Capt. Core Fitness

Turkey Day

2011-11-23T11:09:00.001-08:00

Here comes Turkey Day!! Now most people will over eat on this day, because, lets face it, thats what we do when we get together with family.
Now Im going to write something a little shocking. It is ok to eat, and eat a lot on Thanksgiving.
How many major holidays are surrounded by food? Only a few I would guess. One day of overeating is not going to kill your diet, or your progress towards looking and feeling great.
The biggest thing that you can do is to get a good solid workout before the big meal. This will prime your muscles to absorb glycogen from the big Thanksgiving meal.
Black Friday should be a day where you use all that stored glycogen and put yourself through a really intense workout, not standing on line to get 50% off anything any of the big stores are selling.

Remember, after Thanksgiving, make sure you get back on track so you can work towards your goals.

Reverse Swings

2011-11-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Reverse Swings

About the same motion as a regular swing, but when you get to the stop of the swing, you drop your hips quickly so you drop under the bell. It is still not a shoulder exercise. The bell is still weightless at the top as in a two handed kettlebell swing.

Abs should be tight, chest up.

Burpees!!!!

2011-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Want a killer fullbody workout?
Try Burpees!!

Want to take it up a notch?
Try Burpees with a chin-up

Bootcamps!!

2011-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

Running Bootcamps in Plainview, NY Hamlet on Olde Oyster Bay

Tues Evenings 7pm

Saturday Morning 830AM

Tues Evenings $15

Saturday Morning $10

Get in quick, Saturdays fill up quick. Spots still open for Tues Evenings

kettlebells, TRX, Waterballs, ViPR.

Lots of full body movements to get you into shape.

its baaacccckkkkk!!!

2010-09-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Biggest Loser is back in all its glory. It didn't take me long to have a problem with the first episode. Right off the bat we're introduced to 3 contestants, only there's a catch, only 2 will make the ranch. So we have 3 people vying for two spots and rather do something safe, they make them do 500 steps or run a mile. Really? That's not safe or beneficial for any of them. We saw several people hurt themselves, pass out, fall down, etc.
NOT SAFE.
As trainers our #1 goal is to keep clients safe.
I can think of other ways to get people on the show. Hmmm how about who needs it more, medical records, who is a step away from death, who has a lot of complications. I can go on.
But 500 step or run a mile on a physically deconditioned overweight person? Hell no. That's just asking for joint problems. 300lbs running a mile, that's a lot of pounding on the ankles,knees and hips. I'm 180 and that's a lot of pounding on my joints.

Anyway my next issue is all the excuses people made as to why they are overweight and in the sitution they are in. It seems like everyone on the show had someone in their family die and that led to their overeating...Ok i get grieving and everything, but resorting to food, thats a little extreme...you know whats a good outlet for grief: EXERCISE!!!!
The biggest contestant I had a problem with was the woman whose brother tried out for the biggest loser, didnt get on, and ended up dying a few days later...hello wake up call?? Maybe don't end up like your brother. Nope she just continued her weight gain.

What this all comes down to is excuses and not being held accountable for your actions. That the society we are in now. We're not responsible, someone else is. BS!! Its on you.
Hopefully these people learn to not make excuses and get moving. Hopefully it inspires someone watching to stop making excuses whether it be money, time, whatever, and take action.

excuses,blaming others and setting goals

2010-09-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know if everyone has heard the story about the man that complained at Universal Studios. For those that don't know, this man couldn't fit into the Harry Potter ride because his stomach was too big. His solution? Complain till they made it bigger. Is that where this country is headed. If you're too fat for something, complain, they'll make it bigger and you'll be on your merry way.
To me that's just an excuse. He was presented with perfect motivation to lose a couple of lbs. But instead of owning up to his own situation and doing something about it, he blamed others. Seriously make a goal, work hard and earn that achievement.
My guess is right after he complained about not being able to fit on the ride, he went and drank a huge soda, along with french fries and whatever other food they serve there. I'm not trying to sound preachy because I know I've eaten those things and I make no excuse for it. But I own up to it, kick my own ass in the gym and go right back to watching my nutrition. That way I can enjoy my roller coasters too.

2010-08-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

Army Crawls with Feet on a Scooter..completely dragging by the upper body. A lot of core strength!!!

Early Morning Bootcamp, complete with mountain climbers, battle ropes, TRX and kettlebells

Kettlebells!!!!

2010-08-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Swings, Snatches

Craziness goin on at the gym

2010-08-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Craziness going on. Presses, followed by ladder, another press then split squat jumps...

why do i need protein?

2010-08-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

As a trainer I've heard the following:
Why do I need protein?
I don't want to bulk up, I just want to tone.
I don't want to look like the hulk,arnold,etc..

And I'm sure clients and gym members have said that too.

News flash, protein is good for you. Especially post exercise and especially to lose weight. Research has shown that increased protein intake is key to successful weight loss. Here's why:

Thermic Effect!!
The definition of this is that your body increases its energy expenditure and calories burned when it digests and utilizes the food you eat. So pretty much when you eat, your metabolic rate increases because of this "thermic effect" that takes place as a result of the food you eat. In addition, your body burns a different amount of calories depending on the type of food you are eating. For example your body will only burn about 4 calories 4-7 calories for every 100 calories of carbs and fat you eat. Contrast that with the 24-28 calories for protein. Big difference there!!
There's going to be a bigger difference in weight loss when on a higher protein diet than a low carb or anyother diet.

Top 3 reasons protein consumption is beneficial for weight loss:
1. Fuller for longer.
2. Increased metabolism(thermic effect)
3. Less muscle loss. So your body will burn sugars and fat and not store them.

Even if you're not a big meat eater, the world is full of proteins in other forms. Tofu, beans, nuts and a great supplement, protein powders,bars,etc.
These powders and bars are not just for those looking to get big. They provide key nutrients that your body needs to repair muscle fibers that are broken down during exercise whether you're a cardio freak or a lifter.
So do yourself a favor and keep up your protein intake.
In the end your body will thank you and you'll achieve the body you have always wanted!

biggest secret to weight loss

2010-08-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Calories in vs calories out. Plain and simple. Its basic math. If you want to lose weight, you have to create a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb. That means you either decrease consumption or increase exercise. If you're like me and like to eat, then just increase how many calories you burn everyday. If you don't want to exercise a lot you better be sure to keep the nutrition tight and disciplined.

Shocking Research On Increasing Your Metabolism

2010-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's my guess this Monday you might very well be looking for ways to increase your metabolism.
It's my guess this Monday you may have "misbehaved" a little bit this past weekend.
Well, lucky for you my partners over at Prograde Nutrition have just released another brief special report on some shocking research about Metabolism.
There's some good news AND some bad news.
Find out for yourself how this story ends by reading it all right here:

http://chris.getprograde.com/part2--supermarket-slimming-secrets.html

Yours in health,

Chris

my favorite things

2010-03-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

So as a trainer I see a lot of interesting things in the gym. There are things that I see that I can't understand what the person is trying to work, there are funny things, and there are downright dangerous things.
Here are some of my favorites:
-abductor and adductor(inner/outer thigh machines). I can't tell you how many people, mostly women, I see slaving away on these two machines hoping to slim down their thighs/hips. Its not going to work. The muscles of the hip are small and don't lend to high metablic conditioning.
-ab machines are another. All you're doing is opening yourself up for back injury. The amount of weight, along with the flexion of the spine could lead to back problems. Planks, side planks, rotational exercises are the way to go as far as abs are concerned. These should also be followed by supermans, and quadraped/birddog to balance out abs and lower back so as to not create a muscle imbalance.
-Along the lines of doing abs, the ab crunch marathon I see a lot of people doing. Trying to do crunches at every possible angle. Legs up, legs down, legs straight, bent, legs to the side, one leg across the other legs knee..it seems to be endless the amounts of ways people will do crunches. News flash, crunches wont make that belly fat go away. Actually in a study, it was found that it would take 22,000 crunches to burn 1 pound of fat. Thats right 22,000. That would take you forever to accomplish..but you keep crunching.
-People doing the same workout or same body part everyday they're in the gym. Like the guys that do just chest, triceps, and biceps. Or the girls that just do hips(like i mentioned before) or glutes. (Balance out workouts or youll have muscle imbalances = joint pain and bad posture
-People swinging weights around with no purpose( always have a plan)
-People doing exercises wrong or dangerously. Kettlebells for example. (Get a trainer for a session or 2)
-Doing single joint isolation exercises(multi joint exercises are the best)
-Endless boring cardio that keeps people at the gym for 90+ minutes( do some freakin intervals, you'll get a better workout and burn more calories in about 20-30 minutes)
-The people that show up at the gym just for social time. They pretty much just hang out and talk to other people and never really do much of anything but interrupt other peoples workouts.

In the end you see some pretty funny things being in a gym for about 10 hours a day. Gotta love it.

biggest loser

2010-02-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with the biggest loser. I love it because it's inspirational and it shows how hard people work to lose weight and to reach goals that they set. It does get people off the couch and into gyms anytime it is on and it gets businesses,gyms or otherwise to hold their own competition among members or employees. I also love it for its entertainment value. I know there's always one contestant I'm rooting for or one contestant that I know will look great at the end. My favorite episode is always the makeover episode just because its such a huge change for them. You do get sucked in.
That's why it has lasted so long.
I hate it because it shows ridiculous weight loss that's just unattainable by someone in the real world. These contestants work out 7 hours a day. On the ranch that's their full time job. Nothing else. 1-2 lbs a week is attainable and safe.
I also hate it because many of the exercises the "trainers" give to the clients are unsafe. Take the leg extensions alone. It's a bad exercise for the knees based on pure physics but then throw in Bob pressing down on it to "push" the person to the limit. That is just asking to blow out someones knee. It's high school physics. I know they don't and can't show everything but at least show safer exercises and exercises where form is somewhat emphasized.

In the end it is a great show and I love watching it but its hard not to pick out things that worry me or disappoint me.

Back Pain and Hamstrings/Glutes

2010-01-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

Are you like most Americans that suffer from back pain? Do you look for all sorts of solutions to "cure" your pain? Have you tried everything, chiropractors, massage therapists, heating pads, acupuncture?
If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, your back may not necessarily be the the problem. The problem may stem from your posture, your hip alignment, and lastly the strength and flexibility of your hamstrings and glutes.
Just some basic anatomy:
The pelvis has several muscles that connect to it. All these muscles working together keep the pelvis in perfect alignment. The hamstrings/glutes, quads, abdominals, and back musculature all connect to the pelvis to create this X that keeps your posture. When one muscle is tight or weak, it throws off everything else.
Lets take the case of lower back pain. In today's world of looking good in front of a mirror, the posterior muscles of the body are ignored, because lets face it, who ever says "check out those hamstrings," or "check out that lower back." Everything is in front. Chest/pecs, biceps, abs. Those are the "big" muscles, the money makers. Everyone does abs. Everyone is looking for the way to make them flat, get that 6-pack. The only problem is by overworking the abs and over strengthening them, that leads this muscle group to pull on the pelvis, leading into a posterior tilt. This tilt overstretches the back muscles= back pain.
Same goes for hamstrings. These are under used muscles = minimal strength. Without that strength to keep the pelvis in check, an anterior tilt occurs, which makes the back over work which = back pain.
By strengthening the hamstrings and glutes by doing bridges, hamstring curls, dead lifts, kettlebell swings, etc... the pelvis can be pulled back into neutral and low back pain can be avoided. Another way to avoid low back pain is to train muscles equally. This means full body workouts, from the bottom up. This helps eliminate muscle imbalances at various joints and creates a better moving, better functioning body. And isn't that what everyone wants.

TRX

2009-12-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

For those that do not know or havent heard what the TRX is, it is a new piece of equipment that was developed by navy seals to stay in shape while they were out on missions.

What you need to know about it is that it a create tool to keep you in shape for your everday life. It is really ideal for functional training. How it works is you use your bodyweight to help you get stronger, lose weight, and tone up. Every exercise that can be performed on the TRX involves the core(abs, back, pelvis) leading to a firmer midsection that everyone in the world is striving to achieve in the gym. Every muscle in the body can be worked using the TRX and every exercise can be made harder or easier by changing your body angle.
The best part about the TRX is that it can be used anywhere and attatched to pretty much any anchor point, hence the company name Fitness Anywhere. It can be used by anyone, anywhere.

All my clients at one time or another have used this piece of equipment. There are mixed reactions to it, some love it, some hate it, some love to hate it. Most love how their abs feel after using it for the first time, or after performing a new exercise.

I believe so much in this product that I have it posted on the bottom of this blog. Feel free to take a look around, see what you think. There's a great forum for all sorts of tips and tricks.

Kettlebells

2009-12-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

There's a new tool that's been seen in gyms these days and they're all the rage. Perhaps you've seen them. They're called kettlebells. These so called new tools have been around for a long time actually. A little history lesson: Kettlebells started in Russia as weights used in the markets and made their way to the training realm sometime after. They've been around.

If you've ever watched someone use a kettlebell, you might be waiting in anticipation of that person blowing out their back with the basic swing. However, done correctly, the KB swing is an effective exercise that targets the core, glutes, and hamstrings among other stabilizing muscles. Which brings me to my point. The swing needs to be done with proper form to be effective. Otherwise you're just doing a squat with a front raise(not that im knocking a great compound exercise). I can't even being to count how often I've seen gym members pick up a kettlebell and start throwing it around thinking they're doing it right based on some youtube video they saw an hour before they got to the gym.
What even gets me more annoyed is I've observed other trainers in various gyms that will employ the same learning tool. Observing other trainers teach improper techniques is just bad and irresponsible. This improper use of KB's is a main reason many gyms keep their KB's locked up and only qualified trainers have access to them, which I think is a great idea.

As a KBC Level 1 Instructor, I've spent time learning proper techniques because I believe it brings more professionalism to a field where just about anyone can become a trainer overnight(I'll save that for a later post).