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Archive for benefits of boot camp

Do You Know Big Mo?

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Sometimes I’m an annoying hard ass.

I text ladies when they skip boot camp – sometimes early in the morning.

I email ladies when they don’t show up for sessions – repeatedly.

I call if they do it more than once.

To some it may seem annoying, but I don’t care.

Why don’t I care if I’m annoying?

Is This Big Mo?

Why don’t I care if I can be perceived as a hard-ass?

Because I’m trying to instill the “Big Mo” in everyone.

Before you ask, the “Big Mo” is momentum.

More specifically, it could be said that I’m trying to instill a positive habit in everyone – the habit of working out (whether it is with me in boot camp, or on their own).

Getting into the habit of working out is tough.

That’s not totally true because in the beginning it’s not that tough.

You’re full of enthusiasm about a new program and the devilishly handsome and wicked smart boot camp trainer (it’s okay if you gag…I know Andrea will give me crap for saying that).

Sure you’re sore and sure you don’t like it when you’re told to do Burpees and that you need to cut down on some of your favorite foods in order to lose weight and tone up, but it’s okay because you’re excited.

Everybody gets excited about the new stuff.

But pretty soon, it becomes easy to hit the snooze button on the alarm and/or skip your workout.   You tell yourself, “It’s just this one time…I’ll workout on my own later.”

But do you?

The problem is, you’ve slowed the “Big Mo” down and the Big Mo doesn’t like to be slowed down.  The Big Mo gets cranky when he gets slowed down and pretty soon, he completely stops moving.

The Big Mo thrives on you moving forward because the Big Mo knows that if you keep moving forward, you’ll get to your destination…it’s the Law of Big Mo.

That’s the real reason I call, text, email and sometimes can feel like a giant thorn in your tush.

I’m the Big Mo’s assistant and let me tell ya, Big Mo can be fun to work with when you understand his laws…but if you try to fight the Big Mo or think you can alter the Big Mo’s laws, he’ll put you in your place.

Okay, I think I’ve crushed the term “Big Mo” to death and I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.

Big Mo = momentum.

Big Mo = good habits.

You need to continuously workout to make positive changes – whether that’s to lose weight, tone up, or just be more fit and healthy.

Momentum is a really cool thing if you let it work for you.

If you keep putting one foot in front of the other (meaning continue working out while adding good foods and subtract bad foods), you will reach your destination.  Some people have a longer path, but the analogy still holds true.

So let Big Mo work for you rather than trying to work against Big Mo.

Okay, that is the end of my version of Aesop’s fables

Have an awesome day!

Ed

P.S. – Did that make sense?  Leave a comment below if you have any questions or would like to share any of your own stories…or if you’d just like to give me crap.

Categories : Boot Camp
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Change Your Perspective And Change Your Figure

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Just a quickie for you today.

Having just said that, I realize that it’s very difficult for me to write a “quick” article.  I say they’ll be quick, but they end up being…not too quick.  Hopefully I stick with the “quick” mindset.

I guess I better get on with it, huh?

I want to ask you a question.

Are you ready for it?

I know that was a question, but it wasn’t the question I wanted to ask.

What did you eat this weekend?

I don’t just mean for dinner – I mean EVERYTHING.  What did you eat?

Not only that, but what did you drink?

Okay, that’s 2 questions, but they’re essentially the same.

If you need to sit and think for a bit, that’s fine.  I want you to think about everything you ate or drank over the weekend.

What feelings does that food bring up?

Did the food make you feel good?  Did it make you feel good AFTER eating it or did it make you feel bloated, “heavy” and with thoughts of “Why did I eat that?”

If the answer is more the latter, than the former…why?

If what you ate and drank over the weekend made you feel like crap and will eventually lead you to either gaining weight or maintaining your current weight, why did you do it?

If it made you feel like crap, did you tell yourself you wouldn’t do it again?

Did you feel bad after eating/drinking what you did?

If you did, that’s the wrong feeling you should be having.

Food is meant to not only provide you with fuel, but it should be something you enjoy and if you feel bad about what you ate, how much you ate and how often you ate, then you’re thinking about things incorrectly.

Yes, I said “thinking” and not “doing.”

What do I mean? Read More→

Categories : Boot Camp, Nutrition
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Common Problems To One Of My Favorite Boot Camp Exercises

Monday, May 3rd, 2010


If I were to ask you to think really hard about what my favorite boot camp exercise is, what do you think it would be?

Some may say push-ups and you’d be close.

Some may say anything inducing pain…and you’d be close!

But when I say “favorite”, I don’t mean the one that makes me smile the most because it makes you work the hardest…

…When I say “favorite”, I’m meaning more along the lines of which exercise (or variation) I like to use most often.

Does that help?

If you guessed the Plank, you’d be right.

I have a number of variations I use in boot camp including Planks, Side Planks, Push-up Planks, Plank Extensions, etc., etc., etc.

I LOVE Planks!

I love them because they flat out work.

They are one of the best stomach exercises and are necessary in building a strong, stable core – which goes far beyond losing stomach fat and getting a nicer figure.

However, there is a big problem with Planks and that is most people do them incorrectly.

Even if you think you’re doing them perfectly, your form will suffer the more fatigued you are…or the less you pay attention to form.

I’m not even immune to letting my form get a bit out of whack!

There are a number of common problems I see every day in boot camp and I made a quick video demonstrating what those problems are and how to fix them.

http://www.vimeo.com/11354862

That’s all I have for today!

Exercise safe and I’ll talk to you soon.

And remember…

Be a superhero today!

The Fit Dad

P.S. – A couple of weeks ago I threw an exercise into a boot camp workout called “The Dive Bomber.”  It’s a heck of a little exercise, but the more people I told about it, the more questions I received on how to do it…so I made a video!

To check that video out, click here.

Today’s Boot Camp Workout – Sexy Arms and Metabolic Blast!!

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Hey everybody!

I hope your day is going awesome!  The boot camp workout I made today was a killer and I’ve had a couple emails and a Facebook response or 2 asking if I could send them the workout we did.

So I thought that it would be totally awesome to put it up on the blog rather than sending individual emails that way EVERYONE could partake in the torture…I mean fun!

Here’s the rundown…

Warm-up:
1A) Hatchet – 15 reps
1B) Squat w/Push – 15 reps
2)  Bird Dog – 15 reps per side

Phase 1 of the Boot Camp Workout:  Sexy Arms!!

1A) 1 ½ Shoulder Press – 15 reps
1B) Upright Row – 15 reps

2A) 1-Arm DB Swing – 20 reps per arm
2B) DB Rear Fly – 15 reps

3A) Push-up – 12 reps
3B) Overhead Bodyweight Squat – 15 reps

4A) Seated Overhead Extension – 15 reps
4B) Plank Extension

Take a quick water break, and then go into…

Phase 2 of the Boot Camp WorkoutMetabolic Blast!!

1A) Cross Body Mountain Climber – 12 reps per side
1B) Toe Touch Crunch – 20 reps
1C) Squat Thrust – 12 reps

2A) Jumping Jack – 30 reps
2B) Dive Bomber – 10 reps
2C) Stationary Lunge w/Shoulder Press – 15 reps per side

Phase 3 (If you have time) of the Boot Camp Workout:  4-Minute Tabata-Style!!

1A) DB Swing – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds
1B) Squat w/Shoulder Press – 20 seconds
Rest 10 seconds and repeat for 4 minutes – for the math-challenge, that should be 4 rounds…

Hope you enjoy it!

All the ladies were panting and their arms were very jell-o-like, which is exactly what I was going for.

When you really take a look at the workout, there’s nothing overly strenuous by itself, it’s the way the workout is put together – the way the exercises are combined and the reps used that really kick the intensity up a bit.

Just make sure you adhere to my 1 rule…Always work hard! It doesn’t matter what your current fitness level is because everyone can work hard.  Just make sure you keep moving forward and constantly challenge yourself.

Have an awesome day!

And Remember…

…Be A Superhero Today!

Ed aka “The Fit Dad”

P.S. – If you’ve never come to one of my boot camps (which are da bomb-diggity), shoot me an email, call me at 304-7848, or click here to learn more.

Comments (1)

Do You Bust Your Butt?

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Sometimes you need a shock to the butt to get you rolling.Given that I actually train people on a daily basis, I can control (to a certain degree) how hard they work.

Granted there are situations when I don’t push someone very hard – goals, their mood, how they’re feeling, age, etc. are all factors in how hard I push someone.

But what’s for certain is how hard I push MYSELF in my own workouts – I always bust my butt and keep the intensity cranked up.  If I’m feeling tired or run-down, I’ll still keep the intensity up but I’ll cut the time down.  If I’m feeling good, I’ll crank the intensity up even more and lengthen the workout a bit (but never longer than 25 minutes).

Far too few people actually follow through with the “kick your butt” mentality when it comes to workouts and that’s a shame because it’s vital if you want to see results plus the higher the intensity the better you feel when you’re done.  There’s just something magical about a killer workout that sends your endorphins through the roof.

I made a quick video about the importance of busting your own ass in your workouts.

Like to see it, here it go…

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So what do you think?  Am I off base or does what I’m saying make sense?

Have an awesome day!

And remember…

…Be A Superhero Today!

later,

The Fit Dad