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Tag: Online Personal Training

But What if I Gain the Weight Back?

May 1, 2021
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| Health and Wellness

You started an exercise and nutrition program and have lost some weight and can finally fit into your old “skinny” jeans and clothes again. You are extremely happy, and you should be. You have made an amazing accomplishment. It is at this point that I like to say to clients “now it is time to donate all of your “fat”, “old” clothes because you won’t be needing them anymore. Unfortunately, at this point the client often replies “but what if I get fat again?” Here is why it is important to change your mindset if you wan to maintain your results for the long run.

In his awesome book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill tells this story. “A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield.

He was about to send his armies against a powerful enemy, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing his men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores alive unless we win!

We now have no choice—we win, or we perish! Well guess what? They won!

To be successful in whatever goal you are undertaking then this is a very important and often overlooked concept. When you are attempting to accomplish something and enter into it already thinking about your “escape” plan that you have to fall back on, will you really and truly continue to give it 100%? Especially during tough times that will inevitably pop up from time to time? Probably not.

Now I am not saying it is not a great idea to have a back up plan but if that plan is also comforting you in a way that already has you thinking that you are going to fail in the long run then guess what? You WILL fail in the long run.

To keep the burning desire to reach your goals alive you need to eliminate things that will make it easy for you to retreat from your challenge when the going gets tough. If you remove the sources of retreat then you will have no choice but to succeed.

Let’s apply this to fat loss. If you keep your “fat “ clothes just in case you gain the weight back then you are already planning to gain the weight back. I see this happen all the time.

Let’s take a different approach. You just lost a bunch of weight and all of your clothes are too loose. Schedule a time and take all of the clothes that are too big for you now and confidently donate them to people that can use them. Then when you have a slip up from time to time and start to feel your “skinny” clothes getting a little tight use this as a sign to tighten up your diet (instead of your clothes) and get more consistent with your exercise before you fall to far off the wagon.

If you are serious about wanting to be leaner, healthier and fitter then “burn your boats” don’t give yourself an easy out for when you get in a rut. Remind yourself that this new lifestyle is who you are now. Not the unhappy, unhealthy and unfit person you were before. You got this!

Yours in health,

Kevin

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Increase Workout Intensity With Isometrics Part 1

April 9, 2021
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| Workouts

Isometric exercises are exercises that involve the maximal contraction of muscles without any movement in the surrounding joints. The constant tension on the muscles may help improve muscle endurance, strength, hypertrophy and support dynamic exercises. Isometrics can be done against an immovable object like a wall (absolute Isometrics) or by holing a weight in a fixed position and contracting the muscle without moving (yielding isometrics). There are other types of isometrics, but they are all subtypes of the above.  

Isometric holds can be used to strengthen a weak point in a specific joint range of motion. They can also be useful for injuries when you cannot yet move a muscle through a full range of motion without pain. Isometrics can also be AWESOME if you have limited equipment or only bodyweight and need to make the workout more challenging and increase intensity.

For this post I will use an example of one type of yielding isometrics, Iso-Dynamic. There are a few different ways to do Iso-Dynamic Isometrics but for this workout we will do a version where we prefatigue a muscle for 30-45 seconds of an isometric exercise and then go immediately into 10-12 reps of full range repetitions. This version causes an intense burn and will have your muscles shaking and burning in no time flat.

Before you begin, realize that it is important to maximally contract the muscle (flex) while you are holding it in the isometric position to achieve optimal results. You are not simply trying to hold the weight in the position.

For the following program you will need a bench or Swiss ball, barbell and squat rack or set of dumbbells and a set of dumbbells. Use whatever Dumbbells you have available. If you have a few different pairs of different weights that’s ideal.

Day 1: Pre fatigue Isodynamic Chest and Back

A1) Isometric Dumbbell Bench Press. (Use a bench or Swiss ball) Hold upper arms parallel to floor position. 30-45 seconds the do 10-12 reps of regular dumbbell bench press. Rest 75 seconds

A2) Isometric Dumbbell Bent Over Row. Squeeze the shoulder blades together and hold the weights just below the abdominals for 30-45 seconds then do 10-12 reps regular dumbbell bent over rows. Rest 75 seconds

Repeat for 3 supersets sets and then move on to the secondary exercises. (B1, B2 etc.)

B1) Feet Elevated on Swiss Ball Push-ups. 3 sets of 12-15 reps 3010 tempo Rest 60 seconds

B2) Renegade Rows. 3 sets of 10-12 reps each arm. Rest 60 seconds.

Repeat for 3 supersets sets and then move on to the secondary exercises. (C1, C2 etc.)

C1) Incline Dumbbell Chest Fly on Swiss ball or Bench 3 sets of 12-15 reps 3-0-1-0 tempo 10 second’s rest.

C2) Single Dumbbell Pullover on Swiss Ball or Bench 3 sets of 12-15 reps 3-0-1-0 tempo 75 second’s rest

Repeat for 3 supersets.

Day 2: Pre fatigue Isodynamic-Legs

A1) Isometric Squat (Barbell, Dumbbells or Body Weight) hold thighs parallel to floor position. 30-45 seconds then do 10-12 reps of regular squats. Rest 90 seconds

A2) Isometric Hamstring Curl (Machine or Use a Swiss Ball) hold knees 90 Degrees 30-45 seconds then do 8-10 reps regular hamstring curls. Rest 90 seconds

Repeat for 3 supersets sets and then move on to the secondary exercises. (B1, B2 etc.)

B1) Dumbbell Split Squats 3 sets of 8-10 reps each leg. 3010 tempo Rest 75 seconds

B2) Single Leg Dumbbell Pendulum RDL 3 sets of 12-15 reps 3010 tempo Rest 75 seconds.

Repeat for 3 supersets sets and then move on to the secondary exercises. (C1, C2 etc.)

C1) Iso Single Leg Calf Raise 30-45 seconds then do 10-12 reps of regular single leg calf raise. Rest 60 seconds

C2) Iso Dynamic V-Sit 3 sets 30-45 seconds then 10-12 V-Ups. Rest 60 seconds

Repeat for 3 supersets sets.

Day 3: Pre fatigue Isodynamic-Shoulders and Arms

A1) Isometric Seated Dumbbell Military Press. (Sit on a bench, chair or Swiss ball) Hold upper arms parallel to floor position. 30-45 seconds the do 10-12 reps of regular military press. Rest 75 seconds

A2) Isometric Dumbbell Bicep Curl. Hold elbows 90 Degrees 30-45 seconds then do 10-12 reps regular bicep curls. Rest 75 seconds

Repeat for 3 supersets sets and then move on to the secondary exercises. (B1, B2 etc.)

B1) Isometric Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension. Hold forearms parallel to floor position for 30-45 seconds then do 10-12 reps of regular lying dumbbell triceps extensions. Rest 75 seconds

B2) Isometric Side Dumbbell Lateral Raise. Hold arms parallel to floor position with palms facing down for 30-45 seconds then do 10-12 reps of regular side dumbbell lateral raise. Rest 75 seconds

Repeat for 3 supersets sets and then move on to the secondary exercises. (C1, C2 etc.)

C1) Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curls 3 sets of 10-12 reps 3-0-1-0 tempo 10 second’s rest.

C2) Triceps Push-ups 3 sets of 12-15 reps 3-0-1-0 tempo 10 second’s rest

C3) Bent Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 sets of 12-15 reps 2-0-1-1 tempo 90 second’s rest.

Repeat for 3 supersets.

There you have it. A great workout using prefatigued Iso-Dynamic Isometrics. Give the workout a try for 5-6 weeks and let me know how it goes. You should notice some definite strides in strength and muscle gain. If this style of workout interests you please check out world renowned strength coach Cristian Thibaudeau’s article Isometrics: The most underrated training tool.

I will have another post next week using this same method for a total body boot camp style workout with video demonstrations so please check back. The workout is one of the exact workouts we did this week in my Online Virtua Boot Camps and it was a burning and shaking good time. 

Lastly, I use a similar form of prefatigued iso-dynamic isometrics as part of the workouts in the Trinity 6-Week Home Training and Nutrition Transformation Program. I just lowered the price for this awesome program to only $29! If you train at home or are planning to then this a great program to take your results to a whole new level.

Yours in health.

Kevin

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