It's to Hot to WorkOut Today

Summer heat is here and it slows all of us down. It would be really easy to say, " I don't think that I am going to the gym today." I said that yesterday, I was just wiped out from the heat. The temperature here in Corona has been up in the 110 degree mark and very humid. It would be very easy to just take the summer off but I have been doing so well making it to the gym on a pretty steady basis I don't want to get out of my routine. So this is what I decided to do :

1. I am going to still try and get there as much as possible but not feel guilty if I take a day off when I don't feel like going. After all, its summer and Corona is not far from the ocean and it is nice and cool there. If you have a vacation planned definitely go and enjoy yourself.

2. I am going to cut my work outs down to about half of what I normally do. If I know that it is going to be a light work out today I will probably get there .

3. I might only do cardio one day and strength the next.

The idea is to just get there. It is only for a few weeks while it is so hot and humid. Remember to drink a lot of water and to not over do it. Be sure to do your exercising indoors with A/C if possible. A little trick to get cool is to wet your towel in the water fountain, wring it out and place it around your neck. It helps cool you down.

Good Luck
Tony

Work-Out Partners Good or Bad Idea ?

Having a workout partner can be a good thing but it could also be a bad thing if you are not careful. Here is why:

Keeping in mind that this site is for beginners, a lot of beginners like to have a friend along with them to start a program or to join a gym. This is a good thing. The problems start when one of the partners can't make it that day or wants to quit all together. 98% of the time the partner will not go in that day either, or if your partner quits he or she will too.

What made me decide to write this review is I have 2 ladies in my gym that I see come in about 1 or 2 times a week. I think that they are sisters because they look so much alike. I have not ever seen one of them there without the other. Which means that there is a phone call at some point where one of them ask the other " Are you going to the gym today." If there is a yes they both are there, if it is no neither are there. This is not good.

Having a partner can turn your work-out into a social event not a work-out. It is very easy to get engrossed in a good story that one of the partners have to tell about some event in there lives. Before you know it you spent most of your hour talking and not working out. I am planning on writing a review soon on the importance of concentration and proper attitude during a work out. I will put a link here to it when I do.

If you do decide to get a work-out partner, be sure that you are properly matched. If you partner up with a person that can only do half as much as you, that is not very motivating for you. If you are working out with free weights with this person, you will be wasting a lot of time taking plates on and off. Speaking of time never work-out with more then 3 people. The time between sets would take to long. I worked out with 5 guys once and it took 3 hours to go through my program.

Well after all that said, having a work-out partner can be a good thing. If you can fine someone that is properly matched not only in strength but motivationally as well, I would say go for it. Having a partner can really help your program by having that person encourage you as you are doing your set. Also having a spotter to help you to do 2 or 3 extra reps. each set is very important to help to gain strength and increase your workout.

For myself, over the years I have had workout partners and I don't think that I will ever again. It is nice to have someone there for a spot and motivation, but is seems like it takes 4 times as long to complete my workout. When I go on my own I get there when I want to, Work the body parts that I want to, and when I need a spotter I just ask someone for help. If you go to a smaller gym and go about the same time each time, you will quickly get to know the regular crowd so you won't feel like you are alone.

Well that's all I have to say about work-out partners. If you can find the right person they are great.

Good Luck
Tony

Do you have a Workout from Hell ?????

If you have been working out for less than a year, and you think that you have A Workout From Hell, what are you doing ? 99 people out of 100 drop out of their fitness program because they are doing to much. Jack La Lanne once told me , " I would rather see a person do to little exercise for the rest of their life, rather than do to much for 6 months and then drop out forever. "

When I first started working at Jack La Lanne's Gym, we were not allowed to lift any weights over 50 Lbs. by ourselves. Throughout the day I would demonstrate exercises to members using no more than 50 Lbs and only doing 3 to 4 reps. I am not going to tell you I got in the best shape in my life, but I did notice more muscle tone and loss of body fat.

If you think that you have A Workout from Hell and you have been working out less then 1 year, I would suggest cutting your workout in half. Yes Half, I know I have been through it and have seen it happen many times. Yes you are going to get buffed faster but 2 years down the road you won't be because you dropped out.

Now I know that everyone is different and some people progress faster than others, but unless you are a dedicated professional bodybuilder you do not need a Workout from Hell

Last Note : Workout Smarter not Harder. I watch people using so much weight on the machines that they cannot preform the exercise properly. I watch a guy walking on the treadmill every morning at my gym at full incline and holding on to the display board to hold himself from falling off. I know he is thinking more is better. Unlike other things in life, in an exercise program most times less is better especially if you are trying to burn body fat.

Good Luck,
Tony

Is It Time Yet ????

Is it time to increase my workout ? How do you know when you are ready to go up a notch? If you are using a treadmill, bike, or elliptical here is one method that I have been using for myself.

Most of your better cardio equipment comes with a program called Heart Rate Control or HRC .. Prior to starting your program the Treadmill, Elliptical, Bike, etc. will ask you your age and the type of workout you want ( Cardio or Fat Burning ). If you are a beginner you would want to choose Fat burning.

The machine will calculate a target rate for you base on this information. Lets just say that your target heart rate is 135 beats per min. This means if you heart rate is below 135 the machine will increase the intensity by changing the speed, elevation, or resistance until your heart rate is up to 135. Just the opposite if your heart rate is to high it will decrease the intensity until you get back down to 135 beats per minute. Its like having a personal trainer standing next to you. As time goes on your program intensity will increase automatically without you even thinking about it. This method requires wearing a telemetry belt or holding on to heart rate sensors located on the bars for your entire workout. Not for me ..

I like the HRC idea but I want to have more control. This is how to do it. First you will need to find what your maximum heart rate should be ( 220 minus you age ) I am 59 so my Max HR is 161. If you are a beginner you should stay at 65% to 75% of this number which for me is around 125 beats per minute. Try to purchase or use a machine that has contact heart rate ( Hand Sensors ) . Go ahead select manual program and begin. After your warm up put your hands on the sensors and check your heart rate about every one to two minutes. If you are to low increase or if you are to high decrease your work load. Before you know it your program has increased without you even thinking about it.

I like comparing calories burned . As long as you going the same time each day ,say 20 mins. you will see that the calories burned each day will start to go up.

Give it a shot and let me know if it works for you.

Good Luck
Tony

If you Love Your Workout it may be time to change it

If you are regularly going to the gym and have been using the same work out program for a while, it is probably time to change it . Your body will learn an exercise program the same way that your brain learns things like this 2, 4, 6, ___ . You really didn't have to work out your brain very hard to come up with the next number 8. Although when you were first learning math it wasn't so easy.

If you feel that you have reached a plateau, and you are not getting the results that you are expecting, here are a few ways that you can change your work out :

• Use a different machine to work the same muscle

• Change the order that you go through your exercises

• Change the Weight and Reps --- You can use less weight and do more reps or you can use more weight and less reps

• Use Dumbbells and Olympic Free Weights instead of machines -- When you are exercising with free weights you are not only working your core muscle but all the little stabilizer muscles that you need to hold the weights steady. When you are using the machines you are not working these muscles.

• You might even think about changing the groups of exercises that you do each day. Instead of doing Chest, Back, Legs in a day you might want to do Arms , Back, Legs

• Once a week really do a heavy work out. Increase your weight and do less reps for your whole program

How often should you change your Program ?

If you are changing your program to fast you are not giving your muscles a chance to adapt to the work out and if you don't change it enough your muscles are getting lazy and need to start thinking again. So I would say at least every month you should change something in your program. Better yet change one exercise on your work out each week that you have been doing a month or more.

Last Note:

Remember that in different times of the year you are going to be doing different activities. For example in the winter time you might like to ski, so you should incorporate some exercises that work the muscles you use during skiing. Also during the summer you are outside more playing sports so you might want to change your cardio program to match your activity.

Good Luck,

Tony

How to Burn More Calories a Day Watching TV

Burn an extra 200 Calories a day ...

Sound to good to be true ? Well its not. The fact is for every extra pound of muscle you put on your body you will burn 50 extra calories per day. Besides strengthening your body this is one of the benefits of strength training over a cardio work out.

In a 45 minute work out on an treadmill, exercise bike, stepper, or elliptical trainer you can burn 300 to 400 calories easily. The thing is once you are finished with your work out you go back to burning calories at your normal rate.

In strength training you are tearing and building muscle with each workout making your body more dense so it requires more fuel to maintain your body weight. In strength training once you are finished with your work out you are still burning more calories after you are done training.

Am I saying to forget cardio training and just do strength training ? Not at all. To Understand the importance of both Please Read " Are you a Big Loser "

Have a Good Work Out
Tony

Esprit EL-1 Home Elliptical by Spirit

Esprit EL-1 Home Elliptical

We Have the lowest price on the web - 105% Price Match
Click on link at bottom for more information

The Esprit EL - 1 is a great elliptical for someone just looking for a basic machine. It is a little smaller then the other Esprit models, so if you are short on space the EL- 1's compact frame would work nicely for you.

There is nothing else this elliptical is short of though, it has a 24 Lb. flywheel, An 18' Stride for a full range of motion, 9 Programs ( including heart rate control ), and a backlit LCD display panel.

The self leveling pedals with a 2% inward tilt will keep you legs and feet in the proper position at all times. You will feel the comfort right away. This is a standard feature in all of Spirit's ellipticals.

Name, Quality, and Price

The Spirit Esprit EL-1 Home Elliptical has it all.

Features:

• Compact Frame
• 2 Guide Rails for great support
• 2 Durometer Poly wheels for a smooth glide
• 24 Lb. Flywheel
• 18" Full range of motion stride
• Blue backlit display panel
• Programs - 6 Preset, 2 user, + * Heart Rate Control
• Resistance - 16 Levels 750 Watts

Warranty:

• Brake - Lifetime
• Wear Parts - 3 Months
• Parts - 2 Years
• Labor - 1 Year

Click Here for ordering information

Heart Rate Control is a feature on a treadmill or elliptical that allows the user to set up a HR goal and have the machine adjust itself to keep you at your goal Once you have set up a HR goal say 135 the machine will automatically increase or decrease the work load, by means of speed, resistance, or elevation to keep you as close to your goal as possible. It is like having a personal trainer at your side.

BodyCraft ECT-2500 Home Elliptical

BodyCraft ECT - 2500 Home Elliptical Crosstrainer

Free Freight & Free Mat

The Bodycraft ECT-2500 is a little more challenging then the ECT-2100. It delivers Up to 400 Watts of Resistance, needed for the more advanced users. If sturdiness is important to you, it will hold up to a 350 Lb. user thanks to the 61 Lb. drive system.

The ECT-2500 also has a few other nice upgrades:

• A Dot Matix Window to show you your program course and scrolling instructions.
• Pre Set Programs - Sets up different work out courses for you for a variety of different types of work outs
• Heart Rate Control - Set up a heart rate goal and your elliptical with keep you at your goal by means of changing the resistance. Works with the hands free telemetry belt provided free.

The BodyCraft ECT - 2500 Home Elliptical Crosstrainer is an excellent choice for a home user looking for an inexpensive elliptical that has all the features they need, and a machine that will last them for years.

Features:

• Sturdy Construction - Top in its Class
• 350 Lbs User Weight Caparcity
• Smooth Eddy Current Resistance
• 61 Lb. Drive System
• 14' to 16" Adjustable Stride System
• Hand Pulse Sensors
• Chest Strap Include
• Sports Drink Holder
• Ribbed pedals for Extra Comfort
• Adjustable floor levelers
• Front Wheels

Size: - 25" W x 48" L x 62" H

Home Warranty:

• Frame and Welds Lifetime ( Original Owner )
• Parts - 3 Years
• Labor - 1 Year

For Ordering information - Click Here