Weak Training advice

Fitness professionals are naturally full of opinions and have numerous recommendations on exercise. And they’ve populated the Internet with blogs spouting their ideas about health and fitness.

There are many trainers, but there are few great trainers. Some of smartest minds in the industry are Todd Durkin http://www.todddurkin.com/, Joe Dowdell http://www.joedowdell.com/, Tony Gentilcore http://www.tonygentilcore.com//and Mike Boyle http://strengthcoachblog.com//. These are the individuals people should be listening to – they’re the experts people would be smart to follow.

Then there are so-called "celebrity trainers" … like Tracy Anderson. I’m not sure how she has become so successful. Maybe because she makes crazy claims or gets celebrity women to think she is actually smart and is getting them results. Or maybe these celebrities – like the rest of the public – just don't know any better.

If you want to get a laugh, check out her website: http://tracyandersonmethod.com/tracy/. Here are just some of her more ridiculous claims:

TRACY’S SITE: The mission of her method is to "strengthen the smaller muscle groups so that these muscles can pull in the larger muscles – which results in a lean figure that is not bulky."
*** Who knew our body's smaller muscles had such power over our larger muscles? Oh, wait … they don't! This statement on her site is not only ridiculous, but it can inspire people to work out in ways that can result in injuries.

TRACY DISCUSSING DANCE CARDIO AND THIGH-BUSTERS: "Doing 20-40 reps of each move pulls away the fat from the muscle – the cardio burns that fat to help diminish the look of cellulite."
*** A certain rep scheme pulls fat away from muscle? Wow. Her claims might be funny … if they weren’t so ridiculous.

TRACY IN LIFE&STYLE MAGAZINE: "We don't want to take away Kim Kardashian's amazing curves, so we just do specific movements to tighten the skin and to pull the muscles tight against the bone."
*** Last time I checked, you can’t pull skin and make it tighter through exercise. I’m no doctor, but I'm just saying. Also, your muscles already surround your bones. Is Tracy going to go inside your body with a wrench and tighten the bolts?

Tracy has a flashy website, she’s fit and she can drop celebrity names faster than an amateur weightlifter can drop a set of dumbbells. But I don't care and either should you. She’s clearly not educated in the field and she doesn't really know what she is doing.

The purpose of this blog post to remind you to pay careful attention to the things you read and hear in the fitness industry. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish my workout so I can pull in my larger muscles and tighten my skin.

Remembering a fitness legend....

Jack LaLanne died the other day at the age of 96 in his home in California. LaLanne loved fitness and nutrition and is known as the " father of fitness" as he is recognized as the founder of the modern fitness movement. Most young people, including myself know him as the Power Juicer salesman on tv. He was a great man and without him the world of fitness would never be the same! Jack LaLanne was a man who did some incredible physical stunts. Below are some of the things LaLanne did through his years.

• At the age of 40 he swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment including two air tanks.
• At age 66 he towed 10 boats in North Miami. The boats carried 77 people and he carried them over a mile in one hour

This guy was a stud! Checkout the video link below to see more classic footage of Mr. LaLanne.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIVfe-crHDs&feature=player_embedded

Get a 6-pack like Usher

Usher has always been known to have some of the best abs around.....and well of course numerous hit songs. The key to Ushers look is not only hard work in the gym but hard work in the kitchen as well. Your diet must be in line with your workouts. Usher recently shared his ab routine with Men's Fitness in their June/July 2010 issue. Below is his workout.

Do this at least three times per week. He does a move for 30 seconds, then, after a 10-second rest, runs on the treadmill for two minutes. He repeats with the next movement until he’s done with each exercise. His goal: Five circuits in less than an hour.

Incline Resistance Ball Plank -In a push-up position place your hands on top of the resistance ball. Make sure hands are shoulder width apart, feet are securely balanced on the floor and glutes are not positioned higher than your shoulders. Balance and hold this position for 30 seconds. Breathing is instrumental to maintaining balance. Run on treadmill for 2 minutes with a speed level of 5.4 (adjust levels as needed). After 10 second recovery, repeat. Goal is to complete three sets of this series.

**Contract your whole core during this exercise. Really brace your entire mid section for this plank. If 30 seconds is too easy for you then make the changes needed. Adjust the speeds on the treadmill to suite you as well.

Prone Knee Tuck-Begin on all fours starting in a push-up position. Kneel down, and bring right knee in towards your right elbow. Be sure to alternate knees – right leg to right elbow/left knee to left elbow – and return to the starting position. Continue this exercise for 30 seconds. Run on treadmill for 2 minutes with a speed level of 5.4 (adjust levels as needed). After 10 second recovery, repeat. Goal is to complete three sets of this series.

**Posture is huge on this exercise. Don’t let your hips sag or your butt fly up into the air. Keep a straight line with your body throughout the movement.

Alternating Medicine Ball Pushup-Start in a push-up position with your left hand on the floor and your right hand balanced on top of an 8 lb. medicine ball. While going down simultaneously roll the ball to your left hand. Remember one hand should always be on the ball and the other on the floor – at all times. This is an advanced exercise and requires balance and arm coordination. Continue this exercise for 30 seconds. Run on treadmill for 2 minutes with a speed level of 5.4 (adjust levels as needed). After 10 second recovery, repeat. Goal is to complete three sets of this series.

**If you are not able to complete 30 seconds of pushups with the medicine ball then do some other pushup variation. Like with everything else maintain a tight braced core.

Upside Down Banana Crunch-Laying flat on your stomach, slightly lift your hands and feet as they should not touch the floor. The goal is to roll over on your back reach up and touch your toes without having your hands or feet touch the floor. This is an advanced movement and requires balance. Continue this exercise for 30 seconds. Run on treadmill for 2 minutes with a speed level of 5.4 (adjust levels as needed). After 10 second recovery, repeat. Goal is to complete three sets of this series.

**This is a challenging exercise.

Egg Roll Crunch-Lay on your back with your hands palmed over your ears – cupping your ears. Lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest; Rolling up into a sitting position. Be sure to maintain positioning by keeping your hands over your ears. Once in a sitting position, roll back on your shoulders and your hips should be above your chest. Your goal is to not allow your hands to touch. Continue this exercise for 30 seconds. Run on treadmill for 2 minutes with a speed level of 5.4 (adjust levels as needed). After 10 second recovery, repeat. Goal is to complete three sets of this series.

Why celebrities get in shape and you dont!

Everyone always wants to know how their favorite celeb gained 10 pounds of muscle for their upcoming action flick, or how the bombshell actress lost 20 pounds after she had her baby..blah...blah..blahhhh. It is simple, they did it with HARD FREAKING WORK! They had a goal and went after it and totally dominated. Yes, it is that simple to achieve your goals if you focus and make it a priority like celebrities do. Now, I do realize that they can hire a full time trainer, chef, nutritionist and everything and trust me that does help but it comes down to working hard. There is no secret training formula that J-Lo uses or shocking new diet that Ryan Reynolds used to get lean, its hard work. Next time you want to reach your fitness goals, work hard and put some pressure on yourself to go after it! Take this advice and you can be looking like your favorite celeb.