Key Factors To A Perfect Workout

7 Key Factors for a Perfect Workout

Here are, in order, the 7 key phases you need to go through in order to have the perfect “fat burning, lean body sculpting” workout.

1 – Self-Massage

I’ve been doing this half-heartedly for years, but recently started taking this more seriously, using a foam roller, tennis ball, and Acuball to “tenderize” my muscles prior to training.

2 – Mobility Warm-up

Just like you see in all of the my workouts, I use bodyweight exercises, dynamic stretches, and even static stretches prior to training – depending on my needs or my client’s needs.

And thanks to the new TACFIT bodyweight program, I have cool new bodyweight moves to add to my warm-up, including:

The Top 5 exercises You Are NOT Doing

1. Lunge Knee Twist (p.85, ONLY in the TACFIT manual)
2. Swinging Tripod (p.86)
3. Scorpion Strike (p. 94)
4. Rocca Invert (p. 96)
5. Cossack Lunge (p. 107)

Seriously, those are cool exercises you can do ANYWHERE, anytime.

3 – Explosive Exercise
Before I hit my main strength exercise, I’ll do a jump exercise (if I am focusing on a lower body workout) or a medicine ball throw (if I’m focusing on bench presses or military presses).




4 – Main Exercise

Now I move to the main exercise, such as squats, deadlifts or bench presses (and military presses or handstand pushups). In most of my workouts, you’ll start with a superset of the most important exercises as your main lifts.

5 – Assistance Exercises
We’re about 15-20 minutes into a workout by now, and this is where I’ll add assistance exercises for my strength work or metabolic circuits for a fat loss program.

6 – Ab Endurance Exercises
Personally, I’ve been doing a lot of the basics – planks, side planks, Stability Ball planks, and rollouts. You get a little more variety, including Ball Pikes, plus Jackknives, cross-body mountain climbers, etc.
Just remember, you do NOT need (or want) to do crunches or sit-ups.

7 – Interval Training

“Interval training, has opened my mind up to a better way of getting in shape and losing weight. I am spending much less time in the gym, and obtaining results that I never thought possible – over 30 pounds in 6 weeks.”

Interval training is powerful and proven, and is an essential part of the perfect workout. If you aren’t using interval training in your workouts, then get started NOW to boost your fat burning with intervals today! Visit my Body by Bradley BOOTCAMPS at Body By Bradley Bootcamp



Yours in health,

Bradley

Body by Bradley Bootcamp

Body by Bradley Personal Training

Body by Bradley Weight Loss Membership Website

The importance of keeping a food journal

Do you keep a food journal to assist you on your weight loss journey?

Some people have never done any food journal or even writing their workouts down.

Yes, the truth is when I started training all those years ago I actually kept records because back then I didn’t have a computer, or any of the technology that people have access to now.

So, for me, it was pretty much old school. I used a sharpened pencil, and a spiral bound flip notebook, it was good enough for me at the time. I kept records of each workout. I’d weigh myself regularly and enter my weight in my notebook, and I would write my nutrition plan down in the same kind of book so that everything was time correlated.  It was a really primitive way of tracking.

When I keep records I don’t like to make them too complicated; I write it down and let it lie. No judgments associated with it. I am not second guessing myself. I am not asking “Am I doing the perfect stuff?” I find people can paralyze themselves by judging their journal.

Whether you keep a personal journal of your thoughts or of your workouts its important just to write it down, then to REFLECT ON IT OVER TIME TO SEE WHAT WORKED AND WHAT HASN’T WORKED.

Usually at the time you write it all down you probably won’t have the clarity of insight to see what’s working but you’ll see it when you look back in retrospect. This is kind of bigger picture stuff, so I don’t know if it’s helping people immediately lose fat, but the idea is you JUST WRITE IT DOWN. It only takes a few seconds every day.

Another trick I have for writing a journal that’s even simpler than writing the stuff down in a notebook is to get a large desktop calendar.  I’m talking the huge calendars with the big blocks for the dates. What I often do for myself, and I recommend it to my clients is just basically keep a nutrition and exercise log on this calendar.

Therefore every day that you’ve successfully completed your workout or some type of physical activity, whether it’s at the gym, or you went for a walk, you put a slash in one direction. Every day you felt you’ve successfully finished a nutritional good habit, I use habit rather than saying a “perfectly designed diet” you put a check in the opposite direction.

The idea is you basically get a big X mark on the days that you’ve been successful and on the days that you’re not successful there’s either only one slash or no slashes. It gives you a great way at the end of each month to look back and say, “How well did I really do this month?” I find a lot of people don’t have good memories, they remember the past through rose colored glasses.

So, they think, “I did a really great job this month. I don’t understand why I’m not losing fat.” But if they actually had calendar they would have seen that maybe they were only 50 percent compliant with what they should have been, so it’s a great way to keep track, it also a nice way to project goals into the future.

Rather than having complicated goals it’s great to just have a SIMPLE set of behavior goals. Just think how easy it is to ask yourself. “Can I get 90 percent of the days for October checked off, Yes? I did my workout? What about my nutrition habit?”

You’d be surprised how often accomplishing SIMPLE goals leads to PHYSIQUE PROGRESS. It seems very simple and I know sometimes people want to dig for deeper physiological changes, but this type of stuff works very, very well and it’s easy to record. People are often underestimating how powerful it is.





Regards,

Bradley

Body by Bradley Bootcamp

Body by Bradley Personal Training

Body by Bradley Weight Loss Membership Website

What is Interval Training?

It can be very frustrating if your spending a lot of time exercising, eating right, and not seeing the results. Let’s jump back to ...

What is the role of interval training vs. steady state aerobics in a fat loss program?

Interval training is more important than cardio. First of all, it gets more results in less time. And with “lack of time” being the number one reason most people do not participate in a training program at all, clearly intervals are the winner here.

Now let’s just assume that lack of time is not a problem, well, interval training is still more effective because it applies more “confusion” to the muscle. Or in scientific terms, interval training results in a greater metabolic stress on the muscle.

From there, the muscle must work to recover, repair, and replenish the energy that was used in the training. It is much more metabolic work for the muscle to recover from interval training (and strength training) then it is to recover from aerobic training.

Therefore, in the post-exercise period, interval training results in more calories burned.

In fact, Alwyn Cosgrove from Australia that shows interval training is superior to slow cardio for fat loss. The researchers, Trapp & Boutcher put WOMEN through a 15-week study where one group was a control, one group did intervals (20 minutes of alternating sprints and recovery), and one group did 40 minutes of slow cardio.

The interval group lost 2.5kg of fat in 15 weeks on average (with one subject losing 7. 7kg of fat), while the slow cardio group lost only 0.4kg of fat over 15 weeks!!

So don’t get hung up on how many calories are burned during a training session with aerobic training. That is not nearly as important as how many total calories your body burns over the course of the day – as you do with interval training.

And for those that subscribe to the fat burning zone as being important, again, you aren’t looking at the big picture (the 24-hour calorie burning period). Instead, those that believe in the importance of the fat-burning zone have a myopic view of how the body works.

So get intervalling!!! :-)

Yours in health,

Bradley

Body By Bradley (Bootcamp & Personal Training)
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Keeping Fat Loss Simple

The 3 simple steps that every successful individual has as the cornerstone of a solid weight loss program are...

1) You have to plan ahead – for both diet and exercise. - You have to plan your workouts. You have to plan your meals. You also have to plan to have solutions for the obstacles you come up against. Most people know they have to plan their meals, but they don’t realize they also need a plan for avoiding night snacking. So Plan!

2) Get more knowledge - Learn about what works for you. Record your food intake on a site like www.FitDay.com. Identify what foods keep you full and alert, and avoid the foods that do the opposite.  Also, track your workouts. Which ones give you results? What type of cardio is a waste of time? Etc.

3) Get social support - You need friends or family backing you up on this. Fortunately, if your “real world” friends just want to drag you to Pizza Hut, you can find help online, such as on my weight loss membership site at Fitness Health Monthly where everyone is happy to help and support you on your fat loss journey. But just remember – no one can do this on your own. Get social support!

So get planning and plot your road to weight loss success.

Your is health,

Bradley Ernstzen

befitpoland.magix.net
bernstzen@yahoo.com
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Fat Loss and the mistakes people make!

Nutrition is more important than training when it comes to fat loss as pointed. Basically if you don’t eat right you won’t lose fat, no matter how good your training program is.


It is important to remember that to achieve the results you desire you HAVE to training with INTENSITY.

Do not rely on long, slow, low intensity cardio. Use intervals instead. Interval training is broadly defined as repetitions of high-speed/intensity work followed by periods of rest or low activity.

 Use low reps when doing your weight training. You want to increase the intensity of your training to put ‘metabolic turbulence’ on your muscles. Therefore you need to use moderately heavy weights or advanced bodyweight exercises and interval cardio training to apply this metabolic disturbance and achieve a significant increase in post-exercise energy expenditure.

However, no matter how well you adhere to these training tips, you will not succeed without getting serious about your nutrition. Eating poorly can decrease testosterone (in males) and increase insulin in both men and women. This will cause fat storage. At the same time, too much cardio and stress can increase cortisol.

If you have high cortisol levels, increased insulin, and lower than normal testosterone, you are in big trouble when it comes to having a good body. This is why Pilates & Yoga can actually help when combined with good nutrition – because they can reduce the stress and bring those hormone levels back to normal. But my fat loss weapon of choice is more intense exercise, especially for men.

While cardio is focused on breaking down the body, strength training, yoga, and Pilates all focus on building the body. Stick with building your body.

Here are a few fat loss mistakes that a number of exercise participants make.Using Only Long Slow Cardio. There is definitely mixed research support for long, slow cardio.

Most studies will show you two things:
1)    If you don’t include calorie restriction, doing only aerobic training will get you nowhere.
2)    If you include calorie restriction, you will lose weight, but you will also lose lean body mass.

Plus, it just takes too much time up from your schedule. Stick to interval training instead. You will get the same, or in my experience, better results in half the time.

Sticking with the Same Program Too Long. In most gyms, every day is Groundhog Day (just like the movie).  You’ll see the same men and women doing the exact workout that they did 2 days previous. I see men and women using the exact same weight circuit as they did literally the day before, using the same weight, the same crappy form, and showing the same lack of interest.

These people are much better off doing fewer workouts following a structured plan of increased intensity.  

DON’T TRADE QUALITY FOR QUANTITY.

Doing High Rep-low Weight Isolation Exercises. Exercises such as triceps kickbacks, concentration curls, side raises, and ab crunches are almost a complete waste of time.  The men and women that use isolation exercises will not make any improvements. Unfortunately, this is the approach taken by a lot of people in the gym.

Do NOT become like these people mindlessly plodding their way through the gym and achieving nothing and going nowhere!

Yours in health,

Bradley

befitpoland.magix.net
fitnesshealthmonthly.com

Steady State Cardio or HIIT?

Ian King recently commented in one of his Q & A columns, “As to whether you respond best to higher intensity interval training (HIIT) or lower intensity steady state training will depend a lot on you. You should try both forms of cardio training and then decide which works best for you.


The best way to find out is to experiment. Many of the programs I create for my clients program are based on the latest scientific research.At the end of the day it is what produces the best results that matters.

 Interval training for cardio is highly effective and it is extremely time efficient. During interval training you have to be both physically and mentally engaged. Traditional cardio training has been known to bore people to death! :-)

There has been lots of studies done comparing low intensity, long duration cardio to HIIT. The research clearly shows the benefits and superiority of HIIT. However, it is important to remember that the research was comparing steady state cardio with HIIT.

Conventional cardio training can also be highly effective if the participant is able to keep their heart rate at the upper end of THEIR maximal heart rate for the duration of the workout. This is my prefered way of training via conventional cardio. I normally try and maintain my heart rate at about 156-160 ( 85% - 90% of my max heart rate) when working out.


Regardless of whether we’re talking about interval training or conventional cardio, you want to burn as many calories as you can given the time you have. I definitely don’t believe in the idea that low intensity cardio burns more total fat. That myth has clearly been debunked by the research, even though it still persists.

Naturally, beginners and de-conditioned people need to build some kind of fitness base before doing the really high intensity stuff. HIIT can be risky for certain people. Simple conventional cardio like walking is fantastic for the elderly and overweight, although cardio shouldn’t take precedence over weight training in any population.

Each person has to master the fundamentals first. Once you have that down, you begin to personalize.

That’s where a really good fitness professional comes in – to evaluate an individual’s situation and make the optimal exercise prescription within that particular context. There is no single best training approach because everyone is so different.

To fully maximize your fat loss potential you have to combine a good strength training program with either a HIIT or HIC component. But at the end of the day strength training plays an extremely pivotal role in fat loss because...

THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE THE MORE FAT YOU WILL BURN !!

Best in health,

Bradley Ernstzen

http://www.fitnesshealthmonthly.com/

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500 Challenge! Are you up for it?

Now onto our workout…a classic challenge program. Challenge workouts are some of the best things you can do.

I have had a number of inquiries as to my bodyweight programs. Typically the questions are how can you get fit if you do not have exercise machines or weights (dumbbells or barbells). How can you improve your cardio fitness without running, cycling, rowing  or elliptical machines.

To that I say try this routine and then come back and tell me if you think it is possible. The proof is in the pudding. You got to try it! This is especially for all those that love their spinning class :-) You got to get off your butt and move!

Here is the workout that I would like you to try. Complete the workout as quickly as you can without resting if possible.

VERY IMPORTANT! DO NOT PERFORM THE EXERCISES WITH POOR FORM

1. 50 Prisoner Squats
2. 50 Pushups
3. 25 Squat Jumps
4. 25 Stability Ball Leg Curls
5. 50 Stability Ball Jackknifes
6. 50 Step-ups (25 reps per side)
7. 25 Inverted Rows or Pull-ups
8. 50 Forward Lunges (25 reps per side)
9. 50 Close-grip Pushups
10. 50 Step Mountain Climbers
11. 50 Squats
12. 25 Inverted Rows or Chin-ups

Give it your best shot and remember to ALWAYS keep good form so that you will get the full benefit of the exericse.

Here is the link fot the video demonstrating the exercises in the workout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsKX-zvHsFA

Best in health,

Bradley

befitpoland.magix.net
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Top 5 Fat Busters!

Remember, you are NEVER to old for exercise and to lose those extra pounds of fat. Fat loss is within ALL our grasp.

Now with the holiday season approaching it is important that we do not let that get in the way of our fat loss goals. Plan ahead and try and work around any functions or special events that you will be going to. It is NOT that hard. All it takes is a little planning.

"HE WHO FAILS TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL"

Usually we say that it is hard or not possible because we are looking for an excuse! Do not be one of the thousands that will fail this holiday season. Make a PROMISE to yourself that you will succeed.

But if you plan ahead, doing the necessary health shop, and have your fat loss exercise schedule worked you will be able to achieve it. Prepare yourself both mentally and physically then you can lose fat over the festive period even with all the parties.

Ok, here goes...

Fat Buster #1 – Eat More Fruits & Vegetables

I know that you have heard this one before but it is true. Individuals on a low-fat diet that ate more fruits and vegetables lost more fat than another group on only the low-fat diet.

This was because the low fat fruit and vegetable group reported being less hungry, thanks to being able to eat more food than simply the low fat group.

Check it out here:
Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 85: 1465-1477, 2007.

So go ahead and enjoy all mother natures lovely fruits and veggies.

Fat Buster #2 - Drop the boring slow cardio and use Interval Training

Researchers  in Australia have found interval training to be the solution to stomach fat.

According to Professor Steve Boutcher, an Australian expert on interval training, “high intensity intermittent exercise may result in greater fat loss in the abdomen”.

That means that unlike doing hundreds of crunches, interval training can work to burn belly fat over everything else.

Fat Buster #3 -  One type of cardiovascular training that does work - High Intensity Cardio (HIC)

In another study, researchers compared high-intensity cardio against low-intensity cardio. Both groups burned the same amount of calories in their workouts (400), but the high-intensity group exercised for a shorter period!

The subjects in the Low-Intensity Cardio (LIC) group did not lose fat. On the other hand, the HIC (high-intensity cardio) group lost a significant amount of abdominal fat. Once again, research has show that exercising harder results in more belly fat loss in less time. And in fact, slow cardio does NOTHING for fat loss.

Check it out:
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008 Oct 8. Effect of Exercise Training Intensity on Abdominal Visceral Fat and Body Composition.

Fat Buster #4 -  Burn more calories by using Supersets in your workouts

The latest research shows that superset training – where you do two or more exercises straight after each other boosts your metabolism more than normal straight set workouts.

Fat Buster #5 -  Use lower reps when working with weights in your workouts for enhanced calorie burning

 In the study, researchers had women do two workouts. One workout was done with light weights and high reps, and the other workout was done with heavier weights and 8 reps per set.

The study found that the high intensity group burned more calories AFTER exercise and therefore the scientists recommend high intensity resistance training rather than low-intensity high rep lifting.

Check it out:
A Comparison  Of Two Different Resistance Training Intensities On Exercise Energy Expenditure And Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Thornton, K, Potteiger, JA. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Volume 33(5) Supplement 1, 2001, p S73.

So there you go. To get through this festive season do not leave anything to chance. Plan and prepare both your meal plans and workout schedule. make any alternative plans if it is needed. But most of all enjoy the time with family and friends and have fun on your fat loss journey.

Yours in health,

Bradley

Don't go at it alone

In my previous post I mentioned how having a support group is great for maintaining and increasing your motivation for fitness.

Today we cover how you and your support group can spread fitness like a virus. You will do this by encouraging other individuals who like fitness or desire to be fit into your group. Do not limit the size of your group. Build it up gradually. Remember you can be the catalyst for many starting a fitness program and/or maintaining one.

 

"Dr. Christakis mentions there are three reasons for this sort of relationship between us and our friends and how we impact each others’ lives. One is called INDUCTION which is where my behaviors impact yours. So I’m actually causing your change.

 Another it’s called HOMOPHILY - like birds of a feather they flock together – people who work out a lot tend to group together. So the first one is where I cause a change in your life. The other is where we just get together because we do the same things.

The third thing, it’s called a CONFOUNDING INFLUENCE where basically neither of the two above can describe why we’re impacting each other. 

So these are some explanations for this type of thing, but I’m a big believer in when we want to improve our lives the first step is not necessarily to do something, but it’s to notice. It’s to pay attention. And there’s a great quote in a book that I read recently, where the guy was just talking about, he was starting a family with his wife. And he just said a lot of people don’t pay attention in life.

The first thing is you have to understand how social networks play a role. You have to pay attention to our social network because it’s really, really important."

So surround yourself with positive people, workout together, encourage each other. Remeber the support group works both ways so be there to support and encourage your friends and this in turn is a great reinforcer of your commitment to fitness and health.

Best of health,

Bradley

Motivation and Exercise

From all my years exercising and working with personal training clients I have come to realize that MOTIVATION is the crucial factor in my clients maintaining an exercise program and reaching their goals.

Where does it come from? How do we maintain it? These are very good questions. As to the first it is directly related to a goal we set for ourselves. This is very important! The goal we set set has to be for ourselves and it must be attainable. If we have a clear defined goal our initial MOTIVATION levels will be high. This is good.

Now we need to act on it. Whatever goal you have set start acting on it now, today! Trust yourself that you have made the right decision and start. Get the right information and program applicable to your goal and act on it.

Now, however, comes the hard part. How do we maintain that initial motivation. For starters the goal that you set has to be attainable. Secondly, you have to constantly measure how well you are doing in relation to obtaining your goal. Are you on track? Do you need to work harder? Are you working too hard and constantly fatigued and down? Constantly measure and motivation levels will stay high.

Even more important than the measures set out above is to surround yourself with a strong support group. This can come from family, friends, colleagues, exercise friends or people helping you directly in pursuit of your goal.

Working out with a partner, friends or a motivated personal trainer will help you along and constantly fire the motivation. My group exercise classes are a riot and I am constantly pushing my clients to reach higher and achieve more. It works so well because all the participants can relate to what they are experiencing and motivate each other along.

So do not go at it alone. Get people around you that will motivate and encourage you.

Stay strong and motivated.

Bradley

http://befitpoland.magix.net/

Bodyweight exercise at home or workout in the gym?

Currently there are a myriad contrasting schools of thought in this regard. Personally I am on the side of the bodyweight school.

 Nevertheless, I do realise that working out in a gym has it benefits. These been having access to a wider variety of equipment. Especially dumbbells and barbells. I am not a big fan of exercise machines and would advise many gym members to steer clear of these. Why?

Well, we as human beings were designed to move and function as a whole unit. Not to sit in a machine and only work individual muscles. That is why bodyweight, dumbbell and barbell exercise are far superior and recommended over machines. Exercise machines are simply the flash in any modern gym!

Many gym members are been led to believe that more is better. That they simply cannot live without the new exercise machines or the latest fad classes or workout routines. Do not be fooled. You have all you need to get into the best shape of your life with you at ALL times. Your body.

No Gym Required

Once you have mastered bodyweight exercises and routines then you can add some variety by adding dumbbell and barbell workouts. But you DO NOT need the gym. And no gym means no gym memberships, no tedious travelling and no waiting for machines or equipment. EVER!!!

But let me state for the record right now, you do not need the gym but you may love the gym! That is ok. Just make sure that you put your time to good use in the gym with effective training and intensity. I spent many years working out in gym and I loved the atmosphere and friendship amongst my fellow weight lifters. But I came to work not to pose or piss about. Now I can achieve all that I did with weights by using bodyweight exercises. I will show to how as well.

Unfortunately, that is what many gym members do and then wonder why the never get any better. Through this blog I will be sharing my training principles and workouts routines for you to follow. To show you what is possible without lifting a single weight, sitting in any useless machines or running/cycling/rowing aimlessly on cardio machines!

Enjoy.

Bradley