as your everyday posture could be responsible for the tough time you're having building up those glutes of your dreams.

Let's set genetics aside for a moment - while it's true that genetics CAN and DO play a big part in how your body develops, blaming a small, flat butt completely on genetics then just giving up is just not an option I'm going to let you get away with... :)

First, a little functional anatomy - we need to know and understand HOW the glutes work. Relax - nothing too technical here - just a little info so you'll be able to take these concepts and put them to work for you right NOW.

Everybody knows WHERE the glutes are, so I won't get into that. If you don't, you're sitting on them right now...heck, they're following you everywhere you go!

The glutes are among the biggest muscles in the body because their main function is movement (technically, it's to extend the hip backwards) and movement is VERY important. This backwards extension of the hip is what moves you forward with every step you take. It's what moves your body up when you take a step up on a stair. It's ALSO what helps keep your body upright and stabilized while standing.

So how can your posture and how you STAND possibly impact this big muscle and how it works and grows?

Well, I'll tell you!

First, you'll need to do an easy visual test on yourself in the mirror. This is going to help determine if your posture is causing your glutes to shrink up and not respond well to training.

Go to a long mirror and stand beside it so that your side is towards it (you're not facing it right now). Don't look in the mirror yet. Now stand like you're waiting for a bus or you're in line at the movies - "normally." Make sure you're standing on both feet with your weight evenly distributed (not on one foot or the other). Relax and don't try and do anything differently than you do in everyday life (if you try and fix yourself now, you'll mess up the test).

NOW keeping that exact same body position, turn JUST YOUR HEAD and look in the mirror. We're going to look at where your hips are in relation to where your shoulders are.

Ideally, you want your hips to be in a direct up-and-down line with your shoulders so you're standing up straight.

But what we'll often see (especially in the cases of those who have trouble building their glutes and feeling them working when training glute exercises) is that the hips are FORWARD of the shoulders and the butt is kind of "tucked" under the hips.

So instead of a vertical line like this: |

The body forms a forward angle kind of like this: <

When the hips shift forward like this, the glutes are taken almost completely out of the postural chain - they become relaxed and little work is required of them.

The immediate problem with THIS is that the glutes then get weaker and smaller. But the REAL problem (and the one that affects your glute-building) is the STRUCTURAL change that takes place in your body in the long term.

Over the course of YEARS of this "hips-forward" posture, your body will strengthen OTHER muscles and tendons to take over the loads and functions that the glutes were supposed to be in charge of. It can also lead to back pain and overstretching of the abdominals, which makes your stomach LOOK bigger than it actually is!

Don't have a mirror? Another good way to test yourself on this without a mirror is this: stand up right where you are and stand up straight with posture like you're a soldier standing guard. If this feels EXTREMELY weird to you and it's an effort to hold that position for more than a few moments, chances are your body has undergone the structural changes I talked about.
Eventually, these structural changes in your body will carry over to walking and exercising! Your body will not properly recruit the glute muscles when it comes time to do squatting and lunging movements even if it LOOKS like you're doing them correctly.

The thighs will tend to take over the movement to compensate for the reduction in glute function. The body, quite simply, isn't USED to using the glutes anymore and has a hard time activating them.

This means even when you do direct exercises to work the glutes, your body is unable to properly USE the glutes to perform the exercises!

And when you walk, instead of using the glutes to actively PUSH yourself forward with each step, you'll have a short stride and a more "shuffling" gait (this happens because your leg isn't coming back far enough behind you).

You're using your hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your hips) to bring your leg forward with each step but you're using GRAVITY and momentum (in a way, you're almost falling forward with each step) to keep moving, NOT pushing with your glutes!

SO HOW DO WE FIX IT?

Well, the first BIG step is to be mindful of your posture and how you stand. It's going to be strange at first - you're going to forget yourself and have to constantly be your own "posture police" to keep yourself straight and upright. You might have even to recruit friends and family members to "keep you honest" and remind you when your hips start drifting forward.

We're basically going to be looking to reverse YEARS of "glute-reducing" posture here, so it's something that will take time. The upside is, you will most likely start feeling more confident and looking better almost immediately when you make the effort to stand up straight!

The extra work your glutes are going to get simply by doing what they're supposed to should start helping you increase glute size and firmness rapidly as well.

Abdominal exercises can also help here, by tightening up abs that have gotten overstretched from this "hips-forward" posture. Keeping your abs tight and "in" will help you keep your hips back and in the right position.

Finally, when you're walking, you should focus on actively PUSHING yourself forward with the glutes with each step you take. You'll end up taking longer strides and getting places sooner, which is not a bad thing either.

Bottom line (no pun intended!), we have to RETRAIN your body to use the glutes properly. Now I know it's not a quick fix but it IS an effective fix and can be done with relatively little effort.

Because once your body starts learning how to use the glutes again, you'll have a MUCH easier time developing the glutes that you're looking for!

Changing how you stand won't give you a bigger butt overnight but it WILL set the stage so that the work you ARE doing to improve your glutes will be more effective!

In Atlanta area and Looking for Fitness Results?


Contact me here jason@inthegym.info