The ChrisFit Blog

Scattered thoughts of a trainer...

2012-02-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

Tips, Tricks, and Ranting, in no particular order...

- When performing any kind of free weight compound pressing movement, keep your elbows directly under the weight. This pretty much applies to any barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell or body weight press. Examples include the bench press, military press, pushup, etc… This will allow the target muscles to do the work, and avoid undue stress on joints and supporting muscles like the rotator cuff, and also allow you to press more weight and get stronger.

- In the name of everything that you hold dear, STOP LIMITING YOURSELF! Negative thoughts, words, and attitudes do not breed success. They do not prove that you are humble or modest, they prove that you no matter if you say you CAN or CAN’T, you are RIGHT. Instead, try empowering yourself. Believe that you CAN do what you set your mind to. Each and every one of us has the internal ability to fight through pain, discomfort, and battles of willpower…IF we want something bad enough. You say you want a better, fitter, healthier body? Reach out and take it. Excuses are a dime a dozen, but legitimate success and the feeling of self worth that come along with it is priceless.

- Motivation. It comes from inside of you. Not from your trainer, not from your friends, not from your family, not from the jackass at tim hortons that called you fat, not from your prom date who dumped you the next week. It comes from YOU. Sure, various external factors can play a role in your day to day level of motivation, but what really matters long term is why YOU want to achieve your goals. What brought you to ChrisFit in the first place? Why did you take the plunge into the unknown and set up a training appointment and a gym membership? I don’t have that answer. You do. Look back to what first made you set foot in the gym, and what has kept you there since. Motivation can change over time (I know mine has changed DRASTICALLY and more than once), but if it’s there and its real, you do not need to ask me why you’re doing this. You harness it and get shit done.

- Random Bench Press tip – LEG DRIVE!! The bench press is NOT a pec isolation movement. When performed properly, the barbell Bench Press should involve just about every muscle in your body in one capacity or another. The upper back and Lats should be pulled as tight as possible into the bench to create a stable surface from which to press – think about it from a physics standpoint – would you rather press a few hundred pounds over your chest lying on a teeter-totter, or from a nice, stable flat object? Yep, your back being tight is THAT important. Equally important is core tension. The spinal erectors, abs, and glutes should all be squeezed tight so as to keep the torso stable and loaded like a spring. And ALL of this resonates from the tension provided by the legs. Having your feet pressed HARD into the floor, creating tension in the quads and hamstrings will drive the back into a solid arch, the shoulders into the bench, and create a closed kinetic chain – in essence making your body a loaded spring from which a loaded barbell should launch off the chest like a rocket!

- Deadlifts, Squats, and most every other lower body movement should emphasize keeping ones center of gravity on the HEELS of the feet. Keeping weight on the heels will improve not only balance, but also draw more power from the hamstrings and glutes, and improve back posture and position, allowing for a safer, more effective movement.

That's all of my randomness for now, but be warned that future rants, tips, and madness could occur at any time!

-Steve Decker

The Log Blog

2012-02-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Anyone that knows Steve Decker would know about Bad Idea Friday... After almost two years of training together on Friday mornings we have an ongoing challenge if you will, crazy weights, PRs, timed pull-ups tests and bad ideas including the most famous BPF's. My sessions have seem to become almost physically impossible and mentally they seem to invigorate more the ever. As Oct/Nov/Dec pasted I hit a mental road block which halted my weight loss at the same time Steve stated he was not going to go upcoming show he had talked about all year ....BAD IDEA FRIDAY at its best - Steve agreed to train for the show IF I will food log for the entire time NO CHEATING, NO DRINKING, AND FOOD LOG TURNED IN EVERY FRIDAY for sixteen weeks.

12/21/2011 I dig out my food scale, measuring cups, journal, pen Steve reviews my numbers, I purchase large amounts of chicken and so it starts....WAIT, STOP! I have things planned over the next sixteen weeks: Christmas (with my family), New Years Eve, Claire's Birthday, A nine day trip including a seven day cruise (with my family) Easter, friends birthdays, Easter (I have so many...oh lets call them what they are EXCUSES) Can I mentally handle this commitment ???

Steve says 'Food Log Friday No Excuses !!"

Alright fine why not nothing else is working.......

Week One: Measure, log, eat, log , eat, swear at Steve, log, eat eat swear some more .....Step on Scale - Down 2 pounds

Week Two: Repeat but with more swearing, because guess what? I tend to under eat so now eat eat eat eat log log log .....Step on Scale Down 1 pound

Week Three: OK its not so bad but damn I struggle with this concept of eat more food lose more weight eat, log, eat, log.....Step on Scale Down 2 more pounds

Week Four: eat eat eat log log log (this is great one night I got to eat a whole sweet potato and a scoop of Peanut Butter) Step on Scale Hit 75 pounds total loss

Week Five: eat more eat more eat more eat more (still so weird eat what they say weight come off but I'am eating 6-7 times a day ?) Step on Scale 1 more pound

Week Six: more tweaking to hitting numbers it is getting easier every week log log log log log...............Step on Scale 1 pound

First six weeks, down 8 pounds. I have a secret....shhhh don't tell our trainers "OUR TRAINERS KNOW THEIR SHIT....LOG YOUR FOOD....TURN IT IN....GET RESULTS." Measure, Eat, write, use a journal, use an app turn it in, listen to them! It is what we pay them for. It is not hard and I know first hand that your trainer will help you with this, but remember be honest with them and listen to the feedback.

My love/hate relationship will continue and as I write this my biggest challenge awaits we I leave for a nine day trip away from my comfort zone, but as the weeks have gone on and the weight has come off I will admit that once again my trainers were right Logging Works !!

Nicole

How to be more like Batman, but without the car...

2012-02-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was at home the other night. It was fairly late and getting close to when I would be falling asleep without even realizing when I stumbled across the movie Batman Begins. As we all know I'm essentially an adult sized child, especially since I still love superheroes and refer to myself pretty frequently as Superman, so it should be no surprise to hear that I started watching it. As I was watching though a thought occurred to me. Batman is considered to be one of greatest heroes ever and he doesn't have any super powers. That being said, how would Batman train?
And from there another question...how would any superhero who doesn't have super powers train? Superheroes are written to be the pinnacle of human physical achievement. Heroes are strong, flexible, fast, endured and determined. That being said here are "Superman's" tips to train like a superhero:

1) A superhero needs to be strong. Total body strong, because they are never just using one muscle group. So train in total body workouts and even throw in some movements that require multiple muscle groups such as Olympic lifts like the clean and jerk.

2) Whether the hero is fighting or chasing an opponent, they must be able to sustain explosive intensity for longer periods of time. Train to be explosive as well as well endured. Being explosive requires total body power (power=speed*strength) and having endurance gives the ability to work through even explosive intensity for longer periods of time. Use plyometric training with short rest periods from multiple angles for multiple muscle groups.

3) Heroes like Batman can't fly and generally need to climb in order to get vantage points or from place to place. Be able to workout with your own bodyweight and be flexible. Bodyweight training is intense and challenging and allows for added endurance as reps increase. And increased flexibility allows for added strength as well.

4) Heroes have a strong core because their body takes a constant beating. Train your core to increase total body strength.

5) Heroes are constantly pushing themselves to break their limits. Break your limits. Push yourself beyond your breaking point by running an extra mile, doing extra intervals or sets, lifting a heavier weight, or even something like doing workouts and creating your intensity without music, using your own internal intensity to push yourself further.

I realize superheroes are fictional, but if a man can conceive of people pushed to the point of physical perfection, then it's very possible to achieve. So start training, and BE YOUR OWN HERO!

-Jack Lazarus - Adult-sized Child/Superhero

A Powerful Challenge

2012-01-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking to challenge yourself in your workouts, and I mean REALLY challenge yourself, than look no further than the Olympic lifts. Most of you know these as the heavy, explosive lifts you see the athletes perform every four years when the Olympics are on TV. The ones where super-human strength and power culminate in a quick, one time, all out effort to move some very heavy weights. These include but are not limited to the clean, clean and press, clean and jerk and the snatch. These exercises can be done from different positions (from the ground or a hang) and can also be performed in various ways (full or power). The Olympic lifts, or O-lifts for short, are a tremendous tool to have in your exercise arsenal, if you know how to perform them and use them in your workouts correctly.

Since the O-lifts are some of the hardest exercise movements to master, you must first ask yourself if you are ready for such a technical and challenging movement. First, you should be very familiar with the squat, deadlift and overhead pressing and be able to execute these with excellent form. You should also be fairly flexible in the shoulders, hamstrings and hips. If any of these movements are hard for you, or you have poor range of motion through the shoulder capsule, then the Olympic lifts may not be for you. If however you have no limitations in these areas, then adding some O-lifts could really benefit your current training program, no matter what your fitness goals are.

The benefits of the O-lifts are numerous. Since you are taking a heavy load and moving it over a vast distance in a ballistic manner, the energy you are expending is enormous. Most of the O-lifts will have you bringing the loaded barbell from the ground to all the way above your head. This is a farther distance that the bar must travel than any other exercise I can think of or that you would probably be performing in your program right now. That translates into a large number of calories being burned in a very short amount of time. The lifts like the clean & jerk and the snatch are mainly designed however to train for power output, explosive strength and speed (Power = strength x speed.) The faster you are with the weight, the faster you can create momentum and elevation on that barbell, and the more powerful you become. The more powerful you are, the stronger you will be. This is a cycle that can be highly addictive and rewarding. And the carry over to other exercises is very useful when trying to gain strength or get that new personal best.

So if you’re interested in testing yourself in a way you never have before, and seeing how powerful you really are, then I challenge you to learn an O-lift. It will not be easy to learn, and it takes a long time to become fluent and competent with these exercises. But with the help of a good trainer or coach, you too can learn how to do Olympic style weightlifting. And I promise it is worth the hard work to learn them. Remember: start slow and use light weights at first. Then you can slowly progress as you get better and better. Then you can achieve more speed and strength faster than you thought possible. I mean let’s face it, who doesn’t want to be a stronger, faster, more powerful version of themselves? I know I do.

Nick Johnson

2012-01-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

What is it that make's a person great at what they do? Is it a genetic predisposition? Is it their life experiences? Or is it some sort of internal drive to be better? We all have our advantages in life without question, but as the saying goes "You reap what you sew." About two months ago I was meeting with a potential client to try to convince him why he should join our ChrisFit family. When he walked in I could immediately tell he had the spark to do what was necessary to become the best he possibly could. When I asked him what he wanted to do his exact answers were "I wanna be bigger and stronger. But at the end of it all I'd love it if I could built like you man." That's always flattering to hear but it got me thinking about the answer.

As a general population we are constantly comparing ourselves to some sort of "ideal." I know for Steve and myself we are constantly comparing our selves to a bodybuilder's standpoint, and most women compare themselves to a hyped up media supermodel/actress that is defined as having the best body. The truth of the matter is there is no reason to compare yourself to someone else. I say compare yourself to yourself, and then never be satisfied!

That's right I said it...NEVER BE SATISFIED! Whatever kind of shape you're in, congratulations for pushing yourself and coming so far, but the simple truth of the matter is you are not done yet! Everyone out there can be better. You can still be stronger, or have better endurance, or be more flexible, or be leaner. Whatever it is you can still be better.

So back to my original question. The answer is not in front of you. The answer is choice D all of the above. We all have some form of genetic gift, life experience or internal drive that allows us to be better in some way shape or form than someone else; for instance Steve's body structure makes him perfectly suited to perform a deadlift (genetic), before becoming a trainer he worked landscaping where he was constantly picking up heavy stuff and putting it down (life experience) and finally he enjoys doing it and so he works harder and harder every time he does it to be better at it (internal drive). That why he pulls 550 off the floor, not because it's easy but because he can.

And don't tell me that nobody is perfect, because quite frankly I don't want to hear it. If you give 150%, pushing yourself beyond your limits, safely of course, and you only get back 100%...Congratulations you're perfect.

-Jack Lazarus

The Secret to My Success OR Why I am NOT Superman

2012-01-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

As I write this blog, I have just walked in the door from my daily trip to the gym. I'm drenched in sweat, smell like a foot and my legs feel like rubber. Today I trained my legs with heavy squats (ATG!!), leg presses and romanian deadlifts, followed by some tough cardio work. I'm eating my post-workout meal of plain oatmeal, blueberries, and whey protein. I've lost about 9 lbs in the past three weeks and feel great. And I've decided to let you in on the 3 secrets of my success!

1) Hard Work
2) Consistency
3) Discipline

That's it.

There's no magic pill. No super-advanced uber-program designed by NASA. No secret fat-reduction food known only to Hollywood stars and trainers. Its not my genetics, my age, or education. I don't derive super powers from Earth's yellow sun. It's just those three items. Hard Work, Consistency, and Discipline.

I bust my tail lifting heavy and doing my cardio day in and day out. I eat a clean diet of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lots of protein. I don't drink or eat junk food. That's the "secret" everyone is after.

You see, often times I try to lead by example and show my friends and clients that it's not really rocket science to achieve the healthy, fit body that they want. But this is often met with resistance (read Excuses), as they cite that I am somehow different from them. It's said that we trainers are somehow unique and blessed and that our fitness is some kind of gift. It's not. We aren't comic book heroes with superhuman genetics. We work long hours, crave bad foods sometimes, have homes to care for, responsibilities to friends and family, and don't always feel like working out. We experience stress and have bad days. We are just like each and every one of you. But, if I can buckle down and do my workouts and eat clean, so too can every single person reading this.

By taking little steps every day to get yourself closer to the body you want, you too can become one of magic, lucky, fit people. Prepare your healthy meals in advance. Log your nutrition. Go the extra mile and break a sweat when you do cardio. Get a PR on a big lift. Throw away the junk food, and leave the wine in the cellar. And for heaven's sake, stop telling me "I'm Italian, I have to eat/drink that!" It's not always easy, but I am telling you right now that it's worth it. Nobody is perfect, but we can all make strides every day to be better than we were the day before.

Since this has hopefully negated most every excuse you have readily available in your arsenal, I suggest you get ready to put in some hard work and Get S**t Done starting NOW!

-Steve Decker

Make your New Years Resolution to be More Awesome!

2011-12-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

Every year when the holidays come around and people make these resolutions to get to the gym or clean up their diets or to add intensity to their workouts. That shouldn't be a resolution, that should just be a constant. Training session after session, day after day you should do your best to be spot on so that dieting and increasing intensity just becomes natural. Now how can you increase your intensity? Lift heavier weights, do your intervals like it truly is a life or death scenario, and hit your numbers despite all odds.

Sometimes what also helps is having a friendly competition with a friend where you do your best to one up the other. Not so that it becomes an obsession and you lose a friend but just so that you're constantly pushing each other to be better. Steve and I workout together at least once a week and are constantly trying to one up each other whether its with weight on the bar or rep on the exercise. That friendly competition constantly spurs us to be better week after week. So find some friendly competition bring up the intensity an become more awesome!

-Jack Lazarus

Pay your dues/Pay the price

2011-12-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

Usually, I leave the blog posts to the training department because they do a great job and I feel I already give some insight and background about my life outside of the gym to my personal clients.

However, I want to share an experience with everyone that helped shape who I am and, without the repercussions from it, you probably wouldn't know me or be a member of this gym.

During my sophomore year of high school, one of my friends and I decided it would be a good idea to take turns "borrowing" our parents' cars. Alternating between his mom's car and my father's car, we would wake up early and drive around, returning in time to catch the bus for school. Of course, we rode the bus to school because neither of us had our driver's license :-)

For about three weeks everything was going great — until the thought of having both cars out at the same time popped into our small under-developed brains. And then testosterone kicked in. Instead of just cruising around, we wanted to race. Long story short, I crashed my father's car into a shed, bounced off of said shed, hit a tree and then an above-ground gas line! Good thing I wasn't a smoker.

The accident caused over $1,200 worth of gas to be released from the main line, not to mention damaging my father's car, destroying a shed, knocking down a tree and leaving skid marks on a concrete driveway that I had to scrub off.

I had to pay my dad to work and teach me how to build a shed. I also had to pay for materials, his time, a new tree, shovels (more on that later) as well as his increases in car insurance premiums and deductible. All of this led to my first job at the old Beef & Sirloin, an ice cream/grease pit across from the Buffalo Airport. I was not allowed to keep a single cent from my paycheck until my debt was paid off. Since I was only making $4.85 an hour, you can imagine how long this took.

The accident site was near Salvatore's Italian Gardens. One day while I was digging out the partially dead tree, I broke the shovel. When I asked my dad to drive me to Home Depot to buy a new shovel, he replied "not my problem," leaving me to walk the three miles up Transit Road.

I made it to Home Depot, paid for the shovel and made my way back to purgatory. Less than 15 minutes later, I broke the brand new shovel!

"Not my problem," was my dad's response again.

On my long walk back to Home Depot, I must have kicked every piece of stone and invented a few new swear words. This time, I bought a more expensive shovel and prayed it wouldn't break.

Eventually, I successfully dug out the old tree, payed for and planted a new one, scrubbed away the skid marks from the driveway and, with my father's help, built a new shed. I continued to work at the grease pit for over a year and gave EVERY SINGLE PAY CHECK to my dad — and still owed him money. LOL. I also picked up extra cash by going door-to-door in the neighborhood and offering to shovel snow or cut grass.

I kept paying for the increase to his auto premiums for another three years, until I had my own car (legally) and my own insurance. Finally, my debts/dues were paid off.

I am sharing this story because some people think life isn't fair, or that they can attain something great and worthwhile by not putting in the maximum effort. You need to realize the importance of "putting in the work" — regardless if that means two trips to Home Depot, a few more interval sessions, working for free or pushing yourself away from the dinner table earlier.

I have always said I can train a new client and without knowing any background on them, determine after one session whether or not they will be successful. Guess what? If you give up on yourself in a 30-minute training session, this is NOT the first time you quit.

Do the work and the results will come, whether it is inside or outside of the gym.

The View From the Other Side of the Fence

2011-12-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

The first time I met with a trainer I was mortified I was measured, and forced to step on the dreaded scale I did not know the difference between 10 pounds of fat and 10 pounds of muscle (umm they are the same) I could barely hold the plank for 10 seconds. I had a body fat percentage of 53.1 % and was obese and embarrassed.

The second time I met with a trainer I puked for forty-five minutes after my session, that night I got a text "How are you doing ?"

The third time I met with a trainer, he handed me back my check !!

19 Months later and countless sessions, I continue with my trainers, I read the blogs and newsletters and each one seems it could be written about me and I wonder if people understand why I have a personal trainer(s)

People always have questions when they see me... How and why? My responses have been become simple....I work hard to become the person I have never been but always wanted to be, I do this by following a simple gym rule of "Pick shit up and Get shit done" with the help of my trainer(s). But... they say " will you have to DIET and workout the rest of your life, I have learned to respond with " I will continue to live this lifestyle the rest of my life, Yes ".

So as the journey continues I drink my water, log my carbs, fat and protein, I will continue to sweat, swear and surely stink 4-6 times a week, my future is
sure to hold more puking, grunting, crying, bleeding, bruising and ass to the grass squats all at the direction of my trainer(s).

Yet what I would want people to take away from this is that the PRICELESS gift of this journey has been Steve Decker and Chris Tybor giving me live my life back and doing it the right way, those two have answered countless questions, hundreds of emails, an uncountable number of texts have been exchanged. They are the ones accountable for the blood, sweat and tears I have left on the gym floor... I have pushed them, pulled them, they have pushed my to weighted plank holds and PR on leg presses, we have trained together on some of the worst days of my life and always just like the second session a simple text "How are you doing....Sore?" Or maybe it's been a day (or two) since they seen me at the gym a text "GET YOUR ASS TO GYM" or maybe it just because they are more then my trainers Steve and Chris and everyone at Chrisfit has become a part of my "family".

SO my question to others is why don't you have a personal trainer ??

-Anonymous

Death by Burpees!

2011-11-22T08:56:00.000-08:00

The holidays are here again and we’re all going to behave ourselves this year and only indulge a little bit. Great theory but pretty unrealistic no matter what. Self-control is one of the hardest things to develop and quite frankly our society has done a crappy job at it. With all the jumbo sizing of everything few people understand what it means to restrain from over indulgence and the holidays are notorious for excess. Thanksgiving alone has a general caloric intake of 4500 calories from that day, and considering that it only take 3500 calories to gain a pound the excess from one day of feasting is well on your way to ruining to important physique gains you’ve made over the past few months. So unless you’re a serious metabolic freak who burns about 4000 calories a day just by sitting around I suggest you avoid the extra piece of pie.
However, I understand that it is the holidays and you want to enjoy at least something. Whether it is your aunt’s famous pumpkin pie or grandma’s homemade stuffing just realize what normal thanksgiving entails: for arguments sake let’s say a piece of pumpkin pie contain 350 calories, according to the American College of Sports Medicine doing 10 burpees a minute equals out to about 10 calories for someone around 150 lbs. In other words it would take you 350 burpees over the course of 35 minutes to create enough of a metabolic burn to work off that one piece of pie. Now granted if you weigh less or more there is a difference in number of calories burned in the process (weigh less burn less). From that same standpoint let’s say you were to intake all 4500 calories of that thanksgiving feast and still burning 10 calories a minute for 10 burpees, it would take 7 and a half hours of non-stop burpee fantastic-ness to burn off all those calories. Now I know how much everyone at ChrisFit loves burpees, and you all know that the trainers are crazy enough to make you do all 7 and a half hours’ worth of burpees, save yourself the aggravation of death by burpees.
Instead think smart and do your best to stay fairly close to your diet throughout the holidays. We all love to indulge, it’s only human, but you haven’t put in all this effort to get where you are, just to set yourself back. It’s a waste of your and your trainer’s time. So now that that’s all said and done here our my tips for keeping off the holiday excess:
• Practice portion control. Just because grandma makes the greatest mash potatoes ever doesn’t mean you need all of them.
• If you know what’s coming for the big meal eat light for the rest of the day that way it’s possible to keep your intake a bit more in check.
• Stay active. Even washing the dishes or walking around and talking is better than just sitting around eating.
• Know your limits, eat slow and controlled that way when you truly are full you’ll know it.
• Chris, Steve, Chris, and myself know all of you very well and are very capable of making you regret over eating…keep that in mind.
Happy Thanksgiving!!! And Remember….Seven and a Half Hours of Burpees =)

-Jack Lazarus, Certified Burpee Instructor

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-11-17T12:16:00.000-08:00

As the Christmas season approaches, the inevitable wish lists begin forming for parents and jolly bearded fat men in red suits around the globe. This year, however, I thought I'd simply list a few of my favorite exercises, and give you some reasons why they are awesome!

A Trainer's Top 5:

5) Pullups. Most Apes are brachiators. People evolved from Apes. By extension, people should be able to brachiate. Thus, being able to pull yourself up from an extended arm hang to the top of the pullup bar should be mandatory for most humans. Aside from that, pullups are just plain good for you. They strengthen the upper and mid back muscles that are often neglected or underworked, while also building grip strength and working the biceps. And everyone likes a nice set of biceps, admit it! Enough articles have been written extolling the virtue and wonder of the pullup that I probably don't need to elaborate too terribly much, but i will say that they are one of the most effective and fun ways of training the back, and the carryover to other movements like presses and deadlifts in undeniable. Plus, if you can do enough, there's always a chance to win a free t-shirt at the marine recruiting station at the county fair, which is a nice bonus.

4) Renegade Rows. Renegades are simply cool. They are a fantastic way to strengthen the core and increase coordination, and variations like Pushup Renegades or MANMAKERS (a crowd favorite for sure!) are excellent strength and conditioning tools when performed correctly. That, and they look really impressive when done correctly with the big kid weights!

3) DB or KB Thrusters. Thrusters are intensity in a bottle, and activate literally every muscle i can think of right now. The metabolic effect of using pretty much every muscle in the body as either a prime mover or a stabilizer is just awesome. The movement can be done heavy to build full-body explosive strength, or lighter for high reps to build conditioning. If you want to breathe hard and sweat bullets in minimal time, try a 4 minute set of thrusters. Seriously. Tabata Method Thrusters are probably the most brutal test of conditioning and mental toughness on the planet, and I include the Aggro Crag and the American Gladiators "Gauntlet" event in that statement! (bonus points if anyone knows what the Aggro Crag is besides Jack...)

2) Squats. The traditional barbell Squat is one of, if not THE most important movements in weight training. Heavy squats are key to shaping an aesthetically pleasing set of Legs and Glutes, but are much more than cosmetic in their range of benefits. A well-executed squat builds explosive strength in the entire body. Squatting makes people run faster, jump higher, and perform better in just about every possible competitive sport. (with the possible exception of chess, as a sore set of Glutes would not lend itself well to sitting in a hard chair for a few hours...) Athletes of every kind use the squat to increase performance, but the squat can also be used as a conditioning tool, and a test of intestinal fortitude. Think 20 minutes cruising on an elliptical will build your conditioning? How about putting a few hundred pounds on your back and squatting until you can't stand up straight? The mental focus of doing 20+ rep barbell squats builds some serious character, and the oxygen debt leads to a serious afterburn effect by boosting metabolism to recover!

1) Deadlifts. The crowned king of all exercises in my opinion. The Deadlift is awesome for a myriad of reasons. First, it is probably the most pure test of both physical and mental strength that exists in the exercise world. There is simply no way of getting around the fact that putting a few hundred pounds on a barbell and picking it up will be difficult. It teaches you what you're truly made of - if one can get around the mental block of fear that surrounds the Deadlift, they still have to hoist a mess of weight from a dead stop with nothing to help them. Second, the Deadlift is beautiful in it's simplicity: you pick up heavy s**t and put it back down. Simple. Brutal. Effective. Which leads to reason #3: the Deadlift improves whole-body strength by activating nearly every muscle in the body. Every part of the body helps to lift and/or stabilize the bar when lifting from the ground. While the movement is primarily thought of as a Hip, core and Posterior Chain strengthener, one must also realize that other muscles like the Lats, Teres Major, Rhomboids, and Posterior Deltoids help to maintain stability throughout the upper back while supporting the weight, and the biceps and forearms must work to physically hold onto the bar. Not to mention the Quadriceps activation to start the movement - the Hamstrings and Glutes are not acting alone! Activating that much muscle with a large amount of weight can't help but make you stronger and more awesome!

There you have it, my personal listing of the 5 best exercises on the planet. I would be remiss in not mentioning the fact that lunges and pushups could easily crack the top 5 list, but I've made my bed and I'll lie in it. (Pushups are awesome because you strengthen all of your pressing muscles [pecs, delts, triceps] in one shot, while also engaging the core to build stability in the trunk musculature. Lunges are awesome because they are probably the most legitimately functional movement that exists as the lunge is a primary movement pattern in our lives. Think about it. Going up and down stairs, kneeling to tie your shoe, climbing Mount Everest...they're all pretty much lunging. That, and they make your butt look fantastic in a nice pair of jeans!)

Though I wouldn't necessarily advise doing so, one could pretty much do nothing but the movements on the above list and build a hell of a strong, aesthetically-pleasing body.

Steve Decker - Making people more Awesome since 1985

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy."

2011-10-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy."

Whether it be finishing college, getting a great job, finding the perfect mate, or building your ideal physique, I think we all know that accomplishing something great takes a LOT of hard work and dedication. If that weren't the case, everyone would be filthy rich, happily married (or blissfully single...), and we'd all look like magazine cover models. The problem is, someone, somewhere invented excuses. Excuses are these nasty little things that people use to be let off the hook and justify not getting things done. Some are legitimate, and some are pure nonsense, but none of them lead to goals being accomplished.

If you want something bad enough, there comes a point where excuses get shoved aside in favor of getting s**t done. You simply have to buckle down and dive head first into accomplishing goals. This is especially true when it comes to getting the fit, healthy, body that you want. The human body simply does not want to change easily, so we need to be smarter and tougher than our own biology. We need to force adaptation via continuous effort and dedication. Face facts: nobody ever got a six-pack by half-assing their workouts and eating cake. You have to put down the bear-claws and pick up a barbell. You have to break a sweat. (Which, incidentally, is a good thing! Sweat is not un-ladylike - wedging yourself into a pair of spanks so tightly that you feel like a piece of sausage, just because you didn't feel like watching your carb intake - now that is un-ladylike. Sweat also isn't gross. It's a sign of good work.) You have to eat those yucky vegetables and plain chicken instead of pounding down tater tots and root beer. No, its not easy. But nobody said it would be. It is, however, worth doing.

Why go through the motions, really? What purpose is served by wasting time and money screwing around? If you want someone to coddle you and tell you it's going to be OK while you have a bagel and some tootsie-rolls for breakfast after taking a casual sweat-free stroll on the treadmill in a "judgement-free zone" then go to Planet Fitness or call your grandmother. If you want to realize your potential and accomplish something worth doing, then show up and put in the hardest work you can each day, both in the gym and in the kitchen. Prove your doubters wrong. Prove to yourself that you CAN do what you want with your body. ChrisFit and it's staff and members are here to give you the tools, knowledge, and support you need to be the best you possible. Use that to your advantage. Get it done. Start NOW.

Lets all make the decision to stop making excuses and do what we all know needs to be done to get the bodies we want. Everyone's goals may be different, but hard work is the same the world over.

-Steve Decker, certified PITA

The Calm Before the Storm

2011-10-22T05:33:00.000-07:00

When it comes to actual training more than 80% of it is mental. When we walk into the gym we need to emotionally and mentally be ready to put ourselves under the physical demand of training. Sometimes we just aren't into it, whether we're drained from the day, something happened that we don't want to talk about, whatever the case may be. It's understandable that we all have rocky days but if you let everything in life get to you how can you expect to get into the shape you're looking for. The simple answer is you can't. So for on those days where you just can't get into the mood by the time you walk into the gym here is what I suggest: show up 15 minutes early, and begin buy doing 5 minutes of mental work. I personally like the mental image of my mind be water filled with ripples and the ripples calming so I can focus on the task at hand. The next 5 minutes after that do cardio to get warm and loosened up a bit, and finish off with 5 minutes of dynamic stretching to truly gain all the flexibility out of your muscles that you can get. After all that, suck it up , lift heavy weights and get your muscles stronger! Then go do 20 minutes of cardio as a "cool down," which actually causes better breakdown of body fat, and make your muscles re-elongate and stronger by doing static stretches! Therefore:
Step 1: clear your mind.
Step 2: warm up joints and muscles.
Step 3: move around and get your muscles flexible and ready to handle the load about to be put on them.
Step 4: pick up heavy stuff a lot.
Step 5: do cardio to burn more fat.
Step 6: stretch to help repair muscles.
Step 7: rest, eat, repeat!
3...2...1... GO!!!!

-Jack Lazarus

Muscle Growth: Quit Whining and Lift Heavy

2011-10-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

There is a constant saying that trainers around the world hear from female clientele, “I don’t want to lift heavy weight. I’ll get too bulky; I just want to be toned.” And like every other trainer in the world, when I hear that I can’t help but shake my head, roll my eyes and half laugh under my breath. Heavy weight training has been given a bad name to women because of what they constantly see in the media, bodybuilders, power lifters, athletes, and just about every other man who walks into a gym and lifts heavy in an attempt to get bigger. The problem behind that is that it takes much more than just weight on the bar to develop a hulking physique like that. Muscles are tricky tissue and depending on your body chemistry and what you put into it in order to make the gains you’re looking for. That being said let me try to explain to all the disbelievers out there that it takes more than just heavy weight to be big and that women, just like men, should be pushing themselves to their limits to get that attractive physique they are looking for.

Muscle growth is caused but the breakdown in muscle fibers, due to any physical, weight bearing activity, followed by being rebuilt through intake of calories and the optimal amount of rest. The reason this is important is because it causes out body to adapt to the stimulus making our bodies more apt to perform the activity with ease compared to the last time. The old saying “Practice Makes Perfect” comes to mind. You see when you break down your muscles, no matter what you do, they need to repair, but in order to become more efficient they need to be pushed each and every time we use them. When we don’t use heavier weight and just use a weight we are comfortable with, we aren’t maximizing their metabolic potential. As has been stated in many articles before muscle is the most metabolic tissue in the body, the stronger the muscles are the faster your metabolism is.

Women who lift heavy weight and are under the right supervision with a proper diet can develop that highly sought after toned trim physique. Any female athlete will say that weight training is quintessential for progressing. If you’re looking to become faster, heavy weight training to develop stronger muscles to be more explosive after every step and accelerate. To gain endurance high rep work with heavy weight will make running at your own bodyweight seem even easier.

That bulky look women are so afraid of comes from not only heavy training, but also highly concentrated isolation work and muscle sarcoplasm expansion which is caused by, yes heavy training, moderate repetition trying to force blood and other fluid into that muscle, and a more high calorie intake. Generally this is done by people in search or large muscle groups, like bodybuilders, who emphasize single muscle work day in and day out. People who are more in search of that fit, athletic physique who generally do total body type exercise on a general whole don’t need to worry about over developing. If you are looking for bigger, thicker, bulkier muscles than one group at a time is your better bet, in combination with higher calorie intake. However if you are looking for a “toned”, more athletic physique then total body again the way to go. However lifting heavy in both accounts, and pushing your body change adapt and be more efficient, is better. In conclusion: LIFT HEAVY AND SAFELY! IT’S GOOD FOR YOU!

-Jack Lazarus

Further Notes from Steve…

Jack is 100% right in his commentary here: lifting heavy weights and growing stronger is a staple to building and maintaining a lean, healthy body. But, there is more to this topic, and I'd like to expand on that.

First, I'd like to further dispel the notion that simply picking up heavy things will make you bulky, male or female. Physical strength is a combination of both muscle contractile strength, and neural efficiency. What that means is that a strong muscle is not necessarily a "bulky" one. Take a look at any construction sight, warehouse or factory on earth and you will inevitably see at least one really skinny worker who is able to lift and bear heavy loads day in and day out simply due to repetition. It's more than likely that they simply do not eat enough calories to allow for muscle hypertrophy (growth). Further evidence: look around our gym sometime and take a look especially at the squat rack. I have a female client who can deadlift 300 lbs, a number of them who can pull over 200, and a fair few who can take 185 off the ground like its nothing. Most males that I train are deadlifting in the 300s. Now, how many hulking 200 lb+ bodybuilder types do you see at ChrisFit? The key to growing bulky muscles is not just being strong, but eating to support growth. Thus, if your caloric intake is in check, you can get stronger and leaner without getting larger.

Second, I'd like to address this from a hormonal standpoint. Whenever I hear woman complain that they will get "man arms" I have to laugh. Men have man arms because they have more testosterone in their bodies, not just because they do bicep curls. Hormones play a huge role in muscle development, and that is just science. Higher Testosterone levels lead to an increased rate of muscle protein synthesis. To simplify this: women don't get man muscles because they don't have as much man hormone. Now, if you see a woman walking around with veiny 16" arms, bodyfat in the single digits, a voice lower than barry whites, and a 5 o'clock shadow, theres a fairly solid chance that her hormones are a bit skewed. (i'm trying to discretely tell you that she got jacked like Arnold Schwarzenegger via steroids, not because her trainer took away the purple dumbbells and made her use the icky metal ones that the boys use). The simple fact is that muscle tissue is incredibly difficult to build, and nobody ever woke up one day and accidentally looked like the Incredible Hulk. Building an extreme level of muscle takes years and years of dedicated effort both in the gym and in the kitchen. Trust me, you wont get huge lifting the 25 lb. Dumbbells…if you could do that, why on Earth would they bother making bigger ones?

Finally, I'd like to add that lifting heavy is simply good for you from the standpoint that you need to be strong in every day situations. If you did nothing but rep out the pink weights doing "toning" work (don't get me started on that 4 letter word!!!), how in the world would you get anything done at home or at work? I don't know about you, but my grocery bags weigh a bit more than 8 lbs, and my dogs' food comes in 50 lb bags. A gallon of milk alone weighs 8.8 lbs. (yes, i looked that up!). Grocery shopping alone justifies the need to properly weight train, but also look at the notion that a mother needs to carry around her child, old people need to be helped out of chairs, and sofas do not move themselves!

My conclusion: Pick up heavy stuff and put it back down. Repeat. A lot of times. GO!

-Steve Decker

Motivation Rant

2011-09-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

What motivates you?

I have heard an almost infinite number of answers to that question, both in and out of the gym. People are motivated by a myriad of different things in their lives, but a rare few have a certain type of motivation that comes within themselves. Things like an upcoming family reunion, a vacation to the beach, a challenge with a friend, or an order from the doctor can all be good starting points for positive change, but they are not enough to carry one through for the long haul. The most powerful source of motivation to improve your body and your overall well-being has to come from a deep desire within to be the best you that you can be. When eating well gets tougher and tougher, your workouts get harder, and external stress is weighing on you, it can be easy to just say "forget it" if your only motivation is to look good in your skinny jeans and shut your friends up. What gets us through the hard parts of a fitness or weight-loss journey is wanting to be better for yourself. We all need to learn to put our own well-being first in life sometimes and just drown out all the external noise that tells us we should be eating and drinking with friends, or skipping the gym for something more fun, or whatever else comes up that could be used as an excuse to slack or give up. If one is truly motivated to be better, healthier, stronger, leaner, fitter, and happier with themself, nothing can stop them. You find the time to prepare good meals. You make the time to go to the gym. You put in 100% effort and nothing less will do, because you know that going through the motions is just wasting time. Internally motivated people are few and far between, but you can pick them out easily from a crowd. They are the ones who change for the better week after week and accept nothing less than perfection from themselves. I suggest that each of us take a few minutes to look inside and find that source of passion and harness it to achieve success. It's not easy, but you're worth it.

Steve Decker

Pilates and YOU

2011-08-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Pilates, a program designed by Joseph Pilates, has been in existence since the 1920s and for years has been heavily utilized by athletes, actors and dancers. It wasn’t until recent years however that it gained celebrity status, exploding in popularity throughout the united states.
Pilates is a form of exercise that works to strengthen the core, using it to control the body through its movements.
To all you ladies looking to get sexy for your sports illustrated bikini shoots, adding pilates to your weight training and cardio regimen may not be a bad idea. It works to lengthen and stretch muscles, promoting strength, tone and firmness without making muscles bulky.
It is also widely used therapeutically as it is great for injury prevention. The strengthening and stabilization affect that pilates has on your muscles may very well save you some day from a back strain incurred by a sudden turn or fall. Every day life puts a lot of stress on the body. Small things like a lack of arch support, posture, and muscular imbalance may contribute to misalignment, one contributor to back pain. Continual participation in pilates-type exercises over time has proven to help overall realignment, thus ameliorating the resulting problems.
Athletes use it because it helps to develop balance, stability and flexibility. If your sport (dancing , rowing, etc) requires you to maintain a certain level of fitness, pilates may be something that facilitates your endeavors and attempts at blowing through your competition.
For many , pilates is also used as an outlet for stress and mental fatigue. It is a relatively slow and calming toning program which heavily involves mind/ body awareness.
Being a chrisfit member, you have the opportunity to take advantage of this class. Next time you find yourself compelled to check out one of top celebrity workout trends in the United States, check to see if any of our classes coincide with your availability. It can’t hurt to try. After all, it is absolutely FREE.

Classes are held Wednesday evenings at 6:30, and Sunday mornings at 9:00

Proper Warm-up Technique

2011-07-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Why should I warm up?

Jack Lazarus

People always wonder and the truth is there are multiple benefits to showing up 15 minutes early to your personal training appointment. The warm up is necessary so that your muscles are loose and warm before engaging in physical activity like working with your trainer or taking kettlebell. But you should also be doing more than just spending some time on a treadmill to get warm.

One of the best things you can do to warm up is a dynamic stretching routine done before engaging in physical activity. Dynamic stretching is movement stretches that contract and relax your muscles quickly so that blood is in the muscles that are about to be worked. Prior to exercise these are the most beneficial. Static stretching should always be done post workout. Static stretching re-elongates the muscles that were just worked and allows them to repair easier. Not to mention the added flexibility that comes along with stretching. And did you know that stretching can even make you stronger? When we lift weights we cause our muscles to contract or shorten and when we stretch we allow our muscles to elongate or lengthen. Added flexibility allows for muscles to become stronger and recover quicker. That’s why professional athletes put so much emphasis on stretching. Athletes spend a solid 15 minutes preparing for the workout and hour to ninety minutes in the work out and generally finish off with as much as an hour of stretching post workout for recovery.

Now I realize that none of us living in the real world have time to do nothing but eat sleep train repeat every day, but take a page from the athletes’ book. Show up 15 minutes early for your appointment with your trainer. Spend ten minutes doing cardio to get warm and the last five minutes doing dynamic stretching and focusing on what is to come. Then work as hard as you can during your appointment then finish off by doing 10 minutes of cool down time to allow your heart rate to decelerate and 15 minutes of static hold stretching. Not only will you be stronger but also you will be less sore the next day. And your trainer will be happy with you for taking the initiative to show up and be ready by the time he/she s ready for you.

“Sweet, Delicious, Tricky and Unfortunate”

2011-06-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

-Article one of three-

Corn subsidization is something that we as Americans can’t escape a couple of months without hearing at least one rant or praise about. It is a hot topic, a buzz word, the talk around town. If you are reading this thinking “wow this girl is crazy, where is she pulling this nonsense from?” maybe you would think differently if I change gears slightly. Does the buzz word/ term “High Fructose Corn Syrup” sound familiar? If not, that’s ok, just keep reading. Believe it or not, corn is among the most highly subsidized crops in the United States; the results of which seem to be the cause of a span of controversy and debate. There are many aspects of the corn subsidization debate. Arguments for and against the subsidization of corn cover many areas. Examples include its affects on foreign relations, civil rights, environmental sustainability, and overall national health. Although all are topics worthy of exploration, to fairly look at each topic would take more time than, I am sure, you the reader have time for. For this reason and because of the mere fact that this is health and wellness gym blog, the focus of this article is on the detriment to nutrition.
Perhaps you have seen, in the past few years, food network television advertisements for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). If not, here is a visual. It is a warm summer day in the park. A man is lying next to his girlfriend who offers him a popsicle. Offended, the man asks something to the affect of “why are you giving me that nasty high fructose corn syrup laden popsicle? Don’t you know what it can do to my perfect health? “. The girlfriend smiles and giggles and responds with a tactful rebuttal. It goes something to the affect of “Oh, but honey, high fructose corn syrup is made from corn and it is fine in moderation”. The mood is lightened and the corn refiners association seal flashes across the screen. Now, that was only an “off the cuff” rendition of that commercial which I see vividly in my memory. It is not verbatim and by far more exhilarating when seen in person. I apologize. As a nutrition major, I was a little bit annoyed when I first saw this commercial. This may have been my superior, almighty knowledge of all things nutrition and my utter disgust for the glorification of lowly high fructose corn syrup. No, that’s not it. To be honest, my thoughts on the matter are that, for years, I had heard nothing about high fructose corn syrup other than how bad it was for you.”Sure it’s ok for you in moderation”, I thought, “but so is a cup full of lard. You don’t see that being advertised in popsicle form”. After pondering a little further, I came to the realization that what made me so annoyed with this commercial was that it was a side that I was never used to. It opened for me the debate on high fructose corn syrup. I am not annoyed now. Everyone has their opinion on the matter. I however am obviously opposed to the widespread use of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). If you read on, you will find out why.
High fructose corn syrup comes from corn. It is a combination of about 40 percent glucose and 60 percent fructose (types of sugar). Sucrose (table sugar) in contrast has a lower proportion of fructose, the sweeter of the two. High fructose corn syrup can be found as a replacement in anything from American TV dinners to ice cream. It seems today that it is in everything. Why is this? Could it be that the United States government just pays farmers to grow a lot of corn and sell it cheap? We do have a lot of corn and it is cheaper than cane (sugar). Why does high fructose corn syrup have a bad rap? It is sweet and delicious. What isn’t to love? Perhaps, what isn’t so lovable about it is that this sweet delicious sweetener may be causing health disparity. Over the years, many speculations have been made about the connection between high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and a decrease in health sustained by the average American. “Health” is an epic buzz word when it comes to the discussion of high fructose corn syrup and its worthiness within American society. High fructose corn syrup has in many studies been connected to the following: American obesity rate, obesity related diseases such as diabetes and, of course, increases in cholesterol. In research done at Princeton University, rats fed high fructose corn syrup became obese whereas rats fed a sugar solution did so far slower.(1)
It is no surprise that this study was refuted by the corn refiners association in a press release in March 2010. The press release offered to the public a claim that this study done by Princeton lacked legitimacy. They suggested this on the grounds that the study “grossly exaggerated intake levels in rats and incorrectly suggested that such results could have significant meaning for humans”. The Corn Refiners Association’s president Audrae Erickson further argued that using rats to assess detriment to human beings is ineffective I suppose he has a point. A rat, after all, is not a human being.(2)
Similar studies, of which there are many, have found links between the consumption of high fructose corn syrup and weight gain, diabetes type 2 as well as bad cholesterol elevation.
All of these studies coming out of reputable Universities have been published in reputable journals such as The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.(3)(4)Given this information, presented as widely as it is, it is clearly a realistic to see HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) as a health threat that should be avoided if possible. The legitimacy and proof that HFCS is harmful lies in the fact that numerous studies agree with each other and refute what the corn refiners association, with an interest in maintaining sales, say is not true.
If the general public were to in fact know about the negative affects of HFCS, wouldn’t one expect the average American to attempt abstaining from this sweetener? The real question is, “Is it possible?"In 1970 high fructose corn syrup was in about 1 percent of products found in grocery stores. By 2000, high fructose corn syrup was the sweetener of choice found in about 62 percent of sweetened products for consumption in the US.(5)Not only will you find it in desserts and soft drinks, but also things like condiments and even bread. Choosing foods without it has become a chore. Even the most careful shopper who reads the label of every product in his or her cart may not be able to escape it entirely. One thing that is for sure is that finding HFCS free products certainly is not easy.
In a world where we are bombarded with products containing the sweeter in question, here are a few tips to avoid excess consumption of HFCS: 1) Avoid fast food since it tends to be higher in HFCS. 2) Make an effort to cook at home with whole (unprocessed) foods. There are plenty of recipes for popular condiments such as ketchup that can be made in the home without high fructose corn syrup. 3) Avoid bottled soft drinks such as sodas, sweetened iced teas, and sports drinks since not only are they bad for you in general, in the US most are sweetened with HFCS. If you want to go to extremes, buy foreign (canadian) bottled beverages. 5) Look for the label ” 100 % organic. 6) Practice the ancient art of “wrist supination”( wrist twisting). Look at your breads, cans, packages,etc. Although findings may be far and few in between, on occasion you will get lucky, hitting the “HFCS free” jackpot.

Kate Lynch

(1)Parker, Hilary. “A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain.”Princeton.edu.PrincetonUniversity,22 Mar.2010.Web.4 Apr.2010.
(2)Corn Refiner’s Association. “Gross Errors in Princeton Animal study on Obesity and High Fructose Corn Syrup:Resarch in Humans Discredits Princeton Study”.Online Posting.22 Mar.2010.corn.org.Web. 12 Apr.2010.
(3) Stanhope, Kimber, and Peter J Haval. “Endocrine and metablolic effects of consuming beverages sweetened with fructose, glucose, sucrose, or high fructose corn syrup”. American Journal of Clinical Nutriton 88(2008):1733S-1737S.Print.
(4) Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma. New York: The Penguin group,2009.Print.
(5) Bray, George,Samara Joy Neilsen,and Barry M Popkin. “Consumption of high fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. ”American Journal of clinical Nutrition 79(2004): 537-543.Print.

Small Victories = Big Results

2011-06-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Fitness is a long and winding road full of twists, turns, bumps, and occasional roadblocks. It can be easy to look too far down the road at one's "end" point (no road truly ends, does it?) and lose sight of the immediate present and what it has to offer. Every now and again we need to take a moment and look at all of the small victories that we've accomplished along our individual fitness journeys, in order to keep motivated and on the straight and narrow. I have a few great examples of small successes to illustrate my point. My own training partner has been dropping a lot of weight in the past 8-10 weeks since beginning to lift weights and TRACK HIS DIET (wink, wink!). As we all know, weight loss is never linear, so one week he manged to drop about 10 lbs, and was then disappointed in only losing 2 or 3 the next. When he said he was disappointed by that, I couldn't help but point out the fact that 3 lbs is still 3 lbs DOWN. That's progress no matter how you look at it. His DB bench press had also gone up by 10 lbs/side in that week, not to mention hitting a PR in the squat. So, moral of the story, the guy is leaner, and stronger in the space of 7 days. Sure, the scale # might not be as impressive, but its PROGRESS. Similarly, another friend/client texted me one day and said she had successfully run for 20 minutes straight on the treadmill for the 1st time and was really proud. Then the next week, she was annoyed at not having lost weight any scale weight, but had run for 25 minutes straight. You know what I saw? PROGRESS. Think of that percentage-wise...a 25% performance improvement in a week. Sounds like a win in my book.

This doesn't always have to be performance or scale-based either. Last week, another client came into the gym and told me how she was proud that she had manged to avoid eating any candies at work, even though they are all over the office. That's a victory. Go 3 days without cheating on your diet, make it a point to get a walk in every single day, up the resistance on the elliptical, say no to a glass of wine...whatever you can do to keep yourself improving and making strides towards your goals will help you get there. Small, and frequent victories will add up to you reaching your goal over the long haul. We all need to keep an eye looking on the road to our dream destination, but don't lose sight of the little tings along the way. Stop and smell the roses now and again so that you continue to enjoy the ride down the road.

Speaking of the Ride....Ride For Roswell is Saturday, June 25th. Get Pedaling and/or donating!

Steve Decker

Quality H20

2011-06-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

We have all seen ads for creams, equipment, foods, and supplements that are supposed to help keep us healthy and in shape. In recent surveys, it was found that Americans spend more than 3billion on complementary and alternative medicines as well as supplements. These dollars spent in an attempt to ameliorate the health and/ or appearance of a person are, to many, dollars justifiably spent. To the contrary, it is estimated that about 75 % of the U.S population walks around chronically dehydrated. For a nation that is so willing to spend money on products aimed at improving health and appearance, I find myself wondering why it is such a stretch to take advantage of a resource that is almost free. Water, a resource whose approximate cost in this country is about $1.50 per 1000 gallons, is a cheap resource that is quite beneficial to the individual yet obviously under consumed for health and vanity purposes. Just in case this inconsistency is for a lack of knowledge about the great and fabulous powers of quality H20, I have provided for you, the reader, a brief look into the wonderful world of hydration.

Drinking water can seem like such a trivial act when compared to the daunting demands that life presents. In truth, hydration is a key component in aiding in the conquest of our life obstacles. Goals such as the attainment of intellect, attractiveness, and overall health are no exceptions.

How is water a contributing factor to the attainment of intellect? It is an aid in maintaining brain power and mental clarity throughout the day. Let’s be honest here, by gulping down a few extra glasses of water, you are not going to sprout brains like Einstein, but a well hydrated person is much more likely to not feel groggy throughout the day. Dehydration can leave you feeling tired and brain fogged. With a little extra fluid, not only are you likely to avoid this feeling of lethargy and mental fog, but you are also more likely to, as a result, be more productive during the day.

How is hydration a contributor to attractiveness and self confidence? It can actually help you to look better. If your goal is to have soft and supple skin, water should become your best friend. Hydration is shown to help prevent skin from becoming dry, itchy and saggy. If your goal is to lose weight, hydration can help to keep you feeling less hungry throughout the day. In many instances, dehydration can be mistaken for hunger. A dehydrated person, as a result, might take in more calories that they would have otherwise. Further, a University of Washington study found that in almost all participants (dieters) midnight hunger pangs were actually extinguished by drinking one glass of water. Water is also involved in the metabolism of fat. If you are having trouble getting rid of the rolls, muffin tops and bat wings, think about giving your body the added advantage of having enough of an ingredient important in burning them away. Lastly, to all you beach bums out there looking to procure that toned/ buff and sexy physique, pay attention. Hydration can help to bring out and maintain the look of muscle tone.

Health benefits are also a great reason to go the extra mile for a glass of water. Body temperature control through sweating is a key benefit. By hydrating, one may very well prevent overheating during a workout. Improved kidney function is another impetus. The kidneys need water to flush out toxins and poisons that build up in the body.

Now, how does one go about hydrating? Is there are right and wrong way? What is an effective hydration fluid? In reality, any fluid will help to hydrate you since, generally speaking, any kind of “fluid” contains water. What is in that water however may alter its effectiveness and benefit to varying degrees. Caffeine is an example of a benefit altering ingredient. Caffeine is a diuretic. It essentially causes your body to excrete more water, thereby effectively offering a counter action to your hydration attempts. The water that was consumed in that morning cup of Joe is going to quite soon after be expelled from the body.

There are hundreds of different excuses for not drinking water all day. Some of these include the following: “I don’t have time to drink water”, “I am always running around and often forget” or “I just don’t like to drink water. It is too boring”. Let’s tackle excuse number one. Everyone has time to drink water. All it takes is throwing a water bottle into your bag or having one at your desk. If you are worried about having to constantly refill your water bottle or you fear having multiple empty water bottles litter your space, fear no more. Try getting a bigger bottle. Grocery stores sell gallon jugs of water which both cost less than packs of individual 20fl oz water bottles.

Now in response to the second excuse listed above, hydration does not have to come from plain water. Water is made no less effective if you “spice it up”. Don’t be afraid to add a little bit of flavor. There are plenty of non or low calorie drink mixes such as propel and crystal lite. In moderation, they can make water taste less boring and provide that additional impetus needed by the taste buds to get that fluid into the body. Another way to flavor your water is to add a little bit of citrus to the mix. Throw a few slices of lemon or orange into your water or squeeze a small amount of the juice into it. It sounds simple, but who knows, you might find it delicious and refreshing. When flavoring your water, avoid adding too much extra sugar. Lemonade, for example, is tasty but often loaded with sugar. It might hydrate you but it will also add a lot of extra calories to your diet. Also, try to avoid overloading on fruit juices. For the most part, fruit juice is rid of the fiber which, in fruit consumption, slows the absorption of glucose into your system. It is essentially sugar water with some added vitamins and minerals. It adds a significant number of calories and can contribute to sudden spikes and drops in blood sugar which may leave you craving more.

Sure “ Everyone loves marine land”, but that doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice. Trust me , for the time being, there is plenty of water for both you and Shamoo the whale to live healthily. The dolphins and whales will be just fine without your sacrifice of water. Fill up your glasses, give a toast to your health and drink. Go fourth my “desert- like insided” friends and do as the cactus does. When water is available, take advantage of the situation and take it in.
Kate Lynch

Full Body vs. Bodypart Splits

2011-05-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

How your workouts are designed are what is going to define how your body is shaped and acts. The truth of the matter is that we are complex beings with bodies designed in push and pull systems that act together day in and day out. That being said there are multiple advantages to doing workouts that incorporate total body work.

By doing total body you're actually able to burn more calories while still being able to pack on pounds and pounds of muscle. The key to this is pairing the correct exercise together to reap the most out of every workout.

Through personal experience I've found that what works well is doing the following:
Day 1: horizontal push, generally a chest exercise such a barbell or dumbbell press, followed by a horizontal pull, which is a back exercise more like rowing, such as seated cable row barbell or dumbbell rows, and finishing with a leg exercise, preferable something that required full activation of the legs like a squat or a dead lift or a lunge.
Day 2: vertical push, some type a shoulder press, a vertical pull, like a pull down pull up or chin ups, and a leg work out again such ad a dead lift squat or a lunge. After those two days a solid reset can be used if your goal is to gain quality muscle while if your goal is fat lose I would recommend a session of high intensity interval work.

Notice that every example exercise I mentioned was a multi-joint, multi-muscle action. The reason is that these compound movements activate the most muscle fibers there by giving you the most work for both maximum muscle growth and calorie burning. And as we all know, the bigger the muscles on your frame the more calories you burn.

Not that single body part work doesn't have it's own benefit. Bodybuilders are notorious for single body part work. The reason being is that these men and women are after a physique with much larger attributes and and are judged by their muscle belly size, proportions, and how symmetric they are.

The type of physique you wish to attain is going to determine the type of workout will use. The key to changing your physique and your life is putting in the effort. So do the work an hold yourself accountable for not only your gym time but your diet as well. If you diet is off then you can't reach your ideal physique. Only you can do it.

Jack Lazarus

How to pick things up and put them back down...the right way!

2011-04-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Muscular Activation

Jack Lazarus

Muscle is the most metabolic part of your body. The bigger the muscles on your body the faster your, metabolism there by allowing you to burn more calories throughout your day. If you lift weight you get stronger and gain more muscle which makes your metabolism faster, but sometimes, especially if you’ve been training for a long time, these gains stagnate and you get frustrated by the plateau you hit. How do you break that plateau? What can you do differently?

As we brought up in the Big 3 Article, there isn’t just one type of muscle, there are 3 types: Type I, aka slow twitch, Type 2A and Type 2B, aka Fast Twitch fibers. These fibers make up muscle cells and when broken down and repaired grow and get stronger. The problem is getting all 3 types to fire allowing for more muscular breakdown and there by muscle growth, and yes it can be done. First you need to understand how a lift works.

There are 3 portions to a lift once you’re ready to lift, the eccentric portion, aka the negative, the concentric, aka the positive and the isometric, aka the hold. Why is this important? Different stress can be put on the fibers during each phase of the lift causing greater hypertrophy, growth, of the muscle. Eccentrically moving, lowering the weight, at a slower controlled pace allows for greater activation of your Type I fibers, which are very resilient to fatigue and can take the stress of longer lowering. Concentrically moving, moving the weight back to the starting point, the weight at a explosive pace allows for greater activation on the fast twitch fibers, which fatigue more easily and need to get through the lift quickly by nature. The isometric portion of the lift allows for greater muscle squeeze at the end of a motion and allows you to relieve the stress on the type 2 fibers and shift it back into your type 1’s so you can continue the lift.

Take, for instance, the squat. Once the bar is on your back you’re ready to go, and since most people hate squats because of how sore they get, you generally just want to get them done as fast as possible. But as we all know, squat is king for legs, and if you do them properly they cause the greatest gains. Next time you go to squat and you un-rack the bar lower yourself slow and controlled all the way to the bottom. Once your there fire it up as fast as you can and then squeeze everything. Feel your gluteus, hamstrings, and quads tighten and then release and lower the bar in a slow controlled motion back down to the bottom and repeat. Granted you may not be able to lift the same amount of weight you could by just powering through the lift but given time you will be able to and be able to lift that much more because of it. Remember, big, strong muscles have a very high metabolic demand. They burn a lot of calories and require ample calories to maintain and even more calories to grow.

Eat a proper diet and lift properly to develop the lean, hard and amazing physique you’re searching for!

The Nancy Drew Approach to Light, Free and Lean

2011-04-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

If you are anything like me, you like to eat and you are an avid fan of foraging the aisles of the grocery food stores for tasty treats and good eats. Being a health conscious person who covets the waistline of a Victoria’s Secret model, the muscles of Popeye and a life free of health disparity, perhaps you have become accustomed to “ twisting the wrist” before dumping cans, boxes and bags into your cart. If you are one of those people who exercise the art of wrist supination and sleuth investigation, you are probably quite used to seeing labels such as “ calorie free”, “ sugar free”, “extra lean” or “ good source of fiber” all aiding us in the daunting task of choosing healthier food options. We know that the word “lean” makes us think skinny thoughts and that “fiber” is in some way good for us. Further, who doesn’t like hearing the word “free” (free car, free trip, free of pesticides)? The question at hand is what do label claims mean? What is required for a product for it to contain a label? Are claims always as good as they seem? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

“Calorie free” has a natural ring to it. It, in some way, has than uncanny ability to elicit cozy thoughts of freedom from that in food which adds a little jiggle to our love handles. Unfortunately this label, with all its feel-good impressions, doesn’t necessarily mean that a food is 100 percent without calories and though I may wish, it definitely doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have to be paid for. For a food to be labeled “calorie free” it merely has to contain fewer than 5 calories per serving. Basically, a few servings won’t break you or screw up your diet.

“Fat free” and “sugar free” products follow a similar pattern. The requirement for such a label is that it must contain .5 g or less of fat/ sugar per serving. The label can be used to identify products that contain very little fat or sugar, as long as the portion size is reasonable. Unfortunately, buyers need to beware since the guidelines “free” does allow a producer the possibility of advertising a higher fat or sugar food as “fat free” or “ sugar free” if the portion is tiny enough.

Slightly less misleading is the label“Low fat” which is also indicative of the amount of fat present in one serving of a food. A product with this label must have less than 3g of fat per serving. Again, watch what the label considers a serving size when figuring out how much fat you will, in fact, end up ingesting in one sitting.

The label “ Light” or “ lite” can have one of a few meanings. A product that is “light” often indicates that the product has a calorie content that is 1/3 less than a higher calorie equivalent. It can also be indicative of a fat/ sodium content that is ½ lower than its original product.

“Lean” means that a serving contains less than 10 g of fat, less than 4g of sat fat and 95g or less of cholesterol per serving. “ Extra lean“ ,on the other hand ,tell us that a product contains less than 5g of fat,2g of sat fat, and 95 g of cholesterol per serving.

While high cholesterol is a common concern in the United States“Low cholesterol” is a label that is well sought after. To be labeled as such, a product must contain 20 mg or less of cholesterol and equal to or fewer than 2 g of saturated fat per serving. “Reduced Cholesterol” means that a product contains 2 g or less of sat fat and 25 % less cholesterol per serving than a higher cholesterol version.

“ High fiber” and “ good source of fiber” are two more common label claims which, to me, elicit the questions “ what constitutes high fiber?” and “what makes something a good source?”. Here are the answers. A “high fiber” label requires that a food provide 5g of fiber or more per serving while a “good source” of fiber provides 2.5-4.9 g per serving.

For the most part, nutrient labels are based upon serving size. This being said, it is imperative that you are aware of what the serving size being represented is. If you look at a label whose serving size is 1/8 of a cup, but the average portion consumed is 1 cup( 8 servings), a “ low fat” food with 3 g of saturated fat per serving may not end up saving you from the high amount of fat you were trying to avoid in the first place. While not true of all labels, many do use unrealistically small portion sizes in order to be allowed to label themselves favorably. Be cautious and don’t be afraid to really investigate that package before you buy it. I after all, have yet to see a can of soup file a harassment complaint because it was stared at for too long.

In a world full of marketing schemes, knowing what various label claims mean can be of benefit to you in your food shopping endeavors. Remember that if you too covet that Victoria’s Secret body, want that loaded Popeye gun show or desire to prevent/ reverse health disparity, nutrition should be an important part of your life. It is a key component to health that starts with what you choose at the grocery store. Unless you are dependent entirely on your own private garden, livestock raising, cooking and canning skills for nourishment, (very few of us are) it is best to be educated on what you are buying and what label claims really mean.
© Kate Lynch

Get The Sledgehammer Ready

2011-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

Breaking Down Mental Barriers

Steve Decker

This past month’s rowing challenge has really made me think about the way our perceived physical barriers can be shattered by willpower and determination. When ChrisFit first started Death Row classes, a challenge was issued to the members to take 1 Sunday morning and row 10,000 meters straight. A few brave souls showed up and pulled for the better part of an hour and managed to accomplish that epic feat. They were congratulated, and then claimed that they would never do something so insane again!

This past Thursday, Rich and Tod rowed 100,000 meters in 1 day.

Let that sink in for a moment.

By sheer determination, those two managed to demolish a perceived barrier that was previously thought to be sheer madness. A year ago 10k was awesome, and now 10 times that amount is the new awesome. Similarly, the Jacob’s Ladder barrier of 30 minutes straight was thought to be insanity. Then, Sue did over 2 hours on it without a break! Another example: I was once scared to let Lynn deadlift over 135 lbs. Now a deadlift day where she does anything less than 250 is considered to be an “off” day. The list could go on for a while, but I think the point has been made. What we perceive as a physical barrier is nothing but a mental block that can be overcome by the human spirit.

The next time you let the words “I can’t…” enter your thought process, take a moment and reflect on this idea. Sometimes all we need to do is buckle down and ask ourselves how much we really want to accomplish something. The answer is always there, you simply need to ask the right question. It’s like the Adidas commercials say: “impossible is nothing!”

Go break down a barrier for yourself.

Help us, help YOU

2011-03-20T05:58:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Logging Nutrition

The very first time I begin training a new client, before they even begin to warm up, I assign them one piece of perpetual homework: to keep an accurate log of their food and beverage intake. Why is this the first item, before even doing a single squat? Simple: because nutrition makes or breaks results from our work in the gym. You just cannot out-train a bad diet, no matter how hard you try, and the only way to consistently ensure that your nutrition is on point, is to have a record of it. Despite the fact that writing down everything that goes into your mouth is somewhat difficult and annoying to get used to, it is imperative.
Many people tell me that they “eat healthy” and do not need help with nutrition, when in fact they have no idea what healthy really is. This is not the client’s fault, as there is so much conflicting and confusing information available on product packaging, infomercials, the Internet, and any number of other sources. From these “healthy eaters” I have seen food logs with various combinations of carb-only eating, severe under eating, copious amounts of sugar, and an infinite amount of other bad choices. Drinking a diet soda next to your 1000 calorie bowl of pasta does not mean you made the “healthy” choice. Simply put, most people need advice and guidance from a professional if they want to change their bodies, and those that think they do not are often in more need than anyone!
Another great reason to keep an accurate log and share it with a professional is that you might actually need to eat more! That's right: you might be told by a trainer to eat more food. Pull your jaw off the floor and take a deep breath…it's OK. This often comes as a surprise, but many people make the mistake of taking in too few calories in a well-intentioned but uninformed attempt at losing weight quickly. But, without adequate nutrition, the body will go into "starvation mode" and actually STORE more calories as fat. This situation requires a planned approach with precision required to be successful at restoring metabolic function. Now, really, how many of you are going to be upset if your trainer makes you eat more food, and you get leaner or gain more muscle?
Another point to consider is that often, minor tweaks to a decent diet can make it a good diet. If I can let you get away with eating what you normally eat for the most part, and simply make small adjustments to portions or provide better alternatives, you will be happier and more successful in your fitness goals. I have often been able to simply cut out a few hundred extraneous calories from a food log from liquids where those calories were hiding. If you could eat the same foods as always, and just switch from drinking vitamin water with a couple hundred calories per bottle to crystal light with 5 cals per serving, you could create a 500-calorie deficit (enough to lose ~1 lb. Per week) by making that one change. The hitch is, I need to know what you’re doing to make the change!
The importance of being honest and conscientious with a food journal simply cannot be overstated! The benefits far outweigh the minor inconvenience, and results will come much faster if nutrition is on point. There are many ways to find the nutritional content of the foods you are eating, including a plethora of websites and smartphone apps. Some of our favorites include www.fitday.com (also available as an iPhone app), www.calorieking.com, www.sparkpeople.com, and the USDA.gov website. Logs are often easily kept online, on a spreadsheet, or simply jotted down in a spiral notebook. Heck, write it on your shirtsleeves if it works for you!

Steve Decker

The big 3

2011-02-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Have you been training and dieting for a while? Do you often feel like even though you make gains in strength or endurance or even lose weight little by little your body just doesn’t seem to respond the way you want it to? Well then its time to open your eyes to how the body works and how reacts to the three macronutrients.

When you train, whether it is with bodyweight or added weight, your body responds to stimulus by recruiting hundreds of muscle fibers in order to handle the load. Your muscles are what allow you to move when they are attached to your skeleton. As you get stronger not only do your muscles respond to the load but so do your bones. When we put stress on our bones we increase their density in order for them to be able to handle the extraneous amounts we lift. In the 19th century a German Anatomist named Julius Wolff stated:
“a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. The internal architecture of the trabeculae undergoes adaptive changes, followed by secondary changes to the external cortical portion of the bone, perhaps becoming thicker as a result.”
A perfect example of this would be a martial artist, who punch or kick objects with increasing intensity to develop striking power to damage opponents, often display increases in bone density in the striking area. Lifting weights is very similar, as we need harder bones so that they don’t snap under the pressure when we add weight. As bones are thicker our muscles are able to handle more resistance, whether the resistance is more reps with a weight or a heavier weight, but why?

Depending on how you train you can actually transform your muscles to have more of one type of fiber than the others. You see your body is composed of three types of skeletal muscle fibers: Type I, know mostly as endurance fibers, Type II a, which are larger fibers that fatigue faster than Type I, and Type II b, your largest fibers that fatigue most easily. As you train these fibers become stronger and more efficient at the work we place on them, especially when first starting an exercise program. But then why does progress slow or stop altogether? Unfortunately many people don’t know proper nutrition.

Your three macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. You need the nutrients just for normal day to day function, and even more when under a strenuous exercise program. If someone is obese and looking to lose weight and get in shape it is important that they get an exercise program and drop their total caloric intake in order to get started but what should they cut out? A lot of trendy diets out there cut carbs and up fat and protein intake, or cut fat and up carb and protein intake, but what’s correct? Neither. Length depletion of macros has a negative result on our bodies. Most people drop their fat intake for “heart health”, the problem isn’t fat as a whole, and it’s the type of fats that’s the problem. People who have diets high in saturated fat tend to have heart problems due to the clogging or arteries. The answer there is simple; eat less saturated fat and intake more poly and mono-saturated fat which not only are heart healthy, but waist line friendly. Carbohydrates are completely necessary for proper bodily function. Not only do carbs bind with protein in order to aid in muscle growth and development but brain function. Carbohydrates are also needed to regulate protein and fat metabolism. With the proteins and fats, the carbohydrates help to fight infections, promote growth of body tissues such as bones and skin, and lubricate the joints. Length deprivation of carbs can even cause loss of muscle tissue. By eating a good supply of all three macro nutrients and with a good training program there is no reason why you can develop the lean, strong body you want.

ROWING

2011-02-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Rowing, “The other white meat”
Why is rowing great? Maybe it is because it is unlike any other sport. It is both mentally and physically rewarding and it is certainly the only sport that you can accomplish sitting on your butt going backward. Ok fine, I suppose the legitimacy of this claim is undermined by those who consider channel surfing a sport. After all, you can very easily put your couch on wheels and have your kids push you backward across the room. I admit that in this instance, you are indeed sitting on your butt while moving backward. Unfortunately for us, this means of seated mobility is not going to give us the fitness benefits that rowing will. This brings me to a stronger argument in favor of rowing’s greatness. Rowing is just plain good for you. It is a great way to burn fat, build muscle tone, prevent injury and help us look fabulous in our little black dresses and Hawaiian swimming trunks. Conveniently, we don’t even have to go outside to do it. With a rowing machine, we can reap the benefits of rowing without getting wet.
The rowing movement utilizes a number of muscle groups all at once including the quads, biceps, lats, traps, glutes and abdominal muscles. Because it is a full body workout, it burns more calories per minute than your average treadmill or bike and is a great way to burn fat and boost your cardiovascular endurance. Whether your goal is to tone the buttocks and thighs or build your cardio for fat loss and disease prevention, rowing can be used to your advantage.
Further, rowing is a tool to promote core strength and prevent injury. It helps in the development of proprioception ( the body’s ability to control itself unsupported in space).Because most of the movement in the upper body is unsupported, your stabilizer muscles get a real workout resulting in a stronger, more supported core. The strength gained in these muscles may be what helps avoid a back injury when handling a cumbersome load.
You won’t find any “downward dogs”or other yoga poses in the rowing stroke, but you might be surprised to find that rowing can improve flexibility. Rowing takes your body through a wide range of motion, stretching muscles and moving joints to a greater extent than most exercises.
Rowing may not come across as soft an serene as yoga, but some of your joints will thank you for not pounding them to death. Unlike running, rowing puts very little impact upon the knees and ankles. For this reason, it is often recommended for people looking to prevent joint pain.
While rowing is extremely beneficial in all the ways listed above, that does not mean that you should not take precautions when climbing onto an indoor rowing machine. Proper technique will help to prevent injury and to make sure you are getting the most from the exercise.
First of all, there is a progression that you want to pay attention to with every stroke. Start with your legs straight and the handle pulled into your body. From there, release the arms and lean forward to get some body angle. At this point, bend the legs and move up the slide. Once you are at the top of the slide, drive with the legs. When your legs are just about straight again, you can bring the body angle back and then pull your arms into your body.
One thing that most people don’t realize about rowing is that it is about 70% legs. Don’t be afraid to really push those legs down .That is where most of the power comes from in the stroke. Back in the early days of rowing, rowers wore greased up leather pants to allow for sliding up and down inside the boat. Thankfully the rowing world has discovered the ease of rolling seats and you can now save your leather for your Harley. The point is, learn from history. If the point of rowing was about ripping through the water with your arms, rowers of the past would not have put themselves through the inconvenience of greasy “Ricky Martin” pants. Also, don’t make the mistake of bending your arms too soon. Think of your arms as strings. They are there merely to connect your body to the oar handle. Let your legs do most of the work.
Another thing that you want to pay attention to is your posture. Sitting straight up, not slouching, you will support your back and prevent back injury.
Lastly, when using the rowing machine, try to make your trip to the front of the slide slower than your leg drive. Remember that the trip to the front is your rest time while the leg drive is your chance to show the machine who is boss. If you are ever in doubt about how to use a rowing machine, don’t hesitate to ask someone for help.

INTENSITY

2011-02-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

How would you rate the intensity of your last workout, scale of 1-10? If your answer isn’t at least an 8, something needs a kick-start! To achieve tangible results from your workout, simply going through the motions will not cut it. Sure, your trainer or homework program can give you effective exercise combinations, suggested poundage, and tips & tricks to maximize the efficacy of your workout. We as trainers are here to motivate you, and do our best to see that you are working hard and keeping safe. However, at the end of the day, the effort you put forth in the gym and in the kitchen are what will change your body and make you stronger, leaner, faster, etc…
So, what is intensity, exactly? Intensity to some people is yelling catch phrases in between grunts and heaving too heavy a weight around until they drop it, but that’s not what we are after here. What I am talking about is a quiet mental battle that goes on inside of you while you train. I am talking about extreme focus on the task at hand and the determination to stop at nothing to put every last drop of effort into your workout. This involves pushing past previous barriers, whether they be mental or physical, and being in tune with ones body. When lifting a weight, you need to focus on the muscles involved in completing the lift. Arbitrarily pushing or pulling without focusing on the muscles being trained can only get you so far. There comes a point when you should to be able to connect with the muscles you are training and willfully contract and squeeze them. That focus will allow you to really engage every muscle fiber available and help you to force an adaptation in your body (read: make the muscle grow and get stronger). That’s what training is all about.
Beyond the connection with the body itself, intense training requires that you develop some serious intestinal fortitude. That can be both a literal and figurative statement (since prowler season will soon be upon us and those lacking a strong stomach will not be happy campers) but I am focused on the figurative. I’m telling you that you need to have the guts to push yourself harder than you thought you ever would. Before you even begin to exercise, you should be mentally prepared to push, pull, jump, run or whatever is in order for the day, as hard as you can, and then a little harder. The human body is an amazing thing. It is capable of doing much more than we give it credit for sometimes, and it adapts very quickly to stimuli. What does that mean for us? It means that doing the same 12 reps with the 12 lb dumbbells and staying in our comfort zone just isn’t going to be effective. If the body can handle a weight or # of reps easily, it has no reason to adapt and change for the better. It is only when we push the boundaries of what the body can do that we force a change. Did 12 reps feel easy last time? Well maybe it’s time to add weight, or reps, or change exercises entirely to something more difficult. The point is to outwork yourself, and your own preconceived mental barriers; and that takes intensity. To pick up a weight that you are a little afraid of, do some reps, and then take a very quick look into your soul and decide that you can indeed do more takes some guts. However, at the end of it, knowing that accomplished more than you thought you could is what makes for real progress.So, the next time you train, will you settle for “good enough?” Or will you push out of your comfort zone, get a little intense, and tell yourself “I CAN do more?” When your thighs are on fire from squats and your arms feel like rubber from all those presses, and you think there is nothing left in the tank, look inside for some intensity and achieve something great

Summer Time( abs or a gut?)

2010-05-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Diet-friendly things I like:
with summer coming up, and beach season on the minds of many, i thought i'd share a few products that I've come across recently that might be of interest to those watching their diets (IE, all of you, right? :-))
P28 High Protein Bread
This bread is great for those on a restricted carb intake, and for those who have trouble getting in their daily protein intake. Slices are HUGE and satisfying, but with a great nutritional content: 12g carbs, 14g protein, 3.5g fat per slice. could be used as a small healthy snack all by itself, or cut a piece in half and make a great sandwich!
http://nutribreads.com/
Joseph's Omega 3 Lavash wraps
"Joseph's provides you with a healthy, reduced carb, high protein Lavash bread, now containing Flax, an excellent source of Omega-3! This Lavash has no cholesterol and contains three healthy ingredients: Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat which may help protect your heart, while losing weight!"
I found these at BJ's in the bakery section a few weeks ago, and I'm hooked! they actually do taste good, believe it or not, and are nice and soft - makes a great wrapper for some grilled chicken and spinach!
7g carbs, 5g protein, 2b fat. per 1/2 wrap (trust me, a 1/2 wrap is plenty big to make a great lunch out of - they are really big!)
http://www.josephsbakery.com/p-10222-Flax-Oat-Bran-and-Omega-3-Square-Lavash
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond Milk
Lactose intolerant? Not a fan of skim milk? Vegetarian? Worried about consuming too much soy? This is the perfect milk for you! with different varieties for different taste buds, and low calories, Almond Breeze has permanently made it's way into our fridge at home!
Unsweetened Vanilla version has only 2g carbs, 1g protein, 3g fat. (monounsaturated fats from almonds are the healthiest fats - your body needs them!)
available at most Tops and BJ's locations
http://www.almondbreeze.com/
Stoneyfield Farm - Oikos organic Greek Yogurt
Tired of protein shakes? This is the prefect after-workout treat for you! High in protein and very thick and creamy, Greek yogurt is a great way to get in some protein into your body after a tough workout! Delicious and Nutritious!
Available at most grocery stores.
Strawberry flavor has 16g carbs, 13g protein, 0g fat.
http://www.stonyfield.com/oikos/index.jsp
There you have it - a few new ideas to keep you on your way to a lean, healthy summer!

Motivation

2010-02-26T15:20:00.000-08:00

Are your New Years' goals further away than you anticipated? Are you lacking motivation, desire or the knowledge to improve the quality of your life.

Do you feel unsure of: how to use the equipment, design your training program, what heart rate you should exercise at, how to work around your bum knee, whether or not you are "allowed" to eat past 5pm, or have any other uncertainties?

If so, please let myself or Steve know. Email us, text us, ask us. Stop feeling frustrated.

Dont let a little snow this weekend slow you down.

Here is a low carb chili recipe to keep you warm

1 cup fresh onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, minced3 tbsp olive oil2 lb of lean beef, chopped small (Not ground beef!!)2 cups tomatoes, undrained (fresh is best, but one 14 oz can diced tomatoes works too)2 cups of beef broth (one 14 oz can)2 tsp salt2 tsp black pepper2 bay leaves1 tsp oregano1/4 tsp crushed whole cumin2 1/2 tbsp chili powderFor the lean beef, I use my grocery stores "lean stew meat" be sure you buy the lean variety however as it make a huge difference in taste. I also chop this meat or whatever meat you buy) into about 1/2 inch squares.. the stew meat I buy is much bigger chunked and too big. It takes some time to chop it up, but it is worth the effort!In a pan, cook the garlic, chopped onions, olive oil, and beef together over medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until all the red in the beef has turned gray or brown (no red showing as you stir it)Next turn down the heat to low, and add tomatoes, beef stock and stir in all the seasonings. Cover with lid, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is very tender. (Also be sure you don't drain the beef or chili at any time - the juices are sooo yummy and make it so flavorful!) Remove the two bay leaves. Serve and Enjoy!Makes 9 servings at only 5 carbs per serving. * Note that using tomatoes in canned vinegars or oils could raise the carb count significantly. Use only plain diced tomatoes if in a can. Also, more tomatoes used in the recipe would cause more carbs per serving. You could reduce the tomatoes to no tomatoes at all, add another can of beef broth instead and further reduce the carb count per serving to about 3 carbs per serving.

100 POUNDS

2010-02-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS OF SANDRA'S SPECIAL DAY
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!!

Biggest Loser weigh in

2009-12-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

BIGGEST LOSER WEIGH IN next Tuesday the 15th @5pm.
Bring your initial weigh in sheets

Biggest Loser Recipe

2009-11-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Fruit Salsa
Fruit Salsa
Makes 1 large bowl
Ingredients:
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced1 cup diced pineapple (fresh)1 1/2 cup diced peaches (fresh)1 yellow or orange bell pepper diced3 large green onions sliced3 jalapenos minced1 lime, zest and juice1/2 cup cilantro chopped lightly1 Tbsp SaltMethod:
1. Chop everything small dice, you can also pulse lightly in a food processor if you don't like chopping stuff.2. Combine in a large bowl or plastic container and let it sit overnight or at least a few hours to let flavors come together.3. Enjoy chilled! This will keep in the fridge for about 5 days

Grilled Mahi Mahi
Ingredients:
Mahi Mahi Filets (or other fish of your choice, shrimp is great with this too)Juice of fresh limeZest of fresh limeFresh ground pepperSalt
Method:
Put all ingredients together mix well. Let sit for about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
Put grill on high
Salt both sides of fish
Place on hot grill, put on the lid and turn it down to low/med.
Leave for 2 minutes.
Flip once. Close lid turn down to low leave for another 3-4 minutes depending how thick the filets are.
Remove them to a rack and let them rest for approximately 7-10 minutes.
Assembling the dish:
Place fish on plate over salad, brown rice, or black beans.
Place fresh salsa over top of fish and serve.
Enjoy!

Biggest Loser Prize Updates

2009-11-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I hope this past week you have seen success and are building momentum in building a healthier you!!!
I have been informed from Megan, that added to the prize list has been a one night stay at Pipers Village Inn, in the jacuzzi suite!
We are still working on getting more prizes for you, so stay tuned. Post any questions you have.

BIGGEST LOSER CONTEST

2009-11-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

Congrats on taking the first step in creating a new and healthier you.

We are finalizing the prizes and I expect a few new additions to the prizes to be added. I will keep you posted. Please feel free to post any questions you have or any tips to other contestants.

If it is a question of private nature, please email me at crtybor28@yahoo.com

Tips for the week: Avoid the all or nothing approach. Many of you may be overwhelmed with the journey ahead of you. Take small steps in getting there. Coming to the gym 3-4x per week is better than 6x one week and none the next. Be consistent!

Grab the free recipes from the board by the entrance to the gym. USE them! Cook in bulk and make sure you have food prepared ahead of time.

Increase your cardio. If you are doing 3 forty five(45) minute sessions, try adding a 30 minute one or add a yoga or spin class. If you are already maxed out on time, increase your intensity. Working harder rather than longer can be beneficial. Use your better judgement, and honestly gauge how hard you are working.

Blood Sugar

2009-11-17T09:14:00.000-08:00

Control blood sugar levels, control your body.Many, if not all of us, know someone with Diabetes (whether it be type 1 or 2) who has to carefully monitor and regulate their blood sugar levels. In many Type 2 (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus - NIDDM) cases, this can be accomplished by manipulating dietary carbohydrates, and incorporating exercise into a daily routine. Essentially, by eating the right carbs and working out, one can stabilize their blood sugar levels, and in some cases, even increase Insulin sensitivity in the long term.You might be thinking at this point "that's great, but I don't have Diabetes, so where is this going?"What we as health and fitness-conscious individuals can take away from the advice doctors of Diabetes patients have been doling out for years is an important lesson in hormone manipulation that can have a positive effect on both body composition and daily energy levels. The biggest reason we need to control blood sugar is Insulin. The hormone Insulin is released by the Pancreas as the body's response to elevated blood sugar. Insulin sends a signal to the body that the excess sugar in the blood stream should be taken up by the liver, and stored in fat cells and skeletal muscle tissue as Glycogen (the body's way of storing energy from carbohydrates). This is great for an athlete or bodybuilder after a tough workout or game, when their Glycogen stores are depleted severely. However, the negative side for the other 99% of us is that Insulin also tells the body to stop using fat as a fuel source, as it needs to use up the extra blood glucose before it causes organ damage. So, to sum that all up: If blood sugar is spiked by eating the wrong foods, Insulin is released to counteract the high levels. The Insulin in response, tells the body to only burn simple sugars for fuel, and to store the excess in muscle tissue and fat cells. It also tells your body not to use fat for energy - meaning that until that Insulin response has subsided, your body will not be able to burn off body fat!Another important aspect of controlling blood sugar is to regulate your energy levels throughout the day. Have you ever had a can of soda or a pixie stick and felt like you could run laps around the planet for about 15 minutes, only to then crash and need a nap immediately after? That little burst of energy is your body trying to get rid of extra blood sugar, and the crash is what happens when the sugar is out of the blood stream and your body still doesn't want to use fat as an energy source - leaving you with no immediate energy.To counteract this roller coaster energy trend, as well as avoid fat storage from Insulin release, we can simply control blood sugar by eating right and exercising. Studies have shown that over the long term, the body becomes more efficient at processing carbohydrates and responding to Insulin. In addition to exercise, eating the right kinds of carbs at even intervals can keep blood sugar levels at an even keel, rather than spiking at different intervals throughout the day. By spacing out good carbs (as opposed to eating all of your carbs in one giant bagel for breakfast), blood sugar will stay steady. These 'good' carbs are all complex carbohydrates that are digested slowly by the body and thus will not cause blood sugar to rise significantly, while 'bad' carbs digest very quickly into glucose and spike blood sugar.Good Carbs include:OatmealWhole Grain breadsBrown RiceVegetables such as Broccoli, Beans, Spinach, and Sweet PotatoesBad Carbs include:Sugary Drinks like Soda, 'Fruit juice' (often minimal real juice, with tons of added corn syrup), and GatoradeWhite Bread (including most bagels)White RiceMost processed snack bars that come in a box.Pretzels made with White flour (starting to see a trend in the White products?)Candy, Cakes, and similar dessert items.In conclusion, by spacing out our healthy carbs (most of which, by the way, are nutrient-dense foods that we can take necessary vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber from) and working out consistently, we can control blood sugar levels and minimize the body's release of Insulin - thus allowing us to keep burning fat for fuel, and have a steady supply of energy throughout the day.

Steve Decker ChrisFit Personal Training http://www.chrisfit.net/

Thank You and Congrats

2009-10-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

I would like to congratulate Steph P. on her 2nd place finish in her first figure competition yesterday!

Her hard work in the gym and the kitchen paid off. I would like to thank all family members, clients and friends that showed up to support her her. It was great to have the loudest cheering section there!

Food as your friend?

2009-08-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Food as your friend - an alternative view on eating.
The other day I was discussing with a friend/client her take on meeting the prescribed numbers for carbohydrate intake during the day. She had quasi-jokingly asked if eating a scoop of ice cream after her workout would be okay, since, afterall, ice cream is made up of carbs and a bit of protein. (I use the 'quasi' prefix, since although this was said clearly just to see the look on my face as my blood pressure rose and steam began to come from my ears, I have no doubt that had I said "yes," this story might have been written on my laptop while sitting at Dairy Queen!) My answer to this was something to the effect of her needing to change her thinking about food. I said that food is not just to be mindlessly ingested, bearing only the basic numbers on the label in mind. I explained that food should be a "tool" or, to use the ever-popular analogy of the race car, "fuel." I told said friend that before eating something just because its carb count was within the allowable realm, she should consider the value of it to the body. Sure, an ice cream cone sounds great to the taste buds, but would your body get anything of any use value from it? A fat-storing spike in blood sugar levels and the subsequent insulin res ponce would be about all. However, if a more complex form of carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, brown rice, or some green vegetables were substituted, the body would get the benefits of some useful vitamins and minerals, dietary fiber for digestive health, and maybe even some of the reported cholesterol-lowering benefits of whole grains so proudly touted by the oatmeal industry. This whole idea of thinking of food as a tool to give the body what it needs came to me a few years ago while helping my mother on a landscape job. I had been carrying bags of mulch around for about 4 hours, and in doing so had worked up quite an appetite. (Now, at this point in my life, I was on a overly restrictive diet and became somewhat calorie-phobic, as I am sure some readers can relate to.) I had spent the last 1/2 hour or so thinking of the most diet-friendly lunch I could manage to acquire would be, given my current state of filthiness, when I asked what she wanted for lunch. The simple answer I received was "I don't care, I'll just have whatever will give me the energy to finish the job." This simple statement really got me thinking about my calorie-phobia. It dawned on me that it shouldn't be my goal to avoid all the delicious (yet fattening) food I had been craving, but rather to seek out the nutritious, beneficial food that my body needed.What I am getting at with these little anecdotes is that too often, while on a mission to drop some unwanted body fat, we all tend to focus our thoughts about eating toward the negative. "I can't have pizza" or "I can't go out for ice cream" need to be replaced with positive thinking about what we should eat, not what we can't. Wouldn't it be refreshing to look forward to a serving of veggies or a baked chicken breast and think about the positive attributes of healthy eating? It's only natural to have the occasional craving for something sweet, but if we all try a little harder to think in terms of what we can do for our bodies, rather than what we're being deprived of, I believe we'd all be a lot happier and more successful while working toward our fitness and health goals. -Steve

Why so MANY squats?

2009-08-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that your ChrisFit Trainer just loves the time(s) in your workout when you will use your legs for any number of different kinds of squats or lunge variations, or even the dreaded leg press, but do you know why so much emphasis is put on your legs, or why so many different "tortures" are employed? Let's take a look at the why of leg training in the first place.Even though most of us will not be competing in a high-jump contest any time soon, there are plenty of very important reasons to do resistance training with your legs. 1) Your legs (comprised of the Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves, and smaller anterior muscles of the lower leg such as the Tibialis) are the biggest muscle group in your body. That means that when you put sufficient stress on these muscle groups, you are going to burn a tremendous amount of calories. Think about it from a logical standpoint: the energy used while performing a bicep curl with, say, 20 lbs., using one relatively small muscle group in an isolated fashion, simply cannot be compared to that used when all of the afore-mentioned muscle groups, plus the Spinal Erectors, Abdominals, Trapezius and numerous other stabilizer muscle groups are engaged to do perform a barbell squat with, as an example, 75 lbs, plus the weight of your body. All of those muscles working together to lift a larger load = more calories burned, and more muscle created to boost your metabolism and make you stronger. 2) Your legs must be strong to support your upper body. To have a heavy top half and comparatively weak legs can cause not only muscle imbalances and back pain, but also take a toll on your joints. This is mostly seen in men who prioritize their training on the "beach muscles" in their upper body that can be seen in the mirror. Aside from the fact that you may end up with propotions similar to the kool-aid guy, this is just unhealthy, and not practical for your everyday life. Sure, it's great that you can bench press your bodyweight, but make sure you can also stand up from the bench without needing a hand. This functional component to leg training is also important to you moms out there: how often do you have to carry the kids up and down stairs or hills, or pull or push them around in a wagon or stroller? My guess is that you do this a lot, and having stronger legs will make this easier and more enjoyable for you both. 3) Although the weather may be trying to fool us this year, it is summer, and we wear shorts when it is hot outside. That said, I think just about everyone would like to have the confidence to know that they have shapely legs with some muscular definition, rather than legs that have never once been exercised, when they go out in shorts.Now that you have a burning desire to go to squats today, lets discuss your options for effectively working your legs. I have occasionally been asked by clients why i am always making them do all sorts of different squats and lunges. The answer to that is two-fold. On one hand, even the most die-hard exercise nut would get very bored doing just one version of the squat week after week, and there is something to be said for variety for the sake of boredom prevention. More importantly, however, is the fact that different movements hit different muscle groups in specific ways. There are four different Quadriceps muscles that make up the front of your thigh, and three Hamstrings in the rear, plus different hip flexor, extensor, adductor, and abductor muscles to be considered when doing leg exercises. Varying foot positions can go a long way to accomplish this. For example, a wide stance on a squat will target the inner thigh, while a very close one will focus on the outside. Having your feet on the top of the leg press plate, or out in front of you as in a wall-squat, smith-squat, or lunge will target the hamstrings and glutes, while having your feet low on the leg press plate or directly beneath you as in a Goblet squat or Barbell squat will use the Quadriceps more heavily. Variances in where the weight is positioned relative to your body can also effect the target muscles of any leg movement. Having a weight high on your torso in front of you (front squat, goblet squat) can add a lot of work to your Abdominals and Quadriceps, while holding a weight at arms length (deadlift) can put more focus on your spinal erectors and hamstrings/glutes. These variations can go on and on, but rest assured, there are lots of great reasons to work your legs, and many ways to do so. So, be sure to work your legs hard, but do so safely, and preferably under the guidance of a knowledgeable trainer. We are here to give you the blueprints for not only a tough workout, but more importantly a safe and effective one.

Thirsty?

2009-07-26T03:39:00.000-07:00

Liquid Calories

By now, most ChrisFit Blog readers should know the importance of eating the right foods at the right times and in the right amounts, but, have you stopped to consider the effects of what you drink? For many people, the consumption of the wrong liquids can be a major hindrance to their fitness and weight goals. We have discussed before the importance of proper hydration in the human body, but let's face it, most of us cannot or will not drink only water for our hydration needs - we crave flavor sometimes! The problem is, many beverages on the market can really do a lot of damage to your nutrition plan. Let's take a look at some common problematic drinks:
-Gatorade - though marketed as a fitness product, Gatorade and other sports drinks are loaded with simple sugars, and a ton of sodium. A 12 oz. sports drink can contain up to or above 87g. of carbohydrates, including 42 g. of sugar! While these simple carbs and electrolytes are beneficial to an athlete competing in a grueling game, match, race, etc..., for the average exerciser looking to lose some bodyfat, those calories are just going to add up to more time on a treadmill, or less progress, or both.
-Wine - One of the biggest culprits in holding people back from achieving their goals is wine and other alcoholic beverages. A single glass of red wine (6 oz.) contains about 150 calories from alcohol and simple carbs. An average 12 oz. can of beer is around 145 calories. Another detriment to alcohol consumption is that it dehydrates muscle tissue - depriving your hard-earned muscles the nutrients needed to recover from a tough workout.
-Concentrated Fruit Juices - the juice cocktails such as Orange Juice, various Grape, Cranberry, and Pomegranate blends and Fruit Punch found in many soft-drink aisles are also full of added sugar. While the natural juices themselves are usually high in natural fructose, this is made up for to some extent by their naturally-occurring vitamin contents. However, many bottled drinks are actually a very low percentage of actual fruit juice, and are instead flavored with all sorts of flavor-enhancers and artificial sweeteners that are not readily digested by the human body, and have little to no nutritional value.
-Sugar-free drink mixes - Products such as Crystal Light and the various off-brands of sugar-free drink mix powders are a great alternative to high-calorie soft drinks such as the juice cocktails listed above. However, the artificial sweeteners found in them (aspartame to name one), are not easily digested in our stomachs and so can trigger the body to think that it is hungry, when in fact, it is just working harder to digest these chemical sweeteners. So, although these drinks can provide a splash of low-calorie flavor to your water intake, be mindful of the fact that some people will feel more hungry after drinking them, possibly leading to overeating.
-Soda - one of the worst products for your nutrition plan is soda. To be blunt, soda has no nutritional value of any kind, is full of high-fructose corn syrup, causes bloating, and should basically be avoided altogether. An occasional treat at most, Soda should be cut out of any serious plan to alter your physique for the better. This includes diet pop, which brings with it the same hunger-inducing effects of the afore-mentioned sugar-free mixes, and the bloat of regular pop.

So, what can you drink? While water is obviously your best bet, Skim Milk can provide a good supply of vitamins and some protein, V8 juice packs a lot of healthy vitamins from actual vegetables, and brewed tea (no sugar, please!) provides not only a healthy supply of antioxidants and a bit of caffeine to boost you through a long day.

In conclusion, be mindful not only of what you are eating, but think about the impact of your beverage choices as well! Read labels, use flavored drinks sparingly, and don't forget to include the nutritional value of your beverages into your calorie count for the day.

Update photos

2009-07-08T15:33:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,
Last week you saw what precision nutrition can do for the men who follow it.
This week its the women. The precision nutrition plan is a very solid program which I have personally used as well as my wife Cathy, and numerous gym and on-line clients of mine.
Here are the photos:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=753027&u=www.precisionnutrition.com/top-transformations-women

Grocery shopping tours are as follow: Tues the 21st at 6pm and Saturday the 25th at 10am
only $15!
Have all your food/nutrition questions answered

Keep plugging along everyone!

Happy Fourth

2009-07-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth everyone!
Congrats to Sandra R for hitting the 40lbs lost mark!!!!! Check out the transformation page here
http://www.chrisfit.net/

Just a quick update, here is a link I think you'll enjoy.
Precision Nutrition is a solid company with some pretty sweet products. Here are a few before and after photos of what happens when you hit the weights hard and have a solid nutrition plan.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=753027&u=

Enjoy the weekend

Amino Acids and fitness

2009-06-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

What are amino acids, and why are they important?

You may have seen the term “Amino Acid” or BCAA (standing for Branched Chain Amino Acid) floating around on the label of your favorite protein supplement, or in the ever-popular Xtend drink mix, but do you know what an amino acid is, or why it is important to you?

At the most basic level, Amino Acids are (as nearly every high school biology teacher of all time has stated) the “building blocks of protein.” What this means is that a protein molecule is made up of a series of individual Amino Acid molecules bonded together into a chain. The human body, through various metabolic pathways, is able to build proteins from these individual pieces, and use said proteins for energy or to build and repair muscle tissue.

There exists a very large multitude of Amino Acids, ranging a wide gamut of uses from both a nutritional standpoint, as well as having certain industrial applications (such as the production of plastics). Some of the more familiar Amino Acids that we see commonly in food substances include:Phenylalanine – a naturally occurring amino found in mammalian breast milk, used most commonly in diet sodas or as the artificial sweetener Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet). It is also sold in pill form as a dietary supplement due to its reputed antidepressant effects.
Glutamic Acid – usually seen in its salt form Monosodium Glutamate – used as a flavor-enhancer in many processed foods. This amino acid should be avoided as much as possible, as a number of possible health risks are associated with high levels of MSG consumption, including increased Asthma symptoms, Obesity, and Neurotoxicity.

The most useful Aminos to fitness enthusiasts and athletes are the Essential Amino Acids (EAAs), and the BCAA group, which are used in protein synthesis. EAAs are Aminos required by the body for metabolic functions, but are not naturally produced by the body in sufficient quantity, and so must be acquired via food or supplements. There are 8 EAAs: Leucine, Isoluecine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan (yes, the substance in Turkey that makes us sleepy every November!), and Valine. Many protein supplements have high levels of these Aminos, but they are also found naturally in meat, eggs, and milk. Perhaps the most important of the EAAs are the BCAAs Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. Roughly 1/3 of the skeletal muscle system in humans is made up of chains of these 3 Amino Acids. This fact alone is a powerful indicator that Amino Acids are extremely important in human nutrition, and especially in those who participate in weight training or athletics. Another important Amino Acid involved in muscle repair is Glutamine. This is a very popular ingredient in sports supplements, as it speeds along recovery. By ingesting Aminos via quality food sources or supplements, the body has a good supply of them to repair muscle tissue damaged during exercise, and can do so more efficiently – making you less sore after a tough workout, maximizing your workout’s effects.

One other function of Amino Acids, aside from protein synthesis, is as a source of energy. When the human body is lacking in energy to burn from dietary fats or carbohydrates, it can turn to Amino Acids as a fuel source. It generally does this under intense workloads, while the body is in a calorie-deprived state (Extreme dieting and training like that commonly undergone by Bodybuilders or Wrestlers who strive for low levels of body fat or to make weight classes, or when people exercise first thing in the morning without eating beforehand, thus having been in a long fasted state after sleep) The body will sometimes turn catabolic in this state, and start to burn its own muscle tissue as a fuel supply. To prevent this, an amino acid supplement such as Xtend can be ingested before and during exercise to supply Aminos to the body as a fuel source, helping to prevent muscle loss.
So, what does all of this mean to us? Aminos play such an important role in human nutrition that we should ensure that we consume a healthy supply of them via good nutrition, and, if necessary, dietary supplements such as Protein supplements, BCAA products like Xtend, or Amino Acid tablets like those found in nutrition shops. By getting an adequate Amino intake, we help to ensure better recovery from exercise, and a strong, healthy body.

The fitness myth that females will bulk

2009-06-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ladies, are you afraid of getting "bulky" by working out with weights? Does the notion of bench pressing conjure up images of a 240 lb. Arnold Schwarzenegger grunting away in the gym? Well, this article is aimed at you! No longer do you need to fear turning into an American Gladiator just by picking up a set of dumbbells. The plain and simple fact is, the female body is not genetically programed to build a massive amount of muscle, and certainly not without trying to. One of the most important parts of gaining muscle mass is the hormone Testosterone, enough of which is not present in most women to get "bulky." Men, in general, have much higher Testosterone levels than women (the ovaries produce roughly 1/15th the amount produces by the testes), which is why they are able to pack on a bit more muscle mass. Additionally, the human body needs a surplus of calories to add mass. Simply put, to get big, one would need to eat more. So, logically, if a female takes in a maintenance level (or deficit level) of calories for their body's needs, there is no need to fear the dreaded "bulk." This does not, however, mean that women cannot add some muscle and gain increased strength, it simply means that you will NOT wake up one day with 20" arms and cannonballs for shoulders. So, you may ask, what are the benefits of working out with weights? Well, by adding that bit of muscle to your frame, you will increase your basal metabolic rate (how many calories your body burns at rest), which leads, with proper nutrition, to a reduction in body fat. Lifting weights will also boost your metabolism for up to 36 hours after you finish your workout, as your body burns calories to repair the damage done to its muscle tissue. And, best of all, lifting weights will help you get stronger, making every task of your daily life easier! Why ask a stock boy at the grocery store to load the dog food into your cart, when you can just get it yourself and be on your way? These factors should be enough to convince you to stop fearing the dumbbell rack, and go lift some weights today! If you do not know how to do so safely and effectively, ask a trainer for their help. We are there to help you meet your goals in a safe, efficient way.Finally, while on the subject of "bulking up," a brief note about protein. There is a common misconception that drinking a protein shake after your workout will somehow cause your arms to balloon up to Hulk like proportions, and make your legs the size of tree trunks. Take it from someone who has spent the last 3 years trying to add mass to his frame, it is not as simple as drinking a shake! A protein shake (or dietary protein, for that matter) is used by the body to repair muscle tissue that has been put under stress during exertion. This will help your body recover from the workout, leaving you less sore, and ready for the next one. Protein is not something to fear, but something to embrace! Make sure to get some sort of protein (preferably a fast-digesting source, like a whey protein drink such as Lean Dessert) into your body within 30 minutes of finishing your weight training to maximize your recovery.

Vampires

2009-06-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

We have all been there. Taking on a cause to better ourselves through exercise and healthy eating when those around us, those we thought are our friends try to derail us.
I call these people ENERGY VAMPIRES. They suck the life right out us. These vampires could be co-workers who bring by sweets to our desk, our friends who encourages us that “its just one drink’ or unfortunately maybe a spouse or significant other that is jealous or insecure what our new fitness levels may bring. It could also be that negative friend who is never happy with anything and may complain so much that it has become a habit—without anything legitimate to actually complain about. These people sometimes make others feel guilty for their progress or success in anything.
It most often appears in a fitness setting. This is where the excuse most often heard from those unfit pops up…..”I don’t have time.”
Well, no one really has time, we make it for the things we enjoy or feel the need to do. People make time to watch American Idol, make time to go to happy hour, make time to watch 7 hours of football on Sundays, and make time for tons of unhealthy and unproductive “things’ other than exercise. Its ironic that to excel in other areas of life we to need to focus/practice and persevere. However when it comes to fitness, somehow it becomes a negative connotation and those who don’t push themselves describe those who make progress in the gym as obsessed. It’s just another example of those ENERGY VAMPIRES trying to make them-selves feel better about their lack of dedication or focus.
Some of these people you can completely avoid, for those that you cannot avoid, keep things in perspective and try to understand why they are attempting to bring you down. Unfortunately our physical, mental and emotional energy is not unlimited. Guard it!
Once you are able to see the reasons behind the Vampires’ actions, you will find a new sense of focus and determination.If YOU are the Vampire, realize why you are unhappy and that you have the ability to change and affect others in a more positive light.

CONGRATS

2009-05-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

I would like to Congratulate the following clients for ROCKING!!!

Sandra R for hitting a milestone in her weight loss quest!!!
30lbs----CONGRATS!!!!

Ann Adams recently hit the 20 lb mark!!!!! Nice job Adams!

Congrats to Meg Lytle for killing it in the Buffalo Marathon!! She took 2nd place in her age group and in the top 10% overall.

Maggie B down 14 INCHES AND 5% bodyfat

Lauren D down 4% bodyfat

Claire "new girl" M... down 5% bodyfat

Gotta Love Intervals

2009-05-25T09:01:00.001-07:00

Interval Cardio:Interval training is a great way to relieve the boredom of steady-state cardiovascular exercise, has great cardiovascular benefits, and is also more time-efficient and effective for fat loss. Interval training consists of alternating between periods higher intensity work (such as sprinting, or bicycling at a very fast pace) and lower intensity "recovery" work (walking or light jogging, or slower pedaling, for example). Because of the intense nature of the "working" periods of interval training, the body's response is very similar to that of a weight-training session in that the hormones released during the workout tend to boost the metabolism for a period of about 12 to 36 hours. This effect is not possible with longer duration, slower paced cardio, as the body returns to its normal resting rate almost immediately upon finishing this type of exercise. This is the concept of Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) that some of you may have learned from Chris' nutrition seminars. As the body consumes oxygen, it uses calories (generally, these calories come from fat stores, as fat oxidizes more efficiently in the presence of increased oxygen in the body) to oxygenate the blood and carry nutrients to body tissues. If the amount of oxygen consumed is higher, so too is the number of calories burned. So, by doing intervals for a period of 20 minutes, you can effectively elevate your metabolism, and an increased resting metabolic rate (RMR), simply put, burns more calories, and helps you lose weight. Interval training, aside from allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day, can also burn more calories than a steady-paced workout if enough effort is put into the working periods.All of this metabolism, EPOC discussion may have left you thinking "That's great science, but how do I use it?" Well, look no further!

Beginner's Interval Training Plan:-warm-up with 5-10 minutes of walking or light jogging-sprint as fast as possible for a period of 30 seconds-jog at a light pace for 1 minute-repeat for a total of 5 intervals (meaning that you sprint 5 times, and recover 5 times)-cool down with another 5 minutes of walking or light joggingThis whole routine should take no longer than 30 minutes, and will yield greater fat-loss than a much lengthier cardio session at a slow, steady pace.As you advance and adapt to this type of exercise, gradually begin to increase your number of intervals to 10, and also slowly increase the duration of your working periods to about 1 minute when you feel that you need more of a challenge and are able to handle that level of intensity. Remember, intervals do not neccessarily need to be done with running, but can also be done on a bike, elliptical, stair-climber, or cross-trainer. The most important thing is to alternate between very high intensity work periods and lower-intensity recovery periods. The mode of exercise here is up to you.Steve Decker

reps

2009-05-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

How many reps was that?
Do you ever wonder how many repetitions of a movement you should be doing? Well, that is not a one-size-fits-all question, and even among experts there is some disagreement on the exact number of repetitions (or 'reps') to produce certain results. Let's look into the basics and use that as a starting point:Low Reps - generally considered to be in the range of 2-6, low reps are best employed by advanced exercisers and strength atheletes, and are used to create the highest amount of muscular strength possible by overloading muscle fibers to a great degree. By using very heavy weights for a lower number of repetitions, one can force muscles to become stronger and apply progressively more force.Medium Reps - For lack of a better term, "medium reps" lie in the middle ground of low and high, generally considered to be about 8-12. This range of repetitions tends to be the best bet for the general public whose goals are increased strength, endurance and body fat loss, and to keep up with general fitness. By lifting weights with which one can perform repetitions in this range, exercisers can expect to add both muscular strength and endurance, while also not taxing the body quite so much as with very heavy sets as described above.High Reps - In general, anything over 15 or so repetitions would be considered a high-rep set. These higher repetitions do not add much muscular strength per se, but will help to improve muscular endurance, and increase blood flow to the working muscle very well. They are often used by strength athletes such as bodybuilders and powerlifters as warm-ups to get blood flowing to a specific muscle, and also at the end of a workout to flush fresh blood into a muscle group, and thus providing more fresh nutrients to the tissue and dispersing lactic acid. High reps are also considered to be best for adding definition to an already established muscle. They are also very useful for rehabilitation purposes as one can safely apply the overload principle without causing a great deal of muscular strain to an injured body part.Having read all that, you might think that you should just not bother with high or low reps, but instead reap the benefits of the middle ground and do nothing but sets 8-12. However, certain muscle fiber types, and certain body parts will not respond to just one kind of stimulus, but will need a variety in repetition schemes to make continued progression in their fitness levels. The best way to understand and apply all of this is to work out with an experienced and knowledgable trainer, who can answer your questions, and tailor your workouts to your specifc needs, as not all of the neccessary information can be provided in one short blog!Thank you for reading,Steve Decker

Exercise and raise some $$$$, 1 FREE month of training

2009-04-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone

here is the ride info, you have 2 options(well really 3, but not donating or not riding is not allowed)

DONATE ONLY
https://giving.roswellpark.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=616&srcid=616

REGISTER AND RIDE
http://giving.roswellpark.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=582

sign up, and JOIN ChrisFit Cycling Psychos
Go to the above link,click on left side to register, MAKE SURE YOU CLICK ON JOIN EXISTING TEAM "ChrisFit Cycling Psychos"

I hope to have a strong showing for this event.
The individual who raises the most money will get ONE FREE MONTH OF TRAINING ( A $280 value for doing a good deed!)

Thanks!!!

Hydration, Communtiy Service and Congrats!

2009-04-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

First things first, congrats to Steve for taking 1st place in his division at the Rochester Natural BB show last weekend!

A big congrats to Sandra R for hitting the 20lb weight loss mark!!

We are forming a Ride for Roswell team and the name will be.....ChrisFit Cycling Psychos
More info to come.......

And finally here is a great pertinent article

Hello again blog readers,Today's topic is hydration.With spring in the air, and temperatures on the rise, keeping your body hydrated (especially while you sweat through a tough workout) is critical. Those hot summer days that most of us love so much are great for outdoor exercise and fun, but they also make it easy to sweat a lot of the important fluids out of your body in a hurry.We all know that staying hydrated is important, but do you know how important? The human body is composed of up to 75% water by weight. Muscle tissue itself if about 75% water (again, by weight) and blood is around 95%. This all means that when your body is low on water, it is not only dangerous to your health, but you cannot perform to your physical potential in or out of the gym.The water in your muscle tissue helps to deliver vital nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, and amino acids to the tissue itself, and to remove harmful substances like lactic acid and other by-products of the body's metabolic processes, meaning that being properly hydrated will keep your body working at it's most efficient level.So, with hot summer days coming up fast, it is important to keep a water bottle handy at all times, and consume at least 64 oz. of water (preferably more) every day.*An added note: if you choose to indulge in the occasional alcoholic beverage, be sure to bear in mind not only the calories contained in it, but also the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Alcohol essentially dehydrates your body, and in pulling water from your tissues, also pulls with it vital nutrients key to muscle repair. So, if consuming alcohol, be sure to also take in some extra liquids to compensate for this effect, and always drink in moderation.Steve Decker

Can Am Results

2009-04-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

I would like to Congratulate my wife, Catherine for taking 2nd place in the womens figure novice division and 3rd place in the womens figure open division!

ChrisFit Trainer Steve Decker did awesome as well, placing 2nd in the mens novice division.

Proper Breathing Techniques

2009-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Valsalva Maneuver and You:

Do you constantly hear me reminding you to breathe while exercising? Do you ever wonder why I am constantly harping on the point of "breathing out on the hard part" of the exercise? Well here is your answer. Today's thought is on the importance of correct breathing patterns while lifting weights.The "Valsalva Maneuver" is a technique employed by power-lifters and other strength athletes while lifting extremely heavy weights, but is also commonly used (quite accidentally, and inappropriately!) by the average exerciser. This maneuver involves holding one's breath while lifting weights. While a trained and experienced competitive strength athlete may employ this technique to hold air in the lungs, and thus create a "block" in the torso to protect the spine during a maximal heavy squat or deadlift, this technique is quite ill-advised for most of the population.Holding one's breath while lifting a heavy weight (or a light one, for that matter) causes the epiglottis to be forced shut, and in doing so, effectively cuts off the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain, and raises blood pressure. These are obviously not desirable effects, to say the least, and can cause fainting and injury. Aside from the safety issues at play, some studies have suggested that exhaling while lifting can actually increase the maximal amount of weight lifted, thus allowing you to work harder, and make better gains. All of this, just from the simple act of breathing!In conclusion, I urge all of you to bear this in mind, and concentrate on proper breathing technique any time you are lifting weights!
Steve Decker

Nancy Price Memorial Run

2009-03-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

Seeing as all of you guys/girls/clients etc ...are such amazing people, here is a way to get involved and get a workout in.
The 15th annual Nancy Price memorial run is Saturday May 16th.
$18 Pre- registration and $20 day of race
Call 745-3061 for more info.
All money raised goes to Nancy Price Scholarship program. The money raised will help students with the goal of attending college more affordable.

Updates/Money back guarantee

2009-03-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone
The "$10 personal training Fridays" is off to a fast start.
If you would like in on this incredible offer please email or contact myself or Steve for more info.

13 days to Catherine and Steve compete in the Can Am figure and bodybuilding show.
All athletes are required to take a polygraph(lie detector test) prior to being allowed to compete. This just goes to show you what can be accomplished with hard work, consistency and proper program design. Sorry A-Rod, no Can AM for you!
I have some tickets left to come and support Cathy/Steve and all the other natural athletes out there. Contact me with ticket requests.

The gym is also running an awesome special on memberships:
Membership specials good 3/21-3/31/09
1 Year for $299 or Buy 3 Months at $149, Get 1 Month Free*
Rules & Restrictions Apply
SEE MEGAN FOR DETAILS

Summertime is quickly approaching, do not leave your results to chance. Get GUARANTEED RESULTS WITH YOUR CHRISFIT TRAINER OR YOUR MONEY BACK!!
That's how confident I am in our abilities to help your achieve your goals.

Work hard and have a great week.

$10 Sessions!

2009-03-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

On Fridays from 6am to 1100am or so, Steve is offering small group training sessions for 30 minutes. We are capping the group at 4 people and the cost is ONLY $10!!!!(per person)
I am trying to coordinate every ones abilities/availability etc.... So far we have filled the 6am slot and have 10 or so people interested. We are planning on starting this within 2-3 weeks.
Please email your availability so we can get you assigned to your group. Please give me a range for your time slots (example: from 730 to 900am). The greater your availability, the better your chance of getting in a group.

For private sessions, for every 10 you purchase, you will receive 2 FREE, this ends March 14Th.

Have a good week. Any questions please ask!

cc

FYI: Kettlebell Training

2009-03-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Kettlebell Training is an exciting workout regiment that increases strength, endurance, agility and balance while challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total-body movements. The Kettlebell has an uneven weight distribution, so every time you perform a certain exercise, it works the opposite muscle you are working. It’s the ultimate combination of cardiovascular strength and muscular endurance wrapped into one exercise.

Kettlebell Training shortens the amount of time it takes to reach your fitness goals because it is very effective and combines cardiovascular exercise and muscle strength into one workout. It’s quick and convenient. You can train anywhere at anytime all while working at your own strength and fitness level. Combine Kettlebell Training with the proper diet and you’ll reach your personal fitness goals in no time!

Ask your wellness coach for more information on Kettlebell training... get started today!

About Chris Tybor

2009-03-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Chris Tybor is an American Fitness Aerobics Association (AFAA) certified personal trainer and International Kettlebell Fitness Foundation (IKFF) Kettlebell certified intstructor with several years experience in the fitness industry. He has interned with the finest instructors at the University at Buffalo as a strength and conditioning coach, which allowed him to train various athletes participating in numerous sports. Chris is also currently working towards his MBA

As a seasoned professional trainer, Chris works with an average of 25 to 35 clients per month. His clients come in all shapes, sizes and ages - ranging from 16 to 82. What sets Chris apart from the average trainer is his uncanny ability to be compassionate with his clients. His stern but fair approach yields amazing results, no matter what the fitness goal may be. Chris often implements positive lifestyle changes into each of his training sessions in order for his clients to achieve lifelong fitness success. His areas of expertise include nutrition, exercise, injury prevention, over all health and well-being, senior fitness, body-shaping and kettle-bell training.

“My goal is to help people make positive lifestyle changes and improvements that will be effective long term.” ~ Chris Tybor