Maximum Results

Awesome Experience

2012-02-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

So today wraps up one of the greatest experiences I've had since being a trainer. After 3 months of training a professional baseball player I have learned so much more about my job and life and determination then I ever thought I would. To train someone who works their ass off, not because it's their job, not because they were told they had to, not to look good, not to feel good, not to impress anybody, but because they want to! Because he wants IT that bad. Because he has that fire in his eyes and he's been waiting his whole life for his shot and he's not going to let that slip by and just stand around. It really puts in to perspective how hard everyone else works out! Or doesn't. Not that they are not working out hard or pushing themselves, but what are they doing it for. Is it for the right reasons? Do they have a reason? Is that reason, reason enough? My clients work their asses off but they need something to show for it in the end.

Being a professional baseball player means you have to be in the best shape of your life going into spring training. But it also means you started off in pretty good shape too. I mean, this kid is an athlete all around. How am I going to challenge him? How am I going to push him? How am I going to kick the crap out of him? All while keeping him healthy and safe. The first couple workouts, I just gave him pretty generic workouts routines where we would lift pretty heavy but be on the safe side with weight and reps. Then, I stepped back and took one good look at this kid. This kid has got a fire under his ass and is going to stop at nothing and not let anyone get in his way of reaching the top. So that's when I had to step it up and put him through the toughest stuff I've ever put anyone through.

I put him through the works. 100 rep sets, sets of 20 at the heaviest weight, and everything inbetween. And he was still standing. I though everything I had at him on one leg day and the kid still had a freaking smile on his face. It pissed me off but then I realized, it doesn't matter what I do to him because he's just going to man-up and do it!! NO EXCUSES!! If you want something you have to work for it! NO EXCUSES!!

After training him I realize that any client, any person, including myself, has to work for whatever it is they want. But you have to know what it is that you want otherwise there is no point. You have to see something in yoru near future and go grab it! YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR ASS OFF FOR IT!!

The greatest thing that he showed me while training him, "Shut up, Work out, NO EXCUSES!!!

Congrats buddy, You worked your ass off. You deserve the world!!

10 Great Nutrition Facts

2012-02-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

10 Nutrition Rules For Beginners: Never Ignore The Importance Diet Plays In Achieving A Great Physique

So let’s break it down to the nuts and bolts, to just the vital information you really need to become leaner than ever before.

The key is a series of rules called the 10 Nutrition Rules for Beginners. Follow all 10 and not only will you not be bogged down with scientific jargon but you’ll also be well on your way to a leaner body, better abs and a massive set of wheels. How’s that for simple?

#1 Have A Meal Every 3 Hours

Speeding up your metabolism comes down to nutrient delivery, and nothing beats eating every 2-3 hours, which works out to 6-8 meals a day. Eating this often ensures ensures a constant influx of protein, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids required to maintain an anabolic state. Because you’re eating every three hours, don’t overstuff yourself; keeping each meal relatively small enhances nutrient absorption while simultaneously allowing you to sidestep gains in bodyfat.

“Eating smaller, more frequent meals creates an environment inside the body in which blood sugar levels don’t elevate and drop as drastically as when you eat fewer larger meals,” says Justin Harris, NPC amateur bodybuilder and nutrition consultant (troponinnutrition.com). “Elevated blood sugar levels cause the body to increase insulin production in an attempt to store that sugar for later.

When insulin is present, fat-burning is blunted. Lowered insulin levels and steady blood amino acid levels (a product of eating relatively small, frequent meals throughout the day) help fight against this situation.”

#2 Load Up On Protein

A meal should never go by without a sufficient amount of protein being consumed. You need to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day In order to provide your muscles with a continuous iflow of amino acids the building blocks of protein throughout the day, you’ll divide your daily protein by the number of meals you consume. For example, if you eat six meals per day, 200 grams of protein divided by six meals would mean at least 30-40 grams of protein per meal.

Your main protein sources should be lean animal sources, such as chicken, beef, turkey, fish, eggs and dairy (more on red meat and fish in later rules), and, as with your training regimen, variety is crucial.

Sticking to the same one or two protein sources each day may not be as effective as mixing it up and including the widest array of protein sources available. “There’s a phenomenon in the body called the all or nothing principle, in which all amino acids must be available for proper utilization of digested protein,” Harris says. “Many proteins can be made by the body; those that cannot are called essential amino acids and must be derived from nutritional sources. You’ll need to mix various sources of protein to ensure that all essential amino acids are consumed.”

#3 Hydrate Yourself

The importance of drinking plenty of liquids goes beyond the obvious benefits of staying hydrated; at a much deeper level, it’s all about pushing more water into muscle cells. The more water that’s inside muscles, the better they’ll function and the greater their strength and endurance.

And if you’re supplementing creatine, glutamine and BCAAs, your muscles will have a greater capacity to store water, because when muscle cells are stocked with these nutrients, more water is actually drawn into the muscles. Consume at least 1 gallon of water every day, and drink around 8 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes during training.

#4 Carb Up The Right Way

When it comes to carbs, too few can shortchange your energy levels and too many can transform you into a bulked-up softie. A good rule of thumb is to consume 1-2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body-weight per day when trying lean up. And as with protein, you’ll want to divide this between however many meals you eat daily, with the exception of two times during the day: breakfast and your postworkout meal. These are the most important times when the body is somewhat inefficient at bodyfat from carbohydrates. So here’s your chance to take in some and not have to worry about it as much.

At most meals you should consume slow-digesting carbs such as wholegrain breads and pastas, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruits and vegetables, rather than fast-digesting sources such as white breads and sweets.

#5 Eat Red Meat

Steaks and beef patties often scare people off because of the high fat content found in many cuts. It’s high in B vitamins, including [B.sub.12], which supports muscular endurance and growth, and yields, gram for gram, more iron, creatine and zinc than any other source of protein. These nutrients play important roles in muscle recovery and growth, so if you’re sticking with chicken, turkey and protein powder, you’ll likely fall short of your hypertrophy goals.

When choosing an appropriate type of red meat, select primarily leaner cuts such as ground round and sirloin, looking for meat that’s at least 93% lean.

#6 Eat Fish

Salmon, trout, bluefish and tuna offer advantages other sources of protein can’t namely, they’re sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can indirectly make you leaner and bigger. Omega-3s help the body make glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates that gets socked away in muscle tissue. Glycogen is the main source of energy for training and, generally speaking, adequate levels are a marker for muscle growth and repair. Omega-3s also fight muscle inflammation in the body and spare the loss of glutamine, a vital amino acid that plays a backup role in the muscle recovery process by boosting the immune system. You don’t have to go overboard, but including fish in your diet a few days a week will go a long way toward promoting lean muscle gains. All in all, don’t be afraid of fat 20%-30% of your daily calories should consist of healthy dietary fat.

#7 Protect Your Muscle With Pre- And Post-Workout Meals

The catch-22 with training is that stress hormones, namely cortisol, can run amok and blunt muscle-building to the point that getting back on track is not as simple as following the basic rules. The solution? Eating and supplementing with the right foods in the pre- and post-training meals. This is where whey protein is essential it gets into the blood faster than any other source of protein, providing amino acids that muscles harness for growth and interfere with cortisol uptake. A slower-absorbing protein such as casein takes longer to combat cortisol levels.

Consume at least 20 grams of whey protein before and 40 grams after training, a slow-digesting carbohydrate (refer to rule No. 4 for the best sources) 30 minutes before training and a fast-digesting carb Immediately afterward, along with your whey.

#8 Stick to the program

Anyone in their right mind who has tried a program and saw results, would stick with it. You would be amazed how many people just don’t give it a chance to work. You have to commit yourself to something for more than 3 days. You cannot just try every diet out there and think that each and every one is “Not for you”. STICK TO IT because it will work!

#9 Supplement The Big Three

As you become more advanced in your training and nutrition knowledge, try a variety of supplements to help improve strength, size, energy, fat loss and overall health. But for now, just stick to the basics: creatine, glutamine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), three of the most effective and affordable supplements on the market. Creatine has been shown in numerous studies to boost muscle power, strength and size; glutamine is a key amino acid in preventing muscle breakdown and boosting the immune system; and BCAAs also thwart muscle wasting and delay the onset of fatigue during training.

#10 Don’t Fear Late Night Feeding

In the 7-9 hours you sleep every night, your body is more or less in a fasting state, taking aminos from your muscles to fuel your brain in the absence of food.. However, you can offset this by eating right before you turn in for the night. The key is eating a slow-digesting protein source along with a moderate amount of fat so amino acids feed your muscles gradually throughout the night. At bedtime, consume 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese. Casein is a slow-digesting protein (as is cottage cheese) that comes in powder form, and the healthy fats found in peanut butter, nuts and flaxseed (almost exclusively unsaturated, by the way) will help slow the absorption of protein even further. This will also help you with being starving in the morning and grabbing something fast and not making the right decisision. If you take in the slow burning protein you will easily be able to control yourself in the morning and have those eggs and oatmeal.

EAT UP!!!

Want Some Snacks???

2012-02-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a little list of some snacks for you the next time you are running to that fridge!!

Think about it guys. Every time you run to the fridge you grab whatever you see first and you stuff your face with it! Now if you only stop and take a second you would be doing yourself a HUGE favor for tomorrow when you have to step on the scale!!

So take a second and grab something smart!

Oatmeal with protein powder
Tuna with whole grain crackers
Non-fat cottage cheese with fruit
Romaine Lettuce turkey wrap
Greek yogurt with berries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries
Leftovers (because you're dinner is supposed to be healthy too)
Protein Pancake with banana slices and cinnamon
Ezekiel Bread with nut butter, for those days when you're really hungry
Small banana with a chocolate protein shake
Raw veggies mixed with your favorite creamy dressing, BUT only use 1 tbsp and combine with 2 tbsps Greek yogurt. This gives the same texture with less calories and fat.
Small whole grain pita with 1 slice of cheese and 1 tbsp low sodium tomato sauce, fresh garlic and basil

Want something for that Sweet Tooth

Plan for success with these ideas and avoid the ice cream sundae.

Try a bakes apple with cinnamon
Sweet potato slices with pumpkin spice
A serving of dark chocolate with berries
Greek yogurt with honey

Dont Get Derailed!!!

2012-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

I'll let you in on a little secret: A little piece of my soul dies every time I hear someone say, "The "cold and flu season is here."

Do you think the Influenza virus wakes up and looks at the calendar and says, "Welp, it's December, let's start infecting people. Let's go boys." Of course not.

The truth is, we are constantly being attacked by germs and pathogens everyday - it's teh environment that we create for our body that changes. We seem to enter a cold and flu "season" because we are stressed out, eating like pigs, and drinking like fish during the holidays.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY we skip workouts to do all these horrible to our bodies which makes it even that much worse.

Then we put on 10 pounds and workout even less and you say it's because you were sick and it's winter time so it's Okay to put on a little bit.

NO ABSOLUTELY NOT

I hate when I see people fall into these stupid little traps and ruts. KEEP WORKING OUT EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE A COLD OR COLD SYMPTOMS. YOU WILL FEEL BETTER AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WILL KEEP RUNNING AT FULL THROTTLE TO HELP FIGHT OFF SICKNESS AND GERMS!!

We all know that prevention is critical for longevity in the gym. If you are injured, you cannot train. If you cannot train, you cannot make progress, which means your muscle-gaining, fat-burning efforts are halted or worse - you start losing hard earned muscle and gaining fat.

Well the same goes for being sick. If you're REALLY SICK, you cannot train as hard and make progress. The most powerful tool that you have to keep your immune system running high is sleep and exercise. You should be spending a third of your life sleeping. If you're training hard and not sleeping, you're cutting off your body's ability to recover and regenerate at the knees.

Research shows us the lack of sleep compromises the immune system, thus leaving your guard down and predisposing you to sickness. Don't underestimate this powerful too. That way you can get your ass back into the gym and GOING HARD!!

Confidence gets you everywhere!!

2012-01-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Wikepedia
Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. Arrogance or hubis in this comparison, is having unmerited confidence—believing something or someone is capable or correct when they are not. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is excessive belief in someone (or something) succeeding, without any regard for failure.

In competitive sport, confidence includes having an expectation of success. Very often the most successful sports people have high levels of confidence.

So here you are almost a year, or a couple months, or a couple weeks into bootcamp or one-on-one training with me. Yeah, day one you had NO idea what you got yourself. You walked in with a broad idea of what you wanted to achieve. You said, "I wanna lose weight." or something like that. You came in with little or no idea what you were supposed to do at the gym or how on earth you were going to get into shape without somebody's help. You were not very confident in yourself and your ability to change yourself. Where are you now.

Now you come to bootcamp or your sessions every single time without even a thought of skipping or changing your session. You look forward to the workouts and the challenges and the pain because you know that it is going to make you feel that much better and that much closer to your goals. You know that you are going to achieve things you never even though possible and you know that you are going to give it your all every time you are there. You do sets of 100, or 200, or even 500. You jump, duck, slide, pull, lift, dip, and every damn thing I throw at you. You do things that nobody else does. You leave everything out there, blood, sweat and probably some tears. And you should be proud of yourself.

THATS CONFIDENCE!!!!!

What is a bootcamper???

2012-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

What is a Maximum Results Bootcamper??

Someone who cannot wait for it to be either a Monday, Wednesday, or a Thursday. Someone who doesn't like to take days off. Someone who misses sweating their ass off three times a week. A bootcamper is someone who talks about bootcamp around the office, at the dinner table, at the bar, with friends, family, and even strangers. A bootcamper is someone who will always work in a bootcamp workout into any conversation. Example: A FRIEND: "Me, my wife, and girls are going to go iceskating!!!" BOOTCAMPER: "Oh we did 300 skaters yesterday at bootcamp!!" A bootcamper will always relate everything to bootcamp exercises. A bootcamper is thinking about bootcamp all day long and cannot wait to get out of work and get their butt whooped. A bootcamper makes sure the night before that all their workout stuff is packed. A bootcamper makes sure they always have a bottle of water with them at all times. A bootcamper is someone who hates dropping things because their legs are usually too sore to bend down to pick it up. A bootcamper is someone who hates to hear other people talk about their exercise class that they just did and they said it was "kinda" hard. A bootcamper is someone who will always challenge said person to come to our bootcamp and then they'll know what hard is. A bootcamper is someone who will push back a girls night out until after bootcamp. A bootcamper is someone who will never make an excuse not to be there. A bootcamper is someone that will never settle for ordinary.

AND MOST OF ALL A MAXIMUM RESULTS BOOTCAMPER IS SOMEONE WHO WILL NEVER QUIT AND NEVER LET ANYTHING STAND IN THEIR WAY ACHIEVE GREATNESS!!!.

Sitting is Killing YOU!!!

2012-01-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Control Yourself This Holiday Season

2011-12-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the holiday season is here and we are going to wreck everything that we've been working so hard for. The stress, irregular sleep patterns, and of course all that damn food everywhere. From Halloween to New Year's Day the average weight gain is about 5 to 7 pounds. Unfortunately that weight doesn't drop off come January. It's like a winter coat that we never shed.
Why do you struggle with weight gain though the holidays? Many challenges exist, such as office potlucks, family gatherings, once-a-year treats, and traditions of over-eating. You have to make time NOW for yourself so you don't ruin it with one extra piece of chocolate pudding pie.

Here are the 10 best tips to beat holiday weight gain. Which tips work for you?

Exercise is#1!!!

      Exercise gives you the mental reminder that you are living a healthy lifestyle, which keeps you on track and focused during the day. Build exercise into your day; schedule it as you would any other commitment. If anyone tries to change those plans on you, stand your ground and tell them, "After the gym."

#2 Feast or Famine is a NO NO
   Avoid famine and feast cycles by eating regularly throughout the day. It's hard to turn down the extra treats that fill the office this time of year, and when you are tired and starving, they are nearly impossible to resist. Keep your body knowing that its is going to eat again soon so it will burn off that extra calories.

#3 Be a Boyscout. Always be prepared.
Understand what food challenges you are facing so that you can make informed decisions. Call friends to see what healthy side dish you can bring to the dinner party. Look up restaurant information before going out to eat. Know when you need to pack a lunch or bring a healthy option to the office potluck.

#4 Indulge but be aware
     If you decide to indulge, do so consciously; make that tasty treat a part of a planned meal or snack. Then you can savor each and every bite.

#5 Enhance family favorites.

As you plan your meals and treats for the holiday season, look for creative ways to cut calories and boost nutrients in your favorite recipes.

Spice sweet potatoes with nutmeg and cinnamon rather than brown sugar.
Make sure to prepare a few vegetable dishe
Use dried fruit for half the chocolate chips in cookies and pumpkin or banana bread.
Cut cookies and bars into smaller bite size pieces.

#6 Don't tell people you're "eating healthy this holiday season."
There's no n6eed to bring attention to your food choices. People will feel that you are not enjoying yourself or that they should feel guilty about what they are eating. Your host (especially your mom) will be disappointed if you're not sampling all that she labored over in the kitchen. You're more likely to have success if you keep it low-key.

#7 Eat breakfast every day.
Include a bit of protein at this important meal. Start the day with protein rich foods to control your appetite and boost self-control. This will help you to "just say no" to all of the holiday treats that surround you.

#8 Don't let holiday weight gain creep up on you.

Weigh yourself once a week and make adjustments to your lifestyle as needed. If you gain a pound, reflect on your eating and exercise habits. Be curious not critical. Look for opportunities to make changes. Have been to more parties and social engagements? Eating out more often? These are factors that everyone faces more frequently this time of year, and they often lead to weight gain.

#9 Keep alcohol consumption low.
How easily alcohol calories add up. During this social holiday season, you could easily gain a pound or two through alcohol alone.

Pint of beer = 150 calories
Typical glass of wine = 200 calories
Martini = 250 calories
Margarita = 300-800 calories depending on who makes it!
Spiked eggnog = 400 calories per cup

These calorie counts don't even include the extras that come from reduced inhibitions and missing your morning workouts.

#10 Get off the "See Food Diet"!
We see it, we want to eat it. This time of year, the "See Food Diet" consists of cookies, pastries, candies and fudge. Not too mention all of the leftovers, gifts and party favors. Change what you see, and you will change your body.

Bring a beautiful bowl of fruit into the office.
Place a bowl of nuts in the shell on your desk. You'll eat fewer when you have to crack them open yourself.
Put cut veggies front and center in the fridge; use hummus or herbed ricotta as a healthy dip.

Have Fun, Eat Safe, and Get FIT

Breakfast Video #1

2011-12-18T21:37:00.000-08:00

Here's some ideas of what you should be eating every morning before we set off to do the daily grind. This will kick your day off right!! Try it and see how you feel!! You'll be amazed what skipping breakfast or having something crappy is doing to you.

2011 Coming to a Close

2011-12-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

So here we are with only 2 weeks left of 2011. Did you do all the things you wanted to do this year. I know I crossed a lot off of my list.

Started a successful bootcamp and have a pretty damn awesome crew of people that love it!! It makes me love what I do even more.

Have a pretty good list of clientele. Awesome hardworking people that truly want to change their lives for the better. They are not afraid to do the hard work that it takes to get there either.

Manage The CLUB and get to know every person in there. I've built great relationships with many of the members and try to make them feel comfortable and welcome everytime they come to the gym.

I've continued to push myself in my own workouts. I've pushed myself beyond my limits in different ways this year. I haven't been lifting as heavy as I used to. Instead, I've have switched up my routines and workouts to help keep my healthier and stronger in different ways and I love it.

Ran the Rugged Maniac with my bootcampers and loved every second of it. Watch all you guys go through it with me and it was a great feeling watching you guys cross that finish line.

But most of all this year, we've added another family member and became a family of 4. I now have two beautiful daughers and a beautiful wife. Leighton Faith Romano was born just two days before my birthday on August 22, 2011. This year has been amazing. I am able to go to work and do something I love and come home to a great family that I love. My wife and two daughters understand that I have to work hard, but in the end I will be there to help them along the way just like I do at my job.

I love my wife, my two daughters, Taylor and Leighton, my job, my family, and my life. What else can you ask for you 2011.

2012 - well thats a different story. Turning 30 next year.

SKYDIVING

Drive a Lamborghini

Snorkeling

Open up another Bootcamp/gym

Run the Tough Mudder

Run the Warrior Dash

Run the Mud Run

BE A BEAST lol

BE THE #1 Trainer in Connecticut

BE on TV because of it too

There's a small list

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO NEXT YEAR!!

COOKIES...MMMM!!!

2011-12-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

All Bran Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¾ Cup butter, softened

½ Cup granulated sugar

½ Cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg
1 tbsp of ground flax mixed in 3 tbsp of water
1 tsp vanilla
¼ Cup hot water
¾ Cup All-Bran
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, flax and vanilla. Beat well. Mix in hot water. Add All-Bran, flour mixture and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Drop by rounded ½ tablespoons onto baking sheets.
Bake at 375 for 9-15 minutes (shorter time if you are using dark pans, longer with lighter) or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets and cool.
ENJOY!
Makes about 70 cookies
Per cookie:
~60 Calorie
~ 3 gm fat

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/all-bran-chocolate-chip-cookies/ but it's changed a little bit. So follow mine!!

Glide through the Holidays NO PROBLEM!!

2011-12-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

How to Curb Your Food Cravings instantly

Food cravings. They can attack us all, from the 5-time marathon runner to the newly-recovering couch potato. Food cravings are unavoidable, and to deny their existence will make you more vulnerable when they attack. The best thing to do is to have strategies in place to combat them and to meet them head on. Here are some great tricks to curb those cravings. Keep them in your back pocket and you'll be sure to slay the monster.
Stop Cravings Before They Start.
Cravings often occur when your body is missing some nutrient or type of food that your diet has been lacking. You can prevent them by making sure you're eating small, well-balanced meals and snacks throughout the day. As a matter of fact, if you're eating whole foods every 3-4 hours, your belly will stay relatively full and your blood sugar level. Without dangerous dips in your blood sugar, you're less likely to crave quick fixes like simple carbs or bad fats.
Hydrate!
Did you know that sometimes what our brains register as hunger is actually our bodies trying to tell us that we're dehydrated? The next time a craving hits you out of nowhere, make it a point to drink a full glass of water. Not only will it fight "hydration pangs," it'll also curb your cravings by filling your stomach.
Distract Your Taste Buds.
Sometimes cravings hit because you're stressed or bored and your mouth needs something to do. A great trick is to pop a piece of sugarless gum or a breath mint. The burst of flavor will refocus your palate and nip that craving in the bud. Usually when your mouth is already full there's no room to want anything more.
Don't Eat. Act.
Sit down and make a list of 10 things that you can do instead of succumbing to your cravings. Keep the list close at hand and refer to it often. It may sound cheesy, but it's a great weapon against those pesky cravings. Your list might include going for a walk, taking a quick shower, playing with a pet, or chatting with a loved one. The point is to focus your attention elsewhere and recondition your mind to crave something more active instead of the food you don't need.
Rule Your Cravings with an Iron Fist.
Sometimes it's less about craving a particular food and more about general impulse control. The next time you are hit with a diet-busting craving, clench your fists as you tell yourself that you will not indulge. Research has shown that the physical activity of clenching your fists can help you assert control and be conscientious in your decision making.

Remember: Sharing Is Caring...For Yourself

If you just can't resist a piece of cheesecake or that side of fries, try splitting one serving with a friend. There are three reasons why this strategy halts the damage cravings can inflict on your fitness goals. First, you'll get a satisfying taste, preventing you from feeling deprived and possibly opening yourself up to a dangerous binge later on. Second, by splitting the portion you instantly cut down on the calories and bring your treat down to manageable levels of sugar, fat, and sodium. Lastly, you get instant support in your healthy decision from your like-minded friend. Just make sure you and your cravings-buddy split a single portion - not an entire extra large everything pizza.

Happy Holidays guys. Christmas is here and so is all the crap that can slow you down from reaching your goals. Stay on track and you can start 2012 off with a BANG!!

If you want me to do something, Tell me I can't!!

2011-11-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

This is a little blog about negativity!! Just a rant from this last couple weeks! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR NEGATIVITY IN MY LIFE!! I chose my profession because I love what I do every single day. Every day is something different, never mundane, and always exciting and new. I never know what is going to happen during the course of the day and it's usually something fun and challenging and I LOVE IT!! Most of all I get to truly change people's lives for the better. At least the ones who really want to change their lives for the better.
Most people come to me for training because they see how passionate I am about training and how serious I take it. For those of you who know me, you know I mean business when it comes to training my clients. I do not let down at all because these people pay good money to get in shape and I want them to get their money's worth. That being said, there is no place for negativity or bullshit when you come in and train with me.
There is no place for the "I can't's" "No way's" "That's impossible's" "That will take forever's" when you train with me. I will never make a client do something I don't think they can do. I'm not going to tell one of my female clients to do 100 real pull-ups and they're not leaving until they are done. But I will tell them to do as many assisted pull-ups as they can in 2 minutes because that involves the individual to push themself as hard as they possibly can and know that if they give it their all for 2 full minutes THEY are the one that is going to see the success. So when I design a workout specifically for you or your group, that workout was designed for that person or that group SPECIFICALLY. If I design a bootcamp workout, it is designed with the STRONGEST person in mind and the WEAKEST person in mind and everyone inbetween. So there are NO EXCUSES when you workout. Just do the workout the hardest you possibly can and you will achieve your goals before you know it.

So from now on, everytime you step foot in that gym or to bootcamp or in that class or on that field or on that court, CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR because you might get knocked down but you do your damnedest to get back up and keep fighting for what you want to achieve no matter what it is.

EATIN' CLEAN

2011-11-16T21:29:00.000-08:00

Approved Foods
Protein	Carbohydrates	Veggies/Salad/Fruit	Condiments
Chicken Breast	Brown Rice	Broccoli	Fat-free Italian dressing
Lean Steak	Wholemeal pancakes	Mushroom	Fat-free French dression
Turkey Breast	Whole wheat pasta	Tomato	Mustards (easy on the whole grains)
Egg whites	Sweet potato	Letuce	Salsa
Protein powder	Yam	Cabbage	Balsamic Vinegar
Veal	Potato	cCucumber	Lemon or Lime Juice
Fat-free cottage cheese	Rolled oats or oatmeal	Cauliflower	Pickle relish
Soy	Whole wheat bread	Spinach	Soy Sauce
Whitefish	Whole wheat tortilla	Celery	Fresh herbs and garlic Chili power (no oil)
Salmon	Oats	Zucchini	Cooking spray

Here is your Nutrition Chart! IF IT'S NOT ON THE CHART YOU DON'T EAT IT!! IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT YOU MUST EAT CLEAN AND BY CLEAN I MEAN EAT THE THINGS ON THE CHART AND ONLY THE THINGS ON THE CHART!!

Have a good day!!

Holidays Pounds

2011-10-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so we all make the same damn excuses every year when the weather turns cold. "Oh it's winter time, it's ok!" "It's the holidays. Family and Friends." I CALL BS! The problem is that all this garbage junk food is laying around and you feel like eating it because you are WEAK! Don't eat it, it is garbage in a wrapper. Just don't eat it. IF you don't like to run or do the elliptical or hit the stairmaster then don't eat any of that crap because you are going to have to hit all of those a lot harder over the next three months if you don't want to pack it on this winter. (Then you don't have to worry about absolutely kill it come Spring time)

So here's the breakdown once you start stuffing your face with all that garbage food that is suppose to be for the kids:

1. Halloween Sized candies carry 110 calories. Time to burn this off is 13.2 minutes on elliptical machine or 23 minutes on treadmill. And you know that you're not going to have just one!
2. A slice of pie on average carries 350-600 calories. Exercise time to burn this off is 45 minutes to 75 minutes on elliptical machine or 75 minutes to 120 min on a treadmill.
3. One average size homemade cookie carries about 200 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 24 minutes on elliptical machine or 43 minutes on treadmill.

4. Pepperoni and cheese carries 230 calories per ounce. Exercise time to burn off is 31 minutes on elliptical machine or 56 minutes on treadmill.
5. One 4 oz glass of wine carries 160 – 200 calories. Exercise time to burn off is 19 minutes to 24 minutes on elliptical machine or 34 minutes to 43 minutes on treadmill.

So if you absolutely "need" a treat this holiday season, now you know what it costs you. So between the Trick or the Treat. Take the Trick.

Ranting and Raving

2011-10-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to take a second and talk about a couple things that have truly made me happy.
Now over the last eight weeks, I've had my second beautiful healthy daughter and have a beautiful family now, I turned 29 (and feel 21) and I love my job every day.

I now have two daughters. Taylor who is 2 1/2 and Leighton who is now 8 weeks. And they are so awesome. I have the most perfect wife in the world too. She's beautiful, smart, and strong. I'm a pretty lucky guy.

I also love what I for when I leave my house and family everyday too. I go to work every day and change people's lives. OK so I'm no Steve Jobs, but I know that if my clients and bootcampers are half as dedicated to me as I am to them, then I will.change their life. I go to work and help people at the gym and I teach a bootcamp class with 30 people in it who want to work their asses off. AND THEY DO.

I'm amazed at what some of these guys are doing. Marathons and half marathons and 5 K's and Rugged. Maniacs. I mean seriously, some of you guys would have went on with your lives never even knowing what the Rugged Maniac was nevermind finishing one. And lets be honest 400 walking lunges and 100 burpees in the same workout. Come on. 100 BURPEES.

I mean look at these guys and their amazing transformations, and you'll see what I mean. Each workout will push you to your limits, challenge your body and deliver the results you're looking for.

All of my clients and bootcampers expect to get the best workout of their lives each and every time they train with me, and I work my ass to deliver.

7 Ways to Avoid the Dreaded Plateau

2011-10-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

So here we are again, stuck at that damn number that you have never been able to get past. Whether we are trying to make the scale break that barrier of 200 or 145 or whatever you want, or whether you want that bench press to reach 275 or 315 or 350. We all have our plateaus and they SUCK!!! Unfortunately, most people lose hope and just call it quits and that's the end of their gym run.

Some of the best ways to break through them are actually some of the easiest ways.

1. Take a week of rest!! Yes, that's right. One full week off of everything. Even cardio. Your body needs it. Rest is actually the time when you body is rebuilding the muscles that you are breaking down everytime you are working out. So, every 6-8 weeks try to plan a recovery week so you don't hit that plateau.

2. Choose a new rep range. Don't get stuck in the same old 3 sets of 10 reps crap. Switch it up. TOTALLY. Sets of 25. Sets of 50. Heck, sets of 400. Who cares, just not the same old stuff you've been doing since you were 16.

3. Now this is in no particular order but if I were to pick a #1 this might be it. I see it all the time. Come into the gym, swipe your key tag, hang up your keys, and go right for the treadmill. 20 minutes, watching the Food Network and not even breaking a sweat. Grabbing your keys and taking off. WRONG!!!!! Do something else. Don't even go on the treadmill until you did everything else first. There are some days I just wanna shut all the cardio equipment off until people actually worked out first. YOU HAVE TO LIFT SOME WEIGHTS. I don't care if it's machines, free weights, or even resistance bands. JUST DO SOMETHING ELSE OTHER THAN CARDIO!!!!!

4. Drop-Sets. For those of you who don't know what they are. It's when you see a guy over on the other side of the gym grunting when he only has the bar in his hands. He is probably finishing up a drop-set. Usually your last set of an exercise. Start with a heavy weight and do as many as you can. Strip off some weight and do as many as you can, strip off some more weight and so on. It burns like hell and that will help you get through that plateau.

5. Super-Sets. Gigantic Ones. Set up a bunch of different exercises for the same muscle group you can do all in order. You want to set a weight you can do 8-10 reps of. You want to go through each exercise and try to get 10-15 reps of each one. After you finished each exercise take a 1-2 minute break and then do it all over again. Then, take another 1-2 minute break and do it one more time. You should pretty much be laying on the floor after this.

6. Don't be afraid. What I mean is do different things. Don't just do what the big guy at the gym does or that really skinny girl does. Different things work for different people. Switch things up. Flip around your training split. That means, you don't do chest on Monday or end your chest workout with flat bench instead of starting with it. Just switch it up. The body is a very intelligent machine and adapts to things very easily so you have to adapt your workouts.

7. Your Diet. When we diet for an extended period of time, our body tends to grow accustomed to that food pattern and learns how to survive and maintain itself with just the calories that you are giving it. Have a cheat day or a high calorie day just to trick your body.

Have fun with these tips and don't forget to always push yourself to the limit every workout everytime. Go Hard as soon as you walk through the doors of your gym and you will reach your goals.

Mike

The Responsibility is on YOU!!

2011-09-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, just a little rant about taking some DAMN RESPONSIBILITY!! I train a lot of clients and do bootcamps. A lot of my workouts involve a lot of counting. TO VERY HIGH NUMBERS. Sets of 100, 50, even 500. Not sets of 99 or 98 or 97. Not sets of 49, or 48, or 47. And not sets of 499, or 498, or 497. If its 100 - DO 100 DONT SKIMP!!! Don't chicken out, or quit, or cheat. That's how you got where you are in the first place. You cheated, you quit, or you took the easy way out and that's why you are out of shape, overweight, or just not where you should be. BOTTOM LINE. Yeah its easier to eat pizza then to do a couple more reps. Its easier to turn to ice cream then to finish your workout. Its easier to say F@#K IT, I GIVE UP, THEN TO SAY "F@#K THIS I CAN FINISH THIS" Yeah I'm not going to sit here and tell you day after day you can do this, if you don't believe you can, then you just can't. You have to believe that you can do it, because you can if you just push through it and not quit. It's just pain, it's not going to kill you. Its easy to take the easy way out and remain unhealthy and continue to gain weight because you can't realize you are the only one holding yourself back. I never said that getting in shape would be easy,

I SAID IT WOULD BE WORTH IT

GO HARD

GOING HARD!!!

2011-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Best quote I've heard in a long time.

If You’re Looking For Sympathy, You Can Find It In The Dictionary Between Shit And Syphilis and that's about as good as it will do for you.

So now let's talk about being F$%#ng LAZY!!! If there is something I can't stand more than HORRIBLE drivers, it is people being lazy. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to ever be lazy at anything that you do. Work, school, family, sports, Working out??? Why would you be lazy at any of these things. At work. Don't you want your workplace to run smoothly. They carry your own weight at work and it will help your workplace run better. School, come on. Why would you be lazy at school, that's just stupid. Sports. You are on a team and you are letting your team down if you are lazy. You take one play off and that is when someone gets hurt just because you were lazy and wanted to catch your breathe. Family. Absolutely no reason to be lazy when you have a family. There's no time to be lazy. You have to always be active and alert. Working out. Why would you be lazy at working out. If you want to get in shape you can't just show up to the gym and think that is going to do it. You have to put some effort in.

Just a rant about people being lazy and not pulling their own weight, basically anywhere. Get off your ass and do something..

Stick To It

2011-09-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

OK so now we're into September and where are we with our goals? You've actually got off your ass and gotten to the gym. You've switched up you're workouts so you're not doing the same damn crappy workouts you've always done, and you have the nutrition plan to take care of your body when you're not in the gym.

Now what?

You see the results and you're happy. What do you do now??????

Keep going. That's what you do. You don't stop because that's how you will fall back down again. Don't stop doing what has been working for you this whole time. Don't turn your back on your workouts. They are your friends. Don't put yourself through all that torture and then just walk away. You can't just get to a place where you're comfortable and then just stop. That's how you got to where you were before. Because you got comfortable. You always have to strive for more. You've come this far, accomplished so much more then you ever thought, and you can do more.

Don't go through the tough ass nutrition just to ruin it with an entire pizza. Don't do a couple months of bootcamp and just walk away. Stick to it. The nutrition program is working and youre starting to see really great results and bootcamp gets you working out. What more could you ask for.

OK so, maybe you're not where you wanted to be after two months of bootcamp or 12 weeks of training with your trainer. Your trainer is going to push you to your limits and beyond next time you workout. But the biggest thing is the stuff your trainer cannot control. Your mouth. Do not sabotage everything you do at the gym for some damn cookies or icecream or dessert somewhere just because its hot out. I don't care because when you come back to me and tell me you feel the same as you did when you first started, that means ASS WHOOPING TIME.

So either step it up in all departments and keep the foot on the gas or get outta the way.

PEACE

NEVER RELENT

2011-08-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Now, I know you heard it, I know I've said it, and I'm saying it 1 more time. No excuses. Bottom line. No matter what you do in life you never stop until you get to the top. It doesn't matter if you're working out, running a race, or at work, you strive to be the best.

In the movie RockNRollla there’s a chase scene that just goes on and on and on (almost too far it's kinda funny)… the bad guys just wont stop coming no matter what… where other people would have keeled over and died, these dudes just keep coming them. But the "good guys" keep fighting them back and that is how you become a Bad-A**. You don't stop until you are finished with whatever it is you started!!!

That's how you have to be about everything. Just be the most bad ass

person your friends know. And you set the bar for everyone else. You do crazy stuff in the gym that other people wanna try. And you do stuff the other people have never seen. And you do workouts that other people could never do. And then those people will go to their friends and be like "dude, I wanna do this thing at the gym this guy was doing!" Or "You should have seen this girl today, she did 1000 reps of legs!" "I'm gonna try that next week. I gotta build up to that!" JUST BE A BAD ASS!!!

DONE

I cant outtrain bad habits!!

2011-07-30T21:30:00.001-07:00

Well here we are are a crossroads. I have dealt with this situation about a dozen times. No I don't like it. And I'm pretty sure my clients don't either. Who's to blame? What is causing it?
They're probably pissed off about how they spent all this money on personal training and didn't see any results.

I'm mad because I have thrown everything I have a these people and still nothing is coming off.
So here we are. What do we do now. Ill tell you what we do. We step back and look at what you are doing. I kick the crap out of my clients. The hardest workouts of their lives, so its not that. So what is it? You see me once a week, twice a week, or even three times a week. Well are you coming in on other days by yourself? If the answer is yes, skip to the next paragraph. If its no, get off your ass and get to the gym right now. You need to do some work on your own too. You can't just expect your trainer to hold you hand the whole time. Go get your sweat on and show your trainer you are for real. You mean business. Especially the one or two day a week people. Once or twice is not gonna cut it, even with a trainer you better be getting in there at least four days a week.
So if its not that, then lets look at your nutrition. I can't tell you how many times people have told me, "No I eat healthy. I don't eat junk food. I don't drink soda. I don't drink alcohol. I eat fine!" Yeah well I don't believe you. If you haven't lost a pound, your doing something wrong. Step back, look at what you're eating and start writing it down. There's a pretty good chance that's what our problem is. I know I know, you don't even eat that much. Well that's a problem too. You need to fuel your body so your metabolism stays running all day. You just have to talk to your training and listen to him. You're paying that person and your way isn't working so just listen to him. You need to stop lying to yourself and thinking its impossible. Just get out of your little comfort zone and step it up. You can do it you just need to try a little harder. If it is easy then you are not trying hard enough. There's a pretty good chance that you fall in this category. If you come in every Monday with an excuse about why you ate so much over the weekend. Then its your nutrition and you have nobody go blame but yourself. It take just a little bit of discipline and that is what's going go get you those results you've always wanted.

Mike

CHRONIC CARDIO

2011-07-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Little rant on how people just do cardio. I was showing a client the other day about this problem. I told her to turn around and look at the people doing cardio. I said "Look at all of them and look how badly they DO NOT want to be here." You have to put effort in. You can't just show up and go through the motions. Tell yourself you are going to hit the gym and push yourself where you do not think you can go. You have to do something crazy that you have only seen other people do. You have to do something that you told yourself I could never do that. You have to do something that you said "Man, I wanna do that one day" Well today is that day. Try something today so you can can DO more tomorrow!!! Don't just show up and because that's what you're "suppose" to do. That doesn't work. NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL!!! BOTTOM LINE!!

I have people look at me and say "Oh my God! You are killing that poor girl/guy!!" NO I'M NOT, I MAKING THEM LIVE!! That is what working out is about!! Pushing yourself further and further and further until you cannot go anymore and then pushing yourself even further. If you don't push yourself to failure you will never truly know your limits!!!

GOOD NIGHT and GO HARD

Get Back on Track!

2011-06-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

So its going on six full months now from when you made that resolution. How are you doing??? Did you lose those 10 lbs?? Did you run that race?? Did you do ANYTHING??

Get back on the right track and right frame of mind. We still have six full months left to get in those jeans again. And now is the time because you already put away those heavy sweaters, sweatpants, and bulky coats to cover up everything. Its time to wear those shorts and bathing suits and time to get in shape.

The most important thing to remember is that you have to make time for yourself. We are all very busy with LIFE and we forget what the most important thing is. YOU. You have to take care of yourself now before it's too late and then you won't be able to do all the fun things you want to do later in life. You are NUMBER ONE!

Stop making excuses. We all have our issues. Too busy, too, tired, too sore!! NO EXCUSES! Do it, do it now, get it over with and get on with your day. You will feel amazing when you are done with your workout and say "yeah, I'm glad I worked out today."

Check your ego at the door. Quit just doing what you think you should be doing. Quit going straight to the cardio deck doing your usual 30-45 minutes while watching the food network and not putting any effort in. Ask someone for help with a good routine to get your body going. You need to sweat and get out of breath in order to get something out of the gym. Don't just go sit down on the recumbent bike and pedal a little bit while reading your book or texting the entire time. ASK FOR HELP or do some classes. Get out of your comfort zone because your comfort zone isn't helping anybody.

Get a GOAL and "stick" with it. Write it down and "stick" it to the fridge or the bathroom mirror or even your rear view mirror so you can't talk yourself out of going to the gym on the way home. This is for you. A half hour at the gym is all it takes.

Stay consistent. I always tell my clients that everything "snowballs" in good ways and bad. If you don't come for a couple days, days turn into weeks. Also, if you start coming for 5 days, you are going to start feeling better and more energetic, it turns into months that way too. Stick with it and you will hit them goals in no time.

Most importantly mix things up a little bit. The last thing you want to do is the same routine every time you come to the gym from now until the ball drops for 2012. Switch up the routine so you don't get bored and call it quits. You need to change your workout routine every 8 weeks so you can track your results, trick your body, and make sure you don't get bored.

NO EXCUSES!!!!

The Great Debate

2011-06-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

It seems like our Mom's were always yelling at us and saying, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Well it turns out that she wasn't just nagging us. Breakfast plays a major part in weight management and any nutritional program. Studies show that people who eat large breakfasts high in protein and carbs followed by a low-carb plan for the rest of the day lost almost five times as much weight as people who followed a low-carb, high-protein program throughout the day.

So what makes breakfast so important? When we wake up in the morning, our bodies have been fasting all through the night and have burned through all the fuel from the previous day. Our bodies want food and is pretty much ready to burn anything-even muscle- to get a jump start on the day. If you skip eating in the morning your body is definitely going to burn that hard earned muscle. Then later in the day your brain will go into starvation mode and anything that you take in for the day will be stored as fat and fuel for later because the body does not know when it is going to eat again.

These studies also found that levels of serotonin, the chemical responsible for controlling cravings, were much higher in the morning, which is why breakfast is the meal so many of us are willing to skip. But if our bodies are left unfed, our serotonin levels drop, and our bodies' craving for sweets begin to rise throughout the day.

Breakfasts should include milk, lean meat, cheese, whole grains, a serving of healthy fat, and one ounce of chocolate or candy to defray the craving for sweets. Breakfast should be around 600 calories and part of a roughly 1800 calorie a day nutrition plan based on age and weight, or goal. The breakdown for a nutritional breakfast should be around 55-60 grams of carbs, 45-50 grams of protein, and 20-25 grams of fat. These amounts will help keep you full until your next meal (which should be in about 3 hours) and reduce your cravings for any junk food and there are no empty calories consumed.

Chicken and the Egg

2 large eggs, scrambled
2 slices whole wheat toast
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled
1 grapefruit

589 calories, 52 grams carbohydrates, 48 grams protein, 19 grams fat, 5.5 grams saturated fat, 12 grams fiber.

Protein Shake
2 scoops of whey protein
1 cup of fresh blueberries
1 cup of fresh strawberries
1 banana, chopped
8 ounces of water

Oatmeal Breakfast

1 cup of oatmeal, with one scoop of whey protein
1 cup fresh blueberries
3 large hard-boiled eggs
1 oz. dark chocolate

631 calories, 62 grams carbohydrates, 47 grams protein, 21 grams fat. 8 grams saturated fat, 10 grams fiber.

Double Egg Sandwich

2 whole wheat English muffins, toasted
2 large scrambled eggs
2 slices low-fat cheese
2 slices Canadian bacon, grilled

597 calories, 57 grams carbohydrates, 45 grams protein, 13 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 8 grams fiber.

Tuna Breakfast

1 6-oz. can light tuna, canned in water, drained
2 slices whole wheat toast
1 oz. dark chocolate

592 calories, 45 grams carbohydrates, 51 grams protein, 22 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 10 grams fiber

Reference: http://www.endo-society.org/media/ENDO-08/research/New-weight-loss-diet-recommends-high-carb.cfm

Maximum Results: Cardio Blast

2011-05-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

Maximum Results: Cardio Blast

Cardio Blast

2011-05-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a little cardio circuit you can do to help boost up that fat burning and get out of that hole you are in. I'm not sure how many calories it burns but it just kicked my butt. It depends on how hard you push yourself.

Stairclimber at level 28 - 1:00

Bike level 15 - 1:00

Treadmill 4.0 mph 15% incline - 1:00

Jumprope - 1:00

BREAK - 1:00

Repeat 3 more times.

MAXIMUM RESULTS

2011-05-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

That's the name of the game. Everyone has a goal. Whether it is lose 20 pounds for a wedding, just tone up, or gain 20 pounds on your bench press. Whatever it is it is going to take some hard work. BOTTOM LINE.

I haven't posted a blog about anything being easy or taking a magic pill that is going to get you that body you want overnight and I NEVER WILL!!

What I write about is something that you should think about every morning when you wake up. I GOTTA BRING IT TODAY. That's what life is about. Life is not an easy road. Nobody wants to go to work, nobody wants to get yelled at by their boss, nobody wants to sit in traffic, and nobody wants to get sweat their ass off at the gym. BUT WE DO IT ANYWAY because we know that that is what it takes to get the job done.

So what that outta the way now, how is 2011 going??? We all set our goals and resolutions almost 6 months ago. Did we stick with it or did we just throw them away just like the last 5 years?

Just signing up for the gym is not going to get you in shape. You have to put the time in and do it right. (See previous post for that)
Just signing up for bootcamp isn't going to get you in shape. You have to come to bootcamp every session and put in the work. There is no secret to it people. PUT THE WORK IN AND YOU WILL SEE THE RESULTS!!!! The name of the bootcamp is MAXIMUM RESULTS (I should write underneath that "As Long as you Show up"

That's what it takes and its frustrating for me as a trainer. If you don't show up, you are not letting me do my job. How are you going to get your car fixed if you don't bring it in to the shop. Same as your body. How are you going to get YOU fixed if you don't bring it in to the gym.

If it was easy everyone would be in shape and I wouldn't have a job but it's not easy. But if you come on a regular basis and make it part of your routine then it gets easier. Do not make excuses for why you can't make it because you can. You can do it if you just stop thinking too damn much and just get your ass in the car and go to the gym. Once you get there you will be fine. I promise.

Maximum Results

The Cardio PIT!

2011-05-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

Why Cardio may be slowing down your results
I see it everyday. People come into the gym and hang their keys up and go straight to the cardio deck. Yeah, ok, the cardio deck it probably bigger or at least the same size as the free weight area. But, we are brainwashed about the way to get great ripped results. And this is a bigger issue for women but I also see plenty of men falling into the same trap.

Doing WAY TOO MUCH cardio. If you're spending more than 30 minutes on your cardio going the same old speed, they you're probably going to be left disappointed.

Cardio can actually be slowing down your chances of getting that tight, lean, ripped physique you only see in the magazines.

Why do you say long session on the deck suck....

1. You're burning too much muscle and not targeting the fat. Your body needs the energy to keep you going on the machines and all your doing is burning that hard earned muscle.

2. Slows down your metabolism. You’re muscle is your body's natural fat burner, speeds up your metabolism, requiring energy to keep it happy, repair it after workouts and build more. So, if you are losing muscle mass then you are killing your metabolism!

3. It takes too damn long! You’re body doesn’t want to work harder than it has to, so when you begin an activity your body starts to adapt to it so it has to work less the next time you do that same activity.

If you start by going on the elliptical for 20 minutes, sure you will burn some calories lets just assume 200 calories, but after a few sessions that burn will be decreased to 180 calories and this continues. In order to keep getting results you have to go on longer and faster. What if I told you I could have your burning twice that in more than half the time?

These reasons alone should be enough evidence why you should switch things up.

There are two main things that I have my clients do, and I do myself

Strength Training. I don't care if you are male or female, big or small. Strength training is essential for everyone. Now you don't have to be benching twice your bodyweight, just make sure you are getting a good burning in every body part throughout the week. The more lean muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism is going to be throughout the day. Plus, after a serious workout your metabolism stays in high gear for up to 48 hours post workout.

High Intensity Interval Training. I have to say it TIME AND TIME AGAIN! This form of cardio requires no more than 20 minutes of your time! And you can burn twice as many calories from long cardio sessions!

The confusion on the body and heart not only up your endurance and improve cardio health but you get great fat burning results as well. The best part is - - - - - you're done in 20 minutes.

Yeah so what. You have to push yourself a little bit harder than usual. Results don't come easy thats for sure. Put the time and you will see results. I promise.

NO EXCUSES!!! RANT!

2011-05-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

That's how you should live your life. If you have to make up an excuse why you can't come to a session or a workout, if you have to think real hard for a reason not to go, then other people don't want to hear it. YOU are working out for YOU. If you can't commit to a one-on-one session with your trainer or make it to a bootcamp session, the only person you are letting down is YOU.

YOU are the one who needs the workout!
YOU are the one who gets all the benefit!
YOU are the one who decides what you look like!
YOU are the one who decides what you feel like!
YOU are the one who is responsible for your change!
YOU are the one who has to overcome the obstacles that have been holding you back!
YOU are the only one standing in YOUR way!

Excuses Excuses!!!! I have been doing this kind of stuff for years and I have heard them all! The only thing I haven't heard from a client is "I'm afraid of changing and being happy! I'm comfortable where I am and I don't know what it's like being truly happy with myself. I'm scared!" I've heard everything else though. Grandma's, babysitters, friends, family, sick, hurt, tired, overslept, work, car, train, plane, everything you can come up with I've heard it. I don't care. Working out is more important that all of that stuff put together. Otherwise down the road, someone is going to be using you as an excuse because they are going to have to take care of you when you are sick and tired for real!!! It doesn't take long for you to get a sufficient workout in! Half hour to an Hour tops and that's it. You can get away for that long and you can get right back to your life!!

NO EXCUSES!!!! GO HARD!!!

Mike

It's Just PAIN, it's not going to Kill you!

2011-05-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

So the other day I have a client that doesn't want to hold a plank longer than 28 seconds. I'm not going to mention any names. Actually a lot of them don't like to hold it much longer than that. I told her she has to hold it for a minute otherwise we have to start over. She kept going down at around 30 seconds like 3 times. I told her she was just wasting her time and energy. If she would just hold it for 1 minute then we would be done. She said, "I CAN"T". WWWWHHHHAAAAAATTTT did you just say??? NEVER SAY I CAN"T. I will never make a client do something they can't do.

   You can do ALL OF THIS STUFF. EVERYONE CAN DO THIS STUFF INSIDE THE GYM. I'm not making my clients dead-lift 415lbs or jump and touch the ceiling. I just want you to hold a plank for 1 minute. So I said, "It's just pain, its not gonna kill you!!" BAM!! Holds a 1 minute plank! And that's after the three 30 second planks. Now instead of telling yourself you can't do it and wasting your energy and doing 4 planks, you could've just done 1 and been done.
   IT"S ALL MENTAL. If you begin the exercise thinking you cannot do it, then you won't. Know that you can do it and you can doing anything, you will kick ass. Walk into the gym with confidence and you will walk out with confidence. Yeah you have to push yourself and it's going to suck while you are doing it but you will be bigger, stronger, and faster after you do it.

   Working out is not killing you, it's doing the exact opposite. Helping you live a longer, healthier life. You might want to die while you are doing it but afterwards you can say you got through it, you're still standing, and you live another day.

IT'S JUST PAIN, IT'S NOT GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!

BOOTCAMP POST

2011-04-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Wanna burn more calories? Switch things up? Keep the body guessing?

TRY A BOOTCAMP

This is the time I start to get excited. The weather is finally here to step outside and get down and dirty. BOOTCAMP TIME! Everything you can think of outside the proverbial box or like I like to say outside the "flat bench". Switch it up. No flat bench, squat rack, cable crossovers, or ellipticals. Outside, doing High Intensity Intervals, cross-training, running, jumping, squating, twisting, flipping, crunching workouts.

Ok so I do get over excited when its time to get dirty but for a good reason. Three one-hour workouts a week and you will get in shape. No if, ands, or buts about it. And its kinda fun. Other people are struggling right next to you so you're not alone. Or, the person next to you is just that far ahead of you that it makes you push just a little harder. And before you know it, that hour is up. I'm telling you. Most of my bootcampers tell me that their hour FLIES by. Yeah ok, so the first few are gonna suck but after that, once your competitive side comes out. ALL OUT WAR!!!

Trust me on this guys. It gets you out of that regular routine that you have been doing since the first snowstorm last freaking November or just basically just kicks your butt in a different way then you have been doing lately. As for the people down South (WHATS UP GANG!!!) Just basically something different so you can enjoy that beautiful weather and not be inside in a gym sweating your ass off as soon as you walk in the place.

BOTTOM LINE: Step up to the challenge. Don't be afraid either because you have to start somewhere. Never once did I have someone just come into bootcamp and just dive right in. So challenge yourself and know that you can do it and I'll be right there pushing you through it.

OH AND GOOD LUCK!!

Take Responsibility for YOURSELF

2011-04-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

Just got done talking with a client and it made me think of an old client that I used to train. Now this client of mine was your average slightly overweight female that use to workout and stopped and just put on the pounds. She came to me and said "I need to get back to where I used to be!!" So we went at it.

She was a pretty hard trainer and would push herself most of the time with only a little bit of whining. She would meet with me three times a week and came in once or twice more on her own. But her results were really slow.
So now its time to be strict. I put her on a diet plan and a cardio plan and she was still training with me 3 times a week. I asked all the questions I usually ask. "How's the diet going? Did you cheat, do you have a lot of stress? Are you following your cardio?

Every time she would say that she was following the diet. Everything is going well yet her progress was slow at best.
After a few weeks like this she was actually starting to blame me for her lack of results and that's when I get insulted. So what do I do? Kick it into the highest gear I HAVE and make this girl sweat like she never sweat before.

One day I was training her and another one of my clients walked by us. While the female client was stairmaster my other client says, "Didn't know that Kripsie Kreme was part of your dieting plan, how come I don't have any in MY diet?".
I said, "What are you talking about? He said, "Dude I work there and this lady comes in pretty much every morning and gets two donuts and a large coffee with cream and sugar. She was in yesterday!"
So during the session I obviously asked her "How was your diet going? Tell me everything you had yesterday?

"It was fine! Egg whites, whole grain....BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!" No mention of the couple donuts that she had. So I asked her if she was going there because I have another client of mine that works there.

So guess what comes next. Instead of her admitting that she was going there and not taking responsibility, she starts blaming me about spying on her and that I need to give her privacy. (When I wasn't actually, I just happened to have a client that worked at the damn place. Lucky for me)

Well, needless to say, I didn't train with her much longer after that. I don't want to train people like that anyway. I actually saw the person a few months later and she got a new personal trainer. Good luck to that trainer.

A lot of people hire coaches to transfer the burden of success and the reasons for failure on somebody else. But YOU are responsible for your own success. A trainer can only steer you in the right direction and show you the way...
Still not sure to this day whats worse....lying and blaming someone who is trying to help you, or lying to yourself.

400 word rant about Cardio

2011-04-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

Q What is the best type of cardio for burning calories? And how often should I be doing it?

A High Intensity Interval Training is the best fat torcher, whether its on the elliptical, bike, or treadmill. And you all know how I feel about the STAIRMASTER!!! Anything that has intervals (alternating short bursts of intense activity with short slower periods of recovery) puts your body into burn mode and torch more calories during a session. HIIT also helps you post workout, burning as many as 120 calories after you throw in the towel. It does kick ass so its not a good idea to do it everyday. Your muscles need a break to recover from a bad-ass gut-busting effort. Its best to alternate days of HIIT with days of low to moderate intensity cardio.

Q Is there such a thing as doing too much cardio??

A YES. You shouldn't do more than 60 minutes of high intensity or 120 minutes of low intensity cardio daily unless you're on a sports team or training for a marathon. Anything more than that and you can cause over training, a condition that develops when you haven't given your body a chance to rest and recover. Signs of over training include difficulty sleeping, irritability, and getting sick more than usual due to lowered immunity. Just remember you can lose weight in minutes not hours. Bottom line: The quality of cardio is more important than the quantity. That's why I'm such a huge fan of HIIT and the STAIRMASTER!!!

HAVE FUN DO THE STAIRMASTER AND JUMPROPE and reach for the top!!!

A Few Tricks to Faster Fat Loss

2011-03-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ok so you have tried everything done everything and beyond. You quit eating junkfood, to stopped drinking "as much", trained harder, done more abs, even threw in some cardio - and nothing has changed that little flabby pouch down below.

Well here are some tips to help you burn that rubber that we call a spare tire!!!

#1 Morning Cardio - NO CARBS
No carb cardio is very effective done first thing in the morning. What you've been doing is throwing down a bowl of Capt N' Crunch and then deciding you need to go hit the treadmill. Well the problem with that is that the fuel that you are using to get through that workout is the cereal and not that spare tire.

So what we have to do is put our body into a state where it is going to directly burn the fat stored on your body as energy.(While burning the least amount of muscle in the process) Empty stomach cardio will pull a lot of the proteins out of the muscles and therefore burn a good amount of muscle in the process, that is why you do need to eat something before you hit the gym.

Consuming some BCAAs before doing your morning cardio reduces and even prevents the protein breakdown. That means more muscle for you and a faster metabolic rate to shed that unwanted fat.

When doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), research suggests it's probably not beneficial to do it fasted, since the fuel used for it isn't fat anyway. It's carbs. However, consuming BCAAs prior to HIIT is still crucial, maybe even more so. As the intensity of exercise goes up, so does the role BCAAs play in energy production.

#2 Make sure to replenish your Muscles immediately after workouts!!
       Make sure you are getting in the RIGHT nutrition post-workout. The post-workout window is not a free for all. You have to make sure what you take is going right to your muscles and not the liver and eventurally store as fat. CARBS AND PROTEIN, but the right kind of cards.
    There are three different types of carbs - glucose, fructose, and galactose. Galactose will eventually be broken down to glucose so no need to really harp on that.
     But we only want to eat enough carbs to supply our immediate energy needs and to replenish glycogen, specifically muscle glycogen so in our post-workout window we have to be very careful we don't overdo it. The good thing about glucose is that it goes to the muscles first before eventually going to the liver and sitting there waiting to be stored as fat. So make sure you take in the right carb. As for fructose, the opposite happens. It goes to the liver first. Then anything left over (the liver can hold up to 100grams) is it will convert any incoming fructose to triglycerides and that is not good.
    What does this mean? Your post-workout window should not contain any fructose at all. If you need some fruit, consider 1 banana after a workout because it does contain more glucose in it than any other fruit.

#3 Before Bedtime Meal

This has a major impact on your physique if you are really trying to lose that belly fat. Carbs are a no-go 2 hours before bedtime. They are for fueling high-intensity training like weight-training not sleeping. You're main source of food is going to be Fat. Thats because your body is burning only fat when you sleep. A general rule of thumb is "when you can't have carbs, have fat" Although keep the portion some-what small. Around 10-15 grams of fat.

If you have carbs go with a low-starchy veggetable. Thats because when you're sleeping your body will not burn those carbs and they're either stored as glycogen or as fat.

Why You haven't reach your fitness GOALS!

2011-03-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Now here you are going to the gym. FOR WHAT???

You tell yourself you want to get in better shape. You want to tone up. You want to lose weight. Be MORE SPECIFIC. Many of my women clients come to me and I ask them, "What is your main goal?" They tell me, "I want to get tone" I laugh everytime they tell me this. Guys, you do the same thing. I wanna get big. TELL ME MORE. I want to lose 15 pounds, lose 3 inches on my waist and be a size 4 by the end of April. That's specific.

Then, I also get the women that start lifting some weights just so I can add a little muscle to their frame and then they tell me they don't want to get big and bulky. If only it was that easy. When you are doing 20 reps of 5lb shoulder presses, you're not gonna get big, especially not in one session either. If that was the case the guys on the other side of the gym would be huge.

Adding lean muscle to your frame is going to help you burn more calories throughout the day and in the end get you that lean hard body that you actually want.

SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
1. Come up with a plan - I'm going to get a trainer and train 3 times a week. Im going to go to the gym 5 times a week. Im going to lose 2lbs a week.
A. Actually do your plan - talk with a trainer. Go to the gym. At least join a gym. Get your ass on a program.

2. Make sure you set a timeframe - you have a cruise coming up. Set it by that. You have a birthday or high school reunion. Get your ass in shape by then.

3. Come up with the ideal body that you want - celebrity, friend, old picture of yourself. Whatever it is but you need proof of it so you can look at it everyday and compare it to your progress.

4. Tell somebody about your goals - if you keep it to yourself, you can easily just let it go and pretend you never said anything to begin with. Tell people that you are going to the gym and you are going to lose 2lbs a day for 8 weeks. They will hold you acountable and ask you how you are doing and maybe even join you on your journey.

Get yourself a journal and keep track of your workouts whether you are lifting heavy or burning calories. You need to keep track of everything if you want to make progress on yourself. Write down everything you do at the gym and everything you put in your mouth and that will get you the results you want.

Sit down and actually think about your goals and really picture yourself being that person. Don't be afraid of being that happy, fit person either. Believe me you will love it.

Thanks and TRAIN HARD NO EXCUSES!

Mike

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At the Grocery Store

2011-03-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

Quick Post about how you should be shopping if you truly want to see some results. Im sick and tired of eveyone always saying I dont have time or there's nothing to eat at work that's healthy. Well this is how it is done.
1. Go to the grocery store every 3-4 days. The reason is because you have to buy fresh foods, not that preserved boxed junk. I usually get enough fresh food to hold me over for a couple days.
2. Try to buy local produce instead of transported stuff. Its fresher, cheaper, and you are supporting your local farms.
3. Start from the outside in at the grocery store. Vegetables, meat, dairy, and fruit are all on the outside and fill your cart up with that. All the junk is in the middle.
4. When coming up with a grocery list, you have to think meals instead up just food you want. List every ingredient you need and don't buy anything else. Grilled Chicken with grilled asparagus and a salad.. Write it all down. Breakfast? Eggs, with toast and a banana.
5.Buy some things in bulk like nuts and oats. Only buy meat in bulk if you have that big extra freezer in the garage.
6. Speaking of freezers, the only things you should be grabbing from them are frozen vegetables, fruits, and meats. No Hungry Man dinners allowed.
7. Buy grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, cage-free eggs, and organic vegetables and fruits when possible.
8. Most importantly, buy a water filter if you haven't already. I don't think I have to give you an explaination for this one.
9. Want your sweets? Pick up some dark chocolate. Yeah, I know its not half as good as milk chocolate but its good and good for you. It has plenty of benefits plus fixes your craving.
10. Make a list for your snacks that you have to eat inbetween meals. Write down things like cottage cheese, yogurt, fruit, beef jerky, protein bars, mixed frozen fuit for your shakes, and whey protein powder.
Getting ready to Cook
13. Make big batches of food that you can re-heat – If you're in a rush, it's easy to stick a bowl of homemade chili in the microwave.
14. No time? Do your cooking on one day – It'll take a few hours, but you won't have to stress over cooking during the workweek.
Now its Time for the Cooking and the Eating
15. Use a cookbook and try some new recipes. You have to mix thinks up a little bit otherwise you will get sick and tired of grilled chicken.
16. Pure some wine and cook with your significant other. Or grill with your buddies. Cooking is a fun experience and a time to wind down and have a conversation.
17. Sit down and eat and RELAX. This is the best time of day for you to unwind and enjoy some real conversation.

Thats it and ENJOY!!

How are those New Year's Resolutions Coming Along

2011-03-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I wasn't sure what to name this one. Train like a bad-ass would have worked pretty well.

Two Full Months into 2011 and we are checking in on how we have done so far. Let's see, we've lost some weight, lost some size, or........we haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks for some damn reason or another. We fell into the same trap we fell into the last 2 or 5 or 15 years. WE GOT LAZY!!!

Well snap out of it. It takes 30 minutes to get your sweat on and start getting back on track to see those results. So get on the phone right now and call your friend and tell them you and them are going to the gym tomorrow at 7am or 5pm and DOING WORK!!! Its not hard, you just have to quit talking yourself out of it and just go. Once you get there you will be like "damn why haven't I been coming, I feel great now!"

I started the Get Fit Contest at The CLUB to keep people motivated for the first 5 months of the year. It's like a biggest loser contest. Anything to keep people motivated. Giving gifts away, money, memberships, and even TVs just so you guys can stay motivated and keep kicking butt in the gym. But you have to do the work. You can't just sign up and think that that is enough. Now you have to go to the gym and do the hard part.

My little brother shooting a bad-ass gun

Depending on what results you want to see. Most of you guys want to lose weight. Some of you want to put on muscle. And some of you want to do both and make sure you are ready for summer. You want to look like a bad ass whether you're a girl or a guy, that's the bottom line. You want to be the girl in the gym that is in the best shape and the other women want to be like you. And guys, you want to be the guy in the gym that everyone copies and looks at every time you are in there. SO, workout like a Bad Ass, dare to be different. Don't do what everyone else is doing in the gym, there's a reason why everyone else looks like crap.

I told you last post how I was going to tell you about the StairMaster and the jump rope!! Here goes. Get your ass off the treadmill and that weak-ass recumbent bike and get on the StairMaster. You can burn up to 5 times as much on there as you can on any of the other cardio equipment in your gym. The StairMaster or stepper or whatever you want to call it is serious. You get on and you stay on and you keep stepping....BOTTOM LINE! Set it to 20 minutes your first time and just go. You will be sweating in under 6 minutes, I promise. Eventually kick it up to 30 and start doing the programs on here so you can burn the maximum amount of calories as possible.

As for the jump rope. DO IT!!! Don't be afraid that you can't jump rope. Because everyone has to start sometime so you might as well do it now, while you can still jump. You keep your core tight, burn calories and sweat your butt off. What else could you ask for from a little rope. Plus your calves start burning, that's an added bonus. Try starting out by doing 2 minutes straight. Do 2 minutes, break for 1 minutes, then do 2 minutes again, then break for 1 minutes, for 20 minutes. There's your bad ass workout, plus the HIIT that I talked about last time. NO EXCUSES!!!

Good luck and keep up the great work and you will reach your goals this year!!!

FINALLY get that summer body and shed that unwanted fat!!!

2011-02-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well I already said it once before, there is no easy way or secret formula or pill that I could tell you except that you have to workout and workout hard and that is still true.

You need HIIT or high intensity interval training. Very HIGH. So high that you have a pretty good chance of throwing up in the middle of it and then getting right back into it. There is no reason why you shouldn't be working out like this every time you go to the gym. As a matter of fact I went on the StairMaster yesterday (don't get me started on how awesome that machine is. That can be for another post) and I kicked the thing up all the way and about 15 minutes in I felt like I might throw up a little. After 30 minutes I burned 735 calories. Now you can't do that on any other machine in the gym. Then I followed it up with some jump rope.(I'll combine how awesome jump rope is with the stair master post)

Yeah, ok, there are some guys that just have the greatest genes in the world and they barely workout but most of us don't and you want to look like that guy. Well not only do you have to do twice as much work as he does because you don't have the same genes as him but you have to do four times as much because you have to get in that shape that you are NOT in now. Once you get there you have to do twice as much as he does just to stay there.
Girls this relates to you too. I can't count on my fingers and toes how many women out there have the look that you want and they don't even workout AT ALL!! That pisses you off because you "workout".

Well I'm here to tell you different. You don't work your ass off at the gym. Unless you are doing high intensity interval training HIIT. Interval training is basically doing two minutes of high intensity with about the same if not more of low intensity. See Picture. Well high intensity interval training is long periods of high intensity followed by 1 maybe 2 minutes but most the time 30 seconds of rest in-between then back into the high intensity again. So basically flip that chart upside down. Now the reason this is so effective is because your heart rate is constantly elevated, burning the most amount of calories targeting mostly fat instead of muscle, which helps you shed those unwanted Lbs. and keep the muscle that you have worked so hard for.

So moral of the story. Kick butt every time you go to the gym. You need to sweat, get out of breathe, need to grab some water, and possible throw up. Get a workout partner who you can do circuits with or hire a personal trainer and tell him you need your butt kicked. I can do that for you! But be careful you might actually see some results!!!

FOOD!! Its your friend!!

2011-02-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

FOOD IS YOUR FRIEND!!

Eating more food can help you lose weight and burn that unwanted fat!!

Ok so you think that only eating a salad and 1 banana a day is going to help you lose weight. WRONG!! You body needs fuel to help you burn unwanted fat and calories. So the less food you take in the slower your metabolism is going to be. Here is a eating plan to help you achieve your lean look. The idea is to switch up your carb intake throughout the week--alternating low-carb days with moderate days--to keep your metablolism running on high and help you lose weight FAST!! Plus, you will always feel full, have energy, and never indulge!!

DAYS 1 and 2

Breakfast
Omelet with 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 tsp shredded low-fat cheese
1 c plain coffee or green tea or Grapefruit Juice12 oz water

Snack
1/4 c plain nonfat yogurt and 6 cherries OR 12 oz protein shake with 1 scoop protein powder (low-carb, low-sugar, less than 115 calories)
20 oz water

Lunch
6 oz grilled chicken breast
3 c lettuce with 2 Tbsp light or low-fat dressing
1/2 c steamed broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas, or carrots
20 oz water

Snack
12 almonds OR 12 oz protein shake OR Apple OR banana with 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
20 oz water

Dinner
8 oz grilled chicken, beef, turkey, OR burger (no bread/bun)
1/2 c steamed broccoli or asparagus
3 c plain lettuce with 2 Tbsp fat-free dressing, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar
20 oz water

Snack
1/4 c cottage cheese with 1/2 c mixed berries OR 6 cherries

DAYS 3 to 7

Breakfast
Omelet with 4 egg whites and minced asparagus and 1 slice plain whole-wheat toast OR 12 oz protein shake and 1 apple with 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
1 c green tea
12 oz water

Snack
1/4 c plain nonfat yogurt with 1/2 c mixed berries OR 6 cherries or 4 strawberries OR 12 almonds
20 oz water

Lunch
Pick one: Small sweet potato OR small baked potato OR 1/4 c brown rice OR 1 slice whole-wheat pita or bread
WITH
Pick one: 6 oz tuna in water; grilled chicken, tuna or turkey; turkey burger (no bread or bun) OR 2 c plain lettuce with 2 Tbsp lemon juice or low-fat balsamic vinaigrette OR 1 c broccoli with 2 Tbsp honey mustard
20 oz water

Snack
1/4 c plain nonfat yogurt with 1/2 c mixed berries OR 6 cherries or 4 strawberries OR 12 almonds
20 oz water OR Apple with 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
20 oz water

Dinner
Pick one: 6 oz sirloin steak, beef burger, grilled chicken or turkey OR 8 oz tuna, salmon, or freshwater fish
WITH
1/4 c steamed brown rice OR 3 c lettuce with 2 Tbsp fat-free dressing OR 1/2 c mixed vegetables or 1 c broccoli OR 2 Tbsp honey mustard
20 oz water

Snack
1/4 c plain nonfat yogurt with 1/2 c berries OR 1/4 c cottage cheese with 1/2 c berries

NOW ITS TIME TO SEE SOME RESULTS!!!

2011-01-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

Time for some tips!!! Now there is plenty of articles out there and websites and magazines and shows that can tell you everything you need to know. BUT they all either contradict each other or say the same exact thing!

So what are you suppose to believe????

QUESTIONS!!!
Do I eat in the morning? When should I do my cardio? How often should I eat? Should I work out every day? ETC

ANSWERS!!
You should be working out AT LEAST 3 days a week for NO LESS than 30 minutes each. Now that is the bare minimum and that is just to maintain what you got going on right now. Any less than that you are going to start slipping. Yeah, I'm being brutally honest but you will start slipping. Now to start seeing results you need to be working out more than that. Five days a week for at least 45 minutes if you want to see some results by Spring time. But that doesn't mean walking in, talking to some people over by the scale and then getting on the treadmill at 3.5 mph for 25 minutes and then taking another 10 minutes to get your jacket and clothes and walking out. That means 45 minutes of working out.

As for working out!! What does that mean? I see it everyday at the gym You come in, do about 6 minutes on the treadmill WALKING. Then you make your way over to the elliptical or bike and do about 20-25 minutes there and then you're done. NO!!! You pay for the whole gym so why not use it. Yeah ok warm-up over on the treadmill if you want. But then grab some dumbbells and start working out. You need to put on lean muscle in order to fully get the benefits of working out. Grab some weights or hit the machines and get to it. Don't be afraid of them, they are harmless. If you are unsure on how to use any of that stuff ASK SOMEONE THAT WORKS AT YOUR GYM AND THEY WILL SHOW YOU!!! Now, make sure that person looks like they work out. If you are grabbing the chubby girl behind the desk who just hid the candy bar wrapper under the desk when she saw you walking up to her, that's probably not your best bet. Ask a personal trainer or the manager or even the owner to show you around and they will be more than happy to. Just hitting the cardio stuff is only going to get you so far and then you will get frustrated and Bam!! we won't see you for a couple of months.

Now if you want to see the results sooner rather than later, work out 5 days a week for at least 1 hour. At least 1 hour means, 30-40 minutes of strength training and then 20-30 minutes of cardio. AT LEAST!!! Bare minimum!! IN THAT ORDER TOO!! Do your cardio after you workout!! Now, I'm no scientist but I have done my fair share of research on this topic. As of right now, studies show that your body will burn the most amount of fat and the least amount of muscle doing cardio immediately after strength training.

As for the early morning risers!!! There is some speculation on what you guys should be doing in the gym at this time of the day. Now, I'm no morning person by any means. I have a 2 year old so I sleep as late as she lets me. But I know some of you out there like to hit the gym first thing in the morning. There are a couple of ways to tackle this problem. Eat as soon as you get up and then go to the gym and follow the same pattern everyone else does. OR. Hit the gym twice a day. Do empty stomach cardio in the morning so you can burn as much fat as possible, but you still will burn some muscle too. Come back later and do your weight training. Or find what supplies your body with energy just enough to get through a hardcore workout session without making yourself nauseous. Supplements usually help in this case. Eat a high protein/high carb/low fat breakfast and that should help you get through a butt kicking at the gym.

OK I can go on for days about this stuff!! Ill post another one soon!!

Thanks

2 weeks into 2011!!! How's it going???

2011-01-13T06:37:00.000-08:00

So its 13 days into the new year and how's everyone doing with their resolutions???? I don't care if it was to lose 30 lbs, gain 15 lbs., save $25 a week, or whatever. How is it going. You can't give up on yourself yet.

Here's the deal. You have to tell as many people about your resolution as possible. If you keep it to yourself then nobody can hold you accountable or encourage you. So tell friends, family, and co-workers, that way they can ask youa bout your progress and you will keep it up if they know. DO NOT TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT because that is what you have been doing already. Tell someone!! TELL ME!!! I want to know your resolution so I can hold you accountable.

It is very easy to get off track and end up right back where you started at the end of last year and telling yourself in 2012 that you want to lose 20lbs again. F@#$ that!!!!DO IT NOW!! Hire a personal trainer or get a workout buddy so you can motivate eachother and get your butt to the gym. You have tried everything else and its not working. GET TO THE GYM!!! IT WORKS!! Ask questions, try something different, switch up your routine.

Just doing cardio 3-5 times a week will only get you SO FAR!! It will not get you to that perfect body that you want. You will hit a plateau and get frustrated and BOOM!! See you later!! You have to get out there and do everything and anything to get you in the shape that you want.

AS for the easiest ways to reach your goals. Now here is the most sensitive subject I have with my clients. People who are out of shape or overweight are always trying to find the easiest way to get back into shape and yet they are still out of shape and overweight!!! THERE IS NO EASY WAY!!YOU HAVE TO COME TO THE GYM AND SWEAT YOUR ASS OFF!!! I know you dont want to hear it but its true.

Now there is a "fastest" way to do it. And that is what I can show you!!! Just email me at themaxresults@yahoo.com and I'll show you the fastest way to get them results that you want and need!!! All it takes is a little bit of effort on your end and you can have that body that you have always wanted. And if you send this blog to someone else and refer them there is something in it for you too!!!

Have a great day and Kick As in 2011

2011!! The best year of your Life!!!

2011-01-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! January is an exciting time because now you have a clean slate to become who you want and accomplish what you want in the year ahead.

This time of the year means tons of new faces in the gym and lives being changed. Everyone is trying to achieve the same thing.

1. This is the year you are going to reach your goal!!
2011 is going to be the year that you stick with your resolution and achieve your goals.

2. 92% of all New Year's Resolutions will end in failure. Many people will start off this year with the right mind set and give it their all and push as hard as they can. But many will end in failure. Why? Because they bite off more than they can chew.

There are a few steps to help you make realistic goals and help you achieve them. Don't you want to be apart of the 8% who will achieve their resolutions?

Here is how to set realistic goals

If you haven't worked out since college then you shouldn't set a goal to lose 50+lbs in a year. instead set a goal to workout 3 times a week.
Instead of resolving to give up all carbs, commit to bring healthy snacks to work instead eating from the vending machine.
Instead of resolving to drop 3 sizes in 3 months, commit to losing 1 pound each week until you reach your desired size.
Instead of resolving to never eat out again, commit to eating healthy all week and reward yourself with one meal out on the weekends.

Small changes done consistently will make a big difference. Set up realistic times to meet your goals. Lose 15 lbs by April. Lose 1 lb a week. Etc

3. I will help all of my clients reach their goals in 2011. This time every year I am just as excited for my clients to help them reach their goals. They are more motivated than ever and ready to change their lives.

4. Every single one of my clients will see their results in 2011!!

I make it my goal to help as many people reach their goals as possible.

When a new client comes in to share their goals, I put together a plan to make those goals a reality. Sure, you have to follow the plan, show up for workouts and change how you eat.

And the results are all yours.

Happy New Year!!

Quick Post - P90X? Insanity?? Do they Work??

2010-12-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

Ok so I have people ask me everyday, "what do you think about P90X?" "I have a third cousin who did it and he lost 30 lbs." Ok OK OK!!! The bottom line is WORKING OUT WORKS. Doesn't truly matter what you are doing it just matters if you are getting off your butt and getting your sweat on. Yes P90X works Yes Insanity works but you have to be motivated enough to put in the DVD's everyday and follow the meal plans and do as you are told. NO EXCUSES!!! SO does going to the gym THAT WORKS TOO!!! But you talk yourself out of that at least twice a week too so you can easily talk yourself out of popping in those DVD's and watching TV instead. Its all about what works for you!! What motivates you in a way that you are going to do it religiously.

As for which one I like better!! The P90X guy bothers me personally. I dont know, its something about him just bothers me. Nothing personal Tony. He's in great shape, he's cocky and he can be. I like Shaun T better. He teaches INSANITY and that is the perfect name for it!! It will kick your ass and you can go at your own pace and Shaun T is very motivating. He even has to take breaks sometimes but its a pretty badass workout!!! But going to the gym and getting a personal trainer is also a way to a great workout in too. Whatever it takes for you to get your workouts in at least 3 times a week is what you should be doing. Going to a gym where they have aerobic classes or bootcamps helps motivate people too. Get a workout partner so you can motivate each other. Talk to the staff at the gym and get to know them because they can help you in anyway you need them too. Just get to know them so if you don't go for a couple of days they will notice and break your stones when you come back in. That will you won't miss again. If you can't motivate yourself then you can't just do it on your own because nobody is accountable for you EXCEPT YOU!! Ask for Help!! GET HELP and get on your way to becoming healthier and happier!!!

KEEP WORKING OUT OVER THE HOLIDAYS AND YOU CAN CHEAT A LITTLE MORE!!
STOP WORKING OUT AND YOU HAVE TO SKIP THE DESERTS!!

BMF

2010-12-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

This winter you have to be a BMF. I read somewhere one time about a guy talking about being a BMF. Now this guy is a BMF himself. He is the master at marketing and selling personal training. But if you dont know what a BMF is, there was also a movie about being a BMF. Check it out and you'll know.

Whenever you come in to the gym you need to be a BMF. You need to come in and kick butt there. It is not a place where you should come in and relax and maybe get a workout in. You should come in and sweat and breath heavy, need water and maybe spit a little bit on the floor because you cant breathe. If you leave the gym dry and walking out the same way you walked it.......you did not have a BMF workout. You need to overcome the pain and the soreness just like you overcome all the other obstacles in your life. You have to push yourself just like you have to push yourself every day. You have to push yourself to get out of bed and get in the shower and put your work clothes on and go sit at your job for 9 hours. You have to push yourself just to get through all that garbage why not push yourself when you get to the gym and better yourself and your health. Its only going to make you stronger.

Be a BMF in everything that you do. You shouldn't care if its going to make you look weird or if people are going to look at you while you are doing it. You are doing something harder than they are doing and you will get the results they're not by walking 2.2 mph on 0%incline on the treadmill for 6 minutes. Who cares you are in the gym for you not anyone else and so you should just care about yourself while you are in there. Be a BMF.

If you want to know what it stands for just ask!!!!

Changing Your life 1 Day at a Time

2010-11-30T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody

Lets take a step to better our life during these Holidays. Being in the gym 12 hours a day 5 days a week now I get to hear, see, and experience a lot awesome stuff. Unfortunately, I also get to hear, see and experience a lot of B.S. Crap!!!! Everyone has their excuses and reasons why they can't make it to the gym and why they only come in for like 20 minutes BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Winter and Holidays do not have to be a reason or EXCUSE to put weight on and not come to the gym. I had a guy today tell me that he lost 2 pounds on Thanksgiving. And he doesn't even workout that much. The more weight that you put on and the lazier you get over these next 5 weeks......its going to be that much harder to get them off come 2011!!! That's a fact!!

It's very simple!! NO EXCUSES!! Just come in and get your sweat on. Where ever you are...just make sure you are getting to the gym at least 3 times a week and spending at least 30 minutes in there. Do your cardio and some strength training and you will feel sooo much better about yourself when you walk out those doors. "Man, that wasn't so bad...I'm happy I got up off the couch" Before you now it the New Year is here and you're half way to that goal that you wanted anyway.

When you go into your gym and you have any questions. Just ask someone who works there. Now if you are at some big fancy corporate gym with a stupid little 16 year old girl behind the desk doing her homework and she doesn't even look up at you when you swipe your card and you could be swiping in as someone 20 years older than you and the opposite sex......then don't ask her. Ask someone who knows what they are doing. Look for the owner or manager or the head trainer. It is their job to make sure you are doing everything correctly and safely so you do not get hurt. You are not bothering these people....you pay for the gym and they will be more than happy to help you with a few things. If they are slammed.....set up an appointment or free consultation and some gyms and most personal trainers will give you a free session TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!!! Don't be afraid to ask for help because all you are doing is getting the LEAST out of your time at the gym. You want to get the most out of your hour or so there so take advantage of these opportunities!!!!

NO EXCUSES!!!
http://www.facebook.com/miker21

Blog #1

2010-11-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone
Thanks for checking in on my Blog. This is the first of many informative blogs from me.

My name is Mike Romano and I am the Head Personal Trainer at The Club in Naugatuck Ct. I'm starting this blog so everyone can have some training tips and workout information. Everyone reading will have the convenience of looking here for workouts, nutrition, and programs to improve their workouts.

Now a little bit about me!!! I have been training people since 2002 and have falling in love with it ever since. Helping people change their lives is what drives me everyday. I have helped many people over the last 8 years shed unwanted pounds, put on muscle, look great, feel great, and even be able to walk again.

I went to school at Western New England College and received my Bachelor's in Sports Management. While I was in school there I met many interesting people at the gym. I found a great workout partner.(Which is essential if you wanna push yourself and achieve your goals) This workout partner is now the owner of The Club and a great friend. We work together to help all our members get the most out of their experience at the gym. We offer great personal training for people who spend their hard-earned money so they can get the results they have always wanted.

Ok Ok Ok enough about me!!! Now for you guys!! You're reading this because you want tips and tricks on how to get in shape!!! Well to be blunt.........ASK ME!!! Ask me any question you want. Yes you need to do cardio.......yes you do need to strength train.........yes you need to eat right. Ask me something else. AND COME DOWN TO THE CLUB and ask me in person. Like your teacher always said "There are no stupid questions, except the ones that are not asked"

If you are interested in really shedding those pounds this Holiday Season and New Year.......and you are seriously sick and tired on crash diets and all that jazz.......come see me!!!

Have a great day

Maximum Results

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Want Some Snacks???

Dont Get Derailed!!!

Confidence gets you everywhere!!

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Sitting is Killing YOU!!!

Control Yourself This Holiday Season

#5 Enhance family favorites.

#8 Don't let holiday weight gain creep up on you.

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2011 Coming to a Close

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If you want me to do something, Tell me I can't!!

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7 Ways to Avoid the Dreaded Plateau

The Responsibility is on YOU!!

GOING HARD!!!

Best quote I've heard in a long time.

If You’re Looking For Sympathy, You Can Find It In The Dictionary Between Shit And Syphilis and that's about as good as it will do for you.

Stick To It

NEVER RELENT

I cant outtrain bad habits!!

CHRONIC CARDIO

Get Back on Track!

The Great Debate

Chicken and the Egg

Oatmeal Breakfast

Double Egg Sandwich

2 whole wheat English muffins, toasted2 large scrambled eggs2 slices low-fat cheese2 slices Canadian bacon, grilled597 calories, 57 grams carbohydrates, 45 grams protein, 13 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 8 grams fiber.

Tuna Breakfast

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Cardio Blast

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NO EXCUSES!!! RANT!

It's Just PAIN, it's not going to Kill you!

BOOTCAMP POST

Take Responsibility for YOURSELF

400 word rant about Cardio

A Few Tricks to Faster Fat Loss

Why You haven't reach your fitness GOALS!

At the Grocery Store

How are those New Year's Resolutions Coming Along

FINALLY get that summer body and shed that unwanted fat!!!

FOOD!! Its your friend!!

FOOD IS YOUR FRIEND!!

Eating more food can help you lose weight and burn that unwanted fat!!

NOW ITS TIME TO SEE SOME RESULTS!!!

2 weeks into 2011!!! How's it going???

2011!! The best year of your Life!!!

Quick Post - P90X? Insanity?? Do they Work??

BMF

Changing Your life 1 Day at a Time

Blog #1

2 whole wheat English muffins, toasted
2 large scrambled eggs
2 slices low-fat cheese
2 slices Canadian bacon, grilled

597 calories, 57 grams carbohydrates, 45 grams protein, 13 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 8 grams fiber.