Life is full of “isms.”

Conservatism.

Liberalism.

I actually Googled the term “ism” and found a site that listed over 200 different “Philosophical Isms.”  And let me tell ya…some of them were a bit cooky!

But any list of “isms” just wouldn’t be complete without the best ism of all isms…

…The Ed’ism.

Yes, there are plenty of Edisms and if you’ve been coming to boot camp you know a few of them.

Way back in the day I had a client who said she could write a book of nothing but Edisms and I told her she should.

She never did, but this is also the same person who called me a “son of a (you fill in the blank)” on more than one occasion.

One of my favorite Edisms is “Keep it in and tight.”

Before you let your mind wander, let me tell you that I’m talking about your stomach.

Whenever you exercise, I want you to always be mindful of keeping your stomach in and tight.

Our stomachs are all out of whack – and I’m not just talking about the blubbery goo that sits on top, I’m talking about the muscle tone and strength.

We sit too much and don’t move enough and that combination wreaks havoc on your midsection and if you’ve had kids…it’s a whole lot worse and can be messed up for years if you’re not mindful of the way you hold your stomach.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that when you master the “keep it in and tight” Edism, you can literally take a couple inches off your waistline.

But what does “keep your stomach in and tight” mean?

The easiest thing to describe it is to think “posture.”  Standing up straight and tall – without letting your stomach “hang” – and remember I’m not talking about fat, I’m talking about the muscle.

It means that whenever you do anything, and I mean anything, I want you to focus on tightening your stomach muscles and pull them in.

I’m NOT talking about the kind of tightening where you can’t breathe because you’re sucking in and flexing your abs so hard.  It’s more of a “brace” than a flex.

Think of the way your stomach feels when doing a Plank.  It’s tight, right?

That’s what I mean when I say “keep it tight.”

Now the “keep it in” part is jus as important because if you keep your abs tight, but push them out, your abs will begin to become comfortable with that position (if you do it long enough).

You don’t want your stomach to be “out” do you?

I didn’t think so.

You want to tighten your stomach like when you’re doing a plank, then focus on “pulling” your stomach in a bit.

I want you to picture something for me…

…I’m sure you’ve seen pictures (or maybe you’re guilty of this yourself) of ladies and guys in their bathing suit with their stomachs sucked in and their chests puffed out.   It looks goofy, doesn’t it?

If the picture were a video, you’d see their faces turning bright red because they’re holding their breath and when the picture is done, they exhale and let their stomachs hang out again.

That’s not what I’m talking about when I say “Keep it in and tight.”

Remember, it’s a “bracing” more than a flexing thing.

Once you master this Edism you will notice an immediate difference in the way your stomach looks, how you walk and sit and even how you feel.

That’s a strong statement, but it’s a true statement…and you won’t have to worry about sucking it in to fit into your favorite pair of pants!

So remember to “Keep it in and tight!”

Have an awesome day!

And remember…

Be a superhero today!

Ed Scow, aka “The Fit Dad”

owner, ELS Boot Camps for Ladies Only
author, Fat Loss To Go
author, Get Fit. Get Sexy. Get Your Superhero Body!
contributor, Men’s Health Magazine
contributor, Women’s Health Magazine
contributor, Big Book of Exercises

A couple months ago I made a bunch of quick workout videos for you…

…But I’m a big slacker and didn’t give them to you!

How bad is that?

Mr. Boot Camp Trainer Man promises a bunch of free boot camp workouts for you and he doesn’t deliver.

Damn Mr. Boot Camp Trainer Man!

Anyway, enough with the self-destructive sayings and on with the goodies!

You’ll see 3 boot camp workout videos below.   1 is a “Metabolic” mini-circuit.  1 is an “Abs” mini-circuit and the other is a “Legs” mini-circuit.

That’s kind of the way I’ve been formatting boot camps lately.  I’ll take the entire workout and split it up into mini-circuits.  Sometimes the mini-circuit is done for 5 minutes.  Sometimes it’s done for a prescribed number of reps and sets and sometimes I just hold the time until every lady in attendance is groaning and cussing me out!

So now it’s your turn to do it from home.

Take these 3 boot camp mini-circuits, put ‘em together and do a workout.

You can do them in any order you’d like.  Actually if you’re going to do them multiple times per week, which I highly recommend, mix up the order.

For instance on Day 1 do the Metabolic one first.  Then on day 2, do the Abs one first and on day 3 do the Legs one first.  I wasn’t a math major so I have no idea how many different combinations you can do when it comes to the order of the workouts and mixing up the way they’re done…but it’s a lot.

Have fun with it…as much fun as you can have with a workout, that is!

Anyway…on with the show!!!

Here’s the videos.

Here’s the Boot Camp Metabolic Mini-Circuit:

http://www.vimeo.com/7990295

Now here’s the Boot Camp Abs Mini-Circuit:

http://www.vimeo.com/7989260

And finally, here’s the Boot Camp Legs Mini-Circuit:

http://www.vimeo.com/7990288

Hope you enjoy the workout(s)!

As usual, if you have any questions just let me know.

I’m here to help!

Have an awesome day!

And remember…

…Be A Superhero Today!

The Fit Dad

Here’s the article I ran in the January 2010 issue of L Magazine…

What’s the old saying?  Rules are made to be broken?  I like that wise old adage.  In fact, I can remember breaking many a rule many years ago (and I’m sure you can too!).

Weight loss has some “rules” as well.  I don’t like some of these rules and I’m sure you don’t either so let’s break a few.  Scratch that, let’s smash these rules into teeny tiny bits so they’re never allowed to return and mess with your head.

By the way this list is for ladies only.  Sorry fellas.

The first rule to be smashed is that you need to weigh yourself…ever.

I hate scales.   All they do is make you depressed.  Some days it doesn’t budge, others it moves down a couple pounds and still others it jumps a couple pounds.

But the reason I included this rule is because it really misses the mark in determining whether or not you’re succeeding with your program.

What do you really want?  For instance, if I told you your waist would shrink by 4 inches but the scale wouldn’t budge would you care?

Absolutely not!  All you care about is what you look like, and more specifically what you look like naked while standing in front of a full-length mirror.

The second rule that should be smashed to smithereens is cardio is the best way to lose weight and get in shape.

It’s not.

The way most ladies do cardio takes too long and is incredibly boring plus your body gets used to it quickly and stops making progress.

If burning calories is the way you mark a good workout, you should know that you can burn just as many calories with a good resistance training workout as you can with cardio.  If it’s an awesome resistance training workout, you’ll burn a ton of calories during the workout AND for hours after you’ve completed the workout.

The catch is that you have to have the right program and you have to work the workout.  You can’t go through the motions and expect to see results.

Please don’t misunderstand.  Cardio can work and if you’d like to run for over an hour a day, be my guest.  But I’d rather give you a way to burn just as much, if not more fat in a fraction of the time and save your joints in the process.

The final rule to smash is resting.  I’m not a big fan of resting if your goal is weight loss.

This rule has always seemed a bit silly to me.  Do an exercise, then rest.  Do it again, then rest, etc.

Boring!

Let’s say I give you 3 exercises – Push-ups, Lunges and Burpees.  Do them one after the other for 5-7 minutes.  Then pick another group of 3 “big” exercises and repeat.

You’ve worked your entire body, you’re sweating and breathing heavy (just like cardio) and you’ll feel awesome.

It’s not as boring and you’ll be done much quicker.

See, it’s okay to break some rules of weight loss.  As a matter of fact, I highly encourage it!

If you have any questions or comments, let me know!

Talk to you soon,

Ed

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It’s rare that I pimp books – especially if I haven’t written them myself and don’t know the person who wrote it, but I’ve got to tell you about a couple books that hit the shelves a couple weeks ago.

Both are called “The Big Book Of Exercises” and are put out by Men’s Health Magazine and Women’s Health Magazine.  They are 2 awesome books that cover 619 exercises – including pictures, detailed descrptions, etc. and the exercises are split up into what areas of the body they predominantly work, etc.

But if you want to know the COOLEST part…the MOST AWESOMEST (my word) part…the HOTTEST DAMN-DIGGITY part…the WICKED COOL part (with thick Boston accent)…the ASS-KICKINEST (my word) part – okay now I’ve run out of phrases for cool so I’ll just get to the point…

Watch the video to see why these books are so bloody awesome and why I wholeheartedly recommend them!

http://www.vimeo.com/8606943

I think these books should be a part of everyone’s fitness library.  To get your hands on them, click the images below and you’ll be taken to Amazon.com or you can head to your nearest bookseller or I imagine you could get them from the Men’s Health and Women’s Health websites.

Have an awesome day!

And remember…

…Be A Superhero Today!

later,

The Fit Dad

P.S. – I get ZERO money by telling you to go buy those books…nada…zilch…not a damn thing so don’t think I’m pimping something just because I get paid.