A recent poll was taken in 24 countries based on 4 categories:

1. Television watching
2. Internet Use
3. Aversion to Playing Sports
4. Calories per day

Among these four categories America ranked first in calories per day and television watching placing us at the top the charts for the“LAZIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.”

It saddens me to know that with all of the privileges people think they deserve as far as cheaper health care, insurance, etc… That a great majority of you are so unwilling to put in the effort to make your lives a little bit healthier. Staying active increases your chances to avoid illness and live a longer more plentiful lifestyle.America has made it far too easy to not be proactive in our lives.

Atrophy: A wasting or decrease in size of a body organ, tissue, or part owing to disease, injury, or lack of use: A wasting away, deterioration, or diminution.

Atrophy is apparent in a great majority of Americans and as we grow older it becomes more difficult to avoid. Every year that we prolong taking any action towards improving our physical activity levels makes it that much harder to gain back the body that we may have had in our early 20’s.

“Lean muscle mass and bone typically decrease, while body fat increases.”(Maintaining Muscle)This can be avoided by committing to daily exercise routines (minimum of 20 minutes, 3 days a week).However some forms of atrophy cannot be avoided for example if it is neuromuscular disease.

Wouldn’t you rather see your family grow healthy and strong together, rather than grow into the couch or recliner in front of the TV?

Well, lucky for us the gym is open all day and I know for a fact that most personal trainers will work with your schedule if given proper notice.  So that eliminates 3 VERY BIG excuses!  Pretenders find reasons to fail and achievers use failure as motivation.

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.  ~Winston Churchill

Achievers have the will and the desire to persevere beyond any excuse and over all odds.  Those who strive to achieve their goals look for alternate routes when provided with an obstacle and have the mental fortitude to say to themselves “If I quit here, I’ll never get where I want to be.” Everything you have to do in order to become successful is well worth your time.  The question is,  is it within you!

  Having said that, it’s time for “the pretenders” to wake up and smell the coffee!  TAKE ACTION!  The boat is leaving the marina and “the achievers” are at the helm.  It’s not too late to jump on board and take your fitness goals to a new level of success.

Best of Luck!

Derek Hummel

            Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day!  Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast goes hand in hand with boosting your metabolism and energy for the day.  It also reduces your chances of obesity.  Breakfast should be our number one priority to getting our bodies ready for the day.  This may require changing up our morning routines, but the benefits to doing so will definitely outweigh any efforts towards this change.  As so many of us are on-the-go, we can easily make healthy choices that do not take up much extra time at all.  In fact, all we need to do is plan ahead and be prepared for this first meal of the day.

           Look, you don’t have to eat like an undersized sumo wrestler; a healthy breakfast should include both fiber and protein.  You can get your fiber source from items such as fruits, grains, oats, and vegetables. Your protein source can come from eggs, dairy, and low-fat meats. 

So back to the planning ahead concept, place some blueberries in separate baggies and freeze them so you can grab and go, for example. You can also boil eggs and refrigerate for the week to also grab and go.  A hard- boiled egg and a handful of blueberries would be an excellent breakfast source for the morning.  Other options include oatmeal with a few raspberries, fruit and grain bar, or yogurt with fruit in it!

            Let breakfast become one of your first steps in changing up your eating habits throughout the day. This meal will set the tone for how you approach the rest of your meals of the day.  I know we are all looking for that added energy and metabolism boost, and this is just one simple step to push your body in the right direction.

Krisi Hill, CPT

Periodization is exactly what it sounds like.  It’s simply taking workouts and organizing them into, well, periods.  OK, so its not that simple but it is relatively easy yet, does take some planning.  Most times when you see an athlete, usually of college status or higher, this will likely be the type of program he or she is on.  However, you do not have to be an athlete to train this way.

Now, I should tell you that periodization is broken up into periods (or cycles).  The cycles go as follows: micro-cycles (usually a week in length), meso-cycles (1-3 months), and macro-cycle (typically one full year).  Below is an example of a basic macro-cycle and meso-cycle:

Periodization Training

Unfortunately, people today who think that the only way to get the results that they are looking for is to workout for hours upon hours at a time and tend to neglect the necessary nutrition and rest needed to accomplish such results.  I am talking about “overtraining”, a syndrome that can have severe adverse effects on not only the physical aspect of the body but the psychological aspect as well.

Working out is a great way to stay active and in shape, however, it can be come an addiction.  It is great that you’re committed to your health but too much exercise can be a bad thing.  Women are especially susceptible to exercise addiction.

Now, you’re probably thinking this only effects athletes and bodybuilders but that is not the case, over training effects everyone.  Especially in women, too much training and too little rest has been known to increase the chances of osteoporosis due to decreased levels in estrogen from missed menstrual cycles.  So be sure to take a look at the list of signs and symptoms of overtraining in order to help you prevent overtraining syndrome.

Warning Signs of Overtraining

*Listed below are the warning signs of overtraining:

-Persistent soreness and stiffness in the muscles, joints and tendons.

-Heavy – legs.

-Loss of interest in training.

-Nervousness – a heightened state

-Depression – humour is lacking

-A “I don’t care” attitude.

-Inability to relax – linked to nervousness

-A drop in academic or work performance – inability to focus

-Body Warning Signs – body does not feel the same

-Headaches – an increase in headaches

-Loss of appetite – food ain’t fun

-Unexplained drop in athletic performance – no go zone

-Fatigue and sluggishness – it ain’t easy anymore

-Drop in body weight – mass associated to overtraining

-Swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, groin, and armpit.

-Constipation or diarrhea – body functioning impaired

-Absence of menstruation – weight plays a factor

Overtraining syndrome is serious and if the proper steps are not taking to prevent or change the effects of this you may be at risk to future injuries and negative progress in your fitness goals.  If you notice signs of overtraining it is time to get some much needed rest and make some changes to your workout regimen.  Exercise is great, but your safety is the most important.

BEST OF LUCK!

Guest Blog Written By: Derek Hummel

Today, fitness professionals everywhere are coming up with new ways and modifying old ways of activating and stimulating your “core” or “midsection.”  (By “core” we mean not only your abdominal but also your low back muscles which are vital in spine support and keeping “us” standing upright.)  Thus, increasing your chances of transforming a once mediocre looking stomach to a jaw dropping, carved from stone, 6-pack.  These methods that I am talking about involve several exercises performed on the “Swiss ball.”

The Swiss ball is highly versatile and an inexpensive piece of equipment that can transform a simple workout that involves little effort, aside from lifting the weight, into a total body effort that forces you to activate muscles that you wouldn’t normally use while performing the same exercise on a bench.  Exercises that can be performed on a Swiss ball vary from beginner to expert.  I recommend that if you have never used a Swiss ball in your exercises before that you begin at a lower level of difficulty until you are able to strengthen the muscles necessary to perform these exercises correctly using proper form and technique.

By using the Swiss ball in your workouts you will notice increases in core strength thus allowing you to perform other exercises such as squats and bench press with greater ease with dramatic increases in overall strength.  Take a look at a great video to help you learn more about this incredible fitness tool.

How do you get ready for a workout?  Wait, let me guess.  I bet you are the stereotypical person who does a few leg stretches here and there, maybe a few toe touches, and possibly finds a way to stretch your arms and chest.  Am I right?  Well, if I am right, then this is for YOU!

Today, the topic of stretching has become rather controversial in the fitness and sporting industry.  There are several ways to stretch and there are certain stretches that should be performed before and after fitness and recreational activities that can reduce the risk of injury and promote muscle functionality, flexibility, and stability.  The methods of stretching that I will be covering here are: static stretching (most common), dynamic stretching, and self myofascial release treatment or SMRT.

Static Stretching: Static stretching is by far the most commonly used form of stretching before and after exercise and the style of stretching that I am sure the majority of you who answered “yes” to the questions in the opening paragraph use.  Reason being for this, is that from a young age we are trained to believe that this is the most appropriate way to prepare our bodies for physical activity.  However, recent studies have shown that static stretching in fact does not prepare your body’s muscles for what it is about to endure but actually weakens them.  I am not saying that static stretching cant be done nor should it, but there is an appropriate time and that is after your workout.  Performing this method of stretching afterwards can actually increase your recovery time by assisting in the release of lactic acid build up in your muscles (ie. muscle soreness) and prevent delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS.

Dynamic Stretching:  Dynamic Stretching is a style of stretching that most athletes perform to prepare their bodies for physical activity, this method promotes blood flow to the muscles sending a signal that says “hey get ready we’re about to do some work!”  This active style of stretching is a great way to “loosen up” but actually you aren’t getting loose entirely, you are warming up, which is why dynamic stretching is becoming more and more popular with fitness professionals and physical therapists.

Self Myofascial Release Treatment:  SMRT or Self Myofascial Release Treatment is quickly becoming the most sought after method of pre-workout treatment for athletes of all levels.  This method isn’t so much a style of stretching as it is a massage that conditions the connective tissue around your muscles called fascia.  SMRT is performed using a foam roll (foam rolls very in firmness and should be adjusted accordingly to muscle tension) that is rolled over the areas of the body that tend to be the tightest, but it can and should be used over the whole body.  With this, it is best to concentrate on the muscles that you would be working that particular day.  This massage is painful yet therapeutic but has shown signs that when performed correctly it may help prevent potential injuries and increase muscle function.

Having said all of that, where are you now?  If you ask your fitness professional I am sure the majority of you will here that static stretching should still be done before you workout as long as you “warm up.”  Why not, perform a method of active stretching that that allows you to get blood flow to the areas necessary while “loosening up.”  Try dynamic stretching, you will be more ready for your workout and decrease future risk of injury and it doesn’t take a lot of time.  And for those of you who are feeling adventurous and can endure a little pain that feels great after, ask your fitness instructor or trainer to show you some simple foam roll techniques (most gyms have these available, if not they can be purchased with instructional DVD for around $30) and immediately notice an increased range of motion and overall flexibility.

Best of Luck!

Guest Blog Written by: Derek Hummel

Until now, the creators of the revolutionary new fitness machine, the “Power Plate” which uses vibration technology and is optimized for fat torching, total body workouts that provides mind blowing results in just 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week.  Power Plates use the simple concept of acceleration training using the vibration technology that provides motion in three different planes simultaneously causing the muscle to stimulate and contract.  This piece of equipment has a range of settings varying from 30 to 70 vibrations per second designed to increase the effectiveness of the load on the body, thus increasing muscle strength, muscle tone, and efficiently shreding unwanted pounds.  

Power Plates are relatively new to the fitness industry, but already they are being used in a number of facilities, major organizations and even high profile athletes.  To name a few: Nationally known strength coach and core performance specialist Mark Versteegen uses power plates in his training facilities (Athletes Performance), along with LeBron James of the Cleveland Caviliers, and the NFL Team the Chicago Bears.  

Also, coming soon to the Omaha area Black Clover Fitness will have the areas first multi-Power Plate facility which will provide the midwest with the most unique, high intensity, fat torching experience around.  Here’s a sneak peak at what Black Clover Fitness combined with Power Plates will have to offer!!!!!

Find more videos like this on The Final Rep Fitness, Inc.

Guest Blog Written By: Derek Hummel

More often than not, when you walk in a fitness facility, you will see people performing certain exercises each one designed for a specific purpose (ie. bench press=bigger chest, bicep curl=gun show).  And then you will see the occassional person in the gym who is doing something that you may have never thought of ever trying; A. because it looked hard or B. because you didnt want to look like an idiot.  Chances are that those exercises you saw were a form of functional training. 

Now, you dont have to be a superstar athlete to perform such exercises or even an athlete at all, but this style of training has a high demand for proper technique as it does tend to involve a higher risk of injury.  However, when performed correctly functional training is one of the most versitile forms of exercise for building size and strength, as well as, improving your lifestyle and the way you feel at the end of the day. 

Functional training is a style that incorporates mutliple movements into one exercise.  For example, what use is it to you, to be able to bench press 400 lbs.? Odds are, that you don’t go around pushing heavy objects for short distances at a time.  And machines only hinder your body’s ability to react and adapt to situations you might actually come across in everyday life. 

By merely doing lunges instead of leg extensions and hamstring curls, not only are you working all the areas that the two aformentioned exercises work, but you are working them simultaneously and in a fashion that is far more beneficial to everyday activities such as hmmm, I dont know? Walking!  By performing the lunge exercise you are forcing both your hamstrings and quads to activate how they were designed to, both as “agonist” and “antagonist” muscles.  Simply meaning that when one is firing the other is preparing for the “stop” motion.  Muscles are designed to work together as an entire unit and believe it or not, your muscles work like that from head to toe, which is why functional training is, however, so often overlooked, above and beyond one of the greatest, yet demanding styles of training out there. 

If you are looking to add a little excitement to your workouts try incorporating some functional training exercises to really get that total body burn you’ve been waiting for.

Guest Blog Written By: Derek Hummel

Nowadays you see younger and younger kids looking for that so called “edge” that next level, whether it be their parents pushing them towards something they might not be able to achieve on their own or maybe it’s all of the specialization in sports that has become so popular lately.  Whatever the case, teenagers should never have to reach for performance enhancing drugs in order to get the “step up” on the competition; for one their bodies are still growing and the supplementation can have adverse affects on their body and more than likely the teenager has no idea what he or she is putting into his/her body due to lack of research and overall knowledge.

However, there are supplements that are permissible for teens to take while their bodies are still developing that will promote positive growth without abnormal side affects.  But the only supplements that I can recommend for your teenager to even consider taking are a good multi-vitamin and a protein supplement if they aren’t getting enough nutrients in their diet. “Sports supplements haven’t been tested on teens and kids. But studies on adults show that the claims of many supplements are weak at best. Most won’t make you any stronger, and none will make you any faster or more skillful.”  And then it all boils down the the caliber of athlete that they are and whether or not they have the “drive from within” to achieve their goals as an athlete.  

You probably have seen in magazines and online how if you buy this product you will cause strength increases up to 450%.  Come On!  Really!  Folks what I am trying to say is don’t believe everything you read or see in a magazine, all of the advertisements are merely sales gimmicks to one up the competition.  If you have ever read any articles regarding the research done while testing a new performance enhancing supplement, what you will see are numbers that few people, if anybody, could ever reach.  Usually, these research groups select a number of participants and set them as a control group, a test group and a placebo group.  If you are paying attention, the majority of the time you will see that the placebo group will have remarkable gains as well as the test group, because neither group knows which is which and their minds are persuaded to think that what they are taking is the real deal.  So when you see the results and notice that the placebo may have possibly worked just as well you may begin to wonder, is it all just a state of mind? Or is the supplement actually working?  You Be the judge!  

Take into consideration, when you take a substance that is prohibited not only are you cheating yourself but you are cheating all of those whom you compete with and all of those (ie: younger siblings) who look up to you as a role model.  So teenagers and parents alike, find out everything you possibly can about what it is that you are allowing your son or daughter to put in their bodies only to gain what may be a minor temporary “edge.”

Guest Blog Written By: Derek Hummel