Throughout the last few years, the fitness industry has evolved faster than anyone could have imagined. One of its most significant improvements has been its adaptations to making exercise more convenient and more accessible to today’s working Americans.

As a result, home exercise video programs have become increasingly popular, as they deliver the workouts directly to your home, usually as a series of instructional DVDs. Some of the more popular programs have emerged as the industry leaders -P90X, Hip Hop Abs, and the Jillian Michaels Boot Camp series, to name a few.

It’s true that some people have achieved some great results  from these programs, but how effective are they overall? Let’s take a deeper look into some of the home exercise programs and if they truly deliver the results that they promise.

Hip Hop abs is a home workout program that contains high-energy dance routines that focus on abdominal strengthening. Most of its followers report that the workouts are fun, fast and produce a high calorie burn. While it certainly has its benefits, the program is too narrowly focused on aerobic training and abdominal strength. It neglects training through multiple modalities, therefore your body can easily adapt to the demands of the program. The result – you will plateau very quickly!

P90X, quite frankly, knocks it out of the park when it comes to avoiding plateaus. The program provides 13 different workouts that are performed at a random sequence and challenge multiple muscle groups. The power of this program is that it provides a total body focus, including upper and lower body strengthening, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, flexibility and core strength and stability. Fundamentally, P90X is truly an effective exercise program. So, what’s missing? Well, if you’re performing the workouts consistently, you’re executing your form to perfection,and you’re maintaining the right intensity level, then the answer is….nothing! The question then becomes – how do you know if you’re really doing all these things?  This program is very intense for people who are not in some sort of shape.  One recommendation I give people who ask me about it is to start with just the first 20 minutes of each 60 minute CD per day. The following week move up to 25, then 30, etc…

The Jillian Michaels home workout series is another great program for burning fat, building strength and sculpting a lean, muscular physique. Jillian gained national recognition through the Biggest Loser and is a world-renowned trainer. The results she’s gotten out of the Biggest Loser contestants speak for  themselves. Her home workout programs aren’t much different.They combine high-intensity strength training with mostly anaerobic conditioning routines across various modalities, including plyometrics, core strengthening movements, fast-paced weight lifting, and body weight resistance. If you’ve never tried one of her workouts, I’d recommend doing so – they are brutal! So where is Jillian’s home workout program lacking? Again, if you’re consistent with the program and can hold yourself accountable day in and day out, her program is not fundamentally lacking anything!

The bottom line is that these programs were created by true  experts in the field and they certainly have the ability to  help people make significant fitness gains. However, once  the program is delivered to your home, what are you left with? You are still ultimately responsible to take the ride on your own with guidance of nothing more than a DVD.

NOTHING truly replaces the value of having your own fitness coach. You can have access to the greatest exercise program in the world, but if you’re not being held accountable to executing it, what good is it doing? Having the constant expertise and feedback from a fitness trainer is what really ensures the success of an exercise program.

That’s why, as you saw in one of my recent emails, we’ve decided to roll out our Virtual Trainer Program. I realized that despite the value that home gym equipment and home exercise programs provide to their trainees, they lack the true follow through and commitment from a fitness professional after the product is delivered. So why not have a personalized exercise program designed specifically for you, with the constant follow up and knowledge of a certified personal trainer? All of this  will be offered through our new program, which will be rolled out within the next week. Stay tuned!  If you’re interested, please reply to dennys@achieve-fitness.com to have your name put on the waiting list for the program.

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Is Fitting Into An Old Pair of Jeans Better Than Sex?

Sorry for the provocative subject line but it is a quote I heard when watching the news the other night that left me to ponder its validity.

Here we are, starting out 2010 with a clean slate! This is a time when most people start reflecting on the improvements they want to make in the upcoming year. Amongst others, getting in shape seems to become an important goal for a lot of people as the new year turns.

However, here are the sad statistics…

Despite our best intentions, only about 5 percent of people
who set New Years resolutions actually achieve them. A big
part of this failure comes a result of not developing a true
action plan for achieving success. A goal without an action
plan is nothing more than a daydream!

This is where the help of a fitness professional can become
extremely powerful. Our personal trainers not only help you
create effective exercise programs, they also serve as fitness
and life coaches. They will help you set challenging, yet
realistic goals, then will assist you in executing a plan that
gives you the results you want, need and deserve!

So, I come to you today with a challenge AND an irresistible
offer. I don’t want you to be part of that 95 percent of
people who fail to achieve the goals they set out so eagerly
to accomplish in 2010. If you’re willing to put in the work,
our trainers are ready to help you achieve your fitness goals!

There may be several barriers that will make it more challenging for you to pursue fitness success, so I’d like to do my part in making sure that money IS NOT one of them! Until January 31st, you will receive 2 FREE Personal Training sessions when you sign up for a package of 12 sessions or more. Add in your free trial session, and that gives you 3 FREE sessions! Or 15 for the price of 12.

Here’s what one of our happy clients recently had to say:

“Yeah, it’s true that it’s not cheap to do this, especially these days, but I can safely say this was one of the best and easiest choices I’ve ever made, and given the chance I’d make the same choice over and over again. Working with Ashley was the absolute best investment I could have ever made in myself, and I hope to continue working working with her to get that PT score up higher and higher.  Thank you guys!”
- Jaime G

Like Jamie, we’ve helped over 400 clients reach their health and fitness goals.  So make the investment in your health like Jamie did.  But hurry, this special deal only lasts through the end of the month.

Stop making excuses and make 2009 the year you REALLY DO ITl! You can reach Mike at 888-872-7961 ext. 1 and he’ll get you matched up with the trainer that is right for you based on YOUR goals.  Then receive a FREE In-Home, 1 on 1 consultation with them.

You have nothing to lose except unwanted weight and fat! If our program isn’t right for you, there is no obligation to commit!

And heck, we even guarantee your success or you get your money back.  We know that if you do everything that your trainer lays out for you to do, you can’t not see great improvement in your health and fitness.

We can’t snap our fingers and POOF your fat is gone… but we can work with you step-by-step, showing you exactly what you need to do to get rid of excess fat once and for all… Forever!

So imagine yourself once again wearing that pair of jeans that has been hanging in your closet and that you haven’t been able to wear in years.  How good will that feel to put it on and button it up comfortably?

Here’s to a happy, healthy and purposeful New Year!

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Anyone who has followed the Bartendaz or seen their videos can attest to their amazing display of strength, power, balance and explosive athleticism. The group has blown away what was once the physical performance standard for athletes!

Yes, their style and presentation may be obnoxious to some, but once you get past the talk at the beginning of their clips, you can really appreciate the time and dedication it takes a human being to perfect these movements. Considering the fact that it can take months for a person to develop the strength to perfect a single pull-up, the ease with which they execute these exercises is truly amazing.

This group has come to redefine elite fitness. The perfectly balanced athlete displays tremendous core strength, flexibility, body control, agility and accuracy. These guys bring that to an entirely different level. Ok, enough pumping them up – check out their video below. Again, ignore the first minute of talk and try to absorb the incredible display of fitness!

Truly breathtaking, isn’t it? It’s hard to imagine what kind of training program they used to perfect some of these movements. You can see the true mastery of skills across any possible modality of training – plymetrics, gymnastics, power lifting, resistance training….the list goes on.

The one thing that is truly inspirational about this video is that it makes all of our fitness goals seem that much more attainable! Whether your exercise program is geared toward weight loss, hypertrophy, increasing flexibility,sports performance enhancement or just improving your nutritional habits, this video shows us what the human body is capable of when pushed to its limits.  These guys aren’t even Olympic athletes!

Hopefully some of us will use this as fuel the next time we step in the gym. If your body tells you that you can’t get that last rep (or you don’t believe it when your personal trainer says you can), remember what is truly possible when you push yourself!

If you liked that video, check out this other performance they put together with some new and improved moves!  Again, please feel free to leave your comments below.

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While having my morning cup of coffee one day last week, I had the morning news on in the background and heard a story that just outraged me.

It was a story about a local marathon runner and Redskins cheerleader named Desiree Jennings who back in August had the flu shot.  She has experienced some horrific side effects to this barely tested vaccine.

Someone was kind enough to post the clip I watched on You Tube.  check it out…

I thought long and hard about keeping my mouth shut this year as when I wrote about the dangers of the general flu
vaccine last year, I was torched by some who disagreed.

Then this past Sunday morning I’m watching CNN and saw a story about NY State Health workers being mandated to get the vaccine if they wanted to keep their jobs.  I found a snipet of that story as well here…

Is that crazy or what that you can lose your job by refusing to be injected with a virus!?!?

After writing about it last year, I did find comfort in some of the people who responded positively to what I had written. You can see that article here: Dangers Of The Flu Vaccine (Article will open in new window)

I thought about writing an updated article for this year given the new H1N1 hype and pressure from the media to get the shot.  When I finally saw Desiree’s story, I finally decided that I was going to.

That’s when I came across an excellently written article about a doctor who says he wouldn’t give the shot to his own children due to the lack of research involved with it.  Not only that the article that was so good, I felt there was no need to write my own.  Check it out here on their website…
Why You Should Not Vaccinate Your Children Against The Flu This Season (Link will open new window)

The best way to avoid the flu is to get plenty of exercise, eat whole/clean/natural foods(preferably Organic Fruits and Vegetables) with plenty of vitamins/minerals, and get a solid 8 hours of sleep per night.  Those 3 things alone will build up and keep you immune system working at its absolute best.

People are always looking for a quick fix in a pill or vaccine.  Whether it be for weight loss or flu prevention.  Whatever happened to just doing the necessary fundamental things to achieve good health?  There’s no easy way around it.  There’s no magic pill.

If you’ve been slacking off in making those lifestyle changes, let us help.  Remember that through the end of October, you can get started working with one of our personal trainers at our ridiculously low current rates.  On November 1st, the prices will be increasing by 9 – 13% for the first time in 5 years.  You can see the new prices here:Personal Training Packages

Signing up before 10/31/09 will get you grandfathered in at the current rate for as long as you train with us.  Even if you only train once per week with one of our trainers to help keep you accountable to these lifestyle changes you’ve been struggling to make.  Remember commitment is the key to accountability.

Dedicated to your health and wellness,

Dennys Passeto, CPT
Achieve Fitness Personal Training, LLC

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Whether you’re a serious gym rat or a sometimes fitness buff, you are trying to lose weight and strengthen the body. Funny yet how so many people are hesitant to join a gym, eat well or even hire a personal trainer at first to help get them going.

There’s something about overcoming inertia… once you get going, moving is easy. In other articles I‘ve written about the motivation “to do it.” In this article I want to share something different with you.

The other side of the coin is that once people get into the nuts and bolts of their own training and nutrition… they just love it! They feel good. They see results. They can’t imagine not doing it, or even skipping a day. And they want more and more. But there are only so many hours in a day to train… or are there?

Almost every day I have clients asking me for simple ways they can stoke their metabolism, keep their energy levels up, stretch their muscles, burn calories and get strong throughout their day. They’re addicted to the fitness lifestyle, and crave more of it. I love when I hear this and have compiled a list of daily activities you can do that keep you in fitness mode all day. Keep in mind that none of these are replacements for a sound, steady fitness program, rather supplemental things you can do everyday to improve your overall health. Here they are, by topic.

1. Avoid Driving Whenever Possible
In today’s day and age we’ve become extremely dependent on the automobile. Think of how many things you actually walk to from home or work? Walking is so great because it boosts the metabolism, strengthens the legs and keeps the hip flexors supple. And a mere 20-minute walk can burn 100 calories. To increase all of these good things, make it a brisk walk and be sure to swing your arms!

No time for a special walk, no problem. Here are some of my favorite ways to fit it in:
A) Park at the far end of your work lot and walk into the office(this avoids the stress of parking, door dings and forces you to walk)

B) Skip the elevator and always take the stairs(10 flights at a brisk pace will burn 50 calories, get your heart and lungs working hard and improve circulation which is severely diminished sitting in a chair all day. Ever notice how your feet get cold when you sit for too long)

C) Forget driving to your local market or store and walk instead. Carrying a few bags in each hand will add to the exertion and accelerate calories burned. You can also walk to lunch or go for a walk after lunch if you brought your lunch to work.

D)For a quick shot of energy and rejuvenation, instead of a cup of coffee to get you through your afternoon, drop to the floor and do as many pushups as you can. This will give your body a good quick shock and you’ll avoid the 350 calorie Caramel Macchiato.

E)How about riding your bicycle to work? This would extremely healthy not only to you but to the environment. You’d be reducing the stress of rush hour traffic and helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Of course, if you have a 20 mile commute each way, that might not work for you, but you get the idea.

2. Housework
When you are home, forget sofa time and instead get busy with straightening up the house or cleaning. While it may seem mundane, doing your chores offers an instant metabolic boost. And the flexibility/strengthening effects of all the pushing, pulling, reaching and lifting add to your fit day.

Not sure what to do, well 20 minutes of these simple activities burns 100 calories each. Combine three things and your will burn 300 calories, elevate your heart rate, tone your arms and keep the blood moving. Try these three:
A) Vacuum the entire house, room by room.
B) Fold a few loads of clean clothes while standing
C) Clean the windows, mirrors, sinks and tubs.

3. Just for Fun
We all know the many health benefits of being outside. We draw fresh air into the lungs, get plenty of Vitamin D, tend to move about more, and walk, run, bike or play. But you can have fun inside, too, while living the fit life.

For the working adult with or without kids, fun is often limited to the weekends. Not to worry, there are things you can do during your normal week that will also keep the metabolism stoked, burn calories, tone the muscles and keep the blood moving. Here are some examples:
A) Jog or Run to get your mail from the box instead of walking

B) Walk/play with your dog or the neighbor’s dog, and let them lead you at a quick pace. Animals are a great way to get you to move about more
C) make a lunch or after work appointment with a friend and go for a power walk, a run or enjoy a quick game of tennis
D) Turn on the radio and dance yourself crazy for a song or two—talk about a stress buster! (If you’re a bad dancer, just don’t let anyone see you
E) Interactive video games like the Wii Fit is a fun indoor calorie burner and a great way to play and bond with the kids.

The best part about all of these tips is that they get you up off your seat, keep you active throughout the day, reduce muscle stiffness and slowing of the metabolism, increase weight loss capability, and help maintain a healthy, strong and supple body that feels alive and refreshed all day!

So give these little things a try and see the difference they make when they all add up at the end of your day and your week. I know you will be surprised!

Also, don’t forget that our rate increase for personal training will be effective as of November 1st. Don’t miss your opportunity to get grandfathered in at our current below market rates AND get 2 additional FREE sessions when you sign up by October 31st. Because of the overwhelming response we’ve had to this promotion so far, we may have to limit the total number of people who can take advantage of it. So call Mike now at 888-872-7961 ext.1 to get set up!

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Many television viewers have become absolutely fascinated with the NBC reality show, The Biggest Loser. The show takes obese, deconditioned people away from their every day life and places them on a campus to be put through an intense, grueling exercise and diet regimen geared toward rapid weight loss.

If you have seen the show and the results it produces, you’ve surely been impressed with the transformations in the bodies of the contestants. The weight loss that occurs on the show is nothing short of inspirational. But does the show give an accurate depiction of safe, effective weight loss?

Certainly no one can argue with the end result. Many of the contestants have lost over 200 pounds on the Biggest Loser campus, some at a pace of more than 10 pounds per week! So,it’s clear that the numbers don’t lie when it comes to the results these people are getting. It is truly amazing that this show has helped people take control of their health and more importantly, their lives. We as personal trainers love to see this!

However, there are some things that, as fitness professionals, we feel obligated to caution you against.

The show has the tendency to foster unrealistic expectations on the actual pace of weight loss. Healthy, sustainable weight loss should occur at 1-2 pounds per week. Some of the contestants experience weight loss of 15 pounds per week or more!

While this is impressive, we must keep two things in mind. One is that most of these contestants are morbidly obese and have upwards of two hundred pounds to shed, so it’s not unrealistic for them to shed pounds that are such a small percentage of their overall body weight. The second is that these contestants are on a full-time weight loss program. Their entire day is dedicated to weight loss, and the time they spend exercising can exceed 6 hours per day.

Another part of the show that may give the public the wrong idea about physical training is the unnecessary challenging exercises that the contestants are put through so early in the game. Often times the contestants are pushed quickly into complex, punishing movements without being taught the basics.
This can be a recipe for a medical disaster, and if you watched the premier last week, you know that two people have already landed in the hospital. At no point does losing weight justify sacrificing your health and well being!

Personal trainers, unjustifiably, can develop a bad reputation from this show. The trainers on the Biggest Loser are often shown screaming at the top of their lungs at the contestants in a way that appears to be nothing short of bullying. While trainers should be great motivators, they can push you to
succeed without screaming at you! If you’re afraid to hire a personal trainer because you think you’ll be yelled at, don’t be! You can shop around to find someone who fits your personality!

Despite its faults, this show has done wonders in motivating Americans to take control of thier health and start pursuing their fitness goals relentlessly. We strongly encourage you to watch it and follow along as it will show you
that anything is possible when it comes to achieving your fitness and weight loss goals! The show airs Tuesday nights at 8pm on NBC.

If you want to be pushed, motivated and encouraged like the contestants on the show, we can help you with that too! For just a few more days, We’re still offering 3 FREE personal training sessions with the area’s best trainers when you sign up for a package of 18 sessions or more. And we promise…no screaming, no hospital visits, and you don’t have to get on a scale in front of the entire country like they do on the show .

Call Mike Now at 888-872-7961 ext.1 to learn more or click here for more info. This offer expires on September 30th so jump on it.

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Yes, you read the subject line correctly. Exercise is NOT
linked to weight loss, according to Time magazine’s most
recent article written by John Cloud. The article emphatically
implies that exercise has no substantial role in weight loss
or weight management.  Among several other misleading
assertions made in this article, the most prevalent one is
that exercise automatically increases appetite and therefore
single handedly becomes the culprit for promoting over eating.
Wow!

This article is as reckless as it is completely false, and
frankly – irresponsible. I’ll share the link with you shortly,
but first, let’s explore some reasons why his claims are so
ludicrous.

First and foremost, there is an overwhelming amount of
scientific, evidence- based research that proves the positive
role that exercise plays in weight loss.  The author’s
assertion that exercise uncontrollably increases appetite is
simply erroneous. In fact, studies done by the most credible
authorities in the fitness industry including ACE and ACSM
show that appetite may actually be suppressed for up to 90
minutes following vigorous exercise by affecting the release
of particular appetite hormones. Unless you’re an elite
athlete following a high intensity workout program
consistently, your body’s demands for additional calories
will not drastically increase with a moderate exercise program.

Second, weight loss is a matter of simple mathematics. You
must expend more energy than you take in to lose weight. This
fact has proven time and time again and continues to be
accepted, with good reason, in the modern age. Most of the
individuals described in the article (including the author
himself), are not able to meet their weight loss goals because
they are simply eating too much. To attribute this to exercise
alone is completely unsubstantiated.  The author assumes that
the majority of individuals are powerless in their weight
loss efforts and simply lack the overall will power to keep
their caloric intake at a healthy level. The bottom line is
that exercise and proper nutrition go hand in hand, and you
simply cannot discount one or the other when it comes to
studying weight loss.

Disappointingly, the author also fails to effectively
emphasize the effects that exercise has on overall health.
As we have all seen, people who are “light weight” are not
always healthy. Health can be achieved through exercise in many
different ways including improved muscle composition, lowered
blood pressure and cholesterol, improved cardiovascular health,
and one more “minor” thing known as DISEASE PREVENTION. The
scale is simply not the only indicator of overall health and
well being.

We encourage you to read this article yourself and draw your
own conclusions. Click Here to read about it.

After you read it, also be sure to read a follow-up article
written by Dr. Claude Bouchard, who is the executive director
of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, which is an
organization that Time magazine “claimed” to have obtained
some of its research from. As you’ll read, this claim is also false.
Check it out  HERE

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Top 4 Benefits of Partner Training

Fitness is such an amazing activity and lifestyle choice. Aside from it being undeniably good for you, it is also fun and often down right exciting. There are just so many kinds of fitness activities and places to do them, that it is hard to believe anyone could tire of personal training.

Most people tend to fly solo when it comes to getting in shape. They lift weights, go running, swimming or do aerobics. Sure, they may be in a gym full of people, but the swimming, treadmill, weights and cadio classes are essential individuals training at the same time. Even when you have a trainer, you are still alone in your efforts of doing the fitness routine.

But there is another way to train, one that may be more fun and challenging. It is partner training, and today I would like to tell you about the four top benefits of this type of training.

1-Motivation

One of the biggest problems with getting into and staying in shape is actually getting up and doing it. It is a fact that millions of gym memberships are bought and never or only rarely used. Personal trainers help with motivation, because you have someone to account to. But if you also had a fitness buddy, a training partner, chances are you would be more motivated.

Motivation is what makes us decide to do something, like getting into shape, changing our eating habits, going to the gym. And while many of us do follow-through, there is nothing like having an actual fitness partner to motivate you to get together and work out. You’ll want to, you’ll look forward to it!

2-Competition

Training together with a partner also provides a little competitive edge to each workout. Because there is someone by your side, doing what you are doing, you get that little extra “push” and encouragement needed to give it everything you’ve got.

And when you’re tired and either don’t feel like going to the gym or are there but feel like giving up, that partner next to you will give you the reason to push and do. You know, no matter what you might say in public, that you will never lose to Jane or Bill. You would sooner show up sick then feel like you let the partnership down. And there’s no way you’d allow Becky to do one more push-up than you!

3-Accountability

Training with a partner also makes you more accountable—to yourself, to the trainer, to your friend. Just by being committed with you, your partner will help you remain on track by being not only accountable to you but also to them. They are also sacrificing time, money and effort… and are counting on you to be there for them.

Between workouts is when having a partner who is a friend really pays off! It’s like Big Brother or Big Sister is watching you all the time. They will make sure you are eating right, sleeping right, getting ready for the gym on time. They, like you, want a partner to watch over them and help them achieve their fitness goals!

4-Costs

One of the biggest barriers to getting into shape and committing to a workout or gym is financial. It costs money to do all the things necessary to get and stay fit and healthy. Well, having a fitness partner will help alleviate some of those costs by contributing to your trainer fees. While it may cost more money per hour for two people to have a trainer, the cost per person is less than paying as an individual.

So what are you waiting for? Go and grab your best friend, life partner or co-worker and become fitness partners! And with our new promotion… there’s no reason not to!

With our new promotion, we’re offering 3 FREE partner training sessions with the purchase of a package of 18 sessions or more. That’s right, in addition to your free trial session to see if your trainer is a good match for you and your partner, we’ll also give you 2 additional training sessions!

Also, if you missed it, don’t forget that our “Cash for Chunkers” promotion expires on August 31st. Don’t miss your chance to get $200 OFF any personal training package of 12 sessions or more.

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By Dennys Passeto, Certified Personal Trainer
Owner of Achieve Fitness

If you are fitness minded, you probably read the magazines or watch the latest infomercials and follow the trends. Well, some trends are good and others are just a waste of time and money. Yet maximum results with minimal time and expenditure is what most of us are looking for.

If you are new to weight training or fitness enhancement, getting a personal trainer is always a good place to start. They will show you the ropes, give you a program for success, and make sure you know how and why you are doing things.

But be cautious and do some research on the qualifications and philosophy of the trainer you may hire. While there are certainly great benefits to using personal trainers, having one is no guarantee for success. Some are not up on the latest studies and methods, relying on the same old stuff. But a good trainer will use circuit training and cross training for maximum results. Here’s how.

How to Maximize

Many trainers and fitness buffs will lift heavy weights then take long rests between sets. The theory is that the heavier the weight, the more muscle bulk will develop. And the longer the rest, the more repair has occurred to muscle tissue, which allows you to lift more in the next few sets. These extra reps and sets are thought to help burn more calories. Sounds good.

The problem is that this old-school method of weight training does not help cardiovascular health. There is very little benefit to lung and heart power. So now you will have to run the treadmill for those results. And this wastes time. And time is money, especially when paying a trainer!

Here at Achieve Fitness, we put into practice cutting edge methods of combining cardio, strength and flexibility training into single sessions while keeping the heart rate at optimal levels. We ask our clients to all wear heart rate monitors during the entire session, even when lifting weights. Why?

Because the best way to maximize time, energy and results is to work muscles, heart rate and lung capacity at the same time. In this way, you are not just resting for a few minutes to be able to do an additional rep of a weight set. On the contrary, it is your personal heart rate that dictates when to rest and when to begin again. And that time changes as your fitness level changes.

The goal of the workout is to give individual muscles a chance to rest while maintaining a consistently high heart rate. You will rest when your heart rate reaches 160 and then start up again when your heart rate drops to 130. (This varies per individual but is a good rule of thumb). This way your heart pumps more blood, you burn more calories through intensity, develop more endurance and leaner muscles.

A Streamlined Approach

When I am personally training a client, I will warm them up for 10 minutes on the elliptical cross trainer or stair master. To maximize time (to save them money and get the most out of each minute), I will review their personal nutritional journal with them during this period. We discuss diet, food combining, and ways to streamline their food habits for better results.

Next, I work them out for 45 minutes. To maximize results by controlling time, I pair up a machine and a manual exercise, like leg presses and dumbbell bicep curls. This method allows them to remain close to the machine and not “lose it” when the gym is crowded. I usually will have clients do three sets of each exercise and then move on to something else, like crunches and shoulder presses or leg curls and triceps extensions. In this way, one muscle rests while the other works. More importantly, the one thing that stays consistent during the exercise “switch” is the client’s heart rate!

The workout is 55 minutes long. With a heart rate elevated for that period of time through resistance training, you receive cardiovascular benefit, strength, muscular endurance, toning and sculpting. It’s also the biggest bang for your buck for anyone paying $65 or more per hour for a trainer.

The last 15 minutes of the session focuses on cooling down while stretching. Keeping muscles lean and limber is a huge part of health and wellness that is often neglected. It shouldn’t be.

Equipment Matters

Personal training often happens at the gym or in the home. And as a general rule, free weights offer better results than using weight machines. Really, the weight machines are for beginners or those too weak to use anything else. They are like training wheels and hold and guide proper position, without fear of the weights falling on you. But free weights not only increase the strength of the muscle being “worked,” they also train other muscles that are used to stabilize the weights while also increasing overall balance and whole-body coordination. Free weights maximize time, effort and results.

For home fitness, the now popular fitness balls and bands can be used. The balls are perfect for strengthening the core muscles, which include the abdominals, obliques, lower back and hips. The bands are good for chest, back and arms. While these strength bands are great for women, they don’t generally provide enough resistance for men. Free weights are the best options for men. For women, a small investment in Balls and Bands for home training can reap huge benefits.

Cross Training Is Key

Aside from circuit training, cross training is essential for overall fitness. I generally advise clients not to do the same type of exercise two days in a row, and to always mix things up.

I suggest things like weights and body-weight resistance training one day, biking or running the next day, and Bikram hot yoga or Pilates on another day. The idea is to keep the body guessing by putting the primary strain on different muscles in different ways each training day. These different strains place different emphasis and requirements on the heart, lungs and muscle fibers, as isometric yoga training is different than range of motion weight lifting or martial art training.

In the end, the objective of any fitness program is to maximize effort and results while keeping a lid on time and money. The way to do this is by using a heart rate monitor, not resting between sets, using circuit training and mixing things up with cross training. And, of course, by hiring a personal trainer with the right approach to help guide you through the maze of fitness approaches.

For more information, please visit our site at www.achieve-fitness.com. I’ll see you at the top!

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When you think of building muscle, do you envision big grotesque bodybuilders with fake tan lotion flexing them for anyone that will give them attention?

Do you think of the guy at the gym who’s grunting loudly, lifting way too much weight with veins popping out of their head?

If so, I’m not surprised.  Not enough is done to stress the health importance of building healthy lean muscle tissue as we age.

I’m here today to tell you about the more practical / normal side and importance of building muscle.  The side that notes its benefits to your health.

While some individuals are strictly interested in obtaining muscle for aesthetics, for many, this isn’t the soul interest.  Instead, you’re more interested in knowing what  health benefits weight lifting will have for you…

Far too many people overlook the many health and fitness benefits that weight training has to offer, and because of this, experience problems down the road with their body such as decreased bone density, a slowed metabolic rate, increased stress levels and other negative consequences that are associated with constant stress and a neglected aging body.

Luckily, weight training – if done properly, can prevent not only all those issues listed above, but many more.   As you enter your 40′s, your muscle mass begins to decline.  By the time you reach 50, you begin to lose muscle at a rate of 1 to up to 5lbs per year depending on your level of inactivity.  At this point, the amount of muscle you lose starts to outpace the rate at which you increase muscle mass.  Thus creating a deficit, says professor of geriatrics Robert Wolfe, from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and director of the Center for Translational Research in Aging and Longevity.

Here are some of the most critical benefits you’ll get when starting up on a muscle building program.

-Increased Bone Density

With weight lifting being one of the best weight bearing exercises you can do, the stress on the body will increase your bone density and help ward off Osteoporosis (dangerously low bone mass), Osteopenia (precursor to osteoporosis).  My mother was recently diagnosed with Osteopenia so you can bet I’ve got her doing all sorts muscle building weight lifting exercises.  She works with one of our trainers and also participates in our Women’s Only Boot Camp.

Weight lifting, being an anaerobic and anabolic process, helps to promote the building of muscle tissues / fibers.

Some have argued that running is a good muscle building exercise.  It’s really not.  It actually promotes a decrease in muscle mass.  Weight lifting is going to be much better at preserving your bone mass.  Weight lifting is also a non-impact exercise which is actually much easier on your Hips, Knees and ankles.

-Decreased likelihood of Injuries

One very overlooked and rarely mentioned benefit of weight lifting is that when you strength train, not only are your muscles going to get stronger, but you’ll also be strengthening the ligaments(connect bone to bone) and tendons(connect bone to muscle), thus reducing the chance they become injured when participating in other physical activities.

Injuries can be extremely frustrating.  Especially when you’re making great strides towards your goals.  In most of all non-trauma all injury cases, the injury is a direct result of a tendon, ligament, or muscle not being strong enough when a stressful force is applied.

Since weight training targets the deep tendons and ligaments, as well as the muscles, it’s the best injury prevention out there.

-Reduction of Health Related Risks

Studies have demonstrated that regular weight training can have a positive effect on your health by showing a decrease in becoming insulin resistant, developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

Put a solid weight training program together with a clean, healthy diet and you’re dramatically decreasing your chances of developing these chronic life threatening illnesses.

-Prevent Fat Gain

The more muscle you have on your body, the higher your metabolism.  There are many studies out there showing that gains in muscle mass increase the amount of fat burned by your body.  Different studies give different numbers but from what I’ve seen, every 1lb of muscle added to your body can burn anywhere between 6 and 50 extra calories per day.   This results in being able to maintain a much more consistent body weight without worrying quite as much if you have a cheat meal here and there.  Your increased resting metabolic rate will help you to burn more calories while at rest.

So with all the positive points above, I have to address one big hang up and myth out there that keeps a lot of people for wanting to lift weights.  And that is…

Am I going to get big, heavy, too muscular, look like a body builder, have veins popping out everywhere, etc…

The answer is NO!

Those guys and girls get super big because the EAT to get that big.  They take in as much as 10,000 calories per day.  Not only from food, but from high calorie shakes, and who knows what else.  They also train with extreme intensity, heavy weight and low number of repetitions(hence the awful grunting).

The calories alone won’t make you muscular – Just look at Michael Phelps.  The multiple Olympic gold medalist.  During the Olympics, it seemed all you’d hear is about how he consumes 12,000 calories per day.  He works hard…  How come he doesn’t have big muscles?  It’s because of the type of training that he is doing.  Without that combination of training method, high calorie diet, and performance enhancing drugs, bodybuilders would never get that big.  The calories are the building blocks for all that muscle.

Chances are, you’re most likely going to be eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 calories per day.  Enough to replenish muscle but not nearly enough to stimulate undesired growth.  Therefore, you have absolutely nothing to fear.

Hopefully it’s now clear that building muscle is very important to your health.  The aesthetic benefits and fat loss are just the icing on the cake.  No, do not get up and get cake

Weight training can be intimidating to start but also dangerous if not done properly.  Working out with one of our Personal Trainers you’ll have a weight training and weight loss routine custom tailored to your specific needs, wants, and goals.  You’ll also avoid doing it incorrectly or ineffectively.  If you’d like to learn more about how we might be able to help you, please call us or sign up for a FREE consultation below…

Click Here To Sign Up For a Free Consultation
1-888-872-7961

If you’re currently not doing or chose not to include weight training as part of your current workout program, it is without-a-doubt one of the biggest mistakes you could make as far as your long-term health and fitness level is concerned.  Don’t let this extremely important exercise pass you by any longer.

Dennys Passeto, CPT
www.Achieve-Fitness.com
1-888-872-7961

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