The Vlog

There are foods which are more powerful than all of the supplements of the world. These foods helps prevent many different kinds of cancer, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diesease, lower blood pressure, lower cholestrol, lower triglycerides, and control blood sugar (besides other things). They are also alkaline producing which helps to stave off high acidity in the blood which can contribute to calcium leaching (being especially important the older you get), reduced strength (yes, that’s right), and immune deficiency. What are these foods? Fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies truly are the Holy Grail of foods. Although their message is completely under-served by the food production industry, restaurant industry, grocery industry, and fast food industry, and traditional America, they remain dominant in being the most healthy foods on the planet.

Von

A couple of nights ago, me and a client chased some muggers after they robbed a girl and were able to catch up and see one of the guys. The reason why we were able to catch up is because we were in shape and he wasn’t. He was huffing and puffing after sprinting about 50 yards. We got a good look at him and we identified him in some photos. Hopefully, they’ll be able to convict this guy and his culprits. The point is that although he might be going to jail for a while for what he did (since I’m assuming he’s probably done a string of these), the consequence for being unfit is much worse – you’ll die earlier – a lot earlier. Whether your younger or older, you can do a lot of things to help yourself live longer, prevent bone loss, and help your mind to with exercise.

Von

You may have seen the wobble boards, bosu balls, execise balls, etc. Some people claim this “crap” is useless. Others swear by it. The truth? Certain joints need more stability training (and henceforth an unbalanced component) than other joints. The joints which need more stability typically are the shoulder, low back, and knee. For shoulders, I’m a big fan of push-ups on an exercise ball – it recruits more of your rotator cuff which is exactly what more people need if they do push-ups. For the knee, I like single-leg squats as it builds key knee stabilizers. For low back, I like birddogs because they teach proper movement of the hip versus getting the movement out of the low back.

Von

As a fitness professional, it’s my job to know whether a body is moving properly. Unfortunately, most people have imbalances akin to a broken shopping cart. If you have one broken wheel, your body is forced to compensate by “leaning” to the opposite side. This is what happens in your body when something becomes dysfunctional. It actually promotes further dysfunction. This is why exercise form is extremely important, you will make sure that your body actually moves proplerly and you can help prevent further injury.

Von

I used to imagine what it would be like to have huge muscles. I would look at wrestler’s and think what a cool body to have. But of couse, I had skinny genetics and was 6 foot 2 and 160 pounds in high school. It took work and years before getting down to a very low body fat percentage and sufficient muscular mass. And now: I’m 6 foot 2, 208 pounds and 10.5% body fat. What is it like? To be honest, it feels good. I never worry about what I look like or have any “issues” or self-consciousness at the beach or anywhere. I’m not trying to gloat – what I’m really saying is that you can have any kind of body you want. Many people confuse getting a great body with performing like an olympic athlete. You will likely never be an olympic athlete, but you can have their body. I am 100% serious. It doesn’t take long and as long as your consistent, you will achieve it – with the right plan. Trust me, it’s worth it on the other side not because I go showing off but because you don’t have to worry; it’s taken care of. So, take care of business.

Von

I used to eat a lot of cereal – pretty much every week day from grade school to college. If you would have asked me if I thought I ate a healthy breakfast then, what do you think I would have said? Of course I’m eating a healthy breakfast – its cereal! But I was wrong – the truth is cereal is marginally healthy and it actually does a lot more harm than good – especially if your overweight. Cereal pros: its fortified with vitamins and minerals and its at least something (which is usually better than nothing which a lot of people have for breakfast.) Cereal cons: high added sugar (raises insulin levels which helps store fat), high total carbohydrates (which again raises insulin levels), little fiber (unless you actually eat those crappy high fiber cereals) – little fiber contributes to higher blood sugar, and the last con is milk (which raises insulin dramatically, but is not technically a part of cereal, but what do you take your cereal with – water?) What alternatives do you have to cereal? Eggs and fruit. With this combination, you can’t lose: the fat and protein help to moderate your blood sugar levels, you wont’ get too many carbs with the fruit, you get vitamins and minerals from the fruit, you get fiber and phytonutrients, and you will burn more fat with this type of meal.

Von

The fitness industry has gotten a bad rap – and for good reason, we don’t have any integrity. Even among the top fitness professionals who I admire (and I’m not going to say who), their products look like something I would see at 2pm in the morning on cable TV. Granted, I find some great uses for the products, but the advertisement is a lie because the advertisement doesn’t reflect the product accurately. And don’t let the money-back gaurantee fool you, these “professionals” know that most people won’t utilize that. This is why instead of doing bootcamp training (where I could earn more money), I’ve come back to private and semi-private training. I’m not saying bootcamp training is for those who just want to make money (because it isn’t), it’s that I want the fastest and highest-quality results I can get with my clients and that means doing what I’m doing now.

Von

All day long, I hear people say they’ve walked for their exercise. I don’t really get tired of this because at least its something. So, how much can you expect from walking? If your a couch potato, walking can help you get rid of those first few pounds. After that, it won’t – unless you actually intensify your walking and keep progressing. Despite the ridicule of walking from top fitness coaches, I’m actually a fan of walking – if you know how to progress it. One of my clients has lost 20 pounds doing walking intervals along with her strenght training. I actually prefer that she walks. The fact is more women need to walk than run because of the female build. How does she walk? For one minute, she’ll walk on a high incline treadmill with a backpack and 10 pound dumbbells in each hand. For the next thirty seconds, she’ll put the dumbbells down and walk at no incline. She still have many options available for her progression: increase the incline, increase the weight of the backpack, increase the weight of the dumbbell, slightly increase the speed, or a combination of these. Walking is okay, but you must progress it or you will stall – guaranteed.

Von

Training is going well – very well. When I wrote my goal list, I was probably at a 315 squat and a 265 bench press. Currently, I’m at a 345 squat (which I just hit last night) and a 280 bench press. My goal is of course a 400 pound squat and a 315 bench press by the end of the year. I’ll definitely reach it sooner than later, but that’s because of only one thing; consistent training. Consistent training will get to your goal every time as long as you have the right plan. It just takes patience and consistency.

Von

Wow, training is tough to get in these days with business, relationships, and an ironic attempt to slow myself down. One way I’ve increased my motivation to train is by breaking up my training into two sessions. I’ll go to the gym, spend about about 45 minutes and make it back later… if I can. Otherwise, I’ll do the other half the next day. Uh-oh, what about not working the same muscle group two days in a row? BS my friends, it can be done and I’ve recently seen as good as a results if not better than breaking up sessions even if they are on back-to-back days. What I’m really saying is for those you lead busy lives and blow off their workout because they know they can’t get it all in, break it into smaller sessions because you’ll have more motivation knowing you will at least achieve your goal. But get the second session in too and don’t make it a habit:)

Von