Labor Day Boot Camp Video

Here's a video montage of the Labor Day boot camp workout.

Enjoy Your Holiday!

   

HAPPY

 

Why Bicep Curls Won't Give You Nice Arms

If you've read more than a few of my posts, you know I'm a proponent of compound exercises for the majority of your strength training. Generally speaking, they're more functional, they're more efficient because they use multiple muscles at one time, and they burn more calories than isolation work.

Since most of my clients are time crunched and interested in fat loss and are not body builders or figure competitors, you'll find very few isolation exercises in my programs.

That said, I'll occasionally toss in some bicep curls. My mistake. :-) The other day I had my boot campers doing some dumbbell curls, which is rare; it was actually more of a break than anything. So what happens? One of my (relatively new) campers chirps in with something like, "I vote for more bicep curls in our workouts. You can really feel that burn."

It goes back to the belief that you can spot reduce or spot tone. People think if their inner thighs burn from leg lifts, they'll get smaller or that bicep curls will give them nice arms.

It doesn't help that we got a slew of "Get Michelle Obama Arms" articles after the president was elected. Unfortunately, many of them focused on arm isolation exercises and failed to acknowledge that most Americans are overweight.

The bottom line is that to get the look that most people want, you need to get rid of the fat covering your muscles. The key to fat loss is good nutrition and challenging workouts involving multi-joint movements. Leg lifts, tricep kickbacks and bicep curls won't cut it.

Most people like doing curls and there's nothing wrong with occasionally adding them to your workout if you have extra time but don't make it a habit. There are better ways to spend your exercise time if you want results.

Collected Fitness Wisdom #25

No part of the body is an island unto itself. Try to pick up a pen off the floor using just your hand. It’s impossible. Even such a simple movement simultaneously engages our legs, core, shoulders, arms, and neck. But for decades ‘experts’ have told us to train using machines and 2-D movements that isolate muscle groups. The body is an interconnected chain of muscles. Striving for isolation is beyond pointless—it’s a total waste of time. Use training movements that challenge the entire body in every plane of motion. Forget weight machines. Every movement we perform as humans is a whole-body movement. Make your body your machine.

~TRX Training Tips

The opposite of winning isn't losing, it's quitting.

~Scott Sonnen

Focus on the intensity of your workouts and focus on working the body as a whole in order to get the best metabolic response to lose that stubborn stomach fat.

In order to really get lean, the workouts should have a high intensity, with short rest periods, working the largest muscle groups of the body, instead of trying to isolate specific small muscles like the biceps, triceps, or calves.

~Mike Geary

The fact is there are always excuses. Instead of wasting your time and energy finding one that sounds good, why not just admit you’re not up for the challenge? Ultimately, you must make the decision to change. If you’re not ready, then just admit it.

~Jeremy Likness

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More On Me Vs. Facebook

Now I'm really confused. On August 15th, I wrote about Facebook rejecting an ad for my boot camp. They had some issue with the photo I wanted to use. You can see their "reasoning" here and read my reaction at Facebook Promotes Violence And Death But Rejects Ad For Healthy Living

Then on the 20th, I posted a picture that Facebook allowed on a TRX ad and wondered why, since it certainly seemed to show more skin than the photo I submitted. You can see that post at Update On Me Vs. Facebook.

Now that you're all caught up, here's the latest. Apparently, there is a new exercise gadget called the Windjector. I'd never heard of it before and even after going to their website, I don't know how to describe it to you. (It really has no bearing on this post but if you want to see the Windjector in action, you can go to Windjector Pro.)

Anyway, Windjector is running an ad on Facebook using this photo...

Although I find Facebook's rejection of my ad annoying and bad for our country, I'll admit to having a little fun with the situation. However, now things have turned ridiculous.

Someone could have possibly come up with some irrational reason why the TRX ad was acceptable and mine was not but now we have an apples-to-apples comparison. How is my photo (A) in any way more "explicit or provocative" than Windjector's (B)? It definitely doesn't "reveal too much skin" in comparison to B.

B

A

So if my ad wasn't rejected for "too much skin" then it must be the other part of Facebook's policy. But wait,  if anything, Windjector's ad promotes an "idealized body type" more than mine. Look at the definition in B's abs! Beautiful but not to the folks at Facebook, unfortunately.

Based on the rejection e-mail I received and comparing the photos, Windjector is clearly in violation of...

Images that are overly explicit or provocative, or that reveal too much skin, are not permitted.

and / or

Images that may either degrade or idealize any health condition or body type are also not allowed.

So why the double standard? What's your opinion?

The 7 Deadly Workout Sins by B.J. Gaddour

If you're not happy with the results you've been getting from your workout routine or if you're gearing up to start exercising, you need to read this great article by B. J. Gaddour. It's long but well worth it. 

Stop spinning your wheels and start getting results.

The 7 DEADLY Workout Sins

MISSION: METABOLISM

Discover How to Fix the 7 Deadly Workout Sins to Achieve Metabolic Breakthrough

B.J. Gaddour, C.S.C.S.

Here's that link again...www.workoutmuse.com/blog/the-7-deadly-workout-sins

A Healthier Coffee Creamer Alternative from Mike Geary

I'm not a coffee drinker but I know many of you are. I recently received an email from Mike Geary, author of Truth About Six-Pack Abs containing this alternative to the unhealthy, processed creamers that most people use.

A Healthier Coffee Creamer Alternative

Another thing that's come up on this roadtrip was trying to find a healthy alternative to typical powdered coffee creamers or those little processed individual liquid coffee creamers, which usually contain high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and other crappy "non-food" additives and chemicals.

While I usually don't drink coffee at home and I prefer teas of all different types, I do like to drink coffee while traveling...it's sort a treat for me since I don't drink it at home.

But instead of loading up the coffee with lots of sugars and chemical-laden artificial creamers, what we've been doing at the cabin we're staying at is using a can of coconut milk as our coffee creamer and using stevia for the sweetener.

The coconut milk is a healthier alternative because of the healthy fats, specifically the medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) it contains, which support your immune system and are a type of fat calories that are readily used for energy.

Although my family thought it was a little unusual to use the coconut cream/milk as a coffee creamer, after they tasted it, everybody really liked it.

If you're a coffee drinker and you've been hooked on all of those artificial chemical-laden coffee creamer powders or liquids, give coconut milk a try for a much healthier alternative!

Make sure to shake up the can of coconut milk before opening it, as some of the water can separate from the coconut cream.  Also, if room temperature is below the mid-70's F, the coconut cream will harden a little, but putting the whole can in a bowl of warm water before opening it, and then shaking it will mix the cream back up.

Mike Geary is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer specializing in body fat reduction strategies and functional strength and power training. I hold a Bachelors of Science degree from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. Mike is the author of Truth About Six-Pack Abs and The Fat Burning Kitchen