Look Fit or Be fit?

Yesterday I met a business associate of mine at a Distribution Center after quite a while. We were at two seperate counters and our greetings did not last too long. However she did say this, 'You are looking fit!' I smiled happy at the fact that here was another person who saw the result of my hard work and noticed it. Later I was thinking about it and I thought about what she said. I might have LOOKED fit, but was I? As a matter of fact a lot of people look similar to me right now in terms of body structure and LOOKING fit. Could I handle a real life situation if the time came? Could I run up a flight of stairs without getting breathless? Could I lift a weight of the ground without having strains? Its one thing to look fit but a totally different other to be fit. Looking good is one thing. You might have a great definition and well built muscle but what can you do with it?

Am I Like this?.........

OR......am I this?

I train for real life scenarios. The looking good is a by product. I want to be able to run with my kids and not tire out. I want to be mentally alert and not feel sluggish after a meal. I want to be able to lift weight and have endurance when my wife decides to rearrange the house (which most husbands know last more than the 10 minutes they tell you it takes)! I want to set the example to my clients and show them that they don't have to be athletes to be able to have a healthy, strong and fit lifestyle. I started to introspect my life and realised I am coming short. Yes I have achieved quite a breakthrough by my own personal standards. There is however a lot more to go. A lot of room for improvement. I will not only look fit but be fit.

Train Hard, Stay consistent, Be focused

Ori Hofmekler on Low Glycemic Carbs

Why

Why
"Low-Glycemic" is the Way to Go

by Ori Hofmekler

Question: Ori, How do you recommend low glycemic carbs and then talk
about the short window of opportunity. Won't the rate of digestion of a SLOW
carb be too long? Research points to a 2 hour window (it is only 4 hours is you
are eating plenty of carbs during the 4 hours). Also, research recommends a
8-1.2g of carbs per Kilo of body weight per 1-2 hours (frequency depends on the
amount of glycogen used). IF someone weighs 100 kilo, wouldn't it be hard to
eat 80-120 g of complex carbs in one sitting? Finally, have you considered the
revised Glycemic Load ratings, the effect of exercise on GLUT4, the very
anti-catabolic effects of insulin, the 200% improved insulin sensitivity after
workouts, the very different effects of whole proteins versus peptide bonded di
and tri peptides proteins.


Answer: With all due respect to your stats, they're meaningless in
real life. The information you get from muscle magazines is typically inadequate.
If you get it from Pub Med - notice that many of the studies are sponsored by
commercial sport nutrition companies to make you purchase a cheap protein
powder (80% sugar or simple starch mixed with degraded soy or whey isolate +
artificial flavoring, etc.). The truth is that there is no conclusive evidence
as to how much carbs are needed per muscle mass after exercise. There is
however evidence that insulin (not carbs) is the influencing factor in whether
an anabolic action will occur or not. It is also a well known fact that when
insulin is over-spiked - such as with over 10g of sugar intake per serving, it
will instantly lead to a certain degree of insulin resistance. I'm aware and
I've written articles on the benefits of exercise on improving insulin
sensitivity. Nevertheless, there is evidence that even one meal with excessive
carbs can jeopardize the insulin stabilizing benefits you get from exercise.
Consuming too many carbs after exercise is a recipe for insulin resistance and
fat gain, particularly in the belly.


This is exactly what happened to a famous muscle magazine editor who
admitted to me over the phone that after using a commercial recovery meal
product (loaded with simple carbs) after exercise, he noticed an accumulation
of stubborn fat in the belly which he could not remove. I suggested that he
drop this product and instead incorporate a low glycemic recovery. As a result,
he noticed an immediate leaning down effect in the belly area. That's why we've
created our protein products in this way - all natural and low glycemic - so
that people can use them before and after exercise - and always benefit with no
side effects. As for the sources of my science, they are all documented in the
back of my books. None of my references are from muscle or fitness magazines.


Metabolic processes involve a huge complex of events on the cellular level
and the systemic level, integrated with each other and regulated by different
control mechanisms which are also influenced by environmental factors,
including nutrition and exercise. Unfortunately, much of this information,
acquired from muscle and fitness magazines, is written by people who have no
background in biology and a very limited knowledge of nutrition. For these
magazines the industry comes first, i.e. advertisements come first and the
truth . . . who cares? We provide you with real factual information via our
weight loss memberships. I expect that the dedicated individual will be curious
enough to read the original information and the science references before
questioning the technicalities.

Do you want to learn more about Ori Hofmekler’s Tenacious Fat Solution kit to help get rid of your stubborn belly fat?

The Tenacious Fat Solution Kit will help you remove hidden
obstacles to weight loss.

Our products have no sugar added (which is groundbreaking),
they are made with all natural products, they are low carb, and they taste
amazingly delicious!

Claim back your body!

3 Dietary Keys that were vital for my fat loss

Since I have just burnt off a lot of fat after my last goal, I decided to focus on a 3 dietary keys that helped me the most.

1) Eat Whole Food: This is so important. I stayed away from processed foods and sugars. I replaced all that with good wholesome food. This meant fresh vegetables and fruits, eggs, raw milk, good quality meat, nuts and seeds.Yes there were times I did do cheat meals but the whole foods gave me a whole new way to eat. Since it was more nutrient dense rather than calorie dense there was need for me to go snacking as often which cut off unnecessary calories.

2) Vegetables: If ever there was one powerful group of foods this one was it! Vegetables have a way of detoxing the body and blunting up insulin. Most of my carbs came from vegetables. Since they were also nutrient dense and rich in fiber, I was quite full and did not have a problem with other starchy carbs when I did eat them.

3) Practice of Intermittent Fasting: This is the biggest one for me. I will be covering a more detailed topic on this later. Intermittent fasting turned out to be a blessing which taught me a lot. I was freed from eating every few hours. It mentally strengthened me. It also helped me when I did do cheat meals and had to balance out the calories. I had more energy, got stronger and the way the food was used up by my body was boosted.

I would strongly recommend incorporating these three steps in your eating habits. If you need any help you can always post a comment on this blog or contact me.

Choco Banana Shake

Hey all.

This is a shake I used to celebrate me reaching 75kgs and getting my waist line down to 32 inches.
It is delicious and healthy.

2 bananas
250ml of milk
1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cap Vanilla essence

Throw it all into a blender and mix it up. You can also add some grated coconut or coconut milk for an extra tropical taste!

The Basic Fantastic 4 Steps to turn into a Human Torch

Johnny Storm or the Human Torch! Whichever way you look at him one thing is for sure he's got a great metabolism.Its so good he just isn't a star, he turns into a super nova. He set one example for me:

'Its your body. You have a choice whether you want to be a load of lard or an energetic mobile fat blasting furnace with high metabolism.'

The turnaround starts with these 4 basic steps.

1.       Nutrition: Without nutrition in place there is no way you are going to burn fat. Nutrition is the most important factor to fuel the energy needed for the various processes of the body. Stick to real whole foods and avoid processed and refined foods. Keep yourself well hydrated.

2.       Build muscle: If ever there was one thing that burns fat rapidly, even while you are not doing anything its muscle. The more muscle you put on the more fat you will burn. This is why you spend more time building muscle by lifting weights that are challenging to you as it is essential to fat loss.

3.       Conditioning: Conditioning not only preps and develops your energy systems but taps into fat resources. Just 10 minutes of conditioning is enough. You pretty much wouldn’t want to do anything after those 10 minutes. The intensity of the 10 minutes will boost your recovery, improve your oxygen capacity and torch fat.  Conditioning can be sprinting, bodyweight circuits, sled pulling or pushing, swings etc.

4.       Rest and Recovery: You need time to rest and recover. If the body over trains it will create stress which leads to fat retention. Also do not unnecessarily worry about anything. The biggest contribution for stress is worry which releases unpleasant chemical reactions promoting fat retention and fat increase.

This post is short enough but probably a summary list will keep things even simpler for you:

1)      Nutrition: Eat real foods. Stay away from refined and processed foods

2)      Build Muscle: Lift challenging/ heavy weights

3)      Conditioning: Do 10 minutes of conditioning at least 3 times a week.

4)      Rest and Recovery: Sleep well and stop worrying.

In case you have any doubts please find a personal trainer. You are also free to contact me or leave questions in the comments box.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall.....

One of the best things to have when you are tracking your progress is a mirror. A full length mirror. How does this simple everyday object help?

1) Checking Body Composition: Though there are different methods of checking body fat, the mirror just has a way of not lying about your progress. You might have started to lose fat in one area and not quite in another. Tracking this way will show you how much more fat you have to lose. The mirror along with a body fat analyzer will keep you on track and measure your goals when it's body fat.

2) Muscle and Body shape: One look in the mirror and you will immediately see your symmetry and how the muscle is shaping as you train.

3) Posture: Posture is necessary to be checked as well. There are ways to assess and correct posture but on the go the mirror will also show you how you are developing and if you are at risk for muscle imbalance.

4) Visualization: Since you can see yourself you can also start to visualize where you want to be or where you would like to see yourself.

Use a mirror to your advantage when tracking goals. The weighing scale can only tell you your total weight. The question of bigger concern is how much of that weight is body fat. The mirror will not lie to you. Its about as real as is gets.

Lifting weights - Worth the trouble?

The other day I was sitting with a tennis coach who was saying the gym is boring and that sports is a much better option.

I didn't agree with him on that point. I have heard a lot of people say this. From those who
are good at sports they say the gym is a waste of time and a place for injury. Then there was
another good martial arts expert. He had a superb fitness level all from bodyweight exercises
and movements. He also was of the opinion that the gym was not helpful in the sense of it
doesn't 'train the mind'. Then of course there are the lazy ones who don't like going to a gym
because the little effort that it takes to walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes challenges their
couch potatoes. Some doctors swear that lifting weights gives you a slip disk - never mind that
their body fat content is 38% plus and the risk of heart and lifestyle related diseases are higher -
in short a ticking time bomb. Now I'm not knocking out sports. I use sports to get me conditioned at times. I also believe it is part of the training regime especially when you enter strength and conditioning for the particular sport. However, for people to say that lifting weights and a gym is a waste of time and recipe for disaster is absolutely not true.

So why all this fuss about the gym?

Well firstly I don't think these people have seen proper gyms. They have seen pansy clubs that
offer dances and romances, boring machines and a load of out of shape, impersonal trainers
who have no clue what they are doing.

In my mind the gym is a place where you go to train your body and get stronger and for that a
strong mental connection is needed. In the old days there were no fancy cardio machines and dance sessions. It was just plain old 'lift heavy, lift smart and go home.' Im not against cardio machines or dance sessions but there is something about weights that challenges you mentally and physically. Don't believe me - try cranking out 50 squats, 20 push ups and 20 pullups. Majority of people will not be able to do it even though they bench press about 100kgs.

Lift weights to get stronger. There is a structure to building strength and it doesn't happen in 1
month. You could lose good amount of fat in a month but to have substantial strength takes a
while. We are talking real life strength. Not movie style stunts and good looking bodies. Work
on the strength and the rest will follow.

If you don't know how to train right, hire a good personal trainer or take a session with a fitness consultant. Training sessions should be safe, knowledgeable and fun!

Powerblocks

One of the best equipments that I have come across in the fitness world are Powerblocks. Powerblocks are especially ideal for working out at home. Commercially it is really economical and easy to maintain as well.

Power Blocks have been designed in such a way that one pair of Power Block replaces racks of dumbbells. Adding dumbbells in your weight training can ensure losing weight, gaining strength and building up stamina with an increased fitness level. Power Blocks in my opinion are the best upgrade of Dumbbells.

Features and Benefits:

• Saves space
• Cuts messiness
• Innovative
• Easy to use
• Perfect for in-house training
• Easy for advanced techniques of exercises such as drop sets/super setting

go to top ↑

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Power Block Sport 2.4 (3-24LBS Per Hand): Dimensions 10.5"L x5.25" W x 5" H

  

Power Block Sport 5.0 (5-50LBS Per Hand): Dimensions 12.75"L x6.25" W x 6.5" H
 

Power Block Sport(9.0) (Expandable weights)

 

One of the biggest problems to your fitness goals

Time and again I have seen this happen......

Someone walks in to a fitness center and says, 'I want to ________________', whatever it is the person wants. That could be losing weight, adding muscle, just getting fit whatever it might be.

So here they are all revved up and prepped up. The coolest fitness center in town, which has charged them a bomb, the personal trainers with the tight body huggers and absolutely no form of communication or understanding and lets not forget the hep crowd. They have stickers and memberships of the place they go to and show it off proudly. One and half months later they either are not there anymore or they are the same way they started. For those who stay they will keep going in the hope that in the not so far away future.....say 45 years from now they will achieve their goal. I wish them all the best. That amazing center has become a timepass clubhouse. Thankfully not all gyms and fitness centers are this way but most of them are.

What went wrong?

You knew what you wanted. But it did not have a clear cut definition. Once you get that in order you have a specific plan to work with. How do you correct it?

Write a clear cut definition. In case you don't know how to set your goals read this article. Locate yourself and then form a plan with a good fitness trainer or consultant to reach there. Chances are you will start enjoying your training much more and it will give you focus. Also your personal trainer or consultant will keep you motivated and on track. That way your fitness goals are on track and you can reach the goal you have been looking for.

Train Hard, Train Smart

Milestone 2013

Hi Everyone!

First let me wish you all a Happy new year!

What a start to the new year I had.

I know its been a while since I posted anything up. I have just had a really busy two months. I have shifted to a new house and I have not had much time or more importantly an internet connection! Even right now I'm somewhere else doing this.

Well as I said big things have happened in the last two months. I have moved to a new house and Ime (my wife) and I are enjoying it.

In the middle of all that....

Here are my latest stats

Weight: 78 kgs from 82 kgs
Body fat: 19.7% from 22%

Here is the big one.

Waistline: 32.5inches down from  36 inches!

I am nearly at my goal which is 75kgs bodyweight, 15% Body fat and 32 inch waist line! I am nearly there!

Will keep you posted. Keep training hard.

Warm ups and Cool downs

In most training or workout programs the warm up and cool down phases are very important. The issues I have noticed is that people just jump in right away into hard exercise and just end with hard exercise. This is not healthy especially for someone who has not been training regularly. The warm-up and cool down phase takes about 10 minutes each on a maximum. These don't have to be long but it should be done right.

The Warm-up phase:

Depending on the workout or training a warm-up should be done. A good warm-up should will be from about to 5- 10 minutes. It is important to just get the heart rate up to take the demand of the strength training but not to be over done. I remember once I made the mistake of working at full intensity in 10 minutes and that burned me out that my energy level reduced considerably and I wasn't able to lift effectively at the main workout. Warm-ups are usually aimed at

1) Raising heart rate
2) Preventing injury
3) Getting the muscles and connective tissue warm and ready for lifting.
4) Increased blood flow and thus oxygen.

A good warm-up should have you breaking into a sweat in 5 minutes. The best ones you can do are rope jumping, jumping jacks, split jumps, squat thrusts, shadow boxing. The remaining 5 minutes you spend on a combination of mobility and stretching exercises.

The Cool- down phase

The Cool down helps the heart rate reduce steadily after an intense strength training routine. This can be light back off sets with weights, low impact cardio followed by stretching. This also helps get rid of lactic acid and starts the recovery process. Also it prevents blood pooling in the muscles and starts a proper circulation going again.

Once again 5 - 10 minutes is all it takes to cool down. The focus should be on bringing down the heart rate and returning the body to a more relaxed state.

Introduce these into your training regime as they are important to your heart and blood circulation. Also it prevents injury and enhances recovery.

Train hard, Train smart.

Krav Maga

(Picture courtesy of Krav Maga Worldwide)

I like martial arts. Undoubtedly, one of my favorite styles is the Israeli style of Krav Maga. Krav Maga is one of the best self defense programs there is. It is used by the Ghatak Indian Commandos, Israeli Defense forces, FBI, Navy seals, CIA and now even coming down to civilians.

So what is Krav Maga? Literally translated from Hebrew it means 'Close Combat' or 'Hand to Hand Combat.' It is a a non competitive martial art and is a system based on natural reflexes. It takes into account training for realistic settings and situations and the system though already highly effective is always evolving.

Krav Maga was developed by an individual named Imi Lichtenfeld . He was from Hungary and started to learn boxing, wrestling and juijitsu from his father who had opened a gym. When the Anti- Semitic riots started in Hungary Imi left Hungary and came to Palestine where he started to train the Jewish Underground force ' Haganah.' Training quickly spread and Imi went to Israel. There he started to train their military units. Imi died in 1998 in Netanya, Israel.

The Krav Maga system is meant to be easy to perform and learn and also adapt quickly. It is primarily self defense and is not a sport. It encourages neutralizing danger as quickly as possible.It also encourages in using the environment around and being aware of the environment. Training is intense mentally so people can be trained to operate under stressful situations and realistic situations.

Krav Maga is a self defense system that men, women, children have found very effective across the world and has saved thousands of lives. Krav Maga is also a great way of keeping fit. So you get strong, fit and learn self defense skills at the same time.

Imi personally trained Eyal Yanilov and Darren Levine and a handful of others. Eyal is a grandmaster and he and Avi Moyal head the International Krav Maga Federation based in Israel. Darren Levine heads 'Krav Maga Worldwide' in Los Angeles, USA.  














Eyal Yanilov (Courtesy: IKMF)

Right: Darren Levine (Courtesy: Krav Maga Worldwide)



Krav Maga is used by a lot of celebrities. Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Garner, Brandon Fraser, Jennifer Lopez, Ashton Kutcher, Hilary Swank, Bar Refaeli to name a few. needless to say gets them in shape for the big screen!











                                                                                                             

I personally can vouch for the effectiveness of Krav Maga having trained for the Practitioner 1 level (though I never did do the test). I still continue to practice and it is a part of my conditioning workouts. If you are interested in learning Krav Maga techniques you can now learn online! Eyal Yanilov has got a website with the most complete Krav Maga training information and videos done by himself. What does that mean for you?

• Learning Krav Maga from a Grandmaster
• Learning from your home.
• Getting fitter, stronger, healthier and most importantly SAFER!

My personal recommendation is always find a person to train with. I have been training my techniques online and I can say this is THE BEST Krav Maga Program online. Click on the link below to got to Eyal's Max Krav Maga Site.

Your Money or Your Life!

I am amazed at the number of people who turn down chances to improve their health, wealth and wisdom over the excuses of:

1) I don't have the money

2) It is too expensive.

Usually these are the people who spend nearly every other day on eating absolutely unhealthy food, junk food, sugar laden foods, cigarettes, alcohol, parties, going to the latest 'fitness clubs' and then end up with so called 'specialists' to keep their health in check while wondering what went wrong. They are slowly spending money on ways to kill themselves. It is also amazing how when the 'specialist' gives them the bad news of a lifestyle related disease or something going seriously wrong with them they have no issues parting with any amount of money to get them back or save their lives. The sad part is some people genuinely don't realize it.

Being a Fitness Consultant and Strength Coach myself this could sound like a very cocky accusation. I wouldn't be putting out information for free on this blog  

However I just have one question:

Why would anyone in their right mind invest in destroying themselves day after day when there are people who are committed to helping them find a way out?

Please ask yourself these questions honestly and you don't have to answer me.

1) If you can avoid disaster would you not take precautions against it to the best of your ability? 

2) Do you not deserve the best of food, strength, health, and correct information on staying healthy and happy? 

3) Is it not your responsibility to look after yourself to the best possible extent?

I admit there are a lot of personal trainers, nutritionists, wellness advisors and fitness clubs that just don't deliver expected results. I have a real major problem with them. That does not mean all of them are that way. There are trainers who in their heart of hearts are passionate about helping people achieve the maximum health that they can and making them as strong as they can.

Invest in yourself. You are worth it. Get educated about your life and wellbeing. Find good fitness consultants, personal trainers, nutritionists, supplements, health and life insurance plans to help you. I am not saying become a full fledged specialist. Just invest in yourself and do what you have to do to stay healthy wealthy and wise.

If you have questions please feel free to contact me. Leave comments on my blog or contact me on my site

https://www.issacertifiedtrainer.com/gideonsamuel

Reclaiming your life

Hi All,

I was thinking about today's post and I thought I'd talk a bit on reclaiming your life. First lets answer a few questions?

• Are you living the life of freedom and true potential God created for you?
• Do you live life by design or life by default and chance?
• Are you heading to the destination you want or are you 'going where the wind blows'?
• Does someone else dictate or influence your decisions about your life or do you?
• Do you have plans for the future? If you do are they really your plans and your future or is it someone else's?

NEWSFLASH. If you don't design YOUR life someone else will do it for you. In short your life is being sold out and stolen by someone else for their dreams. You are going to be used and abused rather than being treated as a partner and team player. Lets take a common excuse as an example for keeping your body healthy. 'I dont have time.' If you don't MAKE time for you to stay healthy it is going to show up in your lifestyle. You will be overweight, you will be super skinny, you might not have the right energy levels or attitudes to deal with people ( especially your spouse and kids), your productivity at work will go down, sick leaves increase and there is endless horrible list that goes on and on. Why? Just because you couldn't make 10- 20 minutes a day to exercise, eat healthy during meals and get at least 6 hours of sleep at night. I have brought this up from a fitness aspect but we can apply this to anything.....family, career, finances, freedom..I am just going to leave you with a question....

If you spent all your time living under someone else's dictates, who's going to spend time being you? or is it better to wake up and reclaim your life? You decide.....

5 reasons why Fat Loss Workouts are Important

Usually when a person walks in to a gym or wants fitness tips, the first thing they want is tips or workouts to reduce the fat. Other than looking better there are other more important benefits to fat loss workouts - actually they are more important necessities if you consider living healthier, longer and happier.

1) Removes overload of the body - If you had to carry a 50 kg load on your back up 3 flights of stairs what do you think would happen to you? I don't think your back and knees would be in very good shape after 10 steps would it? Now think about your body having to take the strain of excess fat. The joints are strained, your knees and ankles are hurting, the spine and posture are off, the heart is on overload, there is no proper blood flow since there is too much fatty acid and its probably causing a thickening of your veins and arteries with plague which is setting you up for a massive heart attack. Start burning off the fat and you are well on your way to reversing those effects.

2) Stops Excess Estrogen and its viscious cycle- In a previous post I mentioned fat gets you into a viscious cycle. Excess estrogen starts to build up and that in turn starts to produce more fat cells. The more fat cells the more estrogen. A good fat loss program will start to produce testesterone and reduce estrogen. Now you can break that cycle and enter a new one - one that starts to build and maintain muscle.

3) Increased muscle and strength: A good fat burning workout has to include a good strength training program. You get stronger and your muscles start to develop. Strength is the most important aspect of the fitness game and for the body to make place for new strength gains it will increase muscle to accomodate for that.

4) Improves Cardio Vascular and Energy systems-  The heart is a muscle and a strong one at that. However that doesn't mean you can abuse it. Conditioning and energy system training - also known as cardio for the most part- Strengthens the heart and lungs to work stronger and more efficiently. To burn fat conditioning and energy system training is used frequently. You develop more energy, stamina, lose fat and reverse the bodies fat retaining condition to more of a muscle maintenance and muscle building condition which in turn keeps the fat off and helps you stay lean. (Don't overdo the cardio to burn fat. There has to be a big place for strength training.)

5) Looking better, stronger, healthier- Do I really need to explain this? However your appearance in itself have a lot of things to say about you especially if you are in business. The first impression is usually the most important in any situation. Need to meet that new client? Get that important deal? Looking for a life partner. Many times before a person finds out what you have to say, they have already made their opinion of you on your appearance. Looking good helps your confidence and appearance. 

So there you have 5 reasons why you need to prioritize fat loss workouts. Get busy with your fat loss workouts.

   

Body weight Exercises

Body weight Exercises or calisthenics are a true and sure fire way of getting stronger, healthier and leaner. In most cases the true test of strength does not lie in the bench press. It lies in exercises such as the push-up and chin-up. These two exercises alone can challenge posture, strength, stamina. If you think body-weight exercises cant get you to your goals you are wrong. Look at traditional Kushti and Muay thai fighters or even gymnasts. Lean, muscular development, agile, well balanced and they are strong and powerful! Gymnasts also have quite some serious size on them.



















The human body is the most ingenious creation. It is the true honest measure of strength. The iron bars come after that. This is why attempting 20 push-ups correctly can challenge the person who bench-presses 100 kg.

Another benefit of learning body-weight exercises is when you can't make it to the gym, you can work out anywhere. Just yesterday, I met a friend of mine who told me 'I signed up with a gym and I can't make it because my schedule does not allow me.' With ego thrown out the window and knowledge of body weight exercises you can definitely get yourself a good work out at home. Try for a workout at a park. This will definitely break the usual rhythm of training.

There are a lot of body-weight exercises you can do but the tried, true and tested basic ones are what I'm going to list below.

1) Squats



2) Pull ups



3) Push ups




4) Rotating Crunches



If you are looking for a way to start training for strength, I would first advise give priority and master the body weight exercises. In this way your foundations are being set to pick up heavier weight. When I say foundations I mean establishing starting strength, joint strength and function, cardio-vascular strength. Set these first and then move along. Even if you do want to incorporate free weights or machines in your training its fine but start with prioritizing a mastery of body-weight exercises.

The Most Important Quality for Fitness, Strength and Wellness Trainers

Fitness trainers, Nutritionists, Dietitians, personal trainers, coaches, strength coaches, wellness consultants.......it seems there is an ever growing list of titles in today's fitness world. All is well and each one has their own place for which I am really thankful for and respect them.

Personally I network with some of the best in each category. I have realized what sets these people apart from others I choose to network with is this:

 'They do what they love and have a passion helping others reach their goals.'

 After all isn't this what should drive the wellness industry? Think about it.

When a client comes to anyone one of us, that client is actually saying, 'I trust you with my life. You have to get my health back on track or tell me what to do to prevent a health disaster.'

I have seen some so called trainers just spout off the general rules and 'try' to influence clients to push harder. What really is strange, is these 'trainers' have absolutely nothing to their credibility except to get picked off the  roadside and put under a glamour name of some fitness center. They had not even sat down with the client to find out what exactly is the clients goal.

I also heard about a nutritionist who took the clients list of what she was eating, put it in an excel sheet and then charged her for doing just that!! Also sometimes nutritionists just push supplements across to the client to get commissions from both sides. Just an honest observation for 'nutritionists' and 'trainers' who do that - They are people like you, not trash cans or druggies.

Now I am not saying all are that way. There are also plenty of trainers, nutritionists and strength coaches from across the globe that I admire and really like their commitment and beliefs of why they do what they do and have learnt and incorporated that into my own practice for me and then my clients. I have learnt how to advise my clients, approach them and give my clients 100% commitment and also change myself for the better.

To all trainers, nutritionists, strength coaches and anyone in the health and fitness industry reading this blog I would like all of us to remember that the people who come to us look up to us as role models and experts in our own right. Yes there is money to be made and good money but not at the cost of quality of a persons life. The wellness industry will grow in the next few years. Let's just make sure the motive behind it is right.

The Most Important Aspect of Fitness

When it comes to fitness there are various components each with their own roles. I covered these in my post 'Are you fit?'. Out of these STRENGTH is the most important. You can be flexible but it wont help too much if you are not strong. A major part of balance comes from good core strength. To enhance endurance and cardio-vascular ability you need a level of strength or you will not be able to develop. Now when I mean strength, I am talking about a real world, functional strength and not throwing weights around in the fitness center and not being able to do a thing when reality hits.

Strength has to be trained regularly. Out of all the other aspects of fitness strength does take the longest to develop but also stays the longest. It is also important to know that strength training is different from physique or figure training. Now your body can improve and look better in the process but the strength is the focus not the cosmetic build up. As a matter of fact there are a lot of people who have good physiques but their strength is quite poor. On the other hand there are people who don't have what you might call a good physique but have amazing strength.

So how do you train for strength?

1) Nutrition: You need the right fuel to build strength. Eat nutrient dense and clean 'live' food. Stop eating junk and fad diets. If you have to get a nutritionist to help you out.

2) Train Hard: You need the correct training plan to build strength. Training like a bodybuilder will definitely make you stronger but it will develop more muscle after a point and stagnate real world strength. However increasing strength can leave you looking well maintained and fit yet generate huge amounts of real world strength.Training should be done with progressive resistance regularly. I cannot stress this enough. The correct training program and right exercise selection is important.

3) Mental status: Positive mental outlook and mental toughness is essential to physical strength. Stress and pessimism causes a rage of negative chemical reactions in the body and your strength levels can drop really quick.

4) Rest and Recovery: You have to give time for your body to recover. It is in this phase that the body adapts and compensates for the shock it receives during training resulting in increased strength.

Strength is needed for everyone from the growing child to the home maker.The corporate professional to the professional athlete. Each individual has to decide what level of strength is needed and get on to training for it.

What does a Fitness Trainer do?

A Fitness Trainer is a person who educates people about the importance of fitness and trains them in the performance of safe and appropriate exercises to effectively lead them to achieving optimal health. The trainer is essentially a coach and a guide in the realm of health and fitness. A fitness trainer could be self employed or work out of a gym, fitness center, health care center, hospitals, rehab centers or private studios.

A fitness trainer should know:

• Exercise Programming
• Exercise Physiology
• Anatomy and Biomechanics of the human body
• Fitness assessments and tests
• Nutrition and Weight Management
• First Aid and Basic orthopaedics
• Program Administration
• Basic Human Behaviour and Motivation
• Special Population needs (Senior citizens, children, people with lifestyle related conditions)

Fitness trainers can either train clients personally (Personal Trainers), Open their own studios, conduct group training sessions, consult on lifestyle management, coach for strength and conditioning.

Of course choosing the right trainer is also important. The most important factor is the drive to help people stay healthy and fit and not just make a quick buck. Usually a certification helps but its more about a trainer's commitment to a person and doing their best for the person to reach their goals. Also practical knowledge of basic first aid is a must. Just doing a course and getting a certification in some cases might not be enough. Anyone can sit through a certification course or workshop but the practical application of that knowledge is what is essential. After all its a persons life and health at stake.


Fitness Trainers are the first line of defense against lifestyle related diseases and staying in optimal health. They are preventive medicine advisors and are definitely an asset- It is better to prevent ending up in hospital and paying health bills when you could have just invested in preventing health issues. They can save you through wading through tons of information and losing your way to your goals. You can reach your goals effectively and in a shorter period of time. They are also the solution to avoiding high costs of fitness center fees and false promises. They are definitely an investment of lifestyle improvement to consider.

Are you fit?

Overall Fitness is not determined by the fact of you going to a gym or lift heavy weights or wear the latest fashion which attempts to show body shape. There are different parameters when we look into overall fitness. It also does take a whole lot of honesty to take a hard look at oneself and say if they are fit or not.

This doesn't mean you need to win the CrossFit challenge. However in reality for your day there are basic important fitness parameters that you can measure your self by. If an individual has a good development of all of these it shows overall fitness. The requirements can vary from person to person.  

The Basic Parameters:

1) Strength - Strength is undoubtedly the most important aspect of fitness. The others cannot be managed unless there is a basic strength level from which to be built on.

2) Endurance / Cardio Vascular performance - What good is it if you can lift or move a lot of weight but get tired walking up a flight of stairs? Endurance is important and is largely dependent on how much oxygen the lungs can pump into the muscle

3) Balance - This is the ability to hold the body's position steadily.

4) Flexibility - Ability to achieve extended Range of motion

These parameters also explain why someone can lift a 100 kg weight but not do a 12- minute run. It explains why some can bend over and touch their toes others cant.

However, all these aspects can be improved by consistent training. By consistent, I mean daily training or a structured program that fits into your daily schedule - eg, strength train 3 times a week for 20 minutes and the days in between spend 10 minutes working on Endurance, balance, flexibility. It does not have to be a fight for time.

Decide which parameters you need to work on, set a goal, get a program in place and then start working on it.