FORZA Trainer's BLOG

The SECRET...

2008-04-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Would you like to know the secret to gaining muscle mass, losing body fat, and improving your speed, power and agility for sports? Now I know some people would have you believe that they know the secret, and if you pay them for their training program, you would have the secret, but it's just not true. The secret is not complicated, and I won't charge you anything to find out what it is. I'll even give you some ideas on what the secret is not. It's not a secret way to perform exercises. It's not a special way to put together sets and reps in your training program. It's not a cool infomercial gadget that will transform your body in a record time. Are you ready to know what the secret is? Are you sure?

If so, here it is, two words, Hard Work. Now I know what you're thinking, hard work is the secret to fitness and sports performance? That's way to simple.

Well let me let you in on another little secret, getting in shape is simple. Easy? No.. Simple? Yes..
It all comes down to training specifically for your goals, and eating things that correspond to those goals. That's all it takes. It's not easy to eat right and train, there are all kinds of things that can keep you from reaching your goals, but knowing how should not be one of them. With all the info on training out there, as long as your program follows the basic principles of overload, progression, and specificity, you'll get out, what you put into your training.

I'll take a person who will work hard at an average program, over a person who puts in minimal effort on an excellent program, any day of the week. Think about your workout today, did you leave it all in the gym, on the field, or on the treadmill today?

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
Vince Lombardi

Awareness/Focus Test

2008-04-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Q: Whats the best way to train if I want to improve my basketball game, gain muscle mass, and lose body fat?
Mike Jones

A: Focus on what result you want the most and train for that reason specifically. To often people attempt to reach multiple goals concurrently and improve marginally at each one. There are too many variables to consider when you try to master too many things at the same time. This means you have too many different nutritional needs, training volume requirement and exercise types to consider, in order to develop a solid training program. I would recommend to first train for muscle mass, focus on slashing some body fat, and then train for sports performance. Like the video shows, its hard to focus on multiple things at one time.

Italian Proverb
Often he who does too much does too little.

Metabolic Density Training

2008-03-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, I'm a big fan of Alwyn Cosgrove's training principles and philosophies. The way I see it, Alwyn takes a no nonsense approach to training which gets his clients what they want...results. About a month ago I purchased a DVD from Alwyn called Metabolic Acceleration Training, which shows a few ways to increase your metabolism and burn fat, without doing typical cardio. One of my favorite examples shown on the dvd is called Metabolic Density Training.

MDT is a variation of a type of training developed by Charles Staley, in which 2 exercises are continuously super set for a set period of time, usually 20 minutes, with minimal rest between sets. The difference with MDT is that there are 3 exercises that are done one after another, in a superset fashion. The most common design for these exercises would be a upper body, lower body and core exercise done in sequence, and for typically a shorter period of time.

For Example:
Perform 12 reps of a dumbbell bench press and then without any rest, perform 12 reps of a dumbbell squat, and finally 12 reps of a dumbbell swiss ball crunch. Continue these 3 exercises for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, rest for a couple of minutes and then go for it 2 more times. Or more simply put...

12 DB Bench Press>12 DB Squats>12 DB Swiss Ball Crunches: For 5 Minutes X 3 Sets

Each time you perform a set of MDT, attempt to perform more reps in the set period of time.

Prepare to wave goodbye to that stubborn body fat and to say hello to increased levels of cardiovascular and muscular fitness!

Fat Burners Gone Wild

2008-03-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

While working at EAS and for Body for Life, I learned alot about supplements and performance nutrition. One of the most important things I learned is that more is not necessarily better, especially with fat burners, as my friend Beaker demonstrates.

How Not To Perform Medicine Ball Slams

2008-03-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

I've used medicine ball slams frequently during sports performance training, but there's a few laws that must be followed and remembered when practicing the exercise. For example, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Check out this video and you'll see what I mean.
TC