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PALEO GUIDE

Journey To My Summer Six Pack DAY ??

Journey To My Summer Six Pack Day ??

Hows your summer body coming?

Remember diet is 80%! There are 168 hours in a week even if you work out every day for an hour(7/168)......  it will not make up for your poor eating choices! What you do outside the gym will impact your progress immensely!

CORE TRAINING

This is an Awesome article from http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/core-ultimate-workout


I agree 100% agree with this article! This is how I train myself and my clients!!! If you do not understand these concepts please seek out a trainer for help. It is worth the investment..... I wouldn't walk into a job you do everyday and even hold a 1/10 of the information you hold. A trainer can take your program tweak it and put you on the fast track to success! Anyways I hope you enjoy the read!!


Core Concepts

Though commonly used to refer to the abs and lower-back muscles collectively (considered the epicenter of the body ), the term "core" actually applies to several muscles throughout the upper and lower body. The transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscle), internal obliques, multifidus, spinal erectors, lats, glutes, and traps can be considered core muscles.

All work together, often simultaneously, to stabilize and support the spine. Since the spinal cord is the main avenue for sending messages to the muscles throughout your body, the safer your body senses that it is, the more comfortable it feels sending those messages out and the more clearly they are received.

Building a strong core is the first step toward making maximal gains in strength and power and performing any kind of skilled athletic movement. Strong supporting muscles around the spine also reduce lower-back pain, as well as the risk for lower-back injury. Finally, since the core encompasses all the abdominal muscles that make up that aesthetic six-pack look, it's the foundation of a ripped midsection (though you may need to clean up your diet to see it).

Nevertheless, a well-defined set of abs does not mean a strong core. So how can you tell if your core is in shape? One of the most basic, easy, and effective methods to test core strength is the plank. If you've ever taken a yoga class (or listened to your lady talk about one), this move should be familiar. Simply get down on your hands and knees as if you were about to perform a pushup, then bend your elbows 90 degrees so that you're resting your forearms flat on the floor.

Keep your eyes focused on the floor and your hips braced—your body should form one straight line. Hold the position for as long as you can. (As time elapses, you'll feel all the above-mentioned core muscles squeezing.) If you can hold the plank for two minutes or more without breaking form or experiencing pain, your core is reasonably strong. If you can only hold the plank for between one and two minutes, practice it whenever you get a chance and work to improve it over time. Also, limit the loads you use in your training, and concentrate more on body-weight exercises.

Start using more one-legged exercises in your workouts, and concentrate on keeping perfect form throughout. Do not attempt any heavy lifts until your plank time improves drastically.
Beware: If your core is weak, you not only severely compromise the amount of strength and muscle you can build in your workouts, but you also risk serious injury lifting heavy weights or doing any exercise that loads the lower back.Take our core training tips seriously, and you'll ensure safe and steady progress for as long as you train.

Hard Core Training

When trainers test their clients' core strength, the ones who perform best are almost always the strongest squatters and deadlifters. This is not by accident. Squats and deadlifts—but also shoulder presses, chinups, lunges, and a host of other compound, free-weight exercises (some of which are discussed later)—demand that the core muscles clamp down hard to support the spine under heavy loads. The core keeps your back upright whenever there's a bar resting on it or being pressed overhead, and it prevents your spine from rotating when you have a load pulling you to one side (as in a dumbbell lunge or one-armed press).

So, in essence, just performing these exercises alone provides a great core workout. Though neither a Swiss or Bosu ball is absolutely necessary for a fully developed core, each can be a highly useful tool that you can work in as a supplement to your main lifts. If you have a pre-existing lower-back problem, a Swiss ball might allow you to train your abs without aggravating it. The ball also allows you to move through a greater range of motion than a crunch done on the floor would. Furthermore, you can perform certain upper-body exercises on it, such as chest presses, which will fire up the core and prepare you for stronger benching when you return to the conventional bench press.

Bosu balls work in much the same way but have a fl at side that makes stabilizing yourself a bit easier. The problem and danger of training your core with either piece of equipment comes when you overdo it (and most people do). Doing crunches only on a Swiss ball overdevelops some of your core muscles while neglecting others, leading to a slew of imbalances that can cause injury and pain. Training with the compound movements described earlier eliminates this risk, as your entire core is trained evenly. (You also get the added benefit of training your other major muscle groups, making the most of your workout time.)
Certainly the most ridiculous trend in core training, and abuse of its equipment, has been the notion that you should perform all your exercises on the Bosu ball. The theory behind this is that your core will work harder as your body struggles to balance itself on top of the ball. While this kind of training does make any movement more difficult to perform, it prevents you from using anything approximating a heavy weight, so your muscles go unchallenged.

You won't build any muscle or strength this way, and your core will never be conditioned to handle the stresses of tough workouts or sports. Unless you're training to improve your performance during an earthquake, exercising on an unstable surface offers no real advantages.Ultimately, doing so will leave you weaker and more at risk for injury. To truly tax your core, keep your feet on a stable surface, and train with time-proven simple exercises such as those given here.

All The Right Moves

Situps are pretty much garbage, but these are the core exercises you really ought to be doing.
A steady regimen of multi-joint, freeweight exercises like the squat and deadlift should build your core along with the rest of your body, but these supplemental core exercises are what you need to truly pass the plank test. Learn them all and cycle them in and out of your workouts from now on.

A1, A2 PLATE RAISES
Stand with knees slightly bent and hold a weight plate in front of your hips. Keeping your arms straight, slowly raise the plate in front of you until it's at shoulder level, and then lower it back down. That's one rep. Perform 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 12 reps, resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets. Make sure you keep perfect posture—shoulders back and chest out—the entire time.

B1, B2 ONE-LEGGED DUMBBELL ROWS
Hold a dumbbell in one hand and stand on the opposite leg. Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, bend forward at the hips until your torso is about 45 degrees to the floor. Row the weight to the outside of your chest, and lower it back down. That's one rep. Perform 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 12 reps on each side, resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets.

C1, C2 SUITCASE SQUATS
Hold a dumbbell in one hand at your side and squat as low as you can, as if you were putting down a suitcase. Perform 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 12 reps on each side, resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets.

BONUS EXTRA
OVERHEAD SQUATS AND LUNGES
You can do these with either a barbell or dumbbells. Simply hold the weight at arm's length overhead and squat or lunge. Perform 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 12 reps, resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets.
ONE-LEGGED SQUATS
Raise one leg out in front of you and squat as low as you can. Perform 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 12 reps on each leg, resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets.

Journey to my summer six pack day????

Journey to my summer six pack day ??? (I suck at updating lately)

I have been terrible about keeping this updated! No excuses......I will do better :)

I recently updated my bio at work!! I want to train myself every time I read this mater piece! 

If you were to ask me four years ago if I thought I would be a personal trainer, I would have laughed. I went through some life changing events and found myself at the gym all the time. Fitness gave me the gift of strength, confidence, willpower, and of course health! I wanted to start personal training to share those gifts with everyone. I am a certified through the National Academy of Sports and Medicine, International Sports and science association, yoga and Pilates.

I live to challenge people to stray from their normal, never-changing routine, and participate in a functional training program that is constantly changing to elicit continual results .An average session with me is going to be fun while challenging strength and building endurance.

I specialize in corrective exercise.I formulate fitness plans for individuals with physical and medical disabilities including high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, herniated discs, scoliosis, spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak syndrome, and joint limitation from injury.

Get out of your own way! You are capable of far more then you have ever dreamed!! Let me help you reach your full potential! Know that there is no magic pill to get into great physical shape, just hard work and a great attitude!

NEGATIVITY IS TOXIC

Discovering and removing the negative influences in our life will help us more than we realize.  Studies show that our own thoughts, attitudes and behaviors are a reflection of the people we spend the most time with.
All too often, we are faced with negative people and influences that surround us and affect us as a person, in all areas of our life.  “Toxic” people are like vampires . They suck the life and energy right out of you.  Toxic people are ultimately the people who cause you the most negative stress in your life. They are the people that make you feel unhappy, or spoil your mood purposely every chance they get.

Toxic people can be a challenge to be around. They will bring you down and drain your energy, and all too often, they will squash any type of lifestyle change YOU are trying to make.  Toxic people are just pieces of the obstacle course you will run through in your efforts obtain your nutrition and fitness goals, and they have a detrimental effect on your mental thoughts and mental toughness.


Who wants or needs that?


Toxic people truly believe that they are constantly taken advantage of by others and that bad things are always happening to them. They are often the people who make mountains out of molehills. Toxic people are those who think they are doing something right, by complaining and blowing up almost any situation, whether it is a small issue or a large one.


Amazingly, toxic people believe their negative comments are helping to solve the situation in some way. In addition, they often rely on others to entertain them or make them happy. Even if it’s not other people, they often rely on some kind of outside source to keep them happy.  All too often, toxic people find this happiness in social settings with food and drinks, which ends up being a “perfect” setting to express their negativity.


Unfortunately, toxic people are everywhere; just take a moment to look around.  Don’t let them take your happiness away or affect your mood.   Toxic people only have as much power, control, and impact on our lives that we allow them to have.


Each day, we are faced with a decision and need to say to ourselves, “I can either allow these negative and “toxic” people to ruin my day and my actions for that day, or I can choose to rise above them, completely remove them from my life, or speak motivating words to them and move on!”  At that point, it is up to them as to whether they choose to use the motivating words to their advantage or not.
Toxic people need boundaries, and giving them a time limit lets them know you will only tolerate a small amount of negativity. Check your watch, allow them to vent for two minutes, give them some positive words of encouragement and then move away and fill your head with positive affirmations and thoughts as soon as you can!

Transform your energy into positive energy and remove these negative “toxic” people from your life.  I realize that these toxic people might include close friends or even family members.  Remember, in order for you to reach your goal you must stay focused on the end result , remind yourself what is most important to you, and if your friend or family member can’t support you with your goals, why are they in your life… and do they truly care for you and your well-being?

So, my question to you is:  who do you spend the most time with, and do they help you toward your goals or pull you away from them?

http://fitforjesus.com/christian-motivation/how-to-handle-toxic-negative-people/

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