my gym trainer

Working Out Increases Intelligence

Tags: better workouts, burning fat, children's fitness, family fitness, fitness trainer, healthy living, jill coleman, my gym trainer, personal trainer, training for women, weight training, women's workouts, workout book

From Brawn to Brain Power, How Exercise Makes Us Smarter
Our bodies evolved in motion.  Our hunter-gatherer ancestors, as they’ve come to be called, did not sit at desks or in caves all day.  They had to move to eat–or be eaten.  It was in this natural environment of motion that the human brain literally evolved.

Ask any runner or fitness fiend and most will tell you that their best ideas come while they’re working out and it’s not their imagination…or maybe it is…their creative imagination that is!  Exercise literally increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, refreshes our brain cells and stimulates new synaptic exchanges that are a vital part of the creative, thinking mind.

The other time the brain does this the most?  In sleep!  So the message here is to remember these two basic things:  exercise and adequate rest are not optional, they are essential, and can even make you smarter.

So, next time you need more mental juice or feel “brain dead” as the saying goes, try some simple exercise to get your blood flowing, such as a brisk walk, a few rounds of climbing stairs, squat jumps or some good ole jumping jacks, and you’ll be amazed at how very effective a couple of active minutes can be.  Power naps work for some people and can be just the thing, but often the nap is as much about getting horizontal to shift the blood flow as much as the actual need for a nap.  For those who have a hard time fitting exercise into their schedule, try three minutes of a vigorous–but safe–activity instead.  The results should be energizing!

A great and enjoyable resource for learning more about how the brain functions, written in language that had my teenage daughter chuckling more than once as she studied it, is Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina.  It’s a favorite in our household and if you buy it from my daughter’s blog, (she’s a budding teen entrepreneur), she will send your book with her FREE study guide, great for teens, college students and as a teacher resource.

Order Brain Rules from:
www.DevaniAnjali.com (includes a FREE student/teacher study guide)
Or, your usual favorite book source, and for more information and fun videos by author John Medina:  www.BrainRules.com

Fitness-on-the-go for Holiday Travel

Tags: my gym trainer, my trainer fitness, personal trainer, training for women, travel workouts

It’s a wonderful time of year, holidays are upon us and for many of us that means travel.  Whether by plane or car you may find yourself sitting for prolonged periods of time, eager to be active once you reach your destination! A few helpful tips from My Trainer Fitness will prepare you for your workouts on the go and enable you to make healthy nutritional choices.

Equip yourself!
If you are visiting family, a gym may not be an option. That’s ok! You can take your My Gym Trainer books or any of the My Trainer Fitness 6-Packs. Bring a pair of dumbbells or it may be likely that your family or friends have a pair kicking around in their garage or basement J  One product we recommend is Aquabells; water inflatable dumbbells that compress for travel! www.aquabells.com.  Just don’t forget to pack workout shoes and clothing and you’re set! Fitness on the go can be easy and portable workouts are the solution!

Improvise!
So you’re prepared but discover a lack of equipment at the local gym or hotel?  No problem!  You can do similar exercises for the same body part! Flip to another week of workouts or think of an exercise you have done in past. If an exercise calls for a barbell, use dumbbells. If you don’t have access to an exercise ball you can likely use a mat.  And if you don’t have access to the gym then head outside!  Change your cardio from machine based to walking or running intervals. Make it fun to figure out alternate options and you’ll feel stronger and smarter afterward!  J

Recruit!
Sharing your fitness knowledge and passion is a great way to give back! Involve your friends and family in your workout! Show them how fun and easy fitness on the go can be!  And don’t forget the kids! My Trainer Fitness for Kids are fun fitness games and drills for kids perfect to get everyone involved in the fitness revolution! Fitness  and workouts for kids is essential with an obesity epidemic upon us!

It may seem to be a “no brainer” that we should be active while traveling and even—especially—during holidays, but it can be easy to get off track during these times.  So with just a little planning and commitment to be active each day, even if it’s just a brisk walk around the block, helps keep us healthy and balanced.  You will be glad you did because it’s never easy…always worth it!™

Family Circle Online Edition, featuring… us!

Tags: fitness training, get in shape, healthy living, lose weight, my gym trainer, my trainer fitness, new workout, personal trainer, six pack, training for women, women's workouts

25-Minute Best-Body Workout!

Bat Wings. Wobble Arm.

Tags: better workouts, fitness training, my gym trainer, weight training, workout book

For many women the back of the arm or the triceps region is considered a trouble spot.  This is considered a “testosterone point” which means that the higher the levels of testosterone in the body, the less likely fat is to be stored here.  That means that exercises targeting this area must utilize a challengingly heavy weight, and work to the point of failure.  Some great exercises to include in your triceps arsenal include:

1. Triceps Dip: This is an exercise staple and should be performed at the beginning of a triceps workout. Advanced trainees should attempt to complete a few repetitions with no assistance, for a guaranteed failure.  Once you get there, add some assistance and rep them out until failure is reached again.
2. French Press:  Also commonly known as “Skull-Crushers”, if you have ever attempted a heavy set of these, you probably know the name of the exercise rings all too true, so be sure to use a weight you can manage on your own, starting lighter and working your way up if you’re not sure.  Check out My Gym Trainer for instructional photos on this technical exercise, which is one of the best for isolation of the triceps and will guarantee soreness for days.
3. Heavy Squats: Squats for triceps?! Believe it or not, incorporating other exercises that use multiple muscle groups across several joints are huge generators of testosterone release which can also benefit the triceps.  Though it sounds counter-intuitive, getting to failure using a heavy weight on squats is a great way to prevent fat storage in the triceps!  Other exercises include Cleans and Presses, Push Presses and Deadlift Rows.

MGT Reviews: The Fabulous Finds

Tags: burn fat, fabulous finds, fitness training, lose weight, my gym trainer, personal trainer, weight training

Reviewed by: Melinda, ID

I am very impressed with My Gym Trainer 3. For someone who enjoys exercise, I love the way it has a different workout every day, targeting different areas each day. I also love that it has tips and facts throughout the book.

The pictures are very helpful and the core workouts seem challenging but achievable. I would use this product with a few of my own variations. One downfall is that it can be very difficult to get to the gym 6 days a week.

It would also be helpful to have a few examples of meal ideas and types of foods that should be eaten with each workout day. Overall, the My Gym Trainer seems like a great tool to help tone and achieve a peak fitness level and I am excited to see the results!

For more MGT reviews on The Fabulous Finds, CLICK HERE!

CLICK HERE to purchase My Gym Trainer! For more information, visit: http://www.mytrainerfitness.com

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The Types and Importance of Stretching

Tags: dynamic stretches, fitness training, flexibility training, isometric stretches, my gym trainer, static stretches, Stretching, yoga

Stretching is very important, but it should be done when muscles are warmed up, preferably during or after a workout.

Your daily workout cards do not include stretching, however it is highly recommended that you incorporate at least five minutes of stretching at the end of each workout.

Many people have favorite stretches that work best for them and their body. So, feel free to create your own stretching routine or follow the simple guidelines for stretching positions.

There are three kinds of stretches: Dynamic, Static and Isometric.

Dynamic Stretching involves gentle stretches while in motion; no bouncing or forcing. This is the only type of stretch that should be performed before your workout.

Static Stretches are characterized by stretching slightly past the point of comfort without injury, and then holding it. These should not be particularly painful but will definitely elicit a stretch. Hold 10-30 seconds for each stretch.

Isometric Stretches involve the pressing or pulling against a solid and immovable object and is considered one of the most effective forms of stretching. For example, pulling or pushing against a wall, doorway or bar; using the ground to push against while in a lunge position to stretch the calves. The idea is to use leverage to “pull” or “push” yourself into a more intense stretch than could naturally be achieved with bodyweight alone.

Yoga is a great way to stretch and relax and incorporates all three of these stretching techniques. A good yoga class at least once a week can be a great addition to any exercise regimen and should leave your body feeling very relaxed and well-balanced, while aiding the recovery of muscles you have worked during the week. Flexibility training elicits a feeling of rejuvenation and more importantly—aids in the nourishment of muscles and soft tissues by increasing bloodflow and nutrients to these areas for optimum strength, function and body composition.

CLICK HERE to purchase My Gym Trainer! For more information, visit: http://www.mytrainerfitness.com

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The What, Why and How of Circuit Training

Tags: burning fat, Circuit Training, fitness training, losing weight, my gym trainer, personal trainer

In traditional machine and weight exercise routines, exercisers rest for minutes at a time in between sets of a specific exercise. If you want to be more efficient with time while burning more fat, Circuit Training is the way to go.

Circuit Training describes a way of moving through exercises that maximizes fat-burning and cardiovascular training by keeping the heart rate and breathing up throughout the workout. When performing “circuits,” you will never find yourself sitting on a machine and resting (wasting) minutes at a time. Instead, each circuit containing 2-4 exercises is designed so that you move from one exercise to the next with virtually no rest in between.

In a Circuit, you perform a given number of repetitions for Exercise 1 and from there immediately go to Exercise 2 for the given number of repetitions, then onto Exercise 3 and so on. Once you complete the first “set” (each exercise done once for the applicable number of repetitions), go back to the beginning and start on Set #2 with Exercise 1, repeating the entire cycle,  usually 3-4 times.

In My Gym Trainer, each workout card will indicate how many sets (or times through each exercise) it should be performed. It’s okay to drink water and take short rests when necessary, but try your best to keep moving.

The idea behind circuit training is to keep the heart rate elevated throughout the workout to maximize cardiovascular conditioning, while also maintaining some lactic acid in the muscles to create a burn.

Lactic acid release is critical in forcing the body to respond, as its accumulation assures that the muscle is being sufficiently worked; so don’t be afraid of the “burn.” Doing a workout that allows for very little rest guarantees a somewhat constant stream of lactic acid accumulation in varying degrees. However, because you are doing different exercises back to back, there is some relief in that synergistic muscles are working, but at different angles.

Overall, circuit-style training can boost fat-burning effects while saving time and improving  the cardiovascular effects of resistance training.

CLICK HERE to purchase My Gym Trainer! For more information, visit: http://www.mytrainerfitness.com

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DANDELION! A Favorite High-Nutrient Salad

Tags: dandelion salad, Fitness, my gym trainer, my trainer fitness, Nutrition, organic salads

A favorite salad from a favorite store, is dandelion salad from Whole Foods Market’s Recipes.

Easy to make and rich in vitamins and minerals, dandelion greens are also relatively inexpensive yet pack a powerful anti-oxidant punch for strengthening the immune system.  A virtual pharmacopeial treasure chest, dandelions are known as a digestive-supporting herb.  They increase bile flow in the liver, which promotes digestion of fats and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, K and E. 

Dandelion leaves, flowers and even the roots have been used for centuries in herbal teas as a medicinal plant.  Today, dandelion parts turn up in coffee substitutes, and even wine. Dandelions are rich in the minerals potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium.  They contain nature’s highest level of vitamin A, as well as many B vitamins important for energy metabolism.  As with all vegetables, they are a great source of fiber.

Dandelion Greens with Warm Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 6 to 8
Make sure to serve these dandelion greens right after tossing them in the warm garlic-infused vinaigrette.

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds dandelion greens
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Trim off thickest part of the stems and discard along with any tough leaves. Roughly chop remaining greens and transfer to a large salad bowl.

Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over low heat. Add garlic and hazelnuts and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper.

Pour hot vinaigrette over greens and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Nutrition
Per Serving (174g-wt.): 140 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 5g protein, 16g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=681

DISCLAIMER:
We’ve provided this special diet and nutritional information for educational purposes. But remember — we’re not doctors and this is information, not professional advice! You should follow the advice of your health-care provider. And since product formulations change, check product labels for the most recent ingredient information.

CLICK HERE to purchase My Gym Trainer! For more information, visit: http://www.mytrainerfitness.com

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WOMEN: Build Muscle, Burn Fat and Lose Inches with My Gym Trainer

Tags: building muscle, burn fat, get in shape, heavy weights, lose weight, my fitness, my gym trainer, personal trainer, weight lifiting

By Jill Coleman

Women love to lift light pink weights to prevent bulking up.  As a trainer, I personally savor the moment when a female client comes to me and says that she doesn’t like to lift heavy weights because she doesn’t want to get “big” or because her “legs get big really quickly with weights” or some similar precaution.  These comments from women excite me because it means that I get the chance to change their perspective and show them amazing results with challenging, heavy weight—results they never dreamed of: inches lost, improved energy, better sleep quality, increased sexual drive, stress dissipation, improved self esteem and sense of empowerment.  I usually begin by saying that I guarantee that without challengingly heavy weight they will not see a single change in their physique, period.  They can literally do hundreds and hundreds of reps with light weight and end up with no curves, no definition, no cuts, and no inches lost to show for it.

The problem with light weights

In general, 90% of female gym-goers unknowingly train for endurance by doing things like jogging on the treadmill, zoning out on the elliptical or taking a 60-minute Power Pump “toning” class.  Essentially, in my opinion, lifting light weights for reps on end is the same thing as jogging, i.e. applying a light stimulus for a longer duration (endurance training).  Interestingly, 90% of female gym-goers are wanting fat loss, and yet they are training for endurance; in other words, they doing long, slow workouts with light-to-moderate resistance in order to be able to maintain a steady exertion for the duration of the workout.  If it is fat loss we want, why are we not training ourselves for it???

Hour-long toning classes require the participant complete hundreds of reps, with the goal of increasing weight lifted, all the while performing the same exercises.  Though incremental increases in weight are a great way to increase intensity, how much weight can you really add when you are expected to complete 100 reps with it?  Moreover, you are always doing the same exercises, class after class, to which we know that our bodies adapt more and respond less (i.e. burn less calories, build less muscle, release fewer amounts of fat-burning hormones) over time.

Furthermore, besides being a ridiculously-inefficient use of time, lifting with a weight light enough to complete sets of 30, 40 or even 50 reps elicits a very different hormonal response than that of heavier, more intense training.  At the physiological level, completing hundreds of reps using pink dumbbells essentially does the same thing as jogging in terms of the hormonal response.  It increases the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, but without the complementary release of fat-burning hormones like growth hormone, testosterone and even lactic acid, which acts as a chemical messenger in the fat-burning process.   The low-intensity resultant hormonal soup promotes muscle break-down and potentially even fat storing in the middle (cortisol is known as the “belly fat” hormone).  Doing these kinds of workouts day after day promotes stripping of muscle, not building.  The stimulus used is never enough to promote growth and development.  The only way to increase fat-burning while building muscle is to lift heavy weights, preferably quickly and get more done in less time.

Why lift heavy

In the “My Gym Trainer” books, we encourage you to train with challengingly heavy weights.  Here’s why:

Contrary to what many trainers may say, bulking up does happen, however it is not what you think it is.  It occurs when muscle is built underneath layers of fat, without any attention paid to fat-burning.  Thus, you appear larger.  By now we know that we must lift heavy weights to elicit any physique change, but we also need to burn fat simultaneously to lose inches and gain more definition.  Most educated personal trainers know that in order to increase fat-burning during and after the workout, you must breach your anaerobic threshold.  In other words, when lifting, you must get breathless, you must get burning in your muscles (signals lactic acid accumulation) and you must lift heavy enough weight to reach the point of mechanical muscle failure.  There should be no fear of bulking up when fat-burning is being maximized.

Lifting heavy weights to the point of muscle failure, in general, enhances the release of testosterone, which when increased naturally through weight training will increase fat-burning in women (one of the reasons men are leaner than women).  Lifting heavy enough to generate a strong burning in the muscles enhances the release of human growth hormone, which also aids in fat burning and has female-friendly anti-aging benefits.

Finally, adding lean muscle mass will enhance your fat burning potential while you are not working out.  A pound of muscle burns 15-30 calories per day at rest, while a pound of fat burns 2-5 calories; it’s a no-brainer of which composition is more desirable.  More muscle makes us more metabolically active. Furthermore, a pound of fat takes up more physical space than a pound of muscle.  So, burning fat and increasing lean muscle will NOT create bulk, but instead strip inches creating a lean, tight, defined physique, not to mention your clothes hanging off you.

Build Muscle, Burn Fat and Lose Inches with My Gym Trainer

So how do you do this?  First, stop doing “toning” workouts. If you can complete 50 reps without stopping, you are not “toning,” you are wasting both muscle and time.  Using the workouts contained in “My Gym Trainer,” choose a weight that elicits failure by the last rep.  For example, if the workout calls for 10 reps, choose a weight with which you can barely complete 10 reps, and definitely not 11.  Next, maximize your time in the gym by training quickly, sticking to less than 60 seconds between sets.  Workout sessions (cardio OR weight training) should be no longer than 35-40 minutes in duration for best results.  Long rest periods between sets is power lifting and does not burn fat. 

“My Gym Trainer” uses circuit training.  You have 3-4 exercises per circuit, through which you move quickly from exercise to exercise with little-to-no rest.  The workouts in MGT are designed this way in order to keep the heart rate up and generate a greater lactic acid burn in the muscles because there will be less time for the burn to dissipate between sets.   My Gym Trainer offers tons of variety in the exercises in order to keep the body responsive.  Compound movements like pull-ups, squats, lunges, push-presses, rows and bench presses use multiple muscle groups across several joints.  The more muscle tissue recruited by an exercise, the larger the metabolic effect of the workout. 

Go heavy and leave the pink to the babies!  We would love to hear from you, and about your My Gym Trainer experience!  info@mytrainerfitness.com

CLICK HERE to purchase My Gym Trainer!

For more information, visit: http://www.mytrainerfitness.com

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About Personal Training Certifications: Don't be fooled!

Tags: Fitness, fitness training, jill coleman, my gym trainer, my trainer fitness, personal trainer, weight training

Not all personal training certifications are equal.

My Gym Trainer is the best option for someone who wants the quality of workouts achieved by hiring a personal trainer without the cost.

The workouts contained here were designed by Jill Coleman, an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)-certified personal trainer.

Jill also holds a bachelors degree in Exercise Science, which is something you, as a consumer, should look for when evaluating who to listen to in the fitness world.

Other top fitness certifications include those from the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

CLICK HERE to purchase My Gym Trainer!

For more information, visit: http://www.mytrainerfitness.com

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