In the Beginning, Hire A Personal Trainer

Image via WikipediaI recently read an article that offered inexpensive alternatives to hiring a personal trainer.  The article mentioned places where you can get "how to" fitness information online.  While, you can find a lot good fitness information and excellent exercise routines on the web, you will also find some information that's not worth following.  Therefore, you need to have enough knowledge about health and fitness to distinguish the good information from the bad.  So, if you are new to exercise and thinking of beginning a fitness program, I suggest you hire a good nationally certified personal trainer.  A personal trainer can assess your physical characteristics and lifestyle and custom design a program just for you.

I also think you should at least have a trainer custom design a program for you even if are going to workout on your own.  They can teach you the proper form and technique to use for each exercise, so when you are working out you can be confident you are doing the routine properly.  I can't count the number of times I've seen people following some exercise routine they've downloaded and doing most of the exercises incorrectly and  consequently injure themselves.

In addition, a personal trainer can also educate you about health and fitness, so when you do search for new exercise routines on the web you can distinguish the good ones from the not so good.  This alone is a good reason to invest in hiring a personal trainer.

Is More Intensity Always Better?

Image via WikipediaAs a personal trainer in my 50s I realize the value of a good fitness program in helping me to stay healthy, strong, and active.  However, I'm bothered by some of the fitness routines I see trainers having people do who are over the age of 40.

It seems the more intense the program the better people think they are.  I see trainers having people who are over 40 jumping on and off plyometric boxes, (risking injury to their knees, ankles, and lower back) until they are drowning in their own sweat. I see people who are de-conditioned being pushed by trainers to do giant sets of push-ups, squats, lunges, and you name it until they literally can't move another muscle fiber.

It leads me to question whether doing more intensity is always better (especially for the 40 plus crowd)?  In my 17 years of experience as a personal trainer and a person over the age of 40, I have to say no.  You can have anyone do jump squats until they are standing in a pool of their own sweat, but is that necessary what they need?

When working with clients over the age of 40, you have to take the following things into consideration when designing a fitness program for them.

• How long it's been since they've done any exercise regularly?
• What kind of regular exercise are they use to doing?
• Do they have any condition that requires a doctor's approval before beginning a physical fitness program?
• Any prior injuries that would prohibit certain exercises?
• The condition of their ankle, knee, and shoulder joints.
• Their core strength.
• Do they have any muscular skelotor imbalances?
• Are their fitness goals realistic?
• Are they former athletes?  Sometimes they think they can still do what they did 20 years ago.

I know as a trainer you want your clients to see results quickly.  However, sometimes the best workout you can do with your client is one where they don't even break a sweat. 

Get Fit And Lean In 15 Days

Image via WikipediaI've been searching the web recently for credible information on exercise and fitness.  I'm amazed at the huge number of programs promising dramatic results in as little as 15 days.  I'm a certified personal trainer, fitness author, and competitive natural bodybuilder and I know better than to subscribe to one of these programs, but the general public does not.

While achieving dramatic results from your fitness program in a short period of time is possible, the probability of sustaining your results for a long time is very unlikely.  It takes me 16 weeks of intense exercise and very strict dieting to get ready to compete in a bodybuilding competition, and I cannot sustain that peak physical condition for very long.  So, buying into those quick fix programs is a waist of your money, because you can't keep up the effort it takes to sustain the results for the long-term.

Staying healthy and fit is a lifetime effort which is most easily accomplished through balance and moderation in your diet combined with regular exercise.  The quick fix approach is just a short-term answer to a long-term problem.

As promised I'm starting a contest to giveaway a copy of my book Forever Fit and Firm.  All of the exercises that I have posted about over the last few weeks have come from my book.  There's only two requirements to enter the contest. 1. Become a follower of my blog and send me a comment stating your favorite exercise from one of my previous posts.  2. Become a Facebook Fan of mine and send me a comment telling me your favorite food.

The contest starts March 1st and ends March 31st.  Good luck!

Two Exercises For Strong Sexy Abs

Seated Ball Twist - Start

Seated Ball Twist - Finish

Here are two exercises that compliment each other to give you a strong sexy mid-section.  The seated ball twist develops the upper portion of your abdominal muscle, and also your obliques.  The vertical knee raise develops the lower portion of you abdominal muscle and also strengthens your lower back.  When you combine these two movements in one workout you really develop and strengthen your whole core.


The seated ball twist is a very good exercise for abdominal development and strength. Sit on the floor with a slight bend in your legs. Hold a therapeutic ball in front of you with your arms fully extended. Lean back slightly, pick your chest up high and pull your naval in. Now turn your shoulders to one side and touch the ball to the floor and then turn to the other side and do the same. A complete revolution counts as one repetition. Be sure you arms stay extended throughout this exercise. Breathing pattern is to exhale as you touch the ball to the floor and inhale as you bring the ball across your body.

Vertical Knee Raise - Start

Vertical Knee Raise - Finish

Vertical knee raises strengthens and develops your abdominal and lower back muscles. Position yourself on the machine to where your weight is resting on your elbows and your lower back is firmly press against the back rest. This is your start position. Exhale and slowly brings your legs towards your chest while slightly bending your knees. Lift your legs to a little higher than parallel to the floor and slowly return to your start position.

Do as many repetitions of the seated ball twist as you can and then immediately do as many of vertical knee raises as possible.  Repeat this cycle 3 times for a serious burn in your mid-section.

Weight Lifting Keeps You Looking Fit and Firm as You Age

Image via WikipediaI had a client once tell me that she started working out with weights to keep from getting "loose on the bone." I had never heard that expression before, so I had to ask her want it meant. She explained that as people got older, she could always tell the one's who lifted weights as a part of their fitness program from those who did not. She said that the people who worked-out with weights always looked more fit and firm compared to those who primarily did cardiovascular exercise as part of their fitness programs. Thus, the term "loose on the bone" is an expression for that soft and jiggly look that people get as they age.

As a personal trainer with over 17 years of experience in the fitness industry, and being in my fifties, I can attest to the truth of getting "loose on the bone" if your fitness program consists mainly of cardiovascular exercise. While cardiovascular exercise should be a part of any fitness program, strength training also known as weight lifting should be the foundation of your exercise program as you approach your 40s and beyond.

You start to naturally lose muscle mass starting around age 40. Strength training can minimize, and even stop this from occurring. This is important because, muscle is the active component of your body that burns most of the calories that you consume. Muscle, also keeps you looking fit and firm. Each pound of muscle burns about 6 calories daily even at rest and more when you are active.

You naturally lose one to one and one-half pounds of muscle each year starting in your 40s, and this muscle loss is replaced by fat if you don't adjust your diet and your activity level accordingly. Cardiovascular exercise is great for burning fat, but it can't stop you form losing muscle, and too much cardiovascular exercise causes you to lose muscle even faster.

Therefore, as you approach your 40s, you should start to incorporate more weight lifting into your fitness routine. If you do it regularly, I promise you will never "get loose on the bone."

In my next post I'll explain the basics of a good weight lifting program.

There Are No Excuses To Achieving Your Fitness Goals

Image via WikipediaThis morning a had a message from one of my clients who called last night to cancel her workout session for today. Which is okay with me because she has already paid me in advance for the session. After listening to the message, it made me think of all the excuses some people make when it comes to their own health and fitness.

Ever notice that the people who are always complaining about how they can't lose weight or how they can't get in-shape are the same people who make excuses why they can't exercise or eat healthy on a consistent basis? Getting healthy and fit and staying healthy and fit is a lifetime commitment. The older you get the more important it is to stay consistent in your fitness program.

The biggest problem with people who make excuses why they can't workout consistently is they think that they can get the results that they desire by doing their fitness program "once in a while." That's like thinking you can be healthy by only eating two or three times a month. It's just doesn't work that way.

In my 17 years of working as a personal trainer I have never seen anyone achieve their fitness goals with a "once in a while approach." To achieve and maintain your fitness goals you have to make a lifetime commitment to exercising and eating a healthy diet on a regular basis. No excuses.

My Clients Motivate Me To Stay Fit

Image via WikipediaI'm a personal trainer and part of my job is to motivate my clients to workout regularly. However, I often find that my clients motivate me to workout when I have one of those days that I just don't feel like going to the gym.

Being a personal trainer means I am also a role model. I've got to stay fit in order for my clients follow my advice. Would you go to a dentist who had rotten teeth? The same logic goes for me, would you pay a personal trainer who's fat and out-of-shape? No.

The majority of my clients are over 40 years old. They want to recapture their youthful energy and shape. I'm in my 50s and I show them that is possible. I'm stronger and more fit now than I was in my 20s. Thus, I have to stay in-shape.

So, when I have one of those days that I don't feel like working-out, I just think about my clients who look at me as their role model. I can't let them down nor can I afford to let myself down consequently, I find my way to the gym and I have a good workout.

To all my clients out there. Thank you for motivating me to stay fit.

My Fitness Routine

Lots of people are starting to ask me what I personally do to stay fit. I'll be 52 years old in November and I feel honored that people think that I am in great shape for any age.

Well, I have great motivation to stay physically fit. I'm a personal trainer who specializes in fitness over 40 so, I have to be a great role model. I must show my clients and others by my actions and lifestyle that they can look good and feel great at any age.

First, I believe that health and fitness starts with a positive mental attitude. The way you think is reflected in the way you look and feel. A cheery disposition goes a long way in healing many ailments.

Second, I exercise on a regular basis. I weight lift 4 times each week and follow that up with 20 minutes of medium intensity cardio after each session. I can't over-emphasize the importance of strength training as you age. Building and maintaining muscle is key to staying fit and firm as mature.

Third, I practice balance and moderation in my diet. No amount of exercise can compensate for a unhealthy diet. Knowing approximately how many calories you consume each day and what percentage of those calories come from carbohydrates, protein, and fat is essential to balancing your diet. Balance and moderation in the foods you eat is easy to incorporate into your life and it's the long-term solution to a healthy diet.

Being healthy and fit is not that difficult. You have the power in your hands to change your life anytime you want to and I'll be here cheering you on.