Check out this quick hotel workout I did during my conference week in LA:
Perform this quick circuit 2 or 3 times, 15-20 reps per exercise, first thing in the morning and watch your body transform!
Here's another quick training tip for you:
Keep this in mind next time you're travelling, whether for work or pleasure!
Stay fit,
Josh
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
What Is My "Why"? (Motivational Message)
Let me tell you about the highlight of my day today: My 2 year old daughter Kaitlyn picked up our copy of the DVD "The Incredibles" and while pointing at Mr. Incredible on the cover, said "Poppa!".
Then several times while she was watching the movie, she'd point at Mr. Incredible on the screen, then point at me and say "poppa" again. This just made my day!
This also made me think of what's important to me in my life. What inspires me to do what I do? What drives me to achieve my goals and motivates me to become successful? What is my WHY? To illustrate my inspiration I made this short video, touching on what's important to me, including family, friends, the people I help and the work I do, as well as the more superficial motivators like wealth and success.
When you have a strong enough "Why" you will always find out how. It's important to be clear on your "why"... consider everything that is important to you in life, and consider what really is driving you to be the best you can be, and strive to better yourself as a person. I'd like to hear what drives you... please share in comments below! Remember, there are no "wrong" answers here.
Here is another great video I found that will get you thinking in the right direction:
I just wanted to share these thoughts with you today... I hope it got you thinking, or gave you some motivation!
Go for yours!
Mr. Incredible
Then several times while she was watching the movie, she'd point at Mr. Incredible on the screen, then point at me and say "poppa" again. This just made my day!
This also made me think of what's important to me in my life. What inspires me to do what I do? What drives me to achieve my goals and motivates me to become successful? What is my WHY? To illustrate my inspiration I made this short video, touching on what's important to me, including family, friends, the people I help and the work I do, as well as the more superficial motivators like wealth and success.
When you have a strong enough "Why" you will always find out how. It's important to be clear on your "why"... consider everything that is important to you in life, and consider what really is driving you to be the best you can be, and strive to better yourself as a person. I'd like to hear what drives you... please share in comments below! Remember, there are no "wrong" answers here.
Here is another great video I found that will get you thinking in the right direction:
I just wanted to share these thoughts with you today... I hope it got you thinking, or gave you some motivation!
Go for yours!
Mr. Incredible
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Russian Sauna Contrast Therapy (Recovery Method)
This is a short video I shot while on vacation in Belarus a few weeks ago. I was enjoying the "Banya" which is basically a Russian sauna. You spend several minutes in a VERY hot sauna, splashing eucalyptus water on the hot rocks to work up a real sweat! Then you jump into the ice cold pool (or pond, depending on the location). It's pretty intense, but incredibly rejuvenating as well.
Contrasting or Thermotherapy (alternating hot and cold) is one of my favorite recovery methods, and can help improve circulation and flush out toxins (via vascular flushing), relax your tight muscles, cleanse your pores, and reduce inflammation.
A simple way to do this at home is to alternate warm water with cold water for 30 seconds each in the shower. The cold on the body sends blood to your organs while the warm brings it rushing back to your muscles, which will increase your circulation and boost your immune system.
Remember, if you train hard you also need to practice effective recovery methods, including rest, proper nutrition, adequate warm-ups and cool-downs, etc. Be sure to check out my blog posts on Dynamic Warmups, Core Activation, and the Upper Body Warmup for more information on how to help your body prepare for and recover from your intense workouts!
What techniques or methods have you used to prevent injuries and improve recovery? If you have any questions or comments I'd like to hear from you! Leave a comment below.
This was the last of my videos from Belarus... I hope you enjoyed it. Next week I have some practical fat loss tips to share with you. Stay tuned!
Stay Fit,
Josh
Contrasting or Thermotherapy (alternating hot and cold) is one of my favorite recovery methods, and can help improve circulation and flush out toxins (via vascular flushing), relax your tight muscles, cleanse your pores, and reduce inflammation.
A simple way to do this at home is to alternate warm water with cold water for 30 seconds each in the shower. The cold on the body sends blood to your organs while the warm brings it rushing back to your muscles, which will increase your circulation and boost your immune system.
Remember, if you train hard you also need to practice effective recovery methods, including rest, proper nutrition, adequate warm-ups and cool-downs, etc. Be sure to check out my blog posts on Dynamic Warmups, Core Activation, and the Upper Body Warmup for more information on how to help your body prepare for and recover from your intense workouts!
What techniques or methods have you used to prevent injuries and improve recovery? If you have any questions or comments I'd like to hear from you! Leave a comment below.
This was the last of my videos from Belarus... I hope you enjoyed it. Next week I have some practical fat loss tips to share with you. Stay tuned!
Stay Fit,
Josh
Friday, September 17, 2010
Upper Body Warmup
If you train with intensity and want to get the most out of your workouts while avoiding injury, you MUST warmup properly! This video will comlement my Dynamic Warmup and Core Activation videos, and demonstrates some simple upper body warmup exercises.
Incorporate these warmup exercises into your program and enjoy better posture, better performance, and less discomfort!
Stay fit,
Josh
Incorporate these warmup exercises into your program and enjoy better posture, better performance, and less discomfort!
Stay fit,
Josh
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Increase Workout Intensity with Pre-Exhaust Training!
This is another video I took while visiting family in Belarus, as a followup to my "Travel Workout" I uploaded a couple of weeks ago. I finally made it in to a gym in Minsk. In this workout I demonstrate a technique called "Pre-Exhaust" training, which is great for hypertrophy (muscle growth)... however, I am limited by what I can do because I am still recovering from a distal bicep tendon partial tear, so I can't use heavy loads for upper body yet.
The nice thing about "Pre-exhaust" is that you can pre-fatigue a target muscle group using an isolation exercise before finishing it off with a compound movement. This still allows you to stress the muscle group adequately without needing to use as heavy of a load.
Some examples include:
I still have one more video from Belarus that I will share next week, discussing recovery methods (warning: Sauna footage!), lol.
Watch for that. Until then, train hard and stay fit! I invite you to post a comment below if you have any questions or want to share a related story.
Josh
The nice thing about "Pre-exhaust" is that you can pre-fatigue a target muscle group using an isolation exercise before finishing it off with a compound movement. This still allows you to stress the muscle group adequately without needing to use as heavy of a load.
Some examples include:
- Chest flyes before Chest press
- Reverse flyes before Back Rows
- Dumbell pullovers before Chinups (or Pulldowns)
- Leg extensions before Squats (although I'm not a big fan of leg extensions in general)
I still have one more video from Belarus that I will share next week, discussing recovery methods (warning: Sauna footage!), lol.
Watch for that. Until then, train hard and stay fit! I invite you to post a comment below if you have any questions or want to share a related story.
Josh
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Getting Leaner the Right Way (Funny Video)!
Here is a short animated video I put together highlighting some of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding weight-loss. I hope you get a laugh out of it:
Just remember... looking for a "Quick-Fix" to fat loss will result in a "Fast-Track" to failure! Take the time to educate yourself, make the necessary lifestyle changes, and be prepared to invest some time and energy to improve your health, fitness, body composition, and appearance. You are worth it!
Just remember... looking for a "Quick-Fix" to fat loss will result in a "Fast-Track" to failure! Take the time to educate yourself, make the necessary lifestyle changes, and be prepared to invest some time and energy to improve your health, fitness, body composition, and appearance. You are worth it!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Basic Fat Loss Facts
Hello everyone,
In this post I want to share some important fat loss tips in response to a recent subscriber comment.
Before getting to that I want to thank everyone who completed the survey I posted! (If not please do so... it helps me get my readers the content they want!).
--Subscriber Poll--
I had posted another "Subscriber Poll" a few months ago as well, and the response from that indicated that most of you were interested in learning more about fat loss and / or strength training. Hence my focus on getting stronger and leaner.
In my more recent online survey I wanted to get more specific, and it looks like many of you would like to see more body-weight exercises and workouts that require minimal equipment. There was also interest in unique or unconventional exercises.
Thank you for your feedback! I look forward to posting some good tips and tutorials for you soon!
Now let's discuss how to lose body fat! Here are some key points you need to consider if you're goal is to get leaner and STAY lean:
1. Nutrition is paramount for fat loss! You can't out-train a bad diet (check out Craig Ballentyne's video below). I set up my clients with a complete nutrition plan when they start on one of our programs, but the basics are:
==>; Check out one of Craig's programs HERE
2. Resistance Training (ie- circuit training) is more effective than cardio for long term fat loss. Strength training exercise raises your metabolism, helps regulate insulin, controls your blood sugar levels, and reshapes your body. Resistance training leads to a double-reducing affect, where you are not only burning calories (and fat) while you are training, but your metabolism is also elevated for several hours following the workout. So don't assume that when I'm sharing information about resistance training that it doesn't relate to fat loss!
3. High intensity cardio trumps long, slow cardio: If you do cardio, incorporate high intensity intervals. Long duration, slow cardio can reduce your metabolism by causing you to lose lean tissue. Whereas high intensity, short duration cardio "interval training" can boost your growth hormone levels and help you maintain your muscle tissue while burning fat.
4. Mental Conditioning: Your mind controls your body, so you need to learn to take charge of it! If you complain or let negative self-talk creep into your subconscious (such as "I'll never lose weight", or "it's too hard and I don't have time", etc), you can sabotage your progress. You need to set clear goals, train yourself to visualize success with your goals, and approach your nutrition and exercise plan with confidence and optimism!
5. Follow a well structured training plan: Your exercise program should have planned variations and use productive exercises within a proven routine. This is exactly what I'm producing for you with my Get Lean ebook... should be ready soon!
I hope these tips help you reach your goal of getting leaner and stronger! I have several video tutorials lined up and ready to share soon... stay tuned for that.
Post a comment if you have any questions or want to share something. I look forward to hearing from you.
Stay fit,
Josh
In this post I want to share some important fat loss tips in response to a recent subscriber comment.
Before getting to that I want to thank everyone who completed the survey I posted! (If not please do so... it helps me get my readers the content they want!).
--Subscriber Poll--
I had posted another "Subscriber Poll" a few months ago as well, and the response from that indicated that most of you were interested in learning more about fat loss and / or strength training. Hence my focus on getting stronger and leaner.
In my more recent online survey I wanted to get more specific, and it looks like many of you would like to see more body-weight exercises and workouts that require minimal equipment. There was also interest in unique or unconventional exercises.
Thank you for your feedback! I look forward to posting some good tips and tutorials for you soon!
Now let's discuss how to lose body fat! Here are some key points you need to consider if you're goal is to get leaner and STAY lean:
1. Nutrition is paramount for fat loss! You can't out-train a bad diet (check out Craig Ballentyne's video below). I set up my clients with a complete nutrition plan when they start on one of our programs, but the basics are:
- Eliminate simple sugars
- Drink more water (and green tea)
- Keep your portions smaller but schedule a healthy snack mid morning and mid afternoon.
- Aim to eat vegetables and a source of protein at each meal or snack
- Take a fish oil supplement daily
- Use a nutrition journal. Studies prove that when you write it down you will be more successful!
==>; Check out one of Craig's programs HERE
2. Resistance Training (ie- circuit training) is more effective than cardio for long term fat loss. Strength training exercise raises your metabolism, helps regulate insulin, controls your blood sugar levels, and reshapes your body. Resistance training leads to a double-reducing affect, where you are not only burning calories (and fat) while you are training, but your metabolism is also elevated for several hours following the workout. So don't assume that when I'm sharing information about resistance training that it doesn't relate to fat loss!
3. High intensity cardio trumps long, slow cardio: If you do cardio, incorporate high intensity intervals. Long duration, slow cardio can reduce your metabolism by causing you to lose lean tissue. Whereas high intensity, short duration cardio "interval training" can boost your growth hormone levels and help you maintain your muscle tissue while burning fat.
4. Mental Conditioning: Your mind controls your body, so you need to learn to take charge of it! If you complain or let negative self-talk creep into your subconscious (such as "I'll never lose weight", or "it's too hard and I don't have time", etc), you can sabotage your progress. You need to set clear goals, train yourself to visualize success with your goals, and approach your nutrition and exercise plan with confidence and optimism!
5. Follow a well structured training plan: Your exercise program should have planned variations and use productive exercises within a proven routine. This is exactly what I'm producing for you with my Get Lean ebook... should be ready soon!
I hope these tips help you reach your goal of getting leaner and stronger! I have several video tutorials lined up and ready to share soon... stay tuned for that.
Post a comment if you have any questions or want to share something. I look forward to hearing from you.
Stay fit,
Josh
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Simple (Not Easy!) Travel Workout - Stay Fit on the Go
Hey guys,
As promised, here is one of the workouts I videotaped while visiting my in-laws in Belarus (near Russia). I was unable to make it to the gym regularly, but I wasn't about to miss training... especially considering how much food we were eating on this trip!
Admittedly, there was plenty of alcohol consumption as well... at least more than I am used to. In fact, on our first night in Belarus my father-in-law, Valeriy, served us a couple of shots of his "special Vodka" to celebrate our safe arrival. Not wanted to disappoint him, I tentatively snapped it down in one shot. Within a second it hit me... literally sucking the breath right out of me! My face must have turned white because he quickly put a glass of water in front of me. Of course, I'm still trying to act "cool" as I casually sip the water, and whisper painfully "vkusna" (which means "tasty" in Russian).
It turns out this stuff was moonshine and was 96% alcohol! No lie! Well that was the worst drinking experience, but not the last. I didn't understand most of what everyone was saying, but there must have been alot to celebrate because we were toasting with shots of Vodka at almost every dinner!
Needless to say, I didn't want to miss my workouts on this trip!
So I set up several simple, intense circuit training workouts using body-weight exercises, such as the workout I show you in this video. This is similar to the workouts used in the Systemic Endurance phase in my Get Lean program (check it out at Get Lean Book).
Using exercises and a program like this you never need to miss a workout while traveling. If you're interested in the Power Wheel or Jungle Gym Straps, check them out at the lifts on the left of my blog.
I have 2 more videos ready to upload from our trip, including a gym workout (demonstrating a great high-intensity training method) and my Russian sauna experience!
Stay tuned for those next week.
Until next time, stay fit!
Josh
As promised, here is one of the workouts I videotaped while visiting my in-laws in Belarus (near Russia). I was unable to make it to the gym regularly, but I wasn't about to miss training... especially considering how much food we were eating on this trip!
Admittedly, there was plenty of alcohol consumption as well... at least more than I am used to. In fact, on our first night in Belarus my father-in-law, Valeriy, served us a couple of shots of his "special Vodka" to celebrate our safe arrival. Not wanted to disappoint him, I tentatively snapped it down in one shot. Within a second it hit me... literally sucking the breath right out of me! My face must have turned white because he quickly put a glass of water in front of me. Of course, I'm still trying to act "cool" as I casually sip the water, and whisper painfully "vkusna" (which means "tasty" in Russian).
It turns out this stuff was moonshine and was 96% alcohol! No lie! Well that was the worst drinking experience, but not the last. I didn't understand most of what everyone was saying, but there must have been alot to celebrate because we were toasting with shots of Vodka at almost every dinner!
Needless to say, I didn't want to miss my workouts on this trip!
So I set up several simple, intense circuit training workouts using body-weight exercises, such as the workout I show you in this video. This is similar to the workouts used in the Systemic Endurance phase in my Get Lean program (check it out at Get Lean Book).
Using exercises and a program like this you never need to miss a workout while traveling. If you're interested in the Power Wheel or Jungle Gym Straps, check them out at the lifts on the left of my blog.
I have 2 more videos ready to upload from our trip, including a gym workout (demonstrating a great high-intensity training method) and my Russian sauna experience!
Stay tuned for those next week.
Until next time, stay fit!
Josh
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